I first want to start by saying a huge THANK YOU to all of you who offered support, kind words, well wishes for Bean and concerns about us both. Means the world to me that you care about her and were there for me when I was totally scared. Many of you have been asking exactly what was going on with her — most of you know that she has been sick for nearly three weeks and we had the diagnosis right at first, but then began to question it when the first plan of action didn’t seem to be doing enough.

Basically (for the beginning of the story – click here.) , she had been sick, developed a swollen lymph node and fever since April 23rd. I suspected she may have an infection in her ears or tonsils — they were clear. She was diagnosed with cervical adenitis (inflammation of the lymph node) and we were given an course of antibiotics. I had the worst time trying to get her to take them. She had no appetite so I couldn’t hide in food like I normally would. After 3 days, I called her doctor and asked for her to be switched to a smaller dose, but stronger antibiotic. She took to that one much better (only 5ml/day instead of 9ml 2x/day) and she took that for seven days. We were told that if things did not improve, she would need to get an ultrasound of the lump to see if it had become abscessed.

Another week went by, antibiotic course was done and she was actually getting worse. She continued to have a fever the entire time, and had lost almost 2 pounds at this point & the doctor (& us) started to worry about other possibilities including an abscess or worse. She would not turn her head and would have it tilted to the right and cried when ever someone had to touch her. We were referred to an otolaryngologists & we had an appointment with him the very next day.

I want to mention that this whole time her doctors were totally amazing. At no point through this whole thing did I feel that we were being brushed off or not taken seriously — their plan of action was the best for her and took into consideration everything including trying to reduce any trauma of tests etc for Bean.

The otolaryngologists assured us that what she had was not one of the way scary options, but he was sure it was infectious — he felt she had developed an abscess between lymph nodes and he ordered an ultrasound to be done the next day and prescribed a hard core antibiotic that works quickly and is used to treat staph infections. Giving her this new medication was NOT easy — it smells nasty, tastes worse and we have to give her 9ml 3x a day — but we HAVE to get her to take it.

We had the ultrasound the next day — Bean was amazing & it wasn’t easy for her. To have the ultrasound wand press on her sore neck and having to tilt her head the opposite way of comfort, she was a superstar. A few hours after her ultrasound we had another appointment with her otolaryngologists who confirmed that what she had was an abscess of her lymph nodes.

It’s some weird and random fluke thing that happens & they do not see very often. Likely started off as a simple throat infection — the infection went into her lymph nodes and got them all ‘sticky’ so they stuck to each other and her surrounding tissue. Infection developed in between the “matted” nodes and that is what we were battling. They needed to get a clearer picture to find out where and how much infection was there to determine if she can battle it out with antibiotics and time, or if she would need surgery to drain it. She continued to have a fever and maybe 2-3 hours of sleep a night (19 days at this point)

A CT Scan was scheduled for the next morning (Friday, May 11) and we continued to force the antibiotics into her. We were becoming quite concerned — she had lost almost 3 pounds and had no interest in eating. We were thankfully able to keep her decently hydrated, though it was clear she was dehydrated a bit. The otolaryngologists thought she would be able to just battle this out and surgery shouldn’t be needed.

We went to the hospital the next day for her CT scan — it needed to be done with contrast dye so she would need an IV put in for access. This is where things got totally sad. She seems to have inherited my diffiuclt veins — they are small, deep and hard to see and she was dehydrated so it was even harder. To make this story shorter — the technician tried to get access, the nurse tried to get access — they called in the special nurse from the special nursery (who is used to newborns) then when none of them could get it (honestly 7 tries, pokes, & blown veins) they called down the anesthesiologist to try to get vein access.  We had to have the CT scan — no option for anything else and we needed the contrast dye. I had never heard her cry the way she had — it was dreadfully hard, but she really was amazing.

The  anesthesiologist numbed her hands and feet with some topical cream and got one in her had the first try (those dudes are experts!). Our otolaryngologist came to CT to see us and it was at that point we decided to admit her for IV antibiotics (since we had vein access) and to rehydrate her. Her CT scan was done in less then 10 minutes and we waited to be admitted and for the results.

It was a long wait — as we waited for the next plan of action and for a pediatric bed to open up. We were given a room in the ER so she could get hooked to the saline and be given the same antibiotic she was getting at home, but through her IV. She had to have blood work done (which after 8 tries of getting in the IV, she was so DONE being touched … it was hard) and we still waited for the results.

After hours, we spoke again to her otolaryngologist who confirmed that she would need surgery that night, but there were some debates on if she would need to be transferred to a larger hospital or not.  Her CT results showed the infection was worse then we had originally thought — many nodes were affected and she had two pockets of abscess (again, totally random occurring) and they would need to do both throat and neck surgery. The hospital we were at does not have a pediatric ICU and there were some concerns over throat swelling after the surgery that would require a breathing tube in for 12-24 hours, which they were not able to do at this hospital.

The same anesthesiologist who did her IV would be the one in her surgery, so he came down and assessed if she should be okay with out the breathing tube. He and our doctor spoke, they got some plans in action and because the larger hospital wouldn’t have been able to have her transferred until the next morning, they wanted to have the surgery done asap — and felt it would be safe to keep her there. She would still be monitored closely, but in a different way.

Surgery was set for that night in only a few hours, we knew it was the best thing for her — going on 20 days sick and she was so tired. Papers were signed, plans were made, questions answered and they wheeled us down to surgery. That was one of the HARDEST things I have done. Bean has never been left without being with family — she has been attached to me non stop for nearly 3 weeks and as she lay on the bed screaming “MOMMY, I am scared“, I had to walk away.

Surgery was only an hour long. They went through her mouth and made an incision, drained one of the pockets. She had a second incision on the back of her neck and a drainage tube stitched in place. That was to be on for a whole day. Walking into recovery room where she looked so tiny on this huge bed was so sad. She was not yet really awake, but she kept calling for me. She was being watched very closely for troubles breathing and she was in some pain. Her stats were scary – pulse oximeter dipped to 91% while her heart rate rose to 175. She was put back on oxygen and given some medication for the pain. I tried my best to cuddle her, and calm her. Her stats started to normalize and we were wheeled up to the pediatric floor to try to sleep.

She had to be on an EKG and pulse oximeter all night that were monitored at all times on a separate floor — the leads kept coming off (her fever finally broke & she was sweating like crazy) so the nurses had to keep coming in. Bean just wanted to be left alone — she was so tired, but we didnt get much sleep. She didn’t seem to be in any pain which was great, but she absolutely HATED the monitors that were on her all night — I am sure those bothered her more than anything else.

She got through the night with no breathing troubles, little pain and while her heart rate was still high — it had dropped down to a more tolerable 120bpm. Her monitors were removed and the goals for her that day was to try to get her to eat and drink and keep getting the IV hydration and antibiotics. She was still really pale but was in good spirits, there was some but not too much draining coming out and thankfully none of that stuff seemed to bother her. She was seriously a superstar through this whole thing.

She started on soft foods — yogurt and pudding and actually ate pretty well. She ate a muffin and then we got her lunch from her favourite Mexican restaurant and she went to town on it! She ate so much it was amazing to see — it had been weeks since she had really eaten anything and she was so happy!  She continued to receive IV fluids and I was happy to know that despite being dehydrated earlier, her kidney functions were fine the whole time (which means all that apple juice I was able to get her to drink at home is what kept her happy).  She was going to the washroom again, she was playing and happy and the surgery was a success. She no longer had a fever and we had the answer and she bounced back pretty quickly.

Sunday was our hopeful discharge date — she had a much better sleep Saturday night with out having to have the monitors and little nurse interruption. She woke up with a cold and a nasty cough — but the doctor quickly confirmed that (poor Bean) she had just caught a virus and it was in no way related to the surgery or her infection. She had blood work done — her white blood cell count had gone down, her electrolytes were back in balance and she had not had a fever since before surgery. We were being discharged!!!

She just had to get her drain taken out, bandages re-applied and then get the IV (she called it her circle) off. The drain thing was hard, and disgusting. Like always, she was a trooper. We were sent home with extra bandages because I get the fun thrill of changing them at home (EW!) and we have a follow up appointment with her otolaryngologist in a few days.

We have to continue the big antibiotics at home (the same one she had at home before surgery and the one she was getting in her IV) for two weeks — three times a day and keep her monitored closely at home to make sure she doesn’t spike a fever again at home. This whole thing was some weird fluke thing that happened, doesn’t happen often and poor Bean had to deal with it. She still is not turning her neck well (though, it is bandaged) but she slept for 14 hours (nearly) straight last night!

This whole thing has been insane — she is on doctors orders to ‘eat anything she wants’ and after all she has been through, it is hard to say “no” to her. She has about 3 pounds to gain back, but her appetite is back, her fever is gone and that amazing smile is back (even though she has a nasty cough which can’t be easy on her given the surgery).

Again, thank you all for your well wishes — her lymph nodes are still swollen but should come down and I will keep you updated on her.

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I have been having quite the difficult past two weeks here at home, which is a big reason for the lack of new posts. Just when I found the perfect balance for getting everything done, of course life has to swing another way and keep me on my toes. It’s been a few weeks of stress, anxiety, super fatigue and inability to get everything off my to-do list.

It’s been exhausting and I am still waiting for the end in sight.

15 days ago Bean complained in the morning that her neck hurt. I didn’t think too much of it because she didn’t really make a stink out of it, but she mentioned it. Later that evening she developed a fever. Kids get sick all the time so I didn’t really think too much of it — I don’t worry about fevers and don’t rush the kids to the doctor right away. I was confident it would go away in a few days, like fevers do.

