Sunbathing Cuts Cancer Risk in Half

Now that it is Spring I am thinking of sun shine. I have done a lot of research on this topic and found many other sources that back this article up. This isn't the only kind of cancer that could be listed here either.

Exposure to sunlight may reduce your risk of advanced breast cancer, according to new research from Stanford University.

The study followed 4,000 women between the ages of 35 and 79, and evaluated the effects of long-term sun exposure. Women with a light skin color who had high sun exposure had half the risk of developing advanced breast cancer (cancer that has spread beyond the breast) as women with low sun exposure.

High sun exposure was defined as having dark skin on your forehead, since your forehead is typically exposed to the sun often.

Sun exposure may work to prevent cancer because it increases the levels of vitamin D in your body. While you can get some vitamin D from your diet, up to 90 percent comes from your exposure to sunlight.

The above article can be found here.

Go here to find a way to get what you need during the winter, inside.

Need Some Help Getting In All Those Fruits & Veggies?

I thought this article was extremely helpful. I found it here. Let me know what you think. Is it helpful to you at all? (I have added a few comments in red.)

Getting the recommended 4 1/2 cups of fruits and vegetables daily will go a long way toward your quota of antioxidants and other nutrients. You don’t have to munch carrots and raw broccoli from dawn to dusk, but you do need to start thinking about fruits and veggies long before dinner. Four and a half cups – equal to nine servings – may sound like a lot, but don’t throw in the dishtowel yet. Here are 40 easy ways to boost your antioxidant intake.

Start Early

1. A small glass of 100% fruit juice is the perfect energizing start to your day. Vary your juices to balance your nutrient intake. Try the usual orange and grapefruit juice and the not-so-usual pomegranate and blueberry. I have been doing this. I mix pomegranate juice (2 oz.) grape juice.

2. Top eggs with your favorite store-bought salsa. I love to top my fried eggs with sauteed onions! My Dad will be SO surprised!

3. Add sautéed mushrooms, onions, red and yellow bell peppers, or tomatoes to omelets.

4. Slice peaches, bananas, strawberries, or other fresh fruit onto your cereal. Bananas on Grape Nuts! Yummy!

5. Mix dried cranberries or raisins into your oatmeal.

6. Toss frozen fruit, low-fat yogurt and nutmeg or sweetener in a blender for a quick out-the-door breakfast smoothie. Smoothies are great with yogurt, a banana, and any other fruit to throw in. My girls always want me to add some peanut butter though! I also add powdered flax seed and olive oil. So good for you and a small amount will never be noticed.

Punch Up Your Cooking

7. Thread some pineapple, nectarines, bell peppers, mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes in with your chicken or steak kabobs.

8. Add canned or frozen vegetables to soups.

9. Build your own veggie pizza. Top a plain cheese pie with spinach, fresh herbs like basil and tarragon, bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, or small pineapple cubes.

10. Use spaghetti squash in place of pasta.

11. Add zucchini, green beans or eggplant to your favorite jarred spaghetti sauce.

12. Pack pasta and potato salads with extra veggies. Be colorful and toss in broccoli, red bell peppers, carrots, and purple onion.

13. Perk up a dull green salad with nuts, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, pomegranate seeds, apple slices, red beans, or jarred artichokes. I have recently tried the cranberries and that was great! Thanks for the idea Beverly! Raisins are good too...and some sunflower seeds.

14. One to two days a week, wash, chop and separate raw veggies into plastic bags. You’ll have carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, bell peppers, celery, zucchini, and more antioxidant-packed foods readily available to toss into salads or add to casseroles.

15. Sneak in some extra beans. For example, thicken traditional chili or a favorite soup with a can of mashed white beans. No one will know they’re there. This could work. My bean hating daughters might never know.

16. Top nachos with kidney beans.

17. Mix apples, grapes and walnuts in your chicken salad. Try white beans and diced carrots in tuna salad.

18. Add fresh herbs to salads. When using them in hot food, add them toward the end of cooking.
19. Learn to cook with the most antioxidant-rich herbs and spices: ground clove, dried oregano, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, turmeric powder, dried basil, ground mustard seed, curry powder, paprika, and chili powder.

