CPR Week

photo courtesy of fountaingrovegolf.com

Did you know it's CPR week? The American Heart Association is trying to spread awareness this week from June 1st - 6th. They have set up a site that has lots of great information for patients, caregivers and professionals. Are you an instructor? Have you been trained? Get counted! If you need CPR training the CPR week site can help you find a location near you. I'm a huge fan of the U.S. map, it shows you the number of people trained in CPR. I went through the training many years ago but it wouldn't hurt to take a refresher course. You never know when you might need it. If you have a story to share or donation to make those links are available as well.

Go Green with Wee Cycle

weeCycle.

---

weeBgreen and Chesapeake Ribbons have joined forces to take items you or your wee ones have outgrown or are just plain tired of and weeCycle them into new, repurposed items. weeCycle is a new program we've conjured up in our "mommypreneur" chats and we think it's a pretty good idea. So what is weeCycle? It is our way to recycle, repurpose and "upcycle" items that would otherwise be sent to a landfill. We're talking about stuff like:

• old belts or belt hardware
• old ribbon (think of all that ribbon that gets thrown out from wedding and baby showers)
  
• old barrettes or barrette hardware
  
• old dog collars
  
• old dog leashes
  
• old headbands
  
• apparel (onesies, t-shirts, pj's, etc...to be used for sewing projects)
  

In exchange for your help and participation in our weeCycle program, we're offering you a credit of your shipping costs toward purchases at weeBgreen & Chesapeake Ribbons. If this sounds like something you might like to take part in or if you have any questions, please feel free to send us an email and we'll give you the shipping information & answer any questions you have.

All content is provided by weeBgreen.

Twitter Glitch?

After my fine dining experience post fed to Twitter I had about 10 followers show up on Qwitter. I'm wondering if maybe there is a glitch in the system. I've had this happen before but I didn't really pay attention. This time these followers all stopped at the exact same time. What are the odds of that? Those that quit me are marketers and SEO gurus and folks that are going to tell me how to make money online fast! Twitter is great but there are also a lot of cons to it too. What do you think, glitch in the Twitter system?

Lessons Learned - When Someone Is Missing

As scary as the last 3 days have been I have to tell you that I have learned a lot. Let me share it with you just in case.

If your missing person has an illness for example Alzheimer's disease, there is a Silver Alert. What worked against this particular situation is that he was not 65, he was 63 and therefore was not eligible for this service.

Make sure you have recent photos! Those are very important to have. We even had a photo of the dog. Make sure there is contact information on your dog's collar.

The police make you wait for 24 hours. As an alternative you can contact Equusearch. They know what they are doing and how to organize search parties. They help create and distribute flyers and notify surrounding police departments and alert the media. The media is more likely to listen to their organization rather than just a contact from family or friends.

Many businesses will not allow you to post missing persons flyers in their windows. Wal-Mart only allows the posting of children not missing adults.

Who would help you look for a loved one? Are you a member of a church? What type of community groups do you belong too? What resources do you have to help search?

Homeless shelters will not give you information about who is there but you can send them a photo to identify who the person may be. The emergency rooms are a great place to pass out flyers.

Make sure your cell phones are charged. You will be using them a lot! There are many things that can happen within a 24 hour period. In this case he was missing for 42 hours and traveled on foot over 70 miles.

I'm glad this had a happy ending. I hope that this information will help should you ever find yourself in a missing person situation.

Dream Analysis 2

I had the weirdest dream the other night. All I remember is that I was moving into a new house. It was really nice but then my dream switched to being haunted by ghosts. They were mean ghosts! My mother was there and there was a cross and there was blood. It was so scary. I'm not going into the real graphic gory details because it was very disturbing. Then the dream switched to me being in a dark bedroom. Under the door there was light and I bent over to look and there were these little pair of black Mary Jane shoes. There were these 3 little girls haunting me. They scared the fire out of me. I woke up and everything was so vivid. I couldn't back to sleep.

Last night my son told me that he dreamed that he dropped his baby sister 3 or 4 times. He said that I was asking him to do something and he dropped her. He would pick her back up and I would ask him to do something else and he would drop her again. The last time he said she fell on her face and started bleeding. He woke up.

Talk about disturbing!!!!!

Wild Wild Web - Dr. Phil

Did you catch this episode yesterday? I have to weigh in on this one. The topic was about a mother who was monitoring her 17 year old daughter's Facebook and other social media accounts. Mom has the passwords and interacts with her daughter's friends by impersonating her daughter. If Mom sees an inappropriate photo she will notify the parent. If she sees the kids talking about teachers she will notify the principle. The question was is this too far? Well obviously yes!

