Where Have I Been?

That title reminds me of the Dr. Seuss book, Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Well, where have I been? That's a good question! I have been a bad mommy blogger and have all but totally neglected this little piece of my world for around two months now.

Just like a lot of other folks, one of my excuses for absenteeism is the busy-ness of the holidays. My other excuse? Stress.

During the month of December, Reiss had three seizures and a fourth episode that can only be described as what looked like a seizure trying to happen. I say "trying" because Reiss is on anti-seizure medication and the symptoms he displayed during that particular episode appeared the same as his symptoms at the beginning of any other seizure (look of extreme fatigue, unresponsiveness, but still conscious) but he did not progress any further to some of the more extreme symptoms such as his eyes being fixed to one side or convulsing. Instead, he got a little bit spacey, told me he wanted to lie down and then, he simply fell asleep...for nearly six hours straight! And that was right after he had gotten up for the morning and eaten breakfast.

That was not all. We also had the return of Reiss's persistently bloody nose. We think we have that one figured out though. We added a zinc supplement back into his regimen, which he had been lacking for a few weeks because we had run out and we were not sure how much of a difference it was making. Once that was added back in, the incidents of Reiss having a bloody nose on a daily basis disappeared immediately and he has not had one since then.

So that was our December. As if December, with its holidays and preparations and special events, does not already present itself with enough stresses and frustrations without the addition of daily bloody noses and the riddling of seizures here and there.

On a happier front, we did have our share of holiday good times...

Above is a photo of Reiss and Milla decorating Christmas cookies (GFCF, of course!) at the house of our good friends, Matt and Staci. Staci is a registered dietician and is very familiar with the restrictions of the diet we follow in our house. They invited us over for cookie decorating and Staci so generously accommodated our needs by making cookies Reiss and Milla can eat.


It would not have been Christmas had we not gone out on a few occasions to check out decorations in several different neighborhoods. I read about the decorations of the house above in an Indy Star newspaper article featuring the best light displays around town. Granted, it's not really very Christmas-y in nature, but living in Indianapolis and being Colts fans, it was indeed cool to see.


On December 21st, Reiss achieved quite an accomplishment for any five-year-old. One of his ABA therapists made him the award pictured above. It has been hanging on the wall since that day and Reiss has counted to 1000 many times since then as well.


This is the only photo we have of both children on Christmas day because, not long after this was taken, Reiss had a seizure. No, the poor little guy could not catch a break even on Christmas Day.


I think this photo (taken the day after Christmas at my dad's house) of Milla looking at me makes her look so sweet. Please don't look at my big, pointy nose or double chin.


Milla was quite the little helper with Reiss's gift. As a matter of fact, she was so helpful that day that she opened most of my gifts while at my dad's house and I had no idea of what I received until we got home and got everything unloaded and unpacked. I still have no clue who gave me which gift.

That just about covers our holiday season. Yes, I am quite late to the punch, I know.

January has been snow and appointments and school cancellations and exercising and weight loss and oh yeah, did I mention that I have lost nine pounds since the beginning of the year?

I do not mean to brag but I have remained extremely dedicated and focused on losing this weight...again. At least I did not let it get really out of hand before tightening the reigns again. In the past I have been - how shall I say this? More tolerant of my own weight gain before getting it back under control. I was fat. There, I said it. In the past, I have let myself get to what doctors categorize as being obese. Personally, the image of obesity that comes to mind for me is someone who is so morbidly overweight that s/he can barely walk. But for the record, "obese" in medical terms generally means a BMI of more than 30 and/or being more than 20% overweight. This time around, I met neither of those requirements, thank goodness.

Weight loss is not the only change that is coming in our household. We have another BIG change coming soon. BUT I cannot tell about it on here just yet. It is a secret. Stay tuned...

