Super Hero

Get yourself a tissue.

I'm rooting for the under dog again but this time it's a little late cos the under dog is saving lives in the way of organ donation.

Meet Gavin Leong.    www.kateleong.com/ over at Chasing Rainbows. Read a little bit of this blog and tell me that you leave that blog the same person that went there. Crazy isn't it? It isn't possible to do. That little man who never uttered a word in his five and a half years of life chages everyone who meets him.

His parents, Kate and Ed would like very much to do something to honour Gavins legacy and all they ask is that you pay it forward and you don't have to spend one cent/penny/euro/or whatever. Donate something to the local childrens hospital and just tell them it is for Gavin Leongs legacy, hold the door open for a stranger, pick some flowers and give them to someone with a frown, you get the idea. All the recipient needs to do is, say cheers to Gavin that night at dinner.

WOn't you share this simple task.

The girls have sorted out some toys and we are giving them to Miss Lisa, Rosies swim coach. Her full time job is SN teacher. We will continue to do other things to to.

Cheers Gavin, you truly are a super hero and your parents are extra special.

On my sidebar I now have a button to link straight to Chasing Rainbows. You can follow on Facebook at Chasing Rainbows.

Travel far little man, travel far.

Super Hero Gavin. age 5 1/2.

Can't do it

I can't do it, I can't be private, it isn't who I am. So everything is back the way it was. If the nosey bloody person that started all the brew ha ha reads and stirs up trouble I will just block her.

I had shut a lot of faithful readers out. Not sure if the invitations landed in their spam boxes or what but they couldn't read and that wasn't right. I received tonnes of emails from people saying they couldn't get in.

Going Private. (update)

**You have to leave an email adress so that I can an send an invitation. Thanks.**

Due to a little situation I have decided to take this blog private. After 7+ years of blogging I have dealt with all kinds of situations but never one that has resulted in me making this decision.

If you want to follow along just leave me a comment and I will send you an invitation. You can still follow along even if you are an anonymous reader. It will take a couple of days to get everything set up.

I detest password private blogs but since this won't download to an old blog that I still own so I can go under the radar I have no choice. {pout}

Thanks.

Dawn and the Gang.

Parents Please Read

Yesterday I accompanied Lily's class on a field trip to the Everglades National Park. We headed by bus way down south to the huge National Park. The kids were super excited and it was looking like a great day out. There were 40 kids with a total of 10 adults.

The big ole school bus lumbered to a stop at the visitor station and 2 Rangers greeted us. We were separated into 2 groups and once the rangers had finished explaining what we should expect the kids were all sent to the restrooms before we headed to the Anhinga Trail. Once there we started our hike and the kids were captivated. A few short minutes later another teacher from a different school came rushing up to the ranger and asked if she could speak to him. Ranger Fred, as I will call him, excused himself and went and talked to her. He came back to the group, explained that he had an emergency and asked if the teachers and chaperones could hold down the fort. That wasn't a problem as many of the chaperones are also teachers at the school. We continued to point out various things and kept them busy for a few minutes. Ranger Fred would conduct business on his walkie talkie, talk with the lady and then come back to our group. The whole time he maintained his professionalism.

This went on for about 20 minutes. We would walk on a few feet. The other lady had 3 boys with her that she kept very close to her and whom she sat in a shelter out of the way but never left their side. It became apparent that this was a very serious situation but not one that we could "see". A lady ranger appeared and joined in the conversation. At this point the woman in charge of the boys came to our group and explained very quietly to one of the teachers that one of her boys had just been sexually assaulted in the bathroom.

In that instant I think my life changed forever.

The boys looked to be about 10.

We had just left those very bathrooms with our kids. This group was ahead of us by about 3 minutes. We had boys with us. We had 10 adults. All of us were female. I went with the kids into the loo. I was holding the door and they went in and out. Lily stayed with me so her and I were the last to leave with another mum and her daughter but the boys had NO ONE. They were alone. There were tonnes of people everywhere. Tonnes. People coming and going. It didn't stop this scumbag.

Please if you are a Father sign up as a volunteer for your kids classroom. Go on field trips. Even if you have daughters go for the boys. Go and get the police clearance. Take the day off of work.

Cellphones do not work in the Everglades. All communication had to be done with walkie talkies. Suddenly the Federal Agents appeared. It was the most bone chilling experience of my life. I saw them running, searching for this creep, fingers on the trigger as they ran the Anhinga trail. We kept our kids in the dark, it wasn't our place to tell them. The agents spoke to Ranger Fred. He would step aside and motion them towards wherever or whatever they needed. No kid had a clue. WE kept our group tight, really tight.