But I have to tell you that I had all of my daughter's passwords and truth be told she didn't know a whole lot about the computer. I talked to a lot of her friends but never impersonated her. That's just weird! We would talk about things that I saw but I'm not sure I would notify a parent of what I saw. I think all parents should keep an eye on their own kids and what they are doing. We have all our computers in one room. I'm sure we will keep it that way.

What I will say is that I'm glad that I did have the passwords because there were 2 very big incidents. One particular situation she could have gotten into some VERY serious trouble from being in the wrong place at the wrong time. We had a lot to talk about and luckily it finally sank in. The other situation was pretty bad too! I won't go into it but I really do think it's ok to have the passwords. I only investigate when my gut told me to. I didn't make it my daily mission to catch her doing something wrong. I did my best and have no regrets about how I handled her social media access. Of course you have to be cautious but children need to be monitored. Here is what other mothers have to say about it.

A History Lesson - Obama

When my alarm goes off in the morning it's set to turn on the radio instead of that pesky beeping sound. This particular morning show was discussing the word "Mulatto." Apparently a woman had come on the show and was using this word to describe our new president. We were all getting an education this morning because I too had never heard of the word. And so it begins the picking apart of our new president. How can he be called the first African-American president? He's not really black. He's a "Mulatto." He's bi-racial with a white mother. This whole conversation woke me up! Why am I surprised that people are already picking him apart? I'm not going to say that this is how Americans are because it really seems to be a human nature issue not a country issue. If you put someone in the lime light others will do their best to pick them apart. It's sad but it's true.

Today's history lesson was the long list of other derogatory words that people use and don't know that they are derogatory.

Vandal - East Germanic tribe known for their sac of Rome in 455.
Hooligan - an term used to describe an Irish drunk.
Hip Hip Hooray - The first half of "Hip, hip, Hooray is adapted from "hep,hep," an old German sheep herder cry. Also use as rallying cry while going Jew-hunting in Jew ghettos.

You can find these terms and more using Wikipedia. Obviously these terms aren't really meant in this way or used in these ways. When my son goes potty in his potty chair and we shout "Hip Hip Hooray" I promise we are not hunting Jews.

Now you know what I mean when I say "learning never ends!" I learn something new every single day and this is today's lesson. I'm sure this would be a great topic for some student out there that needed a topic for a paper. Who knew? Did you?

Squash It!

I'm a firm believer that when a problem arises among children it's best to squash it as quickly as possible. In all my years of studying behavior I'm amazed at, how we treat each other can stick with us for life. Some people never recover from a bad experience and harbor resentment.

I've written several times that my wonderful son was so sweet until he went to school specifically the first grade. That was not a pleasant year for us. Luckily, he had a teacher with the same philosophy, address it while they are young so that it is stopped and doesn't continue. Kids can be down right mean.

My son isn't perfect and I've seen him behave in ways that doesn't make a mother proud. However, I address it as quickly as possible. I also don't take my eyes off of my kids for too long while they are here and I have sonar ears! They now whisper but I can hear that too.

Yesterday my little guy came home sort of sad and he looked up at me and asked "Mom do you think I'm gross?" "No!" (This would be a red flag for any parent) "Who told you that you were gross?" I asked. And then he began telling me the story....

He's waiting in line in the gym to leave school and he asked another boy behind him to play paper, rock, scissors. The boy said "No, nobody likes you and you're gross!" My heart sank and then I got mad. As his mom I always want to protect him. Words can cut the deepest no matter what age. If you hear it and you believe it, you're in trouble. My son began to question if people really liked him in school. We went through his classmates to list off people he thought were his friends. Check! Then I went through the standard list of questions about grossness, "Did you pick your nose?" "Did you burp really loud?" "Did you spit?" He said no to all these question. I said, "Then you are in the clear!" Don't worry about it. I will email your teacher and address this before it gets out of hand. Immediately I start thinking about homeschooling. I think about how eventually he's going to have to handle things on his own. I also begin to wonder if he said anything back to the boy that would upset his mother! Then we would really have a can of worms on our hands.

I emailed the teacher and they addressed it with the boy. The boy admitted what he had done and apologized to my son. I'm sure all will be forgiven and who knows they could end up being the best of friends. Some day he will have to be on his own without my interference but that day isn't here yet.

