Baby Showers

I think there is something in the water. There are so many people getting pregnant right now. I know more people than I can count on both of my hands that are pregnant right now. So, with all of these people becoming pregnant, there are bound to be baby showers. I recently went to my closest friend's baby shower and I ended up having to discard my piece of cake because it contained a nut that I was allergic to. There were many things there that I would not have let my son be around. It is pretty typical to have chocolate covered nuts, cake, ice cream and other snacks at a baby shower where you can  not have someone with multiple food allergies in attendance without being extremely cautious. Now, the question is what do you take them to a baby shower? Or what do you do if you cannot make it to the shower or birth of the baby and would like to send a gift. I have found your solution. It is called a baby bouquet. I just love this idea!

To order this or to find other great baby shower ideas, visit: http://www.bestbabyshower.co.uk/baby-bouquets/

Learn Spanish for Kids

I think knowing multiple languages is almost an essential for our children. By learning a second language it broadens the possibilities. They always say that children are like sponges, so why not start them when they can actually learn a second language instead of waiting until they are in high school and mostly just cramming for their Spanish test? That is why when I heard of Kids Start Spanish I thought it was a great idea! It teaches them in ways that they are already learning everything else. If you are interested in having your children learn a second language, I would say to check out Kids Start Spanish.

For more information please visit http://www.kidstartspanish.com/

Birthday Parties

My sons birthday is coming up. It is actually right before Halloween which is another cause for parties in some households. With the food allergies in our family I try to make birthdays and halloween go as smoothly as possible. If you are going to have a party for kids, you know that you need lots of supplies. You will need party bags, candy (possibly for a pinata), goodie bags and all the essentials to throw a good party. My favorite thing to do is to give the children something they can use beyond that day. If you get Fabric Party Bags the children can use them as goodie bags, pinata bags and then much more once taken home.

If you visit HERE you can see those bags and much more to help you get some of the kids party essentials! :)

Good Seeds Gone Bad

Depression Fatigue Joint Pain Thyroid Problems
Bloating Constipation Diarrhea Migraines
Infertility Multiple Sclerosis Rheumatoid Arthritis Allergy Asthma Psoriasis Irritable Bowel Disease Chronic Sinus Infections

What do all of these things have in common?
They can all be caused by, or made worse by eating wheat, rye or barley, the most common foods that contain gluten.
Glutens are types of proteins found in mostly in the endosperm (where white flour comes from) of wheat, rye, barley and other grains.
Gluten provides the “stickiness” that gives bread its ability to rise, and pizza dough able to be stretched. Gluten does impart attractive properties to grain flours. But there can be a “mean” side to gluten as well.
Glutens are large proteins, high in the amino acids proline and glutamine. These two amino acids make these proteins HARD TO DIGEST. Gluten reactions have increased dramatically over the past 50 years, and this is not just greater awareness, but actual increases.
The partially digested proteins make some people sick, to varying degrees, from celiac Disease to gluten “intolerance”. Gluten can, in effect, drill holes in your gut, wreaking havoc with your digestion and immune system. This can cause PERMANENT damage to the immune system. Real. Serious. Business.
The majority of people with gluten problems probably don’t know it. Gluten causes immune system dysfunction, that shows up as one or more of those conditions listed above.
It usually takes about 10 years or more, before some people are diagnosed with gluten sensitivity or gluten related illness. Gluten problems can be very hard to detect, even for a doctor with high awareness of the problem.
At Bailey Health & Wellness Center suspect gluten problems in anyone with longstanding health problems of any sort. So maybe you are sick and tired of being sick and tired gluten may be part of the problem

Going through a divorce?

You can find info on getting a divorce and finding a divorce lawyer by visiting http://divorcefamilylaw.co/

If you have come to that conclusion in your marriage or know someone who has, the place to start is HERE. You will learn the divorce process and so much more. It is NEVER easy going through a divorce. They will try to help you along.

For more information please visit http://divorcefamilylaw.co/

Found A Great Site For Cereal Coupons

Hey guys I was browsing Facebook the other day when I came across one of my friends talking about a cinnamon toast crunch cereal coupon they had found online and printed off to save them $2 off a box. I was intrigued obviously by this as I collect coupons and my husband loves cinnamon toast crunch cereal. I asked her about it and she sent me to http://cerealcouponsite.com/   Where they have all kinds of cereal coupons for major brands including Post Cereal, Kelloggs and even Kashi. Anyway I ended up finding these Cinnamon toast crunch coupons which will save you a few dollars off the next time you purchase cereal at your local grocery store.

I've also found that Facebook is a great place to find cereal coupons as people have begun making fan pages about this sort of thing which is great because it allows anyone to post the coupons they find for everyone else to use. It's a great place to network as I'm sure you know. Anyway a good example of this is this Cinnamon toast crunch Facebook page  devoted to sharing coupons, and rebates for the cereal. 

VEDA #8 TTC & Easy Potpie Recipe

VEDA #4 About my sons food allergies

No more Vlog posts

Hi All!

I am no longer going to post vlogs on here unless it has something to do with this blog. I am participating in VEDA which is Vlog Every Day in August. So, I will be making a new one every day. If you would like to continue watching my TTC journey, plus more about me you can subscribe at www.youtube.com/cellerini8. If you do not have a youtube account, it is extremely easy to make, especially if you already have a google plus account! (Then technically you already have a youtube account and may not have ever known it) I plan on writing a blog post today or tomorrow about my experience with my FAVORITE store dropping products I go there specifically for. SO FRUSTRATING! Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful day and I will be back soon with a new blog post!

TTC #4 & Pregnancy Test!

Recent Events

This blog post is a little off subject for it being an allergy blog but I have been going off subject more and more. I really hope you all don't mind. I figure I would just tell you all about more aspects of our life than just the allergies part of it.

