Eye therapy

My son started wearing glasses when he was four, he is now eight. the glasses he has when he was four was for someone who was almost blind is what one eye doctor said and it was wrong, so he was wearing the wrong strength for four years. This summer I found him another doctor, this said that his vision is almost perfect but he has a little bit of a focus problem, so he got a much weaker strength and bifocals. I then heard of vision therapy. It cost a lot and insurance does not cover it but I tried it anyway. He did some test on him, had him walk, checked some reflexes, looked into his eyes with bright lights, and had him read the chart. He said that his current glasses are wrong. his vision is almost perfect, but he needs prisms to help bring his world into focus. i like this doctor.

nearing the eight month mark

He has been on the gfcf diet for about 8 months now, this year in school, although he had a rocky start, he has been doing better than expected. He is doing second and third grade work, mostly third ( he is in the third grade, so this is huge) he is learning cursive and multiplication by 1's. He has not been sick at all so he actually got perfect attendance, ( which is huge) he usually gets really sick every year. He has also made straight a's the first quater and got the superintendents honor roll. He is calming down and has been able to utlize the trampoline for anger management. he jumps to 100 and it calms him down. he is having less meltdowns as a result. his reading level is now at a 2.5 level and he enjoys reading to us now. I am feeling like I am getting my little boy back. the one that was lost in autism and is now emerging. He is sweet, caring, likes to laugh and joke, he loves his sister and family means everything to him. he is smart and is gaining confidence and making friends this year. He is growing up in so many ways. now that I have him back I am thankful I discovered the diet and other treatments for him, I do sometimes miss the baby and toddler years, back when i did not know what was wrong, I feel as if he and I both were cheated because I could help him sooner and hewas so lost to us then and he was so angry. I am thankful that this year he is better.

needing to keep them occupied

my son is very aggressive, and very whiny, my daughter is very aggressive and very mean. when they get bored it is like a war at home. We are coming off of a four day weekend. it is proving to be very difficult. My daughter already went though all her activity books, all her movies and all her new toys from her birthday. My son just wants to play gamecube. I do not adhere to hours of playing games but he is driving everyone nuts!

birthday parties

Even though she cannot eat the food, I decided to have her birthday at McDonald's, then we invited her entire class and some others to come along. This will take place next weekend. No body is going to eat the food, we are going to bring two cakes. speaking of cake, it is the gluten free Kinnikinick brand cake. I am a huge fan of these because they are great tasting and easy to make. My children just love the chocolate flavor. They run about $7 a mix so they only get these on birthdays, this week I am going to make two cakes for the party, then my mom is going to make the frosting, thanks to natural food dye $6 a bottle, she will be able to have pink and purple frosting, I am also going to make 24 cupcakes for the class on Friday. I am looking forward to it, after all we are talking about a little girl who hardly ever gets anything chocolate or sweet, I just know that she will love it and appreciate it.

Progress reports

School has always been hard for my son, he has been 2 years behind consistently since first grade. In the second grade I was told that he would not get above fourth grade level. He has now been on the gfcf diet for about 6 months, I have taken him away from potatoes, he has been taking a probiotic and vitamins and is now over his infections. The fog has cleared, because of the diet and other interventions the adhd med is more tolerable. He is now in the third grade and is doing 2nd and 3rd grade work, mostly 3rd grade, he is still reading at below grade level and probably always will, but his progress report has all A's, he is finally learning and retaining what he learns. all the teachers are telling me how smart he is and his confidence level is up.

starting to feel some empathy

My son is starting to show some concern for someone else and ask questions about them, something that has been hard for him, I think that his yeast infecton and constipation is just aboutover, he seems to be able to focus better and yesterday he had a great day. At school he is doing the third grade work with a little help and he is starting to read a bit more than he was, I am hopeful that he can catch up this year, seeing as he has been consistantly 2 years behind since first grade.

coming to some conclusions

I have realized that in my quest for finding more out about Autism and adhd and treating my children, through diet andsupplements and working with their doctors, reading books and researching on the web, that I have lost track of who I am. I am now trying to figure out how to get me back Me as in the person that I am besides being a mom. I love being a mom but I also know that if I can find out more me as a person that I will be happier and that will in turn make me a better mom to my kids. It is easy to lose track of yourself, when you do it is easy to feel lost, depressed and unappreciated. I am going to start by finding something to do that I used to love before I had kids. Some advice for other moms out there that are trying to help their children the same way I am helping mine: Do not lose track of yourself and always make time for something you enjoy doing.