Am I one of those moms? Yes, you bet I am. It's a different world now. There is no more boys will be boys. The sooner a parent tells another parent the quicker it gets addressed, corrected and we all move on. I've noticed even as my daughter is an adult I have to continue to teach and remind them of simple uses of kindness and manners.

#cpsia - WashingtonPost.com Takes Notice

What does it mean that WashingtonPost.com has written an article about the new regulations regarding products for children 12 and under? It means it's not a hoax it's very real.

Is it really more than just toys? YES. I really wish this situation was swept up like the Motrin Moms movement. It's possible that folks just hear the #cpsia acronym and ignore it. Don't ignore it!

What's the big deal? The cost of the testing is so high that it could cause many small businesses to close. I've been researching it for my business. Even if I wasn't a small business owner I know many Moms online who have their own businesses garment decorating and own online shops. February is one of the many deadlines and we are really pushing for clarification. Please give the article a read and voice your opinion.

Next Million $ Idea?

I've really been serious about getting fit now. I'm watching what I eat and drink and the sugar and sodium content. I can't get to a gym because it's too much right now with the kids. I have zero problem working out at home. I have lots of work out dvds! Today I thought I would try one after the baby went down for a nap.

It was just the toddler and I alone in front of our tv watching the exercise dvd. He watched for about 10 minutes and then he was bored! "Hug mommy!, hug, hug!" He's relentless until I pick him up and hug him. I do and put him back down and continue on. "Sit mommy sit!" "No exercise!" rofl - He's bored. ok, ok - I keep going! "Come on! Come exercise with mommy!" "Can you kick your leg?" He kicks his legs. I drop down for push ups and climbs on my back. I'm doing push ups with an extra 30 pounds. It's time for crunches. He climbs on my belly and then it occurred to me...

Exercises for mom in a cartoon version to keep the toddlers interested! Mom gets a work out, toddler stays in the room with mom and doesn't destroy the house. This should be done. Someone get to work on this and if it's already been done then point me in that direction!

Amazon

I did some serious online shopping for Black Friday. One of those places was Amazon.com. I bought a skate board type scooter for my son. While I was shopping for other things the price went up by $10! Fine I went to hunt elsewhere and wouldn't you know it, other places had it $10 cheaper but then charged me that $10 in shipping. Fine! Back to Amazon.com I go. All is forgiven and I moved on.

Today, the UPS man just dropped of that very gift at my front door. It is in the box without any covering at all. If my son was home he would have seen his present. Not only that but that poor box has been really through it! The top is partly open. I hope there aren't any small pieces that fell out. The toddler saw it and is having a fit because I had to hide in the garage. Thanks Amazon! You guys just rock.

Note to self - Maybe online shopping should be limited to small items.

Site Warming Party! #TNT

What a party it was last night on Twitter! The big question of the evening was "What is "TNT?" That acronym stood for the store Tote and Tee. Every time a party is created there has to be a new hashtag created. A hastag is the # sign and letters that follow. It helps you keep up with all the conversations happening for that topic. There are two ways to follow a party. First use the Summize option and search for the party. In our case we used #tnt and you can still find comments from the party last night. Some people found it easier to use the twitter chat room.

As a panelist it was a blast! It was so fast and furious and that hour went by so quickly. I've never seen a party like that before. People popped in and out because their eyes were hurting trying to read it all and keep up! Prizes were given away too! I can't wait to read the summary. Twitter was acting up though because I had people ask questions but I didn't get them until later.

I hope to do it again some time!

Mom Made meet Katja Presnal

Why do you need to know KatjaPresnal? Because she is going to manage Wishpot's Handmade/Indie shopping channel!


She sent me this Tweet:

KatjaPresnal @PMKU That's awesome! If you know Indie designers / experts I'm looking for ppl as experts for the Handmade channel! Pls spread the word. 16 minutes ago from web in reply to PMKU

I'm doing my part to help my fellow entrepreneurs! I've worked with MANY and I invite you to Email Katja directly to find out how you can be a part of this new channel at Wishpot! Good Luck.

