Rice and Bean Salad

3 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups cooked black beans
2 cups cooked cannellini
1 red onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 oz green chilies, chopped (opt)
1 cup frozen corn,
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup tamari
1/4 cup water
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Hot sauce to taste



Mix vinegar, tamari, water, Dijon mustard, and several dashes of hot
sauce in a jar; shake well to mix.

Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Shake
dressing and add to salad, mixing gently. Cover and refrigerate for
at least two hours, preferably overnight.

Full

They say that humans use only 10% or less of our brains' capacity, but apparently I am the exception. I'm convinced that I have used 100%. My brain is full. I simply cannot remember or deal with one more thing!

Last night, Nick went to the store for an Angel Food cake mix. I had to make a cake for E to take to the allergist's office today for an Egg Challenge. The store didn't sell a mix! I didn't want to make it from scratch because we bake gluten-free and I don't even keep wheat flour or white sugar in the house. I didn't have a choice, so I asked Nick to get a small box of cake flour and a small box of white sugar.

As is typical, I didn't have the energy to bake last night, so I procrastinated. I ended up beating a dozen egg whites at 1:00AM and trying to sift the flour and sugar five times! I don't even own a sifter so Nick pulled one out of the kids' play kitchen stuff. :)

So...I got the cake in the oven and let it bake for an hour.

Since I had a bunch of egg yolks staring at me, I decided to make a banana cream pie. I rarely bake anymore and J had commented awhile ago that he'd never really had pie except pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving and he doesn't even like pumpkin pie! My mom used to bake all the time and I baked when I was growing up, and I felt sad that my kids hadn't even tried some of these homemade baked goods!

Nick had gotten a premade pie crust, so I stirred away and made the filling. I was hurting and was getting cranky, so I asked him to come back downstairs and help. We baked and worked on the computer together...and I think it was going on 4:00 AM when we got to bed.

This morning, shortly before E's appointment, Nick looked at me and said, "E had to be off of antihistamines before this challenge, right?"

My jaw dropped. I'd completely forgotten about that!

I begged him to call the doctor for me, but he refused. So I called the office and left a ranting message about how I'd stayed up half the night making the cake but that my brain just doesn't work anymore and I'd forgotten to stop E's allergy meds! Thankfully, the nurse was so nice and said that I was actually the second person that had called today saying that they'd forgotten to stop the meds.

I used to be efficient and organized. Those days are long gone. Thankfully, we'll be finished with school tomorrow which takes away so much pressure. Maybe my brain start functioning again over the summer. I have to hope so...

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Weekend Sleep and Test Results

Nick and I have had a much-needed relaxing weekend. I knew I needed a break when I went to call my in-laws and couldn't remember their last name! Thankfully, my son reminded me that I share a last name with them, so I was able to call them. :) They picked up the children on Friday and took them to their house for a long weekend. I'd forgotten what it was like to sleep all night long, without being woken up by screams in the night or being kicked in the side or hit in the face while sleeping. Amazing how much better I feel after a good night's sleep...

We did some crazy things like order Vietnamese takeout, which meant that we ate PEANUTS in the house!!! Honestly, I felt like we were doing something illegal! We also worked on the business, visited my mom in the hospital, and cleaned up/organized the house. Nothing exciting, but I'm happy!

We did get some test results last week. The allergist called and said that E's blood tests showed the same thing as the skin tests: he's extremely allergic to peanuts, all tree nuts (sadly, even almonds), and sesame seeds. Eggs were also high, but he wants to do a cooked egg challenge in his office. He said that I have to make angel food cake, making sure to bring in enough for the entire staff. (He's so funny!) He assured me that he would have any needed meds right there, and he'd start by touching the cake to E's lips and then waiting to see if there's a reaction. Then he'll touch it to his tongue and wait again. Next, E will actually eat a little bit of it. Not only will this determine if E can handle cooked eggs, it may also help him outgrow his egg allergy sooner. So, we'll see what happens. My gut tells me that he'll be able to handle cooked eggs, but that may just be wishful thinking, especially since our grocery store just stopped carrying Egg Replacer!

GracieGirl's Celiac test came back a few days later. Negative. I was really surprised. So was her allergist. She's going back to see him this week, so we'll find out what to do next. I, of course, started researching online and came across this info on NCGS (Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity). The logical solution seems to be to take her off of all gluten again but I want to get as much medical information as I can before doing so.

I'm thankful that we continue to get answers, even when they're not always the answers we'd like to hear! :)

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Catching Up

Our business, Truly Pure & Natural is finally up and running. We've had a good time working on it, even though Nick has done the vast majority of the work. Some people have asked if it's a Multi-Level Marketing company, such as Shaklee or Arbonne, and it definitely is not! It's simply an eclectic collection of natural products that we use and that work for us. We're slowly adding new products that we want to share with others.

GracieGirl and E both had to have bloodwork at the beginning of the week. I dreaded it because last time, E's screams could be heard three counties away! So, I did the wise thing this time...and stayed in the car while Nick took him in. :) Amazingly, he didn't struggle or cry. Nick brought him out to the car and took GracieGirl in. Same result, not even a whimper. I want to get that tech's name and ask for her every time!

E was having blood tests to confirm the skin tests for his allergies. I was hoping and praying that he wouldn't be allergic to almonds because I'd love to be able to use almond flour as an alternative to wheat and other grains. No such luck. The doctor will call us on Monday but the nurse said that he is highly allergic to all tree nuts and eggs. Unfortunately, in E's head, the doctor said he won't die if he eats nuts! So, I've been working on convincing him that the doctor most definitely did not say that. He's been really good about asking before eating anything, and I want him to continue doing that!

GracieGirl's Celiac test didn't come back yet. I'm hoping to hear something on Monday. She's been complaining of a hurt tummy for the past few days, so I'm just praying that the test shows whether or not it's Celiac.

