CJ's Woodland Shed and the Autism Journey

B12

2012-02-02T21:49:00.000-08:00

For about three years now, I have been sneaking up to my son's room at night and sticking him with a needle. For most of that time I have just hated doing it. Now it is so routine, I get more upset when I can't do it, like if we accidentally run out, or if he isn't asleep enough to stay still enough, even after the numbing cream. The reason being that he is doing so very well, and changing the therapy routine can really throw things off. No B12 can mean emotional melt downs the next day. It can mean climbing under desks at school.
I describe our routine to others as "B12 by injection." The pharmacy that I order it from calls it methylcobal. Every month I spend about $35 dollars on it, and I have it delivered to our door, because the pharmacy we get it from is over an hour away. It comes in a small Styrofoam cooler, which is still really big for how tiny the little bottle is. The bottle is about 1 inch tall. I always have to remember to order syringes, because once I forgot, and I found out that Rite-Aid will not sell them to me. Duh.
I have to keep on a schedule with giving it to him. Every third night, about 20 minutes after bedtime, he is usually in a deep enough sleep that I can put a tiny circle of numbing cream on the injection site and he won't roll over on it. I then go downstairs and set a timer for 20 minutes. At the end of the 20 minutes, I draw the dose up myself, because it is cheaper than getting the syringes pre-filled. I go up to his room, wipe off the numbing cream, and administer the injection just how his doctor's nurse taught me. He does not even know that I do this. If any of you were wondering if I was crazy, why yes, yes I am. I stick my son with needles in the dark.

Carly

2012-01-16T08:27:00.000-08:00

What a gift this girl has been given. She is a voice to the world through her typing although she has no verbal voice of her own. How amazing and wonderful that she has the ability and willingness to share and help others. See the YouTube video here

No Bake Carob Bar

2012-01-11T10:54:00.000-08:00

It makes me laugh to look back and see how much I have changed. The title of this food alone would have been enough to make me leery not too long ago. It is free of all of our allergens, except that it does have the 1/2 cup sugar that we are sensitive to, so I am trying to save this one for really special occasions. Right now my son is on a yeast protocol diet to get the yeast in his gut under control, (translation: no sugar or fruit juice on the diet,) but he would probably like these on this birthday in March. I have honestly never had anything so rich and chocolaty that was not chocolate. Maybe more experimenting will yield a more naturally sweetened version.

No Bake Carob Bar

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup sunflower seed butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (slightly rounded) carob powder
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups gluten free oats

Melt oil and sunflower seed butter together in saucepan. Stir in carob powder and sugar. Dissolve and cook, stirring, to thicken. Remove from heat and mix in remaining ingredients. Pour into 8 by 8 inch dish and chill for 1 hour or so until they are cool and look "dry."

New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-03T10:26:00.000-08:00

My New Year's resolution is basically the same every year. It is always to be happy with who I am, but to not be content or settle, because I can improve myself in ways that help me function as a person and in ways that help my family. Included on the list are "mini resolutions,' such as more study, meditation, and prayer. Others are connected to health; being more active, and eating more whole foods. One thing my journey with my sweet little Eli has taught me is that the body dictates how the mind feels and functions. Taking care of Eli requires constant strategy for behavior plans, memory for all the daily supplements, and mental endurance for all the "why" questions! (He seems to currently be going through the question asking stage he largely missed when he was 4.)

As far as the health resolutions go, I have already loaded up on some valuable tools. One is Zumba for the Wii. The other is an ebook that I came across by Kim Wilson called, "Good and Easy Eats." This book is unique in so many wonderful ways. All the recipes included are gluten free and vegan, meaning that there are no pesky dairy products that need substituting. All the recipes included focus on whole foods. Not only that, but Kim teaches you WHY whole foods are better. There are so many tools included, such as menu planning and links to online rescources. The recipes included are versitile enough that a family could eat exclusively out of this book with its simple recipes.

Oh and I almost forgot to mention another reason I am loving this book: The recipes are simple! They even use minimal amounts of kitchen utilsels and dishes to prepare, which makes my life easier and my goals more attainable. I would recommend taking a look at this ebook. It is only about $5, which is not much of a risk compared to buying a hard copy and paying shipping, and then waiting for it in the mail. "Good and Easy Eats" is generally delivered to your email box within 24 hours.

I am so excited for what 2012 will bring. Good food, more peace, and more energy. WhooHoo!

Quote of Joseph Smith

2011-12-24T09:01:00.000-08:00

I think it is fitting that Joseph Smith's birthday is right around Christmas. This snippet is only part of a longer quote and a beautiful message of important instruction. I think of this part of the quote when I think of autism and it's challenges. It reminds me of the little light that my son has always had in his eyes, even when his condition was at its most challenging states. I am so glad for the chance to help his mind grow and to see his little light shine.

“We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect...."

My Day

2011-12-12T23:20:00.000-08:00

It seems like it was just months ago since I wrote a similar post about myself for my special day, but it has really been a whole year! Today I am writing afew little things just about just myself, you know, the part of this blog I usually forget about.

I have become very interested in vegan, whole foods cooking over the last year. I was introduced to the idea by a friend years ago, but didn't think it was practical on a gluten free and other things free diet that I do. I watched the movie, Forks Over Knives, (which I loved and would totally recommend,) and have connected with some resources that will make doing more of it very doable. I will be sharing more on this topic in the near future.

I graduated with an Assiociates Degree in Graphic Design from BYU Idaho in 2002 and have just started designing professionally this year. Adobe Illustrator is the same, I find. It just now is more user friendly than ever, and it has some cool new features. The same with Photoshop. I think the program I went through is college is serving me well.

My sewing machine has been good at saving me money. I am making a Christmas gift for Little Bear and I am currently resizing a couch cover for our large, overstuffed couch, and covering the large throw pillows, too. All that suede is kind of retro looking to me, so I am thinking of throwing some vintage panel made of some printed fabric I've got. Now just wait while I find those old stretcher bars and the staple gun...

Now that I have become the owner of a beautiful palace home and now live above ground, I am the owner of houseplants. I love my plants, and they have now survived for months. They have not shriveled up and died from lack of light. Yay!

I am now the mom of two boys, my favorite 6 year old, and my little bear. This has changed me in lots of ways, and it has mostly all for the better. Now I need to go get some sleep. :)

(My day is on the 13th, but blogger thought it was the 12th when I posted it. How funny!)

1st Grade, Continued

2011-12-07T20:09:00.001-08:00

Here is my post about our experience earlier in the school year--1st Grade.

Eli is now fully mainstreamed. I managed to make it in again after several weeks to volunteer in his class last Friday. It was really illuminating. Illuminating, meaning that some of my positive assumptions about a situation turn out to be false, leaving me feeling... um, disillusioned.

For one, I believed that Eli was at grade level in most areas, because of testing last year and his special ed teacher's excitement about how he has been doing academically this year. This has turned out not to be true, the teacher of the mainstreaming class tells me. If he was at grade level in reading, math, and writing before, he has fallen behind.

Also, although he is part of the typical 1st grade class and is usually a non disruptive addition, he does not participate in independent academic activities. He does not do solitary read. He looks at the pictures. He does not do anything productive during "centers" time, which is a student directed activity in this new class. His teacher cannot sit behind him and make sure he is on task. She has 20 other kids.

It looks like my quest continues. My challenge is to create a situation where Eli can suceed, and then help him to meet the challenge. His mainstreaming teacher and I both agree that he is better off in her class, rather than the special ed class, even if things just continue the way that they are. At the same time, my feelings are that mainstreaming has been too much change for him, too quickly, and I am faced with the fact that he is really not fully ready for it yet. At the same time, I know that going back to the old class is not an option.

I have been discussing with the teacher getting Eli an adult aide to help him during his more challenging parts of the day. I know that legally I can push for this, in fact my own mother got my brother an aide for his class when he needed it. But in this situation, what is reasonable for me to ask and what does he really need? The economy is doing crazy things to the schools, and I want so much for my son to be able to do what he needs to on his own.

We are still weighing all this and still looking into options for his future education as well.

Little Monkey

2011-11-27T23:02:00.001-08:00

Eli and I have had a little bit of a hard day today. He has been acting out, in fact he even hit his sunday school teacher. Sigh. I have been feeling down, and just not quite myself. The culprit? I really think it was a tiny milk derivative that was in the instant potatoes that we ate at a family gathering over the holday weekend.

I noticed the problem of the milk content moments before we all sat down to eat and I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to tell my son that not only could he not have half of the dinner items, but he also could not have the mashed potatoes. So, while it may not have been the rational thing to do, I thought, "I'm sure it is a very minor content, and it may not even bother him." Well we live and learn I guess.

These experiences are good to have once in a while, because they remind me of why I work so hard to keep them from happening. While this is totally not what I got on the blog to write about, I have a feeling that there are readers out there that had similar Thanksgiving experiences, but hopefully not! Our actual holiday was great, it's just this unfortunate after effect.

My husband and I heard a song when we were out and about recently. Before I had even pinpointed what it was, by husband was saying, "This song will always remind me of Eli's 'awakening.'" I thought he had a nice way of putting that.

When our son was 3, we started doing biochemical intervention. Change did not happen all at once, of course, but we could see that here alittle and there alittle, he was more aware. He was very much into Curious George at the time. He had just gotten the first Curious George movie, which I popped in during his sleepless intervals in the way early mornings.

He loved the Curious George episodes on TV and had some on video. He still had very little speech, but he was in fact starting to communicate with us in "George" language. That was something he could understand. He would even swing his arms when he walked, like George does. He would mimic George's sounds, most especially his little sad, disappointed little moan with the little shake of the head. He was our little monkey. This song is from the first Curious George movie and has clips from the movie. Click here to see the official Jack Johnson YouTube video, "Upside Down."

Supplements

2011-11-09T18:40:00.000-08:00

Supplements are an important part of my son's biochemical therapy. His doctor oversees them, and his regimen is unique to him. I confess I cannot tell you off the top of my head why he takes each one. Then his doctor starts talking about the methylation cycle, he starts getting a glassy-eyed, vacant look from me. I can tell you that some of these supplements are to help his gut. I can tell you that they were added one at a time, and I saw improvements with each one. Some of these he takes because his gut does not absorb enough of certain things. Some he takes for this methylation cycle thing. Some are just to support general good nutrition, (things that would help us all function better.)

The blue pill box is for mornings. The purple one is for nights. In addition, he gets Juice Plus+ twice a day, a probiotic twice a day, and zinc at night. Oh yeah, and B12 by injection every 3 days. This regimen is a job in itself for me to maintain.

I once had the experience of Eli being seen by the school psychologist. She asked what he was taking, and so I told her every single little thing, right down to the B12. She tried to hide it, but her look said, "This mom is crazy! I need to save them from their craziness." Yeah, I supplement my son's brain and body with the things that he actually needs instead of pumping him with mind-altering meds with their side effects. I must be nuts. Here is my previous post about this visit.

Monster Box

2011-10-31T13:24:00.000-07:00

It is bound to be a spooky night. My Eli is going actual door-to-door trick-or-treating in the neighborhood for the first time. Why is he going for the first time at the age of 6? Well there are many reasons for this. For one, he didn't care for many years, nor would be be able to get him to do it if we tried. Last year we let him trick-or-treat in more controlled conditions where we could control what he got. By that time he could even say, "Trick-or-Treat!" (His medically required diet takes all Halloween candy off the 'OK' list.)

This year when my friends ask me if we are going trick-or-treating with that concerned look, I tell them about the Monster Box. He is new to our family this season, and has been a great success through a recent Halloween Carnival and also an "Angry Birds" birthday party just last weekend. It works like this: Eli goes Trick-or-Treating, (or in the case of the BD party, pinata smashing,) and keeps his candy and brings it home. Right when he gets home, he wants to do the Monster Box.

The Monster Box is a "Cars" shoebox from the shoes we bought for him to start the school year with, and it is full of stuff, like dried papaya and pineapple, dimes, quarters, Phineas and Ferb temporary tattoos, crazy drinking straws, gluten free animal cookies, (and other little sugary treats the the box carries limited quantities of.)

There is an exchange system connected with this box. He looks at the "exchange rate paper" and hands me the one, two, or three pieces of candy he wants to trade for and what he would like for them. He keeps exchanging until his candy is gone and he has a pile of goodies that are "special medical diet friendly." It works like a charm. He is excited to get candy, and I don't have to worry about him eating it. LOVE it! Happy Halloween everyone!

1st Grade

2011-10-23T20:48:00.000-07:00

This school year has been an interesting one so far for my first grader, Eli. He had the most wonderful small group autism class for kindergarten last year. It was full day and had all the structure, discipline, and appropriate challenges that he needed. He was mainstreaming for 30 minutes a day, without the help of an aide. By the end of the school year, all those extra hours in the classroom paid off. He was doing great. I placed him at the school he is now attending, fully expecting that he would just pick up where he left off and be able to have the type of structure that he had in the kindergarten class, and continue to increase mainstreaming time.
My little bear is going on 4 months now, and I have been waking up from newborn zombieland only to be disappointed when I realized that things are much different for Eli than I thought they were going to be. I don't blame anyone for this, really, as it is a good deal in part due to circumstances and different teaching styles. The class he is in is NOT bad, it is just not a great match for him. He was coming home with clenched teeth, ready for a fight. Sometimes he would just come home and start yelling at me. Then he would throw a fit in the evening... "I don't want to go to school. My friend is mean to me. He yells in my ear." Come to find out, Eli is the highest functioning child in his current small group autism class. The class can have a rather high noise level, and Eli has always had a strong sensitivity to noise. All the noise was causing him serious tension issues. Also, academically he can do all the typical 1st grade level work.
Eli's teacher has really earned my trust. When I went to her with my concerns, she put him in more mainstreaming time, and she went with him herself the first time to see how it would go, and so she could tell how much time would be appropriate for him. He is now mainstreaming 2 and 1/2 hours a day. While he does NOT behave like an angel the whole time he is in Mrs. H's class, Mrs. H is very experienced and works great with him. He also goes with an aide from his special ed classroom who takes care of him there. The overall result of the new changes? MUCH less tension! We are still having behavior issues that have appeared over the last few months, but the lower tension level is good, good stuff. He now has more appropriate role models, more appropriate challenges, and less inappropriate noise. He also still has his small group autism class in the afternoon, which is good for downwinding a bit and for getting individual help with his lessons. All these changes are very recent. We are watching very closely to see how things will be once he has settled into this routine. All we know right now is that this is great stuff.
I am already concerned for next year! My concerns are these: The small group autism classes in this school district are not going to become more appropriate for him as he ages, they are only going to cause him frustration. It is likely he may not be at a level next year where it will be appropriate to place him in a large, typical public school class setting. All my concerns combined cause me to think that a charter school will be a good option for him for next year. I believe that at a charter school he may be able to be with his typical peers in a smaller class setting, and I think that with the support a smaller classroom would afford, he would do very well. We are looking into options.

Back to School

2011-09-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

We had an extremely eventful summer... let's see... we became homeowners, we had a baby boy, and we became very active staff of a gluten-free business. Add that to the autism therapy things which are just part of our life and we forget that that takes energy, too, and it was all exhausting to say the least. We now live in a white palace, as I have dubbed it, (a tall white townhouse that I just love,) we have an almost three month-old who is totally mild mannered and super social, we just finished our second publication for the business, and we have a six year old with autism who said to me tonight, "Mom, I have too much speed for you!" (We were playing a racing game on the wii and I about died when he said that... too funny!)

(This is an image that our team created for the September publication. As serious design work, I'm pretty sure it is not so successful, but it seemed to fit its' purpose, and Eli thinks it is really fun!)

