1 in 68. 2 of 2.

If you are an autism parent, I'm sure you saw the massive social media frenzy with yesterday's announcement from the CDC. Their new rates of autism are 1 in 68.

Image Source

Well, sort of.

The numbers were accurate 4 years ago.

If you were 8 years old.

And, if you lived in 1 of 11 test site areas.

The rest of us out there were not included in those numbers. Like my boys (who were too young). And like my entire State (which was not one of the test sites).

The whole thing makes me want to puke. Seriously.

I was in a craptastic mood because of the latest and greatest "news" from the CDC and was being fairly vocal about it online when one of my Facebook friends asked me why I was upset.

For SO MANY reasons!

As I told her, it's isn't just about the CDC "math". They obviously need a larger sample size for the analysis to be of any actual value. This 1 in 68 business is just fluff. We need the REAL, CURRENT numbers!

As you know, I have 2 boys diagnosed on the spectrum. Through my nonprofit work I know hundreds upon hundreds of affected children and families that are LOCAL in my area.

In fact, a mom I know said that a classroom in her school has an incidence rate of 1 in every 5 kids in one grade. 1 in 5! And, the next grade is about 1 in every 10 kids. 1 in 10! This is only 2 grades in 1 elementary school, and there are that many kids with autism.

Does this not shock anyone?

Or, shall I say, does this not shock anyone that doesn't already have a kid with autism?

It's safe for me to say that in our local area, the average across schools is approximately 1 kid with autism in every classroom, and likely there are even more than that. This is just my own observation based upon what I know about the area, but I can tell you that my half-assed estimate is far more realistic than the CDC's numbers.

Once again, things are swept under the rug and autism families continue to struggle. Middle class autism families are often in huge crisis all the time. They can't afford therapies because they are too poor (and our State still refuses to mandate autism coverage) and they don't qualify for help from the government because they're too rich. That's a freaking joke. Too rich. Most of these families are single-income because autism can be so all-consuming.

These kids slip through the cracks, they don't get the interventions and education they need, the parents are stressed to the max, some of those marriages fall apart, and the cycle of crisis continues on.

More kids get diagnosed every single day. I meet new families almost all the time. It keeps getting worse.

When will enough be enough?

When will the rate of autism be so shocking to the entire nation that sweeping change and action will be demanded? Does it have to get to 1 in every 5 kids? It may already be in some areas. Or, does it have to be a 100% incidence rate, like it already is with my boys?

A giveaway that was 2,000 people in the making!

Image Source

Can I just say how much I LOVE my Facebook fans?

I do. You rock.

I want to say thank you. For liking me. Somehow you guys found my Facebook page, read my blog, and yet still stick around to hang out.


Image Source

And since you are all cool like that, it's time to celebrate a momentous occasion. The Caffeinated Autism Mom Facebook page finally reached 2,000 Likes, and it has been a loooong time coming.

Thanks for showing up and letting me know that I am not alone in my often-caffeinated, autism-laced wanderings in life. It's nice to know that there are folks there who share in some of my misery, successes, confusion, brand of hilarity, mishaps, and let's face it...crazy.

My gift to you is a sweet kitchen towel and potholder set featuring the vintage coffee lady that resembles me to a certain degree.

If I can ever afford my own custom graphics for this little blog, I imagine I'll change the CAM images to look a bit more like her. After all, she's a wavy-haired brunette, just like me. Oh, and you gotta love how she rocks the pearls and the fancy cup!

Now, get on with it. Win the cool kitchen towel set already. And, don't forget that sharing is caring.

**Please Note: Some folks with Internet Explorer are not seeing the giveaway widget below. It works flawlessly in the Chrome browser, if you are having any trouble.**

Caffeinated Autism Mom for Governor?

Apparently I was written in as a candidate for Governor on a ballot! Talk about shock. Wanna know who thought I was more qualified than the other candidates?

My dad.

I guess I should take it as a compliment, although I thought it was a waste of a perfectly good vote.

