Well I tried my first gluten free, casein free recipe yesterday. It was a basic white bread.
The recipe looked good and fairly easy, and it talked about how soft this bread is. Well, I messed it up! My loaves turn out more like dark little bricks than soft yummy loaves.
I think I figured out what I did wrong, the recipe calls for tapioca starch and I could only find tapioca starch flour. I am pretty sure now, that they are NOT the same thing.
But, my grocery store, even thought they carry lots of gluten free products, doesn't seem to have the tapioca starch. I will have to go back and ask specifically for it.
Bread is the one thing I think I really need to be able to master. The gluten free loaves at the store are super tiny and cost $5.00!
I think I am going to go online today and see if I can't find most of these things in bulk, so they are less expensive.
Wish me luck!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Movie Thursday!!
I have a WONDERFUL movie to tell you about today. It is called "The Express" ---Go and watch this trailer, even if you don't usually like to, go!
This is the story of Ernie Davis, a young black man who played college football in the 60's. But more than the story of an African American during the civil rights conflicts, it is a story of inspiration and hope.
Never too "in your face" about the race social situations at the time, no name calling, which I absolutely hate, just small glimpses of the behaviors we find mind boggling now. --At least I do-- How can someone, anyone, a child of god be treated and spoken to as if they were less than an animal simply because of the color of their skin??!!
But this movie is a football movie! A feel-good, inspirational, we can all do better, movie.
Ernie Davis was a man who chose to do his talking on the football field. Maybe we all need to work a little harder to become an inspiration to those around us.
Rob Brown, is the quiet excellent actor we came to know in "Finding Forrester", he does an outstanding job as Ernie---And he really plays football!
Dennis Quaid is the coach that helps Ernie become an even better player!
This movie was EXCELLENT!! I watched it, loved it, and watched it again with the commentary!
Go out and rent this one, you won't be sorry!
This is the story of Ernie Davis, a young black man who played college football in the 60's. But more than the story of an African American during the civil rights conflicts, it is a story of inspiration and hope.
Never too "in your face" about the race social situations at the time, no name calling, which I absolutely hate, just small glimpses of the behaviors we find mind boggling now. --At least I do-- How can someone, anyone, a child of god be treated and spoken to as if they were less than an animal simply because of the color of their skin??!!
But this movie is a football movie! A feel-good, inspirational, we can all do better, movie.
Ernie Davis was a man who chose to do his talking on the football field. Maybe we all need to work a little harder to become an inspiration to those around us.
Rob Brown, is the quiet excellent actor we came to know in "Finding Forrester", he does an outstanding job as Ernie---And he really plays football!
Dennis Quaid is the coach that helps Ernie become an even better player!
This movie was EXCELLENT!! I watched it, loved it, and watched it again with the commentary!
Go out and rent this one, you won't be sorry!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Weight-Loss Wednesday and an update
So, first and most importantly, I reached my goals this week!!!
189!!!! I lost 3 lbs. Down 26 lbs since I started exercising, down 51 since Archer was born!!!!
It has been SO long since there was a one at the beginning of my weight and even longer since 8 was the second number. Yea!! Can you tell I am excited!??
I am finally moving down pretty quickly again. I did really well during June, July and then we went on a two week vacation in August, and I seemed to stall totally after that. (Even though I only gained 3 lbs during that two weeks, I just couldn't get the "ball rolling" again. So this last couple of weeks since I started posting about weight on my blog, and have gotten the kick in the booty I needed!
Updates!
Adam went to his first day of school today. I didn't think that it would be a big deal at all for me, but it was!! Dropping him off, I had tears in my eyes and I had a bad stomach ache. The teachers are all wonderful and the head teacher was waiting there in the hallway to greet Adam and run me through the check in procedures and to go over his paperwork. He is familiar with all the teachers because most of them he sees nearly everyday at the Rec Center in one way or another.
After I finished talking to his teacher I took him into the room and set him with a teacher he knows for the "Good Morning song". Then I quickly headed out. He calmed down pretty quickly, because I was listening in the hallway for a minute.
I thought about him many times during my workout, wondering if he was crying, if he was being good, if he was having fun. I even refrained from going and peeking in the door, on the off chance he accidentally saw me, and would get worked up again.
