Merry Christmas to all...we have pretty much wound down here. Hubby went to bed about 7:30 (he did watch some TV at first but was snoring soundly by 8:30). TJ wanted to sleep downstairs watching a movie, but as soon as the movie was over, he wanted to sleep in his own bed. He has had one big sugar rush today. We have pretty much let him have whatever he wants...cookies, candy, etc. Tomorrow starts the hard work...
He is in first grade. His teacher just retired and he got a new teacher. Teacher #1 seemed to have a lot of problems working with TJ. I don't know if he just didn't get along with her or what. But he would not behave...long story short, we had several meeting with the school and finally went to see a psychiatrist - who put him on meds for ADHD. We tried it...adjusted several times, and T and I just weren't happy with how it was - or more importantly - was not affecting TJ. He was still having lots of problems at school. We had significantly cut his sugar...no sugary drinks, natural peanut butter and jelly for his lunch, no sugary snacks, etc. He seems to have made some improvement. Teacher #2 has actually given him E's several days in a row. (E is excellent and with Teacher #1, he only got U's - unsatisfactory). So we are hopeful.
We have switched to Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter...only ingredients are peanuts and less than 2% salt. I can live with that. I didn't realize how many peanut butters added sugar. It was a major shock when I was standing in Publix reading the labels. TJ really likes grape jelly, but for the last couple of months, I have been giving him seedless blackberry jelly that only has sugar, pectin, and blackberry juice in it. I know it has the sugar, but it was just about the only one I found that didn't also have the high fructose corn syrup in it. I have recently found a blueberry jelly that is sweetened with grape juice, so it has no added sugar in it. It is made by St. Dalfour and says it's an old French recipe. I hope this year I can make up some jelly myself so I know what's in it for sure. Anyone know of any sugar-free (no artificial sweeteners) jelly recipes?
Surgery update: I have lost 66 pounds. It is sad sometimes that I can't eat as much as I could. Today at my grandmother's for Christmas lunch, I got full before I even got to the dressing, much less the dessert table! So I do have to be more selective about what I eat. I am not doing as well as I should be about what I eat. I drink sweet tea (a no-no) and eat things that are on the "avoid" list. So I guess when we get TJ back on the wagon this week, I will be getting back on, too. But 66 pounds gone is awesome I think.
Garden update: I got garlic, white onions, and yellow onions in the ground this fall. They have sprouted some when it was warmer weather earlier, so when it gets cold, they will die back. From what I have read, that is okay and the onions/garlic will still grow like they should. We did put a bale of mulch hay on the row so they are protected.
I have decided I want to do a herb garden. I think I am going to do it here at my house. We have a space in our front yard that had juniper shrubs and boxwoods that we pulled out. So I think I am going to use that space with some tires to contain each plant. I will update when I know for sure. I do want to plant some healing herbs as well as cooking herbs. I am also wanting the garden to be as GMO-free as possible. It will be a little hard since my dad does the tomatoes, but I want everything I plant to be GMO-free. Last year, I planted a hybrid corn - Silver Queen. This year, I have found a couple of heirloom sweet corns I want to try. I haven't decided for sure which one will actually be planted, but I'm getting it narrowed down.
I hope everyone has had an awesome Christmas!
Kelly
