In which i whine some more
March 19, 2007
Last night we had scrambled eggs for dinner. (Yes, we used all of the eggs Miles cracked, all 24 of them.)
I am not a huge egg lover. I have never liked them. I do eat eggs inside of things, tasty things like cakes and cookies.
Last night I scrambled up all of the eggs, and for whatever reason I reached into the skillet and took a taste of the eggs. A tiny microscopic taste. A pinch between my fingers.
By the time I walked from the stove to the kitchen table my face was feeling warm. My oldest son looked at me and said, “Your face is really red, mom” My face swelled up, my mouth got itchy, and I felt like there was something heavy sitting on my chest. Very frightening, especially when you are the only adult in the house.
Long story short, it would appear that I have developed an allergy to eggs. I have an appointment with an allergist set up for next Tuesday.
Now is where I whine. WHY? WHy do I have to be potentially allergic to something that is in everything. Everything yummy.
I do have to say here how wonderful my children were. They cleaned up everything so I wouldn’t come into contact with more eggs. Including my 11 yr old taking the two littles upstairs and giving them baths. He also changed a poopie diaper without even telling me or complaining about it. He just did it. And when I thanked him he said, “Well, what did you expect me to do? Of course I changed his diaper.” AS if it was weird that I was thanking him.
My oldest son scrubbed the kitchen clean. he even scrubbed the skillet i cooked the eggs in. I told him he could just leave it to soak, but he said, “I’d feel better just cleaning it for you, Mom.”
My 6 yr old vacuumed and washed all the kitchen chairs down. My 9yr old washed the table and swept the floor. My 7 yr old was in the shower while the cleaning fest was going on. He may have planned it that way.
Honestly, it is times like this that I realize how good my kids are. They have never once failed to step up and help when it was neccessary. Sure they complain violently about chores on ordinary days, but who doesn’t?
I am so incredibly proud of them.
Lest you think thay are perfect angels, this afternoon my 6, 7, and 9 yr olds were whipping snowballs at the windows. I went to open the door and yell at them to knock it off when I tripped. I opened the door into my forehead. I now have a huge raised bruise in the middle of my forehead.
I feel like I am slowly falling apart. Piece by piece my body is breaking down.
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Eggs?!? That totally sucks. Why did if have to be something that you use in every delicious thing? Why not something stupid. That sucks!
That’s so wonderful that you kids do that. Your sons reaction of annoyance points out the fact that they are such good kids. Why say thank you when they are doing the right thing? Because although it the right thing very few people do it.
Kuddos to them. And to you. Maybe just a little to your husband.
It’s good that you let Miles break those eggs yesterday. It could be his last chance to do that for awhile.
March 19th, 2007 at 8:49 pmHave you thought that you might not be allergic to eggs, but something the chickens were eating? (If it has come on all of a sudden). Maybe sit in the ER and try some different eggs (like free-range or cage or whatever you dont normally use). Maybe someone is feeding their chickens crab cakes.
March 19th, 2007 at 9:08 pmMy dear daughter is allergic to eggs. While a total pain to deal with, it is something you can work around. Do not worry, there are plenty of cupcake and cookie recipes that don’t call for eggs
March 19th, 2007 at 9:18 pmhow does something like this happen all of a sudden? I mean, you’ve eaten eggs before, right? So what happens to cause a sudden reaction like that. If it is true, then I must be allergic to work because I woke up again this morning with symptoms of the stomach flu… for the 5th time since December. Why? Maybe I need to see a specialist too.
March 19th, 2007 at 9:20 pmOh man, what a bummer about the possible egg-allergy. Hope it’s something else that’s not in just.about.everything. Those kids of yours may not be perfect angels, but no one’s kids are. Yours, however, seem to have good enough judgement to know WHEN it’s time to step up and help out without whining. There’s no way they developed that on their own–you’re doing a great job!