When I picked him up, he came right out and gave me a big hug and got his coat and backpack. The teachers said he did VERY WELL for a first day. WHEW!! I am so relieved and so proud of him!
He seemed to have fun. They were having "Teddy Bear Picnic" day. They all had their animals they read "Goldilocks and the Three bears" and made chocolate pudding and finger painted bears, and had teddy grahams for a snack. So fun!
House Update......
Well, the real estate agent sat on our offer long enough he got another one, from a person who has never even seen the house. This other guy offered $530,000 I think he might be a little disappointed when he finally get into the house, it needs quite a bit of work. But from what I understand, he wants to use it as an income property, so I doubt he will do much fixing. Oh well! It was a good plan. To bad the agent was a dishonest little bugger!
But we have decided to start looking at houses for ourselves. We talked to an agent that lives near us and she sent me the listings for several houses, and we are going out to look on Saturday, then if I find something I really like, then we will drag Rob out to it. There are quite a few houses in our neighborhood that have come down in price far enough we can actually afford them now. We are so excited and relieved. This was the plan when we moved here about a year and a half ago, to rent for a couple of years, let the prices fall, fall, fall...... then we would buy. Well, we have decided to jump in. Hopefully this is a good time.
189!!!! I lost 3 lbs. Down 26 lbs since I started exercising, down 51 since Archer was born!!!!
It has been SO long since there was a one at the beginning of my weight and even longer since 8 was the second number. Yea!! Can you tell I am excited!??
I am finally moving down pretty quickly again. I did really well during June, July and then we went on a two week vacation in August, and I seemed to stall totally after that. (Even though I only gained 3 lbs during that two weeks, I just couldn't get the "ball rolling" again. So this last couple of weeks since I started posting about weight on my blog, and have gotten the kick in the booty I needed!
Updates!
Adam went to his first day of school today. I didn't think that it would be a big deal at all for me, but it was!! Dropping him off, I had tears in my eyes and I had a bad stomach ache. The teachers are all wonderful and the head teacher was waiting there in the hallway to greet Adam and run me through the check in procedures and to go over his paperwork. He is familiar with all the teachers because most of them he sees nearly everyday at the Rec Center in one way or another.
After I finished talking to his teacher I took him into the room and set him with a teacher he knows for the "Good Morning song". Then I quickly headed out. He calmed down pretty quickly, because I was listening in the hallway for a minute.
I thought about him many times during my workout, wondering if he was crying, if he was being good, if he was having fun. I even refrained from going and peeking in the door, on the off chance he accidentally saw me, and would get worked up again.
When I picked him up, he came right out and gave me a big hug and got his coat and backpack. The teachers said he did VERY WELL for a first day. WHEW!! I am so relieved and so proud of him!
He seemed to have fun. They were having "Teddy Bear Picnic" day. They all had their animals they read "Goldilocks and the Three bears" and made chocolate pudding and finger painted bears, and had teddy grahams for a snack. So fun!
House Update......
Well, the real estate agent sat on our offer long enough he got another one, from a person who has never even seen the house. This other guy offered $530,000 I think he might be a little disappointed when he finally get into the house, it needs quite a bit of work. But from what I understand, he wants to use it as an income property, so I doubt he will do much fixing. Oh well! It was a good plan. To bad the agent was a dishonest little bugger!
But we have decided to start looking at houses for ourselves. We talked to an agent that lives near us and she sent me the listings for several houses, and we are going out to look on Saturday, then if I find something I really like, then we will drag Rob out to it. There are quite a few houses in our neighborhood that have come down in price far enough we can actually afford them now. We are so excited and relieved. This was the plan when we moved here about a year and a half ago, to rent for a couple of years, let the prices fall, fall, fall...... then we would buy. Well, we have decided to jump in. Hopefully this is a good time.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Foodie Friday
I have been reading up more and more about Gluten Free and Casein Free diets. Mainly for Adam's benefit, but I think I am going to move the whole family into this eating pattern.
Basically there are some proteins that are harder for our bodies to break down into amino acids. And two of the most complicated protein chains are from gluten which comes from the grass family of grains: wheat, barley, oats, semolina, bulgar, couscous, graham flour, groats, malt.
