52 Project, Week 18: Spring Trees

The spring trees challenge was a lot of fun to photograph. After choosing to photograph the same spot of trees for the winter, spring, summer and autumn challenge, I already knew where one of my locations was. As my main image for the challenge, I’m choosing some beautiful crab apple blossoms.

I’m always amazed at how fast the trees turn green. In what feels like a few days, the trees go from bare branches to tops full of leaves. Catching that moment when the trees are softly budding with baby leaves is a race against time. As soon as the surrounding hills took on a soft subtle green, I knew it was time to head out and start shooting.

All of the kids came with for this challenge. It was a lovely, warm Sunday, with a scattered sprinkling of rain showers throughout the day. After our meeting at the Kingdom Hall, we stopped by home to pick up our cameras. We took the scenic route to the park and enjoyed the lovely views of our changing world.

Mr. Awesome and Cupcake chose to wait in the car, but Princess hopped out with Cat and me. Princess is my little shadow, she follows me everywhere.

Cat’s Spring Trees

The following Sunday was a clear, warm, sunny day. We met some friends at the park for a walk. In just one week you could really see the difference in the trees. In the picture of the children below, the kids are walking toward the back of the trees from the previous week.

On our walk, we saw a kayaker in the river. We went down to our favorite spot where the children were able to wade and splash in the water. It was a beautiful, spring day.

What is your favorite thing about spring?

Previous Week: 52 Project, Week 17: Light
Next Week: 52 Project, Week 19: Jewelry
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August 30, 2017August 30, 2017

Hastings Rivertown Days Parade 2017

The Hastings Rivertown Days Parade is a big event every year. It’s fun to see people we know in the community handing goodies out to the kids. We also enjoy the creative and fun floats, vehicles and walkers.

For a severe allergy family, we can’t enjoy the candy, but the kids always have fun collecting it. The big girls usually gather up all of the candy and divide it among themselves. I give the little kids safe, homemade “candy” or safe treats that I’ve found online.

This year, we went to the Kingdom Hall early in the morning, then rushed home as fast as we could (while not speeding, safety first!) for the parade. The kids changed into play clothes and we rushed down to try to find a spot. As usual, the roads were packed with people. Every year, people set out chairs, blankets, and towels to reserve their spots. The curbs, sidewalks, and lawns are always packed with people.

The parade was well under way by the time we got there, but it wasn’t even halfway over. One year, the parade was over two hours long! Thankfully, this year it was only about an hour. Two hours can get kind of long for little ones.

Right away, we found our friend’s Matt and Silvana and their children. They were kind enough to let us join them. While the little kids gathered up goodies, we relaxed in the shade of the tree we were under. Thankfully, this year it was mostly cloudy. Other years have been hot and sunny. I always feel bad for the marching band kids in full sleeved jackets.

There were a few new additions to the parade this year. Sponsors rented a fire truck that had been active in New York during 9/11. Little Log House Pioneer Village had a huge piece of antique farm equipment. As usual, there were mobile bands, marching bands, horses, and local businesses. I really enjoyed the landscaping displays. It was a beautiful and fun day.

Does your family enjoy going to parades?

Check out our video!

August 29, 2017August 29, 2017

The Great American Farm Tour Minnesota Meetup

Twas the day of the farm tour and all through the house,
Every creature was stirring, yes, even the mouse.
The children were loaded in the van with great care,
In the hopes that the Rhodes Family soon would be there;
The children practiced what they would say in their seats,
While they snacked on organic, non-GMO treats…

We had a lot of fun at the Great American Farm Tour Minnesota Meetup. The park was packed with kids and the lawns were packed with like minded small farmers. It was a lot of fun meeting new friends and sharing our farm stories.

If you haven’t heard of The Great American Farm Tour, you should check it out! It’s about small farmers using permaculture methods to grow food and raise animals. My Dad recommended the Rhodes family to me last year and I’ve been hooked, watching almost all of their YouTube episodes.

All of us were excited to meet and talk to Justin and Rebekah. Rebekah was even sweeter and more beautiful in person. They were kind enough to take the time to talk to each and every person. I can only imagine how tired they must be after traveling across the country, but they were kind, patient and respectful to everyone.

My Dad and Cat were the most excited to meet the Rhodes. I think it might be the highlight of the year for both of them. Cat was especially thrilled that Justin asked her to play her ukelele.

Waiting for the Rhodes to release their video of the day, all of my family had the farm tour youtube tab open and kept hitting refresh all day. lol You’ll have to check us out in the video below. If you don’t have time to watch the whole thing, you can skip to 7:42 to see us!

