Here We Go Again.....

Here we go again.....

The boys have started another 36 sessions of Brain Balance.  Most of you probably just "sighed" and maybe felt a little sorry for us.  Don't!

I am excited!  Why? The answer is simple....after seeing how far our boys came in just 3 months, I can't wait to see what the next 3 months will bring.  How can this be a bad thing?

Trust me I am well aware of the HARD work that we have in front of us for the next 3 months, but at least I don't have to start over with the diet.  Ha, Ha!

Here is the deal....the boys made AMAZING advances, but aren't quite there yet.  They still have some of their primitive reflexes which are affecting their daily lives.  Nathan is still struggling with smells, math, and comprehension.  R.D. is still struggling with a few things as well.  But why oh why would we quit now!  We told the boys it would be like climbing Mt. Everest and stopping just short of the top.  They have come so far that we can't stop now!

One big change is that Nathan's brain has basically strengthened on the right side, but it has now exposed how delayed his left brain is.  So we now have a "left brain" delay to work with.  This means different music, different smells, different eye patch and different activities.  We were rockin' the right brain delay stuff, and now R.D. and Nathan can't be in the same room to do their exercises.  Neither one of them is supposed to listen to the others music.  I consider this my "challenge" for this round of Brain Balance Sessions.  I am pretty comfortable with the diet now and we are reintroducing foods, so everything in that department is awesome.  But now I have to remember to make Nathan stimulate his left brain.....exact opposite of everything we've done for the last 3 months and opposite of what R.D. will be doing.  Challenge accepted!

It works if you work the program....I will keep saying this.  If you are considering Brain Balance, do it! Just make sure you are ready to make your child and this program your TOP priority.  We have seen results and they have amazed us.  We wouldn't have signed up, paid for, and committed to another 3 months if the results we saw weren't worth it.  The totally amazing little boys that I knew were in there, are starting to shine!  I honestly can't talk to people about our experience without shedding some tears...it is an emotional journey for us. 

I am just hoping that working with a "right brain delay" and a "left brain delay" will balance out my brain a little.....

Signs, signs...everywhere there's signs

Signs, signs everywhere, there's signs
Blocking up the scenery, breaking my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?

I don't know why, but this song is stuck in my head.  It probably has to do with the fact that yesterday was R.D.'s last session at Brain Balance before his assessment.  Nathan has his last session tomorrow.  I sat yesterday in the waiting area while the boys did sessions and filled out paperwork.  It is the same paperwork I filled out before the boys started.  I had been told that this is often the point when you realize the changes that have been made.  They weren't kidding!

As I sat there filling out the paperwork on each boy, I was shocked by how much I hadn't noticed had changed.  It's like being with that person who loses a lot of weight and you don't notice because you are with them everyday.  They were things that I just hadn't noticed....literally there were signs all around me, but I hadn't seen them all.  We have seen many changes for the better and almost daily see more advancement.  R.D. is more responsible.  He makes his bed now, he doesn't fight when I clip his fingernails, his ability to follow multi-step directions is getting better.  He is acting more like an 11 year old.  He just seemed to make the change to doing things that others take for granted overnight.  He just all the sudden does the "normal" thing and he's not even aware of it.  It is amazing to watch.  Often I have to stop myself from cheering, because I don't want to bring attention to it.

Nathan is having the same great results.  He is not a disruption in class and is getting back to playing with friends.  He now wants to be social again.  They like to play outside, they are more active, and they are less likely to whine every time we do something different.  Now, they still have their moments but don't most kids.

Both boys are on the lowest dosing of their medicine.  They are taking 18 mg of Concerta.  R.D. started at 45 mg in August. Nathan began the journey at 36 mg.  Their pediatrician is excited and genuinely impressed by their improvement.  He just saw both boys in the last week for their well checks and couldn't believe what he was seeing.  The changes were noticeable to him.  He wants to learn more and do what he can to help other parents.  He told us he sees kids with ADHD, Autism and other learning disorders all day long.  Their doctor believes that in just a few months (or sooner) they will be completely off the meds.  That is one of our goals!  Teachers are giving good feedback and letting us know the changes they are seeing as well.

