Need a recipe for dairy free chocolate cake? Looking for back-to-school safety tips? Want to know which restaurants are safe for your allergic child? Go online! The internet is busting with website after website of endless information.

With the abundance of online support groups, you can find one that suits your needs. Look for a support group in your area to network with local parents. For instance, the Food Allergy Support Group of Minnesota and Food Allergy Support Group of Tampa and St. Petersburg serve their local communities with meetings, resources, articles, information on legislative efforts and current laws, and other networking opportunities. You can visit Kids with Food Allergies, the largest national online support group dedicated to food allergies. KFA offers food allergy information, a searchable recipe database and busy support forums (message boards) that connect parents who want to share information, tips and emotional support.

Whatever the age of your child or the number of years you’ve been dealing with food allergies, new issues always seem to arise. Now it’s easier than ever to connect with other parents who have “been there, done that.” The internet allows us to benefit from each others’ experiences, pool our resources and connect with other parents. Maybe you can give a mother tips on how to make her toddler’s preschool experience a safe one or give a dad some allergy-friendly restaurant suggestions. By sharing our stories and successes, we can create a community that is stronger, wiser and better able to protect our allergic kids…which is our ultimate goal.

Browser beware! Make sure it is a viable source. Some online information can be faulty or misleading.

-Robin Davison, MPH, JD
Founder of STAT KIDS (www.statkids.com)

Who didn’t see this one coming? Kiwi’s Pick of the Week is the amazing and wonderful 7th book by J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

While claims have been made that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is slated to be the “greenest book in publishing history,” according to Markets Initiative, that is not really what KIWI is focusing on. It is true that the book has been printed on 100% recycled paper in some countries like Canada, and 65% of the books published in the US are not printed on trees from ancient forests. According to Markets Initiative, the publishing of the seventh book saved 137,609 million BTUs of electricity, 197,685 trees, 327,657,453 liters of water and avoided 7,876 tonnes of CO2. Don’t get us wrong– we are cheering as loud as we would at a Quidditch match for the eco-friendly Harry Potter.

If not for these reasons, then why is HP the Pick of the Week? One simple reason– it gets children (and their parents) reading! The last in the book series sold 11 million copies worldwide in 24 hours. Pretty much every child has read at least one of the Harry Potter books. The wonderful characters that Rowling developed allow families all over to connect over the trials and tribulations of Harry, Ron, Hermoine and company. It is amazing to hear parents and children alike asking each other, “Can you believe that happened?” or exclaiming “I knew it! Mom, I told you!”.

The series by J.K. Rowling has created a new army of readers in the young and the old. Personally, I have turned many of my friends on the books who were not readers in the first place. These novels achieve the almost impossible– creating characters who you fall in love with, sympathize with, and want to continue to read and read and read about. And all in the world of wizards and witches.

So this week, we applaud Harry Potter and all that he (and his creator) have done for all Muggle kind!

Hey guys! KIWI’s server has been down. Well, it is back up now, so be on the look out for some cool stuff coming from us. Sorry if anyone was trying to read the blogs or eco-crafts or recipes… or the surveys!

A new blog should be going up later today/tonight sometime. Have a lovely week!

Food allergies seem to be an epidemic these days. They’re popping up more and more among kids. For parents, it’s a nightmare wondering if their children are safe when they go to school, camp, birthday parties and play dates.

I faced this dilemma myself, struggling to keep my son with severe peanut and tree nut allergies safe when he wasn’t with me. After finding no practical, age-appropriate products to help us manage his food allergies, I founded STAT KIDS, LLC (formerly AllergiK ID, LLC) and designed products to identify and protect kids with food allergies and other health issues, including Asthma, Diabetes and Celiac Disease.

What my husband and I have found is that simply letting people know our son has a food allergy is not enough and does little to protect him. What keeps him safe is the constant reminder of his specific food allergies. From its inception, the goals of our product line were to quickly and clearly identify kids by their specific food allergies and keep life-saving medication accessible at all times. This is what makes the difference.

