How does your child's school handle classroom celebrations with food allergies?

I am so excited about the new birthday/food policy being created at my son's preschool this year! In years past they have allowed parents to bring in a nut-free treat to share with the class to celebrate their child's birthday. Last year they implemented a new policy allowing parents to only bring treats from a list of approved snacks handed out prior to each child's birthday, but of course as we food allergy parents know, there is always at least one parent who refuses to comply with these sorts of regulations. In addition to the occasional parent bringing in an unapproved snack for the classroom, there was also the issue of label reading. It is a nut-free school, but honestly, I don't expect parents without food allergic kids to fully understand and correctly read labels %100 of the time. On several occasions teachers where forced to send birthday treats back home due to allergens listed on the label that had been overlooked by parents, thus leaving the birthday boy or girl unable to share their treats with the class on what was meant to be their special day. As you can imagine, this didnt always go over very well.

This year they are currently in the process of finalizing a list of snacks that the kids will be able to prepare themselves for the class. The birthday boy or girl will choose a snack such as apple muffins or mac n' cheese from the list and then be given a seperate list of specific ingredients to bring for their cooking party. I think this is going to be so much fun! The child will have the opportunity to explain why they chose their special snack and lead the rest of the class, with their parent if they choose to particiapate, in cooking the dish. My kids love to cook with me! This is a great way to open discussions about our food and how it is prepared as well. Kids will feel special and empowered choosing and cooking their own special birthday treats. I love, love, LOVE this idea!

Other then birthdays there is a strict policy on no outside food being brought into the classrooms. Each parent donates $10 at the begaining of the school year to go towards snacks for other special occasions such as their Thanksgiving Feast and Jesus's Birthday Celebration. This way the staff can insure that only "safe" snacks for specific classroom allergies are brought in on these days.

How does your childs school handle outside food? Do they celebrate special occasions with food in the classroom? Share what works (or doesnt work so well) in your child's school in the comment section below.


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Finding an Allergy Aware school
Sarah Palin can have her cake and eat it too - Just don't do it around my kid!
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When life gives you lemons... Make Limoncello!

Life didn't exactly give me lemons, but my neighbor sure did. Lots of lemons!

What the hell am I gonna do with all these lemons? Well, my husband suggested making lemonade with the kids which sounded like a good idea, but momma had a better one. Big girl lemonade, Limoncello!

I've never actually tried limoncello before, but have seen it made several times and hell, I'm willing to try anything with vodka at least once. It's a popular Italian lemon liqueur usually consumed as an after dinner digestivo by the Italians. Love those Italians!

5 squeaky clean lemons.

I started by scrubbing my lemons (sounds dirty). I'm only making half a batch just in case. I don't wanna waste the vodka. ;)

Then came the tricky part, peeling the lemons without getting any of the plith. Probably would have helped had I owned a nicer vegetable peeler, but just pretend my peel came off in long beautiful strips. This ain't Top Chef people!

Note: Never loan out your good beverage dispenser with a lid, you may not get it back. Hence, the pitcher with cling wrap.

Finally, I added my long beautiful lemon peels to just over half a 750ml bottle of good vodka in a glass pitcher to steep for 40 long days. For you nit picky Italians, yes, I know I should be using Everclear, but remember I'm on a Yellow Tail budget and my husband happened to have a nice vodka up in the cupboard already so vodka it is! (Shhh! My husband doesn't know I'm Stealing his vodka.)

Now I wait......

....while the kids make their own damn lemonade!

Check out Viola! Limoncello. for the rest of the limoncello recipe and to see how it turned out.

Play-Doh Play-Dates website review

If your kids are anything like mine, then they love playing with Play-Doh! If your anything like me, you haven't the slightest idea what to make with their Play-Doh when they ask you to play with them. Problem solved! Hasbro and Play-Doh have developed a new exciting website to get those creative juices flowing. The Play-Doh Play-Dates activity website is full of engaging ideas for you, your kids and of course a few containers of Play-Doh. Best of all it's FREE!

I decided to set up a Play-Doh Play-Date with my kids this afternoon. We chose a few fresh ideas, a craft and of course a snack, all from the website. There are several themes to choose from including Beach Party, Back to School and Spring Picnic. Of course, my kids didn't want to stick to just one theme so we bounced around from theme to theme. Just another great aspect of the site, there are no rules!

While my oldest was at school, I chose a simple snack from the site that my 3 year old could prepare. He made Banana OJ Pops from the Beach Party theme. He was very excited to serve these to his brother when he got home from school who decided they tasted like banana fudgesicles. Yum!

While scrolling through the Craft sections, the maze and connect the dots in the Back to School theme Activity Book caught A's eye immediately and I had to print them.