Snacks

20. Put individual servings of grapes, cherries or raw veggies into small plastic bags. Keep them at eye level in the refrigerator, not tucked behind the leftover takeout. Grabbing a high-fiber, antioxidant-packed snack should be as easy as grabbing a bag of chips. I am hoping Sun Chips count as something good too.

21. Mix berries and nuts into nonfat yogurt.

22. Keep an old breath mint tin filled with nuts. Pull it out when you’re stuck in traffic and in need of an energy boost. This is a great idea! I always hate throwing out those tins so this could work.

23. Add a variety of dried fruit to trail mix. Making your own granola is easy and good too. Then you can add all the things you want. It makes a wonderful breakfast cereal. My girls LOVE it!

Out and About
24. In restaurants, start your meal with a vegetable or bean soup or a colorful mixed salad. I have been working on this one and doing pretty well. I like salads so it is not a problem for me.

25. Swap French fries for a side salad or steamed vegetables. Now this one is a bit harder! I do love fries!

26. Ask for extra veggies on sandwiches.

27. Bring five pieces of fruit to work every Monday for a different snack each day of the week.

28. If you’re unexpectedly out at lunchtime, run by the grocery store instead of the drive-through. Pick up a prepared salad and piece of fruit. I know this is probably a good idea. However, when I see those salads at the store they always look SO pitiful and not really nutritious with all that ice berg lettuce.

Sip Your Antioxidants

29. Drink brewed black or green tea. Tea is our best source of a class of compounds called catechins, which are potent antioxidants. Green tea contains three times the catechins as black tea. Brew it up at home; bottled tea doesn’t offer the same health benefits. I saw what looks like a good recipe for making Green Tea Soda, just today. You can see it here.

30. Sip on vegetable juice, plain or with some hot sauce for extra kick.

31. Spice up your hot tea with antioxidant-rich ground cloves and cinnamon.

32. Enjoy a glass of red wine. Moderate drinking is linked with reduced rates of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Some scientists credit the antioxidant resveratrol for these positive effects. Moderate drinking is defined as no more than one drink per day for women, two per day for men.

33. Have a mug of brewed coffee as your early morning or midday energizer. Be careful what you put in it, though. Those lattes and mochas can turn coffee into a sugar and fat fest. Bummer, that is the way I like my coffee....basically, when you can't even tell it is coffee any more.

34. Opt for one of these antioxidant-rich juices: grape, pomegranate, cranberry, pineapple, and orange. Or mix and match them for your own unique blend.

Sweet Treats

35. Skewer some fresh berries, grapes and peach slices for a fun dessert.

36. Top ice cream with berries or pomegranate seeds.

37. Freeze fresh grapes for a delicious, all-natural frozen dessert. My girls really like this one.

38. For a sophisticated dessert that does antioxidant double duty, dip strawberries, pineapple cubes, and sliced apples and bananas into a dark chocolate fondue. Oh my! Yummy!

39. Make ice-pops from any 100% fruit juice. We have done this in the past. The girls really liked it and I felt much better about giving it to them.

40. Indulge in small amounts of dark chocolate or cocoa without guilt. Like tea, chocolate and cocoa contain catechins. Research suggests that they may help prevent the oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol, thus improving your risk for cardiovascular disease. Chocolate! Yippee!!!

I thought this was a great article. What do you think? Do you have any more tips?

Trade In Horoscopes For A Birth Verse!

My wonderful friend Sherry sent this to me. It is pretty neat. Thanks Sherry!

You know, many people pay a lot of attention to their horoscope. As a Christian, we trust in Jesus to plan and reveal to us our future. Looking into HIS word is so much better.

This is a fun website. Click here to find YOUR birth verse. I was really happy with mine.

You can also purchase jewelry displaying your birthverse by clicking here. That is also the location for the above photo.

Easter Is On Its Way!

Found this today. In light of Easter being so close I thought it was a perfect thing to look at. I don't know anything about this website other than the page I am linking to. However, I thought the pictures on this page were great and really tell the story. What do you think?

TRUE AMERICAN

I love this!

TRUE AMERICAN

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if: It never occurred to you to be offended by the phrase, "One nation, under God."

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if: You've never protested about seeing the 10 Commandments posted in public places.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if: You still say "Christmas" instead of "Winter Festival."

