Do your taxes and a donation will be made to friends of festival country k-9s

This week marks the official start of tax season. We all have to do taxes, and most of us file taxes online. In fact, 80% of returns were filed online in 2013. This year, you can earn a donation for Friends of Festival Country K9s by filing online through We-Care.com. To make the process easy, we've partnered with TurboTax, the most popular income tax preparation software in the US. Follow this custom link http://ffc.we-care.com/couponpreview/43800

cooking photography

this is ground beef with carrots, asparagus and ricotta cheese wrapped in phylo dough!

and this here is my own creation!! I took a basic sugar cookie mix found at walmart refrigerator section and added coconut flakes and butterscotch chips folded in! then placed a single raspberry top of each cookie then baked!!

and this I am proud of!! never seen before and never had!! I like to call carrot soup! cook the carrots and put in blender meantime cook and cube up some chicken and cook some whole wheat rice! throw in asparagus and put all together then cook till desired temp and serve! add spices to taste if needed!

Come out and bring your dog! (Dog Park 4 a Day)

Our "Fun Day" is official. It is called "Dog Park 4 a Day"! We will be having it at Park Discovery so we can host more people, demonstrations and events. It will be from 10AM to 4PM on June 16th, 2012. SUDS (So. Utah Dog Sports), Gail Workman, Dr. Casey Wittwer DVM with his ADD dogs, Iron County Search and Rescue K9s and the Cedar City Police K-9 Unit will be demonstrating. If you want to participate in the dog sports events with your dog(s), sign-ups must be made by June 8th. All Iron County Shelters and Rescues are invited with their adoptable animals and they tell us they are excited to be part of our event. Raffle, Music, Photographer and more. Pack a picnic, leash your dog and come hang out with other dog enthusiasts and try out the different dog sports. To sign up and find out more Visit: www.CedarCityDogPark.Info

Healing Strawberry Soup

Healing Strawberry Soup (or other berry! It's really yummy with raspberries!) 1 cup frozen sliced strawberries (or another frozen berry) 1/3 cup water. 1/2 tsp cinnamon. tiny sprinkling of ginger. sweetener to taste. Bring water and berries to a boil. Reduce heat and add in sweetener, cinnamon and ginger. Remove from heat and blend a little bit if desired.

please sign and share this petition I started

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yes, the dog photo on this page is my own photographic work if your curious!

help support Buddy Roemer for US President!

10 Specific Compliments to Give Your Children

10 Specific Compliments to Give Your Children

In the opening pages of Rudyard Kipling’s classic novel “The Jungle Book”, Tabaqui (the jackal) sees a litter of wolf cubs and points out “How beautiful are the noble children! How large their eyes….” In flattering the cubs, he breaks a fundamental jungle rule.

“Tabaqui knew there is nothing so unlucky as to compliment children to their faces,” Kipling writes. “He rejoiced in the mischief he had made.”

Kipling may have written for another era and from another continent, but his story highlights the challenge inherent in dishing out kudos around our kiddos.

Is it OK? How much is too much? What’s the difference between hopeful encouraging and lying? When is praise inflationary? How can I be objective?

Fact is, children look to their parents for encouragement, and finding affirmation at home is foundational to positive emotional development. Parents need to be in the business of building our children up. But we also need to be honest, and it’s important to use compliments that really mean something. Kids can sense disingenuousness and empty praise. Making stuff up is harmful; false praise is dishonest and the practice breaks trust.

Here are 10 compliments all kids need to hear:

Recognize and compliment character:
We live in a world where integrity is neither consistently taught nor widely expected. When our children demonstrate honesty, kindness, trustworthiness and reliability, that’s a great time to take them aside and offer a sincere compliment.

Compliment obedience and respect:
It’s too easy to fall into patterns of disapproval, where the only time we notice is when kids do wrong. Rather than waiting for disobedience or disrespect (then coming down like a ton of bricks) try noticing obedience and respect: “I don’t always remember to tell you, but you are an awesome young man, and I appreciate the way you treat your mother”.

Appreciate them for simply being part of the family:
“Every time I see you, I’m thankful that I’m a dad.” Kids need to understand that they are valued simply because they are.

Compliment contributions to the family:
“Clearing the table (sweeping the porch… putting out the trash) makes a real difference. I appreciate your contribution.” Kids need to understand that what they do makes a difference, that the adults notice, and that pitching in is a good part of family life.

Compliment the quality of a child’s work:
“This is one clean porch, mister!” “You mowed the lawn right up to the edge. Way to go! I’m so glad you take this job so seriously, it shows.” Doing a job at a high standard is always worth noting.

We can compliment the effort, even when the result is not the best:
“Your willingness to help makes me happy! Now we need to take a look at how you can get the trash to the curb without leaving a trail!” Compliments can be an important part of our role as teachers.

