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FaceBook and the Who Has More Likes Issue

If you have a Facebook page and you post things about your life, your kids and such, do you get many likes or comments?

Do your online friends seem to get more responses than you do? How does that make you feel?

I have a personal page along with my business ones, but I only have about 115 “friends”. Now in the real world, not the virtual one, 115 seems like a lot. However, I notice that in the virtual world of Facebook, 115 is a pretty sad number. When I look at the number my online “friends” have I am blown away. I ask myself, “Are they really, truly friends with all these people? Do they really physically talk with these people ever in public? Do they even know all these people?”

I admit I have refused friend requests on Facebook from people who won’t even give me the time of day in person. The only reason I can think of that they want to be “friends” is to either be nosy or just bump their friends counter up on their page.

See, the people I have on my list are people I have actually stopped and talked to. Many are from the racetrack where we race, some are old work acquaintances, but most are people I like and enjoy talking to and spending time with….in person. They ask about my family or racing or work and I ask about them. They are nice people. They are people I would feel comfortable inviting into my home.

I have noticed that on Facebook I see people who have a gazillion “friends” and they can sneeze online and they will get 50 God bless you’s, but most of the time when I post something important or a cute picture of my son, I’m lucky to get 2 likes and on occasion 1 or 2 comments.

What’s up with that? Should I worry that my friends don’t think as highly of me and my posts as someone else’s constant online babbling? Is it because I don’t feel the need to comment on every thought that passes through my head, (I thought that’s what Twitter was for? But that’s a whole other talk show) or is it just a law of averages? The more that see the post means the more that comment.

I like to think that it’s the latter. At least that’s what I am telling myself so as to not get a complex about not having friends who care. See, what I have found out is my friends on Facebook are nice people, with busy lives offline. They don’t need to get on Facebook every waking moment to share they have a headache, nor to comment on someone else’s headache.

They are real friends in the real world living real lives. The kind of friend that would be there if you called them up on the phone and asked them for real help, not a thumbs up online or a smiley face behind an abbreviated sentence. They would be ringing the doorbell, with hands out and I feel so blessed that 115 of them is pretty close to the number of those who would be standing outside our door.

Where do you rate on Facebook? Do you get a million responses to your comments and photos or do you slide in under the radar for most friends and are you OK with that?

It has taken me all weekend to be able to sit down and put thoughts to keyboard, so to speak. The tragedy that has occurred is so heartbreaking, I find it too hard to convey what I am feeling. I know it is same feeling everyone has.

That night, I kissed my son goodnight and gave him the biggest hug. He felt the tear on my cheek from the sadness for the other mothers & fathers who wouldn't be hugging their children anymore and he asked me, "Mama, why are you crying? I love you, so no reason to cry!" and he hugged me back so tight. 

I went and knelt by the Christmas tree, prayed so hard and then broke down and sobbed. I cried so hard for those parents. I tried to picture the sweet faces of those babies and wondered how anyone could look into those little faces and pull the trigger.

Like others, I was so angry, so hurt, so devastated. How do we keep our children safe? I didn’t want to let my son out of sight. So I turned to the only thing I knew to do and that was to pray.  

My prayer now is - Thank you God for blessing me, please protect my son from harm and please comfort those who are experiencing my biggest fear.

There are many heartfelt tributes floating around the web as well as good advice on how to talk to your children about scary events, in addition to advice on how we can keep them safe.

The one piece I can give is no matter what age your children may be, always make it easy for your children to come to you to talk. Let them know that when it feels important, to let you know that they need to talk. Then make sure to stop everything, sit down and truly listen. Address their fears, don’t dismiss them and help guide them through. As parents, we have so many responsibilities, including all we do to keep them safe, but we also need to support their emotions and give them a safe place to express them.

Hold them tight and tell them how much you love them everyday – it never gets old. 

