PSA
« Previous EntriesThe Together Counts Pledge
Monday, April 2nd, 2012Living in the snow region of the country, we have to be creative in getting active as a family. Now that it is spring, it is a lot easier. The kids love to head to the park with us. We wander around the playground, head onto trails, wander in the hedge mazes and more. 
NHL is 8 and is much more aware of being active, eating healthy foods, and junk foods in moderation. He actually started going to his school’s Just Run club. The kids also know that I wear a pedometer to try to track my activity. Both of the boys think it is a lot of fun to compete with our walks and see if we can beat our last pedometer adventure. This summer, I am sure we will be doing even more treks to try to visit places and save money on gas for the car.
Together Counts is a program for everyone. The goal is to help to inspire families to lead healthy and active lives. Energy Balance is a key element and major principle of the program. Quite simply, this means that the calories that we eat are the ones that we burn. Together Counts brings together 195 retailers, food/beverage manufacturers, restaurants, sporting goods stores, insurance companies, non-governmental organizations, and professional sports organizations to get the message across. For additional information, head to the Together Counts website learn more and take their pledge on finding balance and moderation.
Together Counts is having a sweepstakes right now on their Facebook page to celebrate their first anniversary. Prizes include gift cards, George Foreman Grills, and a membership to Anytime Fitness. Of course, Together Counts is also on Twitter and Pinterest. Tomorrow evening, April 3, be sure to join Together Counts as they celebrate Child Nutrition Month during a Twitter party from 8-9 EST. Prizes include $50 same-as-cash gift cards. There is more information and to RSVP over at Resourceful Mommy.
So have you made the Together Counts pledge yet? If not, what are you waiting for?
Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of a compensated Global Influence campaign. As someone who strives to find balance, I love the principles behind Together Counts and am happy to share this with my readers.
Kids and Computers
Thursday, March 22nd, 2012Times have changed a lot since I was a child. Back when I was in elementary school, we were lucky to have one of the old apple computers in a classroom. There were no computer labs for classes to go to as a group. There were no Smart Boards, class iPads, or other technology related resources for teachers to use like we have now. My boys will never understand how lucky they are. They not only get to go with their class to learn how to use computer, but there are educational games that really teach and help them to master skills for multiple subject areas.
Of course, as lucky as they are, it made me wonder if our children are really getting the technology education at school that they need to compete in the world today. Young children need these experiences so they can excel and do more when they get into middle and high school level classes. This is a post that I wrote last year for another project that really got me thinking.
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Technology education for kids is extremely important. The reality is that many schools (public and private) do not have formal technology curriculum for the elementary age level. Schools that used to have a full time Technology Education teacher, now may only have them part time or not at all. When budget cuts are made, this is an area that seems to suffer. This is not only true in the Capital District, but across the United States.
If we want our children to be able to compete with people from around the world, we need them to be able to use computers. This does not mean that they should simply be good with applications, games, educational software and websites. No, our children need to learn the basics of keyboarding, word processing, utilizing spreadsheets, and presentation programs like PowerPoint.
Classroom teachers now need to juggle even more during the academic year. They must incorporate technology into their curriculum and in most cases teach it themselves. During this time, kids need to be shown how to use the internet. They must be taught about internet safety, how to do effective research, what reliable sources are on the world wide web, and more.
Thanks to the ever increasing role of social media, even elementary aged children know about Twitter, Facebook, instant message, blogs, and more. Protecting our children is key. My plan is to expand on this topic in future blog posts and/or magazine articles. First, I would like to hear back from you about your experience with kids and computers.
- Are computers in your child’s classroom, or within a lab at school? How are they utilized?
- Does your school/district have a formal technology education curriculum? If you answer yes, is there a specific technology check list of skills that students need to accomplish by certain grade levels?
- Is there a teacher that is certified in Technology Education or does the classroom teacher doing this when they use a computer lab?
- Is technology/computer class listed on your child’s report card?
- If you have anything else to share about your current or past experience with Technology Education classes within the elementary school grades, please share.
Feel free to answer in the comments below, or reach me via my contact form above if you have more to share that you are not comfortable with leaving in this manner. Thanks in advance, I look forward to hearing your experiences.
Disclosure: This post was previously published on a project I worked on. The text is mostly the same, but I placed a new introduction based on current thoughts.
A Week of Awareness for the Heart
Friday, February 10th, 2012
With Valentine’s Day next week, it only seems fitting that February 7 – 14 are CHD Awareness Week. Prior to three years ago, I had very little understand and/or knowledge of CHD. Now, thanks to my friend, Kristine Brite McCormick, and her angel baby Cora, I know much more.
