AEC- I Decide

The Choices You Make Today, Will DECIDE Your Tomorrow!

                                                                M-O-M Blog                  

Five Top Tips for A Healthy Summer

June 9, 2014
I put together some suggestions for our "Girl Talk" girls and thought I would share them on my blog. They are pretty basic suggestions for a healthy summer, but we all need reminders sometimes:

Five Top Tips for A Healthy Summer

1. Get some sleep – Even if it is summer vacation, your body needs sleep to repair itself and to grow. Kids need about 10-11 hours of sleep. From age 12 and up at least 8 ½ hours is necessary, with regular bedtimes and wake up times, to help keep the body’s clock working well.
2. Eat colorful, natural foods – To get the nutrition your body needs, choose vegetables and fruits  in a rainbow of colors. Limit sweets and packaged foods.
3. Drink lots of water – The body is mostly made up of water (50-60%) and it is also necessary for the body to work properly. At about 1% dehydration, we slow down both mentally and physically. Thirstiness kicks in at 2 -3% dehydration. 6 - 8 glasses of liquid a day is optimum.
4. Wear sunscreen, hats, sunglasses and get extra vitamin C – Protecting your skin from sunburn starts from childhood, even one burn can increase the chances of getting skin cancer which is deadly. Sunscreen needs be reapplied every 2 hours or after swimming. Sunglasses protect your eyes from the UVA and UVB lights which can damage your eyesight. Vitamin C (in fruits and vegetables or in a supplement) helps protect your skin from the inside.
5. Get some exercise – With the nice weather, it’s easy to spend 30-45 minutes at least 3 times a week, getting some exercise. The body is built to move and it keeps your system working properly.

 

"I want to woo you"

March 13, 2014
There is an expectation that a film that comes from BBC's Masterpiece Theater will be of exceptional quality and "The 39 Steps" is no exception. Based on John Buchan's thriller which is a fictional story about WWII, it is unexpectedly charming, romantic and exciting all at the same time and the performances are superb.
I found this video by accident. I was browsing our local library for a film. My husband likes action films and I couldn't find one without an R rating. I found this one and alth...
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The Character Games

March 10, 2014
Last summer, AEC was invited to do a "lock-in" for a group of American Heritage Girls in Greene, NY. to be held around Valentine's Day in 2014. In January, I shot off an email to check on the situation. The girls range in age from 9-12, so the plan was to do our "What is Beauty" program, which is about self-respect, goal setting, inner beauty and the false image that is portrayed of women in the media. I didn't hear back (not realizing that getting to a computer was not easy for the woman I w...
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A Flurry of Weddings

December 17, 2013

A couple of years ago, I read that fewer weddings were being performed in America. So, it is rather ironic that among our friends and relatives, there has been one wedding (or engagement) after another. It started about 3 years ago with the  wedding of my younger daughter’s best and longest friend. Since then my cousin’s son was married, my older daughter was married, the children of six of my friends were married, my younger daughter just got engaged and 7 more of her friends married in ...


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The Power of Character

December 12, 2013

I have been sitting in on a slowly developing coalition for character in my county. Our organization, AEC-I Decide had tried last year to interest the county next to ours in a character building program for the simple reason that it is one of the poorest counties in New York and character programs have been proven to change the status quo. Unfortunately, we got virtually no response from the local schools which were originally supposed to be our jumping off point.  The schools are ideal as ...


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Copyblogger is having a competition!

November 25, 2013
Having fallen into blogging, I am still uncertain as to what I am doing! But Copyblogger to the rescue. They have daily tips on writing and they are having a contest for a course with them. Following is my entry. The point is that it is important to take advantage of the uniqueness that is you. Like snowflakes each of us is different and each of us is important and special.

You Need Credibility to Crush the Competition
Have you ever won a contest, a competition or a job? To win, you have to be...
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“Beauty In and Out”Event Made Possible by Stewart’s Shops Holiday Match Grant

November 25, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date:  November 20, 2013
Contact: Arline Saiki, 607-433-1730, wib@aec-idecide.org
 
“Beauty In and Out”Event Made Possible by Stewart’s Shops Holiday Match Grant
The basement of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in New Berlin was the setting for a beauty event for teen girls.
 
