Too tired to post often. GAPS related? Probably. Baby related? Definitely.
It has been busy around here as of late. We made squash pie several times these past few weeks. I am now officially the GAPS Queen. My children love me (because of the pie) and there isn't a speck of sugar in the pie, but they love it. What a treat! We have been to the Children's Museum with a friend. The older two kids took an orientation class at our local library. The kids have had a number of playdates. We had a Reformation Party at our church on the 31st (yesterday). Our dishwasher broke, so we have had to handwash ALL of our dishes. Our 8 year old had a friend spend the night 2 nights ago. It has been crazy busy around here!
Yes! Our dishwasher broke! Can you believe it? When we started the Feingold Diet, our pipes broke and our refrigerator broke. We start the GAPS diet and our dishwasher breaks. It figures! SO, we went out today and bought a new one. I never liked my dishwasher anyway, but we could have lived without the extra expense. However, since the opportunity presented itself, we bought a dishwasher with a stainless steel tub, extra large capacity, power sprayers for baked on food, nylon racks that won't rust, and an adjustable upper rack so we can fit a large stock pot in the bottom if we want to. My sweet hubby will pick it up and install it on Tuesday. Two more days of washing dishes by hand...
Having a friend spend the night was a new experience and a first while on the GAPS intro diet. Thankfully, the friend who came to spend the night was NOT a picky eater and loved our good healthy food. She was also sugar-free, so she wasn't expecting any sweet treats and everyone had a great time!
Last night was the Reformation Party at our church. They learn about how Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses on the church door and started the Reformation. They get to dress up if they want to. There are games to play, prizes to win, and a moonwalk to jump in. It all started with dinner, but we skipped that part and ate at home. There was supposed to be a hay ride this year, but it just didn't work out. Sometimes these things happen. Our kids did very well and had a great time, even though they were surrounded by candy prizes and lots of other kids eating candy all around them. They played the games and picked out candies for their daddy to take to work and put in his candy dish and they picked out toys and stuffed animals to bring home for themselves. I made squash pie for them. They looked forward to that all day. I also took frozen organic mango as a treat for the older three. Our 2 year old went home with Daddy before I got that out. He would have had some, too, but he needed to go home and get some sleep. They were delighted. I had to explain that it was a one day infraction and it did not mean that we were adding it in to our diet just yet. They thought it was a wonderful treat! Turns out that the girls had issues as a result of the mango. I think it was too sugary. We definitely have yeast issues. Oh, well. Hopefully, they will be able to tolerate sour apples, kiwi and grapefruit sooner rather than later.
Today, we had grilled hamburger for dinner. YUM! We feasted! There were none leftover, but I guess we usually eat about 5 pounds of meat at least one meal a day and we were all very hungry. Dinner was late because we had to go out to look for a dishwasher. Like I said earlier, it has been crazy busy around here.
That's about all I can manage for now. I really do need to prioritize and sleep is more important than posting to my blog. Good night!
October 27, 2009
Sweet Dumpling Pie
Oh, it was sooooo good to eat pie! We have discovered that the Sweet Dumpling squash is very sweet and yummy all by itself and tastes a bit like pancakes. Our 2 year old tasted the squash all by itself and blurted out, "Pancakes!"
Here is the simple recipe:
I blended 3 cups of Sweet Dumpling squash with 9 egg whites (4 whole eggs would work, but we can't tolerate the yolks at this point)
I added 6 Tbs of cashew nut butter (that I made with my Omega Juicer) and half a tsp of celtic sea salt and blended it all until it was very smooth.
It was the perfect amount to fill a pie plate with no crust. I baked it for 1 hour at 350F.
Enjoy!
We plan to experiment with other squashes. If anyone knows what to do with buttercup squash, let me know. It sort of smelled like cucumbers. Very strange. It has an interesting flavor and I can't quite figure what to do with it.
Here is the simple recipe:
I blended 3 cups of Sweet Dumpling squash with 9 egg whites (4 whole eggs would work, but we can't tolerate the yolks at this point)
I added 6 Tbs of cashew nut butter (that I made with my Omega Juicer) and half a tsp of celtic sea salt and blended it all until it was very smooth.
It was the perfect amount to fill a pie plate with no crust. I baked it for 1 hour at 350F.
Enjoy!
We plan to experiment with other squashes. If anyone knows what to do with buttercup squash, let me know. It sort of smelled like cucumbers. Very strange. It has an interesting flavor and I can't quite figure what to do with it.
Day 51 - It was a Good Day
Today was a GREAT day! Oh, it feels so good to be able to say that again. I do NOT feel angry and mad at the world like I did all last week. I am myself again and it feels so good.
The dishwasher broke and we had to wash all of the dishes by hand. Oh, well. Our 8 year old started to think about how much water we waste by running the dishwasher 3 times a day and decided that we could save a lot of water by soaking dishes in the same sink water all day and washing and rinsing them by hand. We actually had fun spending most of the day in the kitchen together. We cooked, we cleaned, we ate.
We cooked 25 pounds of Hamburger Soup. I wanted to see how much my large stockpot could hold and how many days of lunches we can get out of it. We are trying to figure out how we will stay on the GAPS diet as we travel to Chicago and back next month. It will be a challenge, but it will be fun, too.
I made the most delicious pie today! It is not too sweet, as it has no sugar or honey or any kind of sweetner, but it was sweet enough, as it was made from Sweet Dumpling squash. We have discovered that there are many kinds of squash out there and the all have a very unique flavor. Our two year old tased the Sweet Dumpling squash and blurted out, "Pancakes!" He was right. It tastes a lot like the GFCF pancakes that we used to make. I will post the recipe in a seperate post. YUM!!! There were no leftovers. One whole pie was eaten by 5 of us.
Schoolwork was completed in good time and with a good attitude. That always makes my day. Laundry for the day was finished and put away by bedtime. That always feels good. We kept up with the dishes somehow, even though we had to wash them all by hand. It was so nice to have everyone pitching in and helping out where needed.
We have all been going through some major die-off for the past few days. I have been increasing the sauerkraut juice a little every day. It's rough. I felt like I had the flu last night, but I knew it was die-off. I took three detox baths and still went to bed with a stuffy nose, a headache and achy muscles, although I felt better after the baths than before. I woke up this morning feeling fine. The kids have been a little droopy here and there. One child had a headache tonight and had to take a second bath after bedtime so she could feel well enough to go to sleep. I promised to wait until the weekend to increase the sauerkraut juice anymore. We need a little break from the die-off. It's only fair to have a few days to feel good and full of energy.
This is far from complete, but I do need to sleep. I will write more when I can.
The dishwasher broke and we had to wash all of the dishes by hand. Oh, well. Our 8 year old started to think about how much water we waste by running the dishwasher 3 times a day and decided that we could save a lot of water by soaking dishes in the same sink water all day and washing and rinsing them by hand. We actually had fun spending most of the day in the kitchen together. We cooked, we cleaned, we ate.
We cooked 25 pounds of Hamburger Soup. I wanted to see how much my large stockpot could hold and how many days of lunches we can get out of it. We are trying to figure out how we will stay on the GAPS diet as we travel to Chicago and back next month. It will be a challenge, but it will be fun, too.
I made the most delicious pie today! It is not too sweet, as it has no sugar or honey or any kind of sweetner, but it was sweet enough, as it was made from Sweet Dumpling squash. We have discovered that there are many kinds of squash out there and the all have a very unique flavor. Our two year old tased the Sweet Dumpling squash and blurted out, "Pancakes!" He was right. It tastes a lot like the GFCF pancakes that we used to make. I will post the recipe in a seperate post. YUM!!! There were no leftovers. One whole pie was eaten by 5 of us.
Schoolwork was completed in good time and with a good attitude. That always makes my day. Laundry for the day was finished and put away by bedtime. That always feels good. We kept up with the dishes somehow, even though we had to wash them all by hand. It was so nice to have everyone pitching in and helping out where needed.
We have all been going through some major die-off for the past few days. I have been increasing the sauerkraut juice a little every day. It's rough. I felt like I had the flu last night, but I knew it was die-off. I took three detox baths and still went to bed with a stuffy nose, a headache and achy muscles, although I felt better after the baths than before. I woke up this morning feeling fine. The kids have been a little droopy here and there. One child had a headache tonight and had to take a second bath after bedtime so she could feel well enough to go to sleep. I promised to wait until the weekend to increase the sauerkraut juice anymore. We need a little break from the die-off. It's only fair to have a few days to feel good and full of energy.
This is far from complete, but I do need to sleep. I will write more when I can.
October 25, 2009
Day 50 - Still on Intro
Wow! What a week! It was terrible, but I think I figured out what was going on. Adding anything to our diet can wreak havoc in our home. I love the peace that we have found by changing our diet and I hate when the chaos returns for no apparent reason. I was mad at that world and I was particularly angry at my oldest child and I really took it out on him this past week. He needs consequences, yes, but not with the anger.
So there I was in the spice aisle at Whole Foods, when it dawned on me what had messed up our lives for a whole week. I was picking up more Celtic Sea Salt and was wondering if I should look into getting a different brand to save a little money. Salt is salt. But, NO! Salt is NOT salt. Some of the salt I bought in the past had dextrose in it. Those little packets of salt that you get at fast food places have dextrose in them. Restaurant salt may or may not have iodine and could have dextrose in it. Who knows!?! They do not label the table salt.
Well, last Sunday the girls and I bought a small bit of Himalayan salt because it is supposed to be so very good for you. We ate some with green beans before we headed home from Whole Foods. I cooked with it on Monday and on Tuesday. My grumpiest days were Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Hmmm. The kids seemed to do OK with it, but I was a mess!
Now, I can’t cook different food for everyone in the house. I can hardly keep up with cooking the same meals for everyone. What I wonder is if we can introduce it very slowly so that we can all tolerate it and benefit from its goodness. I wonder the same about the egg yolks and the other sulfur foods, too.
All the foods that are good for us cause us major problems. I think this is because we are majorly toxic and whenever we have any food that is a good detoxifier we experience the symptoms related to our body trying to get rid of the bad stuff. I know that we are just going to have to go through it, but I have to keep my mind sane in order to get the kids through the diet. So how do I cook for them and keep myself sane at the same time? This is still a mystery for me. I am not sure what to do.
Lord, I trust and believe that this diet was a direct answer to the prayer that I prayed 19 months or so ago. I know that You will bring healing to this family. I believe it. I know it in my heart. I also know that it is not going to be magical. It is going to take some thought and a lot of work. I am willing to do it. I am not sure about the details or just how much we are going to suffer on this journey. Please help me to know which way to go. Guide us as you always have and lead us to the knowledge we need. Your people perish for lack of knowledge. We want to know You and understand Your world according to Your Word. We thank You for these magnificent and wonderful bodies that You have created and for the amazing way that they deal with all of the crud we put into them. It is truly amazing the way our bodies are continually balancing and rebalancing all the time. We mess up in one area and our bodies compensate. We mess up in another area and our bodies compensate. Thank You for these amazing bodies. Thank You for your love. Thank You for Your help in times of trouble. Thank You for Your peace. No matter what, I know that You have our best interest in mind. You are good and You are good all of the time. I trust You. I believe in You. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made!
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Lemon water
Chicken and broth
Carrots, yellow squash, green beans and winter squash
Hamburger Soup
Casseroles
Fried eggs and mashed avocado
So there I was in the spice aisle at Whole Foods, when it dawned on me what had messed up our lives for a whole week. I was picking up more Celtic Sea Salt and was wondering if I should look into getting a different brand to save a little money. Salt is salt. But, NO! Salt is NOT salt. Some of the salt I bought in the past had dextrose in it. Those little packets of salt that you get at fast food places have dextrose in them. Restaurant salt may or may not have iodine and could have dextrose in it. Who knows!?! They do not label the table salt.
Well, last Sunday the girls and I bought a small bit of Himalayan salt because it is supposed to be so very good for you. We ate some with green beans before we headed home from Whole Foods. I cooked with it on Monday and on Tuesday. My grumpiest days were Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Hmmm. The kids seemed to do OK with it, but I was a mess!
Now, I can’t cook different food for everyone in the house. I can hardly keep up with cooking the same meals for everyone. What I wonder is if we can introduce it very slowly so that we can all tolerate it and benefit from its goodness. I wonder the same about the egg yolks and the other sulfur foods, too.
All the foods that are good for us cause us major problems. I think this is because we are majorly toxic and whenever we have any food that is a good detoxifier we experience the symptoms related to our body trying to get rid of the bad stuff. I know that we are just going to have to go through it, but I have to keep my mind sane in order to get the kids through the diet. So how do I cook for them and keep myself sane at the same time? This is still a mystery for me. I am not sure what to do.
Lord, I trust and believe that this diet was a direct answer to the prayer that I prayed 19 months or so ago. I know that You will bring healing to this family. I believe it. I know it in my heart. I also know that it is not going to be magical. It is going to take some thought and a lot of work. I am willing to do it. I am not sure about the details or just how much we are going to suffer on this journey. Please help me to know which way to go. Guide us as you always have and lead us to the knowledge we need. Your people perish for lack of knowledge. We want to know You and understand Your world according to Your Word. We thank You for these magnificent and wonderful bodies that You have created and for the amazing way that they deal with all of the crud we put into them. It is truly amazing the way our bodies are continually balancing and rebalancing all the time. We mess up in one area and our bodies compensate. We mess up in another area and our bodies compensate. Thank You for these amazing bodies. Thank You for your love. Thank You for Your help in times of trouble. Thank You for Your peace. No matter what, I know that You have our best interest in mind. You are good and You are good all of the time. I trust You. I believe in You. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made!
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Lemon water
Chicken and broth
Carrots, yellow squash, green beans and winter squash
Hamburger Soup
Casseroles
Fried eggs and mashed avocado
October 22, 2009
Day 46 & 47 - Stage 2-3 of Intro
Day 46 was NOT a good day for me. I just could NOT be nice for 5 minutes, no matter how hard I tried. I promised to try to be nice and then someone would say something or do something or nott do anything and I flew off the handle. This is rediculous! My thoughts were all so negative. I couldn't understand anything that anyone said and I had to ask them to repeat it several times and make a real effort to listen. It is so frustrating! Even when I did understand their words, it rarely made sense. I can't stand this roller coaster! What can I eat??? What can't I eat???
Today, Day 47, was much better. Thank you, Lord. Everyone seemed to do well today.
Our 11 year old has really had some trouble with concentration and memory. He will ask me a question and I will answer him. A short time later, he will ask me the same question. I ask him if he remembers asking me already. I sometimes remind him of the whole conversation and he says he has no recollection of it. It is truly amazing. Also, he does things that he should know not to do or he puts things away in weird places. Sometimes he puts things away in places where we used to keep them years ago and has no recollection of the current place where things are stored. One time, he put all of his daddy's undershirts in his own sock drawer. Go figure. Obviously, his mind was somewhere else.
You might note that it is 1 AM. We had several children wake with leg cramps tonight. Our 5 year old actually never fell asleep because her leg started to hurt when we put her to bed. She said it got worse and worse as she lay there and that she really tried to fall asleep. I believe her. We gave her an Apple Cider Vinegar Bath, the pain went away, and we got her back in bed after 11PM. Then, our 2 year old woke up at 11:30PM crying because his leg hurt really bad. (He is the one who never woke for any reason, except for hunger as an infant, until after his first vaccine in 18 months.) We gave him and Apple Cider Vinegar Bath and watched the pain just seem to melt away after about 20-30 minutes. We got him back in his pajamas and back in bed by about 12:20AM. Now I hear 2 kids stiring a bit. I am waiting for things to quiet down a bit so I can go to bed.
It is so hard to figure what causes certain reactions unless you eat the same things every day and only change one thing at a time. We gave them eggs and avocado recently. Only the 5 year old seemed to react to the eggs, but we are not sure. We gave her eggs again today to see if her excema will return. We gave them cashew nut butter 2 days ago. Our new batch of kraut finished on Tuesday and we started taking it instead of the previous batch made with red cabbage. We increased it a bit. Too many changes, so it is hard to be certain. Oh yeah, and I made the buffalo and hamburger soups with soup bones and mixed in the marrow. Oh, yeah, and we had the cauliflower on Sunday. I think that is what made me so short tempered. It could be a delayed reaction. I understand that food reactions can take several days...I know it has something to do with mercury. I just know it in my heart.
It's late. I'm tired. That's all for now!
Today, Day 47, was much better. Thank you, Lord. Everyone seemed to do well today.
Our 11 year old has really had some trouble with concentration and memory. He will ask me a question and I will answer him. A short time later, he will ask me the same question. I ask him if he remembers asking me already. I sometimes remind him of the whole conversation and he says he has no recollection of it. It is truly amazing. Also, he does things that he should know not to do or he puts things away in weird places. Sometimes he puts things away in places where we used to keep them years ago and has no recollection of the current place where things are stored. One time, he put all of his daddy's undershirts in his own sock drawer. Go figure. Obviously, his mind was somewhere else.
