So Perf!

Being a Mom doesn't mean being perfect.

2013-04-09T10:22:00.001-07:00

"Why do I love you so much?" I asked my son one day. His response? "Because you have to!!! You are my Mommy!!! Duh!!" From the mouth of babes!!! I think he is a genius, or maybe I am just over-thinking things. Maybe we are all over-thinking things.

Both my kids have told me at one time or another "You are the Best Mommy EVER!!!". And I know that isn't accurate, no matter how much I would like to think so, or how much I wish for it. I also happened to ask my son not too long ago how he knew I was the "Best Mommy EVER!!!" and he slashed my fantasy down to size with his truthfulness. He told me very matter-of-factly "every Mommy is the best Mommy ever to their kids! That is how it is supposed to be!!!".

Yep, he knows something most of us Moms don't, or if we do we burry it deep in our subconscious and indulge in obsessing over how good or bad a job we are doing.

I don't know how many times I have read articles, blogs, Facebook postings about how Pinterest has turned motherhood into a bloodsport. They all included rhetoric about how seeing how other Mom's constantly posted pins of beautiful birthday cakes, magazine like Easter dinners, the craftiest of kid crafts...that those pictures undermined how they saw themselves as mothers if they had not tried or had and failed to reach perfection level.

I also read a Parenting.com article in reference to how posting cute, smiling pictures of your kids was equivalent to a lie (not exactly in those words). The author went on to elaborate that she held off from posting such pictures on Facebook because it mislead others to think it was always about laugh and giggles at home. In my opinion, I like taking those cute pictures to remind myself of why it is all worth it, because there are PLENTY of moments when you forget. Who is so diluted to think life with kids is all about laugh and giggles?? Someone who hasn't been around kids for more than 10 minutes maybe, but everyone else has seen how quickly it can turn into a see of tears over "not letting them drink the bath water" or other such examples, like this new trending tumblr page http://reasonsmysoniscrying.tumblr.com or even this truthful website and blog about motherhood www.scarymommy.com.

They aren't always happy

I am a mother of two, and a career woman, but also love trying to do "what I can" to indulge is some of the things I see posted on Pinterest. I don't see it as a competition. I don't see myself as inadequate if I don't do it all. I don't see others as inadequate if they don't try at all. I think as Mothers, but especially as Women, we need to stop tearing each other down. We need to lift one another up. Encourage each other.

Making Pizza at home

When life isn't perfect (which it constantly isn't) we need to remember we are doing our best, and that is good enough for our kids. They love us just the way we are, because we love them. Love is all you need....and lots and lots of humor. Feel free to laugh at yourself. Don't worry about those cupcakes that don't look exactly like those magazine microphone ones, and enjoy the moment.

How my cupcakes were supposed to look.

They don't exactly look like the magazine or Pinterest

I do the best I can, but I am not doing it to impress anyone else. I do it because I think my kids will appreciate it. Last year I made the cupcakes above. I thought they looked dreadful. My daughter apparently didn't as she asked me if we can make them again next year. Wow!!! That made my day!!!

I know wonderful mothers all across the country and the world, and I am lucky enough to call them friends. All of them love their kids, and it shows. And when they do post a picture of their kids or their terrific craft, I let them know what a wonderful job they are doing. Maybe I can do the same craft. Maybe I can try and have an epic fail. It doesn't matter!!!! We all still have to turn around and wipe a snotty nose, pick-up toys from the floor, tuck our kids into bed, and all of that is worthy of praise. We are not perfect, but we are Moms, and we are perfect for our kids.

Do you feel like you need to be "The Perfect Mom"?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

My current shopping wish list

2013-04-08T15:39:00.000-07:00

A good 7 months or so have gone by since I last took a look and my shopping wish list. Some of the items have been purchased, some are still on there, and some new ones have appeared. Sadly, none have made it OFF of the list due to changing my mind.

On the top of my list is a camera. The Nikon D3200. I have always wanted to get more into photography, and it just hasn't happened yet. I am hoping by the time I finally decide to purchase this WANT I can make as much use of it as I imagine. Because I am a complete amateur at this I don't want to invest too too much in something I don't know how to use, but I do plan to dive deep into learning the ins and outs once I have it.

Then there are these amazing exercise pants from lululemon. They are the Get Up and Glow Tight style, and they are perfect for running. They keep you visible in low light and has a little pocket in the back for your keys or maybe some ID. I have to be honest and admit that I have plenty of exercise pants (about 5) but I have seen these pants on some many different women and absolutely every last one, regardless of body type, look great. Actually almost any pair of pants from lululemon has this "age and gravity defying" attribute it appears. I say this not randomly but because I have seen some of these same women in jeans and they don;t look half as good as they look in a pair of lululemon pants. OK, ok, so I haven't tried them out myself, but I will, and I will report back.

Still on my list is a flat iron from Chi, the TURBO 1.5". I am glad I waited because it looks like it is 65% of now, and yet I am not rushing out to buy it yet because it isn't a need, and I am also not so happy that it is digital. Maybe later.....and maybe by the time I make up my mind it is cheaper....

Then again, they could be completely unavailable, like these grey flats from TOMS. I had said I wanted them back in June of 2012, and now they are all gone. So now I am looking all over to find a pair just as cute and just as comfortable in grey. No luck yet.

I need to be quicker about some of these decisions. But hey, sometimes swim classes for my kiddos at the local YMCA take priority.

What is on your shopping wish list currently?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

Going Green for a Healthier Scalp

2013-04-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, sometimes my green efforts sound outrageous even to me, but I have been surprised by how well most of them end up working. I already use a homemade laundry soap (sort of- mixing washing soda and good old fashioned ZOTE soap) and my clothes are doing great. I have been using green deodorant for years and love how that has turned out. Now, my scalp has made me jump into something I thought I would never do, do green with no-poo (without shampoo)

I have been reading about all the harm we cause ourselves with shampoo, starting with the harshness of the chemicals like parabens and sulfates. Then I find out maybe my shampoo is making my itchy scalp worse. I happen to have somewhat sensitive skin, and I can’t use just any moisturizer, so why would my scalp be any different.

I was considering going “no-poo” for about 2 years but keep getting deterred by the idea of having icky feeling hair, let alone the smell, but I kept reading on different blogs how many women had maybe just a week or two of the ick factor and none of the smell issues. So I decided to give it a whirl. But I could not do this cold turkey! No sir. I needed to ease into it. So first I decided to start by washing my hair less often to begin with, by doing it every other day, then just twice a week. Man was that hard!!! I kept wanting to wash it, but I held strong.

Then I thought “I’m nuts! How can my hair get cleaned without some sort of soap if not a shampoo??” So I looked into it and decided to try out a castile soap with tea tree oil to help my scalp issues. I went for the Dr. Brooner’s brand. It is a soap, not a shampoo, and it uses all natural ingredients. That worked out rather well, and the tea tree oil started helping with my itchy scalp. I went about 2 weeks with that (maybe 3 washes so far).

So I took the leap. I had prepared the baking soda and water mix (1 tbsp. baking soda to 1 cup of water) to clean my scalp, and also prepared the apple cider vinegar and water mix (2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar to 1 cup of water) to condition it, and left them in my bathroom, but couldn’t make myself use them. Then one night I just did it. I had gone 3 days without washing my hair and thought, “if it doesn’t feel clean I can always go back to the castile soap”.

I poured slowly the baking soda mix from the clear squeeze bottle and worked it into my scalp, rubbing every inch, making sure not to miss anything. I kept picturing a corner of greasy hair if I didn’t make sure every strand was covered. I followed the instructions on the many blogs and did only the roots and not the ends. Washed it out after about 2 minutes of rubbing, and my scalp and the hair felt almost squeaky-clean. How could this be?? It isn’t soap!!! But wait…this does feel a bit….dry?!?! So how the heck is apple cider vinegar supposed to make this feel better??