What farmers are you fans of? Do you have a favorite YouTube channel or a channel of your own? I’d love to hear about it!

Happy Farm Tour to all, and to all a good-night!

Check out our video of the meetup!

Check out the video from The Great American Farm Tour to see what everyone was growing at the Minnesota meet up:

August 24, 2017June 11, 2018

What’s In My Bag?

As someone with severe, life-threatening, airborne allergies, I need to carry some things with me at all times. This means that whatever I carry must be light and easily accessed. In addition, I need others to be able to find my emergency information fast. I also need a way to alert strangers to my allergens should I become incapacitated.

Inside this little purse is a lot of necessities!

Top row, left to right: iPhone, pretty rocks, Vogmask, spare change, checkbook, pens and sharpie, essential oil roller bottles, Badger lip balms, Redmond Bentonite clay, Frozen tissues, hair binder and bobby pins, whipped eczema body butter, and wallet.
Middle row, left to right: allergy alert paperwork, backup star face mask, epi-pen, albuterol inhaler, and coin purse.
Bottom row, left to right: purse organizer, allergy tag, EpiPen tag, purse.

Allergy tags I use:

I keep both my lip balm and Cupcake’s lip balm for when she needs it. Next to that I keep my essential oil roller bottles. I usually have a couple more than what’s pictured. I normally carry an anti-anxiety blend, first aid blend, Cat’s sore wrist blend, and Mr. Awesome’s ADHD blend. Behind that, I tuck my tissues into one of the pockets.

My phone has medical alert information for emergency personnel. My wallet has my insurance cards, my ID, my bank card, and membership cards.

I keep both face masks in a zipper pouch to keep them clean and safe from dust and other contaminants. I take them out and use them in dangerous places where I might potentially be exposed to airborne allergens.

I put my checkbook into the other zippered pouch to keep it clean and safe from damage. Yes, I still have a checkbook. The DMV and the kid’s schools are pretty much the only time I ever use it.

The kids and Nate are always bringing me pretty rocks. I stash them in my purse till I get home and put them in little bottles or on shelves. I’m a rock nerd. 🙂

I keep my eczema cream in a little jar. I also keep bentonite clay in a little container for emergency use. Bentonite clay can help absorb toxins, it kills viruses and bacteria, reduces swelling and helps to reduce allergy symptoms from accidental internal exposure(eating allergens by accident). It can also be used for bug bites.

My inhaler has saved my life many times. I’m not a fan of most pharmaceuticals, but when it comes to asthma, I don’t mess around. Thankfully, I rarely have asthma attacks anymore since I cut wheat from my diet.

My epi pen still scares me, even though I’ve had it for years. I’ve taught my family how to use it should I ever pass out.

What do you keep in your purse or bag?

August 20, 2017November 23, 2019

I Turned My Brown Thumb Into a Green Thumb

I have always joked about having a brown thumb instead of a green one. I have good intentions with plants, but I usually kill most of them. My problem was that I watered them too much. For me, caring for a plant equaled watering it. I literally loved them to death.

I did manage to keep hardy plants alive, to my great joy. My brother got me a Philodendron as a gift when I was 13. It’s the only plant that has survived this long.

My parents were great gardeners. As a child, they had a huge garden in our yard. I can remember working with them to weed, pick off pests, gather ripe plants and care for my own little garden plot. And occasionally, they had me get to lawn care and landscaping near me to make the garden more aesthetic-appealing. My favorites were the raspberries bordering 2 sides of the garage and the strawberries.

When I was given my own little corner plot, I planted Shasta daisies, echinacea, and zinnia among a few other flowers. I loved flowers and the butterflies that they drew to our yard. My Mother had flower gardens in raised planters that my Father built all over our property.

After my own children were born, I gave plants a renewed interest. I tried a few easy house plants, a few palms, some morning glories outside during the warm months, hanging petunias or impatiens. I tried peppers many times but they rarely produced peppers and if they did, were never large enough to eat. I’ve overloved and killed many orchids over the years.

With the addition of extreme allergies to my life, I’ve had to learn to grow my own food. Organic food from health food stores is usually incredibly expensive and is not always guaranteed to be corn free. The safest option is home grown because I control all of the factors of what my food is exposed to.

