Two things...

Two things - I realized late last night that the Ode to Daddy...sucked. I can do better, and he deserves so much better. But I'm not doing it right now. I've had a long day with the kids, it has rained, and my nose is running off my face. So, when the time is right, he will get a proper, deserving Ode.

The other thing - peanut allergy. Tanner is allergic to peanuts. Occasionally I freak out about it, wonder how in the world I can protect him literally his whole life, etc. Today I was reading of of the websites that I go to regularly for updates and info, and it increased my anxiety about tenfold. How am I going to protect this child when he isn't WITH me? When he's offered cookies at school? When he is in his "indestructible" phase as a young adult? As a college kid who carelessly puts something in his mouth at a party while he's been drinking? (Come on, you know college kids are going to drink and don't think otherwise, no matter how much you don't want them to do it, they are - A LOT.) And if he HAS been drinking, will he know how to locate his epipen? I could drive myself crazy with worry, but all I can do is try to educate him as best as I can and PRAY that he keeps himself safe. However, how can I educate him when I can't even get my own family to get on board with me? My mom ois forever telling me that it isn't fair to deprive the other two from pb&j, certain foods, etc. Plus, my nephew is also PA but has never had a blood test so they dont' know what level he is. "Well he ate such and such and didn't have a reaction, so I dont' see the problem with giving it to Tanner." Just tonight, I had a replay of that conversation for the hundredth time. Then there's BDM (Big Daddy Meow). He was at the store tonight getting stuff for his time out of town. He said, "Hmmm peanuts. Those sound good"
My reply "Ummm WHAT??"
BDM "What's the problem?"
Me "HELLO! Tanner? Him? What if you touch something and get peanut fragments all over it? What if you leave the jar in your stuff and Tanner or one of the others get into it? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?"
(I'm certain he's thinking that I have gone over the edge right about now)
BDM "OK! I won't get peanuts! Geez!"
A few minutes later, he was on the cereal aisle. "Honey-nut cheerios sound good"
Replay the same scenario we just went through (Honey nut cheerios are not nut free)
Moral of the story - no matter where one of us is, out of town, here, on vacation, whatever, we all have to live a peanut free lifestyle so that it becomes natural. My kids know this - they ask me "is this peanut free?" whenever we buy stuff at the grocery store, and the phrase, "that's not peanut free" is a deal breaker for them, no fuss, no nothing about not getting a certain type of cookie, bread, chip, cake, brownie, ice cream, cereal, whatever. Just gotta get my husband to that level of thinking...