25
Oct
Tomorrow, we will be out at the Top O’ the Bay Oktoberfest at Tampa Bay Downs. Friends of ours are in a traditional shoe-slapping dance group and we are looking forward to celebrating with them. If you haven’t gotten out to an Oktoberfest this year, check out Oldsmar this weekend. If you’re still not feeling like you’ve done enough, check out the Schnitzelhaus for lunch this week. Have a brat, some strudel, and a Spaten.
Friday is Halloween. This is one of the biggest times of the year for food allergy problems. Please distribute candy without nuts of any kind. There’s plenty of straight sugary things out there! Many food allergy families completely avoid Halloween activities simply due to the amount of dangerous candies floating around. We are looking forward to Halloween, though trick-or-treating will not be a part of it.
This year, I’ve noticed a few Halloween alternatives popping up at places like the shopping malls, Publix grocery stores, and churches. I encourage you to give these a try. They are safe environments and more controlled situations rather than the randomness of individual houses in a neighborhood can be.
Get out and enjoy the cooler weather!
23
Oct
The Rays’ Bartlett stole a base, so we’re on for free tacos next Tuesday! Unfortunately, no free donuts today. Lets get it done tonight, Rays!
8
Oct
Celebrate the 6th annual TECO Line Streetcar Fest with 5-cent streetcar rides all day, October 11, 9am-midnight! Ride historic and open-air streetcars, streetcar car barn tours, free kids’ activities outside The Florida Aquarium, $7 Yacht Starship bay tours & Ybor City Saturday Market.
Visit TECO Line Streetcar for more information.
29
Sep
Celebrate Oktoberfest all month long in Tampa! Each weekend, checkout a different festival, and if you are longing for a mid-week bit of Bavaria, have lunch at the Schnitzelhaus! All of these events have family-friendly components to them, so bring the kids! The highlight of the month will be the big Oktoberfest in Oldsmar at Tampa Bay Downs during the last weekend. Attendance was 20,000+ last year.
If you have other events to add, please leave a comment and link at the end of this post! Enjoy!
- Schnitzelhaus German Restaurant
- Oktoberfest will be from Sept 19th to Nov 1st
- Live Music with Inga
Fri and Sat 5pm – 9pm and Sun 4pm – 8pm
- Fri and Sat Special, Four Course Dinner
$21.95 – $25.50, reservations required
- Open Wednesday-Saturday, 11am-9pm and Sunday, noon-8pm
- Closed Monday and Tuesday
- Dunedin Brewery OktoBEERfest 2008
- October 2nd-4th, starts at 4pm daily
- The St. Petersburg Clay Company OktoberBest & Brew HaHa II
- October 11, noon-7pm
- The event will include food, beverages, music, kids activities, and best of all work from our talented artists!
- World of Beer (Westchase) WOBtoberfest 2008, 2nd Annual Beer and Music
- October 17th, 3pm till, October 18th, noon till
- Live music featuring Chris Nathan
- German and American Food
- Authentic Oktoberfest Liter Mugs
- Family Friendly
- $5 admission (free for 12 and under)
- All ages welcome, 21+ to drink
- Oktoberfest on the Beach – 7th Annual Celebration Activity Schedule
- October 18, 11am-7pm, Kinderfest 11am-3pm
- Held at Kolb Park, Indian Rocks Beach
- Live music, German Band “Lorelei” performs at 1pm until 7pm
- Adult activities include: Food Court, Beer Wagon, Vendors, Art Exhibit, Antique Show, Boat Show, Silent Auction
- Championship Competitions include: Stein-carrying, Wife-carrying, Keg-throwing, and Polka-dancing!
