When my third child was a little over a year, I had to stop her from banging her head on the headboard or wall. Scared me to death! She had some language. But that was clearly an autistic behavior and I knew all it would take is one trigger to cause a regression where she could lose the language. I refused all vaccines between 18 mo and 3 yrs in MS since they don't have religious or philosophical exemptions. I had only gotten some of them before but I wasn't taking any chances now. I'm thankful that they understood my concerns.
Do I believe vaccines cause autism? I believe there are way too many. I know Davy got some when he had ear infections but no high fever. I was a new mom and let them give them to him. There were also lots of antibiotics and steroids with his asthma treatment so I can't say for sure what Davy's trigger was. I do know that the amount of vaccines and cases of autism are rising steadily. I feel to ignore the possibility would be irresponsible. Flu shots still contain mercury. Vaccines have aluminum and all other manner of strange ingredients. So when we moved to AL, I got religious exemptions (because of the aborted fetus tissue used in vaccine manufacturing) for all the kids. Not taking any chances!
I asked the doctor for a referral to have my daughter tested. She needed some help with processing things around her but I wasn't sure what to do. She was having lots of meltdowns. She was having symptoms of pica (eating foam craft pieces and plants). She was stripping her clothes off every chance she got. My first child had language delay and poor eye contact. Easy to see where we needed to focus for him. I wasn't sure what I needed to do for her.
A couple of weeks ago, we got some very soft, comfortable clothes from a clothing swap. I had struggled to keep clothes on her with the weather change. She had spent the summer in dresses and the jeans irritated her. Since switching her to these Garanimal style clothes with soft pants and shirts, she has been like a new kid. She's no longer stripping off her clothes several times a day. Her language has exploded. She is using more complete sentences and saying things like, "I'm coming, Mom" or "Thank you, Dad."
Now it could be also just getting used to our new place but the clothes were the only real change that has been made. I told the pediatrician of the change and she still wants her to be evaluated. After looking over the criteria for diagnosis again, she won't qualify for autism or asperger's because of her social ability and speech. I really think it's Sensory Processing Disorder. Different textures like jeans after a summer of cotton dresses are simply overwhelming. So glad that seems to be all it was.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
Blueberry cream cheese sourdough rolls
Blueberry + cream cheese + sourdough, you really can't go wrong here, right?
I am sure I am not the first to try this but here is how I created some totally scrumptious rolls.
I used a basic sourdough bread recipe and let it rise overnight. I divided it and rolled out a big rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Originally, I was thinking of just spreading plain cream cheese but the recipe evolved in the process. I decided to mix 3 oz cream cheese with 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, 2 T milk and 2 t vanilla. I really didn't measure so these are my guesstimations but you get the idea. It is basically a cream cheese frosting. Spread this over the sourdough rectangle.
I took about a cup of frozen blueberries. I washed them and then gave them a rough chop on the cutting board. I put them in a bowl and coated with about 1/3 cup granulated sugar. I sprinkled these all over the cream cheese frosted, sourdough rectangle.
Roll up the dough. Slice into 1 1/2 inch rolls. Place in greased baking pan. Let rise for twenty minutes. Would like to let it rise longer but unsure about how safe that is. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 -60minutes. While they are still hot, drizzle with a confectioner's sugar glaze which is just confectioner's sugar and a splash of vanilla with enough milk to make it creamy but thin enough to drizzle.
Our family loves pomegranates during the Christmas season. I am going to try this same recipe with pomegranate to see if it will become our Christmas breakfast tradition.
I am sure I am not the first to try this but here is how I created some totally scrumptious rolls.
I used a basic sourdough bread recipe and let it rise overnight. I divided it and rolled out a big rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Originally, I was thinking of just spreading plain cream cheese but the recipe evolved in the process. I decided to mix 3 oz cream cheese with 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, 2 T milk and 2 t vanilla. I really didn't measure so these are my guesstimations but you get the idea. It is basically a cream cheese frosting. Spread this over the sourdough rectangle.
I took about a cup of frozen blueberries. I washed them and then gave them a rough chop on the cutting board. I put them in a bowl and coated with about 1/3 cup granulated sugar. I sprinkled these all over the cream cheese frosted, sourdough rectangle.
Roll up the dough. Slice into 1 1/2 inch rolls. Place in greased baking pan. Let rise for twenty minutes. Would like to let it rise longer but unsure about how safe that is. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 -60minutes. While they are still hot, drizzle with a confectioner's sugar glaze which is just confectioner's sugar and a splash of vanilla with enough milk to make it creamy but thin enough to drizzle.