Little Fingers, Big Actions

As you may have already read, last night I had a big long post typed out and was still typing when POOF! My computer screen went black. My sweet little Milla had hit the reset button and I lost everything except for the title of the post. Guess that's what I get for typing on my dinosaur in the basement instead of the laptop I love.

It's probably for the best, as it was all just a random bunch of rambling, part of which could have been classified as complaining......like the part about how it took four (yes, four!) employees - one of whom made a snide comment that amounted to it being my fault that it was taking so long - and nearly twenty minutes to do a simple return transaction for me at a store over the weekend. But I'm not going to get into that again because everything happens for a reason and Milla turning off my computer was obviously a reminder that I should not be complaining.

Earlier this afternoon I was on facebook and one of the groups I belong to is dedicated to parents of autism. To be more specific, it is actually the facebook homepage for Laura Shumaker's book, A Regular Guy: Growing Up With Autism. Occasionally, Laura poses questions to group members and her latest question is, "What is your child's most frustrating behavior/quirk?" I was reading through the responses and was comforted in knowing that many of the behaviors Reiss demonstrates are right in line with many other children with autism.

I realize that may sound strange that I am comforted by other parents experiencing what can be some really annoying behaviors in their children - and not just annoying, but some that are downright dangerous. It's not some weird sadistic streak in me - it's just that none of the autistic children I know personally exhibit many of the same behaviors as Reiss. For example, one of Reiss' dangerous behaviors is that he runs off a lot of times with no regard for his own safety. Discipline has proven ineffective in curbing this. And if it's all my bad parenting to blame, then that doesn't really explain why he continues to do it at school when his teachers discipline him for it as well. What comforted me in reading some of the responses though, was that many, many parents replied that their children do the same thing - will run off without any regard at all for anything.

If you have a facebook account, I highly encourage you to check out and join the homepage I mentioned. Even if you don't have an autistic child, there is a lot to be learned from those of us who are living it every day. I don't pay attention to the nasty looks in public near as much as I used to but if I can educate just one person about autism and how it can sometimes make children appear simply as spoiled brats, then I've done something worthwhile. Anyhoo, here is the link: A Regular Guy: Growing Up With Autism I'm not really sure what you'll be able to see if you don't have a facebook account....probably nothing. If that's the case, go here: Laura Shumaker Going there won't allow you to read about the daily experiences of parents of autistic children, but it is a pretty good resource for finding other websites about autism.

Welp, that about does it for my rambling for the day. I've got a meatloaf in the oven and the aroma is to die for!....kids are napping...the wind outside is fierce.....it is a perfect Autumn day for comfort food and apple pie......Alas, I just began dieting again today, so no apple pie for me. Not that there is one, anyway.

Blah Day

Today has not been the best day I've had in recent weeks. Yesterday, I posted to my Twitter and facebook pages "Today is one of those days where I can't help but wonder where I'd be without Spray~N~Wash and the "Rinse & Spin" cycle on my washer."

While I did have poopy messes to clean yesterday as well, it was nothing compared to today. So far today, Reiss has had three showers and the rinse & spin cycle has been run four times on the washer. God bless him...I know the little guy can't help it but I wish my little every-night prayer for some poop in the potty would get answered just one time. I nearly cried this afternoon after the second poopy mess. I didn't but maybe I should have because my sinuses feel like they're stuffed with cotton.

I truly wish I could keep my head lifted and stay more positive all the time or even more than I do. I know I'm getting there but I have a long way to go. My addiction to Della's blog seems to be therapeutic for me and keeps things in perspective and although she does not have any autistic children, I figure if she can do it with the trials that come with sixteen kids while still holding her head high, then surely I can do it with two children, one of whom has autism and the other with developmental delays (hopefully, NOT autism!).

Waaaa, waaaa, waaaa....I'm done crying and it feels good to get it out even if others do think I'm whining. What can I say? They haven't walked in my shoes, nor I in theirs.

