Surviving The Winter Blah’s

Written by: AllergyMom

Its the end of December and I’m already suffering from seasonal depression. The sky is gray, its snowing outside and VERY cold. Did I mention that I despise winter? Its just not my thing. I often say I was born to the right parents in the wrong climate.

However, since I’ve had kids of my own, I have tried desperately each and every winter to jump out of my depression and embrace the season. I don’t want my kids to miss out on all that winter can offer and decide around November of each year, that this will be the year that I get out and enjoy winter activities. This year has been no different. In October, we purchased skis and boots for the kids, my hubby and myself and decided we were going to ski together as a family. We enrolled the kids in ski programs and were excited about the adventures to come.

Last week was our debut. We took the kids skiing for the first time this season – to give the equipment a test run before the lessons start in early January. We bundled up, buckled up and off we went. And, I do admit it was lots of fun – at least for the first 30 minutes while we were all warm. There’s something amazing about going up a chairlift with your entire family sitting bum to bum and watching the kids ski down with huge smiles on their faces. The kids were so happy and so were my husband and I. Then…the cold set in. The kids needed to warm up so after a few runs we went indoors to warm up.

And of course, it was snack time. I admit I really didn’t prepare well for this outing from a food perspective. We had a quick snack in the car and it was now 1.00 and the kids were hungry but I didn’t have any allergy friendly food with me and was concerned about what we would eat. We checked out the vending machines and I was so disappointed. Recently, I have found great allergy friendly products available in vending machines. Whether its a nut free granola bar, fruit chews or a bag of cookies, (albeit not the healthiest but at least its nut free!) – this machine had NOTHING healthy nor allergy friendly. I was stuck. Caught between staying safe and hungry kids. I knew what I had to do and purchased something that the kids had eaten before and I knew would be OK for them and tide them over until I could get something more substantial.

So, to ski resorts, amusement parks and other family destinations, this is a request – or a plea – however you want to view it. PLEASE look at your vending machines, cafeterias and other food services to identify if there are other food items that could be added to the selection.  Check out the great suppliers of allergy friendly snacks and incorporate them into your machines. So many companies now make snack sized products which are great for lunchboxes and vending machines. Consider providing healthier options too – not everyone likes (nor can eat) chocolate bars, chips and cheezys. Please provide some options – your patrons will appreciate your efforts.  Many thanks!

BTW – if you know of a great resort or family destination that caters to families with food allergies – let us know!
We’ll share the info with our readers.

This is our last article of 2009 so we also want to take this opportunity to wish all of you a terrific 2010. May your year be filled with health and happiness and lots of smiles with great friends and family.

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