Joey better today, still a bit hyper and slight over-reaction but much better than yesterday.  We have effectively started the SCD.  They start now with apple, carrot, beet, kale pineapple juice and banana fritters (no sugar, flour etc).  Lunch today was seafood bouilibase - mussels, shrimp, squid etc.  Anne does very well indeed.

Hopefully the good behaviour will continue - particularly as I am off to the UK this afternoon for 4 days business.

Rough day with Joey.  He had a reasonable morning - good workout at boxing and he enjoyed the steak and chips at the Star Diner.  But pretty much non-stop conflict and misbehaviour since then, over-reacting to perceived injustices, of which there are many, and generally being obnoxious.  Both and and I, regrettably, have lost it with him today.

Why now?  Anne has ben moving Joey (and all of us) towards this Specific Carbohydrates Diet, where you are supposed to eat food that will encourage the good bacteria in your stomach and attack the bad bacteria.  There can, however, be reactions during the initial period, with behavioural issues.  So, we try and remember that it is the bad bacteria being obnoxious, rather than Joey.  But it is hard.  Hopefully it will only last a few days.  We go full-on with the diet tomorrow.

Joey kissed a girl behind the hedges at school today.  When I asked him if Catherine liked it, he went 'Oh yeah!'.  Jeez, the Brazilians start early.

He had, we think, a good day back at Cambridge, but is rather hyper!  I am going out to the wine store for supplies.

I was awake at 0500, kids at 0630.  Why can't we sleep in a bit?  They are both in good form.  Playing Star Wars.  V cute. 

So Joey is returning to Cambridge tomorrow, and looking forward to it.  William's mother has been on the 'phone and has been very constructive.  mrs H has given William and Andrew clear orders about being nice to Joey.  We have been giving Joey clear orders that he needs to stop trying to dominate conversations and talking about what he likes to talk about - one of William's complaints.  We shall see what happens.

Anne was speaking to the secretary at New Grange School.  She asked Anne, a New Jersey girl born and raised if 'given her accent, did she watch Downton Abbey?'  It seems that some Americans still think that she is British.

Quite a lot happening.  Joey was upset earlier this week, and then we heard that William's mother had written a long letter of complaint to the school about Joey.  had enough of this so looked again at the New Grange school in Princeton.  Joey spent yesterday afternoon there and liked it.  Then all of today. And decided that he wanted to go there.  Starting tomorrow, Thursday.  Then we had a long, rambling and rather tearful message from William's mother on the answering machine.  We think that she went in to school and, basically, got told that William was more the sinner than the sinned against, and that Joey was very upset by what William was doing to him.  Followed by an email asking if we could work it out.  Anne talked over with Joey (I have been in NYC all evening at a Trinity Alumni event) and now he wants, I think, to return to Cambridge if William is going to be nice, because William is the reason why he does not want to stay there.

Bloody complicated.  Much to talk about and decisions to make.  Anyway, after midnight, so time for bed.

Joey upset at going to school.  So we will keep him back, but with a full day of work and educational stuff.

So Anne has been preparing our transition to the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (vhttp://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info), which is clearly something that I am looking forward to.
Basically, complex carbohydrates which are disaccharides (double molecules) and polysaccharides (chain molecules) are not allowed.

Complex carbohydrates that are not easily digested feed harmful bacteria in our intestines causing them to overgrow producing by products and inflaming the intestine wall. The diet works by starving out these bacteria and restoring the balance of bacteria in our gut.

The Specific Carbohydrate Diet™ is biologically correct because it is species appropriate. The allowed foods are mainly those that early man ate before agriculture began. The diet we evolved to eat over millions of years was predominantly one of meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, nuts, low-sugar fruits. Our modern diet including starches, grains, pasta, legumes, and breads has only been consumed for a mere 10,000 years. In the last hundred years the increase in complex sugars and chemical additives in the diet has led to a huge increase in health problems ranging from severe bowel disorders to obesity and brain function disorders. We have not adapted to eat this modern diet as there has not been enough time for natural selection to operate. It therefore makes sense to eat the diet we evolved with.

