Intolerance

We did a blood test on Haydn, to check for food intolerance. He has quite a few it seems, but the two biggies were Cow's Milk and Gluten/Wheat. I have been shooting back and forth between complete panic and self-confidence. After much thought and taking our summer schedule into consideration, I have come to the conclusion we won't be changing everything at one time. I know all the experts say to do so, but those experts don't live in my house, on my budget, or with my Aspie son who LOATHES all change.

Anyone have any idea why Cow's Milk and American Cheese were high on the NO NO NO NO list, but cheddar and many other forms of cheese made from cow's milk did not register in that same category? This baffles me.

So, I went to Kroger, armed with coupons. As it turns out, only one of them was helpful. Most of the lovely gluten free items I had coupons for do contain dairy. Between this and the high cost of such specialty items, I found myself taking deep breaths and repeating, "baby steps."

We have neon stickers that I am affixing to Haydn-safe foods. He is not what I would call happy about the no-milk rule. I bought Almond Milk and Coconut Milk for him to try. And, since peanuts were on his "moderation" list, I also grabbed some almond butter.

We would appreciate your prayers as we start this dietary journey. And, hopefully, I will have some more cohesive thoughts to share along the way.

Sunshine in the Storm

There is sunshine in the storm,
Stolen rays break through
And dark clouds hold up
Their skirts, afraid to come
Too close to the bright fingers
Of God reaching down
To hold earth's hand and assure
His daughter she
Is never
Alone.

HT

Two Songs

Two Songs

I posted on Facebook earlier in the week, and then I remembered this meme. I have really stretched this one out, haven't I? Well, when I posted two videos to FB, I realized I knew exactly what to post for the "two songs" segment.

In 5th grade, I took an after school drama class. Drama as in theater, not drama as in stealing  boyfriends and gossiping about other people's sex lives. I picked that up in high school with little to no instruction on the subject. Anyway... one of our assignments for Drama class was lip-syncing to a song as though we were the performers and actually singing. This would have been circa 1992. 

Some bands/singers that were topping the charts in 1992:

Kriss Kross

Boyz II Men

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Michael Jackson

Billy Ray Cyrus

Madonna

Mariah Carey

House of Pain

Nirvana

TLC

Toad the Wet Sprocket

Arrested Development

Paula Abdul

The Cure

Amy Grant

Keith Sweat

I had a favorite girl group that year, and Dad bought me their cassette tape, which I listened to, hit rewind, listened to again, hit rewind, and on and on and on. That group was En Vogue and my favorite song was "Free Your Mind."

The other singer I worshipped that year? Loretta Lynn. No matter where I live, I remain a Kentucky Girl, and I knew all the words to "Coalminer's Daughter" and "Fist City" and a million other songs.

This explains so much of who I am. A little bit country, a little bit hip hop. It's an odd mix, I know, but I've never claimed normalcy.

HT

Random House, Random Reader

I don't obsessively check my blog stats, but I do glance through them once a week or so. It can be amusing to see the search terms that land people on my site. Over the last few months, I've had quite a few visits from someone in Maryland. The domain name attached to those visits?

Randomhouse.com

As you can imagine, being a writer trying to break into the world of fiction, this makes my heart go pitter patter. But nothing has come of it. I just checked my stats and saw a recent visit by my Maryland reader. Probably, whoever you are, you just happen to work in the Random House office, right? You are not a super secret agent searching out the next great kid lit author. So, let me down easy would ya?

Feel free to drop me a line, oh ye of the random house...

HT

Discworld: Rated PG-13

My father raised me with a sense of humor. One that is sarcastic and intelligent, while also being dirty minded and silly. I can remember watching Yellowbeard with him as a small child. Monty Python was an important part of my paternal education. Also, I would ask my dad to do something like "Turn on the TV" and his response was always and without fail, "Whatcha want me to do, fondle its knobs?"

I know I won't have my daddy around forever. That is the nature of this beast called Life. But, my dad gave me the gift of books, a love for reading that has sustained me through the hardest of days. I know, when I am left behind in this crazy world and Dad has gone on to find a better one, I'll always have Discworld. Terry Pratchett has written enough books to fill up a few years of my life one day. The few I have read already make me smile because my dad appears to be the American version of his favorite novelist.