Yesterday, Kristine had a guest post on my blog that explained how she learned about CHD. Her story is a hard one to read about, but by doing so – many babies and others have had CHD identified and saved their lives. If you do not know about CHD, I ask you to take some time to familiarize yourself with it. If you are expecting a baby, please check and see if your hospital does pulse oximetery testing on newborns to try to catch these heart defects that are often not caught otherwise.
My question to you this week is inspired by all of the CHD warriors and their families:
Did you know that it was CHD awareness week? Also curious to know what you plan on doing for Valentine’s Day on Tuesday.
Please also think about spreading the word about CHD awareness. The more that people know, the better informed they can be to watch for these items in their lives.
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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.
Aloha #190
CHD Awareness Week 2012
Thursday, February 9th, 2012This is the third year that I’m aware of congenital heart defects (CHD)—and my third year marking CHD Awareness Week (February 7 to 14). Some of you might remember because Beth has kindly opened up her blog to me each year.
My daughter, Cora, was only five days old when she passed away suddenly and unexpectedly as I fed her in December 2009. We thought she was healthy. She wasn’t. She had a congenital heart defect.
I’d never even heard the term. Now I make it my mission to make sure that every pregnant woman and mother has at least heard the phrase.
I know it’s scary. Luckily, Cora’s story is only one. And, it’s at the worst side of the spectrum. Some of these so called “CHD babies” live to be old men and women. Some of them are even athletes, movie stars and politicians.
The face of CHD is so varied. And, because the scars are hidden, often the faces of CHD are blurred and hidden too.
About one percent of the population has a heart defect, which doesn’t sound like a big deal until you compare it to other conditions, like autism (which I’ve seen various numbers for but often tapped at 1 in 110), Down’s Syndrome (1 in 800), and pediatric cancers (CHD kills more children than all forms of pediatric cancer combined). That’s not to say that those conditions need less awareness. I wish they’d get more, and I firmly believe there’s enough compassion around to advocate for them all, but I think somehow CHD has been overlooked. That’s changing. I thank Beth, and all of you, for being part of that change for standing up and speaking out for these babies and adults with hidden scars.
If you’d like to read more about Cora, visit http://www.corasstory.org
Kristine Brite McCormick writes about Cora (almost) daily on her blog http://www.corasstory.org. If not on her blog, she can be found on Twitter, @kristinebrite or Cora’s Facebook Fan page, telling Cora’s Story. Follow Kristine for more information about congenital heart disease or to learn more about the acts of compassion and kindness Cora has inspired.
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Note From Me: Three years ago, I met an amazing woman. A women who lost her baby girl Cora to CHD at five days old. Her strength, grace, and fight to save other children has inspired me. Today I am honored to call Kristine Brite McCormick a friend. I am so proud with how her work to get pulse ox for new born babies is taking place in more and more locations. Here is a segment that was on CNN last Friday about how Kristine and other mothers fighting for CHD awareness were wearing red for baby heart health.
The Big Think Pink Stink
Friday, February 3rd, 2012
Awareness about a cause is not found with a Facebook status message, nor placing a colored ribbon on your car, or even buying products that support them. Awareness is knowing someone that has battled something, realizing how it changes their life, and trying to help them. A post by my friend Ellen, Confessions of an IT Girl, titled On Awareness hit a nerve with me. Prior to this, Ellen also wrote about the recent coverage on the Susan G. Komen Foundation discontinuing their support to Planned Parenthood.
As I have been trying to take everything in, TechyDad sent me a link to he video below. It is about the new documentary called Pink Ribbons, Inc. that will be released in Canada today.
Over the years, I have supported the Think Pink movement, especially when my amazing friend A Frugal Friend has her month long event in honor of her mother. I have watched my aunt bravely battle cancer. She has been a survivor for almost nine years now. As others have noted, I have also seen the focus of the moment stray from helping people who are fighting for their life against breast cancer to a more commercial message. I am not a fan of this. I must say, I think it’s a bit odd that funding was cut this week, perhaps to take focus away from this new documentary that would also paint a not so pretty picture. Conspiracy theorist I am not, but it just is odd.
This makes me more focused to see what I can do to help others. Ellen’s post made me realize that I can call local oncology groups to see if they need knitted items for patients. Perhaps a lap blanket while sitting and receiving chemo, a pretty hat to make them less upset about their hair loss, or some cloths to help them pamper themselves. I also hope to see the film and work more with my family and community to make a difference. If anyone has seen a preview, I would also love to know your thoughts.
