Halloween!!!

Well, I over-did it again. As always, I made a bunch of stuff for Kaytlyn's Halloween party at school. I can't help it! I see something cute online and I'm like, "I have to make that, it's so cute!" Lol. So then I'm up all night and the next day baking/decorating. It's okay I guess. People just find it hard to believe that I LIKE making stuff all the time. So I made some gluten-free banana bread for Kaytlyn and that's a total hit with BOTH kids. That was my first time ever making banana bread before. I've made it 3 times now. Each time, I add a few ingredients and improvise the recipe a little. It's just getting better and better. :) For Halloween, I made meringue cookies that look like ghosts, gluten-free cupcakes with homemade chocolate buttercream frosting and icing skeletons, and chocolate dipped marshmallows on a stick. So now that I'm done with Halloween and all the goodies are at the school, I can focus all my baking thoughts on Kaytlyn's birthday party and how I'm gunna make her cake. I love baking. It's totally become my passion these past few years.

Busy, busy....

So, JJ said he wanted a dinosaur cake for his birthday that was green and "lellow". So I made him one out of marshmallow fondant. I think it kinda looks more like a dragon than a dinosaur, but he likes it just the same. Although, I think I liked last year's cake a little better. (Even though I'm not actually done with the whole cake yet this year, just the topper.) Arm-less Brobee was a hit for his 2nd birthday. I wasn't about to make a whole other cake just for some arms, so I deleted them all together. JJ didn't even notice. I'm going to make Kaytlyn a butterfly cake this year. I don't know if it's going to be a fondant cake or a frosting cake yet. It depends on the style and decorations I decide to do. I already bought the gluten-free cake, so that's not an issue. I will be making gluten-free cupcakes for JJ's birthday also, so that way Kaytlyn can have some. I'll just put a little dollar store dino on top with some shredded coconut that I tinted green for the grass. Should be kinda cute at least. I'm currently trying to figure out a REALLY cute edible centerpiece for Thanksgiving. Not having much luck. We'll see how it all goes...

This diet isn't so bad I guess...

 The cookies I posted about last time were a HUGE hit. Both kids loved them and they didn't last for more than 3 days at the most. They were a little crumbly, but they tasted really good. We've noticed that the gluten-free diet is DEFINITELY making a difference in Kaytlyn's behavior. We can actually take her into a store now and she doesn't throw herself all over the floor, talk to EVERYONE, or touch everything within her reach. She has told us numerous times that she wants to listen to us, but she just can't and she doesn't know why. That makes me believe that her behavior was out of her control, which made me think: ADHD. She had ALL the symptoms. Since she's been on this diet, she is able to read a book without scratching her arms and legs because she's so stressed out. So, we decided that this diet has been a huge success and I've decided to step it up a notch. I've REALLY gotten into this gluten-free baking thing. It's not so bad really... I just wish everything held together as well as wheat products. It would make the baking a LOT easier. Oh well. Anyhow, I've already made, chocolate chip cookies, lemon butter cookies, butter cookies, flat bread, garlic bread, rice krispie treats, peanut butter cookies, decked-out pancakes and a few other treats that I just can't remember right now. The brownies I made last night were the best GF snack I've made yet. (Thanks Dad!!) They are so good, I've actually sneaked  a couple for breakfast. They hold really well and taste like regular brownies. I added walnuts for a little extra "something". I think I'm going to make egg pancakes for dinner tonight and see how those work. This is getting kind of interesting. :)

I'm getting sick of gluten-free...

