First Quarter of First Grade

It's been a long first quarter of first grade and so my posting has gotten sporadic. Doodle's grandfather was diagnosed with cancer and hospitalized recently - so life has been hectic around our house.

The good news for us is that Doodle is doing well in school. Her teacher reports that she is able to pay attention in class this year and has made some friends. She is a wiz at spelling - one of my big worries at the beginning of the year. She has gotten only one word wrong total on 8 tests - that's 79 out of 80 correct! She was also placed in the top level of her class for reading - she is an amazing reader and I'm so proud of her!

Math is proving to be more difficult for Doodle. While she is a great reader, it's really hard for her to read a math problem and translate that into an action of what she needs to do to solve the problem. Maybe I'm getting old, but I don't remember having to tackle story problems in the first grade. The great news for this week, however, is that Doodle aced her math test! She was able to complete her math homework without assistance and got all of the problems correct - then she aced her math test this week. Maybe something is starting to click.

I don't know if other parents with autistic children experience the incredible ability for their child to procrastinate? Doodle is a master procrastinator and it makes school mornings tough on me. This past weekend I devised a new system to help my mornings go smoother. I made tags with pictures of the activities she needs to do in the morning: Get Dressed, Brush Teeth, Eat Breakfast, Put on Shoes/Coat. Then I hung up 2 hooks - I Can Do It and I Did It. She moves each tag from the I Can Do It hook to the I Did It hook after she completes each task. This week she was up and dressed in record time. I didn't have to nag her about anything. I'm not sure how long it will last, but it sure made for a much easier morning this week.

First Two Weeks of First Grade

Well we've officially wrapped up 2 weeks of school today. Time sure does fly! Doodle has settled into First Grade quite nicely and is doing wonderful. Last night we had parent night at her school and I touched base with her teacher. I had my concerns about Doodle's ability to focus and keep up with her class, especially since she is no longer on an Individual Education Plan this year and receives no special services. The teacher was happy to report that for the most part, Doodle is keeping up and hasn't had nearly the attention issue she struggled with last year. That's great news! I hope it continues throughout the year.

I'm wondering if she is focusing better this year because she is more mature or if it is because we modified her diet again and removed corn? I've read many articles that list yellow foods as one source of ADD/ADHD.So, we decided to take Doodle off of corn this summer and see how she reacted. This one was a bit harder to implement, since we typically ate mixed vegetables that included corn at every dinner - and Doodle LOVES corn. I now have to buy beans, peas, carrots separately and make my own mixed vegetables for dinner. She sometimes complains that she really wants to eat corn again, and I feel bad as a parent that I have to keep removing from her diet all of the foods she loves: dairy, eggs, and now corn. She is a trooper about it all, however. Her teacher said she is very good about saying what she can and cannot eat at snack time. She's probably the only child in her class who understands the ingredients in the food she can/cannot eat.

To determine if Doodle truly has an issue with corn, I really should re-introduce it into her diet for a few days and see what happens. Do I dare? I don't want to send her backwards in school if she is doing so well - maybe we'll wait until a holiday break and try it then. I'll let you know how it turns out.

First Day of First Grade

It's hard to believe but Doodle started First Grade last Monday! That morning she bounded in our room at 5:50 AM to tell us she was super excited for school to start - you've gotta love the enthusiasm of a First Grader. We're fortunate that her school continues to support us in Doodle's restricted diet. They allow Doodle to heat her lunch up in the microwave at school and I send snack/juice for their afternoon snack break. It makes our school lunch fairly simple. They have offered to cook for her, but she now has 4 different restrictions and I fear they may not be able to keep them all straight, so I continue to send lunch with her.

First Day of First Grade

Last year, we had such difficulty getting our doctor to sign a form that states she needs a restricted diet. I was so frustrated and living in a small town doesn't give you a lot of doctoring options. This year, a new pediatrician has come to town and we decided to give him a try. I have to say, I was pretty impressed with how thorough he was. He clearly had done his homework on Doodle and spent over an hour just talking to me about Doodle's developmental delay, autism symptoms, and inability to focus. He was also great with Doodle - showing her pictures of his dogs and talking to her on her level. He had no hesitation about signing a doctors order restricting her diet from gluten, dairy, and eggs. What a relief - if he doesn't work out, I will need to drive 90 miles or 120 miles just to visit a doctor for Doodle. Ugh!

For snacks, I've modified my Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe once again to remove the eggs from them - since Doodle can no longer tolerate eggs. Here's the new recipe:

1 1/3 Cup Sweet Rice Flour
1 Cup Sorghum Flour
1 Cup Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
2 tsp Xanthan Gum
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 Cup Shortening
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Agave Nectar
1 T Vanilla
1 T Egg Replacer
1/4 Cup warm water


1/2 Package Dairy Free Chocolate Chips (I use Ghiradelli Semi Sweet)

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine Flours, Baking Soda, and Xanthan Gum in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl combine Shortening, Sugar, Brown Sugar, Vanilla. Cream together on high speed.
4. Whisk together egg replacer and warm water until frothy. Add to Shortening mixture and mix on high speed.
5. Add to mixture dry ingredients and mix on high speed. With a spatula, stir in chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
6. Prepare a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Drop cookies by the spoonful onto baking sheet and bake for 9 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for 1 minute. Remove cookies from pan and place on cooling rack.

A Dairy Free Reminder....

Today Doodle came home from the neighbor's house just screaming in pain, complaining her stomach was upset. She had accidentally eaten popcorn at the neighbor's house with butter on it - a big NO - and now she was paying the price. At our house, I am so diligent about not allowing dairy to sneak into her diet because I know the consequences - but it's hard to control what happens at other people's house and popcorn is one of her favorite treats. At our house, I purchase Kettle Corn that is dairy free and Doodle is free to pop it herself and enjoy. Lesson learned, for her!

