WELCOME TO MY WORLD...

Weekly Menu

2010-05-07T07:37:00.003-05:00

Meat Loaf and corn souffle
Savory Chicken Breasts and wild rice
Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Bake
Easiest Slow Cooker French Dip
Buffalo Chicken Wraps
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Savory Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
ground black pepper to taste
6 slices Swiss cheese
1-1/2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons milk
1-1/2 cups dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup and 1 teaspoon butter, melted

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Place chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Season with ground black pepper to taste. Top each breast with a slice of cheese.
Mix together the soup and milk and pour mixture over chicken. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top and drizzle with melted butter/margarine. Bake covered in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 20 minutes or until golden brown.

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Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Bake
Ingredients
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen broccoli florets, thawed, drained
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-
Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package; set aside.

Combine remaining ingredients; spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish. Top with stuffing.

Bake 40 min. or until chicken is done
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Easiest Slow Cooker French Dip

Ingredients
3 pounds beef sirloin roast
1 (1 ounce) packet dry au jus mix
1 cup water
8 (1 ounce) slices provolone cheese
8 hoagie rolls, split lengthwise

Directions
Place the beef roast into a slow cooker. Stir together the water and au jus mix; pour over the roast. Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.
Remove the roast from the slow cooker and shred or slice. Open the hoagie rolls and top with beef and provolone cheese. Serve with small bowls of the hot au jus from the slow cooker.
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Weekly Menu

2010-05-02T11:45:00.004-05:00

Chicken stir fry
Easy Slow-Cooker Beef Stew
Mash Potato bowls (stolen from KFC)
EASY BEEF STROGANOFF
EASY CROCK POT LASAGNA

EASY BEEF STROGANOFF
1 to 1/2 pounds stew beef
1 package egg noodles
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
6 oz sour cream
mushrooms

Prepare noodles as directed. Fry beef and mushrooms in skillet with 2 tablespoon oil.
Drain noodles add beef (can add oil too), soup and sour cream

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Easy Slow-Cooker Beef Stew

1 cup fat-free reduced-sodium beef broth
1/4 cup KRAFT Italian Vinaigrette Dressing made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce 1 tsp.
dried oregano leaves
1 lb. boneless beef chuck for stew, cut into 1-1/4-inch cubes 1 lb.
small red potatoes (about 8), cut into bite-size pieces
4 large carrots, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
1 large onion, cut into bite-size pieces
2 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, chopped
3 Tbsp. flour
1/4 cup water

Make It!
MIX first 4 ingredients in slow cooker. Add all remaining ingredients except flour and water; toss to coat. Cover with lid. Cook on LOW 8 to 9 hours (or on HIGH 4 to 5 hours).

TRANSFER meat and vegetables to serving bowl with slotted spoon; cover with foil.

MIX flour and water until well blended. Whisk into juices in slow cooker; cover. Cook on HIGH 15 min. or until sauce is slightly thickened. Spoon over meat and vegetables.

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EASY CROCK POT LASAGNA

2 pound chuck
2tsp Italian seasoning
2 28 oz jar spaghetti sauce (your favorite)
2/3 cup water
16 lasagna noodles
1 15 oz carton ricotta cheese (optional)
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown meat and seasoning, drain.
Mix spaghetti sauce and water. Place 4 uncooked noodles in lightly greased crockpot.

Layer with beef mixture, sauce and mushrooms.

Spread evenly with ricotta cheese and sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella.

Layer with remaining noodles, meat, sauce mixture, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese.

Cover, cook on high 1 hour.

Reduce heat and cook on low 5 hrs.

Yield: 8 servings

menu plan (not always on monday's anymore)

2010-04-08T21:56:00.005-05:00

Chicken Salad Sandwhiches with cottage cheese and fruit coctail.
Beef Stroganoff
Chicken Quesadillas
Chicken Teriyaki with Broccoli
Smoky Macaroni

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients
2 pounds beef chuck roast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 ounces butter
4 green onions, sliced (white parts only)
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed beef broth
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 (6 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup white wine
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

Directions
Remove any fat and gristle from the roast and cut into strips 1/2 inch thick by 2 inches long. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of both salt and pepper.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and brown the beef strips quickly, then push the beef strips off to one side. Add the onions and cook slowly for 3 to 5 minutes, then push to the side with the beef strips.
Stir the flour into the juices on the empty side of the pan. Pour in beef broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and stir in mustard. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is tender.
Five minutes before serving, stir in the mushrooms, sour cream, and white wine. Heat briefly then salt and pepper to taste

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Chicken Quesadillas

2 teaspoon(s) canola oil
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 lime
1 pound(s) skinless, boneless thin-sliced chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch-wide strips
4 burrito-size low-fat flour tortillas
1 cup(s) reduced-fat (2%) shredded Mexican cheese blend
1/2 avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup(s) salsa

Directions

In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium 1 minute. Add green onion and cook about 6 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, from lime, grate 1 teaspoon peel and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice. Evenly season chicken on both sides with lime peel, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper.
Add chicken to green onion in skillet; cook 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Transfer to bowl; stir in lime juice.
Evenly divide chicken mixture and cheese on half of each tortilla; fold over to make 4 quesadillas.
In same skillet, cook quesadillas on medium, in 2 batches, 8 minutes per batch or until browned on both sides and heated through. Cut each quesadilla into thirds. Stir avocado into salsa; serve with quesadillas

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Chicken Teriyaki with Broccoli

1 spray(s) cooking spray
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced
1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 medium scallion(s), chopped (green and white parts)
1/2 cup(s) fat-free chicken broth
2 Tbsp teriyaki sauce
2 cup(s) cooked brown rice, regular or instant, kept hot
4 cup(s) broccoli, fresh, florets, steamed*

Instructions
Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add garlic; cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add chicken; cook until golden brown on all sides, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

Add scallions; cook until soft, stirring, about 2 minutes. Add broth and teriyaki sauce; simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce reduces slightly, about 5 minutes.

Spoon 1/2 cup of cooked rice into each of 4 shallow bowls; spoon about 1 cup of chicken mixture and 1/2 cup of broccoli over each serving.
Notes
*To steam broccoli, place florets in a microwave-safe dish, add about 1/2 inch of water and cover dish. Microwave on high until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Or to steam in a saucepan, set broccoli in a steamer basket or colander over simmering water, cover and steam until crisp-tender, about 4 to 5 minutes

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Smoky Macaroni

1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
2 tbls chopped onion
1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup undiluted
1 cup milk
1 package miniature smoked sausage links
8 oz cubed american cheese
1 cup frozen peas
4 cups cooked elbow macaroni

In a skillet saute red pepper and onion until tender
combine soup and milk, stir into skillet
add sausage, peas and cheese

reduce heat, simmer uncovered 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted stirring occasionally.

add the macarroni, cook 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through

Need Help w/ a name

2010-03-21T10:48:00.002-05:00

We are doing the walk-a-thon again this year for the camp for children w/ autism in our area...this year I want to get a team of friends/family together to walk on Isaiah's behalf. I need a name for our team, when we use to walk for my niece Kelci, we were called the special K team...I need a creative team for us...Right now I just have TEAM ISAIAH...which is fine, if I can't come up w/ anything cute or creative...anyone have any ideas?

Menu Plan Friday???

2010-03-11T15:16:00.003-06:00

Spaghetti Carbonara

Block Party Beans

Sausage Casserole

BBQ Chicken and corn chowder

Shrimp Alfredo and Salad

Spaghetti Carbonara

1/4 C. flour
1/4 C. butter
1 qt. milk
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
24 slices bacon, extra thick
1/4 C. olive oil
3 C. mushrooms, sliced
6 Tbsp. scallions, finely minced
1 lb. spaghetti, uncooked
2 tsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 C. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Melt butter in 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Add milk, salt and pepper and stir vigorously with wire whip until mixture barely comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, whipping frequently while sauce thickens. Keep warm. Cook bacon until fully cooked. Drain on paper towels. Cut into 1/4-inch pieces and stir into sauce. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced mushrooms and minced onions and saute until golden. Add to sauce. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain well and add to the sauce along with the parsley. Blend well and transfer to serving dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

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Block Party Beans

2lbs Ground beef
onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 can tomato soup
6 oz can tomato paste
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 can green beans
1 can chili beans
1 can pork and beans
2 tbsp mustard

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Sausage Casserole

2 cups cooked macaroni
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pound bulk sausage
1 cup of milk
1/2 box Velveeta (1 lb.)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Cook and drain macaroni as directed on package.
Brown and drain sausage and return to skillet. Add soups, milk, Velveeta, garlic powder and black pepper.
Stir in macaroni. Pour into a greased 9×13 inch pan. Bake @350 for 30 minutes.

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BBQ Chicken and corn chowder

2010-03-03T23:39:00.002-06:00

menu plan monday

2010-01-18T17:28:00.003-06:00

Sausage Stew
Goulash
Kreative Kielbasa
Chili and corn bread
Easy Baked Chicken and Rice

$10 Dinners: Grandma Sue's Famous Sausage Stew

1 turkey (or regular) kielbasa or sausage
$2.50
2 to 3 potatoes $1.50
1 lb. baby carrots, or 2 carrots, cut up $2.00
1 medium onion (use 1/2 onion if large) $.99
2 to 3 cloves of garlic $.50
Total Cost = $7.49

Staples
Olive Oil (Any cooking oil or butter could be used too)
Worchestershire Sauce
Italian Seasoning
Dried Thyme
Salt and Pepper

Directions
Slice kielbasa into coins and brown in large saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat. While this is browning, put 1 to 2 cups water in bottom of a saucepan with steamer basket (water should just touch top of basket), start heating on high. While the water is heating, cut up potatoes (peeled or unpeeled) and carrots (if necessary) into bite sized pieces and place in pan. Cook covered about 15 minutes or until veggies are softened. Chop onion and mince or press garlic. When the kielbasa is browned, remove from pan and add enough oil to equal about 1 Tbps (this may be unnecessary if you used regular kielbasa). Saute onions and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Add water and scrape bottom of pan to release browned bits. The potatoes and carrots are usually ready to go at this time.

Dump steamed veggies and the steaming liquid into saucepan with onions, etc. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Allow to thicken slightly then add kielbasa, 1 to 2 dashes of Worchestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp. thyme and Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover and allow to "stew" for as long as you need, at least 10 minutes. I usually serve it with a crusty bread that I heat up at this time. If there is any left, it makes a great work lunch the next day. Start to finish, this shouldn't take more than a half an hour.
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GOULASH

1 lb. ground beef
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder
Cooked macaroni
Tomato sauce
Chili powder
American cheese
Mozzarella cheese

Brown and drain ground beef which has been seasoned with salt and pepper and sprinkled with garlic powder. Stir all ingredients except the cheese together. Layer goulash, American cheese, goulash, Mozzarella cheese, goulash, etc. (until all goulash is gone, making sure there is a layer of Mozzarella cheese on top. Brown in a 350 degree oven until brown).
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Kreative Kielbasa

1 1/2 cups rice (uncooked)
6 eggs, scrambled
1 pkg kielbasea, warmed
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce

Cook the rice and then dump everything else in. That's it.

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Easy Baked Chicken and Rice
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup
1 cup water
3/4 cup uncooked rice
1/2 tsp. paprika (divided)
1/2 tsp. pepper (divided)
2 boned, skinned chicken breasts
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 375.

In an 8”x8” baking pan, mix the soup, water, rice, 1/4 tsp. of paprika, and 1/4 tsp. of pepper. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper and 1/4 tsp. paprika, then place on top of the rice. Cover with foil (tightly). Bake 45-60 minutes.

Related Articles and Recipes

Menu Plan Monday

2010-01-10T21:18:00.003-06:00

Monday ~ Taco Salad
Tuesday ~ Veggy beaf stew
Wed ~Apricot Chicken
Thur ~ Cranberry Roast
Fri ~ Teriyaki Chicken

Cranberry Roast

2-3 pounds beef or pork roast or stew chunks
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes, or 1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons soy sauce (La Choy and Tamari wheat-free are gluten free)
1 (16-ounce) whole berry cranberry sauce (or 2 cups homemade!)

that's it!

The Directions.

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Plop in the meat (frozen is fine), and add the onion and soy sauce. Pour in the entire can of cranberry sauce over the top. Do not add water. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 5-6. If you are cooking on high, you may need to "help" the meat break apart by taking it out an hour or so before serving by cutting it into chunks, then returning to the sauce. I like it when the meat is tender and the juice has fully soaked in.

Serve over mashed potatoes, and with a green salad.

http://blip.fm/soccermom46368

2010-01-10T01:19:00.000-06:00

http://blip.fm/soccermom46368

Planning a Teen Birthday Party

2009-12-27T10:17:00.002-06:00

Tierra is turning the BIG 1... 3...! I want this birthday to be a big deal, so I'm searching the web for ideas for it, and going to compile them here to keep track, if anyone has any ideas for me, feel free to add them!

Have an auction, like on Survivor. Pick up some really cool inexpensive items. If it's all girls, I get brushes, lipgloss, hair accessories, etc. Give all the girls equal amounts of "Monopoly" money and start the auction. Have a starting bid, and the kids start bidding on items they really want. Highest bidder gets the item. Once they are out of money, they can't bid anymore, so they have to be sure they really want an item they are bidding on. Sometimes I'll wrap a couple items up (good items and gag items) so they are not sure what they are bidding on. All my kids ask for an auction every year.

Clothes Game: First get a bag full of different funny clothes including hats, shirts, swim suit tops and, skirts, coats etc. Then have all players sit in a circle. With music playing they pass the bag around until the music stops. When the music stops the player who has the bag has to close their eyes and reach into the bag. Whatever they pull out they have to wear. When the bag is empty, everyone votes to determine who looks the funniest!

Twister

How to play:
First write out ten truths and ten dares, one on each half card. Stick one card in each balloon carefully and then blow the balloon up.
Start the game by taking turns picking a balloon. Each player takes turns popping their balloon and doing the truth or dare on the card.

Menu Plan Monday

2009-12-20T19:13:00.003-06:00

Zae's off the diet probably till after new year, so these are not all GFCF!

Monday ~ Beef Stew
Tuesday ~ Quick chicken and wine
Wed ~ McRibs
Thur ~ Au Gratin Potatoes with Kielbasa
Fri ~ Xmas Dinner...Ham, sweet potatoes, corn, green bean casserole, dinner rolls

Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into strips
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 pinch salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1/2 cup white wine
4 tablespoons butter

Directions
Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. In a shallow plate, spread Parmesan cheese. Divide chicken into three parts and dip seasoned chicken in eggs, then coat well with Parmesan cheese. Repeat until all of the chicken pieces are well coated (if you run short on egg and Parmesan, add one more egg and more Parmesan as needed).
In a skillet, melt butter or margarine over medium high heat. Cook chicken, stirring frequently, until golden brown.
Reduce heat and add wine. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes

menu plan monday

2009-12-13T07:57:00.004-06:00

This week, we paid mortgage which leaves only about $80 left from our check for food and gas...so this is a very frugal meal plan!

Monday Spaghetti
Tuesday beenie weenies
Wed goulash
Thur meatloaf w/ mashed potatoes
Fri pizza

Menu Plan Monday

2009-12-08T07:11:00.003-06:00

Monday: San Fransisco Pork Chops
Tuesday:Lasagna
Wed: Sausage Mac
Thur: Chicken and rice bake
Fri: Shrimp fettucini alfredo

San Fransisco Pork Chops
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs pork chops
1 tablespoon oil
2 teaspoons oil
1/4 cup beef broth or sherry wine
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
black pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions
1.Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in skillet, and brown chops on both sides.
2.Meanwhile, combine rest of ingredients in a large casserole dish
3.Add in browned pork chops and bake at 350* for approx 30 min

Serve over white rice or egg noodles (I use rice, I also quadruple the sauce recipe, we like a lot of sauce on ours.)

Menu Plan Monday

2009-11-15T20:42:00.003-06:00

Monday ~ Shrimp Scampi
Tuesday ~ Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie
Wed ~ Tacos
Thur ~ Meat Loaf
Fri ~ Sweet and sour chicken

The meeting

2009-11-10T16:48:00.002-06:00

Well, the meeting wasn't much of anything, for now. They announced the close of another plant in California, and the loss of the starbucks account. So far Rob still has a job, which is great, although we know it's only a matter of time until they close...at least we'll get threw Christmas it seems ::::::fingers crossed::::::::

Then end is near I'm afraid

2009-11-05T14:07:00.002-06:00

The rumors have been flying for a while, that my husbands plant would close...it really looks like the end is very very near now...There is a plant wide meeting on Tuesday for all shifts (never had a meeting like that before), and we're pretty sure it's to announce the close. The ball has been set in motion for a while, we've just been waiting for it to drop. Rob's been there 16 years, so it's in his best interest to ride it out. I'm scared to death, we can't survive w/out his income, we barely survive w/ it. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers...we are very scared. I'll update more Tuesday.

