Food Allergies with a Tween

Olivia turned 12 a few weeks ago and overnight she became a tween.

Mood swings. Attitude. Drama.
It's apparently a complete package as soon as they blow out their 12 candles on the nut-free cake.

Anyway...

Tonight is Olivia's first junior high dance. OK, it's being advertised as a "get together" for the 6th grade (and ONLY the 6th grade) but there will be a DJ so it's a dance.

Liv is going with two of her friends because THANKFULLY (as far as I am aware) boys are still gross at this point in time. OK, I'm hoping they're still gross. ;)

Last night she asked if she could "just" take her wristlet with her iPhone and some money to pay for admission to the "dance."

Honey, you need to take your EpiPens. 

But they aren't serving food. 

You need to take your EpiPens. 

Silence. And tears. Many, many tears.

And so it begins - the push back about the EpiPens.

Look I get it. There isn't going to be any food at the event but what if there IS? What if they have a concession stand open? You need to carry your EpiPens at all times when you go somewhere. I know it's not "cool" when you're 12 and want to be like all the other kids but you aren't like all the other kids. 

You're different. You have food allergies. And you need to carry your EpiPens. 
Always. 

After the tears last night I tabled the discussion until this afternoon. I don't want to start down the path of not taking the EpiPens when she goes somewhere. It's not a good path to take.

Here's hoping reason will win out over "being cool."

Update: Olivia took her purse AND her EpiPens and all was well with the world. ;) 

Happy Almost New Year!

Yes I have been a total slacker on this blog.

Life is like that.

I still have posts to write about our dining experiences at Walt Disney World (mostly positive) and I'll get to those.

It's been crazy around here with the holidays.

Also, we think Olivia had an allergic reaction to food a few weeks ago.

Long story short: Olivia used to love the regular Krispy Kreme doughnuts (the pre-boxed doughnuts you can buy at the grocery story). The label read as if they were safe. I checked ingredients and labels online and it all seemed OK. Until about a month ago. Liv came home from ballet class feeling totally fine, ate one doughnut, and then went to bed a little bit later.

She woke up a couple hours later and had thrown up IN HER SLEEP. That's right. She threw up in her sleep. I still can't wrap my brain around that.

When she came in our room she was flushed and shaking and said she felt "weird" and dizzy. We cleaned her up, had her brush her teeth, and then she went back to bed. She was fine the next day but we kept her home from school because she was afraid of being sick again.

We have no proof that it was the doughnuts but in digging a little deeper I did discover that while Krispy Kreme says they don't knowingly add peanuts to their products they can't guarantee that the products are peanut and tree nut free because they can't guarantee that their suppliers are a peanut/tree nut free supplier and cross contact may occur.

And so...we've eliminated Krispy Kreme doughnuts from the house.

I think the episode scared Liv and she's been a bit more unsure about food lately. It makes me sad to see her stressed out about food.

Here's to an allergy safe 2016.

Muffins for Moms...But Not Kids with Food Allergies

If there is an event I dislike more than any other at school it has to be "Muffins for Moms" and "Donuts for Dads."

What is supposed to be a fun time for kids and their moms or dads is really anything but "fun" when your kids has food allergies.

Doughnuts can be full of eggs, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, and gluten. So if your kids has an allergy to any of those items there is nothing fun about it.

At Olivia's old elementary school they used to have a "peanut free" box of doughnuts (and since they were from a local bakery that we regularly use for peanut-free birthday cakes I trusted that they were safe).

Today was the first "Muffins for Moms" at her middle school. The doughnuts were from that same local bakery but the school failed to have a "peanut free" box.

I asked the principal if any of the boxes were nut free. I received a blank stare in response. And then I said "if they aren't then Olivia can't eat them, so I wanted to double check with you." [In my head I was thinking "so that we can avoid a potentially bad situation right here in the cafeteria....]

The response: "Oh my gosh. I didn't even think about that. I guess I need to start thinking about that in this day and age, don't I?"

