OK, I know I left the vacation story hanging...

but, I SWEAR I'll get back to it soon. But for now I'm getting ready for back to school (with food allergies). These are two posts that wrote for WEGO Health this week. Take some tips. Leave some tips. And what are your thoughts on the Allergy Network. Do you have one in your area? Do they charge you to come to your school? Inquiring minds want to know (not because I'm doing this, but we had something like this starting and they charged so I'm just asking...)

Original post on WEGO Health:
Back to school with food allergies

It's that time again. I'm getting both my sons ready to go back to school. Not only do I have to make sure that they have back to school supplies and clothing, but I also have to make sure that my food allergy son is all set with an updated food allergy action plan and that all of his medication is up to date.

This year I have it kind of easy. His teacher for this year was the director at his preschool. She knows him and is aware of his food allergies. I'll only have to do a review with her instead of a full blown lesson. I still have to start getting all of my EPI pen prescriptions refilled. Our insurance company will only let me fill one, two pack every 10 days. I need six 2 packs for the school. I need to start now.

What other things do I usually do?

1. Get an updated Emergency Action Plan for the school .

2. Reprint the list of safe art supplies and have it ready to give to the teacher and request that she go through the classroom and remove any pasta and play dough that was used the previous year.

3. Refill the safe snack box that we keep in the classroom in case I forget to send a snack or in case there is a surprise birthday at school.

4. Bake some cupcakes that will be kept in the freezer at school for any surprise treats or parties that come up.

5. Update and reprint a list of expectations that I have for my son's care (requesting to be notified of birthday parties in advance, requesting to attend any and all field trips, requesting that no food be used in classroom projects without prior authorization, and I believe there is a "Thanksgiving Dinner" that will need to be addressed this year).

6. Sit down and review with my son his role in protecting himself and what he needs to do to keep himself safe (no sharing food, etc.)

7. Call the school and set up an advanced meeting with the teacher to discuss anything new with her and to review all of the procedures that need to be put in place to keep my son safe.

It may sound like a lot but we have this down to a science so it really isn't. And because the teacher already knows him, I expect this year to be even smoother than it has been.

We do not have a 504 Plan in place (we are at a private school), but if you are in a public school and you have a 504 plan this would be a good time to review it and to see if there are any changes that need to be made.

Starting a new school year can be stressful for any student, but it can be extra stressful for students who have a special need like a food allergy. But with advance preparation, the amount of stress due to food allergies can be lessened for all.

What do you do to get your food allergy child ready for a new school year? How do you prep a new teacher to deal with your child's food allergies? Do you have a child that is actually moving to a new school this year? Has that added an extra amount of stress to the new school year?

Share your tips for getting through the new school year jitters with food allergies!!

Original post found here:
Starting a New School Year With Food Allergies

The other day I wrote a post with tips for starting the school year with food allergies. Some of the question in the comments asked if we as food allergy parents thought that it would be beneficial if we put a "group" together in our school system (similar to what was done with the Loudoun Allergy Network to educate our school system and other non food allergy parents about what is necessary to keep our children safe. Loudoun Allergy Network is the only one of it's kind that I'm aware of. We do not have a similar organization in our area. Have you ever thought of starting a network like this in your area or are you in the process of organizing a similar network? Do you think it would help educate the school and other non food allergy individuals about your child's food allergies?

What other suggestions do you have for parents who may be sending their food allergy child to school for the first time? Have you ever met with resistance from a teacher or school to keeping your child safe? How did you handle it?

I know I've asked a lot of questions. Feel free to answer them here or to just share a link to an external blog post that you may have already done that answers any of these questions. Beginning a new school year can be a scary time for those with food allergies. Anything you can add that can help lessen that fear would be much appreciated.

Oh and because I've been eating and gardening too and I love good stuff, I made these last night. And if you haven't tried them. You should. They're addicting. I wish I had more. My stomach doesn't wish it. But I do. I'm just sayin.