A few days passed and her fever wasn’t going anywhere & I noticed a new symptom — a swollen lymph node in her neck. I know that happens when kids are fighting infection so again, I didn’t think too much of it until I realized she wasn’t moving her neck.  Then I started to worry that it could be something scary or she could have a big infection in her tonsils, throat, ears — something that may require antibiotics.

I booked an appointment with her doctor a week after her fever started, last Monday.

Her ears were clear, no strep, no other swollen lymph nodes, nothing wrong with her tonsils. We weren’t entirely sure what so we and the doctor decided it would be best to treat with a broad antibiotic so that anything bacterial would be cleared out, with instructions that if there was no improvement after the course that we would do an ultrasound and blood work.

After some trouble with her antibiotic — calling to switch to a new one — it’s been the full course of treatment as of today and Bean is not any better. She still has her fever, she still has this HUGE lump on her neck. She has little interest in eating, playing and has lost weight and looks pale. She has another doctor appointment tomorrow morning and I am scared because I have never had a bug last this long. I am hoping still it’s just viral/bacterial and not any of the other scarier options — but mostly I just feel like shit.

Bean feels like shit and there is little comfort I can really offer her. I have had to force her to take medicine, I am holding her in my arms nearly all moments of the day and night and I just want my happy babe back. We are both tired, both exhausted really and I just feel so helpless. It’s the first time she’s really been sick. Before this, the longest she had a fever for was about 2 days — and we’re heading into day 16.

Please keep your fingers crossed for us that she starts to feel better soon. The poor thing is so tired.

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I am a huge fan of quick loaves — lemon poppy seed being one of my favourites followed closely by zucchini loaf and pumpkin loaf. They are perfect for a quick (and filling) breakfast, a dessert or just to have around the house to snack on. The added bonus is they are quick and even if you are a novice baker, these breads are a great place to start your love of baking.

Since going gluten free (and casein free) I haven’t been enjoying the quick loaves as much as I used to. I like them to be ‘quick’ and sometimes working with complicated gluten-free flour blends can be difficult and replacing the dairy ingredients while keeping the texture and taste was a slight challenge. Well, it’s easy again thanks to the all-purpose gluten and dairy free flour blend by Kinnikinnick Foods. I whipped together a delicious and quick loaf that is gluten and dairy free, but you would never know by eating it.

 

Gluten Free / Dairy Free Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup vegan margarine (dairy free butter), softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1-1/2 cups Kinnikinnick Foods All-Purpose Flour Blend
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon grind
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• LEMON SYRUP:
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon rind
• 1/3 cup lemon juice

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 325F (160C)
2. In a bowl, beat together margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time mixing in between until well blended.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together Kinnikinnick All-Purpose Flour Blend, poppy seeds, lemon rind, baking powder and salt.
4. Stir the flour mixture in with the butter mixture, and add the almond milk. Stir until well blended.
5. Pour mix into a greased 8x4 inch loaf pan.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean when pierced.
7. LEMON SYRUP: In a saucepan add the three ingredients over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Pierce the lemon loaf with a tooth pick a few times and pour the syrup over top.
8. Let loaf cool for 30 minutes and remove from pan onto a cooling rack until cooled completely. Wrap and let sit for 6-12 hours before slicing (this will allow the syrup to soak in and will make the loaf less crumbly)

Enjoy!

Post sponsored by Kinnikinnick Foods. Custom recipe created by Devan McGuinness. Interested in trying it out?  Purchase Kinnikinnick’s All-Purpose Flour Blend at your local store or purchase online.

 

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I have been writing on Kid Scoop for a while now and I’ve realized there are some pretty awesome things about my two Kid Scoop-able kids I haven’t shared with you yet. Over on Babble’s Being Pregnant blog I shared 25 random things about me and now I would love for you to get to know my two older kids better because they really are two amazing kids and totally awesome people.

Mister Speed is my 6-year old who has little  interest in reading and Princess Raru is my 5-year old who eats gluten-free and they are complete best friends. I know all moms say that their kids are the coolest things on the planet, but these two and their younger sister — I would bet money on it and not only because I am their mom.

 Click through to read 25 facts about my two older children Mister Speed & Princess Raru:

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I have been writing on Babble for a little while now and I think it’s overdue to let them all get to know me a little better, and I thought, why not let you all get to know me a little better?  I mean, I did just tell you all about my sex life so why not get nice and familiar with each other now?

I don’t normally like to talk about myself this much and I may be the most boring person you’ve ever not-yet met, but I still think there are some things you’ve always wanted to know about me, but didn’t know you wanted to know. Some are random facts, some are actually kind of embarrassing to admit in public and others are just weird things that make me — well, me.

Click through to read 25 things about me

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I am a HUGE fan of all Mexican food and I really mean that. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner and not get sick of it — ever. Tacos and all variations of tacos is one of my favourite things and since going gluten free five years ago, I have mainly stuck to corn hard shelled tacos that I can buy at the store (or tostadas, which we are also all about).

For Christmas, my grandma got me a tortilla press — for the life of me I couldn’t find one here so she sent one to me from the States and I have been addicted to it since. I now enjoy amazing homemade soft shelled tacos and everything else you can do with a tortilla wrap. This past weekend, I got the craving for taco salad, but of course I was also in the mood to be slightly creative and thought … hmmm, why not make my own taco bowls.

It was so easy & I did it without deep frying them so they are healthier too! 

Gluten Free Taco Bowl Salad

*Makes about 12 small tortillas

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups masa harina
• 1 cup water
• olive oil
• tortilla press
• muffin tin; upside down

Directions

1. In a bowl mix together water and masa harina until makes a firm ball. If dough is too sticky, add more masa ; if it begins to dry out, sprinkle with water.
2. Divide dough into 12 equal-size balls. Using a tortilla press, press each ball of dough flat between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper
3. Preheat oven to 375F
4. Grab a muffin tin and flip over so you\'re using the bottom. Lightly grease the bottom with olive oil and drape a tortilla over top, pinching around the edges to make a bowl shape.
5. Place in the oven for 20 minutes
6. Remove from oven and let sit until cooled down. That way they wont lose their bowl shape.
7. If you wish to keep it healthier, use the bowl to serve up your taco salad; if you want it crispier, deep fry each bowl separately in vegetable oil until crisp

Prepare the rest of the salad — {Gluten Free Taco Salad Recipe}

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Wishing all who celebrate Easter or Passover a happy week(end). For those who don’t celebrate either, like me –

Happy Sunday.

Want more adorable cute? Check out Pets Celebrating Easter in Costumes 

{Photo credit: Get it from: PamperedWhiskers on Etsy}

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 What do you think? Darth Mom a good look on me? The kids seem to think it’s a big improvement for me… I’m not so sure They have been SO into Star Wars since we decided to let them watch the movies a few weeks ago. The school they go to is obsessed (seriously, Yoda-inspired library) and they were intrigued so we had a lot of time making the first viewing a big thing. Since then, it’s all they talk about.

& here is a confession: I HATE STAR WARS ::ducking:: because I am a huge STAR TREK fan & the two fanatics don’t really get along

:: do you love playing dress up with your kids or are you left stunned like me? ::

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I am pretty sure you are all used to my clumsiness, my break-ability and how something weird always seems to be going on. I have another interesting injury story — another broken bone, but also some good news to share too.  So, a few weeks ago I turned thirty (30!!) years old and to celebrate my husband and I went away on a small weekend trip — no kids, no computers — just us. We took a bus to our destination because we wanted to be as far away from kid things (you know, our mini van and three car seats) and we wanted it to be stress free.

Long story short …. I was moving seats on the bus so I could sit next to my husband and I smashed my giant ass between the seats (because I fell, a typical me) & unbeknownst to me … there was a large metal bar there.  It collided with my ass and I was then very aware of the giant metal bar that just smashed against my already-been-broken-three-times tailbone.

I broke my ass again. It’s black and blue and hurts to sit down. I have to still find my stupid inflatable ass donut to use again because this whole sitting down thing is quite painful. It took forever for it to heal last time so I am not exactly thrilled. Thankfully it didn’t ruin our weekend and we ended up having a great time. I had a fast food burger, which I hadn’t done in over5 years. We walked around, we hung out in the quiet and I took some time to read all The Hunger Games books — it was great!!

Like I said, I also have some fun news and a HUGE thank you to give to all of you. I LOVE what I do, I love connecting, writing and sharing our lives and thanks to all the support you have all given me over the past few years I am finally starting to feel like I am coming into my own. I have been given two more freelance jobs and I am thrilled.

You can now find me bi-weekly on Brio Birth — where I share tips and trick for fertility, pregnancy, birth and labor.

As well, Babble launched a new blog today — for the other loves in our families and I am going to be writing there as well (you can still find me on Being Pregnant & Kid Scoop as well) — Babble Pets — where I dish the fun, the weird and the real on pets, including my two cats Puppy & Ming-Ming. I published my first post on Babble Pets today & would love for you to take a click over and read more about my crazy cat person-likeness to my two kitties.

& again, a HUGE thank you to all of you who support me and are helping my dreams come true I couldn’t do this all without your support. xxo

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Well, friends — it’s here. Today I enter my ‘dirty thirties’.
{click on the image for more funny cards}

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]]> http://accustomedchaos.com/30-years-old/feed/ 9 http://accustomedchaos.com/30-years-old/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccustomedChaos/~3/hoqGmsFt27o/ http://accustomedchaos.com/tips-for-living-gluten-and-dairy-free/#comments Wed, 14 Mar 2012 19:24:02 +0000 Devan McGuinness http://accustomedchaos.com/?p=6408 © Accustomed Chaos - Embracing The Chaos Of Motherhood in a Gluten Free Household™

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I still remember vividly just over 5 years ago when I first learned I had to eat gluten free. Whoo, celiac disease was going to strip me off all the food I loved to eat — or at least that’s what I thought.

