Let’s Get Ready with Cedar Valley Publishing

Moms, we need your help again! Are you frustrated, like me, by companies like Abercrombie & Fitch who seem to think that too sexy is right for our kids and teens?  I called to complain and they said the Managers don’t take complaints — must be too busy surfing the web to find nude inspiration or maybe playing Farmville?? I love www.onemillionmoms.com who think like I do!!

Abercrombie and Filth
August 26, 2010

Abercrombie and Fitch continues to push the envelope and now has become more p*rnographic than ever before. A & F’s p*rnographic posters are desensitizing our youth which can lead to addiction and destruction. They are ignoring parents’ concerns and have outdone themselves by printing images which are more graphic than in years past.

A & F’s s*xually explicit posters have images of models posing n*de with parts blurred out, full rear n*dity of a male and men and women with clothes barely covering themselves wadded up so you can tell nothing about the article of clothing they are attempting to sell. These posters will shock, embarrass and potentially hurt the teens they hope to profit from. This type of marketing is damaging to our youth since so many struggle with self-esteem issues which can lead to obsession, eating disorders and depression as well as addiction. The destruction continues in the A & F Quarterly which is published with more s*xual imagery. (* used to bypass internet filters.)

OMM has received numerous complaints from our members over Abercrombie and Fitch’s new ads and store displays. Even though the company has blocked our emails in the past, we will not give up. We will call their corporate office and voice our concerns. We know from past experiences that calling may take a few more minutes of your time, but it will be time well spent. We have found from past experience that we have been successful in doing this and that most of you have no problem in giving your opinion to a retailer that is displaying nasty images to make a buck.

TAKE ACTION

Call Abercrombie and Fitch’s corporate office at 1-614-283-6500 & press #3 & #4 or you can press 0. If you get the recording asking you to email them, then just call back to get the menu to talk to someone. (The email address given came back as undeliverable for OMM since they block us.)

Then ask, “As a mother and a member of OneMillionMoms.com, I would like to know why your ads and posters have images of models posing n*de if you are in the market to sell clothes?” Let A & F know that if they do not remove these outrageous posters from their stores immediately, then as a parent this Christmas Season you will not be shopping in their stores (A & F, abercrombie Kids, Gilly Hicks and Hollister’s) for your family’s Christmas gifts. This type of marketing is ridiculous and we want answers. They can block our emails, but they can’t keep us quiet.

Sincerely,

Monica Cole, Director
www.OneMillionMoms.com

Our back to school ritual involves Back-to-School shopping.  Every year (this was our 6th year) my daughters Heidi, now 11 and Megan, now 9 and our next door neighbor/big sister/babysitter/who has known the girls since day one, Amanda, who is now 17 and I go shopping.  This isn’t just shopping we turn it into a fashion show extravaganza and involving many times the entire store.   Honestly, I hate shopping and so do my girls.  But years ago I decided to tell the girls we would be having a fashion show with their favorite person in the entire world, Amanda.  We went from “fit n’tears” to “fun n’laughs” just by making it into a special event – a few stores for a few hours and lunch in a nice restaurant.   They gear up to the event with the girls painting their nails and picking out a special outfit to wear shopping and Amanda does their hair.  So they “feel” special for picking out even more “special outfits”.

We only go to a few stores and each of us takes one girl and we work with the help of a sales person with that girl.  This year we had one sales girl who keep going in the back room and finding us the cutest clothes that I would never have found on the rack in a million years.  Once the girls explain what they want – I have learned that if my girls really, really don’t love it and they are only buying it to please me – they will NOT wear it; so now we explain to the salesperson we want A line waistlines from one girl that cover her appropriately and will not show her belly button when she raises her hand in class and more fitted outfits for the other girl with the same description that they need to be covered appropriately and honestly, the salesperson does all of the work.  We have so much fun the manager and a bunch of salesreps usually gets involved too helping us decide which ones we should select.  The girls feel special and love the attention!    We have stores that remember us each year and enjoy the “fun and excitement” we bring back to Back-to-School shopping.  

