MAKE A NOTE!! -- August 1st, 1999

CIRCULATION 2, 172+

A Free Twice Monthly Newsletter with (Hopefully) Useful Info on a Wide Variety of Topics

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In This Issue:

	Kids' Car Games
	Bedtimes Made Easier
	GBS-Save a Life
	Christmas Made Easy (Yes, Now! :))
	Real Age-Adding Years to Your Life
	Back Issues Now Available
	Joke, Quote, Feedback, Subscription Info

NOTE: Each entry has a suggested "POST IT..." location at the end. We recommend that you print out the newsletter, cut out each entry & post it at these locations to make it easier for you to find it when you need it.

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KIDS' CAR GAMES

While most of these came from an article in USAA Magazine (very good insurance prices if you are a military family, retired or active duty), many will be familiar to you. So here are some ways to keep the kids occupied on those end of summer trips. BEETLE-Look for VW Beetles, any Beetle = 1pt, Red ones = 5pts, Convertibles = 10pts, & adjust for other assorted Beetles as you see fit. WHEEL WATCHER-Same kind of game, just assign points for difference size vehicles like big trucks, buses, ambulances, police, etc. I would suggest you write down the points BEFORE everyone gets too confused. Maybe even make copies before the trip so everyone can see what to look for. COW POKER-Each player counts the cows on his side of the car, a white horse is worth 10 pts, but if you see a cemetery on your side of the car, it "buries" all the cows & you have to start over. ALPHABET GAME-Look for words on signs that start with A, then B, etc, til someone makes it through the alphabet & they win. PROGRESSIVE STORY-One person starts a story, then another person continues it, another person adds more & it continues on as long as you want. STATE PLATES-See how many different states you can find on license plates. WHAT CAN WE GUESS?-This is my personal favorite because there are no winners or losers and it teaches kids' observation & thinking skills. One day I asked my kids what they could guess about the driver in the car ahead of me just by looking at the vehicle & person in it. So if it is an out of state plate, then you could say the person might be from that state or lived there before. If they have a "My kid is an honor roll student..." sticker, then they probably have kids. If it is a minivan, with a car seat, then they probably have a baby. If they have a sports sticker, then they are probably a fan of that team & could be from that part of the country. Expensive car then they are either well off or deeply in debt. Tassels hanging from mirror, probably a recent graduate. Lots of boxes in the back, possibly moving or have their own business. Dented rear end, might stop suddenly. Anyway, you get the idea. Another great way to help pass the time is to purchase, or record off the radio, kids' shows to listen to in the car. Adventures in Odyssey are our favorite (for stations near you & times, call 1-800-A-Family). Even better, let the child use a walkman to listen to the tapes and you & your spouse can enjoy actual conversation. If you have more than one child you can also purchase a split jack to use 2 headsets with one walkman. POST IT...in your glove compartment.

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BEDTIMES MADE EASIER

Think I could possibly venture to say that ALL kids have trouble with going to bed, when they are told to, at some time in their lives. One thing that REALLY works well for us, only takes about 5 min a child most nights. Do a bedtime cuddle with each child. Tell them you love them, hug & kiss them, tell them that they are the ONLY 7-yr-old girl they would ever want (adjust for your child of course :)), tell them that you know they have a wonderful future ahead of them, and that you will be there for them no matter what. Check out "The Gift of the Blessing" by John Trent & Gary Smalley for how important these things are. Ask the child if there is anything that is bothering them, that they want to talk about, are worried about, or want to pray about (most nights these things are pretty minor, but it is usually this area that can stretch it out longer than 5 min, BUT these are the times that you NEED to spend that extra time with them). Pray for them aloud, pray for their struggles, their future, their relationships (future spouses & children? It's never too soon to start.), whatever concerns them and you. Then pray that they would have a good night's sleep. Sing them a song that will be "their" song. When we do this, and I am not always as diligent as I should be with this, the kids tend to stay in bed & go to sleep very quickly. When I don't do it, I have a lot of ups & downs, excuses, bathroom trips, drinks of water, kissing the dog goodnight, forgotten toys....well you get the idea. So take a small amount of time and make the evening end on a loving note, instead of a discordant one. And if you do a special cuddle with the kids in the morning, the day even tends to go better. POST IT...near your children's rooms?

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GBS-SAVE A LIFE

Group B Strep (GBS) is the number one infectious killer of newborns. While it occurs naturally in the intestinal & reproductive tracts (without symptoms) of 10%-35% of all adults, it can be deadly if a baby is exposed to it in utero or during delivery. Testing in the last trimester of pregnancy is becoming more common, as IV antibiotics can be given during labor to prevent most infections, even though not all babies exposed become sick. If they do become sick, then it can result in loss of hearing or sight, physical/learning disabilities, or even death. Early onset GBS disease occurs within the first week of life as the bacteria acquired during birth multiply. Late onset disease can occur anywhere up to the age of 4 months. For testing, risk factors, symptoms, & further information please check the GBS Association web site at http://www.groupbstrep.org, the Jesse Cause at http://www.groupbstrep.com, or the CDC site at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/gbs. A simple test could save your baby's life. Thanks so much to Marti P. who has taken the time to reach out to others in the hope of saving lives. POST IT...in your pregnancy books under doctors' visits and pass it on to pregnant friends.