When we moved into the house we live in now, we had moved in as renters of my husband's grandmother's house since she was moving to a retirement home. She had 2 cats that lived with her. So, when it came time for her to move she tried to find homes for them and was unsuccessful. After thinking about it, my husband and I decided we would let them live in the back yard and garage. My son and I both are allergic to cats. I am so allergic to them that if I go into a home with cats, I will feel it for at least another 24 hours. So, upon moving in, we cleaned carpets, walls and every surface of the house to get rid of any cat hair or dander. Because of the way cats have always made me feel, I was never fond of them. But, these two cats over the last few years have nestled into my heart. I am sure you can imagine the pain I felt when I went to check on them and found one of the two passed away in her bed inside her little house. It was heartbreaking. I could only think of what I did wrong, how it was my fault and I just completely lost it. I called my husband hysterical and he came home from work to make sure she was really gone and to deal with the remains. It never really hit me how much I grew to love those cats until I saw her lying there. Once I had gotten myself composed and feeling less guilty, I realized that I would have to tell my kids. My daughter is 3 and doesn't quite understand much about how many animals we have, so I figured I would keep her out of it. But, my son knows how many animals we have, their names and so on. So, my husband and I sat in the living room with our children and I was at a loss for words. I debated leaving him in the dark, but then what would I do when he asked where Pumpkin kitty was? Why do we only have Smokey now? So, I ended up telling him that Pumpkin went bye bye and she wont be back. He was sad and argued with me, saying he was not going to say bye bye. Then, he noticed that her house was now gone so I told him that she took her house with her. (The house was where she passed and I will not go into details but to say that we could no longer keep the house.)  We hadn't talked about it since. Then last night, my husband and I went to dinner and a movie with my dad, his girlfriend and my grandmother. When we returned to my dad's house where my sister was babysitting, they did not want to leave. So, I told him that Bear (our dog) and Smokey (our living cat) were hungry and needed us to go home and feed them. He says "You brought Smokey back home?" Apparently he was confused on which cat was gone. That broke my heart. I had to tell him that Pumpkin went away and Smokey still lived at our house.

I know that was a lot of detail but I have never had to tell my children of a loss. Either they weren't around for the losses I have had or they were too young to know any different. I am glad that he is not yet old enough to understand death, that would have been so much more heartbreaking to see. I would love to hear how you all have dealt with telling your children of death of  their beloved animal. As hard as it is, death happens and we all need to learn about it before it is a close friend or family member. It helps with coping when the time comes that you lose someone close to you. When my dog died it helped to show me that I can get passed it, I will move on. So, when my high school sweetheart of 3 years passed away, I knew that while this pain was deeper, I could still get through it.

SMOG

If you know someone with allergies it is very likely that they also have asthma. Asthma and allergies go hand in hand, as I have mentioned in previous posts. One way to lessen the asthma on a day to day basis is to first be sure get your vehicle smog check inspected. If you are near Glendora, CA you can stop by Quicky Smog to have that done by someone that knows what they are doing. You can also find a Quicky Smog in Upland, CA. Cutting down on smog will help your children to live in a safer environment that is easier to breathe.

Take a look around their website to see what they are all about. They look to me like they are dedicated to making a healthier environment for us all!

For more information please visit:
Glendora- quickysmog.com
Upland- fqsmog.com

TTC #3

Zyrtec

As you all have GOT to know by now, I am the biggest advocate for Zyrtec! Even today I was talking it up to my husband as I sat there eating our home made salads without having much of an allergic reaction at all to my raw veggies. I am not severely allergic as my son is to some foods, but I will be very uncomfortable if I bite into a carrot, broccoli, cauliflower or other vegetable without cooking it first.
The down side to  Zyrtec is that sometimes it can get to be a little spendy. The paper comes out with $4 coupons every once in a while and that is GREAT. But, sometimes I give in and buy the store brand. Of course, some brands will have different ingredients in them. You will want to make sure that they are close to the same to be sure that it will work as effectively. I have noticed that even if it says they are exactly the same, nothing works quite as good as the real thing.  Secondly and MOST importantly, I have noticed that some brands will have lactose in the ingredients. I know for a fact that the Safeway brand has that. I am personally lactose intolerant so I feel like that could be a reason why that brand does hardly anything for me. Yes, it is a minuscule amount but if I cannot break down lactose right, wouldn't that effect how the whole pill is broken down? Or even just parts of it? I certainly do not know this but it is my theory. If you have a milk allergy, YOU WILL BE ALLERGIC to these off brands that contain lactose. This is derived from milk, just as Casein and other "secret words" are. Just be very careful when buying the off brand that you do not accidentally get something that could hurt you. I have read the children's Zyrtec that are off brand and have yet to come across any with lactose in it, but I most definitely read any time I do. It is actually quite hard to find children's zyrtec anymore. A lot of stores do not carry it for some reason. Either they only carry the off brand or they don't carry a children's version at all. I can't tell you the last time I actually saw a children's Zyrtec in stores or how many stores I have been to in search of even the store brand Children's Zyrtec.

Well, that is enough of my ramblings for now. I just thought I should tell you all of that sinc eI am always talking about how everyone should use Zyrtec.

TTC #2

Wedding Photos

Recently, our closest friends were married. It was so beautiful and such a joyous occasion. They came over and showed us the slide show they had from their photographer (a family friend). They were nice pictures but I know that she wished that some things had been different. At our wedding we had a photographer that just upset my husband the whole time and then half the pictures weren't usable because of the lighting and settings. So, my advice to ANY couple getting married; invest in a good photographer that has proven themselves to you through sample pictures.  I came across this photographer that does a BEAUTIFUL job. Looking through the website I saw that Green Holly Weddings took wonderful pictures at great prices. It is hard to find someone that not only can capture the moment but can make it look so flawless. Take a look at the portfolio to see for yourself, I promise you will be pleased!

For more information check out this affordable Detroit wedding photographer by visiting www.greenhollyweddings.com

Nut allergy linked to pregnancy and breastfeeding!

Here is a link to an article I just read about children getting their nut allergies because mom ate nuts during pregnancy and/or breastfeeding. Breastfeeding linked to nut allergies

When I was pregnant with my son, who is allergic to ALL nuts, I craved PB&Js and therefore ate them EVERYDAY! I hate finding things like this out because then I start to blame myself. But, I am also happy to know it because, this will help me to be sure that with the next baby, I steer clear. I tried whatever I could to keep my daughter from getting food allergies. Whether she just got lucky or the precautions I took played a part in her not having food allergies, I will never know. But, with all of the extra effort it took, I do not regret it at all because I know that she does not have to go through that.

Check my last blog post for my VLOG and tell me what you think! Thanks!!

Secret? What Secret? I Vlogged about it!

Any feedback? Write me on here in the comments, on Facebook or on youtube. :)

Thanks!

Family Night

Every family needs a night of fun together. There are many ways to do that. My favorite way is to have movie night. We make dinner and grab the TV trays to sit down in front of a family movie. We eat around the table every night so my kids find it extremely exciting when we do that!

I have been thinking about new things to do lately. One thing I know my children like is their TV shows. They love to sing along with the theme songs. So, when I saw that The Fresh Beat Band was coming to town I had to look into it. I found The Fresh Beat Band on www.feefreeticket.com.  In fact, I learned that you can get a lot of different tickets there. You can purchase Concert Tickets, Baseball Tickets, NFL Tickets, Sports Tickets and Theatre Tickets.

I still have yet to decide what we will do for our next family night but I know my kids will go CRAZY if we go see The Fresh Beat Band!