Prayers and best wishes to you and your families,

Julie

Join Us for Our Project MAHMA Call this Week

Tune in to hear how others have lost weight, improved their health and succeeded at achieving their dreams all in a short informative call.

What Is Project MAHMA?

Project MAHMA stands for Moms at Home Making a ... Difference (and a whole lot of money!)

Project MAHMA is a coalition of Shaklee families across North America who stay at home with their kids and earn income by helping others live healthier and more independent lives.

Project MAHMA was formed as an opportunity for moms and dads to:

• Have the very best for their family's health, well-being and financial future
• Realize their personal potential
• Make a difference in the lives of others
• Do it all AND stay home with their kids

Call Information

Saturday, December 15, 2012

8 a.m. Pacific | 9 a.m. Mountain | 10 a.m. Central | 11 a.m. Eastern

DIAL: 212-990-8000 (PIN: 6262#)

Tune in this Saturday for another inspiring Project MAHMA Call. 

Our moderator is Project MAHMA  co-founder Jude Peskuski (Senior Key Coordinator, TX). Jude is the proud mom of two wonderful boys, John and Jay. She began what she refers to as her "Sesame Street hobby" back in 1981, earning $500 a month. 

As Jude says, "Shaklee has been the vehicle for me to have more dreams come true than I ever imagined. I've traveled to Hawaii eight times and visited Australia, Hong Kong, Europe and the Western Caribbean on the Imagine 2010 incentive cruise!" 

Today Jude, along with her Project MAHMA co-founder husband, Jack, earns a six-figure income* and loves contributing to people's health and well-being and making their dreams come true.

Joining Jude for the call this Saturday are:

Jack Peskuski (Jude's husband), Project MAHMA co-founder (Senior Key Coordinator, TX), who will share the businessman's perspective on Project MAHMA.

Maria Burton (Senior Coordinator, TX). Maria was considering going back to work in the corporate world when she was presented with the Shaklee opportunity. Now, four years later, she's celebrating another successful year full-time with Shaklee! 

Maria's background is varied and interesting. She has a BBA, spent seven years at an Architectural firm, and worked in Substance Abuse Prevention as well as Product Sales for the Girl Scouts. She is very passionate about health and wellness and is currently a Reiki Master Practitioner. She is committed to removing barriers in health and well-being so that others shine at whatever they pursue in life.

Jessica Allen (Distributor, TX). Jessica is a wife and a stay at home mom to two young boys. She's known about Shaklee all her life, and in fact, grew up in the town where the vitamin plant used to be. About a year ago, Jessica started a mission to get her family healthy and toxin- free with Shaklee products. She is passionate about sharing solutions for better health and financial freedom with other families!

Judi Hill (Distributor, TX). Judi has lost over 85 lbs with the Cinch® Inch Loss Plan**.  She is one of three winners of the 2011 Dallas-area Cinch Contest and now she inspires others that they, too, can be successful in adopting healthy habits. She leads a group called “Greatest Winners” to success and shares Project MAHMA with families she talks to about Shaklee.

Chasity Lewallen (Member, TX). Chasity is a proud mom of two – Zachary (9) and Charity (6). She is passionate about health and leads Zumba® Fitness classes for seniors and young people. Chasity’s passion to inspire others to be good stewards of their bodies has her excited about her own experience with Shaklee products.

Additional Information

ALTERNATE CALL IN NUMBERS:

In the unlikely event that you experience a busy signal when trying to access the call this weekend, please try one of these alternate call-in numbers: 1-212-990-4000, or 1-212-990-2300. The PIN for both of these lines is the same as the main number: 6262#

ARCHIVES:

Project MAHMA calls are archived for future listening. Go to  http://www.shakword.com and click on the tab, "Project MAHMA" (left hand side of page). The log in and the password are the same: shaklee. The most recent conference call will be featured approximately 7 days after the call takes place.

