For those who are Depressed like me.

We will never be the prettiest, skinniest, smartest, healthiest, the most creative, and more but guess what?  I am ok with that! Life has taught me many lessons like:

Words really do hurt
Family can be cruel
Life is never simple
Happiness will always have its downsides
Sunshine always comes with rain or snow eventually.

What we need to know is we need to believe in our selves for once.  We can be brilliant, smart, pretty, nice, fun, friendly.  We need to own what we have done and are not proud of and let it go.  It really can be that easy because eventually at one point you realize you can not change the past but you can make a difference in the future.

If your a teenager and are bullied just know they really can not hurt you unless you let them.  Suicide is never the answer.(This coming from someone who tried many times. )

We can never give up because to be strong we have to take a few punches.  And the very old saying "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."  really can be true.

So take a breath be at ease and let it all go. Your free in your mind and I want you to realize your stronger than you think, prettier than they want you to know, skinny enough, Healthy is not about weight, (skinny can be sicker than chunky.), You can be very creative because you created you!

Love Joanne!

What is Going down in the Smith's Home

Hello everyone..

I thought I would update everyone.  Currently I am going through constant test after test to see what is going on.  First they thought I had MS and then the MRI says no.  Then they thought I had parkinson's.. That is not a no yet it is still up in the air with my Tremors.  All I know is that my body feels like it is being ran over, over and over again.  I get tons of muscle spasms especially in my back.  It is crazy how hard it is even to move lately.

Timmy is doing great.  He is really into gaming now and most of the time you barely notice he has Autism.  Except when you want him to leave the home with you and he constantly saying he wants to go home.   He is starting a gaming channel with my help so check for him soon.   I still wish they would of approved him for make a wish..A late family friend / his adopted grandfather turned him in for it due to his Autism but for some reason that does not count.  We are too poor and it is a shame.  He begs daily to go to Disney World just once.

Homeschooling is going... We are so low income because we are all disabled and I do not get a check due to my husbands and sons check is supposedly too much .  Funny too much does not even get us enough food from month to month. 

Every time we get an electronic it gets broken.  It is sad because I broke my phone so now I can not do my reviews on it.  I really need a camera.  I really need that phone because we do not have a car since we can not afford one.  We have to walk to places which is very hard on my son since he is flat footed and his feet are to flexible and it hurts his legs terribly to walk.

Currently on the home.. Well lets say I learned I can do things myself.  I fixed the family laptop used by my son.  The screen broke and I did it myself.  It was so fun to learn how.  Now I am fixing other electronics and possibly some day building my own.  I am working on fixing up our bathroom.  It is horrible.  The tiles are falling off the wall in the bathroom and I can not get new ones to replace the broken ones since they are plastic.  The sink is falling apart and so is just about every room.  My husband can not do the cleaning or fixing due to some mental disabilities so everything falls on my shoulders.

I still have depression but it is bearable.   As you can tell my anxiety is high right now due to my husbands high anxiety and all I have to catch up on.

Hopefully I will be starting my veggie garden real soon and make that swing bench I have been dying to do.  My art and painting has been on hold due to having my hands full. My writing has been on a permanent halt.

I am going to be doing a survival kit special including weeds that are really herbs in your own yard segment.  Not to mention a lots of homemade recipes for food/shampoo/and lots more.  So be on the lookout.

Oh, yeah and I will be doing a family fun and vacations spots thing for Omaha too so if any companies are interested on me adding them just let me know.  Family fun and Family fun on a budget.

So from all 6 of the Smiths .. Goodnight Sweet dreams and hope to hear from you soon.  (yes I included the fur babies.)


 So you can see why I have been so busy and not posting a whole lot other than reviews.......

Love Yall and thank you for stopping by and checking us out.  :)

Child Harmony Blend by Essential three for Children with Autism/Aspergers

Most of my readers know that I have a child with Aspergers.  It is very hard to deal with sometimes.  Do not get me wrong most times he is the most loving, empathic child I ever met.  He does have a few meltdowns.  They are rare now but now I know I can head them off. 

