Our Story : The Good, The Bad, And The Food Allergies

The Hold Your Breath Game - not my usual blog fodder

2012-01-26T14:28:00.001-05:00

If you read my blog then you know that I'm a mom. I have two boys ages 7 and 10. I saw this story in the morning on the news.

This is not our school, but it's near us and it got me to thinking. Do my boys know anything about the Hold Your Breath Game/Fainting Game?

So I asked them this morning. And to my horror, my oldest son told me that he knows about it because people in his class do it. I really expected them to be confused by what I was asking and not have a clue what I was talking about.

These are 4th graders that I'm talking about. I don't think they know that they are supposed to pass out or that it may give them a "high". I think they feel it's just a game. But that doesn't mean that it's not dangerous. And that doesn't mean that it won't lead to other more risky behavior.

My seven year old assured me that no one in his class has done this.

This is not my normal blog fodder. But I put this on here because it's not something that I would have thought to ask my children about until I saw it on the news. I thought my kids were too young to be aware of things like this. I thought wrong.

I'm sure that most kids don't know what this is, but it might be worth doing some detective work with your own kids to make sure that this is not happening with them or in their school. We have since alerted school officials that some of the kids may have been engaging in this risky behavior (no names, just general information). As parents today we can never let our guard down. NEVER.

Menu Plan Monday (that started on Friday)

2012-01-23T09:45:00.000-05:00

I usually go to the grocery store on Thursdays or Fridays so that's when my Menu Plan starts. Next week I'll have some help because my oldest son needs to a menu plan for cub scouts. That ought to be interesting. We'll probably have pizza or tacos every day.

Friday: Hummus Veggie Wraps - Not kid friendly, or at least not kid friendly for my kids. My boys hated these. I think it was the hummus as they pulled all the veggies off and ate them by themselves (after using napkins to wipe off the hummus). I made them allergy friendly by skipping the pine nuts and using corn tortillas.

Saturday: Gluten free pasta and home made sauce with sausage

Sunday: Left over Gluten free pasta and home made sauce

Monday: Old Time Beef Stew (will use gf flour to make it allergy friendly)

Tuesday: Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

Wednesday: Baked chicken with potatoes and lemon

Thursday: If we have left overs I'll do a clean up day. If left overs are scarce, we'll have turkey tacos.

For more menu planning, visit Laura at Orgjunkie.com

Disney With Food Allergies: The Food

2012-01-19T11:30:00.000-05:00

We've been to Disney with food allergies one other time. It was wonderful. This time I had a slight comfort zone due to our great experience last time. I contacted Special Dietary Needs right after we made our reservations. I was immediately contacted back with some instructions, an ingredient list of allergy friendly foods at the parks, a list of counter restaurants that were best for those that require special dietary considerations, and a sheet for me to fill out and return to them with any sit down reservations we make (including the name of the restaurant, date, time and a list of my sons allergies). I had gotten all of that last time. The one thing that changed was that last time I spoke to the chef at each restaurant before we went. This time that was not offered. I started feeling a little uneasy but I did all the research I could, made reservations, filled out my forms, and trusted that Disney would get it right. And they totally did.

Our first meal was at Pizza Planet at Hollywood Studios. According to the list I got from Special Dietary Needs, there were several safe options for my son there. He decided that he wanted the Amy's Gluten Free Pepperoni Pizza. When I told the order taker that we had a child with food allergies, she called out the manager. The key to any counter walk up ordering is to make sure that the manager is called to take your order and to facilitate it through the kitchen so there is no cross contamination. The manager took out the "white ingredient book" that each counter restaurant has. We figured out what was safe for the Little Man and we checked each ingredient list to make sure it was safe. He ended up ordering the Amy's Gluten Free Pepperoni Pizza, grapes, apple sauce and a pack of Enjoy Life Chocolate Chip Cookies for dessert. The manager informed us that the GF pizza would take about 20 minutes due to the fact that it gets cooked in it's own allergy friendly oven (that was music to my ears), so we ordered our non allergy food and let the Little Man start eating his grapes and apple sauce until his pizza was ready. The manager was wonderful! She took great care of our son and even brought him out extras of his sides and dessert.

The Little Man with his very own pepperoni pizza (allergy safe).

I only made 2 sit down reservations prior to going because I didn't want to tie us down to places and times. Our first night there was not one of those times. We were tired so we decided to eat at our hotel. That night we had dinner at Boatwright's (we would actually eat here twice during our trip and the Little Man had the same thing each time). Boatwright's is a table service or sit down restaurant so at these types of restaurants the Chef will come to the table to discuss food allergies and what is safe on the menu. Both times the Little Man had prime rib, oven roasted potatoes, vegetable and fruit for dessert. He's a steak lover so he was in heaven.

Prime Rib

Tuesday we had lunch at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe in Tomorrow Land in the Magic Kingdom. We ate here a lot the last time we visited Disney and the Little Man wanted a return trip. They have a dedicated fryer so he can get French Fries here. He also ended up having a hot dog (no bun), grapes, applesauce, and Enjoy Life Cookies for dessert. Here at Ray's is where we learned that checking that ingredient book every.time. is a must. Last time we visited and according to the ingredient list sent to me they serve Ener-G tapioca hamburger buns, hot dog buns, and dinner rolls. Those are all safe for the Little Man. But what we learned was that four weeks ago, they switched their breads to Udi's. Udi's is NOT Little Man friendly as it contains egg. Not only did Ray's switch, but every Disney park switched. Since my ingredient list was sent to me in October and the change was made in December, we did not know this ahead of time. Even if you think something is safe, PLEASE LOOK AT EACH INGREDIENT LIST EVERY TIME YOU ORDER. I think I'm going to send a note to Disney asking them to carry some of the Ener-G products again. Udi's is great for those with Celiac Disease but for those of us with multiple food allergies, Udi's doesn't work.

