The Cutest Holiday Greeting of the Year

This two-minute video will warm your heart more than any paper Christmas card or holiday movie ever could. It starts with a sweet solo from Ellen, a 5-year-old patient at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Then things start to rock when several other patients join in.

If you agree this is the cutest holiday greeting of the year, (and I know you do) then please pass it along to a friend!

More about St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

There’s no way you can not love this place. Not only do they freely share their research findings with doctors and scientists all over the world, but families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center to offer such special hope, even when families can’t afford treatment.

Patients at St. Jude are referred by a physician, and they generally have a disease currently under study and are eligible for clinical research trials. No child is ever denied treatment because of the family’s inability to pay. That’s impressive, especially considering that the daily operating cost for St. Jude is nearly $1.3 million. St. Jude relies on public contributions.

As a pioneer in cancer treatment, St. Jude continues to improve childhood cancer survival rates. My brother was a patient at St. Jude many years ago. Even though he had a very rare and serious cancer, he survived and is doing great. You likely know someone who has been touched by the work at St. Jude. They have treated children from all 50 states and from around the world. Even if you don’t know someone who has been personally helped by St. Jude, it’s still great to know that this hospital is helping children all around the world, either directly as a patient or indirectly through shared research.

St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer center designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. In addition to cancer, St. Jude researchers and doctors treat children with genetic immune defects and pediatric AIDS. Plus, St. Jude is a WHO Collaborating Center for Studies on the Ecology of Influenza Viruses in Animals and Birds.

Find out more about ways to help St. Jude.

20 Last Minute Green Gifts Under $25!

With the holiday shipping time frame running down and your budget probably crunched as well, you may be looking for some last minute green gifts that won’t cost too much (all $25 or under) AND that will still arrive in time for a green Christmas. Following are some excellent choices…

Five Great Green Gifts for Kids

1. $9.35 – The New 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth: This is an excellent book for kids with few cons. Part of the book was written with help from actual kids and the book is printed on recycled paper with soy inks too! Read my full review.
2. $20.00 – Eco Playdough: All natural art medium for crafty kids made with plant, fruit and veggie extracts. No chemicals, artificial dyes or metals and the containers are made from cornstarch and are 100% compostable. I saw this dough recently at the PDX green fair and it comes in totally brilliant and lovely colors of orange, yellow, green, and pink plus the containers are adorable. Note – the Bamboo Rolling Pin is sold separately.
3. $24.99 – idbids:  These soft toys come in three different styles – Scout the Cloud, Lola the Flower or Waverly the bright blue water drop. Each is handcrafted with 100% organic Egyptian cotton and colored with natural organic dyes. With the purchase of each kit, a child can enter an online code that will help protect the habitats of animal friends through The Nature Conservancy’s Plant A Billion Trees campaign, Adopt an Acre, or Rescue the Reef programs. Each kit comes with an organic cinch sack for the child to wear, a storybook printed on recycled paper with eco-friendly inks and a field guide.
4. $25.00 Wooden Giraffe Block Set: Adorable 16 piece block set in a giraffe drawn wagon. This toy is eco-cute, made with sustainably harvested wood, and finished with non-toxic linseed oil.
5. About $25 or less - Green Toys are made of eco-friendly recycled milk cartons, packaged in recycled cardboard, and provide hours of fun for both boys and girls. Most come in at under $25 a pop too, such as the Eco-Friendly Tea Set (shown above), Tool Kit, Dish Set, Chef Set and Recycling Truck.

Read more

Simple Ways To Make A Positive Difference

During the holidays it’s easy to get caught up in all the hustle and bustle, and forget about the world going on around you and the impact you might have. This holiday season challenge yourself to find some simple ways to make a positive difference in the world around you.

There are many ways you can make a positive impact. Think about how the small and simple changes in your life you can make to make a difference. Here are a few I came up with, feel free to add to yours to the list by adding them to the comment section.

