Matthew's Puzzle

A piece from Age of Autism

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:30:00 +0000

From Age of Autism:

November 09, 2009
Are We Becoming a Majority?

Diversity-Hands1-400x266 By Kent Heckenlively, Esq.

The pharmaceutical companies control the legal system (Vaccine Court), the media (try watching any news program without getting bombarded by prescription drug ads), and the politicians ($29 million to Congress in 2008 and $176 million since 1990).

But are they losing the people?

Last Saturday morning my attention was drawn to a small article on the bottom right side of page 11 of my local newspaper. I'd later realize that the headline was even further downplaying the significance of the story. The headline read "Many Californians won't get H1N1 vaccination, poll shows."

I'd read similar articles in the past so I thought I'd be getting more of the same. I was wrong. A threshold has been crossed in my home state. In my opinion it should have been on the front page.

The article was taken from the Los Angeles Times (November 6, 2009) and had this as its lead paragraph. "As concern spreads about H1N1, a new survey of California voters found that while most consider the vaccine safe, a majority had no plans to get vaccinated."

STOP!!!! Did I just read that correctly? "A MAJORITY HAD NO PLANS TO GET VACCINATED"???? Isn't this the pandemic that President Obama declared a "national emergency" a few weeks ago?

I couldn't help but continue reading.

The survey questioned 1500 registered voters and was conducted as a joint effort between the Los Angeles Times and USC. "Only 5 percent of those polled said they had already been inoculated. Of the rest, 52 percent said they did not plan to get vaccinated."

The article became even more shocking as I continued.

"Of those polled, 70 percent said they think the H1N1 vaccine is safe for most people, while only 17 percent said there is a strong chance the vaccine is unsafe."

Okay, let's get this straight. 70 percent of the public thinks that the vaccine is safe for "most people." But 52 percent of the public has "no plans to get vaccinated." That means that lurking somewhere in the back of the collective mind of the majority of the public is the thought, "Hey, that vaccine might not be safe for ME!" As my friend the Stanford economist always points out, "If you want to know what people really believe, look at what they do, not what they say." And they're not rushing out to get vaccinated.

There was also this curious nugget of information. "The poll also found that blacks and Latinos are far more likely than other groups to say they believed the vaccine could be unsafe." Hmm, groups with a history of being lied to are less likely to believe people in positions of authority. I wonder why that would be? Maybe they're better at spotting lies?

The article reminded me of a recent exchange in the teacher lunch room of the school at which I work. Most of the teachers are ten to fifteen years younger than me and the issue of getting a flu shot came up. A few had gotten the shot, others hadn't, and people were going round the table with their plans.

I remained silent.

Finally one of the teachers looked at me and said, "Kent, I heard you have a pretty strong opinion about vaccines." I thought of the long-time friends I'd lost over this issue, the family members who have started emotional fights about our beliefs, my aged father who is still getting his yearly flu shots so that I can worry about Alzheimer's as one of the joys of his remaining years, and what has become an absolute silence from many of those I care most deeply about in regards to what has happened to my daughter. And there was another thought running around my brain. At my new school I was really starting to like these people. I didn't want to lose them as I'd lost so many others.

"I do," I replied, and went back to eating my sandwich.

A few seconds later I realized that everybody at the table was still staring at me. "Well, it's really a controversial issue," I stammered.

They kept looking. They wanted to know.

I laid it all out for them as best I could in the remaining minutes. The Vaccine Court, my own experience of having a daughter with seizures and autism, then watching my 18 month-old son begin the descent into autism after a pediatric visit in which the pediatrician gave him a full developmental work-up which he passed with flying colors, and my son's subsequent recovery through bio-medical intervention. They were riveted. A teacher gets a sense of his audience and they were looking at me as an expert, not a crack-pot.

As we were breaking up for lunch and I was giving the standard disclaimer that this was my opinion and they were entitled to their own, another teacher said it best. "My wife and I are considering having kids and we want to be educated. I want to know more."