So have your child wear an allergy-specific wristband at camp, or hang a poster in his bunk that identifies him by name photo, and specific allergies. Have a travel bag–equipped with Epi-Pen, Benadryl, emergency action plan, emergency contact information, and whatever else your child might need in case of an allergic reaction. Also, make sure that whomever is with your allergic child is prepared. Pack your child’s lunch in a bag that is clearly labeled with his specific allergies to reduce the risk of exposure at lunch time .

Whether you do it yourself or find tools to help, make sure that those around your children can work with you to make them as safe as possible. Nothing is more important!
-Robin Davison, MPH, JD
Founder of STAT KIDS, LLC, Guest Blogger for Kiwilog

I have to share this with you all– mosquitoes love Maylee and I. We spend every summer suffering from bites. Maylee, in particular, gets bitten badly. I’ve experimented over the years with herbal insect repellents and have had limited success.

At the advice of our advisory board member, Dr. Alan Greene (see our August issue in “Bug Off”), I went looking for oil of lemon eucalyptus. I couldn’t find it, so I decided to try Burt’s Bees Herbal Insect Repellent instead. I’ve been using this on Maylee everyday when she goes to camp and she’s been mosquito bite-free!

This past weekend, we put it to the ultimate test– we went biking together at dusk (notoriously the worst time for mosquitoes). As soon as we went outside, the pests attacked us both. I ran in the house, got the Burt’s Bees and sprayed us, then went riding. NO MORE MOSQUITO BITES!! It was absolutely amazing!

Burt’s Bees Herbal Insect Repellent is all natural, DEET-free and is made with various oils including lemongrass oil. I found it in Whole Foods Market, but you can also buy it on Burt’s Bees‘ website. Let me know what you think about this product; if it works for you, too. I’m so happy to have a non-toxic way to battle bugs!

-Maxine
Mother of Maylee and CEO & Publisher of Kiwi Magazine

We know this sounds a little silly, but it is true!

The average dairy cow burps 100 to 200 liters of methane a day! That is a lot of gas contributing to the greenhouse gas emissions. A UK based environmental research company, Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, is working to develop new diets for cows.

The new diet aims to reduce the burps of cows using new plant-breeding methods to develop foods that are easier for the cows to digest. Agriculture is responsible for about 7% of UK greenhouse gas emissions and a large proportion of two of the most potent gases with 37% of methane and 67% of nitrous oxide.

Here’s hoping the cows’ new food allows them greener manners!

To read further, check out the Yahoo article.

Endangered Species Chocolate has been known for their commitment to the eco community and well, delicious, chocolate. They use all-natural and organic chocolate to create awareness about the plight of the environment, and more specifically the fight for endangered species.

Not only do they provide the world with better for you chocolate, Endangered Species Chocolate is getting everyone in on the act! This wonderful candy bar company is not handing out Golden Tickets with a lifetime supply of chocolate (shucks!). They are offering visitors to their newly designed website the chance to pick the new animals to appear on the Endangered Species label!

Until July 20th only, head on over to www.chocolatebar.com and enter up to 3 of your favorite endangered animals. Stumped to think of an animal? Try looking looking for ideas at the IUCN Red List.

Up to five new milk and dark chocolate bars are being developed, so start thinking of worthy animals!

During one of our many outings for the KIWI Karavan, one of our team members came across this non-profit organization- The Cancer Project.

Here at our lovely magazine, we promote healthy eating and living. KIWI thinks we all should do our best to eat right. Eating right gives us a balance unlike any other healthy practice. The Cancer Project champions the same idea. They believe that through a healthy plant-based diet, one can help prevent and survive cancer.

On their site, this wonderful organization says, “The Cancer Project has two main goals: First, we aim to make cancer prevention a top priority. Just as important, we want to improve survival after cancer has been diagnosed by providing comprehensive information about the role of dietary factors in keeping people healthy.”

The Cancer Project offers everything to help people eat healthier in order to keep cancer away. They offer free nutrition and cooking classes, as well as The Survivor’s Handbook which details how to eat right to survive.

