“You are what you eat.” And this book tells you some of the ways what you (or your child) ingest affects you (or him/her) in ways you didn’t think were possible.
Is This Your Child? Discovering and Treating Unrecognized Allergies in Children and Adults by Dr. Doris Rapp is full of great info.
Many people are negatively affected by what they eat; they just don’t realize the connection. Food allergies are not just hives and swollen throats. Food allergies can manifest themselves in neurological and emotional ways, as well. Depression, aggression, hyperactivity, learning problems, general feeling of being unwell, and many other issues can be caused or, at least, exacerbated by food allergies.
As with the other Parenting books in my collection, there was something on the cover that caught my eye. On Dr. Rapp’s book, it was the back cover. There are pictures of some of the lesser known results of food allergies – eye wrinkles, red cheeks, dark circles under eyes, red ears, and more. I recognized two of these in Boe and because I’ve been concerned about them for some time, I decided to read on.
The charts and tables are especially helpful for us visual learners and the step by step plans are easy to understand. We are using the rotation diet as we delve into the world of Gluten-Free-dom. 
Similar to the Feingold Diet (explained in Jane Hersey’s book Why Cant’ My Child Behave?), the idea is to eliminate in order to build up tolerance, then slowly re-introduce the “trigger foods” – if possible. Ms. Hersey’s book dealt more with the chemicals within the processed foods we eat (and some fruits and veggies). Dr. Rapp’s book deals more with the whole foods that typically cause problems. I am so grateful to both of these women for sharing their knowledge to help kids (and adults).
Be sure to read the Foreword – it is especially helpful in deciding which chapters pertain to your situation.
Posted in: Books
I bought Saying Goodbye to Lulu
by Corinne Demas in 
preparation for the day that Boe’s favorite dog, Francine, leaves us. She is almost 20 years old, mostly deaf and blind, and has kidney disease so I thought introducing the idea by way of a picture book would be a good thing.
The book is well written without being wordy. It begins by telling us about Lulu in her old age and has flashback moments throughout the story. The illustrations by Ard Hoyt are detailed and realistic with facial expressions being spot-on (for Lulu and the family). Boe comments alot on facial expressions in any book that we read so this is an important aspect to me.
I was caught off guard by how close to Francine’s story this story is so, NTS, I needed a tissue by page 2. The last time this happened was the first time that I read Love You Forever
by Robert Munsch and left twenty 3-year-olds a bit confused as I handed the book to another teacher to finish. Although, this time, I didn’t have anyone to finish the story for me so I struggled through it. Boe offered another tissue. Apparently, I need this book more than he does.
Advice: read the story through by yourself beforehand if the subject tends to make you emotional.
A must-have for any child with a pet, especially a dog.
Posted in: Books
New to Boe – dear to me. I had Open Your Eyes as a child (yep, it’s that old) and found a copy in my way-too-large collection of children’s books recently.
This book is great for pre-readers.
What’s terrific about it is that there are illustrations within the sentences in place of the words (I’m sure that there is some professional term for this style of book but with me you get “pictures instead of words book”).
The other great thing about it is that it is written in rhyme so pre-readers can “read” part of the book with the reader. Boe loves this! He likes when I pause for the rhyming word/illustration so that he “read” that part.
Another great thing is the colors theme of the story. Boe likes to compare the color of the items in the story with the color of those items in his world.
How I knew this would be a favorite – we had to spend time looking at and discussing the illustrations on the inside front and back covers when we finished with the story!
It’s vintage but there are a few copies on Amazon
and eBay – definitely worth the bucks!
Posted in: Books
I found “Ten Beads Tall” by Pam Adams in my way-too-large collection of children’s books. I thought it would be a fun way to introduce measuring to Boe. He loves it!
After I introduced the basic concept to him, I “stepped back” and watched.
I could see his brain working as he manipulated the beads. I did not think that there was more than one way to use the string and beads to measure but Boe showed me that I was wrong. What appeared at first to be haphazard measuring ended up being rather deliberate on his part. And he’s all focus while he working with this book. It’s fascinating to watch!
When I re-discovered the book, I remembered a post that Waddlee-ah-chaa had about introducing the concept of fun measurement to kids. We’ve begun measuring “outside the book” now with blocks and cars and, of course, trains. He thinks it’s great fun and I think that’s great great!
Posted in: Books
I’ve found yet another book that some stranger has written about my child like she knows him personally. As we muddle through the stages of Boe’s childhood, we continue to be amazed, puzzled, and at a loss for how best to handle certain situations. Raising Your Spirited Child has a lot of great techniques for handling tough situations with kids who tend to take in all of the energy and noise that is surrounding them. Living with the Active Alert Child by Dr. Linda Budd has a wealth of information as well.
Just knowing that we’re not alone in this muddling helps so much. And all three of our “Boe Books” (these two and Why Can’t My Child Behave?), have not only given us strategies for helping Boe cope with certain situations, they have also given me strength as I build my I-know-what’s-best-for-my-kid-so-I-can’t-care-what-you-think attitude. This attitude is a necessity for those of us whose kids are overwhelmed by all the noises, smells, and sensations coming at them all the time – who don’t fit the norm – those wonderful kids who are Active Alert.
Posted in: Blog, Books
Why Can’t My Child Behave? Why Can’t She Cope? Why Can’t He Learn? by Jane Hersey is a terrific book. The info and advice given in the book is not just about healthy, happy kids, it could help tons of adults, as well. It’s about removing the synthetic ingredients from our diet.
For us, it was a life-saver. We learned that Boe is salicylate sensitive, thanks to Ms. Hersey. Within 2 days, our son went from an out-of-control, angry 3-yr-old, to a happy kid who was less impulsive. After 2.5 years of confusion, we had found the answer. I was feeding him healthy fruits that, for him, were causing all kinds of behavior problems. We followed the suggestions in the book and life became so much better. Boe’s speech delay was no more, as well. We’re not sure how much that had to do with his diet but within the first two weeks of removing those certain foods, communication improved at least 80%.
We are so thankful to Jane Hersey for writing the book and Dr. Feingold for putting 2 and 2 together all those years ago!
Posted in: Books
by Robert Sears, M.D. was invaluable to me when we were into the heavy vaccination period (0-2yrs). I learned what was in each vaccine to know what might cause a reaction. There is an alternate vaccination schedule that I liked b/c it spread the injections out a bit more which, in our case, decreased the negative side effects (pain, swelling, general discomfort). It’s a “just the facts, ma’am” book.
Great gift for the new parent!
Posted in: Books
by Arlene Eisenberg, Heidi Murkoff, and Sandee Hathaway is a great book for peace of mind. It helped so much as we moved into the toddler time. It was great to know that the confusing behaviors Boe was exhibiting were normal and to be expected.
This book would be a great gift for the first-time parents and the first birthday (get a toy for the child, too ).
They have a great website for all the What To Expect stages.
Posted in: Books
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We've Gone Gluten-Free...
