On the 18th, after 30 days of uninterrupted gluten free, our gluten-free trial came to an abrupt and unintentional end as an unaware family member twarted my efforts by giving our son a brownie. I was tending to our daughter's needs and son asked if he could have a brownie, not realizing that not all brownies are gluten-free.
I was realistic in knowing that we likely wouldn't make it through the holiday unscathed, but I can't help but be a little disappointed that it came to an end so quickly. But at least we made it 30 days, which is a pretty solid testing period.
This unplanned ending opened the door to a perfect opportunity to try a different approach. In addition to no gluten, we are attempting dairy free. We sampled almond milk and he does not like it. I picked up the unsweetened vanilla flavor. Probably should have chosen one of the sweetened version or the chocolate version. I might pick up some of the chocolate this weekend and see how that goes. I submitted a refund request for the two half gallons I bought that he won't drink. Silk provides refunds if you don't "love it". Just waiting to hear back from them.
I have spoken to DS's teacher and told her we were going to be testing for a dairy allergy and she said she would help us as best she could. She asked me to provide drinks and snacks for him so that she can ensure she's giving him proper foods. So I did. I sent some cut fruit and 5 Juicy Juice Fruitfuls juice boxes with him to school yesterday for his snack. He told me last night that she forgot his juice boxes in the classroom and provided him milk to drink instead... seriously?? What happened to helping us? I've had it up to my neck with this teacher - between her disregard for our requests and disciplining him/changing his behavior color for some pretty stupid reasons, I'm about done with kindergarten. *sigh*
Anyhow, we're moving in a new direction. We're testing the dairy allergy now while maintaining the gluten-free diet to see how things go. I can't wait til he's out of kindergarten so snack time is no longer an issue. I feel so bad for him when his classmates are all eating a cupcake for someone's birthday and he is "stuck" eating cut fruit. :(
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Is 19 days long enough??
Is 19 days long enough to know whether or not gluten is the problem? I am seriously considering moving to a sugar free or dairy free diet for our son. While I have seen some minor changes with the gluten-free diet, I think we need to do more.
I am digging deeper. I am considering sugar and dairy. I think added sugar will be easier to combat. I can provide fruit for snacks at school. In fact, he asked about fruit and asked to make a fruit salad tonight for snack at school. Someone made fruit kabobs the other day for the classroom snack and he talked non-stop about them. So, I will be introducing more fruit into his diet in place of his normal sugary diet items.
And no more gluten free brownies! We were ALL eating them too much and none of us need them. :)
I think sugar will be easier to combat than dairy at this point... I want to get him used to eating fruit and vegetables before I take milk and cheese and all that from him at this point. And maybe it's simply a sugar hyperactivity thing.
Gluten wasn't enough... Next step, sugar. If that's not enough, then we'll eliminate dairy as well.
I am digging deeper. I am considering sugar and dairy. I think added sugar will be easier to combat. I can provide fruit for snacks at school. In fact, he asked about fruit and asked to make a fruit salad tonight for snack at school. Someone made fruit kabobs the other day for the classroom snack and he talked non-stop about them. So, I will be introducing more fruit into his diet in place of his normal sugary diet items.
And no more gluten free brownies! We were ALL eating them too much and none of us need them. :)
I think sugar will be easier to combat than dairy at this point... I want to get him used to eating fruit and vegetables before I take milk and cheese and all that from him at this point. And maybe it's simply a sugar hyperactivity thing.
Gluten wasn't enough... Next step, sugar. If that's not enough, then we'll eliminate dairy as well.
Friday, November 2, 2012
14 Day Update
November 1, yesterday, would have been Day 14. I think I'm seeing some changes, but I wonder if they're actual changes or if I'm just seeing coincidental differences that I wouldn't see if I wasn't looking for them.
One change I've noticed is that DS has more good days now. And by good days, I mean good days at home. Saturday (or maybe it was Sunday) morning, we were laying in bed because it was too early to get up. If he was disturbing my ability to snooze a bit longer, I would ask him to stop and he would. He wouldn't remained stopped for long, but he would stop. Before, it always seemed like he'd just flat out ignore my request and keep doing it.
When we get home from school, grandma's, etc, he takes his shoes off and has been putting them away.
When he turns the sleeves of his coat right side out on his own now instead of whining that he can't do it and asking me to do it.
