The Disney Dream

My 4 year old daughter lived her dream this past week in Disney. She went to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique where she got pampered and primped and transformed into a mini Cinderella (but even prettier, I say!). Then, she went to dinner and met Cinderella, Prince Charming, the evil stepmother, and the Fairy Godmother.

It was absolutely dreamy.


















..and so, we are back. We are tired, but we are glad to be home.

Best of all, we made some pretty awesome memories.

Me and my princess!

gfMeals Partners with Jenny McCarthy

gfMeals Joins Jenny McCarthy’s Generation Rescue To Help Families Recover Their Children From Autism

Roni Piterman, co-owner of gfMeals by Your Dinner Secret, has stepped into the role as Generation Rescue’s gluten and casein-free (GFCF) diet expert, a diet commonly referred to as the autism diet.

Woodland Hills, CA, February 24, 2009…
Jenny McCarthy’s Generation Rescue and gfMeals, by Your Dinner Secret, have joined forces to support autism research and treatment. gfMeals is stepping into the role of helping Generation Rescue support families with understanding and implementation of the gluten-free casein-free (GFCF) diet. Also, Roni Piterman, co-owner of gfMeals, has become a Generation Rescue GFCF Expert. The GFCF diet is a powerful tool that people use to aide individuals in recovering from autism, ADHD and several chronic illnesses that mainly involve gastrointestinal disorders and autoimmune diseases.

gfMeals is the leading provider of gluten and casein-free meals and baked goods that are shipped nationwide directly to people’s homes. Generation Rescue is an international movement of scientists, physicians and parent-volunteers researching the causes and treatments for autism and helping thousands of children begin biomedical treatment.

"Families battling autism, ADHD and chronic illness often see benefits from the
gluten and casein free diet. gfMeals by Your Dinner Secret makes it easy for
these families to get great tasting GFCF meals with one phone call or a click of
a button. What could be easier?” notes Stan Kurtz, president of Generation
Rescue, Jenny McCarthy's autism organization and father of a child recovered
from autism. “In addition, Roni Piterman, co-owner of Your Dinner Secret, is a
wonderful resource for parents wanting to ease their children onto the diet. She
is an active member of the autism community who has greatly impressed us with
her caring and expertise.”

Roni Piterman has helped many parents of children afflicted with autism and ADHD with the GFCF diet, and is a well-known lecturer and expert on the subject. She speaks with the additional expertise of being a parent of a child with ADHD who has been greatly helped by the diet.

How To Get These Meals
To order GFCF entrees, sides and baked goods from gfMeals, go to their website, call them at 888-700-5610, or visit the store in Woodland Hills, Calif. Orders may be picked up locally at the store or shipped directly to the customer.

The store location is 20929 Ventura Blvd., #22, Woodland Hills, Calif. 91364. Phone: 888-700-5610.

Generation Rescue offers families challenged by autism, ADHD and other chronic illnesses, information, support and hope for a bright and healthy future at http://www.generationrescue.org/.

Connect with GfMeals on Twitter
Become a fan of GfMeals on Facebook

About gfMeals
gfMeals is the gluten-free brand from Your Dinner Secret. All gfMeals entrees, sides and baked goods are gluten-free and casein-free. Many are also soy-free, egg-free and free of a variety of other allergens. In addition to a retail store in Woodland Hills, Calif., the gfMeals brand is available on the Internet at Gfmeals.com. Food is shipped frozen and ready-to-cook, with simple cooking instructions, in coolers, with dry ice. Shipping is available anywhere in the United States.

Gluten Free Awareness: Wristbands

I love this idea that fellow blogger and twitter member Switch2GF had made up as a reminder to keep on track with his Gluten Free diet.

Gluten Free Wristbands!

I'm seeing this as an excellent tool that I can use to put on my son's wrist to alert to others that he is Gluten Free. Take for example when he goes to school, birthday parties, field trips, the bus - places where he is not with me to act as the food cop.

