Strawberry sweetness

A beautiful, vibrant rainbow greeted us yesterday morning when we looked out the kitchen window. My 3-year-old daughter Pamela was especially excited to see the colorful wonder. I couldn't help but hope the special sighting signified promise for our day.

But as the rainbow faded and more rain sprinkles showered our neighborhood, our hope for strawberry picking later in the morning dimmed. Pamela put on her "strawberry" dress anyway, perhaps drawing hope from the rainbow that we would be bringing home buckets of strawberries before the day was over. It's always good to follow the lead of a young child with dreams and determination. Her middle name is Hope, after all.

We didn't get to the strawberry patch in the morning. Instead we took Joseph to the allergist for his immunotherapy shots for several environmental allergies. I was happy to cross the errand off of our list for the week, but I should have remembered that those shots also exemplify hope. Hope that someday Joseph, 8, will be desensitized to at least some of those allergies that induce asthma attacks and contact reactions. I've already seen improvement in him after more than a year of receiving the treatment. Those shots also spur hope that the immunotherapy treatments currently being studied for food allergies could also someday help my son, who is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, milk, egg, soy, sesame and mustard.

I still wasn't too hopeful that we'd get strawberries when we left for story time yesterday afternoon. But as I wrote recently, a visit to the library always brings smiles. When we left the library after yet another fun story time, the sun was shining and we finally headed to DJ's Berry Patch to pick strawberries.

Joseph and Pamela were so excited to carry their buckets into the field and start filling them with bright red strawberries. Of course, they tasted a few upon picking them to make sure they were just as sweet and juicy as they looked. Pamela loved the tiny strawberries and said they looked like little lights when she picked one with the skinny stem so it swung in her hand like a tiny fairy light. Joseph liked the cool-shaped strawberries that almost looked like little, chubby hands. Both couldn't wait to get home to sink their teeth into more of their juicy haul and had lots of ideas about what we should make first.

First, we just enjoyed the strawberries as they were – delightfully sweet in their own right. Then, we had some chocolate-covered strawberries using melted Enjoy Life Mega Chunks. Today, we made deliciously creamy, dairy-free strawberry ice cream. I also made a batch of strawberry jam for us to enjoy tomorrow on warm bread (King Arthur Flour gluten-free bread mix) that I will bake in the morning with Pamela, my willing assistant. I have fond memories of enjoying my grandparents' homemade strawberry jam as a child. They made and preserved fabulous jam each season, including peach, plum, marmalade and strawberry, which always had a way of bringing me comfort. I make an extremely simple jam recipe – there is no pectin or sealing jars with wax for me. This method works for my low patience level, yet still provides a comforting, sweet addition to our meals.

We still have a bucket of strawberries left from our picking to enjoy. Joseph has requested strawberry shortcake. We made Cybele Pascal's recipe for strawberry shortcake from her Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook last weekend and it was a big hit. But perhaps we will make her allergy-free strawberry cupcakes for tomorrow's strawberry treat.

I am thrilled that such a simple food is so sweet and healthy in itself. It is even more exciting for my kids that there are so many yummy treats we can create with the juicy fruit that are allergy friendly. Even better is the joy I had spending some time in a strawberry patch with two kids who were happy as could be because of a field of fruit. Red has been a prevalent color on my children's faces for us since seeing that rainbow yesterday. I'm so glad that my daughter's hope that was reflected in that rainbow was fulfilled. 

Love of the library

I admit I was not a happy camper this afternoon when I pulled out of the driveway with my two kids strapped in their seats in the back of the car. My miserable cold was making me, well, miserable, with absolutely no sympathy from my son and daughter. Though, I've made it clear that I'm sick of going through boxes of tissues and clinging to mugs of hot tea, one child wouldn't put on her jacket and the other had to be reminded again to bring the library bag with him to the car – little things that can sometimes irk this mom. But there was hope. I knew that in only 4 minutes I would find relief because I would be walking through the doors of one of my favorite places – West Regional Library.

In honor of National Library Week, I'm happy to say that I have always loved the library. There is something about being surrounded by books that is like a salve. Bookshelves and baskets overflowing with books fill my home and I'm only happy with a couple books and my Kindle on my bedside table. If I'm in a great mood when I go to the library, the prospect of meeting new characters or becoming reacquainted with old favorites, finding new adventures and learning more information makes me even happier. When I'm not in such a great mood, like today, my negativity seems to dissipate as soon as I walk into the home of thousands of stories.

