WWII - Battle of Guadalcanal

I never cease to be amazed at the depth of information you can find on the Internet - like these sites on Guadalcanal. I used to love to sit an listen to my dad’s stories about Guadalcanal. Imagine being dropped off on an island that is swarming with enemy troupes and nasty insects. My father was a scout for the Marines in those days and it was his job to drop behind enemy lines to assess the potential firepower and what may lay ahead for the troupes.

I haven’t heard any of my father’s stories in 15 years, but these incredible websites brought it all back. I put them all in a binder to share with my family - many of whom are also in the military. Click on the binder below to open up a fascinating page in history:

The Battle of Guadalcanal

Aerial Pesticide spraying this Summer in Bay Area

If any of you live in the San Francisco Bay Area - you might want to check out these news stories concerning the Light Brown Apple Moth Pesticide spraying that will occur in the Bay Area this summer. Somehow it has gone unnoticed by the community until recently and it is causing an uproar by local residents concerned for their health. This includes a group of mothers who are lobbying to change the spraying, but it might be impossible to do at this late notice.

If you click on the binder link below - it has the latest articles, and websites that can help you find out more information on what to protect yourself if you are stuck in the area during the aerial spraying. Everything is organized by tabs and sub-tabs just click on them to view the websites.

Moth spraying in Bay Area

Fostering an orphaned elephant

Our kids received a great gift a couple of years ago - instead of the usual gift card or plastic toy - our daughters were given an orphaned elephant named Makena. Makena lives on the David Sheldrick Wild Life Reserve in Kenya, Africa. The foster donation lasts for a year and you receive monthly reports about the reserve, any new additions to the reservation and the monthly goings on concerning the elephant, or rhino you are fostering. They send you pictures from the website and a digital image of a water color of the animal you are fostering. I believe the water colors are painted by David Sheldrick’s daughter.

The stories are charming - some heart breaking - and your donations make you feel like you can make the world just a little bit better. It’s also great to engage your children - my kids would love to visit the reserve!

Take a look at the website in the binder below - I’ve included some of their photos, the monthly reports since 2007 and also some interesting stories regarding the rescue of a rhino and some recent baby elephants.

To open click on the link below!

Enjoy!

Adopting an Elephant

Funny lady on Youtube

It’s Monday and time for a little something to brighten your week.  Here are some videos that are by a video blogger known as ’Happy Slip’ who won 2nd place for ‘Best Comedy’ on Youtube.

She tells some funny stories about her wacky relatives, and she does this by acting just like them.  It is pretty funny!

Please check out her blogs by clicking on the link below.  The binder will have her video blogs organized by tabs.  Then check out the tab titled ‘home page.’ which will provide links to her latest blog videos.

 Enjoy!

http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=126

Ode to Happyslip

Concerns for Tweens online

I found an interesting article about some of the ’safety’ issues to watch out for with tweens.  It is not the same issues that adults face, but can be harmful nonetheless.   If you have kids creating accounts online, it would be good to read this article and check out the websites they posted.  I’ve put those links in this binder as well. 

To open the binder and read the articles and websites, click on the link or icon below.

Tweens safety on Internet

 

Surprising events in the news

There are days when you can’t believe what goes on in the world. Some events remind you of the ancient past and you think we haven’t come very far as a species. Other events make you wonder what the future is going to look like.

 

Click on the link or icon below to view a few article I found pretty hard to believe.

 

Surprising news 1

Help for new soccer coaches and team parents

It’s soccer season again and many of you might be first time coaches, assistant coaches or team parents.  Welcome to the club! I’ve included in this blog a couple of binders that you might find very helpful.  The first is a binder on coaching tips - including useful flash and youtube videos to have the kids review on soccer skills.The other is a binder that belongs to one of the soccer teams and you might find it useful as a template for creating your own team binder.   To view the binders just click on the link below - works with latest IE, Firefox and Safari.   

Soccer Coach Binder

 

 

Olympic Marseille girls soccer team

Alzheimer’s Disease FYI

If you’ve just discovered that a loved one has Alzheimer’s disease, then you are probably spending some amount of time on the Web researching where to go to get support and care. There is so much information on the internet that you may become overwhelmed. The following binder was put together by a friend of ours who is a director at the Salem Lutheran Home in Oakland. Her links could get you started in the right direction.

The Terrace at Salem Lutheran Home

Parent or Work - Do you really have to choose?

I was one of the lucky ones - when my kids were young, my husband was a full-time parent. But now that I am working on a start-up, he is working full-time and I am the one juggling work and the kids’ schedules. The good news is that there are starting to be more options for working parents. But I want to be on the forefront of that movement.

I have this dream, as LiveBinders grows, of harnessing that workforce that is in need of a more flexible schedule. I know these parents from school - they are accomplished and well educated and I know they would be great contributors.

But I struggle with the reality of how to put such a structure into place. For example, how do you keep someone motivated who must work from home with kids screaming in the background? I search blogs and forums looking for the answers. I would love some insights. Who has had experience with this who would be willing to share?

As I struggle with how to build a business this way, I have found some really interesting sites for parents looking for ways to balance their work and home life:

Working Parent