Having a child with extensive food allergies can be devastating. Fear of anaphylactic reactions can be overwhelming. An inability to socialize around food or eat in restaurants can truly hinder social interactions. Never being able to grab a bite to eat can be extremely inconvenient.
Because of my son’s food allergies we always have to make arrangements and plan ahead. We accept the fact that he simply can’t eat certain things and we take our family’s situation in stride. Lately I’ve realized our family lifestyle has benefited from dealing with multiple food allergies.
1.) Healthy Diet Standards. More than a dozen years ago when my son started to eat solid food, I realized all of the medical professionals and nutritionists were ill-prepared to advise me on his diet. His allergies were so extensive they didn’t have the answers I needed. The situation forced me to study childhood nutrition. I read every book in the library. A friend loaned me appropriate textbooks from her nutrician degree. I took extensive notes and developed a list of food sources and products which would help me meet his minimum daily requirements. The situation educated me on the healthy balance every child needs.
2.) Home Cooking. In order to insure my son ate well, the whole family eats the same dinner. For over a decade, take out has been a rarity. If we had to cook for my son, we might as well make enough for the whole family and eat at home. All these years we’ve known exactly what we were eating and could make sure to have lean meats, healthy vegetables, and whole grains at every meal. The family’s diet was elevated and we also saved money because cooking at home is less expensive.
3.) No Preservatives. Almost everything is homemade. We make all our baked goods and dinners from scratch. No boxes with chemicals and additives. Our meals and baked goods have a minimum of sugar and we use healthy fats.
4.) A Sane Family Schedule. Because we couldn’t grab a quick takeout meal between team practices, lessons, and meetings, we had to limit extra curricula activities. In the long run, this has provided a more relaxing schedule for the whole family. Having to be home to cook the evening meal each day limits hectic driving around town.
5.) Alternative Products. We had to shop in local organic markets to seek out vegan, soy, and rice products. Having to shop in three different stores regularly introduced many new food items which we might not have discovered otherwise. Any product without allergens was worth a try. Vegan foods are usually safe. We were eating quinoa long before it was publicized to be the “miracle protein food of the future”. Different types of whole grains were added to pancakes, muffins and cookies. We would eat buffalo, various beans, and all sorts of seafood. The family always looks forward to these new finds.
6.) Creativity With Food. When we discovered my son’s food allergies, every single recipe in our house was unusable. Whenever I wanted to make something, I had to figure out substitutions and then make changes in the other ingredients to compensate. Now I create most meals and baked goods based on a few recipes. I glance at two or three ingredient lists and decide on the right amounts and method. I never worry about being without an ingredient because I can always find something else to substitute. This generates a real sense of freedom in the kitchen.
7.) Outdoor Exploration. Because we could never eat out on vacations, we began to camp. This outdoor life allowed us to cook exactly what my son could eat at every meal. A camper allows us to refrigerate and freeze food. Our adventurous trips have brought us to magnificent National Parks and many places of true natural beauty. We often bike and can pick up fresh food to cook over the fire. The local possibilities from farmer’s markets are endless and I would not have traded any of these vacations for more “civilized” alternatives with restaurants.
8.) Young Chefs. Both my boys learned to cook and bake at a very early age. They know the origins of their food, how to follow a recipe, and appreciate the work involved.
9.) Learned Responsibility. My son has to plan and make a week’s worth of food when he goes away to summer camps. He’s been handling a full week’s menu since he was 12. He’s also had to learn to speak to servers and food handlers for the few items he can sometimes purchase at a restaurant. While navigating school and activities he needs to be able to explain and advocate for his own well-being. These experiences have necessitated a strong ability to communicate at a very young age.
10.) A Strong Sense of Family. We’re all in this together. Meal times are a standard. Nightly family dinners keep us at the table together each day. Even when my husband served on a White House council he came home for dinner each night then went back to work. Our boys know how important the family dinner time is to all of us. We don’t schedule other activities which will interfere or answer the phone. For this I am probably most grateful.
Multiple and extensive food allergies bring many challenges, so I’m accepting these blessings as well.