We have to wait till after their assessment to know if they need 3 more months, a few more sessions, or if they are done.  By done I only mean that their sessions at Brain Balance would be over.  They will still have a certain number of at home exercises to do for awhile.  They also will remain on their diet.  No gluten, No soy, No dairy, and No Casein.  Yes, they have told me they want to keep eating the food we eat...they like it.  As we continue to introduce more foods from their "intolerant" list, the happier they get.  My boys know they feel better and our whole family has made the change.  We like it!  I am anxious to continue learning new recipes and becoming a better cook.  Can I just say that we have never been healthier.  No doctor visits this fall.  No medicines.  A lot of the weird runny noses, congestion and other issues are no longer occurring.

If we need more sessions, we will make it happen.  I have chosen to view the at home exercises as a great time to be with my boys.  Yes, it is exhausting. Yes, it is a lot of WORK.  Yes, we have sacrificed.  Yes, we have struggled.  Yes, the food changes were HARD.

But....I would do it over again!  I have been able to put my family first.  I know that I have given them everything I have. I have learned more about them and spent precious time with them.  Our boys will not have to wonder if we care about them.  They know!  Even on those days when I didn't want to cook a meal, pack a lunch, or do another session....I tried to remind myself that this is precious time, to slow down and to live in the moment.  I have been so PROUD of them in this journey that I can't help but shed tears when I think of how hard they have worked.  I don't believe they would have worked as hard as they did if they didn't want to fix their brains, and felt that the whole process was working.

Brain Balance works, if you work the program.  Don't skip anything they tell you to do!  We have learned to go against the norm.  It's made our family stronger.  I am excited to see the future my boys have.  I feel like they have a better chance of success now.

Our sign says...."Just Getting Started!"

This one hurt...

We have been cruising right along with our Brain Balance journey. Anyone who asks me about it, probably regrets it 45 minutes later when I stop talking.  I believe in the program. If you work the program it will work for you.  I continue to tell people it is NOT easy!

Last night there were a lot of tears....

People are always complimenting me with how well our boys have been doing on the diet.  They can't believe they don't cheat.  The boys work hard on this diet.  I am so proud of them.

Last night Nathan broke my heart.....

All afternoon and evening he had been acting up.  We knew something wasn't right.  We went over what he had eaten the day before, what he had eaten yesterday.  Nothing stood out.

We put the boys to bed and went to bed ourself.  I heard a ruckus in Nathan's room and went to investigate.  He had thrown his drawing notebook on the floor and was sitting in bed. Angry.

I asked him what was wrong. His response, "I can't think of anything to draw." I knew this wasn't the problem.  He had been acting up all night out of frustration.  I asked him again, "What is wrong?"  This time he told me he wanted to quit the Brain Balance diet as soon as we finished the program.  We've had this discussion before, but I knew last night was different.  After a few more questions....I got it out of him.  

Tears and lots of them started flowing.....

Nathan's table of 6 kids at school had received a special award from their teacher.  They earned it for being quiet, clean, doing their homework, etc.  The award is bringing treats for each other and sitting all together at the back of the room for a special party.  Nathan decided to take all of his friends some of his chocolate bars.  This is where it goes wrong....

As Nathan through tears shared with me his story, I couldn't help but feel my heart break for him.
Apparently not everyone liked his chocolate, but what hurt Nathan was when his friend took some chocolate and then threw the rest in the garbage.  Nathan was so upset that his friend didn't give the chocolate back to him.  He was sad that his friends didn't like his treat.  Also, one of the little girls had thought of Nathan and brought a gluten free cookie with frosting for him.  You guessed it, he can't eat that.  It has eggs and sugar...things on his intolerance list.  Nathan wanted that cookie SO bad!

