Grandma’s Advice

Every year, millions of shoppers descend upon the country’s malls looking for the perfect holiday gifts. Here are some simple strategies from Debra Holtzman, J.D., M.A., an internationally acclaimed safety and health expert, and best-selling author of The Safe Baby, Expanded and Revised: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Home Safety and Healthy Living
(Sentient Publications, 2009) to ensure a fun and safe holiday shopping experience for your entire family:

1. Before heading out to the mall, talk to your children about what to do if they get separated from you. Teach younger children to stay put and not go looking for you. Identify specific people the child can ask for help (e.g. a salesperson with a name tag, a security guard.) For older children, establish a central meeting place (such as the information desk.)

2. Tuck your home and cell phone numbers inside your children’s pocket. A distraught child might not be able to recall and articulate important information while in a stressful situation.

3. Always supervise your children and always accompany them to the restroom. Make certain your children know to stay with you at all times while shopping. Teach children not to run, walk or hide from their parents. Consider bringing along a friend or relative, if possible, to help supervise children while you wait on line.

4. Don’t let kids listen to their iPod or play hand-held video games while walking with you. It is a sure way for them to get separated from the family

5. If your children are old enough to shop on their own during a family mall outing, make sure they wear a watch, carry a cell phone or walkie-talkie and arrange frequent check-ins with you.

6. Shop early and leave early to avoid evening darkness. If you must go at night, park in a well-lit area as close as possible to your destination. Jot down or text yourself the parking lot number so you can find your car quickly upon departure. Arrange for a security escort to take you to your car if you feel uncomfortable and lock your doors as soon as you’re inside.

7. To quickly handle blisters, scrapes, runny noses and hunger pangs, tote a bag filled with essentials such as tissues, healthy snacks such as a banana or granola bar, bottled water, and bandages. In addition, with the flu season in full swing, if soap and water are not available, it’s important to carry and use alcohol- based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers to help keep everyone’s hands clean and reduce the spread of germs.

8. Make sure the toys you purchase are age appropriate and safe. Read labels, follow age recommendations and keep up-to-date on recalled products. To stay current, visit www.recalls.gov

9. A gift is not complete unless the proper protective gear is included. Helmets and other protective gear such as elbow, knee and wrist pads should accompany gifts such as bicycles, skates, and skateboards.

10. Lock your holiday gifts in your vehicle’s trunk. Nothing of value to you should be left in plain view. Cars can be an easy target for criminals.

About the Author:
Debra Holtzman has a master’s degree in occupational health and safety, is an attorney and is the mother of two children. She has appeared on major TV news and radio shows around the world and was chosen an “Everyday Hero” by Reader’s Digest Magazine. She teaches infant safety and CPR classes at a regional hospital. Her newest book, “The Safe Baby: A Do-it-Yourself Guide to Home Safety and Healthy Living” (Sentient Publications, 2009) provides lots of money savings tips and easy-to-implement solutions to provide a safe, healthy, and green living lifestyle for children and pets.

An AARP survey demonstrates how financial concerns are pervasive in every aspect of young adults’ lives and suggests that a general reluctance to discuss money with friends and family could have a negative impact on their financial futures. The report, entitled “Personal Finances: The Final Frontier of Social Media,” is based on a national survey of 1,002 young adults (aged 18-34). Specifically, the report revealed:

– Bedtime stories are a tradition for many families, but this fall families are invited to also START their day with a great book. Beginning in October 2009, Cheerios® is again bringing books to the breakfast table, by providing six million children’s books free inside Cheerios boxes. The books, for children ages 3 to 8 years old, include a new book in the popular “Trucktown” series, available only inside Cheerios boxes. And all five books have been specially printed in both English and Spanish.

“Parents and caregivers play an important role in nurturing children’s love of reading, by reading with their child every day,” said Jeff Hingher, Cheerios marketing manager. “We hope this simple action of putting great books inside Cheerios boxes can make it easier for families to enjoy a book together, and help set the foundation for more children to grow up as readers.”

Cheerios is also making a financial donation to First Book, an award-winning children’s nonprofit organization that gets new books to children from low-income families. “For many kids, just having a book to read is the biggest obstacle to learning,” said Kyle Zimmer, president of First Book. “Cheerios’ support means we can deliver even more books to kids, many of whom don’t have a single book to call their own.” This is the eighth year of the Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories program, and over the past eight years, Cheerios has distributed more than 40 million books inside Cheerios boxes – and given $3.2 million to First Book. The program is part of an ongoing commitment to helping parents provide their children with a healthy, nutritional and educational foundation.

Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories kicks off during Give a Child a Book Week, October 12 – 19. With the help of Cheerios’ financial support, First Book will give a year’s worth of books to every child participating in 50 selected reading programs, one in each state across the country.

This year’s book offerings from Cheerios – all by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing – are:

Junkyard Fort, by Jon Scieszka, and illustrated by David Shannon, Loren Long and Dave Gordon. A new book in the popular “Trucktown” series, available exclusively inside Cheerios boxes. Scieszka is the United States’ first National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.

Tea for Ruby, by The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser.

  Sleepyhead, by Karma Wilson and illustrated by John Segal.

  Ballyhoo Bay, by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Derek Anderson.

  What's Under the Bed?, written and illustrated by Joe Fenton.

Families can see which book is inside through a special cut-out window on the front of the box, so they can select the specific book they want, or collect all five.

“Encouraging kids to read is about making books available to them, and providing a variety of storylines, characters, illustration styles, and reading levels,” said Scieszka. “From my perspective as an author, a teacher, a dad, and as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, what Cheerios is doing through this Spoonfuls of Stories program is exactly and spectacularly right. This is how you make it both fun and easy for families to feed their child’s love of books.”

  Information is online at www.spoonfulsofstories.com.

  ABOUT CHEERIOS

Cheerios, America’s No. 1 cereal, debuted in 1941 as Cheerioats. The nation’s first ready-to-eat oat cereal has since become one of the most trusted and recognized brands in America. In fact, one of every 10 boxes of cereal sold in America is a box of Cheerios. General Mills’ popular franchise includes Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Cheerios, Fruity Cheerios, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, MultiGrain Cheerios, Berry Burst Cheerios, Yogurt Burst Cheerios, Banana Nut Cheerios and Cheerios Crunch. For more information, go to www.cheerios.com.

ABOUT FIRST BOOK

First Book provides new books to children in need addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy – access to books. An innovative leader in social enterprise, First Book has distributed more than 60 million free and low cost books in thousands of communities. First Book now has offices in the U.S. and Canada. For more information about the nonprofit First Book please visit www.firstbook.org or call 866-393-1222.

ABOUT SIMON & SCHUSTER

Simon & Schuster, a part of the CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL AMBASSADOR FOR YOUNG PEOPLE’S LITERATURE

The position of National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature was created by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and the Children’s Book Council to raise national awareness of the importance of children’s books as they relate to literacy, education, and the development and betterment of children’s lives. Cheerios is a founding sponsor of the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Appointed for a two-year term, Jon Scieszka is focusing attention on the need to reach out to reluctant readers. Additional information at www.childrensbookambassador.com/. The National Ambassador program is administered by Every Child a Reader, Inc.

Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Cheerios, MultiGrain Cheerios, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, Berry Burst Cheerios, Yogurt Burst Cheerios, Fruity Cheerios, Cheerios Crunch, Banana Nut Cheerios and Spoonfuls of Stories are trademarks of General Mills.

Hustle!… It is all we seem to do lately. We sometimes forget in all the hustle to lift our heads and take a look around at our world, we are consumed by day to day living. It’s not that we don’t care, far from it! But with the state of the economy as it is recently we seem more often than not to speeding up in our focused day to day just trying to maintain our footing. But there are some near us that are having an even more difficult time and do really need our help. Fortunately some creative forward thinkers have used the web to make the connection between the extremely busy, and the extremely needy, “virtually” speaking that is…

In a recent press release Hellmann’s(R), (you know them best for their mayonnaise,) Feeding America(R,) formerly known as America’s Second Harvest and Facebook have teamed up to run an application called Sandwich Swap N Share, where every sandwich made will help translate into real lunches for kids . I gave the application a try, and 7 lucky friends of mine were treated to my “grilled chicken and pepper- jack bagel.” I was informed that I just provided 49 lunches to kids who need the helping hand, and at that moment joined a force who created all total 93,933 lunches. It kinda feels good! Put a smile on my face for sure! If you are on Facebook, I recommend you give it a try; if your kids are, then encourage them to pitch in, after all it is not like you will have to clean up after them.. No doubt I am going to be making sandwiches tomorrow again too…”virtually speaking”. And I am going to keep making sandwiches until the possy and I hit Hellmann’s(R) goal of 700,000 lunches. But sooner or later this initiative will run it’s course, and there will still be people needing help.

Don’t let stereo-typical thinking interfere with the facts. The faces of the hungry in America are becoming all to familiar, they are our next door neighbors. Statistics now include the working poor. Economic troubles have hit the tables of many a good American family; so much so that according to Feeding America(R), well over 13.3 million (18%) million children alone were in poverty and that was in 2007….and a total 36.2 million Americans lived in food insecure households.

