Welcome Wednesday – Say Hi to Lindsay Greb McPhail from Earth Monkeys!

I often get the question from parents “How do I get my kid to eat his veggies?!” So far idle threats and giving the evil eye haven’t worked so today I’ve invited Lindsay from Earth Monkey Moms to give us some sneaky tips on getting more veggies into our kids.

The greatest secret I’ll never tell my kids…

I have never been accused of being a domestic diva. In fact, everyday when the clock strikes 4 I almost break out into a cold sweat… in a panic I try to decide what to make my monkeys for dinner. When you combine little kitchen know how with 3 very picky monkeys (well four if you include the daddy monkey) and a very restrictive GFCF diet on top of everything… you get a recipe for a prepackaged processed feast with little food value or nutrition. Over the years though I have perfected a few meals that are EASY to make, something everybody loves… and let’s just say, pack a hidden punch of veggies and vitamins… [insert wicked mommy laugh here]. I’m not saying it’s ok to lie to your family… but sometimes in the name of avoiding scurvy it’s a necessary evil. So without further ado… here is my fave dinner recipe my kids will never know is good for them:

Loaded Spaghetti:

 1 Jar Organic Marinara
 1 Small Can Tomato Paste (it’s a lot but hides the green color)
 1 15 oz Can of Butternut Squash Puree (or if you’re betty crocker you can make your own☺)
 2 Cups of Spinach
 2 Tbs water
 1 lb of lean ground beef or turkey
 Gluten Free pasta or Chips

Brown meat in a pan with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder to taste. While meat is cooking put butternut squash puree, spinach and water in blender on high until all chunks are gone. When meat is browned add spinach mixture followed by tomato paste and marinara. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Put over GF pasta or chips. It’s really yummy and filling and loaded with nutrients.

Secret Veggie Loading Tips:

 Invest in a good blender (we use a vita mix)
 Find ways to incorporate pureed veggies in meals your kids already love
 If your kids have aversions to new colors and textures just add a little at a time
 DON’T LET THEM SEE YOU MAKE IT … at least the first time☺☺
 Check out books like the Sneaky Chef and deceptively delicious to find sneaky ways to modify meals (of course you will have to further modify recipes if your family is on a GFCF diet)

Lindsay has been married to the love of her life for 11 years. She’s a stay-at-home mom of three boys and is the co-founder of Earth Monkeys, a green baby gear company. She spends her time raising her little ones, two who have been diagnosed with PDD-NOS, and running her company and blog from her home. This past September, the McPhails were chosen to be the recipients of a home makeover from ABC’s hit show Extreme Makeover Home Edition. She’s excited about the awareness the show will bring to autism and about the chance to reach out to millions of other ‘mother warriors’ with a message of hope and encouragement that they are not alone in their struggles.

Follow Lindsay!

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

Autism Night Before Christmas

by Cindy Waeltermann

Twas the Night Before Christmas
And all through the house
The creatures were stirring
Yes, even the mouse

We tried melatonin
And gave a hot bath
But the holiday jitters
They always distract

The children were finally
All nestled in bed
When nightmares of terror
Ran through my OWN head

Did I get the right gift
The right color
And style
Would there be a tantrum
Or even, maybe, a smile?

Our relatives come
But they don’t understand
The pleasure he gets
Just from flapping his hands.

“He needs discipline,” they say
“Just a well-needed smack,
You must learn to parent…”
And on goes the attack

We smile and nod
Because we know deep inside
The argument is moot
Let them all take a side

We know what it’s like
To live with the spectrum
The struggles and triumphs
Achievements, regressions…

But what they don’t know
And what they don’t see
Is the joy that we feel
Over simplicity

He said “hello”
He ate something green!
He told his first lie!
He did not cause a scene!

He peed on the potty
Who cares if he’s ten,
He stopped saying the same thing
Again and again!

Others don’t realize
Just how we can cope
How we bravely hang on
At the end of our rope

But what they don’t see
Is the joy we can’t hide
When our children with autism
Make the tiniest stride

We may look at others
Without the problems we face
With jealousy, hatred
Or even distaste,

But what they don’t know
Nor sometimes do we
Is that children with autism
Bring simplicity.

