My Diet

I thought this was kind of a relevant topic to write about since I've had to change my diet drastically in recent months.  After another series of testing when I did not fully recover from my pregnancy and a lot of unexplained symptoms, I finally found out that not only am I lactose intolerant (and likely intolerant to casein too, they just did lactose  testing) but have esophagitis.  They raised my dosage of omeprazole since I've been on the stuff for years and still managed to get the blasted esophagitis.  However, I had to figure out other methods of healing too, since I still had a hard time swallowing, just to even get the pill in my mouth...

SO I discovered there is an acid reflux/esophagitis diet, and I've been trying to follow it strictly.  Its limiting in the meat department, and of course you have to rule out acid... But then you limit your fats, and grease and spice are also out...  So, I'm in short, mostly vegan. My weekly allotment of meat (I'm only supposed to have it at most 3 times a week) comes when I go elsewhere to eat, because frankly its hard to explain to others that I'm trying to eat clean and vegan.  Even then I've been known to pick out my meat.

So before someone slams the vegan diet, I thought I might point out, that sure, you don't eat meat or anything that comes from an animal whether directly or its a byproduct, some people actually do it not based upon principle or anything, but because they simply can't eat the other foods without their body giving way.  The minute I started going vegan and acid free, I felt worlds better, but when I eat meat or anything against the esophagitis diet, I have a hard time.  And believe you me, not being able to swallow?  Or feeling like there is something constantly in your throat?  Or even sore throat or it being swelled shut... NOT worth eating what I can't.

A small thank you

In our house, money is sorely tight.  We have to pay an extra month's rent on our old apartment, AT MARKET VALUE which is close to 400 dollars more than what we would pay (long story that really is completely assinine, to use one of my father's favorite words).  Plus we have to pay all our bills and the rent for our new apartment.  With the government shutdown, it puts even more strain on us since we barely made it to being able to get formula for the month of October.  Who knows how long the shutdown will last, which causes ME worry because what if we can't get our November allotment of formula?  Jaden is on Allergy formula which costs twice as much as standard formula or even soy.

We don't like to rely on other people to help us... But I cannot say how eternally grateful I am for our family.  They've been a great help, financially, physically, mentally, and so on.  I won't go into details, but truly, its been a great relief to know that our family and friends will do their best to help us out.  We have great support. And I can't thank them enough.

Skyebaby Diapers

So recently... by which I mean, back in August, I ordered from a wonderful woman some handmade cloth diapers. She is the mom of a cute little girl who lives in South Carolina, and her life is FILLED with sewing.  Out of her own home she makes things like cloth diapers, wipes, carseat covers, seatbelt covers, nursing pads, you name it, and she probably makes it.

So in my order this is what I recieved
4 All in Two diapers
1 Hybrid Fitted Diaper
1 travel drawstring wetbag
1 large drawstring wetbag
And since it took her a while to make my order, she also threw in a couple wipes.

So since I gave a review of gDiapers, how could I not give a review of this wonderful woman's work.  This woman, she is a super busy mama, it would seem always working on orders.  She has on facebook about 1300 likes, just to give you an idea of exactly the kind of business she gets.  She'll warn you that orders will take about 4 weeks or so, since her diapers are in high demand.  But I will tell you, they are well worth the wait.

As I mentioned (I believe) in my post about gDiapers, my son is a skinny guy.  As such, it is extremely hard to find diapers that fit him properly.  It seems the majority of diapers are made for the stereotypical chunky baby.  However, this woman has created diapers using a pattern that has as she told me, 'a trimmer fit'.  That means for me, they fit my son GREAT.  I cannot rightly say how they would fit a chunkier baby, however, from inspection, I would think they'd fit a chunky baby great too.

