Patience Bank

So, I tried to explain to my strong willed child the concept of patience today. I've used this metaphor w/ him before, but I think it may have sunk in this afternoon. I told him that my patience is held in a bank (think piggy bank),... and he dumped it all out in a matter of minutes!! Of course, this was not my child that sees all things literally, JG. This was the eldest of my crew, B, and he should know about Mommy's patience by now. Here's hoping that today's "discussion" will stay fresh in his mind - for at least the next week!

One of the most difficult parts of raising a child w/ Asperger's Syndrome is the struggle that occurs w/in the child's own family. All of those things that are usually accepted as the typical dynamics amongst siblings just do not work in our household. The picking, the joking around, the rough housing are all various kinds of "button pushing" for JG. In fact, sometimes it even starts out as being okay for JG to play around w/ his brother in this way, but it almost always turns ugly - really ugly! And no matter how many times I've warned against this kind of play, it seems that I still have to explain it to B every day - if he's at home! The fact that my tween stays so busy is actually my saving grace. If he's not at home, then there won't be fighting.

Please don't get me wrong! I love all three of my kiddos like you wouldn't believe!! However, it is like watching dominoes tumbling down, one after another. If B is in the mood to push buttons, then he's going to set off JG. After JG has lost his temper, he's going to strike out at me or his little sister. And, boy, can he ever hold a grudge!! My prayer is that he wakes up in the morning refreshed and having forgotten all about this afternoon's battle.

Today's Menu:
Breakfast - Van's Gluten Free Waffles, bacon, orange juice
Lunchbox - Bush's Baked Beans (sounds gross, but it was requested), pear
Snack - Juicy Juice, gluten free choc. chip cookie, & gluten free macaroon
Dinner - pulled pork, baked beans, cole slaw, orange juice

*I will be posting more info on the cookies & the macaroons at a later date. Mommy's tired!!

No Lunchbox!

What a treat today! We didn't have to pack a lunchbox for JG!! Please don't take me as being a cruel parent, but, good grief, packing lunchboxes every day gets old! Better yet, the hubby let me sleep in a bit & packed JG's snack for him, too! The truth is,... JG had his first official field trip for the school year today, and it included lunch. It was a walking field trip from the school to the art center, the library, the museum, and a local restaurant, Abner's, for lunch.

With his teacher's help, we planned ahead for JG to have an alternate lunch. I was, of course, concerned that a problem would arise, so I met JG and his class at the restaurant. I arrived about 15 minutes ahead of the children so that I could verify that they had gotten his order correct and so that I could place an order for myself. I was very impressed w/ their willingness to make concessions for JG's special diet. He dined on non-marinated grilled chicken fingers, french fries, and cole slaw, while his classmates had fried chicken fingers, fries, and bread. He devoured every bite of his lunch, and he didn't seem to have a bit of a problem w/ eating differently than everyone else.
Chalk one up for Mommy!

And another accomplishment worth cheering about: one of the other mommies asked me about JG's diet and said that she had brought cupcakes the previous day for her son's birthday,... and (drum roll please) JG refused! I'm so impressed w/ my little boy! He's a sponge when it comes to this nutrition stuff that I'm always harping on about! He was even reading the ketchup bottle while we were having lunch and discussing the sodium and sugar content. He was happy to report that it contained no high fructose corn syrup!! I must be doing something right!

C-R-A-Z-Y

Yes, I'm crazy,... and it's been crazy busy! And my DSL has been driving me crazy! If Sesame Street can have a word of the day, I can claim a word of the week!! I do apologize, though, for not posting for a whole week! Weekends are always nutty, and the hubby being home means that I have one more person to give some attention. Plus, the hubby has actually been in town this whole week. Although, it has been fantastic to have an extra pair of hands to make mornings go a bit easier w/ JG. He has someone else that can keep him on task while I'm making lunches! AND, we just plain missed him!

I don't think that I could possibly catch up on all of the food that we've eaten this week, but I can tell you about the new recipe that I tried out this morning. Gluten Free Banana Bread,... and it is soooooooooo yummy!! The all purpose flour that I used was from Gluten Free Pantry. I would choose this gluten free version of banana bread over the original version any day!! It turned out perfectly golden brown and oh so moist! LOVE IT! I'll be adding that to my permanent file, right along w/ the Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies!