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if: You bow your head when someone prays.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if: You stand and place your hand over your heart when they play the National Anthem.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if: You treat Viet Nam vets with great respect, and always have.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if: You've never burned an American flag.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if: You know what you believe and you aren't afraid to say so, no matter who is listening.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if: You respect your elders and expect your kids to do the same.

You might be a TRUE AMERICAN if: You'd give your last dollar to a friend.
God Bless the U S A ! Amen

Cute-ness To Share!

Just a little (actually, a lot) of cute-ness to share with you. This reminds me a lot of my oldest daughter when she was little.

A Homeschool Buyers Co-op?

I am so excited about this. I discovered the greatest thing for homeschoolers. This is a co-op. They are trying to grow to have enough buying power as schools. You must go visit this website. Homeschoolers click here! I am thinking of doing this offer.

If you have this or have heard stuff about it, please comment, and let me know.

Below is just a poem I really like. Hope you like it too.

My Reason For Homeschooling By Anita Doran

I want to be
the special potter,
Who molds and shapes my little daughter.
To keep her
closely to my side,
To teach her why Jesus died.

I think that she is
doing great,
Especially since she’s only eight.
She shops, she bakes,
she mops the floor,
Has two cats she’s responsible for.

She can read
a product label
To see if it’s fit for our table.
I teach her all about
life, you see,
As she tags along with me.

And no matter where we
roam,
We keep on learning, just like home.
We add a little mystery,
By learning the state’s history.

Although she reads and writes and
sings,
She’s learning more important things.
Like love and kindness and
God’s word,
How to be humble, yet still be heard.

Sure it’s hard and
I have my doubts,
“Am I doing this right?” “How will she turn out?”
And
my house gets such a mess!
Too many papers strewn, I guess.

Sometimes frustration rears its head,
She didn’t do what I said.
Yet, all in all, it is a charm,
To have my daughter on my arm.

If I ever have a doubt,
I get our big old Bible out.
In the
book, I always see
That this is how it’s meant to be.

Side be side,
day by day,
Teaching her the Godly way.

Are You Really An Adult?

Here is an interesting little guide. How do you rate? How do your teenagers rate? As I was telling my teen age daughter last night, our job as parents is to teach them how to rely on themselves. How are we doing? I am sure we all have room for improvement. However, using this as a gauge for our current society I think we are sadly lacking in adults in this country.

Diane Dumas and Robert Epstein reviewed academic literature, interviewed adults, and consulted with professionals before concluding that there are 14 different "competencies" that distinguish adults from non-adults:

Love. Adults know the difference between sex and love and know what it means to experience love.

S*x. Adults know about making babies, about self-control, about being pure.

Leadership. Adults know how to act as leaders of others adults, of children, of pets.

Problem solving. Adults know the difference between right and wrong and are able to solve a wide variety of problems.

Physical abilities. Adults are supposed to be physically self-sufficient.

Verbal and math skills. Adults know "reading, 'riting and 'rithmatic" and can apply what they know to their stewardship of time and money.

Interpersonal skills. Adults know how to converse with, show respect for, forgive, apologize to, get along with, and assist other people.

Handling responsibility. Adults know to accept blame for their wrongdoing and how to honor the commitments they've made.

Managing high-risk behaviors. Adults know how to handle risky items and activities responsibly.

Managing work and money. Adults know how to get and keep jobs.

Education. Adults have obtained a basic education and know its value.

Personal care. Adults practice basic hygiene and good nutrition.

Self management. Adults can mange their own behavior: keeping appointments, accomplishing tasks, and preventing their anger from getting out of control.

Citizenship. Adults know about government and how to be good citizens.

Source: Robert Epstein, The Case Against Adolescence (Sanger, CA: Quill Driver, 2007), pp. 148-157.

This article came from this web site. If you haven't already, be sure to check it out.

The Death Of The Grown Up?

We often hear about teenagers who refuse to act like adults. But what about adults who refuse to act like adults? The call goes out--to "grow up" and set a good example--in this edition of Get Ready to Lead!

Will the "death of the grown-up" lead to the death of Western Civilization?

Diana West hits hard for a girl. And she does it all with a word processor. Her recent book The Death of the Grown-up challenges one of the fundamental assumptions of the modern age, namely, that it is a good thing to seek youth and embrace immaturity.

