Hey, Let's Fake A Food Allergy

At least that's what was suggested on The Doctor's TV Show.  You want to save on calories?  Well then, just fake a butter allergy.  What the heck kind of crappy advice is that?  HOW ABOUT BEING HONEST WITH YOUR WAITER?????   Tell them you don't want butter on your veggies!  Faking an allergy is B.S.
Those of us who have life threatening food allergies have a difficult time being taken seriously by restaurants and wait staff.  And these "Doctors" just made it even harder.  How many restaurant staff will now think "Oh they're just faking the allergy because they are picky, want to lose weight or are being difficult"?

Thank you very much for making light of food allergies.  Would you suggest that someone fake a disability so they could park closer or board the plane earlier?  "Get a wheelchair and act like you are paralyzed so you get priority seating".  NO ONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD EVER SUGGEST THAT.  So why is it OK to fake a food allergy?  IT'S NOT.  People with food allergies could die if they eat something they are allergic to.  Last time I checked, death is no joke.

The food allergy community is responding to this ridiculous suggestion and you can go HERE to leave your comment about "faking a butter allergy".


This is what I said:

"I have more of a comment than a question.  My son has several life threatening food allergies (wheat, rye, barley, oat, egg, peanut and tree nut).  Eating out safely is very difficult for us and we only have a few restaurants that we feel comfortable trusting with our sons well being.  Your suggestion of "faking a butter allergy" to save on calories is completely irresponsible.  It's hard enough to get people to take food allergies seriously and yet you as doctors make light of it.  Thanks for adding to the stigma we already face.  People already think we fake food allergies or exaggerate because we are difficult and you all but affirmed that on your show.  My son could DIE if he eats certain things.  I think you should retract that statement and do a full show on food allergies and the truth behind them and what people who suffer from allergies really have to deal with".

Faking ANY illness, disease or condition is not OK, not for any reason.  There are real people who have to deal the consequences of those irresponsible actions.  

8 Years And Counting...

Yep, we road the rails again.  The older one *says* he's done with it, but he seemed like he had a nice time.  The little one still loves it.  The good news is that because the new baby is a boy, we'll probably be riding the rails for another 8 years...  Good thing it doesn't get boring.

28 Weeks Today

Today makes it 28 weeks and I'm entering the 3rd trimester this week.  I feel like it's been long, but fast at the same time.  Its hard to believe that there are only 12 weeks left.

I had my doctor appointment today and my blood pressure is good and the baby's heart beat is good.  So all is good!

I'm exhausted though and it's making me mad.  I got the kids to school, had my appointment, and stopped at the nursery to pick up some plants and flowers and now I want to plant something.  But I'm just too tired.  Hubs and boys will take care of planting the garden.  I just wanted to put a few things in my planters but I'd like to nap instead.  I guess tomorrow is another day.

The holiday weekend will be a working weekend around here. But not for me.  The 3 men will take care of all of the yard work.  I get to sit in my recliner with my feet up.  I know I should be enjoying this "quiet time" but I feel a little bit like a slacker.  I'm sure I'll get over it quickly.  It's supposed to be a hot weekend and I'll be spending it inside the air conditioning.  I think I got the better end of this deal (for now, anyway).

A Little Food Allergy Business

From some wonderful food allergy friendly businesses.

I've gotten some press releases and information in my inbox over the last few weeks and I've been remiss in sharing them.  So I'm lumping them all here in one, big, informative post.
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Allermates is a fun looking, kid friendly food allergy awareness product designed to help keep kids safe.  They have fun characters that kids like, but also alert adults that the child has a food allergy and special precautions need to be taken.

You can check out all of their products here.
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Bob's Redmill has a new Birthday Club for kids.

The sign up fee is $30.00 and the money is a donation made to Autism Speaks.

