I found this in my latest O Magazine. It's really a buy one get one free coupon. Hey, every little bit helps.
Instructions:
1. Go to www.unclebens.com
2. Enter promo code RICE
3. Print the coupon
I really like uncle bens long grain & wild rice so this is a great coupon for me.
I've recently had a pretty big falling out with a friend. To say that there is no hope for reconciliation would be the understatement of the century. Even though I know I don't need her in my life, this has all the feelings of a bad breakup. I've been through plenty of breakups in my life, but this is a new experience. I've never had a child involved in any breakup before.
I miss the old relationship, but my son misses his friends, too. You see, she had two children that are close to Jamie in age and he loved going over to her house. I thought we were so close that I wanted her her to be the one that got Jamie if anything ever happened to Matthew and I. I let her watch Jamie and I really don't let anyone do that. I trusted her and she hurt me worse than any boyfriend who dumped me ever did, but I'm not going to get into that here.
Jamie and I went to her home fairly frequently and he asks to go all the time. What I want to say is, "So and so is mean and we can never see her again." Way wrong thing, huh? Another thing I want to do is throw out every remnant of her existence out of my house. That would be pretty hard since most of those are his. I can't delete pictures that involve her because I would have to delete his birthdays and special occasions. I can't get rid of the gifts she gave him. I'm torn between hating her and missing her. He just misses his friends. It's as simple as that. He has no idea why we can't go see them ever again. I don't know what to tell him.
Who knew that even after you are all grown up and happily married, you could still experience the heart wrenching pain of a bad breakup?
Can I just say that I love PBS Kids Super Why. I looked it up on the PBS Kids website and the learning games are amazing. Jamie is spelling and retaining the information. It's awesome. If you haven't checked it out for your little one, you should. It's at http://pbskids.org/superwhy/#.
Jamie has been going around the house today spelling words. I love it.
Well, we finally got an appointment through the school system for Tuesday the 14th. The lady I spoke with asked many questions on the phone. I told her the things that I didn't think fit autism, but she said that they really did. I also told her of mine and his doctors more specific concerns and what happened at his 4 year appointment.
So Tuesday will just be observation with a psychologist and occupational therapist. On Thursday the 23rd the speech team will evaluate him. At that point they will decide if he needs a full evaluation and we'll go from there.
She did say that with language delays they wouldn't look at Aspergers. Aspergers does not present with language delays.
Why can't answers to your child's health just be black and white. You do this, you don't do this.
Well, somehow I neglecting to realize it's the beginning of flu season and the doctor asked if I wanted to give him the flu vaccination. I was totally unprepared and still haven't read up enough on it to make an informed decision.
It's so difficult to research these things. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone has a study saying it's safe and saying it's dangerous. I got him his Hep A vaccine today. I've never questioned the need for MMR, etc. But what about the flu?
Well, I declined it so I didn't have to make an on the spot decision that might not be in his best interest. Of course, I come home to a new parents magazine and the first article I open the magazine to is about a little girl who died due to complications of the flu and an organization that promotes flu shots.
I must admit, when it comes to this stuff I feel lost. What's a mom to do?
We're back from the doctor. He said he didn't believe Jamie had celiac disease. He believes we would have seen severe stomach pains and so on. Also, Jamie jumped his growth curve. He's in the 95% for height and around the 75% for weight. Certainly no signs of malnutrition there. I was surprised about the jump in his weight curve. He says it's possible, but he thinks that we will be fine to just watch him.
We're back to Autism, though. At first I thought he was going to say that Jamie was just fine. He talked about his marked improvement in speech and that he didn't even really see that he was behind anymore. I was a little surprised at that, though I knew he had some sort of language explosion over the last month. He again observed Jamie coloring and playing. Everyone talked about how smart Jamie is. He did some little tests, like messing up his lined up crayons to see how he reacted. He had him walk and noted he walked on his toes. I told him about taking Jamie to the specialist and that he didn't do a full evaluation, but that he was only really concerned about his speech at the time.
I swear that Jamie's pediatrician looks like he's getting ready to tell you that your kid is dying when he gives bad news. "There's something there." That's how he said it. He said he would help me get through the waiting lists and find him some assistance.
I had honestly started to think that maybe Jamie's issues were a figment of my imagination, reading too much, etc. I was afraid to talk about them or even bring them up. I didn't bring it up at this appointment, outside of asking about celiac disease. I felt stupid after going to the specialist and he said that he was advanced in his non-verbal skills but behind on his verbal skills. I thought I was just an idiot and it was just his speech all along. Now his speech is caught up and there is still a problem. When we found out about Matt's sister having celiac disease I thought, "Maybe I'm not crazy. Maybe that's the answer." I just don't know, but the clock is ticking until kindergarten.
We have to live on a very small budget right now. I can take 3 chicken breasts and make three meals out of it for my family of three..
Breast 1.
Cheep Chicken and Dumplings
(My family loves it despite the cheating)
I use this as the first meal so I can use the stock from boiling the chicken. My family only eats white meat.
Boil all three pieces of chicken. I add a can of chicken broth to the water after I'm done boiling and break up one breast by hand into the pot. I put the other two away for the next two days.
Then I use Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits (in the 4 pack rolls) and pinch off little balls and drop them into the pot (while still boiling, but turn to medium heat). I use all four rolls because my family eats a ton of it. I add a bit of salt and pepper and let it cook until the dumplings are done and the broth thickens a little.
Open a can of green beans, makes some stove top, and voila. Dinner is served.