When I first moved to this house, my Mom helped me plant a small outdoor garden. The weeds overtook it to my great frustration. Creeping Charlie choked out most of my plants. I did get some tomatoes and small ears of corn (ironic, right? This was pre-corn allergy.). After that, I gave up planting in the ground. Nate built me a planter around the mulberry tree in the backyard, which I grew flowers and hostas in, for an easy to maintain, decorative garden.

Inside, I grew potted plants. I tried basil by the sink but I ended up overwatering it. My next sink plant was rosemary, which, as it turns out, LOVES being overwatered. In fact, if I don’t water it often, it starts to die. I also grow potted plants on my porch and bring them inside over winter. My theory was, if they die, that’s ok because they would have died if I had left them outside to die by frost. If they live, I have another plant to enjoy.

This last year, my gardening skills have grown, as has the number of plants in and out. I have several plants that live inside year round, Outside, on my porch, my number of potted plants has grown. After installing a critter fence, it was clear that the plants where staying healthier and growing faster. Those pesky critters can really make a dent in most plants. Those interested in the specific fence used, I found it here. I renewed my attempt for ground grown plants. I planted several things around the porch outside and started a new side garden. I’ve also planted raspberries and blueberries along the fence.

I am not an expert gardener. I have, however, turned my brown thumb into a green one with persistence and determination. I’ve never given up. If my plants die, I try again. I do more research. The best way I’ve learned is by experience and trial and error.

I recommend everyone give gardening a try. It is so rewarding. When I eat food from my own garden, I have a great pride and satisfaction that I have never gotten from bought food.

If you are afraid of killing plants, don’t let that deter you! Keep trying! Start with potted plants. Try something easy to maintain, like impatiens, petunias, philodendrons, or palms like I did. Otherwise, try checking out the end of the year plant sales that most greenhouses have. You can usually get plants cheap or for free. Use the mindset that if it dies, at least you tried. Research what you can do differently next time.

Do you care for any plants? What do you grow? Have you also overcome a brown thumb or has gardening come naturally to you?

Check out my video for a tour of my garden!

June 7, 2017

This Little Girl Went From Hating Water To Loving It

When Princess was born, a nurse offered to fill the tub for me at the hospital. They had the longest, deepest tub I had ever seen. I could stretch my legs all the way out without bending my knees. I could get in and the water and it could cover me up to my neck. I took a bath a few hours after birth, but I had to get out fast since Princess woke and started crying.

Several times, my nurse offered to fill the tub for me so I could relax with my wee baby and give her, her first bath. At the time, I was very dizzy and tired from high blood pressure. Plus, I had visitors coming and going, so rest was not an easy option. By the time the sun went down, the nurse shift changed. I had a tiny bit more energy and I thought it would be the perfect time for a bath. I asked my new nurse to pour the water for me.

As I climbed in, my legs burned. I could handle it, but it was uncomfortable. I was debating on getting out when the nurse entered with my naked baby girl. I mentioned that the water was too hot. She handed Princess to me and added a few seconds of cold water to the tub. Not feeling it was much cooler I didn’t lie back in the water. The nurse took princess from me and set her on my lap in the water, where Princess immediately began to wail.
“It’s too hot!” I exclaimed anxiously.
I don’t remember what or if she said anything in response, but I do remember being frozen in horror as she roughly and vigorously scrubbed my poor baby girl down with a large amount of soap. Princess screamed and shrieked and I was rooted to the spot, unable to move, unable to determine what to do. Before I could make a decision, she dumped water all over princess to wash off the soap.
“It’s too hot!” I said again, unable to think of anything else to say. Later I would obsess over all of the things I could have said and done to protect my baby. Before I could do anything else, the nurse wrapped her in a towel and brought Princess wailing into the room to diaper and dress her. I stood up and got a towel, unable to bear the heat any longer.

Since that traumatic incident, Princess hated water. She refused baths completely, and would wail for sponge baths. The only way to wash her was to hold her to my chest in the shower and lightly let the water over her back for a few seconds at a time.

Princess was always tiny, especially compared to my other three. I could easily carry her in a sling for her entire first year. She was my little shadow and joined me in every activity. I can remember a day where I stood at the sink, washing dishes, when a little hand reached out towards what I was holding. I was so startled I nearly dropped the dish! Princess was normally silent when she was with me, watching everything with her big blue eyes and taking it all in. Sometimes I would forget that she was there, such as this instance.

I did a little experiment and let Princess play with the sink water. She LOVED it. After that, I encouraged her to play in the sink with me, as I washed dishes. One day, when she was fifteen months old, I discovered her playing with the water in the bathroom sink. After that, she let me put her in the bottom of the shower to play with toys.

