Check out our new website: www.FreeMeFromG.com

We're a family of two dedicated to evangelizing the public about the benefits of a gluten-free diet. Our journey wasn't easy. We learned the hard way about the detrimental effects gluten can have on the gut, the mind, joints and muscles to name a few. And we learned it can take years to manifest itself. Many doctors are given minimal education/training in detecting gluten allergies and intolerance in medical school; maybe 2 hours of subject matter.  If you are affected by gluten because of an intolerance, manifestation is not necessarily just a "gut feeling". It's much more complex and ailments extend well beyond the intestines.

For example, we recently gained insight into the connection between gluten and hormones, particularly how interplay between the two affects girls, as they move from childhood, through puberty into a life as adults. That same interplay affects adult women too. And it doesn't stop there.

Now we want to share what we've learned with other gluten-free lifestyle advocates, whether it's a new or modified recipe substituting gluten free ingredients for wheat based flours and condiments, or a recently published paper, or a new food product or book available online or in stores.

Do you  have a story to share? A question to ask? Drop us a comment in the box to the right. We'd love to hear from you.


Disclaimer: I'm not a  healthcare professional and there are no ABCs or other letters after my last name. Still in the last year, I've learned more about gluten, Celiac disease, gluten intolerance, IBS, Crohn's Disease and many other ailments than most post-docs can claim...and it wasn't learned in a hospital lab or college classroom. No, the education was found online and in books and in countless medical papers. Our laboratory was the kitchen, our tools included the stove, the oven and a host of common utensils including measuring cups and spoons. And the guinea pigs: our family. The good news: since going gluten-free we never felt better and never looked back.

Everyone searches for meaning in life and those that find "it" discover that developing a skill or aptitude for a task or service is not enough. It has more to do with becoming a special person, a certain "type" of person, a person of character.

Anyone who has lost a loved one will tell you life is not about accumulating stuff or about office titles  -- even if it was prior to the loss. It's one thing to succeed in life, and quite another to truly excel -- to make a "lasting" impression that withstands time and other events. Think back to the Greeks in Athens and the Egyptians -- what they "did" has lasted. They achieved and excelled. The people that created the pyramids or developed a new invention -- whether a light bulb or remote control or vaccine, did not  succumb to the notion that aiming for "normal" for the "mean" for the "average" is enough. No, they plowed through and excelled at their craft whatever it was. Doing better than what is required, means spending ample time perfecting a skill, not just acquiring a skill, and sound character is at the root of it. 

Character is who we are, where we stand, not a lofty ideal -- it's here and now. I like having something to believe in, and while I enjoy reading about science, discovery, improvement and invention, it is sound principles if they are behind the creation that bring a smile to my face.  Principled people are not perfectionists, but they do have standards.

Quality work is a sign of a principled person. Whether building a deck or painting a picture or wiring a circuit, a principled person will do well (not adequate -- but well) whatever job he or she is expected to do. A principled person wants a work to last, to show contribution -- not for reward and applause, but for future generations.  John Milton the poet said about his writing that motivation in part came from wanting "to leave something so written to after-times as they should not willingly let it die." He was a genuine character as my daughter would put it, sincere in his work and ambition.

Today many people are not roused to excellence. The work world has changed -- altered by management who believe their contribution to the company's profitability rest "only" on their shoulders thus they should reap all the monetary reward, and altered by some workers too -- who want to "do enough to get by" and nothing more. The same is visible at schools where students think a B is good enough -- it's average and they are happy to "get by" each term.

To excel a person needs a big view of the world -- a wide view. It does not mean you need to travel to places. A great deal can be accomplished through reading and conversation. And a person needs to be enthusiastic about learning, have energy and have the discipline to work out a problem from start to finish.

Education plays a major role in character development and becoming a person of excellence. It is provided through formal school education, church, the work world, at home, in neighborhoods and through life experience. Note: A separate blog post will discuss each of these in the weeks ahead.  Formal education in some ways has failed students. So much effort is put on regurgitating facts and figures -- and too little on experimentation, "what if" analysis, trial and error -- and imagination. Life is an experiment. To excel requires risk and a willingness to fail at times and it requires a time commitment; there must be time allotted to consider, to experiment, to try out ideas.

William  James told Stanford's 1906 graduating class, "The world....is only beginning to see that the wealth of a nation consists more than in anything else in the number of superior men [I add: and women] that it harbors." It was true then; it is true today.

Ah yes, the day I'd been anxiously awaiting finally arrived. I knew it would happen -- eventually; I'd been given a heads up. Though my teen daughter "E" didn't ask for it, an infant -- yes, a child, arrived, brought to us from overseas -- China to be exact. Baby was delivered to our doorstep -- on Christmas Day, 2012. What a memorable experience.

