As you’ll surely have noticed, I have written a few posts about our visits to the local Food Basics grocery store here in Cornwall.  According to my counter statistics, my entries have brought visitors to my site who are actually looking to find out who owns Food Basics.  So, I did a little research and here is what I’ve found:

Food Basics, as both corporate and franchisee stores, is a division of The Great Atlantic & Pacific Company of Canada Limited (”A&P”). A&P Drug Mart Limited Canada is a wholly owned subsidiary that operates pharmacies in some of those stores.

So there you have it.  I hope that helps.  But now that you’re here and I’ve been ever so helpful, why not have a look around.  See if I’ve written anything else worth reading.  No?  Didn’t think so…

I was at work the other day and got to talking to a customer about her child’s toy.  I can’t even remember now what it was, but the discussion then turned to another toy that the child has recently received as a gift.  It was an alien in a test tube, the mother told me.  You keep it alive by feeding it and giving it the appropriate amount of light and dark.  And it even has a visible beating heart!

Intrigued, I asked her what it looked like.  “Well,” she shrugged, “like a little alien.  It’s ugly!”

I want one, I thought to myself.

(You’ll think that we’re there all the time, but…) we went to Wal-Mart today and I asked one of the associates there to help me find this little alien in a test tube.  She looked puzzled.  And assuming that she’d never heard of such a thing before, I can’t say I blame her.  It does sound strange.  She took me to a colleague of her’s and I asked the question again.  This time, I got a knowing nod and her assurance that they were selling like hotcakes.

In fact, the sales associates corrected me: “they’re not called ‘Alien in a Test Tube’”, she told me, “they’re called ‘Test Tube Aliens’”.  Very sorry.  I stand corrected.

So there I stood a few minutes later, holding a toy that was created for children of 7 years and up, and wanting it badly.  Apparently, these things will keep on “living” for as long as you take care of them!  Cool!

Yeah, like I need another baby!  Ha!

The toy cost just under $20.  I ummed and ahhed.  Hubby urged me to get it because “I don’t ask for much” and then he tried “it could be part of my birthday present”. But I turned it down.  I just felt silly buying a toy for $20 simply because I was curious about it.

I’ve just looked up the Test Tube Aliens website and I still think they look neat.  I want one for my birthday.  Hint, hint!

My stepdaughter, who is 17, is a budding vegetarian.  I put it in that way because she says that she wants to become one but never really gets around to doing anything about it.  She’s never been particularly fond of meat and, I’m sure, could live without it easily.  But I don’t cook vegetarian, so she simply eats whatever I cook.

While we were out recently, she saw this horrible-looking chunk of tofu and she actually bought the yucky thing.  Now, I admit to not having any tofu experience so perhaps I shouldn’t comment, but…

Yesterday, stepdaughter had evening plans so she was not going to be around for dinner.  A perfect time to try the tofu!

She looked up a recipe online and started her preparation.  The recipe called for soy sauce and honey, so stepdaughter did as was instructed (or close to it at least).  Then she took out the frying pan, greased it up and dropped her chunks of tofu into it.  From the living room, I could hear it sizzling away.

A few minutes later, I went in to the kitchen to see how her meal had turned out.  Four cubes of pale cheese-like substance lay in a bowl.  They looked slightly fried on their edges.  Stepdaughter and I stood over the bowl and each wrinkled up our noses.

“Wanna try it?” she asked.

“No way,” I said.  “It’s your supper!”

She picked up a piece and gingerly took a nibble from one edge.  “Ugh!”, she shivered.

A few minutes later, the frying pan had been washed, the bowl was drying in the rack and the whole pack of tofu was in the garbage.

“Can I have a chicken burrito, please?” she asked.

A budding vegeratian?  Maybe not.

Today was grocery day and Hubby and I took the kids to Food Basics.  As Hubby was getting our daughter into her buggy/baby carriage, I took J, our 3-year old son, to the trolley drop-off shelter and lifted him into one. 