Menu Plan Monday

2009-11-01T13:21:00.005-06:00

Monday Mosticolli
Tuesday crock pot BBQ Chicken
Wed~Cranberry Chicken and rice
Thur~Pizza
Fri~Beef Bourguignon
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Julia Child's famous Beef Bourguignon (sort of)

3 pounds beef roast, or beef stew meat
6 slices bacon--no need to cook (going to omit the bacon this time, Rob thought it made it too greasy, I disagree, and thought it was delish, wouldn't change a thing...but I'll try it w/out this time and see)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced in rings
1 cup carrots (chopped or baby, your choice)
4 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
and a dash or 2 of:
•dried thyme
•ground rosemary
•dried basil
•dried oregano
2 cups red wine (you can use non-alcoholic if you wish)

The Directions.

Use a 6 quart slow cooker. In the bottom of your stoneware, smear around the olive oil. Then lay down 3 slices of bacon. Add sliced onion and garlic. Put the meat into the pot on top of the onion and garlic, and sprinkle on dried spices and herbs. Toss the meat to distribute the spices to all sides. Add tomato paste. Lay the other 3 slices of bacon on top of the meat, and throw in the carrots. Pour wine over the whole thing.

Cover and let cook on low for 8-9 hours, high for 4-5, or until meat has reached desired tenderness. If you are using a roast, you may want to flip the meat about an hour before serving so more liquid is absorbed into the meat. You can also cut the meat into chunks and return to the pot, if you would like more moisture to absorb.

Serve with whipped mashed potatoes, and a ladle full of crock juices.

Wednesday's Window Into My World

2009-10-28T20:50:00.003-05:00

Well, I think we are finally done w/ the H1N1 "pandemic" in this household! The boys are back in school...Tierra tried to go to school today, but ended up coming home because her ear still hurts so bad. I took her to the Dr. who said she was one NASTY infection, both internal and external portions of her ear are infected. He put an ear wick in her ear, so hopefully they'll help keep the drops in, instead of rolling back out as soon as she gets up. Her whole side of her head is swollen, he said her muscles are spasming from the infection which is causing most of her pain, and why she can't open her mouth at all. She's so miserable, I hope she feels better by this weekend!

Tackle it Tuesday

2009-10-27T01:35:00.004-05:00

I have so much to tackle this week...I'm behind on laundry, what else is new???...I need to get caught up on that. I need to clean the fridge it's looking like a science experiment gone wrong...I need to go threw Xander's closet and pull out all the 4T clothes since he finally had a growth spurt (horrible timing but whatiya gonna do??) The laundry room is starting to get out of control, I need to reorganize that before it gets too bad! Not to mention just regular cleaning, and disinfecting the house to get rid of all the H1N1 buggies in here!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-10-26T00:27:00.004-05:00

I'm breaking out my easy recipes for the first half of the week...in light of the fact that I am too busy w/ sick kids to worry about cooking. Friday I have to work a double, so I'm going to try another new crock pot meal. Thursday's meal is a recipe I got from a friend of mine who said it was a must try, sounded like a great fall meal. I'm also going to buy a couple pizza's and some extra hot dogs just in case I fall ill and can't cook one or two days this week. So far I'm not sick, but I'm extremely tired, and dizzy for some reason...not sure if I'm trying to come down w/ the flu or if I'm just exhausted from "sleeping" w/ one eye on the kids all night long.

Monday~ Kielbasa with rice
Tuesday~Meat Loaf and corn bread
Wednesday~Beenie Weenie's and french fries
Thursday~Caramel Apple Pork Chop
Friday~Hungarian Goulash and egg noodles

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Caramel Apple Pork Chops

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
6 (3/4 inch) thick pork chops
4 teaspoon vegetable oil
8 tablespoons brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 tart apples - peeled, cored and sliced
12 tablespoons pecans (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 175 degrees F (80 degrees C). Place a medium dish in the oven to warm.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brush chops lightly with oil and place in hot pan. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, or until done. Transfer to the warm dish, and keep warm in the preheated oven.
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, salt and pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add butter to skillet, and stir in brown sugar mixture and apples. Cover and cook until apples are just tender. Remove apples with a slotted spoon and arrange on top of chops. Keep warm in the preheated oven.
Continue cooking sauce uncovered in skillet, until thickened slightly. Spoon sauce over apples and chops. Sprinkle with pecans.
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Hungarian Goulash
2 pounds beef chuck roast, cubed
1 large onion, diced
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 1/4 cups water, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose GF flour

Throw in crock pot for 8 hours on low, serve over GF/CF egg noodles
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Xander's got H1N1 now...

2009-10-24T23:28:00.004-05:00

Tierra seems to be on the mend...she still has a headache, and not feeling great, but she I think she'll live. If this was all there is to it, it was the mildest flu she's ever had...fingers crossed that she's done! Xander has now started his turn. He started running the fever last night, it's up today, and he's miserable. Besides the high temp, all other vitals are good...but he does look miserable! Rob's a nervous wreck, he's gonna make me crazy! I guess I'll be calling off work Monday to keep him home from school. After Monday I'm off work until Friday, so I'm hoping I take my turn in there and get it over w/!

Ugh oh invasion of the piggies!!!

2009-10-22T00:15:00.003-05:00

Monday I got a text from Tierra, who was at school, saying she wasn't feeling well. I told her to go to the nurse and I would come get her. The nurse calls me, tells me her throat is slightly red, and she has no fever, and that it was up to me if I wanted to come get her. I said I would, being she never does the fake sick thing (like I use to, just to stay home and watch tv all day!). Tuesday Rob stayed home from work w/ her, and I went in and did a double. By that afternoon she started running a fever. Her throat and head hurt, and she was nauseous. I figured I better take her in and make sure she didn't have a sinus infection w/ as bad as her head hurt. To my surprise the Dr. informed me she has the swine flu. GREAT! Tierra's the one that always gets hit so hard w/ everything, so I worry about her! She's been in the hospital more times than both the boys combined. Right now she's on the mend, but shortly after that, is when the swine flu gets bad, so we're not out of the woods yet. Hopefully she will be like the other 99% of the population and just have a nice mild case of it, and then we won't have to worry about it the rest of the season! I'll update later, but keep her in your prayers!

Wednesday's Window Into My World

2009-10-21T09:08:00.000-05:00

Monday was pajama day. This is one of their favorite days of the year. I must admidt it feels funny to take them out of their pajama's to put them INTO pajama's. Yes, I am way too anal to just let them sleep in them sorry. Xander was so excited he even got up without a struggle which is very unlike him! Here's a pic of the boys before school.

Dr. Eisenstein's Daily Vitamin D Recommendations for this season’s

2009-10-20T21:18:00.001-05:00

Dr. Eisenstein's Daily Vitamin D Recommendations for this season’s

Flu starting in October

There is scientific evidence that links low levels of Vitamin D and low levels of Probiotics to an increased risk of many medical conditions.

Probiotics are living microorganisms (bacterial or yeast) which, upon ingestion in certain numbers, exert health benefits beyond inherent basic nutrition.

If you want to lower your blood pressure, Vitamin D and probiotics may be just what the doctor ordered. If you are trying to reduce your risk of diabetes, or lower your chances of heart attacks, rheumatoid arthritis, or multiple sclerosis, colds, seasonal flu, H1N1 flu and many more conditions, then Vitamin D and Probiotics should be at the front of the line in your daily multi-vitamin supplement regimen.

As Pathogenic bacteria become resistant to antibiotics, scientists are looking to other means to combat infections. We are seeing just the infancy in the use of Probiotics and Vitamin D, both for health maintenance and for treating different medical condition

Vitamin D, Probiotics and Chicken soup have been effective in the past in combating viral infections like Flu .

1. Get a Vitamin D blood test 25(OH)D

2. Make sure your whole family has adequate blood levels of Vitamin D this flu season (>50-80ng/ml). Most children and adults vitamin D blood level is <30ng/ml.

3. Adult (and children >100lbs) maintenance ............ 10,000 IU daily.

4. Children's maintenance: <100lbs........................... 5,000 IU daily.

5. At the first symptoms of a cold or flu 1,000IU/ lb. daily for 7 days.

Examples:

50 lb ................................................................................... 50,000IU daily.

100 lb daily ....................................................................... 100,000IU daily.

150 lb daily........................................................................ 150,000IU daily.

200 lb daily....................................................................... 200,000 IU daily.

6. And of course Chicken Soup

7. PEDIATRICS (doi:10.1542/peds.2009-0051) August 3, 2009

8. Archives of Internal Medicine April 2009

Tackle It Tuesday

2009-10-20T15:43:00.001-05:00

It was time again to tackle the food cabinets...They've gotten out of control, and to the point where I can't find anything...it's always suprising what you find you have in there...for instance I had no idea I had 3 boxes of minute rice, 4 bags of slow cooked rice,3 boxes of instant potatoes, and 6 boxes of cake mix lol...I need to find a clever solution to the spice rack...I've got the carosel, and I like it...but that only holds a few spices, and it really takes up a lot of room I think...but it's done for now.

CDC States H1N1 Vaccine May Maim and Kill 30,000 Americans, FDA Requires Minimal Efficacy

2009-10-19T09:07:00.000-05:00

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=14950

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has officially stated that there will be as many as 30,000 serious, potentially lethal adverse reactions to the novel H1N1 vaccine, while the FDA guidelines for the novel H1N1 vaccine only require that it work in 3 out of every 10 recipients.

Last Saturday, I attended one of 10 “public engagement” meetings the CDC is holding across the country, utilizing a new model of public engagement designed to provide a public viewpoint or societal perspective on the topic at hand (mass vaccination) to the sponsor (in this case, the CDC).

Part of the process entails the sponsor (CDC) providing the following: “Information on the many sides of an issue is provided to the participants in a fair and balanced manner so that all participants become well-informed, and the overall group process is convened and managed in a neutral, respectful fashion.”

This requirement is met by providing an oral presentation in easy to understand language, a booklet summarizing the key facts needed and a discussion guide summarizing the choices faced.

The assembled group of 80 participants was shown a video, given a brief oral presentation and a printed discussion guide. We were asked to accept several assumptions in considering the topic. We were asked to assume that the severity would be similar to what had already been observed in the spring of 2009; we were told to assume that the vaccination program would be voluntary, not mandatory; we were told to assume that initial vaccine supplies will be available in October but supply would be limited through February 2010.

The most disturbing assumption we were asked to accept dealt with the safety of the novel H1N1 vaccine. In the video, the CDC spokesperson explained that during the 1976 mass vaccination campaign, 1 in every 100,000 recipients of the vaccine developed Guillain Barré syndrome (GBS), a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system often leading to paralysis and death. There is no known cure for GBS.

In 1976 roughly 40 million Americans received the vaccine and some 4,000 developed GBS.

The printed material that was distributed reiterated these horrific statistics and we were asked to accept the assumption that, “the estimated risk for more serious reactions (e.g. Guillain Barré syndrome) is between 1-10 per million persons vaccinated”.

This is a less direct way of stating that the risk is about the same as existed during the 1976 mass vaccination attempt and that as many as 1 in every 100,000 recipients will develop GBS or some other serious adverse reaction. The CDC is setting up a new intensive surveillance system with which to monitor and track GBS cases that result from the novel H1N1 vaccine.

Merriam-Webster defines assumption as a fact or statement taken for granted and assumed to be true. If we accept the documented assumption presented by the CDC, we are to consider it a fact that 1 in every 100,000 vaccine recipients will suffer a serious adverse effect such as GBS.

This means that if the entire U.S. population is vaccinated (a stated goal of the CDC), we are to assume as a fact that 30,000 Americans will suffer debilitating or lethal side effects. Apparently the CDC considers this an acceptable level of collateral damage.

As unthinkable as this is (destroying or ending the lives of as many as 30,000 Americans), that is only part of the story.

The novel H1N1 vaccine being developed must adhere to guidelines set forth by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA has announced that a vaccine will be accepted if it creates antibodies in 4 out of 10 recipients (40%), with at least 70 percent of those 4 achieving an antibody level believed to provide benefit. This means that an acceptable vaccine candidate would provide “protection” for 28% of vaccine recipients (70% of the 40%), or less than 3 in 10 recipients. The requirement drops to 18% efficacy for those over 65 years of age (60% of 30%).

So here are the facts, as documented by the CDC and the FDA:

As many as 30,000 Americans will be harmed by the novel H1N1 vaccine.

The vaccine may be ineffective in more than 7 out of 10 recipients.

And in case you think I am alone in my concerns, here is what several vaccine experts associated with the CDC and the U.S. government say on the subject.

"I am very skeptical of finishing vaccine before we know the appropriate dose to be included in each inoculation, before immunogenicity studies are complete, or before safety assessments have been finished," William Schaffner, MD, Chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt University and a member of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), wrote in an recent e-mail.

"We have assured both the profession and the public that the H1N1 vaccine will be evaluated with the same rigor that is applied to seasonal vaccine. We should NOT make vaccine available before the trials are complete and the results carefully assessed."

Others are worried about a repeat of the last swine flu "pandemic," now regarded as a public health and public relations debacle.

"I fear that a rush towards vaccinating the population without completing trials risks leading to the harmful outcome that we witnessed during the 1976 swine flu scare, where the government advocated rapid production and vaccination of the population without adequate safeguards, which led to an unexplained increase in cases of Guillain Barré syndrome (GBS), amongst other complications, and massive liability for the government," wrote Amir Afkhami, MD, PhD, of George Washington University, an international expert on the 1918 Influenza pandemic and an advisor to the U.S. State Department, the U.S. military, and the World Bank on issues pertaining to infectious diseases, public health and, mental health.

"I think in this regard, we must learn from lessons of the past and be mindful of not jumping from the proverbial frying pan into the fire by putting people's health at risk without adequate production and safety monitoring of the vaccines."

Global Research Articles by Herb Newborg

Side effects of H1N1 Vaccine

2009-10-19T09:03:00.000-05:00

http://thebirdflupandemic.com/archives/h1n1-swine-flu-vaccine-insert-admits-it-causes-guillain-barre-syndrome-vasculitis-paralysis-anaphylactic-shock-and-death

H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine Insert Admits It Causes Guillain-Barre Syndrome, Vasculitis, Paralysis, Anaphylactic Shock And Death
The package insert for the Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine manufactured by Novartis has been leaked on the Internet. According to that package insert, the vaccine (based on an earlier vaccine product known as Fluvirin) is known to cause a whole host of very nasty side effects such as guillain-barre syndrome, vasculitis, anaphylactic shock and even death.

Of course anyone who has been studying vaccine side effects already knows that it causes all of these things, but the story here is that the insert for the swine flu vaccine itself is admitting all of these things. The insert says that it was updated during September 2009, so it reflects the very latest information.

You can read the package insert for this vaccine for yourself right here.....

http://www.fluscam.com/Vaccine_Package_Inserts_files/Novartis_A-H1N1_2009_Monvalent_VaccinePackageInsert_BasedOn1980Approvalfor%20Fluvirin_UCM182242.pdf

The following is a list of some of the very nasty side effects that the vaccine package insert admits to.....

*Local injection site reactions (including pain, pain limiting limb movement, redness, swelling, warmth, ecchymosis, induration)
*Hot flashes/flushes
*Chills
*Fever
*Malaise
*Shivering
*Fatigue
*Asthenia
*Facial edema.
*Immune system disorders
*Hypersensitivity reactions (including throat and/or mouth edema)
*In rare cases, hypersensitivity reactions have lead to anaphylactic shock and death
*Cardiovascular disorders
*Vasculitis (in rare cases with transient renal involvement)
*Syncope shortly after vaccination
*Digestive disorders
*Diarrhea
*Nausea
*Vomiting
*Abdominal pain.
*Blood and lymphatic disorders
*Local lymphadenopathy
*Transient thrombocytopenia.
*Metabolic and nutritional disorders
*Loss of appetite.
*Arthralgia
*Myalgia
*Myasthenia
*Nervous system disorders
*Headache
*Dizziness
*Neuralgia
*Paraesthesia
*Febrile convulsions
*Guillain-Barré Syndrome
*Myelitis (including encephalomyelitis and transverse myelitis)
*Neuropathy (including neuritis)
*Paralysis (including Bell’s Palsy)
*Respiratory disorders
*Dyspnea
*Chest pain
*Cough
*Pharyngitis
*Rhinitis
*Stevens-Johnson syndrome
*Pruritus
*Urticaria
*Rash (including non-specific, maculopapular, and vesiculobulbous).

