Real Pain Relief That Works Really Fast

    I live everyday with pain, as does my husband. For me, it's Fibromyalgia. His pain is due to multiple spinal fractures and surgery, as well as a shoulder fracture and repair, and neck surgery due to arthritis. We just discovered Real Time Pain Relief, and we want to tell everyone all about it!

Real Pain Relief That Really Works

    Living with chronic pain isn't easy. Some days aren't too bad, but some days are really horrible. There are times I don't want to take pain medications, and there are times when the pain meds aren't enough. Which is why we rely on creams and lotions to help. Real Time Pain Relief has a full array of products to help relieve various types of pains, and they work super fast! 

    Simply rub on some Real Time Pain Relief, and relax knowing that in just a few minutes, your pain is going to subside. The targeted relief is just what you need when a certain body part seems to be ailing you. 

No Stink, No Residue

    Unlike other over the counter pain rubs and lotions, Real Time Pain Relief doesn't have an offensive odor. It actually smells good! I would describe it as a fruity, floral scent. That's because it's made with a proprietary blend of herbs. There's no harmful chemicals or GMO's either!

    Real Time Pain Relief won't leave behind a residue either. It goes on smoothly, and absorbs so nicely into you skin. Not only will it relieve your pain, but it will nourish your skin at the same time. 

What We Think

    As soon as we received our Real Time Pain Relief products, my husband had his shirt up and was asking me to apply some to his shoulder. He chose their Hemp Oil Plus. Like I said, it smells amazing, and went on so nicely. There was no slimy or gross residue on my hands or on his shoulders. About ten minutes after I applied it my husband said his pain was gone. It went from gnawing and almost intolerable, to not even noticeable. That's amazing!

    I happen to keep a pump bottle of Real Time Pain Relief Sports Cream on my bed side table. I go back frequently throughout the day, and apply some to the parts of my body that are just aching beyond belief. Within minutes my pain is gone, and my skin not only feels amazing, but it smells fantastic too!

    We are seriously in love with Real Time Pain Relief. We have already told my mother about it to help with her Psoriatic Arthritis, and my father in law that suffers from knee pain after knee replacement. We believe in it so much, that we wanted to share it with all of you too!

For more information, head to their website.

Follow via Facebook  /  Twitter  /  Instagram

Roll on Style with Fair Trade Artisan Bracelets

    With Mother's Day about a month away, now's the time to nail down a gift idea. How about some roll on, artisan bracelets from Sashka Co.? They go with anything, and can be worn even with jeans or yoga pants.

Roll on Style with Fair Trade Artisan Bracelets

    Sashka Co. bracelets are hand made with tiny glass beads by skilled artisans in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal. When you purchase bracelets from Sashka Co. you're empowering women in need to rise above poverty and care for their families. So not only will you be getting your mom a gorgeous gift, but you'll be helping another mom across the country. 

Dress Up or Down

    There are so many reasons that moms will love the bracelets from Sashka Co. One of which is she can wear them for a long overdue night on the town, or daily with jeans, sweats or yoga pants. I rarely go anywhere other than doctor appointments or to get groceries, but I wear my Sashka Co. bracelets everyday. 

    They're so versatile. With a bunch of different colors and coordinating patterns, you can mix and match them all.

Causes Near and Dear to my Heart

    It's Autism Awareness Month! Sashka Co. knows how important this month is to our kids and families, so they released new Autism Awareness Bracelets. These make the perfect gift for the autism mom on your list!

I pair mine with this lovely rainbow bracelet because Autism is a spectrum!

    They didn't just stop there! Sashka Co. also has a wide array of awareness bracelets for other conditions. Each one has little ribbons in the pattern, made from the glass beads. With a wide selection of colors, you're going to find a ribbon for just about any cause. I chose a purple one for Fibromylagia awareness, a green one for mental illness, and teal for OCD awareness. (I have fibro, and Liam is autistic with mental illness, OCD, and more.) 

I Love Sashka Co. and She Will Too!

    As you can see, I'm in love with Sashka Co. Not only are their bracelets and earrings absolutely beautiful, but they're helping other moms in need. You can't beat that! There's about a month until Mom's big day, so head to Sashka Co. and start shopping!

Follow via Facebook  /  Twitter  / Instagram

It's Time for a Giveaway! Enter to Win Your Own Hickies!

It's time for a giveaway!!

Starting RIGHT NOW we're hosting a giveaway!

