Mary Grace's Posts

Vegan Blueberry Pancakes and Bacon, Allergy Friendly

Food allergy: I have seen the word many times. As a teacher, I have been very diligent in protecting my students that have food allergies. I have had to learn how to use an Epi-pen and how to scour ingredient labels of any shared food brought into the classroom. I thought I understood it, the fear of a parent with a child who has a food allergy. I just didn’t think it was going to be me…

A few years ago, I decided to give our (then) 7-month-old a piece of pasta with cheese sauce on it. He took it, ate part of it, and spit it out. When we were done eating, I took him upstairs to a bath. In the bathtub he started getting hives on his face. I scooped him up and ran him downstairs. Thankfully I had children’s Benadryl; after getting hold of the doctor and finding out what the right dosage was, I gave him some right away. After that he vomited. My husband was not at home and I was starting to get a little scared. I kept monitoring him though and his breathing was not labored. The hives went away and he was better. Wanting to address this quickly, we soon went to an allergist, where a skin prick test resulted in big hives on his back showing he was indeed allergic to dairy and eggs.

As I was still breastfeeding at the time, I decided to not eat dairy or eggs as well to see if that would help with allergies and with eczema (it did, a bit, on both fronts). Not eating eggs and dairy sounds like an easy thing, but it is very challenging—they are in everything. This was the start of finding a new way to feed my family.

Fast forward to my son being 2 years old and attending a daycare two days a week so I could substitute teach. Finding a school we trusted to take care of him and his food allergy was hard. Through personal recommendations, we found an in-home daycare school. It was hard enough letting him go in the first place, but the fear of not being there to monitor him during snacks and mealtimes made it even harder. Something that seems so minimal to one child like a cheese fish cracker could cause my son to break out in hives. I could not be there with him or tell the sweet child trying to share, “no thank you.” His teachers, thankfully, were wonderful in keeping his allergies in mind and ensuring he didn’t eat anything that would be bad for him.

To all the parents of kids with food allergies out there, I am starting to get it. You are such amazing advocates for your child. Hugs and high-fives to all of you. You have to be diligent when shopping for food as you look through ingredients, or like us make so many things from scratch. You have to check with every person you let your child be left with that they understand the allergy. Do they know how to use an Epi-pen? At restaurants, you have to ask the waiter or waitress a lot of questions to ensure food is not going to contain allergens. You end up with certain places that you go to eat, because trying a new place and finding new, safe food is challenging. I have been so thankful for friends who remember that our son has an allergy and get or make special vegan cupcakes for a birthday party. Have you had to carry special food with you when you go out to make sure they have something they can eat (like taken a special cookie to a party so they would be able to have a special treat like the other kids)? I have watched too as my son at times feels left out, simply with the phrase, “Sorry you can’t have that” and watches as other kids enjoy eating something. It is difficult.

Fortunately, and very recently, our oldest has outgrown these allergies. I hope he remembers what it was like to have food allergies, not to make him sad but so that he always think of others and makes sure they are not left out. Allergies create a food lifestyle that is not by choice, but necessity.

While we no longer have the urgency of these allergies to worry about anymore, we still continue to eat many of the same things we did with the allergies. We have enjoyed a lot of new foods and ways of eating. Choosing items that indicated “vegan” on the packaging assured us that they did not contain dairy or eggs. We really aren’t following the vegan approach to food, though, as we never gave up meat—making us vegan with a side of bacon.

The blog posts that follow will be about recipes I have used and liked and how we eat, and have eaten, dairy and egg free. Stay tuned for those posts, and I’d love to hear your stories as well!

P.S. I want to let all the amazing vegans out there know I understand your eating philosophy and I know that eating meat of any kind is not part of the vegan lifestyle. I am grateful for the carefully selected foods labeled as “vegan” because, without them, it would have been much harder to find foods safe for my family. Thank you for your pursuit of eating healthy.