For more information on Project M.A.H.M.A., to learn more about Shaklee products or to join us, you can contact me via online listed below or simply fill out our Contact Form

Find us Online at:

Product Info & Ordering Website: To Be Healthy

Our Health & Wellness Blog: youtobehealthy.com

Like us on Facebook: To Be Healthy

Twitter: You To Be Healthy

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Always Safe, Always Works, Always Green - See why we work when others don’t – The Shaklee Difference

Another Mom Was Nice To Me Today

Today as I was standing in line to return something at Target, my four year old son was displaying his displeasure at having to be there by misbehaving a bit. 

Don’t you just love it when all you want to do is run a quick errand and end up standing in line with a cranky kid? Nothing brightens a day more than having to correct your child in public and watch them unravel right before your eyes.

It seems that when your child is acting up in a public place you feel like everyone is looking at you with their cold, steely eyes and whispering their disapproval of your mothering skills behind your back. 

You shake it off, knowing that you are overreacting and they probably don’t even notice. Yes, I know that what others think is none of my business and most of the time I don’t even care what others think. It’s just that when it’s your kid that’s acting up you feel like you’re the only one with a misbehaving child. You know it’s a ridiculous thought, but it’s a feeling that just kind of comes over you as if someone was pouring hot goo over your head.

My son wasn’t acting too badly, but I did have to put him into time out for a short time to get him to settle. As he gave me his mean eyes look from his time out spot, the woman in front of me chuckled and said her six year old son gives her the same look.

Instantly I felt this sense of relief as if the store’s doors flew open and a warm ocean breeze hit my face. This nice woman went on to say she had four boys and they all did this and seeing my son do the same made her laugh a little bit as she thought of her own boys.

I thanked her for sharing that thought with me as sometimes you think you are the only one. She laughed and told me something I already knew, but so desperately needed to hear and that is, “Nah, they all do that.”

Those few little words carry so much meaning to a mom in the thick of correcting their child. We all know this to be true and we all know our children don’t act like this all the time. We also all know that every parent has to take their turn with the misbehaving child in public. It just always seems to be your turn at the worst possible moment, doesn’t it?

I loved the fact that this woman didn’t judge me, she remembered her times in the spotlight and offered some kind words and few laughs to make this mom feel a little better.

It’s a good thing she did because 5 minutes later as I was walking out through the store I heard another mom criticize the way my son was looking at her young daughter. Neither child was looking where they were going and came close to running into each other, they didn’t, but my son did turn to look at her is all. This mother made a snide comment and I ignored it. I chose to concentrate on what the nice mom said and I’m so glad I did.

I put my arm around my son and we walked out with our heads held up high for all the cameras to see.

So the next time you see a mom in the thick of a parenting moment in public, go up and tell her that your kids does or did the same thing at that age and smile. It may be the nicest thing you do all day.

Twelve Days of Christmas (Boys Edition) from Mob Society

If you do nothing else today, you MUST read this hilarious post about one mom's version of the 12 Days of Christmas. 
Whether you have boys or girls or a mix of both. Or if you can remember once what it was like to be young around Christmas time and feel the need to say, "Sorry Mom" you will love this.

Twelve Days of Christmas (Boys Edition)

Remember to share the love. Lets "Like" each other. I'm Not a Supermom

My husband underestimates my ability to fix problems with cars.

We both drive old cars, his being worse than mine.

Older cars come with a lot of little squeaks, bangs and other various annoying noises.

These noises really drive my husband nuts. He’ll fix one only to have three more pop up.

When he was complaining about them I told him I know how to fix them really easy. 

I told him he needs to do what I do – turn up the radio! And Presto! No more annoying noises.

This morning my son was getting into some trouble by backtalking a little when asked to pick up cars. 

I have what is called a "penalty box" where sometimes toys go for a week  as a form of punishment. 

When I mentioned that some cars would be put into the penalty box if he continued talking to me that way, he said, "You know what? Next spring, that penalty box is going into the yard sale!" 

I just about spit my green tea all over the kitchen counter.

