It's everyone's child at risk

This is sponsored content from
BlogHer and LG Text Ed

Our kids live in a multitasking world. Let’s face it, we all do, and maybe our kids learn this at our busy knees. We hustle from one activity to the next, doing homework in the car on the way to practice, eating while catching up on work or grabbing food on the go. My kids text their friends almost exclusively these days. Protracted teen phone calls seem to have gone the way of the Dodo bird as skimming thumbs key out short bursts of words, anywhere, anytime. Given their wired hectic world, it’s no wonder our teens think nothing of walking and texting, eating and texting and an ever increasing amount of driving and texting.

This activity has to rank up there as one of the most dangerous multitasking activities our teens engage in on a daily basis.

A study by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, a part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicate that in 2008, the largest age group of distracted drivers in 2008 were drivers younger than 20 years of age.

It’s been proven by various road safety studies that the use of cells phones while driving has increased road fatalities, but the act of texting while driving, which requires a different level of attention to the mobile device, increases the chance of a vehicular accident by 23 percent, says a Virginia Tech Driving Institute Study. 23%!! Not an insubstantial risk.

A few weeks ago, my husband met a young woman who told him that she was recently out of the hospital after multiple surgeries over the previous nine months. This young woman, just out of high school, then told him the surgeries had managed to save her legs but she was now paralyzed from the waist down and would probably never walk again. When he asked how it had happened, she relayed that she had been texting while driving and she had not seen the truck in front of her stop.

Our 15 year old son is constantly reminding us that he gets his permit to drive next year and ever since my husband told me about his encounter with this young woman, the normal anxiety of my teen being a new driver has definitely ramped up a notch. Teens think they are invincible, that nothing will harm them. Yet there was testimony, in the form of a girl bound to a wheelchair, proving that is not the case. We sat down and shared this girl’s story with our son and twelve year old daughter, in the hopes of connecting a very unfortunate circumstance with an all too common action. They heard us but I wonder if it was enough to make an impact.

We can do all we can to prepare them, tell them the what the right actions are, reinforce those messages with news and statistics, but maybe the most important thing we can do is show them. I know that as a busy working parent, I’ve done my share of talking on my cell phone while driving, with my kids in the car, shooting off a quick text while stopped at a red light. I also know that the tale of this young girl changed my views and behavior immediately. Because I wasn’t practicing what I was preaching and kids, teens especially, are quick to point out that level of hypocrisy. I’ve stopped talking on my cell without my headset while driving and incoming text messages are ignored until the car is parked. I want to be that message, not just vocalize the words, to my kids.

How do you, as a parent, reinforce the awareness of the inherent risks of texting and driving with your teen? Is discussing the dangers enough? Do you abide by your state’s cell phone use laws? Because it’s not just my child, or your child, at risk when someone texts and drives, it’s everyone’s child.

This week I'm participating, with this post, as a "“LG TextEd Ambassador”, in a discussion on the topic RBTL: Moms discuss teens and texting on BlogHer. We're talking about Teens and the Dangers of Texting. Please, go on over and see what other Mom's have to say, it's a topic for everyone. Chime on in with your thoughts, here or there.

DoSomething.org will donate $0.50 donation per comment, up to $5000 total on any "LG Text Ed - Moms Discuss Teens and Texting" post. Spread a little charity when you share y our parenting tips on teens and texting.

Granola Crisps - perfect snacking

While renovating bedrooms I managed to loose 8 pounds in a two week period. I didn't starve myself, I just ate decent food for breakfast, a quick healthy lunch and small healthy dinner to refuel the body so I would be ready to get right back to work first thing in the morning.

Since then, I've been conscious of what I stuff in my face during the day as sitting at a desk makes me want to eat more junk than the physical work I was during last month. I'm always looking for simple healthy snacks so I don't reach for the chocolate when my energy starts to drag in the afternoon.

I stumbled onto a new granola snack by accident the other day, Yogi Granola Crisps and quickly realised that I could, with ease, sit and eat the whole bag. But I didn't. Because that is self restraint, of which I usuall have little.

These are so good as a fistful of energy pick-me-up in the middle of the day and are good for me! Fiber, Grains, Vitamins in healthy little pop in your mouth snacks.

Made with Oats, Barley, Spelt, Quinoa, Amarant these delicately sweetened Granola Crisps, thin crispy granola flats, are a perfect blend of crunchy and sweet. A handful from the bag is enough to satisfy the mid-day cravings without an abundance of sugar and guilt. Add them to some yogurt or some fresh fruit and they become lunch.

I've always been a fan of Yogi Tea which makes me confortable with the company producing the Granola Crisps and their attention to the healthy and natural.

So far, I've tried the Blueberry and Strawberry but my grocery market hasn't had the Cinnamon in stock.

Warm & Tingly, Oh My!