We don’t get excited
Over expensive things
We jump for joy
With the progress work brings

Children with autism
Try hard every day
That they make us proud
More than words can say.

They work even harder
Than you or I
To achieve something small
To reach a star in the sky

So to those who don’t get it
Or can’t get a clue
Take a walk in my shoes
And I’ll assure you

That even 10 minutes
Into the walk
You’ll look at me
With respect, even shock.

You will realize
What it is I go through
And the next time you judge
I can assure you

That you won’t say a thing
You’ll be quiet and learn,
Like the years that I did
When the tables were turned……

Christmas Gift Guide for Kids with Autism – Part 1

Sometimes children with autism are difficult to buy for, especially for extended family who may not know your child’s interests as well as you do.

So I’ve been looking around for some great gift and stocking stuffer recommendations in case you’re stuck on what to put under the tree for that special boy or girl.

I’ve found quite a few great gift ideas so I’m going to break the list up into 2 or 3 separate posts over the next week.

Click on the images to be taken to websites that sell these products.

Quick Snap Shoe Lace Clip (as seen on Dragon’s Den)

These clips make wearing shoes with laces a snap! Now kids can ditch the velcro and wear shoes with laces and not have to worry if they can’t tie them up. Quick Snap Shoe Clips eliminate the need to tie up shoes and once they’re fastened your they give a comfortable, consistent tension every time you wear. I love this product because it gives kids who have trouble with shoe laces the freedom to choose from any shoes, not just the velcro ones. Shoe clips fit any size shoe, even adults!

Twilight Constellation Night Light – Turtle & Ladybug

Twilight Turtle and Twilight Ladybug are awesome bedtime companions. They project a starry night onto bedroom walls and ceilings that is calming and comforting. Choose from blue, green and amber light. And the best part, it has an automatic timer shut off!

Giggles Fun Dough – Allergen Free Play Dough!

As much as we try to stop it, kids inevitably put their hands in their mouth. When your child has a food allergy or intolerance this can be a big concern.
With that in mind two moms have created an allergen free play dough! Giggles Fun Dough is gluten free, dairy free, soy free, corn free, nut free and free from artificial dyes. It’s 100% natural.
It’s currently available in Snowball White and more colours will be available in January. This is a brand new product (you’re one of the first to know about it!) So for now it’s only available by email. But their online store will be up and running in the New Year.
In the meantime, try it out and see what you think! This would make a great stocking stuffer for that sensory seeking child in the family too.
You can order it at GigglesFunDough@gmail.com.

Sea Otter Cove – A Relaxation Story

Children will love to experience belly breathing with playful sea otters and a sea child. This effective, self calming technique also known as “diaphragmatic breathing” can have a positive impact on your child’s health. Proper breathing can lower stress and anxiety levels. It can be used to decrease pain and anger. Delightful characters and easy breathing encourage your child to slow down, relax, and fall asleep peacefully.
This story is also available in eBook format for tablets and readers. It’s also included on story CD’s available from Stress Free Kids that are perfect for listening to at bedtime.
Here’s a little sneak preview of the story.

Natural Candy Stocking Stuffers

Wanting to avoid artificial flavours and dyes in your holiday candy? Or is there someone in your house with food intolerances or allergies? The Natural Candy store is the perfect solution! They carry lots of fun stocking stuffers, holiday candy and chocolate. Order soon and it will be here in time for Christmas!

Stay tuned for the second round of Christmas Gift Recommendations in just a few days!

Welcome Wednesday – Theatre Group Celebrates Neurodiversity

This amazing group of Victoria youth are working on their latest production which will be A Midsummer’s Night Dream. They are also competing for a grant from the Aviva Community Fund and really need your support to help move them into the Semi-Finals!
You can vote by clicking on the voting box in the right hand menu of this page.

Calling All Characters Drama Group was featured on CTV news this week. Check out it!

