We had a Crack'n Win Chinese New Year with Kinder Surprise | #kindermom

As a #Kindermom I love seeing the delight on my boys faces when I pull out a Kinder Egg as a special treat or reward and watching my boys share them with others just fills me with pride. I know sharing is supposed to be an inherent trait, but in reality, sometimes its just hard to share all the goodness that is a Kinder Egg.

By a strange twist of circumstances, my boys and I found ourselves in Vancouver for Chinese New Year this past week. Although we were exhausted from the four hour drive from Kamloops, both boys were getting over the flu and Simba proceeded to be carsick all over me as soon as we arrived, we had a great time.

We ate good food and exchanged lucky money and THIS time when everyone pulled out treats (most of which are not safe for Bolt to eat), I pulled out two boxes of #peanutfree Kinder Surprise Eggs and sent my boys to do the rounds. It's amazing how easily Kinder Surprise can cross age gaps; the little ones love them, the teenage girls loved them and the adults, well we happily devoured ours too.

And as we all enjoyed our full tummies and sugar buzzes, we immediately had entertainment for the rapidly fading children. They loved their little animals, cars, puzzles, spirographs and bracelets and suddenly spending another half an hour together seemed totally feasible.

And the three teenage girls in attendance were the ones most excited about the Kinder Crack'nWin Campaign. All the specially marked Crack'n Win Kinder surprises have a PIN that can be entered onto the Kinder Website for a chance to win some great prizes.  There's a Fiat 500 POP!, two family trips to Orlando, over 27,000 family movie nights and 201,000 free Kinder Treats all up to grabs.

Maybe its your turn to be lucky.
Have you entered a PIN to see if you're a winner yet?

“Disclosure: I’m part of the Kinder® Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group.  The opinions on this blog are my own”

Angry Bird Costume and a Peanut-Free Halloween

This is the first year the boy understands what Halloween and trick or treating really means. In fact, at three and a half, its probably the first year that he's even understood the word 'candy'. That means that this year is going to be way more fun, involve way more sugar and probably involve just as many, if not more, catastrophic meltdowns.

Without asking for his opinion, inspired by Pinterest (of course), I decided to make the boy an Angry Birds costume, based on a sweatshirt that I've made it him before. The idea being that it would have a similar feel and fit in the hopes that he would be eager to wear it. I just finished it today and now that its stuffed, its doesn't exactly resemble his other sweatshirt, but I did get him to put it on, for at least a moment.

Getting him to wear his costume however, is the least of my worries.  Much higher on my priority list is watching out for peanuts and potential peanut contamination. I have this fear that the boy is going to grab a candy out of his bag, somehow get it open and eat something delicious and equally deadly like a peanut butter cup before an adult can stop him.

Fortunately, the good folks at Nestle sent me one of their Red Peanut Free boxes of Halloween sized candy that I can allow my boy to eat without worrying. I've already purchased a second box that I'll be using for 'tradsies' with the boy when we sort through his candy; although not dairy free, the red box includes Aero bars, which are a safe treat for those of us living the gluten-free life.

Thanks to Yummy Mummy Club Founder Erica Ehm, Vancouver mom's everywhere will be making Halloween safe for allergic kids. If you're purchasing peanut-free treats, place the box in your window and let Mom's like me know that your treats are safe for their special little person!

Nuts are NOT toys | a Momma Bear's plea

I believe in a mother’s instinct to protect her children; I belive that there are no limitations to the lengths a parent will go to ensure the safety of their child. Fortunately, for most of us, the moments when our Momma Bear must emerge are far and few between, however, when your child has a life-threatening allergy, the Momma Bear never gets a chance to hibernate.  When we discovered the boy was allergic to peanuts, we had to sort through out cupboards and reread the labels of products we’d been eating for years.

It’s difficult to decide where to draw the line with regard to the foods you allow your child to eat.  The allergist determined that the boy had no reaction to any other nuts, including tree nuts so we made the decision not to feed him, or keep in our home, any products that ‘may contain traces of peanuts’.  This is especially difficult for our family as many gluten-free products contain or are manufactured in facilities that process nuts. Fortuantely, as parents of an allergic child we are acutely aware of the food we buy and feed our children and our home is a location that we can control.

