Our Newest Hurdle

I would like to apologize for not being more active on here as well as my FB page. I wanted to explain why, but deciding to share something so personal takes a while to work up the courage to do.

I debated on whether or not to share this with you all. I mean, technically I don't know all of you personally and I've not even told my closest friends yet. In fact aside from my immediate few family members and my docs, no one knows.

It isn't anything truly awful I suppose, but just like when you're diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I'm sure I will hear it all....your diet did this, or you should've lost weight sooner, or something along those lines. With my type 2 diabetes though, it was genetic. Simply put, no amount of great diet, or weight was going to stop it from getting me!

Over the last few months, I've been getting more and more exhausted, despite having my blood sugar under control and eating a more controlled diet. I didn't understand why though, I was even angry at myself for being so tired. Well, after months and months of that exhaustion level rising and rising and rising and this uncomfortable feeling under right rib, getting more and more uncomfortable, it finally turned to pain this last Wednesday. Enough, after 2 days to drive me to the doctor, and I don't generally go, unless forced to.

Thursday afternoon, I received a call from my doctor's office, telling me that I have second stage liver disease, aka NASH (Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis). What this means is that for some reason, my liver has begun to store fat and is now enlarged. This is the uncomfortable feeling I've had under my rib for the last year or so. They (the doc's office), is working through some insurance red tape to get me in for a biopsy to determine how far into NASH I am.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that if I can give my liver a break as it were, from processing any high fats, chemicals, etc. I can work my way back down slowly or hold my liver here for a while. So, I am learning and working with a wonderful group of individuals who have NAFLD (Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease) or NASH or whose children have it. Some of them have had to have transplants, others have slowly worked their livers from toward the end of stage 3 to the beginning and other have held their's where it is, in NASH, and done so successfully for years.

I share this because, I've shared everything about our lives here. I've tried to give you an honest look into what is becoming more and more, a typical blue collar home. The more our life is out there, the more people may talk about Autism, Tourette Syndrome, Dyspraxia, SPD, etc. The more it makes those of us with all these things in our lives feel less alone. So, I shared this in the hopes that maybe a little light will get shone on this as well. I read an article that said something like 1 in 10 have this and do not know. There are no signs, until the exhaustion starts and that can be any number of things. They said two things that struck me: One, that I have had this for years, most likely a decade or more and didn't know. And two, that I am lucky, that most people don't come in until there is already cirrhosis of the liver!

I shared this not for sympathy, in fact this is the reason I haven't told any of my friends - I'm not a big fan of sympathy. I shared it because, this is our life and most likely the lives of many others out there. It also explains to you and me, why sometimes I just haven't the energy to get to doing all the bloggy things I used to do all the time. I'm working on this though and hopefully will have good news to report eventually!

My nephews are coming over today, so I've got to tidy up and get breakfast going around here. I hope that you all are having a great weekend!

Gluten Free/Dairy Free (Eggs & Milk Free) Onion Rings

The hardest part about going not only dairy free, but gluten free as well is the loss of those beloved comfort foods. Well, at least it is for me. I mean, technically I can still eat all those great foods (even as a diabetic), but that is hardly fair to the boys as they sit there watching me salivate over my goodies. So, of course I try to eat as they do.

One of the hardest things for them to give up though was onion rings. I seriously don't see the big whoop though because I am seriously not a fan of onions. To be honest, I've only just started to cook with them in the last few years of my 30-some years of life. Yes, I am that picky! Anyway, I stumbled on this one recipe that just didn't quite work for us after a while. No matter what I did, each time I made them, each batch was worse and worse. Naturally, I tweaked it until we came out with probably the most delicious onions rings I've ever tasted - though to be fair, I've obviously never tasted an onion ring before now. That being said, I swear these guys are so gosh darned good, even I could sit down and eat nothing but, onion rings!

Apologies for not so great photo, I'd just found out that my youngest had erased my entire memory card and did not pay attention to lighting or settings....love how they figure those things out! 

Gluten Free/Dairy Free Onion Rings
1 cp of All Purpose GF flour*
1/2 - 1 tsp onion powder
1/2 - 1 tsp chili seasoning**
1/2 - 3/4 tsp hamburger seasoning
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp of ground pepper
1 onion, sliced into rings (or however you like)
1 cp of water

* I've had to do what I think is about 1 1/4 cps of flour most the time. If your batter is a little too runny, slowly add more flour.
** I use Root Cellar's Garden homemade chili seasoning for this.