A great day

I am limiting his sugar and yesterday he only got sugar in his organic ketchup 4g per 17g so it is not much and he only got two cookies. I am keeping a food journal and I have noticed that days he eats less sugar and starches and carbs are the days he does better. when he has a good day we all have a good day and I know he feels better, he is eating meat or egss at every meal and snacks on fruit, prunes, and raisins. It is lucky that I have always been strict with my kids when it came to soda and sweets and stuff because they are both handling the changes well, my daughter loves vegetable and fruit and meat so for her it is easy, except the chocolate. she still has chocolate fits, I give her allergen free chocolate from enjoy life when he is asleep. I am going tostart her food journal next month and see if their is a trend connected to her attitude and aggression.

what it seems it is not

Sometimes he seems so average that I will talk to him like I would anybody and he goes into meltdown mode simply because he either misunderstood me or he says he did not hear me. He claims not to have heard me but when I repeat it I have to repeat it word for word or he completely loses control. He must have heard something if he knowds to the word what I tried to say. i thought that he would be feeling better because he is finished with the yeast medicine, but he hasn't had a bm in 5 days, I know that is a lot of his problem these days, I am increasing his fluid, making him drink more water and juice and giving him the med. the Dr. prescribed for the problem. I am hoping he starts to feel better soon I miss the smiling happy little boy he was in April and May.

Finding some answers

I took him to his doctor on Thursday and he was able to test him for a yeast infection, something his old Dr. would not do. turns out he did have one and they put him on Difulcan over the weekend and he does seem to be feeling better, his tummy is not as bloated and yesterday he said it growled when he was hungry, something else he hasn't noticed before. He seems to be a better mood for the most part. He is still off of potatoes probably for now on, I have also limited his carbs, I did not go completely scd but I am limiting his carbs, starches and sugars, he is eating more meat, more fruit and more veggies. I think that once he gets past all his tummy troubles he will feel so much better. He does seem to smile some and yesterday I was holding him and my mom and i started tickling him and he laughed instead of getting upset.

beginning something new

I have known for months now that the gfcf has leveled off and he was no longer getting any help with it, he seemed to go completely backward, having tantrums daily and frequently, his ocd came back, he has to get it just right or he will keep repeating it. His communication is basically talking all the time and not really saying anything. He has not adjusted well to school, they are now using a sticker system and bribing him with little dinosaurs (his latest facination) just to get him to walk home with me. I am now seriously considering doing SCD with him. It eliminnates all starches and grains and sugars from his diet. the hardest one to do is potatoes and he has been off of those for about 2 weeks now and I have noticed a slight difference in him but not much. I am doing an insurmountable amount of research and I am planning every meal and snack he eats startying tommorrow. I know that it will be tough and I am planning to brace myself and get him through it. He has not really smiled and laughed since july and i miss his laugh and his smile, I know somewhere inside this angry, frustrated little boy is a happy carefree child and I am going to get him back, he is my little boy and I miss him.

school

I have taken my son off of potatoes and I have noticed a difference in his behavior. School started last week and he had a meltdown at the end of the day. but did good up until then. He is on a new med to help him focus and that is why he is having a harder time adjusting. If I did not already have the gfcf diet in place I would never have put him on the med. My daughter is the favorite in the class again this year, she is also on a new med to help her anger and it is working. she is mature for her age and the teachers always appreciate that. she is in kindergarten this year but worked through a first grade workbook over the summer.

Starting down a new path

I know that for at least two months now that my son has been regressing. i did not want to do it but after a HUGE meltdown on sunday night, i knew I had to. I have added the SCD diet to his plan. It is even more complicated that gfcf but doable. it is better for me to answer question posted in comments than to explain what itis and how it is different. Mydaughter is going on feingold alon with gfcf, so they will be on the opposite sides of the fod they eat. Iam exzpecting there to be some friction at first until they adjust. They are both giving up their favorite foods in place of some they can eat. He has been on this since monday and so far he has been fairly decent, his mood has changed, he has not had any major meltdowns I have been able to get him out of them easier. He has not gone into this one cold turkey, but he is off potatoes and grains. he is learning to like vegetables, fruits, and meat.

still figuring it out

Well back in Feb.I took my son to the GI dr. to see about his constipation.They wanted to see him back in a few months to see if he was still having problems. Last week i brought him back and he is totally over it. They said that he did not need them anymore. I fixed his problem by putting him on the gfcf diet and giving him probiotics and digestive enzymes. They were surprised that it helped. I am relieved because he is finally potty trained and he does not hurt anymore. He just had to get his gut problems corrected.I think that we are on our way. I am seeing signs that putting him on the SCD diet as well as the gfcf would work, but I am afraid to start. He eats a lot of potatoes and the SCD would mean that he shouldn't eat them. I did not give him potatoes for 3 days and I noticed that he seemed less agitated than before, his dad gave him potatoes for breakfast yesterday and he had the biggest meltdown and was scrunching up his face and he seemed to be in pain. He yelled and screamed. I had no idea what was going on, he had not done this in a while to this extent. Then my daughter told me that they had potatoes for breakfast. That is when I knew that it had to be the potatoes. I am now limiting potatoes, and I am keeping track to see if on the days he has them if the meltdowns are worse. i am going to keep him off of them until Friday then I will give him potatoes for lunch and see if anything happens.

