First Stay Away Camp

 S had her fist stay away camp last week. 

It was a 4-H science based camp organized by the school for all 7th graders. It was about 5 hours away from us, and since practically all the 7th grade classes were going, and the fees were reasonable, I agreed to send her.

Given her nut allergy, it was scary for me to have her navigate it alone. It was also my first time dealing with having teachers/chaperones manager her EpiPen.  I could have volunteered as a chaperone, but (a) I wanted S to experience being independent (b) I did not want to be stuck with a hundred 12-13 year old's for three days.

Since this was her first stay-away camp and I was very nervous,  I decided - for my own peace of mind -  to drive to the same location for a 3 days mini-break with my Mom. 

It turned out really fun!

 I got to have adult time with my Mom after ages. The last time I did a 1:1 trip with my Mom was in 2001, all trips since then have been family trips.  We stayed at a nice hotel, with no plans - we got to wake up late, have coffee on the balcony watching the ocean waves, no need to race down for breakfast at 7am!!. We relaxed and had no fixed agenda on what we wanted to do which in itself was a nice change of pace. We did end up doing a sightseeing tour which was awesome and ate some good food (no kid menu in sight!). I did not realize until I got there how desperately I needed that time to decompress and I thoroughly enjoyed my solo walks on the beach. 

S too had a BLAST!  

She was rooming with her besties and had the best time ever!!!   I am so glad she had fun and I feel comfortable with the whole arrangement made by the school and the care they took in her (and other kid's) allergy. I also feel more comfortable that S can navigate her allergy by herself, which is a huge win for us. 

I am thankful that we did the tree nut OIT which gives us both peace of mind when travelling. S is still eating combined 7500 mg of cashew, pistachio and walnut about 5 days a week. We need to get her bloodwork done to see how her body is responding to the allergen after nearly nearly 16 months of "maintenance". If the numbers are good, she can reduce the nuts to 3-4 times a week. 

Its now back to work and school!!  We are both refreshed and ready to face the Fall.