Three Word Wednesday

Parenting Tip #203 (30 minute blog challenge)

Always buy your kid 

ice cream after he has to 

have blood work done. 

I know, I know...food does not equal love...at least it shouldn't. But, my boy is so limited in what he can eat and today we began what may prove to be a battery of tests and doctor appointments to try to determine the causes. This is the child who, a few months ago, would have run screaming or curled up under the counter in the hospital lab at the first sign of anxiety. Instead, today he sat in the chair and sobbed quietly while they drew five LARGE vials of blood. Then...he asked for ice cream. How could I deny him? 


Wish us luck in the coming weeks...he has a lot coming his way.

Links for our allergy-free kitchen...

Last week's meals were adequate, but a little boring. The high point was the Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp (recipe in my old standby The Moosewood Cookbook by Molly Katzen) which I adjusted to use rice flour instead of wheat flour in the topping. As a matter of fact, it was such a hit I made it twice last week...the second time for my parents who have always LOVED rhubarb.

Thanks to my Aunts who send me lots of links whenever I post a problem, we'll be eating some new vegetarian, wheat-free, some dairy-free, nut-free recipes this week that are actually exciting. These came from my Aunt Martha. Again, southwestern and Tex-Mex seem the easiest route in our crazy kitchen life.

Salsa, Bean, and Cheese Pizza
http://my.hearthealthyonline.com/recipe/vegetables/salsa-bean-and-cheese-pizza/

Spinach and Feta Omelet
http://my.hearthealthyonline.com/recipe/eggs-cheese/spinach-and-feta-omelet/

Asparagus-Zucchini Frittata
http://www.hearthealthyonline.com/healthy-recipes/vegetarian-recipes/vegetarian-recipes_ss6.html

Quick Quesadilla Pockets (with corn tortillas)
http://my.hearthealthyonline.com/recipe/beans/quick-quesadilla-pockets/

Spicy Garbanzo Bean Soup (with veggie broth)
http://my.hearthealthyonline.com/recipe/soups/spicy-garbanzo-bean-soup/

If anyone tries any of these let us all know how they turn out!
Happy Eating!

Something to Think About on Thursday

"While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart."
--St. Francis of Assisi

Wordless Wednesday

Headed to the grocery...(Tuesday 30 minute Post Challenge)

Headed to the grocery to buy food for the rest of the week...no gluten, no nuts, no meat, no chocolate, limited dairy. Looks like southwestern cuisine is the flavor of the week! Wish me luck!


Shopping List
Eggs (Crustless Quiche)
Veggies (avacado, asparagus, carrots, sweet potatoes, scallions, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, sweet peppers...)
Fruits (organic apples, grapes, bananas...something seasonal for a fruit crisp with barley flakes)
Corn Tortillas (Migas & Quesadillas)
Salsa
Turkey (ok, a little meat for my omnivore boys)
Rice cakes (for turkey sandwiches for the boys)
Cilantro
Milk

Already in the pantry
Beans (tacos & quesadillas)
Quinoa Pasta
Cheese
Quinoa
Onion
Popcorn (snacks)
Frozen veggies (broccoli, peas, corn...)
Barley/Oatmeal (may be too glutenous?)
Soy Milk
White & Brown Rice (w/ veggies or veggie sushi)

PS: Taking part in the 30 minute Blog Challenge on Tuesdays! A way of limiting the time I spend on the computer and extending the time with my family. If you blog, give it a try. It's harder than it seems. Enjoy the extra time and happy Tuesday! JG

Backroad Meal Planning

I have never been the type to prefer fast food over a quaint cafe or home cooked meal; but there are days I would just love to, say, pull through a drive through between co-op, rehearsal, errands, and class!

Three of the five of us in our family make meals a real challenge. Between my daughter, oldest son, and me we have two vegetarians, a nut allergy, a gluten allergy, a probable intolerance to dairy, and one who hates chocolate (for shame!). As my husband says, that leaves meat and vodka! Well, for two of us that leaves vodka and one can't live by vodka alone!

So, the wheat thing is a repeat for the little guy, but it's so much harder than the vegetarian or nut thing! I'm just beginning the process of weaning us all from so many gluten-heavy foods...and I just learned to make really good bread...darn!

