An amazing thing happened at dinner tonight, and I am not using the word "amazing" frivolously! As Hubby & I were getting our plates ready to head to the dining room, I glanced in at the kids and saw JG getting up from his chair at the table. In the moment that followed I received a blaring affirmation that I'm doing the right thing!! JG went to his sister, hugged her, & told her that he was sorry for ever being mean to her!!!!! We weren't even in there yet, so he wasn't performing for us to see! I backed right up in to our kitchen and started crying!!
Only my closest friends & family know what this means, but M is typically JG's "whipping boy". He takes out a lot of his anger & frustrations on his little sister. I often worry about the long term effects of M being told that she's "stupid" or an "idiot" repeatedly every day by her big brother. (I try to counteract it by constantly telling her that she's smart & beautiful.) I think that God gave her the personality that she needs to love her brother unconditionally and to forgive him often, because she truly thinks that he hung the moon! And tonight she gathered up lots of missed hugs & kisses while her brother was willing to share them!
AND, as if that wasn't enough, (my heart is exploding) JG was a pleasure to be around at dinner and the entire evening! He made us all laugh multiple times at the table, almost making me spit out my food, which then made B laugh at me getting so tickled! There was lots of giggling,... which is a far cry from the nights, not too long ago, that were spent w/ JG & I eating at a separate table from the rest of the family.
I can't stop there! He also sat down after dinner, on his own devices, mind you, and wrote a letter to God. I asked him if I could read it & he let me. It was so sweet, and soooo JG! He told God that he knows that people get wishes, and he has never had a wish come true. So, he told God that he wishes that he could have the power of fire-bending, and that he would try his very best to be good if he could have his wish. He later added to his letter that he wishes his brother & sister could have special "bending" powers, too! (JG is really in to Avatar: The Last Airbender, right now, just in case you couldn't tell!!) Needless to say, we had to have a little talk before bed about God's timing & plans not always being the same as ours, and that you don't have to write a letter to God & leave it like a tooth under your pillow for the Tooth Fairy b/c you can pray to God anytime.
God is so good!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
This Week's Shopping
I have a dear friend that gets a laugh out of the fact that it seems like I am always "at the store" when she calls. Her jests are not too far off base! Mind you, most of those shopping trips are rather small. With the GF/CF eating style I have found that it's very difficult to "stockpile" items in my pantry, b/c we typically just eat meat, fruit, & veggies. You wouldn't want to stockpile fresh items like produce b/c some of the items could spoil before you use them, and meat (predominantly "green") is too expensive to stock up on! And have you ever noticed the limited amount of coupons that are floating around for fresh foods?!
This time last year I was a coupon queen!! We didn't eat a large amount of convenience foods, and there were a lot of coupons that were useless to me back then. However, I still managed to save "mucho dinero" w/ the coupons that remained after my weeding through! Now,... good luck on finding coupons for fresh organic meat & fresh produce!! Yes, every now & then I'll have some good luck & find some in a copy of my Kiwi magazine or in the Sunday circulars, but it is extremely rare! With all of that in mind, I've gotten a really bad attitude about how those of us who live on a tight budget are strong armed in to eating unhealthy. Or, at the very least, I feel comfortable in saying that it is quite difficult for a frugal family to eat healthy. I'll refrain from discussing my conspiracy theories!
All of that rambling being said, I have developed some tricks to feeding my GF/CF family frugally. And yes, Coco, it means I make multiple trips to the local stores! Here are some examples w/ this week's shopping:
On Sunday I went to Sam's Club to pick up a few staples that I had found the week before. Mareblu Naturals makes a yummy nut cluster, Blueberry Pomegranate Trail Mix Crunch, that is peanut-free, gluten free, & dairy free. My non-Aspie son thinks that they taste like blueberry waffles! I also picked up a Sam's Club brand spiral sliced ham that is certified gluten free, a big bag of corn tortilla chips ('cause taco salad is just so yummy & can easily be GF/CF), and a bag of romaine hearts. On my last trip to Sam's a couple of weeks ago I also picked up some frozen berries for smoothies, frozen whole green beans, hummus, organic baby carrots, and Multi-Seeded Crackers. I've also spotted a good deal on some chicken & apple sausage that is certified gluten free, but I haven't been able to bring myself to buy that large of a package of sausage!
After Sam's I stopped at one of our local farmers' markets & bought a bag of red potatoes, some sweet potatoes, a bag of onions, cantaloupe & some peaches. Then I stopped at Publix for our Rice Dream, orange juice, Van's Waffles, Juicy Juice, and a few other essentials. That was it for the day,... but then I made another stop by one of our other grocery stores today! I only got 7 items at Bruno's, though - paper products (recycled) & meat! And, to be honest, those items, added to the ones that I already had, will cover us for another week or so.
