We're moving!

After some thought, I've decided to move my blog to wordpress for a few reasons.

1 - I can customize there a lot more than with blogger.
2 - My blog is about life, and learning, whether it be mental illness, celiac, yoga, or anything in between, I want a blog that is more suited to what I blog about.

So this will be the last post! You can find ALL the old posts over at wordpress.

Here's the address!
http://lifelearningmama.wordpress.com/

But where have I been?

I've been away for a while it seems. There are several reasons for this and in the interest in remaining true to myself by not pretending to be someone I'm not while blogging I will let you know why (one of my biggest issues with the blog world is that we can portray ourselves to be amazing cooks, moms, yogis, leaders, people, when really, we're imperfect and have complete control of what we can write and how people will perceive us).

1. I think it's extremely important for me to writen when *I* want to write. I've learned over the last 4 months that when I do something because I feel like I should or that other people want me to I lose interest really quickly. I blog in part for the readers out there, so that I may share some of the things that I have learned along the (very bumpy, ever evolving) path of parenting 2 celiac and allergic children, but I also blog for me. Blogging allows me to have a creative outlet. I need creativity and for now, I need to have a lot of control over that creativity. Blogging gives me that.

2. I'm very intraspective right now. I'm trying to heal (see point #3) and in order for me to do that, I spend a lot of time inside my own head and body trying to make everything work the way it should. I spend a lot of time doing yoga, both in a studio and at home. I spend a lot of time agonizing about what to eat and when (I'm often not hungry). And I spend a lot a lot a lot of time resting and sleeping.

3. I'm extremely anxious right now. I've suffered through various degrees of mental illness for years (realistically, since childhood), and right now I've got an anxiety bump in the road. Lots of panic attacks, mostly mild in nature, lots of heart palpitations (I have a heart arhythmia), and lots of not fun times.

I normally wouldn't blog about such a personal matter, which is why I haven't blogged in a long time. But realistically, I know that I'm not alone - lots of you out there suffer from anxiety, whether it be post-partum, every day, situational, etc. And yet, even with anxiety, many of us still maintain some semblance of day to day living. We still need to provide for our families, or ourselves, whether it be through food, hugs, working, or anything in between. I still put my children to bed each night and cuddle them in close. I still make sure they are well fed within the limits of their diets (and make them try new foods whenever I can). I still get out of bed each day and 98% of the time I get out of my pyjamas too.

Each day is a new one, and I'm learning to embrace that. I'm learning that regardless of our restrictions, we are still amazing people who do amazing things. While getting out the door for a yoga class is about as much as I can do right now, others of you get out of bed and go to work every day, or work to a greater goal. Each day should be celebrated - it's the last time you'll have that one day in particular.

So go ahead, whatever might be troubling you today, be thankful for today. Embrace today. And know that tomorrow is always a new day.

Celiac Conference

This past weekend I attended the Annual Celiac Convention put on by the Canadian Celiac Association (CCA). It’s held in different parts of Canada each year (usually alternating east to west) and this year it was held in one of my favourite cities – Kelowna. As soon as I knew it was in Kelowna I chatted with Chef Husband to see if we might go. I had really wanted to go last year but the plane ticket was just out of my budget. We decided we would do it and extend our stay a bit so we could have a little vacation at the same time.

We jumped in the car at 9am on Thursday morning and travelled by way of Calgary, Banff, Golden, Sicamouse, Vernon and then Kelowna. It was a beautiful drive despite the snow (!!!!) and we arrived safe and sound at about 7pm BC time (an 11 hour jaunt). Our house was perfect for us – a beautiful 2 bedroom house in West Kelowna that overlooked vineyards and Lake Okanogan.

I’m going to split our visit into a few posts. Post 1 will be Day One’s Speakers. Post 2 will be our trip itself, and Post 3 will be Day Two’s speakers.

On Saturday morning I arrived bright and early (7:30am!) at the conference. I only knew a couple of people there so right away this was something that was way outside of my comfort zone. We were welcomed by the CCA and by Kelowna’s MP, Ron Cannan (who I should add showed up late, so the first speaker had started to speak, then they interrupted her so that the MP could welcome us – and he didn’t even apologize!!!! Good thing I can’t vote there!).

The first speaker was Dr. Sheila Crowe. Dr. Crowe has an extensive expertise in Celiac Disease and works at the University of California in San Diego. She was an extremely good speaker and I learned a lot. Here’s a summary of some of the key things I learned.

·         The main test for Celiac Disease (CD) is still tTg IgA, though in young children they will sometimes use the AGA version because it’s more accurate.

·         The biopsy is still the gold standard. This may become more important as time goes on – there are a number of drug trials currently underway and these drugs will be extremely expensive. If there is any hope of having them covered, a proven biopsy will likely be needed.

·         At least 4 biopsies should be taken and at least one of them should be from the duodenal bulb. This seems to be the most accurate way of testing and if CD is present, the duodenal bulb almost always shows it.

·         There are 2 genes known to be part of CD – HLA DQ2 and HLA DQ8. One of these needs to be present in order for someone to have CD. These genes are neither dominant nor recessive – they are just passed down by chance.

·         Having the gene does NOT guarantee active CD. Someone with the gene should be tested every few years even if symptoms are not present because of “silent Celiac” or asymptomatic Celiac.

Dr. Crowe spoke about how far we’ve come in research in the last ten years and I can certainly attest to that! I was diagnosed 3.5 years ago and I can see even how far the research and availability of products has come in the few short years. See her whole talk in pdf here.

Our second speaker was Dr. Mohsin Rashid. Dr. Rashid is a pediatric gastroenterologist out of Halifax. He was really interesting in terms of how he got involved in Celiac Disease research. First, he learned about it (albeit not very much) in med school. Then his daughter (who also had Type 1 Diabetes) got diagnosed with CD. Then his niece in Pakistan was diagnosed. He was then invited to be a member of the Professional Advisory Board of the CCA and it’s been Celiac ever since!

Dr. Rashid’s talk was all about “Celiac Without Borders” – it was a fascinating talk about Celiac Disease primarily in Pakistan. He spoke about the Gluten Free Diet being the prescribed therapy around the world, but that there is a serious lack of availability in many places. Pakistan for instance, has a predominantly wheat based diet. They have so many other health concerns (Hepatitis B and C being one), that Celiac Disease isn’t even on their radar and yet millions of people suffer from it.

CD is very social restrictive, especially for children, and in Pakistan this is even more so the case. The Gluten Free Diet (GFD) is also very costly – to put it into perspective, one dollar will buy 40 pitas in Pakistan, but will only buy 2 plates of rice. When you are faced with feeding your family, this is extremely expensive!

Ultimately, we are one community – it is the same disease, we all have the same problems, and it doesn’t matter where in the world you are.

Visit the Celiac Support Group in Pakistan for some great information as well as GF recipes! www.celiac.com.pk. The website is available in both English and Urdu.

See Dr. Rashid's talk here.

Our third speaker was Dr. Hardy Lineback. I had the great privilege of sitting with Dr. Lineback throughout the day. We spoke extensively at lunch time about CD in general. Dr. Lineback doesn’t have any celiacs in his family, and he is very new to the disease, but his curiosity was peaked! I could literally feel him vibrating with excitement over learning about CD from both personal and professional perspectives.

Dr. Lineback is a dentist out of Toronto. He was asked by Dr. Rashid to work on a research piece about Dentistry and CD. Although his talk was more technical than the others, it was extremely interesting.

