It is amazing what can happen in a month’s time! 

Papaw and the boys planting the bean seeds on May 23rd.

The bean plants now!

Look at those cute little cornstalks!

Look at them now!

Baby J then...

...and, Baby J now. Can you believe he is already 5 months old???

Me then...

...and, me now!

This topic is always my biggest concern.  Obviously, I am always thinking about how to help Little R live a normal life while avoiding a potential food allergy reaction, especially a life threatening one.  He has had a few sporadic reactions over the years since his first one that almost took his life.  None of them required an Epi-Pen, but my biggest concern with this is that it can cause us to become complacent.

A lot of people are under the impression that all food allergy reactions will be like the first one.  They think that all symptoms will be the same, or that because the first reaction was not life threatening, that a life threatening one is unlikely. 

I cannot say it any clearer that THIS IS NOT TRUE!  I don’t know how many people I have talked to that have food allergy children, or care for one, and they inevitably make the comment that “They just get red around the mouth.  They have never had a life threatening reaction.”  Or, “Their reactions are NEVER anaphylactic.”  I believe that this is what makes death due to a food allergy reaction HIGH RISK!  I have read, and heard it said at FAAST food allergy meetings, that the number one cause of death from a food allergy reaction is FAILURE TO USE THE EPI-PEN IN TIME!  If you care for a food allergy child, you must first believe that any reaction could be potentially turn life threatening and be prepared to use the Epi-Pen! 

Ask any family who has lost a child due to a food allergy reaction.  I would bet that none of these families were the ones who were what most people would call “overprotective” when it came to their child’s food allergy.  I do not mean any disrespect to these parents.  I know how easy it is to live in denial or ignorance about food allergies.  Doctors just do not do a good enough job educating about them.  But, I just know too many other parents and care givers who live in this fog, and I wish for them to wake up, so to speak.

Read the story of  BJ Horn, or Emily Vonder Meulen.  Both of these children were loved by their parents, but ended up dying from food allergy reactions (namely peanut allergy) because the volatility of their allergy was not understood completely.  Click on their names to read their stories, and pay attention to the part where their parents basically say, “We didn’t know/believe that their allergy would be truly life threatening.”

Nobody wants to believe that they could lose their child, especially because of  food.  But, if your child has a food allergy, you MUST start taking this seriously!  If your child has a peanut allergy, you especially need to be on alert as peanut allergies appear to be the MOST volatile.

Emily Vonder Meulen

*BJ Horn link is from Allergy Moms blog.  Gina does a great job educating about food allergies.  I recommend reading her website and blog.

*Emily Vonder Meulen link is from Food Allergy Angel website.  Picture used with permission from her father Paul Vonder Meulen.  Paul has developed this website to help share Emily’s story in an effort to educate others about food allergies.

My husband and I will be celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary this month.  Though it is not until the 20th, he is always bringing me beautiful tokens of love on a regular basis.  Today, for instance, after he worked hard all day long, he still took the time to stop and bring home this beautiful red rose for me!

I should mention that this beautiful red rose included a delicious box of dark chocolates!

“Mom, can you go to the store and buy us another sword?  We only have one sword, and we can’t sword fight with only one sword!”

“Well, no, we can’t run to the store and just buy things like that every time you think you need something.  But, I have a better idea…” 

Ahh... weapon bliss!

Little R learns to blow a bubble with his bubble gum for the fist time.  I finally figured out how to share our videos…. YAY! 

 

For the past couple of years I have been wanting to put the boys into swim lessons.  I have always been reluctant because of the cost involved.  I can’t believe how expensive it usually is for swim lessons!  Most places I contacted told me it would be $90 for a 1/2 hour lesson once a week for six weeks!  UGH!

I got lucky this year.  A friend informed me of a pool near her house that offers swim lessons five days per week for two weeks- and is only $50 per child!  As you can imagine, I hopped right onto that one… and I am so glad I did.

Little C would not participate, but Little R jumped right in, so to speak.  In just two weeks, he has learned how to float on his back, swim (well, doggie paddle, but I will take it!) all around the pool, and swim under water among other things.  He even jumped off the HIGH-DIVE! 

 I feel very good about the lessons because they are provided by the local Red Cross Chapter, and they appear to be very thorough.  Mostly, though, I am impressed with Little R’s progress.

Little R during his swim lessons.