Breaking out of my comfort, and embarrassed, zones, I decided to throw my name in the bucket for a chance to review the Zestra Essential Arousal Oils for More Women Product Reviews. When Grace sent me an email letting me I was selected as a reviewer, I recall sitting back in my chair, giggling somewhat nervously as I anticipated writing about the experience. It only took me until I was in my late 30's to discover the joys and pleasures of of sex toys.

I told my man we had something fun coming in the mail and he sighed resignedly, asked that I only write about the good stuff, and then expressed his mild concern about how the packaging would look when it was delivered. Was the mailwoman going to know we’re getting sex aids delivered, he asked? My guy? He’s a little conservative and prefers our bedroom antics remain private, and I try to respect that wish.

The Zestra folks were discreet, I’ll give them that. The plain brown mailer showed no indication of the steamy possibilities inside, just a nice return address with the manufacturer’s name.

One of the side affects from the early menopause that descended when I was 37, (yes 37, how's that for a kick in the sexual behind?) is the noticeable lack of libido. Or to be more precise, a wildly fluctuating libido that flips into sexual hyperactivity for a brief time then vanishes like it never existed for longer periods of time. It’s my very own Jekyll & Hyde or some weird sexual version of Schrödinger's cat, minus the radiation. There is also vaginal dryness that takes some time to overcome and really get me in the mood and can be somewhat discomforting. I don’t take hormonal supplements or use estrogen, natural or otherwise. So my husband and I find various ways to keep that fire freshly burning.

And now we can add Zestra Essential Arousal Oils to our palette.

I decided to try it solo first, a test drive so to speak. Some products my husband and I have tried caused irritation for either or both of us, so I went with the smaller application, using ½ the supplied foil packet. It wasn’t long, maybe 1 minutes, before I felt the warm tingling sensation mentioned as the Zestra Rush. And it was a rush! A warm, zippy feeling that spread and spread. Partnered with other stimulation the combination brought on another rush all it’s own! I didn’t time how long the effect of the Zestra Arousal Essential Oil lasted, as I was busy enjoying a couple of orgasms, but I don’t think it was as long as the 45 minutes, but I used ½ the packet, which may cut down on it’s effective time.

No one wants the full-on details, so I’ll sum up that Zestra Arousal Essential Oil really does work. It helped increase my sexual excitement, brought about more pleasureable sesnation and just made all my womanly parts tingly and happy. The increased arousal seemed to reduce the time it usually takes to overcome the slow libido effect of menopause. That right there would be a major selling point for me. I still experience those jump his bones urges, but it takes longer to get the body behind the emotional and mental parts of sex and that can sometimes be a huge downer.

I liked that the oil was slightly thicker than other lubricants and didn’t leave a slick slimy coating. The oils warmed and spread easily but not heavy, if that makes any sense to anyone besides myself. It was more like the gliding effect of naturally stimulated lubrication. The aroma was pleasant, not overpowering with added perfumes, just a light scent from the essential oils. I love that it is imade of natural ingredients and not a mouthful of multisylabic pharmaceutical terms. And it cleans up easily.

I’m sure every woman’s experience with Zestra Arousal Essential Oil will be a little different, but I’m thrilled that the oil brought on those warm happy tingles and plan on incorporating it into our bedside toybox!
In addition to contemplating my solo test driving of Zestra, you will be pleased to note:
That We're having a Zestra Essential Arousal Oils giveaway!

Check out the Zestra website.

Go to this post and leave a comment with a little factoid about Zestra such as -
"Zestra is safe, hormone-free, has no known drug interactions, and works in minutes."

We'll pick a comment by random and send a sample set of Zestra Essential Arousal Oils to the lucky commenter!

"Zestra is safe, hormone-free, has no known drug interactions, and works in minutes."

We'll pick a comment by random and send a sample set of Zestra Essential Arousal Oils to the lucky commenter!

Contest ends January 31, 2010.

As soon as I overcome my technical ineptitude, this review will also be posted over at More Women Product Reviews.
 
 
**This is an unpaid review. Zestra did provide a small supply of samples for reviewer purposes.

Business Card Giveaway Winners, Come on Down!

Congratulations Penne from Little Girl Big Glasses and Donna from just being me as the winners of the Business Card Giveaway sponsored by Digital Room.

You each win 500 Business Cards for commenting on the giveaway.

Digital Room will contact each of you on claiming your prizes!

Thanks for playing!

Penne, please email me your email address!

Let's exchange Business Cards, shall we? A giveaway

Many of the blog posts I read pre-BlogHer focused on designing and acquiring just the right business cards to pass around to the throngs of bloggers that had never had a face to face, so to speak.

The right business card can often be a keepsake, a momento, or a bookmark, depending on the style, the colors, the quirk. You get the drift. I know that I have held off having business cards printed because I can't quite commit to a design yet. Not that I really have hordes of people asking for my business cards at the moment, that whole little fish, big pond thing after all.