Today, my little Princess LOVES water. I have to fight to keep her away from it some days! She hops in every puddle she can find. So when I saw a pair of pink galoshes on sale at Walmart, I knew I had to get them.

The next rainy day, she was thrilled to be able to put her new rain boots to good use. She jumped and splashed till she was a muddy mess. When she was done, she had a nice warm shower and a cuddle with Mom before having a nap.

Moments like these are why I’m so thankful I’m a Mother. My children make everything new again. Every puddle is a fun, new adventure.

Splashing in the mud is fun! Do you let your kids play in the mud?

January 28, 2017April 27, 2017

So You’re Allergic To Corn

So you’re allergic to corn, now what? A corn free lifestyle is life altering. It’s so much more difficult than any of my other allergies because it’s in 99.99% of everything in our modern world. If you’re anything like me, you might go through several stages of grief.

Stage 1: Innocence
It’s No Big Deal, There Are A Lot of Things To Eat!
Realizing you are allergic to corn. Meh, corn isn’t so bad. So I’ll just skip the corn booth at the state fair.

Stage 2: Shock and Denial
Corn is in What?!
This might happen a few days or weeks after when suddenly you realize-corn is in EVERYTHING. You will be shocked by how corn is in every processed food and even on fruits and vegetables from the grocery store. It’s in diapers and air fresheners and stuffed animals and clothes and in water and in the air and, and, and…. Your brain will go numb as you realize the possibilities and you might even deny it to yourself for awhile.

Stage 3:Anger
Corn is EVIL
You will get so upset and angry. Seriously, why is corn in everything. Corn is EVIL. I hate corn! It’s in this?! HOW can it be in this?!

Stage Number 4:Bargaining & Self Pity
Please, I’ve Got to Eat Something!
Why Me?! Maybe if I go corn free for awhile, I’ll grow out of it and I’ll go back to normal. Maybe if only eat a little bit it won’t hurt me. Maybe if I eat organic corn I’ll be ok. Maybe if I eat corn light I’ll be ok. Nope.

Stage 4:Depression, Reflection & Loneliness
I’m Never Going to Eat Again
You will realize how fully encompassing corn allergies are. The sheer magnitude of the corn world is overwhelming and you will feel defeated. You will feel isolated from your friends and family who have no understanding of the depth of corntamination and you might isolate yourself from everyone. You’ll reflect on your pre corn and post corn life with thoughts of hopelessness. You’ll hit rock bottom.

Stage 5:The Upward Turn
Ok, I’ve Got to Eat
After hitting your lowest point, you’ll have no choice but to pick yourself back up. Take a deep breath, friend.

Stage 6:Reconstructing and Working Through
Seriously Though, What Can I Eat
At this point, you’ll probably start researching like crazy. You’ll join a few corn support groups, you’ll scour the internet looking at different websites, you’ll even be brave and research and try recipes to make from scratch.

Stage 7:Acceptance and Hope
There is Life After Corn, After All
You’ll come to a point where you are not a victim of corn, you are a corn free warrior. You know that other people can and do live corn free successfully and so can you. You’ll start gathering safe foods and household supplies and begin to change your entire world for the better. You’ll learn how to bake and cook like they did way back when. You might grow a garden and make buddies at the farmer’s market. You have learned that life without corn isn’t so bad after all.

After we first figured out that we had corn allergies, it took awhile for us to not only process, but to figure out what was safe and not safe for us. We made a lot of mistakes. We were accidentally corning ourselves with things we had no idea were corny. It took at least a year to figure out the basics and then another year to adapt and grow. It’s been almost 4 years and we are still making changes to our allergy lifestyle.

I hope that you don’t feel discouraged if you find out that you or a loved one has corn allergies. I hope that you find hope, inspiration and comfort here. Maybe you can learn from our mistakes and adjust a bit faster than we did.

Are you allergic to corn? Have you gone through the stages of grief? If you are a pro, how long has it taken you to adjust to a corn free lifestyle?

October 31, 2015January 25, 2018

Managing Exposure

Avoiding allergens can be really difficult. For those with severe allergies, this can be challenging and sometimes lonely. Managing exposure takes a lot of preplanning.

I try to keep these things in mind before considering leaving the house.