So my question to you this week is to help me brainstorm:
What would you do to help an organization or cause? Think of a way to bring awareness to the real people involved.
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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.
Aloha #189
Say No to Censorship
Friday, January 20th, 2012Wednesday, I likely confused some members of my family if they stopped by my website. First, they would have seen this:
This was a widget for WordPress that TechyDad and I placed on our blogs to show support against the new bills that the US Congress and Senate are trying to put on the books. We really liked that this would help to inform people about what these bills will do to the average American – including bloggers like us. If you continued to my blog, this was at the top over my header/logo:
I did not blackout my website like Wikipedia, Reddit, and others. Instead, I did not post new content during the blackout period and had this information to educate people about the cause. If you look up in the right corner, I now have a Stop SOPA ribbon.
As someone who has had her content copied and used without my permission, I get that piracy is not ok. The problem is that SOPA and PIPA go far above and beyond that. Oh and IF you have seen the commercials promoting these bills – they are horrid. Scare tactics against citizens without all of the information is unacceptable. Here check it out (commercial begins at :29 mark):
For more information, please head over to read TechyDad’s post about the legislation.
So my question to you this week:
Did you blackout your website on Wednesday? I would also like to know why you opted with your choice. Please remember to make some noise and contact your representatives in Congress and Senate to let them know that censorship is NOT acceptable. We need to kill these bills and revamp to properly stop piracy.
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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.
Aloha #187
Making Today Matter
Monday, January 16th, 2012Today both of my boys are home from school. My oldest son is in third grade and has learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. over the years. His four year old brother is still too young to really understand. Of course, in the back of my head, I know that NHL is aware of who Dr. King Jr. is, but does he understand just how he helped to change life for so many in our country? I am not sure he does since he is only eight and only knows life where he and his friends see no difference in skin color. Something so simple in that statement makes me know that my kiddo is learning so much.
In honor of this day, I wanted to share some great projects that would be fun to do with children today or in February in honor of Black History Month. When I was teaching, I had a lot of great projects that we did for this day and to celebrate the month of February, but I wanted to check what others were doing. Of course, I went to Pinterest and searched for the holiday.
Yes, I have a board just for MLK Jr. Day, but I thought I would share a few of the items here. I could just imagine these wreaths being made in a classroom, homeschool, or at home with kids. They would be great to display and remember the person behind the holiday.
Source: littlegiraffes.com via TheAngelForever on Pinterest
These freedom bells look perfect to do with younger children.
Source: funfamilycrafts.com via TheAngelForever on Pinterest
When I went to the website that hosted the original idea, it also had a song called Freedom, Freedom, Let it Ring that you sing to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and I think my oldest son may have heard this years ago.
Freedom, Freedom, let it ring,
"Let it ring, " said Dr King.
Let us live in harmony,
Peace and love for you and me.
Freedom, freedom, let it ring,
"Let it ring," said Dr King.
For older children, I love the idea of taking a trade book and mixing it up with the holiday theme. The Crayon Box That Talked is about a group of crayons that do not like each other because the colors do not like each other. They learn a valuable lesson that worked nicely into a classroom crayon box of tolerance and accepting different crayons from a group.
Source: mrsbrownart.com via TheAngelForever on Pinterest
So how do you celebrate this day with your family? I know that we are hoping to go out and make a difference today within our community. My kids will see that today is not just a day off from school, but a day to remember the importance of a man who changed the world.
Not My Hair in the Food
Friday, January 13th, 2012The title pretty much explains it all. Last week, TechyDad stopped on his way home from work to pick up some dinner because it was one of those nights. We opted for some subs. I was really in the mood for some grilled chicken and ordered that. As we were eating our dinner, I noticed a medium length hair of a color that is not mine sticking out of my sandwich.
Insert gagging noises, expressions of horror, and rage.
