J found some footage of some GM crash testing from 1968. Scary stuff - reinvorces why I feel naked without a seat belt. You can see the footage here. [Scroll down to get the the video.]

I know it's often said and thought that women would not be happy to receive a new appliance. But for the most part, I don't fit that mold. As long as it's an appliance I want and would use, I'll take it. Heck, I'd love the roller ball Dyson even if it meant getting it for my birthday, Christmas or anniversary.

Our stove which is at least 10 years old (I'd put it at older than that) has only had 2 working burners for 6 months or more. With a family of 4, it's usually not an issue, but it made the holidays trickier. We have an electric stove and J has cleaned the components out multiple times which will only work for a short amount of time. He estimated it would cost about $80 to fix the 2 burners. So then came my boss. She's been remodeling her kitchen and it came out that I'd love a flat-top stove and she happened to have her old flat-top stove that was only a few years old. They were not keeping it because they went with stainless appliances. She sold it to us for $100. I can't tell you how excited I was - yes, over a stove. J had his work cut out for him since she obviously cooked dairy. There was a TON of cleaning involved before bringing it into our house, but it's really no different the stove we had before. That one used to be used for dairy as well - even by us.

J worked really hard to get the new stove cleaned and installed before Memorial Day as we had some friends over. It's nice to have stove top that is so easy to clean.

Old stove


New stove - isn't she beautiful?

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In other news, Alisa is giving away some new dairy-free chocolate bars that I'd love to try out. Go on over and take a peak.

Alysa starts preschool in September. Now that she is fully potty trained the excitement has grown tremendously. She can not wait to go and be the big preschool girl.

As she's gotten older, she is liking her sleep more and does not wake up as chipper. She has taken to pulling the covers over her head and ignoring my presence (just as Kayla does). But yesterday morning, when I went in, she popped her head up with a big smile on her face and said, "Mommy. I went to school while I was sleeping." When I explained that she had a dream, she jumped out of bed to go tell her Daddy and Sister about her dream.

It was adorable, yet sad to see her let down that she wasn't going to school yet.

I think too many don't stop to remember what today is about. It is so easy to get caught up in the picnics and having a day off. So please, whatever you are doing today, take a moment to stop and think of the men and women who have lost their lives fighting so we can have and maintain our freedoms. To all of those in the military and their families, I thank you.

Please also think of the freedoms we enjoy and make sure to appreciate them. It is so imperative right now to realize what freedoms we have and those that are slowly eroding away.

And let me say it is not very easy to try and explain, even in the simplest terms, what Memorial Day is about to a very wiggly 4 1/2 year old.

J and I were able to get out last night for dinner and a movie with friends. Yes, I actually went to the movies. We at at Pizzeria Uno and saw the Terminator movie. Both were very enjoyable.


The group of us

The girls have been spending a lot of time outside this week. We've finally gotten many days in a row with no rain. Today, while they were riding their bikes, Kayla asked me to take a picture, and of course, I was happy to accomodate her.









A couple days ago, I got around to doing some digi scrapping for myself. My nephew Colin calls Alysa Smiley. So I decided to look through for some of her best smiles. I found so many I had to make it a 2 page spread because I couldn't decide.

Page 1


Page 2

Michelle asked me about eating out. Specifically if we ate out often and how we handle it when we do. The first part is easy. No we do not eat out often. Overall my comfort level is pretty low. I know parents of children with food allergies that do eat out fairly often (relatively speaking of course) and even some who will go to fast food restaurants. Personally, I can not see myself ever taking Kayla for fast food. The risk factor in those places seems just too high for me. And my kids would then want to play in the play areas and with Kayla’s contact-reactivity, that is a big no-no for her. Play areas where food is served is just “asking for” a reaction.

