So we start another school year. We are actually already three weeks into our year, and I have to say that I am loving it. I can't wait for summer to get here when it is March, and then I am ready for school to start in August. Our house can turn into total chaos without our school routine and I don't do well in chaos, so the scheduled days are a welcome relief.
We have signed up to do our co-op again this year, we have a writing class, AWANA, and a speech class outside of that and Briley is playing tackle football. (I tried to upload a picture of him in his pads, but my computer is doing weird things again). We are already busy and the year is just starting.
God has been so good to us and we are so thankful for another year to homeschool the kids. I love spending time with them and we learn so much together. We still haven't heard anything on the adoption front, other than rejections. We have been rejected from 3 siblings groups over the summer because they wanted to place them in homes without any other children so they would have the full attention of the parents. I understand their point somewhat, but they have no idea just how much attention comes from having many brothers and sisters to play with. I know that God is in control of it and when it is time, we will be placed.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Good News
After much prayer, Mark and I decided to go ahead and fence the pond. We knew we had done the right thing after God so graciously provided the funds--thank you, Jesus! So, we emailed our social worker and set up a meeting for her to come back out and inspect the fence. When she came this time, she was a completely different person and seemed so happy to be working with us (another prayer answered). She passed us through for re-licensure and talked to us about the many children, particularly toddlers and babies that needed adoptive placement.
We are so excited! She mentioned a sibling group of 4, all under the age of 5 that needed placement and asked us if we would consider them. Absolutely! We are just that crazy!
I don't know what will happen from this point forward, but God does. Every time I think about having 4 babies in the house I am flooded with a mixture of joy and fear. It will be so great to have young children who will grow up to only know us as their mom and dad, but at the same time, it will be a tremendous amount of work in the first year or two. I know the three older kids will be a big help and they are so excited that they might just jump out of their skin at any second. I also know that the younger ones will be easier to bond with because there will be lots of opportunities to cuddle up together.
Right now my thoughts are mostly sugar plums and gumdrops. Can't you just envision the little darlings with me? There they are lined up neatly in a little row to listen to a story with their hair perfectly combed, smiles on their faces and looks of adoration at their new family. Okay, okay, that may be taking things a bit too far. Reality will probably be babies with stained clothes and messy hair, crying and arching their little backs in an attempt to get away from this strange woman who keeps on insisting that she is their mother. The crying will persist until they can no longer hold their tiny eyes open and they will fall into a pitiful heap asleep where their feet were last standing as they whimper about the horrible nightmare that is still ongoing in their little heads.
Please pray for us and for these children because no matter where they end up, they need God's protection and provision.
We are so excited! She mentioned a sibling group of 4, all under the age of 5 that needed placement and asked us if we would consider them. Absolutely! We are just that crazy!
I don't know what will happen from this point forward, but God does. Every time I think about having 4 babies in the house I am flooded with a mixture of joy and fear. It will be so great to have young children who will grow up to only know us as their mom and dad, but at the same time, it will be a tremendous amount of work in the first year or two. I know the three older kids will be a big help and they are so excited that they might just jump out of their skin at any second. I also know that the younger ones will be easier to bond with because there will be lots of opportunities to cuddle up together.
Right now my thoughts are mostly sugar plums and gumdrops. Can't you just envision the little darlings with me? There they are lined up neatly in a little row to listen to a story with their hair perfectly combed, smiles on their faces and looks of adoration at their new family. Okay, okay, that may be taking things a bit too far. Reality will probably be babies with stained clothes and messy hair, crying and arching their little backs in an attempt to get away from this strange woman who keeps on insisting that she is their mother. The crying will persist until they can no longer hold their tiny eyes open and they will fall into a pitiful heap asleep where their feet were last standing as they whimper about the horrible nightmare that is still ongoing in their little heads.
Please pray for us and for these children because no matter where they end up, they need God's protection and provision.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Adoption update
After working with Agape Child Services for 18 months without a placement, we decided to switch to the dreaded county DSS. We started this process in February and had our first home visit with them yesterday (this is a fast process, don't blink or you will miss something). Yes, I am still being taught patience by our precious Lord.
I worked for 3 days cleaning the house from top to bottom, then we worked another two days on the outside raking leaves and storm clean-up. After we finally stood back to preview the results, I breathed a sigh of relief that we were "ready to roll". So, feeling very confident that we had nothing to worry about, I opened the door to greet the social worker with a smile and was met with the following words, "We have a big problem, no, we have a HUGE problem."
Apparently, we should have never been licensed by Agape because we have this huge pond in the front of our house that is not fenced in. So, in order to move one step further we have to fence in a one acre pond, which is not cheap and will be very ugly. Uggh! She also told me that no matter who or how we went about adopting a child, DSS would have to come out and inspect our home and we would be refused because of the pond. Also, if we had been placed with a child, when DSS came to inspect our house, they would have removed the child from our home immediately.
I know the Lord has purpose in this, I just wish I knew what is was. We have believed up to this point that Mark lost his job and we moved into this bigger house just for the purpose of enlarging our family. Now, I don't understand why it all happened. Until I find out, I must hurry up and wait and praise the name of the Lord who can see beyond this impatient girl's expectation and knows what grief or gift lies on the other side of this mountain.
So, now our prayer is that if it is God's will for us to continue in our adoption process that He bring fencing for us and if he does not want us to continue, that He please reveal it to us. Please pray with us. Yesterday, I felt like I had just lost a baby and couldn't get over my feelings of depression, but today I have hope in the Lord that He knows what is best for us.
I worked for 3 days cleaning the house from top to bottom, then we worked another two days on the outside raking leaves and storm clean-up. After we finally stood back to preview the results, I breathed a sigh of relief that we were "ready to roll". So, feeling very confident that we had nothing to worry about, I opened the door to greet the social worker with a smile and was met with the following words, "We have a big problem, no, we have a HUGE problem."
