a new way to celebrate Halloween

This was our first Feingold-friendly Halloween. It was a little bit comforting to read this article printed on the homepage of our daily newspaper and know we are not the only ones who have to deal with food allergies on Halloween. We got lots of great hints from other Feingold families on how to make Halloween special in spite of the fact almost all candy cannot be eaten by two of my children. It made for a different kind of celebrating, but I don't think anyone missed out on the fun!!

Rachel at her school parade.

Josiah loved watching the parade. No, he's not the donkey from Shrek, or Eeyore. He's Jasper the Mule, based on a video we received from Grandma Netta. Eric's mom made this adorable costume.

We've continued the hunt for a reason for Rachel's joint pain, so far ruling out many things but not getting to the root of the problem, so she's on a trial gluten-free diet. Many of her symptoms do match a sensitivity to wheat (celiac has been ruled out by a blood test), but we don't know for sure. It was hard to say no to Krispy Kreme donuts and Fruit by the Foot, but we had some gluten-free brownies and pretzels on hand for her school party. I'm so proud of her! Josiah ate an organic cupcake with naturally colored frosting and sprinkles. I keep these things in the freezer for such an event.

Micah was a dragon (he made his costume himself), Rachel a cowgirl, and of course Josiah the mule.

We were ready for at least a little candy fun! My parents ordered some naturally flavored gummies for Josiah online, and Rachel got a Ghirardelli chocolate bar. Here Josiah is enjoying some approved Jelly Belly candies.

What happened to all the candy? The kids exchanged it for a toy they had chosen a few nights ago. And Eddie, smelling chocolate, is investigating to see if he can find any morsels leftover. Micah is putting Josiah's Lego helicopter together. His "newly hatched" Megablocks dragon is nearby.

I'm a little ashamed to admit that instead of buying candy, we gave away the kids' stash to trick or treaters. Rachel is manning the station with her Little Kinz, which she can't wait to log on when I'm done here!! Next year I have a better idea: Yummy Earth lollipops and Halloween pencils. Even kids with peanut allergies can enjoy those treats!

fearing God

This summer after making the decision to visit the Creation Museum near Cincinnati, OH, we did something I will never regret. After paying an arm and a leg to get in to the museum, we gave another arm to see a planetarium show. Yes, it was expensive. No, we will never have quite that kind of experience anywhere else. This was space from a Biblical perspective!

The part of the show that will never leave my memory was when the narrator began to take us away from our solar system. I don't remember the details exactly (my memory, though certainly taken in by the scene, isn't that great) but it seemed as though every time we moved out, we did so by a power of ten--perhaps based on the size of our own galaxy. Galaxies, massive suns, and nebulae, an expanse which made my head spin, met our eyes again and again. Out further and further, to the very edges of the known (known!!) universe. Then back in again, by a power of ten each time. I lost track of counting how many times we moved in somewhere around 20.

How big is God? This is what I wonder every time I look up at the stars for any period of time. It is all there to see as much as we can with the naked eye--the massive expanse of space, and knowledge of an even bigger God who created it all. It is an amazing thought to consider that same God took on the form of a human body, a body He will retain forever, and entered into one time and one space through His Son to redeem the one thing in all creation that rebels against His authority: man. "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" (Ps. 8:4)

A certain sense of that bigness of God will be with me now for as long as I live. But as I study the book of Isaiah this year, I'm challenged in a new way to consider the magnificent size of God. As He commands nations to accomplish His sovereign plans, as He gives His prophet a glimpse of His holiness, as He pursues His own people in mercy and discipline, as He promises the coming Messiah to take care of a problem so massive they can't fix it on their own, the size of God grows by powers of ten. And that is a good thing, as I come to fear Him by just barely learning to grasp God in my mind as big as He truly is in reality. It will take all eternity to stand in awe of who He really is.

A sense of the holiness and grand nature of God in any soul gives way for more of His authority, holiness, and reverence in a life that beholds Him. Not that that life knows much of this: for a quick glance at a holy God leaves one bowing, trembling, and sick at heart at the thought of being in the presence of such a Being as this. Only by the blood of Christ can such a glimpse give way to life and not death. Yet perhaps there is both: death to the horror of self and the sin that infects it, "Woe to me...I am ruined!" and life in this: "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."

I can hardly look, yet it's getting awfully hard to turn my gaze away.

roasted pumpkin seeds

When I was young, we had a tradition of roasting pumpkin seeds in the oven after we carved our pumpkins. My mom used a little butter and some salt, and then you put them in the oven at 300 for about 45 minutes. This year I tried a new recipe for sweet pumpkin seeds, and the kids LOVED it!! It's very simple: some sugar and cinnamon. I made both varieties and they are quickly disappearing, although I have to admit the cinnamon/sugar are my favorite as well.