I was not new to eating a restricted diet. I grew up vegetarian and lactose intolerant so I was already ‘comfortable’ with not eating the norm and making modifications to my diet. It was nothing as strict as this new diet had to be though, but happily things sailed along pretty well. Learning the ins and outs of the gluten-free diet, the products that taste good and are worth the money was a challenge, but didn’t take too long to get into a great groove.

After a year of eating gluten-free it was thought that I may be able to tolerate lactose again so I gave it a try, starting slowly. What was quickly realized was it was not just a lactose issue with me, but I was also intolerant to casein and whey — so I basically had to go totally dairy free on top of gluten free.

Click through to read my tips for living gluten and dairy free on Gluten Free Ontario 

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I have been living with celiac disease for over 5 years now. I have had ups and downs and times where I feel like I would kill someone for a night of endless gluten indulging. Honestly though, I don’t miss gluten and would never trade going back for the food for how I felt before diagnosis. I eat majority of the time a natural gluten-free diet and with the marketplace the way it is now — there are some seriously great products modified to be gluten-free (more then double what it was even 5 years ago).

I don’t like to take life too seriously, I love to laugh and love even more to laugh at myself. While there is nothing really ‘funny’ about having celiac disease and all the things faced with ensuring our diet is strictly gluten-free, there are some humorous ways to spot us. The odd person at the party doing something a little different the others, the way we look at things others may not notice and funny quirks that can help you spot a celiac. In fact, I’ve pulled together a list of things that if you see someone doing, they likely eat a gluten-free diet:

15 Ways to Spot a Celiac:

1. They are either very fast or very, very slow at grocery shopping, depending on if they’re trying new things.

2. They learned to speed-read by reading food labeling

3. They are known as the ‘person who brought a bagged lunch to the fancy wedding’

4. They don’t seem phased by ingredients like Guar Gum and xanthan gum

5. You see them hold their breath when they go down the flour aisle — or they avoid it like the plague

6. They stopped speaking to you when you used their peanut butter jar

7. They step on their soapbox when you tell them you tried Atkins Diet and know how they feel

8. When going on vacation, they pack a separate suitcase for their own cereal and snacks

9. They are always reminding their partner to wash their hands before they touch them

10. You mention you’ve been diagnosed with IBS and they automatically tell you to get a blood test for celiac disease

11. They are always the first one to eat at the buffet — and if they’re not, they just sit there & refuse to eat

12. They tell you they have already eaten when you’re meeting them at a restaurant

13. They throw pillows at the tv every time a news outlet or tv show gets a fact wrong about gluten-free living

14. They lose their shit when you suggest that it won’t hurt if you “just try a little bit” of the food off your plate.

15. You have never, ever seen them lick stamps, but will get a cloth damp to wet it instead

:: Do you have any more to add? Would love to hear them! ::

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Princess Bean is by far my most spirited child. She is fearless, curious and loves to get dirty. The two older children are not really like that and so it’s been fun (and terrifying) to watch Bean grow and get into sh*t — so say it lightly.  She is at that fun stage and age (3-years-old) where she is really coming into her own but still has some qualities that are uniquely toddler.

There are 2 members of the family that I don’t spend enough time talking about are our two cats — Puppy (or Puff) and Ming-Ming. I have known these cats far longer then my children and my husband and were my first ‘babies’ and are still 2 of the most important things to me.

I have had them since I was 15/16 years old and the are nearing the later stages of life now at 14 & 15 years old. Thankfully, they are not really acting their age and you may not know they were that old if it wasn’t for the white and grey sprinkled throughout their black fur.

I was sitting in the livingroom yesterday — hanging out with my kids, my cats and my older brother and I noticed something. Watching Bean hanging out next to Puppy I realized those two — different species, totally different ages — were more alike then I would think.

1. My cat loves to mark his territory by peeing on things. My toddler loves to run around naked and ‘forget’ or ‘get too busy’ to use the toilet and pee on things.

2. My cat, when he’s hungry, will just sit in front of me, stare and yell. My toddler, when she’s hungry will just sit on top of me and scream.

3. My cat loves to make a game out of chasing a moving light. My toddler, she does too.

4. My cat sleeps during the day and breaks sh*t at night. My toddler is awake all night too and breaks my sanity.

5. My cat  loves to climb to high places like my shelves. My toddler loves to get into trouble and climb my shelves.

6. My cat hates to have his hair brushed even though it’s so needed. My toddler prefers to have her hair all wild & doesn’t sit still long enough to brush

7. My cat will climb up on my lap at any inconvenient time and demand attention. My toddler will climb into my lap and demand attention.

And one way they differ:

My toddler thinks she’s a cat and my cat thinks he’s one of my children.

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I have been so absent lately, which is SO not like me. I miss you guys — & February kicked my butt — I am so glad to see it over now. We had sickness after sickness and then back again over here. A few bouts of the flu, a couple times with pinkeye. Colds, runny noses, throats so sore we couldn’t swallow. It’s been … interesting. I am so looking forward to getting back into normal routine that has the kids in school, me back to work and sunny, warmer weather!

I have been in such a funk lately that I haven’t had the energy to get to know my new readers and connect with all you who take the time to read. So, I thought it would be fun to do a little of a get-to-know me. It’s been a while since I’ve done one of the random about me stuff. It’s not all about me though so make sure you leave me a comment with a random fact or two (or five) about you too.

1. I have never eaten a corn dog.

2. I have a thing about feet — like really — i HATE them & i know hate is a strong word… trust me, i mean it.

3.  I am afraid of fire. It really scares me and because of that, I’ve never lit a lighter in my life

4. I have never had a pop-tart

5. I could eat tacos or other Mexican food until I explode.

6. I am really shy & it’s because I have always hated the sound of my voice.

7.  Growing up I wanted to be a veterinarian, until I realized I’m allergic to most animals with fur/hair

8. I eat pasta with a spoon. Pretty much all pasta: mac & cheese, spaghetti, lasagna

9. I don’t care for those hot, all-inclusive week-long vacations. I’m not sun person and would be happier anyplace that’s quiet and away

10. When I was first eating gluten-free, I was terrified I would never enjoy food again. Happy to report, I eat awesomely!

:: your turn — please comment with some random fact about you — I want to get to know you!::

check out today’s post on Being Pregnant:What Your Baby Name Choice Says About You

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This month has been a killer and I can’t wait for it to be over. I hate ‘wishing away my life’ by hoping for time to speed up, but this month has taken a beating out of me — out of my whole family.

I can’t really complain about the winter — it’s been incredibly mild and would resemble a cold spring more then winter. Typically, February months are the coldest here in Toronto (Canada), but we have had little snow and a lot more rain the usual. That doesn’t stop the never-ending flu’s that enter into the house though.

Since my kids started school we — not having any experience being around a lot of children as you would in daycare — have caught every little bug that goes around. It would not be unreasonable to say there has been at least one person sick for every day this month. I am tired! I am having a big dose of mommy burn-out.

[Click to keep reading]

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One of the biggest questions I am asked from those thinking about blogging, those who are new to blogging or those who are new to this idea is — “Do you make money from your blog?”, which is then quickly followed up with “How do you make money from your blog?” You would think that information is easy to find out — given this is all on the internet and as bloggers we kind of love to talk about ourselves, but surprisingly it’s not easy to find.

Myself and 7 amazing bloggers have worked on a series called “Lifting the Veil on Making Money in Blogging” aimed at answering the most common questions and concerns when it comes to making money through your writing. My contribution is the why’s and how-to’s when it comes to monetizing your blog and hopefully I will be able to answer a majority of your questions and let you in on why and how I monetize Accustomed Chaos.

Monetizing Misconceptions:

There are two misconceptions when the discussion about monetizing a blog comes up. The first one being that you can make a lot of money off your blog. I know this isn’t the case for me and i’m certain it’s not the case for most bloggers. Unless you are racking in huge traffic numbers and (usually) are part of a well-established ad network then you won’t likely make enough to live off of. It is not unusual to bring in some income though your own blog when you begin to monetize.

The second misconception about a blog that is monetized is that once a blog decides to make money — the writer has sold out and the content will go down because of it. That’s not always the case for sure — my rule is if you transition it in slowly and creatively then it should not bother the reader.  If you were writing about food before you started monetizing then all the sudden sponsored posts started appearing about cleaning supplies or you have a banner ad for cat food on your sidebar, your reader might get confused.

I started Accustomed Chaos over 2 years ago and started to monetize about 14 months ago. The reason for me is I wanted to be able to create a blog that paid for itself — not my time because this space is for me — but to pay for the things that are required to blog. I monetized to pay for my domain url, hosting costs and help with my internet and phone bill.  I try to be as choosy and picky as I can when it comes to how and with who so it all still makes sense to my readers.

Ways to Monetize:

Advertising Buttons and Links:

There are 3 basic ways to sell advertising on your website and they include self sold image ads, self sold text ads and ads sold through a network.

