Friday, November 20, 2015

Dress for the job you want, not for the job you have!

My favorite time of the year is just around the corner!   It's finally getting colder and we can spend our evenings wrapped in warm, fluffy "Frozen" blankets and drink hot cinnamon and ginger tea... I love when it's getting dark earlier.   It almost feels like Christmas but without Christmas decorations (can't wait to put ours up next week!).  It's rather tricky to work from home - many distractions and other people don't see it as a real job, so they often suggest "going out with the girls for a nice cup of tea while kids are at school" or "mommy, can I stay home with you after school? Are you working [meaning: going to the office] or you're working from home today?"... So yeah, not easy to convince my 5 year old that I'm serious about my job, when she sees me dressed in jeans and a T-shirt.    I've heard it many times "dress for the job you want, not for the one you have!".   And so if you want to be a regional director of some fancy company, you don't wear scruffy sweaters and jeans or everyday skirts.  You put on your best, crispy suit and wear some make up, have your hair and nails done, and walk like those corporate "females" in the TV shows, giving others a cold look with your chin up high.   Yeah, I don't think that's me :)    If I was to apply that saying, I should be running around the house and town wearing spandex yoga pants suit with a long cape and a mask.    Obviously I am aspiring to be a superhero of some sort - I wanna save the world, be a 100% supermom, 100% super wife, 100% super employee and have time to cook and eat in peace.
Oh no! I'm aspiring to be a female version of Santa Clause.   I guess my Jambalaya girl's goal is to become a fashion designer or a makeup artist... No explanation needed.   And as for my Booboo bear, I believe he will become the first naturist engineer.   He loves detailed drawings of an engine or airplanes, now also insects or anything with wings... And yes, he loves being naked, of course in the least appropriate times!   On the other hand, they say it's better for your skin, if you let it breathe and get some sun exposure on daily basis, haha... I wonder, how your kids express their personalities through clothes choices they make (or lack of such, in some cases).

By the way, working from home is a lot harder to do because you do your regular job and then take breaks to do all the house works (because you're staying home, right?).  I wish there was a refund for any Autism treatment and special education programs... I wish...   The reality is harsh.   The new statistics say Autism affects now 1 in 45 American children!   And that's just in the USA!   Frightening to the families, yet glorious news to the medical society...

I think it's time for some ginger lemon tea.  Anyone cares for some? :)

Stay warm and remember it's almost Christmas! Yey!   

Monday, September 21, 2015

Best days of our lives, dentists and kefir :)

Counting my blessings...

Michael has had his dental appointment today - it was a pretty big job - lots of drilling and partial root canal... I was already preparing myself (and Mom, who went with me) to hold Michael down during procedure and expect the worst: screaming, moving, kicking, avoiding the drill etc... To our surprise Booboo was as good as gold, didn't move one bit. Even the dentist was shocked, as she has never had a patient that calm... I must say, I was quite emotional looking at my boy so mature and peaceful.

I wanted to share results of our little experiment that we've started not even a week ago. Knowing Michael has very sensitive GI system, we decided to give it a go to natural organic KEFIR (<-- click on this link to read more about kefir). We all know how beneficial fermented foods are to our guts. Well, we tried sauerkraut last year (and Michael was eating it everyday till my surgery, which broke the routine and we never fully got back to it!). We had ups and downs, feeling like there have been way more downs than ups recently, but then we were reminded - IT'S ALL IN THE GUT! Our immune system starts in our gut! The better GI functions, the healthier we get. So we tried kefir :) I am giving it to Booboo with a syringe (like a medicine) as he will accept anything that's "odd" as long as I label it "MEDICINE". So there you go! I'm sure you can find your own way to give this stuff to your picky eaters. Start with small doses - adding kefir to mashed potatoes or soups, sauces etc... or if they like yogurts, add to their yogurt. As long as you don't cook it, because then all trillions of good bacteria will be killed :(

I'm drinking it too and I must say, I'm feeling wonderful - pain I used to suffer from (caused by endometriosis) is almost completely gone now! No medication or hormonal treatments! A glass of kefir every single day!

We have started our school year and kids are doing fine, despite dust storms and unbelievable humidity and heat! Michael had a few "worse" days but in general I believe he's improved drastically. The other day, he grabbed his homework notepad and brought it to me, asking to do his homework with my supervision - it's amazing! And he seems to be more interested in drawing again (which used to be his favorite thing in the whole world!).  He's keeping eye contact for longer and tries to verbalize his desires more, as well as using PECS and sentence strips correctly! I'm truly amazed!
And we DANCED for the longest time, just me and my boy - laughing, hugging and crying (OK, just me crying part, cause I am a softy, shhh)


Our church family prayed for us and especially our handsome dude - crying, fasting, pleading with God to help him. I tell you what! It works! Us, as parents can get really down sometimes and feel like our prayers don't go anywhere. It's good to ask other believers to pray! I heard someone saying one day: "Even if you don't believe in God or power of prayer, go to some Bible believing church and ask people there to put your autistic child on their prayer list, and pray for him/ her until you get your prayers answered. Cause prayer of the faithful avails a lot!"

I am going a bit crazy with making photo albums these days - melancholic and getting soooo ready for Christmas :) yes, yes, in September!

So here's a song I love "Best day of my life" by American Authors, accompanied by the photographs of THE BEST DAYS OF OUR LIVES :) Enjoy!

Love you all dearly and pray God will grant the desires of your hearts.


Friday, August 21, 2015

Secret ingredient of healing process - Let's be honest here...

Time for some honest confession, folks!

"Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."—Matthew 17:19-21.

    "And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting."—Mark 9:28, 29.

If you're not a regular Bible reader or simply not familiar with this story, I'd like to present it in a nutshell, so you understand where I'm coming from...

Once Jesus was on earth, fulfilling His divine ministry, He showed His compassion towards multitudes - He healed those that were sick, mime, deaf, blind, lepers, healed woman with hemophilia, brought a few dead people back to life - all this was done out of great LOVE for His creation. It was not magic tricks or sorcery, as some accused Him of. So anyway, one day nine of the apostles (elected by God),  stayed by the mountain with clear instruction from Jesus to continue great work, after Christ's example. They were not only qualified to do this, but they had actually performed many miracles of healing. When they went into towns, filled with divine power, they healed the sick, and cast out devils everywhere; yet on this particular occasion, it seems, they could do none of that, therefore they were completely shocked and discouraged. As they stood there, a poor father had brought to them his epileptic son, who was also possessed with an evil spirit; and they could neither cast out the evil spirit nor heal his epilepsy. What were they doing wrong? Have they lost "their" powers? Again, it's not about magic tricks or some spiritualistic powers used in sorcery. Perhaps, due to so many successful cases of healing, both physically and  spiritually, they got into "routine", contributing positive results to themselves? Just a thought. 

http://christianitymalaysia.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Mark-9-17-29.jpg
Imagine now this picture... a broken man, no doubt with eyes puffed from crying and lack of sleep, carrying in his arms a little boy who is screaming, shaking and kicking, pulling his hair out, scratching and biting his father's arms... This man falling on his knees before strangers, of whom he only heard stories, and begging them for help. Nothing he ever tried helped his son enough to make him healthy again. No remedies from knowledgeable medics of those days, nor restraining him physically, or even throwing him in water or fire... Total desperation and hopelessness. Can any of you relate to that? I know I can!

