G Free: is it for me?

So, my friend Randi decided to go gluten-free. (You can read about her adventures here)  As any language-arts-teaching, book-loving, nerd would do when making a life decision like that, she bought several books on the topic.  As many of you know, my stepdaughter Kennedy, is also gluten-free, diagnosed with Celiac's disease right before our wedding.  I have often made two separate meals when the kids are with us...one "normal" and one for her, and have just recently started toying with the idea of going completely gluten-free when they are with us, or maybe even going completely gluten-free.  As any two friends who share a passion do,we've shared: ideas, recipes, and finally...books!  She recently finished reading The G Free Diet: A Gluten Free Survival Guide by Elisabeth Hasselbeck (Survivor and The View) and has passed it on to me.  Since not all of you reading this are nerds like us, I decided to post the Cliff's Notes version of what I've learned, just in case you were curious. :-)

 

Celiac's Disease:

• It is genetic.
• It is NOT an allergy - it is a condition that causes a toxic reaction to gluten.
• It can cause things such as type 1 diabetes, thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, infertility, and miscarriage, even if you don't know you have the disease!
• Symptoms can go unnoticed for many years, and are not developed until some sort of physical or emotional trauma activates the condition.

Gluten:

• A protein found in wheat, barley, and rye that is the sticky, binding substance that holds things such as bread together.
• An all-purpose stabilizer and thickener that can be found in a wide variety of products.
• Hidden sources: beer, flavored coffee, gravy, beauty products, envelope adhesive, play-doh
• "Wheat-free" does not mean "gluten-free"

Going Gluten-Free:

• Replace, don't remove: Substitute gluten with alternatives, don't just eliminate breads and/or carbs.
• Check out websites such as http://www.glutenfreegirl.com/.
• Naturally gluten-free foods: fruits, veggies, meats, nuts, dairy products, vanilla, spices, popcorn, chocolate, butter, oils, vinegar, sweeteners
• Replace gluten with things such as corn (cornmeal, corn flower, cornstarch), rice, and tapioca (Elisabeth's list is MUCH longer, but these are the most common household items, and what we use at our house)
• Gluten-free foods take longer to cook.
• Take your own snacks to parties: either a "party pack" large enough for everyone to share, or a snack slipped into your pocket to be eaten discreetly.
• If eating at a restaurant, be polite, be specific when you order, and always leave a generous tip.  Look online for a gluten-free menu before leaving the house, or don't hesitate to ask about the gluten-free options.
• Because a gluten-free diet often introduces more grains into your eating habits, you receive more nutrients.

Gluten-Free Recommendations (taste tested in our kitchen):

• Chex and Pebbles cereals
• Ian's Fish Sticks and Chicken Nuggets
• Van's Waffles and French Toast Sticks
• Glutino Pretzel Sticks
• Ener G Foods Light Tapioca Bread
• Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
• Bisquick Pancake Mix
• Annie's Cheddar Mac and Cheese
• De Boles Rice Pasta
• S'Better Farms Corn Dogs
• K-Toos Cookies (Gluten-free Oreos)

Gluten-Free Recoomendations (from Elisabeth):

• Spaghetti squash
• Pamela's Cookies
• Pirate's Booty (especially the cheese puffs)
• Kettle Chips
• Bob's Red Mill
• Mary's Gone Crackers
• Babycakes NYC (I saw them on the Food Network...wonder if they deliver to Texas...)

HEB actually has a pretty decent gluten-free stock...otherwise I head to Sprouts or Whole Foods.  You can also go to http://www.glutenfreegrocer.com/.  When I find something that Kennedy really likes, I check Amazon...often I can buy in bulk for MUCH cheaper.

Favorite Quotes:

• "Tomorrow is the best remedy for a terrible today."
• "Living without gluten does NOT mean giving up your passion for food."
• "Often, people are more open-minded about new foods AFTER they've tasted them.  So surprise your family members - and don't hesitate to be sneaky!"
• "Don't eat a bite just to be polite!"