Yes. You do.
Especially since you have many kids in your school with food allergies.

And then she says to Olivia: "You need to remind me about that next time."

No, my sixth grader doesn't need to remind you. As principal your job is to think about ALL of the students, even those with food allergies and then ask for help from a food allergy parent if you need it. I'd be more than happy to help out and offer suggestions.

One of Olivia's friends - also a sixth grader - said "I can't believe they didn't have a safe box of doughnuts! There are SO MANY kids with peanut allergies in this school."

Exactly.

In this day and age with the prevalence of food allergies - peanut allergies especially - every principal needs to think about whether or not the food they are serving at a school event has a safe alternative.

As it is, I made sure Olivia ate breakfast before we went to school but I could still see that look of disappointment on her face. So instead of eating doughnuts we went to the book fair and I bought her two new books.

November

Well we made it through another Halloween.

And for the first time in a long time Olivia came home from trick-or-treating with a HUGE smile on her face.

The last house she and her friends visited was the ONLY OTHER HOUSE in our neighborhood with a teal pumpkin and the homeowner dumped the rest of the nut-free candy into Olivia's pumpkin bucket.

That made her happy.

"Mommy! Mrs. B dumped all her candy into my bucket! How cool is that?!?" 

It's the small things people.

And after witnessing someone making fun of the whole Teal Pumpkin project on Facebook yesterday it was nice to see that some people really do "get it."

Also, this is where the "happy" part of the blog post ends. 

Here's where I get all vent-y about food allergies. Don't post snarky crap on your Facebook page about what color pumpkin you should put out if all your candy is unsafe for kids with food allergies. And don't leave comments on a post like that about how it's "well-established" that people know you hate kids with food allergies.

I don't care if it was meant to be snarky or sarcastic.

There is absolutely NOTHING funny about food allergies. Like ever. So don't try to make fun of them. And if you find yourself wanting to make fun of food allergies substitute another disease for "food allergies" - you know like "well we all know you hate kids with diabetes" or "everyone knows you hate kids with cancer."

See? NOT. FUNNY. AT ALL.

Again, I don't care if you're trying to be snarky or sarcastic - there's a time and place for that and dealing with food allergies isn't that time.

OK...enough ranting.

Here's hoping your kiddos have safe candy to enjoy and that you all had a Happy Halloween!

Up next...Thanksgiving! Gobble gobble!

Trick-or-Treat!

Well it's here.

Halloween.

[sigh]

I have my teal pumpkin and a bowl of non-candy spider rings ready for trick-or-treating. I also have a bowl of candy for any kids who want a food treat rather than a non-food treat.

Tonight the kids went to their grandmother's senior living facility for trick-or-treating. Halfway through Olivia walked past me and said "well, there are about two things I can eat in my bucket." And then she sighed, shrugged, and walked away to gather more candy she can't eat.

And that my friends is what Halloween usually looks like for kids with food allergies. Great costumes and a bucket full of crap they can't eat.

Example A: Our safe and unsafe bowls -

As you can see "unsafe" beats out "safe" each year. (And while those Utz pretzels ARE peanut and tree nut free, they're processed in a facility with sesame seeds so they're off limits for Olivia).

I'll be repeating this whole safe and unsafe sorting again tomorrow night. And then I'll be sending most of the candy with my husband when he leaves for work on Monday so I'm not tempted to eat any of the chocolate. ;)

Olivia knows that Halloween is a tough holiday for her and while she loves dressing up I think she's about over the whole trick-or-treat aspect. What's the point when all you end up with is a bowl full of Skittles? I mean they're great and all but a girl can only eat so many Skittles.

I encourage you to get a teal pumpkin and support kids with food allergies this Halloween. Find some non-food treats (stickers, spider rings, bouncy balls) and give those kids a choice when they come to your house.

Believe me the kids with food allergies (and their parents) WILL appreciate it.

Happy Halloween!

Seeing the Teal Pumpkin Project in Action

Today we took the kids to the Toledo Zoo for the annual Pumpkin Path.