March 19th, 2007 at 9:21 pmI developed an allergy to dairy (highly), egg whites (mildly) and wheat (mildly) within the last two years. I’ve cut as much of the diary out of my diet, but I just can’t cut it all out! I take Allegra every day for seasonal allergies and the hope that it helps with the food ones, too. Best of luck with yours - hopefully it’s not too difficult to work around.
March 19th, 2007 at 9:24 pmReading about your boys leaping in to take care of all of the eggy-dangers in the house made me cry. You’ve obviously raised them to be compassionate responsible and proactive. You know, when they want to be. Which is as much as you can say for any upstanding adult, so praises to you and your kids. Can I call dibs on fixing Miles up with my daughter in about 15 years?
Also, sorry to hear about the eggs. That’s really rough. I hope they figure out it’s actually the oil or something in the pan or something else obscure and not cookie related in any way.
March 19th, 2007 at 9:27 pmWouldn’t it be easier to be allergic to brussel sprouts?
You have a lot to be proud of Chris, those kids taking care of everything is great. It shows that they do know to do the right thing (even though the majority of the time we are left wondering.)
March 19th, 2007 at 9:29 pmSorry, forgot to say, I hope all turns out well!
March 19th, 2007 at 9:30 pmAlso, noting the “when you’re the only adult in the house” comment: Did Rob finally work his way home? How did the adventure turn out? Can we all point and say “I told you so” if he got home later than his rejected “sit around in California and come home Monday” rescheduled flight?
March 19th, 2007 at 9:39 pmLike my favorite villain from the Incredibles says, “lame lame lame LAME lame!”
I just developed an allergy to APPLES and other tree fruits. As if aging wasn’t bad enough all on its own, we have these atrocities to deal with. Ugh.
March 19th, 2007 at 9:40 pmYour children are fabulous - I’m so impressed at how they all pitched in to help.
I haven’t had to avoid eggs for allergy reasons, but I was vegan for a year, and there are commercial egg-replacers which work just as well for baking. Much easier to substitute other ingredients for eggs than for gluten, which I also had to avoid - because of my eldest’s allergy - for a couple of years…
March 19th, 2007 at 9:52 pmWonder if you can use egg substitute.
March 19th, 2007 at 10:14 pmI know you should be careful of vaccines, in a lot of them you ask if people have any egg allergies, but you should be safe and make sure before…
Darn! I just knew you were finished with your run of trouble. (you know trouble comes in three’s) Sorry to hear this.
The video was terrific!
March 19th, 2007 at 10:24 pmJust think! Because of the happiness in your home and the way you are raising your kids, as the years go by, they’ll be right there for you if you need them as they were today!
March 19th, 2007 at 10:36 pmWhat cool kids you have. I love you oldest saying he would feel better washing the skillet for you. What a doll!
March 19th, 2007 at 11:05 pmallergies to milk, wheat, soy, potatoes, tomatoes, and corn here (and those are just the foods)…maybe we could throw a cyber-pity party for ourselves
now the video loses just a bit of its cuteness…although i’m impressed by the pitching in effort by the kiddos
hope you feel better soon and the allergist is helpful…
March 19th, 2007 at 11:07 pmoh, man. i’m teary about the cleaning fest. awwww…
March 19th, 2007 at 11:16 pmOh, no, that’s awful.
Your kids are so sweet to clean up everything for you.
March 19th, 2007 at 11:43 pmFirst off, your kids rock. It’s in a pinch when people show their real character. And since they rock? You rock too. Who else taught them how to be?
I hope your bruise heals quick. I did that to myself when I was in Rome a couple of summers ago. I walked into an open cabinet door while trying to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night… Oops!
Can you still eat eggs IN things???
March 20th, 2007 at 12:00 amAh, so it was the cupcake that set you off the other night. EGADS!!!!! I’m so sorry. That sounds dreadful.
You’re kids are fantastic; great job, Mom (and Dad).
March 20th, 2007 at 2:25 amHow scary! Could it have even been something else you put in the eggs?
Your children are wonderful. Your house seems like so much fun and such a warm, loving place to grow up.
