Holy "I-Never-Update-My-Blog" Batman

Wowsers.

A look back at the past year would tell me that so much happened in our lives, but none of it got on this blog.

But then I remember that so much DID happen to us. We were really busy. Which is why I have one post so far for the year 2012.

When I first started this blog, I saw it not only as a creative outlet, but a way for far away friends and family to catch up on our family. And I've done a really bad job so far.

But I want to change that. We have had some big challenges this year. Here's our story so far.

Roman started first grade this year. My baby is growing into such a big boy and will be outgrowing me very, very soon. We made the choice to homeschool this year for several reasons.

Last year, I volunteered almost every week in his Kindergarten class. And every single time I volunteered, I saw my son get behind. Not because he wasn't smart enough, but because he was distracted by something or someone. Something that happens to kiddos with autism a lot. When he finally got started on the task at hand, they were already on to something else. He never used his pencil grip, which is something that he needs to hold the pencil correctly because of his low muscle tone.

During recess, he would often fall and get hurt. He has poor balance because of his motor delay and low muscle tone. But he has an adventurous spirit and always wants to do what the other kids were doing. Like climbing on the big toys and swinging. But unlike other kids, if he gets distracted or bumped by another child, he'll fall. I know that children get hurt. I know that it's a normal part of life. But when it's every day, every time, it's a different story.

Roman is such a unique and awesome child. But he is different. And even in a "no bullying" school, he still got picked on. And he started to see himself not so much as "unique and awesome", but more of "different and unlikeable". And that's where I draw the line. He is an amazing, smart, wonderful kid. A friend of mine put it perfectly about her daughter who was homeschooled,

"She knows about teasing now; she didn't go through her entire life naive and oblivious to the social structure of Americans, she just got to figure out who she was a bit before she was blasted by those who told her that she was somehow insufficient."

Amazing. And dead on.

But our primary reason for homeschooling was to be able to keep him enrolled in autism therapies outside of school, three to four days a week. There he would get the social interaction from other homeschooled kiddos and the continued help for his challenges in life.

It was a perfect plan.

All that changed when we called our insurance company about a bill we received a few weeks after his seventh birthday. We learned that his autism coverage had been completely cut off the day he turned seven years old.

We were in shock. We couldn't believe that they would deny medical care to a child who legitmately needs it, just because of his age. We learned that Washington was one of several states that don't require insurance companies to pay for autism care after age seven.

It's ridiculous.

The reasoning behind it is that the public schools offer occupational, physical and speech therapy to children who qualify. But there's the kicker...."who qualify".

I learned early on when Roman was in developmental preschool that the public school system denies eligible children. They do it every single day. And even my child, who has the large motor skills of a child half his age, was turned down the first time. It's only if you push and push and push that they will listen to you. The squeaky wheel indeed, gets the grease.

And when the children do qualify, they get a half an hour of services per week, usually with another child. In comparison to what he was getting before (nine hours per week of quality autism care), it's a microscopic speck on a drop in the ocean.

We learned that because of Roman's hypotonia (low muscle tone), our insurance company will pay for 60 visits per year of physical, occupational, or speech therapy. And by "pay for", I mean they will cover everything outside of our $30 a session copay.

We also learned that to pay out of pocket for the therapies he was getting before he was cut off would be $4,000 a month. That's not a typo. $4,000 a month.

We applied for state assistance right after we learned that he was cut off. He was approved right away, which was great news! But then we learned that the waiting list for services was three years long. Three long, critical years.

So where are we now?

We made the decision to go ahead and homeschool Roman this year. If not for the reason that he'll be in outside therapy, but for the many reason I listed above it. And we are loving it. It's amazing to see his eyes light up when he understands something. Like really understands something.

We are paying out of pocket for a social group for special needs children for Roman. We really can't afford it financially, but we also know that we can't afford not to do it. We also have him enrolled in two other social outlets that are working out nicely.

We are still trying to get services through the school district. The woman I was in contact with through our homeschool program left her job without our knowledge and we got left behind. We have a meeting hopefully this Tuesday to discuss our options and I'm hoping and praying that it goes well.