Pictured below: Vegan Blueberry Pancakes, one of our family favorites.  The recipe is available at http://veganyumminess.com/vegan-blueberry-pancakes/

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The conversations have begun. Yes, you know the ones. “Where is your child going to school?” “Have you enrolled your child into preschool?” “Does anyone know of a good preschool for kids in our area?” Then once a parent begins talking, they definitely have an opinion of which is the best. Honestly, I feel the pressure. I really do, I want what is best for my son and now sons. I want them to be ready for school (Kindergarten) and the rest of school and college (if that is the right path for them). I told myself, I would not worry about this. But honestly, I am. If I don’t enroll them in the next greatest best school, am I letting them down? If I don’t get my pre-enrollment form in, shell out a load of cash, and an arm and a leg, am I hurting their future? Will they not get a good education, will they not be ready for life?!?

Stop! This is ridiculous! I honestly don’t see my sons on a conveyer belt to an Ivy League school. I do see them going to school and doing well. I then see them choosing a career path they desire and following it (hopefully that will entail a good college). I honestly do not believe all of that is determined by what school/preschool they are in now. Please parents, take the pressure off. Yes, you will have to put forth some effort to get them ready for school, but you do not have to have your child attend the best and greatest preschool out there. I had to tell myself this and later remind myself of this when I hear parents talking. It got me to thinking however, what does a child need to know before they go to school?

What do I need to know before Kindergarten?

(This is not for every Kindergarten out there, but it is a list I received from a group of Kindergarten teachers I worked with. When I first saw it I was a little amazed at all the things they were wanting them to know when they first began.  I have seen students come to school only knowing a few letters and hardly any of these other things.  Kindergarten teachers you are so so so amazing! If your child was able to do these things though, they would definitely be in a great place to start school and not worry about them being behind).

Before Kindergarten:

  • identify upper and lower case letters A-Z
  • can say the alphabet without skipping letters
  • counts 1-20
  • gets dressed: buttons, zippers, and shoe laces
  • catches a ball, throws a ball, and jumps
  • uses scissors
  • names shapes
  • understands patterns AB, ABB, ABC
  • writes first name
  • understands rhyming and can come up with rhyming words
  • identify numbers (1-10)
  • holds a pencil correctly

Knows:

  • their birthday
  • phone number
  • address
  • to dial 911 in emergency
  • months of the year
  • days of the week

My plan: I am going to teach our children these skills through play based learning. We are going to have fun and do some learning too. My goal is to share with you what we do and give you some insight into what you can do with your child. Preschools are great for children because children do learn, and they have a chance to interact with other children in a social setting (very important). I will talk more about that later. Yet, I don’t believe they have to be the only way for children to learn. You parent, really are your child’s greatest teacher. I want to empower you. You can really have fun with your child, and do some great things! Here is to learning!

What skills do you believe are important for Kindergarten? Please comment below.

** Our oldest child does attend a daycare/school two days a week because I was substitute teaching. It has been good for him to learn how to interact with peers, follow teacher directions, raise his hand, line up, and a myriad of other skills.  This post was created to empower parents, and to let them take a step back and breathe. I also wanted to give everyone a goal to shoot for.  When I make lesson plans I like to plan with the end goal in mind.

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Top of a baby's foot and their toes

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.  She never existed before.  The woman existed, but the mother, never.  A mother is something absolutely new.  ~Rajneesh

On October 1, 2014 I was born, the mother, when I held our beautiful son in my arms. I have spent my whole life preparing to be a mother. I have played with a baby doll, babysat, and in some form been a mom to my amazing students at school. Yet, with all this preparation, no one can ever prepare you for what you experience.

There are the beautiful ups where you see their face and smell that wonderful baby smell and all is right with the world as they are snuggled close. Then in the next minute they can be screaming in the middle of the night and nothing you are doing is working. There are all the different cries you have to learn, and then remember what each one means through days or weeks of sleepless nights. It is all beautiful and extremely difficult. My heart is full at times and other times I am so, so empty.

Our little guy did not come with an instruction manual, and my husband and I have had to learn together how to be parents and how best to care for him. So far, that learning has encompassed everything from dealing with acid reflux to an ER visit in the middle of the night to learning how to deal with food allergies.  

This is the hardest job ever! And yet, I would not give it up for a moment. The love I have for our son (and now sons) is unfathomable. Yes, I was born on October 1, 2014. I am not a perfect mom, but I hope to share the struggles and joys of motherhood on this blog. I hope we can laugh together at the funny curve balls that parenthood brings, and I hope we can be honest about the things that are difficult. I am something new and I am learning more and more each day.

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