The Bon Bon Gazette

Happy GFCF Halloween Cupcakes

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:26:00 +0000

Halloween means class parties. Which means lots of treats that my son is unable to partake in. So, what's a mom to do?

Make GFCF cupcakes for the whole class to enjoy.. of course!

These are one bite mini GFCF cupcakes - made with Pamela's Luscious Chocolate Cake Mix. Topped with dairy free frosting and Halloween Pumpkin Peeps - yep, peeps are Gluten Free!

Yummy!

Related Posts:
Halloween doesn’t have to be frightening: Autism, GFCF ....
GFCF kids can enjoy Halloween too! Dealing with Special Diets- Gluten & Casein Free & Food Allergies at Halloween

Happy Halloween!

Brick SEPTA & Challenger Halloween Festival

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:58:00 +0000

Today was a perfect fall day. Sunny and crisp! Despite me having a wicked case of laryngitis, we headed out to the Brick SEPTA & Challenger sponsored Halloween festival. There was a hayride, pumpkin painting, food & treats, and inflatables. All of the kids had a blast - as usual.

Alex was dressed as a hot dog which got a lot of giggles and smiles. A few friends that are 'in the know' asked if he was a gluten free hot dog. Belle didn't want to wreck her Sleeping Beauty costume so she dressed up from 'the costume reserve' (I hit Target after Halloween when the costumes go to 90% off so she has a lot of dressup costumes). She wore a Bat princess outfit that easy to move in and looked cool too.

Brick Township Mayor Acropolis stopped by and was all smiles. Somehow he ended up being the one who was handing out cotton candy and popcorn to the kids.

Here's Alex with the Mayor.

Betty Crocker Gluten Free Fruit Snacks Giveaway

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:58:00 +0000

...Betty Crocker has done it again!

I was excited to learn that Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks are now GLUTEN FREE! In the past I have shyed away from these types of packaged grocery store snacks but after revisiting the ingredients, I have had a change of heart. Each packet is under 100 calories, made with real fruit, a source of vitamin C, and low fat. Yes, they do have sugars and corn syrup but I think in moderation they aren't the enemy!

I've been tossing one of these packaged snacks in my son's lunch box the past few weeks and he's enjoyed them quite a bit. He especially liked the Create-A-Bugs fruit snacks which are right up his 8 year old insect loving alley. I'd buy these again!

Plus, my son's school collects the Box Tops for Education and so many of his GFCF and organic foods don't have these, so he was excited to see them and quite insistent that I get the scissors and cut them off right away. What he doesn't quite get is that they win a pizza party for the class who wins - so its not like he can really partake in the prize (without me making him his own GFCF pizza, which I have done when his class has won in the past).

For more info and to print out a coupon for savings visit the Betty Crocker website

Enter to Win 1 Betty Crocker “Simple Joys” prize pack that includes 2 packages of Betty Crocker Fruit-Flavored Snacks, a retro Pick ‘em Up Sticks game, a light-up yo-yo and a classic Frisbee.

To win leave a comment on this blog entry with your favorite gluten free lunch box snack. 1 Comment =1 Entry. You can get an extra Entry if you share this contest on facebook, twitter, or your own blog. Be sure to leave me a 2nd comment to let me know!

Giveaway ends on November 1st, 2009 at midnight eastern time. One random winner will be chosen. Be sure that I have a way to contact you from the comments (either from your Google/Blogger account or leave me an email address). Giveaway only open to US entries.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! Congrats to our Winner!

Tried CHREESE? Gluten Dairy & Soy Free Cheese!

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:03:00 +0000

One of the reasons why a lot of people give up on the GFCF diet is that kid cuisine tends to revolve around WHEAT and DAIRY. Think about it - Pizza, Chicken Nuggets, Macaroni & Cheese, Grilled Cheese. All of these things are GFCF laden. It can be tough. Before my son started on "the diet" he lived on these things also. He would drink milk, gulp down yogurt tubes, and could make his own KRAFT EZ-MAC as a kindergardener. In the beginning it was so tough to try to make him GFCF substitutes for his kiddie cuisine items that he loved so much.

Macaroni and Cheese was a tough one, but I found a way of making it with Quinoa Elbow noodles and Vegan Gourmet Cheese. Alex ate it but I had a few complaints.

1. The Vegan Cheese was soy based and while we are lucky that Alex can tolerate soy, it isnt really good for boys to consume a lot of. We are trying to cut back on soy.

2. The Vegan Cheese I was using didn't melt down easily

3. The smell of this stuff was noxious.

On a few occasions I had purchased the IAN'S Mac & NO Cheese frozen lunch for Alex and the "cheese" sauce was less noxious smelling. Alex ate it up and it was convenient in a pinch but these are very expensive for a single serving.

Then I found Chreese from Road's End Organics. Chreese is a Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Organic "cheese" sauce substitute.

You can get Chreese in a bunch of different products like a Boxed Gluten Free Macaroni & Chreese or Chreese Mix Packets . I bought the packets to mix up Chreese sauce at my local health food store for $1 a piece and it is so easy. To make it you simply mix up the dry mixture with water over medium heat and stir it til its the right consistency. I added a teaspoon of coconut milk to it so that it would be a little bit more creamy since I was using it for Mac & Cheese for Alex. I made his GFCF Mac & Cheese using his elbow noodle of choice - Quinoa Elbows with the Chreese and was pleased how it came out.

If you are looking for a gluten free and dairy free cheese, try Chreese!

The PIXAR Lamp!

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:32:00 +0000

One of the highlights of our trip to Disney was taking Alex to the PIXAR section at Hollywood Studios.

Where he got to see a real signing and dancing PIXAR Lamp. Needless to say this was kind of like a dream come true for him since he is obsessed with the PIXAR Lamp and, well.. he basically worships it.

A couple times an hour the Pixar lamp comes out and from behind the black shutters and does a song and dance.

Our Gluten Casein Free Disney Dining Review

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 02:00:00 +0000

Even the ketchup is magical at Disney

If you have a child with a food allergy, or who is on a special diet - like my son, Alex - who is gluten and casein free.. dining out can become nightmarish and maybe you feel like you can "forget about" going on vacations unless you plan on preparing all of your own meals.

Well, the good news is that there are places that you can vacation and Disney is one of them.