It's the zoo's trick-or-treating event where kids and adults can dress in costume and the kids go to stations to get candy. In years past it's been sort of a bust for Olivia since more than half the candy she would receive was unsafe.

This year she was so excited to see that the zoo was participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project - there would be a teal pumpkin at any booth that was handing out "unsafe" (not allergy friendly) treats.

Here's how it went....

First booth with a teal pumpkin was great - Olivia asked for a "teal pumpkin treat" and they immediately gave it to her. Score one for the zoo.

Next booth with a teal pumpkin was handing out Cracker Jack. You know, caramel popcorn with peanuts. Olivia says "I'd like a teal pumpkin treat" and the volunteer says "OK" and proceeds to put TWO bags of Cracker Jack in Olivia's bucket. I grabbed the bags, looked at the woman and said "She has a peanut allergy and CAN'T EAT THESE." Her response: Oh.

We had to find the RIGHT PERSON to get the safe treat - which they had HIDING BEHIND THE BOOTH for some unknown reason.

Third booth - handing out Milky Way which aren't safe for peanut/tree nut allergies. Olivia again says "I'd like a teal pumpkin treat" and the volunteer PUTS TWO CANDY BARS in her bucket. Again, NO.

After that it did get better.
But seriously. 

I commend the zoo for participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project but the groups that were passing out candy needed a bit more education on the point of the project.

Olivia did come away with a fun stash of stuff:

But at the same time she seemed a bit sad about the whole experience. I suppose Halloween just isn't as fun when you're a kid with food allergies. I asked her what was wrong and she said "I just wish they were all teal pumpkins." I think she still felt left out - even though she was getting fun "stuff" it wasn't the same as what the other kids were getting. Special stuff sure, but still different because of the food allergies.

Sigh.

Halloween can't be over soon enough.

Are you participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project this year? You can learn more about it here.

Teal Pumpkis and Halloween

No I didn't go anywhere.
Yes, life got in the way of blogging.

But I'm back! Just in time for Halloween party planning!

I'm not gonna lie - Halloween is not exactly my favorite holiday anymore. At least not when it comes to food and candy.

Honestly it can be rather stressful trying to navigate all the candy and treats and unsafe things when it comes to food allergies.

This year I'm actually HAPPY that Olivia doesn't have a classroom Halloween party - it's one less thing for me to worry about. And it's one less party where she might not be able to eat the same things as her friends.

Of course we still have another party and several chances for trick-or-treating to get through, but we'll make it. Olivia knows the drill: you can take the candy but you can't actually EAT or TOUCH anything until you come home and I sort through it all. I separate the candy into "safe" and "unsafe."

I'll let you guess which bowl ends up with more candy. ;)

This year, for the second year in a row, we'll be putting a teal pumpkin on our doorstep. Why is that, you ask?

Well let me explain.

The Teal Pumpkin Project was launched as a national campaign last year by Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) as a way to raise awareness of food allergies and promote inclusion of all trick-or-treaters throughout the Halloween season.

And if you decide to participate in the program you can put a teal pumpkin on your doorstep and then purchase some non-food items (stickers, glow necklaces, bouncy balls are a few ideas) and give those to the kids who come to your house.

Of course you can also pass out candy - but just keep the candy separate from the non-food items in order to avoid any cross contact. :)

If you're interested in participating in the teal pumpkin project you can take the pledge and you can download a sign to hang at your front door. 

The Teal Pumpkin Project is one way to include kids with food allergies during a holiday season that can be fraught with peril and peanuts (and other allergens).

If you're a room parent or if you're on the school PTO, you could also incorporate a teal pumpkin into any school Halloween celebrations. Always remember to ask about kids with food allergies in the classroom and include the child, exclude the food.

And if you're looking for a list of snacks that are safe for kid with allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, and/or eggs check out the Safe Snack Guide. It's been updated for Halloween! 

Here's to a safe and Happy Halloween!

To learn more about the Teal Pumpkin Project visit the FARE website.