I think I was hearing from a member of the new majority.

Kent Heckenlively is a Contributing Editor of Age of Autism

Chelation Therapy Drug Found Safe And Beneficial For Children With Autism

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:51:00 +0000

Very interesting article about DMSA and it's effectiveness in treating children with Autism.

Chelation Therapy Drug Found Safe And Beneficial For Children With Autism

Redskin Cheerleader Desiree Jennings recovers

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:02:00 +0000

I am totally amazed by Desiree Jennings, the Redskins Cheerleader, who got "dystonia, a rare neurological condition with no cure brought on by infections, brain trauma or, as is believed in her case, reaction to medication". In this case the medication was the seasonal flu shot she received at her local Safeway grocery store. Desiree was plagued with tremors, seziures and stuttering, and could not walk forward more than a few steps without stumbling and falling.

Now, Desiree has been almost cured of this incurable disease. She started seeing Dr. Rashid Buttar of the Center for Advanced Medicine and Clinical Research. Dr. Buttar has detoxified her body and now Desiree can talk again, without having seziures.

Watch her here. And check up on her progress and her story here.

Symposium Raises Awareness Of Specialists And Pediatricians About GI Disorders In Autism And Identifies Critical Areas For Further Study

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:10:00 +0000

This is kind of a surprise to me, but a good surprise.

Symposium Raises Awareness Of Specialists And Pediatricians About GI Disorders In Autism And Identifies Critical Areas For Further Study

So, how exactly did AIT turn out?

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:59:00 +0000

As many of you know I was on a bit of a hiatus while Matthew attended AIT in Virginia. We went to McLean Speech and Language run by Susan Glaub to get his Berard AIT. Susan was trained by Guy Berard himself.

On our first day there Matthew sat and listened to Reggae music that was digitally altered to stimulate his auditory sense and help start it to respond appropriately. It is a half hour session twice a day and after about 15 minutes into the session they have really gotten his auditory system overloaded. So we would start to see behaviors such as hand flapping and his other favorite stim, writing in the air, appear. Susie said this is very normal since they were purposefully overstimulating his system and these are the ways Matthew chooses to cope with feeling over stimulated. We saw other behaviors emerge as the ten day program went along; things such as anger, excitability and emotional sensitivity. But we also started to see cognitive gains that had not been there before. They were subtle to the casual observer, but to those of us that know Matthew best, these were blaring sign posts. Matthew started to express himself in more complex sentences and he seemed to understand more abstract thought. At one point he told his dad that the reason Dad moved the chair Nico was sitting in was because Nico could not see the TV from his current spot and this way he would be able to. Normally Matthew would have simply asked Larry, repeatedly, why he was moving the chair.

We are still struggling with certain problems that are holding him back from being labeled "fully recovered", but this little boy has made such amazing strides that Larry and I both believe he will make a full recovery soon. We know that AIT has helped him, and the really cool thing about AIT, is that the benefits are not fully noticed for at least 6 to 12 months. He will continue to heal in that time frame and just get better and better.

Once the holidays are over and the new year is here we are going to try HBOT with the hopes that it will both kill yeast and heal the inflammation in his brain. If we could simply stop his two preferred stims he would appear completely normal. There may be residual issue that we will have to address, but these two things should get him to the point where he is virtually indistinguishable from "normal" children.

GFCF Shrimp Taco

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:03:00 +0000

Last night I wanted to try something different and decided to make shrimp tacos instead of our usual picata type shrimp. I decided to fry the shrimp and use corn tortillas and a spicy mayonnaise, hoping for the best. Well, they turned out delicious, at least to Larry and I. The boys weren't so sure about them, but Matthew did eat all of his even if he was just trying to get strawberry sorbet as a dessert.

The Recipe:
enough shrimp for 3 shrimp per taco
flour blend (recipe below)
cumin
chili powder
salt
egg
lime juice
corn tortillas
mayonnaise
taco sauce
Tabasco sauce
Oil for frying
vegan cheese
GFCF "sour cream" if desired
cilanto (optional)

Clean and shell shrimp, including removing the tails.