Once we got back to school and I got Lily in my car I asked if she realised there was an emergency and she  yes because Ranger Fred thanked them for behaving whilst he dealt with it. I then told her what had happened. She needs to know it can and does happen anywhere. She needs to know that I am not nuts for not letting her go to the toilet alone EVER. This is the second time this week that I have heard a story like this I can't help but think the universe is trying to warn me to make me be more vigilant.

Warning heeded.

Please please pay attention. Don't let this warning go unnoticed but moreover PLEASE if you are a dad, an uncle, a big borther, sign up to volunteer for your kids. This all could have been avoided.

If you do go on a field trip and there isn't anyone to go into the boys toilet with them as a woman you can stand at the door and say, coming in and go in and check before allowing the boys to enter.

This is so sickening and we have to protect our children.

I don't know if they found him or not. We kept on with our day but I do know that I can't stop thinking of the innocent child whose life he ruined.

Please help to spread the word. Schools are not very good at circulating this type of news but this is something that we as parents can control. I have sent Lily on field trips where I haven't been able to go because chaperones names were pulled out of hats but fortunately I have always known, very well at least one of the other mothers. What do I do now? Not let her go if I don't go? Crap...we live in sich a sick messed up world.

Scams

Every now and again I hear about various scams that are going around. I see things posted on Facebook that say please repost this but I never do because i always think the same thing, who in their right mind would ever fall for such a crock of sh*t.

Today my bestie fell for such a crock of sh*t. She received a phonecall first thing this morning saying that her freind, using his name, had been in an accident and that he was badly hurt and they had taken him to the local hospital. A long story unfolded and various names of people she knows were tossed around. The story, was believable and she went to get money and wire it to where they said. Yes I know it sounds absurd, it sounds absurd to her too now but she was so worried about her friend. At one point as she was just running into the ER to see him and her phone cut out. She had been one the phone with the scam artist the whole time, they don't let you hang up. That was the chance she was hoping for she quickly called the friends number, the one who was supposedly in the ER and he answered and said he was fine and at home!!!

Her other line was ringing so she answered it and it was him again, the scammer, she knew right there and then what was going on. She back peddled, he threatened her, told her he was watching her. She mustered up enough courage to do what she had to do.

Thankfully she went to the police. They weren't shocked. It's a huge ring. Now she has surveillance at her house. I'm her bestie so my cars plates have been turned over so that I can go to and from her house willy nilly without being shot at, I mean without raising suspicion.

She got her money back, she acted so fast that she was able to stop the transaction. She is embarrassed and humiliated. I still love her.

Luciana, if you read this post, please re post on your facebook page about this scam. It happened to a friend of yours here in an attorneys office and this time I WILL repost it. I googled the number that called her and OMG you should read what they had to say.

So if you do hear about a scam going about DO TELL people about it. I heard about this very one and assumed that no one in their right mind would fall for it. That's what happens when you ASSume.

I just don't even bother answering my phone if I don't recognise the number, which considering I run my own business probably isn't very business savvy but I'm starting to think it's pretty darned smart.

Say no to Spam

I can honestly say that I cannot think of a meat product that is more disgusting than Spam. Is it actually made of meat, I am not even sure? Anyway this isn't the kind of spam that I am referring to in my, Say no to Spam, campaign. Lately my little blog has been besieged by spammers and every single day I get about 10 spam comments left on it and it's driving me insane. It appears that the world wants to use me to hock their wares. Be off with you, I say. Sod off and leave me alone.

Sadly I have no choice but to instate the really annoying and horrid word verification device in the comment section. This means that the computers that generate the spam won't be able to leave any comments since they aren't smart enough to read the word verification.

I am hoping that in a couple of weeks I can take it off and they will stay gone. Banished to someone else's blogs, hopefully not yours of course. So, for the few of you that comment, please don't feel any pressure to do so whilst that annoying little thing is in place.

I don't comment on a lot of blogs that have it as it drives me up a wall. It usually takes me 3 attempts to get it right.

I really hate to use this thing but I detest the spammers even more. Some of the comments aren't even in English. Me so sorry.

