Baked Goods!

Do you know how hard it is to find baked good that are peanut-free? Near impossible. In fact, most of the time I don't even bother walking through the bakery section, because it just depresses me. But I got a tip (from one of the great moms who was at my anaphylaxis group meeting) that Superstore had some. So, naturally, I drove out to Superstore the first chance I got.

And she was right! It was wonderful. I almost didn't know what to pick, but this is what I got:

And check it out...peanut-free!

I have to give props to Superstore. They have the largest selection of peanut-free stuff that I have seen so far. Even their "no name" candy (like jelly beans and jujubes) is peanut-free. And baked goods!

I love cookies...

Nut-Free Chocolate!

As anyone with a peanut allergy would know, it is really hard to find candy and chocolate that is safe. Basically, I've found my options to be limited to snack-size Smarties, Aero, Coffee Crisp, and Kit Kat. And after a while, that gets really boring.

Needless to say, I was delighted to find a chocolate store that specializes in nut-free treats: Vermont Nut Free Chocolates. We ordered a box of assorted chocolates and some wrapped chocolates for Christmas. And they were DELICIOUS. Just as good as Purdy's, or any other similar chocolates, and priced about the same, too. And shipping wasn't too expensive, either.

I will definitely be ordering more. Not only do they make amazing boxed chocolates, but they also have candy, baking chocolates, fun shapes, and things for every different holiday.

My First Meeting

So, I attended my first "Metro Vancouver Anaphylaxis Group" meeting this week (the group is coordinated through Anaphylaxis Canada, which I talked about in this post).

It was AWESOME.

I got to meet a bunch of other parents of kids with peanut (and other) allergies, and talk about anything and everything to do with the allergy. We discussed where to buy peanut-free foods, where to take the kids out to eat, vacationing, daycare, school, EpiPens, swimming...and so much more. It was so great to hear what other parents are doing to keep their kids safe. I got so many useful tips and ideas that I hadn't even thought about before!

I highly recommend joining this group. I can't wait for the next meeting!

Airline Travel Becomes Safer

Thanks to Transport Canada, I will soon feel more comfortable about taking Ella on a plane!

According to this article in the Globe and Mail, the Canadian Transport Agency has ruled that individuals with a peanut/nut allergy should be considered "disabled" and therefore special accommodations must made to address their needs. Basically this means that a peanut/nut-free buffer zone has to be established on the airplane. The ruling only applies to Air Canada, but other airlines usually follow suit in similar situations.

Ideally, I would love peanut-free fights, but this "buffer zone" idea is at least a step in the right direction.

One Small Step...

Ella went to sit on Santa's lap at the mall yesterday. (Side note: she LOVES Santa...loves sitting on his lap, loves telling him that she wants a dollhouse and slippers, and even loves playing Santa at home, which involves me sitting on her lap telling her what I want.)

Anyway, she sat with him and chatted for a minute, and then he reached into his sack beside the chair and pulled out a candy cane. Eeek! Not a big deal for other kids, but I have no idea what's in those candy canes or whether some peanutty snack was made in the same factory. Needless to say, I was a little concerned, but I decided that it might be inappropriate for me to sprint over to Santa and smack the candy cane out of his hand. So I decided we'd just throw it out later and scrub her hands.

Then something amazing happened. Santa put the candy back in the bag and gave her a colouring book instead. Hmmm...

Ella jumped off his lap and ran over to us to show us her new colouring book, so of course I asked her about the candy cane. "Did Santa ask you if you wanted a candy cane?" "Yes," she replied. "What did you say?" I asked. And to my great surprise and delight, Ella answered, "I said no."

This may not seem like a big deal, but for an almost-3-year-old to say no to candy is AMAZING. I can only hope that all those times that I tell her that she can't have candy (or anything) without asking me first have started to sink in.

And don't worry, I've ordered some peanut-free candy for Christmas!

Allergen Free Food!

I came across a great CANADIAN website that I thought I would share. It's called Allergy Menu.

Basically it's an online grocery store where you can shop by allergen. So if you're allergic to one (or more) of the top 8 allergens, you just check that box, and it will find safe products for you! They sell everything from trail mixes to spreads to candy to cookies to snack bars to chocolate...basically all the allergen-free stuff that's hard to find at a "regular" grocery store.

What I'm most excited about is the candy. Since Ella's been diagnosed with PA, we've eaten SO many snack-size Aero, Kit Kat, Smarties and Coffee Crisp. I'm kind of getting sick of them. But there's not a whole lot of choice for peanut-free chocolate (especially terrible for me is the fact that my absolute favourite chocolate bar of all time is Reese Peanut Butter Cups). So finding a place where I can get more variety is AWESOME!

What's also cool is the Christmas stuff they have - advent calendars and candy canes! And I thought we'd have to go without!

A Great Video

I just saw this video on another PA blog, and thought I would share it. It's a great tool to help you educate the people in your world about what it's really like to live with a life-threatening allergy on a daily basis. And the kids are cute!