I’ve been practicing yoga since September 2000 so some might say this announcement has been building for 11 years. Since I was a little girl I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. Today I will start on the yoga teacher training journey.
My yoga path has been slow but continual. In anticipation of my second son’s arrival, and desiring to be in even better shape using the Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth, I took a prenatal class through the Montgomery County Recreation Program. I remember loving each minute of my time learning yoga. I felt so thoroughly well each day of my pregnancy. Yoga made all the difference. At home with my little ones, I continued my yoga sessions with video tapes for a few years before joining a yoga studio.
Why Yoga?
- When I practice in the morning it sets the tone for the entire day.
- I feel great and approach my work with an excellent attitude. My mind is more at peace and I believe all things are possible. I’m calmer and more thoughtful.
- Although my muscles often ache, I appreciate the strength and health I know I am developing each time I practice.
- A decade ago I had back pain but not anymore.
- I’m much more aware of my body.
- When things are stressful I find myself taking much deeper breaths than I was ever able to do. I take a few minutes to concentrate on my breathing and feel so much better. Without yoga I wouldn’t know or use this technique.
- I find yoga helps me to sort out what is important in my life. Practice helps me identify the situations I need to improve.
- Since I do other forms of fitness such as kickboxing or running, I need the yoga to stretch out my muscles and balance the other activities.
Yoga has become so much a part of my life that I can’t imagine life without practicing. But I have so much to learn! Last year I loved immersing myself in the 40 Day program at Thrive Yoga and I want to dedicate myself to an even deeper study of yoga. I’m not sure how much I want to teach or where, but throughout my life I have felt directed toward helping others and spent a great deal of time exploring the outdoors. Teacher training could bring these strong segments of my life together. I like to share what I know and being able to share yoga would be absolutely one of the best things I could ever do.
Yoga has helped me even when struggling with injuries to my arm, shoulder, and tailbone. Last year I joked that if I taught yoga, I would know all the modifications for injuries first hand! Now with a recent diagnosis of arthritis affecting my upper body, my yoga practice will be a pinnacle point of my therapy. Medical professionals recommend yoga as a treatment for arthritis. I’m depending on yoga to keep me functioning as long as I’m lucky enough to be alive.
Exciting Yoga Possibilities
With all these physical signs in my own body, I’m feeling a great desire to explore adapting yoga for people facing challenges. Often I find myself reading about yoga to heal people both mentally and spiritually. I’m a bit scared to think of myself embarking on any one of these journeys, but I see the possibilities with yoga and I’m excited to start down this path!
Yoga As Therapy:
Compass Yoga is on a mission to bring yoga as a therapy to any and all who wish to make it part of their wellness plan whether they are a cancer survivor, a war veteran, or someone grieving the loss of a loved one. Her story has inspired me and helped set my intention.
Yoga With Veterans:
The Exalted Warrior Foundation brings yoga to wounded veterans at Haley VA Hospital, which speaks of making a difference and sharing the gift of yoga while working with people’s trauma to “find a way out of these hells.”
Yoga With The Homeless:
Organizations across the country have volunteers to bring yoga to those experiencing homelessness. Since I’ve worked for a local organization providing services and shelter, this possibility is near to my heart.
Yoga Outdoors:
Our family loves to visit National Parks and this love can be combined with yoga. Imagine organizing Eco Yoga Adventures. But inviting friends for yoga at a local park sounds like a fun adventure too!
Yoga In Schools:
The Shanti Generation promotes yoga and meditation for kids and has been keeping tabs on the movement to bring yoga to schools.
Yoga With Prisoners:
The Prison Yoga Project helps prisoners to deal with their difficulties. A friend recently started working with a prison ministry in Maryland so this type of program has been on my mind. Helping women gain peace with themselves and their situation at a tough point in their lives would be an amazing outcome.
Yoga and Faith:
Last year I joined First Trinity ELCA Lutheran Church for a “Yoga And Prayer” session. Using yoga in the context of my Christian faith gave me a true sense of freedom. Being able to dig deep within myself to my strongest beliefs with total abandon was exhilarating. At the time I found myself thinking I could create an even better experience.