This post is scattered. I'm sorry for that. My teeth have had me in a mess of pain and absent-mindedness over the last few weeks. I am writing this mostly as an excuse to post this photo:

I happened upon this odd configuration of items in my oldest son's bedroom. I took one look and laughed out loud. I had to take a picture for my dad. I mean, how cool is his grandson? It's a brand new Discworld, carried on the back of a giant pig and a book about the Universe (irony, anyone?)

Terry Pratchett isn't the only author that my dad has a particular fondness for, though he is the main contemporary writer. Actually, when I lived with my dad back in 2001, he woke up one morning, looked at me and said, "I feel like Douglas Adams is dead." He turned on the old desktop computer and searched for the talented Mr. Adams. Sure enough, he'd just passed away. When we read and love books, they become a part of us in ways even we cannot fully understand.

I wish I could find a signed copy of a Pratchett book somewhere... an affordable copy, I should say. That would be one of the best gifts I could give my dad.

I wonder what we should name the pig and his curved oval disc of a world.

HT

Currently: Mother May I?

Current Books: Haydn and I just finished a biography of Eleanor Roosevelt. We are also reading The Phantom Tollbooth and Sing a Song of Tuna Fish. In the car, we are nearing the end of the final Eragon book via audio. I will miss the language of those books. The names play in my head like music. I am reading Esther in my Bible, still making my way throughout Through the Year with Mary, and reading Chris Cleave's new book, Gold, in my free time. It will be published in July, and I highly recommend it. The writing is, as expected, artistically fashioned. Poetic, even. At bedtime, I alternate between another Mary book and a volume of Chesterton's essays.

Current Playlist: I made a playlist to match the book I have been writing. It is filled with 90s pop, mostly. Also any songs with a suicide theme, as the book has such a theme itself. I have been playing a station based on Israel & New Breed when I cook or clean. I think praise music helps the spirit of our home.

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: Food. I snack way too much. I am considering Body by Vi next month, but I'm not sure I can do it. When I am hungry, I want to eat real food, not drink something. But, I need some self-discipline, and my friend raves about Visalus.

Current Colors: Brights. Kentucky blue and fuchsia and yellow.

Current Fetish: G K Chesterton. I underline so much while reading his essays.

Current Food: Thanks to a tooth being pulled, I have eaten a lot of pudding, jello, and soup this week.

Current Drink: Coffee with 1 packet of Truvia and a bit of Sweet Cream by Coldstone Creamery.

Current Favorite Favorite: Corey has finished this semester and only has one to go. Knowing he is in the home stretch is my current favorite favorite, hands down.

Current Wishlist: a bicycle with a basket, clothes that fit and look good, Kentucky championship shirt, bread machine, food processor

Current Needs: I had a handful of teeth removed when I got braces in 6th grade. I need them back now.

Current Triumph: I have finished writing another novel, The Tornado Year, and am currently editing the manuscript.

Current Bane-of-my-Existence: The way my boys fight with one another. I know siblings fight. I certainly didn't get along happily with my sister, when we were kids. But the constant bickering makes my blood pressure rise.

Current Celebrity Crush: I started watching Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23 just because I like the girl who plays the B.

Current Indulgence: Ice cream while my gums heal

Current Mood: Not bad. A little tense, but vacation is coming soon.

Current #1 Blessing: Haydn getting to pitch for his baseball team this year. It is wonderful to watch how calm and focused he can be on a ball field.

Current Slang or Saying: Seriously?

Current Outfit: My favorite t-shirt and a pair of old jeans with my hand-painted TOMs

Current Link: I have been making crossword puzzles for Haydn, using his vocabulary words

Current Quote: “Sad words are just another beauty. A sad story means, this storyteller is alive.” ― Chris Cleave, Little Bee

Current Photo:

Poem-a-Day: April 29 (Sunday Poem)

Between my tooth pain, the start of baseball season and two kids with stomach bugs, I dropped the ball on writing poetry this month, and I apologize. Here is the Sunday poem and then, I wish myself better luck next year.

What if the things you call right

are not?

What if your church

is upside down?

Adam and Eve

partook of the fruit

and then got "flip,

turned upside down."

What you see as normal,

the American dream,

security, wealth,

home, car, family, faith...

what if you are clinging

to a ceiling

when God needs your feet

back on the floor?

HT