Our family loves pomegranates during the Christmas season. I am going to try this same recipe with pomegranate to see if it will become our Christmas breakfast tradition.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Once a month shopping
I'm sure most families face weeks when there is just not enough money to cover what needs to be covered. With four kids, a battle with cancer and moving expenses, we've had a few of those. Some weeks, I didn't have anything for groceries. Some weeks, I had to feed six (or more when I was watching my niece and nephews) on $25 to $40. I've learned a lot about stretching what I have in the pantry.
The weird thing is that I find myself happier when I'm making much out of a little. I had chalked it up to enjoying being creative with what resources I had. But I've heard others talk about how happy they found themselves in the lean times. So I think it's more about being content with what we have. As well as being good stewards by using what we have to its fullest potential. Repurposing leftovers and stretching with quick breads and desserts.
So how can we recreate that when the bank account isn't rapidly approaching the red? I decided to do once a month shopping this month. I was really just tired of going to the grocery store so often but after planning it out, I decided that I would chose to do without whatever I forgot other than milk, flour, bananas and the turkey needed for Thanksgiving. By chosing to do without even though we have money in the bank, I am creating an atmosphere of contentment and necessary stewardship.
I don't have a day to go shopping all day except for Sunday and I just don't want to spend Sunday shopping. So this month, I went to Sam's one night, Save-a-lot the next night and Walmart the following night. I made sure we had diapers, paper products, cleaning products, plenty of pantry items that were versatile in creating meals, lots of beans, flour, peanut butter, etc. I spent $420 for a family of six.
I made sure that I had planned for Thanksgiving. Advent will be during this time. Last year, we had a Jesse Tea that we will repeat this year. We will also celebrate a Tea for Our Lady of Guadalupe. So I planned for each of these events with special ingredients in my shopping list. I don't plan on shopping again other than my exception items of flour, milk and bananas until the week before Christmas.
I think I did really well for the first month. I've decided to do without a dryer so that my freezer will fit in the utility room. So next month will have more options of being able to stock up on discounted perishables.
It's very calming that I have all the grocery shopping and Christmas shopping done. The next four weeks will be about creating memories at home without the consumerism focus that the holiday season has become. I will have to remember to get pictures of some of the special treats I have planned so I can blog about them.
Happy Thanksgiving!
The weird thing is that I find myself happier when I'm making much out of a little. I had chalked it up to enjoying being creative with what resources I had. But I've heard others talk about how happy they found themselves in the lean times. So I think it's more about being content with what we have. As well as being good stewards by using what we have to its fullest potential. Repurposing leftovers and stretching with quick breads and desserts.
So how can we recreate that when the bank account isn't rapidly approaching the red? I decided to do once a month shopping this month. I was really just tired of going to the grocery store so often but after planning it out, I decided that I would chose to do without whatever I forgot other than milk, flour, bananas and the turkey needed for Thanksgiving. By chosing to do without even though we have money in the bank, I am creating an atmosphere of contentment and necessary stewardship.
I don't have a day to go shopping all day except for Sunday and I just don't want to spend Sunday shopping. So this month, I went to Sam's one night, Save-a-lot the next night and Walmart the following night. I made sure we had diapers, paper products, cleaning products, plenty of pantry items that were versatile in creating meals, lots of beans, flour, peanut butter, etc. I spent $420 for a family of six.
I made sure that I had planned for Thanksgiving. Advent will be during this time. Last year, we had a Jesse Tea that we will repeat this year. We will also celebrate a Tea for Our Lady of Guadalupe. So I planned for each of these events with special ingredients in my shopping list. I don't plan on shopping again other than my exception items of flour, milk and bananas until the week before Christmas.
I think I did really well for the first month. I've decided to do without a dryer so that my freezer will fit in the utility room. So next month will have more options of being able to stock up on discounted perishables.
It's very calming that I have all the grocery shopping and Christmas shopping done. The next four weeks will be about creating memories at home without the consumerism focus that the holiday season has become. I will have to remember to get pictures of some of the special treats I have planned so I can blog about them.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Sourdough beignets
It's interesting to look back and see how everything has been pointing me to the Roman Catholic Church. I took Latin in high school and college. I really love the language. I have always wanted to visit Italy. I really enjoy traveling to New Orleans.
One of my family's traditions is making beignets for supper. Most of the time we use refrigerated biscuits. Tonight, I tried a recipe for sourdough beignets. The directions included salt and eggs that weren't in the ingredient list. I added 1 1/2 tsp salt and two eggs. It made for a chewy donut rather than the lighter beignets of Cafe du Monde. It was a crowd pleaser and made twice as much as we could eat. I cut them and began cooking and ended up having to cut some of the later batches in half again because they kept rising.
