Jesus said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." John 11:4



You Are Not Alone!

We started this blog as a support to those families in Arkansas and around the country who are faced with raising a child with a life-altering eosinophilic disorder. It has been estimated that one out of 3,000 people have been diagnosed with an eosinophilic disorder. Children suffering from eosinophilic disorders have a myriad of problems. Some of which include: vomiting, diarrhea, feeding refusal, malnutrition, difficulty swallowing, and failure to thrive, just to name a few.

Could you imagine a life without food? For these children, that is a very real possibility. Many of them are on a very restrictive diet of special elemental formula. Those fortunate enough to still be eating foods are very limited as to what they can eat, and still have to drink an elemental formula to maintain a nutritionally complete diet. Not only do these kids have a restrictive diet, but many of them have feeding tubes and endure several surgeries and procedures. These children show us parents incredible strength and endurance! It is our hope that other families dealing with this disease realize they are not alone, and that more people will become aware of this disease. Hopefully this blog will be a support to those living with eosinophilic disorders.

NOTE: House Resolution 296 passed in 2007 declaring the third week of May, National Eosinophil Awareness Week.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Butter!



I told you in a recent post that I have started buying raw milk from a local dairy. There are many products that can be rendered from raw milk, and butter is one of them. So today I thought I would be adventurous and attempt to make butter from the cream that I had previously skimmed from the top of the milk. My attempt ends in success. We have butter! Interested in making your own raw butter and learning more about raw milk? Click here.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Hippie Lady

Yes, I am sure that I am soon to be called, "The Hippie Lady," or hey that's my "Hippie Friend", but that's okay with me! We are picking up our grass-fed beef this afternoon from Greener Pastures Farms, and I can't wait until Ross can eat it! We have also started buying organic produce from Old Soul Organics ; which is a home delivery service for the Northwest Arkansas area. We go one step further by buying fresh, unpasteurized unhomogenized milk from Rusk Farms just past the Arkansas/Oklahoma border. Being that we are small business owners, I'm all about supporting local business owners; and with our special food needs those small business tend to work out the best for us.

I am in the process of transitioning our family's diet from conventional foods to organic foods; or all natural at the least. We are eating very little foods from a box anymore. No more heavily processed foods, no additives, no artificial colorings or flavorings, no more high fructose corn syrup...we are going back to the basics. With the exception of Smarties of coarse!! :) My new philosophy is if they didn't eat it 100 years ago, we probably shouldn't be eating it today. Why are we doing this? First and foremost, because we have been told that EE patients tend to have a better chance of passing a food trial with food that has not been sprayed repeatedly with pesticides and herbicides or processed so much that there is virtually no nutritional value left. Secondly, plain and simple. It has to be better for us. Lastly, I am actually saving money. That's right. Saving money. I'm not buying junk food or many prepacked items anymore; which has helped my budget tremendously. Now, I'm certainly NOT saying we don't indulge once in a while. If we want ice cream, we get ice cream. And chocolate....is a must! Of coarse there will still be those days we swing by a fast food restaurant for a quick meal, but they are becoming fewer and farther between. I see more "hippie moments" for me in the future...butter, yogurt and heavy whipping cream from my fresh milk, homemade organic breads...the possibilities are endless! Only time will tell how we will end up with this transition.