A Gluten-Free Month

In April, on a whim, I decided to go on a gluten cleanse. Literally, I decided one morning, and then just decided to go with it. I wasn't sure how long I would cleanse for.. a few days? A few weeks? The last few times I went gluten-free, I was dreaming about baked goods and beer, and I never made it more than 2 weeks. But, this time I went a full 4 weeks. And honestly, it wasn't even that hard. I think a lot of it was that it wasn't pre-meditated, there was no anticipation about doing it, and it just sort of happened. And with no goal of how many days I needed to make it, and knowing I could stop at any time, well... I guess that all just made it much easier. No pressure, you know?
I don't think I felt drastically different being off gluten for a month, but I did have more energy than normal and I wasn't getting the late afternoon slump that normally plagues me. My stomach also seemed happier (less rumblings and such).
I found lots of good gluten-free alternatives and started to learn how to work with them. Udi's bread is pretty tasty when toasted (but not so good straight out of the bag). I also baked several rounds of muffins and cookies that were gluten and sugar free, using Bob's red mill gluten-free baking flour and honey instead. They were not as good as gluten-full, processed sugar-full baked goods, but they weren't bad either. My kids were happy with them and I felt a lot less guilty eating whole-food muffins instead of our normal refined ones.
I finally gave in to gluten over the weekend. Todd's mom was is town and we went to a local brewery that has good beer and super delicious hot pretzel sticks. I was done resisting. And I have had another beer since. And it was good. I am no longer on a gluten-cleanse, but I think that I have made a lifestyle change. I don't need gluten every day, and there are many more healthy alternatives that I can be totally happy with. I do feel better when I am not pigging out on gluten. But, that doesn't mean that I shouldn't indulge in pizza and beer every once in a while, or regular old chocolate chip cookies for a special treat.
I am planning on doing another gluten-free month (the kids on board 100% this time) over the summer. I have read some about how gluten (and dairy) can affect kids with sensory issues differently than 'normal' folks and I would like to see how Finn does without any gluten in  his system. During my cleanse, he was still eating gluten, but I cut his intake to about 1/3 of what it normally is. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I feel like he was more in control of himself, less anxious, and better overall. I am anxious to see how he does when we remove gluten altogether.
Do you eat gluten-free? What are your favorite gluten-free recipes? Pin It Now!

The Daddy Phase

It's here. Phoebe is in the daddy phase. And she is in DEEP.
Actually, it caught me off guard since I had forgotten all about it. But, thinking back, it happened with Finn right around this same age. And Phoebe is in the thick of it now.
Can I complain for a moment?
She hugely prefers her daddy (despite the fact that I am the one who takes care of 90% of her needs). Phoebe and I will have days where it is one tantrum after another. Hitting me and kicking me, rolling on the floor yelling. On and off all day long. And then when daddy walks in the door it's like none of it ever happened. She is smiley and happy and said daddy thinks his wife is crazy for saying that Phoebe was a wee bit of a monster all day.
She will lavish hugs and kisses on daddy and when mommy sneaks in to ask for one, she screams "no!" and pushes me away. Only daddy can put her to bed, only dad can calm her sorrow and she only wants daddy to hold her. I try and get her breakfast and she only wants her daddy to get it. I try and get her dressed and she screams and runs away from me. I try and change her diaper and she screams for daddy (OK, so that part is not so bad...) But, most of the time, she wants nothing to do with me. I am so chopped liver.
I know it is just a phase, and yes, I know that I shouldn't take it personally, but it still hurts.
Anyways, I am trying to remind myself that this, like all things at this age, it is temporary and will be over before I know it (I hope). And until then, I will keep reminding myself that she does love me even if it doesn't really appear that way most of the time... (she does, right?)
We mamas have to sacrifice a lot for our kiddos. Most of my sacrificing seems to come in the form of my sanity, but I know that it will all be worth it in the end. Pin It Now!

A Mama-Only Overnight

Me and two of my close mama-friends packed up and headed to the coast Friday afternoon for a mama-only overnight in a yurt. We spent the night at Beverly Beach, near Newport, which is a gorgeous state park surrounded by trees.  We got to our yurt around 8, and spent the evening snacking, drinking margaritas, and laughing. The next morning we all stayed in bed until 8 (way past my normal time) and then headed to the beach. It was glorious to just sit and relax... without having to pay attention to kids, or apply sunscreen, or wash sand out of small eyes. We sat and talked, looked for agates, and enjoyed the quiet. The weather was amazing- warm and sunny with a wonderful breeze. On the way home we took the long way, stopped for Mexican food, and pulled over to sightsee whenever the urge set in.
I love my kids. A lot. But it was amazing to have 24 hours where I was responsible for only myself. I didn't have to listen to whining, didn't have to beg children to go to bed, or even do any dishes. I think we may have to make this a regular thing. A mama deserves a night off every month, right?

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My Day With Finn

Finn and I rarely get to spend time alone together these days. Our schedules are just too busy. If I am without Todd, I normally have Phoebe in tow as well, and the few precious free hours we have with Todd on the weekends are typically spent together as a family. My Thursday class that I normally teach was cancelled this week and Phoebe still was headed to her playschool, so Thursday Finn played hookey from school and spent the day on the town with me!
We started by going to the preschool storytime at Glencoe Elementary, which will be Finn's new school for kindergarten come fall. He has had so much anxiety around school this year that I figure any extra minutes logged in that building before September 4th are bonus points. I could tell he was overwhelmed initially, with lots of children bustling through the building, but after teh stories started he seemed to settle in. After storytime, we headed to the Japanese Gardens. The weather was lovely, the lighting was perfect, and being Thursday morning, it was nearly empty.