In a shallow bowl mix eggs for an egg wash. In a separate bowl mix flour, cumin, chili powder and salt to taste. Dip shrimp in flour mixture, then into egg mixture and then back into flour mixture to get a nice even coating.

Heat oil in frying pan and fry shrimp in small batches until golden brown and cooked though, but not over cooked. Set aside to drain on a plate covered in paper towels or brown bags. Sprinkle with a small amount of lime juice - do not use much or they will get soggy.

Warm tortillas in microwave oven by placing them on a plate and covering with a damp towel and microwaving for 20 - 25 seconds.

Mix mayonnaise, additional cumin, additional chili powder, lime juice, taco sauce and Tabasco sauce to make a zesty mayonnaise. This is all to taste so add sparingly and taste often.

Lay tortillas flat, spread with a little mayonnaise mixture, add about 3 shrimp, vegan cheese, GFCF "sour cream" and cilantro. Fold tortilla and eat!

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:00:00 +0000

The Winner of the Pearl Paradise Pearl Bracelet is:
littledeadmommy said... 41 @ October 16, 2009 1:24 AM

I tweeted the giveaway. http://twitter.com/littledeadmommy/status/4909203684

littledeadmommy@gmail.com

Help a Friend and Orphans at the same time

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:36:00 +0000

An online friend of mine is adopting two children from Rowanda. Here is what she has to say and how you can help:

We've been given a wonderful fundraising opportunity from Just Love Coffee. This is a company started by a man named Rob Webb. Rob has adopted from Ethiopia (the birthplace of coffee!), and from that experience, he has started Just Love Coffee to help orphans in Ethiopia and families adopting children all over the world. The coffee's are all fair trade and they have some delicious flavors - including a Rwandan coffee!

When you purchase Just Love Coffee through our link, you will be helping to build a school for older children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and helping to bring our children home! We receive $5 from every bag of coffee purchased. 100% of the money we receive from this fundraiser will go directly towards our adoption expenses.

FYI - Shipping for 1 bag or 2 bags cost the same!

So head over to their Just Love Coffee site and order a bag (or 10!) and help them out. And remember that Coffee is a great gift for the holidays, especially Christmas!

Gardasil Researcher Drops A Bombshell - The Philadelphia Bulletin Archives

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:11:00 +0000

This is amazing and crazy, and just so, so wrong. If I had a girl there is no way I would get her vaccinated with Gardakill. Oops Gardasil.

Gardasil Researcher Drops A Bombshell - The Philadelphia Bulletin Archives

AIT

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:40:00 +0000

So I haven't been around much lately. Lots going on with the pregnancy, the house and the kids. And now today Matthew starts AIT (Auditory Integration Training). It will be an intense 10 day experience so I will not be around much at all. I hope everyone has their Halloween Costumes ready - I finished the boys' costumes yesterday. They are going to be pirates! And I hope you all are ready for all the little goblins!

Pearl Paradise Bracelet Giveaway

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:11:00 +0000

The Winner is

littledeadmommy said... 41 @ October 16, 2009 1:24 AM: I tweeted the giveaway. http://twitter.com/littledeadmommy/status/4909203684

littledeadmommy@gmail.com

You have 48 hours to claim your prize or a new winner will be selected.

Earlier this week Pearl Paradise gave me a beautiful pearl bracelet to review. They sent me a stunning lavender fresh water pearl bracelet with 14 kt gold clasp. I have never owned a good piece of pearl jewelry but was very excited to receive this piece. Before the bracelet arrived the only exposure I had ever had to fresh water pearls was the small, oddly shaped white peals strung on a delicate necklace I had gotten when I was much younger. Not a really nice piece. So when they told me they were going to send me some fresh water pearls I was really unsure of what to expect. I decided to go check out their website and found some amazing pearls. I'm totally in love with their golden pearls, they are simply beautiful. The offer white, pink, lavender, golden and black pearls in many styles such as necklaces, bracelets, earrings, pendants and rings.