He didn't cheat, but he felt cheated.  His feelings were so hurt by no one liking his chocolate and someone thinking of him and he still couldn't eat it.  This is where my heart broke in two!  He so desperately wanted his friends to like his healthy food.  He wanted to be kind to the little girl and eat the cookie that looked so delicious, but he didn't.

Big brother heard Nathan crying and came in to cheer him up.  He shared his own troubles at Intermediate School, like how they had pumpkin pie the other day.  R.D. loves pumpkin pie.  How they have 3 lines for lunch with burritos, chicken sandwiches and pizza.  R.D. told Nathan, "If your friend is going to throw your chocolate in the trash, you don't need to be friends."  Not exactly the right advice, but advice given from a very protective big brother.

I told Nathan his friend didn't mean to hurt his feelings and probably didn't even know he had.  He just didn't like the chocolate so he threw it away.  No harm. No foul.  I told him that next time someone gives him something he can't eat, that he can thank them and bring it home.  I will check the ingredients.  We will either eat it or save it till we can.  He felt so bad saying, "no".

Today is a new day! Today we will continue our journey.  Today we will have a better day. Yesterday we learned that when he acted up, it wasn't related to his diet or probably even anything with his ADHD.  He was acting up because he had his feelings hurt.  Believe it or not while this was hard to hear, it was also a blessing.  Nathan was acting out like anyone who gets their feelings hurt.  He was having normal emotions.  He didn't know how to deal with those emotions just yet.  He wasn't sure how to share those emotions, so they came out in frustrating ways yesterday.  This is all part of the process.  What I love...is when the lightbulb goes off above my head and I figure this out.  We are progressing!

The Little Things....

Anyone else see story problems like this?  My boys do!  One of the right brain weaknesses is "story problems".  Ugh....I despise story problems.  I would rather clean toilets than try to figure out a story problem, yet this is one of the things that we are supposed to be helping our boys with.  Ha, Ha!  I guess all of my past math teachers are getting their revenge. 

The wonderful part of our Brain Balance journey is how much we are all learning.  Not just the boys, but Chris, myself and grandma.  We are also sharing what we learn with the boys teachers.  I feel the more that we all learn the better able to help the boys all of us will be.  Every single day I have an ah-ha moment.  I love it! 

Now to brag! 

R.D. was invited to his best friends birthday party a couple of weeks ago....as a mom, I worried.  How do you send your 11 year old to a birthday party where he can't eat or drink anything?  First, you talk with the parents of the other child.  You find out what is going to be happening over the 3 hours that your child will be there.  Next, you let the other parent know that your child can't eat any of what they are serving.  But, that you will be glad to send food with your child.  Hang up phone and talk with your kid.  We explained to R.D. what was going to happen at the party and the food that would be served that he couldn't eat.  We gave R.D. his food choices....what would be similar to what everyone else was going to be eating. Pack lunch box.  Included in our lunch box was a bison patty with seasoning (ready for grilling), a bag of grandpa's potato chips, apple and the glorious gluten, soy and dairy free chocolate bar. 

An empty lunch box was brought home, as well as a kid who had a blast with his best friend.  He wasn't ashamed of his food and his friends were super accepting of it.  Some of you may be asking yourself, "How does she know he didn't sneak food he wasn't supposed to have?"   First, R.D. told me he didn't.  I believe him.  Second, if he had snuck something he wasn't supposed to....we would have noticed.  Behavior changes,stomach ache, and other noticeable things would have occurred.  That's the beauty of the diet we follow....if you stray from it, you notice it. 

Now to brag on Nathan!  The other day at Brain Balance while R.D. was doing his session, Nathan and I headed to the car to do homework.  As soon as we got in the car, Nathan had to go to the bathroom....bad!  I told him to run back in and go.  He jumped out of the car and then did something that almost made me cry.....he got to the back of the car and stopped.  He then looked both ways before running across the parking lot.  I know it sounds silly to most, but both boys usually just run out completely unaware of what is going on.  He didn't get hit by a car...he stopped and looked.  Hallelujah! 

