Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have an abbreviated schedule of lightings this year. We sincerely thank each and every one of these sites for their commitment and time in supporting our efforts to raise food allergy awareness. May 1 Port Credit Lighthouse– Port Credit, ON (Canadian Anaphylaxis Initiative) May 9 BC Place– Vancouver, BC May […] Read more...
Food Allergy Awareness Week logo contest. Read more...
Meet Teal Kid who has multiple food allergies, asthma and Celiac disease. See how he's managing transitioning to be more self reliant. Read more...
It can be hard for people to understand that you may have to say no to things as an allergy parent. You are allowed to make the rules but don't let food allergies stop you! Read more...
PAST LIGHTINGS Confirmed Lightings for 2020 (*Please remember there may be technical issues beyond our control.) 2019 The Hershey Company Hershey Cocoa Bushes– Corporate Headquarters Hershey, PA Hershey’s Chocolate World– Hershey, PA All of May EXCEPT May 17th and May 27th Concourse Office Park (The King and Queen Buildings)– Atlanta, […] Read more...
A look at the first year of middle school while managing life threatening food allergies. Read more...
When can a young person manage their life threatening disease? How does a parent know when they are ready? Not sure we have the answers but would love input from those who have been there. Read more...
What a food allergy Mom does to prepare for trips away from her family.
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Mom discusses managing food allergies for middle school ski club
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Evaluating the effect of food allergies on parental diet and how those choices are difficult. Read more...
Food allergy management can be difficult but there are so many things we learn from it along the way. As I look back on 2018 and see what I can change and what we accomplished in 2019, we get stronger and better together.
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What do food allergy consumers want and need from manufacturers? These are some of our thoughts. Read more...
Ò We are living in the digital age. The “Information Superhighway” was what they dubbed the Internet many years ago when it was first created. I happen to be well-acquainted with an early adopter of the Internet—TealHubs. Here is his very brief and very general History of the Internet 101: “The Internet began its life […] Read more...
There are times in a parent’s life when you think you will never escape the small things. We have all seen the meme “The days are long but the years are short.” (Which I have a love/hate relationship with, but that’s another post for another day.) For this moment in time, we’ll agree that […] Read more...
On the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, as I finished making waffles, I asked the kids “Who wants to go on a trip?” Two of the three were all in, jumping up and down, yelling “Me! Me! Me!” This trip would be a few hours away and included one stop for me, then an overnight at […] Read more...
It’s tough to get back into the swing of things. Over the summer, we were on the road a lot and out of our routine. As we head back into the school year, anything we can do to help get back on the road to success is a plus. We were sent a Two pack […] Read more...
With the kids heading to school again, many of us are getting back into the swing of things and the routine it brings. For me, it gives me more time to work. While I don’t get paid for it, my advocacy work is just that. It isn’t ever turned off, and I do work all […] Read more...
We’ve all been there. You are cruising through the grocery store and you see the words “Allergy Free.” You stop dead in your tracks. Your heart leaps and you do a little happy dance, right there in the aisle, much to your kiddo’s chagrin. Prepared to throw four of each kind into your cart, you turn […] Read more...
Believe it or not, it is indeed getting to be that time of year again. The bells will be ringing and the students will again fill the halls with backpacks full of new folders and lunch boxes, many containing allergens of all kinds. It can be a stressful time of year for the most seasoned […] Read more...
We are always on the lookout for products that fit our allergy profile. I always describe this as the great “shrinking cross-section” when talking to people. I love when people have suggestions, please know that. When managing multiple food allergies, it can be difficult to find the sweet spot. I am not complaining at all, […] Read more...
The first time we left the house with the TealKid was about a week or so after he was born. We were heading to my Mom’s for dinner at 5. Since TealHubs worked from home, we left with enough time to get there right at 5, which we knew because we had driven there for […] Read more...
Last year, we were offered the opportunity to visit one of our favorite allergy-aware companies, Made Good. Trips to the Toronto area are pretty easy for us, but they usually happen on weekends, so we weren’t able to make it work last year. This time, we made a point to visit the wonderful people at […] Read more...
I’m sure you are all busy washing your teal shirts and socks and screwing in teal lightbulbs so I’ll be brief. I hope you are all having an amazing week to far. There are so many things you can do in your neighborhood to spread allergy awareness. I’ve seen many list out already so I […] Read more...
We have all heard it before. “We aren’t given more than we can handle.” “If anyone can do it, it’s you.” While that may be true, it gets old. As parents who have some additional challenges in our lives, we already know how strong we can be. Not necessarily because we want to be, but […] Read more...
Five years. I can’t believe it’s been 5 years since we started on the Light It Teal journey. It seems like a great time to look back (and forward). It all started with the Terminal Tower in Cleveland, Ohio. On a whim, I decided to contact them after seeing the iconic Cleveland building lit one […] Read more...
Parenting is a lot about choices. Picking battles that are worth it. Stumbling through things you never thought you would have to even think about and avoiding pitfalls along the way. Most of us question, sometimes daily, how in the heck we aren’t setting these kids up for anything but utter failure. As an AP […] Read more...
