Food Allergies

So- I almost feel bad about writing this post- because I'm complaining a little bit- and I know this isn't that bad when I look around me and see people dealing with way worse. But- I'm still going to get it out- I am so annoyed at having to deal with the food allergies with my children!! Growing up- we didn't have to worry about foods- we didn't really have special needs or anything- so I figured that was how my married life would be- pretty normal with a few hiccups to get through here and there. One of the main reasons I am dismayed that I now have to deal with not one, but two food allergies- is- I hate to cook. And- sad to say- I was liking the freezer foods that I could pop in the microwave once or twice a week and not worry about dinner. Now- I really can't do that. Jacie can't have gluten- and gluten is in SO many things!- its really hard to go out to eat now with her. I've discovered that Rachel really can't tolerate much milk. How much, if any- I don't know- but I know she gets really sick if she eats a lot in a day. I kept thinking with her- if I just replace milk with the soy milk- I'll be fine. But- milk is in nearly everything too! so- I have to read labels like crazy. And- I have a nagging feeling that Jacie needs to be off milk too. She still complains of headaches and stomach pain a lot- although it doesn't make her wake up crying. She's still lacks energy- so- I'm going to take a big breath- and try and make a huge change in my house so that Jacie and Rachel will both be going gluten and dairy free as much as possible. If Rachel gets some gluten- I think she'll be fine- if Jacie gets a bit of dairy- I think she'll be fine... so it will be hard- but I think I may be able to do it. There is a book down at my library that is a gluten and dairy free cookbook- so I want to go check that out and see if I can manage to cook any of it!! Alyson seems to like the silk milk just fine, but going totally gluten free for the whole family could be a bit spendy- so I don't know how this will go. But- we'll see how it works! If anyone out there has any good dairy free or dairy and gluten free recipes- I'll be happy to see if I can incorporate it into our family lifestyle! But, for now- I just need to remember- one step at a time!

Graduation: Pregnancy Brain to Mom Brain

It was always nice to be able to have something to blame for my spaceyness. Pregnancy. But- now I don't have that to fall back on. So- now I blame it on just being a mom. This scenario happens to me just about every day- just in a different form. Here's what happened.

Jared took Alyson, Jacie and Rachel on the Willamette River on his fishing boat. That left me and Benjamin by ourselves. I figured this would be great to go shopping for those last minute things I needed. I didn't NEED too much- 3 things- so I decided to make a mental list. I even tried to envision myself going to each isle to get the things I needed. The only thing I really needed desperately- were my bottle liners- although I could have used a different bottle if I needed to. So- I got to the store, went and got the formula and wipes, and went on my way. Just looking around the store, nowhere to go... I went to a shoe store, bought shoes for Jared, then decided everyone would be probably home soon, so I got Ben in the car- then thought- I wonder when he's due to eat again? I have bottle liners with me, right? BOTTLE LINERS!!! The one thing I forgot to get, which was the primary reason for going to the store in the first place! Luckily, I hadn't buckled him in, and hadn't put away the stroller yet, so in I went again, and came out with more than I had planned on getting. But- its hard for me to believe how my brain short circuits when there were only 3 things on my list of must haves! Oh well. Sometimes I wonder if I'm in an early stage of Alheizmer's- because I am so forgetful. I need a notebook within easy reach in my purse so I can jot down how to get home.