The possibilities are endless – an intimidating! I have no idea where this path will lead or what will happen, but I’m sticking my toe in the water.
Thrive Yoga’s Program
Susan Bowen has developed this teacher training herself so the program will be thorough and expose students to the best possible information and techniques from many respected sources. In addition to studying vinyasa more thoroughly, I’m looking forward to delving deeper into hatha yoga so my practice isn’t always about power and inversions. Each pose in the new manual will be described and studied in greater detail than other sources. We’ll also study anatomy so we can better understand how to move and hold positions without injury. We’ll learn the Sanskrit names for poses. My old gray brain could use the jumpstart by studying another language. With a required reading list of nine books and another 10 recommended, we’ll be completely immersed in the history of yoga. As a philosophy major I am attracted to the study of yoga philosophy as taught by the ancients and a modern interpretation for life today. Breathing deeply, meditating differently, relieving stress, and growing healthy will all be studied.
When you can explain something to someone else, you have to really know the subject. I want this ability for yoga. I know I’ll find it difficult to be away from my family for so many weekends, but I know the Teacher Training will be worth my time and dedication. I’m apprehensive about all I will experience and need to learn in these 200 hours over the next six months, but as with all things yoga, I’ll breathe deeply and flow through one minute at a time.
Many of my family and friends who have spent time with me in the last two months know I’ve been suffering from bone and muscle pain but resisted going to a doctor. At times the pain has been so severe in my shoulders and arms it prevented my normal physical activities. At first I thought I had “over done it” with my fitness routine (even though the pain arrived on a morning after two days of rest).
Over the holidays I noticed my muscles growing even weaker. The overall sensation frightened me. After such a prolonged period of time and the new challenges on the horizon this year, I finally made a medical appointment. After mentioning some despairing possibilities, my doctor ordered a series of blood tests. He discovered a severe vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D helps the body control calcium and phosphate levels. If the blood levels of these minerals become too low, the body may produce hormones that cause calcium and phosphate to be released from the bones causing weak bones. Researchers estimate 50% of the world’s population may be at risk.
How could this happen to me?
I used to run 5 days a week outside in the sunshine but in the last year I decreased my running because of my deepening yoga practice. This meant I was out of the sun and in the studio on most days. Fifteen minutes a day in the sun is all you need to acquire enough vitamin D in your body.
A quick check of the soy milk, orange juice, and other products in my kitchen indicated I was only getting about half the vitamin D required. Although I worried about my family’s calcium intake because of my son’s dairy allergy, I hadn’t concentrated on vitamin D. Not all calcium products contain vitamin D. With the lack of daily sunlight and my meticulous use of suntan lotion, I had made myself very sick.
Vitamin D deficiency symptoms include:
Bone pain in the arms, legs, pelvis, or spine
Muscle pain and loss of muscle strength
Muscle cramps
Depression
Frequent infections
I’m sharing my story because taking a supplement is an easy fix and the complications from not treating the deficiency can be quite dire including high blood pressure, obesity, osteoporosis, and early mortality. In fact, many medical professionals are beginning to think that childhood obesity is being caused in part by a vitamin D deficiency.
Do yourself a favor and check your vitamin D intake. Are you getting enough? Make sure you are — especially in the winter when we aren’t outside as much and tend to stay warm under layers of clothing.
My doctor prescribed a supplement for the next 24 weeks. Hopefully I’ll be feeling better soon but I also intend on soaking up the sun as much as possible this winter.
Usually my husband and I take our showers at night before bed. Last night we sat up talking late then decided to skip our showers. Ever since we had kids, this is a rare occurrence.
This morning I took my shower, walked out of the bathroom, and put my pajamas on. My husband appeared to update me on the family happenings during my shower. As he was talking I realized what I was wearing.
“Oh no,” I blurted out, “I put my pajamas back on! I walked right over and put them as I do each night without even thinking about it completely out of habit.”
During this last day of the year, this instance has me thinking. We are often on auto-pilot each day. We do the same things over and over. We all need to take showers. But what else are we doing without even thinking about it?
