What Are You Happy About Today?

This is the day, my friends. The moment finally happened...
My son is into Pokémon.
And not just the show, I mean the games, too! 🥳
For years he was a young poser, too cool for the Pokémon universe, but it just clicked and we have been discussing type advantages and evolutions and lore and it's just so nice to have this big beautiful thing to share with him.

And in more serious news, after much trepidation on whether to medicate him for ADHD or even on whether his diagnosis was accurate... and the pain of trying to acquire the medication while there is a national shortage... we have had a couple weeks to test out the effects of the low dose and his teacher has reported a vast improvement in behavior and participation and task completion. Life is crazy as a parent in terms of never knowing if you are quite doing the right thing despite trying your best, and every success/failure is felt tenfold. I love my kids. 🥲

There's a Kodomo no Hi (Children's day) festival nearby this weekend. I'm debating whether to take them, but I think it'll be great fun! Tickets are a tad pricy, but I am slowly acclimating the kids to Japanese culture and activities in the hopes that they will join me in a trip to Japan sometime in the future. It's nice to dream. :)
 
after much trepidation on whether to medicate him for ADHD or even on whether his diagnosis was accurate... and the pain of trying to acquire the medication while there is a national shortage... we have had a couple weeks to test out the effects of the low dose and his teacher has reported a vast improvement in behavior and participation and task completion. Life is crazy as a parent in terms of never knowing if you are quite doing the right thing despite trying your best, and every success/failure is felt tenfold. I love my kids. 🥲
Hey Renn, just want to offer my thoughts on this. Please take them how you will, but know that I definitely feel your pain on medication. I have always been a HUGE advocate of medication for diagnoses where there are tested medications available that have clinical success to support their use. In my thought, we were born with brains for a reason - some people use those brains to come up with these wonderful medications that allow people to live their lives better. To me, I decide to use MY brain to critically think and come to the conclusion that it benefits me to take the medication that allows my life to be improved and safer (specifically, epilepsy medication). As long as at the end of the day, you can confidently say that you are doing something for your child because you feel it is best for them and in their best interest, you should do it and you are doing the right thing, even if that doesn't include medication. Medication ISN'T right for everyone, but if it is, it's the best option. Medication administration is something I take very seriously and I'm very passionate about (probably because of my mom's clinical background as an RN). I already teach Nicholas how important it is that he takes his medication and he knows what each of his medication's names are and what they are for. For him, it's imperative that he takes his medications to maintain safe bladder and bowel function. He doesn't always LIKE it, but he knows he has to do it.

Yes, many medications have undesirable side effects, but often those have their own remedies and are much more manageable than the thing that is being treated initially. I will say, and I'm sure you know this, but many people don't follow this and then form an inaccurate thought on the medications efficacy - if you do decide to go the medication route, it's important for whomever takes the medication to take it as prescribed - so that means, if it's to be at the same time every day, it really needs to be as close to that as possible. So many people, specifically with anxiety medication or antidepressants it seems, take it randomly and then wonder why it doesn't work. It's not one of those things that you can just take on a bad day and then expect to feel better, and many of those types of medications actually have to be in your bloodstream for at least a month before showing signs of improvement, and many have withdrawal symptoms that make it worse when you skips days at a time.

Anyway, sorry to go on a tangent, it's just something I have strong feelings about and always like to be a support or resource to people on. None of what I'm saying is obviously official medical advice, and you should always talk to your child's pediatrician about concerns or questions, but this is advice based on my own experiences with myself and with Nicholas. You know I'm always here to chat, if you ever need or want to. You are doing great, mama (also, LOVE that your son is in to Pokemon now) 💖
 
- My first day back at university after spring break today, for the final time :eek: Anyway, I'm proud of myself for getting up super early, doing my makeup and wearing a good outfit, and attending all of my classes! I feel myself getting back into fashion again actually, which is nice.