Infant Formula

Having a baby will change your life forever. Deciding what to feed your baby can be quite a difficult decision.  My first child, my son, never learned to latch on. I believe that I could have taught him, had I had the knowledge I have now. Going from breast feeding to formula feeding with him wasn't as much of a choice as it was a necessity. My son would be hungry and we would both become agitated with using a shield to try to help. When I finally made the switch things became easier on both of us, until it got much worse. They diagnosed my son with colic which I now believe was only his milk allergy in an early stage. Once we moved him to soy formula his painful screams, projectile vomiting and constant crying eased. It was only later that we discovered his milk allergy.

The formula I liked best once switching was Enfamil. There are so many wonderful benefits that enfamil can give your baby. If you would like to try it out for yourself visit Diaper Coupons to get your enfamil coupons. Trust me, with a baby in the house, coupons are always a HUGE help.

For more information and COUPONS please visit: http://diapercoupons.co/enfamil-coupons-2012/

Strawberry Cobbler

Strawberry Cobbler

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp Butter (Vegan if allergic to milk, I use smart balance Light)

2 1/2 C Strawberries, halved

1 C Sugar

1 C unbleached all purpose flour

2 C Milk (I use soy, any kind of milk should work)

2 Tbsp baking powder

Place your halved strawberries into a bowl and combine with the sugar. Be sure to stir well. Allow your strawberries to sit at least 30 minutes or until a syrup forms in the bowl.

Place the butter in a large 9 by 12 casserole dish and place it into the oven. Preheat oven to 350 and let the butter melt as the oven is preheating.

While the oven is preheating, combine the flour, milkand baking powder in a bowl and stir well.

 Once the oven reaches the preheated temperature, the butter will be completely melted.

After removing your dish from the oven, pour the batter evenly in the dish, be sure NOT to stir! 

Then pour the strawberry mixture over the batter, again being sure not to stir it in.

 Place the dish back in the oven to cook for 1 hour or until the crust is turning a golden brown color.

Enjoy! A scoop of vanilla ice cream goes deliciously over this cobbler. :)

Catering Events

Event planning can be quite the hassle. As a parent of a child with multiple food allergies, even attending events can be quite difficult and actually scary. Every Thanksgiving for a few years my son would end up in the ER due to the cross-contamination. I don't even mean food that he was eating because I would bring him his own Thanksgiving dinner. This was just from everyone else eating all of these foods and walking around with the "poison" on their hands and touching things he would soon touch. After I realized that it had no longer become a coincidence, Thanksgivings were held at my house.

I actually came across this great site to help with catering events called Cateror.com. I wish I had known about it the last two thanksgivings and other events held at my house. I will surely be using this from now on! This website offers information and advice on partial catering services, buying pre-cooked or pre-made food and hosting potlucks. There is also a national directory of local catering services and restaurants that provide catering. This site goes beyond giving your sources by helping with party planning to make the whole event go smoother. In this website there are articles as well. There is even one geared toward Food Allergies. I would definitely take a look at Cateror.com and browse around taking a look at these helpful tips etc.

To find out more please visit: www.cateror.com

Can you ever be too safe?

Being a parent of a child with severe food allergies, I feel as though I need to be extra aware of everything my son is doing. I need to be aware of where he is, what is around, if he is safe, what he is doing. It is really the only way to keep him safe. Just stop and think for a minute about this, it is nothing ANY parent wants to EVER think about but it may be life saving. What would you do if your child was abducted? What terrible things would run through your mind? What could be going on, where are they, are they okay, are we ever going to find them. That alone is HARD to even think about. Now, imagine your child has food allergies, maybe they do. The moment your child goes missing, whether it be them wandering off or an abduction, it becomes a life and death situation. What if your child only wandered off, they could come in contact with an allergen, or a caring adult could offer them some food until you have been contacted. Just the touch can sometimes turn fatal, especially in the hands of someone uneducated about food allergy. That is why taking measures to be sure you know where your child is at all times can be so important.

I came across this website called Preventabduction.net

This website is FULL of resources including:

• Tips to prevent abduction
• Child safety videos
• Child ID kits
• Safety devices
• Internet safety tips and products
• Child safety books
• Amber alert resources
• Sex Offender registry
• Non-profit organizations

One of my favorites is the child ID Tattoos. They are fun for the child and they have contact info if lost. They even have Tattoos declaring an allergy or any other health issues.

It is definitely worth taking a look around the website to educate yourself and find ways to keep your children safe!

To find out more, please visit www.preventabduction.net

Horse for Lease

Hi everyone!

Some of my fondest childhood memories involve horses. My grandparents had horses and my grandfather would take me riding on the mountain that they lived on. My biggest struggle was being allergic to them. But, I later realized that I could control that with allergy medicines like benedryl. It was so worth it to have those experiences.

I recently came across this very neat site called Horses for Lease. I would suggest taking a look. You don't have to OWN a horse to have all the fun, you can lease them too!  Another cool feature is that you can post ads as well. So, you may be the one owning horses and letting people lease them so they can enjoy some of the benefits too!

To find out more visit www.horsesforlease.com

Purifying your air

Over the summer your allergies can get pretty bad! Using an air purifier can really help to clean the air and make you a lot less miserable. Having a purifier any time of year can be beneficial for your allergies.

I recently came across this website that not only sells air purifiers but helps to educate you on what allergens are in your home and how purifying your air can help you that much more. I know as an allergy and asthma sufferer myself the benefits an air purifier can give. Click HERE to read more and view the chart.

This company also has compiled a list of purifiers that work best for your allergies.

Please take a moment to visit this site as this will help any allergy and/or asthma sufferer.

http://www.airpurifiersource.com/

Summer is here!

Yay! Summer is finally here. While this can be so exciting it can also be a drag for us allergy sufferers. I have personally ran out of my Zyrtec without the chance to purchase more in the last few days. I wake up with sinus headaches and feeling yucky. That is most definitely not fun. I have also heard recently that you should not take allergy medicines when pregnant. WHAT!?!? It has been too long for me to remember that but my pregnant friend told me that she was told to ONLY take benedryl. As any parent knows, that is not very possible. I take it and by the time I can start to feel relief, I am knocked out. With the possibility of pregnancy looming, I need to figure out what exactly I am going to do if that happens. I have terrible seasonal allergies, you would think I have the flu. But, that is enough about me.