That evening we had our first reservation dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern in the Magic Kingdom. We ate here last time we visited Disney and we ate here twice this time. The Little Man had the same thing each time. When we got there, the chef came out to discuss the allergies and what was safe. Liberty Tree is a "family style" restaurant so large bowls or platters of food are brought to the table for everyone to help themselves. As it turns out the following were safe: The Meat Platter: roasted turkey, flank steak, and pork tenderloin, the garden salad, the mashed potatoes, the green bean casserole with a few adjustments, and the cauliflower. The gravy was not safe so they made him GF gravy. The mac and cheese wasn't safe and neither was the stuffing so we just put those on the opposite side of the table. The chef put the fried onions for the green beans on the side so the beans would be safe also. His dessert was a delicious sorbet and berries, while we had vanilla cake and ice cream. At our second trip at the restaurant we found out that the vanilla ice cream was safe for him so he had that as his dessert. Again, both chefs took excellent care of our son.

Enjoying the meat platter and mashed potatoes

Enjoying dessert

At Epcot we ate at Sunshine Season's Food Court . The chef informed me that the roasted chicken, rice, and mixed veggies were safe for our son so he got that. He also got grapes and apple sauce. He's not big on the mixed veggies so I gave him my side dish and my dessert so he also had a bag of chips and soy yogurt.
That night we had dinner in Japan at Tokyo Dining. The manager facilitated the allergy order and took excellent care of our son and made sure he had everything he needed. This restaurant is geared toward sushi and tempura but he had a grilled sirloin, broccoli, and rice. They also had gluten free soy sauce. He loved his dinner here. The dessert was a dole fruit cup but he was happy to have something.

At Animal Kingdom we did a character breakfast at Tusker House Restaurant. This is a breakfast buffet and since buffets aren't safe for food allergies, the chef brought the Little Man's food to him straight from the kitchen. He also made him allergy friendly Mickey Mouse shaped waffles.

Waffles, fruit, rice, bacon, and country hash browns made up his breakfast. There were other items safe for him, but this is what he wanted.

That night we ate dinner at the food court at our hotel. The chef was so helpful and made the Little Man gluten free pasta with marinara sauce. He also had grapes and apple sauce and apple slices for dessert.

Loving his pasta!

Friday we went to Lego Land Florida and I'll do a separate post on that. That night we went back to Boatwright's in our hotel and again he had prime rib.

Saturday was our last day and we met some friends for lunch at Pinocchio's Dinner Haus in The Magic Kingdom. Again this was a quick service restaurant that had several items to choose from. After looking through the ingredient book we decided on Annie's gluten free mac and cheese, grapes and applesauce. There really wasn't anything safe for dessert here as the gluten free cookies contained egg so the manager suggested yogurt so that 's what we went with.

While I waited to order here, there was a lady ahead of me that was looking for "vegan" options and according to my list Disney does have vegan options at certain restaurants. Once the manager came to help with the order, the woman started talking about food allergies and gluten free because she didn't like the vegan options available to her (basically at this place all they could do was a chicken salad without the chicken). I don't think she had food allergies, I think she just wanted vegan options. She clearly didn't have the special dietary needs list or would not have come to this food service location. On my list it says that some vegan options need to be ordered 2 weeks ahead of time. And there is a list of restaurants that cater to vegan needs. This restaurant wasn't on the list. The women started to get testy and refused to pay full price for the salad since the chicken wasn't on it (not that I blame her but the attitude wasn't necessary). This how NOT to eat at Disney with special needs. You need to do your homework ahead of time. You need to contact Special Dietary Needs. You need to be flexible. You should have an idea of what is safe for you and make your final decision after looking at the ingredient list. They will do everything they can to feed you safely, but YOU need to do your part too.

That evening we went back to Liberty Tree Tavern and had another safe, delicious meal.

This all sounds like a lot of food. And believe me, it was. When I made our reservations, the Disney Dining Plan was part of our package. We got one counter meal, one sit down meal and one snack per day. Each meal came with dessert. By the end of our week I really didn't want to see dessert again. I feel like I need a food intervention after this trip. One thing you probably notice is that breakfast wasn't in our plan very often. We still had breakfast. We either ate dessert from the night before (you can take it to go) or used some of the "snacks" on the meal plan to pick up fruit at the hotel food court for breakfast. There were safe items at the parks that the Little Man could have for snacks. He had Mickey shaped ice cream on a stick, popcorn, Edy's fruit bars and fruit. I used most of my "snack" options to purchase bottles of water because after all that dessert, snacks just weren't necessary.

As you can see, eating with food allergies at Disney is more than doable. Just make sure to plan ahead, do your homework and contact Special Dietary Requests before you go. Our dining experience was so successful that one day the Little Man said "I actually forgot I had food allergies". It truly is a magical trip.

We Went To Disney World

2012-01-16T15:48:00.001-05:00

WE'RE BACK! You probably didn't even realize we were gone. But we left last Monday and returned last night. It really was a magical time. What it wasn't was a relaxing time. But we had a blast and were sad to leave. We went to Disney and to LegoLand. I have lots to post about, especially regarding food allergies, but I'm too tired right now and have too much laundry to do. So I'll leave you with pictures instead.... lots and lots of pictures.

Create a digital slideshow

Trying to go from stalled to go

2012-01-05T10:00:00.002-05:00

(photo courtesy of Microsoft clip art)

I swear I'm in slow motion lately. In fact, I'm so slow that I feel like I'm in reverse. Normally all my Christmas decorations are down in one day. It's been 4 days now and the tree in the basement is still up. The furniture in the living room hasn't been moved back to it's normal position and there are still some Christmas gifts without a home.

