Understanding Substance Abuse

Every day it seems we are seeing this celebrity or that one getting into trouble and going into rehab. Why is it that these people, who seem to have everything they could ever want, always seem to mess up their lives? Luckily, my kids don't really look up to these celebrities and think that all that partying, drinking, and drug use is cool. Does that mean we will never have to deal with issues like these? No, but I'm really hoping that we don't. I don't know how to deal with stuff like that.

What I do know is that there are resources if we ever have to find out about substance abuse self help. Meek Publishing is committed to helping families improve their lives. That's why they offer books that deal with drug abuse and alcohol abuse issues, and offer solutions and hope. The featured books (available as books, e-books, and audiobooks) are Beyond the Yellow Brick Road and Bumper Stickers by Bob Meehan. Here's the description of the book Beyond the Yellow Brick Road:

Beyond the Yellow Brick Road - E-Book

ISBN 978-0-9702327-4-8 (eBook Download)

The newly revised version of Bob Meehan's classic is NOW AVAILABLE as an eBook PDF download.

The books combines the easy-to-read style of a born counselor with the street-level insights of a man who knows where he came from -- and where teenagers might contemplate going. In clear and direct language he talks to parents about what their kids are thinking; what parents can do to help the family get through the most difficult times when a child is using, whether experimentally or regularly; and, most importantly, why their kids try drugs in the first place. Never accusatory in tone, but never allowing any of us -- parents or teens -- to forget our responsibilities to ourselves and our families, Beyond the Yellow Brick Road presents a hands-on approach to drug intervention and rehabilitation which parents will find a comprehensive resource for raising kids in a hard world.

The part that really interests me is learning why kids try drugs in the first place. I always have this feeling that if I can just understand why something is the way it is, then I can fix it. Not always true, but take a sneak peak and read the first chapter of the book at the Meek Publishing website. I did. It gives a good understanding of where Bob Meehan came from, and when he says, "If someone you love is on drugs, I am confident that my book will give you a deeper understanding of why he or she takes drugs, of how your own attitudes may have influenced your drug-abusing loved one, and what you can do to induce change in that person’s life," I believe him.

Heads or Tails - Ten Things

TAILS - List ten things staying within any category of your choosing.

I've been meaning to do this for a while. I have at least 10 email addresses:

1. One with my ISP Earthlink
2. One at Netscape.net
3. Another one at Netscape.net
4. One at Gmail
5. Another one at Gmail
6. One of those personalized aol email addresses where you get to pick your domain
7. One at inbox.com - besides email, you get 5GB free file storage!
8. One at myway.com - they don't give me enough storage, and it keeps filling up with spam, so I don't use that one much any more
9. One at mail.com - I used that one for the longest time, but again, it filled up with spam, and they didn't give me enough storage.
10. and, the one I use the most - my email at Yahoo! Unlimited storage! Quite a bit of spam, but they take care of it pretty well.

You didn't expect me to post my actual email addresses, did you? Mostly they are some variation of bcmom - unless they're not!

Check out other Heads or Tails participants.

Music Plus People and the fight against AIDS

My musical career will never take off. Anyone who knows me knows that I am extremely un-musical. (Is that a word?) That doesn't stop me from liking music of all kinds - currently 'the music of the doors' the marching band music for this year. I'd be hard pressed to pick one favorite kind of music. Or even seven or eight...
I just signed up with IndieMV - Music+People - a music video based social network. Mostly I wanted to check out their new video contest. The contest is helping to spread awareness about UNICEF's Unite for Children, Unite Against AIDS campaign. It looks like a fun contest, with a purpose. Contestants will be able to take audio files, video clips, and still images provided by the contest website, combine them with some of their own, and create their own 30-60 second video to show how they feel about HIV/AIDS affecting children around the world, and the hope that UNICEF provides. There are some nice prizes, and the top 3 videos will be played at the Unite Against AIDS Concert on November 28, 2007 in Montreal.

From what I can tell, this contest is open to Canadians, but I think anyone can vote, until November 15 when the contest closes. So join IndieMV, find some music and videos, connect with some people who like the same kinds of music, and vote for your favorite contest video.

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Press Release:

IndieMV.com Launches and Partners With UNICEF for Upcoming, Star-Studded, 'Unite Against AIDS' Benefit Concert

Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan and Others to Perform at UNICEF AIDS Benefit Concert as IndieMV Provides Music-Video Based Contests to Promote Awareness

NEW YORK & LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IndieMV Media Group announced today the official launch of the Company's web site www.IndieMV.com and shared details about their recent partnership with UNICEF to provide music-video based contests surrounding the upcoming "Unite Against AIDS" benefit concert on November 28, 2007.

IndieMV.com, is a video-based website that has been designed to connect independent music artists, fans, and labels through social networking. The website is not only a video marketplace for musicians but also a social networking service for students, music lovers, and users that simply want to connect. Services to users are based around networking tools such as video blogging (or 'vlogging'), private web-cam messaging, photo sharing, as well as access to music videos, interviews, and much more. Services to musicians include digital distribution with revenue share on video downloads along with access to all user-based features.