Public spaces on the other hand, can become a parent’s nightmare in a matter of moments.

Case and point, we were recently enjoying the summer weather at our local park with the boys; there is a fountain that drains down and around a small hill to a gate that traps the water, but can be released by the children. My boys, and almost all the other children, love to chase their ‘boats’ as they float down the river and open the gate.  We’ve seen ‘boats’ in a number of forms and on this particular day some older boys (probably around 7) were chasing leaves down the river.  Our boys were playing happily and the hubs and I were enjoying the peace and sunshine until suddenly the hubs noticed that the leaves had been replaced with nuts and shells.

We raced up to the boy and quickly explained to him that the other kids were playing with nuts and reminded him that he was very allergic.  We explained that we had to go home immediately because if he touched them, he might end up at the hospital. I felt awful cutting his playtime short so abruptly, and he was a upset for a few moments, but without doubt, keeping him safe is far more important than preventing a few tears of frustration.

As a parent, an aunt and a sister of individuals with life-threatening nut allergies, I know that I am hypersensitive and acutely aware of the presence of nuts in public places. For those of you who are not directly affected, its easy to forget that some people need not ingest their allergen in order to have an anaphylactic reaction. For my boy, touching a peanut butter sandwich crust resulted in two shots of epinephrine, a shot of steroids and a week of benadryl. I have a friend whose daughter had a reaction just from being in the vicinity of a peanut butter sandwich on a family outing.

If your child had a life-threatening allergy, how far would you go to keep him safe?

Nuts are a great source of nutrition for those that can ingest them and I wish that I could feed them to my children, but I can't.  If your child eats nuts, please take the time to teach them that nuts are not toys. If your children consume a snack that contains nuts in a public space, keep the snack localized and ensure you take a few moments and do a proper cleanup.  Simply washing hands, wiping tables, chairs or any other public items that may have been contaminated (even using just a baby wipe) can go a long way to keep an allergic child safe and healthy.

Please Momma Bear, won’t you help me protect my cubs?

A little treat, Chapman's Sorbet | lactose free, gluten-free, peanut-nut free

The hubs and the boy went camping today and they probably won't be home until Tuesday, possibly Wednesday. Although I will miss my big boys, I'm super excited to have four days of one on one time (minus working of course) with my littlest man.

Now that I have him on his own, I'm trying to find special little moments that we can share, but it seems that even ordinary activities are a completely new experience when its just the baby.

I've been craving ice cream lately, so I was super excited to discover that Chapman's Sorbet can meet my entire family's allergy needs. I read the label over three times before I realized that the front label stated that it is lactose free, gluten free and peanut-nut free. Amazing, an allergen-friendly product that I can buy at my regular grocery store and at $7.50 for a 2L the price is comparable to ice cream.

Orange is not my favourite flavour and apparently I'm not the only one; there was exactly zero of the neopolatin flavour and an entire row of the orange. I obviously bought it anyway, the texture is great and it tastes delicious.

Seriously, I'm on my third (little) bowl since I bought it this afternoon. The baby wasn't exactly sure what he thought of it, but I sure had fun watching him test it out.

This post is not sponsored, all opinions are my own.

Baking Soothes My Soul: Oat Fudge Bar Recipe | gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free

From the time I was in grade 5 right through my high school years you could almost always find me baking cookies on a Friday afternoon.  I rarely ate them, but I loved making them.  Baking is cathartic for me, I think the creativity clears me both emotionally and physically.  After my last few weeks taking care of a sick family, the urge to bake was strong.

In fact I even made oatmeal raisin cookies using whole wheat flour when I was visiting at my mom's house. Since I couldn't enjoy them, I still felt the need to bake something delicious.  And since I'm so tired, exhausted and craving chocolate, I opted to bake some ooey gooey gluten-free goodness.

These oat fudge bars are an adaptation from one of my favourite cookie and bars cookbooks and are in no way healthy, unless of course you count the fact that they contain oats.  They take a little bit of time to make because you have to make your own dairy-free sweetened condensed milk but its totally worth the effort; if your family tolerates dairy, feel free to substitute a can and speed things up.  This recipe make a huge 9x13 pan and I suspect that you could easily halve the recipe and bake it in an 8x8 pan.  Personally, I've just been eating a bit every time I walk by the pan and they don't seem to be getting stale any faster than I can eat them.

Be forewarned, these bars are delicious, addictive and not-so-good for you.  I hope you like them as much as I do.

Oat Fudge Bars

(gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free)
Adapted from 500 best Cookies, Bars & Squares by Esther Brody 

 BASE Ingredients:

• 3 cups gluten-free oats (quick cooking if you can find them)
• 2.5 cups gluten-free flour mix*
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp xantham gum
• 1 cup shortening + 2 tbsp water
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla

TOPPING Ingredients:

• 3 cups rice milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 2 Tbsp shortening
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla 

Directions

1. Mix rice milk and sugar in a medium saucepan and boil, stirring frequently until the liquid is reduced by 1/3. (You should have about 2 cups after reduction).
2. Preheat oven to 350 F and grease a 9x13 pan.
3. While the milk is reducing, in a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, gluten-free flour mix, baking soda, salt and xantham gum.  Set aside. 
4. In a separate bowl beat the shortening, water and brown sugar until smooth and creamy.  
5. Add eggs, one at a time and beat until well incorporated.  
6. Stir in the vanilla.
7. Add dry ingredients to the wet and mix well.
8. Press 2/3 of the oat mix into the prepared pan.
9. Once your milk has reduced (it will be thin), scoop approximately 1/4 cup into a small bowl.  Add the cornstarch, blending well before mixing back into the hot milk. 
10. Try and allow the mixture to cool slightly before adding the chocolate chips, shortening and salt.  Stir until smooth then mix in the vanilla.  (You can warm the mixture over low heat if your milk isn't already hot.)
11. Pour chocolate over the prepared base.
12. Crumble reserved base over the chocolate layer.
13. Bake 35-45minutes until the edges are golden and the centre appears nearly set.
14. Cool pan completely on a wire rack before cutting into bars.
15. Enjoy.  

Gluten-Free Flour Mix
(adapted from Living Without's 'Mary's All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend')

Ingredients:

• 2 cups brown rice flour
• 2 cups white rice flour
• 1-1/3 cups potato starch
• 1 cup sorghum flour
• 2/3 cup tapioca starch

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients and mix well.
2. Store in a sealed container or mix right into a large Ziploc bag and use as needed for gluten-free baking.

yield: 7 cups

Nonuttin' Natural Foods | gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free

Nothing is more important than keeping your child safe and when your child has an anaphylactic allergy doing so becomes a little more complicated.  Nonuttin' Natural Foods was created by a  Vancouver Island mom who wanted her daughter (who is allergic to peanuts, almonds, kiwi and chickpeas) to be able to share natural, healthy snacks with her friends.  I met both Alana and her daughter Megan, who carries an epi-pen, at the Vancouver Gluten-Free Expo.

I applaud Alana, not only does Nonuttin' Foods cater to her daughter's allergies, their products cater to most common allergens; they are gluten-free, peanut-free, tree nut free, dairy free egg free,  kosher and in the process of becoming soy-free.  Their products are made in a dedicated facility, they use certified gluten-free oats and they only source non-gmo ingredients.

Go Momma, thanks for looking out for all of us.

Nonuttin' granola has sweet, crunchy, clusters and gluten-free oats that are vaguely reminiscent of honey bunches of oats cereal.  Regardless, paired with some vanilla coconut milk or lactose free yogurt and a cup of coffee, it makes a perfect breakfast, though I must confess it makes an equally good evening snack.  I had the chance to try out the Blueberry maple granola and enjoyed both the sweet blueberries and the subtle maple flavour.

Nonuttin' granola bars are soft, sweet and sticky not to mention almost undistinguishable from a traditional commercial granola bar.  Seriously they were so good, I stashed them in my purse and ate them when the boy wasn't looking simply because I didn't want to share.  I sampled most of the flavours, but my favourite flavour was the plain chocolate chip.

I've been munching away on Nonuttin' berry delight trail mix while writing this post; its made with sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, dried bluberries, semi-sweet chcolate chips, canola oil and sea salt.  So simple and so tasty, though I must admit, I'm not a huge fan of sunflower seeds, so a little trail mix was more than enough for me.  Nonuttin' trail mix comes in two other flavours; the third flavour is currently on sale for 50% off as they move to a soy-free facility.

Nonuttin' creates allergen-friendly, healthy, tasty snacks and they want you to try them out too, so we are giving away a $20 gift certificate to spend on the Nonuttin' website, to enter use the rafflecopter after the jump (I promise you its easy!).

Medic Alert Bracelets: Do they work?

Three weeks ago my sister Kat went into anaphylactic shock.

I knew, without question, that a phone call at 3:30am meant someone was in trouble. Fortunately, she was already at the hospital recovering and her friend was by her side; the baby was due to wake up for a feed so it was close to 5:30 by the time I got to her.

Her reaction came on slowly, over a few hours and although she knows she’s allergic to hazelnuts and latex, she has still been unable to determine exactly what caused the reaction. She was in pretty rough shape and home from school for a week, though I think she’s pretty much recovered now.

Anaphylaxis is scary. I hope the boy will never have to fully experience it, however it’s a very real fear. Almost immediately after we found out the boy was allergic to peanuts, we got him a medic alert bracelet that he wears at all times. It provides peace or mind that regardless of the situation, the boys’ information will always be close at hand to those that would need it.

That belief is currently under review.

Although she was unable to talk, no one checked my sister for a medic alert bracelet. Despite her barely conscious, oxygen deprived state she waved her medic alert at the nurse who repeatedly pushed Kat’s arm away without a second glance.  She was a the hospital and NO ONE checked her for a medic alert bracelet.

Three weeks later and she still has a rash on her arm from the latex tourniquet used to start her IV; a minor reaction to a small but unnecessary action. If someone had checked her for a medic alert, they would have known to keep everything latex-free.

I can’t help but be disappointed. I always believed that wearing a medic alert was a proactive move; a medically recognized way to keep medical information is available, regardless of consciousness. But now I’m not so sure, Kat tells me this is the second time she's been to the hospital and no one checked her for a medic alert.

As a parent of a peanut allergic child, I NEED to believe that wearing a medic alert will help keep my boy safe.  I must stay strong and I can't allow my faith to be shaken; anaphylaxis is scary enough as is.

Do you or your family member wear a medic alert bracelet?  Do you know someone whose live was saved by their medic alert bracelet?  Or alternately, do you know someone else whose medic alert bracelet was ignored?

Toddler Allergy Testing

Allergies are my reality, nearly everyone in my family is afflicted, including the hubs' side of the family. We have symptoms ranging from anaphylaxis to oral allergies and pretty much everything in between, so it kind of felt like a given that our children would have allergies, to something.  So far the baby seems to be showing no indication of sensitivity, but as you all know the boy is a completely different story.

We've been waiting since January, when the mere touch of a peanut butter sandwich sent the boy to the hospital, to see the allergist at Children's Hospital (the reason the boy had bloodwork a couple weeks ago).  Although I received a pamphlet in the mail, I wasn't sure entirely sure what the visit would entail and whether we would be doing any testing at the appointment.  Regardless, I came prepared with snacks, juice and 'Bear' just in case.

I needed them all.

I was fortunate enough to have Kat along to watch the baby and walk him around in the Ergo carrier, I'm not sure what I would have done without her.  Although I was excited about getting some insight into the boys allergies, I was less than thrilled with an appointment at 1:30pm; at our house naptime starts promptly at one.

After a consult with the resident doctor and a chat with the supervising allergist, it was time to whip off the boys shirt and doing some prick tests.  He was tested for 23 allergens and had at least minor reactions to most of them, however he only showed up allergic to a handful.

In fact the only food allergen identified was peanuts, which was expected.  The tests indicated that he is likely outgrowing his dairy allergy and that his reactions to soy and wheat are not significant.  Which means that we have to begin slowly re-introducing dairy, soy and wheat into the boys' diet.

The allergist also identified cats, dust mites and grass pollen as allergens for the boy, which means we need to get extremely diligent about cleaning his bedroom.

All in all, our trip to the allergist was a positive one and I'm excited for the boy to start trying new foods again.  I simply hope that the allergist is right and that he can tolerate these allergens particularly now that his eczema is (for the most part) under control.