Books have inspired for as long as I can remember. Whether I was listening to stories at home and during story time at the Northport-East Northport Public Library, using a flashlight to read in the backseat of my parents' car during evening rides home from my grandparents' house or working at the library while I was in high school, books played an integral role in my life. The library has changed since I was a kid. I order books through the library's online catalog so they are waiting for me to pick up, I check out books using the library card on my key ring and computers fill large areas of the building. But the joy that comes from perusing the shelves and jumping into adventures from around the world remains.

My kids love going to the library, too. Joseph, 8, is a voracious reader, who loves going to check out stories and page through nonfiction books. He recently was thrilled to attend a writing workshop, during which an author provided tips on crafting a story. Joseph also got to hone is Scrabble skills at the library thanks to the kindness of a 14-year-old Scrabble whiz I wrote about for The Cary News. When Erik Salgado heard that my son enjoys playing the board game, he offered to share some tips. Joseph was so excited when Erik, who won the National School Scrabble Championship this week with Andy Hoang, and his mom spent a couple of hours with Joseph in a study room at the library teaching him the ins and outs of the game. We even caught a showing of "Kung Fu Panda 2" on the library's big screen. These opportunities are all free and free of food.

Because there is no food or drink allowed, the library is a place where Joseph, who is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, milk, egg, soy, sesame and mustard, feels safe. He doesn't spend his time looking over his shoulders to make sure no one is eating ice cream or peanut butter sandwiches near him. Sure our love of the library has been tested over the years. For example, when Joseph was younger the kids munching on cheesy fish-shaped crackers (which inevitably made it onto the floor) during story time made him uncomfortable. When I mentioned the issue at the library we now frequent to prevent cheesy crumbs inhibiting our fun when Joseph comes with us to Pamela's story time, they nicely announced it at the start of story time and we've not had any food issues at this library. He's also had to stop reading a few books because his eyes got itchy or he had an asthma flare-up while reading them. Yes, the fact that library books can accumulate dust or go in homes with pets and other various allergens can pose a risk for Joseph. As always, we are prepared to deal with the risks Joseph's allergies pose. But for the most part, his library experiences have been fantastic. And those books that do cause issues are simply returned to the library and replaced with other adventures for Joseph to jump into.

Today, story time helped wash away the last of my bad mood.  I couldn't help but smile as soon as Pamela, 3, and the other kids stood up to sing about gardening and pretend to dig. Although there is no registration required, the weekly 25-minute gathering where preschoolers can enjoy books, music and flannel board stories is on our calendar just like ballet, tennis and all of our other activities. Each week, Pamela listens intently to Miss Sue and participates in all of the interactive fun. Today, she was excited to hold up a picture of a bunny with the number 8 on it when her number came up during the reading of "10 Hungry Rabbits" by Anita Lobel. After story time, she enjoys selecting books then claiming a spot on our favorite funky red bench to discover new stories.

As we packed our extremely worn library bag full of new selections today, my love for the library was once again reaffirmed. As the three of us walked out into the windy day, we talked about which books we would read first and of course, how soon we would return.

Filling our baskets with fun

Little hands were reaching into the box as soon as I opened it, grabbing for the cute little Easter-theme bags of colorful Gimbal's jelly beans. Pamela yelled out, "Pink, pink!" as she clutched a bag featuring the pink confections, while Joseph quickly found the bag full of flavors for honey lovers. Immediately, I started wondering if the jelly beans' arrival last week meant there would be none left for Easter.

My son Joseph, who is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, milk, egg, soy, sesame and mustard, was thrilled to enjoy jelly beans just like so many others during the Easter season when we were introduced to allergen-friendly Gimbal's jelly beans last year. We can find bags of them at the local Wal-Mart, but when I saw the specialty packs for Easter and other varieties on the company website, I couldn't resist making an order. Our Easter desserts will be more festive with the pastel jelly beans and sour bunnies.

Our kitchen is showing signs of Easter's approach this week. My daughter Pamela had fun making Easter cookie shapes and pressing jelly beans into the frosting. Next, we plan to turn red velvet cupcakes (using our favorite recipe by Cybele Pascal) into mini Easter baskets with jelly beans and sour bunny in the middle of the frosting. Then we will place each cupcake into an Easter basket cupcake collar. Chocolate-covered strawberries and homemade chocolate eggs featuring melted Enjoy Life Mega Chunks also will make it onto our Easter celebration menu. Both kids enjoy deciding what desserts to make for the holiday so that the unsafe confections that abound on Easter are not missed.

