tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61900225695655722822024-02-19T11:33:22.551-08:00Snapshots of LifeJoannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.comBlogger174125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-75178892488287479782013-09-14T10:47:00.000-07:002013-09-14T10:47:35.814-07:00TSW: One month down!This past Monday officially marked Lucy being 1 month steroid-free and I was going to write a post, but strep happened, and then catching-up-after-2-days-off-at-work happened. So here we are, 1 month and 5 days off steroids.<br />
The week before Lucy went through her worst flare (and I know more is coming). We've cut down on her baths (hello water bill!) and instead have gone back to doing wet-wraps. Obviously we don't put the steroid cream on her when we wrap her up but we do put on Bee Magic. Lucy likes being wrapped up, despite her protests when I take out the towel and water-proof pad. Even though we're doing the wet wraps twice a day and lathering her up with heavy duty moisturizers and vaseline, her skin is still dry and leather-like. I'm pretty sure this is just all part of the process; many people on the <a href="http://forum.itsan.org/">ITSAN forum</a> complain about having "elephant" skin in different places and I see that on Lucy too. The skin around her butt is thick, droopy, and just plain weird. Sorry to be graphic but it's kinda hard to describe otherwise.<br />
For the most part Lucy is still sleeping well. She now wakes during the night more frequently than she used to but she goes back to sleep pretty quickly. And she might not even be waking all the way up- just enough to let out a few whines and then she's back down.<br />
<strike>I think I wrote in my last post how Lucy had tested positive for MRSA</strike>. I just went back and checked- I did not write that. Long story short- back in Aug. they swabbed her scalp and 2 weeks later called me and told me it was positive for MRSA, which is just infection that is resistant to normal treatment (from what I understand). We did the round of antibiotics for it and on the last day, I noticed her fingernail looked infected. At first I thought it was fungal but when I took her in, the pediatrician said it wasn't. She was really surprised she got an infection while on antibiotics. So we got a new prescription and today will be her last day of that. I'm sure she will lose the fingernail- she's already lost half of it because it was hanging off her finger so I clipped it down. I was worried the infection wasn't getting better for a few days because her finger looked so bad but now it's looking better. It's hard to tell if I should keep it covered, or let it air out (anyone know?)<br />
While this has been a difficult first month, there have been some great blessings along the way. I mean the fact that when our dermatologist scheduled an appointment for us at Lurie Children's Hospital and it just happens to be the Monday after I'll be up in the suburbs anyway is pretty great. Also, my best friend generously sent us 3 tubs of Bee Magic so now we don't have to be as stingy with the application. And another friend who sells Norwex, gave us a Norwex body towel which really helps remove dead skin. Another blessing was when I was looking for an air purifier for Lucy's room, a friend said she had one in her garage that I could have for $5 and it's just the size we needed. Lastly, our daycare provider has been a huge blessing for us this year- she has been so patient with us and Lucy so far. She has been very supportive of our decision to end the steroids and she never acts like Lucy is a burden, even though I know she can be difficult sometimes.<br />
And I know we have so many people praying for her too; I appreciate that so much. I might write an update after we see the pediatric derm. but otherwise I'll wait until we're done with 2 months.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdvrIccRyfHEX0co9pr26QOCidxB8I_NT1Z5ThB4rO7aQIzRcGOgCHNbgsHg5RHseaM58nZIlNgSJy-e9NPDp9I8GqKcH4dg9JPQsQ73tTdNYM-Idlp06RxPVKPmqsCI89cky5UrHL8go/s1600/summer+2013-62.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdvrIccRyfHEX0co9pr26QOCidxB8I_NT1Z5ThB4rO7aQIzRcGOgCHNbgsHg5RHseaM58nZIlNgSJy-e9NPDp9I8GqKcH4dg9JPQsQ73tTdNYM-Idlp06RxPVKPmqsCI89cky5UrHL8go/s640/summer+2013-62.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TSW is exhausting for everyone</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-50692066597817745462013-08-31T10:19:00.001-07:002013-08-31T10:19:31.364-07:00TSW Week 3I'm not really sure what changes there have been in Lucy's skin. She continues to go through the cycle of really dry skin, massive shedding, healthyish skin, then drying out again, repeat. Our daycare provider did note that this week she seemed happier. I think I can agree with that although this past week was crazy for us in general so I feel like I barely even saw the girls.<br />
I do think Lucy is losing weight. I haven't confirmed this by weighing her but in general she doesn't look as "plump" as she has been. In particular, her cute little pot belly is starting to disappear. Her appetite definitely fluctuates, which I know is totally normal for toddlers anyway. Some days she seems to be reeaally hungry and other days she doesn't want anything. Of course those days are harder because her diet is so limited and I can't help but wonder, would she eat more if we were able to offer her the foods she used to love eating? I've thought about mixing protein into her soy milk but we don't have any that doesn't have milk or wheat ingredients. <br />
Sleep-wise Lucy is still doing great. Last night she woke up a few times but I think she quickly went back to sleep. <br />
Right now our daily moisturizing regimen is morning bath followed by Curel Intensive Moisture and either vaseline or the dollar store coconut oil mixture. Before her nap, she gets coated in Curel again. At night she gets another bath and then we use the Bee Magic followed with more vaseline or dollar store stuff. She hates getting rubbed down and tells us to "get out of here" or "let go" I know some people just skip all moisturizers but her skin is so dry, I feel we need to keep doing something.<br />
Oh and she has almost completely regressed on the potty training. If she's in the bathtub she will ask to sit on the potty if she needs to. And when she needs to poop, she'll tell us. But she wants to wear a diaper every day now and she doesn't tell us when she needs to pee; she just goes in her diaper. I think we'll just end up retraining her on Christmas break. <br />
I think our biggest concern at this point is just making sure she's eating enough calories to help her body fight whatever is going on. I'm just praying she doesn't lose any more weight (if she has lost any).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TWDOu2TCdPT9vNNepduTetbHQcGS6TuvbziNsZGpPpCcOvqFXwPA6_mqNXmEDB5GMgda2F2mwH4WdMTnotq-NoeO_OM__GkBIJI_slOFwXdHBadFNXsX69sto_vz1ORLJOc2vGJXwZw/s1600/photo(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_TWDOu2TCdPT9vNNepduTetbHQcGS6TuvbziNsZGpPpCcOvqFXwPA6_mqNXmEDB5GMgda2F2mwH4WdMTnotq-NoeO_OM__GkBIJI_slOFwXdHBadFNXsX69sto_vz1ORLJOc2vGJXwZw/s400/photo(2).JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken 8.29.13</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUh8_Tw5GEKIvmEwKBV3soRIVCDV-RhjTwA5pyO4-D2xv-O-CeTEnjIO79NnwgyVs0E0nwvKb8CWdwX1OieXkbdK2xd-SdQVjwWT8CuMCiPQeo-OVn2ak9CFTjcfewD5FLzMfhCLAnvI/s1600/photo%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxUh8_Tw5GEKIvmEwKBV3soRIVCDV-RhjTwA5pyO4-D2xv-O-CeTEnjIO79NnwgyVs0E0nwvKb8CWdwX1OieXkbdK2xd-SdQVjwWT8CuMCiPQeo-OVn2ak9CFTjcfewD5FLzMfhCLAnvI/s400/photo%25283%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was a "good" day for her- still pink but skin was pretty smooth</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-72753465899502085792013-08-25T15:39:00.001-07:002013-08-25T15:39:26.571-07:00TSW: Week 2This last week we stopped the Protopic completely. We had put some on Lucy last Sunday morning and I didn't apply any on Sunday night because her skin looked pretty good. We didn't do any on Monday either for the same reason. And we just kinda decided that maybe she didn't need it anymore. Lucy's skin seems to be cycling. And I know this is common in TSW but from what I've read, other people seem to have a longer cycle maybe? With Lucy, her skin will be suuuuper dry and flaky. Her skin will feel like very thin paper. It's like this for a day or two, then she'll go through this massive skin shed (seriously, her car seat is pretty gross) and the skin underneath will feel smoother and healthier. And then it starts all over again. So on Friday her skin felt almost supple even, but I noticed on Saturday it felt a little bit drier and then this morning it felt even more dry. And this morning I could see the backs of her knees starting to get dark red lines so I'm sure they will be cracking soon.<br />
We've still been using a variety of things. In the morning we've been putting on moisturizer; we were using the Curel but we ran out so right now we're using the Aveeno oatmeal and ceramide formula (it's okay; not as nice as the Curel ceramide treatment). Then over that we've been using the stuff I found at Dollar General that has the petrolatum, coconut oil, etc. Usually before her nap, she gets lathered up again in some sort of moisturizer or Aquaphor. Then after her evening bath, we use the Medicine Mama's Bee Magic and coat that with either Vaseline or the Dollar General stuff. I do use the Bee Magic on her face twice a day because I feel it moisturizes really well. If it wasn't so expensive I'd be putting it on her all the time!<br />
We did find out earlier this week that the culture her dermatologist did on her scalp at the end of July came back positive for MRSA. That sounds scary right? It's just bacteria that is resistant to common antibiotics. So she's on an oral antibiotic right now. I don't really know about this since her scalp has been looking so much better and there is definitely not as much open or oozing skin as there was. So I don't know if the MRSA was already gone by the time they called us?? I don't really know how all that works so we're doing the antibiotics just in case.<br />
Lucy is still sleeping so well. I really feel so blessed for that. I know she itches in her sleep a little bit because her hair is always messed up and the sleeves of her PJs are always pushed up in the morning but I also know she's not scratching the whole night. I think she must do it when she's in the lighter stages of sleep.<br />
Her gluten/dairy free diet is still going pretty well. Although I guess she kind of "cheated" twice this week. One night, she and Taylor were eating dinner at their play table and Taylor got up to use the restroom. Well Lucy decided to help herself to some of Taylor's chicken nuggets which of course have wheat. And then yesterday Lucy came to school with me and I thought I had brought plenty of snacks for her (box of raisins, 2 pouches fruit snacks, and 1 mashed fruit/veggie pouch) but even after eating all that Lucy informed me she was very very hungry and all I had was a package of Goldfish crackers. I don't think she was really bothered by it but today she did have some very loose poop so maybe it just affected her tummy and not her skin.<br />
I guess I'm still just waiting for it to get worse. So far, everything seems to be going well despite Lucy being so itchy. She's not even as itchy as she was the first few days. I don't know if her addiction is just not as bad as other people's or maybe all the things we're doing (baths 2 times a day, multiple moisturizers/skin protectants, and the diet) are just really helping her but I'm very grateful that so far this hasn't been too terrible. I mean, it hasn't been that much worse than when she was on steroids.<br />
I took this picture yesterday morning; her skin looks pretty good but it actually felt a little dry/rough and as you can see, she's still itchy<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZSWrCanKKoJfqC0JmHAu_R7VCMwnzoAlh7yug0MEYj17oAvipzv_hh-SCE5_dYiQR-yBRNMltvQ_3WVX523nRWa0MSCa47NntKsha1SmkgHuaBNBipsaiikqLAIjgjR-xwoNBZOb5Ops/s1600/photo(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZSWrCanKKoJfqC0JmHAu_R7VCMwnzoAlh7yug0MEYj17oAvipzv_hh-SCE5_dYiQR-yBRNMltvQ_3WVX523nRWa0MSCa47NntKsha1SmkgHuaBNBipsaiikqLAIjgjR-xwoNBZOb5Ops/s320/photo(1).JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Oh and yes, she is wearing a diaper. I can't remember if I mentioned last week how she has regressed a little with the potty training. Some days she's done really well telling us every time she has to go (even when wearing a diaper) and other days she just goes. We always give her a choice of what to wear in the morning and sometimes she picks undies and sometimes she picks diapers. I'm not too concerned about it; if we have to retrain her in a few months, it won't be a big deal.<br /><br />Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-59252020559910567462013-08-16T06:00:00.000-07:002013-08-16T11:51:46.257-07:00TSW- Week OneFirst, TSW= Topical Steroid Withdrawal. It's much easier to type TSW ;)<br />
<br />
So we've been a steroid-free for one week. I'm beginning to understand how horrible this process is and will be.<br />
Overall, Lucy's skin has been pretty bad- red from head to toe with some small clear spots on her legs. The rash she had in her diaper area has definitely gone down. Her scalp also looks a little better. Still pretty flaky but what's under the flakes is clear skin. We try and comb her hair at least twice a day; Walker is better at getting the flakes out than I am. <br />
I'd say the worst symptom right now is the itchiness. Lucy is almost always scratching, no matter what she's doing. It is no good telling her to stop, or pulling her hands away from her body. She is relentless and she gets really mad. I found some cute toddler gardening gloves that have Disney princesses on them; I thought maybe she wouldn't mind wearing them. I thought wrong. Trying to get her to wear them was kinda like when my parents thought it was a good idea to put "boots" on the dog. Except Missy didn't protest nearly as loudly as Lucy did.<br />
What we've been putting on her skin:<br />
