A Year Later

Wow - can it really have been a year since I posted? If anyone is still out there - I am still here. I am doing great. I am cancer free for about 1 1/2 years! I currently feel better than I have in a very long time! I am also basking in the post vacation glow after our trip to the beach. It was so great!

Ok - news on the allergy front, we are taking Connor to Johns Hopkins today to see Dr. Woods and have his allergy tests done. Please keep your fingers crossed that at the age of 5, Connor has outgrown something! I will let you know how it goes!

Hello Hello

Hello Hello everyone - I am back! Thanks so much for all the well wishes. I am continuing to make progress on the cancer front. I have finished the chemo, undergone a double mastectomy (and partial reconstruction) and started radiation last week. I am finally feeling like myself again. The surgery went very well and the pathology report was great! No signs of residual cancer! Yay! Better than I could have hoped for. I have 21 sessions of radiation left that will take me into the beginning of August. So - my summer will be spent shuttling between swim team and radiation - EVERY DAY! I think it is going to go by quickly as the days are already running together.
I do have some very exciting news regarding C - he is actually eating new foods! Something about the summer has given him an appetite. I have also found the pool to be a great motivator. If he does not eat his lunch , we do not go swimming. Guess what - he cleans his plate. A list of new foods includes: grilled chicken, watermelon, cantaloupe, fish sticks, sweet potato fries, tater tots, tacos, turkey burger, yogurt, cream cheese and apple butter sandwich, applesauce, rice and spaghetti. It does take a lot of attention for me to get him to eat some days. I have to sit beside him so he does not get up and run away. It has been a lot of work, but I am beyond thrilled that he has developed an appetite!

Catching Up

Wow - I had to send my laptop to be repaired and was without it for almost 6 weeks! It is sad to say how much I missed it, and how happy I am to have it back at last! How addicted have we become to technology? Blogs, Facebook, Twitter the list goes on. I am also about to embrace the very technology that I scorned years ago for being ridiculous, the dreaded Blackberry. I used to think people were insane, who need a computer in their pocket all the time? Who need to stay connected all the time. Apparently now I do - I can't wait for it to be activated! Actually I am most excited to be able to have my calender with me all the time. I am a devoted Outlook user and love the fact that I will have a calender and my contacts in my phone!

At any rate I am catching up on all things electronic today. I just published all the comments I have received lately. I am so happy to hear from you all even though my posts have been a bit sporadic. I am glad to report that I am feeling MUCH better these days. The chemo haze has lifted, I am getting my energy back, my hair is starting to grow, and it seems like spring has finally spring here in the Mid Atlantic region! On top of that Connor ate a Taco! YAY - I could hardly believe it. He ate the whole thing, like a real big boy! He got a piece of candy as a treat after dinner that night! Perhaps he is really maturing .He has tasted and eaten a few new things lately. If I can recall correctly, he ate a fish stick, sweet potato french fry, dried apples and watermelon (although he only licked it). I have found two approaches that can work provided he is is the right mood and hungry. If I see him pick up something new I ignore it, and watch out of the corner of my eye until I see him eat it. Competition with his brother works too. When I served the fish sticks and fries, all it took was for his brother to ask if he could have it and Connor was all over it! There was no way he was going to give his food to his brother. Hey - whatever works. How I need a plan to get rid of the sippy cups!

The Latest

First I want to thank you all for the supportive comments to my recent posts. These last few months have been trying times for many reasons. But as spring is hopefully around the corner, I look forward to a fresh start. I have some good news to report. My most recent PET scan showed the results we were looking for. Basically the areas that lit up as cancerous, are no longer lighting up. Meaning the chemo seems to have killed the cancer cells we saw previously. This is the best news we could have hoped for at this point. We are VERY relieved and grateful that chemo seems to work. It was worth every exhausting, nauseous, crappy day. I have always said that I will put up with any treatment and every side effect necessary to kick this cancer to the curb! I remain cautious - I am not totally out of the woods and will not be for a long time. I will continue to get anti cancer treatments (Herceptin) and bone treatment (Aredia) ever 3 weeks. I also take a daily pill to repress the estrogen on which the cancer would feed. I will also be heading back the the surgeon to discuss the possibility of surgery. I am gradually getting my strength back and I am so happy that I can take my life off hold for now! I continue to be thankful for all your thoughts and prayers.