Super easy directions:
Heat your oil while you get your ingredients together and mixed. Slice your rings.
Add all ingredients in a bowl. (I mix the dry all together before adding the water.) Let it sit for a few minutes.

Drop your rings into the batter. Using tongs, move around and dredge the rings in the batter until nicely coated. That's it! Just CAREFULLY place your rings, one at a time, into the oil. Yes, it's tempting to drop several in at once but, then they literally stick together. Do it one at a time, as good old AB (Alton Brown) always says, "Your patience will be rewarded".

Remove to a paper towel lined plate or a cooling wrack over the top of a cookie sheet, whatever you've got to do, will work. I used paper towels, because I was just too rushed to do another set of dishes. Ok, ok, you can call it lazy, today I'm not offended by that. I'm channeling my inner Garfield. :)

If you so need, sprinkle a little salt on them while they're fresh out of the oil and let cool.

I promise you, when you're done, you will thoroughly enjoy the rewards of a job well done. I'm not joking when I say that I seriously couldn't stop nibbling when I perfected this recipe! Did I mention that I seriously abhor onions?! It wasn't just me either, my mother, Mr. Blue Collar and even my stepson couldn't keep their hands out of the finished batch. I think I only managed to save half a batch to my freezer for future use. They are so tasty!

Alright, I promise, no more forcing my new found love of onions on you. If you try this, I hope that you enjoy it!

P.S. This batter for these onion rings is loved so much, my oldest son even asks me to make his fish sticks with it!

The Honest Life Book Review

The Honest Life...alright, I'm just going to say it. I was totally against the name of this book. I mean really a Hollywood actress with a million dollar lifestyle...what is she going to say to me that is going to even be the littlest bit relatable to me?

I ate my words. I mean it. I completely and utterly was so judgmental!

I am a mother, who like Jessica, did my research and was horrified at what they've put out there for our families to eat, to use in their daily lives, etc.. At the time though I was almost completely overwhelmed and sort circuited. Jessica though, took it and ran with it.

Why I loved her book:

She tells you why eating organic and/or locally is important, but does it in a manner that doesn't make you feel horrible if this is something that you can't afford to do. She addresses the dirty dozen and the clean fifteen, GMOs, seasonal produce but, doesn't demand we all pop out and start growing our own food. She even admits she has a "black thumb" where growing things is concerned.

She tackled the cleaning area of "Honest living", by talking about VOCs, Hepa filters, dust, mold, etc. She even tells you more than once in her book that you don't have to go buy her company's products that you can do it yourself or find something else that works. As a matter of fact, she even goes so far as to give you several recipes for cleaning supplies!

I'm not much of a girly girl. I mean I literally brush my hair, slap it in a ponytail and go, but if you are, she has you covered there as well. From make ups you should watch out for to masks you can make yourself, she's thought of it all. Yes, including fashion, for all you fashionistas out there!

I think my favorite part of the book was the back. Not very exciting I know but, I'm the kind of rushed mom that needs all my info literally in one place or I'm never going to find it. Yes, I am one of those 'I put it in a place so I wouldn't forget - and forget where that place is' kind of girls! So, the back filled with great charts that tell you which fish is a safer choice, where you can go to learn more or the list of  "dishonest" ingredients" is perfect for me.


Overall, I was really impressed. She admits she is "just a mom" and tells you to go find these things out for yourself. So many places in the book she acknowledges that not everyone can afford to do what she does, and turns around and gives you practical advice on how you can do the best that you can in an area.

In this day and age where so many celebrities endorse products, or their own companies and tell you that their product is the best way, or the only way. She's not afraid to say, hey here's another option you can try. Or here's a suggestion on how you can make this work for you and your family. There is some kind of respect that a celebrity can gain in my book if you can not only acknowledge those out there who make less than you do but, then offer them an alternative to help themselves.

It's Honest-ly refreshing! I would recommend this book to anyone.

 You can get her book here or visit her company's page here: 

I was not paid or compensated to endorse this book, the review is my own.

Real Life: Why we are milk and gluten protein free!

Since I have been posting a lot of dairy free, gluten free and/or allergy free things on my FB page, I thought that maybe I should tell you all why. I've mentioned it in passing before but, it's time to share a bit more of our life with you all.

My boys at the Special People day at the local Shriner's Circus.

It started when DW my oldest son, was born with something called MSPI (milk/soy protein intolerance). It apparently only happens in the midwest and/or if you're from the midwest. I'm thinking our diet is most likely to blame but, who knows really. It is when the little guys or gals can't digest milk and/or soy proteins. Some kiddos get this worse than others, while others simply switch to a soy milk or if breast feeding, the mom switches to a few things and your kiddo is almost as good as new. My two little guys though, they happened to get probably one of the worst cases our doctor had ever seen.

