Category Archives: Personal

One Day at a Time

Things are crazy right now during COVID-19.  I recently had a friend ask me if I’m worried about school opening in the Fall.  I told her that I haven’t really allowed myself to go there.  I’m just taking things one day at a time.  Things are changing so quickly right now.  Staying focused on the present allows me to stay calm.  “I need more of your thinking over here”, she said.  How did I get here I thought? It certainly didn’t come overnight.  This approach to my life has been as a result of much time and effort.  I believe that I can thank the world of food allergies and asthma for helping me to handle the current COVID-19 pandemic.  With my daughter’s food allergies and the recent asthma diagnosis, I have definitely been terrified and overwhelmed.  The day she was diagnosed with food allergies at a year old, I immediately fast forwarded my worry to her being at college and forgetting her epinephrine at a party.  Crazy but that’s exactly how my mind worked that terrifying day.  Now, fast forward, through much practice and training my brain focuses more on the current.  I thank my Barre3 practice a lot for this mentality.  We are always being told to breathe and focus inward.  Meditation is a crucial part of the end of the workout that I am a big believer in.  I also hear my husband reminding me that medicine is constantly advancing and changing—thank goodness! I also remind myself that she can outgrow both her allergies and asthma.  We have to believe! We have to hope! And I really think that I am able to take what has worked for me in our everyday lives and adapt it to the current conditions.  I love opportunities to find positives with food allergies and asthma life.  

Food Allergy Awareness Week

It’s Food Allergy Awareness Week.  32 million Americans are currently living with potentially life-threatening food allergies.  That’s 1 in 13 children.  Despite what social media wants you to believe, everyone is or has experienced some sort of adversity in their life.  When our daughter was diagnosed with food allergies at a year old, I was heartbroken and taken completely off guard.  The diagnoses absolutely changed our lives.  Food allergies are serious and require constant vigilance such as reading every label and preparing all food safely at home.  But this little girl’s smile constantly reminds me that we are living life to the fullest.  We are happy and she is amazing! I believe her loving spirit, compassion and empathy are somewhat as a result of this diagnosis.  This has been my passion and one of my greatest purposes as a mother.  The second picture I’m sharing was on a very special day for our family when Layla graduated peanut oral immunotherapy (OIT) in Cincinnati.  She’s been in maintenance for over a year now.  Doctors and experts are dedicated to researching and finding a cure for food allergies.  While there isn’t currently a cure, there is hope.  I hope and pray everyday for that cure or for her and others to outgrow their allergies.  Life is certainly a journey.  Our journeys never tend to be how we envision them.  Somehow they end up better and teach us more than we could ever imagine.  You can find me spreading the love and here or on Instagram at peace_love_joyful