Taking note of people who are concerned with the passing of the baton from one generation to the next, she says:

Even as age has been eliminated from the aging process, they have a hunch that society has stamped out more than gray hair, smile lines, and cellulite. What has also disappeared is an appreciation for what goes along with maturity: forbearance and honor, patience and responsibility, perspective and wisdom, sobriety, decorum, and manners--and the wisdom to know what is "appropriate," and when.

So what is the solution? It's simple, according to West: learn to say "no." In the Epilogue she calls to mind the first issue of National Review, from 1955, in which William F. Buckley wrote,

If National Review is superfluous, it is so for very different reasons: It stands athwart history, yelling Stop, at a time when no one is inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who so urge it.

Maybe I'm becoming a dinosaur, but in recent weeks I've found lots of practical ways to apply this advice: saying "no" to a speaking engagement that would take me away from my family for too long, asking a restaurant server to turn down the music that was unnecessarily loud and impeding conversation, and turning around to two non-adult men in an airplane and asking them to refrain from using vulgar language.

In each case, I was grateful to have my entreaties accepted gracefully. It wasn't nearly has hard as I thought it would be to say "no," and I'm getting used to it. In fact, I'm starting to like it!


The above article was from a newsletter sent out by this web site.

Just Grow Up!

When looking at society, I can't tell you how many times I have had that thought. "Just Grow Up"! Often, the word selfish comes to my mind too. Then I realize selfishness and immaturity (non-adult like) really do go hand in hand. Now I have read some things that make me realize the reason behind my thoughts. My comments are in red.

Did you know:

~More adults, ages eighteen to forty-nine, watch the Cartoon Network than watch CNN. I have never understood the appeal of cartoons for adults.

~The average video gamester was eighteen in 1990; now he's going on thirty. No way!

~The National Academy of Sciences has redefined adolescence as the period extending from the onset of puberty, around twelve, to age thirty. You have got to be kidding me! So 10 years later they go through their "mid-life crisis"?

~In Italy, nearly one in three thirty-somethings have still not left home. Did I mention, GROW UP! I suppose this explains the society that tolerates and is entertained by the Brittany Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Paris Hilton's.

I found this picture here.

Just in case you are one of those that thinks you have plenty of time to grow up talk to a real adult about how time flies. You can also watch this video.

Adoption

(I don't know anything about the above book but I loved this image. If you know about this book let me know what you thought about it.)

This is a great story. This article is about a friend of mine. I am so excited to see that others are getting to read about their life. As those of you that know me are probably aware the subject of adoption is very close to my heart. You may find their story to be especially interesting when you see how it all happened for them. Be sure to click here to read the article about Connie.

...but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we
cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we
are the children of God: Romans 8:15-16

Homeschool Support Group Skit

My daughter did a skit at our homeschool support group meeting last night. I realize if you are not a friend of family member this may not thrill you. However, for friends and family members I am posting it here. This skit is to convince the people in our group to get their yearbook family pages done and handed in by the deadline. At the end of the year we make up a pretty nice yearbook. Hope you like the skit, entitled " A Yearbook Carol". You will even get to see the "Ghost of Yearbook Near Future". Be sure to turn your sound up so you can hear it.

Recent California Attack On Homeschooling-Why Should I Care?

(This article was sent out in a newsletter from this web site. I encourage you to go look around there. They have some great things to read and you will be challenged. If you don't want to read this whole article at least scroll down to where it says,

"Why This Issue Matters To You And Me".)

What the recent California attack on homeschooling means to you and me:

Last week I visited with Mike Farris, Homeschool Legal Defense Association founder. When I asked how he was doing, he replied morosely, "Pretty good considering that an appeals court in California just said that parents do not have a constitutional right to homeschool their children."

I listened in shock as he described the ruling and realized immediately that this is a battle that need to be enjoined by all concerned Christians. Why and how? That's what this issue of Get Ready to Lead is all about.

What is the future of educational freedom?

On Feb. 28, Judge H. Walter Croskey of the Second District Court of Appeals in Los Angeles said that homeschooling is only legal if the teaching parent is a certified teacher. This would disenfranchise virtually all of the estimated 175,000 homeschooled children in the state.

I asked Brad Dacus, the attorney for the Sunland Christian School (the umbrella school at the center of the controversy) about the ruling. "This is not a slam dunk on statutory grounds," he warned. Translation: California homeschoolers are in for a fight, and the outcome is not assured.