 DW was admitted to the hospital twice for failure to thrive, dehydration and malabsorption issues all due to his MSPI. I was advised then to stop breast feeding and switch to a soy formula. We didn't know any different and followed doctor's advice. Which led to switching from a soy formula to a another formula, to another and another until my son was put on NG (Nasal Gastric tube) feeds on a 24hr pump. That lasted for 6 months. Where they literally just dripped food in by the hour - DRIPPED IT IN!  They wanted to do a TPN but, feared he would not survive, that's how bad off he was. That's when we landed on something called Vivenex T.E.N. and he could tolerate it, it was a godsend. Horrible, awful stuff really. Given to people in a vegetative state. So you can imagine how truly tasty it really was. When he ripped his tube out at 10 months old, I asked the doc if we could try it without the tube and we were able to do that successfully. By 2yrs old though, we were told that he'd outgrow his MSPI and to go about our lives. So, we did just that.

Two years before my youngest was born, DW was diagnosed with something called functional abdominal pain. What did that mean? That they could find no reason for his stomach pain, even after he was scoped at both ends! He would just double over in the fetal position for hours sometimes, other times, just minutes. Yet, afterwards he'd sit up and eat, drink and even talk, like it never happened. As you can imagine though, it wasn't conducive to weight gain, let alone maintaining his weight. There are theories that it is some form of stomach migraine, food protein sensitivities, to psychosomatic. They gave us a medication and said in time it would help his pain and even his appetite, as he was still small in size. I was never really sure that it worked really but, I was scared so we went with it.

Flash forward to when my youngest was born. I breastfed him the entire time. 3 months in, like clockwork, he began the screaming that MSPI entails - not fussing or even crying, SCREAMING! I stayed breastfeeding him this time though and thoroughly changed my diet, but like his brother, he was extremely sensitive to just about everything. Still, I was determined to breast feed until he was 2 years old! By the time he was 12 months old though, I decided that there was only so many times I could eat ground turkey, sweet potatoes, brown rice, green beans and just a couple of other things. Literally a very narrow diet.

JD at his 1st birthday, with his diary free cake. He was a big fan of the frosting! 

By the time JD, my youngest, was 2 years old, DW was now in constant pain and no one could tell me why. His failure to thrive diagnosis was still in place and in fact, he'd lost even more weight and only wanted to eat macaroni and cheese and ice cream! Which jogged my memory. I'd read an article during my MSPI research that sometimes the things we're most allergic to become the things we crave! So, with a little nudge from a wonderful friend, the lady behind Sensory Street Inc. on FB, named Ida, the very next morning I removed milk/casein from both of their diets again and changed their vitamin supplements to something a little more easily digestible. Liquid, no preservatives, gluten, dairy, etc. free.

DW, 6 years old, pale, and a few months away from almost being put in hospital in 2010.

Within a week, he was eating more things, his pallor improved so dramatically it was almost scary! Within a couple of months, he went from 8 medications down to 5 and of those 5 left, I was able to get 2 of them to half strength or to the lowest dose possible! Which was progress. I'm not one of those moms that can just give their kids meds and be ok with it. Even though he's taken them for years, I cry before every new drug, no matter how small the dose. So, to loose them or shrink them, made me feel fantastic.

Flash forward a few months and every disorder that this boy had, was so much milder, it was like living with a different kid period! His tics from his TS (Tourette Syndrome) were so much milder mainly. He went from ticcing so hard, he couldn't walk, he was beating himself up, he couldn't finish a sentence (partly due to tics and partly due to his OCD that made him have to start the sentence over every time a tic stopped him from talking straight through). He went from having coprolalia - that would be what the general population thinks of when they hear Tourette Syndrom, to never expressing an urge to do it! The change in just his TS alone was mind blowing!

It peaked my interest for sure. So, like any science geek, I did the research, read articles, bought numerous books, listened to online lectures from scientists and doctors. As my step-son says, I "got my geek on"! I learned how or why this might happen and what I learned, changed the way that I look at food, how we feed ourselves, our crops, and the pharmaceutical companies too! No worries, I'm not going to lecture you, promise. This was just our journey and it's not for everyone. So, if you want to know more, ask and I'll tell you but, otherwise, no preaching here! :)

Over time, we began to go organic as much as we could afford to do above and beyond the milk free stuff we had to buy.