This is the time of year we take stock of all that we have done and will do. We should consider our paths more frequently and sometimes we do, but now seems to be the time when we all set our intentions for the year.
Find a way to look past your regular habits and shake things up in the new year!
 Vegan Chocolate Chocolate Chips People don’t want to buy vegan baked goods. Last month the Long Island Press described how BabyCakes NYC opened a shop in downtown Disney World only to have to remove the word “vegan” from the signage:
The shop’s teal signs touting their dairy- and egg-free treats proved too much for the mostly middle American, indulgent vacationers passing by.
“It was more of a repellant,” said owner Erin McKenna. “People were just walking away.”
After the “v” word was removed, sales improved.
Since the food allergies in my family have led me to bake vegan for over 14 years, I wondered if the “vegan” name was bad for business in our Maryland hometown. With cookies needed for school fundraisers at both our elementary and high schools, I found the answer.
Everyone who has ever eaten one of my cookies raves about the taste and quality. My sons constantly tell me I should open a restaurant or bakery. People have complimented my cookies at parties for years without knowing I baked them. All these goodies have been completely vegan without eggs or dairy.
Since people love chocolate, I created Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookies from a few different recipes. Frankly, they tasted like thin brownies with chunks of rich chocolate scattered throughout. My other baking creations included Maple Cookies With Maple Frosting, traditional Chocolate Chips, and Sugar Cut Out Cookies.
For the high school event I provided a small sign which explained the Chocolate Chocolate Chips and Maple Cookies were vegan. One vegan friend told me she wandered over to the table thinking she wouldn’t find anything to eat and was delighted to find the cookies. However, most people didn’t agree. My cookies didn’t sell as well as all the other treats. At the same time, the Chocolate Chocolate Chips sold out at the elementary school event and people were coming to the table asking for them because of the recommendations of their friends.
The next week I removed the “vegan” sign at the high school and the Chocolate Chips disappeared. People love dairy-and-egg-free cakes and cookies when they don’t know about the missing ingredients.
At a party this week, a woman told me she had been on Lipitor since 2000 but went vegan this year and has lost a substantial amount of weight and gone off the medication. She stressed how healthy the move has been for her. My other vegan friend has met with harsh words for changing her diet and she believes people simply don’t want to understand the benefits.
With healthy ingredients and the knowledge of the science behind baking, vegan baked goods can taste much better and be much healthier for you. You might be eating a vegan baked good and not even know.
Shhhhhhh, don’t tell anyone, Oreos are vegan!
Back on September 22, 2011, I switched over my Facebook wall to the new Timeline. As a Facebook App Developer, you could jump on board early. Ever since, I’ve been fairly delighted to have an online journal about my life since 2007.
A decade ago you might have struggled to paste photos into an album with appropriate decorations and descriptions. The Facebook Timeline does it all for you. If you’re unhappy with yet another major Facebook change, give it a chance, but make sure you have a large block of time. Depending on how much information you have posted, you could find yourself looking back over the last few years for longer than you expected.
- Cover Photo. The first big decision will be your cover photo. This header has been used in many creative ways. With a simple graphic program like Paint, you could have some fun with it too. Made sure the photo is wide. Facebook will allow you to crop it. I grew tired of my Profile picture sitting there next to my cover photo of some bees and flowers at the National Zoo so one day I allowed my picture to jump into the action and buzz around the photo.
- Content. Facebook is allowing seven days to review your Timeline before it is published for others to see. Look over all those posts and photos because you can choose to hide them from the Timeline. You can also choose to highlight some and they will expand across both columns. Any work start or end dates will be automatically featured. You can also highlight events by posting it as Life Event.
- Ability To Find Posts. If you ever wanted to go back and look at your information from a few years ago, it was basically impossible to navigate through all the older posts. Now you can click on any year and month to see what you were doing.
- Activity Log. This allows you to approve or ignore posts and photos in which you were tagged by your friends. Before the Timeline, I always allowed everything on my wall. Since the Timeline, I have approved only a few posts (and I’m not the only one.) People have been saying that they like the personal journal aspect of the Timeline and don’t want every mention of their name to appear. You’ll have to decide.