We scrolled through all the different Fresh Ideas and found several things to create with our Play-Doh. Now, Usually I am a freak about mixing the colors so my Play-Doh creations are very limited, but this was so fun! My oldest loved picking out new things to create while my 3 year old lost interest pretty quick. Let's just say, following direction isn't one of his strongest suits.

I will admit it does take some skill. We stuck with the beginner ideas and even I, as if I'm some kind of Play-Doh expert, had a hard time. There are step-by-step photo instructions, however I think some written instruction may be helpful for those of us who are, let's say, creatively challenged.

Check out some of our work:

The "star" of the afternoon. A loved his starfish!

Never thought I would say this, but I am actually looking forward to getting out the Play-Doh again. This months Pizza Shop theme looks like a blast! Create your own Play-Doh pizza with all the toppings. Then create an in home pizza shop with printable menu's, pizza peel and even a pizza box perfect for serving English Muffin Pizza Snacks.

Play-Doh has made a new fan out of me!


*Disclosure: This post is part of a SocialMoms product evaluation, for which I’ve been selected. I’ve been compensated for my time with 8,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. The opinions expressed in this post are mine and don’t necessarily reflect the opinions of SocialMoms or Play-Doh.

Update on A's allergy

As those of you who read my blog know, A's last visit to the allergist suggested that he had outgrown his tree nut allergy. As I explained in my previous post, his skin test showed no reaction to the nuts tested. However, before we start introducing him to nuts he will need to go back in and complete an oral challenge, which I still have not scheduled. Yes, I am procrastinating and coming up with excuses left and right. It has been a busy summer and to be honest, I am in no hurry.

Some of you may think I am insane. I may actually be insane, but the fact is, that as exciting as it all may sound to those who have longed for a similar visit to your child's allergist, it scares the heck out of me.

a) I don't want to put him through the oral challenge in fear of a reaction.

b) Call it selfish, but I am in no hurry to introduce nuts back into his diet. This may be an absurd analogy, but it's like having a convicted felon released from prison into your neighborhood after claims of rehabilitation. Would you feel safe? What if the allergy came back? What if I wasn't there when it did? We would have no epi-pen.

c) With school starting and now soccer, I would rather have teachers and parents start the year out on guard then with the assumption that its okay if little Timmy shares a piece of his cashew butter sandwich with A. I know, this is a really terrible excuse!

d) Finally, I've worked so hard at keeping him safe and involving other parents, teachers, family and so on, that I am afraid of the seriousness of food allergies that I drilled into everyone will now be disregarded. What if now, these individuals don't take the next child's food allergies as serious assuming that all kids outgrow them or that A's was never really an issue to begain with.

As crazy as I may be, I do know that it needs to be done. Once we get settled into the new school year and the caos of summer has passed, I will set up an appointment and prepare for our lives to once again be flipped upside down.

Allergies: Disease in Disguise - Review

(click on image to purchase)

Allergies: Disease in Disguise How to heal your allergic condition permanently and naturally by Carolee Bateson-Koch is, what I thought to be, a fascinating book. This was a very informative and easy to read book that gives great insight into the cause, symptoms and possible cures for not only allergies, but some very common and unexplained chronic health problems including, headache, arthritis, anemia, asthma, colitis, acne, and diabetes to name a few. According to the author, the problem lies within the gastrointestinal tract. When I read that, I knew there had to be some truth to this book given that my son's allergist has also touched on the importance of repairing and maintaining the lining of "the gut" as he put it.

The author, Carolee Bateson-Koch DC ND has had 25 years experience in successfully treating allergic disease. In her book she provides a clear understanding for what allergy is and why it is becoming so common. It also provides insight  into the five key concepts about allergy and it's relation to environment, diet, digestion, body chemistry and even addiction. The steps for obtaining better overall health and well-being are simply laid out in seven steps. I highly recommend this book to anyone suffering from not only allergic symptoms, but any one with a desire to live a healthier life.

I have to admit that when I first received the book from Books Alive publishing for review, I was a little skeptical. After all the subtitle reads "How to heal your allergic condition permanently and naturally." Who wouldn't be skeptical? However, once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. It all seems to make perfect sense. Though, still not totally convinced I have to ask the question, could a diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids and probiotics, as advised by my son's allergist, have lead to his possible outgrowing of his nut allergy or to the fact that my youngest son hasn't developed any allergies? I have to quote a sentence in the book  "We must always keep in mind that the greatest enemy of any science, or any discovery truth, is a closed mind"

*This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others.

Other related posts:

Food Allergies: Health and Healing Book Review

Food Allergies - Could this really be the end?

Do You Know What's Causing Your Childs Food Allergies?

