Ultimate Blog Party

I'm joining the tail end of the Ultimate Blog Party and linking up with lots of other fun bloggers!

Welcome to the Hive!

What's our story?

We are a family with 5 small little people who keep us busy every waking moment.  Our middle child has multiple severe food allergies.  For the first 8 months of her life she was undiagnosed.  She had constant rashes and skin infections and she began to lose weight and many of her developmental milestones.  I knew something was very wrong with her but the doctors brushed me off and we were left with unanswered questions.  Our daughter stopped sleeping and eating and started to lose weight rapidly which added to our fear that something was wrong with her.  I kept searching for answers and after 15 different doctors we had a diagnosis of severe food allergies.  That day was such an exciting day to have an answer but it began our very overwhelming and sometimes scary adventure of caring for a child with life threatening allergies.

Our daughter, Bee, is allergic to multiple foods (and a few other things).  Here is her current list:

wheat (and all grains containing gluten)
soy
eggs
dairy
sesame seeds (and all other seeds)
nuts (especially almonds)
peanuts
coconut
pineapple
banana
avocado
melons
kiwi
wool
cats
dogs
polyester

I started this blog after she was first diagnosed.  Hives in the Kitchen was my outlet when I was feeling frustrated or discouraged about the allergies.  Then the blog became a way for us to keep family and friends updated on Bee's condition.  And now my blog is a way for me to connect with other members of the food allergy community for mutual support and encouragement.

I share our stories and frustrations, new products we have tried, and some of the recipes we've created for our kids.  This blog is my place to chronicle the challenges we face as well as the ways we've learned to cope with the allergies and to keep our daughter safe.

We have a houseful!  Meet our crew:

Curly - age 7 - She is our oldest and is allergic to dairy and eggs.

 Tiger - age 5 - He is the only boy in our house and doesn't seem to have any significant allergies.

Bee - age 4 - She is the reason for our blog and is anaphylactic to many foods on her long allergy list.

Ladybug - age 2 - She is our busy little toddler who also seems free of any allergies.

Punkin - age 5 months - She is our newest addition who has severe eczema but tested negative to food allergies.

Our family resides in the Texas Hill Country where we homeschool, spend our summers at the pool, have competitive family game nights, and cook up allergy safe treats together.

To read more about Baby Bee you can click on the Baby Bee tab at the top of the blog.
The "Honey Pot" page lists all the recipes found at the Hive.

Some of my most popular posts are:

Allergy Free Soft Pretzels
Ants in My Pants
Food Families
Suspicions
Allergy Free Lemon Zucchini Muffins
Interpreting our RAST Results

Our current favorite recipes are:

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
Baked Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes
Mediterranean Chicken and Lemon Soup
Creamy Chicken Pasta
Dijon Maple Chicken
Chocolate Granola Bars
Pea Butter Chocolate Swirl Cookies
Maple Glazed Oatmeal Cookies
Carrot Cake

And a little disclaimer:

I'm just a food allergy mom and everything posted on this blog is my own opinion and should not take the place of medical advice.  The recipes and ingredients mentioned on this site are safe for my family and have worked for my allergic daughter.  They may not be safe for everyone with similar allergies.  Please consult your doctor before trying a new ingredient or a different recipe.