Day one on the elimination diet has been a HUGE success. No artificial colors or flavors consumed today, minimal dairy, minimal wheat and eggs (despite a preschool slip-up, but we're pretty happy with just the artificial stuff being eliminated at this point), and only one little meltdown upon being told it was time to come in from bike riding for dinner, which Piper pulled herself out of (by clinging to my leg, but what the hey, she pulled out). In fact, none of the girls ate much artificial (Chloe had a hotdog, and Phoebe had an otterpop earlier in the day), and Phil says putting them to bed was positively DREAMY.

Oh, and I had to hold off on giving Piper benadryl tonight, because the chewables are chock full of artifical colors! So she got Zyrtec instead.

So I think I missed something on Miss Piper. I actually feel not so great as a mom at this point...

Piper started having her tantrums just before she turned three, between 2.5 and 3. At the same time she'd just gotten a new sibling, and her big sister who'd been home with her all the time started kinder, and she decided to potty train and go to preschool.

That's a lot going on... and it could have been any of those things.

BUT... what I missed was it was about two months after we had treated her food allergies, and since we'd seen no outward changes upon her eating those previous allergens, we let her eat them all (minus nuts and shellfish, of course).

They seemed to get better over the last year until about two or three months ago. At this time she had to give up her preschool offered nap (which she really seemed to need about 2-3 times per week), and her tantrums became frequent again. She's having two or three per day lately. Last night she screamed for over half an hour because her doll didn't have pants.

Of course for dessert, she'd had ice cream... mint chip ice cream, no less.

Let's see, dairy, sugar, and probably artificial color/flavor.

And last night it clicked for me. I don't think she's completely outgrown her allergies. I think it's all manifesting behaviorally.

I also started searching more on the internet, and I came across the Feingold program:

http://www.feingold.org/pg-overview.html

among a lot of other resources talking about artificial colors - and flavors, but mostly the colors - as culprits for a LOT of children's behavioural issues.

As of this morning we're cutting WAY back on her sugar intake, minimizing her wheat and egg intake, and essentially cutting her dairy and artificial color/flavor intake. She's all for it, she doesn't like how she feels when she's having tantrums. So she's been talking a LOT about what she can't have anymore, and wearing it like a badge. She wants an answer probably as badly as I do.

I continue on the challenge not to go to the grocery store until Monday. We're well on track for that - and at that time it will be for basic staples, such as milk, OJ, sour cream, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese from Costco, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, eggs and a few others from Trader Joes, and produce from the Milk Pail. No need to buy meats this round.

I have also been looking at other extraneous costs. As such, I've turned off the air conditioner and opened the windows (allergies aren't too bad right now), unplugged appliances not in use (this includes the microwave - we don't need the little digital clock up all the time there), I've started running laundry on cold using half detergent, half oxyclean. I am giving thought to a clothesline in the garage - both green AND financially friendly - but this may be a bit longer term of a project as it requires the space available to put it up. Looks like it may be time to Craigslist some of the bike stuff, we have a loooooot of wheels, and a few bike frames collecting dust, a mountain bike - and I need to figure out if I"m going to get around to using my fixie. I'd LIKE to use it, but it still requires more purchases to be useable, tires, tubes, rimstrip (I may have this already, I'm not sure). I'll give it a little more time. I rode it a bit, and then had a flat, with sew-ups on, on the road. It's sat since while I tried to get some fixed-gear wheels with clincher rims. I have them now, it's just a matter of putting it all together.

I had someone talking about getting a side of beef and raising a hog for butcher. These are both great ideas, but, well, not here.

It's a bit humorous, actually, in the process of using up the food we have, the kids are being forced a bit to open up their palates... and they are! Not without a fight, but they are accepting eating that which is given to them.