Today went by pretty fast. We did the weekly shopping trip minus the farmer's market. It took most of the morning and into the early afternoon. The boy's were real troopers so I bought them some Bionicles to get them through it all. Austin sat in the cart for the last two stores. We came home and had some lunch and then the boys did some playing and wrestling. We made banana bread yesterday so it was ready for today. Austin liked it and Alex: "No thanks". I bought some raw ice cream instead of making it and they both loved it! Me too, except I only got a spoonful.
We went to the park in the late afternoon after it cooled down a little. We made Peppermint Truffles this evening and they were divine. It is definately my favorite of all the chocolate we've had yet. Will have to make those a lot when I get home. Don't you want some? We prepped some of the food for the start of my raw chef certification dishes. We are starting tomorrow and should be done by Thursday. YEAH!!
Friday we are heading into Atlanta to stay in a hotel until Sunday so we can go to the dinosaur museum and the aquarium. I think it will be a great ending to this little journey we've been on. Pam who is from Texas and came for our two week immersion to help out, offered to go with us into Atlanta. That should make it SO MUCH easier. Pam is a Special Education Teacher as well as a Living on Live Food Raw Food Teacher and the boys love her. YEAH!!
Ok, can you tell I feel better? Two YEAH's in one blog who knew?!! There are a lot of little things that I've noticed with both kids just today. Austin's brain is a little more clear thinking; he has some auditory processing issues and I think this is doing something- at least in the beginning stages of something. Alex, he is less inclined to really make a career out of being mad. Just today I noticed that tickling him can diffuse a situation a lot faster than even two days ago. He is also conversing with me more hmmmm...
The little things build on each other until they make something bigger. I am very excited to see where this goes as we continue to stay raw and incorporate some other things into the diet. Take good care.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Day of Reflection
Well, we are on our 7th day. Today was kind of hard for me as I kinda felt headachy and my stomach was upset off and on most of the day. It is nice to just move through some of these things not get hung up on them, but try and identify them for what they are and know this too shall pass.
We did some more water balloons but mostly had a mellow day with some computer time, lego time and reading time for the kids. We had a raw pizza for dinner and it was fabulous. It took me a while to eat it as it didn't sound too good for a while with my stomach, but I had it about half an hour ago. I know I shouldn't be eating this late, but I wanted to try it. Austin loved it, Alex gave his standard "no thanks" so I fixed him a raw veggie plate. We are pretty lucky he likes to eat a small variety of raw veggies and fruits.
I think committing to this full immersion into raw food has really helped to get in there and just get started and stay the initial course. All we have to do for these two weeks is eat raw food and get through the detoxing. It is what it is. In our journey to restore Alex's health, we have been constantly refining his diet and I truly believe that this is what's going to get the job done. It's a work in progress. Take good care.
We did some more water balloons but mostly had a mellow day with some computer time, lego time and reading time for the kids. We had a raw pizza for dinner and it was fabulous. It took me a while to eat it as it didn't sound too good for a while with my stomach, but I had it about half an hour ago. I know I shouldn't be eating this late, but I wanted to try it. Austin loved it, Alex gave his standard "no thanks" so I fixed him a raw veggie plate. We are pretty lucky he likes to eat a small variety of raw veggies and fruits.
I think committing to this full immersion into raw food has really helped to get in there and just get started and stay the initial course. All we have to do for these two weeks is eat raw food and get through the detoxing. It is what it is. In our journey to restore Alex's health, we have been constantly refining his diet and I truly believe that this is what's going to get the job done. It's a work in progress. Take good care.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Water Balloons Save the Day
Well, my brother asked what kind of detox symptoms we are experiencing and so I thought I would talk a little about that. I think the major symptoms are tiredness and irritability and you can imagine what irritability can be like when you are only dealing with one person who is irritated. Now times that by the 9 people in this house. Not that all 9 people are detoxing, but at least four to five of us are! Yikes!! Also, Alex for the past two days has been in the bathroom every 10 minutes in spurts throughout the day. Austin has not gone as frequently, but definately a lot! I've had off and on headachs, not bad just enough to add to the irritability, Austin has been a lot more whiny than usual. It's hard to know with the kids what else they are experiencing. For the most part we are just hangin in and moving towards better health.