I'm also loving that it is green, his favorite color. The only thing better would be if it said Gluten & Casein Free but I'll take Gluten Free. Awesome.


My son already wears a few things on his wrist for Autism Safety purposes including a Project Lifesaver wristband and an Child-ID bracelet. Oh, and sometimes he wears a Wall-E watch that he got for his birthday. Think there's room for one more thing? In the name of safety, I think YES.

The wristbands are only $2.50 a piece with discounts on orders of 10. For the next 30 days "use coupon code FREESHIP to get 20% off". To order go here: http://switch2glutenfree.com/gluten-free-wristbands/

The Transporters DVD Series teaches Emotions to children with Autism

The Transporters is a DVD series that was developed to help children with Autism learn to recognize and understand emotions. The series was developed in the UK by Professor Simon Baron-Cohen from the Autism Research Center at Cambridge University and has been available in the UK for several years. In January 2009, it became available in the US and can be purchased at http://www.transporters.com/ for $57.50 with a portion of the proceeds going to Autism charities and research.

My son, Alex, who is 8 and on the autism spectrum has been a huge fan of Thomas the Tank engine since he was oh... 2 years old or so. In fact, many children with autism tend to gravitate towards these train toys and the Thomas animated series. The Transporters capitalizes on this by taking a series about transportation vehicles (Train Cars, Trolleys, etc) and putting real human faces on the front of them. The series is aimed at children ages 2-8 years old and it is suggested to watch for 15 minutes a day will mark improvement in your child's understanding of emotions. The DVD has 15 five minute episodes on it, 30 quizzes, and a parents guide (booklet).
We were given a copy of The Transporters for him to test out and try.

After having the DVD for just over a month, I'm here to share the results:

First I think that the concept is genius - infusing real faces with emotions on "Thomas-like" trains.. great idea. The similarities to Thomas The Tank Engine are pretty obvious: Narrated episodes telling stories/adventures of brightly colored trains (and friends). The stories are short, just 5 minutes and each one illustrates a lesson of sorts. The Transporters even has a #1 train (Charlie) that is Blue... like Thomas the #1 Engine. The fact that episodes all start out the same in the child's room with him going off to school and then the trains coming to life - appeals to my son's love of all things repetitious and the same.

After watching an episode you can then use the DVD remote to navigate and Easy or Hard Quiz. Samples are available online. Here's a video of the kids taking one of the "easy" quizzes after an episode:


Left to his own devices my son would watch the entire 75 minutes DVD in a single sitting, preferring to use the "Play All" option (skipping the quizzes) vs picking out the single episodes. When given the choice to view single episodes he gravitated to picking ones that dealt with the emotions of Happy or Surprised verses anything sad. This is reflective of my son's positive outlook on life - whenever he draws people he always draws them with smiles.

The suggested age group of 2-8 years old needs to be taken with a grain of salt, bearing in mind that kids on the autism spectrum each have their own strengths. My son, just turned 8 years old and though he loves Thomas trains - I think I'm happy to report that he is perhaps beyond the level of The Transporters. He aced the quizzes for the episodes on the first try even on the hard setting. Still, I can see where this series would have been a huge assistance to him when he was younger - around 4 or 5 years old. My just turned 4 year old daughter, who does not have autism really enjoys the Transporters and has gotten more out of the series teaching about emotions. So, I can see where this series really can benefit all children and not just those with autism.

A few observations about The Transporters where I felt there is some room for improvement would be: 1) the characters have "voices" of their own but their mouths don't move. I am not sure if this was a deliberate decision, instead allowing kids to focus on the facial expression verses the mouth movement - but I found it distracting to watch the voices coming out of mouths that didn't move. 2)While I can appreciate that the faces they picked represented varying ages and ethnicity- I wish they had chosen mouths with better dental hygiene. Perhaps there will be a future episode of The Transporters going to the The Dentist - another hurdle many families with autism (including us) struggle with. Lastly, and the biggest 'issue' we had with The Transporters is no fault of the series but rather that my son is so "stuck" on Thomas and the way that the Thomas engines look that he had a hard time with the attachment of the "heads" on The Transporters and even said he wanted to cut them off with scissors. I tried to get him to talk to me about this (as I found it disturbing) but he wouldn't elaborate - all I can guess is he prefers the flatter faces of the Thomas engines over these.