TWO lucky winners will be chosen at random, and each winner will get ONE SET of Hickies Kids No Tie Elastic Shoe Laces. (One set is white, the other is gray. The color you receive will be one or the other.)

If you're not familiar with these, then here's your chance! Turn any pair of lace up shoes into slip ons!

Perfect for kids with special needs that struggle with the fine motor skills needed to tie their shoes!

   Trust me when I say these things are the bomb! We have a ton of them, and we ALL use them in our shoes. It's great for days when I'm in pain and don't want to bend to tie up my sneaks!

ARE YOU READY????

LET'S GO!!!!

Entry-Form

Why I Came Out of "Retirement"

    This has been a rough spring and summer here at the House of AuSome. Liam hasn't been able to shake his last depressive cycle for months. It's been one hell of a roller coaster ride, for him, and for us, his family. He's finally starting to cycle to manic. (Of course he is. I ran out of melatonin and am broke until Monday! Special Needs Mom humor there :) )

    Anyway, a few months ago I learned about the Semicolon Project. (Click the name for more info if you haven't heard of it yet.) I LOVED it! The meaning really struck my heart strings. I immediately drew a semicolon on my wrist and shared the photo. It was then that I knew that I needed this permanently.

    (For those that haven't followed us from the beginning, or those with a shoddy memory like me, I used to be a tattoo artist. I gave it up to be a mommy. A mommy to a very special boy, who is my greatest creation ever! So in essence, I'm "retired.")

    Not only is Liam affected by Bipolar Disorder, but so is my Aunt, and my Grammy. So for me, this tattoo was a must have. I asked Pita what he thought. He knows that once my mind is set, it doesn't really matter what he says, but he goes with it. ;) I wanted him to join me though. I thought that we could both get one, in support of our boy. He of course agreed.

    And then I had second thoughts..... You see, I also suffer from Fibromyalgia, so I was worried about being able to tattoo again. I decided that the semicolon was small enough, that I could handle it. If my son can handle all that he does, then I could suck this up!

    So once we had a bit of "extra" money, I ordered some ink and tubes. Thankfully I still had sealed needles. I couldn't wait for the supplies to arrive.  They came in on Monday. As soon as they did, Liam and I got out my tattoo equipment and got started!

    Liam sat and helped me get all set up. He actively engaged in what I was saying, and asked questions along the way. He shook the ink for me. (I think he really just enjoyed the sound of the ball bearing that rattled inside.)

    He asked if it hurt. He asked to see the needles. He then informed me, "Put those away or I may pass out mama!" Then he heard the buzz of the machine and he was enthralled. He held my spray bottle of green soap and sprayed for me, each time I paused the machine.

    In 10 minutes, my semicolon was done. I reminded Liam again what it meant and he beamed. Pita came out for his, and then Liam lost interest. (Hey, I got a good 15 minutes out of him, so I was impressed!)

My semicolon! I love it! Pita's is in the same place, but opposite hand.

    We shared our pics to facebook and by that evening, 2 more people in our extended family reached out to join in. They wanted something a little different though. I got to work drawing it up, and they were in love.

    The next day we went over so I could do their tattoos. We explained to Liam that they too wanted to support him. He just smiled. While I tattooed them, he swam and played under Daddy's watchful eye. I sat, silently wondering, how much of what we told him about the tattoos did he understand?

Liam's Aunts tattoos

    On the way home we had to stop at a store for milk. When Pita came out, he was grinning. "Hey hon! That girl at the register saw my tattoo. She has one too!" Liam piped up, "ANOTHER SUPPORTER FOR ME! YAY MAMA! NOW I NEED ONE!"

    He gets it! He understands. When we got home, he brought me a marker. "Mama, I'm ready for my semicolon, because I want to pause and think,  my life is important!"

    And there you have it folks. From the mouths of babes. <3

Liam's "tattoo" it's faded because he's sweaty!

We don't get sick days

    When you are looking for a new job, one of the things all people consider is the amount of vacation days, personal days or sick days that are available to them. However, when I was expecting my son, no one gave me an outline of what to expect. What benefits were available. No one said vacations will never happen. Personal days, let alone personal time to take a pee would be a joke. And sick days? Mom didn't tell me I wouldn't get sick days!