I also just noticed last night that the boys seem more calm at night.  Usually, when their medicine wears off at night, we get all the pent up craziness. 

I know there are lots of things that have changed, and I have yet to notice.  It's like when you live with someone who loses a lot of weight, but you don't really notice until you leave for a week or so and then come back and see them.  When you live and spend so much time together, things change and you don't even notice.  I can't wait to fill out the same questionaires at the end, that I filled out in the beginning.  I am anxious to have certain achievements brought to my attention that I am overlooking. 

I would encourage anyone struggling with a child with ADHD, Asperger's, Autism, Dyslexia, or a number of other developmental delays to visit a Brain Balance Center.  However, don't think that this is just a simple "cut sugar out" of their diets plan....it's not.  It's work, HARD work!  It's a commitment.  You have to do what they tell you and stick to the plan.  So far, I have NO regrets!  I have HOPE for the future of my boys.  I feel that I have knowledge that is priceless.  I have two boys who have increasing self-esteems, the chance to get off medicine, and a belief that they can do something that is hard and succeed.  I have two boys who I LOVE with all my HEART!

Just Keep Learning, Just Keep Learning....

All I can hear in my head is Dory from "Finding Nemo", but instead of "just keep swimming".... I hear, "just keep learning"!

Last night I went to a 2 hour presentation from Dr. Scire.  He is one of the owners of some of the Brain Balance Centers in Georgia.  He also works very closely with Dr. Melillo (creator of Brain Balance).  Our local center had encouraged us to attend, because they had been learning so much from Dr. Scire.  I get up at 3:50 a.m.......staying out past 9:00 is HUGE for me.  But, I knew I had to be there.  I am so HAPPY that I was.  I learned so much more and heard some very humorous stories of others journeys. Trust me....when you are doing exercises 5 times a day, strict diet, 30 minute screen time, sessions at Brain Balance, homework, cooking, work and just regular life...you need some humor in your life.

As I sat through the presentation, I was beginning to question if R.D. really was right brain delayed.  He fell into so many of the left brain delay traits that I was nervous.  Had they gotten it right?  After the presentation I found the director and expressed my concerns.  They said that what I was suspecting was partially true....R.D. has what they call a "bilateral delay".  I had heard this term mentioned before in a progress report, but I didn't really ask what it meant.  They told me that in his initial assessment, they had studied his results closely to determine the right brain delay.  Apparently, they had also talked with Dr. Scire about R.D. specifically.  Here is the deal....since the right brain develops faster from 0-3 years and then kind of goes into hibernation while the left brain develops for the next few years, they need to stimulate the right brain first and get it up to speed and then they will move to R.D.'s left brain.  This is exciting for me.  Things that I saw that were left brain, but that weren't changing yet, are going to!  I know they are.

How do I know?  Because we see changes daily in our boys.  It will seem very small and trivial to most of you, but if you have a child with ADD or ADHD...you probably understand what I am about to describe.  R.D. is 11 years old.  He has never been able to hang a towel up on a hook or towel rack.  Simple to most, but unattainable for R.D.  He just couldn't get his brain to connect the dots and make it happen.  This week....it happened!  We weren't telling him to, honestly we gave that battle up a long time ago.  We just noticed that his towel is now hung on the hook after his shower.  He does it and doesn't even know he is doing it.  Just the way it is supposed to be.

Nathan has just started this week to "get" math better.  All of the sudden he can figure out math problems in his head.  He understands some of the concepts better.  It blew me away.  I asked him the other night as we did his homework in the car, outside of the Brain Balance center..."How did you get so smart in math?"  He looked at me, pointed to the Brain Balance sign and said, "Duh mom, it's because of Brain Balance and I heard one of their commercials on the radio this morning." Who says radio doesn't work...(shameless plug).  They know the program is working and that is why they are working so hard.  The diet has become "what we do".  They get it.