Image Source

I will admit that I got a tiny bit of satisfaction thinking that some person in the Auditor's office was going to have to add me to a list of write-in candidates.

Right along with Mickey Mouse.

Well, I was almost famous for one day with my single vote for Governor.

In honor of election day and my brief stint as a candidate for Governor, I thought I would make an announcement.

I won the Best Parenting Blog in the Best of Western Washington contest that I was harrassing you about on Facebook for the better part of September and October!

If you voted for me, I really appreciate it. The contest may be a local one, but to those of us who live in the Seattle area, it's kind of a big deal and I'm very excited about winning.

One little side note:
I saw on their website that I won the contest (and even checked it twice that day out of disbelief!), but then their site went down. Now, I can't obsessively check it just to "make sure." Since then, they keep pushing out the date they will re-release the final tally. Something about technical issues. So, I won according to their site, pre-crash, and I hope it stays that way! I'm moving forward with it, and hope I don't have to eat my words later...  

You may also remember me asking begging you for your vote in the Chase Community Giving $5 million grant contest. My nonprofit was ultimately too small and unpopular to win, but I'm happy for each and every vote we got. I hope we can try again next year and do even better. I guess I can't win 'em all, right?

I found this little gem on Facebook.
Make sure my coffee is Stumptown Roasters.
Their coffee is so yummy! :-)

In honor of the one thing I did win, and as a thank you to everyone for putting up with the constant barrage of voting requests on Facebook and Twitter, I'm announcing a blog giveaway!

I have a coffee-themed gift. Several, actually. Did you expect anything less from CAM? I haven't chosen the specific item I'm going to give away for this contest, but they are all cool if you like coffee. And, you do like coffee, don't you? 

To enter, all you have to do is leave me your favorite picture, cartoon, or image related to coffee and post it on my Facebook page. Make sure to include your email address so I can reach you if you win! I will select a winner and make the announcement on Monday the 12th.

Good luck, and thank you for voting!        

Jon Stewart made me cry

Well, kind of. You see, Jon Stewart helps put together a benefit for autism called "Night of Too Many Stars," and there was a moment from this year's show that has gone viral. In fact, you may have already seen it 15 times on Facebook.

Katy Perry sang "Firework" with one of her biggest fans, a girl with autism named Jodi DiPiazza. And that is what made me cry.

The story from the parents at the beginning of this video could be any one of us talking about our child. That parent is you. That parent is me. That little girl is my child, and she's your child.

Her dad talked about getting his daughter into a specialized school, and that things changed for her as a result. This is the very problem that so many of us have with our children on the spectrum. Access to proper care. Getting insurance to cover needed therapies and treatments. It's an uphill battle for almost all of us. But, Jodi is proof that when a child with autism is able to access what is needed, a life can change for the better. Not only for her, but for her family.

Jodi's mom said, "It's been difficult. Hard. But, it's amazing how far she's come." I know exactly how she feels. My boys are proof that progress can happen with autism.     

If you haven't yet seen the video, settle in for about 8 minutes. You may want to grab a tissue, too.

Coffee Karma and Espresso Excitement!

If you have been on the Caffeinated Autism Mom Facebook page recently, you may have seen my post about making a "Poor Girl's Iced Latte" at home. When you don't have a lot of cash to go out to a coffee shop and you no longer have an espresso maker, you learn to improvise.

I used to have an espresso maker (two, actually), but unfortunately both machines ended up breaking. I had a well-known brand, but apparently the quality was just not there. When the second machine gave up the ghost, I opted to live without an espresso machine from that point forward. That was about 4 years ago...maybe more.

Well, I must have put out some major coffee karma into the universe or something, because I got a call from a dear friend of mine who knew that I did not have an espresso machine and she had one that she never uses. Actually, it belonged to her husband, but you get the drift. She said that her husband had set it aside for me.

Can you say jaw-dropping moment?

YESSSSSS!
Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!
IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou!

She met up with me last night and gave me her barely used, commercial grade, high quality, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious espresso machine.

