They're All Our Children!

The Latest Umbilical Cord Stem Cell News rom Cyro Cell

2009-06-29T15:08:00.000-06:00

The following is both a sponsored post and a sort of public service announcement.
Most people know that it is possible for new parents to save their newborn's umbilical cord blood, in case that cord blood can someday save someone's life. But if you're like me, you're probably a little shaky on the details of cord blood banking.
Today, I visited the Cryo-Cell website to learn a little bit more about cord blood banking. (Cyro-Cell, by the way, is a family umbilical cord blood bank.) I read that cord blood can often be used as an alternative to bone marrow when a stem cell transplant is needed.
I wasn't even very sure what exactly a stem cell transplant was, so I had to do a little more research to find out! A stem cell transplant is often necessary for someone with a disease that causes their bone marrow to quit producing health stem cells. The purpose of a stem cell transplant is to get a person's body to start making healthy white blood cells, red blood cells or platelets again.
Often, the stem cell transplant is done with bone marrow from a healthy donor. But the process required to donate bone marrow is invasive and often painful. Collecting cord blood is more simple, and does not cause pain to the mother or the infant. If the infant ever needs a stem cell transplant in his lifetime, using the blood from his own umbilical cord can work a lot better than a bone marrow transplant. Plus, if the child's sibling ever needs a stem cell transplant, there's at least a twenty-five percent chance that the sibling can also use that umbilical cord blood!
Quite a few families who banked their infant's cord blood with Cryo-Cell have actually had to use the cord blood for their child. The website talks about one young couple that was just starting their family. They already had a two-year-old son, and the mother had just become pregnant with a second child. Then they learned that their little boy had T-cell lymphoma. The little boy started on chemotherapy, but it wasn't working, and doctors told the parents that the child's best chance for life was if he got a stem cell transplant.
Since by then the baby was due soon, the parents decided to save the new baby's cord blood. Fortunately, the cord blood was a match for the toddler! Only thirteen days after the stem cell transplant, the little boy's white cell count started doubling. He was able to leave the hospital twenty-one days after the transplant, and, so far, has never had a relapse.
Other children have used cord blood for stem cell transplants to help treat cerebral palsy, neuroblastama, Ischemic Brain Injury, sickle cell anemia, and diabetes. Most have been given their own cord blood, but many others recieved cord blood from a sibling, and a few even recieved cord blood from an aunt or uncle.
I don't know about you, but all this is extremely interesting to me. Our bodies really are awesome contraptions, aren't they? Its fascinating to think that, at birth, our body provides us with something that may someday save our lives or the lives of our loved ones.
Anyway, if you'd like to get the latest updates from Cyro-Cell about what they are doing, there are two things you can do.
You can join Cyro-Cell on Facebook, where you can get updates on events that Cyro-Cell will be involved in, add your baby's picture to the fan page, and more. Or you can follow Cyro-Cell on Twitter. You'll get updates on their latest discounts and deals. You'll also get updates on stem cell success stories. For instance, I just watched a video there about a teenaged girl who was born legally blind, and who, after receiving injections of umblilcal cord stem cells, has nearly 20/20 vision! Its a true story... it was on the news! The kid is now learning to drive... and her vision is improving every day! Now, you gotta admit, that is a miracle!

Lego Therapy For CHildren With Autism

2008-03-23T19:40:00.002-06:00

I read an article that may be of interest to anyone who has, or works with, children with autism spectrum disorders.
Children with autism usually have some degree of difficulty with social skills. Just basic communication may be difficult, but even for kids who are able to speak, understanding what to talk about, when, and with whom, can be very hard to learn. Often, kids with autism want very badly to have friends, but just do not know how to make connections with other children.
The problem is, social skills are a very hard group of skills to actually teach to kids. Other children typically pick up social skills naturally, without needing to be formally taught. But for kids with autism, just picking this type of thing up isn't so easy. Some kids with autism go to special groups or classes to practice talking to each other, asking questions, using manners, etc. However, social skills groups and classes can be sort of contrived. And the formal curriculum of social skills taught to kids is often more like super- polite adult social skills, instead of the types of social skills that would help a nine-year-old to make friends on the playground at school.
Now, imagine a different kind of group... a group of children working together, under the guidance of therapists and other trained adult helpers, on a project involving Legos. They are trying to make a type of animated movie, by snapping many different photos of Legos in different positions, and then putting the photos together. All of the kids are interested and involved in the job, and all of them speak to each other and work together to get the job done. When one child seems to withdraw, or seems to be having trouble finding his place in the group, an adult helper gently helps fold the child back into the group.
All of the children in this group have autism. The group is meant to help them learn social skills, in a more natural setting than typical social skills group.
The group, called the Lego Club to the kids but also known as Lego Therapy, was created by Dr. Dan Legoff. While working with kids with autism, especially boys, Legoff (whose Lego-like name is just a coincidence) noticed that the kids he worked with didn't seem to be interested in most of the toys he had in his office. However, they did seem to be interested in Legos! Often, kids would come to their appointments carrying Lego creations they had made at home. Legoff also noticed that, while waiting in the waiting room for their appointments, Lego-loving kids, even those who usually were shy and had trouble initiating conversations, would start talking to each other about Legos.
Legoff did something that I wish more people who worked with kids with autism would do. He took this interest in Legos, and tried to find a way to use it to help the kids. Thats when he created the Lego Club! It The Lego Club is a very structured group, where members have a hierarchy. The children are assigned roles, with the higher roles belonging to kids who have been in the club the longest and worked the hardest. Together, the kids come up with project ideas that involve Legos, and then work together to make them into reality.
The Lego Club is a program of the Center for Neurological and Neurodevelopmental Health, in Voorhees, New Jersey. As of now, the new Jersey program is probably the only existing Lego Therapy program. Because it is novel, can be expensive, and doesn't have proven results yet, the program hasn't really caught on in other places. But, even if the medical community doesn't embrace Lego Therapy, perhaps parents, teachers, and mentors of children with autism will think about creating their own Lego clubs!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T19:39:00.001-06:00

Easter Glitter Graphics

Commercial Break: Win A Home Makeover!

2008-03-22T13:27:00.003-06:00

The following is a sponsored post. Please visit our sponsor's site to thank them for helping us to make more contributions to children's organizations!

I always love watching those shows on TV, where people get their homes completely redone. Wouldn't it be cool to get a home makeover? It would be like having a whole new house, without all the hassle of actually moving! Having a home makeover would give me a change to get organized like never before, and it would definitely be a nice change!
Actually, right now all of us have a chance at winning a home makeover from TriScents You just have to convince them, and a bunch of voters, that you really deserve it!
All you have to do is write a short essay (less than 250 words) and a short video (less than two minutes long) about your house and why it needs a makeover. (See official rules for more info on that!)
While you're at the site, you might as well download the coupon offered, so you can try out TriScents for yourself! Maybe the beautiful scents will inspire you to enter to win the home makeover!
What are you waiting for! This is your big chance to get the home makeover you need! Make your quick video, write your short essay, and have fun!

World Down Syndrome Day!

2008-03-21T09:28:00.002-06:00

Today is World DOwn Syndrome Day! My nephew Brandon, age 11, wants to say something.
"On Down Syndrome Day many schools do an activity called Mathathon to get money to donate to St. Jude's Research Hospital. For every math problem they do, whoever sponsored you owes you the money that they told you they'd give you for each question. And thats pretty much it!"
(I don't know if the mathathon is really for Down Syndrome day, but my nephew really wanted to mention it!)
For more info about World Down Syndrome Day, check out this website!Sorry I can't write more today... I'm trying to watch all these crazy kids!

Absolutely Incredible Kid Day!

2008-03-20T08:44:00.003-06:00

Today is a very important day for anyone who has children in their lives. Its Absolutely Incredible Kid Day! Created by Campfire USA, this is a day where adults are encouraged to write letters to the children in their lives, recognizing them for being Absolutely Incredible Kids!
Everyone has at least one Absolutely Incredible Kid in their lives. The kid doesn't actually have to have done something heroic, like rescued a baby from a burning house or singlehandedly started a non-profit organization at the age of eight! In fact, most of the kids in our lives are Absolutely Incredible for lots of little reasons. For instance, a kid who always looks after her little brother, a kid who is living with a disability or medical condition, a kid who works very hard in school, a kid who always makes you laugh, etc!
At the Absolutely Incredible Kid Day site, you can get tips for writing a letter to a kid. The letters don't have to be long and mushy. In fact, since these are kids we're writing too, and they're not usually known for their great attention spans, short and sweet may be the best way to go! Here is an example from the site:
Hello! March 18th [1999] is Incredible Kids Day. And do you know what? I think you are the most incredible, helpful, wonderful kid on the planet!! Whoever knew a ten-year old boy could do so much to help everyone he knows? Whoever knew a ten-year old boy could be so smart? I don’t know, but it’s all in your, my cool little brother! Always helping Kuya when he can’t write out or read his homework, or helping me separate the clothes for the laundry. Also, thanks for always getting the cordless phone when we were all too lazy! Anthony, you were always listening whenever I would tell a story, even though everyone had already stopped listening!! Anthony, you are so funny when you copy The Simpsons! And you’ve come to be such an awesome dancer! You’re even better than me sometimes! WOW! You are so cool! Basically, I’m giving this to you to tell you how special you are: to me, to your Kuya, to family. We love you.

Love,
Ata

Note: “Kuya” means older brother and “Ate” means older sister in Tagalog, the native language of the Philippines.

You can even download special stationery at the site!
If your kid is more of a techy, you could also email her, text message her, or send her an e-card!

So, what are you waiting for? Today, make sure you let the Absolutely Incredible Kids in your life know how you feel about them!
Have fun!

Commercial Break: The Sedona Method

2008-03-20T08:29:00.004-06:00

The following is a sponsored post. Please visit our sponsor's site to thank them for allowing us to make more contributions to children's organizations!
I've noticed that more and more people these days are becoming interested in spiritual enlightenment. What used to be thought of as crazy, new age concepts are now starting to become common place, as people start taking a closer look at their lives and thinking about what is important to them.
Have you ever heard of the Sedona Method? This is a course that teaches people to find happiness and enlightenment by simply letting go of pain and worry. The Method is referred to as the technique to a new earth, because the more people who learn the Method and use it in their lives, our world will change drastically... for the better!
Apparently, one of the secrets to the Sedona Method is that it doesn't try to get people to cover their negative thoughts with positive ones, the way some other methods do. For instance, for a person who lives with depression, some methods might tell the person to just refuse to acknowledge the depression, forcing themselves to think "happy" thoughts. According to the Sedona Method, this doesn't necessarily work, because it is similar to pushing down and denying negative feelings, and the same feelings or issues can surface in other ways. The person convincing themselves they no longer have depression may suddenly start feeling stomach pain or feeling lots of anxiety instead! With the Sedona Method, people are taught to acknowledge and explore the negativity in their lives, get to the bottom of it, and see that it is really just an illusion.
I'm always interested in learning about things like this, so I'm definitely going to check out the Sedona Method! Are you?

Lets Learn About ASBOs!

2008-03-18T14:24:00.002-06:00

Hi, kids! Do you know what an ASBO is? It stands for Anti-Social Behavior Order, and is used in the United Kingdom to put behavioral contracts into effect for people who have "committed acts causing or likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress."It is basically a contract the person signs, agreeing that they will not engage in certain behaviors. The prohibited behaviors are usually things that would lead to a criminal behavior. For instance, if a person had been known to break into cars and steal radios, the order would not say, "You are prohibited from breaking into cars and stealing radios." Instead, it might prohibit the person from carrying tools used to break into cars, or from getting within a certain distance of a car that he doesn't own. If the person breaks this contract, he can face criminal charges.
How does this apply to kids?
In the UK, a new program will require children with known behavior problems to sign ASBO's prohibiting them from certain problem behaviors. Again, the behaviors the young people would be required to avoid would not be behaviors that are against the law, but behaviors that could lead to the child breaking a law or doing something else disruptive that he's been known to do before. For instance, a child who has been known to shoplift may be prohibited from going into stores without a parent.
They would be given support from government case workers, in order to help them stay away from the behaviors.
If the young people didn't cooperate with the ASBOs, they, like their adult counterparts, would face criminal charges.
Children as young as five years old will be eligible to be handed ASBOs, although the authorities putting the program into effect expect mostly children ages ten and older to receive ASBOs.
The plan may later include collecting DNA samples from children as young as five years old who show signs of anti-social behavior. The DNA would be kept in a government database that already exists, consisting of DNA from people who have been arrested but never charged, as well as people who have been charged with crimes. When a criminal act is committed that involves DNA, authorities are able to search the DNA database to find matches. The children's DNA would now be included in those searches.
Some people say that this plan is a good one, and that it is meant to pinpoint children with behavior problems who aren't getting the right support and services from their families. It would force families to get help for the most troubled children.
On the other hand, many people feel that this plan could get out of hand. Would children who get into fights at school, or egg houses on Halloween, be given ASBOs and included in the DNA database?

The thing I don't like about this is that authorities describe it as targeting "the children who are most likely to fail as they grow older," and "the children who are possibly going to be the biggest threats to society."
In my mind, this is an extreme version of labeling children negatively! I think this plan could definitely become a huge burden to families with children with behavior and emotional disorders and certain other special needs. For instance, I used to work with an 11-year-old boy who had Bipolar disorder, autism, developmental delays, and Oppositional Defiancy. He was the sweetest little boy most of the time, but when he got out of control, he was really out of control! There were times when this little guy screamed outloud and ran away from me inside stores, knocked things off shelves, and tried to kick random people. When security guards tried to intervene, things easily got worse. My job was to take the boy out into public places as much as possible to try to get him to learn the rules of society, and the consequences of certain behaviors. Sure, I got punched in the stomach a few times, got scratched at and sworn at and kicked at. But it was all part of the boy's educational process.
If that boy lived in the UK, I can imagine that he might be included in this new policy. I can imagine him being asked to sign an ASBO saying that he had to stay out of certain stores, for instance, or stay out of places like Chuck E Cheese where there were younger children present. I can also imagine how his parents would feel if the government came to take some of that boy's DNA, explaining, "We're going to need this because, as your child grows older, he's probably going to be a major threat to society."
Kind of scary, isn't it?
I'd love to hear what readers think of this...

Commercial Break: Kettering University

2008-03-18T14:12:00.002-06:00

The following is a sponsored post. Please visit our sponsor's site to thank them for allowing us to make more contributions to children's organizations!
These days, more and more adults are choosing to go back to school, in order to improve their occupational outlooks for the future. But its really hard for adults to go through school... believe me, I know! When you also have to support yourself, and possibly also support a family, how do you balance work and school? And how do you guarantee that you're going to be successful in school, and that your education really will lead you to a better career?
Well, if you're interested in industrial engineering, then Kettering University's engineering co-op programs will be a good choice for you!

With the co-op program, you alter between three month periods of full time schooling, and three month periods of full time work at the occupation you're studying for. This way, you get to apply your knowledge as you learn it, and make a salary! It also gives you a chance to work with an established company, make valuable connections, and get lots of experience. So, once you do graduate, you're not just going to be going out into your new career as a newbie. You'll have been there, done that, and you'll have connections of your own!
Its also good to know that, in "America's Best Colleges Guide for 2008", US News and World Report ranks Kettering University as "the #1 University in the nation for Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering."
So if you're thinking of going back to school, and engineering is one of your interests, you'll definitely want to check this school out!

Australian Kids Too Heavy For Their Carseats

2008-03-17T06:04:00.000-06:00

Here's an alarming fact! If you have kids, you probably know that car seats come with weight limits. As your child grows, you have to keep on buying new car seats, or you could just buy the convertible kind of car seat that can be switched around to accomodate children as they grow.
However, in Australia, some parents are finding that their children are too heavy to safely use the car seats meant for their age levels! For instance, children who should be sitting in booster seats because of their age and height are too large for the booster seats available in Australia, and parents are having to ditch the booster seats and just strap their kids into the seat the regular way. In fact, nearly forty percent of kids who meet height requirements for booster seats are too heavy to safely use them! The way standard booster seats are made in Australia, even some children of healthy weights are too heavy to use the seats.
Authorities in Australia have researched what people in the USA are doing, and have found that in the USA we make larger car seats. Apparently Australia will have to start doing the same!

Commercial Break: Photo Greeting Cards!

2008-03-16T20:19:00.006-06:00

Everyone knows how much I love photos. I'm usually the person running to grab her camera whenever something interesting is happening! I've even been known to make people or animals repeat something they just did, so I can have the chance to snap a picture! I'm a very visual person. So, you can imagine how much I love the idea of these Photo Greeting Cards! You can take your favorite photos and have them made into professional, store-quality cards!
You can choose all sorts of card designs for your photo to appear on. But my personal favorite is the borderless card, shown in this blog entry! You get to see the whole photo, in all its glory! Other people might prefer cards with holiday borders, decorative borders, or even cards with your business's logo on it!
Once you choose the design you want your photo to appear on, all you have to do is choose the number of copies you want to order, and upload your photo! You can also customize other aspects of the card, such as whether the picture is laid out vertically or horizontally, or what the verse inside the card says. Then, once your order is placed, you can start waiting for your beautiful cards to arrive in your mailbox!
Very cool, isn't it? I'm going to have fun with this one!

Smarty Sunday: Angels Of A Lower Flight

2008-03-16T20:03:00.002-06:00

Sorry Smarty Sunday is a little late this weekend, but I just finished reading this book! Angels Of A Lower Flight, by Susan Scott Krabacher, is the story of a woman's determination to save the children of what seemed like a God-forsaken country.
Susie started out as an abused child. She was physically and emotionally abused by her mother, and sexually abused by her grandfather. Yet, even as a little girl, Susie's spirit was never broken by the things that the adults in her life did. Instead, she swore to herself, and to God, that when she grew up she would do everything she could to save other children.
Susie led a turbulent life. She left her abusive home as a young teenager, pretending to be older so she could get a job, and ended up becoming a Playboy Playmate while still in her teens. She lived through a troubled marriage, dabbled in drugs, and sometimes came close to losing hope, but she never forgot her dream of saving children.
Eventually, having gotten married to a supportive husband and found some stability in her life, Susie found a way to go to Haiti to work with sick and abandoned children there. She didn't go through any sort of organized charity or mission... she just jumped on a plane and went to Haiti to see what she could do to help! The horrors Susie describes seeing in Haiti are nearly unbelievable. Susie donated money to the people in charge of the children, only to see those people steal the money from her and use it for themselves again and again. She even found out about some people who sold or murdered the children in their care, in order to profit from themselves! Nobody would have blamed Susie if all this had caused her to lose hope and hurry back to the USA. But Susie never gave up hope.
Now, the Mercy And Sharing Foundation is an established charity that runs many different programs in Haiti, including schools, orphanages, feeding programs, a health center, and a hospital unit for ill and abandoned infants.
This is a book you need to read! Susie shows us all that everyone can do something, and there are really no limits to what you can do to help children.

Commercial Break: Want a Wii?

2008-03-16T19:49:00.002-06:00

The following is a sponsored post. Please visit our sponsor's site to thank them for allowing us to make more contributions to children's organizations!
You know what would be really cool to have? A Nintento Wii! Its something I've only seen and heard about, but never played myself! It looks fun though. I remember when I was a little kid, playing ColecoVision and Atari with my teenaged aunt and uncle! Who would have thought that video games would come this far, so quickly?
You can actually register to win a Nintendo Wii, complete with a Nintendo Wii Console, Wii Stand, 5 Sports games ( Boxing, Baseball, Tennis, Golf and bowling), 1 Remote Controller, 1 Nunchuk Controller, 1 Sensor Bar, 1 Wii AC Adapter, and 1 Wii AV Cable. Thats everything you could possibly need to start enjoying Wii! So, make sure you Click Here for a Chance to Win a Nintendo® Wii™!
From the same site, you can also bid on a chance to get Charter High-Speed Internet For Life. I guess this works like a regular online auction... You decide how much you would be willing to pay for Internet for the rest of your life, and make your bid. The highest bidder will get the Internet, at the price they named! Sounds too good to be true, huh? But it is definitely true... just check out the site!
Good luck! I hope you win!

Want Some Leg Warmers?

2008-03-14T20:03:00.003-06:00

Do you have a baby or toddler in your life who would look great in a very special pair of leg warmers? Yes, leg warmers are back, and they actually do look extremely cute on little girls! In case you weren't around for the eighties, leg warmers look like tights, but the legs are separated like socks, and they don't have feet. I always think the layered look is adorable on little girls. And they keep the kids' legs nice and warm!
But whats the best thing about these particular leg warmers? They are made by twelve-year-old "Bug", and her mom. Bug was formerly in foster care, and was adopted by her mother. She is home schooled but would much rather spend her time doing something that would help her learn about life in the real world, and so she and her mom came up with the idea of starting their own Etsy Store!
So... go check out Bug's awesome leg warmers! They're the perfect accessory for this spring!
(This is not a sponsored post, by the way. I'm writing this because I like Bug, and I like her leg warmers, and I just think you need to buy some!)

ONE WEEK!

2008-03-06T15:25:00.001-06:00

Hi e veryone! This blog, "They're ALl Our CHildren," is officlally going to be on vacation for one week, to allow me some time to catch up on various other matters! We will resume as normal on March 13! See you then!