J was crying.  Not because he was being put into the front of a trolley - he likes riding up front - but because he was tired.  He’s been up since 5am, or maybe even earlier, and he was starting to feel the pressure.

An employee of Food Basics was there too, collecting trolleys and tidying around.  He saw J crying and looked sympathetic.  “Are you having a bad day, buddy,” he asked.

J kept moaning so I replied for him: “He’s just tired.  He’s been up since 5am.  So Mummy’s tired too!”

“I’ve been up since 4:30am.”

“Have you?  Well, that is not my usual schedule, so I’m definitely tired,” I said.

Then he said something that I’ll have a hard time ever forgetting: “I always get up at 4:30.  I don’t start work until 10am, but I like having breakfast really early so that I can move my bowels before I leave the house.”

And what do you say to that?  How does one respond when one receives a comment about a stranger’s pooping habits?  The answer?  Well, you just stand there, trying desperately to find a way to get the hell out of there.  Fast.

My mouth hung open, as if my next words were on the tip of my tongue.

And then my worst fears were realized:  he continued!  Damn, I should have said something to throw him off the track!!

“I ride a bike to work,” he confessed, “so I need to make sure that I’ve moved my bowels before I go.”

With an awkward smile, I told him, “That’s good to know.”  And then I ran away.  Literally. 

Why do people feel that they can tell me these things?

We went shopping again today and spent another $30 on food for J.  We got more yoghurts, some gluten-free cereal and a few other items.  I tell ya, it’s an expensive diet to be on!

And it’s frustrating too because I can find non-dairy items and I can find gluten-free items, but try to find them combined.  It’s not easy.  We finally found gluten-free cookies and then realized that they had milk products in them.  So we put them back.

Finally, we visited a local health/specialty foods shop and bought soy flour to bake raisin cookies for J.  I’ll leave that up to Hubby though because I pretty much suck at baking.

Around suppertime last night, I started cooking.  I not only made a meal for dinner, but I also made some extra meals.  I packaged them seperately and put them in the freezer.

For lunch today, J had GFCF shepherd’s pie and for dinner tonight, he’ll have GFCF sausages, made only of meat and spices.  They are more expensive but I’m hoping that they’re worth it.

J has been slightly more withdrawn today and we haven’t seen anything extraordinary in his behaviour.  I feel like his eye contact is good and he’s quite smiley.  We go to see his Speech Language Pathologist tomorrow so I’m really hoping to wow her. 

Fingers crossed!

We’re over 48 hours in!  

Our son had a toasted gluten-free bagel for breakfast, with jam instead of margarine, a banana and half of a non-dairy yoghurt.  For lunch, he had rice mixed with vegetables and soy sauce.  And for dinner, he had gluten-free pasta with a bolognese sauce and chopped cucumber.  In between, he’s had his usual drink of apple juice or soy milk.

Have we noticed any difference?  Well, the straight answer is yes.

Is it all just wishful thinking?  Are we seeing what we want to see rather than what’s really there?  Well, we’re very aware of that possibility and Hubby and I keep figuratively pinching each other to make sure that our feet are firmly planted on the ground.  Obviously, the last thing we want is to dream it all up!

Firstly, our son woke at 4am this morning.  He was wide awake and cheerful.  I brought him downstairs and he watched TV while I lay on the couch.

Why was he up so early?  Could it be that the new soy milk is making him more alert than the cow’s milk did?  And I don’t mean that it’s pumping him full of sugar or anything.  What I mean is that the theory behind the diet is that some autistic children cannot process these foods and they get backed up in their bodies.  Omitting them altogether can sometimes lead to a more alert child.

When I got home from work at noon, I went to see J (our son) while he played with his cars in the dollhouse (his favorite place to be).  He looked up, made eye contact and smiled.  Not completely unusual, but off to a good start.  And then Hubby started telling me how affectionate J was with him again and how he seems to be attempting to mimic him.

