You can pick your friends...

Bella's preschool is in summer mode - not much structured learning is going on - which I really appreciate. I feel guilty enough at times that I work full time and she has to be in daycare, so it's great that they treat summer like summer there.

Bella is LOVING the new school. She taken to it like a fish to water and loves going there each day. There's no crying (not that there ever really was, but I sure was worried a new location would trigger it), and, touch wood, she hasn't had a time out for the last week - yahoo!

And on the allergy front, this school has two bonus features.

ONE: They do not allow any outside snacks or birthday treats. AT ALL! The celebrate the children's birthdays without any food at all. Yay! Now, this is kind of a bummer, because what kid doesn't love a cupcake or something on their birthday with their friends, but what a relief! I was basically standing there with her teacher with a bag of safe snacks and wasn't sure what to do with it. They sure didn't need it, which was awesome.

TWO: They have a MUCH better peanut policy when it comes to lunch table seating. Sure, they have a peanut free table, where Bella sits, but at this school ANY of her friends can join her at the table as long as their lunch is peanut free. I was so happy to hear this. At her old school kids were all seated at the same table and it wasn't a great solution.

Maybe things are getting better all around - more awareness - I don't know. But I didn't have to fight anything. It was such a good experience for both Bella and I.

So back to the picking reference from the title. This weekend, we'll be doing a fun summer activity - berry picking! There's a U-Pick farm not too far from us that we're trying out on Saturday - you pay a small fee to pick and then pay for each pound of the berries you pick. They have strawberries, boysenberries, and olallieberries - yum! I think there will be more jam or a crumble (or two) in our future. We'll see how many berries actually make it home with us (in a container and not our bellies).


We're also planning on using the ice cream ball maker we got as a Christmas present (thanks Jon and Amanda!). You just add the ice cream mixture to one side, then some ice, and salt to another chamber and shake away. I can't wait!

If I'm feeling REALLY adventurous, I might try to make Butter with Bella too. We have a quart of heavy cream in our fridge that we need to use before it spoils.

I have a feeling I wont be sticking to my diet this weekend. Ah well, I'll sacrifice myself in the name of summer activities.

What do YOU have planned?

Short Vent...

Hey, insurance company.

Yeah, you. The one who kindly pays my and my daughter's doctors bills.

WHY do you make me wait 4 days in between refills for my daughter's epi pens? Why can't you just let me get the batch I need right then?

I'm going to be at the drugstore for the next three weeks at this rate.

Thank you, that's all.

Food prices? Are they taking a swing at you too?

I've always told Mark that Bella's food allergy has one added bonus: she doesn't eat a lot of processed food - so many have warnings (contains, may contain, manufactured in, manufactured on - did I miss anything?) that we tend to avoid them.

This is good for our health and good for our pocketbook. Eating 'real' food e.g. the food from around the perimeter of the store is what we strive for these days.

Don't get me wrong, you can still get fat from these foods, but at least they are 'real', not loaded with HFCS. Ick. Of course, Bella (and her mom and dad) still get good ol' processed treats now and again, but we don't make a habit of it. Mark always likes to joke that I need to learn to cook horrible food so he doesn't eat so much at each meal. What can I say? I am what I am (ha ha).

Even with eating around the perimeter, food prices are getting crazy so we've been working hard on making our food dollar go as far as it can. What does this have to do with peanut allergy? Not much, but as a food allergy mom, I am hyper aware of what goes into my child's mouth. When there are certain 'cheap' foods you just can't have (like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches) or ramen (most i've seen lately are made on shared equipment), you don't have those fall backs.

Anyways, I've noticed more and more sites giving tips on how to save a few dollars and still eat as whole-ly' as possible. And they aren't just about eating plain pasta.
Here are a few I thought I would share:

From ABC News:
Can Less Money Equal Better Eating?
Healthy Eating Need Not Be Expensive, Even in a Bad Economy

From Vegan Lunch Box (a great resource even for us non-vegans)
Summer VegOut Part 1: Eating on the Cheap

Bonus Site: Sweet Fine Day
These folks are starting their own food business and in the course of it all are watching their pennies - they eat the majority of their meals (probably more than the majority - more like they rarely go out) at home. You should check out the site to see the awesome looking food that they put on the table for their family. Just start at the beginning of their blog and read it all. Jenna explains it all along the way. In no way, shape or form is this family 'deprived' by eating in and sticking to a budget. I wish I lived closer so I could taste some of their products!

So what am I doing? Planning meals, definitely. I make a little menu every weekend and post it on the fridge - i make a grocery list based on that and shop for the week.

I've been trying to make multiple batches of foods (veggie lasagna, veggie soup - yes in summer, and curries) to freeze for additional meals. We also tried our hand at freezer jam last week - from a $4 HUGE box of strawberries we made 5 pints of jam (that would have each cost $4 in the store) that actually taste (gasp!) like strawberries!

We've been trying to eat less meat around our place too, so that's saving a bit. Bella absolutely loves tofu, which is great - not only is it good for you, it's not really expensive at all, especially with all the Asian food stores around here.

I'm doing Weight Watchers again (I want to lose another 15 or so pounds) so I've been drinking more water, bringing my lunch, and just plain not eating as much. Voila! Money saved there too! It all adds up I guess.

Are you guys feeling the pinch too? I'm certainly not trying to cheap out on food for my family, but I feel like my bills just keep going up and up each month without any significant changes (nope, no lobster or filet mignon in there). Mark and I are lucky in that we are a two income family, with fairly low overhead, but with a home remodel (yikes!) we are more aware of our finances now.

What are you doing to keep your food dollars in check?

Thanks for allowing my brief detour from peanut allergy. I'll be back tomorrow with a more peanut allergic focus, I swear - Bella went to her first movie without me today so I am sure I'll have a story or two about that. Oh and I need to tell you about her first week of preschool!

Stay tuned...

I'm Up.

So it's 4:30 am as I write this and I am up. Can't sleep.

Why?

Bella starts at her new school (preschool) this morning and I am doing the peanut free parent dance in my head, thinking of the teachers I need to corner in just a few hours, the notes and fine points they need to remember in my absence to make sure Bella is reaction-free. Of course they know Bella has a peanut allergy. Of course they already have measures in place regarding foods brought in to the school, snacks they serve, and designated tables for food allergy sufferers.

But nonetheless I will still give them 'the talk' in a few hours. They will say they know how to handle her allergy, but I will tell them again what she can and cannot have. I can't tell them too many times to be careful. Not paranoid, but careful.

So I am up, going through the dialog in my head. Bella is sleeping peacefully in her room. And I am up.

Mainly I am up because my baby girl is growing up. Each of these milestones marks her advancement into her own independence. I love it and hate it at the same time.

Oh Yeah, and about those RAST results....

Some of you might remember a little post I wrote about a month ago, detailing Bella's RAST test. And I never actually got back to you all on the results?

You KNEW there had to be a reason behind that, right?

Well, there was. We got her results. Oh boy, did we get them. Got a minute?

My sweet, sweet allergist phoned me with the news a month of Fridays ago, taking up two messages on my machine! I had come home from my parents' place that night, Bella asleep in my arms. I put her to bed, exhausted myself, anxious because it had been over a week since her blood draw with no word and a couple of messages in to their offices.

With Bella settled, I walked into our dining room and there was Mark with his excellent poker face. "Dr. B-- called", he said, "with Bella's results."

At this point, I was terrified. "And??" I stammered.

With his best 'serious' face, he said, "All negative. To all nuts. Bella's RAST results for her peanut allergy (all and other nuts for that matter) were NEGATIVE. And he wants to know if we want to do a food challenge."

At this point I burst into tears and fell into his arms. Uncontrollable sobs. I could NOT believe it. I was expecting a low level at best. But negative? Unbelievable.

I called my folks (my mom is anaph. to shellfish so she REALLY 'gets it'), while my wonderful husband opened a bottle of wine to celebrate, and we sobbed together. It really was like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel (without a train at the end - ha ha - love that expression). The feeling of relief that I had was incredible.

But I knew this wasn't the end of this.

The next Monday I made an appointment for Bella's food challenge. Yesterday was the big day. I actually bought peanut butter this week (it was terrifying!). We got a big bag of supplies ready for the 3+ hour appointment that awaited us. We were filled with hope and excitement.

Fast forward to this morning.

I was hoping that this post would be my goodbye to you all, my fond farewell, my 'see you later', 'adios', and 'adieu'. But I hate to break it to you all.

You're stuck with me for the time being.

Bella reacted to her skin test. Aw nuts!

Were we upset? Of course! Not crying upset, mind you. Just bummed out for Bella.

Was Bella? Not so much. She didn't seem to care at all that she wasn't trying out peanut butter that day (although she did ask last night "now when can I have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?"), but was pretty psyched at the three (yes three!) lollipops the nurse gave her at the appointment.

But there is good news here. Really, I swear there is.

Bella has a NEGATIVE RAST result. And even though she reacted, her wheal size was smaller than last year's (which was also smaller than the previous year's). Her allergist is confident that she will outgrow this fairly soon (and he's an allergist that ALWAYS stays on the cautionary side of things - he is not a risk taker or nonchalant about allergies, suffering from them himself - so I was shocked by his comment). So we left the appointment feeling good, even though we didn't come out with the exact result we wanted.

I can't say I was totally shocked that she reacted though. I've read enough of the scientific literature to know that it was a possibility. I just hope, hope, hope that we make it through to the other side of this. A beginning, middle, and happy ending to our peanut allergy adventure would be awesome.