My son has not come across many allergy problems. But, we did take our first camping trip of the year. While there, I noticed that around the fire pit there were peanut shells everywhere. I did my best to use some pieces of wood as a broom to sweep them into a pile but it was hard. I found more by the table, good thing I always bring a fold out child's table for my kids to eat at when we are camping. It makes it so much easier. Every time my son fell, it was straight to the tent to get his hands wiped down with wipes. That was a very stressful camping trip. To camp we drive for 60 miles on winding roads which makes it take even longer. It is far from any hospital and that can be scary too. I always bring extra epipens and stock up on benedryl and anything else we may need if something allergy related were to happen. Although I am nervous almost the whole time that we are camping, I still take my son because he absolutely loves it! I can't wait to take them again next month!

Recalls due to undeclared allergens!

Undeclared Milk Allergen in Sorbet

Undeclared Walnuts in Whole Foods Market Cupcakes

Follow this link to find more recalls. Not all are due to undeclared allergens but definitely worth taking a look at.  (That includes possible metal fragments.)
Link to recalls

Trip to ER 5-23-12/My son's recount of what happened

I should start by saying that I would not normally put these sorts of things on the internet because I think it is more of a private thing, as any trip to the hospital may be. But, I felt it was important for me to recount what had happened on this blog.

Today I found my son with a red face. I rushed to give him benedryl and then waited a little bit, it only got worse so we rushed to the car, where the above picture was taken. The lighting makes it hard to see anything but you can also enlarge the picture to see closer up.

We arrive at the hospital and I explain how it happened. My daughter, who is going through a rebellious and limit pushing phase, climbed the counter and found the hidden cinnamon raisin bread that I had bought for breakfast for myself. That was among other things such as apples, bananas and even minute rice. But, the only thing that he could have gotten into was the bread which had contained milk in the ingredients.

At this point his hives have spread to his ears and down his neck and onto his stomach. They give him steroids and such to help it calm down. As his hives spread and he becomes more agitated, I become worried and express this to the NEW nurse who had just taken over for the one we had. She tells the Dr. and he says that he just wants to watch and try not giving him any more medicines. So we wait, and he continues to get worse the hives have spread to his whole body, his whole stomach and chest, face, neck, ears, back all become red. But, I sit by just waiting for the steroids to kick in.

This is him as it starts to spread. He actually kept asking for a TV since he has been here in the past and KNOWS they have rooms with TVs. So, they move him lol. A 4 YEAR OLD CALLING THE SHOTS? haha. It was funny but they just wanted to make him comfortable since they knew we were in for a while for observation. After you ingest an allergen you have to be watched for 2 hours because that is the most likely time for an anaphylactic reaction to occur. 

His new room, about to fall to sleep.

They finally let us go but warned that he could still go into anaphylaxis over the next couple of days.

A positive side for him was that he now had 3 bracelets instead of just one. He definitely liked that.

Now, for his point of view. We came home and his hives are less pink and he is feeling much better. So, I sit him down to talk to him about what happened. And this is what he said:

Sick Days

Summer is near and we can feel it with the hot days that have been popping in. But, as allergies take a full dive into our lives we are struck with an awful cold, or is it? It is so hard to tell the difference at a time like this. My son had started sneezing persistently and having a runny nose that wouldn't let up. I started to worry that his Zyrtec just wasn't going to cut it this year. Then a day later my daughter started with the runny nose and sneezing. That  night it hit me full force and FAST. Thinking it was just my sons allergies taking a turn, I didn't use my normal precautions to keep myself and everyone else in the house from getting sick. So, by the time I learned that it was in fact a cold, I was starting to show symptoms.

When I say that this came fast, I mean it. It was yesterday that my daughter showed symptoms. I had felt icky in my tummy all day but shrugged it off as my normal stomach upsets. Then, I get home from a wonderful day out with my friend, as it was her birthday, and I start to sneeze. Within hours I am a sneezing mess with a sore throat and a squeaky voice to match. So, today is my sick day. My son is feeling better, thank goodness! That also means that while it is a bad and nasty cold, it leaves just as fast as it came. My son is left with the all too familiar childhood lingering cough and what's a cough if you don't add asthma in the mix. These are those days that being a parent can be quite hectic. But, it is worth every minute. I am trying to savor these times where it is only 2 that I am chasing around with tissues. Every minute of every sick day is worth it when you have such wonderful children.

Lately

Lately there has not been much to report on. All of my sons allergies are under control for now. Whew! But, I decided today that I am going to lessen my restrictions on foods he is not allowed to eat. Of course I will test it out and see how it goes first. I know other allergy parents will allow their children to eat products that were made in the same facility or even shared equipment with their allergens. I will not go as far as shared equipment but I will be trying to feed him things that were produced in the same facility as. It is most definitely going to scare me but if I can widen the range of food my son can eat and he will end up okay, then who am I to limit my son when it may not be necessary.

Tomorrow is mothers day and it is supposed to be HOT here tomorrow. So, we decided it is the perfect day to shampoo the carpets. With training a puppy and kids that get into everything our carpets have most definitely been used and abused. We have officially decided that once we buy a house in the near future, we will be getting wood floors. I would much rather have some area rugs that can be more easily replaced. I would like to wish all of you mommies out there a very HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! You deserve every minute of a day to celebrate you as a mother!

Broccoli Beef without the iffy ingredients.

As anyone with a nut allergy knows, Asian food and food allergies don't mix well. I thought my son would never  be able to try Chinese food, my favorite broccoli beef. But, then today while grocery shopping for tonight's dinner, it hit me. I CAN MAKE IT MYSELF!  So, I threw some ingredients in my cart that I thought would make it work and to my surprise it tasted EXACTLY like what I order at most Chinese food restaurants! So, I thought I would share.

I did not know that this would turn out so great so I didn't prepare with pictures and such. But, next time I make it I will take pictures and update the recipe.

Broccoli Beef

What you will need:

Thin steak, cut into strips or not, you can cut it yourself.

Broccoli crowns

Teriyaki Sauce (I use Kikkoman)

White Rice (I use minute)

Olive Oil

zip lock bag

skillet

First you will want to get the strips of beef and put into a zip lock bag. Pour some of your Teriyaki Sauce into the bag, seal and place in fridge. Keep it in fridge for at least three hours or let it sit over night. Be sure to flip the bag a few times while it is marinating. Once the meat has sat in the marinade (Teriyaki Sauce) long enough put some olive oil into a skillet and heat it to just over medium while you cut the strips to size, Id say about 2 inches long or so. Place the strips into the skillet and treat as a stir-fry until the meat is brown. Add Teriyaki as needed to add flavor and  help with cooking without burning. Remove browned meat and place broccoli that has been cut down into skillet, using juices left from beef to cook in. Add Teriyaki over top while cooking. Fry for 5 minutes or until the broccoli looks cooked and not dry. Add meat back in and cook together with more Teriyaki for a few minutes or until broccoli reaches desired tenderness.