That was the end of my meal since there was no way I was eating something that was served to me with an unknown hair within it. TechyDad called the store and was told he could go back in for a new sandwich and see the manager. Oh sure, just what we want to do so late on one of the coldest nights of the year with two kids that need to go to bed soon. NOPE, I was not taking that as an answer. I decided to call and ask to talk to the manager. The manager came onto the phone and blew me away with the cluelessness. She did not get how bad this situation was, offered no solution, and certainly NEVER said she was sorry. The next morning, I went to the website of the main company since I did not have a way to get in touch with the local owner. This is what I wrote to them:
My husband decided to stop on his way home to get subs for dinner to take home. He ordered a roasted chicken and veggie patty. As I was eating mine, something caught my eye. A hair was embedded in my sandwich that was clearly NOT mine. That was it, I was done eating. I was disgusted with this. What I was not ready for was what happened when we called the store. First, my husband called. He was told to go back to the store to talk with the manager. He hung up and told me. It was dinner time, we have two young children, and it was freezing. He was NOT going back to the store at that point in time. I picked up the phone and asked to talk to the manager. It was a little after 6:00 at this point. I did not get the managers name. She was less than helpful at best. The manager clearly did not get the gravity of the situation. She stated "Oh you are upset and don’t want your food?" No kidding I was upset, disgusted, and appalled with how she had no clue how to handle this. I told her I was finished and was going to contact corporate. This is when she suddenly seemed to care and wanted to know what she could do. I told her no thank you and hung up the phone. Your Twitter feed helped me to located this page to report the incident. I would like to know what is the proper protocol for avoiding hairs into customer food and what is supposed to be done when a customer finds one within their meal.
Thank you in advance for your assistance with this matter.
After some time, an e-mail from the owner of the store arrived. It was 2-3 sentences long and did not really apologize, state what happened, or anything else. They may have thought it was a sorry, but it was not. Stating that you are “sorry that your experience at my store was not satisfactory” and telling me to print out the e-mail for a free sub next visit does not cut it. Nope, my business will now be going to a new location and I will make my own sandwiches at home without feeding my family hairs.
So my question to you this week:
Have you ever gotten a hair in your food at a restaurant? What did you say and what did they do in response to the situation?
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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.
Aloha #186
Tuesday Tales – Envy Combats the World of Cyberbullying
Tuesday, November 15th, 2011
There are days that I thank my lucky stars that I am no longer a kid in school. Children today have it much different than we did growing up. Not only will they be mean to each other with words and punches thrown, but the online world has forever changed everything.
Bullying has always been around, but the lasting effects of bullies is new and drastically different. Thanks to social media, a simple poke at fun against another child will last FOREVER. Kids do not understand that everything placed on the internet is forever and can not be taken back. Simply deleting an item does not make it disappear.
Tweens, Teens, and even younger children know how to use Twitter, Facebook (even younger than the 13 year age minimum), and other online websites/blogs to assert their power. With a simple mobile device, a photo can be sent around the world. In an instant, reputations will be changed and the damage done. The worst part, anonymity can often hide a lot of things from the novice. Of course, nobody online is completely anonymous.
Why do I mention this? Well, cyberbullying is a reality in society today. Not only does it exist with adults, but also with our innocent children. Children have killed themselves after endless online and real life attacks have pushed them into the darkest of places that exists. When I was teaching middle school, I actually used an assignment to help catch a cyberbully. Yes, having a webmaster as a hubby paid off and taught at least a few kids (and parents) a very BIG lesson.
Author Gregg Olsen tackles this tough subject area in the first of his Empty Coffin Series called Envy. I introduced the book several weeks ago when I was finishing it up. Since that time, it has been on my mind a lot.
Bullying is a problem that our entire society needs to address. Parents, teachers, and others within the lives of children need to work on sensitizing children on how to recognize a bully, what to do if they are bullied, and how to help a friend that may be the victim. We often take this for granted because a lot of kids do not realize they are actively being bullied. Yes, even if it is painfully obvious to some, many kids are so hungry for social acceptance of any kind that they appear to ignore it. Are they really, or are they internalizing it? Envy takes us along this journey as two super sleuth twins uncover the pain that another had endured for so long.
As I said before, Envy kept me on the edge of my seat. I saw some items coming, but did not see others. I knew the connection with real like cyberbullying cases that had been in the media and liked how it was incorporated into the story. My mind was racing as I read. I wondered what other items could be done in the real world to protect other kids from this fictional fate. The sad truth, it is happening in the world. Cyberbullying is taking the lives of innocent individuals that feel trapped.
My hope is that people being more aware of this topic thanks to it being in the news, being incorporated in books like Envy, and on other platforms that we can help our youth. We may not be able to completely stop cyberbullies, but we can let then know that we care and will help in any way possible. Envy would be a great book to read with tweens and teens to discuss this topic. I can see it being used in a social setting, with teachers, and other venues.