Enslaved Children Freed After Being Forced to Make Christmas Decorations

I saw this news video that shows where a group of children were recently freed from a prison of child labor where they were forced into making cheap Christmas decorations for us here in the U.S.

Here is the link: Enslaved Children Freed After Being Forced to Make Christmas Decorations

Please read the article below the video s it provides more information.

I was horrified to hear this. It’s not the first time I had heard of child labor, but watching this video made it more real for me than just reading about it. I may never pick up another Christmas decoration without thinking of the little hands who may have made it.

To think that these young children are being stolen or sent off by their own families, enslaved, trafficked, abused and forced to work 19 hour days in terrible conditions made me cry.

I thought of my own child and how fortunate we are. Why is this allowed to continue? Instead of fighting over oil, land and religion, why aren’t we using our powers to free these children, who are all around the world and educate people?

Starvation, homelessness, slavery, abuse – all things that still continue today in the 21^st century. And we think we’ve come so far.

How sad and disappointed God must be with us.

How Do You Explain Why Santa Doesn’t Visit Everybody?

Now that my son is 4 going on 5, he is very inquisitive. When we talk about Santa coming, I mention that we also need to go through the toys and donate ones to other children who aren’t so fortunate. We do this every year to not only make room for all the new things he is getting, but  to also teach him about giving to others less fortunate.

My husband agreed and stated that we need to be generous and give to those children who may not get toys for Christmas.

My son asked the question we should have seen coming, but didn’t – “How come Santa won’t bring toys to them? We’re they bad?”

Ouch. My husband and I look at each other and stammer through some lame answer like, “Well, they may just not get as many as you do” or something like that and changed the subject fast till we are better prepared to answer a question like that.

But how do you answer that question?

I want to teach my son about others who are not as fortunate, but how do you teach that kind of empathy without getting too detailed or "spilling the beans" so to speak?

How do you explain Santa not getting around to some children without contradicting yourself?

Add your Boy story to this wonderful link up at The M.O.B. Society. M.O.B. stands for Moms of Boys. 

This site is a great place to be if you have boys. Find inspiration, friendship and understanding from moms who are right there with you in the trenches of raising boys. These women understand all the joys, hard work and sometimes discouragement you are going through.

So check out this link up, visit other sites and maybe link up one yourself!

Today I Am Thankful For:

The freedom to vote.

I am thankful for the ones who fought for that freedom and for those who still do today.

‎"I love you more to day than yesterday. 
Yesterday you really ticked me off!"

Oh, the power of forgiveness. 

If you really want to lose weight fast, forgive someone who did you wrong. You will feel lighter instantly. 

Recommending: A Choice to Rejoice

Have you ever experienced a painful loss or a prayer that seemed to go unanswered only to find out that someone else appeared to get what you wanted?

It can be so painful watching someone else be blessed with what you longed for so long, prayed for so hard and was so devastated to lose or never acquired at all. 

It can be so hard to be happy for that person who received what you feel you should have. It is easy to fall into the trap by thinking you feel left out, that you don't matter as much as they do and that either God is too busy to be bothered with you or that He must be cruel to force you to watch someone else be blessed.

It is much harder to rejoice with them, to be genuinely happy for them all the while you are deep in the pit of devastation personally.

I know, because I have experienced this many times.

I recommend an article to help you understand that you aren't the only person who has felt this way and to know that there is a reason, just not the one you think.

A Choice to Rejoice is a definite must read if you have ever experienced a loss or any painful experience only to end up watching someone else get what you were longing for. If you ever felt that God was being cruel in your time of terrible pain by the appearance of blessing someone else and not you, then you should read this. I know what that feels like as I have lived it many times over. Read it, it will help make sense.

Read it here: A Choice to Rejoice

Looking At Things Like a Child Does

Isn't is fun to watch a young child try and explain something they are so excited about? They can hardly get the words out. Their voices go up another octave, their eyes are wide with excitement and they can't be still. You can't help but get a little excited, too as you enjoy watching them.

