Author Archives: Melinda

Was I Asleep or Something?

When did my daughter decide to go behind my back and grow up? It seems like just last week we were watching Finding Nemo and Veggie Tales, drawing cutesy pictures together, and doing fun kid-friendly stuff. Today I’ve been informed that holding your mom’s hand or—gasp!—hugging her in public is, and I quote, “for babies”….

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Lovely Lemon Muffins

Now that we’ve got some kitchen basics down, it’s time to get baking! This recipe is one of my children’s favorites. These muffins are also easy to make, which makes them a favorite of mine too. Please note that if you’re not a big fan of lemon-poppy seed muffins, you can change this recipe up…

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Fighting the Good Fight

I’m a very mellow, non-confrontational person. Never one to rock the boat, I often find myself saying ‘yes’ to someone even if I really want to say ‘no.’ In the years since I’ve become a parent, I’ve discovered that even though I don’t often stand up for myself, I’m sure going to stand up for…

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Preparing to Bake in Your GFCF Kitchen

Last week we started talking about stocking your GFCF Pantry. Part Two of my kitchen review includes things I use for baking and preparing things like waffles and pancakes. Please keep in mind that you don’t need to buy everything on this list. When I first started baking without gluten or casein I bought 5…

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The Power of Music

Music is an integral part of our family. My husband is a musician by profession, so for as long as we’ve been together our house has been full of the sounds of flamenco, jazz, rock, and classical music. It was no surprise then that our children took to music like ducks to water. For Zoe,…

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Getting Started in Your GFCF Kitchen

Getting started with gluten-free and casein-free cooking can seem like a daunting task. Take a peek in the average family’s kitchen and you’ll find a plethora of foods that don’t mesh at all with GFCF cooking. That box of pasta? Nope, not gonna cut it. The milk sitting in the fridge? Not so much. Those…

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To Stim or Not to Stim?

Stimming has been a much-discussed topic in my home, at school, and at doctors’ and therapists’ offices. In the early days of Zoe’s diagnosis, we were instructed by doctors and therapists that stimming was a behavior that needed to be eliminated if our child was to function in a “normal” world. Over time we came…

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Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes

  Pancakes are a favorite breakfast around my house. That having been said, eating the same pancakes all the time can get a bit repetitive. In looking for ways to add variety to our family’s beloved breakfast, I started experimenting with a buckwheat pancake recipe. The result is a recipe full of lots of nutrients,…

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Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Since this is my first post on the brand new 5 Minutes for Special Needs site, I thought I’d take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Melinda; I’m thirty *cough, cough* years old, and I’m a wife, mother of two, college student, blogger, and flamenco dancer. Originally from New York City, I now…

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