- “Kinderfest” (11am-3pm) activities include: Dodgeball, Children’s Dunk Tank, Shuttle Race, Capture the Flag, Spider Web, Red Light—Green Light, Hula Hoop Contest, Water Balloon Contest, Jelly Bean Relay, Inflatable Experiences, Tattoo Booth, Balloon Artist & Magician, Kiddie Olympics, Children’s Arts & Crafts Booth
- Top O’ the Bay Oktoberfest, Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar
- October 24, 25, 26 – Friday 5pm to 11pm / Saturday 11am to 11pm / Sunday 12pm to 7 pm
- Schedule of events (pdf)
- Traditionally held the last weekend of October, Oktoberfest brings the best of Old Bavaria and New Florida together for three full days of authentic German food, drink, music and dancing… along with a spectacular carnival & Midway, a great arts & crafts show, and the wildest array of audience participation contests that the Tampa Bay area has ever seen!
- New this year… VolksMarch (5 & 10K Family Fun Walks) and Kinder Zone!
- Oldsmar’s version of the 198 year-old German tradition is both the largest and longest-running Oktoberfest in West Central Florida, attracting between 20,000 and 25,000 attendees.
20
Sep
What are you having for dinner Monday night?
From 2003 to 2008 research by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University has consistently found that children who have frequent family dinners are less likely to use marijuana, tobacco and drink alcohol.
CASA research reveals that compared to children who have frequent family dinners (five or more per week), children who have infrequent family dinners (less than three per week) are two and a half times likelier to have used marijuana and tobacco, and one and a half times likelier to have drunk alcohol.
Monday, September 22nd will mark CASA’s eighth annual Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your ChildrenTM celebration. Family Day is a national movement to inform parents that the parental engagement fostered during frequent family dinners is an effective tool to help keep America’s children substance free and reminds parents that “Dinner Makes A Difference!”
“If you asked me based on CASA’s 16 years of intensive examination of substance abuse and addiction in our nation what’s the most effective thing we can do to curb this scourge and protect our children, I would say parental engagement. And there is no more effective example of this than frequent family dinners,” said Joseph A. Califano, Jr., CASA’s chairman and president and former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare. “Years of surveying teens have consistently shown that the more often they have dinner with their parents, the less likely they are to smoke, drink and use drugs.”
This information was excerpted from a press release from CASA this week. How many more reasons do we need to have dinner together? Health? Money? Those are some very good reasons, but the relationship building and accountability to one another in love is another great reason. My favorite web celebrity in this area is Leanne Ely, author of Saving Dinner. She finds great solutions when it comes to family eating situations. I came across Leanne Ely and her fantastic work on Marla Cilley’s popular website FlyLady.net. I’m a huge fan of her menus and eating ideas. She also has a great book about Nutrition and a companion Unit Study.
19
Sep
Ahoy! T’day is International Talk Like A Pirate Day. Avast! Many pirate-y activities abound here in Tampa, the home of ye ol’ Gasparilla Pirate Festival.
Captain Memo’s Pirate Cruise has cruises for pint-sized to frigate-sized grog-drinking seadogs! Our wee matey gallavanted off to sea with his Grandma, an’ had a rip-roarin’ time afloat!
Ahoy! The Pirate Ship at John’s Pass is another place full o’ pirate-y goodness with gun battles, face painting, and treasure hunts! Arrr.
Capture this cool stuff for junior pirates from ye founders of this ‘ere day of celebration!
In our family, we’ve casually celebrated this day over the years since Dave Barry’s infamous column appeared in 2002. We still aren’t very good at pirate slang, but we try! Just sprinkle in “Avast!” or “Arrr…” into your daily conversation and you’re all set. If you really want to get into character, get your own pirate name at one of these sites:
Dig up a treasure chest o’ fun with your mateys t’day!
24
Aug
The 2008 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival runs from September 26 through November 9. Florida residents are eligible for a lot of great deals during this time of year. If you live close to Orlando, consider the Epcot After 4PM Annual Pass, a fantastic deal, and will get you into Epcot all year without blackout dates after 4pm. This is great if you just want to dine, go to an Eat to the Beat concert, or visit France for pastries and fireworks at the end of an evening.
Kids can experience all the fun of the festival by traveling to over 14 Kidcot activity stops around the theme park. Our kids really enjoy this and it keeps them motivated during the day. It also provides an opportunity to rest inside, out of the sun or rain. This year, USA Pears sponsors The Pearville Fair, a learning center about pears! Our kids love Epcot!