I've also had a major accomplishment amongst the siblings this week! On Tuesday afternoon I was scrambling around trying to complete some errands when it was time for the boys to get home from school. So, I met them at the house, unlocked the front door, and sent them in w/ instructions to get busy on their homework while I finished my running around. I certainly didn't expect them to listen!! When I called to check on them, B said that he was working on JG's practice spelling test w/ him & they were almost done w/ homework. Homework w/ JG makes me want to pull my hair out!! And B had him almost finished in less than an hour! I was amazed!!!! I praised B profusely, and JG said that he was his favorite person to do homework w/ - WOW! If only that could happen every afternoon!

Today's Menu:

Breakfast: Chex, Rice Dream, and orange juice
Lunchbox: leftover Chinese string beans & chicken w/ rice w/ plums
Snack: Crunchmaster Multi-Seeded Crackers w/ peanut butter
Afterschool Snack: Gluten Free Banana Bread
Dinner: deer burgers, baked potatoes, & steamed broccoli

In a Dive...

Remember when I referred to our life w/ Asperger's as a roller coaster ride? Well, we're in a dive at the moment! That's why I haven't been posting regularly this week. By the time I get the kids to sleep, there is not a drop of brain function left for blogging. However, I'm going to try to push through for a bit tonight!

I'm not certain what has sent JG on this downward spiral this week. I can't put my finger on any one thing, but he's definitely not doing well. School has been a struggle this week (more so than usual), he's been angry & spiteful, and really loud. It occurred to me tonight during homework time that this "noise making" could be a new tic. All I know for sure is that I'm freaking exhausted from it all & can't wait for Hubby to get home tomorrow!! 

Here's a catch up on the menus:

Wednesday
Breakfast - EnviroKidz Gorilla Munch, Rice Dream, & o.j.
Lunchbox - leftover grilled sausage (Aidell's), carrots, & watermelon
Snack - flourless peanut butter cookies & La Croix "Lemon"
Dinner - pulled pork, potato salad, coleslaw, & baked beans


Thursday
Breakfast - EnviroKidz Panda Puffs, Rice Dream, & o.j.
Lunchbox - leftover grilled sausage, carrots, & plum
Snack - peanut butter cookies & La Croix "Lemon"
Dinner - slow cooker pinto beans over rice

Strange Quote of the Day: Me to Miss Priss, "Please pick up Squidward's head"; referring to a broken board game piece. (These are the kinds of quotes that, as a mommy, you catch yourself saying out loud & realize how odd they sound!!)
For example, "He knows how to throw chickens!" This was once spoken by me to B regarding JG's ability to "throw chickens" on Zelda (& B's occasional inability to mind his own business).

Juggling Hats

Today has been another busy day of juggling hats - mommy hat, chef hat, stylist hat, hairdresser hat, taxi driver hat - you get the picture. Miss Priss doesn't have preschool on Tues. and Thurs., so I try to make it a point to stay put & not go anywhere until it's time for her dance class. I can accomplish so much more this way!

I started out the morning w/ a new recipe that was given to me in the grocery store by the mom of an old friend of mine from high school. The recipe was for flourless peanut butter cookies, and they turned out great! I whipped up a double batch & got the first pan baked & cooled in enough time to make it in to today's lunchboxes. All you have to do is combine 1 cup of peanut butter, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 beaten egg for the dough. Make tablespoon size balls & press down w/ the tines of a fork & bake at 350 degrees. It doesn't take them long to bake, but I regret to say that I didn't really watch the time. I'll try to get that next time I bake them.

So, that means that I fed & dressed the boys, baked cookies, & packed lunches all before 7AM! I'm impressed w/ myself!! I continued to scramble around cleaning, planning, etc. until it was time to take Miss Priss & her friend to their dance class in the afternoon, and it became crazy from that point on! The boys returned from school, and JG had a bad day. His bad day wasn't going to work well w/ our busy evening of soccer ahead, so I had to put a call in for Super Nanna to come to the rescue! And she did, thank the Lord!! I got Miss Priss & JG bathed, fed the whole gang, and took B to the soccer field for his game - all by myself. It was beyond pleasant!! And JG was able to spend the evening relaxing, as well, which is exactly what he needed. It was a win-win for everyone involved!!

