shake and bake homemade popcorn - progress reports are in

shake and bake homemade popcorn

this is where it's at - pj's, harry potter and popcorn.

mac and abbie brought home super duper progress reports.  we didn't go through their book bags until sunday night (yea we procrastinate!) and boy what a fun celebratory dinner we had.  you better believe i was reminiscing...  it's unbelievable what a difference a year has made with the two of them.  never in a million years did i think mac would earn an A in handwriting... and i was definitely holding.my.breath with abbie.  was her academic progress just a dream?  would she continue to improve on pace with the rest of the class' expectations in 2nd grade?!  yippy ki-yaaaaaa, she's right on target!!  

this better food=better brains thang is foh real.  i mean, i simply can't give chris and my genetics all the credit now, that would just not be seeing the big picture.  HA!

...however, abbie lost her glasses somewhere, somehow yesterday... and we can't find them.  argh!!

the best "shake and bake" homemade popcorn

1/3 c organic popcorn kernels

2-3 T organic coconut oil (i scoop and dump it... eyeball style)

sea salt

melt the oil in a large pan over med high heat.  place three popcorn kernels in the oil, salt it and lid it.  wait until the few kernels pop and then dump the rest to shake and bake.  background dancers necessary & a clear lid is super fun.

xoxo

day 240 - abbie update - our food and ADHD

abbie stalled a little and she's back on track.  it's funny how i get complacent and let things "slide" because everything is going so well.  then i begin to notice that abbie's irritable, arguing with me all of the time and just not herself again.  this time around there were two things i needed to adjust.  i started buying strawberries again and giving them to her in every lunch and for dessert at night.  they are very high in salicylates which is the culprit i think.  i am not eliminating them from her diet, i'm just not going to go bonkers on them like i did for awhile.  i also figured out her breakfasts were not hearty enough.  i added back in some protein here and there (turkey bacon, protein powder in smoothies, chicken & apple sausage links) and she responded immediately.

abbie went through her final reading testing for the year.  she has finished her 1st grade year at independent reading level I and level K instructional.  it was a crazy celebration the other night.  she got the special plate for dinner.  we could not be more proud of her and more thankful for the support of her teachers and administrators.

never in my wildest dreams did i think my little abbie would start out 1st grade at level A and get to level I sitting in those intervention meetings and hearing about her struggle at the beginning of the year.  it was like pulling teeth to get her to sit still, not moan and read with me.  torture.  that sure was the best thunderstorm of our life.  this sun feels so good.  summer is almost here!!

found some goodies for you today!

i didn't realize that my favorite morning radio talk show host has a similar story to mine!

kathy hart on how she investigated environmental links to her son's ADHD

thanks cathleen and lucas for sending this article clipping to me!

here are some great tuesday links on how a food change can help with ADHD, irritability and sensory processing:

the role of diet and behaviour in childhood

alternative ADHD treatment: can diet ease symptoms?

can diet changes really improve ADHD? another mom's story

happy reading my little nerds

xoxo

to all the teachers in our life...

did you know?

that almost my entire family are teachers?

my mom, sister, 2 brother-in-laws, sister-in-law...it's kinda crazy...

and then when you figure how many friends of ours are teachers and administrators...it really adds up to a ton of teachers in our life.

for the past 1.5 years, the staff at abbie's school have been working like crazy to help her catch up...help us figure out how to help her.  reading resource, social work, occupational/sensory interventions...in fact, without the comment one of the staff members regarding a gluten free/dairy free diet and its potential to help abbie...would i have even decided to take that next step?  one can never know...

what if there are more abbie's out there?  what if she is not the only one?  and a change in diet could help unlock more little brains and make all of these heroic (and often unnoticed) efforts of teachers and schools amount to a substantial increase of academic achievement?

i wanted to beat myself over the head when working with abbie before the food change...she just wasn't with me.  and when your brain can't be there...no change in curriculum, staff or school could have made a difference with our abbie.  she never would have caught up.  she might have always been on a caseload...

thank you fairhaven school.  thank you for never giving up on abbie.  a diet change + the academic assistance you gave her = crazy success.  you all are making a difference.  never ever doubt it.

man oh man oh man.

can you just imagine...

i think some hope just might be out there... for realz.

xoxo

data snap shots - kindergarten to present day

adele

oh adele.  i hear you.

yesterday was a big day - we had parent teacher conferences for both abbie and mac and we were walking on sunshine-snowflakes when we left the buildings together.

chris and i have never felt like more of team.

so without further ado, here are the data snapshots of abbie's progress from kindergarten thru today, beginning with the school's kindergarten screening report from a year ago.


