Back to it!

It's been a LONG time since my last post.  I wanted to be one of those happy and helpful bloggers that gave encouragement and helpful information to those dealing with food allergies. However, food allergies and life aren't always happy and sometimes they just plain stink. When your 3 year old has to leave Disney in an ambulance and a month later ended up back in the ER for an unknown anaphylactic reaction - there is nothing happy about that.  It's sad and scary and heartbreaking.  When he tells his grandparents when they are watching him that if he starts coughing in a certain way that they have to take him to the hospital for his allergies you realize the reality of food allergies.  They are a big responsibility and very stressful.  If you feel that way, you aren't the only one.  We've been dealing with this diagnosis for over 2 years now and there were periods where I thought I had things under control or I felt comfortable with the routines and precautions I have in place only to be blindsided by a reaction.  The truth is it never gets easier. Living with these allergies is a lot of work and effort and sometimes I just want to go out to eat like a normal family and order whatever without thinking about it.  But, that's not safe for us.  I had to accept that and accept that I have to be more prepared with the food for my kids for every meal for them.  When I've tried to release some of that control and been let down the stakes are just too high.  It's just not worth it.  So when I get desparate it isn't McDonalds that we run to but it's the chips, graham crackers, or fruit snacks that I whip out for my kids.  Please don't judge.  They are foods that I know are safe and sometimes that has to be my standard.

I'm lucky that I have food allergy friends!  Some mothers, some friends, some other people who I've been fortunate to meet in random ways. I'm grateful for all of you.  Some of you have lost way more than I can ever imagine from this sickness and have fought to make this world safer for those with food allergies and to finding a cure and I'm especially grateful for you. You give me encouragement when I need it. You share successful recipes when I just can't take another failure.  You remind me I'm not fighting this battle alone.  This is why I'm getting back to blogging this year.  I spent a lot of last year secluding myself. But I want to get back that passion to fight these allergies and that starts with sharing my story (good and bad), being there for all of you and hoping those who don't have support but search the Internet looking for someone else going through the same thing might find this blog, and to get back to sharing my successes in the kitchen and in the food allergy world!  Check back for more posts soon and let me know if there is any way I can make this helpful for you.  Looking forward to a 2015 with food allergy successes!