And the other is casein which is found in mammal milk and milk products, including cheese, yogurt, sour cream, ice cream, butter, etc.
When a person's body cannot properly break down these chains into the "links" the amino acids, they can stay in the large intestine and eventually leak into the blood stream. They can cross the blood-brain barrier and have an opiate like effect to that person's brain. Those with Autism and ADHD seem to be particularly sensitive to the gluten and casein and have negative effects on their brain processes and behavior. "These opiate-like peptides mimic the effects of drugs like morphine and have been shown to react with areas of the brain that are involved in speech and auditory processing. Opiate-like effects on the brain could also result in social withdrawal. A child may "zone out" or "be in his/her own world." He/she may laugh or giggle for no apparent reason. In addition, a child may have a high pain tolerance since opiates, like morphine, are excellent painkillers" ---Quote from The Kid-Friendly ADHD and Autism Cookbook
By removing the offenders from a person's diet their brain does not continue to have the same short circuits that negatively effect, behavior, speech and other stereotypical behaviors associated with Autism and ADHD. This book and a couple of others I am in the middle of really make a lot of sense to me. There is actual science to back up these claims, as well as hundreds of "real life" examples of children whose autism symptoms nearly disappear when kept on this diet.
I am looking forward to implementing this more fully in our family and look forward to the results I hope to see in Adam. And the rest of the family too. I think we will have happier, healthier kids as a result. Don't worry, I will keep you up to date!
Basically there are some proteins that are harder for our bodies to break down into amino acids. And two of the most complicated protein chains are from gluten which comes from the grass family of grains: wheat, barley, oats, semolina, bulgar, couscous, graham flour, groats, malt.
And the other is casein which is found in mammal milk and milk products, including cheese, yogurt, sour cream, ice cream, butter, etc.
When a person's body cannot properly break down these chains into the "links" the amino acids, they can stay in the large intestine and eventually leak into the blood stream. They can cross the blood-brain barrier and have an opiate like effect to that person's brain. Those with Autism and ADHD seem to be particularly sensitive to the gluten and casein and have negative effects on their brain processes and behavior. "These opiate-like peptides mimic the effects of drugs like morphine and have been shown to react with areas of the brain that are involved in speech and auditory processing. Opiate-like effects on the brain could also result in social withdrawal. A child may "zone out" or "be in his/her own world." He/she may laugh or giggle for no apparent reason. In addition, a child may have a high pain tolerance since opiates, like morphine, are excellent painkillers" ---Quote from The Kid-Friendly ADHD and Autism Cookbook
By removing the offenders from a person's diet their brain does not continue to have the same short circuits that negatively effect, behavior, speech and other stereotypical behaviors associated with Autism and ADHD. This book and a couple of others I am in the middle of really make a lot of sense to me. There is actual science to back up these claims, as well as hundreds of "real life" examples of children whose autism symptoms nearly disappear when kept on this diet.
I am looking forward to implementing this more fully in our family and look forward to the results I hope to see in Adam. And the rest of the family too. I think we will have happier, healthier kids as a result. Don't worry, I will keep you up to date!
Book and Movie Thursday
Okay,
I have read quite a bit again this week. There are three books and a movie to tell you about. So, lets get going!
The easy one first, the movie" The Duchess with Keira Knightly
Based on the true story of Georgiana the Duchess of Devonshire. An amazing woman ahead of her time. Makes a "good" match to the Duke and begins a married life to a man who does not love her and only cares for her to provide him with an heir. Many years and a couple of daughters later he moves his mistress into the home with them.
The Duchess becomes quite involved in politics and helps reshape England just after the United States has won the revolution.
There is much heartbreak in her life included the death of children and her love for a man that is not her husband, whom she can never really have.
I really enjoyed this movie, there was much sadness, but the life of this incredible woman is worth looking into. (On more than just a movie screen) I am reading up on the Duchess of Devonshire, what an interesting woman!
Now for the books!!
I have read three this week. The first, was one Rob was really irritated that I brought home. (He can't understand how I have any interest in watching a family with tons of kids running around, when I already have it at home!)