·         Many patients with CD exhibit white spots or striations on the teeth that looks exactly like fluorosis (fluoride overconsumption)

·         Teeth enamel is 96% mineral and dentin is 70% mineral

·         Bowel problems can erode the enamel of teeth from gastric acid –whether by vomiting or by reflux up into the mouth.

·         Symmetrical lesions on the teeth indicate that something is happening in the body, and isn’t local to the teeth.

·         There are more defective teeth in celiac groups.

·         Mouth ulcers/canker sores are symptoms of Celiac Disease

·         Patients on the GFD have fewer cavities – there are several hypothesis about this – one is that CD sufferers tend to be more diligent about their diets, another is that CD patients associate high sugar diets with feeling gross (given that many high sugar foods are also wheat based) so they tend to stay away from them.

Overall, this means be in good contact with your dentist! Watch for striations on your child’s teeth – front teeth are formed before birth but molars are formed after. Adult teeth are formed between 1 and 3 years of age so teeth can tell you a lot about what happened at certain times of children’s lives.

Also, Sensodyne may have traces of Gluten. Use Crest or Colgate instead.

See Dr. Hardy's talk here.

Our last speaker was Dr. Ian Blumer. He has authored 9 books, including Co-authoring Celiac for Dummies with Dr. Sheila Crowe. His talk was about Autoimmune Associations with CD. Dr. Blumer was quite humorous which I think was needed after a long day of talks. Dr. Blumer made it quite clear that these Autoimmune Diseases don’t guarantee CD, and that if you have CD, you aren’t guaranteed to have another disorder. However, you are more likely to have another disease if you have CD. Diseases associated with CD are:

·         Dermatitis Herpetiformis affects up to 25% of people with CD. It looks like small blisters on a rash but most of the time it presents differently because it is so itchy that many people scratch until they bleed. A biopsy should be taken if DH is suspected. The Gluten Free Diet will make significant improvements and many people on the GFD report no symptoms of DH.

·         Vitiligo is likely autoimmune (think Michael Jackson)

·         Psoriasis

·         Eczema – tends to affect creased areas more

·         Ataxia – being off balance – B12 can be the culprit

·         Infertility – is associated with active CD

·         Miscarriage – also associate with active CD

·         Peripheral Neuropathy – damage to small nerves in the feet and hands

·         Type 1 Diabetes

·         Thyroid Disease – both Grave’s Disease and Hashimotos Thyroiditis

·         Elevated liver enzyme levels

One thing that was noted about Thyroid medication is that this is one instance where the brand DOES matter. Do not use the generic brands if you have been prescribed another type. Also, how you take it is important – it needs to be taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

Lastly, it was announced that Health Canada has pledged $245,000 for Celiac Certification programs. A step in the right direction for sure. The first Certified Gluten Free product by the CCA was also announced – Lays Potato Chips by Pepsico.

While these are both amazing advances, I think they’re also kind of sad. Celiac research money is hard to come by given that there are no pharmaceuticals involved. The drug research that is being done is mostly for those one-offs – when you’re going to a restaurant and want to avoid cross contamination for instance, a drug may be coming that will stop the reaction, but it’s not for every day use. The only prescribed therapy is the GFD and unfortunately, that means not a lot of grant money.

Also, while I love that we are getting more Certified GF foods and that the CCA and other organizations are working diligently to make sure our food is safe, it saddens me that the first one certified by the CCA is potato chips – complete junk. I feel that there is so much GF crap out there! There are more companies trying to make healthier GF options, but walk down any GF aisle and you will see copious amounts of junk food – just what our bodies do NOT need!

Remember – many whole foods are inherently gluten free – vegetables, fruits, meat. Put into your body what it NEEDS.

It Took 30 Days..

Disclaimer: This post has nothing to do with Celiac Disease. I can't believe that during Celiac Awareness Month I'm posting something else, but given I've just completed my first 30 day yoga challenge, I decided to change things up. I need to commemorate this moment and I don't have the energy to journal it all (do people write anymore? Writing cramps my hand now!)

So, I did it. And I learned a lot. The interesting thing is that I didn't think I could do it. I put a lot of doubt in myself I think to cushion the fall when I knew that I was sure to fall, or fail. But although I did fall, a lot, I didn't fail. Each fall was met with new awareness, new strength, and new respect.

I'm not perfect. I'm no size 6 perfect figured woman. I'm a mom of 2 (amazing) babes that spent a lot of time ignoring exercise. But that's changing. And already my shape is changing. My poses aren't perfect - I can't necessarily go super far into them, or round my back perfectly (and to be honest, I think my back surgery in 2009 has a lot to do with that), but I know that they're where I need to be.



Wild Thing Pose

In 30 days I learned a lot. Here's my list.

1. I can do a lot more than I give myself credit for. To go into Wild Thing Pose, you can from Downward Dog to 3 leg dog and then flip over. And I can do it. Almost gracefully.

2. It's okay to fall. Falling means you learn. Whether it's falling as in making contact with the floor or falling symbolically, a fall is still a fall.

3. Getting up 30 days in a row to do yoga IS possible. I almost even enjoyed getting up that early.

Side Plank with Leg Raised

 4. I can do a side plank and not want to die. I couldn't do a side plank at all before I started the challenge.

5. People drive like assholes before 6am. I think I saw on average someone run a read light every day. I got tailgated like crazy and people zoomed around me. No one signalled. It was kind of apalling.

6. You're never alone. When you have a bad day, there will be someone there to hug you.

7. It's okay to cry. Crying is healthy; it gives us a release.


I have no idea what this pose is.. I could only find the names for ones on flat heels, not on tiptoes.

 8. 62 people took part in this challenge and they all wanted more - more from themselves, more from life, more. It's okay to want more.

9. Different kinds of yoga do amazing things. In the 30 days I did: Akhanda Yoga, Anusura Inspired Yoga, Chakra Yoga Flow, Hatha Flow Fusion, Kundalini, Restorative Yoga, Kosa Yoga, Vinyasa Flow, Yin Yoga, Yin/Yang Yoga Fusion, Yoga-Core, Yoga Flow, Yoga for Strength - Whew! (You can see descriptions of each here) I also had many many different teachers, each of whom taught us something in their own right (thank you to Prana Instructors: Leala, Isabelle, Sean, Brittany, Heidy, Mallorie, Angela, Jana, Jaya, Jen, Kate, and Donna).

Poet Pose

10. Life often hits you in the face with what you need at that moment. Embrace it, even if it's scary.

It's all about Awareness

With May being Celiac Awareness Month, I'm going to focus today's post on awareness. I'm going to compare yoga with Celiac Disease. Yup, you read that right. You see, after 26 days of yoga in a row, there's little else that is focused so prominently in my head. So I figured now was the time.

On another note, we got the results for Mr Man's scope and of course, they came back positive for Celiac Disease. We are meeting with a nutritionist next week - not because I feel that we need to (I mean really, we just went from 50% to 75% of the house having Celiac.. it's not like this is new to me), but I feel that Mr Man needs to. I think that at his 6 wise years of age, he will really benefit from this meeting.

Now onto the good stuff. I have divided this into 4 sections that came to my head.

