pictures are worth a thousand words

Every now and then it is nice to have a professional photogrpah taken.    So here is the latest Kissell Family photo:

Barrus Photography did an awesome job!

the newlywed game

I love games - usually.  I am totally addicted to the Settlers of Catan.  But tonight at the ward valentine party we were randomally selected as one of four couples to play the newlywed game.  Of course, we came in last palce!  My mind always blanks on those silly questions!  But it was a lot of fun and we learned a lot about some of the other couples in the ward that we don't know very well.  And we won a fabulous prize!!  A day at the spa together......which of course was really a bottle of bubble bath and a loofah.  It was a nice night with good food and good friends.

Declaring War against Germs!

I really hate being sick.  It just thows off my whole groove! 

Makes me want to the Emperor's New Groove just so I can hear them say "You've thrown off the Emperor's Groove" and watch them throw that guy out the window.  That is what I want to do with this stomach bug!
Everyone but Jonathon has come down with it.  Don't know how he got to be so lucky.  But I am not complaining about that.

I just live a very crazy- choatic- busy is an understatment sort of life.  I like having good things to do.
But being sick makes it so all I have the energy to do is sleep.

and sleep.

and sleep.

I don't have time to sleep.

So here is to Lysol and Bleach and scrubbing away to germs.....just gotta get out of bed to do it.

So I am trying to think through the fog and be grateful for something.  Oh I know, I am grateful for a very comfy bed to sleep/recover in.  And also grateful for heavy duty ckleaners that clean up the smell of being sick (you alll know what I am talking about - the vomit, the poop, the sweat....ewww. I know!)

The real co$t of ADHD

We are a family of 7 ADHD folks trying to make our way through the chaos.  We don't hide the fact that we all have ADHD, but we don't really advertise it either.
Having ADHD comes with a cost.  A lot of research has proven what the emotional costs are, what the educational costs are, and what the personal costs are.

I am going to gripe a little abot the financial cost of ADHD. 

I don't like complaining on my blog.....I am trying to have a positive and grateful attitude.  But I was gathering all the information we need to do our taxes.  I sorted all our reciepts, and added up how much we spent this last year on perscription medications.

Over $5200.00!!!!!!!

No - I AM NOT KIDDING!

These are just the perscription reciepts. I did not include all the doctor visits needed to get those drugs. 

But every time I thik about how much of our income goes to support our pharmacists, I remember what life is like without the meds.

no one can concentrate

no one can finish anything they start

no one can sit still

no one can stop talking

no one can stop running

no one can focus

we fight more

we yell more

we sleep less

we make bigger messes

we are all more irritable

there is no peace

there is no quiet

there is no order to anything

we don't get along

our grades fall

etc...

etc..

etc...

blah

blah

blah

The money we spend on those drugs is nothing compared to the benefits of having those wonderful drugs.

It is worth every penny!

So today I will be grateful for health insurance, no matter how crappy or limited, and be grateful that we only spent over $5200.00 and $12000.00 for the drugs that make our life a little more "normal."