Here's video of how he feels:



In closing, though my son had some issues with The Transporters - I believe this series could absolutely help kids learn to recognize emotions. The price of $57.50 is a bit high for a kids DVD (though it does include a 25% donation to Autism charities & research) so be sure to view the free online episodes first to see if this something your child would watch.

Related Links:
http://www.thetransporters.com/ - Learn More, View Episodes, Purchase the video
The Transporters Promote Emotions - Autism Spectrum Disorders at Bella Online
Meet the Transporters - Autism Hangout Interview with Dr. Simon Baron Cohen
Learn "How it Works" - interview with Dr. Simon Baron Cohen
View 1 Minute Clip of Transporters Barney's Special Day Episode
View Full Episode #1 of The Transporters

Satisfy your Sweet Tooth with Shabtai Gourmet Gluten Casein Free Treats

Have you heard about Shabtai Gourmet?

I only recently learned about this bakery line specializing in Gluten Free, Lactose Free, Soy Free, Casein Free & Dairy Free treats (cakes & cookies)

Yes, those cookies you see pictured that are enveloped in chocolate chips - they are Gluten & Casein free!

Alex recently was treated to a big box full of treats from Shabtai Gourmet. In the box was:

• Lady Fingers
• Ring Ting Cupcakes
• Brownie Bites
• Raspberry Roll
• Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Florentine Lace Cookies
• Rainbow Cookies

I immediately recognized the cakes, I'd seen them before in the stores around Passover time. Shabtai Gourmet treats are certified Kosher/Kosher for Passover. I'd seen them in Wegmans but only seasonally. Turns out that year round they are also carried at my local health food store - but the price is marked up. Good in a pinch but when I can order from the Shabtai Gourmet website and have my cakes shipped free. When I checked out the website I was surprised by how affordable and inexpensive the treats are - everything is under $10.. in the $6-9 range. Are you kidding me? No, this is not too good to be true. I am so used to spending so much extra for gluten free, I cannot stress how thrilled I am that these treats are super affordable.

Think boxed treats that are a little bit like Entenmann's or Tasty Kakes/Hostess - somewhere along those lines. The Ring Ting Cupcakes were totally decadent and "junk food" like - meant in the best way, of course. The chocolate chip cookies were gone in a day - you would have no idea these are "free" of anything - they got devoured. I sent the brownie bites into school for my son's Valentine's class party - another hit. My husband and I both enjoyed the Raspberry Roll - ironically I saw the same (non gluten free, soy free, etc) cake in my local Shop Rite bakery in their gourmet offerings and it was $14.99 vs Shabtai Gourmet's $6.99! Out of all the treats that we tried from our big giftbox the only ones that my kids didn't care for were the Vienna Lace cookies that I found went down better when paired with a coffee (but, what doesn't?).

2 things that I plan on ordering from them very soon: The Swiss Cake Roll and Devils Food 7 Layer Cake- they are both calling my name. I'm thinking they'd be awesome to pop in the freezer to pull out when needed.

Shabtai Gourmet Bakes Cakes & Cookies that are gluten Free, Casein Free, Lactose Free, Soy Free, Dairy Free, Corn Free, Certified Kosher Parve and kosher for Passover. They offer free shipping on all orders no matter how large or small.

www.shabtai-gourmet.com
www.cinderellasweets.com
Contact #: (516) 652-5671

Happy Valentine's Day & Autism

Happy Valentine's Day!
A friend of mine made these really pretty and unique Valentine's Day crafts for her child's teachers and gave me permission to post them here.

For everyone touched by a child with autism, Happy Valentine's Day to you. I know that I got the best kisses and hugs this morning from both of my children.