After the gardens we stopped for a quick trip to the playground to get the lead out.

Then, fter a quick lunch, we headed to a paint-your-own pottery place, which is one of Finn's favorite things to do. He almost always requests to do this when we have special time together. It's pretty expensive, so we really only get to do it for special occasions. I thought this qualified!

After Finn finished painting, it was time to pick up Phoebe from play school. Unfortunately, Phoebe has given up napping in the recent weeks (a trend I am trying to reverse). Since the weather was beautiful, we decided to head back out on the town to finish off our day of adventure.

First we decided to get some ice cream. With the temperature already at 80-degrees, it seemed like the perfect choice. Phoebe thought so too!

Then we headed to one of our favorite local parks, Crystal Springs, or, as my family calls it, the duck park. It has ducks galore. We brought along some duck food and had fun feeding the wild ducks, who are actually less afraid of us than the ones who live in our backyard!

We saw a goose that looked like it was standing on water (there must be a rock just below the surface)...

And we even saw a nutria, which apparently abound in the waters throughout Portland, but are sort of tricky to see during the day.

Of course, Phoebe fell asleep on the short drive home and will probably be up later than me tonight!
I felt so lucky to have a morning alone with my Finny. He is growing up so fast and I feel like I need to soak up these little boy moments before they completely disappear.  Pin It Now!

The Future of Sustainbility

 

Last Friday I was invited to participate in an all-day conference/workshop at the campus where I teach. The day focused on how to incorporate issues of sustainability into the classroom. My classes are entirely focused on sustainability, so I wasn't worried how to change my current class. I did however get some great ideas for developing new courses related to sustainability and heard some wonderful ideas on how ANY course (math, history, english, biology) can incorporate issues of sustainability into their topics as well.
As we move into the future and population is continuing to rise, consumption is increasing, natural resources are declining, and the reality of global warming is setting in, the topic of sustainability is something that we can't leave for just the environmental science courses. We can't hope that our children will hear about sustainability in a class or two and be all set to be pioneers of the future. We need sustainability to built in to everything we teach, as teacher and as parents. Sustainability needs to be ingrained as a way of life, not as a chapter in a textbook.
Since I teach environmental  science for a living, I feel like I continuously intertwine lessons of sustainability into our everyday lives. Like why we can't have watermelon in December, why we compost, and why we can't buy that toy today. But some lessons seem too big, like global warming. Although I have talked to Finn about global warming, I haven't really delved into the grand reality of it. Those ideas just seem much too big and depressing for a five year old to take on. But at some point, that is a reality that he will have to learn about.... but for now, I will let him enjoy his innocence for a few more years.
If we want to pass our children and grandchildren a planet that can comfortably support them for generations to come, sustainability needs to become a way of life, and not just a vague notion. I am guilty of living un-sustainably at times (as I am sure we all are), but I am trying my best. We need to shift our way of living so that sustainability becomes natural, so it becomes the easy choice-- it shouldn't have to be hard work to keep our planet alive, should it? Our children use us as models and will likely make life choices based on how they were raised. Let's teach them to become stewards of the earth, to be kind to their neighbors, and to take care of one another.
How do you share messages about sustainability with your children or community? I am always game for some new ideas!

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Yarn Along and A Happy May

Linking up with Ginny at Small Things for this week's Yarn Along.

This past week I finished up a baby Milo vest for a friend's baby shower. I literally finished it hours before the party, and I forgot to take a picture. But it's pink. And little. And cute. Now I am back to working on Phoebe's In-Threes cardigan, and I am to the easy-don't-have-to-think-too-much-part, so I am hoping I can finish this up before next week's yarn along. Ha-ha. We'll see. At the rate I have been knitting lately, that is highly unlikely!

I am still picking through Crimes Against Nature by RF Kennedy Jr. and Moby Duck. They are both interesting, but non-fiction and intense. So, Monday night I started Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver. I needed something more capitivating. I love her writing, and everything she writes about, so I can only imagine that this will be one for me to savor.

And now I am off to enjoy a beautiful May morning!

What are you reading? What are you knitting? Pin It Now!

Ants Hate Polenta

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about ants. They had invaded our house, especially our bathroom and bedroom. It was so bad that I would wake up during the night and find ants crawling on me. I wanted to find a non-toxic way to get rid of them. A got a few great tips from readers, decided to experiment, and thought I would share my results here.
So, our problem obviously wasn't with food storage since our ant problem was somewhere we didn't eat. They had just decided they liked our bathroom, and basically moved on in. So, I just needed to get them to move on out.
The thing that worked miracles was dried polenta (You can also use cornmeal, I just happened to have polenta on hand). I put a few piles of it around where the ants were hanging out. Supposedly they eat it and bring it back to the nest. Once they have it in their belly and then drink water, their stomach explodes. Gross and cruel, yes. And yes, I did feel a bit guilty, but these ants were everywhere. And they bit. Not hard, as they are just sugar ants, but still.... After a few days, I noticed the population size decrease, but they were still around. So, I left the piles, but cleaned everywhere else the ants were. I started by vacuuming up the ants themselves, and then cleaning the entire trail where they had been, spraying a vinegar solution into the cracks where the appeared to be coming in and out of. A day later, they were almost all gone. There is still a straggler every now and then, but I can totally deal with that.
So polenta combined with a thorough cleaning. It works. It is safe for kids and pets. This will definitely be my go-to method next time around.
Have you tried this method before? How were your results? Pin It Now!