Apparently, we should have never been licensed by Agape because we have this huge pond in the front of our house that is not fenced in. So, in order to move one step further we have to fence in a one acre pond, which is not cheap and will be very ugly. Uggh! She also told me that no matter who or how we went about adopting a child, DSS would have to come out and inspect our home and we would be refused because of the pond. Also, if we had been placed with a child, when DSS came to inspect our house, they would have removed the child from our home immediately.
I know the Lord has purpose in this, I just wish I knew what is was. We have believed up to this point that Mark lost his job and we moved into this bigger house just for the purpose of enlarging our family. Now, I don't understand why it all happened. Until I find out, I must hurry up and wait and praise the name of the Lord who can see beyond this impatient girl's expectation and knows what grief or gift lies on the other side of this mountain.
So, now our prayer is that if it is God's will for us to continue in our adoption process that He bring fencing for us and if he does not want us to continue, that He please reveal it to us. Please pray with us. Yesterday, I felt like I had just lost a baby and couldn't get over my feelings of depression, but today I have hope in the Lord that He knows what is best for us.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Exciting Times
We have now completed 3 months of a gluten free, dairy free life and I have to say that we all feel incredible. Everyone is in better moods, we aren't as tired as we used to be, and the ADHD is under control. I thought this was going to be horrifically time consuming to cook every - little - stinkin'- thing, but it really isn't much different than before.
If I could put everyone in my body for one day before we started this "lifestyle" and then let you spend a day in my body 3 months later, you would all be amazed at how great I feel. I want to shout it from the rooftops and tell everyone to switch to a whole foods diet. Mark doesn't take acid reflux meds or sleeping meds. anymore and his restless leg syndrome has completely disappeared. I am seeing the skin cancer (DSAP) lesions on my arms and legs disappearing and feel great. Seviann says she feels great and any trace of pimples have disappeared. Sabree used to get these little bumps on her face, arms, legs and trunk and they have disappeared. And Briley is my biggest success story, his ADHD is as controlled or better controlled than it ever was on meds.
I think diet has played a huge component in this success, but I don't think we would be seeing these results without the massive amount of vitamin supplements we are also taking. Our foods today, even whole foods are so depleted of nutrients that I firmly believe we need vitamin and mineral supplements also.
God has provided all we need for excellent health in the foods that he grows. Why is it that we don't see this blessing that is staring us right in the face?
Also, we are able to eat organic corn and popcorn without any issues now, but Briley still cannot tolerate non-organic corn or High Fructose Corn Syrup. Amazing, right? And they say that Genetically modifying the food doesn't affect our health--guess again! If an elimination diet is something you or your family are thinking about doing, take heart that you may not have to eliminate these foods forever. Once your vitamin and mineral stores are replenished, you can successfully add back certain whole foods.
If I could put everyone in my body for one day before we started this "lifestyle" and then let you spend a day in my body 3 months later, you would all be amazed at how great I feel. I want to shout it from the rooftops and tell everyone to switch to a whole foods diet. Mark doesn't take acid reflux meds or sleeping meds. anymore and his restless leg syndrome has completely disappeared. I am seeing the skin cancer (DSAP) lesions on my arms and legs disappearing and feel great. Seviann says she feels great and any trace of pimples have disappeared. Sabree used to get these little bumps on her face, arms, legs and trunk and they have disappeared. And Briley is my biggest success story, his ADHD is as controlled or better controlled than it ever was on meds.
I think diet has played a huge component in this success, but I don't think we would be seeing these results without the massive amount of vitamin supplements we are also taking. Our foods today, even whole foods are so depleted of nutrients that I firmly believe we need vitamin and mineral supplements also.
God has provided all we need for excellent health in the foods that he grows. Why is it that we don't see this blessing that is staring us right in the face?
Also, we are able to eat organic corn and popcorn without any issues now, but Briley still cannot tolerate non-organic corn or High Fructose Corn Syrup. Amazing, right? And they say that Genetically modifying the food doesn't affect our health--guess again! If an elimination diet is something you or your family are thinking about doing, take heart that you may not have to eliminate these foods forever. Once your vitamin and mineral stores are replenished, you can successfully add back certain whole foods.
Friday, January 28, 2011
More unexpected results
By this point, we have added back every food type that was in our original elimination diet. Corn, dairy, and gluten didn't make the cut, so we are now on to our new gfcf-cornfree lifestyle. It isn't as hard as I originally thought it might be and we are learning new recipes and snack ideas every day. Below are my observations as each food was added back.
Corn--created terrible behaviors, tantrums, outbursts, and things that Briley would never say came out of his mouth. I liken this to being possessed by a demon--seriously. We didn't see much increase in hyperactivity or decrease in focus, just horrific behaviors. (takes 2 days to leave the system)
Dairy--caused gastrointestinal nightmares and required close proximity to a toilet (took 1 day to leave the system)
Gluten--caused extreme hyperactivity and depleted all ability to focus or comply with any instruction, translation: this was a miserable school day.(takes 4 days to leave the system)
Interestingly, the kids love ANY fruit or vegetable that I put in front of them when we are on the diet and ask for more. (However, it did take a week of near starvation before this happened) But, any time that we added a food type back that was not tolerated by the kids, they hated fruits and vegetables until that food type was completely out of their system and then, they would eat it all with joy once again. ???
I would love to see a massive study done on all kids who "hate their veggies" to see if their parents had the same results as we saw. It has amazed me on so many levels to see the effects of behavioral reactions caused just by food. It has amazed and astounded me that certain foods can make children love or hate veggies. My son eats "brownies" made from spinach, carrots, and cocoa powder. They taste terrible, but he can't get enough of them--go figure?
So, the final question is: Are we able to control his ADHD without medication?