So there I went. I poured slowly the apple cider vinegar mix from the clear squeeze bottle and worked it into the ends, rubbing every inch. The smell was strong at first. It wasn’t feeling very different, but it did say to leave it in a few minutes. I also made sure not to go all the way into the roots since they said it would make my hair greasy…yeah, vinegar makes hair greasy, go figure!!!

5 minutes went by while I kept showering, and the smell wasn’t so strong. Time to wash it out. I kept picturing myself walking through the halls at work and people craving a salad for lunch al because of my hair, so I washed and washed.

I was tempted to pour a bit of conditioner, but I didn’t. I could always pull my hair back the next day. I wrapped my hair in a towel and let it dry a bit while I put on my moisturizer and pjs. By the time I took off my towel and started to brush it out it was amazingly manageable. If you have ever used conditioner you know there is this creamy feel to your hair, and if you go without you feel it dry and hard to comb through. Well this was sooooo not the case for me. My hair felt clean, really clean. Not creamy like with conditioner, yet completely comb-able (if that makes any sense). I have a bloodhound nose, so I could tell a scent of vinegar was still there, but an hour later is was almost completely gone (like I said, I am part dog).

Ok, so let’s see how it feels in the morning. I’m sure this can’t last long. Nope…morning came and my hair was still feeling pretty good. Brushed it with my boar bristle brush and stilled it as usual (I don’t use product because I have never liked how it feels), and off I went. It is close to noon for me and my hair still looks and feels good. It isn’t a miracle treatment by any means, and it has only been one day so far, but I expected much worse.

If you are interested in a bit more information about the harms of shampoos (and deodorants and fragrances) here is a link that may interest you http://www.mnn.com/communityblogs/oddlyocean/the-harm-of-shampoos-deodorants-and-fragrances

I’ll do an update as the time passes to see how my scalp is doing, but I was planning on keeping a schedule of Sunday night baking soda and vinegar, and Thursday night castile/tea tree oil soap and vinegar (I liked the tea tree oil part). I may also look into some essential oils to help add some “oomph” to how my hair smells because right now it doesn’t smell like anything at all, and there is something to be said about nice smelling hair.

Have your tried going green for your scalp?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

I take issue with your news story NYT

2013-04-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

I struggled greatly with the idea my daughter could be diagnosed with ADHD as early as age 4, and it took me close to 3 more years to agree to get her diagnosed, and a few extra months to agree to use prescription drugs. I read as much as I could about it and when I finally did take that step with her I still felt some hesitation. No amount of drug company propaganda or doctor reassurances made me feel any better until I saw with my own eyes how she reacted to it. As I have mentioned before in this blog, it wasn’t an easy road, but what did make me feel a bit better about taking that first step was reading other parents’ experiences with their children, and still and proceeded with caution.

If I had any long lasting proven alternative to prescription drugs I would go that route in a heartbeat, because I know the cons to prescription drugs as well as I know the pros, and at this point in time the pros outweigh the cons. As a parent I feel it is my job to safeguard my children by being informed, and I happen to think my physician’s office is not the end-all-be-all for information. That may not be the case with other parents.

I take issue with reporting that “Several doctors mentioned that advertising from the pharmaceutical industry that played off parents’ fears” such as Shire’s Vyvanse showing a parent looking at her son and saying, “I want to do all I can to help him succeed.” I saw that ad and I still didn’t want my child on medication, but those exacts words came from me months afterward when she finally was on medication and succeeding. If anything, that ad is SPOT ON. Whoever thinks otherwise has obviously not gone through the angst of deciding to medicate their child with a stimulant.

The below is their current ad campaign for Vyvanse, and I think very accurate about the work still needed regardless of the medication.

http://www.vyvansekids.com/?mid=V002682

Other drug companies may have similar ads, but I am greatly familiar with this one as we use it in our family.

I also take issue with physicians and other healthcare providers making less of our parental concerns. I heard Dr. Hallowell refer to stimulants as being “safer than aspirin,” and I knew that wasn’t accurate. Aspirin actually has several risks, but we live with them anyway because we weigh the options. Yet, most people aren’t given those options to weigh up-front and in the open. The information is there for the taking, but in fine print, in libraries, in medical publications, in places you need to go out and look for. It isn’t the first thing they give you when diagnosed. It is actually one of the lasts things they give you, and usually after they have given you a prescription.

I know many people are still reluctant to take their children to get evaluated because of all the negative media surrounding ADHD and medication. I have personally spoken to several parents who had concerns about their children and getting an ADHD diagnosis, and their chief complaint was exactly that. I don’t make less of their worry, I relate, but I also share my experiences with both my children. I also advocate for them to get informed and show them the way to several publications.

I don’t doubt there are plenty of children being misdiagnosed, and I know there are some teachers out there not helping matters by pressuring parents into getting their children medicated as if that was the one and only solution. There could be a happy medium. Healthcare providers could be more careful in their diagnosis, and provide parents with additional reading resources so they can make informed decisions.

Scare tactics by the media, and the New York Times in particular with yet another article blowing out of proportion ADHD diagnosis and treatment, is not the way to go. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/01/health/more-diagnoses-of-hyperactivity-causing-concern.html?pagewanted=all I have read this article published yesterday several times now, and I understand there is some very accurate information in it (although two corrections have been made from yesterday to today, so maybe they were too quick to the punch), but it also has very alarming language that can make a hesitant parent steer completely away from even getting their child diagnosed fearing the worst. Several other people I spoke to who read it had the same first reaction I did, which was that of an “alarming” story. It wasn’t till I pointed out other facts in it and some of my own that they realized they walked away with only the negatives and none of the positives, such as the wording changes expected from the American Psychiatric Association to the criteria for ADHD diagnosis to allow that symptoms merely “impact” daily activities, rather than cause “impairment.” This is actually a good thing, which they attempted to point out, and yet I still find their choice of words didn't help when saying:

merely “impact” daily activities

It make it feel unimportant, small, insignificant. This “merely” has some heavy repercussions when the symptoms show up every day several times a day. A leaky pipe can have some permanent damage on the rest of your house.

My kids have shown great improvement through medication, but also through patterns and structure in their routines and some diet modification. We are doing so well that we can have our weekends OFF of medication. Their symptoms are still there, but less prevalent and a bit more manageable during days that don't require so much focus on detail and where their impulsivity can be curtailed by their parents (i.e. me and Hubby).

I am just tired of people who don’t know what it is to live with ADHD to pass judgment. It is a daily struggle, and you are not making it any easier. If only one child gets better options simply because of the diagnosis alone it will make their life that much better, even if they choose not to use medication. Don’t scare them off. Medication is one small part of treating ADHD, but this sort of publicity makes people stay away from the rest when it can make all the difference in the world to simply KNOW.

Do you think some news stories get exaggerated?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

Change is difficult…duuuhhh!!

2013-03-22T09:01:00.000-07:00

Change is difficult to cope with for most people. There is security behind routine. There is a whole industry making money teaching people how to cope with change. And since I deal with change management at work I should be an expert in it, right??!?! Nope!!!

I am probably one of few people out there that actually enjoys change, but it depends on the circumstances. I find it exciting to try something new. I have no qualms in trying it out and giving it a good chance, and if the cost isn’t great, moving on to something that may be better. This has actually worked in my benefit for most my life, and in particular when finding solutions for the 3 ADHDers I have at home. I would read about a particular strategy, schedule, meal plan, and if it sounded like something that would work for at least one of mine I would give it a go. We have found many solutions that way.

This same attitude made it easier, for me at least, to see a particular solution stop working all of a sudden for one or all of my ADHDers, simply because of the nature of who they are. They get bored, tired, frustrated a lot quicker than others, and sometimes there is just no use in swimming up stream.

I had incorporated so many new things into our lives as of late that I really didn’t take into account how they felt about YET ANOTHER CHANGE!! Oh yes, you know what is coming, that big BOOM is near!!!

