If you’re one of those people who get angry when Christmas music and decorations flood the airways and store aisles before Thanksgiving, you’re absolutely going to hate this idea. 

But, if you’re also one of those people who spend way too much money on holiday gifts because you can’t decide what to buy everyone, keep reading. Between my husband’s huge family and my extended family, we have over 75 people to consider for gift giving.  We tried skipping gifts one year — and that wasn’t received very well… So 20 years ago, we found a creative solution: We made little homemade gifts to share with our family and friends. Everyone enjoys receiving them and they don’t break the bank!

One of our favorite gifts has been our homemade chapstick (or lip balm). They’re really easy to make and they only cost about 20 cents each! We’ve made peppermint and vanilla flavors using bees wax and coconut oil. I printed up custom labels with everyone’s names and a list of ingredients.  Who doesn’t want a custom chapstick during the winter months? 

Check out this website to learn how to make chapstick: http://wellnessmama.com/7055/homemade-lip-chap-recipe/

I got all of our supplies at http://www.bulkapothecary.com/categories/containers/lip-balm-tubes-jars-and-tins/. You can buy the lip balm tubes and all of the ingredients you need.  I also bought the lip balm filling trays — they’re only $6.95 and it makes it so much easier to fill the tubes. 

Get the family to make chapstick for their friends, and you’ll all have a blast making them.  It’s quick and easy!

President Obama just announced a new college information site that includes all 7,000 colleges in the United States. While this new site system falls short of his original plan to rank and shame low-rated schools that often leave students with huge debt and poor earning potential, it does offer several valuable tools that can help students make smart decisions about the colleges they’re applying to this season. 

It’s an easy-to-use site that allows you to compare tuition costs, graduation rates, and salaries after graduation.  These are key considerations when making these important decisions.  In other words, don’t choose colleges based on their clever marketing, beautiful landscapes, and successful sports teams!  Instead, think of more practical things, like:  What will my earning potential be upon my graduation and what type of debt will I be saddled with?

[Source]

Now that you’ve started the college applications process, let’s just throw one more variable into the mix: When should you apply to each college?  Sorry! Generally speaking for most students, you’ll probably want to apply during the regular admissions cycle.  Here are a few tips.

EARLY DECISION (ED)
Because Early Decision is binding — meaning that if you get accepted you have to enroll — only choose this if you are 100% sure that you want to go to this college.  By putting all of your eggs in one basket, and the colleges know that, you’re probably not going to get the best financial aid packages they offer.  After all, the colleges know that you’re definitely going to enroll so they’ll be saving those sweet scholarships and grants to entice other students who they need to win over. One of the benefits, however, is that you will have a decision before New Years!

EARLY ACTION (EA)
The Early Action pool of applicants are generally are stronger (more competition) group of students than Regular Decision applicants, so even though there may be a slight advantage to applying early, unless you are off-the-charts strong, this probably isn’t something you need to do.  Afterall, just having the 2 extra months to work on your essays and improve your complete applications may be a wiser decision anyhow. One of the benefits is that you’ll have a decision before New Years and you don’t have to decide until May 1st! That way, you can compare financial aid packages.

REGULAR DECISION (RD)
Most students apply Regular Decision because the application deadlines range from November until March.  This gives you plenty of time to write those essays, visit the colleges, and receive decisions from other colleges. You’ll have until May 1st to make your decision.

ROLLING ADMISSIONS
This may come as a surprise to you but not all colleges have 5% acceptance rates. Yup. With over 4,000 colleges and universities in America, there are lots of colleges that don’t fill up.  They don’t set application deadlines because they want to accept students until they fill their class each year. So, if you get in a pickle, you can always apply to a college that has rolling admissions after the March deadlines for selective colleges. Phew! Not to worry; there’s a college out there for everyone!

What do you think about kids getting black belts? 

My father had a black belt in judo, and he was a judo instructor when I was young.  I remember his students training for years just to advance one belt, and some were good enough to reach a brown belt by the time they graduated from high school. 

Black belts were reserved for the best — those who studied the art as a profession.

The youngest black belt in Great Britain is an 8-year old boy from England. Although he is adorable and has good form, he certainly doesn’t have the discipline, strength, or conceptual knowledge that a black belt represents.  When children can reach the ultimate goal — a black belt — by age eight, what could they possibly strive to achieve beyond that?

And, what does it mean to older teens who are working towards their black belt but have only earned a brown belt?  Does anyone really believe that this 8-year old boy could beat a 17-year old brown belt?

Let’s be real here. Sounds like American and European martial arts has become a victim of helicopter parenting…  Shouldn’t students win their belts because they have truly earned them through hard work, practice, and discipline? Besides, I hope these students don’t get hurt because they incorrectly think they have mastered the art of self defense. 