This morning, I went walking at the mall with my friend, Carol. Before going, and after dropping Reiss off at preschool, I went to a drive-thru and got an order of a biscuit and gravy (for $.99 with coupon!) for myself and a little sack of tater coins for Milla. It still makes me laugh to call them tater coins.

I learned that term when I was attending and working at a local college years ago. A guy who worked with me always called the circular hash browns served in fast food restaurants "tater coins." It stuck and that's what we call them too. Anyway, where I was going with this is the fact that I sabotaged my workout before even going to do it, which I found pretty humorous, as did my friend. It was about a mile into our walk that she revealed to me that she wasn't quite an angel at breakfast herself. Yeah, she had eggs for breakfast, providing her with some valuable protein....but she also had a piece of blackberry pie with ice cream. We both got a pretty good laugh out of how pathetically we have stuck to eating healthy this week.

By the way, did I mention the bag of candy I got at CVS before going walking? I've been eating on it this afternoon too. I cannot believe how little willpower I have lately at not only not sticking to gluten and casein-free foods, but also how unhealthy, in general, I have been eating. An outsider would probably assume I'm pregnant.

I'm not.

GFCF Curried Roasted Veggie Soup

Aren't they beautiful? I love all the color but my photographic skills could use some work!

Everything all sliced and ready to go into the pool oven.

After hanging out in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes...Notice the steam?

The end result! Okay, I'm not saying what this looks like but anyone who has ever changed a diaper on an infant......Hey, I'm just sayin'!

Mmm, Mmmm Good! Campbell's ain't got nothin' on this!

Curried Roasted Veggie Soup
Gluten-free, Casein-free (GFCF)
(For best results, you will need a stick blender, traditional blender, or food processor for this recipe.)

Ingredients:
A bunch of veggies of your choice.
This particular time I used eggplant, japanese eggplant, red and yellow bell peppers, banana pepper, zucchini, red onion, and tomato.
Some other good choices I have used are yams or sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots, cauliflower - shoot, anything you can roast!

kosher salt to sprinkle and olive oil to drizzle on the veggies prior to roasting
1 14-ounce can coconut milk (NOT cream of coconut)
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (be sure your broth is GF if you need to eat GF)
2 cloves garlic or equivalent amount of dried garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar (or alternative sweetener if you do not use refined sugars)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Slice your veggies and sprinkle them with kosher salt and olive oil. Roast the veggies in a 400 degree oven until they begin to brown and get pitiful looking. I don't know how else to describe it - you will know when they are ready by giving an occasional peek into the oven. Generally, it takes about 30-40 minutes in my oven. Potatoes may take a bit longer, depending on the size of the cut.

While veggies are roasting, mix up remaining ingredients in a soup pot on the stove top over low heat.

Once veggies are done roasting, throw them in with the other ingredients and blend with your stick blender.

Test for taste and add any needed salt or pepper.

Presto! You have soup!

Here is what the monkeys were up to while I was getting all the veggies ready.....

Boogers, Bottles, and Breakfast

Just a random photo of Reiss looking at the camera when the lens shot. He's a tough nut to crack. Sometimes he loves getting the camera out and taking pictures. Other times it's like pulling teeth to get him to look at the camera for a photo.


The above was the scene of the following conversation between Reiss and myself:
Reiss: Is that a burger?
Me: I don't know. Is what a booger?
Reiss: (pointing at the wall where this photo was taken) That!
Me: (Sigh) Yes, Reiss. That's a booger.

I still don't know who the guilty party was. I'm pretty certain it wasn't my husband because the booger was (eeeuuuwww) fresh when I wiped it off the wall and James had been at work for a few hours. I know for certain I didn't do it so that only leaves two monkeys as the possibilities. And since Reiss was the one asking, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it was Milla.

At any rate, yuck! But oh, the joys of parenting. Somehow, these were not the kinds of things I envisioned B.C. (before children) whenever I sat daydreaming of being a mommy and chasing around a houseful of toddlers.


