Back To School

It's not just lunchboxes you need to keep gluten free...

Just in time to stock your backpacks and lockers with goodies a list of GF school supplies.

WHAT???

I have to worry about school supplies???

Well, you may not have to, but turns out I do.

I had an episode last week that we tracked back to Expo Dry erase markers and today my hand is flaring because I decided to write a note on my self so I wouldn't forget...

now I won't forget to write on a piece of paper instead of my skin.

Turns out some pen companies use gluten in their ink to keep it from drying if you lose the cap. Pretty novel idea...I hate dried out pens. Lesson learned...I shouldn't be writing on myself anyway, momma taught me better than that :)

Gluten-free School Supplies

Colorations/Discount School Supplies 1-800-627-2829
The following products are gluten-free:
PRODUCT NAME ITEM#
BIOCOLOR - GALLON BIOGAL + COLOR
FLUORESCENT BIOCOLOR  GALLON FBIOGAL + COLOR
BIOCOLOR  16OZ BIO16 + COLOR
FLUORESCENT BIOCOLOR 16OZ FBIO16 + COLOR
FLUORESCENT BIOCOLOR PAINTERS FBM
BIOCOLOR PAINTERS BMAR
BIOPUTTY SOLUTION PUTTY
BIOCOLOR SHIMMER  GOLD BGLD
BIOCOLOR SHIMMER  SILVER BSIL
COLORATIONS PUFFY PAINT PUFFY
BIOCOLOR FABRIC MEDIUM BIOFAB
COLORATIONS LIQUIDWATERCOLOR  ALL LW+ COLOR
COLORATIONS SIMPLY TEMPERA  GALLON GST + COLOR
COLORATIONS SIMPLY TEMPERA  16OZ ST + COLOR
COLORATIONS SHIMMER MEDIUM SHIMMER
COLORATIONS GLITTER MEDIUM GLIMED
COLORS LIKE ME MULITCULTURAL PAINT CM + COLOR
COLORATIONS WASHABLE SIMPLY TEMPERA  GALLON GWST + COLOR
COLORATIONS WASHABLE SIMPLY TEMPERA  16OZ WST + COLOR
COLORATIONS PREMIUM WASHABLE TEMPERA  GALLON GPW + COLOR
COLORATIONS PREMIUM WASHABLE  160Z PW + COLOR
COLORATIONS WASHABLE FINGERPAINT CWF + COLOR
COLORATIONS WASHABLE GLITTER FINGERPAINT GLFP + COLOR
COLORATIONS ACTIVITY PAINT  16OZ CAP + COLOR
COLORATIONS METALLIC PAINT CMP + COLOR
COLORATIONS FLUORESCENT PAINT CFL + COLOR
COLORATIONS SPARKLE PAINT CSP + COLOR
COLORATIONS COLORED PUFFY PAINT  SET OF 6
PUFFSET
COLORATIONS WASHABLE GLITTER PAINT  GALLON GPG + COLOR
COLORATIONS WASHABLE GLITTER PAINT  16 0Z CGP + COLOR
COLORATIONS STICK IT CRAFT PAINT STICK + COLOR
BIOCOLOR FOAM PAINT BFP + COLOR
RAINBOW FOAM PAINT  SET OF 3 RFP
COLORATIONS JUMBO WASHABLE STAMP PADS JSP OR NEWJSP (DEPENDING ON COLOR)
COLORATIONS METALLIC STAMP PADS METSTAMP
COLORATIONS WASHABLE MARKERS  CLASSIC TIP 98200 (200), 98256 (256), LWM (8), LWMSET (16)
COLORATIONS WASHABLE MARKERS  CHUBBY TIP CHBST (200), 256CHB (256) CHB (8), 16CHB (16)
COLORATIONS CRAYONS  LARGE CLBIGS (400), CRL8 (8)
COLORATIONS CRAYONS  REGULAR CRRGS (800), CRS8 (8), CRS16 (16)
COLORATIONS CRAYONS  EXTRA LARGE CRXLG (200)
COLORATIONS CRAYONS  CHUBBY CRCHB (200)
COLORATIONS SIDEWALK CHALK BC, SIDEWALK
COLORATIONS DUSTLESS CHALK  WHITE CWHCH (12), NODUST (100)
COLORATIONS DUSTELL CHALK  COLORED CCLCH (12), CNODUST
SMOOTH & SILKY ART STICKS SILKYSTK
COLORATIONS RAINBOW CRAYONS STR
COLORATIONS WASHABLE SCHOOL GLUE  WHITE LCWG (gal), SCWG (1.25oz), MCWG (4oz)
COLORATIONS WHEAT & GLUTEN FREE DOUGH COLORDO
PREMIUM NON HARDENING MODELING CLAY MOD (1lb), COLCLY (3.3lbs)
AIR HARDENING MODELING PASTE AIRCLAY
SARGENT POWEDERED TEMPERA PAINT 1PT + COLOR, 5PT + COLOR

Center Enterprises / Ink Pads
1-800-542-2214
They can't guarantee they are gluten-free. Ingredients are gluten-free, but won't make guarantee.