Doesn't all that sound wonderful?

Doesn't that make you want to run out and sign up to get vaccinated?

Now keep in mind that this is just what the H1N1 swine flu vaccine insert admits to.

What else will this vaccine do to you if you take it?

That is something to think about my friends.

So is there anything that you can do to protect yourself if you are forced to take the swine flu vaccine?

Yes, there most certainly is.

Dr. Russell Blaylock is an expert on vaccines and their side effects, and he has distributed a list of things that you can do to reduce the nasty side effects of the swine flu vaccine.....

-----

http://www.resistnet.com/forum/topics/how-to-reduce-the-toxic

Dr Blaylock’s List of suggestions on How to Reduce the Toxic Effects of the A/H1N1 Vaccine, is as follows:

1. Number one on the list says Dr Blaylock, is to bring a cold pack with you and place it on the site of the injection as soon as you can, as this will block the immune reaction. Once you get home, continue using a cold pack throughout the day. If you continue to have immune reactions the following day, have cold showers and continue with the cold press.

2. Take fish oil. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), one of the omega 3 fatty acids found in fish oil supplements, is a potent immune suppressant. If you take high dose EPA you will be more susceptible to infections, because it is a powerful immune suppressant. However, in the case of an immune adjuvant reaction, you want to reduce it. Studies show that if you take EPA oil one hour before injecting a very powerful adjuvant called lipopolysaccharide (LPS), it would completely block the ability of the LPS to cause brain inflammation. Take a moderate dose everyday and more if needed to tame a cytokine storm.

3. Flavonoids are third on the list, namely curcumin, quercetin, ferulic acid and ellagic acid, particularly in a mixture. The curcumin and quercetin in particular have been found to block the ability of the adjuvants to trigger a long-term immune reaction. If you take it an hour before the vaccination, it should help dampen the immune reactions says Dr Blaylock.

4. Vitamin E, the natural form that is high in gamma-E will help dampen the immune reactions and reduces several of the inflammatory cytokines.

5. An important ingredient on the list is Vitamin C at a dose of 1000 mg, taken four times a day between meals. It is a very potent anti-inflammatory and should be taken in a buffered form, not as absorbic acid, says Dr Blaylock.

6. Also use astaxanthin as it’s an anti-inflammatory. According to Dr Blaylock, fatal reactions to vaccines in aboriginal and African children occurred in those who were deficient in carotinoids, like astaxanthin. It is a good protection against the toxic effects of the vaccine.

7. Likewise, it was found that children who were deficient in zinc had a high mortality rate. Zinc is very protective against vaccine toxicity. (Do not use zinc mixed with copper however, as copper is a major trigger of free-radical generation according to Dr Blaylock).

8. Ensure you avoid all immune-stimulating supplements, such as mushroom extracts, whey protein and beta-glucan.

9. Take a multivitamin-mineral daily one that does not contain iron. This multivitamin-mineral is to make sure your body has plenty of B vitamins and selenium. Selenium, said Dr Blaylock, is very important for fighting viral infections and it reduces the inflammatory response to vaccines.

10. Magnesium citrate/malate 500 mg of elemental magnesium two capsules, three times a day. (This was not mentioned during the show, but was posted at Dr Deagle’s website, ClayandIron.com).

11. What is very important is vitamin D3, which is the only ‘vitamin’ the body can manufacture from sunlight (UVB). It is a neural hormone, not really a vitamin says Dr Blaylock and helps if you are over-reacting immunologically by cooling down the reaction. Similarly, if you are under-reacting, it helps to boost your immune response. In addition it also protects against microorganism invasion.

Black people and those in colder climates are particularly deficient, so they will almost certainly require supplementation.

Dr Blaylock recommends that following vaccination it will help to keep the immune reaction under control if:

i) All children get 5,000 units a day for two weeks after the vaccine and then 2,000 a units a day thereafter;

ii) Adults get 20,000 units a day after the vaccine for two weeks, then 10,000 units a day thereafter;

iii) And with that adults should take 500-1000 mg of calcium a day and children under the age of 12 years should take 250 mg a day, as vitamin D works more efficiently in the presence of calcium.

12. Ensure you avoid all mercury-containing seafood or any other sources of mercury, as the heavy metal is a very powerful inducer of autoimmunity, is known to make people more susceptible to viral infections and will be in H1N1 vaccines.

13. Avoid the oils that significantly suppress immunity and increase inflammation - such as corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean, canola and peanut oils.

14. Drink very concentrated white tea at least four times a day. It helps to prevent abnormal immune reactions.

15. Pop parsley and celery in a blender and drink 8 ounces of this mixture twice a day. Dr Blaylock says the parsley is very high in a flavonoid called apigenin and that celery is high in luteolin. Both are very potent in inhibiting autoimmune diseases, particularly the apigenin, so go and plant some parsley in your garden now.

-----

So what can we learn from all of this?

First of all, if you blindly trust that the swine flu vaccine or even the regular seasonal flu vaccine is perfectly safe, then you are being completely and totally reckless.

The reality is that no vaccine is 100% safe.

Before you ever let someone stick a needle in your arm, do some serious research and find out about these things for yourself.

After you get vaccinated, you are responsible if something goes wrong. If you develop some really nasty side effects, nobody is going to pay for it.

Thanks to the government, you will not be able to sue anyone for harm you receive from the swine flu vaccine. If it destroys your health you are out of luck.

Secondly, if you have taken a flu vaccine, there are some things you can do. Take Dr. Blaylock's suggestions seriously. The human body is an incredible healing machine if you give it the materials that it needs.

If you have any other information about the swine flu vaccine, mandatory vaccinations or flu pandemic planning please leave a comment and let us know. This is shaping up to be a very interesting winter, and hopefully we can all get through this as healthy as possible.

menu plan monday

2009-10-18T23:06:00.004-05:00

Monday~ Kielbasa with rice
Tuesday~Meat Loaf and corn bread
Wednesday~Beenie Weenie's and french fries
Thursday~Caramel Apple Pork Chop
Friday~Hungarian Goulash and egg noodles

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Caramel Apple Pork Chops

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
6 (3/4 inch) thick pork chops
4 teaspoon vegetable oil
8 tablespoons brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 tart apples - peeled, cored and sliced
12 tablespoons pecans (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 175 degrees F (80 degrees C). Place a medium dish in the oven to warm.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brush chops lightly with oil and place in hot pan. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, or until done. Transfer to the warm dish, and keep warm in the preheated oven.
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, salt and pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add butter to skillet, and stir in brown sugar mixture and apples. Cover and cook until apples are just tender. Remove apples with a slotted spoon and arrange on top of chops. Keep warm in the preheated oven.
Continue cooking sauce uncovered in skillet, until thickened slightly. Spoon sauce over apples and chops. Sprinkle with pecans.
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Hungarian Goulash
2 pounds beef chuck roast, cubed
1 large onion, diced
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 1/4 cups water, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose GF flour

Throw in crock pot for 8 hours on low, serve over GF/CF egg noodles
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Menu Plan Monday

2009-10-18T20:42:00.002-05:00

Monday ~ Coconut Shrimp
Tuesday ~Crock Pot Beef & Broccoli
Wed ~ Chicken Tenders
Thur ~John McCains Ribs
Fri ~ Sweet and sour chicken

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coconut shrimp
Serves 4-6

2 pounds medium to large shrimp
1 cup gf flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup soy milk
2 large eggs
3 cups sweetened coconut
3 cups canola oil
Directions
Remove the shells from the shrimp without removing the tails. De vein the shrimp and cut to butterfly the shrimp. Do not cut all the way through.
Mix together, flour, salt, baking powder and cayenne pepper. Stir in orange juice, soy milk and eggs until blended. Add the shrimp and let stand for 30 minutes. You may want to add a little water if batter becomes too thick.
Place the coconut in a shallow dish and press the shrimp into the coconut, coating completely.
Heat a large deep skillet or pot and add oil. When oil is very hot, add shrimp one at a time and fry until golden. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Pina Colada sauce

1 C. Pina Colada Mix
1/4 C. Water
2 Tbs. Crush Pineapple (drained)
1 Tbs. + 1 tsp. Sweetened Coconut Flakes
3 Tbs. + 1 tsp. Powder Sugar
1+1/2 tsp. Corn Starch
3 tsp. Cold Water

Mix Pina Colada, water, crush pineapple, coconut, and powder sugar in a sauce pan. Heat on medium low temperature until sauce begins to simmer, stirring frequently. Let mixture simmer slowly 10 - 12 minutes. Mix corn starch and water together, add to sauce and blend well. Let mixture simmer for 3 - 5 minutes longer while stirring during and after adding cornstarch. Remove from heat and bring to room temperature.

Sauce is served at room temperature with Parrot Bay Coconut Shrimp and Parrot Bay Rum Shrimp

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Crock Pot Beef & Broccoli

--1 lb thin beef rib eye
--1/4 cup soy sauce (La Choy and Tamari wheat-free are gluten free)
--2 T white wine
--2 T apple cider vinegar
--1 T brown sugar
--2 t sesame oil
--2 cloves smashed and chopped garlic
--1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
--1 bag thawed broccoli florets (to add later)

The Directions.

--add the liquid to the crockpot
--chop up your garlic, add to mixture
--stir in spices

--slice meat into thin strips
--toss ( I used my hands. it wasn't gross! )in the liquid and spice mixture to coat thoroughly

--cook on low for 6-8 hours, depending on the cut of meat. Thicker pieces will take longer to tenderize.
--an hour before serving, add entire bag of broccoli, cover and cook on high for another hour or so.

--stir gingerly to coat broccoli
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John McCains Ribs

--4 lbs of ribs )
--2 T garlic powder
--2 T kosher salt
--2 T black pepper
--3 lemons, juiced

Children Who Get Flu Vaccine Have Three Times Risk Of Hospitalization For Flu

2009-10-18T12:28:00.002-05:00

Makes you wonder why we are still pushing this so hard???

Children Who Get Flu Vaccine Have Three Times Risk Of Hospitalization For Flu, Study Suggests
ScienceDaily (May 20, 2009) — The inactivated flu vaccine does not appear to be effective in preventing influenza-related hospitalizations in children, especially the ones with asthma. In fact, children who get the flu vaccine are more at risk for hospitalization than their peers who do not get the vaccine, according to new research that will be presented on May 19, at the 105th International Conference of the American Thoracic Society in San Diego.

"The concerns that vaccination maybe associated with asthma exacerbations have been disproved with multiple studies in the past, but the vaccine's effectiveness has not been well-established," said Avni Joshi, M.D., of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. "This study was aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the TIV in children overall, as well as the children with asthma, to prevent influenza-related hospitalization."

The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend annual influenza vaccination for all children aged six months to 18 years. The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (3rd revision) also recommends annual flu vaccination of asthmatic children older than six months.

In order to determine whether the vaccine was effective in reducing the number of hospitalizations that all children, and especially the ones with asthma, faced over eight consecutive flu seasons, the researchers conducted a cohort study of 263 children who were evaluated at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota from six months to 18 years of age, each of whom had had laboratory-confirmed influenza between 1996 to 2006. The investigators determined who had and had not received the flu vaccine, their asthma status and who did and did not require hospitalization. Records were reviewed for each subject with influenza-related illness for flu vaccination preceding the illness and hospitalization during that illness.

They found that children who had received the flu vaccine had three times the risk of hospitalization, as compared to children who had not received the vaccine. In asthmatic children, there was a significantly higher risk of hospitalization in subjects who received the TIV, as compared to those who did not (p= 0.006). But no other measured factors—such as insurance plans or severity of asthma—appeared to affect risk of hospitalization.

"While these findings do raise questions about the efficacy of the vaccine, they do not in fact implicate it as a cause of hospitalizations," said Dr. Joshi. "More studies are needed to assess not only the immunogenicity, but also the efficacy of different influenza vaccines in asthmatic subjects."

Kloee Update...Graduating Step One!!!

2009-10-17T15:49:00.004-05:00

Miss Kloee had her final test today for beginner's training class, and she passed top of her class!!! I'm VERY VERY proud of her, and have the utmost confidence that she will have what it takes to be a service dog. In order to pass the class she had to do the basics such as sit and stay for one minute, lay down and stay for one minute, stay while I walk away and then come when called (this has been the hardest for her she wants to come w/ me) We have to put a treat in front of her and tell her to leave it and she can't take it...we have to drop a treat on the floor and tell her to leave it and she can't take it. She had to be able to walk on a leash by my side w/out pulling. She had to sit politely when someone knocks on the door and greet them calmly...I think that was it, I may have forgotten something. On Halloween she starts her next set of classes...I'm excited to see what she will learn and how well she'll do. She is still a puppy, she still chews up stuff in the yard when we're not watching and jumps on the kids and thinks they're her liter mates lol, but all in all she is a great dog!

Ten questions about flu vaccines that doctors and health authorities refuse to answer

2009-10-17T12:21:00.001-05:00

NaturalNews) Vaccine mythology remains rampant in both western medicine and the mainstream media. To hear the vaccination zealots say it, vaccines are backed by "good science," they've been "proven effective" and they're "perfectly safe."

Oh really? Where's all that good science? As it turns out, there's isn't any. Flu vaccines (including swine flu vaccines) are based entirely on a vaccine mythology that assumes all vaccines work and no vaccines can be scientifically questioned. Anyone who dares question the safety or effectiveness of vaccines is immediately branded a danger to public health and marginalized in the scientific community.

Here are ten questions vaccine-pushing doctors and health authorities absolutely refuse to answer:

#1) Where are the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies proving flu vaccines are both safe and effective?

Answer: There aren't any. (http://www.naturalnews.com/027239_v...)

#2) Where, then, is the so-called "science" backing the idea that flu vaccines work at all?

Answer: Other than "cohort studies," there isn't any. And the cohort studies have been thoroughly debunked. Scientifically speaking, there isn't a scrap of honest evidence showing flu vaccines work at all.

#3) How can methyl mercury (Thimerosal, a preservative used in flu vaccines) be safe for injecting into the human body when mercury is an extremely toxic heavy metal?

Answer: It isn't safe at all. Methyl mercury is a poison. Along with vaccine adjuvants, it explains why so many people suffer autism or other debilitating neurological side effects after being vaccinated.

#4) Why do reports keep surfacing of children and teens suffering debilitating neurological disorders, brain swelling, seizures and even death following flu vaccines or HPV vaccines?

Answer: Because vaccines are dangerous. The vaccine industry routinely dismisses all such accounts -- no matter how many are reported -- as "coincidence."

#5) Why don't doctors recommend vitamin D for flu protection, especially when vitamin D activates the immune response far better than a vaccine? (http://www.naturalnews.com/027231_V...)

Answer: Because vitamin D can't be patented and sold as "medicine." You can make it yourself. If you want more vitamin D, you don't even need a doctor, and doctors tend not to recommend things that put them out of business.

#6) If human beings need flu vaccines to survive, then how did humans survive through all of Earth's history?

Answer: Human genetic code is already wired to automatically defend you against invading microorganisms (as long as you have vitamin D). (http://www.naturalnews.com/027231_V...)

#7) If the flu vaccine offers protection against the flu, then why are the people who often catch the flu the very same people who were vaccinated against it?

Answer: Because those most vulnerable to influenza infections are the very same people who have a poor adaptive response to the vaccines and don't build antibodies. In other words flu vaccines only "work" on people who don't need them. (And even building antibodies doesn't equate to real-world protection from the flu, by the way.)

#8) If the flu vaccine really works, then why was there no huge increase in flu death rates in 2004, the year when flu vaccines were in short supply and vaccination rates dropped by 40%? (http://www.naturalnews.com/027239_v...)
Answer: There was no change in the death rate. You could drop vaccination rates to zero percent and you'd still see no change in the number of people dying from the flu. That's because flu vaccines simply don't work.

#9) How can flu vaccines reduce mortality by 50% (as is claimed) when only about 10% of winter deaths are related to the flu in the first place?

They can't. The 50% statistic is an example of quack medical marketing. If I have a room full of 100 people, then I take the 50 healthiest people and hand them a candy bar, I can't then scientifically claim that "candy bars make people healthy." That's essentially the same logic behind the "50% reduction in mortality" claim of flu vaccines. (http://www.naturalnews.com/027239_v...).