We are experiencing some very unseasonably cool weather this week, so in response to a friend, we met up at the zoo.  We have not been to the zoo since last fall, so this was our first trip with Baby J!  His behavior was amazing, as were his older brothers’.  We had a very nice time.  I just wish I would have taken more pictures, but I am sure we will capture more in the future.

Here is one of my favorites...

...and these are my ABSOLUTE favorites!

I just had to post this picture!  It is a very rare moment in our house when the two big boys are engaged in this kind of physical contact…lol!

Should I blow this photo up and hang it as a reminder to me that they really do love each other?

Where we live, the local youth baseball association offers a program for the littlest guys to help them get started in the game of baseball.  The program is called “Wizards,” and it was designed to teach these little guys the basics of baseball.  There are not teams or games, only stations set up to help teach each skill needed to play the game. 

Little C and his Wizards coach.

In the beginning of the lesson, all the children work on learning how to throw.  This is all done in a fun way such as throwing squishy balls at the coach, and throwing baseballs at metal trash cans hung on the fence (called “bing,” “bang,” “bong.”)  Learning how to catch the ball entails such language as “alligator snap!” (for catching grounders.)  You get the picture.  It is nothing but pure fun while learning how to play baseball.

He looks good, don't you think?

"Pinkies down!" to practice "Alligator Snap!"

At the end of the session, which is about six weeks long, the skill of sliding is introduced!  A large blue tarp is spread out in the grass and covered in water.  The children line up and take turns running and sliding in the way the instructor demonstrated.  This, of course, is the highlight of the experience!

Just a little reluctant....

 

 

Little R feeding Baby J.

If only you were around when you were a baby!  You are such a good helper.  I am so proud of how you have stepped up with your new baby brother.  Thank you little buddy.   Love, Mom.

Each of my children have this photo from their first time in the pool at the farm.  It is so interesting to see how these little fellas will react to the pool water for the first time.  For Baby J, it was no problem!  It happened to be a very hot day outside, and the water was pretty warm as well.  He truly loved it.

Baby J's first time in Mamaw's and Papaw's pool.

Papaw and the little boys...

...and two boys with Mamaw.

Have any of you heard of this?  Apparently nanosilver is used in many kinds of products as some kind of anti-bacterial/anti-fungal agent.  It is a biocide.  For instance, it might be added into toys, cutting boards, or sippy-cups to aid in killing bacteria and fungus. 

I came across this information while I was reading the site The Campaign For Safe Cosmetics.  While the idea of protecting us from harmful bacteria and such seems like a great idea, there is also a lot of belief that using things like the nano-silver is preventing our immune systems form developing properly.

This reminds me of the “too clean” theory, and how many people believe this is what has led to the burst of food allergies.  I always thought the “too clean” theory was a bunch of hoo ha, because I mainly thought it was linked to how I kept house, for instance.  Don’t get me wrong, I do not live in dirty or trashy home, but I am not what I would consider to be obsessed with cleanliness…  I have nothing but boys in my house for crying out loud…LOL!

My point is that there are obviously other factors in our daily lives that many of us do not even realize exsist.  These things are affecting our health, and we don’t even know it!  A lot of concerning statements have been in the news recently, like the danger of BPA.  So, it is not surprising to me that there are other things as well. 

I guess I am upset about all of this because I have been in the dark, so to speak.  I think we take it for granted that we are being looked out for on these kinds of issues.  It has become apparent that we have to look out for ourselves. 

Some things can be avoided- eating unprocessed food, eating organic food, avoiding the use of other products with too many chemicals.  But, some things are not so easy avoid.  The use of the nano-chemicals is used in many things we would never think about.  There is also know way of knowing it is present.  The ONLY way to protect ourselves is to speak out!

**UPDATE**

I finally recieved my Green Screen order in the mail.  I ordered the 4oz. tube of SPF22 tinted sunscreen.  I am sorry to say that I am a little disappointed.  Perhaps I should have spent more time investigating, but not only does the sunscreen wash off with water, it looks very weird with the added tint.  I put it on Little C and it looked like he was covered in my make up…lol!  I guess I will check to see if they might have another product that will work for us, and I will let you know how it goes.

I guess it is one of those necessary evils.  I don’t know about you, but for me, putting sunscreen on my little guys is a HUGE chore!  Not only do they not like putting it on, but it seems to get everywhere while we are in the process. 