Multiple Blessings by Jon and Kate Gosselin
This is a more in depth look at the Gosselin family from the TLC show "Jon and Kate plus 8" this family has twin daughters then sextuplets. The story is told by Kate and takes you through the family story from the beginning and in more detail than is covered on the show. You get raw emotion and the grittiest feelings as this little family expands, quite literally.
I really enjoyed this book. It is well written, but is a quick easy read. (I read it one evening in about 3 1/2 hours) There is also so much more of their faith. There are many scriptures quoted and you get much more understanding of their religious convictions. If you like Jon and Kate, you should definitely get this book. Happy Reading!
And two more David Baldacci books:
Saving Faith and Split Second
Both of these books were written a few years ago. In '99 and '00 I believe. You can tell they are earlier works from this author if you read his books much. But they are both really good stories.
Saving Faith is set in Washington DC and revolves around the political games and behind the scenes operations in DC. A young woman who has worked as a lobbyist for many years finds herself running for her life after she tries to do the right thing and contacts the FBI. But is it not the FBI that wants her secrets to remain silent. David Baldacci is a favorite of mine, because he can always keep me guessing. I liked this one so well I am reading it again.
Split Second is the story and back story of two characters Baldacci uses in many more books to come. Why each of them is no longer in the secret service, the bumps along the way that led them to each other. Sean King and Michelle Maxwell end up opening a private investigative firm together. This book was great! I loved the twists and turns to bring us to the climax of the story.
And having read more recent books, it was nice to see King and Maxwell get their start.
Happy Reading!!
I have read quite a bit again this week. There are three books and a movie to tell you about. So, lets get going!
The easy one first, the movie" The Duchess with Keira Knightly
Based on the true story of Georgiana the Duchess of Devonshire. An amazing woman ahead of her time. Makes a "good" match to the Duke and begins a married life to a man who does not love her and only cares for her to provide him with an heir. Many years and a couple of daughters later he moves his mistress into the home with them.
The Duchess becomes quite involved in politics and helps reshape England just after the United States has won the revolution.
There is much heartbreak in her life included the death of children and her love for a man that is not her husband, whom she can never really have.
I really enjoyed this movie, there was much sadness, but the life of this incredible woman is worth looking into. (On more than just a movie screen) I am reading up on the Duchess of Devonshire, what an interesting woman!
Now for the books!!
I have read three this week. The first, was one Rob was really irritated that I brought home. (He can't understand how I have any interest in watching a family with tons of kids running around, when I already have it at home!)
Multiple Blessings by Jon and Kate Gosselin
This is a more in depth look at the Gosselin family from the TLC show "Jon and Kate plus 8" this family has twin daughters then sextuplets. The story is told by Kate and takes you through the family story from the beginning and in more detail than is covered on the show. You get raw emotion and the grittiest feelings as this little family expands, quite literally.
I really enjoyed this book. It is well written, but is a quick easy read. (I read it one evening in about 3 1/2 hours) There is also so much more of their faith. There are many scriptures quoted and you get much more understanding of their religious convictions. If you like Jon and Kate, you should definitely get this book. Happy Reading!
And two more David Baldacci books:
Saving Faith and Split Second
Both of these books were written a few years ago. In '99 and '00 I believe. You can tell they are earlier works from this author if you read his books much. But they are both really good stories.
Saving Faith is set in Washington DC and revolves around the political games and behind the scenes operations in DC. A young woman who has worked as a lobbyist for many years finds herself running for her life after she tries to do the right thing and contacts the FBI. But is it not the FBI that wants her secrets to remain silent. David Baldacci is a favorite of mine, because he can always keep me guessing. I liked this one so well I am reading it again.
Split Second is the story and back story of two characters Baldacci uses in many more books to come. Why each of them is no longer in the secret service, the bumps along the way that led them to each other. Sean King and Michelle Maxwell end up opening a private investigative firm together. This book was great! I loved the twists and turns to bring us to the climax of the story.
And having read more recent books, it was nice to see King and Maxwell get their start.
Happy Reading!!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
An Adam Update
We had a very nice lady from the county come to the house yesterday and do some follow up testing on Adam. These are not medical tests but tests that see how well his cognitive functions are functioning. :) These tests were designed to check on everything from attention spans to intelligence to how he problem solves or processes information.
