::ANNA::

Dangerous Grains

I read this book while in Florida a few weeks ago, and it pretty much cemented in my mind what I already knew.  Gluten sensitivity is real and can cause a wide variety health issues.  

Some of what I learned in this book, published in 2007:

• Human Beings have only been eating grains for 1% of their evolutionary existence.
• Gluten sensitivity increases the risk of cancer by 200-300%.
• Gluten will attack human tissue when placed together in a petri dish.
• Gluten can attack other organs in the body other than the intestines.
• An estimated 90 million Americans are gluten intolerant, most of which don't know it.
• Gluten releases opiod-like peptides during digestion which is what makes them so addictive.
• Gluten intolerance can cause peridontal and gum disease.
• Documented evidence of Gluten Sensitivity exists from the late 1800s.

This book was a timely read for me.  I have been Gluten Free for several years now.  Just recently we've also placed Ella on a gluten free diet.  She's always been behind the curve in terms of development, but toward the end of 2009 she had incessant leg pains that would wake her up in the night crying/screaming for literally months on end.  I consulted her pediatrician who did a full blood work-up without any results other than chalking it down to growing pains.

At the beginning of the year, we decided to try a gluten-free diet just to see if it made a difference.  Having gone through the process of eliminating gluten from my own diet, I knew this had to be Ella's decision, if she was going to stick with it.  It needed to be a choice and not enforced, otherwise she would feel deprived. So she's been on and off the diet several times over the past 4 months, and has been allowed to *cheat* freely.  However, she quickly discovered that every time she cheated the leg pains came back, as did a new-found tummy ache.  Perhaps, she always had the tummy ache or perhaps she had just built up a level of tolerance.  She decided the week before we went to Florida that she wanted to be on a gluten-free diet.  She didn't want to hurt anymore.  I was sure she'd waiver during our vacation where she was bombarded with junk food stands at every destination. Nope.  She stuck with it and is still doing so.  We've noticed whiter teeth and her teacher has seen improvement since we returned from vacation. 

This is very real.

[supplies + journaling]

With big companies such as General Mills debuting gluten-free Bisquick and Hamburger Helper and Betty Crocker's new gluten-free cake mixes already on the shelves in my local Target, I am optimistic that others will follow suit and increase awareness of gluten-intolerance and celiac disease.  I often wonder if and how many cases of breast cancer could be attributable to gluten-intolerance?

Check out the Gluten-Free Challenge here.

It seems apt at this point to share a gluten-free recipe.  

This was lunch today: Sesame Ginger Maple Tofu by Averie, at Love Veggies and Yoga, over Asian Slaw, by Jenn Cuisine.  I tweaked the latter recipe to taste by adding a higher ratio of Peanut Butter, adding GF Habanero Hot Sauce + Agave Nectar, substituting Apple Cider Vinegar and adding some water for a runnier consistency.  Funnily enough, Elana's Pantry was thinking along the same lines with her own rendition. These two recipes are Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegan and Low Carb, and I can attest, very yummy!

Skiing, Raw Cookie Dough Balls and More AlbumMagic.

It's been a few weeks since we ventured into the mountains skiing so it was fun to get away this weekend. E and L were cautious on the slopes at first but soon got into the swing of it again. 

On this trip, Luke became particularly interested in skiing on the narrow paths and *jumps* between the trees, which was fine, until he decided to *barge* me out the way because he wanted to take the *jump* first.  This little guy can pick up some serious speed and managed to catapult me off track into a tree.  I wasn't hurt, bar perhaps my pride, but more so, I was seriously disappointed in him.  Needless to say, little man was in big trouble.

It took me back to a story my Mum likes to tell about me at a similar age.  We had a play park near our house with 3 big swings.  They were yellow, red and mint green.  The mint green one was in the middle and that was my favourite.  On one occasion, my Grandad Day, my Mum's Dad, took me to the park and there was another little girl on *my* swing.  I proceeded to walk up to this little girl and pushed her off the swing so that I could have it.  I received a swift clip around the ear before being marched home to my Mum, without getting to swing on my favourite green swing after all. The entire way I remember telling my Grandad that I was going tell my Mum on him, and when she whole-heartedly supported his action, I remember being completely shocked.  

