Briton's Peanut Challenge

When Briton was 15 months old he had two incidents where he had what appeared to be an allergic reaction to peanut butter. Because of this we have been very cautious and had none in the house for the last four years. Much to the dismay of the rest of the children.

About a year ago, he had a blood test done that would show if he showed up something in his blood that made him seem susceptible to peanuts. The test came back negative, but we were still vigilant because I knew he had had a reaction to something when he was a baby, and it was when he had had peanut butter cookies and on toast.

The doctor's office said they would set up an appointment in Children's Hospital to give him a 'Peanut Challenge'. It took a further 15 months to get this appointment set up.

So at the end of March we headed to the Big City with Briton and his jar of peanut butter.


Everyone at home waited with baited breath to see if they would finally be able to have peanut butter in the house again. I was pretty certain all would be well, and I was preparing in my mind to put on a Peanut Butter Party: peanut butter cookies, peanut butter sandwiches - anything peanut!

Doing Schoolwork in the Waiting Room

Checking His Vitals

The deal was that we were to bring in all the things necessary to challenge him with peanut butter: crackers, peanut butter, jam, and a Reeces Pieces Peanut Butter Cup. I thought that was part of the challenge, but apparently the chocolate bar was for if he passed the challenge! Too late. He had already seen the chocolate bar and been told he would be eating it later. Oh boy!

Briton was weighed, measured, checked all his vitals and signed in. He was up for this appointment and having lots of fun. Then the doctor came in and explained the procedure: they would start with a smear of peanut butter on a spoon, wait fifteen minutes for a reaction (or not), and then proceed with a larger dose - this time double the previous dose.


The amounts would be carefully weighed and fed to him by the nurse. Briton thought this was great fun. He had his picnic all laid out! smile

During the course of the challenge another nurse came by to do a full nut allergy test on Briton. He was a bit distressed as each time she pricked him it felt like a bee sting. You can see his little face all upset, as she did the last of the pokes. Thankfully, those all came up negative, so he will be able to have all nuts, except maybe peanut butter.

I had to hold his hands because he was so upset that he wanted to stop the pokies.


While the challenge was going on, a clown came to visit the children in the waiting room. He was absolutely delightful! What a wonderful job for someone: to be able to make children that are sick, laugh! Here he is tying Cooper's shoes (together) because they were untied. He was a natural that had the children in stitches!

After the first dose of the challenge we watched Briton to see if there would be a reaction. Almost immediately his ears turned red and he complained that his mouth was bothering him. I shook my head in absolute disbelief! A couple years ago, someone had been babysitting Briton and he had gotten into some Moose Trails icecream. This icecream, for grownups treat, is vanilla with streaks of chocolate, plus tiny reeces pieces peanut butter cups in it. It is kept in the freezer (obviously) and Briton never sees it. Or so I thought! Well, obviously, he had seen it.

The babysitter had come around the corner in the livingroom and found the tub of icecream, with a spoon in it, and no culprit in sight. That little stinker had found the icecream, taken it for a snack where he figured he was safe from detection, had his fill, and then left the evidence and gone to play.

But there was no physical reaction. Nothing. I had come home from my time away, heard the story, and was so thankful that he was okay! ! The previous times he had encountered peanut butter he had reacted more strongly each time. So why didn't he react the day he had the icecream? I don't know, but I think God protected him.

Shortly after his ears reddened they settled down, and he carried on playing. The nurse gave him his second larger dose, and then we settled in to keep an eye on him. He didn't complain other than to say his mouth bothered him on the roof of it.

Every fifteen minutes the nurse would come back and feed him another cracker with a larger portion of peanut butter, wait out the fifteen minutes, and then record her observations. Nothing was happening. I was getting excited! We were nearly at the end of the trial and it was looking positive. The nurse said that it was possible that the initial reaction was due to his body being shocked at the new taste.

After about the fifth dose - 1.5 tablespoons of peanut butter - he said he had to go to the bathroom... NOW! I didn't think anything of it.

A little while later, he began sneezing....

And Sneezing....

And Sneezing!

This kept up for another 30 minutes or so. When the nurse came back I informed her of the sneezing. She checked with the doctor, and then came back to inform me that sadly, Briton had FAILED the test.

I was SO disappointed! I thought he had got so far, he had to be about to pass, and then boom! It was over. Poor little guy. Poor big brothers. Poor Mum. No easy lunches, no cookies, no peanut butter cups at the end of the four hour test.