This morning we made some chocolate balls and this afternoon we made a luscious chocolate pie. I think the raw cacao really helps even things out AND its just soooo yummy!!!
Today we had some great water balloon fights. It really helps to get the kids out of doors doing something fun especially when they get to gang up and soak the so-called adults. I say that because we were worse than the kids when it came to soaking them!! We had a couple of trips to the park today also which was fun and gave them something else to do.
This morning we made some chocolate balls and this afternoon we made a luscious chocolate pie. I think the raw cacao really helps even things out AND its just soooo yummy!!!
Today we had some great water balloon fights. It really helps to get the kids out of doors doing something fun especially when they get to gang up and soak the so-called adults. I say that because we were worse than the kids when it came to soaking them!! We had a couple of trips to the park today also which was fun and gave them something else to do.
Friday, May 30, 2008
A Slower Pace
Well, today started out a little slower. Austin didn't wake up until 10:30 so it was a nice relaxing morning. Sunshine made us adults a green/purple smoothie for breakfast and it was really tasty! The kids had their standard strawberry creamsicle smoothie and then some maple flax crackers with almond butter on top for Austin and a banana for Alex. I believe the detoxing is continuing and so I was glad to have an easy day to kind of regroup.
We have prepared so many different recipes that there isn't any more room in the refrigerators (yes they have 2!), so we didn't do any food preparation today- just more eating. I took the kids to the park for a while today and then Sunshine brought back squirt guns and water balloons, so of course we had to go out and make sure the squirt guns worked. Tomorrow we are going to make very good use of the water balloons. It is supposed to be 98 tomorrow with humidity. The pool was supposed to be open by the 17th, but it is having difficulty getting the right combination of cleanliness so we haven't been able to use that yet. We are hoping soon.
We've had some amazing food so far such as the veggie sandwiches on onion bread with nut based mayonaise, some fudge balls- Austin loved those, mexican flax crackers with guacamole and purple onions, romaine salad with house dressing, maple flax crackers with almond butter, strawberry ice cream, french vanilla ice cream, peppermint meltaways, sparkling limeaide, eggless egg salad (um YUM!)...But seriously, right now all I can think about is mexican velveeta cheese. I have not had that for years (at least 5)and I'm sitting here wanting some tortilla chips with some melted mexican velveeta to go with. I must be finally detoxing that stuff out of my body- I wish it was detoxing out of my head!
When I decided to do this, I didn't really think about what we would be doing and how things might be. Right now, in the middle of it with some detoxing going on and I'm a little ragged and a little homesick, I know with every fiber of my being that we needed to do this. Things are starting to move in both kids and I think that by the end of our stay we will be in a way better place than when we started. Is this easy? Not always, but the health rewards especially for Alex and Austin will be worth it in the end. Take good care.
We have prepared so many different recipes that there isn't any more room in the refrigerators (yes they have 2!), so we didn't do any food preparation today- just more eating. I took the kids to the park for a while today and then Sunshine brought back squirt guns and water balloons, so of course we had to go out and make sure the squirt guns worked. Tomorrow we are going to make very good use of the water balloons. It is supposed to be 98 tomorrow with humidity. The pool was supposed to be open by the 17th, but it is having difficulty getting the right combination of cleanliness so we haven't been able to use that yet. We are hoping soon.
We've had some amazing food so far such as the veggie sandwiches on onion bread with nut based mayonaise, some fudge balls- Austin loved those, mexican flax crackers with guacamole and purple onions, romaine salad with house dressing, maple flax crackers with almond butter, strawberry ice cream, french vanilla ice cream, peppermint meltaways, sparkling limeaide, eggless egg salad (um YUM!)...But seriously, right now all I can think about is mexican velveeta cheese. I have not had that for years (at least 5)and I'm sitting here wanting some tortilla chips with some melted mexican velveeta to go with. I must be finally detoxing that stuff out of my body- I wish it was detoxing out of my head!
