Looking for Advice

All right, for the first time in this blog's history, I am looking for a little input. I hope you all can give me some advice.

This Wednesday Katie had an allergic reaction to a cashew. I don't think that she had ever eaten cashews, but about a minute after eating two she told me her throat hurt and she started getting hives on her face. Luckily a dose of Benadryl (something all families should have in their medicine cabinets, if you ask me) and some topical hydrocortisone took away her symptoms. That being said, we are currently in a no nut holding pattern. Having been told that a nut allergy can show up at any time, we have to assume, until testing has been done, that she is now allergic to all nuts...including peanuts.

And that brings me to the advice that I am soliciting from all of you. I am searching for "nut-free" snack and food alternatives to have in the house from now on - at least until we know the extent of her allergies. Many of you know that lots of unassuming foods contain nuts or are exposed to nuts and many of you know, or are, families that have members who have such allergies. I am hoping that you might be able to provide me with some products or companies that are sensitive to this issue.

Thanks so much in advance. Hope you all are having a nice Spring!

The Wisdom of Elders

To get into our apartment is no small feat. First, one must have either a gate opener (like a garage door opener) to drive through the gate, or a key to open the walk-through gate. After entering the grounds a key, a different key, mind you, is needed to access the service elevator and stairwell. This elevator opens up on each floor to the kitchen, or back, door of each apartment. If one wants to get to the front door of an apartment, a third key is needed to operate the second elevator. This elevator provides access to the front doors of both apartments on each floor. In addition to the aforementioned 3 keys and one gate opener, we have four, count 'em FOUR, more keys to the apartment. Two to the back door and two to the front door (and no, none of the locks are the same). Lastly, we have a key that opens the gate, in case the opener is out of commission or missing and one more that opens a door between the service entrance and front door. That makes 9 keys and one opener. Oh, and did I mention that two of the keys are weirdly large and ancient looking. I have a very heavy key ring.

That being said, Chris has drummed it into the kids' heads that they are not to open the front door without Mom or Dad, as they don't know who might be on the other side. In the case of our apartment here, the chances that ANYONE might be outside our door are slim and none. But the girls are very serious about not letting the bad guy in. As Katie, the elder, so eloquently said this morning, "Bad guys don't knock. They are not very polite." I should say not.

The Easter Bunny Must Be GIANT in Italy!

Buona Pasqua!

It was almost like Christmas here at our home today. Katie woke me up at 4:38, yes 4:38. Too early, if you ask me. We held them off until around 7:00 a.m., but then the hunt began.

Here in Italy they sell these giant, hollow, chocolate eggs at Easter time. They are wrapped in shiny mylar-like paper and each has a different theme, like Superman, Tom and Jerry, Disney Princesses, etc. Inside the egg is a large plastic capsule which has a toy inside. They are quite the Easter treat, but I have deduced that the Easter Bunny must be GIANT in order to haul all of the eggs around. Katie got a fairy in her egg, Maddie received a nail sticker kit, and Jameson had a Cars themed frisbee.

Not like the Peeps, marshmallow eggs, and Brach's jelly-beans I remember, but when in Rome...

It Wasn't the "Magic Fingers"

Do you remember those beds in older hotel rooms that had that "Magic Fingers" option where you could put a quarter in the box next to the bed and it would shake? To a kid, it was always a lot of fun, until the shaking got kind of nauseating and you wondered if the bed would ever shut off or if you would have to go to sleep shaking like that. Well, we shook in bed last night and I can guarantee you that there is no "Magic Fingers" box on my night stand.
Early this morning, around 3:30, a considerable earthquake hit central Italy, about 50 miles from Rome. I initially thought that one of the girls was trying to wake me up and shaking me a little. When I sat up and realized that the walls were also shaking, I understood that something else was going on. It was pretty scary and I had a tough time getting back to sleep. Fortunately, we are okay, something not everyone else can say.
Growing up in Kansas you kind of get a feel for what a tornado day or sky feels or looks like. I have no idea what earthquake weather is, but wish I had a sixth sense. Hopefully this is the last of them.

The Lives and Loves of the Young

Well, Spring has arrived in Rome. While it has been a little muggy, the weather has really been quite beautiful for the better part of two weeks. And as they say....In Spring a young man's (woman's) fancy turns to love.