Frustrating weekends

Today is friday, my children go to their dad's this weekend, and even though I have told about countless websites to go to, to learn about their diet and I have told countless times what they can and cannot have, he is still buying just all the wrong stuff for them to eat. He waits until today to let me know that he does not have any food this weekend for them and that he is out of money. I am also out of money, but I know how to cook. So I am spending this day cooking, baking and packing enough food and snacks for two kids for two nights and two days. I am also washing all their clothes, ( he isn't allowed to wash their clothes because he refuses to buy the right detergent) and packing them up for this weekend. Once their the kids will have no structure, will stay up till midnight or later and wake up early, get thier medicine and vitamins at all the wrong time and come home sunday night tired, cranky and hungry. But they seem to love to see their dad so they keep going.I am hoping someday they will realize which one of us tries harder for them.

Snack Ideas

This is going to be an ongoing post about snacks, My children are always hungry. It takes some creative thinking to plan enough snacks throughout the day. Soon I will start a new job and they will be taking food to daycare and school. Anybody who wants to can post a snack idea under comments, the only rules are that they have to be gfcf, no preservatives, no additives, no chemical and no fd&c food colors or numbers.

One snack my daughter loves is simple: celery and natural Skippy peanut butter.

One that both of my kids love is brown rice crackers and natural Skippy peanut butter.

Sometimes I have to get real creative and they just snack on Oscar Mayer Natural lunch meat, my son loves the turkey and my daughter loves the turkey and the ham, she eats hers rolled up with Spectrum Canola Mayo.

This weekend I made them a cake it was from Kinnikinick and the frosting was Enjoy Life, they loved it. It is really sweet though and I realize after they gorged on it for three days, (it had been about three months since they had cake) that I would either have to make it more often, or limit it to birthdays, I do not know yet. The hardest thing to pull them away from so far is sugar.

probiotics and doctors

i started my daughter on probiotics and she said yesterday that her stomach doesn't hurt anymore, so I know that it is working. the kids have so much energy, i am going to start taking them as soon as I can afford to. My son has a new pediatrician, she is really nice and seems to understand him and the diet a little better than his last one, he didn't care about anything. He is starting on an allergy medicine, which I am hoping will help him a lot. He gets bugged by allergies most of the time year round. I know he is allergic to animals and we have two dogs and a cat, but he loves the animals, one of the dogs is his and the other one is my daughters and the cat is everybodys. I can't give them up so i am hoping the medicine will help. my daughter is still aggressive. yesterday she bit my son in a very bad place and said she doesn't like him because he has a disability, she says she doesn't. Well we do not have her diagnosed yet, but I am seriously thinking she has aspergers. they are constantly fighting.

when ADHD meets Autism

Both of my children have ADHD and neither of them take medication for it. My son is spacey but not real hyper, my daughter is not real spacey but is extremely hyper. They are now sharing a room. My daughter never stops talking, I mean literally she talks to herself when no one else is around, she drives my son nuts. He is Autistic and cannot process information very fast, he also cannot drown out background noise. My daughter not only talks ALL THE TIME she also talks very fast and processes information at lightening speed. My son cannot keep up and has a meltdown everyday because of my daughter. She is 2 years younger and doesn't seem to want to understand that she has to slow down for him, I have been trying to teach her forever to try and understand him. I don't think there is a diet or supplements in the world that will help the sibling rivalry syndrome. I am hoping that because they just have each other that they will come to be close as they get older. They do not have the option to only talk to certain siblings like I do. They are the only two.

