SSSHHH!

Imagine that you're hearing me in my best whisper.....we're 18 1/2 weeks seizure free! That's seizure free through strep throat, 3 weeks of a nasty cold including 2 weeks of heavy coughing and an ear infection..... I'm whispering because in some weird way, I don't want to jinx this. If I say it out loud or yell it to the sky, which is exactly what I want to do, then what might happen??? Whatever comes tonight, tomorrow and the next day.......... it's been a great ride! It's nice not to look out of the corner of my eye each moment. It's wonderful to allow Noah to walk into another room without following. It's amazing to sleep deeply and not be in the sleeping stage where I'm listening to his every breath. I know you all relate. I'm praying for continued success for Noah and for all of your children too!

Multistix

Like every Keto family, we consistently test Noah's Ketones with a urine test. We use Multistix, which allows us to read both Ketones and Specific Gravity. Usually, I purchase the Multistix through the pharmacy at Children's Hospital but our insurance didn't cover them. The cost totalled $90 per bottle. Each bottle contains 100 sticks and we test Ketones twice a day. To save money, our dietitian suggested cutting the strips in half lengthwise. Reading the sticks takes some practice but once we got the hang of it, cutting the sticks in half and reading them became no problem.

Most recently though, I thought I would try to save some money and purchase the Multistix off of the Internet. I bought a bottle for $15 with $5 shipping. The strips are similar to the ones I normally purchase but the label on the back has slightly different colors for Specific Gravity. In fact the colors on the label to not correlate to the colors on the stick. The stick color changes are accurate with the normal Multistix bottle labels from the Children's Hospital pharmacy. Weird! 

I'm still on the search to save money on Multistix so if anyone has any ideas that would be great! I'll post when I figure this one out. I'm sure I can find some good Multistix for less than $90 a bottle. For now, try cutting them in half. It's a money saver!

Grumbling Over Grease Stains

Lately I've been grumbling over the grease stains. Grease stains are not only prevalent on my Keto Kid's clothing but on my clothes too. It's all the prep work that causes grease on my clothes. Uuugghh!

I asked the Yahoo Keto Moms and Dads how they handle the grease stains or if they just keep tossing clothes in the garbage. Here are the ideas they gave me:

• Dawn or other grease fighting dishsoap. Place a small amount on the grease stain, rub and toss into the washer.
• Ammonia (not sure how this one works) Please remember that ammonia combined with bleach products can be a deadly combo. Don't combine the two!
• Spray-N-Wash Gel mixed with Resolve.
• Tide paste (water & tide) rubbed into stain. Put clothing article in plastic bag overnight and wash with regular laundry.

Thanks for all of the input. Good luck with all of your oily Keto stains! Any other ideas? Post em!

Love my Keto Kid!

Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN(a bit late)

Sorry to put my *Halloween Hints* up a little late. Actually, I would love to hear everyone's Keto Kid Halloween experiences. So please leave a comment if you feel comfortable doing so.

Noah loves Trick or Treating with his big brothers! I have to admit, I felt a little sad when the boys came home afterwards, dumped their bags out & Noah had received 2 small toys in his entire boat-load of candy. Luckily, I had tons of plastic frogs & bubbles left over to add to his cheap toy pile. He loved it. Once the boys sift through their candy, Noah gives all of his to Daddy, Daddy gives him $20 & we take him to Toys R Us to buy the toy of his choice.

He loves this method! Hope to hear some of yours!
I love my Keto Kid!

Scales

The scale you choose is important! We received our scale from our Keto Dietitian during our hospital admittance to begin the diet. The most important thing is to make sure your scale measures to the tenth of a gram. As the battery gets low, the weight will gradually change without a change in the item you are weighing. Be sure to purchase a model that has both battery & plug-in possibilities. Good scales are important to exactness in the diet! Good luck & good weighing.

Candlelight Dinners

Kara, another Keto mom, uses candles each night at dinner. Kara has twin girls. Only one of the twins is on the diet. Can you imagine the challenge this brings into Kara's family's keto adventure! I'm strengthened by Kara's creative example and undeterred focus to help her child.

Candles at your dinner table can help your Keto kid!

Kara took her daughters to choose a dinner table candle. At dinner, the twins sit on opposite sides of the table and the candle is lit. The beauty of it isn't found in the candlelight itself but in the lights' brightness as it blocks the twins' view of the other's dinner plate.

Give it a try. It might mean a happier keto kid at the dinner table.

Back To School

My kids went Back to School at the end of August. Noah began Kindergarten. I'm proud of myself for actually leaving the parking lot. Actually I had nightmares of me sitting in my van crying while Noah was in class. Anyway, I didn't realize the Keto Quirks of having to send a meal with Noah to school. We changed his eating schedule to accommodate the classroom snack time. Another tricky element is that his Kindergarten Classroom is a "Nut Free" Zone. His current school Keto meal preference is cream, raspberries, pepperoni & cream cheese sandwiches. The last quirk to deal with is lunch containers. Most are too big & make his little Keto meal look even smaller. Some plastics leak - a big "no no." All need to be easy enough to open that Noah can open them by himself. The Keto Yahoo group members had lots of great ideas but the containers above were my favorite. They are from Bed, Bath & Beyond. The lids are cold packs! Brilliant for keeping that cream cold. They seem simple but a great solution.

My prayers are going out for all of the other Moms & Dads getting teary as you leave your epileptic child in the care of his/her school staff. Taking that step, trusting their teachers & getting in your car is overwhelmingly huge! But think how great it is for our children to develop some independance!! Awesome!

I love my Keto Kid