Summertime…..

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! I love summer! I love having a break from school, picnics, swimming, reunions, bubbles, gardening, scrapbooking, fresh strawberries and raspberries, making cool treats, parks, vacations, but most of all……spending time with my family!!!

I haven’t written on my blog for about a month now. Now, you may be thinking I have been oh too busy with all those fun summertime activities I listed above. Well….that is partly the issue but the other is that I got pretty hurt in June and have been recovering.

I was cleaning a window (outside) and fell straight back… flat onto my back! For the first 4-5 days I couldn’t hardly move. I am still slowly recovering but doing much, much better!

Through this experience I have had much time to just think about all my wonderful blessings!

At the beginning of the summer (before I got hurt) I made a summer schedule for my kids. They were going to be very busy. But, then I got hurt and some things had to change…..we had to stop and slow down. So, with the kids help we made a “summer bucket list” and we have been making sure we do something new from our list each day! I love this….I will have to post more about it later.

SCC Girls Golf Hall of Fame

Well, a few months ago I received a letter in the mail inviting me to a hall of fame banquet/induction for SCC girls golf. I had to read a few times and wonder why I would be inducted into a hall of fame. Then, I called my mom to ask her, “Why do you think I would be inducted into the hall of fame??” My mom had to remind me that our team was very good and we won our division the year I played there! Well….I guess my memory isn’t too good after having a few kids and quite a few years.  I had forgotten those days of playing college golf and enjoying the nature and not worrying about kids.  So, 5 of my teammates and both coaches were there for the big weekend event! The funny thing is that as we visited and looked through pictures my memory came back to me (a little). Here we are all together at the banquet.  We had a dinner and then we were given the awards! Also….coach Tikker got an award and was inducted into the Coaches Hall of Fame….way to go!!!

This picture was too cute! Lindy’s youngest daughter was there and was being so good the whole night….wonder why?? She kept going and getting sugar packets and dumping them in her water….love the sugar (hopefully Lindy got some sleep that night!)

Christine and her family…..

Sandy and her family…..

Here we are at Tikker’s home…It was nice to be able to visit some more!

Now here is your future pro…watch for him…he is only 2…..and what a swing!!!

Here are some cute pictures of Dawn’s kids. (Dawn and I were roommates while we were going to college at SCC)

And here is my husband and I….we left the kids at home with my mom and dad (I knew there would be food everywhere we went….not a fun thing with food allergies).

So…when we got back home we were telling my parents and kids all about the trip and my son says, “Mom, I didn’t know you played college golf!” It was too funny…..now guess what my kids want to do this summer?? They want me to do golf camps with them! Last summer I put them in a golf camps and they loved it…But, now they realize I played! So…I think I will take them up on the offer….

Cub Scout Camp

I have been stressing and stressing about sending my son to scout camp this summer. I hear from everyone that they make birdfeeders with peanutbutter. YIKES! They say it is a mess and peanutbutter is everywhere and on every kid! Double YIKES! They say it is a tradition and they have to make them. So I wrote a note to the cub scout office and told them about my sons severe allergies to dairy, eggs and peanuts and asked which days do they do the birdfeeders (so I can keep my son home that day). A note came back to me today. The lady said there will NOT be any dairy, eggs or peanuts at scout camp this year. She totally understands because her son has peanut allergies too! So...if you are stessing about something allergy related try your best to educate others and remember it doesn't hurt to ask questions. So many people are in the same boat too!!!

Summer Fun....

I love summer! There are so many things to do in the summer that sometimes it seems to come and go too quickly! So, last year I started a new "system" that I loved and I am going to be doing again this year. I wanted us to be sure to have a fun summer but also make sure we weren't just doing the same thing each day like playing video games too much, watching movies too much, playing with neighbors too much or just anything tooooo much. So here is how it works....

We devoted a cute name with each day of the week so we would remember what the "activity" for that day was.

Movie Monday---we would pop some popcorn and have our own movie theatre right at home and the kids love this!!!

Trip Tuesday---this day we would take a trip somewhere (visit a grandma, go to a park, go to a museum, go to the zoo)

Wet and Wild Wednesday---this day we went swimming or set up a wet/wild activities in the back yard (slip 'n slide, sprinklers, small pools)

anyThing goes Thursday---this day was great for "anything" (craft day, cooking day, bike riding day, sports day, book day)

Friend Friday---this day was set aside to have a friend over

I can't wait for summer!!! I think I might be more excited than the kids :)

Family Reunion

We love going to our family reunions and enjoy seeing everyone. The kids always have fun doing all the fun games the President of the reunion has planned. Everyone is being so understanding of the food allergies and this year there were so many things my kids could have. It is getting better and better each year as more people become aware. They had sloppy joes for the main dish and it was all safe. Yippee!!!

Family Fun at the Mariners Baseball Game

Here we are at the Seattle Mariners Game. Our family can still have fun even though we have food allergies and so can you! We take wipes to wipe off the seats and then it becomes a safe environment. We have to bring all of our foods and snacks and sit away from other fans so that we can have a great time with no worries!!!!

Food Allergy Awareness Week.........

Next week is Food Allergy Awareness Week! Food allergies are becoming more and more common these days and it is so great to see many people come together to help each other understand and live with food allergies! You can learn more about food allergy awareness week and get ideas of how to help at the following link...

