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Making Today Matter

Posted on January 16, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Today 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.

Categories:
holidays jsl looking back nhl Pinterest PSA school

Not My Hair in the Food

Posted on January 13, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

The 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

Categories:
Aloha Friday food glorious food Local Business nasty things PSA stupidity vent

Tuesday Tales – Envy Combats the World of Cyberbullying

Posted on November 15, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

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.

Categories:
books decisions Educational interesting looking back Product review PSA real world news school social media Tuesday Tales vent

National Diabetes Awareness Month

Posted on November 10, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

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

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.

Global Influence Network

Categories:
family food glorious food health awareness photos PSA sponsored post TechyDad yummy

Thinking Pink October 2011

Posted on October 7, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As October rolls around, brands, bloggers, news shows, and most of the world start to point their attention to the color pink. October is breast cancer awareness month, so it only makes sense.

Cancer in general has hit so many people that I know and love. Breast cancer has done the same. As I wrote in the past, my Aunt S is a breast cancer survivor. She was diagnosed just over eight years ago, just before NHL was born.

This coming year, I will likely have my first mammogram. When I left my annual visit with my gynecologist in the spring, she gave me homework. She wanted to know exactly when my great-grandmother was diagnosed with her cancer. I knew she was very young when she passed away, but when I found out how young, the realization hit hard. My Mimi’s mother was diagnosed when she was 32 and passed away by the age I am going to turn in December. With this information in hand, I am sure I will be getting more screenings this year.

Am I scared about having a mammogram? No, I know it may not be comfortable – but the amniocentesis and labor that I have experienced are likely worse. Two years ago, Robyn vlogged about her experience with a first mammogram. I love that she did this and shared her feelings along the way. If you have never watched this, I highly recommend it. Thanks to Robyn, I hope to document some of my experiences in the coming months.

My friend Debra, A Frugal Friend, lost her mother to breast cancer six years ago. For the third year in a row, she will be having a breast cancer awareness event on her blog in honor of her beautiful mother’s memory. Debra shares breast cancer news, personal stories, and some giveaways from companies that support breast cancer research.

So my question to you this week:

How do you help causes like breast cancer awareness and others that are important to your family?

To all those who are survivors, have lost a friend or loved one to breast cancer - hugs to you. Remember, early detection saves lives, so please remind both men and women to do monthly exams. Yes, men also get breast cancer.

P.S. Do not forget to stop by my two current giveaways running right now. You can find them here and here.

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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 #172