We also had a casualty over the summer... my parent's marriage of 32 years ended. My parents also have a son with autism, my teenage brother. I had always thought that having an autistic child upped your chances of divorce significantly. My own observations of other families while I was growing up seemed confirm this. A quick google search brought up several pages that said the same thing: We no longer think it is true that divorce is more likely for these couples. Apparently couples with young children are more at risk for divorce, same with the parents with autism in the family. However, depending on the severity of the autism, their risk may not go down when their child ages as other couple's would. It was so strange, but awesome at the same time to have that myth debunked for me. (I admit that I still do believe what I heard a dad of 3 ASD children say in a panel discussion concerning autism and marriage. "It will make you or break you." He and his wife stressed the need for constant communication.) Of course I would never ever think of my brother as the cause for this separation. His condition was only one of many stresses on the relationship. My brother has been handling change well and is enjoying the new school year.

My own son is in the first grade! I can't believe it. He is in a small group autism class. I am looking forward to doing volunteering and becoming familiar with how they run things and how they discipline and such. It is sweet how they think he is such a great reader and so responsible, but that also makes me concerned for how well he fits the class. Should they be surprised that he can read and that he is independent? I don't think so. I think they should expect that. We will see how the year unfolds. He seems to enjoy school and I have not noticed any regression in behaviors, so it is quite possible that we are in a good place. Here's to a brand new school year!

New Website

2011-08-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

The Gluten Free Consumer now has a new website! www.gfconsumer.com
As for this new site, it is simple, clean, and I think it is quite nice. As for my blog, hopefully I will be back to my regularly scheduled posting after the September issue is out. :)

The Gluten Free Consumer is Here!

2011-08-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

The first issue of The Gluten Free Consumer, is now in the print! It is way exciting for me to do my fist professional graphic design project. I am happy with how it turned out, although I also see lots of room for improvement. If any designeries out there have suggestions on the cover/logo, I am all ears. It has been a long time since I have had a professor to offer a critique. :)

This first run has been relatively small, however, it is not too late to lay claim on a "trial version" of the mag, (a.k.a. the August issue.) It can still be ordered at www.allergymenu specialists.com. Much larger numbers projected next month!
Although my main job was to do the designing, I was also the author of the article titled, "We Speak: Adjusting to a Gluten Free Lifestyle," which I am particularly proud of. My brief article shares tips on how not to sabotage your own efforts, and assures readers that you are worth the effort to make hard steps toward their own wellness! (This article was written for those eating gluten free for medical reasons, such as Celiac Disease or a gluten intolerance.)

I was particularly proud of this article because providing useful information to help others with the dietary struggles we have been through is what this company is all about. I want people to know that their health is worth sacrificing for... sacrificing the time to relearn how to eat, sacrificing old favorites for new ones... we really just want to support people in their efforts towards better health! You are so worth it!

The Gluten Free Consumer

2011-07-25T09:06:00.000-07:00

I have been busy, busy, busy! In the past, I have promoted a company called "Allergy Menu Specialists," here and here. and It is my brother in law's gluten-free based business and he has been trying to find his niche in the market for several months now. Now we think he has found it with his new publication, The Gluten Free Consumer. His wife has celiac disease and their focus is to connect the gluten free individual with resources such as articles from professionals, product reviews, and recipes. This makes me a busy mom because I am the designer for his publication. I got my associates in graphic design in 2002 and have never designed professionally, but I have faith that the program I went through was a good one and that my skills will increase with use. I am very excited about this opportunity. He is sending out his first issue in August, and you can have it sent to your home for $1.50. Here is a teaser for the tasty recipe that is included in this first issue...

(it is unfortunately not casein free, but I will hint that there is another equally tasty recipe included that is both gluten and casein free!)

Here is how to order if any readers are interested: Go to www.allergymenuspecialists.com. Click on the shopping cart. From there you will have the option of selecting subscriptions. If you would like to give it a trial run with the August issue, select "trial version." I have a feeling this publication is going to be great!

The Diet for Little Bear's Gut

2011-07-10T09:02:00.000-07:00

Little Orson is now 16 days old. At his two week appointment he proved that he is living up to his name, (which means "bear cub,") by weighing in at 9 lbs, 9 oz. Also at his two week, the subject of gut issues was discussed.

Our older son, Eli, has had horrible gut issues in the past which were related to his condition.(Now that we have found correct information and good medical help, Eli's gut has been much happier these last couple of years!) Naturally, we have been doing everything we can to help our newborn to not have to go through the pain our older son had to.

Imagine our distress when we brought home our well-adjusted newborn, to have him start randomly screaming at 12 days old. It was a pain cry to us, and so I talked to his doctor about it. (Orson's doctor is also Eli's DAN! doctor.) I felt that it had to do with gut issues, mainly because my doctor required me to be on an anti-biotic when I was in labor. So, even though I was determined to have an unmediated labor, I found myself on an IV and worrying about my baby's gut. Despite taking pro-biotics the following week after his birth, the sudden screaming cry has made it appear as though his gut was struggling.

The plan to help little bear's gut is this: yeast protocol diet for me, the breastfeeding mom, along with an anti-fungal, along with pro-biotics for both of us. Let me just say, this diet is extremely challenging for me, who already has many diet restrictions. Now in addition, no starches, limit vinegars, no sugar, no fruit, no fruit juices for the next two weeks. I am trying very hard to keep on top of all of this, and I am finding it very challenging as an exhausted mom of a newborn. My little bear seems to be happier already, though. His random cries have been smaller in quantity and volume.

A recent happy discovery is that I can now tolerate gluten-free oats! I could not resist a gluten free oatmeal raisin cookie that my sister-in-law offered me last weekend, and that is how I discovered I can now tolerate them. So now on my yeast protocol diet I very happily eat a bowl of gluten-free oatmeal with stevia, vanilla extract powder, and cinnamon. Pretty wild for someone who grew up hating hot cereals. :)

Our Baby is Here!

2011-07-04T05:45:00.000-07:00

Orson was born on June 24th, weighing 8lbs, 6oz and 20.5 inches long. He is absolutely perfect, and is the most alert little newborn I have ever seen. He likes to study faces.

His 6 year old brother just loves him. Although Eli has had some behavioral regressions due to all the change, there is no jealousy at all. He likes to hold Orson and sing him songs.

Happy Fourth, from our family of 4!

We've Moved!

2011-06-16T20:36:00.000-07:00

That is to say, just last week we moved, in a physical sense. (The CJ's Woodland Shed blog will still be here!) Our move came about because we have purchased our first little property. Here is a picture of me at the front door. Our baby boy is due very soon!

Our six year old wonder boy Eli has been handling the move very well. Although they do not give me cause for concern, I have noticed some changes in his play habits. He now plays with a certain teddy bear all the time. The bear goes places with us. It is the same bear that he took to the park with him on "Kindergarten Teddy Bear Picnic Day" not so long ago, so I wonder if that is why the attachment to this particular toy. Another new play routine is "pretend parties." These came about because he really wanted a party for himself one day, but it was not his birthday or any other occasion. So, his dad and I told him we would have a "pretend party" and we went to his room and wrapped up some of his small toys in newspaper. After he had a great time opening his "presents," we played some board games. He keeps asking for parties, and we have played the wrapping toys part of the routine once since then. I am sure we will be doing it again soon. Here is a picture of him with his favorite bear, one of his pretend presents, and a very goofy face.

Reflective Weekend With Chicken

2011-05-31T06:28:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day weekend had its reflective moments for me. I have had the misfortune of losing 3 grandparents within the last few months. Two of them were my two grandfathers, and both were vets. One went on to have a career with the VA, and one went on to be a public school superintendent.

The third that recently left us was my step-grandmother, who was a RN and a Seventh-Day Adventist. Both her career and religion had an effect on her cooking, and she would bring us low sugar cookies stuffed with seeds and dried fruits that were really quite delicious. The first Christmas after I got married she gave me a cookbook called "Healthy Choices," which I really appreciated.

Over the last few years as we have been embarking on our healing allergen-free diets, this cookbook has been sadly neglected. Last Friday I brushed the dust off of it and revamped one of our old favorites to fit our current way of eating. It was a great way to sit back and remember these great people I have had in my life and look forward to meeting again one day. I have my own way of preparing this recipe, and so I thought it would be appropriate to share here.

Spicy Southwest Chicken Skillet

4 chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless, or bone-in with the skin pulled off
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 can drained black beans
1/3 cup thick and chunky salsa

Mix the chili powder, salt and pepper. Rub on both sides of the chicken. Heat oil in a 10 inch skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken in skillet, turning once, until juices run clear. (This will take 8-10 minutes or more if using bone-in.) Stir in beans and salsa. Heat to boiling and then cover and reduce heat to simmer. I like to simmer off much of the salsa liquid, as condensing gives it great flavor. Serve with rice.

Baby Boy

2011-05-24T14:55:00.001-07:00

The arrival or our second child is only weeks away. It seems like it was such a short time ago that we were anticipating the arrival of our first child, who is now six years old. Little did we know of what our journey with him would be! It was like going to an unknown destination, and I have been thinking quite a bit recently about this story I once posted called "Welcome to Holland."

I do not regret that our journey with our son has been different. Holland is a nice place, after all, and he is so much more well than he once was. What I do regret occasionally is that I feel like I lost lots of time with him while he was little and not feeling so well. That is to say, our interactions were not what they could have been for quite a long time. He only appeared to be attached to me when he was little because he had serious separation anxieties. His dad and I were like extensions of him, and he did not call us mom and dad, or anything at all, for many years. We began to see a big turn around with him by the time he was 4. By that time he had been in the DAN! program for about 6 months and he had started ABA therapy.

Our second, yet to be born child is also a boy. I admit I have experienced some anxiety over this, (given that boys are so much more likely to have autism than girls are,) and in fact I really wanted a girl this time for that very reason. The thing about it is though, I have already been to Holland. Figuratively speaking, I already know some of the language, and I already have an itinerary, and I am already packed for the weather. If this second little boy is destined to have autism despite my best efforts to prevent it, he will feel better sooner, and both directly and indirectly he will learn many valuable things from his brother.

And so with that said, here is to the journey, and where ever it may lead us.

Everyday Pancakes

2011-05-15T07:19:00.000-07:00

I cook breakfast every morning, and about 5 of the 7 days of the week end up being these pancakes. I have chosen this recipe as a staple in my home because they contain whole grain, are free of all of our allergens, and they are quick and easy to make. This recipe is a sample from Allergy Menu Specialists, where many delicious gluten-free recipes can be found. (Used here with permission.)

Everyday Pancakes

2/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch (or corn starch)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

Mix together dry ingredients. Add:

1 Tablespoon agave nectar (or honey)
1 egg, medium or large
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup water

Whisk together until the right consistency. If cornstarch is used, start with 3/4 cup water and add more as needed.

That is all there is to it. Now they are ready to fry up! I get the best results with my cast iron, which I heat up nice and hot while I am mixing the batter.

This is just one of the many recipes that can be found with this fantastic new business. If gluten is your main allergy concern, signing up for a recipe card membership will get you great gluten-free recipes mailed to your home on nice laminated cards. Many of their recipes are revisited old-fashioned delights. :)

Painting Together

2011-05-10T13:06:00.001-07:00

This is just one of those moments that make a mom happy. My son often needs suggestions of activities to do after the video games and TV are turned off. Lately when I suggest that he paints, he is very enthusiastic about it, and insists that I paint with him. He fills the water jar, and I pull up a big sized chair to his little desk and we use brushes with his bottles of finger paint. Super fun!

The Chocolate Effect, 14 years later

2011-04-29T13:58:00.000-07:00

Once I wrote a little story about a teenage girl and her brother with autism who got his hands on a piece of chocolate. Although the story was fictional, the events and conditions in the story were based on my own experiences. Those experiences I had as a child really framed my mind for receiving the DAN! program as treatment for my son because I knew firsthand the effects that certain foods/toxins had on my brother. (Read The Chocolate Effect here.)

Now fast forward 14 or so years later, I am now an adult, (well...sort of!) and my brother is 18 years old and is spending some time staying with my family along with our mother. On Easter Sunday they both attended church with us. My brother received such great treatment and acceptance that he attended his Sunday School classes on his own. The teacher for his first Sunday School class approached me, saying that she had cupcakes for the class and she didn't know if my brother is in the same treatment as my son. I told her no, but thank you and PLEASE scrape the icing off of his cupcake. (Too much sugar is a HUGE trigger for bad behavior!) My brother seemed to do pretty well on Sunday, but on Monday, his behavior took a turn for the worse.

On Tuesday morning he was telling mom something like this: "In my class on Sunday I got a rice crispy treat shaped like an egg and it had m&ms in it. And I ate the whole thing! I was hoping that I would get to miss school! Too bad I was wrong!" A sweet teacher, (who did not know about the chocolate effect,) in his second Sunday School had given this to him. Mom was making him go to school, and this was his confession after he realized that all of his plotting, horrible behavior, and sabotaging his own gut came to no avail.

It has been a long week with the uptight, much more easily triggered teenage brother around. The chocolate effect wore off to a good extent by Thursday, and mom was actually able to get him to take a shower. (Thank goodness!) This morning I heard "Good Morning, Eli," when my son woke up and walked into the other room. In my story "The Chocolate Effect," I had the chocolate effect wear off in just one day. I was trying to make the story a good balance of positive as well as negative, but in reality, it takes many days to wear off.

My purpose in writing this is to point out that food can be a psychological trigger for abnormal behavior. Even for myself, I have food sensitivities and I can have altered, depressed moods if I eat gluten or too much of something else on my "no" list. Looking back, I just wonder at my son's old pediatrician, who is a very sweet man, but basically told me I should not take my autistic toddler off of milk. How much better our son's life is nowdays with special diet and biochemical intervention!

Cast Iron Goodness

2011-04-17T20:01:00.000-07:00

These are my two lovelies:

Anyone who has been to my place has seen them sitting on the range, side by side, (and hopefully when you saw them they were cleaned out and oiled for the next use!) Cast iron is pure awesomeness for it's natural non-stick abilities without the funky nonstick treatments that are so popular, but are bad for our food.

I was introduced to cast iron when I was in college and took a little trip to visit my aunt and uncle. My sophomore year I was no longer eating in the cafeteria, "The Galley," and had a kitchen in my apartment. So, when asked what I could use as a Christmas gift, it was a cast iron skillet. My mother thought I was SO WEIRD! I have always been grateful that she took me serious enough that she got me a beautiful 12 inch skillet. I have had the 12 incher for almost 10 years now, and it literally gets used just about everyday. My smaller 10 inch cast iron skillet came into our family when my son went gluten free three nearly three years ago, and it was our "gluten free skillet." Since I went gluten free, about 2 years ago, gluten does not touch the cast iron as a household rule. Because the surface of cast iron is somewhat porous, the gluten eaters in the house are left to the stainless steel.

Here is one of my recent dinner creations using my 10 incher:

Crepes! I have recently discovered that the natural nonstick surface of cast iron is great for making these. This dinner was admittedly an experiment. (Don't worry, my family is used to that!) I was trying to see if a crepe could be used as a sandwich wrap. My son and I do not eat corn, and it is difficult to make a rice tortilla that is thin, soft and pliable, (I think so, anyways.) I had heard that crepes could be really good with a savory filling, and so that is what I tried out for this dinner. I made a sloppy-joe type filling; ground hamburger, tomato sauce, onion, and we wrapped it in the crepes with some shredded lettuce and tomato. It really was good. My only complaint is that the raw veggies were a bit much for the delicate crepe to handle, so next time I will have to rethink my approach and cook veggies in a different type of filling or have the veggies on the side.