I am in seventh heaven! I think it's all I babbled about with my hubby last night. He may have asked me at some point in the evening if I was going to blog about it. He doesn't need to know that I had already started typing the post when he asked me the question. I claim innocence. He doesn't know me that well. I'm an enigma. Uh-huh. Sure.

I can't wait to read through the manual (yes, I will actually read the manual). I will also lovingly clean and de-scale the machine, go buy some espresso grind coffee, and then take this baby for a test drive.

I can hardly believe a gorgeous Breville machine is sitting on my kitchen counter right now!!! Someone may need to pinch me.

www.brevilleusa.com

 
If you missed my Facebook post, here is how I made my
Poor Girl's Iced Latte:

Brew a pot of your best coffee (preferably made with filtered water).
Simmer it slowly in a saucepan until it reduces to about 1/4 of the original volume.
Refrigerate the concentrated coffee in an airtight glass container.
Pour some of the concentrated coffee into a large glass.
Add ice and coconut milk (or your choice of milk) to taste.
Enjoy!

I hope you have a great week and are able to enjoy some good coffee! *clinking coffee mugs*

Preach it, Holly!

After being away from the computer most of yesterday, I found a quiet moment to check back in on all things social media. In my news feeds I immediately saw a lot of chatter from my autism friends about Holly Robinson Peete and 50 Cent. As they are both quite famous for very different reasons, I was intrigued and read on.

On Twitter, 50 Cent had apparently insulted someone that tweeted him by telling this person that he looked autistic. This ignorant quip had the ill-intended effect of the "R" word. Then, 50 Cent followed it up with another comment mentioning special ed. Of course, I was disgusted.

But, I gotta tell ya something. Autism parents are a fiesty bunch! As I was reading about this fiasco, I was thinking about how I could write a very spirited blog post without making him want to get a restraining order against me.

However, I saw that Holly Robinson Peete was leading the charge. I read her letter to 50 Cent and I have to say that she did a first rate, bang up job. I could not have written it any better myself! She was appropriate, informed and powerful. It's all the more reason to like her!

Holly, thank you from the bottom of my heart for representing the autism community so well. It is efforts like these that can help make change in the hearts of people everywhere.

To read the letter Holly Robinson Peete wrote to 50 Cent, click here.

To read a post from Lisa Ackerman of TACA about this, click here.

To read a post about the incident over at Strollerderby, click here.

Oh, and if by some miracle 50 Cent is reading this post, I have something I'd like to share with you...

50, this is what autism looks like in my boys. And, if I do say so myself, it looks damn handsome.

Photography by Dana Napoleon

Rant complete.

Happy Independence Day!

   

Autism Awareness Month 2012

Today marks the last day of Autism Awareness Month 2012. Did you do anything in particular this year to draw attention, spread awareness, or create action?

All month long I've been wearing my autism button on my jacket lapel. It says, "April is autism awareness month. Every day is autism awareness day in our home." It's been a great conversation starter for those who take the time to read it when I'm out and about.

I've also been wearing my autism t-shirts. In fact, I made a new one last week with a handy dandy iron-on transfer placed on a new white shirt.

Here is the image I put on the front of my shirt:

On the back of the shirt I added the Pyramid of Crazy. I wore the shirt to an autism awareness event that my nonprofit co-hosted with another special needs organization. The next morning I also wore the shirt to another autism fundraising event I attended. I got a lot of smiles and comments on the shirt, so I guess the idea was alright after all.

I've also been drawing attention to autism through various speaking engagements and meetings within my local community. There is a lot to talk about! Some of those events have yielded future meetings and speaking engagements. Much work is to be done, but if people in my own community can learn something about autism and be more aware and more tolerant, then it is all definitely worth the time and effort.

There are a few posts I'd like to share with you that I wrote last year that may add a little something to this, the last day of Autism Awareness Month 2012.