Kindergarten Report of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Anxiety and Behavior Screening 

this report was alarming to both of us.  especially to me with a background in speech and language pathology.  however, it was this phrase that kept me from panicking too much at that point:

"For abbie, these scores may be slightly elevated because the youngest age on which this instrument (CTRS-3 or CPRS-3) has been normed is six years old.  Abbie is currently five years, seven months old.  However, even thought T-scores are slightly elevated, they still reflect an at-rist or clinically significan level of concern."

ehhhh, perhaps she'll grow out of this...i kept telling myself.

soon after this report, we decided to have her independently screened.  i knew that she had some sensory processing issues and i wanted to see if we could tease out any specific issues and get her some tutoring to catch her up.

Kindergarten Discovery Learning Institute General Assessment results:

well then, something was definitely amiss...i knew for sure she had auditory processing issues and was very alarmed to know she couldn't even finish some of the tests with a one on one teacher.  i began to work with her as much as i could at home (which was a h.u.g.e. struggle).  we put her in summer school.  she ended 6 weeks of summer school with no improvement.  

oye oye oye.

and now....ready for some tinglies?

fast forward to today, por favor.  

here is abbie's current data, compiled (with huge thanks!!!) by her classroom teacher and reading resource teachers.  

Report card: Abbie now meets or exceeds standards in all areas except for handwriting...we'll be on that!!!

well there you have it.  

pretty fun what a food change did for miss abbie.

and in case you missed it, here is the link to my recap of days 1-95: adhd eat my dust.

i'll never forget in a million years.

in the mullies we are.

what is the mullies you ask?

my bro-in-law kevin sent me this oh so perfect mullies description:

***

Just thinking out loud....what if you asked people to write in about what they think the mullies looks like to them?  Cause I believe its a place sort of like Neverland meets The Goonies meets Bed Knobs and Broomsticks....Maybe thats crazy and is a better conversation over some wine with friends?  But I remember as kids pretending by the swing set vividly. you know what would be weird.... going over to that spot in your old yard....maybe that would be a cool picture to send to Katie!  ok i have to teach now...

***

he's right.  it's whatever you want it to be.  and i think we need to go on a field trip to my old yard:)

here's to making it up as we go...to the ends of the earth for food love.

you and me.

ps

couldn't resist taking pics of this morning's success:

for the first time, i successfully snuck kale into the morning smoothie...boooo-yaaaaaaaaa!!!

i think the colored cup helped things a bit:)

day 150 - seats are starting to fill in

oh happy happy joy joy.  boing boing boing.

i don't think today could get any better.  

singing to the mullies news #1:

as of today, abbie has gone from level a to level i in 150 days.  she is now performing above average as 1st graders in our district are expected be at level j by the end of the year.  i can't thank our classroom teacher enough for holding abbie to such high expectations...wowzers...so so appreciative of what you do for our little girl and every kiddo in your class.  you are truly making a difference L.

where o where will my little girl fly to next...

you go girl.

AND...

singing to the mullies news #2:  chances are you're gonna love this...hit play:)  this is so fun.

i just got this tinkle-in-my-pants email from my friend shelly, another hot mama in the mullies.

***

Okay, so I have to tell you….  We are truly 99.5% gluten free in our house – it has taken some time but we are really making head way with no gluten, preservative free, no GMO’s or color additives and clean healthy foods.  Still working on getting the finishing touches on the gf flour blend – ordering items on amazon tonight.  But this is what has me delighted – Ana’s teacher emailed me and informed me that Ana sat and wrote an ENTIRE page to her pen pal for 35 minutes!!  That is MASSIVE!!!  Ana could not sit for 5 minutes let alone write more than 3 sentences.  I am tickled pink and to some parents this isn’t much - but for me – it’s HUGE…  Banana was stretching to read at a level D and in the past 2 weeks she is reading D books with ease.  I am so excited  - but you know what this is all about!