When I decided to do this, I didn't really think about what we would be doing and how things might be. Right now, in the middle of it with some detoxing going on and I'm a little ragged and a little homesick, I know with every fiber of my being that we needed to do this. Things are starting to move in both kids and I think that by the end of our stay we will be in a way better place than when we started. Is this easy? Not always, but the health rewards especially for Alex and Austin will be worth it in the end. Take good care.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Day of Detox
Well, hmmmmm. Here we are at Day 4 and I'm thinking we are all doing a little detoxing. Austin is very tired because he's sleeping very little. He seemed to spend the day between crying and being ornery to everyone. I finally had to pull out the Essential Oils to even him out a little. It was definately draining. Alex had a meltdown halfway through the day and I pulled the oils back out and used a few on him and it actually helped calm him down pretty quickly. We walked to the playground today and that seemed to help quite a bit. We also went outside and filled some water balloons and had a mini water balloon fight.
We did a few recipes such as strawberry ice cream which was made with frozen bananas and frozen strawberries with some agave. Austin loved it but Alex didn't and had his standard "No Thanks". We got to eat the onion bread we made yesterday and it was so good. Can hardly wait to make it when we get home. We have prepared so much raw food that we can take it easy tomorrow and just relax. I think a mellow day is in order as I'm feeling kind of rough around the edges. Probably more playground time and lego time for the kids! Take good care!
We did a few recipes such as strawberry ice cream which was made with frozen bananas and frozen strawberries with some agave. Austin loved it but Alex didn't and had his standard "No Thanks". We got to eat the onion bread we made yesterday and it was so good. Can hardly wait to make it when we get home. We have prepared so much raw food that we can take it easy tomorrow and just relax. I think a mellow day is in order as I'm feeling kind of rough around the edges. Probably more playground time and lego time for the kids! Take good care!
A Day of Reflection
Growing up we always had big get togethers at my grandparents house. There was always lots of family in the kitchen preparing food and laughing and talking and catching up. Those are fond memories of my childhood and being here in the house of raw I get those flashbacks of family and preparing food and being together. There are nine people here and the house is full of noise and fun and sometimes the kids get out of control but in between all of that we are preparing food, eating what we’ve made and laughing and enjoying each other. We spent a great deal of time in the kitchen today preparing all types of food. Trent was in charge of taking me through the steps of making the Coconut Breakfast Cakes this morning and we ate them with fresh strawberry syrup. Can you say YUMMY! Austin loved them! Alex and Justin, said "No Thanks", so we made Alex a Strawberry Creamsicle smoothie and Justin had a Chocolate Cinnamon Swirl smoothie. We always offer what we are eating first and then if that’s a no go, we ask what they do want.
Alex came and gave me a hug out of the blue today a real big squeeze around the waist. It really took me by surprise because I don’t usually get a hug from him unless I ask for one and it is usually given with the “is that enough” type of attitude. These are the little things that mean so much!
Alex and Justin get along with each other and seem to really like one another. Justin came in this morning and snuggled with Alex’s blanket. Alex is very particular about who can touch his blanket. It was so funny to see Justin just as enamored with the blanket as Alex is! He really looked like he could sneak away with it. Those two boys are very different, but they are both so full of mischief and fun.
We made some onion bread that should be ready soon. And we made and ate some black sesame sunflower bread yesterday that we made into veggie sandwiches. We put some mayonnaise that we made (it had a base of cashew and pine nuts) on it and it was fabulous. The kids weren’t too enthralled with that combo so we made them up a veggie plate. Austin did try the bread, but he didn’t ask for more.
We made peppermint meltaways (yes we are into dessert- don’t you wish you were here) and they tasted like peppermint patties…Alex ate two of them so you know they were good if he thought they were. We have made a lot of dessert type of recipes because those really help with the transition to raw. Alex and Austin liked some of the sweeter things, but they also really like to just sit down and have a plateful of strawberries, carrots, bananas and avocados. For me it is nice that they like the raw desserts, because it is challenging to bring something that is satisfying for them so they don’t feel deprived when we go to birthday parties or gatherings.