You might note that it is 1 AM. We had several children wake with leg cramps tonight. Our 5 year old actually never fell asleep because her leg started to hurt when we put her to bed. She said it got worse and worse as she lay there and that she really tried to fall asleep. I believe her. We gave her an Apple Cider Vinegar Bath, the pain went away, and we got her back in bed after 11PM. Then, our 2 year old woke up at 11:30PM crying because his leg hurt really bad. (He is the one who never woke for any reason, except for hunger as an infant, until after his first vaccine in 18 months.) We gave him and Apple Cider Vinegar Bath and watched the pain just seem to melt away after about 20-30 minutes. We got him back in his pajamas and back in bed by about 12:20AM. Now I hear 2 kids stiring a bit. I am waiting for things to quiet down a bit so I can go to bed.
It is so hard to figure what causes certain reactions unless you eat the same things every day and only change one thing at a time. We gave them eggs and avocado recently. Only the 5 year old seemed to react to the eggs, but we are not sure. We gave her eggs again today to see if her excema will return. We gave them cashew nut butter 2 days ago. Our new batch of kraut finished on Tuesday and we started taking it instead of the previous batch made with red cabbage. We increased it a bit. Too many changes, so it is hard to be certain. Oh yeah, and I made the buffalo and hamburger soups with soup bones and mixed in the marrow. Oh, yeah, and we had the cauliflower on Sunday. I think that is what made me so short tempered. It could be a delayed reaction. I understand that food reactions can take several days...I know it has something to do with mercury. I just know it in my heart.
It's late. I'm tired. That's all for now!
October 19, 2009
Day 45 - Confused and Trying to Get Through Intro and On to Full GAPS
Oh,oh,oh. It's those sulfur foods! We had cauliflower for dinner last night and I have been an ogre all day. On top of that, I continue to be constipated. There seems to be a link between these two things and my quick temper. I feel just fine and happy and then someone says something or does something and I react. I apologize and promise everyone and myself that I will really make an effort to be patient and kind, but then someone says something or does something and I react. It is sooooo frustrating!
We also seem to have pinpointed what has been causing our 5 year old's eczema. We added egg whites this past week and her forehead broke out in eczema. We took it out and it is clearing up. We will add it back again in a few days and see if it breaks out again. I suspect it will, but I hope I am wrong.
Our 2 year old has been doing very well. We are thankful for that. Sometimes his eyes seem to bother him and sometimes he gets down on the floor and buries his face on the floor between his arms for a bit. He is a bit rigid about some things, but not like it was. Again, we are thankful. He seems fine with egg whites and avocado.
We added nut butter pancakes today. I tried to make some without eggs for our 5 year old, but they didn't hold together very well, more like mush. I cooked some of the egg free batter in some chicken broth and gave it to her as porridge. She liked that idea. She wants to play Goldilocks whenever I make nut butter porridge for her. She says that Daddy, Mommy and our 2 year old can be the three bears and she can be Goldilocks. The rest of us enjoyed nut butter pancakes made with sweet dumplin' squash (very sweet), cashew nut butter, egg whites, and beef fat. I fried them in the skillet with beef fat. They are best when poured thin. It is hard to get them to cook through without burning when they are poured too thick.
Saturday, we cut our 5 year old's hair for locks of love. She looks adorable with short hair. Our 8 year old and I will be cutting our hair very soon.
Our 2 year old has looked like a wild child with his long hair. He has not been agreeable about getting his hair or his fingernails cut, but this week was a good week and I took advantage of a good day and cut his hair myself. It actually looks good. I thought, "Cool! I can do this." I tried to cut my 11 year old's long hair. It didn't turn out so good, so we had to cut his hair short. He likes his long hair, but he looks so much better with short hair. He looks so handsome now.
Oh, yeah! We tried out our latest batch of sauerkraut today. I tried several different methods of fermenting the jars of sauerkraut and they all seemed to work, although one seemed a bit slimy but smelled and tasted OK. I am trying to find out if this one turned out right and whether it is OK to eat. If I remember, I will get back to you on this.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
chicken
green beans
nut butter pancakes (sweet dumplin' squash and cashews)
avocado
leftover pork roast (cold)
leftover spinach (cooked in pork broth)
beef chuck roast
green beans
carrots
fried eggs (for me)
That's it, I think!
We also seem to have pinpointed what has been causing our 5 year old's eczema. We added egg whites this past week and her forehead broke out in eczema. We took it out and it is clearing up. We will add it back again in a few days and see if it breaks out again. I suspect it will, but I hope I am wrong.
Our 2 year old has been doing very well. We are thankful for that. Sometimes his eyes seem to bother him and sometimes he gets down on the floor and buries his face on the floor between his arms for a bit. He is a bit rigid about some things, but not like it was. Again, we are thankful. He seems fine with egg whites and avocado.
We added nut butter pancakes today. I tried to make some without eggs for our 5 year old, but they didn't hold together very well, more like mush. I cooked some of the egg free batter in some chicken broth and gave it to her as porridge. She liked that idea. She wants to play Goldilocks whenever I make nut butter porridge for her. She says that Daddy, Mommy and our 2 year old can be the three bears and she can be Goldilocks. The rest of us enjoyed nut butter pancakes made with sweet dumplin' squash (very sweet), cashew nut butter, egg whites, and beef fat. I fried them in the skillet with beef fat. They are best when poured thin. It is hard to get them to cook through without burning when they are poured too thick.
Saturday, we cut our 5 year old's hair for locks of love. She looks adorable with short hair. Our 8 year old and I will be cutting our hair very soon.
Our 2 year old has looked like a wild child with his long hair. He has not been agreeable about getting his hair or his fingernails cut, but this week was a good week and I took advantage of a good day and cut his hair myself. It actually looks good. I thought, "Cool! I can do this." I tried to cut my 11 year old's long hair. It didn't turn out so good, so we had to cut his hair short. He likes his long hair, but he looks so much better with short hair. He looks so handsome now.
Oh, yeah! We tried out our latest batch of sauerkraut today. I tried several different methods of fermenting the jars of sauerkraut and they all seemed to work, although one seemed a bit slimy but smelled and tasted OK. I am trying to find out if this one turned out right and whether it is OK to eat. If I remember, I will get back to you on this.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
chicken
green beans
nut butter pancakes (sweet dumplin' squash and cashews)
avocado
leftover pork roast (cold)
leftover spinach (cooked in pork broth)
beef chuck roast
green beans
carrots
fried eggs (for me)
That's it, I think!
October 14, 2009
Day 39 and 40 - Stage 3 for all
I gave everyone some avocado yesterday and today. I can't say if it went over well or not. We had a pretty crazy day.
Our oldest just hasn't been able to hold it together since the weekend. I think the ghee did not go over well for him as he has had difficulty accomplishing what he has had no trouble accomplishing since we started GAPS. I would think that he would be recovered from that by now, but he is still having issues.
He did get all of his schoolwork done and his chores done in a reasonable timeframe, but with a few reminders from me. However, he can't seem to make common sense decisions about things. For example, he was helping to put food in freezer safe jars to store in the freezer and he got food all around the edges where the lid screws in place. I asked him to wipe up any messes before putting on the lids. He turned the jar around 3-4 times and noticed nothing. He was so busy looking on the sides of the jar that he didn't notice the top part where the lid screws on just above the indentation of the jar and the ridge. Then, when I pointed out where the mess was, he tried to wipe it clean, but he didn't notice that the jar was dangerously balanced on the edge of the table as he turned it. We nearly had broken glass and oily hamburger soup all over the kitchen floor. I couldn't bear to watch and I didn't want to clean up the mess he was bound to make, so I gave him another job. I asked him to watch the baby for a bit while I finished up. He accidentally dropped the baby on his face (not from too high, but it sure made the baby cry).
I know that something is going on. Sometimes he really has it all together since we started the diet. I have been so very proud of him and have thought that he has matured so much, but these past few days have been just like old times. I used to blame him and think he was being completely rediculous, but now I am convinced that his brain really is affected by food and chemicals. It is just too crazy to be real!!!
Also, he spends half of his day in the bathroom 'trying' to go to the bathroom. Whenever anyone has to go to the bathroom, we have to ask him to wrap it up and let someone else in. He does not like the feeling that there is poo in there that needs to come out, so he just sits and waits and tries all day. He poos 1-4 times a day. That's great, but he should be doing other things and running to the bathroom when the urge comes for real. I could go on, but...
I have been in a pretty reactive mood all day. Can't say why for sure. I know I am fine with avocado and egg whites, but I suspect that it could be the chicken liver or the bone marrow I nibbled on after making bone broth. I seem to react to all of the things that are supposed to be the most healing. I guess that means that I am on the right track, but I just can't be a good mommy if the food I eat makes me mad at the world.
Truly, on days like today, I have a very difficult time understanding people's words. When the kids all talk at once, I can't deal with it. All my oldest has to do is say one word and I am all over him. (Habit from 11 years of practiced interaction. Ack.) I know now that he is a sick boy, but for years I thought otherwise and when I am reactive, I am just that: reactive! I spend a lot of time apologizing for my quick reactions. Ack. Wish it were different, but alas...
I am too tired to try to remember what we ate these past few days. I know it is pretty much the same as every other day with the exception of adding avocado and fried eggs. That is what we had for dinner tonight. YUM!
I do hope that everyone sleeps better tonight. Only one person in our house slept through the whole night last night. It's crazy! The up side is that they went to the bathroom in the middle of the night, so we had only one wet bed in the morning.
So there it is...a piece of our day's history. Tomorrow will be better, I am sure!
Our oldest just hasn't been able to hold it together since the weekend. I think the ghee did not go over well for him as he has had difficulty accomplishing what he has had no trouble accomplishing since we started GAPS. I would think that he would be recovered from that by now, but he is still having issues.
He did get all of his schoolwork done and his chores done in a reasonable timeframe, but with a few reminders from me. However, he can't seem to make common sense decisions about things. For example, he was helping to put food in freezer safe jars to store in the freezer and he got food all around the edges where the lid screws in place. I asked him to wipe up any messes before putting on the lids. He turned the jar around 3-4 times and noticed nothing. He was so busy looking on the sides of the jar that he didn't notice the top part where the lid screws on just above the indentation of the jar and the ridge. Then, when I pointed out where the mess was, he tried to wipe it clean, but he didn't notice that the jar was dangerously balanced on the edge of the table as he turned it. We nearly had broken glass and oily hamburger soup all over the kitchen floor. I couldn't bear to watch and I didn't want to clean up the mess he was bound to make, so I gave him another job. I asked him to watch the baby for a bit while I finished up. He accidentally dropped the baby on his face (not from too high, but it sure made the baby cry).
I know that something is going on. Sometimes he really has it all together since we started the diet. I have been so very proud of him and have thought that he has matured so much, but these past few days have been just like old times. I used to blame him and think he was being completely rediculous, but now I am convinced that his brain really is affected by food and chemicals. It is just too crazy to be real!!!
Also, he spends half of his day in the bathroom 'trying' to go to the bathroom. Whenever anyone has to go to the bathroom, we have to ask him to wrap it up and let someone else in. He does not like the feeling that there is poo in there that needs to come out, so he just sits and waits and tries all day. He poos 1-4 times a day. That's great, but he should be doing other things and running to the bathroom when the urge comes for real. I could go on, but...
I have been in a pretty reactive mood all day. Can't say why for sure. I know I am fine with avocado and egg whites, but I suspect that it could be the chicken liver or the bone marrow I nibbled on after making bone broth. I seem to react to all of the things that are supposed to be the most healing. I guess that means that I am on the right track, but I just can't be a good mommy if the food I eat makes me mad at the world.
Truly, on days like today, I have a very difficult time understanding people's words. When the kids all talk at once, I can't deal with it. All my oldest has to do is say one word and I am all over him. (Habit from 11 years of practiced interaction. Ack.) I know now that he is a sick boy, but for years I thought otherwise and when I am reactive, I am just that: reactive! I spend a lot of time apologizing for my quick reactions. Ack. Wish it were different, but alas...
I am too tired to try to remember what we ate these past few days. I know it is pretty much the same as every other day with the exception of adding avocado and fried eggs. That is what we had for dinner tonight. YUM!
I do hope that everyone sleeps better tonight. Only one person in our house slept through the whole night last night. It's crazy! The up side is that they went to the bathroom in the middle of the night, so we had only one wet bed in the morning.
So there it is...a piece of our day's history. Tomorrow will be better, I am sure!
October 13, 2009
Day 37 and Day 38- Stage 2 and 3
Sunday, we were all too exhausted from the busy weekend. We just crashed. Everyone slept in late (except the 2 year old and Daddy, who got up with the 2 year old so the Mommy could sleep).
I didn't have meals planned past Saturday, so I felt like we were playing catch up all day on Sunday and Monday.
Embarassing note: I have been constipated, but have been scared of enemas, which are vitally important as it is not a good idea to go more than 36 hours without a bowel movement. I went 5 days without going, so I tried carrot juice (finally), but by night, nothing, so I finally gave in and tried the enema, but with spring water. What a relief! Can't say what I was afraid of. It was no big deal and it brought such relief. I will not wait so long in the future.
Monday was an interesting day. Extra detox from carrot juice??? I don't know, but I was pretty tired and out of it for the past two days. I finally got some sleep last night, as my dear husband stayed up late to do all that had to be done and I went to bed with the baby at 9PM. Amazingly, he woke up at 1030PM and then slept until 530AM. 7 HOURS!!! That is a first for this child. WooHoo!!! A little sleep for Mommy!!!
Yesterday (Monday), our 11 year old came running to tell me something in a way that indicated, "This is a MAJOR emergency! You had better drop what you are doing and come NOW!" He said that our 2 year old and our 5 year old were both in the closet eating yogurt drops (treats for our 8 year old's pet rat). Sure enough, the 2 year old had evidence on his lips. Our 5 year old admitted to nothing at the time, but got into big trouble for lying. She totally screamed when I tried to look in her little purse to make sure that there were no more yogurt drops around and she lied over and over saying that there were none in there and then insisted that she didn't know they were there once I had found 6 in her purse. We threw them away and then searched the rest of the house for more to trash because the 2 year old admitted that they were yummy. I checked the ingredient list and there was not one in the list of 8 ingredients that were acceptable on our current diet. (dairy, corn, sugar: to name a few, but thankfully, no eggs or artificial anything. Whew!)
Our 5 year old had found some Sweet Tarts in a bag leftover from VBS this summer. She couldn't resist the temptation and later confessed her indescretion and asked for forgiveness, which I gladly gave. It turns out that she didn't want to share with the 2 year old who caught her eating it, so she gave him the yogurt drops so she could have all of the sugary goodness for herself. Kids!?!
Also, I took all of the boys to the Mall to take pictures at Sears. I take pictures every 3 months for two years and then every year after that. We have a wall in our hall with all of their pictures for the first two years of life. It is fun to look at everyone's 3 month pictures or 9 month pictures and see how much they looked alike at the different ages. Our baby just turned 6 months, so it was his turn and our 11 year old just turned, well , 11, so it was his turn, too. We took some baggies of green beans for a fingerfood snack and made an afternoon of it. (The girls stayed home with Daddy.) Amazingly, it went well and we got great pictures and no one fell apart, even after the yogurt drop incident. I should mention that our 2 year old is always calm in his stroller, no matter what!
There were tantrums and meltdowns in the afternoon and evening, but nothing like I would have expected. Bedtimes went fairly smoothly, too and everyone slept through as far as I know. I will have to check with Daddy on this later. Our 5 year old had some signs of eczema and yeast as a result of the sugar. We have seen this connection for several years now, so we were not a bit surprised by that. So it seems that egg yolks and maybe some of the sulfur foods have a worse effect than a little sugar, corn, and dairy. Hmmm! That is interesting to note.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
kraut juice
carrot juice (Mommy)
chicken broth
chicken
veggies???
hamburger soup
green beans
pork ribs
beef casserole
boiled egg whites
fried eggs (Mommy)
beef and squash soup
Natural Calm magnesium supplement (Mommy)
Blended veggies (2 year old)
Remember, this is two days worth of food. I may be forgetting some things, but this is basically what we ate.
I didn't have meals planned past Saturday, so I felt like we were playing catch up all day on Sunday and Monday.
Embarassing note: I have been constipated, but have been scared of enemas, which are vitally important as it is not a good idea to go more than 36 hours without a bowel movement. I went 5 days without going, so I tried carrot juice (finally), but by night, nothing, so I finally gave in and tried the enema, but with spring water. What a relief! Can't say what I was afraid of. It was no big deal and it brought such relief. I will not wait so long in the future.
Monday was an interesting day. Extra detox from carrot juice??? I don't know, but I was pretty tired and out of it for the past two days. I finally got some sleep last night, as my dear husband stayed up late to do all that had to be done and I went to bed with the baby at 9PM. Amazingly, he woke up at 1030PM and then slept until 530AM. 7 HOURS!!! That is a first for this child. WooHoo!!! A little sleep for Mommy!!!
