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?