Foodie Friday – GFCF Gingerbread People

GFCF Gingerbread Cookies

2 tbsp Earth Balance dairy free butter (or other dairy free butter)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup canned pureed pumpkin
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup corn flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup teff flour*
2 tbsp tapioca flour
2 tsp ginger
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp each allspice, cloves, nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthan gum*
4 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl cream together butter and brown sugar.

In another bowl blend molasses, pumpkin and vanilla. Then mix this together with butter mixture.

In a separate bowl sift together flours, spices, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum.

Mix about 1/3 of flour mixture into the with butter mixture with 2 tbsp of water. Then mix another 1/3 with another 2 tbsp water and finally mix in the last 1/3 of the flour mixture.

Wrap dough in parchment paper or plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour in the fridge.

Roll out the dough 1/4 inch thick and cut out with cookies cutters.

Bake for 8 minutes, or until you can lightly touch your finger to the cookie and any indent pops back, at 350. Makes about 20 cookies, and the recipe is easy to double.

These are fairly spicy gingerbread cookies so you may want to reduce the spices by depending on your taste.

*If you don’t have Teff flour handy you can substitute with brown rice flour or sorghum flour.
*I try not to use gums in my baking but for this particular cookie I’d recommend using it because you don’t want them to be too fragile.

If you’re looking for natural, dye free baking decorations this holiday season be sure to check out the Natural Candy Store. They also have GFCF stocking stuffers!

Watch the McPhail Family Extreme Home Makeover

The McPhail family from Medford, Oregon have two young boys with autism. As a family known for their generosity and community service, the McPhails are paid back with a home that is designed with their boys needs in mind. There is even a guest appearance by Temple Grandin as she helps to explain the needs of people with autism and gives advice on the design of the home.

Watch It Now!!

Monday Musings – Keeping the Fun in Halloween by Lori Lite from Stress Free Kids

Keeping the Fun in Halloween

By Lori Lite, Founder of Stress Free Kids

Trick-or-Treating can be challenging for children with special needs and dietary restrictions. Planning ahead and looking at Halloween with an eye towards your child’s needs can keep your child’s Halloween experience stress free.

1. If your child has dietary restrictions, no problem. Let them collect the candy and sell it to you afterwards. Items with peanuts get 5 cents each. A whole bar is 25 cents. Assign different values for different types. Kids love this exercise and will spend hours sorting the candy into their value group. Take your child to their favorite store and let them spend their candy money on a treat! You can also carry 2 bags. One for the candy that seems OK upon first inspection and one bag that parent carries for “no go” candy.

2. Consider your child’s needs. If they do not do well in a noisy group, schedule a special friend to trick-or-treat with and stay away from the crowds.

3. Decide and let children know ahead of time how many pieces of candy they are allowed to eat while trick-or-treating and after. Let your child keep the wrapper to keep count. When they ask for more…ask them to count how many wrappers they have and let them answer their own question.

4. Head home before your child becomes tired! Do not wait for the meltdown. Think of similar experience and calculate how long you think your child will last. Let your child know ahead of time how long you are going out for. Bring a timer if your child responds well to timers. Take breaks and check in with how your child is doing.

5. Be flexible! Do not make your definitions of a fun Halloween define your child’s expectation of fun. It is not necessary for children to dress up or even trick-or-treat to have a good time. If you child wants to answer the door and hand out candy, then let them do that without feeling guilty. If your child wants to sit on the porch and costume watch, then let them. If they just want to go to bed…… Trust me it will not matter when they go to college!

6. Costumes could be an entire essay. Most kids do not want to put a jacket over their costume. Direct your child to a weather appropriate costume and consider long johns under the costume. Comfort is a huge issue for young children and children with sensory sensitivities. Be sure to try the costume on ahead of time to check for itchy spots. Bring comfortable shoes or sweater if your child refuses to leave the glass Cinderella slippers at home. Colored sweat pants and sweatshirt with hood make an easy costume. Bright yellow with a pair of sunglasses and you have a sun. Sew strips of fabric, yarn, or ears on a hood and you have a lion or a rainbow… Be creative!

