Sherwood brand Pirate’s Gold Milk Chocolate Coins, sold across Canada by Costco, and also in various dollar and bulk stores, is imported from China and contains melamine, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. This is the same chemical responsible for killing numerous babies in China and sickening thousands more.

On October 8 the Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued its warning when the candy tested positive for melamine.

For more information, visit: Canadian Food Inspection Agency - Consumer Advisory.

Hang this symbol on your door on Halloween to notify trick or treaters that you are an allergy friendly house.

I just received an email alert from one of my allergy subscriptions. Boy was I excited to read this! A new organization has formed to help assist families dealing with multiple food allergies.

Co-founder Erin states, “We started AllergyFreeHalloween.org because we want a world where children with food allergies can trick-or-treat without worry. Please join us in giving out Halloween treats that are fun and allergy-safe.”

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I’ve been reading a lot lately about vitamin D. It all started with a long and informative ongoing chat on my celiac forum support group. I thought I’d share some of what I’ve learned through the group and also my own research in the hopes that it could be a bit beneficial for folks implementing a dairy free or low dairy diet for their child’s neurological, immunological, or digestive disorders. (more…)

Front of the Class cast with Brad and Nancy Cohen

On the eve of Brad Cohen’s December 7, 2008 debut CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame original movie about his life with Tourette Syndrome, I decided to purchase his 2005 book, co-written with Lisa Wysocky, entitled: Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had to get a sneak peek into the wonderfully inspiring story. (more…)

Irish Actor, Aidan Quinn

IRISH American actor Aidan Quinn, talked with the Sunday Independent last week while on assignment in Co. Cork filming The Eclipse, by the noted playwright Conor McPherson. Quinn discussed several subjects in the interview, but what really stood out most was what he had to say about his 19-year-old daughter Ava Quinn, who is non-verbal and suffers from autism.

Aidan and his wife Elizabeth Bracco (sister of Lorraine Bracco of the Sopranos) say that their daughter has been a real joy in their lives, but treating her condition hasn’t been easy for the family, which also has a younger 10-year-old daughter. “It is a blessing and a curse. It has its blessings as well,” Quinn says in his interview. His daughter Ava was a perfectly normal baby, until she got vaccinated. (more…)

Jax Peters Lowell, author.

The 2008 Gluten Free Expo in Oak Brook, Illinois hosted a Celiac kids’ Cup Cake Club party and book reading with author Jax Peters Lowell. The event took place on Saturday afternoon and included more than 30 eager participants, young and old.

I took my three boys. We arrived early, so my eldest, recently diagnosed with Celiac, hunkered down immediately with his newly autographed copy and began reading it on his own  while we waited for the party to start. He was riveted. He identified so clearly with little Izzie O’Brien and her struggle to find her way from chronic tummy aches to a return to good health, her struggles to belong and feel normal at school and at home were his own. (more…)

My Library DV is a broadband service that local libraries can subscribe to for their patrons. All you need to get free movies is a library account in good standing and high speed internet access. This is a great service for getting movies in a hurry and without having to get in the car and go to the library. If you are in need of immediate access to a video, you do not need to wait for another patron to return it or for your library to acquire it on inter library loan as is often the case with popular titles. (more…)

Fall is around the corner, and if you are like me, you are scurrying around trying at the last minute to get supplies, clothes, registration, books, and shoes for your kids. The last thing on most parents’ minds is the lunch box. That is, of course, unless their child has Celiac, or dangerous food allergies. In such cases we parents have a whole set of additional concerns that go above and beyond whether or not our child finishes the sandwich we packed. Here are a few cute ideas I’ve recently run across for brown bagging it in the cafeteria at school: (more…)

A recent study, done by an international team of researchers, provides some of the best evidence to date that breast-feeding can make children smarter. The longitudinal study revealed that babies in the breast-fed (and encouraged) group scored significantly higher in the reading, writing, math and other subjects at school than those who were formula-fed or whose mothers were not encouraged to breast feed during the first 6 months of birth.

These results give a new impetus for the current moms and moms-to-be to consider breast feeding as it not only provides great health benefits but also raises their kids’ IQ. The researchers seemingly attribute the latter to the bonding between the mother and the baby. Although it remains speculative. (more…)

The 2nd annual International Babywearing Conference is coming up! It will be held June 25-28, 2008 at DePaul University in Chicago, IL, USA. The Babywearing Conference includes not just terrific shopping opportunities for all types of baby carriers, but also workshops on how to use different carriers, holds, and workshops on the business of making and or selling carriers.

There will be a keynote speech by Jeni Norton, the founder of the largest babywearing online community, thebabywearer.com. Organizers have also put together a fashion show and a panel discussion on the history of baby wearing. There is a raffle scheduled for interested participants. Check out the conference website and their long list of exhibitors for more information visit: Babywearing Conference.