One thing about Disney is that dining at their "sit down" or Table service restaurants is highly in demand and you need to make what is called "Advanced Dining Reservations" (ADRs) 90 days in advance. You can now book these online at the Disney website as well as through the the Disney Dining reservation line. This is especially important if you are dealing with a food allergy because the restaurants can bring in special food for you, but they need notice!

When you make your reservation you can state that there is a food allergy on the reservation. I found a wealth of information at the DisBoards.com message board site including restaurant reviews and suggestions for what places are 'favorites' for gluten and casein free diet. Of course, what type of restaurant and meal you like also is a personal preference and so I like going to the AllEars website and also looking at menus on the Disney website when selecting places to dine. Now that I've navigated the Disney parks and dining system a few times now, we have picked some favorites that we like to repeat as well as trying out a handful of new places. My family uses the Disney Dining plan which is a prepaid meal plan (and sometimes Disney offers this mealplan free - the case with our recent trip) which allows for 1 sit down and 1 cafeteria style meal per day per guest plus a snack.

When dealing with a special dietary request at Disney it is important to read and become familiar with Disney's policy listed on their website here: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/special-dietary-reques ts/ I also emailed Brenda Bennett at Disney (Special Diets) and received a list of all the restaurants broken out by park and whether it is a Counter Service or Table Service location that are No Gluten and a separate list by Food allergy (Nut, Dairy, etc). So I had to do a little bit of cross referencing but I had a list of which restaurants had certain types of food that could accomodate us best. She then had me complete a form that listed all of our dining reservation confirmation numbers and dining restrictions.

Overall, our dining experience at Disney was excellent for Alex with his gluten and casein free diet and we ran into very little issue finding food for Alex and keeping him well fed. In fact, even though he is under 9 years old and would normally be ordering off of the kids menu he was able to eat larger portions and keep his belly filled because of the "custom" meals that the chefs made for him -- even at the counter service restaurants. He ate like a king and even expanded his food repertoire and started eating chicken that was not in a nugget or tender form and potato that was not in french fry or tater tot format. He also tried and liked rice! These may seem like small things but for a child who is extremely picky and selective about foods it was huge.

At the Sit Down restaurants a chef would come to our table and discuss food options ahead of time letting us know what they could prepare and asking what Alex would like. They always checked back during the meal to make sure everything was OK and offer to make additional food, too!

At Counter Service locations, you need to ask for a manager who will pull out "the allergy book" and let you know what foods are available for the diet. Some examples of gluten free items available are Ener-G gluten free hot dog and hamburger rolls, French Meadow gluten free brownies, and Allergy Free Foods chicken tenders (this is our holy grail GFCF chicken!)

We ate at the following locations

Counter Service:
Coronado Springs Resort - Pepper Market
items included grilled chicken, separately grilled fries, hot dog, soy milk

Magic Kingdom - Columbia Harbour House and Cosmic Rays
Columbia Harbour House was actually our favorite for Alex because they served the Allergy Free Foods chicken tenders and fries - both baked separately for him. We got very good service here even though we entered the restaurant near closing time.

Cosmic Rays is a very very busy and large fast food place in Tomorrowland. There is an animatronic show that was entertaining and at the same time distracting for Alex. He had a hot dog on a Ener-G gluten free bun here, baked fries, and a gluten free brownie here.

Hollywood Studios - Studio Catering Company
Alex ate a chicken drumstick here

Animal Kingdom - Restaurantosaurus
Alex ate a hot dog on an Ener-G gluten free bun here

Epcot - Sunshine Seasons
Alex ate here twice. We had planned on going to Liberty Inn (America) in the international section of the park for standard faire but Alex didn't make it that long and was so hungry he ate a chicken drumstick (for the first time in his life not counting the turkey leg he ate when he was one year old). He loved the chicken drumstick so much that we ate here again and he also was eating rice at this point, so he had some steamed rice also and a gluten free brownie.

Also we picked up snacks throughout the parks at various concession stands and many had items like soy milk, rice dream and tofutti dairy free desserts, and gluten free brownies.

Alex eating dairy free ice cream (from the ice cream parlor on Main Street) watching a show in front of Cinderella castle. Two years ago, he couldn't tolerate the hustle and bustle by the castle and this same LOUD show. This trip - he loved it.

Sit down (Table Service):
Magic Kingdom - Cinderella's Royal Table Lunch
I was worried whether this would be worth it or not, because it takes 2 credits on the Disney dining plan instead of the usual 1 credit, but we wanted to eat here for my daughter after her Sleeping Beauty makeover at the bibbidi bobbidi boutique.

It was totally worth it. Alex got a feast including an appetizer of a fresh fruit cup, entree of grilled chicken with potatoes and carrots, dessert was a rice dream sundae. He enjoyed the princesses mingling about and getting photos and autographs. Alex LOVES the Cinderella castle and spent most of his trip talking about the Cinderella castle and wanting to see it, so to go inside and dine there was a real treat for him.

They did, however - give all the boys in the place a sword and all the girls a magic wand which the kids put to use as weapons while they ate.. ugh. Well, at least they are eating and fighting at the same time - right?

Also, on a humorous note -- Alex tried to cut his fresh melon with the plastic sword. Kurt had been working with him on cutting his food with a knife, so we got a chuckle when he tried to use the sword. Boys will be boys - autism or not!

Epcot - Akershus Dinner (Norway)
This is another princess meal that we had booked, largely for my daughter. We'd eaten here before at lunch time and even though the food is a little 'different' (norwegian fare) the princesses are super. I had originally thought of doing Breakfast here but since on principle my family doesn't get up real early and we already had 2 other character breakfasts booked I opted to go for dinner. I am glad we did. We had a late dinner which was actually during the fireworks and when the fireworks went off the kids insisted on running outside to catch a minute or so of the finale. The princesses were dazzling, and our meal was very good. My daughter had to order from the kids meal and get an english muffin sized pizza. Meanwhile, Alex - who couldn't order anything off the kids menu got a feast made for him that I would have enjoyed. It was his typical "grilled chicken, potatos, plus corn" meal. This was his staple meal in Disney but Alex is the type of child who will eat the same meal over and over. There were other options that they could have done gluten free and dairy free but this is what we requested for him time and again because it is food that he likes and we know he will eat.