Colgate-Palmolive
1-800-255-7552
All Softsoaps are gluten-free.

Crayola/Binney and Smith- www.crayola.com
All products are gluten-free except for Crayola Dough.
gluten-free products include: Silly Putty, ColorWonder Fingerpaints, Paints, Crayons, Pencils, Markers, Modeling Clay, Glue, Glitter Glue, and Chalk.

Curad
www.curadusa.com
1-800-227-4703
Curad bandaids will no longer say their bandaids are gluten-free because suppliers can change.

Elmer's Glue
1-888-435-6377
www.elmers.com
All products except Elmer's finger paints are gluten-free. These include Tempera paints, watercolors, glues, glue sticks, crayon sticks, squeeze and brush paints, and glitter paints.

Huggies Wipes
1-800-452-2245
They say there is a possibly of trace amounts of gluten and will not say they are gluten-free.

Johnson and Johnson
1-866-JNJ-2873
Bandaid Brand Bandaids are gluten-free (includes clear, family variety pack, kid character bandaids, flexible, and fabric bandaids).

Kleenex
1-800-553-3639
Kleenex tissues with lotion and Kleenex anti-viral are gluten-free.

Lakeshore Ink Pads
1-800-428-4414
6 inch round ink pads are gluten-free. They make three other Lakeshore ink pads that they do not know the status of but are checking on.

Lucky Plus Bingo Markers
Arrow International
1-800-321-0757
www.arrowinternational.com
Bingo markers are gluten-free. They state that all their markers are gluten-free.

Palmer Paint
1-800-521-1383
All paints (including face paint) are gluten-free.

Pampers Wipes
1-800-PAMPERS
Baby Wipes and Kan-doo wipes are gluten-free.

Pfizer
1-800-223-0182
Purell instant hand sanitizer is gluten-free (includes with aloe, original, 2 in 1, and Purell wipes).

Prang Paints/ Dixon Ticonderoga Company
1-800-824-9430/www.prang.com
All paints, glues, markers, modeling clay, chalk, and crayons are gluten-free.
They state that they do not produce anything containing gluten.

Puffs
Re: e-mail
Puffs with lotion are gluten-free.

Roseart- www.roseart.com
1-800-272-9667
All products are gluten-free except Roseart fun dough and modeling clay.
(Their stickers are gluten-free!)

Ross Products- (owned by Elmer's)
Columbus, Ohio
1-888-435-6377
All products (glue, glue sticks, etc.) except Ross fingerpaints are gluten-free.

Sanford/Mr.Sketch Markers
1-800-323-0749
Mr. Sketch Scented, Water color markers are gluten-free.

3M Corporation
www.MMM.com
1-888-364-3577
Scotch Magic Tape is gluten-free.
Nexcare Bandaids do not contain any ingredients with gluten, but they don't test for gluten so they won't claim that they are gluten-free.

Vi-Jon Company
1-888-593-0593
Germ-X hand sanitizer is gluten-free.



Envelopes and stamps that you lick may have gluten in the adhesive.

Peel and Stick Stickers may have gluten in the adhesive.

Personal Care Items: Be aware that some hand lotions, soaps, cosmetics, lip sticks, chapsticks, etc. may contain gluten.

Products not confirmed yet:

Avery Dennison
Carter's Stamp Pad
www.averydennison.com
1-800-462-8379
They are checking.

Paradise Lost

Please note...this is in NO way a post bashing Margaritaville, their food, service or care in providing me a safe GF dinner.

No, if anyone is to blame it is me...for not checking my condiments :(

Yesterday I had the most amazing burger and fries. Today I'm so itchy I do believe I've rubbed my face clear down to the stratum granulosum layer of my epidermis and so exhausted it feels as though my musculoskeletal system has disintegrated and I have no strength with which to move my mass which feels more massive than ever. I CAN move...my brain is telling me that it FEELS like I can't.

I should've known better.
Check your condiments.
I swear I've checked Heinz 57 sauce before and found it safe but I could be imagining things because I'm not thinking very clearly...see note above...

I knew something was up this morning when I pooped.
Yes folks, this is my blog; poop is one of the symptoms that led me on the search for the cure to what ails me so when the poop ain't right, I know something is wrong.