President Obama and hundreds of Congressional family members joined Feeding America in the “United We Serve” Backpack Project this summer to prepare 15,000 backpacks with books, healthy snacks, and other items for children of servicemen and women. These are the faces of some of the families who need help today and President Obama has called upon all Americans to support those who are struggling.

Here’s how you can help… “virtually speaking” …without even leaving your home; you can make a desktop donation. The United Way hosts a “virtual food drive” and you can participate by searching “virtual food drive” along with your location. These food drive initiatives are all over America, if not the same location will also lead you to a site that will help your area organize one to get up and running. By all means start advocating! Feeding America(R) also hosts “Fill America’s Fridge,” and you can find it at by searching “Fill America’s Fridge” or go to feeding america.org and on their home page tab hit “Take Action” and scroll down to “donate.” There you will be given a few options in which I am sure you will find one that is tailored for you.

As a rough estimate according to Feeding America, a $25.00 donation can provide for 175 meals. That is a good sound investment to me, and you would have to agree; as a nation we are as strong as our weakest link. The rising statistics on America’s hungry is looming large and real, but something we all can tackle together ensuring for a strong and viable future for us all. All we got to do is stick together!

AAA Launches New Senior Driving Safety Web Site

AAA announced the launch of its new senior safety and mobility Web site, www.AAASeniors.com. The Web site, which includes content and resources based upon extensive research, provides families of older drivers with valuable information related to senior mobility challenges and tools to help extend safe driving, and assist in difficult discussions about transitioning from driver to passenger.

“According to our research, many adult children of older drivers – the ’sandwich’ boomers – are unaware that resources exist to effectively address the safety and mobility challenges of senior drivers,” said AAA Vice President of Public Affairs Kathleen Marvaso. “AAASeniors.com gives seniors and their families the tools necessary to create an action plan to help seniors manage the inevitable consequences of aging, continue to drive safely or transition to alternative modes of transportation, and remain independent.”

AAASeniors.com provides expert advice about how aging affects one’s ability to drive safely. Visitors will find a step-by-step guide on how to begin a conversation with an older driver about working together to develop a plan for the transition from driver to passenger. Additionally, visitors will find a variety of tools and resources from educational brochures and driver improvement courses, to tips on choosing a vehicle, to skill assessment tools and free community-based programs.

“Many adult children, grandchildren and seniors will at some point be faced with a difficult decision about a mature adult’s ability to drive safely,” said Dr. Alexis Abramson, one of the nation’s leading gerontologists. “I can’t stress enough how important it is to be proactive in developing a plan of action based on factual, compassionate and objective information, such as that found at AAASeniors.com.”

People who are 65 years old or older represent the fastest growing segment of the country’s population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, one in four drivers – more than 30 million – will be age 65 or older by 2030.

“With more Americans remaining active and living longer than ever before, the AAA senior driver safety tools and resources found on AAASeniors.com are designed to keep seniors safe and mobile as long as possible,” Marvaso added.

Tips for Parents and Children on Earning an Allowance

In these tough economic times, it is important for children to understand that they should contribute as well as be compensated accordingly. Joy Berry,a pioneering educator,  and bestselling author advises, “Children need to become part of the solution to the family’s responsibilities in order to earn an allowance. And this can only happen when parents educate children about the chores that need to be done in the family.” Once children understand the situation, it’s time to negotiate an allowance between parent and child.

Joy Berry thinks that a child should go about earning an allowance by treating it as a business deal. Kids and parents together can:

  1. Identify chores that can be done
     a. Taking care of oneself is a way that a child can contribute
        to the family
        i.    Cleaning up one's room and keeping belongings
              well-organized
        ii.   Putting away household items after use
        iii.  Keeping oneself groomed
        iv.   Taking care of clothes and dressing oneself
        v.    Preparing one's own breakfast or lunch
     b. Chores a child can do that will benefit the family
        i.    Setting the table for meals
        ii.   Washing, drying and putting away the dishes
        iii.  Emptying the trash
        iv.   Taking care of family pets
        v.    Dusting the furniture

  2. Decide together as a family what is a fair contribution
     a. Discuss how much time will be put in.
     b. Specify the number of chores to be done.