So, tonight I made a gluten-free version of lemon butter cookies. All I can say is, I'm glad I'm not the one on the gluten-free diet. I would post a picture of them, but they look exactly like the regular lemon butter cookies. (They're evil in a tasty disguise) I'm hoping the strong lemony glaze covers up the non-gluten cookie part of the cookie. They aren't that bad... in fact, they're better than a lot of people can do on a regular basis. (No offense to anyone in particular.) One day, my ADHD-filled daughter better realize how much I love her, cuz my feet are KILLING right now. So, how's the diet going, you ask? We don't really know if it's working yet. It could be, but we're just not sure enough to say one way or the other. Maybe we would be if people would STOP GIVING HER GLUTEN-FILLED GOODIES! *cough* raisin bread.... Hmm.... I highly doubt that cupcake the teacher gave her (after I told her she was on a gluten-free diet) was free of gluten. UGH!!! I'm starting to REALLY hate the word "gluten"!!!! It's annoying! Sorry.... blew up a little there... So, we'll see how tomorrow goes when she takes that first savory bite of lemon butter cookie that was made especially for her by her loving mother. Will the rest of the cookie go in the trash? Stay tuned to find out...

Gluten-free this, gluten-free that, blah, blah, blah

Okay, we're only a few days into this gluten-free diet of Kaytyn's, and I already want to punch someone in the head. The $6.00 loaf of gluten-free bread we bought specially for her got moldy 4 days after opening it. Should I freeze it from now on, or put it in the fridge, or just shove 8 pieces per day down her throat? Because we don't have the money to be buying $6.00 loaves of bread all the time! (UGH!)Anyhow, I made some Gluten-free Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookies tonight. They were okay I suppose. Not gross, but not something that I would leave for Santa and expect to get a pony on Christmas morning either. I guess for gluten-free, they were pretty good. Too crumbly though. Then I made some flour-less peanut butter cookies that only call for peanut butter, eggs, and sugar. Those turned out pretty awesome. Then I had to increase the awesomeness by making a chocolate glaze to drizzle over them. Those were a hit.  I even sent some home with Steven (although he wasn't here long enough to get the glaze on them, but they were still good). All in all, I had a good gluten-free baking experience tonight. Now, please excuse me while I go wallow in despair at having to throw away a half-loaf of EXPENSIVE gluten-free bread.

Sniff...Sniff....

Well, my little monkey girl is now in the first grade. Goodbye nap-time, goodbye "Fun Fridays"... hello detentions and phone calls from the teacher. (Well, I wouldn't be surprised!)

I'm not one of those moms that cries on the first day of school and wonders what to do with myself all day while they're gone. I'm the kind of mom that is excited for the new adventures and wants to know every detail of what happened on the playground that day. I am recalling the joys of childhood through my daughter, even though she can't wait to grow up so she can wear make-up and eat candy at midnight because "grown-ups can do anything, and it's not fair!" I'm the kind of mom that spends her days cooking, cleaning, making phone calls, running errands, and memorizing the words to every single Johnny Test episode ever made. (Hey, at least it's not Barney.)

So, as Kaytlyn embarks on her new "1st grade journey", I'll be sitting here surfing the web for gluten-free snacks I can make for her lunch box. I need to make her childhood as precious and memory-filled as mine was.  Even if the easiest way for me to do that is though sugar-filled treats and elementary gossip.

New "Diet"

Well, Kaytlyn's on the road to behaving.... hopefully. We've tried all the "old" tricks... rewards, spanking, time-outs, bribing, taking away toys, and giving quarters to name a few. We've even gone as far as to COMPLETELY eliminate sugar and dairy from her diet. Nothing has worked and the parents are turning insane! So, before we take the BIG plunge and put her on ADHD medicine, we've decided to try one more natural solution... *Gluten Free*.
 

I've already bought bread, macaroni, cereal and chips that are gluten free. I've even got some cookie-mix that's gluten-free. (Did you know they just came out with Kellog's Rice Krispies Gluten-Free?) I'm going to make her home-made rice krispie treats for her snack at school tomorrow since it's her first day of 1st grade. I want it to be special for her. So, we (the parents) are REALLY hoping and praying (literally) that this works. She's got us so stressed out, I've only got 200 hairs left on my head and Jeremy is completely bald!

(The price of gluten-free foods are outrageous!!!!)