I think that we will see continued increases in his ability to focus now that we are not going to continually add and take away foods, but as for now, we are controlling his ADHD to about 80% of what the medication did. Is it enough? That depends on the day, my friend. No, seriously, it is enough. He is an active boy and God has a plan for all that energy, but for now, he can sit and do his math, he can finish his school work, and he will follow directions (most of the time) after only being asked once. He is not a danger to himself and he is able to sleep at night. Overall, I feel really good about it. I would love to see a little more hypo-activity, but he is a boy, so I thank God for what we have learned so far along our journey.
Corn--created terrible behaviors, tantrums, outbursts, and things that Briley would never say came out of his mouth. I liken this to being possessed by a demon--seriously. We didn't see much increase in hyperactivity or decrease in focus, just horrific behaviors. (takes 2 days to leave the system)
Dairy--caused gastrointestinal nightmares and required close proximity to a toilet (took 1 day to leave the system)
Gluten--caused extreme hyperactivity and depleted all ability to focus or comply with any instruction, translation: this was a miserable school day.(takes 4 days to leave the system)
Interestingly, the kids love ANY fruit or vegetable that I put in front of them when we are on the diet and ask for more. (However, it did take a week of near starvation before this happened) But, any time that we added a food type back that was not tolerated by the kids, they hated fruits and vegetables until that food type was completely out of their system and then, they would eat it all with joy once again. ???
I would love to see a massive study done on all kids who "hate their veggies" to see if their parents had the same results as we saw. It has amazed me on so many levels to see the effects of behavioral reactions caused just by food. It has amazed and astounded me that certain foods can make children love or hate veggies. My son eats "brownies" made from spinach, carrots, and cocoa powder. They taste terrible, but he can't get enough of them--go figure?
So, the final question is: Are we able to control his ADHD without medication?
I think that we will see continued increases in his ability to focus now that we are not going to continually add and take away foods, but as for now, we are controlling his ADHD to about 80% of what the medication did. Is it enough? That depends on the day, my friend. No, seriously, it is enough. He is an active boy and God has a plan for all that energy, but for now, he can sit and do his math, he can finish his school work, and he will follow directions (most of the time) after only being asked once. He is not a danger to himself and he is able to sleep at night. Overall, I feel really good about it. I would love to see a little more hypo-activity, but he is a boy, so I thank God for what we have learned so far along our journey.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Corn
I never thought corn was going to be the culprit of a very bad, terrible, no good day, but it was. We added meat back, no problems--yea!
We added eggs back, no problems--yea!
We added corn back, and the horror with which it manifested itself should only been seen in a scary movie. First, our bodies knew right away that this was not fit for consumption and expelled it many times throughout the next morning:( Secondly, it must have wrapped around Briley's intestines like a rubber band because when it let go, he went flying off every wall in our house and was talking in a super loud voice (although, he didn't realize he was yelling). Next came the headaches and the nausea.
It has taken two days to fully evacuate our systems and we are happy to say goodbye. It seems so strange to me that we have eaten corn for years and never had that kind of reaction, but after cleansing our systems, we did. The healing powers that God has given our body are amazing. Thank you, Lord.
Apples were added back by mistake, and we have done fine with them. Yea! I love apples. We all ate 3 in a row on the day we reintroduced them, they were so delicious. Evidently, they were in the juice Popsicles I made all along and I didn't realize it. So, once we figured it out, I went out and bought a huge bag of Gala apples and we scarfed them in one day. Praise God for apples.
We added eggs back, no problems--yea!
We added corn back, and the horror with which it manifested itself should only been seen in a scary movie. First, our bodies knew right away that this was not fit for consumption and expelled it many times throughout the next morning:( Secondly, it must have wrapped around Briley's intestines like a rubber band because when it let go, he went flying off every wall in our house and was talking in a super loud voice (although, he didn't realize he was yelling). Next came the headaches and the nausea.
It has taken two days to fully evacuate our systems and we are happy to say goodbye. It seems so strange to me that we have eaten corn for years and never had that kind of reaction, but after cleansing our systems, we did. The healing powers that God has given our body are amazing. Thank you, Lord.
Apples were added back by mistake, and we have done fine with them. Yea! I love apples. We all ate 3 in a row on the day we reintroduced them, they were so delicious. Evidently, they were in the juice Popsicles I made all along and I didn't realize it. So, once we figured it out, I went out and bought a huge bag of Gala apples and we scarfed them in one day. Praise God for apples.
Unexpected Results
Going on this whole foods, GFCF diet, I did expect to see changes in the kids behaviors and believe me, I have. But, we have also encountered some pleasantly surprising results that I never thought we would see. The kids actually love the food.
Briley is probably the second pickiest eater that I have ever know in my life, the first being my dear husband. He hates vegetables, he only likes two fruits and they have both been banned from his diet, and he does not like variety. It took two weeks on this diet and two weeks of complaining every time a meal was served to hear the following priceless words three lunches in a row, "Yummy, mom, this is the best lunch ever. This is so good, can I have more."
Do you know what this child of mine was eating? Broccoli, squash, spinach, zucchini, onions, garlic, tomatoes, rice, and black beans pureed together in a soup with a few spiced and topped with chicken. Yes, he asked for more. That was the first day.
The second day he was eating a salad with every veggie you can imagine on it and topped with turkey and sunflower seeds. He even wiped the bowl clean with his finger. I thought I was going to faint. Who is this kid?
The truth is all the experts are right. Kids will not starve themselves to death and if only given the option of good whole foods, they will not only eat it, they will enjoy it. So now we have to change our motto from, "food is for fuel, not pleasure" to "eating healthy tastes great".
Bon Apetit!
Briley is probably the second pickiest eater that I have ever know in my life, the first being my dear husband. He hates vegetables, he only likes two fruits and they have both been banned from his diet, and he does not like variety. It took two weeks on this diet and two weeks of complaining every time a meal was served to hear the following priceless words three lunches in a row, "Yummy, mom, this is the best lunch ever. This is so good, can I have more."