What good are pumpkin seeds? They are a great source of protein, magnesium, iron, and zinc!

"It's getting faller and faller!"

It may not be proper English, but sometimes a three-year-old has a better grasp of words to express the changes all around than I do.

The "golden tree" goes from green to leafless in the matter of a week. When it looks like this, we linger in our gaze.

Starved Rock... a beautiful reflection of a more beautiful Creator.

I think I recognize these three hikers!

A couple of young deer didn't know enough to be afraid. And they were surrounded by at least 20 people who watched them in as much amazement as they watched us!

Rachel named her newest Webkinz "Forest." With a name like that, how could I say no to his presence on our hike? Josiah brought his sidekick Jasper along, too.

It is very convenient that Starved Rock is halfway between here and Rockford. When Eric's sister's family let us know they would be spending an afternoon there, we jumped at the chance to join them. It was the first time I heard no complaints from Rachel while on a long hike. Her reason? "Mom, Anna was there!"

Greek yogurt, anyone?

Last week I tried Greek yogurt for the first time, and I'm hooked. It was a bit pricey, and I couldn't find any researched brands to try with Josiah. So...today I made my own! It turned out fine and tastes great. All you have to do is strain regular yogurt through a cheese cloth and sieve for 5-6 hours. A bowl underneath collects the extra fluid. I mixed Dannon plain with Dannon vanilla to cut the sugar content. Yum!!! Next time I may have to try some added fruit, or maybe plain with a little honey or maple syrup.

He loves me, He loves me not?

One of my favorite preschool books is called Love is a Handful of Honey. How can I not love lines like, "Love is that full of beans feeling that makes you leap out of your bed. Love is what makes you throw open the curtains and somersault round on your head...love's skipping out in the morning and hoping the day never ends, and love's what you feel when you all get together and go on adventures with friends."

Yet as I have read this book with my children, I've been bothered by a somewhat nebulous feeling of love thrown around from morning to night. So when we snuggle up close to read it together, we talk about how the love of God follows us through the day, making the sun shine brighter and each moment full of joy and meaning.

But what do we do with the moments that seem devoid of the love of God?

Sometimes, loved ones are taken from us in one beat of the heart.
Sometimes, financial catastrophe.
Sometimes, a friendship ends.
Sometimes, we get the news we have always dreaded yet somehow felt was a long time in coming.
Sometimes, the trials seem as though they will never end.

Where is love in this?

Amy Carmichael captured it this way:

The son found himself in a barren place.

His Father said, "In this place I will give you the peace that you are longing for. Here I will give you spiritual food that will nourish you. You are always with Me--no matter what the circumstances--and all that I have is yours."

Then the Father, with great gentleness, drew the son to himself. Quietly He said, "I am the one who allowed you to come into these humbling circumstances and who allowed you to hunger. I did this so that I might feed you with manna--My bread from heaven!

"Only in this way could I help you to know that you cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from My mouth."

The son said, "Give me this bread always!"

And when he grew thirsty he learned to cry, "The light of your face is my life!"

Later still, the son wondered why one like himself, who was so richly fed and cared for at times, should at other times feel so poor and needy and thirsty.

His Father replied by asking four questions:

"Can someone who has never thirsted know how precious is My living water?

"Can someone who has never discovered rivers of these living waters flowing on barren heights--can he ever lead his thirsty friend to those rivers?

"Can someone who has never walked the deep valleys of the spirit help a friend who is fainting--or lead this friend to the well-springs that will save the life of his soul?

"Can someone who has never seen burning sands in the wilderness turn into a refreshing pool--can he speak in praise of My marvels, or My power?"

The circumstances of our lives always speak the love of God. There are times we must simply listen more closely, but those are the times that will especially draw us to Him.

"Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it." Gen. 28:16

just for fun...

A video on Amazon's website about how Yummy Earth lollipops are made. OK--so now I know they ARE mostly sugar. But no artificials!

I think I'll go grab one anyway...I'm drooling after watching it. They really are the best I've ever tasted, and I don't even like lollipops!

new power-packed snack idea

Homemade Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas), rinsed, drained, and pureed in food processor

1/3 c. tahini sesame paste

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste (I didn't use any, and added cumin to season)

Season with (choose one or any combination): 1/2 t. cumin, 2 oz. jalepano pepper, 1/2 c. fresh parsley leaves, some fresh basil, roasted red peppers, garlic, fresh veggies, or whatever else you like.

Stir ingredients until blended. Stuff contents into pita bread and enjoy! Store hummus in refrigerator.

Josiah doesn't eat much meat, but this is high in iron and protein. I'm looking forward to seeing what else I can sneak into this recipe.