Team Ivy

If you have been reading my blog for a while you are familiar with little tiny Ivy Joy and Team Ivy. Little itty bitty Ivy isn't doing well in fact she is in heart failure and has been for some time now. She needs a huge life saving operation and thankfully it is scheduled to take place in Boston on October 17th.

♥ Ivy Joy needs help ♥

I cannot imagine what Mary and the rest of the family are going through right now, I honestly can't. Ivy Joy is their baby and she is so sick. I have amazing readers and followers who are doing so much already but I am asking for you to do a little bit more if you can.

Things being as they are here with medical insurance and the fact that Ivy Joy has already had this surgery done already less than a year ago her family could really do with some support. So many people have come forward to offer in any way that they can and this fabulous blog Mama is selling the most amazing T-shirts.  Click the link and take a look.

If t-shirts aren't you thing then send some good ju ju, some positive thoughts or say a prayer for them, please.

This little girl was given no chance at all and she beat all the odds but the surgeon made a tiny mistake and it is causing her heart to fail. This is her only hope.

Become a member of Team Ivy...it's the coolest team there is.
Please share her story on your blog and facebook pages, the more people who hear her story the better the chances of getting her family the support they need.

Xie Xie

Shopping with meaning

The holiday season is just around the corner. Halloweenie is next month closely followed by Thanksgiving and then Hannukah and Christmas. This year I have decided that all the gifts that I buy will be gifts that give back in some way shape or form.

It seems to me that if you don't go nuts and buy a kazillion dollars worth of gifts then the holidays are a bust and you have failed miserably. I don't buy into that consumerism, never have, never will, however I do like to buy gifts for family and friends but more and more I want my gifts to have meaning. It's pretty easy to find places where you can buy gifts where the profits all go back to help others.

One of my favourites is The Starfish Project. 

The Starfish Project was established in 2006 to empower exploited women in Asia. The Project developed a socially responsible jewelry business in order to provide women with alternative employment and a range of holistic care opportunities. In 2011, the project has grown to support approximately 35 women in 2 different cities, primarily through the jewelry company where women have taken on new levels of responsibility and leadership, and are able to provide for their families through meaningful employment. The Starfish Project also provides opportunities for women to heal and grow through counseling, vocational training, language acquisition, family education benefits and health care access, as well as providing housing in our women's shelter. The Starfish Project is committed to restoring hope for each woman that enters its doors.

Another favourite of mine is the Show Hope Organisation. Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman. 'Nuff Said. They don't have a huge assortment of merchandise but they have a few things that can make great gifts including my favourite T-shirt. I have added the Show Hope Button to my sidebar, just click it and you can be magically transferred to their website.

Another way to make spending your money count is by shopping through the website Ordinary Hero. My friend Nancy is still fundraisng for her little man Jon Jon. At the moment she is hoping to win a grant, yes you read that correctly, win a grant through Ordinary Hero. Just click the link to see how you can help buy doing a little shopping. Really shopping!

Gwen Oatsvall is a wonderfull, wonderful woman, friend and frankly quite a hero. She has founded with a group of ladies, 147 Million Orphans and all the proceeds from the sales of their merchandise goes to help orphans.

I think that gives you a good starting place and if you have some favourites PUHLEASE leave them in the comments. As you can see I am partial to sites that help orphaned children and China so leave those links first.

Imagine

Imagine for one moment that you are living the perfect life. You have your beautiful children, some grown, some still babies and know in your heart of hearts that you have it all. You are thankful because you never knew it could be this wonderful. You know you are lucky and don't take it for granted.

One day all of it comes crashing down around you with the diagnosis of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Your world stops, if only for a moment so that you can catch your breath and fight back your tears as you look at your youngest daughter who is now in a fight for her life.

This is the reality of so many parents and is the reality of someone that I have met through blogging. Hailey is a beautiful little girl and has this horrible disease. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and also Leukemia Awareness Month. Can you help spread the word?

This is their story, please take 9 minutes out of your day and watch this video. 9 minutes is nothing, Hailey lives this with her family every second of every day.
Every little donation helps.





You can follow Trisha's blog here

If you remember back to when Lily donated her hair, this is the little girl who inspired her.

Thank you for caring, how can you not?

Emma's American Chinese New Year

By now you have probably figured out that the adoption community is as thick as thieves.

It is the most incredible feeling to belong to such a wonderful family, knowing that someone always has your back, knowing that someone has the answers because they have already been there, done that, or simply knowing that you always have a friend. I have met the most amazing people through my journey to my girls and in some cases I haven't yet met some of the most amazing people that I know but I know them because of their blogs.

