Unexpected Allergies: Part 1

I'm not one of those people who gets all hyped up about medical stuff.  You know what I mean - I've never quite believed the ones who are allergic to everything, have pains everywhere, etc.  But I just thought I'd take the time to share our story and my own heart a bit regarding our family's little medical struggle and God's providence through it all. 

Samuel was born in '09 a healthy little boy.  We couldn't have been happier.  David and I have always been very healthy ourselves, only needing to visit the doctor once every few years , so we fully expected to have the same in our children.  And I must interject right now before I really start, that I know there are so many people with much more difficult or severe conditions, but to us, this is huge!

People commented to us right from the start that Samuel was a heavy breather.  I can't count how many times others would ask me if he was okay because he was breathing so loudly!  When Samuel was about 9 months old, he had RSV.  We put him on a nebulizer for a few weeks and he seemed fine.  He also had unusually dry skin.  Not a big problem to us. 

Fast forward to this past summer.  June 18, 2011.  We had Julia's first birthday party and spent hours outside where the kids ran through the grass and got very hot!  My parents and my in-laws became very concerned when Samuel was breathing heavily.  Since this happened fairly often, David and I dismissed it for awhile.  However, Samuel broke out in hives all over and we knew something was wrong.  Not knowing really what else to do, we gave him some Benadryl and used hydrocortisone lotion, and he and David sat in the bedroom for the remainder of the afternoon working on calming down so he could breathe.

We still didn't think too much of the whole thing until exactly one month later.  It was a routine morning at home, and Samuel had been "helping" me fold laundry.  He had disobeyed somehow and I had given him a brief time-out in his room.  At about 8:30 a.m. he started wheezing and coughing uncontrollably.  His skin turned red again, and this time I knew something was definitely wrong.  The worst feeling in the world is when your child can't breathe and you have no idea what caused it or how to fix it!  My 2-year-old baby was so panicked, and so was I!  I did all I could think of - ran the shower with hot water to get some steam going, and held his face over the steam.  I honestly have no idea what Julia was doing at the time, and she is usually pretty "needy".  I thank God for so many things that day, including keeping me at least somewhat calm and keeping the baby occupied and unhurt while I cared for Samuel!

As soon as I got Samuel to a point where I felt he could breathe without coughing (he still couldn't talk, though), I called the doctor's office where they put the on-call nurse on the phone.  She immediately scheduled Samuel to see our doctor just as soon as we could get in.  Another praise . . . it takes 45 minutes to get to our pediatrician's office, and I got dressed, took Julia to a friend's house, picked up David from work, and got to the office within an hour! 

By the time we got to the doctor's office, Samuel was only wheezing every few breaths.  It was at that point that we remembered the episode one month earlier, and I actually remembered at least one other time where Samuel had wheezed and coughed and broken out in hives.  I had completely dismissed that and forgotten until we were at the dr's that day.  He sent us home with a nebulizer, some epipens, and steroids, and scheduled us to see an allergist.  He told us there is usually a link between the breathing issues and what he labled as "severe eczema".

Never would we have guessed before July 18th that we have such a "sick" little boy!  We are so thankful that God has kept him safe thus far and has provided with each subsequent outbreak of hives and wheezing the ability to get help/relief within minutes.  I will continue this story in a second post with the test results from August and how we've dealt with Samuel's issues since then!

Our sweet little cowboy!!

Buffalo Sloppy Joes

Well, I finished the diet.  I stuck with it for 6 days.  Okay, not the full 6 . . . after breakfast on Saturday I was more than a little cranky, so David suggested that I call it quits a little early.  Since he had bought me a block of blue cheese as an "I'm proud of you" type of gift, I needed to find a recipe to use it with in order to prevent myself from eating the entire block by myself.  And I remembered this awesome recipe that I'd made once before.  It made for an awesome Saturday night meal!

The first time I made it - this summer - I'm pretty certain I got it out of Taste of Home magazine.  But for the life of me, I cannot find it in my collection!  So I went searching the web and found the exact same recipe I'd used before on Rachael Ray's website.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Buffalo Sloppy Joes

First, chop all your veggies because once the meat starts to brown, the process goes pretty quickly.