I have heard tons of great things with essential oils.  How they can heal, calm and do so much more.  It is a fact for me because I have used lavender on me for a while.  I have awful tremors that require all the help I can get.  My arms and legs shake bad.  Mostly I use Chamomile and lavender for me to calm my herbs. They really help me and I know they do work.  I would love to try the adrenal blend by Essential Three for me sometime. 

Here are a few sites on the health benefits of essential oils:

1. http://www.care2.com/greenliving/9-essential-oils-with-huge-health-benefits.html
2. https://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/natural-essential-oils/list-of-essential-oils.html 

 Here is what Essential three site:

1. Child Harmony Spray
2. Child Harmony Oil Blend

Recently I got a chance to try Essential three's Child Harmony Blend which is great for children with Autism, ADHD and many others.  My son uses the spray or roll on when he starts feeling the slightest bit upset as it begins and it works like magic!  He even notices himself calming down within minutes of using the oil.  He likes them and carries them in his tote along with his Nintendo DS so he can use them at any time.  He needs it the most when we are out at the store because he really hates stores.  He rubs it on and boom he is fine and starts playing his game system while I shop.  It does not get easier....

My son has improved on this product and actually likes to use it!

I highly recommend this for any family but especially for the ones dealing with things such as Autism and or Aspergers. 

Ingredients:
Chamomile, Roman: Irritability, restlessness, anxiety, tension, anger, stress, impatience, shock, hyperactivity.
Dill: Anxiety, overwhelm, chaos, upset tummy.
Fennel, Sweet: Emotional weakness, fear, anxiety, upset tummy.
Lavender: Exhaustion, imbalance, irritability, restlessness, anxiety, anger, tension, stress.
Mandarin, Red: Restlessness, melancholy, anxiety.






~~Disclaimer: I am a blogger and  I was sent a complimentary
product in exchange for my honest review. The opinions expressed here are Only my own.~~ 

Dealing with Autism and my miracle of a child.

I have heard some horror stories of parenting a child with Autism.  It got me thinking I do not nearly talk about it as much as I should on my blog.  Here is a a little about our life with it.  I think everyone should know what a little miracle I have.


When my son Timmy was 6mts I kept waking up out of no where and checked on him and he was not breathing.  Obviously it was not a long time because he was normal color and everything and he would start back up breathing.  It went on for a while.  I kept taking him to doctor after doctor and telling them this.  I was a nervous wreck and they acted like I was going nuts.  Finally after months a we got the head doctor that saw me and my sister when we where kids.  He listened to me.  He sent me home with a nurse to set up my sons test to see if he was not breathing.  Sure enough that very night the test went off beeping. That ment that he was going through non breathing moments.  When we saw the doctor again he verified that my son was not breathing and needed the apnea machine more often so I can hear it when he stops breathing.  So we were told our son has breathing apnea.  I thought that was just for people overweight like me and not my baby. Then at 9mts the machine went off and it kept beeping. I jumped out of bed and ran to my son to check if it just came loose.  It wasn't loose.  He was still not breathing. Luckily I took infant cpr before he was born.  It only took one puff to get him breathing again. It did not happen again but it nearly killed me.  He was hospitalized for one night why they tested him.  After that no more apnea.  They found out he was allergic to milk and put him a alternative which I did not like but I did not know much about organics back then so I let them.



My son progressed normally for a boy until almost 2.  He stopped talking and his attention span went to 0.  No toys or anything.  He would not play with them. I bought him a lot thinking I was just not buying him the right toys. At that time I had no idea what Autism was or that it really existed. I went to doctor to doctor and they could not tell me what is wrong. They told me it was not Autism because he can look you in the eye. He only looked at you for a second and wouldn't do it again.  He had the fraying and water obsession, and more.  I heard my nephew in law had Autism so I researched it.  I even had him see a gene specialist to see what was going on.  They did say he had abnormal chromosome that I had but I was not special needs so it wasn't that.   I thought it would be my husband since he is partially learning disabled.  They said no.  Hey these are the top of there field right, They had to be right and me wrong.  Each day I new deep down he had Autism but doubted myself.

