The end of the year and eczema

There are about ten school days left. Another year over. The end of the year stress is coming too. Awards, parties and so on mean one last round of food coming into the classroom. I'm ready but I am so tired of fighting the fight. When will food not be used in the classroom?

Does anyone else have a child that has eczema? Our eczema has been under control for a loooong time and this week it is back. It is back with a vengeance. I can not get it to go away! Any tips?

Food allergy awareness week

Another food allergy awareness week is here. Won't it be nice when food allergies are a thing of the past? Until that is a reality I feel that it is our job to not only work towards a cure but we need to raise awareness too. 1 out of every 13 kids has a food allergy but so many people do not know enough about this potentially fatal condition.
What are you doing this week to raise awareness? I have sent in certificates, pencils, and stickers to my daughter's classroom.
Check out FARE and FAACT's websites to learn more about what you can do this week to raise awareness.

Hello May

Well, that was another fast school year. Time really needs to slow down. Only about 5 weeks left. Very hard to believe.
I'm sure there will be the end of the year festivities coming soon. We will be ready, cupcakes in hand.
How was your year?

May also brings food allergy awareness week starting on May 11. I have also read that FARE has declared it food allergy awareness month, great idea!
What are you doing to raise awareness this year? I am sending in certificates, pencils, and stickers for my daughter and her classmates.

Something great happened

So, she went on a field trip without us.
I was nervous.
I was scared.
I was worried.
Then the phone rang while she was on the trip. I think I aged about 30 years. It was the teacher. I just aged 50 more years. Everything was fine. She wanted to know if my daughter could hold baby chicks while wearing gloves.
My mind was screaming no but the word yes came out....
I hung up the phone and I wondered what I had just done.
My cell phone dinged. I had a text. It was a picture from the teacher. My daughter, with gloves, was holding an animal.
I cried, sobbed actually.
A few hours later she came home. She got off of the bus with an enormous smile. She talked and talked about how soft and cute the baby chicks were. She pet a goat and a pig too with gloves on.
It was quite a day for all of us.

A wonderful friend said"You've found a great balance of keeping her safe and letting her grow"

Very powerful words to me. I need to print them out and put them on my office wall. I need to read them when I'm having a hard day or when I am worried about a decision that we have made. I do need to keep her safe but she does need to grow. As much as I try to keep her little, it isn't working. She's getting older and she needs to live a life.

Powerful words....

A trip today

My daughter is off on a walking field trip today. Pretty much out the door, across a field and over to the high school. They will learn about animals, plants and so on. They will have lunch before hand and the trip doesn't include eating anything.
I told her a thousand times this week-
Don't touch the animals.
Don't feed the animals.
Don't get close enough to the animals so that they could possibly lick you.
When you plant something wear gloves.

I think that all falls under "things you didn't know that you would have to say to your child".

It certainly is a strange life that we lead.....

Food Allergy Bullying

Have you ever had any problems with bullying and food allergies? So many people face bullying in regards to their food allergies. This is going to be a great event that you should not miss. Please share the information with others who may need it. Please also share with your schools, it is so very important. Not one child should be bullied because of their food allergies.

Love Remembers

Today is a day set aside for remembering those that have been lost to anaphylaxis. It's so important but so very, very sad.
I find it amazing that today is the day to remember those lost to anaphylaxis because today is the day that my house was hit by anaphylaxis.
My daughter at the time was 3 1/2. She ate walnuts. She turned red. She was lethargic. She was zoned out. She was coughing and wheezing. It was an awful sound. That day is burned in my brain for ever. I will always remember the sights of that day, the sounds too. It's like it was happening in slow motion. I remember everything that was said, everything that we did.
By the grace of G-d she made it through.
It's hard to believe that this awful day was 5 years ago.
How horrible my life would be if she didn't make it......
Hug your kids tight and think of those lost today.