Do you know what this child of mine was eating? Broccoli, squash, spinach, zucchini, onions, garlic, tomatoes, rice, and black beans pureed together in a soup with a few spiced and topped with chicken. Yes, he asked for more. That was the first day.
The second day he was eating a salad with every veggie you can imagine on it and topped with turkey and sunflower seeds. He even wiped the bowl clean with his finger. I thought I was going to faint. Who is this kid?
The truth is all the experts are right. Kids will not starve themselves to death and if only given the option of good whole foods, they will not only eat it, they will enjoy it. So now we have to change our motto from, "food is for fuel, not pleasure" to "eating healthy tastes great".
Bon Apetit!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
The Experiment, Part 4
The 14 day trial is over, now what?
Now you get to add things back to your diet one at a time. Take the thing you have missed the most and add it back to your diet and wait three days. If behaviors are still good and you have not seen the little demons enter your house, then congratulations, you are not allergic to that thing. However, if you do see an ugly behavioral reaction, immediately stop eating it and resume the original diet until all bad behavior subside.
Every three days you can add one thing back. My advise is to keep away from artificial colors because they have been proven in many studies to cause emotional and behavioral problems and are illegal to use in England and other countries. Look it up!
After reintroducing each food you should know what you are "allergic" to and also how long it takes to recover from eating some "allergens". If it only takes you a day to recover from dairy and you absolutely MUST have dairy, then maybe you can have dairy on the weekend, but if it takes several days to recover, then you may want to permanently ban those foods from your diet.
Just for fairness, I would highly recommend that the entire family adhere to the diet since it is not fair to expect a 7 year old to have more will power than an adult. However, after they are asleep---well, if they don't know it, it can't hurt them. Just make sure you hide your stash well because if they find it, you are going to pay big time with bad behaviors. That's why we have decided it is just not worth it to even allow any banned foods into our house at all. No temptations.
Now you get to add things back to your diet one at a time. Take the thing you have missed the most and add it back to your diet and wait three days. If behaviors are still good and you have not seen the little demons enter your house, then congratulations, you are not allergic to that thing. However, if you do see an ugly behavioral reaction, immediately stop eating it and resume the original diet until all bad behavior subside.
Every three days you can add one thing back. My advise is to keep away from artificial colors because they have been proven in many studies to cause emotional and behavioral problems and are illegal to use in England and other countries. Look it up!
After reintroducing each food you should know what you are "allergic" to and also how long it takes to recover from eating some "allergens". If it only takes you a day to recover from dairy and you absolutely MUST have dairy, then maybe you can have dairy on the weekend, but if it takes several days to recover, then you may want to permanently ban those foods from your diet.
Just for fairness, I would highly recommend that the entire family adhere to the diet since it is not fair to expect a 7 year old to have more will power than an adult. However, after they are asleep---well, if they don't know it, it can't hurt them. Just make sure you hide your stash well because if they find it, you are going to pay big time with bad behaviors. That's why we have decided it is just not worth it to even allow any banned foods into our house at all. No temptations.
3 Recipes
GFCF Bread Recipe:
1 Tbsp. yeast
3 Tbsp. raw sugar
1.5 c. water 105 degrees
1.5 c. rice flour
1 c. bean flour or oat, tapioca, or other gf flour (We like pinto bean and oat flour best, ground in my Vitamix blender, so it is cheap).
2 tsp. xanthum gum
1 tsp. salt
9 Tbsp. pearsauce
1.5 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. vinegar
put sugar and yeast in warm water to rise while you combine the dry ingredients, then add the other wet ingredients and yeast water and mix for 4 minutes. Put it in the unheated oven for 30 minutes and let it rise to at least the height of the loaf pan, then bake 375 degrees for 50 minutes.
I mix up the flours and make the pearsauce each night, then the next morning during breakfast, I mix the rest of the ingredients and put in the oven, at our first break of the day, I start the oven and cook the bread. It works well for our family, however, you could cook up several loaves and put them in the refrigerator for later use. We just like it hot out of the oven.
Granola Bars:
2 c. oats
1 c. peanuts
.5 c. honey
4 Tbsp. Imperial Margarine
2 tsp. vanilla
.5 tsp. salt
8 oz. dried fruits (no raisins--use dates, cranberries, or other)
.5 c. dark chocolate chips
2/3 c. brown sugar
preheat oven to 400, mix crushed peanuts and oats and toast in oven for 10 min. Make sure you stir every 3 min. or they will burn.
Simmer brown sugar, honey, margarine, vanilla and salt, then combine with oat and peanut mixture in a bowl and add chocolate chips and fruit until coated.
Line a casserole dish with wax paper and spread the mixture in the dish and cover with another piece of wax paper. Compact the granola as firmly as possible and set aside to harden for 2 hours, then cut into bars and individually wrap for snacks on the go.
Trail Mix:
Rice Chex
peanuts
dried cranberries
dried dates
dark chocolate chips
coconut flakes
almonds
1 Tbsp. yeast
3 Tbsp. raw sugar
1.5 c. water 105 degrees
1.5 c. rice flour
1 c. bean flour or oat, tapioca, or other gf flour (We like pinto bean and oat flour best, ground in my Vitamix blender, so it is cheap).
2 tsp. xanthum gum
1 tsp. salt
9 Tbsp. pearsauce
1.5 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. vinegar
put sugar and yeast in warm water to rise while you combine the dry ingredients, then add the other wet ingredients and yeast water and mix for 4 minutes. Put it in the unheated oven for 30 minutes and let it rise to at least the height of the loaf pan, then bake 375 degrees for 50 minutes.