So my ADHDers have been taking medication for a few years now, and since Dad is the one that takes the kids to school because I have to be on a train to work at that time, Dad is the one that dishes out the pills. One small problem here….Dad needs a pill too….a pill that helps with what again?? Oh, that’s right, with focus (a.k.a. not getting distracted and doing what you are supposed to do). So it came as no surprise to have a day pop up here and another day pop up there where we had stronger ADHD symptoms show up in one or two or all in my clan. We came to figure that it was very possible someone didn’t take their pill that day.

We had never really counted pills, nor did we think we had to or wanted to. Imagine counting as many as 90 pills a day to find out if all 3 had taken their dose. NOT GONNA HAPPEN!! So I talked to some people, looked on some blogs, and read some advice columns. I came to the conclusion that a pill box for each would be a great solution. I found ones that came with dividers not only for the 7 days of the week but also for AM and PM. Awesome, right? Hubby didn’t think so. It was messing with his routine. So I let it go…till we had 2 more incidents of forgetfulness and going without a pill. It had been him that didn’t take his pill, or so he thought…he couldn’t be sure, and he couldn’t take a second pill just in case. So I very quietly ordered the pill boxes for all four of us (I have my own set of medications and vitamins, etc. so may as well get us all in the same habit).

Two a Day Pill Organizer, Small

Pill boxes arrived, in different colors for each so there was no confusing medications, and I was excited. Daddy wasn’t so excited, and with good reason. I didn’t ask him. I didn’t prepare him. I didn’t even consider him. Not my M.O., but I somehow felt it was O.K. to go ahead anyway because it was in everyone’s best interest. HAVE I LEARNED NOTHING FROM ALL THOSE BOOKS OF “CHANGE MANAGEMENT”???? What was I thinking?? And I did it in my own home!! Shame on me.

The kids, on the other had, were rather excited to have a pill box of their very own. But we will have to see how this NEW strategy works. Hubby warmed up to the idea after I apologized and told him he didn’t have to use his box if he didn’t want to. After allowing him a few hours to calm down and maybe think about it a bit more, I asked him if he wanted me to prepare his box for him, and he nodded yes (reluctant acceptance). Victory?? Nope, not yet! Not in this family. Victory is only if it actually works, not if they agree to try. So I counted my blessings.

Last night everyone took their PM share from their pill boxes. We were all excited to start. This morning, running out to go to work as I always do I almost ran out without checking my pill box, till my kids pointed out they would be checking theirs once breakfast was done. Jeesshhhh!! And here I was complaining about them forgetting their stuff and about how hard Hubby took to my idea for this change. I got a look from hubby that was a mix between a smile and a silent “I told you so”, but we have been together way too long to say it out loud, so early in the morning, and before our coffee was all gone. I learned my lesson. Fingers crossed and this will actually work long term.

What have you changed recently that was hard to get used to?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

Revisit your jewelry box

2013-03-07T15:25:00.000-08:00

I had been seeing for years a lot of cute necklaces in stores that had some sort of ribbon accent. I always thought to myself "I can do that at home? why would I ever pay for it?"but I never really got around to doing it.

Then I started seing it more and more on TV, in magazines, on people walking by....and it had this air of shabby chic that I just craved for. But some looked way more complicated than what I wanted to get (work wise for a home craft)

But then I saw this one that looked like they just pulled together a few necklaces and that was it. The one below obviously had more work than just pulling it together, but still.

So I took a plunge into my jewelry box. I pulled out one really heavy necklace that I had not worn in a while because it just looked to plain. I also pulled out another thin one that my Mother had and I had never really used. Pulled out a ribbon, which truth be told I purchased for this type of craft about 3 years ago but never finished.....so now what???

I played around with lengths for a bit. Tied it in a bow a few times playing with the right length, and finally came up with this.

I had actually forgotten I was wearing this today, until a few people at work commented on it. I guess it was a success.

What do you have in your jewelry box you could revisit?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

Time stops for no one, so enjoy it! Carpe Diem

2013-02-22T09:21:00.000-08:00

Around this time of year I really get thinking about how quickly time passes by. My son's birthday is at the end of January and my daughter's birthday is at the later part of March. Additionally, my Mom's birthday is today. All those things together make me be enormously grateful that I get to spend another moment with my kids, that I get to go home and see them, and that I get to enjoy watching them grow into such caring wonderful people.

I enjoy having them crawl into bed with me just to snuggle and cuddle because they want to be with me. I may be sleepy and want a few more minutes in bed, and they do let me stay in (although chatting away in a whispery voice). I can't even make myself open my eyes yet, but I love those precious moments under the covers.

I enjoy having them ask me to make them something yummy, because "your food taste so good Mommy. It must be because you make it with LOVE!!"

I enjoy reminding myself that our brand of crazy isn't crazy at all, it's just US, and we love it.

And even if our humor isn't for everyone, it is for us, which is what matters.

And I definitely enjoy that all the hard work, sleepless nights, constantly guiding them in the right direction....is actually paying off in terms of building these warm hearted individuals.

I was shocked to realize that all the things we say to our kids that appear to go in one ear and out the other actually do stay in their heads. While on a road trip to go spend Christmas with our family back home, I heard my little girl tell a complete stranger at a gas stop restroom what she was most excited about for this Christmas. When asked if she was excited about presents she said "No, not the presents for me. I am excited about giving presents to my family. I want to see them happy, because Christmas is not about getting, it is about giving and family". Wow!!! She actually heard some of what I have been saying. My explanation was a bit more religious of course, but I am glad the major points stuck with her.

I've always thought you have to seize the day, but with the hustle and bustle that is everyday life with 2 kids it can be easy to forget to do so.

And a message to my hubby: Babe, we've done right!!! And we did it together!!!

OK, so not the best grammar, but this is not English class but it is So Perf!

How do you make sure you seize the day?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

Avoiding dairy. Harder than it sounds!!

2013-01-24T16:12:00.000-08:00

Since my son was diagnosed with a dairy allergy I went into full-blown research mode (as I tend to do with everything that is new to me). I read medical journals, went into dairy-free forums, blogs, books, and even some Facebook pages that talked specifically about this topic.

One website with tons of good info is www.godairyfree.org.

I liked the info on the website so much that I bought the book “Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living”.

That had tons of good recipes but also information.

My husband wanted even more information about dairy allergies and ADHD, so he purchased for us “The Kid-Friendly ADHD & Autism Cookbook, Updated and Revised: The Ultimate Guide to the Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet”.

That is another good book as well. It also shared some very appealing recipes. All fine and good, but my son is a picky eater, and I searched far and wide for recipes that besides being dairy free could be appealing to him….visually and taste wise….so I hit the jackpot with “Cooking for Isaiah: Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Recipes for Easy, Delicious Meals”.

The author of this book, Silvana Nardone, also has a website http://www.silvanaskitchen.com/ , a Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/silvananardoneglutenfreedairyfree?fref=ts , and is the Editor –in-Chief of “Easy Eats” http://www.easyeats.com/ . This last one is more of a gluten free site, but many times gluten free recipes are dairy free and a good source. My son has seen all the pictures in the book and is excited every time I tell him I am trying out one of the recipes there. So far so good. Anecdotally I can say he is doing much better, both with his allergies and with his ADHD. I can even say all four of us (Mom, Dad, Daughter, Son) are all doing much better health wise, so much so that even if his allergy goes away we will continue to do our best to be dairy free.

It is a pain to be dairy free though. My focus is more on dairy and I was surprised how many thinks use dairy or even casein. The strangest to me was to find out my kids’ multi-vitamin had milk http://www.centrum.com/centrum-kids#chewables.

I have become an expert food label reader. And it is exhausting.

We have decided to do our best to go organic, free of most preservatives, and thus mainly fresh products. We have also decided to do our best to avoid gluten and artificial colors, like Red 40. Red 40 is another one that surprised me how many things contain it. I expected it in my son’s bag of skittles, but then it turned up in a Duncan Hines icing, and again in that multivitamin I already discarded because of the milk. Jeshhhhh!!!