IndieMV also offers users a new technology called 'Sliders'. Sliders are an advanced tagging system that allows users to easily search content on a more personalized level. It is a filtering system that each user can customize to their personal interests and preferences.

Concurrent with the website launch, the Company is also pleased to announce their new relationship with UNICEF surrounding music-video based contests that have been organized to help promote their upcoming "Unite Against AIDS" benefit concert in Montreal, Canada on November 28, 2007, as well as promote independent music while spreading awareness for the "Unite For Children, Unite Against AIDS" campaign. IndieMV will be hosting a music-video contest in conjunction with UNICEF. It has been designed to give youth the opportunity to share their impressions and thoughts on issues regarding AIDS and its effect on the world. UNICEF will provide audio tracks and visual footage, and IndieMV will provide the platform for uploading, viewing, and voting for the music videos. Over the next couple of months, the Company's campus development efforts will carry the UNICEF message and encourage thousands to support the campaign and to build their scene on IndieMV.com.

Confirmed feature performers already include headliner Avril Lavigne, Grammy Award winner Sarah McLachlan, Corneille, Marie-Mai, Angelique Kidjo, and DJ Dino Lenny, as well as the winner of the IndieMV "Unite" band contest. Net proceeds from the concert will benefit UNICEF's international 'Unite For Children, Unite Against AIDS' campaign, which is the largest ever mounted to bring the world's attention to the global impact of HIV and AIDS on children and young people. Please visit www.IndieMV.com for more details surrounding the contests and concert.

Band Moms Rule!

and Dads too. We're in the middle of marching band season, so that means band practice and football games, fundraisers and competitions. We have a small school and a small band, and any parent help is greatly appreciated. The first year Cory played in the marching band was his 8th grade year. We didn't realize how things worked, so we showed up at the football games and at the competitions. We watched the band, and we cheered. Jeffrey helped some with moving the equipment, and he videotaped some of the performances.

We didn't actually realize until the next year that parents were needed to help with uniforms and to chaperone the trips to the competitions. So, we signed up to help as much as we could. And again this year. While I realize that not all of the parents can help, it does seem that we have the same group of parents every time. I guess that's how it works in any organization, or at least that's the way it seems. I'm not complaining. I'm glad we can help. We really do enjoy it - except maybe the sitting on cold bleachers in the rain - and, since our kids aren't in any of the other activities or sports, we are able to concentrate on the band. Go, Band! They march in the State Championship competition this coming weekend. We'll be there to make sure they look their best and that all the equipment gets to there. I hope it's a nice day.

Venice Apartments

Jeffrey and I are saving and planning to go somewhere nice for our 25th anniversary. We haven't decided yet where we want to go, but it needs to be someplace nice. I was thinking of somewhere tropical with a beach, of course, but Jeffrey is thinking that they will have golf courses, too. That means he wants to leave me on the beach while he goes off and plays golf. Some anniversary trip, huh?

Today I was reading some information about Venice, because that's supposed to be a romantic place to visit, right? There are no cars, only boats, and plenty of water. Jeffrey likes boats. I like water. That should work. We can visit castles and bridges, and the islands of Murano, where the world famous mouth-blown glass is made. The more I read about the attractions Venice has to offer, the more I realize how much I don't know about this city. I didn't know they were famous for mouth-blown glass, but I'd love to be able to watch. I've always admired blown glass. I didn't know that there are over 2000 bridges in Venice, but considering all the water, that does make sense. And that the most famous bridge, the Rialto Bridge was built between 1588 and 1591. Seriously, nothing in this country is anywhere close to that old.

Before I start thinking that a trip to Venice is impossible or out of our reach, I need to spend some more time on this site called Holiday Velvet. They make it easy to find Venice apartments, Bed & Breakfasts, villas or hotels for reasonable prices. You can search for accommodations by location, price, rental type, or number of people. Of course, it's an anniversary trip. This trip is just for the two of us. A little apartment or a Bed & Breakfast ought to be just perfect. Then, once we find one we like, we can book it right on the site.

A Sweet Treat

I left a comment for Imma (Alice) over at I Was Born2Cree8, and she gave me a treat! Now, wasn't that sweet of her? Of course, now I want a candied apple. Instead I get to pass this along to some random visitors to my blog, so I can let them know what a sweet treat their comments were.

You are more than welcome to pass it along to those you think deserving of a special treat for the season. Call it “Pay it Forward”, if you like, after all, one good deed deserves another. DON’T just choose your friends…

Make NEW friends by choosing random visitors!!!
- - Yes - -
Make it RANDOM!!

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This wonderful 'Sweet Halloween Treat' was started by Hootin' Anni. Check out her blog, it's totally decorated for Halloween!

