The Family First
Newsletter
Promoting family unity one issue at a time
Vol. 10 Issue 18 - Week of April 30, 2007
ISSN: 1527-6201
©2007 - Joyce Pierce --All Rights Reserved
In this issue:
What Do I Do With My Tax Refund?
Save Money Without Missing It
Breast Cancer, Did Toxic Anti-Perspirant Deodorants Kill My Friends?
Learning To Read: Reading Tips for Parents of Preschoolers
Good morning!
I hope you're having a great week.
My good friend, Deana, continues to train for her
run to help battle leukemia. She's running
specifically for three young people who are battling
this disease. This is especially close
to my heart because my good friend, Laurie, lost her
battle with leukemia a couple of years ago.
If' you've got anything you can spare, please make a
donation online
http://www.active.com/donate/tnttxgc/DeanaRichmond .
100% of your donation directly benefits The Leukemia
and Lymphoma Society and is completely tax
deductible. So...what will you spend for lunch
today? Consider donating
that much, or more, to help this worthy cause.
Right now I have six friends and/or family members who are dealing with cancer. Two of them are breast cancer survivors. One of them has a brain tumor and should have been dead years ago. The other one has Stage 4 Melanoma and continues to have faith that he can beat it even though it has spread from his lungs, liver and lymph nodes to his brain. We just received word that another friend has cancer and it doesn't look good for him. Another one went to the doctor one day, found out he had lung cancer, and died the next week!
Some startling facts: Someone is diagnosed with leukemia and/or lymphoma every 5 minutes. Leukemia accounts for about 30% of cancer cases in children ages 0-14.
If you can do anything to help, no matter how small, it will be appreciated.
I am grateful for all of the blessings in my life, and I appreciate you! Please forward this issue to someone who may benefit from it!
Joyce Pierce
Do you suffer with eczema, psoriasis, ADD, fibromyalgia, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or just low energy levels?
Visit
www.familyfirst.fourpointwellness.com
It's that time of year when all that "free" money starts rolling in. I'm talking about the bonus money, you know -- the fun money (otherwise known as our tax refund)! That is the way so many of us think of a tax refund and five minutes after we spend this year's refund we are already thinking about what we are going to do with next years money.
Many of us look at it almost as if we have won the lottery. We are going to do so much with it and it seems to have such amazing powers. I mean a $1000 tax return can buy a car, furniture, big screen TV, or a family vacation all in one fell swoop. There is almost nothing it can't do; no problem it can't solve. It's our mad money, our fun money.
Not!!!!!!!!!
Use common sense and wise thinking when it comes to spending that tax return. It is no different than a regular paycheck. In fact, when you look at the fact that you make so much money a year, the tax refund is actually part of the salary that you say you make.
It is not a bonus, but because it has been protected from your usual spending habits, it is more income available to pay your debts. Once you pay off those debts, a tax refund can be a great opportunity to start a savings account.
We get so many questions from people who are panicking and asking what we do for an emergency fund. Instead of throwing away that tax return money on something that gives you instant pleasure, set aside that tax return for an emergency (keeping in mind that even most "emergencies" are not true emergencies).
Once your debts are paid and you have enough savings, then use your refund for fun. We live in a society where we always put the cart before the horse. People used to get married and then have children but now it is common to have children and then get married. We used to carefully save our money and buy what we wanted from our stockpile but now we charge what we want and later try to figure out how to get the money to pay for it.
When you literally put the cart before the horse, (kids before marriage, buying and then trying to save money to pay for something, etc.) it will cause extra stress in your life and will make it much harder to get where you are going. So re-think not only how to use your tax refunds more wisely but give the same consideration to any other "extra" money that comes into your life.
Jill Cooper raised two teenagers alone on $500 a month income after becoming disabled with
MOMS MAKE MORE!
More financial freedom!
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Save Money Without Missing It
by: Joyce Moseley Pierce
Over the years I have had to be creative in saving money. Trying to raise three small children with a husband whose job required transferring every couple of years, it was tough to stay anywhere long enough to get beyond the moving expenses. Even though his company paid to move us from one city to another, there were always expenses associated with selling the old house and fixing up the new one.
I learned a few ways to save without really missing it because I found ways to save money I never got used to having. Here's how you can do it, too:
1. Establish a savings account. Today's savings accounts don't earn much money, and you might think that it's not worth having, but it is a good practice to get used to putting something away each payday and not living off of everything you bring home. As your balances increase, you may consider investing the funds in something that might earn you more money, but for now, just get in the practice of saving.