I mix up the flours and make the pearsauce each night, then the next morning during breakfast, I mix the rest of the ingredients and put in the oven, at our first break of the day, I start the oven and cook the bread. It works well for our family, however, you could cook up several loaves and put them in the refrigerator for later use. We just like it hot out of the oven.
Granola Bars:
2 c. oats
1 c. peanuts
.5 c. honey
4 Tbsp. Imperial Margarine
2 tsp. vanilla
.5 tsp. salt
8 oz. dried fruits (no raisins--use dates, cranberries, or other)
.5 c. dark chocolate chips
2/3 c. brown sugar
preheat oven to 400, mix crushed peanuts and oats and toast in oven for 10 min. Make sure you stir every 3 min. or they will burn.
Simmer brown sugar, honey, margarine, vanilla and salt, then combine with oat and peanut mixture in a bowl and add chocolate chips and fruit until coated.
Line a casserole dish with wax paper and spread the mixture in the dish and cover with another piece of wax paper. Compact the granola as firmly as possible and set aside to harden for 2 hours, then cut into bars and individually wrap for snacks on the go.
Trail Mix:
Rice Chex
peanuts
dried cranberries
dried dates
dark chocolate chips
coconut flakes
almonds
The Experiment, Part 3
So, what do we eat? It must be miserable--not at all. We feel better, we stay full longer and we don't have cravings like we (I) used to. Our new motto in our house is "Food is not for pleasure, it is for fuel". Let that sink in for a minute. Joy comes from God alone and not from food.
Breakfast choices:
Rice Chex with almond milk
Homemade gluten free, dairy free bread with peanut butter and a fruit
fruit and veg. smoothie (you can't taste the veggies and it is a great way to hide them)
homemade granola bar and fruit
gfcf pancakes with strawberry sauce (gfcf--gluten free, casein free (dairy))
Snacks:
trail mix
granola bars
homemade gfcf chocolate chip cookies
fruits
veggies
juice Popsicles
Lunch:
homemade soup with dinner leftovers (quick and delicious)
gfcf bread with pb and whole fruit jam and veggies and trail mix
ham and vegan mayo sandwiches and veggies
chef salad
Dinner:
Many different options, but all delicious and most come from
http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com/ all her recipes are gluten free and casein free
There is plenty to eat and our grocery budget is the same or less each month because I make everything at home. This is the girl who hated to cook and now it is a joy. God will give you the desires of your heart when they line up with his word. I have a baking day once every two weeks for all the cookies and cakes and then keep them in the fridge until we use it. But, I bake a fresh loaf of bread every morning, it only takes a few minutes and it is so yummy to have fresh baked bread ready for lunch. I make all the almond or rice milks, grind all the flours for our breads, make all the pearsauce for snacks, and make the peanut butter. This may seem like an overwhelming task, but it only takes a few minutes for all of these things. If you are used to spending an hour cooking dinner each night, you will spend less time doing these things and have wonderful healthy foods to feed your family. I bought a Vitamix blender and it will do all these things in no time at all. You don't even have to peel the pears, you just cut them into quarters and throw it in with a quarter cup of water and blend for 15 seconds and you have the best pearsauce--no added sugar, no preservatives.
Peanut butter is the same way, throw in some peanuts, blend for 60 seconds and done, wonderful peanut butter that tastes better than store bought without all the sugar. The mixer is a breeze to clean. After you use it, you just fill it half way with water, add a drop of detergent, blend it up for one minute and rinse it out--done. Did I mention that I love my Vitamix?
Rice milk--half a cup of cooked rice, 1 and a half cups of water, 3 Tbsp. of honey and blend for 30 seconds and wallah, you have rice milk for pennies on the dollar of what you would pay in the store. Almond milk is the same only you need to soak the almonds overnight or at least for an hour. Yummy.
Smoothies--5 frozen strawberries, 10 frozen blueberries, one frozen banana, a handful of spinach, 1 carrot, and a cup of orange juice--mix for one minute and serve--delicious.
If I had read this a year ago, I would have thought it was gross, but believe me, all these recipes taste fantastic.
Doctors are doing the best they can with the information they are given. Unfortunately, nobody is paying for studies on the cause and effect of food on the body because nobody makes any money on the results. The drug companies are going to continue to promote all sorts of drugs for every sort of ailment because that is what puts money in their pockets. And doctors are going to continue to prescribe those drugs because people want a quick fix and drugs give a quick fix. Most people are not going to change their diet unless forced to do so. We are indoctrinated in our society to a fatal way of eating by the bombardment of fast food commercials we watch and the quick fix mentality of a fast paced society. There are so many diseases that have become ridiculously prevalent in today's society that were almost non-existent 50 years ago--cancer, depression, ADHD, diabetes, Autism. Doesn't it make sense to consider our environment as the culprit? What are we doing differently? How are we eating differently?
Is this the plan God has for his most magnificent creation, the human body?
Breakfast choices:
Rice Chex with almond milk
Homemade gluten free, dairy free bread with peanut butter and a fruit
fruit and veg. smoothie (you can't taste the veggies and it is a great way to hide them)
homemade granola bar and fruit
gfcf pancakes with strawberry sauce (gfcf--gluten free, casein free (dairy))
Snacks:
trail mix
granola bars
homemade gfcf chocolate chip cookies
fruits
veggies
juice Popsicles
Lunch:
homemade soup with dinner leftovers (quick and delicious)
gfcf bread with pb and whole fruit jam and veggies and trail mix
ham and vegan mayo sandwiches and veggies
chef salad
Dinner:
Many different options, but all delicious and most come from
http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com/ all her recipes are gluten free and casein free
There is plenty to eat and our grocery budget is the same or less each month because I make everything at home. This is the girl who hated to cook and now it is a joy. God will give you the desires of your heart when they line up with his word. I have a baking day once every two weeks for all the cookies and cakes and then keep them in the fridge until we use it. But, I bake a fresh loaf of bread every morning, it only takes a few minutes and it is so yummy to have fresh baked bread ready for lunch. I make all the almond or rice milks, grind all the flours for our breads, make all the pearsauce for snacks, and make the peanut butter. This may seem like an overwhelming task, but it only takes a few minutes for all of these things. If you are used to spending an hour cooking dinner each night, you will spend less time doing these things and have wonderful healthy foods to feed your family. I bought a Vitamix blender and it will do all these things in no time at all. You don't even have to peel the pears, you just cut them into quarters and throw it in with a quarter cup of water and blend for 15 seconds and you have the best pearsauce--no added sugar, no preservatives.
