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I started counting down to my next birthday… the day after that birthday. It was the most exciting day to look forward to with our many traditions. One of my favorites was choosing ANY restaurant I wanted to have dinner. My birthday always seemed to last longer than just one day. Between celebrating with my parents and brothers, then being taken out by my grandma, and, telling our server each night that week we were celebrating my birthday, it was the BEST time of year. “Oh, here they come…” was the famous line my parents always said when they spotted the waitstaff coming to deliverRead More →

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It’s one thing having to deal with school functions, sporting events, and birthdays. But, as each holiday we observe nears, my anxiety level skyrockets. Growing up as a kid, nobody had food allergies. At least that’s how it seemed. The popular lunch sandwich sent to school was peanut butter and jelly, and birthday cakes were birthday cakes. None of this gluten free or nut free stuff. My only worry when traveling on an airplane was getting to our destination on-time and smoothly. Now, it’s whether or not my child will die from peanut exposure or ingestion.  We went to Tigers games, Pistons games, and RedRead More →

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Five years ago, we moved in our wonderful neighborhood comprised of young families, and many little kids. Halloween was quickly approaching, and a friend of mine who lives down the street asked, “Are you handing out candy with peanuts?” I laughed. Literally, I laughed. Halloween without peanuts? What is Halloween without Reese’s peanut butter cups or Snickers bars? I wasn’t even quite sure of why she was asking me until she proceeded to tell me there was a little girl in the neighborhood with a peanut allergy. Admittedly, I thought to myself: I am not going to hangout my favorite candy bar to hundreds ofRead More →

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An Open Letter to Mylan CEO, Heather Bresch On May 21, 2015, I had the scare of a lifetime. I watched as my almost 2-year-old son gasped for air as his airways narrowed from ingesting a tiny morsel of peanut butter. Thank god I carried an EpiPen on me at all times. But, the truth is I never anticipated having to use it. And, when the original prescription was called into our pharmacy last year and the pharmacist advised us that it would cost $500 a pack, my husband and I almost fainted. He had never had an anaphylactic reaction before, so why would heRead More →

Food Allergies and Kids

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As every mom is scrambling to share her child’s camp bunk and class for next year, I have a pit in my stomach, and my anxiety level increases drastically. If her child is in Austin’s class, then she will be receiving major notifications that there is a child with severe food allergies. It will be imperative that she is very careful as to what she sends for snacks and lunch. Well, that is my child. I am sorry… But, I am not sorry. *  *  * When my first child began eating solid foods, I had described him as a picky eater. It was veryRead More →

My son had a feeding disorder... NOT an eating disorder

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An eating disorder is a range of psychological disorders characterized by abnormal or disturbed eating habits. These include anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, and more. It’s when an individual restricts calories or over exercises to attain a body type they deem as ideal. And, even when thin, one looks in the mirror and sees obesity. My son is 2 years old. He didn’t have an eating disorder. He wasn’t looking in the mirror thinking he was fat. He wasn’t feeling that he needed to go for an extra run to burn more calories. Or, that he needed overeat and binge in an uncontrollable manner. My sonRead More →

Goodbye Nuts

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I am one conflicted mommy. Twelve years ago, when I began my path down the road of dieting and exercise, eventually leading to my eating disorder, my relationship with food had become unhealthy. I began categorizing food into two groups; foods that I would allow myself to eat and foods that I would never allow myself to eat. I wish I could tell you I went to school and was educated to be a dietician. Or, that I was qualified to begin eliminating food groups out of my diet for a healthy purpose. Or, that I really understood why I was even deeming certain foods as “bad.” Nevertheless,Read More →