Menu:
Monday breakfast: Van's waffles w/ fresh cut fruit salad
lunchbox: leftover grilled sausage, fruit salad
snack: nut clusters & Juicy Juice
dinner: ham, potato salad, & green beans almondine
Tuesday breakfast: Van's waffles w/ fruit salad
lunchbox: ham, potato salad, fruit salad
snack: nut clusters & Juicy Juice
dinner: leftovers! (red beans & rice or ham & potato salad)
This time last year I was a coupon queen!! We didn't eat a large amount of convenience foods, and there were a lot of coupons that were useless to me back then. However, I still managed to save "mucho dinero" w/ the coupons that remained after my weeding through! Now,... good luck on finding coupons for fresh organic meat & fresh produce!! Yes, every now & then I'll have some good luck & find some in a copy of my Kiwi magazine or in the Sunday circulars, but it is extremely rare! With all of that in mind, I've gotten a really bad attitude about how those of us who live on a tight budget are strong armed in to eating unhealthy. Or, at the very least, I feel comfortable in saying that it is quite difficult for a frugal family to eat healthy. I'll refrain from discussing my conspiracy theories!
All of that rambling being said, I have developed some tricks to feeding my GF/CF family frugally. And yes, Coco, it means I make multiple trips to the local stores! Here are some examples w/ this week's shopping:
On Sunday I went to Sam's Club to pick up a few staples that I had found the week before. Mareblu Naturals makes a yummy nut cluster, Blueberry Pomegranate Trail Mix Crunch, that is peanut-free, gluten free, & dairy free. My non-Aspie son thinks that they taste like blueberry waffles! I also picked up a Sam's Club brand spiral sliced ham that is certified gluten free, a big bag of corn tortilla chips ('cause taco salad is just so yummy & can easily be GF/CF), and a bag of romaine hearts. On my last trip to Sam's a couple of weeks ago I also picked up some frozen berries for smoothies, frozen whole green beans, hummus, organic baby carrots, and Multi-Seeded Crackers. I've also spotted a good deal on some chicken & apple sausage that is certified gluten free, but I haven't been able to bring myself to buy that large of a package of sausage!
After Sam's I stopped at one of our local farmers' markets & bought a bag of red potatoes, some sweet potatoes, a bag of onions, cantaloupe & some peaches. Then I stopped at Publix for our Rice Dream, orange juice, Van's Waffles, Juicy Juice, and a few other essentials. That was it for the day,... but then I made another stop by one of our other grocery stores today! I only got 7 items at Bruno's, though - paper products (recycled) & meat! And, to be honest, those items, added to the ones that I already had, will cover us for another week or so.
Menu:
Monday breakfast: Van's waffles w/ fresh cut fruit salad
lunchbox: leftover grilled sausage, fruit salad
snack: nut clusters & Juicy Juice
dinner: ham, potato salad, & green beans almondine
Tuesday breakfast: Van's waffles w/ fruit salad
lunchbox: ham, potato salad, fruit salad
snack: nut clusters & Juicy Juice
dinner: leftovers! (red beans & rice or ham & potato salad)
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Almost Done
I hope that it's okay that I start counting down the hours 'til the weekend on Thursday! Who am I kidding?! I probably start on Monday! It's not that we do anything particularly exciting on the weekends,... but I'm just happy to not have to get JG anywhere for 2 whole days. So, only one more morning struggle left before I get a 2 day reprieve. These are the thoughts that get me through a day.
JG had a much better day at school yesterday. His tics had settled down quite a bit after a good night's rest on Tuesday night. He does seem extremely tired, though - even more than he did during the first week of school. It concerns me, but I'm doing all that I can do. He has had 3 nights in a row that he's fallen asleep instantly, and that is absolutely not the norm!
I have scheduled a meeting w/ a woman for horseback riding lessons for JG. She lives right down the road, and we're going to meet w/ her on Friday afternoon. She said that she teaches them everything, not just how to ride. He'll learn how to brush the horses, how to clean their hooves, and all of the parts of caring for them, in addition to slowly learning how to ride. She doesn't have any particular experience w/ Asperger's children, but she seems very open to learning about JG. She asked some particulars, and she said that she was going to do some research about his difficulties. She has, however, worked w/ other children w/ various special needs. So,... it looks like we'll be teaching her, as well. I can't wait to tell him!
Also, I've realized that I'm not posting as much information about food as I had planned on doing, so here's a little re-cap.
Tuesday night I cooked spaghetti w/ organic meat, Newman's Own sauce, & corn pasta & it was a hit!! Spaghetti is one of JG's all time favorites, and it has been a long time since he has gotten to have some. I've warmed some up to put in to a thermos for the past two days for his lunch at school. (I also cut it up to make it easier to eat out of a thermos.)
Last night we had breakfast for dinner, and we had pancakes made from a Bob's Red Mill mix, Jones Dairy Farm turkey sausage, and cantaloupe. Everyone was happy! It amazes me that those pancakes are soooo much better fresh! FYI: We use Earth Balance spread as our butter replacement & Log Cabin syrup.