It has been just about 3 weeks – two weekends of shopping all natural/clean – Mike and I haven’t spent this much time together since our honeymoon:) Oh man!  I have also added Fish oil & flax seed (smoothies are a great cover) to our daily intake.  Plus, I tell the girls everything I have added and explain why & what it does for them.  Lilly is loving this and is so interested in nutrition – “knowledge is my power” my girls have been hearing it day after day for the past 3 or so weeks.

By the way – LOVE the celery soup!  My Dad was so funny, I barely sat down on the bleachers and he was asking if I had any more – laughing at him – I told him I would bring some over the next day.  First thing in the door last Fri – he took the container with a big smile!  I made his day.

***

dancing in my kitchen...dancing for all the chances being taken.  this song is for all of you.

"chances are, we're making our own equation.

chances are all we need, chances are this could be the combination, chances come and carry me...

chances are waiting to be taken."

you go girls.

ps

singing to the mullies news #3: 

i met with our school district's board of education last night on behalf of my ambassadorship to the jamie oliver food revolution.  it was a great "hello" and the conversation ball is in play...stay tuned:)  

we're gearing up for the global food revolution day on may 17th.  it's gonna be a hoot!

day 143 - pancakes & mag for mac

mac is my oldest.  he loves breakfast, especially my waffles now that i have them back tasting better than ever.  i got up a tad early yesterday to make some at his request.  i switched it up to pancakes at the last minute.  my last few batches were out of a gf box and they were super dry and bleh.  welcome to our new pancake recipe: my kids' favorite of all time and it is my official go-to from now until the end of the world... and of course, it's from the artisanal gluten-free cookbook.  this pancake batter is so very doable on a school morning.  i made a double batch and popped them into the toaster today - yea baby.

notes:

sub my rice/coconut milk for the dairy.

sub earth balance for the butter.

i haven't talked too much about my mac.  he is 8 yrs old, now in 2nd grade.  here's a quick history:  his kindergarten teacher often talked about his "active" behavior in the classroom.  it was never a huge concern for us (i am sure the classroom disruption was a huge issue for her and the other kids though!) because there were absolutely no academic concerns.  he had abbie's current teacher in 1st grade and did very well.  he had his "quirks": silliness and lack of self-control were amongst the biggest issues in the classroom.  he also saw the social worker from time to time to deal with his "type-a-i'm-in-control-of-you" personality with his friends.  our little mac does not like to follow (we're working hard on finding a balance - he couldn't possibly have inherited that type-a personality from us... nooooooooo.)  

you know the scene in the movie old school when an oblivious, naked will ferrell yells back to his friends, "let's go streakin!"... only to find out that nobody is following him later?  yup, that could be mac in the playground running away, yelling, "let's go guys!" after explaining a new elaborate game in which you must follow mac AGAIN as his minions...   my favorite story from his preschool teacher was when mac dug deep into a deep toy chest for something, he lost his balance and fell into it head first.  he got out all flustered and yelled super mad at the entire class, "who pushed me!?!?  did you do it, or did you!!????!!!"  well nobody did my little freakshow, ya fell in all by yourself.  

our biggest concern as of late has been his transient eye tics:  he rolls them, blinks them and looks high up into to the right hand corners.  the tics wax and wane.  less in the morning, more in the evening.  some days more than other days.  they would increase with anxiety more than anything else.  especially when talking one on one with you, talking in front of a crowd or reading aloud (i'd even get some throat clearing tics in there sometimes).  the first time i noticed them was around 1-2 years old and they have been getting more frequent as he matures.

when we started the food change, i focused 90% of my attention on abbie for she was the panic button, not mac.

but boy oooooooh boy, has he benefitted from this food craziness.  his teacher shared some of the changes that have occurred over the past few months with me:

- he regulates his emotions better in the classroom.  he would start to cry in the classroom if he didn't get something he wanted, like friday free-time.  oof.
- he exhibits much improved self-control in the classroom - i.e. he knows when it's appropriate to be silly and when to stop.  this was a huge issue last year.
- his handwriting is dramatically better.  no more reversals in numbers and i literally thought he brought home the wrong paper one day.

she was very clear in that she didn't know if it was the food change or not...kids hit emotional & physical growth spurts all the time...who knows...but it has been a significant enough change for her to go out of her way to tell me - oh oh thank you!

chris and i have noticed the following:

- he is kinder & less emotional at home.  he shows more patience with his siblings...to a certain point:)
- he is no longer showing any eye tics.

wait, what, back up...no more tics?

my pancake broke due to shock.

do i know exactly why mac's tics have gone away?  can i point to a definitive cause?  nope.  i can't even tell you exactly when they stopped over the past week.  all i know is that they aren't there anymore.  the biggest difference (other than our cleaner diet for the past 143 days) is that i increased his magnesium rich foods (thanks to the suggestion of the nutritionist we've been working with).  when i make smoothies or ice cream, i try and remember to break open some calcium-magnesium pills into them.  since finding the kick butt gf flour blend, i have been baking a ton more and thus he has been eating a more whole grains (brown rice is #1 for magnesium content).  compared to the other two, he definitely requests and eats more bread, waffles and pancakes.  he loves and has been eating more almonds and cashews.  last week, i purchased some magnesium bath salts and let him soak until he turned into a raisin one night...i also gave him one back massage with some magnesium oil.  gotta do that more!!!

could it be that he has a magnesium deficiency?   i have no idea if it was a singular act or the combination of acts (clean food & more mag) that can take credit for the tic abolishment.  it could be that none of this had any effect and he just "grew out of it" this month.  it could be that the tic's will come back next week or a month from now and i'll look like a silly idiot in all of this.  or that he still has them at school or at friends' houses and he is more relaxed at home so.......who knows, who cares...they're GONE baby.

my parents went to florida last weekend.  i told them to check mac out and they looked at me like i had gone mad.  his tics would always be the most frequent in the evening.  the past few nights they've been over at night to see him eye-tic-free.  will this last?  oh honey, i sure hope so.

i found these mango peach omega 3 packs for the kids and have been sneaking them into the morning oj or smoothie.  today, i used my aerolatte wand to really blend it in and that worked pretty well compared to the spoon method (which, mind you, they did not notice the small clumps even then).  of course, the added bubbles freaked mac out and he didn't want to drink it because he saw me putting it in his cup.  darn-nit!!  to the moon alice!!!  i've been giving it to you for 4 days - stop being a sissy mary!!!!!!  so i explained what it was, why omega-3's are good for you...yada's, and he drank it all up.

these pancakes are truly melt in your mouth wonderful...and chalk full of the mag baby.  

nom nom nom.

yea, i threw out the cap to the maple syrup.  

i think i need more mag.

oh just bag it.

ps

i am soooo making this recipe soon...i can't wait to try it, found it from here just now.

day 137 - ABBIE'S CELEBRATION DAY

this little lady is going to get a surprise celebration tonight when she gets home.

are you ready for this one?  did you hit play yet?!?!?!?!?

this morning, i received an unexpected conference call with some very special teachers and administrators at abbie's school.  they had crazy exciting news to share:  abbie's records were taken last week and she is currently reading at level g independently.  

137 days ago, she was reading a grade level behind at level a.  

where are the smelling salts!? 

she is now a tad above grade level expectations and has been officially released from reading intervention.  abbie will be spending her entire day in the classroom.  NO MORE PULLOUT. 

YYYEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!

(this also could be a picture for when i screw up a recipe)

i think we all started crying.  this we did not expect.  to all of abbie's teachers and staff at fairhaven school:  thank you so very very much for supporting abbie, for supporting this food change as a viable intervention, for cheering us on and for giving me the courage to stick with a food change and not give up too soon.  

thank you for never making me feel like i was jumping off the plank.  the sharks never got her.  

to catherine, without you doing the research so many years ago, trying it first and telling me about it all...it never would have happened.  you were the first drop.  thank you.

we did it!

every tear is a wate... ok, ok, ok i hear you loud and clear...THERE'S A PARTY GOING ON IN HERE...

ps

some articles for your reading pleasure:

abc news: more fake food than real food on our grocery shelves

ADHD rate on the rise in california

the importance of gut health in the treatment of ADHD and sensory processing disorders

treating ADHD & sensory processing disorders


pps



did you know that certain everyday foods can trip your brain out?  foods that make you hallucinate.  yikes!  well that story got my wheels turning and i found a bunch of stuff that relates to the gut-brain connection.  here are some links to help connect the dots...  if you believe in all this hocus pocus:)

5 foods to eat if your feeling blue

sweet soda drink & depression

oh snap! eating fastfood can make you sad...really.

anxious are you? try cutting out these foods.

panic attacks vs real food

7 foods to make you happy baby

abbie update - day 84

hot diggity diz-nog

i feel like dancing!