Even socially liberal California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger expressed grave concern in his support for homeschool families: "Parents should not be penalized for acting in the best interests of their children's education. This outrageous ruling must be overturned by the courts and if the courts don't protect parents' rights then, as elected officials, we will."


The Truth About Homeschooling

On the other side of the issue, California teachers unions seemed almost gleeful about the ruling. A.J. Duffy, president of United Teachers Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Times that he agrees with it: "What's best for a child is to be taught by a credentialed teacher."

This is an outright lie. In a published study called Strengths of Their Own Dr. Brian Ray revealed data on 5,402 children from 1,657 families from across the United States. He found that homeschooled children performed substantially above the national average in academic testing. The studentsscored, on the average, at the following percentiles on standardized achievement tests:


(a) total reading, 87th,
(b) total language, 80th,
(c) total math, 82nd,
(d) total listening, 85th,
(e) science, 84th,
(f) social studies, 85th,
(g) study skills, 81st,
(h) basic battery (typically, reading, language, and mathematics), 85th, and
(i) complete battery (all subject areas in which student was tested), 87th.


(Note: The average score on standardized tests for the norm group, largely conventional school students, in all of the preceding categories is the 50th percentile).

Dr. Ray also studied 12 variables that he thought might explain the variance in students' test scores. The following seven variables were found to have no statistically significant effect on the variance between the scores:


(1) father's [teacher] certification status,
(2) mother's [teacher] certification status,
(3) family income,
(4) money spent on home education,
(5) legal status of family,
(6) time spent in formal educational activities, and
(7) age at which began formal education.


In other words, most homeschool kids are doing great, and it has nothing to do with whether either parent is certified to teach.


Why This Issue Matters to You and Me

I realize that this newsletter goes out to people who've made all kinds of educational choices, from homeschooling to Christian schooling to public schooling.

If you don't homeschool your first inclination may be to ignore the issue. This would be unwise. If parents lose the right to homeschool their children, who is to say that our right to teach anything at all to our children--especially our values--is secure?

More immediately, all Americans should be deeply disturbed at how far behind American children are. We ought to be embracing trends like homeschooling and private Christian schools that have such a dramatic positive effect on education.

Families in China, India and many developing countries are leaving Americans in the dust to the point that if present trends continue Americans will be the unskilled workers of the world within a generation. Don't believe it? Check out this chilling video on the Christian School Journal blog.

Those who are interested in passing the baton of godly faithfulness to the next generation are right to defending homeschooling, and to be deeply concerned about the quality of education in America.

Three things you can do right now:

1. Buy the Home Schooling: Pointing the Way to a Better Education DVD immediately and show it to everyone you can--skeptics and allies alike.

The video is hosted by Del Tackett (from Focus on the Family's Truth Project) and features interviews with home school experts such as Brian Ray, Mike Farris, Gregg Harris, Chris Klicka and Inge Cannon. It explodes the myths about home education and shows how homeschooling can help children become diligent, thoughtful and socially adept.

I spoke with the video producer yesterday evening and he agreed to give our subscribers free shipping and handling on the DVD. Just enter the code jmyers2008 when you get to the "confirm order" page. Click here to order.

2. Sign the HSLDA petition and encourage your friends to do the same.

The Home School Legal Defense Association is going to petition the Supreme Court of California to "depublish" the Appeals Court opinion. If the opinion is "depublished" then it cannot be used by other California courts and this threat to homeschool freedom will be neutralized for other California homeschoolers. Click here to sign.

3. Get the facts from NHERI (National Home Education Research Institute). My friend Dr. Brian Ray has published volumes of research about the academic achievement and positive socialization value of homeschooling, as well as the high level of success homeschool graduates have experienced in the "real world." Much of the research is free, though I strongly recommend you purchase the Worldwide Guide to Homeschooling.

Psst, Is Anyone There? Anyone Home?

Just wondering if anyone is out there. I think I have only had 5 people comment on this blog. (Don't you feel sorry for me?) Just need a little feedback so I know if anyone is there.

Also, feel free to tell me if there is a topic you would like to see covered on this blog or something you would like to see more of.

After that, you must go to my dear friend's blog. She has a very interesting video on there. Be sure to watch it through the end. Click here to see it.

Is anyone else surprised that it is already March? Wow, the time is flying!