Yesterday (Monday), our 11 year old came running to tell me something in a way that indicated, "This is a MAJOR emergency! You had better drop what you are doing and come NOW!" He said that our 2 year old and our 5 year old were both in the closet eating yogurt drops (treats for our 8 year old's pet rat). Sure enough, the 2 year old had evidence on his lips. Our 5 year old admitted to nothing at the time, but got into big trouble for lying. She totally screamed when I tried to look in her little purse to make sure that there were no more yogurt drops around and she lied over and over saying that there were none in there and then insisted that she didn't know they were there once I had found 6 in her purse. We threw them away and then searched the rest of the house for more to trash because the 2 year old admitted that they were yummy. I checked the ingredient list and there was not one in the list of 8 ingredients that were acceptable on our current diet. (dairy, corn, sugar: to name a few, but thankfully, no eggs or artificial anything. Whew!)
Our 5 year old had found some Sweet Tarts in a bag leftover from VBS this summer. She couldn't resist the temptation and later confessed her indescretion and asked for forgiveness, which I gladly gave. It turns out that she didn't want to share with the 2 year old who caught her eating it, so she gave him the yogurt drops so she could have all of the sugary goodness for herself. Kids!?!
Also, I took all of the boys to the Mall to take pictures at Sears. I take pictures every 3 months for two years and then every year after that. We have a wall in our hall with all of their pictures for the first two years of life. It is fun to look at everyone's 3 month pictures or 9 month pictures and see how much they looked alike at the different ages. Our baby just turned 6 months, so it was his turn and our 11 year old just turned, well , 11, so it was his turn, too. We took some baggies of green beans for a fingerfood snack and made an afternoon of it. (The girls stayed home with Daddy.) Amazingly, it went well and we got great pictures and no one fell apart, even after the yogurt drop incident. I should mention that our 2 year old is always calm in his stroller, no matter what!
There were tantrums and meltdowns in the afternoon and evening, but nothing like I would have expected. Bedtimes went fairly smoothly, too and everyone slept through as far as I know. I will have to check with Daddy on this later. Our 5 year old had some signs of eczema and yeast as a result of the sugar. We have seen this connection for several years now, so we were not a bit surprised by that. So it seems that egg yolks and maybe some of the sulfur foods have a worse effect than a little sugar, corn, and dairy. Hmmm! That is interesting to note.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
kraut juice
carrot juice (Mommy)
chicken broth
chicken
veggies???
hamburger soup
green beans
pork ribs
beef casserole
boiled egg whites
fried eggs (Mommy)
beef and squash soup
Natural Calm magnesium supplement (Mommy)
Blended veggies (2 year old)
Remember, this is two days worth of food. I may be forgetting some things, but this is basically what we ate.
October 11, 2009
Day 35 and Day 36- Stage 2 and 3
I am writing this a day late, so yesterday was day 35. We went to a museum exhibit across town. It took about an hour there and an hour back, but it was worth it to see what we are capable of doing as far as traveling on GAPS. We plan to take a trip to Chicago in a month and we have to figure out the details of how to prepare, pack and serve food while on the road.
It is convenient that our 2 year old will eat green beans now, a somewhat non-messy fingerfood for travel food. Pieces of meat also make a pretty good fingerfood (white meat chicken and stew meat or steak cut into small bite size pieces).
I did a lot of cooking for several days before hand to have enough food for yesterday and today. We ate it cold, but it was good. Everyone had enough and everyone was satisfied. WooHoo!
Today, we all went in different directions. I took our baby and our 8 year old girl to a Creative Memories Croptoberfest (all day photo scrapbooking workshop). I packed leftover hamburger soup into thermos cups and also took some peas, some green beans, and some chicken. We took our filtered water with us as well. I left the rest of the family with Daddy and a bunch of leftovers to be heated and served. It went fairly well. I have already started to cook for tomorrow. We have to have some meat and veggies for breakfast in the morning. I am cooking two chickens. I am going to start some pork ribs in a crockpot in the morning.
Daddy is exhausted and crashed on the couch about 9PM. I got the baby down about 8PM, the 2 year old in bed after 9PM, the 5 year old in bed after 10PM and the older two in bed about 11:30PM, but they both came out about 20 minutes after midnight with complaints about this or that. We have had children up past midnight for several days in a row now. First, it was leg cramps and night waking due to egg yolks. Then, it was kraut juice on an empty stomach right before bed (not a good idea). Now, it is tears over an interruption in a Saturday night routine. Our 11 year old is a complete emotional wreck because, since they went to bed so late, he didn't get to listen to more than 4 songs on a favorite Saturday night radio program.
Another strange thing is that our 11 year old has been spending about half of every day in the bathroom. I am a bit concerned about this. He has been sloooooow getting his schoolwork done, had trouble finixhing his chores by bedtime, can't seem to remember anything, is rather selfish and inconsiderate in his actions, and he has had a hard time dealing with broken routines.
WHAT WE ATE YESTERDAY AND TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
chicken
green beans
peas
leftover hamburger soup (cold)
blended squash, carrots, chicken broth, and chicken pate
I have had fried egg whites and avocado.
It is convenient that our 2 year old will eat green beans now, a somewhat non-messy fingerfood for travel food. Pieces of meat also make a pretty good fingerfood (white meat chicken and stew meat or steak cut into small bite size pieces).
I did a lot of cooking for several days before hand to have enough food for yesterday and today. We ate it cold, but it was good. Everyone had enough and everyone was satisfied. WooHoo!
Today, we all went in different directions. I took our baby and our 8 year old girl to a Creative Memories Croptoberfest (all day photo scrapbooking workshop). I packed leftover hamburger soup into thermos cups and also took some peas, some green beans, and some chicken. We took our filtered water with us as well. I left the rest of the family with Daddy and a bunch of leftovers to be heated and served. It went fairly well. I have already started to cook for tomorrow. We have to have some meat and veggies for breakfast in the morning. I am cooking two chickens. I am going to start some pork ribs in a crockpot in the morning.
Daddy is exhausted and crashed on the couch about 9PM. I got the baby down about 8PM, the 2 year old in bed after 9PM, the 5 year old in bed after 10PM and the older two in bed about 11:30PM, but they both came out about 20 minutes after midnight with complaints about this or that. We have had children up past midnight for several days in a row now. First, it was leg cramps and night waking due to egg yolks. Then, it was kraut juice on an empty stomach right before bed (not a good idea). Now, it is tears over an interruption in a Saturday night routine. Our 11 year old is a complete emotional wreck because, since they went to bed so late, he didn't get to listen to more than 4 songs on a favorite Saturday night radio program.
Another strange thing is that our 11 year old has been spending about half of every day in the bathroom. I am a bit concerned about this. He has been sloooooow getting his schoolwork done, had trouble finixhing his chores by bedtime, can't seem to remember anything, is rather selfish and inconsiderate in his actions, and he has had a hard time dealing with broken routines.
WHAT WE ATE YESTERDAY AND TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
chicken
green beans
peas
leftover hamburger soup (cold)
blended squash, carrots, chicken broth, and chicken pate
I have had fried egg whites and avocado.
October 8, 2009
Day 34 - Stage 2 and 3 of intro
Today was one of those slow moving sticky days, like when you dream that you are running but in slow motion and you just don't seem to be going anywhere fast. Yes, today was one of those days.
We have a ton of laundry everyday because of the additional wet bed clothes that have to be washed and put back on the beds. We have a ton of cooking to do, because the children are literally eating us out of house and home. I praise our Lord and our Savior, our God, that he has blessed us with the means to feed our family good healthy/healing foods. There are many new things to figure out, but I am happy to say that many things are falling into place and it does get easier. The logistics for doing this diet/protocol for so many people at once really takes some thought and planning, to say the least.
Because the children are most definitely reacting to the egg yolks that we gave them, they are not as much help as they have been. Our oldest took all day to do his schoolwork and his chores and had great difficulty moving very fast at any task I gave him to do. Often it is just easier and faster to do it myself than to have to help him figure it out so that he can accomplish the task. Trouble is, I need his help.
His brain is definitely affected because he has NO memory for what he is supposed to be doing or for how things are done. He seems to have no ability to figure out the smallest, seemingly simplest, tasks. For example, I asked him to make the bed and he had the hardest time getting the mattress pad on. He came out panting and told me how hard it was to make the bed and he didn't think that it looked right. (He's 11 year's old and he has done this task before.) When I went in to check, I noticed (because it was impossible not to notice) that he had put the mattress pad on sideways and had really stretched it to make it barely fit around the top corners of the mattress. I had to laugh. I asked him to step back and take a second look to see if he could figure out where he went wrong. He couldn't. I explained to him that beds and sheets are rectangles, not squares. He still couldn't figure it out. I am shocked! I show him with two rectangular wipes boxes how he put the pad on perpendicular to the length of the bed and then he finally understood. Amazing!
We had lots of spills and falls today. Our 2 year old cried a lot because I would not let him up on the bench in the kitchen. He has been very prone to falling and bumping into things so I was nervous about him falling onto the tile floor. He fell once and stubbed his toe once and dropped several bowls of food on the floor in a big splat!!!
Our 5 year old fell off the bench this afternoon with a mug of broth in her hands. Falling scared her, the mug shattering and cutting her toe scared her, and sitting in a puddle of broth and broken ceramic scared her! She was an emotional wreck! It took a while to calm her down and let her know that she was going to be OK and that it was all going to be OK.
Our 11 year old wanted to be helpful so he went to put on his slippers because of the broken ceramic. However, when he got back to the kitchen in his slippers, the thought of getting broth on his slippers overshadowed his original intent for wearing them. When I looked up from comforting our 5 year old, there was our 11 year old standing barefoot in the middle of the mess with the broom and dustpan. His slippers were parked at the edge of the living room floor. My first thought was, "WHAT!?!?" "What in the world are you doing standing in the middle of all that broken ceramic in your bare feet!?!?!"
I am telling you...he really is not thinking very clearly at all! It is not my imagination! He has good days and bad days. I used to think, "NO WAY! He can't be serious! He is smarter than that." Now I realize that he is smarter than that on some days and not so able to connect the dots on other days. It is crazy, I know, but it is true! I am thankful to be figuring this out because I just thought he was a kid with an attitude, but he is really a good kid who really does his best to please me, but who really can't get it together on certain days.
Our 5 year old had several tantrums today over wanting things her way. She has had more than a week of no tantrums and she has played very nicely with her friends and her siblings, but today was more difficult.
Our 2 year old just didn't feel well and you could tell. His eyes seemed to bother him. He was loud and needed lots of contact. His words were muddled, but he was talking to us. He was easily upset. His eye brows were knit most of the day. He was not flexible about any routines like bath time. It was a hard day for him, but not the worst.
Our baby did fine. He is a chunk at 15 pounds. He is getting stronger everyday and will be sitting on his own before too long. What a cutie!
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
pork
squash and carrots
stew for lunch - YUM!
hamburger soup
sugarsnap peas
I hope to have some eggs and some avocado, but it is getting late and there is still much to do!!!
We have a ton of laundry everyday because of the additional wet bed clothes that have to be washed and put back on the beds. We have a ton of cooking to do, because the children are literally eating us out of house and home. I praise our Lord and our Savior, our God, that he has blessed us with the means to feed our family good healthy/healing foods. There are many new things to figure out, but I am happy to say that many things are falling into place and it does get easier. The logistics for doing this diet/protocol for so many people at once really takes some thought and planning, to say the least.
Because the children are most definitely reacting to the egg yolks that we gave them, they are not as much help as they have been. Our oldest took all day to do his schoolwork and his chores and had great difficulty moving very fast at any task I gave him to do. Often it is just easier and faster to do it myself than to have to help him figure it out so that he can accomplish the task. Trouble is, I need his help.
His brain is definitely affected because he has NO memory for what he is supposed to be doing or for how things are done. He seems to have no ability to figure out the smallest, seemingly simplest, tasks. For example, I asked him to make the bed and he had the hardest time getting the mattress pad on. He came out panting and told me how hard it was to make the bed and he didn't think that it looked right. (He's 11 year's old and he has done this task before.) When I went in to check, I noticed (because it was impossible not to notice) that he had put the mattress pad on sideways and had really stretched it to make it barely fit around the top corners of the mattress. I had to laugh. I asked him to step back and take a second look to see if he could figure out where he went wrong. He couldn't. I explained to him that beds and sheets are rectangles, not squares. He still couldn't figure it out. I am shocked! I show him with two rectangular wipes boxes how he put the pad on perpendicular to the length of the bed and then he finally understood. Amazing!
We had lots of spills and falls today. Our 2 year old cried a lot because I would not let him up on the bench in the kitchen. He has been very prone to falling and bumping into things so I was nervous about him falling onto the tile floor. He fell once and stubbed his toe once and dropped several bowls of food on the floor in a big splat!!!
Our 5 year old fell off the bench this afternoon with a mug of broth in her hands. Falling scared her, the mug shattering and cutting her toe scared her, and sitting in a puddle of broth and broken ceramic scared her! She was an emotional wreck! It took a while to calm her down and let her know that she was going to be OK and that it was all going to be OK.
Our 11 year old wanted to be helpful so he went to put on his slippers because of the broken ceramic. However, when he got back to the kitchen in his slippers, the thought of getting broth on his slippers overshadowed his original intent for wearing them. When I looked up from comforting our 5 year old, there was our 11 year old standing barefoot in the middle of the mess with the broom and dustpan. His slippers were parked at the edge of the living room floor. My first thought was, "WHAT!?!?" "What in the world are you doing standing in the middle of all that broken ceramic in your bare feet!?!?!"
I am telling you...he really is not thinking very clearly at all! It is not my imagination! He has good days and bad days. I used to think, "NO WAY! He can't be serious! He is smarter than that." Now I realize that he is smarter than that on some days and not so able to connect the dots on other days. It is crazy, I know, but it is true! I am thankful to be figuring this out because I just thought he was a kid with an attitude, but he is really a good kid who really does his best to please me, but who really can't get it together on certain days.
Our 5 year old had several tantrums today over wanting things her way. She has had more than a week of no tantrums and she has played very nicely with her friends and her siblings, but today was more difficult.
Our 2 year old just didn't feel well and you could tell. His eyes seemed to bother him. He was loud and needed lots of contact. His words were muddled, but he was talking to us. He was easily upset. His eye brows were knit most of the day. He was not flexible about any routines like bath time. It was a hard day for him, but not the worst.
Our baby did fine. He is a chunk at 15 pounds. He is getting stronger everyday and will be sitting on his own before too long. What a cutie!
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
pork
squash and carrots
stew for lunch - YUM!
hamburger soup
sugarsnap peas
I hope to have some eggs and some avocado, but it is getting late and there is still much to do!!!
Day 33 - Egg Yolks, YUCK!
Yesterday was day 33 and it was a very looooooong day! We gave the kids one-half of a teaspoon of egg yolk in their soup for the second day in a row. I would say it didn't go over so well.
Our 2 year old was obviously not feeling good. He cried a lot and threw tantrums over me touching his plate and moving it ever so slightly. We had a real difficult time trying to make out what he was trying to say because his words were muddled. He would not look directly at us and his eyes seemed to bother him. I asked him if his eyes hurt and he shook his head no. I asked if his eyes bothered him and he shook his head yes. I asked several times and got the same answers, so I think that was pretty amazing that he could communicate that. He was wired and restless and took a long time to fall asleep, but he did not cry or fuss about bedtime. He just took a long time to settle down in the dark room. He has not woken up in the night since we pulled the sulfur foods, but he woke up crying last night at 4AM.
Our 5 year old had another leg cramp (more like leg pain) which started around dinner time. Her leg pain has always started around dinner time or it has woken her up at night. We had pulled all of the sulfur foods and she did not have any leg pains. After 3 days of egg yolks, around lunchtime, she finally has another leg cramp. Could be coincidence, but when you consider that everyone is having issues (different issues) at the same time, it makes sense to suspect the egg yolks. We gave her 2 detox baths and one foot bath before bed. It helped while she was in the bath, but the pain would come back after she had been out for a while. We put her to bed. She normally falls right to sleep, but she tried for about an hour and then she cried that her leg hurt her too much to fall asleep. We gave her yet another bath (each one was a different bath). She sat in the bath for over 40 minutes, well past midnight, and then we put her back to bed. She stayed in bed through the night.
Our 8 year old seemed to do fine with the small amount of egg yolk. Our 11 year old, however, had great difficulty staying on task. It took him all day to finish his school work that he had been completing in record time since we started GAPS. He did not finish his chores before bedtime. He was a bit teary when things didn't work out in his favor. He was bossy and controlling and not very considerate of others, although I could tell he was trying at times. He was still awake at midnight because he had a hard time settling and falling asleep.
Daddy and I had to stay up extra late cleaning up in the kitchen and getting things ready for the next day. There is usually food to finish cooking and put away, a dishwasher to load and run and a bunch of pots and pans to wash by hand so that they will be ready to use again in the morning.
Since the kids were reacting to the egg yolks and didn't feel well, it was a late night, an interrupted night and an early morning. We were exhausted this morning!
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
chicken
peas
leftover butternut squash and hamburger broth soup
leftover casseroles
brisket
Italian green beans
That's ALL folks!