The highlight of this meal was, however, when dessert came - it is something as simple as an Itzakadoozie popsicle but the smile says it all. My daughter might have been jealous about this giant ice pop, but check out the dessert trio in front of her that was served family style to the rest of the table.

Epcot - Le Cellier Dinner
My husband wanted to go here because they have great steaks. Unfortunately Alex's gluten free meal was really not so good here overall even though it was the same types of favorite foods he had been eating elsewhere (chicken, specially baked fries, dairy free ice cream, etc). The chicken was pan-seared and very dry and Alex kept saying it tasted like mustard. This was funny to me because for the life of me - I don't remember Alex ever eating mustard in his entire life but he has sniffed mustard before and he sniffed the chicken and ruled that it was cooked in mustard. He didn't eat more than a few bites of it. What saved Alex at this meal was the fact that the kids menu was an activity worksheet with puzzles and wordsearches that were all either UP movie themed or Wizards of Waverly Place. It was a good save because the food wasn't very good here for him.

Contemporary Resort - Chef Mickey's Character Breakfast
My kids love Chef Mickeys for the character mingling (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto & Goofy). In the past, we have dined here at dinner and found the food to be 'ok' and plentiful but not real spectacular. We decided to try breakfast here which is the standout breakfast buffet and very hard to get dining reservation. Definitely go here for breakfast and you will not leave hungry!

The server let us know that the "allergy child" and one adult needed to stay at the table til the Chef could come over so I stayed back with Alex while my husband and daughter went off and filled their plates. Chef Les came over and sat down across from Alex and talked to him about what foods he might like. He figured out right away that Alex was autistic and when I asked about making Mickey Waffles GFCF he asked Alex if he liked Waffles and Alex told him yes, with syrup! He let me know what foods were GFCF on the buffet and cooked separate and I was given the go ahead to get him fruit, bacon & sausage, and tater tots. He came back just a few minutes later with a plate full of sliced bananas, grapes, and specially prepared dairy and gluten free Mickey waffles and even his own syrup cups.

Polynesian Resort - Ohana Character Breakfast
Breakfast with Lilo, Stitch, Mickey and Pluto was a favorite when my daughter and I dined here in February '09 so I wanted to come back with the whole family. Since food is served family style, the chef brought out separate food for Alex. He ate 5 (or maybe 6) Mickey waffles made gluten and casein free and some fresh watermelon. Alex loves orange juice but wasn't a huge fan of their special orange and tropical fruit blend juice.

Polynesian Resort - Ohana Dinner
Dinner at Ohana is served family style also and consists of various meats served off of skewers (chicken, shrimp, pork, steak). It is all prepared with soy sauce that is not gluten free - his entire meal had to be made by the chef in the kitchen. I had heard raves and raves about Chef TJ at this restaurant and how great he is with gluten free and allergy kids. Well, as our luck would have it - he wasn't the chef on duty that night for us. I was bummed but as my daughter says "you get what you get and you don't get upset". As it was, the chef said he could make him any of the meats but Alex opted for Chicken (again!). For dessert, the rest of the family had a bananas foster and bread pudding dessert and Alex had a rice dream ice cream.

Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort - Boma Dinner
This is one of our favorite restaurants at Disney, located at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We like this restaurant for the plentiful buffet and it is great to go to (by Disney bus) after a day at the Animal Kingdom park. Boma is in Jamba House, the main house of the Animal Kingdom lodge resort which also has animal viewing areas. This is a buffet restaurant so the choices for Alex were very limiting. The chef came and walked the buffet with me and basically Alex could have the prime rib (but he doesn't like beef), lettuce, or fresh fuit. Because everything either had gluten or dairy in it - he made Alex a huge plate of grilled chicken, potatoes several different ways, rice, beans - plus fresh fruit.

They didn't have a dessert option and he went to other restaurants at the resort and ended up coming back with a fruit cup (like jell-o) that was gluten free and some candy. It wasn't a great dessert but Alex didn't care and the effort that he put into seeking something out was stellar.

We loved this chef! Look at the smiles!

Disney really made dining out enjoyable for the entire family and one very happy and not hungry GFCF kid.

Magical Milestones from our Disney Vacation

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:49:00 +0000

First, while it is all still fresh in my mind - I thought I would recap some milestones that Alex made on our Disney vacation.

--in no particular order--

Swimming in the pool without the use of swimmies - above and underwater. We didn't take the camera to the pool. I wish I had, he was watching other kids and copying them. He tried to play with a little girl and she even played back a little bit. I think she liked that he was watching and she was showing off a little bit. He thought she was a little girl that he'd gone to camp with!

Watching fireworks without screaming. He was plugging his ears, but so were many many other kids (and adults too). Those fireworks are loud - intense, and music is playing too. If you look real close in the full length picture below you will see a little girl in the background also covering her ears, that little girl didn't have autism!

Watching the live performance in front of the castle without screaming - in fact, we couldn't pull him away from this. Ok, the dairy free ice cream was also a big treat!

Eating chicken in a form other than a gluten free nugget or strip! He is now eating grilled chicken, pan-seared chicken, and his latest favorite... chicken drumsticks! Also eating potatoes in a form other than a tater tot or french fry - he is now eating them whole & quartered - steamed, boiled or grilled! Other new foods added to the repertoire like steamed white rice. Read our Gluten Casein Free Disney Dining review here

Cutting food with a knife
Sitting through an entire "live" show (Finding Nemo at the Animal Kingdom park)

I'll come back and add here as I remember them - even just a day out of the vacation I can't seem to put it all together.

We're back!

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:45:00 +0000

Did you miss me?

Well, if you wondered where I've been or don't follow me on Twitter... the answer is

Disney!

We love it there. Not only is it the place that my husband and I celebrated our honeymoon, but it is also where we've gone back for our 10th anniversary and now.. our 12th! Disney is super acommodating for children with autism and also with dietary restrictions and food allergies, so it is a win-win vacation place for us all around.

And now, we are back "home" where - as my husband put it - food is purchased with dollar bills and not snack credits.