While we make lots of safe treats to celebrate the holiday, a majority of the enjoyment is without food. Even just hopping around like bunnies, elicits giggles. They both had a blast over the weekend collecting eggs filled with trinkets at the NC FACES (Food Allergic Children Excelling Safely) annual food-free Easter egg hunt over the weekend. They both were thrilled to run through the field, baskets waving in their hands as they hurried to pick up their eggs. No surprise that Pamela grabbed mostly pink and purple eggs, while Joseph leaned toward the orange and yellow hues. It is such a pleasure to watch them happily open each egg to discover something new, such as a rainbow-colored ball, sparkly pink ring or bottle of bubbles, without a worry that a deadly piece of candy will pop out with the potential to ruin their fun outing. Instead of candy, the Easter bunny hides baskets in our house that are full of toys, books and other trinkets. Joseph is hoping the bunny will hop on over with a set of Hexbugs, while Pamela hopes the furry friend will grant her wish for a swimming doll.

The wood eggs the kids color each year also help us safely enjoy the Easter tradition of coloring eggs. Joseph and Pamela loved painting their eggs last week and we continue to admire their handiwork, featuring colorful swirls and polka-dots. Their creative juices will continue to flow this week with more crafts and fun school activities, including those plastic eggs and several printables featuring Easter and spring themes. For example, 2 Teaching Mommies provides an Easter symbol set of printables that features adorable little chicks and bunnies that Pamela has enjoyed using for patterns, counting and letter sorting. Both of my children love playing the roll and graph game that has them cheering to see if the chick, the bunny or even an egg will have the most rolls to make it to the top of the graph first.

I hope Easter day is as enjoyable for my kids as the week leading up to it has been. Now, if only I could make sure my little bunnies don't hop off with too many jelly beans during the next few days before Easter. 

A bit of Irish fun

My Irish eyes were smilin' today. As I watched my kids, donned in various shades of green, bite into their green-frosted, chocolate cupcakes I reflected on a fun St. Patrick's Day. We didn't go to any big events, but we did activities at home to celebrate and pay homage to the Irish part of our heritage.

We started our day with green waffles (Cherrybrook Kitchen Gluten Free Dreams Pancake & Waffle mix) with a side of fresh strawberries, just before the kids discovered the shamrock trail a leprechaun made after he escaped from our leprechaun trap. At least that sneaky little Irish fella left coin-filled "golden" pots behind in the trap.

Leprechauns, rainbows and shamrocks colored our little world today. Pamela and I baked the yummy cupcakes (King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake Mix) — of course, Joseph made sure he taste-tested the batter. We played various games, (such as "Roll a leprechaun") did a rainbow science experiment and used a green pepper to make shamrock paintings. Both Joseph and Pamela enjoyed the rainbow shamrock treasure hunt the best (a great printable from The Crafting Chicks) They had fun reading the instructions on each colored shamrock and then finding the treasure — a green bucket filled with trinkets, such as bubble pens, pencils, lollipops and punch balloons. For dinner, I made a family favorite – shepherd's pie, using the pie crust recipe from Cybele Pascal's Allergen-Friendly Baker's Handbook. I thought about dying the mashed potatoes green for the shepherd's pie. But when I remembered how grossed out everyone was when I tried that a previous year, I placed a shamrock cookie cutter on top of the pie to give it more of an "Irish" feel.

As Pamela was starting to hide the twinkle in her eyes for the night, she was ready to hop to the next holiday. "When are we going to paint the eggs for Easter, Mama?" Both of my kids are so excited to paint the white, wooden eggs we get each Easter from Oriental Trading. I love them because they give my food-allergic son a chance to safely enjoy the tradition of coloring eggs. But also, I enjoy adding them to our growing collection of colorful egg creations each year. Indeed the wooden eggs we will paint for Easter arrived this week, along with the prize-filled eggs we will contribute to the annual food-free Easter egg hunt our local support group NC FACES (Food Allergic Children Excelling Safely) will host next weekend. Easter can be dicey for food-allergic kids, who might feel like they have to be as sly as leprechauns to escape the chocolate bunnies, peanut butter candies and yes, eggs, that seem ubiquitous this time of year. That is why we are thankful to skip the candy-filled egg hunts and enjoy an afternoon searching through a park for brightly colored eggs filled with trinkets — not food.    

Not once during any of our activities or meals today did Joseph worry or feel bad about his food allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, milk, egg, soy, sesame and mustard. Instead he enjoyed the many fun holiday activities that can be done without food. Plus, we are blessed to have many safe food options to make that we didn't have to count on Irish luck for our family to enjoy yummy meals.