Smarty Sunday: Bridge Called Hope

2008-03-02T11:14:00.003-06:00

This week I'd like to recommend a book that will especially touch the hearts of people who love children and animals. Bridge Called Hope is a collection of true stories about Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch. The couple who owns this special ranch do two things to make the world a better place. First of all, they adopt horses who are unwanted or who have been abused and neglected. They have seen many miracles happen as they have taken horses who were so badly injured by their human owners that they weren't expected to live, nursed them to health, and given them a wonderful home on the ranch.
Second of all, they share the love of these horses with children, especially at-risk children. Children with special needs, children who have been abused, children in foster care, children with serious illnesses, and any child who is just in need of a little extra love and attention, are welcome at the ranch. Kids from a near by juvenile detention center even earn trips to the ranch to volunteer and work with the horses.
Kids who are hurting may have trouble trusting new adults, and the world in general. But a lot of times, when they see these horses who have also been hurt, a special connection is made. Children drop their protective barriers as they hug the horses and help to care for them. And the horses, even those who have been badly abused, are surprisingly patient and gentle with the children.
There is one story where a boy from the juvenile detention center came to the ranch for the first time, having earned the privilege of volunteering. Kim, the woman who owns the ranch, introduced the boy to a new young horse who had been horribly, horribly neglected... so badly that she was in a special field apart from the other horses, so as not to frighten visitors with her appearance.
The shy horse walked up to the boy and "chose" him, putting her nose to his chest and allowing him to pet her. The connection was made instantly, as the deeply troubled boy relaxed and spent the rest of his day grooming and loving the horse.
Back at the juvenile detention center, the boy later sought out one of his counselors for a talk. He began to cry and said, "This was the first time in my life that I realized I could be loved! If that horse loves me, and the people on the ranch love me, maybe I really am worth something."
It may sound like a Lifetime Original story, but its true... that horse, who was so scarred and damaged on the outside, did something very special for a boy who was scared and damaged on the inside.
I loved this book, and I'm going to make the Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch one of the future children's organizations we donate to through this blog!
I hope you'll read this book!

Commercial Break: Naked Naturals

2008-03-02T10:57:00.003-06:00

The following is a sponsored post. Please visit our sponsor's website to thank them for helping us make more contributions to children's organizations!
I have very curly hair, which I let grow long so that, every few years, I can chop it off and donate it to Locks Of Love. There are now several children in the world walking around with my hair on their head! But managing long, curly hair can be a pain. Recently, while on my vacation to Michigan, I was lamenting to my friend Diana about how brittle and "nappy" my hair was getting. It took forever to comb each morning, and when dry, the ends of my hair were frizzy and neglected-looking! Plus, days of swimming in the highly-chlorinated hotel pool, and washing my hair with hotel shampoo, wasn't helping matters!
When I got home from Michigan, there was a sample of Naked Naturals waiting for me! Naked Naturals is a brand of natural shampoo, which is not tested on animals, contains no animal byproducts, and has no harsh chemicals. I used the Awapuhi And Lavender shampoo, which is meant for color-treated hair. Although I haven't color-treated my hair lately, I knew that this particular shampoo was meant to soften, moisturize and replenish hair that had been damaged from color-treatment. I used it, and guess what... my hair came out soft and shiny, and it even seemed easier to comb out! The more I used it, the better my hair looked and felt. All Naked Natural shampoos also contain proteins to make your hair seven times stronger!
I'm an animal lover, so a product with no animal byproducts and no animal testing is important to me. But in the past, when I used "natural" shampoos, I was disappointed with the results. With Naked Naturals, I was completely happy! I'm definitely going to buy this brand of shampoo. You don't even have to special-order it or anything like that... its available at Walgreens and other stores where I normally shop!

New Charity For the Month!

2008-03-01T10:23:00.002-06:00

Hi everyone! I'm pleased to announce that, thanks to our sponsors and readers, this month we've raised enough money to send three mosquito nets that will protect people from getting malaria. And in addition to our sponsorship of little Maria Jose, we'll also be able to send her a special Easter gift! Good work, everyone!
And now, for our new charity for March. Since this month is National Music In Our Schools Month, proceeds from the blog this month will be donated to the National Association for Music Education. In a day and age where many school districts are eliminating music and arts programs, in order to have children focus on more "important" subjects like science and math, its vital to try to get music back into schools!

Happy National Tooth Fairy Day!

2008-02-28T16:04:00.002-06:00

Losing a tooth is a right of passage every child goes through... and in the USA, many children celebrate this event with a visit from the tooth fairy! Children put the disembodied tooth under their pillow, and while they sleep, the tooth fairy visits and replaces the tooth with money!
But did you know that the whole thing started because people believed burying a child's tooth in the back yard would ward off evil spirits and witches, and also allow children's new teeth to grow? As cities grew and not everyone had backyards at their disposal, people started burying the teeth in potted plants instead, and eventually transitioned to "burying" teeth under the pillow.
The original tooth fairy was actually a Tooth Mouse. The Tooth Mouse still visits children in many countries, replacing their lost teeth with money or gifts. I guess that takes a little of the pressure off the Tooth Fairy!
Of course, in our day and age, the Tooth Fairy has gone high-tech! She has her own website. At Tooth Fairy Land, kids can write to the Tooth Fairy and get their questions answered! And parents can purchase things to make their children's Tooth Fairy experiences even more magical, like a personalized First Tooth certificate, complete with a Tooth Fairy newsletter with your child in it!
How much is the Tooth Fairy paying these days, you wonder? It seems to vary from person to person. Most parents report that their children receive anywhere from twenty-five cents to two dollars for a tooth. Some say that their child received five dollars for their first lost tooth, and less for other teeth. But some people say the Tooth Fairy leaves their kids as much as twenty-five dollars!
Some people have also mentioned that the Tooth Fairy leaves their kids small gifts, such as gum, chocolate, or a new tooth brush!
What does the Tooth Fairy do for the kids in your life?

Commercial Break: Be Oyster Aware!

2008-02-28T15:47:00.004-06:00

The following is a sponsored post. Please visit our sponsor to thank them for helping us make more contributions to children's organizations!
I was playing a kids' trivia game recently, and one of the questions was, what item is found inside an oyster? The little kids I was playing the game with were amazed to learn that many oysters hold pearls.
Pearls are cool, but a little outdated, don't you think? Maybe oysters should consider holding something else, for a change! Today, being a little broke, I would be especially pleased to open up an oyster and find some cold, hard cash.
Chocolate would be cool too, though!
Seriously, though, a lot of people love to eat Gulf oysters, no matter what is found inside of the shells! I've never tried them, but I've heard they're delicious! Healthy, too... They're a great source of protein, Vitamin B-12, and omega-3 fatty acids!
But oysters can also be a health risk, especially to uneducated consumers. If you're an oyster-lover, or if you're thinking of trying oysters some time soon, you should check out this website, BeOysterAware.com. The site tells you about the potential dangers of eating oysters, and who is most at-risk for illnesses caused by oysters.
Don't let my words scare you away from oysters! The site also tells you the best ways to eat oysters and avoid getting sick from them, even if you are at risk!

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week!

2008-02-26T11:17:00.002-06:00

This week is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Here are a few things that adults can do to help the children in their lives.

1. Remember, you're a role model! Think about your own body image. Do your children notice you looking in the mirror sideways at yourself to see how large your stomach is, asking others if you look fat, commenting that you need to lose weight, or constantly trying new diets? The kids in your life might get the message that they, too, need to look perfect. Instead, talk to your kids about how all people come in different sizes, and how nature and genetics can cause people to have different body sizes.
2. Avoid teasing or making lots of negative comments to kids (or even to other adults... remember, your kids are listening!) that may lead them to feel you would love them more if they were different than they are. This includes comments about weight, but also about other things too, such as grades in school, etc. Show the children in your life that you love them just the way they are!
3. Avoid fad diets for yourself, and talk to the kids in your life about why dieting can be dangerous. Stress that it is better to live a healthy lifestyle, and eat plenty of healthy foods, rather than greatly restrict what they eat or follow diets.
4. Encourage activities that will give kids moderate exercise. Encouraging kids to do something they enjoy, like play a sport, ride their bike or skateboard, dance, etc, on a regular basis, may be better than telling a child they need to "exercise." Getting exercise for fun is always wonderful, but when kids start exercising just to lose weight, there is the potential for them to go overboard with it.
5. Similarly, try not to put limits on your children's calorie intakes, unless a doctor has advised you to do this for a specific medical reason. Definitely encourage the children in your life to eat a variety of healthy foods at meals, but do not count calories.
6. Teach the kids in your life about all different types of prejudice. Teach them not to "judge a book by its cover." Model for them how you look at a person's ideas, behaviors, words, etc, instead of just looking at their size, skin color, or clothing.
7. When choosing clothing, wear what you love to wear! Don't choose clothing just because it hides or minimizes your weight, or avoid certain clothing you love. Likewise, make sure you're not doing things like, for instance, refusing to go swimming on a hot day because you think you look bad in a bathing suit. Model for the kids in your life that you are comfortable with your body the way it is, and that they should be comfortable with their bodies as well!
8. Think about the reasons you eat, and encourage the kids in your life to do the same. Do you tend to eat when you are upset, or bored, even though you're not really hungry? Try redirecting yourself (and the children) to other stress-relieving activities instead. Remember that eating healthy foods and drinking lots of water can also help elevate your mood, whereas lots of sugary junk food can make you feel sluggish and even depressed.

Smarty Saturday: Chicken Soup For The Soul- Celebrates Children With Special Needs

2008-02-22T11:32:00.003-06:00

Yeah, I know its not Saturday yet, but I'm going to Michigan this weekend with Diana and the crew, so I thought I'd post Smarty Saturday early for your reading enjoyment.
Even if you're not a big fan of the Chicken Soup For The Soul series, you may want to check out this treasury of true stories about children with special needs.
All of the stories in this book are different, but in many ways they are all the same, showing that children, no matter what their special needs are, are children.
For instance, when little Evan was born with Down syndrome, his mother mourned for her toddler daughter, who she thought would not get to experience the typical brother-sister relationship with Evan. Now, six years later, this mother knows better, as she writes about how Evan and his sister are alternately the best of friends and the worst of enemies, playing together constantly, arguing about how life would be better if each was an only child, but then missing each other whenever they are separated. How much more "typical" does it get?
Or the story by the mother who shuttled her thirteen-year-old son from doctor to doctor, trying to get to the root of his emotional and behavioral problems. The day she learned that Josh had Bipolar Disorder, she was broken-hearted, but Josh's smile stopped her in her tracks as the young boy insisted they go "celebrate." While Josh's mother was upset that her child was different, Josh was overjoyed to learn that the Bipolar Disorder was what was causing his differences, and that he wasn't, in his own words, "evil."
There's the story of Rebekah, the twelve-year-old who has cerebral palsy and also a "need for speed" as she whizzes down the ski slopes in her wheelchair. There's the story of five-year-old Noah, whose inability to hear what his new playmates were saying was completely overshadowed by his ability to climb better than any of them, causing his little friends to view him in awe. There is Jonny, the little boy with autism, whose literal take on words was made obvious when he covered himself head-to-toe with deodorant and then jumped into the bathtub, to find out if the deodorant really would "prevent wetness" like the label said. And nine-year-old Jessica, the little girl with autism who has never met a stranger... because in her eyes, people she doesn't know are just friends she hasn't met yet!
This is a great book, a quick read, and I'm glad I stumbled upon it. I hope you'll pick it up, too!
This book is available at Bookwise.
Want to earn money with your own virtual bookstore? You can, at Bookwise!

Who Was Responsible For This Baby's Death?

2008-02-21T18:55:00.003-06:00

I just read a story that aggravated me on so many levels. Perhaps you heard this story, as well. I guess it is a fairly old case, something that happened in 2005, but the court case is still going on.
It is the story of a thirteen-year-old girl named Ashley. Thirteen is an age where kids can have many different levels of maturity. According to her parents, Ashley was not a particularly mature thirteen-year-old, perhaps at least partially because of her ADHD, and partially because her parents were very protective of her. At the time that this happened, in January of 2005, Ashley had never even been allowed to spend the night at a friend's house. Her father, in particular, insisted that Ashley only spend the night at the homes of family members.
But when an acquaintance asked Ashley to spend a weekend as a mother;s helper, looking after a five-year-old and a nineteen-month-old, Ashley's parents agreed to let her go. Her mother convinced her father that the experience would be good for Ashley, especially since the initial plan was that Ashley wouldn't actually be in charge of the children. Her job would mostly be to play with the children and keep them busy while adults were still present. This was something Ashley's parents felt she could handle.
However, here's what really ended up happening. The two adults who had asked Ashley to spend the weekend... Morningstar Garden and her boyfriend, Gracian Cline... brought Ashley and the two children to a mostly empty house, which the couple owned but no longer lived in. The two adults spent most of the weekend in a bedroom with the door shut, coming out only to use the bathroom and get food. Ashley was left to entertain the two children, with nothing but a DVD player and TV, a little bit of food, and a few sleeping bags, on hand.
Nobody is exactly sure what happened throughout that weekend... but somehow, the nineteen-month-old baby Ashley was in charge of ended up dead. And Ashley ended up in juvenile detention, accused of murdering the baby.
In an incriminating videotaped interview, Ashley used a baby doll to show detectives how she had tried to give nineteen-month-old Freya a bath. When Freya struggled and cried, Ashley held the baby and "wiggled" her, saying, "Freya! Its just a bath! You have no reason to be crying!" Later, as Ashley had trouble getting Freya to go to sleep on the floor, she again "wiggled" Freya and said, "Freya! Stop it!" (You can view segments of this video here.)
When I viewed this video, it became apparent to me that Ashley really was very young for her age, didn't have the knowledge or experience to be caring for two young children all alone, and should never have been put in that position. But, to the detectives investigating the case, this was enough to charge Ashley with giving Freya Shaken Baby Syndrome.
But what about the adults in this story... the ones who told Ashley's parents that Ashley would just be a mother's helper, playing with children under the guidance of the responsible adults? To make matters worse, it soon became apparent that when Morningstar and her boyfriend were spending all that time in the bedroom with the door shut, they were drinking and using cocaine.
Eventually, the case against Ashley was dismissed, because detectives hadn't followed the correct procedures necessary for dealing with a juvenile. They had interviewed her without notifying her parents and without having her parents or a lawyer present.
Ashley is free now, but there are still many people who think she got off on a "technicality," and who talk about how horrible it was that little Freya was murdered by her babysitter.
In my mind, this was not a murder... it was a case of child neglect. Morningstar Garden was negligent when she chose to spend a weekend doing drugs behind a closed door, leaving three innocent and incapable children to take care of themselves.

Love Your Pets Day!

2008-02-20T12:06:00.002-06:00

Happy "Love Your Pets Day", everyone! What a great day to spoil the pets in your life, and also teach the children in your life the importance of being kind to animals! Here are some great ideas for the day!

-Make some special homemade treats for your pet! (Or, if you don't have a pet of your own, mske some to surprise a friend's pet!) You might want to use the Internet or the library to find recipes for treats for the particular kind of pet you have!
- Talk to the children in your life about the correct way to hold and pet their animals. If your children are already wonderful at this, let them be the teachers! Invite some cousins or neighborhood kids over and let your kids demonstrate how to be kind to pets. Let all the kids have a turn gently petting and holding your pets. Talk about why it is so important to be gentle to pets, including the fact that, when animals are scared, they might bite or scratch!
- Spend some extra time playing with your pets today... or if you don't have a pet, ask a friend or neighbor if you can coem over and spend time with their pet instead! The pets will cherish the extra attention!
- Go to a pet supplies store and pick out a few things... a box of treats, a bed, a toy, some food, etc... and deliver it to the local pet shelter. While you're there, you might even ask if you can volunteer to play with the animals on a regular basis! What a great way for the kids in your life to learn about being kind to pets, and also to get the great feeling that comes from helping!
- Don't have a pet yet? Want one? Don't go to a pet store or a breeder. There are already tons of pets that need homes! Petfinder can help you locate the perfect pet for your family! Whether you're looking for a dog or cat, a reptile, a farm animal, a small furry critter, or any other type of animal, Petfinder can lead you to a pet who needs a home! It is wonderful if you want to adopt an older pet... but they do have plenty of baby animals who need homes, too!

Happy Petting!

Events For This Week!

2008-02-18T12:35:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone! We have a pretty low-key week ahead of us. This Wednesday is Love Your Pets Day! I would suggest reading this archived blog entry about children and pets, and think about whether you're teaching the children in your life to appreciate their pets. Then, maybe you and the kids in your life can do something special for your pets this Wednesday! Or, if you don't have any pets, do something special for someone else's pets, or for pets in an animal shelter! Some quick ideas... take your dog for special walk at somewhere he doesn't get to go much, like the forest preserve or a dog park. Bake some special dog treats for your dog! Use a cardboard box or other materials to make a special hideaway for your cat!
Ask your children for ideas about what else they can do to show love to the pets in their lives!
On Wednesday, I will post some more ideas. (If you have any, feel free to send them to me!)

Mission Monday: Sponsor A Child In Haiti!

2008-02-18T12:12:00.003-06:00

I have blogged before about a fellow blogger named Nikki, who writes the blog Dream As If You Will Live Forever. This girl is still basically a kid herself, a college student in Canada, but she has dedicated her life to helping children. The things she does never fail to amaze me! Nikki goes on humanitarian aid trips to the Dominican Republic to work with needy children there, she sponsors children, and she is forever trying to encourage others to do things for children as well. Nikki's motto is, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." And she certainly lives by that motto!
One of Nikki's favorite organizations is His Hands For Haiti, which is a child sponsorship program that helps kids in Haiti to attend school. Children in the program get a school uniform and all their school needs, including a free hot meal at lunch time each day. (For kids whose families really can't afford food at home, that hot meal can make a huge difference! I have heard of children, who were once weak and listless with hunger, who now jump out of bed each morning excited to go to school... because of that hot meal!)
For people who would love to sponsor a child but are on a tight budget, His Hands For Haiti is a great organization to work with. Unlike most sponsorship programs that require you to send a certain amount each month, usually at least $40.00... His Hands For Haiti asks for only $80 per year!
I know a lot of us are getting our tax refund checks back. Think about how easy it would be to just take $80 from that check and send it to this organization! You won't have to worry about paying it again for the rest of the year, and you'll know that your sponsored child's life is going to get a lot better. You'll also be able to correspond with that child, if you'd like!
This month, through her blog, Nikki has already found sponsors for four children in the program. But there are still 207 more kids waiting for sponsors!
Sponsoring a child would be a great opportunity for people with kids, especially those who home school. You and your children can read about Haiti and other countries where needy children live, writing to your sponsored child will be a great exercise for your whole family, and your kids will learn how it feels to help someone else!
I don't mean to sound like Sally Struthers on those old commercials... its just that Nikki knocks me out with how much she cares for kids, and I want to be able to help spread the word about something she cares about!
So, if you can spare $80 this year, please consider His Hands For Haiti!

Commercial Break: Pay Per Play!

2008-02-16T12:24:00.003-06:00

The following is a sponsored post. Please visit our sponsor's website to thank them for allowing us to make more donations to children's organizations!
A while back I announced that I was signing up for a program called PayPerPlay, aka Net Audio Ads. Well, I'm all signed up, and any day now you should be hearing a five-second audio ad any time you visit my blog!
Some people have been worried that by putting audio ads on their blogs, they'll be disturbing or inconveniencing their readers. But I've listened to the sample ad. You will be surprised how short and nonintrusive the ad is... Just a quick little sentence, really! And,every time that ad gets played, I'll be getting paid! I don't have to wait for anyone to click on ads, buy things, or anything like that!
Advertisers get to target their ads to specific audiences. For instance, if you have a blog thats all about motorcycles, maybe Harley Davidson will place an audio ad on your site! Then every time your readers log onto your site and hear that short little ad, you get paid!
If you have a blog, you should really consider signing up for this program. Its the easiest thing in the world to do, and really, the ads aren't going to bother your readers at all.
Have fun!

Sticky Post: Book Giveaway!

2008-02-15T11:09:00.000-06:00

Don't forget about the book giveaway going on at my reading blog, Angel Loves To Read! Just take the quiz about autism myths, and you'll have the chance to win one of two books about autism! The books, Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew, and All Cats Have Asperger's Syndrome, are great books to read or pass onto someone else, in order to help people understand more about autism and how to reach out to kids with autism!

The Choking Game

2008-02-15T10:15:00.004-06:00

Some of us remember this from when we were in junior high or high school. With our friends, we would try to choke ourselves with our hands, to get a dizzy feeling or even to make ourselves faint. We were probably chastised by our teachers for playing this dangerous game, and warned that somewhere in the world, some kids had actually died from it. But did that stop us from playing it? Probably not.
Kids are still playing the "choking game." But in recent years, the game has taken on a more dangerous twist. In addition to doing this with friends, kids are doing this alone, in their rooms or in other places where nobody can see them. And instead of just using their hands, they've taken to using nooses made from belts, ropes, scarves, dog leashes, bungee cords, etc. Nooses create a much stronger choke-hold than just hands, especially if one end is tied to a stable object like a doorknob or bedpost.
The danger is especially serious for kids who try this all alone. Kids tend to start playing this game in groups, and enjoy the euphoric "high" feeling so much that they try to induce that feeling at home on their own. But when they do it on their own, and they're using a noose, there is nobody around to get the noose off of them if things start to go wrong. This is how many kids have died. Kids who survive can also end up with brain damage, seizure disorders, and other disabilities caused by stopping oxygen from entering the brain.
The average age of kids who play this game is 13, but players as young as 6 have been reported. Typically, the kids who play this game are high-achieving kids who would probably not risk trying actual drugs, but who start playing the game because they're curious about the "high" it involves. Unlike using actual drugs or alcohol, most kids haven't already been bombarded with information about the dangers of this game. They may have heard a story or two about it, but believe they're just urban legends, or that it couldn't possibly happen to them. Kids also believe that, because they are the ones doing this to themselves, they can control it and stop it before anything bad happens. But once a kid becomes dizzy and passes out, they can't control what happens next.
Some parents whose children died playing this game have created an organization called Games Adolescents Shouldn't Play. You can check out the website for more info about the Choking Game, stories and statistics, and ways you can prevent this from happening to the kids in your life.