Making Mistakes
I'm going to tell you a story. I fell on my face about 10 days ago. When I say fell on my face, I mean that I was showing off, trying to go into crow pose to show my husband my progress. I didn't engage my inner thighs or my core. I tried to hold my whole weight on my hands. And I tilted forward and wham. Face smashed against the kitchen floor, nose bleeding, nose swollen, and a giant bump on it. I'm lucky I didn't break my glasses. It was a hugely embarrassing moment. One that required a lot of gently reassurance internally for my bruised ego, and a lot of ice for my bruised nose. It took me a full week to be able to wiggle my nose without pain. But you know what I learned from that? Go into a pose with confidence and strength. Don't go into a pose mindlessly because then that's when you'll fail. Each time you go one cm farther in a pose, you've accomplished so much.

How does this relate to Celiac? Think of it - the first time you tried baking how'd that go? What about all the products that you've bought that tasted so bad you couldn't bring yourself to eat them despite spending a small fortune on them? Or what about the time you forgot to inform your friends, family, or the restaurant that you couldn't consume gluten? Going gluten-free is an adventure; it's a lesson in patience. You need to give yourself a break and know that we've ALL made the mistakes and we all STILL make the mistakes. We're not perfect. Sure maybe after a few years we're pretty confident in our abilities, but I still make things that sometimes taste like shit and wind up throwing them out.

It's a learning curve - let yourself learn; let yourself fall.

Today, I managed to go into crow again - controlled and gracefully and though I only held the pose for the longest 2 seconds of my life, I wasn't afraid. And I'm not afraid to try it again.

Listening To Your Body
In yoga at the beginning of almost every class, the instructor will tell you that this is your practice; it is what you make it. Yoga isn't a competition. There's no one going around judging you for not touching your nose to your knees in a forward fold. If your body says "I need a break", going into Child's Pose is ALWAYS an option. There are people that lay in the relaxation savasana pose the entire class and that's okay. They are listening to their body.

Just today I went to Mr Man's Mother's Day Tea in his kindergarten class. I was sitting beside one of his friend's mom's. We started to talk about Celiac (because I'm not going to lie, I try to bring it up any opportunity I have so I can educate others) and the Mom asked me how I knew, how long it went on for, and how I got tested. I shared very basic information about My Story at which point she then informed me of some of her symptoms (and can I just say I love how comfortable people get talking about poop when they're trying to get to the bottom of things?). My advice to her was: Listen to your body. If something feels wrong, then it's likely wrong. Go get tested; then you'll know.

People, listen to your body. Sure, some Celiacs are asymptomatic, but many Celiacs also live with their symptoms for years without being tested. So go, get tested.

Diving Deeper
In 26 days I have progressed to the point that I can now do Side Plank with a leg up. When I first started, I couldn't even do Side Plank for more than about 2 seconds. I can reach my left heel to the floor consistently in downward dog and my right is almost there. I can twist a little bit farther, fold a little bit deeper and hold a pose a little bit longer. I am diving deeper into my practice both physically and mentally.

With Celiac, you can either stay at the surface or dive deeper. You can buy ready-made products (and there is NOTHING wrong with that!) or you can start experimenting. You can get involved with organizations or reach out and make other Celiac or gluten-intolerant friends.

In Mr Man's class today they read Katie Chalmer's book "Mommy, What is Celiac Disease?" - all of the kids went home knowing more about my son's disease - what it means, what his body is doing, and how food affects him. His teacher told me the kids were mesmerized and loved that we sent in the book. We dove a little bit deeper.

Coming to Calm
As I said previously, I'm an extremely anxious person. I battle varying degrees of anxiety (and sometimes depression) regularly. Yoga has begun to teach me to be grounded, to be calm, and to quiet my mind. This has been the hardest for me to attain. This is often how my mind goes in yoga: Inhale... exhale... hmm.. my tummy really balloons.. what do they mean touch your belly button to your spine? Don't they know that's impossible? Oh I'm wandering again.. inhale... exhale... I wonder if I'll be able to nap when I get home. Oh shoot I have to pick up the kids.. oh there I go again .. inhale... exhale... does anyone else feel funny doing a wide leg forward fold and looking up to see someone else's butt?...
And so on. Quieting my mind has been difficult, and I'm not there yet. But I'm better than I was at the beginning.

I'm the same with Celiac. At the beginning, I was hypersensitive. I was paranoid truthfully, about potentially getting cross contaminated, or making a mistake. But slowly, over the last 3.5 years I've been coming to calm. I've been more at ease with Celiac because I know that I have a lot of control over it. It's possible to still get glutened, but it's also possible to be diligent without being anxious all the time. I'm comfortable in my knowledge; I'm comfortable being calm.

Yoga and Celiac.. they're basically the same in approach and learning, and they've both been a godsend for me.

Celiac Kids

Did you know that May is Celiac Awareness Month? (It's also Allergy Awareness Month so really, it should just be a month of complete awareness in our house). Other than me, who do you know with Celiac Disease? What is one thing that you can learn about Celiac Disease that you didn't already know?

I've been having an amazing month. I'm doing a 30 day yoga challenge and I'm putting my health first. I've occasionally put my health first in little bursts, but this is the first time that I'm putting it to the forefront of everything I do. I'm getting stronger - mentally and physically. And I'm educating people about Celiac Disease at the same time.

In the last 2 days, 2 friends have asked me questions about Celiac. The cool thing is that a) I know the answers to the questions that I'm asking and b) They are learning more for the future. Each time someone learns something new about Celiac, they are learning more about their friends, their family potentially, and others around them. Generally, they become more sensitive to those with food restrictions. It's amazing.

But on to more awareness. I have 2 children. Both are celiacs. Both have completely different stories. You can read Miss A's story to recap, and I have yet to write Mr Man's story given his diagnosis is so new (but I will do a post soon as he had his scope on Monday).

So you have a child. And you're concerned. What are the symptoms of celiac? What do you look for?

Well, know this: If either parent has Celiac disease, there is a greater possibility that your child does. Testing before the age of 4 can often give inconclusive results (In the case of Mr Man, he was tested at 3 and was "normal" so in the range of 7-10 for the antibody test. At 6 he was retested and had a level of over 1200). After 4, the test results should be clear. You may also want to test for the gene. If the gene is not present, you're likely in the clear (though there could still be some sensitivities). If the gene is present, you want to repeat the test every 2-4 years to make sure the disease hasn't been triggered.

Let's talk about symptoms, specifically in children. I'll use my children as examples but know this: every child is different and likely won't exhibit the same reactions to a tee. (List taken from Celiac Disease Association)