Serve over prepared rice with juices from pan and/or teriyaki sauce to get the full effect and allow to mix in with rice. :)

Side Note: It may seem like a lot of teriyaki sauce but it burns off as you cook so it is necessary to keep adding to keep up with flavoring and such. I actually didn't even use a whole bottle tonight and I was serving 4.

I did not give you amounts this time because it all depends on how many people you are cooking for. Just be sure to make enough so that each person gets about a serving or a little more of the meat, broccoli and rice.

I hope you all enjoy, I love feedback and would love to hear how it turns out for anyone to try it!!

Teaching my son about his food allergies.

Teaching kids about their food allergies can be tough for many reasons. Trying to teach your child of the severity of a food allergy without making them afraid of the world can prove to be a challenge. There is no parenting handbook for anyone. Every child is different and may learn things in different ways. The way we taught our son, and are still teaching him, of his allergies was quite simple. Because I became lactose intolerant while pregnant with him, I no longer use milk in my every day foods. So, in our family the only one to eat "cow's cheese" and drink "cow's milk as my son calls them, is my husband. That is how my children have been raised. All that they have known is soy milk, soy cheese, soy ice cream etc. So, in our house the odd man out is actually my husband. My son learned that cow's milk, peanuts, tree nuts and eggs are yucky but daddy eats them. Then it moved onto that these things make him sick. Now that he understands allergies, he knows that these items will cause allergies. First, he had to experience allergies, even that of animals so that he knows how miserable it makes him. We didn't purposely go looking for an opportunity to give him an allergy. I knew that at some point he would experience some form of allergies and that was when I would tell him what was going on.  Now, he is very aware of what will happen if he eats something he is allergic to.

The other day we went to the store to pick up some cheese for my husbands grilled cheese. We already had soy cheese at home. At check out my son starts talking to the cashier. He tells her that cow cheese is daddy's favorite. She thought it was cute and funny that he called it cow cheese. She asks him if he likes cheese and he says I like SOY cheese. She says "Okay I get it now" He says "Yea, I have food allergies" He now announces that to everyone. Any time anyone asks him a question or even talks to me he announces his name and that he has food allergies. The other day we were walking in the grocery store and a nice gentleman tells me about how great the ground beef deal was. My son interjects with his name and that he has food allergies. I can't help but think it is a little funny and I am just happy that he tells people up front about his food allergies. I feel that it really is a great thing to do.

If anyone has had experience with this and has taught a child of their food allergies I would love to hear from you!

Spring Allergies

On top of having food allergies, most people that have food allergies will also have seasonal and environmental allergies. My son and I both suffer with seasonal allergies. It had been years since I had more than the sniffles, sneezing and itchy eyes. But, after I got home yesterday I had itchy eyes and rubbed them. I went to look in the mirror to see why they werent getting any better and had noticed that they were rapidly swelling with hives covering both eye lids. I actually started to feel so bad for my son. while he had not had the swollen eyes filled with hives, it just reminded me how terrible it feels to have that. Any time he touches something he is allergic to and then his face that will happen to him.  But, this is another instance where I will tell you how WONDERFUL Zyrtec is. Since I started to sneeze, I have been giving my son zyrtec every day and he seems allergy free. I know for a fact that he is not because I worked my weekend job today and forgot to give him some before. When I got home he was a sneezing mess. But, a little bit after I gave him his zyrtec he was back to playing outside in the sunshine without any sniffles! I have not bought any for myself and am still suffering with my seasonal allergies.

Aside from the allergies today was a great day! The beautiful weather makes up for it all! I even won tickets to see the Harlem Globetrotters when we went to visit the new neighborhood being built behind us! Yay!

Please Participate in this quiz! CASH PRIZE!!

Hello everyone!

I just posted about an experiment that I would like to try. I am going to have a quiz on here and have a rafflecopter to write your answers in so that they are private and you can be entered into the drawing for the prize! YES there is a prize involved!! $5 CASH PRIZE!! I will pay through Paypal or if you do not have paypal you can have a gift card of your choice.

PLEASE BE HONEST IN YOUR ANSWER. DO NOT CHEAT. The answers will be private so if you do not know the answer just take a guess and I will not judge in any way.  Some of the questions will be meant to have unique answers, no right or wrong.

Please go through and read the questions, then go to the rafflecopter on the corresponding question number and type in your answer. Then click Enter for it to be sent to me and give you another entry into the drawing for the $5. This quiz quiz will be open for 24 hours and a winner will be chosen once it ends! YOU DO NOT HAVE TO GET THE QUESTION RIGHT TO WIN! But, if you are just being silly and not truely participating, I may forfeit your answer.  Good Luck and THANK YOU

Allergy Quiz:

QUESTION # 1: Please tell me if you or someone you know has an allergy. If so, how do you know them? ( They are my child, mother, cousin, brother's best friend, etc.)

QUESTION # 2: What is a food allergy?

QUESTION # 3: What is an Epipen?

QUESTION # 4: How do you use an Epipen?

QUESTION # 5: What are some signs of someone going into Anaphylaxis?

QUESTION # 6: What is Anaphylaxis?

QUESTION # 7: Do you know any of The Big 8 food allergens?

QUESTION # 8: Please tell me what you see in this picture:

You can click the picture to enlarge it.

QUESTION # 9: Please tell me what you see here and how this makes you feel:

You can again click the picture to enlarge it.

QUESTION # 10:  Which of the following can set off a reaction in a food allergic person? (Please report all that you believe apply)

A)ONLY ingesting the particular food allergic to

B)ONLY touching the particular food allergic to 

C)BOTH ingesting OR touching the food allergic to

D)Steam from a food cooking that you are allergic to

E)The smell of a food you are allergic to

F)Cross-contamination of even a minuscule amount of the food allergic to onto a food not allergic to

G) Food allergies are not real

Again, please write your answers into the rafflecopter below. If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me at britnycellerini@hotmail.com  Thank you for being honest in what you believe the correct answers are. After you have entered all of the answers into the rafflecopter below there will be bonus entries to pop up. Those are NOT required but will increase your chances of winning the cash prize!

Experiment!

Hello Everyone. I want to put together a short quiz to see how much the general public really knows about allergies. I am not sure yet if I will be using a Rafflecopter or just writing the questions on here. But, please, no cheating. This is purely an experimental test to see what you all will say and how much you as parents of children of allergies, someone related to someone with allergies or someone that knows nobody with a food allergy know about this matter. I am going to get it all together and start it up! Thank you and I appreciate any involvement!

Family Vacations

Last weekend I surprised my husband with a trip to the coast for his birthday. At first it was a no brainer to me that my kids would be joining us. They love the beach and I love to watch them marvel at the ocean and the many things you find on a beach. But, then I got to thinking about how we have never had our children stay the night at the coast. We would be in a hotel room, eating out and strolling along the stores. This may seem like nothing to the normal parent but to a parent of an allergic child, it becomes a scary thing. I decided that this time I would not bring our children but to see what happens and how to approach the next time when we do take them.

