Packed lunches can easily become boring
Have you ever seen a picture of something on-line and be so impressed that you just wish you’d known about it sooner? 18 months ago, a friend and fellow FABED Mum started posting on FB photos of the most incredible Bento boxes that she had been putting together on a daily basis for her daughter’s school packed lunches. Contending with a limited diet as well as other sensory issues, this Mum wanted to create an appealing meal that would encourage her child to eat whilst at school and ensure that she didn’t feel like she was missing out because of her restrictions. On a regular basis, I see updated photos of her most recent creations and I love how she tailors the themes of the boxes to match events at school or in the outside world. I can’t imagine anything better for a child than opening this lunch box at school to discover what food has been included and the theme that has been picked for that day, and I’m sure she must be the envy of many of her friends. To be frank, I’m quite envious as I would love to have these bento boxes for my own lunches too!
Are you wondering exactly what I mean? Well, take a look at these amazing boxes that have come from N’s kitchen over the last year:
But why take the time to make your child a bento box meal like these? Without a doubt, a creative lunch may take a little bit of forward planning, but I’m certain that the benefits gained far outweigh the extra time and effort needed each day. Children with food allergies often have an unavoidable sense that they are missing out because they can’t enjoy the same crisps or chocolate or even sandwich fillings as their friends, but when their safe meal can suddenly become as appealing, if not more so, than that of their peers, that disappointment can start to disappear. 
A child with sensory issues or a reluctance to taste new foods and textures may be tempted to take a bite when faced with a Minion banana or a star-shaped piece of cheese. Of course, there’s no guarantee that your hard work will reap immediate rewards, but as with most things, a continued effort may make all the difference in the long run.
I just wish M and G were back at the stage of just starting school as I can well imagine how delighted they would have been to eat lunches as inventive as these, but I think we’ve probably passed that window of opportunity, although I am tempted to ask M if he’d like them during his final year of Junior school. As you can see from the pictures I’ve shared above, what helps make the boxes so special is the various pieces of paraphernalia that can be bought online from Bento box company, Eats Amazing. There is an astounding amount of bits and pieces available, from mini cutters to letters and accessories, all there to help turn the run of the mill into a work of art. I suggest that you give yourself plenty of time to discover all that the website has to offer and choose items from themes that will not only appeal, 
but can be used on more than one occasion. At first glance, this isn’t a cheap hobby, but by picking a few strategic pieces and taking inspiration from everything that’s available, I am sure that this would be a sound investment for anyone wanting to make their child’s lunchbox something really special. I suspect it would have even tempted my pickiest of eaters when she was a few years younger.
I am so grateful to N and her family for sharing their bento box journey and showing how a little creativity can make a big difference to a child surviving food allergies and issues in the school environment.
M-friendly apple and pear cupcakes, a batch of G-friendly vanilla cupcakes and I’m currently struggling with the chocolate brownie sponges that are refusing to be moved from the cake tins. There’s 2 lots of icing to sort out, decorations to be finalised and they all need to be applied to the cakes themselves, but I’m delighted to find myself spending this winter evening like this.
that my sense of humour is very much in tact. It was with a wry smile that G and I summoned a black cab to take us to GOSH on Sunday from the train station, not for a visit to a hospital-bound younger brother, but this time for the final 
It feels even more special this year as my baby girl, my precious first-born, hits the start of her teen years and all the emotions that those have to bring. In the proverbial blink of an eye, my December 2003 baby is turning 13 and in front of me stands a beautiful young lady, with a little more attitude and grumpiness than I would have chosen, but with a kind heart, generous spirit and the most loyal friendship on offer that you could ask for. She is growing up fast and we are quickly losing sight of the easy-going, chatty toddler that she was as an opinionated, independence-seeking, moody teenager appears in her place. She can slam doors with the best of them and her stomping feet can make it feel as if the kitchen ceiling is about to come down at any moment – and indeed it pretty much has done. These days she brooks no nonsense from her little brother and yet she will defend him to the hilt when it comes to it and is there to comfort and hug even when he doesn’t want it. She’s looking to make sense of a world that often doesn’t and is trying to understand how to interpret the nuances when it would be so much easier if everything was clearer defined in black and white. She can be the much-needed splash of colour in a reality that is all too often dark and depressing and yet will quietly fade into the background when everything gets too intense and too much. She is an incredible blessing to all our lives and we are all so grateful to be celebrating a life that is so much better for the 13 years she’s been an integral part of it.
