Preventing Chaos

Most of us know that it is so expensive to buy food for our kids with food allergies and intolerances.

I used to think it was hard to find food that was:

gluten-free
casein-free
corn-free
free of artificial colors, sweeteners and MSG, etc.

Oh, how we wish we could purchase everything we need from one store or retailer... or better yet, order it online from just one place!  Dreaming...

Well, back to reality.  Ain't happening.

But, I did find a website called Gluten Solutions that has some of the items we use -- and they were on sale too.  Big time! 

This muffin mix does concern me because it has xanthan gum and we usually use guar gum. but - for $1.99, I am willing to try it, and ordered only 1.

In hopes of preventing some chaos, I placed my first order, selected the least expensive shipping and got a whole box of special food for my special child!  I plan to save most of these items for upcoming events, such as birthday parties, Halloween, Thanksgiving and maybe even Christmas.

I don't  get a lot of Nick's food online anymore, although I love the $4.99 shipping option at VitaCost. I just do not like buying in bulk, since we have reactions pretty often again.

The closest city to us has a Hy-Vee grocery store, which carries many wonderful products, which are all 10% off on Thursdays.  Apparently, Thursdays is "health market day" at our local Hy-Vee.  If I am lucky, I'll go on Thursday and use a few coupons too.  Never thought I'd be a coupon clippin' mama, but- I never thought my precious child would be thrust in a world of intolerances and allergies either.

Frosting?  I've not given Nick frosting in 2 years.  Usually use fresh fruit or GF-CF chocolate chips.  Very excited to try this product, without cornstarch. 

Anyway, I am very pleased to have the foresight to prevent some chaos during the upcoming holidays, by having some special baking mixes and frosting ready.  The weather is forecasted to be cool this weekend, so I will likely bake up some cupcakes to freeze and have on hand, just in case we get invited some place special.  Nick has done remarkably well in his classes where treats and candy have been passed out.  I am so proud of how far he has come the last 2 years.

Two years ago, using Fruit Loops to play bingo with would have completely whacked him out.  He handled it today in his music class.  This is good.  I'll end on a positive note.

Adventures in Autism: CDC Vaccine Recommendations in Childhood Hits 70.....

Adventures in Autism: CDC Vaccine Recommendations in Childhood Hits 70.....: "Ding! Ding! Ding! America wins a prize!!! CDC wants your child to have 70 vaccines by the time they are 18 years old! 70! ...50 of those..."

I have been meaning to post about this...  it still shocks and disturbs me.  It's been almost 2 months since this news came out and I am still weak in the knees.  

ACIP  =  The  Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices

Now that my summer bloggie break is over, I am re-acquainting myself with the feelings of sadness, shock, disbelief and some fear.  Might as well admit it -- it's scary!

Yet...  there is still hope.  Without knowing all this "stuff",  I would be just as ignorant as the next person...  and, my real hope, my very, very real hope is in God.  Yes, all this "stuff" that we learn about is heavy - really heavy.  Using an old word -- burden...  or in this case, burdens or worries.  Or maybe even call them concerns...  whatever I call them, there is an action I take, in my heart.  I have to try to let go of the worry and ask God to take it from me.  Turn it over, let it go, turn the burden over...  it all means the same thing.

I am but a mere mortal mom and cannot carry the weight of this negativity.  I do believe that the Maker can though.  The following old hymn goes through my head sometimes.  Reminds me of when I was a child and sat next to my grandmother on Sunday mornings, in a little country church... just like you hear about. . .  and old hymns bring comfort to me.

I Wondered About This...

I've been wondering how the unused flu shots were disposed of. I know that some people wonder about health care, about political parties, about the oil flowing... and I know many people do not worry or even bat an eye at questioning the safety of vaccines.

I guess that I don't either... now. Now I know. I have known the last few years and I know who my child was, is and I know we cannot go back in time, and "un-do" the damage to his immune system. Oh there's just a lot I could say, but - really, I just want to share this post from over at Age of Autism, by Ginger Taylor.

Ginger is an amazing mom. I've followed her blog on and off over the last couple of years. I have to say it again: she is amazing.