Self-sold image ads — a variety of sizes but the most standard one is 125×125 buttons usually placed on the sidebar of your blog. The price really does vary from site to site depending on their traffic, blog genre and space (above or below fold). These would be obtained through pitching companies or if they inquire about advertising on your site. They will usually be a pay-per-month, pay-per-impression or pay-per-click method. My site hosts a few different self-sold ads on the sidebar and in my RSS feed. They are purchase-up-front ads and vary in price from $30/month to $75/month

Self-sold text ads — the difference in text ads is typically they are links on either the sidebar of a site or within a post. A company can pay for the sidebar ads the same way you would an image button, but the ones within a post are typically companies wishing to increase their page rank. I don’t accept text ads myself and if you do — make sure you use a nofollow rule so your own page rank doesn’t get dinged!

Ad network — joining an ad network is one of the more common ways to monetize your blog. The ad is responsible for finding advertisers for your site and you are responsible for having the code in place for them to rotate in and out the ads. You get paid according to the terms of which ever network you’ve joined. This is a no-think, no-hassle way for bloggers to earn some money and payout depends on the particular network. I am currently not part of an ad network, though I was for a few months.

Working with Companies:

There are other ways to make money off your blog through more of the content and not the space. Working with companies for hosting giveaways, reviews and sponsored posts are three main ways for bloggers.

Reviews — I am a strong believer that reviews should always remain unpaid posts. That said, I do also believe that a product must be supplied in order for the review to take place if the company requested the review.  There are many who feel comfortable accepting a product as ‘payment’ but I think for a review to remain unbiased then the compensation should not be monetary. For me, I do accept products for review however, I do not guarantee the company that I will write about them, since they are unpaid.

Giveaways — often accompanying a review, however giveaways are different then just a review. Giveaways are often pitched to bloggers as something that will help them but in reality it helps the company more. The company wants your audience to know about their product. I charge to host reviews – the price depends on how long the giveaway is open for and will range from $30-$45. This price compensates the time it takes to keep track of the entries, make sure they are promoted and added to giveaway lists and they often require some sidebar space to quickly let your readers find your giveaway. I would like to stress though that I will not accept any giveaway that breaks any terms of service rules — such as requiring a LIKE to a Facebook page for an entry.

Sponsored Posts — these are different then reviews in that there are certain points that the company will ask you to include and are more centered around the product then just your opinion.  The prices vary depending again on your audience reach, post length and who you are working with. I do the occasional sponsored post and I personally charge on how many links a company wants to include and the length of the post. Most recently the sponsored posts I do are more custom recipes — a company will contact me looking for me to create a gluten free (or also dairy free) recipe using their product. They are paid for and always disclosed that they are sponsored but their product is specifically listed in the ingredients list.

********

Have any questions? Leave me a comment, tweet me or send me an email and I will try to help you out. Let me know if there is something I have left out or that you would love for me to expand on.

There are as many ways to earn money blogging as to blog so check out the other bloggers participating in Lifting the Veil On Making Money In Blogging:

• Katie (Sluiter Nation): Not My Business, Baby (why you do NOT want to monetize your blog)
• Kristin (What She Said): Getting Paid to Blog: So Many Questions, So Little Time.(newbie in the monetizing world)
• Tina (Life Without Pink): Tips For Building Successful Relationships With Brands and Scoring Paying Opportunities (pitching brands, sponsored events, ambassadorships)
• Gigi (Kludgy Mom): So You Want To Be A Freelancer? What You Need To Know. (freelance work)
• Natalie (Mommy of a Monster): So You Wanna Make Money Blogging? How To Get Sponsored Posts (sponsored posts)
• Alex (Late Enough): Writers Teach, Why Can’t Bloggers? (teaching blogging and social media IRL)
• Debi (The TRUTH about Motherhood): What to Charge for a Sponsored Post and Why you need a Media Kit

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]]> http://accustomedchaos.com/why-monetize-your-blog/feed/ 34 http://accustomedchaos.com/why-monetize-your-blog/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccustomedChaos/~3/BcpuaiKdBCA/ http://accustomedchaos.com/happy-valentines-day-all-that-jazz/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:57:45 +0000 Devan McGuinness http://accustomedchaos.com/?p=6257 © Accustomed Chaos - Embracing The Chaos Of Motherhood in a Gluten Free Household™

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Click on the image above for 19 more incredibly funny yet probably inappropriate cards for today.

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Regardless of being sick with a cold and pink eye in both eyes —  the joy and wonder of a toddler shines through.

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]]> http://accustomedchaos.com/pure-happiness-they-joy-wonder-of-a-toddler/feed/ 8 http://accustomedchaos.com/pure-happiness-they-joy-wonder-of-a-toddler/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccustomedChaos/~3/mZph2x8-uXY/ http://accustomedchaos.com/ryan-gosling-what-moms-find-romantic/#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:47:07 +0000 Devan McGuinness http://accustomedchaos.com/?p=6235 © Accustomed Chaos - Embracing The Chaos Of Motherhood in a Gluten Free Household™

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Click on the image above for MORE gorgeous, romantic men

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]]> http://accustomedchaos.com/ryan-gosling-what-moms-find-romantic/feed/ 0 http://accustomedchaos.com/ryan-gosling-what-moms-find-romantic/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccustomedChaos/~3/3R1NVSsJoYs/ http://accustomedchaos.com/gluten-casein-free-meals-1/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:30:51 +0000 Devan McGuinness http://accustomedchaos.com/?p=6200 © Accustomed Chaos - Embracing The Chaos Of Motherhood in a Gluten Free Household™

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I remember when I was first told I can’t eat gluten — my head spun wondering what was left to eat. Over the years I have realized that there eating gluten free has no limitations and I certainly don’t feel like I am missing out on anything. When Princess Bean was born and I went on a casein (all dairy protein) free diet on top of my gfree diet I was worried. Just like with the gfree diet though, I again realized that there are so many amazing options available.

Since I have begun to chat more and more about the diet we are on I am often met with the sad eyes. The people (who like me years ago) had no idea what limitations (or lack there of) comes with eating a gfcf (gluten free, casein free) diet brings. One of the biggest questions I am asked is “What do you eat then” and so I decided to start showing what I eat — right off my plate.

I have been taking photos with my phone of my breakfasts, snacks, lunches and dinners. Just to show what I honestly eat every night. No planning ahead, no fancy lighting or cameras. Sharing the meals that I cook (usually under 30 minutes) and directly off my plate as I sit down to eat.

Breakfast for Dinner

I adult-ed up this breakfast for dinner -- always a great go-to for a busy day. Pancakes, scrambled eggs with spinach, sweet potato fries and fresh green pepper slices
I used Kinnikinnick Pancake Mix
Pin It

I share my meals all the time on Instagram — don’t want to miss them? — click  

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I can’t believe it has been over a week since I have posted here. You know, I think that might be an ‘absent’ record since I started this blog. Terrible! I have been in a transition of where my ‘office’ is and between that and all this other stuff going on — things slide.

Good news though — I now have my own office at home! I went from sitting on the couch to the bedroom to now my own room (with a lock on the door) over the past month. Wanting my own space has been something I have been dreaming about forever. A space to put my things down, a space for me to shut the door and a place that I can be creative and not step on kid toys. I am so thankful we have been able to make this work — for the time being anyway.

I am hoping that once all the dust settles and this space gets set up to ideal working conditions that everything will be back to regularly scheduled programming. I have been trying to find that perfect balance (or at least some sort of balance) between this motherhood & work-from-home thing — it can be a challenge sometimes but I think we are getting into the right groove.

Since I haven’t updated the blog in over a week I wanted to make sure you didn’t miss a few fun posts I’ve written elsewhere –

You Look Great in Your Sweatpants: 10 Things Any SAHM Would Love to Hear

Unconditional Love & 10 More Things Being a Mom Has Given Me

Body Art and Pregnant Bellies: Tattoos and Motherhood

Since I have been so out of the loop — tell me something new in your life — good, bad, weird, funny.

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]]> http://accustomedchaos.com/i-seriously-thought-i-would-lose-my-mind/feed/ 4 http://accustomedchaos.com/i-seriously-thought-i-would-lose-my-mind/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccustomedChaos/~3/i2Uqi-JzGqs/ http://accustomedchaos.com/4-things-you-need-to-know-about-fevers/#comments Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:37:46 +0000 Devan McGuinness http://accustomedchaos.com/?p=6146 © Accustomed Chaos - Embracing The Chaos Of Motherhood in a Gluten Free Household™

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There is little worse then hearing your child wake up in the middle of the night, crying. When you go to them and pick them up for comfort you realize they feel as hot as an oven and it’s obvious your little babe is sick. You take their temperature — and there it is, your child  has a fever.

Fevers are often feel like a big threat to parents, many rush for the Tylenol and the phone to make a call into their doctor or their first reaction is to take them to the emergency room. Understandably we get nervous and anxious when our child is not feeling well. What some parents don’t realize is not all fevers are bad. There are 4 key things to know about if your child spikes a fever (for a child over 3-years-old):

A fever is a natural body response used to fight infection

Many parents believe that a fever is something that we need to fight, that it’s important to get the temperature down and then babe will be better. That’s simply not true. The body will send out signals at sign of infection to raise body temperatures — it does this to fight the infection because there are many that can not survive at extreme body temperatures.  By quickly lowering the fever in a child, you rid their immune system from their fighting tool against the bacteria/virus.

A high fever is different depending on age and the way you took the temperature

What is considered to be a ‘fever’ in an adult and child varies as does the method of taking their temperature. A temperature is considered a fever if it reaches 100.4F (38 C) when taken orally or rectally; if taken in the underarm or mouth it’s considered a fever when it’s a bit under that.