Flash forward another 2 years..
My oldest, DW, is getting poked and prodded for what must me the millionth time in his little life. I was holding his skinny, little, legs down while these sterile nurses attempted to get blood from his pale, little hand. I looked down at his teared streaked face and thought, "What am I doing? Why are we doing this again?!". It was at that moment I realized that instead of continually drawing blood to check for Celiac disease yet again, let's just go gluten free to save the trouble! My son has shown every indication/symptom of Celiac apparently all these years. When they'd check him though, he'd test negative. So, they said, let's check him every 6 months - 12 months....which for some insane reason I agreed to. After my epiphany though, we haven't had to go back! And yes, I put my other son on a gluten free too. I mean DW was allergic to strawberries and JD had followed suite, DW was sensitive to peanuts and JD followed suite. So, chances are that if one was sensitive to gluten, then the other one was or would be. So, why not?

Was it easy? No! As a matter of fact, he actually had what a neurologist/psychologist who knows his stuff said, was severe withdrawal symptoms from the gluten! He had a violent breakdown in the OT/PT's office that was like something he had as a wee child before we removed him from milk. It was INTENSE!

DW just this February after he woke and brought his menagerie of animals with him. 

That breakdown was on day 4 of going gluten free. By the end of that week, he was almost neuro-typical! I ask him to pick up and like a typical 8yr old he grumbles, protests and then....picks up! He still tics, but his aggression is next to nil now. He actually smiles and laughs a lot! He's currently in the process of being knocked down on his ADHD meds and his OCD/Anxiety meds as well! Oh and his appetite improved by leaps and bounds!! He went from barely eating anything for breakfast, to wanting 4 gfcf pancakes! He went from avidly avoiding anything he'd never eaten before to actively agreeing to try at least one bite of new foods. Which is a HUGE sensory thing in my house and something both boys are super sensitive to.

As for my youngest when he went gluten free...

My silly little jokster at our local zoo. 

Newly diagnosed with ASD in November, I was given an ADHD med to put him on. I cried for 2 days before I put him on it but, I did so because I knew I couldn't handle him as he was. This kiddo was all over the place! I went to the bathroom one time...literally not even a single minute: 60 seconds....in that time, he had stacked enough things up to get to the things I'd put on top of the fridge! He was like a wind up toy without anything to wear him down! His therapists would continually tell me that I needed to work on his attention span at home....does anyone know how to do that?! When I would ask, none of them could even give me an idea on how to do this. So, it wasn't just me struggling with this sweet little boy. I loved him though and didn't want to loose his silliness, and I knew meds might do that to him, so it was heartbreaking to do.


Shortly after going gluten free, he got sick, the first time in his whole little life he's ever gotten sick period. He was always my healthy ox! A poster child for a breastfed baby, he never really got a cold even until this last year! He was loosing things from top and bottom. So, I don't typically give them their ADHD meds when they are that sick. He was sick for 6 days and at the end of those 6 days without meds and being gluten free, he was calmer - much calmer. Now, I know it takes time for those meds that have built up in his body to fully dissipate but, the difference in just that short of a time was distinct.

He's still a little wilder than the neighbor boys but, still way more still than he was before. His ASD traits

show a little more, like when he prefers to sit in the room with me but, not want to play or talk to anyone but, he is TONS calmer! He is actively trying to be silly again, he smiles, laughs...still avoids too much eye contact but, he's medication free now and he seems happier and healthier all around. It did not make the impact on him as much as it did for my older child and there are some theories as to why. Mostly they hold that his premature birth and lack of oxygen at birth contributed to his current neurological predicaments but, that's ok. He's still my little man!

Did I go gluten free for a behavior change? No, I didn't. I did it for the health of my oldest son. What happened in the process though was worth it alone. Since that time, I got my "geek on" a lot more and have learned TONS of information on why this might've happened. Do I preach to the masses? Not always. If asked, then yes but, generally I understand that not everyone believes in this, I used to be one of them. I understand that not everyone is blessed enough with being able to afford the things that we've had to do. My husband doesn't make a ton of money but, he does make more than your average burger flipper. Which has entailed us to slowly figure out how to do what we've done over the years.

So, if I share a lot about gluten free and/or milk free, or organics, or a bit more whole foods a lot on my FB page or Pinterest page, this is why. These boys are my whole world and getting them to where they are today is worth pinching and stretching every penny to me.