So are we changing anything? No. We're still being just as cautious as we always have. And in the new year we'll schedule another challenge. I hope she passes.

But even when she passes, you'll still be stuck with me. So many of you have proven to me that you are true friends - I wouldn't give you up that easily. I feel like I know so many of your kids already through your posts, emails, and IM's that I'll still be advocating for this, even if (and long after) Bella's peanut allergy resolves.

Have any of you gotten to the same point as us? I'd love to hear from you either in the comments or via direct email.

Thanks

Thanks so much to all of you who shared your story with me and my readers - reading them brings me back to that morning two years ago, when everything changed.

I'm placing a link to the post on my right hand side bar soon so new visitors to the site can read your stories and see they are definitely not alone in all of this.

What a great little village we are.

Thanks again,

G

Is There Peanut in that Polish?

I've become very accustomed to reading food labels for contains and may contain statements. Heck, I'm a pro at checking labels on lotions, soaps, and makeup.

But cleaning products - I must admit that I haven't read them. Ever. Which is silly, considering how much Bella loves to help me 'clean up'. Or just wash her hands at the kitchen sink. I never thought I could be exposing her to something that could cause an allergic reaction.

Without knowing that some cleaning products could contain nuts or gluten, I started using Mrs. Meyers' products over a year ago and I LOVE THEM. I was in my local Elephant Pharmacy looking for dish soap and, I must admit, couldn't resist the packaging - so old skool! I picked up a dishwasher detergent and dish soap and haven't looked back. I thought the products would be weak (they are 'earth friendly' which in my mind equated to 'not strong enough' in my book). But they work like a charm. They cost a bit more, but even so I kept buying them.

I was checking out their site recently to see what they are up to, and any new products they have. And I found lots of things that caught my eye.

But I found something else that converted me into a lifelong customer. Their 'allergen' statement:

Allergy Specific Information
Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day products do not contain any tree nut derived ingredients, and are not exposed to peanuts in the manufacturing process. With the exception of our Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Oatmeal Pet Shampoo, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day products are also gluten-free and do not contain any oat, barley, or wheat-derived ingredients. We do not use any artificial colors in any Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day products.

Who knew that I was on the right track without even knowing it!?!?

My favorite 'flavors' are: Lemon Verbena and Geranium. But they also have other scents that are divine like Basil and Lavender. I first tried the Geranium scent for my dish liquid, but found it's a little strange for that purpose. Makes your dishes a bit 'flowery'. So now I use the counter spray in that scent instead.

You can buy Mrs. Meyers products across the country. Or online.

Looking for other safe cleaning products? See this page for some suggestions (not all claim to be peanut/nut/gluten free). I'm definitely going to be more aware of the presence of possible allergens in everything my hands touch in my house.

You can't assume anything is safe, unfortunately. At least this products solves one of my problems.

**And no, they haven't sponsored this post nor have they sent me samples. I just hope you love this product as much as I do.**

How Did You Get Here and Our Thai Birthday

This blog has been wonderful for me. I've met so many people that are going through the SAME thing as me - navigating this tough (and sometimes horrible) world of peanut allergy, not to mention some of you out there who have to deal with multiple food allergies (some of them not in the top 8 - I don't know how you do it)! I am truly humbled and thankful when I hear from someone who is relieved to see someone else out there with the same fears!

A recent email I got reminded me how terrifying it is when your child is first diagnosed (unfortunately I don't need too much reminding to get back to that place). A sweet reader told me how her little baby reacted inadvertently to a few kisses from a peanut buttery mouth. In seconds I was transported back to my dining room two years ago. I got chills and teared up. I wished so badly that she lived near me so I could have her over and talk to her and tell her how this would be better. Really, it would be better. And I tried my best to help via email and hope I did ok. But I wanted her to know about all of YOU, my fellow peanut allergy villagers.

And it led me to this post. You all know how I got here.

But there are lots of you that are lurking, never commenting (I know you are there - I have stats to prove it!).

How did you get here?

Seeing your stories would help countless other parents out there just starting out on the journey we're used to at a certain degree.

Please leave a comment about how your child was (or you were) diagnosed. If you have a blog, please leave a link to your site too. How do you feel now vs. that first month or so?

Personally, I feel like I freak out less about Bella's allergy. Don't get me wrong, I'm still vigilant. We were at a birthday party for our nephew (by friendship, not blood) this afternoon and the family is from Thailand. So there was Thai food everywhere - cue horror music! Satay, pad thai, peanut sauce, not to mention a huge tub of crushed peanuts. And I didn't freak. I just figured out what she could eat (and I had a stash of snacks in my purse) and dealt with it. There were hot dogs and buns on a dedicated grill, so we had a hot dog. The Thai food hadn't been touched yet so no utensils came in contact with it. Problem solved. But the old me? She probably would have left and denied Bella the time of her life playing with nerf rockets (with 10 year old boys - but that's another story :>). As I like to say - "I would have freaked my freak!"

So back to my request. We're all in this together. Hearing other's stories helps me and I think it will help someone else who's feeling a little overwhelmed right now.

Wont you take a second to help a newbie out?

Thanks,

Gab

p.s. oddly enough at the party today there was a 10 year old there with a peanut allergy. i couldn't help watching him during the party (not in a freaky obvious way) and it was REALLY interesting (and comforting) to watch him navigate the food and figure out a safe alternative for himself. and he did. and it was no big deal for him. or his friends. it was SO COOL!

Back from Disney!

Well, we're back from Disney - and in one piece!

Bella had a fantastic time with her cousins. It was strange though - she was scared of a lot of the rides this year. Some of the same rides she rode happily last year. Oh well, kids are a strange and fickle bunch I guess.

The greatest part of our trip was the ease in which we ate in the park. No reactions, not even a scare. I never did manage to speak with the Head Chef at Disney (Chris). To his credit, he left me 3 messages and we ended up playing a mean game of phone tag.

This was our third time at Disneyland, and I must say that each time is easier than the last. I only saw two instances of Peanut Butter sandwiches, and both were the Smuckers Uncrustables. It could be my imagination, but it seemed like the menus at Disney were more peanut-free friendly than the last. We really didn't stress out this time about Bella's allergy because the peanut/tree nut options just weren't there to worry about.

But I did keep an eye out for other allergies - avoiding foods beyond nuts is definitely a challenge there. Shellfish wasn't a big issue that I could see.

That being said, if your child has a wheat/soy/dairy allergy, definitely get in touch with the head chef at Disney about your options. Email me if you'd like Chris's phone number. I don't have the one for Disneyworld, but I am sure one of my readers does. If you do, can you email me?

So back to the wheat issue - there are lots of prepared foods there, and I'm sure many of them are wheat free (for example, they have these HUGE turkey legs you can eat - like a big drumstick - so good!), but many were in a booth with items that do contain wheat. The drumsticks were in a booth with burritos, for example, and I don't recall anyone wearing gloves. So you have to be really diligent about cross contamination. When I asked them the ingredients of the turkey leg, they couldn't tell me. I would imagine that the seasonings included soy but I couldn't be sure if there was something in the marinade that was wheat related or not. And I don't think I've seen as many churro stands in my life. So good, but definitely not safe for a wheat allergy.

But don't get me wrong, there were some fun snacks for kids with peanut and wheat allergies. Like the frozen MinuteMaid lemonade treats which I recall being wheat, dairy and peanut/tree nut safe. Lots of the snacks were prepackaged (like ice cream bars and popcorn) and showed the ingredients and warnings (even the bags of cotton candy had a label with ingredients). And the staff there was great about letting me look at the labels of everything. It was nice to be able to let Bella have something from a stand - that's part of the amusement park experience right? And every single booth sold bottled water. There are fruit stands throughout the park as well. I never did see any Divvies though (I was on the lookout - I really want to try one!).

Bottom line: Be vocal about your allergies. The staff is really helpful when it comes to packaged foods. But if you have multiple food allergies, you may want to avoid the stands due to cross contamination (unless you talk with Chris and get a rock solid list of safe places). You can definitely bring food into the park though - a small cooler would be a good idea for those with a limited diet.

We ate at the cafe near Tomorrowland (where I had a really good chicken salad BTW) and there was a really cool interactive Jedi show. They pulled kids out of the audience and trained them to be a Jedi. Darth Vader was there and Stormtroopers too! If you have little boys and want them to have a really cool and fun experience, definitely check that out. There aren't many things devoted to boys only (like the princess luncheons) so this is a good one (and girls can join in too)!

Lastly, I wanted to share a little oasis we found in Disney's California Adventure park. There is a little section of the park called Pacific Wharf. They have a tortilla factory (you can tour it and get a sample), a taco stand (yum!) a Boudin for fresh sourdough bread, and best of all a stand that sells beer and margaritas. So cool! And out of the way. I hope you don't think I'm a total boozer, but there is nothing better on a hot day than a nice frozen margarita. And they are very weak at Disney, believe me, so we weren't stumbling around afterwards. But if you find yourself at the park, wanting a break from the carnival food, or don't want to eat McDonald's (yes they have one there), head down to the Pacific wharf section (it's a left turn before the bridge to Ariel's Grotto) and have a semi-authentic taco or some sourdough. They even had an all female mariachi band (which is highly unusual!).

All in all it was a great trip and we didn't cart back too much useless junk. I know I've forgotten some of the other things I wanted to tell you, but I'll post them as I remember. If you have any specific questions about the park, feel free to email me.

I'll be back to the usual postings this week.