Will there be airborne allergens where I’m visiting?
How long is the event?
Will I need to bring food?
Do I have my inhaler, and epi-pen packed to go with?
Emergency Paperwork
Is there someone there who can help me should I become exposed?
Do I have my face mask for high-risk situations?
Do I have my essential oil blends to help me breathe and stay calm?
What is my exit strategy should there be dangerous allergens?
Recovery
Know Yourself/Your Child/Your Partner/Your Friend

For those new to allergies, there are a lot of potential dangers that you might not even be aware of. For those with family members or friends that you want to be considerate for, then hopefully these tips will help you too!

Possible Airborne Allergen Dangers

Air Fresheners: Made with alcohol made from corn, chemicals and artificial fragrances that can make anyone, even non-allergic persons, sick.
Look into buying a diffuser for essential oils* instead!

Anything peanuts or peanut butter: Peanuts seem to be one of the deadliest airborne allergens. If you’re heading to a playdate with a friend, please check the label on your snacks if you don’t have allergens. There are so many great peanut-free options out there! It’s hard for those with allergens to safely go on a playdate for fear of peanut butter sandwiches, trail mix or peanut butter cookies.
I personally feel like a burden asking people to avoid peanuts. I don’t like asking people to do things for me since I’m pretty independent and I don’t want to be rude. However, I have to take myself out of my comfort zone and make sure to mention my allergies. I figure it’s ruder to drop dead in front of my friends and upset them that they’ve killed me then to mention that I have an allergy they could please avoid.
One area that always scares me, is the giant peanut bin at the grocery store. I always steer WIDE around it. I try to be farther than eyesight. I also wear a facemask in stores that are known to have them. What is with that anyway? Do people honestly eat so many peanuts they need a giant open-air bin of them?? Couldn’t they put them in bags or a small concealed bin? It’s weird.
***Update***
After having an ANA attack at the store when they were adding peanuts to the bin, I no longer shop at stores with open-air peanuts. Even with a mask, it is not safe.

Perfume: Just like air fresheners, perfume is made with alcohol made from corn. Plus, perfume has chemicals that disrupt hormones. I read this incredible study that talks about how people have pheromones that attract you to the right mate that is genetically compatible with you. People who wear perfume mask their pheromones, therefore causing them to marry a genetically incompatible person. So, why wear perfume at all? Go au natural, be you!

Candles: In addition to artificial scents, candles are made with paraffin, a petroleum waste product that has to be deodorized and chemically treated with bleach before it can be made into a wax. It can be even more toxic than second-hand smoke. The wicks of the candles are often made with lead. A good alternative is to use beeswax candles. Beeswax candles clean the air! You could also use an essential oil diffuser*.

*Many oils are not safe to use around babies and small children. In addition, you’ll want to be sure not to use oils if someone is allergic to what you’re using. For example, I’m allergic to ginger and cinnamon, which are in a lot of essential oil blends.

Length of the Event and Bringing Food

Depending on how long I’m leaving home for, I need to plan how much food and water I should take. I try to always keep quick snacks on hand at home to grab for short day trips. If I need to leave the house during meal times, I need to do some preplanning for lunch or dinner.
If I’m going camping or out of town, I need to do a lot of planning. Meal plans, food prepping and googling grocery store locations near where I’ll be staying, calling ahead to see if they’ll have at least one of my safe emergency foods. It’s hard to bring enough safe food with for a long event, especially since I make everything from scratch, hence no preservatives. Usually, I like to see if there’s a farmer’s market or health food store near where I’m staying because that’s a lot safer than a normal grocery store.

Inhaler & Epi-Pen

Since I have life-threatening allergies, I need to make sure I have my inhaler and epi-pen on me at all times. So I have to double and triple check before I go anywhere. I always keep an inhaler and epi pen in my purse. I have spares at home too for back up. I’m thinking of bringing two epi pens with me because I read a sad story where a mother missed when trying to inject her child and they didn’t have a backup, so her child died. I can only imagine the anguish she must feel. She was prepared and yet things still went wrong. I would never have thought of having a back up on hand before reading that. In addition, it’s always good to have your prescription up to date and if possible, to carry a refill prescription note with you in case you lose yours.
I was pregnant with my second daughter and at work when I started having difficulty breathing. I realized I had forgotten my inhaler in another purse and I didn’t have one. I called ahead to the nearest Target pharmacy. When I got there, I was struggling to breathe but trying not to show it. I was hoping I could quickly pay and be able to breathe again after using my brand new inhaler. Instead, the clerk told me that my inhaler prescription had just expired. I managed to wheeze out “But I can’t breathe!” He told me he would try calling my doctors office. I managed to stumble over to the bench next to the pharmacy and tried to stay calm since stress can aggravate asthma. I called my parents and managed to gasp out where I was and they immediately started speeding over. By the time my Dad got there, there was a crowd gathered around me because I was barely breathing and turning blue. I remember a good Samaritan trying to help me stay calm and coaching me through slow deep breaths. My Dad was furious with the pharmacy and demanded that if they couldn’t fill my prescription they could at least call an ambulance. After using my inhaler a few times I started to breathe a little easier. The ambulance arrived and they checked my vitals and made sure I was getting enough oxygen. It was terribly embarrassing and scary. Since then I always check and recheck that I have my inhaler with me.