We are going to spend the day doing a little bit of food preparation and a lot of time with the kids out of doors. Time to get the wiggles out of the children and get some air! Take good care!!!
Alex came and gave me a hug out of the blue today a real big squeeze around the waist. It really took me by surprise because I don’t usually get a hug from him unless I ask for one and it is usually given with the “is that enough” type of attitude. These are the little things that mean so much!
Alex and Justin get along with each other and seem to really like one another. Justin came in this morning and snuggled with Alex’s blanket. Alex is very particular about who can touch his blanket. It was so funny to see Justin just as enamored with the blanket as Alex is! He really looked like he could sneak away with it. Those two boys are very different, but they are both so full of mischief and fun.
We made some onion bread that should be ready soon. And we made and ate some black sesame sunflower bread yesterday that we made into veggie sandwiches. We put some mayonnaise that we made (it had a base of cashew and pine nuts) on it and it was fabulous. The kids weren’t too enthralled with that combo so we made them up a veggie plate. Austin did try the bread, but he didn’t ask for more.
We made peppermint meltaways (yes we are into dessert- don’t you wish you were here) and they tasted like peppermint patties…Alex ate two of them so you know they were good if he thought they were. We have made a lot of dessert type of recipes because those really help with the transition to raw. Alex and Austin liked some of the sweeter things, but they also really like to just sit down and have a plateful of strawberries, carrots, bananas and avocados. For me it is nice that they like the raw desserts, because it is challenging to bring something that is satisfying for them so they don’t feel deprived when we go to birthday parties or gatherings.
We are going to spend the day doing a little bit of food preparation and a lot of time with the kids out of doors. Time to get the wiggles out of the children and get some air! Take good care!!!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Shoppin on a Shoestring
Sunshine and her husband Adriane have three kids, Trent is 12, Justin 11 and Adrianna is 8. Austin is loving all the attention they shower on him. Trent is helping Alex learn the basics of playing war games on the computer. He gets so frustrated, so it is slow going but I think it’s good for him. Trent’s seemingly bottomless pit of patience has been sorely tested.
Justin has autism and he is very communicative and funny. He warmed up to us slowly, but by the end of the day I think he got used to us. This morning he sang good morning to Austin. We both loved it! Trent can be very serious but also has a great sense of humor, he really enjoys his computer games and sharing raw recipes he’s created. He is so enjoyable. Adrianna is a sweet princess. She gets down on the floor and plays with Austin, whether its coloring or playing Bionicles! It’s been nice to immerse in this family and really see what eating “Raw” has done for them and how easy it can and should be. Justin and Adrianna liked the glow stick bracelets I brought with me. They shared a box of them at bedtime last night with Austin and Alex.
Sunshine set up a sheet to show me how to keep track of what the kids and I have tried, and liked or didn’t like. It has been very helpful and simple to do. Yesterday we did a lot of hands on preparing. It was so great because I got to see exactly how something is done and how to tweak it or experiment with different substitutions of ingredients. We had French vanilla ice cream this morning for breakfast. We were going to have it last night, but we all passed out and forgot about it. Alex actually sat down and had a big bowl of it. So that is 3 new things that he has had since we arrived yesterday. The French vanilla ice cream is made of soaked almonds and cashews, agave, vanilla bean, and sea salt. We made up a little impromptu chocolate sauce to put over it as well. It was so yummy!!!!! I bought a little recorder so that I could turn it on when Sunshine is explaining things so I can remember things I might forget later. Alex has been asking for ice cream all day. I’m trying to save it for tonight, but it may not last that long- I love it! Austin tried a romaine salad today with the Dijon mustard dressing and loved it Alex said no thank you. He ate it with olive oil and vinegar dressing.