No, this is not the result of a drinking binge and a late night craving for...onions and potatoes??? No, this is what happens when one has a cordless phone that is a piece of c!@& and the battery constantly goes dead, regardless of how much you leave the handset on the charger.

The phone rang this morning and I had to pick up the call on the kitchen phone attached to the wall (yes, they still make those - believe it or not!) because the cordless phone's battery had gone dead earlier in the morning from a previous call. As I was on the phone giving out my insurance information and everything but my blood type to a compounding pharmacy that receives way too much business from us, Milla decided to empty out the cabinet where I keep the potatoes, onions, and garlic bulbs.....and well, a bunch of liquor bottles.

Honestly, I don't know why that stuff is even still in there. I can't tell you how old it is or how long ago anyone dispensed anything from a single bottle in there. My husband and I are way past our wild years. The strongest thing my husband ever drinks is orange juice and....just orange juice. He has never been one to indulge in "spirits." The strongest thing I drink anymore is a beer now and then - and only one beer.

Okay, maybe I go in phases where every day is what constitutes "now and then" but really, it's only one beer and I do only drink it for the taste. Years ago, I lived in Germany and now consider myself somewhat of a beer connoisseur. I like to try different brands and types of beer. They are almost always dark and they are always bottled. The thought of canned beer conjures up visions of bare-bellied Nascar fans hooting and hollering away their afternoon in the in-field at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and frankly, makes my stomach turn just thinking about it.

I am currently in one of those every day "now and then" phases but that will come to a halt in about a week and half when the fridge is empty of all bottles. I love my dark beer but it loves me too much and is preventing me from losing weight more quickly.


Anyhoo, here is the guilty party to the pantry raiding incident. She doesn't do a very good, "Who? ME? Are you kidding???" look. Sorry, Milla....you're GUILTY, as charged!


This has been my breakfast the last two mornings in a row. It's three eggs scrambled with cut up sun-dried tomatoes and baby spinach leaves.

Several years ago, I worked at a small mom~n~pop restaurant that was actually a friend~n~friend business. It was a small cafe called The Lonesome Pine Cafe and was owned by two ladies a few years my senior. It was probably one of the worst-paying jobs I ever had but what I got out of it was so much more valuable than money. I worked with and for people who became good friends. I gained experience in cooking some darn good soups and other recipes, and although I did quit partially because I got burned out on it, I can honestly say it was one of the best jobs I ever had.

It was at The Lonesome Pine Cafe, which was named such because of its somewhat out of place and rather large single pine tree growing in front of the building housing the cafe which was located on a busy city street, that I learned to make quiche. My friends, the owners, used a very basic recipe as a basis for different types of quiche. It's a very simple combination of ingredients and I have it memorized to this day (more about that in a minute). One type of quiche we used to serve was Spinach and Sun-dried Tomato. This was my favorite and I've been craving it quite a lot lately. I contemplated getting all the ingredients for it but doing so would be breaking rules for our gluten-free, casein-free way of eating these days.

Instead of breaking any GFCF rules and for the sake of keeping my own weight-loss plan intact, I decided to opt for just the main flavors I had been craving and went with the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. Below you will find the recipe for the real deal of what we served to customers.

Spinach Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche
5 eggs
1 2/3 cup half~n~half
sun-dried tomatoes
baby spinach leaves
swiss cheese shreds
1 pie shell

Combine the eggs and half~n~half, whisking until well blended. By eye-measurements alone, add in the tomatoes, spinach, and swiss cheese. Whisk and pour into the pie shell and bake at 350 until just set.



The eggs and the half~n~half are the same measurements we used for all the different combinations of quiches served at The Lonesome Pine Cafe. It is very versatile and I've never used this recipe with any type of ingredients that didn't work well in it. If you have a grandma who can make your pie shells by hand, like we did at the cafe (this was the sole restaurant-related task one of the owners' mothers), all the better. If you want to try this recipe and are eating a low-carb diet, just eliminate the pie shell - the filling is just as good on its own.