Back to our story now... So this poor man, whose faith in ever seeing his son healed, was hanging on a very thin thread, saying "Gentlemen, please! Help my son!". And so apostles gathered around him, seeing how the boy is pining his frail body,  grinding his teeth and foaming from his mouth... Scary picture but not that hard to imagine, is it? You can almost hear those men pray over the young fella... They've done it many times before so why isn't he delivered from this condition?! Looking puzzled at each other (I believe this is the moment they started doubting!), they just lifted their hands and said "sorry, we've done all we could".  The next thing we know is Jesus seeing a big crowd surrounding his disciples, who were questioning them, mocking their faith AND God. Therefore He asked people what the fuss was all about. When the boy's dad saw the Master (Jesus), he came out of the crowd and explained that he brought his son and asked the apostles to heal him and cast out the evil spirit, but they were not able to do so. Jesus was grieved from their disbelief and ordered the man to bring forth his son. Then He told him that if he only believed, all things would be possible for them who believed.  So this poor father prayed to Christ saying "I believe, help thou mine unbelief"... God immediately commanded the spirit to leave boy's body. After this happened the boy was laying on the ground, as dead. Then Jesus touched him and helped him stand up. The boy was completely healed! Witnessing all that, His disciples later asked their Master privately, why they were not able to do the same. He explained that this kind of "healing" is possible ONLY with prayer AND fasting!

So there you go! How does the above apply to my "honest confession"? I am that father praying daily to help my unbelief. I've seen so many big and small miracles in my son's life that I should not doubt God's power to heal Michael. Yet, in my weak flesh, I always allow that "but" in my mind... "I know you are able to deliver my son or untie his tongue that he could communicate with us with words, BUT!!!!!....". And then there is another major ingredient that Jesus' disciples were lacking when they failed - FASTING! Yes, fasting - completely abstaining from food and drinks, having just pure water, is essential in the healing process. Not only do you obey God's Word, but it has many secular benefits for your body and mind too. 

As I have been preparing myself to drink water only, I have done some research on medical side of fasting. There are some cases when a person should not try that. But in majority, if you don't have diabetes, if you are not pregnant or breastfeeding mom, if you are not a pilot, active police officer or a doctor on duty, etc... you are a perfect candidate to water fast. 

Please read more on benefits of fasting here.

I need to share, that over the last couple of weeks, we had a really hard time with Booboo - routine has been thrown out the window - no school, our work schedules are different every week and in general we've been on mental "autopilot" ever since we came back from our holidays in America (more on that in my next blog :)). I am suspecting Mikey may have a toothache, as he's been biting things, and people around him, including his precious Yiayia & Papa (grandparents) as well as his baby sister :( . He's been more naughty and hyper than usual. Many days I felt like giving up! My hope that things would improve was hanging on a very thin thread - like in the story about epileptic son. All I could do was cry and beg God for mercy. Not for myself but for my beautiful boy, who is trying to tell me something but gets frustrated, because his mouth and hands are not coordinated with his mind and brain. He hopes I can hear his thoughts, as his amazing blue eyes filled with tears express fear and hopelessness when he grabs my arm and looks into my eyes (which may be physically painful for him to keep eye contact). 

Then I was reminded about the power of God, through prayer and fasting in faith, believing like a child... I know I was not the only one abstaining from food and drinks recently :) It is simply incredible what a change we've witnessed - Michael has calmed down, slept through the nights... He still has outbursts of frustration, especially when he hurts somewhere and is not able to show us where. But God gave us a glimpse of what can change if we invest our faith in God, following His instructions, and yes - FAST and PRAY more. Folks! It is worth it!

I heard someone on YouTube saying that even if you don't believe in God yourself, ask a local church or some believers to pray for your child with autism, because there is no say what power of prayer can do! And it really IS a big ingredient of healing process.

God bless and be well y'all ;)

Friday, May 29, 2015

Who will love me for me? - prison of Autism

Sip of strong coffee (hot, bitter and with a drop of delact milk of course!), work emails read and replied to, reports checked, kids fed and dressed.   Jambalaya telling me she may throw up - that's what every parent working from home wants to hear, knowing there's so many things pending on the business side... Yup, she was right :( Poor baby girl must have eaten something bad last night. At least Booboo is all ready and happy.  Much calmer after just one day of Valerianaheel drops - praise God for homeopathy :)
Since it looks like my chatterbox stays home with me today, I need to play some calming music to keep me sane :) Yes, it is unlikely but I promise I will try...

Awww... "What love really means" by JJ Heller  (<-- link to the song)... Man,this song has so many layers. It made me think of all the people I care about that are desperately willing to be loved for who they are. Big gulp tightening my throat as emotions flood through me and tears start flowing down my face... This song has been such a blessing to me and really made me re-think how I treat Michael. God has given me some additional verses to this song to make me realize how Mikey feels... and how desperately he needs our love - not for what he's done or what he will become but for who he is. The way Jesus sees and loves him. Unconditionally... He doesn't have to be a preacher or a doctor or even a football/ baseball player. God made him perfect and has a purpose for his life WITH autism. Perhaps God will heal our boy and puts autism in remission like He did with so many other kids and adults on the spectrum... If yes, it would be wonderful, if not... we will keep on trusting Him and His perfect plan.

I love you Mikey...





Prison of Autism




He cries in the corner where nobody sees
He's the kid with the story
No one would believe
He prays every night
"Dear God won't you please
Could you send someone here
Who will love me?"



Who will love me for me

Not for what I have done

Or what I will become

Who will love me for me

'Cause nobody has shown me what love

What love really means



He wished he could speak to express all his thoughts,
all desires, all dreams, even what was wrong...
He cries every day feeling misunderstood:
"Dear God, make them realize
I would if I could!!!"



Who will love me for me

Not for what I have done

Or what I will become

Who will love me for me

'Cause nobody has shown me what love

What love really means



He’s trying so hard to control all the things
“They’re so easy for them, then why not for me?”
He hears all the sounds even louder than them
But they judge and they mock when he’s overwhelmed…



Who will love him for him

Not for what he has done

Or what he will become

Who will love him for him

'Cause nobody has shown him what love

What love really means



He screams when he hurts, When the pain is too much
He thinks “God, won’t you please, make everything alright?”
He looks at the kids – they’re so happy and free
And yet he is in jail of his own disease…


Who will love me for me

Not for what I have done

Or what I will become

Who will love me for me

'Cause nobody has shown me what love

What love really means



And when night gets dark and his day almost done
He looks up, he looks down, he looks all around…
He sees his dear mom and his dad all apart
“Maybe if I wasn’t here, they would be alright?”