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Today I pass this on to:

• Jocelyn at Hip Mama Blog
• Marsha at Just Some Thoughts
• Carrie at Rantings of a Woman
• and Gattina at Writer Cramps

We'll Have to Pay for College Somehow

Beth doesn't seem interested in going to college at all. In fact, she's not interested in school at all - no matter how hard we try to convince her that it is important. With the grades she has, she's going to have a hard time going to college if she ever decides she wants to. Cory, on the other hand, will surely go to college somewhere, though he still hasn't figured out what he wants to study. And his parents haven't figured how they're going to pay! A college education is very important, but it's also expensive, and we haven't been saving for it all along.

We keep telling Cory that he needs to find as many Scholarships as he can, so he can get a lot of his expenses covered. I don't know if it's too early to start looking at scholarships now, or not, but I signed up for an account on School Scholarships just to get an idea of what is out there. It's supposed to be a good resource for finding scholarships and financial aid. It might just lead us to the right scholarship for our son.

63 and Pregnant

A woman went to the emergency room, where she was seen by a young new doctor. After about 3 minutes in the examination room, the doctor told her she was pregnant.

She burst out of the room and ran down the corridor screaming. An older doctor stopped her and asked what the problem was; after listening to her story, he calmed her down and sat her in another room.

Then the doctor marched down the hallway to the first doctor's room. "What's wrong with you?" he demanded. "This woman is 63 years old, she has two grown children and several grandchildren, and you told her she was pregnant?!!"

The new doctor continued to write on his clipboard and without looking up said: "Does she still have the hiccups?"

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A Little About Us

I was tagged by Tammy for several memes recently. I choose to do this one first. It's a meme about me and my husband called A Little About Us.

1. Who is your man?♥ Jeffrey
2. How long have you been together?♥ We've been married 21 years
3. Dating/Engaged/Married?♥ dating for about 2 years/engaged for 3 months and 1 week/married 21 years.
4. How old is your man?♥ 46 years
5. What’s his middle name?♥ Christian
   

You or your man♥

1. Who eats more?♥ Jeffrey
2. Who says “I love you” first?♥ We both say it
3. Who weighs more?♥ Him
4. Who sings better?♥ Neither one of us can sing
5. Who’s Older?♥ Jeffrey
6. Who’s smarter?♥ I'm better with words, and he's best with numbers.
7. Who’s temper is worse?♥ I'd say mine
8. Who does the laundry?♥ Me
9. Who does the dishes?♥ Me, and the kids on their dish nights.
10. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?♥ Does that mean the right side of the bed when you're looking at the bed or when you're lying in it looking up at the ceiling? I never have figured that out. So, if you're standing at the foot of the bed looking at it, I sleep on the right side.
11. Who’s feet are bigger?♥ Jeffrey's
12. Who’s hair is longer?♥ Mine
13. Who’s better with the computer?♥ Me, unless you're talking about Excel spreadsheets, then it's definitely him.
14. Who mows the lawn?♥ Jeffrey - I did do it once this summer.
15. Who pays the bills?♥ Me, but Jeffrey supplies the money.
16. Who cooks dinner?♥ Me
17. Who drives when you are together?♥ Jeffrey - unless it's a long trip, and then we take turns.
18. Who pays when you go out to dinner?♥ Him, but I usually tell him which card to use.
19. Who’s the most stubborn?♥ Me
20. Who is the first one to admit when they’re wrong?♥ Certainly not me, I'm never wrong. LOL
21. Who’s parents do you see more?♥ We don't see any of the parents often enough. They live too far away.
22. Who named your dog?♥ We don't have a dog any more.
23. Who kisses who first?♥ Kissing is pretty mutual
24. Who asked who out?♥ We were friends first and he said he'd take me out before I left for college - and he did.
25. Who’s more sensitive?♥ Me
26. Who’s taller?♥ Jeffrey
27. Who has more friends?♥ I think he does, though I have way more blogging friends from all over the world!
28. Who has more siblings?♥ Me, I have 3 brothers, and he only has 1 brother.
29. Who wears the pants in the relationship?♥ We both wear pants, but sometimes I wear skirts or dresses. He doesn't. LOL
    

I almost forgot I was supposed to tag people! I'd like to know more about Susan and her Guy, bassnote and his Bride, Lady Banana and her partner, and Elizabeth and Chris.

I'm Fabulous

Oops, almost missed this one! I would sure hate to miss this one. Tammy from Mom Knows Everything thinks I'm fabulous. I think she's pretty fabulous, too. I'm really glad we're friends.

The fabulous Mama Pajama gave me this award, too. I'm so glad I 'met' her!

This award was designed by Mike Wheeler of Ordinary Folks. If you would like to have a cool badge, award, or special profile picture created then contact the artist for his rates.

I'm passing this award on to these 4 bloggers who I think are fabulous, too:

1. Kat (krikketgirl on LiveJournal)
2. Frigga at Any Apples
3. Diana at Lady Banana
4. Andrée at me meeyauw