So as I am about to hit the “purchase” button on a vegan multivitamin that is milk free and red 40 free http://www.nowfoods.com/Supplements/Products-by-Category/Vitamins/Multiple-Vitamins---Childrens/M075933.htm I am hopeful that my whole family will benefit from leading a more simple way of life.

Don’t get me wrong, because I still am enrolling my son in a study to slowly increase his tolerance to milk, but that is only so he can partake in pizza and cake at birthday parties at some point. Hopefully starting this journey so early in his life will make him a life-long healthy-lifestyle convert. Time will tell.

What healthy life-style changes are you making lately?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

How we got through the holidays.

2013-01-04T10:15:00.000-08:00

I had been giving this a lot of thought when in reality that is exactly the opposite of what I needed to do. How we got through the holidays is by simply enjoying them. And don’t think that was an easy task either, not with 3 ADHDers and one very worrisome Mom. Going to see family has always been a bit stressful, beginning with the fact that we have very limited amount of time to spend with them since we live far away, and then splitting up our time between his family, and my family, and making it all count. Then you add the fact that my kids are very rambunctious, Dad is very strict, and a lot of the Holiday events are somewhat formal…this equals some more tension.

So I had a conversation with my husband before taking off on our trip. We chose to drive given the high prices of flights and the need for our own transportation once there. We also decided we would break up the long trip into 3 shorter more digestible drives, making our first stop a bit over 6 hours into it at a hotel, our second stop the next day at a bit over 7 hours at my brother-in-law’s house with his wife and kids where we spent the rest of the day, and the last stop in less than 5 hours with my in-law’s.

We also decided we needed to take enough for the kids to be entertained both on the drive there and during our stay, so we got them their Christmas presents early, which where 2 mini iPads, loaded plenty of movies, books, and games. We also brought along some regular books and toys.

One key factor for us at least was planning some time for the kids to decompress, which meant making time for them to be just with us (Mom and Dad), and not having the pressure to “behave”. Don’t get me wrong, my kids behave pretty well with us, Mom and Dad, but they can get a little out of hand with all the excitement of seeing relatives that they can forget their manners in an attempt to be funny. Coincidentally we had the opportunity to stay at my sister-in-law’s house while she was at her in-law’s, and that made that decompression time a bit easier. If we had not been at a different house alone we would probably had made pockets of time for the kids to be alone with us, like we did on our last day when we did spend the night with my in-law’s and chose to take the kids to a movie. The movie was a way for them to let their hair down, besides the fact that my kiddos crave entertainment on a regular basis.

Another part of my conversation with my husband was to have a mutual understanding that we would somewhat disconnect. What I mean by that is that precisely because our kiddos are so rambunctious we tend to need to supervise them constantly to make sure they are not setting the curtains on fire or sticking a fork in anything electric (I say this in jest….a bit….but not really) . Needing so much supervision, and a lot of it being repetitive given their ADHD, can make any parent a bit irritable, but a Dad with ADHD even more so. So we both agreed to not supervise them so much. We would have to roll with the punches. Hopefully one of their cousins would tell on them if they decided to juggle knives.

We were also traveling with a newly discovered constraint, which is my son’s milk allergy. Although his allergy is not life threatening and could very well continue to eat dairy with some antihistamines, we have seen improvements in his ADHD symptoms and also my daughter’s ADHD symptoms (who doesn’t show any milk allergy symptoms) since we decided to lead a dairy free life to the best of our abilities. With that in mind we decided to take a few measures to continue this diet as much as possible on our trip, but to also break a few rules and let them eat some dairy if it was right in front of their face, like Christmas cookies, or some other yummy treat.

I am happy to report that with much of the dairy products evaded during this trip, and since we were on vacation and let our hair down, we actually went a few days without ADHD medication without many complaints. I believe their ADHD symptoms were very reduce (including Dad), but pair that up with our “vacation” attitude, and we faired really well.

We knew we were asking a lot out of them during this trip, both for being in a car for so long and with behaving with relatives, that we also planned a tiny reward for them at the end of the long journey. Our second to last stop back home was Universal Studios. We ate out, walked the park, rode the rides, saw the attractions, walked away with 2 very cool transformers’ T-shirts for the kiddos, and stayed 2 nights at the nearest Hilton (one to rest up before the day at the park, and another to rest up for the last bit of driving).

It was a total of 10 days, and although I did do some laundry in the middle, I came home to do a ton of laundry on the 31st. We were all so tired, but so happy to be home too. One very excellent way to tie 2012 in a perfect little bow. So Perf!!

How did you get through the holidays?

Rossana G-A

Allergies and ADHD

2012-12-07T10:46:00.000-08:00

I have been remiss in posting for about 2 months, but here is why. Besides the usual craziness that is my life with a husband and 2 kids with ADHD, I had a lot going on with family. Among them was my son’s allergies not going away.

A bit of history is needed here. Both my kids and my husband have sensitive skin, so much so that they can’t use any soaps with fragrance, not any harsh stripping soaps, and at one point needed a liquid soap with oatmeal for calming effects. They are also sensitive to some fabrics, and can’t use many synthetics. Tags?!?! Let me tell you about tags!! They annoy them so much, and cutting them just makes it worse, and some tag-less brands irritate their skin even more so. So I am left with a small variety of clothing brands where the tag is softer, or the tag-less ones that the imprint is made in the dying and not by a rubbery stamp. Aughhh. Skin lotions….same ball of wax….only very mild lotions will do.

So we have those items under control, but then we have environmental issues. I have no environmental allergies, although genetically on my side of the family it is as if we were part bloodhound, and could possibly have successful jobs as food critics since we can also tell what ingredients are in a dish. On my husband’s side of the family, pollen is a foe. When pollen counts go up he can’t stop sneezing, his eyes get watery, and he is in an all out bad mood (not that its much different otherwise J). So when we discovered my son had pollen allergies when he was a mere 6 months old, it didn’t come as a surprise. This diagnosis came from a myriad of ear infections and constant colds (or so we thought they were colds).

Antihistamines have been a constant in our house. Then at 3 years old we detected this incessant blinking, which we were told was a tic and would grow out of it. But we got to a point where antihistamines weren’t’ cutting it, and now at 6 years old he was constantly clearing his throat, complaining of itchy eyes and nose, and dry skin (although no rash). We had postponed an allergy test when he was 4 as we didn’t think it was something we wanted to subject him too so young and with so few issues, but it got worse as he got older so we went back and got it done.

Most types of grass and some types of trees were no surprise to show up on the allergy list, but was most surprising was milk, and milk protein “casein” as well. We suspected it as his throat clearing would suddenly reach new highs when eating cereal with milk. Then we noticed the same with his string cheese snacks…but somehow, since Dad has the same reaction, we thought it was just a mild sensitivity, like so many they have. An allergic reaction was not what I was expecting.

I was actually pretty sad with the diagnosis as my boy eats dairy all day every day, from milk, to yogurt, to all types of cheese…mac and cheese, egg & cheese burritos, soap with shredded cheese…and the list goes on and on. So when the allergist suggested a protocol to increase his dairy tolerance we decided to go for it, and yet the protocol was not fully approved and we would have to wait till January. So for now we would go on a dairy free diet.

The products we had already been using are almond milk from either Silk Pure Almond or Almond Breeze. At my local grocers I have a hard time finding the chocolate flavor in the refrigerated Almond Breeze, so we usually end up buying the "Dark Chocolate" Silk, but for the vanilla and original we have bought the Almond Breeze. Now that the kids have tasted both, we probably will continue to buy different brand for different flavors.

I also went on a hunt for recipes and information about dairy. I found all types of substitutions (almond milk when milk is called for, vegetable shortening without trans fat when butter was called for, and some other tricks for when buttermilk is used). I still need to try out this shortening, but hopefully it will do for all my baking needs instead of butter.

I read reviews on vegan cheese and decided my cheese connoisseur son would never go for it. We also tried 3 types of vegan yogurts, and so far 2 have not passed his pallet test (waiting to see if this odd almond/chocolate dairy free yogurt will pass the lunch test today).