2. Don't use change. I don't carry much cash in my purse anyway, but I never carry change. The coins that I receive after making a purchase are thrown into a pocket in my purse and when I get home, I throw them into a piggy bank. About every three months I'll dump the coins out on the table and roll them in coin wrappers. It's amazing to me that I rarely have less than $25. It's money I never missed, so I hate putting it right back into my wallet. Instead, I exchange it at the bank for bills and put it into my emergency backpack. For those of you who don't know what an emergency backpack is, it contains essentials I might need for 72 hours if I had to leave my house in a hurry. It is always good to have at least a small amount of cash when plastic may not work.
3. Remember that bonuses and tax returns shouldn't be used for "catching up." Most of us spend all year and then depend on the extra money to help get us out of financial trouble. Have you ever had a year when the boss didn't come through with the bonus? A year when you had to PAY taxes? Then you know how devastating that can be when you have overspent all year.
We used to have our credit cards charged to the max! Each year my husband would get a bonus, or a profit sharing distribution, and we would pay the credit cards off, vowing to never get in that shape again! Because we had so much debt, there wasn't much spendable income, so as you might imagine, we used the credit cards and maxed them out again. We finally got smart and made a commitment we would not use credit cards except for purchases we knew we could pay off each month. This meant no big ticket items, and we estimated that we could afford no more than $500 each month for the credit card payment. Ten years ago we were able to pay the cards off, and I'm thrilled to say that we have been successful with our goal. It feels so good to write that check for the total balance due every month and not have to pay any interest expenses.
3. Hide the raise! About 15 years ago I changed jobs and got a good raise along with it. I had been able to live on the salary I was making, so I decided to sign up for an automatic deposit to my savings account each payday. Instead of finding things I could buy with this extra $500 a month, I was socking it away into my savings, Funny thing was that we never missed it because it was never a part of our spendable income. It helped me feel secure because I knew if we did have an emergency, at least we had the funds available.
4. Save money from rebates. Sometimes we get checks in the mail as rebates from items we've bought. They may or may not amount to much money, but you've already paid for the item. Just take the rebate and stash it in your special account.
In order to accomplish your goal of saving money, you have to be committed to it. Decide now that you will live on your spendable income and put the rest away. You'll be surprised at the peace of mind you will feel when you start paying yourself.
Copyright 2002 Joyce Moseley Pierce
Joyce is a freelance writer and owner of Emerson Publications. She is the creator of “All They’ll Need to Know,” a book that will be invaluable to your loved ones when you can’t be there to guide them. Visit www.emersonpublications.com for lots of good family-friendly information.
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Breast Cancer, Did Toxic Anti-Perspirant Deodorants Kill My Friends?
When was the last time you tried to buy a plain old deodorant? I'm only asking because I can't find one anywhere, or rather I couldn't.
Instead, everywhere sold antiperspirant deodorants and I just wanted the deodorant without the antiperspirant bit.
Why?
Well, in the last two years I have lost three friends to breast cancer and have had my own personal mammogram scare. Fortunately the biopsy was benign but even so it was a pretty traumatic experience and I began to wonder what on earth is going on.
I read in the paper last week that the rate for Breast Cancer is currently 1:9 and that all women aged between 50 and 69 should receive a free breast examination every two years. Unfortunately those ladies most at risk like my mother who is over 70 years of age don't qualify.
Another thing I discovered is that in a recent study carried out by Reading University in UK on breast cancer patients, every single tumor contained parabens.
Now parabens are common preservatives in several personal care products. They are derived from petrochemicals and personal and skin care manufacturers have a tendancy to call them 'organic preservatives' which gives the impression they are safe.
The reason they are able to do this is because the chemical term for 'organic' means anything that contains a carbon atom. Since crude oil comes from decaying leaves and living matter which existed thousands of years ago, its DNA contains carbon. Sneaky, eh?
The problem with parabens is that they mimic estrogen, apart from also causing allergic skin reactions and being eye, skin and respiratory tract irritants.
Found in body creams, lotions, body washes, anti perspirants and deodorants, parabens are used in more personal care products than any other synthetic ingredient.
Now deodorants reduce, cover up or eliminate the odours most of us would prefer to remain hidden and anti perspirants slow down the action of the sweat glands. They do this by obstructing the amount of perspiration that can be excreted.
That's the problem and why I was looking for a deodorant.
You see the sweat retarding agents are based on aluminium complexes and I know from bitter experience that aluminium is a neuro toxin. That means it attacks the neurons in the brain. It doesn't have to kill them, just disrupt them in some way and you get mental problems.
