Heading into November

Hello, mid-November. Where did you come from?!

She loves playing that purple guitar

The last few weeks has been a whirlwind of visits with family and friends. David’s mom came to help us while he had knee surgery (which went well and he headed back to his daily yoga practice two weeks post-op).

Each visit was wonderful, although I admit that we may have been burning the candle at both ends these past two months. As soon as our company left, we all took turns being sick, battling stomach flu, head colds and fevers. Clearly we needed to rest and recover, plus find time to knit.

Knitting

Now we’re (finally!) feeling healthy and it’s time to get back to the rhythm of daily life just the four of us. After being stir crazy at home, it’s a treat to step outside and enjoy this gorgeous California fall weather. Family nature walks, autumn festivals, trips to the playground, and time with friends were much appreciated treats this week.

I caught him standing on the piano to look out the window

With homeschooling and the holidays coming, every moment feels full. We have some major crafting and gift making ahead of us this month too! I can’t believe we have just over one week until Thanksgivukkah. Have you started getting ready for the holidays yet?

And, yes, that photo is of my son standing on the piano so he can get a better look through the window. That boy…

Gearing Up For the Great Candy Swap or How We Celebrate Halloween With Our Gluten-Free Child

Halloween shall be tricky for us this year. For the past month our daughter has been gluten-free (like me!) and it’s made a world of difference.

How We Celebrate Halloween With Our Gluten-Free Child

It’s not that she was sick before. On the contrary, she has an incredible immune system and is rarely ill.

We’ve just finally completely cut out all gluten from her diet and discovered that her response to it is similar to mine: when we eat gluten we typically feel crappy, overwhelmed, exhausted (like we have the flu), overly sensitive, and cry for no absolutely reason. Who needs that?!

So now our whole family is gluten-free and probably the happiest we’ve ever felt. (Plus no one feels left out, because we feel supported since we’re in this together.)

Celebrating Halloween this year, however, shall take some extra planning since most candy is chock full of gluten. I want our gluten-free child to feel special, not excluded, in celebrating Halloween!

She informed us that since she’s gluten-free, the neighbors are going to give her only gluten-free candy. If only it were that easy!

How We Celebrate Halloween With Our Gluten-Free Child

In preparation for the big day I’ve been hoarding gluten-free (fair-trade, non-gmo, all-natural) chocolates and candy (aka the expensive, good stuff!), so we can trade it with our eldest as she Trick or Treats.

How We Celebrate Halloween With Our Gluten-Free Child

The real swap, however, will occur after the children fall asleep when the Candy Fairy arrives to stealthily dispose of the hard earned (gluten-free) candy and leave pretend cupcakes for the play kitchen (and a book or two) in its place at our daughter’s request.

What does your family do with all that Halloween candy? Our dentist buys back candy from kids by the pound, but I particularly like the idea of making candy houses. We could even keep (hide!) the candy to make our gingerbread houses in December. That’s the thing about candy: it keeps for a long time… if you can not eat it in the interim.

How We Celebrate Halloween With Our Gluten-Free Child

If we keep the candy, I think David needs to be the one who hides it though. If I know where it’s located, there’s NO WAY the candy will last until December. ;)

The Most Important Step When Roasting Pumpkin Seeds

I used to be one of those people who would make myself sick eating so many (delicious!) roasted pumpkin seeds.

Then I stumbled upon this simple trick and haven’t had a (pumpkin seed induced) stomach ache since.

Here’s what you do:

After removing the seeds from the pumpkin, thoroughly wash them, then boil them in salted water for ten minutes before patting them dry, and roasting them as you normally would. (Evidently soaking the seeds makes them more digestible!)

The Most Important Step When Roasting Pumpkin Seeds

We like to toss pumpkin seeds with a light coating of olive oil and sprinkle of salt, and cook them for 15-20 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Simple, easy, and works every time.

Did you know you can eat any type of squash seed, not just pumpkin? The picture above is of butternut squash seeds. How cool is that?!

I have a feeling we’ll be enjoying roasted seeds all winter long.

How do YOU like to cook them?