Belmar NJ Surfers Healing Autism 2009

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:54:00 +0000

We headed off today for a family day at the beach and surfing in Belmar, NJ. Alex took part in a surf camp with Surfers Healing and we attended the Beach Bash by Autism Family Services NJ. It was the first sunny day here after several days of rain. The waves and beaches have been rough lately and I was a bit nervous. Just a week ago a teen was pulled under the waves in Seaside, the undertow is very scary. I know that the surfers are all trained and Surfers Healing does a great job keeping the kids safe, but I was a bit apprehensive this morning. When I saw how rough the waves were, I wondered if they would shut down early like last year.

The Beach Bash was extremely organized right from the sign in. We got wristbands - and also since we were part of the surf camp we got more wristbands that gave us access to the food tent sponsored by Whole Foods. They had music (loud but not blaring, thank you!) , kiddie games, and vendors. I was able to get both kids photo-ids and fingerprinted. Also, there were some gluten free vendors that passed out samples of cookies and crackers (also dairy free). This was good because the lunch tent didn't have as much gluten free food as it has in the past - just your typical sandwhiches and chips, plus fresh fruit that the kids devoured. Both kids also enjoyed Italian Ice samples, that were messy but refreshing.

While we waited for our time to surf they played in the waves and in the sand. Alex has been big on burying himself in the sand this year. I know this is a big sensory thing for him but OMG it is so messy. I think he must have had to go into the water about 100 times just to rinse off and no sooner would he rinse off he was laying back down in the sand again. But, he was having fun and this kept the kids occupied for a long time. It also meant less having to chase them or worry that they were going to be pulled under the rough waves.

When it came time to surf, he got his lifejacket on and waited to be paired up with a surfer. Alex got paired up with "the surfer girl" as she shall be referred to. I didn't catch her name, but he seemed quite tickled to have a very pretty blonde surfer girl! Lucky Boy!

They paddled out and waited to catch their wave.

All the kids and surfers were in a queue and one by one they came in. I was surprised Alex didn't stand up this time as he has in the past with surfers healing. I think he felt more stable and liked to be up close and personal by kneeling!

As you can see, he liked his "Surfer Girl!"

Alex had a big smile on his face, and of all things... a jellyfish in his hand! He was very proud of that jellyfish (yuck) but I made him throw it back into the water. It was probably dead, he didn't get stung - but it isn't something to play with!

Next up, Alex got to go on a jet-ski ride. He was pretty stoked to do this and ran hand in hand with a bunch of lifeguard volunteers when it was his turn.

When they loaded him on, he wanted to kneel up and ride it like a daredevil.

Of course, they didn't let him ride like that! As you can see in the picture, they are almost laying on top of him, to hold him on the board and keep him safe.

Fun times! Alex wanted to do this again after he got off - I can't blame him as it looked like a blast.

Alex love Surfers Healing! Thanks Surfers Healing, and to all the surfers and volunteers who made this a magical day for kids with autism & their families.

For more info: http://surfershealing.org
follow them on twitter @surfershealing
Visit the Surfers Healing Store for fun apparell & accessories

Related Autism & Surfing links

Surfs Up for Kids with Autism in Seaside Park 8/7/09
POAC Autism Surfing at Brick Beach 7/7/09
POAC Autism Surf Outreach in Seaside Park, NJ
The magic of the sea
Just Add Water - Aspergers can't stop Surfer Clay Marzo
Surfers Healing calls it quits early to keep kids safe in Belmar NJ
Autism Surfing Blog Entry - Surfer's Healing
Autism Surfing Blog Entry - POAC Surf Camp at Brick Beach
POAC Surfing Event -Seaside Park August 2008
Surfer's Healing Autistic Children & Their Families
Surfer's Healing Surf Camp Review
Surfer's Healing Surf Camp Review - A Dad's Perspective

Videos my son made about surfing:
Wall-E and Friends Go Surfing and Wall-E Goes Surfing

All posts tagged Autism & Surfing

my daughter's footprint in the sand

Why I'm against the H1N1 (Swine Flu) Vaccine

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:20:00 +0000

A lot of people have asked me how I feel about the H1N1 (Swine Flu) Vaccine, and will my kids be getting this shot. Now, I thought it would go without saying that I am against this vaccine based on my stance against the seasonal flu vaccine.

No, my children and our family do not plan on receiving the Swine Flu shot. No way. No how!

I feel that the risks associated with this shot are far more than getting the (Swine) flu virus. I do believe that the shot is more deadlier than the virus itself, and I know I'm not alone in feeling this way.

Reasons I am against the Swine Flu Shot

The nutrient solution for the H1N1 vaccine contains of cancer cells from animals. It is completely unknown if injecting these ANIMAL CANCER CELLS will increase the risk of cancer for recipient. Also, there is no data on if it may cause an allergic reaction when injected. What about the possibility of the vaccine causing cancer?
It is made with cultured cells from the African green monkey that has been implicated for transmitting vaccine-contaminating viruses, including HIV.
The viruses in the H1N1 flu shot: 3 flu strains including Avian flu, SARS, and the Spanish Flu.
In 1976 when the Swine Flu vaccine was pushed, it resulted in a widespread increase in Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) which is a a paralyzing neuromuscular disorder. The vaccine ended up getting pulled - but it was too late. Many people were sick or dead as a result of the shot. Will the "new" swine flu vaccine carry the same risks for GBS, yes it will.
The Swine Flu vaccine will be using Squalene as an adjuvant - which is not even approved by the FDA (at this time - I'm sure they will rush it through, those greedy bastards). Squalene is an oil-based adjuvant with known auto-immune responses like chronic inflammation, impacts fertility, and caused death and MS like symptoms in rats.
It contains MERCURY - a known neurotoxin!
A serious lack of testing yet they will recommend this for children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those chronically ill (asthmatic, etc). The most fragile and vulnerable populations and the ones with the most to lose stand to be used as guinea pigs!

No, no swine flu vaccine for us.

A better option is:

Staying well rested
Good hygiene & handwashing
Taking Vitamin D
Getting Exercise

Have you thought about All The Bunnies?

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 21:58:00 +0000

Over the summer, I received a copy of the book All The Bunnies from the academy of special needs planners. Ironically, I received this book the month that my father passed away - making the slim 40 page book resonate even moreso.

The book is a compilation of "heartfelt stories from those who've dealt with the challenges and joys of persons with special needs".