Now on to my picky eater. I have decided I want to free up some cupboard space by getting rid of the sippy cups. I have been forcing C. to drink from a big boy cup. The positive side effect is that he drinks less milk and has more of an appetite. We all know that too much milk is a huge appetite killer for toddlers! He is eating a little more and has tried some new things. I have been able to get him to eat yogurt again. He also ate a few baked sweet potato fries and even tried soy nut butter. I have my 7 year old to thank for that one. She loves to dip carrots in soy nut butter and got C. to lick the soy nut butter off the carrot. He will not eat it on a sandwich yet, but I am grateful for the small progress we made. If I can add one new food per month I would be happy. Now I have to find a way to get him to eat chicken or turkey burger.

Altered Muffun Mix

I am writing this post while getting my 6th chemo treatment. If all goes well this will be my LAST! We are praying and hoping that this last treatment delivers the sucker punch needed to knock this cancer OUT!
I have been trying be really diligent about getting at least some healthy fruits and veggies in my kids every day. Riley discovered he loves blackberries and Connor will eat blueberries - both great antioxidants that will fight cancer. Kelsey will eat them in the form of a smoothie so I need to start making some. I got a little sneaky this weekend. I was making a batch of Gingerbread mini muffins from the Gluten Free Pantry. All my kids love these muffins so I decided to sneak in some ground flax seed and vitamin enriched pomegranate applesauce. (I am all about fruits with antioxidants). I am pleased to report that they all ate them up. Fortunately I made a double batch so I can keep them in the freezer and pull them out when needed.
In fact Connor (my really picky one) ate a really big and healthy dinner. I started my serving him the food I wanted him to eat first. They as he asked for more things I gave them to him one at a time. He ate every bite! He started with 3 mini flax/ginger/apple muffins, handful of blueberries, and 3 grape tomatoes. The he asked for a waffle (Van's wheat free) followed up by a few organic corn chips and a cup of milk. I felt really good about putting him to bed.
Lets see if he eats the meatballs we are planing to serve tonight!

Seriously Picky Eater

Well, I am coming out of the fog from Chemo last week. Treatment number 3 - I am halfway through my 6 treatment and managing fairly well. Anyway my big problem recently is my 3 year old who barely eats anything. Now this is the child who is allergic to wheat, egg, nuts, sesame, pea, banana, and coconut. That is a big list, and at first I thought I would never find anything for him to eat, but I have. There are plenty of options, I have searched for 2 years to find new things for him to eat. I can (and have) make any kid friendly food safe for him. Everything from pizza to mac n cheese and chicken nuggets. I have baked bread, muffins and cookies by the dozen. The problem is 9 times out of 10 he will not even try it! He is even starting to refuse some of the old staples he used to eat, like grilled cheese and organic chicken sausage. Thank goodness for enjoy Life Foods, he does eat their bagels, granola bars, and cookies; along with Van's wheat free waffles and Chex cereal. Forget about vegetables, he will only eat grape tomatoes and a few fruits on a good day. I have gotten him to eat some yogurt and cheese on occasion.
A couple of months ago I started giving him some Pediasure each day just to make sure he was getting is nutrients and some calories. Milk is thankfully not one of our allergies, and he loves it. However, he wants to drink milk all day. You all know how persistent a 3 year old can be when they want something. We are starting to have some serious battles. I would prefer that he eat some food rather than fill up on milk before meals. Tonight he shouted at me "I don't want food! I want milk." Well, he did not get it. My willpower was strong today. I gave him water. He drank it, but refused to eat and fell asleep on the couch without any dinner. (He was exhausted from a play date this afternoon)
I do not want to be fighting with him constantly about eating - the last thing I need is a toddler with an eating disorder. I know they say don't force it, they will eat when they are hungry. But, can you raise a child on breakfast food, fruit and 1 vegetable? The worst part is that I am loosing the incentive to make him any new foods. What is the point when it just ends up in the trash? I have considered seeing a nutritionist, but unless they can get him to actually put the food in his mouth, what is the point? Today I was cutting up fresh pineapple and he would not even lick it. There is just no reasoning.
My other 3 kids were fairly picky, but they did eat at least a small variety of foods and would taste some new things. Nothing like what I am dealing with now. Does anyone else have anything to offer here?