As adults we tend to lose that enthusiasm. We lose that reckless abandon way at looking at the world and the way it works. We become cynical, complacent and dull. We fall into the trap of disbelief and live unenthusiastically.

Children look at things like it's the very first time because it is! They get excited over what we perceive are little things. They live in the moment and their moments change quickly. They jump from one thing to the next eagerly trying new things. They can't wait to see what's coming next. 

Children also believe even when they cannot see. They believe they deserve good things and that they will receive them. They have no reason to doubt. When did we stop believing? Jesus said himself, that unless we believe like the little children do, we will never receive all of God's blessings.

We grownups need to go back to the way of thinking about life as a child does.  To be enthusiastic about life because it is so wonderful. We need to look at this world and everything in it with wild eyed wonder.

And we need to do the one important thing most of us lose as we get older - believe even when we cannot see.

Believe in the good when all you see and hear is bad; believe in ourselves when no one else does; believe in others even when they make it hard for us to;  believe in God even when he appears silent when we pray. 

And believe in children and all they have to teach us.

Worth Reading

Below are some articles I have read recently that I liked. I hope you like them, too. Please share with us some articles and stories you have come across that you like and tell us why.

• Married & Dating (Each Other)  by the M.O.B. Society – We must make time for us as a couple. Finding childcare though is our main hang up, since we basically have none. How do you all  squeeze in couple time?

• Are We Serving Our Family Leftovers? by The Better Mom – a short article that reminds moms who do a lot for others outside the home to remember to serve your family first, then others. It can be a hard balance to strike. You want to help others, but not at the expense of taking care of your family. How do you find that balance?

• The Best Way to Balance a Busy Life by The Better Mom – another short article to gently help us to remember that we don’t need to be so busy. We must be very picky how we spend precious time. Do we really want our children adopting our hectic lives, or do we want them to learn how to be happy and peaceful? Don’t we deserve to be happy and peaceful, too? Yes! Yes, we do! Time to scale back to what really is important. Hard to do, yes, but we must do it. How do you balance your life?

• Hope for the Tired and Weary  by Mom Heart – I needed to read this today. I needed to be reminded that it’s OK to be weary and that everyone gets to that point. I think you will love what is said in this story, too, especially if you are weary.

• First Time Obedience, Really? Another View Into the Process by I Take Joy – This is a little longer, but so worth the time reading. It’s a collection of a few short things Sally has written on obedience in children. I needed this reminder as I tend to be too harsh with discipline and expect immediate obedience. It was the way I was raised and I see myself passing on that type of parenting. I want to be better than that. This is a good article. How do you view discipline? Are you a demand it now type of person, like me? If your children are older, what did you learn from teaching them discipline?

Teaching Moment: Being Bullied (just a little bit)

Having an only child has its drawbacks. One example is, your child has no experience in handling a bully that’s older and bigger than he is. Those with older siblings definitely have the advantage of experience in this situation.

Today I let my four year old son handle a problem on his own and then taught him later. A bully came up and forced him off of what he was playing on. We were at a playground and he was on a particular piece of playground equipment that only seats one at a time. There was another one just like it, but it was occupied by this bully’s sister. 

The bully was an older girl, I’m guessing to be about 9. She wanted on it and I saw her tell him to get off. He ignored her and kept on riding. She then worked her way onto the ride, eventually crowding him off. Since she didn’t shove him to the ground, etc, I did not intervene as I wanted to see how he would handle it. I would have intervened had it she became physical. And I wanted to intervene, believe me, I did! It irritated me that she did this to my baby and of course her mother was too busy talking on her cell phone the entire time we were there, to notice.

I know he’s faced squabbles over playground equipment and toys before, but this was the first time he had to deal with an older child. All the other events were with kids his own age and size.

