Batman, Robin, Catwoman, Superman, Wonderwoman, & Spiderman

Batman, Robin, & CatwomanWith Ms. Lou & Maggie

Lining up for the neighbohood parade.

Caleb with his two best friends, Ethan (Spiderman) and Sam (Superman)Josiah with his girl, Ellie (Wonderwoman)All of us having pizza.Trick or treating at Mrs. Patti's house.

Fruit fly biology experiment?

No, we aren't doing a fruit fly biology experiment. We have been infested with fruit flies and they are driving us crazy. A friend said she knew how to get rid of them. Put vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar) in a jar. Then make a funnel (taped together) and place in the jar (not touching the vinegar). As you can see it really works to attract and trap the fruit flies!

Caleb's quote of the week

This conversation happened earlier this week.

Caleb: (In the kitchen looking at a tile I use for hot dishes) Why is this broken, Mama?

Me: I don't remember how it got broken.

Caleb: Maybe Goliath broke it. He's really big and strong.

Me: Umm, didn't David kill Goliath?

Caleb: No.

(Maybe we need to work on our Bible story endings a little more.)

BooVox

Every year Chris' work, NuVox, puts on a Halloween Party. The boys love going and playing the different games.

Here they are coloring.Carissa stuck in the stoller as usual. (I can't keep up with 3 running 3 different ways yet!)Pumpkin painting (always a favorite)

Batman, Robin, & Catwoman

Apple picking

Here are some pics from the apple orchard today.

The boys seem to be at that stage when they won't just smile for a picture. They have to do a cheesy smile or a silly face:) My three boys!
Getting a descent picture of the three of them is impossible nowadays. Here are some of the better ones.

Pumpkins!

Since I'm too lazy to carve pumpkins we always decorate ours. I found these plastic face pieces at Walmart for $3.50 this year. I like it that I can wash them to reuse next year.

Here are each of the kiddos with their respective pumpkins.

Josiah's 1st Field Trip

Josiah got to go on his first field trip yesterday. They went to the apple orchard. I got to go with him!

Here he is petting the rabbits.

Trying to get through the maze.
Here is the whole class listening closely to Mrs. Hudson about what to do next.
On the hayride.
Josiah and meWaiting our turn to pick out our apples.Here is the whole class with Mrs. Hudson and Mrs. Cooley.

Josiah can read!

Here is Josiah reading to Chris. He's learned to read very fast. Now I can't spell things in front of him. He is able to figure out what I'm saying!

Fall Festival

The first weekend in October Josiah's school had their fall festival. My dad and his wife (Grandpa and Omi) were able to be here. Here are some pics from the weekend.

A rare one of Chris and me!

Grandpa and Josiah
Omi tickling Caleb
Waiting in line for a bouncy house.
Carissa laughing.
Caleb going down the slide.
Josiah at the soccer station.
Trying to get the ring on a coke bottle.
Pulling for a prize.
Grandpa, Carissa, Caleb, Josiah, & Omi

Diet Part 5: Restaurants

When we started eliminating things from Josiah's diet, eating out became a NIGHTMARE. At first we just avoided all restaurants. We would sometimes eat at the buffet at Whole Foods. But this got to be old. Sometimes it's just nice to sit down, order, and be served. And we wondered what we would do when family came in town and wanted to go out to eat. Or when we go out of town how would we feed Josiah without the trip being a disaster? Then a friend told me about another friend (who is on a similar diet for health reasons) who had found some restaurants she could go to. I emailed her to ask for tips. I cannot express how thankful I am to be able to take Josiah out to eat. It can be a minefield, but we are learning to avoid the mines.

Here are the steps I take before we go out to eat.