Not all fevers need to be treated

The rule really is “treat the child, not the fever”. What this means is that if your child has a fever but is acting fine, then there is no need to give them medication. If your child is acting miserable, complaining of big aches or being sore that’s when it becomes beneficial to bring down the fever.  Temperatures of 102F and lower don’t typically need to be treated. Temperatures at 105+F for over an hour after being given fever-reducing medication (like tylenol or ibuprofen) should likely be seen by a doctor or warrants a call.

Signs are usually a better indicator of overall health and danger

If your child is not acting like themselves, that is a better indication of how they are actually feeling. If your child has chills, complains of being achy or has pain, giving medication to reduce their fever can help them rest. If your child is still interested in playing, eating and drinking okay, alert and smiling at you, and looks well when their temperature comes down, there is likely nothing to worry about. If your child has a fever for 3 days — it’s best to have them looked at by a doctor.

** Of course, if your “parent instinct” is telling you that something isn’t right — that feeling overrides anything anyone else tells you or you read. Always trust your gut and if you think your child needs to be seen, calling your doctor is likely the best idea. ** 

{disclaimer}

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]]> http://accustomedchaos.com/4-things-you-need-to-know-about-fevers/feed/ 3 http://accustomedchaos.com/4-things-you-need-to-know-about-fevers/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccustomedChaos/~3/iGrh9zepd7A/ http://accustomedchaos.com/delicious-and-easy-cornbread-recipe/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:00:08 +0000 Devan McGuinness http://accustomedchaos.com/?p=6135 © Accustomed Chaos - Embracing The Chaos Of Motherhood in a Gluten Free Household™

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I have a big love-on for cornbread. It is one of those things that just remind me of home, and happy and my mom. On days where the sun isn’t shining like it should or we are all sick with the flu I like to make a huge pot of chili and cornbread. Something easy to make that says good all day and we can all eat it.

I modified this recipe to be naturally gluten free and now casein free. If you don’t need to eat dairy free just sub out the soy cream for milk and vegan butter for regular butter.

Gluten and Casein (Dairy) Free Cornbread

Ingredients

• 1/2 cups vegan margarine
• 1 1/2 cups soy cream
• 1 1/2 cups medium grind cornmeal
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 435. Place 8-inch cast iron skillet into oven to preheat
2. In a small saucepan, combine margarine, soy cream, brown sugar and cornmeal. Bring to a slow simmer and whisk until thickened. Remove from heat.
3. In a separate bowl lightly mix together eggs, salt and baking powder and add to cornmeal mixture stirring until combined.
4. Remove cast iron skillet from oven and lightly oil. Pour batter in and place in oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden around the edges.

Enjoy!

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]]> http://accustomedchaos.com/delicious-and-easy-cornbread-recipe/feed/ 0 http://accustomedchaos.com/delicious-and-easy-cornbread-recipe/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccustomedChaos/~3/MpiA5bwO0mg/ http://accustomedchaos.com/celiac-disease-101-ive-been-gluten-ed-now-what/#comments Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:02:38 +0000 Devan McGuinness http://accustomedchaos.com/?p=6115 © Accustomed Chaos - Embracing The Chaos Of Motherhood in a Gluten Free Household™

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Accidently ingesting gluten when you have celiac disease is unfortunately likely bound to happen at one point or another. Whether through cross contamination, not reading the labels right or a well-meaning friend or family member ensuring you it’s safe, getting ‘glutene-ed’ [as we all call it] is no walk in the park.

What do you do now that you’ve been gluten-ed?

There really is no standard care of how to treat yourself. There are many who swear by using pre/pro-biotics or special vitamins that claim to flush out your system. There are others who claim special smoothies or mixtures will do the same. My opinion on all that is it’s just a money-grab {if it’s a product someone is touting} and there is no special mix that can really ‘flush your system’ quicker.

So, what do you do? Drink a lot of water — stay hydrated. Eat foods gentle on the stomach. Stay away from dairy products and highly processed foods. Try to figure out the source of your attack and rest as much as you can.

{disclaimer}

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]]> http://accustomedchaos.com/celiac-disease-101-ive-been-gluten-ed-now-what/feed/ 3 http://accustomedchaos.com/celiac-disease-101-ive-been-gluten-ed-now-what/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccustomedChaos/~3/nxxahQBTcLk/ http://accustomedchaos.com/stuff-no-one-tells-you-before-you-have-a-kid/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:00:03 +0000 Devan McGuinness http://accustomedchaos.com/?p=6070 © Accustomed Chaos - Embracing The Chaos Of Motherhood in a Gluten Free Household™

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Becoming a parent is one of the most exciting times in life.  A life change that rocks your world in the most amazing way. It’s certainly not easy and there will be challenges, but as I am sure I don’t need to tell you — it is totally worth every moment.  We all hear about those awesome moments that happen the moment your child is in your arms.

There are some things about new parenting that you might not read in a parenting book — you know, the sh*t people wont tell you before you have your child. I break the silence for you and let the ‘cat out of the bag’ on some insider parenting info:

1. You will have to wipe your kids butt even when they are out of diapers

2. There is a time in the toddler years where you child will not think twice about playing in their poop.

3. A quiet child usually means a disaster is being made — go look. NOW!

4. You can act honestly drunk from lack of sleep. You will feel really drunk too.

5. Everyone will have an opinion on everything you do — everything. Ignore most of them.

6. Right after giving birth — your stomach will feel like goo. Brace yourself. I was not prepared.

7. Kids don’t shut the door when they do learn to use the toilet — get used to it.

8. You will never poop alone — you won’t get used to that.

9. Catching vomit mid-air will not faze you and you will eventually do that.

10.  Showering can feel like winning the gold at the Olympics some days — celebrate it.

11. You will leave the house (once or twice) without knowing you have sh*t on you somewhere people can see — no one will tell you.

12. Cold coffee will become the new norm — make sure you have a microwave.

13. People will buy your kids glitter and noisy toys just to see you squirm – get back at them when their time comes.

14. You might not automatically fall in love with your child. Doesn’t happen for everyone & that is okay. Takes time to get to know each other.

15. When your kids are away from you — the lack of noise will feel deafening — awesome but deafening.

:: What would you add to the list for parents-to-be? ::

check out today’s post on Kid Scoop Blog:12 Questions Every Parent Dreads Being Asked

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]]> http://accustomedchaos.com/stuff-no-one-tells-you-before-you-have-a-kid/feed/ 12 http://accustomedchaos.com/stuff-no-one-tells-you-before-you-have-a-kid/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccustomedChaos/~3/qUKlt9uMkDk/ http://accustomedchaos.com/gluten-and-casein-free-chip-dip-recipe/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:33:45 +0000 Devan McGuinness http://accustomedchaos.com/?p=6075 © Accustomed Chaos - Embracing The Chaos Of Motherhood in a Gluten Free Household™

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At the start of the new year I promised myself that I would finally listen to my body – the signs were SO EVIDENT and it was time to listen. I have a casein intolerance. It sucks. It’s not just a small reaction. I get full body hives, rash, eyes so puffy I can’t see. With even a bit of casein. Combining that with the fact that when I was casein free when breastfeeding Princess Bean I never felt better.

I was in a morning period — for chip dip. How sad, right? I love chip and veggie dip — it’s seriously like my drug. I thought I was doomed to live without it for the rest of my life.

Then I started thinking… there is usually a good alternative to anything so I started to research, started to test things out and came up with the best dip recipe.

Gluten and Dairy (Casein) Free Dill Veggie Dip

Ingredients

• 1 package soft tofu
• 2 tablesoons dill
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 2 tablesoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a blender or food processor combine all ingredients until smooth. [adjust seasonings to your taste preference]
2. Refrigerate and serve when cold with veggies or chips.

Enjoy!

You can not get easier then that. Both my husband (who has a lactose intolerance) and myself (casein intolerance) agree that this dip is amazing. Simple with only a few ingredients and you don’t have to live feeling sad about chip dip any longer! (Up next, making even more flavors!)

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]]> http://accustomedchaos.com/gluten-and-casein-free-chip-dip-recipe/feed/ 0 http://accustomedchaos.com/gluten-and-casein-free-chip-dip-recipe/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccustomedChaos/~3/_TJ47CV43Mo/ http://accustomedchaos.com/babble-16-20/#comments Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:32:32 +0000 Devan McGuinness http://accustomedchaos.com/?p=6057 © Accustomed Chaos - Embracing The Chaos Of Motherhood in a Gluten Free Household™

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This week has been a busy one. Lots of ideas swirling in my brain on how to make this space even more me. Sharing photos of the kids for the first time and launching new names that they have picked out themselves. I finally re-wrote my ‘about me‘ page which is always hard to do — I am so not good at talking about myself. That and it’s kind of hard to pick out the things about you that won’t totally scare someone off if they are here for the first time.

I have also been doing a lot of ‘Babbling’ this week:

Kid Scoop:

Felt very old reminiscing over things our kids will never experience
I worried about my kids self-esteem & how to protect and grow it
Shared the phrases that parents say over and over — we’re not alone!
Rounded up YOUR list of irritating things parents do
Found a super awesome video of an 8-year-old rocking out

Being Pregnant:

Rounded up some fascinating breastfeeding campaigns
Found a video of 4 pregnant sisters dancing like nobody’s business
Laughed at the crazy things pregnancy brain made women do
Gathered up great advice from moms who have been there
Spotlighted a campaign that is working to raise awareness of stillbirth risks

[Coming up this week on Babble: questions, rooms, portraits and grief + more writing for Celiac-Disease.com]

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]]> http://accustomedchaos.com/babble-16-20/feed/ 0 http://accustomedchaos.com/babble-16-20/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccustomedChaos/~3/hEC5MudwTZ4/ http://accustomedchaos.com/catching-the-small-moments/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:00:03 +0000 Devan McGuinness http://accustomedchaos.com/?p=6019 © Accustomed Chaos - Embracing The Chaos Of Motherhood in a Gluten Free Household™

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As a mother with young children you don’t receive a whole lot of feedback that what you are doing — this ever important ‘job’ — is going in the right direction. You go through many stages before your children are old enough to give you that positive reinforcement that reassures those little voices in the back of our minds that unlike everyone else — we have no idea what we’re doing.