Aside from Walt Disney World, the only restaurant we take her to is PF Chang’s. It was a gradual process for us. J and I were taken there by friends years ago and really enjoyed the food. That first time and every time after when we went, the wait staff always asked us if we had any allergies or special dietary needs. Finally, one visit, I asked our waitress about it and she said it is their policy to be extremely food allergy aware and they take it very seriously. She also told us they do not cook in peanut oil (even though peanuts are not a concern for us, Kayla was not at that time eating peanuts). Gradually we started bringing Kayla with us even though we did not have her eat anything there. Before letting her eat anything, we spoke to the waitress and then spoke to the Manager who used to be the Head Chef. In actuality, there are only a couple menu items that have dairy in them. But they also have lists to printout for each allergen. So each time we go, we get an updated copy of the items free of dairy (and usually we do not even have to ask to speak to the manager, he just comes over). We typically order off of this menu. But, there are some items on the main menu that she can eat. I believe some items not listed have more of a cross-contamination risk or they are able to be altered to be safe for her. A perfect example is the Mongolian Beef – one of my favorites. It is never on the dairy-free list, but is always able to be made safely for her. So, yes upon every visit, we speak to the manager and everything is verified with the head chef. When cooking for an allergy, all of their pots/pan, utensils are thoroughly cleaned for those meals. They are also great about making all of the dishes for our table dairy-free so we never have any worries about cross-contaminating anything once it is served.

Another reason I like taking the kids here is that BOTH of them will eat there. Alysa loves their northern style spare ribs. And when I say loves, I mean she licks the bone clean. Kayla will eat their northern spare ribs, Mongolian beef, crispy honey chicken and calamari. So it’s a guaranteed good meal for both of them.

Aside from the food preparation, we clean, clean and clean! I bring wipes with me everywhere. I clean the table, the chairs, both bottom and back and anything on the table the girls or we may want to touch such as salt and pepper shakers, etc. If we sit at a table with chairs, I also bring in our own booster seats so I don’t have to clean the boosters they give you. If we sit in a booth, we forgo the boosters and just clean really well. We do not want Kayla reacting from touching the table or something on it or contaminating her food the same way.

Are there other restaurants out there that we could eat at safely? Yes, I’m sure of it. Have I researched any and tried them out? No. Part of that is the anxiety involved in trusting someone knew to feed Kayla. But another part is their age. They are 3 and 4 and in all honesty it is just not worth the hassle to eat out with them. They are not all that used to it and the hassles involved don’t make it worth our while. Packing up things to keep them busy and entertaining them for a sit-down meal in a restaurant is just not our idea of fun right now. So as they get older, I hope to push the limits of my comfort zone a bit to find some safe restaurant variety for our family.

Michelle also asked why I brought my own tea to the Tea Party. When eating out, I never know what is in the ingredients of something served. Although I doubt there would have been any dairy in the tea served, you just never know. Dairy hides in the darndest places (including medications, glue, juice, clothing, ice melt, etc). So I always like to err on the side of caution. Even if I was able to check the tea packaging and verify its safety, the tea was already brewed and put in pretty tea pots. Served by the same people pouring the milk, cutting the cheese served on the same platter as the grapes and arranging the cookies on the platters. So the risk for cross-contamination was extremely high. And it is those exposures that are harder to manage because they are so “hidden” and misunderstood by many. So unless I have 100% trust in where we will be eating and what, I pack Kayla’s food and only feed her what I brought. It keeps her safest and gives me the peace of mind to enjoy myself (even if only a little).

This may seem a bit much to some, but with food allergies you can never be too careful and it is always better to err on the side of caution. The flip-side of not being diligent or careful enough has too great of consequences. And I believe there is a reason that Kayla’s last reaction from dairy was when she was 11 months old. Mistakes can happen but we try our hardest to avoid them!

Thanks for the questions Michelle!

For those interested, here is the dairy-free list from PF Chang’s (click to enlarge).

Yesterday, I stepped pretty far outside of my food allergy comfort zone. J and I have strived to not put Kayla in a bubble and always be honest with her in an age-appropriate manner. As she’s gotten older, we have altered our approaches to meet her age and level of understanding.

