Happy Food Allergy Bullet Points

• Sue found Smooze pops in her store: "I found Smooze at Whole Foods and the girls LOVE it. So does J. And at 10 for $5.39 as opposed to 3 ice cream bars for almost $5, it's a steal. I just hope they don't do what they did with coconut milk yogurt and jack up the price after you're hooked. :)" Thanks, Sue!
• Someone sent me a request for reviewing glasses the other day. I refused, but we started chatting, and it turned out to be Hillary, sister of Bug and BooBoo's Mom of No Moo for You. I love how small the Internets can be. So say hi! You never know who you might be talking with.
  
• A friend of mine from grad school, who we haven't seen since K. was about 18 months old, came for a visit last week. This would have been great enough, but she showed up on our doorstep with Divvies cookies and Dandies vegan marshmallows. How thoughtful is that? This was the first time we'd tried Divvies, and now I see what all the fuss is about. Mmm. Also, I am now one step closer to understanding why people rave about homemade marshmallows. The Dandies were SO good--such a wonderful soft consistency.
  
• A local cooking show filmed at library storytime last week. While many of the foods had dairy, one of the cooks just happened to make a dairy-free slaw and dairy-free no-bake cookies with Enjoy Life chocolate chips. Katherine was over the moon that she could eat two of the five or so dishes. The slaw was vegan and gluten- and nut-free, and the cookies were dairy- and egg-free. Something for everyone doesn't have to be difficult--I promise.
  

The Best-Laid Plans of Mice and Moms

I was waiting to introduce wheat (a family allergen) into Helen's diet when she was nine months old. Helen decided to introduce wheat into her diet today, when she snagged one of her brother's pretzels and ate it all. A prouder, happier baby you have never seen.

A Kinder, Gentler Exercise Routine

The new Living With Food Allergies Carnival is up at The Allergic Kid. I submitted a letter about breast milk ice cream, but the other contributors wrote thought-provoking posts and contributed great recipes, as usual. Vegan Caramel Apples! Mmm....

Since my beloved Denise (SHUT UP!) has been removed from Lifetime, I'm in the market for a new exercise show or DVD. What do you like? Think twice before recommending something hardcore; you're talking to a person still mourning the loss of someone who regularly encouraged her to, "Tone that tushy!"

New

So, have you noticed anything new about the decor around here? I've been messing around with a new banner and have added some other new stuff. Also, I've been asked to be a WellBlogger for Wellsphere because I'm so healthy! Or because I write about food allergies. One of the two. Their new food allergy section should be up soon.

The Allergic Kid is hosting the current Living With Food Allergies Blog Carnival. I submitted a rather negative post, but I'm sure everyone else is cheerful and helpful.

Avoiding Milk Protein has a new blog.

And finally, for moo, a photo of my new ring.



What's new with you?

Pop Quiz, Hotshot

1. You are in charge of a week-long event for children. The snacks have been preplanned, taking the dairy allergy of one of the children into consideration. On the last day, a family informs you that they are ordering pizza for everyone. You say:

a. "Thank you so much, but snacks for the week have already been provided. I'm sure there's another way you could contribute, though, if you'd like."
b. "Thank you, but we have a child with food allergies here. Let's talk to her mom and see if there's something we can order that's safe for her."
c. "Ok."

If you answered "c" to question 1, proceed to question 2. Otherwise, skip to question 3.

2. The mother of the allergic child hears that large quantities of the allergen are arriving for the other children to eat, and her child will not be able to participate. She asks you, the program director, about this. You say,

a. "I'm so sorry. I didn't think about that. What can I do?"
b. "I had nothing to do with it. You'll have to take it up with [family who ordered the food]."

3. The family who ordered the pizza listens to the mother's story and promptly orders a dairy-free pizza with the child's favorite topping because they:

a. are compassionate
b. are nice
c. have a son who had food allergies as a child
d. all of the above

4. You are the father of event participants, but you were not a helper during the week. You come to the snack area for food and see two pepperoni pizzas, 1/2 of a mushroom pizza, 1/2 of a sausage pizza, and a bacon pizza with no cheese. You take a piece of the no-cheese bacon pizza. A mother who is helping points out that that is the dairy-free pizza for people with dietary restrictions, like her child. You:

a. Apologize and eat the other pizzas instead.
b. Apologize and don't take more of the children's pizza.
c. Explain that bacon is your favorite topping and take another slice.

5. You are the mother of the dairy-allergic child. A grown man keeps eating pieces of the dairy-free pizza meant for your child. You:

a. Explain, again, who that pizza is for.
b. Yell at him while beating him about the head with a spatula.
c. Say, "Excuse me," wait for him to move, and stand guard over the pizza for the rest of the evening.

Recipe for a Blog Entry

Take these popular blogging topics:
Food Allergy Awareness Week
The rising cost of food
Being frugal
Cooking without allergens

Mix them all together, and you get Nowheymama's Summer Resolution (I can make a resolution any time of year, thanks.) : I am determined to make more of my family's snack foods from scratch.

*Crickets chirping*

Well, I'm excited about it, and that's what matters. Here are the categories I'm thinking about:
Frozen desserts, such as soy ice cream, sorbet, popsicles
Fruit treats, such as fruit snacks and fruit leather (Remember the 70's? Of course! We all do.)
Gelatins made with fruit juice
Cracker-type items
Snack bars

Because:
I'm tired of spending so much money on this stuff. ($3.79/pint for Tofutti ice cream, Local Health Food Store? Really? $4.19/box for six EnviroKidz peanut butter bars, Local Grocery Store? REALLY?)
I think I can make these things in a healthier AND more cost-effective manner. (You won't see me making my own soy milk anytime soon, for example.)
I want a good supply of go-to recipes for school lunches in the fall.
I think this is the one area of grocery shopping where we haven't cut back much yet.

I'll share recipes and family reviews as we try different foods, and would love to hear any or all of your snack recipes.

Are you with me? Come on, dust off that ice cream maker and dig out your Mom's old Tupperware popsicle molds. Maybe we'll even invest in food dehydrators! Whee!

Food Allergy Awareness Week

This week, May 11-17, is the The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network's eleventh annual Food Allergy Awareness Week. FAAN's website states: "This week is devoted to food allergies. There are lots of ways to get involved—visit a local ambulance provider to learn about epinephrine, hang posters, have a fundraiser, talk to legislators, everything helps." Other suggestions for getting involved are here.

One of my favorite FAAN programs is the Be a PAL: Protect a Life from Food Allergies program, which has easy steps for nonallergic children to help their allergic friends:
"Anyone can be a PAL by following these five easy steps:

1. Never take food allergies lightly.

2. Don’t share food with friends who have food allergies.

3. Wash your hands after eating.

4. Ask what your friends are allergic to, and help them avoid it.

5. If a friend who has food allergies becomes ill, get help immediately!"

PALs can be thanked with a free certificate from the website.

On the Internets

The newest Food Allergy Blog Carnival is up at Rational Jenn's, and Karen at Avoiding Milk Protein has posted a Nowheymama interview. You can find it under "Avoiding Milk Protein News and Information." Thanks, Karen!

Also, I finally got my postpartum self in gear and officially joined WEGO Health, which is shaping up to be a great online community. Come join us!