The pregnancy stage where everyone comments on how much weight you’ve gained, if you will be finding out the gender and why you should or not. You shouldn’t eat this, you can’t do that. That phase moves onto the newborn stage where your ‘job’ is now external from you. You pull through the screaming for no reason, the wacky no-sleep schedules, the questions, the fears. Then onto the toddler years, the preschool years and then your kids start hitting the age where they can really speak — can have a conversation. It isn’t usually until your kids grow up and move on their own — perhaps starting families of their own that you may begin to hear from them — that even if you didn’t know exactly what you were doing all the time and you did make mistakes — that you are an amazing parent.

In the interim it can be hard to see those moments — the glimpses where they may not tell you that you are doing amazing but they show you. The fleeting moments that come and go between the noise and the chaos. Those moments — that if you catch — can tell you everything you want and need to hear.

This photo was one of those moments for me.

Un-staged, screen captured from a small video we took while at the zoo where Mister Speed walked up to his best friend Princess Raru and gave her a hug. The genuine, loving friendship they have with each other tells me that during those early years where I felt more then I care to admit that I had no idea what I was doing — I was getting it right all along.

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]]> http://accustomedchaos.com/catching-the-small-moments/feed/ 12 http://accustomedchaos.com/catching-the-small-moments/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccustomedChaos/~3/UR4Plwzt6BU/ http://accustomedchaos.com/a-small-shift-a-few-changes-and-some-cute-faces-2/#comments Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:00:47 +0000 Devan McGuinness http://accustomedchaos.com/?p=6001 © Accustomed Chaos - Embracing The Chaos Of Motherhood in a Gluten Free Household™

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I mentioned this a while back on my Facebook page — that changes were on the way for Accustomed Chaos. I took some time off last week to give myself some breathing space and now I am en route to new things to come for 2012.  December is hard on everyone with all the holidays and for me I had the added 6 year old birthday, balancing a new freelance job on top of two I had started a few months earlier and I will admit — I got a little burnt out. My brain was drawing blank and this space didn’t really feel like ‘mine’ at that time.

I am happy to have found the rejuvenation — all it took was a week of giving myself a break. That showed me just how much I love it here and love all your feedback — that I missed it so bad so quickly. One thing I realized that was feeling a bit off — and I have chatted about this before — is that my writing leaves a big part of us out — my kids.

I began this blog just over 2 years ago and my kids were young — their personalities were not fully apparent and I have watched them grow into these adorable, funny things and realized — their names on here just were not fitting. I mean, how more boring can you get then just their initials?  Couple that with the uncomfortablness (yes, I know that’s not a word) I had with sharing their photos, I wasn’t putting a whole huge chunk of me into this site & then what’s the point, right?

I thought a LOT about it. I spoke with my husband, I chatted with my Fairy-Blog-Mother (Jill) and thought even more about it. I feel — not dishonest — but not fully engaged by not sharing more about my kids. You know all about the children I lost, the fact that we have celiac disease in the house and my parenting philosophies, but having nicknames that don’t fit my children’s personalities and not sharing photos of their personalities — it feels weird.

I have been speaking to my kids over the past few weeks & yes I get they are young and don’t totally get it — but I chatted with them anyway. They know I write about them — so I decided to let them pick out their own names. I still wont be publically sharing their real names but they have switched up their online names a bit. Names they chose and that actually fit their personalities better. Protecting their names online is not because I don’t trust YOU but this is the world wide web and everything stays online that’s put online — I feel this is the best way to protect anyone from googling their name later in life and coming across something I write or someone writes about us.

I will also begin sharing photos of them — I don’t want our life memories to be stock photographs. Don’t expect anything too embarrassing though but you can expect to see more of their personalities and how seriously amazing they are.

I would love to take the time now to introduce you to my children … again:

Previously known as BIG P -- now MISTER SPEED

Previously PRINCESS R -- now wants to be known as PRINCESS RARU

Previously Babe E -- she want you to know she's not a baby but PRINCESS BEAN

What else can you expect? More recipes –  sharing naturally gluten and casein free dinners we eat with less “professional photos” and more what’s actually for real on my plate, more basic 101 about celiac disease and gluten free lifestyle, some cross-over of perinatal grief through Unspoken Grief, more parenting struggles, funny stories, everyday life, wishes and insights

… basically a lot more ME infused into this again.

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]]> http://accustomedchaos.com/a-small-shift-a-few-changes-and-some-cute-faces-2/feed/ 13 http://accustomedchaos.com/a-small-shift-a-few-changes-and-some-cute-faces-2/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccustomedChaos/~3/1aG8WLrwkhY/ http://accustomedchaos.com/mixed-feelings-about-a-new-chapter/#comments Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:40:31 +0000 Devan McGuinness http://accustomedchaos.com/?p=5951 © Accustomed Chaos - Embracing The Chaos Of Motherhood in a Gluten Free Household™

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I could have talked about this sooner. It’s not like it’s some giant secret or anything. Part of me didn’t want to jinx it – the other part – well, this new ‘chapter’ means the end of previous chapter.  Sounding all dramatic – it’s not really. Most I think would be thrilled about this – I know I thought when our kids were all teeny tiny that when this day came we would throw a party. But I feel weird about it – kind of oddly… sad.

For over 5 weeks now there have been no diapers, no need for pull ups. My house is diaper free.

I should be :: throwing confetti :: and bragging to all of you who are still elbow deep in the diaper-zone but instead I find myself a bit jealous.  I know that sounds crazy right? I feel a little crazy typing that out. It really shouldn’t be a surprise to me. I have a very large case of baby fever. That is also not a secret. I don’t think it helps that everyone around me is either trying to get pregnant, pregnant or have fresh new babies. 

My kids are growing up. I am proud. I am grateful. I am shocked. I am not ready for the ‘baby phase’ to end. You can’t get much more ‘baby phase’ then diapers. It’s a weird change. I have had one child in diapers; I’ve had 2 kids in different sized diapers; I had three kids in diapers and then one by one they all stopped.

:: How did you / how do you think you will feel when your house is no longer using diapers? :: 

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]]> http://accustomedchaos.com/mixed-feelings-about-a-new-chapter/feed/ 21 http://accustomedchaos.com/mixed-feelings-about-a-new-chapter/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccustomedChaos/~3/i7iW8c-Cg5k/ http://accustomedchaos.com/is-finding-balance-in-life-a-myth-or-obtainable/#comments Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:56:25 +0000 Devan McGuinness http://accustomedchaos.com/?p=5938 © Accustomed Chaos - Embracing The Chaos Of Motherhood in a Gluten Free Household™

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I have never really been one to make resolutions. Every year it’s a big thing and then no more then 6 weeks later we start to hear how everyone hI have this big goal for 2012 – not being the ‘resolution’ type this is kind of a first for me. I want to find balance in life – a good groove between all the things I have to do as an individual, a mom, wife, employee and human.

Big goal right? When I shared this goal with others I got the resounding “me too” and “good luck” and “that’s what we all want” responses from people. I started wondering if this goal I have set for myself was even attainable or if I am kidding myself and setting up for ‘failure’ at the start of the year. Is there such a thing as ‘balance’ or do we all just spend too much time trying to do it all?

I could really use your input and advice on how you make things work for your family. What is your motto when it comes to balance? Any advice and tips would be very welcomed. Please click through the link to read more & leave me any advice.

[click to read more on Babble Kids]

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]]> http://accustomedchaos.com/is-finding-balance-in-life-a-myth-or-obtainable/feed/ 0 http://accustomedchaos.com/is-finding-balance-in-life-a-myth-or-obtainable/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccustomedChaos/~3/Q6FmKgB2sho/ http://accustomedchaos.com/new-years-resolutions-go-big-or-get-out/#comments Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:40:20 +0000 Devan McGuinness http://accustomedchaos.com/?p=5925 © Accustomed Chaos - Embracing The Chaos Of Motherhood in a Gluten Free Household™

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I have never really been one to make resolutions. Every year it’s a big thing and then no more then 6 weeks later we start to hear how everyone has ‘given up’ or ‘failed’ or just plain forgot what they were hoping to accomplish for the new year. The new year resolutions are sort of all seen as that thing you hope to do because it’s the new year and we’re supposed to … but then never follow through.

This year I am making a goal for myself. It’s huge. It might be unattainable. I might ‘fail’ but I have a feeling that it will be good for me. Not only to strive for it – but perhaps to realize that what my idea of the goal is actually different from reality. Resolution for this year is:

to get organized and find balance – health, marriage, motherhood, self, work, household

Did you roll your eyes and say ‘good luck’? Was your first thought ‘ yeah, me too’ ? Is this something that you struggle with hoping to attain also? When I share this goal with others that seems to be the reaction I get. I know that is a HUGE goal.

