henri's way

Henri and I read Chester's Way today, a book we picked up at the library:

Henri enjoyed reading about Lilly and seeing her in her masks.

Then I pulled out some cutting sheets that I printed the night before, and Henri practiced cutting straight and zig-zag lines.

"Hey Mama, these look like sharp, pointy, bad guy teeth!" Henri exclaimed, holding up the paper after he cut the zig-zag. "Let's make a mask!"

"How about you let me figure out how to make a mask, and we'll make one tomorrow," I said.

"No, let's do it now," he smiled a matter-a-factly.

"Well, do you want to make a paper bag mask like Lilly's?" I asked, opening up the book.

"Yes! Let's do that!"

And that's how we got to today's quick and easy project:
Instructions:

1. Grab a paper bag.
2. Cut out eye and mouth holes. Make the eyes REALLY scary.
3. After cutting out the zig-zag lines from your cutting sheet, tape them to the mouth.

Too bad our paper bags had writing on both sides, but Henri didn't mind. He LOVED his mask today, but I think he's over it now that it's ripped.

be informed

food allergy statistics

As you may already know, my son, Henri, has food allergies (egg, peanut, tree nuts, & shellfish). I received the following statistics in my e-mail box today. Finding them interesting, I'm posting them here.

Nearly 12 million Americans have food allergies

6-8 % of children are affected

1-2% of adults are affected

200,000 Minnesotans have food allergies

30,000 K-12 Minnesota students have food allergies

Shellfish is the most common allergy among adults

Milk and egg are the most common allergies among babies and toddlers

20% outgrow peanut allergy

80% outgrow milk allergy

The allergens causing the most reactions in the U.S. are:
Milk
Egg
Fish
Shellfish
Peanut
Treenut
Wheat
Soy

Other common allergens in the U.S. are sesame and kiwi

Severe food allergy reactions account for 50,000 ER visits per year in the U.S.

Food allergic reactions cause at least 150 deaths per year (3 times as many that die from bee stings)

Any allergen can cause a severe reaction - not just peanuts and shellfish. It depends on the individual.

mother's day--oh happy day!

First off, I want to wish my mom and mother-in-law the happiest of Mother's Days! I wish we could have seen the both of you today to give you a BIG hug. But my mom was busy working at Home Depot, and Johnny's mom lives nearly 2000 miles away.

Highlights of this day included:

• My dad came over to help Johnny build a raised garden for me. Hooray! It's about 7'x4', so while it isn't huge, it's perfect for our small yard. I'll have herbs and a few vegetables in it.
• Dena sent us birthday gifts. Henri was thrilled to get the "game he's always wanted" Guess Who? (He'd never seen it before.) And Dena gave us the Magic Bullet Blender. I haven't seen the infomercial on it, so I need to figure out how to use the thing.
• Henri has been SOOOO excited to go fishing with Grandpa. It's fishing opener this weekend, so my dad invited Henri to come home with him. He'll be taking Henri & my nephew, Chase, fishing tomorrow. My dad took them ice fishing this last winter, and Henri has never been fishing in a boat on a lake. I'm thrilled that my little city-kid can get some country experience from his grandpa.