Sweethearts Candy Blog's

Some of you may have heard this one already, but it's worth repeating. Apparently some Target stores are selling Buzzy brand flower seeds in their "dollar section" -- this item has a very, very tiny peanut/tree nut shell allergy warning on the label. The seeds come in a small burlap sack with a label on the front identifying them as Buzzy brand. With nut allergies on the rise and in the news almost constantly, why any company would use nut shells as filler in gardening gear is beyond me. Unfortunately, they're not alone. Scotch Brite scouring brands even have an item that contains walnut shells as a mild abrasive. And likely many more products use nut shells--not just cosmetic facial scrubs. We've got to be on the lookout for all products we bring into the house and near our allergic kids.

Reactions to the Buzzy product have been reported, none fatal, thank goodness but imagine the possibilities. Nut shells are highly allergenic so please, as you go about buying your gardening items this season, check the labels and ask questions. Currently, non-food items do NOT require allergy labels, so you may have to call companies and ask questions depending on what products you plan to use.

One of the complaints about the Buzzy seeds is that the allergy warning was in such fine print that it was hard to read. If you ever find that situation, it's worth a call, e-mail to the manufacturer. And of course, if you or your child reacts to a product like this, please report it!

Sorry to rain on your gardening parade, but we've got to read every label, every time. No wonder my eye doctor says I'll soon need "bi-focal" glasses and contacts!

Thanks to everybody who shared their restaurant experiences with regards to nut allergies. In my very unscientific survey, I was heartened to discover that many of us are finding safe dining experiences and a heightened understanding of what nut allergies are. That's progress!

And while it seems to be the case that many national chains appear to keep to more consistent menu items and standards, thus making them "safer," a lot of you found restaurants in your own neighborhoods that have become family standbys. For example, one reader found a safe Japanese restaurant in the college town of Champagne, Illinois; another a safe "hole in the wall" Mexican place in New York. So always ask questions and go with your common sense and gut instincts. You might just find a new family favorite for dining out.

Just so you know: the responses I got were for nut allergies only. I know that some of the readers of this blog have other food allergies besides nuts, so these restaurants may not work for you. Please feel free to share your own dining out tales--it would be helpful to so many of us.

I am pushing my "Restaurant Roundup" back by a day in order to alert Illinois residents about an important bill being voted on tomorrow. SB152 will be voted on in the Illinois State Senate tomorrow afternoon. The bill provides schools with food allergy protocols and standards for the entire state. This is so helpful because many of us have had to create these ourselves or have had to be the trailblazers at our schools and districts. This bill will help all food allergic kids to be protected.

It's not too late to contact your state senator. Click this link to find them if you don't know who they are.

I know it's kind of short notice, but I encourage all of you in Illinois to e-mail or call your state senator today! Let them know that we care.

Thanks! Restaurant Roundup tomorrow!

Filmi double roles have always fascinated us. To make them possible, techniques like shooting in several layers, shooting with the help of chroma are common practice. But if we talk about Akshay Kumar's 8x10 Tasveer, there is certainly something unique.

Akshay's double role: The best sequence and the most challenging one too! No chroma shots, but frame by frame rotoscoping (technique of cutting out the images) done by Vfx house Prime Focus. All of Akshay's shots were shot twice in two different layers using a dummy character in front of him. Later, the dummy character was rotoed out from each frame and was replaced by Akshay shot in a separate layer.

"It was a long sequence and was shot on the boat where everything was shaking. As the part of the post production, we had to roto out Akshay in each and every frame; besides, all the shots needed to be stabilized because of the shake. The scene where both the Akshays are fighting was the most challenging one," says Merzin Tavaria, Creative Head, Prime Focus.

Frame by frame rotoscoping was done to replace the image



Dummy characters were used for the reference.


Dummy character was rotoed out frame by frame



The dummy character was rotoed out from each frame and was replaced by Akshay shot in a separate layer

I have often thought that parents of food-allergic kids shouldn't necessarily always be expected to attend field trips. Sometimes work, life, illness, childcare--you name it--get in the way of parents attending. And let's face it--just because our child has a severe food allergy doesn't mean we're clamoring to get on the school bus and chaperone kids.

But since I've started chaperoning, I've learned a lot about how to keep my daughter safe, even if I'm not there. And I've also learned that it pays to be there if you can. Let me explain.

When my daughter, now 9 and finishing 3rd grade, was in the younger grades, I sent her on field trips without me. The trips never involved lunch and they were always within 15 minutes from home, so I felt reasonably secure. My daughter also had wonderful teachers/health workers at school who had the thing down pat (after a lot of communication with me.) I had her younger sister to care for and not a lot of childcare available to me at the time, so I did what I could.

Now that my daughter is older she is being sent on field trips into Chicago, which is great for her from an educational standpoint, but further away by car than I feel comfortable with (we live in a suburb very close to Chicago, but with traffic, etc. I couldn't get to her quickly). Also, a "sack lunch" is always involved now. And we know what that usually means: Peanut Butter City.

So I've attended the last 2 3rd grade field trips and I'm getting a feel for the pitfalls for her to avoid. Also, it's just been good to be nearby--as the kids get older, they are not watched as closely, so even though I'm not as worried about accidental ingestion with my very FA savvy daughter, there is peanut matter and residue all over the place. Yesterday, for example, my daughter's school was the 4th group to eat lunch in a small museum cafeteria. No such thing as a peanut-free table there and of course, I had no way of knowing what people had been eating before. There was even a vending machine that offered peanuts, Reese's, etc. right in the cafeteria. My daughter's teacher offered me Clorox Wipes for the table and I also brought my daughter a placemat (hey, this could be a good use of the Litter Free Lunch napkins--field trip table covers!) and she was just fine. In fact, most of her group had not even brought PB (a surprise to me, since it's never been prohibited at school).

But here was the tricky part: the noise level and general chaos as the kids shoveled in their lunches before moving on to the next activity made it nearly impossible for anyone to notice if my daughter was in distress. Now, her teacher was nearby but teacher's can't have their eyes everywhere at once. And of course I was there--I'm pretty certain she would have been more attentive had I not been able to attend. Still, general chaos does not make it easy to spot a kid having an allergy attack.

Also, the museum we attended had several "touch" exhibits. While relatively rare, kids can rub their eyes and have an allergic reaction if someone with food on their hands touched it before them.

I would suggest to any of you with FA kids heading off on a field trip that includes lunch to remind their teacher to bring the EpiPen and Benadryl, of course, but also, include some type of placemat for them to cover the table with. Ask the teacher if she wouldn't mind bringing some wipes for the table (most will be happy to).

Here's what to tell your child: sit where the teacher can see you at lunch. A drag for some kids, I know, but if your child has food allergies, they are probably used to this by now. If they have trouble, emphasize that they should tell someone immediately to get the teacher if they can't do it by themselves. Don't get lost in the crowd--stick near the teachers if they can, even on the school bus.

I really have enjoyed attending these field trips--the kids are fun and the destinations have been wonderful. Yesterday we even got to stop at Buckingham Fountain and let the kids run around on a nice spring day in Chicago! But I've also seen some of the pitfalls with my own eyes and being able to give my daughter some specific direction here has been invaluable. That way, if I can't make it, I'll be able to help everyone better prepare.

Note: Tomorrow (or Monday at the latest!--it's been a busy week) I'll have my first Restaurant Roundup. Thanks for participating and keep it coming!