Food Allergy Awareness Week - FAAN

This is what I woke up to this morning!

I sat down at the computer this morning to start logging in Michael's school assignments and he says, "Mom, did you see the picture"? This is what I found...How sweet!!!

Early Morning on TV!

Friday morning we were on KEPR-TV with Jennifer Ann Wilson showing how to enjoy Easter with yummy treats. All the treats were "free" of the top 8 allergens....milk, eggs, wheat, soy, shellfish, fish, treenuts, peanuts, and also GLUTEN! I began creating allergy free foods so that those with the food allergies or gluten intolerances wouldn't feel left out. I tested each of my recipes on those without food allergies to get the "final" approval....Take a look at these clips to see how fun it can be to "ENJOY" eating allergy free!

http://www.keprtv.com/news/local/120472859.html?tab=video

http://www.keprtv.com/news/local/120473229.html?tab=video

http://www.keprtv.com/news/local/120471334.html?tab=video

http://www.keprtv.com/news/local/120471194.html?tab=video

Park City Mom Retreat

I was able to attend a Power of Moms retreat this last weekend. You can learn more about the power of moms at http://www.powerofmoms.com/ I am so thankful to my husband, mom and dad for taking such good care of my kids while I was away! I serve on the Power of Moms board and was so glad I went to get to finally meet "in person" as opposed to phone and email. Here is a picture of our board!










On Friday, April(one of the power of moms directors) did a seminar on Mind Organization for Moms (which you can also learn about on the website) but it was much better in person!!! I can't wait to get my office/school room and supplies/kitchen/mind organized...now to find the time to do so :).....thanks April!
Friday night we had dinner and a meeting together and then a slumber party. I thought it was great to finally meet together as a board and "see" the vision of Power of Moms and learn from each other.
Saturday, was the big event with 100 women! It was an all day event but here is an example of
what we learned about....making quiet time a reality/prioritizing/Balancing and Time Management/Spontaneity and Serendipity/Family Traditions/Family Structure and Systems that work.



This is a picture of me with the speakers! They all did such an amazing job! Another presenter was Richard Eyre, both Richard and his wife Linda have published numerous parenting books that have made the national bestsellers and I have enjoyed and used their expertise! You can learn more about them at http://www.valuesparenting.com/ One of the topics that Richard taught was on "Spontaneity". I really loved this because I need more spontaneity in my life, rather than structure! Here is a picture of Richard presenting....



It was a great weekend full of lots of information!!! I am so grateful to be able to be a mother and to try hard to raise good children and enjoy the journey while doing so!

Step 13 - Cake Pops - Finished Product

Here is a little tin with some of my finished Cake Pops. Aren't they just the cutest! (and they are really yummy too!)

Mark Your Calendar.....

I will be doing an event at Barnes and Noble on Saturday, April 9th at 2 p.m. Come learn a little something about food allergies and get a copy of the cookbook signed!

Do you need a cookbook?

Well, I have a new "batch" of cookbooks and they are now only $12!!!! So, if you are local let me know and we can get you a book....if you are not local and would like one just add $2 for shipping! Get ready to bake allergy free!

NEED A QUICK MEAL???

I have a great recipe for you that uses only a few ingredients and takes little time to make!! This has become a regular in our home because it is so fast and easy and EVERYONE will eat it! Here it goes.....
2 cups ketchup
2 cups grape jelly
20 meatballs (premade if your diet allows or you can make your own, I make my own and keep them in my freezer for quick meals!)
Stir ketchup and grape jelly in a pan on the stove over medium heat. Add the meatballs and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
I also make rice to serve with the sauce! Enjoy a quick and easy meal!

Babycakes in Los Angeles

"Carol's Chatter" One day we took a lunch break and drove to Los Angeles to see the famous allergy free store "babycakes". Everything in the store Michael could eat! The kids had a hard time deciding what to buy. We all bought something different and then bought our favorites to take with us. We tried the chocolate cookies, cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, cranberry apple cake and a cookie and frosting sandwich. Everything was really good! We all came to the conclusion that Brianna's desserts are just as good or even better tasting!

Corn Tortillas at California Adventure

"Carol's Chatter" Michael and Arianna at California Adventure with their tortilla's at the Mission store. There you can watch them make tortillas and then they give everyone a tortilla to sample. Today they were making corn tortillas and Michael was so excited! He said to the lady "I can actually have these! I'm not allergic to these!" The lady then gave him a second tortilla and that really made him happy!

More Disneyland

"Carol's Chatter" These are a few of the families group pictures taken at Disneyland. Don't you just love their happy faces! I was so glad I got to be there to enjoy a few days with them at Disneyland! I was the designated photographer. We had so much FUN! Disneyland really is magical! It is a little more work for an allergy child to go to Disneyland. Michael was a real trooper, he brought wipes and wiped down each ride before he rode them. And for the food situation they brought all their own food. They would pack snacks and lunch in a backpack and went back to the motel and fixed dinner in an electric pot. One nice thing about motels being close!

Visiting Relatives

"Carol's Chatter" We went to visit our relatives on our way to Disneyland. They joined us at Disneyland for one day and we had lots of fun going on all the rides. Brianna's aunt was so kind and even prepared Michael friendly meals while we stayed with her. She bought one of Brianna's books and said, "These recipes aren't that hard to do and lots of the recipes are recipes I already make!"