"For Halloween i'm going as a peanut allergy"

That statement was posted as the status for one of my Facebook friends this morning. When I saw it I was triggered and felt as though it was my responsibility to address this ridiculous statement with her. I was consumed with how to respond in the nicest possible way almost to educate her rather than making her feel stupid. I called my husband first. He suggested asking her what a peanut allergy looks like. I called my sister next, she suggested I confront her immediately. I called a friend next, she told me this was just a quote from last night’s Glee episode! Since I am not a Glee fan, or a gleek I don’t know the character that actually made this statement or the context it was made in. I do know that I hold no animosity towards my FB friend, and I also know that sometimes I need to lighten up about all things peanut related!

:)

J.

Stay Home!

At the beginning of almost every season, I declare my excitement about the things I love about that particular season. I love spring for the fresh blooms, summer for the warm weather and long days, fall for the inspiration to cook comfort food and winter for the skiing. That being said, I also have things about each season that I hate. The potholes in spring, the bugs during the summer, the messy leaves in fall, and despite the fact that I love to ski, there are too many things about winter that I hate. Most notable is the fact that winter translates to being cooped up inside, and ongoing runny noses.

Yesterday, as my husband and I prepared our house for the winter I felt a sense of sadness looking at my naked backyard. The boy’s play house, water table, and slide are all packed away. The table and chairs are also stored, and all the flowers have been cut down. Instead of stocking up on swim diapers, I will have to buy Kleenex to wipe the boy’s runny nose that will soon start and probably last all winter long.

As a mom of an allergic child I am not alone, friends of mine who are parents of otherwise healthy kids also complain about the winter runny nose. The difference being, to me and anyone else who has a child with asthma, we all know that when a runny nose turns into a full blown cold, we have a big problem. I recognize that I can take some precautions, but the inevitable is going to come. He will get a cold, it will probably settle in his chest and we will probably make several trips to our pediatrician throughout the next few months.

I’ve noticed some kids already have the runny nose and I recognize that it does not necessarily mean the child is sick. Surprisingly, I am not the type to care about the boy hanging out with other kids and their runny noses, but I am the type to care when parents send their kids to school sick. As a mom, I can now appreciate the frustration. It’s unfair for the child, and for everyone else’s children, not to mention the parents and teachers involved. I know that I am considerate when it comes to that, so I can only hope that the other parents are as well. With that being said, if your kid is sick, keep him/her home, also if your kid’s nose is runny, wipe it!

:)

J.

Arachis Hypogaea

This past weekend I was in Toronto for my friends wedding. Since I was a bridesmaid, I was having my makeup done for the occasion. I don’t wear a lot of makeup to begin with, and when I do I like the ‘natural’ look. Over the years I have accumulated a collection of lipsticks that I buy every time I have my makeup done professionally. This is because I would never share a lipstick with anyone, not even when it has only been used with a lip brush. My fear is beyond the germs that can accumulate on those sample lipsticks used by everyone and anyone. I also fear that peanut residue from someone else’s lips may be trapped on the lipstick. When I explained my allergy to the makeup artist, she was completely understanding. I used my own lipstick, and only products that I am familiar with. I did however forget to bring a moisturizer so I was going to use a sample. I was reading the ingredients on one of them, and I noticed an ingredient ‘Arachis Hypogaea’. In French, peanuts are known as ‘arachides’, so the word arachis luckily made me realize that I shouldn’t use that product. When I googled arachis hypogaea, I learned that it was in fact from a peanut. I always knew that almond oil is a common ingredient is beauty products, but I thought it was rare for peanut derivatives to be used.

For anyone with a peanut allergy, keep this in mind, because makeup will not have the same disclaimer that food products do. Peanuts are also known by the following names: earthnuts, ground nuts, goober peas, monkey nuts, pygmy nuts and pig nuts.


:)

J.