My interview with Clark Kent

Clark Kent recently called me to ask me if I would be willing to sit down with him and discuss my new gluten free diet. I said of course! I would love it! Who wouldn’t want to sit down with Superman ahem..Clark Kent? The following is a transcript of our discussion. If you subscribe to the Daily Planet, you can read it there.

CK: Why did you decide to start this diet?
Me: Well, Clark, can I call you Clark? I have had a lot of joint pain in the past and have tried several doctors to give me some explanation for the pain. Instead of explanations, I got painkillers. Horrible painkillers that made me feel like garbage. I have a life to live, Clark. I have to drive. I just feel like I am too young and, while I do have pain, not enough pain to call for such drastic solutions when they couldn’t even tell me why I have it in the first place.

CK: I see. So you just came up with the gluten free thing out of the blue?
Me: Oh, no. My sister has been doing it for 4 years. Bless her heart. She has been trying to convince me for 3. I guess sometimes it just takes me a little longer. I would like to say it is because I am smarter, but if you met my sister, you would know that I am lying.

CK: How is it going then? Tell me how you feel.
Me: I would love to be able to tell you that I don’t feel any different. I would love to say that I have seen any noticable change. But the truth is, Clark, I do. I feel a lot better. The pain in my hips is gone. The pain that was making my life miserable is gone. I sleep all the way through the night. I wake up in the morning feeling like I have had a full night’s rest. That hasn’t happened in a very long time. I have a lot more energy. I don’t know if that is from the sleep or from removing the gluten, but it doesn’t really matter. I have more energy. I need it, so I am not going to kick a gift horse in the mouth, ya know? I have heard some say that the everything seems more clear for them when they remove gluten. I haven’t felt that way, but I do feel better. I think it affects everyone differently.

CK: Ok. You feel better. I get it. But how do you know that it is the gluten and not just the extra strong coffee that you have been brewing lately?
Me: Fair question. My husband was hoping at first that it was the extra strong coffee because I make mean chocolate chip cookies. But, he has noticed it too. The truth was made apparent when I had some hip pain the other night. I thought that the pain was from the stress that had been brought on that day and dismissed it. However, later the next day as I was grocery shopping I noticed that Cambell’s Tomato Soup has wheat in it. Wheat! Why tomato soup needs wheat is beyond me, but there it was. I had eaten tomato soup for lunch the day I had the pain. A lot of it. It hit me fast. Last night? No pain. And believe me, my stress level has not dropped. I think that finally convinced my husband. I was already convinced, but sometimes the ones you love need a little more proof.

CK: Why do you think you developed this sensitivity?
Me: That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it? I have no idea. I was raised on Wonder Bread, but other than that, we ate very little junk in our house. Oh, we had cookies in the cookie jar. Always homemade. At dinner and lunch we always had fruits and vegetables. My parents kept a large garden before it was considered “green”. My grandfather gardenend all year long and, we were always eating some green from his garden. I was a pretty healthy kid. It frustrates me that I have to eat like this now, but what do I do?

CK: Why does it frustrate you?
Me: Have you tried gluten free brownies, Clark?

CK: Uh, no.
Me: Oh, it isn’t all bad. I have found some pretty good substitues thanks to my sister. I probably should just eat more fruits and vegetables and real food rather than try to find a substitute for my favorites. But I think it will be a good thing to have some things to eat. I needed something the other day. I had a brownie mix. The batter was fabulous. Oh, don’t look at me that way, Clark, batter isn’t evil. The baked product was just OK. I figure I will just focus more on the batter. Then it isn’t so disappointing.

CK:What are your favorite products?
Me: Udi’s bread is the best. Trader Joe’s brown rice pasta is also very good. Those are the two that I can think of off the top of my head. I will have to start keeping a running list to share here in case anyone (cough, cough. Deb) wants to try this kind of diet. Maybe that will be helpful.

CK: This has been very interesting. Thanks for sharing. Will you update us in another month or so and let us know how it is going for you?
Me: Sure! This has been fun. Can I just get a picture with you before you leave? Clark? Clark? Where did you go?

 

Snow Day

 

My Sweet Sister

Yesterday a package came in the mail. I figured it would be the books for my husband’s next term, but it was addressed to me! How exciting! It was from my sister. Inside I found this…

A giant, gluten free care package. I was speechless. I know my sister loves me, but to take the time to do this for me when she has 3 month old twins in the house nearly brought me to tears. My sister is a great suppport in this whole food sensitivity thing. She has been traveling the road for a couple years now, and I knew that she would be my wealth of information. She filled the box with her favorite pasta and a few things that she can’t even eat. I am so excited to try it all. I had one of the bagels for breakfast this morning. It was pretty good. Not smooth like you would expect a bagel to be, but sastisfying. Do you see the brownie mix in the back? See? All is not lost. It will be Ok.

Thank you, sister. Your thoughtfulness encourages me. Thanks for being there for me. Love you!

 

Just a quick round-up.

