Let’s Get Ready with Cedar Valley Publishing

Encourage your friends to be a part of the World Wide Sound Wave on the 11 October 2008!!! Make it a FUN or FUND  raiser to get music and art back into the schools and back into the homes!

We are doing for Music and humanity what Earth Day is doing for the Earth and humanity. Please help spread the word!

Hope for the 21st Century — Join us where ever you are for the 2nd global celebration of Universal Music Day.

In today’s complex world, we seek a universal language that speaks through our hearts to remind us of simpler times. Wouldn’t it be comforting to know there already is such a language? Well there is, and Music IS that universal language.

Music is man’s oldest language, humanity’s universal speech. It, alone, can harmonize and unify nations, peoples. Music has the unique ability to move us to tears with soulful ballads, restore hope though upbeat rhythms, and recall happier times through sensuous tropical drumbeats. Music can remind us of the wonders of nature, the kindness of strangers, and the overall goodness of humanity.

So mark your calendars, plan your events and celebrate the Second Annual Universal Music Day on the 11 October 2008. Wherever you are, set aside some time to make music from your heart, preferably with a group of friends. Help us create a World-Wide Sound Wave on the Second Saturday of October each year.

Music is Sound, Silence and Vibrations. We invite you to form an intention to create a world of Peace, Love, Justice and Joy. And we can do it – we can cut through the cacophony of modern life – through the magic, through the power of music!

Join old friends and make new ones around the world as we work together to make every day a MUSIC DAY for our health and well-being! Plan to attend one of our local or international events with your family, your friends, or simply by yourself. And please visit www.UniversalMusicDay.org for more information. We’d like you to email us about your event so we can post it on our Events Calendar in hopes of having others join you on Universal Music Day on October 11, 2008!

Let’s make the magic of music echo ‘round the world on October 11. Don’t miss it!

I’m lucky.  I know it.  My girls are healthy, happy little wonders.  Others moms are lucky too, even with the challenges they face from their children who may be facing medical or emotional challenges.

One such mom is Leeanthro, writer of the blog, Soy is the New Black.  Her daughter was recently diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.  Please read this set of posts, to understand her challenges.

So how can a mommy blogger raise awareness about Type 1 diabetes? Of course, have a giveaway! You may enter this giveaway by e-mailing blogdiabetes at gmail dot com. Please read the rules regarding this giveaway. All prizes can only be shipped to US addresses.

For extra entires, please consider blogging about this giveaway and my fundraiser or spread the word through networks such as Twitter. Send a separate e-mail for each action to blogdiabetes at gmail dot com. You’ll also receive a little linky love.

I encourage you to take a moment to think about how diabetes affects someone you know and to make a small contribution.

And if you live in Central Illinois, I would be thrilled to have you walk with us.

(If you–personally or on behalf of your blog–or your company would like to donate a prize either for the online giveaway or for the silent auction on walk day, please e-mail me at blogdiabetes at gmail dot com.)

Let’s Get Ready, folks!  Let’s help this family and many more, who struggle daily with the challenges of diabetes.  I donated a couple of prizes…what can YOU do?

I’m a HUGE Google fan - the Google Queen!  I Google everything! 

In 1999, they started with this:

And in 2009, they look like this:

So, from lil’ ole Cedar Valley Publishing, to my best friend Google, I present you with a 10th anniversary surprise:

Drifting through Dinner

As I sat the dinner table with my family I found myself drifting. Physically, I was present. Mentally, though I was a thousand miles away. Thoughts of tomorrow’s schedule and what was yet to come kept me from being mentally present. The realization of my distance became apparent when my daughter asked, “Can we have ice cream, brownies and sprinkles for dessert” and after a slight pause I answered, “uh huh.” My wife looks across the table (more present than I apparently was) and asked, “Did you hear what she just asked you?”

Does this sound familiar?

Being present takes practice for most adults. Kids live in the present, absorbing life through each of their five senses in a way that most adults envy. While I am in favor of planning for the future I discourage worrying about the future or the possibility of what might happen if…

Eckhart Tolle’s new book, A New Earth, looks at the power of being present and the negative effects of drifting to the future or dwelling in the past. Teaching kids, to plan for the future while being present in the moment is a challenge worth pursuing.

The next dinner your family spends together may be a wonderful opportunity to model being present. Experiment with the ideas below.