Goodbye Summer - Hello Chaos

For the first time in our 8 years of home-educating, I took some time off, away from what is considered "formal" homeschooling of Nicolas.  I needed the break.


Of course, we did not stop learning -- Nic asks dozens, if not 100's of questions each day and we participated in our local library's summer reading program.  Yes, our special boy is a reader!  And yes, he is obsessive with his reading too.

Gold belt test day!

Throughout the summer, we focused on continuance of our strict dietary intervention with him and added karate to his schedule for the summer.  Tomorrow is his last day, and I wish we could continue with karate.  I could write an entire post about all of the emotions I felt (and still feel) just watching Nic participate in a sport without me, and be able to listen and follow instructions...  just like other kids...  well - without intervention or freaking out about some unknown something or other.  I have walked on eggshells all summer, hoping he wouldn't have a meltdown.  And he didn't.  Not one meltdown at karate.  Isn't that amazing?  It is nothing short of a miracle.
 
I think it's partially because the situation is controlled by the owner, who is absolutely amazing with children.  I'd rank him right up there near "the saints", if you will.  Anyway...  karate was a positive experience for us!

We will be starting our school year on Wednesday.

Will it be chaos?

I already know the answer.

Goodbye summer, hello chaos.

Scary Prayer

Not sure what I think about this... but - it is something to think about, when I am not crushing supplements or pulling weeds out of the garden.

Our Newest Food I

The last couple of years, I have been on so many bandwagons and tooted so many horns - and tried so many new recipes!  Some we love and others are short-lived phases or temporary addictions.

At first, it wasn't easy to find gluten-free and casein-free foods... but, when we added yeast, vinegar, MSG and CORN to our list of forbidden foods, it did get a little bit trickier.

Now days, not such a big deal...

We deal with it. What other choice do I have? None.

The last couple of months, we have been doing something new!

Ready? Sprouts!

Yes, we sprout. We sprout just about anything than can be sprouted.

Why? Well, for many reasons, but - the biggest is that sprouts are tasty, full of vitamins and antioxidants and Nicolas loves them. And did I mention antioxidants?

We've learned so much about living foods, raw foods and our powerhouse antioxidant sprouts, that I just might have to do another post about how to sprout.

And, since I really need to shed some pounds before summer, I am eating sprouts too. We eat them raw, stir-fried, baked and often, just simply added in with our baked breads, muffins and scones. (Anytime my muffins don't turn out, I call them scones now...)

We sprout grains, seeds, nuts, vegetables, etc. And my goals is to keep 2 - 3 kinds of sprouts going at all times. Why? Well, because they all harvest at different times and are eaten/enjoyed in different ways.

Right now, we are sprouting broccoli sprouts. They look similar to alfalfa sprouts that you often see on salads and sandwiches, but - they are not the same. These little darlings are amazing!

First of all, broccoli sprouts are in the brassica family. Sound familiar? They should. Seems everywhere I look I find new information about broccoli being an excellent cancer inhibitor - at least the natural kind that we eat. 


From what I read, broccoli sprouts are also the highest known dietary source of the potent anti-cancer phytochemical, Sulphoraphone (antioxidant), and they contain 50 times more than the mature broccoli head. Yes - the little guys are better for us than the big heads! (That really sounded odd...)

The whole family is getting used to jars on the counter, growing our little sprouts.



I am just a newbie at this, but - it is going well and I hope to be sprouting for a long, long time.  Nicolas does not react to sprouts, and this is good news - especially considering that the boy is always hungry.  I am very aware that we need a variety of foods for him, and I need to keep them rotating.

After the last year, I will take all the good news I can get.

A Posting We Will Go... First: Dr. Wakefield

The web, tv and papers are full of autism information this month.  Or - should I say misinformation?

Been a while since I have even had a chance to blog...  I do not know how I get so busy, but - the kids have to remain my priority, so - the blogging often gets set aside.  Since blogging is my therapy, and I do still get a little overwhelmed, I am back to blog, or at least today I am.

I recently saw this video and have been wanting to share it all day!  I wish it was good news or a "reversal or miracle cure" for what's already happened, but - it is worth sharing.



You really should head over to Dr. Mercola's page and read the full post here.

Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s Interview on His MMR Study

Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s Interview on His MMR Study