Day 22

We are on day 22 of our gluten experiment.  Some good things have happened and some bad things have happened.  Russ is feeling good and shrinking away. :)  I on the other hand have actually gained weight (according to the Wii).  I have replaced gluten with sugar and corn products, not good for me.  So we are going to finish out our 30 days and probably keep going with the gluten free route, but we will eliminate corn and sugar until Thanksgiving for fun.  I feel good, though! And that is more important than a number on a scale.  I don't eat as much, so there must be something to the wheat causing hunger.  We have had less tantrums from the kids, which is great!  They are only on day 20 and besides Aurora, don't miss wheat.  Aurora will ask why she can't have a  bun, or tortilla but it doesn't last long.  I have discovered that it would be very difficult if one of the kiddos was an actual celiac.  You have to worry about cross contamination and pretty much wouldn't be able to eat out, ever.  I am thankful that we are choosing to do this experiment and not forced in to it by an actual disease.  I am pretty sure that Russ would be considered gluten sensitive and we are afraid to see what a little wheat could do to him. 
We have also had no eczema outbreaks so far (knocking on wood).  So there might be something to it.  I think we are on the right track, we just took the long way.  Your odds of getting cancer is 50/50.  It used to be 20%.  Why the difference?  My belief is the answer lies in our food.  Most food eaten today is genetically modified and has no nutrition.  It is not a coincidence that people who go on juice fasts are able to reverse most disease, including cancer.  God gave us the food we need, with just the right amount of vitamins and minerals.  So why are we not eating them?  We have taken perfectly good food and processed the heck out of it and expect to thrive.  I figure if I can instill good eating habits while they are young, they won't stray too far when they are on their own.  Assuming they will have the choice.   I am now stepping of my soapbox. :)  More for another day.

Pumpkin Patch 2011

Pumpkins as far as the eye could see!

My favorite picture.  He tried so hard to pick that pumpkin up.

Photo by Trevor. :)

Helping Daddy

On the way home!

We loaded the kids in the van and headed out in search of the great pumpkin.  This year we chose to check out Olson Farms in Damascus. We were not disappointed and will be back next year.  It was a beautiful farm without all the frills and fairly cheap.  The kids had fun running around and getting dirty.  They all picked out their own pumpkins and we headed home.  It was a great family outing!

Pizza

We had our first gluten free emergency dinner last night.  Costco didn't have what I needed to make dinner, and I put off going to the grocery store.  So we ordered a gluten free pizza from Papa's.  I have had it once before, so I knew what to expect.  In my opinion it is good, it isn't like their regular pizza, but it is good.  It is small and the largest size they have is medium and it is on the spendy side.  So this won't be something we can afford to do all the time.  3 out of 4 kids ate it with no complaints.  One, whom shall remain nameless, spit it out.  We finished dinner off with some coconut flour muffins. The kids love them and they are good for you.
I am having fun trying to come up with recipes and tweaking recipes to make them wheat free.  Today I am going to make a lasagna with zucchini used as the noodles.  That should be fun!  And if you smother it in enough cheese, I can guarantee the kiddos will eat it. :) 

30 days

The Jones family is embarking on a 30 day challenge.  We are eliminating wheat from our diet.  It sounds simple, until you realize that wheat and gluten are in A LOT of things.  Pizza, crackers, cereal, pasta, bread and tortillas to name a few.  Russ was tested for celiacs awhile ago and even though the test was negative, his doctor recommended staying away from wheat and gluten for a bit.  Aurora and Trevor also suffer from eczema and the weather this time of year makes it flare up.  So we are going to do a little experiment.  Yes, we are experimenting on our children. :)  October is the best month for any dietary changes, in my opinion.  Once Halloween hits any diet flies right out the door.  We have been gluten free in the past, when Aurora was a baby and I became pregnant with twins while being gluten free.  Crossing my fingers that won't happen again! :) This challenge will include Halloween, fortunately many candies and chocolate bars are gluten free.  So we won't be depriving our kids of the ritual sugar rush!  I still have some bread and tortillas to use up today, so the kids will start officially tomorrow.  Russ and I started today. 
I have been doing extensive research on gluten and wheat and Russ and I decided it was time to cut the wheat, again.  Wheat that is grown today, is not the same wheat used years ago.  Our bodies can't digest it properly and can cause a ton of problems, some which our kids and us suffer.  I go through gluten free bursts, here and there, and as soon as I eat something with wheat in it, I get sick.  So we know that there are sensitivities in the house.  Luckily, as far as we know, there are no allergies, so we can afford to fail every once and awhile.
I really think this will be good for our family.  It will be hard, but thanks to almost everyone being diagnosed with celiacs, there are way more food options and alternatives.  So here we go!  Wish us luck!  Stay tuned for updates!