The best part of the new school year is that the teachers are fresh and enthusiastic, and the kids are glad to be back at school where they can reconnect with friends they hadn’t seen all summer. Everyone is optimistic — Enjoy it while it lasts!

And, every school has Back to School Nights at this time of year to give parents the opportunity to meet their kids’ teachers and get a little glimpse of what to expect for the school year. Some teachers layout their plans and give parents a heads up about big projects. Others share with parents grading rubrics — how they calculate grades — and tips on how to maximize their children’s chances of getting A’s or B’s.

Here are some questions to think about before you go to Back to School Nights.

Elementary School
1.  What are some of the major skills that our kids will learn this year to prepare for the next grade?

2.  What can we as parents do to reinforce the skills that you’re teaching in the classroom?

3.  Is your class divided into different tracks (faster vs slower), and if it is, what can a parent do to help their child get into the faster track?

Middle School
English/Language Arts:
1.  What parts of English grammar will the kids learn this semester?

2.  Will students be learning how to write essays?

3.  What books and how many books will the kids be reading this year?  Will they be unabridged books or synopses?

Math/Science:
1.  I would like to be sure that my child gets a solid foundation in math facts before he/she starts algebra.  What is the plan to build this foundation this year?

2.  What areas of science will be covered this year? How many labs will the students participate in?

3.  What can we do as parents to supplement class learning to ensure that our kids will be ready for Honors or AP science in high school?

High School
English/History:

1.  Will students learn vocabulary that will help prepare for the SAT or ACT?

2.  How many essays will the students write, and will you be editing them (as opposed to peer edits)?

3.  What books and how many books will the students read this year? Will students be required to write essays about their readings?  How many drafts will the students write?

4.  Will the students write research papers in either English or History classes? How will they learn how to write the many essays that are required in college?

Science:
1.  How many labs will the kids do this semester/year? Will they be required to write complete lab reports?

2.  Will their preparation in your class prepare the students to enter introductory science classes in college?

3.  Can you recommend how the students can use outside-of-the-class resources to build a strong science foundation to prepare for success in college?

Modern Language:
1.  What can we do to supplement classroom learning to encourage our kids to become fluent in the language?

2.  Will the students be writing paragraphs or essays?

Use this time at Back to School Night to understand more about what your child will be learning — and not learning — this year.  Armed with this knowledge, you can support your child by supplementing with programs that will fill the gaps.  Remember, you’re your child’s only advocate!

Fourteen years ago today, the World Trade Center buildings collapsed in the first terrorist attack on continental US soil. I remember it like I remember where I was and what I was doing when I first heard that President John F. Kennedy was shot.

Walking around Ground Zero in New York City gave me the same chills I got when I walk along the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington DC. Seeing the names of the 50,000 young soldiers who lost their lives over — over what, exactly? 

I believe that the 9-11 attacks were directly related to our dependence on oil.  Today, I salute all of the independent researchers and companies that are creating clean energy solutions so we can stop this terrible addiction that we have to oil and natural gas.  Mike Strizki has created a hydrogen house that runs on solar hydrogen (hydrogen produced by solar energy) and the only byproduct is distilled water.

Today, he is having a dedication event in New Jersey for the first consumer hydrogen house built in America. If you can’t get out to tour this amazing system, check out his website to learn more about how you can become energy independent, too.  Tell him I sent you! 

For highlights with some great info about a lot of different aspects of the Hydrogen House and how it works, check out the following bullet points.  Each one is linked to a specific section of a longer video, so you won’t have to watch the whole 2 hours (unless you want to, of course):

• Solar Panels
• H2 Safety
• The Joule Box
• H2 Fuel Cell Car
• Air Thermal A/C & Heat
• H2 Homes

I’ve written before about the huge, ongoing problem of depression (hint: pickles can help!).  

There’s been some very interesting research over the past decade that SEEMS to indicate that an existing drug called ketamine might be both highly effective and much cheaper than the current crop of very expensive medications.

Ketamine has been around for over 40 years, and it’s technically an anaesthetic.  A recent National Institute of Health study noted “Interestingly, ketamine has demonstrated the potential ability to rapidly reduce suicidal ideation in controlled and open-label studies (including emergency room settings).”

Here’s some science: National Institute of Health

Here’s some not-science: NPR

If your kid is getting ready to take the ACT or SAT, here are some tips that will help them perform at an optimal level.

FRIDAY NIGHT
1. Cancel social activities until after the SAT/ACT; Trust me it’s worth it…

2. Review your SAT/ACT workbooks and go over incorrect answers so you
remember why you missed the problems.

3. Review your notes and flashcards. Turn off TV, radio, IM, video games (anything distracting).

4. If you’re listening to audio SAT/ACT vocab/language tapes, listen to the tapes again.

5. Pack your backpack with the following items: driver’s license or student ID, #2 pencils with good erasers, digital watch*, calculator* with fresh batteries (if needed), SAT/ACT workbook, SAT/ACT flashcards, tissues, glasses or extra contact lenses, low‐fat snack (high protein/low sugar, apple), bottled water.
* Note that you will NOT be able to use your phone as a clock or calculator during the test.

