1. Joseph had his first oral challenge fail at the allergist this week (insert massive sad face). We had two tree nuts left – pistachios and cashews, and those were the two with the highest IGE levels in his blood work, so we saved them for last. This week we were doing pistachios, and after just two small doses, he broke out in hives all over his face. I felt so bad, but at least the silver lining (if there is one?) is that both this time and when he had peanuts, his only reaction was hives, which is bad, but it’s not anaphylactic. So, our plan of action is to have him continue eating all the nuts that he already passed (almonds, walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts), then avoid the others until next summer, run more blood work, and if the numbers have come down (FINGERS CROSSED), then try the oral challenge again.

2. On a positive allergy note, I also took Dominic this week to be skin tested for peanuts since kids who have a sibling with an allergy are seven times more likely to have one as well. He had ZERO reaction, so it looks like his peanut allergy-free!

He’s going to have a big week… next Wednesday is his birthday and we’re throwing his birthday party tomorrow! We can’t wait to celebrate this amazingly sweet boy.

3. Do any of you use Sling TV? We’re contemplating cutting the cable cord (well, satellite dish, in our case), and we were 99% sold on the PlayStation Vue, however, we hit a snag when we realized we couldn’t get the local AT&T sports channel, which is where most of the hockey games are broadcast and, well, we watch A LOT of hockey. We can’t do the NHL package because we’re in our local market, so it would be blacked out. The only solution we’ve found that could work is SlingTV… if you use it, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

4. Talk to me about the Instant Pot! I’m still on the fence as to whether or not I want to add another kitchen appliance to my house, but I’d love to hear what your favorite things are to make in it!

5. Love this article that Joseph’s music teacher shared >> What Should A 4-Year-Old Know?

6. Have you ever made the Harry & David dip? I made it for the first time in months and I forgot how totally and utterly addictive it is… SO easy and the perfect dip to put out when you’re watching a game or having a movie night.

7. I can’t believe that Halloween is already creeping up on us… what’s your favorite Halloween candy?!

8. And speaking of fall holidays, is there anything you’d like to see me tackle here on the site for Thanksgiving? Give me your wish list!

9. Less than a week until hockey season starts… hallelujah!

10. TGIF! I hope you have an awesome weekend!