I distinctly remember this moment like it was yesterday.  My adult mind being trapped in a child's body. I can honestly say I had no clue that pushing that little girl off the swing was wrong until the moment I was reprimanded for it.  From the way Luke re-acted on the slopes yesterday, I have a feeling it was totally the same for him.  It just didn't occur to him that his actions were inappropriate which can be typical for a child with Asperger's Syndrome.  

For the most part, Ella and Luke do very well socially, but once in a while they'll do something completely off the wall and we have to take the time to try and instill something that doesn't inherently come naturally to them.

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Today, Ella and Luke are home from school.  It was Teacher Parent Conference week last week and so, for some reason or another, Ella has a day off.  

It became apparent this morning that I wasn't going to get anything done so I decided to run some errands and tackle some baking.  E and L assisted in making a chocolate cake using 2 favorites, Pamela's Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Chocolate Cake Mix and Cherrybrook Chocolate Frosting Mix.  I usually like to bake from scratch, but mixes are easier when E and L are in the kitchen and want to be involved and these are 2 of our favourites. 

I also had a bash at new type of sweet treat:  Raw Cookie Dough Balls.  I've seen numerous variations of these on a variety of raw and vegan food-themed blogs and I like the idea of how these healthy sweet treats can be made in a snap.  

I settled on Averie's Raw Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls, but i think you could totally switch these up to create all kinds of concoctions.  For example, choose any raw nut, any type of cereal, switch the chocolate chips out for dried fruit, add chopped nuts, extracts or spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg. So many possibilities!

My ingredient list ended up looking like this:

2/3 cup Raw Cashews

1/3 cup GF Oats.

1 tbsp each of Maple Syrup and Agave Nectar 

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/4 cup 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate, chopped into large chunks

1/2 cup GF Oat Bran, for coating my little balls of dough.

What can I say?  These got 4 thumbs up in our house, and if little man likes them, officially the pickiest eater on this planet, then they must be good.  I liked that I threw everything into my Vitamix to create the dough, I stirred in the chocolate chunks and then E and L helped me roll them into little balls with a dusting of oat bran.  They were ready in 5 minutes flat.

Thought I'd share this cool little eat.

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 AlbumMagic is re-open for registration!

The first AlbumMagic class was so well-received that I will be teaching the class again 14th April through 4 May 2010.  This 3 week classes teaches you all my tips and tricks for putting together cohesive albums in a snap.  You can learn more about AlbumMagic here.

Read what some the students in the previous class had to say about the class. 

Here's the album I created during and using the material from AlbumMagic.

You can also see how a few of my previous students used their skills to create this album and this album from what they learned during AlbumMagic.

Got questions about the class?  Join me on Wednesday, 3 March 2010, at 8pm EST on ReneeTV.

High Fructose Corn Syrup

We cut it completely out of our diets at the end of the Summer in 2007, and seeing the change in Luke was enough to convince me that it's not quite as "natural" as this commercial would have you believe:

Therefore, I was not surprised to hear on the news last week that HFCS is once again under scrutiny.  A new study performed by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) detected mercury in nearly one-third of 55 popular brand name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first or second highest labeled ingredient-including products by Quaker, Hershey's, Kraft and Smucker's.  Mercury is a toxic metal in any form and can cause immune, sensory, neurological, motor, and behavioral dysfunctions similar to traits defining or associated with autism.

This recent study is very worrying especially as both my children were diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome, an Autustic Spectrum Disorder in 2007. We all underwent Naets and discovered Luke had 22 allergies, which included both mercury and corn.  Since completing the the treatment Luke is a different child.  I still read labels and control what we eat at home, but have been a little more lax when we are out and about.  This latest information will certainly make me think twice next time we are out.

Heading Out

Busy day working some and packing...Getting ready for our mini trip to Denver.

Couple of Autism articles to share.  The latter one coincides nicely with NAETs, and from our experience, can also be the case in ADHD behaviour.

Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Vaccines And Autism: Are 1 in 50 Children at Risk?

How Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy's Son Recovered From Autism

Will be back Monday hopefully having found a house.

Wish us luck!

22 Fahrenheit

When I woke this morning it was dark and cold and I cried. 

What can I say it's that time of year again.