We do use the Protopic sparingly every other day. Walker and I had to kind of reach a compromise on this as I didn't want to put it on her at all. I had read on the ITSAN forum that some people flared (as in skin turning red, itchy, oozing, etc) after they stopped using Protopic, compared to before using it. They said it just stretched out the withdrawal. But we agreed that we could try it and if we thought she flared really bad after using it, we wouldn't use it again. I guess since we actually have a supportive dermatologist now we can at least try things he suggests, that way we don't lose that relationship. It does seem to be helping the appearance of her skin, but will it be like the corticosteroids where she flares immediately after we stop using it for a few days? We'll find out in another few weeks.<br />
We've also been using a lot of vaseline. Often TSWers cannot tolerate anything else on their skin. As you can imagine, this has no effect on the itching and doesn't really moisturize the skin that much. It basically just forms a protective barrier. We have put her other moisturizers on at times (like the Curel) but she doesn't seem to like those. For her diaper rash (not even sure we can call it that since she only wears diapers for sleeping) I used <a href="http://doctorsmiths.com/">Dr. Smith's Diaper Ointment</a>. I picked it out because I could actually pronounce all the ingredients in it and I knew what all of them were. I think it worked well. For her scalp, I found this spray by Shea Moisture called African Black Soap Dandruff and Dry Scalp Elixir. I found it at Wal-greens. It actually lists eczema as something it treats on the front of the bottle and like I said her scalp is looking better so I guess it is doing something positive. And lastly, I ordered some ointment that many TSWers have recommended: <a href="http://medicinemamasapothecary.com/sweet-bee-magic/">Medicine Mama's Sweet Bee Magic</a>. It is pricey. I managed to get a deal on it (basically 2 tubs for the price of one) but even still, it's not something we can slather on as much as vaseline. It is very nice though. Lucy tolerates it pretty well. I can't tell if it's helping all that much or if her skin looks a little better because of the protopic. I like the quality but I might try making it myself- I found a homemade recipe online. Now I just have to find the ingredients...<br />
Lucy has been taking lots of baths. This is quite a change as Lucy used to HATE baths. Like screaming the entire time, asking to get out of the tub. Now, she <i>asks </i>for them. We've been letting her take 2 long baths every day. Sometimes we'll put in baking soda, colloidal oatmeal, or epsom salts. We even did an apple cider vinegar bath one day (heard it was good for fighting off bacteria). She really doesn't care what's in the bath, as long as she's in the tub. I don't know if the baths are soothing to her or if she only likes them because she has access to all of her skin for scratching.<br />
We do Zyrtec twice a day because supposedly it can help with the itching. I don't know that it does but we'll keep using it for now. <br />
Praise God, Lucy still has been sleeping pretty well. Her naps this week have been around 3 hours (although one day she napped for almost five!!) and at night she's still sleeping anywhere from 10-12 hours. We've had a few nights where she's gone down and didn't make a peep until morning. The other nights, she might have trouble getting to sleep but then be fine the rest of the night, or she'll wake up between 10-12 really fussy but somehow we always manage to get her back down. So far, Walker and I haven't lost much sleep. I'm praying so hard that continues! It's hard enough watching her scratch all day and deal with all of her fussiness, but I know it'd be 10 times harder if we weren't getting sleep.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;">What follows are 2 pictures of Lucy- if looking at crusty or red skin turns your stomach, then don't scroll down.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4UNDify8fIflChRL6J0WAx1RXVmz4b3uO5BhwrIYmxA1pzKTdZGCF1NJA2Y6hp4faqsy5fXvXJIsqUYHeecOpyW3bsONv2dCteI9G9z1Ew05wvFitRsj8BeW-HvVMCIeQ8xrbUxUDGm8/s1600/TSW+8.11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4UNDify8fIflChRL6J0WAx1RXVmz4b3uO5BhwrIYmxA1pzKTdZGCF1NJA2Y6hp4faqsy5fXvXJIsqUYHeecOpyW3bsONv2dCteI9G9z1Ew05wvFitRsj8BeW-HvVMCIeQ8xrbUxUDGm8/s640/TSW+8.11.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think this was taken on August 11th- 3rd day without steroids. You can see how red she was getting already</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk90GP4GkO4wWkCWaNMSr8tT5vElb2GslLFkgi5lhVaWICYq8slPwxADwOzvDds7SwacFa0xtZ71XJjjGlhzIkfYvrmK1rnltFuaEeLlwd2IQYxT_3uA2VL14qseBgfGCv-U_YJl_NIAg/s1600/TSW+8.14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk90GP4GkO4wWkCWaNMSr8tT5vElb2GslLFkgi5lhVaWICYq8slPwxADwOzvDds7SwacFa0xtZ71XJjjGlhzIkfYvrmK1rnltFuaEeLlwd2IQYxT_3uA2VL14qseBgfGCv-U_YJl_NIAg/s640/TSW+8.14.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was taken on August 14th, 6th day with no steroids. Her face is definitely the worst part right now.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I guess the good thing is that her face looked better just a day later. We've been trying to very gently get the crusties off her face but she really can't tolerate us touching her face right now.<br />
I think the hardest part of this is seeing how this is affecting her spirit already. She doesn't want to go places anymore. Most days all she wants to do is sit on the couch and watch TV or play on my iPad. Or of course, take a bath. I try to engage her in playing with her toys but she just tells me "no." I feel like the last 2 days we've seen her mood improve a little bit. Many teens and adults going through TSW develop depression; I really hope this doesn't have any long-term negative effects on Lucy's emotions.Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-42006711335327452342013-08-10T19:37:00.001-07:002013-08-10T19:37:55.989-07:00The A WordAnyone who has spent even a little time with Taylor notices that she's...quirky. She's has little oddities that sometimes make me go "hmmm, do all 3 year olds do that?" I think a lot has to do with her language. She still doesn't sound like a three-year old. Well, not a three-year old who will be four in a few months. I mean this is expected because she hasn't received any speech therapy the last 9 months. Don't get me wrong, Taylor has definitely improved but she clearly is still very delayed. But every once in a while, I'd think "well, is it just speech delays? Is there something else going on?" And I'm not the only one to have thought this. Of course it can be hard to tell another person you think there is something wrong with their child. I mean how do you do that without making the person think you're attacking their parenting? <br />
I'm digressing....at the prompting of my sister, I started doing some research on autism. Ugh...even typing that word...please don't misunderstand me. I know having a kid with autism is not the end of the world, but for whatever reason I've always been SO afraid of having a kid with autism. I'm not really sure why- it just did. Geez, digressing again. Okay so like I said, I started doing some research. Most of it was done on Autism Speaks' <a href="http://www.autismspeaks.org/">website</a>. Just reading different things and after filling out the M-CHAT, I decided to go ahead and see a developmental pediatrician. <br />
We went this past week and met with the developmental ped. at Christie Clinic (FYI, the developmental ped. for Carle Clinic books appointments at least 8 months out). The appointment went well. The ped. did some different things with Taylor, some quick assessments of her visual motor skills, her receptive speech. After the assessments the ped. said the words I was wanting to hear "I wouldn't say she has autism." Phew! BUT, like I suspected there are things going on. He said she has some hyperactivity (uh yeah, she's a wild-child!) but there was no need for medication yet. She also has some sensory processing issues, meaning she can get overly stimulated by her environment. And lastly, while he won't label her as autistic, he is saying she has a "social disability." Basically, he thinks Taylor has trouble reading nonverbal cues. We see this too and we have been trying to work on it with her but we're not experts obviously. He also added that perhaps she struggles with her speech because she is so over-stimulated. It makes sense but is over-stimulation the sole reason for her delay? I just don't know enough about the link between the two.<br />
So now our next steps are to give the report to her school and hopefully they can add on to her IEP to provide additional services. The ped. thinks some occupational therapy would be good for the sensory processing (like deep massage and brushing), and maybe she could get some social work too.<br />
But labels or not, Taylor is still Taylor, quirks and all :)Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-5211011257872637882013-08-07T13:34:00.004-07:002013-08-07T13:34:51.212-07:00This Could Be the Beginning of a Very Long RoadOver a month ago, I wrote a little bit about Lucy's eczema and what it's been like dealing with that. I would love to say that this post is all about how much BETTER she is! It's not. Actually she's worse. Over the weekend she woke up with her eyes swelled shut. I don't think this was caused by the eczema. Or maybe it was (maybe she rubbed her eyes too much in her sleep??). I thought, maybe it's something with her allergies. The only thing I could think of at the time was we had eaten at a restaurant on Friday night and the girls had some chicken strips and fries. It's possible they cooked it in peanut oil as I forgot to ask. However, the swelling didn't go down that much, even after giving her some Benadryl. The next morning, when she woke up, her eyes were swollen again. She could open them at least, but just barely. I took a closer look at her allergy report from when she was one. The allergen with the highest reading? dust! And NO ONE bothered to tell me that when I was called with the report. Really people?!? You think you might mention to me that I need to keep my house cleaner? So we are trying to combat the dust in our house; not an easy task. I've set a goal to vacuum the girls' room at least twice a week. I'm also trying to sweep the laminate floors daily. And I'm sure we will look at getting a hypo-allergenic cover for her mattress and probably an air purifier for her room. (if anyone is selling either of these things for cheap, let me know!).<br />
But something still isn't right with her eczema. I didn't understand why we'd use a steroid cream, she'd clear up, but within days of stopping the steroid cream, she'd flare right back up. And of course the dermatologist and physician's assistant we were seeing, were not very helpful. I mean, they definitely tried, but I felt like I was told something different at each appointment. I couldn't keep track of what we should start doing, stop doing, and continue doing. I think this past weekend, I hit my limit. Something about all this just didn't feel right. I did some more reading on NEA's forum and I kept seeing "topical steroid addiction" pop up. Now I had heard a little about this before and I had even mentioned it to the physician's assistant but he dismissed it so quickly, I thought okay, that's not it. But over the last few days, I've been reading more. I found a wonderful <a href="http://www.scratchymonster.blogspot.com/">blog</a> written by a lady who has gone through with her daughter everything we've been going through with Lucy. Our stories are practically identical (except Lucy's started way earlier in life). I read that blog and just cried and cried, identifying with so much. I found some other blogs with similar stories. I started to feel that this is what we were up against. I also read about how reluctant the medical community is to accept this. How doctor after doctor refuses to acknowledge that some people just can't handle topical steroid creams. Unfortunately, the only "cure" to this is complete withdrawal. It is a long, and very painful process. The lucky ones are "healed" in 9-12 months. Others (who have been using topical steroids for <i>years) </i>take much longer. So now I was torn. Do I put Lucy through this torture in the hopes that in 9-12 months, her skin is clear and she no longer itches incessantly? Do I just keep slathering steroids on her, knowing that continued daily use has horrible side effects down the road? It is an awful, awful decision. And given the fact that there don't seem to be too many doctors out there supporting it....well you can understand my hesitation.<br />
In the meantime, on Monday morning when Lucy woke, her hair looked like a matted bird's nest. The back neckline of her shirt was soaked and there was a spot on her sheet as well. Lucy had scratched her scalp so much overnight that almost the whole thing was raw and oozing. Her scalp had been progressively getting worse this summer and I'm sure you can guess what we were told to put on it: yep, a topical steroid. Which, at the time we did. But I wasn't comfortable doing that with the new information I had. Plus, the skin was oozing; was it even safe to put anything on it? I called the dermatologist's office again and left a message. When they called back, they said we needed to come in for another appointment. Gee, what a shocker. But this time, we were going to see a different dermatologist. A dermatologist who has a pediatric certification. Wait, WHAT?!?! We've been battling this for 2 years and NO ONE thought "gee, maybe this CHILD should see someone who has a background in this?" UGH, whatever. I'm over it now, at least we had an appointment to see someone who maybe was more knowledgeable. <br />
So we had the appointment today. I must say, I like this new dermatologist. He looked at Lucy's allergy report (no one had ever asked me for that before; they just told me it was unreliable and really, allergies don't cause eczema...::eye roll::). He recommended a wheat and dairy elimination diet. We had kinda tried those before, but not at the same time and not for very long. You might think it's incredibly limiting, but Lucy has a limited diet anyway (she's 2 and a picky eater) so we only have to cut a few things out. <br />