The boys first day back to school from break was yesterday. I'm having a hard time getting back into the swing of the children's schedule again too. Today was Math Club for Older Boy. That means that we have to leave for school 45 minutes earlier than usual. Usually Hubs takes Older Boy to math club and then I drop the Little Man off at the normal time. Somehow today we got our wires crossed and Hubs couldn't drive for math club and I missed the memo. So as soon as he left I panicked, did a Chinese fire drill with the kids to get out the door, and got them to school 5 minutes late for math club (which is no big deal). 20 minutes after I got home from drop off, the phone rang and the caller I.D. said that it was the school. My heart always starts racing when the school is on the caller I.D. I'm sure that happens to all allergy parents. My first thought is that the Little Man had some sort of reaction. When I answered I heard a little voice on the other end say "Mom, it's me. You forgot to pack my lunch". And sure enough there it was right in front of me on the counter. The irony is, that on the way to school I told the kids that because we raced out the door this morning in such a frenzy that it was a crap shoot if lunches and snack made it into back packs. I was sort of kidding, but there must have been something in the back of my mind that said "You dropped the ball". If Older Boy didn't have a lunch he would have just gotten the hot lunch at school. But the Little Man has too many allergies to eat anything from the hot lunch menu. So back to school I went.

I guess my New Year's goal of "better organization" has gotten off to a slow start too. I hope I can find a way to get myself into "drive" instead of "neutral". Tomorrow is another day.

Monday Menu Planning

2012-01-02T08:47:00.000-05:00

Happy January 2nd! We're supposed to get 8-15 inches of snow today. Needless to say that we are staying in and going NO WHERE (except for Hubs who had to work today). Since Christmas, I haven't really been cooking very much. That usually happens to me around the holidays. I cook my booty off and then want nothing to do with the kitchen for a week or two. But it's time to get back into the swing of things. I'm going to try to use what I have on hand instead of hitting the grocery store.

Monday:
Emeril's Tuscan Bean Soup and left over pork roast from New Year's Day

Tuesday:
Tacos

Wednesday:
Turkey Burgers and steamed broccoli

Thursday:
Homemade pizza

Friday:
Tuna Melts and Italian style green beans

Saturday:
Roasted Chicken, rice, and peas

Sunday:
Left over and clean up day

The boys are off of school until Wednesday. I thought they went back today, so it's a good thing I glanced at the calendar or we'd be sitting in the school parking lot right now. Activities start back up for them today, but due to the weather, I think we'll be skipping those. No point in risking our lives for Tae Kwon Do. I also hope to get caught up on laundry today and I'm planning on finishing taking down the rest of the Christmas decorations. Most everything is down and put away except for the tree. We bought a new tree last year and paid extra for the GE constant on lights. This means that when one light burns out the whole set shouldn't go out like on the older model lights.

See that bottom middle spot on the tree that isn't lit? Yea, that's the "constant on" lights not constant on. I can't figure out why they won't work (tried the Christmas light gun, and then removed every light not working and replaced it with a new bulb. Also replaced the fuses in the cord). I don't want to put the tree away until it's fixed. It's better to deal with it now than next year when we're all excited to get this tree up. Plus it's only a year old so it should be still under warranty. Hubs was going to take the bottom half back to where we bought it tonight but with this weather, it'll have to wait. We may be rockin' Christmas for a few more days.

Have a wonderful week! If you're in the path of all this snow, stay safe.

Happy 2012

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year and This Years (non) Resolutions

2011-12-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not making resolutions this year. I'm just jotting a down a few things that I'd like to do this year.

1. Read more, especially the bible.
2. Yell less. I feel like I'm always yelling at the kids and I don't like myself when I do that.
3. Work on the entire family eating healthier.
4. Say "No" more and not feel guilty about it. I can't be in charge of EVERY activity. I need to pick something and give it my all. (And this goes for the kids too. I need to say "NO" to some kids activities, and this means I need to get Hubs on board).

I want to wish you all a very happy New Year and I hope 2012 is all that you hope for.

2011: The Year In Review

2011-12-29T08:43:00.000-05:00

January:

The Resolutions

Resolutions? Yes, I've made a few. So how did I do?
1. Get Organized: I did not get more organized. I tried, but there's still work to do. I shouldn't say that I totally failed at this one. I did get a smart phone in 2011 and use an incredible calendar app and now I feel like my schedule is more organized. Organization is a work in process. I'm still working on that so stay tuned.
2. Exercise More: It was a bit sporadic but I really did exercise more. Did I lose weight? No, I gained it :(
3. Menu Plan: Again, it was sporadic, but I did menu plan more. It makes dinner easier to get together, but I don't save any money by doing it. Clearly I need to revamp what I'm doing. Again, a work in process

February:

The Ice Storm

Most of the trees made it back including my river birch. 2 of the trees we ended up ripping out in the spring anyway as they were contributing to ice damming in the roof and thus our attic was wet and full of mold. There were other issues that factored into this, but the trees played a part so even though it was painful, we cut them down. (We also had to add ice guard and some other roof work along with mold remediation and it's all better now)

March:

Spring Cleaning and St. Joseph's Day At School

I totally got the entire main level spring cleaned. The upstairs, not so much. I ran out of daylight. Maybe this year. Hubs and the Little Man had a wonderful time at the St. Joseph's Day event at the school. I worked the whole thing and made the Little Man his own food so it was allergy safe for him.

April:

Food Allergy Blood Work (RAST Testing)

Nothing changed. He didn't add any new allergies, but numbers didn't go down either. It was disappointing.

May:

The Little Man Talks About Food Allergies

You get it straight from the source.

June:

The Father's Day/Fishing Lure In The Leg Incident

Not how they intended to spend Father's Day... in the ER.

July:

Vacation 2011

I love the beach!

August:

The Little Man Starts Tae Kwon Do

And he still loves it.

September:

Soccer and Ohio State

Good times were had by all.

October:

Halloween

Halloween is BIG at our house.

November:

Thanksgiving 2011

I made it through and it really was a wonderful day.

December:

Christmas 2011

It truly was a wonderful holiday.

Looking back throughout the year helps to solidify the knowledge of how blessed I am. Yes, we had some mishaps (trips to the ER... 3 in all I believe... all the Little Man...) but we had much more good times than bad and we had a lot of fun along the way.
I hope 2012 brings more of the same... for us and for you.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-28T19:33:00.000-05:00

Christmas always seems like such a whirlwind to me. This year, the time leading up to the big day flew by too. Although it went by rather quickly, it was filled with love, family, and faith. Can't ask for more than that!

