Spinning Plates or Spinning Wheels?

We’re at the new year turning point again.  The point where I take stock in where we are at and get busy making a plan for next year. 

Things aren’t all peaches and cream around here although they are going very well.

Nathan is having a hard time right now.  Well, some of the time.  Some of the time he is doing very well.  He suddenly learned to hold a pencil correctly and he has been tracing letters and doing mazes and dot to dots and addition and counting and circling the numbers ALL on his own and ALL for fun.  That is new and that is very good.  That and the fact that when I finally decide to teach him to read he’ll already know how because he’s doing that too.

He’s struggling in other areas.  Transitions, frustrations with people misunderstanding him and his lack of ability to express what he is trying to get across.  He is very short fused.  He is not willing to work it out and will burst into tears crying.  His speech is airy and slow and almost stuttery.  He has unusual voice inflection and is often monotone.

It’s time to get busy again.  He has been off supplements and medication and we no longer have a DAN doctor.  He was doing super well and then we dropped everything and now we are slipping back into things that I remember from a year or two ago.

Sometimes I get so frustrated that if I don’t keep the plates spinning people falter. 

 

Timothy is on a protocol from the DAN also and when I keep up my part, he is even and nice and pleasant. And when he is like that I feel terrible that he may have had the opportunity to be that way his entire life if only I had known what he needed.  How was I to know that his chemicals were off and he is prone to depression, anxiety and droopiness? 

How was I to know that with some support he could act like a human being?!

But when I let things slip, people slip and slide and our household goes into disarray and then these poor kids get in trouble because their bodies get them into such a state that they can’t cope with the world around them.

I guess I’m just thinking about the new year and what it holds and what I want to focus on and these two boys definitely have to be up there on the list.

And that is not to mention the daughter that has begun to twitch again, a mystery that I am still trying to figure out.  Last time it was solved by going on vacation with Grandma and taking specific supplements twice a day…

Does that mean I am supposed to start packing her suitcase????

 

 

Things are good.  I just gotta focus and think and pray. We have mountains of things to be thankful for and mountains of victories behind us.

 

      But those who wait on the LORD
      Shall renew their strength;
      They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
      They shall run and not be weary,
      They shall walk and not faint.

 

Recent Postings

You can find me lately over at our home school blog.

And Katie Ann just posted about her birthday and how to make an American Girl Doll bed.

 

 

 

 

Need Ideas!

Alright, I need your help.  I am taking a Holistic Nutrition class and I need ideas for my project.

The assignment is to take meals from 3 categories like a soup, a casserole and a stir fry and compare and contrast 3 different options. The 3 different things I have to compare/contrast are conventionally processed foods, a more natural type and a whole foods - homemade from scratch type.  I can’t use anything packaged or canned for the whole food option.

 

I think for sure I am going to do bread:

1. Wonder bread
2. 100% Whole Wheat Bread (packaged)
3. Homemade Bread

I was so excited when I read that packaged whole wheat bread contains an ingredient called azodicarbonamide that is banned in the UK, most European countries and Australia.  Apparently, it is used in the production of foamed plastics and not really a good thing to eat.

From my assignment point of view, I need the stuff to have something bad in it so that I have material to write about! 

I’ve thought about a chicken noodle soup or a stir fry.  The best would be a frozen pizza, but do I really want to talk about hand making dough and tomato sauce and everything? I don’t know!

I also have to talk about the health problems or  diseases that may come from eating the ingredients and also the feelings and experience of preparing each one.

Got any good ideas??

 

Saturday Baking

I’ve been baking a lot this pregnancy.  It started with brownies and cakes because I was craving those in my first trimester and being GFCF, I couldn’t just go buy them.

I took a slight break through the fall, but since Thanksgiving hit, I’ve been back at it again!

It also has a lot to do with the fact that Maury loves to cook with me and the best way to keep him entertained is to be in the kitchen!

Today we made Gingersnap Cookies with Lemon Meringue filling. I found this recipe in a Sunset magazine and substituted the flour, added xanthan gum and we were all set!

