New year, new hurdles.

Happy 2015!

I think I probably qualify as worst blogger ever since my time here is few and far between, but I thought I would pop in today for a few updates.

• B is a middle schooler now!  How did that happen?  She goes to Outdoor Ed for 5 days next month and I am freaking out.  The camp has all sorts of things in place to ensure her safety but I'm an allergy mom so I guess there's no getting around the 'what if...?' scenarios.  I would love to hear how any of you out there have handled this.  I haven't sent her off to camp or anything so I am completely out of my comfort zone. No parents allowed - this is a first for me!!
• Last month we had a blood draw for a RAST and Component Testing.  Saw our allergist a few weeks ago.  More on that in a second.
• B finally feels ready to take part in the SAFAR trials, so I added us to the waiting list. Hopefully we'll get a chance to participate soon.  With the latest, incredible $24 million donation, the trials are very popular. It's definitely not an easy road, so it had to be her decision.  I'm glad she's brave enough to want to attempt it now. 
• Speaking of being brave, B's anxiety levels are really tapering off.  She panics way less now about food related activities and we find ourselves going out a bit more to dinner and she eats at friend's houses without much issue.  Sure, there are some times that we go places and she doesn't eat anything (and is no doubt starving) because it doesn't feel safe to her, but I'm proud of her for learning how to navigate the world within her comfort zone.  I know it sounds weird, but I was really proud of her when she told me that now she'll eat something before she goes out, just in case she can't find anything safe to eat at her destination.  It just shows her thinking about this now - planning for the unexpected and still going somewhere that might not offer a safe choice - does that make sense to you guys?
• I've been avoiding Facebook lately - does anyone else find it a HUGE time suck and anxiety causing, inferiority complex building, site from hell? All joking aside, I feel way less stressed now that I only go on occasionally (as in 3 times since the beginning of the year).  I am, however, on Instagram.  Follow me there if you'd like!
• This latest discovery isn't helping my mood.  

So, here's our news for the RAST, Component and Skin Testing.

B is still allergic so we wont be changing the way we do anything around here.  So there's that.

BUT...

Her negative RAST has now turned into a positive one (in the 'high' level) and her Component Testing showed her in the reactive range for ara h1 and ara h2 (see the chart on this page to see what that means).  Rats.  Throw in a nice big positive skin test and we stay in the land of the allergic.  So, when we saw the allergist, he strongly recommended the clinical trials at Stanford.

And I think that's about it.  I've been working, crafting (proof is on Instagram), decorating my new place, and still seeing the caddy.  Life's good.  Hope it's the same for you.

Stay safe out there.

xo G

i knit.

i have a sticker on the back of my car that says just that.

i knit.

do you?

i started a bazillion years ago - my mama taught me.  and i stopped for a looooooong time. 

Super Cupcake Hat!

but then i started up again.  i love it!  i'm generally a fidgety person, so it helps me sit through a movie (or even a tv show).  it's hard not to be obsessed with all the gorgeous yarns you can buy nowadays. 

this is the last thing i knit.  Super Cupcake Hat! i finished it a couple of days ago. it's pretty darn cute - i think i'm gonna make myself another one in black.  just because.

today i'm organizing my patterns.  this is what my dining room looks like - boom!

i'm also on ravelry.  it's sort of like facebook for knitters. except not.  just go look if you don't know.  but if you do know, are you on ravelry too?  friend me there!

i even have a knitting board on pinterest.  it's just a baby though - need to add some more pins!

p.s. I know this isn't at all about peanut allergy.  i'm trying to post more and this is just part of my life :)

Tag: 7 Things

Ria over at Check My Tag 'tagged' me for a 7 Things Meme.

Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share seven random and/or weird things about yourself.
3. Tag seven people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Instead of telling you all about me (trust me, I'm not that interesting), I thought I would break out my top 7 easy and portable snacks for peanut allergic kids. I'm leaving out the obvious veggies with ranch dressing, string cheese, and fruit. And I know, some of these aren't the healthiest, but these are snacks, people, not meals :)

Peanut Free Mama's go to snacks to keep a peanut allergic 3.5 year-old quiet in the back seat of the car:

1. Pocky Sticks
Pocky sticks are long thin biscuits covered in chocolate or other flavorings. Chances are, if you have a Safeway or major grocery store near you with an "international" aisle, you'll be able to find these. Be careful though: each flavor seems to have its own allergy warning. We've been able to find strawberry, grape, and chocolate ones (but not all chocolate ones) that are safe for Bella. WARNING: Highly Addictive!

2. Pirate's Booty
This has been a favorite since Bella was a little baby. It's like a healthier cheeto. Made from corn and rice and covered with white cheesy stuff. Yum.

3. GoldFish
If you don't know what Goldfish are, please leave me your name and address in the comments section so I can come to your house and shake you a little. Kidding of course! These, too, are highly addictive and never seem to get old. And have you seen the starfish shapes? Too cute!

4. Clif Kids Twisted Fruits
Fruit rollups on 11. But unlike fruit rollups, these require no unrolling by me and the resulting sticky paper. Bella's personal favorite is the Tropical Twist. No added sugars. No weird sounding ingredients. Basically fruit and pectin. Yum.

5. Dried Fruit from Crispy Green
The pears are amazing as are the apricots (stay away from the Pineapple though - woof). Their website has a store locator and you can even buy them online at Amazon.

6. Turkey Jerky
Mmmmm. Turkey. Chewy. Yum. We bought our last pack at Trader Joe's and the allergy labeling indicated it was peanut safe.

7. Madeleines from Starbucks
This is our go to snack if we stop in at a Starbucks with Bella. I can't find any information about them on the Starbucks site, but Bella loves them. They are prepackaged in 3's - they keep them at the counter (if you don't see them, ask the barista or manager - they have always had some in the back when I've asked). They don't contain any nuts. No allergy warning, but I trust the labeling as all the other packaged Starbucks items have a warning so I take the absence of a warning as a green light for Bella. oh and now they have chocolate dipped ones. If that doesn't spell trouble, I don't know what does.

An honorable mention also goes to squeezable applesauce (although it missed the cut due to the possibility of spillage on my car's upholstery.

So most of the folks I would tag have already been hit. How about 7 of you (or more) leave 7 items in the comments section for me? It can be your favorite peanut free snacks? Your favorite songs? Your favorite passages from Shakespeare? Surprise me! I love learning more about the folks who visit this site!