Commercial Break: Romantic Vacations

2008-02-15T09:52:00.003-06:00

The following is a sponsored post. Please visit our sponsor's website to thank them for allowing us to make more contributions to children's organizations!
When I was still in high school, I was close friends with a young man who was a year or two older than me, named Jacob. Jacob loved me. He desperately wanted me to be his girlfriend! I was a shy kid, young for my age because of my disability, so I wasn't sure I wanted a boyfriend, but I did love Jacob.
Jacob lived in the city, and I was living in the suburbs. Jacob and I liked to spend every spare moment together, and I particularly liked visiting him in the city, rather than having him come to where I lived. There were many more things to do in Chicago! But because of my disabilities, my mom balked at the idea of my traveling to the city alone. I had to take a commuter train to Jefferson Park, get off, and then take the El train to Jacob's neighborhood. It was the El part that worried my mom. I think she imagined me getting confused about where to get off, and riding the Blue Line around in circles over and over again for all of eternity.
So Jacob used to come all the way to the commuter train station to meet me. He would ride the El from his own neighborhood to Jefferson Park, get off, walk to the commuter station and wait for me, and then do the whole thing in reverse with me in tow. At the end of our visit he would again make the whole trip with me, and then go home alone while I rode the commuter train back to where I lived.
One day we went to a large park that had a beach, to meet some of Jacob's friends. While we were there, Jacob pulled me aside and handed me a fancy, romantic card he had bought. On the inside, he had written a poem about me.
I thanked him and told him his poem was great... and then I shoved it in the back pocket of my shorts! (Remember, I was quite young for my age!) The worst part is, afterwards I spontaneously went swimming in the lake, in my clothes! I played in the water for hours, and then got out, and remembered the card. I pulled it out of my pocket, all drenched and creased and faded. Poor Jacob!
I love Chicago! A lot of people don't think of it as a vacation spot, but it really is a wonderful place... especially in the summer, fall, spring, or early or late winter! (Don't come in the mid-winter unless you really love below-zero weather!) We have Lake Michigan, beautiful old architecture, tons and tons of awesome museums, and a downtown area that will keep you busy for days! For Chicago vacation ideas, you should contact Trusted Tours & Attractions. In fact, if you go to their site and sign up for their newsletter, you could win a free digital camera!

Two Great Books About Autism (And A Giveaway!)

2008-02-14T16:25:00.003-06:00

On my Bookwise blog, I reviewed two books about autism today: Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew, and All Cats Have Asperger's Syndrome.
If you go to my Bookwise blog, take the True/False quiz about autism that I've included at the end of the post, and comment (either in that blog or this one) with the answers, you'll have the chance to win one of these two books.
I'm so excited that I'm actually having a giveaway now! I hope you win!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T14:56:00.001-06:00

To all my readers... Have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

pimp myspace

Update On Kids Set On Fire

2008-02-14T11:49:00.003-06:00

Back in November, I wrote about two little boys in my community who were doused with gasoline, and set on fire, by their own father. Vishv and Om Patel, who were only seven and four years old, were severely injured in what their father described as his suicide attempt.
Here is a sad update. I didn't hear about it until now, but little Om died on January 17 due to his injuries. Shortly after Om arrived in the hospital, doctors used drugs to induce a coma, from which Om never woke up.
The boys' mother was not home when the horrible incident occurred. But since then, she's apparently kept a constant vigil at the hospital, crying and praying over the boys. She also has gotten a restraining order from the boy's father, keeping him from getting anywhere near her or her remaining son for the next two years.
Their father is now facing murder charges. He is still in the hospital being treated for his own wounds, but soon will be transferred to DuPage County Jail. In fact, nurses from the hospital have already been going to the jail to teach staff members how to care for the man's wounds.
If this man had committed just about any other crime, and then tried to attempt suicide in this way, I might feel sorry for him. But as it is, it makes me a little sick just to know that someone might be treating this man with kindness and gentleness as they tend to his burns. For putting his children through such excruciating pain and terror, he deserves no sympathy.
Vishv is still in the hospital, and is in stable condition. Our thoughts are with you, Vishv!

Commercial Break: Morningstar Academy

2008-02-14T11:42:00.001-06:00

If you are a Christian who is home schooling your children, or if you are considering it but are worried about how you’d handle teaching your child yourself, there is a website that can make things a lot easier! At The Morningstar Academy, you can enroll your child in any of the online courses, which include lesson plans, assignments, quizzes and special projects. The Morningstar Academy is an actual, accredited K-12 school in Florida, which includes this distance education program available to students all over the country.
Your child and you get to actually choose the classes that you think are appropriate, regardless of the child’s chronological grade level. For instance, if your sixth grader is spectacular at science but needs a lot of help with reading, you could enroll him in a ninth grade science course and a fourth grade reading course. That way, he really gets to learn at his own pace!
Through Morningstar, your child will have to log a certain amount of hours of school work throughout the school day, but these hours can be done at any times. A child is not required to log onto the site at any specific time. This, and the fact that just two hours of work is the minimum requirement for the day, means you and your child will have plenty of time for quality time together and for other educational and enriching activities of your choice.
If you are Christian and would like to teach your children from a Christian slant, this academy will work well for you. Their curriculum teaches every subject from a Christian slant. For instance, a first grader could take courses such as Jubilee English, Victory Math, Discovering God’s Creation Science, and also courses specifically on Christianity and faith. Physical education, art and music are also included in the curriculum.
You can experience a demonstration of how the Morningstar Academy courses look and feel, by checking out the Morningstar Academy Student Demo.
I have always thought that, when I have kids, I would like to home school them. It is good to know that resources like this exist, making home school an option for anyone!

Home Alone!

2008-02-12T12:42:00.000-06:00

Remember the "Home Alone" movies... versions 1, 2 and 3? I always thought those were sort of dumb movies. Why? Because they gave a lot of kids the idea that, if someone should break into their home, the kids should take matters into their own hands and attack the burglers or try to capture them. In real life, that can be very dangerous! The truth is, most burglars don't break into homes with the intent of hurting or killing someone, but if they are confronted, they can very easily panic and do whatever they think they have to do in order to get away.
Children need to be taught that, if they think someone is breaking into their home, dialing 911 is the best course of action. They should also try to get out of the house, or lock themselves in a room.
Two children in Jacksonville, Florida, handled a situation in exactly the right way, by locking themselves in a bathroom and dialing 911 from a cellphone. Check out this video! (If you're reading this from a blog reader, you may have to visit the actual blog to see the video!)

In Hawaii, four more children foiled some burglars last month in the same way. The children were home alone when they heard a car pull up to the back of their house, and then heard someone trying to break into the home. The children dialed 911, and then slipped out the front door. In this case, the burglars were still there when the police arrived, and were arrested!

Do the children in your life know how to handle it if they think someone is breaking into the house? Make sure they know that the two things they should do are to get themselves to safety by getting out of the house or at least into a safe room, and dialing 911.

Other Events For This Week

2008-02-11T14:04:00.000-06:00

So I just finished writing about Children Of Alcoholics Week, but now I must point out two more events of this week!
The first one is, today is the first day of Random Acts of Kindness Week! Most people know what Random Acts Of Kindness is all about... performing acts of kindness, often anonymously, just for the sake of brightening someone's day. Show the children in your life how great it feels to be kind to others! Check out this list of ideas for random acts of kindness... or brainstorm with your kids and come up with your own!
This is also a week to extend special kindness towards children. If you have children in your life, you can probably think of lots of ways to brighten their day... the biggest one being, to just spend time with them! Time and a positive relationship are the best gifts an adult can give a child.
You could also extend kindness to children you don't know.
Offer to visit children in a school, homeless shelter, hospital, or group home. You could begin volunteering on a regular basis, or see if there is a one-time event you could help with. Or, use your special talents to create your own event for the children! If you love art, gather up all your art supplies and treat the children to an art expression workshop. If you love writing, help children to write the stories of their lives! You could bring your pet to visit children, read or tell stories to children, do crafts with children... the possibilities are endless!
You could also gather up toys, books and clothes in your house, or from the homes of friends and family members with kids, that the young owners no longer need or want. Donate the items to a local charity that helps kids.
Or, buy something special for a place that helps kids. When I worked in a special education school, a local business donated a Thomas The Tank Engine train table, plus lots of trains, to the school. It was put in the school's rec room, and all of the younger children... especially the ones with autism... have enjoyed the train table for years!
What random acts of kindness do you have up your sleeve?

And of course, this Thursday is Valentine's Day! Don't forget to send Valentine's cards to surprise the children in your life!

National Children of Alcoholics Week!

2008-02-11T12:38:00.001-06:00

This week is National Children of Alcoholics Week! As an adult child of a recovering alcoholic, and as a friend of many children of alcoholics, including some who are still very young, this week is important to me! Did you know that at least 25% of children in the USA are exposed to a family alcohol abuse problem? The chances are, you know at least one child, in your extended family or your community, who is living with someone with an alcohol problem. So, instead of mixing this post in with my usual "Events Of The Week" post, I thought I'd give this topic a post of its own!
It is important for children of alcoholics to know that the alcohol problem in their family doesn't have to be a "shameful secret", and that they are allowed to talk about it with their teachers, caring family members, mentors, counselors, or whatever other adults are available. Unfortunately, this concept is the exact opposite of what many children of alcoholics learn in their families. Many adults have trouble admitting that they or their spouse are dealing with alcoholism. And many parents would definitely rather not acknowledge that the family problem could be effecting their children, in a big way! So, in many families, the members just do not talk about the problem. Have you ever heard people talk about "the elephant in the living room?" Thats exactly what happens in many families. Everyone tiptoes around the elephant, tries not to wake it up, and the children learn to just pretend like there is no elephant there at all.
As a result, children's stress levels are much higher than the stress levels of their peers. The reason for that is pretty obvious. Lets look at some things children of alcoholics may deal with in their everyday lives.

- They often do not know what to expect in their household. Different people act in different ways when they're drinking. Some people may abuse their children, either physically, sexually or emotionally, when they're drunk. Others may become especially loving, to the point of weepiness. One eleven-year-old girl I know says that, when her father is drunk, he "acts stupid" and she has trouble understanding what he is saying. People's personalities can change drastically when they're drinking. Children of alcoholics often learn to "take the temperature of the house" as soon as they wake up, or come home from school, to figure out what kind of day it will be. They may listen closely to hear what the parent's voice sounds like, look around to see if the house is messy or if there are bottles out, or try to detect the smell of alcohol. Whether or not the parent is drinking, or how much the parent has drunk already, will effect the way the child must act. Children who develop this habit often carry it out into the world with them, and approach all situations very cautiously, wondering what will happen.
- Children of alcoholics are often making sure they always have a "backup plan" at all times. If Mom forgets to pick them up from school, they'll walk home, or ask a friend's parent for a ride, or call Grandma. If Dad is drinking when they get home, they'll go over to a friend's house right away, or take their younger siblings to another room and distract them. Many children of alcoholics learn that the adults in their lives just can't be depended on. Even if one parent in the household is not an alcoholic, that parent can be so overwhelmed by the problems of alcoholism, that they too can become undependable.
- Children of alcoholics may witness violence in their home. Some people become angry and violent when drinking. One little boy I know saw his father threaten suicide with a knife while drinking. And even when the drinking parent is not violent, often the drinking itself causes large fights between the parents. A child may hear his parents screaming at each other, even throwing things in anger. Children may always be waiting for the next fight, or the next act of violence, to break out.
- Children of alcoholics are often frightened. They may be afraid of the fighting. They may be afraid that the drinking parent will hurt them or the other parent. They may be afraid that the parent will lose his job and the family will become very poor. Or they may be afraid that something bad will happen to the drinking parent... he could get very ill from drinking, and die, or he could get in an accident while drinking. They constantly live with these worries.
- Children of alcoholics often don't have many friends. First of all, they are often reluctant to bring friends over to their house, or they may not be allowed to, because of the drinking parent's behavior. Second of all, because they live in a dysfunctional environment, they often have trouble learning the social skills that would allow them to make healthy friendships.
- Children of alcoholics often have trouble in school. The household may be too chaotic for anyone to help them with their homework on a regular basis. Children may go to school tired from staying up listening to fighting, or from sleepless nights of worrying. They may have trouble concentrating in school.
- Children of alcoholics often blame themselves for the parent's drinking. Kids are naturally self-centered. I don't mean this in a bad way, but in the way that, they assume everyone is focusing on them. If Mom or Dad is drinking, the child assumes maybe he has something to do with it. If he kept his room cleaner, fought less with his sister, or got better grades, perhaps everything would be perfect. They may also feel that they are not doing a good enough job of hiding the alcohol, covering up for the drinking, protecting the other parent, etc.
- Children may be physically or emotionally neglected. Even if the family is financially well-off, the drinking parent may be too undependable, and the non-drinking parent too preoccupied, to meet all of the children's needs. Children may often be wearing disheveled clothing, be unwashed, or be hungry, when a parent has been drinking.
- Even if the parent eventually stops drinking for good, the child may remember other times when the parent promised to stop drinking, or stopped for a while, but then went back to it. The child may always live in fear, waiting for the parent to pick up a drink again.

If you know a child of an alcoholic, the best thing you can do for her is make yourself available for her.
You can teach children of alcoholics about how alcohol works in the body. Explain that the alcohol effects a person's brain and makes them think and act differently. You can explain that alcoholism is a disease.
Always explain to the child that the drinking is never the child's fault!
Allow the child to talk to you about how things are at home. Keep your ears open, and try hard not to be judgemental! Children of alcoholics are in a tough spot, because they love their parents and want to protect them, even when they know the parents' behavior is wrong. If they sense something they are telling you is making you angry at the parent, they may clam up. Concentrate instead on the child, how the child is feeling and being effected. For instance, instead of saying, "I cannot believe your dad did that!" you could say, "That must have been scary for you!"
If possible, you can open your home to the child and provide a safe place for them. The child doesn't necessarily have to actually live with you, but knowing that she can always come over to your house and have a normal, peaceful day can be helpful.

And what if you are the "other parent," the child's one parent who doesn't drink? Although you are undoubtedly stressed out by the other parent's drinking, you can help your child to be as healthy as possible.
First of all its important to take care of yourself. We want to tell the children that it isn't their fault that the other parent drinks, that they don't have to be ashamed of it or keep it a secret. But you need to know that too! It may be good for you to join a support group of your own, such as Al-Anon. Even if you are no longer living with the child's other parent, the fact that the other parent will always be in your life because of the children means you'll have to look for healthy ways of coping.
As the healthy parent in the family, be an advocate for your child. Try to avoid putting too much responsibility on the child. For instance, saying, "Be on your best behavior today, because Mom is in a bad mood," can put too much pressure on a child. The other parent's drinking is not the child's fault, ever, and we need to always keep telling the child that.
Also try to avoid telling your children to keep the household's secrets. That can make the child feel ashamed, and also make it hard for him to make friends at school. The children need to feel that its okay to talk about things that happen at home. Your children are probably not going to be whisked away by DCFS because their other parent is an alcoholic.
(On the other hand, if the alcoholism is causing something more dangerous to happen... if the child is being abused in some way, for instance, or seriously neglected... then it is your responsibility to get the child out of that situation no matter what.)
You can refer your child to a counselor, either through the school or in the community, who is experienced in talking with children of alcoholics. They may also be able to go to a support group, such as Alateen. Signing your child up for a mentor can also be a wonderful way for your child to develop a healthy and stable relationship with an adult, a way for your child to get out of the house and have positive experiences on a regular basis, and also a way for you to have some respite time for yourself.
A parent with an alcoholism problem may never stop drinking. But that doesn't mean her children will never be healthy. With the help of their family members and community, children can learn coping skills, have positive experiences and relationships, and grow up to be healthy adults.

Commercial Break: Valentines Flowers!

2008-02-11T12:18:00.000-06:00

Is there someone in your life who you want to make sure not to forget on Valentine's Day? It doesn't have to be a romantic someone. Perhaps you have an elderly neighbor or relative who has lost her spouse and lives all alone... or a child who just started college... or a close friend who has been going through a rough time this year. Imagine how their Valentine's Day could be brightened by receiving a beautiful bouquet of fresh roses or whatever their favorite flower is!
Through an online florist, its so easy to send flowers to anyone you know. And with 1-800-Flowers, there are so many awesome choices! Just by using the search feature to look for suggestions for Valentine's Day, you get several pages of beautiful and unique bouquets. Some come with special things like stuffed animals, candy, or champagne. You can find the perfect Valentine's bouquet for anyone in your life!
Valentine's Day is only a few days away, but don't worry! You've got time! In fact, some bouquets are even eligible for same-day delivery! So, don't wait any longer... go order some flowers!

Smarty Saturday Book Recommendation: Taking Away The Distance, by Miles Rost

2008-02-09T14:25:00.000-06:00

For this week's Smarty Saturday, I'd like to explore a subject that has always been very controversial... HIV. Specifically, the children left behind when their parents die from HIV-related illnesses.
In the USA, we are pretty lucky. I'd like to think that if a child is left orphaned by HIV, he would receive the same care as any other orphaned child. Our foster care system has lots of problems, but any child would at least be assured that, somehow or another, she'd have a roof over her head, food in her stomach, clothes on her back, and a school to go to.
But in Africa, and in many other countries, things are different. Many people are still reluctant to even say the word "HIV" because it is considered such a shameful thing, and the children left behind by parents who die of HIV are often shunned.
When a ten-year-old Kenyan boy named Kevin was left orphaned after his parents died of HIV, he was left to completely take care of himself. The little boy lived in the shack where he had once lived with his parents, sold peanuts to make enough money to eat, and snuck into school each day because he couldn't pay his school fees. He refused to tell anyone at his school that his parents had died, because he was embarrassed.
When he finally did tell someone, Kevin received a little marginal help from his community... but the opinion of most people was that it was best for orphaned children to continue living in their communities, and caring for themselves, rather than move into foster homes or institutions.
Kevin's story was similar to the stories of many, many children all over Africa. A generation of kids were literally raising themselves without assistance.
Kevin's story changed when documentarist Miles Rost interviewed him, while creating a documentary called Make It Real To Me, about the plights of the many HIV orphans in Africa. The book, Taking Away The Distance, is the true story of the growing relationship between Kevin and Miles, and of how Kevin is brave enough to demand answers from people with power all over the world about what they planned to do to help HIV orphans.
This is a great and enlightening book to read, and the world would be a better place if every single person read it.

Professionals Get Better Mortgage Rates!

2008-02-09T14:14:00.001-06:00

Lets take a short break to speak about mortgages.
I was recently reading that, in the UK at least, people with "professional" careers such as doctors, dentists, lawyers, etc, have better luck when it comes to applying for mortgages. Lenders seem to be willing to be more generous and trusting with professionals, giving them more for their mortgages and Remortgages. The reason is most likely because people with higher educations and professional titles are probably going to earn more, throughout their lives, than people like... say... me!
I don't really know much about mortgages, seeing as how I've never owned or tried to buy a house. Is it the same way in the USA? In a few years I'll be getting my teaching degree, and then I will want to start looking for a house. Do you think having a teaching degree counts as a professional title?
I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, huh.

Alexis Goggins Released From Hospital

2008-02-08T11:16:00.000-06:00

Remember Alexis Goggins, the little girl who was shot six times while trying to protect her mother? The brave little girl's horrid experience started when she was kidnapped, along with her mother and a family friend, by a man Alexis's mother had once dated.
After more than two months in the hospital, seven-year-old Alexis was released yesterday! The little girl is now blind in one eye, and has had to undergo several surgeries, including some to repair brain damage caused by the bullets she took to her head. This little munchkin is definitely a survivor!
Perhaps the most infuriating part of this story is the fact that when Alexis's mother's friend dialed 9-1-1 (the friend had managed to convince Kelvin to stop at a gas station for gas) her plea for help was not received well. The friend dialed 9-1-1 twice, but each time was calmly told that there was no police car available to dispatch. The gas station attendant took the phone from the friend and tried to explain the desperateness of the situation... but as he was begging for help, shots were being fired from inside the car.
When a police unit was eventually sent to the scene, it was to "check on family trouble." It seems awfully strange and scary to me that two calls placed to 9-1-1, from a woman shouting that another woman and a small child are being held at gunpoint in a car, would be given such low priority.
A trust fund has been started to help Alexis have the best chances possible for the rest of her life. So far, $37,000 has been raised. Donations can be sent to The Alexis Goggins Hero Fund Campbell Elementary C/O Alexis Goggins Hero Fund, 2301 E Alexandrine St, Detroit, MI 48207.

Training Kids To Kill

2008-02-08T11:14:00.001-06:00

I thought I'd post this video... It doesn't give much information, but the images are pretty freaky! Look at how little these kids are!
(If you're reading this from a blogreader or Zimbio, you may have to visit the actual blog to see the video!)

Women and Girls In Sports Day

2008-02-06T13:06:00.000-06:00

Today is Women and Girls In Sports Day! Are the girls in your life involved in any sports? They should be! Here are some great reasons to encourage your girls to try sports!
1. High school girls involved in sports are less likely than their peers to become pregnant too early!
2. They're also more likely to get good grades in school, and graduate from high school!
3. Girls who spend four hours a week getting exercise are less likely to get breast cancer later on!
4. They're also less likely to get osteoporosis! (older women who get osteoporosis were often not permitted or encouraged to do sports or other physical activities when they were young.)
5. Girls involved in sports have higher levels of confidence and self-esteem, and lower levels of depression, than their peers. (Very important!)
6. They also tend to have better body images!
7. Girls involved in sports will learn about teamwork and goal-setting, preparing them for productive futures as adults!

Now, maybe I should be the last one talking about this, because I've never been particularly athletic . In fact, gym class was my least favorite class all through school! But girls should know that if they want to get into a sport, they're not limited to basketball and softball! Just about any girl can find a sport she enjoys. Here are some to look into.
Running (either cross-country or track)
Jumping (long jump, high jump, etc)
Gymnastics
Throwing
Race-walking
Surfing
Skateboarding
Snowboarding
Martial Arts
Kickboxing
Handball
Netball
Soccer-Tennis
Bike racing
Biking
Swimming
In-line skating
Orienteering
Cheerleading
Trampolining
Golf
Rock climbing
Dancing
Bad minton or "Ball badminton"
Table tennis/ ping-pong
Pickleball
Squash
Ice hockey
Ice skating
Skiing
Snow shoeing
Archery
Bowling
Disc Golf
Laser Tag
Paintball
Kickball
Lacrosse
Rowing
Wallyball
Aquatic volleyball
Diving
Sailing
Scuba diving

These are only a few of the sports I've found! Check here for an even more complete list. When you look over that list, you'll find that there really is a sport for everyone... In fact, you'll probably have to do a little research to find out exactly what some of the sports are and which are best for you. Also, when helping the girls in your life find a sport, remember not to limit them to sports offered at their school! Try the park district, YMCA, Meetup.com, etc, to find others who are involved in the sport the girl in your life wants to try!
And remember, have fun!

Commercial Break: Car Hunting

2008-02-06T12:56:00.000-06:00

The following is a sponsored post. Please visit our sponsor's website to thank them for allowing us to make more donations to children's organizations!
I've never had a brand new car in my entire life! Can you believe that! I've always bought used ones, and they usually were what we call "lemons", that ended up needing a ton of work! I often sink more money into fixing a used car than I would have put into buying a brand new car!
However, now I know that its easy to find low prices on brand new cars. You don't have to get stuck paying full price for a car! At CarsBlvd you can find the best Car Prices. Just do a search to find the specific car you want, and they'll show you where you can get the best price on that car! (Don't make fun of me, but I searched for my very favorite car, the one I hope to have someday... a Volkswagon Beetle!)

When It Comes To Trauma Caused By 9/11, Some Children Are More Vulnerable Than Others

2008-02-05T13:03:00.001-06:00

Remember back when 9/11 occurred? Scores of people witnessed the attack on the Twin Towers, whether they saw it in person, or watched it over and over again on television. Among the people witnessing this disaster were children. At the time, many parents and professionals worried that being exposed to this horrible event would cause children to grow up with psychological problems.
A recent study shows that, at least when it comes to long-term trauma, some children are more vulnerable than others. Just about every child who saw the footage on TV, saw the wreckage afterwards, or even was present at the time of the attack, experienced some degree of trauma or anxiety. But, by three years later, most of these children didn't seem to have much lingering trauma. Symptoms of trauma would have included trouble sleeping, anxiety and depression, behavior problems, attention problems, etc.
However, the children who did seem to suffer long-term effects after 9/11 were children who had previously gone through another traumatizing experience. For instance, children who had been bitten by a dog, seen a parent become seriously ill, been through a natural disaster, etc. Children who had gone through a traumatizing experience before 9/11 were twenty times more likely to suffer long-term effects after 9/11, than children who had not had any prior traumatizing experiences.
This may seem obvious to any adult who has gone through more than one traumatizing experience. When put through very stressful events, the nervous system takes a beating. The first event is hard to deal with, but afterwards every additional stressful experience becomes harder and harder to deal with. For children, whose nervous systems are still developing, this phenomena is even more dramatic.
For children who are still experiencing the effects of trauma, even years after the event has happened, it is important that they still receive therapy and support.

Commercial Break: Exotic Vacations!

2008-02-05T12:50:00.000-06:00

The following is a sponsored post. Please visit our sponsor's website to thank them for allowing us to make more contributions to children's organizations!
I'm freezing to death right now... I mean literally, I'm inside my house, wearing a warm bathrobe over my jeans and sweatshirt, plus wearing slippers, and I've got my hood up on the sweatshirt, and I'm still freezing! Now is the time when I wish I could go on an exotic vacation. Somewhere different, that most people don't think about when they consider vacations. Like, maybe, Abu Dhabi! I've heard its beautiful there, with its beautiful architecture and fancy gardens.
If I lived in England, I'd have no trouble finding flights to Abu Dhabi! I could use Dialaflight.com to put together my itinerary, including flights, hotel stays, and car rentals!
Unfortunately, I live in Chicago... and it looks like I'm going to be stuck here for the winter!

In Mexico, Children Join Parents In Prison!

2008-02-04T14:12:00.000-06:00

I found this video online, and I wondered what you all might think of it. (If you're getting here from Zimbio or a blog reader, you may have to come to the actual page, to see the video!)

The Mexico City government believes it is better for young children not to be separated from their mothers during their mothers' prison time. There are debates as to whether being raised in prison can be damaging to children, but the warden of that prison says the children seem to do well. Even though inmates can be loud or violent with each other, the warden says the children are never victims of violence. In fact, the presence of the children seems to calm all of the inmates, even the ones who don't have children of their own or whose children are not with them in the prison. Having their children with them also is helpful to mothers who are trying to learn parenting skills, kick drug habits, etc.
The mothers have to support their children inside the prison. The kids can eat with the inmates, but many mothers opt to buy groceries from the prison's grocery store instead. Mothers also have to pay for their children's medicine when they get sick, etc.
The children attend school in the prison, and the school teachers bring them out into the world for field trips as often as possible, in order to show the kids that there is a world out there. After all, when the children turn six, they have to return to the real world, leaving their mothers behind. That can be the hardest part in this situation, for both mothers and children!
What do you think of this? Are children better off spending those early formative years with their mothers, even if they have to live in a prison? Or are they better off being raised by relatives or foster parents, and only visiting their mothers occasionally? (In the USA, some prisons will allow infants to stay with their mothers for a certain period of time, and there is at least one prison in the USA that allows children to stay until age six.)

An Exciting New Week!

2008-02-04T13:50:00.000-06:00

This week brings some interesting things to think about!
First of all, this week is Children's Authors And Illustrators Week! Check your local libraries and bookstores to see if they have any cool events for kids this week. Some places may have special activities, including meetings with actual children's authors and illustrators! You can also talk to the children in your life about who their favorite authors and illustrators are. Search the web to find out of the authors and illustrators have their own websites or blogs where you can find out more about them. You may even be able to find an address or email address where the kids in your life can send a special fan letter or gift to their favorite author or illustrator!
Also, check out my favorite blog about children's literature: A Readable Feast. This blog is chock-full of children's book recommendations, book-related activity ideas, author interviews, and more!
This week is also School Counseling Week. School counselors wear many hats at their jobs. They can help kids get through academic problems, explore careers, etc. But they are also available to help kids through any other problems they may be having. Kids who are nervous or uncomfortable turning to a school social worker or psychologist or even a parent may feel better seeing the school counselor. The children in your life should know that their school counselor will never report what they say to the child's parents, teachers or anyone else. Whatever a child says to the counselor is kept confidential. The only exception to this rule is if the child or someone else is in danger. For instance, if a child tells the school counselor that he is being abused, or that a friend is being abused, the counselor is obligated th make sure the child in question gets help and is going to be safe. That should be the job of any caring adult. No caring adult would want to send a child right back into a dangerous situation without first getting help for the child!
School counselors can also help a child talk to his parents or guardians. For instance, if a teenager has been getting involved with drugs or alcohol and would like to tell his parents and get help, the school counselor can be a good person to go to first. The counselor may be able to help the student talk to his parents, and also offer the parents and student help so that the crisis is manageable.
This week, maybe the children in your life would like to deliver a card or gift to their school counselor!
Finally, this Wednesday is Girls And Women In Sports Day. On Wednesday I'll post more about the benefits of being involved in different kinds of sports!
Have a great week!

Teach Your Kids To Volunteer!

2008-02-02T09:47:00.001-06:00

Today is Teach Your Children To Volunteer Day! When children do volunteer work along with the adults in their lives, they learn that they have the power to make a difference for others, they learn compassion and responsibility, they acquire new skills, and they get to spend great quality time with the adults who care about them!
Many kids across the USA and around the world are already reaping the benefits of volunttering. For instance, in Brighton, Iowa, children of all ages spend several nights a month making formulated meals to ship overseas to hungry people in third world countries. The kids have managed to send hundreds of thousands of meals across the world!
Other kids visit senior citizens as "volunteer grandchildren", help serve meals in homeless shelters, take care of animals in animal shelters, build homes with Habitat For Humanity, etc.
Some kids have even initiated their own organizations to make a difference in the world! Thirteen-year-old Anthony Leanna started a hat drive to provide hats to people who had lost their hair to chemotherapy. Similiarly, when Brittany Clifford was fourteen, she started a slipper drive to provide new, fuzzy and comfortable slippers to kids in the hospital, so they'd have an alternative to the thin hospital slippers they were given. Rob and Brittany Bergquist, a brother and sister from Massachusetts, started a project to raise money to send phone cards to soldiers overseas, so the soldiers wouldn't rack up huge cellphone bills calling home. And twelve-year-old Elizabeth Singleton decided that every third-grader should have a dictionary in his home, so she started raising money to buy dictionaries for third graders!
DoSomething.org is an organization that encourages kids to make a difference. Each year they give out Brick Awards to kids who have made the most difference. Winners recieve scholarships and community grants. The site also gives information about projects and places where kids can volunteer their time.
The website Compassionate Kids has some tips on finding an appropriate volunteer opportunity for the children in your life to participate in!
When kids volunteer, everyone benefits! So why not start volunteering today?

Commercial Break: Girl Power!

2008-02-02T09:37:00.000-06:00

The following is a sponsored post. Please visit our sponsor's website to thank them for allowing us to make more contributions to children's organizations!
If you have daughters or young girls in your life, you may have noticed that whenever you take them shopping for clothes, you are bombarded by displays of T-shirts that say things like "Shut up!" or "Princess" or "I stole your boyfriend" or even worse comments! You wonder, "Why would anyone want to display those phrases on their clothing?" But to young girls, those shirts with phrases on them are all the style! In their minds, the clothes allow girls to express themselves... even if what they're expressing isn't really who they are, on the inside. (I mean, come on... are we really raising a nation of girls who want to scream out, "I'm a brat!" on their T-shirt?
Thank goodness for this new site I found, Girl Mogul. They sell T-shirts in the popular style, with phrases on the front like girls love to wear... but their phrases let girls shout out an entirely different message, something their mothers and aunties and mentors would be proud of. Phrases like "Future Leader of the Free World," and "Computer Geek" and "Future Chef De Jour" still have a sarcastic edge to them, but a positive message letting girls be proud of their brains and talents!
My personal favorite, though, is the one that says "Dream Big." Printed across the T-shirt in a whimsical pattern similar to the popular "angel" and "princess" T-shirts, this shirt is a message we all want to get across to our little girls!
So next time you're shopping for some T-shirts for your girls, check out this site first!

February Begins!

2008-02-01T11:59:00.001-06:00

I can't believe its the beginning of February already! 2008 is just rushing right along!
Did you know that February is Bake For Family Fun Month? When I was a little kid, my mom used to bake with my brother and I all the time! She always told us, "Getting messy is part of the fun!" (Which is exactly the opposite of what she tells me now!)
Baking isn't just fun, its also educational! Kids learn math as they measure ingredients, and reading as they follow directions on a recipe. They practice motor skills as they scoop and pour and roll and mix. When they get to decorate cookies and cakes, they practice creativity! So, start baking with the kids in your life this month! For some recipes, you can check here!
February is also Dental Health Month, a great time for kids to "brush" up on their knowledge about dental health! About.com has a page of crafts and activities you can do with kids. Colgate Kids' World is a fun site full of games and activities for kids to explore on the computer!
Its also International Friendship Month, a month where people all over the world celebrate their friendships! Talk to the kids in your life about who their friends are, and what makes a good friend. You could even have a friendship party! Make cards thanking your friends for being friends, make friendship bracelets, and spend time with great friends!
Finally, February is Black History Month! The children in your life are hopefully learning about Black History in school this month, but you can also take part! Check out this site to find some great and kid-friendly info to talk about with kids! Find out if your community is having any special events for the month that you and the kids in your life can go to together!
Its going to be a great month!

January Ends, A New Month Begins!

2008-02-01T11:41:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! January was an awesome month as far as sponsors go! Thanks to all of our sponsors, a needy family will be provided with 20 brand new bedtime story books, and three children who are just learning to read will each be given four brand new books of their very own! So, thanks, everyone who's been reading this blog, for all your help!
This month, our charity will be Nothing But Nets, an organization that provides insecticide-treated mosquito nets to people in countries where malaria is a huge problem. I wrote about the malaria problem this past Monday, so check back there if you want to discover why mosquito nets are so important!
For every ten dollars we raise through sponsored posts this month, a mosquito net will be provided to someone who desperately needs it!
Lets have a great month!

Commercial Break: Buzzfuse!

2008-02-01T11:26:00.000-06:00

The following is a sponsored post. Please visit our sponsor's site to thank them for allowing us to make more donations to children's organizations!

Every so often, a PayPerPost blogger comes across a really awesome site. And for me, today is one of those days! I have just discovered Buzzfuse, a site that helps drive traffic to websites, blogs, and whatever else you have out there on the World Wide Web!
All you have to do is sign up at the site. Its free, but they also offer a premium version for a low cost, which gives people access to even more features!
Once you sign up, the rest is easy! Whenever you write a new blog post, article, etc, go to the site and click on "Market Content," where you can then grab an hrml code and add it to your post or article. (Note: You should add the code to each individual post or article, instead of just adding it to the sidebar of your blog or site!)
Then, your readers can rank and review your post, and people will also be led to your post directly from Buzzfuse!
In fact, you can even use Buzzfuse to bring more traffic to your sponsored posts! Your sponsors will love it, and you'll probably get more opportunity offers!
So. I hope to see you on Buzzfuse sometime soon!

Its Inspire Your Heart With Art Day!

2008-01-31T09:26:00.000-06:00

Today is Inspire Your Heart With Art Day, a great day to help the kids in your life appreciate the benefits of art! The thing about most kids is, they'd rather do something themselves instead of just looking at something someone else did. So, today, I am posting a bunch of hands-on activities you and the kids in your life can do to inspire your hearts with art!

1.) Explore different mediums for doing artwork. Gather together crayons, markers, paints, oil pastels, chalk, stamps and ink, scissors, magazines, glue, glitter, scraps, clay... everything you can get! Be creative and ask the kids if they have more ideas for what to use! Remember, you don't have to stick to just one medium for each art piece. If your kids want to use every single medium in their picture, thats okay!

2.) Buy large poster boards so you can super-size your works of art!

3.) If you live near an art museum, many of them have special areas meant just for kids. There, kids can look at interesting works of art, and then often they have the chance to try their own hand at those styles of art!
If you don't live anywhere near an art museum, go to the library and check out books on art. You can look through them for your favorite works of art, talk about why you like them, and then try to emulate those artists on your own!

4.)When doing art with kids, try to focus on the process, instead of the product. When kids do art they are learning about textures, mixing colors, experimenting with shapes, etc. Sometimes in art classes at school, children are asked to create something very specific, so that everyone's completed project looks the same. When you do the art with your kids, encourage them to just do what they want, and see where it leads them!

5.)Go to the website Creating Music to play some cool musical computer games with your kids! They can create their own music!

6. Get out some musical instruments and start your own family band! The instruments don't have to be fancy! In fact, you can mix art projects with music projects by creating your own instruments! Some sites with ideas on how to do this are 9 Easy To Make Musical Instruments and Mudcat For Kids. If you have a tape recorder, video recorder or mp3 recorder, you could even record your musical masterpieces!

7. Put on your own play. Let your kids come up with an idea for a skit, and act it out together! Use regular household items as props.

8. Pick up blank notebooks or sketchbooks at a dollar store, or just staple or fold sheets of paper together. Then, encourage your kids to write and illustrate their own stories! They could make up stories from their imaginations, or write about things happening in their own lives.
For kids who cannot yet write or don't like to write, let them draw pictures and then dictate their stories to you. You can write the words for them underneath the pictures.

9. Play CD's of different kinds of music... Fast music, slow music, classical music, children's music, etc. Dance to the music, and talk about how different songs make you feel!

If you have other ideas, let me know! Have a great and artful day!

Would YOU Lock This Boy In A Dog Crate?

2008-01-30T08:35:00.000-06:00

I just heard about a very strange story involving a case where a grandmother has been put in jail for locking her ten-year-old grandson in a dog crate.
But wait until you find out why she did it!
For at least two months, the boy's family members had been getting sick with flu-like symptoms. Then, the other day, the boy told his family that he knew why they'd been getting sick: he'd been poisoning their drinking water for the past two months! Whenever he got the chance, he would squirt lamp oil or household cleaning fluid into the jugs of water. When the family heard this, they became enraged. The boy's twenty-four-year-old brother punched him in the eye, and then his grandmother locked him in the dog crate. She then called a family counselor and told them that if they didn't come get the little boy, she would "bury him alive in the backyard."
Check out the video...

To me this seems like such a horrible situation. For a little boy to have been deliberately poisoning his family over a period of two months, even though it meant poisoning himself as well, he obviously has severe, severe problems. He needs help as soon as possible.
It could be said that many people would have reacted the way this boy's family did. What do you do when you find out that your ten year old has secretly been trying to kill you, and has come pretty close to being successful?
On the other hand, not much has been said about the boy's family. It is hard to imagine what may have happened in the boy's life to cause him to have such violent ideas in the first place?
I have heard stories from different parents, especially people who are the adoptive or foster parents of children who started out their lives in very troubled homes... people for whom it wouldn't be much of a stretch to find out that their child wanted to kill them. But I can't imagine the people I know of reacting by punching a child or locking a child in a dog crate. (They might want to do something like that, but would control their impulses!) What I can imagine the people I know doing is having the child hospitalized immediately, maybe even locking the child in a safe room if she was becoming violent or threatening to hurt someone. They would realize the child was very ill at the moment, and they would resist any feelings of wanting to hurt the child.
So, what do you think about this family? Is it right for the grandmother and brother to be in jail right now for punishing the little boy the way that they did? Were they simply overwhelmed family members who were frightened by the power a small child had to hurt them? Or was this only the climax of the sega of a very disturbed family?
I'd be interested in hearing what you think!

Make Money Online!

2008-01-29T18:14:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! I was planning to build a website to show others how to make money online, and also to use all those affiliate links I've been gathering! But I decided, instead of making a separate webpage, I'd just do a blog entry on making money online, and then others can refer back to it whenever they want!
You may notice that I haven't posted a huge, complete directory of ways to make money online. Thats because I have already tried out many, many ways of making money online, and found out that most of them didn't work. The ones I am posting here are the diamonds in the rough, the few opportunities that have actually panned out for me! So, if you want to make some extra money, check these out!
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Make Money Selling Books! I just recently opened up my own online bookstore through Bookwise... and you can too! Here's the 4-1-1. You pay a start-up fee of about forty dollars. Then, you have to pay a membership fee each month. But... don't stop reading just because of that! You get a lot out of that membership fee, including your choice of a new book, DVD or game sent to your house each month. (Hint: If you pick an expensive one, like a DVD, you'll be getting the best value!) You also get a lot of extra Internet benefits each month.
There are several ways to make money with Bookwise. Here are a few:
1. Through the affiliate program. Whenever you help enroll a new associate (for instance, you get a $35.00 bonus. You also get a commission for every person that person enrolls, and everyone the next person enrolls, and so on down the line!
2. Through Preferred Customers. Besides recruiting associates for the program, you can also refer people to sign up for the Preferred Customer book club. Every time someone joins the book club through you, you get a commission.
3. Independently selling books. After you pay your membership fee, you can buy additional books from the site at wholesale prices. Then, you can turn around and sell those books, and make yourself a profit!
You don't have to make a big commitment to this program. You pay month by month, and you can stop participating whenever you want. But if you participate for a whole year, and you then decide your life is not better because of Bookwise... you get back every penny of membership fees you paid!
So... seriously, you have nothing to lose!
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Get Paid To Blog. I have enrolled in just about every single Get Paid To Blog program in existence, but PayPerPost is the only one I'm going to refer you to. Why? Because its the only one I've really made any money off of! This month I made $168. If you have a higher PageRank, you can make even more! (My PR is zilch right now, so you see, that $168 is probably a minimum!) $168 may not sound like much to you, but considering that I basically made that money with very little time and effort, its a fortune! And my PayPerPost money has put gas in my car plenty of times when I was almost down to my last dime!
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MAKE MONEY BY BEING A SOCIAL BUTTERFLY ONLINE! There are sites that will actually pay you do things many people already do, such as post on message boards.

MyLot is one of my new obsessions. Basically its a message board where you can talk about anything in the world! People ask questions and you can answer them, or you can ask questions and get them answered. Anything from "Do you use antibacterial soap?" to "I need advice about my child with autism" appears on the site. And, the more you post or respond to other people's posts, the more you get paid! This can take a while to make money. MyLot never reveals how much money they pay for each post. High quality posts make more money, though. This prevents people from just posting nonsense. I love MyLot because its bursting with information!

I just discovered Gather.com/a> and I've already fallen in love with it! You earn points for posting articles, photos, videos, etc, and you also earn points for commenting on other people's stuff. Points can be exchanged for gift certificates and other prizes! If you start earning 3,000 points per month, you can switch to earning actual cash instead!
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Make Money Signing Up For Free Trials! I made $75.00 in one day with this program. (And yes, I actually did get paid!) You get paid for signing up for free offers. Here's the trick. You sign up for the offer, and then make sure to call and cancel a few days later, if the offer isn't something you actually want. You can also earn virtual pearls and coins, which can be traded for raffle tickets and other prizes!
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Thats all I have for now! If you have more ideas for making money online, feel free to let me know, and I'll add them to this page!

Using Virtual Reality To Teach Kids With Autism!

2008-01-29T10:37:00.000-06:00

I read something very interesting about a new way to help children with autism learn to cross the street safely.
Most children do learn about safety while they're in the classroom. They may watch videos talking about looking both ways, holding hands with an adult, staying in crosswalks, watching the traffic light for the walk signal, etc. They may read stories about it, color pictures about it, learn rhymes about it, etc. And then, most children are able to take that knowledge, and transfer it to real-world situations. The next time a child is out walking with her mother, she may say, "Remember to look both ways, Mom!" or "Lets stay in the crosswalk!" because she learned that at school.
But kids with autism have trouble taking things they learn in one situation and transferring that knowledge to a different situation. A child with autism may watch the same videos, hear the same stories, learn the same rhymes and color the same worksheets as his peers. He may know that information backwards and forwards in the classroom. But when it comes time to cross an actual street, in the real world, it may not even occur to him to think about what he learned at school!
For kids with autism, it is best to teach them life skills like this in natural settings. Kids with autism tend to learn these things best by actually doing them, repeatedly, until they develop habits. But it isn't always possible, or safe, for schools to take groups of children out to practice crossing streets... especially busy streets!
However, a new study shows that children with autism can learn to cross streets, using virtual reality. In the study, children between the ages of seven and twelve practiced crossing the street in a virtual reality program. that increased in difficulty as the children mastered skills. The children were able to see and hear things the same way they would have in real life. After a month of learning the skill this way, children were then brought to an actual street, and they demonstrated that they could use the knowledge they'd learned through the virtual reality program.
Since this program seems to work to teach kids with autism to cross the street safely, imagine the possibilities for other virtual reality programs that could teach them even more skills!

Mission Monday: Nets Can Save Lives!

2008-01-28T11:39:00.000-06:00

This idea was passed along to me by Diana's mom, Lisa!
In countries such as Africa, malaria is a serious concern. Every year, 515 million people get malaria. Of these, between one and three million people will die from the disease. The majority of the people who die from it are young children, whose small bodies cannot fight it off as well. The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes, and the majority of mosquito bites occur at night when people are sleeping. People often don't have glass or screens to cover their windows, so bugs just fly in and out at night.
Malaria can be treated with drugs, if it is caught early. However, in very poor countries, most people do not go rushing to the doctor at the first sign of illness. Going to the doctor is very expensive, plus it causes people to miss work, so people tend to wait until they are very, very ill before they ask for help.
There is no vaccine for malaria. However, there is a very simple way of preventing malaria. Special mosquito nets, which are treated with insecticide, can be hung over a bed or sleeping space. The net prevents insects from getting to the people underneath them, and the insecticide also keeps insects out of the general area, so even people in the room who aren't actually under the net are safe! In fact, if many people in a community own these nets, the nets can protect a whole community!
These nets are made and distributed by Nothing But Nets, and the nets cost only ten dollars, and can last for four years. However, for people who are living on a dollar a day or less, ten dollars is a huge expense that many cannot afford.
With that said, our mission for today is to help get mosquito nets into the homes of people who need them. There are many ways that you can help. You can simply make a donation of ten dollars or more... every ten dollars you donate provides one net to someone! You can start or join a fundraising team, and raise money for even more nets. And, if you own a website or blog, you can add a banner or button to your site encouraging others to get involved with Nothing But Nets.
If you lived in one of these countries, wouldn't you want someone to do something like this for you?

Ronald McDonald House Makes Sure Siblings Don't Get Left Behind!

2008-01-28T11:30:00.000-06:00

Check out this video I found! I'm always supportive of the things Ronald McDonald House does to help children with serious illnesses. But they also make sure that siblings get their needs met! One Ronald McDonald House in Twin Cities noticed that some families had to choose between leaving siblings at home so they could keep going to school, or bring them along and let them miss school. So they created a classroom right there in Ronald McDonald House, where siblings can keep up with their schooling, under the guidance of a real teacher! I think this is an awesome idea and I hope other Ronald McDonald Houses will start doing this as well!

Events For This Week!

2008-01-27T12:56:00.001-06:00

We have several special days to look forward to and think about, this week.
First of all, today starts the beginning of Catholic Schools Week! When a lot of us think of Catholic schools, we picture angry nuns hitting children with rulers! But a lot has changed in Catholic schools since those days. If you're looking for a school for a child in your life, don't overlook your local Catholic school!
Also, this Thursday is Inspire Your Heart With Art Day! Plan to help the children in your life enrich their appreciation of art. You may want to visit an art museum, go to a concert, or read a book of poetry. But you may also want to get some art supplies and make your own art, grab some notebooks and pens and write your own stories, or put on your favorite CDs and dance to the music! On Thursday morning I will post some activity ideas for the special day.
Next, Friday is National Give Kids A Smile Day! This is a day to help children and parents become aware of the importance of dental health. Many communities will be hosting events where dental supplies and other goodies will be given out, especially to children from low-imcome homes. On Friday I'll post some links for fun dental health activities to do with the kids in your life!
Then, Saturday is National Teach Your Daughter To Volunteer Day! (Although I think it should be "Teach All Children To Volunteer Day!") What a great day to start a volunteer project with the children in your life. To look for family-friendly volunteer opportunities in your community, check out VolunteerMatch, 1-800-Volunteer, or Network For Good. These sites have search engines where you can enter your zip code or the name of your city, and specify that you want opportunities where your children would be welcome to accompany you. On Saturday, I'll post stories about children who have done volunteer work!
Its going to be a great week!

10-Year-Old Girl Handcuffed On School Bus!

2008-01-26T22:02:00.000-06:00

Check out this video news story I found. This little girl, who is ten years old and has special needs, was put in handcuffs because she wouldn't sit down on the school bus!

Apparently this isn't uncommon at all, especially not in Florida! If children don't sit down and behave themselves on the school bus, they can be handcuffed!
I don't think it was the police who handcuffed this girl... Apparently they had some sort of second person riding on the school bus to aide the driver. When I was a kid I rode on a school bus full of particularly rowdy kids, and eventually an aide was hired to help control the kids on the bus. The aide hollered at us a lot, but I can't imagine him ever slapping cuffs on any of us!
It is sort of strange, though, that when asked how she felt, the little girl said she felt like she would be "scarred for life." I wonder if she might not be even more scarred because of all of the publicity going on around the incident?

Smarty Saturday Book Recommendation: The Emergency Teacher

2008-01-26T18:13:00.000-06:00

I just finished reading The Emergency Teacher, by Christina Asquith. and I think its a book that everyone who cares about children should read... especially people who are, or who aspire to be, teachers.
This autobiography is set in a rough neighborhood in Philadelphia, where a severe shortage of teachers has left entire classrooms of children to fend for themselves. The city has devised a plan to staff their schools as quickly as possible. They will allow anyone with any sort of degree to become a teacher, and the people can start teaching right away while taking night classes towards an actual teaching degree.
Christina is a twenty-five-year-old reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, who has often reported on the state of schools. When she hears about the opportunity, she decides this is her chance to actually get into a school and make a difference. And so Christina becomes an official sixth-grade teacher at one of the worst middle schools in the city.
But teaching turns out to be harder than Christina expected. Especially when she is given no books, no curriculum, and no other teaching supplies; when her roster is constantly changing as children drop out of school, move away, or get sent to her class by other teachers who don't want them; when many of her sixth graders can barely read or write and many more don't speak English; when out in the hallways, roving gangs of troubled children who still don't have teachers rule the roost, terrorizing smaller kids, vandalizing property and setting fires; and when the new principal's plan behind her "failure is not an option" motto is to encourage teachers to give kids passing grades no matter what.
The Emergency Teacher is a survival story. It is about the survival of a young, naive and inexperienced teacher, and the survival of a school full of children who society seems to have forgotten about.
Hopefully this book will not only open America's eyes to the plights of children in inner city schools not only in Philadelphia, but all over the country!

A Gang Of Little Thieves Is Rescued!

2008-01-25T11:54:00.000-06:00

Remember in the story of Oliver Twist, the crooked man called Fagin who pretended to befriend homeless boys and then taught them to steal for him? Well, a group of modern-day Fagins has just been busted in London, and eleven children have been taken into foster care as a temporary solution until they can be reunited with their families.
This story is a little different from the one in Oliver Twist, though, because all of the children were from Romania, and were given to the adults by their parents in exchange for a promise of future payments. The children mostly belonged to poor Romanian families, and as in many child trafficking situations, the adults who took the children promised the parents that this was the best thing they could do for their families. The children were then brought to London and forced to be pickpockets. The money they stole was wired back to Romania or sent there in suitcases, and was used to make the gang members very wealthy.
The operation has apparently been going on for years, not just with this particular gang but with many different gangs. It has become a popular way for Romanian criminals to make money. Children under the age of ten are especially useful to the gangs of adults benefiting from this, because in London children under ten cannot be held legally responsible for their actions. If a child is caught for pickpocketing and turned over to the police, one of the gang members comes and picks her up, claiming to be her parent, and then turns her out on the streets in a different area to keep up the work of pickpocketing.
Children older then ten are also instructed to claim that they were under the age of ten, and given fake names to tell the police.
The children are typically instructed to look for expensive things like cell phones and credit cards. They are taught various ways to steal. For instance, "Hugger muggers" put on Shirley-Temple-like shows on the streets, singing and dancing, and then hugging members of the audience. When they hug a person, they also manage to root through the person's coat pockets or purse, to steal valuables. Similarly, groups of children go into shops, and while a few of them distract shopkeepers by singing and dancing, others steal things off the shelves. Other times, children go into restaurants and steal items off of tables and chairs. Even babies can be used to distract potential victims while older children or adults do the stealing!
For now, ten children are safe. Yesterday morning police raided several houses in which they believed Romanian children were being held.
The problem now is how to handle the children. They are being cared for in foster care, but hopefully will be reunited with their families in Romania.

I'm Getting Bookwise!

2008-01-24T21:19:00.000-06:00

I just invested in a new home business that you might like to be a part of! It happens to be the most intelligent home based business in the world! I now have my own virtual bookstore! I sell books through a program called Bookwise.
I think its going to be a pretty good investment, because there are several ways to earn money through the program. I'll tell you what they are!
1. By recruiting other people who want to have their own bookstores. Every time you get someone to sign up, you get a thirty-five dollar bonus. Then, for every month that they stay part of the business, you get a small commission. So you'll be earning commission on each person you enroll, for as long as they stay enrolled.
2. Through your "downline." If you recruit people, you also get a commission for everyone that person recruits, and everyone that person recruits, and everyone that person recruits, and so on down the line.
4. By getting people to join the book club part of the business as "Preferred Members." That means they want to buy books each month, but they don't want to actually be part of the business.
5. You also can buy books at wholesale prices through the site, which you can then turn around and sell on your own, making even more profit!
Want to hear what I especially like about this business? For every purchase or sign up made, one dollar is donated to children's organizations. So I know this business definitely is on the same... er... page... as me!
If you think you might like to be a part of this, or if you just want to join the book club and save up to 42% on books, visit my Bookwise site today!

Predicting Anti-Social Behavior In Children Before Its Too Late

2008-01-24T17:20:00.000-06:00

In New Zealand, measures are being taken to screen very young children for the earliest hints of what they call "antisocial" behavior. They will begin searching for children between the ages of 3 and 7 who show signs of antisocial behavior such as being violent, or refusing to follow directions. The children identified as having antisocial behavior will be kids whose problems are especially severe, not who have typical behaviors such as temper tantrums.
Children who are identified will then receive intervention. Training courses for parents will be included in the intervention, as well as courses for the children's teachers. Children will be taught positive behaviors to help them make friends, deal with emotions, get along at home, and succeed in school.
The concept is that if antisocial behavior in children is caught, and dealt with, when children are still very young, their behavior won't have time to spiral out of control. This will prevent them from growing up to have life problems that adults with antisocial behavior often deal with, such as depression, alcohol and drug use, and the inability to form relationships with others.
Critics of the plan say that it is unhealthy to start labeling children when they are so young. But supporters say that saving children from having much more severe problems later in life is worth any problems that might be caused by labeling.
Personally, I've always hated the term "antisocial", and I think that term would probably prevent a lot of parents from bringing their children in to be screened. The term "antisocial" reminds people of "antisocial personality disorder," which will make parents think they are raising the next Ted Bundy!
I am not sure if a similar screening process exists in the USA. I wasn't able to find any information about programs that exist, although I did find some information about theories of the benefits of a screening program! I know that here in the USA, public schools are required to provide outreach services to identify children with special needs who aren't yet being served by the school system, but I don't know if those outreach programs include behavioral problems, or if they just screen for things like autism, learning disorders,etc. If anyone else knows anything more about this, I'd be interested in hearing!

Commercial Break: Overstock.com's Game'O'Love!

2008-01-24T14:37:00.000-06:00

The following is a sponsored post. Please visit our sponsor to thank them for allowing us to make more donations to children's organizations!
It feels like it was just Christmas, and now Valentine's Day is already rolling around! Time to go shopping, once again, for special things to surprise all of the sweethearts in your life!
I have something that might make your Valentine's shopping a little more easier for you, though. Overstock.com is having a Game O Love! The cool thing about Overstock.com's "Game O Love" is that you can pick out the specific things you'd like to win! You'll be able to browse through the site's merchandise to find the perfect thing!
Okay, so I don't actually have a sweetheart sweetheart, but I do have a lot of very sweet kids in my life, and I love to surprise them on holidays!
Let's see. Melissa's way into Naruto right now(she says she's outgrown Pokemon) so I'd get her the Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution game for Wii. (Although I'm not sure she has Wii... I guess I'd have to get her that, too! On the other hand, I bet Melissa, Maggie and Brandon would love having
FreeRider Sidewalk Surfing Caster Skateboards... they're supposed to be like a cross between snowboarding and skateboarding! Abby would love one of those too, but she's still kinda little, so I'd probably get her a Rolling Coaster Children's Ride-On Car. I'd probably get those for my little cousins, too! And for baby Hayden, perhaps a
Super Soft Bean Bag Lamb for her to lay around on!
These may sound like some extravagant Valentine's gifts... but if I have a chance of winning, I may as well dream, right?
What would you like to win in Overstock.com's Valentine's Day Game?

Parental Alienation Syndrome?

2008-01-23T10:16:00.000-06:00

I recently came across an article stating that one out of every four children whose parents are divorced or going through a custody battle suffer from Parental Alienation Syndrome.
According to the article I read, this is an actual psychological syndrome that is brought on when one parent (usually the parent who has primary custody of the child) encourages the child to reject the other parent, by consistently making negative remarks about the parent, accusing the child of abandoning the first parent when he visits or speaks to the second parent, forcing the child to choose between her parents, etc.
Children then begin to reject the second parent, as a sort of survival mechanism to retain the love and approval of the first parent. They may begin refusing to see the second parent, and even cut relatives of the second parent out of their lives.
I don't know if this is a real syndrome or not, but I do know that this type of situation is very real. In fact, I don't think it only effects children of divorce. Any time a child is used as a pawn between two adults he loves... whether that is his two divorced parents, his two parents who've never been married, a parent and a relative, a parent and a foster parent, a birth parent and an adoptive parent, a parent and a sibling, etc... the child suffers greatly.
Adults who are involved in the lives of children need to recognize that every child is better off with as many people as possible who love and cherish him. There need not be any competition among adults to see who can win the child's love an affection. Instead, adults can think of themselves as a team, whose job it is to raise a child in the most positive and loving way possible. Adults who do not get along with each other can still put their feelings for each other aside when it comes to dealing with a child.
Here are some tips of the trade:

1. Never "badmouth" a child's other parent, or anyone else in the child's life, whether you are speaking directly to the child or just within the child's earshot. Remember the old rule, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."
2. When you are angry at the other adult, don't take it out on the child. Avoid saying things like, "You're just like your mother," or "Stop acting like your father!" Saying things like, "If your father would just send the child support check, we wouldn't be having problems." A child should not have to feel guilty just for being related to their other parent!
3. Avoid using your children to get messages back and forth between two adults. For instance, try not to say something like, "Tell your mother not to just feed you junk food this weekend." Instead, communicate directly with the other person. If this isn't possible, another choice might be to communicate through your lawyer or a mediator.
4. Don't interrogate your children after they have seen the other adult. Kids can tell the difference between friendly questions like, "Did you have a nice time? What did you do? How is Aunt Rita doing?" and information-seeking questions like "Did Dad have his girlfriend over? Did she say anything about me? What does she look like?" When put in this situation, children might feel they need to lie about the other parent, either to protect the other parent or to protect your feelings, and then they can start to feel very guilty and nervous. Avoid putting them in that situation!
5. At certain times, the child may need to vent to you about the other adult. Kids do get mad at adults. When your child is venting to you, do your best to listen and provide support without judging. For instance, if your child complains, "Grandma makes me go to bed at eight o'clock and I hate her!" try to avoid replying with something negative like "Grandma is so bossy, isn't she." Instead, just listen, and perhaps try to help the child understand the other adult's point of view. Saying something like, "Maybe Grandma thought you seemed extra tired this weekend," or offering to talk to Grandma about a compromise will be much more helpful to the child.
5. Don't withhold visitation to punish the other adult. Visitation is not a reward for the other adult for complying with your wishes, but a necessity for a child to keep up a relationship with an important person in her life. Telling your ex-spouse, "You can see Timmy when you start paying child support," may be a punishment for the ex-spouse, but you're also punishing Timmy, and that's not something you want to do!
6. If you are a non-custodial parent, do your part by paying child support on time. It may be tempting to withhold child support to punish the other parent, but you are also showing your child, "You're not worth the money to me." The child does not need to know how much you are paying. He only needs to know that both of his parents or caretakers are working together to make sure his needs are met. Also, if you have a visitation schedule, avoid cancellations, and be there on time to pick the child up! It may be tempting to cancel or be late in order to inconvenience the other adult, but when you cancel your visits or show up really late, it tells the children that they're not important to you. Be there, or be square!
7. If you are an adult who has regular visitation times with children, try not to think of this time as "your time". Some parents or other adults with visitation schedules get angry if a child has a soccer game or a birthday party to go to on "their" weekend. Try to realize this is the child's time as well, and work around the child's schedule in order to keep her life as normal as possible. If you live close enough, you can be the one to pick up and drop off your child at this birthday party, or you can be the one to go watch the soccer game. If this isn't possible, make other arrangements. Let the child skip one weekend in order to go to the birthday party, sign the child up for the soccer league in your town instead, or consider visiting the child in her own hometown instead of having her come to your town.
8. Keep rules as stable as possible... at least the important ones! For instance, if a teenager has an eleven o'clock curfew at her father's house during the week, she should not be allowed to come home at two am during her weekend visits with her mother. If a child's mother is a vegan and doesn't want the child eating meat or dairy, don't take him to McDonald's during your visits! Adults need to work together to come up with stable rules they can both agree on.
9. Involve children in planning visitation schedules. Older kids and teenagers may not want to visit every single weekend, as their social lives become more demanding. Try to come up with an agreement, such as every other weekend, or half the summer instead of the entire summer.
10. There are certain situations in which it is going to be very, very, very tempting to speak badly about another adult or to use the children to punish that adult. For instance, if the other adult has let the child down in some way... perhaps she did not show up for her scheduled visitation, or he made an extravagant promise to a child but then did not keep it. In more extreme cases, you may find out that the adult has abused or neglected the child at some point. Or, perhaps a parent has a serious mental illness or substance abuse problem and is not a very stable influence in the child's life. It is important to acknowledge to the child that what the other adult did was wrong and that the child did not deserve it. The child may not want to see the other parent for a while, or, in extreme cases where the child has been put in danger, you may have to make the decision to not allow the child to have unsupervised visits. But avoid portraying the other adult as a "bad person". Try not to say things like, "I told you, your dad is such an asshole," or "I don't know why your mother doesn't love you the way I do!" "He's just a jerk," or, "What can you expect from a crackhead," may be true statements, but they're not helpful. Remember to speak about the parent's behavior as being wrong. You can explain that sometimes adults make big, big mistakes, or that the drugs, alcohol or mental illness cause the other adult to say and do things that he doesn't mean. Remind the child that the other adult does love her, and point out all of the other people in the child's life that love and adore her as well.
If unsupervised time with the other adult is no longer possible because of the other adult's behavior, try to allow the child to keep up a relationship with the other adult in the least restrictive way that the child and you are comfortable with. This may mean allowing the child and other adult to visit at the home of a mutual friend or relative you trust, allowing the child to visit with the adult in a public place along with yourself or another responsible adult, allowing the child and adult to exchange phone calls or letters, etc. But if a child does not feel safe or comfortable having contact with the adult, he should probably not be forced.
11. The above example is a very serious situation, and not something anyone would want to manifest or make up. Being hurt or disappointed by a parent or other beloved adult is traumatizing to children. Parents should never, ever, ever make false accusations against each other. For instance, if your ex-spouse was violent towards you, your children need to understand that they and you are not safe being alone with your ex.... and in that situation, the children are probably already aware of it. Even if you have tried to hide evidence of being abused by your ex-spouse, the kids probably sensed that something was very wrong.
On the other hand, falsely accusing your ex-spouse of having been abusive, just to punish him and to keep the children from him, is the wrong thing to do. Hearing such horrible things about a parent is traumatizing for kids, and kids who are really in that situation will need counseling and a lot of extra love and attention. If it is not true, kids shouldn't have to go through that.
Similarly, if you truly believe a child has been abused, neglected, or otherwise endangered by the other adult, it is obviously your job to protect the child and make sure he isn't put in danger by that adult again. You may have to take your child to a doctor or to the hospital, call the police, etc. But do not falsely accuse another adult of hurting a child, just to punish the adult and keep the children from her. Asking your children to lie, or convincing them that something happened when it really didn't, is so very, very bad for them.
This can be a tricky situation because you may have a feeling something has happened to your children while they were with the other adult, but you may worry that it is your imagination, or you may think you are subconsciously trying to punish the other adult. Trust your instincts. If you truly, seriously think something is wrong, or if your children ever tell you or tell someone else that something is wrong, you should definitely take it seriously. If you have doubts, taking them to a doctor or therapist will help you decide for sure if there is something to worry about.
12. Above all, love the children! Whatever you do in life, do it out of love. It may sound corny, but if you make decisions while concentrating on your love for your children, and not on your hate or contempt for the other adult, you can get through anything.