In a nutshell:

Ella has now been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome and is also under observation for depression.  She's not been the same since she started school. 

Luke on the other hand is desperate to be in school with other children.  The Anchorage School District has stated he's above average and has a vocabulary 5 year old but won't do anything until he's at least 4 1/2 years. He doesn't have the "right" special needs to be helped.

Eric's working nights right now so it's hard.  Mission is always first as far as the Air Force is concerned.

Unplugged my phone and taking some time out so I can figure all this out.

Runnin'

That was me yesterday.

Dropped Luke off at Ronalyns' which he wasn't happy about at all.  It's amazing how in 3 short weeks routine changes and what used to be routine and no problem now results in meltdown.  He sat in his car seat, holding his seat belt over him.  Bless him.  He was, of course, fine.

Had an appointment with Ella's teacher, who is AWESOME!  Really like her a lot.  She's been really open to working with me and giving me great feedback on how she is doing.  The consensus is that she is fabulous (but we all knew that ;)  but she has notices a few things that make her a little different from her peers.  Breathe......One step at a time.

The night prior we'd had another appointment for Ella and her CAST (Childhood of Asperger's Syndrome Test) came out at 20.5/31.  Above 15 is considered on the spectrum so now the psychologist will assess whether Ella meets the criteria for AS.  We have another appointment when I get back from Memory Trends next week.

In the meantime, the bus is going reasonably well.  I say "reasonably" because she is resistant still to both the bus and school for that matter.  She does seem to have befriended the bus driver, however, and as long as she sits in "her" seat behind the bus driver, she appears to be able to cope.  She seems to prefer the bus ride there as opposed to returning.  The little girl who originally said she didn't want to sit with her has now become her friend.

The day after the "drama", the girls Mum was at the bus stop and asked me if her daughter had been sitting with Ella.  I waited for the girls to get on the bus before I told her the story and she was horrified.  She spoke to her daughter over the weekend, and as I suspected the little girl had no idea that she had hurt Ella's feelings.  She arrived on our doorstep at 8.40am Monday morning with a little teddy bear for Ella.  That went down really well, and they came home and had a play date that night.

So going isn't a problem so much as coming home.  Her friend often gets picked up in the evenings which means Ella's routine changes.  She used to sit with a little boy in her class called Cameron but in Ella's words, "Cameron's got a new girlfriend".  Oh boy!  Does it really all start this soon?

Managed to sneak in a pedicure, one of the rare occasions I get to pick up a "trashy mag" (catch up on Hollywood gossip) which is always entertaining, and then a spot of retail therapy for myself.  I had actually intended on some new stuff for Ella and Luke as they see to have grown again, but also walked away for some new sweaters for myself.  We're definitely feeling the chill in the mornings.

Got home just in time for dinner and then I was out again to gathering of Loris friends.  She heads of to California next week for radiation treatment and will be living in her Dad's basements until the radiation wears of enough so that she can be near her children again.  I didn't cry like some of the other girls.  Always find these situations a little awkward.  Not really knowing what to say.  I usually end up making jokes because that's all I can do.

Needless to say....Not a whole lot of scrapping going on at this end although I did manage to get a Photobook assembled and ordered here .  Can't wait for it to arrive.  Starting to upload all my older pages and get them printed so this particular book covers Ella up until Luke was born. 

Also been doing some new "stuff" for the store:

 

Other than that, I have a dental appointment today, and grocery shopping is on the agenda!

Passion v. obsession

When does a passion become an obsession?  It is for some, including myself, a very fine line.  It's taking a particular interest to the next level, where you almost become consumed by it.  It becomes problematic for the individual to find balance.  I've often wondered,  WHY I have the need to take everything I do to extremes and go "above and beyond" in everything I take on.  It's a constant desire to excel, and be perfect in all I do.    It's not enough for me to live in the moment.  I'm always "reaching for the stars" as my Mum puts it.  She cross stitched an angel catching a star in a net and framed it for me.  It now hangs in my home as a poignant reminder.  It is perhaps the very reason I am able to do for a living what I do.