Our 2 year old was obviously not feeling good. He cried a lot and threw tantrums over me touching his plate and moving it ever so slightly. We had a real difficult time trying to make out what he was trying to say because his words were muddled. He would not look directly at us and his eyes seemed to bother him. I asked him if his eyes hurt and he shook his head no. I asked if his eyes bothered him and he shook his head yes. I asked several times and got the same answers, so I think that was pretty amazing that he could communicate that. He was wired and restless and took a long time to fall asleep, but he did not cry or fuss about bedtime. He just took a long time to settle down in the dark room. He has not woken up in the night since we pulled the sulfur foods, but he woke up crying last night at 4AM.
Our 5 year old had another leg cramp (more like leg pain) which started around dinner time. Her leg pain has always started around dinner time or it has woken her up at night. We had pulled all of the sulfur foods and she did not have any leg pains. After 3 days of egg yolks, around lunchtime, she finally has another leg cramp. Could be coincidence, but when you consider that everyone is having issues (different issues) at the same time, it makes sense to suspect the egg yolks. We gave her 2 detox baths and one foot bath before bed. It helped while she was in the bath, but the pain would come back after she had been out for a while. We put her to bed. She normally falls right to sleep, but she tried for about an hour and then she cried that her leg hurt her too much to fall asleep. We gave her yet another bath (each one was a different bath). She sat in the bath for over 40 minutes, well past midnight, and then we put her back to bed. She stayed in bed through the night.
Our 8 year old seemed to do fine with the small amount of egg yolk. Our 11 year old, however, had great difficulty staying on task. It took him all day to finish his school work that he had been completing in record time since we started GAPS. He did not finish his chores before bedtime. He was a bit teary when things didn't work out in his favor. He was bossy and controlling and not very considerate of others, although I could tell he was trying at times. He was still awake at midnight because he had a hard time settling and falling asleep.
Daddy and I had to stay up extra late cleaning up in the kitchen and getting things ready for the next day. There is usually food to finish cooking and put away, a dishwasher to load and run and a bunch of pots and pans to wash by hand so that they will be ready to use again in the morning.
Since the kids were reacting to the egg yolks and didn't feel well, it was a late night, an interrupted night and an early morning. We were exhausted this morning!
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
chicken
peas
leftover butternut squash and hamburger broth soup
leftover casseroles
brisket
Italian green beans
That's ALL folks!
October 7, 2009
Day 32 - Stage 2 and 3 of intro
The kids are on stage 2 and I have moved on to stage 3. All this means so far is that I have had some avocado and they have not yet had any avocado. We are still increasing the egg yolk for the kids. I am not having any yolks for now, so I am moving on.
The day went well. I was a little moody and overwhelmed by visual and auditory clutter, but better than the day before. We accomplished a lot in the day. I didn't get to bed until after 3AM so I am writing this the next day. I can't remember details about yesterday as well so this will be short.
I had some die-off or something yesterday. About 3 in the afternoon I just pooped out and my arms and legs were heavy and achy and I could hardly stay awake. It just hit me all of a sudden and lasted until about bedtime. It was good that I finally got my energy back because my dear hubby pooped out and fell asleep on the couch about that time and there was still lots to do. He went to bed and I took the late shift.
My fried eggs were scrumptious. I ate some frozen avocado with a little salt. It was frozen, along with the carrots and Daddy's pickles, because my fridge is running extra cold for some reason. I turned the temp up a bit. I wonder if it runs colder when it is more full. Our fridge has been very full as of late. We are constantly restocking it.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
chicken
sugarsnap peas
green beans
leftover butternut/hamburger broth soup
chicken soup
cauliflower
pork and spinach casserole
Fried eggs and avocado for ME!
The day went well. I was a little moody and overwhelmed by visual and auditory clutter, but better than the day before. We accomplished a lot in the day. I didn't get to bed until after 3AM so I am writing this the next day. I can't remember details about yesterday as well so this will be short.
I had some die-off or something yesterday. About 3 in the afternoon I just pooped out and my arms and legs were heavy and achy and I could hardly stay awake. It just hit me all of a sudden and lasted until about bedtime. It was good that I finally got my energy back because my dear hubby pooped out and fell asleep on the couch about that time and there was still lots to do. He went to bed and I took the late shift.
My fried eggs were scrumptious. I ate some frozen avocado with a little salt. It was frozen, along with the carrots and Daddy's pickles, because my fridge is running extra cold for some reason. I turned the temp up a bit. I wonder if it runs colder when it is more full. Our fridge has been very full as of late. We are constantly restocking it.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
chicken
sugarsnap peas
green beans
leftover butternut/hamburger broth soup
chicken soup
cauliflower
pork and spinach casserole
Fried eggs and avocado for ME!
October 5, 2009
Day 31- Stage 2 of Intro - My Issues
So, I had a few issues today. I hate to admit it, but it is true. I was irritable. Noise and talking and clutter really bothered me today. As hard as I tried to look at things in a positive light and be positive, my words always came out sounding negative and irritable. I wanted to point out every mistake or wrongdoing and I just could not seem to let things go. It was mild compared to some days, but it was there.
I have enjoyed well over a week without any of these "overwhelmed", "stressed", "annoyed", "irritable" feelings. It has been nice. I can't figure out why I feel this way. I got more sleep than I have been getting and I slept soundly. I did NOT have any egg yolk, though I gave some to the kids yesterday. I DID have some avocado last night, but I have never had an issue with avocado before. I DID go to the Whole Foods store yesterday. I do not like being this way, even just a little bit, which is why I have been so good about sticking to the Feingold diet for the past 3-4 years.
I say it was mild because I held it together for the most part and didn't lose my temper with anyone today. I stayed on top of all of the cooking and laundry and, well, just everything that had to get done today. We had 3 sets of blankets and bedsheets to wash in addition to 2 regular loads of laundry. We did not get it all done, which means more laundry for tomorrow, but I'm cool with it. We had one peepee accident in the bathroom, so the bathroom floor had to be sanitized, but I stayed cool. I know it was truly an accident. We had one poopy fall out of a 2 year old's diaper in the middle of the living room floor, so he had to be changed and cleaned up and the floor had to be sanitized, but I still held it together. The amount of pee and poo in this house as of late has been something to talk about. Really! We seem to talk about it all day long.
Our 8 year old was a tad bit irritable, but not too bad, just a little out of sorts. Our 11 year old seems to have lost his mind, meaning that his memory is gone and if his head were not screwed on, he would lose it. He had a hard time remembering what he was supposed to be doing and kept leaving things half done. He couldn't give me a straight answer about anything. He had a hard time remembering to be considerate of other people in the house and didn't answer loud enough for me to hear him whenever I asked him any questions, but I did not get upset because I remembered that this is the case when he is reacting to something. He was dropping food all over the place. It's crazy, but it is true that when he is reacting to something he can't move food from one place to another without dropping it, so we also notice that when he is reacting to something he puts his mouth down by his plate and shovels it in. We have tried and tried to teach him to use a fork correctly and sometimes he can do it, but then he gets exposed to something and all of the work we put into teaching him to do it right seems to just go out the window. He gets totally focused about one thing and talkes about it all day long whether you are interested in it or not and does not seem to notice whether it is an appropriate time to be talking or not. I could go on, but I won't. Our 5 year old did pretty good today. The baby did great! Our 2 year old did pretty good today with only a few issues, but nothing to holler home about.
I nearly burned the zucchini, but caught it just in time. I didn't cook enough veggies to make the sauce for the casserole, but I started early, so I had time to cook more veggies and we had a late dinner. The 3 chickens we cooked yesterday to last us for several days turned out to be tough and chewy, so we had to cut it up into tiny pieces. We used it for soup and casserole. I had to go to the grocery store to buy more chicken and I cooked it this afternoon. We will debone it and strain the broth before going to bed. I also still have to strain and bottle the fat I rendered this afternoon. All in all I guess I was in a pretty good mood after all. If I was able to accomplish as much as I did and deal with all of the stuff that came up throughout the day and not lose my temper with anyone in the house, then I guess I did pretty well after all. I felt like a grump, but hey, don't we all from time to time?
(In reality, I was/am reacting to something. I know this because I have learned that there are days when I simply cannot tune anything out and I get very overwhelmed by it all. Today was one of those days and I did feel agitated by all of the input, but by the grace of God, I am learning to recognize this and so I do not now blame others for my problem. When the children's chatter and talk used to overwhelm me, I used to blame them. Now I tell them that I am unable to take it all in and sort it out. I let them know that I am getting frustrated, but that it is not their fault. I tell them that I am trying to listen, but that I cannot understand all of their words or make sense of what they are trying to tell me. I ask them to try not to take my frustration personally. I ask everyone to stop talking and I purpose to focus on one child and encourage them to speak clearly and to try to give me all the information I need to understand what they are trying to tell me. I tell them that I am not good at trying to figure things out when I am feeling so overwhelmed, so they have to be very clear and upfront with me. You see, some days they can all talk to me at once and it is no big deal. I love those days! I feel like a supermom. Some days I just can't handle it at all.)
Enough of that! Thank you God for this amazing day! Thank you for helping me to get a proper perspective about my crazy day. Thank you for your goodness and your amazing grace!
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
chicken
squash and carrots
chicken soup
leftover lamb stew
blended butternut squash
(with broth and fat for the two year old)
butternut squash soup - blended with leftover broth from the hamburger soup (waste nothing)
We discovered that the butternut squash goes better with beef broth and fat, while the acorn squash and the sweet dumpling squash goes better with chicken broth and fat.
casseroles - made in those small rectangular loaf pans
We had two chicken and two beef casseroles.
cauliflower for the 5 year old and I - it seems that she had a tummy ache after eating the cauliflower, but no leg cramps noted so far. She had a detox bath, so we may never know. If I really want to test it, then I need to give it to her for lunch so she has time to develop the problem before we plop her in the bath. I will try that tomorrow.
I plan to have fried eggs and a little avocado later tonight.
I have enjoyed well over a week without any of these "overwhelmed", "stressed", "annoyed", "irritable" feelings. It has been nice. I can't figure out why I feel this way. I got more sleep than I have been getting and I slept soundly. I did NOT have any egg yolk, though I gave some to the kids yesterday. I DID have some avocado last night, but I have never had an issue with avocado before. I DID go to the Whole Foods store yesterday. I do not like being this way, even just a little bit, which is why I have been so good about sticking to the Feingold diet for the past 3-4 years.
I say it was mild because I held it together for the most part and didn't lose my temper with anyone today. I stayed on top of all of the cooking and laundry and, well, just everything that had to get done today. We had 3 sets of blankets and bedsheets to wash in addition to 2 regular loads of laundry. We did not get it all done, which means more laundry for tomorrow, but I'm cool with it. We had one peepee accident in the bathroom, so the bathroom floor had to be sanitized, but I stayed cool. I know it was truly an accident. We had one poopy fall out of a 2 year old's diaper in the middle of the living room floor, so he had to be changed and cleaned up and the floor had to be sanitized, but I still held it together. The amount of pee and poo in this house as of late has been something to talk about. Really! We seem to talk about it all day long.
Our 8 year old was a tad bit irritable, but not too bad, just a little out of sorts. Our 11 year old seems to have lost his mind, meaning that his memory is gone and if his head were not screwed on, he would lose it. He had a hard time remembering what he was supposed to be doing and kept leaving things half done. He couldn't give me a straight answer about anything. He had a hard time remembering to be considerate of other people in the house and didn't answer loud enough for me to hear him whenever I asked him any questions, but I did not get upset because I remembered that this is the case when he is reacting to something. He was dropping food all over the place. It's crazy, but it is true that when he is reacting to something he can't move food from one place to another without dropping it, so we also notice that when he is reacting to something he puts his mouth down by his plate and shovels it in. We have tried and tried to teach him to use a fork correctly and sometimes he can do it, but then he gets exposed to something and all of the work we put into teaching him to do it right seems to just go out the window. He gets totally focused about one thing and talkes about it all day long whether you are interested in it or not and does not seem to notice whether it is an appropriate time to be talking or not. I could go on, but I won't. Our 5 year old did pretty good today. The baby did great! Our 2 year old did pretty good today with only a few issues, but nothing to holler home about.
I nearly burned the zucchini, but caught it just in time. I didn't cook enough veggies to make the sauce for the casserole, but I started early, so I had time to cook more veggies and we had a late dinner. The 3 chickens we cooked yesterday to last us for several days turned out to be tough and chewy, so we had to cut it up into tiny pieces. We used it for soup and casserole. I had to go to the grocery store to buy more chicken and I cooked it this afternoon. We will debone it and strain the broth before going to bed. I also still have to strain and bottle the fat I rendered this afternoon. All in all I guess I was in a pretty good mood after all. If I was able to accomplish as much as I did and deal with all of the stuff that came up throughout the day and not lose my temper with anyone in the house, then I guess I did pretty well after all. I felt like a grump, but hey, don't we all from time to time?
(In reality, I was/am reacting to something. I know this because I have learned that there are days when I simply cannot tune anything out and I get very overwhelmed by it all. Today was one of those days and I did feel agitated by all of the input, but by the grace of God, I am learning to recognize this and so I do not now blame others for my problem. When the children's chatter and talk used to overwhelm me, I used to blame them. Now I tell them that I am unable to take it all in and sort it out. I let them know that I am getting frustrated, but that it is not their fault. I tell them that I am trying to listen, but that I cannot understand all of their words or make sense of what they are trying to tell me. I ask them to try not to take my frustration personally. I ask everyone to stop talking and I purpose to focus on one child and encourage them to speak clearly and to try to give me all the information I need to understand what they are trying to tell me. I tell them that I am not good at trying to figure things out when I am feeling so overwhelmed, so they have to be very clear and upfront with me. You see, some days they can all talk to me at once and it is no big deal. I love those days! I feel like a supermom. Some days I just can't handle it at all.)
Enough of that! Thank you God for this amazing day! Thank you for helping me to get a proper perspective about my crazy day. Thank you for your goodness and your amazing grace!
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
chicken
squash and carrots
chicken soup
leftover lamb stew
blended butternut squash
(with broth and fat for the two year old)
butternut squash soup - blended with leftover broth from the hamburger soup (waste nothing)
We discovered that the butternut squash goes better with beef broth and fat, while the acorn squash and the sweet dumpling squash goes better with chicken broth and fat.
casseroles - made in those small rectangular loaf pans
We had two chicken and two beef casseroles.
cauliflower for the 5 year old and I - it seems that she had a tummy ache after eating the cauliflower, but no leg cramps noted so far. She had a detox bath, so we may never know. If I really want to test it, then I need to give it to her for lunch so she has time to develop the problem before we plop her in the bath. I will try that tomorrow.
I plan to have fried eggs and a little avocado later tonight.
October 4, 2009
Day 30- Stage 2 of Intro
Today went very well. It started off rather slow because the older two kids were weak and achy from die-off, but the younger two and the baby and I were all doing well. Interesting, as we all ate pretty much the same thing with the exception of me eating fried eggs last night. We had to let the older two eat their breakfast right away. They felt much better after breakfast and they have been acting and feeling fine ever since. Everyone had good BMs and seemed fine, so we moved on to stage 2, but this time we only added a quarter of a teaspoon of egg yolk to their soup. (None for me, thank you!)
Our 2 year old did pretty well today. No tantrums at the table and he was in a pretty good mood throughout the day. He was cooperative for dinner and bath and his bedtime routine went very smoothly. He went to bed with no problems. He has taken to grabbing my face with the palms of his hands and pulling my face to his and giving me the gentlest kiss right on the lips. It is so sweet! I just have to thank God for this precious child, everyday!
Our baby is learning to go to sleep on his own because he simply has to. There is too much to do to carry him around all day because he is tired and will not go to sleep or stay asleep. He does not care for the change too much, but he is fine. He cries himself to sleep, but wakes up happy because he is getting a full nap without interuption. He is a smart little baby boy and he will figure it out very soon and then he will not fuss anymore. Already, he knows not to fuss when I put him down to do certain other activities, so I am confident that he will soon begin to recognize the pattern of the routine and will feel sleepy and be content to drift off into dreamland whenever we start the routine. It worked for three of the other kids (not the 1st) so I am confident that it should work happily for him, too.
Our 5 year old bopped happily through the day. She is taking a bath and is getting ready for bed. Our 8 year old had a pretty happy day after the bumpy start. Our 11 year old has had a pretty great day after the bumpy start.
We had lamb stew for dinner tonight. Our 8 year old seemed less than enthusiastic about it, but then it turned out that she liked it better than anyone else. My husband and our 8 year old, 5 year old and 2 year old liked the lamb stew, but our 11 year old and I could hardly choke it down. Thankfully, we had some cooked green beans and some leftover hamburger soup. I think, since I am the one doing the cooking, that I will wait to buy any more lamb until we get to roasting.
Several of the kids went with me to Whole Foods to see their pumpkin patch and pick up a few things for the week. We had to buy some "pig" for our five year old who kept chanting, "Pig! Pig! Pig!" at the meat counter. I picked up some more beef fat to render. I still have 2 huge bags in the freezer, but I figured that if I could get some fresh that I could render it tomorrow without having to thaw any out in the fridge for days.