It is due to this family that I can introduce to you this fabulous book:

Emma is a little girl who was adopted from China and now lives here in America. She cannot wait to celebrate Chinese New year with her family. They make lanterns and moon cakes and all the things that make the Lunar holiday special in China.

It is an adorable story and a must have for any family with children from China.

You can purchase the book here at Amazon. You can also get it at Barnes and Noble.com. Here is the link for that.

Oh, I don't know this person so I am not pushing it. I just think it is a wonderful book and you will too just take a look.

What's a Mother to do?

Life in general comes down to common sense and I am a firm believer in the old adage, everything in moderation however with that being said when it comes to the kids or myself being out in the sun, sunscreen is not an option. Growing up in the UK we used to go on holiday abroad at least once a year and that meant that from the minute we arrived in the sun we were slathered in Ambre Solaire tanning oil and left to bake like the Sunday dinner until we were a beautiful scarlet colour. Then as a teenager I would go on holidays with friends, sans adults and we would use Hawaiian Tropic Oil and see how fast we could "tan". The redder the better, the worse the burn the better the tan was our motto. I shouldn't even admit this but there were times when we even used baby oil.

I have paid the price for that foolish behaviour and now of course we know much better. The girls know that sunscreen is part of their everyday routine. I even keep some in my purse. We have all sorts of the stuff and when Lily was riding I had this really nasty smelling stuff that had bug repellent in it. It was great, or so I thought.

So all this stuff that we slather all over our skin to prevent skin cancer is now being proved to cause different types of cancer due to all the chemicals that are in it? The chemical most used in sunscreen, oxybenzone actually disrupts the bodys natural hormones. Say what? I knew this was true but I wasn't concerned cos I use the good stuff. Hah. It's not so good apparently.

You can find the link here of all the sunscreens and how they are rated. It probably would have been more helpful if I had shared this at the beginning of the summer rather than at the end wouldn't it?

Badger is one of the safest, it's not cheap but nor is getting treated for cancer! Blue lizard is also good but it's hard to find around here. I like aveeno, phew, it's not that bad but the Bull frog that I used on Lily when she rode.....BAD. When you consider that it's something that we use pretty much year round here I have to think that all the chemicals will have harmful effects on the girls long term.





Hopefully my kids won't be on a first name basis with their dermatologist by the time they reach their 30's.

I love these

Oh my dilly. Have you seen the Brita water bottles that have the built in water filters in them? They are the best invention ever, well they are if you are a freak like me.
Living where we do we drink a lot of water all the time. We don't go anywhere without water, EVER. I don't buy bottled water  as we have tonnes of BPA free bottles that we just run through the dishwasher and refill with filtered water from the fridge. The kids don't take juice drinks to school they only get water and water is all that Rosie drinks. Occasionally she'll drink V8 but her beverage of choice is water.

I saw these little marvels at Target and they were on sale so I grabbed a couple and have since gone back and grabbed a couple more. You can fill them up ANYWHERE and the water is filtered as you drink it. I don't let my kids drink from water fountains or public "anythings" due to all my hang ups but now they can at least fill there bottles from a tap and I don't freak out as the water is filtered.

Yes, I have already mentioned that I am a basketcase.


These things are sheer genius I tell ya, sheer genius. Oh and I wasn't paid a red cent for doing this ad it's just me being nice! The bottles are BPA free and can be put in the dishwasher. GO ahead get some, you won't be sorry. 

One amazing little girl

 If you are not already familiar with this family and this absolutely amazing little girl please take a minute and go to their blog.

 Ivy Joy has to have heart surgery again tomorrow morning. Her family is asking for lots of prayers, I know that lots of you can do that for her.
 click here please
 Once you get to her blog scroll back and read her story she truly is amazing.

Gone

Blogger has been changing a few things lately. Months back you had a choice to try the new interface or stick with the old. I tried the new but switched back as I wasn't keen on how the photos got scrambled amongst the text with the new one. A couple of weeks ago the old one disappeared for good and the one took over. As with all things after a few days it became the norm. I have been thinking about doing something to liven up my blog. I like the ones that have 3 columns and changing pictures in their headers. I also wanted my photos bigger, not that they are any good I just like it that way.

