For parents with children who have food allergies, nothing seems to be quite as scary as Halloween - a holiday full of tricks and potentially dangerous treats.

Some of the most common allergies (whether you have a nut, seed, chocolate, gluten or dairy intolerance) can be found right inside of those fun-sized candy bars which are often distributed during trick-or-treat and classroom celebrations.

But instead of allowing food allergies to haunt you and your child this month, experts at National Jewish Health recommend following these four tips to keep your kids safe and not spooked by Halloween:

• Before a Halloween party, whether in the classroom or elsewhere, meet with teachers, parents, etc. to discuss what treats your child cannot eat.
• Create a written plan to outline all necessary information on your child’s allergy and share as needed to prevent accidental exposures.
• Post a picture of your child and the food he or she cannot eat as an additional reminder when snacks are served.
• To avoid your child feeling left out of a classroom celebration, pack safe and labeled allergen-free snacks that he or she can enjoy without fear!

Experts at National Jewish Health offer tips to help ensure kids’ safety

(DENVER, Colorado) – For parents of children with food allergies, back-to-school time can be particularly stressful. When children are away at school, parents have little control over the foods children may encounter. But a few tips from experts at National Jewish Health can help ease parents’ anxiety and ensure that students with food allergies remain safe at school.    

    “More children than ever have food allergies, and in severe cases, just being around certain foods can create an extremely dangerous situation,” said BJ Lanser, MD, director of the Pediatric Food Program at National Jewish Health. “But there are preparations parents can make to reduce the risks to their child, and with plenty of communication and collaboration with school personnel, students can concentrate on learning rather than their allergies.”

   Whether your food-allergic child is going to school for the first time, headed to a new school or just getting ready for a new school year, experts at National Jewish Health say following these four tips will help keep them safe:

• Meet with school staff members: Set up meetings with principals, teachers, nurses and cafeteria staff before the school year begins. This ensures that everyone is informed and prepared and allows a parent to understand how a child’s school manages food allergies.

• Create a written plan: Work with an allergist to develop an action plan that outlines all necessary information on your child’s allergy, including how to prevent accidental exposures and how to recognize and treat symptoms of an allergic reaction.

• Post pictures: Tape pictures of your child to the classroom wall with information on their allergies to alert anyone that comes into the room. You can also post one on your child’s desk, which can serve as a secondary reminder when snacks are served.  

• Make safe snacks: Pack allergen-free snacks for your child in case someone brings in a treat for the class. Send the snacks to school with a label specifying that they are safe, or leave some with their teacher so your child won’t feel left out during classroom celebrations.
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• NITA STRAUSS

  Announces Debut Solo Album

  Controlled Chaos

   

  Due Out on Sumerian Records November 16th

  Releases New Song and Music Video
  "Our Most Desperate Hour"
  

  U.S. Tour Dates This Fall

  Tickets Available Here
  

  Los Angeles, CA - Nita Strauss, the incredibly talented guitarist who has rocked out on stage with Alice Cooper, Femme Fatale, Jermaine Jackson, The Iron Maidens and more, announced today that she will be releasing her debut solo album, Controlled Chaos. She has joined the Sumerian Records family and will be giving fans 11 tracks of epic musicality on November 16th. The electric and quite literally "fire" music video for "Our Most Desperate Hour" is the first look into what's to come from this new chapter of Nita's career.

   

  On the upcoming album, Nita shares "From bright and fun to aggressive and dark, from peaceful to chaotic, this album is a way for me to give the listener a glimpse into my personality and what goes on inside my mind." Controlled Chaos is available for pre-order at http://www.nitastrauss.com/.

   

  Nita has been fighting to make a name for herself in the guitar world for years. She is one of the most sought after clinicians in the industry and has done extensive clinic tours across multiple continents. Her consistent touring schedule has shown her to play in front of over a million audience members per year consistently for the past several years. 2018 has already proven to be a banner year for Nita with her being named as the first ever female Ibanez signature artist in the company's 60-year history. She played WWE Superstar Shinsuke Nakamura's entrance music at WrestleMania in New Orleans in front of an audience of 78,000 fans and millions streaming worldwide just before surpassing her Kickstarter campaign 8x over, allowing her to self-produce and record Controlled Chaos.

   

  The 11-track album was a challenge to Nita and an opportunity for her to reconnect with what inspired her to pick up a guitar in the first place. "I started playing guitar because of instrumental guitar music. All my real heroes made instrumental albums. All my own career has been spent playing in bands, but I never forgot that dream of what inspired me to pick up the guitar in the first place." 