• Focus more on the local. In a global economy it can be easy to order whatever your heart desires from the other side of the globe, but why not try to buy locally? Food is one big thing you can purchase locally whenever possible. We have a local turkey farm that raises their turkeys free range and organic, so we make sure we support that farmer, especially around the holidays. Local crafters and artisans would also benefit from your support when you shop for your gifts locally.
• Volunteer to help out those that are less fortunate than you. If you seem to be struggling yourself with bills, or being able to purchase all the gifts you’d like to, put it all into perspective by volunteering to help at your local food or clothing bank. Spending just a few hours is a good example of simple things you can do to make a positive difference. The experience can put things in perspective and help you be thankful for the things you do have.
• Remember it’s the thought that counts when you’re selecting gifts. You don’t have to spend big money on a gift for it to be appreciated. You can select a smaller thoughtful gift, or make something yourself that will be cherished by the receiver just as much (maybe more) than that high priced gadget you have your eye on.
• Give back to your community. Besides volunteering, you can also give back to your community by donating your extras. If you have unused, or gently used toys, or clothing, or extra food in your pantry, why not donate it to someone who needs it?
• Change your attitude. A positive attitude can go a long way. You’ll be surprised at the changes you can make in others just by using a positive attitude. The next time a store clerk is rubbing you the wrong way on a bad day, just smile and wish them a great day. Just maybe their day is going worse than yours and they could use the well wishes.
• Remember what you have and what you’re thankful for. Sometimes it’s easier to focus on what we want, and we don’t take the time to focus on the wonderful things we already have. Slow down and think about what you have. This is a good time of the year to sit down and take a minute to write down all the things you’re thankful for.

Be more conscious of the world around you and the impact you have on them. Sometimes small and simple changes in your own behavior can make a positive difference in the world around you.

Image (c) L Gerlach

This post is sponsored by Tom’s of Maine.

Meditations to Help You Through Your Day

Meditation is in the news more and more, like in the recent msnbc article: Can Meditation Curb Heart Attacks? The health benefits of meditation can be surprising, and the practice can also greatly affect quality of life by helping to reduce stress and rein in the worrying mind.

Plus, meditation need not be religious. You can still meditate and maintain your current religious practice. Right now, I’m reading the newly released book, Be The Change: How Meditation Can Transform You and the World by Ed and Deb Shapiro with a forward by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I’ll post the review here in December, but for now I’d like to share an article written by the authors of Be The Change with some tips on simple meditations you can do throughout the day.

3 Mini Meditations to Help You Through Your Day (or Night)
By Ed and Deb Shapiro,
Authors of Be the Change: How Meditation Can Transform You and the World

What stops you from sleeping through the night? Is it when things are not going your way or they look topsy-turvy and you just want to scream; when your life appears chaotic and you are not sure if you are coming or going; or when it feels like everything is piled on your shoulders?

Life should be an exciting and outrageous adventure. Isn’t it a wonder how a spider weaves a web or a bee makes a hive? Did you ever notice the small, everyday miracles, like the fact that you can breathe in and out? But how many of us get to experience this miracle? Sometimes life just feels too awful. We want to feel good, we want to be happy, in fact happiness is our birthright. But so often there are just too many difficulties to deal with. And although we may know that meditation chills us out, if we are feeling stressed or irritable then it just doesn’t seem so appealing.

So here are three mini-meditations, moments to just stop and breathe and remember why you are here. A moment to check yourself out, to look within, and to find what is really meaningful to you. You can get it together even when you think it is all falling apart.

Mini-meditations can be done on a train, walking down the street, at an airport, standing at a bus stop, in an elevator, while sitting in the bathroom (often the only place you can be alone!). Silently count your out-breath up to ten times, or walk with awareness of each step for up to ten steps. Or relax each part of your body, then silently repeat “soft belly” for five breaths.