- I got my final student finance payment yesterday 💸
 
Hey Renn, just want to offer my thoughts on this. Please take them how you will, but know that I definitely feel your pain on medication. I have always been a HUGE advocate of medication for diagnoses where there are tested medications available that have clinical success to support their use. In my thought, we were born with brains for a reason - some people use those brains to come up with these wonderful medications that allow people to live their lives better. To me, I decide to use MY brain to critically think and come to the conclusion that it benefits me to take the medication that allows my life to be improved and safer (specifically, epilepsy medication). As long as at the end of the day, you can confidently say that you are doing something for your child because you feel it is best for them and in their best interest, you should do it and you are doing the right thing, even if that doesn't include medication. Medication ISN'T right for everyone, but if it is, it's the best option. Medication administration is something I take very seriously and I'm very passionate about (probably because of my mom's clinical background as an RN). I already teach Nicholas how important it is that he takes his medication and he knows what each of his medication's names are and what they are for. For him, it's imperative that he takes his medications to maintain safe bladder and bowel function. He doesn't always LIKE it, but he knows he has to do it.

Yes, many medications have undesirable side effects, but often those have their own remedies and are much more manageable than the thing that is being treated initially. I will say, and I'm sure you know this, but many people don't follow this and then form an inaccurate thought on the medications efficacy - if you do decide to go the medication route, it's important for whomever takes the medication to take it as prescribed - so that means, if it's to be at the same time every day, it really needs to be as close to that as possible. So many people, specifically with anxiety medication or antidepressants it seems, take it randomly and then wonder why it doesn't work. It's not one of those things that you can just take on a bad day and then expect to feel better, and many of those types of medications actually have to be in your bloodstream for at least a month before showing signs of improvement, and many have withdrawal symptoms that make it worse when you skips days at a time.

Anyway, sorry to go on a tangent, it's just something I have strong feelings about and always like to be a support or resource to people on. None of what I'm saying is obviously official medical advice, and you should always talk to your child's pediatrician about concerns or questions, but this is advice based on my own experiences with myself and with Nicholas. You know I'm always here to chat, if you ever need or want to. You are doing great, mama (also, LOVE that your son is in to Pokemon now) 💖
I am so thankful you spoke up; I feel like I needed all the support I could get in this decision. I worked for years to get medications approved, so I'm no stranger to the enormous effort and rigorous review involved, but I still have to deal with the stigma around medicating my own kids from family. I swear I'm not using drugs as a crutch to replace proper parenting, but again, it's a losing argument when the other party has their own prejudices and has already made up their mind. My son seems to be the same when he gets home at the end of the day-- my biggest concern was how it might change him or if it would impact his appetite and health. A protestor might ask why we even use it then, but I've weighed the cost and benefit over and over so... sigh

But anyway, thanks for the support! I know I could probably reach out more instead of stewing in my own head, but I hate to burden other people when everyone has their own struggles going on. I'm actually very grateful for TBT and hearing from so many neurodivergent people because I don't know any in my real life circles. It's not that I was lacking empathy before, but I developed a new appreciation for these struggles and it was much less foreign of a situation when we were first taking notice.
 
I bought this cute Disney Princess Anime Compact Mirror from Primark 💖

IMG_2335.png
 
Last edited:
Today has been very good so far. I’m still feeling moody but it hasn’t affected my day much aside from the anxiety i get while grocery shopping.

We went to get our hair cut and for some reason she had my mom as the only one down (my mom said this is the second time this happened but I don’t remember the first time this happened). I was happy since I didn’t want to get my hair cut yet, even though I still had to get up earlier than usual.

I got the nintendo shop gift card for Splatoon 3 dlc and I also was able to order splatoon 2 (will also be able to buy its dlc too) :D. I think it said it should be here by thursday! I’m about to try the side order dlc 🙂.

My mom always puts a tough act around the cats but today she bought a little cardboard scratcher for my kitties while we were grocery shopping ☺. My mom is a softie 🤭. Jewels looked at the scratcher and then back at me like she didn’t know what she was looking at though 😅. Spanky hasn’t come look at it yet since she’s on the tower.