So we will "just keep learning, just keep learning".....

So Many Blessings!

Wow!  We've had so many great things happening. Where to start....

Lets start with the fact that the boys have had their ADD/ADHD medicine dosage lowered.  I wanted to see for myself if what we were doing might be making a difference.   We have lowered Nathan from 36 mg of Concerta to 27 mg and R.D. from 45 mg to 27 mg.  So far so good.  They definitely still need some medicine, but I am encouraged with dropping the dosage.  Their pediatrician was VERY excited to find out they were doing the Brain Balance program.  He doesn't currently have any other patients doing the program and is very interested in monitoring the boys progress.  He was more than willing to lower their dosage.  It was great to have the support from their pediatrician.  We really love him and it just feels good to know he is supporting the process.  

We had their first progress report this week and the boys are doing great!  R.D. has come so far in his vision exercises.  He tells me that it is making it easier for him to do work from the board, since he started the eye exercises.  They are progressing just like they should.  Nathan also had some great achievements in several different areas.  The coaches put really positive feedback about the behavior of both boys and how great they were to work with.  Always nice to hear that they are a joy to work with.  Nathan did have one area where he tested lower than his initial assessment, but they aren't concerned yet. Their grip and strength has improved quite a bit, which is going to help with their penmanship and a lot of other things.  

Both boys have exhibited some behaviors we've never seen with them before.  Nathan had about a week of being sneaky...something he's never done.  However, it is a stage he should have gone through as a toddler.  Both boys are loving to read and draw.  The coaches are excited they have taken to drawing....very good for right brain delays.  R.D.'s ability to draw has grown leaps and bounds.  He never has liked to draw....apparently for right brain delays it is difficult, so they avoid it.  Makes sense to me....I avoid the things I can't do well.  

On Saturday we went to Vegas for the NASCAR truck series and survived the tailgate and concessions.  We packed a cooler with quinoa flatbread, roasted turkey, homemade ketchup and apples.  We also had grandpa's homemade potato chips and fruit leather.  I can assure you that of the thousands and thousands of people there, we were the only ones eating healthy.  It felt great!  
We avoided spending tons of money on the concession foods.  The only thing that we all agreed on was that we sure would like a lemonade.  They have yummy lemonade there, but we all resisted.  

Finally, we have found a couple of successful recipes this week that were hits! 
First off, we created our own healthy fried chicken.  I took chicken breasts and sliced them like chicken tenderloins and then soaked them in almond milk for 30 minutes.  I then mixed together a cup of quinoa flour and a teaspoon of garlic salt.  I heated a frying pan with sesame oil in it and then rolled each piece of chicken in the flour mixture and put it in the frying pan.  It was crispy on the outside and they boys couldn't get enough.  Definitely, doing that one every week.

The second recipe I found in a recipe book that they have on the counter at Brain Balance.  Better-Than-Bisquick Pancakes from the book "The Kid Friendly ADHD and Autism Cookbook.  

2 cups quinoa flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons light-flavored oil, such as sunflower
1/2 cup raw cashews
2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon ascorbic acid crystals dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon maple syrup

In a mixing bowl, whisk together quinoa flour, baking powder, and baking soda.  In a blender, grind nuts to a fine powder, pausing to scrape under the blades 2 to 3 times.  Add water, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and maple syrup to a blender and blend 3 to 4 minutes.  Pour liquid over dry ingredients and whisk a few times, eliminating lumps.  If batter is too thick, add water as necessary.

Pour a scant 1/4 cup batter onto hot non-stick griddle (heated until water dances on it) for each pancake.  Serve with fruit or applesauce.

Variations:  Add 1-2 tablespoons flaxseed to blender with the cashews.  For a heartier, buckwheat sourdough pancake, replace up to 1 cup quinoa flour with buckwheat flour.