My son is autistic and you can read all about my run in with heavy metals including aluminum in my book Autism, Amalgam and Me, Jodi's Journey Continues. Aluminum has also been linked to Alzheimer's disease which has been predicted to triple by the year 2050. It's a horrible long destructive illness which tears families apart.
But back to the antiperspirant deodorants.
I don't know if you are aware of it but your skin is often referred to as your third kidney. It is the biggest eliminatory organ in your body and is a two way membrane. It will absorb 60% of whatever you put on it.
Toxins get in through hair follicles and sebaceous glands and are eliminated through perspiration. Now picture the scenario for most women.
We like to keep our underarms devoid of excess bodily hair so we shave. We also like to smell fresh, so we smooth on deodorants or antiperspirants to the area from which we've just removed this hair. As toxins enter the body via hair follicles and sebaceous glands they inevitably get inside our bodies but if we then block up our under arm sweat glands by using antiperspirant deodorants, how do they get out?
Seemingly, they don't and I wonder if that's why my three friends died of breast cancer and all those women had parabens in their tumors. What do you think?
Apparently a study of 400 American women found that those who shaved three times a week and applied deodorant at least twice a week were almost 15 years younger when diagnosed with cancer than women who did neither.
The answer, therefore, could be to stop shaving and let your natural body odors loose, or find a safer alternative. Thankfully I've managed to find just that in a 100% toxic synthetic chemical free deodorant which comes in three different aromas.
It's organic in the true sense of the word which means it uses only natural substances and methods. I can read and pronounce every single ingredient and as it is Certified Organic to food standards I could theoretically eat it and suffer no ill effects. I don't intend to try it though. Just putting it under my arm pits, feeling safe and secure in the knowledge I'm not being poisoned is enough.
No more toxic antiperspirant deodorants for me. How about you?
Jean Shaw is the author of I'm Not Naughty - I'm Autistic - Jodi's Journey and Autism, Amalgam and Me - Jodi's Journey Continues
http://www.jeanshaw.com
For SAFE organic cosmetics, personal and skin care see
http://www.bestorganicsforhealth.com
Jean Shaw may be contacted at http://www.jeanshaw.com
by Jean Shaw
Don't leave your loved ones guessing...record
your information now.
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Learning To Read: Reading Tips for Parents of Preschoolers
by Deanna Mascle
Inspiring your child to read could be the single most important thing you can do to help him succeed in school. Stories are an excellent way to stimulate the mind and expand the imagination for all of us.
Starting early with your child is the key to a life-long passion for the written word. Use the tips below and watch your child develop into a proficient reader.
Read Together Every Day
Read to your child everyday with different voice tones. Sometimes you can be fun, crazy, and exciting, other times be serious and intriguing. Even if your child does not understand all the words, you are making reading fun and interesting!
Have Your Child Read to You
Make this a warm loving time where your child feels safe to make mistakes. Have your child repeat after you. Start with simple phrases and words and move forward as your child progresses.
Show How Much You Love to Read
Tell your child that you need a certain amount of time every day to read by yourself. "This is my time," tell her. This shows how much you enjoy reading. Research shows that 55% of communication is body language, 38% tone of voice, and only 7% the content. If you are reading and enjoying it, your child is more likely to model that behavior. You may even find your child picking up your books and pretending to read.
Get Excited About Reading With Your Child
Throughout the day tell your child how much you are looking forward to "Story Time!" Remember the percentages of communication above.
Know When to Stop
Little by little is the key. Reading should be fun time. If your child is losing interest, put the book away for a while. If reading time is not surrounded by positive feelings then negative feelings will emerge. It is very difficult to re-establish the fun in reading when apprehension surfaces.
Talk About Writing
Ask your child what she thinks it would be like to write a book like the ones she loves. Mention to her how it's interesting how we read from left to right and how the text is separated by spaces, commas, and paragraphs.
Point Out Words Everywhere
Talk about written words you see in your community: road signs, advertisements, bumper stickers, and grocery stores. Challenge your child to find at least two new words on each outing. Then celebrate her discoveries with positive body language, exciting tones of voice, and positive words of encouragement.
Follow the above tips and watch your child develop a strong vocabulary and passion for the written word. The importance of reading with your children cannot be over emphasized.
Reading is a wonderful way to bond with your children and provides memories they will carry with them all their lives. Proficiency in reading, more than any other skill, increases their potential for success in school and as an adult.
In short, reading with your children is a gift that gives for a lifetime.
Deanna Mascle shares more tips about How To Teach Reading with her newsletter Preschool Lessons and at http://teachyourchildtoread.info/howtoteachreading.php Deanna Mascle may be contacted at http://renaissancewomanonline.com
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