First of the Summer Days...

Well, I think we got my thyroid at peak. I'm physically energetic - mentally focused - and emotionally stable. Yeehaw! There have been some setbacks, but I'll get to that in a moment.

Today was the first full day at home with the kids, and my new found energy was definitely tested. My kids spear-headed a project with all the neighborhood kids to break a Guinness Book of World Records record. They spent the late morning researching and brainstorming and finally began to construct the world's longest hopscotch game - got to 200 squares and realized their data was incorrect. They thought 434 squares was the number to beat, but had misread that the record was 434 GAMES played in a row. The number to beat was 10,001 squares (about 2 miles). So with rain soon returning to wash away the chalk, they reconvened and settled on making the longest strand of beads. After taking up bead donations for an hour, they settled down at my kitchen table and front porch for six hours to begin stringing 18,000 beads. They had collected more than 22,000 beads, but only need somewhere over 17,000 to beat the record - 164 ft. They completed about 65 ft today. I ran snacks and drinks, bandaged some needle pricks and listened to a dozen or so 6 - 12 year olds converse about life. It was brilliant. There are lose beads all over the place.

One of the setbacks I've had is a terrible rash that broke out from head to toe immediately after I began the last raised dosage of my meds. I'm fairly certain it's from a food allergy or sensitivity - specifically gluten, so I've cut gluten out of my diet. It's not improving quick enough for my friends, so they gave me til tomorrow, then I have to call the doc. This autoimmune disorder could have been masking other issues, so I was prepared for some surprises. I am a bit of a hermit on the days the rash is worsened, but I'm working it out.

Summer is well on it's it way, and I am far more prepared to enjoy the time with my kids than I've been in a long time!