I made a cake the day my son was first diagnosed with food allergies. No, not to celebrate. I was taking a cake decorating class and had made it in preparation. Before his appointment, I suspected he was allergic to milk but it wasn’t until after that we learned about his egg allergy. And I had made the cake with eggs. I didn’t know any other way to bake a cake. Now I had this delicious yellow cake ready to eat and I couldn’t take a bite because I was breastfeeding and he was allergic to its ingredients. I was heartbroken. That seems silly now given that its just a cake but I love to bake and it looked like my new hobby was coming to a screeching halt. Since that day, though, I’ve discovered numerous recipes for baked goods – some good, some not so much – that are dairy, egg and nut-free. One source in particular is the Food Allergy Mama blog. I’ve been following Kelly Rudnicki’s blog for a while now. I think she hooked me with a confessed love for anything apple – or maybe it … [Read more...]
On Becoming THAT Mom
It started with a Facebook question from Scary Mommy about being THAT mom. Then Theta Mom shared her experience being THAT mom. And then last night, I caught a post from the Food Allergy Mama about a thirteen year old girl who died last week following an allergic reaction at a school holiday party and I could ignore it no more. I am becoming THAT mom. What do I mean? I am referring to the mom that other moms dislike because she makes things complicated. The mom who takes the food fun out of school parties. The mom whose one child determines that the rest shall go without. Food allergy moms have to be THAT mom. We have no choice. We don’t want to make things complicated or a pain in the you-know-what. We just want to keep our kids safe. I’m not quite THAT mom, not yet. But I will be and probably sooner than I think. My son will be school-age soon enough. I don’t like becoming THAT mom; its not really in my nature to request special treatment. But is advocating for a safe, … [Read more...]
