Sep 222012
 

Have you had The 2nd Talk?

Menopause Awareness Month #PoiseFab5

If you’re a female over the age of fourteen or so, chances are that someone has had “the talk” with you to explain just what the female body goes through.  Considering the changes can be drastic, confusing, and even sometimes scary or painful, that talk is an important one.  It helps to set expectations and let you know what is coming.

So while you’ve probably had the first talk, have you had – or even heard of – the 2nd Talk?  The 2nd Talk is all about menopause, and Poise would like to see 1 million women join the conversation before October 18th, which is World Menopause Day.

You may think it’s a little strange for me – a 30-something – to be discussing menopause.  Did you know, however, that perimenopause often starts in your 30s or 40s?  Sometimes even earlier!  That was a kind of shocking revelation to me, to be honest.  After all, I don’t consider myself to be old, and I’ve always thought of menopause as something that happens around the same time that you’d retire.  But as I read about the symptoms of perimenopause, I found myself saying, “wow, that’s me” more than once.  Some common symptoms include: Continue reading »

Sep 142012
 

Collecting books for kids in the Big Help Book Drive!

Simple Service Project - Collecting Books For Kids #NickCFK

Last week I shared with you the newest Champions for Kids project that my family and I were participating in.  Being a huge fan of reading and books, I was excited that the September SIMPLE Service project was all about collecting books for kids in need!  As part of the project, I hosted a Nickelodeon Big Help Book Drive.

Choosing books for kids to donate #NickCFK

SIMPLE Service Project - collecting books for kids! #NickCFK

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Sep 062012
 

Hold a Big Help Book Drive and provide books for kids.

I have always felt really lucky that I had two parents who made sure I fell in love with books and reading practically from birth.  Some of my earliest memories are of being read to, or of flipping through books on my own.  I had a pretty expansive library even as a toddler, and as I got older I was encouraged to pick out new books at book fairs and through those monthly fliers from Scholastic that were sent home from school.  I’m confident that the foundation in literacy that my parents built for me directly influenced my decision to make English one of my college majors.

What I didn’t know at the time was that wasn’t the case for every child.  61% of low-income families have no books for children in their homes, and more than 80% of the preschool and after-school programs serving at-risk children have no books at all.  If you remember from the Champions For Kids Bag It Forward project I participated in last month, the teacher who received my donations said they sent books home with the kids at night so they would have things to read.

Nickelodeon books, like SpongeBob SquarePants available at Walmart

There are books available at Walmart that are based on Nickelodeon TV shows, like these SpongeBob ones. A lot of them come in these six packs, which are a great savings!

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Aug 282012
 

Are you a fan of MMA Elite?  Need a gift for someone that is?

MMA Elite Shirts Available At Walmart For Under $10 #ShopMMAElite

Growing up, I was really never into boxing.  I have two younger brothers; I saw all the fighting I needed, live and for free.  All of my brothers friends, though, would call them up and say “hey, there’s a fight tonight, want to come over and watch?”.  I thought maybe it was just one of those guy things I’d never understand.

When I was in college, however, people would hang out in the main lobbies where the big TVs were housed.  It was here that I was introduced to the sport of mixed martial arts fighting.  To me, this was different than just beating each other in the face (though there’s some of that) and I really enjoyed it.  I even ended up taking a semester of karate. Continue reading »

Aug 202012
 

Know someone deserving of school supplies? Bag It Forward!

School is officially back in session in our area, as well as many areas around the country.  If you don’t have a student of your own, you probably knew anyway if you’ve been to pretty much any store out there.  The Back to School aisles are packed with notebooks, pens, crayons, glue, and oh, yeah – lots of people!

While there are a number of people filling up backpacks this fall the sad fact is that not everyone can afford all that’s needed to have a successful school year.  It’s not a new phenomenon but the current economy certainly isn’t helping the situation.  After college I spent a year teaching in a rural public school district.  The town and school were filled with wonderful, hard-working people, but it certainly wasn’t a wealthy group of folks.  I know that I wasn’t the only teacher who purchased a few things out of her own pocket in an effort to ensure the classrooms had everything they needed.

I have participated in two previous Simple Service Projects in conjunction with Champions for Kids, so when I heard about their newest collaboration with Elmer’s that encouraged people to “Bag it Forward” by purchasing school supplies and donating them to a deserving student, teacher, or community group, I was immediately on board.  Not only was I a teacher, many of my friends and family members work or have worked in education: my father was a teacher many years ago, my sister-in-law is currently student teaching to finish her degree, my uncle was a superintendent, my aunt was a teacher, my best friend and her husband work in the same school district, and my aunt-in-law is a teacher – just to name a few! Continue reading »