Warning: New Peanut Product

General Mills has come out with a new product you guys should be aware of:

Peanut Butter Multi-Grain Cheerios

I'm not sure what this means for other Cheerios products (e.g. not sure if these will run on a separate line), but be careful and read all labels on future Cheerios products, just to be safe.

What really is bothering me is that these look VERY similar to the regular Multi-Grain Cheerios.  How's a little kid at daycare where Cheerios are the common currency going to know which ones are which (and which to avoid)?

So glad B isn't a fan of Cheerios!

Peanut Allergy: This one's crunchy (and I ain't talking peanut butter).

i've been wanting to write this post for a while, but it's been difficult.

i'll just say it.

my husband and i have separated.  i moved out into my own place recently.  it's been difficult (or as I like to say, crunchy), mostly for little B, but we're settling in.

i thank my lucky stars that B's dad and i are on the same page about keeping her safe.  knowing i don't have to worry about her when she's at his place comforts me to no end.

if you're my friend on facebook, don't get all blabby about it, cuz a bunch of family still don't know.

but you guys?  you trump family any day - the support i get from you is phenomenal!

now that i've got extra time on my hands i'm hoping to get more posts up.  i've got a few great books to review and some great new food products to talk about as well.

everything happens for a reason - i'm scared as heck about the future, but at the same time, more excited than i've been in a long time.

Dear Universe: I'm an Idiot

Are we having fun yet?

Sometimes (who am i kidding - many times) as a food allergy mom, you slip up, and you think to yourself "I am SUCH an idiot - how could I have missed this?!".  You beat yourself up, because SURELY noone else makes mistakes when it comes to keeping your PA (or FA) child safe.

Right?

Right?

Well, if you are feeling that way in the future, just bookmark this page so you can refer back to it and not feel so alone....

So last Sunday there was a fun run at B's school.  It really was more of a slow jog because, well, most kids don't run.  They start running, then they get distracted, then they see a water station 20 feet after you start and then over the entire course this keeps happening and you really haven't run at all, now have you?

Anyways, after the run, they gave us a goodie bag and a medal (i use that term loosely) and then handed each child a piece of chocolate.

I know what you're thinking already - "you didn't let B eat that did you?"

Of course I didn't.  Well, I didn't right then and there.  Actually, i said she could have it then and there but she decided she wanted to eat it later. 

Why did I approve it? Well, because a Peanut Free Mom I know organized the event and the chocolates and specifically requested hershey's miniatures plain chocolates for the event.  (Note: foreshadowing).

So, we went on our merry way - she went on a bunch of bouncy slide thingies, played carnival games and had a ball in the extreme heat we had (90's in September - yikes!).

So we get home, and she's looking at her swag bag and comes upon the chocolate.  I tell her, sure, you can have it now. 

So she goes to open it, unwraps the fancy paper with our school logo.  And what is it?

A MR. GOODBAR!

She didn't freak out - she didn't eat it - she just handed it to me with a super mad look on her face, like, 'what's the big idea?? - i thought this was supposed to be safe?!?".  My jaw hit the floor and I panicked a bit. She hadn't opened it to the chocolate, but what if it was all peanut dusty??  Crud!

I threw it away immediately and made B wash her hands before she could touch anything else or get her hands near her mouth.  Crisis averted right?  For the most part, yes.  But....

But it got me thinking - what if she HAD just randomly popped it in her mouth at the event? I DID tell her that her PA friends mom ordered the chocolates and they were SUPPOSED to be safe, so it was a real possibility that she would have.*

What the heck would I have done???

Because you know what the cherry on top is? 

I didn't have an epi-pen or benadryl with me (where was I gonna put that in my spandex pants??). 

What was I thinking FORGETTING THE MOST IMPORTANT ACCESSORY I HAVE AT AN EVENT WITH A BUNCH OF FOOD???

And that's the story of why I'm an idiot.

It took that one little candy bar to realize what a fool I am, that I can't let my guard down.  I needed that little yellow wrapped reminder to tell me that I need to stay prepared ALL THE TIME (if you haven't seen this segment from The Balancing Act, you'll see all the more reason for keeping an epi on you at all times).

----------------------------

*my fellow PA mom was MORTIFIED about the chocolates - she got in touch with me right away once she discovered the issue herself. i don't blame her a bit - they were donated chocolates and the woman did tell her that they would only be miniature hershey's milk chocolates.

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

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!

Hello?

Totally bizarre from Japan:

"Taberu - Business Cards You Can Eat!"
A roasted peanut is etched with your contact information. And you can eat it!

Let's hope these don't catch on by the time B starts in the workforce.

Yikes!

Nominee for...

...The Dumbest Product Ever. After watching an episode of Unwrapped on Food Network tonight, I bring you:

P.B. Slices ('The Funner Peanut Butter")
Yes, you read that correctly: slices of peanut butter. Think cheese slices - but it's not - it's Peanut Butter! They are supposed to save you time (I think) when making a PB&J for your kid in the morning.

What a genius idea, considering how unruly spreading peanut butter with a knife can be. I wont even go into the fact that this is an environmental nightmare. And it's a tad suspicious that they don't actually list the ingredients on the site. Is it just peanuts? What else is in there?

I'm not one of those folks who want peanut butter outlawed, banned, and not manufactured, and I understand that there is always room for product innovation. I've seen the little tubes of PB that athletes eat while they are training - that makes sense! But this is ridiculous. Will mayo be next? And after looking at their website, it looks like they are endorsing putting these on hot dogs - something I just can't get behind. Good Lord!

But then again, maybe this is the 'peanut butter for a new generation'! Maybe the naysayers said this about Kraft Singles? I use the Tillamook kind that isn't individually wrapped, so I wouldn't know.

I could be wrong - maybe these things will catch on (and God Bless the entrepreneur in the inventor of the much needed (?) PB Slice) but even if Bella grows out of her PA, you can bet your life I wont be buying these. My 'Californian Tree Hugger' membership would be revoked.