following my dairy free life

 

 

I feel so much better! 

 

It is crazy to think that I was putting so many bad things into my body just because they tasted good.  I have had no dairy since my last post. 

 Sad things first……I learned that I can’t have chocolate, cookies-unless I make them, my non dairy creamer has a milk protein in it and is making me not feel so well-so good-bye to that too, No more cool ranch Dorito's .   I must go and find some different bread.  I could go on but you get the idea.

 Happy things   I have more energy.  My stomach isn’t upset and gurgling.  Cooking has been fun!  Goat cheese is wonderful ~never thought I would say that~.  My husband is being very supportive.  My Hypoglycemia ~if I ever truly had it~ is gone.  I am not as hungry now~I think my body was unable to digest so many of my foods that it never got nutrition=always hungry.

 The best thing I found out there to eat is called Tofutti cuties  they are a dairy free dessert , made from tofu, that resemble an ice cream sandwich.  YUM!!!!!!

 I made Chili over the weekend.  I followed a recipe that said to use 2-3 tsp. of chili powder.  Me not being a cook thought that chili powder is what makes the ingredients into Chili~found out it is what give it the heat.  Along with the peppers, chili powder and the sprinkle of red peppers I made some pretty hot chili.

 I am very ready to try making cookies and corn meal next.  My Sister-in-law told me how to substitute the eggs with applesauce.

 I went into and bought items for the first time at Trader Joes.  This Friday I will be trying New Seasons and Whole Foods.

This will be a trial and error process, but I am excited. 

yesterday

Once a year I get to sit through an hour of torture for each of my children.  The IEP meeting.  Unless you have ever sat through one you can’t know what a mother is feeling at the time.  They lay out for you how your child is doing.  What their strengths are and then they hit you with what is wrong.  Then the solution.  Every fear that you had, and some that you hadn’t thought of, come crashing over you in a wave of despair.  Is my kid really going through this?

Stephen’s meeting this year was great!  We moved him from being in special ed to being on a 504 plan.  They told me this is unheard of for a 3rd grader with ADHD to move off of special Ed, usually it happens in 5th grade.    He has been less of a disturbance, loves school and has some new really good friends.  He is a social little guy and his grades are great.  My daily worries for him are different than for Eric.  

Asperger’s Syndrome is different.  There is a whole piece that includes social skills missing.  I can’t just put it into him.  He struggles with how to relate to people and that makes school difficult for him.  Yesterday was hard for me, it always is.  I got home, sat down and just cried.  My hands are basically tied, I can’t do anything, but coach him.  I can no longer protect him 24 hours a day.  He now has to figure some things out and get bumps.  His grades are amazing!  If we get some things in order he could be pulling straight A’s.  His teachers are wonderful and they, like all the others before them, just think Eric is the best. 

We are getting ready to send him to Outdoor school for a week.  Yikes!  I wasn’t ready for this, but he was.  His teacher had already arranged that there would be a one on one person with him.  This is wonderful for this mother who worries a lot.  My kid will be ok, just like he was at Church camp. 

We can’t keep our kids in a bubble….they just outgrow it.

After visiting with Eric and Jason I was better.  We also had a small group from our Church here last night and just the love and friendship from that filled my home and heart with peace.  I was able to go to bed feeling lighter and like I could take on the world…..woke up the same way.  God is in control and he is my son’s 24 hour protector, not me.  Who better to watch over my child than his heavenly father.

It will get better as Eric grows and learns.  I can see that now.

Sometimes as a Mom of a child with these unique difficulties I feel so alone.  I am going start taking Eric to a Game club.  It is for children with Asperger’s and the parents get to visit.  I am also going to check out their parent support group.  I will be nice to see if we can meet some other families and maybe Eric can find some wonderful friends who “get” him. 

Everyday is different and has it’s own set of issues and trials, but we will make it.  I see an amazing young man who will invent some amazing things when he is grown up.  We just have to get him through these rough teen years.

Hello I am back :)

Oh my I don’t even know the last time I blogged.   Everything has been great! 

Today I blog on a “serious” note.  Not really, but it is to me.

When I was a little girl I ate eggs and milk everyday.  My mother had to get frequent deliveries from the Swan man for me   lol  this is the truth.  I loved to eat fried eggs, omelets. scrambled eggs.  I drank a lot of milk, ate cheese, ice-cream…..but I was always sick and it just got worse and worse.  The doctor told my Mom to cut out the dairy.     So sad for me.  I am not sure if they didn’t have soy milk or other alternatives, but what I mostly remember is being given water and juice instead.  We tried the little bead things that you put on ice cream (not sure what they were called, I was 10 years old) but they didn’t work-too bad too because it was fun getting ice cream in the mornings  lol .  Any way….at that time it was only the milk.  Then it became cheese-which I still ate.  The worst was when I was pregnant with Eric and realized eggs were doing the same thing, but worse!

So basically what I did to fix the problem was to mostly ignore it unless I was at someone else's house.  See the result from eating the dairy is embarrassing and I didn’t want to get sick at someone else's house or on a trip.  Still happened, but I was very careful.

The reason for this message is I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.  It is getting worse and I can no longer ignore what dairy does to me.  I am now on day 2 of being dairy free-well I would be if I had read the dessert label last night ( I now know the difference between sherbet and sorbet).  My stomach is gurgling less and I actually have more energy.  Interesting!  I am going to go shopping tomorrow, by my self, to some new stores to buy some dairy free chesses and other yummy item.  I have two amazing friends and my sister who have given me brands that they use and names of stores that I can find them at.  The big thing to learn is what it is that upsets my stomach.

I was very discouraged but after visiting with them and realizing I live in Portland (we have so many stores within 5-10 miles with these item or more options) I know I can do this.  Now for some trial and error and eating .

I am also looking at my recipes and seeing how I can rework them, so that I am not making 2 meals every time I cook.

This will be a step by step process and will have many errors and mistakes, but I am ready for a change.  Can’t wait to let you know how this all turns out.