Shack Attack

A Change is Gonna' Come

I was blogging yesterday and it took everything I had to do so. I'm not sure if it's the Michigan Winter weather or just a lack of motivation. I have been blogging on almost a daily basis since May of 2009 and I just came to a realization...I'm full of crap. Though some of my blogs have been thoughtful executed, I have been doing nothing more than echoing what the gluten-free community already knows or spits out on a rigorous daily pace. The information being churned out is mostly carbon copies of blogs past. This is obviously done to stay fresh in everyone's heart and minds and to keep their name churning in the machine of all the large search engines. My information included.

Today I put my foot down and say no more! I want people to stay in touch and visit our website, but at what cost? Does anyone really need another brownie recipe or a shout out about the horrors of gluten? I think not and I'm going to do something about it. My son and I are gluten intolerant but still have yet to make the transition to a lifestyle totally void of it. Why have we not done so as of yet? The two biggest reasons are money and laziness. I am a mother of 4 and sometimes take the easy route for dinner. Though we have seen an improvement in our health, it's time to kick into overdrive.

Starting in February (or close to it) lol, I intend to blog about my families descent into the gluten free jungle. It's going to take my husband and other three children that long to eat the remaining gluten in our home and for me to do a restock of the kitchen.

I hope you will continue to follow us as we make this transition. I want as much 1st hand knowledge as possible so that I may serve my customers with honesty and integrity. So please stay tuned and you will see a marginal cooker reveal her gluten free adventures. I hope you will enjoy our new format and honesty. It's not going to be easy folks!

If you would like to submit a sample or product to our cause, please e-mail me at theceliacshack@yahoo.com. We will work it into our diet, blog about it, and possibly add it to our inventory at http://www.theceliacshack.net/ if the Jones Gang gives it the big thumbs up.

Thank You,

Susan Jones
The Celiac Shack
"Making gluten-free fun one day at a time!"

Shack Attack

Closed For Business

Aloha "Shackers"! We are shutting down our website starting January 1st for a major overhaul. We are adding new products and removing the ones that are not a good fit for our customers. We are also streamlineing the usability of the overall site to make it more enjoyable and easier to use. Though you will not have access to The Celiac Shack for most of the month, we will continue to share and communicate with all of you through our social networking websites. If their is anything that you must have, we can be reached via e-mail at theceliacshack@yahoo.com.

We would also like to afford you all the opportunity to chime in and add your two cents on the changes we make. What do you want from "The Shack" in 2010? Tell us about your likes or dislikes about everything from the products we carry, to the overall design and functionality of our pages. We want to hear everything! Without your approval and happiness, we would not be able to carry on. So let it rip and stay tuned for further updates concerning January's closure. Thanks for a great 2009 and we look forward to a fantastic new year.

Regards,
The Celiac Shack
"Making gluten free fun one day at a time!"

Shack Attack

Aloha Everyone! Below is a special segment from our newsletter "The Pipeline". The lounge focuses on input from our subscribers. In December we asked people to give us their very own personal stories regarding their gluten intolerance. We had a couple of really good submissions that we would like to share with you today. If you like what you read, click on the following link to receive your copy. You will find an assortment of stories, recipes, contests and more! Hope you enjoy it and I look forward to sending you your copy today!

Subscribe: "The Pipeline"

I have a personal story for you. I've always gotten headaches (forever!) but 7 years ago I suffered a spontaneous subdural hematoma and since that time have been plagued by chronic migraines occurring regularly up to four times per week. I've seen countless neurologists, alternative medicine specialists, acupuncturists, and surgeons. Nothing worked and I resigned myself that I would suffer these debilitating headaches daily for the rest of my life. Six weeks ago my 13 year old son was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and my entire family started the gluten free diet with him. My son was rightfully discouraged by his diagnosis but took it in stride saying God gave this to him for a reason, he just didn't know what it was yet. Well, since starting the diet with my son I've only had one migraine! One, in six weeks! I haven't ever felt relief like this. Obviously, I'm very gluten intolerant and just was never diagnosed. I thank my son every day for getting us on this diet. It isn't easy and it isn't fun but, I think he now has his reason for his diagnosis - it was to help his mom. (From: Tami Wessley - Gluten Free Faces)

Hi my name is Mike, and I'm a recovering gluten-holic. My story is somewhat unique, because I do not have the typical "bathroom" symptoms like most people experience. My mom made me get tested, because celiac runs in my family. I was diagnosed with celiac when I was 21 years old, a sophomore in college, and doing all the things 21 year-old college students do: Cold beer in the fridge, Pizza buffet on the corner, and especially the $1 McDonalds double cheeseburgers. Immediately after college, I started a business and worked 24/7. I couldn't resist the temptations and convenience of quick, high carb, meals on the go. After selling my business, my life slowed down a lot, and I could start to see some symptoms that I had previously overlooked. About a week after I switched to a gluten free diet, I could tell a difference. I was in a better mood and more energetic. Since then, the benefits have become even better. I believe success all is about your mindset. You have to make yourself believe that you will never eat "poison" again under any circumstance. If you are serious, your friends and family will also feed off of your new attitude and will begin to accommodate to your needs. To make it easy on myself, in the beginning, I stuck to meats, rice, fruits, and vegetables. Over time, I have slowly added other safe foods into my diet. Yes, you can still go out to eat. Just do some quick research beforehand, talk to your server of chef, or always keep a snack with you. One last thing: get involved! Talk with people on Twitter, Facebook, and people in your community. They will keep you motivated and updated on all the new things going on in the quickly growing gluten free community. (From: Mike Hutchinson - Switch To Gluten free)

I like what you've done with the Celiac Shack...your theme, messages and info are always informative. Keep up the good work! (From: Chad Hines - Gluten Free Faces)

Regards,
The Celiac Shack
"Making gluten free fun one day at a time!"

Kids Corner

Gluten-Free Kid

I recently stumbled across an awesome blog page written by a 12 year old girl named Alex. If you have any children in your home that have gluten issues, I strongly urge you to allow them access to this page. It would be a great way for them to relate to someone of their own age with the same problems they have. Her page is no hack job, it's slick, well written and has great information from recipes to personnel stories. I could learn a thing or two from her for my own page. Below is the introduction from her "Getting to know me" section.

"Hi, my name is Alex and I am a 12 year old girl. I live in Woodinville, Washington. I was really sick in third grade and missed 36 days of school. After a bunch of tests I found out I had celiac disease. It was very hard at first to have celiac but now it has gotten a lot better. My friends are great about this and have helped me through this disease. My family has also helped me a lot. Once you get used to having celiac disease and your friends start to know more about it this disease will be more like a little problem instead a huge one. Other kids who have celiac disease might think that this is really hard and might think that this is the end of the world, I used to think that but now that I have gotten used to it is just normal. I created this website so that I could share with other kids fun recipes, places to eat, great places to go on vacation, and to help out other kids with celiac disease."

Click on the link below to check out her whole page and make sure to tell her what a wonderful job she is doing.

Gluten-Free Kid

Regards,

The Celiac Shack

"Making gluten free fun one day at a time!