Peanut butter is the same way, throw in some peanuts, blend for 60 seconds and done, wonderful peanut butter that tastes better than store bought without all the sugar. The mixer is a breeze to clean. After you use it, you just fill it half way with water, add a drop of detergent, blend it up for one minute and rinse it out--done. Did I mention that I love my Vitamix?
Rice milk--half a cup of cooked rice, 1 and a half cups of water, 3 Tbsp. of honey and blend for 30 seconds and wallah, you have rice milk for pennies on the dollar of what you would pay in the store. Almond milk is the same only you need to soak the almonds overnight or at least for an hour. Yummy.
Smoothies--5 frozen strawberries, 10 frozen blueberries, one frozen banana, a handful of spinach, 1 carrot, and a cup of orange juice--mix for one minute and serve--delicious.
If I had read this a year ago, I would have thought it was gross, but believe me, all these recipes taste fantastic.
Doctors are doing the best they can with the information they are given. Unfortunately, nobody is paying for studies on the cause and effect of food on the body because nobody makes any money on the results. The drug companies are going to continue to promote all sorts of drugs for every sort of ailment because that is what puts money in their pockets. And doctors are going to continue to prescribe those drugs because people want a quick fix and drugs give a quick fix. Most people are not going to change their diet unless forced to do so. We are indoctrinated in our society to a fatal way of eating by the bombardment of fast food commercials we watch and the quick fix mentality of a fast paced society. There are so many diseases that have become ridiculously prevalent in today's society that were almost non-existent 50 years ago--cancer, depression, ADHD, diabetes, Autism. Doesn't it make sense to consider our environment as the culprit? What are we doing differently? How are we eating differently?
Is this the plan God has for his most magnificent creation, the human body?
The Experiment, Part 2
Beginning this lifestyle is not an easy feat. It takes months of planning and preparation. The good news is that most of that has already been done for you, you just need to know where to look. I can help with that, which is the purpose behind these posts. I want to help all the other families who have children with ADHD and do not want to put them on meds. Have faith, it can be done.
The first thing you need to do even before taking your child off their meds is to give them Omega 3 supplements and a multi-vitamin with iron for one month. (Side note, most people who suffer from ADHD are also anemic, hence the iron.) I know the pills are HUGE, but if my 3 kids can learn to swallow them, yours can too, believe me. Briley and I take 2 each morning and the rest of the family only takes one in the morning, plus our vitamin. I noticed improvement with the Omega 3 after 2 weeks:)
Next comes a little harder part, take your child off their meds and continue the supplements for two weeks. You may not think things are so bad for the first week because the meds are still in your child's system, but the second week will be trying. Be patient, and remember that school may be difficult. (If you can do this over a break, it will help you out a lot).
This next part is the hardest, first PRAY, then Pray again, you will need every ounce of strength you can muster because your whole family is going to detox. You may experience headaches, fatigue, soreness, extreme irritation, and terrible breath and gas. Just warning you! This is when you start the elimination diet. It is best to eliminate everything at once because more often than not, most children will have a reaction to more than one thing. Sanford Newmark calls it the "Two tack theory" in his book. He says if a person has two tacks in his foot and only removes one, his foot will still be in pain, but if you remove all possible allergens, you are sure to find the culprit. In my next post, I will give suggestions on meal plans and recipes.
During this detox phase your ADHD child will double any symptom you have ever seen and you may think they have been possessed by the devil. There were things that happened in this house that I dare not repeat in case I suffer nightmares for the next week. Needless to say, it was extreme and it was ugly. We did attempt to do school for those 3 days, but it was impossible. We all ended the day worn out and fed up. By the second day, I called my husband and told him that I couldn't do it and we were coming off it. "We're on our way to McDonalds and nobody better get in my way." But, he convinced me to hang in there just a couple more days "for the sake of our son". Don't you love the guilt trip he laid on me? Was he here dealing with this monstrosity? Did he not realize that I was on the brink of a nervous breakdown? Give me back my meds!!!!
Day 4, I woke up expecting the splitting headache, but it was finally gone. Hallelujah! The demon of yesterday came out of his bedroom and said, "Good morning, mommy. I love you." Hallelujah! We had finally turned the corner and had an excellent, fantastic, very, very good day. It was like we were all back on our meds, but we weren't. Life was good. Thank you, Lord.
After one week of enjoying this peaceful freedom from medication and irritation, I began to doubt that it was actually related to what we were eating and more to the fact that we had finally gotten all of our meds out of our system, so I made a terrible error.
I decided on Sunday morning to cook biscuits and gravy with eggs and bacon. Yummy! It was good! Then off to church we went and dropped our precious son into the hands of unsuspecting saints (I call them saints because they did not kill my child) and off we went to big church. My stomach was rolling, my head was aching, and when we went to pick up Briley, they glared at us as they threw our son into our arms and unloaded the terrors of the morning. Ooops! The rest of the day was torturous misery, but thankfully Mark was home to witness the demon I had tried to explain previously. What happened? Biscuits--gluten, gravy--dairy, eggs--eggs, bacon--nitrates. The next day we started back our elimination diet and by Tuesday, Briley was back to the precious lovable child we adore.