One of my family's traditions is making beignets for supper. Most of the time we use refrigerated biscuits. Tonight, I tried a recipe for sourdough beignets. The directions included salt and eggs that weren't in the ingredient list. I added 1 1/2 tsp salt and two eggs. It made for a chewy donut rather than the lighter beignets of Cafe du Monde. It was a crowd pleaser and made twice as much as we could eat. I cut them and began cooking and ended up having to cut some of the later batches in half again because they kept rising.
Don't ask me why this is right side up in my camera roll but then uploads upside down. But it's lots of deliciousness either way you look at it!
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Variety is the spice of life!
So, I have learned that I need familiar things like crochet, cooking, bubble baths and such boost serotonin. Exciting, new things and being active boost dopamine which I am lacking. So I need a routine that incorporates lots of variety.
Since August, I have been planning our school days very effectively. I use a notebook and add each subject with page numbers and review questions. We are getting so much work done. The boys did their copy work in cursive today which was way better than I thought they would be at this early in the school year. We'll be through the science book in three weeks and have time to do one or two more science books.
How about I apply that to my daily schedule? My subjects can by God, husband, children, community, cleaning, organizing, decorating and crafting. I can vary the activities often so I am addressing all areas of focus without it getting old. I can plan ahead a focus to help plan ahead so i am not a slave to my impulsiveness and then add what I else I am able to accomplish once I get on a roll.
I think this will help me focus on today instead of what didn't get done yesterday or what will still need to be done tomorrow. I really love the days when I am in the zone and getting lots done. Maybe this idea will help those days become more frequent.
Since August, I have been planning our school days very effectively. I use a notebook and add each subject with page numbers and review questions. We are getting so much work done. The boys did their copy work in cursive today which was way better than I thought they would be at this early in the school year. We'll be through the science book in three weeks and have time to do one or two more science books.
How about I apply that to my daily schedule? My subjects can by God, husband, children, community, cleaning, organizing, decorating and crafting. I can vary the activities often so I am addressing all areas of focus without it getting old. I can plan ahead a focus to help plan ahead so i am not a slave to my impulsiveness and then add what I else I am able to accomplish once I get on a roll.
I think this will help me focus on today instead of what didn't get done yesterday or what will still need to be done tomorrow. I really love the days when I am in the zone and getting lots done. Maybe this idea will help those days become more frequent.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Daily Choices
I have never thought of myself as a very good person.
I am.....
Careless
Impulsive
Irresponsible
I have tried so hard to change who I am. I've tried Flylady and Emily Barnes to help me keep my house clean. I've tried every routine and schedule you can imagine to keep myself consistent. I do well at first and then I get bored or distracted and fail.
I often feel like a child. Why can't a grown woman get it together? I had even considered medication. Since coffee puts me to sleep, I do react to stimulants in the way that ADHD people do. At my worst, I would have mood swings that were similar to bipolar. I talked to my husband about it and decided that I might need medicine in the future but I wasn't ready to be called crazy just yet.
I decided to pick out a dieting book at the library to give me some motivation. I picked Diet Rehab by Dr Mike Dow. It explained how our brains work. The kind of ADHD symptoms that I was having could well be explained with low dopamine that could be boosted by certain foods and activities.
The mood swings were caused by my efforts to "fix" myself. I'd find a new program or a new motivation and be on top of the world for a while. New things are dopamine boosters. Then I would get into the nitty gritty of trying to be consistent with my new program and my dopamine would drop and some days it was a struggle to get out of bed.
It gets worse with age. My biggest addictions are caffeine and peanut butter. Fat and stimulants that boost dopamine. Because I'm getting older and weight comes on more easily, I can't have a Coke and a Reese's as often as I'd like or I'd be 300 lbs.
I'm using these ideas for myself and my son who has been diagnosed with ADHD but has reacted terribly to medication. The best part is that I don't have to add a lot of foreign foods and eliminate our favorites. For the first week which ends today, I add one dopamine boosting activity and one dopamine boosting food per day. I eliminate nothing for the first two weeks.
So I added exercise, dancing, cleaning to upbeat music and new recipes. On the first day, I noticed my son was a little more anxious. That could be low serotonin so I started adding things like cooking, crafts and more laughs and hugs to boost serotonin.
Basically, sugar spikes and crashes our serotonin levels and fats are the pitfall foods of dopamine. So add more complex carbohydrates and protein.
We ate more beans, grits, flax seed and eggs. I have seen some more ways of adding protein like smoothies and high protein pasta.
Starting tomorrow, I'll be adding two activities and two foods each day. I really like that this about daily choices. Our actions, diet and attitudes affect our brain chemistry every day. Every day we have a chance to make better choices that will help us be more focused and less impulsive.
I am.....