On to the AI2 diapers now.  These diapers are GREAT.  I don't use her soakers, but that simply is because I have a super sensitive baby.  However, I did discuss the issue with her, and she recommended prepping them a little more.  Evidently since her soakers are made with Zorb, they take more prepping.  I did.  And once I did that, it did prove to have better results for my Jaden.  But like I said he is super sensitive.  BUT ignoring the fact that Jaden is sensitive, I have to say, I fell in love with the soakers immediately.  I had yet to see a soaker that could hold so much.  I have a tendency to forget to change Jaden's diaper right away, and of course, that can mean it will leak.  Often times in the weirdest places.  However, I noticed the soakers last a lot longer than even the prefolds I normally use.  I would DEFINITELY recommend using her Zorb soakers.  The diaper itself... Greatest diaper ever.  I use it with my prefolds, not one leak ever.  No redness on my Jaden.  And, like I mentioned before, great fit.  Her diapers are super soft, my son loves them, and its quite obvious he finds them comfortable.

However, my favorite diaper I have is my fitted diaper.  Why?  Well, as I discussed with her, fitteds really are THE diaper for a sensitive baby.  Her soaker in the fitted is bamboo fleece if I remember correctly.  Softest, smoothest, soaker I've ever felt.  But really?  They always tell you, put a cover over a fitted to make it waterproof.  Well one of the things that is great about hybrid fitteds is they are semi-waterproof.  That means, for a certain length of time, it won't, say get your baby's clothes wet without a cover on it.  However, I found that this woman's fitteds were better than that.  I don't remember exactly how long I went with the fitted on the first time.  It was definitely a few hours though, and when I went to change his diaper, I was shocked. I couldn't figure out what the point of me having put the cover over the diaper was.  And when I looked inside, Jaden's skin was not red at all.

But above all, I just have to say, this woman, she really truly understands the value of Customer Service.  She's kind, and she will answer any questions you have, and almost always, immediately.  And she always lets you know the status of your order.  I had a great experience.  I just would like to say, she really knows how to make every customer of hers feel like they are important.

Beyond her customer service skills, she also has really cute prints for her diapers, and if you have a special request, she'll do her best to fill it for you, and if she can't she'll find a way to make it up to you.  I will definitely be getting more diapers from her in the future.  I give her five out of five stars.  If I could give her six or more, I would.  I give Amber Ferguson of Skyebaby Dipes a double thumbs up, a whopping five stars, and every BEST rating one can give.

So thank you again!

(Her shop can be found at www.facebook.com/SkyeBabyDipes please give her your support and buy from her.)

Vegan Burgers

Today I made really yummy vegan burgers.  I modified a recipe I found online so that it fit my dietary restrictions.  I have recently discovered... I REALLY love sweet potatoes, so when I found a sweet potato vegan burger recipe online, I KNEW that was the one.  Turns out, I modified it though so that it isn't predominately sweet potato anymore, but its really delicious.  Anyway here's my vegan burger recipe.

Vegan Burgers

2 cans of beans. (I used one can of black beans and one can of dark red kidney beans)
1 large sweet potato.  (I had half of a sweet potato that was more than what I would consider a large sweet potato)
1 cup nuts (I used slivered almonds and chopped walnuts)
Somewhere around two cups of flour.
Spices to your personal taste.

This recipe is really straightforward.  Drain the water from the cans of beans and mash them.  (I used my cuisinart and mashed them that way.) Chop up the sweet potato, or slice it.  Whatever is easiest for you.  Then boil the sweet potatoes.  Once the sweet potatoes are boiled mash them (again I used the cuisinart).  Make sure your nuts are FINELY chopped (I did this by putting them in the Cuisinart with my sweet potatoes). Once that is finished, you'll mix the nuts and sweet potatoes with the mashed beans. Gradually add in flour until your mixture is able to be made into patties.  And of course don't forget to add your seasonings. And then just brown your patties, place on your bread (or in my case I used tortillas because I didn't want to wait for our bread to dethaw) and put on your favorite condiments/topping and then enjoy!

gDiapers! How did I ever live without them!

Gdiapers are awesome.  They fall in the class of hybrid cloth diapers, but I think they are more like pockets the way they are set up.  This is a gDiaper and I use prefolds with them.  (They do have inserts that come with them but I like my prefolds!)

This is a gDiaper process.