I have a few minutes while the kids take their lunch break to make a note about goings on here at my home. Let’s do it simple style, shall we?

• The College Board is still a giant pain in the butt. My son never recieved his PSAT scores and they refuse to deal with him or me.
• We still don’t know if we are going to move or not. I patiently waited over the Christmas leave period. If it isn’t too difficult, I would care to know now.
• I still don’t like Physics.
• I have a new fondness for Statistics. Not because I like it, but because it is applicable.
• I am singing in the church choir. Nope. I am not good, but the director doesn’t seem to mind. I stand on the end and sing quietly.
• Still gluten free. Day 4. Not miserable yet.
• Freckle Face is STILL in physical therapy.
• Washington weather finally decided to make an appearance. It is wet and miserable. How about some snow? I would like some snow.

Look at that! A quick run down complete in a lunch break. Off to give the olders a timed write. They love them. Almost as much as I love peppers stuffed with stewed tomatoes. That is saying something.

 

I am going for it. Rice crackers, here I come.

In my last post I mentioned that I was thinking about trying a gluten free diet. For the record, the thought of this diet depresses me. I don’t enjoy spending hours in the kitchen inventing new ways to use xanthum gum. I try to keep my grocery budget as small as possible,  and a  plethora of gluten free foods will not help my cause.

To keep a long story very short, I have joint pain. It stinks, and I am desperate to try anything that allows me to still drive a car. 

Fortunately for me, my sister is already gluten/dairy/egg free. She is a great resource for me. She has the scoop. Actually, she has been trying to get me to try the gluten free thing for a long time, but I am stubborn. And I like donuts. And fresh rolls from the oven. (sigh) My sister has told me that I need to give this a heart felt try for at least a month, preferably two.

Today is the third day.

It hasn’t been too painful yet. I am kind of tired of all the gluteny snacks that come around Christmas. My girl made some delicious cupcakes yesterday (well, they looked delicious), and I wasn’t even tempted. So far I have only had to modify the recipes that I already use. That isn’t too bad. No one is complaining yet. I mean, really, could they tell that I used gluten free flour to cover the chicken last night? I doubt it. They could probably only tell that I overcooked it a bit. Tonight we are eating meatloaf. Just a quick adjustment in the oats and all will be well. Painless.

The real test is going to come at lunchtime. I am hoping that I can eat leftovers most days, but if I happen to have a very hungry boy the night before, I won’t have any. I am going to make myself some soups.  That should help.

I am going to try and blog about my journey a little bit. There are gobs and gobs of blogs that talk about gluten-free living. Good blogs. Blogs with beautiful recipes and pictures. I don’t plan to be one of those. I  want a place to talk about how I feel and how much I miss dipping bread in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

On a happy note, my cat is going grain free with me. Seriously. The diet food that he has been on is mostly grain based. It makes him grumpy and hungry. I went to the naturopath pet store. I can’t believe that I just wrote that, but I really went. We are trying some foods that are mostly protein based for him now. (Yay for free samples!) He seems more content. Cats are meat eaters after all. I can’t believe that I am doing this for a cat.  He is lucky he is a good cat.

 

New Year Resoulutions

My husband always makes the same resolution every year- not to make a resolution. He says that it is the easiest one to keep. He is right, but it isn’t any fun.

This year, however, we made a couple of them together.

1. No McDonalds. – This might be easy for many of you, but for us it will be difficult. We love McDonalds. Yeah, I said it. We love McDonalds. I especially love their coffee. Not the black coffee, but the fancy, 1000 calorie coffee. I like it better than Starbucks. We are giving it up because it is our budget buster. I think it will be harder for me than anyone else. We usually end up at McDonalds because I am tired and didn’t plan anything for dinner. My husband, being the gentleman that he is, just runs out and picks up something quick. Now, I am going to have to have some kind of plan. Maybe Subway?

2. Use more cash. – About 10 years ago, we were the tightest financially that we had ever been. To stay within our budget we instituted the envelope system and, as a result, did better than we had ever done before. After things got better, we slacked off and have had a pretty good time doing it too. We are doing fine financially, but we would like to save more and see where our money is going. I am not sure if we are going back to the envelope system again, but it is likely.

3. Institute portions of Flylady. – This one is all me, but I plan on forcing the kids to play too. I am going to focus on the 25 fling boogie. If we move this year, it would be nice to have a lot of the decluttering already done. I am going to do it Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It is amazing how much junk one accumulates when you don’t move in 6 years.

4. Maybe start eating gluten free- This one I just don’t know. I have my reasons for wanting to try this. I just don’t want to do it. I love donuts and bread. Bread. Beautiful bread. Can I part with it? I just don’t know. My husband is trying to be supportive. I appreciate it. It is just that half of my menu is full of gluten. Giving it up will be very difficult for me to do. That is what makes this one a maybe.

