We are:

LN, a 50-ish mom of 6. I am a homemaker first and foremost, but will occasionally spend an hour or so working outside the home for a little extra cash. I had an undiagnosed birth defect to my leg bones which caused multiple knee dislocations as I entered puberty. 13 surgeries later, I walk slowly with a cane on good days and not at all on bad ones.

Update Summer, 2009: Proper nutrition and use of whole, real foods has had an incredible impact.
I now walk without a cane on all but the worst days!

From this, I have learned home remedies and management tools for dealing with chronic pain.

Hubby, an early 50′s hunk with many health challenges and a great sense of humor. Adores chocolate, Pringles, beef jerky, and me. Good thing. He has high blood pressure, high cholesterol, insomnia, sleep apnea and allergies to beef, mushrooms and corn.

Update Summer 2009: Hubby’s corn allergies are all but gone. Drinking raw milk has reduced his
lactose intolerance to near gone and his general health is much improved!

From his challenges, I have learned that sometimes you have to take the doctor’s medicine while you continue your education. Not always, though.

Marty, my  30-year-old-son lives clear on the other end of the continent from us, but is near and dear to our hearts. After seeing the improvement in our health, he is starting to look into more real foods. He had porous tooth enamel, then fluorosis when he was over-prescribed fluoride while in braces. Has very few un-root-canaled teeth left.

From his struggles, I have learned a great deal about fluoride, both in our water supply and in our toothpaste. His was the journey that led me to the studies of Weston A. Price.

Blair, a mixer of a 21-year-old who makes sure my life is never dull. She has multiple chemical sensitivities that keep her from helping with much housework, and has no interest in cooking at all, but always lends a hand caring for her siblings. She’s a published poet and soon to be published author. She travels frequently, visiting friends all over the country. Lucky. She creates clothes, not with patterns, but with cloth and imagination. She has hypoglycemia, something I experienced as a teen. A recent bout of aspartame poisoning while away from home reinforced some lessons for her in choosing her food very carefully.

From her challenges and memories of my own allergies, I have learned how to avoid chemicals in cleaning products, including making my own. I have learned that sometimes I have to be a little tougher than is comfortable for me, to get the message across.

John, the most magical 19-year-old boy a mom could hope for. He’s a magician, not just with wands, cards and hats, but in the kitchen. If the recipe calls for sugar, he’s there. He’s one of those rare people that think equally well in the mathematical and the linguistic, but he has a real talent for writing and debate. Has a metabolism that won’t quit and if he turns sideways, he’d disappear. Has porous enamel on his teeth, and had 14 fillings and 1 root canal one particularly brutal 12 month period. Lives on Ritz crackers, Pop Tarts and frozen burritos.

Update Summer 2009: John has made great strides and has weaned off the junk food. He has fallen in love with the freshly
ground peanut butter for sale at our Farmer’s Market and refuses to eat anything without the Organic seal.

How I am still learning what this child has to teach me. Well beyond the “eat your steak, dear and you can have an apple!” stage, he is very, very determined to eat only what he wants. I am hoping and praying that the improved health of his family members speaks very loudly to him in the coming weeks and months. The number one lesson I’ve learned: Don’t even let them taste it. Never, ever bring the soda, the junk food into the home.

Kate, oh, happy Kate. If she doesn’t have a smile on her face, take a picture quickly! She loves everything, but especially food. Food and animals. And dancing. And singing and playing piano. Oh, she just loves everything! She’s only 16, but works every available shift at our local zoo and has dreams of becoming an animal trainer for Hollywood. She is struggling with a nickel allergy brought on by her braces and exhibiting as dishydrosis (very nasty skin eruptions and peeling on her hands which look just like leprosy.) This one does Sudoku in ink, without writing little numbers in the boxes. I asked her one day how she does it, and she said, “I don’t know. I just kind of keep it all in my head until it works out.” Oy. Her quote? “A day without peanut butter is..not even a day!”

My heart breaks for this sweet child and the pain and embarrassment she suffers from her allergy. I have learned much from her about persevering with a song in my heart. I have also learned many natural detoxification methods and the value of a good working relationship with medical professionals.

Christy, my sweet, sensitive 14-year-old girl is an artist. She feels everything very intensely and is always looking to better herself. She might appear to have a sullen moment, but it’s just introspection. She had some issues at birth that left her nearly blind in one eye, but you wouldn’t know it from her humorous cartoons and papercrafting. That girl can make anything out of paper! Though not overweight, of all my kids, she is the roundest, and loves her carbs. If she could only choose one food for the rest of her life, it would be boxed breakfast cereal.

From this angel, I have learned a great amount of patience. I am not a patient mother, especially when the girls become emotional. But I am growing into it little by little. I am learning about carb addiction and insulin resistance with her, and helping her choose foods that give her sustained energy without the “burst” of carb high.

And sweet little Rose, my “baby” who isn’t a baby anymore at 11! She is a charmer who likes things just so. She likes her hair curly, her pink ponies lined up just right on the shelf, and wishes she wasn’t so horribly allergic to milk! From time to time, her eczema is so bad that it bleeds. But mostly it’s just “itchy bumps” that she is so good at not scratching.

Update Summer 2009: Raw milk has made a world of difference. Rose can now have raw milk
in some dishes, tiny servings of ice cream and occasional homemade cheese.
She does well as long as it isn’t in her diet every day.
She still reacts strongly to storebought milk and cheese.

She is my most allergic child, with moderate to severe allergies in every food type. It’s because of Rose that I started studying food as a full-time hobby and learning about health apart from the medical establishment. From her allergy to corn I learned how high fructose corn syrup is in almost every processed food, and how terrible it is. From her allergy to beef I learned about grass-fed vs. feedlot beef and the differences in nutrition and flavor. From her allergy to nuts I learned about which fats are important and how to get them in her diet. From her allergy to grains I learned about celiac disease and “leaky gut” syndrome. Because of her allergies, I studied herbal medicine and now know how to wildcraft, preserve, make herbal medicines and maintain our health, for the greatest part, at home.