By the way, I am not sharing proprietary recipe secrets here - I would never have given out this recipe years ago. Unfortunately, The Lonesome Pine Cafe - to the dismay of a good size following of customers - went out of business about three years ago. Sadly, the owners could not keep up with the competition and keep their prices competitive unless they switched to a much lesser quality line of ingredients. Guess people just preferred going elsewhere and eating frozen pre-made stuff sold at nearby franchises, rather than eat "from scratch" dishes made with excellent quality fresh ingredients, a grandmother's touch, and a lot of love.

Thankful for Three Things Thursday

Today's three things may seem like odd things to be thankful for but as I explain each one in further detail, you will see why what would normally be unfortunate circumstances are actually blessings in disguise.

This week I am thankful for:

1) My Dad having prostate cancer. Yes, I understand cancer is not something to be thankful for but, again, stay with me here and I will explain. Yesterday, I found out my father has prostate cancer and from the research I've seen and the few men I've known to have had cancer, prostate cancer seems to be the kind to get if you're going to get a cancer and retain a positive outlook for the future. I don't know of any prostate cancer patients who have ever died from it. That's not to say there aren't any out there - just saying the ones I've known to have had it are all still with us on Earth and living healthy lives. My next door neighbor is one of them.

2) Milla showing an interest in watching television. While this might seem like a parent's nightmare - having a child become so addicted to tv they need to be pulled away kicking and screaming - we are not actually at the scary stage as yet. I am thankful for Milla being happy to sit in front of the tv for maybe five or ten minutes at a time so I can pay a few bills, do some uninterrupted dinner prep, brush my teeth - whatever. Reiss is not interested in watching tv and has a difficult time self-entertaining so when he is at school, it's a comfort to know I can get a few things done, however minute those things may be, at least they are crossed off the To Do List for the day.

3) School will be out for Reiss in a few short days. Although Summer Break means the absence of speech therapy, which he receives while in school, and while I truly hope he does not lose any communications skills, I also have plans for his break for all sorts of fun activities. It will also give us a chance to work on improving his potty-training skills. And an added bonus: he will not have to get up so darn early. Have I ever mentioned he has to be at school at 7:50 AM? Absolutely ridiculous! For a high school student, not so much, but that is just way too early for a preschooler, in my opinion.

In other news...remember week before last when I was afraid to get on the scale on Friday? Well, it was for good reason. I not only did not lose any weight, I gained. I don't remember how much - a few ounces or a pound - no obscenely high amount. Then last Friday came and I got on the scale to discover a 3.2 pound weight loss - so that is another thing for which I am truly thankful. We'll see what tomorrow's weigh-in brings....

Thankful for Three Things Thursday

It's Thursday. It's rainy and dreary and gray outside and I'm finding it difficult to be in an upbeat mood today but suck it up I will do since it is Thankful for Three Things Thursday.

Today I am thankful for:

1) Sleep. When I get it, that is. Last night didn't get off to a great start with Milla waking what seemed like every twenty minutes but eventually there was a stretch of time when I got close to three hours of unawakened sleep. Three hours!! What a delectable little treat of total physical inactivity. I'm sure for some that sounds like torture - and it is - being thankful for sleeping three hours straight. However, I've gotten used to being so incredibly sleep-deprived that anything more than an hour or two straight feels like pure dormant bliss.

I have GOT to remember to give Milla some Vitamin D liquid before bed each night.

2) Rain. Really, I don't like that it's raining out and has been for days now but if I show some appreciation for it, maybe it will move on to another part of the world for someone else to loathe. After all, I might as well be thankful for it now, with summer coming we may not see it very often. And crispy, brown, sunburned grass in front of my house doesn't make for a beautiful window view.

