With Amazon Prime Now, Metcalfes grocery delivery, Hy-Vee grocery delivery and Peapod so graciously bringing us our goods, we have to be mindful of tipping! Tipping is still expected, even as new services like these become mainstream and already include a service fee. That Panera you just had delivered? Yep. Tip. Groceries delivered with a fee? Yes, you still tip. What if you order groceries online, but choose to do in-store pick up? Yes. Someone else did the work for you, still tip them $1 per bag. This kind of tipping is different though. It reminds me of the European tip of, “a few dollars to show you’re grateful for…
The Mom Re-Set
So you’ve had a week, or a month or even a year (Do you like that reference right there?! Love Friends!) that has just been MEH. Right? I have. So how do you re-set? Start over? Feel better as a Mom who’s always ON? Well, here’s my top 5 and if you follow me on IG, you saw my night out last night, which was AMAZING and so necessary! 5. Pick a solid 4-6 hour of time and block it. Find your babysitter or service, or grandma and grandpa or spouse and just block off your time. Don’t do this too far in advance, you never know what could pop…
The Mom Drawer
The kitchen is the heart of the home. It’s the pilot of the plane, queen of the castle, commander in chief, the central gathering place every time we host a get-together. No matter how hard we try to entice guests into other rooms of our home, the kitchen is the hub. Everything happens here and naturally guests want to be part of what happening. Cooking, drink shaking, conversation, dessert unveiling, guests like action. So why not make part of the kitchen more functional for what we do every day? I started thinking about this idea when we had company over the holidays and I automatically shoved all of my “mom…
Allergy & Family Friendly Chicago Hotels
We’re pretty picky travelers when it comes to choosing the right hotel for our family get-away. The last thing we need is poor sleep, cranky kids and overtired parents in an unfamiliar environment. Not only do we travel with two little buddies ages 7 and 4, we also have food allergies. Most of the time we roll with it, but we do like to know in advance how much we can eat as a family at the hotel, or if we need to stock up on safe snacks. Chicago is a place we travel to fairly regularly, either as a couple or family for some fun activities and good eats. Today…
Daily Organizing Made Easy
It’s a new year and a time for all of us to set those lofty, unattainable goals. I’ve set three that I talked about on IG live the other day. Read the newspaper every Sunday. I just renewed our New York Times Sunday edition that will begin this Sunday. This isn’t because I like reading sad stories. It’s because it’s real life. And when we are in touch with the world and everything going on around us, there is more empathy and understanding. A bigger picture. Plus, I’m a journalism major, so the paper has a special place in my heart. The smell. The touch. The writing. The…
Moroccan Oil Hairspray – Update
Happy Holidays! Each day I review nutfreemomblog statistics, and 9 times out of 10, someone has clicked or google searched my “Moroccan Oil” article about my daughter and her reaction to the Moroccan Oil hairspray last year. Today, I decided to do some investigating because I felt like my last write up was just a rant and did not prove to be useful. This morning at 9am CST, I called Moroccan Oil corporate and talked with customer service. I asked the woman why Moroccan oil did not contain an allergy statement on their hair spray products, specifically stating “this product is derived from a tree nut.” She said, “People with…
Nut Allergies and Kissing
A kiss seems so innocent. I give the kid’s kisses every morning before they are off to school, and rarely I think about it. Today I messed up. Big time. Luckily, I just got back from FaBlogCon where we talked about kissing and food allergies. And with the holiday season approaching, this is the perfect time to talk about your SMOOCHES! Please, if you can, just give hugs, they are always safe. This morning, I was making lunches and the kids asked for Oatmeal for breakfast (ok, winning on that one, patting myself on the back). Oatmeal takes a little longer than cereal or toast, so I was short on…
Menu Board 10/30-11/3
How is it Sunday night already? This weekend was so nice – had some girl time with my Mom and we saw Guys and Dolls at the theater and it was amazing – if you have a chance to see this performance, I highly recommend it. The singing was incredible, as was the acting and dancing. It made for a really fun night out. As a family today, we closed up our garden, and turned the soil over/played in mud, put outside toys away, raked leaves/rolled in them, got laundry going, packed nap mat bags, lunches for the week, showers, and lastly, menu planning + groceries. We’ve got a full…
FABlogCon 2017
If you love Denver as much as I do, and you have food allergies, or know someone with food allergies, this conference is for you!! Just check out this three day agenda: FABlogcon 2017 This year’s food allergy bloggers conference has quite the line up – and it’s located in beautiful Stapleton, CO, easy to get to from the airport via rail. Don’t forget to put out your teal pumpkin this year! xoxo
BRAT Meals for Kids
No, my kids aren’t being brats. We’ve got a tummy bug in our house so we’re sticking to the BRAT diet; banana, rice, applesauce and toast. I had an awesome spaghetti squash meal ready to go for tonight, but at 4:30 this morning, my little guy woke up not feeling well. It’s been a tough morning for him so far, and we’re currently snuggled on the couch watching Looney Tunes and I’ve rescheduled my entire day to be with him. Luckily, squash has a long shelf life, so I don’t feel bad about not making it tonight. Being flexible during the week is super important, which is why I typically…
Vacation Preparation Tips
Did you know that using hand sanitizer does NOT remove allergens from your hands or any other surface? It basically moves the allergen around. The only way to remove an allergen is by washing it away with soap and water or by using a sanitizing wipe. I’ve started to think about what we’re going to be doing on our vacation and the types of bags I’ll be carrying around with my kids. For day-time I’m going to be doing a lot of walking with them, so I usually pick a light-weight cross body bag so that my hands are free to hold theirs (awwwwwwwe). If we’re going to be out…
Quick Meals
Hey there – it’s been a Monday! Today was full of crazy, but I’ve found the silver lining. I was able to talk to not one, but two of my cousins today. It’s been a while since I’ve talked to them and it was nice to catch up, connect. It’s nice to know family always has your back. Even if it’s been a while since the last time you talked, it’s family, and family is #1. This week I’m behind. Of course. My usual weekend planning didn’t happen since we were out of town so here’s what I’ve come up with for quick meals in the past 15 minutes while…
Summer with a 6 + 3 year old
Somehow, my dreamy way of thinking, I thought I’d have MORE time, not less, to dedicate to my food blog this summer. Clearly, I was mistaken. Summer for our family officially started on June 7, and the past month has flown by in record time. Trust me, I have plenty of pictures, food pictures, recipes and words of advice to offer, but it will have to wait. Nope. I’m not quitting my blog. I’m just taking the summer at a slower pace than expected. Quality time with my 6 and 3 year old has been amazing and I am enjoying being “in” the moment. Instead, I’ll share some fun stuff…
Nut-free Ice Cream + 1 Year Anniversary of Anaphylactic Episode
Well duh, most ice creams without nuts are nut-free, right? Wrong. If you have looked at the ingredient label of your ice cream lately, you’ve probably noticed a change in the label. All labels have to clearly state if an allergen is present. The top 8 allergens are: Milk Eggs Peanuts Tree nuts (such as almonds, cashews, walnuts) Fish (such as bass, cod, flounder) Shellfish (such as crab, lobster, shrimp) Soy Wheat There are MANY other allergies besides these, but these are the most common. What manufacturers do NOT HAVE TO STATE is whether or not the facility in which the ice cream is made contains nuts. This is a…
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