Three children are in bed now and the older two will be going to bed soon. My dear hubby and I are ever hopeful that we will get to bed at an earlier hour. We will see.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
chicken
peas
chicken soup
sweet dumplin squash soup - YUM!
(with a quarter teaspoon of egg yolk mixed in - but not for me)
lamb stew
leftover hamburger soup
green beans
boiled rockfish (not the 2 year old)
I plan to have some fried eggs later!
Edit - I did, and I had a little bit of avocado, too!
Our 2 year old did pretty well today. No tantrums at the table and he was in a pretty good mood throughout the day. He was cooperative for dinner and bath and his bedtime routine went very smoothly. He went to bed with no problems. He has taken to grabbing my face with the palms of his hands and pulling my face to his and giving me the gentlest kiss right on the lips. It is so sweet! I just have to thank God for this precious child, everyday!
Our baby is learning to go to sleep on his own because he simply has to. There is too much to do to carry him around all day because he is tired and will not go to sleep or stay asleep. He does not care for the change too much, but he is fine. He cries himself to sleep, but wakes up happy because he is getting a full nap without interuption. He is a smart little baby boy and he will figure it out very soon and then he will not fuss anymore. Already, he knows not to fuss when I put him down to do certain other activities, so I am confident that he will soon begin to recognize the pattern of the routine and will feel sleepy and be content to drift off into dreamland whenever we start the routine. It worked for three of the other kids (not the 1st) so I am confident that it should work happily for him, too.
Our 5 year old bopped happily through the day. She is taking a bath and is getting ready for bed. Our 8 year old had a pretty happy day after the bumpy start. Our 11 year old has had a pretty great day after the bumpy start.
We had lamb stew for dinner tonight. Our 8 year old seemed less than enthusiastic about it, but then it turned out that she liked it better than anyone else. My husband and our 8 year old, 5 year old and 2 year old liked the lamb stew, but our 11 year old and I could hardly choke it down. Thankfully, we had some cooked green beans and some leftover hamburger soup. I think, since I am the one doing the cooking, that I will wait to buy any more lamb until we get to roasting.
Several of the kids went with me to Whole Foods to see their pumpkin patch and pick up a few things for the week. We had to buy some "pig" for our five year old who kept chanting, "Pig! Pig! Pig!" at the meat counter. I picked up some more beef fat to render. I still have 2 huge bags in the freezer, but I figured that if I could get some fresh that I could render it tomorrow without having to thaw any out in the fridge for days.
Three children are in bed now and the older two will be going to bed soon. My dear hubby and I are ever hopeful that we will get to bed at an earlier hour. We will see.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
chicken
peas
chicken soup
sweet dumplin squash soup - YUM!
(with a quarter teaspoon of egg yolk mixed in - but not for me)
lamb stew
leftover hamburger soup
green beans
boiled rockfish (not the 2 year old)
I plan to have some fried eggs later!
Edit - I did, and I had a little bit of avocado, too!
Day 29 - Stage 1 of Intro - For a Day
Today we went back to stage 1, just for a day (or 2) because when we did it the first time, we did not add ANY probiotic. On the gaps.me website Dr. NCM repeats over and over again how important it is to have the probiotic from the very beginning. Also, we are going to try to add egg yolk again and the only things we had added so far were casseroles and egg whites, so it wasn't stepping too far back.
The kids did not notice that the only thing we had all day were stage one foods. They didn't notice until about 10PM when the older 2 started to have signs of die-off, though not as bad as the first time around. Whew! This is what I expected. Today, we will add the egg yolk, but only 1/4 tsp for each and I will stay on stage 1 + egg whites and maybe even go ahead and add avocado so that I can be well enough to care for the kids. I have decided that I have to pace myself and the kids differently.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
kraut juice
Chicken broth
chicken
green beans
chicken soup (broth, chicken, carrots, zucchini, green beans, sea salt)
sweet dumplin squash soup (squash, chicken broth, chicken pate, sea salt)
hamburger soup (ground beef and carrots w/ sea salt)
I had fried eggs at the end of the day.
The kids did not notice that the only thing we had all day were stage one foods. They didn't notice until about 10PM when the older 2 started to have signs of die-off, though not as bad as the first time around. Whew! This is what I expected. Today, we will add the egg yolk, but only 1/4 tsp for each and I will stay on stage 1 + egg whites and maybe even go ahead and add avocado so that I can be well enough to care for the kids. I have decided that I have to pace myself and the kids differently.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
kraut juice
Chicken broth
chicken
green beans
chicken soup (broth, chicken, carrots, zucchini, green beans, sea salt)
sweet dumplin squash soup (squash, chicken broth, chicken pate, sea salt)
hamburger soup (ground beef and carrots w/ sea salt)
I had fried eggs at the end of the day.
October 3, 2009
Day 28 - Stage 2 of Intro
Four weeks we have been on the introduction to the GAPS diet. It is becoming our new way of life. It is a lot of work to feed a family of 7 this way, but it is definitely worth it to see our 2 year old doing so well and to know that all of the children will be well and will not have to fear food all of their lives.
We will move into stage 3 next week. We will be adding avocado to our soups and we will increase the probiotics gradually.
Our 2 year old has been a happy and independent little guy for these past four days, but today after visiting a neighbor for about 15 minutes he came home a different child. He was clingy and fussy, wanting to be held, and he lay around and just looked like a sick child. He threw tantrums at dinner and getting him bathed and ready for bed was more difficult tonight than it had been earlier this week. This happened when he went to my parent's house, the art store, and the healthfood store. He seems to do fine to go to the grocery store and to co-op.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
chicken
Italian green beans
squash and carrots
hamburger soup
leftover casserole soup
chicken soup
boiled egg whites
I had my fried egg whites and more chicken as a late night snack.
We will move into stage 3 next week. We will be adding avocado to our soups and we will increase the probiotics gradually.
Our 2 year old has been a happy and independent little guy for these past four days, but today after visiting a neighbor for about 15 minutes he came home a different child. He was clingy and fussy, wanting to be held, and he lay around and just looked like a sick child. He threw tantrums at dinner and getting him bathed and ready for bed was more difficult tonight than it had been earlier this week. This happened when he went to my parent's house, the art store, and the healthfood store. He seems to do fine to go to the grocery store and to co-op.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
chicken
Italian green beans
squash and carrots
hamburger soup
leftover casserole soup
chicken soup
boiled egg whites
I had my fried egg whites and more chicken as a late night snack.
October 1, 2009
Day 27 - Stage 2 of Intro
It was a good day. Third day in a row where our 2 year old has been his happy, easygoing, lovable old self. The eye contact seemed a little lacking right before bed, but...we will see how he does tomorrow.
No ghee today. We will have more tomorrow. So far so good.
We had some broccoli tonight. We are waiting to see if there will be any reaction. If not, then we will have it once or twice a week. That will be nice.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
chicken
peas
squash and carrots
chicken soup
boiled casserole - because I didn't cook the veggies enough before I put the casserole together yesterday. It was good. It was a kind of thick soup. Everyone liked it. Whew!
broccoli
beef ribs
sugarsnap peas
No ghee today. We will have more tomorrow. So far so good.
We had some broccoli tonight. We are waiting to see if there will be any reaction. If not, then we will have it once or twice a week. That will be nice.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
chicken
peas
squash and carrots
chicken soup
boiled casserole - because I didn't cook the veggies enough before I put the casserole together yesterday. It was good. It was a kind of thick soup. Everyone liked it. Whew!
broccoli
beef ribs
sugarsnap peas
New Foods Every Day! Who Could Believe it!
I have not been particularly concerned about our 2 year old's rather limited diet because I figure that as we go through the intro diet that things will change and he will eventually like more food. I plan on sticking mostly to God's foods to heal my son from his injury.
Anyway, he pretty much likes to eat only meat and pureed squash. If he can get away with it he will eat only the meat.
Here is what I do to get him to eat the broth and the fats and other veggies: I puree the squash with some broth and have recently added chicken pate (pureed skins and soft tissues). Sometimes I mix in some other veggies. Sometimes I will have a yellow blend (mostly acorn squash), sometimes an orange blend (mostly butternut squash or acorn with carrot), sometimes I will have a greenish blend (green beans or zucchini mixed in).
I do bite for bite with him. He gets a bite of meat when he eats a bite of veggies. I stay calm and sweet and happy and I keep offering the veggie (trying not to let him knock it out of my hand) and asking him if he wants a bite of meat. Staying calm and happy through 5-10 minutes of screaming on his part is the key. At some point he takes the first bite and gets a piece of meat and then it just keeps going.
Now (except on bad days when he really does not feel well) he likes to eat the whole bowl of veggies himself with a spoon and then get a whole plate of meat to eat all together. Sometimes, because he wants a whole plate of meat and he is not being cooperative we have to do bite for bite where I feed him and give him the meat and he collects it all on his plate until it is full, then he eats it. He is really funny about this.
The other day he ate his first green bean (not pureed). I could not believe it! The next day for dinner he ate 25 cooked green beans with his fingers like French fries. I was astounded. I have NEVER been able to get him to eat a green bean and then the following day he took them off the counter himself and now he asks for them. Amazing!
Yesterday, he tried sugarsnap peas for breakfast, didn't like them, but he wanted to try. This is new. My 5 year old who used to throw screaming fits whenever I asked her to eat veggies said, "Mmm. I just love sugar snap peas. Sugarsnap peas is the only veggie I want for breakfast today." It took about two to three weeks of tantrums and my gentle insistence before the change took place.
Today, our two year old ate small bits of veggies (mashed with a fork) in broth. This is new, too!
Just had to share. There is hope!
Anyway, he pretty much likes to eat only meat and pureed squash. If he can get away with it he will eat only the meat.
Here is what I do to get him to eat the broth and the fats and other veggies: I puree the squash with some broth and have recently added chicken pate (pureed skins and soft tissues). Sometimes I mix in some other veggies. Sometimes I will have a yellow blend (mostly acorn squash), sometimes an orange blend (mostly butternut squash or acorn with carrot), sometimes I will have a greenish blend (green beans or zucchini mixed in).
I do bite for bite with him. He gets a bite of meat when he eats a bite of veggies. I stay calm and sweet and happy and I keep offering the veggie (trying not to let him knock it out of my hand) and asking him if he wants a bite of meat. Staying calm and happy through 5-10 minutes of screaming on his part is the key. At some point he takes the first bite and gets a piece of meat and then it just keeps going.
Now (except on bad days when he really does not feel well) he likes to eat the whole bowl of veggies himself with a spoon and then get a whole plate of meat to eat all together. Sometimes, because he wants a whole plate of meat and he is not being cooperative we have to do bite for bite where I feed him and give him the meat and he collects it all on his plate until it is full, then he eats it. He is really funny about this.
The other day he ate his first green bean (not pureed). I could not believe it! The next day for dinner he ate 25 cooked green beans with his fingers like French fries. I was astounded. I have NEVER been able to get him to eat a green bean and then the following day he took them off the counter himself and now he asks for them. Amazing!
Yesterday, he tried sugarsnap peas for breakfast, didn't like them, but he wanted to try. This is new. My 5 year old who used to throw screaming fits whenever I asked her to eat veggies said, "Mmm. I just love sugar snap peas. Sugarsnap peas is the only veggie I want for breakfast today." It took about two to three weeks of tantrums and my gentle insistence before the change took place.
Today, our two year old ate small bits of veggies (mashed with a fork) in broth. This is new, too!
Just had to share. There is hope!
Pondering Pioneer Days - Thinking About How We Have Been Blessed By All of This
I sometimes wonder what it would have been like to live in pioneer days when you couldn't just run to the store down the road and you had to make your own butter if you wanted any. How did they survive without antibacterial SOAP that comes in a bottle??? (I don't use this anymore.) How did they find the time to get it all done?
I’m sure pioneer moms had days where there was scarcely enough food to feed everyone. They ate what they had when they had it. They started out knowing a few things about how it was done, because they grew up watching it being done. Home school was basic reading, writing and arithmetic and life skills. The kids went where their parents went and learned to do the things that their parents knew how to do.
We put a lot of pressure on ourselves these days to prepare a variety of foods for our families because in our fast-paced, have-it-now society we can have nearly anything we want whenever we want it. The reality is that homemade takes time. The up-side to this is that we appreciate the goodness of everything we have so much more!
When we went from a gluten-free but still very SAD diet (Standard American Diet) to the Feingold diet I noticed how my kids appreciated their food and the process so much more. Before, I would ask them if they wanted to make some homemade lemonade and they would whine, “Nooo, I want the Bluuuuue juice (that we don’t currently have in the house so you would need to go to the store to satisfy my intense desire for this particular drink)!” When I did give them a juice box or pour them some juice from a bottle, they would often drink only a part of it and whine for something different. After we started the Feingold diet, I would say, “I am thinking about making some homemade lemonade.” The kids would tell everybody, “We are going to make lemonade today!!!” They would want to help and we had to be careful to save some so that we could have some for the next day or two. It was treasured. It was a real treat!
We won’t be making any lemonade anymore. I wonder what will be a real treat for them as we get to full GAPS??? Right now they get excited about every new thing we add to the menu. They just about fainted over the casseroles. Today they get ghee for the first time. They are soooo excited!
Also, they are all in the kitchen helping me to prepare the food or they are entertaining the baby, now almost 6 months old. It is great fun having everybody helping out and working together. I am really treasuring these times. Hope it lasts! They are building relationships with me and with each other that will last a lifetime. They are learning how to interact with and appreciate people of all different age groups.
About homeschooling, I think we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to provide a very thorough and well rounded education for our kids because the possibilities are endless and we want them to be prepared to go off in whatever direction they may take a liking to. I still want to do this as much as I am able, but the reality is that if we can help our children to have minds that work and teach them the basics and teach them how to learn, then they will naturally investigate and learn well the things that they will need to know in their areas of interest. I ‘think’ this is true. President Lincoln had only a year of formal schooling and that was broken up. He learned what he needed to know when he needed to know it. This is what we are doing, too, with the GAPS diet. There is more to know about the world than we could ever hope to know in this life, but we stop and take the time to learn what we need to know when we need to know it.
That is one thing that is kind of cool about children with Asperger's Syndrome is that they really get to know lots of detail about the subjects they are interested in. Our oldestl spends hours reading science books and loves to share this or that little unknown fact. Right now his biggest interest is everything Lego and everything science fiction (like his daddy). He has an incredible imagination and if he can ever learn to organize his thoughts, he will be a great writer. There are fantastic and very detailed worlds in his head, but right now he cannot share those ideas and images in an orderly and understandable way. I have to drag it all out of him bit by bit and organize it for him, but it really is amazing.
Anyway, I was just pondering these things. Can’t say if I am right about any of it. I think if I can find the time, it would really be neat to find out what pioneer life was really like. Hmm.
I’m sure pioneer moms had days where there was scarcely enough food to feed everyone. They ate what they had when they had it. They started out knowing a few things about how it was done, because they grew up watching it being done. Home school was basic reading, writing and arithmetic and life skills. The kids went where their parents went and learned to do the things that their parents knew how to do.
We put a lot of pressure on ourselves these days to prepare a variety of foods for our families because in our fast-paced, have-it-now society we can have nearly anything we want whenever we want it. The reality is that homemade takes time. The up-side to this is that we appreciate the goodness of everything we have so much more!
When we went from a gluten-free but still very SAD diet (Standard American Diet) to the Feingold diet I noticed how my kids appreciated their food and the process so much more. Before, I would ask them if they wanted to make some homemade lemonade and they would whine, “Nooo, I want the Bluuuuue juice (that we don’t currently have in the house so you would need to go to the store to satisfy my intense desire for this particular drink)!” When I did give them a juice box or pour them some juice from a bottle, they would often drink only a part of it and whine for something different. After we started the Feingold diet, I would say, “I am thinking about making some homemade lemonade.” The kids would tell everybody, “We are going to make lemonade today!!!” They would want to help and we had to be careful to save some so that we could have some for the next day or two. It was treasured. It was a real treat!
We won’t be making any lemonade anymore. I wonder what will be a real treat for them as we get to full GAPS??? Right now they get excited about every new thing we add to the menu. They just about fainted over the casseroles. Today they get ghee for the first time. They are soooo excited!
Also, they are all in the kitchen helping me to prepare the food or they are entertaining the baby, now almost 6 months old. It is great fun having everybody helping out and working together. I am really treasuring these times. Hope it lasts! They are building relationships with me and with each other that will last a lifetime. They are learning how to interact with and appreciate people of all different age groups.
About homeschooling, I think we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to provide a very thorough and well rounded education for our kids because the possibilities are endless and we want them to be prepared to go off in whatever direction they may take a liking to. I still want to do this as much as I am able, but the reality is that if we can help our children to have minds that work and teach them the basics and teach them how to learn, then they will naturally investigate and learn well the things that they will need to know in their areas of interest. I ‘think’ this is true. President Lincoln had only a year of formal schooling and that was broken up. He learned what he needed to know when he needed to know it. This is what we are doing, too, with the GAPS diet. There is more to know about the world than we could ever hope to know in this life, but we stop and take the time to learn what we need to know when we need to know it.