Update on Jewels: She kept rubbing her face against it and doing this 🙂.
86A0C449-311B-414C-AB83-1ACCC53254D3.jpeg


I’m happy to be home from grocery shopping.

I’m getting closer to being done farming the event in fate go.
 
I'm becoming progressively less picky about music. A few years ago I cycled through the same 20 songs and wouldn't try anything else.

Today I've been hitting songs randomly that YouTube recommends me and I've been adding them to my Spotify playlist. It feels like I get enjoyment out of almost any song now. (said playlist is now at 349 songs instead of 20).

I'm not sure when I became like this - but it's nice.
 
Hi everyone! 👋🎲 Everyone got their happy faces on? 🙂 *pushes index fingers up against the corners of my lips* 👉🙂👈 Mooorre.... 👉😃👈 MOOOAAARRR...... 👉😱👈 Okay, too much! Ow ow ow! 😣 Anyway, now that I got your attention... Hey! Someone dreamt of me and that's pretty special. 😁 Of course, being in my physical company is a dream in its own right, might I add, 😉 but for being four million hot dogs lined up ..... *burrrp* make that 3.9 million hot dogs 🌭😋.... wait, is that how math works? ANYWAY... for being the distance of like, a bazallion hot dogs back-to-back from someone, that's pretty cool, isn't it? 😎 Speaking of long distance, I also played golf today, which is always fun smashing balls down the fairway. ⛳ Well, maybe the ball hooked all the way to the fairway on the NEXT hole beside me, but it was fun nonthe- uh... is thing still on? 🎙️💤 Are we all feeling happy yet? 😀 If not, please take 1 minute to stand up and stretch those muscles! ... The muscles on your FACE and smile, damnit! 😂 If you're not laughing by now and you know who you are... 😏 Yeah you, HEY! You in the back... 😉👉 Then get outta here! This is the What Are You Happy About thread and you must share my happiness for a minute. 😤 Oookay, I see everyone has left the room except you in the back there... thank you... "We da best". 🗣📢 "Tell 'em to bring out the happiness!" 🗣📢 "Anotha' one!" 🗣📢 😂 Okay I'm done now. 👋🎲 Thank you all for being happy today! Please come back tomorrow with all your big beautiful smiles and beady little eyes. 🥺🤗
 
Today was a great day. We started the day at the fountain of youth. We had a great time. There were a few schools there for a class trip Aurora was kind and patient and the kids were so happy and thankful that they got to say hi to her. We saw two shows . One was in a small planetarium . We then went hiking in a local park and went to see a lighthouse . We picked up lunch and Aurora had an afternoon nap. This evening we went to the beach and a dog friendly restaurant. Aurora got to play with a few dogs .

Fountain of youth had peacocks everywhere.
IMG_5593.jpeg

IMG_5636.jpeg

IMG_5702.jpeg

IMG_5691.jpeg

IMG_5695.jpeg

Lighthouse
IMG_5771.jpeg

Park
IMG_5780.jpeg

Puppy beach
IMG_5812.jpeg

IMG_5845.jpeg

IMG_5808.jpeg

IMG_5836.jpeg

IMG_5869.jpeg

IMG_5861.jpeg
 
  • I got to spend time with my boyfriend!
    squishy squishing cheeks kitty emt.gif
  • I got a stressful part of my project done, thanks to help from the staff!
  • It rained and was nice and warm outside. The teacher opened one of the windows I was sitting by and the breeze felt amazing!
    tears of joy sparklinhg kitty emt.gif
  • Warm rainy air is the best! They're big windows that overlook a big lake and it's always calming to watch the rain fall on the water!
  • It was also just really pretty outside in general. Perfect mix of sun and clouds. The morning was sunny as well as sunset, just how I love it!
    pic0413.gif
    petals started falling~
    happy blushing flower emt.gif
  • I saw a huge rainbow!
    e6fe5665.gif
  • My dad got me lots of yummy food!
    tumblr_inline_mgpcewgaN11qdlkyg540.gif
  • My mom showed me some SNL sketches and this one was definitely the best XD The Ending!!! It's always great to see the actors struggling so hard to not burst into hysteric laughter XD It just radiates happiness and fun
    happy flappy paws kitty emt.gif
 