Today's Menu:
Breakfast: Chex cereal, Rice Dream, & orange juice
Lunchbox: rolled up deli ham, grapes, carrots, & water
Snack: peanut butter cookies & Juicy Juice
Afterschool Snack: smoothies made w/ ginger ale & frozen mixed berries
Dinner: leftover taco salad

Manic Monday (now hum the tune)

With "encouragement" from my dear friend, Ms. Lissa, I will try to put to use the remaining part of my brain capacity for the day w/ a fairly mundane post. To be honest, I'm pooped! Little Miss Priss decided to get in bed w/ me last night, and she likes to sleep side ways & poke you w/ her little bitty toes! Add that to the fact that it's a Monday, and you can begin to imagine why I'm exhausted!! Why, you may ask, am I still awake? Because exhaustion doesn't always equal sleepy, and I have a handful of amazingly dedicated readers that I couldn't let down. (My sarcasm tends to increase w/ each yawn!)

We were notified, today, that my oldest has made a select soccer team - in addition to the regular season rec. team that he is on. I'm so proud of him!! However,... you other mommies know what that means - more running! My taxi service is fairly maxed out as it is, and now we're going to add in another extra curricular activity! Practice tonight for select team, game tomorrow night for rec. team, church on Wed. night, and so on! You get the picture!! 

So, if all I get blogged this week is our meals, please bare w/ me!

Breakfast: Chex, Rice Dream, orange juice
Lunchbox: rolled up deli ham, gluten free pretzels, pear slices, & water
Snack: Enjoy Life Cocoa Loco bar, Juicy Juice
Dinner: Taco Salad (see post titled "Today's Menu) YUMMY!!

Comic Relief for the Day: Miss Priss told me that she was the "Calender Girl" at preschool today!! I really hope she aspires for more!

When Rules Backfire...

I have never been a parent who caters to her children at meal times. What I cook is what you get. Period. You might be surprised to hear that, considering I have a child w/ Asperger's Syndrome. I've read that many children who are on the Autism Spectrum are very particular about what they eat; often it is regarding the texture. My Aspie, on the other hand, eats anything, when he remembers that he is hungry! (Of course he's limited now by our GF/CF eating style.) To be quite honest, it's my two neuro-typical children that give me the biggest problem w/ meals. B is my texture freak, w/ an extreme dislike for beans, and M just won't sit still & hush long enough to eat!

So, w/ all of this in mind, what happens when you, the parent, cooks a meal that you don't particularly care for? That's what happened at our house tonight. 

One of the things that I promised myself when we began this journey in to GF/CF was that I wouldn't spend a fortune trying to replace gluten filled items w/ the gluten free counterparts. However, there is one exception - pasta. And I have been in a maddening search for a gluten free pasta that actually tastes & feels almost like the real thing. (See! I'm willing to compromise. I said "almost".) Finding a decent replacement is important for our family, b/c one of the kids' favorite meals is spaghetti! I've tried quinoa pasta, rice pasta, & corn pasta. The quinoa was AWFUL - a big pile of mush! Then I tried rice pasta, but I think I undercooked it b/c of my fear of it turning out like the quinoa pasta!! Lastly, I tried the corn pasta, which looks the most like regular semolina pasta, and it turned out okay - last time. Tonight was a different story! I don't know what in the heck I did wrong,... but YUCK! The children were not at all phased by the starchy pile of stuff resembling spaghetti! They devoured it & asked for more!!

What did I do? Blow my cover? NEVER! I took little tiny bites while they busied themselves w/ dinner conversation, and the moment JG asked for more I gave him my plate, stating that I just wasn't very hungry! Then I had almonds & grapes for dinner while no one was looking!

Today's menu:

Breakfast: pancakes (Namaste pancake mix), sausage (Jones Farm), & oj
Lunchbox: pork t-loin, apple slices, & Jello w/ water
Snack: Enjoy Life Cocoa Loco Chewy Bar & Juicy Juice
Dinner: Spaghetti - organic ground beef, Newman's Own Sauce, & corn pasta 

Roller Coaster

I swear, our life is like a roller coaster ride, but I could handle the downs a lot better if I had a guarantee that there was going to be an up the next day!! JG had a fantastic day today! There was not a single meltdown, and that is monumental! He came in from school in a great mood & had his homework done by 4PM, and he did it on his own (except for the practice spelling test)! I didn't have to sit beside him to help him go from one question to the next! I didn't have to coax him to stop rolling his pencil or spacing out! He wanted to go outside to play, so he just sat down & finished every bit of it - humming & singing, all the while!!