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CHRISTMAS MADE EASY (YES NOW!!)

Ever since I started the Make a Note about 2 yrs ago, this topic has been a popular one. It is a recommended schedule starting in August, so that by Thanksgiving all of your Christmas preparations will be done with. Fortunately, we now have back issues available by email so that you can request a copy of the schedule. Please see the information below on how to request information on getting back issues. The issue you want is the Aug. 15th, 1998 issue. POST IT...by your computer, then take the schedule and post on your fridge.

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REAL AGE-ADDING YEARS TO YOUR LIFE

Dr. Michael Roizen has written a wonderful book, "Real Age-Are You As Young As You Can Be?". We all notice how even though some people are the same age, some look very youthful, while others looked considerably older than the rest. What he has done is taken all those studies we have seen reported on individually that this or that will either prolong or shorten your life, and he has factored it into a Real Age Calculator. How is Real Age different from your chronological age? Your Real Age is the indicator of how good a condition your body is in, and often how young or old you look. So if you have smoked fewer than 5 cigarettes in your life, then your body will be about 3 yrs younger than the average person, but if you have smoked for more than 20 yrs, then your body would be in a condition about 3 yrs older than the average person. Then 4 or more servings of fruit a day...1 yr younger, no servings...1 yr older. So you go through the chart and it uses about 125 different factors to determine your Real Age. Now for those of you resigned to genes, you should know that they have found that genetics account for less than 30% of all aging effects, and it matters less as you get older, so "by the age of 80 behavioral choices account almost entirely for a person's overall health & longevity". The neat thing about this book is that it is a practical one that gives you things that can improve your Real Age in groups of Quick Fixes, Moderately Easy Changes, Moderate Changes, Moderately Difficult, and Most Difficult. So you can start on the Quick Fix list & take 6.4 yrs off your Real Age just by brushing & flossing daily (it has to do with bacteria, folks). And eventually you can work your way to the Most Difficult changes like reducing stress. It is a fantastic book. And even better, there is a web site where you can fill out the calculator questions free (they even have a short & long version), and get the latest information on new studies. They adjust the calculator as new studies come out. So it is even more up to date than the book. The calculator will only be available online FREE for the first year the book is out, so I think you only have until Oct 99 before they will probably start making people pay for the service. The changes you make won't just improve your Real Age, but will also help you feel better & probably enjoy life more. Watch for a rerun of Dr. Roizen's appearance on Oprah. Check out the web site at http://www.realage.com. POST IT... by your computer and on your "books to get" list.

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BACK ISSUES NOW AVAILABLE

Once again, thanks to the hard work of Pastor Wilson, our ever vigilant list manager, back issues are now available. The issues since June 1st, 1999 are available at the web site shown below under back issues. The rest of the issues are available by email by following the directions below. You will receive a summary of the topics in each issue & then you decide which issues to request. Very little of our material is time sensitive, so I think you will find useful things in each issue. POST IT...by your computer.

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JOKE (from Lawana D.)-in honor of John & Terri's wedding

A little boy was in a relative's wedding. As he was coming down the aisle he would take 2 steps, stop, turn to the crowd (alternating between the bride & the groom's side), put his hands up like claws and roar. So it went, step, step, ROAR, step, step, ROAR all the way down the aisle. As you can imagine, the crowd was near tears from laughing so hard by the time he reached the pulpit. The little boy, however, was getting more & more distressed from all the laughing, & was also near tears by the time he reached the pulpit. When asked what he was doing, the child sniffed & said, "I was being the Ring Bear...". :)

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QUOTE (contributed by Tom C.)

"It is not then, in the glare of public but in the shade of private life that we are to look for the man. Private life is always real life, behind the curtain where the eyes of the million are not upon him. There he will always be sure to act himself, consequently if he acts greatly in private he must be great indeed. Hence it has been justly said that our private deeds if noble are the noblest of our live...it is the private virtues that lay the foundations of all human excellence."

--M. L. Weams, Life of George Washington 1800

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FEEDBACK-FEEDBACK-FEEDBACK

CORRECTION: Eastbay's Discount Catalog is called "Final Score", not Fast Forward.

RE: Iced Tea Made Easy (Correction)

Ruth in Nebraska pointed out that the recipe makes 1/2 gallon, not 1 gallon. Thanks for the correction, Ruth. :)

RE: Brownies Quote

"Thanks for your Make-a-Note newsletter; I always get such wonderful things from there! But this movies/brownies is one of the cleverest things I've seen in a long time...I sent (it) on to all my email list..." from another Ruth :)

RE: Feedback Praising Christian Viewpoint of Newsletter (in the interest of presenting both sides) "Just for the record, I don't particularly enjoy the Christian slant your newsletter has, being not Christian myself. However, I haven't yet found another newsletter that offers me the variety of topics & tips that yours does. In our society, it's difficult to ignore Christianity, so for now, I ignore the Christian undertones & get to the real issues. Thank you for all the information you share with me each month!!" --from Laurie A. in WV

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Here we are at the end of another issue. As always, feel free to forward the newsletter to anyone you think would be interested AND let me know what you are interested in seeing.

God Bless,

Sharon

Editor, Make a Note ^I^

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