Christmas Eve we went to 4:00 pm mass. Since my husband and I were both serving we decided to get there early so we could be sure to get a seat up front. Surprisingly mass was crowded this year but not as crowded as it usually is.

After church we headed home to finish cooking dinner and to heat up the things that I already prepared. My husband is used to having fish on Christmas Eve. I'm not a fish eater (except for Sushi) so I leave all of that up to him. I buy the fish, and make the breading (this year we used 1 cup of GF Bisquick, 1 cup GF corn flake crumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper) and he cooks it. Because we can't bread with egg, we used Redbridge on some and cocoa nut milk on the rest. It turned out very well (or so I'm told). The boys loved the fish this year too. He cooked baccala, smelts, and calamari in the deep fryer. Then we also had shrimp cocktail. Due to the fact that I don't eat fish, I made GF gnocchi with red sauce and an antipasti salad. We had a lot of food and a lot of left overs.

Here we have the last man at the table.

Relaxing by the fire and waiting for Santa.

It's milk and cookie time!

We added carrots for the reindeer and lots of candy too.

A little snuggle before bedtime.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

After the kids were in bed it was time for mom to relax by the fire and watch It's A Wonderful Life.

Christmas morning started at 6 AM with the Little Man saying that he heard Santa downstairs and he was talking to the elves. So down we went to see what he left.

Santa left a lot of stuff

Of course he left Lego's.

The 3DS was a big hit

As was FIFA Soccer 12 for Wii

Here they are opening the box where I put the "Disney Trip". You know how you see those commercials were the kids open the Disney Trip on Christmas day and they all go crazy? Yea, not so much at our house. They are really excited about it and they get more excited every day but all they said was "Are we going to Disney"? Slight let down for mom :) I wanted the craziness that you see on T.V.

Later that day my parents came over with more presents and we had Christmas dinner. Then that evening we went to my in-laws for more gifts and Christmas festivities. And the next day we headed to my brother's house for more celebrating with my brother, sister in law, and sweet nephew.

It was wonderful! But now I'm tired. I'm using this week to recharge my batteries. Hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Christmas.

Home Free Cookies and Treats

2011-12-26T07:15:00.000-05:00

Home Free Treats are made in a dedicated facility free of tree nuts, peanuts, dairy and egg. They are made with whole grains and are made with all natural or organic ingredients.

The nice people at Home Free contacted me to see if we would like to sample some of their products. Even though they don't have a dedicated gluten free facility they do manufacture a gluten free product. There was just one problem for us. My son is allergic to wheat, rye, barley, and OAT (along with peanut, tree nut, and egg) and the gluten free cookies are made with certified gluten free OAT flour. This may work if you have a wheat allergy or Celiac Disease but for my son who is allergic to oat it's a no go.

So although we haven't tried the cookies (but they LOOK good), I wanted to share information about these products and the company for those that have allergies except an oat allergy. It's hard to find gluten free cookies that don't contain nuts,egg and/or dairy too.

Below is the press release regarding their gluten free cookies:

HOMEFREE™ LAUNCHES NEW
ALLERGY FRIENDLY AND GLUTEN FREE COOKIE

Allergy Friendly Company Adds to its Line of Inclusive Healthy Snacks

WINDHAM, NH – (March 21, 2011) HomeFree, “treats you can trust,” today announced the
addition of new crunchy vanilla mini cookies free of the top 8 allergens and gluten to its line
of healthy allergy-friendly grocery and food service snacks. The cookies contain no trans fat,
cholesterol or saturated fat, are low sodium, heart healthy, vegan, kosher pareve, and SB-19
compliant for schools. One serving contains more than half a serving of whole grain and only 9
grams of sugar. The cookies also are certified as more than 70% organic by the New Hampshire
Department of Agriculture, Markets and Foods. HomeFree additionally announced today that
its grocery boxes of mini chocolate chip and mini chocolate chocolate chip cookies are now
all natural gluten free. Five of HomeFree’s seven flavors of allergy friendly cookies are now
certified by the Gluten Free Certification Organization (GFCO) to be free of gluten – which,
despite popular belief, is not an allergen.

According to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), 1 in 25 Americans have food
allergies, and more than 3 million of them are children. Most food allergic reactions are to
peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, dairy, soy, wheat, fish and shellfish. Reactions can be immediate and
life threatening even to traces of an allergen. According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, 1 in
133 Americans have celiac disease, an autoimmune condition requiring avoidance of gluten-
containing foods such as wheat, barley, triticale and rye, in order to avoid long-term damage.
In addition to those with celiac disease, many people avoid gluten due to sensitivities, and to
various health conditions such as autism. HomeFree initially was created for people with food
allergies and for health conscious people looking for a more enjoyable, wholesome snacking
option. HomeFree has grown to include people with many special dietary needs.

“Our gluten free oatmeal varieties were so well received that we decided to make more of our
cookies accessible to the many people currently seeking gluten free options” said Jill Robbins,
president of HomeFree. “I created HomeFree to serve the needs of the more than 12 million
Americans with food allergies. Now those with celiac disease, as well as those who seek a gluten
free diet for other health reasons, can also enjoy a range of HomeFree cookies. Our goal is to
make available delicious, wholesome treats that people with, and without, special dietary needs
can enjoy together. Now, people serving snacks and desserts can feel great when they can
include everyone. HomeFree treats make it easy to do so. We are particularly excited about our
mini packs (.95 oz) of mini chocolate chip and of mini vanilla cookies as delicious, wholesome
grab-and-go and food service options to make it easy for institutions to serve everyone.”

Jill Robbins, HomeFree founder, mother and clinical psychologist, turned to baking when her son
was diagnosed with food allergies twelve years ago. The author of Allergen Free Baking: Baked
Treats for All Occasions, Jill focused on creating a solution to the social aspect of food allergies,
so that children and adults with allergies can participate fully in school and social events when

HomeFree Launches New Cookie | Page Two

treats with potential allergens are served.