He was such a little trooper, and didn't complain when I told him he had not passed the test, and therefore could not eat the chocolate bars. But, he looked up at me with those big brown eyes opened wide when I told him this, and so I couldn't help but tell him I would get him a treat that wasn't peanuts on the way home. His face broke into a delighted grin.

Working Hard at School Work

One good thing came from the day. Austin had enough time to work really hard on his language arts book and finish it for the year. He happily threw it in the garbage can on his way out!


I did decide to figure out a system for Briton and everyone else. I will allow peanut butter into the house in a controlled way. Every few months I will buy a jar and they will eat it on bread on throw away plates, using throw away knives. Briton will have almond butter. But there will be no peanut butter cookies, because apparently cooking the dough releases peanut protein into the air, where it can be ingested. So sad.

Austin Enjoying a Forbidden Food:
Peanut Butter Sandwiches - Outside away from Briton

Our Home

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God's Sense of Humour

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I was watching the original movie that inspired The Walton's. It is called Spencer's Mountain. It is a wonderful movie filmed in 1963 about a man with nine children that lived on Spencer's Mountain. While watching the movie, I was admiring the kitchen table they have. It is about 4 1/2 feet across and at least 8 feet long. I loved the fact that two chairs could sit at each end, as well as the benches down the side.

As I sat watching this movie I was thinking to myself that I couldn't cut my dinner table down the centre, because my dad built it for me, and I was sure he would not be impressed. My present dinner table is 3 1/4 feet by 7 feet long. When we first got it, it seemed big. We went from a 3' x 5' table to that one when we had four children.

The day after watching the movie, we headed up to our church to do a church cleanup. It was the beginning of the spring season and there was lots of work to do. They told me they were cleaning out all kinds of stuff from one building. I had seen one guy putting some shelves or something in his truck, and so I asked if I could look through their junk. They said I could. I saw a bunch of items in a pile, but one man had claimed it all.

As I headed up for lunch, my husband informed me that there was this table in the basement. It was solid birch and huge - 5' x 8'. It was up for grabs if I wanted it. If I wanted it??? I made a mad dash to the basement before anyone else could lay claim to it.

But seriously, *who* would really want a table that big? Unless it was a large family? Not too many people!

I found the table top leaning against a wall and I knew it was perfect. Ray and the boys loaded it into our pick up truck and we took it home. We set it up in the livingroom, so we could see how it would look. Each time I walk by it I have a chuckle! I can't believe the size of the sucker!

God knew I wanted a bigger table..... laugh. And bigger it is! It comfortably seats twelve. It is almost double the size of our last table! I had every one sit on one side of it to show just how many children we could put around this table!! There is room for about five more. *grin*

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Raine's First Day

Because I ended up going for an extra time this season, I decided to take Raine. I was pretty sure I could handle a new skier, as well as Briton.

Well, I quickly learned *that* was a mistake!!! I took Raine to the bunny hill and we did a quick lesson. The same as I did with Briton. The bunny hill wasn't challenging enough to get a handle on learning to ski there. As the instructors say, most parents end up taking their kids up the mountain to the easy slopes to teach them there. I did this with Briton, and I figured I would do the same with Raine.

Big mistake.

Not because of Raine, but because I had two little ones. I am *so* glad I waited on bringing three beginners to the hill! If I could afford a nanny to watch them on the bunny hill for the day that would be fine, but Briton was too little to leave by himself, so he got taken up the hill really quickly. In doing so, he learned fast. When I took the two kids up the hill I saw how difficult it would be.

We did manage to get on and off the lift with the liftee slowing it down for me. My error in bringing two up the hill showed its face when we headed for an easy hill. I am always with Briton and this time, he miunderstood and went down, while I went across a hill. He figured I was taking Hill A, and I was heading to Hill B. He was only about 20 feet from me, but it panicked him, so he began to cry. Thankfully, right away a ski patrol lady showed up (timing!) and helped him back up to the hill where I was at, and we proceeded on together.

The bigger boys skied ahead of us and Raine, Briton and I carried on. I have since learned about girls' bodies. The instructor told me this - that they are built differently to boys' bodies, in the muscular way, so they handle learning to ski differently. Now, don't shoot me for saying this, I am simply saying what I was told, and judging from watching Raine float on the snow, rather than dig down as the boys all did right away, I think there might be something to it. I had to really teach her how to press into the snow because her skies controlled her and dragged where she didn't want to go. She was also ever so gangly on skies. *grin* Now this really surprised me because she had shown herself to be very gifted in hula, soccer, good at running and strong at gymnastics.