In the middle of all this, we have been going through a major financial crisis. When I was diagnosed with celiac disease two years ago, our medical and food bills doubled. No more could I get a loaf of bread for $.99, now it was $6.00 for a small loaf that tasted like cardboard. There was a lot of adjusting. Add that plus our out of pocket expenses for Roman's autism care (keep in mind that this was when it was covered by insurance) and we were digging ourselves into a hole every single month.

We had to make some drastic changes in our life as a family. Zach's parents bought us a membership to Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, a class that reteaches you how to manage your money. It was one of the best gifts we've ever received.

I re-learned the power of a dollar. As the homemaker in our family (in my opinion, a kind of defective one at that), I realized the huge impact that I can have on my family's success.

So I cut back on Starbucks to once a week. I started making everything from scratch. And when I say everything, I mean everything. Waffles, bread, salad dressing, tortillas, pumpkin spice sauce for my coffee, everything. Having celiac disease, the two choices are make your own, or pay out the nose for something premade. I even started buying flours and starches in bulk and mixing my own gluten free flour mix, which costs me a quarter of what a premade mix costs.

Did I mention that I'm a defective homemaker? Well I am. I hate to cook. I hate to clean. I don't live to serve others. I work. I require an artistic outlet lest I go insane. And now I homeschool a first grader to boot.

Did I also mention that I'm insanely busy?

But this is where my crazy organizing skills come into play. I love to organize. I live to organize. Organizing is my friend. I actually had someone tell me once, "you're too damn organized". Of course I laughed because you can never be too organized. But I digress...

In the midst of all of this craziness, I didn't make time to post on my blog. Because I've been teaching. And baking. And cooking. And cleaning. And working. And banging my head against the wall. And scraping together some time to do something - anything - creative to keep from going bat poop crazy. And many days, falling into a deep depression because everything seems so overwhelming. And so unfair to my innocent little boy.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. All the hard work I've been doing with our finances have been paying off. We are now spending.......drumroll please.....less than half what we were before on groceries and eating out. And I'm hoping to get it down even further. Eventually. Baby steps.

I've been able to work with Roman on his fine motor skills through handwriting. And because we are homeschooling, I can make sure that he uses his pencil grip every single time. And make sure that he is having a great time learning. We also started using a chart where Roman can earn "Superflex bonus points", a.k.a. quarters. If he does something flexible, something outside of his usual comfort zone, then he gets a bonus point. Seeing what lego sets he can learn by being flexible has really helped him grow. Tonight he even tried sweet and sour sauce! Which is huge - this is a kid who doesn't like sauce, frosting or glaze at all. Even on his birthday, his cupcake had to be frosting-free. His occupational therapist would be proud :)

So....in a really long, wordy, drawn-out nutshell, that's what's been going on with us recently. But we are happy, healthy and grateful for all the blessings that we have in our life. With the holidays fast approaching, my favorite creative outlet of all is coming, December Daily. I am so excited!

So stay tuned, I'll be uploading a few videos about my album this year in the next few days. I've challenged myself to only use materials that I have on hand. That's right, I'm not allowed to buy anything this year. Not even a piece of paper. Nada. Zip. Challenge accepted. Bring it on.

Aloha

Hello from Maui!

Our whole family is here for my little sister's wedding.

So thankful for this great trip.

Thankful that we could use miles for our tickets.

Thankful that my parents could use their timeshare for our room.

Thankful for my new brother in law.

Thankful that Roman is having a great time after a rocky start.

Thankful for amazing friends watching our animals while we're gone.

Thankful for relaxation and the ability to take it easy.

I have taken about 500 pictures so far. Yes, 500. Thankfully my father brought his laptop so I could empty the camera every day and go through our photos so it won't be so daunting when we get home.  Before we left, I took the Scrapbook on the Road class from Ali Edwards.  She had some great tips as far as what to do to make sure that you document your trip.

I've been making sure to keep everything and write everything down, if not during the day then when we get home at night. There are so many stories that I've written down that I know I would forget about if I waited until I got home. Lots of writing going on over here.

I've been happy to see the amount of local artists here, able to make a living from tourism. Although for every artist here, that are twice as many "discount" shops selling the same products made in china (which is really weird to me). I found one gal who makes and sells macaroons (gluten free!). Let me start by saying that I've never liked macaroons. I LOVE her macaroons. Love them. So fresh and light and good. Just another example of how you get what you pay for.

