School Nurses Conference

Okay, I admit it. I've been busy enjoying the summer, and perhaps neglecting my blog, Facebook & Twitter updates more than I should. Even so, I have managed to work in a few BugaBees activites, including the National Association of School Nurses convention last month in Chicago. Friend and fellow author Susie Bazil (of The Sick Bug) joined me and all I can say is we love those school nurses! I so appreciated the opportunity to hear their stories and help support their efforts in promoting food allergy awareness in schools.

One school nurse that continues to inspire me personally is Karen Leister from Southern Boulevard School in New Jersey. In 2006 along with her school psychologist, Karen created an incredible program for her district called FAST Friends (FAST standing for Food Allergy Support Team). Established with a grant from the Chatham Education Foundation, this group meets five or six times a year on various topics designed to help elementary school children better understand their food allergies. The goal of this group is three-fold: to offer support to children who are learning to eat differently at school and beyond, to equip these children to (eventually) assume their own care through education and to raise awareness in the community by teaching others and by thanking those who are most helpful in supporting kids with food allergies.

Karen's program has been so successful that in 2009, she received an honorable mention for the national Muriel C. Furlong Award for Making a Difference from FAAN. Kudos to Karen! And on behalf of all the grateful parents out there, kudos to all of the school nurses who are working hard on the front lines to keep our children safe. We couldn't do it without you!

Peanuts on Planes

A few months ago, I took a much needed vacation with my girlfriends to collectively celebrate our 40th birthdays. Our travel plans required airline transportation, and while I was overjoyed with ability to “get away”, I still could not get away from thoughts of my daughter and her nut allergies.

During the course of my flight to my vacation destination, I just kept thinking “How will she ever do this?” as the flight attendant went aisle by aisle passing out peanuts and pretzels. On my return flight home with a different airline, snacks were not provided of any kind, but there was a passenger across the aisle from me that pulled out her own little lunch, which appeared to me to be a peanut butter and banana sandwich. Sigh. “I’m never taking her on a plane,” I said to myself at that moment. Road trips are just as fun, right?

I know there are other families that do travel on airlines with food allergies. Some have great success stories. Others have horror stories. For me, I guess I fall on the conservative side. I would rather not take the risk. Why add stress to an activity intended to remove stress from your life?

BUT CHECK THIS OUT … The United States Department of Transportation has recently proposed new wide-ranging consumer protections for air travelers, Including Peanut-Free Airlines!

Can it possible be that someone is finally, actually getting it? Of course, the proposal is controversial, and of course, may not amount to anything in the end. But I am very encouraged by the fact that it is even being discussed. And if a ban does in fact become enforced, I offer my apologies to the peanut farmers of America. I know this has a negative impact on your livelihood, but it obviously has an overwhelmingly positive impact on my daughter’s life. In my world, “living” (as in not dying) trumps “earning a living” every single time.

The public is currently invited to comment on this issue at the Regulation Room. In the meantime, if you or your family MUST travel on an airplane and food allergies are a concern, FAAN has some great information and advice about how to do so safely. Happy trails to you, one and all!

Fun Stuff

It's always so much fun to visit with students of all ages and last week was no exception! Thanks to all the kids for being such great listeners and food allergy advocates during my most recent classroom visits. You are all precious and wonderful and make the world a better place to be with your open hearts and minds.

And last but not least, it was very, very fun to hold our first ever BugaBees Book-A-Day Giveaway contest in honor of Food Allergy Awareness Week! Congrats to all of our winners, from England and all across the U.S.: Maria Musicka, Carol Nockels Depke, Melinda Olson, Jennifer Haldeman, Sarah Suarez, Julie Henning and Melody Krouse.

I hope you will enjoy the book and continue to share its optimistic message with others.

The BugaBees Book-a-Day Giveaway for Food Allergy Awareness Week!

The BugaBees know that missing out on certain foods, doesn't mean you have to miss out on all the fun. So in honor of Food Allergy Awareness Week, we have a fun little giveaway contest planned! Here's what you need to do:

• Post a comment on the BugaBees blog (right here) or on the BugaBees Facebook page anytime between May 9-15th
• EACH DAY one participant will be randomly selected to win an autographed copy of "The BugaBees: Friends with Food Allergies"
• All winners will announced on May 16th
• One comment per person, per day please :)

Good luck and go to it ... Help spread a little extra food allery awareness this week! I know of a few million kids who will be glad you did.

Fine Arts Week

While the topic of food allergies has become a major area interest for me in recent years, so has the fine art of writing - children’s literature and otherwise. This is why I am so thankful to Ms. Finnegan for recently inviting me to participate in a writer’s panel discussion during Fine Arts Week at Middleton High School.

Joined by three other newspaper columnists and sports writers, it was really kinda cool to see that whatever the genre, our advice to the students was essentially the same: write what you love, work hard, and revise, revise, revise!

Many thanks to the teachers, students and panelists for their interest and enthusiasm!

Emergency Action Plans

It’s that time of year again when my 1^st grader starts coming home and telling us about the fire drills (and sometimes tornado drills) they often conduct at her elementary school. Many businesses also take time out to do crisis management drills and run mock emergency action plans every now and then. Which is why a few years ago, I came up with idea for our family to start doing our own surprise Epi-Pen drills, just to help keep us on our toes.

My daughter Mollie gets to be in charge of deciding when she tests us by acting out the symptom(s) of her choice and seeing how we respond. This typically involves her shouting, "uh oh, I think I ate a peanut!" which is enough to send us into action. We check on her and ask a series of questions, such as "Do you have hives? Are you breathing ok? Are you throwing up? Are you experiencing swelling or shortness of breath?" etc. She gets to decide the answers and we respond accordingly. It's a great way to ensure our Epi Pens and phones (for calling 911) are always charged and where they should be. It's also a great way to run through the procedure for giving her a shot if needed, which we always use our Epi-Pen trainer for.

If you haven't done this before, I highly recommend giving it a try, and extending it beyond family to other caregivers, babysitter, parents, etc. I guarantee, someone will walk away learning something new. Most recently, my friend (who often hosts Mollie on play dates in her home) was surprised to find you can administer the shot directly through clothing. These little details, along with developing a physical memory of what to do in a crisis situation, help empower and prepare everyone involved!

Book Drive

Spring is officially here and I for one am psyched! There’s something about the fresh air and sunshine that actually make me feel more energetic and motivated … to deep clean my house. Yes, I have big plans for Spring Cleaning this year, including some serious purging of surplus toys and books that are scattered about every room of our home.

Which is why I was so excited to learn of the The Half Pint Book Drive currently underway. Across the U.S., Half Price Books stores are working to collect and distribute children’s books to those in need. New and gently used books donated through this program help provide inspiration for children from low-income families, while helping to boost literacy skills outside of school. In many cases, children are getting their first book through the Half Pint program. The drive accepts any type of children’s book, including Spanish language books, as long as they are in good condition. The program is now in its 12th year and has collected more than 2 million books for community centers, special schools and many more children in need.

The Half Pint Book Drive ends March 31st. If you’re like me, I know you have at least a few (or more than a few) children’s books that are worth sharing and passing on. Visit Half Price Books to find a neighborhood drop-off location near you.