Sweethearts Candy Blog's

Join me tonight, Monday, May 9 at 8 pm EST for a food allergy Twitter party! @AllergicLiving, @JenRoeder (of FAAN), @foodallergymamam, @allergicgirl, @cybelepascale, @ginaclowes and @foodallergybuzz will all be co-hosts of this fun, fast-paced and informative event. Come with your questions and comments!

Sometimes it may seem as if every week is Food Allergy Awareness Week at your house, but since May is also Allergy Awareness Month, let's take some extra time to spread the word about food allergy facts.

A recent study by the journal Pediatrics finds that 1 in 12 U.S. children have food allergies, with nearly half of those (and estimated 40%) classified as life-threatening. That's a huge increase, so clearly we need to educate, advocate and encourage those around us to respect food allergies and learn more about them.

One great way to do this? Just check out this terrific NBC segment that features Nicole Smith of Allergic Child and her teen son, Morgan. Nicole is also the author of "Ally the Allergic Elephant" which was the first food allergy book by daughter ever read. Since her name is Alexandra, we used to call her "Ally" and did this book ever help her when she was young. You can buy it here.
My daughter and I just met this dynamic duo at the FAAN conference in Chicago and in fact, Morgan helped to lead the teen/young adult session that my daughter attended. Alexandra is still talking about how much the "older kids" inspired her and gave her good advice for handling food allergies as she approaches middle school and finally, high school.

We will have much more on my blog this week and throughout the month to promote FA Awareness Week and Allergy Awareness Month!

My Twitter handle is nut_freemom--hope to see you tonight at the Twitter party!