I was impacted by how many foods have dairy in them, or the risk of having been in contact with dairy and still pose a threat, like chocolate chips (they are made in the same factory as milk chocolate chips, so even if they contain no milk they may have picked up some casein in the process). Aughhhh, again.

Sure, his reaction to dairy isn’t that bad…and if he is wanting a scoop of ice-cream or a slice of pizza so badly that he is willing to put up with the side effects, I’ll let him do it once in a blue moon, but both him and I have seen how much better he feels so far without it.

So I thought our dairy free time would be limited to the time we could get him in the study, but then I run into medical article after medical article, all discussing different aspects of casein and links to ADHD behavior. The gist of it was that there is an enzyme lacking in most patients diagnosed with ADHD, and without it casein (the protein found in dairy) isn’t processed appropriately, and as such causes a chemical imbalance in the brain and so it misfires in the form of inattention, lack of restraint, and even hyperactivity. In a couple of clinical studies, some patients off of dairy saw such a reduction in ADHD symptoms that they could come off of their medication. The key phrase here is “some patients” and not all, and yet this gave me enough pause to consider dairy free as a way of life. I also don’t think it is the cause, but if it will make it more manageable then Hallelujah.

As we are yet in the early stages of dairy free life (a week so far), we have yet to see what long-term results may look like. I also have to admit that I am a frugal frugal woman, and I have tons of dairy at home still, and since my daughter and I don’t have an allergic reaction to it we decided to volunteer ourselves to consume it all. My husband does have a reaction to dairy, but he decided he can put up with it for the sake of being economical. I actually think he is having a hard time giving it up as well, and so he is postponing it.

At some point, all dairy will be gone at home, and we can do a true test of how my 3 ADHDers do without it. I still think there is room for those “once in a blue moon” moments, but if living a MOSTLY dairy free existence will help, we are willing to try.

I am posting a link to one article that is more layman’s terms than others.
http://www.pnas.org/content/107/9/4401.full.pdf+html

What allergies changed your life?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

Cast Iron cooking - another green endeavor

2012-10-07T20:51:00.000-07:00

I grew up in a household that cooked in Cast Iron skillets. My Mom never really taught me how to season them as she had been cooking in them for ever. She did, however, teach me they had to be completely dried or they would oxidize.

Then we "went with the times" and bought some non-stick skillets, started using cooking sprays, and even bought a microwave. Yep, I think I may have dated myself, but anyway...

In my efforts to have a healthier home and a healthier planet, I have gone back to these good old fashion skillets. I had non-stick for the majority of my married years, but the non-stick lasted only a few years and I was incurring the costs of new one more often than I liked. Then I come to find out about the lovely carcinogens left behind....wonderful.

Interestingly enough, even before I knew this, I venture out to buy to cast iron skillets because I loved to cook in them at my parents house. I stopped using them as frequently because they kept sticking. I come to find out I had to season them.

I found this wonderful blog post http://modernmrscleaver.com/2012/08/16/psssst-cast-iron-pass-it-down/ about cast iron and the ABCs of using and caring for them.

Image from modernmrscleaver.com

So I was sold. I pulled out both my skillets and seasoned them a few months back, and have slowly started using them.

I have the 5-inch lodge miniature skillet,

and the 8-inch skillet.

They have been a joy to use...once I got used to actually lowering the temperature on my electric range...because they heat up and stay hot so much beter than non-stick modern pans. One more for cast iron. That makes....a gazillion against non-stick pans.

I have noticed the lids I have from my other pans work well, but I plan to start using them in the oven as well, so I do plan to invest in a couple of cast iron lids.

I also noticed the handles do get pretty darn hot, and this multitasking Mom can easily forget to use a pot holder, so maybe some Silicon Hot Handle Holders are in my future as well

And since I am on a roll, I'l probably invest in a few more pieces. This one is a two-for-one, or should I say a five-for-two; a skillet, a fryer, a dutch oven, a lid, that also converts to a griddle.

Have you tried cooking with Cast Iron?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

Beautiful pictures - I want a hobby

2012-09-28T11:38:00.003-07:00

I can't help it, I love beautiful things. I am drawn to skylines, architecture, paintings, etc. I could visit a museum every day of the week if I had the time. I am even more impressed with how these beautiful sites can still be appreciated given a skillfully taken photograph.

I had a nice camera for a New York minute right after I got married...and we so used it when our daughter was born. Then time went out the window. As a working Mom a have little of it to spare. The camera collected dust, the lens got damaged, and I also craved much more than what my camera could offer.

Now I am carving out a bit more time for myself, if only to have a sense of sanity and tranquility once in a while. and photography is calling, nay...screaming and yelling my name.

In order to know what I will need to start up this hobby of mine, I needed to go look at what I want to do.

These are a few of the images I most want to be skilled at taking.

Image from http://thepleasuremonger.wordpress.com/

Image from http://galmeetsglam.blogspot.com/

Image from http://atlantic-pacific.blogspot.com/

Image from http://cupcakesandcashmere.com/

Also, I went looking at tutorials for picture taking and found this wonderful blog http://jenncuisine.com/ and it has both stunning pictures as wonderful advice. Like this one on exposure http://jenncuisine.com/2011/03/amateurs-food-photography-vi-the-histogram/

Image from http://jenncuisine.com/

The tutorials are great http://jenncuisine.com/resources/tutorial-collection/, and I can't wait till I make a camera purchase and start snapping away.

What hobby would you like to have?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

Running in cooler weather

2012-09-16T19:04:00.002-07:00

I hate that I get so much cooler weather during the year here in Northern California. I know, I know, people love the weather here, and I do too, but not when I have time to run either really early or really late when the sun is no longer around to warm anything. And because I used o run in Texas I don't really have the appropriate workout clothes. I plan to change that shortly. On my radar are a few things.

1. A jacket that is warm enough for cold weather, but that still lets you move enough to run. It also happens to run a bit over here, so a hoodie and water repellant are also a must, although I would probably do a U-turn back home so I don't get soaked. This Lululemon jacket is on the top of my list so far.

2. Gloves. I have some, but mostly to keep warm and they are plush. I need some a bit sleeker and breathable...yes, palms sweat even in cold weather if you are exercising. These Lululemon gloves also have reflective surfaces to help drivers see you when you run, and they have touch-screen friendly finger tips. Check, check, and check.

3. I had been holding out to find a running jacket with a taller collar. The air can get so cold that it hurst to breath it in when running and breathing so heavily. Lululemon had some years ago, but I didn't buy it at the time as I didn't need it in Texas, and then they didn't make it again. I think I now know why they don't make them anymore. The started making running scarfs. Great idea!! This one is also very versatile, and can be used for more than just running.

4. Leg warmers. Leg warmers??? Yes, leg warmers!! Why, you may ask? Because I get really really cold....yep, I am weird. And I also happen to think I can use them casually. I get cold when I wear boots as well, and these guys can be scrunched up to go unnoticed under the boot line, or even pull them up to add that little extra flair to your outfit.

So there it is. I haven't gotten them yet, but they are on my list. And as the weather keeps getting cooler I will probably be mor inclined to run and purchase them.

What do you use to keep exercising when the weather doesn't cooperate?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

My current shopping wish list

2012-08-28T13:28:00.000-07:00

I knew it!! I had secretly thought that my wants are not wants for long if I wait long enough to get them. All of a sudden I don't want them anymore even if I didn't end up getting them.

My first big surprise was that my hubby slowly convinced me to get the Vibram FiveFingers, although I still don't know which ones I want. My kids want some too, and since these little ones grow so fast they will actually need new shoes in a few weeks.

Here is my favorite so far

And the kids' selections are cute as well

Then I have a few wants for beauty tools like a flat iron and a face scrubber

But I expect that if I wait a few months some other stuff will replace them on my list of wants....but I think the flat iron will stay.

The latest thing on my list is this very comfy recliner sofa from ZGallerie. This one may actually make it into my home shortly.