So last night I fiddled about and read that soon, blogger, soon to be known as Booger by yours truly, will be replacing it's way of doing things yet again. I rolled up my sleeves and thought, this time I'll get a head start and on this change and just go with it. I tried one of their new "dynamic" templates and fiddled about thinking hmm, maybe. I like the clean lines and fresh look but it is not very personal. After poncing about for a good couple of hours I hit the button of no return by mistake and lost my old blog. I lost my counters, sidebar, everything. This is the new look whether I like it or not.

All the stuff is still in HTML format I just can't figure how to get it back into blog form so until then...welcome to Plain Jane.

All the stuff that was once down the side in the sidebar is now in a little pop out menu on the top right and you have to mouse over to make it appear.

GAH....change is good, no?

The No Phone Zone Pledge

I am not a big moblie phone user by todays standards. I turn mine off every night and often forget to turn it on in the morning. When I am in the car alone I do use it and I use it quite alot. How's that for a contradiction. I like to be able to talk to friends without the distractions of, dare I say it, the kiddies.

I never text whilst driving, heck I barely text at all. I find it impersonal. No tone, no inflection and the fact that I can barely see the keys has a lot to do with it. I am to dang lazy to put my glasses on every 2 seconds.

I decided a couple of days ago that my car is gong to be phone free and then I heard about the phone free zone. This morning it took me 1 minutes to go 10 blocks. I was tempted to use my phone but I didn't. I listened to music like in the olden days and I survived.

When I got home I took the pledge and I urge you to take it also.

The No Phone Zone Pledge

Buckle up

This is one of those posts when I get all hot and bothered so please be forewarned.

Why is it that in a country where State Governments runs somethings and the Federal Government runs other things something as critically important as child safety is left to the States to mandate individually. Some of them do it very well but others not so much. I just can't get my head around this. For example: in the State of Florida the law requires a child under the age of 3 to be restrained in a car seat. That's it. Under the age of three. So if you have a small child and a very irresponsible parent the day the kids turns 3 and one day she/he can be allowed to sit in a seat belt. Are you kidding me.

Now of course the American Association of Pediatricians, and National Safety Institute, Safe Kids USA and a plethora of other sane establishments offer guidelines but I think this should be set in stone at the federal level. I know many people would disagree and cry, big brother big brother but this is the safety of our children. Is there anything more important than that?

Lily remained in a booster seat until 2 weeks prior to her 9th birthday. She was the only child in her class. Most of the kids iin her class hadn't been in them for years but she felt safer that way and it wasn't an option as far as I was concerned. I wish she were still in it now especially after this weekend.

On Saturday our neighbour and her classmate, I'll call him Joey, was in a nasty car accident with his family.  When we returned home from the swim meet we saw the car in their driveway and it scared me. I wasn't sure that everyone made it out Ok. When Jacob saw it he said the same thing. For the record it was a new Accord. The front end was gone....gone. We chose to leave a card on their front door letting them know were we here if they needed anything at all. Monday marked the kick off of FCAT week for Lily's school. Joey wasn't there. The class was told by the teacher that he was absent due to head trauma he sustained in a car accident over the weekend. Lily was upset. On Tuesday she asked if she could go to his house and ask his mum if he was OK. She went and came back a few minutes later looking shaken.

Joeys Mum, his sister and Joey came too. She thanked us for the card and explained what happened. Someone ran a red light and hit them. The adults were wearing seatbelts, Joey's sister was in a car seat and joey was in a seat belt in the back. The impact was head on for them, but it made Joey fly about, even in a seat belt and he hit his head against the door a couple of times. The paramedic that loaded him on to the stretcher told his mum, "I never tell people what to do but THIS is the reason why my 9 yr old is still in a booster. He hates it because his friends make fun of him". Joey sustained the worst of the injuries out of all them. Luckily he will be fine. His black eye will heal, it will open again. The enormous bump on the side of his head will go down and all the bruising will fade. The catscans show that the double vision that he has now is caused by the swelling behind his eye and it "should" go away soon but more cat scans are to happen tomorrow.

Joey is 10, he turned 10 the day after the accident! Can you imagine if he was 3 and only in a seatbelt. I can't imagine that anyone would be that stupid but I bet some would. I spent last night researching booster seat laws worldwide and they are all over the place. Cars get safer very single year for adults but not much safer for kids. I almost went out and bought a new seat for Lily today but I measured her and she fits perfectly into the seat, so why don't I feel any better about it?