But when I do get them, I want them to reflect who I am and have some element that attracts the eyes of those that receive them.

In the scope of the job that really pays me, I receive and disperse business cards all the time. I keep a Rolodex filled with them, so I can grab the right contact for the issue at hand. Tremendously helpful. When I went to a business conference several years ago, I ran out of the supply of business cards I had brought with me, on the first day, and felt so lame when people continued to ask for my card as they handed me theirs. So much for networking!

Digital Room is giving me the opportunity to present two wonderful readers with 500 Business cards each, just by telling me how you would put these cards to work for you.


Tow (2) lucky winners will be able to choose among 3 different Business Card Sizes.



There will also be a choice of paper and color options:


~14pt cardstock (matte or gloss coating) & 13 pt cardstock uncoated



~(4/4) Color both sides; (4/1) Color 1 side , B/W backside; (4/0) Color 1 side, black backside!



Just leave a comment here on what you would do with such lovely business cards if they were yours to share with the world, or your neighbor. And spread the word, of course, because we've got Business Cards to giveaway!

updated 8/27: Umm, I seem to have forgotten to mention the September 9th deadline. So, please, if you will, comment by midnight on 9/9.

Digital Room also offers various Die Cut Business Cards on their site for variable style tastes and design options.

Disclaimers!
Available to US shipping only and winners must pay shipping. (Not my call, but Hey! Free Business Cards!)

By hosting this giveaway, I also received the option of receiving 500 free business cards from Digital Room, and pay for shipping. Just so you know.

The Weight of Silence

When the opportunity to participate in the book blog tour for The Weight of Silence, by Heather Gudenkauf, presented itself through Mothertalk.com, I eagerly signed up. The excerpt I had read on Barnes & Noble, previous to the books release, had put the title on my “to be read someday” list. Mothertalk.com upped the timetable by sending a review copy pretty quick.

The first pages reach out with slithery fingers to snatch at your curiosity and pull you in pretty quick. Calli Clark is a seven-year-old girl who has chosen silence. She hasn’t uttered a word in three years and no one in her family really knows why. Calli’s silence is heartbreaking to her mother Toni, who longs to hear her daughters voice again. Toni wonders if her volatile marriage is responsible for Calli’s silence and questions her ability to be a good mother and if her children are damaged beyond repair.

The Weight of Silence revolves around Calli’s silence and the disappearance of Calli and her best friend, Petra Gregory. The girl’s families discover they are missing one morning and the hunt begins to find the two lost little girls in Willow Creek, Iowa.

Soon the possibilities of what happened to the girls begin to emerge. Calli’s father, a known angry drunk, with violent tendencies, can’t be found. Ben, Calli’s older brother, has recently been in trouble for threatening a schoolmate. And Calli’s school counselor is among the missing.

Petra’s parents also face their own inner troubles, and their daughter’s disappearance tests the bonds of their marriage, while the search for their Petra is under way.

Gudenkauf has crafted a deft mystery that forces her characters to look closely in the mirror. By telling the story through alternating character voices, a chapter for each person, the threads of the town and the families involved, weave the fabric of small town life, exposing its darkened undercurrents. Initially, after the beginning pages, I found this style a little disturbing, and almost put the book down, as the narrative breaks up a bit in the beginning, as flashes of the past are presented and a picture of the person speaking unfolds. Once I got through the second chapter, I felt more in tune with who was who, and the alternating viewpoints really brought the story to life.

The terror and heartbreak of the families came through in each of their voices. Calli’s fear and bravery, as she struggles through the woods avoiding her tormentor, and finds comfort remembering her time in the woods with her brother Ben, was so real I wanted to go and check on my own daughter to make sure she was safe and sound.

There are some usual plot diversions thrown in, such as the previous kidnapping and death of a young girl in another town. The past romance between the Deputy Sheriff and Toni. The federal investigator, brought in to help the small town investigation, casts aspersions on each of the families, focusing for a time on Calli’s brother Ben.

As the story winds down, there were a few surprises I didn’t see coming, which made the story more explosive. All in all, the Weight of Silence is a good mystery that keeps you wondering, and hoping that Calli can find her voice in the midst of such turmoil, and for her family to remain strong.

What I got from Large Format Posters

As part of the Large Format Posters giveaway hosted here just recently, the very nice people at Large Format Posters offered me a similar 18" x 24" digital poster of my very own for participating in the program and I enthusiastically agreed that they could send me one!

It was a cinch to upload the image, review the proof they provide for quality assurance and click the Yes! send to me now button. Which they did.

Here is the image I sent them and folks, the poster is exactly what you see.

These people do a great job.

This is not a compensated endorsement, by the way. I was just so thrilled to get this poster in the mail yesterday that I had to gush. It is teh Awesome and I can't wait to hang it up.