Okay, now you ladies out there with the little girls, I know, they probably stand still and don’t have any problem at all…lol!

Anyway, what got me thinking about sunscreen was the meeting I had with our pediatrician the other day.  Baby J is only four months old, so she said he shouldn’t have sunscreen on his little body yet.  I started asking more questions as to why, and what could we do instead.  She  then told me that I could use something with only zinc oxide as the active ingredient.  It would work well and be safe.

So… where do I find zinc oxide?  I remember the crazy colored sunscreens form long ago, and I remember something about zinc oxide being part of them.  Not only do I NOT want to lather Baby J up with crazy colored lotion, I am not even sure it is available anymore.  Our pediatrician told me that diaper cream has zinc oxide as the active ingredient.  Of course, diaper cream is thick and white, but I found that if you rub it in well it isn’t as obvious.  A little whiteish color is better than any sunburn, in my opinion.

All of this talk and tial with the diaper cream as a sunscreen led me to start googling.  I googled zinc oxide sunscreen and found quite a bit of information.  One interesting article that I found was at Healthy Child.  The author wrote about the dangers of other chemicals used in sunscreens.  I was kind of shocked!  I have been using all kinds of sunscreen on my children for the past six years.  My biggest concern (after avoiding Little R’s food allergies…) has been how strong is the sunscreen that I am going to use?  I have always been led to believe that the stronger the better.  Maybe this can explain why Little R’s skin turns horrible come summertime.

Maybe you are already well informed on this subject.  I would love to hear some of your thoughts.

I came across a brand that uses 25% zinc oxide and a tint to help with the whiteness.  It is called Green Screen, and is made by Kabana Skin Care.  I can’t wait to give it a try!

 

One of my BIGGEST pet peeves is that at any given moment I can look across the house at the bathroom and find the light on!  Always.  On.  I have told the boys countless time, “Please turn the light off when you are finished in the bathroom.”  After wasting so much of my own energy getting after them, and reading a friend’s clever post on Facebook, I decided to install (well, hubby did the installing…) a light switch with a motion sensor!

If only I knew these exsisted long ago!

We found ours at The Home Depot for about $19.00.  There are a few different kinds available that offer a variety of ranges in motion detection.  We have installed a second in our basement. 

Now all we need is an automatic toilet flusher...LOL!

Mmmm… Who doesn’t like their sweet stuff every once in awhile?  I know I sure do, and so do my kids.  My biggest problem with this habit is what goes into some of this sweet stuff.  I have always been leary of Red Dye, for instance.   In fact, you can read about my concern here.  High fructose corn syrup is another.  I am always on the lookout for better things to fulfill our sweet tooth cravings. 

Recently, I was contacted by Surf Sweets to test and review their product.  Surf Sweets makes a variety of different gummy candies and jelly beans.  They are all certified organic, and safe of at least our allergens (peanuts, tree-nuts, and eggs.)  I was very pleased to learn that their products do not use any artificial dyes.

The true test, however, is in the taste.  I can assure you that this was the best part of my experience.  I thought the gummy candies and jelly beans tasted great!  My children were very quick to agree. 

You can visit www.surfsweets.com to learn more about the product and where it can be found.

The other evening, we put together a very impromptu get together with some neighbor friends.  What was a bad experience, turned into a great one!

Earlier that day we were at a family gathering for a graduation party.  These kind of get togethers are always a little nerve racking for me because of Little R’s food allergies.  As you can imagine, there is always a lot of food around with so many people to feed.  My family has gotten pretty good at thinking and planning ahead so that Little R can have a safe visit, but this visit turned ugly!

There were a lot of kids visiting at this gathering, so one of my uncles had planned for a fun activity for them.  The first red flag, or what should have been for me, was when he gathered the kids and had them go search for pine cones.  Yeah, you know where this is going.  I was busy socializing with other relatives, having my own fun, so I was not paying much attention.  The next thing I know, Little R came up to me with a very frightened look on his face and told me that all the kids were playing in PEANUT BUTTER!  You can imagine the skipped beat that my heart experienced at that moment!

I couldn’t believe my eyes!  Little R, with a very sad face, walked off to the other side of the yard and told me he would just play alone until they were done.  BUT, that was NOT good enough!  Peanut butter is not easy to clean up!  I knew that no matter how much effort was placed in hand washing, there would still be peanut butter lingering.  This party was no longer safe for Little R.