If you are at work, then use your lunch hour to find a quiet spot, perhaps in a park, or even in the office if everyone else has gone out. If you are traveling then use that time to consciously breathe, letting your awareness follow your breath from your nose tip to your belly and back out again. If you are driving or operating machinery and feel you are getting tense, then stop for a moment, breathe into your belly and silently repeat “soft belly, soft belly.” Focus on any part of the body that is feeling tight and breathe into it, until you relax and let go. Silently repeat “soft shoulders” or “soft neck” and so on.

As you walk down the street or ride in an elevator, practice a mini-loving kindness by silently wishing everyone be well, wishing that everyone be happy. In the office you can spend a few moments repeating the names of everyone you work with and wishing them happiness. On your way home from work reflect on your day and generate loving thoughts to all those you met. When you send out relaxing and loving thoughts it relaxes the space around you and often any chaotic or disturbing energies will dissipate. What you put out comes back to you tenfold.

1. Mini Breath Meditation

Sit comfortably with your back straight. Take a deep breath and let it go. Begin to silently count at the end of each out breath: Inhale . . . exhale . . . count one, inhale . . . exhale . . . two, inhale . . . exhale . . . three. Then start at one again. Just three breaths and back to one. Simply following each breath in and silently counting. So simple. Do this as many times as you want, eyes open or closed, breathing normally.

2. Mini Walking Meditation

You can do this walking along a country lane, a city street, in the office or the garden. You can walk slowly, normal or fast, whatever feels right. As you walk become aware of your walking, of the movement of your body and the rise and fall of your feet. Become aware of your breath and see if you can bring both your breathing and your walking together. Just walk and breathe with awareness for a few minutes.

3. Instant Letting Go

Find a quiet place to sit, have a straight back, and take a deep breath and let it go. Then quietly repeat to yourself: “My body is at ease and relaxed . . . my heartbeat is normal . . . my mind is calm and peaceful . . . my heart is open and loving.” Keep repeating this until you have let go of the tension and are at peace. Then take a deep breath and have a smile on your face!

©2009 Ed and Deb Shapiro, authors of Be the Change: How Meditation Can Transform You and the World

Author Bio
Ed and Deb Shapiro, authors of Be the Change: How Meditation Can Transform You and the World, are the award-winning authors of fifteen books on meditation, personal development, and social action. They’re also featured bloggers for the HuffingtonPost.com and for Care2.com, and they teach meditation workshops worldwide and work as corporate coaches and consultants. For more information, visit EdandDebShapiro.com.

(Image via stock.xchng; Book image via Sterling Ethos)

Reduce Your Stroke Risk with Less Salt

Reducing your risk of stroke could be as simple as consuming less salt. And that requires reading labels and be careful when you eat out.

A new study by World Health Organization’s Collaborating Centre for Nutrition and European Society of Hypertension Excellence Centre in Hypertension analyzed at the relationship between habitual dietary salt intake and stroke and cardiovascular disease. They found that 5 grams lower daily salt intake reduces stroke rates by an impressive 23% and total cardiovascular disease by 17%! The salt intake study was published today in the British Medical Journal.

That reduction in salt intake could prevent 1.25 million fatal and non-fatal strokes, plus nearly 3 million vascular events worldwide every year. Among people 60 and older, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and disability. It’s the second-leading cause of death worldwide for people 15 to 59 years old. The World Health Organization says that 62% of all strokes and 49% of coronary heart disease events may be attributed to high blood pressure. Plus, there’s a direct relationship between salt intake and blood pressure.

Don’t think your food is high in salt? Read this article on Surprising Sodium by Consumer Reports.

According to Professor Pasquale Strazzullo, one of the senior authors, “Habitual salt intake in most adult populations around the world exceeds 10 grams per day.” Meanwhile, the World Health Organization recommends a daily intake intake of no more than 5 grams. It appears as though the whole world needs to take it easy on salt!

For help on reducing your salt intake, visit Shake Your Salt Habit by the American Heart Association.