Something needs to be done. The statistics on kids being killed in traffic accidents are staggering. It isn't up to the government to keep us safe it is up to us but many people wouldn't wear seatbelts if they weren't the law so I think it would help. Life changes in an instant.

I always drag my boosters with me WHEREVER we travel. I don't give a monkeys what anyone says. I know that they are the safest ones on the market and yes it's a pain in the backside dragging them through airports and lugging them hither and yon but really, it's worth it to me.

A misconception

For the most part the British are conceived as a stiff and cold bunch, void of warmth, emotion and affection. Certain topics are surely never discussed in British households and many subjects, clearly taboo. Keep a stiff upper lip and carry on. That's how we are conceived.

Allow me to educate you on the real Great Britain. Grab a cuppa and sit back for a few whilst I tell you a little tale, a true tale of something that happened in that stiff, puritanical country last week.

If the average American family visits the United Kingdom they will need to pack in their hand luggage two necessary items, one being a blindfold and the other earmuffs. I will start with the reason for the latter item, the earmuffs. They will of course be quite handy if you travel in the winter as we did, to keep your ears from freezing off your head but that purpose is secondary only to your need to slam them over your childrens ears should you at anytime walk past a television. I was watching television with my sister one evening, after the girls were in bed, and every other word was f*** or S*** or Bollocks. ( I didn't even use an asterisk for that word as most Americans have never even heard of it as it is one of our best kept secrets and one of my favourite words.) It wasn't an R rated movie just an ordinary show and it wasn't a one off thing. This is typical language on the telly over there. I know you are shocked aren't you that we Brits know and use such dirty words? But there you are the British swear and not just words like, "bloody and bugger" but horrid ones too. I am so used to that annoying little bleep emanating from my telly that I nearly fell out of my chair when the F-bomb shot out of it instead.

The other necessary item is the blindfold. This takes precedence over the earmuffs as the Brits, those Puritanical people that they are not, have no problem with nudity at all. Nope, not one bit. Not on the telly, in magazines, in adverts, not anywhere. Doesn't seem to matter where you you will see a naked person. It made Rosie giggle cos she is only 5 and Lily just said, Rosie, it's only a naked person. It's over here where nudity is taboo. People over here apparently have faces, ears, arms, hands, legs, feet and clothing.

My girls are used to the British way of life because of me. I want them to grow up with open and liberal minds. There is one little area though that took even me totally off guard. The day we went to London we took the underground wherever we needed to go. At first the girls were to excited to do anything but sit still with big goofy smiles on their faces but as the rides grew more frequent Lily started to read the signage and adverts. She was sitting opposite me and next to a businessman all dressed up in his suit and carrying his brief case. Out of the clear blue sky she asks, in a very loud voice, Mummy, what are condoms? The man in the suit cracked up and I followed her eyes above my head to an advert for safe sex. Oh no she didn't just ask me that on a crowded train? Oh yes she did. The man was waiting for my answer. I answered her briefly and told her I would tell her more when Rosie wasn't about.

Damn those Puritans and their straight laced life would surely never have such a thing on their trains. Not on the same trains that the school kids use to commute to and from school on. Well, they do. The one about Man Rape took a bit more explaining. I never realised that in one day we would learn about the worlds biggest diamond, buildings that are over 900 years old and condoms and rape and that so many subjects would be offered for free in a country where people supposedly say the word sex in hushed tones.

And I thought 4th grade was tough over here. IT was an educational trip this time around in so many ways.

Bollocks, next time I'm driving in London, I don't care how much it costs to park my car. LOL

Another worthy cause

If you like jewelry keep reading.

Shortly before Christmas I came across this site, it's called the Starfish Project, not to be confused with the Starfish Home. I absolutely loved what I saw and that was before I read about the project itself. I bookmarked the page and promptly forgot about it until the other day.

"The Starfish Project was established in 2006 to empower exploited women in Asia. The Project developed a socially responsible jewelry business in order to provide women with alternative employment and a range of holistic care opportunities. In 2011, the project has grown to support approximately 35 women in 2 different cities, primarily through the jewelry company where women have taken on new levels of responsibility and leadership, and are able to provide for their families through meaningful employment. The Starfish Project also provides opportunities for women to heal and grow through counseling, vocational training, language acquisition, family education benefits and health care access, as well as providing housing in our women's shelter. The Starfish Project is committed to restoring hope for each woman that enters its doors."

I am trying to figure out who's birthday is coming up soon and which piece to buy for them.