80 days ago, abbie was a full grade level behind in reading (A-) and not reading at all in spanish.

hot off the presses from abbie's teacher:

"We are reading a level E in English now and soon to be B in Spanish"

sweet fancy moses people!!!

have a fabuloso weekend and eat some really good food,

the mullies loves ya.

abbie update - day 61

yesterday, i went to abbie's school to have our last team meeting.  never in my wildest dreams did i think the crazy train i started two months ago would land us here today on day 61.  i felt like pinching myself a few times in my chair, is this really happening!?  OMG, this really really worked!!!  to think, our last meeting was on sept 19 and we were all sitting together in the danger zone, red flag, hello, this little girl needs major help and we gotta stop dicking around (my words, not theirs:).

the meeting was one BIG celebration with her classroom teacher, social worker, reading teacher, psychologist and two other resource teachers.  abbie will no longer be needing to meet with the social worker and she will continue to get reading resource help in tier 2 (no longer tier 3!).  looking back, the inappropriate social behavior abbie was showing since kindergarten was probably the most shocking for chris and i to hear about.   what do you mean she isn't making friends?!  what do you mean she is not responding appropriately?!  for over a month now, she has been behaving and responding like a normal 1st grader...the news is just music to our ears.  she is making progress with her reading and staying on task...sometimes, it's hard to even break her out of her concentration!  holy wow batman.

her classroom teacher put it perfectly, 

"the abbie that we all knew was inside of her is finally out there for us all to see".  

i am forever changed with food.  all the magazine articles, books, movies, utube, tv spots of information...it was all there in front of me before our day 1.  all of it.  they were all just little voices & flashes that would come and go...all saying, "yada yada yada" and i just went on my merry way.  

i would respond a number of ways to the food information out there, dr oz, food inc, jamie oliver, supersize me, etc:  oh, that would be too hard and too expensive.  my kids like the food i give them.  i like the food i eat...don't touch my food or judge me, how dare you, you food SNOB!?!  that just doesn't apply to me or my kids.  we are normal.  why would the food companies want to hurt us?  ...stay away from processed food?  what?  yea right, where did i put my cheetos...mmmm.  let's go to mcdonalds!!!  maybe next month i'll change when my f'ing life slows down.  i don't have the time and i do not feel like cooking tonight...tomorrow, yea tomorrow.  chicken nuggets again anyone?  wait, or even better little ceasars!!!!!  maybe i'll make a salad for myself.

hahahahahahahaha, oh man...i did love, and still crave those mcdonald's fries....it is possible you could find me huddled in a corner someday, stuffing myself with fries yelling "don't touch me!!!!".

i would never have done this if not for my panicked moment 61 days ago: "i have to do something, anything... before we start pharmaceuticals".  after all of this, i truly believe that abbie could have come out of this needing something more... and hello dr, i'd be calling you yesterday:)  i'm a research girl.  if it's not proven, well, it's not broke so don't fix it.

so now that our little experiment is "over" and my hypothesis has been proven, i am left asking myself: 

"so what the hell-holio are you going to do with this amazing, life altering experience/information?"  

well, here's my plan:  

1. keep blogging..perhaps a little less frequently though:)

2. take baby steps into being one of the best volunteer food revolution ambassadors out there (that's right folks, my application was accepted by the jamie oliver team!).

3. try to be sane, realistic & down to earth while spreading the word about how food changed abbie's life and our family's life forever.   

4.  i'm pretty good with social cues... hopefully i'll know when to shut up.  

i am now one of the "yada yada yada's".

hang on to your butts, 

this is gonna be fun.

pour some unrefined organic sugar on me - i just got home from parent teacher conferences

this song just came on as i finished making something (the next post which i'm super sweet on)

...and i'm a little manic right now (can you tell?) so, i decided to just write this post and dance along as i type... sticky sweet to my head to my feet yea!!!  (this one's for you stacey and meg)

listen

so this here crazy woman just went to both parent teacher conferences and i'm singing to the mullies.

mac's teacher has seen improvement in a variety of areas (not expected!) and boy oh boy do we have a great update on abbie.

we do not have to officially meet in a month for a team meeting - hurray!!!

for those teachers & parents out there who are familiar, here's some AIMS Web data.

