Holiday anxiety/food allergies

This past week has been a little crazy. Every year, my wonderful job gives us two weeks off at Christmas, because we're a Lutheran school so we celebrate very openly. This can sometimes put parents in a bit of a rough spot, trying to decide between taking time off work or maybe hiring someone they might not fully trust to watch their kids. This is where I come in. Early in the year, I let parents know that I'm 100% available to watch their kids when we're off -- any time we're off. I admit, my reasons for doing this are selfish. I love the kids I take care of. Two weeks with no contact from any of my kids is torture after seeing them five days a week. So the past three days, I've had a total of four children that are not my children. Plus my own. Oh, and I have I mentioned that I had my sweet baby sister? Yep. Six kids, in my tiny apartment, ages from less than a year to ten years old. I LOVED IT. Each child that I watched is absolutely wonderful (including my two, I love them to biitttttssss) and they each have their own distinct personalities, and that is so beautiful to me.

But now I'm off. No more kids for me (insert frowny face here) BECAUSE.........

I'M GOING TO HAWAII FOR TEN DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!

While I'm absolutely ecstatic about this opportunity, I'm also a little anxious. Okay, a lot anxious. The holidays are always a time of anxiety for me (ahh, I forgot to buy so-and-so's kid a present and I know I never ever see them but now they'll hate me forever and I should just crawl in a hole and die), but they're even more so. Why? One word.

NUTMEG.

I mean, yes, there's the anxiety about flying from SLC to LAX for our connecting, then landing in OGG at 9:55 local time (aka one am our time) and then a three hour layover in Denver on our way back, WITH A TODDLER who does not like confined spaces. And then my step-brother, who has never flown before, is seated away from us (please let people be nice and switch seats). I'm anxious enough for the entire plane, I'm pretty sure. But there's nothing I can really do from the air. The main thing I'm worried about is once we land.

In other cultures (the lovely people of Hawaii included) they use exotic spices to flavor their food. I learned that the hard way when I made homemade curry. I have been absolutely obsessing over making sure I have all of bubba's medications. Both sets of epipens? Both his inhalers? A back up for both his inhalers? His singulair? His benadryl? His zyrtec? Motrin and tylenol, just in case? Does my dad have a humidifier? How am I going to use bubba's essential oils? WHAT IF HE HAS AN ALLERGIC REACTION BECAUSE HIS INSURANCE BASICALLY DOESN'T WORK OUTSIDE OF THE SALT LAKE VALLEY?! That's something I just learned, so that's fun. I'm trying to remain calm.

The reality of having a child with severe allergies that don't have to be listed as an ingredient is that you can be as prepared as is humanly possible. You can pack all the medications you want, check every single label before you let something near your child, and ask every single server or cook to tell you exactly what is in anything you order, but it still might not be enough. Maybe the label-er didn't put any of your known panic words (aka words that indicate the ingredient your child is allergic to) on the label, maybe it's a pre-mixed package of spices like at KFC and the cook doesn't know exactly what's in there. Something could still happen.

This is why it's so, so important that everything be labeled with EVERY. SINGLE. INGREDIENT. Guess what, Coke manufacturers? I don't give a damn about your secret recipe, or if it remains a secret. I care about my child staying alive, rather than dying over something that could have been prevented.

Yep, I'm still on this crusade. I created a petition, aimed at the FDA, to require companies to label every ingredient they use.  Besides being used in food and drinks, nutmeg is also made into an oil and used in medicines and cosmetics. Every time I buy chapstick or fill a prescription, I'm gambling with my son's life. Please take a minute to sign the petition and share it. It doesn't hurt you at all, and it could save my son's life one day.