A note about food allergies: In our experience, Disney is very accommodating, especially in the more formal dining experiences. Even the takeaway food stands are pretty knowledgeable about what they are serving. If you have food allergies, notify your server, and they will typically introduce you and your allergic child to the chef. We’ve met numerous Disney chefs and had just as many conversations with them about our food needs. Once, a chef at Boma (my personal favorite Disney restaurant) made a special dessert for Elizabeth since she couldn’t eat a single thing from their dessert offerings. As with any food activity with allergies, don’t forget your Epi-pens, Benadryl, Albuterol, and whatever else you typically need to deal with an incident. Also, don’t forget to pack some safe snacks. We always pack plenty of safe snacks wherever we go.
One last money-saving tip: You can get a large cup of ice water for free at any fountain drink vendor at Disney. I get a 32-ounce cup of ice water and sometimes mix in a Crystal Light To Go packet. Don’t let your budget prevent you from staying hydrated! Pack a water bottle. Water fountains are abundant throughout the parks, and single-serving drink packets can make it more palatable.
Tasting menus from some of the 2007 international food vendors.
22
Aug
Food allergy is one of my “interests” whether I like it or not. Now, many websites exist with information on coping with this affliction. There is no cure or treatment – only avoidance and survival. Here are a couple of links for recommended reading:
Can’t find an answer? Post your question here!
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, just a mom.
19
Aug
Do you struggle with menu planning? I know that I do, and it’s a constant battle. There is one menu-planning system that I’ve found that is absolutely fantastic! It’s called Saving Dinner. I’ve used some of these recipes and they all got a thumbs up from the whole family! I highly recommend Leanne Ely’s menus. Just give it a try. Your family will be so happy to sit at the table together eating a meal lovingly prepared just for them! Bon appetit!
16
Dec
Tonight, my husband and I had a chance to check out Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries in Carrollwood. On our way there, I researched them on my handy Treo 700w and read a few reviews and I also discovered that they serve bulk peanuts. The kids are staying at Grandma’s, so we were uncharacteristically excited about the peanuts. Upon
arrival, we noticed the very obvious peanut allergy warnings. I’ve seen other postings at Dairy Queen, the Great American Cookie Company, and others places, but this was the kind of sign that must have some history behind it.
The food was decent for the meager price of $15 for the two of us. We had 1 small bacon cheeseburger (1 patty), 1 regular cheeseburger (2 patties), 1 small fries, 1 small drink, and 1 large drink. This was more than enough food for the two of us. The burgers were good, but messy. The mushrooms on my burger were like canned mushrooms. I will skip them next time. Burger toppings were plentiful, which was a bit messy, and I would’ve liked a more substantial bun to reign in some of that mess. The fries were pretty good, and plentiful! I was thrilled that they had malt vinegar in addition to ketchup. I won’t go so far as to say that it rocked my socks off or anything, but it was adequate and reasonable. A better choice over any other fast food burger joint.
I would NOT recommend this restaurant for children because of the loose peanut situation there. Children under 3 should not have any peanut or nut products simply because they may be unable to communicate if they are having a problem like itchy mouth/throat, tingling lips, swelling, obstructed breathing from a nut being lodged in the airway, etc. Peanut allergic children may have a severe reaction from skin contact alone, as well. My husband and I may eat there again, but only if we will not be in close contact with our daughter afterwards. The fries are cooked in 100% peanut oil, but this is typically not a problem for many peanut allergic children, because any residual peanut protein in the oil is chemically altered through the high temperature used in frying. I am NOT a doctor and what you eat is entirely up to you. We would definitely eat here again if they eliminated the loose peanuts. Why do they need them or offer them? I don’t think anyone is going to starve while they are waiting for their food, and goodness knows that there were enough fries in the bag to satisfy a hungry teenage boy! The peanuts are completely unnecessary to a satisfying experience at Five Guys.