The first thing we did was went to Mo's as my husbands "surprise birthday lunch" (Hehe, he thought that was his one and only surprise!) When we had been there in another city on the coast with my son, they had given us an allergen menu. I looked it over and saw that there were actually a few things that he could have. I was too nervous about actually letting him eat though because I didn't know where the nearest hospital was. This time at this restaurant we were seated to where I could see right into part of the kitchen. I was sitting directly in front of the door. I saw that they also had the allergen menu with the children's menus. Although any menus they got back uncolored on were put back in with the others in the same slot they kept the allergen menus. Then I was really baffled. I have gotten my food handlers before and I know at least a small gist of what they are required to do when handling food. There was one waitress cutting up a peanut butter cream pie and dishing it onto plates. She would then take it to the person that ordered it. There was one piece though, that sort of fell apart. So, I guess it was not presentable enough. I saw probably 5 people on the wait staff grabbing forks and taking bites of the pie as they walked to a table or picked up someone's food to take to the table. They weren't careful either. These people used a fork, one dropped their fork on the ground another wiped their mouth with their hand and so forth. Yes, I may sound like I had way too much time, which I did but I also was using this trip as a way to see if I could even bring my son to these places. I was not the least bit impressed. In fact, I probably would not go back to that one.. even without my son.

We did a lot of visiting shops which could be hazard when there are candy stores surrounding them. But, I could keep that manageable. We also went down to the tide pools. I thought about that even and was unsure if that could REALLY be safe. I think that is one thing, though, that we will have to just try and see what happens.

The hotel room was one thing I did not think much about until I saw it. We got a nice room in a nice hotel. In fact, it was labeled a suite. But, I saw that there were crumbs on the floor and I know how hotels can be with cleaning the bedding. Also, if my son could not be eating out at these places, I would need to bring something to be made there. That would mean we would either have to find an even nicer hotel with a kitchen or I would need to bring things that could be made in a microwave or stored in the fridge. I am willing to do that, of course, so that my children can have the experience. When that time comes I will be calling ahead and probably calling around to see what accommodations can be made for him.

Some friends of ours are getting married in June. They are doing so at the coast and since both my husband and my daughter are part of the wedding party we will be staying the night before for rehearsals and such. So, apparently I will be having this coast experience soon! I have no idea what hotel we will stay at but when I know, I know that I will be having some conversations with some of the staff there. I will definitely be blogging about how that experience goes as far as the allergy aspect. But, I am hoping that all will go smoothly and I just may be a bit of an overly protective mom!

Easter!

Oh boy, Easter was definitely one for the record books. I stayed up late getting the baskets together and filling eggs. My kids were to excited to go to sleep so I had to wait a long time to even start. Then Easter morning comes. BOTH of my children woke up vomiting. My daughter at 7 am, might I add. They both were sick all morning and a little of the afternoon. My daughter was the worst. every time she would stand up she would vomit. It was terrible I felt so bad for her. They couldn't even get excited about the Easter baskets waiting on the table for them. When it was about lunch time I went to the store to pick up chicken broth, crackers, bananas and gatorade to try to ease some discomfort. When I got back, they had an appetite so I let them eat a little. But, then they came back for more and drank their whole big bottles of gatorade. I tried to get them to sip it but that was not happening. It was amazing though because it was like they were VERY sick one minute and perfectly fine the next. So, I got to dress them up and let them do the egg hunt and then even go to their grandpa's house for dinner.

I did my Easter shopping last minute this year. I am usually well prepared and stocked up weeks in advance. But, this year I got it done on the Wednesday before.  I will show you what I got. ( I didn't get a lot due to the lack of time but it did the job. :) )

These are what i got to fill the eggs with. The starburst jelly beans are free of ALL of my son's allergens. The Sweedish fish are too. They love them and are free of  the big 8 allergens.

These are what I got to put in the Easter basket along with some other things.

Now with this "Fluffy Stuff" I read the ingredients and they did not have any of his allergens. In fact on the back it shows this statement:

Click the picture for a bigger view. It said it was produced in a facility that does not use peanuts, tree nuts, eggs or gluten. But it says nothing about Milk. So, I look in the ingredients and none are fishy. I ultimately decided to buy and give to them anyway. But, after they had brought it to me to open, I started to doubt again. So, I was using the trusty ole google to find what ingredients are make of. Once I saw that there was no milk, I gave a small peice to my son to try. He looks at the package and tells me that he is allergic to peanuts, peanuts give him allergies. I tell him that is true but that picture of peanuts means that it is peanut free. So, I give it to him and he keeps looking at the packaging and says "Mommy, peanuts give me allergies" HE REFUSED TO EAT IT! Even from me! I was so proud at that moment that I did not even want to correct him. :)

So, here was the ending product as far as their Easter Baskets:

Although it started out VERY crumby, it ended as a great day!

Today 4-8-12

It is only 8:30 here so you would think I would not have much to tell of this morning but I do. I was going to write a blog about the Easter baskets I made for my kids and the Easter eggs I put together and was going to hide. But, it looks like Easter has been postponed at my house. I have 2 vomiting children. The weird part is that normally you have one vomiting child that gets the other child sick so you get a little bit of a break between kids. But, both of my kids as soon as they woke up, threw up. It is hard to juggle to vomiting children at once. And I am just stumped as to what could have caused this. I mean, they haven't really been around anyone besides my son in his class but even then, he would have gotten sick first and given it to my daughter. So, the point of this blog post is not to gross you all out on Easter but to let you know that I WILL be doing an Easter post it just most likely wont be today... unless my kids start feeling better. If anyone has experienced anything like this or has any idea why this could possibly have happened, please let me know. I'm going a little crazy not knowing. Thanks, and I will be back when I can.

Today 4-5-12

Today my son had his early intervention class. He likes to ride the bus so although most of the time I can drive him to school he asks to ride the bus and gets excited about it. When he got on the bus today I was buckling him as normal and saw that one kid was telling my son that he had a sucker. I thought, why are they letting the kids bring food on the bus? I know normally they do not let them since my son is riding the bus. But, this is also a bus driver that I have only seen 3 times. Then the bus driver tells me that he brought suckers for the kids. He pointed to the box and asked if my son could have them. I saw that they were dum dums and told him that they are usually okay because they are made in facilities dedicated to being free of the big 8 allergens. ( I love that!) He says "So what is he most allergic to?"....... I said "He is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts," He says "What are tree nuts?" I told him that it is pretty much every other nut so that makes it so he is allergic to all nuts. He is amazed at this. And I wasn't even finished naming off his food allergies. Once I told him that he is also allergic to milk and eggs he was kind of stunned into silence. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with this guy or trying to say anything bad about this man. He just obviously knows NOTHING about food allergies. This is a big reason I write this blog. Food allergies are a very serious matter and a lot of people do not understand the severity. When I was younger, people thought that my food allergy was me actually just not liking the food and claiming it made me have a tummy ache. It was much more but there were not many with food allergies so it was not as widely known or understood. I am hoping that with how many children now have severe food allergies, more and more people will be more knowledgeable about food allergies.