I think if I ever made these again, I’d run the blender for another 10 min and get a stiffer meringue for the center.  Either that or just use frosting, they would be super good with frosting. 

They’re great now, just a little too messy. This is as much as Maury ate them, he didn’t like how all the filling ended up just squishing out. 

Nathan had other methods.

I take that back, I just went and checked them again and the meringue as set some and they are not all squishy crazy anymore. They’re quite nice.

Did I ever tell you about the Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcakes with Meringue frosting that I made the day after Thanksgiving?  They were YUMMY!

 

 

GFCF Oatmeal Gingerbread Cookies

 

Oatmeal Gingerbread Cookies

Dry Ingredients

1 cup sorghum flour

1 cup brown & white rice flour mixed

3/4 cup potato flour

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1 1/2 cup gluten free oats (Bob’s Red Mill)

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

3 tsp. xanthan gum

 

Wet Ingredients

1 cup shortening or Earth Balance soy-free margarine

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1 egg

 

Mix together dry ingredients and set aside.

Soften shortening or margarine (we used a 1/2 cup of each) and beat together with sugar until creamy. Add molasses and egg and beat well.  Slowly add flour mixture, mix well.

Cover and chill for about 30 min.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Roll out dough on floured surface about 1/4 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters and transfer to ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

 

Frosting:

2 cups icing

1/2 cup rice milk or water

Measure icing into small bowl and gradually add milk and stir until desired thickness. Spread on fully cooled cookies and decorate with gfcf sprinkles, chocolate chips or whatever you would like.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

A Wee Huy Thanksgiving - GFCFSF

In case you don’t know, our last name Huy, is pronounced “wee.” 

Our Thanksgiving was very unusual this year due to the measles.  My mom cooked the whole dinner, GFCFSF mind you, and then brought it to our house.  Good thing we live a house away from each other! 

After our meal and clean up, she went home to cook another thanksgiving meal for my sister and her family who has little ones who have not had the MMR.  My brother and my sister in law were real troupers and followed the Thanksgiving meal trail from house to house! ;)

It was an odd day, but it was fun too. A sort of adventure to see if we could actually pull it off. :)

 

I used a sorghum, rice, potato, and tapioca flour mixture for the pie crusts this year and they turned out much better. Someday I’ll get recipes up here… someday.

 

These sweet potatoes were not very photogenic, but they tasted wonderful! They had the kosher marshmallows on them that are dye free.

 

The stuffing was made with Kinnikinnick rice bread.  Timothy tried it for the first time this year because he found out that stuffing is just stuffed in the turkey for flavor and is not in fact, turkey innards.

 

Good ole marshmallow salad.  They sell mini marshmallows in the brand, but they didn’t have any so Katie Ann cut them by hand! :)

 

Katie Ann colored our centerpiece for us.

 

That was our 2009 GFCFSF Thanksgiving meal! :)

Ultrasound

 

It’s  A Girl!

 

Nathan keeps walking around with the ultrasound pictures. :)

 

He’s Eating!

Pudding, rice milk, apple juice, raisin bagels… This is the most I’ve seen him eat in DAYS and it’s not even lunch time yet.  Maybe we’re on the mend!

 

Bob’s Red Mill Pizza Crust

We had an exciting night the other night – we had pizza that was in the shape of a circle!  Every person in the family commented on it, I had no idea that having square pizza crusts was so difficult for them! :)

 

 

This is before it was baked, I put tomato sauce, onions, green bell peppers, fresh basil, olives, sausage and tomatoes on it. Basically, anything I could find in the house.  The sausage was a new addition and a big hit.

 

 

This is how it looked cooked, it turned out pretty good.

 

As far as taste goes, everyone loved it except me.  I didn’t like the favor of the crust.  I find that I don’t like a lot of the Bob’s Red Mill mixes because there is always that odd taste.  But the texture was decent and everyone else loved it and it was cheaper than buying the premade crusts I believe.

 

Nathan Update:  He is still up and down as far as energy and tolerance to other humans goes. He goes for a few hours and then sleeps. His rash is almost gone, but he is still running that high fever. I covet your prayers, I find that I am praying even in my sleep!