And it pretty much looks like playing.
She was really nice and Adam took to her right away. She understood his speech VERY well. Better than anyone but me! It was truly amazing to have her sit on the floor with him and have him answer questions and do tests for her. She was so easy going about everything. If he didn't want to do something and told her "no thanks" she would just move on to something else that caught his attention. If he wandered off, which he did several times, she just observed him and took notes and talked to me about things she was seeing or asking me questions about how he acts in certain situations.
At one point he even headed upstairs to play with the girls, and she was not stressed at all about having him hurry back to her to move on. Eventually he came back and joined right back in with what she was doing.
She picked up on so many things just by playing with him and watching him interact with the world around him.
She of course, is not there to make a diagnosis, she said, that is for the doctors to do. But she shared some of her wonderful knowledge with me. She says that she doesn't think he is "classically" autistic. She said he seeks out interaction and affection, which is absolutely opposite what most children with autism do. The are typically very withdrawn, wont make eye contact, avoid touches at all costs.
She said, though that she does think he is on the autistic spectrum, just really high functioning. More than anything she thinks he has sensory integration problems. (Which he certainly does!) It is essentially that his brain and nervous system cannot process the senses the way most people do. Light, is extra bright to him, loud noises cause physical pain to his ears. Having a haircut and having all the tiny stray hairs on his face and neck feel like needles poking him. Standing in the shower hurts. And there are many more examples. She referred me to a web site and book from a leading authority in this field. I went to the web site and read around some, and it is ADAM! So I ended up ordering several books and plan to read up as soon as they get here.
Another thing she observed was that he cannot really answer questions. I have known this for quite a while and have been trying to work with him on it. She thinks there is some cognitive issue (she had a fancy name for it, that I can't remember) that essentially means his brain cannot figure out what you are asking and how to answer. Right now he has "echodidactic" speech, which pretty much means he will repeat back the last word or phrase that was said to him.
Like if you ask, "Adam, what color is that?" He will answer, "color" instead of red. But he is VERY intelligent, he knows his alphabet and all the letter sounds and is trying to sound out words, he can count and recognize numbers up to about 20. He knows most shapes, even more complex ones like octagon and hexagon. And his knows his colors well, even white, black, gray and pink. She said being hyper intelligent is actually pretty typical for some kids on the autistic spectrum.
She also suggested that I should look into and research a gluten and casein free diet. She said that 10 years ago she would have totally passed that off as a bunch of garbage, but she said that she has observed children before and after being started on a gluten and casein free diet and has seen "miraculous" improvement.
So I have found some books to read up on it and a cookbook to help us get started. I think it will be good for all of us. We are going to start avoiding High fructose corn syrup as well.
So hopefully I will have wonderful results to report back on soon!!!
And it pretty much looks like playing.
She was really nice and Adam took to her right away. She understood his speech VERY well. Better than anyone but me! It was truly amazing to have her sit on the floor with him and have him answer questions and do tests for her. She was so easy going about everything. If he didn't want to do something and told her "no thanks" she would just move on to something else that caught his attention. If he wandered off, which he did several times, she just observed him and took notes and talked to me about things she was seeing or asking me questions about how he acts in certain situations.
At one point he even headed upstairs to play with the girls, and she was not stressed at all about having him hurry back to her to move on. Eventually he came back and joined right back in with what she was doing.
She picked up on so many things just by playing with him and watching him interact with the world around him.
She of course, is not there to make a diagnosis, she said, that is for the doctors to do. But she shared some of her wonderful knowledge with me. She says that she doesn't think he is "classically" autistic. She said he seeks out interaction and affection, which is absolutely opposite what most children with autism do. The are typically very withdrawn, wont make eye contact, avoid touches at all costs.
She said, though that she does think he is on the autistic spectrum, just really high functioning. More than anything she thinks he has sensory integration problems. (Which he certainly does!) It is essentially that his brain and nervous system cannot process the senses the way most people do. Light, is extra bright to him, loud noises cause physical pain to his ears. Having a haircut and having all the tiny stray hairs on his face and neck feel like needles poking him. Standing in the shower hurts. And there are many more examples. She referred me to a web site and book from a leading authority in this field. I went to the web site and read around some, and it is ADAM! So I ended up ordering several books and plan to read up as soon as they get here.