7. Eat a healthy dinner before leaving the house.

8. Go early with young children…before it gets dark and have fun!

Happy Halloween from Stress Free Kids and Apples to Oranges Dietary Coaching!

Stress Free Kids founder Lori Lite has created a line of books and CDs designed to help children, teens, and adults decrease stress, anxiety, and anger. Ms. Lite’s books, CDs, and lesson plans are considered a resource for parents, psychologists, therapists, child life specialists, teachers, and yoga instructors. Lori is a certified children’s meditation facilitator and Sears’ Manage My Life parenting expert. For more information visit Stress Free Kids and for daily advice follow Lori on Twitter and Facebook.

Don’t forget to enter the Apples to Oranges Halloween Giveaway! You could win a basket full of candy that is free of artificial dyes and artificial flavours. Click here for the details!

Welcome Wednesday – Author Noreen Krogsgaard

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming Noreen Krogsgaard to the blog! Noreen is the author of “I’ll Tell You Why I Can’t Wear Those Clothes.”

Having worked for many years as a teacher in Manhattan and Stockholm, Noreen’s experience ignites her true passion for understanding seemingly unexplained behaviors in the classroom and in the home.
Her intention is to provide emotional advocacy for children with a variety of developmental delays.

Noreen’s extensive exploration of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and her first hand experience as a mother of daughters with various sensory issues, inspires the basis for her current book series.

A native New Yorker, Noreen now lives in Denmark with her husband and three daughters- sharing a love of animals and nature.

I recently had the opportunity to ask Noreen a few questions.

1. For those who don’t know about your “I’ll Tell You Why…” series of books can you explain the concept behind them?
I felt that far too many children were being asked questions about the reasons for their behavior and they were not equipped to give an informative reply.
Some of these questions frequently asked:
Why can’t you just wear those clothes? !!!
Why can’t you just eat your food? !!!
Why can’t you just sit still? !!!

I realized someone needed to help children communicate how physical reasons could be an underlying cause for certain behaviors.
And so, I created the voice of a child, with a little extra knowledge of the workings of the body, in order to adequately respond to the question.

2. What inspired you to write this series?
Two out of my three daughters went through varying degrees of Tactile Defensiveness. But, it was my middle daughter’s struggle that gave me the initial book inspiration.
She needed us – a lot! And so, my husband and I were always there for her. We were judged for that and that was really hard to handle and accept.
I was angry and frustrated.
I soon realized that being resentful about others lack of compassion wouldn’t help anyone. So, I consciously decided to take that energy and turn it into something positive that would help misunderstood children and their families. So I sat down and wrote a simple view through the eyes of a child struggling with Tactile Defensiveness.
It was important to have the readers interact and personalize the book to fit into their own experiences- and the drawing journal component on each page allowed the possibility for a custom book.
The children’s book idea was born.

3. Can you tell us a little about the next books you’re planning?
My series, for the time being, will focus on a variety of sensory issues in children.
Many parents have written to me, via my website, and asked: “What else have you done to help your daughters?”
I found myself repeatedly writing about the changes we made in the food we eat and about child friendly ways to incorporate those changes.
A healthy diet seems to be a key factor in maintaining behavioral stability in highly sensitive children.
And as many sensitive children are also sensitive eaters we often see a lot of negative associations around the experience of eating. I would like to put a dent in those negative associations, and so, the next book I’m working on is: ” I’ll Tell You Why… Eating Should Be Fun!”
It will, again, be interactive and introduce fun ways to encourage our sensitive children to eat healthy foods.

4. From one mother to another, what is your best piece of advice when raising a child who may be misunderstood by others?

• Listen to the voice of your child before anyone else’s.
• Set loving boundaries and you’ll know the difference between their wants and their needs.
• Act as their advocate and make their little voice accepted and understood.
• Live by the last line in the book:
“A gentle hug sure does feel better than an angry yell.”

