A week of Firsts

Its been a week of firsts for us..

Miss Lilly lost her first tooth.  She was so distressed when it came out - even though she said it didn’t hurt at all doing so. She very proudly popped it into her special tooth treasure box, complete with pink satin and a tiny fairy to guard it inside.

You can image the horror, wailing and distress the next day when it was discovered that the toothfairy had not turned up. Mother of the Year quickly emailed the toothfairy to ask what the hold up was.. Thank Goodness the Toothfairy emailed us back within hours with her explanation. This was read out to Miss Lilly when she went to bed that night.  If you’d like to see a copy of that email - click here.

Morgan was shown how to use his folding hunting knife ( a very large pocket knife of sorts) - which kept the boys busy in the garage for ages.

We have more of less done a week of 100% raw.. Adrian defiantly has.  I have had sneaky things while I have visited people or been to a morning tea and the kids have had cooked/ processed things for their lunch boxes.

Age is doing well. He is getting used to the drugs and their effects. He does get a bit dazed and spacy ( but its too early yet for me to start teasing him about it.. give me a few more days..) . On the bright side he is happy not to be having constant seizures any more.  He is super positive and energetic.

and I found not only 1 sign of aging and stress - but two. My first wrinkle ( thank goodness its on my forehead so my fringe covers it.) and eeeekkkkk my first grey hair.. well I found 4 of the blighters… at my temples.. how rude.  They were duly plucked out.  I am in a bit of shock and disbelief about the grey hair.. I mean, I know we all get them.. sooner or later - but isn’t 40 a bit young to be getting grey hair.  I know - its not like my whole head is grey ( I’ve looked… ) and I can't even kid myself they were blond highlights… pure white hair.  does it suddenly lose its colour?  Should I start to obsess over it?

Oh and I completed my first week of a really truly classroom teacher ( well - since ’96 when I was a year 4 teacher)  My year ones were delightful and I’ve had fun with them… but am not tempted in anyway to go back into the classroom full time.. boy - the work involved with the planning and the assessment.. now if nothing will = that would give me grey hair…

Till next week!!

Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue - a Review

Beguiling and charming, sweet and fun; TinkerBell and the Great Fairy Rescue shakes off the recent film animation trends to appeal to a wide range of audiences through multi layered languaging and gags - instead focusing on being a great childrens film; one strictly made for kids. 

Even the most sensitive young child would find it difficult to find any fear factors hiding within this gorgeously presented movie. Colours are vibrant, detail is sharp and the story so playful, it is certain to be a film which will be played over and over.

The story is set years before Tinker Bell meets Peter Pan, Wendy and the Lost Boys. Fairy friends visit the Victorian meadow lands where Tinker Bell meets Lizzy, a little girl whose belief in the power magic and  fairies is ridiculed by many.  Although her friends believe Tinker Bell has been captured and puts into place a daring rescue, Tink develops a special bond with  Lizzy, seeing that she and her father are in need of some magic of their own.

As you'd expect from Disney, it's a charming tale playing on the childhood hope of meeting magical creatures at the bottom of the garden; where both parties push the boundaries of their fears to discover new strengths.

An absolutely stunning production, devoid of high profile names, this totally inoffensive movie is one of the most delightful films I have seen specifically made for children for years. This is a must see for fairy believers of all ages.

The DVD is available in Australia from the 15th of Sept.  Check out your local variety stores for availability.

Doing all the right things

A great thing, I guess, is that we KNOW what to do in order to support optimal health... doing it however, is the challenge.

Over the last year, we have really slipped in our eating habits.  Certainly last year was a time we ate almost 100% raw foods and I kept my Raw Foods Blog up to date with all my recipes.  Life just.. slipped on; I got slack and it just was 'easier' to eat conventionally. i guess now I am paying for it with a boot up the bum.

So its back to those principals.  At least they are not foreign or new.  I feel sorry for anyone who may be totally new to the cancer situation and faced with not only the emotional dramas, but the realisation that really nothing will be the same again.  Food is so intrinsically wrapped in our culture, our psyche, our sense of belonging and identity; its little wonder it all gets too hard...

So we are doing the 'right' things.. and as a family. We are under no illusion that it will be a 'cure'.  No amount of wheatgrass shots and major dozes of Vit C and D are going to do that.. but instead, are supporting all of our immune systems, building resistance and health for what is to come.

It was kind of nice too, to settle down to a better dinner table. We had kept up our juicing habit - even while eating pizza!! and the kids are pretty daring with the beetroot, celery and apple or carrot juices. Guac is always a fav at the table. I've known for a while I need to get back into my habit of wheatgrass shots and green smoothies - so will do so in earnest tomorrow.

Time to pull our the dehydrator, start making my flax seed crisps and the blender for my raw desserts... Am thankful that it is coming into summer time - so much fruit to choose from as well. Sprouting jars to be cleaned out and readied and blender full of soaking nuts for tomorrows health smoothie.