Next, start browning the meat.  After about 5 minutes, add the veggies to the pot and finish browning the meat while the veggies become tender.

After about 5-10 more minutes, add in the sauce mix you've made in another bowl.

Let it simmer for about 15 minutes or until you get the table set and everything else ready to go!

Spoon your buffalo joes up onto buns, top with crumbled blue cheese and chopped dill pickle.  Serve with a salad and fries.  YUMMY!!

Buffalo Sloppy Joes
2 lb. ground chicken or turkey (I actually used deer this time and it tasted the same!)
1 carrot, peeled and grated or chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1/4-1/3 c. hot sauce, such as Frank's Red Hot or Louisiana Hot Sauce
1 c. tomato sauce
1 c. chicken broth or water
blue cheese, crumbled
2 large dill pickles, chopped

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add meat and break it up with a spoon; cook 5-6 minutes.  Add in carrots, celery, onion, and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper if desired, cook 7-8 minutes more.  In a bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar, worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, tomato sauce, and broth or water.  Pour into the pan and stir.  Simmer a few minutes more.  Serve on buns with blue cheese crumbles and chopped dill pickles.




Here's what we did with the leftovers - pizza crust, ranch dressing, slopppy joe mix,
cheddar cheese, blue cheese, pickles.  Sloppy Joe Pizza!



Caffeine and a 6-year-old

I will put this out there right now: I never have, nor do I ever plan on, watching the show Toddlers and Tiaras.  I'm sure there is plenty of controversy out there over the show itself.  I watched an interview today on Good Morning America, though, with the little girl named Alana, and I was outraged about her situation.

Alana's mom has made her something called "Go Go Juice", a concoction of Mt. Dew and Red Bull.  How disgusting!  Not just the mix itself, but the idea of it!  David and I drink coffee and tea, and the occasional Pepsi product.  We even let our children have a few sips.  But shoving this "juice" down your child's throat?  Completely uncalled for. 

My first beef is that caffeine is proven, in large amounts, to seriously affect the developing brain of a child. Why put your child through that and risk her life for a walk down a runway?  Second, one of my pet peeves is kids who say, "I'm hyper!  This or that made me hyper!"  What a terrible thing, when a parent gives his or her child an excuse for bad behavior.  That is exactly what happened with Alana and her mother.  Alana didn't come up with the word "hyper", and I question whether she even has any extra energy, or if her mother fed her that line, too.  Alana hears, so Alana does. 

The last thing that had me quite enfuriated was watching little Alana squeeze her baby fat on her tummy as if it were some sort of prize.  The girl is tiny - she's allowed to have some pudge!  But for her mom to tell her it's something to be proud of, and for Alana to make a big deal out of it, is extremely unhealthy.  I don't think a 6-year-old would know she had to have the "got it, flaunt it" mentality if someone didn't tell her that. 

This may not have made a lick of sense.  I certainly don't plan to vent over such topics on a regular basis, but this one just got me going!  I certainly hope that when others see our daughter, they don't see a "hyperactive is the way to get the spotlight" kind of girl, but rather a quiet, sensitive, and sweet spirit.  May God help us to raise her (and our son) to glorify Him and rely on Him for strength rather than caffeine or any other kind of drug!

Hello, Cabbage!

Ever heard of the Cabbage Soup Diet?  I certainly hadn't - not until last Wednesday when my friend Amy told me she was in the middle of it. 

I did some research here and downloaded this gal's free ebook, and decided I should try it.  Normally, I am not a "diet" kind of person, but this one is different.  It's a 7-day course, and you can actually eat during it!

Now, a little background.  I don't totally and completely blame the situation . . . but David was working at McDonald's to generate a little extra income during the summer, and BAM!  I gained 10 pounds.  Yes, me.  Not him.  Who could resist those free burgers and shakes because her husband was "employee of the week" every week for 2 months straight??  (Never mind he was one of the only people who actually worked for 2 months straight!)

