Tired of Food Allergies

I am tired of food allergies today. I would really like a day where I didn't have to scrub everything down, sweep, and was the table and counters a million times a day or wash my hands a million times a day. To just be able to feed my family without having to think about the food too hard and be careful not to cross contaminate anything to keep Maddox and myself safe. And I would love to be able to fill the dishwasher without having to worry about Maddox touching a dirty dish and getting sick or hive, and without having to listen to him scream in the Pack-n-Play.

I want to be able to attend functions with food and not have to decline the food and not have to explain why I am declining when someone keeps insisting I try the food. I am really isolating myself and not attending things I want to, because of the food issue. If I even get some crumbs on my hands unknowingly and touch my mouth, or eat a piece of gum with contaminated hands I get sick. And Maddox, well we were at a BBQ which was fun, but someone tickled his toe and it broke out in hives (the person was eating foods Maddox was allergic to). Maddox was playing in a water fountain and having the TIME of his life, but his clothes got soaked, rubbed on his skin and his entire chest and stomach and legs were covered in hives from the irritation.

We are going to Craig's mom's house tomorrow and I need to make the meal we are going to eat to bring with which means a huge cooler and bag filled with food for me and Maddox. So much packing for a trip that will only be half the day.

I contemplate having the whole family be gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut, potato, coconut, bell pepper, green bean, kiwi, and orange free, but that doesn't seem right either. And I don't know what I am going to do when we start feeding Maddox wheat when he is 2 years old, because when I clean him up it will be a nightmare for me. Gluten will be all over the place the way that boy eats :).

I know I am whining. And I know I have sooooo much more to be grateful for than to complain about!! I know people whose children are dying, chronically ill, recovering from a severe traumatic brain injury and I know a family whose 18 year old son was recently paralyzed from the midback down. (and these are not families I work with..just people I know from church, college or co-workers) I know these people would rather deal with food allergies than the things they are faced with on a daily basis. So, I will count my blessings and be grateful for the things that God has given and not dwell on the things I think I "should" have. But I could use a few prayers for some strength and encouragement. I know God didn't create food to be an enemy or harmful for us, but sometimes that is how I look at food. As an enemy, something to be feared. Well, I know I will feel better about all this tomorrow, this stuff just piles up every couple months. And these boys are soooo worth everything!!

Gardening

Well, I really need to use that term loosely. But, things are finally starting to grow! yay for warm weather!! I am hoping that in a couple years I will finally know what I am doing a little and will have some nice areas in our yard.

getting some help

trying to dress up our poor garage. I should have taken the picture closer...but, those are the Hostas that I couldn't find last year in all the weeds. I transplanted them and they are doing great! Also planted a clematis in the middle and if that works out, I'll get more for the other trellises

I planted these Irises 3 years ago, and this is the first year they are blooming


Mason transplanted some wild strawberry plants that were growing in our yard, and some of the strawberries are turning red! (although Mason is pretty disappointed they are so tiny)

this was my "weed garden" last year. We got all of these plants for FREE!!! Sedum, Hens and Chicks, Bee Balm, Jack Frost and Astra, and these daisys that I LOVE. I also acquired a Mulberry bush and another bush that is bright yellow green and I bought 2 perennials for a quarter each today at a garage sale (I forgot what they were, but the climb and grow tall) So hopefully this will turn out nice. I am sure next year I will have to move things around as I see how things grow. Even the rocks are free from our own yard! And there are more large rocks in our woods I need to dig up. gotta love FREE!!!!! In fact, all the Hostas were given to me from my Mom's friend, and the Irises were also given to me.

"WELCOME TO THE BUS!!"

His last ride in the infant carrier...to pick up Mason from VBSNot quite ready to let go of the infant carrier:

As we put Maddox in, Mason exclaimed, "Welcome to the Bus!" Maddox was very excited about this new transition. He looks to tiny in his big boy seat. Even Mason told him he was a big boy now.

I will miss these days with Mason when he is grown up. Today we had a "helicopter blizzard", about half of the "helicopters" from our Maple tree and it looked like a blizzard. Mason ran into them and it would have been a wonderful picture, if only I had the camera at the time.

"Mom! Quick look at what Maddox can do!! You won't believe it!":

yes, we have an official climber in the house. He can scale chairs and now tables. Mason shimmied up a door jam last night...just grabbed it and started shimmying like he was some lumberjack climbing a tree. Pretty soon these boys will be swinging from the chandeliers.

Mom! He's touching me!

I heard this for the first time the other day. I suppose next will be "Mom! He's looking at me!" Despite the "brother moments" these two have, they do still love each other. It's fun to see them having so much fun. As of this moment, their favorite thing to do is chase each other all over the house laughing as hard and as loud as they can. Mason has been reading to Maddox, which is the most precious thing to see, however whenever I try to get a picture, they move and get silly.

Look Mom! I'm a Knight!

He put this hat on and spun around in circles until he couldn't stand up. The whole time he was spinning he was saying "Whoa, Whoa..."

Maddox rubs the corner of his blankie on his lip through the hole in his pacifier. He has done this since he was a teeny baby. He LOOOVES it.

Playing electronic Poker.

Maddox getting in some snuggles with his big brother

Lilacs, They're not just for looking at and smelling

The house is filled with lilacs. I even have some in a jar on the back of the toilet in the bathroom. Mason informed me that he likes having the lilacs in there "because if I'm just a little hungry and I am going to the bathroom, I can pick off some flowers and suck the nectar out. It's like having just a little snack".

(While studying plants this past week, I showed him where the nectar was in the lilac flowers and also showed him how I used to suck the nectar out when I was a kid.)