(Image via stock.xchng)

Ten Green & Inexpensive Holiday Gifts

Green doesn’t always have to cost a ton of money. In fact you can get a green gift for everyone on your list without breaking your budget and you’ll have the added comfort of knowing that your carbon footprint is staying small and your eco-conscious clear. There are a ton of green gifts for kids to be had that don’t cost a lot so we’ll cover some of those in their own post soon. Today we’ll stick to adult-minded gifts. All of the green gifts below can be had for $40 bucks or less…

For your mom: You don’t always talk to your mom about green living, so the Change Starter Kit is a great place to start. The set starts with a reusable grocery tote that comes packed with green-minded goodies – a great intro to green living.

For your dad: Knobstoppers Golf Ball Wine Stopper – made with an actual vintage golf ball; a great way to stop up that organic wine for the holidays.

For your best guy friend: If your best guy friend likes to grill the natural World Flavor Gift Set will help him grill better. Recycled packaging too.

For your grandma: Recycled Paper Candy Dish – Made from 100% recycled paper and hand crafted by Artisans.

For your active pal: The new water bottle that’s all the rage – The hydration vessel, by Kor Water, features an ergonomically designed spout and a pop top lid for easy opening with one hand. Made with totally BPA-free plastic and is perfectly hip for folks with an active lifestyle. Proceeds from the sale of the Green vessel will benefit the Wetlands Initiative. Comes in four color choices.

For the party host: Bamboo Grow Box Gift – Chocolate Amaryllis – beauty and sustainable. Components of the lovely bulb grow boxes unite contemporary design with good stewardship of the earth’s resources. Each box is hand-crafted and full-on usable. The lacquered lid elegantly becomes the drainage saucer for the leak-proof reusable grow box. Lacquer is hand-applied and  all-natural. Even the ribbon is sustainable, made from recycled plastic bottles. There’s also a paperwhite version.

For your best girlfriend: Flip-Top Clutch made with all recycled soda pop tabs. Fun.

For your female significant other:: Literally anything from FaniSong Jewelry – a gorgeous eco-friendly store with amazing recycled glass nature photo jewelry. This is one of my favorite online eco-jewelers and really inexpensive too.

For your male significant other: vedaDUDE Glide – Pretty much the best shaving gel ever created. Smells amazing and made with organic aloe leaf juice, bilberry extract and organic orange fruit extract.

For your sexy significant other: A great holiday deal romantically wrapped in a starry organza bag …with organic rosebuds and a sprinkling of tissue hearts on Yes certified organic lubricants. In fact this is such a great deal that you could throw in a sexy organic soy Love Machine candle from Dirt, and STILL the whole gift would come in at under $40. Nice.

“In a Relationship” with Facebook

Facebook almost ruined my life.

I was one of the last people to jump on board the facebook train.

My profile picture was the question mark for about a year before I let the social media world know what I actually looked like.  At first I really didn’t care much for the site. I would randomly check in, seldom comment on anything and almost never update my status.

Then, it happened.

I discovered that my ex-boyfriend was on facebook.

We had a bad breakup and did not remain friends, which was one hundred percent my call.  We had one of those tumultuous on and off relationships that ran on for about a year too long before I finally mustered up the nerve to cut him off, cold turkey.  I could’ve used an intervention.  Yes, he was my addiction.

It had been a while since I’d even thought about him, but then there he was writing on a mutual friend’s wall, his shiny profile pic with him and some mystery girl smiling into the camera.

I wear my emotions out there for the whole world to see.  Seriously.  I’m really bad at pretending that I am okay when I’m not.  I have no emotional poker face.  I didn’t need a mirror to know that my face instantly flushed red.  My heart actually started hammering; vibrating my chest and pounding in my ears before plummeting straight into my stomach.

It was like being hit by a truck.

I wish that I could say that I just brushed it off.  That I simply logged off and went about my day.  But that was not the case.  I logged in, probably twenty times a day and all of a sudden I found it very important that I have a profile picture up, that I had some masterful status that would showcase that not only am I happy without him but that
I’m having fun and have a great career and guys are all over me and I’m hilarious and irresistible all wrapped into one.  Not an easy feat, by the way.

