Let’s Get Ready with Cedar Valley Publishing

Thanks to Education Week, we know Obama’s winners are:

1. Teacher Incentive Fund: $517 million to create pay-for-performance programs, above the $200 million in stimulus money.
2. $1.5 billion, on top of the stimulus $3 billion, to fund schools struggling to meet NCLB goals.
3. $370.4 million for the Striving Readers program, including $300 million for new Early Literacy Grants and $70.4 million for the Adolescent Literacy program.
4. $50 million for the high school initiative to help with the dropout rate.

And to be eliminated:

• Safe & Drug Free Schools: $294.8 million
• Even-Start family-literacy program: $66.5 million
• College Access Challenge Grants: $66 million
• Mentoring program: $48.5 million
• Civic Education program: $33.5 million
• Character education program: $11.9 million
• Ready to Teach program: $10.7 million
• Javits gifted & talented program: $$7.5 million
• National Institute for Literacy: $6.5 million
• Academies for American History: $1.9 million
• Close Up fellowship: $1.9 million
• Foundations for Learning: $1 million
• Education Technology State Grants which help districts integrate technology into classrooms is to be slashed to $100 million.
• Abstinence Education to be eliminated outright, replaced with $110 million in grants to teenage pregnancy-prevention programs.

They want to personally thank all those that helped make this adoption a reality!!! WOO HOO!!

Dear Family and Friends,
 
Well, the big day finally arrived.  Caden is now officially a part of our family!  Yippee!!!  Thank you, Jesus!!!  Here are a few pictures from our court day.  This day wouldn’t have come without all of your prayers and support.  Thank you for helping to make this adoption a reality! 
 
Love to you all,
Eric, Leslie, Macayla, and now, Caden Hutsler

Are you ready?

Are you ready to learn?

Are you ready to learn mom?

We’re here for you!  I’ve started a new website, focusing strictly on the items and issues that moms face today:  education (for ourselves and our children), passion for life, relationships, work at home & life balance.

Ready to Learn Mom!

Feel free to pop on over and visit me there - I hope you’ll find new information and opportunities to empower, invigorate and educate MOMS everywhere!

I am a huge fan of Beth Feldman’s and her Role Mommy blog and network.  Check out our recent show together!  She was a blast!!!

I am a huge fan of rootandsprout.com and found two great reads about autism on their site!

One is a review of the book Healing and Preventing Autism. 
http://www.rootandsprout.com/archives/1830

The other is Trish’s post about recognizing the early signs of autism:
http://www.rootandsprout.com/archives/396

If you have other sources of learning about the early signs of autism, please leave us a comment so we can share them with others!

• Empower your kids to help with shopping the sales for back to school clothes and supplies!
• Get them to help with organizing closets!
• Work with them to donate old backpacks and supplies!
• Schedule annual doctor exam and immunizations!
• Don’t forget annual exams with the dentist and eye doctor!
• Stay on schedule with wake up and going to bed times over the summer to make the transition easier!
• Keep reading over the summer!
• Build in weekly learning activities at the museum, zoo and library!
• Offer craft time and/or science experiment type activities!
• Build in exercise everyday to replace recess time!
• Stay current with PTA/PTO meetings and school activities over the summer!
• Attend summer community events to continue to network with families from your school district!
• Attend school board meetings!
• Be active as a family in your community!
• Schedule family play dates with classmates and their families to expand the family network - meeting at the beach, park, and library as a group to build a network of support for the entire family!  Children that have a huge network of support are more likely to succeed in school.  Parents need to help build that network to ensure the family is involved in education!

I was so excited to be asked to be a judge for Parent Reviewers Best Review Blog Award 2009!! It was so much fun to check out these amazing global blogs!!! All I can say is they are all winners!!!

Congratulations to the following finalists:

3 Kids and Us

Life Starring The Kids and Me

SuperMom Central

Rave and Review

Mom Most Traveled

Potamus Prefers

Two Of A Kind, Working On A Full House

AND

The Following Are Our Top Three Winners:

2nd Runner Up

Just A Mom’s Take On

1st Runner Up

Lille Punkin’ Reviews

AND THE WINNER OF THE 2009 BEST REVIEW BLOG AWARD GOES TOO *Drum Rolls*

A Family Completed

Powerful Picture Books, written by Cathy Puett Miller, offers over 180 ideas for connecting children’s books to content areas. Build your elementary, middle and high school students’ background knowledge and essential academic skills through the magical world of picture books!

This instant resource of 180 quality picture books gives you one to read for every day of the typical school year. Each entry is organized to include the title, author, and publication details, as well as a short annotation for each, connecting to such content areas as history, writing, the arts, geography, science and more. Extensive indexing gives educators, librarians and parents a variety of ways to use a picture book a day with great results. The 1-180 listing also provides a convenient “one picture book for each day” approach that follows many familiar themes (such as Grandparent’s Day, winter holidays, etc.) throughout the school year.

An interactive index allows teachers to locate books by topic and/or subject area, perfect for upper elementary, middle, and high school teachers. Topics include sequencing, cause and effect, history, biographies, math, science, holidays, animals, music, art, and more. Some lesson ideas also include additional book recommendations and website links for further ideas.

For more information on Powerful Picture Books by Cathy Puett Miller - CLICK HERE

How I wish Yummy Spoonfuls was on the market in 1999!!!  I would have been the biggest fan. 

Agatha and I have become friends from The Mom Entrepreneur Group and we swapped products.  I was thrilled to try it with my friend Sara’s twin girls Riley and Addy.  Sara was a bit worried because the girls are almost two and have become very independent.   They loved it - and I mean, they really, really loved all the yummy food!!!  No surprise that it was voted the Number ONE Baby Food by Cookie Magazine and was recently highlighted on CNN.  

To check out this inspiring story - CLICK HERE.

July 4th is the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.   This date has been set forth, throughout history, as the day that America gained independence from Great Britain.

Throughout the years, it has come to be known as the day of family, picnics and fireworks.  Fried chicken with potato salad, parades and American flags waving proudly in our skys.

As we get ready to celebrate July 4th tomorrow, please hold the thoughts and prayers of those who have, throughout history, fought to preserve freedom for America.  The men and women everywhere who hold their passion for these United States of America so close to their hearts that they are willing to give everything, including their lives, to uphold the standards and words that were written down and witnessed by our forefathers 233 years ago.

Help your children understand that the party isn’t just about the fun, family and fireworks. 

It’s about freedom for all.

And, with tears in my eyes, I will proudly stand to recite The Pledge of Allegiance….and sing The Star Spangled Banner so that I, too, may show how thankful my family and I are - to be free.