As I watched Hubby blow raspberries at J, I was blown away to see J watch his Daddy’s mouth intently and then attempt to pucker his lips.  He has never done this before.

Then I got down on the floor with him and started giving him kisses.  I’d say ‘kisses’ as I looked into his eyes and then I’d lean in and plant one on his cheek.  After about 10 kisses, J stopped me by planting a big wet kiss full on my lips.  Shocked, I just held still while he kept his lips on mine.  Then he released and did it again and again.

I almost cried.  J’s lips weren’t puckered, like for a kiss, but he certainly got the fact that a kiss happens with the lips and that, yay, he wanted to give me a kiss!

Coincidence?  I don’t know.  I don’t know what to think.  I’m terrified of putting too much credance in this diet, but how can I not?

Eye contact has increased.  Alertness too.  He sat on the couch and watched TV (several times and for extended periods) instead of standing on the low stool behind the couch.  I got kisses and Hubby got J to copy his raspberies.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

This all started with my seeing Jenny McCarthy on Oprah talking about her son.  She talked about his terrifying seizures and his steady decline into the non-communicative world of Autism.  Having a son myself who was recently diagnosed as being autistic, I watched avidly.  This condition is so new to me and I’m still seeking out any information I can find.  Obviously, there are the official websites and books that give all the facts and figures and even suggest a course of treatment (not a cure), but I like hearing from parents - people who are going through, or have been through, the feelings that I’m having.

My son never had seizures and he never had the use of words that he then lost.  He simply never learned to talk.  He’s three and half now and although he can scream and squeal and make a wide range of sounds, none of them are words.  Words that we can understand, anyway. We always got the impression that he just didn’t see the need to communicate verbally.

All that would be fine if we felt like we had some other form of communication with him.  But he doesn’t point either.  Or wave.  He reaches for the things he wants or let’s us know by his actions.  For example, he sits at the kitchen table when he’s hungry.

Anyway, Jenny McCarthy swears that a change in diet for her son has brought tremendous improvements in his autistic behaviours.  He started making more eye contact and even started getting some words back.  This diet is the gluten-free casein-free diet (or GFDF).

‘Dairy’ as in anything containing milk or any form of milk.  Anything with ‘lact’ in the ingredients list is a no-no.

‘Gluten’ as in wheat, barley, malt… pretty much everything processed.  Battered or breaded fish fingers?  No.  Bagels?  No.  Bread?  No.  Cereal?  No.  Margarine?  No.  No, no, no!  All my son’s favorite foods would have to be avoided.  Hell, not just avoided but completely omitted from his diet.

The theory behind the diet is that some autistic children have troubles digesting these types of foods and they therefore end up acting like a toxin in the child’s body.  Take away these toxins and some autistic children become more alert and ‘with it’.  The diet is fairly controversial in that the medical profession has not found any substantial link between the diet and improvements in autistic children, but like with a lot of these things, it’s the parents who see the results.

Wishful thinking?  Maybe.  But why not try it?  What have you got to lose?  A few extra dollars on speciality food is the answer.  But that’s it.  Your child will still get his calcium from his milk substitute which, I might add, tastes just like the real thing, and can still have his toast or cereal in the morning as long as you buy the gluten-free brand. 

So, we’re trying it.  As of yesterday, we have cut dairy out of our son’s diet.  He has started his new carton of Soy Milk, made from the soy bean rather than from a cow.  Fortified with calcium and loads of other vitamins!  We bought non-dairy yoghurt at $1.39 for a single serving container and non-dairy cheese (which I found to be pretty gross and it would not melt.  Oh well, you can’t have it all). 

The gluten-free part will be a lot harder as gluten in its many forms seems to be in everything.  But we will faze it in.  Dairy-free comes first and then, when we see or do not see any results from that, we’ll get on with the gluten-free part.  His gluten intake has simply been reduced for now.