This might be old news to you.   You’ve probably facebook stalked a person or two in your time, checking to see who writes on their wall, what their status is and what they are commenting on, etc

But have you ever stalked someone that you didn’t even have as a friend?!

It was seriously the ultimate low in my life.  Looking at his friends list to see who he was friends with, going through their pictures to see what he’s doing and more importantly who he’s dating.

Sure, it would have been nice to see if he got fat or something, but it was the girl that I was interested in.  What is with us girls and being so competitive?  And to top it all off, I was the one who ended it with him.  Why did I even care?

Well, the good news is that I eventually did stop caring.  And the addiction went away, but just like I had to quit him, I had to give up facebook cold turkey.  Just completely cut it off.  No random pokes to people or quick looks at my inbox.  Nothing!

And I just want to put this out there that I think this generation has the hardest time when it comes to dating.  Sure there are countless dating sites and social networks and it just seems that there is a limitless supply of ways to meet new people.  But with all those outlets, just comes more ways to be rejected.  If he doesn’t call you, he can
always email you. Or send you a facebook message or write on your wall or even tweet you! What if he doesn’t do any of those things?  Then you’ve just been phased out in like, ten different ways!  It never ends!

And it’s just more ways to see what your ex is up to, too.  It’s almost impossible for this generation to successfully move on from relationships.  One cannot be blissful without being ignorant, and I would just rather be ignorant to all of my exes love lives, thank you very much.

Moving on, I still have a very love – hate relationship with “the book”.  Almost every day I grapple with completely taking down my entire profile and am always openly envious when I hear that someone has actually mustered up the courage to do it.  I’ve changed my name and still rarely update my status.  My privacy settings restrict all of my pictures and videos and no one can see whose wall I’m writing on.  So, tell me… what is the point in even having it?

I’m fully over stalking people and I really don’t care about what other people are doing, so what is keeping me there?

Seriously, I think facebook is my new addiction.  I’m in a relationship with it.  But, how do I break up with it?

Relationship Intervention

Have you ever had a friend that was in such a bad relationship, that you thought they needed professional help?  I’m not talking about abuse, because in that case, intervene away.

I mean one of those co-dependent, on and off, so-wrong-for-each-other but can’t-stay-away-from-each-other relationships.  For all intents and purposes, let’s just say your friend is a girl.  Their fights are frequent as are her crying phone calls to you.  Have you had a friend like that?  Or do you currently have a friend like that?

Well, I certainly have and being the best friend/shoulder to cry on has its challenges.  It’s hard watching a friend go through that.  Being in a complicated relationship is so exhausting.  Both mentally and physically!  I know that because I have also been that girl.

But, have you ever seen your friend become so overcome, so emotional and such a mess that you were actually concerned for her?  Just like an addiction, it seems that she just cannot rid herself of this guy.  What now?  Why not stage an intervention?

Back when I was that girl, I definitely could’ve used one.  I frequently broke it off with my boyfriend only to get right back together with him later.  And we were both guilty parties.  I’m not sure exactly how it happens, but in one moment, I was convinced that I’d ended it for the last time.  Then a couple days would go by and I’d get bored, or I’d need a ride somewhere or I’d remember that he had something of mine that I just absolutely needed it and then one thing would lead to another.  We were back together again.

I hated myself for it, and I’m sure that your friend does too.  And I’m also willing to bet my friends hated me a little bit too.

Your friend just may need an intervention.  But, just like addicts, you must realize that she may not take well to it and it may not work either.  But, I say its worth a shot.

The Treatment Solutions Network suggests that when staging an intervention, one must:

• Plan it out
• Seek additional help
• Prepare in advance
• Be careful during the intervention

So, assemble a select group of friends, people that truly care about her and have been affected by the relationship.  Lay out for her how she has changed negatively and how the relationship has been destructive to her and to her other relationships.  If she’s anything like me, then she probably neglected relationships with her friends, opting to ditch them for him and monopolize every conversation with tales about him.  Just like the hit show Intervention does, assign someone to be the mediator of the group.  Perhaps the person closest to her to make sure her best interests are at heart and that she is not being judged.  Because the girl is only human.