Baby received a grand reception on Christmas and took center stage. And afterward, Baby never left E's sight. At night after prayers, I'd mumble a soft good night and find Baby buried beneath layers of blankets, kept warm by E's side.  And in the morning, E descended the stairs with Baby held tight between two hands, and gently placed her in the back seat of the car. It became a daily routine. Yes, Baby attended school -- it reminded me of the Home Economics classes where students simulate pregnancy and child rearing by carrying an infant with them as they move throughout the day. But our Baby was different. Baby even sat at the dinner table -- for a time.


Justifying Baby's prominence within our family unit, E regularly explained that Baby offered an educational opportunity -- and had an IQ surpassing anyone we knew. Within seconds Baby could recall obscure facts no savant could triumph over. E proved this through daily demonstration. E was always poking Baby, pushing Baby to do more, be more, engage more, offer more. For a time it seemed reciprocal. And like any new parent E spent a lot of money on Baby -- on educational materials,  entertainment, books and games. Baby devoured it all -- shared it too. That's what made Baby so attractive and enticing. Suddenly, I found myself holding Baby, working with Baby, poking at Baby, learning from Baby but I would not allow myself to become ensnared and drawn into Baby's lair. E was not so lucky...she was drawn to the dark side of Baby....and...there was a dark side....and....

...that's when the trouble started. 

I don't know when exactly it happened, or how, but one day Baby morphed into the enemy. Soon Baby took precedence over chores, bike rides, and dare I say it...even homework. A request to empty the dishwasher or set the table was met with, "Not now, I'm working on something [with Baby]." As time went on, E's responses became shorter. Answers to my questions and requests were met with monosyllabic  "Huh?" and on a good day, a two-syllable "Uh-huh."

What had Baby done to my baby?

Then one day, I could no longer recall my daughter's delightful face. I had not seen it for some time. Yet, if asked, I could easily sketch the top of her scalp. That's when I decided: Baby must go. And of course it was met with defiance.

I threatened to pull the plug on Baby -- take away life support. Did I mention that Baby could not survive without assistance? Yes, without support, external power, she would not be able to participate fully in our family. In fact Baby's face would go black -- completely blank. There would be no dialogue or engagement and no amount of finger poking would bring her back to life. I no longer cared. Baby had taken over our home, had invaded my teen's mind and needed to go.

E countered my request for total exile and perhaps even "euthanasia" with, "How about a time-out?" I asked, "For Baby or for you?" She countered again, "What if I put it [Baby] away for a few hours?"

No. I mustered all the parental authority I could find in a house headed by one parent and said, "Maybe Baby should go for a trial separation, a divorce of sorts, or how about an exchange program, overseas from whence Baby came...for say....a year?" A smile surfaced as I pictured Baby in bubble wrap stored in cargo on a 747 going to Anywhere But Here. E  didn't like that but after our eyes met, put Baby on the floor and covered her. Then for the first time in a long time, our eyes connected again -- E's eyes are blue, bright and joy-filled.  Finally, E admitted, yes, she had been drawn in, had come under Baby's spell.

That night, sans Baby, we played a card game, then E played piano, and we even took a walk outdoors. On the return home we spotted a bushy flower  with new buds on it -- at roadside, one we could not identify. I mentioned, "Maybe we have a nature book that lists it. I'll check when I get home." And E threw me a quick smile and suggested, "Why don't we just ask Baby?" 

I-Pads and tablets have a place. Sometimes, I wish they'd just stay in the box. But it's too late. They are appendages to the family unit -- so we better get used to them...but use discipline where appropriate.

For the record, E is a 4.0+ honor student capable of uttering multi-syllable words...and as of today...I can envision her face...and the top of her head. However, in case I should forget, I might just let Baby take some pictures.

People often tell me they cannot teach science easily in the home because it "Costs too much" ... or "We don't have the right kits..." Excuses Excuses.

Kids ask me, 'How does your daughter pick her science fair project? How did she come up with the idea?"

The answer is easy: think, imagine, make connections in your mind about "what you know about a topic" with facts to back it up, then ask a question about an "unknown" -- something you do not know the answer to, then put together a way of testing out the question...and watch for interesting results. Ask, then act. It's that simple.