And this morning the kiddos had Van's waffles for breakfast, which has actually been requested repeatedly by my non-Aspie son! I cut up a little bit of cantaloupe on the side, and all the plates were cleaned!
The boys are going to get a special treat for their snack at school today, as I threw together a package of Betty Crocker Gluten Free brownies last night after dinner. And I also did some couponing yesterday in order to purchase some LaCroix Sparkling Water, in the lemon and orange flavors, so that the boys could have something else new & exciting in their lunchboxes! I'll be anxious to hear how they like them, but they were already excited just based on the fact that they were getting to take something that resembled a soda!!
JG had a much better day at school yesterday. His tics had settled down quite a bit after a good night's rest on Tuesday night. He does seem extremely tired, though - even more than he did during the first week of school. It concerns me, but I'm doing all that I can do. He has had 3 nights in a row that he's fallen asleep instantly, and that is absolutely not the norm!
I have scheduled a meeting w/ a woman for horseback riding lessons for JG. She lives right down the road, and we're going to meet w/ her on Friday afternoon. She said that she teaches them everything, not just how to ride. He'll learn how to brush the horses, how to clean their hooves, and all of the parts of caring for them, in addition to slowly learning how to ride. She doesn't have any particular experience w/ Asperger's children, but she seems very open to learning about JG. She asked some particulars, and she said that she was going to do some research about his difficulties. She has, however, worked w/ other children w/ various special needs. So,... it looks like we'll be teaching her, as well. I can't wait to tell him!
Also, I've realized that I'm not posting as much information about food as I had planned on doing, so here's a little re-cap.
Tuesday night I cooked spaghetti w/ organic meat, Newman's Own sauce, & corn pasta & it was a hit!! Spaghetti is one of JG's all time favorites, and it has been a long time since he has gotten to have some. I've warmed some up to put in to a thermos for the past two days for his lunch at school. (I also cut it up to make it easier to eat out of a thermos.)
Last night we had breakfast for dinner, and we had pancakes made from a Bob's Red Mill mix, Jones Dairy Farm turkey sausage, and cantaloupe. Everyone was happy! It amazes me that those pancakes are soooo much better fresh! FYI: We use Earth Balance spread as our butter replacement & Log Cabin syrup.
And this morning the kiddos had Van's waffles for breakfast, which has actually been requested repeatedly by my non-Aspie son! I cut up a little bit of cantaloupe on the side, and all the plates were cleaned!
The boys are going to get a special treat for their snack at school today, as I threw together a package of Betty Crocker Gluten Free brownies last night after dinner. And I also did some couponing yesterday in order to purchase some LaCroix Sparkling Water, in the lemon and orange flavors, so that the boys could have something else new & exciting in their lunchboxes! I'll be anxious to hear how they like them, but they were already excited just based on the fact that they were getting to take something that resembled a soda!!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Two Steps Back
So, today started out really great! I managed to get up and fix eggs & grits w/ cantaloupe for breakfast, pack lunches for the boys, get them dressed & out the door for the bus, and make up 3 of the 4 beds all before I woke up Sleeping Beauty for her preschool "meet the teacher". Then I got her fed & dressed & myself showered & dressed w/in 45 minutes so that we could arrive at the preschool by 9:00. I know that that may not seem too impressive to anyone else, but I was mighty impressed w/ myself - especially w/ the craziness that is my life!
Well, I must not have knocked on wood hard enough or long enough when I was emailing TD about the morning, b/c the afternoon went downhill in record time! Naturally the trip south happened to coincide w/ the boys' arrival home from school. JG came in & immediately started telling me about how he got to take a nap at school b/c he was stuck in a yawn (& really thirsty). As he was telling me this, I noticed how bad his tics were & put 2&2 together. He was describing his tics, quite appropriately, as being stuck in a yawn!
I must admit that I was really upset. Going by JG's description of the day, I thought that his tics had become really bad & his resource teacher had decided to talk to him about them. Since his tics began about a month ago, I have made sure that NO ONE talks about them, as that will just stress him out & make them worse. However, it was that his tics became so frequent & uncontrollable that his teacher called for his resource teacher to come to take him to the sensory room. JG came up w/ his own description for them, which means that they were so straining that he was finally noticing them! It's heartbreaking!! I called his resource teacher, and she told me about everything that had occurred w/ JG & his tics. She even let him curl up in a bean bag chair to rest, and he slept for 20 minutes! She said that his tics slowed down some, but they never completely came to a stop during his nap.
Needless to say, our evening has been difficult. I wanted to keep everything as calm & relaxing as possible so that JG's tics might settle down a little bit, but that's easier said than done w/ 3 kids. I did, however, manage to get them all to bed by 8:00, and they all fell asleep instantly. My prayers tonight will be that my sweet boy's body will be released from these fitful tics, & that God will guard him from the stress that is worsening the situation.