#10) If flu vaccines work so well, then why are drug makers and health authorities so reluctant to subject them to scientific scrutiny with randomized, placebo-controlled studies?

Answer: Although they claim such studies would be "unethical," what's far more unethical is to keep injecting hundreds of millions of people every year with useless, harmful vaccines that aren't backed by a shred of honest evidence.

Affordable Communication Device for Autistic Children

2009-10-16T14:05:00.002-05:00

I saw this product today and want to make sure everyone I know, also knows about it! It LOOKS amazing (although I haven't heard any reviews yet) It's an affordable ($100) communication device that works on the nintendo ds ...check it out! http://www.taptotalk.com/index.aspx

New Look New Name

2009-10-12T08:53:00.002-05:00

Many of you have noticed I've been tweaking my blog lately...It was time for an update...life has changed, I have changed, the old soccer mom imagine no longer fits who I am. (Face it when you have to choose between soccer and buying your son his meds, the meds win) Along w/ the look of the blog I have changed the URL, I hope everyone finds me over at the new URL w/out any problems, although I've noticed very little activity since the change...so I'm thinking no! I'm sorry for the inconvenience!!! Hope to see everyone back here real soon!

menu plan monday

2009-10-11T22:46:00.001-05:00

Mon ~ Shrimp Scampi
Tue ~ Chicken Taquitos and taco rice
Wed ~ Tomato Soup and grilled cheese
Thur ~ Crock Pot Garlic Chicken
Fri ~ Sweet and sour Chicken

Also one day going to try out this recipe for Banana Nut Muffins, I've had a craving!
---------------------------------------------------------
Garlic Crock pot chicken
SERVES 6 (change servings and units)

Change to: Servings US Metric
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Ingredients
6 chicken legs (more or less as needed)
20 garlic cloves (skins left on)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons oil
Directions
1Place garlic cloves in crock pot.
2Mix spices together in med bowl.
3Pour oil into separate med bowl.
4Dip chicken legs in oil, then roll around in spice bowl, until chicken is nicely coated in spices.
5Place chicken legs in crock pot with garlic cloves surrounding it.
6Pour chicken broth over all ingredients.
7Cook on Low for 8 hours
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Banana Nut Muffins

1 1/2 c. gluten free flour mix
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2/3 c. brown sugar
4 Tbsp. ground flax seed*

4 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 very ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

1. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Combine all of the wet ingredients in a smaller bowl. If you’re short on dishes as I was, melt the butter in the bowl first, then add the bananas and mash them, then add the eggs, and stir all of it really well so that eggs end up being lightly beaten.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.

4. Spoon the batter into a lined muffin tin and bake at 350 until golden brown, depending on your oven it will be 15 – 20 minutes. (If you take one out and realize it’s not done, don’t freak. Just pop it back into the oven for a few minutes.)

* If you don’t have flax seed, increase the butter by 1 1/2 Tbsp.
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Tomato Soup Recipe

I first drained most of the juice from two 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes and tossed them in the blender. After liquifying them, I blended in 1 cup of chicken broth.

I then minced about 5 cloves of garlic and sauted them in a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-low heat for about a minute. I added one tablespoon of rice flour and whisked to create a roux. I cooked the roux for a minute, and then mixed in the tomato/chicken broth puree.

As I simmered the soup over low, I added oregano, thyme, coriander, garlic powder, and some hot sauce
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Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients
1 lb. spaghetti noodles
3-4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3-4 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese ( I'm omitting this, but would be good if you do milk products)
About 20 frozen shrimp
1 lemon

Directions
1. In medium saucepan, cook pasta as directed on package. Drain.
2. In skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil, butter or margarine, crushed garlic cloves and parmesan cheese. Stir continuously until starts bubbly. Then reduce heat and add “de-tailed and deveined” shrimp. Let simmer for 6-7
minutes.
3. Once pasta is cooked and drained, add shrimp sauce to the pasta noodles and mix well.
4. Serve w/ sliced lemons
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Chicken Taquitos

Cook shredded chicken breast w/ taco seasoning...

Heat oil in skillet add corn tortilla for less than a minute, just to soften up corn, remove add a couple tablespoons of chicken, roll the tortilla up and put back in the oil until crispy
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Getting in the Halloween Spirt

2009-10-10T01:02:00.002-05:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

I've got a hot date w/ the man of my dreams!!!

2009-10-09T23:58:00.003-05:00

My mom called out of the blue, and OFFERED to baby-sit my children Sat. night!!! I almost fell on the floor. My mom is young, and has a life and just doesn't spend it baby-sitting her grandchildren. It doesn't bother me, it's just the way it is. But she called and said my step father is working 3-11's and wanted to know if I wanted to bring the kids by to spend the night. Of course I said HECK YEAH!!! Rob and I are both off, so we are going on a HOT DATE!!! I don't know what we're going to do, my friend Krista went on a hot date w/ her husband and saw Couple's Retreat, she said it was good, and it looks really cute, so I think we'll go see that, then maybe stop somewhere for a drink...It's been over a year, maybe 2 or 3 I don't even know, since Rob and I have had a date, so I'm beyond excited!!!

Food Review Friday (GF/CF)

2009-10-09T21:55:00.001-05:00

Haven't done a review in a while...I guess I haven't tried anything new lately...but this week, I finally tried this 365 brownie mix I got from whole foods. OMG it was SOOO good, does NOT taste GF/CF at ALL, and I honestly hate most GF/CF foods! All 3 kids LOVE it, I loved it...a very great find, highly recommend!

Lawsuit: Indianapolis teacher tried to sicken autistic boy

2009-10-09T17:31:00.003-05:00

Wow, it doesn't get much sicker than this! Don't wanna deal w/ the kid poison him w/ peanuts!

Lawsuit: Indianapolis teacher tried to sicken autistic boy

By Associated Press

The mother of an 8-year-old autistic boy with severe peanut allergies says his Indiana teacher gave him a peanut-filled candy bar in hopes of making him too sick to go on a zoo field trip.

Anita Young’s lawsuit says special education teacher Trinda Barocas told a classroom aide that they wouldn’t have to deal with the boy misbehaving if he became sick.

Young says her son didn’t eat the candy bar, probably because he doesn’t eat unfamiliar foods.

Barocas has resigned from Mary Bryan Elementary School in Indianapolis. The school contacted Young in March after aides reported Barocas’ behavior.

Barocas doesn’t have a listed phone number. Her lawyer didn’t return a call Friday. Barocas has told state officials that the allegations are false.

Please share this news with friends, family and also with your contact list on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace.

Faces Of Autism

2009-10-07T14:09:00.000-05:00

Stop on over at Faces of Autism, and see a familiar face :)

http://casdok-facesofautism.blogspot.com/2009/10/isaiah.html?spref=fb

Wednesday's Window Into My World

2009-10-07T11:57:00.002-05:00

Well, I've been doing these doubles for a few weeks, and their ok...I like being home w/ my family more, it's great, but I think I need to play w/ my days. Right now I'm doing 8 on Sunday's off Monday, 16 on Tuesday, off Wed, 16 on Thur, off Fri and Sat...the problem is, I'm so exhausted on Wed, that I take a nap while the kids are in school and then I can't fall asleep until 3/4 am, and then have to turn around and get up at 5:30am and work for 16 hours, it's just not working...so I'm going to play around w/ it the two I'm going to try this scheduale are

Sun 8
Mon 16
Tue off
Wed Off
Thur Off
Fri 16
Sat off

and

Sun 8
Mon off
Tue 16
Wed off
Thur off
Fri 16
Sat off

Rob thinks the first one will be too much working 3-11 then coming straight back at 7am for a double, and he might be right but I like the idea of having 3 days in a row off...we'll see how it goes

Tackle it Tuesday

2009-10-06T06:27:00.001-05:00

Now that Xander is in school full time, the plan has been for me to finish my schooling for my RN. I've been back and forth with it, I have so much on my plate right now do I really want to add one more thing??? I already am making decent $, it will only be about a $5 an hour raise...which don't get me wrong that's better money and will add up, but I'm not 100% sure if it's worth it at this time in my life. None the less, my tackle this week is to call 2 colleges, one I prefer and the one I went to before, and see what my options are and which would be a better fit...and then decide if now is the time, or if I should just wait.

Spaghetti Taco's ICarly Style

2009-10-05T18:12:00.005-05:00

Well, I finally made the Icaly famous spaghetti taco's Isaiah's been begging for. The boys thought they were the best thing ever...Rob and I just ate spaghetti for dinner, but I did try a bite, they were edible...if I was hungry enough I could eat it, but wouldn't make it for myself that's for sure! The kids loved it, so it made me happy to see them eating something they enjoyed so much.

2009-10-05T09:15:00.001-05:00

Advocacy Groups Ask President Obama to Order Suspension of Hepatitis B Vaccine Birth Dose
Washington, DC – National Vaccine Information Center and Talk About Curing Autism are calling on President Obama to order the immediate suspension of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation of the birth dose of the Hepatitis B vaccine after two recent studies linking the Hepatitis B vaccine to functional brain damage in U.S. male newborns and infant primates. In a related development today, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, including the Health Resources and Services Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, announced that 1 in every 91 children are now diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder as reported in the November 2009 issue of Pediatrics. Previous data released by the CDC indicated a prevalence of 1 in every 150 children affected by the disorder. (Managing Editor's Note: Pediatrics does not appear to have the study on their site as of this time, click HERE to check their home page. We'll add it the link as soon as it's available.)

Considering a demonstrated 50% increase in autism prevalence, combined with two recent studies indicating a potential role of the Hepatitis B vaccine as a factor in the development of autism, the following advocacy groups urge President Obama to order the immediate suspension of the recommendation and administration of the birth dose of Hepatitis B vaccine for all newborns – with the exception of rare cases where the mother tests positive for Hepatitis B.

Researchers from Stony Brook University published a research abstract (HERE) for an epidemiological study in the September 2009 issue of Annals of Epidemiology which revealed findings suggesting that U.S. male neonates vaccinated with Hepatitis B vaccine had a three-fold greater risk of autism spectrum disorders. Additionally, a collaboration of several institutes including the University of Pittsburgh - School of Medicine, the University of Kentucky and Thoughtful House Center for Children in Austin, Texas published research findings in the October 2009 issue of Neurotoxicology revealing evidence of substantial functional brain damage in infant primates who received the birth dose of Hepatitis B Vaccine. (HERE)

“We take the unusual step of appealing directly to the President of the United States because he is the only elected official who can take action to allow a newborn more time to develop before being exposed to the potentially damaging Hepatitis B vaccine,” stated Barbara Loe Fisher, President and Co-founder of the National Vaccine Information Center. “The President has a unique position of authority as the head of the Executive Branch to order HHS and the CDC appointed officials to utilize the precautionary principle.”

“Rates of autism diagnosis have exploded, rising from 1 in every 10,000 children twenty years ago to the rates revealed today,” stated Rebecca Estepp, National Manager of Talk About Curing Autism (TACA). “What other "genetic" disorder has ever increased at such an exponential rate and what other "genetic" disorder has a forty percent recovery rate as reflected in the Pediatrics report? If such an association between early Hepatitis B vaccine and autism exists, delaying the birth dose of the Hepatitis B vaccine would be a good first step in protecting children from autism as well as from infectious diseases. We must err on the side of caution and consider that exposure to Hepatitis B Vaccine at early critical developmental stages may be one of the potential environmental triggers which lead to autism.”

The following organizations have also stated that they are in support of this measure – Unlocking Autism , Autism Action Network, SafeMinds, Autism One.

National Children's Health Survey Report Finds Autism Prevalence Now 1 in 91

2009-10-05T09:02:00.001-05:00

Monday, October 5, 2009
By: Carin Yavorcik

Autism Society Calls for Answers to Crisis Now

A national report released today in the journal Pediatrics reveals that 1 percent of U.S. children ages 3-17 have an autism spectrum disorder, an estimated prevalence of one in every 91 children. This is a dramatic increase from the one in 150 prevalence rates currently reported.

“This national study charts a dramatic rise in the prevalence of autism in the United States and we applaud this administration’s recognition that autism is an urgent public health priority,” said Autism Society President and CEO Lee Grossman. “But families today are asking: how high must these prevalence rates rise before the nation responds? Significant resources must be directed toward screening and diagnosis, affordable interventions that treat the whole person and comprehensive education plans to foster lifelong skill development so that people with autism will have the ability to work and live independently.”

The report, entitled “Prevalence of Parent-Reported Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children in the US,” published in today’s issue of Pediatrics, was conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services National Survey of Children’s Health, using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report was conducted via a telephone survey of over 78,000 parents, and determined a point prevalence of 110 per 10,000 respondents, roughly 1 percent of the population of children in the United States.

On a constituent call to discuss the report, the CDC reported that its initial analysis of the Autism and Developmental Delay Monitoring project data, due out later this fall, confirm the 1 percent figure. This report will also contain more data on age of diagnosis, groups affected, and access to interventions.

The increasing numbers have long-term economic costs to the country, as autism is a chronic medical condition affecting people across the lifespan. “Lifespan services, particularly for adults, are typically inadequate and inappropriate,” Grossman stated. “This new data should be a call to action to the government to improve and increase services and supports first.”

The Autism Society has been working with Congress on several key bills, which have stalled. “The information in this new report highlights the pressing need for additional services, support and treatments for families affected by autism spectrum disorders,” said Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). “My bill, the Autism Treatment Acceleration Act, will help children and adults with autism gain better access to coordinated services, improve training for professionals treating these disorders, and will relieve the financial burden on the millions of families struggling with this disability.”

This bill, if funded, would provide funding for applied research into effective interventions, the first ever demonstration grants on adult services, create an adult prevalence study, and fund family support and information networks.

“Autism affects millions of American families, and the cost of diagnosis, early intervention, and treatment imposes a heavy burden on most of them,” said Congressman Mike Doyle (D-PA), co-chair of the Congressional Autism Caucus. “This legislation, the Autism Treatment Acceleration Act of 2009, would improve the dissemination of information between autism researchers and service providers, improve training for professionals treating autism spectrum disorders, and mandate that health insurers cover the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. Enactment of this legislation would do a lot to help millions of American families.”

“The increase in the reported prevalence of autism across the nation testifies to the urgency of executing a comprehensive strategy in response to this public health emergency,” said Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), co-chair of the Congressional Autism Caucus. “For its part, Congress must ensure robust funding to support aggressive programs of research, education, and services. Furthermore, Congress needs to enact additional legislation, such as the Autism Treatment Acceleration Act of 2009, that will establish the infrastructure and mechanisms for delivering appropriate services across the lifespan to individuals with autism and their families. We must look to maximize the reach and impact of our investments and activities by closely coordinating government efforts with those of national advocacy organizations, such as the Autism Society.”

http://www.autism-society.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=15065&news_iv_ctrl=1882#

Menu Plan Monday

2009-10-04T16:47:00.003-05:00

Monday ~ Spaghetti Tacos...Isaiah keeps asking for spaghetti taco's you know like from ICarly, so I'm making them for him, spaghetti for the rest of us! LOL
Tuesday ~ Beef Bourguignon (new recipe for me)
Wed ~ Teriyaki Chicken
Thursday ~ Crock Pot chicken Pot pie (new recipe for me)
Friday~ Green Bean and beef tater tot casserole

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Julia Child's famous Beef Bourguignon (sort of)

3 pounds beef roast, or beef stew meat
6 slices bacon--no need to cook
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced in rings
1 cup carrots (chopped or baby, your choice)
4 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
and a dash or 2 of:
•dried thyme
•ground rosemary
•dried basil
•dried oregano
2 cups red wine (you can use non-alcoholic if you wish)

The Directions.

Use a 6 quart slow cooker. In the bottom of your stoneware, smear around the olive oil. Then lay down 3 slices of bacon. Add sliced onion and garlic. Put the meat into the pot on top of the onion and garlic, and sprinkle on dried spices and herbs. Toss the meat to distribute the spices to all sides. Add tomato paste. Lay the other 3 slices of bacon on top of the meat, and throw in the carrots. Pour wine over the whole thing.

Cover and let cook on low for 8-9 hours, high for 4-5, or until meat has reached desired tenderness. If you are using a roast, you may want to flip the meat about an hour before serving so more liquid is absorbed into the meat. You can also cut the meat into chunks and return to the pot, if you would like more moisture to absorb.

Serve with whipped mashed potatoes, and a ladle full of crock juices.

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Teriyaki Chicken

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 skinless chicken thighs

DIRECTIONS
In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cornstarch, cold water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and ground black pepper. Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Place chicken pieces in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush chicken with the sauce. Turn pieces over, and brush again.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn pieces over, and bake for another 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Brush with sauce every 10 minutes during cooking.

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Filling:
--2 chopped up skinless chicken thighs or breast halves (raw, but chopped up)
--1/2 cup chopped carrots (these were fresh, but frozen would work)
--1/2 cup frozen corn
--1/2 cup frozen peas
--1/2 t marjoram
--1/2 t thyme
--1/2 t celery seed
--1 t onion powder
--canned cream-of-something soup (or see homemade alternative down below)
--2 T low fat milk

Homemade Soup Alternative:
make a roux on the stove top with the butter and flour, then whisk in the other ingredients.

--1 T butter
--3 T flour (Pamela's or other GF baking flour)
--1/2 cup low fat milk (I used soy)
--1/2 cup chicken broth
--1/4 t salt
--1/4 t black pepper

Biscuit Topping:

--2 cups biscuit mix (I used Bob's Red Mill biscuit mix. I much prefer Pamela's but my favorite store has been out of it for a few weeks)
--1/2 T white sugar
--1/2 cup melted butter (that's a whole stick)
--3/4 cup low fat milk (stick with 2% or lower; I used soy)

The Directions.

I'm already tired of typing. This is a long one. Sorry.

I used a 4 quart crockpot for this recipe. There really wasn't too awful much filling---I used what I had on hand, but if you have a large family or would like leftovers, I'd double the filling.

Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Chop up the chicken and put it into the crockpot. Dump in the vegetables. Add all of the spices. Stir in the cream-of-something soup and add 2T of milk to the can, squish it around to get all the good stuff out of the can, and pour in the rest. Stir well.

In a mixing bowl, make up the biscuit topping. The dough will be pretty playdoughy, and I pretty much mixed it with my hands. Spread the dough on top of the chicken and veggie mixture.

Cover and cook on high for 3-5 hours, or on low for 6-7. This is done when the biscuit topping is golden brown, and is hard to the touch in the middle. I cooked ours on high for 4 1/2 hours, and it got a bit too crunchy on the very edges.

If you find that your crockpot seals really well and you have a bunch of condensation building up, you can prop open the lid with a wooden spoon or chopstick. I tried the paper towel trick with this dish, and wasn't impressed. I laid a double-layer of paper towels over the top of the crock, then put the lid back on. The condensation made the paper towels really wet, and they drooped into the food. Also, when I took off the lid and then removed the towels (they were very wet and very hot) I got a blast of steam on my hand that hurt. I'm going to stick with venting with a chopstick.

Wednesday's Window Into My World

2009-09-30T00:38:00.006-05:00

Over the weekend we had a cookout for my father in law's 80th birthday...nothing big, he wouldn't enjoy it if it was, just immediate family. Here's some pics of my father in law, most of his children, and some of his grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren. We didn't stay for too long, my annoying ass sister in law (the one that lived w/ us) was there, and I just can't stand to hear her lying voice, it's takes too much energy on my part not to go off, so I do my best to avoid her!

Tackle it Tuesday

2009-09-29T06:09:00.002-05:00

I think we've seen the end of the hot days, so I'm going to tackle boxing up the summer clothes. I had already brought out the fall/winter clothes since we've been going back and forth...but I think shorts days are over, at best we'll have jeans and T-shirt days, but I think the shorts days are behind us for the year!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-09-28T02:00:00.004-05:00

Monday ~ Meat Loaf
Tuesday Crock pot pot roast
Wed ~ Sweet and sour chicken
Thur ~ Chicken Noodle soup (Didn't make it last week)
Fri ~ Taco Rice Dinner...I found this recipe from a fellow MPM on Org junkie...I plan on making a double batch, one for Friday, and one to have on another day, I hadn't even thought about freezer meals what a great alternative to crock potting every Tuesday and Thursday!

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
3 cups Chicken broth
8 oz. Tomato sauce
1 pkg. Taco seasoning mix
1-1/2 Brown rice, uncooked
1/2 cup Red or Green Pepper
1 can of corn

Assembly Directions:
Mix everything in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until rice is done (about 40-50 minutes). Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Freezing Directions:
Allow rice mixture to cool. Place in appropriate sized containers. Seal, label and freeze.
Serving Directions:
Thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat in microwave until warm. You can also reheat it in a saucepan if you add a little bit of water before heating.

Wow...He really takes the cake!

2009-09-28T01:36:00.003-05:00

My, my, my...so I was thinking maybe I've seen it all, things just don't surprise me so much anymore...except for the patient I had tonight man oh man!!! So the report we get is that he's 18 years old, his blood alcohol level is 3.38, he's combative and calling everyone every name in the book. And on top of it, apparently he's a transvestite and his boyfriend broke up w/ him and he started drinking. He in 4 point lock and key restraints (VERY VERY RARE FOR US TO USE THESE)...so security brings him up, it takes 12 of us to move him from the cart to the bed and tie him back down. He's calling people the N word, bitches, you name it. It was just the craziest thing you've ever seen. So we get him settled into bed, and I'm giving report trying to get the heck out of there and the sitter starts yelling about him having a seizure, so I go in and he's convulsing, eyes rolled in the back of his head foaming at the mouth, then he stops and he's not breathing. CRAP!!! I feel for a pulse, I find one, so we call in the rapid action team...he starts breathing again so now we're sternum rubbing him trying to get him to wake up...finally he says bitch if you don't stop shaking me I'm going to kick your ass...next thing you know he's awake and being an ass again! I think he takes the cake on my craziest patient of 09! We wanted so badly to record this idiot, if not to put on youtube just to show our family...look at the crap we put up w/ at work! Oh and apparently the cops want him on attempted murder charges, yeah guess he tried to kill his dad last night, lovely huh? lol...so I'm wired I can't sleep at all! Ah, I love my job!

CDC quietly revises autism rates to 1% of US children

2009-09-26T23:24:00.002-05:00

Recently the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reportedly revised the rates of autism for the United States and the numbers are alarming. In 2007, the reported numbers were 1 in 150. Today, those numbers have skyrocketed to 1 in 100, and some say the numbers are closer to 1 in 89. According to David Kirby, the data is due to be released any day now.

Corroboration of this number has been tough to find, with much circular logic, pointing to blog posts who point back to his blog. According to Lee Grossman, CEO for Autism Society of America, and quoted by Kirby, that number is correct.

When I tried to verify the numbers, the CDC still lists the 2007 statistics of 1 in 150 in their official report, the new report has not been released) but the numbers on the webpage have been modified to reflect "1 in 100 to 1 in 300 with an average of 1 in 150" for prevalence in autism. The last modification that was made to the page was September 25, 2009. When I checked the internet archives, for earlier cached versions of the page, it was odd that the data page was missing from the archive. But Google cache revealed the subtle refinement of the details. As of yesterday morning, the website was changed to reflect the new numbers. It is interesting that the modification occurred yesterday, Friday, the day traditionally known for burying news that the media doesn't publicize. I don't want to say there is a conspiracy, but why hide the data? Is the CDC trying to bury these numbers? Why isn't the media shouting this from the rooftops? Exactly how common does autism have to get in order to get the attention, research and funding for programs it needs?

According to the numbers David Kirby cites from a 2007 telephone interview of almost 82,000 children conducted by National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), which is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services, your odds of being told you have a child with autism is a staggering 1 in 63. If that child is a boy, odds skyrocket to 1 in 38. That's 2.6% of all male children in the United States. Is this possible?

Further, the report goes on to state that parents told researchers that "60 per 10,000 children had autism at some point but not currently." My thought on this telephone survey is, were these children officially diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, or is this parents who are finding quirky children and giving them the self-diagnosis du-jour? Of course, even accounting for that trend, the numbers are still incredibly high.

How much worse does it have to get? If 1 in 38 boys was born blind or with no legs, would we do something then? If 1 in 63 children was diagnosed with cancer, would we be moving heaven and earth to find out what is causing the epidemic? Would we be studying every avenue, leaving no stone unturned, simply on the word of a few? Or would we use all of science at our disposal, creating studies without exclusions, leaving out our biases and using every available tool that we have?

We don't know what causes these children to have autism. It is probably a complicated set of factors. But at what point do we start researching as though we really want to figure it out? Whether vaccinations are part of the puzzle or not, who knows? Can thousands of parents be wrong? It is just good science to actually explore the possibility. That is, if scientists really want to conduct science. To date, no study with real controls for vaccinations has been done. Is it that hard?

What does the CDC not want us to find out?

photo copyright Valerie Everett, used by cc.

Octobers Autism File Magazine

2009-09-25T18:55:00.001-05:00

I'm so proud to know many many of these awesome mother warriors, and to have had the chance to be part of something so big!

H1N1 Flu Mist Insanity

2009-09-22T21:40:00.002-05:00

A great read from Curt!

Categorized | Autism, Pharma/FDA
H1N1 Flu Mist Insanity
Posted on 22 September 2009 by C. Linderman Sr. - ATO Press

C. L. Linderman Sr. ATO Opinion Press

As public health departments and physicians across the country prepare for the impending “pandemic” we know affectionately as The Swine Flu, many of them will not be paying attention to anything but the hype and lies that are being propagated by the Centers for Disease Control and other mainstream medical associations. There is little doubt from those that pay attention to the inherent conflicts of interest within these governmental and medical organizations (primarily the CDC and FDA) that there seems to be far more concern with the bottom lines of the vaccine manufacturers than there is with the health and well being of the American public.
For any discerning physician that cares to educate themselves on the facts behind the live H1N1 nasal spray vaccine and continues to vaccinate those individuals targeted by our government for inoculation, I consider them to be criminals and domestic terrorists. Many of us have heard that pregnant women and children will be among the first to receive the H1N1 vaccine and because of the all-too-real concern regarding the mercury content of the injected H1N1 vaccine, many parents and expectant mothers will opt for the nasal vaccines for their children. This decision could be the mistake of a lifetime.
I have before me as I am writing this, the PDF copy of the H1N1 2009 Monovalent Intranasal Vaccine insert and what I am reading is disturbing to say the least. On the very first page of this 21 page PDF, under the heading of “Use in Specific Populations” I am reading; “Safety and effectiveness of Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine, Live Intranasal, have not been studied in pregnant women or nursing mothers.” On the very same page in the “Full Prescribing Information Contents” sections, #8 reads; “Specific Population” 8.1 states clearly; “Pregnancy” and 8.2 states “Nursing mothers”. So while there have been no studies regarding how this vaccine will affect the fetus of a pregnant mother or her nursing infant, they are still being targeted as those that should be subjected to this vaccine!
If this weren’t enough for worried expectant mothers, 8.1 Pregnancy category C, states “Animal reproductive studies have not been conducted (with this vaccine). It is not known whether (this vaccine) can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproductive capacity.” This same paragraph goes on to clearly suggest that the vaccine “should be given to pregnant women only if clearly needed“, Yet pregnant women are one of the main groups targeted so I feel that it is safe to assume that this fills that criterion for vaccination despite the fact that they have no idea what the side effects will be. Section 8.3 (Nursing Mothers) gets even better. “It is not known whether (this vaccine) is excreted in human milk. Therefore, as some viruses are excreted in human milk and additionally, because of the possibility of shedding of vaccine virus and the close proximity of a nursing infant and mother caution should be exercised if (this vaccine) is administered to nursing mothers.”
It just gets worse as we read on. How many in this country have been asked (or will be asked) if their children are asthmatic prior to being vaccinated at the local WalMart or grocery store pharmacy? It seems that this particular vaccine increases the potential risk of wheezing, asthma attacks and hospitalization. Also, this document states that if there has been a history of Guillain Barre’ Syndrome within 6 weeks of a previous influenza vaccination, “the decision to give Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine, Live, Intranasal or Flu Mist should be based on careful consideration of the potential benefits and potential risks.” So contracting a disorder that paralyzes you could possibly indicate that perhaps you shouldn’t receive another poisonous injection? Am I the only one that finds this bizarre?
The CDC also warns you that this vaccine “may not protect all individuals receiving the vaccine.” To be honest with you, to call the CDC disingenuous would be a serious understatement given that last year’s seasonal flu vaccine was determined to be 90% ineffective yet they continued to tell the American public that they should get the vaccine anyway.
Here are a couple of other side effects that one should consider before subjecting themselves or their children to this idiotic measure to supposedly protect them from a virus that by all indications is far less virulent than the common seasonal flu: Exacerbation of symptoms of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy (Leigh Syndrome), Gastrointestinal disorders (i.e. nausea, vomiting, diarrhea) Immune system disorders (anaphylactic reaction, facial edema and uticaria) Guillain Bare’ syndrome and Bells Palsy, Respiratory, thoracic and mediatinal disorders and skin and tissue disorders.
Add to this previous nonsense the fact that this nasal spray vaccine is a LIVE virus and therefore must infect and replicate in cells lining the nasopharynx of the recipient to induce immunity, one must assume that this will allow the H1N1 virus to be shed to those that come in contact with the ones that have recently been vaccinated. Many doctors believe that this infectious stage lasts up to 21 days! Let’s not also forget that the cribiform plate, the paper thin bone at the top of the nasal passages will allow this live virus to infect the brains of a small portion of those that receive the vaccines, causing a brain infection known as encephalitis which, pardon me for mentioning, is far more deadly than this benign “pandemic”.
With all this information, one should get only one message: DO YOUR HOMEWORK!

Wednesday's Window Into My World

2009-09-22T10:48:00.003-05:00

For years now, I've had a reoccurring nightmare about Halloween. I have no idea why, and the details of the dream always change but the plot is the same...it's Halloween and I'm not prepared, the kids have no costumes it's sheer panic and frustration as I try to get them costumes in time, and trick or treating comes and my kids miss out. Now this could never ever happen. I can't imagine the world would ever run out of Halloween costumes and I'd go last minute from store to store only to come out empty handed! But yet, I have this nightmare time and time again...which makes me anxious this time of year to get the kids costumes in plenty of time. So the costumes are starting to come out in the stores, and I made sure I got first dibs on the costumes. I really wanted the boys to be Mario and Luigi, and they had agreed, until they saw the transformer costumes. So Isaiah is going to be Megatron, Xander is Optimus Prime and Tierra is going to be a lady bug...they have been put safely away so there is no chance of something bad happening to them before Halloween, So I can rest easy now, my kids will be ready!

Tackle it Tuesday

2009-09-22T09:37:00.002-05:00

We are planning on refinancing the house, so right now I'm trying to tackle getting the house in top shape as if we were staging it to sell, in hopes of getting "top dollar" from the appraisal. I'm hoping we'll come in high enough to drop our PMI payments. We've only lived there 3 years, when we bought it was at the top of the market, so it may be pushing it a little. So that's my tackle this week...finding the time and the energy to do it, is quite the challenge though!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-09-20T22:19:00.002-05:00

So w/ the new schedule, working doubles on Tuesday's and Thursday's I will be exploring lots of crock pot meals. The plan is to make everything up the night before, keep it in the fridge and in the morning put it in the crock pot and will be ready for Rob and the kids when they get home. This is my first week, so here goes!

Monday~Baked Teriyaki Chicken and rice
Tuesday~ Crock pot potato and kielbasa soup
Wed~Loaded baked potatoes
Thur~Homemade crock pot chicken noodle soup
Friday~Apricot Chops

Life

2009-09-20T15:56:00.003-05:00

Life is going...that's about all I can say. Work is still slow, we are behind on all bills. We've had to take Isaiah off of biomed because of lack of $...which is making everyone miserable. He's so horrible right now, he's having several meltdowns a day...if I ever had any doubts as to how well he did on biomed it's obvious now!

Kloee is 1/2 way done w/ her beginner training class. He gave the class a mock test last week and Kloee passed well enough to graduate. She starts intermediate class on Halloween. So far she's learned to sit, stay, come, and leave it, as well as walking on a leash. She's very smart and we are very much in love w/ her. Even Rob said the other day how attached he is to her!

Xander loves all day kindergarten. I started last week w/ doing my doubles on Tue and Thursdays I love being home w/ the kids 4 days a week!!! It's VERY hard being on my feet 16 hours a day, as I don't have an easy job but my kids are worth it. I love doing homework w/ them and being there to tuck them in at night.

There is strong rumor that Rob's company is going to close down. Rob says he's going to ride it out until it happens...They've sent all the "higher ups" to other plants, and corporate has been in there taking pictures of the lines, and they just sent one of the lines to another plant...so we'll see...I'll update on that as we know more.

I think that's it from us!

It's 9-9-9

2009-09-09T00:27:00.003-05:00

Today is the day we ask the world how much longer??? PLEASE take 5 minutes and do the same! This is mass faxing/mailing/calling campaign that will cover community-wide autism issues. Please, I would do it for your child...

http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/howmuchlonger.php

A little update

2009-09-06T13:25:00.002-05:00

I've been such a bad blogger lately, I just haven't had time, energy or motivation it seems! Hopefully I'll snap out of this funk soon! Just a quick update though...Xander got all day Kindergarten!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm sooooooooo happy this will do so much for our family! I'm going to be doing doubles on Tuesday's and Thursday's and work 8 hours on Sundays, so I can knock out my 40 hours in 3 days and have 4 days a week home w/ my family. I'm going to try it for 6 weeks and see how it goes...I'm nervous, I don't know if I can handle 16 straight hours at work, it's not like I work behind a desk you know, after 8 hours I'm exhausted...so we'll see, but it would be great to be home w/ my family 4 days a week and still get my 40 hours at work.

Work is starting to pick back up, the hospital worked out whatever it needed between the ER docs and Anthem, so we now accept them again, so that's helped...hopefully I'll start getting my hours again, and we can catch up on the bills that we are so behind on.

Miss Kloee the puppy is growing so fast, she no longer looks like a little puppy, but like a miniture german shepherd now. She has begun basic training, teaching normal puppy stuff, sit...leave it...walking on a leash... etc.
She's really smart, but she is such a puppy wild and chewy, I won't miss this stage when it's gone!

I think that's about it for what's new here

Here's a new pic of Kloee and Isaiah

Summer's Over

2009-08-20T12:20:00.004-05:00

The kids started back to school yesterday. Isaiah took it rough, he's going threw a separation anxiety stage (which he skipped as an infant so I guess he's making up for it)...I could see him trying very hard to hold back the tears. I was praying we didn't have another incidence like we did w/ camp, w/ the full blown meltdowns, and we didn't...so I was very proud of him. Xander was so excited he was awake by 3am! So far we're off to a great start. We won't know until sept 2nd if Xander will be invited into all day kindergarten. More than 1/2 the kids will be invited, so I think his odds are pretty good. I really hope so because I get next to no sleep right now! I get off work, unwind and go to sleep around 3am...get up at 7 am w/ the kids, go back to bed about 9:30/10...and get up at 11 to get Xander to school, so if he went all day I could sleep from 10-1:30 which would make a HUGE difference for me...so we'll see! Here's a few pics of the kiddos...

T-11 days and counting

2009-08-08T20:32:00.003-05:00

11 more days till the kids are back in school...11 more days to get my house organized so we can have easy stress free days! I got the mud room turned back into a mudroom yesterday (as opposed to the catchall storage room it had become) Rob put up huge shoe wracks on one of the walls for me...everyone has their own wrack, it looks like a shoe store in there lol, but it's SOOOOOOOO wonderful to have ALL the shoes in one spot LOVE LOVE LOVE it! The back packs have spots, the lunch bags have spots...it's great. Got Tierra's room and closet organized, the boys room and closet is organized everything is organized and pretty much ready to go...now I just need to get the house cleaned as it has become a pit w/ me doing so many projects...I've got 11 days (of which most I work) to get it done...times a ticking!

Tuesday Xander has his kindergarten testing to see if he'll get all day kindergarten or 1/2 day. I'm soooooooo praying he gets whole day, I feel like he needs it...plus it'll just make life so much easier w/ me working and all...I'll update when I know!

Walkathon guide

2009-08-04T13:45:00.001-05:00

So have you thought of doing a walkathon in your area, but don't quite know how to start...there's a great site dedicated just to that...check them out...you might even see a video you recognize over there!

http://walkathonguide.com/

Summer is almost over

2009-08-03T17:48:00.003-05:00

I can't believe how fast this summer is going!!! I have soooo much to do and so little time! I feel like I need to get the house totally organized before school starts. I've gotten tons done! I'm almost caught up on the laundry, and have gone threw all their clothes, and given away what won't fit. Their closets are organized, and ready for back to school shopping! I still need to get the mud room organized so I will have everything organized for shoes and back packs and coats galore! I've found it very difficult to balance, summer fun...work...and all this organization...there's just not enough time in the day! Which is why my blog has been unusally quiet lately! Hopefully once the kids are back to school, and my house is organized I will be back on more! I hope everyone is having a great summer!

Tackle it Tuesday

2009-07-14T11:03:00.008-05:00

I finally got around to tackling my laundry room, something I haven't done since we've moved here. I got it setup w/ an area for my sewing desk, and an area for me to fold clothes. The rooms not totally done, it still needs more electrical run in there, then drywalled before I can finish it. My goal is that eventually the sewing desk will also be where I do all the bills, I want a little lap top or notebook computer in there...and eventually it'll be my little office in there. But for now at least it's functional, something it wasn't before!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-07-07T12:16:00.002-05:00

Monday~ Burgers and corn on the cob on the grill
Tuesday~BLT's
Wed~Cranberry Chicken and rice
Thur~BBQ Ribs with fresh green beans and bacon
Fri~home made sweet and sour chicken

Camp Circle of Friends

2009-07-01T23:40:00.002-05:00

Isaiah had his week at Camp Circle of Friends...he had a great time and made friends YAY!!! He did have a rough time leaving me every day...on Thursday I decided to stay w/ him...his anxiety levels were just so awfully high, and I knew he would enjoy himself more if I was around. His favorite things were the horse back riding, and the water slide. Here is a video I put together of camp, I'm going Friday on the last day to give it to the volunteers as a thank you.

Tackle it Tuesday

2009-06-16T12:38:00.007-05:00

This week I decided to re-tackle to the playroom. With the new puppy the kids need to keep their toys in a spot where she can't get them or they may be gone! It's not done, I couldn't finish it in just 2 days...but I made a HUGE dent in it. I replaced the flooring, and doubled the size of the room...and bought some of those cheap closet organizers to organize some of their toys. Shoe wracks make the perfect garage for medium sized cars and trucks!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-06-15T18:05:00.000-05:00

Monday- Hamburgers and baked beans
Tuesday-Spaghetti
Wed-Colorful Kielbasa
Thur-GF/CF Corn Dogs...new for us! Recipe Below
Fri- Chicken and corn on the cob on the grill

Source: Randall Wade, GFCF Kids, Yahoo Groups

1/2 cup gfcf flour blend

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup milk substitute

gfcf hotdogs (I use Bar-S)

Wednesday's Window Into My World

2009-06-10T22:52:00.003-05:00

You can't tell from the pic real well, but Xander was napping in the hallway. Kloee decided that looked like a great place to nap as well!

Meet Kloee!!! Our new future Autism Service Dog!!!

2009-06-07T10:00:00.004-05:00

Sat. Rob and I were both off of work, so I had set up appt.s w/ breeders to go look at puppies. My trainer had given me a list of characteristics to look for to help select a good trainable service dog...picking a pet is easy you find the cutest one, that is playful and responds the best to your family. I'll admit I was nervous as heck picking out a service dog. But I found one, that matched all the criteria we were looking for. Met her mama who was very sweet and friendly (another criteria). So we decided to take her home. We stopped by petsmart on the way home to find her a harness, shampoo, puppy food, and some toys.

I remembered having a puppy was like having a newborn but what I forgot is that you worry about them like they're a newborn! She slept and wouldn't eat most of the day and I was worried sick! I text my trainer who said she probably was just overstimulated. Made me feel better but was still worried she wasn't acting like a puppy!

By the end of the night she finally ate, and today she's much more energetic so I'm relieved! Hopefully she'll make a good addition to our family!

Allllll aaaaaaaaaboard

2009-06-03T00:44:00.003-05:00

So, link after link after link Rob read about the benefits of having a service animal for an autistic child...and he is now ON BOARD!!!His only thing was he is not comfortable getting a large dog from a shelter, so he wants to start w/ a puppy. I was hoping to avoid housebreaking and puppyhood, but oh well it's a small price to pay! We are going Saturday to check out 2 different breaders, and w/ any luck we'll come home w/ our new service dog to be!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-05-31T18:21:00.004-05:00

Monday: Shrimp Scampi with Salad
Tuesday: Chicken Tot Pie with corn on the
Wed:Egg Salad Sandwhich with Corn on the cob
Thur Cranberry Chicken with rice
Fri:Apricot Pork Chops

Ingredients
1 lb. spaghetti noodles
3-4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3-4 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese ( I'm omitting this, but would be good if you do milk products)
About 20 frozen shrimp

Directions
1. In medium saucepan, cook pasta as directed on package. Drain.
2. In skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil, butter or margarine, crushed garlic cloves and parmesan cheese. Stir continuously until starts bubbly. Then reduce heat and add “de-tailed and deveined” shrimp. Let simmer for 6-7
minutes.
3. Once pasta is cooked and drained, add shrimp sauce to the pasta noodles and mix well.
4. Serve

Working on the husband

2009-05-28T23:36:00.004-05:00

About 2 years ago, I found out there was such a thing as an autism service dog. The benefits of these dogs are numerous...besides being the child's best friend (and often only friend)...the dogs help with socialization's, giving the child something they can talk about with other people...when otherwise they have no idea how to go about having conversations with people. The dogs can be trained to keep the child from running off, alert the parents if the child wakes up in the middle of the night, console a child during a melt down, and interrupt self injurious behavior. The drawbacks are these dogs are SOOOO expensive. The cheapest being around $5000 up to around $20,000...and these are all not for profit companies we're talking about. They say you need to "fund raise" the money...I'm sorry but how the heck do you fund raise that kind of $$$??? I mean seriously, we just did a walk-a-thon and I was psyched to get $500! So the thought of a service dog for Isaiah was put on the back burner...it'd be nice but not for the price of a car!

Then came the school year from hell, and the evil neighbors and I began wanting a watch dog...I may not be able to afford a awesome service dog, but if I could at LEAST have a big scary looking dog that would bark at evil children, I'd feel a little better! I almost had the beautiful Husky Skye, although very friendly and docile, her big wolf like features might deter some bullies away from her!But as you know the husband backed out on that one.

The other night I stayed over at work to sit w/ a suicide patient (which means they pay me to play on the computer LOVE IT!)...after checking my emails, I got bored and started looking up service dogs again for the heck of it, who knows maybe I missed a site before, maybe there were new agencies...if nothing else it gave me something to do. Well, I came across a woman, who trains service dogs for profit, and get this charges $2000...WTF FOR PROFIT??? REALLY??? THAT CHEAP??? $2000 is a much more reasonable amount to fund raise! She wasn't in my area, Colorado I think...but that got me thinking...maybe I could find a private trainer! Well I found over 100 in my area most were just obedience training, but about 40 of them were licenced to train service dogs. I emailed every one of them. One in particular was extremely helpful, and we've emailed back in forth in great length. She is very experienced and is definitely training for the love of it!

Now the next challenge, getting the husband on board! He has moved past the NO phase on to the, I'll consider it stage, so we've made progress lol. I've found numerous links for him to read...I think the biggest problem is, he doesn't understand that this isn't just another pet, this is an actual working dog that could make our lives 100 times better...I mean seriously, going to a store w/ out him darting off in a 1000 different directions all the time, that alone is worth it if the dog does nothing else!!! So we shall see what becomes of this...he did say we'd have to find the kittens homes first before he would consider it...so that's first, I said ok one kitten for one dog lol. Keep your fingers crossed for me! I feel in my heart he is going to come around once he understands that this is something that will have great benefits for Isaiah.

Autism File...the video is done!

2009-05-28T14:39:00.002-05:00

It's pretty amazing to watch this video...it all started w/ a magazine cover, in England...and took off around the world! I'm so proud to have gotten to be a part of it (we're towards the end, North West Indiana !), and have several personal friends in this video, who are the most amazing woman I've ever met! As much as I want to undo my child's autism...I would have never gotten to know how strong and amazing moms can be without it, so for that I'm grateful.

A glimps of my favorite part of Autism One

2009-05-26T09:03:00.002-05:00

During Autism One, they had a dinner, and at the dinner, was an amazing little boy...who sang and played piano for us...I have a new favorite song! Can't wait to see this kid on American Idol some day lol

I'm HOME!!!!!

2009-05-25T02:07:00.002-05:00

I'm back from Autism One, and I must say WOW!!!!!!! What a GREAT experience...it was exactly what I needed! I tell you what, there is nothing in the world like Warrior Moms! What an amazing group of moms! Some days you feel so alone in this flipping battle and when you finally get together like that, and you meet other people going threw the same things you are, and juggling as many shit plates as you are, it's a great experience. This will defiantly be an annual event for me! I met so many of my amazing Internet friends...it was great to see them in person finally and I felt like we'd been friends forever, it was pretty cool. I think I wiped the vendors out of free samples lol...I have 3 tote bags full of STUFF! The lectures were amazing...how often do you get to see the greatest minds in the autism community all under one roof like that??? I must say my favorite was Raun Kaufman...I will post more on him later on, because he was too amazing not to share! I got my autographed book from Jenny McCarthy...I must say, my personality I'm not the awestruck fan type...I really could care less if your famous, I don't know you (not to sound unappreciative to the attention she's brought to our community because I AM grateful!)...but I did do the whole picture thing for the heck of it. I also got to see Age Of Autism speak...and they had a few of the Minnesota Somalian parents with them, and the one mom had the whole room in tears she was pretty amazing. I was bummed I had to miss Andrew Wakefield, he spoke before I got there...maybe next year! Anyway, that's just a few small highlights...like everyone had said, I did leave feeling refreshed, like I can take on the world now...Autism One really is recharging the batteries so we can continue this journey on the quest to heal our kids!

Having a good week!!!

2009-05-20T01:24:00.003-05:00

I'm am very excited to announce that I am able to attend the Autism One conference in Chicago this weekend!!! I was approved for a grant that will pay for the seminar itself...I am also going w/ another mom so we are able to split the cost of the hotel room and gas...so it shouldn't be a too expensive weekend...but from everyone I've talked to this is a must attend event.

For those of you who don't know what Autism One is, it's a conference full of over a 100 presenters, the greatest minds in the autism community. What i like is you have so many choices...it's not just at 1:00 you go to this presenter at 2:00 this one...there's usually about 4 different presenters to choose from, which is great since all our kids are different and we're all in a different spot in this journey, or should I say battle!

Another great thing, is I just found out Isaiah was accepted to attend camp circle of friends!!! This is the Summer camp for autistic kids that we did the walk-a-thon for. They can only accept so many kids, and this year Isaiah is one of them!!! I can't WAIT for him to go to camp!!! I hope he has a great time being around other kids like him, and hopefully maybe make a friend!

Almost

2009-05-10T01:41:00.003-05:00

This past year w/ the whole bullying incidences, I've been wanting a larger dog to hang out in the yard w/ Isaiah...but something that would also be a good family dog, that Xander could wrestle with, and that would be good w/ company. I had decided I either wanted a German Shepherd or a husky. I've been scouring the shelters and craigslist for a while with no luck. I went again Friday on my day off and saw a beautiful Siberian husky. I played with her for a while and took her for a walk. She was so sweet and gentle. I took her around the other dogs who were barking their heads off, she just looked at them and walked away. I took her around a cat who hissed at her, she wasn't phased. I tugged on her ears and her tail...she kissed me. I fell in love! I took a couple of pics of her and went home to show the husband...Mr. No himself...and to my surprise after he saw how much I wanted her, he said yes. So I grabbed Xander and we went to go get our new dog. We got to the shelter, and I told them I was there to take Skye home...they asked their routine questions...do you own your home, do you have a fenced yard, do you have another do...I answered yes to all the questions...the lady said we would need to bring our dog in to make sure they get along first. Crap! Kylee can take a little bit to warm up to other dogs. So I called Rob to bring Kylee in. Kylee was scared of the other dog...but she did ok, but the pound lady wasn't convinced. Finally it got too late and they were closing so she told us to sleep on it and come back in the morning. Well at some point before the night was over Rob changed his mind about her.

I have to admit I was devastated...in my mind, she became mine as soon as he said yes. I know it's stupid, I never had her, but I still felt like I lost my pet. I'll be honest, I'm still sad about it, I don't know why...I wish I wasn't...but I am. A part of me keeps hoping he'll change his mind...but I know he won't and if he did it would be too late I'm sure.

sooooo

2009-05-06T17:10:00.001-05:00

Isaiah has been paired w/ a 5th grade "body gaurd" on the bus, who's suppossed to look out for Isaiah...Isaiah likes this, he feels like it's 2 against 4 now, instead of him fighting by himself. It's a start I guess.

Better Not hold my breath!

2009-05-06T00:20:00.003-05:00

So the school superintendent called me today, I was pleased that he responded quickly...said he forwarded my letter on to the principal, he hadn't been able to talk to the principal but that he would talk to him to find a solution...and he told me that I was free to contact whoever I felt I needed to contact. I said I don't WANT to have to contact anyone, I just want this solved, but if that's what it takes, I WILL do that...and I'm PISSED that this is being ignored! Meanwhile today the little brats were playing outside after school, next door, and I could hear the one bully brat singing loud enough for my son to hear about how he's a bully...nice how proud he is of himself huh??? These little jerks know their getting away w/ it, and are proud of themselves. He didn't know I was on the other side of the fence, he's lucky I didn't throw something over it and knock his ass out, took some serious restraint!

I'd be lying if I said I don't feel beaten down, exhausted and sad right now. I off to bed, I have no energy left to fight...I just wish this would end.

Enough w/ the principal on to the Superintendent

2009-05-05T01:20:00.002-05:00

Dear Mr. B***,

My name is Michelle ******** and I am the mother of an autistic first grader that is mainstreamed at ****** Elementary school. We have had an issue this entire school year with my son being bullied by several children on his school bus. Our first reaction was to pull him off the school bus and not have him subjected to these children. However, our second car became unreliable so we needed to have him start taking the bus again. The bullying immediately started back up. I wait with him at the bus stop, to prevent it there, but once he’s on the bus there is no one to protect him. I contacted our advocate and asked her what I should do. She told me in her experience school’s take bullying very seriously and to go to the principal. I emailed Mr. K*****, who failed to respond at the time, but who later told me he had received my email. A few weeks later after realizing it was not being taken care of, I told my son to tell Mr. K******* any time there was an incident, which he did more than once…the problem continued. I told my son to tell the bus driver, which he did twice and both times my son was told by the bus driver that he couldn't get involved. Finally my husband and I completely frustrated and exhausted by the lack of action made an appointment with Mr. K*******. We called him on a Monday, and were told he could see us on Thursday. During the week he finally called the 4 children who my son can identify (there are other children who my son doesn’t know who are friends of these children who are also involved). We were assured the children were warned and this would stop, finally. As a precaution my son was moved to the front of the bus and these children were not supposed to sit by him. Unfortunately one of the children, who has been the “ring leader” if you will, moved up to the front to sit by my son. It is obvious this is a blatant attempt to intimidate my son, as obviously she is not sitting by him to hang out with him. My son told the bus driver she wasn’t supposed to sit by him, and the bus driver again refused to do anything. I again called the principal who said he would remind the bus driver these children are not aloud near my son. I’m sorry but I don’t think that is enough, she was given her chance to leave my son alone, and she didn’t! My child is completely terrified of this girl and her family, who (even the parents) has threatened my son with physical harm. My son often has nightmares about these children teasing him, and threatening him to the point that he has missed school. I am a very patient person, but I’m completely exhausted, frustrated, and at the end of my rope with this situation. I have given the school two months to solve the issue, which I think is more than adequate. I’m done being nice and waiting for this to end. I am now demanding a solution to this problem. My son should feel safe on the bus, and he does not! Every time he is bullied since it was brought to the schools attention months ago, is a direct result of failure to act on the schools part. If I have to contact every advocacy group, news paper, the mayor, and a lawyer this will stop! I have been far too patient for far too long, and I am angry and done now. I would appreciate your diligence in this matter.Thank you for your time.

Oprah and Jenny

2009-05-04T08:02:00.004-05:00

Oprah isn't my favorite person in the world, but anything she touches turns to Gold...so this is could be HUGE for us

Jenny McCarthy is poised to become the next star in Oprah Winfrey's media empire.

McCarthy has inked a multi-year overall deal with Winfrey's Harpo Prods. to develop projects on different platforms, including a syndicated talk show that the actress/author would host.

The first collaboration under the pact is a blog by McCarthy on Oprah.com, which launched on Friday. Like other Winfrey proteges-turned-TV moguls, including Rachael Ray and Dr. Phil, McCarthy has been a frequent guest on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

McCarthy talked to the chat queen about her struggles with her son's autism in conjunction with the releases of her best-selling books "Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism" and

"Mother Warriors: A Nation of Parents Healing Autism Against All Odds." McCarthy also was part of Winfrey's Friday Live panels twice, including this past Friday.

A former Playboy model, McCarthy burst into the TV scene as the engaging host of MTV's dating show "Singled Out," a gig that jump-started her acting career. She later segued into writing with a string of best-selling books and became an activist for curing autism.

McCarthy is repped by WMA and attorney Leigh Brecheen.
Jenny McCarthy inks Harpo deal
To develop projects including a syndicated talk show
By Nellie Andreeva

walk-a-thon video

2009-05-02T12:52:00.002-05:00

Wednesday's Window Into My World/Whine

2009-04-30T00:19:00.004-05:00

Well, I'm sick I have the flu...I'm so miserable, and in so much pain...I really should have called off work, but I'm too stupid and loyal... so the shift starts off crazy, I have this new patient who's a screamer, I'm like oh crap I don't have the energy for this. I was in her room 100 times it felt like in the first hour of my shift. Finally she quiets down, and we're so relieved, I call to make sure her dinner is ordered, and then I was sitting outside her room gossiping w/ a couple of the nurses I work w/ when the daughter walks in, walks right back and w/ this panicked look on her face and says WHATS WRONG W/ HER???? The nurse and I look at each other and are like what do you mean, we were just in there and she was fine. I'm thinking daughter is overreacting so I stayed at the station while the nurse went in to check on her, and I hear her saying the patients name over and over. Then I knew something was wrong so I went and grabbed a machine to get her vitals, I walk in and the lady is grey and in obvious resp. distress. So I grabbed the phone and call the RAT team (rapid action team)which is a group of ICU nurses, Resp. therapist, and nursing supervisor who we call when someone is about to code. The lady is a DNR so we wouldn't code her, but you still treat! We throw a 02 mask on her, I take her oxygen its 50 something (100 is what you want, anything under 90 is bad)...I tell you what though, nothing like a little adrenaline to make you forget you're sick! So we work on the lady for a while, it's apparent there's really nothing we can do to save her, we transfer her off to a tele floor for closer monitoring, we're thinking she probably threw a clot the way she went so fast.

So I struggle threw the rest of my shift and finally get to the end. One of the other nurses asks me to walk her patient, he was a fresh surgery and he had been refusing to walk...so I say sure, I'm always willing to help out even if it's not my patient, so I go in and tell him his Dr. wants him to walk and he starts freaking out on me...he's like where's my nurse, I said she's in another patients room, she asked me to come walk you for her...so he's yelling about walking, and I'm not really listening...I pull his blankets off and he yells at me not to mess them up...I said well you gotta take them off to walk, in sortof a joking voice trying to lighten him up, and he LOSES IT...he's like are you getting smart w/ me, I was like NO, I must have had the most OMG ARE YOU SERIOUS look on my face, and am in total disbelief that this dude is FREAKING out over a little walk, he continues to go off about I better not be i'm too young to get an attitude w/ him blah blah blah... so I'm ignoring him go ahead and scream, I finally get him up, yelling at me the whole time, he walks a few feet in the hallway, being a jerk the whole time, get back to his room, he keeps yelling saying pick my feet up, do this do that...finally he goes WTH are you doing, I laughed and said listening to you yell at me for some reason, which of course he didn't like that very much, so I tucked his nasty ass into bed and left he's like what's your name, I said Michelle, what's your name, he's like YOU KNOW MY NAME, I said no I don't you're not my patient, he's like YOU DONT NEED TO KNOW MY NAME...he had an outpatient surgery, but refused to go home cuz he doesn't have anyone to take care of him, I can see why! So he asks to talk to his nurse, and apparently tells her he is going to talk to my boss to have me fired @@, so moral of the story call off work when your sick and don't do anyone any favors lol
- Show quoted text -

The walk-a-thon!!!

2009-04-28T01:05:00.009-05:00

Saturday was the Autism Awareness Walk-a-thon that raised $ for a local camp for autistic children. Me, the kiddos, and my SIL went and walked...I was REALLY nervous how the kids would do walking a mile...well worried about one kid...after all, walking from wal-mart to the parked car is a VERY long walk during a melt-down...I was worried about how long a mile might feel! But he did fine! After the walk, they had lunch for us, and was quite excited to see they had GF options for everything, chips snack etc. After lunch the kids played for several hours on inflatables, and Isaiah ran into a little girl from school, who's sister is an ASD kiddo. After that we played at the nearby playground until the kids were exhausted. They all 3 crashed out on the ride home, and vegged out the rest of the day! I even fell asleep at 7 o'clock lol...this year I didn't really give myself a fund raising goal since it was our first year...figured at least a hundred...but every year my goal is to top myself. This year I raised $500...so next year my goal is to beat that!!!
I'm looking forward to this being an annual event for our family. Oh and want to know what one of my favorite parts was???? As I watched my son standing in line waiting his turn for the inflatable slide...I watched him stim like he always does when he's excited...but guess what NOBODY STARED!!!!!!!! And he wasn't the only one! Being ok, to just be us...felt so good

So we met w/ the principal

2009-04-16T18:04:00.003-05:00

The meeting went ok, I would have been happier if they were taking action months ago when we first brought it to the schools attention, but I guess better late than never. The principal said he had called the 4 kids in all at once, and then talked w/ each of them separately...I was interested to hear their side, since there can be two sides to every story. But from what the principal got from the other kids, Isaiah was not doing anything to provoke them, they were just being evil little brats (my words not the principals lol), so that being said they've been warned now...and Isaiah sits by the bus driver now, which makes me feel better. The past 2 days there have been no more incidences according to Isaiah, so hopefully that will continue to be the case for the rest of the year!

Now you wanna cover your BUTT

2009-04-14T19:07:00.002-05:00

So Monday morning Rob called the school and made us an appt w/ the principal. The secretary said he wouldn't be in at all Monday but they would call us Tuesday and set up an appt. Today there was a nice long message on our answering machine from the principal, obviously he knew why we wanted to meet w/ him. He began covering his ass then and there, saying...I got your email (which he never responded to and I sent March 5th!) and saying that Isaiah had talked to him, and that he had talked to the bus driver blah blah blah and obviously there is still a problem so he will talk to Isaiah again @@@@@@. Yeah I've been asking you for over a month to do something, now you wanna cover your ass cuz obviously we're pissed!!!! On one hand I guess good, maybe he's gonna do something about it!!!! On the other hand, the need to cover your ass tells me you know you weren't doing your job here! So we'll see how tomorrow goes, I'm not excited about it, but I'm ready for it!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-04-14T02:00:00.003-05:00

I'm a little behind, I was having a hard time getting motivated to MP this week...but they needed me to stay over at work w/ a suicide patient, so 4 hours on the computer inspired me to find some new recipes...since I just don't feel like making any of our regular recipes

Monday: Rob made the kids sloppy joes
Tuesday: Spaghetti
Wed: Emeril Lagasse's slow cooked chicken (recipe below)
Thursday: Au Gratin Potatoes with ham(recipe below borrowed from Kill.the.gluten)
Friday:Chili dogs, and chili cheese fries

Time6 hr 5 min
Level
Easy
Yield
4 to 6 servings
CloseTimes:Prep10 min Inactive Prep-- Cook6 hr 5 min Total:6 hr 15 min Recipe Tools:
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Ingredients
1 whole chicken, 3 1/2 to 4 pounds
Kosher salt
Cracked white pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced carrot
1/4 cup diced celery
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 lemon, juiced
4 teaspoons cornstarch
Directions
Rinse the chicken both inside and out under cool running water. Pat dry. Season the chicken liberally both inside and out with salt and pepper. Place in a slow cooker. Scatter the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, and lemon juice over top of the chicken. Cover the slow cooker and set the temperature to high. Cook for 6 hours, undisturbed.

Remove the chicken from the slow cooker, and pour the accumulated juices into a 2-cup heatproof container. Skim the fat from the top and transfer the liquid to a small saucepan. Dissolve the cornstarch in a small bowl with 2 teaspoons of water and whisk to form a slurry. Whisk the slurry into the juices and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until thickened, season with salt and pepper, and continue to cook an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Cut the chicken into pieces and serve, with the thickened pan juices ladled over the top.

Au Gratin Potatoes
(or Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes)

2 lbs russet potatoes, about 6 medium sized
1/4 cup margarine or butter
1/4 cup dried minced onion
1 Tbsp rice flour
1 tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper
2 cups milk (will be using milk sub)
2 cups shredded cheese, cheddar or cheddar jack (will be using galaxy vegan cheddar slices, they work good in mac and cheese so hopefully will work good in this recipe)

Prepare your potatoes by peeling them, and then slicing thin. Rinse the sliced potatoes with cold water and spread into a 9x13 pan.
In a saucepan, melt the margarine. Add the dried minced onion, flour, salt, and pepper and cook until bubbly, about 1 minute. Add the milk and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese. Stirring constantly, heat until boiling. Stir and boil for 1 minute.
Pour cheese sauce over potatoes. Bake in a 375 oven for 1 hour. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top and bake another 10 minutes.

Can't make lemonade

2009-04-13T01:23:00.004-05:00

Normally in life I am not a worrier...I don't get upset easily, and I don't stress over much. My life philosophy is if I don't like something I change it, if I can't change it then it's out of my hands and I'm free of it, it is not mine to worry about since worrying won't fix it, so why do it. The only thing I haven't been able to apply this philosophy to is, death and conflicts. I absolutely HATE conflict. When I know I have to confront someone or there will be a conflict it eats and my stomach and makes me so nervous and anxious its unbareable. Death I think it's pretty obvious why I just can't blow that one off and be ok about it, as a Christian maybe I should be stronger when it comes to death, but I'm not...

Well, right now I am dealing with the 2 lemons in my life that I've never quite figured out how to make into lemonade

Conflict: In a few hours I will be calling the school to make an appointment w/ the principal to discuss the bullying issue with Isaiah...my stomach is in knots...I hate this, I try so hard to avoid drama and crap like this...but I have to stick up for my son, no one else will, that is my job as a parent to defend this child at all cost, no matter how much sleep I lose and how much my stomach turns.

and

Death: My little brother has taken a turn for the worse. He is VERY tired, and has stopped breathing on numerous occasions now, and seems to be having some small seizures. I'm so horrified that I won't be able to see him one last time, I NEED to see him one last time. I need those memories, I need him to have some recent memories of me. He's my only sibling, I waited 21 years for him...all I ever wanted was a sibling to share that piece of myself that no one else shares...he completes a piece of me...it's so weird, my whole life i hated being an only child...I always felt a void in my heart...and since the moment he was a tiny little embryo, that void was filled. I love that child so much it hurts...and the thought of him leaving me without one last chance for memories and hugs, is more than I can bear...so all I can do is pray right now, and ask others for prayers too...right now the airline tickets are far too expensive for even just me and Tierra to fly down...so I'm praying that things will fall in line with airlines, and time off from both mine and Rob's jobs and Matt's health to not decline too far before it is able to work out, if I knew I had months I know I could pull it off, but it could be just weeks we really don't know...the next time I see him can't be at his funeral, it just can't.

Food Review Friday (GF/CF)

2009-04-11T00:26:00.004-05:00

As I was grocery shopping the other day, a product I'd never noticed before caught my eyes...it was honey nut chex. I don't ever remember seeing a honey nut chex before, but apparently it's been around...but what is new about it, is it is now Gluten Free!!!! Big huge letters on the front of the box, I was so excited!!! There's very little variety in cereal in the GF/CF world, so I'm always excited on a new find! I must say it was very good! It stayed crispier longer than reg chex, and I like the little extra sweetness that plain chex doesn't have! I don't like most of Isaiah's foods to be honest, but this is good and will def be a pantry staple from now on!!!

No more Mrs. Nice Girl

2009-04-10T00:57:00.003-05:00

So today, yet again Isaiah informs me of more bullying on the school bus, this time after they were done taunting him, one girl stuck her foot in his face and told him to kiss her dirty shoe...I am done asking the school nicely to help my son...Monday morning Rob and I are marching into the school and demanding they help my son, and if they don't I will be going to the school board, from there to the mayors office and from there to the newspapers...man we need a spokesperson like Jesse Jackson who will come raise a fuss when we are ignored lol...I'm soooooooooo frustrated and angry! I'd hate to see what my blood pressure is, I've been shaking w/ anger for hours now! Man I wish they had school tomorrow! I was reading an article about a mom who got on the bus w/ a gun to threaten the kids who were bullying her son! I understand where she's coming from and that scares me!!! I want really bad things to come of these children, and that's not me, but I've been pushed to the point where I fear I could snap! If anyone has been threw this and has any advice I'm open and willing to take it! I can't believe how cruel kids are :(

Wednesday's Window Into My World

2009-04-08T00:36:00.001-05:00

So the other night I worked a double...I got home at 8 am, and laied down in bed, Xander was watching cartoons next to me...I asked him to rub my back while I fell asleep...like a good little boy he did! Apparently rubbing your mama's back isn't much fun, so Xander found a way to spice it up a little bit!!! Here's what I woke up to!

Fortunately for me, Rob caught him pretty early into his masterpiece! I think I have a future tattoo artist on my hands!

Tackle it Tuesday

2009-04-07T00:41:00.003-05:00

Rob is in Wisconsin again this week, for more classes he needs for work. I'll miss him, but I have to say I'm kind of excited to to have 4 days off of work to just be a mom and housekeeper! I've got sooooo much planned as far as cleaning...I don't know if it's possible to get EVERYTHING done, I want done...we shall see!

Here's my hope list anyway!

*Get caught up on the laudry
*Organize my closet and Tierra's closet
*Clean and organize the landry room
*Organize the hallway closet
*Organize the kitchen cabinets
*Clean the entire house from top to bottom until it sparkles!
*Organize the junk drawers and entertainment center
*Clean the boys room

Well, wish me luck lol...I'll let you know how much of this ACUTALLY gets done...any bets??? I'm guessing maybe 1/2 lol. Yesturday was day one, I got the boys room cleaned and did a TON of laundry...I don't think I'm 1/4 of a way done though, so that's not good, means I'm already behind scheduale...but I can only make the washer go soooo fast lol. I have a HUGE pile of clean clothes on the couch...Xander walked in from his nap and said OMGOSH lol. I can say I've made a dent in the laundry but that's about it. Wish me luck that I get MOST of my list done lol.

Menu Plan Monday!

2009-04-06T15:51:00.002-05:00

This week, Rob will be out of town for work, so it's just me and the kiddos. This weeks menu plan therefore consists of easy kid friendly meals.

Monday-Chicken Tot Pie
Tuesday-Spegetti
Wed-Chicken Tenders
Thur-Beenie Weenies
Fri- Pizza

Chicken Tot Pie...

I use to make this w/ a bisquick crust before we went GF/CF...I had a craving for it this week, and decided to try it using tater tots for the crust instead. The filling is frozen mixed veggies, chunks of chicken breasts, and cream of chicken soup using GF Mama's recipe which has by far been my fav GF/CF recipe!

My autism biography, and thoughts about the photoshoot

2009-04-03T01:04:00.004-05:00

My name is Michelle Leal. I am a 31 year old wife and mother. I have 3 beautiful children...my middle child Isaiah is autistic.

I suspected something was wrong from the very beginning. Although Isaiah met all of his expected milestones he didn't communicate as a baby. He never cried when he was hungry...I fed him every 3 hours because it was time for him to eat...not because he was "asking" to be fed. He was so content. I knew I could never put him in daycare because he was so content I was afraid he would be ignored! That's when I became a stay at home mom.

Around age 2 we began to notice sensory issues. He started to have melt downs. If something was too loud he would scream and scream. We had to take him out of the house just for me to vacuum. He refused to wear shoes, this caused more meltdowns. He also had to stick to a strict routine, if things changed even the slightest during our day to day routine he couldn't handle it. Then there was the pica...something I thought only pregnant woman had! My son craved fuzz...he had a beautiful blanket his grandmother had knit for him, and he would sit and pick the fuzz off of it, and eat it. We also had to keep him fully dressed or he would pick the fuzz off his diapers. If all else failed he would pick it from the carpet fibers. We had no idea what was wrong with him. We expressed our concerns to our pediatrician, who only saw that he was meeting his developmental milestones, and that was sufficient for him.

At age 3 Isaiah began preschool. I began to get more and more worried. He couldn't tell me about his day the way his sister would when she was little. If I asked him how his day was he might reply "cookie" or " park". He seemed so oblivious to the world around him. I again expressed concerns to his Dr. although Isaiah had the appropriate amount of words for a 3 year old, I was concerned that he couldn't hold any type of conversation. His Dr. thought this might be due to the fact that Isaiah has severe wax build up in his ears. I still didn't buy it...I knew something was wrong with my son, I just didn't have a word for it, and what I thought I knew about autism, didn't describe my son.

At the age of 4, I was able to request an evaluation from the school system. I wanted a second opinion. I went in w/ the expectations of being told the same things my ped said, that my son was fine. When they called me in after they were done, I sat at the table with the three experts who had tested him, my son lay on the floor racing a car back and forth in front of his face. I smiled and waited for them to tell me how smart my boy was, and over paranoid I was being. The next thing I know they are telling me they see some delays in my child, delays that are common in children with autism. My eyes teared up, did she really just tell me that my child needs tested for autism??? WAIT NO, THAT'S NOT RIGHT, I'M AN OVER PARANOID MOTHER WHO'S CHILD IS FINE...MY DR. SAID SO, YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO AGREE SO I COULD FEEL BETTER ABOUT THE FACT THAT HE'S NEVER SHOWN ANY SIGNS OF PRETEND PLAY BUT INSTEAD ECHOS LINES FROM THOMAS THE TANK AS HE PLAYS WITH HIS TRAINS. WHY WEREN'T THEY SAYING THIS?????!!! SO WHAT IF HE HAS NEVER SLEPT THREW THE NIGHT IN THE ENTIRE 4 YEARS OF HIS LIFE, MAYBE HE'S JUST A LIGHT SLEEPER!!! HE CAN'T BE AUTISTIC HE CAN TALK, HE LOOKS ME IN THE EYES, HE HUGS ME!!! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING, SOMEONE WAKE ME UP, MAKE THIS NIGHTMARE GO AWAY!!!!!!

A piece of my heart broke that day, probably because I knew they were right. I had finally gotten the word I was searching for to describe what was wrong with my son...AUTISM.

I allowed my heart to break for a day or two, and then it was time to get busy. Time to figure out where we go from here. The first step for me was to get an official diagnosis to confirm the schools suspicions, after that we began therapies, and special ed preschool. By the end of the next year Isaiah had improved so much! He started to be able to answer the "wh" questions. People often had to be told he was autistic. He had lots of friends in the neighborhood, and was very high functioning. He was able to be mainstreamed in Kindergarten, we were so proud at how far he had come. And then came the shots...the dreaded kindergarten shots. Being a health care worker I didn't buy into the belief that shots have anything to do with autism...until he got the kindergarten shots, and our world came tumbling down.

Isaiah began to withdraw, he started stimming constantly and having over 20 meltdowns a day. His anxiety levels were threw the roof. People no longer were shocked to find out he had autism, and the neighborhood kids no longer wanted to play with him. Our world was spinning out of control. That's when we began looking into biomedical interventions. This world that I once thought was made up of naive parents willing to throw away all their money on the sheer hope of fixing the unfixable, began to be something worth trying. Did I think it would work? No, but I needed something to try because my world was falling apart, and the thought that there was no hope just wasn't acceptable anymore. After months of research, we decided to try it. So we found a DAN! Dr. and began the GF/CF diet. The first week on the diet, something shocking happened...Isaiah's psoriasis went away!!!! How could that be???? How could this hoax have fixed his psoriasis??? Now I was intrigued! We continued treating Isaiah with vitamins, diet, chiropractics and acupuncture (no needles just a painless laser), and the next thing I knew the 20 a day meltdowns stopped! OMG we were getting our life back!!! To this day we continue to treat Isaiah...he is 7 now. He has come so far since we began this journey, I am so thankful and finally hopeful to the future.

When I first heard about the Autism Mom/Warrior Mom photo shoot, I knew right away it was something I wanted to be involved in. The message of strength and courage and standing together for our kids was everything I felt I could represent. The day of the photo shoot, I had had about an hour sleep, all in the life of an autism mom! I was worried how could I represent our strength with bags under my eyes??? And then came the make-overs! I was so grateful that a salon had donated their services to us, and expected the very bare minimum...after all it was free! And then, I walked in to a world so unfamiliar...I sat down in a chair, to get my over-grown-not-cut-in-six-months hair done. The hairdresser asked would you like a cut today? WOW, you're REALLY going to cut my hair??? I thought you were just going to try and tame this wild mess so I look somewhat presentable for a picture!!! YES PLEASE CUT MY HAIR!! She sat me in a chair and PUT MY FEET UP!!! She massaged my scalp with oils, gently washed my hair...wow that felt SO good! She set off to cut my hair, I had no idea what I wanted, as I had no idea I was getting my hair CUT! She talked with me for a while about my needs, for instance working in health care I needed enough length to be able to pull it back out of my face, but short enough that it's easy enough to manage...oh and how about a little bang to cover my wide forehead. And then she worked her magic. Next came the make-up...yes they donated their services in that also!!! I was REALLY excited about this because I had never had my make-up professionally done, and lately haven't been wearing makeup because I just feel like I didn't know what to do with it anymore, and a bad makeup job is worse than no makeup! Again the make-up artist talked to me, discussed what I like, problems with my skin etc. She even went as so far as to give me samples to help me with my dry skin problem! The pampering didn't end there, we also go manicures. I'm not talking paint your nails and be done, I'm talking hand massages and all!!! I've never felt so pampered and special in my life. It was truly a once in a life time experience WAY up there on the top of the "greatest days in my life" list. The photo shoot was a blast, it was so nice to be around other moms who "get it". For the very first time, since Isaiah got his diagnosis, I finally felt like I fit in with other moms, it was a truly remarkable feeling. It was a very special day in my life, one I'll never forget, one I'll always be grateful for, one I'm so excited to share with the world!

We're In Today's Paper!!!

2009-04-02T01:02:00.001-05:00

'Warrior Moms' gather for photo shoot
By Rob Earnshaw
Times Correspondent | Thursday, April 02, 2009

Northwest Indiana mothers of autism are demonstrating how powerful a force they are.

It's all part of a worldwide campaign organized by The Autism File magazine due to the huge impact of this month's cover shoot featuring six autism mothers, or "Warrior Moms," striking an authoritative pose.

The magazine asked moms from all over the world to participate by gathering together to do their own photo shoot to be featured in its July issue, the Web site and at the Autism One Conference in May.

Today marks World Autism Awareness Day. One in 150 children are diagnosed with autism. It is the fastest growing developmental disability.

The campaign was sparked following a federal court ruling earlier this year that childhood vaccines don't cause autism.

"The ruling was a pretty big blow to our community," said Lisa Fox, president of the National Autism Association, Northwest Indiana Chapter. "The Autism File started this campaign to show that you can rule that but we'll never stop fighting for our kids. We'll always be the Warrior Moms -– and that's what those ladies on the front cover were representing."

Fox, who has a 7-year-old autistic son, gathered nine other autism moms to create their version of the magazine cover at The Color Room Salon & Day Spa in Dyer. The spa graciously donated hair and make-up services for the moms as did Tak Photography for the photo shoot.

"This is a real big treat for the moms," Fox said. "It's a nice little break and makes them feel special."

Maria Janik, vice president of NWI-NAA and mother of two autistic boys, said the campaign was a great way for the moms to get together.

"We want to make families aware there are treatment options available to help our children inside just as therapy helps them on the outside," Janik said.

Tracy Blaney, who has a 7-year-old son with autism, said the campaign was a pleasant surprise and great for the moms.

"Autistic moms don't have time to get pampered," she said. "We usually don't take time for ourselves."

For information on the local autism chapter visit northwestindianaautism.com. On Aug. 1, The Color Room Salon & Day Spa, 14785 W. 101 Ave., Dyer, is hosting its 2nd Annual Family Festival. The event includes games, food, music and a silent auction with a focus to earn funds for the NWI National Autism Association -- Helping Hand Project. The project provides grants to families in Lake and Porter counties who are affected by autism. To find out how to help, call (219) 365-0173.

Red Flags of Autism
* No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter
* No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions by nine months or thereafter
* No babbling by 12 months
* No back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months
* No words by 16 months
* No two-word meaningful phrases (without imitating or repeating) by 24 months
* Any loss of speech or babbling or social skills at any age
SOURCE: AUTISMSPEAKS.ORG
Copyright © 2009 nwi.com

Mother Warrior

2009-03-31T01:16:00.003-05:00

Here it is, the finished product! The video of our Mother Warrior Photoshoot!

I hate the R word

2009-03-23T21:04:00.003-05:00

I must say I cringe every time I hear this word! People use is sooooooooo much...rarely I've made a comment condoning someone for using it...I hope this campaign takes off and people think twice before using this word anymore! I hope one day it's as unacceptable as the N word...I saw a really great clip I wanted to share on the concept of this campaign

Menu Plan Monday

2009-03-22T20:48:00.003-05:00

Monday- Mini Meatloaves, mashed potatoes and acorn squash...(recipe from $5 dinner.com)
Tue-Kreative Kielbasa
Wed- BBQ Riblets in the crock pot
Thur- Orange apricot pork chops in the crock pot, that I never got to make last week because the kiddos ate all the madarin oranges!!!
Fri-Pizza

Mini Meatloaves and Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients
1 lb ground chicken
1 cup bread crumbs I ground up some GFCF cereal instead
1 egg
2 Tbsp ketchup (
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 onion, finely chopped
Salt/Pepper
BBQ sauce
8 small potatoes
1/2 - 1 cup milk sub
1 -2 Tbsp olive oil (or butter)
Salt/Pepper
1 acorn squash

Directions
1. In large bowl, combine ground chicken, bread crumbs/chip crumbs, egg, ketchup and spices. (Or use your favorite meatloaf recipe!!!). Mix well. Scoop meat into muffin tins (I used mini loaf pan tin.) Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
2. Peel and quarter the potatoes. Boil for about 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and place in bowl. Mash with potato masher. Add milk and butter/olive oil. Mix in seasonings. Stir well.
3. Prepare squash as follows. This is my favorite way to make it. "Steaming it in the oven" makes the flesh really soft. I would love to hear your favorite way to prepare acorn squash!

Cut acorn squash in half.

(Microwaving the squash for 3-4 minutes will make it easier to cut.) Place upside down in baking dish with about 1/4 inch of water.

Cover with foil.

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes. Remove and let cool 10 minutes before handling. Scoop out seeds and then scoop out the flesh. Drizzle with honey, agave syrup or maple syrup.

4. Serve chicken mini meatloaves with BBQ sauce, mashed potatoes and squash.

Kreative Kielbasa

1 1/2 cups rice (uncooked)
6 eggs, scrambled
1 pkg kielbasea, warmed
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce

Cook the rice and then dump everything else in. That's it.

Wednesday's Window Into My World

2009-03-19T00:46:00.004-05:00

I'm a few hours shy of it actually being Wed...unfortunately I didn't have time to post before I went to work! But for this Wed, random window into my world I wanted to share the new addition to our family! We have newborn kittens! Our beautiful white cat Gabriella gave birth to a liter of 4 kittens March 16th. We have one orange and white kitten who I have nick named Jack Jr. since he looks like our orange cat (who is fixed and not the daddy)...two dark grey and white ones who I call the twins, since I can't tell them apart yet, and the runt who is Calico. The runt unfortunately didn't survive long, so we only have 3 now. I found out last night that she had passed away. I obviously didn't want to tell Isaiah today BEFORE school, because I knew he wouldn't have been able to go to school if I did, but I did tell him I thought one was sick...so tonight when he got home, Rob broke it to him. He took it worse than I thought, he was devastated. Rob said Tierra held him while he cried for about 20 minutes. He is sooooooo in love with these kittens! I don't know HOW we're going to be able to give any away with as attached as he is! I've never had a pet that had a liter before (well since I was very little anyway) so this is new for me, and it's pretty remarkable! It's amazing to watch Gabby taking care of them! A mother's instincts are amazing! For instance, she hasn't minded if we come in and look at the kittens or even touch them, but when the neighbor boy came in, a person she didn't know, she covered them up w/ her paws. When they nurse she purrs, it's neat...I wonder if she lays there looking at them admiring how adorable they are, like I did when my babies were born....I remember I felt like I couldn't look at them enough, I wonder if she feels like that.