That is one thing that is kind of cool about children with Asperger's Syndrome is that they really get to know lots of detail about the subjects they are interested in. Our oldestl spends hours reading science books and loves to share this or that little unknown fact. Right now his biggest interest is everything Lego and everything science fiction (like his daddy). He has an incredible imagination and if he can ever learn to organize his thoughts, he will be a great writer. There are fantastic and very detailed worlds in his head, but right now he cannot share those ideas and images in an orderly and understandable way. I have to drag it all out of him bit by bit and organize it for him, but it really is amazing.
Anyway, I was just pondering these things. Can’t say if I am right about any of it. I think if I can find the time, it would really be neat to find out what pioneer life was really like. Hmm.
September 30, 2009
Day 26 - Stage 2 of Intro - Die-off!
It was a great day, again! It was nice because our little 2 year old was his happy old self and he was very easygoing and conversational. He made great eye contact and initiated a lot of interaction. Gotta love it!
Everyone else seemed to be doing very well, too. We have all the meats and veggies cooked to get us through tomorrow, so we will not have to stay up late tonight picking chicken off of the bones or straining broth through cheesecloth and bottling it into mason jars. We had company today, Mommy's Playdate, who came with her little 2 year old. We had a lovely visit and the kids played well!
We increased the amount of probiotic everyone is taking and it seemed to be going well. Then we had some ghee with our casserole for dinner. All seemed well. Then, all of a sudden I felt very tired and weak. Our 11 year old teared up when he thought he wasn't going to get to have 3rds and 4ths for dinner (I didn't cook the veggies soft enough in the second casserole). I figured out that he could eat as much as he wanted of the second casserole so long as he put all of the undercooked veggies in a pot so I can put them in a soup for tomorrow. No problem. He got enough to eat. Our 8 year old looked sad and began to cry this evening when we finally had a little one on one time to sit down and talk. It turns out that she is lonely and really needs a friend that she can talk to and play with on a regular basis. I will see if I can work this out for her. It's true. An 8 year old girl needs a best friend to share her struggles and her dreams with.
I thought, "Whoa! What's going on here?" Then I remembered that we all had 1 tsp more sauerkraut juice than yesterday. Amazing that one little spoonful of a living food can make such an extreme difference. I can hardly hold my head up. I am so tired. I feel a bit achy and nauseous.
We all had Epsom Salt baths tonight. Maybe it helped, maybe not. No dramatic changes to see. I'm still tired, but then again I have had little sleep between all of the cooking and the baby's irregular sleep patterns. I keep reminding myself that this, too, will pass. It is a season in our lives. We will get through it. One day I will sleep again.
We only have one child out of 5 who does not wear a diaper or a pullup at night. (Not that we haven't tried everything!) Since we started GAPS, everyone is peeing a lot, especially at night. Diapers are full in the morning and are often overflowing. We have had a lot of extra laundry to do as of late. Even the one NOT in a pullup has had an accident here and there. I guess this is a good thing that everyone is peeing so much, but wow!!! you really just would not believe it!
QUOTES FOR THE DAY: "Mmm. I just LOVE sugarsnap peas! I only want sugarsnap peas for my veggies today for breakfast." (5 year old who absolutely hated sugarsnap peas just a few short months ago)
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
chicken broth
sauerkraut juice
chicken
sugarsnap peas
carrots and squash
chicken soup all afternoon
blended squash and carrots with broth and chicken pate for the 2 year old
green beans
egg whites
Casserole with some ghee drizzled on top
First day of ghee for the 2 year old.
I plan to have some fried eggs a little later.
Back to work. I have to get everything ready for tomorrow.
Everyone else seemed to be doing very well, too. We have all the meats and veggies cooked to get us through tomorrow, so we will not have to stay up late tonight picking chicken off of the bones or straining broth through cheesecloth and bottling it into mason jars. We had company today, Mommy's Playdate, who came with her little 2 year old. We had a lovely visit and the kids played well!
We increased the amount of probiotic everyone is taking and it seemed to be going well. Then we had some ghee with our casserole for dinner. All seemed well. Then, all of a sudden I felt very tired and weak. Our 11 year old teared up when he thought he wasn't going to get to have 3rds and 4ths for dinner (I didn't cook the veggies soft enough in the second casserole). I figured out that he could eat as much as he wanted of the second casserole so long as he put all of the undercooked veggies in a pot so I can put them in a soup for tomorrow. No problem. He got enough to eat. Our 8 year old looked sad and began to cry this evening when we finally had a little one on one time to sit down and talk. It turns out that she is lonely and really needs a friend that she can talk to and play with on a regular basis. I will see if I can work this out for her. It's true. An 8 year old girl needs a best friend to share her struggles and her dreams with.
I thought, "Whoa! What's going on here?" Then I remembered that we all had 1 tsp more sauerkraut juice than yesterday. Amazing that one little spoonful of a living food can make such an extreme difference. I can hardly hold my head up. I am so tired. I feel a bit achy and nauseous.
We all had Epsom Salt baths tonight. Maybe it helped, maybe not. No dramatic changes to see. I'm still tired, but then again I have had little sleep between all of the cooking and the baby's irregular sleep patterns. I keep reminding myself that this, too, will pass. It is a season in our lives. We will get through it. One day I will sleep again.
We only have one child out of 5 who does not wear a diaper or a pullup at night. (Not that we haven't tried everything!) Since we started GAPS, everyone is peeing a lot, especially at night. Diapers are full in the morning and are often overflowing. We have had a lot of extra laundry to do as of late. Even the one NOT in a pullup has had an accident here and there. I guess this is a good thing that everyone is peeing so much, but wow!!! you really just would not believe it!
QUOTES FOR THE DAY: "Mmm. I just LOVE sugarsnap peas! I only want sugarsnap peas for my veggies today for breakfast." (5 year old who absolutely hated sugarsnap peas just a few short months ago)
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
chicken broth
sauerkraut juice
chicken
sugarsnap peas
carrots and squash
chicken soup all afternoon
blended squash and carrots with broth and chicken pate for the 2 year old
green beans
egg whites
Casserole with some ghee drizzled on top
First day of ghee for the 2 year old.
I plan to have some fried eggs a little later.
Back to work. I have to get everything ready for tomorrow.
September 29, 2009
Day 25 - Stage 2 of Intro - Great Day!
Today was a GREAT day!
The best thing about today is that our 2 year old was most like his old self today, before he regressed. He was in a good mood all day. He did not tantrum at the table over food and having to have everything 'just so', at least not much. He was very conversational and made great eye contact. I felt like I was in heaven all day. He listened and obeyed. He answered questions. He initiated conversation and he initiated play. He was cooperative!
Our 11 year old and our 5 year old who have had a couple of rough days of die-off, since we upped the probiotic, had a wonderful day today, too. They woke up cheerful and had good attitudes throughout the day. They were considerate and helpful and played well with others. Delightful!
Our 8 year old was in a great mood, too! She did a lot around the house, of her own initiative, to clean up. What a blessing! She has also been telling me how she goes off to pray whenever things get stressful or frustrating for her and how that helps her a lot to calm down and get back in the game. I love to hear these kinds of things. It's true, that she has a glow about her these days.
We did a lot of cooking today. Go figure. Everybody helped! I LOVE that part. I love that we are all working together and it is fun! Our family is laughing and playing together like we have never been able to do before! Since we were going to have ghee with our dinner tonight and my girls wanted to race to get the veggies prepared, I proposed a contest. They each had a 5 pound bag of carrots to peel. The 2 year old and I had a 5 pound bag of green beans to snap. If they could get their carrots peeled before I got all of the green beans snapped, then they could have more ghee than me. They won! Then they helped me to snap the rest of the beans. Children really are a blessing from the Lord!
My 11 year old has been getting his schoolwork done, washing folding and putting the laundry away (ALL on his own), helping out with the baby, helping out with the cooking, helping serve in the kitchen, helping where needed (without complaining) and he has still found the time to play Legos, talk to a friend on the phone, play outside, read books for fun, and watch a favorite PBS show. None of this was possible a year ago. Even on days where he isn't feeling his best, since we started GAPS, he has kept up with his responsibilities. Amazing! I am so proud of him!
All are fed. All are bathed. All are in bed.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
sauerkraut
chicken broth
chicken
squash and carrots
green beans
chicken soup
blended veggies and fats for the 2 year old
He ate more green beans today!
pork ribs
peas (the organic peas are the best ever!)
artichokes with ghee to dip the leaves in - YUM!!!
I did not get my eggs last night, but I WILL get my eggs tonight!
The best thing about today is that our 2 year old was most like his old self today, before he regressed. He was in a good mood all day. He did not tantrum at the table over food and having to have everything 'just so', at least not much. He was very conversational and made great eye contact. I felt like I was in heaven all day. He listened and obeyed. He answered questions. He initiated conversation and he initiated play. He was cooperative!
Our 11 year old and our 5 year old who have had a couple of rough days of die-off, since we upped the probiotic, had a wonderful day today, too. They woke up cheerful and had good attitudes throughout the day. They were considerate and helpful and played well with others. Delightful!
Our 8 year old was in a great mood, too! She did a lot around the house, of her own initiative, to clean up. What a blessing! She has also been telling me how she goes off to pray whenever things get stressful or frustrating for her and how that helps her a lot to calm down and get back in the game. I love to hear these kinds of things. It's true, that she has a glow about her these days.
We did a lot of cooking today. Go figure. Everybody helped! I LOVE that part. I love that we are all working together and it is fun! Our family is laughing and playing together like we have never been able to do before! Since we were going to have ghee with our dinner tonight and my girls wanted to race to get the veggies prepared, I proposed a contest. They each had a 5 pound bag of carrots to peel. The 2 year old and I had a 5 pound bag of green beans to snap. If they could get their carrots peeled before I got all of the green beans snapped, then they could have more ghee than me. They won! Then they helped me to snap the rest of the beans. Children really are a blessing from the Lord!
My 11 year old has been getting his schoolwork done, washing folding and putting the laundry away (ALL on his own), helping out with the baby, helping out with the cooking, helping serve in the kitchen, helping where needed (without complaining) and he has still found the time to play Legos, talk to a friend on the phone, play outside, read books for fun, and watch a favorite PBS show. None of this was possible a year ago. Even on days where he isn't feeling his best, since we started GAPS, he has kept up with his responsibilities. Amazing! I am so proud of him!
All are fed. All are bathed. All are in bed.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
sauerkraut
chicken broth
chicken
squash and carrots
green beans
chicken soup
blended veggies and fats for the 2 year old
He ate more green beans today!
pork ribs
peas (the organic peas are the best ever!)
artichokes with ghee to dip the leaves in - YUM!!!
I did not get my eggs last night, but I WILL get my eggs tonight!
September 28, 2009
Day 24 - Stage 2 of Intro - Getting it All Together
Yesterday I tried to get ahead by cooking 5 pounds of carrots and about 10-15 zucchini, as well as a whole two pounds of freshly snapped green beans. This was after breakfast and lunch were over. To my amazement, it was only enough to make the casserole for our dinner and the pureed vegetables for our 2 year old's dinner. Most of the meat had been cooked on Saturday, but we still had to boil two more chickens to have enough for breakfast today.
We only had one quart size container of cooked carrots to serve for breakfast today, so we cooked a bag of frozen peas when the carrots were gone because the kids were still hungry. There were no tantrums about not wanting to eat what was served. In fact, there was much discussion about how yummy it is to have chicken, broth, and vegetables for breakfast.
This is quite remarkable, especially when you consider 2 things: The first thing to consider is that I used to serve rice, a meat and a veggie (about 1 pound) for dinner almost every night to a family of 7 (6 and a baby) and we would always have veggies leftover, but rarely any rice or meat. The second thing is that we used to have crying and tantrums almost every night from our 5 year old over the 1/8th of a cup of veggies that we required her to eat. She is the one who threw screaming fits during the first weeks of GAPS.
My brain is having a hard time adjusting to this new reality. Five of us consumed about 2 pounds of veggies at breakfast time. We cooked another 25 pounds (???) of veggies for lunch, snack, dinner, and to have leftovers. We put 3 quart size containers into the refridgerator for tomorrow. I suspect that will get us through breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Oh, and we have some leftover casserole, which is almost enough for dinner, but not quite. So...2 pounds + 25 pounds + 3 pound (???) = 30 pounds for 2 days worth of meals = 15 pounds of veggies a day??? Are we really eating this much???
Oooo, I almost forgot! Our two year old ate a few cooked green beans yesterday. Today he ate about 25 green beans during dinner time. Finger food!!! Not pureed!!! This is truly exciting!
So I am forming a plan: There is no room in my gigantic refridgerator to thaw out frozen meat and store all of the fresh and cooked veggies (I am not joking!) so I can maybe thaw out the meat in a cooler with some ice (I don't care for this idea too much) or I can purchase, cook, cut and store the meat all in one day, or two days. Actually, the beef, pork and lamb from the farmers are purchased frozen, but the ducks and chickens purchased from Whole Foods or Kroger are purchased fresh. If I purchased all of the meat on Saturday morning, then I could cook the birds on Saturday, package and label for distribution throughout the week. We could eat the duck meat on Sundays. Mondays we could cook the other meats, as they should be sufficiently thawed, and package and label for distribution throughout the week. Tuesdays and Thursdays we could cut and cook the fresh veggies, package and label for distribution throughout the week. Wednesdays we could puree, package and label the veggies for the 2 year old, the baby (who is about ready to start solid food), and for sauces to pour over casseroles. This could work...It might help us to rotate the foods we eat a little better, too, so we don't develop any additional sensitivities by having any particular food too often. That is a concern.
Today went well. Our 11 year old and 5 year old still seemed to be having some die-off reaction, but were better than yesterday. The 8 year old and I had some ghee today, but we decided that the others should wait another day. Hopefully they will be better tomorrow. They will enjoy the new flavor. It went lovely on the casserole.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
carrots
peas
chicken soup (broth, chicken, green beans, carrots, zucchini, sea salt)
blended squash with broth and chicken pate for the 2 year old
leftover hamburger soup
leftover beef casserole
hard boiled egg whites
pork casserole (pork, green beans, squash and carrots, rendered beef fat, sea salt, squash and carrot blend, more beef fat drizzled on top and sprinkled with sea salt)
I will have my usual fried egg whites and will nibble on the chicken as I pick the meat off of the bones for tomorrow. It is a nice late night snack! I am full, satisfied, and holding steady on my weight! WooHoo! AND I feel great!
We only had one quart size container of cooked carrots to serve for breakfast today, so we cooked a bag of frozen peas when the carrots were gone because the kids were still hungry. There were no tantrums about not wanting to eat what was served. In fact, there was much discussion about how yummy it is to have chicken, broth, and vegetables for breakfast.
This is quite remarkable, especially when you consider 2 things: The first thing to consider is that I used to serve rice, a meat and a veggie (about 1 pound) for dinner almost every night to a family of 7 (6 and a baby) and we would always have veggies leftover, but rarely any rice or meat. The second thing is that we used to have crying and tantrums almost every night from our 5 year old over the 1/8th of a cup of veggies that we required her to eat. She is the one who threw screaming fits during the first weeks of GAPS.
My brain is having a hard time adjusting to this new reality. Five of us consumed about 2 pounds of veggies at breakfast time. We cooked another 25 pounds (???) of veggies for lunch, snack, dinner, and to have leftovers. We put 3 quart size containers into the refridgerator for tomorrow. I suspect that will get us through breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Oh, and we have some leftover casserole, which is almost enough for dinner, but not quite. So...2 pounds + 25 pounds + 3 pound (???) = 30 pounds for 2 days worth of meals = 15 pounds of veggies a day??? Are we really eating this much???
Oooo, I almost forgot! Our two year old ate a few cooked green beans yesterday. Today he ate about 25 green beans during dinner time. Finger food!!! Not pureed!!! This is truly exciting!
So I am forming a plan: There is no room in my gigantic refridgerator to thaw out frozen meat and store all of the fresh and cooked veggies (I am not joking!) so I can maybe thaw out the meat in a cooler with some ice (I don't care for this idea too much) or I can purchase, cook, cut and store the meat all in one day, or two days. Actually, the beef, pork and lamb from the farmers are purchased frozen, but the ducks and chickens purchased from Whole Foods or Kroger are purchased fresh. If I purchased all of the meat on Saturday morning, then I could cook the birds on Saturday, package and label for distribution throughout the week. We could eat the duck meat on Sundays. Mondays we could cook the other meats, as they should be sufficiently thawed, and package and label for distribution throughout the week. Tuesdays and Thursdays we could cut and cook the fresh veggies, package and label for distribution throughout the week. Wednesdays we could puree, package and label the veggies for the 2 year old, the baby (who is about ready to start solid food), and for sauces to pour over casseroles. This could work...It might help us to rotate the foods we eat a little better, too, so we don't develop any additional sensitivities by having any particular food too often. That is a concern.