And then came Halloween.  Should 2 toddlers really eat so much candy?  I think not.  And Thanksgiving.  Which launches itself directly into Christmas and New Year's.  I think you get the picture.  Our New Year's resolution was for our family to eat healthier, with less sugar and more natural foods. I've been having trouble getting rid of my cravings, though, and needed a boost. A little "detox".

This is why I've started the Cabbage Soup Diet.  I'm on day 2 and things are going pretty well!  Yesterday I made my soup in 2 pots and made one spicy while leaving the other plain for experimenting with different spices such as cumin and curry powder.


Regular Pot of Soup



Spicy Pot of Soup





I have to admit, I was not thrilled about Day One because it's soup and fruit only.  I am not a fruit kind of girl, unless it's, y'know, inside a pie or a cobbler!  But an apple, some grapes, and some frozen strawberries plus 4 bowls of soup, and I made it just fine.  Today is going much better.  It's veggie day!  Who wouldn't enjoy this for lunch??

Yeah, that's a big stir-fry using cooking spray, and then I made a sauce with water and a whole bunch of spices.  Y-U-M!!  Add a little ice water with a splash of cranberry juice and lime, and you've got a meal! 

So, 2 days (almost) down, and 5 more to go . . . I tend not to follow through with things, but I've made a commitment and I'm going to do this!  I can't believe how much more energy I have today than usual, I think largely because I haven't had sugar now for about 48 hours.  We'll see how the rest of the week pans out, but my hope is to end it feeling much less of a need for those things that should be "sometimes" foods. 

Then I'll be free to get back to watching Rachael Ray and reading my beloved Taste of Home, and hopefully I'll have some awesome, budget-friendly meals to share with you all!



A Welcome Change in Plans

Two years ago I started out as an educational consultant for Discovery Toys, and I worked pretty hard at it the last year.  However, after taking the Financial Peace Univeristy course last year and giving it plenty of prayer, David and I have made a commitment to God and to our family: we are going to do all that we can to be debt-free aside from our mortage within the next year.

Because of this, I am no longer actively pursuing Discovery Toys, though if you need something, please contact me and I can definitely still get it for you!  David suggested that we start a blog for our family and we thought, we may as well use this one we already have.  After all, we are definitely DISCOVERING LIFE right now!! 

So if you were following this blog for DT only, I'm afraid you're not going to find much that interests you in that regard.  I do hope you'll continue to follow, though, to read about and maybe even share your own stories in living a frugal, fun-filled, blessed life!   

Just to get it out there, here are the topics I'll likely share:

-Eating healthy, whole foods more often than ever before
-Dealing with allergies in our son and what we're changing to help him cope
-Frugal living - tips, deals, recipes, etc.
-We'll see where this goes from there!

Happy Monday, everyone!

New toys! New games!

I am so excited!  There are so many new things to choose from with Discovery Toys, and just announced . . . a new game that's all about money!  If you've seen my previous posts, you'll know that my husband and I are trying to pay off our debts and begin to build wealth so we can give to others.  So we are all about something that teaches our children how to deal with money. 

To read all about this game for yourself, and to see all our other new products (just in time for Christmas!!!), please visit my website and/or contact me!
www.discoverytoyslink.com/kidsarenumberone

Wow.  Has it truly been two months since I've posted?  How time does fly . . . especially once we are approaching this upcoming holiday season! 


I got a big box on my doorstep today.  A VERY BIG box.  And it is filled with Discovery Toys!!  Some are for friends, some are for customers I have met only once, and some are for my family to enjoy. 

Here is the one I am most excited about this time:  

Mosaic Mysteries!!  Just look at those brightly colored blocks!  And see all the patterns just begging to be arranged onto the tray?  This is going to provide hours of entertainment . . . for my husband and me.  The perfect pairing of coffee table games!

Have you ordered your Tricky Fingers or Mosaic Mysteries games for your living room yet? 

If not, now is a good time.  Discovery Toys is selling out of items such as these at a very quick rate this holiday season.  They are simply the best, and word is spreading! 

Order yours today at www.discoverytoyslink.com/kidsarenumberone