You can purchase it from the Academy of Special Needs or get it electronically - it can be downloaded for the kindle on Amazon.com

The title "All the bunnies" conjurs up warm and fuzzy feelings, but thinking about what the future holds for my child often leaves me feeling sick to my stomach. I worry that the burden will fall to his sister who may resent her brother and family. As I read the anecdotes I found myself going the full gamut of emotion from nodding - wow, that is so like us - to shaking my head, nope - not us/denial. The topic scares the heck out of me, especially since my father passed away - he was always the 'money' person, always the planner, always the one who took care of the family and made me feel protected. Now, I know and feel more than ever our mortality. And I admit it, I am scared.

I find myself reminded often by the wild bunnies in the neighborhood who frequent our yard and neighbors. My children love these bunnies and have taken to leaving them (organic) carrots. My son always wants to take a picture of the bunny and once the bunny hops away he likes to hop about the front yard holding up 2 fingers (bunny shadow puppet style).

Yes, we must look after All The Bunnies.

09.09.09 How Much Longer? For Autism

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:29:00 +0000

Today 09.09.09 a campaign is taking place called HOW MUCH LONGER? for Autism, spearheaded by the National Autism Association. Learn more about the 09.09.09 campaign in this radio interview with WINA's Coy Barefoot and NAA president Wendy Fournier. Click here.

How Much Longer?

The campaign is a mass faxing/mailing/calling campaign that will cover community-wide autism issues on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 (09.09.09).

With autism now affecting 1 in 100 children, it’s time to set aside polite requests and boldly ask the entire nation HOW MUCH LONGER?

Below are links to samples of the messages you can forward on 09-09-09 via the The NAA Action Center - which will automatically send your messages to your legislators, federal health officials and the media.

Click here to TAKE ACTION NOW!

HOW MUCH LONGER MESSAGES

How Much Longer, Tom Insel and NIH?

How Much Longer, CDC?

How Much Longer, ACIP?

How Much Longer, Mr. President?

How Much Longer, FDA?

How Much Longer, DOE?

How Much Longer, AAP?

How Much Longer, America?

Click here for links to jpg and pdf files of our How Much Longer messages to download and post these on your websites, Facebook pages, etc.

In order to hear their voices, we must first raise ours.

And on the First Day of School

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:04:00 +0000

My crazy kids were up and ready, bellies full and backpacks loaded for the first day of school (3rd grade and Pre-K!)

My son is such a goof. He has a great smile, but getting him to give you one on command is a whole different story.

The "wierdest" thing was waiting at the bus stop. Our corner is the bus stop for all the neighborhood children. But, since Alex is in special ed - he gets "door to door" transportation, meaning a special bus with an aide that gets him at the end of our driveway. In the past he went to a different school (not the "home" school) than the children in our neighborhood. Because his school was on a different schedule he waited inside and it didn't overlap at all with the other busses and waiting kids. But, this year he is in a "new" school for him, that happens to be our home school. So - we were waiting for his bus at the same time the big group of kids all waiting for their bus. I guess, it hit me hard to be waiting there and trying to be so excited for him going to 3rd grade when there are kids around his age also waiting and they are all taking the "regular' bus. Still, after all these years - moments like this still give me a lump in my throat.

The bus was much later than anticipated. We waited and waited. I wanted the bus to hurry up and get there - I didn't like that feeling.

As it was, I had to leave my silly big guy behind with his Dad and take his little sister off to preschool so she wouldn't be late for her first day.

Thankfully, I still got the obligatory "getting on the bus" picture via Daddy's blackberry.

And off he went!

We are looking forward to a great year with a new teacher and new school, but many "old" friends. Exciting stuff ahead, I'm sure!

Autism Siblings: You can Stand Under My Umbrella

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 03:45:00 +0000

I find myself complaining and exasperated a lot about the fact that my children fight a lot. I know that it is normal "typical" brother and sister behavior most of the time, really it is. But, often times it is magnified by the fact that Alex has autism and his little sister does not. She, at age 4, doesn't get it why her brother does certain things and goes into full diva blowout mode. He, at age 8, more often than not doesn't react age appropriately and will bust into tears over some very small things (which because of his Autism he is very rigid about). It truly is exhausting and there are weeks (like this last one) that I wondered if truly I would make it through.

And then, there are tender moments that make it better.

My husband captured this one on the way into the bowling alley today in the pouring rain. Alex doesn't like to get rained on and he tried to go under his sister's princess umbrella. Apparently there was a small fight and obviously some logistical issues due to height differences -- but they worked it out. And when they came out of the bowling alley, the kids shared the umbrella without issue.

The kids managed to stay mostly dry while I got soaked, but isn't that how it goes?

"Now that it's raining more than ever. Know that we'll still have each other.

You can stand under my umbrella"

Challenger Bowling wrap-up

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 03:17:00 +0000

Today was the final day of summer Challenger league bowling for Alex. I am biased, of course but I do believe we had the best team this session. Our lane consisted of Alex, his friends Logan and Brandon, and Logan's little brother. We are all friends - the kids and the parents alike. It makes a world of difference to be on a lane with parents that you are also friends because we tag-team each other's kids, share snacks, and laugh a lot.

Our team is always the slowest group of bowlers and when they put new kids on our lane it doesn't always work out so well. The parents get frustrated because the team might only get in one game of bowling during that 90 minutes when other teams get in two games. The boys tend to like to venture away from the lane in between their turn to go sit at one of the video game machines - this is a new 'habit' for Alex since our lane was closer this session to where the games were. Also, the kids all have to have their fries and 10 condiment cups of ketchup plus drinks and will come back up for a snack while their ball is being returned. I guess they need a little re-charging, hey whatever works.

Today we had a few incidents at bowling with Alex's behavior, yet he bowled a very good game and got 2 spares on his own.

The first incident was that he kept stealing all the green balls from the neighboring lane and sorting the balls on our lane so that greens were on the left and the red (plus one pink for his sister) were on the right. He was standing and even laying over the top of the balls so no one could get them back. Thankfully, the kid and mom on the next lane are also good friends and her son is slightly older and took it in stride.

The second behavior was not surprisingly having to do with the noise. The bowling alley was particularly loud today with the music louder than normal and a lot more loud speaker announcements than normal. Alex sometimes (but not as much as he used to) gets upset with the clapping at the lanes but he especially hates the PA system. When the announcements would come on he would sit down and start screaming about a VOICEOVER ALERT and basically lose it until it stopped. We need to work on that one.