My Mom and I took the girls yesterday to Victorian Tea Party that had a fashion show with it. The girls were SO excited to go and have tea even though they had no idea what to expect. Before we made the reservations, I called and found out that of course the menu included dairy, dairy and more dairy. They had jelly sandwiches, cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches (not sure about the appeal with that one), cheese, fruit and cookies. So I packed jelly sandwiches for the girls, hot tea in a thermos, bananas and a Divvies cookie for each of them. The set up was really nice. Tables with pretty pink table cloths, some American Girl door prizes and a “silent” auction, although you could see what the other bid amounts were.

The girls were getting a bit antsy but when the whole thing started, Alysa was beside herself with glee. The had a coloring craft to start off, then the tea was served followed by the fashion show. We shared a table with another Grandmother and her Granddaughter. They were very sweet and understanding since we asked to keep the food (and open cup of milk for the tea) on the opposite side of the table. When the fruit was put out, Kayla wanted some grapes, but of course they were on the same tray along side the cheese, so that did not work. But with Kayla getting older, I did not have the heart to keep Alysa from the fruit. So when she asked for the grapes, we gave her some. Then here eyes feasted on the beautiful and heaping platter of cookies. Her focus was a tiny little colorful cupcake. So we put Alysa on the other side of my Mom and gave her that cupcake and some cookies. She was in heaven with a cloth napkin put on her as a bib and her sweats. She did great keeping her hands on the table and leaning over while she ate. Kayla was such a big girl, accepting being unable to eat the grapes and taking it all in stride with her sister eating the dairy. She even gave me the OK to eat a cookie when I asked her if she would be OK with it. This is the furthest I have ever gone with Kayla and dairy. It was nerve wracking, but I am glad I did. I do not want to keep Alysa from things she does not need to be kept from anymore than I have to and I feel the best way to help Kayla grow and learn to cope well is to not shelter her too much.

The funniest part of the day was Kayla fell in love with an American Girl doll up for auction. She wanted it so much she put her name down on the auction card. Of course my Mom who tap dances to her grand children’s tune followed Kayla around putting dollar amounts to all the cards she wrote her name down on (slight exaggeration maybe, but not by much). Aside from the doll, she really wanted the AG chair they had up for auction. Kayla won the doll AND the chair and Alysa won a wooden hat box as well as a replica Victorian children’s dress. They had a blast and are super excited about their loot.

Alysa and I also got to try on some of the articles from the fashion show. Boy am I glad to not be living in Victorian Times. Here are some pictures from our day:

I have been pretty busy the last few days with house guests which has unfortunately cut into my FAAW time. But it also brings me to my post for the last day of FAAW. Our friends, Jen, Jeff and Kayla’s best friend Emma stayed with use for a couple nights before they closed on their house. It was great to have them with us for their last couple of days in New Jersey.

Jen and Jeff are truly special people. We have been extremely luck to have many friends in our lives who have shown us how important we are to them by working with us and helping us to take care of Kayla. Jen and Jeff were no exception. They were not only the first of our friends to make their daughter’s birthday party dairy-free; and this after only knowing us for 1 month; but they did it all without making us feel awkward. Food allergy parents know how uncomfortable it is to request accommodations for our children in someone else’s home. But Jen and Jeff, like so many of our other friends have taken it in stride, helped us by accommodating Kayla and not letting us down. Jen once told me that it “was not an inconvenience”. Now I certainly would never hold her to that thought, but I know she meant it. Jeff is one of the very rare individuals whom I have let cook for Kayla and part of that, aside from him being on top of the ingredients and putting up with my endless cross-contamination pestering is that he is always nervous about her eating. He keeps a close eye on her when she eats his food. It shows how seriously he takes it and he knows that no matter how careful you are, mistakes can and do happen. More than most, they understand where I was coming from and when we were out and Emma wanted a snack, Jen would pull a sealed bag of snacks out of her bag that she knows is and has always been safe for Kayla and instead of handing it to Emma, she hands it to me to check the ingredients. I never needed to remind her. She just knew and rememberd.