  3. Determine an appropriate allowance
     a. A percentage of the family income, say--1%, for example--is a
        possible way to calculate an amount
     b. Discuss what a child is expected to buy out of his or her
        allowance and what items parents will pay for
        i.    School supplies
        ii.   Snacks in addition to the ones provided at home
              or school
        iii.  Entertainment such as movies, bowling, skating,
              etc.
        iv.   Supplies needed for hobbies
     c. Researching how much friends make and what chores are
        included can help a child negotiate a fair price

  4. Create mechanisms for follow-through
     a. Create a task chart and fill it in as chores are completed
     b. Use a payment chart to record how much is paid and when
     c. If the itemized chores are not done and someone else does
        them, the amount must be subtracted from the allowance
     d. Put everything in writing
        i.    Have a signed agreement
        ii.   List all the chores
        iii.  Agree to an amount

Joy Berry’s A FUN & EASY WAY TO EARN AN ALLOWANCE kit encourages children by explaining how to calculate, earn, collect and use an allowance. Included with the book is a CD with songs and read-alongs, plus an allowance agreement and charts to record tasks and payments.

A study by the bank FleetBoston found that, among parents with children five years or older, three quarters (75%) do not feel well prepared to teach their children about basic personal finances.

The Council on Economic Education found that nearly 90% of students depend on their parents for information, while 80% of parents believe that schools are teaching financial education to their students. Personal financial education should begin early, and families need to be involved.

Networks Financial Institute at Indiana State University is commmited to helping families teach importantteach important life skills in financial literacy, develop healthy spending habits, make wise choices, and build confident attitudes toward money management.

Their comprehensive Kids Count program offers two free and useful resources for teaching children about money:

My Family Counts ^{TM –} An activity workbook presents practical tools for families to use to teach and practice responsible money management.

Kids Count: The Fun Game of Dollars and Sense ^{TM -} An unique board game offers flexible and fun ways to teach and reinforce key lessons about economics and money management that can be easily used in the family room.

Is Your Child’s School Teaching Children About Money?

You can suggest they use Kids Count™ which s a complete financial literacy program developed specifically for elementary age kids.

Kids learn the basics of managing money including earning an income, setting spending priorities,  developing budgets, tracking financial accounts, and even the importance of donating to worthy causes.

Kids Count™ curriculum is mapped to relevant Department of Education Standards, so teachers can effectively meet and exceed learning objectives.

More Informationtion about Teaching Children About Money

 Earth Hour will take place on Saturday, March 28, 2009, at 8:30 p.m. local time.

Earth Hour (http://www.earthhourus.org/) is a global initiative of WWF in which millions of people around the world will cast a vote in favor of action on climate change by turning off their lights for one hour on March 28, 2009 at 8:30 pm local time. By voting with their light switches, Earth Hour participants will send a powerful, visual message to their leaders demanding immediate action on climate change. WWF is the world’s leading conservation organization, working in 100 countries for nearly half a century. With the support of almost 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, stop the degradation of the environment and combat climate change. Visit http://www.worldwildlife.org/ to learn more.

“Earth Hour encourages people from all walks of life to examine how their individual actions affect the global problem of climate change — while making a powerful statement in support of solutions for a sustainable future,” said Leslie Aun, WWF’s vice president of media relations and managing director of Earth Hour US. “By supporting initiatives such as Earth Hour, Cox Enterprises sets a great example from coast to coast and makes a tremendous contribution as a valued corporate partner with far reaching impact.”

Donation Will Go to Share Our Strength Hunger Charity

Street teams will distribute 100,000 “free lunch” brown paper sacks in cities where there are White Castle restaurants starting this Saturday, February 28, to raise awareness for childhood hunger across the country. Teams dressed in White Castle t-shirts and ball caps carrying tote sacks filled with the brown “free lunch” sacks will target various sporting events and business districts.

People can redeem, absolutely free, each “free lunch” sack for a meal at White Castle including three single cheeseburgers, a regular order of fries and a small soft drink. Sack holders will have three days to take advantage of the free lunch, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, March 2nd, 3rd and 4th.

White Castle will donate up to $25,000 to Share Our Strength, a national children’s hunger charity. The donation will provide meals for approximately 75,000 children in need. It is estimated that there are 12.4 million children in America at risk of hunger.

Margie Glennon, Communications Director for Share Our Strength said, “This couldn’t come at a more important time. Our needs are more critical than ever. We are grateful for the work that White Castle is doing to help raise awareness for our cause.” Find out other ways to help at Strength.org.

White Castle has 417 locations in cities across the Midwest and Northeast including Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis, Louisville, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, New Jersey, New York City and St. Louis.

White Castle recently introduced more environmentally friendly brown paper sacks and Crave Cases in place of the former white sacks. White Castle prides itself on its environmentally conscious initiatives.