1. I did a Facebook project a couple of years ago where I listed 1 thing about autism each day of April for my status update. Read all about it at: Autism Awareness Tidbits

2. I wrote my take on "Welcome to Holland." Autism may not be like tiptoeing through the tulips. Read on at: Welcome to Holland. Or is it Beirut?

3. Last but not least, I like to share a brief post I wrote called, Every day is autism awareness day.

Thank you for joining me for Autism Awareness Month. I wonder what I'll do next year?

P.S. I want to announce our winner from the coffee giveaway I posted last week in appreciation of reaching over 1,000 likes on Facebook. The winner is Marisa! I numbered all of the comments and then had my hubby pick a random number. Hers was the winner! Marisa, I sent you an email so get in touch with me and I'll send you your coffee! I hope you enjoy it.      

  

World Autism Awareness Day 2012

Today is World Autism Awareness Day. Originally I was going to post a response to the comments from my post last Friday, “Autism epidemic, anyone?” That follow up post has taken on a life of its own. It’s gotten much bigger than I expected, and I’m still not done writing it. So, I thought I would take a portion of it and break it down a bit, and then I’ll post the rest of it in the next day or two.

Since today is a significant day in the autism community, I thought I should go along the awareness vein and share som very pertinent and timely information that I learned from a friend of mine, Marcella Piper-Terry. She is an independent researcher and has a firm grasp on statistics. She started crunching some numbers related to the autism prevalence and tried to bring those numbers into the present day (since the numbers the CDC released are OLD and out-of-date). See my last blog post for the full explanation of why the CDC’s numbers are old and not very relevant for us today.

What Marcella came up with was shocking. I have no way to verify her numbers, but I appreciate her taking the time to try to make some sense out of things for the rest of us. Regardless, her numbers have much more value to me than what the CDC presented last week.

There was a lot of shock surrounding the increase of autism to 1 in 88. Well, that may be so, but how shocked will you be when you know what the current number is? Keep in mind, Marcella could only go forward with the trends already established. The CDC does not use a population-based model. It is a scattered, incomplete pool of data. If we had more complete numbers that were more representative of the population, I know in my heart that even the numbers Marcella came up with are VERY conservative. The sheer enormity of that, my friends, is what we should be shocked by.

The following are her numbers and her words as she describes them: 

The CDC says the rate of autism is 1 in 88. That number is four years old and is calculated for children who were 8 years old in 2008. The number reflects a 78% increase over the 1 in 150 number that was from 2002 (announced in 2007). Dividing 78% (rate of increase) by 6 (number of years from 2002 to 2008) we get a yearly increase of 13%. This allows us to calculate (approximately) the true rate of autism for 8 year olds in 2012. Using the same 13% per year increase we can extrapolate out five years and figure the approximate true rate of autism for children who are now between 3 and 8 years of age. This photo album contains my chicken scratch notes as I performed these calculations.

Long numbers. I didn't round off anything because I wanted to be completely exact in my calculations. This started out to be just a little exploration, but soon became one of those "Oh, My God... I have to finish this" things. That's why it gets more organized toward the end.

I started with the 1 in 88 number, calculated for 8 year-olds in 2008. This equals 1.14%. The 78% increase over the 1 in 150 number (from 2002) is divided by six (number of years from 2002 to 2008) for an average yearly increase of 13%.

Calculating the yearly increase yields the following:
1 in 78 (2009)
1 in 69 (2010)
1 in 61 (2011)

These numbers are for 8 year-olds diagnosed with autism.
The current number for 8 year-old diagnosed with autism is estimated to be 1 in 54.

Current rates (2012) for children who are less than 8 years old:
1 in 48 for 7 year olds;
1 in 42 for 6 year olds;
1 in 37 for 5 year olds;
1 in 33 for 4 year olds;
1 in 29 for 3 year olds.in 29 for 3 year olds.

Are you scared yet?
Here is something else to think about...
The rate of increase used to calculate these statistics is based on CDC data gathered in 2008. That was before the 2009 H1N1 scare. These numbers are based on the real-world scenario BEFORE the push for the flu vaccine for pregnant women and infants beginning at six months of age. That means that even as ghastly as these numbers are, they are underestimates of the true magnitude of this crisis.