He also said he was going to give us a prescription for a different cream (oh joy) that he thought would be really nice for her. Inside my head I was thinking "oh gosh, here we go again..." Finally, I gathered my nerve (preparing myself for the response I was sure was coming) and said "what about steroid cream addiction?" The doctor said almost immediately, "yeah that's a possibility." I was quite simply, stunned. He looked at her arms again and said "this is not typical eczema" and seemed to agree that because of her history with the steroid creams, she most likely was addicted. He then mentioned a doctor out in California who's been researching this and Walker and I were like, yeah Dr. Rapaport! I swear, I heard the Hallelujah Chorus in my head! I couldn't believe this doctor was supporting us in this! So now we have a prescription that is NOT a steroid that will help with the itching. We still have the steroid one for her scalp. We're going to use that for a month. But we are stopping steroids after that. It will not be easy. I'm dreading it. I know we will probably not get a lot of sleep. I know Lucy will be pretty miserable. But I also know it will be worth it. I know if we can get her off these steroids, we will have so many other ways to combat any eczema that might flare up again. I'm also feeling hopeful for the diet change. More and more, it appears that eczema is the body's way of telling you there's something bigger going on. I don't think it's a coincidence that Lucy's skin started getting really bad when she started eating more and more table food. <br />
I know I will be praying a lot in the coming months. I think God has already answered a huge prayer in that we have found a dermatologist who will support our decision to get off steroids. I'm scared about the coming months. I have a very good idea of what they could and most likely will be like for us. I'm praying for a miracle. I'm praying the itching and burning from the withdrawal will be kept to a minimum. I'm praying she won't get any staph infections. I'm just praying that one day Lucy will have beautiful skin and that she can be a normal kid living a normal life.<br />
I'm going to try and do regular posts on her progress. I also want to take pictures. They may not be pretty pictures but hopefully over time they will show improvement.<br />
And I think I need to add in here, I'm not saying topical steroids are evil. They do have their place and they do work for a lot of people. They just don't seem to work well for us.Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-13816538583329960132013-06-26T17:53:00.000-07:002013-06-26T17:53:05.835-07:00The Great Ezcema BattleIf you've known our family for any length of time, you know that we've been battling Eczema with Lucy for two years now. In that time, we have seen her pediatrician and dermatologist numerous times (in fact, we have seen the physician's assistant at her dermatologist's office 4 times in the last month and a half and we go back again on the 1st). At her last appointment, the dermatologist told me that "experts" (whoever they may be) say that the quality of life for families dealing with Eczema as severe as Lucy's is comparable to living with a child who has severe autism. A year ago, I would have called him crazy. Now, I kinda get what he means. The past 6 months (the point at which things started getting <i>really </i>bad) have been exhausting. I've read so many conflicting things, have spent so much money on different lotions, creams, and bath treatments, just trying to find <i>something </i>that works. I worry constantly about overexposing Lucy to corticosteroids, and if she is becoming immune to their effects, or dependent on them. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1PqGdB6TgAOCW2Rey_hAuuPSC2sgeXXOdPEXfP14DhvZjgLTOCV-_d1isGphRlpXDeZSi3kVK3eu1v8TRvxc4zsm_Ay8VdDcl5FvgB6IA6fSqrpJmjUbGrhw1ljidjozhV_1v6xLAtY/s1600/ezcema-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1PqGdB6TgAOCW2Rey_hAuuPSC2sgeXXOdPEXfP14DhvZjgLTOCV-_d1isGphRlpXDeZSi3kVK3eu1v8TRvxc4zsm_Ay8VdDcl5FvgB6IA6fSqrpJmjUbGrhw1ljidjozhV_1v6xLAtY/s400/ezcema-2.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
These are all prescriptions we've gotten since the beginning of May. I kid you not. Actually, there's one more. I forgot she has a prescription now for Q-dryl, which I believe is a stronger form of Benedryl for her to take at night. Thank goodness for health insurance, right?<br />Unfortunately, health insurance does not cover the cost of OTC moisturizers. Of course the good ones are pretty expensive. I am very happy with a new product Curel came out with; we've been using it for the past month and it is definitely the best OTC treatment we've used. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflA1vtAg34ahcPbIYk4H2iIiJ5fms06uhceDBbSiQMaPk-5hgtDUOWTJ6DHC_JLgJmYU1ibF0ERaw7rv1902xoplkzKTSzwKcjwY5gIDKQFKwS2rnDQ0onkDtxE0d9PWnjl-8wn6R7_E/s1600/ezcema-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflA1vtAg34ahcPbIYk4H2iIiJ5fms06uhceDBbSiQMaPk-5hgtDUOWTJ6DHC_JLgJmYU1ibF0ERaw7rv1902xoplkzKTSzwKcjwY5gIDKQFKwS2rnDQ0onkDtxE0d9PWnjl-8wn6R7_E/s400/ezcema-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
This is their new Ceramide treatment. Ceramide is supposed to be really good for your skin because it helps your skin heal itself. We did use the Cera Ve which I liked too but the Curel kind has petrolatum in it, making it thicker. I know petrolatum (think Vaseline) is really not that great when you think about what it is, but unfortunately, I have yet to find an "all natural" product that does as good a job. The other plus to the Curel is it's about $4 cheaper than the Cera Ve and when you're buying at least one tub a month, it helps to try and save a bit of money. Curel is in no way paying for me to endorse them (maybe I should work on that....) but I highly recommend this product for anyone who is dealing with really dry skin or Eczema. <br />
Anyway, the past few weeks we've been doing a treatment that I think is working pretty well. It's called wet-wrapping. Our dermatologist used it with patients when he interned at the Mayo Clinic. Basically, we apply Lucy's steroid cream, then her moisturizer and wrap her up in towels that have been soaked in water and then wrung out. Then she sits like that for 20-30 minutes. To fully cover her arms, we use some old socks of Walker's. We do this twice a day. I'm glad it's summer and she actually has time to sit like that for an hour every day!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsemiyYatCLDc9prN6D1cU0kOJZhptp4HXSpE2QSv7xuI_PglwMQUojsnHM82V2XAg-seA1cCoWw2YaSbgbvtPQ3cNoMxWJPHuwVIK1XqvNfvX71hZY_bOdrRGteoBwxVka7qfIQfeLA/s1600/ezcema-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsemiyYatCLDc9prN6D1cU0kOJZhptp4HXSpE2QSv7xuI_PglwMQUojsnHM82V2XAg-seA1cCoWw2YaSbgbvtPQ3cNoMxWJPHuwVIK1XqvNfvX71hZY_bOdrRGteoBwxVka7qfIQfeLA/s400/ezcema-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Here she is all wrapped up (with a waterproof sheet protector wrapped around her towel so the chair doesn't get soaked). You can see her face looks pretty bad here (<i>definitely</i> not the worse it's been!) and so I want to ask how we can possibly do the same technique with her face. I don't know if we'll have to continue the wet wrapping twice a day or if her derm. will want to bump it down to once a day. I do know we will need to take a break from the steroid soon here. She's been on a steroid cream for almost the last month straight. It's really hard when we take her off them. She immediately flares back up and is just miserable. She scratches her neck and head in her sleep and her eyes are always puffy from rubbing them so much. Lucy is such a happy little girl and it breaks my heart on those days when we can't do anything but lather her up in moisturizer and hope that it's enough. <br />
I've been praying for a long time that Lucy will outgrow this; I know many kids do. I asked our derm. if he thought she would and all he would say is "it's possible." He didn't look very hopeful though. <br />
And some days I get really down about all of this but I try to remind myself that there are others who have it much worse. I have found incredible support on the <a href="http://www.nationaleczema.org/">National Eczema Association's website</a>. They have a lot of information and a forum where people share their stories and things that have worked (or didn't work) for them.<br />
I'm not really sure the point of this post; maybe I'm trying to share some information, support for others who are going through this, or maybe I'm just needing to vent a little. <br />
I don't really know what everything will look like in the future; I guess I'm just hopeful that no matter what, Lucy is happy and that she will have the strength to deal with this no matter how bad it gets.Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-35526834962978299072013-06-08T13:42:00.000-07:002013-06-08T13:42:03.221-07:00Potty TrainingTo be honest, I've been thinking about potty training for at least a year. I knew we had to get Taylor trained but I kept putting it off. I wanted to make sure she was "ready" (which I'll say more about this in a minute), I wasn't sure she would do it because of her language delay, but mostly I was afraid of being a failure. Potty training scared me. I read so many different blog posts on potty training in a week, potty training in 3 days, and even potty train in 1 day! Yep, ONE day. I even had that one pinned on Pinterest (I don't anymore). Over the past year, we've kinda half-hardheartedly tried with Taylor. We'd put her in undies, or have her wear her cloth trainers. She spent much of the last school year in Pull-ups. Our daycare provider was great in that she would put Taylor on the potty every day. But, Taylor hardly ever did anything. I figured she just wasn't ready. <br />
But as the school year ended, I knew it had to get done. I was NOT sending her to pre-school in the fall in diapers or Pull-ups. I knew I could (it's a public program so they don't require kids to be potty trained), but I was tired of the diapers and really, when all of her friends have been potty trained for at least a year, it was a little ridiculous that she wasn't.<br />
We started last Saturday. I didn't really know what to do other than some things I've picked up from random books, articles, blogs, forums, and friends. I knew we had to say good-bye to diapers for good. So I took off her overnight diaper and said "okay Taylor, no more diapers." And then I let her run around naked the whole day. About halfway through the day, I knew I needed guidance. I needed help. I really didn't know how to do this! I'd read about an e-book called "<a href="http://www.ohcrappottytraining.com/">Oh Crap. Potty Training</a>." It sounded pretty good and it was only $15. I figured it'd be worth it. <br />
The first thing I read about was the "readiness" part. The author, Jamie Glowacki, said not to think of it as "ready," but more as "capable." Wow, when I thought of it that way, it really hit home. Taylor has been capable for ummm a long time now. We had to make this work.<br />
The other thing I really like about Jamie's book is she doesn't give you a time-frame. Instead of saying, Day 1 you do this and Day 2 you do this, and expect this by Day 3, she gives you blocks. Four of them to be specific. And each child moves through the 4 blocks at his/her own pace. Some kids go through all four in 3-7 days. Some kids take longer. When I read that, it was like "whew! pressure off!" That's what made me so nervous about those 1 and 3 day programs. What if it didn't work in 1 day or 3 days? Then I give up? I would feel like a failure for not getting it done in the time frame the author(s) tell you it should happen. <br />
I don't want to just make this all about the book though. I will just say that if you are going to be potty training a kid in the near future (and I wouldn't wait to do it- Jamie recommends between 20 and 30 months) I really really recommend you download her book. You don't have to use rewards (in fact she discourages rewards because why reward the kid for something they are expected to do) and her tone in the book is very no-nonsense but in a kind, funny way. Oh, she does use the f word a few times, and maybe some other swear words. That doesn't bother me, but I felt like I should warn just in case it bothers others.<br />
Anyway, the point of all this (hmmm I really digressed there) is we started on Saturday which would make today Day 8. I'm not going to lie- the first day was confusing (remember I read Jamie's book kinda late in the day so we didn't really start doing her method until about 3 in the afternoon). Day 2 was awful. But I didn't give up; we were NOT going back to diapers. Day 3 was better. Day 4 was better than Day 3. Day 5 was simply fantastic. Day 6 was more on par with Day 3. Day 7 was good, and today? Well today has been pretty great. I'm not going to go into specifics as to how many times Taylor has gone on the potty because honestly, I think that's annoying when people do that. Especially on Facebook. Like, you don't share your own bathroom habits on Facebook, so why are you sharing your child's? Let your child have some dignity (okay stepping off soapbox on that one).<br />
Oh...night training. Yeah we actually are tackling this now too. I just figured it'd be easier to get it all out of the way. So right now, Taylor sleeps on just her mattress (I know it sounds awful but she doesn't seem to mind) and her pillow has plastic bags on it under the pillowcase. She does have her blanket of course and we have extra ones near her bed in case we have to change it out in the middle of the night. She's only had 2 nights that were completely dry. But after last night I think I've nailed down when we need to wake her up to pee so we'll see if I'm right tonight. What is helping is we really cut down on her fluids in the evening. At dinner she has a small cup of milk (this gives her practice drinking out of a regular cup as well) and then that's it for the night. If she's really asking for a drink (like she did last night) we'll give her a tiny amount of water. This may sound cruel but we try and push the fluids early in the day so that she's not as thirsty at night. Really, toddlers only need about 1 liter of fluid every day. <br />
So is Taylor fully potty trained? Well yeah I'd say for the most part
she is. She is starting to self-initiate her bathroom breaks but if I
know it's been awhile I will prompt her. And when I say prompt I mean
"c'mon Taylor it's time to pee," not "do you have to pee?" I know if I
ASK, the answer will always be no. Naysayers might say "well then
Taylor's not trained, you are!" Um, no. Taylor knows where her pee and
poop needs to go. That is the point of potty training. You are not
teaching your child HOW to pee and poop; they are experts at that.
They've been doing that since birth! You are just teaching them a new
place for pee and poop to go (another aha! moment from Jamie's book).