-more-

HomeFree products are:
- Free of peanuts, tree nuts, eggs and dairy
- Fine for most people allergic to soy (some contain soy lecithin)
- Wheat free/Gluten free – available in most flavors
- Certified a good source of whole grain – most HomeFree products contain at least ½
serving of whole grains of the 3 daily recommended
- All natural or certified 70% or 95% organic
- Allergen tested for peanut, tree nut, egg and dairy protein, and gluten free products also
tested for gluten
- Without trans fat or cholesterol
- Without corn sweeteners, artificial colors or flavors, MSG, and GMO’s
- Certified vegan (oatmeal cookies, mini vanilla cookies, and coffee cakes)
- Certified kosher pareve and available Pas Yisroel
- Manufactured by HomeFree, a certified Woman Owned Business (WBENC), in
HomeFree’s own facility

HomeFree cookies carry a suggested price of $4.99 per box at retail locations or $5.49 per
box (plus shipping and handling) through the company’s website, www.homefreetreats.com.
HomeFree cookies are available in chocolate chip, chocolate chocolate chip, and gluten free
oatmeal (6 ounce boxes), as well as gluten free mini chocolate chip, gluten free mini chocolate
chocolate chip, gluten free mini oatmeal chocolate chip, and gluten free mini vanilla (5 oz boxes).
The cookies are available in the natural food sections of over 600 retail locations nationwide
including many independent stores, as well as participating Whole Foods, Shaw’s, Giant Carlisle,
Foodtown, Big Y, Earth Fare, Albertsons, Akins/Chamberlins, Festival Foods, and Fresh Markets.

Individually wrapped cookies retail for $1.49 (1 oz). The oatmeal flavor has option of all natural
gluten free, or 95% USDA organic. POS and bulk packaging is available for cash and carry and for
all food service applications. Individually wrapped cookies can be found at the HomeFree web
site, as well as at a growing number of stores and of food service institutions.

HomeFree cookies, coffee cakes, allergen-free baking cookbook, and specialized allergen-
tested baking ingredients are available for purchase through the company’s website. For more
information, or to purchase HomeFree products, please visit www.homefreetreats.com.

About HomeFree
HomeFree, LLC is the maker of delicious, all natural and organic, ready-to-eat whole grain
cookies and coffee cakes free of common food allergens including peanuts, tree nuts, eggs
and dairy. HomeFree was founded by Jill Robbins, a clinical psychologist, self-taught baker,
author of Allergen Free Baking: Baked Treats for All Occasions, and the mother of a child with
food allergies. HomeFree manufactures and packages its products in a dedicated facility
free of peanuts, tree nuts, eggs and dairy. With the highest commitment to product integrity,
HomeFree sources its ingredients with great care and additionally conducts allergen and gluten
testing. HomeFree cookies, coffee cakes and specialized allergen-tested baking ingredients are

HomeFree Launches New Cookie | Page Two

available for purchase through the company’s website, at more than 600 retail locations, and at
a growing number of institutions. HomeFree, a certified woman owned business headquartered
in Windham, NH, donates a portion of its profits to organizations that provide food allergy
research and education. For more information, or to purchase HomeFree products, please visit
www.homefreetreats.com.

If you try the cookies or any of their other treats, stop back and let me know what you think.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T10:25:00.000-05:00

Wishing you and your family a very merry and blessed Christmas!

O sweet Child of Bethlehem,
grant that we may share with all our hearts
in this profound mystery of Christmas.
Put into the hearts of men and women this peace
for which they sometimes seek so desperately
and which you alone can give to them.
Help them to know one another better,
and to live as brothers and sisters,
children of the same Father.
Reveal to them also your beauty, holiness and purity.
Awaken in their hearts
love and gratitude for your infinite goodness.
Join them all together in your love.
And give us your heavenly peace. Amen.
Pope John XXIII

Christmas Eve Prayer

2011-12-24T08:21:00.000-05:00

(from CatholicCulture.org)

Christmas Eve Prayer

In the twenty-fourth day of the month of December;
In the year five-thousand one-hundred and ninety-nine from the creation of the world, when in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth;
In the year two-thousand nine-hundred and fifty-seven from the flood;
In the year two-thousand and fifty-one from the birth of Abraham;
In the year one-thousand five-hundred and ten from the going forth of the people of Israel out of Egypt under Moses;
In the year one-thousand and thirty-two from the anointing of David as king;
In the sixty-fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel;
In the one-hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad;
In the year seven-hundred and fifty-two from the foundation of the city of Rome;
In the forty-second year of the reign of the Emperor Octavian Augustus;
In the sixth age of the world, while the whole earth was at peace—
JESUS CHRIST
eternal God and the Son of the eternal Father, willing to consecrate the world by His gracious coming, having been conceived of the Holy Ghost, and the nine months of His conception being now accomplished, (all kneel) was born in Bethlehem of Judah of the Virgin Mary, made man. The birthday of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to the flesh.

All: Thanks be to God.(The Child is now placed in the crib by the youngest child, while all sing the following antiphon.)

All Sing: This day Christ is born; this day the Savior hath appeared; this day angels are singing on earth, archangels are rejoicing. This day the just are glad and say, Glory to God in high heaven, alleluia.

All: (All pray Psalm 109, one of the great Messianic psalms.)

The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand * till I make your enemies your footstool."

The scepter of your power the Lord will stretch forth from Sion: * "Rule in the midst of your enemies.

Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor; * before the day-star, like the dew, I have begotten you."

The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent: * "You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchisedech."

The Lord is at your right hand; * he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.

He will do judgment on the nations, heaping up corpses; * he will crush heads over the wide earth.

From the brook by the wayside he will drink; * therefore will he lift up his head.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son * and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, * world without end. Amen.

All Sing: This day Christ is born; this day the Savior hath appeared; this day angels are singing on earth, archangels are rejoicing: This day the just are glad and say, Glory to God in high heaven, alleluia.