Approximately one week before your child's birthday they will receive a special package from the mill that contains the following:

*one package of Bob's Redmill gf vanilla cake mix
*a recipe card puzzle
*a just their size cooking apron
*measuring cup

To find out more about this program, go to the Bob's Redmill Birthday Club Page.
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Gluten Free Passport has several new apps for your iPhone or Android to help you facilitate your gluten free/allergy friendly dining experience.  These apps currently cost $2.99 each and they include the following:

*gluten free/allergy free Disney World
*gf Chicago
* gf/vegan pizza
* gf meals
And there are several more.  You can check out all the apps on their app page.
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For those with Celiac Disease, a new app called Find Me Gluten Free just might be the ticket.  This app helps find gluten free friendly businesses.  If you have multiple food allergies or sensitivities this app may not work for you, but it may be a great place to start. I plugged in our zip code and found some restaurants in our area that have gluten free menus that I didn't know about.  Hopefully if they can cook gluten free, they can handle other allergies.  I can research it anyway.  But I also saw "Five Guys" listed.  Due to my sons peanut allergy, I know we can rule that one out right away (big barrel of peanuts at the front door... shudder).

This School Year Is Coming To A Close

That means that May is jam packed full of activity.  Thank goodness for the calendar on my iPhone or I wouldn't know what I was supposed to be doing.

Here's a run down of what took place this weekend:

Belt Testing for TaeKwonDo.  My blue belt moved up to a purple belt.

 Forms

Breaking boards with his feet 

Moving up to purple belt 

While we were at TaeKwonDo this kid had a baseball game.   Hubs coaches so he handled that game.

Then this kid had a baseball game.  Hubs coaches that one too but I was able to make this game.

That evening the boys were in the school production of "Annie Jr.".  Little Man was a servant and an extra in the "NYC" number.  Here he's a servant. 

 Here he is singing in "NYC".  I'm thinking he's a little bit of a ham.

Older Boy was part of the "Secret Service".  All he did was stand up against the wall.  I do not think acting is going to be his thing.  He HATED play practice.  But I don't blame him.  He endured HOURS upon HOURS of rehearsals for 2 minutes on stage standing against a wall.

Little Man taking his bow.   

 Older Boy taking his bow.

Sunday Older Boy had a soccer game.  I forgot my camera so I didn't get any pictures :(

Today I went with Older Boy on a field trip to a local "century village".  It Was Hot.  The feet and the ankles of the pregnant lady swelled up and look like bricks.  But I made it through.  I do more things with the Little Man due to his food allergies.  It was important to me (and I think to Older Boy) that I be there for him.  And with the baby coming in August, I won't be able to participate in these types of school activities for a while.

There's more stuff coming up.  On Wednesday, Older Boy is Cy Young in his class "Wax Museum" project.  That means I have one day to get a costume together.  He told me about the project, but didn't mention "costume".  I'll be at Wal M@rt tomorrow looking for something suitable and easy to throw together.

And we have our annual Thomas the Tank Engine ride coming up soon.

This weekend the boys usually walk in two parades for Memorial Day but we have a boat load of yard work that needs done, so I think we are skipping those this year.  Kids activities have taken over and we need some "home time" so we can get things done around here.

Stay tuned for more photos.  The activity never ends :)

Photo Books From Shutterfly

This is a book that I just made.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly baby photo books are the perfect way to preserve your baby's precious moments.

I made this one yesterday.
 

Click here to view this photo book larger

The new way to make a photo album: photo books by Shutterfly.

I usually scrap book my photos but with the baby coming, I wanted to get last years pictures in a book quickly.  It took no time to pick my photos and put them in a Shutterfly book.  The BEST thing about this was that both books were done for FREE except for shipping.  I found the free codes here at Money Saving Mom.  One book cost me $9.00 (shipping and tax) and the other cost around $13.00 (I picked a book that cost an extra $4.00 + shipping + tax).  That's soooo much less than actually scrap booking these photos and the time I saved is invaluable.  I still like scrap booking and will continue when I have more time, but for now, I'm so glad that I got these books done.

One free book offer ends May 21st and the other ends May 29th.  So hurry if you are interested in taking advantage of the free offer.

No one from Shutterfly or Money Saving Mom asked me to blog this. I just wanted to let you know about the free books (Courtesy of the Ellen Show) so that you could take advantage of this offer too.

Food Allergy Awareness Week May 13- May 19 2012

I look forward to a time when Food Allergy Awareness Week won't be necessary either because everyone is aware or because there is a cure found.

But the need for awareness is still very necessary.  Although we've come along way, we still have a LONG way to go.  There are still a lot of misconceptions and ignorance that surround food allergies.  Believe it or not, there are still many people who think that people with food allergies are just picky eaters or are just being difficult.  There are many people that think that food allergy parents are making this up or over-inflating the severity of the threat of death so that the children/parents feel special.

