Allergies

Well I got a phone call from the pediatrician recently. The little man has allergies. He had stopped eating lots of things and we were getting increasingly worried about it. In the last few weeks we have knocked a bunch of things out of our diet and are finding some new favorites. We already didn't do food dyes and some preservatives (petroleum based products) so this has been interesting. Not cheap overall either as we go through trial and error. Not cheap in general- most cheap processed foods are loaded with the first three items on or list of can't eats.

10 things that are allergy or sensitivity inducing foods...

1. wheat
2. soy
3. corn
4. peanuts
5. apples
6. oranges
7. tomatoes
8. raw pears
9. raw peaches
10. raw carrots

10 things we are now enjoying eating

1. corn, soy, wheat free bread when it is toasty hot with butter but not cold with sunbutter
2. rice mac and cheese (rice pasta)
3. baked sweet and white potatoes
4. rice in the crock pot, then served with either milk and honey or cheese
5. frozen mashed bananas
6. steak
7. soda with real cane sugar like Pepsi Throwback and Sierra Mist Natural
8. eggs
9. baked oatmeal (like a big, soft cookie)
10. cream of rice cereal

Add into this our traditional items like yogurt, oatmeal, homemade soups, fruit (cantelope, banana, pineapple, blueberries and strawberries) and veggies (squash, peas, cooked carrots, broccoli and peppers). It is hard not to just pick up something to eat while you are out. Only a few chain restaurants like Outback are able to do safe meals; they actually have a whole gluten free menu which gives us a good start. It is also hard to get used to carrying all the meds we need to have with us in case of an reaction (anaphylaxis). The good news is that he is eating again (and eating and eating) and some other little things like congestion are being positively affected. We are so blessed to be dealing with an otherwise healthy kid, allergies are something we can deal with! This is a journey I can handle...

Brussels Sprouts...

Have you ever tried the little fellows? You know the mini cabbages? Your mom probably bought them in the bag from the frozen vegetable section at the local grocery market. That is how I always buy them. And I like them. But no one else does. Not even the husband. And he doesn't even fake liking them and complain later. He just does not eat them. At all.

Well, I keep hearing that the fresh ones are good. Like other people like them. Their families like them. So I put them on my mental grocery list. You know the one. "I need to remember to buy them if I see them, cause no one else in the family will." So today in Costco the big 2 lb bag of fresh brussel sprouts was calling my name. I put them in my cart with other "oddities" like snap peas, celery, and cucumbers. The children were not thrilled.

Shortly after arriving home I started hearing, "I'm hungry!" A quick snack and Mama was off to research brussels sprouts. I decided on a meal of whole wheat spaghetti and sauce, brussel sprouts, avocados and fresh bread. I know, lots of starch. We originally talked about tomato sauce, but decided that maybe pesto would go better. I don't put pine nuts in pesto, but the kids love the garlic, basil, cheese concoction that I came up with. I cut the avocados and sliced the bread.

Meanwhile I soaked the halved sprouts in salty water. Then tossed in oil, salt, and pepper. Finally placed them cut side down on the tray and carefully put in the oven at 475. Took them out in about 15 minutes. Got everything ready and called the kids.

They were excited to see the spaghetti dish. A nice bowl for each. A slice of bread. And the brussels sprouts and avocados in the center of the table. And excitement...until they saw the sprouts.

The excitement became dread as they exclaimed, "You are not going to make us eat those!"

Quietly I responded, "Just one." Groans ensue. I didn't say anything else about it until they asked for seconds on the pasta. Then just a quiet, "What about the sprouts?"

Little Lady was first. She tried the tiniest one we could find. She popped it in, looked at her brother and exclaimed, "You have to try it, it tastes like fries." Salt definitely helps doesn't it.

He grudgingly tried one as well, but his was spit out with a big, "Yuck, leafy!" When he realized he wouldn't get anything else, he popped it back and chugged some water. He was not happy about it though!!!

And me? Tastes like fries was a pretty good description. Yummy little brussels sprout fries!!! I think they may make it onto the table again. At least once until the big bag is finished.

Dynamite Daytrips...