- Changing Who Sees Your Posts. Now you can easily view your profile from the public’s perspective and find out what the whole world is seeing. Changing the setting is just as easy. You can go back and change the settings from Friends, Friends of Friends, Public, etc. for every single item you’ve ever posted.
- Map. If you like to Check-in, you can look back and see where you’ve been.
If someone is active on Facebook, you can really learn a tremendous amount by visiting their Timeline. Those concerned about privacy can hide everything. I don’t really think most people are even going to look at my Timeline because I’m sure they have better things to do, but if they do, they will definitely know me better. I always hope this translates over to better in person friendships but in many ways Facebook is very artificial.
One night on my husband’s Facebook account I looked at my wall the way it used to be and was hit with a pang of homesickness, which I found slightly amusing. One thing I miss tremendously is seeing my comments and likes about other people’s posts. I was overcome with a desire to change my profile back, which is impossible. If they could add this feature to the Timeline, it would be much better.
A friend joked on Facebook today that you’ll be issued a Facebook account in the hospital on the day you are born. Although some parents may choose to do this for the children, we all can do it for ourselves. I know there are some people who will scan photos and add the important events from their entire lives. I don’t think I’ll be joining them.
For the first time in my life, I realized that if I had the chance to do something all over again, I wouldn’t. As the question formed in my head, I slowly came to the painful realization that if I was confronted with the same situation, I would resoundingly decide not to participate.
I don’t remember feeling this way about an experience. Since I’ve been around for 47 years, I guess I’m lucky. I’ve never wrestled with regret. Even if a situation or decision didn’t go very well, I never found myself wishing I hadn’t done it. I always chalked it up to life’s lessons and found something positive to remember.
This doesn’t mean I can’t create a long list of good outcomes from my recent experience, because I can. I can also detail the bad outcomes just as quickly. They even balance each other.
When I told my family about my thoughts, my youngest agreed without hesitation. Even a ten-year-old recognized my time could have been better spent.
When I think back to all of the hours I wasted, I’m overcome with a sense of loss. I desperately find myself wishing I could somehow add all those years back to my life, but it’s not going to happen.
What can I do?
Wait.
Time does heal wounds. Even within the brief timeframe of these last few weeks, I’ve been feeling better.
Recognize.
Don’t deny your feelings. Identify the feelings of anger, blame, and irritation. Accept each as your honest reaction without making excuses, then let the emotions go.
Accentuate.
Emphasize the positive. In this case I’m intensifying the excellent personal relationships formed during the experience. In this way, the positive outcomes are becoming even stronger and therefore the experience can improve slightly.
Redefine.
Frame the experience correctly. Due to my overwhelming desire to “make other people better”, I never touted my contributions, leadership, and erudition. Although shining a light on others is an excellent mantra for a better life, confidently communicating and owning your own success is also necessary for fulfillment in the long run.
Forgive.
In order to get past a bad experience, you need to absolve those involved. You may need to forgive yourself or someone else. Remove the blame.
Although my realization stunned me, I’ve been able to make progress with these goals. I’ll carry this lesson with me in all my new endeavors and will be able to recognize and control similar situations. The pattern will not repeat – yet another impetus toward a better outcome.
Recently a friend running for public office confided that people were friending her on Facebook rather than liking her campaign page. “Not to worry”, I told her, “You are still reaching them from your personal page. Make sure to provide updates they have permission to see.”
Today Facebook added the Subscribe button and she might not even need a campaign page.
If you want people to be able to Subscribe to your public posts on Facebook, then you need to activate the subscribe button on your profile. When you do, the person will be able to see all your posts which you have chosen to make public.
With this feature, candidates, journalists, writers, actors, musicians, and other public figures can now have followers without following back.
Do you even need a separate Facebook page? Perhaps not as an individual, if you are savvy with friend lists. You won’t have to approve people as friends and won’t have to worry about the 5,000 friend limit.
However, you would want to keep or create a Facebook page if:
1.) You desire to create a distinct community.