Over the weekend

The fourth of July went well for my kids, my son loved the fireworks, my daughter got scared though and cried. We went to the theme park that afternoon and the kids had a great time. they are both doing well these days. I started my daughter on probiotics on Sunday and she has been in a little bit of a better mood since, she is no longer constipated, which is always a good thing. I have even been taking an energy vitamin lately and have noticed a slight difference. As soon as I get a job we will all be taking probiotics and supplements to help us. I have also been cheating less lately, being broke helps. I already feel better. I know that my children will benefit in the long run, and I also know that they are already learning good nutrition and they take it seriously, they will tell people what is good and bad for them, they will also turn down food they know they can't have.

digestive enzymes

Even though my son is on the gfcf diet with additional restrictions i decided to on Monday start him on a digestive enzyme. He takes one tablet with breakfast and one with dinner. on Wednesday I started to notice a difference with him. Going potty is easier for him now and he is no longer constipated, he hasn't had an accident since Monday, so I know that the enzyme is working. he is happier and not as all over the place as he was. I am thinking about trying them on my daughter next to see if it improves anything. And since insurance doesn't cover the cost of anything, I am going to get a job working overnights so that I can better afford to help my children and still be here during the day with them. They didn't invent vault for nothing, i live on the stuff.

changes

i haven't posted for awhile because my son's dog got parvo and almost died, but I managed to nurse with him back to health with the prayer and determination. this is called changes because that is what is happening. changes are not easy, it is even harder when a person has Autism, last week at this time, we had a healthy dog, two foster kids and my son had his own room, now the foster kids are at a new placement, my brother and his wife moved in, my mom and I switched rooms, my daughter is sharing a room with my son and the dog is recovering. My son is handling it well except for the occasional outburst and meltdown. I also started him on an enzyme supplement today to help him break down his food and heal his gut. I should start seeing an improvement with him within a week I think. I also tried to get my daughter evaluated and that turned into a big waste of time, I am currently trying to get her into the specialist who can test for that.

My son

My son is still doing good, he seems to be getting another virus and that is never fun. He is sleeping all night again after he quit for about three weeks, he started to sleep all night about two nights ago. This weekend we are going to change his room because his bed isn't very good, he will be at his dad's when we do this so I am hoping that he will like it, changing anything with him is sometimes a difficult task. He is starting to get along better so far with people, his meltdowns are not near as long and I can get him to come around easier. He is also letting things end a little better than he did at first, I have reduced the sugar they get by a lot and I am already seeing that they are both calmer and seem more focused, i am going to keep tweaking the food factor until they are able to be okay, they are both healthy, happy and full of good energy. I Have started them on some supplements and I am looking into more, so far they are taking a multi-vitamin, calcium, and my son takes a probiotic, I am going to start them on fish oil later this week and probably zinc next week

tomorow is the day

My daughter is very bright, she made the superintendents honor every nine weeks last school year,and she is already doing first grade math. but she is very difficult at times, I noticed that she started lining up toys at about the age of two or three, she learned to talk and walk and she gave up the bottle at nine months. she potty trained at three but that is mainly because her older brother wasn't yet and she is very stubborn. she use to have to turn the lights on and off about three times and open and close the bathroom door before she went to bed, she has quit doing that, I think the diet is helping her their, she grinds her teeth she has always done that. she has to have things go a certain way or she will trow things, spit on you, throw water on you, she has no patience. at school we had to prompt her to talk to other kids, she says that making friends is hard and she pretty much stays to herself, she will talk to other kids but she doesn't seem interested in making any stable friends yet. Tomorrow I am taking her to see my sons psychiatrist to get her evaluated for Aspergers.

A good day

today was a good day, I went to the health food store and the glass place to get my son's glasses. I only went where I had to go and spent most of the day at home, that always works better for my kids. my son can see better with his new glass prescription, I found out that his old eye doctor just made up a prescription and that it was really wrong. The new doctor spent the time he needed to get the right script for him and they are working great. He did his school work this afternoon and didn't seem to have as much trouble with the math or the reading so I think that he can see it better and is not as frustrated. I am also watching more closely what he eats,i do know that he is healthier because he caught a stomach virus and was only sick for less than a day, really just overnight. before he would have ran a high fever and would have been sick for a week with just a simple bug. He had a really good day, just a few bumps in the road.

just another trip to wal-mart

Today was a busy day, but I thought that my son could handle it because he was doing much better lately, behavior wise. It was about 8:30 in the evening when we went back to Wal-mart to get his power wheel car we had bought earlier. My daughter had also had enough that day and was talking nonstop, which on top of the noise in Wal-mart was enough for my son. he threw the straw package he was holding and started screaming a little more like fussing, I knew I could handle this one, he had done much worse before the diet, when some rude guy said to me and my mom while staring at my son that someone needs to take a belt to him. I was shocked when my mom had told me what he said, my mom said that he has autism and that the comment was uncalled for, I told him that I would never take a belt to a child with a disability, ( I would never take a belt to any child no matter what) The nerve of some people. My son has just as much right to be in any public place as anybody and he wasn't hurting anybody. I had him under control. I just can't believe that with how common autism is becoming that someone would be so insensitive. My son is a great kid, he just has some sensory issues and gets overloaded easy. I am hoping someday everyone will see how great he is and not just think they are seeing a brat. He is sensitive and smart and funny and he is the most polite kid I know.