So after 24 hours of being dairy free have we noticed any results?  It’s hard to say.  Our son was happy and cheerful all day.  But that’ not unusual.  Hubby feels that our son was a bit more affectionate towards him today.  I hope!

I’ll keep you posted.

I was at work earlier today discussing with a colleague how I feel about the relocation of Wal-Mart to the corner of Brookedale and Tollgate.  As I mentioned in a previous entry, we’ve received flyers in our mailbox from citizens who objected to the “megacentre” being built there, and we even saw what can only be described as a rather pitiful gather of people with picket signs this past weekend.  There looked to be about a dozen people, all standing around to protest the impending build.

Anyway, I was telling a co-workers that I was really looking forward to the Megacentre being built.  She lives nearby and is also pleased at the thought.  A customer overheard the conversation and told us that “they” had voted against it only last night and that our Megacentre was not going to built there afterall.  He seemed so happy with the decision.

When I got home, I told Hubby about what the man had said and we started looking it up online.  Sure enough, it was true.  Hubby found the details on the Cornwall radio station’s website, AM 1220:

“We want you in our community, just find a better location.” That from members of Cornwall’s Planning Advisory Committee who have put to bed the idea of allowing the proposed 415,000 square foot Wal-Mart SmartCentre to be built on the corner of Tollgate Road and Brookdale Avenue. PAC met at the Civic Complex last night where a significant number of concerned residents spoke about the negative impact the SmartCentre would create such as increased traffic and safety concerns. Local resident Jeanette Wimar tells AM 1220 News she can now rest easy knowing this centre will not be at her front door. Council will meet with SmartCentre reps in the coming weeks to discuss a more suitable location for the big box development. At the beginning of the meeting, SmartCentre officials asked if the matter could be deferred, but PAC decided they would resolve the issue right away.

I feel disappointed with that decision because we live near the proposed location and I liked the idea of having a Wal-Mart so closeby.  I mean, it couldn’t possibly change that much around here as we have the 24/7 operation known as the Home Depot right next door to where the Wal-Mart would be built.

There is no doubt in my mind that Cornwall needs to grow and expand.  I really hope that the Megacentre is built somewhere and that it doesn’t get dismissed altogether. 

I hate this “not in my back yard” mentality.  Let’s face it, when it is finally built, it will end up in someone’s backyard.

As usual, I’m a little late to catch on to things.  Particularly when it comes to music, I am rarely the one who discovers some up-and-coming new band and then turns all my friends on to them.  No, I’m usually the one who hears about the fabulous new music from someone else.  Ah well, sometimes we just need to admit our shortcomings.

So, the band that I’m a little late in discovering is Maroon 5.  I first heard of them when we were still living in the UK.  My stepdaughter went on holiday to the States with her Mum and came back raving about this amazing new band.  She’d bought the CD and played it for us.  I had to admit even back then that the songs were strong and I just loved the guy’s voice.

But I didn’t become a fan.  I didn’t buy the CD and and I didn’t seek them out.

A little while later, we started hearing Maroon 5 on the radio and, like everyone else, I sang along to their single, This Love.

But now, in 2007, Maroon 5 have come out with a new album called It Won’t be Soon Before Long and they have released two singles from it (that I’m aware of).  The first was Makes Me Wonder.  Great song, great video.  And more recently, they’ve released Wake Up Call.  Wow!  Love it!!  That guy’s voice gets right into my head and I swear that I can even hear it when I don’t have the song playing.  I sing it in the shower and hum it as quietly as I can while I’m at work.

                      Wake up call,
                      Caught you in the morning with another one in bed,
                      Don’t you care about me anymore,
                      I don’t think so,
                      Six foot tall,
                      Came without a warning,
                      So I had to shoot him dead,
                      He won’t come around here anymore,
                      I don’t feel so bad

The lyrics are catchy, the video is super-cool, and that singer guy with the awesome voice just happens to be a looker too.

So, as usual, I’m a slow learner, but I get there in the end.