Another thing she observed was that he cannot really answer questions. I have known this for quite a while and have been trying to work with him on it. She thinks there is some cognitive issue (she had a fancy name for it, that I can't remember) that essentially means his brain cannot figure out what you are asking and how to answer. Right now he has "echodidactic" speech, which pretty much means he will repeat back the last word or phrase that was said to him.
Like if you ask, "Adam, what color is that?" He will answer, "color" instead of red. But he is VERY intelligent, he knows his alphabet and all the letter sounds and is trying to sound out words, he can count and recognize numbers up to about 20. He knows most shapes, even more complex ones like octagon and hexagon. And his knows his colors well, even white, black, gray and pink. She said being hyper intelligent is actually pretty typical for some kids on the autistic spectrum.
She also suggested that I should look into and research a gluten and casein free diet. She said that 10 years ago she would have totally passed that off as a bunch of garbage, but she said that she has observed children before and after being started on a gluten and casein free diet and has seen "miraculous" improvement.
So I have found some books to read up on it and a cookbook to help us get started. I think it will be good for all of us. We are going to start avoiding High fructose corn syrup as well.
So hopefully I will have wonderful results to report back on soon!!!
Weight loss Wednesday--
So Weight loss Wednesday.....
I did not complete any of the goals from last week. BUT I still managed to lose another pound, 192 today, even after eating a slice of combo pizza from Costco for lunch. So I probably did lose that 2 lbs, that was my goal, but since I had a full tummy it tipped the scale up, (do you buy it?)
Well I am going to blame my not getting to the gym 5 times on the kids, it is all their fault, yea, I have no control, yea.... why should I take responsibility for myself?? (But I did make it 3 times)
And I didn't keep that food journal worth beans! (They are really cheap, so you can guess how well I did!) I know that I will do significantly better in my weight loss, if I just record what I am eating...... but here I sit!
So for this week:
Lose 2 lbs.
Get to the gym 5 times! --No excuses!
Get to writing down that blasted food!!
So my tip for this week: Eat like a kid.
No, I don't mean throw a fit and complain about everything but Macaroni and Cheese or Chicken Nuggets.
Eat small meals and snacks often.
When you are hungry get a little something good to eat.
When you are full....... STOP eating no matter what is left on your plate, and yes, I know all about starving children in Africa.
Use little bowls, cups and plates. It is amazing that you can still feel satisfied eating a child size bowl of cereal instead of something you should mix cake batter in!
Don't drink you calories! Water is good for you, and it has no calories! Drink water with your meals and you save at least 100 calories if you usually drink milk or soda.
Okay so that is it for WLW!
I did not complete any of the goals from last week. BUT I still managed to lose another pound, 192 today, even after eating a slice of combo pizza from Costco for lunch. So I probably did lose that 2 lbs, that was my goal, but since I had a full tummy it tipped the scale up, (do you buy it?)
Well I am going to blame my not getting to the gym 5 times on the kids, it is all their fault, yea, I have no control, yea.... why should I take responsibility for myself?? (But I did make it 3 times)
And I didn't keep that food journal worth beans! (They are really cheap, so you can guess how well I did!) I know that I will do significantly better in my weight loss, if I just record what I am eating...... but here I sit!
So for this week:
Lose 2 lbs.
Get to the gym 5 times! --No excuses!
Get to writing down that blasted food!!
So my tip for this week: Eat like a kid.
No, I don't mean throw a fit and complain about everything but Macaroni and Cheese or Chicken Nuggets.
Eat small meals and snacks often.
When you are hungry get a little something good to eat.
When you are full....... STOP eating no matter what is left on your plate, and yes, I know all about starving children in Africa.
Use little bowls, cups and plates. It is amazing that you can still feel satisfied eating a child size bowl of cereal instead of something you should mix cake batter in!
Don't drink you calories! Water is good for you, and it has no calories! Drink water with your meals and you save at least 100 calories if you usually drink milk or soda.
Okay so that is it for WLW!
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