I really enjoyed reading that book, and if you have decided to look into the gluten-free lifestyle, I would highly recommend it.  Am I going to force my whole family to go gluten-free? No.  I will still keep the gluten/gluten-free "option" available when it is easy and convenient.  If having that option would make me feel like a "made-to-order" cook, then yes, that meal will probably end up completely gluten-free.  As for myself, I think I might just give it a try.  I don't know if Kennedy feels singled out because of her Celiac's...she doesn't seem to be bothered by it, but we also don't really talk about it much.  But, whether or not she does, it's always nice to have someone who's in the same boat as you are.  Besides, if it really will give me more energy, better my attention span, and potentally get rid of my headaches and prevent illnesses, why not?

Winter Jam Resolution

Ok, so with New Years and resolutions and everything, there are all kinds of 14-, 30-, etc. day challenges being promoted...blah, blah, blah...whatever.  But this morning, I was listening to 92.1 K-LOVE and heard a challenge that I thought was worth honoring: listen to nothing but Christian music for 30 days and see how your perspective changes.  I'm excited about this for several reasons:
1.  I have been a church camp counselor for many years, and an "exec" committee member prior to that, so my contemporary Christian CD library from the late 1990's to the early 2000's is pretty extensive.  So, when I'm listening to the radio and decide I don't want to listen to the talk any more, the CD that is in my disc changer will most likely bring back fond memories.
2.  I might finally know some of the newest contemporary songs that are being sung at Celebration, so that I can sing along and not look like a fool just staring at the lyrics on the jumbo-tron.
3.  I have an excuse.  I have been listening to 96.7 recently to help my "cool" status - both in the middle school teacher AND stepmom realm.  Although the tunes are catchy and the lyrics are sometimes decent, I still cringe every time my youngest children (both under age 10) sing "let's go all the way tonight" with Katy Perry...silently praying they don't really understand what she means.
I have always enjoyed Christian music, so I don't think it will be difficult limiting myself based on music....one of my resolutions is to spend more time in conversation with God, so maybe the songs I hear will be a sign from Him...and I've been needing/wanting a perspective on life change...so, bring it on!  I look forward to what the next 30 days have to offer!  (Especially if it includes lots of Michael W. Smith...his voice is amazing, and his blue eyes are, well, also amazing!) :-)

Resolutions in Advance

Wow.  I can't believe I haven't posted since August...so much has happened since then!  I was thinking about posting all of the "highlights" I've "missed" this year, but then that isn't really what a true blog is for.... so I decided that those things just won't make it into the blog.  This year has been crazy busy, and I regret that I haven't had the time to devote much time to my "me-time" passions of reading, blogging, and scrapbooking.

Everyone has a hard time keeping New Year's resolutions.  It's especially hard for me, because I don't even MAKE them.  Well, I've decided all that changes this year...I am making resolutions.  And I am posting them, so that I will also keep said resolutions.  I figure if something's in writing, and published to where others can read, it's more likely to happen.  So, here goes nothing:

2011 New Year's Resolutions

1.  I will make time for myself.  I will regularly update my blog.  I will start scrapbooking again (at least get my wedding and honeymoon album finished!).  I will read...I have a nook that hasn't been touched since school started...it's time to use it!
2.  I will start exercising.  My husband and I will take regular walks.  If the weather's bad, or the temperature is too hot/cold, I will use one of my new Wii games
3.  I will stop drinking carbonated beverages.  I'm not supposed to anyway.  Ok, if' I'm desperately craving a soda,  I will at least pour it in a glass and let it go flat first.
4.  I will have regular conversations with God.  Not just at church.  Or when I want something.  Or before meals.
5.  I will spend time with friends.  Thanks to Facebook, I can keep up with my friends' lives, but I need to spend time with THEM, not the computer.  If they live far away, I will call.  If they live in town, we will have dinner parties, games... something.   Connections that were once strong seem weak, and I think it's because lives are busy...but they should never be too busy!

Wish me luck, it's gonna take a lot of work... but I think if I manage to keep my resolutions all year long, 2011 will be the best one yet!

Stepmom Reflections

Stepmom has always been one of my favorite movies, but I can't put my finger on why.  Maybe it's the all-star cast, or the connections I made with the moments dealing with cancer, or that despite the box of kleenex I go through while watching, it is still a romantic comedy.  Or maybe it was the way I could distance myself from the plotline, because I never dreamed it could happen to me...I would never be divorced or a stepmom....