Motrin - You Feel My Pain? (#motrinmoms)

Motrin, I'm feeling your pain! I'm so sorry that your ad campaign has gone awry. As a Social Media Consultant, mommy blogger and small business owner I could have easily advised your team of the absurdity of this campaign. Moms don't wear children to be fashionable or to look official. As the mother of 4 I can quickly tell you that our children are carried for a good 2 years if not more. Our backs are going to hurt whether we use carriers, slings, pouches or none at all. I wonder if the woman that you hired to do the voice over might not have chimed in and been ignored. One thing is certain, the moms in Twitterville have power. They are very tech savy! From posts to video, blogs, twitter and Facebook news of this will spread like a virus. It would not surprise me to see this on the news. Motrin I feel your pain as I can see your sales decreasing as I write this post. I feel your pain as you gather your PR team to figure out how to fix this. My advice to you, get some moms together to help bail you out of this mess. On second thought you might not be able to find any. Good Luck Motrin. Are there any moms out there that support this video campaign? Find moms weighing in on twitter at #motrinmoms and find more posts here! There's a Mr. Linky too over here!

Dooce The Queen - Day 69

Today I was on twitter messing around and one of my tweet buddies was talking about Dooce. I wasn't sure what she meant and asked the obvious question. Apparently Dooce is the queen! She appears to be the mother of all mothers when it comes to blogging. I'm not sure if she is the founder of mom blogging but that is the rumor. Even though I've been blogging for over a year I learn something new daily. In case you don't know Dooce I invite you to click over and meet her. Warning: She's very blunt so if you don't like that type of personality then you might want to skip your visit.

Do you know Dooce?
Who are your legendary mommy blogger heroines?

*side note - I knew I saw her from somewhere! She's here too - Momversation.com.

Just Say No To Flip Flops!

On our way to our weekend soccer game we were waiting at the stop light. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw a white truck behind me. He had stopped and then all of a sudden BAM! He hit us. I thought for sure someone slammed into him causing a chain reaction. My head hurt so badly and my hubby jumps out to check the baby. We get in and pull the car over to a gas station. The guy comes to me telling me how sorry he is and I all I can think about is checking all my children out. He keeps asking me if I'm ok and I'm thinking, NO! I'm not ok. My head is pounding and I'm checking my children out and they all seem ok. My hubby's head hurts too. We don't need an ambulance but what just happened? I have OnStar which I love by the way. I push the emergency button and we talk about the situation and they dispatch a police officer for us. I'm guessing since we didn't need an ambulance there was no need to hurry. I finally get enough snap to ask the guy what happened!? His flip flop got caught on the pedal. Seriously? You just wrecked our van and your truck because of flip flops? He had to leave quickly because he was late for work. We are all ok but man does my head hurt!

Please wear proper foot wear when you drive. ;)

Meanest Mommy on The Planet - Day 72

I've always said that the more kids I have the more creative I get when it comes to discipline. I really try very hard to keep my sense of humor. My eldest is 19 and we can have some of the greatest conversations now that she is older. She can tell me just how bad it really was for her as a child. I spoke with her today and I will tell you a little secret about one of my methods.

When she would get in trouble I would ground her until. What is until? Well, I would make her read a book and write a report about it or research a topic and write a paper about it. She HATED this! She would be grounded until she was done. What ever the issue was I assigned something pertaining to that issue and she had to write, period.

Today she told me that she was thankful for this method. Apparently it has helped her become a better writer and researcher. I can't tell you how funny it is to hear that! I'm thankful that it turned out to be a benefit in the long run. I had been going to school nearly all of her life and she has been to all of my graduations. I suppose that I knew what was in store for her and planned accordingly. I'm thinking I'm pretty cool right about now.

On to the next three!

Internet Explorer - Day 84

Internet Explorer and I just aren't friends today. My shopping cart doesn't work in IE and my blog doesn't look right in IE. I don't know enough about it to fix it all so I'm having lots of fun today! Why can't we all just switch to FireFox?

Mystery Package

Yesterday I got a package in the mail that was filled with goodies! It has a Disney Vacation dvd, a Kung Fu panda activity cd, a precious moments figurine, and a couple of packets of instant coffee. I have no idea who sent it to me. The return address on the white package was covered with tape. I couldn't read it. So whoever you are, Thank You!

Social Media Consultant

Hello,
My name is Pamela Kramer and I am a Social Media Consultant. What can I do for you as a business owner? I can connect your business with all the latest top notch social media networks, rings, groups and help you network them all together. As a business owner myself I have discovered that social media is a separate entity. Keeping up with self promotion, product branding and services is a full time position. Every company should have an active social media department. Currently it might be combined with public relations. What companies will find is, in today's world having connections within the blogging world is necessary. Pop culture examples of this are Martha Stewart and her recent show that featured Mom Bloggers. Oprah Winfrey is also listening to bloggers. There are many ways to connect online and I can help you come up with a plan that will fit your company. If you would like to discuss what PMK Unlimited, Inc. can do for you please complete the contact form.

Thank you.