Who will love me for me

Not for what I have done

Or what I will become

Who will love me for me

'Cause nobody has shown me what love

What love really means



One day God looked down and He smiled seeing him
He was running around laughing, chasing the unseen
He stopped little boy and looked deep in his eyes
Then kissed him and told him "son, you'll be alright"



And He said “I will love you for you

Not for what you have done or what you will become

I will love you for you

I will show you what love

What love really means

 ......
I'm finding myself at a loss of words. Can't wait to run to my boy and give him the biggest hug ever  and tell him how much he is loved and what a blessing he's been in our lives! 
Mikey and the sea - liberating calm in overwhelming world of Autism


Thursday, May 14, 2015

Love with capital "L" - parsley, ancient city and CD player

Mmm, the smell of blackcurrant tea and delicious crispy protein bar full of nuts, fruit and some other healthy stuff. Yummy! As I felt piece of blueberry on my tooth, my mind drifted back to 2004...

I was in a need of a decent laptop to write down my very complex life story.   I didn't know any companies specializing in these products, so I asked my manager and a good friend, if she could recommend any, since her laptop was first class.   She then found some leaflet and handed it to me saying it's a solid distributor (and American!), so I should be able to find something decent, meeting my expectations.  Little did she know, a year after that purchase inquiry, I would be marrying my sales person :)  Yup, Mark showed up with my laptop and neither of us talked much about computer's specs, but rather our interests, like and dislikes etc... Mhm, I got a special deal: "buy one, get one free" haha. I bought  a laptop and agreed to be asked out on a date to T.G.I. Friday's.   Obviously I had to very carefully choose my meal there, as I didn't want to eat something heavy or causing any gastrointestinal issues. Duh!  The best choice was a very safe, or so I thought, chicken salad.   To be honest, I don't remember much from that date, and it's not because I was under influence of any sort of substances, although I was under a spell of a tall, handsome American dude...  All I remember was "parsley"!!! As we got our food, we were being all sweet and charming, eating tiny bites, chewing carefully, laughing a lot, sharing things about each other... and of course, what's the number one thing that attracts the opposite sex? Smile! But of course!   I could not stop smiling, and was really fluttered that Mark seemed to notice it.   But after a while of his eyes fixated on my lips, I felt a little uncomfortable.   Mind that it was our first date "out" (our first first date was when he invited me to his church!).   He smiled and looked me in the eyes, and said these famous words that caused permanent "amnesia" in my mind :) "Ula, although we've just met and don't really know each other that well, I believe you would appreciate the honesty and me saying what I want to say without any circling around the subject"... I blushed and thought "man! this guy is a real macho! here comes cliche 'I LOVE YOU'. Just say it and let's get it over with!". And he did! Well, not quite these words. It was more of: "You have a massive piece of parsley on your tooth. If it was me, I would also appreciate your honesty to spare the embarrassment for me".   As you can imagine, I wanted to be swallowed by the ground or become invisible.  My tomato red face and I asked to be excused.  I walked really fast to the restroom and looked for the windows, to escape that hall of shame :) Typically, no windows available, therefore I had to get back to my seat with crumbles of dignity I had left.   I honestly cannot recall that evening's conversation.  The only word still ringing in my head is PARSLEY... Oh well... We agreed to forget about any leafy vegetables when we were eating out.

I knew from that day that he is the one for me.   OK, and he knew too much about me AND saw my defiled smile.   He could either marry me or go missing in unexplained circumstances... I'm still happily married :)

I remember having a really bad day at work, feeling hormonal and snappy when Mark asked me out to dinner. Mind that because of the medication I was on back then, I developed a tremendous lack of confidence.   I didn't want to go to public places where there were many people, as I felt they were all looking at me and probably mocking (all in my head!).   Mark was brave enough and didn't get discouraged by my behaviors.   We ordered some Mexican food and as we were about to eat, he stood up and went to the car saying he had to make a call!  I felt like Daniel in a lion's den :) Of course that put me in an even worse mood.   When he came back all weird and absentminded, I immediately asked to leave.  I had had enough!   So he respected my wish and promised to take me to my place.   I noticed he took the wrong exit and drove towards the sea and ancient city of Amathunda.   In my sick brain, I figured he did it on purpose to get me more upset, as a payback for ruined dinner.   As he stopped the car, the moon reflecting beautifully in the water, gentle breeze outside and not a living soul around, I gave him "the look".   If eyes could kill, Mark would be "no more" :)  I had no clue what he was up to.  There he was, all romantic, trying to pick up the pieces of a disastrous date and his girl resembling an ancient dragon, with nostrils like butterfly wings, grinding her teeth, making her rather full lips practically disappear in tight gin ... If I was a guy, I would run like Speedy Gonzales, while there was still time :)  You can imagine, it was not an easy setting for a gentleman...
I know, I was a terrible creature. But I blame it on my meds ;)


Mark was driving an old Honda with no music player, so he attached his CD player to the radio via long cable. He started playing "our" song which made me suspicious... Why, oh why, would he do that?!  As the music played, our car doors opened so we could feel the soothing breeze and sea air, Mark had spoken :) "Ula... do you remember when you asked me if I thought you were the one for me, for life? Well... I don't." - that's all I've heard. My brain exploded. I've never been more humiliated in my life! OK, I partially deserved that as I had not been a very nice person, especially that evening. So I'm sitting there feeling completely numb, tears flowing down my cheeks, anger and frustration blending with sadness and huge loss and I see Mark getting out of the car. As he moved, his foot got tangled in the wire connecting the CD player to the radio. All I could see was a CD player flying high in the air, smashing into the ground, followed by Mark tripping over the wire, then kneeling down to put the pieces together, getting back in the car and putting on "our" song again. I was in shock. I was searching for energy to punch him in the face for this insult but could not feel my arms. The next time I opened my eyes I saw him by my door, kneeling down on one knee with a small white box and the most beautiful diamond ring a girl could dream of.   My brain registered  "will you marry me?" somewhere between the lines. I regained consciousness and managed to say "yes" :) After dust settled, Mark asked why I reacted that way to his extremely romantic proposal.  Apparently my brain froze and I missed the "good" part.  After "Ula... do you remember when you asked me if I thought you were the one for me, for life? Well... I don't." there was "I don't think. I KNOW you are the one for me and I cannot imagine my life without you, therefore I would like to ask you a question"... We laugh even now.   But like I said in my previous posts, we could not possibly have a regular life journey. From the very beginning, God made sure we would experience some most bizarre and ridiculous things, always random and filled with slapstick humor.  the way we met, our dates filled with parsley, marriage proposal, wedding vows, having a baby and forgetting the "hospital bag"etc... We love it!

So now, after this reminiscing, you can better understand why our kids are the way they are :) They simply have no choice having us as their parents, right?

Now on a serious note, it is really important that parents of a special needs child will keep their romance alive.   Actually, it applies to all parents.   In a rush of daily work, stress and kids, we tend to forget about Love (purposely spelled with capital "L").  Statistics are brutal. 3 out of 4 marriages with kids on the Autism spectrum end up in divorce and father leaving home.  It breaks my heart.  Every child desires to grow up in a complete family with loving parents who show, through their own example, what Love really is.   Are we a perfect couple that never argues or have different opinions on things? Absolutely not! But we do work on our marriage and our secret is "Love God before anyone else and keep Him a central Person in your home".  It works!

Have a fantastic day and never jump to conclusions before you hear the whole sentence ;)  
Love and peace
Till next time...