1.  Collect your three separate pieces.  Cover (Blue); Pouch (White); Prefold/Insert (Tan)

2. Place your pouch in the cover.   As you can see each corner just snaps right in.

3. Fold your prefold into thirds.  (Step unnecessary if you use inserts)

4. Place your prefold into the pouch.  If you have a boy, make sure the bunched up part of the prefold is at the front.

(Front of the diaper)

(Back of the diaper)

(Flip side of the back)

5. Place diaper on your kid. (This is the inside of the diaper)

(This is what the back will look like once diaper is on.)

You can also lay another insert or prefold on top of the other insert for more absorbancy.
Tip:  Make sure the elastics are not tucked between baby bottom and prefold or you WILL leak.  (Sorry kid moves a lot so pics are blurry without flash [and with flash you can't tell what you are looking at.])

good elastic position

bad elastic position - this will likely how the diaper
naturally is when you put it on.

Now why do I like gDiapers?  Okay so its annoying sure to have to have different sized diapers for your baby's growth increases.  However, I find that the way they are designed with the snap in pouch is easier to conform around your baby's bottom and keep from leaking.  That's the biggest reason I enjoy them, because I feel like they last longer than prefolds and covers or most other hybrids.  Sure, if they get wet, the covers don't dry as fast as PUL covers, and you can't just wipe them if slightly damp. However in my experience, the covers still last longer because your cover is protected by the pouch.  If the pouch is soaked but cover isn't, you can still reuse the cover.  However, once PUL is completely wet or pooed, you are done.  At least this is my experience with the gdiapers.

My Battle With Mr. Anxi Ety

Yes, I have moderate to severe anxiety.  There are days when getting out of bed just seems like a chore because of how much I have to do during the day.  Some days even getting myself food is a daunting task.  But I cope... These are my 10 greatest lessons I've learned in my daily battle with Mr. Anxi Ety.  I've a number of personal experiences relating to each one, however, I do not wish to publicize most of those stories.

#1 - You are not Superman.  Stop acting like you are.
Anxiety is in short overstress.  The more you try to do, the more stressed you become.  There are only 24 hours a day, and its recommended you get approximately eight hours of sleep.  So what you can't get done in sixteen hours without trying to do fifty things at once, will HAVE to wait. Calm down.

#2 - Do not be afraid to ask for help.
Sure, there are people in this world that will tell you, 'Its all in your head.' But frankly, living with anxiety is next to impossible alone.  You need someone to tell you its going to be all right if dinner is late.  You need someone to give you a hug when life gets hard.  Sometimes you just have to say, ' Come here and take this dirty diaper for me while I put a new one on the baby.'  Life's hard, and its not meant to be traveled alone.

#3 - It is not bad to cry.
There is a common misconception that crying is a sign of weakness.  Don't listen to those that would say this.  A good cry once in a while is a VERY good thing.  I'm no scientist, so I won't pretend to know the science behind it, but when you cry, there is a definite release.  Obviously a release of emotions, but its a physical and mental release as well.  Without a release, then you'll undoubtedly lose it.
#4 - Take time for yourself.
I personally have a tendency to be a people pleaser and I often forget about myself.  But when you have anxiety, living a lifestyle like that adds stress.  People often say, 'Helping others makes you feel good.'  Sure it does.  But you also need a break from life. Watch some tv.  Play a video game. Go for a jog.  You need some time to get away from the world and think.
#5 - Breathe.
This one seems like a 'duh' statement.  However when anxiety is your battle, your mind can race, your heart can race, and sometimes, the world spins so fast you don't even have time to think, let alone breathe.  However, if you remind yourself to stop and take a deep breath when the world is closing in around you.  The moment you take a breath, everything begins to clear, and the body will follow suit and calm down, and then you can think again.
#6 - Eat.
Oftentimes, we get so stressed out, we forget to eat.  And its a vicious cycle. It will continue.  You don't think about it at first, but very quickly, without the food, your body shuts down, which inevitably kicks the anxiety back up.  Not to mention, food gives you the energy you need to get through the daily stresses.
#7 - Do not be afraid to tell people about your anxiety.
Our society teaches us not to tell people we have a problem.  So we hide it and pretend everything is normal.  (Which boots anxiety up the more you hide)  Sometimes, we think if we tell our employer we have anxiety, we'll lose our job, or we won't get the job.  However, the truth is, it shows character if you say, 'Hey, I got anxiety.  This is what I need to handle it.  I need a regular schedule that I can rely on.  I can't be expected to do different things every day.  I need routine.  And please don't layer fifty things on me at once.  I only have two hands to work with.'  Obviously you wouldn't say all those things in those exact words, but when you say things like that, it shows strength, and your employer would rather have a person with the strength and character to say, 'Hey I need help' than have an employee who is perfectly healthy in every way and tackles way too much and inevitably gets it all wrong somehow.
#8 - If medicated, TAKE YOUR MEDS!
Simply put, there is a reason you are on meds.  Its not a disgrace to have to take medicine for anxiety.  Its the same as if you had to take medicine for a heart condition.  You can't handle daily life without it.  And its important to be able to function
#9 - Never be alone during an attack, even if it is just a phone call.
Speaking from personal experience, anxiety is VERY different from depression.  However, during a panic attack, if you don't have someone to help you through it, it can very quickly become like depression.  The world doesn't make sense during an attack.  All you want to do is scream, but in many cases you can't even make a sound, can't move.  It's frustrating!  And as you get more and more frustrated, it turns to depression, and you could end up in the ER.  (I did once.  The only time I ever was alone when I had an attack)
#10 - Don't be embarrassed by your anxiety.
The more embarrassed you are by your anxiety, the more likely you are to lose grasp on the things you can do to help yourself.  Embarrassment often leads to denial, denial leads to abstaining from doing things to help yourself.  Long story short, don't be embarrassed.