* Abdominal Distention - Mr Man had this - it's commonly referred to as "wheat belly" and makes a child look pretty big, despite being malnourished
* Bloating - do your kids toot a lot? Think of how bloated you feel when you're gassy.
* Bruising Easily - they fall, they bruise. My kids always had/have bruised legs. As do I.
* Constant Unexplained Fatigue - This was apparent with Miss A before diagnosis - she would always want to be up and sleeping from fatigue. Mr Man can't seem to sleep period. He's always exhausted.
* Constipation - This was an issue with Miss A - she was a great pooper until about 14 months or so and then she would literally sit there and cry. I'd have to hold her hand and sometimes even hug her. Mr Man is pretty regular, but his poops aren't exactly normal.
* Diarrhea or Runny Stools
* Failure to Thrive - Miss A was actual labelled Failure to Thrive. She was suffering from extreme protein deficiency from lack of absorption of any nutrients.
* Foul-Smelling Stools or Fatty, Floating Stools - Need to double flush or turn the fan on for your kids?
* Frequent Headaches or Migraines - While this is something I suffer from, neither of my kids appear to
* Frequent, Loud Stomach Rumbling or Growling* Gas or Stomach Cramping - Mr Man has horrible gas and often complains that his tummy hurts, especially at night.
* Grayish Stools - We went through this with Mr Man when he was about 3-4 but he stopped having grey stools after age 4.
* Heartburn
* Joint Pain
* Pallor (unhealthy pale appearance) - Miss A is still pale, but when she was at her sickest, she was almost see-through. Mr Man is always pale with dark circles under his eyes.
* Panic Attacks - My boy suffers from these.
* Stomach or Intestinal Pain - see Gas or Stomach Cramping
* Tingling or Numbness in Extremities
* Unexplained or Unusual Muscle Weakness* Unexplained Skin Lesions* Weight Loss - Mr Man has lost a couple of pounds, Miss A just stopped gaining altogether.
Something that isn't in this list that is also a big symptom is personality changes. Constant irritability, anger, trouble concentrating, anxiety; these are all symptoms in children. Think about it - they don't feel good, they're not getting their proper nutrients, so they are cranky. Wouldn't you be cranky if you felt terrible All. The. Time?

The list is long, and sometimes unless you see the list all at once, it's hard to pinpoint the issue which is why Celiac is so under-diagnosed, especially in children. A blood test will lead you down the celiac road if that's where you need to go. Don't let your children suffer. It's hard for sure. But with your support and help, they'll get through it.

Feel free to ask me anything if you have questions.

Some Days..

In my life, some days are harder than others. I think the same can be said for the majority of you.

Some days you might get glutened.

Some days you may be tired.

Some days you may be sore.

 Some days, you may just feel like shutting out the world.

Some days, you might feel anxious.

Some days, you might feel overwhelmed.

And some days, you might feel so many things that you have no idea where to start or how to type.

Today, that last one is me. I've been starting multiple blog posts then stopping mid-sentence and hitting save, closing my computer, and taking a nap. You see, like many celiacs, I have other correlated issues. One of them is anxiety. And that means that sometimes, I need to take a step back from the outside world and go inside myself.

I'm doing a 30 day yoga challenge at Prana Yoga Studio. Every morning my alarm goes off at 5:36am (I don't know why, but I hate setting my alarm on the 5 or 10.. it has to be something unique) and I get out of bed, get dressed in all my yoga attire, throw my hair in a ponytail, walk downstairs, pat the dog on the head, get in the car and drive. It takes me 10 minutes to get to the studio where I find out what studio I'm in that morning (there are 2). The first morning was fun; the second morning I was over it. But now, I have completed day 11 and I have yet to miss a day. Physically I'm feeling very strong (and I'm hoping to get some good shots of me in yoga poses outside when it stops being crabby out there) and mentally I find that yoga is forcing me to sllooooooowwww down. This whole slowing down thing is a foreign concept for me. I'm known to be a bit of an overachiever and take on WAY too much. I'm only now learning to say no (and really, I say that almost in jest as I have to really think hard before I say no). But it's fabulous. I haven't had a headache until today in 11 days (that's a record for me). My tummy has hurt once in the last 11 days (I really need to give up dairy). And I feel like I can conquer the world.

Life is full of things to worry about. But yoga is helping me to not worry as much, or to try to think more rationally about each thing before I freak out (I'm not going to lie, my therapist is helping me with that thought process too :) ).

My current freak out? Mr Man. I've already written about how Mr Man was diagnosed with celiac. Now I worry. I worry about how he's going to fair in school. I worry about the impact that this will have on his friendships and his life. I already worried about all these things with Miss A, but never with Mr Man. For some reason, his being celiac has hit me harder than him being allergic to nuts. He's having a tough time. He's very clingy to me which can get draining, but all I do is hold him close. I don't tell him it's going to be okay, because it will only be okay when he decides that it is. I don't tell him not to worry, because my son is extremely sensitive and needs to understand everything before he decides how to handle it. I don't tell him that it's not a big deal because let's be honest, anyone who's celiac KNOWS it's a big deal.

Instead I tell him that I love him, that I will always be there to listen to him and so will his dad (and his sister - she's been supporting him since he got diagnosed). I tell him that he will learn so much as a celiac and even though it sucks sometimes, he will feel so much better and will learn to listen to his body more.

And that's my point. We all need to listen to our bodies more. I've enrolled both my kids in yoga. I feel that it will get them more in tune with their bodies and as celiacs, I feel that this will be important to them not only now, but down the road.

Some days.. some days you just need to take a leap of faith, know that not everything is always going to be perfect, and dive right in.

And another..

Well it's official. Chef Husband is now the only non celiac in our house (and he's been tested!).

Miss A was diagnosed at just over 2 years of age.

Mr Man - age 6. He had been tested at age 3 and it came back negative, but in the last few months, he's been complaining of stomach ailings, usually at night. He's been very gassy, especially again in the evenings (I think from build up?). He's a terrible sleeper and is always exhausted. I'm sure that he's feeling foggy.

So off we went to the pediatrician who very willingly handed me the req. We went to get the blood test (no tears, just an ouch, and then they gave him 5 stickers. Amazing clinic), and awaited the results. Given it was easter weekend, I called them on Wednesday to find out that it was likely positive but they had to wait for doctor authorization to release the results. I called back Thursday and spoke with a different nurse - the same one that I had dealt with for 2 years while going through our health issues with Miss A, and she said that the other nurse was newer and didn't realize that I knew all about this stuff already. So she gave me the results.

Normal levels of gluten antibody at 7-10. Mr Man's level? 1200. It's the highest level the clinic has seen.

We should hopefully hear next week about getting a scope and then going gluten free. My first instinct is to go gluten free immediately, but I know that he needs to stay on it to have anything show on the scope. Though really, with a level that high, I think it'll show up regardless, but hey.

I was pretty upset about it on Thursday. Mr Man was devestated. He gets it, and he knows that his being celiac restricts his diet more than being allergic to nuts does. We're working through it though and I know that it will be okay.

Chef Husband has decided that given he's the only one who can now eat gluten in our house, that we might as well go about 95% gluten free in house (he'll have a little cupboard for his treats). I should clarify that we do eat 100% gluten free, but we still had gluten in the house.

I'm sure I'll have some stories and some new learning experiences from this new diagnosis! Nothing ever seems to be simple in our house, but then, I wouldn't know what I know if it was simple. A blessing in disguise!

Judgement

I don't do very well with judgement. I'm not talking about the kind of judgement that you do in your head because really, no one can say they've never judged another person. (Other than maybe Jesus, but even then sometimes I think that He too could judge internally because not even Jesus was perfect).

As a mom of 2 amazing children who have food issues, I get judged a lot.

I get judged as to why I chose to breastfeed my daughter until she was 3. Some people think it's ok that I did because she was sick and needed the nutrients. Some people still look at me sideways. Who knows, even if she hadn't been sick I might have gone through to age 3 - I can't know what I would have done because I only know what I did do - and what I did was right for my daughter and for me. But still, people judge.