Anyway, my son the entire time was looking at me for help on what to do. He was waiting for me to come and make it right, I’m sure. He finally gave up after he was forced off and came over to me. I was glad he didn’t come to me crying or pouting, he just seemed confused. He told me what happened and asked me what he could do. That’s when the teaching moment came in.

I told him that, yes what the girl did was mean and was wrong, but that sometimes kids are like that. I then told him I was happy he didn’t get mean back by shoving or hitting her, that would not have been right. I asked him what he thought he could have said to her. He shrugged and said he didn’t know. I went on to explain what he could have said and did to maybe have her stop and what to do if she didn’t or got rough with him.

It was very hard to watch him get bullied, even if it was only a little. At least I was there to monitor it in case it escalated and I was relieved it didn’t. I was proud of myself for not interfering, even though the Mama Bear in me wanted to! I knew it was something he had to experience without mom rushing in to help.

I know the time is coming though, when he’s going to be bullied by a child who will get nasty with him and want to fight. I just hope I know what to say to him when he comes to me then. I know what I did when I was a child – I was a scrapper. You pushed me and I pushed back – hard. And then the fight was on! But I had six older brothers. I was bullied everyday! 

It’s going to be hard for me to find the right way to teach my son that yes, I want him to stand up for himself and protect himself, but not turn into a bully himself either.

A new road to traverse pops up all the time, doesn’t it?

Have you ever had a child seriously bullied? How did you handle it?

A Child’s 10 Commandments

Janelle at The Better Mom did it again. She has a post that is so touching and worth reading - A Child’s 10 Commandments is something I know I need to be reminded of.

Our lives have been turned upside down lately and we are all feeling the strain. Our faith, our strength, everything  has been tested to the breaking point, and yesterday I failed as a mother.

I screamed at my son for whining and talking back. I made him cry. I utterly failed.
I took it all out on my son at that moment who did not deserve my short temper.
I begged for his forgiveness and for God's at my horrible actions. I felt ashamed.

I need to carry these commandments around in front of me, to remind me of the precious gift God has given me and to treat this gift as such.

Enjoy reading A Child’s 10 Commandments

Hailey's Cranio & BMP 2 Journey

Below is a story from a mom who has experienced a nightmare when it came to her daughter’s medical condition and her subsequent surgeries. This is a horror that no parent should have to endure.

I urge you to watch Hailey’s video, read the explanation below and decide for yourselves.

It is a lesson for all parents to learn.

Here is the link to the video: Hailey’s Cranio Journey

Hi Julie,

Hailey was diagnosed with Craniosynostosis at 4 months of age. Craniosynostosis is where the sutures in a baby's head will prematurely fuse not allowing for the brain to have proper brain growth.

When a suture fuses, surgery is required to fix the suture that is closed to reopen it. The child's skull bone is removed and taken to another table to fix and then is re-inserted into the head. If the surgery is not performed the chances of that the child developing seizures, blindness, chiari (the brain will start to push through the spinal tap), mental defects are very high depending on the severity.

BMP-2 is an implant that is used to help create bone. In some cases, there is not enough bone to be able to reshape the infants/child head, this is where they remove bone from another part of the body to place in these areas or use other known materials that work.

At the present time it is only FDA approved for re-peat adult spinal lumbar surgeries but has had a ton of bad publicity in the past year. The US Justice Department has fined the pharmaceutical company for its "off-Label" usage, which was an extreme off-label usage in Hailey's experiment as is not to be used on an immature skeleton.

The Senate was investigating them last year as well for its off-label usage. The FDA has also requested information as they have claimed that during trial experiments, the doctors that sent the trial experiment information to them was misleading as these doctors were paid thousand/millions of doctors in royalties for their experiments on the BMP-2 and they approved the BMP-2 in adult surgeries from these trial experiments. It is now today being said that BMP-2 is considered a carcinagentic (cancerous).

As a baby’s head growth and brain growth during the first year of life is very important. No one can tell us what will be her outcome as the BMP-2 was so thick with fake bone in areas that it was said that she would have never of expanded on her own as the bone was so thick that her brain at the time of the second surgery was trying to push but that it had been rubbing her bone, this is the Inter Cranial Pressure that I speak of.

