7.07.2009

Extended School Year casualty

Today was day 2 of Extended School Year (ESY) for Alex. He loves school, has an awesome teacher and happily boarded that 7:40am bus. Summer vacation? What the heck is that, anyways? Alex has gone to school year round since he started at age 3. While it stinks to lose our summers, the therapy and structure is definitely what is best for him.

Day 2 of ESY was back to business as usual for us. I went and worked out with my personal trainer and spent some quality time (at the grocery store) with my daughter. We were finishing up our lunch and packing our bags for a family trip to the beach (for the POAC autism surf day) when the phone rang. Caller ID said it was the township, so I thought it could be the surf getting called off on account of Thunderstorm warnings.. as it was partly sponsored by Brick Challenger league. Good news was - it wasn't about the surf and weather. Bad news was.. it was the school.

When the school calls - my throat goes into a lump. I go into Mama Lion mode, my kid is sick or hurt. Well, in this case - hurt. Exact quote: "Your son got hurt and there is a lot of blood, we are going to call an ambulance to take him to the hospital unless you want to come and take him". I got in the car and burned it to the school - thankfully all of 5 minutes away.

When I got there, he was actually much better than I had envisioned in my mind. Blood everywhere.. not really - though it was bloody.

What happened: Alex likes to put his arms inside of his shirt and sometimes pull his knees up into his shirt also. This is definitely something sensory going on. Well, he'd just gotten back from OT and got back to his class where they were watching a movie (per Alex it was Sing A longs). He was doing as Alex does and putting his arms into his shirt and had his legs up - managed to fall off his chair and Face-planted into his desk.

He banged his nose, thankfully did not break his new glasses - and bit into his lip so far that he almost bit completely through it.

Mouths bleed a lot.

The nurse was certain that he broke his nose and needed stitches.

We have a doctor in the family, so that is where we headed instead of the stress of dealing with the hospital.

Good news: His nose isn't broken nor did ne need stitches. He gets to have unlimited ice pops and cold drinks.

Bad news: He is drooling, has some bruising and a fat lip. He is clearly agitated by this and upset about it. It hurts for ME to look at it and I am sure he hurts too.







Who would have thought that sing-a-long songs could be so dangerous?


Now, we need to figure out a stop to this arms inside of the shirt behavior. Not only is it stretching out his clothes, inappropriate, it apparently isn't as "harmless" as I thought it was.

Any thoughts?

7.04.2009

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Desserts Giveaway

I'm very excited to be able to offer this giveaway to my Bon Bon Gazette readers in cooperation with Betty Crocker and their new line of Gluten Free dessert mixes.

One lucky reader will receive this Betty Crocker “Sweet Treats” prize pack (pictured below) that includes:

- all four (4) samples of the dessert mixes:
  • Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix
  • Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil’s Food Cake Mix
  • Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix
  • Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
- two (2) Free coupons for any of the varieties
- a re-usable grocery tote bag
- a magnetic grocery list and a pen to make shopping easier!
















To enter, simply leave a comment on this blog post sharing what gluten free item you would love to see on grocery store shelves. and be sure to include an email address so that I can contact you to let you know that you won.

This giveaway is only open to winners from the United States and the prize pack will be sent to you from Betty Crocker. There will be just one winner, but many ways to enter.


1 entry per comment

Plus - you can get up to 10 bonus entries for the following (please leave one comment for each of your bonus entries to make it easier for me to do the random.org winner)
  • Blog about my giveaway with a link back to this blog post. Be sure to leave the link to your blog post in my comments
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The giveaway will close on July 15th, 2009 at 12:00pm eastern standard time and the winner will be selected randomly.

Good Luck!

Betty Crocker makes Gluten Free baking Easy with 4 new mixes!

How cool is it that Betty Crocker has come out with not just 1 but FOUR baking mixes that are Gluten Free and on mainstream grocery store shelves!

This will make the GFCF birthday party dilemma all that much easier. How convenient, for everyone AND Betty Crocker easy.