    Add special needs to the mix. Even if you CAN sneak away for a minute to use the bathroom, the entire time you're sitting there, you're wondering what your precious angel is getting into. Rare occasions when your angel is sleeping and you try to take a quick shower, you wonder the entire time if angel will hear you, wake up and get into something. Or worse yet, try to unlock the door to go for a walk alone. How about vacation? IF you can afford this luxury, it's not really a vacation. Let's face it, a new place offers new worries. The unknown is uncool for our kiddos and for us. So now we must pack for every what if, because we need to be prepared.

 



We took a vacation this year. This was JUST Liam's stuff (and not counting all his foods or the all the beach stuff we packed for him)











     Now add chronic illness to this mix. (I have many, but let's just use fibromyalgia) There are days I can't move. Well okay, I can, but to do so causes excruciating pain. So I don't want to. I don't get a sick day. I can't look at my son and say, "Mama can't do that today buddy." Nope. No way. No how. I must persevere. I must ignore that I feel like I was hit by a truck. I must hide my pain face. (You know, those experts that say our kids aren't empathetic? Well, we all know how wrong they are.) My son can't see me in pain or he will break down. He will then perseverate on me and if I will be okay. So you brush away the tears. You bite back the pain, and you deal.

    As a matter of fact, I have been in a flare for 3 days now (if you could see my house, you would be appalled.) Anyway, I have been keeping him occupied with his lessons, board games, video games, etc. I play with him from my chair. He kept asking to carve one of his pumpkins. How could I refuse? So while all I wanted to do was lie in bed with a heating pad and take a nap, instead I gutted a pumpkin (He doesn't do pumpkin guts. Sensory yuck for him) and sat with him on the floor while he carved it.



So I guess what I'm getting is, when I was "preparing" for this gig as a parent, there were MANY things I didn't consider. Many things I wish I would have asked about. Special needs parenting wasn't even on my radar, so that blew me away. Regardless, I wouldn't trade this "job" for the world. I don't get many vacations. I don't get personal days. I don't get sick days. What I do get is unconditional love. I get to make a difference in the life of a child, and that's enough for me.

My Messy Beautiful Life....

  When I got the email invite from Momastery about this project, I knew I had to take part. I knew I would fight my brain, and figure out a way to get my words out, come Hell or high water!!!! You see, a very large part of my messy beautiful life is that I live with chronic illnesses. A lot of them....

 The Fibromyalgia causes horrible brain fog and memory problems to boot! I can't tell you what I ate yesterday, but I can tell you EVERY single teacher I had since kindergarten. (Useless info is what PITA calls it.) I also have chronic fatigue syndrome, Hashimotos disease, Endometriosis, Hemorrhagic Ovarian Cysts, and more.... I don't want to bore you with the details.

 The chronic pain can be debilitating some days, but I push on. I have to. I am a mom. Not just a "normal" mom, I'm an Autism mom!






 My son Liam (whom is the reason I started to blog in the first place) will be 8 in May, and he is autistic. He has taught me a lot in 8 years. I have grown in ways I never would have imagined. (especially in clothing sizes!) I have learned that no love compares to the love between a parent and a child. I have learned that I am a lot stronger than I thought I was. Even on my worsT days, when I can't seem to get off my chair, I am still an ass kicking momma!!!

 I have learned that public schools really aren't for everyone. I have learned that I make a pretty damn good special needs teacher. (There is no feeling like hearing your child read, and knowing that it was YOU that taught him that.) I have learned that I am a force to be reckoned with. (Just asK NEB.... that school really despises me, because of my advocating for my son.)

 I have learned that I don't care.

Now before anyone decides to go sanctimommy on that sentence, let me explain. I don't care what you, or you over there... or you hiding behind your computer, think of me. I have lost "friends" because I talk about Autism and how it impacts our life, a LOT. My world revolves around my son, and if people don't like that, it's their loss.  It doesn't matter to me.


What matters is what my son thinks of me. What matters is what I think of me.



  I have learned that even though this world is chock full of asshats.... that there is still a TON of AUSOME people left in the world. A lot of these people follow us on A Legion for Liam. A lot of these people I now call friends. I have never really "met" them. I don't need to. I KNOW them. They are good shit! And even though I don't like social functions, if some of these ladies wanted to get together, I would jump and scream at the chance! (I'm talking about you Housewives!!!) I have learned that family doesn't mean you are blood related! I have gained 6 sisters in the last year and I love them all!