Today went well. Our 11 year old and 5 year old still seemed to be having some die-off reaction, but were better than yesterday. The 8 year old and I had some ghee today, but we decided that the others should wait another day. Hopefully they will be better tomorrow. They will enjoy the new flavor. It went lovely on the casserole.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
carrots
peas
chicken soup (broth, chicken, green beans, carrots, zucchini, sea salt)
blended squash with broth and chicken pate for the 2 year old
leftover hamburger soup
leftover beef casserole
hard boiled egg whites
pork casserole (pork, green beans, squash and carrots, rendered beef fat, sea salt, squash and carrot blend, more beef fat drizzled on top and sprinkled with sea salt)
I will have my usual fried egg whites and will nibble on the chicken as I pick the meat off of the bones for tomorrow. It is a nice late night snack! I am full, satisfied, and holding steady on my weight! WooHoo! AND I feel great!
September 27, 2009
Day 23 - Stage 2 of Intro
Die-off! We had a bit of die-off today from increasing the kraut juice very gradually over the past four days. Our 11 year old and our 5 year old woke up achy and were very lethargic and emotionally reactive. They both have had more solid BMs, which is not at all normal for them, but is often associated with die-off.
All day, our 5 year old kept getting into it with the other children. Our 11 year old just didn't feel like being nice. When someone asked him to get them a spoon while he was up, he very bluntly said no and got his own spoon and sat down. That is not how we treat people in this house! Our 8 year old seemed fine most of the day, but in the afternoon she started to get very angry with her siblings and later with me. Could be die-off, or it could just be the stress of having to deal with the "stuff" we have to deal with when the others are reacting/detoxing.
So I kept them busy and seperate or under my watchful eye most of the day. We had a great time cooking together. When it appeared that they were not going to play happily together, I called them all to the kitchen to help prepare the veggies we would need for our casserole tonight. Our 11 year old peeled and cut 5 pounds of carrots (something he would not have been able to accomplish before starting the GAPS diet) and only got one small cut, for which I am thankful he will recover quickly. Our 8 year old peeled and cut up 10-12 yellow squash and zucchini. Our 5 year old did a fantastic job of snapping the tiniest bit off of the ends of the fresh green beans so as not to waste any of the good food. Our 2 year old helped cut a few pieces of zucchini with his toddler knife and he helped by breaking the green beans in half and putting them back in the bowl. I think it is so much fun to have our 5 year old and our 2 year old "help" in the kitchen.
Casseroles were a big hit again! Everyone ate too much! Our 11 year old and 5 year old had tummy aches and became burpy/nauseous, but soon recovered. I will have to watch them to make sure they don't overdo it on favorite foods. However, I am very happy that they like the food.
We did not try avocado yet, or ghee, because of the obvious die-off reactions. If everyone looks well in the morning, we will introduce ghee. It has been 6 weeks since any of us have had any dairy. I am hopeful. I will keep the kraut juice at 1 teaspoon for at least a few more days.
Everyone had ACV baths today. Our 2 year old went to bed without a fuss. That is always nice. My dear sweet husband is putting the other children to bed as I am holding the baby. It sounds as if all is going well. The baby cut his 2nd tooth today! WooHoo! Maybe, maybe he will sleep a little better for a while.
QUOTES FOR THE DAY: "I can't believe we are real chefs cooking real food!" (5 year old as we were snapping beans for dinner) "My forehead is cold and stiff. It got that way while I was finishing my chores." (5 year old - I have no idea what this feels like to have a cold and stiff forehead.) "Mommy, these vegetables look deeeelicious!" (8 year old) "Daddy, more water! Green cup! Right here!" (2 year old) "Ooooooh! I think I ate too much." (11 year old) "Everyone at co-op keeps telling me how sorry they are for me that I can't eat all of the stuff that they are eating. I try to tell them that it's not that bad and that you don't crave that sugary stuff when you are not addicted to it. They just don't seem to get it." (8 year old girl)
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
chicken broth
chicken
carrots
chicken and vegetable soup - it was a hit! (Chicken broth, carrots, zucchini, chicken, and sea salt)
sauerkraut juice
leftover hamburger soup
casserole - 1 chicken and one beef
I plan to have some fried eggs later.
LESSONS LEARNED:
We do not love the flavor of the beef shanks from the FM at Erma's. We will try some shanks from other sources to see if we like beef shanks at all. They are inexpensive and full of all that we need for healing. I do hope we can find some we like.
It might work to cook lots of meat on one day and lots of veggies on another day and have a bit of a rest on the third day. I am still working to streamline the cooking and make it more manageable. It will come. It has to, because we are in this for the long haul.
All day, our 5 year old kept getting into it with the other children. Our 11 year old just didn't feel like being nice. When someone asked him to get them a spoon while he was up, he very bluntly said no and got his own spoon and sat down. That is not how we treat people in this house! Our 8 year old seemed fine most of the day, but in the afternoon she started to get very angry with her siblings and later with me. Could be die-off, or it could just be the stress of having to deal with the "stuff" we have to deal with when the others are reacting/detoxing.
So I kept them busy and seperate or under my watchful eye most of the day. We had a great time cooking together. When it appeared that they were not going to play happily together, I called them all to the kitchen to help prepare the veggies we would need for our casserole tonight. Our 11 year old peeled and cut 5 pounds of carrots (something he would not have been able to accomplish before starting the GAPS diet) and only got one small cut, for which I am thankful he will recover quickly. Our 8 year old peeled and cut up 10-12 yellow squash and zucchini. Our 5 year old did a fantastic job of snapping the tiniest bit off of the ends of the fresh green beans so as not to waste any of the good food. Our 2 year old helped cut a few pieces of zucchini with his toddler knife and he helped by breaking the green beans in half and putting them back in the bowl. I think it is so much fun to have our 5 year old and our 2 year old "help" in the kitchen.
Casseroles were a big hit again! Everyone ate too much! Our 11 year old and 5 year old had tummy aches and became burpy/nauseous, but soon recovered. I will have to watch them to make sure they don't overdo it on favorite foods. However, I am very happy that they like the food.
We did not try avocado yet, or ghee, because of the obvious die-off reactions. If everyone looks well in the morning, we will introduce ghee. It has been 6 weeks since any of us have had any dairy. I am hopeful. I will keep the kraut juice at 1 teaspoon for at least a few more days.
Everyone had ACV baths today. Our 2 year old went to bed without a fuss. That is always nice. My dear sweet husband is putting the other children to bed as I am holding the baby. It sounds as if all is going well. The baby cut his 2nd tooth today! WooHoo! Maybe, maybe he will sleep a little better for a while.
QUOTES FOR THE DAY: "I can't believe we are real chefs cooking real food!" (5 year old as we were snapping beans for dinner) "My forehead is cold and stiff. It got that way while I was finishing my chores." (5 year old - I have no idea what this feels like to have a cold and stiff forehead.) "Mommy, these vegetables look deeeelicious!" (8 year old) "Daddy, more water! Green cup! Right here!" (2 year old) "Ooooooh! I think I ate too much." (11 year old) "Everyone at co-op keeps telling me how sorry they are for me that I can't eat all of the stuff that they are eating. I try to tell them that it's not that bad and that you don't crave that sugary stuff when you are not addicted to it. They just don't seem to get it." (8 year old girl)
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
Fiji water with lemon
chicken broth
chicken
carrots
chicken and vegetable soup - it was a hit! (Chicken broth, carrots, zucchini, chicken, and sea salt)
sauerkraut juice
leftover hamburger soup
casserole - 1 chicken and one beef
I plan to have some fried eggs later.
LESSONS LEARNED:
We do not love the flavor of the beef shanks from the FM at Erma's. We will try some shanks from other sources to see if we like beef shanks at all. They are inexpensive and full of all that we need for healing. I do hope we can find some we like.
It might work to cook lots of meat on one day and lots of veggies on another day and have a bit of a rest on the third day. I am still working to streamline the cooking and make it more manageable. It will come. It has to, because we are in this for the long haul.
September 26, 2009
Day 22 - Stage 2 of Intro
I'm sleepy. I need MORE sleep. Really! More sleep would do wonders.
The baby cut his first tooth today! Hooray!
We continue to do a lot of cooking. The kids are not as ravenous as they were and things seem to have settled out a bit. We did not try the avocado today. I guess tomorrow will be good. Then, ghee on Monday. That is like adding 2 things at once, but I am so ready to add dairy.
I am holding steady between 110 and 115 pounds. This is normal weight for me for the past 12 years, so I feel good about this, but I prefer to weigh around 120 pounds. I am hoping that if I can add dairy soon, that I may be able to put on this extra little cushion of weight. However, I realize that I need to be patient, because if I don't tolerate it, then it will not be beneficial to add it in. I won't be able to get what I need from the dairy if it causes inflamation and slows healing in my gut. Sigh! I hope I am ready for dairy. I hope our little baby is ready. He used to get all congested before I took the dairy out of my diet. If he gets congested, then he will not sleep as well and I will get even less sleep. Heavenly Father, please let us be ready for dairy!
Our 5 year old has had a few gas pains these past few days after meals. I suspect it was because I was not peeling the squash. I hope and pray that it gets better in a day or so.
Our little 2 year old is atill very rigid about routines these days. His eye contact is minimal, but there is some if you are not too close to his face. He let me cut his fingernails and toenails today! That is huge! They were getting so long because he would cry that it hurt and he would not let me cut them. I tried! Today, no problem. He said, "Ow" with every snip, but he let me cut them.
I know we are not doing this intro quite perfectly. We are not consuming enough of the soft tissues and bone marrow that is supposed to be so very healing, too far out there for the time being, but we are seeing a good measure of healing as it is. We could have just done full GAPS, but I suspect that even an imperfect intro diet can help speed up the introduction of foods we have not been able to tolerate. We are so looking forward to adding foods back in to our diet. Apples is one we are particularly excited about. Nuts are another food we hope to add in soon. Lots to look forward to.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth (all day)
chicken
green beans
egg whites
leftover casserole
blended veggies (squash, carrots, broth, chicken pate)
hamburger soup - ground beef, broth, carrots, peas, sea salt
french artichokes
I am going to have some egg whites fried in beef fat.
Tomorrow - avocado
Monday - ghee
The baby cut his first tooth today! Hooray!
We continue to do a lot of cooking. The kids are not as ravenous as they were and things seem to have settled out a bit. We did not try the avocado today. I guess tomorrow will be good. Then, ghee on Monday. That is like adding 2 things at once, but I am so ready to add dairy.
I am holding steady between 110 and 115 pounds. This is normal weight for me for the past 12 years, so I feel good about this, but I prefer to weigh around 120 pounds. I am hoping that if I can add dairy soon, that I may be able to put on this extra little cushion of weight. However, I realize that I need to be patient, because if I don't tolerate it, then it will not be beneficial to add it in. I won't be able to get what I need from the dairy if it causes inflamation and slows healing in my gut. Sigh! I hope I am ready for dairy. I hope our little baby is ready. He used to get all congested before I took the dairy out of my diet. If he gets congested, then he will not sleep as well and I will get even less sleep. Heavenly Father, please let us be ready for dairy!
Our 5 year old has had a few gas pains these past few days after meals. I suspect it was because I was not peeling the squash. I hope and pray that it gets better in a day or so.
Our little 2 year old is atill very rigid about routines these days. His eye contact is minimal, but there is some if you are not too close to his face. He let me cut his fingernails and toenails today! That is huge! They were getting so long because he would cry that it hurt and he would not let me cut them. I tried! Today, no problem. He said, "Ow" with every snip, but he let me cut them.
I know we are not doing this intro quite perfectly. We are not consuming enough of the soft tissues and bone marrow that is supposed to be so very healing, too far out there for the time being, but we are seeing a good measure of healing as it is. We could have just done full GAPS, but I suspect that even an imperfect intro diet can help speed up the introduction of foods we have not been able to tolerate. We are so looking forward to adding foods back in to our diet. Apples is one we are particularly excited about. Nuts are another food we hope to add in soon. Lots to look forward to.
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth (all day)
chicken
green beans
egg whites
leftover casserole
blended veggies (squash, carrots, broth, chicken pate)
hamburger soup - ground beef, broth, carrots, peas, sea salt
french artichokes
I am going to have some egg whites fried in beef fat.
Tomorrow - avocado
Monday - ghee
September 25, 2009
Day 21 - Stage 2 of Intro - More New Discoveries
I spent an hour peeling the skin off of yellow squash that had already been cut and cooked because I figured out that we were all having issues because of the fiber. We are not yet ready for fiber.
I am shopping around now looking for the best prices on everything because real food costs real money.
I am looking for ways to get things done more efficiently and see if I can arrange some help in filling our freezer.
Chicken liver is pretty tasty. Tastes kind of like liverwurst. Go figure!
Beef fat from grass fed beef at Whole Foods is free (for now) until they catch on that some people actually want the stuff. I came home with at least 30 pounds of beef fat to render. So exciting! Really!
QUOTES FOR THE DAY: "Mommy, watch your 'postraphy!" (5 year old reminding me about my posture) "I can't believe we are eating God's food!" (5 year old)
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
FIJI water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
chicken
squash and carrots
beef
green beans
boiled egg whites
casserole
squash soup with carrots and green beans added
acorn squash blended with other stuff for the 2 year old
I plan to have fried egg whites later tonight
Tomorrow we will add avocado!!!
I am shopping around now looking for the best prices on everything because real food costs real money.
I am looking for ways to get things done more efficiently and see if I can arrange some help in filling our freezer.
Chicken liver is pretty tasty. Tastes kind of like liverwurst. Go figure!
Beef fat from grass fed beef at Whole Foods is free (for now) until they catch on that some people actually want the stuff. I came home with at least 30 pounds of beef fat to render. So exciting! Really!
QUOTES FOR THE DAY: "Mommy, watch your 'postraphy!" (5 year old reminding me about my posture) "I can't believe we are eating God's food!" (5 year old)
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
FIJI water with lemon
kraut juice
chicken broth
chicken
squash and carrots
beef
green beans
boiled egg whites
casserole
squash soup with carrots and green beans added
acorn squash blended with other stuff for the 2 year old
I plan to have fried egg whites later tonight
Tomorrow we will add avocado!!!
* Why I Cried Today
I was traveling home from Whole Foods today so I had about 40 minutes to just think and pray. My older kids were at co-op and went to friend’s houses and the baby was with my dad, so I was traveling with my 2 year old. He loves to go places. He is a joy and even since he has become very ill from the vaccine (I realize he was ill to begin with and the vaccine simply pushed him off the edge) he still loves to ride in his car seat, his stroller and in shopping carts. He sits so calm and just takes it all in wherever we go.
I was listening to him talk to himself in the backseat and I started to cry because I miss the eye contact. I miss the connection. I miss the easygoing, go-with-the-flow temperament that has characterized him for 2 years. I told God that I missed my child and that I was grieving the loss of his full potential, then I realized that God knew this was going to happen and that nothing was lost. This is all a part of who this child is and who he is to become. I was grieving what I thought I had lost, but I have lost nothing since he simply is who he is and this is what we have to go through and God is working it all out for our good. I arrived home with a smile.
I was listening to him talk to himself in the backseat and I started to cry because I miss the eye contact. I miss the connection. I miss the easygoing, go-with-the-flow temperament that has characterized him for 2 years. I told God that I missed my child and that I was grieving the loss of his full potential, then I realized that God knew this was going to happen and that nothing was lost. This is all a part of who this child is and who he is to become. I was grieving what I thought I had lost, but I have lost nothing since he simply is who he is and this is what we have to go through and God is working it all out for our good. I arrived home with a smile.
September 24, 2009
Day 20 - Stage 2 of Intro - New Discoveries
Wow! Another good day! Everyone is happy and feeling pretty good. Our 2 year old seems to be more conversational. Boy, he knows the routines and he really tries to keep us all in line. I pull out the squash and he goes and gets the cutting board and orders me to get the knife. He is right there, helping with literally everything in the kitchen. I have to say that I really love having him help in the kitchen.
The girls have been very helpful in the kitchen and my oldest, too! My 11 year old had to carry the baby around a lot today, as we were on our own. We had lots of extra laundry to do because everyone is peeing more and we are having lots of bedwetting issues. We had lots of food to cook, too!
Grandpa does not come to help out until 2 PM on Thursdays, so we had to do it all on our own. Their other grandpa usually comes about 10 AM, but he had a doctor's appointment today and couldn't make it. We did amazingly well and the schedule for eating certain foods and doing certain activities at specific times really helped. Everything was accomplished with a smile. Everyone had enough to eat and we actually have food to store in the fridge for the weekend. What a great feeling!
No baths today! Too much to do and we ran out of time. Dinner was late, but that's OK. No one was complaining, as they were all welcome to have broths or soups at any time so they couldn't say they were starving.
No leg pain. No bedtime tantrums. No bad moods. No regression. It was a good day!
Oh, our oldest had a BM that fell apart in the potty. Several of us are more gassy. Could be the increase in probiotic, but I stopped peeling the squash and zucchini and I have a hunch it is the extra fiber. I don't think we are quite ready for that yet. If it continues, I will go back to peeling the squash for a while. We shall see.