(if you are wondering about the spanish...here's the deal:

she is in a dual language program 

- i love our school district!! - 

...that i was considering taking her out of...well, not anymore:)

hollah

we're talking ONE MONTH PROGRESS HERE BABYCAKES

don't forget, reading levels start at the "a" level (kindergarten) and progress through the alphabet with difficulty.

a lightbulb has indeed turned on.

somebody take me out dancing!!!!!

a reading update

i spoke with abbie's teacher today:)

not only did she have a great week, but she was retested in reading....and wait for it....

prior to our food revolution, her english reading was at level A & she would not even attempt spanish (reading levels go through the alphabet as difficulty increases).  she is now testing at level C for english and A+ for spanish!!  she is also much more engaged and is really trying hard to do well.  total huge, mega change and we couldn't be more excited.

it's truly a miracle how she has changed in less than a month's time.

looks like i'll be cooking to the mullies until further notice.

sunshine on day 19

a note & update from abbie's classroom teacher

"Abbie has definitely been focusing more than I have ever seen.  Of course there are little times when I have to remind her, but she will even work when she does not think a teacher is looking.  It is like she is much more interested in school!  This is great!  Maybe I need to go on your nutrition plan..."

oh lovely days

thank you catherine, so very much.  

no preservatives

no artificial colors & flavors

no refined sugar

(almost gluten and dairy free)

2.5 weeks and counting...

TO THE MULLIEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!

enchiladas with a side of major mullies news

we had enchiladas for dinner last night.

i was nervous.

#1 i have never used this daiya cheese before, and come on it's not real cheese people.  gross.
#2 hello i put spinach in this.
#3 i have never made this ever.

here is my enchilada meat mix (in order of addition)

1 lb grass fed organic ground beef 15/20

s&p

suck out the grease

eyeballed shakes of chili powder, cumin and sweet paprika (kids don't like it too spicy)

approx 1/2 c of chicken broth (or whatever broth you have on hand...also eyeballed)

1 T of organic sucanat (or brown sugar is just fine)

1.5 T of leftover walnut pulp!!!!!  (the white stuff in the container)

simmer with the lid on

i mixed the mozzarella and cheddar shreds

                                          

nuke the tortilla about 20 seconds before you put it together. 

trust me, if you don't, it'll break and not make a pretty little burrito baby.

mac had to leave early for flag football so i made his first...next time, when we all eat together, i'll use a bigger baking dish and line them all up.  

this small dish really worked well for small portions (2 enchiladas actually fit in mine) & staggered eating...key for busy nights.

open WIIIDDDDEEEEEEE

 ok, so i had to feed tommy...but he ate almost the entire thing!  mac ate an entire one by himself.  I split abbie and tommy's 1st enchilada because i was not holding my breath... 

abbie asked for another one an hour later.  

abbie has never like cheese in the past so i was totally floored by the daiya.  it melts like cheese and tastes darn good heated up.  i do not recommend eating it out of the bag...just not like the real deal.  

and how about that walnut pulp!?  you could not even tell it was in there, super awesome.

and for the very best news...

abbie's reading teacher emailed me with an update:  "I have noticed a positive difference in Abbie's attention level since I've been working with her again.  She is pretty much on task the entire 30 minutes of the reading lesson.  She continues to read to herself (which is what she is supposed to do) when I'm listening to other students, follows my directions, and is engaged in the lesson."  

i read this while i was cooking the enchiladas, listening to the holiday soundtrack (oh love that movie)...so of course, i got a teansy weansy bit emotional.  i mean the director even said "cut". 

this sh*t is working man.  to the mullies i say.

football and flashcards

perhaps it's the magic of monday night football, but tonight was so much fun.  abbie received her first spelling list and sight word list today and we went to the mattresses.  we made a little ring of flash cards.  a few hours later, abbie went up to each and everyone (nine family members) and read her cards to them.   she practically attacked them to read to them.  and asked me six times if she could bring them to school to read to her teacher.  football and flashcards.  hot damn.  really!?  3 days.  oh man, i'm gonna sleep good tonight.  cuz on top of seeing my little girl's reading confidence begin, i won my first game in the family's fantasy football league.  booo-ya, it was a very nice night.