 

Passing the Time

Nathan seems to be feeling better today.  He was up and around a lot more.  He is still running a fever that runs up in the 102+ range if I don’t catch it quick.  He took another 2-3 hour nap this afternoon, but has been in good spirits.

 

Here are some pictures we took yesterday:

Nathan’s Belly Rash

His rash spread to his hands and feet today, I’m hoping that means it’s on it’s way out! 

His red eyes

His eyes get all yucky red like this, especially when his fever goes up.

 

Playing Little People

His older siblings have been great, keeping themselves occupied when I am busy with him.  I have to do a lot of just sitting next to him otherwise he cries.  I try to get a lot done when he is napping or when he decides he is feeling good enough to run around. 

We’re doing great, just hanging in there and passing the time. :)

 

Year of Immunity

 

Apparently this is going to be the year that we become immune to vaccine preventable diseases because, are you ready for this… Nathan has measles.

Maury is on track to catch it any day now.  Here is how it started for Nathan.

Saturday:

My mom had him for the weekend, he stopped playing, took a long nap and ran a fever.  He went to bed as usual and also ran a fever in the night.

Sunday:

I came home and he had a stiff neck, swollen lymph nodes, a fever and loss of appetite. He kept doing eye stims and weird stuff with his eyes.

Monday:

More of the same, still running fever, up and playing a little bit more.

Tuesday:

By the evening his neck seemed not so stiff, he was laughing and playing and stayed up in bed talking and talking. He didn’t need any Motrin at all.

Wednesday

In the morning he woke up ok, by 9:00 he was laying down, had a fever and a rash. He slept from 9:30am until 2:00pm. As the day progressed his eyes became bloodshot and red, his rash spread from his neck down his chest, back and legs. He ran a fever throughout the day.

Thursday

He woke up today feeling ok.  He has had Motrin and is sometimes up and other times laying around. I noticed that the rash is now on his arms too.  Not on his face though.  If you ask him how he feels he gives a little cough. :) 

Maury is starting to have a cough.  This is the guy who seems susceptible to respiratory problems so I’m watching him closely.

I am giving them both probiotics, Cod Liver Oil (for Vit. A), Vitamin C and Virastop.  As far as I can tell, we’ll be sitting tight for at least 2 weeks.

We would appreciate your prayers!!

 

Sid The Science Kid - Flu Vaccine

Today, on Sid the Science Kid, the show is about getting the new flu vaccine.  Ugh.

You should hear my older kids snickering at phrases like "getting a vaccine is the best way to stay healthy."

There was also a conversation about who got the chicken pox vaccine and who got the chicken pox.  Jojo was the only one who had recieved the vaccine and also didn't get the chicken pox.  Of course, that puts him a greater risk for shingles, but we won't tell him that.

So anyway, that's Sid the Science Kid on PBS today.

- Julee

Terrible Story - Desiree Jennings Flu Vaccine Injury

Please, PLEASE go to Generation Rescue and read about Desiree Jennings' story.

I can't tell you what relief it brought me to see that Stan Kurtz and Generation Rescue were getting involved, if she has a shot at recovery, that has got to be her best shot.







Watch and read more at: Generation Rescue

ZPizza Comment Highlight - GOOD NEWS!

Look at this message I just recieved! How exciting!

hey there!my name is summer and i am the assistant to the founder of zpizza. we actually have switched our gluten-free crust to a gfcfsf one! it is also vegan! we are in the process of using up the old product and should have the new one in stock in all stores in about 4 weeks. in addition, we also carry the daiya vegan cheese to go with it. please contact your local store in the next few weeks to see if they have received the new crust. if you have any other questions or concerns, you can contact me directly at summer@zpizza.com.bon appetit!

Is that cool or what?! Thanks Summer, for chiming in here with that info!

ZPizza - Gluten Free Crust

In case anyone was wondering, I just called ZPizza and the gluten free crust contains milk and soy.

Another one bites the dust.

We still enjoy our Kinnikinnick GFCFSF pizza crust with tomato sauce, spinach, Hormel Naturals ham, tomatoes, fresh basil and olives on top!