More on Playdough

Well I had to put this on the back burner for a few days. A little case of anemia landed me in the hospital for a blood transfusion. STUPID CANCER. Anyway - thanks to all for your comments. I agree with all of you that I will just supply the class with safe play dough every month. Although I may purchase one of the options that I have found online. It is not cheap - but that is the price we pay to keep our kids safe. If I do choose to make it, I might have a friend whom I trust to make it right take turns. I can even make a double batch to that the other class that shares a room has one too. It was not hard, so I do not know why some of the batches did not come out right.

In the meantime I wanted to share the 2 sources for wheat free- gluten free dough. This first resource was sent to me from kidsfoodallergiesblog.com . It is Colorations® Wheat & Gluten-Free Dough which does not contain the following common allergens: Latex, Dairy & Casein, Egg, Gluten, Peanut & Tree Nut . It looks to be a modeling clay that you can use to mold shapes and leave to harden. I am glad to know about this now. I had looked into purchasing modeling clay for my children from the craft store. However, there are no ingredients listed on the package so I had no way of knowing if it was safe.

Next there is another product from Aroma Dough. As their web site states "ALL products are Gluten Free made with 100% organic, wheat-free rice flour, sodium, water, moisturizing oils, natural aromas (no perfumes). This formula is perfect for children who have special needs such as Autism, Celiac’s Disease, ADD/ADHD, or other allergy related issues. It DOES NOT contain nuts, nut oils, perfumes, soy, dairy products or wheat."

I have purchased this and my kids love it. It like your traditional Play dough, but it is gluten free. It is also scented - each color is a different scent. It has also last us quite a long time. They also sell large buckets of dough for $19.95 that would be an appropriate size for a preschool class. Based on our experience with this dough, I would recommend it.

As I am finishing this post I am leaning toward buying a couple of batches of the Aroma Dough. That will probably be easier and give me better peace of mind.

Playdough Issue

We are having our first allergy issue with school. C's teacher pulled me aside and said that the play dough recipe we were using was not working. I had previously shared a list of recipes for the moms to make safe play dough for the class. I made the first batch and all seemed well until today. I guess some of the dough that they have gotten has been wither too oily or too dry etc. She asked if I could make special dough for Connor and the rest of the class can have regular dough.

I am torn - I do not mind making C's dough at all. I am a bit worried that C will accidentally play with the wheat containing play dough and have a reaction. I am trying to figure out how to handle this. I guess I might need to make the class play dough every month? Or by a big batch of wheat free Aromadough for the class.

Thoughts?

Gluten Free Meatball

Hi all - just wanted to let you know I found a gluten free meatball at Costco the other day. It is made by Coleman Natural Foods and is all natural - no nitrates, growth hormones, or MSG etc. It does contain soy and milk, but NOT egg. We are going to try them this week and I will let you know how they are. Hopefully C. will eat them! If you want to find out more about their products here is the link. http://www.colemannatural.com/

There is no warning about cross contamination due to shared equiptment, but I have not called the company to enquire about their processing practices.

I am here - still managing allergies

Hi There everyone. I know it has been a few weeks. I am here - doing well. I have had chemo treatment and it went very well. I have a few side effects - nausea and fatigue that lasted about 4 days. After that, each day got a little better. I am a little dissapointed that today - exactly 2 weeks after my first treatment, my hair started to fall out. It is a little freaky. It is kind of like when your dog is sheeing and the hair falls out when you pet her. Ick.

Other than that we are gearing up for Halloween. I have volunteered to bring the Halloween treat for both my son's preschool classes. Honestly it is easier than worrying about what someone else may bring. However, since I have become a bit of an allergy maven I felt it necessary to inquire if there were any other allergies in the class so I could make sure it was safe for everyone. There is a milk allergy in the class. Yikes - the ONE allergy we do NOT have. I will figure it out. If I need help - I will be bugging you guys.

I also think I have averted future unsafe cupcake debacles at school for R. It seems that most of the moms bring store bought cupcakes that at labeled processed in a facility that also processes nuts. Who can blame them - we all have enough going on without having to bake cupcakes! To avoid any more situations where R. can not eat the cupcake, I purchased Entenmann's Brownie Bites. (They seem to be safe for peanut allergies) They come prepackaged in the little bags. This way they can be kept in the classroom and not in the freezer. R. is very excited - he can not wait until the next birthday so he can have his special brownies. Problem Solved!

Later

A

Wheat Free Play Dough

It is the custom in our preschool for the mom's to take turns making playdough for the class each month. Since C can not play with traditional playdough made from flour I worked up a plan to keep him safe. Before school started I met with his teachers to review all of his allergy information. At this meeting I brought up the issue and had printed up some wheat free playdough recipies I had found online. I figured that we would pass them out at BTS night. I also decided to volunteer to make playdough for September so I could make sure we got on the right track.




This is the playdough I made - it came out really great. The texture is really nice. I chose a recipie that called for shortening a a little vegetable oil. I thought it would make it more pliable and keep it from drying out. And it did! I ended up emailing all the recipies to the moms and got some really positive replies. I think overall they are really understanding and willing to try and help. It is nice to know that there are still some compassionate people out there. The teacher also asked me to share the recipie with the moms of the 2 day class that shares the room!

Here is the recipie:
2 c. cornstarch
1 c. salt
1 tbsp. shortening
1 1/2 c. water
1/2 tbsp of vegetable oil

Mix and cook over low heat until mixture leaves edge of pan. Knead until smooth. Store in plastic bag or container at room temperature. I added food coloring and kneaded it in while the dough was still warm. I did wear gloves so I did not dye my hands green. Next time I am going to try adding it to the water fiirst.

My Interview w/ 5 Minutes for Mom

Hey check it out I did this interview a while ago and it is now published on this site! Pretty Cool.

A

Thanks for All the Well Wishes

I just want to say a HUGE THANK YOU for all the kind notes of love and support. It really means a lot , even though most of us have never met in person I do feel we have gotten to know each other quite well via the Internet. We are doing well all things considered. Life has been a sea of phone calls, doctor visits, and tests. I do not have the full picture yet (one more test to go) by the middle of next week I will have a course of treatment. Otherwise life has been pretty normal - surprisingly normal. We still had all the BTS nights, soccer, swimming etc. Tonight we hung out with some friends and had pizza and beer.

I am looking to the positive - at the end of this I will have new boobs! Smaller, perky ones too!Who does not want that? I will be checking periodically in and lurking for sure!

A quick school update - it is going really well for both boys. C only had 1 potty accident on the first day. He also loves his Speed Racer lunch box that he uses to take his own snack to school. The teachers have been great. I signed up to make the play dough for the first month , so this Sunday I will be making wheat free play dough. I have a couple of recipes, so we will see what works.

Later -
A

Hug Your Kids

Following is something I wrote a few days ago. We got some really bad news , and I debated how to handle this on the blog. But you know what they say - Happiness shared is doubled, sorrow shared is cut in half. Anyway - here goes:

September 11,2001 - I remember the day 7 years ago. I sat on my bed nursing my newborn daughter and watched, in disbelief, as two airplanes flew into the Twin Towers. The experience left me shocked and numb. I could not understand how or why this was happening. I felt angry because I knew then that our world would never be the same. I was fearful of what was to come. I knew we would go to war, what else could we do? We had been attacked. I was mostly mad that this had happened at all – why did these terrorists feel the need to cause this kind of chaos and destruction? It wasn’t right, it wasn’t fair.

It is now September 11, 2007 – and this morning at the same time there were dedications and moments of silence being held in NY, DC and Pennsylvania, my world was rocked again. I received the news that I have breast cancer. The coincidence in the dates did not hit me until later that night. I just thought another reason for this ominous date to be wiped from the calendar.

This morning I sit in the radiology office waiting to have an MRI. I am trying to process this information, but it is hard. I do not feel like this is really happening to me. I am in task management mode. I need to get tests done and appointments set up to I can see a surgeon. I need to see the surgeon and find out what I am really dealing with. How bad is this going to be?
I am feeling many of the same things I did 7 years ago. Shock – Disbelief – Anger. Why does this have to happen? Once again Sept 11th has rocked my world. I am determined to come through this experience stronger. Seven years ago our nation came together when we were under threat and became stronger. I will do the same. We were simply not going to let them get the better of us - they cannot win. We were dealing with a cancer on our society, in much the same way, now I must deal with a cancer in my body. I know I will have the support of my friends and family to help is through. I cannot let cancer win – I will not.

I am entering a new reality. I am going to war against cancer. I know my world will never be the same. I hope to find a new normal, eventually a better normal. I want my kids to know that we can be strong and overcome anything. I gave my kids extra hugs today.

School Days

School has begun and the related issues for allergic children are beginning again. I have spent the last 10 minutes catching up on my Google alerts, and I am really disturbed by what I am reading.

First a story of a 19 year old high school student who smeared peanut butter on an allergic classmate. Fortunately there was no reaction, but what was he thinking? What kind of person does that? I do not think I will ever understand bullying, I guess this kid was just trying to get off on a power trip. The police are looking into the situation, but the victim did not want to press charges. Why would he? That could just set him up to continue to be a target.

Then a story about a school secretary who resigned from her job due to the schools no nut policy. Apparently they do regular lunchbox checks to make sure that no one brings in any peanut product. (how the school has time to do that I'll never know) Parents feel that it is a hassle, and she is getting a lot of community support towards a petition to change the policy.

Finally a story about a boy who was pulled out of school when students threw rocks at him and said they were peanuts. Apparently the school also has a no nut policy, which is under fire from non allergic parents. This poor kid is under so much pressure because his classmates can not have the treats and food they like because of his peanut allergy. How is a child supposed to learn and thrive in that kind of environment?

It seems like this peanut / no peanut issue is tearing some schools and communities apart. Because of "those parents" that their child can not take their favorite treat to school. Believe me , I sympathise - I know it is a pain to have to read the labels. I do it every day for 9 different allergens! Why are we so focused on the foods we can or can not bring to school. We should be focused on education and nurturing the next generation.

My allergic boys are not in public school yet. so I have not had to deal with this directly. Our schools are not nut free, but they seem to be very nut aware - requesting that food eaten in the classroom (only snack) does not contain peanut products. Peanut products are allowed in the cafeteria, but there is always a buffer around the allergic child of friends who are not eating peanut butter. My daughter and her friends are learning to be considerate of their classmates with peanut allergies.

To be honest, I do not what nuts banned from our school. I do not think it is the best way to handle the situation. Peanuts are also not the only allergen out there. I think it can make our kids targets to ridicule from classmates as well as insensitive parents. Clearly many people don't get it, they never will. They do not want to be bothered with worrying about food allergies because of some other kids. Some people are just like that. We need to teach our kids the skills they need to survive in a world with peanuts and insensitive people.

Getting Ready for School

Like many of you I have been deep into preparation for school the past couple of weeks. K. started second grade last week. It was a great week, she was so happy to be back in school. Her teacher is really nice and the class seems to be quite structured for second grade. K does not have any food allergies so I do not have to fret about that. I did however have to send in a doctors note about her ruptured ear. She had surgery 2 weeks ago to repair the rupture, and can not participate in P.E. or any other physical activity for 3 or 4 more weeks.

The boys are another story. R will begin Jr. Kindergarten in a school that is nut free. I do not worry too much about him. I know the school snacks are safe and I will attend the class parties and field trips to check on what is being served from outside the classroom.

I am a little more concerned about C. His allergies are numerous, and the wheat and egg allergies worry me the most. He will be attending the same school as his brother, just 3 days a week. The school has a great tradition of scheduling home visits for all the students and teachers a week before school. It gives the teachers a great opportunity to meet the child one on one and makes the transition very smooth. It also gives the parents the opportunity to discuss any issues.

Due to C's allergies both his teacher and the assistant came to visit. I think the meeting went very well. C was very shy, but I feel like our allergy conversation went very well. Before the meeting I had sent a note to the school with a list of things I wanted to review. The teachers had a copy of the list so they were prepared with questions as well. They understand the importance that C only eat food that I supply. We agreed that I would send his snack in a lunch box so that he will know to only eat from his special box. I will be attending all the class parties and am happy to make 2 or 3 items for the kids to share. I also had some concerns about craft projects. Normally the mom's volunteer to take turns making play dough every month. C can not play with play dough made from flour. I printed several recipes for play dough that was made from corn starch. They will be distributed to the class. In addition I offered to supply the class with brown rice noodles if needed for art projects. We basically started a positive dialog. I explained that I was willing to help out in any way to help make sure C was safe and that would help the teachers to focus on teaching.

Over all I feel pretty good about the allergy thing. I think I am more worried about the potty thing. C. is newly potty trained (YEAH), but I worry he will forget to go, or be too shy to tell the teacher he needs help. Tomorrow is the open house, and school starts on Tuesday.

What Does the President do?

Kids say the darnedest thing, and ask rather insightful questions. I was reading the paper yesterday when my four year old asked me what I was reading. I told him I was reading about the election, and the people who wanted to be president. Without getting into political views I showed him the pictures of Johna McCain, Sarah Pallin and Barack Obama that happened to be in the paper that day. I explained that it was important to read about all the candidates so we can decide for whom we will vote. He had one simple question - What does the president do? Well I paused a bit, trying to figure out how to put it in terms that a 4 1/2 year old would understand.

What DOES the president do? I am not well studied in government and politics. Those subjects never interested me in school. But when you stop to think about it, just what does the president really do? I replied that the president meets with leaders of other countries to help them. He also tries to help fix problems in our country. If only it were that simple.....

Wow - A Busy Week

What a week! There was a lot going on between C's birthday and getting ready for school. We had a small party for C. at the house. Just a couple of families who also have 3 year old boys , and a couple of neighborhood kids for my older 2 to play with. I am a big theme person when it comes to birthdays. C LOVES trains, so I chose a train theme. Since it was a small party I used Evite for the invitations, but I did customize the invite with an image of a train. I also tend to get obsessive about coordinating goodie bags and the cake. I always make my own cake - except for the time I was 7 months pregnant.

I purposely planned food that would be safe for the kids. I normally do serve wheat products to my older children, when we have other kids running around the house I do not allow anything that could harm C. I would worry that he would eat a stray cracker. We also have a friend who's son has Celiac's disease, so I wanted to have things he could eat too. I held the party from 2 to 4 on a Sunday so I did not have to prepare a meal. Here is what I served:

Corn Tortilla chips (Tostito's now make an ORGANIC yellow corn chip - I am so happy, since C eats a lot of snack food I would at least like it to be organic!)

Salsa

Spinach dip - it did have mayonnaise , but there is no way C would touch it with a 10 foot pole! Served with carrots and corn chips.

Bruschetta for the adults. - I had every intention of making gluten free french bread, but I ran out of time. Since it was just for adults I went ahead and used a store bought baguette. Again, there is no way C. would touch it.

Birthday Cake made from Cherrybrook Kitchens and ice cream.

Assorted adult and kid friendly beverages.

The weather was perfect - sunny and not too hot, so we did end up sitting on the patio for quite a while. We gave everyone a train tattoo when they arrived and had train bubbles to play outside on the deck. I ordered a foam train craft foam Oriental Trading Company, and purchased a "Stick the Number on Thomas Game" the kids had a lot of fun with the activities. The kids were so silly trying to put the number in the right place on Thomas. My husband also set up a large train track in the family room with our wooden Thomas Train track set. After that they were happy to play in the yard and the basement. It really does not take much to entertain 3 and 4 year olds.

The cake was great! It looked fabulous. My mother in law had bought me a great silicone cupcake kit from Wilton.

It is designed like a puzzle to make a train, dump truck, or rocket. It really makes the creative process very easy. This cake was very easy to make - you can decorate using any safe candy that your child likes. I used Skittles and Twizzlers. I hope they make more designs. Perhaps a girl theme?

I debated making some regular cupcake for the adults, but my husband and I tasted the Cherrybrook Kitchens cupcakes and decided they were good for everyone. They are really good straight out of the oven. The next day they are a little dry - but frosting and ice cream can hide that. I did serve chocolate (I do prefer vanilla) which I feel is not as moist. Everyone loved them - you really can not tell that there is no wheat or egg. They were all devoured! I also used the Cherrybrook Kitchens frosting. It is delicious and easy to work with. It spreads smoothly and pipes easily. One thing I did learn, was to use Crisco instead of butter if you want true white frosting. I have read it before, but I think it seems too unappealing - I do not even use it in cookies. The butter gave my frosting a slight yellow tinge, which makes it harder to dye accurately. My blue and greens were not exactly the shade I had hoped for.

I found a great web site for goody bags and supplies. It is Birthday In A Box. All you do is search the site for the theme you want, and they have pre selected goody bags you can order. I was really impressed, for $5.99 per bag I was able to buy a conductors hat, toy train, train whistle, train stickers and super ball. I was impressed with the service (delivery was prompt) and the quality. Since we were having a small party, it was in the budget (and I feel a good value). For a bigger party it might add up - but there is something to be said for convenience too. If you are looking for a birthday resource, check it out.

My Baby is Turning 3

I am not sure if there is any blogging protocol for just checking out. That is where I have been - checked out, unplugged , off the grid , whatever you want to call it. It started with the fact that I had to relinquish my lap top to the geek squad twice. (Cost me $100 but it was worth it. I got cleaned up - more memory - updated anti virus - etc etc.) At first I really missed my PC and Internet connection. Then, when I did get it back I had a hard time motivating my self to get back on line. Now - I have tons of reading and writing to catch up on! If I have committed an offense - my apologies.

Anyway - my baby turns 3 on Thursday. I am conflicted about this. Perhaps this has to do with my recent disconnect - who knows. We have moved him to a boy boy bed and are in the process potty training. One one hand I am sad that we will no longer have a baby. But I am so ready to ditch the diaper pail! Seven years of diapers is enough! I see other families with older kids at the pool. They can actually sit and have a conversation without having to chase a toddler down constantly. It must be nice - it will be nice, someday. I do have a close friend who is about to deliver her first baby, so I guess I can get some baby time in without the breastfeeding and sleepless nights.

In the meantime I am planing a SMALL allergen free train theme birthday party for the weekend. I planned it at 2 pm so I would only have to serve light snacks and cake. Pretty simple. I think I have the cake handled - a la Cherrybrook Kitchens. I will recap the details after the party.

Off Topic - I 've Been Tagged

I am going to go off topic for a bit today. We had a really great weekend - well Saturday really. The day started off at the Divisional Swim Meet where my daughter had her best race ever! She placed first in the 6 and under Freestyle and Backstroke, and qualified to advance to the All Star Meet this Saturday. I was shocked, this is her first year on the swim team and she loves it!

We were able to leave the meet in time to drive out to to one of the local wineries. Every summer they have a Key West Fest with food, face painting , balloon animals and of course a Jimmy Buffett band. we had a great time despite the 95+ degree heat. As I was browsing the local vendor booths, I found an artist who makes beautiful jewelry from sea glass. Really stunning - I wish I could have bought something. She had a quote printed on display from EE Cummings that I really liked "for whatever we lose (like a you or a me) it's always ourselves we find in the sea"

I looked up the poem, I am sure I read it in high school, but it is now one of my favorites.

maggie and milly and molly and may

maggie and milly and molly and may.

went down to the beach (to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang so sweetly

she couldn't remember her troubles,

and milly befriended a stranded star

whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing

which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:

and may came home with a smooth round stone

as small as a world and as large as alone

for whatever we lose (like a you or a me)it's always ourselves we find in the sea

in the sea

e.e. cummings

Now - I was tagged twice (I feel so cool :) by Speedbump Kitchen and the Nut Free Mom - Thanks!!!

SO here are my 6 things:

1. I get up 4 days a week at 5:30 to hit the local park for a boot camp class.

2. I am a Pisces and have always felt a connection to the ocean. It calms me. Thus the poem above.

3. My hobby used to be black and white photography. I may have missed my calling, but I hope to take it up again some day.

4. When channel surfing I will pause on Hannah Montana even if my daughter is not in the room.

5. I Tivo cheesy Bravo reality shows like Flipping Out and Orange County Housewives. I can not avert my eyes from the train werck.

6. I recently discovered that I DO like Margaritas (on the rocks, no salt).

Now for the rules.

Link to the person who tagged you.

Post the rules on the blog.

Write six random things about yourself.

Tag six people at the end of your post.

Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Let the tagger know when your entry is up.
Now - whom to tag, I apologize if you have already been tagged previously.

Maria at Allergy Life in Loudoun

Jennifer at Food Allergy Buzz

Every Day With Food Allergies

Janeen - I just saw that you were already tagged, I'll spare you.

Peanut Free Mama