This crepe recipe came from my local girls, Kristi and Betsy at www.eatingglutenfree.com.
*I changed the recipe for the purposes of and gluten free AND casein free diet, using earth balance instead of butter, and and combo of rice milk and water instead of cow milk.*

Dish Regimen

2011-04-08T13:27:00.000-07:00

This post is a follow-up to the post I did recently on the laundry regimen. Like before with my homemade laundry soap, my dishwasher soap is an effort towards greater sustainability and affordability. I do not feel as though I have my dish regimen as perfected as my laundry soap is. If any of my readers have suggestions as to how to make it more effective, I am all ears. :)

Here is the ingredient line-up:

Dishwasher Detergent

one cup commercial powder dishwasher detergent

one cup borax

one cup washing soda (not baking soda)

white distilled vinegar

Mix all three powders together, storing in a container with a lid. For each dishwasher load, use one heaping tablespoon in the soap compartment, being sure to close it up, then fill the prewash soap compartment with the white vinegar.

I bought all of my supplies at Winco. For the commercial dishwasher detergent, I looked for the one that I thought was not only worth the money, but also appeared to be the more earth friendly of the choices available. Also, I buy my white distilled vinegar in the largest size so that I can to save even more.

Once again, I am indebted to a friend for this starter recipe. I have made some changes with better results than before, and I will continue to change it to get it just right.

Allergy Menu Specialists

2011-03-30T18:34:00.000-07:00

I'd like to introduce you all to a brand-new business that I feel will become a valuable asset in the gluten free community. They are committed to training and certifying restaurant management and staff to cook for those with food allergies/sensitivities. I am very excited to see where this takes them. I for one could benefit from one website/phone app that tells me all the local places that are safe for me to eat with my gluten/dairy/soy/corn intolerance. As it is, finding a new place to eat is a chore, and my dinner dates with my husband have to be well planned in advance.

Allergy Menu Specialists can be found at www.allergymenuspecialists.com

One of the many services that this business offers is recipe conversion. I think this could be an extremely valuable asset to a parent of a child who is a biochemical intervention candidate. Children with autism often insist on "sameness," and going GF/CF is such a huge change. Being able to convert some of their favorite recipes to ones that have very similar taste and texture and fits their new diet could be a sanity saver. Plus, both the owner and the main culinary consultant of this business are very familiar with the dietary requirements of some of our children with autism. They are aware of our challenges, and are striving to fill our needs.
Click here to view the company's video about this new service.

Doing Laundry

2011-03-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

I am always looking for a more sustainable way to run my home that is affordable for us. Here is one idea that I got from a friend- making your own laundry soap. While many commercial soaps have amazing cleaning powers in any type and temperature of water- think of all the chemicals that must be crammed in those bottles. My friend gave me a recipe to start with, and I tweaked until I came up with something that I felt meets our needs for our type of water. I believe it to be at least more environmentally friendly than your typical commercial laundry soap.

Here is the ingredient line-up:

I found all of those ingredients at Winco for very reasonable prices.

Powder Laundry Soap

1 Fels Naptha Laundry Bar

2/3 Cup Borax

1/2 Cup Washing Soda

Using a food processor, shred the laundry bar. Add borax and washing soda (NOT baking soda,)process to mix. Store in repurposed food jar. Use 2-3 tablespoons per load.

One reason I like to make this soap is that I love having all that cleaning power in such a small, easy to manage jar. It can be changed and adapted to meet your laundry needs. This recipe works well for our hard water. Also, there is less waste.

Birthday Boy

2011-03-12T19:58:00.000-08:00

My sweet little boy turned six this week! He was proud to put his own decoration and candle on his little cake.

He lost one of his front teeth the day before his birthday, which was also picture day at school as well. It was perfect! We have truly spoiled him this week with a dinner out, party with cake, and a trip to the nickle arcade, on top of all his gifts. :)

Although I always make him a gluten free cake, this one I took extra care to not only eliminate allergens, but to make it with real icing and piped borders. I still have kinks to work out. The icing was a delicious flavorful lemon. It was a different consistency than I was used to working with, so I felt that the icing job suffered. The cake tasted good, and was a mild lemon flavor. However, it was dense and had a different texture. This was my first gluten free cake that I actually tried to decorate though, so I am proud of my cake, but much more proud of my big birthday boy!

BBQ Dinner, The Slow Food Way

2011-03-07T12:23:00.001-08:00

This recipe I developed by combining a homemade ketchup recipe and a BBQ recipe to make this not-too-sweet, natural, yummy sauce. Here is a picture of part of our dinner we had one night using this recipe:

Baked BBQ Pork

BBQ Sauce

2 cups tomato juice
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons yellow mustard (we use French's)
Add honey to taste
pinch crushed bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

To make the delectable treat in the picture, combine all these ingredients and simmer on low and reduce, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Place in a baking dish with 2" pieces of top sirloin pork steak, and bake at 350-375 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour. We had mashed potatoes and green beans with it. Great meal. The leftover sauce in the dish is great to top the potatoes with.

Other ways we have used this recipe:

Combine all ingredients and place in bottom of a crockpot with 4 bone-in chicken thighs, cooking on high for about 2 hours. Again, we had the mashed potatoes and beans.

Last night we made BBQ chicken deep dish pizza. After fully preparing sauce recipe, chop up one large boneless, skinless chicken breast and simmer it on the stove top to cook, using 2/3 of the sauce. Add chopped onions when chicken is almost done, allowing them to simmer. After preparing GF deep dish crust in my 12" cast iron skillet and putting it through it's first bake, we filled it with regular pizza sauce, along with remaining BBQ sauce, chicken mixture, chopped tomatoes, and alittle grated soy cheese. Put the pizza through it's second bake with the toppings. Delicious!!

My Average Student

2011-02-28T19:13:00.000-08:00

When my son was 18 months old, he was not talking or communicating at age level, as a family member pointed out as a possible problem. She suggested I get it checked out with the school district. The school district had an early intervention program which was free if he qualified for services, and so I figured we had nothing to lose. He did end up qualifying for services, and he has had an IEP ever since.

With the IEP comes a yearly meeting, along with testing to see if he still qualifies for services. The test measures where the child is developmentally compared to peers. It is admittedly disheartening to walk out of those meetings sometimes, after you hear; "Your child is in the 5th percentile for such and such, and in the 8th percentile for such and such." And so on down the test, and of course being in the 5th percentile for something means that 95 percent of children the same age are at a higher level. The testers have always been very kind to us and have always explained that communication was a huge setback, but that didn't always make the meetings easier.

After years of this, how exciting it was to go to a recent parent-teacher conference and to be presented with Eli's current academic scores for reading and math! He scored right at grade level for reading, and in math he was not as high, but still within the average range. I have an average student! Now I know that this test he took and the developmental tests of the IEP are not the same, we are not comparing apples to apples here, but this is still amazing. I could not be any prouder of my little guy. I just feel that if his communication has improved to such a level to understand all this abstract academic material, we are also approaching a much better developmental level, too.

Sustainable Work In Progress

2011-02-22T06:26:00.000-08:00

First, here is a close-up of my new toy:

A vintage thread spool holder that I scored at a thrift store. It is my new favorite, after my sewing machine and scissors. :)

And here is what I have been working on:

Making afew of my own all-in-one cloth diapers for when little one comes!

This one is almost done. It just needs a visit to my wonderful friend's house who has kindly offered to help me surge outside edges.

The best part is, the inside absorbent fabric, (under the flannel,) is from my 6 year-old's old pre-folds that he used for awhile. We used the old Gerber style cloth diapers and pins with him for a time because it was the best we could buy back then. I am so excited to have the time and know-how this time to make and buy some things that will make cloth diapering more comfortable for all of us this time around.

I will have more to show as progress moves along and as I get more creative with recycled fabrics. (Terrycloth inserts, anyone?) :)

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-13T21:37:00.000-08:00

There is something very novel about a decorated, themed cake. I worked in bakeries for several years and took hundreds of custom cake orders. There were those who would order for the wedding shower or graduation, and then there were those families that were "theme cake families." They were in ordering for every birthday.

This is a very not allergen friendly, gluten filled cake that I made for a neighbor whom I traded services with. (She gave me a very nice, professional haircut last week.) I thought it turned out pretty cute, even though I did not have all the professional tools I would have liked to have had. My dishwasher is now in functioning order, so that will help me to not worry too much about contamination in my kitchen. :)

I really got to thinking while icing this cake about those "theme cake family" members who perhaps have discovered an allergy/sensitivity that suddenly shuts them out from their family tradition. How fun it would be, to be a "neighborhood allergy-friendly baker" who makes allergy friendly cakes and delivers them to happy people who are celebrating in style, despite allergy restrictions? What a fun thought.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone. I hope you all get to spend time with those you love.

The Cost of Biochemical Intervention

2011-02-06T19:55:00.000-08:00

I remember the day that I first picked up "Changing the World of Autism" By Dr. Bryan Jepson, and the way that it made me feel. I ate that book up, and I felt it was a gift from my kind Heavenly Father to help us help Eli. And those feelings of gratitude and conviction were what we needed, because we found that biochemical intervention is taxing on parents on many levels, and just let me say that we were not well off. We were still getting Daddy through college at the time we started the program.

Just afew short years later, our lives are so different. Meltdowns are an extremely rare thing, and our boy talks in a communicative way. And man, can he read. I am positive I could not read that well until late first grade, and he is still in kindergarten. We have been blessed with a teaching job for Eli's Daddy, and we are looking into buying our first little home. This purchase is a huge step for us, and so I have been reviewing our expenses, and where does our money go to. Our grocery budget is $150-$200 dollars a month more than we would otherwise spend if not doing special medical diets. I have a credit card that I put Eli's supplements on, and I hate seeing the balance occasionally go up some months rather than go down. However, when I review this part of our spending, I realize that we have always been blessed to be able to make it through, and there is no going back. He is so much more well and so much happier now.

All these thoughts really take me back to when I read "Mother Warriors" by Jenny McCarthy. It was on sale for $4 and we were curious, so we bought it. My husband said all it did for him was make him sad. It had some value for me as I saw the practical side of other parent's struggle to implement biochemical intervention, and their successes. The part of the book that really blew us away was the part that explained the average cost of raising a child with autism. Let's just say that the sum she offered as "average" was afew times our annual income.

So just let me say, you can do this on a modest income. We do.

Just as a side note, another cost of biochemical intervention is being weird. Yeah, basically to the medical community in general, I am a weird, misguided parent. I have already been lectured by a dentist about how 'it is better to err on the side of caution' when it comes to the decision of giving my son his artificial fluoride. And just recently I was given a "news flash" at a pregnancy check up about how 'in those recent news stories the research was fraud and vaccines really don't cause ADD and other things.' Well, I don't know about all of that, but seriously all I said was that I didn't want to give my child hep B at birth. Sheesh.

Jason's Deli and Winger's

2011-01-23T18:56:00.000-08:00

My child with autism and I both have some food sensitivities. We discovered how food can cause autoimmune reactions through our son's biochemical intervention. About a year of our son going gluten and dairy free, I found it necessary to do the same for myself. We have also discovered a need to largely avoid soy and corn as well.

Hubby and I had the rare opportunity of going out on two dates last week. Often we don't have a lot of time when we have a chance to go out alone, so we usually choose to grab a bite to eat. We have grown to really love eating out. Now that we can no longer order pizza on Friday nights or Chinese take out on the weekends, it is almost a necessity to get out and get a meal together once in awhile. I thought I would share about the meals I had while eating out last week.

Last Tuesday my teacher husband had the day off of school, kind of. He still went in to do a small amount of work, leaving time for us to do something while our son was still in school. We decided to go to Jason's Deli. (It is located outside the University Mall in the parking lot, for you locals.) They carry gluten-free bread! Although not completely corn free, corn is not the main ingredient, and I seemed to handle it fine. I ordered a turkey breast build-your-own sandwich with mustard, lettuce, tomato, and avocado. Instead of the chips, I subbed in some fresh fruit. What a great lunch. Hubby ordered one of the specials that looked really yummy. My meal was awesome, but I think next time I go I will try to order a special, too, but with my own brand of 'specialness.' Specialness= subbing bread for gluten free, no cheese, subbing or leaving off sides, etc. It is so nice to have a place close where I can get a sandwich and I don't have to say "no bun please." I happen to like the bun!

On Saturday night we had another opportunity to do something, so we went out to Winger's in Orem. We had a little coupon, and I heard that they had gluten free options, so we decided to give it a try. The tricky part ended up being dairy and corn, plus the "gluten free menu" was simply a list of everything, no descriptions, and it labeled everything "GF" or "Not GF." I took my time ordering so I could sort everything out between the two menus and ask questions so I could get it right. I had a delicious meal there, and this is what I had: Blackened Chicken Tacos, no tortillas, no cheese, no dressing, subbing seasoning-less steak fries for tortilla chips and salsa. I suppose that the rice option would have made more sense as a side, but I had to have the fries for some reason. My tacos ended up being lettuce, black beans, pico de gallo, and seasoned chicken strips on top. The chicken was seasoned so nicely, it really made the meal. The steak fries were good... I had ketchup with it that was loaded with high fructose corn syrup... (a 'no, no' that tastes really weird to me, but I went sparingly on it. I wonder if it is possible to get packets of 'real sugar' ketchup. I would shamelessly keep some of those in my car for such occasions.)

So that is my rambling story of eating out last week. Two good experiences at two different places, all in one week. Who would have thought it possible? :)

Current Obsession: CSA

2011-01-10T19:45:00.000-08:00

My current obsession is Community Supported Agriculture, which is a farming business model. Members of the community, individuals and restaurants put money up front in order to be supplied with luscious, sustainable, (and organic, although not always certified,) local fruits and vegetables. More specifically, I am in love with the CSA farm that is local to my area. I just discovered it on the internet. It is called Jacob's Cove.

Let's face it, conventional growing methods are not sustainable. (Irresponsible, at best, although I feel that it is criminal the way that soil is depleted of nutrients, making our food ever less healthy.) The use of tons of chemicals is involved. This all makes us sick. Doctors out there that actually recognize the medical needs of children with autism admonish parents to feed them organic food. There is a reason for that.

I look forward to one day buying shares of this real food from Jacob's Cove.

Positively a Resolution

2011-01-05T20:23:00.000-08:00

The thought of having at least one New Years resolution for 2011 did cross my mind at one time, and was promptly dismissed. Later I realized the reason: I have too many current goals/projects/learning to do at present to add to what I am trying to accomplish, so my New Years resolution was to keep previously-made goals. Here are just four of them.

1. Continue quest in healing autism
2. Prevent autism
3. Prepare for baby
4. Continue preparing allergen-free meals for my son and I that help out with our autoimmune hiccups.

This list has built into it a whole lot of learning to do, a whole lot of cooking, and a whole lot of love.

My mind has been weighing heavily on the aspect of preventing autism, and I have gone through a brief period of deep discouragement recently when I realized some of the big things stacked against me. Metal fillings, flame retardant chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, pollution, and any heavy metal deposits left in my own body, (after the few months of chelation I was able to do for myself,) are just the beginning of a list that felt like a big weight.

This is when a resolution idea come about that I felt I could and needed to make. That is to be POSITIVE! Our world is full of contaminants, it is true. Our children with autism are proof. What I have chosen to focus on with prevention is to do those things for my baby that are in my power and that I feel will make a difference. I can now feel much greater peace on this important topic that felt like a daunting weight before. I know that the neurotoxins are still there, hiding. This is the challenge of our time, and this is the world we have inherited. I can choose to do what is in my power to make a difference for my loved ones, to improve their lives, and I feel positive that this will make a difference for the future. :)

Sending POSITIVE thoughts your way! :)

Simple (Allergen Free) Feasting

2010-12-31T07:59:00.000-08:00

I hope that everyone is having an awesome holiday season! We had a very merry Christmas at our house. Eli had the most fun, of course! Even though it has been almost a week, I still wanted to share our simple Christmas meal on my blog. It has just been awhile since we had a holiday by ourselves, and so although it may seem silly, it was really fun for me to orchestrate the whole little meal by myself. The whole meal was gluten free, casein free, soy free, and nearly corn free as well.