The key for me, everyone needs an Amanda and salesreps who enjoy their jobs!!

I saw this on one of my favorite blogs, the Clutter Diet Blog from the Queen of Organizing, Lorie Marrero and just had to share:

What Are Your “Back to School Resolutions?”

One of our Clutter Diet members posted this yesterday in our member message boards:

“The new school year to me is like setting new year’s resolutions.”

Yes, it is! It’s a fresh start, just like a brand new calendar year. What will you do differently?

Here are some suggestions of small things you can change that will make a huge difference in your school year and how organized you feel:

Create a lunch-making station in your kitchen, with storage for lunch boxes, plastic bags, food containers, thermal containers, plasticware, and common lunch treats all within easy reach of the fridge and/or pantry. Think about how easy it would be to make a peanut butter sandwich in your kitchen and adjust accordingly.

Start a habit of making lunches the night before. Better yet, have the young ‘uns start packing their own. Give them some guidance on appropriate menus and combinations and keep your supplies stocked for them.

Find out if your school has automated reminders that e-mail you when your child’s lunch money account is below a certain dollar amount. (Ours does and I didn’t know that until the end of last year!)

Get up earlier. Get ahead of the rest of the family, get your workout done, get a shower, or just get some quiet time to yourself before the whole day’s wild rumpus begins.

Do your “Sunday Planning”– just 10-15 minutes a week could change everything! We explain exactly how and what this entails in our free report, “30 Ways to Find Time to Get Organized”, available here.

Set up family policies for homework time, snack time, and how much screen time the kids can have on weekdays and weekends. Agree to these policies together along with the consequences for violating them, and even have the kids sign an official paper about it. Eliminate arguments and constant policing!
Make an effort to organize a carpool arrangement with at least one other family. It saves everyone immense amounts of time and is good for the environment too.

What are your “Back to School Resolutions?” Share in the comments!

Lorie

Follow me on Twitter for my Daily #ClutterTweetTip: www.twitter.com/clutterdiet

When I was asked to review the ISafeBag (www.isafebags.com); I could hardly wait to receive it.  It was invented by an entrepreneur in the Chicago area after he heard a news story about a woman walking on the street at night who was raped by four guys.  He was so upset by this story that he decided to do something to help protect women and kids from abductors, muggers and rapists…and even your run-of-the-mill school yard bullies!  I love that he was inspired to take ACTION!!!

Essentially, the ISafeBag looks like a regular backpack but underneath a flap on the right strap is a rip cord that, when pulled, activates a LOUD alarm (equivalent to a car alarm) and a strobe light.  It will sound for two hours so it’s also wonderful for campers or hikers who are lost.  It works on two nine volt batteries and the weight and price of this back pack is similar to any other back pack BUT this offers PEACE OF MIND!!

Ironically, on the day it arrived, I had received an email alert that an alleged kidnapper was on the loose in our tiny community. I am not kidding! The alert contained a picture of a man who looked very familiar as someone we had all recognized as seeing before in our small town.  I work from home so I turned on our home security alarm.  When it was time to walk down to the mailbox, our lovely babysitter and neighbor (who we all love like a family member) Amanda (Photo by Heidi Kannenberg) wore the ISafeBag Sling Bag and pulled the ripcord.  

It’s LOUD and will definitely scare away a predator and get attention!  My girls reminded me that it will also scare away the coyotes who have been getting braver and braver, and the recent black bears that have been seen in our neighborhood too!   I just reminded the girls that it was not a toy, but a tool. 

So the ISafeBag isn’t just for back to school for kids and college students; it’s perfect for traveling, hiking, camping, biking and other outdoor adventures, the zoo, the park, shopping and any place you need a little extra PEACE OF MIND! 

We all love the ISafeBag!  Please share it with your loved ones too!