Well, I must not have knocked on wood hard enough or long enough when I was emailing TD about the morning, b/c the afternoon went downhill in record time! Naturally the trip south happened to coincide w/ the boys' arrival home from school. JG came in & immediately started telling me about how he got to take a nap at school b/c he was stuck in a yawn (& really thirsty). As he was telling me this, I noticed how bad his tics were & put 2&2 together. He was describing his tics, quite appropriately, as being stuck in a yawn!
I must admit that I was really upset. Going by JG's description of the day, I thought that his tics had become really bad & his resource teacher had decided to talk to him about them. Since his tics began about a month ago, I have made sure that NO ONE talks about them, as that will just stress him out & make them worse. However, it was that his tics became so frequent & uncontrollable that his teacher called for his resource teacher to come to take him to the sensory room. JG came up w/ his own description for them, which means that they were so straining that he was finally noticing them! It's heartbreaking!! I called his resource teacher, and she told me about everything that had occurred w/ JG & his tics. She even let him curl up in a bean bag chair to rest, and he slept for 20 minutes! She said that his tics slowed down some, but they never completely came to a stop during his nap.
Needless to say, our evening has been difficult. I wanted to keep everything as calm & relaxing as possible so that JG's tics might settle down a little bit, but that's easier said than done w/ 3 kids. I did, however, manage to get them all to bed by 8:00, and they all fell asleep instantly. My prayers tonight will be that my sweet boy's body will be released from these fitful tics, & that God will guard him from the stress that is worsening the situation.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Start of Week 2
The boys were so tired last night, so I let them sleep a little later this morning. I was certain that I could still get them ready in plenty of time to catch the bus. JG was REALLY tired, b/c he had a really hard time falling asleep last night. Isn't it funny how exhaustion can make you too tired to fall asleep? Poor baby!
Breakfast was a failure this fine Monday morning! Who knew that GF/CF pancakes are only good when they're fresh?! In the days of Pre-GF/CF, I would do huge batches of pancakes from scratch on some weekends & freeze them for the weekday mornings. I thought that I was some kind of smart, b/c I had made several extra pancakes yesterday morning so the boys could have something different for their Monday morning breakfast. When B started complaining I chalked it up as one of his many 'tween grumblings, but then JG refused to eat them as well. Once I got in to the kitchen by myself, I took a bite of the discarded pancakes. They really were gross! They had become very dry & grainy - like they were made completely of cornmeal. I'm sure that cornmeal cakes are fine for some, but we just aren't accustomed to them - no matter how much syrup you put on them.
For lunch I packed JG some chicken & rice that I made last night, along w/ some steamed baby carrots, and some grapes. He was also lucky enough to score one of the last pieces of the GF/CF chocolate cake for his snack.
While I do plan on beginning to experiment w/ various "from scratch" baking recipes, this particular cake is from the line of GF/CF products that Betty Crocker has started producing. I'm pretty impressed w/ the amount of products that they offer. Their site is very helpful, as well - even offering print outs of their GF/CF products to make grocery shopping a little easier. However, we were not a meal out of the box family before GF/CF, and we will not become a meal out of the box family b/c of the novelty of these particular products. They've just been an inexpensive way for me to throw JG a treat here & there until I'm able to stock up on the unusual & costly baking supplies that are required for GF/CF baking.
And, drum roll, please! The meal that I'm patting myself on the back for was our dinner. I went to the store looking for a deal on some "happy cow" ground beef. (Happy Cow = Organic Beef) I was unable to find beef, but I did find some Springer Mt. Farms chicken on manager's special. So,... we had chicken fajita salad! It was yummy!! So yummy that both of the boys want leftovers for their lunch tomorrow! SCORE!!!!
Breakfast was a failure this fine Monday morning! Who knew that GF/CF pancakes are only good when they're fresh?! In the days of Pre-GF/CF, I would do huge batches of pancakes from scratch on some weekends & freeze them for the weekday mornings. I thought that I was some kind of smart, b/c I had made several extra pancakes yesterday morning so the boys could have something different for their Monday morning breakfast. When B started complaining I chalked it up as one of his many 'tween grumblings, but then JG refused to eat them as well. Once I got in to the kitchen by myself, I took a bite of the discarded pancakes. They really were gross! They had become very dry & grainy - like they were made completely of cornmeal. I'm sure that cornmeal cakes are fine for some, but we just aren't accustomed to them - no matter how much syrup you put on them.
For lunch I packed JG some chicken & rice that I made last night, along w/ some steamed baby carrots, and some grapes. He was also lucky enough to score one of the last pieces of the GF/CF chocolate cake for his snack.