We had on the menu, turkey of course, which you can see below the cheesy smiles in the first picture. The turkey was Norbest Tender Timed. Although not quite as preservative free as I would wish, it did say GLUTEN FREE. And by the way, the timer did not work, which I found kind of amusing. I put Earth Balance spread under the skin, as well as the juice from half a lemon, and a mix of spices including paprika, salt and pepper, and dried chopped onions. I meant to also use rosemary, but I forgot. The results really were surprisingly great.

Sides included green beans, carrot sticks, and green salad. Jason loves deviled eggs, so I made them as allergen-free as possible, using only Canola Mayo, (to avoid soy,) French's Mustard, salt and pepper. Eli, our son with autism, apparently hates deviled eggs, so I didn't have to worry about them bothering his system after all. The mashed potatoes had Earth Balance, Rice Dream rice milk, salt and pepper. Of course I made gravy from the turkey drippings, adding just alittle potato starch to thicken. Although Eli is sensitive to yeast, he did have 2 little pieces of his favorite "Sandwich Bread" from page 21 of Carol Fenster's "Cooking Free."

Dressings included Annie's All Natural Roasted Red Pepper salad dressing, Old Nauvoo homemade style red raspberry jam, and of course our favorite Earth Balance spread. We washed the whole thing down with Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider. Yum.

Eli had lots of fun with making cut out cookies later that evening with another recipe of Carol Fenster's, from page 239 of the same cookbook.

And tomorrow is a whole new year. The holidays pass way too quickly once they get here!!

Pigs in a Blanket

2010-12-16T20:04:00.000-08:00

This was an old childhood favorite of mine from when I was very young. My mother would chop hot dogs in half or thirds, wrap each little dog in a layer of biscuit dough, and bake. Often she would make the dough, and other times she would get it from one of those refrigerator popping cans, (those things used to startle me every time!)

Lately one of our favorite family dinners at home have been new and improved "Pigs in a Blanket," thanks to the lovely Linda at www.glutenfreehomemaker.com. Her wonderful blog has made feeding my family easier with her easy gluten free, dairy free recipes with natural ingredients. Here is her recipe for the dough to wrap the dogs. It has an awesome homemade taste, unlike refrigerator biscuits. Totally worth the effort. I wish I had taken a picture of our main entree tonight, but of course they always disappear too fast. (My five-year-old loves these!) Tonight we had our Pigs in a Blanket with Hunt's All Natural Ketchup, French's Mustard, Linda's Roasted Red Potatoes, and some green peas.

I have to admit, I have a thing against regular hot dogs. Even if there are those that are gluten free, I have a serious thing against the nitrates that are often in them, and I always, always avoid feeding my family nitrates. At our local health food store called "Good Earth," they carry nitrate-free chicken hot dogs. They are called "Sheldon's Cooked Uncured Chicken Franks." They are all natural, and as such need to be kept frozen until use. They make the best "pigs" we have had so far. I will be on the lookout for other brands of nitrate-free piggies to try out in the future.

30

2010-12-13T18:32:00.000-08:00

Today is my 30th birthday, and so I thought I would share just afew things about me. Be warned, I ramble.

I am currently 11 weeks pregnant with our second child. Our son will be six years old when this baby is born. I guess in the area where we live that is totally taboo. Oh well, every family is different.

It's funny how with our first, I was kind of hoping for a girl just because I am an oldest girl. Now I find myself kind of wanting a girl because of the higher chance of having a neuro-typical child. (Although I don't know if I am well suited to handling little girl drama!)I know without a doubt that however our child comes to us, we will be completely thrilled to have him or her. Although we feel we are taking preventative measures where possible, we are not afraid of autism because it is not an uncharted path for us.

My major in college was art. I have an associates from a junior college and a bachelor's from a university. Although I love creating things when I have the energy, (has not happened much this pregnancy,) my culinary skills are always in much higher, and more practical demand. This is because of the cooking I do for my son's and my own food sensitivities. (Our main ones are gluten, dairy, corn, and un-natural additives and such.) Some days I feel like I am cooking all day long. On the bright side, there is so much information and so many products out there that used to not be available. It is truly a blessing that the work I do maintains my family's health.

I am currently the room mom of the autism kindergarten class that my son goes to. I hope that the "Winter" party goes as well as the Halloween party did. I have to admit I am not quite prepared just yet!

Currently reading: HypnoBirthing; The Mongan Method. Next I hope to read Preventing and Healing Autism by Jenny McCarthy, followed by The Age of Autism. (My understanding is that The Age of Autism is a in-depth look at the link between autism and vaccines. I HAVE to read it!)

I am such a Jane Austen junkie. With my first pregnancy I happened upon the Sense and Sensibility movie with Emma Thompson, 1995. I found it so entertaining and so calming when I was feeling tired and ill with my pregnancy, that I just about wore out that VHS copy. Now I have a DVD collection, and I am hoping to add to it this Christmas! My obsession has also led to reading and re-reading of the books. I love watching and collecting the different versions of the movies because it's so fun to see all the different ways they tell the same story. My husband doesn't really get it, but he gets them for me anyway. :)

Independence

2010-12-11T14:44:00.001-08:00

The founder of my faith once said that all minds are 'susceptible of enlargement.' We have had substantial proof that this statement is true as we have seen our son change, evolve, and grow as we have followed the programs/therapies that we have been blessed to have for him.

My husband and I have always tried to be aware of teaching our son to be independent. This is much harder to actually do in practice than I ever thought! Especially when your child has special challenges, helping them to reach that goal of independence in those things that are within their reach is so extremely vital.

As a mom of an only child, I am the first to admit that I do too much for him. Because he is the only one, and because he did not have typical development, I have a hard time knowing what is age appropriate for him. His teachers always have to get after me for not letting him do things for himself. They have even explained to me that this even extends to helping him learn to control his emotions.

His teachers have explained that immediately hugging is not the best thing to do when a melt down happens. The issue here is that Eli cannot have more time main streaming in the regular kindergarten until he can stop having these emotional melt downs. They have told me that he needs to learn to control his emotions on his own, and I know that they are right. I am trying to learn to ask him if he needs a break, or to tell him in a neutral voice that he is ok, and letting him start to calm down on his own before I ask him if he needs a hug. What a tall order for me to fill! I am really trying though, because this is an important step for him-- an independence he needs to gain. How wonderful it is that we live in a school district that is so aware of the needs of autistic children and that is so dedicated to helping them meet these important goals.

Poop

2010-11-28T19:58:00.000-08:00

Yep, you have been warned. This post is about poop, or more specifically, a conversation I had in a crowded hallway today about poop. What can I say? It is a heart breaking thing, (not to mention gross,) when your child who is 'old enough' to be potty trained is not only still wearing diapers, but every single day having the messy, dripping out, running up the back... I think you get the idea. When another autism mom approaches me with this kind of issue she is facing, I am certainly not above taking about the nasty poop in the hearing of others. I wish that I had had more real people to talk to about my son's poop woes. Needless to say, it meant the world to me to be able to sympathize and offer suggestions and hope.

A little bit of background.... children with autism often have gut issues, such as chronic diarrhea. (The reason why we started going to my son's DAN! (Defeat Autims Now!) doctor is because his pediatrician was not treating his gut and that felt wrong to us. He had no good explanation for the constant loose stools.) Anyways, in my limited and simple understanding, these gut issues stem can from two problems; food sensitivities, and yeast overgrowth. Improving the gut improves the autism symptoms because the gut issues are a part of the autism.

Since my family has been through all of this, I could tell my poop conversation companion some things that I hope were helpful. Her son is new to the DAN! program, and I explained to her how getting the stomach issues under control with the DAN! program improved things with my son concerning the issue we were discussing. I also felt inspired to tell her about how it took us awhile to catch on to Eli's corn sensitivity. He loved to eat corn, straight from the can. It would go right through him. A light came on, and she wondered if his current issues were caused by corn or another food sensitivity. Her son is currently in testing with his DAN! doctor to figure these things out... I wished her luck with all the sincerity of my whole heart. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T08:01:00.001-08:00

Have a great one tomorrow.

Txt

2010-11-23T08:28:00.000-08:00

Eli has the opportunity this year to receive some extra speech therapy from college students because he is enrolled in one of the special studies sponsored by the university. He does this during school hours with his regular aides attending. One of the college students called me and asked me some questions about his speech, one being, "Does he use any electronic means of communicating with anyone?" Her examples were texting and email. I told her no because he did neither at the time.

My husband, who is very hard on his cell, snapped his flip phone right in half one day last month. We went and renewed our contracts and we both got new phones. While nothing fancy, these phones do open up to the full keyboard. Eli was so sad that he did not get one. He gets to play with my old phone, but what he really likes to do is text on ours. "I message Daddy," he says, when he wants to text. Or, "I want message Aunt." He says this several times a day, and he can text fairly independently nowdays.

Usually the things he writes are not conversational, or really functional. A common one is, "Eli is 5, Adam is 6." We are all very aware of that fact now. One day his aunt texted him back, saying, "Eli you are so cute." "I not cute, I handsome," he dictated to me. Now that is some hilarious electronic communication!

Thomas the Tank Engine and lots of Friends

2010-10-31T19:58:00.000-07:00

Eli has been having a good time lately watching "Thomas and Friends" on YouTube. He can do this pretty independently once I set him up. I just make sure I am in the room and that I can hear it, to make sure all the things he watches are appropriate. Believe it or not, there are people who think it is funny to post videos of the toy trains bursting into flames. Most of the videos we find are made by children and are completely child friendly. Watching other children play with and make up stories for their trains on YouTube has inspired lots of train playing in our house lately.

This has made me realize that we sure do have lots of the suckers in our home. There are 4 of the plastic battery operated trains, (Skarloey, Molly, Emily, Duck.) They have their own plastic track. There are also wooden trains, which include his first train, a Thomas that he got on his 2nd birthday. They have two tracks, (generic brands,) with more pieces than I care to count. There is also one small plastic track for the die cast trains. There are about twice as many die cast trains as there are wooden trains. That makes a lot of friends.

These toys really are not that cheap, and we were at the time trying to get through college while raising our boy with autism. Recently when I was trying to put my head around why we have so many, I realized that for awhile there, those trains were all Eli really cared about. He did not care a great deal about playing games with us or getting hugs. He did not care about Daddy coming home from work. He didn't really get excited over anything like that, but he sure got excited about looking at trains at the toy store and picking out one to take home. If the new train was not electric, it would also have a bath with him that night and go to bed with him. Although he was not equipped at the time to understand social things, Thomas trains made sense to him and gave him comfort. His play with them has evolved as he has grown in understanding of the world. Now as a five year old, he makes up simple conversations and stories to play out with his trains. He asks me, "Play with me, mom?" And my job is to "be" a train and play out his script with him. :)

Singing Baby to Sleep

2010-10-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

When my little red head boy with autism was just a baby, I didn't know what challenges he would face in the next following years. I would try to sing him to sleep just like my mom did with me. I enjoyed singing. I had a rocking chair and I thought that rocking my baby and singing him to sleep was the very picture of happy home life. The trouble was, he never did fall asleep when I did this. It never worked. When he got big enough, about 8 months, he started reaching up and whacking me in the mouth when I sat and rocked and sang to him. I didn't sing around the house much after that.

Fast forward about 2 years later, my son is now newly diagnosed with autism and in an early intervention program with the local school district. They were offering a series of lectures put on by a local woman who is a DIR autism therapy specialist. She explained the nervous system abnormalities that lead to serious sensitivities to stimuli. Her example she used was of her own son who has autism. When he was very young, he was always insisting on wearing hats. He also wanted to wear sunglasses everywhere. This was a big frustration to her, and eventually she just took away all his hats and sunglasses because her son had no language to tell her why he needed them, and she was at wits end and didn't know what else to do.

Fast forward five years later, her son is having a hard time in the class he spends part of the day in for inclusion time. (Although he had an IEP, he still spent acouple of hours each day in a regular classroom.) While they sat at breakfast at a local restaurant, she asked him what was troubling him about the class. He said, (and I wish you could have seen how cute it was how she mimicked her son's unique voice patterns,) "Yeah, I have an allergy to light." She asked him what kind of light, and he pointed straight to a florescent light bulb on the sign of a neighboring shop. She later went to the classroom to discover that a bright florescent bulb was right above his desk. She also discovered why he had his attachment to hats and sunglasses as a tot; her son was sensitive to light to the point where too much was painful to him.

This was a huge eye opener to me. What I discovered is that Eli's sensitivity is sound. Shaking a new garbage bag open around him as a baby led to the saddest display of tears; as well as hearing other children cry. It was not sympathy, it was just that their cries pained him so much to hear. The vacuum always caused an unheard of display of fits, even when he was in the opposite end of the apartment, shut in a room with his father. And this is why he would whack my mouth as an 8 month old.

Although I have been mostly out of the habit of singing for years now, I decided to give it another go. Tonight I sat on the foot of Eli's bed and sang him to sleep. It was the sweetest thing in the world, just as if I were rocking a newborn. There was a bustle going on in the apartment upstairs while he was trying to go to sleep. In such cases he usually listens to a quiet CD, but the CD player was having troubles. Eli's autism symptoms are not what they once were, so I tried singing. I sang him a song from "Signing Time," "I'm Trying to be Like Jesus," and "Little One." And off he drifted to sleep. I could not be a happier mom tonight! Singing my five year old to sleep is like filling in a gap that has long wanted to be filled.

Kitchen Gadgets

2010-10-17T21:42:00.001-07:00

Here are some recently acquired kitchen gadgets of mine:

manual grain grinder

I bought the hand grinder at the Provo Macey's for $50. Quite a steal, really. Orem Macey's in Utah Valley charges $69 and I heard the Pleasant Grove charges $79. The whole idea was to save .70 cents on white rice flour and 1 dollar on brown rice flour per pound. Quite a significant savings when taking into consideration the price I can buy the rice for in bulk on a good sale. This does take time and some arm, but for the money it is a great grinder. One day I will be getting a good electric model and using this manual one for emergency/back-up purposes.

apple corer/peeler/slicer

I also got this apple/corer/peeler/slicer gadget at the Provo Macey's grocery store. It was just under $20. I am really really hoping to make some apple sauce this year. I used one of these gadgets to make applesauce with a friend years ago, and have wanted one of my own ever since. Homemade applesauce is so very heavenly! Both gadgets are Victorio brand.

It seems as though I blog quite alot about food or related topics. What can I say? I am always thinking about food. I am always planning, cooking, and cleaning, all because of food. It really is the whole aspect of cutting gluten and other common foods, and then trying to eat this way on a shoe string budget. (Or at least as cheaply as possible, while doing my best to get good nutrition down my family. Trouble is, gluten free/dairy free can be an expensive way to eat.) I am always looking for ways to cut down on the grocery budget without compromising fresh fruits/veggies and without making us bored to death of our food. I have looked into several strategies.

Generally, couponing to save money on groceries does not work really well for me. Usually, coupons put out by manufacturers are not for food that we would normally eat, or for what we should on our diet. However, my husband does get sent to work with lunch food that I used coupons on. (He does not have the diet issues of our son and myself and it helps him resist the urge to buy extra snacks while on the road.)

GF/CF mixes are a no go for me. They are convenient, they save tons of time, but really, they are horrid for my budget, (very expensive,) and usually contain one or more of our "eat seldom and with care" list. (Corn, soy, and sugar are among the "eat with care" list.) I do not even buy flour mixes. I mix my own flours. If rice, I grid it myself, too.