 I have learned that my family is even more amazing than I thought they were. They have rallied around Liam since his diagnosis in 2010. They have supported, and learned, and understand Liam and Autism. It's amazing. They have also rallied around me. They support me, and my decisions about our life. They offer me guidance when I feel like hope is lost. In general, they ROCK!!!

 So I guess what I am getting at is this. Your life may be "messy." It may be difficult. It may royally suck sometimes. But bottom line, someone ALWAYS has it worse. So be thankful. Be glad that you have a "messy, beautiful life!"

For more #CarryOnWarrior posts, click  HERE.

This is me....

I am just another face.... Just another person living with chronic pain. Many people don't get it. Many people think it's bull shit. I'm here to tell you, it's real. This is my life. This is me.

What did I do today to be in so much pain tonight? Normal housework. I did the dishes, cleaned the bathroom and did 3 loads of laundry. Doesn't seem like much does it? Tell that to my body. This is my face tonight:

I am fighting back tears even as I sit here and type.

It hurts to sit, to stand, to walk, to cry....

There are people who think that fibromyalgia and chronic pain is a joke. That it's fake. That we are using it as an excuse to be lazy. I know this. I have been told it many times. 

Do I look like I am faking it? Do you think I enjoy knowing that simple tasks such as housework, or a game of catch with my boy, will leave me chair ridden for at least a day or two??? Do you think this is the life I chose????

It's the life I was given. I won't back down, and I won't give up. I'll do what I do every other day. I will suck it up. I will wipe my tears, and I will keep on keeping on.

Not for me really, but for my son. Because he deserves more. Because he doesn't understand why mommy cries so much.

I'm NOT Perfect....

per·fect  (pûrfkt)

adj.

1. Lacking nothing essential to the whole; complete of its nature or kind.

2. Being without defect or blemish: a perfect specimen.

3. Thoroughly skilled or talented in a certain field or area; proficient.

4. Completely suited for a particular purpose or situation.

Above is the definition of perfect.... so what is perfect? Am I? HELL NO! Is my life??? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.... And yet, I go on. I smile, and I trudge through the shit that flows my way. I don't sit behind my computer and whine. I don't sit on my high horse and tear others down. I pull up my big girl panties, and I friggin' deal. Don't most of us?????

You can't read that above definition and tell me YOUR life is perfect. Or that YOU are perfect, because NEWS FLASH, NONE OF US ARE PERFECT. We are all flawed in some way, our own way. Now own it! You are who you are.

In owning it, here are the ways I am NOT perfect: I am over weight. I am bitchy. I am sick and I am tired. I am often miserable. I have numerous health problems that have become too many to list. I am a good mom, but by no means perfect. There are days I can't get out of my chair to play with Liam and it rips my heart out. BUT, I try. I put a smile on my face. I ignore all the reasons I am not perfect, and I move on. 

My marriage??? Wow! So far from perfect it's scary. We deal. Simple as that. We took vows to one another and stick by them. We have had so many downs in our life, it's a wonder we are still together. But we are. We could have both thrown in the towel so many times, and yet we didn't. We become stronger. For us, for Liam. 

My life? We are broke. When I say broke, I mean BROKE! We are so far BELOW poverty limit, the people at Social Services ask us how we pay our bills. SERIOUSLY!!!! Well, thanks to family, we get by. Our bills are paid, but always late. We rob Peter to pay Paul and there is no room for extra. I can't even think about how we are going to pull Christmas off without breaking down into tears.

You know what else, we get food stamps. We are one of those families that has to have them or my child would starve. My husband has been unemployed due to work injuries since Liam was an infant. He has been fighting for disability since then. He has lost every time. Every doctor, and every surgeon he has seen can't believe the courts are fighting their signed affidavits that say he is disabled in every sense of the term. And yet we fight. Per our social workers request from the state, we filed for Liam. We were told because he is autistic and can't even attend regular school he would NOT be turned down. Guess what??? He was. Not once, but twice! So we are still fighting for that. Mean while there are people out there milking the system. They get disability when they can most certainly work. They get it for their kids with lesser diagnoses than my son, and their kids attend school. Why the hell is everything in our life so damn hard? My doctor has asked me when I will file because my list of illnesses is a mile long and I can't work either. I haven't yet. I can't be let down by the system again, I can't.