During this time the brain tries to grow, the sutures are very important as the brain growth expands at a very fast rate thus allowing the open sutures to move and allow for this growth spurt.  

The second surgery is thought to be a success but there is no guarantee and they have told us this. Currently though, Hailey has been having a golf size bump protruding from her forehead region that is not normal. We are currently waiting it out to see what happens and continuing to monitor her for Inter Cranial pressure while this bump is not normal we are unsure of what will happen next. Her Plastic surgeon just requested again that we travel out to see him soon; we were just in NY in July for a follow up due to this bump on her forehead now. 

Lingering issues, she continues to have absence seizures, central apnea (brain telling the body to breath) no reflexes and we are trying to uncover what else. We just added a new Neurologist to her team in NY ….. She may need another cranio surgery, so at this time we are waiting to see what happens. Her jaw will need to be broken and reset when she turns five. She doesn't have enough room in her mouth for any more teeth and due to the cranio coronal sutures fusing it did not allow for proper facial growth. Her eyes have hypotolarism (spaced to close together) but that's the least of our concerns right now in her medical issues.

It's a VERY long story, hopefully I made this helpful?

Thank you!!!!!!! for all your help!!! 

Tricia

Note: Please keep in mind, I am only passing this information on as a support to this mother and her family to help educate the rest of us parents. We must scrutinize every medical procedure, ask lots of questions and understand everything being done when it comes to the medical care for our children. Then we must never stop searching for answers when we know in our hearts something is wrong.

My own son would have died as a newborn if I didn't insist that the pediatrician on call was wrong when she said nothing was wrong with him. I pushed and luckily found one nurse who insisted on further investigation, if nothing else to just to appease a worried new mom. 

To all their surprise, I was right. They then rushed him to the NICU (Newborn Intensive Care Unit) He received the care he needed, albeit later than he should have, but thankfully it all turned out alright. I shudder to think about what might have happened if I had let the hospital staff convince me that there was nothing wrong. I listened to my mother's instinct and insisted they keep searching. Their tests were initially done I believe to shut me up, but it turned out to confirm my fears. 

Always listen to that mother's instinct.

Most medical professionals only have our children’s best interests at heart and would never intentionally do anything to cause harm, but just like in all professions, there may be exceptions.

In all fairness, I did not contact any of the medical professionals connected to this case because of the medical confidentiality involved. I am not related to Hailey or her family and therefore am not entitled to discuss her case. These restrictions prevent me from hearing the other side of the story and being able to present it here.

I assume no responsibility for this case and am merely passing along one mother’s story.

That being said, as a mom, you can probably guess who my thoughts go to.

Here is the link to the video: Hailey’s Cranio Journey

Julie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Event: Raising Healthy Kids

Raising Healthy Kids Today 

In a junk food world

Join us for our Healthy Children Hour where we come together to learn about children’s health and what health challenges our children are facing. We will look at nutritional options, talk to other moms, share ideas and taste test products. These hours are sponsored by our company, Shaklee Distributing.

Cost: FREE!     

                                                            

Where: Fairfield Child Development Center – 140 Donald Dr. Fairfield, OH 45014

When: We have 2 dates to try & accommodate everyone’s busy schedules – more dates to follow. The 2 we have scheduled so far are:

Tuesday 9/4/12  6:30 - 7:30 PM    &    Saturday 9/8/12  10:00 - 11:00 AM

Come and learn what you can do to keep your children healthy!

We hope you can come - bring your friends and family!

Please contact Julie at email youtobehealthy@yahoo.com or Facebook To Be Healthy

To Reserve Your Spot Today!

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An Article All Moms Should Read

Rachel from Finding Joy wrote an article that I feel ALL Moms need to read. 