Autism Sibling Support Bowling Fun

I find parenting my two children such a delicate balance since my son has Autism and my daughter does not. Sometimes it can seem like the whole family world revolves around the child with Autism, and I really try to make sure that my neurotypical daughter is not getting the short end of the stick. My son is involved with the Challenger bowling program where in the summer and winter he goes and bowls every Saturday at the local lanes. My daughter often asks to take a turn and expresses that she would like to play, but the league is only for special needs children. I knew about a sibling support group that hosted bowling nights for the brothers and sisters of kids with Autism, but my daughter was too young to attend. Now that she is a "big girl" (whopping age of 4) I inquired and they welcomed her to attend with open arms. The program is called PASS - parents and sibling support - and it is sponsored by POAC and FCSNJ

Belle went tonight for the first time and was treated to Valentine's day cupcakes and a goody bag. During bowling they also brought out Pizza and Soda for the kids to enjoy. The siblings all bowled together and one of the lanes was set up for the autistic siblings over to the side - this event was focused on the sibling. My husband came with Alex and bowled with him over on his lane while Belle bowled with the rest of the little & big brothers and sisters. When we got to the lane and got her silly shoes on we first had to go in hunt of a low weight ball that was pink - only pink for her. Finally we found an 8 pounder and she was ready to bowl. She rolled the first frame and it was incredibly slow going. The lanes were kind enough to let us use a metal ball ramp that she could push the ball down and it would gain enough momentum to actually knock down the pins (plus we had bumpers). With the ramp she was able to get a couple of spares and even a strike in the 10th frame followed up by knocking down 9 pins. Her score was a 97! Newsflash - that is better bowling than I can do! She even figured out how to angle and adjust the ramp roller over to the right or left to better increase her odds of hitting pins. Yeah, she rocked the ramp roller!

She really had a lot of fun, is sufficiently tired out (though coming down from a sugar crash) and we look forward to attending the next sibling bowling event which will be in April.

Check her out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj0kzejl8Tk

Vaccine Court Decision Corruption

Denied. Denied. Denied.

Click here to see info on the court cases.

Yes, 3 families (Cedillo, Hazelhurst, and Snyder) who finally got their time in Vaccine Court. Just 3, out of the more than 5300 cases on file and how many more have not filed - many thousands more of kids who "changed" after they received shots. Kids who are now autistic, maybe they were genetically predisposed, had a mito condition (like Hannah Poling), or other compromised immune system - but they are now autistic and their parents know and believe their autism is/ was triggered by shots.

A lot of people asked me today what I thought about the Vaccine Court ruling. Some even looked at me with that smug, I told ya so - it isn't the vaccines - look.

Since when did court ruling become science and truth? Just because the courts rule that there isn't enough evidence of a connection doesn't mean there isn't a connection.

In fact, it means just the opposite. It means - there may be a connection but someone (HHS) doesn't want it to surface. It means that this evidence and truth will continue to be covered up. Why do I say this? Well, for starters because the Dept of Health & Human Svcs was the defendent in these vax injury cases and they are also the same party that bears the responsibility to conduct safety research on vaccines and the vaccination schedule. Hrm... does something smell funny here? Yes, it is because of CONFLICT OF INTEREST. But, we see that a lot with vaccines - the makers, lawmakers, and "testers" who are essentially all the same people. People like Offit.

The Age of Autism has posted several timely articles today on this topic including responses from Safeminds and TACA. The bottomline is this, the studies and testing done of vaccines is all done and influenced by Pharma and the Government - it is corrupt corrupt corrupt. This isn't about the safety and health of your child, it is about money. Even Autism Speaks has issued a statement (not my most favorite Autism organization) responded to today's Vaccine Court.