Something else you don't know about me? I am one of those people with food stamps that has an iPhone. I don't flaunt it. Matter of fact, I won't use it in the grocery store because I don't want people giving me nasty looks because I am on welfare and have a smart phone. I wouldn't have that phone if it weren't for my inlaws. They bought us the phone, and they added us to their plan. They pay the monthly fees, and we give them our recyclables and my parents to try and offset the cost. Do you know how bad it hurts when I see those comments about people who can't feed their kids and have a phone. It hurts like hell.

So you see, when you are down on your ass, and feeling sorry for yourself, you're not the only one. Look around. Some have it worse than you. Instead of lolling in your pity, stand up and move on. Such is life. It sucks. It's hard. It's not all sunshine and rainbows. But it is what you make of it.

I could fill a book with all of the shitty things that have happened in our lives in the past 9 years. People would be amazed that A) Pita and I haven't killed anyone yet, and B) Pita and I are still married. I could also sit here every day in my pain and be a rotten bitch to the world, but do I?  No. Because I CHOOSE not too. What good does that do me? Or anyone else for that matter? 

Life isn't a competition. It's life. If you ooze unhappiness, the people around you will be miserable too. Have enough compassion for the rest of the world to not be that asshole. Put a smile on your face, suck it up and TRY to be happy. 

                     

                                                               

                                                                    <3 <3 <3 <3

Lazy or numb...

  I have barely blogged in months. I can't quite decide if it's because I'm lazy or just numb. I say lazy because I am always so damn tired.  Keeping up with Liam, life, PAUSE, and the Legion has me mentally exhausted. Having a chronic illness sucks the life out you in so many ways. Too many to take the time to list. I have had to prioritize our life so much more in the past months. This means, that my blog has suffered the most because well, not that many people read it anyway. :)

  I started this blog as a way for me to vent. Apparently I was annoying people a few years ago, when I was using my facebook page (personal one) to talk about Autism. Now I could care less, but that is how this blog was born. I vent much less now. Sometimes I vent on ALFL or on RHoA if I am using my more colorful language. But the deep, heartfelt vents are few and far between lately. I think I am numb.

"My heart is broke
But I have some glue
Help me inhale
And mend it with you
We'll float around
And hang out on clouds
Then we'll come down
And have a hangover "

  I mean, of course I have a heart. Wouldn't be alive if I didn't. But I have been closing it off from the world a lot in the last six months, maybe even longer than that. I haven't been letting myself feel. I have become hard. I have become numb. Not because of anyone or any one thing, in particular. Because I am tired. I am fed up. I am afraid that if I let myself feel, I will lose it. I will lock myself in a room and I will ugly cry. Probably for days. Let's face it: "Ain't Nobody Got Time For Dat!"

"Sit in the sun
Fall asleep
Wish away
soul is cheap
Lesson learned
Wish me luck
Soothe the burn
Wake me up"

  I don't want to feel that pain. I don't want to cry. I want to keep it inside and ignore it. It has nothing to do with Liam. Or Autism. It has everything to do with myself. My constant pain and fatigue. Being broke and knowing there is not a damn thing I myself, can do about it. It's about realizing that yep, our life is hard as hell sometimes, but who am I to whine. There are people out there who have it a hell of a lot worse. We have a home. We have a family. We have love. There are people who have NONE of that. So I chose to suck it up, and keep on, keeping on.

"I'm not like them
But I can pretend
The sun is gone,
But I have a light
the day is done,
I'm having fun
I think I'm dumb
Or Maybe just happy"
  I sometimes feel I shouldn't refer to myself as a "blogger," let alone a "writer," because I barely do either. But dammit, I like the sound of that so much more than "disabled,"  "housewife," "maid," and so on.  No, I didn't go to college. I graduated high school, got married, made a ton of mistakes, taught myself how to tattoo and then after YEARS of hard work I became a tattoo artist. I can't even do that any more because I can't sit in one place that long. I can't bend hardly at all. My hands go numb after holding my machine for longer than 10 minutes. I can't draw anymore either and I LOVED to paint and draw. So, being on my laptop and writing or creating digital art is the only creativity I am left with any more. God, would you believe I am 34 and not 74!!! (I feel the latter though.)

  So for all this and more, I am now going to refer to myself as "A Lazy, Numb, Sometimes Blogger..." Because at least that way I am being truthful ;)

"Think I'm just happy ,
Think I'm just happy ,
Think I'm just happy ."

                                                                  <3 <3 <3 <3

Song Lyrics belong to Nirvana, written by Kurt Cobain