Katie is quite infatuated with a little boy in her class, Pablo. He is Spanish, or at least part Spanish and Katie thinks he is quite nice. She once told me that when he looks at her he has a twinkle in his eye - awwwwwwww! Yesterday, however, on the way home from riding lessons, she told me about a different boy in her class who loves her, at least according to her. She told me his name and then went on to say that he is small. I told her it doesn't matter how tall someone is, to which she retorted, "But I can pick him up." Apparently the measure for possible loves is the inability to lift them. I am quite sure that I can't pick Chris up, so perhaps she is on to something. She also told me that she wishes she were a boy. When I inquired why, she responded, "I don't want to birth." After being reassured that she did not have to have babies if she did not want, she told me that she wished boys had the babies. Ahhhh, now I am certain she is on to something. She will grow up into a fine woman.

Maddie is not quite to the point where she loves boys, but she has adorations all her own. We have a friend from the States who is currently visiting Italy. We all went to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel on Tuesday, followed by lunch at an outdoor cafe. Maddie is a big fan of pizza Margherita (cheese pizza) and gelato. She managed to have both at the same time on this particular day. She was a happy little girl.

Jameson may not have a real love per se, but he has found something to detest. He hates the pack 'n play. He spends quite a bit of time in it because I can't let him crawl all around the apartment, due to the marble floors. Well, he has decided that it is not okay to not be on the floor playing with blocks or little people or the train - ALL THE TIME. I am happy to do so, I just can't do it all the time. So begin the years when the kids are mad at mom.

The Year of the ..........

Do you know how the Chinese have a different animal for each year; like, you may have been born in the Year of the Chicken or the Year of the Rat? While I personally do not know in what year I was born, or even what this year technically is, I am declaring this the Year of the Mom.
For the last seven years I have been a mom and a wife. This year I am going to be Marsha. It was in February of 2002 that I started puking in my pregnancy with Katie (those of you who know, know I have an insatiable urge to purge through the better part of 2 trimesters in each pregnancy), and now Jameson is 13 months old so I feel like I can safely, sanely, and selfishly redirect a little of my love back to myself.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the children more than I could ever love myself, but feel that to give them my best I need to find myself again in the pile of laundry, lunches, and diapers that is now my existence. I need to commit to finding a voice for the Marsha I am now. Not the teacher, or the soccer player, or just the wife - but the Marsha that is all those things, as well as a mom. I think I may need to redefine who I am and the expectations I have for myself because, let's be honest, I do not have the luxury of real free time anymore, but I do not have to forget to do for myself. Do I sound like a promo for an Oprah show?
Perhaps I will take a trip...by myself or with a friend. Perhaps I will pick up a new hobby. Perhaps I will just take the time to be alone for an hour several times a week to read, walk or visit a new museum. All I know is that I am ready to find the person that I am now - without the trappings of trying to please someone else, just myself.
I'll let you know how the journey goes.

I Always Knew (Feared) They Were There...

Those of you who have known me, in some cases all of my life, know that I had very blonde hair as a child. This hair has gotten progressively darker as I've aged, but was still pretty blonde when I was in college - probably mainly due to the amount of time I spent outside. That being said, I found the need to "assist" my hair and its pursuit of golden hues around age 21. So began the endless process of highlighting.
I had been quite good maintaining the color (well, there were roots at times) until about 2 years ago when I decided that I wanted to take a break and see what my actual hair color is at this point in my life. As I suspected it is dull ashy brown. I have no problem with having brown hair, but mine is lifeless on its own. I would love to hair the color of either of my siblings; Brent's is very dark, almost black, and Shelly's has always had these nice carmel colored streaks. Mine is just blah.
So I decided to get highlights again after Jameson was born. I have to say that I have not been very good at maintaining it and was inspecting it in the glare of natural light yesterday morning when it noticed it...a long grey hair. Now, Chris has had some grey hairs for several years now and I knew that I must have some, too, but, WOW, it was just shining and producing a glare and kind of waving at me. It kind of takes your breath away, and not in a good, "I'm so excited" way. Such is life, I guess.
Well, I am happy to say that I am not vain, I am not bothered by this hair, and I know I will grow old gracefully. That being said, can anyone recommed a good home coloring brand? :)
Cheers!