FABlogCon 2014 in Las Vegas

Life has been busy lately, so thanks for sticking with me even though I haven't posted in awhile! Make sure you're following me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook as I do try to post more often on my social media accounts, even if I can't get a blog post written!

Last weekend I had the awesome opportunity to attend FABlogCon in Las Vegas. The was the second year for the conference, but it was the first year I attended. Fellow food allergy mamas and bloggers, Jenny Sprague and Homa Woodrum planned the WHOLE thing (Thanks to both of you for this wonderful event!).

I'm sure you and I both have been to enough conferences to know what they're all about. You usually sit a lot, listen to speakers, make new contacts, and hopefully enjoy a nice hotel bed all to yourself (and I DID enjoy that bed all to myself...I missed my little ones of course, but I LOVED sleeping!).

But this conference was different.

All the attendees had a common bond that was very personal. Everyone was there to learn, share and connect about food allergies and sensitivities, or "custom eaters" as I've heard it called lately.

For me, this conference was all about:

Connecting with the food allergy community 
The food allergy community at this conference included food allergy parents, bloggers, organizations and great brands who you and I probably use every day!

Here's the full sponsor list and here are some quick tidbits from a few great companies who attended:

• Do you ever eat SunCups? They're just like Reese's PB cups, but they're made with Sunbutter instead. We can't eat them because they contain milk. But I just heard at the conference from Kate that SunCups is coming out with a DAIRY-FREE version. YAY!

• Dave Bloom from SnackSafely.com said that this food allergy guide was downloaded over 60,000 times this month. They are coming out with a new service that includes allergen profiles for 11 allergens. You will be able to make a profile for each of your family members with food allergies, and find safe snacks based on each person's allergens they avoid.  I can't wait since the guide will include sesame. It's one of our most difficult allergens to avoid since companies are not required to label for it in the U.S.!!

• Joel Warady from Enjoy Life Foods said that this allergy-friendly company tests its products for allergens from supplier (i.e. - the companies that provide them with their ingredients) to the finished product (when you bite into that cookie).  I don't know about you, but I'm thankful that this company exists - it makes my life easier.

Learning more about food allergies and how to manage them
Even though we've been managing Little Guy's food allergies for 4 years now, there's always something new to learn. I knew I could learn a lot from this amazing conference. I wish I could have attended ALL the sessions. There were so many great sessions about food allergy management, nutrition and the teen years that I missed.  However, I did learn a few things like:

• Hanson Watkins from Indie Candy had a great tip on how to get in touch with a company with food allergy questions. She suggested calling the Marketing department, NOT customer service, if you can't seem to get the answers you need in a phone call. 

• Dr. Ruchi Gupta, a well-known food allergy research and author of The Food Allergy Experience (affiliate link) showed us her new awareness video and presented recent research. Fact I didn't know: The older age of a person at the time of diagnosis is associated with a more severe reaction.

Gaining inspiration to make Mamacado a better resource for you!
I attended a number of blog related sessions where I learned some great blogging tips. There are too many great sessions, bloggers and people to even name here!  I hope take what I learned at the conference and make this blog a great resource for you!

Here are a few fun pictures from the conference:

Colette Martin setting up her camera for a food photography session.

Cheryl Viirand from Freedible, Joel Warady from Enjoy Life and Homa Woodrum, conference planner extraordinaire!

I had to take a photo with Kyle Dine and the puppets! Little Guy was VERY impressed.

Amazing cookies From Cybele Pascal. I like making my own cookies, but buying them off the shelf is SO helpful to this busy Mom. I can't wait to find these at Whole Foods!

Oh, and take a look at the awesome bags of goodies we received. I had to ship this home since I couldn't fit it in my suitcase!  Thanks to all the sponsors for these great items.

If you're interested in seeing other pictures or leaning more about the conference, make sure to follow me on Instagram and Twitter. Just search for #fablogcon and you can find all the fun photos from my trip and the conference!

If you deal with food allergies in your family, do you have a "go to" group who just "gets it"? I sure felt like I did at this conference!

KFA Mall Walk & Expo: Strides for Safe Kids

We're going through a busy time in our family now with some unexpected events. So, it leaves little time for blogging. But I still wanted to pass along a few photos from the KFA Mall Walk & Expo event we attended last weekend at the Plymouth Meeting Mall near Philadelphia.

This is our 4th year attending the event. I look forward to it every year because:

• Kyle Dine always performs and creates a fun musical atmosphere to teach kids about food allergies.
• There are LOTS of kids and families who attend. It's helpful to tell your child that all the kids there have food allergies so they don't feel alone. 
• There are some great food allergy-friendly vendors giving away free goodies!
• It's an amazing way to support a worthy cause in person!

You can STILL donate to KFA to help with their effort of raising $50,000 for kids with food allergies.

Thanks so much for your support!!

The great Kyle Dine rocks and uses his entertaining skills to teach kids about food allergies.

Lynda Mitchell, Vice President, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Kids With Food Allergies Division kicks off the event. Did you know she's the founder of KFA!??  Amazing, huh!?