BARBIE RUN
When my daughter was a seven year-old, kids would visit (girls) and state, "We don't play with Barbies....we're too old for that." Well in our house, we play with Barbies and in non-traditional ways. Because our house is split level with a cathedral ceiling in the living room, we can and did fasten a tie line of fishing string to an upstairs banister, then ran it to the fireplace hooks below (over 30 feet) -- and my daughter then attached Barbie to a paper clip and string upstairs and "zipped" her downstairs into the fireplace wall. I guess you could call it a Barbie-Run -- that's what we called it. And it was fun. Kids would visit and ask, "Hey will you hook up the Barbie Run..." and yes, these are the same children  who downplayed the joy of playing with Barbies. As time progressed, my daughter learned that fastening weight to Barbie made her slide slower, as did changes to the paperclips that attached to the fishing line. Rough paper clips had more friction and let Barbie float slowly. A naked Barbie descended much faster than a Barbie Princess -- too much air resistance from Barbie's flowing dress  really slowed her down. The best part: accelerating Barbie with hand force, pushed her into the brick fireplace at rapid speeds -- often forcing off an arm or leg -- or even a head off her torso. We'd find Barbie limbs in the jumbo planter nearby and when parts went missing for too long were forced to cobble up "new" Barbies from mixed parts. So mixed race Barbies and even special needs Barbies were born (sometimes a leg went missing for good and Barbie had to get along without a limb). These excursions in our living room cost pennies. A few old Barbies, fishing line, string and a paper clip led to hours and hours of fun over many years. And my daughter learned lessons: about incline and speed, gravity, acceleration, friction -- air resistance and material friction.

TORNADO MACHINE
We also created a tornado machine in our house. We built two, one from wood and plexi-glass and another from cardboard. The former I could not get up the stairs...but that is another story. To build a cardboard tornado machine all you need is a DC electric fan (Radio Shack sells them -- for $12-$20), a DC variable power supply (I use a Lionel Train power supply), a cool mist vaporizer, a cardboard box, preferably one a bit taller than it is wide, and a piece of tubing. Oh, and a box cutter knife is needed to cut holes/slits in the cardboard. Duct tape is always good to have too. We liked boxes 1 foot by 1 foot by about 2 feet tall -- a little bigger works too.

Take the box and cut narrow 1" slits lengthwise 1" from the corners of the box. If the box is 18" tall, cut the slits (ONLY one slit per side of the box, with the slit made near an edge) about 16" long and 1" wide. Make 4 of them, one on each side of the box--near an edge. Cut a hole in the bottom of the box the size of a vacuum tube (yes, from a vacuum cleaner and stick that tube up into the box; attach the other end to a cool mist vaporizer. Cut a hole in the top of the box (slightly smaller than the DC fan diameter) and put the fan atop it so that it is oriented to suck air 'out' of the box.  You may need a little duct tape to hold tubes in place and such. And attach a variable power supply to the fan. When you are ready to go -- turn everything on: vaporizer, fan via variable power supply, etc. You will see mist move up into the box and the fan will suck it out -- up top; by varying the fan speed you can affect suction. Because you have slits cut in the side of the box, you will pull in air -- draw, and create a mini-tornado. If you modify what's above (we built a big unit in our basement which I could not get up the stairs, and used a "VERY" large fan and had plenty of rotation) and design something bigger, it can be great fun; toss in small paper bits and see if they float (from a paper punch). It's a great way to demonstrate weather/tornadoes and such. Another teachable moment.

Everything is an experiment. In our home we keep a microscope in the  kitchen  -- we want it handy to examine food, bugs, dirt from outside -- that might be a bug...and much more.  I have taught my daughter to ask why. When something doesn't work, or doesn't fit...ask why.  When a new product amazes your or you spot a discovery that doesn't make total sense to you, ask how. Keep asking. Then experiment.

My daughter wanted to understand why her jeans were tight after being tossed in a hot dryer. Well, I told her to look it up; figure it out. She started reading about chemical bonds -- and heat and learned why jeans are tighter when you first put them on out of the dryer...then loosen up over time when you wear them.

Ask -- ask a lot. But don't stop there. Act. Ask the question then move to find the answer.

I had the most amazing flight a few weeks ago. Flying back from Tampa, Florida, I sat beside an elderly gentleman whom I’ll call LJ — 81 years young. LJ and I started what was to become a 3 hour conversation most of it mid-air. LJ planted in me a seed of determination. He exemplified all that is so so right about entrepreneurship — and a bit of what is wrong in America.

Driving home long after my flight ended — and even now, a month later, I cannot get the memory of LJ out of my head, nor would I want to — ever. He’s an inspiration to anyone who aspires to greatness, and is testimony to the power of fortitude and perseverance.