Extrapolating out for the next ten years:
2013 = 1 in 26;
2014 = 1 in 23;
2015 = 1 in 20;
2016 = 1 in 18;
2017 = 1 in 16;
2018 = 1 in 14;
2019 = 1 in 12;
2020 = 1 in 11;
2021 = 1 in 10;
2022 = 1 in 9.6;
2018 = 1 in 14;
2019 = 1 in 12;
2020 = 1 in 11;
2021 = 1 in 10;
2022 = 1 in 9.

I encourage you to look up my friend Marcella Piper-Terry on Facebook and visit her website. She is a force, and she is much more knowledgeable on topics related to autism than I am.

As part of launching Autism Awareness Month and recognizing that today is World Autism Awareness Day, I will share with you one of my favorite slogans about autism. In fact, I purchased a button with this saying and I wear it during the month of April.

April is Autism Awareness Month. Every day is Autism Awareness Day in our home.    

I support Autism Awareness, but I would like to think that we are becoming more aware of autism. The big question mark of “what do we do now that we’re aware of autism” makes me further endorse April as Autism Action Month. We need to act on behalf of our children. 

My friend Cari from Bubble Gum on My Shoe took it a step further and made a t-shirt that says:

My kid has autism. Yours is next.

She’s right. We cannot sit back and do nothing.

I encourage you to speak with your legislators about autism. Share your story. Find autism organizations that are making meaningful contributions to your community and support them. Connect with other autism parents online and locally through support groups. We are each other’s best resource. Let’s act together and try to create positive change for our kids.  

Guest Post: The Oxygen Mask Project

I got a pleasant surprise recently. I was contacted by the folks at The Oxygen Mask Project. They read my Not-So-Caffeinated Autism Mom post about how I was starting to put myself back on the priority list again, and they wanted to share my post with their readers. Very exciting news, indeed!

I love the concept for their site and their Facebook and Twitter communities. If you're on Twitter, check out #yearoftheoxygenmask.

Here is a direct quote from The Oxygen Mask Project site that speaks to their mission:

Once upon a time, a group of special needs moms started talking about their lives. They talked about how devoted they are to their children and to making sure that their kids’ needs are met. But somewhere along the way, they had forgotten to take care of themselves.

To care for others, you have to take care of yourself as well. Too often, we feel guilty as parents when we take time to do something that is just for us. But it’s how we can keep giving our best to our children.

If you’re anything like me, you have put yourself last in order to try to be a good mother and wife. This is especially true when you are a hard core people pleaser with a slight super mom complex. And, it makes things even worse when you throw autism into the mix. Sound familiar anyone?

When was the last time you put on your oxygen mask and took a breath? Maybe you should take a moment today and do just that.

You should start by heading over to The Oxygen Mask Project to read my post! Show them some Caffeinated Autism Mom love. While you’re there, I know you’ll get some self-care inspiration. So, what are you waiting for? Go! Now!

You might be an autism parent if...

I recently joined Twitter at the behest of my mommy blogger friend Cari from Bubble Gum on My Shoe. You may recall her from the guest posts she did for me: Top 10 things you can go for a parent of a child with autism and The gum in my purse. She sent me a message on Twitter a day or two ago telling me to check out the #youmightbeanautismparentif thread. If you are not on Twitter, anything following a hashtag (#) is a keyword that denotes a stream of tweets under that topic. In this case the topic is: you might be an autism parent if…fill in the blank.

I got online and discovered something wonderful. She (@bubblegumcari) was right. It was amazing. It was a group of autism parents sharing little snippets of their life with autism. Some of it was freaking hilarious and some of it was utterly heartbreaking. I was quickly swept up in it and have since been participating in order to try to get it to trend on Twitter and give it the recognition it deserves. It’s been going since Sunday night, and new stuff keeps showing up all the time.