As my husband put it so aptly today:

"Alex is shouting at everyone in full evil overlord mode. So busy shouting at the peasants he didn't notice he got two spares."

Still, behaviors aside - a good bowling day for the kids and another good season of Challenger Bowling complete. Bowling starts up again in the winter and hopefully we can work on improving some of our problem behaviors. All tips on how to do that are welcome!

Educational Games for the Wii? Jump Start Pet Rescue is a must

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 23:46:00 +0000

I've shared before that our household is a big fan of the Wii and the biggest player in the house is my son, who has autism. Both of my kids love the Wii and even my 4 year old can play many of the games. But, up until now there have been few games that were geared specifically for the youngest of kids that are educationally based. Well, we've found a winner here - Jumpstart Pet Rescue Wii and it is available now!

My kids love to play on Jum p Start World online in the virtual world with their personalized Jumpees (avatars). The Wii game plays similar and begins by each player setting up their Jumpee and player account. I didn't have to encourage the kids to make their own and get started right away. My daughter made herself a girl with pink everything, no surprise - we call her Pinkalicious (like the children's book).

The game plays in 2 modes - Story Mode or Explore mode. In Story mode your child will need to complete various "missions" to complete story books and unlock the next "world". You begin in the Neighborhood and then progress to Pet Land, Town Square, the Beach, and then the Jungle. In Explore mode you can access any of the worlds to play learning games.

The kids have been playing this game for the past few weeks thanks to a pre-release copy from Knowledge Adventure and are truly enjoying it. My daughter has adopted a little kitty (complete with a bow on its head) and named it Fluffy - so far her favorite world is the "Pet Land" where she is able to bathe and dress her pet, feed it, and teach it to do tricks. My son prefers the Learning House which has very basic learning games (well below his grade level) including one that he has to collect bugs by number, shape or color. I like that it doesn't require reading and also that it gives verbal instructions so it works on the kids following directions on what to do. I find that the game has a real nice balance of learning with fun - kids won't find this boring at all and will want to play it again and again.

I highly recommend Jump Start Pet Rescue for the littlest and youngest of Wii players (Pre-K & K level) and for children with autism and other special needs. Pet Rescue is a fun game for kids to learn and play using the Wii.

You can read my detailed game review of Jump Start Pet Rescue Wii at Epinions.com

Pictures of my daughter's Jumpee and her kitten:

Learn more about Jump Start Pet Rescue
Buy Jump Start Pet Rescue on Amazon

Win your own copy of Jump Start Pet Rescue for the Wii here (Enter by the end August 30th, 2009, they are randomly giving away 25 copies)

Jump Start Pet Rescue is rated by the ESRB as Early Childhood and the MSRP is $39.99.

Related posts:
Kids and Parents love Jump Start World
I'm a believer in Wii Therapy!!!!
Consider the Nintendo Wii for Kids with Autism
Wii Love to Play and Learn with Jump Start Pet Rescue

August Accomplishments

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 15:54:00 +0000

A friend of mine put as his facebook status "Kids with Autism can do anything".

As I think about all the things my son has done I am reminded how true this statement is!

Yesterday was a good day and one that I thought I'd apply this statement too. A great day for Alex, all around.

First, Alex went with his father to challenger bowling where he has finally learned to run and release the ball in a single motion instead of running, stopping, and releasing. His score also reflects this accomplishment.

Alex bowling a spare:

After that we were off to a family party where the kids went swimming in a "very deep" pool. Alex was brave enough to go down the slide with a little coaxing. After he did it once, he went again and liked it!

Hard to believe that this is the same child that for some reason at the beginning of the summer was refusing to go into pools. Oceans, a different story - but pools he always takes a very long time getting in. Once he is in, he loves it but he is VERY slow to go in.

Alex on the Slide video (yes, he did swallow a little water - but he survived!)

So, these are small accomplishments but no accomplishment is too small, right?

On the "To do list":

Lose the training wheels off his bike
Lose the swimmies and swim independently

We are so very very close on both of these!

Kids with autism can do anything. Alex will do it!

Governor Corzine signs NJ Autism Insurance Reform Bill

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 01:34:00 +0000

Today, I witnessed some history in the making.

August 13th 2009 - Governor Jon Corzine signed S. 1651/A. 2238 the NJ Autism Insurance Reform Bill.

The bill states that services for children on the autism spectrum like ABA, Speech, OT and PT will be covered by medical insurance up to $36,000 per child per year up to age 21 year of age. This is huge for the future of children on the Autism spectrum in the state of New Jersey. It is long overdue.

My husband and I, as well as friends from POAC and the NJ PTA were there to see the Governor sign the bill at Children's Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick.

Here's my husband and I with the Governor

And of course, you actually want to see photos from the signing so here ya go.....

Both Governor Corzine and Speaker Joseph Roberts talked about why this bill is important.

And then... S. 1651/A. 2238 was signed

Video from the signing - with apologies because the audio is not great, I was in the 3rd row - so pretty close, but apparently not close enough for the FLIP so crank it up!

The Governor's speech before he signed:

And Speaker Joseph Roberts:

Erewhon Gluten Free Cereal Giveaway

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 01:34:00 +0000

We recently had the chance to try out all the different varieties of Erewhon gluten free cereals and are hooked. It seems in our house, we can't pick a favorite. My son is a big fan of the organic gluten free corn flakes (which also double as a great gluten free coating for chicken!), while I love the Strawberry Crisp (tastier than Special K). It was no surprise that my daughter with her little sweet tooth has chosen the Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice. While we can't decide which cereal is best, we are all in agreement that this cereal is Good Stuff. Healthful, Tasty, Gluten Free & Dairy Free too. My kids and I prefer it paired with their favorite So Delicious Coconut Milk.

I'm excited to share that I am able to give a few of my lucky readers the chance to try Erewhon Gluten Free Cereals and pick their favorite. (It is so hard to choose!) Even if you aren't a breakfast cereal eater - you can enjoy the Erewhon cereals in recipes and baking.