Do I force my opinions or experience on everyone else? No! This is just our experiences. And I say again, I realize that not all of us can afford to eat this way. We did it slowly, one thing at a time over the course of 4 years. It's tight sometimes, a lot more than we'd all like but, their neurological and physical health is worth it to us. And no, I don't condemn or look down at anyone who doesn't do this!

I shared this so that some of you who've messaged me can get an answer to why I termed my page and blog "Blue Collar" but, then speak of organics, dairy free and/or gluten free recipes or post things about health that might seem bizarre to the general public. I do not think that we all can afford this kind of stuff but, when you have to for the health of your children, you learn to cut corners. Like cable, we do not have cable - shocking I know. We do not have voicemail, call waiting, caller ID or anything like that. We have a straight land line phone for emergencies and I have a very cheap cell phone, with no real perks, that I keep with me in case something goes wrong while out at one of their appointments or anything like that. We buy our zoo membership, children's museum memberships etc. with our tax refunds because otherwise we'd have no way to afford that normally. So yes, I realize that we all can't afford to eat this way, nor do the things that we've done and I don't look down on anyone who can't. This is just OUR life, it may not work for you but, diversity is what life is all about! Right?

Hope this answers some of your questions you may have on why I share what I share as far as organics, GMOs, health, etc. goes. I hope you all have a wonderful week everyone!

Gluten Free "Ketchup Burger" or BBQ burgers...You decide!

Weird title for a blog post, I know. Here's the thing, sometimes when we get on a roll here, we are on a roll and can't be stopped. And maybe sometimes I get a bit distracted and don't necessarily get all my ducks lined up in a row before I begin a recipe. Every now and again though, they turn out pretty tasty, this happens to be one of those recipes!

I was bopping along when I realized that I had no gf Worcestershire sauce. Mistake realized, I just kept going in the hopes that it would turn out well, it smelled great, so why not? Daring, I know!

I would site where I got the recipe from but, apparently in my haste, I'd scribbled it on a piece of paper and no mention of where I got it from...worried that I was going to loose it was partially the reason for this post! ;)  If you figure it out, by all means share and I'll definitely give credit where credit is due!

Photo courtesy of: DW my oldest son. Love this kid!

Ketchup Burgers:
1/2 cp of ketchup
2tbs brown sugar
1 tbs dijon mustard
1tbs honey*
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tbs molasses
(for BBQ burgers: 2tbs of Worcestershire sauce)

• Mix together in a bowl and add whatever amount of sauce you desire atop of any burger, as you grill it. Or do what we do and mix a little of it in a burger. 
• Now, I don't always have the dijon mustard on hand either. So, in those times, while it's not the same, I will use an equal amount of honey and regular mustard. 
• *Normally we use raw honey but, when I'm making BBQ like things or sauces like this, I use cinnamon honey. In particular I used Better Bee's cinnamon honey in this recipe. 
• Also, we used crushed GF pretzels in our burgers as well, so if you can do gluten, bread crumbs or crackers could be good. Otherwise, if you're GF and not an airhead like me on a bad day, you can prepare and use your own GF breadcrumbs. 

We make these so often, we no longer really make a batch of BBQ sauce, we just eyeball the ingredients and add straight to our ground meat, along with several cloves of diced or chopped garlic, and a bit of salt and pepper to taste.

So, how did we get the name "Ketchup Burgers"? Well, my son who never wants to try anything new, agreed to try them when he saw me putting ketchup into the burgers. Well, long story short, we also happened to not have GF Worcestershire sauce on hand either. Though I'll be honest, they still tasted amazing! Anyway, when I told him it was lunch time, he asked if these were the ketchup burgers. The name just stuck! Whether you want Ketchup Burgers or make the BBQ sauce, well that's for you to decide!

Hope you all are having a fantastic day! If not, grab a glass of tea and enjoy the signs of spring we're finally seeing!

Soup-er Bowls

Alright, so here's where you understand that I grew up in small, farmville, middle of nowhere Nebraska. Where you didn't go to the big super stores except for monthly and if you had to go shopping in town, it cost an arm and a leg! So, when you went shopping, you stocked up.

I am not the lets buy groceries for a few days type of gal, nor am I the lets stock up for a few weeks kind of gal either. In the heartland, you learn winters can be hard and long. Storm seasons come and go and can knock you round and round. No big cities nearby for most of us to get flashlight batteries or water, etc. Out there, you learn to make sure you have what you need on hand.