Oops!  Wrong!  Enter reality, I AM a stepmom!

I remember watching the movie when Scott and I first got married, and counting my blessings that life was NOTHING like that!  A year later, I'm still counting my blessings, but there are some moments when I feel like I could be a part of the film.

Take the stepdaughter for example...she hates Julia Roberts' character.  Kaitlin and I used to have such a strong bond.  Not only was I her stepmom, but I was also a friend, someone she would talk about her day with and confide in, and spend quality time with, but lately she has become a typical teen, talking about hating her parents....but not all four of us it seems...at least she didn't make hating her Mom and Mark public knowledge like she did about hating coming to our house.  (That's the thing about technology today...when I "hated" my mom, I would tell my friends and there would be no paper trail...nowadays with texting, myspace, and facebook (and even this blog) everything is in writing and visible.)  So does she hate me like in the film?  Highly doubtful.  Did she truly mean everything she said about us and our house? Probably not.  Does that make it any less painful?  Unfortunately, no.

Then there's the whole concert scene...when Julia Roberts is trying to reach out to the stepdaughter and asks to take her to a Pearl Jam concert, but Susan Serandon tells her not on a school night, and then gets the tickets herself and her daughter loves her that much more...  Well, this weekend was supposed to be our weekend with the kids.  It was also Longhorn Night at the Dell Diamond.  Jen and Mark asked to switch weekends because they had been invited to the lake with neighbors.  Since the lake trumps baseball in the kids' eyes (except maybe Harrison's), we switched.  So, imagine our surprise when we looked in the box above our seats and saw Kaitlin and Kennedy!  Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Jen sabatoged me like Susan Serandon did by any means....she had NO idea we were going to take the kids to the game, mainly because we don't like to share many of our plans with the kids so they're not extremely disappointed if something comes up.  But it still hurts to see them do something special with their mom they were supposed to be doing with us.

But, not all of the resemblences to the movies are negative: I take great pride when I pick them up at their mom's house and see a picture I took framed on the mantle.  And besides, they ultimately become one bing happy, cooperative, extended family in the end...and that's what makes all the ups and downs worth it...so hopefully our story can one day end as so many have before:
and we all lived happily ever after.

Wine Weekend

Between summer school and the kids, Scott and I didn't get much of a "break", so we decided we needed a weekend getaway.  What better place to go than Fredericksburg and the wineries of the Texas Hill Country?!  We stayed in the cutest little house just outside Stonewall near Becker Vineyard.  It was AMAZING...and surprisingly no more expensive than a regular hotel room.  I HIGHLY recommend it if you're planning a trip to the Hill Country!

The beautiful jet tub to welcome the sunrise.

So, we decided to hit every winery on the official "Wine Road 290."  At each winery, we either split a tasting, or if there were several wines we wanted to try, we each got our own...making sure to get different wines, and splitting those too.  We calculated that together we tried almost 100 wines (combining the wines tasted on both Saturday and Sunday)!

Below are my thoughts of the wineries we visited Saturday:

Texas Hills Winery:  Great wine, casual tasting setting, best deal for your $

Pedernales Cellars:  Interesting flavors are brought out, making their wine fantastic!  I really wish it was sold in stores....at least it's not too far away for another trip!

Woodrose Winery:  The tasting was in a dance hall with the most beautiful wood floor...think it would be really fun to make a trip there when the dance hall is up and running.  Very good wine.

Becker Vineyard: What a disappointment!  All of my friends talked up this vineyard, but it was extremely impersonal, the wine was good, but not great... and they charge more per bottle at the vineyard than I pay for it at HEB!

Torre de Pietra:  One of my two favorites.  Loved everything I tried.  Deciding which bottle to buy was the worst part of this vineyard!  I would go back in a heartbeat.

Grape Creek Vineyard:  The other favorite.  If I were to join any of the vineyards' wine clubs, it would be this one.  I didn't try anything that I didn't like...and would love to have any of them delivered to my door!  

Fredericksburg Winery:  Not the best way to end a day of tasting.  Their wines were mediocre at best.

Touring the wineries...what number was this?!

We were also able to meet up with Paul and Tiffany, in part of her "uncelebration" of her birthday.  We met them for dinner on Saturday night, and then spent the day with them on Sunday.  We visited the last winery on Wine Road 290, Rancho Ponte, and then headed into Sisterdale to visit Sister Creek.  Both had some extremely yummy wine, but didn't quite make my favorites list.  Afterwards, we headed to Luckenbach, and ate the most delicious fried food while listening to a local band.  Luckenbach is seriously in the middle of nowhere, and there's absolutely nothing to it, but yet I absolutely loved being there!

Everyone is someone in Luckenbach...even us!

We stopped at Flat Creek Winery in Marble Falls on our way home Sunday afternoon...I would really like to go back there again and visit the grounds when we're not hot, exhausted, and ready to get home.

So, as it says on the sign Scott almost bought me, "Dinner is poured!"

Fun With Bo-Nana

So, the kids have always called my parents Sherry and David.  Didn't bother me or my parents, because they're not their "original" grandparents, but for some reason it bothered Scott...not to mention if I ever have a baby, they'll call my parents whatever their siblings do.  So, we started to brainstorm what they could call them.  Since Scott's parents were Grandma and Papa, I wanted my parents to be called something different.  Mimi and Granddad were also out of the question, because that's what they called Jen's parents.  So, we decided on Nana and Grandpa.  Nana didn't go over too well with Kennedy when it was first introduced, but when we went to Dallas this summer, Kaitlin managed to transform Nana into Bo-Nana, and it became an instant hit!  We really did have a fantastic time in Dallas (as usual!)...here's how the week progressed:
Friday: The kids and I drove to Dallas, while my dad flew down to pick up Scott after work.  We had a really nice steak dinner with my parents, Mark, Aunt Judy, and Uncle Paul.
Saturday: We went to Medieval Times...which was SO much fun!  Although our knight didn't win the tournament, he was very handsome, and he did throw his carnation to Kennedy.  Kaitlin and Harrison preferred booing the green knight...and he seemed to enjoy the taunting.

Loves the Blue Knight

Sunday:  Loved seeing everyone at Northway!  Afterwards, we played in the pool and had dinner with Paul and Tiffany...SO FUN!

Monday: We spent the day at Hurricane Harbor.  Kennedy wasn't ready for many of the big rides, so my mom and Scott alternated spending time with her while the older two and I (and sometimes Scott) waited in line for thrill ride after thrill ride.  Despite the amount of time spent in line, we had a blast!

Tuesday:  Scott had to go back to Austin and help his mom out, but before he left we went ice skating at the Galleria.  It wasn't as cold as we thought it would be, but it was still a lot of fun!  While my mom delivered Scott to my father's office for a pre-flight teeth cleaning, the kids and I went shopping!  I was so proud of them...my mom gave each of them cash to spend, and they all bought cute school clothes instead of junk!

Ice Skating: Daddy, Kennedy, and Bo-Nana

Ice Skating: Harrison, Kennedy, and Daddy

Wednesday: We went to see Toy Story 3.  Such a sweet movie!  What made it even better, though, was that we were at a theatre that instead of normal seats had couches, ottomans, and pillows...so comfy!  Afterwards we went to Paul and Tiffany's to swim, make our own pizzas, and a much needed haircut! 

Thursday:  I went to see my daddy for a teeth cleaning while my mom swam with the kids, then we loaded up and headed home...then off to the hill country...the kids to Marble Falls for a family reunion, and us to Fredericksburg for some wine tasting.

"Boys Of Summer"

Blake and Scott both have early July birthdays, so Emily and I decided to throw them a joint birthday party.  I think we thought it might have been cheaper than throwing two separate parties, but I highly doubt it ended up that way.  Since we both love 80's music and it was July, we decided on a "Totally Tahiti" theme...with "Boys of Summer" as an obvious theme song.  We planned the party for months, and I think the prep turned out better than we could have imagined!

Scott's birthday cake

The Birthday boys and the pinata

The slide...yes, that's my mom!

There were basically three invitation lists: Blake's friends/family, Scott's friends/family, and CD Fulkes friends/family.  Although there was a great turnout, none of Scott's friends came, so I felt bad that Blake had a huge pile of gifts and Scott didn't have any...but  I think Scott's ultimate gift was the fact that the waterslide was in THEIR backyard and not OURS... :-)