Gluten free....ish

If any of you have been following the mostly rambling spouting of mine on twitter, I had decided to change my diet to gluten free to see if improved my annoying back issues that I've had now since February.

I got the idea from a tweeter who had suggested an anti-inflammatory diet to help with any inflammation in my body.....I was sceptical as how on earth can what you eat change the way you feel?

Well I'm not one to not accept a challenge and curiosity coupled with my ever worsening back plus my even more worsening mood made me decide to give it a go.

After about 3 days of being gluten free I saw an improvement, I felt less stiff and I was up and mobile which I haven't been doing for a while.

After a week I was feeling really good! Less bloated, less hungry and quite enjoying the changes to my diet. I was really worried that I would hate missing eating bread but to be honest apart from the odd day dream of ham and cheese paninis dancing around in front of me I've been fine!

I've re kindled my love of baked potatoes as they are obviously naturally gluten free and I've realised I quite enjoy soya products like alpro. I've also really loved snaking on nuts and nut bars in honey they are actually quite filling and really kill and hunger pangs dead.

Im on my third week now and It's not been completely plain sailing, I've indulged on a couple of pizzas, eaten a few biscuits, eaten cadburys dairy milk as it says there 'might' be gluten (its worth the risk) and eating out is a real pain on a gluten free diet. 

I've stuck to baked potatoes whilst watching my husband tuck into a calzone or a juicy looking burger, I'm drooling right now thinking about it....in fact sometimes I would envisage stealing his food and running off out of the restaurant holding it close, devouring it like gollum....my precious....

Energy level wise I've felt a lot more tired maybe its because my body was so used to a high volume of carbs? I've been eating rice and potatoes but not anymore than I used too, pasta has been eliminated from my diet and I've only had one bread roll in 21 days. Beans are my friend.....but my husband is not pleased with this probably due to the bedcovers hovering at night due to gale force wind.

I've not bothered with any gluten free bread or specialised gluten free products (apart from the soya stuff) mostly because they're expensive and have a lot more calories and fat in them compared to their gluteny counterparts. 

So all in all:

I have seen an improvement in my back pain since cutting out gluten etc 

does my back feel worse when I've strayed off my diet? Yes it does!

Last week I managed to walk for an entire hour pain free, which is a big deal as I've not done that since January 

I've lost some weight/inches from the change in my diet, I don't know how much as the scales hate me and I hate them, it's a mutual feeling.

And apart from the food daydreams I feel good so I will stick with it and have the odd pizza now and again, I'm still waiting for physio I don't think I will ever happen but I will do all I can to keep myself mobile and pain free.

I'd love to hear from anyone else who has tried changing their diet to help with pain, what did you do? Have you any tips? 

#cbias VO5 Dry Shampoo shop

As a mum of five making sure my hair is in great shape is really one of my bottom priorities but if I could find something to help spruce it up a but then well I'd snap their hand off! My usual hair routine involves washing it and letting it dry naturally or if I have the time I'll blow dry it and straighten it. I've used other dry shampoo brands before when i've been camping (dry shampoo is very handy for an overnight tent re-fresh) so when I was offered to do a shop for VO5's dry shampoo I was quite pleased to see how the product would help my in-between wash days.

Our journey 

The first Tesco in Stalybridge didn't have any at all!!! I searched the correct aisle, it wasn't with the shampoos or the dry shampoos so we set off tail between legs to another local one.

This time we went to a much bigger store in Stockport, we were in luck and after being fleeced by mr Fred for a cars toy I found it!!

It was on the bottom shelf in the bottom right hand corner away from all the other dry shampoo brands, if I hadn't been coming specifically for this brand I would have never seen it or even know it was there!

The vibrant pink bottle helped me find quickly and at £3.49 it didn't break the bank either.

Check out my google+ album for more pictures! I chose the 'plump me up' version as I always need a bit of bounce in my hair as it can get a bit flat and lifeless so homewards bound we went.

Testing the product 

It smelt ok as I sprayed it on my hair, I have to say I've used other brands that have much nicer smells but it went on well and felt nice on my fingers as I massaged it into my hair. After covering all my roots my hair did feel a lot fresher than it did before.

Ta Daaaaaaa

Before

After

My hair does feel a lot more bouncy and full and it has blasted my greasy roots quite well so all in all I'm quite pleased with it! I'm off to a blogging conference next weekend so I think I will pop it in my overnight bag so I can give my hair a well needed revive after a long train journey.

I like to pack a few pick me ups when I travel, including a nice lip gloss for touch ups and a small tube of the foundation I use to get rid of any blotchiness from a hot sweaty train. Maybe this time thanks to the VO5 dry shampoo my hair will look awesome too! 

Notes to myself...again

A few random things that I need to remember.....

*Do not under any circumstances leave any makeup in the bathroom unattended, your makeup will used as finger paint and your child will come out sporting a make up 'masterpiece' that resembles a clown face.

*Don't leave the washing pile in front of the washing machine, it is always typical that you with have a guest or the dreaded meter reader in your home with your best worn granny pants on display.