We went to the big market today and it was incredible. They had a fish section and the boys got to see live lobster, crabs and fish in tanks and were totally thrilled with that. We bought organic bananas by the case for $17. Holey moley! I bought a bunch of seasonings that smelled so fragrant and were very inexpensive- some I can never find without ordering over the internet! I will either ship them home or see how to get them in my suitcase. I took my little recorder with us so that I could squeeze more info out of Sunshine on the drive to and from! Alex went into the last store with Sunshine by himself because Austin fell asleep in the car and I had to stay with him. He seemed extremely comfortable with her because he yelled at her in the store and he generally reserves that for the people he’s known for a really long time. Tomorrow we are going to be in the kitchen most of the day (can you hardly wait?) and by Friday I will be starting my Raw Chef certification meals. I am really enjoying this time and the kids are too.
I made some onion dip and Sunshine showed me how to cut up an onion that makes the perfect size of diced onion with no tears-hmmmm wouldn’t you like to know how to do that? It was made with one onion, macadamia nuts, sea salt and water. It has to sit over night so I will give you an update on what it tastes like tomorrow. We cut up strawberries and poured raw chocolate sauce over them. Yummy!!
I have been pouring over all her homeschool literature and books. I don’t know what next year is going to hold for the boys, but I figure whatever knowledge I have will only help. Sunshine has given me her own perspective to chew on.
This was a rather long post but I had to catch you up because I was too tired to do more than a quickie last night! Take good care and stay tuned for more raw times!
Justin has autism and he is very communicative and funny. He warmed up to us slowly, but by the end of the day I think he got used to us. This morning he sang good morning to Austin. We both loved it! Trent can be very serious but also has a great sense of humor, he really enjoys his computer games and sharing raw recipes he’s created. He is so enjoyable. Adrianna is a sweet princess. She gets down on the floor and plays with Austin, whether its coloring or playing Bionicles! It’s been nice to immerse in this family and really see what eating “Raw” has done for them and how easy it can and should be. Justin and Adrianna liked the glow stick bracelets I brought with me. They shared a box of them at bedtime last night with Austin and Alex.
Sunshine set up a sheet to show me how to keep track of what the kids and I have tried, and liked or didn’t like. It has been very helpful and simple to do. Yesterday we did a lot of hands on preparing. It was so great because I got to see exactly how something is done and how to tweak it or experiment with different substitutions of ingredients. We had French vanilla ice cream this morning for breakfast. We were going to have it last night, but we all passed out and forgot about it. Alex actually sat down and had a big bowl of it. So that is 3 new things that he has had since we arrived yesterday. The French vanilla ice cream is made of soaked almonds and cashews, agave, vanilla bean, and sea salt. We made up a little impromptu chocolate sauce to put over it as well. It was so yummy!!!!! I bought a little recorder so that I could turn it on when Sunshine is explaining things so I can remember things I might forget later. Alex has been asking for ice cream all day. I’m trying to save it for tonight, but it may not last that long- I love it! Austin tried a romaine salad today with the Dijon mustard dressing and loved it Alex said no thank you. He ate it with olive oil and vinegar dressing.
We went to the big market today and it was incredible. They had a fish section and the boys got to see live lobster, crabs and fish in tanks and were totally thrilled with that. We bought organic bananas by the case for $17. Holey moley! I bought a bunch of seasonings that smelled so fragrant and were very inexpensive- some I can never find without ordering over the internet! I will either ship them home or see how to get them in my suitcase. I took my little recorder with us so that I could squeeze more info out of Sunshine on the drive to and from! Alex went into the last store with Sunshine by himself because Austin fell asleep in the car and I had to stay with him. He seemed extremely comfortable with her because he yelled at her in the store and he generally reserves that for the people he’s known for a really long time. Tomorrow we are going to be in the kitchen most of the day (can you hardly wait?) and by Friday I will be starting my Raw Chef certification meals. I am really enjoying this time and the kids are too.