Sweet holiday demands yield full bellies

Joseph is happy to have a full cookie jar!

"Empty." That is what the sign on our snowman cookie jar has read since we took it out with all of the other Christmas decorations during Thanksgiving weekend. Each day, the lonely snowman has stared at me from its perch on the kitchen bar, silently urging me to add some sweet treats. My kids, however, have not been so silent.

It's not like they are lacking for sugar. After all, we just enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast free of peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, milk, egg, soy, sesame and mustard — all of the allergens to which my son is allergic. Joseph, 8, and Pamela, 3, helped me make turkey-shaped sugar cookies, pumpkin pie and a turkey-shaped red velvet cake (I used my favorite recipe for Red Velvet Cake with Velvet Frosting from Cybele Pascal) for the meal. Though it was yummy, the cake provided some entertainment when its head fell off seemingly in slow motion as I set the cake on the table. Just a couple of days ago, we were enjoying the last of the Thanksgiving bounty with the turkey noodle soup I made using the carcass I had frozen from the Thanksgiving bird and we made yummy pumpkin, chocolate-chunk muffins to go with it. (I add Enjoy Life Mega Chunks to the pumpkin-apple muffin recipe in the "The Food Allergy News Holiday Cookbook").

But Christmas treats provide a different kind of pleasure. My kids have been poring over the big stack of cookbooks and Christmas baking magazines that we consult each year, and analyzing last year's Christmas Eve menu to decide what to bake this year. For example, Cybele Pascal's recipe for chocolate thumbprint cookies that were featured in Living Without magazine in December 2009, were a big hit and certainly will make a return for this year's Christmas Eve dessert-fest. Joseph and Pamela reminisce about favorite treats from years past, and then they start asking which dessert we would bake first, and of course, "Can we bake now?"

Pamela agrees the orange cookies are delicious.

Much to everyone's relief, I could finally give in to my children's sugarcoated demands. Yesterday, we decided to bake a cookie we hadn't tried yet. We all agreed that the "Orange These Delicious? Cookies" from Enjoy Life's "Cookies for Everyone!" cookbook were delicious. We freeze half of each batch we make to serve on Christmas Eve or to take out as needed for holiday events. We get to turn the snowman's sign to "Full" and enjoy the rest of the cookies until it's time to taste the next batch. Next, we will be making sugar cookies in lots of Christmas shapes.

The tasty Christmas treats are just one part of our holiday cheer. I have always loved this magical season and enjoy it even more as my husband and I experience it with our children. Both children love looking at all of the special ornaments that grace our Christmas tree, delight in the stories they pull each day from our huge basket of Christmas books, excitedly dance to yuletide tunes, enjoy watching the holiday specials, and look forward to their advent prize each day as they countdown to the big day. I think all of those experiences make the Christmas goodies taste even better, plus it is a joy to create smiles by making those Christmas confections.

Now, back to baking. I don't want to see that "Empty" sign on my snowman again!

To get a flu shot, or not

Well, we tried. I took Joseph to his allergist yesterday morning to get a scratch test for the flu vaccine and possibly the flu shot for the first time in his 8 years of life. My chest has been tight with worry and I've been quicker to snap at family members since I made the appointment a week ago. I was concerned about the possibility of Joseph having a life-threatening reaction if he received the vaccine, yet also worried about yet another stressful flu season for my asthmatic son if he couldn't receive the vaccine's protection.

When talk of the flu begins each season, I can feel the anxiety building. I had never considered getting a flu vaccine for Joseph because he is allergic to egg, along with peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, milk and soy. Of course, as an asthmatic he unfortunately also is in the high-risk group for complications from the flu. My husband, 3-year-old daughter and I each receive the flu vaccine to try to provide some protection for him each year. But for the past few years, both children have had rough winters with the flu and other respiratory viruses.

This year's venture into the land of flu shots was based on the latest recommendation from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) that many people with egg allergy could safely receive the seasonal vaccine. I read the recommendation and many people's stories about successfully getting the flu shot even with an egg allergy. But, with all we do to ensure Joseph avoids all of the allergens that threaten his life, it freaked me out to think about letting something that contains egg be injected into his body. So, after his allergist suggested we try it out with certain precautions, I turned to my local support group NC FACES (Food Allergic Children Excelling Safely) for a bit more advice. As always, they delivered. It was because of their tips and support that I was able to walk into that office yesterday, knowing that it could be a rough visit either way.