I get judged as to why I pack snacks for my kids when they go on playdates. Some people think I'm over protective and that I don't trust them to provide my child with healthy snacks. Perhaps I am an over paranoid mother, but ultimately, I'm the one that has to deal with the reactions (both anaphylactic and other) and has to deal with my children's questions on a daily basis about food allergies. I'd rather provide them with safe snacks than wonder if they're going to be ok. There are many houses that I do trust my children to go to because those parents have proven to me that they understand. They call me to check ingredients. They buy foods labelled peanut free to have on hand when my son goes over. They keep gluten free cookies in the cupboard for those "just in case" moments where my daughter gets hungry. They keep the safety of my children at the forefront of their minds.

Today I got judged for my vaccination schedule. I took my son to his speech therapy appointment (Mr Man had a severe stutter when he was younger. It's almost all gone, but we've hit a snag recently and needed a refresher course on how to treat it). While I was there, I decided to make an appointment for Miss A for her MMR vaccine (Measles, Mumps, Rubella). I'm not going to get into the whole MMR vaccine debate, but I will say that we decided we were going to give the MMR vaccine to Miss A after the age of 3. It was a personal decision that we were comfortable with.

When Miss A had her first set of vaccinations (in Canada, children get 3 different needles at 2, 4 and 6 months of age, then chicken pox and MMR at 1) at 5 months (again delayed), she reacted horribly. She had a fever for a week, she was grumpy for 2 weeks and I knew that something went amiss. So, we decided we were going to go one step further. We gave her one shot at a time so we could isolate which one she reacted to, and did them a minimum of a month apart (usually closer to 2 months).

It turned out she reacted to the meningicocal vaccine and pretty extremely. She developed a high fever and her personality went from content to awful. We spoke to our pediatrician about it, it was recorded in the reaction lists, and it was advised that she not get any more meningicocal vaccines. When we talked to the health nurses about this, they grilled me as to my motives, and one went so far as to telling me I was endangering my child's health (I called the head nurse after that encounter and said some not so nice words to describe my horrible experience).

Fast forward to Miss A getting sick. Our doctor requested we put vaccinations on hold. She was at home with me at the time every day, and given her previous reactions, her doc didn't want anything else to interfere with getting to the bottom of her illness. We happily obliged and haven't gotten her any vaccinations since.

It's now time for her to get a bit caught up. While I was at the Health Unit I asked to make an appointment for Miss A for her MMR vaccine that she should have had at age 1. (She's now 4 1/2). I was asked some questions that made sense "The booster" "No, the initial one" "But she's due to have her booster of x, y, z" "I understand that but she never got her first vaccination" "Oh! Okay". Polite conversation right? Right.

Then another nurse interrupts and says "Do you want to do a print out so I can see what she needs?"

What did the receptionist respond "She's one of those moms that does vaccines in the order she feels like so I'll just leave it with the nurse on call that day."

SAY WHAT?

What is one of those moms?

What does doing vaccinations in the order she feels like mean?

I bit my tongue only because there was a line up of new moms, our speech therapist was waiting for us, and I honestly was so mad I was afraid of what I would say.

But here's what I want to say:
"Madam, you have no idea why I've done things the way I've done. My daughter does not fit into the typical standard child. I have had to fight every day of this girl's life to get people to take me seriously and she is finally healthy and thriving. How dare you insinuate that I'm doing things for shits and giggles."

I told the speech therapist who advised that I report it because it was horrible. But really, what good will it do? The lady at the front desk is still going to have the same judgements. She's still going to think that people who do things in different orders to the norms are doing it just 'cuz. She's been there for over 10 years. Will me saying something really make a difference?

My point is, be careful why you judge. You don't know what people have gone through, what is in their head, or what goes on in their family. Moms don't usually make decisions out of anger or to cause harm. They make decisions that they think are doing what's best for their family in order to keep their children safe. Just because we don't do things the same, doesn't mean I'm doing them wrong.

Birthday Madness

I didn't mean to take a blogging hiatus, but when you're under the weather, you just don't feel like doing much. I started feeling gross at the end of my work day on Thursday. Friday I was feeling worse, Saturday I wanted to curl up in a ball. But could I? No way! I had a birthday party to attend!

Mr Man turned 6 on Saturday! My little St Patty's baby he is and here's a little glimpse into what I remember each time his birthday approaches.

March 16 around 1pm I started to feel twinges that didn't feel like they were going away. I kind of freaked out, I mean, baby wasn't due for another month.. but alas, I called my doula. Her advice? Sleep. If they were still there, I was in labour. If they went away, it was just practice. I slept for about 45 minutes and awoke to stronger contractions. Eep.

I picked Chef Husband up at 5, insisted I was ok to drive despite contractions (I think he was more than a little freaked out), and continued on. By 10pm, we were headed to our first hospital. I had been in a Shared Care program where it was hospital based but run by midwives. We knew that Mr Man was a footling breach so I wouldn't be able to deliver vaginally in Edmonton, and given he was a month early, things weren't really going according to plan. The midwife let me know I was 3cm and arranged for a transfer to a hospital.

On to hospital #2. The OB could feel his toes through the bulging water sack and I was prepped for surgery. Mr Man was pulled out at 1:12am. He wasn't breathing, he was blue, and he needed to be resuscitated and bagged. Over the next few hours I saw him for 5 short minutes while they tried to keep his levels of oxygen manageable. Eventually at 6am, the paramedic NICU team arrived and transferred him to another hospital. I only followed 12 hours after that.

He was a fighter from the beginning, my little man, and he was named after a Roman Soldier as a result. At 7 pounds, 5 ounces, he looked nothing like a preemie, but on the inside, he wasn't quite ready to be born. It was a tough go at the beginning for us, and he still has some lasting lung issues, but overall, he's still a fighter. He's sensitive, kind, compassionate, brilliant, funny, and kind of quirky in his own way. And above all, he's perfect. He's my perfect little first born.

And my little dude has a serious affinity for all things prehistoric. Some kids go through a dinosaur phase. My kid IS a dinosaur phase. He's been loving dinosaurs since he was 2 and could say T-rex. He knows the names of more dinosaurs than I can count, has met a paleontologist at our local museum, has been on dinosaur camps, and this year when I asked what he wanted his cake to be answered with "I think you already know mom. Obviously it's going to be a dinosaur cake." Well, son, you're right, I should have known.

So a dinosaur cake I made. Have allergies or food restrictions doesn't mean you don't get to have good cake. It just means you have to know how to bake one, and how to have a little fun with colour.

And so I present you with the birthday cake step by step.

 Assembling the cake took a lot of icing. 7 cups actually. I make my own - I find the store bought ones full of yucky stuff and wayyyyy to fake sweet for my liking. My icing is just vegan gluten free butter, icing sugar, rice milk and vanilla. And it tastes amazing. I loved making the little Jurassic Forest complete with watering hole, and Mr Man loved it. I had many compliments from parents (you can't entirely see the height of it, but it's the equivalent of 4 layers of cake in the back) including some from other bowling lanes that came over to see it. It's not mind blowing - I'm not a cake decorator, but I'm pleased as punch with how it turned out and how happy Mr Man was too!

All the kids gobbled it up without asking any questions - as did the parents! Gotta love when no one knows something is gluten free.. :)

Giveaway Winner!

I'm kind of sad that I only had 5 entrants, but hey, there were still 5 people who entered!

Random number generator gave me the lucky number 5 as the winner!
True Random Number GeneratorMin:Max:Result:5

So congratulations to Heather! I'll be getting you your cookbook soon!

Stay tuned for a gluten free nut free birthday cake adventure!

GiveAway Day!