Today 4-4-12

Today we did a lot of running around. I have discovered this new local virtual garage sale and have been buying and selling like crazy! It is so fun! After making all of those runs we decided to stop by the mall. In sears they have this clearance section and I am huge on clearance. I saw this popcorn maker and went to buy it. I noticed that it had wrapping paper on it still so it must have been a gift that someone had returned. I had asked the lady working about it because if it was previously used I did not want to buy it. It could have had some sort of butter or other on it. She said that it was not because it would have a different type of tape if it was opened. When I opened it I saw a little bit of residue. I don't know if it was packing residue or it was actually used once. So, I cleaned it and used it for the first time. My son has not had a reaction thank goodness but even making purchases like that, you never really know if someone had opened it and then re-taped it to return it. I am happy that we now have this because I always make popcorn on the stove which takes a lot of time and effort. I will post my delicious recipe for home-made kettle corn at a later date. But, that is what we had. YUM!

My son still has a rash on his belly. He got it yesterday and I have no idea why. It could be related to the hive outbreaks I told you all about in a previous post but it has not gotten any better. When I called my son's Dr. they told me just to watch it and that he would be fine to go to his early intervention class and resume all normal activities.

Thanks for reading, and if you would like, click the banner on my home page to sign up for Totsy e-mails. they really are such a great company and you get a lot of things at up to a 90% discount!

Totsy

I know that a lot of you are parents, grandparents or have a special little person in your life. Totsy is a GREAT site where you can buy things at a VERY discounted price! You should check it out!

Click here to sign up!

"Join Totsy to receive exclusive sales for kids, moms, and families. Totsy offers moms on-the-go and moms-to-be access to brand-specific sales, up to 90% off retail, just for them and the kids, ages 0-8.: -Totsy

I also have the banner on my home page you can click that and sign up for e-mails etc. You will be very pleased!

ehealth

CLICK HERE:

http://click.discountclick.com/go/click.php?tid=825100


These are e-mails with BREAKTHROUGH alerts! Very informative!

Peanut Free Schools

Thank you to Allergy Eats for sharing this article!

Please read this article about a boy needing to have an ambulance called in his middle school.

Ambulance called to middle school for peanut allergy.

Now that you have read it, I can comment on it.  This just shows how serious peanut or any allergy really is. They stated "They have said more than 40 Brookings students have life-threatening peanut allergies" They also stated "Mickelson does sell peanut butter and jelly sandwiches each day as a lunch option. Neiles said on any given day, between 75 and 125 students eat a PB&J as their main course. Mickelson does not have a peanut-free zone for lunches."

Does that not sound like a disaster waiting to happen? I am surprised it has taken this long for a child to fall ill with their peanut allergies. The worst part is that they have no idea how this happened. If you have NO peanut-free zone and NO rules about peanuts it is going to contaminate everything. What children deliberately wash their hands after lunch while at school? Take a classroom full of middle school aged children and tell me there are no kids in there that think a peanut allergy is something to laugh at and not as serious as we make it seem.

I will give you of an example of how easy it is to give a peanut allergic person an allergy. Jane Doe eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch sitting in her 2x2 ft space. Now, not only is that space contaminated but so are her hands and anything else that may have been touched. Jane walks out of the cafeteria doors where she touches the handle contaminating that. Now, any child that touches that handle will be contaminated. But, we are still on Jane. Jane goes to hand in her homework to her teacher. She now has contaminated anything in the classroom she has touched including her homework that the teacher has placed in a pile of other homework. Now, imagine Jane Doe and John Doe(The allergic child) are in the same class. John will be getting his homework back that could have been the page right under hers. Now, this may not always be a terrible situation. It may give John a few hives on his hand because of the minute amount of oils that are now on his paper. But, if John were to touch his eye or mouth the story changes. He brushes an eyelash or coughs into his hand and now his body has the possibility of going into anaphylaxis. You do not have to Directly take a peanut, rub it onto the couch cushion (as they are making it sound in the article) to cause a reaction like that. It can be as minute as Jane touched her peanut butter, Jane touched her homework, Jane's homework touches John's homework, John touches his eyes or nose and there ya have it.

Peanut allergies tend to have the most serious reactions and are becoming more and more common. More and more schools are becoming peanut-free zones. Parents think that this is taking it too far. In the article they say "Others have said banning peanuts from schools is going too far. They say peanut-free zones and educating students and staff on how to deal with allergic reaction would be enough to keep allergic students safe." These are people that have no idea of the severity of the allergy. If your child was the one allergic to peanuts your outlook would be completely different. Do we allow poisons in school? What if my child brought in a poison that if touched by your child could kill him but because my child is immune to it, he can bring it to school? These parents would go bananas over it. It is scary EVERY day for parents of allergic children. We send them off into the world where we are not there watching their every move. We are not there to be sure that they do not touch these allergens that could potentially kill them. Can we have this one security of having school, their home away from home, be a peanut-free zone? These parents are saying that their children eating their favorite sandwich should be more important than the safety of my child. The safety of those 40 children in that school!

I'm sorry to have made this so long. I just can get very opinionated on this subject. I could go on and on all day but I will stop myself now. My son is in a preschool type class and they are a peanut-free zone. I cannot tell you how grateful I am to every staff member at that school for the steps they take to keep my son safe. I do not know what is to come for when my son is in kindergarten and beyond but I hope that they will treat it in the same accordance. Or, at least enough to keep him safe.

If you have an opinion, feel free to post it here. That is what I am here for.

Today 4-1-12

Today I made some muffins with egg baked in for breakfast and my son ate two with no reaction whatsoever!  That was exciting. I don't usually give him much because I am afraid that will give him a reaction. My son must be going through a growth spurt because he is eating seconds and thirds and fourths and still asking for more! This kid is going to eat everything before I can restock! And I coupon to stock up on things! How is he going to be as a growing teenage boy? I know that teenagers eat a lot of food and boys eat even more! He is eating as much as I would think a teeange boy would eat. And to add on top of it, he doesn't have a HUGE variety of food to eat so I will be cooking and baking a lot to satisfy his growing hunger when he is older!

