Whoa

Tonight, my son decided to help me fold the laundry. He did it without me asking. He did it with a happy heart. He did it because he said he wanted to help. So once we trucked it all upstairs, got it put away, hopped into his favorite Sponge Bob PJs, I said to him:

Mommy: (with his face in my hands) Zack, thank you so much for helping me with the laundry. For doing it without me asking, and with a happy heart and a smile on your face.
Zack (interrupting): That's a good thing.
Mommy: That's a great thing!
Zack: Whoa (said like a surfer dude from Huntington Beach)

Excitement

This guy:

is super excited about these guys:


Want some?

Contact these guys:

The Sassy Cupcake

Quote of the Day

(after being yelled at by his sister)

Zack: Helllooooo! I have to get on with my life.

And what life would that be exactly? The one where you play wii for hours and hours, or the one that makes you leave your trains scattered all over the house so I can trip on them? Or might it be the one where you make tents with every blanket in the house or the one where you're always asking for a treat (because you ate all your dinner at some point) Maybe it's the one where you're asking if these cupcakes are for someone and how much money are you gonna get for them.

I don't know.

But what I do know is that I'd like to get on with that kind of life. Can we trade?

11 Dozen

Cupcaking has been moving along nicely. My Thanksgiving special seems to have really taken off though! So far, I have 11 dozen pumpkin cheesecake cupcakes to deliver next Wednesday! It's the largest number of cupcakes I've had to bake at one time. It's just a pre-cursor to the 300 cupcakes I have to make for a choir concert on December 2!

Yay for cupcakes! I don't think I'll ever be sick of them.

Food Allergy Update

Today was the day I dusted off my teacher hat, went into my daughter's 2nd grade class and taught a lesson on food allergies. I think the kids had a good time but I think they have a whole new understanding. The kids' eyes were big and the room was silent when I talked about what happens to my daughter when her allergic reaction begins. They also seemed to be super happy that they didn't ever have to have "that great big shot". I demonstrated the epi-pen by using a trainer on the teacher and then she practiced on me. The kids also talked through what they could do to help someone having an allergic reaction.

All in all, I think it was a productive class session and what happened last week will never happen (at least with this class) ever again.

I'd like to thank KidsHealth.org for this great lesson and AllergyKids.com for this very concise "what to do" section of their website.

Now, I'm assembling age appropriate educational materials for the school. I need children's books, lesson plans, and informational sheets for lower and upper grades (K-6) that talk about, educate, and inform children about food allergies. If anyone knows of some materials that would be helpful, please let me know!

Throne Room Singing

My middle son was in the bathroom "doing his business". I'm in the kitchen and I begin to hear this coming from the bathroom:

Go tell it on the mountain
Over the hills and everywhere
Go tell it on the mountain

Then there was a pause (like he couldn't remember the next line). Then I heard this:

Dinah blow your horn.

I think his music teacher would be proud.

Food Allergy Bullies

I'm going to get up on my soap box. Give me some room because I'm going to harp on this and harp on it---HARD!

I'm appalled and so upset. I'm ready to put up my dukes and start my own kind of fight.

Today, my little girl was bullied by 2 boys with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Now, I know to most of you that sounds ridiculous. How on earth can someone be bullied with a simple PB and J sandwich?

Well, kids with peanut and tree nut allergies can.

My daughter suffers from severe food allergies. She is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. She doesn't just get hives or an upset stomach. Her throat closes up, her lips and tongue swell and she can't breathe. It only takes about 1 minute. It's called anaphylactic shock. She could die if it's not treated quickly.

These boys thought it would be funny? They wanted to tease her? I'm not sure.

Now to be fair to these 2 boys, I'm certain they didn't understand the severity of their actions (although after the tongue lashing the teacher gave them I'm sure they do now)

But something has to happen. There needs to be some education. A peanut free table at the lunch area isn't enough.

My mission has started. I'm off to help facilitate change.

Watch out. This Mama is armed with pamphlets from Kids With Food Allergies.org and the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network.

Mr. Principal, I'm coming to see you.