Hey, can I move in?
March 20th, 2007 at 3:17 amYou are such a brilliant mum and an inspiration to me. I have two boys 4 and 2 (Miles actually reminds me of my 2 yr old Callum)and they both have a severe egg allergy. A major pain in the bum but I guess it’s easier to have the two allergic than just one!
March 20th, 2007 at 4:51 amI’m really sorry for you but you will manage this as wonderfully as you appear to manage everything else. And if all else fails I have the biggest egg free recipe folder all tried and tested!!!
Oh you poor thing.
March 20th, 2007 at 7:32 amWhy couldn’t be allergic to something gross!
Augh, tripping into the door, I thought only I was that clumsy. I don’t even know where half my bruises come from, because I knock into things so often I don’t even notice getting them any more.
If you ARE allergic to eggs, count on your e-buddies to get you lots of naughty, yummy, but eggless recipes!
March 20th, 2007 at 7:35 amGosh, on the bright side….it looks as though when you are sick and obviously in crisis the kids totally clean the house and take care of each other…that could really work for you. I don’t reccomend actually having an anaphalactic shock episode to get this going but getting creative with makeup could really come in handy after meals and when you just don’t feel like cleaning up?
ANd don’t fret…egg replacer (found in any health food store) is a yummy thing instead of eggs in baked dishes. I also LOVE tofu scramble which is cheap and yummy.
I suggest working the angle of mom in crisis..your house will stay clean! sorry you are sick. And alone. Well, without adults.
March 20th, 2007 at 7:55 amMy sisters 4 children are all allergic to eggs.
March 20th, 2007 at 8:02 amThey make fabulous rice krispie treat and applesauce cakes for Birthdays.
Seriously though you didn’t put any of that green dye in the eggs (as in green eggs and ham?)
Great job stepping up on the part of the kids I’d be proud too.
mak
Chris,
March 20th, 2007 at 8:35 amSorry about the egg allergy, that is a pain. Although I’m glad you figured out WHAT caused your reaction the other day, so that you can watch out for it.
But I want to recommend two replacements. One is the Ener-G brand egg replacer which you can find in healthfood stores. It really does work very well in baked things. The other thing you can do is grind up some flax seed and use ~ 1 T. ground with 2 T. of water per egg you’re replacing, in breads and muffins and things. The type of fiber in the flax works decently as a binder to replace the egg, and it adds some good flax oil and fiber to the baked thing.
Isn’t it wonderful those moments when the children step up and really shine?
bummer. it’s never spinich or broccoli, brussel sprouts ! no!!!!! leave it to the freaking good stuff!!!! of course.
hey, did you get a pic this time of the, uh, goose egg? pun intended. yeah
March 20th, 2007 at 8:36 amI sympathize. I’m allergic to garlic… try finding things to eat that don’t have that, or the generic “spices” listed in it.
Your kids sound great, stepping in like that!
March 20th, 2007 at 8:36 amCherrybrook Kitchen. google it. They make cake mixes/cookie/mixes/frosting mixes that are egg free, dairy free, gluten free, soy free (I think) and nut free. So your covered. All you typically need is vanilla, margerine or oil. Ok so the cookies aren’t the best, but you can’t tell the difference in the cake.
I live with a child that was mildly allergic to milk and nuts. He is still allergic to eggs…..deathly allergic.
March 20th, 2007 at 8:40 amOh, who needs eggs?
What good, angelic children you have. Sophia could take a lesson…:)
March 20th, 2007 at 8:53 amThey really are great kids.
Maybe this is a dumb question, but can they give you something to make you un-allergic to something?
March 20th, 2007 at 9:01 amThank god for Whole Foods, if you do indeed have an egg allergy then a specialty store will help you indulge in “egg-free” confections of all kinds. I’m not going to lie to you and say that an egg-less brownie tastes quite the same as an egg-full one but it’ll do, it’ll do.
March 20th, 2007 at 9:24 amThis makes that adorable egg-cracking video incredibly ironic now.