I had to use olive oil, since Nathan has a sunflower intolerance.   I also didn't use vanilla since R.D has an intolerance to that.  I did add an extra teaspoon of maple syrup.  The recipe doesn't state where to use the oil, but I added it to the batter and it came out really good.  

Enjoy!  We certainly are!  

We did it!

We did it!  We survived watching "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs" for our movie night.  Nathan has been begging to watch this movie.  He finally convinced his brother to have it be their movie for movie night on Sunday.  I was nervous....we were going to watch a movie filled with all kinds of food that we don't eat anymore.  How was this gonna work out?  I chose the picture with cheeseburgers for this post, because it is Nathan's favorite food and one of R.D.'s top picks.  It is also what has been the hardest for them to give up.  It is the reason we eat bison and ostrich burgers....they are very similar.  I knew when those cheeseburgers started falling from the sky we were in for our own food storm....I was prepared!  I had made their favorite sweet potato fries for dinner that night....we had leftovers.  I had the bowls of sweet potato fries and homemade ketchup ready.  We followed that up with grandpa's homemade fruit leather and a bowl of raisins.  Just like that....we survived the food storm.  Yes, it really was that simple.  For me, I had to eat grandpa's homemade potato chips and fruit leather. 

My dad's homemade fruit leather and homemade potato chips have been one of our favorite treats.  All four of us LOVE the fruit leather.  No, I don't know how he makes it.  What I do know is it is only 2 ingredients.....pureed apples/strawberries or pureed pears/apples or pureed granny smith apples/bananas.  He only puts a light coating of olive oil on the dehydrator plates to make it easier to pull off and then the fruit.  Nothing else.  No sugars. No preservatives. No sweeteners.  Just fruit, that's it!  It is delicious!  Now, for the potato chips....I know he makes them in the microwave.  He slices them and then dehydrates them in the microwave. Only potatoes. Nothing else, absolutely nothing else.  I have no clue how.  I really should find out and share with everyone, right?  I will do that, but for now it is so handy having grandpa make it.  It also makes grandpa feel good.  He feels like this is his own personal way to support the boys journey.  They can only get it from grandpa.  I guess that's why I haven't been in a hurry to figure it out. 

One of the things that seems to stress out parents, including myself is "school lunch".  I would stress about what to put in their lunch each day.  Finally, it dawned on me.....quit stressing.  They have never been big school lunch eaters.  They have always been more interested in visiting and getting to recess.  So, I asked them what do you want?  They now get anything from sliced carrots, raisins, sweet potato fries, fruit leather, buffalo burgers, and oranges.  Lunch for today (Wednesday, September 19) is for R.D. ---- Buffalo burger, fruit leather, raisins, and water.  Nathan ---- Buffalo burger, sweet potato fries, homemade ketchup, fruit leather, raisins and water. Since I quit worrying about it....lunch boxes come home empty.  Here was my thought process....They get a very nutritional breakfast.  One designed to fuel their body.  They get a healthy snack at home after school.  Dinner is healthy and full of what they need.  Put stuff in their lunch that they are sure to eat.  They don't want to eat a lot at lunch anyhow.  They are not starving.  What they get for lunch is a lot healthier than what some kids are receiving in their lunches from home.

We are over 7 weeks in to this diet and it is just routine.  We don't stray too much from what we know works...that gets dangerous for me.  Actually, more for R.D. than for me.  Since it is usually his menu I mess up the most.  He likes to remind me of that whenever he can.  ; )  The boys have done 7 sessions at Brain Balance.  They never argue about going and are enjoying it.  R.D. did 100 military sit ups on Sunday night and couldn't wait for me to text my dear friend/trainer/Rockstar athlete, Colleen to tell her his achievement.  This kid couldn't do 5 of them when we started this journey.  Nathan is up to 30 sit ups!  They are changing....so, for those who ask have we seen changes....YES!  We absolutely are seeing changes.  Subtle to anyone else, but huge to us.  Is this easy...NO!  But, like anything else, if you want it bad enough....you will make it happen.