And there are still those people that fight against what it takes to keep a food allergic person safe or that feel it's OK to discriminate against the food allergic.

So Food Allergy Awareness Week is still very much needed.  But we also need to make this Food Allergy Action Week.  We as parents of food allergic children and those of us who have food allergies need to use this week to not only bring awareness but to educate, make sure that those with food allergies aren't discriminated against but included and to get out there and make sure that money is being raised to find a cure.  Many of the  activist in the food allergy community do this every day.  But this is a great week for all us to come together and  use our voices collectively.

There is a #foodallergy Twitter party tomorrow night hosted by Jennifer at Food Allergy Buzz.  You can find tips on how to attend a Twitter party here.

Find information here on giving a presentation at your child's elementary school.

Distribute or post the "Food Allergies Don't Discriminate" poster at your school or work place.

Learn more about National issues that surround food allergies and send a note to your Congressman or Senator asking them for support.

Find a support group in your area or learn how to start one.

Find a Food Allergy Walk near you or donate money to someone who is already walking.

Choose one thing from FAAN's Raising Awareness, Making An Impact Page and change the way someone views food allergies.

These are just a few quick tips that I found.  There is so much more that we can do.  Let Food Allergy Awareness Week be the beginning, not the beginning and the end.

Happy Mother's Day

To my mommy:  Thanks for being the best Mommy and Grandma

And happy Mother's Day to all you Mommys, Grandmas, Step Mommys, and Mommy-like caregivers too.

Enjoy your day!

The First Communion Party

Yes, it's been almost a week since he made his First Communion.  I'm still recovering.

The mass itself went off without a hitch and he safely received the precious blood.

The party went well too.  I cooked for days.  But it was worth it because it was all safe.

I mentioned the 100 gf, egg free stuffed shells I made here.

I also made a L.A.R.G.E. garden salad, (artery clogging, but oh so good) Party Potatoes, 30 gf, egg free, nut free cupcakes and 4 dozen cookies.

We had a massive fruit tray from the local grocery (I miss it.  I ate it for DAYS).

An 11 pound bone in Honeybaked Ham

Two 3 pound Honeybaked and sliced Turkey Breasts (we never had this before and we all gave it two really big thumbs up.  Ever since getting pregnant I have an aversion to meat, and even I ate this).

We fed 29 people.  And we had lots of left overs.  I didn't cook Sunday, Monday or Tuesday.  Kind of made up for all the work I did last week.

The Little Man had a wonderful and special day.  I'm just glad that we were able to make it safe for him too.

Product Review: Plentils

(picture from Enjoy Life Foods)

Enjoy Life Foods has introduced a new product line of chips called Plentils.  When they asked me if we wanted to sample the chips for product review, I immediately said YES.  My son is a chip monster and they were more than happy to feed the monster.

Plentils are chips made with lentils.  They are filled with plant protein (but they are still chips so let's not say that they are "healthy" for you....).  They are also made in a peanut, tree nut, gluten free facility and free from wheat, rye, barley, oat, egg, peanut, tree nut, dairy, soy, fish, shell fish.

There are four flavors to choose from:  sea salt, dill and sour cream, garlic parmesan, and margherita pizza.

My personal favorite was the sea salt and the Little Man loved the margherita pizza (he loved ALL of them but the margherita pizza was his fav).

I was a little leery of how a lentil chip would taste but they are really delicious.  They aren't quite like a traditional potato chip but they are light and crunchy with a nice flavor and texture.

We give the Plentil Chips two very big thumbs up.

(Samples of each flavor of Plentils were sent to us at no charge for review purpose only)

Wheat In My Salad?

Are you shocked that this is post number two for the day?  I can't remember the last time I've done that.  But this just came over my e-mail:

(photo from Earthbound Organic website)

These are called "PowerMeals".