*Not everyone you meet will think playing in a brass band is cool, the guy who sniggered at you is probably the type who still wears briefs and lives at home with his mummy.

*Never, ever, ever run to the car with just your underwear on, someone will always open their front door just as you put one toe outside the front door.

*Always check that the children have put the toilet roll back before you use the toilet.....

*Silence is deadly, if your brain is praising your wonderful offspring for their amazing behaviour it's probably because they've found your make up....again (refer to bulletpoint 1)

*Calling a women who tutted at the teeny tiny patch of sunburn on your child an 'old sexless hag' is not appropriate anywhere.

*Fishnet stockings NEED to be kept away in your underwear drawer or else they are used as Lego holders or even homes for soft toys.

*Always keep your 'other' handbag away from the dog, it's never cool for him to come trotting in with an adult toy in his mouth.

*Never run out of vodka, cocktails at the stroke of child bedtime don't taste the same without it.

Pampers Mother and Baby Magazine competition

Pampers are celebrating ‘great mornings’ and asking mums to share pictures & their sleep tips for a chance to win a professional photoshoot and appear in Mother & Baby magazine!

You can tell just by looking at your baby’s beautiful morning face whether they’ve had a good night’s sleep or not, and Pampers want mums to show them what works for their baby to have a great start to the day.

With having five children I've tried every trick in the book but the one thing that worked for us was a good bedtime routine. We did the whole bath, feed, snuggle, put to bed awake thing but it didn't always work with each of my babies. With my eldest this was the perfect routine but with my middle daughter she hated having a bath before bed as she got over tired and my son absolutely hates baths so that was a total no no before bed.

Cheeky morning face 

My biggest tip is to find a routine that suits your baby and you. Happy mum equals happy baby and well rested baby equals an even happier mum! 

The coordinators of this post and of the competition, Pampers, say their Baby-Dry nappies are recommended for up to 12 hours of Golden Sleep by 92% of UK mums*,

They are celebrating these great morning moments by inviting you to share images of the great morning moments you share with your little one along with your tip for a good night’s sleep.

Simply email a recent photo of you and your baby, and your tip in no more than 50 words to pamperscompetition@hkstrategies.com. 

Remember to include your address and a contact number.

A selection of the entries will be shared each week on the Pampers Facebook page, and three winners will be selected to have a professional photoshoot and appear in a Pampers advertorial in Mother & Baby magazine!

Good luck and treasure those baby days as they are gone in the blink of an eye :) 

*based on a survey of 704 mums 

Drowning

This morning the sun was out again and I once again got the pleas of can we go swimming mum?

I can't take all my children swimming on my own as the pool ratio is normally 1 adult to 2 children. It infuriates me beyond belief!!!! How can the pool tell me how to take my children swimming??!!

Then I read this blog post about a mum's son drowning and being saved by CPR and a hero of a lifeguard.

I then read this post about how silent drowning can be..... (PLEASE READ IT) 

It's opened my eyes, I never new that a person or child drowning would not be the screaming, kicking, splashing mess that is portrayed in films.

I never knew there was an 'instinctive drowning response' 

I never knew that most people when drowning don't have the air to scream, cry or yell for help, they can just about take enough air in to keep conscious never mind struggle for their lives and that's an adult!! What about a child?! It makes my blood run cold with fear.

It made my husbands close encounter with drowning even more scary,

Hubs and I went to a lovely quiet part of Ibiza for a week away with my parents (pre children obvs) he couldn't swim, I could but he wanted to go in the sea. So we got on inflatable lilos and made our way from the shore. The sea was beautifully clear and buoys marked the area that was deep enough for boats etc the cove was very shallow even when you were quite a far out. 

I looked back at the shore and saw the buoys and I knew we were out of our depth now especially with a non swimmer. I suggested we made our way back.

In an act of craziness hubs decided the water wasn't deep and thought he could stand in the water, I said no as we were near the buoys.

He slid off the lilo and went straight under, after about 20 seconds he bobbed back up calmly, no fuss, I wasn't worried, but something wasn't right he wasn't talking, wasn't laughing, he was quiet, I jumped straight off my lilo and went in. It was deep, very deep, far to deep for hubs, I immediately threw my arm under his armpits and brought him above water.

I was treading water carrying us both, trying to keep him calm, trying to get him to relax and float, the lilos had floated off in two directions so I swam with hubs to the nearest one on my back like they tell you to do.

Everytime I got close enough to grab it it floated futher off, I was getting tired so I made a lunge for it, grabbed it and got hubs to hold onto it.

At least he had something to hold onto now so I swam to get the other lilo, got him to hold onto my arm and I swam as hard and fast as I could to get us back to a depth where we could both stand up.

It felt like an enternity but we made it, I don't know how I managed to save him, I don't know how I managed to stay calm but we're both here to tell the tale.

Beach fun

We're lucky that our school has 2 weeks off unlike most that only have 1. We made the most of the quieter week and the weather and had some decent family time at the beach.