I'm also happy to share that these mixes are not just gluten free but also dairy free. Of course, they call for butter to be added - but you can use your favorite butter substitute. Today we used a soy margarine - but I often use a soy free spread.

The varieties available are: Brownies, Devils Food Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookies, and a Yellow Cake.

One thing that I'm excited about is that the boxes have Boxtops for Education on them. The schools collect the boxtops & I always feel guilty not having very many to send in since most of our food we purchase isn't pre-packaged, or if it is - its not a mainstream brand. So now - between these Betty Crocker mixes and the new gluten free Chex cereal.. I actually have a few boxtops to contribute!

Today for the 4th of July we went to a party at a friend's house. It also happened to be that friend's birthday - and he was having an ice cream cake. So, we brought along a cake of our own courtesy of one of these Betty Crocker mixes. My daughter and I made up the Devils Food Cake as well as the Chocolate Chip Cookies. The mixes are quick and easy to make and the boxes look just like a 'regular' boxed mix. Look for these with the rest of the Betty Crocker mixes on your store shelves. Or you can buy them in a quantity of 6 (case) from Amazon with free shipping and save. They are definitely worth buying to have a few on hand! Also, I'll be featuring a giveaway from Betty Crocker where one lucky reader here will win a set of the mixes to try.

Both the cookies and the cake came out tasty and were well received by my gluten casein free kid as well as the rest of the party goers who ate it and enjoyed. I did let them know it was gluten free but I bet I could have gotten away without telling them! I can't wait to make the brownies and yellow cake next!

Pictures of our chocolate chip cookies & devils food cake from Betty Crocker Gluten free:










Purchase from Amazon in bulk and $save$:
Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix, 16-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 6)
Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix, 15-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 6)
Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devil's Food Cake Mix, 15-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 6)
Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix, 19-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 6)






For more info: http://www.bettycrocker.com/products/gluten-free/

7.03.2009

Baking GFCF Bread from Sisters Three Gluten Free

I'm not embarrassed to admit... I consider myself pretty much a gluten free bread flunky. I've tried a few times to make my son gluten free bread and it has come out inedible. I even received the gift of a Bread Machine with a Gluten Free Setting and the highly recommended The Gluten-Free Gourmet Bakes Bread recipe book by Bette Hagman. My results have been pitiful at best. I've purchase pre-made gluten free loaves of bread from the freezer section of Whole Foods and my son isn't a fan. I can't really blame him because the consistency of most of them is somewhat like Styrofoam. Because of so many strike-outs in the bread department.. my son now eats his sandwiches on rice cakes and corn thins. He misses bread, and so I keep trying.

Today's bread experiment is brought to you by Sisters Three Gluten Free, a brand new bread gluten free bread mix that looked very promising to me.

About the mix:
Bread Mix Ingredients: Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, Sugar, Salt, Xanthan gum

Ingredients you will need to add: Yeast (Dry), Shortening (suggested Crisco), Water, Eggs, Vinegar (Apple Cider)

My 4 year old daughter and I mixed up the ingredients and did it by hand per the easy instructions. The dough then needed to rise - which said it could take between 30 minutes and 2 hours. After 2 hours, I decided it had risen pretty much all that it was going to - which didn't seem like as much as it should have.. but I wasn't totally sure. I used my Pampered Chef loaf pan to make it. I pre-heated my oven and loaded it in for the suggested baking time of 65 minutes. Wow did my house smell amazing while this baked up. When the timer went off I wanted to try it right away, but I was good and waited the full 6 hours of cooling time before cutting into it.

My loaf didn't rise up as I expected it too. Now, I'm wondering about the true temperature of my oven.. or if the eggs I used were not quite room temperature (too chilly?), or if using the stone loaf pan attributed to it... or could it have been the brand of dry yeast? I also noted that as it cooled it settled a bit. This discouraged me but it smelled so good and actually looked pretty good too. The proof would be in the taste.

So, I got out my serrated bread knife and sliced it up...














It looks like bread!