They decided at 4 to put him and early child education.  Early Childhood education was another nightmare.  They tested him and said mom really knows her kid because their test said exactly what my forms I filled out said.  They too Just thought he had a learning issue and not Autism.  He loved school at first.  He was excited.  He was saying one word phrases by then.  Then after school started he stopped talking at all.  He came home exhausted and suddenly obsessed with his belly button and parts.  I was told that was normal for boys and it will pass and just not to embarrass him. My thought was really? At 4?  One day my mom came with me to drop my son off at school and he cried and did not want her to leave.  I thought this is normal for kids to not want to go to school.  We left that day and picked him up and he was fine.  The next morning I dropped him off at school and he did the same to me but even more terrified.  He seemed really scared.  I thought once you put them in school they have to stay there. I was stupid.  I said mommy will stay for a minute and get you to calm down.  The teacher said" Actually no.  We need you to leave it is better for him and maybe you should start putting him on the buss.  Oh and I do not think it is a good Idea that grandma brings him anymore because he would not calm down yesterday."  I left but I felt sick.  Something was not right.   All day felt wrong and finally it was time to pick him up from school.  He acted sick.  He was just not himself.  I was scared.  About an hour later I realized he had a fresh wound on his back.   It was like a skid mark at least a 50 cent piece in size.   He was also running a fever. (I forgot to mention I called the school board when I was waiting to pick him up and because I felt something was really bad or off.  They said I do not have to send him to school at 4 because it is only an elective thing at that age.  )  Things started clicking and found out my son was running a fever.  We went to the children's er.  They asked if he hit his head.  I said I do not know and that he got the wound at school.  He asked me to call the school and check.  I called his teacher and asked her about the wound.  She said she had no idea how he got it and nothing happened as far as she knew.  Well I told her we where at the doctor and he wanted to know and her response was "I have so many kids I do not know what happens all the time. "  Ok, That was enough.  She was very angry and hysterical.  She started saying "what are you accusing me of? "  I told her I was not accuse her of anything but Timmy was not returning to her class room.  I had it. I was going to try my hand at homeschooling.   Life continued and after a month of homeschooling he started talking again and more than ever!

A year later.  My son told me one day out of the blue "Mommy, I did not like school."  I said I know baby.  he then said "The kids hurt me." Boom.  Everything made sense.  They did get a new girl student much smaller than my son. I remember meeting her but she was hitting one of the teacher aids.  My son later on when he found more words that a few kids in the class hit him and knocked him down.  I finally thought that was it.  That is why my son hated school.  Really, I still had no idea.

   I cry nightly still over this.What I found out about what happened to him in school and it was not just the kids.  It was a male parent that took him to the bathroom.  It kills me but I don't let him know. 

This is some of my story and now my son is now 12 and obsessed with electronics.  His food and schooling is more important but I know he learns on electronics better so that is why I ask for donations for him for an Ipad.  He was signed up by a family friend for make a wish but they said Autism does not kill him so they could not help us with his dream to go to Disney. . I do not expect one person to donate enough for either so I appreciate every bit.  No one has helped yet and we still could use the help.  We live off my husbands social security because I waited to long to apply when I was injured.  They say my husband makes too much for them to assist us.  really? 1200 for three people?  Our rent takes almost all of it and bills take the rest. :( I do enter quite a bit of contest to earn us what I can not buy.  He needs clothes and stuff and we all only buy second hand to save.  We do without luxuries like cable or anything nice like that.   There is nothing I would not do for my son.