The kids are a bit grumbly; but have a pact with them that they can at least have non raw foods for school lunches.  Its impossible to pack a raw foods lunch in Queensland for school in anycase.  With school bags out in the hot sun - yuck who wants to eat a limp salad?

Who knows, I might even start my raw foods blog again.

Time Bomb Ticking

Adrian has been busted out of hospital and now asleep in his own little bed..

He is feeling pretty woozy with the drugs - understandably as it is meant to sedate and dampen brain activity.  Long term this is not a solution; but for the time being, it will control the seizures and perhaps give some respite to the stress surrounding them.

I’d like to add that I still cannot beat him at scrabble…

The nuros have done their job well and are probably feeling frustrated that we have ‘ignored’ their advice.  Certainly this is a time that tests ones resolve and commitment to the natural therapies.  Its early days yet, but I have had some feedback filtered back to me - by loving and well meaning people - who are horrified that we would not consider the chemo treatment.  If surgery and Western medicine is what you know - then you will go back to that comfort zone; and with all the love I can muster, I thank them for their concerns - knowing that it is just concerns - but that Adrian needs to make his own informed decision.

We’ve done the research before - but both anecdotally and tested - facts remain. Cancer suffers die. We all have a choice on the quality of the breaths we take - so why fill your body with toxins and live in a hospital?  Just been onto a website about Chemo and it had some FDA supervised clinical trials listed. pretty scary to see that they ‘boast’ that  9 % of patients are cancer free after their toxic treatment..ummmm 9%?  the rest?  Probably dead.  and of the 9% - they have to go back for further treatment in 5 - 7 years.

There is a reason why patients generally do not survive brain cancer and tumours: chemotherapy can't get into the brain due to the blood brain barrier, and radiation simply destroys the brain itself.

Adrian says that he has a time bomb in his head. Its been there all along; but asleep.  Its now woken up and ticking pretty loudly.

Which leaves it to ‘other’ options. Anything non toxic and supports the immune system will be a good start.

How is Age? Part 2

There is no good news when it comes to a few words being bandied about - those being hospital, brain tumour and seizures.

Its late Tuesday night and Age is still in hospital with no real answers.  He has had a number of small seizures and is kept under constant observation.  His medication has been changed and then increased - so its a wait and see game with that at least.

Yesterday he was super optimistic and felt great.  However after seeing a gaggle of doctors this morning, is pretty fed up with the attitude most of them have.  We both understand that  doctors in particular have got to have God like presence to instil certainty  and that you really wouldn't want a nervous or unsure doctor to be operating on you.. I also understand that they are caring and deeply humane people - though its hard to find that stance when they are undertaking bullying tactics and scare mongering. 

The course of action they are strongly suggesting involves him getting a biopsy on Monday. This is to acertian the grade of the tumour and if it has turned into a grade three, then a course of either chemo or radiotherapy will be undertaken.

There had been talk of debulking the tumour - which is basically cutting out some of it or complete removal - but the risks involved with both of these are still high.

Something I guess to recall is that none of this si shocking or new news.  Having lived with this for 11 years, at least in the backs of our minds, we knew these decisions would need to be made and this day would come.  Its not like this is a shocking revelation or that its only just been discovered.  We still have an emotional reaction to it - despite all of this.

I’d like to clarify too - that I am not in la la land. I may joke about being in denial, but I am meticulously clear about the future options and what lays ahead.  Just because I am not laying on the floor weeping or beating my head against a wall, doesn’t mean that I don’t ‘get’ the situation.  I figure it will do no-one any good if I fall apart. The kids need me to be together.  Age needs me to be strong for him…...  and I am no good at pity parties or wallowing is self pity.  So I am accessing my masculine and coping…There will be a time and place for me to drop that and fall apart at the seams.

At least too the kids aren’t going to have any issues with repressed emotions.  We have had screaming matches, tears and both kids have told me that they hate me today… so great…..

I’ve spent the days with Age - playing scrabble.. and how sucky is this?  He still beats me!  I am going to bring in Backgammon tomorrow…  he has been so appreciative of the amount of phone calls and SMS he has had - so thanks to everyone who has done that.

So as it stands, Age will not be undergoing surgery, unless it is proven to him that his health is under serious threat right now.  Something we learnt from last time was that  doctors like to rush decisions, load it up on emotions and force you to make uninformed choices.  We aren’t sure when he is allowed to come home; but I have made an appointment to see Dr Greg - who is a wholistic medical doc - and a very open one to very alternative medical practices. If it takes me to ‘bust’ Age out tomorrow… then thats what I am doing to get him to Dr Greg for a second opinion.

I’ll be in the getaway car on Wed arvo.  more news as it comes to hand.