Allergies

I have one those kids.  I'm one of those moms.

Yes. I use to silently mock (in my own head) the kids who have dangerous allergies and the moms who sent lists of forbidden foods to the hosts of playdates.  I felt sorry for them.  I thought that their kids are just not as sturdy as they should.

Karma sucks!

After dealing with my now 4 year old's eczema since she was 3 months old by lathering her with daily regiment of lotions and potions, we found out it's due to food sensitivities and allergies.  About 6 months ago,  I read Robyn O'Brien's book "The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food is Making Us Sick - And What We Can Do About It", a light bulb blinked on in my head.  Food.  Can my little healthy sturdy girl be really allergic to the food I feed her?  Eventually, slowly, I remove the one thing in her diet that I thought was the healthiest, dairy milk.  Miracle!!  She stopped scratching.  Her blistered, sore, red skin turned into healthy smooth kid's skin.  No more crying, no more yelling, no more potions.  It was like magic.

Now that I know food is a big factor in her overall well-being.  They next thing I noticed was the very rare times she ate a tiny bit of peanuts, she started coughing and complained that her tongue feels weird.  We are not a family of peanut butter sandwiches.  It just wasn't in our list of food in the pantry.  But every so often, peanut M&Ms or trail-mix with peanuts would make it across our house's threshold.  Another light bulb blinked on in my head.  Peanuts?  Could it be?  What else?

The pediatrician took her blood for an allergy test at her 4-year check up.  Positive.  All came back positive for peanuts, cashews, coconuts, nuts, nuts, and more nuts.  We were also given an Epi-pen for 'just in case'.  So, she is one of those kids.  I'm one of those parents.  I will be sending the list of no-no foods to the hosts of playdates.  And I apologize to all the parents that I silently mocked for so many years.  I'm sorry.

Dilemma of a Un-Princess Mom

My soon to be 4 year old girl was recently invited to a princess-themed birthday party by one of our good friend. I've been protecting her from the insidious brainwashing of the Princess marketing machine. She knows the names of other non-overly girly and pink Disney characters such as Lightning McQueen and Buzz Lightyear. Now, I have decide if I should succumb to the pink frilly world or make her the oddball among her peers.

I thought about dressing her up of some kind of non-pink princess, like Princess Leah from Star Wars or Princess Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones. But, I know the princess-themed party means pink and frilly. No matter how awesome she will look as Daenerys Queen of Dragons, she will not fit in. As a mom who loves her and will want her to stand out like a sore thumb, I will have to let go. Let her be a princess for a day.

After nearly 4 years of giving her gender-neutral playthings, doing my best to instill in her that she can do anything, and teaching her that if she practice, she can do anything. I think it's time to trust that she's ready to running into the arms of pink frilly silk-taffeta clad 4 year old girls and not forget that her strength comes from her inner abilities and not how pretty her clothes are.

Where's the Stop Button

My 3 year old just doesn't stop. She wakes up before 8 and goes to bed at 9. A 90 minute nap right in the middle. Yet, she's constantly on the move. Always asking questions. Nothing seems to slow her down. The worst is the inane questions that comes out of her mouth. "how do you spell 'bad mushroom'?". "what are you going?". "what are you going to do at the gym?". "how old is the net?". These are just few of her gems today.

I keep telling myself that this is a sign of her intelligence and curiosity. But, darn it, I just want some peace and quiet.

Fifty Shades Freed

Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The third book in this trilogy is a nice capping stone. The writing didn't improve much, but at least there was more of a plot. Finally, the reasons behind why Christian Grey is who is was explained in the last book. But, it was a given that everything is always explained in these type of books.
The third book was best of the three. The sex scenes got tedious starting on the 2nd book. I was looking forward to the interaction between the different characters and why they are who they are more than the sex, again.
The nice bonus in the 3rd book was the very last chapter, after the epilogue. They were the scenes where Ana and Christian first met, written from Christian's perspective. Very cute.




[ad#adsense-1]

Gathering Blue

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The second book in "The Givier" trilogy was a disapointment. It has no link with "The Giver". The dystopia world described in "Gathering Blue" doesn't seem to have any relationship with the dystopia world described in "The Giver". I was told by others that the third book in the trilogy will tie the first 2 books together and the characters will come-together. I guess I will have to read the third book.

"Gathering Blue" by itself lacks the engaging characters and environment. The dystopian world was more like a village in the European Dark-Ages. I was defintely hoping for more after reading "The Giver".



[ad#adsense-1]

Fifty Shades of Grey

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I got hooked. Fifty Shades is definitely addictive after the initial few chapters. All the adjectives and descriptors used by the media to describe this romance/erotica novel are apt. "Mommy porn" and "Twilight for adults" pretty much describe it entirely.
I enjoyed Fifty Shades as much as I can enjoy a giant bowl of ice cream. I know it's not the healthiest and enriching thing I can consume, but darn it, it just so much fun.
I also read others trying to justify the popularity of this book by comparing Anastasia Steele with Victorian lit heroines such as Elisabeth Bennett and Jane Eyre Why bother with that? By doing so, I would just be trying to balance the fact that I've read Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre with the fact that I just read a fluffiest book since Twilight.



[ad#adsense-1]

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1)

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Two words, epic-ly awesome!
I was wondering what the big hoopla was when HBO made this into an original series and everyone was talking about it. So, I started reading it thinking it's going to be similar to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. After taking more than a month to finish, I completely understand all the high praises heaped on this tome.
The world created by Mr. Martin was thorough and enriching. All the characters are so well developed that I was completely invested in everyone. I love and hate the characters deeply. It has been a long time since I've found a book so well done.
Now, I must watch the HBO series and read the rest of the series.



[ad#adsense-1]