finding more info

The DAN conference was very educational. The Dr.s and other professionals were so nice, they answered all questions. It was very refreshing to be a room full of people who have the same beliefs as me when it comes to treating our kids and seeing them get better. I found out that even though I had eliminated all the chemicals such as household cleaners and detergents and switched to more environmentally friendly versions, that was just the beginning of the greening process to make the home environment less toxic for my kids. We learned that using plastic coated utensils to cook with is dangerous and that using a coated pan or one that has high nickel content is also toxic. we are not supposed to use plastic in the microwave, or to store food in them and not to dink out of plastic bottles. I also learned seasonal allergies can worsen autistic symptoms and so now i am going to have my son treated for allergies, he has numerous allergies all year long. I also learned not to use wooden spoons to cook with because, since we are not a totally gluten and casein free kitchen yet, (just the kids so far) cross contamination is very likely with wooden spoons. It is a lot to take in and I am going to start working on making the house less toxic. I do think that with the improvement that I have already seen in the 3 months since I put my son on the gfcf diet that he will continue to improve. I will continue to track his progress and any changes that I make.

doing better without eggs

My son has not had any eggs since Wednesday, he still gets eggs when it is in a recipe, like his pancakes. But he has not had any eggs by itself and he is doing better already. He has not had back to back meltdowns and he has handled things like knocking over his drink a little better. So I think that maybe he just can't tolerate eggs, but he can eat chicken so he will still get his meat. I am going to this week slowly start eliminating eggs from recipes and using an egg substitute that is potato based instead and see if he makes any more improvements. I hope he does not build up an intolerence to potatoes. so far his list of foods he can't have are:
wheat
gluten
dairy
casien
chemicals in food
eggs
dyes in food
processed foods
rice
soy
additives in foods

For household cleaners we have switched to non toxic cleaners and detergents, we are using natural toothpaste that does not contain fluride and he takes baths in epsom salts and ivory soap. we only use non toxic crayola brand school supplies and they do not use playdoh, I have to make it homemade with their flour.

gearing up for this weekend

My ex-husband has agreed to take the kids this weekend so that I can go to the DAN conferences. My kids have not spent a night away from me in four years, they have just been spending Saturdays with him. I think that they will be alright but I still worry. My son is still on one medication and my daughter still takes one to help her sleep, and then they both take vitamins and she takes allergy medication, and he takes probiotics in the morning. It is a lot to remember and he is not used to doing any of it. I know that the kids are smart and they know how I do things. they have also gotten better at turning down foods they know they are not supposed to have. I am planning on packing their food and their dad is going to buy some stuff. ever since he broke up with his girlfriend he has been doing better for his children and he has gotten along with me better. He is following the diet plans better and he calls to check with me before he feeds them anything new. I have never packed for them for more than a couple of hours so I am just packing everything, they are probably taking 3 bags each for two days.

looking for the culprit

I woke up today and decided that I have been handling summer break all wrong, i was never looking forward to it and I knew that it was going to be hard. i do not drive, so there is no way of getting the kids out except when someone is off to rake me, which is just as well because my son hates to go places. I decided to take a different approach and see if it works better, I will no longer yell at my kids, I will not stress at the messy house and I will not argue with them. I am also going to keep a food journal for my son to see if certain foods trigger certain behaviors, if a food is upsetting his stomach he will not process it as pain, he will become fussy and irritable, much like a toddler who doesn't talk yet. My son is very verbal, he learned to talk when he was around 2 1/2 or 3 but he doesn't communicate pain. ever since summer started I have been making him eggs for breakfast, he will eat all kinds of eggs. I am starting to wonder if he is unable to tolerate them and that is what is causing his tantrums and whining. I made him an omelet for breakfast this morning and up until then he was having a great morning, then about 20 min after he finished it he had his first mini meltdown when my sister came home for lunch. I do not know if it was because she came home and he wasn't expecting it or if it was because of what he ate. but she comes home for lunch everyday. Tomorrow I am going to make him pancakes that do not take eggs and see if his day goes better.

going to the conference

I just got a scholarship to attend the DAN conference this weekend. I have been wanting to go ever since I heard about it about two months ago. I am hoping to learn more about the medical reasoning behind autism. My son is still tantruming all day, when he isn't throwing fits he is whining. I do not work so I am with him all day, I am at my wits end. the diet seemed to be working when we first started and now it seems to be at a standstill. I made the switch to almond milk and have taken more soy out of his diet. I think it is yeast build up in his gut. i will learn more this weekend I am sure. I am still expiermenting with different recipes and they all seem to be working out well.

