I try my best to be positive, but there are some days when I can’t help but be disappointed with living with chronic illnesses. Today is one of those days. We arrived for our first day at Disney World. I knew that it was going to be hot of course and planned accordingly.

Instead of visiting the parks during the heat of the day because it affects the Myasthenia Gravis, I planned on keeping busy indoors and going to the parks after the sun goes down. Today we did just that, well almost. I stayed in the resort during the day, looking around and of course checking out the shopping. We ate lunch here too. I got to take a nap in the late afternoon and we planned on going to Epcot about 7 PM.

Unfortunately the minute we got outside the heat hit me and I felt terribly weak. So weak in fact that I couldn’t even use my scooter. Not good for me or for my husband and daughter. I have been going through some serious issues with the MG lately so I guess this was to be expected.

We were able to take our van to go out to eat instead. Torrow is another day and I’m using my positive attitude to think that I will feel better. I’m going to get a good night’s sleep and be sure to take my meds on time, eat right and not stress.

I’ll keep you posted on how things go. The one great thing about Disney is that even if I don’t get to the Parks, there’s so much that I can do indoors to have fun.

Inviting Home is online company that provides quality products for your home. The products they offer are usually only available to professional builders, interior designers, etc. but by shopping online it’s like cutting out the middleman. So the prices are a lot less expensive than buying through a professional. But, the information on the website is there for you. For each type of product sold, there are pages devoted to detailed images, installation and what works in your home. You can also call customer service and view the decorating ideas on the site too. If you choose to become a member of Inviting Home, you will receive a newsletter, discounts and information on promotions.

We are still redecorating my home. It’s been a long process but there’s still a lot of work to do. In our den, my husband built a new wall but we still need to add molding to the bottom of the wall. We’re also thinking of adding some around the wall, because it is a recessed wall.  I would love to use something like this:

While looking through the site, I also found Corbels which would really add beauty to my kitchen counters, especially the part that hangs into the living room area of my home. I found photos of people who did the same thing in the Inspiration Gallery section called “Sharing Success”. Plus, I love any company that has their own blog.

Finishing up my home is something I need to get done to reduce my stress levels. I hate when I’m not feeling well, I’m sitting around the house and I look at all of the things that still need to be done here.

I had so much fun as a young child. I hardly ever sat in my house watching TV or playing unless it was raining or I was sick. Even though I lived in the Bronx, we were safe to roam the neighborhood, play with our friends and know that our neighbors would keep an eye out for us. I was never alone, usually being with a group of friends but sometimes with just one or two others.

If I did something wrong, my parents would hear about it. It was normal for a neighbor to call and tell my Mom that we were found jumping fences or walking without our shoes. Today, I’m afraid to let my younger daughter outside in our fenced in backyard without me watching her every move.

I remember going out with neighbors’ families to the drive in movies or to dinner. My parents would do the same with my friends. And we’d have parties in our yards where everyone was invited. Things were so different then. Now we hide in our homes and don’t even know our neighbors. Our idea of spending time with our neighbors is bringing them mail that was delivered to our home by mistake. Drive In Movies are now a pop up tv set up in our pool.

This morning we awoke to loud banging on our door. It was the police informing us that there was a rash of break ins to unlocked cars in driveways. Thankfully our cars were locked and nothing was stolen from us.

It still is a scary feeling knowing that something this terrible happened so close to home. The feeling of safety and neighborhood is gone. I hope this helps to pull us together.

Did you have a good Christmas? Did you spend time with your family and loved ones? I did have a good day and it was so nice to be with my family, to see the joy of the day written all over my younger daughter’s face and to be blessed with decent enough health to be up and around for the day.

My older daughter was not able to be home with us this year but will be joining us soon. And my Aunt feel on Sunday night and broker her shoulder and cheek bone. Not having either of them with us made the day a bit sad but having my 10 year old daughter brightened it up for us.

I hope that your day was filled with joy, peace and time to spend counting your blessings.

Before I was diagnosed with a chronic illness I wanted to own my own business. But when you’re young and trying to make the bills it’s hard to think of something that is so far out of reach. Then I became a mom, then a single mom and that dream become harder to reach.

When I became sick and wasn’t able to work, my husband and I needed extra money. We were used to living on two incomes. With two children and a lot of bills to pay, we began to sell on eBay. In a way it was like having my own business. Since I was very limited in what I could do, I was like the boss.

One thing I did was chose what to sell on eBay. I looked for things around our home that we didn’t use any more. As I got better, someone would drive me to local stores to look at clearance items.

I’d keep a list of things that people were buying like Slimquick Cleanse and Tickle Me Elmo, etc. Although selling on eBay was fun and we do it once in a while, my own business now is blogging.

I’ve been working at keeping my stress levels low this Christmas season so that I don’t end up getting sick like I usually do around this time of year. I’ve devised a system that’s been working for me. I want to pass on a few pointers in the hopes that you will gain from my experiences.

1. Writing Lists for everything. I began to keep lists back in mid-November. It started with my Thanksgiving plans and continued from there. I have gift lists, budgets for gifts, food lists including what meals will be made and the ingredients needed, Christmas card lists, etc. If there’s something that I need to remember, I’m writing it down.
2. Staying Organized – All those lists go into a special file along with a calendar. I’ve transferred this info onto my online calendar too. Every piece of mail that comes into my house is opened by the trash can. If it doesn’t have sensitive information, in it goes. If it does, it’s shredded. My daughter can’t leave anything lying around any more. Everything is in its place.
3. Finances – We are spending less and doing more. Even though there seems to be less hours in a day now, volunteer time is our way of giving back. We are doing as much as possible as a family to keep it fun. We are sticking to our budget too on presents and food. Don’t forget the food, it adds up quickly!
4. My Outlook – I have a tendency to get down around the holidays due to family members’ losses.  To add to it, this year is the first year I will be without my daughter, who now lives in Kansas. I knew this would make it even more difficult for me.  I listen to  Christmas music, try to be around other people as much as I can, read books and watch shows that are cheerful, read other people’s blogs, look for the humorous side of things and try to keep a smile on my face.
5. Decorations – We have always decorated our home for Christmas. We go overboard.  This year we aren’t holding back at all. We are taking every decoration we have and using it. It’s been fun looking at some things we haven’t seen in years.

I’d love to hear what you are doing to relieve stress this season. Or is it difficult for you and you’re having problems getting through it all? I hope not, but we can “talk” about it here and share.