Missy Chase Lapine, The Sneaky Chef and Honorary Chair of the Event.

The mall was filled with kids and families who deal with food allergies.

I finally got to meet blogger, cookbook author and amazing person all around, Colette Martin of Learning to Eat Allergy Free.
Again, please donate to KFA to help with their effort of raising $50,000 for kids with food allergies!!

A Tale of a Normal Mama who felt like a Princess

Once upon a time, in a faraway land (Philly is pretty far from Disney), there lived a very normal Mama.

She worked, cooked and cleaned all day, and there was little time for play!

Some days she felt like "you know who", but without the wicked stepmother...phew! (her mother is actually the most wonderful mother ever).

One day, this Mama got an email from Disney Social Media Moms.  It wasn't an invitation to the royal ball, but an invitation to a FUN and coveted event, the Disney Social Media Moms On the Road Tour (going on in 3 U.S. cities).

She immediately smiled and had to read the invitation a few times to really believe it!

On the day of the event, Mama was bubbling with anticipation, along with all the other mamas (and a few daddies too) in the kingdom!

The mamas enjoyed a wonderful feast and tasty treats at this festive celebration.

Mama didn't meet a prince (she already has hers), but she did meet some amazing members of the Kingdom like Gary Buchanan, Jamie Langdon and Maria Bailey.

Gary was dressed in his royal garb and showing his "DisneySide".

Jamie brought out a special guest, the honorable Mickey Mouse of course! (And I wish I snapped a photo of Maria in action too)!

The royal tables were decked out with different Disney decorations. Snow White was even in attendance at this royal event! ;)

Mama learned some great tidbits about blogging, social media, and balancing her very busy life!

1. If you're at the Disney Parks and want to attend special events, make sure to check the DisneyParks Blog for fun meetups that highlight special events at the park.

2. The awesome PR team at Disney uses Google Docs for managing all their documents. Hey, that sounds like a very "normal" thing to do, and very useful for us Normal Mamas!

3. In order to take better photos with my phone, I need to try out a Smart Phone Camera Lens Kit. I didn't even know this existed until Victoria Lim gave us some GREAT tips!  

4. A blogger at the table also had this Liptick-Sized Portable Charger that can be used to charge a phone WITHOUT needing to plug it into the wall.  Eureka!

5. Finally, there were so many useful "balancing it all" tips. I learned that other mamas have trouble doing it too!  Some of my favorite quotes?  "Be 100% in the space your'e in. Be at work at work. Be truly with kids when you're with them" - The Mojo Coach. "When you're with your kids, look at the whites of their eyes when they speak to you" - Maria Bailey.

When the bell struck 12:30pm, this Mama knew that her time at the event had come to a close. However, instead of glass slipper, she was grateful to take home:

This awesome Seven Dwarfs pin (everyone got a different pin), which references Disney's new ride, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. You can even enter to "be the 8th miner" here!  http://bethe8thminer.com/

This magical creation from HP. It was a pack of photo cards to print photos, cards and GIFT CARDS at HOME. Ever forget a big event and need a card QUICK?  Well, printing cards at home would sure make life easy! Definitely check out HP TwoSmiles!

Every mama got a pack of these cards with a photo showing their #DisneySide on it (mine was a photo of Little Guy eating his food allergy friendly mickey pancakes).

And also a bag full of kid, mom and family-friendly goodies!

And what was the best part of this royal Disney celebration?  

Normal Mama felt a little like a princess that day, took a break from her daily work, and fully enjoyed the Disney magic.

Thank you to all the Disney Social Media Moms planners, sponsors and participants. This Mama surely feels grateful to be a part of the Disney magic!

Social Media Mom Mixer 2014

This weekend was full of FUN. I hope yours was too. I attended two events in Philadelphia, had lunch with one of my best friends (doesn't happen often!) and took the kiddos to their first session of swim lessons - fun all around! I'll post about one of the events in the coming weeks, but today I wanted to write about the fun Social Media Mom Mixer.

One reason I started this blog is to be a part of some of the FUN that happens in the blogging world. Yes, blogging is a lot of work, and requires a lot of work that I don't even have time to do. Hey, I work full time in marketing and also want to be there for our two kiddos under 5! Still, this weekend I got to experience some of the FUN of blogging with the Social Media Mom Mixer.

It was planned by the inspiring Colleen Padilla and Whitney Wingerd and held at the beautiful Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia. The event included so many great brand and bloggers!  Here are some of the highlights!

Here's a photo before the mom blogger rush. So many great people to meet!

And here's some of the goodies we got at the event. From diapers to mabel's labels and even two guest passes to The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philly. I can't wait to take Little Guy there to see the dinosaurs!

*note - there may be a bag of CVS chocolate covered caramels missing...the hubs and I enjoyed those too quickly!!

Tommy Hilfiger and UnderArmour were there and graciously gave me these two ADORABLE onesies. I actually found them on Amazon too if you're interested: Tommy Hilfiger Baby-Boys Infant Bodysuit with Tie and Tommy Hilfiger Baby-Boys Infant Bodysuit with Bow.

I think these would make awesome baby shower gifts for a mama having a boy!