It’s important that we compliment children when they achieve something new:
“Wow! That’s a huge leap forward for you there in math, pal.” “Awesome! I’m not at all surprised after you worked so hard.” A well-placed compliment can keep a positive ball rolling.

We can compliment sense of style even if we don’t exactly share their taste:
We don’t want to hedge kids into being clones of dad, or mom. “When it comes to putting together an outfit, you certainly have some flair!” “I can tell that you put a lot of thought into the way you look.” “I’ve never seen a table set quite like that before – you have an amazing imagination!” It’s not useful to limit compliments to the narrow range of our own taste.

Compliment steps toward a long-term goal:
“Son, the improvement you’re showing is commendable. Thanks for trying.” Waiting for perfection before we’re willing to dish out a compliment is inefficient, may dampen enthusiasm, and does little to help the process of growth.

Try complimenting their friends:
But only do this when you can do it honestly! “Your friends are the greatest!” “That Jimmy is such a positive young man.” “You know, it gives me a lot of confidence to know you use common sense in choosing your friends.”

click here for the source I found this on

this will be an ongoing post on dog park support info

we are trying to get a dog park started so I thought to use my blog to hold info we can use later
here is some info
http://www.culvercitydogpark.org/main/004_History.cfm

Christmas Countdown 2011 - Find out how many days until Christmas 2011

Christmas Countdown 2011 - Find out how many days until Christmas 2011: Set www.xmasclock.com as your homepage to count the number of days until Christmas 2011!

join with me at www.americanselect.org

sign this petition of abuse of drwarfism

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YOUR AGE BY CHOCOLATE MATH

YOUR AGE BY CHOCOLATE MATH
Don't tell me your age; the Hershey Man will know!

YOUR AGE BY CHOCOLATE MATH

This is pretty neat.
DON'T CHEAT BY SCROLLING DOWN FIRST!
It takes less than a minute .
Work this out as you read .
Be sure you don't read the bottom until you've worked it out! This is not one of those waste of time things, it's fun.


1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to have chocolate (more than once but less than 10)








> 2. Multiply this number by 2 (just to be bold)










> 3. Add 5












> 4. Multiply it by 50 -- I'll wait while you get the calculator














> 5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1761 ..


> If you haven't, add 1760..

6... Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.












You should have a three digit number






The first digit of this was your original number
(I.e., how many times you want to have chocolate each week).


> The next two numbers are

YOUR AGE! Oh YES

250,000 Free Recordings for Parents in the U.S. Armed Forces

A Story Before Bed is giving away 250,000 free recordings to parents in the U.S. military who are spending time away from their kids. Help us spread the word. (We originally committed to giving away 100,000 recordings, but the response was so strong that we've upped it to 250,000 free stories.)


Why?

The team behind A Story Before Bed is dedicated to connecting children with parents, grandparents, and loved ones through reading. And we're especially dedicated to connecting families and loved ones who can't always be together. When parents give up seeing their children for weeks or months at a time in the service of their country, we want to do our small part.

Who?

Parents who are members of one of the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces who are deploying or already deployed away from their children for any amount of time are eligible to sign up for free recordings from A Story Before Bed.

How?

Please fill out the form to apply. You will receive an e-mail confirming your signing up for our service. Click on the link in the confirmation e-mail and you'll be able to start making free recordings immediately. That's all there is to it.

Not a deploying parent in the military?

We have deals for you too. Sign up for our newsletter where we regularly offer special discounts, and lots of freebies! Sign up here



Quotes from deployed and deploying military parents and spouses:

"I wanted to thank you for this service. I am away from my two small children (the littlest is just a few months old). Reading these stories makes me feel a little better about being away."

"I am really excited about this, I have already emailed one of my friends that went advanced to do this for her daughter. I will speak and coordinate with my Family Readiness Group (FRG) Leader to get this out to all of our deploying troops. Again, I am honored and I won't stop talking about this until the last troop has it. Thanks for the Blessing, you are God sent. Literally, God sent me to you!"
"Thank you so very much! I cannot wait to send the info to my husband. He will be thrilled!"


"Thank you so much for offering this! I've passed it on to everyone I know! My husband is gone for quite awhile this deployment and my daughters will love seeing him read!"

"Thank you for offering this service to our military members. One of the best things I did 'with' my 2 and 5 year old when I was deployed was to 'read bedtime stories'. I made a video recording of me reading the book and mailed it with the books to them every couple of weeks. They would lay in bed and follow along as 'mommy read to them'. Thank you so much for helping our families stay connected!"

A Soldier's Love

He is a Chief Master Sergeant in the USAF serving in Afghanistan
As high as you can go in enlisted ranks (E-9)

John Gebhardt's wife, Mindy, said that this little girl's entire family was executed.