The above scene happened again when Briley was given some M&M's by a well meaning friend. The rest of that day and the next were the worst we had ever seen. Words were said. Objects were thrown. Tails were popped. Tears were shed.
Does food make a difference? Absolutely! Without a doubt! You could not convince me otherwise. I have seen the fruits with my own eyes. God has answered my prayers and the prayers of my little son and we are both thankful.
A year ago, you could not have even aroused my curiosity to tell me that food causes behavioral problems in children--Hogwash. It is just food. It is not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out. Now, I am aware of how out of context I took that verse. Food matters and it matters greatly.
Sidenote--I am losing weight without trying. Let's just pray that it continues.
The first thing you need to do even before taking your child off their meds is to give them Omega 3 supplements and a multi-vitamin with iron for one month. (Side note, most people who suffer from ADHD are also anemic, hence the iron.) I know the pills are HUGE, but if my 3 kids can learn to swallow them, yours can too, believe me. Briley and I take 2 each morning and the rest of the family only takes one in the morning, plus our vitamin. I noticed improvement with the Omega 3 after 2 weeks:)
Next comes a little harder part, take your child off their meds and continue the supplements for two weeks. You may not think things are so bad for the first week because the meds are still in your child's system, but the second week will be trying. Be patient, and remember that school may be difficult. (If you can do this over a break, it will help you out a lot).
This next part is the hardest, first PRAY, then Pray again, you will need every ounce of strength you can muster because your whole family is going to detox. You may experience headaches, fatigue, soreness, extreme irritation, and terrible breath and gas. Just warning you! This is when you start the elimination diet. It is best to eliminate everything at once because more often than not, most children will have a reaction to more than one thing. Sanford Newmark calls it the "Two tack theory" in his book. He says if a person has two tacks in his foot and only removes one, his foot will still be in pain, but if you remove all possible allergens, you are sure to find the culprit. In my next post, I will give suggestions on meal plans and recipes.
During this detox phase your ADHD child will double any symptom you have ever seen and you may think they have been possessed by the devil. There were things that happened in this house that I dare not repeat in case I suffer nightmares for the next week. Needless to say, it was extreme and it was ugly. We did attempt to do school for those 3 days, but it was impossible. We all ended the day worn out and fed up. By the second day, I called my husband and told him that I couldn't do it and we were coming off it. "We're on our way to McDonalds and nobody better get in my way." But, he convinced me to hang in there just a couple more days "for the sake of our son". Don't you love the guilt trip he laid on me? Was he here dealing with this monstrosity? Did he not realize that I was on the brink of a nervous breakdown? Give me back my meds!!!!
Day 4, I woke up expecting the splitting headache, but it was finally gone. Hallelujah! The demon of yesterday came out of his bedroom and said, "Good morning, mommy. I love you." Hallelujah! We had finally turned the corner and had an excellent, fantastic, very, very good day. It was like we were all back on our meds, but we weren't. Life was good. Thank you, Lord.
After one week of enjoying this peaceful freedom from medication and irritation, I began to doubt that it was actually related to what we were eating and more to the fact that we had finally gotten all of our meds out of our system, so I made a terrible error.
I decided on Sunday morning to cook biscuits and gravy with eggs and bacon. Yummy! It was good! Then off to church we went and dropped our precious son into the hands of unsuspecting saints (I call them saints because they did not kill my child) and off we went to big church. My stomach was rolling, my head was aching, and when we went to pick up Briley, they glared at us as they threw our son into our arms and unloaded the terrors of the morning. Ooops! The rest of the day was torturous misery, but thankfully Mark was home to witness the demon I had tried to explain previously. What happened? Biscuits--gluten, gravy--dairy, eggs--eggs, bacon--nitrates. The next day we started back our elimination diet and by Tuesday, Briley was back to the precious lovable child we adore.
The above scene happened again when Briley was given some M&M's by a well meaning friend. The rest of that day and the next were the worst we had ever seen. Words were said. Objects were thrown. Tails were popped. Tears were shed.
Does food make a difference? Absolutely! Without a doubt! You could not convince me otherwise. I have seen the fruits with my own eyes. God has answered my prayers and the prayers of my little son and we are both thankful.
A year ago, you could not have even aroused my curiosity to tell me that food causes behavioral problems in children--Hogwash. It is just food. It is not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out. Now, I am aware of how out of context I took that verse. Food matters and it matters greatly.
Sidenote--I am losing weight without trying. Let's just pray that it continues.
The Experiment, Part 1
My younger two children have been diagnosed with ADHD since they were each 4 years old. Sabree, although very eccentric, is not only able to finish her schoolwork in a timely manner, but also will start without being asked, therefore, I could not justify the medication that was "highly recommended" by multiple professionals in the medical field.
However, Briley is an entirely different matter. He is unable to complete his schoolwork; he is unable to listen to instructions; he is unable to keep himself away from harm. When I say unable, I mean HE CAN NOT DO IT. Unless you have a child with a severe level of ADHD, you may not understand what I mean, but I mean that even though he wants to do what is right, he cannot force his body to comply. There are temper tantrums, lots of whining, rolling around the floor, flipping upside down in his chair, total disobedience, total disregard for his well being and anyone else's well being. This all makes for a very long day. If you are thinking to yourself that I should just discipline him and he will eventually respond, guess again. I have spanked this child multiple times in a day, not in anger, but in a loving way to no avail. I have prayed for him for years that God will show me what to do and how to parent him. Briley has such a loving heart and does not do things out of malice or greed. He really just can't help himself.
So, with much reservation, I finally agreed to put him on medication in April 2010. It was a miracle drug. I cannot explain to you the difference it made in his personality. School work that used to take us 8 hours and still did not get completed, now was finished in 2 hours. His reading jumped 2 grade levels, he did his chores without being asked, he was mindful of his safety, he was a pleasure to be around. The first day on the meds. we saw significant improvement. That night Briley prayed that God would help him feel this good without the medicine and without making his mommy so tired. My heart broke.