5 lucky readers will win:

3 boxes of gluten-free cereal of your choice:

- Gluten Free Crispy Brown Rice
- Crispy Brown Rice with Mixed Berries
- Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice
- Rice Twice
- Strawberry Crisp Flakes
- Corn Flakes
- Aztec Crunchy Corn & Amaranth

PLUS a Patagonia T-Shirt (available in Adult L, XL & Kids L)
and an Erewhon Coupon Keeper with coupons for $1 off next purchases

To Enter for your chance to win (by random draw)
Leave a comment on this blog post with the 3 gluten free varieties you would pick and what gluten free cereal you usually buy now. You must have an email address on your blog comment or blogger/google account so that I have a way to contact you when the giveaway ends.

Enter until August 19th, 2009 at midnight EST. Giveaway is open to the US Only. One entry per commenter.

Erewhon cereals are available wherever natural foods are sold including the natural food section of many supermarkets and on Amazon.com. For more information visit www.ErewhonGlutenFree.com

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

Congrats to the 5 winners who have been notified by email to claim their prize.

More Fun at The Small Factory

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 06:46:00 +0000

Alex has continued to have a blast producing his own movies at Small Factory Productions in Fair Haven, NJ.

His latest movie still features his favorite character, Wall-E. This time Wall-E and Scrat from Ice Age have a little tiff over an acorn. Traditionally he goes to computer class with Daddy. But, this time I got to take him because Daddy was working late in preparation for my San Francisco trip. I loved watching him create this movie and seeing him in action.

Sometimes I can't believe that my "little boy", just 8 years old and on the Autism spectrum is learning Flash Animation. But, this is Alex. He is so very smart and is definitely shaping up to be way more computer savvy than I ever imagined.

His Wall-E and Scrat movie... Enjoy!

Surfs Up for Kids with Autism in Seaside Park 8/7/09

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 03:38:00 +0000

Alex had another successful day of surfing on Friday August 7th, 2009. The event was sponsored by POAC, Parents of Autistic Children, "Sea of Change" Autism Surf Outreach, and No Flat Earth.

Nothing can compare to the joyous laugh and big smile on his face as he rode in board after board. This time around, Alex surfed on his belly and he was paddling like mad to get that board in all the way to the shore.

Surfer Alex!

And a short clip of him surfing, complete with his little sister having a fit because she wanted to swim and didn't understand she was about to get taken out by incoming surfers!

Our Heroic Surfer who patiently surfed with Alex was Lance. Lance looked extremely familiar to us, and it turned out he has surfed with Alex before at the Brick Beach surf, and I am pretty sure he's also been at Surfers Healing. Thank you to Lance and the rest of the surfers who made their magic with children like Alex by sharing the joy of the surf. The day couldn't have happened without these generous surfers who gave of their time and shared their spirit with the children and families.

Hang Ten, Lance!

The kids had a blast playing the waves and the "wading pool" that was created from the surf. The ocean water actually felt like bathwater on this warm August day in Seaside Park. One of my fondest memories of the day is watching both of my children hold hands while they splashed in the water.

Brother and Sister and best of friends.

Once the kids were done in the water, they decided it would be great fun to bury themselves in the sand.

Where's Alex?

Next up for our little Surfer dude Alex is Surfer's Healing in Belmar NJ on September 13th.

Surfs up!

Related Posts:
POAC Autism Surfing at Brick Beach 7/7/09
POAC Autism Surf Outreach in Seaside Park, NJ The magic of the sea Just Add Water - Aspergers can't stop Surfer Clay Marzo Surfers Healing calls it quits early to keep kids safe in Belmar NJ Autism S urfing Blog Entry - Surfer's Healing Autism Surfing Blog Entry - POAC Surf Camp at Brick Beach POAC Surfing Event -Seaside Park August 2008 Surfer's Healing Autistic Children & Their Families Surfer's Healing Surf Camp Review Surfer's Healing Surf Camp Review - A Dad's Perspective

Videos my son made about surfing:
Wall-E and Friends Go Surfing and Wall-E Goes Surfing

All posts tagged Autism & Surfing

Project Lifesaver keeps my Autistic child safe

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 01:11:00 +0000

My autistic son has been enrolled in the local Project Lifesaver program now for almost 2 years. What it is, is a wristband bracelet that has a locator device in it. In the event that he wanders or runs off, we are able to call 9-1-1 and they will send out officers with tracking equipment and locate him. Thankfully, we have never had to test this but I am aware of their rapid recovery rates and feel it is important. With several busy roads, bodies of water, and a child who will wander - his participation in this program is a necessity.

Typically during the first week of the month our Officer, from the local county Sheriff Department K-9 unit comes out to the house or school to change the battery in the wristband.
Alex likes when the officer comes to our home because he gets to give his working dogs treats - this is a huge reward for my son and my daughter, who both love animals. On Friday he came to our home to change Alex's wristband. I had noted that the tester/transmitter seemed to be intermittently working and that I wondered if our transmitter needed a new battery. He confirmed that it wasn't actually our transmitter but his bracelet that needed replacing. Since he didn't have any of the "new style" wristbands he put one of the older style wristbands on him. He noted though, that because Alex was going surfing later in the day that the wristband may not survive the beach day. Still, he felt it was better than going without the wristband and that if our transmitter tester didn't pick up Alex's signal to call them. He said he would be out as soon as he had a new bracelet for Alex, probably the next day.

Sure enough, the bracelet didn't survive the beach. The new style ones are water-tight but the older ones were less resilient. The next morning I called the sheriff's department to report that the bracelet had indeed not lasted through surfing. Shortly after, an officer (not our usual one) came to our home and put the new water-tight style bracelet onto him. Alex asked the officer "would you like to see my dogs?". The officer, thought Alex was referring to our pet dogs who of course were sniffing the officer and getting in on the action. So he responded "I did see your dogs!". We explained that Alex confuses the use of you and me and mine and yours and that he was asking to see if the officer had dogs with him. The officer said he did have dogs with him, so the kids went outside and got to bond with a very nice bloodhound working dog. He had another narcotics dog with him, that stayed locked up in the truck that the kids did not meet.

I am so thankful to the Project Lifesaver program and the commitment that the officers have to children like Alex, on the Autism spectrum, who have known elopement and wandering issues. The scary truth is that many autistic children do wander and are most often found near or in a body of water and in various stages of undress. I do not want my son to become one of these statistics and will do anything that I can to keep him safe. Through the Project Lifesaver program my son has been able to foster a bond and trust with Police Officers - whereas previously he used to cry or be afraid when he saw or heard sirens of police cars going by. The officers in this program are truly making a difference. On Friday ours even took a few minutes out of his day to help Alex work on riding his bike. He is just one of the many heroes that touches Alex's everyday life, and for whom I feel blessed.