Friday, May 8, 2015

Hiking and Father's Day Adventure

Looking back... as I listen to the song in the background of a tribute video I put together for my precious boy, I get a big lump in my throat. If I was a song writer, this would be the song!

Enjoy watching "The Beautiful Face of Autism - Mikey Joe

Yup, counting my blessings one by one... It's good to do the stock-take every now and then ;) we had so many great moments together that easily overshadow the bad memories.

Tomorrow we'll be doing our weekly hike in the mountains... That is always an adventure. I remember very well our first big hike around Mount Olympus. We were told that it's a very picturesque walk that makes a perfect circle around the mountain - starting and ending the trip in the same spot - HA!!! It was 2 years ago, Booboo was 6 and Jambalaya not even 3 years old. Knowing how much Mark loves adventures and hiking, I decided to surprise him with backpacks filled with healthy snack and drinks to last 3 hour hike, or so we were told!

All excited we drove up the mountain on a gorgeous, sunny day... Up there it was cooler than by the sea where we live, so it was really pleasant to walk. We parked our car in a shade, under the tree and started our hike. How wonderful. How splendid! One thing our friends were right about and that was the most spectacular views and tranquility all the way... As you can imagine, 6 and 2,5 year old troopers got tired after first 20 minutes of our walk. No biggy, we can make a short stop to refuel our bodies with some sausage and water...

 As we stood up to keep going, our little princess asked if we're "almost there" cause her legs were getting tired!!! We knew we had ahead of us at least another 2.5 hour walk but as we all do, we answered in a quite convincing manner "YES, almost there". Mikey asked to be picked up and carried in Daddy Bear's arms and I had to do the same with Vivien.

Even if they weigh less than 20 kilos, if you have to carry them in your arms for several kilometers, your arms faint pretty fast. We kept going, changing the ways we carried them - letting them sit on our shoulders, carrying them piggy back style, carrying them in the front, supporting their backside on our palms (that's a killer one right there!) and eventually making them walk despite pain.

 After about 3,5 hour walk and going through all our snacks, we stopped even noticing amazing views around us. All we wanted was to get to the car as soon as possible, hoping we would see it behind the next curve. Another 2 hours passed and sun was setting down... Kids were crying and begging for mercy - literally. And so were we. I'm pretty sure I was speaking in Polish to vent my frustration and pain that was piercing my calves and thighs. Even my hips and back hurt! I was willing to stay under the open sky, just sit in the middle of the path and risk being eaten by Troodos mountain wildlife :)

Mark was walking faster in hope to see our car and to shout back to us that he found it. That would be nice. But we're not an average hiking team. We had to keep walking... It was really odd that throughout the entire walk on this trail we have passed just one couple who was walking in another direction. We felt like in Twin Peaks or something. Mysterious trail where people disappear... Finally we heard some cars on the road, so we knew we were close. What a relief that was. As we walked toward the setting sun and got extra power to speed up with both kids on our shoulders.

You can imagine our shock when we got to the road and didn't see our car. No, it was not stolen.  It was parked 5 kilometers up the mountain on the way to Olympus... Yes... the vision of walking up the road with two hungry, extremely tired kiddies did not turn us into kind and sweet best friends. Hissing and growling could be heard as we kept crawling up. At some point I was hoping that at least one of the passing us cars would stop and give us a lift to our car. Not a chance! My legs rebelled against me and I just sat down on a big rock holding my two sleepy babies. Mark turned out to be a hero that saved the day, as he walked up the hill, alone, despite excruciating pain in his legs. He found our car and drove down to pick us all up. I've never been more relieved in my life. As tears of joy flowed down my face, kids immediately fell asleep and Mark turned to me, smiled and said "never again!" We could not move for 2 days. And we were in pretty good physical shape before this adventure  :) So what did we do the following weekend? Yup, you got it! We went hiking again but this time we took the right trail. And  that became our new family tradition...

Looking forward to see what tomorrow holds! :) Aaaah, this time Bonnie goes with us ;) more fun!

Have a fabulous weekend and make some memories with the people you love! God bless xx





Bilingual home with countless "Autism" Rules broken

As I looked at my "love tribute" to Mark that I made for one of our wedding anniversaries, I realized we could not have a "neuro-typical" proper life.  It was predestined to have it all other way around, as we have always been the crazy kids on the block. Although I grew up in reserved Poland with Catholic background and Mark in good ole' South, USA in a Baptist community, we could never fit the little square boxes of conventions. I was a rebel since my early childhood, raised in a socialist "Polish People's Republic", where sharing your faith and believes in public could cost you your job, prison or even death in some extreme cases.   I was only a few years old and was proud to tell other kids about the love of Jesus, sharing all Bible stories I've heard in my "religion" classes. Especially sharing them with my friend who was a daughter of the biggest communist in militia back home. I had no fear (or understanding of the consequences), so I was teaching her all things I've learned - like the model prayer, all about the angels and heaven and what God did for us because of His love... She then asked her parents if she could start attending my religion classes.  Oopsie daisy :) Yup, I caused some trouble every now and then. I could never sit still and watch TV, like my kids can nowadays... Partly because "kids' programs" were not available 24/7. We had like 2-3  channels and kids could watch cartoons on Saturday and Sunday morning till 10-ish and then "goodnight" story for 20 min after evening news section. And that was it! So, like most of you, I spent my days outdoors. I found it easier to play with boys rather than other girls. I always loved climbing the trees, playing cards, not so much playing football, but doing all other things that were far more fascinating than changing clothes of our dollies and playing tea parties... As a teenager I was the one "saving" my class from big tests by acting in a really dramatic way (and yet very believable) acute appendicitis and other medical emergencies :) May God have mercy on me haha. School nurse got to know me well by the end of my school years. But I also went to hospital and was willing to go through all kinds of nasty and really uncomfortable procedures just to avoid going to music school (my violin lessons)... So yes, not an average Joe. Mark had similar character and knew he had to do more than what was offered to him in his community. He came with his parents, who were missionaries to Cyprus, as a young boy and practically grew up in here, surrounded by multinational culture. He never had problems making friends and, like me, he wanted to share the gospel with anyone coming his way - always with a great sense of humor. I remember the story he shared when his best friend came to his house for a meal. Mom cooked some delicious food and everyone ate with good appetite. Then when Mom left with all the dishes, Mark said very loud "this is so rude of you! Why would you say that my Mom's food is horrible?! I can't believe you". Poor guy turned red and was ready to strangle Mark with his bare hands. :) Although we were raised in two completely different environments, we were so alike. And then when we finally met, we knew from the beginning that was IT :)
To cut the story short (finally!!!)
We fell in love, got married twice (to each other!) and then stork flew over our house and dropped our Mikey first and then 3.5 years later his baby sister.  We're a Polish - American family living in Cyprus, having great friends from Israel, Lebanon, Russia, Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Austria, Philippines, UK, Sri Lanka, Holland, Germany etc.... We're truly blessed. And so as a young mommy, I was talking to my baby boy both in Polish and English, until I went to work when Michael was one. Then it was more difficult as I didn't have much time with him. One and a half year after that we had first ASD diagnosis and suggestion from pediatrician to limit communication language to just English :( It hurt me (and still hurts) that my language was put on the side track as less important. I know if we were living in Poland it would be different, as we'd be surrounded by this language. In Cyprus official language is Greek (but of course! - "give me any word, ANY WORD! and I will prove that its root is in Greek!" - quoting from the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"). All doctors are Cypriots, public schools are Greek language based. We had a big problem. There were even some suggestions that we should learn Greek and speak in Greek at home, so that Mikey could go to public (free of charge) school one day and to know Greek by default. Sounds crazy now but back then we were considering all options. We found private English kindergarten and then school, so problem was solved (although a very costly solution to language dilemma). Funny enough, Mikey shows great interest in foreign languages. He loves the sound of Chinese, Hebrew, Arabic, Greek and Dutch. At school he's writing his name in Greek alphabet as if it was no biggy... This boy is full of surprises, no doubt!
Bilingual parents, multinational friends at school and in church, Polish grandparents who took an effort (in their mature age!) and studied English for several years, in order to communicate with their "foreign" grandkids (sigh)....
Psychologists and all the smart medical professionals seem to be on the same page regarding limiting communication language to just one (English). The same rule applies to calling Michael by his name, not to confuse him. Ha! Now that would be easy if we were "normal" parents obeying instructions coming from professionals. As the natural born rebels without a cause we cannot conform ourselves into small boxes of conventions :) We both make up words and nicknames for all the members of our family. It's impossible to just have one name and one nick. So our poor boy on the spectrum knows (and likes) all his nicknames. And, what puzzles the medical world, responds to most of them :) In my craziness, I tend to forget that when picking up kids from school, I should call their given names. And then I see surprised faces of other parents when I call my kids by their nicks... Some of them are really bizarre:
Booba Boobela - female form of the original name Booboo (origin: Yogi and Booboo Bear)
Sillina - combo of the English word "silly" and Polish ending of female names "na"
Grumpelstinsky - nick for Daddy Bear ;) I don't think it requires further elaboration ("-sky" is a typical surname ending of Polish Americans immigrants)
Floopy doopy doo with occasional moderation of Floopidy Floop Floop and Flopster
Dziumbellina (pronounced: joom-bellina) -  no real meaning but sounds cool
Frompiduria - again, totally made up word
Occasionally we throw some random Greek words like "glikaniso" (γλυκάνισο) which means aniseed. I know! Couldn't get more ridiculous :)