It is a power recliner that fully reclines with zero wall clearance. I can almost see myself falling asleep in it, with my comfy blanket on top. A nice foot rub would be nice too, but I won't hold my breath.

What is on your shopping wish list currently?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

Packing in the Magnesium - No-Bake Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

2012-08-22T10:57:00.000-07:00

I recently read that many ADHD experts believe ADHD people have a mild Magnesium Deficiency. Some of the symptoms of magnesium deficiency include irritability, decreased attention span, and mental confusion

In one preliminary study of 75 magnesium-deficient children with ADHD, those who received magnesium supplements showed an improvement in behavior compared to those who did not receive the supplements. Too much magnesium can be dangerous and magnesium can interfere with certain medications, including some antibiotics and some high blood pressure medications.

Our doctor gave us the go ahead to add more foods that have a healthy dose of magnesium, but you should always talk to your doctor if you have health concerns.

One way I decided to make this endeavor more fun was with an easy no-bake granola recipe. I added plenty of bran, and magnesium rich nuts like cashews and brazil nuts.

Recipe that yields30 bars goes like this:

Ingredients:

½ cup butter

½ cup honey

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup crispy rice cereal

1 cup bran flakes

1 cup all-bran

½ cup raisins

¼ cup almonds

¼ cup pine nuts

¼ cup walnuts

¼ cup cashews

¼ cup brazil nuts

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup mini chocolate chips, semi-sweet

Directions:

In a large bowl, stir oats, rice cereal, bran flakes, all-bran, raisins, and all the nuts together. Set aside. In a small pot, melt butter, honey and brown sugar together over medium high heat until it comes to a bubble. Reduce the heat and cook 2 minutes. Pour in vanilla and stir. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well to moisten all ingredients. Pour into lightly greased Half Sheet pan {about 18x13x1} and press out to be about 3/4 in or just below the 1 in thickness.

Note: Do not add the chocolate chips before this point as they will melt with the melted butter, sugar, honey mix.

Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and press down lightly.

I am pretty impatient, so I cooled them in the freezer for about 10 minutes before cutting into bars. I left them in the pan in the refrigerator for a one more hour before I packed them up in a few plastic containers. I took one of the containers on an outing with my kiddos and they loved them.

They come home from school and beg for one instead of asking for candy or cookies, and they will even ask for one while they wait for breakfast to be ready. They love them so much that I made my first batch 11 days ago and as of this morning we ran out. I love it that they love it!

What are some of the ways you sneak in healthy foods in your diet?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

Organized for Back to School

2012-08-14T13:36:00.002-07:00

Every parent wants their children to start the school year off right, but for my crew it is even more of an endeavor. In order for us to start on track, and stay on track we needed some new tools, and to continue using some of our old ones.

We found this cool legal pad looking decal at Bed Bath and Beyond. It is a dry erase board where you can list out chores, or reminders of any sort. We got two; one for the fridge and one for the kids' bedroom mirrored closet door. In the kitchen are their chores. In the bedroom are their daily steps to get ready in the morning and to get ready for bed at night.

We already had these assorted color magnets, and we are continuing to use them to highlight what chores have been done and which ones still need to be done. We use them on the fridge or on one of our dry erase boards. They don't work on the mirror, for obvious reasons, but I just thought I would clarify in case anyone was wondering.

We also already had this dry erase calendar from Target, and we have continued to use it to mark those special appointments, trips, days off from school, etc. It has been a great tool.

And since we have been doing the 'dry erase" thing for a while we had to stock up on new dry erase markers as well.

Another item I have been using for almost 2 years now are these great Mead Organizher fridge filer. The top bar is magnetized, and it has 3 plastic pockets with tabs which you can index/organize. I have 2, one for each kid. In them I put their school calendar, their classroom schedule, and any special paperwork their particular teacher may give me (like the list of classmates, and their parents). It has helped us enormously!! It is all within reach any time we need it, and even the kids know where to look for their school information.

Another tool in our arsenal is a large cork board. We use this to pin all those things that are a bit further in our schedule, like a flyer for an event at our local park, or the flyer for school picture day. They don't fit on our dry erase calendar yet, and the refrigerator is full enough as well, so these things get pinned in a separate spot to be checked the following month. It could also be a spot to put quick reference school tools, like multiplication tables, or grammar rules - the kids know to run and get them if their homework requires it.

And, of course, some push pins to pin stuff up. The clear ones are for regular stuff to pin, and the color ones are for those items that need special attention (like a birthday party invitation).

Our most recent addition is this lovely hall tree and storage bench. We have a coat hanger already, and we have some other storage around the house, but this one is specially assigned to school stuff. Everyone gets a double hook assigned; one for their backpack and one for their jacket. Larger jackets can be stored inside. Lunch bags are stored on the top shelf, along with other miscellaneous stuff, like swimming goggles (yes, random, but this summer it has helped to keep them handy).

Our shoe rack is right next to it, so the bench is a good place to sit and put on your shoes, or sit to take them off and hang them back up.

These few and possibly uncommon tools and strategies have worked for us so far, and once school starts in a couple of days, will be tested further. It is up to us to stay constant and keep using them.

What organization tools and strategies do you use?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

A better start in the morning - Protein and complex carbs.

2012-08-09T10:55:00.001-07:00

Now that the ADHD count has gone up in my home from 2 people to 3 (both kids and hubby), I have been noticing more opportunities for improvement. One major one being good eating habits. I want to make sure they have the best start to their day so they are in a better mood and in a better position to take on what the day throws at them.

This probably should have been my focus all along, but you get complaisant and tired, and all of a sudden you are having them eat cold cereal every morning. So here I go back on the healthy train.

So far this week I have done pretty well, and all campers are happy.

Monday morning- Oatmeal:

Steel cut oats
Raisins
Cinnamon
Brown sugar
2% milk

Tuesday morning – Bean and Cheese Burritos:

2 whole-wheat tortillas
Refried beans
Shredded part-skimmed mozzarella

Wednesday morning – Egg and Cheese Burritos:

2 whole-wheat tortillas
2 scrambled eggs
Shredded part-skimmed mozzarella

Thursday morning – Egg, Spinach, and Cheese Quiche (sans crust) and toast with jam:

4 tablespoons chopped spinach
2 eggs
Shredded part-skimmed mozzarella
1 slice of whole-wheat toast with butter and fruit jam

I'm thinking tomorrow I may make some whole-wheat pancakes with nuts, but who knows, I'm still getting inspired by food images on the internet.

What breakfast dishes help you start your morning on the right foot?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

Married to ADHD- Whatever works!!

2012-08-03T13:38:00.001-07:00

I have been married to my lovely ADHD husband over a decade now. We have been together for a bit over 16 years too. It is a lot of time for trial and error, and we will probably have lots more. I even think we will have a lot of this because of the nature of ADHD and how he easily grows tired of certain routines.

This has affected every aspect of our relationship, from financial to child rearing. We tried joint accounts where one managed expenses, then the other, and then finally separate accounts but shared monthly expenses and savings. We did breakfast duties him and dinner duties me, and switched, and then switched back.

He would love to wear this shirt.

Something I haven’t been able to get rid of is the title of “Queen Nagger”. Surprisingly enough, I let a ton of things go simply because I am not insane and I know it doesn’t work to keep asking for it to get done. It only creates conflict. And yet I am the bad guy for reminding him that the leaves and branches he promised to take rake and take to the trash will not miraculously disappear after 3 months.

So what is a none ADHD wife to do with an ADHD husband?? Whatever works!!

My current strategy was to make an overly analyzed work chart, showing what each one usually does around the house and with the kids, how long it takes, and how many hours it adds up to. I finally had facts to reason with him. I could show how he indeed was doing a lot, but how much he wasn’t that he said he would, and who was picking up the slack because they were shared tasks.

He refuses to clean toilets, so I do it.

No.1 thing I eliminated was shared duties. I did not want to be the warden in a jail telling him what to do and when to do it. I also didn’t want to feel annoyed that I was doing more than my share when he promised otherwise. I charted exactly what he was to be solely responsible for and what where mine.

