Some of us know all too well what a Big Fat Negative is…others are wondering what I’m talking about. A BFN is a negative pregnancy test, which cannot be confused with a BFP, a Big Fat Positive test.

Many times when working with clients I like to come up with a “Top 10” list for their challenge. Recently, an infertility client said to me, “Please develop a Top 10 list for recovering from BFNs…I’m crippled each month it happens.”

There’s no doubt about it, struggling with infertility is a rollercoaster ride. The beginning of a cycle is so focused on doctor appointments, medications, blood draws and ultrasounds. Then your IUI or egg retrieval and embryo transfer happens and you have to wait two weeks for “The Answer.” Even if you are trying naturally, all the monitoring gets old very quick.

What I remember about BFNs is that some months I was able to take it in stride and plan for the next cycle. While other months left me anxious and weepy into the next cycle. Not a good thing when wanting to be open and radiate positivity in support of your mind and body to do its best work.

So what can you do to honor your disappointment and sadness, yet pave the way for positivity in the next month? Reference this list, or develop your own, to keep yourself focused and on target:

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All eyes are on General Mills this week with the launch of their newest offspring, Peanut Butter Cheerios®. To refresh my memory of the various flavors, I took a gander at the Cheerios® website. While perusing the products section, I recalled the memorable Bubba Blue’s line from the Forrest Gump movie, “Dey’s uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that’s about it.”

Well, Cheerios’ currently has 13 different varieties. Dey’s uh, Cheerios® Regular, Cheerios® Honey Nut, Cheerios® Multi Grain. Cheerios® Apple Cinnamon, Cheerios® Banana Nut, Cheerios® Chocolate, Cheerios® Cinnamon Burst, Cheerios® Frosted, Cheerios® Fruity, Cheerios® Oat Cluster Crunch, Cheerios® Yogurt Burst, Cheerios® Dulce de Leche, Cheerios® Peanut Butter. That- that’s about it.

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After a holiday, gingerbread project in my son’s kindergarten class, my husband and I decided we want to switch from an Individual Healthcare Plan (IHP or IHCP) to a 504 Plan for our multiple food allergic son. My one-on-one meeting with the school’s 504 coordinator was scheduled for this past Thursday. Coincidentally, my meeting was in the very same week that Ammaria Johnson, a 7-year-old girl from Chesterfield County, Virginia, died from an allergic reaction to peanuts. Needless to say, it was a very stressful and emotional week.

Quite simply, my heart aches for Ammaria’s mother, family, the innocent student that gave her the peanut, the school representatives involved, etc. Ammaria’s death means something…it should cause us all to reflect…it should tell us that no one is immune, me, you, the school, even the parents of non-allergic children, etc. We all fail in some way at keeping our allergic children safe.

Before moving forward, I should step back and explain my son’s gingerbread project. Every year, the kindergarten class makes a gingerbread house before holiday break. As you can imagine, it consists of a vast array of allergy-ridden products i.e., a small ‘washed’ milk carton is used as the frame for the house, graham crackers are hot glued to the carton, a homemade, egg white frosting plus all the decorations of candy, chocolate chips, pretzels, etc. top the “fun” activity ~ “because this is what we have done every year.”

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Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery was kind enough to request another blog entry from me.

Click on Rudi’s link below to view the entry:

Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery

Happy New Year Everyone!

Visit Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery to read Kristin Beltaos’ guest blog entry on how to have a more fulfilling holiday season. If you like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation movie, you will surely enjoy the read.

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

I hope everyone is well!

~Kristin