He is putting on his socks himself instead of whining that he can't do it and driving me nuts to the point that I do it for him just to get it done.
The other night we went to the grocery store to pick up some Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownies for his snack at school this week (there was a birthday, so we needed a gluten free snack). He behaved like a little man! I was so proud. He walked next to me, he stayed with me and didn't run all over the store. He carried the groceries like a gentleman, set them in the car nicely. He then walked back up to the store to use the trash can, waited for the cars to allow him to cross the road way and walked back to our car. Calm, well behaved. That NEVER used to happen! I would have to go with him, be constantly reminding him to watch for traffic, and asking him to slow down so he didn't get too far away from me. And he NEVER used to walk next to me in the store. He'd be up and down the aisles, running around like it was a playground!
His hyperactivity seems to have been dialed back a bit. He still gets excited and rambunctious, but he's less rambunctious now. He's calmer and more in control of his body, it seems.
And I can't remember when the last time was that we had a meltdown or he talked back or argued.
Like I said, maybe I'm seeing coincidental stuff, but I'm hopeful that it's not just a coincidence. I'm hopeful that this diet is shaping my son into a gentleman instead of a rowdy kid. Most of all, I'm hopeful that others are seeing the changes as well.
His behavior chart at school doesn't seem to be changing much, but I think over time it will. We're still having trouble with him making noises with his mouth during class, but I think with more time, that will change too.
One change I've noticed is that DS has more good days now. And by good days, I mean good days at home. Saturday (or maybe it was Sunday) morning, we were laying in bed because it was too early to get up. If he was disturbing my ability to snooze a bit longer, I would ask him to stop and he would. He wouldn't remained stopped for long, but he would stop. Before, it always seemed like he'd just flat out ignore my request and keep doing it.
When we get home from school, grandma's, etc, he takes his shoes off and has been putting them away.
When he turns the sleeves of his coat right side out on his own now instead of whining that he can't do it and asking me to do it.
He is putting on his socks himself instead of whining that he can't do it and driving me nuts to the point that I do it for him just to get it done.
The other night we went to the grocery store to pick up some Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownies for his snack at school this week (there was a birthday, so we needed a gluten free snack). He behaved like a little man! I was so proud. He walked next to me, he stayed with me and didn't run all over the store. He carried the groceries like a gentleman, set them in the car nicely. He then walked back up to the store to use the trash can, waited for the cars to allow him to cross the road way and walked back to our car. Calm, well behaved. That NEVER used to happen! I would have to go with him, be constantly reminding him to watch for traffic, and asking him to slow down so he didn't get too far away from me. And he NEVER used to walk next to me in the store. He'd be up and down the aisles, running around like it was a playground!
His hyperactivity seems to have been dialed back a bit. He still gets excited and rambunctious, but he's less rambunctious now. He's calmer and more in control of his body, it seems.
And I can't remember when the last time was that we had a meltdown or he talked back or argued.
Like I said, maybe I'm seeing coincidental stuff, but I'm hopeful that it's not just a coincidence. I'm hopeful that this diet is shaping my son into a gentleman instead of a rowdy kid. Most of all, I'm hopeful that others are seeing the changes as well.
His behavior chart at school doesn't seem to be changing much, but I think over time it will. We're still having trouble with him making noises with his mouth during class, but I think with more time, that will change too.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Product Reviews
This week, I have had the opportunity to purchase and bake some yummy gluten-free products. I have included a link to these products at Amazon.com at the bottom for anyone interested in trying them out for your family.
I learned through some research I have done to find a good cake recipe for my son's birthday party (in January) that Betty Crocker makes gluten free yellow cake mix, chocolate chip cookie mix, and brownie mix.
On Saturday, I made the Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookies. They were great. Nice and soft out of the oven, a touch crispy the next day. Since my son is spoiled and thoroughly enjoys soft cookies, he wasn't a fan of these (he doesn't like Oreos either, so I'm convinced there's just something wrong with him. haha jk). My husband and I liked them, though. The only complaint I have about the cookies is that the dough is crumbly rather than soft like regular chocolate chip cookies, so I had to scoop it and form the dough into balls before placing it on the cookie sheet. It was impossible to tell that these are gluten free once they're done, though. They're that good.