When I wrote this blog last week, it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever sat down to write. Life has a way of throwing a curveball when you least expect it and these last 2 weeks have been no exception. My words captured my emotions at their most raw, at their most honest, when the fear of what could be had me tightly in its grip. 
When it comes to thinking they know it all and can do it all better than the adults in their life, my kids are world champions. The frequency with which Mike is told that “Daddy, you just don’t understand..” is high and he often finds himself trying to defend his position to an irate 10 year-old, even on matters where he quite obviously has far more expertise than anyone else in the room – think anything building-related given his career as a chartered surveyor. There is a certain level of deference awarded to me, after all I’ve proved over and over again that Mummy knows everything there is to know and, besides which, she really isn’t someone you want to get on the wrong side of ever; but the opinion of just about every other adult is scrutinised carefully and often rejected on the basis that they just don’t understand either. M has some very strong opinions and would, and sometimes has, happily argued the case that the sky is green for hours, often with a reluctant truce having to be declared before World War III breaks out across the dinner table. As for G, well she has perfected the teenage eye-roll ahead of hitting her 13th birthday and it’s often accompanied by a surly shrug of her shoulders and a mumbled “Whatever” as she heads upstairs to the seclusion of her bedroom.
So, you can imagine my thoughts when G and M were invited to be a part of this year’s 
ent and Property Services department as Director and Deputy Director for the day. The information they received in advance told them that they would have a “behind the scenes” tour of the hospital with opportunities to learn about the systems that help the hospital to run efficiently, including visiting the plant room with engineers, learning about the food ordering system and how the meals get to the children on ward and understanding more about how the hospital plans and designs spaces to be fun and interesting for the patients, their families and the staff. Ahead of the day itself, both G and M were asked to complete a profile to be shared with the Development team, explaining a little about why they were interested in this role as well as what their involvement with GOSH is. G had 2 key areas of interest – finding out how the kitchens cater for patients with food allergies and how new spaces and redevelopment work is done – whilst M was eager to see the plant and machinery that makes the hospital run and find out more about the technology in place.
Determined to dress for the occasion, M’s clothes were chosen the weekend before to make sure that everything he needed was washed and ironed, unlike his sister, who typically left everything to the last-minute and was then put out when her first couple of outfits were deemed unsuitable by me. Taking the challenge very seriously indeed, M solemnly told me that I needed to make sure he was in bed early on the Monday and Tuesday so that he could be well-rested and ready for a busy day. Our decision to head to London on the Tuesday night after a Year 6 meeting at his school slightly scuppered those plans and his night’s rest was then further disrupted by a 5am fire alarm in the hotel, something none of us appreciated. The further stress of the drive across London to make sure that we reached GOSH in time whilst being questioned constantly as to when we would arrive, tested my nerves thoroughly, though we did make it – by the skin of our teeth. The hurried unloading of G, M and me just around the corner so that we could dash to the main entrance by 10am as Mike went off to the park the car, was an unexpected drama I could really have done without.
and we are still hearing snippets about it a week on. Whilst both children took over the same department, their mornings were filled with different activities to meet the interests they had already expressed in their completed profiles. M spent the morning with Development Director, Matthew Tulley, the highlights being exploring the roof of the hospital and learning more about CAD. That second activity earned the accolade that “CAD is rad!”, something I suspect will stick with the Development team for a long time. G headed in a different direction to learn more about different aspects of what this department does. She went with Deputy Director Stephanie Williamson and spent the morning planning and designing a new orthopaedic therapy space, which she really enjoyed, though it proved to be a challenge to fit all the requirements into the space available. She then headed to the kitchen to find out a little more about how patient meals are prepared, before meeting up with M and Matthew for their lunch. A big thank you has to be given at this point to Stephanie and the rest of the catering team who did a sterling job at providing safe meals for both children to enjoy. Both had been able to choose their menus before the day itself and the team had taken on board M’s request for either rice pudding or a rice krispy cake for pudding, which he was delighted to see.