So yes, I'm prompting her but you know if you think about it, we're
always prompting our kids. "You need to wash your hands before dinner,"
"look before you cross the street," "get your homework done before you
watch TV," etc. We will be prompting our kids until they are in
college. And I bet it won't even end there. So I am boldly saying that
Taylor is potty trained. <br />
And after we go to NC in a few weeks, we get to go through the whole process again with Lucy. This will be quite the productive summer for us. ;)Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-31502331869932556822013-04-26T12:31:00.003-07:002013-04-26T12:31:40.978-07:00Happy 2nd Birthday to Lucy!Well of course I haven't been keeping up with the blog. I was waiting until after I got Lucy's 2 year pictures done (which required good weather) but I got those done 2 weeks ago so now I"m out of excuses. It's okay; I don't think anyone was holding their breath waiting for this post ;)<br />
<br />
Weight: 23.6 pounds<br />
Height: 31 inches<br />
<br />
Yeah she's a tiny one too but she's still able to wear Taylor's clothes from last year so it is really working out well. Lucy is slowly losing her little fat rolls. Her thighs don't have any more creases but she still has a touch of the wrist and ankle rolls.<br />
<br />
I think I have the smartest 2 year-old ever but of course I'm biased, lol. I also may have the sassiest. We always used to say that Lucy was our well-behaved child. And in many ways, she still is. However, in the last 3-4 months she has developed quite an attitude. For one thing, Lucy does not like sharing us with Taylor. If Lucy and I are cuddling on the couch, she gets highly offended when I let Taylor come up too. Lucy definitely follows <a href="http://www.cafemom.com/group/14077/forums/read/16290971/Just_for_Fun_Toddlers_Rules_of_Possession">The Toddler Rules of Possession</a>:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<img alt="toddlers rules possesion" class="userImageLeft" height="411" src="http://cdn-ugc.cafemom.com/gen/constrain/500/500/80/2012/03/30/10/88/sa/poq6krfx0c.jpg" width="322" /><br />
<br />
<br />
And she will definitely let you know when you've broken one of the rules by screaming, arching her back, rising on her tiptoes in indignation, or (gently) throwing herself on the floor and then rolling over halfway to make sure you are watching and understand the gravity of the situation. And while I love Lucy's advanced language skills, it also means she can defy me with more attitude than Taylor can. Taylor will just flat out ignore me and turn on her selective listening. Lucy, on the other hand, will tell me "no," "I don't want to," "NOOOOO," or my new favorite "No ma'am!" Oh two is a fun age.....<br />
<br />
Now about her eczema. I did post the prayer request on Facebook a few weeks ago and I really appreciate everyone who has been thinking of us. I feel like since then, we have spent almost $100 on "stuff" to try and deal with this. We renewed her prescription cream but then I decided not to use it because I was worried it was damaging her skin and I didn't want her skin to become dependent. We bought stuff for baths, new ointments, creams, moisturizers, itch-fighters, and even medicated bandages to wrap around her legs at night. Oh yeah, and a new humidifier. All of the new stuff and new routines seemed to be helping somewhat but let me tell you, it is exhausting. Not just for us, but for Lucy too. Last weekend we cut wheat out of her diet. I know it will take a while to really see the effects of that but I think it might be worth it. We had an appt. scheduled for May 13th but after a particularly bad day on Tuesday, I called and got it moved up to this morning. This morning we saw someone different. I certainly liked our former dermatologist but I just felt like we heard the same thing each time and now that these visits are costing us $50 each time, I wanted some answers and I wanted something that would WORK. So today we saw a new PA and I like him as well. He told me he wanted to make things simple for us. He understood my concerns with the steroid cream but we worked out a plan to get Lucy weaned off it once we get things under control. It will take a few weeks and in the meantime I am supposed to take pictures of her skin every week so he can see her progress (I probably should have asked how I get the pictures to him....). When I mentioned our co-pay he told me not to make another appointment but that he did want to hear from me in 2-3 weeks to report on how Lucy is doing. I really don't care if we have to lather up in moisturizer twice a day for the rest of her life; I just want her to stop scratching because I really feel that's what is making everything worse. She's not sleeping well because she scratches herself in her sleep. In general Lucy is a happy child and I want her to stay a happy child. I don't want her to be miserable all the time because her skin is so irritated. He also wants us to keep using the Zyrtec twice a day. We were using Claritin but I don't think that was really helping. I think the Zyrtec is helping as her skin has been looking less red (not completely normal but at least the redness has gone down somewhat).<br />
I'm really nervous about this summer because she will be wearing less clothes and whenever her skin is exposed to the air, she immediately starts scratching it. It's like she's been waiting allll day to scratch her lower back or her upper thighs because she just goes to town on them at every diaper change. Ugh. I'm really praying the new routine works for her and that we'll be able to wean her off the steroid creams. <br />
Oh let's end with on a happy note some pictures<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiyAZj6vyz0lDMY7IfvhxFshluWdyx2V7buq-Gdp_qyjAl_fXa1-3cVY7MxUWe5Bz_4kFx3DMmj-_MS7k46sybbTQVbWZGMbJ31gNlyJcL9g1kgpWYXGWRTcLVBXB9KZxE4MT7PnQr_08/s1600/Lucy+2+years-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiyAZj6vyz0lDMY7IfvhxFshluWdyx2V7buq-Gdp_qyjAl_fXa1-3cVY7MxUWe5Bz_4kFx3DMmj-_MS7k46sybbTQVbWZGMbJ31gNlyJcL9g1kgpWYXGWRTcLVBXB9KZxE4MT7PnQr_08/s400/Lucy+2+years-1.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyRveN-CMvlnqB7i0dU4kWie-mmCJ1Rkkvc0IdcQXNTVtbE7YF1-Ao0HOS8mr_axgbq0DjUh5_3-4Ir0gqsrOwCa3t10kNk8e6FKMuTANJUhd5MaTkUMJnIUNx5ecfuAgus2aMVpC46Y/s1600/Lucy+2+years-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyRveN-CMvlnqB7i0dU4kWie-mmCJ1Rkkvc0IdcQXNTVtbE7YF1-Ao0HOS8mr_axgbq0DjUh5_3-4Ir0gqsrOwCa3t10kNk8e6FKMuTANJUhd5MaTkUMJnIUNx5ecfuAgus2aMVpC46Y/s400/Lucy+2+years-10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4edKJlscWWGHyRngPM3_7G7nBQ5MnnJMwukqkmiGf3Ye2Tc5h_eb6hFEYB6LzqncjGliHg3deXzyurAsTfI-z6SlqYZsy3Svlg76gQiLIvjUyJLgxZu4RzCJItqcn9-7ny-JZChENQAc/s1600/Lucy+2+years-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4edKJlscWWGHyRngPM3_7G7nBQ5MnnJMwukqkmiGf3Ye2Tc5h_eb6hFEYB6LzqncjGliHg3deXzyurAsTfI-z6SlqYZsy3Svlg76gQiLIvjUyJLgxZu4RzCJItqcn9-7ny-JZChENQAc/s400/Lucy+2+years-11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuii2BOMixfa1evz8j4JVMxm1lO6vjRFb0zD77YzhGVxoPojoB-mn2DdxvXsgs5sr3pyoH6YOwjNh2lQkEre0Y5O_Bv40qPxGl4g5n5UfM1eb7sZGG0STdKdTaiYtcikDMF1wqbMo2UOI/s1600/Lucy+2+years-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuii2BOMixfa1evz8j4JVMxm1lO6vjRFb0zD77YzhGVxoPojoB-mn2DdxvXsgs5sr3pyoH6YOwjNh2lQkEre0Y5O_Bv40qPxGl4g5n5UfM1eb7sZGG0STdKdTaiYtcikDMF1wqbMo2UOI/s400/Lucy+2+years-15.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I know her skin doesn't look that bad in these pictures; let's just say I've gotten pretty good at retouching.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-47489563253877803622013-04-07T07:12:00.001-07:002013-04-07T07:12:48.599-07:00Chocolate Chip Power Breakfast MuffinsLast week, I found <a href="http://domesticatedacademic.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/power-muffins-blueberryoatmealyogurtpower/">this</a> recipe (thank you Anna for pinning it!) and wanted to give it a go. But when I looked at the recipe closely I knew I had to modify it. Do you see the second ingredient listed? All-purpose flour. BLECH! Seriously people, I've read about all-purpose flour; it's not good for you. Now I suppose I could have substituted with whole-wheat flour but that doesn't really help on the carb count and yes I'm one of those crazies who is following a low-carb lifestyle (for the record, it works). So I immediately googled substituting coconut flour (which is excellent for you by the way). The thing with coconut flour is you need a lot LESS of it because it soaks up liquid like you wouldn't believe. I decided to use 1/2 cup and then add in almond milk to make sure the batter didn't get too doughy. Also at the last minute, I decided to add in 1/4 scoop protein powder. We use <a href="http://www.optimumnutrition.com/products/100-whey-gold-standard-p-201.html">this</a> protein powder at our house; Walker claims it's one of the better protein powders on the market and since he's the diabetic in the house, I believe him. Do NOT get a protein powder with a lot of added sugar!! Now, because of this added dry ingredient, and the use of coconut flour, I had to add 1 cup of almond milk to the recipe. Also, I used plain non-fat greek yogurt; none of that honey added stuff (hello added sugar anyone???)<br />
The other substitution I made was for the blueberries. If I had planned ahead, I would have made it with the blueberries but it's Sunday morning and we haven't gone to the store yet. The only suitable thing I had was about 1/2 cup of Ghirardelli 60% Cacao bittersweet baking chips. Well that's not a hard call to make; chocolate it is! The baking chips were pretty big so I chopped them up a bit in my mini-food processor. <br />
Now I don't count calories (it's way too much effort for me and with the way I eat now, I don't need to and I'm still losing weight) but I know some people out there really like to know the nutrition count. With all of the substitutions/additions I made to this recipe, the approximate nutrition count is this:<br />
<br />
Calories: 209<br />
Fat: 12 g (yes I know but fat doesn't make you fat, sugar does)<br />
Carbs: 17 g<br />
Protein: 9 g<br />
Sugar: 7 g (yee-ha! that's with chocolate!!)<br />
<br />
You might scoff at how many calories there are but remember, I'm using these as a meal (or most of a meal), not a snack or a dessert. Also, I calculated the nutrition using the exact brands I have so if you make variations you will have to calculate your own nutrition (although I admit, I took a guess on the coconut flour since I just keep that in a snap-lock container).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16yZNLXGR-AWh0gDjltJ-LZMJY8POauZHbFzHXXuMB5ohxDh-6qERZ3WW_Iwg4D5_QQpYiNulZoS2yXUm5EYrXgr8vJQ0Jad0GThJ7544OIKvonpxl92stzKl_ZL2MU4fSspevwx_LRg/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16yZNLXGR-AWh0gDjltJ-LZMJY8POauZHbFzHXXuMB5ohxDh-6qERZ3WW_Iwg4D5_QQpYiNulZoS2yXUm5EYrXgr8vJQ0Jad0GThJ7544OIKvonpxl92stzKl_ZL2MU4fSspevwx_LRg/s640/photo.JPG" width="480" /> </a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I was really pleased with how they turned out. I was worried that they'd be really dense but they're not too bad. I highly recommend eating these slightly warmed- the chocolate is all melty and gooey which is perfect. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Chocolate Chip Power Breakfast Muffins</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Ingredients:</div>
<ul>
<li>non-stick spray</li>
<li>1/2 cup coconut flour</li>
<li class="ingredient">1 cup oatmeal–quick or regular oats, plain</li>
<li class="ingredient">2/3 cup Stevia in the Raw sugar substitute</li>
<li class="ingredient">1 teaspoon baking powder</li>
<li class="ingredient">1 teaspoon baking soda</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/2 teaspoon salt</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/4 cup vanilla flavored protein powder (I used Optimum Nutrition's Gold Standard 100% Whey)</li>
<li class="ingredient">12 ounces plain nonfat greek yogurt</li>
<li class="ingredient">2 large eggs, lightly beaten</li>
<li class="ingredient">4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled (do NOT use margarine- that stuff is nasty!)</li>
<li class="ingredient">1 teaspoon vanilla extract</li>
<li class="ingredient">1 cup unsweetened original almond milk</li>
<li class="ingredient">1/2 cup Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet baking chips, chopped</li>
</ul>
Directions:<br />
<div id="instructions">
<ol class="method">
<li class="step">Heat oven to 350°.</li>
<li class="step">Coat muffin tin with cooking spray or liners.</li>
<li class="step">Combine flour, sugar, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and protein powder in a bowl.</li>
<li class="step">Combine yogurt, eggs, butter, vanilla, and milk in a second bowl.</li>
<li class="step">Fold yogurt mixture into dry mixture; stir to combine completely.</li>
<li class="step">Mix in chocolate chips</li>
<li class="step">Spoon into muffin tins.</li>
<li class="step">Bake until top is golden and springs back when you gently touch it, about 25 minutes.</li>
</ol>
Yields approximately 10 muffins. <br />
</div>
<br />
<br />Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-24894445174527161992013-02-14T07:48:00.001-08:002013-02-14T07:48:52.583-08:00Pass the Butter, Please!Lately, I've been reading a lot about food, how it affects our bodies, and just how far food companies will go to get you to buy their product. I'm sure my co-workers are already getting tired of me ruining their lunches by sharing tidbits I've learned! ;) But I just have to share what I've read recently about margarine and butter.<br />
Until about a year ago, I had been a margarine-loving girl. It was cheaper and if I bought the "light" version, I thought I was saving so many calories! Walker suggested we switch to butter last year because he felt margarine was basically glorified plastic. I didn't really understand what he meant at the time but I went along with it. About a month ago, however, I read about how margarine was made and I really started to understand his argument. Are you ready for something disgusting? I should warn you, if you really like using margarine, you may not want to read the next part!<br />
So when they make margarine, they start with really cheap oils: corn, soy, canola, or cottonseed. These oils are already full of free radicals (which are really bad for your body). Then they mix it with tiny metal particles, usually nickel oxide. They put this oil-metal mix into hydrogen gas in a high-temp machine. Added to this is soap-like products and starch. Then they clean it by steaming in order to remove the unpleasant odor. The natural color of margarine is gray. <i>Gray</i>....blech! Of course this wouldn't tempt people to buy it so they bleach it and then add that oh-so-pleasant yellow color. The biggest problem with margarine is that it is partially hydrogenated which means it has trans-fats! Trans-fats, which everyone knows (thanks to Mayor Bloomberg), are <i>terrible</i> for you. But so many margarines claim to be trans-fat free! Well....here's where you need to read the label. It says "no trans-fats per serving." The FDA allows food companies to lower the serving size so that the serving contains less than 1 g of trans-fats; then they can say in big bold letters on the front of the package "TRANS-FATS FREE!" when really, they're not. <br />