Straightened up

So tomorrow I'm off to cybher so I've been doing a bit of pre-conference pruning which involved a nice hot bath, hair drying etc but when I came to use my hair straighteners I was informed by hubs that they had magically made their way down the back of the fridge......

He volunteered to get them but his arms were too short and as he squeezed  back up he knocked 7yo's money box down the back too.

The tactic changed so he used his phone as a torch to see behind the fridge and then tried to book the money box with our 'bop it' toy. Every time he touched the money box the toy made a random noise like 'waooooooow' it was quite entertaining until I uttered the fateful words 

'Don't drop your phone down there!'

And with a clatter his iPhone followed the money box, the bopit and my straighteners.

So you can imagine what happened next, the skirting board was removed, the fridge dragged out and whilst this was going on the bopit was still yelling 'twist it, pull it, bop it' 

Hubs was now dry humping the cooker hob trying to reach everything whilst getting one of the knobs stuck between his testicles everything was retrieved apart from the bopit who sealed its own fate with its irritating accompaniment of noises.

He presented my straighteners to me like a prized catch to find they had snapped in half..... Whoops

So if you happen to see me at cybher and my hair is wild you now know why :) 

Hearing loss carnival

As you all probably know my 5 year old daughter is deaf. She was diagnosed deaf at three but she has had her deafness since birth. She has  sensorineural deafness in both ears and wears hearing aids.

Parenting a deaf child has been and still is a roller coaster of emotions, patience and at times very isolating. 

Here is my story:

I always knew she was deaf even though she scrapped through her newborn tests as we were there so long trying to get a result the audiologist who did the test sent us away saying she would 'probably' be ok.....erm no.

Anyway after fighting for her hearing to be re-tested after her speech and understanding at the age of 2 was very poor it took a year to get a definite diagnosis which was the key to her getting the support she needed.

After the diagnosis I was so relieved to know that I wasn't loosing my marbles and my beautiful daughter was actually deaf all this time.

I had no clue what to expect or how her deafness would change our lives, in honesty our lives didn't change, the extra attention, care and love she needed came naturally but it has taken many different parenting techniques to keep her happy and to keep her confidence up.

She was very shy before her hearing aids, always worried about being mis-understood or getting the many tests she had to do wrong. She turned inside herself and became very withdrawn unless she was watching tv or doing an activity that she knew she wouldn't get wrong.

I've spent many hours breaking my heart for her, watching her struggle to speak, watching her struggle to make herself understood. When she started nursery she could only say mummy. She called everyone mummy and after the first week the teacher took me to one side and said they were really struggling to understand her and keep her engaged.

I begged them to keep trying and I was doing everything I could at home to help her learn the names of objects, working on her colours, working on just simple conversations.

The months passed and she came out of her shell, she was talking in sentences, calling the teachers by their actual names, talking to her friends and enjoying nursery.

Positive things started coming from the school, she was engaging, she was communicating, she was starting the 'get' the phonics, she was learning, my baby was becoming her own person.

Her targets set on her ILP started to be achieved, she was now a popular member of the class and really talking, you could understand what she wanted and that for me was fantastic!

Fast forward to now and she is reading and writing better than some of the other members of her class, her teachers will sit back as she tells them about her weekend, what's she's done, who's she's seen and it is bloody brilliant, she is bloody brilliant.

I went through a period of grief not so long ago, maybe delayed from her diagnosis, apparently it is normal when you have a disabled child. I have learnt everything I know about having a deaf child through the NDCS website and I recommend that website as the first point of call if your child is diagnosed with any sort of hearing loss.

There are no groups around me for hearing loss parents, sometimes it would have been lovely to have someone who understood my frustrations, worries, grief, sadness and confusion when i needed that little bit of support. 

I've often cried over the lack of support for my daughter, speech therapy is useless, even the school cannot get them to actually complete a full cycle of appointments. I have the school to thank for their effort and dedication to my daughter's improvement, one to one learning, one to one writing, one to one reading all from their own choice. They did this because they wanted her to have the best chance and the best start in life which I think all children deserve.

Our services around here have been cut, my daughter has a hearing impaired teacher who comes to see her every term to make sure she is doing well at school and to support her teachers in ways to enable my daughter to learn. Our hearing impaired teacher has been forced into retirement thanks to the cuts so now we have a new one who only comes every couple of terms if we're lucky.

I've actively been campaigning for services for deaf children in our area, it is something I am very passionate about.

Anyway I want to host a little carnival #hearinglosscarnival on my blog so parents of children with hearing loss can write a post on their blog about their journey/story/experience and I can link to your post from here.

All submissions all welcome, even if you are an adult and want to share your experience of being a child with hearing loss I would love to read your stories.

Please email your links to me by the 3rd June with 'hearinglosscarnival' in the subject line

You can also tweet the links to me using the hashtag #hearinglosscarnvial to @and1moremeans5 

I can't wait to read your stories and hopefully they can be a little source of support for all who are touched by hearing loss in their family.