  • My mom showed me some SNL sketches and this one was definitely the best XD The Ending!!! It's always great to see the actors struggling so hard to not burst into hysteric laughter XD It just radiates happiness and fun View attachment 554091

LMAO, this sketch was great. Especially the King of the Hill insert at the end. Something tells me @/xSuperMario64x would love this. :LOL:
 
Finally got some mostly good news today ;u; Feeling a lot better than I have in the past several days.

Did some more NPC level grinding in Fashion Dreamer this evening! Seeking Zeke made exactly ONE appearance yet again. This is turning into a running gag at this point 😭

Watched some Youtube with my family this evening! We got to see some more of the recent Hermitcraft charity livestream stuff.
 
With the main part of my vacation now over with my arrival today into the Bay Area of California on Amtrak's California Zephyr, and my trip officially ending tomorrow, I've been taking some time to reflect on this whole experience. All I can say is that it was everything I had hoped it would be, and then some. The train rides were amazing as always, but the real star of the show was the total eclipse. The 19 years I had waited to see it could never have prepared me for what I was about to see. In an instant I went from never having seen one to being hooked and planning a trip to see one of the next three, and possibly all three of them! Words cannot describe how absolutely incredible experiencing that was. And to be completely honest, of every single part of the trip asid from the eclipse had completely fallen apart, it still would've been completely worth it.

All things considered, I think this was the best vacation of my life. And to top it all off, when I get back home tomorrow I'll still have 4 more whole days off before having to go back to work!
 
Today I'm happy because my dog is making a quick recovery. He's already acting like his old self again, just tentative about biting and chewing which will take a little while longer to heal since he lost several teeth. But we're softening his kibble and giving him other soft foods and treats in the meantime.

I took this picture of him last night when he was finally starting to settle in. His face still has that look of, "Mom, they did things to me..."
His front leg looks awful, but they warned me it would be badly bruised and it doesn't seem to be bothering him at all.
20240415_221816.jpg
 
This is the day, my friends. The moment finally happened...
My son is into Pokémon.
And not just the show, I mean the games, too! 🥳
For years he was a young poser, too cool for the Pokémon universe, but it just clicked and we have been discussing type advantages and evolutions and lore and it's just so nice to have this big beautiful thing to share with him.
Congratulations!!
Is your son playing the newest game? (Or better yet, does he have The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero too?) Please tell him I said that Kieran is the greatest Pokemon character of All Time!!! wowzers, i can’t believe i just said that…
 
Wednesday, April 17, 2024

I have spent all day worrying about Blossom, but I'm happy to say she has eaten a little food this evening and more importantly she has eaten a few treats! I am really hoping that she was just having an off day and that she will be back to her usual self tomorrow morning.

20240417_204154-min.jpg
 
Today was another great day! 😁

- Got up early and was productive at work. Finished something I was working on. Also had a lot of good laughs at work too. :LOL:

- Won the 50/50 for Aventurine in Honkai: Star Rail... twice! So now I have his E1 and have him pretty well built already. 🎲 🎮

- The Texas Rangers defeated the Detroit Tigers 5-4 today to stay in the lead for the AL West! ⚾ 🔥

- I plan on feeding my kitties their special food soon. 🐱

- Tonight the Dallas STARS! play their final regular season game of the year against the St. Louis Blues before heading to the playoffs. It'll be fun to be able to watch them one last time before they're up against a really tough team! 🏒 💚

qMtCRhV.png

T6xDJos.png

qVwwiqf.jpg
 
Back
Top