So, once or twice a year, I stock up on supplies for the whole family. That's right 6 months minimum of food or cooking/baking basics. Whatever I know we'll need, and yes, it takes me a bit to figure out a year's worth of liquid vitamins for the boys, or how much flour I might need. As you can imagine, places like Sam's club or Costco have become like family! :)

Why tell you this? Because once or twice a year, I go through my vacuum sealed foods, or boxes, cans, etc. and see what is about to expire or needs to be used. Today I discovered gluten free/dairy free bisquick and cans of soup where ready to be taken out of rotation. So, that is what I needed to use, for the Super Bowl! Hence: Soup-er Bowls, complete with side of biscuits! :)

Three things to note here. One, my camera is sucking batteries dry so, we're once again stuck with BAD cell phone pictures. Two, look at my colorful, pretty handmade pot holders, I so love them! And three, keep in mind that measuring and I....were not so much friends as we are acquaintances. I prefer to "eyeball it" most of the time.



Ingredients:
Garlic powder, or fresh ground, dehydrated garlic
Salt & Pepper
1 can of your favorite soup
several garlic cloves, minced
shredded cheese, or not, this one is your call
Bisquick (+ milk) or even the store bought ones in a "whomp em" can

I just minced a bunch of garlic up ahead of time.

Then I doubled the biscuit recipe on the back of the box. Which was only Bisquick and some milk. I added garlic powder, salt and pepper to the mix. Then I roll it out on a floured surface. Well, most of the time I did but, with my youngest asking to fulfill his "kitchen helper" roll, occasionally we may have just rolled them into balls and flattened them out with our hands! The trick is to get them pretty thin but, not tear holes in them. They also need to be big enough to act as the bottom, sides and top of your 'bowl'.

I placed our circles into a non-stick muffin tin, making sure to press them down around the bottom. With a bit of spillage over the top. They should kind of look like you had and alien explode out of your chest.......or at least this is what my hubby and stepson compared it too!

Now then, if you're still not grossed out, or happen to live in an all male world as I do, you're good to continue then! :)

Next, pop open your can of soup or use your own homemade soup, whatever you want. Mix in the garlic cloves and cheese, if you chose to use them. Spoon in just enough to almost if not fill your cup, if you dare! Then use some water to rub along the edges of your biscuit and fold over in over the top, pinching where the edges meet another. Do this all the way around the top. This is important because if they're not sealed, you can end up with a little mess but, trust me, they're so good and easy to make, any mess is worth it!

Anyway, once they're pulled over, and sealed all around. Pop them in a 350 degree (Fahrenheit) oven for about 45 minutes or until they're turning golden on top.

Let them cool for a bit, then remove them. You may need a flat knife just to help raise them up enough to pull out of the tins. Serve them as is and enjoy or....when you flip the top off, you have an instant biscuit that you can butter or put honey on. Just as proper Midwesterners eat soup, with bread or biscuits! A meal in one, you can't beat that, right?

Is this diabetic friendly? If you have to ask, you shouldn't be eating it! Is it healthy? Well, there are carrots, and potatoes...some protein, a starch....hmmm. I'm going to plead the fifth on this one!

Hope you had a great game and congratulations to the Ravens fans! I'm signing off to go tuck a little monster back in bed!

Homeschooling

Today is not the typical recipe or neat thing I found on the internet. I know, I throw these at you all when you least expect them! Today, I share a part of my real life and as many of you know, I tend to be honest about our struggles, our joys and our real life issues. So, far in the last year alone I've thrown deafness/hard of hearing issues, alcoholism, autism, Tourette syndrome, ADHD, OCD, Sensory Processing Disorder, etc. at you all. To be fair, you've all handled it really nicely! I will say that I get a lot of questions about having kiddos with these various disorders but, the thing I get the most questions about is homeschooling. Which considering I grew up publicly educated, seems to buck the norm.

JD picked yellow as his color of the day. So, he's picking yellow things out of the picture cards, while he eats his yellow snack. It took him six months of work with his speech and occupational therapists, as well as daily work at home to even be able to do his colors! So, we brush up on them every now and again.

JD practicing with the leftover beans he used to make his name earlier. He traced the numbers and then was working on putting the correct number of beans in each square. Towards the number eight, I began to loose him though! lol He kept at it though.