I found an ingredient list of that appetizing margarine spray (actually found it in a google image search; I Can't Believe It's Not Butter's website of course does not list the ingredients).<br />
<br />
water, liquid soybean oil, salt, sweet cream buttermilk, xanthan gum, natural soy lecithin, polysorbate 60, lactic acid, (potassium sorbate, calcium disodium edta) used to protect quality, natural, and artificial flavors, vitamin A (palmitate), beta carotene (color).<br />
<br />
What is polysorbate 60??? A quick google search showed that it's an emulsifier and not only is it added to cream substitutes, baked goods, and frozen desserts but also to medical treatments for acne, mouth sores, and (get ready for it) vaginal itch! YUMM-O!! Pass me some of that polysorbate 60 please! (in case you couldn't tell, that was sarcasm at its finest)<br />
<br />
Ingredients for butter? So glad you asked....<br />
<br />
sweet cream, salt.<br />
<br />
Yep, that's it. Those are the ingredients in salted butter which is the kind we buy. <br />
<br />
So I think we'll be sticking with real butter from now on and I sincerely hope you make the switch as well (if you haven't already). Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-60290357801912982072013-01-03T12:34:00.002-08:002013-01-03T12:34:21.458-08:00Taylor is Three!And she has been for over a month now. Yep, behind on blogging again. <br />
There is a reason why they say "terrible twos" and "thunderous threes." I hoped and prayed that on Taylor's third birthday she would wake up and it'd be like a light switch and all of her tantrums and defiant behavior would magically disappear. Yeah, that didn't work. Taylor is very spirited, incredibly active, and horribly stubborn. I only have myself to blame for the last one; I'm quite stubborn myself! I guess the good thing is, she will not grow up to be a wishy-washy person. In fact, I'm sure she will be quite head strong and not afraid to speak her opinion. So, she and I butt heads quite often but I'm trying my best to use calm and firm parenting. I do not want to resort to spanking. It's not that I think people who spank are bad parents (I DON"T); more that I don't think it would be very effective <i>for her</i>. Also, she already has problems with hitting us when she's angry so I don't think spanking her would send the right message. What I have found to be effective is taking away toys; specifically "pink Ariel." "Pink Ariel" is the Little People Ariel figurine and she's wearing a pink dress (as opposed to the mermaid version of Ariel which we also have). Ariel gets placed on top of our bookcase every 2-3 days. Every time Taylor asks for her, I remind her why Ariel is up there and that Ariel will come down tomorrow. It works. Kinda.<br />
So growth-wise, Taylor is in the 2nd percentile for height and the 6th percentile for weight. No, I did not flip-flop those! For the first time in over 2 years, Taylor's weight percentile is higher than her height percentile! If you're curious what this means in terms of sizes, well she still wears 2T. She could probably get away with 24 mos. bottoms depending on the brand. On top she definitely needs a 2T for the length and some 2T shirts are starting to get too short as well. She's just so darn skinny! I think she only weighs 25 pounds <i>with </i>clothes on. I guess that means in the last year she's only gained about 5 pounds (hmph, we should all be so lucky).<br />
So since Taylor turned 3, she has aged out of Early Intervention services. We were definitely sad to stop our sessions with Miss Amanda. Technically, she now has an IEP (Individualized Education Plan for all the non-educator types out there) from Champaign Unit 4 schools. This means that she is eligible to get speech services from them for the rest of this school year. But that entails her going to the Pre-K center once a week for a half hour during the school day. Well that obviously isn't going to happen given where Walker and I work and where our daycare provider is. Unit 4 did their own speech evaluation and based on that, she has qualified for a classroom spot for next school year. This means she will go there for half a day, every day and she would receive her speech services while she is there. Of course I had hoped she would have gained enough from her EI services to not need any more speech therapy. This did not happen. Don't get me wrong; Taylor definitely made a lot of gains, but at the end of the program she was still showing a 31% delay (compared to 35% delay when she was first evaluated). That was definitely disappointing to hear. What's interesting about Taylor is she is on target or even above target in so many areas but then so far below target in others. For example, 36 mos. olds are supposed to be able to count to 3 to score in the "average" range. Well, Taylor can count to 20 (and sometimes beyond that if I get her started with "21"). But at the same time 3 year olds are supposed to have an average sentence length of 4-5 words. Taylor's is 2.5. Taylor has an amazing vocabulary (or so I'm told; I really don't know what kind of vocabulary average 3 year olds have) but she just won't put those words together to form longer sentences. Taylor still relies a lot on carrier phrases; "I want" still being her favorite. A new one for her is "it's really" like "it's really hot," "it's really high," etc. <br />
I don't feel as guilty about her speech development as I used to. Now I just feel kind of a sadness and longing. It can be so hard being around her friends (who are all advanced in their language skills to begin with) and watching her struggle to even get out a 4 word sentence. I think a lot of Taylor's hesitation with longer phrases is her articulation. She has such a hard time pronouncing words correctly when she's trying to put them together. If you ask her to say one word, she'll say it near perfect, but when you ask her to say that same word in a sentence, everything gets jumbled up. <br />
But the great thing is, Taylor only needs the IEP for speech. The therapist from Unit 4 said there was clearly no cognitive delays. I was so relieved to hear that. I guess I kinda already knew it, but it was nice to hear it from someone who interacts with 3 and 4 year olds all day. Taylor knows all of her letters (uppercase and lowercase) and now knows all of her letter sounds too. And just the other day she started sounding out words. Well, okay, she was not putting the sounds together to read the words, but all on her own (seriously, I did not tell her to do this!), she started pointing at letters in words (in order, not just randomly) and saying the letter sounds. So now I'm showing her how to sound out 3 letter words. I don't know how quickly she'll catch onto putting the sounds together to make the word, but we'll work on it. I'll probably start doing some phonemic awareness stuff with her so that she can build a strong foundation for when she's ready to put those sounds together.<br />
Potty Training: uugghhhhh. That is how I feel about this subject. We kinda tried to do it over the summer. It didn't go so well. Then we tried again back in the fall. It went pretty well at daycare (as in Taylor would actually sit on the potty for more than a minute) but at home it was a big disaster. It got to the point where Taylor was refusing (and throwing a tantrum) to sit on the potty. We tried reading books, bringing in the iPad, bribing her...nothing worked. Finally I consulted with my sister (why I didn't ask her sooner, I have no idea) and she said not to push it and that Taylor would use the potty when she wanted to, not when I wanted her to. I checked with our pediatrician and she said the same thing. I definitely don't want Taylor to have negative associations with using the bathroom so we're not pushing her. I do a lot of modeling with lots of excitement (you have no idea how stupid I feel applauding myself for peeing) and we have her dolls and even "pink Ariel" go on the potty (eyedropper filled with water behind their back). We also ask her if she wants to sit on the potty or go pee in the potty. About half the time, she'll consent to sitting on the potty but it's only for about 10 seconds. I know there are people out there who are judging me and maybe even secretly shunning me for having a 3 year old still in diapers...well if that makes you feel better, go right ahead. Lots of kids aren't potty trained until 3 or even 4. I figure as long as she knows how to do it by the time she enters kindergarten, we're good (for the record Champaign Pre-K does not require them to be potty trained). I might break down and buy a really cool toy that she can't have until she's using the potty consistently but at this point, I don't think even that would be enough motivation for her.<br />
I'm not sure there is really anything else to share. Hopefully I'll be able to post again soon with an update on her behavior, potty training, speech or maybe all three!Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-56486166242027627712012-12-23T14:52:00.002-08:002012-12-23T14:52:37.047-08:00Two DIY Christmas Gifts'Tis the season of over-spending, falalalaaalalalalaaa!<br />
<br />
Well at least that's usually how it goes in our house every November through December. Despite me buying Christmas gifts early (seriously I start over the summer) somehow we always spend more than I intended. This year I tried to be a little smarter and I decided that for some of my colleagues I would try a make-at-home gift. The nice thing about this is that even though you don't spend as much, the gift hopefully means a little more because you put some time and thought into it. So this year I made Lemon Sugar body scrub and Caramel Cheesecake dip. <br />
<br />
I got the basis for the scrub from<a href="http://zitzmanfam.blogspot.com/2011/12/project-handmade-christmas-presents_07.html"> here</a>. Now I don't know how she got her scrub to be bright yellow like that. Maybe it was because she used olive oil as her base. I had a whole big container of coconut oil already on hand and I've read how amazing coconut oil is for your skin so I used that as my base. It is in solid form in the container so I scooped out roughly a cup and nuked it in the microwave for 30 sec. to liquify it. Then I added my sugar and lemon juice and mixed it up. I ended up adding a little more sugar than the recipe called for because I didn't want the scrub to be liquidy. Then I scooped it into these cute jars I got at Hobby Lobby (50% off!) and tied a cute ribbon around them. I printed out a label at school that listed what it was and what the ingredients are. I do think next time I will add a few drops of essential oil to make it more scented. Maybe lavender....<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-mlI4un9eVMxBZZyY6n1BNKWSbOUgP-VfNWCh822m2JVfSajBkW5CCJPu0Yt-1w1gv8yyzVegVyQpHP7e90q6jU8T_EiPIeS01nnHcAwkx3wgSZLRtAXRWSMjgoPAF9bFuGG8ctO9L8/s1600/photo(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2-mlI4un9eVMxBZZyY6n1BNKWSbOUgP-VfNWCh822m2JVfSajBkW5CCJPu0Yt-1w1gv8yyzVegVyQpHP7e90q6jU8T_EiPIeS01nnHcAwkx3wgSZLRtAXRWSMjgoPAF9bFuGG8ctO9L8/s400/photo(4).JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Cost:<br />
Coconut oil: $6.99 (and I barely used half the container for 4 large jars of scrub)<br />
4 glass jars: (4X $1.14) $4.56<br />
Lemon juice: free as we already had some<br />
Sugar: approx $2-$3. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(I don't remember how much a 5 lb bag of sugar costs at Aldi's but it's not much)</span><br />
Ribbon: free (leftover from different project)<br />
<br />
And then I also made a caramel cheesecake dip which I found <a href="http://cookingclassy.blogspot.com/2012/06/caramel-cheesecake-apple-dip-3.html">here</a>. Now I didn't do the graham cracker crumbs because I couldn't think of a cute way to package them with the dip and the apple. <br />
I found 2 small jars at Hobby Lobby (again 50% off!) and bought some holiday cellophane treat bags. I put the dip in the jars, placed that at the bottom of the bag, placed a granny smith apple on top and tied it shut with a ribbon. And of course I put a label on the outside of the bag so that my recipients would know what it was. The bonus part was I had leftover dip since I only made 2 jars worth.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWvHvURXjUImgzjPc380QDqBKXd_FjqQiy2LlfU_F9mpM2Qt1GbVDQ88J3t0FkvrTFeJXpjvt2Gbu_Gxz8_rUPa07TM1JIX25jeSmESCNTJmHJOrjzPZYIXkPH5inBOXn3h_JEIwDXgU/s1600/photo(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWvHvURXjUImgzjPc380QDqBKXd_FjqQiy2LlfU_F9mpM2Qt1GbVDQ88J3t0FkvrTFeJXpjvt2Gbu_Gxz8_rUPa07TM1JIX25jeSmESCNTJmHJOrjzPZYIXkPH5inBOXn3h_JEIwDXgU/s400/photo(5).JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
Cost:Jars: (2X $0.80) $1.60<br />
Low fat cream cheese: $1.39 <span style="font-size: x-small;">(I feel strongly this is the price of cream cheese at Aldi's; we buy it a lot)</span><br />
Caramel sauce: $2-$3 <span style="font-size: x-small;">(can't remember what it was at Aldi's)</span><br />
Cellophane treat bags: $1.00 for 20 of them<br />
Ribbon: free (already had some)<br />
<br />
So there you have 2 cheap but thoughtful gifts perfect for Christmas or whenever. If you're looking for more ideas like this, just search on Pinterest: there are more than you can imagine. :)Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-89613365328795846692012-11-01T19:29:00.000-07:002012-11-01T19:29:31.491-07:00Halloween Run-DownWell everyone else is blogging about what they did over Halloween so I guess I should share our festivities.<br />
This year, the girls went as butterflies. I'm sure most almost-3 year olds can tell you what they want to be for Halloween but Taylor doesn't seem to get it. And as smart as Lucy is, I'm not sure she got it either, so I chose their costumes for them. It all stemmed from over the summer when I saw <a href="http://www.haloheaven.com/">Halo Heaven</a> had butterfly wings for $1.00 a piece. I was already placing a big order so I added those, got free shipping, and a costume idea was born. As soon as Target had their winter "basics" wear out, I bought the girls black tops and black leggings. All I needed was the tutus. I was going to have a friend show me how to make them but we're both busy gals so I found some tutorials online and spent a few nights putting them together. I'm not really happy with how they turned out but I probably didn't put as much effort into it as I could have. I'm not<a href="http://kneedeepinthebabypool.blogspot.com/2012/11/featured.html"> Emily</a> (LOL just kidding Em! You know I'm green with envy over here every time you show off a new project!).<br />