I'm so excited!! First of all, I went to my specialist on Tuesday to get the results. As some of you know, I was feeling rather apprehensive about this, but it turned out to be really good news! I don't have EoE! Yahoo!! I feel really happy about it because I know that people who live with EoE have a difficult time - it involves a lot of scopes, a lot of diet management, and a lot of discomfort. So to hear that I didn't have it was a relief.

What that does mean is that we're still not sure. It looks like reflux may be the issue, but I'm trying some new medications to see if they make a difference. Then I need to go for a motility test which doesn't sound overly enjoyable.

So that's happy dance #1.

Happy dance #2 is for my first giveaway!!

The (amazing, wonderful, talented) Stephanie O'Dea sent me a couple of copies of this book:

You can buy the book at amazon here

Now, I like my slow cooker. Kind of a lot actually. I love the simplicity of it, the amazing meals that it makes, and how fast it usually is to clean up. After receiving More Make It Fast, Cook It Slow I decided that one slow cooker just wouldn't cut it. Instead, I needed more. So I had Chef Husband buy a second one - a small 2 quart slow cooker for dips, and other recipes.

So far I'm made a bunch of recipes from the book including 2 in one day!

I've made:
Apple Pecan Bread Pudding (without the pecans)
Ranch Party Mix (already out. Must. Make. More. This is better than the Bits n' Bites I remember back in the gluten day)
Sweet and Savoury Pot Roast - Sauce = amazing!
Pad Thai - even Mr Man loved it!
Puffy Pizza Casserole - yum! Loved this!
Triple Chocolate Cake - This lasted almost a week because we're not big dessert eaters but holy man. I don't even like chocolate cake and this was mind blowing.

And I have to say, so far, I have loved every recipe.

What I love About This Book
1. The book uses ingredients that everyone would have! It doesn't have fillers, shortcuts, or processed items. It uses stuff I mostly have in the pantry or the fridge.
2. The recipes are FAST! I didn't spend more than 10 minutes making a recipe and that one was the Puffy Pizza Casserole where I had to brown the beef first. My kind of book!
3. All the recipes are inherently gluten free (but can be made with gluten if desired!) - I also have found it quite easy to convert recipes when needed. The Puffy Pizza Casserole we made dairy free. Pad Thai had no fish, Bread Pudding we made nut free and I made it dairy free as well. All were wonderful!

What I don't Love About This Book
Nothing. I love it.

Why You Should Get it
My favourite thing is that the cook book is split into sections - under $7, under $10, and under $15. It's very easy to make a great meal (often with leftovers) or an amazing dessert (that feeds a million people which may or may not be an exaggeration) without spending a lot of money.

Stephanie, you out did yourself! Thank you!!!

So, now the exciting part. I'm giving away one of these books!!

Here are the "rules"
* You must live in Canada or the US (sorry international readers!)
* To enter tell me what your favourite meal is to make in the slow cooker
* To enter a second time, tweet about this giveaway on twitter
* To enter a third time, share this giveaway with your friends on facebook!

I will make the draw in one week on Friday, March 16 at 5pm my time (Mountain Standard Time). That's 7pm EST, 6pm PST.

Happy entering and good luck!

Coconut Yogurt!

I get requests for my husband's Coconut Yogurt recipe all the time! Why? Because here in Canada, we can't buy coconut yogurt very easily. When Miss A was diagnosed with her food issues, dairy was cut out, but then so was soy, and I was unable to eat soy as well. Miss A had been eating copious amounts of yogurt so taking her off it cold turkey seemed .. well, difficult. So Chef Husband started doing some research into an alternative. After a lot of surfing the web, he stumbled upon some success.

First, we invested in a yogurt maker. It cost about $60 but is worth every penny if you plan to make yogurt more than a couple of times. It keeps the yogurt at the right temperature the whole time without having to be diligent about checking the temperature.

Also, we buy a yogurt starter. The one that we currently use has dairy (yogourmet), but there is an alternative called yo-life that is also dairy free.

First step is to pour 2 cans of coconut milk into a saucepan - do not use the lite version as it won't thicken!

Add just a little less than 1/4 cup of tapioca starch (you can also use a combination of agar agar and tapioca starch)

You want to heat the milk up but it does not need to come to a boil.

Remove from heat and once it reached about 105F (it will have to cool down to get here), you can stir in your yogurt starter (once you've made it once, you can use that yogurt to start your next batch). Why can't you add it right away? It will kill all the bacteria!

Ladle it into your jars that came with your yogurt maker (or you can use mason jars) and let it heat for 4-6 hours. If you're making it with dairy you need to let it go longer. *Note: If you use yo-life, you will need to let it go for about 12 hours.

After 4-6 hours, remove and lid the jars, and place in the fridge. Voila! Coconut yogurt homemade!

We use some multivitamins and liquid calcium to enhance the nutrients of the yogurt for Miss A, and we sweeten it with agave and real maple syrup. Both kids eat it for breakfast with cereal, as does Chef Husband!

Hope you enjoyed and if you have questions, let me know! (And I'll ask the Chef because truthfully, I've neve rmade this yogurt..)

Stay tuned - within the next couple of days I'm going to have a giveaway!!! And, I will have the results from my second biopsy to share that turned out to be a lot more positive than I anticipated!

Waiting Games

I took a blogging break. The funny thing is, it wasn't really intentional, but I've been doing a lot of inner processing lately and I really needed to internalize some things before I externalized them, if that makes sense. I find sometimes blogging is like a journal even though I never really intended it to be like that. And, as a result, I took a journaling break :)

Some of you may recall that I've had a couple of scopes. The first one showed some anomalies and some higher than normal levels of eocinophil - a white blood cell associated with allergy. It was thought that this was due to one of two reasons: severe acid reflux or Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE), an esophagus disease that has to do with protein allergies. After the biopsy results came back from the first scope, I was put on an anti-acid reflux medication for 4 weeks. After that came scope number 2. The point of the medication was to see if it reduced the levels of eocinophil. If it did, then the high levels were due to acid reflux. If it didn't, the levels were caused by EoE.

The first scope also saw my esophagus needing a dilation as there was some tightening that would have made swallowing food difficult. For a while, I had felt as though food was going verrrryyyyy slloooowwwlllllly down my esophagus when I swallowed and it wasn't an entirely comfortable feeling.

The medication resulted in feeling no different. I still had the same discomfort (and sometimes it turned into downright pain), the same amount of heartburn, the same nausea, the same gross feelings. At the second scope, I was told I could stop taking it since obviously it wasn't doing much for me.

The second scope resulted in a multitude of biopsies and I swear the next day I could feel every single place they took one. It felt like food was going into all these little holes and every time I swallowed, I wanted to scream a little. Thankfully, that feeling only lasted for a couple of days and then I felt okay again.

In the second scope, they found rings on parts of my esophagus (they took a picture and showed it to me too - super cool to see the inside of your body! I'm going to ask when I go to my appointment to see it and take a picture of it so I can show you all) which is synonymous with EoE. The biopsies will measure the levels of eocinophil in different parts of my esophagus and then we'll know one way or another.

Here's what I know so far: I'm not dying. No kidding, that's what my specialist told me when he called after my first scope. Some may think that's a terrible thing for a specialist to say, but I have to say I love this guy. He's funny, insanely informative, and always makes me feel really comfortable about all my questions and concerns. He knew that I needed to be reassured because I was feeling pretty nervous about why I was feeling so much pain, and reassure me he did.