I don't mean for all my charities to be centred around Asia, it just happens that way. It must have something to with part of my heart still being there.

Click this link to go straight there The Starfish Project.

Stop censorship

Tell Congress not to censor the internet NOW! - fightforthefuture.org/pipa

PROTECT-IP is a bill that has been introduced in the Senate and the House and is moving quickly through Congress. It gives the government and corporations the ability to censor the net, in the name of protecting "creativity". The law would let the government or corporations censor entire sites-- they just have to convince a judge that the site is "dedicated to copyright infringement."

The government has already wrongly shut down sites without any recourse to the site owner. Under this bill, sharing a video with anything copyrighted in it, or what sites like Youtube and Twitter do, would be considered illegal behavior according to this bill.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, this bill would cost us $47 million tax dollars a year — that's for a fix that won't work, disrupts the internet, stifles innovation, shuts out diverse voices, and censors the internet. This bill is bad for creativity and does not protect your rights.

If this bill should pass my blog that I have nurtured for the past 6 years will be gone. The stories that I write each day to entertain my kidlets in their old age will have to shut down for fear of repercussions.

Google and wikipedia are having black outs today, click on either site and you will see NOTHING. Well Google is still there and working but it's name is covered.

I signed the petition.

I'm very tall right now.......

Because I'm standing on my soapbox.

From the very first time I took Lily to the U.K. she noticed how different certain staple foods tasted. Some she loved and others she hated. She has never loved the taste of milk over there but has always loved the fruits and vegetables much more. She loves the baked goods more and all the dairy products more. Lily isn't a picky eater which is a great thing as 2 picky eaters would push me over the edge. Jacob eats like a pig in England and I devour all of my favourite foods with gusto. Funny thing is none of us ever gain weight. Rosie gained a pound or two but it was short lived.

I came here at the ripe old age of 18 and worked as a Nanny for 2 little kidlets. My oldest charge was 5. He was a very athletic little man who ate like a horse. He was given so much junk that it shocked me. I wasn't in charge of his meals so there wasn't much to be done about it. I knew that when I had kids that was not going to be the way it was. Hah!

My kids do get there fair share of junk but it was I consider decent junk, most of the time and it is a balancing act. This country allows so much CRAP to be put into food that the EU has banned and in many cases banned decades ago. In my opinion, and this is just my opinion, food colouring is the devil. So are preservatives. The kind of preservatives that make a product have the shelf like of a stone. I avoid those like the plague. I learnt this by trial and error.

Many moons ago we were in Orlando at a Chinese buffet and Lily ate her first ever bowl of Jello (jelly to my English readers) and within a few minutes the kid was bouncing off of the tables. We knew it had to be the Jello. A few months late we tried that experiment again and BAM, hyper kid. We started to watch her behaviour from certain foods and it was so obvious. All extraneous food colouring was removed from her diet. No more red, and blue and no more wild child. Don't get me started on Cheet0s and their family members. The very same Cheet0s and D0ritos in England taste completely different.

Slowly but surely I have moved over to organic. It's a bit of a joke because organic farming in this country is not regulated you just have to have faith that the farmers are playing by the rules. I don't buy organic everything but I do buy a lot of organic stuff and or all natural products. It's expensive and can double a grocery bill so to balance things out I use coupons. I am not a coupon whiz but usually save $40 on every $150 that I spend.

I buy very few prepared products for the kids now, with the exception of breakfast cereal. I think that is where they consume most of their rubbish but thankfully they don't often eat cereal for breakfast. I now make my own muffins and pancakes once a week and freeze them that way they are always on hand.

We eat more fruit and vegetables than most people I know and that is a slippery slope. Have you noticed how waxy all of the produce is that you buy in a store? Uhh, oranges and cucumbers do not produce wax, it is added. I peel the skin off of a cuke if it isn't from a farmers market. Food colouring is added to make fruit look more appealing, how nice!

Girls are entering puberty now at the age of nine. NINE! If they are eating a diet rich in foods that have been injected with hormones it shouldn't come as a surprise, really it shouldn't. I see little girls in Lily's class with breasts and wearing bras. I don't want this for my children and I hope by monitoring what they eat I can slow down this process.

This generation of little ones are destined to be the first generation to have a shorter life span than their parents. Good grief, that is wrong and totally avoidable.

This is my opinion. Opinions are just feelings and can't be judged as they are neither right nor wrong so no nasty comments please.