I had to eat very low fat most of last year due to a pretty mangled gallbladder. I was pregnant and couldn't have it removed. My situation was a little different because I needed more calories than usual due to my pregnancy, but I ate a fair bit more sugar than was usual for me that year. I found it virtually impossible to eat low enough fat while still limiting sugar very much. I needed calories from somewhere. There's only so much boneless skinless chicken breast you can eat. I ate constantly and still lost something like twelve pounds while pregnant.

The place where I bring food has virtually no pantry staples. I've never seen them have things like flour, butter, basic spices, olive oil, etc. If you're lucky, they might have some of an old half gallon of skim milk. They usually have eggs. Eggs are actually the only thing I've seen them cook on their stove top. It's impossible to cook there because they don't stock anything.

After one too many visits to a particular a particular relative where I was constantly hungry, I now bring food there. One time I was there for a week with a breast feeding seven month old, and I thought about gnawing my own arm off more than once. By the time they started thinking about breakfast, I had been up with the baby for 4-5 hours, and then the breakfast provided was maybe 200-300 calories. Everything there is light, low fat, and sugar free (with artificial sweeteners). I just can't feed another human on half a can of light soup. The family is very comfortable financially, but I guess they just don't eat or something... Now that my oldest has food allergies, we're pickier about who we stay with. Cross contamination is an issue that is too difficult to control in someone else's kitchen.

I would guess she might have an allergy to something also. It could very well be to something environmental or maybe a low level reaction to a food.

Does she get circles under get eyes? Like if someone is not getting enough sleep.

Add me to the chorus.

We really liked Jiro Dreams of Sushi and A State of Mind.

I call it chartreuse.

Caprese skewers are my favorite appetizer. Yum! http://iowagirleats.com/2012/02/02/caprese-skewers-with-balsamic-drizzle/

I pulled a deer tick of my son last January. We were in Virginia, so not exactly the polar north, but augh.

I've seen two in two different cities. Now that I think about it, one of them may be someone's pet project and not part of the official Little Free Library program.

This would be my guess based on what you wrote. The whole thing really is confusing.

Frozen pizza and pork sandwiches tomorrow.

(Note, I'm firmly NOT in the French are the best parents, and if we were all more like them our children would never have tantrums and happily eat foie gras camp.) We lived in Paris for part of last year, and one of the most refreshing things I saw were little preschool classes walking around the city lead by a fairly even mix of male and female teachers. You could tell how much the boys especially liked running around with them at the playground. It was so nice to see men in their young twenties engaging with the kids and giving them another positive role model. That isn't to say I would be 100% comfortable in your situation. The fact that it's a new preschool and that they're husband and wife would give me pause. I would meet them and see the vibe you get.

My equation for max cats before crazy is n + 1 where n is the number of bedrooms you have. So, if you have a three bedroom house, you could probably get away with four before you're truly crazy. The equation breaks down at five bedrooms. Six cats is crazy no matter which way you look at it. ;-)

I voted post partum. My pregnancies were both pretty easy. My second was a bit harder because I had to chase after my very active three year old. There were a few days when I felt like I really needed some rest, but it wasn't in the cards. Both of mine were cesareans, so that added difficulty to the first couple of weeks post baby. My first was a very difficult infant (who hasn't really gotten much easier), and the lack of sleep was almost torture. This baby is much more mellow, but I think it's still harder than pregnancy.

I had to stick to a terribly restricted diet (including extremely low fat) for about ten months to avoid having my gallbladder removed during pregnancy or right after, and it was pretty miserable. I hear you about never feeling satiated. I would eat a meal and get up feeling hungrier than before I ate. I ate more grilled boneless skinless chicken breasts and egg whites than I care to think about. I ate constantly, even waking up in the middle of the night to snack, and I was still 12 lbs below my pre pregnancy weight when I gave birth. You have my sympathy, and I hope you are able to add back in a good number of foods.

Now that is ingenious! I've never hired a babysitter before, so I would never have thought of that. I'm not sure how much it would help with the baby since he's been so clingy, but it's worth a try!

This turned into a vent, sorry. :) I'm trying so hard to get things unpacked and organized, but with all of the normal meals, snacks, messes, spit ups, diaper changes, laundry, nursing, and naps (or lack there of) I feel like I just can't get ahead. What I really need is a about four hours of nobody needing anything from me so that I can just unpack like a maniac, but at this point, the best I seem to be able to get is about three minutes. I think the baby is teething because he's much fussier than usual. He starts screaming within two or three minutes of getting put down. I baby wear, but he hates it on my back , and I can't carry boxes around or unpack very effectively with him on my front. Plus, we were relocated to a much higher cost of living area, so we went from a four bedroom house with a big, fenced in yard to paying more than our mortgage to rent a very modest two bedroom apartment. We didn't bring a lot of our stuff, but it still feels so cramped. Daily things will be much better once I'm not tripping over boxes and looking for things all over, but it seems like I'm never going to get there. By the time my DH gets home, the kids are in their worst moods of the day, dinner, bath, and bed need to be done, and soon after, my DH needs to get to sleep so he can get up for work. Of course the baby is waking up more than usual at night because he's uncomfortable. Ugh.

Personal hygiene products can also have hidden gluten. Dealing with food allergies can be very overwhelming and intimidating even if you're used to cooking from scratch. I would suggest she stop eating out all together right now, including not eating in other people's homes. Has she replaced her cutting boards, toaster, plastic/silicone utensils since going GF? How about things like jelly or butter spread that may be contaminated with crumbs?

Best time *ever* to go grocery shopping. I'll be at Safeway.

If I have a big pot of broth going, I bring it up to a rapid boil, take it off the stove, wrap the pot in towels, and leave it overnight. It's still quite hot in the morning, and we're all still alive. I'm sure it will be fine on low. :)

I thought gallbladder while reading your post. A poorly functioning gallbladder seems like it could cause several of your issues. It sounds very frustrating. Good luck!

Have you considered a Soda Stream? Is it possible he would drink carbonated water with a bit of juice in it?

I wish I had purple hair. Does that count? :)