While I do plan on beginning to experiment w/ various "from scratch" baking recipes, this particular cake is from the line of GF/CF products that Betty Crocker has started producing. I'm pretty impressed w/ the amount of products that they offer. Their site is very helpful, as well - even offering print outs of their GF/CF products to make grocery shopping a little easier. However, we were not a meal out of the box family before GF/CF, and we will not become a meal out of the box family b/c of the novelty of these particular products. They've just been an inexpensive way for me to throw JG a treat here & there until I'm able to stock up on the unusual & costly baking supplies that are required for GF/CF baking.
And, drum roll, please! The meal that I'm patting myself on the back for was our dinner. I went to the store looking for a deal on some "happy cow" ground beef. (Happy Cow = Organic Beef) I was unable to find beef, but I did find some Springer Mt. Farms chicken on manager's special. So,... we had chicken fajita salad! It was yummy!! So yummy that both of the boys want leftovers for their lunch tomorrow! SCORE!!!!
One, Two, Skip a Few
I had such good plans to blog at least once a day, even if it's just a quick little note!! However, life happens,... and I'm a scatter brain! This weekend was all about getting TD ready to start his new job. I swear, it was like getting the kids ready for back to school! New shoes, new pants, fresh haircut, etc.! And I was trying to get myself ready for having him around a lot less for awhile b/c of his training. I'm very proud of him, though!
I'm not going to give a complete re-cap of the weekend or anything, but I have to tell you about a new & strange occurrence that happened Friday afternoon. The boys got in from school at a little bit after 3:00, they came in & threw down their backpacks, & then they disappeared! And before I knew it, I could see multiple boys coming in & out of my driveway!! JG was right in the mix of it all! It was an amazing sight! He was out there just like the other boys - riding bikes, climbing trees, throwing sticks at a spider web, and making water balloons - w/ a huge smile on his face! Could this mean that what I'm doing is working? Maybe,... slowly but surely.
The flip-side to that super fun afternoon to end a tough first week of school is the utter exhaustion that was taking over our entire family - but especially JG. By the time we were dealing w/ showers & dinner the yelling had started, and his tick had gotten so bad that I had to leave the room for a bit to have a quick cry. It breaks my heart to see this happening to my little boy, and he has no control over it. In fact, I don't know that he even realizes what is happening, but his big brother noticed it for the first time this weekend b/c of its frequency. TD & I were quick to let him know that it is never to be spoken of again, as JG's knowledge of the tick would only stress him & make it worse.
First thing Saturday morning we had a little birthday party to attend, and the kiddos had a blast. JG was presented w/ another food challenge at the party, but I gave him a little break from GF/CF. The refreshments were pizza, cupcakes, & ice cream. I brought him a piece of gluten free cake that I had made Friday afternoon, so I let him choose b/w having a little piece of pizza or a cup of ice cream. Not surprisingly, he chose the pizza. What little boy doesn't love pizza?! In fact, I would have to say that I miss pizza more than any of the other foods, b/c we had a Friday night pizza tradition until we started the GF/CF plan. I know there's ways to have GF/CF pizza, but I just haven't gotten there yet - but I plan to. I'm full of plans!!!!!!
After the party, JG retired to his bed for a large part of the day. He needed the rest! Then on Sunday we went to visit TD's mom & grandmother, eat some lunch, and swim. I was so proud of Granny & Nanna, as they had prepared a GF/CF friendly meal for all of us to share! They even had grapes & strawberries for dessert, rather than the ice cream that we usually eat out by the pool. It's so wonderful to see our families backing us up on this transition. No, they're not all going to go completely GF/CF & throw out all of their "no no foods", but they have certainly been accommodating to JG's needs. One day his mind will be clear, & he'll think back to all of the people that cheered him on during this process of healing.
I'm not going to give a complete re-cap of the weekend or anything, but I have to tell you about a new & strange occurrence that happened Friday afternoon. The boys got in from school at a little bit after 3:00, they came in & threw down their backpacks, & then they disappeared! And before I knew it, I could see multiple boys coming in & out of my driveway!! JG was right in the mix of it all! It was an amazing sight! He was out there just like the other boys - riding bikes, climbing trees, throwing sticks at a spider web, and making water balloons - w/ a huge smile on his face! Could this mean that what I'm doing is working? Maybe,... slowly but surely.
The flip-side to that super fun afternoon to end a tough first week of school is the utter exhaustion that was taking over our entire family - but especially JG. By the time we were dealing w/ showers & dinner the yelling had started, and his tick had gotten so bad that I had to leave the room for a bit to have a quick cry. It breaks my heart to see this happening to my little boy, and he has no control over it. In fact, I don't know that he even realizes what is happening, but his big brother noticed it for the first time this weekend b/c of its frequency. TD & I were quick to let him know that it is never to be spoken of again, as JG's knowledge of the tick would only stress him & make it worse.