I know it is kind of the motherload of all goal. What is different though – well, what I am hoping will be different, is that I am not striving for a PERFECT balance. I am not striving to be PERFECT in all those areas. Basically I am striving for happiness. Happiness for me will come with finding it – even if it is accepting that it wont always be ‘perfect’.

I have a feeling I am not making much sense.  It is all kind of hard to explain but I hope to explore more of this through out the year. Maybe overtime I will start making more sense

:: Any goals for you this year? ::

check out today’s post on Babble Kids: 10 Ideas for a Kid-Friendly New Year’s Eve Party

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]]> http://accustomedchaos.com/new-years-resolutions-go-big-or-get-out/feed/ 7 http://accustomedchaos.com/new-years-resolutions-go-big-or-get-out/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccustomedChaos/~3/jjDMI6SQKWk/ http://accustomedchaos.com/7-signs-your-dealing-with-after-holiday-aftermath/#comments Wed, 28 Dec 2011 20:26:08 +0000 Devan McGuinness http://accustomedchaos.com/?p=5905 © Accustomed Chaos - Embracing The Chaos Of Motherhood in a Gluten Free Household™

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The holidays are a tremendous amount of fun. All this excitement in a week with Christmas, boxing day, family, new years eve and new years all rolled into one. The kids home from school. Presents, singing, family … it’s a lot of hooplah to take in. Every year I get excited for it and then every year I go into the ‘after holiday aftermath’. Easy to pick out when I am so done with all the routine breaks and over sugared kids. Here are 7 signs that you might be dealing with the after holiday aftermath too:

Can't Wait to Put Up; Can't Wait to Take Down

December 1st rolls around and I am itching to put up the tree. Because of Big P's birthday - we like to wait to start getting into the spirit of Christmas until after his birthday. I count down the days. After the holiday's when I am done with the aftermath - I count the seconds to taking down that tree.

*****

 ::Do you hate dealing with the aftermath too?::

 

check out today’s post on Babble Kids: The Best Advice I Have for a Happy & Healthy Marriage is …

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]]> http://accustomedchaos.com/7-signs-your-dealing-with-after-holiday-aftermath/feed/ 7 http://accustomedchaos.com/7-signs-your-dealing-with-after-holiday-aftermath/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccustomedChaos/~3/WhEc6qtd9J4/ http://accustomedchaos.com/seasons-greetings-from-accustomed-chaos/#comments Sat, 24 Dec 2011 15:00:27 +0000 Devan McGuinness http://accustomedchaos.com/?p=5894 © Accustomed Chaos - Embracing The Chaos Of Motherhood in a Gluten Free Household™

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]]> http://accustomedchaos.com/seasons-greetings-from-accustomed-chaos/feed/ 0 http://accustomedchaos.com/seasons-greetings-from-accustomed-chaos/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccustomedChaos/~3/jo9CdY_GDg0/ http://accustomedchaos.com/basil-pesto-pasta/#comments Fri, 23 Dec 2011 17:00:37 +0000 Devan McGuinness http://accustomedchaos.com/?p=5882 © Accustomed Chaos - Embracing The Chaos Of Motherhood in a Gluten Free Household™

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Gluten and Dairy Free Basil Pesto Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 package Gluten Free Pasta
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves (tightly packed)
• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook pasta noodles according to package instructions
2. In a blender or food processor combine basil, pine nuts, garlic, salt and pepper and olive oil; blend until creamy smooth
3. Pour over pasta- mix and serve

Note:  To ‘beef’ up your pesto pasta dinner add cooked chicken breast and sauteed mushrooms. If you don’t need to eat gluten free use any noodle you like. If you don’t need to eat dairy free add 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Enjoy!

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]]> http://accustomedchaos.com/basil-pesto-pasta/feed/ 0 http://accustomedchaos.com/basil-pesto-pasta/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccustomedChaos/~3/zPIuDHwb2OA/ http://accustomedchaos.com/gluten-free-myth-you-just-cant-touch-it/#comments Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:36:25 +0000 Devan McGuinness http://accustomedchaos.com/?p=5866 © Accustomed Chaos - Embracing The Chaos Of Motherhood in a Gluten Free Household™

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Myth: ”Gluten is only dangerous to you if you eat it”

Truth: Kind of, but not really.

Most people with celiac disease technically can touch gluten – it doesn’t absorb into the skin and to do it’s damage must get into the intestines. There are some who have a topical reaction which will cause a rash and of course anyone who has an anaphylactoid response needs to make sure they don’t come into any contact with gluten.

The main issue with touching gluten comes in with the huge risk of cross-contamination (well, really it’s just contamination) especially if you are highly sensitive to the protein. Touching gluten then wiping your lips, inhaling gluten flours through your mouth, having lotion on your hands that contain gluten all carry big risk for contaminating your body with gluten.

The rule of thumb should be:  If it contains gluten .. find a gluten-free alternative.

No reason to play the odds when your health is at stake – always better to be safe then sorry.

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I know that kids and injuries go kind of hand in hand. Our kids are bound to hurt themselves once in a while and some kids more then others. If my kids are anything like me – if they have inherited the ‘clumsy’ gene from me then I really should just put them in bubble wrap now. Princess R is a bit on the clumsy side – she is not as coordinated as others because, well, she get’s that from me too. Kinda like having two left feet sometimes. I anticipate she will injure herself a bit – like falling when running and tripping on her own toes.

What I do not appreciate though is other people injuring her. Again, I know this happens and accidents happen and all that stuff – comes with childhood. What if though it seems to happen more then it should? Progressively getting worse?

Princess R was injured at school on Tuesday. A child ran into her while they were getting ready to go home. They smacked heads, she fell to the ground and tears started flowing. The boy – was fine. Princess R … well… look:

Few hours after it happened | Day after injury

The whole half of her forehead is bruised up. It really honestly looked like someone had implanted a giant chicken egg under her skin. She also has a bruise on her knee from falling after being hit.  We had to watch her for concussions over night and give her medicine for the killer headache that just didn’t seem to want to go away.

I felt terrible.  This was the third time the same child ran into her. First time she was fine and it wasn’t bad. Second time she had a small bruise on the same spot she’s hurt now. This time … well … yeah. I am left wondering if this is being done on purpose? Who is watching the kids when this happens? Is she the only one who keeps getting hurt? And HOW can a child be running so quickly/so hard to cause this type of injury?

Still chatting with the school – her teacher wasn’t the one in the classroom at the time but hopefully I will be getting some answers and a lot of reassurance that this wont happen again.

Oh and before I got the call that she got hurt – I had just gotten off the phone with her teacher because Big P told me that a week ago they were making ‘pasta crafts’ at school…. Princess R was too… you know, just casually making crafts with GLUTEN. & have now discovered why she’s been crying in pain from headaches and stomach aches and eating enough for three kids.

Edited to add (December 22 @ 4:30pm): So I was told by Princess R’s teacher(s) today when I asked for more info on what happened on Tuesday that there are a lot of kindergarten students getting ready at the same time who get “silly” because they are “excited to go home”. Also that “this was an accident and bumps and bruises happen” … You know, i would buy that if this wasn’t the THIRD time the SAME kid ran into her head. Sounds like there’s some sort of “control of the kids” issue going on… sounds like a call to the principal…

Edited to add (January 18): We had a meeting with the principal of the school. It’s been cleared up that the child who ran into Princess R was not targeting her [I didn't really feel he was] and they are taking this very seriously. I was reassured that dismissal policies have been changed, the student and my daughter’s coats and backpacks are now on opposite ends of the room and an educational assistant will be in the classroom to assist the other child during this time. We have taken Princess R to the doctor as her ‘bump and bruise’ is still visible 3+ weeks later. I am convinced her skull has a fracture in it but they are reluctant to x-ray to confirm given she is so young and course of treatment will not vary if it is cracked. I am waiting a few weeks & will have her seen again.

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I can still remember and it’s been six years. When I first brought Big P home from the hospital I began the whole motherhood thing – I had been waiting for it for a while. I had no idea what I was doing but trusted that I would learn just fine along the way. What I didn’t realize beforehand was how isolating the whole stay at home mom gig would be. I spent all day alone with this tiny thing that only cried and babbled noises that wasn’t anything I could understand.

I craved conversation. I wanted to talk to my kids – to understand what they were saying and to have them understand what I was saying. I was hoping for that moment when they would first say “Mama” and waited for it. . .

Then those moments came and it was worth it. ..  them time kept going and now I have a 6 year old, near 5 year old and near 3 year old. They are all talking cohierent sentences. I can hold full conversations with them.

But of course along with that I get conversations that i dont want to be having with them. Sentences I wish they would never say and that “mom” word that I was waiting for has been overused and abused now overstayed it’s welcome…

Click to read the 8 phrases. & then let me know that I am not alone!

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Pretty much the first question anyone asks when either you are first put on the gluten free diet or explaining to someone that you are on the gluten free diet is “What is gluten“. A huge component in so many foods today, yet there is still a widespread confusion over what it is.

Gluten is a protein found in foods that have been processed from wheat, barley, rye (& oats though not considered so in the US) and is the composite of a gliadin and a glutelin. In laymen terms – gluten is what gives the products elasticity, helps bread rise and gives that doughy, chewy texture to foods.

Gluten is in a lot of commercially produced products – a short and sweet list can be found here – Celiac Disease 101: The Gluten Free Diet -

{side note: one time I called a restaurant to ask if they had a gluten free menu. I was told “no, we don’t put glue in our foods” ::head meet desk:: }

For more information on the gluten free diet and celiac disease – browse through Celiac Disease 101

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Myth: ”Eating gluten if you have celiac disease will just give you a stomach ache for a day. It’s just like lactose intolerance.”