My paralegal mentioned that we would make more money if I divorced my husband and still lived with him.  Or if we where to split and live with someone else.  Sorry I will not do this.  I am honest.  I will not be a person who has kids just for a check.  
Well I bared a lot today.  I just felt the need too. Sorry, Love Jo

K5 Learning Online Reading & Math Program Review

We got to try this online reading and math program for a few weeks.  It assess your child and helps them learn faster and keeps them entertained.   If you do not know my son is Autistic and Learning problems.  He also has ADD which means he has nearly no attention span.  I found this program to be one of the best he has tried. It is usually very hard to keep his attention on a learning program.  He loves it and actually wants to do it.  My job as a homeschooler can be very stressful.  Especially when your child never wants to do their work.  This program combines things he really loves: electronics, and games.  So far it has been pretty easy for him to move through the program but it is still challenging so he does not get bored to fast.  Overall, we highly recommend this product to anyone homeschooling or just want to give their child a boost so they do not forget all the highly needed information they may forget over the summer.  Or you could give your child a a head start of what they will learn in the next grade level.  




What is K5? learn more by click the link.  

Want to try it?  Click here.


(from company site) How K5 works:

We customize our program for each student

Benchmark your child’s reading and math skills

• 8 key skills assessed online.

Trust in a program that is personalized for your child

• Lessons are based on our skills assessment, not age.
• 24/7 availability; 100% web based

Watch your child excel

• Kids work independently
• Parents get progress reports

- See more at: http://www.k5learning.com/what-is-k5#sthash.APv1W4d8.dpuf

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Autism and it's Many Forms

Researching Autism and there are so many opinions on how it started so I was curious how do you think it works?  I have heard Shots, weak immune systems and much more.  What do you believe?  How do you feel about Autism on the Rise?  What area of the spectrum are you or your kids on? Are you kids on a special Diet?  What gave you the first clues your child was Autistic.   I really want to know your opinions on the subject so please comment.

I was thinking I really do not talk about it it much because I hate labeling but I think it really do some good for us to think about it and discuss it.  

My son is now 12 and I used to have him on the GFCF diet but its too expensive when you live off disability.    He is always first and we strive for it.  I noticed something was different around 2 when he didn't talk much and had problems with small motor skills.  He had breathing apnea as a baby and I had to give him CPR once and he was hospitalized for a few days for testing.  There is nothing scarier than having to perform CPR on your infant,   At least in my opinion.  

Then there was school. We sent our son to early childhood special Education classes at 4 but he completely shut off and stop talking.  He loved school at first but then he had a quick and sudden change.  He cried when we took him.   The teacher let other mothers stay to help but one day when Timmy was having a really big issue about me leaving I told him that I would stay for a few minutes.  The teacher immediately turned to me and said "No.  You can not stay.".  This worried me and that day after school he came home with an injury on his back.  It was a fifty cent piece size scratch on his back and he was running a fever.  I was terrified and rushed him to the Children's Hospital ER.   The doctor asked me if he hit his head and I just picked him up from school so I had no Idea.  He recommended I call the his teacher to find out.  In the Emergency room waiting room I borrowed the phone and called his teacher.  I then asked her if she knew that Timmy had got hurt today during school time.  She then freaked out yelling "I have a large amount of students and can not see them all the time."  After that she also raised her voice acting very hysterical.  This did not sit right with me.  It bothered me so much that The next morning I informed the public school system and his teacher that Timmy would not  be returning.  

I homeschool now and its hard and challenging but so worth it.  I can tailor everything to his learning style and give him all the attention he needs.  We take him to homeschool classes at local places such as the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo, Children's Museum, and Garden Classes.  He gets lots of social interaction and has his cousin over every week.  

Let me just say for now I am keeping my opinion on how Autism activates in a child closed but I will respond and maybe tell you my opinions if I get others writing to me.  If you Homeschool also which curriculums do you use? Do you buy one or make it up.  I started out with Calvert but I could not afford it anymore.  Feel free to let me know anything you feel on the subject of Autism.