I go on Tuesday for the results of the second biopsies. I'm guessing the result will be EoE and then we'll go from there. It will likely result in more food changes, but to what degree I have no idea yet. I know that EoE affects about 1 in 10,000 people (and the joke in my family is the rarer it is, the more likely it is that I'll get it) and there's not a ton known about how to treat it. So it will be a discovery IF this is what I have. Chef Husband is coming to the appointment with me (this is the first time I've ever wanted/needed him to come to a doctor's appointment with me) to find out what the next steps are. He's the one that does 80% of the cooking and 100% of the grocery shopping (I hate grocery shopping) so I figure it's good for him to come.

So blog friends, your thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated as I wait these next couple of days to find out what happens next.

Sometimes I get mad

Sometimes I get mad. Actually, that might be an understatement. Sometimes I get downright angry.

You see, I can handle a lot. I've had a very happy home life, a very supportive family, have an amazing husband and 2 beautiful children, and I have a job that I adore.

And yet, I've been dealt a lot of crap. If you have read My Story, you know that I went undiagnosed with celiac disease for 30 years - On and off for 15 years I had been to various doctors and specialists.

I also went undiagnosed with depression and anxiety for many years, finally getting diagnosed when I was 23. It took another 4 years to get healthy and it's still a battle. I'm doing amazing thanks to my doctor, my husband, and my support systems, but it's still there.

Now I may have eosinophilic esophagitis and yet I still feel like I can handle that. It's a relatively new disease and still being learned about, but that's ok. (I find out on March 6 if that is in fact what it is. My last scope saw many biopsies being taken and also found rings in my esophogus, symptomatic of EoE.)

What makes me angry is when my children suffer. And my children, they have suffered. They've had the usual colds, a few flus, etc. But then they've had other stuff. Mr Man had moderate to severe sleep apnea that required surgery at 3 years and 2 months of age. Miss A started to lose her hearing and had 7 ear infections in a 6 month period around 1 year old (including 3 ruptured ear drums) and had her first surgery at 17 months. Most recently, she also was found to have sleep apnea (though mild) and had surgery a few weeks ago. And some of you have already read Her Story and know what she has gone through getting to a diagnosis of Celiac Disease.

But tonight was harder than all of that. Tonight I had to explain to my little almost-6-year-old what an allergic reaction was. Scientifically. I had to talk about histamine and white blood cells and allergens. I had to talk about hives and asthma and throat closings. I had to talk about it all. Why? Because he was itchy. He was scratching the heck out of his back, and when I took off his shirt, I found this:

Hives were on his back, up his neck, behind his ears and on his hairline. They weren't on his mouth, face or throat thankfully, but he was itchy. So out came the benadryl.

It seems silly now that I'm writing this that I was so riled up, but in all the times that we've talked about his allergies openly and with raw emotion, he's never been so emphatic. Tonight he used the word "hate" as in "Mom, I hate that I have allergies. I hate having an allergic reaction and I hate feeling like this." It took everything in me not to burst into tears at that moment. I understand his feelings. I understand the hatred he feels for his allergies. I understand that at almost 6, he kind of gets it. I understand that he's seen me with hives and he knows that chances are, this is going to be some part of his life for a long time.

We tried to narrow down what the reaction might have been from but we didn't have much luck. He ate nothing suspect. He played outside in fresh snow where snow mold isn't present yet. The only thing I can think of that was different is that he went to a museum today. But the reaction came 2 hours after he got home from the museum. We're drawing a blank.

So tonight I feel more angry than usual. He's sleeping now. I sang him to sleep using some of his favourite hymns because for Mr Man, that's what calms him. But my heart breaks for him, and for the conversations like this that are sure to come again.

If anyone has words of advice, please share. My usual positivity is sparse tonight and I could use some good happy guidance.

What's For Dinner?

I asked one of my favourite newly GF people what I should blog about tonight. You see, I have this whole stack of blog posts in my head. One day I'm going to have to make the list go from brain to paper so that at 3 in the morning I don't wake up thinking "oh I have a good one" and then start to write it in my head. Because let's be honest, by the time I really wake up in the morning, I forget most of what I "wrote" and I'm kind of cranky from sleep deprivation.

But tonight I wanted to deviate from the list in my head and write what someone else wanted me to write about. She suggested "Gluten Free Crock-Potting" and so here we are.

Let's talk about the crock pot for a minute. This is one appliance that if you do not have one, you should probably open a new tab right now and go on a hunt. You don't need anything fancy my friends! You just need something that (ideally) has a high and a low setting, and that's it. There are more complex ones out there with timers and temperature settings and fancy dials and stuff, but really, slow cooking isn't complex. It's easy, convenient, and a miraculous addition to any family.

Let me tell you the story of how I acquired a slow cooker. It was the year 2002 and my husband and I had just gotten engaged. We got some engagement gifts and one of them was a small slow cooker. Immediately I cursed thinking this was another appliance I'd never use because you know, slow cookers were for old people. Could I have possibly have been more wrong?? The slow cooker came with a recipe book so I tried one. If I recall, I made chicken noodle soup. I tossed everything in the morning before I went to work and walked in after work to amazing smells. The soup wasn't amazing by any stretch, but it had me very intrigued. We went on to make chicken, ribs, and more soups in our little slow cooker. When we moved across the country, we got rid of it and bought a big one instead!

This all happened pre-celiac disease in our house, so we just went with whatever. Beef stew? No problem, we'll just coat it in flour. Chicken? No worries, just throw a can of cream of celery soup in there.

Now? Now it's not as easy. Many recipes are inherently gluten free but most of the cookbooks out there still have "short cuts". I am not a big proponent of short cuts for two reasons.

1. Most short cuts involve gluten.
and
2. Most short cuts involve really unhealthy food packed with preservatives, unreadable ingredients and garbage.

Both of them are equally as bad. I just don't really like, nor appreciate, processed foods.

So in my journey of slow cooking I've experimented with great successes, but also with a number of failures. We have a few go-to slow cooker recipes that we use a lot and I thought I'd provide you with some great links.

The Gluten Free Goddess has a whole page of Gluten Free Slow Cooker Recipes! Not only are her recipes generally amazing, but she's a pretty spectacular writer, too.

A year of slowcooking has been one of my favourite blogs for a while now. It has great recipes and to my knowledge, the author of the blog is the only one who has made a 100% gluten free crock pot cook book. So invaluable!!

I just went to Stephanie's store too (from A Year of Slowcooking) and have decided that I must have the t-shirt that says "Gluten Free is NOT the new Vegan". So, so true.

Well friends, I hope I've shown you that slowcooking can save you time, money, and cooking at the end of a long day. I love walking in to freshly made food that has been cooking all day. (Sorry in advance if you're vegetarian) Ham, Pulled Pork, Roasts, Chicken, Stews, Sauces, Soups.. they just all taste better in the slow cooker.

And as an added bonus, did you know you can bake in a slow cooker too? These are about the best GF cinamon buns I've had (and I made them vegan too) and they were slow cooked!

Until next time.. happy cooking!

Child Advocacy

I talk a lot about my children being their own little advocates as well as advocates for each other and it inspired me to write a post on it.

Why would you want your children to be advocates? Being food allergic and celiac is not something to ever be embarassed about! Some of us are insanely outspoken (everytime anyone tells me they haven't been feeling well for a while I instantly ask them if they've been tested for celiac disease) while some are quieter while still others are silent sufferers.