So yesterday was a very difficult day for us as they left New Jersey to start their journey to California. We will miss them and wish them a safe journey!

Update:
Unfortunately we have decided to postpone our tip to the Today Show. It’s rainy all day here and will be through tomorrow. Jennifer Hudson will be performing on the Plaza outside the Today Show and between that the rain we don’t think it will be as easy to get the exposure we want. We are pretty bummed since it is Food Allergy Awareness Week, but we are postponing to sometime in August and figure it will coincide with Back to School. I will definitely post it here when the time comes so you can look for me on TV.

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Last year, I participated in my first Food Allergy Walk. My Mom, J and Kayla and did the walk and I was able to raise $1,500. It was a great day with lots of food samples and fun games for the kids. It was so exciting for Kayla to be able to eat the food that was offered. I also made some great contacts there for future reference. This year’s walk will be on Halloween. This year we will also be joined by Alysa and my Dad. I have also volunteered on the Walk Committee to help organize the day’s events. I’m excited to be a part of the planning stages and am looking forward to the walk itself. Since the Walk for our area falls on Halloween we will be having safe trick-or-treating with non-food treats so trick-or-treating will be safe for all kids. You can click on the button above (which is also in my sidebar) to see my walk site.

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For those reading, if you have any food allergy questions for me. About how we deal or cope or on food allergies in general, post a comment and I’d be happy to answer them for you.

When I was at the conference in March, one of the things I took away from it was, it is possible for a child to forever test positive for an allergy via skin test even after they have outgrown it. With this tidbit of wisdom from Dr. Wood, I sought him out during one of the breaks and he was kind enough to take a few minutes to talk to me. I explained Kayla’s history (and her continuously decreasing blood levels and persistent positive skin tests). With that and her age, he recommended that we do a food challenge.

In the food allergy world, testing (both RAST and skin) are not always the most accurate. They are, in a lot of cases, best used as a guide with a child’s reaction (or lack of) to a food being your deciding factor. The only TRUE way to diagnose a food allergy is by eating the food.

Kayla, thanks to our diligence has not had a known reaction to dairy since she was 11 months old and has not ingested it since her first time at 8 months. So in conjunction with her allergist, we decided to challenger her. We did so in early April. This whole thing was a whirlwind for us and had me filled with a ton of anxiety. So much so that we did not share our plan with anyone, friends or family.

So the day before her challenge, I picked up a container of cow’s milk and hoped for the best or rather mostly for the worst to not happen.

Leading up to the challenge, I struggled with how much to tell Kayla. We have always vowed to be honest with her regarding her allergy (in an age appropriate manner of course). She can not learn to advocate for and take care of herself without a full knowledge and understanding of her condition. So I did tell her about the challenge and told her that I would be with her the entire time and both her doctor and me would keep her safe and help her. At first she was uneasy but then said she wanted to eat ice cream from the ice cream truck. After that I dropped it – I figured dwelling on it would only heighten her anxiety. But she’s too smart and remembered. The day of, she was very upset and did not want to “eat dairy”. She got upset and started to cry when the nurse was getting her weight, etc. She did not want to go in the exam room.

Her doc was excellent with her. He explained it to her in simple terms. Although it did not change her mind. Our first step was to put a drop on her skin. So we put a DVD in for her hoping to distract her. It was not surprising to me that when she cried, Alysa cried. I know from experience it’s a kid and sibling thing. Finally, in order to lessen Kayla’s anxiety, I told her doc to “sneak” a drop on her leg while she was watching the DVD. He turned his back and blocked Kayla’s view of the milk. Unfortunately, Alysa could see it and freaked out. I never expected her fear and it took me by surprise. She was crying and yelling, “No cow’s milk!” “We’ve got to get out of here!”. But with Kayla distracted, he was able to get a drop on her leg and when she asked what it was, he told her it was a little liquid. He left and we waited. Kayla’s too smart for us though and told me it was cow’s milk on her leg. After 15 or so minutes, I was encouraged since there was no reaction on her skin.