Remind her that you care about her and just want to see her happy and that there are plenty of other men out there in the world!  I know that seems like a conventional thing to say, but it’s true.

Brilliant psychologist, Dr. Michael Newton Ph.D devoted 20 years of his illustrious career to the study of the soul and the soul mate.  He hypothesized that souls reincarnate and have several lives, and in those lives connections are made.  That is why in this current life, you inexplicably feel connected to certain people,  But, his research also suggests that because your soul connects with so many people during its life times, it is very likely that it will connect with 3 – 4 people during this current lifetime.

See?  Even science believes that there is life after a breakup and that you will meet other people.  And science never lies!

So what do you think?  Would you ever stage an intervention?  How would you feel if you were the subject of one?

Digital Dollhouse for the Holidays

Digital Dollhouse is a virtual 3D dollhouse experience that empowers kids of all ages to become their own interior designers. With no materials used – i.e. the experience is online, this might make the perfect eco-friendly stocking stuffer for your little one this holiday season. My boyfriend’s daughters and me recently gave Digital Dollhouse a try, and we really liked it.

Product: Digital Dollhouse, a safe online experience for kids that allows them to choose a home style then decorate to their heart’s content.

Cost: Memberships start as low as $4.95 per month – you get plenty of features for this price, but can add others for a little more.

Eco-perks and safety aspects:

• Architectural Digest “AD 100” designer Campion Platt, a known leader in sustainable architecture and green design recently partnered with Digital Dollhouse to create a new home for kids to decorate – the modern and sustainable beachfront dream home.
• Digital Dollhouse has no packaging, no manufacturing, requires no shipping of transport of goods, no use of materials or toxins and has a very small carbon footprint.
• Digital Dollhouse is Privo certified.
• Digital Dollhouse has a written privacy policy.
• Digital Dollhouse is a friendly, safe and closed online environment designed for kids of all ages. There is NO CHAT on Digital Dollhouse and members will never be able to share personal location or other information while on the website. Members can create ‘My Friends’ lists that allow them to view other member’s Digital Dollhouses and give virtual items but no text exchange can occur between members.
• Parents may also check in on their children at the Parent’s Dashboard.

How it works: Read more

World Stroke Day, Oct. 29, 2009.

The theme for the World Stroke Day 2009 is “Stroke, what can I do?”

Strokes. People have heard of them. Many think they know what they are. Many don’t know the signs of a stroke. Are you at risk of having a stroke? Would you know if you or someone else was having a stroke?

The World Stroke Organization is encouraging everyone to become more aware of strokes and to help prevent the disability and death that so often occur after a stroke.

The World Stroke Organization (WSO) was created on October 29, 2006, at the Regional World Stroke Congress in Cape Town, South Africa, when the International Stroke Society and the World Stroke Federation merged into a single organization. Since then, to commemorate its conception,the World Stroke Day is held on October 29.

According to their website:

Worldwide, stroke accounts for 5.7 million deaths each year and ranks second to ischemic heart disease as a cause of death; it is also a leading cause of serious disability, sparing no age, sex, ethnic origin, or country.

Strokes, medically called cerebrovascular accidents, or CVAs, can often be prevented. If they aren’t prevented, many are treatable IF the person gets help fast enough. To get help fast enough, the stroke needs to be recognized for what it is.

What can you do?

You can learn about strokes. Some good resources are:

• Know Stroke. Know the Signs. Act in Time. (NINDS)
• Stroke (CDC)
• Stroke (FDA)

You can find out what your risk is with this Ohio State University Medical Center Stroke Risk Assessment.

And, you can download and read this brochure from the WSO:

~~~

Images: World Stroke Organization

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