While it has been fun on vacation, I'm really looking forward to coming home. I miss our house, our weather (I may be the only one on the planet who likes cold weather), our pets and my graphic design work.

Until next time...aloha and mahalo for visiting!

In honor of celiac awareness month

Here is my story.

I've always been a high strung person. Super type A, very driven. But I was also highly, highly sensitive. Things that wouldn't bother someone else drove me up the wall. And I was hungry all the time. I remember being a kid and thinking that I just needed more food than other people, and that was the way it was.

Fast forward to early adulthood. I was diagnosed with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) around 24 years old. Still hungry all the time, still easily irritated. Stomach problems were almost a daily thing for me.

Then I had my son in 2005 and was soon after diagnosed with post partum depression and anxiety and panic disorder. Thankfully I never had any thoughts of harming myself or my kiddo, but it was a struggle just to function every day.

My symptoms continued until October 2010 when things took a bad turn. I started having severe stomach problems, running to the bathroom 20+ times a day (vomiting and....other things). For a solid month I lived on brown rice and bananas while they did test after test to find out what was wrong with me. Then they did a blood test for celiac disease. My Dr. called and told me that my levels weren't just elevated, they were through the roof. But that wasn't enough to diagnose me, I had a colonoscopy and a sigmoidoscopy and the diagnosis? I had celiac disease.

How long have I had celiac disease? I think that I've had a gluten sensitivity all my life that turned into full blown celiac after my son was born.

Since my diagnosis in November 2010, I have noticed a huge change in my health, my appetite and even my moods. I haven't touched a single speck of gluten intentionally (I've been "gluten-ed" by accident a few times) since then. While I've never been much of a cook, I've been making things that I would normally buy at the store. Soups, breads, cakes, desserts. And I've discovered a huge love of quinoa - I can't get enough of the stuff.

I had a big breakthrough this past Easter weekend. We had Roman's cousins over for a few hours for a visit, plus a friend from next door came over to play too. So there were five kids playing and running around while I was trying to bake a cake while my husband was mowing the lawn outside with the window open. For me, that usually means the stress of the kids being too loud (and me worrying about the kids hurting themselves, making a mess, etc.), the stress of making the cake and the noise of the lawn mower. And of course all things happening at once makes it infinitely worse.

I realized while I was mixing up the cake that I was smiling. And then I realized all the potential stressors that were going around me and I nearly burst out crying - I didn't feel any stress. None. I was thankful to hear the lawnmower outside because that meant it was spring, I was thankful to hear the kids playing all around me and I was happy to bake the cake. But most of all I felt this overwhelming comforting calmness that I have never felt before. I was able to function.

I’ve also lost 20 pounds without trying because I’m not hungry all the time as well. And the food that I'm eating now is amazing - fresh, organic, whole grain, whole foods.

My body is still in the process of healing itself. They say it takes six months to a year for your body to completely heal from all the damage gluten does.

Thank you for reading my story. And if you have similar symptoms to mine at all, PLEASE get tested. Only a small percentage of people who have celiac disease know they have it.

organizing my gluten-free flours

My bins have arrived!

I looked long and hard to find a good way of storing my gluten-free flours. I naturally wanted Tupperware because that's what I've used all my life. But its expensive. Really expensive. So I kept researching and ended up with Cambro square containers in 4qt and 2qt.  I think these are the same ones that Alton Brown uses on "Good Eats" (my favorite cooking show - if you haven't heard of it you really need to check it out). 

Amazon has Cambro containers, but the best price I found was from a company called The Webstaurant Store. If you're going to go that route (and I highly recommend you do), you have to purchase the lids separately.  Lucky for me, the lids for 2qt and 4qt containers are the same.

The flours/items I put in my 4qt containers are brown rice flour, almond flour, quinoa flour, corn flour, rice bran, brown rice, quinoa and sugar.  I use 2qt containers for cornstarch, potato starch, sweet white rice flour and a brown rice flour mix I use for baking.

Another change?  I'm putting my flours in the freezer now - something I've never done. I just have to plan ahead and remember to take them out about an hour or so before I want to use them - they need to come to room temperature first.

I also realized that I forgot containers for my gluten-free oats and tapioca flour too. I'll get truly organized here one day. Going gluten-free is really a whole new ballgame. Especially for someone like me who isn't really that into cooking and baking. But I'm slowly getting there.

