Sniff is one with endless energy. He's nearly 9. I don't have any wonderful suggestions, because I've never attempted to keep up with him personally, but we've had him in swimming, ice hockey, and lately tennis. He also plays out in the cul-de-sac; a necessary substitute for a yard, since out back is the size of a pocket handkerchief, although we do manage a very small trampoline in it which has been great. What I would say is that it does ease off as they get older. Not much comfort now, but keep saying "this too shall pass"! - oh and yes, exercise videos. I know they're mostly intended for adults, but so what if it works?!

Rude much?! I've had something similar recently from a family member. I was NOT impressed. :iagree:

It would be great if it was available online one way or another. I would love to attend these kinds of conferences, but I live in the UK and flight costs are prohibitive, especially if you have specify a date.

Something I forgot to mention - I use different styles of music to help cope with my anxiety: my iPhone and earbuds are often my saving!

Hello Jane :seeya: Sorry you're having this bother. It's really not nice - I remember the pain :crying: I had my gallbladder removed 3 years ago and have had problems with fat from 6 weeks in. If you can manage your diet and avoid surgery, that might be better.. but I suppose it amounts to the same thing: you have to watch what you eat carefully. :grouphug:

It used to, before I went on Lyrica (pregabalin) for fibromyalgia and generalised anxiety disorder. I used to take - and still do, occasionally - valerian or rhodiola to help me relax, or I put some rose or lavender oil on a tissue; the rose makes me feel much more positive, and the lavender just helps me chill. I also had OT which covered both the CFS and the anxiety. But it has to be said that the medication works much better and more consistently than the natural remedies. I wish it wasn't so, but in between being a busy mom and having a number of health issues to deal with, I have decided to put off the therapy route for a few years.

I don't have any opinion or advice, but I do know how much this hurts. In the past, we've found out about family members having operations from other friends, or a while after the event (6 months). I would have just liked to say that I'd be thinking about them/praying for them at the time, or would have sent them a card if I'd known, you know? Six months after the event, you can't really do that with any meaning.

Brussel sprouts don't belong on the Christmas menu. Or on any menu, come to that.

I've got the Dukan book, so I'll pull that out again and check it. Thanks.

Oh - interesting. Too much sweetener does make me feel bloated, which is why I don't want too much of it. I can get a dairy free frozen dessert here called Swedish Glace, which is rather nice, but I don't eat much at a time because of the sugar content. Adding a little fruit is good - a forgotten treat! :tongue_smilie:

yes please.. yum! :tongue_smilie:

Yeah.. very frustrating. It's extraordinary, to me, that a consultant of the relevant discipline would peddle such nonsense. I think he needs to be updated!! In a way, it's comforting to know that I'm not the only one, although obviously knowing how bad it can be I wouldn't wish it on anyone! I'm not sure that I have it all worked out either, but you know how it is - we're busy, we're mostly not loaded - so you do your own research and slowly refine what works for you. You also become very alert to your own body, which I think is a very good thing. I know very quickly if I've pushed my dietary boundaries too far, and I'm onto the stage of assessing how much fat I can tolerate. One thing that does throw me off though, is that because of my CFS/ME, I can tolerate more on good days than bad.. so that has to be factored in too. Complex!

Just to add, there there isn't really anything we don't like to eat, as a family, so any suggestions will be considered and tried ;)

Thanks for all these suggestions. There's some good ideas here. One of the things I was hoping for was some meal ideas, so these were great.. please keep them coming! Please bear in mind that they must be almost fat-free, dairy-free, sugar-free and yeast-free, and it is better if it's wheat/gluten-free too. (I know WF and GF are different things, but for me it isn't critical. I've been tested for coeliac and it was negative.) It feels like it's a very restricted diet and I don't have the energy or time to be cooking different meals for different people; everyone has to eat the same thing. However, it's not a problem if I cook spaghetti bolognese for example, and just don't have the pasta myself. Thanks again! Your contributions are much appreciated.