First thing Saturday morning we had a little birthday party to attend, and the kiddos had a blast. JG was presented w/ another food challenge at the party, but I gave him a little break from GF/CF. The refreshments were pizza, cupcakes, & ice cream. I brought him a piece of gluten free cake that I had made Friday afternoon, so I let him choose b/w having a little piece of pizza or a cup of ice cream. Not surprisingly, he chose the pizza. What little boy doesn't love pizza?! In fact, I would have to say that I miss pizza more than any of the other foods, b/c we had a Friday night pizza tradition until we started the GF/CF plan. I know there's ways to have GF/CF pizza, but I just haven't gotten there yet - but I plan to. I'm full of plans!!!!!!
After the party, JG retired to his bed for a large part of the day. He needed the rest! Then on Sunday we went to visit TD's mom & grandmother, eat some lunch, and swim. I was so proud of Granny & Nanna, as they had prepared a GF/CF friendly meal for all of us to share! They even had grapes & strawberries for dessert, rather than the ice cream that we usually eat out by the pool. It's so wonderful to see our families backing us up on this transition. No, they're not all going to go completely GF/CF & throw out all of their "no no foods", but they have certainly been accommodating to JG's needs. One day his mind will be clear, & he'll think back to all of the people that cheered him on during this process of healing.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Tomorrow's Friday!!
This week has been so crazy that I'm actually excited about not having a vehicle to go anywhere tomorrow. Tribe Dad has orientation at his new job tomorrow, and we are a one vehicle family - so NO VAN! I have so much to get caught up on in the house, but I'm also pooped from running so much this week. Meetings, appointments, & shopping, oh my! And none of the shopping was for me! (It rarely is these days!!)
Speaking of shopping,... I had a very productive shopping trip to our local Sam's Club today! The purpose of my mission was to bring back some new GF/CF foods to add to the monotonous menu of this week. I'm happy to report that I got some interesting new products (new to us), and I did not spend a fortune. I got a large box of Multi-Seeded crackers, some hummus, organic baby carrots, salsa (the yummy fresh kind), corn tortilla chips, & some yummy little trail mix chunks that were both gluten free & peanut free (not an issue for us but at the school), and a few other things. I'll be happy to add the information re. the brands & such if anyone is interested, but I'm rather comfy in my chair at the moment.
With the busyness of the day, I hardly got to speak to the boys. They came home from school w/ Dad waiting & Mom running around doing errands. When I came home for a brief reprieve the boys were down the street playing w/ some new friends. (Did you hear that?! THEY were BOTH down the street playing w/ FRIENDS!!) Tribe Dad said that JG came home in a good mood & did all of his homework lickety split, b/c he wanted to go play w/ his FRIEND! (Although he doesn't know his name, but I'm sure his big brother does.) Not long after that, I had to head out again to go to JG's school for our "Get the Facts Night," and I have to say that I really think this is going to be a great school year for him. His class is small, he has some sweet, compassionate kids in his class, and some of the boys he has considered friends for a while. JG's teacher even said that she had one of the boys help to keep JG on task today and that he was wonderful w/ him. So, it looks like JG's team will include some peers this year, which will be so fantastic for his self esteem. (Oh, and the most exciting part is that we have a sensory room at our new school!!)
Now that everything seems to be falling in to place at JG's school, it's time for me to make some decisions about his extra curricular activities. Up until yesterday I thought he was going to play soccer, b/c he & his big bro had worked so much on his goalie skills. JG on the other hand has a different has a different plan, or lack of plan. We're tossing around the ideas of either gymnastics or horseback riding. JG's chiropractor thinks that gymnastics would be great for him, and I've also heard that riding can be very therapeutic for children on the autism spectrum. I guess it's going to come down to cost & availability. I'll let you know what we decide!
Speaking of shopping,... I had a very productive shopping trip to our local Sam's Club today! The purpose of my mission was to bring back some new GF/CF foods to add to the monotonous menu of this week. I'm happy to report that I got some interesting new products (new to us), and I did not spend a fortune. I got a large box of Multi-Seeded crackers, some hummus, organic baby carrots, salsa (the yummy fresh kind), corn tortilla chips, & some yummy little trail mix chunks that were both gluten free & peanut free (not an issue for us but at the school), and a few other things. I'll be happy to add the information re. the brands & such if anyone is interested, but I'm rather comfy in my chair at the moment.
With the busyness of the day, I hardly got to speak to the boys. They came home from school w/ Dad waiting & Mom running around doing errands. When I came home for a brief reprieve the boys were down the street playing w/ some new friends. (Did you hear that?! THEY were BOTH down the street playing w/ FRIENDS!!) Tribe Dad said that JG came home in a good mood & did all of his homework lickety split, b/c he wanted to go play w/ his FRIEND! (Although he doesn't know his name, but I'm sure his big brother does.) Not long after that, I had to head out again to go to JG's school for our "Get the Facts Night," and I have to say that I really think this is going to be a great school year for him. His class is small, he has some sweet, compassionate kids in his class, and some of the boys he has considered friends for a while. JG's teacher even said that she had one of the boys help to keep JG on task today and that he was wonderful w/ him. So, it looks like JG's team will include some peers this year, which will be so fantastic for his self esteem. (Oh, and the most exciting part is that we have a sensory room at our new school!!)
