Birthday parties..hitting the wall...again!

Maybe I'm alone in this but I officially hate attending birthday parties. I'm not sure this feeling is unique to parents of children with ASD...since I've never been one. Let me just describe how today's event went. I'll begin by mentioning that the party was next door for our neighbor's daughter's first birthday. One might think that the house next door would be fairly easy - access to home, quick getaway, familiar territory, etc. However, that was not to be the case. It started with the stairs. Yes, stairs. We do not possess stairs in our house, unless you were to count the ladder like quasi stairs that lead to the attic but since those are not always accessible and certainly not available to the kids, we don't. OK, so not only does the neighbor's house have stairs but they have a 1/2 wall at the top that looks out into the living room, where the majority of the attendees were gathered. No less that 250 times did I hear my kids thundering up and down the stairs before I began to notice small objects falling from the sky. Yes, my sweet son was, indeed, dropping things from the upstairs room onto the people below. So, I told him to stop, he said "OK" and within 5 minutes, and a few more thunderings up and down with his brother, was back at it. That necessitated a talk at the top of the stairs about what is "unexpected" at a party and a reminder that if he is too excited, he should run around the block to get it all out. After the Chicken Little incident, there were the cupcakes, which were most assuredly NOT gluten free. No worries, there, I always bring my own. The problem there is that I get asked no less than 3,502 times when it's time for cake. And, again, "Mommy, when is it time for cake" , "When is it time for the pinata??", "When will she open presents" "Is it time for the pinata??", "Is it time for the presents??" ad infinitum. Now, other people's birthday parties are beyond my control. Usually, I deal with these questions by giving a time or at least giving him an order of the day. For example, "cake will be served at 4:30" or "first cake, then pinata, then presents" so the poor kid at least has some clue as to what is next. At another person's party, we're at the mercy of strangers, who do not understand that my child needs this information in order to avoid driving all the partygoers insane. Well, at least there were squeaky dog toys to break up the insanity of the questions...seriously?? Dog toys?? "It is unexpected for humans to play with dog toys" "Other people do not like the squeak of dog toys repeated continuously for 7 minutes"...etc. So, after all that, I'll just mention the pinata. My kids were the only "big kids" present. Really, they comprised 50% of the total kids present and the other 50% were under 18 months old. However, poor Lambert was so concerned that the babies would break the pinata before he could get his turn that he kept track of their total whacks and reminded them repeatedly that the babies' had exceeded there "3 whack limit" and it was definitely his turn. "When is it my turn??" "Uh oh! You hit it 3 times, my turn!" "OK, it's definitely my turn...when is it my turn??" And yes, all of this was amidst "the look" coming from the other baby's mom while her 18 month old drooled adorably and was contented with the tissue paper scraps coming off the pinata. Well, in the end, everyone got their whacks and emerged unscathed, despite some close calls. And, when the candy came out, the boys collected it all and gave it back to the adults since it was laden with artificial colors and flavors, that they can't eat....which also frankly sucks. It seems like these parties are nothing more than "no" fests. I hate being the No Queen. Really, really hate being the No Queen. And, I hate all the looks from other parents that suggest my kid would be better behaved if only he got a "swift kick" every now and then. It's amazing how much we judge each other. I'd love to say I never do it but I sure do feel free to chime on in when it's not my kid opening the baby's presents because she's "not doing it fast enough". Yes, that does happen...in fact, that happened today. My boys took it upon themselves to get the presents on the ground, surrounding the baby and her mother. Lambert was so kind as to put them in order and assign them each a number. They were to be opened in order. No exceptions. As I sat and did my best to hold them back, my sweet neighbor and father to the birthday girl, patted me on the shoulder and said "I was that kid. I can tell it's stressing you out, though." I can believe it. My sweet neighbor is definitely an Aspie - an engineer who loves his job so much he volunteers for extra projects :) And, you know what? He has a wife who loves him, a beautiful daughter, and friends who cared enough to show up and shower his daughter with love and gifts. If that's what Lambert's future looks like, we are blessed indeed.

Recipe for Home Made Lip Balm

Here is the recipe my husband used to make a batch of lip balm as gifts for teachers and the like for Christmas.

Ingredients:
3 TSP of Beeswax (or .45 ounces)
4 TSP of Cocoa Butter (.40 ounces) you can use Cocoanut Butter as well
5 TSP of Sweet Almond Oil
2 TSP of Lanolin
1/2 TSP Honey
5 drops essential oils (I used Lemon Eucalyptus - but have used peppermint as well)

Melt Beeswax, Cocoa Butter, Almond Oil and Lanolin in a double boiler - stirring often. Once it is melted - add Honey and Essential oils. Keep Stirring while you add it to the container of your choice.