To sum up - there's this magical beauty in our multinational existence and bilingual family with crazy made up dictionary that keeps our Autism reality that much sweeter. Since we cannot change circumstances, we can and we most definitely will change conventions and words we use.

What's the recipe for happiness in our crazy household?
1 American stud
1 Polish female rebel
2 Polish- American kids
handful of humor
1 tsp of seriousness
10Tbsp of craziness
pinch of sadness and trials
a whole lot of Autism
and all marinated and cooked in pure organic faith

That would be all, folks! Stay tuned and send me some comments ;)
Love and kisses...
God bless each and every one of you

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Cats are autistic

A-chew! Allergy season in upon us... Love working from home when I move my office to veranda, under big umbrella... Sip of refreshing (always room temperature!) water and a quick bite of banana or apple - whatever is available.  Most of you are probably used to drinking freezing cold water, even with added ice to make sure it's extra cold! And you call me a weirdo? It's a pure logic that when temperature outside is getting hot, when you drink cold beverage it makes your body sweat more, making you feel discomfort of the heat even more, as you get dehydrated (through perspiration) and eventually more thirsty, 15-20 minutes after  you drink :) Mark is always making fun of me when I ask for a hot coffee or tea on a blazing hot Summer day. Or eat a nice light soup (boiling hot of course). He cannot fathom that... And yet when I drink hot drinks and eat my hot meals (both spice and temperature wise) I don't sweat much and my kidneys are smiling back to me with a happy "thank you".

Allergies are the plagues of 21st century, huh? Whoever I talk to, is allergic to some sort of food, pollen, dust, animals' fur etc etc... The list of things that cause allergies is long. And we can deal with them in many different ways. Sure, the stronger the allergy is, the more vast the treatment should be. My allergic reactions result in skin rash and gastrointestinal cleansing :) But when others react to allergies with difficulties in breathing (asthma like symptoms) then it's not so funny. Our boy has severe allergy to olive trees, dust and dust mites. Plus he's sensitive to gluten, severely allergic to casein (yellow cheese specifically) and possibly to animals' fur? We're still waiting to run these tests as they are not covered by insurance. But of course :) It would be really sad if results showed allergy to my 2 stinky cats or cute Bonnie. And if they did, what then? Ahhh, I will think about it tomorrow, as my favorite character (Scarlett O'Hara) used to say.

They are my personal assistants, as I do my work - Bonbon resting under the table with her snout on my feet, one cat heating my lower back and the other on the chair next to me. They have a lazy but happy life... Maybe not enough walks recently, as Bonnie wanted to have puppies and we had male dogs camp set right in front of our gate.  Some of them were really faithful and determined. Camping even in the rain and through the night, the others coming in hope that the magic gate will be open... She was impossible to walk through the village, as all her "fan club" was following us, which made me wanna carry a rifle and try some hunting :) She's now 20kg (almost Michael's weight) puppy and very  jumpy. But she cannot get the idea that fields are for "doing her business" and not the house! I took her for a long ride, several hours for sure. She drank a lot of water, as she was thirsty, so I knew she was dying to use the bathroom, or whatever dogs do :) She held it in. I took her for a long stroll around the village and she was pulling me towards the house. As soon as we got home, literally exhaled and stained my living room floor. Ahhhh!!! This dog,yet she's the sweetest dog I've ever met. She's very good with kids and she's so loyal and loving. And treats my crazy black cats as her brothers, and vice versa. They are part of our crazy family. Although she was not trained to be a therapy dog for Michael, she is a natural. But surprisingly, our boy bonded more with the cats. I guess it's because cats are autistic too :) Seriously. Try calling them by their name - non responsive. Try encouraging them to eat good food in a classy manner, from the bowl, resting etc. Hahaha - there's snatching chunks of meat and running to hide behind the corner to eat like a caveman, making growling funny noises as you come near. They avoid eye contact, yet they love being shown love and affection, but only by those that they choose and grant permission to :) they are super smart (like Garfield) and very demanding. They get bored easily, so you need to come up with new games that they'd find interesting. They rock! Both kids and cats on the Autism spectrum...

Stay tuned folks! Would love to hear some feedback from other autism parents and not only :)
Love and peace

Monday, April 27, 2015

To medicate or not to medicate, that is the question

Nightmare got me up before the alarm clock came to greet me with a kiss and a hug.   She was still fast asleep in her "Clemson Tiger" bed and as I turned around and saw my Snoozosaurs (both of them) in their usual morning position - diagonal with mouths open, breathing peacefully with an audible "eghhh -  phatatatatata, eghhh - phatatatata".    I knew I was the only one up and still reliving that horrible dream which brought back fear about my family's well-being and nearest future.   I rushed to the bathroom, splashed face with cold water, looked in the mirror, sighed as I saw my morning face and quietly walked downstairs to put the kettle on.   I turned on the Wi-Fi (we always switch it off for the night to limit radiation in the house when we sleep) and scrolled through Facebook posts - all same, nothing new, more bad news from Nepal, Israel, Syria, Yemen... Then some new reports on yet another medical/ scientific research proving definite link between mercury & vaccines and Autism and other developmental delays and neurological damages.   Closed Facebook and news as all regrets and bad memories flooded back like a sticky bubbly mud - I still cannot forgive myself for not listening to my gut feeling when we took Michael for his MMR vaccine and then Hexa. He was not 100% well when he was jabbed with this lovely cocktail of different viruses preserved with Thimerosal. I trusted medical professional who after a brief check up decided that since he didn't have any fever, he was strong enough to receive his immunization, as scheduled.   Oh, how I wish I knew then what I know now!   But that's why I started this blog in the first place - to share my mistakes but also the good things that have been helping my boy after the MMR and Hexa fiasco.