I served up a slice to my husband first, with a little margarine on it. He reported that it tasted great. I asked Alex if he wanted a slice of bread with "butter" (dairy free margarine) on it. He looked at me like I had 3 heads!!! He knows he isn't "allowed" to have bread. I told him it was special gluten free and dairy free bread just for him. He said "Yes!". I served him up a slice.. He took it, he sniffed it, and he devoured it. Gone! Before I could get his picture the whole piece was gone!

I put away the rest of the sliced loaf in my fridge and estimate it will be eaten quite quickly. We have sandwiches and french toast on the menu for this holiday weekend.

Yes! yes! yes.

I am thrilled to report...

Finally, a gluten free bread that actually looks and tastes like bread should.

More info:

http://www.sistersthreeglutenfree.com/
http://twitter.com/sistersthreegf

Costco now carrying Go Picnic Gluten Free lunches & Kids Meals - NOT all are GFCF safe!














I was excited to see that Costco is now carrying gluten free kids meals and gluten free pre-packaged lunches. The "ready to eat" lunches are 24 lunches for $114 and the kids meals are priced at 12 for $52.99. Both are available from the Costco website in addition to the warehouse stores.

Unfortunately... my excitement was shortlived when I looked a bit closer....

VERY IMPORTANT --- The ready to serve lunches are gluten free but not dairy free. I crossed them off my Costco list completely. Also, not all of the meals in the kids meal pack are GFCF safe. The 12 pack contains 4 ExploreMunch packs, 4 SafariMunch packs, and 4 SportsMunch packs. ONLY the safarimunch packs are suitable for a child on the gluten and casein free diet. The other kids meals in the box contain dairy. As always... I cannot stress enough... the importance of label reading! It would be nice to be able to purchase the meals in separate boxes vs a combo pack. I'd only buy these at Costco if I could get just the SafariMunch box and not the others.

Updated to add:
These can be ordered directly from the manufacturer, Go Picnic, also! And... you can just order the SafariMunch kit which IS GFCF for $5.99 - good to know!

http://www.gopicnic.com/

Related Links
:
Gluten Free finds at Costco
Are you saving money by buying Gluten free foods at Costco?

Are you saving money by buying Gluten free foods at Costco?

I get excited when I find Gluten Free offerings in 'everyday' places, like Costco. Now, in addition to being sold in Costco warehouse stores as well as the Costco.com website.

Lately they started carrying a favorite gluten free pasta that my son loves.
Click here to read my review of Tinkyada Brown Rice Spagetti


Tinkyada brown rice spaghetti or brown rice penne - sold by the 12pk for $42.99 at Costco...






Costco may be convenient and slightly cheaper than buying the pasta by the single package at the grocery store or health food store. BUT, the deal is not all that great. Better savings can be had and you don't even have to leave your house!

Verdict: Still cheaper to buy on Amazon with free shipping. Subscribe "subscribe & save" and you'll save even more. Currently the same case quantity (12 pack) is $36 - a significant savings.





Related Links:
Gluten Free finds at Costco
Review of Tinkyada Spaghetti

7.02.2009

Camp week - A visit from the Therapy Dogs

Tomorrow wraps up Alex's first week at Camp Bridge for this summer. This is his 3rd year attending this camp - he loves it there. He'll do another week in August after ESY (extended school year) is over.

The weather this week has been good. It seems I picked the better of the june weeks for camp as last week it poured all week. Since the camp spends a lot of time outdoors and has a great pool - it is a bummer when it rains. Yesterday it did rain briefly and thunderstormed - I contemplated driving over and grabbing him because he is afraid of thunder and lightning. By the time I got Belle ready to go over there the sun was out and it was clear -- it turned into a gorgeous day.

On the first day of Camp - Alex didn't want to go into the swimming pool. This was surprising because he always is such a fish when it comes to water. But, at a friend's house recently he refused to go in their pool too. On day 2 the camp leader worked him through getting into the pool and he had a great time. No problems since then! Phew!

I can't believe the week is over tomorrow for summer camp. He's had such a good time - making crafts, swimming, taking a trip to a local park for a Train ride, and even a visit from therapy dogs.

As pictured...















Related posts:
Camp Bridge - Taking Autism To Camp