People are curious about the motivations behind it, or how I do it with two special needs kiddos, or my personal favorite, "what about socialization?". So, here I am, outspoken momma of two special needs boys who homeschools, answering just a few questions that I get asked all the time. Maybe it will help someone out there decide whether to go for it or not. Maybe it will open eyes that there is not only one "type" of  homeschooler out there! Maybe it will help those of  you out there who think that homeschoolers let their kids run amok! Yes, I get that remark on occasion too! Or maybe it will just satisfy your curiosity about what goes on in at least one homeschooler's home. Kind of like when you catch yourself reading those trashy magazines in line at the grocery store and you just want a peek behind the curtain! Speaking of, I read the titles on those and maybe it's that country girl who didn't really care what anyone else was doing, I just wanted my bull J.C. and a good book or maybe it's just me but, I have no idea who half of these people are on the magazine covers! Yes, I fully admit it, I am not a reality T.V. junkie, which apparently is who half of these people are. I'm the nerdy girl who sits up watching Morgan Freeman's Through the Wormhole, or The Universe but, I digress. Back to homeschooling...

JD practicing tracing his numbers. He wanted to work on the chalkboard that day, so this is what we did. It's a great idea, according to their OTs!

How did I fall into homeschooling?
And yes, I fell into homeschooing! I had begun homeschooling my oldest by the time he was 2. He knew ALL his colors, his shapes, could name every letter of the alphabet, he was doing 24 piece puzzles all by himself, he was a wiz kid and I had run out of the typical preschooler things to teach him. So, little by little I began working on drawing his letters and numbers as well his name. Seemed like a natural projection of what I'd already been doing. Next thing I knew, I had removed him from a special education preschool, where I fought everyday with the school system, and dove head first into homeschooling.

DW working on handwriting...still! As a kiddo with TS and SPD, he still has issues with handwriting. So, we work on it every single day. I make him trace simple words and then rewrite them on the next line. His handwriting has come far enough along, we are due to stop doing this soon! 

Why did I still choose to homeschool?
I get asked this a lot, a lot! I was once told that I homeschooled because I was too lazy to work. Which I laughed at and turned the other cheek to. I used to be a mover and shaker, getting 6 promotions in 3 months, getting paid to wine and dine clients even. I hated it but, I did it because that's what I got paid to do. So, laziness is not really in my vocabulary, obsessive is, neat freak is, nerd is even, but not lazy. :) And if you ask anyone who homeschools, lazy is not something we get to be!! There's lessons, meals, trying to keep a house in order and outside activities...I could go on, trust me!
I chose to homeschool because it was an extension of my being a mom for me. While other little girls dreamed of their weddings growing up, I dreamed of a Victorian house, with 16 rooms all filled with adopted children (because I was never going to get married), and a homeschool room where they could follow whatever course of study interested and best suited them. Weird, I know but, I don't think I have ever been called normal! :) Anyway, I do not think that you're child being educated in the public school system is wrong in any way but, for me, I not only needed to be there for my oldest as much as I could to help him through whatever issue one or more of his disorders were throwing at him but, I wanted him to have a stress free environment. Ok, as much as it could be "stress free". At home though, he can tic without judgement, he can stand up if he needs to, etc.
Not to mention growing up in farm country, now living in a "big" city - alright no city in Nebraska could be "big" by most standards. It's just that when the only towns you've lived in had a population less than 3,000 and that was counting farmer's dogs, cats, cows, chickens, horses and our donkey Sporty (yes, we had a donkey), towns like Lincoln and Omaha are HUGE. They also bring with it a new set of people, who don't all teach their children the same values or manners that small town folk are used to. I could tell you stories! So, for me, I wanted to pass on the values of saying hello to someone as you pass and look them in the eye, of knowing your neighbors, of manners this next generation has seem to forgotten.

What do you use for curriculum?
I'm a notorious eclectic kind of gal. What does that mean? Well, I have structured curriculum in the house and I use it but, not for everything. Sometimes just as a guide line for what my boys should know by the end of the year. I scour the internet some nights looking for ideas, printable or lesson plans if I think it will work. I even sort of unschool by letting the boys lead me in what they want to learn in some areas. We learn a lot through play because, well they're still young and we can! We do field trips, sometimes to the same place for a different thing. Example: The zoo for penguins this next week and then the aquarium in the spring. That's my favorite thing about homeschooling, I can tailor the lesson and/or speed for where they are. Which a public school can't do.

What about socialization?
I can't tell you how many times I hear this. Quite frankly it makes me go bananas. I mean pull my hair out, run through the street yelling bananas! lol Wouldn't that be a sight! During the spring, summer and fall, we have the entire neighborhood of boys in our house. They love to eat all the goodies I make and have on hand. Most states or areas, have a homeschool support group or community group that gets together and does things like flag football, Lego club, etc. They play, talk with and meet peers all the time! For our boys, we were involved with the local TSA (Tourette Syndrome Association) support group and the Hands and Voices chapter so that my big buy could meet other's like himself and recently, we started going to the local Autism Society's functions to meet other kiddos like both boys but, mainly my youngest.