tonight at dinner I made chicken salad for sandwiches that seemed to go over well

I took a small package of chicken breast, cut it up and cooked it in a skillet with a little bit of organic canola cooking spray. I then cut up about two stalks of celery and added that and about 1/4 jar of canola mayo to the chicken in a blowl. the kids loved it. My daughter doesn't like any of the gfcf bread so she eats hers by itself like a salad.

end of school year

Well 2nd grade is coming to an end for my son and pre-k for my daughter. They are excited and i am worried and stressed already. I am hoping to find enough for them to do so they don't destroy the house or each other.

I had my end of year meeting yesterday with his teachers and one for next year. I am not as worried about third grade as I was and I did get the diet put into the IEP so the school has to follow it. I know that next years teacher will be asking this years teacher about him and do things similar. the best resource teacher he could have had is retiring this year, he has had her for two years in a row. I am really glad that he had her for a teacher because she listens and I have learned a lot from her this year. I know that academically he will never be ready for third grade but he is as ready as he will ever be. I am just thankful that he will not be the new kid. he has been in that school since kindergarden and he knows everyone, and for the most part they all accept him.

a little slip

this week my son's teacher gave him a treat because everyone else got something because of a birthday party. what she gave him was gluten free but it had dairy in it and she was unaware of it. I noticed a huge difference immediately, his mood changed and this week he started stimming again. last night at gymnastics while we were waiting for his sister he started spinning and today I noticed that the shoulder shrugs were back. It is very interesting what just a little bit of the wrong thing can cause so much difference in his behavior, I am going to have to be really on top of it next year. I am considering volunteering on the PTO and helping hands so that I can be at the school and be more involved with them.

on a different note I heard that rice can cause gut problems in some autistic kids so I am switching him to almond mild this weekend to see if that improves his behavior any.

wearing thin

i have decided that autism is very draining, I do not have it, my son does and if i feel this drained just taking care of him I can imagine how he feels. I try to be patient, and understanding. I am blessed that he is verbal, he talks all the time and drives his sister crazy and she drives everybody crazy. he wakes up at 4:30 every morning and can't go back to sleep unless I check on him and pat his back and cover him up and give him his fuzzy (his bear). then it takes me about an hour and a half to go back to sleep, then I am up at 7:00 most mornings, then I take care of the dog (biscuit) get austin ready for school, pack his lunch and backpack, take him to school. come home take other dog out (sassy) get kayla up and spend mornig with her. she is a liitle hyper in the mornings, but more so in the evenings. then we eat breakfast, run errands. take her to school and sassy for a walk. then I come home eat lunch. and either bake, cook, or clean house or all three. I have been doing this forever. just now I am having to bake and cook all of their food. I am exhausted, I was supposed to make dinner rolls and start dinner and plan snack for after school, get started on organizing the downstairs and finish the laundry. then organize the kitchen. instead I took an hour nap and now I feel really tired. better a late start than never I guess. oh yeah and tonight we have a ball game. I am hoping to survive motherhood.

staying on budget

it is really hard to follow a budget when I have to feed my kids certain foods and their foods cost a fortune. I am making everything from scratch so that I basically only have to buy flour and milk. so far that is working. I am going to get some of my bills paid off soon so that will free up some money for other stuff. I have realized that if I homeschool my kids and I do it right that it will be cheaper than sending them to public school. I will be giving up the cost of expensive school supplies and backpacks and clothes because they can just wear play clothes at home and nice clothes to church. I will save money on book clubs and book fairs and yearbooks and pictures etc. I am considering homeschooling because my son is being picked on and my daughter is so far ahead of her grade level in some areas that she is bored easily. I also think that I can get my son caught up because it will be all one on one.

great new food idea

i was eating out about a month and a half ago and I came across a pancake idea that I wanted to make homemade gfcf so my kids could eat it to.

I took a 3 quart sauce pan and filled it half way with canola oil. Heat the oil while you mix up the pancake batter, you could use a mix like I did or you can make it from scratch, I am going to try that next.
once the batter was mixed and the oil was hot I just dropped spoonfuls of batter into the oil about three at a time and cooked them. flipping them over about halfway through, they turn a gloden brown and get a donut hole type look. then I roll them in cinnamon and sugar and they taste great. like a pancake and a donut. My daughter loves them and I am sure my son will.

finding a new way to eat

I started the day on a good note, I made an appointment yesterday to get my daughter evaluated for aspergers and I am hoping that goes well. My son woke up early full of energy, I wish that I could say the same thing. I have decided to change my diet gradually, I am not brave like my children and I can not do it cold turkey, so I am going to stay away from soda first, when that gets easy, I will move on to sugar etc.