If you run in food allergy circles, I’m sure you have heard about the Netflix Original series called “Rotten.” This six-part look into the food industry has certainly ruffled feathers in our little world. There are many who are unhappy about the focus of episode two, titled “The Peanut Problem.” One thing I have heard […] Read more...
We’ve been super busy but we are still here! We are sending out lighting applications for the 2018 Food Allergy Awareness lighting season so please remember to get us your suggestions! Till then, here’s a little post. Have you ever opened the dishwasher and thought to yourself “What in the world was s/he thinking?” Perhaps you […] Read more...
Nothing happens in a vacuum. Things aren’t accomplished overnight. Roma wasn’t built in a day. All these things point to the key idea that collaboration is key in all areas of life. When we work together as a family and everyone does their part, we get out the door on time. If you have A […] Read more...
From time to time over the years, I have seen gatherings of teen peers for the allergy community come up. I have wondered if, when the time came, TealKid would want to participate. He’s extremely social (not sure where he gets that from 😉 ) but would he want to partake with others who deal […] Read more...
A few weeks ago, we attended the Walk for Andrea to benefit Sick Kids Hospital Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Program in Toronto, Canada. The Light It Teal project has so much support from our friends up north that when we had the opportunity to meet some of them, and to help spread the word about […] Read more...
Halloween is the scariest time of year for many reasons. For those with food allergies, it can be even harder to manage but it can be done! You know we love all things TEAL, The Allergy Superheroes Teal Pumpkin Bundle is a favorite to celebrate the season! They have all kinds of great awareness products […] Read more...
Yes. We’re still here. I know things have gone dark since this past food allergy awareness lighting season. It takes an enormous amount of time and energy to make it all happen, and then a while to recover. We rolled right from the lighting season into the summer fun times. Our family has had some […] Read more...
I grew up in the suburbs of a declining manufacturing town. We are often referred to as living in the rust belt here in Cleveland. We have had some highlights. I’m guessing most of you have heard of LeBron James (to be fair, he’s NOT from Cleveland, but most here like to claim him) and […] Read more...
We are a month away from SHOW TIME here at Light It Teal. We are focusing now on final applications and on getting the word out about the amazing lightings we have scheduled for this year! We have things covered pretty much from sea to shining sea. We have some amazing new sites this year, […] Read more...
Today starts the firs day of Love Remembers Day (or weekend) started by Aleasa Word through her Compassion 4 Anaphylaxis campaign. She is an amazing woman, fellow food allergy Mom, an emotional intelligence coach and as if that weren’t enough, the woman can SING! She is also a strong advocate for those with all kinds […] Read more...
Life is not cheap. Expenses often include rent, a mortgage payment, insurance, utilities, medical expenses, clothing, and so on. As a kid, my parents were not wealthy, but we had a home, food, and clean clothes that fit. I don’t remember wanting for anything, aside from that one toy that always seemed out of the […] Read more...
We have had our share of issues in Allergyland. We’ve been through skin and blood testing for both environmental and food allergies. We have passed and failed, miserably failed, food trials. We’ve had scopes and testing for this, that, and the other. I don’t say this as a “woe is me” at all. We have […] Read more...
Over the years I have been involved in the allergy world in a variety of ways. I have been a community host for a national forum, co-leader for a local group, and been to many in-person support group meetings and events. I have loved reaching out to people in all these ways, which is why […] Read more...
After TealKid was diagnosed with food allergies, life changed a lot in a very short amount of time. We knew he had some issues from pretty much the get-go. At 6 months, he would develop a rash ONLY when we were at my Mom’s. It was strange, but we didn’t put it all together until […] Read more...
My first FablogCon post was about the Expo and the general ins and outs of the conference. The TealFamily and I are still making our way through samples and placing orders for new products that won us over! I think daily of things I wish I would have thought to say to people or questions […] Read more...
As I mentioned in my last post, I had the amazing opportunity to attend FABLOGCON, presented by Ms. Jenny Sprague. I asked around in the community: if you could attend only one event all year, what would it be? FABLOG was the answer several times. I wasn’t sure how, but we figured out a way […] Read more...
Have you ever walked into a room and looked around and wanted to walk right back out? You wonder “What am I doing here?” I think it’s happened to us all at one time or another. Sometimes we just aren’t in the right place or the right time for whatever reason. It can shake you, […] Read more...
Getting laws changed. Enacting new regulations. Starting a global movement for X, Y, or Z. These may be things you think of when you hear the word “advocacy,” and they are amazing efforts. But they are not the only ways to advocate. Not at all. There are many ways you can be an advocate, and […] Read more...
Please continue to let us know if there are places in your area who light things up for a cause and thank you all for your input! Thanks for all your great comments too! And our winners are: Alissa and Judy. I will be sending you an email as well. Thanks for your tips! Read more...
We are so excited to be able to announce that Light It Teal was chosen to participate in Prudential Centers 31 Nights of Lights. On December 5 at approximately 5 PM, please join Miss Allergic Reactor, Allie Bah, to flip the switch to light it TEAL for food allergies. She would love to see as […] Read more...
I had the amazing opportunity to attend two FAACT meetings last week. I learned so much that I could go on and on about: the amazing resources FAACT has to offer; labeling information; the latest information on OIT and quality of life for those with food allergies. I learned more last week […] Read more...