Allergy Safety Products by Onespot Allergy - Review

Food Allergies - Could this really be the end?

After recently switching my sons allergists, I had been putting off his annual testing, I know bad mom, but after a recent reaction to what we are now suspecting to be from either the new sunscreen we tried or the neighbors swimming pool he swam in on the 4th of July, I decided it was time to get him back into the allergist for his annual testing and I couldn't be happier!

I am thrilled to say that A's skin prick test produced no reaction to the tree nuts tested! Yes, I said NO REACTION! The test was done twice, once on each arm. This means we will be going back into the office to slowly introduce cashews and pistachios (his primary allergens) starting with a small amount placed on his cheek next to his mouth. If this produces no reaction we will continue by placing the nut oil on the inside of his bottom lip, then again if no reaction occurs he will be given a small amount to ingest until he shows that he his able to tolerate an entire tablespoon. I am so excited and very hopeful!

The best part was after we got in the car and I explained to A what just happened. He hadn't been paying much attention while in the office because his arms where extremely itchy. As it turns out he has developed an allergy to dust mites and cats. An extremely fair trade off if you ask me! So, after I told him that he may no longer be allergic to nuts the first thing he said was, "Yeah, that means on Halloween I get to eat all my candy!"

The strange thing is, this is the post I have been waiting and hoping for, yet somehow it has been the hardest for me to write. Though I am elated for A and our family, I cant help but feel a sense of guilt. Approximately 9% of kids will outgrow a tree nut allergy and A could be one of them, but why him? I just wish there was a larger percentage of families able to experience the relief we may be facing. Hearing his allergist say to me, "You can relax at bbq's and birthday parties now.....people will talk to you." was bittersweet. We have become so accustom to this way of life that it's a little overwhelming to take in. Its really hard to put into words the mix of emotions I'm experiencing right now. Really not how I had always pictured it.

Suppose I shouldn't get my hopes up just yet anyways, after all we still have not been given the official green light for nuts. Until then we will continue to read labels, take extra precautions while dining out or visiting friends and family. We will tote epi pens wherever we go and take along our own special treats to birthday parties as I try to adjust to the idea that A may soon be like all the "other kids".

A's mystery reaction - Now what?

The Tuesday following the 4th of July the kids were sitting on the couch watching cartoons after breakfast when A asked me why he had polka dots on his legs. I immediately panicked at the sight of several hives covering his thighs. After a dose of Benadryl I quickly re-read the label to the Cheerios he had eaten earlier. There was no sign of nuts on the Cheerios label and he had eaten them several times prior so I was fairly confident that this was not a reaction to food.

The "polka dots" as A calls them did not seem to bother him and he showed nor felt any other symptoms. At this point we just had to wait it out as I went over every possible cause for his reaction. My first thought went to the new fabric softener we had switched to. Duh! How did I not know to buy dye free, fragrance free softeners. I felt terrible! My first clue should have been the lack of ingredients on the label. You would think I'd know better. Lesson learned!

The hives remained unchanged for several hours and more Benadryl was given as I kept a close eye on A throughout the day and that night. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep. The following morning his hives had spread, now covering his entire legs, bottom, arms, arm pits, and behind his ears. The Doctor recommended a dose of steroids. This terrified me! I've heard the horror stories of steroids but the Dr reassured me that the low dose he was given wouldn't cause any side effects.

Poor little guy with his "polka dot" arms.

By the second day of using the steroids the hives where nearly all gone and A was finally comfortable. He was scheduled to see his allergist the following week. I hate not knowing what the cause of his reaction was. He had since worn a pair of shorts that I had somehow missed when re-washing his clothes in an attempt to rid them of the fabric softener. No reaction occurred. So we are now thinking the neighbors swimming pool that he had been in over the weekend may have caused the reaction.
The allergist agreed that the swimming pool could very well have caused the reaction. Unfortunately their is no accurate test other then to have him go into the pool again. The allergist also suggested testing the sunscreen he had used over the weekend on his arm. After having a reaction to Banana Boat sunscreen earlier this summer we had successfully switched to Blue Lizzard sunscreen as suggested by his allergist. Unfortunately Blue Lizzard can be difficult to find, so stock up when you do find it or order on-line. Another lesson learned!

Over the weekend I used a bottle of Aveeno sunscreen I had on hand. Though A showed no sign of an immediate reaction the allergist explained that chemical reactions can take several days to appear. So, do I risk another reaction and test the sunscreen on his arm as suggested by the allergist or not? I am fearfull of letting him swim again as well, but that can be a tough one to avoid. Ugh! What to do, what to do?

Related posts:
Whats in your sunscreen?
New Rules for Sunscreen Protection