A Note To My Readers….

This is just a quick reminder that very soon http://www.momversusfoodallergy.wordpress.com will become www.momversusfoodallergy.com.  This new site will give me some new flexibility, which I’m excited about.  

My tech-savvy husband has helped me make the switch, and we’ve figured out how to carry over your email subscriptions to the new site!  You will get an email to confirm that you would like to indeed receive new blog posts from the new site.  At this point, the choice is yours and I hope you’ll want to keep receiving blog posts from Mom Vs. Food Allergy!  We’ll be transferring email followers over in the next day or two, but I wanted to give you a heads up that you’d be receiving this email.

Those of you who that follow on your Reader will have to “Follow” the new blog on your own-that I can’t do.  I also hope you’ll continue to follow Mom Vs. Food Allergy.

I must say, I am very thankful for my followers and email subscribers-sure gives me a boost of confidence that I’m helping fellow allergy moms.  Thanks so much and enjoy your weekend with your family!

New Things On The Horizon (With An Important Announcement)

This Sunday is the FARE Walk For Food Allergy!  This is the first time for our family to participate, so I’m looking forward to it.  I’m thankful for organizations like FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education) for raising funds to research a cure for food allergies.  So far our location has raised over $22,000!  We have a group of 13 going, so we decided to get t-shirts for our team, Nathan’s All Stars.  THANK YOU to all of you who donated to our team-we appreciate it!

                

Nathan loves baseball, so my brother designed this t-shirt for us.  While I’m at it, I need to give him credit for naming this blog, too.  He’s an avid reader, great with words, and a huge supporter of Nathan-all that helps me out a bunch!

Notice anything different about the website on the back of the shirt?  It’s a bit different than the website you’re on now-and yes, it was on purpose.

If you’re reading this blog-THANK YOU!  A blog is absolutely useless if no one reads it, and it was my intention to reach out to fellow food allergy parents to help them on their food allergy journey.  I’m hoping you stay on this blogging journey with me and hop on over to my new (but very similar) blog site and enter your email address (I don’t share email addresses) if you want to continue to receive postings as soon as they happen, or follow the new site on your Reader.  This new site gives me a bit more blogging flexibility, so I hope you hang with me through the transition.  Thank you to my husband, Brent, for making it happen and for helping me put on the last few finishing touches in the next few days.

Again, THANK YOU, to my readers.  I hope to see you on the flip side at www.momversusfoodallergy.com (instead of http://www.momversusfoodallergy.wordpress.com).  Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook & Pinterest, too!

There’s An App For That! An Auvi-Q App Overview

There’s an app for that?! That was my reaction, too, when a representative from Sanofi came to our local food allergy support group meeting. The rep was there to show us the new Auvi-Q epinephrine injectors. My husband and I were really impressed with the Auvi-Q in general, and it was a very informative meeting. Then, he impressed us even more when he told us about the iPhone and Android Auvi-Q app. Forgive me if someone else has already done a post on this.  If not, then I’m surprised, but I’m also wondering how many people know about it.  Here’s what it’s like.

From the Home screen of the app you can start an Auvi-Q Trainer Simulator, dial 911, and notify contacts in the event of an emergency via text message. Now, I didn’t try calling 911 from the app, but the rep from Sanofi said you could dial is straight from there. You can enter contacts to notify, and then directly inform them from this Home screen.

On the Training page, there are 3 options. Each of the 3 options teaches the user how to use the Auvi-Q: the hands-on Simulator that uses swipes to activate the trainer, the Demo Video for more visual/aural learners, and the Written Instructions for those that like details explained in pictures and words. Also on this page is a button that takes you to your expiration date reminders and training reminders. You’ll see that I have my app to remind me quarterly to train on my Auvi-Q to refresh my memory on how to use it. You can also choose to set the trainer reminder for monthly or semi-annually, or no training reminder at all.

       

    

On the Profiles page you create profiles for the patient(s) requiring the Auvi-Q. On the patient’s profile page, you can add their allergens. This is the one page that I do not like about the app. You can select and add any or all of the following allergens: Fire ants, bees, eggs, fish, gelatin, hornets, latex, milk, muscle relaxants, peanuts, penicillin, sesame, shellfish, tree nuts, vigorous exercise, wasps, yellow jackets, other, or unspecified. They must have their reasoning for such a mixed list of allergens, but they didn’t include wheat and soy which are two of the Top 8 allergens. Hhhmm. Not sure what they were thinking, but I don’t like that. I also wish it allowed you to type in allergens. My son is allergic to carrots, pumpkin, and celery (among others), but they are not common allergens. I still want someone to know he’s allergic to them, even though I don’t think he’s anaphylactic to those. Anyway, this is the page where you can add a picture of the patient and add your contacts, epinephrine injectors & expriation dates, as well as health care providers.

                            

The final page includes prescribing and safety information, an Auvi-Q app survey (which I’ll be filling out), contact information for Auvi-Q, and additional fine print “stuff” for the Auvi-Q.

Overall, this app is great and I wish there was a comparable app for the Epi-Pen made by Mylan. Here’s what I like about it:

1. You can train family members, teachers, babysitters, etc… in just a few minutes. The training is at your fingertips and is so convenient.
2. You can create reminders to refill your Auvi-Q prescriptions.
3. You can create a list of contacts to notify ALL AT ONCE in the event of an emergency. This is done by text message.
4. You can send the patients allergy profile by email to anyone you want.
5. You can dial 911 directly from the app.
6. It has anaphylaxis symptoms listed in the app.
7. It’s a FREE app!

What do you think of the new Auvi-Q or the Auvi-Q app?

Dairy, Egg, & Nut Free Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cake

I’ve been craving a chocolate cake lately.  My dad’s birthday was yesterday, so I decided it was the perfect excuse to make one.  Nathan doesn’t like chocolate, so I made a Cherrybrook Kitchen Yellow Cake and a small chocolate cake.

It has taken nearly the entire 3 1/2 years that we’ve been dairy, egg, and nut free to find a cake that I like.  I’m a cake girl.  I’ll choose cake hands down over pie unless it’s pecan pie, and even then it depends on who made the pie.  When I found a chocolate Wacky Cake recipe, I thought I’d give it a try.  To my surprise, it’s much better than I had thought it would be.  It came about during the Depression when milk, butter, and eggs were hard to come by, so it has to be good if people are still making it today.  Some recipes I’ve found for Wacky Cake tell you to mix the dry ingredients then make three wells and pour the different liquids in the wells before mixing in the baking dish.  This recipe that I used didn’t do that and it turned out just as yummy as ever.  Enough already, let’s make a cake!

Ingredients (makes an 8×8 or 9×9)

• 1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 1 C sugar
• 1/2  tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 T unsweetened baking cocoa
• 1 C water
• 1 1/2 T canola oil
• 1 T white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Sift your dry ingredients.  I just dump all of mine in my sifter (over my mixing bowl!) and sift them to together all at once.  I get a kick out of sifting and making “snow” come out!

Dry ingredients before sifting

I love how it looks after sifting.  Reminds me of fluffy snow in the wintertime.

 

 

Then, mix your wet ingredients.  This is not nearly as exciting.

Next, pour your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients and mix.  I used my hand mixer.  I just wasn’t in the mood to get the BIG KitchenAid out for such a simple cake.  After you’ve mixed up the batter, this is the time to stir in some chocolate chips if you want them through the cake.  Why didn’t I do this?!

Pour your batter into a GREASED 8×8 baking dish.  If you want to eat more cake, just double this recipe for a 9×13.  I’m thinking  you might want to double this cake-it’s soooo tasty after this next step.

 

 

I put about 1/4 cup of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips onto this cake.  After eating it last night…bump this up to 1/2 cup.  Trust me on this one and you won’t regret it 🙂

Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes, then check it.  I honestly can’t remember how long it actually took.  My kids were distracting me quite a bit, but I know I started at 15 minutes cause I didn’t want to ruin this cake.  Test it with a tooth pick or a clean knife.  Adjust baking time to your oven, but don’t over-bake it!

The chocolate chips on this moist cake kinda make it’s own “icing”.  Quite frankly, I wanted to smother this bad boy with a chocolate frosting, but I didn’t have any powdered sugar.  Boo.  I drizzled some melted Pillsbury over it, but it wasn’t that good.  I think that if you doubled the chocolate chips and then dusted it with sifted powdered sugar it would be enough.  With a scoop of ice cream on the side.  And a safe milk.  YUM.

So, that my ladies, is a moist, chocolatey, allergen free chocolate fix.  Perfect for a crowd.  Or yourself.  Either way, enjoy 🙂

Another One Bites The Dust!

Over 3 1/2 years ago Nathan was an itchy little 6 month old with a rash on his belly.  It took us nearly a month to pinpoint what was causing the rash & itching.  That was just the beginning of our food allergy journey.  Today, he had his food challenge and ate oatmeal for the first time since he was 6 months old eating baby oatmeal cereal.  It felt so weird, but I was so happy for him!  He was thrilled to be trying a new food.  Last night he told me, “If I don’t get a rash when I eat oats, I’m going to eat all the oats in the house and you won’t have any left!”  Thankfully, the oat challenge went off without a hitch, he didn’t get a rash, and we can scratch that allergen off the list-another allergen bites the dust!  Another victory that makes me so excited that I want to shout it from the rooftops!  I can’t wait to share oatmeal with him at breakfast, make Sunbutter No Bake cookies, and make our own nut-free granola.  Finally, we are kicking another allergen to the curb and crossing it off of our long list.

First bite of oatmeal at oat challenge

When we got home, Nathan enjoyed another small bowl of oatmeal.  Then, he ran for the Home Free Cookie samples we received at the beginning of the summer.  He remembered that I told him he could try them once he passed his oat challenge.  He found the box that was full of samples for us as well as our local food allergy support group (can’t wait to pass them out at our next meeting!).  He doesn’t like chocolate, so he went for the mini crunchy vanilla cookies and he really liked them.  So did his baby sister.  These cookies are organic, gluten free and Top 8 free-and are REALLY tasty.  The chocolate chip cookies reminded me of Chips Ahoy! cookies, but much better.   Thanks so much to Home Free for sending us the samples for our local allergy support group.  I’d definitely pick up a box of these organic treats the next time I’m at our local health food store.

    Trying out Home Free cookies

Overall, it’s been a great day.  I just have to say I’m so thankful and blessed that prayers have been answered.  There was a time that I never thought he’d be eating oatmeal again.

 

One happy boy!

(I was not monetarily compensated for this short review of Home Free Treats, but did receive some samples.  This post does not contain affiliate links, and the opinions are my own.)

Preparing For A Food Challenge

It’s hard to believe we’ve come this far.  Tomorrow, N will have a food challenge for the very first detected food allergy!  Tonight I’ll be cooking some oatmeal to take to his fourth food challenge.  In January he had a soy challenge, the end of February he did a baked egg challenge, and in June he had a cherry challenge.  I know the doctors say there is no correlation between what a pregnant woman eats and what their child is allergic to, but I ate oatmeal AT LEAST once a day, sometimes two.  I love the stuff, and I’m praying that he passes the challenge-so he has more food options and so he can enjoy such a healthy food.

I feel like an old pro with this being our fourth challenge, but I have to admit I’m still nervous.  N’s original reaction to oat was a come-and-go rash on his belly with itching, and he never had hives….so, I’m hopeful that tomorrow will go well.  Here’s how we prepare for a food challenge….

1.  No anti-histamines.  N isn’t allowed to have any anti-histamines (like Benadryl) within the four days before the challenge.  Check with your own doctor on their rules on this.  We are super careful with his food (like always!) so he doesn’t have any weird reactions that require Benadryl.  We don’t try any new products that appear to be safe in the 4 days before the challenge, but that’s just our thoughts.

2.  Pack the food to be challenged.  We’ve done Silk Vanilla Soy Milk, eggs baked in muffins, fresh cherries, and tonight I’ll make oatmeal sweetened with brown sugar and a bit of Earth Balance soy free margarine.  I’m doing instant oatmeal for two reasons:  I think it’s mushy and I’m worried about cross contamination with nuts….and because I already have 2 canisters of old-fashioned oats in the cabinet.  Your doctor may give you specific items to bring for a challenge, so just ask if you’re not sure.

3.  Pack some entertainment.  We usually take a portable DVD player, the iPad, and books.  I let my son pick what movie/DVD he wants to watch so that he’s happy.  Challenges typically take 2-4 hours so movies are good.

With his DVD player at his soy challenge

4.  No food/drink after midnight.  Our doctor says no food or drink after midnight the night before the challenge.  Check with your doctor for their rules on this.

5.  Pack a lunch.  After the challenge your child will most likely be hungry, so pack a favorite lunch or plan to go to a safe restaurant to fill that hungry tummy.

What should you expect during a food challenge?  Here’s some basics from our past 3 challenges:

*An initial check of vitals

*Increasing amounts of food/liquid every 15 minutes

First bite at baked egg challenge

*A check of vitals every 15 minutes before they eat the next portion

*Staying in the same room during the challenge (other than bathroom breaks as needed)

*Waiting after the last portion is eating-this may vary from 30 minutes to an hour

*Be prepared to be with your child the rest of the day.  We have always been advised to be aware of a possible reaction for 6 hours past the last portion ingested.

Here are a few more tips to make the day go smooth….

*Prepare your child by talking to them about what will happen.  It’s up to you whether to warn them that an Epi-Pen shot is possible if things don’t go well.

*Ask to rub the allergen on an arm first to see if there is a contact reaction-this can save some time and agony!

*Take your spouse or supportive friend/family member.  Extra support is never a bad thing!

*Leave siblings at home, especially young ones.  You’ll need to focus on your child doing the challenge, not be distracted by entertaining your other children or having to change diapers.

*Ask questions before, during, and after if you’re unsure about something.

*Stay calm.  You’re in a monitored environment with trained professionals, so no need to freak out and pass that anxiety to your child.

*Remember, I’m not your doctor, but I can share experiences.  Talk to your allergist for the final word in your situation, and don’t use this blog post as medical advice.

*Never do a food challenge at home-it’s just not wise!

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite pictures from a previous food challenge…..He was so proud to take his paper mustache from story time the day before…

He’s grown up so much since then!

Let’s hear from you food allergy moms….what are your thoughts or tips on food challenges?  

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Pinterest for lots of things that don’t make a blog post!

6 Things Food Allergy Moms Need To Do

I just realized it’s been over two weeks since my last post.  There’s a ton of reasons for that, some good and some not so good.  Our nearly 17-month old daughter has not napped in that span of time.  I have no idea what’s going on, but that’s one of the not-so-good reasons.  I’m just exhausted.  Also, I’m on a committee that organizes a children’s consignment sale at our church.  It was a great sale this time, but it sucks a lot of my time at home right out of my day-but it’s worth it!  Lastly, I’ve simply been in a bit of a funk.  Not depressed, just in a funk that has zapped my energy and motivation.  I’m hoping that this week I can get back into our routine, make some positive changes, and get back on track-with blogging and just life in general!

When I get like this, I can’t help but admit that it’s a nagging, come-and-go side effect of being a food allergy mom.  I love summer and the memories of my own summertime childhood that it conjures up.  Spontaneity, though, is one thing that food allergies has stripped from our family life.  It leaves me feeling deflated and pre-planning our every single move, lest anyone should get hungry while away from home without safe options available to us.  It’s tiring, and it wears on me.

Lately, though, I’ve been concentrating on taking care of myself.  For the past 3 1/2 years I’ve done nothing but focus whole-heartedly on my son.  What he eats, what he touches, what he breathes, what he does.  I’ve hardly given a thought to myself.  I’ve known this for awhile, but there’s only so much time in the day, right?  When our daughter was born 17 months ago, my focus was now on two kids-one with food allergies and one with possible food allergies.  I’m still holding on to some weight gain during & after my first pregnancy.  The only good thing, is that I’m 10 pounds lighter than where I started right before my 2nd pregnancy.  That’s something to hold on to, right?!  Then there’s my frumpy Mom Wardrobe.  It’s so hard to be frump-less on a tight budget, especially when you want to lose some weight.  Ugh.

So, where am I going with this post?  I want to share with you, fellow moms (not just food allergy moms), what I plan to do to invest in myself.  I know that it will benefit my children in the long run, and I encourage YOU to do the same.

1.  EXERCISE.  This is the hardest to fit in, trust me, I get it.  Even if it’s just a 20 minute walk, 3 times a week, that’s fine.  It’s a great stress reliever and all around good for you.

2.  READ.  Let a novel take you away from the day-to-day.  Bonus points if you let your kids see you read…you get 15 minutes of rest while you teach your children that reading is one of the best hobbies ever.

3.  EAT WELL.  If I put as much thought to what I put in my own mouth as I do to what the kids eat, I just may be down a few pants sizes.  ‘Nuff said.

4.  GET A ROUTINE.  Sticking to a routine can make things go smoother.  I know this.  When will I believe myself and do it?!  I struggle with this big time.