I very quickly decided that we HAD to leave.  What was worse was that Little C was covered in said peanut butter!  I had my mom take him inside to wash up as best as she could until we could get home for a real shower and change of clothes.  Little R was NOT happy about my decision to leave.  So, I very quickly came up with a change in plans… our own backyard bon-fire!

I quickly called my hubby to send him out for a fire-pit.  I then called some of our friends in the neighborhood.  We ended up having a GREAT time that night roasting marshmallows and making S’mores.  In spite of the horrific experience earlier in the day, it just goes to show what a positive attitude can do.  (And, no, my attitude was not positive at first, I must confess…)

I am sorry for the long post, but I had to get all of that off my chest!  You are probably wondering why I am sharing so many details.  I think it is important for our friends and family members to get a clear picture of what it is like living with these horrible food allergies.  Thanks for listening.

Little R enjoying one very yummy S'more!

…well, sort of.  I dream of the day when I will have time and knowledge enough to do some real gardening.  For now, we will have to be happy with little potted plants.  I am not even sure if these will do any good. 

The other morning, I realized that I still needed to replant the cute little flowers that the boys gave me for Mother’s Day.  I also have seed packets that I recently won from a drawing at Garden Glimpses… (wish me luck Tammy!)  So, we got out or gardening gear and headed out to the backyard.  Little C had a HUGE interest in helping me with this project.  He has a fondness for dirt.

Little C helping fill the cups with dirt.

More dirt!

Little R did come out to help replant the flower he has grown for me. Notice the jammies and clean hands??? He did not want to get dirty...lol!

I thought it would look pretty to grow flowers in this can, but we will see if it works.

Our Little C, the "Water Bug!"

This is the flower that Little C gave me for Mother's Day.

This is the flower (we think Sunflower?) the Little R planted from a seed at school. He brought it home for me for Mother's Day.

Hopefully I will be able to give an update on the progress of our flowers with pretty pictures of color and flower petals…lol!

I don’t think this entry will need much commentary.  The pictures will speak for themselves…

Little C was with me, Little R was at the other end of the field with Mamaw and Papaw.

One tradition is finding the BIGGEST strawberry EVER!

:-)

We picked 30 Lbs!

Little C likes to help more than Little R this year.

Yummy!

We go to Bet-Ter Farms in Highland County, Ohio.  It is only $1 per pound of the yummiest strawberries!

Last weekend was incredibly busy.  In addition to graduations and parties, we also had a fun filled Saturday at the Kentucky Speedway.  My father-in-law’s birthday present this year was to drive a real race car!  He is a Nascar fan, so we figured he would love this… which he did!  There were a few others in our family who got to drive as well, and at the last minute I got to be added in for a ride!  Yep, I took a ride in a real race car, with a real race car professional, going 165 mph!  Fun!  Here are some pictures…

My very happy father-in-law.

Oopsy was there.

Me, my sister-in-law, and Oopsy!

My boys didn't know I was going to ride. When they saw me in racing gear, their eyes got HUGE!

Can you see my very nervous smile???

Little C waiting with Papaw while he is patiently awaiting his turn.

My sister-in-law getting ready to start her engine!

Little C and Little R dreaming of the day they get their chance. Little C has informed us he wants to be a race car driver when he grows up.

Like I said...

Little R got a turn, too.

"Where are they?"

Maybe you would like to take a turn?

Okay, so I am a little late in posting this.  On Friday we had a lot to celebrate.  Little R graduated kindergarten!  We had such a wonderful experience, thanks to his wonderful teacher Mrs. M.  While I am very much looking forward to our homeschool experience, we will miss her greatly.  If she were to be his teacher next year, I might have had a hard decision.   Sending your child off to kindergarten is not easy.  Especially when it is the first born and he has life-threatening food allergies.  Thank you so much Mrs. M for such a wonderful kindergarten experience!

Here are some kindergarten graduation pictures…

Our Little graduate!

"Thank you for coming. When I grow up I want to be a policeman."

Little R and our favorite teacher in the whole world!

Cute!

In addition to our kindergarten graduation, we had a highschool graduation as well!  Congratulations to our nephew E.  He is the first of the grandchildren on my husband’s side to graduate highschool.  he will be going on to Georgetown College to play football this fall.

Big E and Little R.

And, I almost forgot!  Oopsy was there.