I'm mixing things up a bit this week, and sharing these Halloween highlights today instead of a HFFF post tomorrow. See you next Tuesday!
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I talk about these topics each year around this time, so for those of you who read Chasing Roots regularly, this post may feel familiar.
The first topic is an important one, so please give the section a quick read and consider either participating yourself - if you plan to welcome trick-or-treaters to your home this year - or sharing the post so others can jump on board the teal pumpkin band wagon.
The second topic is important in a different way, and stems from an experience Hallie and her friends had while trick-or-treating three years ago. Addressing this may come across - at least a little bit - like I'm on a Halloween soap box, but I feel strongly enough about it to share it again.
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At 12-years old, Will trick-or-treated like a "normal" kid for the first time. He didn't have to gently sift through bowls of candy looking for a piece he could safely eat, or say "no, thank you" and walk away with nothing at all if the candy offered contained or might contain peanuts. I didn't have to read the labels on or look up the ingredients in any piece of candy he brought home. He sampled anything and everything without fear.
This wasn't always the case for Will and our family. As my regular readers know, Will had a peanut allergy. In 2018, he completed a months-long peanut desensitization and began what would end up being more than five years of maintenance during which he ate 12 peanuts every single day (without issue) to maintain that desensitized state. (It was during this maintenance period that Will was allowed to eat peanuts or any food containing peanuts, should he desire...which he did NOT.)
Update: earlier this year, Will finally and officially "concluded" this years-long process and is no longer considered allergic to peanuts. He will always need to eat a few peanuts (he agreed to four) every month or so, but that's a vast improvement over eating 12 peanuts every day.
Sadly, not all kids with peanut allergies are so lucky, which is why, after participating for the first time in 2014 when it officially hit front porches nationwide, we continue to participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project.
For those who haven't yet heard of this Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) project, here's the background information and a quick summary. At least one in 13 children (perhaps as many as one in 11 children) have a food allergy, and many more suffer from Celiac Disease, eat a restricted or special diet, or receive their nutrients via tube feeding. For these children - those who can't consume any of the items received while trick-or-treating or who can't trick-or-treat at all - Halloween doesn't have the same sparkle. The Teal Pumpkin Project began as a local awareness activity in Eastern Tennessee and grew into a nationwide campaign to "raise awareness about food allergies and promote the inclusion of all trick-or-treaters" and aims to ensure every child can experience a safe, happy holiday.
Participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project is easy.
The goal here is not to exclude candy; FARE suggests simply putting candy in one bowl, and non-food treats in a separate bowl. And if you don't have time to buy and/or paint a teal pumpkin, you can buy one online, order a fun sign for your front yard, or print out and hang up one of FARE's signs!
Painting a pumpkin teal or putting out a teal pumpkin on Halloween won't cure anyone of their allergies. But doing so is a step toward increasing awareness and making the world a safer place for people with life-threatening food allergies.
Let's paint the town teal!
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| Every year I consider using a different picture, but I just can't look away from that sweet, toothless grin nor can I forget how seriously she took her responsibility to paint a pumpkin for Will. I've since purchased a reusable teal pumpkin, but she still takes responsibility for putting it out. |
One
Last Friday night Hallie and I went to the varsity volleyball crosstown rivalry game. A year ago, my girl didn't know ANYTHING about ANY sports (nor would she ever have attended a school sporting event), but she's been trying really hard both to learn how different sports work and to show up for her brother (soccer), school friends (volleyball and dance team), and school in general (football and senior/spirit night). It was the absolute best, however, when she asked me - at the beginning of the volleyball game - how she would know when they scored a touchdown... (Don't tell her I told you that. 😉) We spent the first game learning about volleyball, and by the end of the match - which we won, by the way - she understood volleyball well enough to both cheer at the right times and question the referee's calls. 😂
Two
Hallie and I also went to Senior/Spirit Night, which was fun and a new experience for me. The flaming ACM and the fireworks show were particularly impressive! (No, my senior didn't attend. This event recognized all of the seniors in fall sports, band, cheer, and dance. Athletes in winter and spring sports are recognized in the spring, so Will skipped this event and went to soccer photos and practice instead.)
Three
And then Hallie and I also took a field trip to the pumpkin patch. (She and I have been busy.) It wasn't 90 degrees outside that day, so it felt like the right time to do fall things and pretend we live in a place that actually experiences the fall season.
Four
It wouldn't be an orchestra concert night if we didn't end the evening with dinner at IHOP! It's one of my favorite traditions.
Five
Happiness Highlights
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| My sister and her class were on the front page of their newspaper! |
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| My sister and BIL dressed up as each other for a Halloween party. Minus the height difference, they pretty much nailed it. |
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| Plié is getting sweeter by the day. We're not sure what's going on with her, but we're certainly not complaining about it. |
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| New soap day is my favorite day. And that's how you know you're old, my friends. |
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| This picture of Kara preparing for Swan Lake is incredible. |
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| Just restocking the emergency car ketchup, as one does. |
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| We came home and found him casually lounging among (and on top of) the freshly rinsed and drying blueberries. |
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| If you zoom in, you can just barely see one blueberry between his paws and one by his sweet little tummy. |
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| A little voting humor. 😂 |
Happy weekend, friends!