Now that everything seems to be falling in to place at JG's school, it's time for me to make some decisions about his extra curricular activities. Up until yesterday I thought he was going to play soccer, b/c he & his big bro had worked so much on his goalie skills. JG on the other hand has a different has a different plan, or lack of plan. We're tossing around the ideas of either gymnastics or horseback riding. JG's chiropractor thinks that gymnastics would be great for him, and I've also heard that riding can be very therapeutic for children on the autism spectrum. I guess it's going to come down to cost & availability. I'll let you know what we decide!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Close of Day 2
There is no perfection in life, so you won't ever catch me striving for that elusive ideal. (Though I have been known to set the bar at a rather unattainable high point at times!) So today's accomplishment of having JG leave for school w/ a smile & return home w/ a smile was a sign of good things to come!! We had an appointment w/ his chiropractor this afternoon, and JG was talkative & made eye contact w/ she & her staff. The appt. also gave JG & I an opportunity to have some alone time & chat about his day. Everything was positive!! Woohooo!!!! And then we even finished all of his homework when we got back home!
Things took their usual turn to the grumpy side of life around dinner, which of course sent the two of us to our own private table. As he ate dinner, I once again gave him his melatonin, then he & B watched a little TV & fell asleep w/out a fuss! My prayers are that he will not wake up as terrified tonight. Dr. Nikki, our chiropractor, suggested that I teach JG some prayers to say whenever he wakes up w/ his bad dreams. I had never thought of that! Have any of you fellow Tribe Moms out there tried that idea?
Our menu today was quite unimpressive, but we got through another day of GF/CF on the go!
Breakfast: Chex Cinnamon Cereal, Rice Dream rice milk, & orange juice.
Lunch: leftover ham & homemade potato salad w/ ice water to drink. (Yes! Again!!)
Snack: boiled egg (which he didn't eat) & sliced apples w/ a Juicy Juice.
Dinner: chinese take-out, w/ JG dining on rice, chicken & sugar snap peas, & a spring roll.
I can't say w/ absolute certainty that his meal was completely GF/CF, but I made the best choices possible. After all, I couldn't poke ham at him AGAIN!!
Quote of the day: I was so proud of M, b/c she withstood A LOT of errands today w/out a case of the grumpies! When I told her how proud I was, she said "I'm proud of you too, Mommy!"
Things took their usual turn to the grumpy side of life around dinner, which of course sent the two of us to our own private table. As he ate dinner, I once again gave him his melatonin, then he & B watched a little TV & fell asleep w/out a fuss! My prayers are that he will not wake up as terrified tonight. Dr. Nikki, our chiropractor, suggested that I teach JG some prayers to say whenever he wakes up w/ his bad dreams. I had never thought of that! Have any of you fellow Tribe Moms out there tried that idea?
Our menu today was quite unimpressive, but we got through another day of GF/CF on the go!
Breakfast: Chex Cinnamon Cereal, Rice Dream rice milk, & orange juice.
Lunch: leftover ham & homemade potato salad w/ ice water to drink. (Yes! Again!!)
Snack: boiled egg (which he didn't eat) & sliced apples w/ a Juicy Juice.
Dinner: chinese take-out, w/ JG dining on rice, chicken & sugar snap peas, & a spring roll.
I can't say w/ absolute certainty that his meal was completely GF/CF, but I made the best choices possible. After all, I couldn't poke ham at him AGAIN!!
Quote of the day: I was so proud of M, b/c she withstood A LOT of errands today w/out a case of the grumpies! When I told her how proud I was, she said "I'm proud of you too, Mommy!"
The Morning After
I'm exhausted,... but I'm certain that I don't feel as bad as JG. What a rough night we had!! The difference in this first day of school & all the others is that I've gotten much better at seeing the world through his eyes. So, my little guy had a full day of sensory overload yesterday - from the moment he stepped on the bus. (Which was by his own choice, b/c he knew that he would be w/ B & his cousin.) And when he returned home on the bus, I had to wisk him away to a dentist appointment. Needless to say, by the time we got home at 5PM, JG was DONE! We had a lot of yelling, which we tried to calm w/ a long soak in the tub. Then we still had a little bit of homework to do, which he handled well b/c it was one on one time w/ Dad. Then dinner ended up being a disaster, b/c JG was lashing out at his siblings - ending w/ JG & I having dinner in a different room. I went ahead & gave JG his melatonin as we were eating, so that it would have plenty of time to help him settle for bed. And, being able to predict the progression of the evening, I stayed right by his side until he was asleep. I laid down w/ him & he fell asleep quicker than usual.