Today while running errands I looked at Easter items. I saw that there was A LOT that my son cannot eat. This year even some of the Sourpatch candies are made in a facility with nuts. I thought that I would have time to check all of the different stores. I was on the phone when I was told that Easter is one week away! I was caught off guard. I usually start preparing weeks in advance to find all of the things that I can put into the Easter baskets and eggs. I guess I really have my work cut out for me this week! I will keep you all informed since this is another holiday where candy is very popular.

Persistent Hives

After my son has his 2 allergic reactions yesterday I was concerned. Then this morning as I was getting ready to go fill in at work, my son had ANOTHER reaction. Again, just hives. So, I decided to call his allergist. After waiting 2 hours I got a phone call. In the mean time my son had yet another random allergic reaction.

After explaining to the allergist what has been happening and answering his questions about where the hives were forming, how often, if he was eating before it happened and so on. (They started around his mouth and would move down his chin and neck at times, they were happening a few times a day and he was not eating before 3 of the 4 reactions.) He told me that sometimes a child's body will present hives when trying to fight off an infection or something that is going on in the body. The fact that it was repeatedly happening and in the same places without eating food before proves that it is not a food allergic reaction. This is very new to me and seems quite odd. But, he told me that it is actually more common for that to happen than it is for a child to have food allergies. He says that as long as it is not going internally as it would with anaphylaxis that there is nothing to worry about and to keep him on a higher dose of Zyrtec for the next week. It may last up to a month!


I just thought I would let you all know about this because not only did I have no idea that a body could appear to be having an allergic reaction when it actually is not but it is quite common and can seem concerning. After yesterday and this morning I was very nervous and thought it was my fault, that maybe I had let someone get something on the furniture he was allergic to or that somehow he was now allergic to our previously hypoallergenic dog. Thank goodness it is not that!

Has anything like this happened with anyone else?

Yesterday

I am sorry that I did not blog last night! Time just got away from me. My son had ANOTHER reaction. I am not sure what is causing this but I will be cleaning any chance I get. It may have been that the dog got into something too. Last night he ended up having more hives. But, again that was as far as it went. I didn't know that at first and gave him Benadryl while holding the Epipen, just in case. Like I have said before, when they have BOTH food allergies and environmental allergies it can be difficult to tell the two apart at first. Environmental allergies can present with runny, sneezing nose, hives, red itchy eyes, asthma and itchiness. Food allergies start out the same way. When my son ingests a food he will get all of those reactions before he gets the other symptoms. Typically his symptoms develop rapidly after I notice that he is having some sort of allergic reaction when it is to food. But, that is why it is a waiting game. If you are unsure what has caused the reaction you have to wait and see what symptoms present themselves. I don't want to give my son the shot when it could just be that he ran into some pollen or was around cats. I am not sure if this situation happens to other people with children that have both allergies but I would assume so since if you have food allergies you are very likely to have other allergies as well.

I'm playing the allergy waiting game.

So, I thought this would be a good time to do a blog post. I am waiting to see if my sons allergic reaction progresses. A little bit ago my son came to me saying yucky. There was something on his tongue. I see what it is and cannot tell. I ask him to show me and all he shows me is a pencil. So, I was not sure if maybe he had it in his mouth and that was what it was. But, I just went to make them lunch and noticed he had some red hives around his mouth. Not severe but more like red dots. At this point I am unsure what is causing it. It could be something he came in contact with or it could even be nothing more than minor irritation from something else.

As I make him a soynut butter and jelly sandwich I observe him and see that he is randomly scratching at parts of his body. His hand now has a small hive on it. Still, unsure if maybe he was scratched or licked by the dog or he possibly came in contact with a food allergen. At this point, it becomes a waiting game. I need to observe him and see if more spots arise and see if he starts scratching more. There is really no way to know if he is having a severe reaction unless more happens. And what to is a complete mystery to me. I am going to go check on him and let you know what I see.........

As you can see the ones around his mouth are going away. You can see a spot(That looks less pink on camera) under his nose and there are a couple that are hard to see on camera on his chin.

Though the mouth hives are slowly going away there is one that developed under his chin, bigger than the others. You can also see in both pictures a place where he is scratching near his neck on his shoulder.

The hive on his hand is completely gone and he claims he is not very itchy. So, it is STILL a waiting game.

As I should, I checked him again after taking pictures and writing and the one under his chin has gone down a tiny bit. So, I think that since it has been a half hour to 45 minutes since the possible contact, we should be in the clear for an anaphylactic reaction. Anaphylaxis can occur within 2 hours after exposure. But, typically if there is going to be problems with breathing, that happens within 30 to 45 minutes after exposure.

I will blog again tonight and let you know if it was nothing and just needed to be watched or if I end up giving him meds or more.

Travel Utensil Set

Hello Everyone! I was recently playing around on the internet when I came across this GREAT website! The Monogrammed Monkey  This person makes and personalizes things for great prices. What I wanted to tell you about is this children's Travel utensil set. I think this is such a great idea for people with food allergies. Any time I go somewhere I worry about utensils that my son will be using. If we go out to eat, I do not want my son to use the forks and spoons there because I have found hints of food or a definite chance of cross contamination in the kitchen. When we go to other people's houses I like to bring my kids something to eat with or I spend a good amount of time re-cleaning any utensil they may use. This set will be PERFECT! I am planning to keep this in my purse for any time we go somewhere. This also makes it so that my son has more of a variety of food to eat while we are out because it wont have to be finger foods. My kids have learned to drink the applesauce cups that I regularly take places. They will now get to eat it from their own spoons. The best part is that I'm not just throwing a fork and spoon into my purse where it may come in contact with something and I wont have to put a dirty spoon back into my purse. It has it's own carrying case! And best of all it will have my son's name printed right on it!! I can't tell you how excited I am about these!

Here is a picture of some examples:

This is what The Monogrammed Monkey told me about the products:


They are available in 4 colors...pink, yellow, green and blue.
The plastic case measures approximately 6.5 inches long and 2.5 inches high.
It comes with 2 heavy-duty plastic forks & 2 spoons in assorted colors (each spoon/fork set matches, and there are 2 colors in each case)
$10 each, with free shipping!

If you would like to check out their website you can do so by clicking HERE or one of the above links "The Monogrammed Monkey"

You can see multiple pictures of other things that they do by visiting their Facebook page. Click HERE to be connected to the facebook page! Be sure to give them a like so you can see future offers!

I have ordered and paid for mine! I will be posting a review once I get them and use them for the first time, so be on the look out! I have a feeling that I will be buying more. I also like the other things they make, I know that if my husband and I finally decide on having another baby soon, we will be ordering more from this site!