2012 should prove to be a very exciting year for my family. We may move. We may not. My husband may retire after 22 years in the Navy. He may not. My oldest will turn 18 and vote in his first Presidential election. He will also be applying to colleges, and the full effects of our homeschool journey will be made known. My daughter can get her permit. Two teen drivers! Pray for me. Freckle Face will still be his lovable, snug able self. I will turn 40. Oh my gosh! I will turn 40! Yes, 2012 will be a very exciting year.

 

The Secret of Homeschooling

I just had to come here and let y’all know that I discovered the secret of homeschooling last night. It was revealed to me just before I fell into the deep, Tylenol PM induced sleep. It is so easy. I am positive that I have figured it out before. I just don’t know why it never seemed so clear. Well, you know, as clear as anything can be when you take Tylenol PM before bedtime.

The secret.

The secret is that you don’t have to find out what every other family is using in their little school at home. You just have to find someone else that is doing it like to you and get support from one another.

That is it. Reading and reading about what everyone else is doing causes mental grief and anguish. Not to mention self-doubt. I should know. I have experienced them all. More than once. Probably more than twice, but really, who is counting?

There you go. That is the secret. Educate your children well in a manner that suits you. Find someone else that is educating their children in the same manner. Call them crying when you need to and be an ear when they need one.

Thanks to all my ears out there. You know who you are.

 

Taking a break

I realized today on my way out the door for the second time today that I have not blogged in awhile. It is going to be awhile longer. My days are full of school work, piano lessons, church activities, and just keeping myself together.

Homeschooling two high schoolers plus a fifth grader is much more work than I thought it would be. It is hard. And you don’t want to hear me cry about that anyway.

Maybe I will come back when Freckle Face starts walking heel-toe consistently or when the kids start applying to college. Either way. Until then it will be nice to step away.

Have a good Thanksgiving and a wonderful Christmas!

 

Week in Review #5

We didn’t get much school work done this week because we were busy doing this..

and this..

because we went here..

And to make a great week even better…

 

My nieces arrived.

School work can wait until next week.

 

Week in Review #4

Another week down.

I am not going to lie. My heart was not in it this week. We trudged through it without joy. Once again, all the pictures were taken by my girl. She loves taking pictures. I am just going to use hers from now on.

Math~Freckle Face took a test and worked on a few more lessons. The Night Owl took a test and did 3 lessons. He did very well. Math has seemed to click. We will see if that holds. My Girl took a test and did 3 lessons. She had a little bit of a rough road, but she will be OK. She is working hard this week learning real world math.

Latin~ Freckle Face completed Lesson 7 in LC 1. He is memorizing Adeste Fidelis. I was thinking how pretty it would be if I could convince some Sunday School kids to sing it at the Christmas Eve service. I wonder if there would be any interest? The Night Owl finished exercises up to 39 this week, aced his quiz and helped his sister. My Girl and I are working through interrogative pronouns. I think that is what they are called. Quis, quis, quid. Those ones. 

English~ Night Owl wrote a paper about parents. Should they be their child’s best friend or a disciplinarian? He said to me, “Mom, I feel a little hypocritical writing this paper, because I have tried all these tactics on you.  I think you should be a disciplinarian, but not really.” My Girl wrote a 5 paragraph essay on something that is ridiculous. She chose school. Should I take it personally? Nah. They are still reading The Scarlet Letter.  Freckle Face worked through a few lessons in Grammar and Week 12 of Writing With Ease 3.

History~ Freckle Face learned more about the Eerie Canal. The other two learned more about the American Colonies.

Science~ The Night Owl is working through Module 2 of Physics. He asked me in the car the other day, “Mom, what would be the velocity of my hand if I moved it backwards while sitting in a car that was moving at 40 mph?” How the heck would I know? “Well, would it be positive or negative?” Again. How the heck would I know? “Well, would I consider the velocity of the car in motion or would that not matter and just the movement of my hand?” *crickets* Freckle Face learned what chemicals make the colors in our fireworks and how glow sticks work. (Hydrogen peroxide and fluorescence. Who knew?)

Religion~ My Girl wrote a thick paragraph on the three types of spiritual aspiration. The Night Owl taught Sunday School and finished his study of the End Times. I need to find something for him that is challenging. Maybe Luther’s commentary on Galatians? That might be good. Freckle Face is studying Bible History.

 Logic~ They both did some. I think The Night Owl finished chapter two in Material Logic. Guess I should check that. My Girl should be through chapter two in Traditional Logic 1. I should check that too.

 

Next week will probably be a very light week. I am expecting to be an auntie again, and I want to see my new nieces. Homeschool problem of the week: The local high school decided to be a pain and wouldn’t let me sign up The Night Owl for the PSAT. After talking to a woman at co-op, I heard that a high school 45 minutes away would be happy to take him. I called. They said yes. We would love to include him. Great! So, now I have a location. This was the first time I have ever felt unloved as a homeschooler. Homeschooling is so popular that most people don’t even blink an eye at it anymore when I mention it. (However, I do try to avoid mentioning it in public as much as possible.) I am glad that there is a place for him. Now, we just cross our fingers that he does as well as I know he can.