Done - Burt's Bee's for a lot less than the store! My triple batch made about 5 ounces of lip balm. Considering a Burt's bee's contains about .15 ounces at 6 dollars a tube - I am about 70 dollars ahead!

GF/CF Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

Here's another baking recipe from my recent co-op veggie score. This is adapted from elanaspantry.com. If you haven't checked out her blog, you should!

1 1/2 cups almond flour
1/3 cup sorghum flour
1 large zucchini grated (about 3-4 cups not packed)
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
2 tbsp. flax meal
6 tbsp. hot water
1/2 cup mild flavored liquid oil (I used canola)
1/2 cup agave nectar or honey
1 cup dairy free chocolate chips (I used Guitttard)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix the hot water and flax meal in a small cup - set aside to gell. Mix the rest of the ingredients and then add the gelled flax. Line 2 dozen cupcake molds with liners. Fill each about 1/2 way with the muffin mix. Bake about 18-23 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Yummy!

GF/CF/SF Chocolate Pudding

This is a recipe I came upon and adapted after getting 3 very ripe avocados in my co-op box. My kids don't eat them, my husband likes them but wouldn't eat them quick enough, and that left just me. Anyway, I've been dying to find a good way to make pudding and this seemed like me opportunity to try the avocado version. It's delicious with a very rich dark chocolate flavor! It even fooled my kids and I was secretly doing a happy dance thinking of all the great nutrients they were getting on the sly. Woo hoo! Sneaky Mommy wins again...mwah ha ha ha ha ha.....

2 very ripe avocados
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup local honey
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. instant coffee powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Blend it all up so no chunks of avocado remain (this would seriously blow your cover). Chill and serve with a smile :)

New Resources for Eating Local

Throughout this process, I've been learning more about what goes into our food in addition to how to cook it. I've read a couple of books lately that have inspired me to change not only what I eat but how I get what I eat. These titles are: "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and "Coming Home to Eat". In response, I've been searching for local sources of my food - I want to know the people who bring it to my table. I've been privileged to locate a local co-op where I was able to get a HUGE box of organic produce at a very reasonable price. Here's a link to Kristina's site: www.rawfullyorganic.com. Not all the produce through this co-op is local but it is all organic and super tasty. If you're in the Houston area, check it out! Another local resource for local raw dairy products (cow and goat) and grass fed meat is http://gramenfarm.com/. My kids and I visited and enjoyed playing with the goats, chickens, and cows and then leaving with a big old bag of goodies. We haven't purchased meat yet from them - we're running our freezer low first. Also, I found a great local source for honey and pastured eggs. If you're interested and you're in the Houston area, e-mail me directly (moulenbelt@consolidated.net) and I'll pass the number along if the owner is OK with that. I'll post more as I find more. For now, I'm pretty excited about the steps we're taking to feed our family more responsibly.

Happy Eating!

GF/CF Lemon Sugar Cookies

I was lucky enough to receive some fresh lemons from a friend's tree. Since it's almost Christmas time, sugar cookies are on my brain so here you go!

1 cup blanched almond flour
1 1/2 cup fine brown rice flour (if yours is course, run it through a food processor for 20 seconds or so)
1 cup cold Earth's Balance margarine
1 tbsp. fresh lemon zest
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan or guar gum
1 /2 cup powdered sugar (I use organic since it is processed with tapioca starch instead of corn)
1 egg

I know there is meant to be an order to mixing the ingredients...let's say I just throw it all in my stand mixer and give it a whirl...literally. I'm not an orderly kind of gal but my cookies always turn out yummy anyway :) So, mix it up and drop in spoonfuls on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with your palm. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or so, or until the edges get golden brown. I sprinkled mine with white sugar sprinkles to make them look like "snowballs". I'd frost these with vanilla buttercream frosting too but I'm out of powdered sugar ;)

Happy snacking!

Pumpkin seeds

It is a Halloween tradition that goes way back to my childhood - the roasting of the seeds :) Here's the best recipe I've found. I hope you like it too!

1 1/2 Tbsp. margarine
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. garlic salt
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 cups raw, rinsed pumpkin seeds

Melt the margarine. Mix everything else together and spread out on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet so the seeds are 1 layer deep. Bake at 275 for an hour, stirring occasionally. Let cool a bit and chow down!