   

  Controlled Chaos Track listing

  1. Prepare for War

  2. Alegria

  3. Our Most Desperate Hour

  4. Mariana Trench

  5. Here With You

  6. The Stillness At The End

  7. The Quest

  8. Hope Grown

  9. Lion Among Wolves

  10. Pandemonium 2.0

  11. The Show Must Go On

   

  This Fall, Nita will be hitting the road for her first solo tour in support of Angel Vivaldi. The tour will be hitting cities from coast to coast in the United States beginning November 19th and will wrap up on December 21st. A full list of tour dates can be found below with tickets and more details available at http://www.nitastrauss.com/.

   

  Upcoming Tour Dates:
  11/19 - The Vault @ Greasy Luck - New Bedford, MA

  11/20 - Voltage Lounge - Philadelphia, PA

  11/21 - Dingbatz - Clifton, NJ

  11/23 - Brooklyn Bazaar, Brooklyn, NY

  11/24 - The Outpost - Kent, OH

  11/25 - The Loving Touch - Ferndale, MI

  11/27 - Wire - Berwyn, IL

  11/28 - Gabe's - Iowa City, IA

  11/29 - Riot Room, Kansas City, MO

  11/30 - Marquis Theater - Denver, CO

  12/1 - Club X - Salt Lake City, UT

  12/2 - The Shredder - Boise, ID

  12/4 - Club Sur Rocks - Seattle, WA

  12/5 - Paris Theatre - Portland, OR

  12/6 - The Boardwalk - Orangevale, CA

  12/7 - Brick By Brick - San Diego, CA

  12/8 - Pub Rock - Scottsdale, AZ

  12/9 - 1720 - Los Angeles, CA

  12/11 - Come and Take It Live - Austin, TX

  12/12 - Scout Bar - Houston, TX

  12/13 - Trees - Dallas, TX

  12/14 - The Hi-Tone - Memphis, TN

  12/15 - The Masquerade (Purgatory) - Atlanta, GA

  12/16 - Haven Lounge - Orlando, FL

  12/17 - O'Malley's - Margate, FL

  12/18 - Crowbar - Tampa, FL

  12/19 - Ground Zero - Spartanbug, SC

  12/20 - Canal Club, Richmond, VA

  12/21 - House of Independents - Asbury Park, NJ

   

  Nita's skill, exuberant stage presence and love for all things about her instrument have earned her a stellar reputation in the music industry and endorsements including Ibanez Guitars, Marshall Amplification, DiMarzio pickups, Monster Energy and more. For more information on Nita Strauss, please head to http://nitastrauss.com/.

  ===================

  New book takes on an eccentric treatment of the ABC-book concept

  Debuting author Adair McPherson announces the release of ‘Roadkill abc’

   

  DAVIS, Calif. – “Roadkill abc” (published by Xlibris) marks Adair McPherson’s debut as a published author. Aiming to contribute something unique to every readers’ bookshelves, McPherson offers an oddball take on the ABC-book concept featuring “found” roadkills.

   

  “Roadkill abc” is an eccentric treatment of the ABC-book concept that allows readers to gaze at photographs of animals, vegetables and minerals that meet a premature end on the road. Strangely humorous and, at moments, achingly sad, the author’s first picture book is possibly not to everyone’s taste. It is, however, appropriate for readers of all ages.

   

  “The roadkill subject is sufficiently unusual that browers slow down to open the book. The photographs are compelling enough to keep the reader turning pages,” McPherson states. She assures that the photographs are true and nothing is staged or moved.

   

  According to McPherson, the book empowers anyone with a camera to slow down and take a careful look at his or her world, as each person has a unique journey to catalogue and share. Ultimately, she hopes to elicit laughs and curiosity among readers.

   

  “Roadkill abc”

  By Adair McPherson

  Softcover | 8.5x8.5 in | 36 pages | ISBN 9781984553218

  E-Book | 36 pages | ISBN 9781984553225

  Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

   

  About the Author

  Adair McPherson grew up in North Carolina. She graduated from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1976 with a degree in anthropology. Her master’s and doctorate degrees are from Utah State University in social science and psychology, respectively. She and her husband, Greg, in 1981 and moved from Logan, Utah to Tucson, Arizona to Chicago, Illinois to Davis, California, having five children along the way. In Davis, she found the place where she belonged. The kids are grown. She sends out this project before any more of her marbles are gone. Four years in the making, “Roadkill abc” is her first picture book.

   

  Xlibris Publishing, an Author Solutions, LLC imprint, is a self-publishing services provider created in 1997 by authors, for authors. By focusing on the needs of creative writers and artists and adopting the latest print-on-demand publishing technology and strategies, we provide expert publishing services with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound and full-color formats. To date, Xlibris has helped to publish more than 60,000 titles. For more information, visit xlibris.com or call 1-888-795-4274 to receive a free publishing guide. Follow us @XlibrisPub on Twitter for the latest news.