West Oneonta, NY –   On November 16, 2013, the Abstinence Education Council hosted a program for teen girls about being attractive. A dozen young women (and several moms!) enjoyed finding...

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Taking a Look At Talented Children

August 1, 2013
I am always astonished at the abilities of younger and younger children.  I was watching (for the first time!) an "America's Got Talent" show on TV the other day and a lovely 11 year old girl with an incredible voice was on. Unfortunately, although the song she chose was suitable for her voice and range, it was inappropriate for her age. She played the piano and sang an old rock song from the 60s. Having struggled through piano lessons myself for years, I could appreciate the hard work and ef...
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Reports

July 19, 2013
We are happy to report that my piece "An Attitude of Gratitude" was accepted for Wayman Publishing's upcoming Parenthood Anthology.

On a down note, however; the hooking up culture is taking it's toll - Depression Among College Students Linked to Hook-up Culture, Study Says http://shar.es/krCzN via @sharethis. Please note that there was a report that "students in coed dorms are more than twice as likely to have three or more sexual partners". It is a bizarre and horrible thing that the college...
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An "Attitude of Gratitude"

July 1, 2013

I have been thinking about making our blog more "bloggy". So I am moving our newsletter information under the tab newsletter and re-working this section into more parenting information. This is happening to correspond to an opportunity to have our blog become part of an even bigger project, a contest (I do like contests!) from the authors of "The Blogger's Survival Guide" and Wayman Publishing. Contestant winners will have their stories featured in Wayman Publishing's upcoming parenting ant...


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5x7 Folded Card
View the entire collection of cards.


May 11, 2012

Tara Coles is the recipient of the grand prize package of the Moms In Business Grant.  The press release is online at http://mibn.org/site.php/snew/read/mibgrant2012-grandprizeannoun/

Congratulations to Tara!  We are sorry we didn't win but Tara did an amazing job. She just blew everyone away with her energy, her generosity and her social media skills. She really deserved this prize.

AEC did raise over $2000 and I learned so much from trying to pick up social media. I have dozens of followers on Twitter now and offers for help from a few of them.

Next on our schedule is a table at the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church's health fair in Binghamton. We were part of it last year and our band "Treasure" will be playing again. I will (hopefully) remember my camera and take pics.

God bless,
Arline

April 27, 2012,

Lots of challenges when it comes to abstinence education. I've been taking many webinars and getting lots of coaching from them and from Gina Robison at Moms in Business and today I got this e-mail when I inquired about a mentor with one group. I asked them if I could put it on my blog without giving their name because it is so illustrative of what we face.

Dear Arline,

Thank you for your email.  I’m glad you found the webinar useful.

As to getting a mentor, I can assure you we are trying hard to find one for you.  However, it is proving quite a challenge as the aims of the organization you represent are not acceptable to some people – in fact, I have already had 3 potential mentors turn you down as a mentee. I will keep trying though and hope to find one for you eventually.

I hope this clarifies matters.

 

Dear...........

Thank you so much for your help and your frank reply. I certainly appreciate the fact that you are willing to help us as this is exactly the problem we face. Many people will not tolerate our organization despite the fact that we help girls avoid the consequences of promiscuity and unwed motherhood, which are: sexually transmitted diseases (and diseases like cancer which result), heartbreak, depression, infertility, and lifelong poverty, not to mention the impact of these problems on subsequent generations. We realize that it is ignorance of the reality of the results of poor life choices and the fact that most people live their lives and make their decisions based on agendas which are primarily aimed at being politically correct and/or for profit. The peculiar thing is that there are few people, if any, in this atmosphere who would condemn anti-smoking campaigns or programs which teach good citizenship. Yet, abstinence is all about self-respect, self-control, and goal-setting, vital skills for every walk of life and in any and all situations.

I know that this is not everyone's viewpoint however, as illustrated by our acceptance as semi-finalists for the second year in a row with the National Moms In Business Crowdfunding Grant competition and by your own assistance and by funding from such groups as the Stewart Shops Foundation.

Thank you again for your assistance.


 



 

 

 Abstinence Education Council 2013

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