Allergies suck!
You aren’t pregnant again, are you?
March 20th, 2007 at 9:28 amMan, that really stinks! But on the bright side, you have some totally awesome kids there, mama!
March 20th, 2007 at 9:34 amthat was sweet of the kids. Sorry to hear you have an allergy to eggs. Gesh..
March 20th, 2007 at 9:39 amSo, the next time somone email bashes you about how horrible of a mother you are… you link them to this post and let them know that you are a good mom and have taught your kids well! They sound amazing! And if they weren’t heathens sometimes then we’d never be able to tell what angels they are in times like this!
March 20th, 2007 at 9:45 amI do hope wish you luck w/ the allergies!
Oh bummer on the eggs! Even if you don’t eat them plain, how can you cook anything good without them? Weird how it showed up in that cupcake the other day, and then with the pinch you ate last night. Could it have been something else, or maybe something wrong with just that batch of eggs? I sure hope so, you just don’t need one more allergy to worry about!
As for cooking “all” 24 eggs for dinner, we just had eggs last night, 24 in fact, plus 16 pancakes and 24 slices of facon (that’s turkey bacon, LOL) and there was whining after dinner that there wasn’t enough. I already double the pancake recipe and make extra large ones, but I may have to triple; I already know I will need to buy 2 packs of the facon from now on. And I don’t even have any teenagers yet! Yikes!
March 20th, 2007 at 10:25 amI have tears in my eyes after reading this post. These are the moments when you know that you are doing a great job. You have wonderful children.
How ironic that the alergy is eggs, and you find out after Miles cracks 24 of them? haha Thank you Miles.
March 20th, 2007 at 10:29 amAnother egg allergy here (my 7-year-old daughter), and another vote for Ener-G brand egg replacer for all those yummy baked goods. No worries, you don’t have to do without them (or pancakes or waffles). Like someone else said, it’s not the same, but it’s pretty darn close. Must say, we do miss our Saturday morning breakfasts at IHOP–ain’t nothing there without egg in it–but it’s do-able. Hope you’re not a huge fan of angel food cake: you’ll never eat another one. Worst reaction Cecily ever had by far was that accidental bite of angel food cake. Eggs galore!
Good web site to check out: allergygrocer.com. They saved our butts when Cecily was allergic to eggs, wheat, dairy, soy, and peanuts. Now she’s down to just eggs and peanuts, thank goodness.
And you have raised some REALLY thoughtful children. Kudos to you and Rob.
March 20th, 2007 at 10:30 amWell, that’s a bummer! But to be completely sure the allergist will undoubtedly do a complete foods workup. It could be only the yolks, or as is probably more common, only the whites. And I would be very careful of the egg substitutes as some have egg whites in them. Good luck, and YOU HAVE WONDERFUL CHILDREN!!!
March 20th, 2007 at 10:36 amHmmm…..I wonder if the trend to feed more fish product to chickens to increase the omega oil levels in the eggs could have anything to do with your new allergy?
but big kudos on the boys stepping up in a crisis! I just about broke down in tears, it was so beautiful!
March 20th, 2007 at 12:02 pmI vote for Cherrybrook Kitchen products too. One of my children is allergic to dairy, eggs, nuts and shellfish. I use this cookbook called “What’s to Eat? The Milk-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free Food Allergy Cookbook” by Linda Marienhoff Coss pretty much for the recipes for baked goods. It’s hard baking without the eggs, but you’ll be able to adapt some regular recipes for some decent tasting results.
Good luck.
March 20th, 2007 at 12:20 pmSooo I guess the good news is you found out pretty damn quick what your allergic too- no allergy testing, huh?
Totally sucks.
March 20th, 2007 at 1:20 pmThat would explain the cupcake incident. … I think it is something that the chickens ate…
March 20th, 2007 at 1:22 pmThat is SO sweet! That is really awesome of them. Gotta laugh about the snowballs LOL!