The article, Dear Sweet Mom Who Feels Like She Is Failing is a mirror image of not only my life, but of all moms at one time or another. 

I urge you to take the five minutes you feel you don't have to spare and read this. You will be glad you did.

Recent Articles Worth Reading

Here a couple links to some good articles on our Health and Wellness Blog, You To Be Healthy

• August Newsletter - Survive August Heat, Sports Nutrition, Save Money with back to school shopping and more!

• Win and Lose All At the Same Time! - Lose weight and win money! What could be better than that?!

• Toxic World - Huge numbers and quantities of chemicals surround each of us today. Being informed is just the beginning.

• Oprah Loves Shaklee - Oprah Winfrey shares why she loves Shaklee products so much.

• Infant Acid Reflux - In response to a question about a six month old baby experiencing acid reflux, this is what a clinical nutritionist has to say.

• Acid Reflux - Read this testimonial and see what worked for them.

• 10 Tips for a Healthy Vacation - With summer's end coming up fast, some of us will be trying to cram in a last minute vacation. So here are a few tips.

• 90 Year Old Gets Help from Vivix - Testimonial on how this helps the elderly.

Just When Your Faith In People Is Fading...

Just when your faith in people is fading, something extraordinary happens to renew it. 


My husband and I stopped on the way home to get a few grocery items. We had been gone all day and we were all tired and our 4 year old was acting cranky. 


My husband gave me the keys and I proceeded to take our four year old to the car while my husband waited in the long checkout lane. 


Later he told me when we got home that the lady in front of him paid for our groceries, even though he tried to object. 


She said, "God bless you" and paid for them anyway. My husband said, "God bless you too", gave her a hug and she walked away. 


Thanks to that angel we changed our attitude from one of weariness to gratefulness. 


It was a sweet reminder. Time for us to do in kind - pay it forward.


(By the way, the picture above is a great likeness to the angel in front of us at the grocery store.)

Recent Articles Worth Reading

Below are links to some of the things I took a brief moment to read and felt they were worth the precious little time I have to spend.

So, if you are looking for some good articles to read that aren’t too long, then check these out. 

They are from some of my favorite sites. I know there are many other sites out there that have great content, so if you have read something recently worth reading, then please share here with the rest of us.

Have a great weekend!

• Why You Can’t Afford to BURN OUT as a Mom  - @ -  The Better Mom – A great reminder that our children are learning from us how we handle our days and how they will follow suit.

• Inexpensive Gift Wrapping Ideas – @ - Savings Lifestyle – Though most kids wouldn’t mind their gifts in a plastic trash bag, Andrea is right – it’s not very festive. I like to buy cheap gift bags at the dollar store and wrap on sale after Christmas, but some of these ideas are more fun for kids to do as they can decorate it.

• Cultivating a Home of Peace - @ - MomHeart – If you long for peace in your home, Joy shows you that you don’t have to look too far.

• Changing our country…one prayer…one child…one life at a time - @ - The Better Mom – Praying for our children and children everywhere – a small act with a powerful impact.

• Are You Missing the Funny Because You're Too Busy Judging? - @ - jeszimsmi at Blog Her – A very good article reminding us that as parents, we all try and do our best and still come up short.

• THE INABILITY OF CHILDREN TO HOLD ONTO TOYS IN A CAR - @ - Crappy Pictures – the article mentioned in the article above. I think she’s pretty funny and a mom with a sense of humor is a blessing to her children.   

•  Moms Making a Difference - @ - You To Be Healthy - There are many moms (and dads) who are earning an income from home and giving themselves the gift of freedom— including more time with their families—while at the same time offering others the gift of better health and a  better life.

•  Sugar, Sugar Everywhere! - You To Be Healthy - Which matters more – the type of sugar or the type of food?

• Natural Alternatives for Health with Dr. Jamie McManus - @ - You To Be Healthy – Dr. Jamie McManus discusses natural alternatives for joint health in this informative video

 What are some of your favorite reads lately?

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