Yesterday's intake was perfect and I was fanatical about where we ate out and what we ate and the staff at the restaurant was meticulous in their preparation and delivery...so what could it be?

On a hunch I jumped on the Heinz site and took a gander at their Gluten Free list.
NOTE...I'm in no way bashing Heinz either...they have a LIST right there on their site and there's a ton of products I've since added to my shopping list but...
Guess what...Heinz 57 sauce isn't on their GF list.

So today, because I didn't check
I'm uncomfortable to the point of scratching my eyes out
I've lost 2 hours of work
and all I wanna do is sleep...

I'm also just a tad bit miffed.
Can't help it...gluten turns off my filter...
I don't wanna read every label
I don't wanna research every possible derivative of dextrose and sorbitol (which, by the way, is in lots of toothpaste so it's a good idea to research your favorite brand)
I don't wanna eat plain, condiment free food...

but then again, maybe I do
not because I will feel better
but because it will taste better...my fries last night were fandangtastic on their own...and the burger...OMG so good
I didn't need to crack open the bottle.

I need to remember Louis the Lifeguard's words of wisdom...

I Can Has Cheezburger?

Yes, Virginia, you CAN have a cheeseburger...a Cheeseburger in Paradise no less!

Now that you're all singing, let me tell you about our night.

Last night we found ourselves with a few hours to kill at Universal's City Walk since our oldest headed to Teen Night at the Groove and we were the taxi.

I work at Universal Orlando and know they've taken great strides over the past couple of years to provide safe, tasty choices for Celiacs and GF'ers so as soon as I learned we were headed to the Walk, I Googled "gluten free City Walk Orlando" and found this GREAT menu at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville.







I know, I keep forgetting to take a picture BEFORE I take a bite :(

   

OF COURSE I had a Cheeseburger in Paradise ...but skip the Heinz 57, it's not Gluten Free...(a fact I should've checked before I went).

The burger was delicious and so were the fries. Note, it was also HUGE, my hub and I could've shared this and been more than satisfied. This was an extra special treat since we typically eat a more paleolithic diet (it's naturally gluten free). The GF bun on the burger was soft and flavorful and the fries were crispy! My meal was even brought out separately from the rest of the table's to reduce the risk of cross contamination.

And then...there was dessert...

We share desserts around the table. Again, the staff was knowledgeable bringing separate sets of silverware for each dessert to avoid cross contamination. The GF offering is a Chocolate Hurricaine, a warm, fudgy brownie with macadmia nut chunks, creamy vanilla ice cream and a mountain of fresh whipped cream drizzled with hot fudge sauce. Drooling yet?

This was DEFINITELY big enough to share with the table and we still barely put a dent in it.

My son hit it right on the head when he said "this should be your birthday dinner spot!"

Yes indeed.

The atmosphere was fun

The food was fantastic

The staff was knowledgeable

The prices were reasonable for the food we got

and the company was good!

Enjoy!

What'd you eat in Key West

Last month was glorious! We spent an entire week soaking up the sun in Key West. We did a few other things as well ...parasailing, ghost hunting, lobster tickling...but mostly we enjoyed one another's company, vegged by the pool and relaxed. THAT'S Vacation :)

Going on vacation can be scary for a gf'er...I mean what the heck do you eat and who do you trust?!?!

Well for starters...I did a lot of internet research before the trip. Our accommodations also included a full kitchen so we stocked up our first morning there and made it our goal to eat out one meal a day...that helped the pocket book too! We had breakfast and dinner at home and took advantage of early bird specials for lunch :)

Our first stop was the Blackfin Bistro on Duval where I opted for the Lobster salad.

We had a "watersports" day which included a grilled lunch. The staff was very knowledgeable and accommodating and I had plenty of veggies and grilled options to choose from...

We cooked for ourselves quite a bit on this trip

Not only was it cheaper...we splurged on GREAT food ...steaks, ribs, fish...because had we eaten these tihngs out, well...it would've cost MUCH more than our grocery bill.

The hub and I snuck away on the 4th for breakfast at Two Friends. That's what I call independence...breakfast with the man-o-my-heart sans teenagers :)

Again...the staff was very knowledgeable and accommodating. I had a seafood omlette sans the hollandaise sauce with fresh fruit...impeccable flavors and HOT...so we knew it was fresh!

A place we wanted to get to but only managed to drive by is Help Yourself Foods. Super ummy raw, vegan and GF fare. Unfortunately, they're on a funky cross street location with parking in one direction and just a tad too far away from where we were staying to walk...definitely accesible by bicycle so check them out and let me know how the lasagna is!!!