We still go out and have fun! My son put stickers on my face, so I got to put some on him! :)

Or we go to meet Monster Truck drivers two days before we go to Monster Jam. Which left my ears ringing for hours afterwards. That can happen when you're 4th row from the floor and in front of one of those piles of cars they need to drive over! I should've worn the ear protectors! :D

Or they hang out with the neighbor boys and have a snowball fight, with the biggest kid of all, their dad! :)

Another shot of them rolling down the hill with one of the neighbor boys.

Or one of their favorite things to do though, is spend time with their Papa, which we try and do once a week. We bring him his favorite cookies that we tweaked and my famous granola bars and he builds paper airplanes with them, or plays with magnets, or takes them to the buffalo farm (which they LOVE).

Sorry for the terrible cell phone pictures but, I never seem to have a camera in hand when I need one! :) I shared these so that maybe I can dispel one of the myths that homeschooled children are sheltered. My boys are out and about and have a lot of fun too, whether it's with their peers or with their family. So, please if you don't homeschool, please dismiss the thoughts you have about socialization. Our kiddos get out as much as yours do! Homeschool groups have sports leagues, meetups, co-op teaching groups, etc. we don't lock them in a closet, with no sunlight and only let them see us! :D Yeah, okay no one has ever said that to me....yet, I'm sure someone has thought it though! 

Alright, enough of my rambling. If you stumble upon this and homeschool, I'd love to know what you're favorite part of homeschooling is! For now though, I'm getting ready to take on my self-appointed "kitchen helper" and make spaghetti for dinner. Nothing I love more than kiddos in the kitchen! Truly I do, sometimes though, it's like running an obstacle course with him but, he loves to cook and there's something about him drowning in my apron that makes it all worth while! :)

Recipe Burglar and Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

So, now that I have a working computer, albeit a dinosaur, I thought it was time to share the lovely (and seemingly the favorites around the neighborhood), peanut butter cup cookies. Well...that was the idea anyway but, when I went to find my lovely recipe the other day, it had vanished along with two other ones! I think my wee "kitchen helper" absconded with my recipe cards! So, I will share my back up recipe from Joan over at Chocolate, Chocolate and More.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Her recipe makes about 2 to 2 1/2 dozen, if I remember correctly. It has been a while since I made hers but, trust me, they are delicious! I will share the original version of hers and then how I altered the directions a bit. That's just me, always tweaking, changing and modifying, or so I've been told!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (I add about a full tsp or a smidge more)
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
24-30 mini Reese's peanut butter cups

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar together. Add in peanut butter and beat again until combined. Add egg and vanilla. In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add in flour mixture until they're all combined. Roll into 1 inch balls.
Her directions: Place each ball into the cup of an ungreased mini muffin tin.
What I did: I made 2 inch balls in a regular ungreased muffin tin! 

Bake for 12-14 minutes.
What I did: Bake for allotted time or until just barely turning golden and then removed from the oven. They will look almost undercooked but, keep in mind they will continue cooking as they sit there.

Her directions: Immediately after removing muffin tin from oven, press one Reese's cup into the center of each cookie.
What I did: I inserted Reeses mini PB cups. I let them cool only for anywhere from 2-4 minutes to the aforementioned 10 minutes depending upon how "done" they looked when I removed them. (In other words, how distracted I got before I removed them from the oven! lol)
She had a great notation to put the Reeses in the freezer about 20 -30 minutes prior to start and it is a great tip but, if you don't do this, it's not the end of the world. It just makes things easier. Also another tip I remember was that if you were having difficulty removing them, to use a butter knife to remove them. I believe that is where I got the idea to use it from.

Anyway, either way you make them, they are amazingly delicious. Albeit not diabetic friendly or probably not really healthy but, I can tell you that they are a crowd pleaser. I almost always have to make a double or triple batch...which I don't recommend! It's harder to mix completely the more ingredients you have in one bowl! They're super good though, I am NOT a peanut butter fan at all, never have been and I would make and eat these without the peanut butter cups! Yes, oh yes, it's that good!

Hope you enjoyed her recipe and/or my take on it. If you do, pop by her page, which I've linked above and check out her other goodies! Now, off to find the kitchen helper's hidy holes...I'm not sure I'll ever find them all until he's grown and gone! :)