Now, this would be a rough sell in Ireland, given that potatoes and beer are both banned.  Whiskey only occasionally and only very dry wine.  Bugger this.  No rice or wheat.  But then again we have been on a gluten and dairy free diet for a while.  The good news?  Cheddar cheese can be used freely!  Hurray!

The website has a very long list of 'legal' and 'illegal' foods.  Pretty scary.  But there does seem to be a logic at the bottom of it, and enough anecdotal evidence to suggest that it can work.  We shall see.  Wish me luck.    

The kids had a good weekend, including being off school yesterday.  But Joey still not happy about going to school.  Big upset last week was when Eric, a nice kid who Joey gets on really well with, said something about Pizzas and how Joey couldn't eat them (the school provided, yes, pizzas for the kids again on Friday!), which upset Joey because he always thought Eric was nice.  It seems that Eric was set up by William, a kid with whom Joey has a difficult relationship, but who has known Eric for a long time.  When Eric saw that Joey was upset, he was then upset.  Oh, the drama!

Getting settled in to my new salesman job.  Interesting.  Key is to sell the opportunity, not focus on the product, although highlighting the 'green' aspect is useful with many of my contacts.  Anyway, my spreadsheet of about 65 contacts now needs to be filled with action points!  Seems a lot but not much compared to what I would have back home.  Still, it is a place to start.  My new website is; http://napower.biz/377330/opportunity/video

Went to my first training session with NAP.  Met the CEO.  V interesting.  Trying to set my natural scepticism aside, and the fact that I am not salesman.  But;
-  it is an impressive setup - and I liked the ethos behind the company
-  the compensation scheme does seem to make sense
-  the deregulation of the energy market will be much bigger than that of telecoms - in the region of $850bn - and these are early days
-  above all, for me, everybody who buys energy from them is buying renewable energy and this helping save the world

I'll keep you posted how it goes.

Down to 198 lbs, or 14st 2lbs, and back fairly easily intoi my 36" waist jeans.  Wasting away.  Amazing what happens wqhen you can't nibble on cheese, saucisson, crisps etc!

Joey went back to school yesterday.  I think he realised that school was not so bad compared to having to work with Anne and no TV etc all day!  He had a good day today, at school.  But again had an over-reaction when Anne was working with him on his homework in the car whilst waiting for Izzy.  Frustrating and heartbreaking.

You have to wonder with some people.  Mrs H and the other teacher decided not to have the usual candy crap for St Valentines Day and instead have a fruit salad.  Most parents either Ok or v supportive (libe us!) but some moaned and complained.  Andrew's mother actually called the Head to complain. And has also, we think, called to complain about Joey.  Anyway, despite the v clear message from the teachers, she sent her son in with some Wonka Rainbow Nerds.  Utter crap - see ingredients;
Dextrose, Sugar, Malic Acid, Contains less than 22% of Corn Syrup, Flavor(s) Artificial,Carnauba Wax, Color(s) Added, Carmine Color, Blue 1, Blue 1 Lake, Blue 2 Lake, Red 40 Lake, Yellow 5, Yellow 5 Lake, Yellow 6, Yellow 6 Lake

I mean, seriously.  Utter garbage.  And the kid didn't even stay for the party!  Went home at midday to fly off to Florida for the weekend!  Somebody else sent in cupcakes for the kids to take home to decorate and somebody else sent in Gatorade.  On the last, whoever sent in probably thinks that it is healthy.  It might be OK if you have done a serious workout and need to boost your energy.

According to Scientific American, BVO has been patented as a flame retardant and is found in some beverages including some flavors of Gatorade. It is “under intense scrutiny because research has shown that they are building up in people's bodies, including breast milk, around the world.” The same article also mentions that there are “links to impaired neurological development, reduced fertility, early onset of puberty and altered thyroid hormones.”

We don't want to be too harsh because we are far from perfect, and even further until a year ago.  But when the teachers actually ask you NOT to send any junk in and you do?  I do despair. 

We suspect also that Joey's hyper behaviour and over-reaction to homework may have resulted from some illicit consumption of said crap.  It was worse than usual!

No sales yet.  Not east being a salesman.  have to reevaluate my approach!  But good news with the Bieconomy Institute - v positive telcon with a company yesterday and also colleagues think that they have found a way to leverage some other money into the BioEI which means that we will be closer to the matching funds that our main funder requires by 31 March.

Long chat on phone with Mrs H this evening.  She really is fantastic, loves Joey and hates all the crap around processed food and the consumer society which we seem to be alone in opposing at Cambridge.  She also mentioned that she asked her kids to write down why they loved her parents (for Valentines Day).  Andrew and William could not come up with one reason.  Joey said he had a thousand, starting off with the fact that we saved his life when he was a baby.  He then turned to the other boys and said 'You really can't think of a reason why you don't love your parents?'

Such a great kid.  We have to help him get sorted.

Mrs H thinks that he is wonderful as well, and so full of talent.  She thinks that he will really go places. We just have to get his body sorted out so that he can really exploit those talents, and, above all, be happy.

Another busy few days - being a salesman is not easy but I have been out and about and have a few opportunities.

More importantly, Joey is still unhappy and unsettled at school.  There was something to do and he just became more and more frustrated, to the point where he was sent home. He was v upset in the car when Anne picked him up, and talked about not being able to express his feelings, how he couldn't help the way he behaved at times, how he felt trapped.  Very sad and very difficult.  Mrs H has offered to talk to us later this evening so we will find out a bit more.  But Joey is not happy about going back to school.  We have a lot of thinking to do.

Luckily, we had a good discussion last night.  Overdue.  There has been a bit of stress recently and I have been busy with my two pieces of work.  I had also stayed home when Anne took the kids to Ridgewood and the gone to NYC Sunday to meet some friends and watch the English game.  So misunderstandings, mistakes on my part and both of us tired led to a less than harmonious household!  Anyway, much better now,  But we also agreed in principle last night that Izzy should go to the Waldorf School, that we should aim to get Joey there as soon as he is able academically and that, unless there was significant improvement in his state of mind, that he should move to the small school in Princeton after the summer.
Well, might be a bit sooner now.

Went to Docs to get results of blood tests.  Annoyingly, most hadn't come back.  But my liver is fine!  And blood pressure is 102 over 70, which is nice and low.

I am still alive and all is well but seem to have been v busy with the Bioeconomy Institute, my new role in selling wind power and a trip into NYC to meet friends and watch Ireland lose to England.  Will try and catch up with more detail shortly.

I noted on 29 January that Joey had had a bad day that that we suspected that it was because he had resumed taking the supplements which are supposed to rid his body of heavy metals.  He was edgy again today and had a totally disproportionate reaction to having to do his homework and then to having to finish his 20 minutes of Minecraft.  Result is that he was sent to bed and had a bit of a fit.  Then I feel awful because he is clearly upset and, at some level, unable to control his over-reaction at times.  He is back downstairs now getting a snack with Anne, and still sobbing.  Very, very difficult to get the balance right in being supportive and gentle but, at the same time, not allowing him to thinkl that this sort of behaviour is acceptable.  That will only cause him greater problems in the future.

Anne and I are still talking about what is best for Joey.  The school he is at is in many ways very good, but he has not fitted in there as well as we would have liked. Part of it is his own social awkwardness at times.  Part of it is our responsibility - we send him to school with fresh fruit juice and healthy food when other kids have crisps and crap.  We do not have TV at home so he has no idea what the other kids are talking about sometimes.  Ever seen the film 'Just  boy', with Hugh Grant and the kid whose hippy mother sends him to school in hemp clothing from the Andes and vegetarian lunches, which the other kids all take the piss out of?  That is how we feel at times.  We do think that it is the right thing to do, that too many parents allow their kids to eat crap and watch crap.  But if only we could find a school where the other parents agreed with us.

Might have a new job - selling energy for North American Power.  An interesting selling structure whereby you get paid for recruiting customers but then continue to get paid every month when they pay their bills - and also take a cut out of every customer they recruit and so on and so forth.  I have to loom into it in more detail but it might be interesting and profitable world - although I have never really seen my self as a salesman.  What does make it interesting is the emphasis on green energy.

Good results in the rugby over the weekend.  Good Irish win and great Italian victory over France.  Bring on next Sunday and Ireland v England!