Truth: So NOT true.

I hate this myth. I really do.  I have written before on the differences between Gluten Intolerance, Gluten Allergy & Celiac Disease but that was more in terms of what the processes are within the body and how that pertains to cross-contamination. There is still a lot of confusion about gluten intolerance, celiac disease and comparisons to lactose intolerance that need to be cleared up.

Symptoms of celiac disease and the reactions to gluten can vary quite drastically from person to person. It depends on your sensitivity, your current intestinal status and how the autoimmune disorder plays in your body. One thing for sure though is ingesting gluten when you have celiac disease is anything but a simple stomach ache.

Every time gluten comes into contact with the intestines of someone with celiac disease – damage is done. Not just bloating, not just gas or a queezy stomach – but intestinal damage. Research even shows that even when on a gluten free diet that damage done can be present for up to five years. This damage puts us at risk for developing intestinal cancer, potentially serious malabsortion issues, and it can even turn into a refractory disease due to consuming foods that are contaminated with gluten.

Personally when i inadvertently ingest gluten my reaction is quick and hard. Cross contamination will have me feeling effects and symptoms within a hour and can last for 2-4 weeks. That’s just from a small amount of gluten. I don’t even want to think about what would happen now when a larger amount of gluten is in my body. I imagine it would be fast, hard and very long lasting – possibly causing me to resume the liquid calorie diet I was on for 6 months after initial diagnosis.

That sounds a lot more serious then ‘just a stomach ache’ to me.

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Gluten Free / Dairy Free Candy Cane Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup margarine (gluten & dairy free)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 2 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend (** NOTE: if you do not need to eat gluten free just substitute the gluten free flour blend with regular white flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red food colouring
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint candy canes, crushed (for decoration)
• 1/4 cup white sugar (for decoration)
• 1/4 cup

Directions

1. In a large bowl, smooth together the margarine, white sugar and icing sugar. Beat in the egg, vanilla and peppermint extracts.
2. Combine the flour and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended.
3. Split mixture in half and colour one half with red food colouring
4. Cover or wrap dough separately and refrigerate for at least one hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets.
6. Roll a small amount of each dough into a 2 inch long worm. Roll them together in a twisted rope and curve the end to resemble a cane. Place onto cookie sheets.
7. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven.
8. In a small bowl, mix together the crushed candy cane and remaining white sugar. Roll hot cookies in the sugar mixture.

Enjoy!

for the story behind these cookies – click over to Maija’s Mommy Moments

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It’s time for another motherhood confession. While the last one was more about the things about Motherhood that I don’t particularly like – this one I do like. BUT it’s kinda embarrassing. Not really but I can see some of you laughing at me in your heads (or out loud if you’re like that). However I am pretty sure that you will have some confessions of your own similar… if not – lie and tell me you do so I don’t feel so weird.

I have a ‘thing’ for the blue Wiggle

You’re laughing now aren’t you. It’s weird – I can’t explain it but the guy makes me smile. I almost put him on my freebie five list. Even I laugh at myself about it.

:: your turn to confess something. it feels good & I wont laugh … too hard ::

check out today’s post on Kid Scoop Blog:10 Lies I Tell Myself to Cope With Parenting Kids

 

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	25 Beautiful Photographs of Women in Labor Today on Babble’s Being Pregnant I share a collection of 25 amazing and beautiful photographs of women in labor. Showing that there is no cookie cutter image of what labor should look like. Click here to view on Babble
	10Awesomely Ugly Christmas Sweaters for Kids Today on Babble’s Kid Scoop I rounded up 10 sweaters for Christmas that are so ugly they would be perfect for a tacky Christmas sweater party or photo opportunity. Click here to view on Babble
	Gluten and Dairy Free Candy Cane Cookies Happy to have a guest post over on Maija’s Mommy Moments where I share my favourite holiday recipe and a story to go along with it. My favourite cookies! Click here to view on Maija’s Mommy Moments

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We all have crazy busy lives. Running from one place to the next and often times needing to eat on the go – especially during the hectic morning times. Living on a gluten free diet can at times feel limiting as far as quick and easy snacks. We do a lot of apple slices, veggie slices and chips but sometimes you want something that will fill you up AND keep you going.

That’s where eggs come in. Naturally gluten free and full of protein hard boiled eggs have been a hunger beat down for my husband. Every Sunday I hard boil one dozen eggs – I ‘decorate’ them so I don’t get them mixed up with eggs that have not been cooked.  You can keep the eggs safely in the refrigerator for up to one week in the shell or already shelled for quicker access.

& they are crazy cute.

Hard Boiled Eggs

Ingredients

• 12 eggs

Directions

1. Place eggs in a pot; pour enough water over the eggs to cover; turn stove to high; bring to a boil;
2. Once boiling reduce heat to a small boil for 20 minutes
3. Remove eggs from heat and rinse with cold water

check out today’s post on Kid Scoop Blog:Why We Don’t Allow Gun-Play In Our House

 

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Things have been busy around here in the AC household. It’s been a mixture of new opportunities, seemingly never ending sickness and moments that will bring us closer together as a family. I feel all out of touch with you all and now that things have calmed a bit I hope to get into a swing of a new routine.

The kids have finally gone back to school today. After being off for a week with the stomach flu I can finally feel confident that the sickness (well, that sickness) is near out of our house. It was a nasty one that I might have nightmares about (heh).  Keep your fingers crossed for me today that I don’t get a call from the school asking to pick them up.

This past Monday was a difficult day for me- still a difficult time right now but I will be okay. I don’t really want to re-hash it all because it’s still a but too raw for me right now but you can read about it here:

Eleven:  http://unspokengrief.com/eleventh/

I do have some good news though that I am excited to be able to share today. I am now going to be much busier and while it’s not what it *should* have been I am thrilled that *this* busy is happening now in place.

I am now contributing to two blogs on Babble.com – you can continue to read my Baby fever journey on Being Pregnant - but I will also be writing now for:

On Kid Scoop I will be writing stories, sharing tips and interesting finds about my older two children Big P and Princess R.  I am thrilled to be sharing even more of our lives with you all and our parenting adventures. Like always I appreciate all your comments. feedback and any social shares – you all rock so much for supporting me.

You can read my first two posts there right now – the first is an introduction to our family and the second post up is a list of 12 Toys I Refuse To Buy For My Kids

check out today’s post on Being Pregnant Blog:10 Gender Cake-Reveals Gone Wrong

 

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We are a family of five and relatively on one income (though I am thankful to be able to contribute now through freelance work at home) and budgeting our holidays can be tricky. Not only do we celebrate Christmas, but within the span of mid-December to the end of February all three of the kids celebrate their birthday’s and we have Christmas in there too. That’s a lot of gift-giving and a lot of money for 3 month time.

I should also disclose that I am one of the worst procrastinators for shopping for the holidays. Every year I tell myself we are going to start our shopping in October. Avoid all the mad-rushes to the stores and deals. Every year the crowds drive me crazy but every year there I am starting my shopping with less then a week left – if that.

& I really, really hate the mad rush of people, the stress of trying to get it all done and to me that just takes away from what I really want to feel about the holidays. So, this year I am planning to do things a bit differently.  I am going to go for a holiday that is enjoyable, stress free. One of the ways I hope to do that is avoid the things that make me all crazy-stressed & the shopping does that. This year I am planning to do a bulk of my holiday (& birthday) shopping from the comfort of my own house. ONLINE!

& thanks to deal sites like WagJag’s Holiday Shoppe  not only can I do that but the deals you can find online can definitely rival those in stores – without the mad dash of people. Being able to buy things 50-85% off retail price AND WagJag the chance to win back in cash what you buy – can’t beat that.

If you are on the hunt for the best deals for your holiday shopping and want that stress free – check out WagJag’s Holiday Shoppe and visit them on Facebook.

:: Have you started shopping for the holidays? & Do you plan to do most of your shopping in stores or online? ::

Disclaimer: I am participating in an influencer program with EverytingMom to support WagJag for the holidays. Although I have been compensated for my time to write this post, the opinion expressed are purely my own.

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I wake up to the sound of my alarm clock.

6 o’clock. Up before the sun and before the quiet fades.

My favourite time of the day. Alone with my thoughts.

I hear the furnace rumble. Turning on at the programmed time.

There is no other sound in the house. As close to quiet as I will hear today.

The hour passes quickly. I hear the sounds upstairs.

6 feet pitter-patter on the floor. Three voices boom through the air.

Filling the space that had just been padded with quiet.

The laughter. The screaming.

It fills our house with life. With love and with joy.

With space-filling noise.

Looking in through our window there is nothing extraordinary about us.

Nothing that really makes us stand out.

But this life is extraordinary.

The doubts that this life would ever happen. The noise that used to fill my head.

11 lives lost. Children that could have been but never were.

The sounds of grief and pain. The noise that still fills my head.

Noise that no one on the outside can hear. Until I have strength to make noise.

So while we may look like an ordinary Canadian family, living an ordinary life.

Our extraordinary circumstances, the unique lessons we have learned

Allow us to hear the beauty in everyday noise. In everyday chaos.

The indescribable bliss that this extraordinarily ordinary life is mine.

*******

This is my application to Today’s Parent.com‘s call for new bloggers and new Canadian voices. Three posts that I am also very proud to share with them are:  My Eyes are Begging to Sleep, Breastfeeding Advocacy vs Formula Bashing & Top Ten Twitter Users You Don’t Want to Be

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