As I said before, I am not against vaccinations but everything in moderation, as they say, and definitely check what is being injected in your little ones - better to pay a bit extra and get separate vaccines for each virus rather than risking taking the lethal combo.   That's my opinion.   Another big factor that pediatricians tend to overlook is kids' health when they come for their jab. Even a small congestion, or as Brits call it "a sniffle" can be dangerous and lead to neurological disorders, developmental delays and yes, to Autism.   P.S. I vaccinated both my babies, but with my baby girl I took extra precautions, as I had already educated myself on the risks and side effects of immunization.  But that's another topic.

These things made me think of all the meds Michael has been on, throughout the years. And again, I don't say you should say NO to any conventional medications your kid would be advised to take, but based on our experience I am going to share my view on medicating in general.

As we visit new doctors and specialists we discover new things that are "wrong" with my boy and we are being offered a "solution", or a quick fix - medicate and cover up the symptoms, so your kid will act more like other neuro-typical peers. And when you listen to all the knowledgeable specialists from around the world, and you value their experience in medical profession, you naturally tend to follow their advise.   And why shouldn't you!  Doctors swear to help patients and not harm them after all.  So, we listened to the fantastic sounding option of putting Mikey on "very mild" norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor to supposedly treat his ADHD.  May I take a deep breath again... Always, always and let me say again - ALWAYS read and educate yourself on medications' side effects, how long they've been in use, study cases (if there are any, as most of the drugs prescribed these days are too new to have scientific proofs of no life threatening side effects in long run) of patients who took these drugs as kids and are now perfectly healthy adults with no damage to their liver, lungs, brain, bone density etc... I learn the hard way!

This brings me to the story I wanted to share.   It was a lovely Summer day and Mark and I had our date, going out for lunch to a nearby Mall. Kids were at their grandparents, as school was finished for the semester. As we were on our way, we received a call that Michael had twisted his wrist pretty bad.   So we rushed to the clinic and saw our poor little guy all pale and with his wrist misplaced.  As we were waiting for the X-ray we found out that because he had recently eaten, he wouldn't be operated on for the next 6 hours or so!   And because arm was broken in 2 places he would need to go under full anesthetic, therefore no painkillers allowed!   Those of you who have kids on the spectrum understand what I mean. Terrified little fella, not able to communicate with words, not understanding what's going on, and 2 bones broken in a really nasty way - definitely causing a tremendous amount of pain.  To cut the story short, he has never been put to sleep, never been operated on and definitely never encountered such trauma.  I need to mention a miracle that we witnessed as we were holding our boy in our arms in the hospital room, rocking him and humming his favorite tunes... Mind that he had not been given ANY meds that could take some pain away for 8 hours!!! We were praying like we've never prayed before. People around the world who saw our post on Facebook started a prayer chain and were sending us encouraging short messages.  We looked at Michael and his face brightened up with a gorgeous smile, as he was playing with daddy's phone, waiting patiently for his surgery.  It was as if he was given some powerful pain reliever or something, but it was power of prayer and merciful touch of God. It gave us so much courage as we felt this peace in the room. Then I had to use my Autism Mama Bear's techniques to prepare my baby boy for a surgery. I knew he was terrified as he was brought to this cold septic room. Doctors and nurses were trying to chase me away, which turned me into a Grizzly in a split second. They knew not to mess with a crazy lady :) They allowed me to get in the operating theater and talk to Michael as he would be given anesthetics through the breathing mask. I was holding mask and was explaining to him what it was for and how to take a deep breath... He was fighting as he didn't want the mask on his face. So I took it and put close to my face and smelled cherry like aroma - yup a sniff of good ole' anesthesia haha. After seeing me do that, he agreed to place mask on his face. It took a few seconds before he was completely under and then I was asked out. Fair enough. He had 2 big nails (stitches) put in his bones but doctor didn't want to put his arm in cask as it was surgical wound which could get infected if kept under plaster etc. 
We came from hospital keeping an eye on our very inquisitive boy, who was determined to get the bandages off to look at the wound. During the day the"chase" was easy but nights were a different story. One night he came to our bed with no bandages and his palm loosely dangling as he held his hand up. Both Mark and I jumped and rushed him to the bathroom to put the bandages and the semi cask back on. We still laugh and get nauseous at the same time remembering that night. We both looked at each other, then gazed at Michael's flopped hand, and felt blood leaving our body making us dizzy and close to fainting. Mark was literally green on his face and his pupils so huge that I couldn't see his original eye color. I had to lie down on the cold tiles on the bathroom floor myself to catch breath and gather the last bits of energy within me and put bandages back on our very chilled patient. It was the worst! The reason I made this long introduction was to show the iceberg of it all. His arm was freshly broken, he had 2 long nails keeping his bones together and started a brand new Summer school/ Intensive Therapeutic Camp in a completely unknown environment in the University Camp. 
1) traumatic experience + recent surgery + pain killers
2) change in routine + new place + new people (therapists/ psychiatrist / psychologists) 
3) rooms cramped with other kids on the spectrum - some more severe cases than others
4) being watched/ observed and given regular food that Summer School menu provided (gluten bread, cheese, fries and gummy bears as reinforcement) hmmm... 
I wonder why Michael had been so hyper back then... Aha! Not so much because of Autism, but because of ADHD!  But no worries, there are wonderful meds, "fairly" safe for kids to tame these symptoms helping a child to focus and sit still for a longer period of time and thrive academically. Of course we tried these drugs and noticed some improvement - especially academic side. But after about 3-4 weeks we noticed worrying side effects - Michael stopped eating (classic anorexia), stopped sleeping, feeling more anxious and possibly hallucinating. He developed dark shadows under his eyes and his skin was pale despite being in the sun a lot (Summer). We were told to keep going as these side effects could easily be treated with another antipsychotic drug with a long list of side effects. It put a red light in my intuition and again URSA - the Autism Mama Bear was awaken and ready to attack.   I had long discussions with many specialists (which I still value as great professionals in medical field) and tried to convince them to help us find a less invasive, alternative treatment that would actually cure the core of the problem and not be just a quick fix. So this is how our ways split, as psychiatrists firmly believe in treating a problem and I believe in curing a patient - even if it takes longer.  So that's why I tend to exhaust all bio-medical remedies first, before I reconsider administering conventional chemical treatment. 