We went on for months in our new happy blissful state, but there was something in the back of my head that was still unsettled about my 7 year old child taking medication that ALTERED HIS BRAIN CHEMISTRY. There is not enough information on the effects of altering dopamine levels in a growing brain. What long term effects could this have on him? The doctor said his dose would have to be increased periodically because he will become immune to the current dose.
I know this to be true because I have been on ADHD medication for 3 years myself.
One night as I sat watching TV with Seviann we saw a documentary on the effects of ADHD medication in adults who had taken it as a child. It was shocking. These adults had tics, problems with concentration and speech and were functioning like a person with mental retardation. The physicians on the show were talking about how these effects came from years of suppressing dopamine in a growing brain. It was stated that 4 out of 10 adults that had taken ADHD meds as children has some sort of physical issue, mainly tics.
This prompted me into 2 months of research and reading everything I could find on the subject to find out the validity of this claim. Those of you who know me well, know that I love to research. Again, I was shocked to find that all the studies confirmed the results on the show. These children are left with permanent scars as adults. It is just not connected to the meds they took as children. The medication is still new enough that the children who were put on it 20 years ago are just coming into adulthood and discovering these issues.
There was no other option, Briley had to come off the meds and so did I. Next, I needed to find out how to control ADHD without meds and again God delivered multiple books, people, and various resources to show the way. One of my favorite books is written by Sanford Newmark, MD and titled "ADHD Without Drugs" (that should be underlined). Again there are 30-40 websites, resources and books that I could refer you to on the subject if you are interested, this one is just my favorite.
First of all, most of the kids diagnosed with behavioral issues just have food "allergies". These allergies will not show up on a skin test and most doctors will say the child is negative for food allergies, but I challenge you to do an elimination diet and see with your own eyes the difference it makes in your child's behavior.
We eliminated gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, corn, apples, grapes, artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives to start our elimination diet. You need to do this for 14 days. The first three days are a living nightmare!!!! Prepare yourself. It is miserable. By the 4th day, the demons had left our house, we repaired the damage, and praised God that we were all still alive. Since day 4, I have a child that behaves like he did on his meds. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise you, Jesus.
This post is getting really long, so I will continue part 2 later.
However, Briley is an entirely different matter. He is unable to complete his schoolwork; he is unable to listen to instructions; he is unable to keep himself away from harm. When I say unable, I mean HE CAN NOT DO IT. Unless you have a child with a severe level of ADHD, you may not understand what I mean, but I mean that even though he wants to do what is right, he cannot force his body to comply. There are temper tantrums, lots of whining, rolling around the floor, flipping upside down in his chair, total disobedience, total disregard for his well being and anyone else's well being. This all makes for a very long day. If you are thinking to yourself that I should just discipline him and he will eventually respond, guess again. I have spanked this child multiple times in a day, not in anger, but in a loving way to no avail. I have prayed for him for years that God will show me what to do and how to parent him. Briley has such a loving heart and does not do things out of malice or greed. He really just can't help himself.
So, with much reservation, I finally agreed to put him on medication in April 2010. It was a miracle drug. I cannot explain to you the difference it made in his personality. School work that used to take us 8 hours and still did not get completed, now was finished in 2 hours. His reading jumped 2 grade levels, he did his chores without being asked, he was mindful of his safety, he was a pleasure to be around. The first day on the meds. we saw significant improvement. That night Briley prayed that God would help him feel this good without the medicine and without making his mommy so tired. My heart broke.
We went on for months in our new happy blissful state, but there was something in the back of my head that was still unsettled about my 7 year old child taking medication that ALTERED HIS BRAIN CHEMISTRY. There is not enough information on the effects of altering dopamine levels in a growing brain. What long term effects could this have on him? The doctor said his dose would have to be increased periodically because he will become immune to the current dose.
I know this to be true because I have been on ADHD medication for 3 years myself.
One night as I sat watching TV with Seviann we saw a documentary on the effects of ADHD medication in adults who had taken it as a child. It was shocking. These adults had tics, problems with concentration and speech and were functioning like a person with mental retardation. The physicians on the show were talking about how these effects came from years of suppressing dopamine in a growing brain. It was stated that 4 out of 10 adults that had taken ADHD meds as children has some sort of physical issue, mainly tics.
This prompted me into 2 months of research and reading everything I could find on the subject to find out the validity of this claim. Those of you who know me well, know that I love to research. Again, I was shocked to find that all the studies confirmed the results on the show. These children are left with permanent scars as adults. It is just not connected to the meds they took as children. The medication is still new enough that the children who were put on it 20 years ago are just coming into adulthood and discovering these issues.
There was no other option, Briley had to come off the meds and so did I. Next, I needed to find out how to control ADHD without meds and again God delivered multiple books, people, and various resources to show the way. One of my favorite books is written by Sanford Newmark, MD and titled "ADHD Without Drugs" (that should be underlined). Again there are 30-40 websites, resources and books that I could refer you to on the subject if you are interested, this one is just my favorite.
First of all, most of the kids diagnosed with behavioral issues just have food "allergies". These allergies will not show up on a skin test and most doctors will say the child is negative for food allergies, but I challenge you to do an elimination diet and see with your own eyes the difference it makes in your child's behavior.
We eliminated gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, corn, apples, grapes, artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives to start our elimination diet. You need to do this for 14 days. The first three days are a living nightmare!!!! Prepare yourself. It is miserable. By the 4th day, the demons had left our house, we repaired the damage, and praised God that we were all still alive. Since day 4, I have a child that behaves like he did on his meds. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise you, Jesus.
This post is getting really long, so I will continue part 2 later.
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