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Sunday, May 27th – Wednesday, May 31st –
I think I’m seeing a pattern in the days Jotham is more tired. They seem to be falling after a prolonged exposure to toxins. So far, moldy environments and high-VOC environments seem to be the biggest offenders, and if there’s a mold exposure, my energy levels tank too.
On Sunday, I made it a goal to go to the side of the city that feels like it has clean air for miles, and spend the day outside as much as possible. I watched the sermon from our church in Illinois, then got everyone loaded up, and drove the 45 minutes into town and out the other side.
We went to a local grocery store to grab lunch, and took it to a splash park at the base of the Red Mountains. We were there all afternoon, and didn’t get back to the Airbnb casita until quite late.
Monday morning, Jotham awoke with so much energy. He was interacting a bunch and playing hard. We met with a local practitioner that specializes in toxicology, and seem to have gotten some good answers on what may help us get our bodies less reactive. We plan to start treatments shortly, and should see results fairly quickly if it’s going to be helpful.
We did have trouble with the indoor environment in her office, and several of us had our typical “mold reaction” symptoms after leaving. We had Mexican food for lunch with my sister’s family, then went back to the casita for the afternoon to rest. Spending a lot of the day in the casita, plus the exposure to the mold in the office earlier in the day, equaled a very tired Jotham the following day.
Tuesday we met cousin Elliot to play at another splash park near their townhouse. There are quite a few splash parks in the area, and I can see why with how warm it is getting as we approach summer. We visited and played for a few hours, then Jotham and Toby took naps in the van while I sat in a parking lot and caught up with Micah on some things.
We had plans to go see a documentary being shown at a local college, so we grabbed Chick-fil-A and found the correct building on campus. Walking into the building, I knew there was a rampant mold toxin issue, but I stayed for a couple hours to see the film and hear some of a Q & A that followed.
I’m afraid the exposure last night was more than I should have allowed. I’ve been very strict about staying out of environments that smell moldy, but made exceptions two days in a row, and Jotham’s energy levels have reflected it
Wednesday I got us out of the casita to do some grocery shopping, swimsuit shopping for the kids, and go to another splash park to breathe the outside air. By the evening Jotham was starting to perk up again and be himself a little more.
I booked a cottage on Airbnb to try out on Saturday and Sunday. Micah will be flying in for the weekend to visit and help us move locations, as well as exchange vehicles for another rental vehicle. We’re counting down the days until we see him.
The cottage we’ll be trying is in a better area for me (no nearby reservoir), but there is a lot of construction/development of land going on around it. I’m hoping that won’t be an issue. The owner of the cottage is sensitive to chemicals, so she doesn’t use any air fresheners. She asked her cleaning lady to only use vinegar and water for cleaning the cottage before our stay. Her cleaning lady makes laundry soap mix she uses for her personal laundry, and said she would run the linens through with that, and use vinegar instead of fabric softener. No pets, no shoes, and no air fresheners make this place a unique find. If it’s meant to be, then hopefully it passes the test of us staying there this weekend.
Disclaimer- my Airbnb referral link is above, and if you book a stay with my link, you should receive a $25 credit at checkout. I will also receive a credit to use on future bookings, but it doesn’t add anything to your price!