A Letter from Maria Jose!

2008-01-22T14:56:00.000-06:00

Good news, everyone! I got a letter from our sponsored child, Maria Jose!
Well, it wasn't a letter, actually. She's only two years old so she can't write yet. What the agency does is have the mother write a short letter, and then fill out a little questionnaire thing about the child.
The letter from Maria's mother says, "Let me tell you that the child is very happy. She likes to play with dolls. She shares with her siblings. She likes to sing. Her mother, Nubia Lugo, says goodbye."
On the back, where the mother was supposed to check multiple choice boxes about the child, she checked every single box. So according to this letter, Maria's favorite foods are rice with chicken, fish or meat; soup, fast food, salad, and fritters. Her favorite fruits are apples, oranges, watermelons, pineapples, and bananas. She likes to play with her friends, play with toys, sing, dance, and draw. In her neighborhood there are parks, churches, grocery stores, police stations, and schools.
There was also a space for Maria to color a picture of a dog, but it looks like her mother just colored it in with a pencil!
I am going to save all the letters and pictures from Maria, so as she gets older, we can watch how she changes and develops!

No Name Calling!

2008-01-21T10:07:00.000-06:00

Today is the first day of No Name Calling Week, a week in which we can all focus on the effects our words have on others. The week was created particularly to help educate kids in fifth through eighth grades... grades when kids are notorious for teasing and bullying! But people of every age can participate in this week. It is a great time to talk to the children in your life about name-calling.
Ask your kids if they've ever been called any names, and how these names made them feel. You can also ask if they've ever called other people names, and discuss what made them do this, and how it might have made the other people feel. Talk about how your kids can handle it if someone calls them a name, and how they can avoid calling other people names. Then, this week, everyone can make an effort to really watch their own language! Try to avoid even seemingly harmless, joking name calling, such as calling your friend a dork for watching a TV show you don't like.
Sometimes name calling in school leads to more serious bullying. For instance, when everyone decides to call one kid a nerd, someone else might get the idea to write the word "nerd" on the kid's locker, or stick a sign saying "nerd" on the back of the kid's shirt. That can even lead to physical bullying. Talk to the kids in your life about how they can get help if they are the victims of bullying or if they witness other kids being bullied. You might like to check out the website Kids Against Bullying for some kid-friendly information and tips on dealing with all sorts of bullying.
Happy No Name Calling Week!

Life In Prison For Kids

2008-01-21T10:06:00.000-06:00

We in the USA tend to think of ourselves as a very progressive, child-centered country. So when asked to name the two countries in the world that refused to sign the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, would we ever guess that we are one of those countries? Yep, we are.
The reason why we refused to sign this document is because it prohibits the lifelong imprisonment of children. The rest of the countries, which signed the document, felt that it was wrong to sentence someone to grow up, live his entire life, and finally die, in prison, for a crime he committed as a child.
But I guess it would make the USA look sort of silly if we signed that document! After all, we have 2,270 children who will never see the outside of a prison for as long as they live!
In our mostly conservative country, we believe that every crime should be severely, severely punished, even if that crime is committed by a child. Even if a child is only marginally involved in a crime... for instance, a twelve-year-old who was convinced into hiding a gun for a neighborhood adult gang member... we believe that no mercy should be shown.
Consider the story of Sara. Raised by an abusive, drug-addicted mother, when Sara was eleven years old she went to live with an adult man she met, who was kind to her and acted like a father. But once he had Sara under his roof, he began to molest her, and sent her out to be a prostitute. When Sara was sixteen years old, she killed the man who had basically kidnapped her. For this, Sara will spend the rest of her life in prison.
Another story is the story of Antonio, who was fourteen years old when he got into a car with two adult men he knew. Later, one of the men would claim that the other had kidnapped him. The car Antonio was riding in ended up being involved in a police chase, and when the police managed to stop the car, Antonio was arrested along with the adults. Antonio was charged with aggravated kidnapping, and sentenced to life in prison.
How about the story of Brandon, a seventeen-year-old who was involved in a fistfight that broke out among several of his friends. One of Brandon's friends pulled out a knife and stabbed another boy. The boy died. Because he was involved in the fistfight, Brandon will now live the rest of his life in prison.
Not all of the stories of kids growing up in prison are stories where a kid happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Many stories are chilling, such as the story of the fourteen-year-old girl who doused her grandmother with gasoline and set her on fire (the grandmother lived) or the fourteen-year-old boy who beat a man to death with a baseball bat and then set the man's trailer on fire. But the question remains... should kids be imprisoned for their entire lives for crimes they committed at such young ages? Some argue that life imprisonment is even worse than the death penalty for kids, because they actually have to live out lifetimes of horror. Many kids are living out life sentences for crimes they committed against adults who had severely abused them, or for crimes they were coaxed by adults to commit.
Generally when teenagers are sentenced as adults, which is usually the case when they get life imprisonment sentences, they actually have to go to adult prisons. There, they are at serious risk of being abused at the hands of adult inmates and guards.
I think it is a pretty sad thing that kids all over the world are, at least in this one way, safer than kids in the USA.

Commercial Break: Trusted Tours

2008-01-20T16:17:00.000-06:00

The following is a sponsored post. Please visit our sponsor to thank them for allowing us to make more donations to children's organizations!
When I was a kid, my family once went to Orlando for a vacation. We went down there partly to see my Grandpa, but also so we could have a good time as a family! My parents had saved up enough money so that we could spend one day at Disney World. The rest of the time, we had to find our own less-expensive forms of entertainment! Often this consisted of just hanging around the hotel room and playing in the pool. The Internet wasn't even invented back then, so we didn't have many ways to learn about the different attractions and sightseeing tours offered in Orlando! If the Internet had existed back then, we might have found out about Trusted Tours & Attractions, a site which could have hooked us up with all sorts of Orlando tours! For instance, there's the Kennedy Space Center, Cypress Gardens Adventure Park, hot air balloon rides, and Gatorland!
I guess its too late to go back in time. But its not too late for you! Plus, if you go to the site and sign up for their newsletter, you'll have a chance at winning a handheld GPS! Now that could come in handy!

Children and Pets!

2008-01-20T15:10:00.000-06:00

A few days ago I posted about how I was going to be "foster parenting" a dog named Jules, for a few days until she hopefully got adopted. Well, the story has changed a little now! I am going to be the one adopting Jules! And her name is Trixie now. (She doesn't mind that we changed her name... she was only called Jules for a few days, and she never seemed to respond to it! Strangely, she does respond to the name Trixie!)
Anyway, in light of this newest change in my life, I thought I'd write about children and pets.
Pets can be so, so, so wonderful for children to have! According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, pets can benefit children in many ways, including:
" * They can be safe recipients of secrets and private thoughts--children often talk to their pets, like they do their stuffed animals.
* They provide lessons about life; reproduction, birth, illnesses, accidents, death, and bereavement.
* They can help develop responsible behavior in the children who care for them.
* They provide a connection to nature.
* They can teach respect for other living things."

But in order for both child and pet to get the most out of each other, the adults in the house need to make sure of a few things.

- Before you consider getting a pet, you might want to have your children (and yourself!) allergy tested, or spend time around the pets of friends and family members to see if anyone has allergic reactions. It would be heartbreaking for your children and your pet if you get a pet, only to have to return or give away the pet a few weeks later because someone has allergies!
- Think carefully about what kind of pet you want to get. If your children are still very young, a new puppy might be too much for them. New puppies have a lot of energy and aren't very disciplined when they first show up, and they might overwhelm toddlers and infants by nipping at them or knocking them over. And if you are very busy caring for your own small children, it might be overwhelming for you to have to start caring for yet another baby... even a four-legged one!
- Who is going to be responsible for caring for the pet? Many people want to get pets to help teach children responsibility, and pets are wonderful for that purpose! But school-aged children are probably not ready to handle all of the responsibility for a pet. Unless your child is a budding veterinarian with an unusual talent for caring for animals, the child is going to need a lot of help. So choose a pet that you will be able to provide most of the care for, and give the children each one or two pet-related chores that they'll be in charge of. You'll probably still have to supervise. For instance, if you give your ten-year-old the job of giving Buster fresh food and water each morning, you should take responsibility for making sure that job gets done each day, so Buster doesn't go hungry whenever your kiddo forgets!
- Children need to be taught to have respect for animals and to be gentle with them. Your four-year-old might think its fun to put your puppy on a leash and drag him around the house, but the dog may not like it. And your eight-year-old may think its really cool to play catch with the hamster, but its probably traumatizing the hamster! Toddlers are especially notorious for yanking on ears, tails and fur... they don't mean to hurt their pets, but they instinctively yank on anything they're curious about! Even the smallest children can be taught to use gentle touches. Older kids may need to be taught that pets are not toys, and that if a pet gets upset he might run away or even bite or scratch. You might want to tell toddlers and preschoolers that they are not allowed to pick up cats or small dogs, until they've learned how to carry them properly and safely. Explain that if the kids want their pet to like them, they have to be kind to their pet. Help your kids find games they can play that both they and their pet will safely enjoy! (Scroll down to the end of this post for some resources on games and tricks kids can do with pets!)
- Think about the commitment you are willing to make to a pet. Dogs can live up to sixteen years, and cats tend to live even longer! Some birds can even live about fifty years! Are you willing to make a pet a part of your family for that long?
If the thought of that type of commitment makes you queasy, you might want to start out with something like a hamster, which only lives two or three years. Also, if you get a pet, are you willing to stick with it through thick or thin? What if you get divorce, move to a new area, have another baby, experience a death in the family, etc. Are you going to be willing to keep your pet, no matter what?
- If you are not a child's parent or guardian, never surprise a child with a pet before first talking it out with the adults the child lives with. I heard one story about a divorced father who had his son stay with him for a summer, and bought the boy a puppy during that time, with the expectation that the boy would bring his new dog back to live with him at his mother's house during the school year. The father didn't ask the boy's mother, though, and the mother was not a fan of pets. The mother ended up locking the dog in the basement while she went on vacation. The dog would have starved to death, if concerned neighbors hadn't called the police. This is an extreme example, but the point is, if the adults the child lives with don't want a pet in the house, giving the child a pet anyway is never a good idea!
- This quiz can help you decide if your family is ready for a pet, and what kind of pet would work best for you! Pet Universe also has a quiz to help you find the ideal type of pet, and if you've already decided on a cat or dog, you can take quizzes to find your ideal breed!
- If you end up deciding you're definitely ready for a pet, and you know what kind you're going to get, please consider adopting a homeless pet instead of going to a pet store or a breeder! There are so many pets of every kind that are waiting in pounds and shelters right now. Petfinder.com is an excellent resource to match you up with the perfect pet! You can enter your zipcode and specify the type and breed of animal you want, and the age, size and gender of your ideal pet. They'll give you a list of pets that meet your requirements and need homes! You can see a photo of each animal, and read a little bit about them. The site also shows you which animals will not do well around small children, or other pets.
- Think about adopting an older animal instead of a baby! Older dogs often make great pets. Many have already been housebroken and trained by their former owners, and may already be used to children or other pets.

Games Pets Play!
If you're getting a dog, you might want to check out the book 50 Games To Play With Your Dog. Or visit this website!
For a cat, check out the book 50 Games To Play With Your Cat.
For hamster or gerbil fun, visit this site, or go here to learn how to make toys for your little critter!
Here and here are some good sites about how to play with a pet bunny!
This site helps you learn to play with a pet bird!

Commercial Break: Take IMing to A New Level!

2008-01-19T17:24:00.000-06:00

The following is a sponsored post. Please visit our sponsor to thank them for allowing us to make more donations to children's organizations!
Do you like to use Instant Messenger programs? Many people do. IMing is a cool way to hang out with your virtual friends. You can chat and even play games together, without even seeing each other!
Now, with SweetIM, you can take your IMing to a whole new level! SweetIM is free to download, and it won't add any Adware or Spyware to your computer, or cause you to see popups everywhere. When you download it, it simply adds extra things to the messenger system you already use!
It gives you unique emoticons, new goofy sound effects, more games, etc! Upgrading to SweetIM is a good idea for people who IM a lot, because although the usual sound effects and games and emoticons that automatically come with your Messenger system are cool, they get boring after a while when you use them a lot. So now you can wake up your friends with something new! SweetIM also lets you display pictures, and you can wink at or nudge your friends (or strangers who you'd like to get to know better!)
Try out SweetIM and see if it puts a new spin on your IMing experience!

Happy Winnie the Pooh Day!

2008-01-18T11:52:00.000-06:00

Happy Winnie the Pooh Day! I hope you stocked up on Winnie the Pooh books and videos to look at with the kids in your life! I've also supplied you with a list of links you can go to, to have more fun with Pooh Bear!
You can print out coloring pages.
You can check out these ideas for Pooh Bear Party Games!
Make some Pooh-themed snacks and drinks!
Test your knowledge of Winnie the Pooh Trivia!
Tell Winnie the Pooh Jokes!
Have safe online fun at Disney's Winnie the Pooh Page!

Have a great day!

Do Clowns Freak Kids Out?

2008-01-18T11:32:00.000-06:00

Clowns are a strange bunch, aren't they? It seems that people either love them or loathe them. Clowns are meant to delight children and adults alike, as they dance through parades and circuses and hand out candy and animal-shaped balloons at children's parties. But start talking about clowns in any group of adults, and you will almost always find someone who is terrified of them! There is actually a medical name for the fear of clowns: Coulrophobia.
Experts trying to decide what types of decorations were most uplifting for children in pediatric hospitals did a study of 250 children between the ages of four and sixteen. The study found that none of the children surveyed like clowns, and many were actually frightened of clowns... even the older kids in the group. Based on these findings, the experts recommended that pediatric hospitals and doctors offices do not decorate their spaces with images of clowns! Kids would rather have pictures of popular things from modern society. (Like Hannah Montana, perhaps?)
After hearing of this study, actual clowns are arguing their cases! There are many organizations that send clowns to children's hospitals to cheer up the young patients, and clowns who participate in these programs say that children are always happy to see them.
I think maybe kids dislike pictures of clowns, more than they dislike actual clowns being in their presence. A lot of images of clowns are sort of scary if you think about them. (Remember Bart Simpson's clown bed? "Can't...sleep! Clown... will... eat me!")
I've never found clowns particularly scary or funny, myself. Even when I was little, I just saw clowns as regular people dressed up in costume. In fact, I have a funny clown story! One time, my dad took my brother and I out to a Big Boy restaurant. We used to go there every Tuesday, because kids ate free, and a clown was there to twist balloons and make jokes. That day my dad had left his wallet behind, and he went home to get it, leaving my brother and I in the custody of the clown. When my mom found out (about 20 years later!) she freaked, saying she couldn't believe my dad had left us kids alone with "that weird clown!" Hm...
What do you think about clowns? Love 'em, or loathe 'em?

Commercial Break: The Secret To Happiness!

2008-01-18T11:20:00.000-06:00

The following is a sponsored post. Please visit our sponsor to thank them for allowing us to make more donations to children's organizations!
These days, we get a lot of advice about how to find happiness. Many of us have worked very hard to achieve high-paying jobs, buy large houses and fancy cars, and provide great educations for our children. But then we tend to look back and wonder, "Are all of these things really making me happy?" What is happiness, anyway? How do you know if you truly are happy, or if you're just content to deal with the life you've found yourself living in? Increasing rates of depression and anxiety in adults and even children in our society suggest that maybe we really aren't all that happy with life the way it is.
All over the world, people are turning to the Sedona Method to find happiness. Through retreats, books, and CD's, people are using these teachings to change their lives. The Sedona Method teaches people to find their own natural happiness within themselves. It encourages people not to cover up negative thoughts with positive ones, but to take time to acknowledge their negative thoughts and feelings, and then release this negativity.
Maybe the Sedona Method can help you!

Hey Jules...

2008-01-16T09:37:00.001-06:00

I know this isn't really news involving children, but I wanted to share this video I made! My parents and I recently became "foster parents" for dogs with no homes. Yesterday we picked up our first foster dog. The shelter has been calling her Julia, but we call her Jules.

I wish she never had to leave!

Update on Maria Jose!

2008-01-15T09:40:00.000-06:00

I thought I'd share this updated photo of our sponsored child, Maria Jose! This one was taken in December. (Our other picture of her was taken last March.)

According to the information I have, little Maria goes to preschool, and she loves to do artwork, dance, and play with her friends. She is 2 feet 9 inches, weights 22 pounds, and has no health problems. She lives with her parents... her dad is a farmer and her mother is a homemaker... and she has two siblings, an 11-year-old brother named Daiver Luis, and a 5-year-old sister named Laura Sofia.
I know thats not really a lot of information. I've also been supplied with the knowledge that she lives in a home with two bedrooms, made of concrete block with a corrugated tile roof and a concrete floor. The family uses an open fire, outdoors, to cook meals, and they own two wooden beds to sleep on. They drink water stored at home in a barrel, they do have electricity, and they have some sort of latrine.
I also found this video that shows a little bit about the area where Maria Jose lives, and the services they get from Children International. The voice over is sort of monotonous, sorry...

We're supposed to get updates on Maria every six months or so, but we may get photos more often via the Internet, I think. Anyway, when I get my paycheck I'm going to send Maria another small package... maybe some Valentines to give to her friends, and some stickers and art supplies. And maybe I can find a Valentine book, written in Spanish!
If you'd like to contribute to sending things for Maria Jose, check out the Paypal button on the sidebar, under Maria's picture, to make a donation. Or if you have specific things you'd like to send her yourself, I'd be glad to email you her address!

Commercial Break: Your Videos Could Be Famous!

2008-01-15T09:27:00.000-06:00

The following is a sponsored post. Please visit our sponsor to thank them for allowing us to make more contributions to children's charities!
We all know that, thanks to the Internet, home made videos are becoming a popular source of entertainment. These days, it is easy to go to a site like Google Videos and find tons of videos, on any topic, made by regular people like you and me! The same way that blogging gives us a glimpse into the lives of other people, videos let us find connections with others in the world... in an even more three dimensional way!
Now, a new site called YawpBox is taking this phenomena to a whole new level. Video creators will have a chance at seeing their videos on an actual TV show! Each week the hosts, Lex and Terry, will show and comment on videos that have been uploaded onto the site.
Not every video that gets uploaded to YawpBox will make it onto the show. Thats the beauty of this thing! People can go to the site ahead of time and vote on videos that have been uploaded. The videos that get the most positive votes will have the best chances of making it onto the show!
Lex and Terry will also give out specific "homework" assignments, directing users to make videos on specific topics. Past topics have been things like "Reenact a Movie Scene," "Show Us Your Tattoo," or "Your Best Prank."
I really can't wait to check out this TV show and explore the website further. I have a feeling YawpBox is going to be the newest obsession for anyone with a video camera!

Events For the Week!