Gluten free bread success

After making gluten-free bread for a little over a month, I have made my yummiest loaf yet.

Here is the recipe,

- 3 eggs

- 1 Tablespoon cider vinegar

- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

- 1/4 cup honey

- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1 Tablespoon xanthan gum

- 1/3 cup cornstarch

- 1/2 cup potato starch

- 1/2 cup quinoa flour

- 2 1/4 cups brown rice flour

- 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

And here's how you do it.

1.  Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order listed, making sure not to let the yeast come in contact with the wet ingredients.

2. Select the sweet dough cycle. Five minutes into the cycle, scrape down the sides of the pan if needed.

3. When bread is finished, let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before removing from the pan.

4. Nom.

I used the basic white bread recipe from Allrecipes.com, but instead of white rice flour I use brown, and instead of soy flour, I use either tapioca or quinoa flour.

While my husband has yet to be converted (he is super, SUPER picky about texture), our son and I absolutely love it. And I tell you, there is nothing better than your child taking a bite and then telling you that its the best bread ever. {sigh}.  If you have any other great GF bread machine recipes, please leave a comment!  I am always looking to branch out.

Hopefully coming tomorrow will be a post on organizing the plethora of flours, starches and gums that come with gluten-free baking. It all depends if FedEx comes through with my package of organizing supplies. More to come soon!

the benefits of celiac disease & money matters

Happy February everyone!  Well it has been a full two weeks since we have had any take out for dinner. While this may not be a big feat for most, it is unfortunately, for me.

While I am good at many things, cooking isn't one of them.

But since my celiac diagnosis in November, I had to choose between learning how to cook and bake or spend twice as much at the grocery store. Because the latter wasn't an option for us, I opened up to a new world of cooking and baking.

And you know what?  I kind of like it.

My parents got us a bread maker for Christmas and I absolutely love it.  I've made about two loaves per week since we got it (my son LOVES the homemade GF bread).  And as far as dinners go, its been pretty easy - most of the stuff I made was gluten-free anyway.  But I did have to make some substitutions, which is totally okay.

But the good news is that we are keeping our grocery/eating out bills at a minimum.  After moving to our new house, we have a larger mortgage which is much harder to get used to than I thought it would be (we live in an expensive part of the country. Not California expensive, but close). So we are looking at all of our options to save money and focus on what matters most.

We cancelled cable. We use our cell phones as our home phone. We stopped any and all unnecessary spending. We cook more. We stopped eating out. We lowered the thermostat.

And you know what?  Its working out. Having a tight budget feeds my creativity.  I used to think that it would hinder it (not being able to spend money on scrapbooking supplies, or artsy stuff), but being limited to what you have on hand and making it work takes a lot of creativity. And thankfully, I have plenty of that to spread around.

So I am off to bake yet another loaf of gluten-free bread and to get some laundry done before I pick up Roman from school. I hope you all have a creative day and are able to focus on what matters most to you and your family today.

livin' gluten-free

After a loooong absence, I am back!  I have been having some health problems lately and I just found out this past month that I have celiac disease. Meaning I can't have gluten or my body attacks itself (its an auto-immune disease).  I have been having mild to moderate symptoms almost my whole life and severe symptoms only this past month.  So I had a blood test and both an endoscopy and a colonoscopy and celiac it is!

Thankfully we live in a day and age where there are TONS of options out there. Tons.  My local grocery store even has a different colored price tag for items that are gluten free.  It makes things much, much easier.

My body is slowly healing itself after all the craziness and I can really tell a difference.  I'm more awake and alert (without coffee....I know, crazy right?), I generally feel better - I'm not dragging so much, and of course there is the ability to eat without being in the bathroom for hours at a time.

This was also my first gluten-free Thanksgiving. For those of you that know me, I can't cook.  It stresses me out and I would much rather be doing other things.  But I made my very first pumpkin pie this year...and a gluten-free one at that.  And wonders of wonders...it was really good!  Chalk one up for my ability to follow a recipe!

I have a bunch of fun things coming up, my December Daily base pages as well as a fun Advent calendar project I just finished up as well.  So stay tuned sports fans, I'm back and better than ever!