Jay got his sleep study results and he does not have sleep apnea and his adenoids do not need to come out. So...back to the drawing board. I'm still waiting to hear back from the sleep specialist, and he sees his autism doctor in a few days, so we continue trying to find some answers!

I don't even know what to say about E. His behavior continues to worsen. I asked Nick if it was me, thinking that maybe I'm just getting too old and burnt out for all of this. He said that it definitely was not me! (I knew that, but I just had to confirm it!) The good news is that I'm getting support, which means so much. People have suggested things like bi-polar, RAD, and ODD. Hard to hear at first, but now I just want answers. I filled out a 15-page request for evaluation and sent that off. It's just hard because he has such a wonderful side, so I keep thinking that I must have been exaggerating his other behavior, and it really wasn't that bad. But then he gets violent, often without warning, and I'm reminded that things really are bad. I'm just praying that we can find the right help for him because there's a side of him that really is so sweet.

Besides being busy, the other reason that I don't generally blog during the day is that I pay for it afterwards. This time, GracieGirl and E have gotten into the crafts box. Judging by the creative mess they've made so far, I really should be focused on them, rather than on this blog! Off to survey the rest of the damage... ;)

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Allergy Update

I've become accustomed to the boys' large medical files. Well, Nate's is large; Jay's and E's are downright huge! In-between, hidden in the file cabinet, is GracieGirl's file. I think it has two sheets of paper in it. She's been the healthy one.

Today, she and Jay had appointments with the allergist. We never took her before because, although she had problems as a baby, a friend suggested that we take her off of wheat. Problems solved! I told her doctor what we'd done, and he didn't see the need in having her tested.

Late last summer, we reintroduced wheat into her diet, and she seemed to tolerate it well, so we assumed she'd outgrown any allergy or sensitivity she may have had to it. Then, in the fall, her nose started running...all the time. She started having lots of problems with gas, and we wondered if she had reflux.

She was tested this morning, and the allergist said that she isn't just allergic to all trees, all grasses, and all weeds, she's severely allergic to every last one of them! Animals were okay, except for mice. Foods were okay; she didn't test positive to any of the top allergens. She's allergic to one mold and to dust. Ugh.

The allergist suspects Celiac Disease, so we have to get a blood test for that.

So much for my healthy little girl. I'm just thankful that we have some answers and can start working towards helping her!

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Doctors and More Doctors!

We've been in full swing with doctor's appointments again. We'd switched allergists, thinking that it would be easier to have all of the children's doctors at Children's Hospital, but we decided to go back to our old allergist. Nate and E went this week and GracieGirl and J are going tomorrow. The allergist said that Nate's asthma is under control but his allergies are bothering him. E's report wasn't as good, and the poor little guy came home with a stack of prescriptions!

Jay saw the dermatologist again, too, and she thinks that some of his problems with nighttime scratching may be behavioral. I'm not sure why she would think that, since the majority of his body is covered with eczema, and I'd kind of think that that's why he's scratching! She wants us to make an appointment with a behavioral specialist through Jay's developmental pediatrician at the autism center. We'll try anything that might help; I just to get to it on my To Do list yet!

Jay had a sleep study a few nights ago. He had some trouble dealing with all of the wires, but he loved the room...the bed with a sleep number mattress, the big, comfy quilt, the large flat screen TV, and lots of snacks. Once he was settled in, he lay back and said, "Yep, I could definitely get used to this!" He paused for a second and added, "It's not because of the TV or even the snacks; it's because there's a bed in here for you, too!" He's so sweet...

He brought his sleeping bag with him because he practically lives in it at home, so that helped comfort him a bit.

Jay in his favorite sleeping bag. I don't know how he does it,
but he walks in it and goes up and down stairs in it!

So, I was selfishly thinking that I might get a decent night's sleep, being away from the nighttime drama here at home. I went to bed at around 11:00pm, got comfy, closed my eyes...and Jay's monitor started going off! The tech came in and turned it off, and once again, I settled in. Three minutes later, it went off again! This time, both techs came in, turned on the lights, started replacing parts on the machine, and finally left. I don't know what the problem was, but this went on most of the night! I was feeling far from refreshed when they woke us up at 6:00am! I'd begged asked for late checkout, just as I'd done during my sleep study, and once again, I was turned down! ;)

I was feeling sad this weekend because, for the first time ever, we missed Sesame Place with the Variety Club. E is really struggling with his asthma, so he couldn't go. He's had a few rough days (and nights!) between the asthma, allergies, hives all over his arm one night, and the little, itchy bumps that are covering his entire back! The allergist ordered blood work for him to check on some of his allergies. Nick thought that these symptoms were perhaps linked to the Cyclic Neutropenia, which makes his white count low every three weeks. If this is the low period, maybe his little body just can't handle everything. I don't know, but I sure would like to help him feel better!

Now we're just continuing to pray that E stays out of the hospital. The treatments aren't helping much, and tonight his breathing was really labored. I still don't feel confident about knowing exactly when he needs to go to the hospital, but Nick is confident that he knows. Prayers greatly appreciated for our little guy!

E decided that the only way to feed the birds is to dump the seed
all over the place, roll in it, pull up leaves and sticks,
and then sit and call the birds to come eat!


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Red Lentil Soup

2 cups onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled & minced
7 1/2 cups water
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups red lentils
Fresh parsley, opt.


Sauté the onion and garlic in 1/2 cup water in a large pot until the
onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the turmeric, cumin, ginger, black
pepper, and cayenne; cook for 1 minute.

Add the lentils and the remaining 7 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover
and simmer for 1 hour.

Stir in sea salt to taste. Puree in the Vitamix until smooth.

Garnish with fresh parsley before serving, if desired.