March 20th, 2007 at 1:26 pmOh my, but your children sound like really good apples. Congratulations on living proof of being a great parent - seriously! It’s moments like that where you get to see the returns.
Best of luck with the allergy…at least you know what it is now…
March 20th, 2007 at 1:40 pmChris, I am really sorry to hear about your allergy, terrible! please take care of yourself. I am impressed about how your kids helped you, and also helped each other…first time I hear about an 11-year old changing a diaper. Impressive.
March 20th, 2007 at 2:40 pmI’m proud of your kids and I’ve never even met them - way to go!!
March 20th, 2007 at 2:51 pm“My oldest son scrubbed the kitchen clean. he even scrubbed the skillet i cooked the eggs in. I told him he could just leave it to soak, but he said, “I’d feel better just cleaning it for you, Mom.””
Okay, that is just crazy cool.
Glad you have a date with your allergist.
March 20th, 2007 at 5:56 pmI was all choked up reading how sweet your kids are (really, I was. The concern that children are capable of showing for adults is touching), and then you had to go and fall headfirst into the door.
March 20th, 2007 at 6:00 pmYou may be falling apart, but you do have great kids.
I’m so sorry to hear of the egg allergy, Chris.
But — what amazing, thoughtful, considerate and loving children you have! So touching to hear, especially in this day and age.
March 20th, 2007 at 7:02 pmThat sucks!
But your children are totally sweet and wonderful.
March 20th, 2007 at 8:06 pm[...] (Oh, I kid. Chris would make a for a rather unwieldy talisman, though I’ve already threatened to put her in my purse for safekeeping owing to her recent spate of woes. She was a little too enthusiastic about the idea, too, if you ask me.) [...]
March 20th, 2007 at 11:44 pmHats off to thee kids….
March 21st, 2007 at 12:05 amDamn. I’m sorry about the late-breaking allergy.
But, man, you’ve got some great kids.
March 21st, 2007 at 1:07 amI’m allergic to eggs too, as well as dairy, and have found it’s much easier to eliminate the eggs from my dietthan it is to eliminate the dairy. The biggest problem I find is with eating breakfast out - everything seems to be made with eggs eggs eggs!! I tend to shop for food marked “Vegan” at my local “natural” food store. That way I know there’s no egg in it at all.
There is also a nifty little product made by Bob’s Red Mill that’s an egg substitute for baking. It’s not something you’ll find in baked goods out and about, but it might help you bake your own!
Best of luck!
March 21st, 2007 at 2:17 amSince I have a teenager who is now a vegetarian, we have been experimenting with vegetarian/vegan cooking.
A great vegan cookbook is Vegetarian with a Vengeance. All the foods are meat and dairy free. And they are good.
Good luck
March 21st, 2007 at 8:32 amCan I adopt some of your kids? They are SUCH caring kids!
March 21st, 2007 at 9:26 amMy youngest son is VERY allergic to eggs and we discovered an egg replacement to be used in baking made by a company called Ener-G. Things don’t always rise like they would with real eggs but you can not taste a difference. They have a website but a lot of grocery stores sell it. The box is the equivalent to 120 eggs. Hope this helps, it was hard for us to find something to use so he could still enjoy cakes and cookies, you know the important things in life!
March 21st, 2007 at 1:41 pmpoor thing. i am sorry about your head and the egg allergy. that does truly suck.
March 21st, 2007 at 2:09 pmI’m sure with 63 comments, someone already said this, but any vegan website will have TONS of recipes without eggs.
cce said that egg-less brownies won’t taste as good as egg-full brownies. I have an EASY way to solve that. Don’t cook them. Just eat the batter. It’s better that way anyway
March 23rd, 2007 at 2:18 pmI’m allergic to cinnamon. Also in lots of yummy things. Boohiss.
March 23rd, 2007 at 3:53 pmI love your blog, I live and breath it and love to hear your take on things in life, you help me make it thru motherhood…and that is truly saying ALOT! –Christie
March 27th, 2007 at 8:36 pm