I made some onion dip and Sunshine showed me how to cut up an onion that makes the perfect size of diced onion with no tears-hmmmm wouldn’t you like to know how to do that? It was made with one onion, macadamia nuts, sea salt and water. It has to sit over night so I will give you an update on what it tastes like tomorrow. We cut up strawberries and poured raw chocolate sauce over them. Yummy!!
I have been pouring over all her homeschool literature and books. I don’t know what next year is going to hold for the boys, but I figure whatever knowledge I have will only help. Sunshine has given me her own perspective to chew on.
This was a rather long post but I had to catch you up because I was too tired to do more than a quickie last night! Take good care and stay tuned for more raw times!
Monday, May 26, 2008
Getting Started!
Well, we started preparing food the minute we dumped our bags. The kids hit it off right away and it was a pretty packed day. Sunshine had our first day planned out and food waiting that Alex and Austin were already familiar with so it was very easy. It is now 10pm and I am thinking I am running on adrenaline. Alex tried 2 new foods today. One was a prepared coconut caramel cookie that had several ingredients. Alex eats singular foods and does not try anything so I am very hopeful that we will widen his food repertoire. We made strawberry creamsicle smoothies, chocolate macaroons, french vanilla ice cream, funky corn chips, chocolate pudding, balsamic Dijon salad dressing and of course the coconut caramel cookies. These were all, with the exception of the salad dressing, 100% raw and soooo yummy! That is all for tonight because I need to go get the Austin boy in bed- that guy does not go down without a fight. I will have more tomorrow, we are going to do the weekly shopping and it sounds like we will be at it all day. We are going to an outdoor market and that should be an experience. Will let you know what that is like.
We've Arrived
Well, the trip started out with some trama and drama. At the ticket counter we found out that they had us not sitting together from Vegas on, and we couldn't fix it until we got into Vegas. Alex had a pretty big meltdown right before security. Yes, hitting, crying and screaming. Security had Aaron go down and get an escort pass to help us to the gate. While I was sitting there trying to secure the boys and get Alex calm again we had an Airport Policeman come over and yell at me and then proceeded to yell at Alex to "move out of everyone's way right now!" He proceeded to go to the security and in a loud voice ask "What the hell is the problem, what I see is a pretty spoiled little boy and nothin a whoopin wouldn't cure"! Needless to say by the time Aaron got back I was crying, Alex was still crying and carrying on and it took me a little while to pull myself together. Alex finally settled down about 5 minutes into the flight and we proceeded on our journey. We got to Vegas and we had to walk down a flight of stairs from the plane and across the tarmack to get into the terminal; I had all three backpacks and Austin asleep in my arms, so they were great and came up the stairs to hold onto me as I walked down the steep stairs. It seemed from then on everyone went out of their way to help us. They had to ask a passenger to give up the seat in our row so we could all sit together and he just said whatever you need! We got into Georgia this morning and Sunshine was waiting at baggage to help us collect it and get to the car. Georgia is beautiful!
I share this with you as insight into the challenges we face having a special needs child who doesn't show any physical signs of a disabilty. It was very disheartening to have someone in uniform give us that hard of a time when they should be trained to know the difference. After we got on the airplane, Aaron went back out and collected names and had a conversation with the policeman who had given us a hard time. Hopefully by having conversations with people higher up, some training will take place so that another family won't have to endure what we did.
I share this with you as insight into the challenges we face having a special needs child who doesn't show any physical signs of a disabilty. It was very disheartening to have someone in uniform give us that hard of a time when they should be trained to know the difference. After we got on the airplane, Aaron went back out and collected names and had a conversation with the policeman who had given us a hard time. Hopefully by having conversations with people higher up, some training will take place so that another family won't have to endure what we did.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Getting Packed
We are disassembling the house so we can get it mudded and textured while we are gone. Aaron is going to live in the camper and Rita and Stewart the rats are going to live under the stairs in our big closet. The packing isn't quite done, but at least all the laundry is. We are leaving at 9:00 tonight with one stop in Vegas and then we should arrive in Georgia at 7 am tomorrow morning. I am looking forward to getting there and getting started.
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