DIY Pre-preschool

Despite the title of this blog, I find myself wanting to have a better plan in place for me and my (just turned) 2-year-old. I love the SAHM thing, but would like to have ways to give my son some of the benefits of a preschool. So I thought maybe it was time to put together some lessons plans or objectives or... well, clearly I'm new to this homeschool thing, so we'll just call them units (or is it Units?). Anyway, I envision a one- to two-week unit based on a theme. For each theme, I will plan activities, gather books and other manipulatives (oooh, that sounds very teacher-esque, doesn't it?), and then... well, I don't know. I'd hate to over-plan it, after all! I'm imagining one activity every day or every other day, based on moods (his and mine), weather, other family activities, etc, etc.
I'll try to post my themes and activities here, along with an appraisal of how things went.
So, what do you think? Have you tried a DIY preschool for your children? What works, and what doesn't?

Surviving an infant's milk allergy: Tips to help breastfeeding moms get through the first few days

So you think your baby may have a cow's milk allergy? Well, you have my empathy. My son was fussy and gassy after nursing sessions, starting around two weeks of age. After some research, (http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/food-sensitivity.html is a great resource, by the way), I began to suspect he was reacting to milk and other dairy foods in my diet. When he was about six weeks of age, I began trying to "treat" the problem. It was not a fun process, but I thought I'd share what I learned here.

1. Don't expect much help from your pediatrician; instead, turn to your breastfeeding support network. In my experience, the pediatrician's office was not concerned with pinpointing the problem or issuing a diagnosis, I think because they know it will go away with time. Besides, do you really want them running blood tests and overmedicating your little one? You can get more help and ideas from supporters of breastfeeding, such as La Leche League or lactation consultants.

2. It may take eliminating more than just milk. Of course, you'll need to eliminate all dairy products (see #3, below, for more on that). But for best results, start by eliminating all cow's milk and soy products from your diet, since most infants with milk allergies also have problems with soy. Or, if you want to go all out, you can try the elimination diet spelled out here: http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T041200.asp.

3. Read food labels. This is where I goofed at first. Because not only can you not have milk, yogurt, cheese, butter and ice cream, but foods that contain milk, dairy, or soy (if you've added that to your elimination diet) are also off the menu. You would be surprised by the foods that contain milk or soy. (I know I was surprised to learn that my granola bars contained milk!) For more tips on what you can eat, keep reading.

4. Stick to the new diet for two weeks. Yep, you could do all this for two weeks before you really see results. It stinks, and it feels like forever. All I can say is: hang in there!

5. It may get worse before it gets better. I finally found this tip somewhere amongst my research. Thank goodness, because after my son's initial improvement after the first 48 hours after my new diet, he gradually got worse again before finally (after two weeks into this) we were able to sustain the improvements. Again: just hang in there!

6. You don't have to go hungry. I get it. You have a fussy baby at home, and no time to go to the grocery, read a thousand ingredient labels, and figure out what you can eat that doesn't contain milk or soy. You need to find (relatively) normal foods you can just grab from the fridge or pantry, and you need ideas of what meals you can possibly cook now. Here's what I ended up starting out with (all are milk and soy free):

• tortillas (I know the Aztec flour ones are okay)
• bagels (Lender's blueberry and cinnamon-raisin are okay)
• prepackaged deli meat (not from the deli counter, since they don't come with ingredient lists and could contain cheese particles)
• spaghetti (but check your sauce for soy or milk! one sauce I found that works: Classico Tomato Basil)
• bakery breads (you will still need to check the label, but I have found that these are less likely to contain soy or milk than the prepackaged breads)
• fresh produce (wash thoroughly, as some produce have wax on them that contain dairy)
• grilled meats
• fried meats
• potatoes, in just about any form: baked, fried, as chips (although, pay attention to flavorings: sour cream and onion are out!)
• marshmallows (ends up, sugar + air can be pretty harmless after all!)
  

7. Expanding your diet is possible. When you do get a chance to go to the grocery and read labels, take this cheat sheet along with you: http://www.kellymom.com/store/freehandouts/hidden-dairy01.pdf. It lists lots of different ingredients that indicate a food contains cow's milk. When you do start reading labels, look at the end of the ingredient list first for the allergy warning statement (it is usually in bold and will list if the food contains milk, soy, wheat, etc); however, these are not present on all foods, so be sure to double check all the ingredients even if you don't see milk or soy listed in the allergens. You can also start looking for recipes that are geared towards those with milk or soy allergies: http://foodallergies.about.com/od/dairy/a/dairyfreerecipe.htm. Also, after two weeks, you may want to try adding soy back into your diet; of course, if your baby gets worse again, you'll need to reconsider this. But adding soy back will open up a few more possibilities.

8. Eating out is a pain. Try to check the menus online before you go. For example, I learned that McDonald's french fries contain milk. (Yep, it's in the "natural dairy flavor" they add to them. Can you believe it?)

I guess those tips are the things that stand out most for me about surviving an infant's dairy allergy. Anyone else have to deal with a cow's milk allergy? If so, how did you manage, especially during those first few days?

Recipe Review: Crunchy Garlic Chicken from Betty Crocker

I tried a new recipe last week: Crunchy Garlic Chicken, found in my red Betty Crocker recipe book. Since it's in copyright, I won't reproduce the recipe here, but you can go directly to the source to get it (http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/recipe.aspx?recipeID=9334).

My recipe substitutions: basil for the chives/parsley (basil is stronger, I think, so use less); bread crumbs for the cereal; canola oil for the butter (just the amount drizzled over the dish before baking; used margarine for the 2 Tbsp in the liquid mixture).

Served with: baked potatoes and asparagus.

Evaluation: My version was probably less crunchy and more Italian-esque than the recipe in the cookbook, but we liked it. I ended up with leftovers that I used to make a version of Chicken Parmesan the next night (seared leftover chicken in the pan; removed chicken and began heating spaghetti sauce; added chicken once sauce was warmed; covered and simmered for about 10 minutes, just until chicken was heated through; added some mozzarella cheese over the chicken during the last few minutes and served with spaghetti noodles).

Bottom line: I would make this again, and be sure to have leftovers (the Chicken Parm was equally yummy).