• Acknowledge. Choose someone at the table who you would like to either thank or share an appreciation with. Simple statements like, “Thank you for helping me with dinner” or, “I appreciated your kind words this morning” keep everyone focused on the person sharing the statement as well as bringing a positive mood to the table.
• Beware the downward spiral. If you hear someone start to dwell on the past or drift too far into the future as they begin to talk about the negativity in their life, create a spiral motion with your hand. The overt gesture is a quick reminder to the speaker that he or she has started to drift away from the present.
• Use your senses. Everyone takes a turn in sharing something they observe about the present moment while using one of their five senses. The meal, room or table centerpiece have attributes worth describing. The smell of fresh vegetables (even frozen, which is more often the case at my home) often go unnoticed when the focus of your conversation drifts. Another way to engage in this activity is to see if everyone can share a unique comment about something they smell before moving on a new sense.

Given the small amount of time families share together do we really want to keep the focus on what happened while we are apart? Enjoy the time you spend together by keeping the focus on the present moment.

Regards,
Joe Bruzzese, M.A.
Leading Parent Coach for the Middle School Years
Author of A Parent’s Guide to the Middle School Years, to be published spring 2009 with Ten Speed Press

website: http://www.thinking-forward.com
featured articles: http://middle-school-life.suite101.com/
phone: 805-889-2142

First, let me explain my “Fairy Godmother” title, from the StartupPrincess.com website: 

Fairy Godmothers are Startup Princesses that have been successful and have reached a level of expertise in their field and want to share tips and insights to bless the lives of other women entrepreneurs.  

If you are a female entrepreneur and want to join the Startup Princesses, then you MUST join this amazing group of princesses for their up-and-coming Touchpoint - the Annual Event for Women Entrepreneurs.  This is a fantabulous way to learn from the pros and to network with other female entrepreneurs.  DO NOT MISS IT!

For More Information, CLICK HERE

Vanessa Van Petten wrote a parenting book when she was 17, called “You’re Grounded!” and is now on a national speaking tour, reaching out to both parents and teenagers about how to cope and thrive as young people today.  She is also working as a popular young parenting coach in California. Her daily blog, OnTeensToday.com is read by hundreds of teens and parents daily.  She was featured on CBS 4 Miami and Fox 5 New York and has been in the Wall Street Journal, the Santa Monica Daily Press, Atlanta Insite Magazine and the World Journal.  She has been an expert on KBUR, WCOJ Philadelphia and more for giving a young perspective on awesome parenting. Original Article here (http://www.onteenstoday.com/2008/08/16/school-supply-check-list-for-teen-and-tween-students/)

The Basics
-Pens
-Pencils
-Eraser
-Pencil Sharpener (if you have those kinds of pencils)
-Lead (if you have those kinds of pencils)
-Correction fluid or tape
-Crayons/Markers/Colored Pencils (one basic set for school projects that will not be used for crafts)
-Stapler and Staples
-Tape
-Glue
-Scissors
-Hole Puncher (a bigger one that can do more than 3 sheets at a time)
-Paper clips
-Ruler
-Rubber Bands
-Index Cards (in three or four colors)
-Calculator
-Highlighters
-Post-it Notes
-Tabs
-Reinforcements
-White Paper
-Lined Paper
-Glue
-Pencil case for school (get a soft one, not a hard case)
-Book stand* (can get this anywhere and it will save your kid’s necks and shoulders)
-Inbox/Outbox* (This will not work on every desk, but find it is a helpful place to put all ‘need to deal with’ papers, and you can go through it with them every week or so)
-Backpack
-Printer
-Ink
-Blank CDs
-External Hardrive
-Poly Pocket Folders
-Sheet Protectors

Class Supplies
This really depends on your child’s class schedule, but here are the basics:

-Binders
-Spirals
-Dividers
-Paper folders

Optional, but Helpful School Supplies You Might Forget
-Protractor
-Compass
-Book Covers
-Calendar
-Bulletin Board and Push pins
-Drawer organizer
-Lined pads of paper
-Dictionary
-Thesaurus
-Report covers
-Poster Board (If they have a place to keep it, I find there are always last minute projects that need poster board)
-Desk calendar (talk to them about desk calendar vs computer calendar vs planner—later this lesson).
-Doodle Notebook
-Graph paper

Print this out and take it with you!

About Nie:

On Saturday, August 16, 2008, Stephanie Nielson was in a plane crash with her husband, Christian Nielson, and his flight instructor, Doug Kinnear, near St. Johns, Arizona. Doug Kinnear passed away soon after arriving at the Maricopa County Hospital.
 
Christian & Stephanie remain in critical condition at Maricopa Burn Center.  Christian has sustained burns on over 30% of his body.  His wife Stephanie’s body was burned over 80%. 
 
For the past four years, Stephanie has welcomed us into her charming abode through the NieNie Dialogues.  Far from being a product of creative editing, the Nielson’s don’t just shine through the selective lens of a blog.  They are ingenuous examples of family devotion, eternal romance, and Christ centered faith.  This site is dedicated to their welfare & recovery.

On the right, you’ll see a NIE RECOVERY button, click on that to find ways to help this family through this tragic event.