Mother or Eldest Child reads the Gospel from the Christmas Mass at Midnight.

All: Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men of good will. We praise Thee. We bless Thee. We adore Thee. We glorify Thee. We give Thee thanks for Thy great glory, O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty.

O Lord, the Only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father. Thou who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Thou who sittest at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For Thou only are holy. Thou only art the Lord. Thou only Jesus Christ, art most high.

With the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Father: O Lord, hear my prayer.

All: And let my cry come to You.

Father: Let us pray. O God, who made this most holy night to shine forth with the brightness of the true Light, grant we beseech Thee, that we who have known the mystery of His light on earth, may attain the enjoyment of His happiness in heaven. Who lives and reigns with Thee forever and ever.(The last window of the Advent Tower, masking the Christmas scene could be opened here.)

Prayer Source: Twelve Days of Christmas, The by Elsa Chaney, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN, 1955

Enjoy Life Product Review: Chewy Bars

2011-12-23T10:08:00.000-05:00

A ~~long, long time ago~~ few weeks ago, the wonderful people at Enjoy Life sent us samples of their new and improved Chewy Bars for a product review. The packaging is different and the bars are more uniform in size and have a new chewier texture.

I have to say that I really like the fact that the size has been improved. For a while there we were getting bars that were more like "chunks" than an actual bar size. These are longer and more "bar" like.

We also like the new and improved packaging. It's brighter and more visually appealing.

The texture has been improved, but the bars have the same great taste that we know and love.

The Little Man is a purist and he likes the Cocoa Loco. Those are the first bars that he tried (many years ago) and those are the ones he sticks with.

I like the Sunbutter Crunch bars. I keep a few in my purse so if I need a munchy while out and about I have something that is safe for the Little Man.

My Husband took the Caramel Apple and Very Berry to work with him to have as a mid morning snack.

All Enjoy Life products are free from the common top 8 allergens and are made in a dedicated Gluten Free facility. You can learn more about their procedures here. You can also find an ingredient glossary for all of their ingredients on this page.

We love the Enjoy Life family of products and that includes the Chewy Bars. We give them 2 thumbs up and highly recommend them.

(We received samples of the Enjoy Life Chewy Bars at no cost for review purpose only. No other compensation was given).

Wrapping up the Christmas prep

2011-12-22T10:08:00.000-05:00

We're coming down the wire here.

1. All presents are bought.
2. All presents are wrapped.
3. Most cards are sent. I sent them at Thanksgiving. Now I'm getting cards from people and thinking "Did I send them a card?". Dilemma: Do I risk sending out TWO cards to the same people or none? (note to self: Next year, make a better list for cards being sent to school friends).
4. Cookies are almost done. We have cut out cookies (some iced, some sprinkles), spritz cookies, gingerbread cookies, and today I'm going to make Sunbutter Buckeyes.
5. Christmas Eve and Christmas day menus are set.
6. Grocery shopping is done (except that I forgot tartar sauce so I'll be sending the Husband out for that one).
7. Today is sauce day. I'm making the "gravy" for the Christmas Eve gluten free gnocchi and the Christmas Day stuffed shells.
8. Local apple farm closes on Saturday and won't open again until May. Stopped in and stocked up on apples, cider, pumpkin butter and got the boys their last apple cider slushies of the year.

Other than Christmas prep, I have laundry and toilet cleaning to do. And the boys are home from school so I also have "referee duty".

I can't believe how FAST Christmas came! It seems like just yesterday it was Thanksgiving.

10 Days Until Christmas

2011-12-15T09:49:00.000-05:00

I can't believe there's only 10 days left! Time flies when you get old.

We've had much Christmas fun lately.

We went to see Santa:

This is a picture from my cell. That's why it's not so good. I did buy the nice (overly priced) pictures that they sell. But I'm too lazy to scan that one in.

There was a Cub Scout sing a long at the local retirement home:

And the school concert last night:

So what's left? A few last minute gifts (for people that I have NO IDEA what to buy), baking and grocery shopping. Oh and I have some wrapping left to do too.

So if I'm not visiting blogs or posting things (I have a long overdue Enjoy Life product review) just know that I'm busy being Santa's helper and I'll be around more after the holidays.

His Record Of "Every 6 Months" Is Still Upheld

2011-12-08T09:31:00.001-05:00

What record you ask? Well, the one where the Little Man visits the ER every.six.months.
Yea, we were there again last night. Not food allergy related, but fender bender related. EVERYONE IS FINE AND NO ONE GOT HURT. It was really minor. In fact there's barely any visible damage to my rear bumper. I'm not sure about underneath the bumper so we'll get it check out soon.

We were coming back from an activity and stopped at a red light. There were cars in front of me and cars behind me. The light turned green and the lady behind me took that as "GO" even though no one else was moving. She must have hit the gas fairly hard because the smash was pretty loud. No one seemed hurt, just scared. But the Little Man said that his head hit the back of his car seat and it hurt.

The lady was clueless. I think she was on her phone at the time. I got out of the car and starting raising my voice to ask what she was thinking and she said "It's an accident. Don't yell at me". At that point she's lucky I didn't haul off and slug her. Yes, it's an accident but you were on your phone not paying attention and you could have hurt my kids. I have every right to get little loud (with no swearing or anything).

Luckily a policeman was driving by so he took a report and we were on our way (by the way, it wasn't even her car... I'd hate to have friends like her).

The Little Man kept saying his head hurt and I debated on whether I should take him in or not but in the end I decided it was best to get him checked. He's totally fine. They x-rayed his neck too and nothing is hurt. He's probably just going to be a little sore from being knocked around.

He even went to school today. I thought for sure he'd pull the old "But my head hurts" card.

So his record still stands. Last time he went was because of the fishing lure incident. Let's hope we can ditch this record and stay out of the ER.

He looks pathetic. He wasn't even in that much pain. He was starving and driving me batty asking for food every 2 minutes (and I had none).