LJ was born in Alabama, and as a man of color he witnessed firsthand discrimination and segregation. Though he believed he had received a decent education, upon entering the military for what would become a 28 year career, he soon discovered, a segregated south had left him with a sixth grade education. LJ served three years, then reenlisted. Somewhere in between he met and shared a bed with a young woman — a woman with whom he had a child, and then married, in part because of his mother’s prodding. Fifty years later LJ is a proud father of 6 academically brilliant children.

I won’t recount the details of LJ’s military career. He retired and I thank him for service to the country! We all should. During my flight he related many stories about his service but the “best” of his life happened after “retirement” when he started afresh.

After years of military service, LJ found himself at home, and bored. Faithful and trusting in God, he visited his pastor a church leader. The pastor offered him an opportunity to do some painting. Later he painted a woman’s home at the urging of his pastor — and was paid; a passerby saw his work, and hired him for more painting work….that was years ago. And like the Faberge ads from the 70s, they told two friends and so on and so on.

Today, LJ boasts 3 large trailers, a  full crew of men who work 40 hours each week  and lives by referral; he has never advertised — you won’t find an ad for his services in the paper, nor will you find a sign reading, “Painted by….” on a client’s front lawn. He does not have nor does he need a website. It’s not how he operates. He related that he drives a Lexus and owns a pick-up to boot and yes, he smiled when he told me. He should be proud.

LJ gave me one of his business cards and told me about his business. I felt lucky — he does not give his business card to just anyone. In fact you need to listen to his “spiel” — his seven point sales process about how he will paint your home before he will give you a business card. The reasoning: otherwise the card lands in a pile with other painter business cards and in six months when an inquirer is ready to book the work, they don’t know LJ from anyone else.  If you “listen” to LJ, he’ll jot down a job date (even if it’s an estimate) and yes, he’ll follow up with you about the job. It works. His average painting job $12k. He has handled jobs totaling almost $50k and his work is so impeccable that other less detailed painters have lost business in neighborhoods where he works.

I learned some lessons from LJ.

Lesson 1:  You can stand out from others in your field by listening to your clients. Tell them what you will do for them, in easy terms, so they understand — let them know you will take care of them.

LJ is different. He gets personal with clients and it does not cost him a dime. All he needs is a little time to convey his painting process steps to would-be clients — who quickly become want-to-be clients, and once they are clients, they return and they refer.

LJ will not skimp on jobs. He has had clients ask for minimal work because they are “just getting the house ready to sell” and don’t want to spend a lot of money. LJ tells them: hire another painter. He knows that the new residents will eventually discover that he did the work; if it’s sub par — his reputation is on the line. The previous homeowners have already skipped town. LJ never backs down.

Lesson 2: Know a No is okay. Do it right or give the work away. Otherwise you stand to lose more than the job/money: you lose a reputation for quality work.

Over the years LJ has expanded beyond painting — he handles window repairs, plaster and drywall replacement, deck and walkway power-washing and much more. And again, he’s never advertised. He also discovered early on that you need to understand who your customers are — their demographic, where they work, live and play. His clients tend to be upscale — they have money and can afford to pay him. He’s capitalized on a market including historic and classic homes. These are residences where tours take place around the holidays. Clients he’s secured will pay for deck washing, a new coat of paint and help with decorating before Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Lesson 3: Know your market. Investigate who can afford your service and what other opportunities might branch from your core offering.

LJ’s core business is painting, but he’s expanded because of need: clients asked for new services. He didn’t just dive in. He studied, tested the market, then reaped returns.

He credits the army with teaching him discipline and he’s instilled it in the men who work for him. No tattoos. No long hair. No personal calls during work hours. No boomboxes/radios allowed. White overalls are a must and must be changed every other day. Every worker can do “all” jobs — by cross-training employees, each person is able to handle any job at any site. Employees report to work 15 minutes early to outline the day’s jobs — and do the same after work to recap what has been completed and which projects need follow-up; lessons learned are shared during this time too.

Lesson 4: Reviews are important. Use it as a teachable moment. Document what works and what does not.

As our plane began its descent, I asked LJ to whom he gives credit for the success he has enjoyed. He gave one answer: God. To be sure, LJ showed up at the plate too — and took a swing. But the rest was in God’s lap. A faithful man who has raised six successful children, he recounted to me some sad days after he returned from the army. He had energy and drive, and nowhere to go. If not for the combination of his own drive, a nudge from God and help from a pastor, perhaps life would have taken a different turn. Perhaps you would not be reading this right now.

Lesson 5: Persistence pays off. The only sure loser is a quitter.

Lesson 6: It never hurts to put your faith into something bigger than yourself, something like God.