The causes of autism remain poorly understood. Autism Speaks funds an aggressive program of research on the causes and best treatments for autism. We will continue to support authoritative research that addresses unanswered questions about whether certain subgroups of individuals with particular underlying medical or genetic conditions may be more vulnerable to adverse effects of vaccines. While large scale studies have not shown a link between vaccines and autism, there are lingering legitimate questions about the safety of vaccines that must be addressed. Our families deserve nothing less than an exhaustive search using a rigorous scientific approach

Ever since Alison Singer left Autism Speaks (January 2009), resigned her position from the IACC - Autism Speaks has changed sides with their public stance regarding vaccine research. Could it be that the millions and millions that this organization has already spent has largely found nothing and so they are now willing to leave not a stone unturned? We shall see. Whether Autism Speaks will do something good remains to be seen, I'll try to be less skeptical - really.

But tonight, I write from a standpoint of frustration.

How, as a parent, can we trust that mandated vaccines are safe when they are not adequately tested and when the makers of these vaccines and our government put financial stake before safety sake? Parents who question safety and decide to follow alternative vaccination schedules like that presented in The Vaccine Book (by Dr. Sears) are pushed out of pediatric practices, discredited, run into trouble with insurance companies covering (or not) for doctor visits, and even questioned by school attorneys about religious sincerity. Then to add insult to injury, conveniently the pharamceutical company that makes the MMR is no longer going to make it - correction no longer making it - split out into 3 single doses. In effect, forcing the single triple cocktail shot that contains higher doses of virus than it did 20 years ago onto kids and continuing to voice loud and clear that the MMR vaccine (and vaccines in general) have no bearing on autism.

Frankly, I'm insulted by it all but hardly surprised.

One thing is certain: My child is my truth.

A vacation for Divas

To vacation, or not. That is the question.

I need a vacation!

The last vacation that we took was in October 2007, it was to celebrate my 10 year wedding anniversary - and my family went to Disney World. Since my husband and I had honeymooned there 10 years before we thought it was the perfect time to go back and to bring our children. My son was 6 years old, going on seven and my daughter was 2 years old. When we returned home from Disney, we put Alex full-out on the gluten and casein free diet and have not looked back ever since. We've talked about going back to Disney and will do so again as a family some time in the not so distant future. Disney is one of the few places that we can go where Alex's GFCF diet will be able to be accomodated and there is no doubt my kids (and our family) are huge fans of all things Disney. My son worships Wall-E and Pixar and spends his time drawing Disney logos. My daughter is a real life princess. When we went to Disney, Alex did great. We used a special pass, which accomodated Alex's needs and allowed us to bypass wait times. He did surprisingly well in big hustle bustle restaurants, loved the characters, rode rides and even watched parades and fireworks. We had a great trip and we made memories.
















But, this next trip I'm taking to Disney - Alex isn't going. He is staying home with my husband and will be going to school as usual. This trip to Disney is just for me and Belle. We're going with Grandma who'll be there for a conference. This trip is for the girls. When invited to go, I didn't hesitate. The idea of a trip 'just for the girls" sounded great. And then, I started to have second thoughts. Was that fair to Alex to leave him behind when he loves Disney so much? Would he miss me? (Yes) Would I miss him? (Yes) Didn't Belle deserve a trip that was all about her? Ultimately, I decided yes. We are going to Disney. This time will be all about Belle and all about being a princess. This time she gets to call the shots instead of Alex. The last trip was largely dictated by Alex and his needs. We skipped shows, we avoided things that we knew would be too much for him. Though we did do a princess lunch at Epcot we didn't go all out princess. This time, we will. Yes, I will miss Alex very much but I also know that his priority is school and therapies and I can't pull him out of school for a week the way that I can with Belle (in pre-k). Plus I think this will be a great experience for Alex to get Daddy time, just like I'm getting in Mommy time with Belle.


Yep, my princess and I are going to Disney.. very soon. We leave on February 22nd just 10 days from now. I'm both nervous and excited for the trip all at the same time. We'll be staying at the Contemporary and have plans to dine with princesses and go to the Bippidy Boppidy Boutique for a princess make-over.


This is Belle's time.




