2008-01-14T11:34:00.000-06:00

This Friday, the 18th, is Winnie the Pooh Day! If you want to get a head start on celebrating America's favorite bear, be sure to gather up lots of Winnie the Pooh books and videos to have on hand!
On Friday I will post some links to sites you can go to to find crafts, games and Trivia about Pooh Bear!
Have a great week!

Mission MOnday: Spanish Children's Books

2008-01-14T11:33:00.000-06:00

Recently I came across a blog by a very incredible young woman named Nikki. A college student. Nikki has already dedicated her life to children, by doing volunteer work, sponsoring children, and going on humanitarian aid trips. This summer, she is going to the Dominican Republic, I believe as part of Hero Holiday. She will be helping to build a new school. Nikki is hoping to be able to bring books, written in Spanish, to help equip the school. Books are hard to come by in this impoverished area!
Your mission is to get your hands on a children's book, written in Spanish, and send it to Nikki, so she can start her collection of books for the future school. Used book stores or Half Price book stores are great places to locate books written in Spanish. You could also go to Amazon.com to find inexpensive Spanish books, and have them sent directly to Nikki.
You can email Nikki or visit her blog to find out where to send the books!

Commercial Break: How To Cook A Chicken

2008-01-14T11:26:00.000-06:00

The following is a sponsored post. Please visit our sponsor to thank them for allowing us to make more donations to children's organizations!

So, I wanted to have chicken for dinner. Unfortunately, I do not know how to cook! At all! I have never before made an attempt at grilling chicken. I made this video to show you all of my clumsy attempts at trying to make my dinner! But nothing quite worked out the way I wanted it to...

The Cursed Children of India

2008-01-13T16:43:00.001-06:00

What if, the day you were born, instead of rejoicing in your birth, your family connected your birth to a horrific event that happened at around the same time? What if they thought that your birth caused that horrific event, and that you must be cursed? What if they threw you away, and left you to grow up alone, hated and feared by everyone around you?
That horror story is reality for many children in India. Many of them are young girls. In India, it is a widespread belief that, when bad things happen to a person, that person must have done bad things in a former life, and is being punished. When a child's family members, particularly male family members, die, the birth of the child may be blamed, and the child shunned.
For instance, one little girl's father was murdered when the mother was still pregnant with her. By the time the girl was six, her mother had died too, followed by the little girl's brother. The girl was the only one left in her family, and people wondered why. The conclusion they came to was simple. Since the misfortune had begun when the mother was pregnant with the child, the child's very existence must have caused the misfortune. The little girl grew up shuffled among family members. She was an easy scapegoat. Whenever something bad happened to anyone in the family, they blamed the little girl, beating her and punishing her severely in other ways. Eventually, at age twelve, the little girl collapsed on the street and died. Of course many people blamed the "curse" for the girl's death... but in reality, the girl had probably been sick for a long time, and nobody had bothered to get medical help for her. When she died, someone scattered ice cubes around her body, but only one relative, who was visiting from another area and didn't share the rest of the family's beliefs, stayed with the child's body until it was collected.
Another little girl was considered cursed because she had a twin brother who died at birth. The girl lived, but had a mild physical disability. Her family wondered why the girl had lived when the boy hadn't, and ended up blaming the girl for her brother's death. They continued to blame her for every problem in their life, beating her and shunning her, until they eventually sent her away to boarding school. Luckily, she was finally offered a home with her older sister, where she is treated well.
A story with a much better turn-out is the story of the two little boys who had a severe skin condition, causing dry, scaly skin on their arms and legs. The mother had once stepped on a snake when she was pregnant with the older boy, and she and other family members connected that event with the boys' skin. They assumed the boys were cursed. They were not allowed to go to school, and they were beaten and shunned by their family members and neighbors. Luckily an organization called Give India intervened, providing the boys with medical attention for their skin, plus an education, a home, and a family.
These cursed children are everywhere. It may seem that they are more common in the lower rungs of the caste system, because families of higher castes are able to send their own cursed children away to boarding schools. Children with special needs... any type of special needs, even a mild skin condition... are often considered to be cursed. Poorer families hide the cursed children away and abuse them in the privacy of their own homes. Richer families send the children off to boarding school, where they, too, endure lifetimes of abuse and loneliness.
But there is hope. As awareness spreads of the plights of the cursed children, organizations are being created to give these kids a shot at a better life. Many of these organizations are in the forms of orphanages, and homes for children with special needs. These places existed before, but now more than ever they are focusing on providing education and love to the children, as well as simply food and shelter.
May there someday be no more "cursed" children, and may someday every child in India have a shot at being loved and cared for!

Commercial Break: Spray Powder Shampoo!

2008-01-13T15:59:00.000-06:00

The following is a sponsored post. Please visit our sponsor to thank them for allowing us to make more donations to our children's organizations!
I'm staying with my parents right now while I save up money for a place. It is an unideal situation in many ways, but one of the things that often bothers me is the rush for the bathroom! When my mom and I have to leave at around the same time in the morning, my mom often takes about ten hours in the shower, leaving me with barely any time to get ready! On those days I often have to whisk my still-dirty hair into a ponytail or braids and just go! Other times, I need to get up and take a shower, but someone is doing laundry and there's no hot water left for me! And there have been other times... such as when I've been camping, or the time I took a three-day Greyhound trip across the country... that I've been forced to neglect my hair. At those times I always wished for some way I could shampoo my hair without needing to get in the shower! A few times I even tried to mix my own showerless shampoo, using water and a little bit of shampoo and conditioner mixed in a spray bottle! (It didn't work... and resulted in a very itchy head!)
As it turns out, there is a way to do that! There is now a dry shampoo product that makes it possible to clean your hair without water, between regular shampoos. Apparently all you do is buy the version with the color that matches your own hair color, spray it onto your roots, wait for it to dry, and then brush your hair. Afterwards, you have clean, shiny hair, and you can style it as usual!
This is definitely something I am going to buy! I'm sure it will come in handy for me, next time I find myself unable to take a shower when I need to go someplace in a hurry!

Smarty Saturday Book Recommendation: Acquainted With the Night

2008-01-12T09:07:00.001-06:00

I know of many people whose children are living, and struggling, with things like bipolar disorder or depression. Recently I read a book, Acquainted With the Night: A Parent's Quest to Understand Depression and Bipolar Disorder in His Children that gave a glimpse into how challenging life can be for families.
This is definitely not a manual or a book to help parents figure out how to best help their children. In fact, one thing I need to say is, if you have just recently began the process of helping a child get through bipolar disorder or depression, this probably isn't a good book for you to read. I Paul and his wife had three children. The younger of the two boys had severe behavioral problems that turned out to be symptoms of bipolar disorder, and later the couple's daughter was diagnosed with depression and a mild form of anorexia. The couple had a very hard time securing help for their kids. By their own admission, the parents made lots of mistakes. They constantly fought about their kids, right in front of their kids, and Paul occasionally flew into an uncontrollable rage at his children. The marriage fell apart, and as the kids got older they wanted very little to do with their father, who is the author of the book. In some ways, reading this book was like watching a very slow and tragic car accident take place over the course of many years. Its definitely not the sort of "how our family overcame obstacles" story that might help parents whose kids have similar problems.
However, the story itself is a good one. The children, now grown, participated in the writing of the book, giving insights into what was going through their own minds when certain events happened.
So... this is my Smarty Saturday book recommendation for the week. But for this one, I must say, read at your own risk!

Commercial Break: Least Expensive Eyeglasses!

2008-01-11T13:44:00.000-06:00

The following is a sponsored post. Please visit our sponsor to thank them for allowing us to contribute more money to our children's organizations!
I have always noticed that eyeglasses are alarmingly expensive... and you can't always find the ones you want. But today I made this Great Discovery: www.ZenniOptical.com! They sell their own manufactured frames directly to customers, which cuts down on the cost to the customer a lot! They've got frames starting at only $8.00! That is pretty unbelievable, isn't it? And on the site, it is easy to search for exactly what you want... frames made from metal or plastic, full-rim, half-rim or rimless,leading edge designs, women's fashions, children's glasses, etc. If you wear glasses, you'll need to check this site out!

Possessed By Demons?

2008-01-11T11:11:00.000-06:00

You may have heard about a recent story that appeared in the news. In Washington DC, four children were found dead in their home. Their mother (33-year-old Benita Jacks) claimed that her daughters (Brittany, age 17; Tatianna, age 11, N'kiah, age 6; and Aja, age 5;) were all possessed by demons, and died individually in their sleep. As they died, Benita laid out their bodies in empty bedrooms, where they stayed for at least fifteen days. She told police that she did not call the police or anyone else to come remove the bodies, because she did not trust anyone and she thought calling someone to help would just cause more trouble. However, police have strong evidence showing that Benita herself actually murdered her four children.
It is pretty obvious that this mother had a serious, serious mental illness. The saddest thing is that people knew that Benita's life was spiraling out of control. Last February, the children's father died of cancer, and people who knew the family said that Benita started acting strangely after that. She removed the furniture from the home, put the children's video game system out in the yard for neighbors to take, withdrew the children from school, and refused to talk to anyone. When relatives came around visit or deliver money, Benita usually wouldn't open the door. Someone somewhere was concerned enough to call D.C. Child and Family Services, but every time people from the agency went to the home, sometimes accompanied by police officers, nobody answered the door.
The only people who managed to get through the door of Benita's house were three marshals, who came to forcefully evict the family from the house after eviction notices had been ignored for months. The marshals discovered the children's bodies, and then arrested Benita.
This is a horrible story, but it is not unique. In December, 4-month-old Myles Lippiat and 2-year-old Silas Lippiat were murdered by their mother, who believed they were possessed by demons. The mother said she heard voices in her head urging her to kill the children. Reportedly the mother had asked for help before, telling doctors she had thoughts of hurting the children, even dialing 911 at one point to ask for help. But somehow, this desperate mother and her children slipped through the cracks.
On Christmas Eve, seven-month-old Jillian Engleman was drowned by her mother, who believed the infant was possessed by demons. And only a few days ago, Kendra Suing, age 10, and Alysha Suing, age 8, were stabbed and strangled to death by their stepfather. The stepfather practiced his own strange form of "witchcraft", and said he killed the children while performing a "spell" that went wrong.
This seems to be the type of thing that happens every day! We all hear the larger and more famous stories that make national headlines, like the case of Andrea Yates, who drowned her five children because she believed she was a bad mother who had created bad children. Yates had a serious mental illness, and some of her beliefs had been fed to her by a traveling preacher with extremist views. But there are also countless stories that only make it to the local news.
It should be noted that not every parent living with mental health problems is a danger to their children. Far from it! Illnesses such as depression, manic depression or bipolar, schizophrenia, etc, can be treated and managed. In the tragic cases where parents have ended up hurting or killing their children, they were usually people who refused treatment or were unable to get help.
If you do know a parent who tells you he or she feels the need to hurt the children, take it seriously. Trying to reassure a person that their feelings are natural, that they just need to get a babysitter and take a break from their children for a while, etc, might only frustrate the situation. As in any emergency, call 9-1-1. This is not a way to get the parent into deep trouble, since hopefully at that point the parent will not have harmed the children yet. Instead, the parent will be able to get the medical and psychiatric attention he or she needs, and the support to keep the whole family safe.
And if anyone reading this at any time is going through something like this (my blog comes up pretty high on a Google list, so if a desperate parent were to Google a phrase like "children possessed by demons", they might arrive at this page) if you are afraid your children are possessed by demons or anything else, do not try to handle it yourself. Bring the children to a church, or bring them to a hospital, or bring them anywhere, but whatever you do, do not hurt your children. If you are worried that your children are possessed, it might be better for you to not touch them at all, in fact, until you have found professional help for them and for yourself.

Police Brutality In India

2008-01-10T11:34:00.001-06:00

This news might not come as a shock or even sound very interesting to many people. In Ludhiana, India, two thieves snatched the purse of Ruby Dhalla, a member of Parliament from Canada who was visiting the area. Police chased the thieves down, and brutally beat the thieves, before taking them to a detention facility. Assault is not an uncommon practice for dealing with minor criminals on the spot... In fact, sometimes bystanders also participate in assaulting criminals!
The surprising part about this story? The thieves were nine and five years old!
The brother and sister, Sachin and Bindia, reportedly begged police for mercy as they were being beaten.
This video, though somewhat hard to understand at times, showes some disturbing images of the children after the assault.
India does have laws about how children who commit crimes should be treated, and these laws definitely prohibit the use of violence against children. The children should have been simply taken into custody, and would have gone before a magistrate, who would have decided whether to send the children to a juvenile home or release them. The incident against the children is now being investigated, but none of the police officers involved have been suspended so far.
Ruby Dhalla didn't see the police beating the children, but when she heard about it, she commented that she did not endorse any type of violence against children. She also noted that she couldn't control what the police did, and, "I hope those young kids learned from this incident."
One thing we can do to make s difference in this case is contact Ruby Dhalla and urge her to follow up on this incident and insist that the police involved face consequences. As a person of status, she may have a little more pull in this situation. You can write to her at:
PARLIAMENT HILL OFFICE
218 West Block
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6

or email her at dhallr@parl.gc.ca

You could also email the Punjab State Human Rights Commission, at pshrc_chd@yahoo.com, to let them know your feelings about this. The Commission is currently investigating the story.

Obese Man Finally Allowed to Adopt Son!

2008-01-09T09:35:00.001-06:00

Back in July, I wrote about a case in which a married couple was not allowed to adopt an infant because the husband was obese. The couple seemed exemplary in every way. They already had a seven-year-old son, whom they had adopted from foster care. When a cousin of theirs was having trouble caring for her infant son, the couple volunteered to be the baby's foster parents. They cared for the child for several months, and planned to adopt him. But when they went to court to get permission to begin the adoption, a judge ruled that the husband was too obese... and they immediately took the baby away.
Now, baby Max is eight months old, and has been living in a different foster home for the past four months. The prospective father who had been too obese to adopt Max, Gary Stocklaufer, recently underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost two hundred pounds, hoping it would help him in his fight to adopt Max.
But Max's new foster family also wanted to adopt him! In fact, last month when the judge ruled that the Stocklaufers could have Max back and continue with the adoption proceedings, the other foster family refused to hand the baby over to the Stocklaufers! They kept the baby with them as they attempted to continue fighting to adopt him.
Finally, this week, the judge ordered that little Max be transferred over to the Stocklaufers... and the baby is now staying in what will hopefully, eventually, be his forever home.
Although this is a happy story because the Stocklaufers got Max back, it is also a sad story. The other foster family had Max with them for more than five months, and they longed to be his forever parents as well. The judges involved in the case now say that the original decision to remove Max from the Stocklaufers' care had nothing to do with Gary's weight, but was due to the fact that the couple didn't follow the correct procedures when they originally brought Max to live with them. (The baby was born in Texas, where his birth mother lives.) However, no matter what the reason was, it seems silly that a baby should have been removed from the Stocklaufers' home in the first place... especially since the baby was a relative of the couple's! The infant's birth mother had specifically asked the Stocklaufers to take Max. Whatever procedures and red tape the couple overlooked could have been dealt with, without disrupting the babv's life.
Now, although the Stocklaufers finally have their baby, another couple is heartbroken because they no longer have theirs.... and an 8-month-old baby has been separated from the people he knows as his parents, for the third time in his short life!
Hopefully the two couples will be able to keep in touch, and Max's former foster parents will be able to stay a part of his life.

Mission Monday: Operation Iraqi Children

2008-01-07T13:25:00.000-06:00

Last week I wrote a few times about the plights of children in Iraq, who face difficulties such as losing their homes, becoming killed or inuured from violence related to the war, being kidnapped or sold on the black market, and even watching their parents get murdered in front of their eyes! I wrote about how relief efforts are needed in Iraq, in order to help keep these kids safe.
Unfortunately, many people frown upon the idea of helping the children of Iraq, because we are at war with their country. By helping these kids, people feel they're being unpatriotic to their own country.
But let me point out again that little children don't understand politics. They don't know anything about terrorism, or oil, or secret nuclear weapons. They only understand their own lives... and right now, they are in pain.
It is interesting that US soldiers are among the rare US citizens who want to help these kids! Perhaps because soldiers have met the children and seen first-hand that these little kids are not our enemies.
US soldiers started an organization called Operation Iraqi Children, which is dedicated to restoring the wellbeing of children in Iraq. They are especially interested in rebuilding schools and getting children into the schools. They supply many kids with school supplies and other materials they need in order to get an education.
As I pointed out in another blog entry, school is important for Iraqi children not just so that they can become educated, but so that they can be somewhere during the day where they are safe and supervised.
Your mission today is to build a school supply kit and send it to Operation Iraqi Child. A school supply kit consists of the following items:
One pair of blunt-end scissors
One 12-inch ruler with metric markings
12 new pencils with erasers
One small pencil sharpener
One large eraser
One box of colored pencils (Crayons melt in the Iraqi summer heat!)
One package of notebook paper
One composition book
Three folders with inside pockets
One zippered pencil bag.

Here are further instructions, from the website, for packing and sending your school supply kit.

Pack only the listed supplies in a backpack or in a 2-gallon sized zipper seal plastic bag.
If you would also like to send sports equipment or stuffed animals, please feel free to do so. Appropriate sports equipment might be soccer balls, jump ropes, and frisbees. Please send all balls deflated for air-transport and include a small hand pump for re-inflating.
Please use discretion in choosing your supplies, sports equipment, and stuffed animals. Avoid items that are religious, depict war or conflict, or are strongly gender or age specific. Please be sensitive to the fact that you are sending items into a culture less exposed to television and video games, and under emotional strain.
PACKING INSTRUCTIONS:
Print or the Donor Information Sheet, complete it and send it with each shipment. If you want to include pictures of, or stories about your groups effort, please do! Send the information to OIC at oicinfo@ptpi.org.
Assemble each kit in a backpack or zipper seal bag. Please enclose no additional items.
Use sturdy boxes. Banana boxes work well, but a piece of cardboard or a paper grocery bag will need to be taped over the hole in the top and bottom before shipping.
Along with your donations, you may enclose a letter or set of letters from you, your school or your organization to the soldiers who will deliver your packages or to the Iraqi children who will receive them. You may include photos, or your group assembling packages, and suggest that the soldiers or children send back their own pictures and letters.
Do not include any full names or addresses on the letters or pictures.
If you have requested a response from the soldiers or Iraqi children, enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Recipients of OIC supplies have been instructed to send replies to donors directly to the OIC Warehouse. We will forward these responses using the provided envelope.
Please do not enclose religious or political materials.
Be sure that all boxes are securely taped.
In clear, bold writing, address each package to:
Operation Iraqi Children
c/o Fast Pace Distribution
6200 E. St. John Ave.
Kansas City, MO 64123
USA

If you have further questions, please contact the OIC Warehouse at 816.241.7321 or OICWarehouse@ptpi.org.

The organization also urgently needs new or gently used blankets and shoes, and 2-gallon sized zipper seal plastic bags. These things can be sent to the same address listed above.

Hopefully we can all help our US soldiers care for these kids!

Commercial Break: VoIP Mobile Talk

2008-01-07T12:49:00.000-06:00

The following is a sponsored post. Please visit our sponsor to thank them for allowing us to make more donations to our children's charities!
I made this video about the new VoIP Mobile Talk plan. It lets you make high-quality international calls from your cellphone for only a few cents a minute! Apparently what you do is sign up, and then you download a small application to your cellphone. Its easy to do, and you end up getting a text message on your phone, letting you know that the application has been installed. Then, whenever you make international calls, your phone automatically routes your call through the application, so you get a jhigh-quality digital phone call, and you save a lot of money! You don't need a phone card or a pin number, you never run out of minutes, you don't have to prepay... You use it just like you would use your cellphone for any other calls! If you have friends or family members in other countries, or if you are a traveler, you'll definitely want to sign up for this voip cell phone deal!

If you like my video, please go vote for it! (Or if you don't like it, I guess you could vote for other videos too!)

Iraqi Children Are Being Sold, Too...