  

Ingredients:
Cranberry Wheat Protein Boost PowerMeal™ 
SALAD: Organic Baby Lettuces (Red and Green Romaine, Red and Green Oak Leaf, Red Leaf, Lollo Rosa, Tango), Organic Red and Green Chard, Organic Mizuna, Organic Arugula, Organic Mache, Organic Frisée, Organic Radicchio. The ingredients in each package may vary. 
GRAIN PACKET: Water, Organic Soft Wheat Berries, Organic Bulgur Wheat, Organic Garbanzo Beans, Organic Canola Oil, Organic Cornstarch, Contains 2% or less of: Organic Lemon Juice, Sea Salt, Organic Dehydrated Garlic, Organic Spices. 
TOPPING: Organic Dried Cranberries (Organic Cranberries, Organic Sugar, Organic Sunflower Oil). 
DRESSING: Organic Red Wine Vinegar, Water, Cold-Pressed Organic Olive Oil, Organic Expeller- Pressed Soy Oil, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Onion, Organic Spices, Organic Dehydrated Garlic, Salt, Organic Soy Lecithin (Soy), Xanthan Gum.

This is a new offering from Earthbound Organic.  I don't typically buy "kit" salads due to the prevalence of nuts, but now we'll have to be on the look out for wheat also.  Hopefully the "wheat" is processed and packaged at a different facility.  But I don't know that for sure so I'll have to make a phone call to check on any possible cross contamination.

I'm sure if I wasn't dealing with food allergies, I'd probably think this is pretty cool.  But due to food allergies, not so much.


**The other two PowerMeals salads listed on the website say they are gluten free.  Hopefully this one won't cross contaminate anything.

A Little Bit Of This, A Little Bit Of That

This Saturday is the Little Man's First Holy Communion.  I've been busy getting ready for it.  Add in all of the other things we've got going on and I really don't know whether I'm coming or going (or going bonkers...).

1.  Saturday was "Jesus Day" for the day school and the PSR.  I worked it from 8:30 am - 2 pm.  I was in charge of baking the bread  (how's that for irony for you).  They did a craft where the kids worked with bread, we bake it and send it home for the kids to share with their family and included a special prayer for the family to say together.  I opted for the Little Man to sit this one out.  When they've done bread crafts before, I sent in safe bread and worked with him to keep him safe.  This time, since the reaction a few weeks ago, I said forget about it.  I worked the craft though so that I could make sure that everything was cleaned up properly, including the kids and their hands.  Let's just say that being 24 weeks pregnant and working this put me in bed by 4 pm that day.  Can you say "EXHAUSTION"??  But the Little Man had a fun day and it was safe.

2.  We are having 29 friends and family at our house Saturday after the Communion to celebrate.  Most people go out to eat or have it catered, but due to allergies it's just not that simple for us.  Yesterday I made 100 stuffed shells (I used these gf shells and I filled them with this cheese filling since it didn't call for egg) to put in the freezer for Saturday (and 2 batches of home made pasta sauce because I flaked out and didn't make enough during the 1st batch).  I'm also making a tossed salad, cheesy potatoes and cup cakes (I find that gluten free, egg free, nut free cake comes out better for me when I do cupcakes).  I also ordered a ham and turkey breast from Honey Baked.  They no longer use wheat in their meats and we used one safely for Easter dinner.  Our local grocery is also doing a fruit tray for me.  I stopped in a few weeks ago to talk to them about their prepared foods and to see what, if anything, they could safely make for me.  The fruit tray was a go, but the salad wasn't because they put nuts in most of their salads and they didn't feel the prep area would be safe enough.  I was just excited to be able to get the fruit. That's one less thing for me to make.

3.  We still have no name for the baby.

4.  We finally ordered the nursery furniture the other day.  But I still don't know what color to paint the nursery.  Older Boy's room is blue.  The Little Man's room is green.  I want something different for the new baby but I want it to be something that he can keep for years to come.  We bought "lifetime" furniture instead of just baby furniture and I'd prefer to not have to paint again in a few years (I loathe painting).

5.  Today is "bill paying" day and "try to organize something in the house" day.  Tomorrow I'll run errands.  Thursday is a mix of inside/errands day and Friday is salad, potato, and cup cake day.

6.  I'd say I'm looking forward to some down time next week but Monday I'll be at the school from 11:30-2:30 for the 1st Communion Day Celebration for the Little Man's class.  I'm in charge of games.  There's 14 high energy boys and 2 girls to keep busy.  Wish me luck...

**And Bailey's Leaf, you remember reading about Older Boys 1st Communion which was 2 years ago :)