Author Gregg Olsen has also talked about this topic. On his website, Olsen recently wrote a post called Changing the Question on Cyberbullying. He begins this section of his news notes with the following:
Not long ago, I asked readers “How Mean Are You?” I’ve been thinking a lot about cyberbullying lately, and now I’m wondering "How Brave Are You?"
Within the article, he goes into explaining how and why he changed the initial question. It is a very powerful read – especially with the quotes from kids. It hit me hard to know that some teens felt that if they told someone about their cyberbullying problems that it would only make matters worse.
I worry about this a lot for my children. My oldest has already been a victim of bullying and he is only in third grade. I cringe and worry about what I do not know, what he may be thinking, and what could happen to him behind the scenes. Thanks to people like Gregg Olsen and others like The Bully Project – people will be exposed to this reality and hopefully we can help our children.
Let’s take this time to discuss the hot topic of bullying. Have you experienced it, have your children, or do you know someone else? Weigh in and let’s share ways that we can help each other as victims, parents, educators, and others that need to wake up and see the problem that is bullying in society today.
Disclosure: I received this book complimentary of Sterling Publishing in order to facilitate a review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed are my own and the fact that it stuck a nerve was just a nice bonus to talk about something else that has also been on my mind.
National Diabetes Awareness Month
Thursday, November 10th, 2011
In 1980, the world changed for my family. Not only was it the time that my mother was pregnant with my little brother, it was also when she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. For most women, the diabetes story ends once they deliver their baby. Yes, they are more at risk for developing adult onset later on, but it is something they just monitor. My mother was not as lucky. Her sugar remained high. She was put on a low dose pill and for years and years it kept everything in check.
Many years later, my mother’s sugar spiraled out of control. She started to see an endocrinologist and was put on insulin, told to monitor her blood levels multiple times a day, and to change her diet. I am happy to report that with diet changes, doctor monitoring, and new advances in medicine, my mother is no longer insulin dependent.
TechyDad and I worry about diabetes. It is a factor that both of us need to think about. You see both of our mothers are diabetic. Watching my mother’s battle with diabetes has inspired us to watch our carbohydrate intake, increase multigrain products, and use different sources of protein in our diets (egg whites, quinoa, tofu, and others). A staple in our house are packages of egg whites. Thanks to a fantastic little steamer, we can make omelets in the microwave using All Whites in less than a minute. We simply pour the number of ounces that we want into the steamer and place it in the microwave. If we want to be fancy, we add in fresh vegetables and/or soy bacon.
November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. As a member of Global Influence, I am participating in a sponsored Fit2Fight Campaign from Better’n Eggs to get the word out. As you can see, diabetes is part of my world and we try to make healthier eating choices. Here is a new recipe courtesy of All Whites that I hope to try one day soon that would make a great diabetes friendly option with lots of protein and vegetables.
Vegetable & Grain Quiche
Nutritional Information can be found on the All Whites website.
Preparation: 15 minutes
Baking: 55 minutes
Time-To-Table: 1 hour 10 minutes
Serves: 6
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 1/4 cup sliced green onion
- 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
- 2 cups frozen broccoli cuts, thawed, drained
- 1 small red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup (8 ounces) Better’n Eggs®
- 1 cup skim milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
- 1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
2. Combine rice, green onion and flour in medium bowl. Spread over bottom of pie pan. Top with broccoli, red peppers and mushrooms.
3. In medium bowl stir together Better’n Eggs, milk, salt, hot pepper sauce, basil and pepper. Pour over vegetables. Top with cheese.
4. Bake, uncovered, 50 to 55 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve immediately.
To learn more about the Fit2Fight Campaign, please join the #betterneggs Twitter party with Bob Greene on November 16 from 8-10 EST. Yes, Bob Green is Oprah’s personal trainer and health and wellness expert. For more information about the party, head over to Mamavation to get all of the details, including all of the amazing prizes that night.
Remember that diabetes is something that all of us need to think about. By living healthier lifestyles and picking better food options, we will help the battle. The reality is that Type II diabetes is a preventable disease that affects 25.8 million children and adults in the United States. So take a stand and help spread the word.
How has Type II diabetes affected your life? I would love to take the time to share those that we know who have had this disease in their world.
Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of a compensated Global Influence campaign. As someone who has many family members with Type II diabetes, it was my pleasure to share information about this cause with my readers.
Disclaimer: This post is not meant to be taken as medical advice. If you are worried about Type II diabetes please consult your doctor to ask question and get additional information from them.