Stella & dot displayed some beautiful jewelry and accessories.

I got to sample Rodan + Fields skin line - my hand felt so soft afterwards!

You can also see in the background that Hershey's was there (we love food allergy friendly Twizzlers!). Even though this wasn't a food allergy focused event, I actually spoke with a member of their team about food allergies and Hershey Park and resorts. She told me they're very food allergy aware. At all their restaurants and resorts, the chef is supposed to come to your table to discuss possible safe food options for your meal. It sounded like the same top-notch treatment that I've heard Disney provides, so I'll be excited to try out Hershey Park and resorts sometime soon!

I got the cutest charm (see caterpillar in the top left of the photo below) from Charm It! I know Little Gal will love these charms when she's a little older. If you have a little girl who might like Charm It charms, you might be interested in the below coupon code they're offering!!

Thanks to Colleen and Whitney for planning a fun event with great brands.

You might also be interested in Mom Mixer Holiday Showcase.

Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links which are of no cost to you. Also, as you read in my post, I was given products from the brands at this event!

Eat, Write Retreat...at Williams Sonoma!

Last week I posted about a fun MomMixer event I went to in Philadelphia where I met other mama bloggers, found out about new holiday products and got some wonderful swag!  I also attended another blogging event that was the launch party for the Eat, Write, Retreat 2014 conference.  The launch party was at Williams Sonoma in Center City Philadelphia and again, oh what fun I had!

This time I met a number of food bloggers who were wonderful to meet and talk with about their cool projects. We not only had a chance to socialize in the fun Williams Sonoma atmosphere, but we also got to EAT some tasty food and WIN some great prizes!

First there was some tasty Jarlsberg cheese and grapes to munch on....

Then Linda from Giggles, Gobbles and Gulps showed us how to make balsamic mushroom bruschetta on PretzelCrisps. Very tasty!

PretzelCrisps even has an awesome appetizer recipe book - a great idea for holiday apps!

Now this obviously wasn't a food allergy focused event, but I of course always think about food allergies even if Little Guy isn't with me at the event.  I love that PretzelCrisps are clearly labeled with the "made in a facility" with statement.  Even though Little Guy can't eat these, I appreciate that they clearly label them for allergens. You can even see the "made in a facility" statement on the PretzelCrips website.

As for the other tasty food, we also got to try a few different kinds of yummy pizza made with Williams Sonoma pizza crust mix.


And we had fun tasting gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and pesto bruschetta from Philly's gourmet grilled cheese truck, Say Cheese.

To satisfy a sweet tooth, the baker from South Avenue Sweets baked a variety of YUMMY cupcakes with PretzelCrisp topping - a very creative way to use them! She also displayed her cute cookies, decorated perfectly for any occasion.

One of my favorite companies for fun, useful and qualify kitchen tools was also there...Oxo.  I learned that the OXO Peeler I use SO much in my kitchen was actually their first product ever! It's the peeler I use for my butternut squash secret and for just about anything else that needs peeled like carrots, potatoes, etc.

Look at all these awesome Oxo products!

And look at this great swag! Checkout that cute Mini Measuring Beaker Set from Oxo right in the middle of the photo. Can't wait to use these when cooking with Little Guy.

Thanks to Casey and Robyn for hosting a great event!

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

MomMixer Event Fun: Holiday Showcase

Oh what fun I had this weekend not only getting a little Mommy time out, but also having fun as a mommy blogger! We ended up canceling a trip to Boston to visit our friends at the last moment, so with all my "free" time I had the opportunity to go to a blogger event here in Philadelphia at XIX at the Hyatt at the Bellevue.

The event was the 2013 MomMixer Holiday Showcase put on by ClassyMommy and MommieswithStyle. It was SUCH a fun event where I met other mom bloggers, learned about some great new products and left with a bag full of swag!

Here's the scenic view of Philadelphia from the XIX at the Hyatt.



A beautiful room adorned with pearls!


The Brands and Sponsors

I got to see some fun products from Vaseline, Hasbro, CVS, Just Play Toys, TommeeTippee, Playskool, Advil, Robitussin, Firefly, SafariLtd and MixedBag.

Just Play Had some great Doc McStuffins toys that Little Guy would LOVE as he is a big Doc McStuffins fan.

In fact, when I brought home all the goodies, the Doc McStuffins toy was the first thing he noticed!


Look at these awesome hand jeweled Vaseline rosy lips therapy.  They're sold exclusively at Kitson.com for $45!

Hasbro had a cute area for kids to play with the latest toys.

The Swag
This is the wonderful swag that all the attendees were given (although I won the Disney mug from CVS who was one of the sponsors!).

Both Little Guy and Little Gal loved this picture of Mama with Elmo. I wish they could have met him too!

We've had fun playing with the toys including Furby - remember Furby!? Well, Furby is new and improved and interacts with your smartphone now!

I had so much fun and loved meeting other mommy bloggers and the awesome sponsors.

I also attended another blogger event this weekend for the Eat, Write, Retreat conference that I'll talk about in my next post!!

What fun did you have this weekend!?