2008-01-04T10:56:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I wrote about little boys in China who were being kidnapped from their parents and sold on the black market. I've always known that a black market for children exists in the world, but I never realized how extreme it was! It seems like every day now I read stories about this type of thing.
Today I read a heartbreaking story about a father in Iraq who sold his daughter to the black market.
The father of four's life began to fall apart when he lost his home, and his wife, to violence when militia took over his neighborhood in Baghdad. He and the four children moved into a refugee camp. From there, he was unable to get to work, and his children were unable to get to school. HIs children were suffering. The youngest one, two-year-old Fatima, was suffering the most. She was malnourished, weak, and ill.
Some visitors came to the camp... a Swedish couple who said they were part of a relief agency, and a translator. They tried to convince the father to let them take his daughter, in exchange for some money. The Swedish couple said they would raise the child as their own. The father refused. But the trio came back again and again, asking for Fatima.
As Fatima grew weaker and sicker, the father became afraid that the child wouldn't survive. So one day, when the people came to visit, the father agreed to give them Fatima. The people had papers for him to sign, and in exchange, they fave him the equivelant of $10,000 in US dollars.
The father now may be able to provide a better life for his other three children, and he truly believes that Fatima will have a better life with the Swedish couple. But the pain of having handed away his daughter is still there.
This is not an uncommon scenario in Iraq. People from Europe, as well as Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, have been traveling to Iraq and convincing impoverished parents to hand over their children in exchange for money. For a young baby, a parent may be given up to the equivelant of $30,000. Older children may be sold for as little as $3,000.
To some, it may seem like these black market "adoptions" are a good thing for everyone involved... Prospective parents are able to quickly get a child, a needy child gets a new home, and a needy family gets enough money to survive. But these illegal adoptions are not a good thing. First of all, there is no way to be sure of where these children are ending up! The situation is very different from when a desperate parent turns a child over to an orphanage or an actual relief agency. These people haven't gone through any types of background checks or interviews to make sure that they have good intentions for raising a child. When a parent hands over a child to one of these people, they are hoping for the best for that child, but it basically is a crap shoot.
Authorities fear that some children may be used in the sex trade, or even the black market organ transplant trade. One father sold his six-year-old daughter to some people from Jordan who said they wanted to adopt her. Relatives of the father later told him they saw her with the people from Jordan, working as a servant and being physically abused. The father was given $20,000 for the child, but now that he knows the situation his daughter has ended up in, he is trying to get his child back and wants to give the money back as well.
But once a child is taken out of Iraq, it is very hard for the authorities to get the child back, even if they know she was "adopted" illegally. Authorities are trying to make it harder for black marketers to get kids out of the country. Often people will drug a child heavily, so when they drive over the border, the child is asleep and cannot say anything to border patrol agents that will give the situation away. Now, border patrol agenrs are required to have people wake up any sleeping children in a vehicle, except for babies who are too young to talk. The children are then interviewed to make sure they are actually with their real parents.
Black marketers are not satisfied with just buying children from parents, either. As in China, many children have simply disappeared. Other parents have their children taken from them at gunpoint. One mother said that armed men took her three-year-old daughter away from her. The woman later recieved a letter saying the child had been adopted by a couple in Europe.
Not all children who get adopted from Iraq are illegally adopted. Legitimate adoptions do occur... but this makes it even easier for unscrupulous people to trick parents into handing over their children.
According to international relief agency UNICEF, the solution to this crisis is to get Iraqi children back into school, and provide relief efforts to needy families. UNICEF does help find homes for children who have actually been orphaned, but makes every attempt to find an adoptive home for the child with someone she is connected to already, such as a relative, family friend, or community member. International adoptions are considered a last resort. UNICEF also tries very hard to trace the child's birth parents, to make sure that the child is actually an orphan and hasn't just been separated from her family.
One way that individuals can help stop child trafficking in Iraq and other countries is by helping agencies such as UNICEF, Islamic Relief USA, Relief International, Middleeast Fellowship, Millenium Relief and Development Services, Operation Blessing, and UNICEF.
Supporting agencies such as these, that send workers to Iraq to provide aid to families, is the key to protecting children. Families recieving help will not be as desperate to take a stranger up on an offer to buy a child. And children who are in school, being educated and supervised, will be less likely to be snatched off the streets.

In China, Kidnapped Little Boys Finally Go Home!

2008-01-03T11:21:00.001-06:00

Most people know about the population-control issue in China that causes many baby girls to be abandoned or given up by their parents, who would rather have sons.
But we rarely hear about the little boys of China, who, it seems, are also in danger!
Boys are considered more valuable, as offspring, because many people feel a son will be able to help out more with physical labor, take care of them in their old age, and carry on the family name. Having a son also brings the prospect of eventually having a daughter-in-law, who will come complete with a dowry for the son's family. So, some people in China who have been unable to concieve sons of their own have resorted to actually buying sons from the black market.
One gang, notorious for kidnapping little boys from their parents and selling them to other people, was led by a man named Ye Zengxi and his family. This man actually involved his twelve-year-old nephew in the kidnapping process. Ye Zengxi would take the youngster to public places, where the boy would be responsible for getting the attention of smaller boys between the ages of two and eight. The nephew would play with the smaller boys and then lure them away with toys or food. Ye Zengxi and other adult members of the gang would then grab the smaller boys and ride away on a motorbike with them. The gang would then sell the children, for the equivelant of 2,700 US dollars, to people who wanted sons.
Recently police arrested Ye Zengxi and his gang, and rescued nine boys who had been kidnapped. The nine children were returned to their own families.
Unfortunately, gangs like this are not rare at all in China. Last April, police arrested five other people who had been kidnapping and selling little boys, and rescued eight young boys who had been sold to people who wanted sons. Luring the children away from their own parents with treats and toys, as well as using older children to help out, is common practice by these types of kidnappers. And about 190 children are kidnapped, in China, each day!
Kidnappers in China are punished severely, even executed by gunshot. Maybe hearing about the fates of Ye Zengxi and his family of kidnappers will persuade other would-be child traffickers to leave children alone!

Uh, Did You Just Hear Something?

2008-01-02T15:45:00.000-06:00

Well, you probably didn't hear it yet, but you will, starting on February 1st!
I just signed up for a new program that helps bloggers and website-owners earn money. Its called PayPerPlay, and it causes a five-second audio bit to be played every time someone opens your website. It's very short and simple, and it really doesn't disturb the experience of viewing the website or blog... but every time someone clicks on your blog or site and hears that ad, you get paid! This will help us to earn even more money for our children's organizations. Now, more than ever, all you have to do is read this blog each day to help kids everywhere!
If this sounds like something you'd want to try on your blog, click here. It is in beta now, so although you'll have to put a piece of html coding on your site when you sign up, you won't hear any ads on your site until February.
This is going to be kind of cool!

Do These Places Help Kids, or Abuse Them?

2008-01-02T12:03:00.000-06:00

For some reason, lately, I have been reading about different parents who have had to send their children to residential treatment centers. In the cases I have read about, the parents are foster or adoptive parents, and the children are kids who lived through serious abuse and neglect early in life, leaving them with such trust issues and such severe behavioral problems that it is virtually impossible for their parents/foster parents to have them live at home and be able to keep them safe, as well as keep other family members safe.
Parents often have to make difficult and heart-wrenching decisions to admit that their child's problems at that time are too severe for the parents to handle alone. They often start out by hospitalizing a child for days or weeks at a time, attempting to stabilize a child who has been hurting himself or hurting others in the house. When several hospitalizations fail to make a big enough difference for the child, the parents have to scramble to find another place that will provide good care for their child on a long-term basis. These places are usually referred to as Residential Treatment Centers. They are licensed and accredited, usually held to strict standards by local social child welfare departments, and include social workers, therapists, psychiatrists, special education teachers, etc. The goal in these places is not exactly to punish a child for her behaviors, but to teach a child how to handle her emotions well enough to eventually be able to live safely with her parents or foster parents, in a group home, or independently.
That said, there is another, similar phenomena that must not be confused with Residential Treatment Centers.
There are said to be hundreds of private "residential treatment facilities" in the USA, meant to straighten out the behaviors of troubled teenagers. While the populations of the centers we talked about earlier tend to be children in foster care or children adopted as older kids who went through traumas, the populations of this second type of facility are very different.
They are geared towards the wealthier families in the country, who are willing to get "help" for their child at any cost. Why do these children need help? The possibilities are endless. Perhaps they have been getting bad grades in school, fighting with a parent or stepparent, have been having trouble dealing with symptoms of ADHD, depression, eating disorders, etc... While some parents truly are resorting to drastic measures to rescue their child from very unsafe behaviors, sometimes parents don't seem to need a solid reason. In some families, parents are busy with work or second marriages, and don't seem to have the patience to deal with even typical teenage behaviors like grouchiness, messy rooms or strange clothing.
Because these facilities are privately run, they are not always subject to the same standards as licensed and accreditted residential treatment centers. Some states do have strict standards for these places, but the programs in states that don't have strict standards recruit families from all over the USA. Private facilities can often employ staff members who don't have a lot of actual training to work with troubled kids. Instead, they are trained by the people who run the facilities, who often have created their own theories of how to treat these kids.
When a parent decides to enroll their kid in one of these schools, the process often begins at the teen's own home. It is doubtful that many teenagers will quietly get in the car and get driven to one of these places, so many parents hire "escort services." The teen is woken up in the middle of the night by burly strangers, who whisk him into a vehicle and drive him to the facility. Many kids report that they really thought they were being kidnapped at the time, and yelled out for help.
Once at the facility, kids are subject to "therapeutic" techniques that may include being kept in isolation for alarmingly long amounts of time, being made to keep uncomfortable postures for long amounts of time (at one school, certain kids were made to lie face down on a tile floor for 18 hours a day, for months at a time!) Hunger, prevention fro going to the bathroom, and sleep deprivation are used as consequences for rule infractions such as talking to peers or even looking at peers. Kids are forced to do extreme amounts of physical exercise and labor. They are often denied medical attention when they get hurt or feel ill. There have been several instances where kids have actually died, collapsing from doing too much physical labor or exercise while also being deprived of food and sleep. (One girl was actually enrolled in a facility because she had been raped. Her parents had read the facility's literature and thought that the intensive "therapy" would be good for the girl, would help her deal with the trauma of the rape, and would build up her confidence and self-esteem. Tragically, she was one of the kids who died, collapsing from deyhdration after being forced to walk in the wilderness for five days.) Others have died from being improperly physically restrained.
One teenaged girl was tied to a van, which was then driven down a rode, with the girl being forced to run alongside it. When she fell down, the van continued to drive, dragging her behind it.
Kids can be punched, slapped, kicked, etc by staff. Mace and stun funs can be used. Some facilities also encourage kids who have been in the program longer, or who are on higher levels, to help "discipline" newer kids. Other horror stories include kids being tied up, kids being sexually abused by staff members, kids being forced to eat their own vomit.
Kids may try to tell their parents what is going on in these places, but it is very hard. Phone calls are monitored, letters are read, and kids may face consequences for telling their parents about what goes on in the facilities. From the time that the kids arrive at the facilities, the parents are warned not to believe anything the kids may tell them in letters or phone calls. Parents are told that the kids will become extremely "manipulative" and will say anything just to get out of the facility.
So, what should you do if, as a parent or relative as a child, you find yourself in the position of having to seek intensive help for a very troubled child or teenager? The situation may seem hopeless... you could take your chances trying to keep your kid safe at home, or you could try to find somewhere else to send him where he will recieve treatment and also be kept safe. The second choice is not impossible. The National Association for Therapeutic Schools and Programs offers some advice on searching for and choosing a therapeutic facility. The site also offers a directory where you can search for a program by state, by your child's gender, or by his or her treatment needs. The directory includes only accreditted, licensed schools. By doing your research, you can ensure that your child will not be going to a program where she will be abused.
It is also very easy, these days, to enter a school's name into an Internet search engine to find out what people have said about it. A facility may direct you specifically to parents and alumni who have great things to say about it, but on the Internet you may find different opinions and stories that the facility wouldn't want to share.
Avoid sending your kid to boarding schools in random foreign countries such as Jamaica or Mexico, where child abuse laws aren't as strict. Many of the worst stories about mistreatment have happened in these far-away schools. If possible, look for a facility that is somewhat close to where you live. (For instance, if you live in New York, a facility in California might not be your first choice!) Also, I have heard a lot of bad things about the Worldwide Assicoation of Specialty Programs, or WWASP. Several of their schools have been closed down due to children dying or being abused there.
You may also want to look into actual residential treatment centers. A true residential treatment center will have licensed doctors and therapists on staff. Your insurance may even pay for this. Residential treatment centers can be harder to find than private therapeutic programs, because they often don't do as much blatent advertising or recruitment of families. However, you can find a state-by-state list of some programs here.
Look for the least restrictive environment necessary. If you had a child with a mild learning disability, would you have him put in a classroom for children with severe developmental delays? If your child wore glasses, would you put him in a classroom for children with severe visual impairment? Similarly, if you have a child who has been struggling with severe depression and anxiety, a school that focuses heavily on behavior modification for kids with behavioral issues might not be what your child needs. If your child has an eating disorder, a facility that uses physical exercise as a consequence for poor behavior should be avoided!
Most of all, trust your own instincts. If you view a website, visit a facility, or read information about a facility, that makes you feel nervous, look for something better. If a school doesn't even have a website, or the website doesn't offer any information at all, or you are discouraged from making a visit to the facility to preview it before sending your kid there, keep looking.
Parents of troubled kids are in a vulnerable position... and unfortunately, there are people and places out there who make their money by exploiting desperate families. If you do your research and trust your instincts, you can avoid having yourself and your family fall victim to one of these places!

The First Charity Of the Year!

2008-01-01T09:25:00.001-06:00

Oh yeah, I almost forgot... we have a new charity for the new month, of course! Our first charity for the year 2008 is First Book . First Book is an organization that gets brand new books into the hands of at-risk children. Whether they are starting up libraries in, or donating badly needed books to existing libraries in, low-income communities, providing classrooms and other organizations serving needy kids with piles of new books, sending a child home with a backpack full of new books, or providing a year's supply of bedtime story books to a needy family, First Book makes sure that children have the chance to read! Our donation this month will make sure that even more children get matched with books!
If you'd like to help even more, but you don't have extra money to donate, you can go to The Literacy Site. Just clicking the big orange button on that site will generate a donation to provide books for needy kids!
Now, keep reading this blog every day, and we'll see how much we can raise this month!

Beginning A Great New Year! (And Month.)

2008-01-01T09:24:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year's Day, everyone! Lets get this year of blogging started!
As we start the new year, many of us like to think about how we can improve our lives and become better people. The month of January happens to include some special, but not well-known, celebrations! Take a look at this list, to help you plan a wonderful month!
Book Blitz Month: This month, fill your days with as much reading as possible! If you haven't already, investigate your local libraries and bookstores. Most libraries and bookstores have special events, like story times and character visits, to encourage kids to read! These places can also be wonderful places to just hang out and read. Try looking for different kinds of books! Make a goal of reading one new book together each day this month. (Or if the kids in your life are older and are reading longer books, you may have to shorten the number of books for your goal!) For some interesting book recommendations for kids of all different ages, check out the blog called A Readable Feast!

Family Fit Lifestyle Month: Make an effort to live a healthier lifestyle as a family! Try out new and different healthy foods this month and see if you can find some new favorites for you and the kids in your lives! Try to do one physical activity a week with the children in your life. (Sledding is a very active, and fun, passtime for snowy weather!)

International Creativity Month: Encourage the children in your life to explore their creativity! Invest in some new art supplies, or take an art class, a writing class, or a drama class together! When you or the kids have a problem to solve, sit down and make a list of as many ideas as possible for solving it... the sky is the limit! Even if the ideas are incredibly silly, or impossible, write them down!

National Mentoring Month: Anyone can be a mentor, because everyone has something they can teach, or a quality they can share, with someone else. If you can find the time, maybe this is the month you should sign up to be a mentor for a child or teenager! You can search for mentoring opportunities at Mentoring.org, or Volunteer Match, just by entoring your zip code. You might also want to see if your community has a Big Brothers And Big Sisters organization.
Kids can be mentors too, and being a mentor to someone else can help kids of all ages in so many ways! Many schools have programs where kids can become mentors to a younger child or a child with special needs.
Kids can even be mentors to their younger siblings, cousins, or neighborhood kids. I once worked for a summer camp that adopted the word "BARM," which was short for "Be A Role Model." We would explain to the kids that the younger children lookup to them and watch them to see examples of how to behave. When an older child was acting out, often all we had to say was, "BARM!" and the child would change his behavior, knowing how important it was to be a mentor to the smaller kids!

National Personal Self-Defense Month: Learning self-defense not only helps to ensure that a person will be able to defend himself in an emergency, but it does a lot of other things to! Learning self-defense helps people of all ages to improve balance, reflexes and coordination. It also helps teach kids respect for themselves and others, and helps them set and meet realistic goals for themselves. And every self-defense method is a physical activity... so maybe you and the kids in your life can take a self-defense class as part of Family Fit Lifestyle Month!
My favorite type of self-defense is aikido, because it focuses more on defending oneself from an attack, and less on being the actual attacker.

Resolve To Eat Breakfast Month: Its really true... breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Nutritionists often recommend that people eat a large breakfast, a medium-sized lunch, and a small dinner. This makes sense, because when you eat breakfast, you're fueling your body in preparation for a whole day ahead of you... and lunch is really a mid-day pick-me-up. But what do people do after dinner? Sit around and watch TV, usually, and then go to bed? Your body doesn't need as much fuel for that. But strangely, most people eat the opposite way... a large dinner, a medium-sized lunch, and very little breakfast or none at all.
Having a good breakfast is especially important for children, so encourage the kids in your life to do it! Many kids don't eat breakfast because, when they first wake up in the morning, they don't feel hungry. Other kids don't eat breakfast because they have no time in the morning. However, chances are, an hour or two into the morning, their stomachs will begin to growl. Hungry kids have trouble staying awake and concentrating! To solve this problem, consider packing a breakfast for your kids, so they can eat it in the car, on the bus ride, or at school as they wait for class to begin. Easy-to-pack breakfasts can include single serving boxes of cold cereal, fresh fruit, whole-grain muffin, trail mix, hard-boiled eggs (boil a whole bunch ahead of time and keep them in your fridge!) single-serve cottage cheese, cereal bars, etc. Some kids may prefer things like leftover pizza or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! (Those items actually make great breakfasts, nutrition-wise!)
If you have a little more time in the mornings, serve already-made pancakes, french toast or waffles (you can make them yourself on the weekends, freeze them, and pop them in the toaster as needed), oatmeal with any variety of toppings, etc. Stay away from things like donuts or sugary cereal... the sugar burns off fast and will leave kids just as tired and hungry as if they had nothing at all! For more ideas on quick, healthy and delicous breakfasts, try this Ivillage article, Nutrition Explorations, or this FamilyFun.com site.
With all these ideas, lets all start 2008 off on the right foot! Have a great month and a great year!

Its been A Great Year, Hasn't It?

2007-12-31T20:23:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! It's New Years Eve, and although most of you are probably busy partying the night away, I am at home with one "person" I'm perfectly happy to spend time with... my kitty, Sammy-Joe!
I just wanted to tell everyone, thanks for a great year of blogging! I've gotten to read so many wonderful new blogs, met awesome people online, and had a great time writing!
Through this blog, we've also managed to do a lot of good in the world. We were able to make donations to Childhelp, FosterClub, The National Association for Missing and Exploited Children, The Children's Defense Fund, Operation Teddycare, Cheerful Givers, Gigi's Playhouse, and Loving Paws! Just over $100 was raised through sponsored posts... we started out slow when we first qualified for sponsored posts back in June, and we've been earning more each month!
We also began sponsoring a child, Maria Jose, who lives in Colombia. Because of you loyal readers, we will be able to support Maria Jose throughout the year 2008... and hopefully much longer!
So, as you celebrate this New Year, be proud of yourselves! Just by tuning into this blog each day, you've managed to help children all over the world have a better year!
See you in 2008!

Smarty Saturday Book Recommenation: Girl Soldier

2007-12-29T14:00:00.000-06:00

A few days ago I wrote about the plight of children who are used as soldiers in times of war, often against their will. One country I wrote about was Uganda, where children often walk miles to larger towns to sleep in public so that they will be safe from military groups who want to kidnap them.
Our book recommendation for this week is Girl Soldier, by Faith J. H. McDonnell and Grace Akallo. Grace was fifteen years old when the Lord's Resistance Army invaded her boarding school, and took Grace and many of her schoolmates to be soldiers. From then on, Grace's life was very different. She was given a gun and taught how to use it, and expected to use it frequently. She was forced to march each day, survive on very little food, and she saw several of the other children wither away and die. Grace herself once passed out from hunger, and woke up buried beneath a pile of corpses, where she had been left for dead. She was beaten and sexually abused by adult soldiers. Somehow, Grace managed to escape, and find her way to a World Vision facility, where she was safe.
Grace's story is very interesting because it is proof that these children are real people and their suffering is very real. Grace survived it, and she has written her story to try to bring awareness of the plights of the rest of the children who are still suffering.
Faith McDonnell, who helped Grace write the story, also writes about the history of child soldiers and gives more information on the topic in the book.
The book has a very Christian slant, but even if you are not Christian you'll still find a strong message in this book. (I'm not Christian, and I just stuck to the plot line instead of reading all the religious stuff...)
If you want to learn more about the lives of child soldiers, this is a good book to start with!

High-Tech Toys For Children With Disabilities!

2007-12-27T17:37:00.000-06:00

Imagine that you are a child who cannot move. For all intents and purposes, you are paralyzed. You cannot run and play outside with your siblings and friends. Really, the only amusement for you is watching the other kids play, listening to them talk to you, watching TV, being read to by someone, and things like that.
Wouldn't it improve the quality of your life if you could do something as simple as play a video game with other children?
Actually, thanks to a program called Dream-Gamer, video games are accessible to children, no matter what their physical ability level is! The Dream-Gamer system can be used with SOny Playstation game systems, in order to allow children with very little motion in their bodies to play alongside regularly-abled kids!
Part of the system is a baseball cap, that allows the wearer to control certain aspects of the game. The cap allows two players to work as a team... for instance, the cap-wearer controls directions of a race car, while a second player controls other aspects. The cap can also be used alongside regular game controllers, so a child can play with up to two other people who will use regular controllers.
Players can also choose to use another type of controller, called a Pistol Gsmer. This is for players who may not have as much head movement, but are able to use hand and wrist action to play the game.
The same company also makes remote-control cars that can be controlled with a cap or a "pistol".
Not only can this technology give kids with disabilities something fun to do, but it allows them to interact with other children in a "regular" way, putting them on a more equal level with their peers snd allowing peers to see them as just regular kids!
Pretty cool, huh?