When neighbors and the postman drove by during the wristband change (we happened to be outside because Alex was riding his bike) they of course want to know what kind of trouble is going on because the police are at our home. I am not ashamed to share with them that the officer is there to help keep my son safe and explain the program to him. Likewise, we have autistic child in area signs up in our neighborhood to alert motorists to slow down and that a child could run into the road without abandon.

I urge all parents of autistic children to explore and employ any preventative measure that is available to protect their child on the autism spectrum.

Related Links:
Show all Bon Bon Gazette Posts on Autism Safety
Autism Safety : Street Signs in your neighborhood
Project Lifesaver & Keeping your Child with Autism Safe
What a Project Lifesaver wristband looks like
Listen to my Autism Hangout Podcast here:

Plan Toys Activity Bus - a good back to school transition toy

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 05:13:00 +0000

Selecting toys for children, let alone children with autism is not easy There is a toy website called ebeanstalk, dedicated to selecting good, safe educational toys and baby gifts ;">. BUT they need help from moms like me to help pick the toys.

So, I am thrilled to share that I am participating in a test panel of sorts and my kids will get to try out new toys in exchange for our honest opinion. People who know me, and my avid readers know that I am a product and Kids and Family Guru. Maybe, you didn't know this about me until now - maybe this not news to you. I am the Kids and Family Category Lead at the Epinions.com product review site. From time to time you might see one of my reviews float through the RSS feed on my sidebar.

I recently was sent the Activity Bus from Plan Toys, who makes eco-friendly wooden toys. I love wooden toys and will choose a wooden, natural toy over a plastic toy anyday. Since it is back to school season right now, I found this bus particularly timely and would like to suggest it as an addition to your toybox should you have a young child who will be entering school and boarding the big yellow bus for the first time. When my son was entering preschool he had a plastic schoolbus toy from Fisher-Price's Little People line of toys. I used that school bus toy to help him make the transition from receiving all his home therapy services to then taking a schoolbus and entering preschool. Looking back, If I were to be making that transition with him now, this "green" wooden bus would win over one of the many plastic bus toys on the market today.

My friend's son who is on the autism spectrum is "obsessed" and in love with any type of schoolbus toy and her son will be receiving this toy from us when my kids "are done" playing with it. My 8 year old autistic son is well beyond the scope of this toy, but his 4 year old little sister loves it and may have a hard time parting with it. She desperately wants to take a schoolbus to school and gets upset when the bus comes and goes every day for her brother and not for her. It will be another year of pre-k for her before she gets her turn to take the trusty yellow bus. In the meantime she has been enjoying playing with this wooden schoolbus set.

The Acitivity Bus is suggested for kids 3 and up, due to the small pieces that it contains which could pose as a choking hazard. This is important to know should you have a child who likes to mouth items. Though the set is made of wood and is non-toxic, it does have many small pieces. The schoolbus opens up and doubles as a classroom - it includes little wooden desks, 2 people, a reversable chalkboard, and teeny tiny books. My daughter loves the Dr. Seuss Like people and they take turns who is the driver, the teacher, or the student. When not in use the pieces can all store inside of the bus and so far we have managed not to lose them.

The cost of this set is around $35, which is pricy for a preschool toy. Still, I feel if you are opting for quality wooden toys vs cheaper toxic plastic - this would be money well spent and a nice gift for the preschool age child in your life.

Plan Toys also makes dollhouses and a wooden city and a whole host of green toys. If you are looking to decrease the amount of "toxic" products around your children, look into replacing some of their plastic toys with wooden ones from Plan Toys.

###

I crossed the Golden Gate bridge

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 06:04:00 +0000

I had a short lapse in posting because I went to San Francisco to visit the Epinions.com offices.

While I was there I got to see some family and friends and enjoy a child-free weekend.

I still missed my kids terribly, but they were in good hands and got in some real good daddy-time!

I loved playing tourist and taking 100 pictures of this bridge.

Goldbaum's Gluten Free Chocolate Sugar Cones: Ice Cream Cone Bliss

hellokittiemama@gmail.com (hellokittiemama) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:52:00 +0000

On a hot summer day like today where the heat was unbearable and the humidity so thick you could slice it with a knife, the perfect end to a day is an ice cream cone. Now, in our house - gluten and dairy free.. of course. A while ago I ran across Goldbaum's Natural Foods Gluten-Free Ice Cream Cones at my local Christmas Tree Shoppe and I stocked up on them. They were a huge hit with the kids and my husband, so I planned to buy more of them. So, I was thrilled when I found that they had these now at my local Stop N Shop store. And, not just the plain wafer cone style - they also had a Chocolate Sugar Cone -- Goldbaum's Natural Foods Gluten-Free Sugar Ice Cream Cones also Gluten Free and Vegan - so yes.. Dairy Free, too! Even better the boxes were $2.99 a box. So, I bought 3 boxes of them, and will be buying more.

The kids devouring their chocolate sugar cones with dairy free Vanilla ice cream (from So Delicious). It looked so good, that I cheated on my diet and even had one myself. You would have no idea these cones are gluten free - they are sweet, crispy, and sturdy too (in other words they didn't leak or fall apart on the kids).

Yummy!

Goldbaums gluten free sugar cones are: Gluten Free, Kosher, GMO-Free, Vegan. Ingredients: Potato starch, sugar, corn starch, Palm oil, dietary fibers, emulsifier (lecithin), salt, cocoa powder, xanthan gum, natural vanilla.

Goldbaums gluten free cones are: Kosher, gluten free, vegan, gmo-free, and "low calorie". Ingredients: Potato starch, cornstarch, demerara sugar, water, expeller-pressed palm oil, salt, cocoa powder, xanthan gum, baking soda

Run to your local Stop N Shop and snag these up right now at under $3 a box. If they aren't in your area, you can also get them at the Gluten Free Mall or Amazon.com

Related links:
GFCF Friday: Goldbaums Gluten Free Ice Cream Cones make for happy kids
We all scream for gluten-free ice cream cones