this is us

a bit about our home.

  There is PapaBear, a welder, artist, geek, almost 30, Taurus. Comes from a tough childhood of abuse and neglect. Diagnosed with Bipolar II at 28. Working hard to be a less controlling person.
  There is Bug, 3, almost 4. this is very important information. :o) Bug is the little sister. Bug is, as far as we can tell, neurotypical. In Fact, Bug, is a very very typical 3, almost 4 year old little girl. She is bright, and funny. She is sassy, and snuggly. She makes everyone laugh, and has a smile and a hug for all she holds close to her. Piss her off, and watch out! She is a very Leo little girl. Bug is the baby of the family.
  There is Bean, 6, almost 7 in July, as she would tell you. 7 is very grown up, dontcha know? Bean has the official written in stone diagnoses of SPD (sensory processing disorder), and ADHD. She has loose, non official, but talked about, and researched, diagnoses of Aspergers, and JBPD (juvenile bipolar disorder). She attends weekly OT (occupational therapy) to help her with her sensory issues. Bean is brilliantly smart. She is incredibly funny. She has such a strong energy. Bean is a Cancer through and through. She is my first born baby.
  Then there is me, MamaBear. i am almost 29, also a Taurus. I came from a kind and gentle mom who supported me though everything, and a father with anger issues. he was a yeller. a screamer, a rager. he never physically abused us. but there was definitely moments of emotional abuse/neglect from him. I was diagnosed with Bipolar II at the age of 12. spent many years switching back and forth between meds to find just the right one. As many people with Bipolar do, I went off meds. for quite a few years. When my youngest was a little over a year old i went back on meds. I dont like relying on medicine to help me be a stable member of society, a good mom and wife, and daughter. But i take it. because i DO like feeling stable. i DO like knowing that i can be that person for my family. I also have Fibromyalgia, for which i take prescription anti inflamatories, and herbal medicine. But really, nothing helps enough for me to function at optimum level.
  also living with us is BIL (brother in law). He is in his early 30's. going to school for computer stuff. same childhood as PapaBear.

We are an Unschooling family. I am a big big big believer in connected parenting, non violent communication, genital integrity for all, attachment parenting (baby wearing, co-sleeping, breastfeeding, following babies/childrens cues, etc), and human milk for human babies. I am a birth junky, and a peer counselor through NMC of Oregon. I strive to use only natural eco-friendly body and home products. we try hard to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle as much as possible. I am a big time hippie at heart.

my purpose of this blog is to record our daily life with bipolar, non neurotypical children, parenting, partnering, and... well, life.