The insurgents intended to execute the little girl also, and shot her in the head...
But they failed to kill her.

She was cared for in John 's hospital and is healing up, but continues to cry and moan.

The nurses said John is the only one who seems to calm her down, so John has spent the last four nights holding her while they both slept in that chair. The girl is coming along with her healing.

He is a real Star of the war, and represents what the members of our services are trying to do.

This, my friends, is worth sharing. Go for it!! You'll never see things like this in the news

LDS Prophet, President Monson Announces New Temples

New Temples Announced for France, Africa, Colombia, Utah and Wyoming

EMAIL


OCTOBER 2011 — SALT LAKE CITY

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continues to build new temples across the globe to meet the needs of an expanding worldwide membership.

Today the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced six new temples during the morning session of the faith’s 181st Semiannual General Conference.

President Thomas S. Monson said the Church will build temples in Paris, France; Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo; Durban, South Africa; Barranquilla, Colombia and Star Valley, Wyoming. The Church will also rebuild the historic Provo, Utah Tabernacle –which was heavily damaged by fire in December 2010 – and convert it into a temple.

CAPTION© 2011 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved
Exact locations of the temples in Paris, Africa, Colombia and Wyoming will be announced at a later date.

Provo, Utah Tabernacle

The converted Provo Tabernacle will become the second temple in Provo and the sixteenth in the state. The tabernacle was originally constructed from 1883 to 1898. It is located on University Avenue between Center Street and 100 South.

Historically, the tabernacle was used for church meetings and cultural events. Since the 2010 fire, Church leaders have worked with architects, engineers and historical experts to determine the future of the building. The project will include a complete restoration of the original exterior. To facilitate these plans the Church has recently acquired additional property near the tabernacle.

This will be the second time the Church has converted an historic tabernacle into a temple. The Vernal Utah Temple, which was dedicated in 1997, was constructed within the brick exterior of the 1907 Uintah Stake Tabernacle.

France

The Paris Temple will be the first in this European country. Mormon missionaries arrived in France in 1849. The closest temples to French members are in Frankfurt, Germany; The Hague, Netherlands or Bern, Switzerland.

Africa

The Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo) and Durban (South Africa) temples will be the fourth and fifth on the African continent. The first three were built in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1985, Accra, Ghana in 2004, and Aba, Nigeria in 2005.

The Kinshasa temple will serve 23,000 members in nine stakes and districts. Currently, the nearest temple for members is approximately 2,100 miles away in Johannesburg, a long journey made more difficult by a lack of dependable public transportation.

There are 55,000 Church members in South Africa. The first missionaries arrived in the country in 1853.

Colombia

Colombia will now have two temples with the addition of Barranquilla. The first was dedicated in Bogota in 1999. The new temple will serve 45,000 members in 15 stakes and districts in Colombia and Venezuela.

The first missionaries arrived in the Latin-American nation in 1966. Today there are now more than 173,000 Latter-day Saints in the country.

Wyoming

The new temple in Star Valley will serve members living in western Wyoming, who now travel approximately 1.5 hours to Idaho Falls and Rexburg, Idaho for temple services. It is a journey made more difficult during the winter.

About Temples

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints consider temples to be the “house of the Lord,” the most sacred places on earth. Unlike meetinghouses, where Sabbath worship and weekly activities take place, temples are open throughout the week and closed on Sundays.

Temple attendance strengthens Latter-day Saints in their efforts to follow Jesus Christ. In the temple, sacred ceremonies connect families forever and explain God’s plan for His children.

There are currently 135 operating temples worldwide and, with today’s announcement, 31 temples announced or under construction.

back to school presidential speech

JOIN THE LIVE CHAT

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10 Ways We Misunderstand Children

the following I found to be very thought provoking SO I am Sharing with you!! Ten Ways We Misunderstand Children by Jan Hunt