Thanks for all your thoughts. I probably should have explained why I have a problem with fatty foods, which would have answered these comments and questions! My apologies. I wrote it late last night (for me) and didn't think to explain. I had my gallbladder out 3 years ago because they found using Ultrasound that it was chock full of stones. I'd had excruciating pain for months prior to the Ultrasound. My consultant assured me that my liver would take over the job of bile regulation, and that within 1 month to 1 year of having the operation I wouldn't have any digestive problems of any kind. Not true! From about 6 weeks on, I had the most appalling d1arrh0ea which would last all morning, and I would be back and forth to the bathroom up to 15 times in 3-4 hours - such that it wasn't worth even going downstairs until it was over. I planned nothing for the mornings because I would inevitably have to cancel any arrangements. In addition, I had a lot of stomach pain and bloating. I first tried cutting out sugar and refined carbs for several months, because historically my body has been sensitive to that, especially in combination with yeast, which always caused pain and bloating. That made no observable difference whatsoever to my digestive problems. Then, for the next few months, I tried first a wheat free diet, followed by a fully gluten-free diet. That helped a little with the bloating, but not fully, and didn't reduce the bathroom visits. After that, I wondered whether maybe I was sensitive to dairy products as two of my kids have been dairy intolerant as babies, so I tried it. It helped, but didn't get rid of the problem fully. Also, my acne suddenly cleared up - so I now know what was causing that! Finally, I twigged that it could be a problem with fat because my gallbladder had been taken out. So I tried that, and bingo! - suddenly my stomach was 99% fine! And has been for a couple of months. I had always been of the opinion that a low-fat diet was a modern fad, and I've never really been interested in shopping or cooking low-fat, but now I have no choice if I want to have any energy at all, or any chance of doing anything in the mornings. This problem is one of the reasons why I haven't been on the forum for months - I simply didn't have the energy to be part of the conversations and discussions here. Same goes for a number of homeschool groups and events that we used to dip in and out of. We just had to bumble along in a very limited way.

PM'd you.

Because generally speaking, the advice I tend to read/hear/get is to try something like Paleo, but I don't think that will work for me because I have to be very careful to eat hardly any fat. It causes horrendous digestive problems when I do, so it's almost a complete no-no. However eating sugar doesn't do me any good, and I know (from years of experience) that cutting out sugar and refined carbs is the one thing that works when I'd like to lose some weight.. so.. have you any ideas for me? I'm fine with using Stevia or xylitol in smallish quantities.

We have about 900 square feet in our house in the UK - 3 bedrooms, main bathroom, ensuite to master - for 6 people most of the time, and sometimes 7 when my big girl comes home. It's a little squished, but we manage. We have too much stuff, and I am constantly trying to declutter and get rid of some of it, but I am a terrible hoarder and I love buying books.. so.. ! Not always very successful in that endeavour. Actually, it's not so much the inside space that gets me, as the pocket handkerchief sized back yard. Sniff would love more outdoor space. Playing in the cul-de-sac is ok, but he wants to grow vegetables and there ain't much room for that. However, I was looking into raised beds and vegetables in pots this winter, so maybe he'll get a little of what he would like this summer if I can persuade DH to build a raised bed or two :)

I've got 4 kids in 4 sections at the moment - Moominmamma in Explorers, The Snork Maiden in Scouts, Sniff in Cubs and Little My in Beavers. I wanted to be able to find this thread again - I'm going to come back an edit it later when I've figured out what they're all working towards!

I use a combination of meds and natural remedies for my fibro. I take Lyrica (pregabalin), and that helps with my pain and brain fog (in addition to anxiety); I also take omega 3-6-9 and Vitamin D3 daily, and Ashwagandha if I wake up in a lot of pain. If I'm still in pain after all that, I'll take ibuprofen, Diclofenac or naproxen (anti-inflammatories of increasingly strength). That combination has taken 5 years or so to refine.

Moominmamma does most of her work independently, and some she marks herself. It has to be said, that working independently is definitely something that is developed over time. As for choosing curriculum, I still do quite a lot of that, but increasingly she has had an input. My aim is for all the kids to gain ownership of their own learning, in the end.

Moominmamma went straight from R&S 6 to 8 without any trouble. She was also telling me that level 6 was much too easy. Three months in and we haven't had any problems yet. You could do option #3, with maybe worksheets from level 7?

Hello Parrothead!! I was going to turn in but just saw your post. So good to "see" you! I've also enrolled on a couple of courses - for French - and it's going ok but it's quite uphill. I'll get a degree out of it in the end though! Hedgehog x

Sniff is 8 and he's just getting into doing more writing (hooray!) so this would be great for him. We're in the UK though.. is that going to be a problem for you? Sniff likes (in no particular order) lego, cartoons, science (astronomy is a current interest), ice hockey, tennis, sealife, the human body, and motorbikes. He enjoys rushing about outside, or can be found reading anything and everything to hand. He's just started going to art class along with The Snork Maiden and loves it. We attend a small local church.

I'm sorry to hear you're so poorly, Jean. Saying a prayer for you right now. :grouphug: