Empowering Our Young G*irls

I have the privledge of being a part of the "We Are More Than Beautiful" blog book tour. The book We Are More Than Beautiful by Woody Winfree is a compilation of stories by girls about why they are beautiful and what they feel that true beauty is. It's a book that speaks to girls about being beautiful on the inside and knowing that no matter what they look like on the outside their apperance is beautiful too. This book speaks to girls about knowing what real beauty is and not letting the media define it for them.

Blog Book Tour
We Are More Than Beautiful
46 Real Teens Speak Out about Beauty, Happiness, Love and Life
by Woody Winfree


The new book, We Are More Than Beautiful for teen g*irls is the latest addition to the work of the I Am Beautiful Project, an initiative committed to producing creative and educational works that encourage personal growth and discovery for women and girls of all ages.

Author, Woody Winfree says the project’s mission is simple: to create a world in which every woman and girl can proudly proclaim, “I AM BEAUTIFUL!”

What is the I Am Beautiful Project all about? It is about changing the definition of beauty in our culture – one girl at a time, one woman at a time. Quite dramatically, the mass media has chipped away at our sense of beauty and well-being by presenting a singular, narrow and distorted image of female beauty: super-thin bodies, topped by large, p*erky br*easts, with flawless youthful faces surrounded by shiny bouncy hair –and of course, sparkly white, perfectly straight teeth! This suggestion of beauty is not only wrong, it is a LIE. In truth, only three percent of the U.S. female population has the genetic makeup to look like this ideal. That means 97% of us are spending billions of dollars, untold hours of our lives and huge amounts of happiness in an attempt to pursue this distorted ideal.

In sum, the I Am Beautiful Project is about books and films, and workshops and seminars -- and anything else I might think to create along the way – that help guide women and girls to change their perspective about the definition of beauty. Beauty is NOT the size of our waists, or the cascade of our hair. Rather, beauty is the sum of our talents, accomplishments, intellect, contribution to our families and communities, and every other measure of living a life that deeply matters.

Where did the idea of this project come from? With the creation of my first book for women, I Am Beautiful – A Celebration of Women, the hope was to give our daughters – mine and yours and every other American girl --- a tangible work that they could hold onto. To expose them to images of women that are as real, interesting, diverse and beautiful as real women are. The success of this first book (that is now available in a gift edition), naturally led to creating a book just for girls: We Are More Than Beautiful.

The seed for this work, however, was planted some years before book ideas ever came into my head. When my now 23-year-old daughter was five someone asked me if she could model for a photo-shoot for a leather goods product ad. I thought this would be a fun experience, so off we went. At the time we were living in rural Connecticut. My daughter was a frog-chasing, tree-climbing nature girl almost completely free from the mass media – billboards, magazines, TV, etc. But the second the photographer bent down to take a few test shots, my little nature-girl struck a pro*vocative pose of hip out, lips pouting and a come-hither stance, while her dumb-struck mother looked on! Where could she possibly have learned to do this? Why did she think that this is the natural relationship that a woman has with the camera? I came to believe that her weekly journey through the gauntlet of fashion magazines on the grocery check-out aisle is where she learned this “un-truth.”

Tell me about the new teen book. Who is in it? Where are they from? What stories do they tell – and how is this important to other girls who read the book? The girls in the book are ages 12 to 19, from all walks of American life, facing and exploring all types of issues with self-acceptance and self-esteem. Each girl responded to my query – “Tell me why you are beautiful.” At once, every story is unique to the individual girl’s experience, but universal to the experience of American girls everywhere. Each girl is presented with her picture in an artistically graphic and colorful layout over two pages. This presentation is, not only contemporary and exciting to girls raised in the most visually st*imulating culture ever but, affords the reader to enter fully into each girls’ “world” and experience her journey of claiming her beauty.

Bottom line, experiencing other girls’ stories is important because it supports, helps and guides the reader to learn how to ask and answer that question for herself. The book creates a classical “peer” environment for sharing information, even trading secrets in a safe, supportive way. It also teaches girls to learn that they have a “right” to their sense of beauty and how to formulate conversations with their own friends on the subject.

Can the book be used by mothers with their daughters? Absolutely! My hope is that mothers and daughters will read it together and use its stories as a springboard for ongoing conversations. Conversations about:

1. The true definition of beauty
2. How the culture distorts that definition – and why
3. Why a narrow, distorted definition is harmful
4. Who are the women and girls in our lives that we find most beautiful – and do they embody the cultural ideal of beauty – or a deeper, more meaningful definition?
5. How we can enjoy the fun and frivolity, even the consumerism, of American life without buying into notion that we must alter our natural features in order to feel beautiful, make friends, get good grades, get ahead and on and on.

I encourage mothers and daughters to write their own essays together, to deeply contemplate what makes them beautiful, then write it down. Share it with one another. Put their written answer in a place where they see it every day – maybe next to their toothbrush, or on their nightstand. Read it again and again. Slowly, over time it is my promise that this simple act can have powerful results.

Proof positive of this is seen in my own two daughters. Because I have been working on projects related to this subject for more than 10 years, my daughters have been raised on a nutritious and bountiful “diet” of ways to define their beauty. Like any belief or idea that one is exposed to, affirmative ideas of who they are have shaped how they see themselves. Further, 1,000 “teaching moments” over dinner conversation or watching TV or looking at magazines, have raised their awareness of how and why the media diminishes women. And, knowledge is power. Oh sure, they have “bad hair” days and times when they are knocked off their stride – just like we all do. But at their core, they have a deeper sense of self and an expansive measure of their worth to draw on. This is the gift I work to share – one girl at a time, one woman at a time.


Why do you believe that naming our beauty is so essential? When we give “voice” to anything, ascribe literal words to a thought or idea, a major shift begins to take place. It might be ever so subtle in the beginning, but in time the act evolves into a concrete declaration of fact. I also believe that we deserve to know and feel our beauty. I believe it is our right, our spiritual right. Can we reach our full potential in this one precious life we have been honored with if we are chasing an artificial ideal of our self-worth? This is the ultimate question that we must ask ourselves – and guide our young daughters looking up to us to do the same.

What else are you up to with the I Am Beautiful Project? I speak frequently to various audiences of women and girls on this subject. From colleges and universities around the country to high schools, at companies and more. These seminars and workshops are designed to dig deeper into the issues we have explored in this interview. These events are listed on my website: http://www.iambeautiful.com/

My website also recommends other books and web links on this subject, as well as tips on building better self-esteem. Please visit! Please write with any questions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What a wonderful tool to open up communication with your daughter or with a young girl in your life about loving who she is and not what society tells her she should be. So many young g*irls turn into young women (and even older women) who have no idea who they are or who they want to be because they are too busy trying to fit into the media's model of what a woman should be today. And let's face it, the media hasn't exactly given women an "ideal" that most average women can live up to or should even want to live up to.
I love that this book talks to girls about loving who they are, as they are and that true beauty is more than just appearance.

Thank you Woody for allowing me to be a part of such a wonderful and important event! I hope every young girl hears the message in this book. We ARE More Than Beautiful~

Doctor Hugh Sampson On Leonard Lopate

Dr. Sampson responds to Meredith Broussard's comments on the Leonard Lopate show.
Bravo Dr. Sampon, well done. I would have liked him to mention that M. Broussard isn't a medical professional, but other than that he handled Lopate's questions well.

You can listen to the interview here:

Food Allergies and Valentine's Day

With Valentine's Day coming up, Kids With Food Allergies published an 8 page booklet with ideas for crafts, recipes, and fun things for kids to get them into the Valentine's spirit safely. This is one of those holiday's that can be hard for food allergic children and I think KFA came up with some great ideas so our kids don't feel left out.

You can access the booklet HERE - KFA celebrates Valentine's Day

And So It Goes

It seems that whenever we try and do some decorating around the house, something that didn't need to be decorated, breaks and must be replaced. Case in point. We finally replaced the green recliner that had seen better days and that could no longer be freshened up by "Febreze" with a lovely leather recliner. We also have some lovely (yet slightly wild) window treatments on order. So it should not have surprised me that the ceiling light on the hall broke. That is just the law of physics and the fact that it has a matching brother only 10 feet away was just a bonus.

Hubby went to change the light bulb last weekend. Easy enough. We have been in this house for 7 years and this is the first time we've had to change this light bulb. Obviously it's not a light that gets a lot of play. I was upstairs putting on my make-up and I heard quite a bit of commotion downstairs. So I came down to see what was the matter and what to my wondering eyes should appear? This lovely site:



It would seem that when the builders people installed that light seven years earlier, they broke it. So they wedged it up there figuring "It'll be the problem of whomever buys this house". Hi, that's us (waving hand). All of the fasteners were "frozen" on to the rod that holds the light on the ceiling and the little ball on the end that screws on and off to let you take the glass globe off to change light bulbs wasn't actually metal like we thought but plastic and had been wedged on there and wouldn't come off. The only way to change light bulbs was to dissemble the entire light from the ceiling. So we needed a new light. And it's one of a matching pair. There is another one just like it in the foyer. We needed 2 new lights So off to the light store we go.
I don't like ANY of the lights the builder put in this house. Most of them aren't my style and they are all "builders specials" (that's a technical term for "cheap cra*p") but these two lights weren't high on my list of lights to change out so that really made me sad. The kitchen lights: The cheap hanging light above the kitchen table or the "One Flew Over the Coo Coo's Nest" Asylum light would have been nice to change out. Or the "Third Eye" in the dining room that doesn't match our furniture could have gone. Sigh..... maybe next year.
Our new lights came in on Friday so Hubby and I installed them on Saturday (roaring laughter here). We've never done anything "electrical" before. I have to say we actually did pretty well for not having a clue to what we were doing. We did remember to cut the power first (that's very important you know).

The foyer light:


Building the new foyer light:


Our tight work space. We have one ladder and a step stool. We needed 2 ladders:


We're almost done with the first light:


It's up:


It works (and we didn't burn the house down):


The foyer light works too:


Yes, the foyer works, but once we lit it, we notice it's broken. So I have to call today and have them order us a new one. At least now we're pro's at installation.

And just for the record, in case you think I'm overly critical about my lights, here are some pictures of the "One Flew Over the Coo Coo's Nest" light in the kitchen. I admit it throws some awesome light. But it's awsomely ugly too:





To me this light says high school chemisty lab or maybe laundry room not kitchen.

Favorite Ingredient Friday (Superbowl Edition)

Candied Garlic Chicken Wings - http://www.allrecipes.com/

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 cups honey
2. 6 tablespoons soy sauce (gluten free)
3. 2 cloves garlic, minced
4. 2 pounds chicken wings

Directions:

1. Heat honey, soy sauce, and garlic in a saucepan until boiling.
2. Place the wings in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan, and pour the honey mixture over the chicken. Cover with foil. Marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
3. Bake, covered, at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 1 hour; turn the wings after 1/2 hour. Remove the foil cover, and bake for 15 minutes. Take the wings out of the sauce, and bake on a rack for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken wings, and cook for another 10 minutes.


Karina's Nachos Fabuloso (from the Gluten Free Goddess - http://www.glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/ )

These are a big pan of yummy! When I make them I make 2 pans, one for us with cheese and one for the Little Man without the cheese. The are safe for wheat, rye, barley, egg, milk (leave off the cheese please), peanut and tree nut allergies depending on ingredients you use.

1. 3 heaping cups organic blue corn tortilla chips
2. 3 heaping cups organic yellow corn tortilla chips
3. extra virgin olive oil
4. 4 oz. Cheddar or Jack cheese, shredded (leave this out for dairy free version)
5. a big handful of organic sweet grape tomatoes, halved
6. 3 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos, or chopped mild green chiles
7. good chili powder or chipotle powder, to taste
8. chopped fresh cilantro, if desired

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large roasting pan with foil or parchment paper.

2. Layer the blue and yellow corn tortilla chips in the bottom of the lined pan; drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil.

3. Sprinkle with half of the shredded cheese. Layer the tomatoes, jalapenos, and the remaining shredded cheese. Believe it or not, drizzle a little more olive oil all over the the nachos. Add a dusting of spice, to taste, and chopped cilantro, if desired.

**You can add anything you want to these Nachos and they are delish. I've added black beans, black olives, roasted red peppers etc. Use your imagination and add what you love. Shredded chicken or turkey is wonderful too.

This next recipe is NOT allergy friendly for my sons allergies. I posted it last year and have received more hits on my site meter for this than any other thing I've ever posted. Apparently this is a very popular recipe so I'm sharing it again:

from http://www.franksredhot.com/
Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Dip
INGREDIENTS:
1. 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
2. 1/2 cup blue cheese salad dressing
3. 1/2 cup Frank's® REDHOT® Buffalo Wing Sauce or Frank's® REDHOT® Cayenne Pepper Sauce
4. 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese or shredded mozzarella cheese
5. 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place cream cheese into deep dish 9-inch pie plate. Microwave 1 minute to soften. Whisk in salad dressing, Buffalo Wing Sauce and cheese until smooth. Stir in chicken. 2. Bake 20 minutes or until mixture is heated through. Stir well. Garnish as desired. Serve with crackers or cut up vegetables.
Microwave Directions: Prepare as above. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 5 minutes until hot, stirring halfway through cooking.
Tip: For a party buffet table, keep this dip hot in a small crock pot or fondue pot.
Enjoy!!

Visit www.overwhelmedwithjoy.blogspot.com for more Superbowl munchie ideas~

Flying With A Child With Food Allergies

Since we'll be flying to Disney this summer, how to fly safely with the Little Man has been weighing heavily on me. I've been doing some research. Then my Food Allergy Support Group asked me to write an article on it for this months news letter. This really forced me to sit down and take a look at what this is going to involve. The following is the article with tips for flying with your food allergic child:

The thought of air travel with children can be scary. The thought of air travel with children who have food allergies can be down right frightening. What will my child eat? Will he be safe on the plane? Will they serve peanuts? What happens if he has a reaction mid-flight? Can I bring his epinephrine in my carry on bag? These are just a few of the questions that a food allergy parent must answer before even booking the tickets for that family vacation. Below are some helpful tips and information to help keep your food allergic child safe while flying and to help put your food allergy parent mind at ease.
1. Call the airline and the airport ahead of time and let them know you will be travelling with a child that has food allergies. Find out what will be served on the plane (even if they don’t serve peanuts, most airlines won’t guarantee a peanut free flight since passengers are able to bring on their own food). See if they will note in the computer that your child has food allergies. Try to make your travel arrangements for first thing in the morning. That is usually when the aircraft are at their cleanest.
2. Make sure to pack your child’s emergency epinephrine in your carry on bag. It’s always a good idea to carry more then one syringe with you, but depending on the length of your flight and if you will be over the ocean for any length of time you may want multiples. Make sure to have them with their original label from the pharmacy and you will need a letter from your physician stating that this is life saving medication for your child. A sample letter can be found at http://www.foodallergyalliance.com/Advocacy/Airport_Security.html
Due to regulations by the TSA, any liquid over 3 ounces is not permitted, so check with your doctor about using self dissolving Benadryl® strips or carry a few Benadryl Perfect Measure Spoons®.
3. Pack your own food. According to the TSA website, “All food must go through the X-ray machine. Do NOT bring food to the security checkpoint unwrapped. Food must be wrapped or in a container. Unpeeled natural foods like fruit are okay, but half-eaten fruits must be wrapped”.
Beverages: “Effective Tuesday, September 26, TSA Adjusted The Ban On Liquids, Aerosols And Gels
Travelers may now carry through security checkpoints travel-size toiletries (3 ounces or less) that fit comfortably in ONE, QUART-SIZE, clear plastic, zip-top bag. After clearing security, travelers can now bring beverages and other items purchased in the secure boarding area on-board aircraft.
There is no restriction on the amount of baby formula, breast milk, juice, or medicines you can bring, but they must be declared and presented for inspection at the checkpoint”.
You can find out more information on http://www.tsa.gov/
Keep in mind that you are not only packing snacks for the flight itself, but for any delays that might occur. Depending on the type and number of allergies your child has there may not be much at the airport itself for your child to eat either. You can’t bring along the grocery store, but remember to bring enough and to ration until you are sure that there aren’t any delays.
Also from the several people that I’ve spoken with, every airport is different. Some airports won’t blink an eye at your packed foods while others may give you a hard time and some have even had their foods thrown away. Be prepared. And don’t make a scene. But do make sure to give yourself enough time to get through security.
4. When you arrive at the airport, check in and let the airline personnel at the gate know that you are travelling with a food allergic child. Try to board early and wipe down the seat and the surrounding area. Food residue can remain on the tray, arm rests, window pane, etc. Look around the floor and seat area for any left over food. If you have small children, putting them in a booster or car seat may help protect them from any food residue on the seat cover, otherwise covering the seat with a sheet or a special airline seat cover (http://www.planesheets.com/ ) may be a good idea. Again, let the flight crew know that your child has food allergies. Keep your epinephrine with you at all times and not in the overhead compartment. In the event of turbulence or take off and landing you may not able to leave your seat to retrieve it.
5. Have your child only eat the safe food brought from home. Even if something looks safe, it isn’t worth taking a chance. If your child starts to have a reaction let the flight crew know right away. This way they can monitor things and let the pilot know if an emergency landing is necessary.


Once you feel prepared, you’ll be able to relax and so will your child. We all want our children to be safe, but we also want them to have “normal” childhoods. So once you’ve covered all your bases, sit back and enjoy the flight.

Other helpful links:

http://www.faiusa.org/section_home.cfmsection_id=4&sub_section_id=7&article_id=104
http://www.foodallergy.org/
http://www.medicalert.org/
http://www.planesheets.com/
http://www.tsa.gov/

How I Spent My Tuesday

Buying window treatments. No, seriously. It took 4 1/2 hours. I was stunned. I expected the lady to show up this morning and for me to say "I like that fabric" and for her to say "OK, that will be $5.00 (totally sarcastic on the price)" and for that to be it. Oh no it wasn't. Now mind you I was doing windows in 2 rooms. But each room only has one window. The dining room is a large window but not that large, and the family room is a huge window (actually a cluster of 3 windows that make one big window. It's weird and that's why I didn't do my own curtains). Then I just wanted an estimate on the master bedroom. We have one small window in there and one GIGUNDOUSLY HUGE window. The lady looked at it and tried to be kind "Oh my, that is large isn't it?". Yes it is. And Yes, it's expensive to put a window treatment on it. But right now it looks nake*d and sort of sad. And our room looks unfinished. We searched through hundreds of books of fabric swatches (well, maybe 20 but it seemed like hundreds) and put each fabric up to the top of the window "Just to see if you like it". We figured out the downstairs windows and I TOTALLY stepped outside my box on the fabrics I chose. I don't have pictures only swatches (the dining room fabric is burgundy and gold and the family room is cappuccino with burgundy accents) and I'm sure they won't scan well so you'll just have to take my word for it. And you'll have to wait 2 months until they are installed to see them. I also decided to throw caution and my children's college fund to the wind and do our master bedroom too. Why wait? It's like band aid. Whether I do it this year or next year it's going to hurt. So I may as well rip that band aid off now. BUT, our bedroom is one of the only rooms left to be painted in the house. So you know what that means. I have 2 months to get it painted. It's big. It has vaulted ceilings. Neither myself nor my husband are good painters. This ought to be fun. My poor husband came home from work tonight and I said "I bought a house full of window treatments today and you need to paint our bedroom". I just sorted of blurted it out while showing him these wild fabric swatches. The whole painting thing sort of took the sting out of the price of the window treatments. He was too numb to understand what he was reading. I'm sure it will sink in later. But for now I think "You'll have to paint our bedroom" is ringing in his head blocking everything else out. Poor man.

AH HA!

That's what I said today when I reviewed this article over at WEGOHEALTH

It's a long article, but it's worth reading. It talks about how we as a country don't really eat food anymore, only pseudo foods. It made me wonder if or how this has any affect on food allergies and the rise of them over the last decade. We know food allergies have increased and we know our consumption of processed/prepackaged foods has increased. Is there a connection? I have no idea, but it sure seems that their could be. The article hints that we should go back to eating the way that our great great grandparents ate. It does make you think.....

Parts that really struck me were:
"Simplification has occurred at the level of species diversity, too. The astounding variety of foods on offer in the modern supermarket obscures the fact that the actual number of species in the modern diet is shrinking. For reasons of economics, the food industry prefers to tease its myriad processed offerings from a tiny group of plant species, corn and soybeans chief among them. Today, a mere four crops account for two-thirds of the calories humans eat. When you consider that humankind has historically consumed some 80,000 edible species, and that 3,000 of these have been in widespread use, this represents a radical simplification of the food web. Why should this matter? Because humans are omnivores, requiring somewhere between 50 and 100 different chemical compounds and elements to be healthy. It’s hard to believe that we can get everything we need from a diet consisting largely of processed corn, soybeans, wheat and rice". - Wheat and soy are part of the top 8 and corn and rice allergies are on the rise.

and

"It might be argued that, at this point in history, we should simply accept that fast food is our food culture. Over time, people will get used to eating this way and our health will improve. But for natural selection to help populations adapt to the Western diet, we’d have to be prepared to let those whom it sickens die. That’s not what we’re doing. Rather, we’re turning to the health-care industry to help us “adapt.” Medicine is learning how to keep alive the people whom the Western diet is making sick. It’s gotten good at extending the lives of people with heart disease, and now it’s working on obesity and diabetes. Capitalism is itself marvelously adaptive, able to turn the problems it creates into lucrative business opportunities: diet pills, heart-bypass operations, insulin pumps, bariatric surgery. But while fast food may be good business for the health-care industry, surely the cost to society — estimated at more than $200 billion a year in diet-related health-care costs — is unsustainable". - Are food allergies part of that natural selection? Have we outsmarted ourselves with our convenience and quick foods?

Magazine
Unhappy Meals
By MICHAEL POLLAN
Published: January 28, 2007
The story of how basic questions about what to eat got so complicated reveals a great deal about the institutional imperatives of the food industry, nutritional science and journalism.

Unhappy Meals

Favorite Ingredient Friday (Mushroom Risotto)

Favorite Ingredient Friday
Mushroom Risotto (dairy free, gluten free, egg free, nut free):

3-5 cups chicken or vegetable stock (gluten free, dairy free organic), or water
2 Tbs. dairy free margarine and/or olive oil
2 shallots, minced
1 ½ cups fresh cremini mushrooms, chopped
1 cup fresh white button mushrooms, chopped
1 ½ cups Arborio rice
Salt & pepper
½ cup dry white wine (for vegan wine I've been using Girasole Vinyards)



1. Place the margarine/oil in a large saucepan and heat on medium heat. When melted, add the shallots, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minute. Add the fresh mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, for another 8-10 minutes. Do not let the mushrooms brown.

2. Add the rice and stir until it is coated with margarine/oil (add a little more margarine or oil if needed). Add a little salt & pepper to taste, then the wine. Stir and let the liquid bubble.

3. Start to add the stock, approximately a ½ cup at a time, stirring after each addition and every minute or so. When the stock is just about evaporated, add more. The mixture should be neither too soupy nor too dry. Keep the heat medium to medium-high, and stir frequently.

It usually takes between 20-25 minutes until complete. The rice should be softened but with a little firmness left. Don't let the rice get overly softened. Add more salt and pepper if necessary.

(If you do not need to be dairy free this can be made with real butter)

Visit http://www.overwhelmedwithjoy.blogspot.com/ for more F.I.F recipes!

A Contest! A Contest!

5 Minutes For Mom is giving away an Insignia Bluetooth MP3 Player from Best Buy. Head on over, check it out, link the post, link Best Buy and your entered. EASY!

An Introduction To The Arts For A 3 Year Old

The Little Man's school had a field trip today. We took the children to the theatre (yes the actual theatre) to see the The Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia preform a production of Eric Carle's work of The Very Hungry Caterpillar,along with the Mixed-up Chameleon and Little Cloud. It was a really cute performance and the Little Man did a lot better than I expected. The performance was an hour long, and he only started asking "Is it over yet?" 15 minutes before the actual ending. Of course he was hungry and thirsty during the show. It's a good thing they let you eat in the theatre or I don't think we would have made it through the whole thing.
The Mermaid Theatre Company really did a wonderful job and if the production comes to a theatre near you, I highly recommend taking your little ones. It's very colorful and they keep things moving. From what I saw, all of the kids enjoyed it and made it through the show. It's a great way to introduce children to the arts. There was a brief question and answer period afterwards where the puppet masters came out on stage and quickly went through a few "how'd they do that" things.

You can watch a brief video showing a quick clip Here



(All photos by Margo E. Gesser)

It's Not Easy To Be The Little Guy

Today the Little Man woke up sad because it wasn't his day to go to school. Yes, this is the same child that screamed and cried when I dropped him off all through August and September (part of October too I think). But now he loves it and wants to go every day. I'm not sure it's really school that he's so enamored with. I think it's his big brother. He wants to be just like him.
Every day he walks around saying "I think my teeth are loose and falling out". He just can't stand the fact that he's only 3 and will have to wait another 2 years until he actually starts losing his teeth.
Big Brother is cool. And so are Big Brothers friends. Older Boy was having a play date after school today and the Little Man asked me ALL DAY "If it's time yet"? He couldn't wait for the friend to come over. Now you know that Older Boy and his friend didn't really want to play with the Little Man. At first they shunned him. They ran past him and locked themselves in Older Boys room banishing the Little Man into the "Pesky Little Brother" section of the house. He was none too pleased and I felt sorry for him. He waited all day for this and he couldn't be a part of the action. His wailing and gnashing of teeth started to get on my nerves too, so even though it went against my mommy instincts I had to step in on his behalf. I didn't MAKE them play with him, but I strongly suggested that it might be nice if they included him.
And include him they did. He was the bad guy, the villain, and at one point I think he was the "dog". The Little Man was in heaven. He may have been getting beat up, shot at with Nerf guns and thrown in jail (at one point he took a slam into the wall where he received a bruised knee) but he was included. He felt like he was part of the gang. As his mother, I felt a little sorry for him. I knew that he wasn't really part of the gang and that they were just using him as a whipping post. I had to stop myself from intervening on his behalf. See to him it wasn't a problem. To him it was better to be the dog than to be left out. He felt that Big Brother and his friend were his friends. Sometimes it's better to let these things play themselves out. Some day he'll figure it out. And when he does, I hope Older Boy can run fast. I have a feeling the Little Man is going to get even.

Don't Forget To Say Thank You

Photo Scavenger Hunt

This weeks theme is skinny:



This bird has very skinny legs.

Visit the hub at www.tnchick.com to play along.

Happy Saturday :)

EPI Pen Confusion

From the FDA:


There is no specific test to predict the likelihood of anaphylaxis, although allergy testing may help determine what a person may be allergic to and provide some guidance as to the severity of the allergy. Experts advise people who are susceptible to anaphylaxis to carry medication, such as injectable epinephrine, with them at all times, and to check the medicine's expiration date regularly. Doctors can instruct patients with allergies on how to self-administer epinephrine. Such prompt treatment can be crucial to survival.

Injectable epinephrine is a synthetic version of a naturally occurring hormone also known as adrenaline. For treatment of an anaphylactic reaction, it is injected directly into a thigh muscle or vein. It works directly on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, causing rapid constriction of blood vessels, reversing throat swelling, relaxing lung muscles to improve breathing, and stimulating the heartbeat.

Epinephrine designed for emergency home use comes in two forms: a traditional needle and syringe kit known as Ana-Kit, or an automatic injector system known as Epi-Pen. Epi-Pen's automatic injector design, originally developed for use by military personnel to deliver antidotes for nerve gas, is described by some as "a fat pen." The patient removes the safety cap and pushes the automatic injector tip against the outer thigh until the unit activates. The patient holds the "pen" in place for several seconds, then throws it away.

While Epi-Pen delivers one premeasured dosage, the Ana-Kit provides two doses. Which system a patient uses is a decision to be made by the doctor and patient, taking into account the doctor's assessment of the patient's individual needs.


From Allergicchild.com

The only way to obtain an EpiPen® Jr. is through a pharmacist with a prescription. You will want to obtain several EpiPens®. During elementary school, when our son was too young to self-carry, we had one in my son's classroom at school, two in the school office so that one EpiPen® traveled with the playground monitor to recess. He also had two EpiPens® in his fanny pack for nights and weekends. You may even want two in every location that your child goes, just in case one EpiPen® fails or there is a misfire.


From HealthCentral.com

Two epinephrine doses may be needed for anaphylaxis
Thursday, Dec. 6, 2007; 4:27 AM


NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Some patients who are at risk for a severe allergic reaction caused by a food allergy will require two doses of epinephrine, rather than just one, according to the findings of a new study. Researchers therefore recommend that allergic patients carry two doses of epinephrine.

Dr. Eyal Oren of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and colleagues reviewed the records of patients seen at the hospital's emergency department for food-induced anaphylaxis, a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction that requires immediate treatment. It is characterized by swelling of the airways that can block breathing and may also include a dramatic drop in blood pressure.

The investigators reviewed medical records of 39 patients who sought treatment for severe allergic reactions to food at the hospital's emergency department over the course of 1 year. Nineteen had anaphylaxis.

Twelve of the patients were given at least one dose of epinephrine, while three, or 16 percent, received two doses. The patients given two doses were allergic to peanuts or tree nuts, and two of the three experienced a drop in blood pressure.

"These results suggest that the use of multiple doses of epinephrine in the management of food-induced anaphylaxis is not a rare occurrence," they write in the current issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Recent recommendations have called for allergic individuals to carry two doses of epinephrine rather than just one. These findings suggest that those with food allergies will also benefit from doing so, Oren and his team note.

Given the small size of the study and the fact that patients who were not seen in the emergency room for treatment weren't included, more research is needed to confirm the findings, the researchers say.

Nevertheless, they conclude, the findings suggest that patients "at risk for food-induced anaphylaxis should carry at least two doses of self-injectable epinephrine."

SOURCE: Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, November 2007.



So you've seen the above information. I'm a stickler for always having 2 Epi's with the Little Man at all times. We get the EPI pen Jr. 2 pack for that very reason. The one in his preschool and one that we keep in the house both expired this month. So I renewed them at our pharmacy (the pharmacy our insurance says WE MUST USE. No choice here). I go to pick them up today and they only filled one 2 pack. Why you ask? Because there are 2 EPI pens in the box and "Why can't I just split them up"? After I tried to explain to them and a 2 pack is actually ONE PRESCRIPTION and that I needed 2 because he needed 2 EPI's with him at all times and they were going to be kept in 2 separate locations, they still didn't get it. They argued with me, looked at me like I was stupid ("But ma'am there are 2 in the box), and then said "Well, OK but I don't even know if insurance will cover it". Which it did. Then they tried to dissuade me by saying "You know that's another $30.00 co-pay". Like I care. Like $30.00 would prevent me from purchasing life saving medicine for my son. Why must I argue with this pharmacy every time I need to refill more than one EPI Jr. at a time? I'm paying for it. It's not like I'm asking for a free one. Maybe I should print out the above information and hand it to them.
Of course this is the same pharmacy that doesn't care what my son is allergic to and makes me call the drug companies to find out if the medicine he's taking is safe or not. OY! Thank you Kaiser for making me use these people. If I had a choice I'd take my money elsewhere.

Too Much Emphasis On The Threat Of Food Allergies?

***UPDATE: Ms. Broussard has a blog! But sadly, she doesn't have the cojones enough to have the comments enabled. You can e-mail her though. She seems to have a real "thing" for Dr. Sampson. Failed relationship perhaps? Professionally speaking, of course. Oh and after perusing her blog I see she also wrote an article on Dog Reiki. Seems she's an expert on a lot of things. You can check out her blog here: The Blog Of Failed Relationships. I'm stopping now. Or I may start to say some mean things.


In an article (Everyone's Gone Nuts)written by Meredith Broussard and published in Harper's Magazine, Ms. Broussard downplays the threat of food allergies as it relates to our children. In her opinion, people today over inflate the threat of food allergies. She blasts FAAN and Dr. Hugh Sampson for over inflating the threat, the statistics, and the rate of which children have food allergies today. Ms. Broussard, who is not an expert in Food Allergies, is wrong on some of her data. I'd like to get personal with my feeling on Ms. Broussard, but I'll refrain (for the time being). As someone who claims to have food allergies (she's allergic to vermouth'?'), I would think that Ms. Broussard would want to advocate for food allergies and not give fodder to the nay sayers. It's a shame that this woman would write such an article. As a parent of a food allergic child, whose had to administer an EPI pen to her child as he's laying in her arms swollen, and wheezing, and oozing from every part of his body, I don't need someone to tell me in a magazine article whether food allergies are real or not or whether they are a real threat to my child or not. I've seen it with my own eyes and I live it every day. Lucky is she who does not have to live this threat to her child but can go on radio shows and open her mouth and spew misinformation. Shame on Ms. Broussard. Where's your accountability? Yes, the first amendment grants you the right to write whatever garbage you want, but it's a shame that magazines or newspapers will print an opinion piece as fact. It's also a shame that responsible journalism is a thing of the past.

You can listen to an interview here:



Here is FAAN's response:Harper’s Magazine Article Response
Dear FAAN Members,

I am personally troubled by recent magazine and radio reports indicating that the danger presented by food allergies is exaggerated and that we are making much ado about nothing.

Contrary to what these media reports indicate, FAAN’s advice and education programs are based upon peer-reviewed medical studies showing that food allergy is increasing, that children and adults die from reactions to food, and that vigilance to avoid eating an allergy-causing food is the only way to prevent a reaction. These medical studies are the source of the facts and statistics listed in the Media section. Additionally, we know that in spite of everyone’s best efforts, reactions will occur.

I know it sounds unimaginable that a perfectly safe food can cause a catastrophic reaction within minutes. But you know better than anyone else that this is a reality for someone with a food allergy.

My concern is that those who don’t believe that food allergies should be taken seriously will believe these reports and feel justified in not taking action to protect a child with food allergies from having a reaction.

We need you, as parents, concerned relatives, school staff, and caregivers, to double your efforts to educate your community so that no one relaxes their efforts to keep our children safe. Let FAAN know if these erroneous media reports contribute to any incidents or attempts by schools or organizations to relax effective controls.

The FAAN staff and I will continue to work with our Medical Advisory Board and our Board of Directors to educate the media on your behalf.

The only way we can keep our children safe is to use the science to educate others. Let the science speak for us; it will be here long after the sensational news reports. If you read the article in Harper’s Magazine, feel free to send a letter to the editor at letters@harpers.org or Letters, Harper’s Magazine, 666 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

Sincerely,

Anne Muñoz-Furlong
Founder and CEO

***Another update:
A response from Scott Sicherer, MD to the radio segment (on their website):
My name is Scott Sicherer. I am a pediatric allergist and researcher (government and private funded) specializing in food allergy. I am co-author on most of the studies that Ms. Broussard "quotes" in her Harpers article where she implies conspiracy and trivializes this significant medical problem. I am also a volunteer medical advisor to FAAN, an organization that she mocks but is, in my view, a non-profit that has clearly increased safety for those who suffer from this medical illness. I mention these points because by Ms. Broussard's reasoning these personal involvements would probably disqualify me from discussing food allergy (e.g., conspiracy to exagerate). Apparently, NPR also sees some odd virtue in having a non-medical expert journalist be a spokesperson for health issues. I have never "posted" to sites like this and I am a bit reluctant to draw any additional attention to Ms. Broussard's hurtful, confused and potentially dangerous comments, but I was obviously compelled to do so...It is easy to play "debate team" with any topic but here it has become irresponsible and, indeed, potentially dangerous. I am glad to see so many listeners have spoken up on their disappointment and made important points that I will not reiterate. I would be pleased to provide actual evidence-based educational information about food allergy on this "show"--but maybe that is too uninteresting for the media? I hope that is not the case.

A response from the Leonard Lopate Show:

Thank you all for your comments. In order to provide another perspective on this important health issue, we are planning an interview with Dr. Hugh Sampson from Mount Sinai's Department of Allergy and Immunology.
The segment will be scheduled for later in January, and we hope that you tune in and contribute to that segment.

I think the major problem with all of this is that the woman is not an expert, that she threw around erroneous facts and that she made unsubstantiated claims that FAAN and DEY have fueled the food allergy frenzy because of money. She also took on 2 very respected Doctors in the medical community. The straw that broke the food allergy camels back was when she made reference to food allergy parents being in a frenzy over their childrens allergies. Maybe some parents are. I'm not denying that. But lady, if you witnessed what we witnessed our children go through, you'd be in a frenzy too. And if you weren't, you wouldn't be much of a parent.


If you doubt the seriousness of food allergies, take a look at this page In Memory - Peanut Allergy.com

As The Stomach Turns

Well everyone WAS feeling better. Hubby and Older Boy have been "on again, off again" with the stomach thing (also referred to as the Black Plague). Everything seemed reasonably well this weekend. We shopped for new furniture all weekend. Nothing special. Just 2 new leather recliners and some end tables. I have a preference when I shop for furniture. I like to peruse the store before I let the vultures pick my bones, I mean sales people help me. The first store we went to was very expensive and I was just window shopping. I just like to check out what I'd really want, say, if we hit the lottery. Since we don't even play the lottery, we moved on to another store. The sales lady there was very helpful and not too vulture like at all. I took pictures of the room and explained to her what I wanted to do and she actually thought my two chair idea wasn't the best one she'd ever heard of. She wasn't all that thrilled with our decorating skillz for the room either. She had quite a few suggestions on how we should move the furniture around (and possibly remove a few pieces, but for me that's not an option). So we left there with the some furniture moving tips, the need for only one leather recliner, two end tables, a sofa table, and some lamps. When we got home, we moved the furniture around and you know what? That lady was right. I stink at decorating. The room looks a thousand times better with her suggestions and we didn't even buy anything yet. So Sunday, armed with our new knowledge of what we REALLY wanted and thinking we were "professional" now we headed an hour away to our favorite furniture store to see what they had. We hadn't been there in a couple of years and sadly, things have really gone down hill. They no longer seem to carry "better quality" furniture. Or if they do, I was unable to locate it. The guy that "helped us" (his name was Dino Pacino and no I'm not joking) was a really corker. He just wanted to send me to the "off brand and clearance area". I kept trying to tell him that although I like a good bargain, I actually like good furniture better and was looking for something different. That was a waste of 3 1/2 hours and a lot of very expensive gas. So I'm still looking for the perfect furniture. Not too hard, not soft, just right.
After we got home from the excursion, everyone seemed tired. The Little Man took a nap and Older Boy was laying in the chair watching bad cartoons on Cartoon Network. Older Boy was pretty quiet until he said "I think I'm going to be sick". Luckily nothing happened last night, but this morning was a different story. Today was supposed to be his first day back from Christmas Break, but he definitely missed it. Maybe tomorrow too. This is like the stomach yuck that won't end. Just when you think it's over it rears it's ugly head again. Hubby said he didn't feel that good again either. The Little Man is still holding his own (knock on wood).
So maybe tomorrow everyone will feel better. It's 65 degrees here today and I opened all the windows to try and air all the bad stuff out. I'm running out of Lysol and bleach. Sooner or later the stomach yuck must leave our house. I just hope it doesn't take anyone else out before it does.

I'm On A Mission

I kind of have a new job.
We are going to Disney this summer and my new job is to figure how to do this trip safely with a child with multiple food allergies.
So far Disney is making things fairly easy on me. I e-mailed a very nice lady named Brenda at Disney Food and Beverage and she e-mailed me back a whole packet of information about what at the park may be safe, where to find these things, how to make food reservations, gluten free products that the park offers (upon request), and much more. I have to e-mail her back with some questions that I have, but for the most part, her packet answered most of my questions.
I know things aren't going to be perfect, but if we can just find a few items to safely feed our child, I will be ecstatic!
Stay tuned for detailed updates.

Photo Scavenger Hunt

Happy Weekend! This weeks theme is delicious:


Fresh cut lilacs smell delicious!


Gingerbread cookies warm out of the oven taste delicious!


Warm summer sun, sand and surf feels delicious!



Head on over to www.tnchick.com to play along~

Some Dieting Links

Because many of our New Years Resolutions revolve around dieting or healthy eating I'm posting a some excellent links that I have found MOST helpful (especially the recipe one!).

Some Excellent Dieting Resources To Get Your New Years Resolutions Off On The Right Foot:

For some of the best information gathered on the web about dieting and diets head on over to wego health diet pages

Their expert researchers investigate new diets every week! You can find all of their Diet and Weight Loss resources here.

Looking for information about a New Year diet? View Here

Interested in information on healthy dieting? View Here

How about some recipes to get you started on your new diet? View Here

To join the Diet Forum Click Here. You'll need to sign up at Wego Health, but signing up is easy and it's free.

A Song For The New Year

(Sung to the tune of She'll Be Comin' Roun' The Mountain):

Oh the stomach flu hit our house, yes it did
Oh the stomach flu hit our house, yes it did
Oh the stomach flu hit our house, oh the stomach flu hit our house
Oh the stomach flu hit our house, yes it did.

Older boy threw up in my bed, yes he did.
Older boy threw up in my bed, yes he did.
Older boy got my bed, Older boy got my bed,
Older boy got my bed, yes he did.

It's 10:52 pm and I still have one load left, yes I do....
well, you can guess the rest of the song.

Hubby and Older Boy are knocked down. Wanna guess how long it takes the Little Man and Mommy to get hit with this? Should I call the lady whose house we were at for a play group today and warn her, or should I just pretend that it didn't come from us? I will call the other mom who's little boy was supposed to come over on Friday and play at our house. I think they've all had it, but no point in re-infecting anyone. Good thing school doesn't start until Monday.

I'd like to thank the people who gave us this late Christmas present and I only hope that I can return the favor some day.

Nana's Cookies

WAY before Christmas the nice people at Nana's Cookies (Heidi to be exact) sent me a sample to try.

"Nana’s Cookies, a pioneer and leader in the natural products industry for over 13 years has helped many people find delicious snacks. Nana’s Wheat-Free and Gluten-Free cookies and bars have been exceedingly popular within allergy suffers, people with celiac disease, autism and others who need or choose a gluten-free diet".

The samples sent to me were the No Gluten Chocolate Cookie and the No Gluten Berry Vanilla Cookie Bar.

I confirmed with Nana's that the cookies they were sending me were gluten free, egg free and dairy free, but they could not guarantee me with 100% certainty that there would be no issues with nut cross contamination due to the fact that some of their products do contain nuts. So the taste tester on the products would be me and not the Little Man.

The No Gluten Chocolate Cookie was tasty. First off, this cookie was HUGE! Not the BEST cookie I ever had, but it was a good gluten free cookie. But I give it 2 thumbs up and I liked it better than the other pre-made gluten free brands that I purchase at the store. It had a nice consistency to it and it didn't taste grainy.

The No Gluten Berry Vanilla Cookie Bar was different and delicious. The taste of this cookie bar reminded me of something that I ate in my childhood, but I can't remember what. It brought back a pleasant response though. The cookie bar was moist and had a really good flavor. I plan on getting some of these to keep in our house for the Older Boy and for myself to snack on. They are safer to eat around the Little Man than a regular, wheat cookie and to be honest, they tasted much better than anything Nabisco or Keebler puts out (yes, I actually liked them that much).

You can check out the complete Nana's product line Here. If you are gluten free/wheat free and/or vegan I highly recommend giving Nana's a try. You won't be disappointed.