We also tried the Betty Crocker gluten free brownies. OMG delicious! They had nice crispy tops and edges, but soft in the middle. And chocolatey! Delicious as well. The only thing I didn't like about these is that the batter is REALLY REALLY thick, so they don't pour at all, and take a bit of work and patience to spread in the pan. These could easily be mistaken for regular brownies. There is no way to tell they're gluten free. My son loved them! He's had one in his lunch twice this week and got excited each time.
I also made the Betty Crocker gluten free yellow cake - well, cupcakes, anyway. I didn't get to sample these because they're for DS's Halloween party at daycare (no school again tomorrow, so all day at the before/after school program). These mix well and spoon into cupcake pans well. One box makes 12 nice sized cupcakes. They are soft and fluffy. They come out of the pan nicely too. I didn't use cupcake papers b/c I always feel like I lose too much cake on them. They look and smell absolutely delicious! I wish I could try one... maybe if there are leftovers. ;)
Finally, I didn't make these, but my mother-in-law did and they are absolutely fantastic! She gets this baking mix called Pamela's Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix. This stuff makes the very best chocolate chip cookies I have ever had. Ever. Hands down. They're soft. They're moist. They're just absolutely delicious! My mother-in-law has been instructed to NOT make these again b/c they're too irresistible. Seriously! I have eaten, literally, 18 in the last 3 days. I cannot keep my hands off them. They're that good. And my son adores them. Father-in-law even says they're delicious, as does husband. Definitely worth investing in the flour. Most definitely!
So anyway, while they're not "paleo/primal" by any stretch of the imagination, which is my preferred method of eating, if you're a cookie, cake or brownie junkie, here is your gluten-free cookie, cake and brownie fix. I hope you enjoy as much as our family did.
All of these products can be purchased at the links below.
*warning: these mixes require the use of eggs.
I learned through some research I have done to find a good cake recipe for my son's birthday party (in January) that Betty Crocker makes gluten free yellow cake mix, chocolate chip cookie mix, and brownie mix.
On Saturday, I made the Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookies. They were great. Nice and soft out of the oven, a touch crispy the next day. Since my son is spoiled and thoroughly enjoys soft cookies, he wasn't a fan of these (he doesn't like Oreos either, so I'm convinced there's just something wrong with him. haha jk). My husband and I liked them, though. The only complaint I have about the cookies is that the dough is crumbly rather than soft like regular chocolate chip cookies, so I had to scoop it and form the dough into balls before placing it on the cookie sheet. It was impossible to tell that these are gluten free once they're done, though. They're that good.
We also tried the Betty Crocker gluten free brownies. OMG delicious! They had nice crispy tops and edges, but soft in the middle. And chocolatey! Delicious as well. The only thing I didn't like about these is that the batter is REALLY REALLY thick, so they don't pour at all, and take a bit of work and patience to spread in the pan. These could easily be mistaken for regular brownies. There is no way to tell they're gluten free. My son loved them! He's had one in his lunch twice this week and got excited each time.
I also made the Betty Crocker gluten free yellow cake - well, cupcakes, anyway. I didn't get to sample these because they're for DS's Halloween party at daycare (no school again tomorrow, so all day at the before/after school program). These mix well and spoon into cupcake pans well. One box makes 12 nice sized cupcakes. They are soft and fluffy. They come out of the pan nicely too. I didn't use cupcake papers b/c I always feel like I lose too much cake on them. They look and smell absolutely delicious! I wish I could try one... maybe if there are leftovers. ;)
Finally, I didn't make these, but my mother-in-law did and they are absolutely fantastic! She gets this baking mix called Pamela's Ultimate Baking and Pancake Mix. This stuff makes the very best chocolate chip cookies I have ever had. Ever. Hands down. They're soft. They're moist. They're just absolutely delicious! My mother-in-law has been instructed to NOT make these again b/c they're too irresistible. Seriously! I have eaten, literally, 18 in the last 3 days. I cannot keep my hands off them. They're that good. And my son adores them. Father-in-law even says they're delicious, as does husband. Definitely worth investing in the flour. Most definitely!
So anyway, while they're not "paleo/primal" by any stretch of the imagination, which is my preferred method of eating, if you're a cookie, cake or brownie junkie, here is your gluten-free cookie, cake and brownie fix. I hope you enjoy as much as our family did.
All of these products can be purchased at the links below.
*warning: these mixes require the use of eggs.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Update
Just a quick update. I was too busy this weekend to post an update, so here you go.
