The experiment took place at a Boys and Girls Club in metro Atlanta, where 83% of the kids come from low-income families. One by one kids are brought into a room to answer several questions. At first, they are asked what they want for Christmas. The video shows different clips of the children revealing their most desired gift – from a dollhouse, to an Xbox 360. Then, the interviewer asks what their moms (or families) would like for Christmas. Each of the kids name a gift that they know that their person would love.
Here comes the hard part of the scenario. The kids are presented with their dream gift, and told that it is theirs to keep. Everyone is thrilled…but then they are also given their family’s gift as well. They are told that they must pick between the presents. Although it seems as if it would be a tough choice, every single one of the kids chooses to act selflessly – and picks the family gift. All of them provide answers for why they made their decision, which are so heartfelt, they will bring you to tears. Wow, what amazing kids!
If the link above doesn’t work, please copy and paste the following URL into your browser – http://www.faithtap.com/5188/kids-particpate-in-difficult-christmas-gift-experiment/?utm_source=shared&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=main&src=shared
Thank you to http://www.faithtap.com via Lenore Garnhum, Facebook
Save On Phone
My husband is trying to write a computer program that will work to screen calls for us. Our son tried to do this for us a couple of years ago, but the hardware wasn’t reliable and the software tended to degrade, so the project was given up.
It’s still complicated, but supposedly we can get the system to answer the phone before it rings in our home. It says, “Hello? Hello? Hello? If you’re human, press one.” Assuming you are and you did, the next thing you would hear is one of us picking up, if we’re here, or a chance to leave us a message if we’re not.
On our end, we don’t hear anything until the caller has pressed one. If it’s a robo-call, the system hangs up. If they don’t press one, it hangs up. We aren’t bothered unless a salesman is brash enough to press one. If he does it, we can blow him off and then add his number to a black list that won’t allow him to call again. We can also build a white list that allows people we know to not hear the press one message at all.
I’m amazed that my husband is learning a new computer language called, “Asterisk” in order to talk to a test phone and build the program. I heard a built-in message when I called the test number today. I pressed one, so our test phone rang. That’s a huge Step One.
We each have cell phones, so you ask, “Why don’t you just stop having a house phone and then you won’t have the problem?” That’s an excellent question. We do it because
If my husband can get this all to work, we’ll really save a lot of time and hassle. It won’t stop all crank calls. We know that. My husband just cleared six crank calls off his cell today. But it’ll give us the illusion that we can control one small thing in our lives. A very welcome feeling. :0)
Filed under Attitude, Challenges, Changes
mybassetdog-blogspot.com
My yoga practice today finally gave me relief from some sore muscles I had in my lower back and right hip from my last leaf mulching marathon! My body tells me to just sit quietly, maybe take a nap, when I hurt. My head is learning new ways to cope with pain, stretching and breathing into the stretches via yoga positions. I’m making progress!
I just finished the session on “Legs” and then the “Overall Flow” session and I feel relaxed and free of pain. Part of me worries that this will only last for a short while, but that’s the old me. The new me knows that the stronger and more flexible I become, the less I’ll have problems with sore muscles. I just need to do some yoga EVERY DAY, even if it’s only for one lesson.
Now – if I can just keep from eating after I treat myself to my orange dream bar, I’ll have it made. All appendages are crossed – including my eyes – that I’ll manage to keep my mouth shut, except for drinking more water, tonight!
One day at a time.
taolife.com
My ‘progress report’ for the week is I gained some lard back and didn’t lose any inches. ARRRGH!!
I could use the excuse of Thanksgiving, but it would be a lie. I do fine until after dinner, and then I seem to be unable to stop stuffing my face. I’m not sure what the problem is, but I’m going to have a serious talk with myself and see if I can stop. Otherwise, I’m considering having my jaw wired shut until further notice….
I’m about half way to my goal. I’m exercising every day, either with projects that require a lot of movement, my new yoga practice, or both. I still WANT to lose another 40 lbs, but my motivation seems to have gotten buried. I floundered a bit – not knowing what to cook for sure in the wake of our discovery that my husband has diabetes. We’re doing well on that now, learning that my low carb lifestyle is really good for his diabetes, as well. We’ve been searching all over the place for sugar-free alternatives for the sweet drinks, candy, and desserts he loves. Mostly, we’ve been successful, although we’re now searching for a low sugar hot chocolate mix. (The latest one we tried was a failure for him.)
I don’t really know why this caused my efforts to derail, but I’m going to concentrate on finding my motivation again. If you’ve fallen off your good habits and then found a way to get back up and going again, I would appreciate your sharing your experiences and what worked for you.
Compassion after Euthanasia
I know first hand what a difference this makes. Greenwood Veterinary Clinic sent us a card where everyone had signed it. I still have it.