3) Excellent public services for special needs children in our area. Well, so far, anyway. I am very happy with the speech therapy services and the speech therapist helping Milla along with developing words other than just "Ma-ma-maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!" Actually, it's kinda ironic that I wish Milla would say more than just "Mama" because I always wished for Reiss to call me "Mama" or "Mommy" when he was a baby and all he would ever say was "Mom." Too grown up sounding, if you ask me. He does call me "Mommy" now though and that's fine. For some reason, I have this little visual in my head that nothing is as precious as a little baby calling out "Ma - ma" for their maternal figure to come rescue them from whatever situation they may find themselves. Yes, it's silly, I know.

It would be nice and I would like to be able to once again say I am thankful for weight loss but this week has not been stellar, by any means, for me and trying to eat well. My first "infraction" was when I decided to give up the fight and lose the battle in finding a suitable sweetener to replace sugar in my coffee each morning. I have tried a product called Just Like Sugar - which, by the way, is definitely NOT just like sugar. There have also been trials of stevia, Sucanat, honey, maple syrup, Zylitol, agave syrup and my apologies if I've left anything out.

The initial goal was to find a natural sweetener that provided zero or close to zero carbs and could be considered natural. Nothing tasted right so I loosened the reigns on my dietary rules and allowed natural sugar replacements that are considered low on the glycemic index. Still a no-go. Nothing tastes as good as plain old white refined really-bad-for-me sugar. So Tuesday morning marked my reunion with a really good cup of coffee. It could be even better but I'm trying to persuade my tastebuds into believing that half the sugar I used to use still tastes better than the full amount of any of those other things. I may be back to sugar but it's been cut in half.

Tuesday also ended up being a bad day for fiber intake as well. Unfortunately, I didn't eat a whole lot of produce that day and to make up for it, as in, to (ahem) keep things moving, I ate five prunes that evening. What? Prunes aren't a bad thing? Well, no traditionally they're not bad but they are when the person eating them is trying to stick to lower carbs. If the sugar and prunes were not enough to blow it all, Milla must have felt certain I was starving because she kept bringing me pieces of Pirate's Booty. Suffice it to say I will be pleasantly surprised tomorrow morning if the scale reflects any loss at all this week. Wish me luck.

Thankful for Three Things Thursday

It's "Thankful for Three Things Thursday!!!"

I am really glad I decided a few weeks ago to do a post such as this one every week. It has really made me reflect on things and how fortunate my family and I are in this world. Each week around Tuesday I find myself pondering the things around me that have made me happy or my life easier in some way.

This week, I am very thankful for.....

1) All the people who help us in some way to improve the quality of life for Reiss. Reiss only has mild to moderate autism and that, in itself, is something to be thankful for because things could be much worse (but just don't tell me how "easy" I've got it or you will face a wrath like you've never seen!). But I am very thankful for his preschool teachers and the teachers in his Parent's Day Out program. His preschool teachers are fairly used to being around children with autism but the teachers in his PDO program have gone out of their way to accomodate for keeping Reiss in the program and also learning about autism themselves.

2) My weight loss. Yes, I know I was thankful for this last week too but it continues and this week I was able to squeeze (barely!) myself into a favorite pair of jeans that haven't fit for more than two years.

3) Little potty-training successes. After nearly three weeks into potty-training Reiss, we are finally beginning to see some real progress. Using a reward system in the past has not been very effective for us but it has this time. Reiss really wants those few teeny-tiny chocolate chips. We are convinced he is even beginning to drink more just to go pee.

Low-Carb Fiber "Fudge"

Since going back to eating lower carbohydrate foods a few weeks ago, I have gotten a little sweet tooth that needs to be satisfied. In order to stay on track and keep the weight falling off, I came up with a recipe (and I use that word very loosely since I do not measure any of the ingredients) for a concoction that closely resembles fudge. It is lower-carb, high-protein, and full of fiber. Depending on any additions you choose, this could be made to include not only a ton of fiber, but Omegas from here to Utah! No matter how you go about making it, it is sooo good for you!

Although I do occasionally throw in some of the optional additions, the "recipe" is how I have been making this most often. All measurements are approximations, as I just eyeball everything as I assemble it. Double, triple or multiply this as needed - the following will make enough to last about two days with only myself eating it by the spoonful here and there throughout the day. Do NOT be scared of the chocolate chips!!!

Low-Carb Fiber "Fudge"
2 T. nut butter - I use Maranatha Macadamia Butter
1-2 T. Enjoy Life GFCF chocolate chips
1 T. coconut milk
3 T. natural unsulfured coconut flakes

Optional additions:
flax seeds
sunflower seeds
nuts
raw cacao nibs (at 9 fiber grams per 1oz-serving, these are almost pure fiber)

Melt the nut butter, chocolate chips, and coconut milk in the microwave on 10-15 second intervals, stirring in between intervals. Heat only until melted or the chocolate will get gritty. Add coconut and chill until firm. If you're really "jonesin'" for a sweetie-treat, put it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.

Yes, this recipe does have chocolate chips in it and generally, chocolate chips are not low-carb. However, because we eat gluten-free and casein-free as well, we always have Enjoy Life brand chips in the house and although they are only minimally lower-carb than traditional chocolate chips, they do not contain the higher glycemic index sugars. They are made up of literally only three ingredients: evaporated cane juice, chocolate liquor, non-dairy cocoa butter. That's a far cry from all the ingredients - some I can't even pronounce - in traditional chocolate chips.

There are endless possibilities with this recipe. You could switch up the nut butter to peanut butter and make it a peanut butter "fudge." Personally, I love the subtle flavor and silky texture of the macadamia butter. It's a perfect complement to the coconut and coconut milk.

In case you're wondering, yes, I can eat this delectable treat and still lose weight.

FINALLY Friday

Yesterday, I had the best intentions of getting on here and doing my "Thankful for Three Things Thursday" post but it just didn't happen. I thought about punishing myself by making it into a "Fortunate for These Four Things Friday" but that's just silly. Seriously, I'm an adult and I am my own boss and if I don't get around to a particular post, who cares. My boss isn't going to ride me for it and I'm not getting paid to do this so whatever....today is Friday, let's move on.

Having said that, I do want to mention a few things I am thankful for because one of them, cilantro, is pictured in this photo:

Pineapple Mango Salsa

The recipe in the link calls for coriander but I used cilantro. Cilantro, for me, is one of those things that just gets me all giddy. I mince it all up and I'm like a teeny-bopper girl who just got a smile out of the most popular boy in school. It's ridiculous, really. Whenever I'm messing around in the kitchen with a cilantro bunch, my husband always tells me, "I used to make you happy like that."

We ate the salsa with chicken and salad greens. Nothing would make me happier than to say that it was grilled chicken but alas, I live in Indiana...and we'll leave it at that. No, actually, we won't leave it that. Remember how I was going on and on last Thursday about the buds on the trees, the warmer weather, and the animals frolicking outside? It snowed on Tuesday.

By the way, the recipe is a good one but besides substituting cilantro, I also used fresh garlic cloves - I don't remember how many. Knowing me, probably five or six. Next time I make it, I will leave out the olive oil and add more red pepper flakes. Honestly, I didn't see the need for the olive oil but followed the directions and threw it in there anyway. The element of "fire" just wasn't as strong as my tastes demand so I will probably the double the amount of red pepper flakes.

Another flashback: Remember the gratification I mentioned I get out of cutting with high-quality sharp knives? That same knife I posted a link for last week got a mind of its own this week and came after me, nearly slicing my darn finger off...while I was making the aforementioned salsa.

