You know when you have kids and you make friends with another mom and you hope you have something more in common than just your children? In our case we connected instantly. Once we got around to talking about our kids we realized that what we shared as mothers was something that connected us on a far deeper level than we thought possible.

Both of our oldest kids have life-threatening food allergies. Their siblings do not. You can imagine the family dynamics when they can’t eat the same thing. We often recount stories about our kids, finding ourselves nodding  because we’ve been there. We get each other’s fears and we hold each other up, whether we’re venting about insensitive people, ridiculous school policies or getting excited when we find a new cookie that doesn’t have any allergens.

This blog is for our children, and it’s also for us. It is for all the times we’ve all felt left out at a birthday party celebration or family gatherings because there was something—or many things—on the table our kids couldn’t eat. It’s also for all the journal entries we’ve written and deleted or locked away in a file on our computers. It is for all the times we were too afraid to speak up, voice our fears and frustrations about raising children with food allergies in a world that doesn’t quite get it. It’s for the times we wish we had had someone to talk to who really understood what our children and our families were going through.

A lot of blogs about food allergies are only visited by people who have food allergies or have kids with allergies. We want anyone and everyone who knows a child with food allergies to visit The Allergy Trip.

Over the years, we have searched for inspiring cookbooks that focus on what one can eat and on bringing the fun back to cooking, while keeping food healthy and tasty. But many food allergy cookbooks, magazines and blogs focus on how to live without certain foods or go too far with sugary, highly caloric sweets for the “deprived.” Determined to change the mindset from living without certain foods to thriving healthfully and happily, allergy-free, we decided to start writing our own cookbook.

But the process of writing a book is long. A little impatient and eager to start sharing our ideas, we want to get the dialogue started. So The Allergy Trip is a place to share your stories, your recipes, and even air your frustrations–all the components of the journey as a parent of a child with food allergies.

Our kids are our heroes. They love food and are open to trying new things, despite all they have to say no to and all they continue to go through. They read labels, ask questions, tell waiters (sometimes in great detail) about their allergies. Because of all of that, they are strong, thriving second graders who are taking ownership of their health. Just as our own children and families have done, you can raise a happy, confident child who is adventurous about food!

Raise your forks and join the ride.

~ Anna & Megan~