Camp Blue Spruce Is Accepting Camper Applications!

I got an email from the folks at Camp Blue Spruce recently - they are holding their allergy free camp again this year and are accepting camper applications!  Here's the skinny on Camp Blue Spruce:

Camp Blue Spruce, a worry-free camp for kids with food allergies, is like any other sleepover summer camp EXCEPT the food is prepared without any of the top food allergens.  Located in Banks, Oregon, just 30 miles from Portland, the camp is five days and nights, August 18 – 23, and is loaded with fun for boys and girls ages 9 to 14, including:

• Swimming
• Hiking
• Arts and Crafts
• Field Games
• Campfires
• And More . . .

The camp is free of the foods that cause more than 90% of allergic reactions, including: dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat, soy, gluten and sesame. 

To learn more and register, visit www.campbluespruce.org or “like” them on Facebook. You can also contact them at 503-726-8886 or info@campbluespruce.org.

And from their site:

"Camps are an excellent way for children to become independent, develop new friendships, learn about teamwork and grow as individuals. Unfortunately, it is very hard for a regular camp, often with hundreds of children, to ensure that children with food allergies are safe and eating healthy food.
Kids attending Camp Blue Spruce will have a true camp experience without the worry and anxiety they experience daily with their food allergies. Camp Blue Spruce parents can be worry-free, too!2013 DatesCamp begins Sunday, August 18 at 4pm and ends after lunch Friday, August 23.Daily ProgramDays and nights at Camp Blue Spruce are filled with fun indoor and outdoor activities.
We have a swimming pool, a big playing field, and a creek. A professional Outdoor Educator teaches outdoor skills and leads hikes and other adventures.
We have a well-equipped art room with painting, ceramics and beading supplies. All art supplies are reviewed to ensure that they are safe for the children to use.
Kids can also enjoy fun music activities and cooking classes.
Each night there is an all-camp activity such as a campfire, a carnival, guest presentations, or a scavenger hunt.RequirementsBoys and girls with food allergies, ages 9 - 14, can attend the camp. Friends and siblings without food allergies can attend if there is space. Camp Blue Spruce can accommodate 56 children at a time.LodgingFor one week this summer, Gales Creek Camp - normally a camp for children with type 1 diabetes - is providing their lovely facility and their guidance to Camp Blue Spruce. Gales Creek, located near Banks, Oregon, less than 30 miles from Portland, has been hosting kids with diabetes since 1952. The camp has two large cabins - one for girls and one for boys. Each cabin sleeps 28 kids.CostThe tuition for one week of Camp Blue Spruce is $525.RegistrationJoin us for a fun-filled week at Camp Blue Spruce! Hurry, we only have room for 56 campers.
Register your camper now!"

I can't wait until B is ready for sleep away camp - this will be perfect for her!  If your child attended last year (or is going this year), leave me a comment and let me know.  Also, if your child goes to sleep away camp, let me know how you worked with the camp to keep your child reaction free!

Peanut Allergy: Allergy Free Camp - Summer 2012!!

I got an email yesterday from a camp up in Oregon (www.campbluespruce.org) that's offering a week long, ALLERGY FREE, sleepover camp this summer.

HOW COOL IS THAT???


Here are the details:

"Camp Blue Spruce, a worry-free camp for kids with food allergies, is nowaccepting registrations! 

Sign up now for a week of swimming, hiking, arts & crafts, field games,campfires, and more! All in a camp that is free of the foods that causemore than 90% of allergic reactions – dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts,fish, shellfish, wheat, soy, gluten and sesame. 

Parents of children with food allergies now have a worry-free campenvironment for their children. Our cooks prepare most of the food fromscratch, using fresh ingredients. All the manufactured products at CampBlue Spruce are carefully vetted and will mostly come from allergen-awarecompanies. 

Oregon’s great outdoors will make Camp Blue Spruce the highlight of yourchild’s summer. We are accepting campers now and with only one weekavailable (August 19 – 24), the 56 slots will fill up fast. 

Priority is given to children with food allergies, ages 10 – 14. 

Check out our website for more information:  www.campbluespruce.org oremail info@campbluespruce.org or call 503-726-8886."

If any of you sign your kid(s) up, please let me know!  Wish B was 10 so she could go as well - heck, I wish I could go!!


- Gabs

Peanut Allergy: Safe Camp for Kids: Camp TAG

If you live in the Joliet, IL area, Philadelphia, PA area, or the Sandy Spring, MD area and hope to give your food allergic child a normal camp experience without the worry of reactions, then check out Camp TAG, created by FAAN.

About the program:

Camp TAG is a 5-day, half-day camp for children ages 3-12 that will launch in summer 2011. It will provide a safe place for children with food allergies and their siblings to have fun with no worries about having an allergic reaction, as well as give them an opportunity to meet other children who share the same conditions and know they are not alone!

Camp TAG will provide community outreach and educational opportunities for children with food allergies, their siblings, and parents. It will be 95% fun and 5% educational with age-appropriate activities and games each day on food allergies, anaphylaxis, nutrition, the emotional impact that food allergies have on the child and family, and how to stay safe at school and at home. An educational curriculum has been designed and reviewed by FAAN's Medical Advisory Board.

A registered nurse who specializes in food allergies, anaphylaxis, and epinephrine administration will be onsite at all times at each location.  An allergy-friendly snack will be provided, along with water.

The price is pretty great too (well, compared to SF Bay Area summer camp costs).

How I wish there was a Camp TAG near us this summer!

Camp's Around the Corner....

So after MUCH back and forth with the Girl Scouts they decided to put ALL the allergic girls in B's grade level in my unit (including B - which is unheard of apparently). 6 out of 15 girls have a food allergy (and ALL include a peanut/nut allergy).

So I'm leading a unit with the following allergies:

• peanut
• tree nut
• milk
• eggs
• honey

It's definitely going to be interesting!  I'm going to be able to carry epis/benadryl for the girls in my pack (something the other leaders wouldn't do) and I'm working with the moms to ensure that the meals will be safe (it may require the moms to supply a substitute ingredient - like honey free graham crackers - is that too much to ask of them?).

As for meals, the camp leaders wouldn't let us ask the other unit's moms NOT to pack peanut/nut products (!), so we're going to have LOTS of hand washing before and after and we'll be setting up buffer zones for the girls - so if there's another girl with a PB&J, we'll make sure the girl with the ham sandwich is next to the allergic girl instead.  It'll be a juggling act for sure!

But ultimately, I'm doing what I had hoped that a group like the Girl Scouts would have taken upon themselves to do in the first place without a fight.

The funniest thing is:  I feel very nervous about this.  I'm in a strange position of watching after another mama's allergic girl.  I'm worried that I'll make a mistake and a reaction will occur. I'm worried that I wont read a label properly and slip up out in the woods no less.

Isn't that silly?

If you all have any suggestions/ideas about any foods to watch out for with a honey allergy, let me know.  We cookout on 3 of the days and our meals are: Tacos, Hot Dogs, and Pizza.  Desserts are homemade ice cream, watermelon, and s'mores.  I immediately thought of the graham crackers for s'mores having honey, but is honey in bread?  Suffice it to say, I'll be reading A LOT of labels in the coming weeks. I've got alot of homework to do.

When the contact at camp sent me the menus, she kept saying in her email things like "oh its veggies and ranch dip so all your allergic kids will be able to have it".

Uh, no they wont.  Last time I checked, Ranch had MILK in it.

Sigh.

If this camp thing isn't spectacular, then there's NO WAY we're going next year.

What have I gotten myself into?

UPDATE:  Good news!  I spoke to the mother of what i thought was an allergic camper.  Turns out that a girl who's file said she needs to avoid peanuts, honey, and eggs isn't actually allergic - i thought she was allergic or possibly vegan - but her mom just avoids them (not sure why as she's had all three in baked goods, but I didn't even want to ask why she had to put this on the health form - oh well). That makes just peanuts/nuts and milk to work with - that's a cakewalk!

Girls Scout Day Camp Problems

Girl Scout Day Camp starts at the end of the month and we're encountering lots of resistance with our efforts to keep our allergic daughters safe.

Unit leaders not wanting to carry epi pens, unwilling to make simple accomodations for snack foods, not willing to even ask (not demand) that parents not send in PBJ's. 

I'm not sure what's going to happen.

The leader of the camp has even suggested that very allergic campers not even attend.  Can you freaking believe that!?!?!?

I'm shocked and saddened.  And I'm looking for your advice.

What's our recourse here?  I've got a call with the head of camp tonight.  I've got lots of ideas to make this work, but would love to hear what you all have to say/your experiences/solutions, etc.

Thanks,

G

A Little Facelift....

I'm updating the blog a bit - freshening up the look of things around here so bare (or is it bear? i always confuse those two, like it's and its) with me while i play around with color, background images, etc.

Our summer is rolling along nicely. Skateboarding camp starts tomorrow. I'll be hanging around for that one - 3 hours a day this week in the sun, watching cute young men (seriously, they are adorable and polite which gives me hope that manners are still alive somewhere) teach my daughter how to 'drop in'. Luckily I have an iPad so i can actually work while I'm hanging out in the park.

Next week is rock climbing. Have I mentioned that I'm raising a little tomboy (well, a tomboy who plays with polly pockets, but she'll deny that to the end)? I'm not sure if skateboarding will stick or rock climbing for that matter, but i'm so proud of her that she'll try anything and that's she SOOOO active. She's quite a character. I know I tend to write about the stressful stuff on this site, but man is that kid wild and wonderful!

But she's still an allergy kid. The online allergy community sent around this link recently, and it's a keeper. If you haven't seen it, get a tissue (or 5) ready.



That was a doozy, huh? While B isn't at this stage, she exhibits some of the anxiety you see here. The nerves are definitely starting to show and just yesterday we were at a birthday party and even though I was adamant about the cake being ok, she just would not eat it.

But we made it through a whole year of Kindergarten! A few close calls, but NO reactions.

I call that a success. Her principal did too, and wants to make sure we put the same system in place for first grade (I know some of you out there might find the fact that a principal is actually working with a FA parent to be unbelievable).

Now we'll do our best to make it through the summer without any reactions.

And that's another reason why I'm going to hang out at the skate park with B tomorrow. Teenagers teaching skate lessons probably aren't up to date on allergic reactions or how to administer an epi pen. But I'll be there, under the guise of 'hanging out in the park, working'. I really DO want her to fly on her own, but it ain't happening yet. She's an incredible self-advocate, but she's still 5.

But isn't that what we Food Allergy Mamas do? Hover a bit? Think of every scenario that could happen and try to anticipate every physical and emotional hiccup?

I would do anything for that kid. Just like you guys would do anything for yours.

They are SO worth it :)

G

p.s. i have no idea what 'drop in' means - but i've heard the kids say it so there you go.

Girl Scout Camp

Short post....

I'm volunteering as a unit leader at Girl Scout Day Camp this summer.

Yes, I (think) I know what I'm getting myself into.

B is going to be a camper (although not in my unit). It should be fun (seriously, it will be - I can't wait to do all those campy activities).

Tonight I had a training meeting with my co-leaders. We went over menus for the 2 weeks. It's 3 meals that we cook (the rest of the days campers bring their own).

Do I have to tell you what's on the menus?

Yup. Peanut Butter. Ants on a log! PBJ's!

Yikes! It's camp for cryin out loud! What happened to hot dogs and hobo packs???

Not sure what I'm going to do.

What do YOU think I should do?

p.s. as i'm writing this, I'm watching Modern Family. How much do I love that show?

THHHHHIIIIIISSSSSSS MMMMMMUUUUUUCCCCCHHHH!

Summer Camps and Snacks

A couple of things floating around out there:

Camp Emerson - A summer camp for girls and boys, age 8 -15 in Massachusetts that addresses the allergy needs of its campers. Awesome! (found via Nicole's fantastic Allergic Child Newsletter).

I'd love to hear from anyone else who knows of summer camps that are good for kids with allergies (I'm sure a quick search of peanutallergy.com or kids with food allergies would bring up a few more). The thought of being able to send B off to summer camp without too much worry about her peanut allergy is amazing. The thought of paying that tuition might be more difficult though :)

Mark Bittman's recipe for Homemade Granola Bars. Only 4 ingredients! No preservatives or funky additives. Now, finding a safe granola might be a challenge in your local grocery store, but there's always Enjoy Life mail order. I'll be trying these this weekend. (found via Allergic Girl - thanks Sloane!)