Happy Mother's Day 2010

A friend this to me today, thank you!

Wishing you all a Happy Mother's Day!

MOTHERS

Real Mothers don't eat quiche;

They don't have time to make it.

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils

Are probably in the sandbox.

Real Mothers often have sticky floors,

Filthy ovens and happy kids.

Real Mothers know that dried play dough

Doesn't come out of carpets.

Real Mothers don't want to know what

The vacuum just sucked up.......

Real Mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?'

And get their answer when a little

Voice says, 'Because I love you best.'

Real Mothers know that a child's growth

Is not measured by height or years or grade...

It is marked by the progression of

Mommy to Mom to Mother.....

The Images of Mother

4 YEARS OF AGE - My Mommy can do anything!

8 YEARS OF AGE - My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!

12 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother doesn't know everything!

14 YEARS OF AGE - My Mother? She wouldn't have a clue.

16 YEARS OF AGE - Mother? She's so five minutes ago.

18 YEARS OF AGE - That old woman? She's way out of date!

25 YEARS OF AGE - Well, she might know a little bit about it!

35 YEARS OF AGE - Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion.

45 YEARS OF AGE - Wonder what Mom would have

thought about it?

65 YEARS OF AGE - Wish I could talk it over with Mom.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears,

the figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair

The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes,

Because that is the doorway to her heart,

The place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole,

But true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.

It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she

Shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

Food Allergies - Boy I have a LOT to learn!

I know that there are LOTS of people living with food allergies and they are doing it very well. There are also LOTS of families living with children with severe food allergies. My family is now one of those families!

My 8 year old son, Mason, has had bad allergies his whole life. We knew Mason was very allergic to cats, dogs, dust mites, trees, weeds, grasses, and molds. Mason was getting 3 allergy shots every 1-3 weeks from Summer 2006 through the Spring of 2008. Mason was also diagnosed with asthma in the Spring of 2008 after having a respiratory reaction to his allergy injections. Currently, Mason is taking medicines to help control his asthma and his allergies, Pulmicort, Zyrtec, Claritin, Benedryl, Ventolin, Flonase, and Patanol.

After meeting with the Allergist at AAIR and having some blood work done we now know Mason is VERY allergic to fish, seafood, sesame seeds, and tree nuts. His allergies are very severe and can cause anaphylaxis, so now we will be carrying an EpiPen at all times. This hit home when I heard the Doctor say Mason’s allergies are so severe that it could cause him to have “A LIFE THREATENING EVENT!”

I am so grateful to our AWESOME pediatricians office Penn Fair Pediatrics. Dr. Kevin Klossner called me first thing Friday morning when he received Mason’s blood test results, that I thought would take 2-3 weeks. He was also able to tell me where to start, time for the EpiPen and note for school. When I went to the office on Friday I was a mess. I was scared, nervous, anxious and even in tears! I had many questions and no idea where to start, thank goodness for Kathy, she is an RN at the practice. Kathy was of great! She offered her personal experiences with children in her family with food allergies, she gave me a packet of information including information for a support group FACTS, she also gave me the comfort and support I needed to start to understand the changes ahead to keep Mason safe.

I spent at least one whole day reading the labels in my pantry removing all the foods that contain or might contain ingredients that would not be safe for Mason. I still have to tackle a few more areas , the fridge, the freezer, and the lazy-susan, I will get there on Monday. I have learned that some ingredients are easy to spot, but others are no alway obvious. By the way did you know that gelatin can be made from fish bones?

My family celebrated Mother’s Day a week early and enjoyed Sunday Brunch at Mario’s Via Abruzzi in Pittsford, NY. WOW, they were great! I arrived a few minutes before my reservation time, spoke with a manager and the hostess about Mason’s allergies, they were kind enough to refer me to the Chef. I wish I would have caught his name, he was wonderful. The chef took the list of foods to avoid to the kitchen and the brunch room to check the ingredients. He then came back for me, he walked through the buffet room pointing out what was safe for Mason and what to avoid. Mason ate waffles, fresh fruit, bacon and he was thrilled that they gave him his own bowl of chocolate fresh from the kitchen because the chocolate fountain was not an option for him because of cross-contamination.

Overall, we are doing okay with all of the changes, just taking it all one day and label at a time!

Spring 2010 Disney Highlights

Check out the Disney Highlights...

Here are some of our fun photos from our trip to Disney World.
We had tons of fun!

Disney Trip April 2010