Emergency Paperwork

I have a printout of my and my children’s allergies in my purse. I also have plans to make a medical directive. I recently got this cute first aid pouch that I’m adding all of my emergency stuff to. It’s good to have a clear plan for emergencies, especially if you need to visit an emergency room or you are unconscious and need someone to make medical decisions for you.

Is there someone there who can help me should I become exposed?

I’m lucky my parents were able to rush over with an inhaler and that someone was able to help me. I’m not sure what would have happened if they hadn’t. I might have been in the news as Pregnant Woman Dies in Local Target. I’ve had other close calls and somehow, I have always been fortunate enough to have had someone I love nearby to aid me. When I can’t breathe, I can barely talk. The whole world narrows down to survival, trying to breathe. Almost nothing else exists. It’s hard to think about anything else. If I had to dig for a lost or hidden inhaler or cross a room or a building to get to it, I might not make it. Back up people are necessary. It’s humbling having to constantly rely on having someone to protect you and be there should the worst happen. I don’t know what I would do without my friends and family.

Do I have my face mask for high-risk situations?

I try to keep a face mask on for sudden airborne exposure. Some restaurants use peanut oil and driving by one can be dangerous. If I see one from a distance I can either close my car windows or thrown my face mask on or both. If I’m in a place where there’s a lot of air freshener scent or maybe cat or dog dander, I might put on a face mask to prevent me from breathing in more allergens as I try to make a speedy exit.

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Do I have my essential oil blends to help me breathe and stay calm?

I’ve recently discovered essential oils and I love them! I’ve found they help with my breathing and also help ease my anxiety. I’ve made a few blends that help me and keep them in my purse for easy, quick access.

What is my exit strategy should there be dangerous allergens?

It’s good to get a layout of the land in a new environment. Should I find myself in danger, I want to skedaddle as fast as possible. Not knowing a safe exit can be dangerous. As I’ve mentioned above, when it’s difficult to breathe, it’s difficult to think clearly. Relying on instinct and memory is easier than desperately attempting to escape in an unfamiliar area. Plus, not knowing how to escape can elevate stress levels and cause a panic attack on top of an asthma attack.

Recovery

After you escape a dangerous situation, you’ll need fresh air, a safe calm place to recover your breath and someone to watch over you should you need more help. Having safe water to sip is also very helpful. Don’t attempt to reenter a dangerous situation and risk re-exposing yourself. The second exposure close to a first is always more dangerous. Your helper should be able to help recover any personal items left behind in your flight. If you’re alone, find someone who can help you. Do not put yourself in harms way again! I think I usually try to keep everything right next to me in case I need to do a quick grab and go. I have left stuff before and had to send people in.

Know Yourself/Your Child/Your Partner/Your Friend

Be aware of yourself. Listen to your body, your breathing, your skin condition. Or that of your child/partner/friend with allergies. If you suddenly start coughing, don’t assume you’re suddenly, mysteriously coming down with a cold. Listen carefully to your body. Are you in a crowd? Is it possible there are people around with one of your allergens? Are you having any other reactions? Is your face feeling weird or numb? Is your face swelling? Are you breaking out in hives? Are you having trouble focusing? Are your hands itching or swelling?

Medical Alert Tags, Bracelets, and Necklaces

Should I ever be alone in a situation where I need strangers to help and I’ve become incapacitated, then I need a way to share important information with them. I have medical alert tags that are attached to my purse. They let strangers know that I have severe food allergies and also that an epi-pen is in my purse.

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I also have a medical alert bracelet and necklace. Should I ever be rendered unconscious, this can help emergency crews know what to avoid using on me. There is a lot of corn in medical equipment and exposure to it when I’m already struggling could have severe consequences.

Hopefully keeping these things in mind will help you with managing exposure as it has me. What do you do to manage exposure? Do you do anything different or have anything helpful to add?