I remember the day I met Amanda Orlando. I was in my final year of grad school and was working as a residence don. Amanda was a first year students moving into her dorm room. At some point during the day, she and her parents knocked on my door to introduce themselves and fill me in on Amanda’s food allergies. Over the course of that year, I had the pleasure of getting to know Amanda a little bit; she was shy, kind, and very well behaved (at least while her don was watching!).

After university, Amanda went on to build an impressive media platform, creating and sharing amazing content and resources rooted in her experiences as a person with food allergies. She is the author of 3 cookbooks, the creator of the Free To Be Me food allergy wellness retreat, and host of Sage House in Prince Edward County.

It’s been so inspiring to witness the growth of Amanda’s voice and reach in the years since we first met. Her work empowers others living with food allergies to lead rich, beautiful lives free from fear and limitations, while also taking care of their own health and safety. Oh, and she also has buckets of style and some of the best hair around!

Email Scheduling

My email correspondences promptly dispatch at 8am, but I can guarantee I wrote my response at 1am from the comfort of my bed. You see, once I became a mom, I suddenly felt the need to action a business idea that I had been harbouring since I was a kid; a fun and artful event that would bring together people like me who live with multiple anaphylactic food allergies. There would be art, timely guest speakers, a cool and thematic venue, and the fashion would be on point. Why I chose to wait until I was a new mom to start planning this thing, I have no idea. But I can tell you that I somehow accomplish way more in a day now than I did pre-child, which continues to shock me every day. I live by the Boomerang feature on Gmail which allows me to write and schedule my emails at whatever ungodly hour I happen to have a bit of free time, and launch them during business hours while I'm busy momming, because I don't want anyone waking up in the night to the sounds of an email notification from Amanda Orlando who is organizing this neat retreat and wants to know if maybe you will be a part of it. That would be SO embarrassing.

2. Insulated Thermos Mug

Not a multi litre Stanley, to be clear. I mean a thermos the size of my mug, to keep my coffee hot. I don't know if it contains lead but it is a cheap knock off of a Yeti, so we can say it is likely leaching something into my morning brew. I like my coffee black and scalding hot, the latter of which has become a luxury since becoming a mom. The thermos mug also prevents major spillage, which can happen in the blink of an eye when your toddler springs onto your lap or launches a soccer ball at you first thing in the morning.

3. Blush Tiles

We didn't intend to renovate anything in our new, mid century house for at least a few years. And then suddenly we (By "we" I really just mean my husband) were ripping down walls and having to decide on tiles and fixtures within 12 hours because the trades had been booked. I settled on square tiles in a light blush hue, with matching blush grout. There were only two sample tiles for me to look at, so when it was revealed that they are each a slightly different shade and have soft edges that indicate they are hand made, I was ecstatic. My bathroom does not yet have a sink or a bathtub faucet, but it is already my happy place.

4. This quote: "My only regrets are the times I chose fear over living."

I have no idea if I made this up or not. But it's stuck in my head. I haven't been able to find an answer on Google so it's possible that I crafted it myself. Anyhow, I spent so many years of my life thinking that I couldn't do certain things because I was too at risk for anaphylaxis, and the clarity that comes with age has taught me that I do not have to hold back on the core things that ignite my passion and fulfill my life. That's probably why I am so eagerly pursuing my food allergy retreat, because for so long I thought that something like that was not for someone like me. Sure, there are many things that I have to be extra careful about because anaphylaxis is a potentially lethal allergic response that I have been through too many times before, but I have chosen to no longer let my allergy anxiety stand in the way of living my life.

5. Nature School

I never thought I would find myself losing sleep over the fact that there is no French immersion Waldorf school in Toronto, but here I am. Prior to parenthood, I had zero opinions about public vs private vs religious, Montessori vs Waldorf. But now I'm a parent and suddenly am immersed in the difficult decision of choosing where to send my child to school. The saving grace, as he is not yet school age and I am primarily home with him, has been nature school. We tried a caregiver and tot nature program just for fun, and a year later it has become the most exciting part of our week.

6. Jellycat Stuffies

If you were a Beanie Baby kid, how many Jellycat stuffies does your child own now? I'll go first...

7. Long Johns

I have come to the conclusion that leggings nor sweatpants are the answer to comfortable clothing for me. Neither of them ever feel completely comfy; a fit too tight or too baggy drives me nuts. Enter long johns (preferably floral). They are a dream for those of us who have very particular sensory preferences, they breathe well, are not too stuffy, and most importantly they are unexpected. With my matching long Johns and a wool sweater on, thermal mug of coffee in hand, my little guy and I are ready to search for snails and get our hands dirty in the wild forests of Toronto.