The plan was that if Joseph didn't react to the scratch test, he would get 10 percent of the vaccine and then the other 90 percent if he didn't react from the first part of the dose, as recommended by the CDC. Because he hadn't had his food allergies tested in more than a year, the nurse did a scratch test for several foods and the flu vaccine. As Joseph lay on his stomach, playing his Nintendo DSi, I watched the hives develop. This is nothing new for us. I'm used to watching big hives grow on Joseph's back during allergy testing. He's used to it, too, and never complains about how bad his back itches during the 15 minutes the allergens are creating an itchy design on his back. But this time, I was looking for a specific result to see if he could receive the vaccine.

The flu vaccine spot wasn't a huge hive like the spot with egg and the other spots with Joseph's known allergens, but it also wasn't a completely negative reaction. Joseph's doctor decided that the flu vaccine would be too risky in light of the scratch test results.

Joseph smiled and jumped off of the exam table, ready to head to the lab for his blood work. He was happy not to get the flu shot. He wasn't worried about the needle since he receives regular immunotherapy shots for his environmental allergies, but he, too, had been a bit worried about how his body would react to the vaccine. I was partly relieved about not dealing with a potential reaction. But the tightness in my chest did not go away as quickly as I had expected after the appointment. After all, my asthmatic son is still facing a long flu season. 

But both of my kids are healthy right now and they are excited about the fun things going on in their lives. Joseph played a great tennis match tonight and both kids can't wait to put on their costumes tomorrow to attend a fun Halloween party hosted by NC FACES. My Harry Potter and fairy princess will get to parade through the park, make a craft and trick-or-treat for food-free prizes. I plan to enjoy an event that is safe for my food-allergic child, while that anxiety in my chest dissipates even more.

Event is more than a walk in the park

My family and I will soon be taking steps toward finding a cure for food allergies. On Nov. 5, we will be lacing up our walking shoes so that one day my 8-year-old son Joseph and an estimated 15 million Americans, including about 6 million other children like him, might be able to live a life free from the danger of dying from the ingestion of one speck of food. The morning we spend taking a pleasant fall walk with our team Nuttin' We Can't Overcome will contribute to research that could find a way to protect my son from an anaphylactic reaction. Currently, the only protection is avoidance of seemingly ubiquitous allergens and, should a reaction occur, a lifesaving epinephrine auto-injector.

The money raised during the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) Walk for Food Allergy will be used to fund education, advocacy, research and awareness efforts. We are lucky to live in an area where some of the groundbreaking research is happening. Joseph and I recently had the privilege of attending a talk by Wesley Burks, MD, Kiser-Arena professor of pediatrics and chief of the Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at Duke University Medical Center. Joseph was excited to attend a grownup presentation by a leading food allergy scientist.

Burks outlined the research scientists are exploring, such as oral immunotherapy, sublingual immunotherapy and the Chinese herbs FAHF-2. Joseph, who is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, milk, egg and soy, conscientiously wrote down some of the scientific words with a note to "look up later." But while he didn't understand all of the scientific terms, he did understand that there are several intelligent scientists working hard to help make his world safer.

The statistic that stuck with Joseph the most after the presentation at Duke was the fact that there has been an 18 percent increase in the prevalence of children with food allergies from 1997 to 2007 (Branum, 2009 Pediatrics). He said, "Wow, that's a lot more people like me." Food-allergic kids like Joseph latch on to those kinds of statistics because they so often feel isolated and find comfort knowing that there are other people like them. It helps for Joseph to see proof that he is not the only kid who can't eat at a pizzeria, sample Halloween candy while trick-or-treating or taste a free cookie from the bakery. When we participate in the FAAN Walk for Food Allergy, Joseph gets to see that proof by the hundreds.

Joseph gets to be part of a fun event with other kids, who have food allergies, just like him. He gets to experience the camaraderie of a group of wonderful kids, who just happen to have food allergies. Those kids get to feel special while hundreds of people clap for them, knowing that everyone is there to support them. I'm thankful for the wonderful members of our local support group NC FACES (Food Allergic Children Excelling Safely), who make this event a success. Our family is excited to walk because we know we are contributing to something that could help our son and millions more, and we are thrilled to help give him the special kind of comfort and joy the walk gives him on that day.

After 31 of 43 walks throughout the United States, the FAAN Walk for Food Allergy is more than halfway to its fundraising goal of $3 million. I am proud to be a small part of this effort. Will you be participating in your city? What part of the walk is most special to you?