Dear Ignorant People without Food allergies

Dear Head in the Cloud ,
I am watching your precious little one scarfing down his PB&J sandwich and watching the crumbs hitting the ground. I am horrified because my child who is allergic is playing within the area of danger.. Please don't bring food to the park, the Park is for playing... Not for spreading your child's wonderful lunch all over the slide, monkey bars and swing.. Next time make junior park it in a seat and eat like all people do.. Remind your child their manners and to go wash their hands and not wipe them on every surface possible..

Dear I can do what I want parent,
Hey you seemed pretty cool at the beginning of school, but now your the biggest pain in the butt!! Your the one that pressed the PTA to allow holidays with food, so my child cant go to school the days you have parties because I am afraid for his safety.. Please refrain from bringing your arsenic covered cupcakes and poison cake so maybe my son has a chance at winning the super Santa surprise!! If it where your child, I am sure you would stomp your feet and make the entire world an allergen free place, but for now please put my child into consideration.

Dear Mr pompous windbag,
I love listening to you at the store how my sweet child will outgrow his allergies and that I am being too protective.. How bout this, ill let you play with a bottle of  nitroglycerin as you are trying to walk through a 8 lane highway and hope you make it.. See that is what going out of my house is like, food that can kill my son are all around me and well it is like walking trough a mine field.. No I am not being over protective, I am trying to keep my child alive. As for the advice of him outgrowing them , I know he can , but until his doctor tells me it is safe.. I will assume that stuff is the nastiest and most vile substance known to man

Dearest Parents ( and inlaws),
I know you loved wedding and stuff and you love my kids.. But please don't bring over foods that you know I would not let in my house on a normal basis... I have a reason for not having these items in my house. Please do not bring things you know will possibly hurt my child and please for the love of God do not feed that to them while I am not home... It can kill our precious little one. Please remember I am not trying to take away your fun, I am simply asking that you remember that this is my child and I have rules there for a reason

Dear School Officals,
 I know this will be hard for you to swallow, but so is what will happen to my child if they cannot go to school without the fear of being exposed to their allergen. I am sad that most of you still don't take my child's condition seriously and for that matter I cant understand how hard it would be to take peanuts as it would be to ban the school from having junk food and sodas..  I would love to send them to school to learn just like the rest of the kids their age . My 504 plan is not just because i want to make your lives hard, I want to make sure my child's condition is known and respected!!

Dearest Sweet Old Lady,
Yes I have to read each label!! It is part of my shopping routine.. Yes a daunting and overwhelming and very time consuming task. But to me it is well worth it because I need to make sure that my child is safe!! No I am not being picky and No my child has eaten their fair share of safe candies and other junk.. But at this time I have to make sure that what goes in their mouth or in my home is safe for them. I simply hope that the advice you gave me about relaxing will sink through, because that isn't happening until his numbers drop and I see the light at the end of the tunnel!!

Dear friends,
Please do exclude us when your child or yourself has some sort of party.. we don't want to change what you want for your special day, but if you want us to come , I need to know that I and my child  can party without the worry from my child getting into something!! I do really hope that this will continue our friendship, but if not I am doing what needs to be done with my child and if you cant except me then its obvious i don't need your judgement and or your friendship!!

Dear waiter,
Please don't screw up my order, see unlike the lady across the way that is griping about cold food, I am worried that the chef or you will make my son a toxic concoction from hell. I am hopeful that you will understand and will respect that. I came to relax and not to worry about what will go into my child. I also will tip you nicely if you at least act and do your best to care about how frazzled I am and how tired I am that i have to search every restaurant on Gods green earth to find something that they can eat!!!

Dear judgamental person,
My other children are not suffering from the lack of certain foods, they love their sibling and understand that they cannot have that item because the risks of spreading even the slightest amount of residue onto the allergic one. I know that it doesn't seem fair , but in all fairness there will be plenty of time later once they are out of my house in order to taste and explore other foods that while they where young they could not eat!

Dear everyone,
I hope that you are not one of the people that are blessed with a child that has food allergies, but if you are please remember that the world is not out to get you and that not everyone are cold hearted and hateful.. There is a ton of people with soft heart and willing minds that will make life a safe haven.. Allow time for people to understand and if you are someone that doesn't, take time to do research.. It would feel horrible if you are the cause of someones death and I believe ignorance is truly not bliss!!

HELP ME COOK FOR MY FOOD ALLERGY CHILD!!!

I have been teetering on the edge of insanity trying to cook for my three kiddos without making the same meal.. Life has been a constant alteration and supplementation of what would normally be a walk in the park !!! I cant believe I am going to say this but , I OFFICIALLY HATE COOKING! It has turned into a chore of do and don't. While most moms are pinning the wonderful egg plant parm, I am looking at the ingredients and saying this wont be possible!! I would love to make that wonderful sesame chicken that everyone is having , but my sons RAST score is high enough that I would never introduce those nasty little seeds to him. I used to make my spaghetti with lots of garlic and sometimes the occasional zucchini plant and now garlic has become a no no.. How can I cook for this child if everything is off limits?!

What I Learned as a Metro Mom

Ok so has anyone ever seen that movie "Trading Spaces?"  Ok I know it is a little rough of a movie with some of the scenes and such, but the idea is the same.. Being a Metro mom taught me that being a mom in a big city can be just as nerve racking as your first day of high school. While in a Big city you are surrounded by stores with various fashion, noise, and light!!  It is like fighting in a huge concrete jungle and you and your child are just a ant on the ground. When I had my first two little ones it was like trying to fit in and be a stranger at the same time..  No one in their right mind if they where someone would be without a Bug-a-Boo stroller or Fluer baby bag ( In which i found used and was very happy with). I did a lot of re-sale shops and a lot of consignment shopping so most times my daughter would be in styles that where eaither from the year before or right before the change.. I would be constantly trying to fit in with the trendy moms and the expensive playdate group only to find I was the last one standing ... I was not by any means cool!!!  I soon figured out I was way too crunchy and natural to live in a world where children looked like little dolls and that spending 30 dollars on one outfit was the norm. I am glad that I am now in a smaller city and people let their kids where what they think is fashionable.. Which to me is all that matters.. this place is so much more relaxed and the moms are not as close minded and snooty.. but still I am going to pass on my experiences with being the Metro mom..


What I learned as the Metro mom:

You always have to go out the door with some sort of makeup, Al Natural is not accepted.. If you want to get away with it, clean up yesterdays face and redo and remake that yesterday look

If you have a digital camera, make sure you bring it because most parents are stuck on taking pictures and Posting them on facebook and insta-crap ( i mean instagram)

Having a photographer is cool , try to find one so you can take those cute family moments ( and take up every inch of your house with canvas moments of joy)

You need the mom wagon.. you know what i'm talking about.. maybe through a little spunk in with a Kia  Soul or maybe be a cross over mom, Vans are out!!

Make sure your kids are enrolled in EVERY possible activity that they can get into.. Make sure it is with the most expensive and best company in town!!

Have a nanny or in some cases the one silly chick that will watch your kids so you can go sip on wine while your hubby is too busy in his career to give a crap about your sanity

Make sure your nails look good , you are a mom, not a maid.. your house is martha stuart clean and you shop at Ikea . your house looks fab and so does your clothes

Make sure you by that cute mommy style and make it sexy enough that even the single guys think you are hot!!

Do you get my point?

If you want to be a Metro mom.. you got to be just as plastic and just as fab as the celebrities...

Shame on You JcPenny?

Has any of you seen the add from the back to school commerical of JcPenny if not ill post the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niQSECd1Oag


So after watching the commercial I was surprised to find that the add was not what everyone made it out to be. I was a mom of the Metro area and JcPenny is affordable to most families.. I know If my kids went to school in Dallas it would be a mix of Justice or in most cases for kids Gymboree and or when they where older Abercrombie and Hollister... I know that the term Making it or Breaking it is used too much and in most cases is sooo mis-used in most of daily life. I would like to bring in exhibit A in this case... Me

Mom always had a way to buy me some cute stuff ( or to her it was cute). It was not till I was in 6th grade that my mom let me have control of my outfits and how I dressed.. Most times even when I picked up the popular items I was shot down because it was too expensive, too provocative or too vulgar.  At that time it was sleeveless shirts, extreme tie dyed and swirly patterns and a lot of short mini skirts made popular by Britney spears and Christina A!!!  I tried my best not to be dressed up as the conservative little Bible belt girl as my mom had made me out to be ... It was not flattering for a small chested girl.. it made me look like a boy.. So with new wardrobe ( made to be cool , but conservative) , I went to my first day at 6th grade.. Even with name brand I was the laughing stalk of the group.. I was still too uncool from them and ended up being the bullied kid..

See the thing is no matter what you dress in and no matter the cost, someone somewhere will always have a better outfit, a cooler fashion or something better than you and even if you go and buy it after, someone made it cool before you did and you are a long for the ride.. So the advice for those Kids now days trying to " make it or break it"  ... Let your mind be your guide.. If it looks good to you then dress in it.. Try to have fun and most of all remind you that fashion and clothes don't make who you are, its how you make you!!

Getting ready to Let Go...

" Ugh I knew this day would come.. I'm pacing the floor at the Store and watching her get ready.. First the perfect outfit.. then the perfect shoes and then.. WAIT!!!!!! She isn't that old yet!!!! I cant be looking at a big girl... it isn't possible.. She is still a BABY!!!!"

6 years ago I was holding 4 month old baby girl... I was cooing at her, staying up all night because she had GERD and having to fix countless bottles ( since my milk dried up) and dreaming about this day.  I am thinking about the day she walks to a big yellow school bus waving at me as she goes off into the world.. the one thing I am trying to protect her from..  I dream about nights of homework and nights of staying up her when her heart is broke from a little boy who she likes.. It seems like its too soon in my head.. This little girl is growing up... She no longer wants mommy to play baby dolls.. she would rather get dressed on her own and walk across the street.. We used to read goodnight moon and now we read about history and places far from home.  I am heartbroken because it is one more step to her going to college and then leaving me forever. I have already took her shopping and got that perfect set of shoes and the perfect little backpack with the princesses. She is all ready to take off to the bus and go meet her teacher.. I am blessed that I can share this moment with her!! I am glad that I can work with her on the numbers and letters. I am glad i can teach her how to tie her shoes.. I am blessed to be her mother becuase , honestly I am just blessed to be given such a gift from God...

Now when I lay my head on my pillow tonight I will dream about my daughters first prom and going to get that perfect dress on her wedding day.. I know.. I know.. to soon.. But if 6 years went this fast how fast will the next? Will  I be looking at a woman instead of a girl soon? Will I be just as exited about the next first as all the others... Will she still love me like she loves me now? I guess in the next 12 years ill know.. Because then she is her own person!!

 Until that Day , to the yellow bus we will go!!!


A mom's goodnight poem:

Now I lay me down to sleep
Kids are asleep and havent made a peep
lunches are made and ready to eat

 And if my alarm goes off after I wake
I may have time to pack their cake

I watching my clock and listen to the
husband snore , I cant stand the noisy dog
next door

So in the night , I wake and turn off the lights
and dream of the day
that they grow up and move
away

I go in and kiss thier head and
pray that they will learn their
way 

That they will achieve and dream
and become what they want and
do wonderful things

Now I lay me down to sleep
I close my eyes and try to dream
and hope to sleep before the alarm
again screams...