There was one moment on the hill where I knew I wouldn't be bringing two up the hill again, unless two could ski independently. I had Raine right beside me and we were creeping along, and Briton had skied about 30 feet in front of me. All of a sudden, Raine fell, and she was struggling to get up, and then I heard this odd sound, and heard Briton screaming. Not once, but multiple screams. Not like him at all! I have my head swinging back and forth, telling Raine to, Get up! We have to go get Briton. He's in danger! I then was swinging it to the other side looking toward where Briton was a moment ago, but now is no longer. I realize my big mistake in bringing two up the hill.

Finally, I told Raine to crawl forward along the trail, and I would ski to Briton, get him, and come back. I dashed off and as I heard his screaming, I am thinking he must have skied off a cliff or have met an animal or something scary! I was panicking.

Then I came around the corner and saw him.

He was sitting in the middle of the ski road nearly at the intersection of a downhill part. There was forest on two sides of him. He was sitting there crying and screaming.

I was furious. WHAT was he doing screaming blue murder when apparently nothing was wrong? I do not have screeching bratty children, but by now I was worn totally out, and had no patience for a child screaming for apparently no reason other than the fact that I was too far behind him.

I called him to me and stood there with Raine in my eyeshot on right and Briton in eyesight on my left. I couldn't get both of them, so I stood there and called them to both come to me as fast as they could. I know they were both okay, but now, we just needed to get off the mountain and let Raine continue her day on the bunny hill. So much for my ambitious thoughts!

Heading Towards Me From the Right

And From My Left

When Briton arrived at me I asked him what on earth was going on. He was still crying. He said, "Me hear noise. NEEOOOWW, NEEOOOWW" He had this terrified look on his face.

I asked him what he meant. He told me while he was waiting for me (quietly!) he had heard this horrible noise. He showed me again the sound and it freaked me out. I had my suspicions. He said he had then begun screaming to me, "Mummy come now. Me scared!" I gave him hugs and reassured him.

We then headed down the hill together with Briton having the explicit instructions to not go more than five feet in front of me. Raine did *fabulous* on the bigger hill, where she had room to go to the left or right without going off the side of the path. She had learned to get up and down without problem, put her skies back on when they fell off, slow down, and snowplow.


She was so happy to hear when I told her that I could see her pushing down and her making powder trails in her snow plow. I could see that she was getting it. It won't take her long to be up the hill again!

To give you an idea of how we did: the hill should take 10 minutes to get down; Briton took about 1 hour; Raine took 1 hour 15 minutes.

We finished the one run, and I decided it was better for her to enjoy herself on the bunny hill. We stopped and had lunch, and then I took her over to the bunny hill, and talked to the ski instructor, and asked him if I could leave her there to practice. He was great and said he would keep an eye on her, and give her some tips.

After a run (we only did two without her), and while we were skiing I would look down from the chair lift and check on her on the bunny hill, and I could see her getting her turns and snowplow down and managing to stay *up* on her skies.

I think Raine was actually happier to stay there. When I asked her at lunch time on a score of 1-10, how was skiing. She, very thoughtful child that she is, pondered a minute and then said: 5. I like skiing but it is hard. She thanked me numerous times for taking her up, and I know that in about one or two more sessions she will be ready for the chairlift again.

Next year, I bring Savannah, and trust me, I will have those two on the bunny hill for longer than I have the other kids! There is no way I can take two beginners and one small boy up the hill by myself! But we will have fun. They will learn to ski and in a matter of weeks we will all be up the hill together!
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Die Hard Skiiers

It has been so much fun skiing that it was hard to say goodbye to the season. We began in February with going one day a week. In our last week we went three times! I took the boys on Friday knowing it would be our last time. And then I couldn't bear to have it end, so I took them again on Saturday, and then Ray took them on Sunday.

On Friday, the weather was crazy. It was snowing with a real wet snow, and it landed and melted, and I knew by lunch time we would be soaked. There was also a real thick fog hanging low over the mountain.




As we came up the mountain, all huddled down to keep the snow out of our faces, I told the boys, "We are real die-hard skiers! Only those that love skiing will come through this kind of weather!"


It felt good to be able to say that. I feel quite proud that there is something I love to do that makes me 'athletic'. roflol! Any one who knows me, know I am as athletic as they come. I run to the phone, I walk to the car, I run after children, I jump when a child gets hurt, I dance to music with babies and little ones. Yes, I am athletic. HAHA!