So to answer the question "to medicate or not" I would say "it depends on individual case". Quoting Temple Grandin: "There are way too many powerful medications with severe side effects casually given out to young children. I am very concerned about possible long-term damage to the child’s developing nervous system.  This is especially a concern when  powerful antipsychotic drugs are given.  They may cause tardive dykinesia,which may cause permanent Parkinson-like shaking. For more complete information on medications you will need to read the medication chapters in the 2006 edition of Thinking in Pictures and the 2010 2nd Edition of The Way I See it. In young children, it is usually recommended to try interventions, such as special diets first, for treating behavior problems that are related to autism"

Be safe and God bless each and every one of you!

Friday, April 24, 2015

Morning routine, coffee and love

Ahhh... heavenly smell of freshly made coffee, a drop of delact milk and voila! I can enjoy my day now :)
I was asked about routine for our Autism household and how, in general, our day goes by.   Hmmm, that's not as easy to answer as I have thought.   OK, in general our life is rather chaotic to say the least, although we tend to stick to our self-occurring routines, especially in the mornings.    Let's take today as an example.   Around 4.30am we felt our little boy climbing into our bed and finding comfort between my husband and I (this has been going on for years - on and off, but recently more on rather than off :)).   Knowing I would have to get up, pick my 25kg (55 pounds) bundle of joy, walk around our bed trying to squeeze through a tiny gap between our bed and chest of drawers, carefully passing long legs sticking out of the bed (my original bundle of joy is over 2 meters tall - 6'8") and carry Booboo all the way to his room... I thought to myself "look at him sleeping so peacefully with mouth wide open, producing sweet little snoring sounds, having REM as he was obviously dreaming about something - perfect copy of his daddy :)... Ahhh, he can sleep another hour or 2 and so can I!".  I don't know about you, but my mind never rests.  As I started thinking of all the things I would have to do to move Michael and then thinking how little time I actually slept, and how my body needs rest and how people can't lose weight because of lack of sleep etc etc. I felt tired just by my thoughts marathon.    Knowing it was almost time my alarm would go off, I was getting even more anxious and frustrated cause this mama bear NEEDS SLEEP!!!   Sure enough, alarm came and wiggled her way into our bed.   Mhm, our baby girl (now almost 5) sneaks into our bedroom everyday around 6am ready to conquer the world.   Yup, to give you a better idea although we have a rather big bed, I feel like a winnie sausage trapped between two precious heaters :) One snores,the other wiggles and hums cute yet annoying, especially in the early morning, tunes.    We take turns who takes little alarm tune machine downstairs to prepare her "chocolate milk", pack school lunchboxes, squeeze fresh juice to detox our bodies as a kick start of the day and put on a kettle for delicious coffee for mommy and daddy :) No, wait!   That's only when it's mommy's turn to go downstairs at 6am :) Daddy bear simply drags his body downstairs following a skipping, cheerful monkey who doesn't stop talking, unless it's a break to sing, then it's back to talking.   There is some water boiling in the kettle as I can hear the whistle and few seconds of silence, which could only mean our baby girl is missing or she's tasting her chocolate milk.  While she's enjoying her morning drink, boosting her energy (I know!!!), mama bear and baby boy are still resting in bed.   Today I actually dozed off after the other two went downstairs and I woke up 20 minutes later - still tired.   Now I know why, cause there was no whistle, ergo no chocolate milk.   It was 7:08am and we had 22 minutes to feed the flock (kids and animals), pack their lunchboxes, fix some food for us, make fresh coffee, forget the juice - we're so late!!!
I dragged Michael off the bed, walked him to the bathroom and made him do the usual routine ("pee pee in the potty", wash his hands and face and walk him - with his eyes still closed - downstairs to our living area.   I saw daddy bear stretched on the couch, impatient ballerina watching a "turkey movie" (really funny one actually) and demanding chocolate milk, Michael circling around me like my very own satellite asking for "tatti" (probiotics in a form of white chocolate - very useful) and sausage (good source of protein).   Cats outside going crazy, waking up the entire neighborhood, our poor little Bonnie (1 year old labrador) still curled up in her chair waiting for the magic gates to be opened and food poured into her bowls... realizing it was 7:23am I started pouring cats' food into kids' lunchboxes. Kidding!!! No, no. I was tired and knocked out by allergy meds I had taken previous morning but I packed the right food into each box, fed all my dear creatures - including daddy bear and myself , gave Mike his breathing treatment and done! Sure there have been some hissing and growling along the whole frantic morning but we managed to deliver kids to school on time! Yey :) So there you go! Our  "routine".   Of course it varies but in general that's how our mornings look like.  I noticed Michael is confused when we are on holidays and not because of different location but because we're relaxed - IT'S NOT NORMAL :)  I must say though, that recently, even if things were not prepared for school or coffee made, Mark has been letting me sleep in or should I say, rest in bed for extra 20-30 minutes, taking the duty of coming downstairs with a chatterbox upon himself :)   So yeah... as difficult and frustrating Autism can be, if you have the right people to share it with, you're alright.  God brought us to it and He will bring us through it.   I see things a lot more clearly these days.   It's not by coincidence that we were blessed with this special boy, whose soul is so pure and innocent that he cannot see any evil in others.   Will there ever be a cure for Autism?   I don't know.   Until there is one available and effective, I will stick to the tested things that work for us - diet, love and most of all - GOD.   He knew us even before we were born.   He knows our every thought, He sees our tears and wants to share our burdens...  It's up to each and every one of us if we allow Him to carry some of the weight that's pulling us down.   He promised in Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV):
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

As I sip my morning coffee and getting ready to start my work day, I lean on Him and His promises.   Not once has God ever failed us.   Not once!   Hope you all have a blessed day and find sweetness in the craziness of autism reality.   
P.S. Coffee is cold.   How long have I been writing this? Seriously!!!

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Autism Diet

Frustrating to say the least!   I've been trying to make this blog all fancy shmancy and as I saved changes it deleted one of my posts - the one on the Autism Diet.   How convenient, eh?

So without further ado, I will just write the advise from our friend who has worked out this diet, experimenting on himself, modifying it,until he perfected it to the point it is now.   When we stuck to it over the Summer we saw huge improvement in Mikey's overall behaviors and focus.   He was verbalizing his wants in a much calmer manner, he didn't suffer from any digestive issues and he slept through the night!  So here it is folks! Quoting our dear friend...

All food, ideally, to be organically farmed or wild.
Water for drinking & cooking to be carbon filtered.
All baking to be done in a pot with a lid at 160C max.
Salt - sea or mountain salt.

Cook in morning for whole day (I am still struggling with this one) :) Food cooked earlier in day to be brought back to boil before eating. Food to be eaten warm, never too hot or cold.
Do not overeat! One large bowl max. per meal.  Ensure the same quantity of food is eaten at each meal. Meals to be eaten on time or early, never late, in a quiet, relaxed environment, no reading/ TV and preferably in the company of others.
No mental activity immediately after food.
All vegetables must be fresh and firm with absolutely no sign of mold or even softness. Peel all vegetables where possible if any chance of pesticides etc. Use sea vegetables if available.