Canning is something I have taken to this season. When you know people who can hook you up with free fruit for the picking, that is a great way to fill the pantry. True, it is not the same as eating fresh, but there are many wonderful, tasty, and nutritious things that can be made from my stockpile.

My ultimate solution for our diet/budget situation: eat simple food, and make everything from scratch. Eating simple is for my sanity, our health, and our budget. Making it all myself insures that I know what is in it, and that I am spending even less.

Love One Another

2010-10-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

Marker Eposide

2010-09-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

I love it when we get Eli new markers. He loves them and he goes through lots of paper as he draws. I have always referred to his drawings as "shapes." That is exactly what so many of them are, which makes them so abstract and wonderful. It is so fun telling him what I like about each "shape" when he brings his work to me.I honestly do not even encourage representational drawing much at all.

One evening I was away from home and I got back just after my husband and Eli had gotten to bed. This is what the refrigerator looked like. I stood there in awe of Eli's little gallery! I was so inspired, (and maybe a little jealous!)

This "mural" Eli drew in the corner above his bed is completely gorgeous. What awesome use of color and space. (Of course, I can't tell him I think it is beautiful and I regret that he will have to wash it off with me because those are the terms and conditions of wall writing in our house. I still love it.)

I am interested to know what these drawings mean in terms of his development. I know for his age it is not normal for so many of his drawings to be non representational. However, I feel that his use of space is advanced. I am going to look into this more and hopefully discover more about my son's unique abilities.

Personal Hair Dresser

2010-09-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

Eli had a wonderful weekend. That is not to say that we did not have our moments. (I think when I woke up to the bathroom flooding this morning was my favorite part of those moments. Not. What can I say? I guess he will be a five year old boy.)

Eli has just been so happy. His tummy has shown no signs of bloating. He feels well, and we can see it in is smile. Today in church he sat on my lap and pretended to be my hairdresser, whispering to me about color choices, giving me a little trim around the bottom edges, and I think he said something about staples and glue. (!) Good thing it was pretend!

After these last few years of working on healing his gut, I think we may be at a good place now. That is not to say that he does not have bloaty days. There are times when we are not careful enough about his diet, (meaning that we have had times when we don't realize that too much GF yeast bread would make his belly bloat, and other similar instances.) The true miracle is that his belly will go back to normal on it's own in time when we go back to normal diet. I can't explain how huge this is. I feel such gratitude that I can't express.

On Saturday a man we met at the park said to us, "He is just a bundle of love, isn't he?" He just found Eli so very friendly and sweet. I hope I remember that forever.

Garden Veggie Zucchini Casserole

2010-09-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

So much zucchini! I have even let the squash bugs have at it these last few weeks, and we still have so much. Here is dinner idea that I have been using throughout this plentiful season.

It all started with some ideas I gleaned from "The Classic Zucchini Cookbook" by Nancy Ralston, Marynor Jordan, and Andrea Chesman. In this book they describe how to make "Born again Zucchini." For this dish I use this same idea, also incorporating potatoes. I also found some great tips on baking time.

There are no measurements. I never measure when I make this.

First, slice thinly clean potatoes, zucchini (small to medium size,) white or yellow onions, and tomatoes.

Place the zucchini and potatoes in a bowl, toss in 1/2 to 1 teaspoon coarse salt. Let this sit for 15-30 minutes, and afterward drain and blot dry with towel. Now you have "Born Again Zucchini," (and potatoes,) with less water in the squash, it is much more recipe ready.

Next, stir and coat pieces in a prepared tomato based sauce. This is where you can really customize to your own taste. Personally, I start with a pizza sauce base, and start stirring things in. Here are some ideas I like to add:

minced garlic
finely grated cheese (I use soy)
dried sweet basil leaves
salt
pepper

Stack the coated veggies in glass pan, adding here and there a slice of tomato and onion. Here is a picture of mine all ready to go for the oven.

I like to spoon whatever sauce is left over the casserole.

Bake at 350 degrees. The trick I have learned is that the typical 45 minutes to 1 hour used for typical like dishes is not enough for this special veggie dish. An additional 45 minutes or so is needed to really caramelize the veggies. (Always keep an eye on the oven, of course!)

I have even made this in a dutch oven outside my back door with tasty results. :)

Greenwear

2010-08-31T08:10:00.000-07:00

The Bakery and Autism

2010-08-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

I think that parents of autistic children will all agree that life gets a pretty through overhaul in the early years after your child's diagnosis. I was just reflecting on this as I was washing dishes, which pile up so quick due to all the GF/CF cooking done in our house.

One marker of these drastic changes that I have identified with me personally has to do with my job: bakery clerk. I have held several different positions in several different bakeries since I started as a sophomore in college ten years ago. It has been my job while my husband and I have been going to school and raising our son. Most frequently, I have been on the night crew, because those have been the hours I have been available. We manage product, provide customer service, and most of all, we clean. Boy, do we clean. I currently this position for the time being.

When I meet someone new and I mention my job for the first time, I regularly get asked, "So, do you decorate the cakes?" This occurs almost without fail. I do not blame them one bit. It is that bit of nostalgia that goes with special custom cakes. Weddings, birthdays, bridal/baby showers, etc. We celebrate them all with cakes.

I do know how to decorate. My college degree is in art, and so the creative element has always had a draw for me and I have made it my business to know how. However, being a cake decorator is a position I have never held. My availability for my job with college and family has never allowed it. I used to think that the circumstance was really one of those "too bad" things. I used to really want to be a decorator.

I have done many, many custom cakes for people over the years in my job. I have pictures of cakes I have made for family members. One summer I made two wedding cakes, one for my sister, and one for my sister-in-law. I even remember once watching a video on youtube of someone using fondant to ice a cake. The next day there was a fondant wedding cake order to do, and the decorator needed help, and so with my new knowledge I got to help her. I could not have been prouder.

Interestingly enough, I have recently found that my feelings on the subject have changed a great deal. It is all a direct result of all the changes these early years of my child's diagnoses has had. When I think about being a decorator and spending all that time with the cakes, I think, "Ice hunks of gluten with gobs of trans-fat? No thank you!"

The Growing Experience

2010-08-03T22:40:00.000-07:00

My husband and I decided that this year we were going to grow a garden if possible, for several reasons. First, we wanted wholesome veggies that we know the source of. We wanted to learn to be more self-sufficient, and we thought that learning to do this kind of work together as a family would be great for all of us.
The fresh, wholesome veggies have been great. It makes us feel so good to feed this food to our little son because we know that these veggies we grow are not adding to any toxin burdens he has. Oh, and our garden is not done. We are are looking forward to more, and looking forward to putting some up.

We were given a little lot next to our apartment to use for the season. We are so grateful! This garden was started from seed. The first picture was taken afew weeks or so after planting. The picture of Eli and his grandma was taken just last week. Notice our reuse of shopping bags... we have tied some to the tomato cages in hopes of scaring the deer away who have discovered our garden. :)

Zucchini Pile

2010-07-20T21:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks to very prolific plants in my garden, I have been watching a pile of zucchini grow on my kitchen counter over the last two days. Tonight I set out to find a remedy. I currently have this library book called "The Classic Zucchini Cookbook" by Nancy Ralston, Marynor Jordan, and Andrea Chesman. I may need to purchase this book and keep it forever. I discovered this way easy sweet little starter dish that I had tonight next to a baked potato. The version here has been modified, of course, to fit our special diet and tastes. I have cut out the measurements, too, because I didn't use them. I am gaining a whole new appreciation for zucchini.

Zucchini Pizza Bites

medium sized zucchini or summer squash, sliced into rounds about 1/4 inch thick or a bit thicker.

olive oil

well seasoned pizza sauce (One of my favorites is muir glen organic pizza sauce.)

finely grated cheese alternative (I use vegan gourmet brand, it is a soy cheese that is casein free.)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Brush both sides of zucchini slices with oil and arrange on baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Roast for 7 minutes, or until slices are just tender when pierced with fork.

4. In small bowl, stir grated cheese alternative into pizza sauce.

5. Spread spoonful of sauce on each zucchini slice. Return baking sheet to oven and roast until sauce is heated through, 2-3 minutes.

6. Serve hot. :)

Joy in the Journey

2010-07-13T17:07:00.000-07:00

The subtitle of my blog reads: Being a parent of a child with autism is a journey to have joy in.

In case you are wondering, no, I do not look at autism disorders with rose colored glasses. I have lived with autism in my life since 1992, and with a brother and now a son with autism I am pretty well aware of some pretty ugly realities that can come into a family where there is a child that has autism.

I started blogging about autism at a time when I needed a positive affirmation to see regularly. The year I turned my blog into the autism journey blog was a year of loud displays of grief on my part, (that my son did not even respond to,) and waking up most mornings to find that while walking from his room, my four year old son's diaper had dribbled poo all the way down the carpeted hall.

When people ask me "What is your son's special skill?" or, how about this one: "So is he good at math?" I stare at them, and then when I realize they are waiting for a response, I stumble to give one. Popular culture only teaches the public about the very mild side of the spectrum, so unfortunately they really have no clue.

It has really been a hard journey in many respects. It was two years ago that we started biochemical intervention with the DAN! program. The first year was rough, but we did see some change. This last year has been MIRACULOUS. Between the medical interventions and also a very wonderful preschool program he enjoyed over the past year, which included ABA, we are at a very happy place.

To define my joy in the journey: it is PROGRESS! Making huge sacrifices on our parts and seeing progress on his, has brought us so much JOY!

Summer Activities

2010-06-20T06:10:00.000-07:00

These are some pics of some outings we have had this summer.

Hogle Zoo: comparing his size to the apes

These were all so fun! The zoo and Children's Museum were both in Salt Lake and both class field trips with his school. The zoo wore me out, it was so overstimulating for him that most of the time he was just running around everywhere. Once he wore himself out alittle, he really enjoyed looking at the animals.

On a hike in the canyon with Daddy

Hiking is something we are working with him on this summer. We would like for him to go on short hikes with us. Here you see his dad had to pack him out. Next time we will let him play in the water at the falls, and that will give him some hiking motivation!

Children's Museum

The Children's Museum was really nice. He loved the activities there that involved large soft blocks and cranes, water, balls, and digging. This was alittle easier than the zoo because it was in a more confined space. (And yes, he was wearing a bright orange vest so he would be easier to keep track of.)

Soon his summer program at school will be over, and I am compiling some fun educational activities for him to do for the rest of the summer locally and at home. Please let me know if you have ideas! I will post mine. :)

Cool Summer Salad

2010-06-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

The other day I had a need to develop a recipe for a "summer salad" to share at a potluck. This was the result. I was very happy with it. What a great allergen-free treat that is nice and cool-- great to have on hand in hot weather when you're craving ice cream, popsicles, and jello!

Healthful Pineapple-Orange Gelatin Salad

1 box Knox unflavored gelatin (1 oz, 4 envelopes)
1 can frozen Dole juice concentrate, Pineapple Orange Banana flavor
2 tablespoons sugar or honey
3 cans mandarin oranges in mandarin orange juice, (not corn syrup,) 10.5 oz each
1 can pineapple tidbits in pineapple juice, (not corn syrup,) 20 oz each

Prepare juice as directed on frozen juice can package. Open cans of fruit and drain juice into prepared juice, (optional.) Use prepared juice to prepare 1 recipe “Fruit Juice Knox Blox” on the back of the package of Knox gelatin, cutting knox blox to 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch squares instead of 1 inch as package directs. (Gelatin will take 3 hours to set in the refrigerator before it is ready to cut.) Scoop little blox into bowl and stir in drained canned fruit. This recipe is way versatile. Experiment with your own juice and fruit combinations, or try embedding fruit in the gelatin. Your family won’t even know it is good for them!

Daytrana

2010-06-06T22:49:00.000-07:00

This situation happened afew months ago, and I am still shaking my head in disbelief. The school district where my son attends has a psychiatrist. As part of assessing him for the next school year, we had to go in and see her. She spoke with us, and then observed Eli. She did not interact with him, or test him, and she was speaking to us most of the time he was in the room.

Diagnosis: Eli has autism and also has a hard time focusing.

She was waiting for the word to write on her little pad a prescription for him.

Daytrana, she said, was a ritalin patch. It is easy to control the dose and when he gets it, she says.

I have to admit, I was alittle taken in at the time. My husband was rightfully skeptical with the whole idea. At that time, for afew months there, Eli was getting frustrated extremely easily. I looked back on how I took ADD meds through college, but we said no thank you at this time. I discussed this with my sister later who said, "Ritalin?! I had some of that, never took it because I hated the way it made me feel."

Holy cow was that the slap in the face I needed. I remembered the similar meds I took when I was in high school and then college. I could focus on everything, right down to the way the girl's shoes in the front row didn't match her outfit. However, I felt like I was watching a show or something. I felt like I could not interact with the world around me. Do not even get me started on the "let down" effect. I could never do that to my son, my little son who does not even have the words to tell me that he feels strange.

Now that I have discovered that my inattention can be taken care of in large part by nutrition, I will never be on attention meds again.

Now just months later, Eli's general frustration level has gone down. He has been bringing home raving reports from school, without the aid of Daytrana.

I have to say that I am very concerned over the whole episode of the school psychiatrist, and I fear for families who may not be aware that ritalin is one of the most overly prescribed drugs in the whole nation.

Moving Up!

2010-05-26T18:51:00.001-07:00

While we always have our ups and downs, things with Eli are generally moving up and it has been way exciting. Yesterday he brought his weekly note home from school saying that he followed almost all the directions and had only 4 minutes of non compliance during the previous week. (That is down from anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes.) Yipee!

He has been saying more small sentences. "I don't like it," and "No bath today," were two of the more recent ones I remember. So like a boy! And they were used functionally, too. The "I don't like it" was in reference to a shower, which he liked once he got in, of course. He had been watching Signing Time the day before, and it is so visual, I think that is where he learned that one.

He is just growing in understanding everyday, and "What is that?" is something I hear just about everyday!

I read a blog post yesterday that I thought was great. She really got it right on! Read Chef Penny's post here: Our Crazy Adventures in Autismland

The GF/CF Lunchbox

2010-05-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

I had a really wonderful opportunity last month to teach a little class about food sensitivities. I shared our family's stories, (see food sensitivities part 1 and food sensitivities part 2,) and demonstrated some really delicious chicken recipes that we have run across and found helpful with our son. One of the moms that was there asked me what I put in my son's lunches that he takes to school. I had a couple of ideas ready, and I thought I would post them here, along with afew other things I have sent him with. Some of these things will seem odd, like the pasta with peas stirred in, but since this is the main way that I can get green things down him, I take advantage of that, for sure. Every child will tolerate different things of course, but I hope that this list helps some parents out with ideas.

* I should probably mention that my son's lunches are more than just GF/CF. They are also corn, soy, sugar, additive, preservative, and coloring free.

Special things I make for his lunch

pizza
brown rice or Lundberg's brown rice couscous cooked in veggie broth, salted, with peas added
rice flour tortilla with filled with flavored re-fried beans
falafel
chicken nuggets (recipe adapted from eatingglutenfree.com)

Leftovers from dinner
making extra dinner is a great way to have an easy ready made lunch

chicken soup made with rice
chili
tortilla soup
stir fry
brown rice pasta (he won't eat spaghetti sauce, so he gets earth balance spread on his noodles with salt added, often with green peas or mix veggies stirred in.)

Other
things I add to above listed main courses

apple slices
carrots
raisins
peas
green beans
olives
cucumbers
green pepper strips
all natural potato chips
GF/CF muffins
GF/CF crackers (homemade 'fake' graham crackers or store bought rice ones)

I'm sure I am forgetting some things... I will add as I remember. I always send my son with his little klean kanteen full of filtered water as well as a healthy "suits his system" meal.

