Desserts

Note: I typed this before Christmas, but then forgot about it with all of the holiday hussle.  The gingerbread was delicious and the key lime pie was a hit with all at Christmas dinner.  Sorry this is so late in getting to you!
During the holidays we have been trying one new (or not used in a long time) dessert each day.  The first day we made a GF cinnamon bun cake from Kim at Cook it Allergy Free.   It turned out great!  Then we made a GF vinegar chocolate cake, combining recipes from here and here.  It turned out okay; I like the chocolate sheet cake from Gluten Free Mommy better (though I find the xanthum gum unnecessary).  Tomorrow we are making the key lime pie from Cook's Illustrated (a favorite).  But today we are making gingerbread houses!  This is always so much fun.
The recipe I use for the kids is one handed down from my stepmother.
2/3 C butter
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C molasses
2 t ground ginger
1 t ground cinnamon
1 t ground cloves
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
3T water
3C flour

Cream butter and brown sugar.  Add molasses and spices, mixing well.  Mix salt and baking soda in the water and dissolve it; then add it to the butter/sugar mixture.  Add the flour and let the dough rest in the refrigerator at least an hour.  Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness, a bit at a time on parchment paper and cut out shapes.  It helps if you have cut out the wall and roof shapes from paper before hand, so that you can be sure you get your dimensions right.  For big cookies like the walls, I usually just take away the extra dough from around the walls and just put the parchment directly on the baking sheet.
Bake 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes.

(To make it gluten free for myself, I used 1 C sweet rice flour, 1C buckwheat flour, 1 C almond flour, and 1/4 C flax meal instead of the wheat flour.  I also added an egg.  I rolled them out between two pieces of parchment paper and then used cookie cutters.  It worked just fine!)

I love this holiday tradition.  I hope you do too!
Chelle

A break that is actually good!

We have now completed one full week of no exercises: and everything is still going well!
The therapist suggested giving H a break from exercises for the holidays.  At first I was a bit wary, since in the past if we have skipped massages for just 3 days H would have a meltdown.  But this time everything stayed the same.  I am so thrilled.  I think it is another sign that she is closer to normal.   I plan to continue the break for another 3 days, then start up the exercises again.  That way she will be back in the routine well before school starts again.
As a side note, I have also been letting H have a bit more sugar than usual.  And it is not leading to the wild, out-of-control behaviour that has been usual in the past.  I am still leary about letting her have lots of sugar though.
Happy Holidays!

Celebration (and the outcome)

H continues to do well.  Her grades for this quarter are 3 As and 3 Bs.  This is a HUGE improvement over the first quarter's grades.  Even better, she is still behaving well at school.
In celebration of a whole week of good behaviour at school we went out for a donut on Friday.  We went late at night, right before bedtime with the hope that the sugar would work its way out of their system while they slept.  It seemed to be working in that they all had a good night's sleep.  However the next day H had three minor meltdowns over trival events.  She did not have good control over her emotions.  I am willing to bet it was the donut.  Next celebration will be pizza.