Essential daily components:
1. Protein - it is essential that protein is consumed for breakfast!
2. Bone broth- simmer very low cut bone, cartilage, tendon, skin (e.g. spine, feet, ears, tail, head, knuckle, rib, neck) & salt for 48hrs, strain, leave liquid to cool & store in fridge for 1 week or freezer for several months.  Add to cooking daily!
3. Lard and Ghee (clarified butter) - pig leaf (kidney/ loin) fat, slice thinly & simmer for several hours in salted water, strain, discard solids, leave to cool & store in fridge for up to 2 weeks or freezer for several months. Add to cooking daily!
4. Raw garlic 8 cloves & ginger 1 large finger - chop & leave to sit for 15+ minutes before adding to food after cooking (MORNING ONLY).
5. Cinnamon - add up to 1/2 tsp per day to cooking or drinks.
6. Bentonite clay - 1-2 tsp, mixed in warm water (place in glass jar with lid & shake vigorously, leave to stand for 24hrs, avoid all contact with metal or plastic spoon etc. Drink at least 1,5 hours away from food  (for us best results were observable when given just before going to sleep)
7. Fermented vegetables - to be consumed with all food (big dollop with each meal).
a) rinse all utensils  container with boiling water
b) wash hands thoroughly
c) lightly rinse vegetables in filtered water (un-chlorinated)
d) remove any blemishes, chop veg into small 1,5 cm chunks (cabbage is shredded very thinly, 1 mm)
e) place veg in bucket with 3tsp (35g) ground salt per kg & partially crush with potato masher/ work with hands to release some juice;
f) place tannin-rich leaves (grape vine, oak, horseradish, black tea) at the bottom of jar (sized for 1 week's consumption) with veg above and press down firmly with hand/ masher to expel air, juice to rise to surface to submerge veg, place more tannin-rich leaves on top, jar to be no more than two thirds full;
g) carefully wipe around inside neck of jar to remove any particles of veg or juice;
h) press veg with a porcelain plate or a small lid to keep them submerged at all times & add 2 cm brine on top & place jar (with air-tight lid that allows out-gassing) in a dark position at room temperature (18C is ideal, max 22C) standing on a plate to catch any overflow; in hot weather,place jar incool box with ice & thermometer & check twicedaily;
i) do not open lid or disturb contents of jar (CO2 will then form layer above liquid);
j) for whole veg, when jar is gently set down on table & bubbles rise,this shows fermentation is underway (the level of liquid will have risen);
k) and when no more bubbles are produced it is ready for consumption & in any case usually after about 1 week for most veg depending on temperature (for cabbage: 15C 6 weeks, 18C [best], 20C 4 weeks, 22C [max] 3 weeks);
l) jar can then be placed in cooler, long-term storage (e.g. cellar, top shelf of fridge) for consumption over the coming months;
m) once opened, make sure veg is pressed under juice,top-up with brine as necessary to keep veg submerged; best to consume each jar within a week or so of opening;
n) Veg MUST be crunchy & sour.

Avoid:
Eat nothing that is moreish/ addictive.
No burnt, raw (except garlic & ginger), fried, spicy, starchy or sugary foods (not even carrots, unless fermented) - we are still giving carrots as we're in a transitional period of re-applying this diet in our eating schedule.
No dairy, grains, legumes, nightshades, root vegetables (unless fermented), nuts or seeds (very hard to digest and shop-bought nuts & seeds tend to be moldy & hence best avoided altogether), yeast.
Limit brassicas.
No mushrooms.
No eggs (on in strict moderation as constipating).

You would not believe the immediate change you would see once on this diet. This is so true that YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!


Monday, April 6, 2015

April 6, 2015 Small baby small Autism - big baby, AHHHH!!!

April 6, 2015   Small baby small Autism - big baby, AHHHH!

I know it's been a while since I posted anything.   A lot have happened since my last post.   Some good, some bad - usual stuff in ASD world, right?
Michael turned 8 and matured in many aspects.   He is more sociable at school with his peers (seems like he prefers playing with girls ;) he has a circle of faithful fans in the class). Looking back, I see that he always felt more comfortable around girls/ ladies in general (just like his daddy ha ha).   He has a fantastic new one-to-one whom he loves and respects.  It's amazing how God sends the right people at the right time.     We were very excited to find out that there was "a vacancy" in the class, we wanted Mike to attend.   The only condition that school had was that we'd arrange a "shadow" person, as Michael would be in new school environment, new friends, new teachers etc - many changes in one go, so he needed an assistant to help him cope with this.    We were kinda hoping his previous therapist would be available but she was already committed to work with another child, so we asked for help everyone we knew and found a girl.   We thought yey, she's gonna be great. She was smiling a lot, and seemed like she had a lot of patience... It was like a well awaited piece of good news after my surgery (a month and a half ordeal of potential lymphoma, several biopsies, cutting out the tumor with surrounding lymphnodes and physiotherapy), which almost cost me losing my job but that's another story :) As I was in hospital recovering from my surgery, we received a phone call from Mikey's new assistant that after just one and a half week of working with him she felt too tired and that she didn't realize it would be such a hard work.  So basically she quit leaving us in really poopy position.   I wanted to shred her to pieces and tell her how unprofessional she was, and most of all how she failed Michael... But I just let her go remembering WWJD... Yes, God showed me the way and that He had a different idea for the perfect "shadow".   We had literally a weekend to find a new one-to-one or Michael would be expelled from school for not being fit to participate in all school activities and academic program.   So what did we do?   Yes, when in trouble - look up :)   Guess what, we prayed and sent messages to all therapists and psychologists we knew and respected asking for help in finding the right person to help Michael during school hours.   God is merciful and gives more than we hope and ask for.   We found out that the lady who worked with our boy during Summer school is looking for a job as a one-to-one and would happily continue work with Michael.   Not only did we liked her but we already built trust based relationship with her and other therapists in that Summer camp.   It was a God-sent indeed.   She has a huge heart and true Christian compassion for our son and other children on ASD.  Michael has progressed academically and socially with her assistance so much within only a few months time.  We are blessed in this regard.
So what's wrong? Well... Darn wheat and casein, that's what's wrong.  Mike has been to a birthday party of his school friend 3 weeks ago.   We thought 'sure, why not! Let the boy be a boy and have some fun'.    It was a really cool party held in a cookery school.   Kids were making pizzas and baking cookies - mhm... yes, yes full of gluten, sugar and artificial coloring filled icing that Michael had handful of.   He ate some raw flour, dough, baked goods and he crashed.    Ever since that party he's been a different person.    As if he's been in a cloud or in a daze.... Very poor eye contact, actually keeping his eyes closed most of the day, unbelievable tantrums out of nowhere and over nothing, completely losing it! Worst of that is insomnia (now better some thanks to black walnut tincture, calcium and our good ole' friend "Mel" - melatonin).   He's been potty trained when he was 2,5- 3 but this gluten feast inflamed his blood and brain keeping him in a "zombie" state, without any control over his body. So yeah, we've had some sleepless nights, toothaches, headaches, severe indigestion, stomach pains and cramps... I just want my boy back!

In my next post, I will explain what a difference a special diet made in Mikey's life during the Summer.   It's no secret that problem is in the gut.   Found out myself by implementing a special menu... Unbelievable!   So stay tuned :)   God bless and goodnight