The Potato Starch Caper

2010-05-10T12:28:00.000-07:00

We use potato starch ALL the time in our gluten free baking as opposed to corn starch. Our local health food store is called Good Earth, and we can buy potato starch there in the bulk section. When we buy flours/starches in the bulk department, I always worry that the flimsy little bags will get holes. I am happy to be creating less waste, and so I am just careful with them and normally we don't ever have a problem.

One day recently our little Eli was helping us shop at Good Earth. He had a child sized cart that the store provides, and he was pushing our items all around the store. When it was time to put the items up at the check stand, he had to do it unassisted. (He is going through a big "I do it myself" phase.) That was fine, until he decided to grab all three of our bulk flour bags at once. Two of them made it to the check stand, and one of them made it to the floor. The potato starch bag broke open, sending it all over the floor, and even on the black boots and the bottom of the pant legs of the woman in line.

I explained to the checker that our son had made a mess with a flour bag while trying to help, and I apologized to the poor woman in line. They were all really nice about it. It was cleaned up in no time, and we got another bag of potato starch. The woman in line was making comments about how cute our son is and seemed completely cool with everything. That is when the checker asked me if the woman was my mother! I don't know what she was thinking, but I guess the woman was about 30 years my senior and was being extremely nice about the whole thing.

"No, just a poor woman we covered in potato starch," was all I could say!

Food Sensitivities part 2

2010-04-22T21:37:00.000-07:00

Last summer I was ill. The ache in my stomach was constant, although sometimes it was just a "dull" ache, and sometimes more stabbing. Often I was very tired. I didn't seem to have the energy to do much of anything.

I went to a specialist that calls himself "The Gut Whisperer." After moments in his office he ordered a full endoscopy procedure. I think the gallon or so of nasty stuff I had to drink was the worst part. It was hard to keep down. After the whole thing was over, he told me that it looked like possible celiac disease, so he would send the biopsy he took to the lab and I would see him in his office later to see the results.

I went home and for the next week or so I tried to avoid gluten. I thought I felt myself starting to get better. Imagine my shock when I went in to see "The Gut Whisperer" again the next week, and he says that the results of the test were negative. I told him about my dietary experiment, and he said that "non celiac gluten intolerance" may be the cause. He did not seem to think that eating gluten free was a good treatment method. He sent me home with a recommendation for probiotics and some little pain pill prescription, and the advice to "eat whatever I wanted."

I was so confused. I did not want to put a band-aid on an inner wound that he would not seem to fully acknowledge. I went home angry and drowned myself in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that caused me to spend hours in bed that afternoon. That is when I decided to ban gluten and "The Gut Whisperer."

I ate gluten free for months, and I was mostly doing great, but I started noticing those little crampy aches at times. I was starting to suspect dairy as the cause.

It was at that time that I heard some interesting stats from friends. (Of course I do not have sources for these, they were by word of mouth, but they made me think.)

-45% of people with celiac disease also have a dairy intolerance.

-People with celiac disease are 40% more likely to have a child with autism.

As mentioned in Food Sensitivities part 1, my son did an allergy screening, and I decided to do the same.

My results were practically identical to my son's!!!

The exceptions are that he has strawberries and celery on his, while I had cantaloupe show up on mine.

Now Eli and I eat mostly the same. (Gluten free, casein free, banana free, peanut free, and as much corn, soy, sugar, and additive/coloring free as possible.) I have to say that I am feeling the best I have ever felt, and I am thinking so much more clearly. When I say that I am thinking more clearly, I mean that my ability to control my focus is improved. I have had trouble with attention my whole life because of ADD.

ADD and autism appear to be related genetically in many families, and in this case I would venture to suggest that in my family the relationship has to do with food sensitivities.

I think that this little "discovery" of mine is NOT an isolated event. While many parents are aware of their child's food sensitivities, are they having themselves tested for the same food intolerance? It would be a good idea. On my new diet, I feel empowered with greater energy and focus to help my son recover, and I wish that for other parents, too. Oh yeah, and I also urge parents to take a lesson from my experience and find the right professional to do the testing, like one that actually believes in food sensitivities and offers alternative allergy therapy for long term treatment.

Picasso

2010-04-18T21:20:00.000-07:00

Pablo Picasso once said,

"Art washes away from the soul
the dust of everyday life."

I love this quote.

I think that at least for me, the word "autism" and "art" are interchangeable in this quote. My son with autism always forces me to look at life in a new way when we are are going about our everyday things. It is very "present" and usually very creative. In the "present-ness" of the way we experience life together, there is no dust collecting.

Food Sensitivities part 1

2010-04-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

When my son was 2 and 1/2 he received his diagnosis of autism. I remembered that when my brother was little he had behavioral reactions to many types of foods that could be quite severe. (Hence the inspiration for my story, "The Chocolate Effect.") I found an allergist and took Eli in. I wanted to know what foods we should be avoiding. The traditional allergy test revealed nothing. The blood test to look for celiac disease revealed nothing.

In the meantime, Eli's pediatrician was calling me. He was concerned about my plan to ease Eli onto a GF/CF diet by eliminating milk to see if that improved his symptoms. But as good as his intentions were, the same man who could not give me answers about my son's diarrhea was calling me in the evening to tell me that my son needed milk. Looking back, the irony of it is kind of maddening.

We became confused as to what to do. We dedicated ourselves to trying our best to eliminate preservatives, additives, and colorings as much as possible, because what little we did know at that time told us that these things were burdens on his little body.

One year later when I discovered the book, "Changing The Course of Autism" by Dr. Bryan Jepson, things became much more clear. We were converted to biochemical intervention and we found the DAN! (Defeat Autism Now!) Doctor in our area. It was easier for us to make the change to gluten free/casein free with our new knowledge and with the support of a health professional on our side.

After Eli had been GF/CF for a little while and we had addressed some of his gut issues, we had an allergy screening done. It was anything but the traditional model. This time, it was a test using a little electric current, and it showed sensitivities right on a computer screen. As far as foods go, we got these:

-barley
-corn
-oat
-rye
-wheat
-milk
-corn
-soy
-sugar
-sweeteners
-food additives
-chocolate
-peanuts
-bananas
-strawberries
-celery

For a good part of a year now Eli has been getting Low Dose Antigen therapy for his sensitivities. It is just a little injection he gets at the clinic about every 2 months. While we limit his intake of all of the items on this list, gluten, milk, peanuts, and additionally preservatives, additives, and colorings are always avoided in his diet.

It's been truly wonderful to have some answers and to see him improve and enjoy life more.

Melatonin

2010-03-28T22:30:00.000-07:00

Melatonin is something that our bodies produce to regulate our sleep patterns. People who have autism often have insufficient levels of melatonin in their bodies. One of the first things that we did when our son was diagnosed with autism was put him on a nightly little dose of melatonin. When I finally got my hands on Changing the Course of Autism by Dr. Bryan Jepson, I saw that melatonin was one of the suggested biochemical intervention treatments. I thought, Oh good. We are already going something right.

We were both working at the time and my husband was going to school full time. We were desperate to solve the sleep disturbance issues that Eli had that went along with his condition. He was constantly getting up in the middle of the night and staying awake until the wee hours of the morning. We were so tired!

We got the idea of using the small dose of melatonin from my mother. My brother with autism has been using melatonin most of his life, and without it his sleep is very disregulated. We started with a quarter of a milligram dose and worked it up by small increments night by night until he was ready to go to bed half an hour after taking it, with his regular bedtime routine, of course. In the beginning I think he only took like one tablet each night, which was half a milligram.

Looking back, I realize that the smartest thing to do would have been to consult his doctor. The problem was that his pediatrician, who was really quite good, knew little about autism. He could not tell me what to do for Eli's diarrhea or other symptoms. He did know enough to recognize some of the autistic behaviors in children and send us to get a diagnosis, and for that we are ever so grateful.

We like the Nutrition Now Melatonin. We like it because:

-It is in a chewable peppermint tablet
-It is easy to split with a pill splitter
-It is in a half milligram dose, which makes it easy to give only the littlest dose needed.
-Nothing artificial and no gluten, milk, or soy

Nutrition Now used to sell their own products on a very nice site and with great service. Now it is only available through supplement distributing companies. The site I currently use is HerbsMD.

I am providing this link for some friends who have asked to have this address.Click here to go to the Nutrition Now Melatonin listing on HerbsMD.com

Disclaimer: As you may be aware, I am not a medical professional and I am not qualified to give medical advice of any kind. I am providing this information for my readers as a piece of our autism journey.

Eli is 5!

2010-03-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

After having a bit of technical difficulties, it is so great to be able to post a couple of pictures of Eli's birthday from earlier this month. He was so excited about his birthday this year. I wrote it on the calendar for him, and he showed everyone that came to the house his birthday on the calendar.

Eli read a book about Thomas the Tank Engine's birthday about a week before his. He decided that because Thomas had balloons and silly hats for his birthday party, that he needed them for his birthday party, too.

The desserts we have for birthdays at our house always require a bit of planning. Usually we avoid sugar for him like the plague, because his stomach is so sensitive to it. For birthdays among the three of us, however, we make an exception for small portions of the birthday treats for him. They are always GF/CF, of course.

If you were looking at his cake closer and right-side up, you would see it is a homemade cake with a simple glaze that was baked in pan the shape of a simple train engine. I found the recipe for his cake in my cookbook, "Cooking Free" by Carol Fenster. The recipe is called "Apple Spice Cake." I chose this one because it was lower in sugar than the other recipes I saw. Of course, like always, I made it my own way by eliminating walnuts and raisins and adding a small can of crushed pineapple. EVERYONE complimented us on the cake, not just my sister in law with celiac! It was moist and yummy! We served it with Bryer's all natural vanilla ice cream and we had a small serving of Berried Treasure sorbet from Ben and Jerry's for Eli.

Another fun thing we did for Eli's birthday was take him to the arcade. Yes, that was major over-stimulation, (he was jumping up and down excited!) but he had a blast and had no melt downs. Here's a pic of his dad helping him play skee ball for the first time. We played everything, even air hockey, (where he would score on himself and then say, "I did it!") Near the end he had singled out the racing games as his favorite. Some of them were car racing games and some were motorcycle ones. That's my five year old. All boy!

Eli's birthday was a reflective time for me. When my husband and I got married, we figured that by the time we had a five year old we would probably live far away from our college town, own a house, and have more than one child. In our family we are constantly reminded that life simply does not always happen the way we plan it, and it is ok. Life is much more like a journey than it is a destination, and we have so much joy in that journey together!

Our Day in Library Catalog

2010-03-02T18:23:00.000-08:00

This is just a fun thing I found on a favorite blog and I had to make one Lorajean's Magazine

Make your own here:http://www.blyberg.net/card-generator/

I Have Been Published

2010-03-01T22:23:00.000-08:00

A new, local online magazine has published an article on my work in it's March edition. It is about sustainable fashion and how autism is my motivating drive to create it. To see the article, click on the link below and go to page 22 of the magazine.

Thank you, Rebecca, for allowing me to be a part of this and for helping me spread the word!

Click here to see Provo Orem Word

Dear BYU Psycology Department

2010-02-19T11:30:00.000-08:00

Dear Dr. Mikle South,

Hello, my name is Celeste. I am BYU alumni and a Giant Steps parent. I attended the presentation that you and your students put on for the parents of the Giant Steps Preschool several months back. I was impressed with the work your students presented. You mentioned that as part of your research you meet with many parents and note their concerns. I have felt since that time a need and a desire to express to you some things about my journey with autism.

I have lived with autism in my family since 1993, when my brother with autism was born. Now I am the parent of a Giant Steps student. For most of those 17 years when my brother was growing up, I believed that autism is a neurological disorder only and that education is really the only thing that could help a person with autism. After my little son was diagnosed I studied a book called Changing the Course of Autism by Dr. Bryan Jepson. Dr. South, this book was revelation to my mind. I explained the behaviors and phases of my brother over all those years, and also the ones that were emerging in my son. Now I believe that autism is a disease of the body greatly affects the brain. Meaning, persons with a genetic tendency slip into autism when their bodies cannot cope with all of the toxins that enter it.

Since the summer of 2008 my son has been seeing Dr. David Voss at the Freedom Medical Center who treats his condition medically. My son eats gluten free, casein free, and usually sugar free. He is on a variety of dietary supplements that are closely monitored by his doctor. The results over time have been eye contact, communication, and awareness. Giant Steps has of course accelerated his progress even more. This biochemical intervention program is difficult to do, but it is much easier than having a child who is more severely autistic. When I am in a group of Giant Steps parents and they talk about their children’s different troubling behaviors, (such as screaming, running away, and making family life difficult in other ways,) I usually find myself thinking, “I grew up with that, and my son used to be just like that, but not nearly so much now.”

Unfortunately the compilation of research that Dr. Bryan Jepson presents in his book is a bit sparse. There are many gaps and many topics that need more looking at. There is no research whatsoever touching this program from psychology professionals as far as I am aware.

And so Dr. South, it is my plea that If you have any students that are at all interested in pursuing this area in their graduate studies, please encourage them. More substantial research in this area from a department such as yours would do a world of good, not only for children with autism in Utah , but for people with autism everywhere.

Thank you very much for your work in support of Giant Steps. I am very appreciative of what you and your students do.

Celeste Jean

This is the email I sent to Dr. South today. I know it is a bit presumptuous. However, here in Utah we have one of the highest rates of autism in the entire country, and I feel that this professor and his team of graduates have a great deal of influence. Already they do research that justifies to the minds of lawmakers the funding of the Giant Steps Preschool.

Yes, I am hopeful enough to think my small efforts could make a difference in his student's studies. At the least I know I will receive a short, kind reply. I have met Dr. South. He is a nice, fun loving guy. (This is the man who held a free drawing for candy bars at the above-mentioned presentation meeting. LOL!)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T15:16:00.000-08:00

This is a very recent picture I took of Eli with his beloved teddy dubbed "Pink Heart Bear." Eli picked him out at a Macey's grocery store last February. I was surprised that he picked out the one with the most pink on it. He has never been huge into stuffies, but he still loves this bear a year later after all the different ages and phases he has been through.
It all seems so ironic considering his most recent 'like' is Spiderman. :)

Earth Balance Spread and Veganism

2010-02-10T07:32:00.000-08:00

For awhile we were using ghee as part of our son's gluten free/casein free diet. Now we have found what we feel is an even better alternative. It is Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread. The cheapest place to pick this up in Utah County is Sunflower Farmer's Market. As compared to ghee, you get much more for your money.

*non-hydrogenated
*gluten/casein free
*varieties include a soy-free option
*completely vegan

I admit, the vegan aspect of this product is a big draw for me. According to The McDougall Plan, by John A. McDougall, M.D. and Mary A. McDougall, the higher you are on the food pyramid, the higher the amount of fat-soluable contaminants your food will contain. For example, the grains on the bottom of the pyramid will have the lowest amount of contaminants, while the breast feeding child on the top of the pyramid will have potentially the highest.

Concentrated contaminants can be avoided to a large degree by eating vegan. Another more current book on this subject that is very popular is called The China Study. I personally haven't read this one yet, but I plan to in the near future.

My family and I do not eat vegan, but since learning more about the health hazards and also the markets promoting meat and dairy products, meat has become much more sparse in our home. It is used once in a while for a flavoring, not as a main course. As for dairy, Eli does not eat dairy, and products like Earth Balance make limiting dairy so much easier for the rest of the family.