Friday, DS got in trouble at the daycare. They sent a note home with him stating that he fought with a kid while they were playing a game, got placed in time out numerous times and asked multiple times to change his current action to something else (redirection, I suppose). I coded this as red on his behavior chart. The daycare rarely notifies me of his behavior, so to get a note is pretty significant, I think.
Saturday, DH and I went hunting, so DS was with his grandma. She said he was pretty good, but as soon as we showed up, he got hyper and crazy. Running through the house, purposely running into things, just generally wound up. Got him home without too many tears and we took naps. When he woke up, my mom was there to babysit because DH and I went hunting again. (DH got a deer, so that's a plus. Super Paleo food for the freezer!!)
Sunday, I took DS with me to go grocery shopping. We stopped by the hospital to get our blood drawn for some labs (me for cholesterol and thyroid screening and DS for a lead screening for kindergarten). Then we went to the grocery store. He was pretty good. He was bored, so of course he was doing things that were kind of annoying me, but in general, he was well behaved. He wasn't running through the store, he wasn't being loud. He was just being antsy and bored. We had trouble come naptime though. He didn't want to lay down and take his nap. I finally turned the channel on the tv from his cartoons (I was letting him nap on the couch as a treat for being so good during our shopping adventure) and he eventually fell asleep. I think he slept for about an hour and a half. Not entirely sure though b/c I slept too. ;)
That evening, we had some sibling fighting taking place, some general "I don't want to do this" attitude, and DD was whiney and driving me bonkers. We had dinner, we had baths. I sat down with DS to do his reading assignment for school and he was being a turd... that's all the better I can explain it. I know he knew the words but he was choosing not to read them. I finally took the book from him and said "Fine. If you're not going to do this right, you might as well just go to bed. I'm not fighting you anymore." I got up, put DD to bed (who fought me for the next half hour). DS finally decided that he would read the materials he was supposed to read, read them flawlessly, and went to bed. It was frustrating to say the least.
Monday started out HORRIBLY, though! DS didn't want to listen, the dogs took off and wouldn't come back and the cat snuck out the door when I opened it to call the dogs. I was a half hour late to work after finally finding the dogs and getting them locked in the house - with the help of my mother-in-law and neighbor. I could just tell it was going to be a splendid day for DS at school because he was upset about his dogs being gone. I called the daycare to let them know that the dogs were home so they could tell DS. He ended up getting blue for the day at school because he wouldn't listen. So, no cartoons, computer, Leapster games, etc for DS last night. He went to bed without a fuss.
This morning was a dream come true! I only had to ask him twice to put his underwear on. I only had to ask him twice to put his pants on. He didn't have a fit when I cracked the egg into the pan for his breakfast instead of him. He ate his breakfast without constant reminders to eat. He went to the car when told. He did whine that his bookbag was too heavy and that he wasn't able to get out of the car b/c it was too heavy and wanted me to carry it, etc. I told him he was fine, helped him out of the car and that was it. I am confident that he will end up with either yellow or green today. I asked him what color he was going to get and he said "Yellow. Y-E-L-L-O-W yellow". lol Goofy kid. I hope does.
He is officially 4 days gluten free. He complained about his lunch being "boring". I asked him what he wants for lunch. He said "Pizza". I replied with "gluten". I told him what he gets is basically a lunchable, which he loved, but without crackers, and he never complained about his lunchables. I told him he gets juice and a go-gurt every day and that he loves his go-gurt and his juice. I told him he can have whatever meat and whatever cheese he wants, but at a minimum, he will have meat and cheese in his lunch for his protein and fat. If he wants anything in addition to that, he's welcome to it, as long as it fits in the parameters of the no gluten requirement. Of course, I used language a 5 year old would understand. He seemed content with that decision. He did, however, tell me he doesn't want cold lunch today, he wants hot... so I need to check the school lunch menu and make sure that whatever he's having today will be gluten free or we're starting over... again.
Today's lunch is a "mega burger with bun", broccoli and rice dish, carrot sticks and mandarin oranges. Aside from the bun, I'd be happy with that lunch. Tomorrow might be a bigger fight, though... they're having white cake with chocolate frosting... might have to whip up that batch of gluten free brownies that's sitting in the pantry and send one with him so he doesn't want the cake. :)
Anyhow, that's a quick synopsis of our weekend and the start of our week.