5.  GET AWAY.  Even if just for a short trip to Target, a night out with friends, or a date with your hubby-do it.  And don’t feel guilty.  Not one little bit.  While you’re at it, eat something yummy that you can’t have at home around your FA kiddo.  It’s OK.  Don’t beat yourself up.  Wash up before you head home, and don’t regret it.

6.  STOP COMPARING.  When scrolling through your Facebook Newsfeed, or perusing Pinterest, go easy on yourself.  Being a mom in this day and age is REALLY  difficult.  I can’t imagine how much simpler life must have been for my mom without distractions from the internet.  Don’t feel like you have to be Holly Homemaker 100% of the time.  We all have messy kitchens and circles under our eyes more often than we’d care to admit-we just don’t post those pictures on Facebook.

This list could go on and on, but you get it, and I’m going to do my best to “get it” myself.  Take it one step at a time, simplify, and invest in yourself.  You deserve it and so does your food allergic child.  No matter what season of life you’re in, you CAN do this food allergy thing, take care of yourself, and don’t let Mom Guilt weigh you down.

Food Allergy Moms, what do you do to invest in yourself?  Leave a comment and some encouragement for fellow FA Moms below.

Easy Peasy Peppers & Popsicles-TWO Allergen Free Recipes

As soon as I start typing this the kids are going to wake up, but for now they are still asleep so I’m hoping to squeeze out a quick post with some yummy new recipes.

A couple of weeks ago the fridge was getting bare, and I didn’t have time to go to the grocery.  We were having pork chops, and the only veggie I had in the fridge was 4-6 random bell peppers, mostly red, orange, and yellow peppers.  With no veggie dip or hummus in sight, I tossed them in a frying pan with some oil and started cooking them down a bit.  That was going to be pretty boring, and I eyed some quinoa in the fridge that had already been cooked.  Hhmmm, toss it with the peppers?  Definitely!  Still, this was going to be pretty bland, so to kick it up a bit I threw in some garlic salt and some dried parsley for flavor (& color).  Once the peppers were tender, I through in the heaping one cup of quinoa, added the garlic salt and parsley and stirred it all up and I got this….

I wish I was a food photographer, but I’m not.  I made this again just a few nights ago and we paired it with roasted chicken this time….

So, to make this side dish you’ll need….

Ingredients:

cooking oil of your choice, roughly 4-5 tablespoons

4-6 bell peppers (pick your fave colors_

2-3 tsp garlic salt

3-4 tsp dried parsley

1 heaping cup of cooked quinoa

salt & pepper to taste

Cook the peppers in the oil until soft, add everything else and stir to coat the peppers in the quinoa, garlic salt, and parsley-that’s it!

Now let’s make a dessert-homemade popsicles!  I’ve researched several homemade popsicle recipes recently and some of them are pretty involved, but I like easy.  I wanted an orange creamsicle-type popsicle.  I looked at a recipe, decided it was too involved, so I grabbed what I had, plus a little sugar.  This were incredibly easy to make.  As in, 5 minutes-ish of dumping, mixing, pouring.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups orange juice

1 small container of vanilla yogurt (we used coconut milk yogurt, but you could use dairy or soy yogurt depending on your allergy needs)

2-4 T sugar, depending on your sweet tooth.  The more sugar, the more creamsicle-like, less sugar was more like frozen orange juice

Throw these ingredients in the blender

Then pour into your popsicle mold and stick them in the freezer.

Do these in the morning so they’re ready in the late afternoon and evening when you just need something to cool the kids (and yourself!) down.  To get the popsicles out once they are frozen, run warm water over them and they’ll come right out.  Here’s a picture of Nathan and little sis enjoying the popsicles.  Nathan is soaking wet because he loves to run through the water with his new swim goggles while I’m watering my flowers.  Little sis likes to stay dry 🙂

        

So there you have it-two incredibly easy-peasy summer recipes that are kid friendly (yes, Nathan ate the peppers!) .

What are your favorite summer, allergen-free recipes?  Have you ever made up a recipe that turned out really well?

An Allergen Free 4th Birthday Celebration!

Today has been pretty relaxing for a change!  This whole past week I have been preparing for N’s 4th birthday party.  Like all parents, I absolutely am in shock that he just had his fourth birthday!  It seems just like yesterday that I was holding him for the first time, unknowing all the parental ups and downs that were to befall me in just four short years ahead.  Here’s a picture from N’s 1st birthday where he’s eating his first dairy and egg free cupcake.  It’s crazy to think that is all he’s ever known.  I am comforted to know that  he loves his cupcakes and I make sure that he always has a safe one at every party we attend.

Since then I have tried many recipes, gotten comfy (as in not so crazy-nervous) in the allergen-free world, and have become used to throwing great parties with yummy food that is ALL safe for N.  My brother (the one who named my blog!) always asks, “Everything is safe for N, right?”  This time it was everything except the mayo, which I don’t find as a huge threat to him.

Alright, let’s get this party started, and let me tell you what we served for N’s 4th birthday!!

He LOVES Disney’s Cars Movie, and that was our theme!  I wish I could say all of these decorations and accents were my idea but they’re not.  I am lazy and always scrambling, so I hopped on Pinterest and found some Over Achiever Moms who had already designed all of these things and done the hard work for me.  Follow me on Pinterest if you want to see those things.

Our menu for the party was sloppy joes, salsa, guacamole, corn salsa, tortilla chips, watermelon, veggies & dip (hummus and soy based ranch dip), and homemade Ranch seasoned (dairy free) Chex mix.  We also had Rice Krispie Treats and, of course, cake!  The cake was a Cherrybrook Kitchen mix, Nathan’s request.  To wet our whistle we had unsweetened tea, lemonade, and good ‘ole water.

Check out this spread….

Did you catch the stoplight theme for my tortilla chip dips?

I just LOVE these labels I found to customize for our food!  Not that food needs to be labeled, but it was just fun!  Are ya hungry yet?  Cause I am!  My husband and I are munching on leftovers right now 🙂  Mmmm, chips & corn salsa!

Here’s a picture, too, of our fun “road” tables.  Loved this idea I found on Pinterest, as well!

Alright, I know you want to see the cake.  I STRESSED over this.  If you saw one of my FB statuses last Saturday, I mentioned spending nearly 3 hours working on eggless royal icing decorations.  Um, that became a royal mess.  By Wednesday, it was starting to shrivel up and the colors were bleeding.  I was bummed, but actually I’m kinda glad it didn’t work out, because look at this cake….

Pretty awesome, huh?!!  I had already planned on putting the plastic cars on it and had bought the checkered flags at the local cake supply shop.  My mom found the giant “4” candle and I went to work.  The “sand” on the cake is Golden Oreos that I put in the food processor, the “road” is Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips, and the white icing is yummy Pillsbury.  The green, blue, and red icing is a homemade recipe I found and I adapted to be dairy free.  I was surprised to hear comments such as, “Did you buy that cake?” and “Did you make the cake, Rachel?”.  The kids were saying, “I want a part of the road!”.  I have to admit, I wanted his cake to be awesome.  I didn’t want a “That’s a cute cake” kinda cake, but a “Wow!” cake.  I must admit I have taken cake decorating classes in the past, so that helped.  This will probably be the first birthday Nathan will remember and was really aware of the details like the theme.  I think these pictures show his excitement and how overwhelmed he was with all of the attention.

I think in the above picture, he was getting a little embarrassed, overly excited, and overwhelmed and how happy he was!

I was so happy to get the perfect picture of him blowing out his candle.  Makes a Momma happy!

I had made these cupcakes with sprinkles for the kids, but I’m pretty sure the adults got stuck with them!

And, here’s the aftermath…..

Gone.  ALL gone.  Plates were scraped clean and hardly a crumb left.  Success.  Sometimes I wonder if anyone would know everything was dairy, egg, & peanut free (and 7 other foods) if they weren’t aware of N’s allergies.

About 5 leftover cupcakes were there for me to indulge in after the party guests had left and the kids were in bed.  I only ate one.  I promise 😉

I slept so good last night knowing that the party was a success, the cake turned out better than I had hoped, and above all Nathan was happy, content, and safe.  I’m looking forward to the the coming year and watching him change, learn, and grow.  As I sit here wrapping up this post while on my patio under the party lights I put up for my own enjoyment, I realize I am so blessed.  Food allergies and all, he’s still a happy 4-year old boy.  He’s healthy.  He’s determined.  He loves baseball and trucks.  He loves trains and books.  He’s normal.  He’s mine.  And I’m so proud that I can say that Nathan is mine.  All mine, and I’m so proud of him.

What do you say Food Allergy Moms & Dads….how do you throw an awesome, allergen-free birthday party?  What recipes from the party menu do you want??  Leave me feedback..I love to hear from you!

I Love Stuff….That Makes Food Allergy Life Easier

I am really striving towards simplicity lately, because it keeps me much calmer.  Except shoes.  The more the merrier.  You too, huh?  Allergies, on the other hand, don’t have such a place in my heart.  But, if it’s something that helps this allergy journey a little less painful, a little more tolerable, or even a little more manageable, then who cares about simplicity?  I say, “Bring it on!”  Here’s a few things that help our daily life, and definitely made our  vacation activities possible.

1.  A waterproof container.  When we go on our vacation to the lake house, we float down the river to the ice cream shop at least twice.  Obviously we have to take my son’s Epi-pens as well as his inhaler, so we put it in a waterproof bag.  Last year the one we used leaked a little, so we had planned on just using Ziploc bags inside this same waterproof bag.  Instead, my sister-in-law, Jenny, let us borrow her new Aquapac, which she had purchased to protect her tablet at the beach.  It was perfect!  There was enough room for a twin pack Epi-pen, an inhaler & spacer, and still had room to spare.  We had Benadryl meeting us at our destination, so we didn’t send that along for the 35 minute float down the river.  The Aquapac worked really well, and I recommend it for those of you going to beaches, pools, spending time on boats, or anything that involves water.  You could even throw your small tablet or cell phones in it.  Thanks to the Aquapac, floating down the river safely was possible!  My husband is the one in the blue shirt, and he had the Aquapac over his shoulder, and N is in his own little floaty.

2.  A Frio Cooling Wallet.  This summer we’ve gotten much more diligent about keeping our Epi-pens at the proper temperature by not letting them get too hot.  We spend a lot of time outside, so we opted to get the Frio Cooling Wallet, which is originally used for insulin.  It works perfectly for Epi-pens!  We have the Frio Duo Cooling Wallet, and it’s an exact perfect fit for a twin pack Epi-pen.  Once the cooling pack is activated it puffs up a bit and so I have to push the Epi-pens down in the sleeve, and it’s snug.  Do-able, but snug.  If you want it roomy, get the Large so you have plenty of room for  your Epi-pens and maybe something else.  We have two, one for the diaper bag and one for N’s mini-back pack for when we don’t have his sister’s diaper bag with us.

3.  Insulated Lunch Box.  We love our Bento Laptop Insulated Lunch Box with the Bento Buddies Containers.  Awesome lunch box.  Love it, ’nuff said!  The Ziploc brand lunch containers fit perfectly in a Bento lunch box, and are probably much cheaper than the Bento version.

4.  Bug Repeller.  We used Jason brand natural bug spray and the Off! Clip On Bug Repeller.  We had no allergy trouble with either product, but do your own research, as I only researched for our particular allergy set.  I’d love to make my own bug spray sometime, but until then, these two things are doing the job when the mosquitos are trying to suck the life out of us!  I know this isn’t food allergy related, but we used it a lot on vacation, and I’ve heard of people having some pretty nasty reactions to mosquito bites.

5.  A mini backpack.  We use a mini backpack when just my husband or I take N by himself and just need his Epi-pens, inhaler & spacer, and Benadryl.  He’s too young to self-carry his Epi-pens, so this was a gender neutral alternative for my hubby and I.  We have another set of these things in the diaper bag for when the whole family is together.  The mini backpack is also big enough to put a few light snacks and a small water bottle.

6.  Safe Sunscreen.  We use Coppertone Kids Pure & Simple and N has done really well with it.  It doesn’t have any peanut derived oils that I am aware of, which so many sunscreens do.  It is also oat free, which is something else that is common in lotion type sunscreens.  It’s affordable and even makes the EWG’s list of best sunscreens with a rating of 2, meaning it is a minimal hazard to use.

Then there’s food products that I love, but I think that’s going to have to wait until another post.  I hope this list of products help you manage your family’s food allergies when you’re out and about .  They sure have helped make outdoor fun-in-the-sun much more attainable while staying safe!

Alright Allergy Moms (& Dads!), what are your favorite products to make life with food allergies less of a pain in the neck?  Leave a comment and share your awesome ideas!