Crowd Helping Fan Watch Show
I love this one.
Filed under Attitude, kindness, making a difference
XciteFun.net
I have a hard head – I’m really slow to learn a lesson at times.
About 3 weeks ago I started doing yoga. I chose a 2-DVD set called, “Gentle Yoga” because it was geared toward women 60 years and older who had never done yoga, might have health issues, and who might be intimidated by the whole idea – a perfect description of me.
I was surprised that after doing the “Head, Shoulders, and Neck” section, I not only was able to do everything the good teacher asked, but I felt encouraged. She is very accepting. She stresses that there is no perfect yoga pose. Even if you’re only able to START to stretch in the direction she’s showing you, it does your body good. With time and practice, your body will learn to ‘give,’ and you’ll be able to stretch into the poses more and more, your body becoming stronger and more flexible. She asks that you do SOMETHING from the videos every day, even if it’s only for 5 minutes.
I THOUGHT I had listened and absorbed everything, and yet I found myself thinking I would ‘take a day off’ yesterday, since it was Thanksgiving. When mid-afternoon came, I then decided to go ahead and do my yoga. I did the “Lower Back” and “Overall” sections.
By the time I was finished, my back didn’t hurt. I’m working on being able to ‘sit’ on my feet with my knees bent. Each day I can do it for a couple of seconds longer. (My feet tend to cramp and my thighs really don’t like this). I’m determined that one day, if I keep practicing, I’ll be able to do this comfortably.
I even told my sister-in-law that I had learned that I really felt better when I did my yoga and that I was surprised by this. Yesterday I had to prove it to myself again. I’m trying to get to the point that I do two sections every day routinely, rather than making the conscious decision to do it.
Jen’s Creative Media Blog
I have NEVER found an exercise where I felt better and more relaxed when I finished before. Even hard heads like me should be able to learn this lesson! Today I’ll do “Spinal Health” and “Overall.”
Filed under Acting Like a Grownup, Attitude, exercise
This is my sister-in-law’s “Happy Place,” and what a glorious place it is! Whenever she’s feeling down she can simply go to her happy place and immediately feels a lift in her spirits.
I think we should all have a happy place when we need one. A thing that makes me grin like a Cheshire cat every time I see it is this owl I got recently.
He lives in my dining area window on a special display piece my husband and I made. Right now he’s helping me celebrate the fall and Thanksgiving, but I’ll probably dress him up for Christmas when the time comes.
Build YOURSELF a happy place somewhere, if you don’t already have one. Someplace you can go when you’re feeling down to give your spirits a lift.
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement
Filed under Attitude, Favorite Quotes, Good Thoughts
This seems, to me, to be a good goal, though I’m far from it now.
As my husband and I age, I feel this more and more.
Source: http://www.yesemails.com via an email from Marsha Koenig
Filed under Attitude, Favorite Quotes, Good Thoughts
Your Daily Encouragement via Bethany Kerr
Filed under Attitude, Encouragement, Favorite Quotes
Filed under Attitude, Favorite Quotes
Huffington Post
Our son is living in Thailand. He sent me this today –
“Last night Christian and I went out walking and drinking. When we got back to where he and Effie live, the doorman was playing a guitar, and wanted us to play. I strummed around a little bit. It was fun. Today I went back and gave the guy my capo and showed him how to use it. He seemed really happy.”
Amy Adenoro Terrell-www.keyword-suggestions.com
I’ve been on a roller-coaster since about the middle of October. At that time my husband finally got serious about trying to avoid sugar. That might sound easy, but it’s been pretty traumatic around here. He LOVES sugar and was in denial about his problem and its inevitable consequences. I’ve been scrambling to figure out what we’re eating while trying to find something he can drink instead of soda, something to eat besides candy, and then some kind of dessert for him to look forward to.
I’ve also found, in my research so far, that simply trying to get sugar-free everything isn’t the answer. First my husband is REALLY sensitive to any alternative for sugar aftertaste. This week we’ve finally settled on Arizona Peach Sugar Free Tea, after buying and trying at least six other things. We found sugar-free hard candy easily enough, but he’s finding out the hard way that eating too much sugar-free candy has its consequences. He’s cutting that back on his own now. We’ve found ‘no added sugar’ pies that are good, and he likes a kind of cobbler that my wonderful cousin-in-law/friend Murray gave me.
I also discovered in my reading that, even if you cut out all the sugar you can, your body uses carbs to manufacture its own sugar! He tried giving up his cold cereal, but was unhappy, so we’ve done the next best thing – Special K is the best one for diabetics, since it’s not made from wheat.
Since low carb eating is also good for diabetics, I found a low carb for diabetics cook book. This is an ongoing process, but it took my attention and motivation away from my own challenges. In the past week I’ve gotten serious again, trying desperately not to eat after dinner, except for my orange dream bar as I used to do. This has been remarkably hard to do, since I’m staying up until at least midnight because my husband’s restless leg problem is better if he goes right to sleep, rather than our reading in bed as we’ve done for a hundred years or so. I found that delaying our dessert until 10:30 or so helps with my eating anything in sight…
________________
I’m finished with the excuses now. I’m back on my “low carb and exercising” horse again. With all the flailing around for almost a month, my weight loss is now 41 pounds. My inches loss is now 18.25″.
I started yoga (for old broads, 60+) about a week ago and I have to say I enjoy it. I’m not in any danger of becoming a gym rat, but I don’t dread doing yoga and really do feel relaxed afterward. Today I’m planning to do the last two sections on the 2nd DVD: “Legs” and “Overall Flow” (I think it’s called.) The DVD series is called, “Gentle Yoga.”
We’re supposed to get rain late tonight and into tomorrow morning, so I’m planning to do weed eating across the back yard where we have to clean up a bit after wonderful Shane cut down a bunch of stuff to open up our view again and create a fire break. I also plan to create a lot more leaf mulch while the leaves are dry, harvest lettuce, etc.
I’m disgusted with myself that I allowed myself to be thrown for a loop over the changes needed in our lifestyle. I excuse myself a bit because I’m very fond of my husband and want him to live – feeling better and better – for a good, long time. That involves finding replacements for the important luxuries in his life. He seems to be adjusting pretty well now after some depression. He still threatens to stop all the good efforts if his sugar numbers don’t get lower as fast as he would like. That’s an ongoing discussion as well…
I feel good that I’ve stayed on my low carb plan really well the past two or three days now, and some of the regained lard is coming off. The yoga is making me feel looser and stronger, though I did have a bit of leg aching last night. I think I’ll feel better and better as I continue my practice. The last two sections today, plus my day doing yard work, will be a really good amount of exercise for me today.
I hope that you, also, will try to
taolife.com
Filed under Acting Like a Grownup, Attitude, Challenges, Changes, DIET!, exercise, getting the lard off
Laila Ali via Akiva Huber
I’m going to print this one and hang it up so I see it over and over. I’m impatient by nature and have to really talk to myself (I know – I’m nuts) to keep going, whether I’m trying to lose weight and build strength and flexibility, undo several years worth of ‘stuffing’ things into drawers or onto shelves in our master bath, or get our garden and yard under control.
I’m looking at this as a character-building exercise, something that will make me a better person in the long run. I AM making progress on learning my own limitations as I age and modifying my expectations of what I can now do in a day. I still tend to overdo, spending the next day trying to recover. I’m learning to do projects in ‘sessions,’ stopping when I’m feeling overwhelmed, then doing another session until the job is done.
With my weight and strength, there is no time limit. This isn’t a ‘diet.’ It’s a lifestyle change. Now things are complicated because we need to do low or no sugar for my husband. It’s a worthy goal to achieve because it’ll do both of us good. I want my husband to live as long as he is able, feeling as good as possible. Scrambling to learn what I can do to help is something I really want to do. An example, I’ve discovered that avoiding gluten for him is counter-productive, since the gluten is offset by alcohol sugars and other additives. We MUST do a good job of reading labels!
On the master bathroom going through/throwing out/reorganizing/cleaning project – right now it looks as if a bomb exploded in there again, since I’ve emptied out my three large drawers and put things on the step that goes around or bathtub. I’ve already thrown a bunch away and plan to do more of that before deciding what do to with what’s left. Assuming I can finish that today, I’ll plan on the last session tomorrow – pulling out the rugs and doing a deep cleaning of the whole area, including the tub, shower, vanities, floor, and rugs. If I falter, I’ll reread the reminder above…
Pinterest.com
I apparently did too much with the leaf mulching yesterday. I slept in, yet still feel I’ve been run over by a truck. Not ‘sick,’ just completely without energy. I’m going to take it easy today and see if I can find the old broad who usually lives here….
Filed under Attitude
yourellipticals.com
Yesterday I did pretty well on getting my body moving. I started with 15 minutes on the elliptical trainer in the garage. (I took it easy because I had sore muscles from helping my husband put up another raised bed planter in the garden the day before. ) This low impact exercise is good for me because it’s easy on my joints and encourages range of motion.
AskTheTrainer.com
I had my first session with my exercise ball. It was pretty pathetic. I kept trying – but failed – to quit picturing myself trying to use this new tool. I had as much or more trouble getting ON the ball in the right position without falling off as I did trying to do whatever the exercise was. I wallowed a lot, but persevered. The biggest problem was when my husband came in, took one look at me and laughed. (GRRRR!) I then offered to share my workout with him and he left. :0)
I have a few sore muscles this morning, having used different ones that I apparently do doing ANYTHING else. I figure, though, that my TRYING to do each of the exercises will result – eventually – in improvement. To say I have a long way to go is a vast understatement, but I AM moving.
The combination of the elliptical and the exercise ball seems to be a good one. I’ll try to do this a couple of times per week. The alternate days I’ll try to concentrate on my strength exercises with weights and stretching.
I’m trying to take breaks from whatever else I’m doing and MOVE – either exercising or walking out to the garden, or….
Wish me luck. I’m lucky enough to continue to get older each day so far. I’d LIKE to think I’m getting better than I’ve been in a long time.
taolife.com
pinterest.com
We are in a bit of disarray around here as we put an emphasis on “sugar-free” for my husband’s efforts to control his sugar and my low carb efforts to get my lard off. Eating and sleeping patterns are new, resulting in HIS losing weight and MY gaining. :0(
SO – as we search and scramble – the result has been a bit of exhaustion around here, wacky meals and wackier hours – so less emphasis on getting the lard off and a LOT on getting our act together for the long run. The healthier we can get, the better. As I’m fond of him, I want my husband to last as long as possible – AND feel good doing it. We’ll take each day at a time, concentrate on what we’re learning to do right and building new healthy habits.
If you’re having similar challenges, I hope you’re finding the help you need and are making steady progress toward your goals.
One meal at a time.
keetons via keetonsonline.com via cathy ruggiero
I love this. It perfectly describes how I feel much of the time. It’s a very happy state of mind where I am bubbling with thoughts/pictures/ideas I want to share with you, plus ideas for what I would love to do the next time I can make time to be in my art room, or my husband and I have time to create something in the shop.
I’m truly blessed to have too many wonderful things to choose from than I have time or energy to do. The day starts, and then is over in the blink of an eye. I have to write down the things I MUST – upon dire consequences if I don’t – do each day to be sure we mainly stay out of trouble. :0)
We were going to put up the last raised bed planter in our square foot garden today, but then I remembered that tonight we go bowling with good friends, so we’ll put the planter on tomorrow’s list.
I hope that YOU have a fun day planned, with the time and energy to do several things on your list!
Filed under Attitude, Creativity, Dreams
parents
We’re enjoying two days of fall here in Greenwood, Arkansas – today and tomorrow – before going back to ‘summer’ and a/c for another week or so at least. High of 68 today and 74 tomorrow. I feel just like this cute little girl!
The cooler temperatures make me feel a lot more energetic and simply happy with the world. I love opening our front and back doors, getting a delicious cross-breeze and turning on the ceiling fans. As I type Molly (a cocker spaniel/schnauzer cross, is asleep under the counter at my feet. One of our cats, Smoke, is asleep on my daytimer on the table to my right. Our pit bull, Bambi, is snoring on the big dog bed on the other side of my desk, and our 2nd cat, Abby, is happily enjoying sleeping in my husband’s lap as he works at his computer across the room from me. The only pet that isn’t with us right now is our new fish, Sally, who hides in her neon house in her goblet fish bowl, only coming out enthusiastically when I feed her.
I’m enjoying refurbishing a shovel bird we gave the Taylors a few years ago. I got the second coat on it last night and will tackle the feathers today. I’ll spray him with several coats of polyurethane for protection, and then glue on new googly eyes, finishing the project.
Today I plan to tackle exercising with the big exercise ball. I DID do 30 minutes on the elliptical for the first time since we got home from our wonderful trip to Thibodaux.) I meant to try exercises on the ball yesterday, but ran out of time and energy after spending the whole afternoon going from place to place in Fort Smith, trying to find sugar-free goodies for my husband. Happily, we found a gold mine of a store where we found pies and cookies! I’m having trouble finding a white sugar free cake mix that doesn’t have pudding in the mix. None of the stores had it, and I got on the net when we got home, to no avail. :0(
Today, with a lower temperature, seems ripe with opportunities. I’ll figure out some trouble to get into….
cliparting.com
Filed under Attitude, Mother Nature
William Ward and Anita via Zen to Zany and Cathy Ruggiero
Filed under Attitude
diamondhomesupport-com
“I decided to change calling the bathroom the John and renamed it the Jim. I feel so much better saying I went to the Jim this morning.
Last year I joined a support group for procrastinators. We haven’t met yet…
I don’t need anger management. I need people to stop irritating me!
Old age is coming at a really bad time!
When I was a child I thought Nap Time was a punishment… now, as a grown up, it just feels like a small vacation!
The biggest lie I tell myself is… “I don’t need to write that down, I’ll remember it.”‘
Filed under Attitude, Grin for the Day
creativeartworksblog 