The Powder Room - The (not so) Big Reveal

2011-12-07T09:32:00.001-05:00

I feel like this project has gone on forever. And it almost did... I think. The other day I was cleaning out my inbox and I found e-mails from June about possible vanity considerations. I have serious issues making decisions on things, especially when I can't SEE items in person. Buying a vanity on line just didn't work for me. So I had one built. Of course I couldn't see that either, but at least I had a live person to talk to that could calm my fears and pull me off the ledge. Yes, I know, IT'S A POWDER ROOM. There's not much in there to change or mess up. But if anyone could blow this remodel, it would be me.

Here are some before photos:

Fairly generic, fairly nondescript. It appears that there was no artwork on the walls. This was not the case. Imagine large framed pictures of deer, geese and other woodland animals. Klassy. But it worked at the time I did it almost 10 years ago. And if it hadn't been for the busted vanity I'm sure it would still be there.

"during" photos:

The potty had already been replaced at this point. That dark green splotch behind the potty is the new paint color. I've never used a color that dark in my life. Talk about stepping outside the box. I usually pick very light, very neutral beige colors.

The after photos:

I really didn't want another vanity that large since it's a powder room, but the contractor said that putting in a smaller one would look odd with all the left over space. I don't know if you can tell, the vanity is actually a light-ish green color called "Willow". The walls are a dark green color that Sherwin Williams custom color matched for me. The floor is the same, but one day (I have a feeling this plan will only remain a dream) I'd like to rip out all the ceramic tile in the 1st floor (which is basically my entire 1st floor minus the living room) and put in hard wood floors.

So it's dark, but we like it. I'm still working on artwork for the walls. I really LOVED several prints from this place but to get the size I wanted with the frame I wanted it would have been $90.00 each. Even if I got the print and matted and framed them myself they still would have been pricey. So I hit ebay instead and found these cute little prints below ($12.00). These are up already but the other picture is not.

I bought the one below off of ebay too ($14.00 plus shipping) but when it came, the frame is damaged on the left upper corner. I'm sure that was pointed out in the description, but I missed it. So I found some closely matching paint yesterday and I'm going to try to patch it up before I hang it.

As you can see, I'm keeping the nature theme but going from animals to flowers :)

Now that it's over, I can honestly say that I stayed NO WHERE near the budget and I hope we don't have to do any more projects like this for a long, long time.

The Birthday Dinner That Wasn't

2011-12-05T13:55:00.001-05:00

Yes, today is my birthday. I'm old now so there's no excitement involved (only a little realization that the years keep flying by).

Friday afternoon, Older Boy came home from school complaining that he had a head ache. He laid on the couch and I knew he was really under the weather because he missed basketball practice. Sometime around 1 am he woke me up because he was getting sick. Although he seemed better on Saturday, we made him stay on the couch all day, eat lightly, and we cancelled our sitter for that evening. Hubs and I were going to go out to dinner. It was a coincidence that we scheduled a sitter so close to my birthday.

Sunday was church and Older Boys first basketball game of the season. He seemed to be feeling better, so we let him play in the game and we decided to try for another dinner out. Because of the Little Man's allergies, we are limited as to where we can go. We usually end up at Outback Steakhouse because we have always had good experiences there with them accommodating his food allergies. But we've eaten at P.F. Chang's before and although his choices are limited, the Little Man wanted to go back. P.F. Chang's has a gluten free menu which works for his wheat, rye, barley, and oat allergies. But he's also allergic to eggs, peanuts and tree nuts so they also offer a "menu matrix" where they use the gluten free menu, add in the eggs, peanuts and tree nuts and they print out what is safe for him to eat. Previously he's been able to have the chicken lettuce wraps or the steamed salmon with ginger (he normally likes salmon but he doesn't like the ginger on this version). We pretty much figured he'd get the lettuce wraps again. But when we got there, we were unpleasantly surprised. As soon as the waiter came over, I explained the allergies, gave him the food allergy chef cards, asked for a manager.

I knew we were in trouble when no manager came over. The waiter took the cards and went off to where the manager printed off the allergy menu matrix but the manager never came to the table (last time we were there the manager handled the food allergy order and facilitated the whole process). The waiter returned to the table with our drinks and the allergy menu and apologized because there wasn't much on it for the Little Man to choose. As I looked at the menu, I realized there was NOTHING for him to choose from. The only things he could order were steamed rice, brown rice and some random sauces. For some reason the lettuce wraps and the salmon were no longer on there. I really wish the manager would have come over like last time. If this were the case, we wouldn't have even ordered drinks. The waiter kept apologizing and saying "I'm sure the lettuce wraps are safe. I don't believe there are any egg or nuts in them". Really?? Then why aren't they showing up on the matrix and what changed since the last time we were here? He couldn't answer any of those questions so we decided to leave. We don't fool around with "I think" and "I'm sure". The matrix said nothing was safe and rice doesn't make a dinner.

The Little Man got teary which of course caught the attention of the people next to us. So they in turn had to inquire from the waiter what we needed (like it was any of there business...). I took the Little Man to the car while Hubs paid $10.78 for 4 soft drinks.

I'm not upset with P.F. Chang's. Things change and we'd much rather be safe than sorry. I am however a bit upset with the staff at this "Chang's". It just wasn't handled properly. The manager went to every table around us asking how things were going, but he avoided us like the plague. I wish we could have gotten the allergy matrix even before we were seated.

So a second night of dining out was thwarted too. But we used it as a teaching experience for the Little Man. The Little Man said he would have tried the lettuce wraps any way since he had them before. So we explained to him that clearly something had changed since last time and they just weren't safe any more. Either an ingredient changed, a supplier changed or cross contamination in the kitchen changed. No one's life is worth some lettuce wraps. For us, especially not our son's life.

(For the record, the chicken lettuce wraps are still on the gluten free menu at P.F. Chang's. It's either the egg, the peanut or the tree nuts that made it unsafe. Unfortunately they couldn't tell me which ingredient it was, so I can't share that information with you).