Breast 2.
Chicken Tator Tot Casserole
Preheat Oven to 350
-2lbs Tator Tots
-1 can peas
-Leftover Chicken (even layer)
-1 can cream of mushroom soup
-1 can cream of chicken soup
- grated cheddar cheese (enough to cover pan)
Cover bottom of cake pan with tator tots. Drain the peas and spread them evenly over tots. Add a layer of chicken on top. Mix together your cream of mushroom soup & cream of chicken soup with 1 can of water. Spread evenly over the top of chicken. Top with cheese to taste. Bake until cheese is starting to brown. (approx 30 min)
Breast 3
Chicken Stir Fry
Break the last breast up and make a big stir fry. I usually use broccoli, peppers, and onions. You could buy bagged veggies already mixed for this sort of fry or cut up your own. It's amazing how far that breast will go, but be sure and save a good sized one for this meal.
Steam or boil some rice and you're good to go.
Matthew's sister has recently been diagnosed with celiac disease. She recommends that Matt and Jamie be tested for it. Jamie's 4 year well doctors visit is on October 3rd and I think I will request testing for it. I've been reading some on it tonight. I think it's worth the test. I've looked at possible symptoms and I think it's very possible that he has inherited this.
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/celiac-disease/DS00319
I'm worried that we missed this and this is why he has had some developmental delays.
http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/24169/27106
Autism or Celiac Disease?
By: Laura Roe Stevens (View Profile)
Autism is garnering a lot of media attention with the recent news that as many as one in 150 American children may be affected with the disease. (See our story on the recent CDC report, Is Autism Increasing?.) However, there is another disease that presents itself with similar symptoms and behavioral characteristics in children, yet is rarely known. Chances are you may not have heard of Celiac Disease—a completely treatable disease through dietary changes. So what is it? Laymen may refer to it as a severe allergy to wheat. I decided to chat with Jeffrey M. Aron, MD, a San Francisco–based gastroenterologist and leading expert on the disease to learn more.
Q: What exactly is Celiac Disease?
Dr. Aron: Celiac Disease is the only auto-immune disorder where we know specifically the offending substances—grain proteins—and the details of the body’s immune response to them. Thus, Celiac Disease is a “paradigm” disease—unlocking the interaction of the vast digestive tract and its immune, nervous, and endocrine components and the environment. (It is also highly associated with Type I Diabetes mellitus in children.) We know, for example, that the onset of an overactive immune response to the environment in the gut has profound effects on brain and nervous system function. This has enormous applications to other conditions such as the Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis.
Q: How does the disorder most commonly present itself?
Dr. Aron: While most physicians and laypersons believe that Celiac Disease most commonly presents with digestive symptoms; that is just the “tip of the iceberg.” The vast majority of symptoms (well below the surface of the iceberg) present with undiagnosed anemia (low hemoglobin count), osteoporosis and osteopenia, autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, a vast array of neurological and psychiatric disorders, and dental enamel erosions. Many do not manifest any symptoms at all. They may be one of those “lucky ones” who can eat anything without gaining weight, eliciting the envy of others.
Q: What are the most common symptoms seen in young children?
Dr. Aron: In children, the most common presentations are behavior and learning disorders. Unexplained seizures, disorders of gait and balance (ataxias), failure to thrive, and various abdominal complaints: pain, bloating, abnormal bowel habits.
Q: Why are some children misdiagnosed as having autism when they have Celiac?
Dr. Aron: It is not surprising that, given the protean neurological manifestations of Celiac Disease, that there is considerable overlap with the diagnostic features of autism. However, there are no rigorous studies to demonstrate an increase of Celiac Disease in those diagnosed with Autism.
Q: Have you treated any children thought to be Autistic, who then responded and improved once on a gluten-free diet?
Dr. Aron: Being an adult gastroenterologist, I have not treated any children with Autism, although patients and their families have reported family members who have Autism and have shown marked improvement (when on a gluten-free diet).
Q: Would you recommend parents of autistic children to try gluten-free diets to see if their children improve?
Dr. Aron: Basically, the gluten-free diet is completely harmless. It’s not like giving a drug with dangerous side-effects. The only negative features are inconvenience and some added expense, two rather inconsequential factors where one’s child is concerned. Furthermore, there will be no interference with any other diagnostic test or therapy, so go ahead, there’s nothing to lose! At California Pacific Medical Center, we have major research efforts in Celiac Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and I am honored to be leading these endeavors.
Jamie wanted to make his own peanut butter and jelly sandwich for the first time the other day. He did a pretty good job. He did the peanut butter himself, but ended up needing assistance getting the jelly out.
Recipe
2 lbs Hamburger Meat
4 slices of bread torn into little pieces
2 Eggs
1 large or 2 small onions
Ketchup
4-5 Potatoes
Recipe: Meat Loaf & Potatoes
Bake at 400ยบ for 30-45 minutes
Combine in large bowl
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 4 slices of bread torn into small pieces
• 2 eggs
• onions chopped into small pieces (optional)
• Ketchup
Use as much ketchup as you need for a good firm consistency. Form into tennis ball size portions. Place balls into skillet and cover tops with ketchup (amount to taste). I like to just make squiggly lines across the whole dish. My grandmother like to put globs on the individual meatloaf balls. Peal and slice potatoes into small/medium size chunks. Place potatoes around meat loaf balls in cast iron skillet(s) or cake pan(s).
This meal is a big winner with my whole family. It's pretty easy and great for guests, too.