Smiles – Stacey

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary ISafe Bag for this review. No other compensation was provided.

Now that summer is ending, many of us are thinking about the upcoming school year and how to create an atmosphere of success for our children. Regardless of age, a blank notebook, a fresh backpack, new pencils, pens, markers, and/or crayons should be joyful and yet, for many children, it elicits feelings of insecurity and fear of failure.  It is up to us, as parents and educators, to make certain that our kids are emotionally, socially, cognitively, and physically ready to meet new challenges.  Children need guidance, time, and reminders in order to successfully transition from the more carefree days of summer to the more rigorous routines of the school year. Proper manners should be reinforced, kindness acknowledged, reading, listening, and practicing skills encouraged and healthy eating and sleeping patterns enforced. Since children mimic our attitudes and behaviors, it is critical to speak in positive ways about the school year, teachers, school, and curriculum.  It is also important to set realistic expectations so that your child/children can tackle their new experiences and challenges with self confidence and with the knowledge that you will be both their cheerleader and confidant. Please note that I am not encouraging parents to make excuses for or to complete assignments for children, but rather, am advocating an environment of open dialogue, where discussions focus on both positive and negative emotions, behaviors, and experiences. 
Creating a solid foundation is critical to buildings constructed from brick and mortar as well as those more gentle structures made up of feelings, ideas, and knowledge.  Let’s work together towards building a foundation that supports a love for learning, a respect for self and others, and a dedication to excellence, diligence, and empathy.

I wish everyone a successful and lovely school year!!

Magical Educating!

Donna Mavrides
Magical Moments
www.magicalms.com

Choose A Character For Cynthia’s Attic: Book Five!

Want to choose a character to be in the next Cynthia’s Attic book? Here’s how!

Listed at http://cynthiasattic.blogspot.com/2010/07/choose-character-for-cynthias-attic.html are 10 Cynthia’s Attic characters the author, Mary Cunningham, is considering for a recurring role in Book Five. Leave a comment with your choice and an explanation as to why you think the character deserves to return. Mary choose one winner based on the most compelling reason.

What do you win? First is the Cynthia’s Attic book of your choice. You can wait for Book Five (title coming soon!) or you can choose one of the first four titles. Now for the really fun part. If your character and comment is chosen, you’ll also become a character in the book!

Click Here for More Information!

This video is from CBS and HerInsight’s Own Jill Starishevsky.  A New York City District Attorney who is on a mission to give us tools to help our kids stay safe.  Please share this video with every parent!! Jill also is the author of another must have, My Body Belongs To Me, a book to fight kids stay safe from child abuse.  (www.mybodybelongstome.com)

Watch the Video Here

Recently, Barb was a guest on my radio show and we were discussing how her Baby Dipper would be perfect for special needs families.  Well, check out this review, by a mom of a special needs 5-year-old child: http://www.able2able.com/2010/06/review-giveaway-ends-78-increase.html

PBS Invention Contest

Looking for something fun to do with kids of all ages this summer?

Fenway News Online reports that Design Squad, the PBS engineering reality competition series, is offering kids a chance to get in on the action this summer.

The 2010 Trash to Treasure Competition challenges kids, ages 5-19, to recycle, reuse, and re-engineer everyday materials into out-of-the-box inventions. Three winners will win a trip to Boston to see their designs built and appear on an episode of Design Squad.

Twenty-five finalists will be featured on the series website and will receive a Design Squad t-shirt. Entries will be accepted through September 5, 2010. For more information go here.

Photo by PBS.

Check out Learning and Laughter with Louise and her favorite Back To School Products:

And the Award Goes to…..LEARNING AND LAUGHTER WITH LOUISE!

BEST BACK TO SCHOOL PRODUCTS AWARD - 2010

CLICK HERE TO SEE WHAT PRODUCTS RECEIVE LOUISE’S 2010 LEARNING AND LAGHTER AWARDS!