1. We expect children to be able to do things before they are ready. We ask an infant to keep quiet. We ask a 2-year-old to sit still. We ask a 4-year-old to clean his room. In all of these situations, we are being unrealistic. We are setting ourselves up for disappointment and setting up the child for repeated failures to please us. Yet many parents ask their young children to do things that even an older child would find difficult. In short, we ask children to stop acting their age. 2. We become angry when a child fails to meet our needs. A child can only do what he can do. If a child cannot do something we ask, it is unfair and unrealistic to expect or demand more, and anger only makes things worse. A 2-year-old can only act like a 2-year-old, a 5-year-old cannot act like a 10-year-old, and a 10-year-old cannot act like an adult. To expect more is unrealistic and unhelpful. There are limits to what a child can manage, and if we don't accept those limits, it can only result in frustration on both sides. 3. We mistrust the child's motives. If a child cannot meet our needs, we assume that he is being defiant, instead of looking closely at the situation from the child's point of view, so we can determine the truth of the matter. In reality, a "defiant" child may be ill, tired, hungry, in pain, responding to an emotional or physical hurt, or struggling with a hidden cause such as food allergy. Yet we seem to overlook these possibilities in favor of thinking the worst about the child's "personality". 4. We don't allow children to be children. We somehow forget what it was like to be a child ourselves, and expect the child to act like an adult instead of acting his age. A healthy child will be rambunctious, noisy, emotionally expressive, and will have a short attention span. All of these "problems" are not problems at all, but are in fact normal qualities of a normal child. Rather, it is our society and our society's expectations of perfect behavior that are abnormal. 5. We get it backwards. We expect, and demand, that the child meet our needs - for quiet, for uninterrupted sleep, for obedience to our wishes, and so on. Instead of accepting our parental role to meet the child's needs, we expect the child to care for ours. We can become so focused on our own unmet needs and frustrations that we forget this is a child, who has needs of his own. 6. We blame and criticize when a child makes a mistake. Yet children have had very little experience in life, and they will inevitably make mistakes. Mistakes are a natural part of learning at any age. Instead of understanding and helping the child, we blame him, as though he should be able to learn everything perfectly the first time. To err is human; to err in childhood is human and unavoidable. Yet we react to each mistake, infraction of a rule, or misbehavior with surprise and disappointment. It makes no sense to understand that a child will make mistakes, and then to react as though we think the child should behave perfectly at all times. 7. We forget how deeply blame and criticism can hurt a child. Many parents are coming to understand that physically hurting a child is wrong and harmful, yet many of us forget how painful angry words, insults, and blame can be to a child who can only believe that he is at fault. 8. We forget how healing loving actions can be. We fall into vicious cycles of blame and misbehavior, instead of stopping to give the child love, reassurance, self-esteem, and security with hugs and kind words. 9. We forget that our behavior provides the most potent lessons to the child. It is truly "not what we say but what we do" that the child takes to heart. A parent who hits a child for hitting, telling him that hitting is wrong, is in fact teaching that hitting is right, at least for those in power. It is the parent who responds to problems with peaceful solutions who is teaching his child how to be a peaceful adult. So-called problems present our best opportunity for teaching values, because children learn best when they are learning about real things in real life. 10. We see only the outward behavior, not the love and good intentions inside the child. When a child's behavior disappoints us, we should, more than anything else we do, "assume the best". We should always assume that the child means well and is behaving as well as possible considering all the circumstances (whether obvious or unknown to us), together with his level of experience in life. If we always assume the best about our child, the child will be free to do his best. If we give only love, love is all we will receive.

list of activities for disability awareness

your welcome to use this link. I actually put it up on my blog so I have easy access to this info instead of bookmarking this info as our local university is planning a disability awareness week and I am in charge of planning an obstacle course to bring awareness to different disabilities! this activity week is planned for the 2nd or 3rd week of October so if anyone can come up with other ideas please email me directly at paul.a.white@hotmail.com or if you have a facebook account feel free to leave me a comment there at http://www.facebook.com/paul.a.white45 which is my page

http://www.tac-bsa.org/Disabilities_files/special_needs_awareness_night_planning.pdf

Waking Up Full of Awesome!!

I hope you enjoy this, I found it to be, OOHH just so awesome to share!! LOL..

Side note I did edit out 2 words that I felt the story did not need.

the jest of the story is just fine without them!!

Waking Up Full of Awesome

August 3rd, 2011 | Author: melissa

There was a time when you were five years old,

and you woke up full of awesome.

You knew you were awesome.

You loved yourself.

You thought you were beautiful,

even with missing teeth and messy hair and mismatched socks inside your grubby sneakers.

You loved your body, and the things it could do.

You thought you were strong.

You knew you were smart.

Do you still have it?

The awesome.

Did someone take it from you?

Did you let them?

Did you hand it over, because someone told you weren’t beautiful enough, thin enough, smart enough, good enough?

Why the ---- would you listen to them?

Did you consider they might be full of ----?

Wouldn’t that be nuts, to tell my little girl below that in another five or ten years she might hate herself because she doesn’t look like a starving and Photoshopped fashion model?

Or even more bizarre, that she should be sexy over smart, beautiful over bold?

Are you freaking kidding me?

Look at her. She is full of awesome.

You were, once. Maybe you still are. Maybe you are in the process of getting it back.

All I know is that if you aren’t waking up feeling like this about yourself, you are really missing out.

Amelia says Good Morning.

Attention military families looking for a fun family activity!

Military Appreciation Days at the Utah Shakespeare Festival - September 16 and 17. Current military personnel and their families are invited to see Noises Off! (7:30 pm both days) for free. Contact the ticket office at 800-752-9849 for all the details. Current military ID required.