Noreen’s Book Makes a Great Christmas or Teacher Gift! Buy it Now! I’ll Tell You Why … I Can’t Wear Those Clothes! (Talking about Tactile Defensiveness)

Halloween Photo Contest!

Enter to win a basket of candies that are gluten free, casein (dairy) free and free of artificial dyes and flavours!

How to Enter: Email in your photos of your child or family in their Halloween costume or you can email in a picture of your carved Halloween pumpkin! Email your photos to applestoorangesconsulting@gmail.com. Your photos will be posted here on the blog and on our Facebook page for everyone to enjoy. Only your first name will be posted with the photo.

The other way to enter is to post your photos to our Facebook Wall yourself! You can do that by clicking here.

You will receive one entry into the draw for a basket of candies for every photo that you send in.

The draw will take place Monday October 31st at noon PST.

Monday Musings – Challenging the Myths of Autism

I had the pleasure this past weekend of going to a seminar with Jonathan Alderson, author of Challenging the Myths of Autism. It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning becoming inspired and motivated all over again to help other parents through this journey with autism.

Jonathan Alderson, founder of IMTI

David Patchell-Evans introduced Jonathan and took some time to tell us his story of autism. David, better known as “Patch”, is founder and owner of Good Life Fitness. He has a 12 year old daughter with autism.

When Patch was first told that his daughter had autism he didn’t really know what it was except for that his doctor painted a picture of relative hopelessness for much improvement. The overall message was that they should prepare themselves for the inevitable institutionalization of their daughter. And the more Patch read, the more doom and gloom he found.

David Patchell-Evans founder and owner of Good Life Fitness

Luckily, he discovered a program, that at the time was only running in the U.S., called “Son-Rise” and it was there that he met Jonathan. The rest, as they say, is history. Patch realized that there was actually a lot of hope for his daughter and he and Jonathan became fast friends.

Patch was very sincere and heart-felt in his address to the parents and professionals in the room. He reminded everyone, in case they had forgot, that no matter what our method of intervention, we need to be present for that child, engage that child and be involved. As parents, we should never count ourselves out of the therapy equation. We are integral and inseparable from the process of improving the life of our child.

Jonathan was equally passionate and heart-felt in his talk. He gave many examples of children who had made both moderate and dramatic improvements because each child’s unique and specific needs were being addressed when choosing interventions.

Jonathan is the founder of “IMTI”, Intensive Multi-Treatment Intervention. Taken from Jonathan’s website, here is an explanation of IMTI.

This unique and powerful approach to supporting and educating people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) begins with an underlying acceptance of the differences and challenges of the child or adult with autism. We then integrate a variety of best practice treatments into a single program. Every IMTI program is customized to address the unique challenges and needs of each individual child.

The program design focuses on three main domains:
1) Biological treatment
2) Behavioural and cognitive education
3) Family and therapist Attitudinal Fitness™ training

The underlying belief of the IMTI model is that the factors contributing to your child’s behaviour, communication and learning challenges are multifaceted: therefore, treatment should be multi-faceted as well.

I have always been a huge believer in this approach. We’ve been doing it all along without knowing that someone had actually put a name and some structure to it. It just makes sense to me that you need to consider the whole child, not just specific behaviours or symptoms. There needs to be a big picture.

I am currently waiting for Jonathan’s book Challenging the Myths of Autism to come in the mail. I can’t wait to read it! I’ll be sure to post a review when I’m done.

It has been my goal to bring this kind of approach to my community and Jonathan’s talk has only inspired me to continue moving toward that goal.

When the seminar was done, both Patch and Jonathan were extremely generous with their time as they spoke to each individual parent or professional who wanted to talk to them. They took their time with each person and I don’t think anyone felt as though they were being rushed out of the line. I got a chance to speak with both of them and talked GFCF diet with Patch who has himself and his daughter on the diet.

To learn more about Patch and Jonathan you can visit their websites and I’ve included a video of Jonathan receiving the “Local Hero” award from the Mayor of Toronto.

And don’t forget to check out Jonathan’s book!

Buy Challenging The Myths Of Autism