2.) You need to provide information in tabs, such as contests.
3.) You want to track analytics.
If you decide to opt in to the Subscribe button, remember to post as “Public”. You can change whether a post is Public, Friends or Custom at anytime.
Facebook is also going to be creating “smart” friend lists for you soon based on your work, school, family, and city. This will also allow custom sharing and the new system will hopefully make creating friend lists easier.
The one thing about Facebook that always made it more real is that you both had to agree in order to be friends. The other social networks allowed you to follow people and they didn’t have to follow back. In this attempt to be all things to all people, Facebook is allowing you to “broadcast” as an individual. This seems like a step away from being friends. In some ways Facebook is becoming too much for any one person in its attemp to be everything to everyone.
 Last Tuesday the Martin Luther King Jr. National Monument on the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC was crowded with people excited to see this new tribute. The 30-ft stone statue had been unveiled the day before, Monday, August 22, 2011. Although not officially dedicated, everyone present had made a special trip to visit as soon as possible. As they politely took pictures and solemnly read his quotes, the significance of the moment was evident on their faces. These early visitors felt an immediate camaraderie with each other.
After our visit, my sons and I began our trek to the Metro rail line. Washington DC was gridlocked and crowded as people struggled home after the 5.9 earthquake felt earlier in the afternoon. The difficulty of traveling under the circumstances was unknown, but everyone was in good spirits.
The woman walking alongside my family asked a question and then we continued our conversation while walking up 17th Street. We shared our accounts of the earthquake and reasons for venturing to the new monument. We both had thought the earthquake was a terrorist attack and were concerned about the aftershocks. She hadn’t been able to reach her husband’s family in the area. Her family was in Alabama where she grew up. We discussed strategies for getting home. By the time we reached the Metro she had offered the use of the restrooms in her building, then our journey together ended.
I don’t usually mention this detail because it doesn’t matter, but she was black. It didn’t even cross my mind until later when I thought about my day and reveled in what a wonderful tribute our spontaneous friendship was to Dr. King’s legacy. We reached out to each other during an uncertain moment after visiting his memorial without any regard to race, without even noticing.
Before venturing to DC to see the monument, I made sure my sons remembered the details of Dr. King’s life. I talked about segregation and racism. We discussed why the “I Have A Dream” speech was given and how different their lives are now compared to mine as a child in the 1960’s. The diversity of their friends is astounding in the DC area. We take this diversity for granted and can’t imagine the awfulness from fifty years ago.
The dream is our reality. This everyday walk made me appreciate the best in our society, the best in ourselves.
Often when I meditate, I have difficulty clearing my mind. Many times in the early morning I give up completely and start my day without meditating for more than a few minutes.
For most of my life I’ve prayed at night before bed, but in the last couple of weeks I’ve committed to praying each morning. The change has made quite a difference to my meditation.
After beginning with a formal prayer, I pray about each person or instance which pops into my mind. Putting all of my thoughts and challenges in God’s hands for the day fills me with peace.
On the first day I prayed, I still had some extra time so I decided to meditate. I was amazed at how easily I could concentrate on my body, breathing, and third eye. I’d released all that was bothering me in prayer and could settle into the quiet, untroubled place of my mediation. I can’t believe it took me so long to figure out this combination!
Praying gives you the freedom to let your mind wander constructively and clears the way for meditation. When I combine my religion with my yoga and meditation, I feel most complete.
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About BNeg and Cynthia Cotte Griffiths Along the way I've discovered a love for blogging. First for my local community with RockvilleCentral.com (now exclusively on Facebook), then almost immediately with TryingNotToBNeg.com when I needed to express my thoughts beyond Rockville, MD.
My company, OnlineandInPerson.com works with businesses, organizations and individuals to improve communications with social media and offers complete marketing plans along with ongoing assistance and training for owners, staff, and members. When not practicing yoga or kickboxing, I spend my free time volunteering to make lives better in our community.
Please share your thoughts here. It always means a lot to me!
Or "drop me a line":
Cindy@OnlineandInPerson.com
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