He did then do a skin prick test which of course came back positive. But to be sure, we went ahead with the challenge. At first she did not want to drink it, but all it took was for me to take a drop in my mouth (oh what bliss). She then voluntarily “drank” a tiny drop and surprisingly she liked the taste. But…it only took a minute or two for her to complain that her lip hurt. He checked and it was red. A minute later, as she continued to complain, she had hives on the inside of her lower lip. He immediately gave her Benadryl. A couple minutes after that she started to grab at her throat and when we questioned her she told us her throat itched. He stayed with us and watched her and thankfully that is where it ended. He let us hang out for a while to be sure she was OK before sending us home.

So Kayla is most DEFINITELY still allergic. And although it is encouraging that she did not react on contact, I am not holding my breath that she will never react on contact again. Food allergy reactions are so unpredictable and one reaction does not predict the next. And since every exposure and reaction can make future reactions worse, we can not let our guard with her history of sensitive reactions.

So although we did not get the outcome we were hoping for, we do know for sure she is still allergic. So we will continue on monitoring her via skin tests at this point and at least we know for her, currently, her skin tests are very accurate (especially with how strong her skin test reactions are). So life in our house has not changed, but we can try to remain optimistic that someday it will.

Food Allergies, for obvious reasons, are very near and dear to my heart. Over the time since Kayla’s diagnosis, I have seen it all. I have gotten into fights and confrontations. I have seen how ugly people can be towards a child. But more importantly, I have seen the amazing amount of compassion and understanding that adults are capable of. But most importantly, I have seen the compassion and understanding come from children. I have seen how Kayla’s peers (family and friends alike) just want to keep her safe and included. It is these acts of kindness that keep us going and keep our fight to give Kayla a normal life (with parties, playdates, etc) going strong. I have also gotten so many questions from family, friends and strangers on food allergies. I love questions. It opens up a dialogue so I can educate. Education is the key to growing awareness and understanding. One question I have gotten from my Father is whether or not the rise in food allergies can be attributed more to better diagnosis and tracking rather than a true increase. I can see his point. If food allergies were vastly unknown 30+ years ago, then how can you track it properly? I can not necessarily accurately speak for the tracking and reporting of food allergies, but I can speak from my own personal experiences.

I have an excellent memory. I have memories to be age 3 and can picture the outside and inside of my Montessori preschool classroom. I’d love to see it in person to see how accurate my recollection is. But I digress. Growing up I did not have any friends with food allergies or even dietary restrictions. Food allergies were never a topic or an issue in my circle of friends or in the schools I attended. In my circle of friends, families and acquaintences, Kayla was the first child diagnosed with a food allergy. She was diagnosed 4 years ago. Since her diagnosis, excluding those I have met through her allergy (like in my support group), seven, I repeat seven kids in our circle (including family and friends) have been diagnosed with food allergies. Kayla would make eight! So yes, food allergies are definitely on the rise!

So this week, in honor of FAAW, I have helped Kayla’s allergist distribute flyers with some basic facts on food allergies as well as how to deal with a reaction. Kayla preschool distributed copies of the flyer to every student. I contacted and sent the flyer to the nurse at Kayla’s future public school. From the response I got from her at that time, I got the feeling it would not be distributed. That feeling has been validated by the repeated unreturned messages I have left for her since then. I can tell that Kayla’s public school experience will be a nightmare for me. But luckily her allergist has gotten it distributed to other local public schools and my Mom was able to get it distributed either by mail or electronically at the school where she works.

I will also be sending in a couple of our food allergy children’s books to school with Kayla this week for her teacher to share with the class. I may also give her our CD of food allergy songs.