QUOTES FOR THE DAY: "Mommy, I think I am going to be a missionary when I grow up." (8 year old) "I love helping you in the kitchen." (5 year old) "Mommy, are you almost done? The baby is getting fussy." (11 year old) "knife!knife!knife!cut!cut!cut!put in!put in!put in trash!mommy cooking!" (2 year old telling me what to do in the kitchen)
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
FIJI water with lemon
kraut juice (1/2 tsp for kids and 3 tsp for me)
chicken broth
pork roast
green beans
squash and carrots
casseroles
squash soup thinned with lots of broth
hard boiled egg whites
lamb
spinach
squash, zucchini, and carrots cooked in the squash soup from earlier
blended for the 2 year old
fried egg whites for me cooked in beef fat
The girls have been very helpful in the kitchen and my oldest, too! My 11 year old had to carry the baby around a lot today, as we were on our own. We had lots of extra laundry to do because everyone is peeing more and we are having lots of bedwetting issues. We had lots of food to cook, too!
Grandpa does not come to help out until 2 PM on Thursdays, so we had to do it all on our own. Their other grandpa usually comes about 10 AM, but he had a doctor's appointment today and couldn't make it. We did amazingly well and the schedule for eating certain foods and doing certain activities at specific times really helped. Everything was accomplished with a smile. Everyone had enough to eat and we actually have food to store in the fridge for the weekend. What a great feeling!
No baths today! Too much to do and we ran out of time. Dinner was late, but that's OK. No one was complaining, as they were all welcome to have broths or soups at any time so they couldn't say they were starving.
No leg pain. No bedtime tantrums. No bad moods. No regression. It was a good day!
Oh, our oldest had a BM that fell apart in the potty. Several of us are more gassy. Could be the increase in probiotic, but I stopped peeling the squash and zucchini and I have a hunch it is the extra fiber. I don't think we are quite ready for that yet. If it continues, I will go back to peeling the squash for a while. We shall see.
QUOTES FOR THE DAY: "Mommy, I think I am going to be a missionary when I grow up." (8 year old) "I love helping you in the kitchen." (5 year old) "Mommy, are you almost done? The baby is getting fussy." (11 year old) "knife!knife!knife!cut!cut!cut!put in!put in!put in trash!mommy cooking!" (2 year old telling me what to do in the kitchen)
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
FIJI water with lemon
kraut juice (1/2 tsp for kids and 3 tsp for me)
chicken broth
pork roast
green beans
squash and carrots
casseroles
squash soup thinned with lots of broth
hard boiled egg whites
lamb
spinach
squash, zucchini, and carrots cooked in the squash soup from earlier
blended for the 2 year old
fried egg whites for me cooked in beef fat
September 23, 2009
Day 19 - Stage 2 of Intro - Casserole Day
Today was a good day!
Chicken and veggies for breakfast, squash soup and egg whites for a snack, casseroles for lunch, soups for snacks and more casserole for dinner! We implemented the plan to eat certain foods during certain times of the day. The kids followed the schedule and did their chores and schoolwork accordingly. Everything went very smoothly today. Praise the Lord! I pray we have more days like today!
We visted a neighbor. We had some company. We had a mini movie night as I was informed that today is the 60th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz movie. We didn't have that one available, so we watched the Veggie Tales version of The Wizard of Ha's. We will watch the original movie for our Movie Night on Friday.
We think we may have discovered a cause of our 5 year old's leg pain. I made her eat broccoli and cauliflower today and she had a stomach ache before lunch was over. A few hours later, her leg hurt her, then her arm, then her other leg hurt, too. She cried so much! It took us a while to remember to give her a detox bath. We put ACV in the bath and after 30 minutes, her pain was completely gone! Amazing! We will try to remember this sooner the next time.
Our 2 year old had a great day and seemed much improved since we have taken away all of the sulphur foods. We will introduce them more slowly in the future. The CT scan results are in: Normal! WooHoo! I figured, as I believe what is happening to him is because of toxicity. He went to bed without a fuss. Just like old times!
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
kraut juice (a very little bit)
chicken
carrots and squash
green beans
chicken broth
egg whites (2 each)
squash soup (some of us)
casseroles (recipes on previous post)
I am going to have some fried eggs for a snack. YUM!
Chicken and veggies for breakfast, squash soup and egg whites for a snack, casseroles for lunch, soups for snacks and more casserole for dinner! We implemented the plan to eat certain foods during certain times of the day. The kids followed the schedule and did their chores and schoolwork accordingly. Everything went very smoothly today. Praise the Lord! I pray we have more days like today!
We visted a neighbor. We had some company. We had a mini movie night as I was informed that today is the 60th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz movie. We didn't have that one available, so we watched the Veggie Tales version of The Wizard of Ha's. We will watch the original movie for our Movie Night on Friday.
We think we may have discovered a cause of our 5 year old's leg pain. I made her eat broccoli and cauliflower today and she had a stomach ache before lunch was over. A few hours later, her leg hurt her, then her arm, then her other leg hurt, too. She cried so much! It took us a while to remember to give her a detox bath. We put ACV in the bath and after 30 minutes, her pain was completely gone! Amazing! We will try to remember this sooner the next time.
Our 2 year old had a great day and seemed much improved since we have taken away all of the sulphur foods. We will introduce them more slowly in the future. The CT scan results are in: Normal! WooHoo! I figured, as I believe what is happening to him is because of toxicity. He went to bed without a fuss. Just like old times!
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
kraut juice (a very little bit)
chicken
carrots and squash
green beans
chicken broth
egg whites (2 each)
squash soup (some of us)
casseroles (recipes on previous post)
I am going to have some fried eggs for a snack. YUM!
Casserole Day - It Was a HUGE Success!
The kids were so excited because today we were going to make a casserole after more than two weeks of soups, broths, meats and veggies. I made two small casseroles for lunch because I was experimenting. I didn't want to make one big casserole that everyone hated and then have nothing to eat for lunch. That would not do!
As it turned out, the kids loved, I mean LOVED both of the casseroles! The said, and I quote, "I am at Olive Garden! This is the best you have ever made!" (8 year old girl) "This reminds me of Olive Garden!" (5 year old girl) Note: We ate at Olive Garden as a treat several weeks before we started our GAPS adventure. They absolutely LOVE to eat at Olive Garden, so this was truly the best compliment they could ever give me. I have posted the recipes below:
I am not a cook, really! It is so plain and simple, but to us it was wonderful!
I put a layer of leftover roast in the bottom of the casserole dish. I cut the roast into small pieces.
I cooked green beans in one pot with some chicken broth and sea salt and layered these over the meat.
I cooked carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash in another pot with just water and sea salt. I took about half of these and layered them over the green beans.
I poured a little broth and about a cup of rendered beef fat over this and sprinkled with a little salt.
I pureed the rest of the carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash with some of the broth and poured this over the top of the casserole and drizzled more beef fat on top. Then I added a touch more salt on top.
I baked it at 350 F for 30 minutes. That’s it! I made it up today using the very few foods my family can actually tolerate.
The other casserole was basically the same, but it was…
Meat
Green beans
Broccoli and cauliflower
Rendered fat and sea salt
Blended cauliflower drizzled with more rendered fat and sprinkled with sea salt
I only served the second casserole to two children, but they loved it! It made the 5 year old sick. Apparently she can’t tolerate the broccoli or the cauliflower. None of us can eat the broccoli or the cauliflower except our 11 year old. He ate most of the small casserole for lunch and he is just fine. Go figure. Enjoy!
As it turned out, the kids loved, I mean LOVED both of the casseroles! The said, and I quote, "I am at Olive Garden! This is the best you have ever made!" (8 year old girl) "This reminds me of Olive Garden!" (5 year old girl) Note: We ate at Olive Garden as a treat several weeks before we started our GAPS adventure. They absolutely LOVE to eat at Olive Garden, so this was truly the best compliment they could ever give me. I have posted the recipes below:
I am not a cook, really! It is so plain and simple, but to us it was wonderful!
I put a layer of leftover roast in the bottom of the casserole dish. I cut the roast into small pieces.
I cooked green beans in one pot with some chicken broth and sea salt and layered these over the meat.
I cooked carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash in another pot with just water and sea salt. I took about half of these and layered them over the green beans.
I poured a little broth and about a cup of rendered beef fat over this and sprinkled with a little salt.
I pureed the rest of the carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash with some of the broth and poured this over the top of the casserole and drizzled more beef fat on top. Then I added a touch more salt on top.
I baked it at 350 F for 30 minutes. That’s it! I made it up today using the very few foods my family can actually tolerate.
The other casserole was basically the same, but it was…
Meat
Green beans
Broccoli and cauliflower
Rendered fat and sea salt
Blended cauliflower drizzled with more rendered fat and sprinkled with sea salt
I only served the second casserole to two children, but they loved it! It made the 5 year old sick. Apparently she can’t tolerate the broccoli or the cauliflower. None of us can eat the broccoli or the cauliflower except our 11 year old. He ate most of the small casserole for lunch and he is just fine. Go figure. Enjoy!
September 22, 2009
Day 18 - Stage 2 of Intro - A Plan Falls Into Place
Things went pretty smoothly today. I had to plan ahead since we were going to be gone for a while this morning. It worked out very well. I think we will do this on a daily basis in order to have some sanity around here.
Our schedule looks something like this:
Get up and drink lemon water, then go do morning chores. Come back to the kitchen and drink broth, then eat veggies and meat. Bite for bite for the two year old or give it to him all at once, depending on the state of his condition at the time. This morning it was bite for bite.
The next part of our day is chores and schoolwork. They were told they could drink water, tea (ginger, peppermint, or chamomile), or broth. They could have soups and boiled egg whites (yolks are out for a while) for snacks if they got hungry. Also, we try to get them out in the sun for a bit during this time if possible. We call it recess.
Lunch was broth and leftover meat and veggies from yesterday. Simple.
Then it is time to finish up any schoolwork and chores. They should drink water, tea, or broth and if they get hungry, then they can have soup. This is per the directions for the GAPS diet protocol. They should have broth and soup all day long, as much as they want.
Something new is cooked for dinner. Tonight we had a feast!!! It was the best meal we have had since we started intro. There was something for everyone and we all enjoyed it immensly. I know it will sound odd, but we LOVED it! We had chicken broth, of course. I cooked pork ribs for several hours on the stove, boiled, of course, because this is intro. We cooked 24 little artichokes that I found at Whole Foods on Saturday and we ate them plain or sometimes dipping them in a little salt. I cooked french style green beans in the pork broth. We boiled brocolli, which was largely ignored in favor of the other choices. We also had some boiled orange roughy fish because it looked fresh and oh so yummy when I went to the store today. Pork and fish: it is a weird combo, I know, but what can I say? It was all good food. Our two year old had meat, fish and blended squash and green beans with pork broth. Everyone was happy. And true to form, if I make more, they eat more. It is near to impossible to cook ahead for this crew.
Then we did baths and bedtimes, which are all staggered. Bath for the 2 year old. Bath for the 5 year old while the 2 year old is put to bed. Bath for the 8 year old while the 5 year old is put to bed. Bath for the 11 year old while the 8 year old reads or draws. Sit down and read history and literature, then put the older two to bed. It takes two of us to do all of this because one of us has to care for the baby who doesn't yet go off to sleep on his own. We have not had time to think on that for a while, but he is content enough to go with the flow. Thank the Lord that this gift of a child is so easygoing.
QUOTES FOR THE DAY: Our 8 year old said, "My ideas about food are changing. When we went to the grocery store today I saw all of the packaged food and it didn't even look like food to me. It is just junk." Our 11 year old said, "It still looks like food to me because you can put it in your mouth." I said, "I can think of all kinds of things you could put into your mouth that are not food."
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
leftover roast
chicken broth
squash and carrots cooked in broth
hard boiled egg whites (no yolks)
squash soup (butternut, broth, salt)
leftover buffalo burger soup (a favorite cold or hot - it's gone!)
pork ribs cooked in water with salt
orange roughy fish
artichokes
green beans cooked in pork broth
brocolli and leftover cauliflower
kraut juice - only mommy, we start every one else with a little bit tomorrow
Tomorrow we will bake a casserole.
The kids are very excited about this!
Our schedule looks something like this:
Get up and drink lemon water, then go do morning chores. Come back to the kitchen and drink broth, then eat veggies and meat. Bite for bite for the two year old or give it to him all at once, depending on the state of his condition at the time. This morning it was bite for bite.
The next part of our day is chores and schoolwork. They were told they could drink water, tea (ginger, peppermint, or chamomile), or broth. They could have soups and boiled egg whites (yolks are out for a while) for snacks if they got hungry. Also, we try to get them out in the sun for a bit during this time if possible. We call it recess.
Lunch was broth and leftover meat and veggies from yesterday. Simple.
Then it is time to finish up any schoolwork and chores. They should drink water, tea, or broth and if they get hungry, then they can have soup. This is per the directions for the GAPS diet protocol. They should have broth and soup all day long, as much as they want.
Something new is cooked for dinner. Tonight we had a feast!!! It was the best meal we have had since we started intro. There was something for everyone and we all enjoyed it immensly. I know it will sound odd, but we LOVED it! We had chicken broth, of course. I cooked pork ribs for several hours on the stove, boiled, of course, because this is intro. We cooked 24 little artichokes that I found at Whole Foods on Saturday and we ate them plain or sometimes dipping them in a little salt. I cooked french style green beans in the pork broth. We boiled brocolli, which was largely ignored in favor of the other choices. We also had some boiled orange roughy fish because it looked fresh and oh so yummy when I went to the store today. Pork and fish: it is a weird combo, I know, but what can I say? It was all good food. Our two year old had meat, fish and blended squash and green beans with pork broth. Everyone was happy. And true to form, if I make more, they eat more. It is near to impossible to cook ahead for this crew.
Then we did baths and bedtimes, which are all staggered. Bath for the 2 year old. Bath for the 5 year old while the 2 year old is put to bed. Bath for the 8 year old while the 5 year old is put to bed. Bath for the 11 year old while the 8 year old reads or draws. Sit down and read history and literature, then put the older two to bed. It takes two of us to do all of this because one of us has to care for the baby who doesn't yet go off to sleep on his own. We have not had time to think on that for a while, but he is content enough to go with the flow. Thank the Lord that this gift of a child is so easygoing.
QUOTES FOR THE DAY: Our 8 year old said, "My ideas about food are changing. When we went to the grocery store today I saw all of the packaged food and it didn't even look like food to me. It is just junk." Our 11 year old said, "It still looks like food to me because you can put it in your mouth." I said, "I can think of all kinds of things you could put into your mouth that are not food."
WHAT WE ATE TODAY:
filtered water with lemon
leftover roast
chicken broth
squash and carrots cooked in broth
hard boiled egg whites (no yolks)
squash soup (butternut, broth, salt)
leftover buffalo burger soup (a favorite cold or hot - it's gone!)
pork ribs cooked in water with salt
orange roughy fish
artichokes
green beans cooked in pork broth
brocolli and leftover cauliflower
kraut juice - only mommy, we start every one else with a little bit tomorrow
Tomorrow we will bake a casserole.
The kids are very excited about this!
CT Scan
Our 2 year old had the CT scan done today. All in all, he did very well. He cried, but they were very good with him and he was not traumatized by it.
The technician came out and talked with him. They talked as we walked down the hall to the room. We met another nice lady, the one who works the computer and does the measurements or whatever it is that they do with the images. Then another lady came in with a toy to distract him and a blue and purple giraffe for him to keep. She had a color book, too, with pictures, and they talked about what they were going to do. They showed him everything they were going to do by using the giraffe as the patient.
When it was his turn, of course he did not want to do it. He cried when they laid him down and when they wrapped him up tight like a papoose. Daddy was right there with him the entire time. He cried when they put soft wedges on either side of his head and taped his head in place. They kept their voices sweet and cheerful and they encouraged him to say cheese for the camera. Mark said he did say cheese. They were very quick and unwrapped him as soon as they were done. Then we went out into the lobby and he ate an egg. You know how he loves to eat and you know how he loves his eggs!
During his bath tonight, I brought up the hospital and having pictures taken of his head and he said, “cheese.” Then he talked about it as if it were just another event in the day. He went to bed with his giraffe by his side and I am thankful that all is well.
They said the doctor would receive the report in a few days and then we would hear from him.
The technician came out and talked with him. They talked as we walked down the hall to the room. We met another nice lady, the one who works the computer and does the measurements or whatever it is that they do with the images. Then another lady came in with a toy to distract him and a blue and purple giraffe for him to keep. She had a color book, too, with pictures, and they talked about what they were going to do. They showed him everything they were going to do by using the giraffe as the patient.
When it was his turn, of course he did not want to do it. He cried when they laid him down and when they wrapped him up tight like a papoose. Daddy was right there with him the entire time. He cried when they put soft wedges on either side of his head and taped his head in place. They kept their voices sweet and cheerful and they encouraged him to say cheese for the camera. Mark said he did say cheese. They were very quick and unwrapped him as soon as they were done. Then we went out into the lobby and he ate an egg. You know how he loves to eat and you know how he loves his eggs!
During his bath tonight, I brought up the hospital and having pictures taken of his head and he said, “cheese.” Then he talked about it as if it were just another event in the day. He went to bed with his giraffe by his side and I am thankful that all is well.
They said the doctor would receive the report in a few days and then we would hear from him.
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