He gets annoyed with folding clothes, so I do it.

No, it wasn’t an instant win. He actually argued how unfair it was that they weren’t shared. Why did he have to take out the trash every time?? Because I wash the clothes, clean the toilet, and mop the floors every time!! Wanna trade?? Didn’t think so! It wasn’t easy, and I didn’t give him attitude about it either. I presented the plan. We discussed it a few times, we argued a few others, and after a few more days to let him think about it I think we have come to an agreement. The key word here is “I think”, because he never actually admitted to it, he just started doing the things assigned to him on my chart. But that is all I need, for now.

He actually doesn't mind taking out the trash, but he forgets.

No arguments yet. We have had a good few weeks doing this. We have managed to keep our place looking nice.

Now, we have to wait for school to start up again for both kids and him (he is in the middle of his Ph.D.), and hopefully we can keep this up. If not, then we switch it up again. Whatever works!!! Had I said that already??

How do you divide chores and tasks with your significant other?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

Hot weather, cool lunch!

2012-07-23T13:31:00.001-07:00

Since we are in the middle of summer, and my kiddos are going to summer day camp where they go out on field trips and hikes and swimming and all sorts of warm weather activities, it was soon apparent to me that their normal packed lunch was not getting the usual amount of shade it had while they were in school. They started complaining about their grapes being soggy and their yogurt not being cold.

I could have opted not to pack them such items, but when these are such healthy foods I thought I would look into it a bit more. I looked all over the Internet and found some interesting items. I also found out they sold them at Target, which made me even happier as I could go check them out and not simply order them on-line (and pay for shipping).

I was happy to find a smaller version of some lunch travel containers I already had.

These have been great tools for me when packing my own lunch, and for the past week it seams I made a good purchase in expanding our lunch tools for them.

These handy containers have an icepack on the lid which keeps the contents nice and cool without making the rest of their lunch bag wet with an external icepack. They are as small as 1 cup and 2 cup containers, and perfect for those fresh fruits and veggies they love. They also keep cheese and ham slices cool, for those “green Mom version” of store lunchables.

I was also very happy to find these yogurt containers.

They are insulated cups that fit most store brand individual yogurt cups. They also come with 2 stackable cups. One with an incorporated icepack lid for such things as pre-packed fruit cups or “green Mom version” fruit in juice without all the pre-packaging. The other is a smaller cup simple cup for dry snacks like granola, cheerios, or goldfish crackers.

My kid lunch packing collection already included the following items:

Lunch Bag

Napkins

Water Bottle

Snack bags

Silicone Cups - to use as bento dividers

Large sub container or small vento box

Sandwich container

Small snack container

Sporks

This last one I use more often in less warm weather to send my kids some chicken nuggets, or fish sticks, or even soup. It is a great tool because it comes with a spoon in the lid, it is microwaveable so you can heat it up again right before you pack it (or reheat if they can do so at school, but without the lid), and dishwasher safe.

Hot food bowl

I am actually a bit embarrassed to admit I have a few other things I use for packing lunches, like sandwich shape cutters, or cookie cutters I use for fruit shapes, little plastic sauce bottles, but these are the ones I use almost every day. It is all in an effort to make lunch more enjoyable and more eco-friendly for my little ones. And for me too :)

What are you eco-friendly lunch packing tools?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

My part to change an imperfect world - Spreading the word about ADHD

2012-07-12T12:10:00.004-07:00

ABC 20/20 story April 2012

Back in April I saw a 20/20 story about how Human Resources at different places still discriminate against people, and one topic that struck me hard was the fact that they still avoid hiring Moms. The story mentioned having the company rep walk out with the candidate all the way to their car to see if they could notice a baby seat or booster chair in the car. Really? People still do that? What a world we live in, huh?

I am doing my part to take away that stigma as well. I talk about being a working mom to everyone at work. They can see how being a mom does not take away from the quality of work I do. They can see I have no qualms about asking for a day off because I need to take my child to a doctor’s appointment, or the dentist, or leave early to go to their holiday recital, because I can still come back the next day and work just as hard to make up for my time. I actually think I work harder BECAUSE I am a MOM, because I know I will take time off, or call in sick when my child is not well, so I make sure my business is taken care off before I leave or in case I can’t come in. And many other Moms and Dads have done the same here in the Bay Area where I live. Coming from Texas and to Northern California I was able to see how the culture over here was much more family friendly. And this did not happen over night. This happened because of people talking and writing about their family life, making it a priority to have certain accommodations, not being ashamed of putting family ahead of work.

I make mention of this because I feel a lot more people would relate to fighting for work/life balance then they would about something more specific to me or my family.

TIME Magazine - Are you Mom enough? May 2012

Back in May, not long after the famous (and for some, the “infamous”) cover photo of TIME with the breastfeeding Mom and the article about “attachment parenting”, I read a criticism about the image and its effect on the child in it when he grew up. The article spoke about how this child may some day be a regretful adult looking back at this picture, wishing it had never happened. Maybe so, but maybe not.

Parenting.com - Pop Culture- May 2012

These parents (and I don’t only mention the Mom as both Dad and Mom agreed to the publication) have strong opinions about attachment parenting, and about how they feel the message needs to be out there, that it is OK to breastfeed past a certain age, and the important bonding that occurs, etc. etc. I will withhold my own opinions about attachment parenting, as that is not the point of my mentioning it. What IS the point is that I am confident that with such strong beliefs they will continue to talk about how they parent and how they decided to speak out about it, and this child may very well be a very proud adult that decides to also follow attachment parenting and continue to be a “poster-adult” for the cause.

That is how I feel about talking and writing publicly about what my family faces every day because of our ADHD. I say “our” even though I don’t have ADHD, but when 3 out of 4 in my family have it is like I have it too.

I have written about how my husband was diagnosed with ADHD since he was a baby (yes, it was that obvious and severe with him!). I have also written about how hard it was for both him and I to notice the same symptoms in my daughter since she was little, and then finally face the music and get her evaluated and diagnosed. The every day things are still hard, but once you have gotten as far as getting informed and getting diagnosed, the rest is a lot easier. My son has also recently gotten evaluated and diagnosed as ADHD, but this time around it wasn’t as emotional or hard to take.

I have also learned to talk with my kids’ teachers about what accommodation they need and what they don’t, and I happen to be very proud of the fact that they will talk to people about their symptoms and how they cope with them in a very informed and nonchalant fashion. Why should they act any other way?

I have admitted before that I was afraid to get my daughter diagnosed because I was afraid of having her be labeled, but after getting much more informed and weighing the pros and cons, if a label is what they need to get the accommodations they deserve and for their self-esteem not to suffer as much then so be it.

Many ADHD posts on my own blog, So Perf!

We live in an imperfect world, and it is up to us to change it. In a perfect world people wouldn’t care if you are a Parent to make a hiring decision. In a perfect world they wouldn’t care if a 4 year old were still breastfeeding or doing it in public. In a perfect world they wouldn’t care if you were ADHD or not.

In a perfect world they would see that most parents are super multitaskers and an asset. In a perfect world we would see breastfeeding more naturally and not so shocking, regardless of age or place. In a perfect world they would notice an ADHD symptom and know exactly why it is happening and how to address it and how to even help (like giving them time and space to get over a hurdle). In a perfect world their school wouldn’t need a parent to ask for a special accommodation or plan, because they would simply know that not all kids are alike and they ALL (even those without ADHD) learn differently.

What I am doing by writing about what we as a family go through and how we handle things is what I consider my part to change this imperfect world, if only a little bit at a time.

For however long ADHD has been acknowledged, and people hear about it on TV and in newspapers, the vast majority of people know nothing more than it is a label for someone who gets easily distracted and is more active than most. And that is about as much as I knew about it for over 10 years of being with my husband, and how we suffered for that lack of knowledge. Why would I want others to go through the same struggles that ignorance causes, lack of understanding and empathy, and the heartache?