My kids are not totally off of sugar yet, i am trying to find substitutes for sugar and I am not getting very far. i think that the safest thing to use is honey and I cannot find where it could be a replacement. i need recipes that are using honey instead of sugar. I know that once my daughter gets away from sugar she will do a lot better. She is still really hyper and I do not want her back on medication.

playing it fair

My daughter says that if she can't eat it then i should not be allowed to, so I am having the last soda, the last frozen pizza and the last peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat. starting tommorrow I will be gluten free, casien free, dye free, chemical free, i will no longer eat processed foods, I will learn to love fruit, I will drink more water and I will enjoy it. Because I know that I will have more energy, be healthier and hopefully happier. i will not complain and I will do it for my children and for myself. after all they are going to have to eat this way for the rest of their lives and I am going to be a good example. my daughter had a point and I can't believe that she is only five. we are going to learn to love to love it forever, like my son. I can't believe how easy it is to get him to eat the right way. now of only it was that easy for me. i am the big junk food junkie in my family.

meltdowns

well today was a bad day. my son had about two long meltdowns all the way to the the health food store and all way back home. i am hoping that the diet has not leveled off because there are no other options. His doctor won't even listen when I ask for a yeast test to check for yeast build up in his gut. The psychiatrist reduced his med. last week that help control mood, so maybe he is just getting used to the new lower dose. He will probably be weaned totally off the medicine during Christmas break this year, which will be good news, he has been on them for about four years now.
my daughter is starting to calm down a little and her anxiety is getting a little better, so I think that the diet is starting to work on her. I am currently in the process of getting her evaluated for aspergers.

doctors do not listen

I took my son to the doctor today to see if I could get an allergy test scheduled, I also wanted to get him tested for mercury levels because he was given a double dose of vaccines when he was one and two, Then I asked about a yeast test because he has eczema and I have learned that eczema can be caused by a yeast infection. he just looked at me like I was stupid and said that we could not do any of those because there is no reason. Then he gave me some papers that could tell me how to look for signs of autism in my son. He was diagnosed when he was five and then diagnosed as aspergers when he was 7. I am not looking for a diagnosis, I am looking for treatments.
I don't think that I have ever been treated so stupidly before. I spend a lot of my time either cooking gfcf foods, since everything is from scratch, cleaning or researching autism. I know that I know more than this doctor when it comes to autism. They really should teach about Autism in medical school.

side effects and medicine

My son used to take a medication for adhd and it made him stutter among other things, he has been off of the medicine and doing great thanks to the diet, for about a month now. the only lingering side effect to this is stuttering, he still can't get the words out and now I am going to have to put him speech over the summer to help correct it. He is starting to get reduced off of his last medicine, once he gets off of it I will never go back, I am a firm believer in this diet and I will never do medicine on my children again when it comes to behavior.

everything homemade

i have realized that if i make everything from scratch it goes further, and with the cost of gfcf foods, it just makes sense.

here is a candy recipe that I have come up with, it works great for my children and made it easier for them because they did not have to give up chocolate.

you will need: candy molds that can go in the fridge.

3/4 cup of dairy free chocolate chips ( I use enjoy life because they are also soy free)
1/4 of natural peanut butter ( I add this to add calories, and flavor but it is optional)

microwave chocolate chips in bowl for about 1 min, stirring halfway through, may need extra 30 sec. until melted
stir in peanut butter
pour into molds, and freeze or refrigerate until set,
freezer usually 1 hour, fridge for about two maybe.
The peanut butter makes them softer, so it takes longer.
without peanut butter the time may be less in the freezer or fridge.

Birthday

Sunday was my son's birthday party, my greatest challenge I thought was trying to find a cake that everyone would like. But to my surprise the first gfcf cake mix that I bought was a huge hit. No one knew it was different, they had some idea because my son and daughter were able to eat it. We were also able to find gfcf donuts for them to eat for breakfast that day as a special treat. They both are really taking to the new foods and I am also feeling better because I am eating about 80% the way they do.