Stories like this are amazing and inspiring. If you have a family member like LJ — take the time to record their “oral” history — their voice, their ideas, their stories, to audio CD. It’s simple and can be done from a computer with microphone attachment. Don’t wait. If you want to learn more about family history recording and memoir writing, contact me via email or by calling 248-877-1584.

This is a re-post from an older blog.

Out of the mouths of babes…as true today as the day someone first said it. My daughter volunteers at a homeless shelter every year, on two consecutive weekends. She hands out blankets to men and women who opt to come in from the cold for a few nights in January, and she sets up sleeping mats on the auditorium floor. Sometimes she talks to the visitors and makes them feel comfortable.

Two years ago, she linked up (at the age of 12, her first year volunteering) with a homeless 19 year-old girl who was left without a place to stay after her boyfriend kicked her out of the apartment they shared. If you looked at the woman, you wouldn’t know she was homeless. She could have been me — or perhaps you. Styled hair, sporting an IPOD, wearing a beautiful eggshell white knitted sweater that looked to be somewhat expensive, and boots that matched her purse in color. Nope, if she passed me by on the sidewalk at noon, I wouldn’t view her as homeless. In fact I wouldn’t view her at all: she fits in with everybody else, at least in appearance, but her life isn’t like ours.

We have keys. That’s how one of my friends who was temporarily homeless put it. Keys make the difference. When you have keys you have a place to go, even if they only open the door to your car.

We have a place to stay, a home with a warm bed, blankets, a furnace that rumbles on and off during the night. She doesn’t. Doors at the shelter open at 7pm and patrons are lined up to get in, particuarly on nights in Michigan with temperatures hovering lower on the scale. Doors open again at 7am to signal everyone must leave.

Fifty degrees isn’t “really”  cold if you’re used to being homeless but when temps dip below 20, or 10 or 5, you feel it — the stinging bite of your plight: no shelter, no place to call home. As that friend of mine put it: gotta have keys — they open doors. We don’t know what happened to the girl my daughter linked up with, but I know the experiences the woman shared affected my daughter then and still does today: my daughter prays for her at night and pictures her in a house, with heat, and a bed — and keys.

Last weekend my daughter met a guitar carrying man at the same shelter. During conversation she found out he came from California, and had a good father when he was a kid, who taught him how to play — and well. In my daughter’s words, “He did scales and melody and chords….he was good.” But that’s not nearly as important as what my daughter took away from the conversation. He was not a drunk; he had not abused himself or someone else; but he was homeless. The kind man let my daughter play his guitar, gave her pointers and played some music for her too. When she returned home and wrote out a reflection sheet for volunteer community service hour credits at the high school, as any mom would do, I took a peek. And it made me smile. Here’s what she said.

” When you work at a homeless shelter you connect with people and they connect with you. You discover that we aren’t all that much different. And you find out, homeless people are not all bad. Many are pretty much just like us.”

You know something? It’s true, but there is one big difference separating us: we have keys.

This is a repost of an older blog post from 3 years ago,

Okay, last Friday night I sat on the sofa and watched Shark Tank with my daughter. Together we opined about whether we could dream up a better mousetrap than those profiled on the show — do we have an idea that could make us millionaires? For the unfamiliar Shark Tank is a show profiling entrepreneurs who seek venture capital from angel investors. The team of funders asks the person or persons making the pitch about details: how long in business, how much capital do they seek, what is their profit and cost of manufacture and on…

What I really like about the show: it profiles what America was built on — ideas, innovation and entrepreneurship. Yet, if you watch the news today you’ll see nothing but bad news, whether it’s murders profiled prime time, rapes on Ann Arbor’s school campus, or a failed budget deal. Rest assured, yes, bad things happen. But there is a lot of good out there in America and Shark Tank is fun to watch — it’s fun to watch someone’s hard work pay off and big.

My daughter recommended that the show start a Minnow Pond series to profile teens who have great ideas and need a little help to get them started. With a little prodding maybe she’ll send the show’s producers a short note encouraging them to consider it.

In Michigan there’s a great PBS show profiling start-ups within the state — success stories about entrepreneurs. One young man, age 24 started Wild Game Soup — it was a light bulb moment at a dinner when he ordered wild pheasant soup and realized he’d never seen it in a can on a store shelf, for sale. Next he found a chef to make wild game soups, the two teamed up, and the rest is history. This is what makes America great. And America is great!

True enough, I don’t need to see the sometimes rude banter between the  Shark Tank show regulars and the entrepreneurs — makes me wonder if bullying in schools is made much worse because of values taught on televsion. Still, it’s a great show and a win for anyone who is on that show, makes me feel like a winner too — because I’m part of the fabric of America and so are you.