My daughter's birthday party last week was fun!
For her: Chocolate, chocolate chip muffins - from scratch to ensure to nuts present, but laden with gluten and chocolate!
For him: Rice Krispie Treats - no gluten, but gelatin in the marshmallows, so not vegetarian
For me and a friend allergic to dairy - a vegan apple cake

I long for an organic, vegetarian, allergy-free bakery and drive-through! !

So, my mission is to come up with allergy-free recipes that allow all of us to eat the same meals (with only slight personal modifications) and accomodates our busy lives.

I'll keep you posted...in the meantime all suggestions are welcome and appreciated!

Clementine

Happy Birthday

My girl turned 11 last week. 

She'll post her party on her own blog...lots of animals involved of course!

But breakfast...all chocolate...what else?

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl...don't grow up too fast.

Artistic Mothers Art Group Project

I am currently busy creating a couple of journals for the next project in The Artistic Mother by Shona Cole. I have had so much more success now that I have a small place where I can sit for 15 minutes before the kids wake up or 20 minutes while dinner cooks. It's starting to be fun now.

I have started a birthday book using the first background pages I created, and it's still in progress. I created  background papers for our homeschool weekly checklist. One is in color and one is simply white gesso on black cardstock. I love black and white, but the main reason I chose that scheme is because I want to actually use these on a regular basis and I almost never have color ink in my printer. I thought a nice bold BW design would be available all the time.

Now on to the journals...I have a couple of people in mind who have birthdays coming up.

A new blog!

My great kid, Embree, started her own blog about animals today. Check it out! She IS The Animal Hugger!


theanimalhugger.blogspot.com

Homeschool Mom meets Artistic Mom

Since the beginning of the Artistic Mothers Art Group project, we've been so happily busy...

preparing

learning

trying

wondering

and sharing

that I have found it difficult to just sit and create. 

So, I took a little time this weekend to create a place where my things were just waiting patiently...a place where my precious few moments weren't spent clearing away all of our 

precious busy-ness...

Now, I've begun...

My kids are smitten!

My computer crashed last week...so no posts. We are taking a "stay-cation" this week for spring break so I hope to catch up.

In the meantime...it was my opinion that my parents were a little too excited about this webcam on this tiny little hummingbird's nest (sorry to doubt you Nana & Poppy!)...until we actually saw it ourselves! Now my baby birds are just crazy for it too! They ask to see it several times a day, and this morning we watched the sun come up on the little nest...hoping to see a chick. Still eggs, but one has a crack. If you haven't been sucked in yet...http://phoebeallens.com/

Enjoy this sweet sign of spring!

We are here!

We've moved! Some of you received this earlier today via email...but here we are at our new URL...malware free...knock on wood.

Hope we don't lose anyone in the transition!

This is the first week of the 

The Artistic Mother Art Group. 

The book, The Artistic Mother, by Shona Cole, is written in a twelve week format. Because my daughter is very creative and artistic herself, and because my sons enjoy making a mess, I've decided to work my daily art time into our homeschool time. Why make them wait until they are adults to relearn how to carve out a little personal creative time? My plan is to invite them to join in the same projects I'm doing or to think of their own and perhaps create a habit in their younger years. We may not get all of the assigned parts done on a daily basis, nor may we stay on a strict twelve week schedule, but we will do something toward our goal each day.

I certainly won't be able to post my work each day, but will aim for a weekly post summarizing our progress. I thought I'd blog today, just to mark the beginning.

Week 1/Day 1 Assignment

Art: Background papers step 1 - check!

Baby Boy and I were up all night with his tummy bug, and I could have easily put off the beginning another day, but...I had an art teacher once who said that the hardest part of any piece is the first mark on the paper. So, I decided to make that mark...to get the pages gesso'd so that the project was begun. I used pages from the kids school recycling bin. Some have words showing through the gesso...thought that might add to the project since we are all about homeschooling around here!

Other things due on Day 1

Poetry: Read a poem - check!

The Rainbow 

by Walter de la Mare

I saw the lovely arch
Of Rainbow span the sky,
The gold sun burning
As the rain swept by
The bright-ringed solitude
The showery foliage shone
One lovely moment,
And the Bow was gone.

Photography: Make a list of the kids' 

activities - Check!

reading, writing, building fairy gardens, hunting sticks, timing each other's tooth brushing, xbox, sign language class, co-op classes, filed trips, sleeping, visiting the rabbits at Tractor 

Supply, washing the dog...endless possibilities.

OK...day 1 - Check!

It's a beginning!

Check out my fellow artistic moms and their beginnings!