After a long nap, Doodle's stomach troubles were cured and we decided to make Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats for a snack this week. The recipe is so simple and I love that it adds a little bit of protein to an otherwise sweet treat.

Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats

2 Tbsp Earth Balance Dairy Free Butter
1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
40 to 50 marshmallows
1 box Gluten Free Rice Krispies

1. In a large pot, melt dairy free butter and creamy peanut butter over medium heat.
2. Stir in marshmallows. Continue stirring until completely melted.
3. Pour in Rice Krispies and stir until marshmallow mixture completely mixed in.
4. Pour into a greased 9" x 13" pan and spread evenly. Cut into even squares and serve.

Turning 7

We've had a busy summer and it's hard to believe that there are less than 4 weeks until school starts. Our Doodle is going into first grade and I'm trying to prep for this by stocking up meals in the freezer and adjusting her diet to exclude corn in the hopes she will have better luck paying attention this year. A summer filled with playing in the pool will soon turn to a busy fall filled with new teachers, new classmates, and homework. I'm confident this year that Doodle will keep up with her class better and make new friends. I've noticed over the summer that she has had an easier time making friends at the playground. She used to shy away from talking to other kids and sometimes wouldn't even play on the equipment if other kids were there. Now, she strikes up conversations with other children and forms friendships. It's so awesome to see her blossom!

Happy Birthday Doodle!

Doodle turned 7 years old and to celebrate we had a great lunch together (at her favorite joint - Hardee's) and then went to see Cars 2 in the theater. She has ordered up some vegan pumpkin waffles for dinner tonight and a vegan vanilla cake for dessert. Since we've gone egg free, I have considerably cut back on my baking for Doodle - it's not as easy as it used to be. Fortunately, there are some great recipes on the Internet and I found just what she needs for her menu.

The Gluten Free Goddess has a wonderful vegan Vanilla Cupcake recipe that I whipped up to bake a heart shaped cake for Doodle. You can find it here:

 http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2009/08/vanilla-cupcakes-with-mocha-icing.html

 I skipped the mocha icing and bought some dairy free frosting at the store. Hopefully Doodle enjoys here cake this year.

For the waffles - I have found a wonderful recipe that we all enjoy - they taste phenomenal! You can find the recipe here:

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2008/09/gluten-free-pumpkin-waffles.html

We may top it all off with a trip to Cold Stone this weekend with Grandpa & Grandma where Doodle can enjoy a cup of Sorbet.

Enjoy!

Simple Pizza

Summer is here and I am in need of simple recipes for my girls to eat at lunch time. They would be perfectly happy consuming spaghetti every single day throughout the summer - but some variety is needed before they burn completely out. So, Doodle and I invented a super simple way to make 'pizza' for her.

Simple Pizza:

1 Gluten free Tortilla
1-2 Tbsp Pizza Quick Pizza Sauce
10 slices pepperoni
Handful of Daiya Mozzarella & Cheddar cheese each

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place Tortilla on a Pizza cooking sheet and top with Pizza Quick sauce, pepperoni, and Daiya cheese.
3. Place in oven and cook until cheese is melted - 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from oven and slice into 4 pieces. A perfect simple pizza is born!

Apparently Dad tried to make this recipe while I was traveling and ended up using regular tortilla's rather than the gluten free variety. The good news is that Doodle didn't have a reaction! She's not as sensitive to gluten as she is to dairy and eggs - but we keep it out of her diet just to be on the safe side.

Doodle informed me today that she would rather be in school because summer is boring! How refreshing since she was begging for school to end just one month ago. Glad to know she will be happy to start early mornings, homework, and long days of learning all over again in the first grade.

I've been very impressed with how Doodle has learned to read and write. She has written her kindergarten teacher several letters now, all by herself. She diligently sounds out the words and writes them in the letter - it's so adorable. Her wonderful teacher is great about responding and sending a note back. Wish she was coming with us to first grade!

A long break

I've been re-miss in posting on my blog - mostly because I haven't been inspired to create new recipes and Doodle is doing so well. First of all, let me start with a progress updated. Doodle completed her 7 year old assessment at school and the results were what I had hoped to achieve by the time she left 2nd grade - so a whole 2 years early she tested out of the special ed program! She is by no means a genius, but she does test equivalent to her peers. Main concern, of course, is her ability to pay attention. We're still working on that - but she will no longer need any adaptive services next year - all of our hard work, consistency, and dedication has paid off!

Second, an egg update. Back in April, I wrote that we had taken Doodle off of eggs and tomatoes to see if it would help her pay better attention. It didn't. So, we added eggs and tomatoes back into her diet, one at a time. Funny thing happened, she started complaining about stomach aches. Then one morning I fed her eggs before school and I received a call from the nurse that she was in her office puking and had diarrhea - exactly the same thing that happens when she has milk. Guess eggs are an issue after all - so we are now egg free permanently. Tomatoes don't seem to cause the same issue. We will try corn next - it may also be a culprit to her lack of ability to pay attention.

Finally, to our delight today at the grocery store, we found Gluten Free Rice Krispies from Kellogg's! We've been waiting for Kellogg's to get on the Gluten Free band wagon and today was the day our store stocked their shelves! I purchased 2 boxes and rushed home to make one box into Gluten Free Dairy Free Rice Krispy treats - they were delicious! Doodle was so happy, I think she gobbled up 3 bars right away. So happy she can experience these simple joys once again -- and they taste exactly like the regular Rice Krispies. Thank you Kellogg's! You've made on little girl very happy.