Journal Giveaway!

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month.

The company know for its "Keep Going" spirit is hitting the pavement to help find the cures for breast cancer. Energizer is continuing its longtime support of Susan G. Komen for the Cure by becoming the first ever Presenting Sponsor and Official Battery of the Breast Cancer 3-Day in 2009. "We are proud to sponsor such an amazing event that truly highlights the perseverance and never-quit spirit of thousnads joining together in the fight to end breast cancer, " said Betsy Laakko, Director of Marketing for Energizer. In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Energizer has created a limited-edition Keep Going Journal, the first in a series, to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The collectible 80-page journal, which features inspirational quotes, a calendar, and a pink ribbon bookmark, is available by mailing in three proofs of purchase from select Energizer battery packs. For every journal redeemed, Energizer will donate $1.00 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, up to $15,000 with a minimum guaranteed donation of $10,000. In addition, commemorative pink batteries will be available during the month of October at retailers nationwide. In additional to the journals, Energizer will be donating $1 to Susan G. Komen for teh Cure for every new Facebook Fan, up to $10,000. You can become a fan of the Energizer Bunny at www.facebook.com/energizerbunny.

Breast Cancer has affected several people in my family as well as numerous women in my circle of friends. I feel passionately about getting your mammograms and completing your self exams every month. Thanks to the Susan G. Komen fund for helping many women fight breast cancer.

So, thanks to Energizer, I have been given A Keep Going journal to giveaway to one of you. The journal is pink and grey and has a magnetic flap to close it. Inside there is a 2010 calendar, lined pages for writing, and quotes throughout the pages. One of my favorites from the book is...

"May you live all the days of your life." by Jonathan Swift Then there is an attached pink ribbon bookmark to mark your pages. This is a great journal to keep for yourself or give to someone you know who is struggling with breast cancer. All you have to do is leave me a comment with an email address. The contest ends on Monday, October 26th at 11:59 PM. I will choose the winner with Random.org on Tuesday, October 27th, 2009.

Disclosure: Energizer sent me 2 journals at no cost to promote to my readers. I did not receive any payment for this promotion.

Thermometer Winner!

The winner of the Temple Touch Thermometer is:



RANDOM.ORG - Integer Generator: "Here are your random numbers: 5
Timestamp: 2009-10-06 13:38:26 UTC"

Andrea is the winner and I will be contacting her by email this morning!

Thanks for entering!

Mondays Matter: Week 40

Taken from the book Every Monday Matters: 52 Ways To Make A Difference by Matthew Emerzian and Kelly Bozza

THANK A LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER

-Over 675,000 sworn officers and nearly 295,000 civilian officers protect and serve citizens.

-Over 14 million arrests occur annually for all offenses except traffic violations.

ACTION STEPS

1. Walk up and thank a law enforcement officer for keeping you and your community safe.

2. Pull your car to your right and out of the way when you hear a siren or see a police car approaching with its lights on.

3. Organize your friends, co-workers, neighborhood, or child's classroom to create and deliver a thank-you card to your local law enforcement agency, police station, or town sheriff.

4. Ask your local police department which organizations support them...and donate.

5. Support or start a Neighborhood Watch program in your community.

6. Always report crime.

Several years ago my husband and I attended a Citizen's Police Academy where we were able to go through similiar training and classes that regular officers go through. We were also able to ride along with an officer to see what goes on in the day of a police officer. I learned how difficult some of their days can be, the kind of situations they are put into, the kind of people they have to deal with and the risks that the officers face every single day. It was such an eye opener for me and I have such respect for those officers who spend their days protecting our family. Our town doesn't have a police department or even its own sheriff. We have a county sheriff's department that makes visits to our town on a regular basis. A few years ago I became concerned (along with another mom) about the after-school traffic through town. Numerous children walk home from school and the traffic leaving the high school had become quite dangerous and many were driving down a closed street (closed to keep the kids safe that were getting off busses). So, after calling the sheriff's department, they now make regular visits to sit in town after school and monitor traffic. I am deeply appreciative of their time here and have told them so on many occasions. I just don't want to see one child get hurt because of a careless driver.