Now, I don't want to sound like I'm bragging here because I most certainly am not but I did want to mention my weight loss. I have been dieting for a few weeks with a few cheats here and there but I got on the scale this morning and my weight is now finally (for the first time in seventeen months) lower than it was the day I left the hospital after having sweet little Milla. Like I said, not bragging, just wanted to mention it because I am proud of my will-power and thankful for the loss.

In other news....

We are on Day #12 of potty-training Reiss. So far, he has not peed on the potty yet. He has done three practically microscopic turds on three consecutive nights but nothing else. I do find the poops to be somewhat encouraging but still wish that he would pee in the potty...and not down his leg.

This weekend we are going to make some exceptions to all my food "rules" and allow Reiss some mainstream candies for Easter. They will still be gluten-free and casein-free but I'm going to allow something with artificial dyes and flavorings and opt for Jelly Belly jelly beans, most likely. If I get time, I will also purchase an Easter-themed candy mold and melt down some Enjoy Life chocolate chips to fill it. Either way, Reiss gets candy so seldomly, he doesn't know what he's missing. It's not a big deal if he gets a tiny bit of naughty stuff like food dyes every now and then - it's the gluten and casein that are most important for him to avoid.

Well, there are children waking and garage doors opening, a signal of DH's arrival home....

What Are They Doing That I'm Not???

Just like my son's autism doesn't rule our lives fulltime, writing only about it on my blog is not going to happen either. With that said, I am full of wonder these days.

For instance, I was just sitting down with Milla on my lap nursing and flipped the TV on to see an episode of Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee. It never ceases to amaze me how thin some of the Food TV women are, especially when I see the foods that she or Giada De Laurentiis make on their shows. I have to wonder what these women are doing that I'm not. Sure, they are in the tv business but still, they make these incredible foods on their shows and taste it. I know they can't only be eating those one little tastes that are shown on camera! Do they just eat small portions, as in, bird-size portions? Oh, I don't know....the only thing that seems to work for me is low-carb eating and lots of water and exercise.

Another thing I have been pondering quite often lately - and welcome any comments from anyone but especially those who do NOT agree with my opinion - is how people can argue that vaccines do not play a part in at least some cases of autism. For those who think vaccines play no part at all, how do you explain your opinion to people like my husband and me who have a child who seemed to be developing just fine and then started regressing soon after his one year shots? Or worse, how do you explain vaccines playing no part in autism in children who are fine and then have a particular vaccine and immediately regress? As in, the same or next day. And although my own son's regression was not quite as quick as that, yes, I do know of people who noticed such drastic changes in their children as having things happen within hours or a day or two of being given vaccines. How do you explain that? How do you explain how vaccines could not have done such a thing? Seriously, I want to know.

And to those who do not think vaccines play a part, I encourage you to take a look at the results of my latest poll at the bottom of this page. Although it was not a scientific poll, I do think the results say a lot about vaccines and public opinion.

On to other things.....
If you are reading this and you know anything about me at all, you know I have a bit of an obsession with large families. I love, love, LOVE large families! I love the Duggar family and watch their show that is now called 18 Kids and Counting. I "follow" the blogs of several very large families. I was a bit interested in the newest octuplet story......until I couldn't take being ticked off at the mother any longer and had to count her out. I just love hearing about all the adventures and fun times that large families have. If it weren't for my husband and I starting out so late and then facing infertility issues, I think I would have loved to have had a very large family....ah, I'm speaking like it's out of the question now. Who knows....there may be several more children in our future.

So where was I going with this? Why is it people will sit around and criticize the parents of large families and argue that the older children are raising the younger ones? But then, those same people with only one, two, or three children will admit to having lots of debt and not being "able to afford (fill in the blank)." So basically, these people think it's okay to carry a ton of debt and teach their children about life with debt and not being able to afford things, but it's wrong to have a large family (and in a lot of cases, little or no debt) and teach the older children life skills by having them help out with the younger ones?

Seriously, I don't get people....but alas, I digress. We have things to do and not much weekend left to do them.