Happy Blogiversary

"He Can't Eat That" is ONE year old. I can hardly believe it!!! It seems like just yesterday I wrote "Hello." And while sometimes (okay, lots of times), I've been remiss in writing, I have REALLY enjoyed this experience.

I definitely met the goal I set for myself, "to connect with other parents who also have kids with food allergies. I'd like to share what has worked for me and I'd like to hear other people's stories when they have had to tell someone "he can't eat that!"

It has been so heartwarming and energizing to meet so many other parents though this blog and blogging in general.

As part of my blogiversary, I would like to challenge any and ALL readers to post a comment!! I am asking all the lurkers (maybe there are only 1 or 2), but anyone to -- as they say in hide-and-seek -- come out, come out wherever you are!!!

If you have never posted a comment, just click Comments and you can fill out an online form. When asked to pick an identify, you can choose Anonymous if you don't want to fill out an account.

I think the most comments ANY post I put up was 6. So, help me out friends .... let's get that number up!

I survived a year. I made friends. I found out Little Guy CAN eat wheat. I dealt with hives and "throw-ups." I started posting photos. I met a lot of supportive folks who love their kids and are dealing with similar issues. Or met other people who can relate on other levels.

So, give out a shout!!

Thanks!!

Anne D

School Update and Question

Big Guy has been in kindergarten for nearly two months now. We haven't had any food-related problems. I did volunteer to help out in class the day they made "Bernie Bears" out of biscuit dough. I looked at the ingredients and made sure it would be okay for him to eat the project.

There has been one birthday party in school already. Mrs. C. (his teacher) followed our process perfectly and gave Big Guy a treat from his treat box, even though Big Guy tired to talk her into calling me to check on the ingredients of the birthday treats.

And there has been one field trip. Again, the teacher and nurse were great. Mrs. C. talked to me ahead of time to make sure I would bring the epi-pen to the trip. (I volunteered to go with the class.) AND the nurse called me at home to find out if I would bring his medicine or if she should send it with the teacher. So, they definitely had it covered. Luckily there wasn't anything at the pumpkin farm that was an issue for him, but you NEVER know.

Next step is the HALLOWEEN PARTY! Again, I will volunteer at it. (Looks like another unintended advantage of food allergies is getting to be REALLY involved in your child's class.) I talked to the room mother to find out what food/treat project they were planning for the party and she said they were going to decorate store bought sugar cookies. So, I told her I would find one that would be okay for Big Guy to eat too.

Any ideas?

So, overall kindergarten is going great for Big Guy. Whew. Happiness is NOT getting a call from school to tell you that your son is heaving his guts out and breaking out in hives.

The latest advance in Benadryl

I love when a new product comes out that REALLY meets your needs and makes you life easier. It seems like so often in life there are things out there that seem to be especially made to add work and irritation to your life. So, when something comes along that actually helps you, I get happy.

Have you seen this? Single-serving Benadryl spoons. LOVE it!!! (I am such a nerd.)

The leaky sticky bottle of Benadryl in a zip-lock bag in my "diaper" bag is a thing of the past. Now, I can toss a couple of these single-servings in my bag or purse and be prepared. I never did understand why the child-proof cap on the Benadryl couldn't do the job of keeping all the liquid in there, but oh well.

Thank you researcher or marketing genius who came up with this idea. THANK YOU!!!!

And if you'd like to read another homage to Benadryl, check out Rational Jenn's blog. Or to get tips on how to put together your "go" kit for a child with allergies (including, of course, Benadryl!) check out No Whey, Mama's post "Allergy Kits, or I'm not a doctor; Don't Sue Me"

Lists and Resources for the Season

Halloween. A big holiday for kids and a stressful one for those of us loving kids with allergies.

Lots of parents are blogging about how to deal with this holiday--one where "poison" is literally pushed onto your child at every turn. I blogged about it last year. Oh, and here is a photo of the kids from Halloween last year. (I can't resist the photo!)


I LOVE lists. Here is one on safe treats for your kids, including links to websites with more information.

This post talks about the options you can take to deal with the "poison" candy that your child receives. I go with the "Fair Trade" policy ... the candy I buy to give the kids that trick-or-treat at my house is a variety of "safe" candy for my boys and I let them choose from those when we get home. Jeez, I think I STILL have some from last year.

So, any other stories or tips as we all get ready for this BIG holiday?!

I Heart Jim

WARNING: A non food-allergy post .....

Just have to share what a dork I am. The Office will be on soon and I can't WAIT! This season has already been hilarious. I feel so lucky that we got 2 one-hour episodes and ANOTHER one tonight!

And I found their web site today while I was bored at my office. With pages like this on it. I want to work at Dunder Mifflin too! Looks like they have lots of openings.

And this is the shirt I want ....

And I think I have to get this one for my husband ...

He is hooked too. Last week he watched it on Thursday while I was out, Friday night with me, and Saturday with our friends. And he laughed his ass off every time!

Oops, gotta get the boys to bed so I can watched it on TIVO.

Need Carmel Apple Recipe

Remember these? Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Since having the boys, I have steered clear of any kind of caramel apples. The ones that are already made up at the grocery store always say they could contain nuts (even if they are the plain kind), so I don't get those.

But this time of year, I WANT one. Sarah blogged about Fall at No Whey, Mama. And I too want to eat food for the season.

When I was a kid, we got a bag full of caramels (the bag with the sticks in it), melted down the caramels and stuck the apples in the pan. But I am pretty sure that all those caramel candies have milk in them, right?

So, has anyone out there made dairy-free caramel apples? My kids LOVE apples and anything sweet, so I'm SURE they would be a big hit at our house.

I did find a recipe online that only has brown sugar, butter (I could use non-dairy margarine), and water. Has anyone else tried these? Are they any good? Help me out, please!!!

Safe Sugar Cookies ... yummm

Earlier this week a couple of our friends came over for the day. My friend and I are going to start doing more kid-exchanges ... I watch her kids on school holidays (like Monday) while she works and she will watch my kids on a day when I have to go out of town for work (a day I normally am off).

Anyway, the kids are the same ages as Big Guy and Little Guy, so they have lots of fun together.
I decided it would be fun to do a baking project with the kids since I know I have the right "safe" ingredients here at home. Whereas when she has the boys it will be harder to find non-allergy foods for a food project. Not that she doesn't' try! She's the one who made rice krispy treats for the boys at her daughter's party in Miracle Margarine.

So, I used Cherrybrook Kitchen's Sugar Cookies mix and Pillsbury frosting (dairy-free, unlike some other frostings) AND Halloween decorations. See how much fun the kids had decorating the cookies ....

(Oh and NO teasing about the newspapers on the counter. Yes, I am anal about getting the place too messy.)

and eating the cookies!

They were very easy to make -- yeah! The little guys could even roll the dough themselves. And the decorating was lots of fun. A successful (and safe) baking project.

I'm no Giada, but ...

I may not be the queen of italian cuisine, who also happens to be HOT (at least according to my husband), but I CAN make spaghetti and meatballs.

Homemade, you might ask? Hell no. But they are quick and tasty and I even put the cooked pasta BACK in the pan with the sauce and meat before I served them ... to me this is a very gourmet trick. You see, when I was growing up my mom used to pour the sauce and meatballs on top of the noodles on the plate (see! they were even called "noodles" back then, not "pasta").

Anyway, the meatballs come from one of my favorite stores, Trader Joes. They have two kinds that Big Guy and Little Guy will devour: party meatballs and turkey meatballs. Neither one has any dairy, cheese or eggs in them -- which can be difficult to find in pre-made meatballs.

So, grab a bag, enjoy and don't give that size 2 chef another thought.