I would encourage you to check it out if you are already on Twitter. If you are not on Twitter, you might want to consider it as one more way to plug into a like-minded community who gets it. Don’t forget to follow me @CaffeineAutiMom! Once there, enter #youmightbeanautismparentif into your search box and you’ll see what I’m talking about.  

I have to tell you that it was fairly thrilling when one of my tweets got retweeted by none other than Holly Robinson Peete (@hollyrpeete)! When I saw her retweet on my feed, I think I might have squealed a little bit before I babbled about it to my husband. He seemed genuinely impressed that I made it to the big time. Yep. The big time, people. ;-)

Anyway, I thought I would share some of my own tweets as well as a few of my favorites from other people in the #youmightbeanautismparentif thread. There are so many that I can’t possibly credit everyone. I hope you enjoy!

Here are my tweets in the thread so far:

#youmightbeanautismparentif you consider an IEP meeting a date out with your husband. (This is the one that Holly Robinson Peete retweeted!)

#youmightbeanautismparentif the little triumphs and progress mean the most.

#youmightbeanautismparentif your favorite cartoon is Pink Panther because there is no dialog for your child to script. Thank you, Pink!

#youmightbeanautismparentif reading scientific papers and research studies has become a leisure activity.

#youmightbeanautismparentif you still observe "quiet time" only so you can have a little break in order to maintain your sanity.

#youmightbeanautismparent if you can whip up an amazing dinner free of gluten, dairy, and a whole host of other allergens.

#youmightbeanautismparentif your house looks like an occupational therapy clinic.

#youmightbeanautismparentif your kids say the darndest things because they use words they've memorized and don't know what they mean.

#youmightbeanautismparentif your child makes their own loud noise to drown out the quiet noise that they can't filter.

#youmightbeanautismparentif you feel like you have autism-induced OCD parenting skills - think 20 steps ahead, pre-teach, repeat, etc...

#youmightbeanautismparentif you know autism families who lost everything because insurance wouldn't pay for appropriate care and therapy.

#youmightbeanautismparentif your child is bullied and doesn't really understand it as kids being mean.

#youmightbeanautismparentif your child wears earmuffs or headphones in the summer.

#youmightbeanautismparentif your best friends in the world - the people who support you without question - are on Twitter and Facebook.

#youmightbeanautismparentif you stopped attending church regularly because it was just too much to handle.

#youmightbeanautismparentif you've turned into a medical, legal and educational expert since the diagnosis.

#youmightbeanautismparentif you've ever heard your child's screaming bouncing off the back walls of a big box store during a meltdown.

#youmightbeanautismparentif you have to leave the house with a sensory toolkit just to survive.

#youmightbeanautismparentif you hear perfectly scripted Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, and other cartoons all day long.

#youmightbeanautismparentif your child wandered and didn't respond when you called out their name as you drove by and didn't see them.

#youmightbeanautismparentif you've ever had toys thrown at your head while driving because you dared to go a different way to the store.

Here are some of my favorites from other Tweeps (the people I’m connected with on Twitter!):

#youmightbeanautismparentif you can talk about your child's perseveration as if it was your own, even if it never comes up

#youmightbeanautismparentif many of your strongest friendships are with people you've never met in real life.

#youmightbeanautismparentif you think this is the greatest hashtag EVER

#YouMightBeAnAutismParentIf you fear days off of school because it disrupts the routine.

#youmightbeanautismparentif you have to resist feeling smug if an NT child does something inappropriate & your child didn't

#Youmightbeanautismparentif Your child has NEVER bought a school lunch.........has always brought lunch from home.

#youmightbeanautismparentif you are fighting for autism insurance reform and to end discrimination.

#youmightbeanautismparentif you speak in acronyms GFCFSF, ASD, SPD, IEP, LRE, FAPE, ABA, ADOS, DAN, PDD-NOS, PT, OT, SLP

#youmightbeanautismparentif If you child can learn more from computers and television then they can from human interaction.

#YouMightBeAnAutismParentIf You celebrate the simple things, like a peaceful car ride or a full night's sleep.