I love the fact that I have found something physical that I love to do. But more importantly, I love to do it with my children! So instead of a 20 minute run around the block, which does *how much* good for me? I get to spend *6 hours* doing something good for my body! I then have to remind myself that it does not then give me rights to going home and having a pop and a bowl of chips! laugh

And this was our reward for sticking out the early part of the day: A beautiful sunshiny afternoon. So warm the boys took a much needed rest on the ride up the mountain.
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No Guts, No Glory

We have so enjoyed skiing this year!! We began the season with no equipment, but bit by bit I have acquired enough skis to out fit all the children, plus me. By buying selectively, I have managed to get them from $25 - $30 a pair! Not only that, I have picked up ski boots for Austin, Cassidy, Brition, and myself at $5 a pop!! I even bought skies for the children to grow into next year. So I am set for all of us, except for buying boots for the younger ones. I also have to get Ray taken care of, probably, much to his chagrin! *grin*

He is such a hardworking guy that he simply doesn't take time to play. Well, no more. Next winter, I am buying him his gear at the ski swap, snow pants etc for Christmas, and then we will work around his schedule. We will go to Church for the 9:00 am service, and then head right up to the ski hill from Church. This way he doesn't have to take him off, and we can ski as a family, at least once a week!

What I love about skiing is that it levels the playing field. It is one place where you can almost forget you are a parent; you get to be their pal, instead. There is something very cool about having your children vying to be the ones that share your chairlift on the ride up the mountain, and then as you ride up, you hear your name called and you look down and see some of your older ones skiing past, waving up at you, and then from behind you hear a little one calling from the chair behind, "Mum, which run are we doing this time? Can we do the terrain park this time?"

It is just wonderful.

Obviously, this only works if you parent your kids at home! Sadly, this is not always the way. Once I was sitting on a bench waiting for some of the boys to arrive off the chairlift and I heard a woman correct her what looked to be about nine year old child, as she walked by me, "You don't tell me to shut up!"

How sad.

I have found my physical niche! I hate walking around the block. How boring! I try to get it done as fast as possible, just to get rid of the torture. I have tried running for two seasons and both times I pulled something in my arms? How odd. But it happened. I figured God didn't want me to run, so I stopped. I tried the gym. Fun, but I have to work it in, and really, it isn't 'me'. I want something that comes naturally!

In the past, skiing was a once a year or every few years event. I had fun, but I lived so far from the mountain that was a real ordeal getting there, plus the next day I felt like a truck had run over me! Now, we live 30 minutes from the hill, and it is so easy to get it together. We have a packed box just for the hill of hats, gloves, and snow pants. And then I keep the ski gear in the back of my van, along with helmets and goggles.


This brings down the work side of it to being manageable. The night before I have a child lay out each child's gear and they can get dressed and in the van in just fifteen minutes, versus the painful hour long procedure of before.

Cooper is the most hilarious skier! I wish I could have a video camera on my head, so I could catch his antics. Other bonus of skiing is all the oxygen that courses through my body when I belly laugh for five minutes after one of these episodes!

There was one where he came down the hill and because he is a newer skier, his skies were about 4' wide at the back. This makes him look like he is doing the splits. He is able to control his downhill slide by doing this. But the hilarious thing is that he wanted to take a 90* angle to the left and then another immediate 90* angle back down the hill.

When he left the main hill and turned left at 90* he had to travel about 4 feet, before he then immediately turned 90*, and headed down a forest trail. Okay. Have you ever seen these forest trails on the side of ski slopes? They aren't very wide in the interior parts! Certainly not wide enough to handle 4 foot wide skies!

I was standing there watching and I saw it happen. I knew he was fine because the tree was so small. If you could have only seen it!! I belly laughed for about 5 minutes! He shot left, and then right, and then WHAMMM! and then he did a flip and his skies went in two different directions. And then he sat up with his typical, "I'm fine!"

I have another such funny, but this one I will show later on a video. It was when the boys were doing jumps.... Don't feel bad if you laugh, or if you want to rewind the video to watch it again. I did. And I'm his mum. These little people just seem full of rubber!

See how wide his legs are spread way up that narrow forest trail. I have no clue how he doesn't catch his feet on trees coming down! As I said, No Guts, No Glory, I guess!


This is not even a ski hill. This is the side of the parking lot. That kid will ski anywhere there is a challenge!

Even Briton is now doing the forest trails. He is not one to be left behind!

Another One Bites the.... Tree!

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Capital Entertainment

I looked out the window the other day to find three little people sitting watching another standing in the thawed ice on the sportscourt - minus his boot! What was he thinking? I have no clue, but thought I should take a picture of this mini entertainment! Boys!

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