<br />
Okay enough with costumes. Our first event was Boo at the Zoo at
Scovill Zoo in Decatur. This was our 2nd year doing it. Last year we
went later at night and it was COLD! So this year we met some friends a
little earlier (at least during daylight hours) and I think a much
better time was had by all. We even spent a little extra to ride the
train.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRFwQ5VPfPTSS5GX8rfo2kxWhj20rQ30RUmVRJZc1nmVhcn001XJKKljTfy1DR4YLEaHrcisNdry6cuJSWx5Y183F5cgRPQByO35GQWSn2BRpqW_y4hKzqMQiwetm5bqBJjC4Q0gXtAjo/s1600/Fall2012-26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRFwQ5VPfPTSS5GX8rfo2kxWhj20rQ30RUmVRJZc1nmVhcn001XJKKljTfy1DR4YLEaHrcisNdry6cuJSWx5Y183F5cgRPQByO35GQWSn2BRpqW_y4hKzqMQiwetm5bqBJjC4Q0gXtAjo/s400/Fall2012-26.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuHccrcU_gzUFxCsR3PE9YyOYE5IM_UFSxTpVOp0m0JkyJ3ssCQxQHk2w_MGvfSk6I4qV0P6M-X7RqA4IHbk3eqiyaJ0vOyYLmVySX88HvJ3IBE5yVDCMsJo-Yao0SqJA0K-8IlEie1zw/s1600/Fall2012-25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuHccrcU_gzUFxCsR3PE9YyOYE5IM_UFSxTpVOp0m0JkyJ3ssCQxQHk2w_MGvfSk6I4qV0P6M-X7RqA4IHbk3eqiyaJ0vOyYLmVySX88HvJ3IBE5yVDCMsJo-Yao0SqJA0K-8IlEie1zw/s400/Fall2012-25.jpg" width="265" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMnjrjIdhVlRxSislo_dnpZCGw3DhT2Ba0R0nwFAAD6Pq09CMxgbuKMub11RyIuTk_VDFI6dI7Gose1DxZpaubCCPlt0X-LwsoOqYAI9xvwIcCKI-o0K-TvQiSBg5NwYNDGC18AkdFMg/s1600/Fall2012-27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMnjrjIdhVlRxSislo_dnpZCGw3DhT2Ba0R0nwFAAD6Pq09CMxgbuKMub11RyIuTk_VDFI6dI7Gose1DxZpaubCCPlt0X-LwsoOqYAI9xvwIcCKI-o0K-TvQiSBg5NwYNDGC18AkdFMg/s400/Fall2012-27.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYNEAlke-eqopiK9dTxPEh1ZmC4DQvzm_PrlKMXAwg5f5ZdH8T1REyfTXaAh4tWulNXO6kctqndKXe5OZyCLwt-6nc3E7fkM1CZ-O_29s6Gf12h3IXffnpS4_oHNK-ODN6VKq7dcc_rM/s1600/Fall2012-28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYNEAlke-eqopiK9dTxPEh1ZmC4DQvzm_PrlKMXAwg5f5ZdH8T1REyfTXaAh4tWulNXO6kctqndKXe5OZyCLwt-6nc3E7fkM1CZ-O_29s6Gf12h3IXffnpS4_oHNK-ODN6VKq7dcc_rM/s400/Fall2012-28.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to ride the train!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOesYuuBH_9pdgbtOu-mHu-CdkyLjqVEWBEhzpwtce94f0102AJ7diALwodxLOFzeFSA02RBsDtaqdZfLImV96dIBUgKtmJVEW73nPkK0mhjULgjDP1DDO2P_q2cls2ye2P7sgbiTB9Xs/s1600/Fall2012-29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOesYuuBH_9pdgbtOu-mHu-CdkyLjqVEWBEhzpwtce94f0102AJ7diALwodxLOFzeFSA02RBsDtaqdZfLImV96dIBUgKtmJVEW73nPkK0mhjULgjDP1DDO2P_q2cls2ye2P7sgbiTB9Xs/s400/Fall2012-29.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">aww so cute!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
On Monday night we went to the Trick or Treat event at the Savoy Rec Center. I'm sure we would have enjoyed it more if we had not had to chase Taylor everywhere. And then Lucy insisted on being carried because she was a little overwhelmed by all the people there. We didn't get to stay long and I definitely didn't get to take any pictures.<br />
<br />
On Halloween we were going to try and do some actual trick or treating but Walker's dad invited us to attend the Halloween party held in his neighborhood for the kids. They had a really nice set up in the clubhouse- there were games, snacks, and even a little haunted house in one of the rooms. The girls loved playing the games (especially the fishing one!). However, the girls didn't get to eat a good dinner before the party so we were only able to stay for about 45 minutes before they started to lose it. At that point, we knew we just needed to skip the trick or treating and go home. They still got a lot of treats from the party and with all the goodies they got from Miss Monica at daycare, they're set for a while. I wish I could have gotten them to sit together for a picture but we're at the precious toddler stage so that makes posed pictures a <strike>nightmare</strike> challenge.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMF6yWbgOTU36gxVMhqGi73c3KfSMMKN5OAAj87ojWgCKT0rr1_yiJKa2DpvH-ZrZJoooq5GPMnPoz55vbDq2KGHV4KHNm95RIuUOrOcX8GcfD81B6aKv18oxS3cWDsMFUWtZFl-w_E5A/s1600/Fall2012-30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMF6yWbgOTU36gxVMhqGi73c3KfSMMKN5OAAj87ojWgCKT0rr1_yiJKa2DpvH-ZrZJoooq5GPMnPoz55vbDq2KGHV4KHNm95RIuUOrOcX8GcfD81B6aKv18oxS3cWDsMFUWtZFl-w_E5A/s400/Fall2012-30.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">playing the game</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUxWe6YM5cyGDpIuSBvf_poYvTGVCZf0cGfjJV4sDylIajX3k13QB8n9M9S-GxUk5JwaTuCE8jAEDbdD4oWX9cgsx5wFwnvXwqNwxNHdYO3BbbnZTR0BtKuMNp9ZbRnHaxyGHe5Z7ONs/s1600/Fall2012-31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUxWe6YM5cyGDpIuSBvf_poYvTGVCZf0cGfjJV4sDylIajX3k13QB8n9M9S-GxUk5JwaTuCE8jAEDbdD4oWX9cgsx5wFwnvXwqNwxNHdYO3BbbnZTR0BtKuMNp9ZbRnHaxyGHe5Z7ONs/s400/Fall2012-31.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">picking out her prize</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0PNjhAL_1U7Ql-RLWVvkRPBgkx0hYN2jLrY_Pfadxjm4qFIjOXPSntOvi-GGnnbKyxzDpufahf8J_9LkCELzbVUmwwdqIo0zYqZg1FgIZdwB8s6C1tpj6VqH35ux61ppFGlQdt2NTOeY/s1600/Fall2012-32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0PNjhAL_1U7Ql-RLWVvkRPBgkx0hYN2jLrY_Pfadxjm4qFIjOXPSntOvi-GGnnbKyxzDpufahf8J_9LkCELzbVUmwwdqIo0zYqZg1FgIZdwB8s6C1tpj6VqH35ux61ppFGlQdt2NTOeY/s400/Fall2012-32.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0osf2gBpnTb-N-VdmwEh_HxpGO5C8r9gqsUNjfzEJvrdxEk8yTRb1cuKCno7EbUunY8EuaK5LAGg0SnkO123ZfEnFZsM0OKbWmxjt4E_W4UgUX1Gp7sAGUio4uNfGDPgRPavCav7y8i4/s1600/Fall2012-33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0osf2gBpnTb-N-VdmwEh_HxpGO5C8r9gqsUNjfzEJvrdxEk8yTRb1cuKCno7EbUunY8EuaK5LAGg0SnkO123ZfEnFZsM0OKbWmxjt4E_W4UgUX1Gp7sAGUio4uNfGDPgRPavCav7y8i4/s400/Fall2012-33.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">nom nom nom! this is a good dinner substitute</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Zj7MYyY6sogJ3tKG3knmUYx-DSLf2VbQ2P68_QNYJapCSIsA-lPLrJeRaQRfqVt6Mfzo2Ycj2ZbG3vonyXtjyu-d28gP5BE62lHdNYgcLdHmu0wH2Etyu5JLxX5SNNbr-ED17_Zjn3s/s1600/Fall2012-34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Zj7MYyY6sogJ3tKG3knmUYx-DSLf2VbQ2P68_QNYJapCSIsA-lPLrJeRaQRfqVt6Mfzo2Ycj2ZbG3vonyXtjyu-d28gP5BE62lHdNYgcLdHmu0wH2Etyu5JLxX5SNNbr-ED17_Zjn3s/s400/Fall2012-34.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">frosting face!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7T5kIsy1jHHRARBpakb7C_2J_QytPApEHiRmuF_oHiFvDt4xRxGQYJX9CxPCHPd4fQOkhHf_lZz6Vj6jCyw64desXrweTtMAtEE5l3pDYbBnDU9hwXGndd3oN4y1WWvDhWZ6HAs4xh_g/s1600/Fall2012-35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7T5kIsy1jHHRARBpakb7C_2J_QytPApEHiRmuF_oHiFvDt4xRxGQYJX9CxPCHPd4fQOkhHf_lZz6Vj6jCyw64desXrweTtMAtEE5l3pDYbBnDU9hwXGndd3oN4y1WWvDhWZ6HAs4xh_g/s400/Fall2012-35.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">it was almost impossible to pull them away from the fishing game!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-98211961338783662012-09-30T10:50:00.000-07:002012-09-30T10:50:26.490-07:00Lucy is, no, was 18 monthsOh behind once again....Lucy turned 18 months on Sept. 7th...almost a month ago but that's okay. I wanted to get her stats before I posted and I was late in scheduling her check up, and then last week happened....<br />
Anyway, Lucy is 22 lbs 15 oz but that is with a cloth diaper on (I think it's weird our ped. office doesn't weigh them naked anymore) so I'm guessing she's more around 22 lbs. She is also 31 inches tall. I was not expecting that quite honestly; she still seems so little! Comparatively this puts her around the 20th percentile on both charts.<br />
<br />
Developmentally, I'm pretty sure Lucy is on track with her gross/fine motor skills. She can walk and run, hold a crayon (no toddler crayons over here!), feed herself, use a spoon, etc. She tries to jump but can't figure out how to get her feet to leave the ground so mostly she just bounces. Oh and Lucy loves to dance and has mastered several dance moves like stomping, swaying, turning in circles, etc.<br />
<br />
As far as her language goes....okay I guess I need to just insert a warning here that extreme bragging is coming.<br />
So I think an average 18 month old has around a dozen words (at least according to babycenter.com). Lucy has more like 6 dozen words. That is not an exaggeration! She repeats <i>everything</i> we say (yes even the f-bomb which I accidentally let loose when we were lost in Milwaukee). And not only does she repeat it, she will store it in her brain to practice later. I've been telling everyone lately about when Lucy and I were at the store and she all of a sudden started saying "I said no! I said no!" Ummmm gee I wonder who she heard that from?? <br />
And not only does this girl have a large vocabulary already but she is quite adept at stringing those words together. Lucy speaks mostly in 2-3 word phrases and quite often throws 4-5 word sentences in there. Those usually tend to be ones she has heard us or her sister say though. I don't think she has come up with her own 4-5 word sentence yet, but I gave up trying to track all the things she says long ago.<br />
And if I could just brag a bit more....Lucy knows most, if not all, her uppercase and lowercase letters. I didn't explicitly teach them. She just picked them up from watching Superwhy, Sesame Street, and reading alphabet books with us. Lucy also can identify 0-10 and she can count up to 13 (and then jumps to 16; I don't know where 14 and 15 went).<br />
And as far as colors go....well Lucy knows all the color names. Sometimes she'll still mix them up. It's so weird; one day she'll identify all of them perfectly and the next day she gets them confused. That is happening less but sometimes I do still have to remind her that the frog is green, not red. I was starting to get worried and then I was like "duh, she's only 18 months...I'll worry if she doesn't know them solid by 3 years."<br />
<br />
Okay end of bragging.....<br />
<br />
Health-wise Lucy is okay. Still allergic to peanuts (and has now been exposed to them 3 times accidentally) and her eczema is really bad. It was getting better over the summer but the past 2 weeks she has been covered in splotches and her skins is sooo dry. We've gone back to coating her with straight vasoline several times a day. We are out of her prescription cream so that could be part of the problem. Our ped. suggested eliminating dairy since that also came up as an allergen for her but honestly I haven't seen an improvement, if anything she has gotten worse since we took it out of her diet.<br />
And Lucy finally has more than 6 teeth! Just in the past few days 2 more have broken through. Her ped. also said her gums were swollen so maybe some molars will finally be on the way. I know that will make eating so much easier for her. <br />
<br />
I wish I had some nice pictures to share but I've been so busy taking pictures for other people lately I haven't had hardly any time (or motivation) to take pictures of the girls. I think I'm going to have to take a step back from doing sessions for other people for a bit but that might be a post for another time.Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-76712208336887806162012-09-16T12:49:00.001-07:002012-09-16T12:49:25.676-07:00One Week DownI did it! One week: no chips. I even managed to do that with half a bag of tortilla chips sitting in our cabinet (it's still there). I'm going to keep going with this streak. Now I am not going to pretend I made wonderful food choices all week; I did not. But at least I didn't eat any chips! <br />
Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-83910555694482055142012-09-09T09:50:00.000-07:002012-09-09T09:50:12.742-07:00Hi I'm Joanna and I'm a Chip-a-holicIt's true...chips are a huge downfall for me when it comes to <strike>dieting</strike> maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I am one of those persons who could sit on the couch and easily polish off a half a bag in one sitting. Obviously this does not bode well when I'm still trying to shed 20 lbs of baby weight (and yes that "baby" is turning three in November). I started thinking today about those "small steps to weight loss" that many articles have talked about: things like cutting out pop (I rarely drink pop anyway), drink more water (um that's pretty much all I drink), work out (check), etc. The problem is I already do all those things and have been doing them for around 5-6 years now so those won't help me lose weight. So what other change could I make? Cut out chips. Completely. I won't even eat the baked chips or other supposed "healthier" chips. I'm going cold turkey (God I can feel the withdrawal coming already). I'm going to start with a small goal: go one week. One week, no chips. If I do it, then I'll try and go another week. I'd like to see how long I can keep this going. My hope is that I'll go SO long without them that I'll lose my taste for them. Oh sorry, I just fell out of my chair laughing. But seriously, I know that can happen...I'm just not sure I'll ever go long enough to lose my taste for them (they're SO good!). Okay blog readers (all 11 of you), help me out. You need to hold me accountable. I will check back in next Sun. One week. No chips. Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-61592428539164863272012-09-01T20:00:00.000-07:002012-09-01T20:00:32.328-07:00Another Trip to the ERWednesday morning began like any other morning. I got up and ran as usual. Walker got the girls dressed and fed as I showered. <strike>I was putting on make up</strike> Actually, I was about to put on make up but my contact was bothering me so I was cleaning it when I heard a thump and a loud wail. I knew Taylor had done something but figured it wasn't a big deal until I heard Walker yelling, "there's blood!" So I go running out into the kitchen to find Taylor sitting on the edge of the sink while Walker was pressing a paper towel to her forehead. I grabbed an old bath towel for him to use since the paper towel was already saturated. Taylor was crying and was not at all happy with us trying to clean the blood from her face. Walker moved the towel away from her head and I got a good look at the wound: about an inch long <strike>cut </strike>slice (I think that's a much more accurate word) on her forehead that looked pretty deep. I actually got a little sick to my stomach looking at it so I turned away (FYI: I don't do well with open wounds). How did she do this? Well we have one of those rolly chairs for our desk and Taylor loves to stand on it and lean against the desk. We also have a drawer on the bottom of the desk that does not like to close all the way. Put them together and what do you get? The chair rolls from under Taylor's feet and she catches the drawer face first. We decided Taylor needed to go to the ER so Walker called in to work and I finished getting ready. Lucy was quite perplexed by all the chaos. We got the bleeding to slow down enough to put a couple of bandaids on Taylor's head so she wouldn't bleed all over her carseat. I also took her shirt off and gave her one of her many "loveys" to hold. Walker and Taylor went to Provena, while Lucy and I headed off to work. <br />