This year we have taken some really dynamite daytrips. Some have been pricey, some have been economical. Some of our "old standards" didn't happen for various reasons. Here are our thoughts about a few:

Adventure Aquariums; Camden, NJ-
Daytrip attended by 2 adults (myself and my sister) and 4 children (Lovely Lady, Little Man, Daring Nephew, Adventurous Niece). Drive from Bucks Co., PA took us through sections of Philly that were unique. We saw lots of wall murals, a bunch of open fire hydrants, and lots of older model cars along the way. It was interesting to see how you could tell so clearly the changing of a city neighborhood. The GPS routed us, next time I think we will consult a map and follow it's guidance instead though. Once in Camden, we went straight to the Aquarium. Look up the per person cost prior to going- it sin't cheap and there really weren't any discounts available "at the door." The Aquarium itself was fantastic! It is set up to have some displays to observe unique fish (tropical fish, sharks, etc) and animals (hippos, turtles). It is very different from many other aquariums in the number of interactive exhibits. They had touch tanks of numerous shapes and sizes, allowing visitors to touch sharks, jelly fish, and rays. Little Man was especially excited by the Cow Nose Rays, and couldn't believe that he was allowed to reach in to their watery space and interact with them. Food choices were limited, we chose to hit a place on the way home to eat. There is a children's botanical garden next door, however we didn't get to check that out (too hot and too late). Overall, definitely a place I would go to again!

Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom; Allentown, PA-
We try to hit a theme park at least once during the summer. This year was Dorney Park. We were able to get tickets from Daring Nephew's Boy Scout Troop at a discount. There were 8 of us for the theme park- me, Hubby, 2 sisters were the adults; children-Lovely Lady, Little Man, Daring Nephew, Adventurous Niece. Drive was not bad, it is not far from Rt. 78. Paid parking was okay, we got there quite early though and had a handicapped person/permit. Entry was easy since we already had our ticket. Scooter Cart rental and handicapped rider pass was a bit of a pain: wait in one line, they send you to another line where you work on the handicapped pass, finally you get sent to another building area to rent your scooter. The park itself is quite large with something for everyone. All the kids found rides they liked, even my typically non-riding Lovely Lady! One hat was lost (caught air on a coaster, was in sight just not an area we could get it) and while we were promised it would be mailed, we have yet to have received it. Wild Water Kingdom was fun for the kiddos, they especially liked the wave pool. Unfortunately swim diapers were not mandatory and the big house sprinkler was shut down for poop. The water must have been filtered with the lazy river water also as that was shut at the same time. They reopened quickly, however our tummies were turned at the thought and we went back to the wave area. Life vests are available, but they don't push them. We had one not so strong swimming duckling that we forced it on for river rapid tube run! The Mama in me wishes they had forced it before I let that duckling down without the first time. The rides are all open after the Wild Water Kingdom closes, so we still had lots to do. I would say for our crew, they most difficult part of the day was due to terrain. It is quite hilly and not very shady making it rough for our scooter riding member and for the rest of us to walk! We liked it all the same, and will return another time.

National Building Museum; Washington, DC-
The National Building Museum was not a completely new stop for us. I had gone a few years back with the kids. It was not something they enjoyed at the time, meaning neither did I. We went this summer to specifically see the Lego exhibit. There is a cost for tickets to the exhibit; it is $5 per person ages 3 and up. Our group had 9, only one under 3. The ticket is for an hour window in the exhibit. We went from 11-noon. First you see replicas of some famous buildings- Sears Tower, WTC Tower 2, Dubai Tower, Fallingwater are just a few of the famous representations there. All out of Lego's! They had information about them also, like the design hours for the models and the hours put into the actual building with the Lego's. Then there was a Lego area for visitors to put their own best efforts to work. Finally you put your Lego buildings onto a city section for display. We wished we could bring them home instead! To escape the exhibit you were supposed to proceed through a Lego themed gift shop hosting Lego sets ($25 for some, Fallingwater was $100), Lego calculators (appr. $35) and more. They graciously let us escape with all 6 kids through the entrance instead! Oh and parking...Parking is difficult in that area of the city. We ended up at a quarter eating meter. Nickels got you 1.5 minutes, dimes- 3 minutes, quarters- 7 minutes. From the time we parked until we ran out of coins was about 2.75 hours or 165 minutes. You do the math!!!

Smithsonian Museum of American History; Washington, DC-
Parking was again a fiasco! We ended up parking near the Capital building at one end of the National Mall and walking to the museum at the other end. Ouch! The museum was a lot of fun though! We enjoyed exhibits about holidays (especially the replica of a Pikachu balloon from a Thanksgiving Day parade), TV stars (Kermit the Frog was there), First Ladies gowns, transportation and the inventions floor! The favorite had to be the escalator rides though for 2 of my young com padres! We went down, up, up, up, down, up, down, down, down! Guy waiting for his family at the time thought it was hysterical the first time we passed, was convinced we were running off sugar on the second. Cafe closed earlier than the museum, a disappointment for my weary, hungry travelers. We made due with our snacks from home, filled up on water at the fountain, and s-l-o-w-l-y trekked back to the car. The slow trek back was made most exciting by the blond squirrel along the National Mall, the counting of items of various colors (red, orange, purple), seeing an officer on a bike (Mom, he's Park Police!), and a short rest on a bench. We were relieved to be back to the car, even if the inside of it was 162 degrees!!! Okay, small exaggeration maybe but it was 99 outside so very hot! Again, hot day, fun outing, parking limited.