In the few years my daughter has been diagnosed, the people we interact with at her school have increased their knowledge and understanding of ADHD through us. Some parents have even taken the extremely hard step of taking their kids to get evaluated, and some even came back with an ADHD diagnosis. I think that is a major accomplishment because my daughter struggled with school, her self-esteem, and her social skills simply because we had not diagnosed her. Since then she has been doing incredibly well. Why would I want another child to suffer along several years with ADHD without the right tools to help them?

I am proud that we went to get my son evaluated a whole year sooner than my daughter. We had our suspicions about him around the same time my daughter was diagnosed, but we wanted to give him a chance to mature and either show it was just his early age or that it indeed was ADHD, but at least we did not struggle with the fear of taking him to the doctor. It was easier now that we had all the information.

ADHD is found in families, but no specific gene has yet been determined. Odds are that my grandchildren will be ADHD. In a perfect world, my kids will know so much more about this, their spouses/partners will know as well and not from my family informing them, and my grandkids will have all that my husband didn’t; understanding from others, empathy, and ready for success from the get-go.

I am working towards my perfect world.

What are you doing to help change this imperfect world?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

My current shopping wish list

2012-06-30T13:04:00.001-07:00

I am way to frugal for my own good. I don't buy things I need until I really really have to or unless I find a really good deal. My current list is a good example of how I wait and wait to buy these things.

The current pair of tennis shoes I want are Nike Free because they are so light weight that they are perfect for me. I haven't wanted to purchase them yet because I have a pair of New Balance shoes that still have a lot a miles to go, although they are a lot heavier.

Then I have the craving for a jacket that is light enough to run with during warmer weather, but heavy enough to keep me warm when it is cooler. I love the finger wholes too. I haven't bought this lululemon jacket because they used to have one with a taller collar that provided greater protection during cool weather runs and they don't have it anymore. I keep waiting to see if they come out with it again, and I make due with whatever jackets I have.

Next on my list are some running bottoms, long and cropped. The ones I currently have are about 9 years old, and I can't make myself get rid of them because they are still in pretty good shape, but they do look a bit older (in style too) and I am sure any elastic material has a short lifespan so they will give-out on me soon, but not yet.

My next item is more of a want. I recently got giften a Morganite ring from my husband for our 11th wedding anniversary, and now I have been coveting similar style earrings. I don't need them, I just WANT them.

Lastly, I have been looking to purchase flats to wear to work that are comfortable too, and these TOMS ballerina shoes keep calling my name. And when I like something I keep buying it in different colors. That's just how I roll. But I haven't bought them because I have some flats that just happen to be NOT so comfortable but in good shape.

I know, I know, I need to get over myself and just go out and buy some of these things. I will....some day.

What is on your shopping wish list currently?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

Fabulous Flats - Polyvore inspirations

2012-06-26T09:40:00.001-07:00

Given the ridiculous amount of walking I do at work, sometimes I end up really hating even my favorite heels. Since I can be practical when I need to be I thought I go surfing for inspiration on how to make flats look fabulous and So Perf.

I think I found my inspiration. Now I need to go shoe shopping, because my flat collection is not up to par. Sorry honey (dear husband), but I just have to.

How do you make flats look fabulous at work?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

Gold Hot

2012-06-22T14:44:00.000-07:00

Gold Hot by soperf featuring J.Crew clutches

Since Summer is here, I'm planning on enjoying as much of this weather as I can. Taking the kids to the pool, and maybe going for some shopping and a scoop of ice cream are very likely activities for me this weekend.

What are you planning to wear now that summer started?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

The simple things make me happy

2012-06-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

Sometimes life gets so busy, you face so many struggles, and the days pass buy like a blur. When I feel myself sinking down I make a point to stop and reflect on the little things that always make me happy.

My mornings are never the same if I don't have the time to drink a cup of hot coffee. During the week it is a must, but some weekends I get up and get going with so many things that I forget I haven't had my coffee, but ultimately I always realize it and run to get a cup even if it is later in the day.

Making delicious and yet healthy meals for my family also fills me with joy. Knowing that I have such a great impact on how my family is eating is not always an easy weigh to bear, but it is very rewarding. And when your youngest, in kindergarten, has an assignment to say what are the things he loves and he writes down "I love when Mommy makes me food"you know it is all worth it.

And since we are on the topic of food, eating some Mexican food always puts me in a good mood. It doesn't matter if I make it at home or run to one of my favorite restaurants, the taste of those comforting flavors in my mouth make me not miss being back home so much.

I saved the best for last. Seing my children smile and knowing they are happy will always be the greatest pick-me-up for me. I am also blessed to have such noble hearted children, and very perceptive and sensitive. They somehow know to come over to give me a hug, a kiss, and a smile just when I need it the most. And somehow all grey skies disappear.

What simple things make YOU happy?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.

Keeping the Magical Kingdom Magical even with ADHD

2012-06-19T12:04:00.001-07:00

At Downtown Disney

We recently took a 3 day vacation to Anaheim. School was out for my kids and my Husband (or at least one more week left for him for his current classes) and we decided to join some family who decided to visit Disneyland as well.

But taking a road trip with ADHD family members is not too easy a task. We made sure to have a good set of supplies, like drinks and snacks for the trip, but also we made sure to schedule our gas stops along with our bathroom breaks. We also decided to leave at 4:00am to have less heat and traffic, and that worked out well for us.

We got there mid day, and even though we wanted to go to both parks (California Adventure and Disneyland) we knew we could do it in one day. We went to Anaheim about 2 years ago and learned this very quickly. My ADHDers need specific rides to have fun, so we skipped what they didn't like. So this time around we took the remainder of our driving day walking around Downtown Disney and then heading back to the hotel pool.

Just floating around

We bought our park-hoppers that night and were ready to roll first thing the next morning. We also needed to make sure we would be comfortable at the park, so comfy shoes were a must.

My Princess wearing her Nike Free Run shoes

My daughter is 8 and my son is 6, so they didn't always agree on what rides they wanted to get on. When this happens, Divide and Conquer! Hubby went to one ride with one kid, while I went with the other kid to their choice of ride. Togetherness is not always the best way to go in an amusement park. We were in such a hurry to get in line that one time we forgot to hand off belongings, and my boy got chilly and had to use my sweatshirt. Did I mention it is always good to carry some layers? I learned this living in the Bay Area.

In line and wearing Mom's sweatshirt.

While in line, we were also prepared. We brought our iTouches...but that lasted only so long. We also took non-stop pictures, which my kids love (camera hogs).

When all else failed, some good old fashioned conversation did the trick. Making them talk about what ride they had liked best so far, or what ride they would try again, or even what they thought they wanted to have for lunch.

Speaking of lunch, we also took time-out to go eat when the kids started to get restless. There is nothing worse than a kid forced to eat when they would rather be in line to a ride, so we let them tell us when they were hungry.

Argh Matey!!

And back to the rides. And since parents get bored waiting in line too, I entertained myself braiding hair while my husband would play games on his iPhone.

The last trick up my sleeve?? Ignoring once in a while the ride attendant's instructions to keep off the rails. My feet were aching after waiting in line for so many rides, and after walking around not one but two parks, so heck yeah I'm gonna lean or sit on the rails, and so I let my kids do so once in a while too. We were frequent offenders, so sorry Lady in the weird skipper outfit at the Ariel ride...or whatever the ride's name was.

So, was walking around all day, and waiting in line half the time, was it worth it??? Some say no, but we say HECK YEAH!! Where else could you scream so much, and laugh so much at the same time?

And even though my kids are a bit older now, they still get a kick out of spotting Mickey walking around the park.

Around dinner time, Hubby and I needed a few Margaritas, and since Disneyland is alcohol free we strolled ourselves over to Downtown Disney once more to wait for our last Fast-Pass time of the day. But once the kids took a few bites of their dinner, our plans had to change.

Job well done MAGICAL KINGDOM! Job well done!

Are the long lines at Disneyland worth it for you?

Rossana G-A

FTC Disclaimer: I am not compensated to write this post.