At the ER Taylor quickly started acting like herself: running around and climbing everything. She seriously does not learn. Luckily the doctor said since it was a clean, straight cut, stitches weren't necessary. The cut was repaired with Dermabond (glue) and Walker was given the instructions to keep Taylor's head out of direct sunlight for at least 3 months (to minimize scarring). No concussion or other head injuries...thank goodness!<br />
I have to admit, I wasn't completely freaked out by it. Call it mommy gut or whatever, but I knew Taylor was going to be just fine. I think a part of me is becoming a little too used to her bumps and bruises but also, me panicking and driving myself crazy with worry isn't going to help these situations. I have a feeling we will have many more to come. Oh and the rolly chair is gone: today I brought home my wood desk chair I had at school that does NOT have wheels.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijCO8bK7yRt776WQiX9WLFBxDp5XHtO0Z2B4bzTTiCh_v4y0D885jTsZhj1n3vh4_db-O3d2FHonONYGE2ei_Hl9pp3uknPYxYafmPc69w9tSoQz2m8eH-nKYKlbWhp655M8wxbJUIKZE/s1600/taylorcut.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijCO8bK7yRt776WQiX9WLFBxDp5XHtO0Z2B4bzTTiCh_v4y0D885jTsZhj1n3vh4_db-O3d2FHonONYGE2ei_Hl9pp3uknPYxYafmPc69w9tSoQz2m8eH-nKYKlbWhp655M8wxbJUIKZE/s400/taylorcut.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All "glued" up and ready to go</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgab5Eyb8uMLKPHw65L2jDKowDKQN7RcimYYYAT0-Fw2y8TFrQK1MLPuMcKzqicbJ-2rgYzmTj9wUH7b_y1qpySxJpofp-XAVSCVC6joFZmFZ-6auBA_C-M-Fpr3WHHOAhu77PPzxnGO_c/s1600/taylorcut2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgab5Eyb8uMLKPHw65L2jDKowDKQN7RcimYYYAT0-Fw2y8TFrQK1MLPuMcKzqicbJ-2rgYzmTj9wUH7b_y1qpySxJpofp-XAVSCVC6joFZmFZ-6auBA_C-M-Fpr3WHHOAhu77PPzxnGO_c/s400/taylorcut2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing a little donut can't make better</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-65255934686446667882012-08-24T17:34:00.001-07:002012-08-24T17:34:03.694-07:00Visit with the NutritionistSince Taylor is receiving speech services through EI, we apparently qualify for other perks (unfortunately, one of those is NOT free health insurance). A few weeks ago we had a nutritionist come to our house to discuss Taylor's eating habits and her overall health. Now you all know how much I've stressed about how little she is for...well ever since she was born! Even though her pediatrician reassured us over and over that Taylor was just fine, I still felt like there was something wrong. I even had her go gluten-free for one every expensive week! So I went into this appointment with apprehension. I was positive that Taylor's diet of fish sticks and chicken nuggets would not be up to par and we were in for a lecture on feeding Taylor "convenience" foods.<br />
Okay this is terrible, but I'm not entirely sure of the nutritionist's name. I <i>think </i>her name was Sue. So that's what I'm calling her. Anyway, Sue showed up at our house and she was one of the most personable ladies I have ever met. I mean she's the kind of lady who you would want to be your 2nd mom. Since Taylor was sleeping when Sue came, the three of us chatted a bit about what Taylor eats and the concerns I had. I right away admitted to feeding Taylor the chicken nuggets and fish sticks and Sue didn't bat an eye. Actually what Sue focused more on was the fact that I try to sneak veggies into Taylor's diet by pureeing them. She loved (no seriously, LOVED) that we had made pancakes with pureed beets <i>and </i>that Taylor had actually eaten them. Sue also really liked that we gave Taylor the fruit/veggie pouches. I kept telling her, "I'm doing the best I can!" and Sue was just <i>so </i>nice and supportive. By this point, Taylor had woken up from her nap and Sue weighed and measured her. Buck naked, Taylor weighed 23 pounds, 11 oz. Yeah most 1 year olds weigh that! Ah, what else is new? And I think she was just shy of 34 inches. She is still on the growth charts. Barely but she's there! However, despite her size Sue said Taylor was really healthy. She has good muscle tone and her body looks good (that sounds weird but you know what I mean).<br />
Sue encouraged us to keep doing what we were doing and to keep offering the veggies. She also gave us some suggestions of new things to try (like crushing cheerios and coating very thin apple slices in them). She also gave us a bottle of a multi-vitamin and a DHA supplement. The DHA supplement was a huge blessing; I don't know if you've noticed but DHA supplements for kids are kinda expensive. <br />
So after that wonderful visit with Sue, I can finally say, I am no longer worried about Taylor's size! And I'm not stressing about what she's eating either! It is a huge relief to not have that underlying stressor.<br />
And hopefully I will have an update on her speech soon. I'm waiting for her therapist to do another full evaluation before I post anything.Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-531738085352531852012-08-14T08:35:00.001-07:002012-08-14T08:35:30.969-07:00Tuesday Temptations....cutting backSo I start school in a week. Actually, now it's less than a week. I started the Tuesday Temptations so I'd have more of an excuse to post (b/c clearly having 2 kids is not a good enough reason ::eye roll at myself::) and it was summer so I was trying to fill the time. But now that school is starting up again and I started yet <i>another </i>blog (<a href="http://mrswillisfirstgrade.blogspot.com/">Mrs. Willis' First Grade</a>) I feel Tuesday Temptations might become more of an every other week thing. I do want to continue sharing recipes but if I find them online, I might just post a link and a quick review. <br />
<br />
So this week I bring you 2 of my favorite recipes from <a href="http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/">Six Sister's Stuff</a>:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/03/baked-chicken-bacon-ranch-taquitos.html">Baked Chicken Ranch Taquitos</a><br />
<br />
These are AWESOME. No seriously, they are SO delicious! I made these for my dear friend Emily after she had her baby and I can say confidently that she and her husband William loved them (I can't remember if her little guy Owen liked them or not....). I have made them for staff lunch days at school and they got gobbled up. They are incredibly easy and I have a feeling you could even make a batch and freeze half of them to save for another day. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/07/baked-chicken-chimichangas-with-green.html">Baked Chimichangas with Green Sauce</a><br />
<br />
Okay yes it's another "Mexican" dish but it is so good! What I love about Six Sister's recipes is that most of them are pretty easy to execute. Oh and they taste yummy. This might not be the best weeknight meal if you're someone who likes to get dinner on the table fast. They don't cook long but the prep is a little more intensive because you have to stuff the chimichangas. However, I promise they are worth the work!Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-79055824929827848462012-08-07T14:22:00.004-07:002012-08-07T14:22:39.013-07:00Tuesday TemptationsSheesh, I almost forgot again! Well unfortunately I do not have a picture to go with my recipe because it's one we have not made recently. However, it is one of my favorite recipes and my family has been making it for....years. I seriously cannot even remember how many years. It is a really delicious and easy recipe!<br />
<br />
<h2>
Peachy Pork Picante</h2>
<br />
<b>Prep Time:</b> 5 min. <b>Cook Time:</b> 20-30 min. <b>Servings:</b> 4<br />
<br />
<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
1 lb. boneless pork, cut into cubes<br />
1 tbs. taco seasoning mix (we actually use the whole packet most of the time)<br />
2 tsp. vegetable oil<br />
<div id="ingredients">
1 8 oz bottle chunky-style salsa<br />1/3 cup peach preserves</div>
<div id="ingredients">
</div>
<div id="ingredients">
<u>Directions:</u></div>
<div id="ingredients">
Coat pork cubes with taco seasoning by placing cubes and taco seasoning in a large ziploc bag and shaking until all pieces are coated. Heat oil in large
nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add pork and cook to brown,
stirring occasionally.<br /><div id="instructions">
Add salsa and preserves to pan, lower heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 min. <br />Serve over rice or quinoa.</div>
<div id="instructions">
</div>
<div id="instructions">
<u>Review:</u></div>
<div id="instructions">
Well I think I basically reviewed it above. You can see how easy this dish is and it is so good! If you do use the whole packet of taco seasoning the meat will have a little bit more of a kick, but we like spicy food so that's not an issue for us. Another fun option is to throw in some pineapple chunks the last few minutes of the simmer. You could also throw in extra bell peppers if you wanted to add more vegetables.</div>
</div>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-59986577593273957702012-08-01T17:05:00.000-07:002012-08-01T17:06:56.572-07:00Tuesday Temptations (late again!)Ugh I'm late with this again. But in my defense, on Sunday we had a cookout and on Monday, we went out to dinner for my birthday, and then all day yesterday I was at IKEA. I was completely exhausted when I got home so writing a post was not a priority.<br />
I'll make up for it with two recipes today.<br />
<br />
Brown Sugar Carrots<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_LCRF5iwxUch6leVko5ukIX40tjlOBPIh0D3UUkxBh6VhxaGA7hLUp61X2i9OUq2r516-flJuMwZYULbHbIjLZoHo5Efq6rrLnyrym6jGNQ2VKH2doZLSY6PajzjwtjIMa9RvqTJJP0/s1600/bakedbrownsugarcarrots.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_LCRF5iwxUch6leVko5ukIX40tjlOBPIh0D3UUkxBh6VhxaGA7hLUp61X2i9OUq2r516-flJuMwZYULbHbIjLZoHo5Efq6rrLnyrym6jGNQ2VKH2doZLSY6PajzjwtjIMa9RvqTJJP0/s400/bakedbrownsugarcarrots.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Prep Time:</b> 10 min. <b>Cook Time:</b> 40 min. <b>Servings:</b> 4<br />
<br />
<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
4 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly<br />
1-2 TB olive oil <br />
2 TB brown sugar<br />
salt to taste<br />
<br />
<u>Directions:</u><br />
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place carrots in a mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Toss well to coat. Sprinkle brown sugar over carrots and toss again to coat. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil (for easy clean up) and spray with olive oil spray. Spread carrot slices out in a single layer. Sprinkle salt over the top, if desired. Place in oven and bake for 20 min. Stir and flip carrots. Bake for 20 more minutes or until carrots start to brown.<br />
<br />
<u>Review:</u><br />
So I kinda made this recipe up. I saw a recipe online for carrot fries. They were pretty good; tasted like sweet potato fries, but they were kind of mushy. So the next night, I busted out my mandolin (which if you don't own one, go get one! You can get one at Bed, Bath, & Beyond for a total of $15 if you have a 20% off coupon) and sliced the carrots very thin. I used brown sugar because I know that's something people will often put on their sweet potatoes so I figured they would go well with carrots. And even though I made these more for the girls, Walker and I ended up eating them! The girls turned their noses up at them (go figure) but Walker and I thought they were really, really good. I liked the addition of the salt, especially.<br />
<br />
Lemon Chicken with Spinach Pasta<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMZV2w4Kt8QPJBSnTo6KYos0oz5yqKrVt9Nl8y93TM52muq920lK1QTGPVhxy-i0yo4b23XPgVsbtD2gwD3L0l-VuzgtU5fOs9I42WdgH8mE9y4jEFShHrGQ7zXndRMpu9AAqWDqRxoo/s1600/lemonchicken.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMZV2w4Kt8QPJBSnTo6KYos0oz5yqKrVt9Nl8y93TM52muq920lK1QTGPVhxy-i0yo4b23XPgVsbtD2gwD3L0l-VuzgtU5fOs9I42WdgH8mE9y4jEFShHrGQ7zXndRMpu9AAqWDqRxoo/s400/lemonchicken.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Prep Time:</b> 15 min. <i>(+30 min. to 8 hours for marinading) </i> <b>Cook Time:</b> 30 min. <b>Servings:</b> 4<br />
<br />
<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts<br />
1 small onion, sliced thin<br />
1 lemon, zested and juiced<br />
3 TB white wine vinegar or rice-wine vinegar<br />
1 TB olive oil<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
1/4 tsp white or black pepper<br />
8 oz whole-wheat penne<br />
4 cups spinach, washed and trimmed<br />
<br />
<u>Directions:</u><br />
Prepare a glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Trim the chicken of any remaining fat. Place chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper and use a meat mallet, rolling pin, or the bottom of a heavy pan to pound the meat until it is 1/2- to 3/4- inch thick. Slice each breast into four strips and place into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the sliced onions over the chicken.<br />
Prepare the marinade. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper. Pour half the mixture over the chicken and onions and reserve the second half for the sauce. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.<br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover chicken and onions with foil and bake for 30 minutes.<br />
While the chicken is cooking, cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water before draining the pasta. Return the pasta and the reserved pasta water to the pan. Add the spinach, cooking until it wilts. Add the reserved marinade mixture and heat just until warm. Serve with cooked chicken.<br />
<br />
<u>Nutrition:</u><br />
Calories: 353.6<br />
Fat: 6 g<br />
Carbs: 47 g*<br />
Fiber: 8.1 g<br />
Protein: 34.4 g<br />
<br />
<u>Review:</u><br />