Vegan Roast

I eat a lot of vegan style foods since I've got a few intolerances not to mention esophagitis.  In short I don't eat fish, seafood, gluten, dairy, anything fatty, spicy, or acidic.  Drives my hubby nuts that I'm not a meat eater really, but I at least figure, well I can make him meat separately.  This was last nights dinner.  Roasted veggies with seasoned rice and nuts.  I LOVED it.

Roasted Veggies

1 large sweet potato

2 standard size Idaho Potatoes
1 large beet

1 handful of baby carrots (or 2 carrots. Or to your satisfaction. I just don't like cooked carrots)

Italian seasoning
Salt
Garlic (I use powder, the raw fresh stuff makes my esophagitis flare.  If you can eat it though, roasted garlic with it would be heavenly)

Olive Oil

First I preheated my oven to 425 degrees. I then chopped all my veggies into about 1 inch by 1/2 inch thick slices, leaving the baby carrots as is.  I then placed them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, coating them lightly with spices.  (I don't heavily spice my foods anymore due to esophagitis.  Season them to your liking).  I then sprinkled olive oil over the veggies and placed them in the oven.  40 minutes later I pulled them out and they were beautiful!  I turned off the oven and then placed them back in to keep them warm while I figured out what to make with them.

I settled on:

Sweet Seasoned Rice

1 cup rice

2 cups water (or required amount of water as requested on package)

Star Anise

Nutmeg
Cinnamon

Garlic

Salt

I prepared my rice in a saucepan since I didn't have a pot clean.  I put a pinch of each of the spices in the rice and water before cooking the rice as prepared on the package.  (I admittedly did end up forgetting about the rice so I boiled the water completely out and burned the bottom layer of rice, however the rest was perfectly wonderful and didn't taste burnt so I used it) I layered it on the plate and then put it in the oven to keep it warm.

Finally I prepared nuts (and meat in a separate pan with separate utensils the same way for my hubby)

Sweet Nuts

Sliced Almonds
Chopped Walnuts
Star Anise
Nutmeg
Cinnamon Sugar
1 tsp butter

I just put everything in a small saucepan on low heat, and frequently stirred so the nuts didn't burn.  (Burned nuts are AWFUL) once the nuts were coated and the spices were sticking I took them off the heat.  Tradition in my mom's house (she makes sugar coated almonds which inspired this topping) is to put them on tin foil to cool and then store the leftovers.  So I did exactly that.


FINALLY it was time to put my masterpiece together.  I pulled out my rice plate out of the oven, and then the veggies.  I gave myself a very generous helping of the veggies, and then heavily sprinkled nuts over the rice and veggies.  It turned out like this:

(And it was VERY delicious!)