Law enforcement officers make an incredible difference in your community. Every day they put their lives at risk to protect you, your neighbors and your loved ones. Thank the next officer you see for their valuable service.

4 Days of Giving...

I said I had started the 10-Day Give and I did start it on Thursday, this is just the first chance I have had to give you an update!

Day 1: About a year ago I started giving a toddler storytime at our local library. We have it once/month and each month I pick a theme, read a couple books, have some songs/fingerplays, a craft and a snack. The last few times we have had 6 children and I just really enjoy seeing them come each month. I hope I am encouraging a love of reading in the children and giving them something fun to do as well. This month we had a birthday party theme. When I started storytime, I got a lamb puppet named "Lucy" for our Storytime pet. So we pretended it was Lucy's 1st birthday at Storytime, complete with party hats, games, favors and birthday cupcakes. I think all the kids had a great time and I look forward to giving of myself each month at storytime.

Day 2: It was Homecoming weekend at our school this weekend and Friday night was the football game. We live right across from the football field, so we decided to have a tailgate party before the game. The weather didn't cooperate very well, as it was cold and rainy. So we ended up tailgating inside and didn't even go to the game. We had 23 adults and children here and had a blast. We grilled burgers and hotdogs and shared in some wonderful fellowship all evening. I love to entertain and have people over. There were people over at our home that had never met before and I love to see new people getting to know eachother and mingling. So, on Friday night I opened my home and my refridgerator up to lots of friends and I hope a fun evening was had by all.

Day 3: Ironically today was my birthday. But, I think I can still find some ways that I gave even though I was the receiver of many others on Saturday. Saturday morning, our son had a soccer game. Again the weather was COLD and rainy and windy, but I sat outside and cheered our son on even though I really wanted to be at home under a blanket! Then once I got home I had to bake and decorate 4 cakes for a fall festival that I will write about on day four. Saturday evening, my Sister-in-law watched our children so my husband and I could go out for dinner. She is also doing the 10-Day give, so I was very appreciative of her giving of her time to take care of our children for the evening! :) While we were waiting to be seated for dinner we ran into friends at the restaurant....friends that were at our house on Friday night, acutally. So, once we were shown to our table we invited our friends over to join us for dinner. Even though Pat and I don't get a lot of time to ourselves, we had a laughter filled meal with our friends, Mike and Tina, that brought a lot of joy to our dinner.

Day 4: My parents have been the caretakers of country church as cemetary that is very dear to our family. This church has been integral to my upbringing. So, every first Sunday in October, for as far back as I can remember, I have been a part of what is called Lima Leaf Day. (Lima as in lima bean). There used to be a town called Lima that most of my mother's family was born and raised in. So, every year, we travel "back home" and work at this event. A meal is served as well as different kids games and a country store where crafts and goodies are sold. I usually work in the dining room, seating people and keeping everything clean. The last couple years I have also worked the food-line. As a child I remember running the fish pond and the ring toss games for the kids. Now my kids help out with those games! One of the big games is the Cake Walk and this was why I was making cakes on Saturday afternoon. We usually serve anywhere between 500 and 700 people at this event. Today I started working in the dining room and ended my day on the food line. I enjoy seeing people come back each and every year to help support this church and cemetary that is so important to so many people.

I am not sure what the rest of the 6 days will hold for me and whom I will be giving to, but I am enjoying looking for those opportunities where I can give of myself to someone else.

I've Started the 10-Day Give

Last year at this time I found out about a group that was trying to get people to give of themselves for 10 days in a row. So, I joined in their cause and spent 10 days giving of myself to others. What I realized is how easy it is to give of yourself and how often I was doing it. I think it comes naturally to put others needs before my own and I enjoyed completing this challenge last year.
So, stayed tuned and see how I have given of myself each of these days. I would love to hear if you have been giving as well.