So let me get to the point.  Luke and I were out and about yesterday.  After taking Ella to the bus-stop, without a hitch, I might add, we ran errands.  Can you believe he stood quietly in line with me for 10 minutes at the Post Office?  In fact, he was SO good all day, I took him to Barnes and Noble after we'd finished to allow him to play with the trains.  His interest lasted all of about 2 minutes so we picked up a couple of sticker books and then I decided to check to see if they had a motorcycle DVD.  "A what?", did I hear you say?  That's pretty much the look I got from the store assistant who proceeded to search her database.

Luke is fascinated with motorcycles, and in particular the "boys" with "how-mets" that ride them.  When we see them in the parking lot he insists on a diversion to get a closer look, and he's the first to notice a motorcycle anywhere (and whether or not the rider is wearing a helmet).

 

Unfortunately, the lady did not have any "suitable" motorbike DVDs, so Luke (in bewilderment) and I left the DVD section.  As chance might have it, he noticed something from the corner of his eye, took off and made a B-line for it.  The next thing I know, he's waving a book at me, saying "this one".  It was, of course, a motorcycle book, the one about "advanced technique" no less.  He had to check there were helmets inside of course, before completely settling on it, but then the sticker book was tossed to the side, and he proceeded to sit quite happily thumbing through the pages, for a good half an hour, while I looked at books. He also stopped all other passer-bys, to ask if they had any motorcycle DVDs.  The general reaction was a mixture of both surprise and also delight.

Passion verses obsession is possibly a trait I will always share with Luke.  The more I read about Aspergers, the more I recognize myself as being "somewhere on the Autistic continuum".  I'm reading a really good book at the moment.  I'm generally not a reader and don't have a lot of time for fiction.  I really don't see the point unless I have time to kill.  Why not just watch the movie?  (A unique and blunt sense of reasoning that is also a trait often held by those on the continuum). 

However, when I want to learn about something, I pretty much always reach for a book.  I'm a self- starter and like to learn on my own at my own pace.  I don't have the concentration span for lectures nor like the rigidity of lesson plans.  It's a wonder I made it through college at all, but then, the fact my Mum and Dad were struggling to pay for it, how could I not?  I digress...

What I like about this book is how the author has been able to redefine what it means to be autistic and shed some positive light on this "life experience".  He studies historical figures such as Thomas Jefferson, Alfred Einstein and Marie Curie, of many, and entertains the idea of placing them on the Autistic Spectrum (continuum).  In essence, he argues that inspite of their idiosyncrasies and complex issues, it's their passions that made them brilliant.

Don't get me wrong.  I am, by no means, equating myself or Luke with these historical figures but it does give food for thought.  The book provides hope for me and paves a way forward for Luke.  It is through his passion that he is also most likely to find happiness and success.  Do I like that it's currently motorcycles?  Not really but it could change, and even if it doesn't, I've never taken it lightly when someone has tried to dissuade me from what I want to do.  So it really is pointless to try.

And for me?  I am learning so much more about myself, and more importantly, so much more self-acceptance in my little quirks.  In particular, really like the list in the back entitled "Aspergers Traits That Make Us Happy"

- Show a dependable commitment to telling the truth and being straight up

- Offer help and be accommodating

- Reliable at keeping promises

- Strong ties to home and family

- Obey rules

- Be creative in several interest areas

- Natural sense of fairness and justice

- Not budging on principles

- Appealing droll sense of humour

- Set high standards for his/her own work

- Be organized and get things done

- Inspire confidence by virtue of Intelligence and reserve.

All of which, by the way, describe me.  I obey even if I don't want to.

OK, Ella has just "reminded" me she has got to go to school, so off to take her to the bus stop.

Have a great day!

Change...

It's been a month since I have posted and I have certainly been procrastinating on this post not really knowing where to start.  Then there has been the fear that once I start, will another change throw me off course? Uncertainty seems to have filled my life over the past few weeks.  But through all of this I keep going back to this little saying:

"That which does not kill us, will only make us stronger".

Monday 9th July 2007 - Luke potty trains himself.  He'd tested the waters the previous 2 days by insisting on underpants and using the potty in the evenings.  On Monday, I had a lot of errands to run, out and about, so this was not good timing.  Nevertheless, we went with it, packed up the spare pants and clothes and let Luke take the lead.  It was a few days before he would use a public toilet meanwhile preferring just to hold "it".   He clocked 2 hours on that first day.  He still doesn't like anyone to be in there with him telling me "You stay outside" and "Don't move" so I had to be really sneaky to get this shot.  We're jsut learning to work with him.