After the party, my son was playing with his toys like a regular little boy would. I was so surprised, he was able to create scenes with his star wars figures and was able to incorporate his robot into the action even though he did not "belong in star wars" he was making all the little guns and missiles sounds that seemed absent before. He is really becoming quite a character, I feel as though I am getting my son back, the nutty little boy he was before he got sick at 12 months. I had a few glimpses now and then, but he has come full circle. We still have a few bumps and he still has a melt down when he is over tired and over stimulated, but they happen about once every two weeks instead of five times a day. And he is taking less medicine now than he was then.

over the weekend

Austin has now been on the gfcf diet for about seven weeks. this weekend was probably the best one we have had in a long time. He is more affectionate, he is playing with his little sister better and they are getting along real good now. He is going to bed easier and today he woke up easier for school. he is getting ready faster in the mornings. I am discovering his sense of humor. I had a glimpse of it when he was about 1 years old and now it is coming back, he is really funny sometimes. he still has a couple of bumps to get through, but I believe he will make it. Last night my mom made him some gfcf pumpkin bread and muffins to go with dinner, because everyone else had dinner rolls. He liked them, but last night he almost ate a roll, I caught him just before he bit into it. so from now on we are going to only have bread and stuff at dinner that he can have. His doctor said that even the slightest mishap on this diet can make him go backward and he has come a long way, I am not wanting him to go backwards. He is so happy now.

wednesday

today started out really good, austin was as usual hard to get out of bed, but he seems to get around faster lately. He managed to get ready for school and be on time for the morning routine in the gym. He hates to miss it. He has been so happy lately, laughing and joking around. He seems like a regular kid sometimes now. He will be 8 in less than 2 weeks. I am glad that I was able to find answers before he got to much older.

last semester I got yelled at by the school principal because I packed four bite size candy bars in his lunch. a treat for after he ate his food. Just two weeks ago I saw her in the cafeteria getting ready for CRT week with the 3rd-5th graders. to get them pepped up she challenged all the teachers to see how many jumbo marshmallows they could put into their mouths. she can apparently fit 5 in her big mouth. I wanted to say something to her because I thought the example that she was setting did not fit into her "nutritious" attitude toward my sons chocolate.

since he has been on this diet I have been making him chocolate from dairy free chocolate chips and putting them into candy molds. I pack them in his lunch as a treat. If she ever says something to me again I will speak up. I believe that considering everything that they put into food these days from crude oil to color it and artificial ingredients to flavor it, that a few pieces of chocolate should be able to just pass on by. please feel free to comment on any of this if you should happen to find my blog.

A great day

Last week i could not get his doctor to refill his ADHD drug, so he has been going without it since thursday, now it is tuesday. He has been on the diet for about 6 or 7 weeks by now and I was pleased to learn that even without the med. He is still able to focus on his work and finish his assignments, I have even been able to get him to do a little bit of homework, which was impossible before. It seems as if the diet is working. He is also starting to sleep better and is laughing more than he used to. he is gettint back to his old nutty self. today he was joking around with me after school. at the ball game he focused on the game better and hit the ball better than last week. The stemming behaviors are gone, he is able to transition from activities without a big deal. His tantrums are becoming less severe and less frequent. I took him to wal-mart today and he and his sister were acting like typical children, he even jumped on the back of the cart and wanted me to push him. He used to never want his feet off the floor. On sunday he climbed on top of the dog crate, (it is a huge crate) and he was laughing because he couldn't believe he was up there. his balance is better. I started the probiotic yesterday.I think that I am going to be able to see much more improvement. last week at this time he was taking 3 pills a day and he was very angry. today he is taking 1 pill and he is very happy.

a new day

yesterday we had to go to the nutritionist. it is about a forty-five minute drive, my son hates being in cars. I gave him Benadryl before we left, but he still threw tantrums all the way there and back. we are now going to switch his milk from soy to rice to see if that improves anything.
she said that maybe he is shoeing a sensitivity to the soy protein.

tantrums went on for the most part of day. i did however manage to take him to get his haircut, buy shoes and go to opening ceremonies for his baseball team.

He woke up this morning and immediately went into tantrum mode. I was told at group last night that he could be having reactions to the adhd meds, or he could be going through withdraw because I yanked him cold turkey off of wheat, casein, processed food etc. I have gone completely natural on him and it could take months to see a difference in his behavior. I am planning for a long bumpy ride.

a little history

I found out my son 7 had autism when he was 5, I found out about 6 months ago that my daughter 5, has Adhd and anxiety. About 2 months ago I found out that my son also has Adhd.

They are all taking medications right now to control their symptoms. I have just recently put both of them on the GFCF diet and I have also taken all persevatives, additives, chemicals, processed food, and dyes out, and I have reduced their sugar.


My son has been on the diet for about 5 weeks now. At first we saw huge improvement, he was getting his work done, he was able to transition from one thing to another and he was actually happy. Now he is going through withdrawal, it is a rough ride but I think we will make it through.

my daughter just started the diet and won't go into it full fledge until summer.