From the 10-Day Give Website:


The 10 Day Give is a challenge that is designed to help us get our minds off of ourselves and start thinking about how we can help others.
The thing is, I think most people really want to make other people’s lives better, but with everything going on all around us all hours of the day, we just don’t get a chance. This is an opportunity to choose, on purpose, to give of ourselves. There really are hundreds of opportunities that we overlook each day. My goal is to just grab hold of one of them each day.
For some people that means giving money, for others time is far more precious than money, and for others it may mean their expertise in an area. But, no matter who you are, we all have something to give.
It could be taking someone out to lunch, it could be babysitting for an overworked mom, it can as simple as giving your precious time by taking your mom to the park to talk. There are no rules, no judges, and no right or wrong ways of completing the challenge.
But, I encourage you to sign up for the challenge and decide to give whatever you can – it’s only for 10 days. And who knows, maybe it will become a habit.
So, why not decide to take 10 days to give something to a different person, each day. It doesn’t matter what the gift is, how much it costs, who it is given to, or how it is given. The point is to just to give – on purpose. We hope you decide to join us. You can check out their website here: http://christianpf.com/10daygive

So what can you get out of this?
1. The satisfaction of seeing a little effort on your part yield a lot of joy in the lives of others.
2. The assurance of what you sow you will reap. (2 Corinthians 9:6)

"Give away your life, you'll find life given back, but not merely given back - given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity. (Luke 6:38 The Message)

Fall Is Officially Here!

The cold weather has set in here in Iowa. The leaves are falling. The farmers are combining beans and I've had my Pumpkin Pie Spice.

I eagerly await the arrival of Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks. I heard they had arrived, but I held off until the weather changed and I would truly enjoy a warm up from my favorite coffee drink. Today was the day! It was delicious! I am just as anxious for the Pumpkin Spice creamers to hit the shelves. I was lucky enough to get the last one on the shelf at Target. So, I am not the only one who has been scanning the aisles lately for their arrival. Soon we will see the egg nog and other holiday creamers arriving on the shelves. As much as I hate to admit it, Fall is here, Christmas is less than 3 months away and Winter is around the corner. At least I will have my pumpkin spice to get me through!

Mondays Matter: Week 39

Taken from the book Every Monday Matters: 52 Ways To Make A Difference by Matthew Emerzian and Kelly Bozza

HAVE FUN WITH AN ELDERLY PERSON

-The fastest growing age group is 85 years and older.

-Every 7.5 seconds a baby boomer turns 60.

-1 out of 5 people, or 72 million, will be 65 years or older by 2030

-Nearly 23% of people aged 75 and older live in nursing homes.

-Due to the increase in divorce rates, a decrease in the number of children, and more family members living farther away from one another, family support for the elderly is less available.

ACTION STEPS

1. Offer the elderly you see today simple gestures of courtesy and respect - smile and say "hello", let them have the right of way while driving, or give up your seat in a crowded area.

2. Contact a local independent living, assisted living, or continued care facility and ask if they need volunteers.

3. Ask the facility if children or pets are allowed.

4. Organize a family or a group of friends to go with you.

5. Be prepared. Volunteering at a senior or elderly care home can involve many types of activities - playing games or cards, reading , doing art and craft projects, singing songs, teaching a class, or just being friendly.

6. Ask the seniors questions about their life.

7. HAVE FUN!

Often times while volunteering for Hospice, my patients are often away from family members and live in nursing homes. Just being someone who stops by to visit, read, or just sit with them, can brighten their day. For those who are able, going and calling the bingo games, or having your kids hand out the prizes brings joy to the residents. They enjoy seeing children and you are taking the load off of a staff member. Often times, seniors are living alone in their homes much longer. So, look around your neighborhood. Do you have an elderly person living alone near you? Make a point to stop by for coffee and get to know each other. Today, seniors are living longer, are more full of life, have more expendable income, and have achieved higher levels of education. So, if you spend time with them, you might just find that a friendly game of gin rummy or bingo will teach you a thing or two about life.