JG remained in this great mood for the entire evening! I took he and his sister to feed the ducks & geese down at the bay for his reward. Then we came home to get settled for the night, and he continued to cooperate w/ everything! He showered on his own!! He started the water! He undressed himself! And, most importantly, he was in and out in a very short amount of time! (I usually have to go into the bathroom multiple times during his showers to remind him to bathe & get out.) I'm telling you - you couldn't get any more opposite than yesterday! My head is spinning from the turnaround!!

So, what did I do different?! I certainly didn't wave a magic wand, b/c I would be swinging that thing around every day if I had one! I think that one factor in this amazing mood change is that he got to go to his resource teacher & hang out in the sensory room two times today. It makes an enormous difference if he can decompress at set times during the day,... so that he doesn't "explode" all over us when he gets home! But really & truly, in my heart, I know that the biggest reason that he did so much better today is b/c someone very special to me prayed sooooo hard for us today - for JG, specifically, and for mine & my family's ongoing struggles to take care of such a complex (but amazing) little boy! And I'm so grateful to her for taking time out of her busy schedule today to talk & pray w/ me!!

Today's Menu:

Breakfast: Kinnikinnick (allergen free) donuts, fruit, & orange juice
Lunchbox: leftover white bean soup & water
Snack: Mareblu nut crunch mixed w/ dried cherries & Juicy Juice
Afterschool Snack: grapes
Dinner: grits, eggs, fruit, & orange juice

*Today was our first time to try anything from the Kinnikinnick product line, & it was very well received!! Thank you, JenLacy! I managed to get part of a donut that M didn't finish, and it was oh so yummy!!

**Comic relief for the day: JG now wants a female goose named Lucy for Christmas!!

A long day...

So, JG got sick w/ his first cold of the school year & stayed home Thursday & half of Friday, and we continued to lay low through the long weekend. He never ran much of a fever, and I never gave him any medication - just ran the humidifier a couple of nights. He still sounds a little nasally today, but he went to school all day. What I find disheartening, though, is that a nice long weekend that most of us would love actually wreaks havoc on JG. The lack of routine is just so hard on children on the spectrum!

The last few days have included some major meltdowns - the kind that wear me down to a puddle! In fact, as I sit here blogging, I'm having a beer & trying to come down from the day. It's hard, especially when you know that you'll probably have to face the same thing the next day. I know that all of you Aspie parents know what I'm talking about, for sure, and probably some of you other parents, too!! I need to look back at my own blog & read about the day that we had the "awakening" - when JG apologized to his little sister & wrote a letter to God! I need to read it & be reminded that there will be more of those kinds of days to come. We're just at the  beginning of this path to healing!! "Awakened" days will multiply & meltdown days will diminish!! That's my prayer for JG today.

All of the whining being said, I warned ya'll that I wouldn't have much shopping this week - so what should I tell you about? Recipes? Menu? Maybe a little of both!

Breakfast: Rice Chex, Rice Dream milk replacement, & orange juice

Lunchbox: Thinly sliced pork tenderloin (grilled on Sunday), leftover          sauteed red potatoes, whole green beans

Snack: Mareblu nut clusters, a plum, and Juicy Juice

Afterschool Snack: Luigi's Italian Ice Philly Swirl Stix NEW DISCOVERY!

Dinner: Homemade White Bean & Ham Soup - In the crock pot combine 1lb. dry white northern beans (previously soaked); 1 whole onion, chopped; 2 stalks of celery, diced; 1 carrot, diced; 2 cloves of garlic, minced; 2 bay leaves; salt & pepper to taste; and some leftover ham, diced. Cover w/ plenty of water & cook until the beans reach your desired texture. 

*This is the kind of recipe that makes it clear that I threw things together & left it, but it turned out soooo yummy! Even my bean hating, non-Aspie loved it & ate 2 bowls!!

Today's Menu

Breakfast: eggs, grits, fruit, and orange juice

Lunchbox: ham, potato salad, fruit, water

Snack: Mareblu nut crunch & Juicy Juice

Dinner: Taco Salad topped w/ salsa, romaine lettuce, & organic ground       

           beef seasoned w/

           

           1 tbsp chili powder

           1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

           1 tsp kosher salt

           1/2 tsp paprika

           1/2 tsp black pepper

           1/4 tsp garlic powder

           1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

      

This was my first time to use my own taco seasoning, but after the episode w/ JG's tics getting so bad after having store bought fajita seasoning last week, I couldn't risk that happening again. I'll never know for certain if the hydrolyzed soy protein was the true cause, but now that I've seen what neuro-toxins can do I'll be mixing all of my own seasonings!