Current Eco Friendly Obsession

2010-01-28T10:58:00.000-08:00

My journey with autism in my family has taught me to look at earth conservation in a new light. I believe that many of our current epidemics that effect our children, (such as severe allergies, asthma, and autism,) are brought upon us by the environment, or our lack of care for it.

Here is my current eco friendly obsession. It is housing built from shipping containers. Steel shipping containers come to us in the form of imports. Once we take out the goods, these shipping containers pile up... it is simply not cost effective to send them back. Architects and builders are latching on to the idea of using them as building material. Here are a couple of links I found while searching "shipping container house" on Google. The photos on these links are great.

http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/articles/containers.htm

"http://green.yahoo.com/blog/daily_green_news/8/twelve-amazing-shipping-container-houses.html

I made a little preliminary floor plan sketch based on 40' by 8' foot containers, using the method of just laying them on some type of leveled ground/foundation and cutting rooms between them. (And windows and doors, etc.) The really lovely thing about this type of building is that additions are easy to add as your family grows. The containers are all made the same and this makes them easy to stack.

I have all kinds of ideas for my container house should I ever have the opportunity to build one. The containers would be in a semi circle shape, which would shelter a green house that is glassed in the interior. Imagine, garden fresh organic vegetables in the winter! We would use salvaged and refurbished cabinetry, and sustainable bamboo flooring. I am sure there are so many other eco friendly things that can be used to make the container home very comfortable. I just haven't thought of them all or researched them all just yet.

School AGAIN?

2010-01-22T12:04:00.001-08:00

This morning I looked in on Eli when it was time for him to get up. I thought I saw his little eyelids blinking, so I said, "Eli it is time to get up so you can get ready for school." As I walked down the hallway I heard him say, "Again?"

I laughed all the way down the hallway! Since I have only heard him say the word "again" only a handful of times, I wasn't 100% sure of what I heard. I went back to his room where he sat on his bed rubbing his eyes.

"Did you say 'again' because you are getting up for school again?" I asked him. "Yes," he said. He has a field trip today, so I told him that he was going to go to the fire station today and see the big fire trucks. I asked him if that sounded good. "Yes," he said, and he got up to get ready for school.

And I am still laughing....

The Toxin Tip and Canaries

2010-01-18T11:38:00.000-08:00

When you are looking for the answer to a troubling question, and then you find it, you feel like it fits and you have a clarity of mind that tells you that you have found what you are looking for.

When I was in high school I did a research project on autism because I wanted to learn more about what made my brother the way that he was. At that time the sources I ran into said that the occurrence of autism was 1 in every 800. Just last month I was informed by an Autism Speaks representative that the Center for Disease Control has come out with a statement declaring the occurrence to be every 1 in 97. What an astounding difference! Even if the sources I read in high school were a decade old, and even if you account for better awareness and diagnostic methods in the medical community, there is still a ginormous increase that demands the question of "why?" Why is there a greater occurrence of autism today?

Dr. Bryan Jepson explains in his book, Changing the Course of Autism, that persons who become autistic have a lower toxin tip genetically. The increasing toxicity of our world, (plus medical interventions such as heavy metal containing vaccines,) causes toxin overload on their bodies. Because of their lower toxin resistance their body cannot deplete these toxins, causing autism.

Jenny McCarthy, while not a medical professional, had an interesting analogy in her book, Mother Warriors, that medical professionals specializing in autism use. Miners used to take caged canaries with them in the mines, she says, because the canaries were more sensitive to the lethal gases that could lurk in the mines. When a canary started having problems with the air, the miners would leave the mine quickly. In the sense that they are more sensitive to our toxins, and in the sense that they react first, the precious persons in our lives with autism are functioning as our canaries.

So why does cleaning up our earth matter? I think I just answered that question. In addition to the joy and wonderful abilities they bring to this world, our children are trying to show us what to do. Despite their communication challenges, this message could not be clearer. Let's listen, please.

Pizza Recipe

2010-01-08T16:02:00.000-08:00

This is our favorite pizza recipe. It is gluten free and yeast free, which is important for Eli's special diet. I am also gluten intolerant, but unlike Eli I do eat some dairy products. Usually I will cut one third of the pizza off after the first bake, before I put the toppings on. Eli gets the third with no cheese and Jason and I eat the rest.

Modified from "Pizza with Easy Tomato Sauce," page 153 of The Kid Friendly ADHD and Autism Cookbook by Pamela J Compart, M.D. and Dana Laake, R.D.H., M.S., L.D.N.

1 1/3 cups garbanzo bean flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
1 1/3 cups water

Blend all ingredients thoroughly, beating for two minutes. Cover pizza pan with parchment paper. Spread out the dough using a wet spoon back. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Take it out and add sauce and toppings. I use Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce. (It is sooo yummy!) Bake for another 15-20 minutes. It will brown very well around the edges.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T18:51:00.000-08:00

Dear readers, thank you for a great 2009!

What a great goal raising awareness is for the new year. I love this necklace that my mother gifted to me for Christmas. It is true that when I wear it I am forced to tell curious people why I am wearing a puzzle piece charm around my neck, but really that is the beauty of it. It really is a pretty effortless way to raise awareness.

I am excited to continue my blog into the new year! This month marks my one year of blogging about my journey with autism in my family. My primary goal was to share resources with other parents, because I know how maddening it is to try to find out what your child needs when he/she has autism. I hope I have been successful in making the search easier for someone else this year. This blog has also also been a good outlet for me to voice my frustrations, AND to share some of my JOYS!

My journey with biochemical intervention started when I read "Changing the Course of Autism" by Dr. Bryan Jepson. After all the numerous experiences I have had with autism over the course of my life, autism finally made some sense to me when I read this book. I knew then that my son was meant for the DAN! program. I will forever be indebted to Julie of the Etsy for Autism Street Team for recommending this book to me. I have seen incredible improvement in my son's health and skills over the past year. Explaining it all would fill volumes, and I hope to continue to share the journey in 2010.

Best wishes to you all in the new year!

-Celeste Jean

Autism Treasury in Treasury West

2009-12-30T10:00:00.000-08:00

I have just been made aware that there is a new treasury in treasury west that is centered on autism awareness. It was so thoughtful of Cape Cod Consignments to create this treasury!

If you are unfamiliar with etsy.com let me explain. Treasury West is an alternate treasury to the one on the etsy site, although just as popular. Treasuries last afew days, and when they expire, users can claim a spot and create a new one. It is not an easy thing to claim a treasury spot, and once claimed the creator fills it with creations found on etsy. I personally find it to be a great honor when someone chooses one of my items to fill a spot in a treasury they create.

Many of the etsy sellers in this treasury are autism parents and/or supporters of the cause. Many belong to the street team Etsy For Autism. Use the search "Etsy For Autism" in the etsy.com search bar to see other handmade items by these team members.

CHECK IT OUT! It lasts until Saturday:Autism Treasury

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-21T06:57:00.001-08:00

Eli came home from school one day dressed like Rudolph with his lunch on his face and a big smile! Too cute.

Vaccines

2009-12-17T12:35:00.000-08:00

I have blogged on this topic before back in July, but I didn't feel like I had good resources for new parents who had concerns about vaccinations.

I have a new niece and my sister has asked me for an alternative vaccine schedule. My first response was, "There is no alternative schedule, because the American Pediatrics Association does not recognize that there is a connection between vaccines and autism because the CDC denies that there is a relationship!" Ok, so I am alittle bit passionate about this.

After deciding to take a look anyway and see what I could find, I DID find some resources for my sister. Here they are.

This one was given to me by my son's DAN! doctor: A User-Friendly Vaccine Schedule

This one I found on Ginger's blog: Generation Rescue's Vaccine Page

And lastly I'd like to share Ginger's blog. She is not a medical professional, but an autism mom who writes about the current controversy surrounding this subject as it relates to autism: Adventures in Autism

Conventional Cotton

2009-12-14T08:13:00.000-08:00

My journey with autism in my family has taught me to look at earth conservation in a new light. I believe that many diseases, including autism, are brought upon us in part by our environment, or rather, our lack of care for it.

I was playing with google one day and I came up with the stats that only 5% of all crops are cotton, yet 25% of all pesticides/fertilizers are used to produce commercial cotton. Also that the production of three conventional cotton t shirts require the use of one whole pound of pesticides and fertilizers. I am not bothering to cite sources on this one because I found these same stats on MULTIPLE sites.

In my little family we are doing some small things to try to combat this issue. First of all, we shop thrift stores first. Thrift stores have more variety and they are easier on our budget. More importantly, buying second hand prevents use of more harmful chemicals for the creation of a new outfit, and that fact alone gives us so much pride in our thrift store purchases! We do not have any sources of organic clothing in our area as far as our knowledge goes, which is really very sad. If anyone knows of one, or of a good online source, do tell.

Recycling pre loved fabrics is something that I do in my studio and I am very grateful for my family's support in this. I make clothing items out of old worn out fabrics. Recently I made myself a long sleeved t shirt out of afew of my husband's old t shirts that would have gone in the trash. I find using preexisting fabrics to create new fashions very exciting because, once again, reusing fabric prevents the use of harmful chemicals. Some of my creations I post in my etsy shop.

Speech Progress!

2009-12-06T20:13:00.000-08:00

Autism causes caused developmental delay that often severely tampers with speech development. Our son not only has autism, (inherited from the family,) he also has additional issues with speech. (Also inherited from the family.) He has had many "Eli" words for many of his favorite things for a long time. For example, "Go-Go" was Gordon the train from Thomas and Friends for quite a while. I just had to write a little post to say that we have had some things going for us in the speech department lately.

Eli's doctor has put him on a pretty high dosage of vitamin E, which of course he monitors. He said that it helped with speech development. Also, at Eli's new autism preschool he receives significantly more speech therapy than he used to. (Next week the speech therapist is even meeting with me to teach me things we can to at home with him. Exciting!) The result of these changes has been just pure awesomeness. Yesterday after some coaching Eli learned how to say "Thomas" correctly. He has always loved Thomas the Tank Engine, but for the longest time he has called him "Boo-Ess," then he was "Mum-Ess." Now at age 4 and 1/2 he can finally call him Thomas! We could not be prouder. Now if I can just get him to stop saying "Bups" for "Grapes."

The Neighbor Boy

2009-12-01T07:29:00.000-08:00

My son has a little friend in our duplex who is just his age. For being only 4, his little friend has been pretty understanding and patient with Eli. They run around together in the yard we share and ride their bikes up and down the driveway together. Sometimes his friend comes over and they watch TV or watercolor together.

Just recently though I have been noticing that his friend has been starting to take advantage of the fact that Eli has a hard time communicating. On acouple of occasions very recently Eli's friend has done little naughty things to him, like taking things from him, when I am not looking. Once I noticed a little smirk on his face when Eli couldn't tell me what was wrong.

Now of course I am not mad at the little neighbor boy. He is probably behaving age appropriately for whatever typical 4 year old phase he is going through. Most little boys probably would have started this type of behavior long before now. I should probably explain to his mother because I happen to know it is very important to her that her son learn how to interact and have patience with people who have special challenges. I know she will be able to gently explain to him why his behavior is not appropriate in a way that he can relate and understand.

I am finding myself upset about this today because it's alittle bit traumatizing to me. It makes me scared for my son and how people may treat him in the future. If you are familiar with the play, "Flowers for Algernon," you'll remember that Charlie, the man with special challenges in the play has coworkers who he says are his friends. All these men do all day is poke fun at Charlie and laugh at him. Although Eli is very bright and I hope for much recovery for him, I do not know what level he will be at socially when he is, say, a teen. Or when he enters the work force. It makes me afraid of people taking advantage of him because of his challenges.

Dear God, protect him. Even from his friends.

Eli's Toy

2009-11-25T20:54:00.000-08:00

We call this Eli's "P" toy. I give it to him on days when he is having a hard time keeping his fingers out of his mouth. I ordered this for him some time ago so he could have a chewing outlet without reverting back to the binky. It is just a therapeutic orange "P" that he chews on... it keeps him from chewing on his fingers, the playstation cord, etc.

www.chewytubes.com

We often put this on a nylon cord as a very loose necklace for him when we go places with it. Last week I went to my mother's with Eli and his "P" necklace. My 16 year old brother, (who also has autism,) was very concerned. "What does that P stand for?" He was very interested to know. I told him that it didn't stand for anything, it was just Eli's toy to chew on. "OH!" He said with very obvious relief. "I am so glad that it does not stand for anything inappropriate." I love you Jared, you are hilarious!

Art About Autism

2009-11-20T09:55:00.000-08:00

I am very proud to show off my latest piece. It is called, "An Autism Sibling's Childhood." It is about my childhood in Oregon. We had picnics at the coast, trips to the mountains, and of course, autism with all of the unique, beautiful, and sometimes complicated characteristics that go along with it.

The medium is a linocut print. I carve these in an artist linoleum and hand print and pull them. It gives them an irresistible rustic look. Every print I make from this block will be unique.

View listing by clicking here.

I Am a Kirkman Mom

2009-11-17T14:39:00.000-08:00

My son is on a small collection of supplements which are monitored closely by his DAN! doctor and they really do make a difference for him. I have discovered that most of his supplements I can simply get from one place online, Kirkman Labs.

I thought I would share the site there in hopes it would be helpful for other parents. The great thing about them is that their supplements are made for people with food sensitivities. There is no gluten, casein, sugar, or other reaction triggers in their products. I have also found them to be very reliable.

One thing that I love about this company is that this year they were named one of the "Oregon Top 100 Green Businesses" which they have to meet high standards to qualify for. They also have a line of products called Kirkman Kleen and which are natural, safe cleaning products. Go Kirkman!

Kirkman Labs is on Rosewood Lane in Lake Oswego, Oregon, near to the place where my uncle and aunt lived when I was a child. We lived across the river and we visited them often, so I suppose that is another thing they've got going for them in my book. :)

Check it out here: kirkmanlabs.com

Parent Training

2009-11-12T20:48:00.000-08:00

My son's autism preschoool has parent training nights and I think it is so wonderful because parent education makes all the difference. Tonight after coming home from one, however, I have to admit I am alittle frustrated. Some parents were discussing "the diet" and basically putting down biochemical intervention. It was obvious that they had not tried to educate themselves on it. I told them I have been doing biochemical intervention for a year, I told them about the monumental difference (his social smile, understanding discipline, etc.) I said there is a book they can read, (Changing the Course of Autism, by Dr. Bryan Jepson,) and that I am willing to talk to anyone about it. After that I tried to keep my mouth closed. It was hard because I feel like even if they choose not to do it, they should not discredit it. To me that is wrong. One parent approached me afterward, and she understood exactly how I felt! "Some people are so ignorant about food," she said. I can't explain how relieved I am that there is another parent like me in the group and I look forward to talking to her again on the subject.

One of the handouts we got tonight was a little story. I read it once in Jenny McCarthy's Mother Warriors book, and I have to tell you it never looses significance for me. I think the author got it head on.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

by
Emily Perl Kingsley.

c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

The Pictures Don't Lie

2009-10-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

These are snapshots I took of Eli's preschool pictures. In the first one he is barely 3, and in the second he is 4 and 1/2.

This one with the glass glare was taken early in 2008. Although not really smiling, he is looking in the general direction and seems to show curiosity on the photographer.

I was so shocked and pleasantly surprised to pull this packet out of Eli's backpack last week! What a difference! Here he is obviously engaged... what progress.

Biochemical therapy has made him so much more available for learning. His schooling, and life experiences, and activities with mom and dad have been more beneficial for his learning than ever. His academic progress has been phenomenal. (He can read many words.) But it is his social progress that makes me the most proud of all, and these pictures are a clear documentation of that.