Friday, DS got in trouble at the daycare. They sent a note home with him stating that he fought with a kid while they were playing a game, got placed in time out numerous times and asked multiple times to change his current action to something else (redirection, I suppose). I coded this as red on his behavior chart. The daycare rarely notifies me of his behavior, so to get a note is pretty significant, I think.
Saturday, DH and I went hunting, so DS was with his grandma. She said he was pretty good, but as soon as we showed up, he got hyper and crazy. Running through the house, purposely running into things, just generally wound up. Got him home without too many tears and we took naps. When he woke up, my mom was there to babysit because DH and I went hunting again. (DH got a deer, so that's a plus. Super Paleo food for the freezer!!)
Sunday, I took DS with me to go grocery shopping. We stopped by the hospital to get our blood drawn for some labs (me for cholesterol and thyroid screening and DS for a lead screening for kindergarten). Then we went to the grocery store. He was pretty good. He was bored, so of course he was doing things that were kind of annoying me, but in general, he was well behaved. He wasn't running through the store, he wasn't being loud. He was just being antsy and bored. We had trouble come naptime though. He didn't want to lay down and take his nap. I finally turned the channel on the tv from his cartoons (I was letting him nap on the couch as a treat for being so good during our shopping adventure) and he eventually fell asleep. I think he slept for about an hour and a half. Not entirely sure though b/c I slept too. ;)
That evening, we had some sibling fighting taking place, some general "I don't want to do this" attitude, and DD was whiney and driving me bonkers. We had dinner, we had baths. I sat down with DS to do his reading assignment for school and he was being a turd... that's all the better I can explain it. I know he knew the words but he was choosing not to read them. I finally took the book from him and said "Fine. If you're not going to do this right, you might as well just go to bed. I'm not fighting you anymore." I got up, put DD to bed (who fought me for the next half hour). DS finally decided that he would read the materials he was supposed to read, read them flawlessly, and went to bed. It was frustrating to say the least.
Monday started out HORRIBLY, though! DS didn't want to listen, the dogs took off and wouldn't come back and the cat snuck out the door when I opened it to call the dogs. I was a half hour late to work after finally finding the dogs and getting them locked in the house - with the help of my mother-in-law and neighbor. I could just tell it was going to be a splendid day for DS at school because he was upset about his dogs being gone. I called the daycare to let them know that the dogs were home so they could tell DS. He ended up getting blue for the day at school because he wouldn't listen. So, no cartoons, computer, Leapster games, etc for DS last night. He went to bed without a fuss.
This morning was a dream come true! I only had to ask him twice to put his underwear on. I only had to ask him twice to put his pants on. He didn't have a fit when I cracked the egg into the pan for his breakfast instead of him. He ate his breakfast without constant reminders to eat. He went to the car when told. He did whine that his bookbag was too heavy and that he wasn't able to get out of the car b/c it was too heavy and wanted me to carry it, etc. I told him he was fine, helped him out of the car and that was it. I am confident that he will end up with either yellow or green today. I asked him what color he was going to get and he said "Yellow. Y-E-L-L-O-W yellow". lol Goofy kid. I hope does.
He is officially 4 days gluten free. He complained about his lunch being "boring". I asked him what he wants for lunch. He said "Pizza". I replied with "gluten". I told him what he gets is basically a lunchable, which he loved, but without crackers, and he never complained about his lunchables. I told him he gets juice and a go-gurt every day and that he loves his go-gurt and his juice. I told him he can have whatever meat and whatever cheese he wants, but at a minimum, he will have meat and cheese in his lunch for his protein and fat. If he wants anything in addition to that, he's welcome to it, as long as it fits in the parameters of the no gluten requirement. Of course, I used language a 5 year old would understand. He seemed content with that decision. He did, however, tell me he doesn't want cold lunch today, he wants hot... so I need to check the school lunch menu and make sure that whatever he's having today will be gluten free or we're starting over... again.
Today's lunch is a "mega burger with bun", broccoli and rice dish, carrot sticks and mandarin oranges. Aside from the bun, I'd be happy with that lunch. Tomorrow might be a bigger fight, though... they're having white cake with chocolate frosting... might have to whip up that batch of gluten free brownies that's sitting in the pantry and send one with him so he doesn't want the cake. :)
Anyhow, that's a quick synopsis of our weekend and the start of our week.
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