6. Go to bed at a reasonable hour ‐‐ like 10 or 11 pm.

SATURDAY MORNING
1. Get up 1.5‐2 hours before the SAT/ACT. Keep all media off (TV, radio, internet)

2. Work out until you break a sweat ‐‐ get your cardiovascular system pumping to feed your brain!

3. Take a shower and dress in something comfortable (this is NOT a fashion show!).

4. Eat a low‐fat, low‐carb breakfast (egg burritos are good). No bacon or sweet cereal.

5. Review SAT/ACT workbook and flashcards during breakfast, on the way to the test center, and before the SAT/ACT begins.

6. Take your backpack; double check to make sure you have everything you need.

7. Arrive at the test center early to check in. Use the restroom; empty your bladder and bowels.

8.  Go to the test room and try to sit in the front row to remove potential distractions; don’t sit near friends.

9.  Review SAT/ACT workbook and flashcards until the proctor tells you to put away your things.

10.  BREATHE! You’ve created the optimum environment to take this test. Pace yourself; don’t spend too much time on any one problem.

11. If you bomb the test for whatever reason, cancel the test by giving it to the proctor. Then, get tutoring support and retake it!

Good luck!

Hint: Get them involved!

Are you tired of making lunches that just end up in the trash at the end of the day? Do you feel like a burnt out mind reader because their response to “What do you want for lunch?” is “I dunno…”. My girls would go through phases where they loved tuna sandwiches or bagels and cream cheese, and that’s all they would eat.  Then, all of a sudden, they hated it! When I tried introducing new things or giving them their favorite dinners (as leftovers the next day), it all came home after school. ARGH!

Why is it so difficult to pack a simple lunch?

Then one day, I just had enough. Rather than rack my brains and waste money on tons of food that they threw out, I turned the tables on them! 

Here’s what I did: I created a lunch menu for every day of the week: Monday through Friday. Then I asked them to fill in exactly what they wanted for lunch each day AND they had to make a list of all of the ingredients needed to make all of their lunches on our family grocery list that I posted on the fridge. 

Now THEY had to think about what they wanted to eat for lunch. What happened next was nothing short of a miracle. They actually got creative and thought about those incredible lunches that their friends’ mothers made for them. As long as they didn’t include candy or sodas, I gave them free reign to choose their lunches.  Jaclyn ordered fruit rollups, Fuji apples, and bagels with lox and cream cheese.  Nicole loved roast beef sandwiches with tomatoes on the side or open-faced tuna sandwiches and Clausen dill pickles. As they got older, their lunches included yogurt with cottage cheese or granola, carrot sticks with Ranch dressing, and exotic fruit like kiwi, mangos, and pineapples. I was happy to buy everything on their lists; no complaints on this side!

By making them choose their lunches and order all the ingredients, they owned their meals. If they were hungry at the end of the day, they simply added more food to their lunch boxes the next day.  No longer did they throw out entire lunches and they seemed to enjoy them more.  By the way, they started making their own lunches without me even telling them to because they knew what was in the fridge and they wanted to be sure they got what they had ordered (from the grocery store).

I hope this helps as you begin a new school year with your kids!

I must admit that when I first heard about hydrogen fuel cells, the first thought that came to mind was the Hindenburg. Images of the flagship bursting into flames and crashing to the ground were quite unsettling. Then, of course, there’s the hydrogen bomb — which ranks right up there with the atomic bomb in everyone’s minds.

But, hydrogen is just as safe as gasoline, or even safer.

First, let’s dispel misinformation. The Hindenburg disaster was not the result of a hydrogen fire. In 1998, Nicole, my eldest daughter, met with Dr. Addison Bain in Washington DC where he shared with her his discovery that the Hindenburg caught on fire for two reasons: it began with the decision to change the envelop doping process (they used flammable paint) and ended with the decision to change the final landing procedure. Read Bain’s book, Hindenburg: Exploring the Truth, to learn more about what really happened.

Let’s compare apples to apples:

If you spilled one gallon of gasoline and dropped a match on it, you would have a huge flame. But, if you leaked one  gallon of gaseous hydrogen, it wouldn’t pool on the ground like gasoline, instead, it would shoot straight up into the atmosphere at about 45 miles per hour because it is lighter than air.  If you tried to light it with a match, the hydrogen would long be gone before you could ignite it.

Hydrogen tanks are designed so that in the event of an accident, the tank would leak hydrogen and it would simply go up into the air. Hydrogen explodes when it is compressed in an airtight container. Honestly, I would feel much safer driving with a tank of hydrogen in my trunk than a tank of gasoline.