I tend to wear only a few pieces of jewelry daily such as my wedding set, diamond stud earrings and a mother's ring my hubby bought me (before we found out we were having a third baby!). I was delighted when Pearl Paradise gave me the bracelet because I really think it is something you can wear daily if you want or save for those special occasions when you want to dress up a bit.

When the bracelet arrived it came with a certified appraisal which included a picture of the bracelet (great for insurance purposes should something happen to the piece), the pearl origin: China, shape: near round (so no oddly shaped pearls here), body color: lavender, luster: Highest, Matching: Excellent, Surface/Nacre: 95% Blemish Free, Overall Quality: AAA, size: 7.0 - 8.0 mm, and clasp: 14 kt Gold. They also sent a pearl care kit containing two Pearl Sachets and a Microfiber Pearl Cloth to help me keep my pearls in good condition.

I believe this bracelet would make most women very happy, especially a mom who gives so much of herself that sometimes she forgets about herself. Pearl Paradise wants to give one of Matthew's Puzzle readers the exact same bracelet they gave me ( the one pictured at the top of this article - lavender). All you need to do to enter to win is stop by Pearl Paradise and look around. Then come back here and tell me about some other pearls you would love to get this holiday season or for your birthday/anniversary.

Mandatory entry: go to Pearl Paradise, then come back and leave a comment telling me what other pearl piece you would love to own. Please leave your email address or make sure it is visible on your blog.

Extra Entries: you can get one additional entry for each of the following you do, but you must do the mandatory entry first.
1. Tweet about this contest and leave link to your tweet.
2. Blog about this contest and leave link to blog
3. Follow Matthew's Puzzle on Twitter.
4. Subscribe to Matthew's Puzzle via Feed Burner

This contest is open to US residents, 18 years and older. This contest will end Thursday Oct 29, 2009 at 11:59 PM EDT. The winner will be chosen using Random.org random number generator and I will contact the winner via email along with posting the winner on Matthew's Puzzle. The winner has 48 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be selected.

GFCF Pumpkin Apple Muffins

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:44:00 +0000

I was feeling really excited about Fall yesterday, and the fact that my cold is finally starting to leave me! So I decided to make pumpkin muffins. I found a great Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffin recipe on The Mama Sphere and decided to see if I could adapt it to be GFCF. I did! And they turned out great, so great that I thought I'd share the recipe. So here it is:

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour - substitute with GFCF flour blend given below
1.5 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (you can use a whole 15 oz can without bad results if you don't know what to do with the rest of it)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups peeled, cored and chopped apple (my boys didn't love the apples, and I found out you can omit them)

Streusel topping - I didn't make this, but instead used a cinnamon and sugar sprinkle on top before baking.
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour - sub GFCF flour blend below
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons butter - use a GFCF butter if you do this

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 18 muffin cups or use paper liners.
In a large bowl, sift together 2 1/2 cups GFCF flour blend, 1.5 cups sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, pumpkin and oil. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stirring just to moisten. Fold in apples. This will be a very thick batter. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons flour, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle topping evenly over muffin batter. Or just use cinnamon sugar mixture and sprinkle on top of muffin batter.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool on rack.

You can eliminate apples and use nuts if you want, or leave them out all together. You can also use a whole 15 oz can of pumpkin without issue.

GFCF Flour blend - I found this flour blend on recipe circus which is part of the GFCFrecipes yahoo group.
2 cups white rice flour - I didn't have enough white rice flour so I used mostly brown and it turned out fine.
2 cups brown rice flour
1 c tapioca flour
1c potato starch
1/4 c potato flour
1/4 c xanthan gum
1/8 cup pectin

Recipe
Mix all ingredients together using a whisk until no lumps appear.
Store in an airtight container in a cool place.
Marcie's Note: Due to cost I will replace the xanthan gum with guar gum.