Friday, I will be joining members of our support group on a trip to New York City. We will be meeting up at the train station for the 3:53am train to the City. We will all be decked out in t-shirts sporting the name of our support group and head to the outside of the Today Show in the hopes of getting noticed to bring some attention to food allergies. Apparently, not too long ago a group did this for Autism and got some air time. J is joining me for this trip, although I hope he doesn’t change his mind when he sees the time the train departs. So please cross your fingers that we at least get shown on TV. And if you watch the Today Show – look for me with.

Welcome to 2009’s Food Allergy Awareness Week. My first post for the week is a post of links to my FAAW posts from 2 years ago. They are a mix of some informational posts I did that year to help educate those on food allergies as well as some insight into our life with Kayla’s food allergy.. Hopefully it will be a good refresher for some and a good resource for any new to my blog.

I will have some other posts coming on food allergies – what I am up to this week and how things have changed for us since Kayla was first diagnosed. I also have some full disclosure coming up as well as an exciting trip I have planned for later in the week with regards to food allergies!

For my fellow Food Allergy Moms – what are you doing this week?

And for those not directly impacted (by a child or family member): anyone can help spread the word on food allergies – no informational tidbit is too small. I know my personal friends have taken what they have learned through me and applied it to their lives. A perfect example is a very good friend of mine who lives in Texas. Because of what she has witnessed through me, she asks new friends of her children if they have any dietary restrictions and always checks before bringing food into their respective classrooms. Will you or have you helped to educate those around you? If so, please tell me, I’d love to hear about it.

Prior FAAW posts:
Kayla's Diagnosis
How to Read a Label
13 Food Allergy Facts
Managing Kayla's Food Allergy
What the Future Holds

Wishing all the Moms a wonderful and peaceful day!

I saw this interview on Facebook and thought it was pretty cute. Of course I did this a month or so ago and am just getting to post this now...

1. What is something mom always says?
Kayla – I don’t know
Alysa – A lot of names

2. What makes mom happy?
Kayla - Hugs
Alysa - Kisses

3. What makes mom sad?
Kayla – Not getting hugs and kisses
Alysa – No hugs and kisses

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
Kayla – Make a silly face
Alysa – Doing silly dances

5. What was your mom like as a child?
Kayla – I don’t know
Alysa – Being a little girl

6. How old is your mom?
Kayla - 32
Alysa – I can’t know that

7. How tall is your mom?
Kayla – Taller than me
Alysa – I don’t know. 32!

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
Kayla – Play with us
Alysa – Go to work (yeah – she doesn’t know me too well – LOL). And hugs!

9. What does your mom do when you’re not around?
Kayla – Wake me up
Alysa – Be sad

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
Kayla – I don’t know
Alysa – A hug

11. What is your mom really good at?
Kayla – Carrying me
Alysa – Going to work [:(] and collecting things

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Kayla – Not carrying me
Alysa – Not collecting things and not going to work

13. What does your mom do for her job?
Kayla - Working
Alysa - Nothing

14. What is your mom’s favorite food?
Kayla - Cereal
Alysa - Pizza

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
Kayla - Listen
Alysa – Eating all my dinner

16. If your mom were on TV, who would she be?
Kayla - You
Alysa - Nothing

17. What do you and your mom do together?
Kayla – Hugs and kisses
Alysa – Build puzzles

18. How are you and your mom the same?
Kayla – We both like the computer
Alysa – Our shirts are the same (we are wearing our FAAN Walk t-shirts today)

19. How are you and your mom different?
Kayla – She’s taller than me
Alysa – Grabbing stuff [???]

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Kayla – She gives me hugs and kisses
Alysa – I get a hug and a kiss

21. Where is your mom’s favorite place to go?
Kayla – to Disney World
Alysa – to work (NOT…)

This isn't really a tag, but if any one decides to do this, let me know so I can come check it out.