#youmightbeanautismparentif if you’re unemployed and it’s not because of the economy.

#Youmightbeanautismparentif taking a shower equals 'me time'.

#youmightbeanautismparentif this hashtag shows you the whole purpose of #Twitter.

#youmightbeanautismparentif you use tag-team parenting with your spouse. Is my turn for a time out yet?

#youmightbeanautismparentif your child IS Amelia Bedelia.

#youmightbeanautismparentif you've read enough books on #autism that you could practically be a doctor yourself

#youmightbeanautismparentif You've had to explain to ignorant people that #autism is not contagious. (true story)

#youmightbeanautismparentif one moment, you feel completely alone & the next, you're a part of a large, passionate & supportive community.

#youmightbeanautismparentif you stop going to experts for help and realise you ARE the experts!

There is MUCH more than this on Twitter. I hope you can join us and be a part of the conversation! I can’t wait to see what else shows up in this thread. Follow me @CaffeineAutiMom! You can also click on the Twitter widget to the right of this post to get started.

P.S. If you're not into the whole Twitter thing, at least "Like" my blog on Facebook! :-) We have lots of fun over at Facebook, too!

A really awesome GFCF giveaway!

If you were on Facebook over the weekend, you know that I promised some big news on Monday. Are you ready? I’m doing an awesome giveaway! Really, really awesome. Like $200 awesome! Do I have your attention? Good!

I was over at Earth Monkey Moms the other day (you remember my Extreme Makeover Home Edition friend) and they were doing a giveaway that was super cool. They were giving away 10 spots in an upcoming live online dietary coaching program on how to start the GFCF diet for your kids. As it turns out, the consultant that offered up the prizes was someone I wrote a guest post for back in September. You can read that post at the Apples to Oranges blog here.

Anyway, I left a comment on the EMM blog that day, mentioning that if they picked me as a winner that I would happily forfeit it to someone else. After all, I do talks and meetings all the time about the GFCF diet through my support group and nonprofit organization. I don’t really need this kind of class when so many others out there could really use the info so much more than me!

Guess what? I ended up being one of the winners. And guess what else? Lindsay at EMM told me to keep the prize! And guess what I’m doing with that prize? I’m giving it away to one of you, my dear readers!

Can I just reiterate how awesome this prize is? I'm doing a little happy dance for you right now! Do you like that visual? Anyway....sorry. I'm just a teeny bit excited. 

I can tell you from my own experience that when you first start dealing with dietary restrictions it can be very overwhelming and scary. So, how cool would it be to have someone hold your hand through the process?

The dietary coach and fellow mother warrior is Lori Brienesse-Frank, and she is the gal behind Apples to Oranges Consulting. She will take you through everything you need to know about the GFCF diet in the 8-week live webinar series, which will begin in January.  

Christmas is coming early for one lucky reader this week! Would you like to know how to win? The only mandatory requirement is to leave a comment below this post, but please use the widget I’ve included below. The rest of the items listed will give you bonus entries if you complete them. So, fill in the little blanks and check the little boxes and you are done, my friends.  

I can’t think of a better way to start the New Year, than with some professional guidance from a dietary coach like Lori. You only have a few days to enter, so get moving! Good luck!

Extreme Makeover Home Edition: The McPhail Family

Do you remember me telling you about my friend in Oregon and how her family was chosen to receive an Extreme Makeover Home Edition? Well, their 2-hour episode will air tonight on ABC at 8:00pm!

My friend Lindsay and her husband C.J. have 3 adorable boys, and 2 of them are diagnosed on the autism spectrum. I was so excited the whole week of their makeover and you may remember me posting many updates about it on Facebook.

I wasn’t able to be in Oregon to help (although I would have loved to have been there in person!), so I participated as best as I could from here. I had the opportunity to help with fundraising through an auction, and I also found a web broadcast of the live news coverage of their reveal. I was bawling. So, take that as fair warning that you better have a box of Kleenex at the ready before you turn on the show tonight.  