A big thanks to Aunt Amy's low sugar snack ideas which inspired us on this one!!

Sorry this post is smashed together. I cannot figure out how to fix it!

so many pieces to the puzzle

I really thought, when I first read about trying an additive-free diet, that we would try it, it would work, and life would go on its merry way.

That did happen, in part. We've been simply amazed by the results we've seen in Josiah, and then in Rachel.

But it hasn't been as simple as taking man-made chemicals out of his food.

As we played with Josiah's diet, we also noticed he reacted to chocolate and corn sweeteners. His behavior and attention literally improve daily. I thought, "Hooray, we've found them all!"

Not so fast.

Last week we reintroduced tomatoes. Why take them out to begin with? When Dr. Feingold was treating patients and discovering the connection between ADHD and food additives, he also stumbled across a group of foods containing salycilates. These foods are related to the compounds found in aspirin, are naturally occurring, and seem to help plants ward off pests. When he started having patients remove these foods in addition to the ones with chemical additives, his success rate in treatment was greatly improved. It has been a bit of a mystery to understand why these foods cause trouble, but more recent research is beginning to point to some reasons. There is a lot of technical science behind this I'm not yet able to articulate (I'm a mom, not a dr!) but it seems to come down to this: some kids simply have trouble ridding their bodies of toxins. And it's not just kids with ADHD. Children with autism, asthma, and allergies also seem to have this in common. (For more on this issue, read the book Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies by Dr. Kenneth Bock.) Children with ADHD may not only have trouble with food additives, they may also have trouble with other substances found in food that normally do not cause trouble in the general population. These substances can include chemicals such as salycilates, gluten, casein, and a number of other things. (This is one reason why a gluten-free, casein-free diet is now being recommended for children with autism and ADHD, and is the "why" behind why it works.)

Back to the tomatoes! Last week we enjoyed a Papa John's pizza, which Josiah ate very enthusiastically. We watched him carefully for reaction and saw things looked good. So a few days later, I gave him a brand of organic "spaghettios." He was thrilled and ate several helpings. Then we started to see old behaviors return. Josiah grew quickly and easily frustrated, more crying, more hyperactivity, and more hunger.

We recognized the hunger and frustration about 1 month into the Feingold program. After reading symptoms, I realized he was probably dealing with low blood sugar: hypoglycemia. I read that the difference between a child with normal hunger pains and a child with hypoglycemia is the force with which they ask for food. Josiah is ready to eat your arm when he's hungry, and there's no amount of telling him he needs to wait for snack time that will convince him to ride out the hunger pangs in his little belly. There are somewhat reliable blood tests to check for hypoglycemia, but the best way to test it is to increase protein and see if the symptoms get better. We did this with Josiah, making sure every snack time and meal time included something high in protein. His symptoms improved.

But now, after eating a good helping of tomatoes twice in one week, the symptoms had returned. More reading, and I discovered that hypoglycemia is exacerbated by food sensitivities.

So now we're back to the drawing board. Should I let him have tomatoes at all? Try for once a week? We'll find out. And meanwhile, I continue to hold off trying other salicylate foods like apples, grapes, oranges, berries, and several other fruits. And if he continues to show signs of hypoglycemia, I wonder about more food sensitivities. Perhaps we should try casein-free, even gluten-free for a trial period and see how things go. While we haven't made any decisions yet, it's something we are considering. I find it interesting that kids often crave the very foods to which they are sensitive. Josiah craves dairy and especially carbs. Those are the foods with gluten and casein.

The mystery continues! But we've come so far in understanding what his body needs and why he behaved the way he did. I can't imagine how rotten he must have felt before we started this journey.

*An update: after talking over Josiah's symptoms with a nurse, she suggested we make an appointment with his pediatrician to check things out further.

enjoying this moment...

-when the sky is blue, the temperatures are perfect, the flowers are blooming, and I can still walk my daughter to school

-when my oldest has not yet hit puberty and is just an absolute joy to live with

-when my two youngest children still disappear in the basement to play and enjoy each other's company for hours on end

-when I can lead in Bible Study Fellowship under one of the best Bible teachers I have ever heard, enjoying the companionship of godly women who have a passion to serve Christ and help others know Him

-when my youngest has not yet started school and is delighting in things like learning to write numbers and use scissors

-when the house is still sort of clean from the fellowship I hosted this week

-when all of our children think it is weird to waste a lot of time watching TV

-when my youngest runs into my arms with a bear hug saying, "I missed you!"

-when a sports season ends and I can take a breath before the holidays begin

-when my daughter wants to be Alice in Wonderland for Halloween

-when my husband and I have to carve out time for ourselves so as not to forget our mission in the midst of the busyness of life

-when I know God better than I used to but not nearly as well as I will