Siblings

2009-10-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

I am an autism sibling. I've had lots of my experiences come to mind lately as I've been thinking about what my family may be like in the future. I live in a very family oriented part of the country. It is not uncommon to see a woman my age or even younger tote three or four children to the grocery store. When people see that I have a four year old and no other children and no signs of expecting, I get asked, "Do you want more kids?" Rude, I know.

I have a memory bank full of experiences of what it is like to be an autism sibling. I wouldn't call my teenage years "normal." My brother is classically autistic in the moderate range. While there were definitely rewarding experiences, there were also lots of challenges.

This is a story I wrote for autism siblings in a previous post. Even though I am not much of a writer, I feel like for this story I included a good balance of the good and the challenging.
Read The Chocolate Effect here.

I did have some friends that were like the Allison in the story and I will always be grateful. (Admittedly though, we would usually hang out at other places besides my home.) My most Allison like friend, (as far as the purposes in the story goes, anyway,) was the young man that I eventually married. When we were just friends in high school Jason would invite himself over and hang out. He put up with my brother's antics marvelously. My sister and I coined the challenge of our brother with new people "The Jared Test" and when we were young adults we used it on all our dates. We learned quickly which of the young men were most patient. It turned out to be a very viable test.

So as I have my memories running through my head, and my future family before me, I've been feeling like I am missing a perspective. That is the one of the parent of the child that has the autism sibling. Are there any parents out there who are willing to share? What do you do with your autism sib kids to help them learn from, be patient towards, and in some cases, have normal social lives despite their challenges at home?

Hepatitis B Vaccine

2009-10-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

My sister sent this link my way. Especially with my family's history of autism, I wish I would have known this four and a half years ago. Every medical intervention costs the body something, even if that something is meant to prevent. This article also states the rate of autism as 1 in 63. Astounding.

Hepatitis B Vaccine Triples the Risk of Autism in Infant Boys

Dr. South and Recycled Clothing

2009-10-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

It has been alittle while since I have updated. Even though Eli has been in school, I have somehow been very busy. One thing that has been occupying my time is creating products for the upcoming Beehive Bazaar in Provo this next month. I was so thrilled to be accepted because it is a very trendy artsy type of show.

thebeehivebazaar.com

The products I am submitting are eco friendly. I am producing clothing made from pre existing fabric. Most of it is from donated pre loved clothing and linens. I was required as part of the application process to tell them why I do what I do. The answer is simple: Less toxins in our environment means less cases of autism, and as an autism sibling and mom that is important to me.

Acouple of weeks ago I went to a meeting all of the Giant Steps parents were invited to on BYU campus. The meeting was led by Dr. South and his students in the psychology department. At this meeting I learned that the Giant Steps program is in constant danger of losing funding, and has been threatened especially so this school year. The research that Dr. South and his students do is in part right in the preschool program. I am so excited about this because if they can come up with the actual documentation to show how essential the program is to the kids, it is far less likely to get funding cut because the results are then proven in numbers.

Some of the senior students of Dr. South's presented research on how autistic children reacted to trials differently then typical children. Their findings were interesting, but I kept thinking to myself, autism effects the whole body, not just the brain! Being a parent who is a biochemical therapy convert is maddening at times. I feel that more answers could be found if only all symptoms were taken into account.

Eli's First Day of Giant Steps

2009-09-17T11:17:00.000-07:00

Today is Eli's first day of Giant Steps. We took some pictures this morning while waiting for the bus. He was very happy to show off his spiderman backpack.

It is strange for me to be at home so long by myself when I am used to having Eli with me, and I miss him, but thank goodness for Giant Steps! I have met the staff and peeked in the classroom during work time. It is going to be so good for him and I look forward to documenting lots of progress!

DIR and ABA

2009-09-09T21:14:00.000-07:00

We have been looking around to see what the best option available is for our son's education once he is done with his specialized preschool program. Should we stay here in the area we live now, the Clear Horizons Academy looks like a very promising option. We are going to go tour it soon and start the application process so our son can be on the waiting list.

www.clearhorizonsacademy.org

The exciting thing about this school is that it works on the DIR, or relationship based model. The preschool he will be starting next week is ABA model based. Although I can't remember what ABA stands for at the moment, I know that it works on a rewards system. Things are about routine and memorization. We believe that our son will make many gains with this model in this coming school year.
However, we have been considering for afterward the Clear Horizons Academy for it's relationship based program. Although the program he is in this year uses the DIR model to some extent, the idea of an educational program based on it is very interesting to us. The DIR model is child directed and it focuses on building in the children that kind of social addiction that most of us just seem to be born with. Example: With the DIR model you play, and that play is directed by the child. If the child is banging blocks together instead of stacking them, you bang blocks together. Eventually you are taking turns banging blocks and here we have communication circles opening and closing, and opening and closing.
There is a certain acquaintance of ours who tells us that there is a particular family in the area who flies the husband to California each week for work and the rest of the family stays here in Utah, all because of the Academy. I am thinking, if the school is that good, we are going to look into it.

Why, Mom?

2009-08-31T21:19:00.000-07:00

My son approached me while I was at the sewing desk, so I greeted him and told him what I was doing. "Why Mom?" was his response, so I calmly told him more about it. Really, on the inside, I was just thinking, "DID HE JUST SAY THAT??"

By the time most children are the age of four, they have already been tormenting their parents with the 'why' question for quite some time. I just heard it from my son for the first time about 2 weeks ago when this incident happened. Parents of typical kids: be grateful to hear the perpetually asked question. Apparently it is very important for a child's development. I haven't yet learned all the details of 'why' yet. :)

In the meantime, I am hoping to encourage the 'why' question more often.

In other news, this week is another Low Dose Antigen (LDA) injection. My son's DAN! doc is the only one that does these, but he is very active in the conferences and so I hope that many other doctors learn about it from him. The LDA helps my son not be so sensitive to things in the environment and also foods that bother him. It is very safe, it simply helps him build a tolerance. Parents of autistic children know: These kids are sensitive! A special test showed that my son was sensitive to many common foods, and soy especially was almost off the chart!

Preparing for the LDA includes eliminating fish oils from supplement regimen two days before, and eliminating supplements all together for three days, the day before, the day of, and the day after the injection. Fish oil is still avoided during the week after. Also during the supplement free days, he has to be off of chocolate, eggs, wheat, sugar, corn, and milk. I have to admit though, that we usually never give him those things anyway, except the egg. I'll have to remember that when I'm making pancakes in the morning...

The Move

2009-08-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted for awhile because of all the chaos of our recent move. It is all over though, and we are happy with our new place! The reason for our move was the autism preschool located in Orem, Utah, called Giant Steps. It is public, but it is funded by the Wasatch Mental Health Department. Translation: it is free and the program is cutting edge. The downside is that our son had to be on the waiting list for this program for 2 years. We had to be living in Utah County for him to attend, but that was OK because anything out of the county was just too far to commute for a one car family. So here we are! This program is totally worth the move and we are pumped! It is an ABA based program, (although they will use whatever method works for the individual,) and it is four days a week, with full school days!

Our last move was back at the end of December of last year when we moved north in order to complete hubby's education. That move was hard on Eli, as you would expect for a young one with autism. We had lots of uncooperative behavior, vocal outbursts, sleep disturbances, etc. He stopped being manageable with taking supplements for a while there, too, but we kept trying. Once we started getting the supplements down him again, things started getting better, and then he started school at the public school there, and things got even better. We have kept with the biochemical intervention for this whole year this last month and let me tell you how great he is doing! Eli now calls me "mom" and his dad "dad." His vocabulary is growing everyday. If he is looking for a favorite toy train he will say "Gordon go?" He tells me about things in his little shows he likes to watch. He is starting to have more and more of a social smile. This recent move has been such a switch from the one back in December! No regression at all.

Eli had some very kind little friends in our town we lived in up north who taught him so much about interaction, playing and friends. We miss all of you sweet little people! These are some pictures to show his friends how happy Eli is at the new place. There is a swing in the backyard that is cut from an old tire.

The BEST Gluten Free Cookbook

2009-08-08T19:28:00.001-07:00

Several months ago I went to a "gut" specialist for the aching and tiredness I was experiencing. He decided we needed to do a procedure so that he could see my stomach and intestines. After the procedure he said he may have seen possible celiac disease, so I went home and stopped eating gluten, and started feeling better. I went back to see him only to hear him say that the test was negative for celiac and to take a prescription for the aches the may be caused by a "non celiac gluten intolerance." I went home confused. If gluten was making me not feel well, it was obviously not being handled by my body properly and should be avoided. I have been eating gluten free ever since and have been feeling great.

Although I had already been cooking gluten free for my son with autism for the better part of a year, this experience led me to search for even better gluten free baking recipes. I worked in bakeries for 5 years. I had to be able to bake things that I would really enjoy!

That is when I found the ultimate gluten free baking book: Cooking Free by Carol Fenstar, Ph.D.

This book is AWESOME for baking for persons with autism, because many of the recipes have included alternatives to the major ingredients that many persons with autism have problems with: sugar, eggs, milk, and of course gluten.

The best part of this book is that the recipes are good! The ones I use most are the pancake recipe, the basic chocolate cake (it's great for family gatherings!) and the sandwich bread recipe.

The basic flour blend recipe that is the staple for all the recipes in the book is a flexible one, meaning you can use the flours to best suit the recipe to your taste. I find that bean flour in the mix makes a better flour for pancakes and sandwich bread, while corn flour (not corn meal) instead of the bean flour portion makes a better blend for sweets, like the chocolate cake. I just mark my two quart ziplock bags "corn flour blend" or "bean flour blend" and I am stocked and ready to bake anytime.

Another Chemical Free Step

2009-07-28T19:34:00.000-07:00

I have heard that persons with autism should only eat organic foods. My thought was, that's nice, but who can afford that? I began washing our produce with special wash from the health food store and took pride in the fact that I had washed off waxes, sprays, and other contaminants.
I recently read this book:
The Organic Food Guide: How to Shop Smarter and Eat Healthier
by Steve Meyerowitz, and it's a great find on Amazon for under $10.
For being a short read, it explains a variety of topics concerned in the choice of whether or not to buy organic. I found the chapter on labeling very helpful. He tells the many reasons organic foods are better for us, and why all those nutrients in healthier soil makes the food taste better.
I took it for a test. I have been buying organic apples for weeks now. I can honestly say that I enjoy apples more now that I have found apples that are generally better tasting. Knowing I am avoiding chemicals and contaminants probably doesn't make them taste worse, either. :)
Now I want to buy nothing but organic. It is true that it does not always happen. Organic varieties are not always available, or always affordable. However, my family and I are taking steps to make it more of a priority to buy organic. Right now it is all of our produce, plus other products here and there. Here is a little collection from my own kitchen.
My efforts to provide organic foods for my family are in an effort to lessen the chemical burdens on my son. I believe that his predisposed little body contracted autism under the burden of environmental contaminants. Anything I can do to lessen the load on his sensitive body makes him a happier boy.

The Face of Autism

2009-07-12T20:07:00.000-07:00

This is just a fun little project that included everyone in the family. My husband shot this photo while doing an Eli "photo shoot," meaning stalking him with a camera until a picture of his face is obtained. (He also managed to get one with a big smile!) I did alittle photo editing on the photo. (I did tons of photo editing in college... already getting rusty!) It is still overexposed, etc, but I found the end result with his little gaze to be pretty meaningful. I can also imagine my brother at this age looking at me with his own gaze which somehow still looks at me and through me at the same time.

Immunizations

2009-07-02T16:41:00.000-07:00

I had an experience afew weeks ago that I have been thinking about ever since.

I went to see a friend who is an autism sibling like me who had a new baby, about one month old. That little guy was such a doll, and so aware. He could tell that someone that was not mom or dad was holding him, but he decided he could tolerate me after afew minutes. I felt such a connection with the little guy, with the exception of weight and looks, he was just like my little boy at that age... behaved in the same ways. I was so excited I told my husband all about him when I got home. Then he asked me, "Have they been doing immunizations?" And that was all it took for me to sit on my couch and cry for awhile. My husband understood what was wrong and just lovingly sat there with me.

I've spoken before about how I sometimes think about things I would have done differently as a parent in my Mother's Day post. Immunizations is one of those things. I wish I had not been so unaware. Maybe my son would have had less symptoms and had been able to enjoy life more from an early age if I had waited and watched him for symptoms first, waited for safer immunizations, or simply avoided immunizations all together.

Eli has been in biochemical intervention for one year this month. Biochemical intervention has made a difference, even though we can't afford even half the therapies we wold like to have him in. None of his therapies are covered by insurance, and his diet and supplements are hard for us to keep up with. Despite this, Eli can interact in ways he couldn't before, and finds happiness in things he didn't before. (During the drafting of this post he signed "dance" along with a verbal approximation and he grabbed my hands and we danced around the living room!)Previous to Eli seeing a DAN! doctor, his father and I read "Changing the Course of Autism" by Dr. Bryan Jepson. The experience of reading this book was amazing. It is such a compilation of research. It explained to me things that I saw going on with my son and my brother, and the autism community in general, and I was instantly converted.

Now understanding the connection between genetics and autism, and also immunizations and autism due in part to heavy metals, I am appalled to admit that Eli has had the "full schedule" of shots up until the age of 24 months, flu shots, plus he was enrolled in one immunization study. (The doctor, who had children of his own, said that the study was one he would do, and I was way too trusting back then.) My son now has an immunization waiver which allows him to attend public school.

To all the people reading this thinking, "this girl is off her rocker," I want to tell you something: I was once you. Consider the big business that has been built around the immunization program, and what the business implications may be to said big business if each child in the country had one less mercury infused immunization. Consider the government all these years in supporting this big business by requiring children to have a full schedule of immunizations in order to go to school. Then consider that the CDC can't seem to recognize the evidence right in front of them. So I put it to you, I am not a professional after all. Tell me, do these dots deserve to be connected?

Here's an interesting video of CDC accidentally admitting there is a link between autism and immunizations. (I am indebted to Ginger's blog, www.advenduresinautism.blogspot.com for this link.)

Parents, please educate yourselves. Let your mother/father instincts guide you.

"The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief [. . .] of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of merit or sense."
Elizabeth Bennett in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice

Little Lifesaver in a Jar

2009-06-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

I'm not talking about the candy. I'm talking about the little jar of stuff pictured above--- Ghee! This great stuff has been a lifesaver for me with my son's GF/CF diet.

I went to my local Good Earth store one day looking for this because it was the mysterious ingredient in some of the recipes in this book. One of the managers knew what and where it was... it ended up being clarified butter. I almost passed it up... butter is not ok on my son's diet. She explained that clarified means that all proteins are removed... meaning no casein is in it.

Why is this so great? Well, on top of GF/CF my son limits his own diet quite a bit. Margarine, even canola marg is out of the question. No one should eat hydrogenated fats. Bottom line is that this Ghee stuff helps my son accept some foods he normally wouldn't. I stir a teaspoon of it in his GF noodles with some steamed veggies and some salt. He won't eat spaghetti, but he will eat this. (I love it that I can get some veggies down him this way!) At $8 a jar it sure is not cheap, but this little jar has lasted a long time and has flavored many meals of pasta and vegetables and some of brown rice. :)

Backyard Pictures

2009-06-07T19:27:00.000-07:00

Eli makes me laugh. He is very interested in the camera, and he notices when I take a picture. He wants to see the picture on the little screen of the camera every time. The funny part is that for all his interest, he sure resists being photographed! Here is one of him hiding his face and running around when he saw me with the camera.

I was just lucky to get this next one, I guess. It does drive me alittle bit crazy that he won't just give me one of his gorgeous smiles for a picture, but his pouty face is just as cute! He may still be working on the language, but he is extremely expressive without it. (You should hear his pouty "aaaaoooowww" expression that accompanies this face.)