To learn more about The Cancer Project, visit their website.

This week’s pick is the ever animal friendly ASPCA, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

This weekend I visited a local art show in Philadelphia during First Friday in the Old City section. During my walk around the open art galleries, I went into the F.U.E.L. gallery (the old Real Worl: Philadelphia house) where they were exhibiting an unsettling art show about puppy mills.

The art show was a little disturbing, but I left thinking about the ASPCA and the work they do. Puppy mills are tragic and harmful, and I applaud anyone doing their part to rid the world of inhumane practices towards animals. More importantly the ASPCA outlines 10 simple ways to help fight puppy mills. To see their 10 ways, click here.

Trying to rid the US of puppy mills is actually only a small part of the crusade of the ASPCA. They have just launched their Mission: Orange, “… a focused effort to create a country of humane communities, one community at a time, where animals receive the compassion and respect they deserve—a nation where there is no more unnecessary euthanasia of adoptable animals simply because of a lack of resources and awareness.” So, in honor of the animals we love, KIWI is cheering loudly for the ASPCA.

Bonus: They also have an adorable kids page, AnimaLand.

Courtesy of the ASPCA®. Copyright 2007 ASPCA®. All rights reserved

Radio, in fact, is doing the opposite of dying. It’s thriving! This media has a new home– the internet. The internet radio craze has even struck home here at KIWI’s headquarters. Our own Maxine Wolf, CEO and Publisher of KIWI Magazine, was interviewed by Holistic Moms Talk Radio.

During her interview, Maxine discussed almost everything about our lovely publication. She covered topics from why we choose the name KIWI to our KIWI Crusaders Award (see Blog). Holistic Moms and Maxine even talked about Maxine’s daughter Maylee– the star of KIWI’s Maylee’s Moment.

Maxine said, “As I went through my experiences as a new parent, I realized there really wasn’t any place to get good information about parenting our way… and I formed KIWI.”

All in all, the interview turned out to be a great discussion on living naturally and organically. To listen to the interview, visit Holistic Moms Talk Radio. Congrats Maxine!

Tired of hearing about Britney Spears in rehab and how Lindsay Lohan should be? Me too! This is why I love this week’s pick, the blog Ecorazzi.

Ecorazzi is the latest in green gossip or what they call “celebrities caught green-handed.” We love it here at KIWI. Instead of the everyday, terrible celebrity gossip, the Ecorazzi team is doing something different. They profile celebrities who make a difference, who are vegans/vegetarians, and the eco-friendly things the celebrities do.

Ecorazzi says, “In the spirit of fair play, we’re quick to point how who’s slacking and who’s deserving of recognition.” For instance, the homepage features everyone from Donald Trump, Jessica Biel and Prince William to Prince Harry. Donald Trump is going green in his next project, Jessica Biel carries around an “I’m not a Plastic Bag” bag, and the Princes’ Concert for Diana (see below).

Finally, a celebrity gossip blog I can get behind!

Everyone remembers where they were when Princess Diana died. 10 years ago, in a tragic car accident, Princess Diana was taken away from the world. Before her death, she was considered “The People’s Princess.” She was a classically beautiful women with a heart of gold– she dedicated much of her time to charity work.

Keeping her spirit alive are her two sons, Princes William and Harry. Today, the date of what would have benn her 46th birthday, in London they are having a memorial concert to celebrate the life of Diana– the women she was and the causes she supported.

The proceeds from the concert will benefit three charities, The Princess Diana’s Patron and Memorial Fund, Prince William’s Centrepoint, and Prince Harry’s Sentebale, among others.

With every type of performer from Duran Duran to Fergie to English National Ballet, it surely will be a concert that no one should miss. Also, most importantly, a concert that Diana herself would have wanted to be at.

For more information on the concert, visit the official Concert for Diana website. The site will also tell you what television stations you can watch the concert on.

The Concert for Diana will definitely be a memorial concert to remember or quite possibly, the best birthday party ever.