There was then enough time to head off to Coram Fields and chair a meeting about the new research centre being built and discuss the hoarding that will be used to surround the site. They even managed to find their way on to the building site, where M’s enthusiasm in particular has earned him the offer of a return visit to see the completed building in a couple of years’ time.
Mum, a retired Year 6 teacher, to fine-tune those skills that were proving a little elusive to my school-loving child. Her hard work and focus throughout the year stood her in good stead and we were all proud of her year-end results, most of all because they rebuilt her belief in herself. Despite that previous experience, I knew that M’s start in Year 6 would herald a very different set of experiences and that’s absolutely proved to be the case.
and interactive games and challenges. He has access to this both at home and at the Dyslexia centre and will soon be able to use it during some of his intervention group sessions at school. I have also just invested in the Nessy Fingers course, which will teach him to touch-type, a skill we are all agreed will be of huge benefit to him, especially when he moves on to secondary school next September. The ability to make notes on a laptop or tablet will ease some of the angst he already feels about the workload he will face in Year 7 and we are hoping to investigate some dictation programs that will also make his life just that little bit easier.
There’s nothing better than finding a hidden treasure and this small cafe is an absolute gem. We were visiting friends who moved to Frome at the start of the summer and on recommendation from another friend, decided to try out 
I’ll be honest and say that we didn’t realise at first that the entire 
M was keen for G to try the “Vanilla Soya Frothy”, which I assume is a vanilla milkshake, but G was determined to indulge and stuck resolutely to what she knows she likes.
Susan mentioned was a fairly small portion and so added the Mezze plate, which included houmous, olives and some delicious seeded crackers. The plates, when they arrived, looked wonderful and the food was absolutely delicious. My soup had that real home-made feel to it, was packed with chicken and tantalisingly fragrant in its flavours. I was impressed with the gluten-free bread, which we were later told is baked off-site in a 
bakery that has an exclusively gluten-free area to make sure there is no cross-contamination risk. G’s sandwich soon disappeared and her hot chocolate didn’t last long either! As for M, he was thrilled to receive a healthy-sized portion of plain rice, topped with 2 roasted chicken thighs and some apple and ginger purée. He was a little disappointed that they didn’t stock any rice milk for him to drink, but was happy with the cartons of cloudy apple juice that were on offer instead. We were all delighted by our fantastic meals, little realising that the best was yet to come.
some progress, albeit very slowly. We last saw M’s GOSH consultant in the middle of March, when it was somewhat reluctantly agreed by us that we would wait until November for his next GOSH appointment with the plan being that we would meet and then have an appointment with our local gastro team during the interim period.
Dr W had already agreed with GOSH that he was happy to meet with us and look at the potential possibility of taking over some of M’s care during last year’s disastrous 
M would eventually stop drinking the E028 altogether and stressed that we need to find a viable alternative before we reach that point. This has proved to be remarkably insightful as it is now one of the biggest issues that we have had to contend with since that June appointment, with M struggling to drink even half of the required amount and with no new foods in his diet, there are growing concerns about both his weight and his nutritional intake.
G, M and I had headed there for an early supper following a busy day in London. G had been at her 2nd 
Decisions made about what they’d like to eat, our waitress came to the table to take our order and this was when their attention to details become really apparent. I started by telling her that both children had allergies and she immediately disappeared to grab their allergen listing to run through their menu choices with me. I mentioned that M’s allergies in particular were complex and unlikely to fit the detail given in their book, but she advised me that she had to go through it because she would be asked about it as soon as the order went to the kitchen and that her neck would be on the line if she hadn’t taken that first step of checking it all out. We started with discussing what would be safe for M to eat and she was immediately able to offer brown rice, a grilled chicken breast and cucumber slices, a meal that would more than meet his needs and then we moved on to G.
However, our waitress came to the rescue and suggested that G had the crushed potatoes as, whilst the menu stated they included dairy, she could request that they be prepared with just a little oil instead. Situation saved!
7 years to diagnosis 