Add allergy and homeschooling mama to my job description

I will be the first to admit that I was totally uneducated when it came to food allergies.  I had no reason to educate myself. That all changed the day that I earned a title I wish I didn't have. Allergy mama.  Our oldest son suffers from life threatening food allergies, many of which are contact reactive, meaning he cannot touch ANYTHING containing his allergens.  He was first diagnosed with his first allergy when he was just 10 months old.  I gave him scrambled eggs, that he actually spit out, but resulted in full body hives and eyes so swollen that you could barely see his beautiful blue eyes.  About 6 months later he was diagnosed with peanut allergies.  The list continued to grow and the reactions continued to worsen to the point that all he had to do was touch something containing his allergens and it could turn scary very quickly.  His allergies now consist of egg, peanut, oranges, strawberries, pineapples, artificial flavors and colors, tree nut avoidance, shellfish avoidance as well as several other medication and environmental triggers.  It is a road I never imagined having to navigate, but now 4 years later I feel like we have a handle on. I have done a lot of homework and have spent many hours contacting companies and looking for ways to keep him safe. When his allergens are around, my mama radar (my husband's too) is in high gear and we don't take our eyes off of him. Some may call us "helicopter parents" and you know what? That is okay! He is not old enough to know that he can only touch certain brands of crackers or that regular chocolate chip cookies actually looks EXACTLY like his safe cookies.  It is our job as his parents to keep him safe.  I also have become really good (a little bragging here) at altering recipes and baking safe options.  Believe it or not I used to hate baking, now I actually really enjoy it.  My son does too. It has been a lifestyle change for sure, but one that we have adjusted well to. We pray every single day that he will outgrow some of these allergies or that the reactions will lessen.  Until that day, we have to keep it a priority to keep him safe. When it came to schooling we would have to make some big decisions.
I had absolutely no intention of homeschooling.  The idea never even crossed my mind for a second before we had kids.  Actually it didn't cross my mind at all even when we DID have kids.  As our son started to reach preschool age, it started to become scary. He would react sitting in a grocery cart, how was he going to sit through school? The thought of dropping him off at school made me sick to my stomach. I kept telling my husband that I was not sure I could leave the parking lot of the school when that day came. I began to research homeschooling and my heart kept feeling more and more like this was something we should at least consider. At swimming lessons one day I was talking to another mom, who happened to have a school aged son with severe food allergies, and she told me that if I was able, I absolutely should consider homeschooling. Her son has had several reactions at school. Our son has food anxiety the way it is and I worried he would go into a full panic in a school lunch room.  I was also worried that the teachers and staff may not be able to ensure his safety from his allergens. After much discussion and prayer, my husband and I decided that I would homeschool.  I researched the Classical Conversations curriculum and found a local homeschool community. We meet weekly as a group and it has been a wonderful addition to our family dynamic. The parents in the group have been a Godsend to me.  They have been so flexible and understanding when it comes to having food around and have strict guidelines in place.  I am SO incredibly thankful to them all! We are halfway through our first year of homeschooling and I am loving every minute of it. Are the days sometimes stressful and crazy? Absolutely! But that would be the case, homeschooling or not! What I love most about it is all the moments that I get to spend with my boys.  I prayed for so many years to be a mom and now I never miss a moment.  Had it not been for food allergies, I am almost certain I would not have even thought about it.  I am so thankful now for it though.  The flexibility in schedule, curriculum and the ability to help mold these little guys into the men God has planned for them is something I cherish every day.  I survive daily on a lot of coffee and prayers. I know that as they get older it will be more challenging, but I trust that God has this planned for us and that He will always have my back.  I also am thankful that my hubby is a math & science wizard and can help fill in the spaces where I might struggle. Daddy even joins us on our community days sometimes and our son thinks it is pretty darn awesome that mommy and daddy get to be there with him when he has school. What a gift it is.

Linked by love

We weren't there when either of you took your first breaths. We didn't see you open your eyes for the very first time.  Each of your stories are unique, yet in some ways very similar. Both of you came home 2 days after Easter (3 years apart, that is God's work right there!) We remember the phone calls and first meetings with each of your birth families. The very moment we learned of you, you had our hearts. The very first time we saw your beautiful faces and held you close, time stood still. I remember the way each of you smelled and I will never forget the way your birth families looked at you both. The tears flowed when they placed you in our arms.  In that moment we became a family. God was wrapping his arms around us all and creating the most beautiful open adoption stories. Our family is unique, not one of us is linked by blood. Everyone of us is linked by love. I love our family story.  God wrote a pretty amazing one if you ask me.