This recipe comes from my new SparkPeople Cookbook. I don't know if you've heard of <a href="http://www.sparkpeople.com/">SparkPeople</a> but it is a free website that lets you track calories (and fat, protein, carbs, fiber, etc.) along with your workouts, weight, water intake...basically anything you can think of. It really is a wonderful community for people focusing on making healthier choices. Anyway, I ordered the cookbook last week and this is the 2nd recipe we tried. I must say, it was pretty tasty. I know it looks like I put a pound of Parmesan on it but I swear I didn't put that much. And truthfully, this dish doesn't really need the Parmesan cheese on it. I just like cheese. :) Sometimes pasta dishes can leave you feeling like a complete blob, but this dish was really light and refreshing in taste. One serving was perfectly satisfying without making me feel like I overate. It is a perfect pasta dish for summer!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*There is a brand of pasta (cannot remember the name but I know Meijer sells it and it comes in a black box) that only has 5 g net carbs per serving. We use that kind because it is better for Walker. The nutritional information above is right from the cookbook, so it should be accurate if you use a regular whole-wheat pasta.</span>Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-46965053419329056442012-07-24T15:54:00.000-07:002012-07-24T15:54:03.214-07:00Tuesday TemptationsMy life is so exciting that I forgot it was Tuesday. Okay, not really.<br />
Only one recipe for you this week, but I think you'll like it.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/184084703489258745/">Mexican Chicken</a> <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIdWv9l4NEfi42smLxSjx9jgFGeXN09EPEhipiopojMA70AXS0vjMNtRglbSDeS6bVDneOyAN9BGHUQxBdCQr5JIeiMuDITjO5ZIshUK-P_JQ_7JiZodqGkSXy34vvHHm0ZfuVq1e2Os/s1600/mexican+chickenphoto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIdWv9l4NEfi42smLxSjx9jgFGeXN09EPEhipiopojMA70AXS0vjMNtRglbSDeS6bVDneOyAN9BGHUQxBdCQr5JIeiMuDITjO5ZIshUK-P_JQ_7JiZodqGkSXy34vvHHm0ZfuVq1e2Os/s400/mexican+chickenphoto.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Prep Time:</b> 5 min. <b>Cook Time:</b> 20-30 min. <b>Servings:</b> 4<br />
<br /><u>Ingredients:</u><br />
1 pound chicken breast, cubed<br />
1 packet taco seasoning<br />
1/2 cup enchilada sauce<br />
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese<br />
green onions to garnish<br />
<br />
<u>Directions:</u><br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken pieces into plastic bag with taco seasoning. Toss to coat. Saute chicken until mostly done. Place chicken in greased 8x8 casserole dish. Add the enchilada sauce and toss to coat the chicken. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the top. Bake for 10-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Sprinkle with green onions.<br />
<br />
<u>Review:</u><br />
Now I modified this recipe slightly from the original. The original recipe calls for only 1 tsp. of taco seasoning. Also, it says to saute the chicken <i>before</i> you cut it up. However, I highly disagree with only 1 tsp of taco seasoning. I mean, if I'm going to open a packet of seasoning, I will use the whole packet thank you very much. Also, by cutting up the chicken before sauteing it (and using a plastic bag to shake it all up) you are ensuring more surface area of chicken gets coated with taco seasoning, resulting in higher flavor.<br />
In terms of ease, it doesn't get much simpler than this recipe. The prep work is minimal and you don't have to keep a close eye on it once it's baking. <br />
I served this over black bean quinoa and it was delicious. If you haven't tried using quinoa as a rice substitute yet, I highly recommend it. It is expensive (expect to pay almost $5 for a 1 lb bag at Meijer) but it is incredibly good for you and I really like the taste and texture of it. <br />
<br />
Also just wanted to add, if you're not growing your own green onions on the window sill yet, do it! I saw it on Pinterest when I first joined and I was skeptical, but it really does work. When you get a bunch of green onions, chop them up but save the bulbs/roots. Plunk them in a glass of water and keep it in a place that gets lots of light. Then, whenever you need some green onions, just snip some of the shoots off. As long as you don't destroy the bulbs, the shoots will keep regenerating and you'll never have to buy green onions again!Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-77006259866349207672012-07-17T11:56:00.000-07:002012-07-17T11:56:01.945-07:00Tuesday TemptationsTime for another edition of Tuesday Temptations (and it's still Tuesday!!)! I feel like a theme song should be playing. <br />
<br />
This week I bring you Easy Garlic Chicken and Zucchini Fries. Both recipes come courtesy of Pinterest.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/184084703489401477/">Easy Garlic Chicken:</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-nLPm_WP6DrBdiSEQtnkhFk8YiHl9VVYEac_z432Kmza6-zJnw2hSP30A_JKLqmntYef7mRyBfKW6lGOysbWUByZEQmFNyl0WYYSOIDJq8XUhEL-J1TM8AJ9znkv3Goq-8wZpgckXXk/s1600/chickenphoto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-nLPm_WP6DrBdiSEQtnkhFk8YiHl9VVYEac_z432Kmza6-zJnw2hSP30A_JKLqmntYef7mRyBfKW6lGOysbWUByZEQmFNyl0WYYSOIDJq8XUhEL-J1TM8AJ9znkv3Goq-8wZpgckXXk/s400/chickenphoto.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">haha...you can see my feet</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Prep Time: </b>10 min. <b>Cook Time:</b> 20 min. <b>Servings:</b> 4 <br />
<br />
<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts<br />
4 garlic cloves, minced<br />
4 Tbs. brown sugar<br />
3 tsp. olive oil<br />
<br />
<u>Directions:</u><br />
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Lightly grease a casserole dish. In a small saute pan, saute the garlic in the oil until tender. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar. Place chicken in casserole dish and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture. Add salt and pepper if desired. Bake uncovered for 15-30 min. (we baked ours for 20).<br />
<br />
<u>Nutrition:</u><br />
Calories: 221<br />
Fat: 6.4 g<br />
Carbohydrates: 14.5 g<br />
Fiber: 0 g<br />
Protein: 25 g<br />
<br />
<u>Review:</u><br />
Well the chicken was very easy to make and I love that we really didn't even have to buy anything for this recipe considering we keep all 4 ingredients on hand at our house. However, it was lacking in flavor a bit for me. The chicken was juicy enough but it was kind of bland. I'm pretty sure when we eat the leftovers tonight I will be adding some BBQ sauce to mine. I'm not sure we will be making this again, unless we are in a bind or need a really cheap meal.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/184084703489222463/">Zucchini Fries</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9OBFTk1bv-WLWmF8OvPGqkkjmSkJATcMUoO4fMATonEDV7B7a_-KMwAbH4UcuigfKrXwRpXrUvP3BNPiFArMV_-ZjCrvKEZLvlyGszQXe_s4belAf5X_bTZfxTFe3Y_K2KJfqQgXYUV8/s1600/zucchiniphoto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9OBFTk1bv-WLWmF8OvPGqkkjmSkJATcMUoO4fMATonEDV7B7a_-KMwAbH4UcuigfKrXwRpXrUvP3BNPiFArMV_-ZjCrvKEZLvlyGszQXe_s4belAf5X_bTZfxTFe3Y_K2KJfqQgXYUV8/s400/zucchiniphoto.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Prep Time:</b> 20-30 min. <b>Cook Time:</b> 18-20 min. <b> Servings:</b> 4<br />
<br />
<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
1/4 cup Progresso® panko bread crumbs<br />
1/4 cup Progresso seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs<br />
1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese<br />
1 teaspoon seasoned salt<br />
1 tablespoon basil, thyme and rosemary<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper<br />
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour<br />
2 egg whites, beaten<br />
1 1/2 lb zucchini<br />
2 tablespoons butter, melted<br />
1 cup salsa<br />
<br />
<u>Directions:</u><br />
Preheat oven to 400F and spray a baking sheet with canola oil. Cut zucchini into fry size strips. Mix
together Panko, bread crumbs, herbs, salts and pepper. In another bowl
beat the egg whites and place the flour in a third bowl. Line them up
flour, eggs and crumb mixture. Roll
the zucchini and the snap peas in the flour, dip in the eggs and roll
in the crumb mixture. Place on baking sheet. Sprinkle with the melted
butter. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until brown. Serve with salsa.<br />
<br />
<u>Review:</u><br />
I had made these in the hopes I could trick the girls into eating some vegetables. That totally failed. They saw right through that breading to the zucchini underneath. However, I thought these were great! I'm not a huge fan of zucchini honestly but these were really tasty. I would not recommend making these during the week if you work as the prep work takes a long time. Make these when you have more time to spend on the dipping and coating of each fry. <br />
Dipping them in salsa wasn't bad but I actually liked dipping them in <a href="http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/">Six Sister's</a> recipe for <a href="http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/08/baked-tater-wedges-and-utahs-famous-fry.html">Utah's Pink Fry Sauce</a> better. <br />
<br />
<br />Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6190022569565572282.post-56015868904417249472012-07-11T12:40:00.000-07:002012-07-11T12:42:01.525-07:00Tuesday Temptations (a day late)I know what you're thinking..."sheesh Joanna, you're only a week into this new weekly feature and you're already late??" Yesterday ended up being a rather busy day once we saw the sign outside our neighborhood saying there was going to be a neighborhood-wide garage sale on Saturday (and this is the 2nd year in a row we had not been notified but that vent is for another time). Anyway, I did not forget and I knew what 2 recipes I would be reviewing for a few days now.<br />
First up, another recipe from Pinterest. I'll link to the actual <a href="http://www.pipandebby.com/pip-ebby/2011/2/6/kale-chips.html">blog</a>, not the pin itself in case someone out there still isn't on Pinterest (and seriously why aren't you?). <br />
So I know what you're thinking...Kale chips? Really? Those were my thoughts but all the comments under the pin swayed me to try them. And anyone who knows me, should know that I love chips. Like seriously love, would eat them every single day of my life if I could, love. So I thought, why not try to make a healthy alternative. <br />
<br />
Kale Chips (no picture for this one as I forgot to take one)<br />
<br />
<b>Prep Time:</b> 5 min. <b>Cook Time:</b> 12-15 min. <b>Servings: </b>Variable<br />
<br />
<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
kale<br />
1-4 Tbs. olive oil<br />
sea salt (or other spices)<br />
<br />
<u>Directions:</u><br />
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash and THOROUGHLY dry your kale. Tear pieces of kale off the bunch, discarding the hard ribs in the middle. Line a cookie pan with tinfoil and spread your kale leaves out on top. Drizzle olive oil over leaves and lightly toss with your fingers for even distribution. Bake in oven 12-15 min. or until leaves are crispy (mine took 14 min.). Remove cooked leaves from oven and sprinkle with sea salt or other seasonings. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<u>Nutrition:</u><br />
I didn't bother calculating this one<br />
<br />
<u>Review:</u><br />
So like I said earlier, I was pretty skeptical. However when I tried the first one fresh out of the oven, it was actually pretty good! So then I ate more and more and then actually felt sick from eating them. haha! I think I used too much olive oil. I used 2 Tbs. which coated the leaves<i> really </i>well. <u> </u>I think next time I might try just using an olive oil spray to see if they come out a bit lighter tasting.<br />
Also, I could definitely tell which of the leaves were not all the way dry when I put them in the oven because those did not crisp up at all; ick. And definitely make sure none of the stem is on the leaf because that part is like chewing grass; double ick. So all in all, will these replace the salty goodness of regular potato chips? um no of course not, nothing can. BUT these will do to satisfy that crispy salty craving you might have late at night. (and bonus, I got my kale for $1.29 and only used half of it to make one batch so it seems pretty economical too)<br />
<br />
And recipe 2 is Quick Chicken Lasagna from the <i>Trim and Terrific Cookbook </i>by Holly Clegg.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB7s7XHIGX9HchtRfVqPmKQfqR1i1MHKCxw_GR3pJHE6VFwdMH-1nRQKS5j9ujIutQXmBihW8Tu7Dhrn1c882PSdnB5qRzU4aa-i-tYW_qnJ6p6AiGMFYIvsFQZmXzW7SzHOHGKhlikns/s1600/lasagna2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB7s7XHIGX9HchtRfVqPmKQfqR1i1MHKCxw_GR3pJHE6VFwdMH-1nRQKS5j9ujIutQXmBihW8Tu7Dhrn1c882PSdnB5qRzU4aa-i-tYW_qnJ6p6AiGMFYIvsFQZmXzW7SzHOHGKhlikns/s400/lasagna2.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mmmm looks good doesn't it?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<b>Prep Time: </b>10 min. <b>Cook Time: </b>55 min. <b>Servings: </b>8<br />
<br />
<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
3 cups cooked, chopped chicken (or 2 large cans of chicken)<br />
2 (26 oz) jars red pasta sauce<br />
1 (8 oz) package no-boil lasagna noodles (also called oven-ready lasagna noodles)<br />
2 cups shredded part-skim Mozzarella cheese<br />
2 (10 oz) packages chopped spinach, thawed and drained<br />
1 (4 oz) package crumbled goat cheese<br />
<br />
<u>Directions:</u><br />
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.<br />
Combine chicken with both jars of pasta sauce. In an oblong baking dish, spread a thin layer of the chicken sauce. Top with a layer of noodles, one-third of the chicken sauce, Mozzarella cheese, half the spinach, and one-third of the goat cheese. Continue with the remaining noodles, chicken sauce, Mozzarella, and goat cheese. Bake, covered, for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 minutes longer, or until bubbly. Serve immediately.<br />
<br />
<u>Nutrition:</u><br />
Calories: 462<br />
Fat: 16<br />
Carbs: 42<br />
Fiber: 7<br />
Protein: 36<br />
<br />
<u>Review:</u><br />
I must say this recipe was really really good. I mean you can't go wrong with goat cheese! If you really don't like goat cheese, you could probably use feta or just leave it out completely but I think it added a nice flavor. Another plus was how easy this was to put together. The only reason it took me 10 minutes was because I had to keep checking the recipe to make sure I was getting the layers right. If you need more proof of the deliciousness of this recipe.....<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5UNVwWLMeie-WSihh4wRzwl2pBd9jXB7HIOh4YuKJLomxaD3GBD1fnvWI2F2gID5j4F1ALAZRQe1jMkT66jY393a7Wi9sOeEckfIGzPf0dmXpCMA9MzFVsMKIBB-hw8NHKTCzD-5zjA/s1600/lasagna1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp5UNVwWLMeie-WSihh4wRzwl2pBd9jXB7HIOh4YuKJLomxaD3GBD1fnvWI2F2gID5j4F1ALAZRQe1jMkT66jY393a7Wi9sOeEckfIGzPf0dmXpCMA9MzFVsMKIBB-hw8NHKTCzD-5zjA/s400/lasagna1.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
Yes, that would be my 2 1/2 year old, a hater of all things vegetables and pasta, chowing down her lasagna. I was shocked. And I figured in true toddler form, she'd eat it the first night and refuse it the next. Not this one! Taylor gobbled up her leftovers the second night we had it as well. Now that's a good review!Joannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13836837166143056806noreply@blogger.com0