I Survived Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-29T07:05:00.001-05:00

Oh yes I did. It actually was a very nice Thanksgiving. But all week I felt like I was coming down with something. That something would have to wait because I had too much work to do and no time for illness. All week I practically OD'd on homeopathic meds. I took a bunch of Zicam, Emergen-C, vitamin C, hot tea with lemon, chicken soup and anything else I could think of to kick this thing to the curb. Tuesday night when I felt achy I even tried the power of prayer (Dear Lord, please don't let me get sick, just get me through Thanksgiving...). It worked. I made it through Thanksgiving and putting up the Christmas decorations on Friday. But by Friday night, I gave out. It got me. I was in bed all day Saturday and Sunday trying to kick this thing so I could function on Monday. Thanks to rest, Motrin, and Mucinex D I managed to get out of bed yesterday and get some things accomplished. I'm still not 100% but I'm functioning so that's a bonus.

Wednesday was my cook day. I prepped all the things I needed for Thanksgiving day and made the mashed sweet potatoes, and pies. The pies were stinkers this year. It took me 4 attempts at a gluten free dough before I got a usable pie crust. I think the one I usually use would have worked but I believe I mistook "chicken breading" or "pastry flour mix". Note to self "Label all containers in the future". I finally ended up using Gluten Free Girl's recipe and it turned out to be the best one yet!!
Other than the threat of illness and the pie dough fiasco of 2011, Thanksgiving turned out pretty well and I hope my family enjoyed their meal (I think they did... at least they said they did).

The turkey before

The table

The turkey after

Some of us getting ready to eat

Pre tree

Post Tree

Now it's on to the next thing. I need to finish shopping and start baking cookies. And hopefully enjoy the Advent season a long the way.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T08:56:00.001-05:00

I am so blessed in my life that it would take me hours, maybe even days to list all my blessings here.

I am thankful for everything given to me (and I can even find blessings in my son's food allergies, believe it or not).

I hope all of you have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. As I say grace today and give thanks for all that I have, you will be on mind.

Father all-powerful,
your gifts of love are countless
and your goodness infinite.

On Thanksgiving Day
we come before you
with gratitude for your kindness:
open our hearts to concern
for our fellow men and women,
so that we may share your gifts
in loving service.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son, who lives and reigns
with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

(from UCatholic.com)

We Have Turkey!

2011-11-22T14:04:00.001-05:00

I knew I was getting a fresh, free range turkey from a farm, but I had NO idea it was that rural. I felt like I was driving into "Children Of The Corn". But it was all good. It was just COMPLETELY Amish and dirt road.

The best news of the day is that the turkey is indeed plucked and it appears to be gutted (I haven't actually checked).

So bring on the cooking fest (tomorrow) and the feast (Thursday).

And The Winner Is...

2011-11-18T15:57:00.001-05:00

Yes, I'm a day late (and a dollar short, I'm sure...).

The winner of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook Software is....

Barbara H

I used Random.org to choose the winner

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:4
Thanks for entering! I'll be contacting the winner in the next few days to let you know how to receive your free software.

Thomas Rides The Rails Once Again

2011-11-16T09:21:00.001-05:00

I looked at the weather forecast today and they are calling for snow... lake effect snow. This could mean we get a dusting or this could mean we get dumped on. We usually don't put up Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving, but ....

(yes, the date on the camera is wrong..)
There is nothing more miserable than putting these things up in the snow and cold. We won't blow him up yet, but we're ready! Thomas is ready to ride the Christmas rails again.

We are already listening to Christmas music on Sirius XM Christmas Classics channel too.

Next up, the Christmas tree. But that will have to wait until a day or two after Thanksgiving.

One thing at a time... :)

A Little Bit Of This, A Little Bit Of That

2011-11-15T09:24:00.001-05:00

Oh yes, life's just been chugging along. I promised myself I'd try and blog more, but somehow I dropped the ball again. Maybe I need to add blogging into my daily schedule. Of course that would mean that I add it to my iPhone Calendar. I live and die by that calendar. I especially like the reminders that it bings me with. Thank goodness for that or I'd drop a lot more balls than just blogging...

1. Soccer is over for the season. But basketball has now started. I feel like I live my life according to sports and not seasons. Life with two boys means that the sporting events never end.

2. The Little Man is still loving Tae Kwon Do and is testing for his orange belt this weekend. Keep your fingers crossed for him :)

3. We had snow last week. Yes we did.

It's gone now, but you know it's only a matter of time before it comes back. In full force. I'm not ready...

4. The farm around the corner from us rents fields two miles down the road. It's the road I use to go everywhere. Due to the amount of rain the fields have been beyond muddy. The amount of mud they put all over the road is amazing. My car looks like I've gone "mudding". That means I must make weekly trips to the $5.00 car wash (which really isn't $5, but $12. Go figure...). I hope they're done harvesting the feed corn soon as I'm so done with all this mud. But I will miss the colored soap portion of the car wash

Blue soap on the wind shield, pink on the sides and yellow on top. The boys and I have decided that this is our favorite part.

4. Thanksgiving is next week. I bought our turkey from an Amish farm and I pick it up next week. I'm now wishing that I would have asked if they clean out the insides and pluck it too. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I have no experience with gutting and plucking (eeewww...).

5. I'm going to try and finish all my Christmas shopping by the beginning of December. I have a good chunk done so I need to make a list of what is left and knock it out. I have my Christmas cards and I hope to have those addressed and sent by Thanksgiving. I'm REALLY trying to be as organized as I can so that I can completely enjoy the season.

6. I mentioned WEEKS ago that our powder room is under construction. Sadly, it still is. 5.5 weeks and counting thanks to a damaged board that was delivered to us with the initial vanity delivery 3 weeks ago. I had to email our "sales person" with a nasty gram yesterday. I hate doing that but I REALLY need to get this bathroom finished. This board better show up soon or I may have to pay him a visit in person. No one wants a cranky lady in their sales room... (pictures to follow if it ever gets completed).

Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead!