This loaf of bread looks like I have felt all day. I am feeling completely and totally overwhelmed, to the point of tears in fact. It was a silly thing that started it - a couple of loaves of bread that somehow fell in the oven --- for the second day in a row. Gluten free bread is so picky!!!! (Well, any gluten free baking, to be honest.) I really and truly do not know what happened, but when I pulled them out of the oven, they looked like the above photo. At least the ends of both loaves are able to be cut and used for sandwiches. The rest will be frozen in a gallon freezer bag for use as stuffing for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Still - why didn't it turn out when it I did the same thing I always do to get beautiful bread???
The bread is not all that has me overwhelmed today. Tomorrow we are going to spend the day at the Waukegan Air Show, which will be totally incredible, but packing food for 5 people for an 8-10 hour day, plus wipes, safe hand soap, sunblock, clothes, drinks, .... etc. I also have to make sure everyone has enough medication along, and of course bring the bottle of Benadryl. My plan is to fill the family up with pumpkin oatmeal (pumpkin cream of rice for Mandie) before we leave the house, then bring my Super Power Muffins, Energy Bites (a batch for Mandie, and a batch for the rest of us) {recipes for both will follow}, Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches for the boys, Steve, and I and Cashew Butter & Jelly sandwiches for Mandie, apples, and bananas. This means that tonight after work and dinner and homework (yes, on a Friday night!) I will make Energy Bites. Luckily my muffins are made and thawed! Before I leave tomorrow, I'll toss a roast in the crockpot with fresh rosemary, potatoes, carrots, onions, and mushrooms, so we can have dinner ready when we get back.
Also overwhelming me is the construction going on in our home - not only because of the noise and mess and having everything displaced, but also because we have hit the painting stage, which MUST be done in the next few days so that the work can continue. Of course, Mandie's airborne latex allergy and my asthma and chemical sensitivity make this extremely complicated. The only primer we have found that is safe is by PURE, and of course contains latex. It has no VOC's and low/no odor, so it only gives me a mild headache. The paint, Dutch Boy's No VOC and no/low odor paint is also latex paint - which is how we figured out that Mandie's latex allergy had gone airborne when we were painting Steve's office last fall and she went down to see what he was doing and started reacting. (She started turning red, got a dry, barky cough, and told Steve she itched all over and could not walk up the stairs, but needed Benadryl). So, the kids' dad will meet up with us after church on Sunday, and take them for an extra afternoon and night so we can get our painting done on schedule. It kills me to give up any time at all with them, but it is the only safe thing we can do. As much as I know they are safe with their dad, being a mom and especially an allergy mom, I can't help but worry about them when they are not with me. It is tough, the need to have them out of the house to protect them, but wanting them with me all the same.
A few minutes ago I went to make the Energy Bites, and was going to use carob chips in Mandie's in place of the chocolate chips. No problem, as I had a new bag in the fridge. After I cut them open I again read the label - and saw palm kernel oil. Sigh..... These were from Barry Farms. I hope to find a safe brand, but fear I will be making my own soon. I know the Sunspire brand are not Mandie-safe. And yes, I shed a few tears on Steve's wonderful shoulder, then started laughing like a mad woman. Then I got busy and made Mandie's using carob powder instead of chips. I will post the recipes tomorrow night or Sunday. Now it is time for bed so we can get up and make lunches to take to the airshow tomorrow! I am sure I will feel more positive in the morning.
My family has been blessed with a vast number and variety of allergies. Yes, I said blessed. I believe that we have been blessed as opposed to cursed with our allergies because through them we are learning how to be the healthiest selves we can possibly be, though food, cleaning products, lifestyle choices, etc. We are constantly evolving as we add allergens and learn more about the best ways to stay healthy and happy.
Truman is my oldest, at 9 1/2. He has recently been diagnosed with asthma, which is no surprise since he got pneumonia at 19 months and has had to use albuterol in the nebulizer machine at various times since then. He is sensitive to dairy (he has to use his neb if he has too much) and gluten, and we think sulfites cause his eczema to flare. He also has lovely seasonal allergies - though zyrtec seems to keep the eczema, runny nose, etc at bay. He is my book worm, an remembers most of what he reads - especially about animals. He has very educated conversations with the zoo keepers whenever we visit a zoo. He also loves animals, outdoors, shooting bb guns and bow and arrow with his grandpa, and being in the water. He showed his dog and his grandma's chickens in 4 H this year, and hopes to add goats next year. Truman is very protective of his siblings and their allergies, and is learning how to look at recipes and make safe substitutions. He helps me read food labels for all of his and his siblings allergens. Truman thankfully outgrew his allergies to mosquito and spider bites.
Hunter is 7 and my wild man. He is all boy, loving sports, outdoors, shooting, swimming, playing in the dirt, figuring out how things work, riding bikes and scooters and doing every single thing at full capacity. He absolutely loves anything related to airplanes, and spends hours making and flying paper airplanes throughout the house and at VBS each summer. Hunter has allergic eczema, is allergic to dairy (bad stomach aches and behavior issues), is celiac, and is anaphylactic to bees and wasps. He carries his epi pens in a carrier that I made him after the one I bought wore out too quickly (like I said, he is always outside, climbing). Hunter only has a problem with food dyes when he is not gluten and dairy free - though we eat very little that has artificial color and are trying to phase out the rest. He also has environmental allergies, which we usually keep under control with liquid Zyrtec. He is an amazing advocate for himself and his sister, and has no problems having his own safe foods at school.
Amanda is 5 1/2 and my "allergy baby", and how we got started on this journey. After her 4 week early birth, she was in the NICU of Comer Children's Hospital for a week, where we first saw signs of her dairy allergy as she projectile vomited every NG feed over the side of her basinette. At a few weeks old she had blood an mucous in her stools, as well as continued projectile vomiting and severe reflux. My wonderful family doc an IBCLC said classic dairy allergy, so I eliminated all dairy from my diet, and she began to improve. Over the course of her life, Mandie has developed 20 food allergies of varying severity, the most recent being corn, chocolate, mustard, oats, and olive. She was diagnosed with reactive airway disease at 18 months, celiac disease at age 3, and is anaphylactic allergic to dairy, shellfish, mollusks, palm, coconut, sunflower, safflower, chamomile, and almond (all contact, ingestion, and airborne). She is allergic to peanut, honey (from the pollens), soy, wheat, sesame and bananas (we think just OAS for now). She is allergic to latex (contact and airborne), wool, lanolin, down, molds, ragweed (entire Aster/Daisy family except lettuces and lavender), most midwest trees, dustmites, grass, grain dust (we are surrounded by fields), adhesives (most likely because they are corn based), and lidocaine. Mandie outgrew her allergies to cats, dogs, cottonwood trees, and strawberries. Mandie loves to be outside, especially in the pool or with any and all animals. She has a real way with chickens and cats. Mandie is very much a princess, though she keeps up with her brothers very well. She is an AMAZING advocate for herself, telling people about her allergies, why she wears her epi pens, and how to use them. She knows ALL of her allergens, and is somehow aware of what everyone else is eating - asking them to please wash when they are done eating one of her allergens. She asks us to double check all labels, and remembers what is in most things better than we do. She won't eat anything unless her dad or Steve or I have verified is safe for her, and is trying to learn the written names of her allergens. Mandie takes Singulair each day for her RAD and allergies, and from March through November, she takes Cyproheptadine. This helps with the pollen and mold allergies, gives her an appetite, and helps keep her allergic eczema under control.
All three of my kids have Malignant Hyperthermia , which is an allergy to anesthetics. All four of us wear MedicAlert bracelets.
I have a lifetime of pollen allergies, and through nursing Amanda figured out my lifelong dairy allergy, which has become anaphylactic in the past two years. I am also EXTREMELY sensitive to gluten (docs think celiac though I have not been tested) and to soy. I am allergic to wool, lanolin, down, sulfa drugs, adhesives, and have asthma. I have found relief using Advair HFA and Claritin D 24 hour, and add Flonase during spring and fall pollen season.