Bloom Putty is offering 20% discount

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:53:00 +0000

I'm sure you remember when I was talking about Dokedo Putty a few months ago. Well recently they decided to change their name to Bloom Putty . And to celebrate this new move they are offering a 20% off sale. Simply use the code holiday09 and receive 20% off your purchases. This sale expires December 14, 2009.

If you don't know much about Bloom Putty let me tell you a little bit about it. Bloom putty is made in the USA!!!! (you know I love, love, love this) and it is gluten, casein, nut and latex free. This is super for those of us that have little ones that either eat their putty or get it under their fingernails and then put their hands in their mouths. No chance of gluten or casein infractions here. Bloom Putty is scented, with yummy organic and natural oils, NO artificial fragrances used here. They come in 14 scents and colors, but they also offer 6 unscented colors.

I bought a few putties before and both the boys love them. They like to make putty bracelets with them and use wooden stamps to make marks in the putty. But lately our ABA therapist has been using them in Matthew's therapy. She uses it as a preferred activity but also as one that helps strengthen his hand muscles. He gets a double dose of therapy without even knowing it.

So go check out Bloom Putty and get your holiday orders in early.

Slow

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:17:00 +0000

Things have been a little slow around here the last few days. With everyone of us with some sort of cold we have all been dragging a bit. I am just feeling good enough to bake some long needed bread, and I didn't even do it from scratch. I'm trying out a Schar mix for Classic White Bread. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Matthew STILL has not had his first treatment of HBOT because of his cold. The doctor's office will not let him in the chamber if he has any congestion and since Larry has also been sick he can't get in with him even if Matthew was feeling better. So we decided to hold off on HBOT until after Matthew gets his AIT treatment in a few weeks. We just don't think we can get enough dives in to make it worth the effort.

I am pretty excited about the AIT program. I am hoping that it helps Matthew deal with some stimuli that he may be having problems with. And quite possibly it could get rid of the last real "autism" traits he seems to exhibit, namely flapping when excited and drawing numbers in the air. If he could just control those too impulses no one would really be able to tell he ever had the disorder.

I'm also getting ready for Halloween and Thanksgiving. I'm hoping to make candy apples this year for the boys to take to school as treats and I'm trying to plan our Thanksgiving dinner. We will be hosting my in-laws as well as my parents this year. I want to make sure that we have food that Matthew can eat and everyone can enjoy.

So that is where we are right now.

Realizations

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0000

Last night I was taken to the Labor and Delivery floor of our local hospital because we thought I was leaking amniotic fluid. The doctor didn't want to take any chances and had me set up in a L&D room to check everything out. The baby and I were both fine and we were release within a couple of hours. But during that time, as I lie on the L&D bed, I began to think about what an undertaking it will be to be having our third child. I recalled when Nico was born and how terribly hard it was to take care of a new born and try to take care of Matthew who was 2.5 yrs old at the time.

Matthew was a terribly difficult child to raise, but I just didn't realize how difficult until now as I look back on what we faced at the time. Matthew required so much help, with everything he did. He could barely feed himself, he needed constant supervision and could not be left alone to play. I was so grateful that my mother-in-law could come spend the first month (yes, month!) we us because I really do not know how I would have taken care of a very needy newborn and an even more needy PDD-NOS child.

As I'm contemplating the new baby's arrival I don't have those same fears. Yes, I think this will be difficult, but I also believe that Matthew has grown so much that he does not need the same level of care any longer. And Nico is so normal and so independent that I know he will be able to amuse himself while I care for the baby. It is amazing how much independence Matthew has achieved in 2 years and how "normal" he appears. I know that he will be able to entertain himself and help with certain activities. And although I'm fearful of just having another baby, a newborn that requires so much - mostly all my sleep!, I am not fearful of those same problems that we had when Matthew was only 2.5.

Larry and I can do this. We can take care of three children, because our oldest is so much like a typical child now. We have been very blessed and extremely lucky because Matthew is a responder and our doctors have had much success in recovering him. It is amazing how much that can change and heal a family. What an amazing blessing we were given and I don't want to squander any of it.

HBOT, AIT and Enhansa

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:05:00 +0000

October is going to be a very tricky month indeed - when do I get the treats? First off we have decided to start Matthew on Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy A.K.A. HBOT this month. We have been talking about it for a while now and have decided that this might be the kind of kick start we need to get him to full recovery. HBOT for autism is where the child and a caregiver (in our case it will be daddy) climb into a soft sided HBOT chamber and the chamber is pressurized to 1.3 atmospheres. From reading I have heard that anything less doesn't work and anything above 1.5 (hard chamber) is too much. What we hope to accomplish with the HBOT is to reduce brain inflammation and to kill yeast. Apparently yeast do not do so well in a high oxygen environment, they are anaerobic, and HBOT can help to control their population! That is a big plus for us since Matthew still struggles with yeast overgrowth. But more importantly HBOT also reduces inflammation in the body, including the brain. This is why HBOT is often used for diabetics, to help them heal body wounds. The one concern with HBOT is the fact that some people feel that introducing additional oxygen to body that already has oxidative stress will increase the oxidative stress, but I recently read an article refuting that idea. It can be found in the October 2009 Autism File magazine. This article says that a study was conducted where they tested the children for oxidative stress levels before and after the series of dives and found no increase in oxidative stress. So we are planning to try HBOT. We hope that it will reduce the brain inflammation which could help with the next treatment we are planning to do this month: AIT.

AIT is short for Auditory Integration Training. We have been reading a bit about Berard AIT and feel that Matthew may benefit from participating in the program. We recently had him tested at a AIT facility in Virginia and he did seem to have auditory processing issues, which really didn't come as a surprise to us. He has exhibited many of the symptoms since he was an infant. He covers his ears at loud noises, especially when we flush a public toilet or use the hand dryers in public bathrooms. And in looking into Berard we found other areas that he also is deficient in which map to auditory processing problems such as:

including poor balance and motor coordination skills
delays in speech and language development
difficulty with reading skills
poor concentration
poor fine motor skills
difficulty with vision skills
dysfunctions with sensory processing.

We are hoping that using Berard AIT will help us address these issues. Berard AIT was originally developed in France in the 1950's by Guy Berard. Around 1990 it was introduced in America. It is a 10 day listening program where the participant must wear headphones and listen to specific sounds for half hour intervals, twice a day with about a 4 hour break between sessions. This will mean that we will be traveling to Virginia, about an hour ride each way, in good traffic. We will spend a half hour in the training, then I will have to figure out what to do with a 4 year old child for 4 hours that far away from home. It is too far to travel back home because traffic around the Capital beltway can be very heavy and often very unpredictable. So I will wait it out in Virginia, then we will go back to the center and have his second half hour treatment in the afternoon, just in time to catch the beginning of beltway rush hour traffic.

And lastly we will be looking at introducing a new supplement called Enhansa. Our DAN! doctor has ordered a few tests for Matthew to see how he was doing with problems such as metal toxicity and yeast. The report we received back seems to indicate that Matthew still has mercury in his system, and that he is still battling yeast overgrowth. Enhansa is an anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and a natural chelator. We are hoping that after introducing Enhansa his body may be able to control the yeast and eliminate the mercury that is stored in his brain.

So as you can see October is a very hectic month for us, but we are praying that it will be a month full of treats. And in the end we are praying for a fully recovered child; the best treat of all.

NYR Organic

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

I am now a consultant for NYR Organic - a natural and organic bath and body line from the UK! I'm really excited about these products and have been using them for a little over a month now. NYR Organic officially launched in the US on Sept 14th and is now available. If you would like to order any NYR Organic please go here. I can also do local in-home parties if you are interested (Maryland) so please use the Contact Me link on this page. In January NYR Organic is launching their order on-line, direct shipping to your home website, which will make things that much easier since you will then be able to order directly from me and the factory will ship directly to you. No need to ship to me first. I can't wait. Go check out some of their great products. Two of my favorites are the White Tea Facial Mist and the Orange Flower Facial Oil. I use both every day. And I think the White Tea Facial Mist would make a great stocking stuffer, co-worker holiday gift or hostess gift.

Matthew telling Jokes

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:45:00 +0000

Matthew has gotten into telling jokes now. Sometimes he gets them right but more often than not they are just wrong, but his delivery is so great that you have to laugh. Today he told me a joke about a bear...well I'll just let you see.

Anyway, this is what we got for all our hard work with biomedical and everything else. He is 4. Enjoy.

Travolta Acknowledges Son's Autism

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:42:00 +0000

I'm so sorry for John Travolta's family and I'm sure it was terribly hard for him to admit that his son had autism. But in a way I'm glad he did. I want other families to see it can and does happen to anyone. We are all people and none of us are better than any other, nor any worse. This disorder can and does strike any sort of family and being rich and famous does not make it all better. I wish his son could have been treated for the seizures. How sad all around.

Travolta Acknowledges Son's Autism

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Winner of the EcoSmart Bundle

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 19:12:00 +0000

The winner of the EcoSmart Bundle of products is:

Molly K said... 39 @ September 22, 2009 2:59 PM: I would really like the Safe Lawn and Outdoor Value Bundle.

Congratulations, you have 48 hours to claim your prize!

WOW - DR. OZ Hit a Home Run with This

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:44:00 +0000

I'm actually very surprised by what you are going to see in the link below. Dr. Oz of Oprah fame has come out on his show and said that one of the best ways to treat Autistic Children is to remove inflammation from their bodies. He said that Inflammation can cause a lot of autistic symptoms and in removing those substances that cause the inflammation then the child can start to get better and they do get better. Well that is exactly what the DAN! community has been saying and now it looks like some in the mainstream medical community are listening! YEAH!

Mathew Playing Wii Music

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:52:00 +0000

We decided to get the Wii Music for Matthew. He had played the Wii at a friend's house and liked it, so we thought we would try it at home. He seemed to enjoy it.

Additonal GFCF Treats that should be a hit

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 10:23:00 +0000

Halloween really is my favorite holiday of the year. Most people, Christian's at least, tend to love Christmas, and of course I agree that is a beautiful holiday. But I love the draw of Halloween. You get to dress up like someone else and be completely different for one whole day. You can be silly or scary and you get CANDY! Wow, what an awesome holiday, huh? Plus the decorations are really fun.

So I was searching last night for Halloween costumes for my boys. Matthew wants to be a pirate and instead of buying a pirate costume I thought maybe I would "make" one for him. I don't really want to sew much, but I think I could do this project almost completely without sewing. And I found a great pirate costume on DIY network. But as I was searching I also found a few other great Halloween GFCF treats that I wanted to share with you.

Martha Stewart and her employees are extremely creative and I marvel at all the cool things they come up with.
Here is my new favorite - Invisible Lollipops I plan to make them this year!

Martha also had a great idea to make Meringue bones. These look simple and really good. Naturally GFCF, so there are no substitutions to make. Take a look and see if you would want to make these for your family this year, I know I would.

And while you are at it take a look at her Spideweb Eggs. If you children like hardboilded eggs (Nico loves them) these would be wonderful for a spooky Halloween snack. I love the idea.

Another really great treat that you could send to school is Chex Mix. I made a batch of GFCF Chex mix for Matthew's birthday party last year and it was a HUGE success. I found two great Chex Mix recipes that should be easy to convert to GFCF:
The Cookie Pizza just make sure you use GFCF "butter" - I like Earth Balance. Also, Rice Chex are GFCF but if you use another type or multiple types of Chex mix verify they are also GFCF. Use Tropical Source GFCF chocolate chips OR go bitter sweet instead of semisweet and you should be OK. I like bitter sweet Ghirardelli chocolate. And Lastly I'd suggest using Frutabu Fruit leathers because they are GFCF and organic.

They also have Caramelized Crispy Chex Mix which is easy to doctor up and make your own. Because I was unsure of the Corn Chex Mix called for I used Gorilla Munch cereal instead. And because I was doing it on the fly, I didn't have enough of either cereal so I added Gluteno Pretzels and Perky O's (GFCF Cheerio type cereal). This gave it a nice texture and made it even more interesting. I also skipped the candy pieces since I couldn't find a good GFCF brand. And of course I used GFCF butter such as Earth Balance. It was so good I ended up needing to make 2 batches because we ate most of the first batch before the party.

Of Course you can not forget about Rice Krispie Treats. It is 3 Tbs of GFCF "butter" like Earth Balance, 1 bag package of GFCF marshmallows or your homemade fresh marshmallows, and 6 cups of GFCF crispy rice cereal (Rice Krispies are NOT GFCF). Melt the "butter" and marshmallows in a very large bowl in the microwave for 1 - 2 mins. Stir to combine mixture. Add rice cereal and mix to coat. Pour into a "buttered" dish or out onto parchment paper. Let it set up and cut. There are lots of variations of this that are easily adapted to the GFCF life. Just play around with your favorite recipe or hope over to the Rice Krispies website and see what you can come up with.

I hope some of these are recipes you can use this year. I know we are all so busy, but maybe these will make Halloween a little sweeter for your GFCF family this year.

GFCF Halloween Ideas

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 12:15:00 +0000

Since we have gone back to the GFCF diet (thank the Good Lord!!!) I have been trying to come up with fun Halloween treats for the boys. Both boys will need to take in Trick or Treat bags for the kids in their classes and I wanted to provide them with better Halloween treats (at least better than those store bought confections full of preservatives, dyes and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)).

I was thinking about making Organic Candied Apples - by taking organic apples and making my own candy to dip them in. The recipe is quite simple:

Ingredients:

12 red apples
12 wooden ice-cream sticks (or even better , beautiful, washed and partially peeled sticks from your yard)
4-1/2 cups organic raw sugar
3/4 cup organic light corn syrup
1 teaspoon red food coloring (organic, natural coloring found in health food stores)
1-1/2 cups water
1 cup chopped peanuts (optional)

Preparation:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. Wash and dry the apples. Insert a stick through the stem of each, leaving about 2 inches of the stick for gripping. Place the chopped peanuts in a deep bowl large enough to roll apples in.

Place the sugar, corn syrup, food coloring , and water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring slowly to a boil while stirring constantly and cook until the ingredients are dissolved.

Insert a candy thermometer into the liquid and continuing cooking, without stirring, until the temperature reaches 290 degrees F. This should take about 20 minutes.

Remove the syrup from the heat and dip the apples , one by one, coating each evenly. Work quickly so the sauce doesn't harden. As you finish dipping an apple, roll it in the peanuts to coat evenly. Place each apple standing on the prepared cookie sheet. Let the apples cool for at least 1 hour before serving.

Another great idea are GFCF marshmallows cut into pumpkin shapes and dusted with orange sanding sugar, of course using organic food colors.

My parents want to make popcorn balls for the boys. Using 11 cups of popcorn, 1 package of mini marshmallows (not organic, but at least GFCF) and 3 Tbs of GFCF margarine. Prepare popcorn and remove un-popped kernels. Place in large bowl. Heat marshmallows and margarine in microwave for 1.5 minutes so that marshmallows are melted when stirred. Pour over corn and mix. Wet hands with water and shape popcorn mixture into balls. Serve immediately or wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper (better choice) and distribute.

I hope these give you some ideas of fun foods to prepare for your little GFCF ghosts and goblins this year. You can always make GFCF cupcakes and decorate with organic candies, making them look like spooky Halloween entities. I hope to have pictures of a few of my creations up soon so you can see how ours turned out.

Foto Friday - Riding the Rails

maryann@darocks.com (Maryann) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:55:00 +0000

Last month we took a trip on the Strassburg Railroad and here is a picture of Nico enjoying the rails.