Tuesday 10th July 2007 - Ella and Luke perform an evening show for Mama and Papa.  Luke plays the sick patient and Ella is his diligent doctor.  This is followed by Ella's singing and dancing finale.  You'll be pleased to know we've now invested in a proper doctor kit :)

Wednesday 11th July 2007 - Anchorage Botanical Gardens.  Gorgeous day, lots of mosquitos and we managed to get Luke to use a Public Restroom. Yayyyyy!

Thursday - Saturday 12th-14th July 2007 - Denali National Park with Mum and Dad.  Eric stayed home with E & L so that we could really enjoy it. Some AMAZING sights.  You can see the photos here.

Monday 16th July 2007 - Luke is diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome.  The more I read the more I see myself also fall under this spectrum disorder or life experience as I prefer to call it.  It is the missing piece to my puzzle and with all this new information I am better prepared to help E & L succeed and avoid the same patterns of bullying, eating disorders and depression that I have experienced over the years.  This diagnosis does not define who Luke is or who I am for that matter and has given me greater understanding into how dangerous stereotyping can be.  More to come on this.

17th July 2007 - New invisalign braces.  It's going really well.  So impressed at the changes happening in my mouth thus far.

18th July 2007 - Ella gets her physical prior to Kindergarten.

Thursday - Monday 19th - 23rd July 2007 - CHA in Chicago.  I took my two friends with me, Ronalyn and Allie, and we had the most amazing Girls long weekend.  It seems such a long time ago but included cocktails with the Designer Digitals team, a fun dinner with the Digital Scrapbooking team, trips to Denny's at 1am, downtown Chicago and Target, as well as some pool time, and of course, eye candy galore.  If you have never been to one of these shows, it can best be summed up by the following:

"Tell him I'm in scrapbook heaven and I am never coming home"  (We overheard a lady say this on her cell phone)

Demonstrating how to eat a mini doughnut :)

Tuesday 24th July 2007 - Come downstairs in the morning to find E & L with Auntie Sarah like this:

Wednesday 25th July 2007 - Anchorage Zoo.  My sixth trip of the season but this time with the Fam in tow.

Thursday 26th July 2007 - We head to Seward early.  Sarah and I head out on a boat to view Aialik Glacier and some wildlife in the Kenai Fjords, while Mama and Papa take E & L to the Sealife Center.

A Humpback Whale

Black Bear on the Banks

Staying warm.

Dall Porpoise swimming alongside the boat.

Wild Seals

Aialik Glacier which 1 mile wide

E & L make friends with a big Harbour Seal at the Sealife Center.

Friday 27th July 2007 - Baking with Auntie Sarah

Saturday 28th July 2007 - Eagle River Nature Center.  We took a stroll around one of the trails.

Sunday 29th July 2007 - Biking along the Coastal Trail, through Earthquake Park and pony rides Downtown Anchorage at the Weekend Market.

Saturday 4th August 2007  - Luke makes friends with Bob at Chuck E Cheese

Apparently he also discovers the art of taking a self-portrait.

Sunday 5th August 2007  - Sarah and I fly to Minneapolis.  Sarah is on her way home and attend the Creative Memories Showcase 2007.

Sarah by the "The Bear" at Ted Stevens Airport

It was fun to see the launch of the new scrapbooking products but my favorite part of the show was Michael Israel.  Check him out.  Awesome stuff!

All designed by me.  Just plain cool.

Pitched in and helped out with a Make and Take

And no trip to the lower 48 would be complete without a trip to Target.  Check out that escalator!

So finally back home, I'm catching up on phone calls, trying to get E & L ready for Fall and into a routine.  It's been a surprisingly glorious week so we've spent time outside.  Some random shots from yesterday.

   

With Ronalyn heading off to Hawaii next week for her Dad's funeral, she will be missed by me, but I aim to keep busy.  At least she'll be back.  At one point last week we thought that the Baruts would soon be leaving AK.  We're going to spend Ella's last days before Kindergarten having fun with a little work, scrapping, and blogging mixed in for good measure.

It's good to be back.