1)A few days before going out to eat, decide which restaurant we are going to.
2)Look online for their menu.
3)Find one or two items I know Josiah would like to order. (Sometimes I ask him to pick.)
4) On the day before we go, call the restaurant at a non-busy time.
5)Ask to speak with a manager or chef.
6)Explain that my son has food sensitivities and we would like to eat at their restaurant, but we need to know the ingredients of one or two of their items. (They will sometimes ask what he is allergic to. I respond that he's not allergic and that the list of things he is sensitive to is way too long, plus they wouldn't know if their food has these things without looking.)
7)I then mention the specific dish and ask them to tell me the ingredients.
8)If they mention any ingredient that is pre-made (ex. ketchup, mayo, bbq sauce, soy sauce, salad dressing, etc) I get them to go get that bottle and read me the ingredients. If anything that comes with the dish is fried (ex. french fries) I get them to check what they fry it in. (I've had one restaurant tell me that on their container of cooking grease it said that it was manufactured on the same equipment as other things with MSG!)
9)I make sure to ask about the ingredients of any side dishes that may come with the meal. (Ex. The mashed potatoes that came with one meal had cream and butter in them. I had them go look at the ingredients for these two items. Sure enough, they had things in them Josiah couldn't have.) Also, don't forget the ingredients of the bread that may also come with the meal.
10)I thank the manager or chef for taking their time to help me out.

Most restaurants have been great about helping me. Usually local restaurants which make their meals fresh daily are ok. Chain restaurants which serve boxed frozen items which are shipped to them are not going to be ok. We have found some chain restaurants that have gluten-free items. If they are conscious about that then usually we can find a dish that Josiah can eat.

Here is a list of restaurants that we have found we can eat at.

Trios - All their food is made fresh.
Mellow Mushroom - We usually get a white pizza with spinach and mushrooms.
P.F. Changs - We get the Crispy Honey Shrimp made with the gluten-free soy sauce. (This totally confuses the waiter because of course the battered shrimp aren't gluten-free. But the normal soy sauce has sodium benzoate and the gluten-free has no preservatives.) They also have some gluten-free dishes.
Frodo's Pizza - only fresh toppings (Anything premade/canned will most likely have preservatives. Ex. pepperoni, ham, sausage, pineapple, etc.)
Papa John's Pizza - same as Frodo's
Smoke on the Water - They made Josiah a special veggie side dish not on their menu because he couldn't have any of their side dishes!
Bonefish Grill - Children's Fried Shrimp is hand-battered, not the boxed, frozen kind! They also have several gluten-free dishes.

As a side note - Just because I list these restaurants that Josiah can eat at does not mean he can eat anything at these restaurants. We have found specific dishes which he can eat and those are the only ones he orders. (Thankfully, with kids they always want the same thing from the same place anyway, it seems.)

When we go out of town I use the above strategy for finding a restaurant Josiah can eat at.

Overall, this has worked really well for us to be able to go out to eat with family and for special occasions.

Diet Part 4: Meal Planning and Recipes

I've had many people say to me, "Josiah can't eat anything! What do you feed him?" They are right in that Josiah can't eat most of what is sold in the grocery store. There are very few things that don't have high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, artificial colors or flavorings. So, we buy natural and organic food. I only have to look out for salicylates and chocolate this way. We do alot of shopping at Whole Foods. They have their own generic brand, 365, for many items. We are able to find some things at Publix in their small organic section and Walmart is starting to carry some organic/natural items less expensive than Whole Foods.

I've also had many people follow the above question with "Your food budget must have gone up alot!" Yes, our food budget is more than it used to be, but it is not nearly as bad as we originally thought it might be. We have changed some of our eating habits to help with the budget. Instead of boxed processed crackers and snacks, which are expensive for the organic/natural versions, we eat more fresh veggies and fruits. Instead of boxed cereal for breakfast, I make some sort of egg dish. (The protein is very important for the brain first thing in the morning for learning.) We also don't eat as much meat. We do alot of vegetarian dishes. I guess we have become what is now being referred to as flexitarians.

Here is a sample menu for a typical weekday.