Careless
Impulsive
Irresponsible
I have tried so hard to change who I am. I've tried Flylady and Emily Barnes to help me keep my house clean. I've tried every routine and schedule you can imagine to keep myself consistent. I do well at first and then I get bored or distracted and fail.
I often feel like a child. Why can't a grown woman get it together? I had even considered medication. Since coffee puts me to sleep, I do react to stimulants in the way that ADHD people do. At my worst, I would have mood swings that were similar to bipolar. I talked to my husband about it and decided that I might need medicine in the future but I wasn't ready to be called crazy just yet.
I decided to pick out a dieting book at the library to give me some motivation. I picked Diet Rehab by Dr Mike Dow. It explained how our brains work. The kind of ADHD symptoms that I was having could well be explained with low dopamine that could be boosted by certain foods and activities.
The mood swings were caused by my efforts to "fix" myself. I'd find a new program or a new motivation and be on top of the world for a while. New things are dopamine boosters. Then I would get into the nitty gritty of trying to be consistent with my new program and my dopamine would drop and some days it was a struggle to get out of bed.
It gets worse with age. My biggest addictions are caffeine and peanut butter. Fat and stimulants that boost dopamine. Because I'm getting older and weight comes on more easily, I can't have a Coke and a Reese's as often as I'd like or I'd be 300 lbs.
I'm using these ideas for myself and my son who has been diagnosed with ADHD but has reacted terribly to medication. The best part is that I don't have to add a lot of foreign foods and eliminate our favorites. For the first week which ends today, I add one dopamine boosting activity and one dopamine boosting food per day. I eliminate nothing for the first two weeks.
So I added exercise, dancing, cleaning to upbeat music and new recipes. On the first day, I noticed my son was a little more anxious. That could be low serotonin so I started adding things like cooking, crafts and more laughs and hugs to boost serotonin.
Basically, sugar spikes and crashes our serotonin levels and fats are the pitfall foods of dopamine. So add more complex carbohydrates and protein.
We ate more beans, grits, flax seed and eggs. I have seen some more ways of adding protein like smoothies and high protein pasta.
Starting tomorrow, I'll be adding two activities and two foods each day. I really like that this about daily choices. Our actions, diet and attitudes affect our brain chemistry every day. Every day we have a chance to make better choices that will help us be more focused and less impulsive.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Food for the poor
I received a letter in the mail from Food for the Poor saying that it only took 6 cents to feed a child for one meal. I thought that surely it couldn't be that simple so I looked up some other charities like World Vision and Catholic Relief Services among others. The numbers that I found ranged from 22 to 25 cents per meal. Food for the Poor said that they bought in bulk and it was for a child so 6 cents could be right.
What does that mean? Six cents won't buy anything in the US. But how quickly could a little savings add up to help the poor.
1 soda = at least a dollar or 4 to 16 meals for the poor
1 fast food meal = about $7 or take leftovers for lunch and provide 28 to 116 meals
1 restaurant meal for a family of 4 = $50 or eat at home or with coupons for $10 and provide 160 to over 650 meals
Doesn't that just blow your mind? It's so easy to think living frugally just doesn't add up quickly enough. But it depends on where you put your money to work. I really like the three charities that I've mentioned because they provide more than just rice and beans. There are seeds, animals, water pumps, education and more that help people to provide better for their own families.
What other ways can we save in our daily lives that can add up quickly to help the poor?
Eat less meat
Drink more water
Eliminate the coffee maker
Get rid of makeup (I've done this. My skin feels so much better clean and moisturized instead of made up)
Mend clothes or buy from thrift stores instead of buying new
Use shopping bags instead of trash bags
Combine trips to save gas
and many, many more
What kind of impact will your blessings make on the world?
What does that mean? Six cents won't buy anything in the US. But how quickly could a little savings add up to help the poor.
1 soda = at least a dollar or 4 to 16 meals for the poor
1 fast food meal = about $7 or take leftovers for lunch and provide 28 to 116 meals
1 restaurant meal for a family of 4 = $50 or eat at home or with coupons for $10 and provide 160 to over 650 meals
Doesn't that just blow your mind? It's so easy to think living frugally just doesn't add up quickly enough. But it depends on where you put your money to work. I really like the three charities that I've mentioned because they provide more than just rice and beans. There are seeds, animals, water pumps, education and more that help people to provide better for their own families.
What other ways can we save in our daily lives that can add up quickly to help the poor?
Eat less meat
Drink more water
Eliminate the coffee maker
Get rid of makeup (I've done this. My skin feels so much better clean and moisturized instead of made up)
Mend clothes or buy from thrift stores instead of buying new
Use shopping bags instead of trash bags
Combine trips to save gas
and many, many more
What kind of impact will your blessings make on the world?
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