Some Epinions.com reviews of our Disney Experience in 2007:
Disney Pop Century Resort
Character Dining at The Crystal Palace with Winnie The Pooh & Friends
Character Dining at Chef Mickey's
Boma at the Animal Kingdom Lodge
Dining with Disney princesses at Norway in Epcot
Dinner with Farmer Mickey & Friends at Epcot's Garden Grill

Jenny McCarthy - Is the 3rd time the charm?

1) First there was Louder Than Words
Read my Louder Than Words review at Epinions.com
Bon Bon Gazette featured on MomBuzz.com

2) Then came Mother Warriors
Check out my Mother Warriors review at Epinions.com
and my review of Mother Warriors at Bella Online
Are you a Mother Warrior? Meet my Child Warrior.
Mother Warriors (paperback) 3/31/09


3) Jenny's 3rd book on Autism, Healing and Preventing Autism will be released 3/31/09 in time for April - Autism Awareness Month.

The book is available for pre-order now - I've already ordered my copy.

Get your own copies of Jenny's books here:

GFMeals Interviewed by Autism Action Plan

I recently blogged about GFmeals being a great way to save time and stock up pre-made gfcf foods. My kids loved the chocolate chip cookies from the pre-made cookie dough the best so far. My son has also tried the mac n cheese and the chicken tenders with high votes. We haven't tried the polenta fries but will do that this week - they look like a great alternative to french fries which my son eats almost every day (oven fries, not the fast food kind).

Check out these videos about GFmeals on YouTube! Dr. Kurt Woeller, medical director of www.AutismActionPlan.org interviewed Roni Piterman from GF Meals, a company that delivers pre-made gfcf meals to your home.

Part1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RDtIzHsvQ8
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uoW4P5BJkA

NJ Flu Shot Reprieve

Letters went out dated yesterday, February 3rd, that lifted the ban on children without the flu shot from attending preschool/childcare. The state had instituted a mandate on the shot for all children in childcare & school between the ages of 6 months and 5 years old. The original deadline of 12/31 had been pushed out a few times in result of "supply" issues.

From NJAICV.org:

Due to a lack of resources such as available clinics, vaccine supply and the public's inability of finding available shots, the State of New Jersey has lifted the deadline for compliance of the flu vaccine mandate for pre-schoolers. A memo has been issued to the schools from the NJDHSS stating that no child should be excluded from school if they have not yet received their flu shot.

Below is a sample of the memo that schools may be sending out:

"As of today, February 3, 2009 we have received a message from the Health Department:

NJ has issued a Corrective Action Plan: Until further notice, we do NOT have to exclude children from school for not having the flu vaccination. If your child did not receive the flu shot, they do not have to unless the state requires it at a future date."

The state is setting up more clinics in order to bring as many children into compliance as soon as possible.

So, this is good news for kids who would have previously been out for the duration of the flu season and able to return in the spring (April). Of course, the elephant in the room is:

They do not have to unless the state requires it at a future date.

NJ Flu Shot D-Day - Preschoolers kicked out of school by the state!
Welcome to NJ.. Got Shots?
PTA Flu Shot Fundraiser - Who else wants to make a buck on the Flu Shot?
Vaccination Choice on Fox and Friends & NJ the Vaccine State

Happy Birthday Princess

Once a princess......

Always a princess!

Happy 4th Birthday Princess Belle

Hello Fever, Good-bye Autism

SICK!

I could hear him coughing this morning from his loft bed and when I went in his room to get him he was leaning out over the edge - not a good sign. He ASKED to go to the doctor. What 8 year old asks to go to the doctor? Since he had been exposed to strep I figured this was what he had but a rapid culture at the doctor came back negative. Ears look OK too. Just a cough, definitely lethargic, and a slight fever. He napped for a bit and also just layed there on the sofa with the pillow on top of him. It makes me so sad to see my child sick and helpless.

But - the beacon of light that often comes when Alex is sick... Language. Lots of it. We're talkin "Good talking" - as in sentences and back and forth conversation.

Can a fever temporarily "cure" autism? : the link between fever & reducing autism symptoms