Breakfast
Quiche (sneak in some veggies in this)
cup of Happy Cow milk

Snack
fruit or cheese stick

Lunch
fresh tomatoes, celery, or carrots with ranch or italian dip
fresh fruit: banana, apple, peach, nectarine, grapes, pear (whatever is in season)
peanut butter (Skippy's Natural) and jelly sandwich on whole grain bread
or shells and alfredo (a 365 item)
cup of 100% juice diluted with water

Snack
crackers or cereal bar

Dinner
Apple Cheddar Quesadillas or
Pot Roast with Sweet Potatoes or
Roasted Vegetable and Black Bean Quesadillas or
Chicken 'n' Spinach Pasta Bake or
Fettuccine with Shrimp & Zucchini or
Tomato and Cheddar Soup with grilled cheese sandwiches or
Greek Lemon and Chicken Soup or
Roasted Wild Salmon

Diet Part 3: Not just in foods

As we tried to eliminate preservatives, additives, and other artificial things from Josiah's diet, we slowly realized that these things weren't just in the food we were eating. They are in vitamins, toothpaste, and medicines.

Most children's vitamins are sweetened, colored, and flavored. It is very common for these to be artificial. Here is the list of ingredients for a common children's vitamin. The ingredients that Josiah cannot have are in red.

Flintstones Complete Children's Multivitamin / Multimineral Supplement, Chewable Tablets

Ingredients
Sorbitol , Dicalcium Phosphate , Magnesium Phosphate , Choline Bitartrate , Sodium Ascorbate , Ferrous Fumarate , Gelatin , Natural & Artificial Flavors - Including Fruit Acids , Pregelatinized Starch , Vitamin E Acetate , Stearic Acid , Carrageenan , Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil , Magnesium Stearate , Zinc Oxide , Niacinamide , D-Calcium Pantothenate , FD&C Red No. 40 Aluminum Lake , FD&C Yellow No. 6 Aluminum Lake , Xylitol , Aspartame , FD&C Blue No. 2 Lake , Cupric Oxide , Pyridoxine Hydrochloride , Sucrose , Riboflavin , Thiamine Mononitrate , Vitamin A Acetate , Beta Carotene , Monoammonium Glycyrrhizinate , Folic Acid , Soybean Oil , Potassium Iodide , Butylated Hydroxytoluene [BHT], Biotin , Vitamin D , Magnesium Oxide , Vitamin B12

We were able to find all natural vitamins at Whole Foods.

Children's toothpaste typically has artificial sweeteners,colors, and flavors, also. Here is a kind of toothpaste that Josiah would have picked out before going on the diet.

Crest Kids Spider-Man Super Action Liquid Gel

Active Ingredients:Sodium Flouride (0.243%).
Inactive Ingredients:Sorbitol, Water, Hydrated Silica, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Trisodium Phosphate, Cellulose Gum, Flavor, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Saccharin, Carbomer 956, Blue 1.

For toothpaste, we had to look around a little bit because most natural toothpastes are mint flavored which is high in salicylates. We finally found Tom's of Maine Natural Toothpaste Lemon-Lime.

As far as medicines go, we have had a much harder time finding ones Josiah can take. As for the common children's medicines here are the ingredients.

Children's Motrin Suspension Liquid - Tropical Punch Flavor

acesulfame potassium, citric acid [salicylates], corn starch, FD&C Red #40, flavors, glycerin, polysorbate 80, purified water, sodium benzoate, sucralose, sucrose, xanthan gum

Even the Children's Motrin Suspension Liquid - Dye-Free Berry Flavor has ingredients Josiah cannot have.

acesulfame potassium, citric acid [salicylates], corn starch, glycerin, natural and artificial flavors, polysorbate 80, purified water, sodium benzoate, sucrose, xanthan gum

Children's Tylenol Grape Splash

Butylparaben, cellulose, citric acid, corn syrup, D&C Red#33, FD&C Blue #1, flavors, glycerin, propylene glycol, purified water, sodium benzoate, sorbitol, xanthan gum.

Children's Benadryl

Active Ingredients:Per Teaspoonful (5 mL): Diphenhydramine HCI 12.5 mg.
Inactive Ingredients:Citric Acid; D&C Red No. 33; FD&C Red No. 40; Flavors; Glycerin; Polyxamer 407; Purified Water; Sodium Benzoate; Sodium Chloride; Sodium Citrate; Sugar.

Thankfully Josiah does not need a pain medication very often. He weighs enough now for me to crush one adult ibuprofen tablet for him to eat in a spoon of peanut butter.

We are still working on medicines that Josiah can take to control his allergies and asthma.