Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Summer Living

Ah, I just love the slow pace of summer! Now that I've finally caught up on laundry, unpacking, etc. from vacation, we've settled into the easy routines of summer.

Summer vacation is a nice break for any kid in school, but for kids with CFS, it is a blissful relief. Jamie, whose CFS is much worse than Craig's, especially benefits from summertime. I've watched him this past week, and it's such a relief not to have to worry constantly about how he's feeling and whether he'll be able to go to school. When he's feeling good, Jamie runs around and plays with his friends, swims, hikes, whatever he feels like. If it was too much and he crashes the next day, he hangs out on the couch with a good book and is perfectly content. No pressure, no worries, no make-up work.

Both boys are staying up later (that means 9 pm for our CFS kids!!), and Craig still wakes pretty early, but Jamie can sleep in a bit (since he's in high school, his day begins at 6:20 am on school days). And I can sleep past 7 am! I don't even have to wear a watch. There are no schedules, no kids to meet at the bus stop, no rushes to school when Craig forgets his drums on band day. The kids and I have a leisurely breakfast, usually do some sort of household chore together for an hour or so (grocery shopping is so much easier with them along to push the car and help with the lifting), then they play and I do whatever I need to do. I'm trying not to put pressure on myself to be too productive working this summer.

But the best part about summer is the evenings. No homework, no soccer practice, no schedule, no scrambling to get the boys to bed by 8 pm. I've even been able to take a walk after dinner a few nights this week. Ah, summertime!

9 comments:

Never That Easy said...

It's so great not to have to worry about meeting a schedule, isn't it? I'm glad that summer is bringing you some peace. :)

Dusty Bogwrangler said...

Sounds like bliss to me. I love evening walks in the Summer.

Shelli said...

I'm glad you are all enjoying your summer! It is my favorite time of year. It's been so nice to wake up naturally, without an alarm. Much more pleasant. You painted a fun, relaxing picture!

Hege Renate - said...

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I love your blog and are following it with RSS.
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Hope to see you!

me/cfs warrior said...

It sounds so peaceful at your house right now!

Pris said...

I'm so glad all of you are getting a break from expectations this summer. Hooray!!

Laura (aka Mom) said...

I can totally relate! No pressure, no make-up work, no stress! The summertime, as we're finding out, is so much better!

I'm glad to hear that you all are enjoying your summer!

Arden Sleadd said...

I just discovered your blog yesterday. I am a 17-year CFS/FMS sufferer. Your posts could almost have been written by myself, though you seem to be healthier than I with your ability to travel. Please see my blogs at myfmsjourney.blogspot.com and womancomehome.blogspot.com.
Your enjoyment of the summer schedule is one of the reasons why I choose to homeschool my children. While it may seem to be more work than putting them in school, it actually makes life much easier in terms of the daily schedule.
I am interested in your latest evaluation of the effectiveness of the antivirals you tried for a time.
God bless you!

Sue Jackson said...

Hi, Arden -

Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.

I'm still taking anti-virals (Famvir right now) - I've been on Valtrex or Famvir for about 2 years now. I think they've helped a little. What has helped even more is low-dose naltrexone (see past posts). It, in conjunction with the anti-virals, has given me about a 10% improvement in activity level. For more info, see www.lowdosenaltrexone.org

I'm on my way out the door now, but I'll check out your blogs when I return - thanks and welcome to my blog!

Sue