Adventures in Wisdom Announces a Movement to "Empower 1 Million Kids"

Kids are learning their ABCs and 123s, but they aren't learning the one thing that has the greatest impact on their happiness, confidence, and success in life - it's their mindset.  Now there is a quick, easy, and fun way to get the conversation started with the Empower 1 Million Kids movement.

"Our children's mindset is how they choose to think about themselves, the world, and what is possible for their lives," shared Renaye Thornborrow, founder of the Empower 1 Million Kids movement.  "The good news is that mindset skills can be developed and we want to help start the conversation by encouraging parents and mentors to take just 10 minutes a week, over the next three weeks, to share a fun short story with the kids in their lives.  The stories are free but the skills are priceless."

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Most parents are careful about learning what’s in the stuff their kids eat and drink. They avoid artificial dyes, preservatives, chemicals, and sweeteners. Yet ask just about any of those same folks if they have ever looked at what is in their toothpaste and you’ll likely get blank stares.  Considering the fact that children – and adults -- ingest toothpaste twice a day every day, it’s probably the most frequent thing we put in our mouths other than water or other beverages. And still, most people have never looked at what is in their toothpaste.
 
Dentist and national oral health care expert Harold Katz, (www.therabreath.com), suggests that needs to change. Many ingredients in some commercial toothpastes are of questionable benefit and some are just plain bad for you.  Consumers have become increasingly aware of the hidden toxins in foods, beverages and eating and drinking utensils, he says. They avoid high fat and high sodium foods, sulfates in their personal care products, aerosol sprays, and toxic chemicals in their household cleaners.

“They’re taking no chances, and rightfully so. Remember the rush to replace plastic baby bottles with glass ones after the BPA scare in 2008?” he asked.  However there has been a surprising lack of attention to toothpaste, Katz says. The dentist suggests that all consumers – but especially parents – take the time to read their toothpaste tubes today. Effects of potentially unhealthy toothpaste ingredients are multiplied in the smaller bodies of children.

Here are a few ingredients to stay away from:

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More people than ever are clipping coupons for their supermarket trips, but they’re often not saving as much as they could, says Toni House, author of How to Reduce Your Weekly Grocery Bill to $85 Per Week – Or Less!.  "You can easily shave $5 to $20 off your weekly grocery budget with a minimal investment of time," says House. "Cutting your bill just $10 a week will save you $520 over the course of a year.

"Taking a couple of extra steps to ensure you can use all the coupons you clip will save you more money – and protect your investment of time in clipping them."  How can consumers take advantage of coupons without becoming consumed by them?  Let us count the ways!

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Being able to read well is more important than ever for young adults to achieve economic success. But more than 60 percent of middle and high school students score below “proficient” in reading achievement, according to a December 2011 report by the Alliance for Excellent Education.

“Teen literacy is a huge problem in the United States – its 15-year-olds rank 14th among developed nations in reading – behind Poland, Estonia and Iceland,” says Rhiannon Paille, 27, an advocate for teen literacy whose new fantasy novel, Flame of Surrender (www.yafantasyauthor.com) targets young adults. (South Korea, Finland and Canada rank 1st, 2nd and 3rd.)

“Kids need strong reading skills if they hope to graduate from high school AND they really need to plan for college – 59 percent of U.S. jobs today require some postsecondary education, compared to 28 percent in 1973.”  The best thing parents can do to help boost their 12- to 18-year-olds’ literacy is to get them reading – anything.

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Looking for a custom invitation without spending upwards of $700? The average cost of wedding invitations and reply cards is $659, according to 2010 data from The Bridal Association of America.

Here are some ways to trim costs for your 2012 wedding. When using these tips, expect to pay around $200 for 100-150 invitations.

1. Establish the Look

Use Pinterest to browse for invitations from which to draw your inspiration. Start a board and "pin" examples. Once you find a direction you'd like to go in, you're ready to start on your very own. There are several options for today's budget bride including free online templates, designing it from scratch or ordering at a discount.

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Tooth decay affects children in then US more then any other chronic infections disease.  Untreated tooth decay causes pain and infections that may lead to problems, such as eating, speaking, playing learning.  Luckily, there are things you can do to protect your child’s teeth.

Dr. Singh is the founder & C.E.O of Arch Dental and editor of the Journal of Oral Implantology.  He also regularly visits schools to teach kids how to brush their teeth, accompanied by a large stuffed alligator on which he demonstrates how to brush.  Here are his top tips for keeping your child's smile healthy:

• How do you get kids to brush their teeth? - There are toothbrushes that light up for the amount of time the kids should be brushing for, and toothbrushes that sing songs for as long as you should be brushing.  My philosophy is TELL, SHOW, DO: TELL them why they need to brush their teeth, SHOW them the right way, DO it with them.  Other parents have had success by having their kids practice on a favorite doll first, or brushing in the bath where kids can’t get away, or even singing them their favorite song.  If they bite down on the brush or try to run off, you stop singing.  As a last resort you can even do it in front of a favorite TV show or movie.

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