Summertime...

Lots of exciting stuff going on this summer!!!

Lovely Lady is growing up. She is writing neat stuff, lots of poetry which happens to be better than mine. I am biased however. Her vocabulary grows along with her writing; which is good when writing and bad when articulating dissent in the ranks of family life. She also has grown into a really great big sister, cheering on and supporting her little brother really well. She is the kind of sister I'd want. She is dramatic, creative, beautiful, smart, and sweet. I love seeing her writing in her journal each day, playing with the old dog, and scooting on the scooter all over!

Little Man is certainly growing up too. He is swimming like a fish, even jumping off the diving board at his grandparents pool. Last night he hit an amazing high. We took him and his bike to a parking lot across the street from the park. With Lovely Lady cheering madly, he was able to take off on 2 wheels. He rambled around that lot for about an hour, not stopping once! He continues to be a Pokemon master, though conversations about Bakugan have started to creep in. He also articulates things carefully, making clear in no uncertain terms how he feels about life.

Well, as for me, I guess I am growing up too. I am reading all kinds of interesting books (The China Study, An Elephant in the Playroom, The Explosive Child, Lost at School, Boys Adrift to name a few!) that are pretty heavy. I did also read a couple lighter ones along with lots of magazine articles. I also have also been working on other stuff, like yanking out my Dave Ramsey books and creating an updated budget for the family. I joined a pool and am dragging the kids there as often as I can which we love! I also have been doing a ton of driving between the two homes. I think I'll be as sad as the children to see summer end. I am each year it seems. The more time passes filled with unfulfilled dreams the more I treasure this time with the kids. It all seems to go too fast!!!

Living in the moment...

Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!
Luke 12:24

As I see it, there are two times one lives in the moment the majority of the time- babyhood and elder care.

The first- the blissful, sleepless days of being new parents. I mean face it those are the days we are so sleepless it is a stretch not to live in the moment! We live, eat and breathe our babies and new family dynamics. We sleep with a little one on our chest, we have the bouncy seat in the bathroom for the crying baby while we shower, and we try to remember to feed ourselves in between feeding the sweet- always hungry- little baby. We also savor the moments that come along... first baths, smiles and giggles, rolling over, sitting up, crawling, walking. Many of us even savor the harder parts... the colic, first colds, teething, changing diapers, separation anxiety. Somehow as they become more independent, develop along their own personal curves, we move out of the moment.

The second time of in the moment living comes when suddenly something happens and you are dealing with elder care. A parent or grandparent is no longer able to care for a spouse or sometimes even themselves. Again you are in the moment. Is today a good day? You enjoy it with everything in you! Is it a bad one? You agonize through it, knowing that you are here, now, in the moment. You visit, you email out updates, you talk to the nurses, you play the game as you are part of a skit without a script, you wonder how much more you can handle.

GG in the courtyard

And then there is the time in between. It is hard to live in the moment when you are dealing with schedules, usually color coded by family member, school projects, sports, clubs, after school activities, play dates, sleepovers, juggling daycare, worrying about the next meal (not the one you are eating), bills, car troubles, school payments, yard work... The list can go on and on and never seems to decrease! Often life may seem to be the roadway that your wheels are just spinning upon, an out of control vehicle spinning upon black ice. Meanwhile we spend so much time worrying, we forget the beautiful glories that have been given to us. We wait for the kids to be older, we wish they were still younger. The car of life seems to jolt unhappily as we speed up and slow down readhing and running for things not in our grasp. The medium is truly not a happy one for most as we seem to dread the school years, the tweens, the teens, dating years, college times...

While my life is one of chaos and rushing during the school year, I work on slowing down to be in the moment during the summer. The children and I take our time at many things. We go on outings, often reveling in the changes to us since the last time we visited said location. We visit friends and families and savor those times, as those memories need to last a day, a week and sometimes a lifetime. This week we worked on savoring time with my grandparents; still each others love of a lifetime, separated by differing care needs! We also saw my childhood BFF and her folks also separated by differing care needs. The funny part of those visits is how they make time stand still. My BFF and I click right back together, even though we are now married mothers with growing children. I am still the granddaughter coming to visit, even though now I am the one driving my children there.

Cousins enjoying a chat

While my days dealing with babies seem to be too long gone, and my days of helping to care for my elders seem to be steadily approaching I shall remember that I am in today for a reason! I can work on finding a happy medium!