The house was still dark as morning crept upon the family from the east.  Filling each room was only silence and the fresh taste of a new day.  As the eastern windows began to bathe in dawn's light, cats could be heard breaking the stillness as the whir of ceiling fans spun the crisp air.  On the top floor of the home, wrapped in blankets and nestled in pillows, a child dreamt peacefully of the day to come and the many new experiences he would have.  Little did he know that there was a thief in his midst.  

At this very early hour, a thief, stealthy and sly, crept as silently as a cat along the floor of the child's room.   No one heard his steps as he moved toward his target.   The thief rounded the bed, approach the night stand where the coveted treasure lay.  He sat down and, ever so delicately, brushed his fingers over his prize.   After years of planning and waiting, the moment was here.  After briefly glancing back at the sleeping child, he lifted up the piece.  It was made of ceramic and was nearly as big as his head.  He turned it over and saw the expected black plug barring his way to victory. 

Just then, the thrill of victory overtook him and he yanked out the plug.  He wanted to see the coins, feel the coins.  Forgetting about the victim still sleeping in the bed, the thief began to shake the coins out of the bank.   With every shake, coins fell loudly to the floor.  And, with every shake, the thief became every more entranced by the sight of the coins and he feverishly continued.   Suddenly, a loud scream broke his trance and he looked over to find the child sitting up in his bed.  

"No!" yelled the sleepy child, who had been awoken by the clinking of pennies.

The thief panicked.  Greed had foiled his perfect plan. Grabbing as many pennies in each hand as he could hold, he stood up and ran from the room yelling, "Pennies!  I want Pennies." 

By this point, the parents on the first floor had been alerted to the crime and were ascending the staircase.  The little thief quickly disappeared into his own room where he dumped all the pennies on his bed and quickly attempted to put them into his own dinosaur "piggy" bank before the police could arrive.  

While the little thief was caught and made to return the money, he was not given any time.  Charges were dropped and he was forgiven.  Fortunately for the thief, daddy arrived before his victim was able to get the sand out of his eyes.  I'm not sure that the outcome would have been quite as favorable otherwise.  

I need to update the KIDS FOOD SUBSTITUTE LISTS:

1. Spaghetti Os - Originally I stated: "The original variety with meatballs contains dextrose and sugar. "  Either they changed the recipe or I missed the HFCS.   All Spaghetti Os have HFCS.  Try Annie's.  My boy's love the Arthur loops.  Or, for fun canned quick lunch, try Cambell's Goldfish and Meatball chicken soup.  It doesn't contain HFCS, it has fun fish shapes and the coveted meatballs.  

2. Cereal - We found a replacement for Fruit Loops/Fruity Pebbles and other "fruit" cereals.  Try Barbara's Organic Wild Puffs (Fruity Punch).  The pieces are shaped like fruit but there is not a trace of fruit in the ingredients.  Moreover, it is wheat free and organic.   We also found a great graham cereal called Graham Bumpers by the same folks who make the Peanut Butter butters.  This wheat free cereal is great!  

3. Pepperidge Farm Goldfish - Either Pepperidge Farm changed the recipe or I made a mistake, the original goldfish does not contain HFCS nor do some of the other varieites.  My son enjoys the pretzels, the "flavor blasted" cheesy fish, original cheese fish and the graham fish.  The graham fish are important because most graham snacks are laden with HFCS.   

4. Cheese and Cracker Packs - Because my son has started school, he wants me to send the cheese and cracker packs in his lunch.  Until this point, I hadn't found one with HFCS.  However, I found one.  It is the DISNEY magic Selections brand.  Apparently, Disney's extended its tentaticles beyond entertainment and are now processing food products.  These are called Cheese 'n Sticks.  The packaging is decorated with Lilo and Stitch.  Be Careful!  There are two varities - one has HFCS and the other doesn't.  The one without HFCS is sticks with cheese and the one with HFCS is crackers and cheese.

5. Yogurt - Dannon makes several all natural varieties now to compete with Horizon & Stoneyfield.   There is a six pack of all natural yogurts in blueberry and strawberry.  My son has no problems with these products.  Remember, if you can tolerate moderat amounts of fructose, the dark berries will be your best bet.   Dannan's vanilla, plain and coffee yogurts are all natural and always have been. 

6. Ketchup - Our local grocery store, Publix, has its own Greenwise brand.  They market an all natural ketchup that is cheaper than buying the brand names.   Look for this in your local stores.  

7. Hamburgers - Good news for you burger loves!  I have located a NORMAL hamburger bun in Target that does NOT contain HFCS.  Most of my substitutes have been too big, too hard or too ...well, not like a hamburger bun.  If you have a Super Target near you, look for the store brand or bakery buns.  Check the ingredients because I do not know if this product is available in all stores or at all times.  But it was in two local Super Targets here in Georgia!  Kudos to Target!! 

8 Oreo Cookies - There is nothing like a genuine Oreo Cookie.  Unfortunetly, DFI folks can't eat these American staples because of the HFCS.  Nabisco did come out with an organic variety (along with organic chips a'hoy etc.)  The product was sweetened with sugar - not HFCS.  Unfortunately, the product didn't last and is no longer on the shelves.  As the Nabisco rep explained, people didn't want to pay over $3.00 for a small tray of organic Oreos when they can pay $1-$2 for a good- size pack of regular Oreos.  I'd pay but there aren't enough people like me to influence profit margins.  Anyway, I tried to get a case before they disappeared entirely but I was unable to do so. 

9 Flinstone Vitamins - The best news came for me when I found a Flinstone Vitamin that did not contain fruit sweetener (like the organic, all natural varieties) or sorbitol (like the regular varities.)  Flinstone Vitamins with Iron are sweetened with Sucrose and Invert Sugar.  Granted, your giving your child a dose of sugar with this vitamin and that shouldn't be the case.  But, until they learn to swallow a pill without chewing, there is no alternative for kids with DFI.  My non-DFI child takes naturally fruit sweetened Rainbow light kids vitamins.  But my DFI son, takes these sucrose sweetened gems.   It's better for DFI children to get the daily dose of vitamins with the extra sugar then to not take it at all.   They need the extra nutritional supplements more than most kids.   You can cut the sugar in something else - cereal, yogurt or that after-school lollipop treat.   Be Careful!!  Not all Flinstone Vitamins are sweetened with sucrose - ONLY the one with Iron with a red/pink label.

 There's my latest updates! Let me know if you have any additions that I can share or try myself!  Thanks for reading.

Last fall, a fellow blogger posted an emotional entry about her daughter almost drowning during vacation. After reading that post, I immediately recalled all those moments over the last six parenting years that made my heart skip a beat. Every parent knows the moment. All time stops. Your heart jumps while somewhere, your paralyzed brain fires off one essential adrenaline-charged message. It reads something like, “Oh, shit! My child could die.”

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It’s been quite sometime since I last blogged. I realize that I disappointed thousands of adoring fans, the media and my agent. And look what’s happen to the world during my absence – everything is inside-out and upside-down. So, with the weight of the world on my shoulders, I proceed to the keyboard to pick up where I left off. Two kids, two cats, one husband and a whole lot of laundry…

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