I thought you might like a little background on their story. This is courtesy of a September 7, 2011 write-up from the Extreme Makeover Home Edition Facebook page:

“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” traveled to Medford, Oregon, to surprise the McPhail family with the door knock that can change lives.

As a young newly married couple, C.J. and Lindsay McPhail decided they wanted to spend their lives helping others. They started the Southern Oregon Chapter of Sparrow Clubs, a non-profit organization, which helps children with medical issues by pairing them with a school which adopts them as their school’s "Sparrow." C.J. found himself speaking to students, businesses, and anyone who would listen about the incredible power Sparrow Clubs gives to both students and Sparrows. His amazing ability as a public speaker motivated thousands of students to raise funds, perform service work, and create programs all in the name of their Sparrow. Not only were C.J. and Linsday a part of raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for kids with medical needs, they were also able to help transform schools through challenging students to look beyond themselves and serve.

C.J. and Lindsay never imagined though they would one day need the help from the very same organization they devoted so much of their time to. Soon after moving to Portland and running a chapter there, their oldest son Sawyer was diagnosed with a form of Autism and their second oldest son Thatcher began to start showing signs of Autism as well. With their children regressing, the family moved back to Medford to live on a 50-acre family property next to Lindsay’s parents. The boys showed great progress, but Sawyer still faced several challenges due to his lack of social cues. Much to the family’s surprise, Sawyer became a Sparrow and through his endearing personality, he helped put a face on autism and brought awareness to over 900 students in his adopted school.

And, this comes from the Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition Facebook page:

Ty and the design team head to the community of Medford, Oregon to surprise the McPhail family. CJ and Lindsay McPhail have dedicated their lives to helping their community in many ways but especially children with severe medical needs. After years of helping families in difficult circumstances, they were dealt a devastating blow when two of their own three young boys were diagnosed with autism. Despite their difficulties, the McPhails still continue to give back to their community. This week The McPhails are sent off on a spectacular Hawaiian vacation while Ty and the designers summon a volcano to take down the house and build them a custom designed home to help their family deal with the special challenges autism brings. This week, Ty and the team are helped out with some very special guests. Temple Grandin gives some insight on the world of autism, while Chris Powell from “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition” sheds light on the benefits of gluten-free cooking, then sticks around to help build a boot camp that mom Lindsay can run out of her home. Later, they team up with Autism Speaks to “Light it up Blue” all around the world to spread autism awareness.

I had a chance to speak with Lindsay the other day as we counted down to the airing of her family’s episode. This is what she shared with me:

My biggest soap box during the whole week and really in life in general was that I want parents of kids on the spectrum to know that they are not alone...that there are millions of us around the world and while are children all struggle with different issues, we are sisters in the fight! Just like my plight to all moms I think that we have to be real about our struggles as moms and feelings of guilt and inadequacy and then know that NO ONE has it ALL together.

I am really hoping that ABC chooses to use some of the ample footage of meltdowns the boys had throughout the week and not just show the fun shots. I want people to see autism...maybe not our scary meltdowns (just because I want to honor our boys) but we had plenty of TV appropriate meltdowns. J

If you would like to see more from this wonderful family, visit the McPhail family Facebook page. You can also view lots of great pictures of their new home being built at the Extreme Makeover Home Edition Jackson County Facebook page. And, there is some great footage of Lindsay and her husband C.J. as they speak to the media for the first time after the reveal.

And, just so you know… Lindsay is a wonderful autism mommy blogger and small business owner. Please check out her cool blogging community, Earth Monkey Moms, and her company, Earth Monkeys, which makes an eco-friendly line of portable baby and toddler accessories that are made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. 

I wish them nothing but love. They are a wonderful family and I am honored to call Lindsay my friend.

(One last thing! Please do me a huge favor. I don’t have cable, so don’t spoil the juicy details of the show for me! I have to wait until it’s posted on the ABC website before I can watch it! Be nice and don’t spill the beans. Thanks! J)