The Problem with Breakfast Bars

I know that breakfast bars are basically a good marketing gimmick to give people cookies for breakfast -- including kids. I mean, really, how different is a breakfast bar from a fig newton?

Anyway, if you've read this blog before you know that breakfast can be a difficult meal for kids with allergies ... no eggs, etc. Like a lot of moms, I sometimes give in and let the boys eat a breakfast bar for a treat for breakfast ... usually followed by a mandatory yogurt. Up until the time we found out that Little Guy can have wheat, I gave him bars like these. But now I want to give him bars that I can get at the regular grocery store .... but, NOOOOOO! I can't find any. They all seem to have eggs or dairy or nuts in them.

Big Guy can have these because he is growing out of his dairy allergies and can tolerate some dairy in baked goods. But I can't find any regular breakfast bars that Little Guy can eat. So, guess what he can eat in the breakfast bar "cookie" aisle? Pop-tarts!!

Yep, that's it. If I feel guilt over breakfast bars, you know what I must think about pop-tarts! And yet, you also know that I hate to deny the kids things because of the allergies. So, now they get pop-tarts as a treat once in while.

So, if you have any suggestions for breakfast bars that the boys can eat, PLEASE send them my way!!

Happy Valentine’s Day Eve!

Alas, our last ditch effort to get valentines last night was for naught. We ran to Walgreens and successfully found Spiderman valentines, but because we got a big snowstorm last night and all day today, I could not get Big Guy to school. Oh well, he can bring them on Thursday (the next day he goes to school).

Here I was thinking I did so good with the valentines and then I read about Mary. She writes about the cute valentines she and her daughter Emily made for her 3-year old pre-school class at Mom Writes. She also shows some of the other cute things the kids (actually the moms) in the class made – candy necklaces, homemade crayon hearts, homemade cards, etc.

I am such a loser. I was feeling good because this year I taped a mini box of Nerds to the Hallmark Spiderman valentines. (Last year the kids just got a card.)

Big Guy signed his own name and I thought I was mother of the year. NOT! I guess this will be another holiday where poor Big Guy can’t eat most of the “treats” he gets. I am just too worried about the nut possibilities with many of the candies. He is doing better eating dairy and therefore chocolate, but it seems like a lot of those candies have a high likelihood of having nut residue. Oh well, we'll see what he gets on Thursday.

While cruising the internet, I found some interesting facts (and my comments) about Valentines Day from Hallmark.

• Research reveals that more than half of the U.S. population celebrates Valentine’s Day by purchasing a greeting card. And I’m sure you are loving that, Hallmark!
• Romantic Valentine’s Day is a top card-buying occasion for men. Not my husband – he told me early on in our relationship “I don’t do Valentines Day” -- it is a Hallmark holiday” And the factoid above confirms it. (Seriously, I am not complaining, he does a lot of great things other times of the year when he doesn't "have to.")
• Last-minute shopping is the norm for this holiday with nearly 50 percent of all Valentine’s Day cards purchased in the six days prior to Valentine’s Day. Okay, that makes me feel better about my Walgreens run.

Anyway, some more candy ideas to accompany your valentines (if you are into that) for you food allergy folks … Nerds, lollipops, skittles, those candy necklaces , gummy anything (maybe not these).

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Got Hot Chocolate?

Today we got a couple inches of snow, so Big Guy, Little Guy and I went out to shovel the driveway. Due to the steep pitch of our driveway, this was QUITE a task (seriously, it feels like it is at least a 30 degree angle –though my husband is telling me it is only 15 degrees). Luckily, no one tumbled down the icy driveway.

But we did enjoy some yummy hot chocolate afterwards. See the mustaches for evidence of how much they liked it.

The boys also snacked on Dora’s legs and Boots. No, they aren’t cannibals. I found new Dora “animal crackers” which gives the boys a chance to munch on a little girl’s legs and a monkey. Why do kids get such glee out of digesting TV characters? Anyway, I just mention it here because it is another food product that doesn’t contain dairy, peanuts or eggs – hurrah!

Oh yes, the sugar is kicking in.

Whatever it is ... it's hysterical.

Come on ... wouldn't you want to be eaten up by this cutie-pie too?