I’ve taken a back-seat from my blog for the past month because my daughter has been hospitalized twice due to her food allergy. It’s been something we’ve been struggling with, because a new one has developed. A couple years ago M had an allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to shellfish. We’ve steered clear since then, and have done a pretty decent job at it until March.

As you may/may not know, my family and I are Catholic. During Lent, we observe the tradition of not eating meat on Fridays, and instead eat fish. This year, we stuck to cheese pizza nearly every Friday-until we found a fish monger in our area who would accommodate my daughter’s allergy. We were assured that our fish was prepared in a clean (and shellfish free) station with new gloves and clean knives.

That night, she had a slight reaction.

We weren’t sure what was going on, but the folks in the ER that night determined (without testing) that she was most likely allergic to fish now too.

We accepted it, and decided as a family to go ahead and cut out fish, on top of shellfish. You just can’t be too careful.

Then last Thursday rolled around, and we went to one of our favorite BBQ joints. M ordered some hush puppies and gobbled them up. And then on our way out, we notice a sign.

“NOW SERVING FRIED CATFISH”

Um. Okay.

That might have been helpful as a sign on the way in.

So we say a prayer and head for some ice cream. I know what you’re thinking. How could they not be freaking out? Well, honestly, we tried to keep in mind that it’s very difficult to have a reaction to protein from sharing fried oil (this is according to our allergy specialist). That, and we were still holding out hope that she wasn’t allergic to fish after all.

Then sure enough, about 2 hours later, M starts itching. Then starts vomiting. Then the chest pains begin.

And we head back to the ER.

The ER for sure is convinced that it’s fish this time. And she’s getting worse, so they shoot her up with epinephrine, 2 doses of benedryl, zyrtec and a zofran.

It’s the allergy kiddie cocktail!

Now here’s where things get confusing. And scary. And frustrating. Did I mention confusing?

We head back to her allergist Thursday to do her follow up one week later. We re-test everything. Scratch for shellfish and fish.

And the scratch test comes up negative.

I don’t even know what to say.

So the doc sends us to Children’s to do some blood tests.

Those results won’t be back for a few days, but I’m so confused. How can she be having these reactions- and the scratch come up negative?

We’ve chatted with her primary pediatrician about it, and he says it could be because these tests don’t cover all the proteins in the food- but our allergist swears that that isn’t the case.

Have any of you had this experience? I really need advice here. Food allergies are scary- and now I don’t have any answers!

Are you looking to spice up your weekly dinners or sweeten your next family gathering with an extra special dessert? I know I am. My family and I get so tired of the “same old, same old”. We either stick with the same recipes, or cave and eat out (which is the WORST thing you can do for your waistline and pocket book).  Bake-Off.com now has 100 new recipe creations from Pillsbury Bake-Off finalists from across the country.

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Mandatory entry: Head to Bakeoff.com and tell me what recipe you’re most interested in trying!

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*Disclosure: Compensation way provided by Walmart and MyBlogSpark to facilitate this review and giveaway. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

She was there to speak to the kids about the process of writing a book, from “thinking it up while doing laundry” through the “long process of editing”. She also shared her story of not giving up when so many publishers turned her down. It was such a a great message, and she presented it in a way that kindergarteners could really understand. Maureen Wright even had small activities throughout to keep the younger kiddos engaged. As you would expect from a children’s author- she’s completely kid friendly.

She also read her current publications (props included!) to the kids-Sneeze, Big Bear, Sneeze!, Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep! (winner of Nickjr’s 10 Best Kids Books 2009), Sneezy the Snowman(we don’t have this one yet, but I’d like to get it soon) and her newest book: Earth Day, Birthday!(also my personal favorite).

I was so excited to meet her in person. My daughter is a HUGE fan of Sneeze, Big Bear, Sneeze! and Sleep, Big Bear, Sleep! already, so we’ve been anxiously awaiting the publishing of Earth Day, Birthday!. At the time- Earth Day, Birthday hadn’t been released yet (it’s available now and you can order it here- Earth Day, Birthday!) so we got a sneak peek at the book. It was fantastic! We were all rolling in our seats! It’s a great story about a silly little monkey who is trying to tell all his friends that it’s not Earth Day, it’s his birthday while giving tips for helping the Earth! It’s a great book to introduce little ones to Earth Day, without overwhelming them.

Also while visiting, she took time to sign all the books the children brought or bought (that she wrote). It was such a great and personal touch to a wonderful afternoon.

If you ever have a chance to meet her, or read one of her books, I HIGHLY recommend it. Her books are fantastic rhyming and picture books that are easy for entry level readers. I love reading them not only to my daughter, but also to my students.

*Disclosure: The above post contains affiliate links

Then I looked around, and SEVERAL other cars were wrapped the same way. I prayed that I came out without the little gift. I was thankfully spared. But, I thought it was HILARIOUS and had to share with ya’l!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kIienFpPzk

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Check out these new images from Marvel’s The Avengers behind the scenes!

This photo is exactly what my coffee table looks like this morning. In fact, it is my coffee table this morning!

So here are some tips and tricks to keep your coffee table (or any other table for that matter) clean and clutter free:

• Remove candle wax from wood tables (I’ve had this happen to me more than once) with a hair dryer. On the medium setting, heat the wax, then wipe it off with a paper towel. Clean the area with a water/white vinegar solution to make it nice and shiny.
• Clean glass top tables with a cloth lightly moistened with a solution of 2 tablespoons vinegar in 1 quart of water. Wipe the glass, then rinse with clear water and wipe dry with a clean cloth!
• If your table has a metal base, clean them with warm sudsy water to keep them shiny! Just be sure to rinse them well.
• Keep painted, varnished and sealed wood tables clean with warm water and a mild soap- avoiding abrasive cleaners.
• At night before you head to bed, clean the clutter off your tables! Organize all magazines and books underneath, and get rid of ones you don’t need. When you wake up in the morning, you’ll be welcomed with a nice area to enjoy your coffee!

Check it out below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxVeeqqAyf0

I am SO excited for this film!