I ask you this: why suffer in silence? If people around you aren't supporting you at home or when you go out, then perhaps you need to take a look at who is your main support. It doesn't mean you have to ditch your family or your friends, it just means that you can add to those groups and find other people who will give you the support you need. Try looking at your local celiac association (in Canada or in the United States) or The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. There are also tons of people who tweet and blog about food allergies out there.

I never want my children to be embarassed about their food restrictions or to settle in friendships and relationships with someone who doesn't support them.

Since they've been able to speak we've used both medical and simpler terms. Mr Man has been saying "I can't have nuts" "I'm allergic to peanuts" "No nuts no nuts no nuts" since he was 2. Miss A has been saying variations of "Dairy hurts me" "I can't have soy" and "Does it have wheat?" since she was 3.

So what's my point?

My point is this: My children see their food restrictions as part of their lives. We talk about how it can be frustrating that they can't eat what other kids can eat, or that sometimes other people don't understand, but we also talk about how it means that they're special; and how they know more about food than most people their ages.

Each child had an amazing moment for me that let me know that what I was doing was right.

Mr Man came home and said "mom, I want to invite (child) to my birthday party. He's allergic to peanuts too and I think that we each get it. Plus, then he could have my cake."

How amazing is it that my son wants to befriend someone else like him so that they can understand each other's restrictions better? And I just love that at almost 6, he wants this other child to be able to have cake without even giving it a second though. Amazing.

Miss A was sitting at the kitchen table at a friend's house. The girls are 10 days apart and have been friends since birth. G said to Miss A "I can't eat gluten and you can't" and Miss A said "Ya, gluten really hurts me but that's ok. I eat other stuff" and they proceeded to have a 10 minute discussion about gluten. They are 4 years old.

Here's the amazing thing about it: Her friend would never have any clue about gluten and what it is if she didn't have Miss A as a friend. And half my friends wouldn't have any idea about food restrictions if they weren't my friend.

Here's my advice on how to talk to your kids:
*Don't beat around the bush. Tell them about their allergies. Buy books on food allergies like "Mommy, what is celiac disease?". Don't treat them like they're too young to know. The earlier they know, the better equipped they will be for later.

*Do tell them the implications of eating the allergic food. Mr Man knows that if he eats a peanut, he will have a very serious reaction that could land him in the hospital. He also knows the basics of using an epipen. He's expressed his fears about it but knows that an epipen could save his life.

*Do let them have their fears! No one wants a needle plunged into their thigh! Don't make it seem like it's no big deal! It IS a big deal!

*Do have them educate their friends. Supervise at the beginning to make sure they're sharing accurate information.

*Do let them know they're not alone!! Check out Katie Chalmer's amazing work on gluten free kids!

Once you start a conversation, the rest will follow. Period questions come up from my kids and then we have open discussions about it. But they are advocates. They are strong, confident kids who are very knowledgable about their own restrictions.

And with that, I leave you with a picture of my breakfast of champions. I'm away from home right now on business and can therefore eat peanuts without worrying. So I bought a jar. I plan to leave the rest here so it doesn't come home with me but man, it's been a nice little treat.

What's in it? Air?

As a celiac and parent to allergic children, I get asked a lot of .. well, interesting questions. Some of the most popular I get are:

But how do you live without peanut butter? I'd die without peanut butter!
What do you people eat?
I couldn't never be gluten free. I like bread too much.
How do you live?
Do you ever cheat on your diet?
And the most popular: But what's in it? AIR?
I generally respond really politely, and in a moment, I really will tell you what's in my food, and how to answer those questions. But first, I will share with you what I really want to answer.

But how do you live without peanut butter? I'd die without peanut butter! Yes well, if my kid eats peanut butter he'd really potentially die so no offense, but suck it up.

What do you people eat? Food. What do you think we eat?

I couldn't never be gluten free. I like bread too much. Ya because being celiac and gluten free is what every person wishes for in life.

How do you live? I breathe. In. Out. Repeat.

Do you ever cheat on your diet? No. Never. Do you cheat on yours?

But what's in it? AIR? Well generally yes. All food contains oxygen and oxygen is in the air, so I'm sure that works somehow..

I'm not generally that rude. Instead I take the time to educate people. But man alive, I sometimes get angry that I have to answer the same questions over and over again. Being celiac, allergic to food, and a parent to allergic children is not something we wish for. It's something we have to cope with, live with, and reign over, and I'm extremely proud to say that since diagnosis, my son has never had an accidental ingestion of peanuts. My daughter and I stick to an extremely strict gluten free diet (which even my specialist highlighted on my latest scope with exclamation marks at how successful I've been), and it's hard.

Every day is hard; my husband and I can never let our guard down but you know what? I don't know that I'd change it. Sure, I'd love to have glutened to the nines pizza again. And I'm sure my son might like peanut butter if I let him eat it, but in reality, I think I've grown my kids up to be smart, articulate, self-advocating beings as a result.

Case in point. On Valentine's Day my kids came home with candies and immediately tossed the ones that had no labels into the "daddy is the only one in the house that can eat this" pile. Miss A had jelly beans that looked like jelly bellies but I couldn't be sure so Mr Man said "I just don't think we should chance it mom." At almost 6, he's a grown up when it comes to his allergies. And me? I couldn't be more proud.
Now, how do I (or you!) really answer those questions? Try these answers.

But how do you live without peanut butter? I'd die without peanut butter!
You're right. It's super hard. I myself loved peanut butter but you know, there are great alternatives out there now. And truthfully, my son doesn't know what peanut butter even tastes like, so he doesn't feel like he's missing out at all. You should try soy butter/sunbutter - they're actually really amazing! Plus, my son knows that he if eats peanuts, he will have a severe reaction, so he's never tempted.

What do you people eat?
We eat amazing, home cooked, whole foods. We shop at markets and know our farmers. We bake from scratch and taste everything to the fullest. We eat amazingly well and probably better than most homes!

I couldn't never be gluten free. I like bread too much.
I loved bread too; but bread certainly didn't love me. It's a lot easier to give something up when you know how much damage it's causing you. For example, did you know that untreated or undiagnosed celiac disease can leave you a ton more likely for digestive cancers? That's enough to scare me into avoiding bread. It's hard - for a while you remember what it all tastes like, but you do get used to it.

How do you live?
Like anyone else, I just plan a lot more, read a lot more labels, and can't dine on a whim.

Do you ever cheat on your diet?
Never. A reaction for me is excrutiating and long lasting. The initial reaction is painful and leaves me lying praying on the bathroom floor. For days after, I'm in a fog. It takes 6 weeks for the intestines to fully repair after an ingestion. So no, I never cheat. It's just not worth it.

But what's in it then? AIR?
Soooo much more! We cook with a bunch of different flours, experiment with quinoa, buckwheat and sorghum. We use coconut milk instead of dairy. We cook with so many amazing things and have to find ways to get creative. Our food is mouth wateringly delicious and anyone who eats it typically can't tell that it's allergy friendly!

Case in point number 2. Shauna from Gluten Free Girl posted a recipe for banana cream pie with coconut milk. I altered it a bit and it turned out amazing. El Peto makes store bought tarts that are gluten free and Amanda's house friendly so we used those. I added some vanilla instead of coconut. And while they could use some fruit on the bottom (I omitted the bananas), they were such an amazing treat, tell me that they look like air..