However, that was not the beginning of a peaceful night's rest! Due to the stress that JG went through yesterday, he had a full night of bad dreams. When that baby came to my room last night he was shaking b/c he was so terrified! His heart was racing!! I got up & went to lay down w/ him, but every time he was starting to doze off again he would startle & wake up. At one point he mumbled that he felt like he was in "death's house"! Needless to say, sleep was very fitful, so this morning was certainly not smooth sailing. I eventually got him in to an upright position so that I could dress him, give him some breakfast, and get him out of the door to start it all over again. And, miracle of miracles, he left w/ a smile on his face.
However, that was not the beginning of a peaceful night's rest! Due to the stress that JG went through yesterday, he had a full night of bad dreams. When that baby came to my room last night he was shaking b/c he was so terrified! His heart was racing!! I got up & went to lay down w/ him, but every time he was starting to doze off again he would startle & wake up. At one point he mumbled that he felt like he was in "death's house"! Needless to say, sleep was very fitful, so this morning was certainly not smooth sailing. I eventually got him in to an upright position so that I could dress him, give him some breakfast, and get him out of the door to start it all over again. And, miracle of miracles, he left w/ a smile on his face.
Monday, August 16, 2010
The First Test
I passed it! Not with flying colors, mind you, but I passed it!! Wondering what sort of test I passed today? I sent my Aspie to his first day of school as a GF/CF convert! I wasn't worrying about whether or not my kiddo was going to have fun on his first day back to school, though that would have been fantastic! I just wanted him to get through the day without a meltdown. Success!! He saved the meltdown for me!! (He's generous like that!)
We've been working on our transition, as a family, to a gluten free & casein free lifestyle for most of the summer. My hope is to heal, or at least lessen, the symptoms of my 8 year old son's Asperger's Syndrome by taking a bio-medical approach. And, yes,... we've tried the medical approach, leaving doctors', therapists', & psychiatrists' offices with stacks of prescriptions - literally. At the beginning of our adventure we had a particular psychiatrist that we visited who thought nothing of handing me 5 or 6 prescriptions at a time, never knowing how my little boy's body was going to react to the medication. It was scary!! So at the end of his 2nd grade year we decided that we had had enough. If we were handing out anti-psychotics to our son when he was 8, what were we going to do when he was 18?! So my search began!
Today's menu:
Breakfast - French Toast made w/ brown rice bread, rice milk, eggs, organic sugar, & cinnamon
fresh fruit
orange juice
Lunch - Leftovers! - ham, potato salad, & broccoli
water
Snack - Juicy Juice
apple slices
peanut butter (which he wasn't allowed to eat b/c of another child's allergy)
Afterschool Snack - GF/CF Chocolate Cupcake w/ powdered sugar on top
Dinner - Pork Roast
Baked Red Potato
Broccoli
I know today wasn't a stellar performance, but I have many ideas up my sleeves! My loftier ideas will have to wait a bit - until I get my groove! I had a very brilliant friend, who happens to be the mother of 2 children on the spectrum, remind me to not put too much on myself. That would only make me even crazier than I already am!!
Quote of the day: While helping JG relax & fall asleep by concentrating on what I was referring to as his "yoga breathing," he said, "yea, it kept you from pulling out your hair this summer!"
We've been working on our transition, as a family, to a gluten free & casein free lifestyle for most of the summer. My hope is to heal, or at least lessen, the symptoms of my 8 year old son's Asperger's Syndrome by taking a bio-medical approach. And, yes,... we've tried the medical approach, leaving doctors', therapists', & psychiatrists' offices with stacks of prescriptions - literally. At the beginning of our adventure we had a particular psychiatrist that we visited who thought nothing of handing me 5 or 6 prescriptions at a time, never knowing how my little boy's body was going to react to the medication. It was scary!! So at the end of his 2nd grade year we decided that we had had enough. If we were handing out anti-psychotics to our son when he was 8, what were we going to do when he was 18?! So my search began!
Today's menu:
Breakfast - French Toast made w/ brown rice bread, rice milk, eggs, organic sugar, & cinnamon
fresh fruit
orange juice
Lunch - Leftovers! - ham, potato salad, & broccoli
water
Snack - Juicy Juice
apple slices
peanut butter (which he wasn't allowed to eat b/c of another child's allergy)
Afterschool Snack - GF/CF Chocolate Cupcake w/ powdered sugar on top
Dinner - Pork Roast
Baked Red Potato
Broccoli
I know today wasn't a stellar performance, but I have many ideas up my sleeves! My loftier ideas will have to wait a bit - until I get my groove! I had a very brilliant friend, who happens to be the mother of 2 children on the spectrum, remind me to not put too much on myself. That would only make me even crazier than I already am!!
Quote of the day: While helping JG relax & fall asleep by concentrating on what I was referring to as his "yoga breathing," he said, "yea, it kept you from pulling out your hair this summer!"
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