Dogs4Diabetes

I recently came across an article about diabetes-detecting dogs. These dogs apparently have the ability to tell when a person’s blood sugar levels are getting dangerously low. Is this for real????

The article was about a non-profit organization that trains dogs for special diabetics. The organization is called Dogs4Diabetes and has been open since 2003. After a little research I found out it takes about 2 years and $20,000 to fully train one dog.

My grandmother was diagnosed with diabetes when I was young and we were extremely close so I was always around it & it’s effects. There are 2 different types of diabetes: type 1 & type 2. Sometimes a person can’t tell when their blood sugar levels are getting dangerously low until it is too late, until the dizziness overwhelms them and then it’s very hard to take control of this disease. This is what the dogs are for. The dogs can sense when the person’s levels are getting low so they can wake them, bark, or get their attention somehow.

This is remarkable! Right now science can’t figure out how these canines can do this. So my theory is not to question it… just do it. Train these dogs & help save lives!!!

If you want to check these animals out you can go to Dogs4Diabetes website: www.dogs4diabetes.com  

Sports :)

Growing up, I always loved sports. My parents were never ‘big’ on sports and never pushed us into them, it just kinda happened with basketball. My twin sister & I started playing at a very young age & it’s still one of our favorite past times. It gave us some really incredible role models & inspired us to do great in our lives.

My other sister, on the other hand, never played sports. During school she seemed to struggle more with her grades and with also who she is as a person. Kristy & I were always the smart, basketball twins but Amber was struggling to find her own identity. 

Playing sports is one of the favorite activities of a lot of us. Besides being a fun activity, sports offer several health benefits both physically and mentally. People who play sports tend to not be as sick.

Playing sports serves as an excellent exercise, which has a wide variety of health benefits. It reduces blood sugar level and reduces the risk of blood cholesterol. Playing sports decreases the chances of hypertension and several other stress related disorders. Research has revealed that people who play sports regularly can deal with stresses and strains in life in a better manner. Depression, anxiety and other psychological disorders are less probable in people who indulge in sport activities.
 
Sports serve as excellent physical exercise. Those who play sports have a more positive body image than those who don’t. Playing sports often involves physical activities like running, jumping and stretching and moreover a constructive expenditure of energy. Playing sports since an early age strengthens the bones & muscles and tones the person’s body. Sports provide the body with a complete exercise.

It can also help develop better math skills. It develops leadership qualities and fosters a team spirit in them. Sports involve competition. It teaches kids how to win & lose. If taught right then they will be able to these things gracefully. This exposes the players to both the aspects of life, successes and failures. Sports build a competitive spirit in children and teach them to be participative irrespective of whether the participation concludes in a victory or a defeat. Playing sports teaches a person to accept both successes and failures in a positive spirit. The most important benefit of playing sports is the sportsman spirit or in my high school, the ‘Lion Pride’. Playing sports results in the development of a sportive nature, which is helpful throughout one’s life.

Playing sports is very beneficial for the development of social skills in a person. Sports teach a person to interact with people & act as a team. They foster collective thinking and develop planning skills in children. Sports build confidence in children and give them a sense of accomplishment therefore playing a vital role in their well-being.

Playing sports requires the children to plan thoughtfully. They need to devise the best ways to score goals, the best strategies to win and plan carefully towards victory. Statistics show that kids involved in sports activities fare well in academics and their school and college activities.

Playing sports serves as an excellent exercise, which has a wide variety of health benefits. It reduces blood sugar level and reduces the risk of blood cholesterol. Playing sports decreases the chances of hypertension and several other stress related disorders. Research has revealed that people who play sports regularly can deal with stresses and strains in life in a better manner. Depression, anxiety and other psychological disorders are less probable in people who indulge in sport activities.

Regular exercise helps increase the overall quality of life. Playing sports acts as a beautiful blend of recreation and physical activity. It is a combination of both enjoyment and exercise.

socks4kids

I recently went to Harrison where my mother bought my daughter her first ‘big girl’ bible. It is absolutely adorable and was at a very reasonable price. While we were at ‘Christian Book Outlet’ we signed up to receive their catalogs via snail mail. Tuesday I was looking through the small catalog at all of the different videos, bibles, etc that they had for sale and on the very back page they had a snippit of information about a fundraiser they are doing. The fundraiser is called ‘socks4kids’ and it says: We’re collecting socks for area children. Please join us in this ministry by bringing children’s socks to any Christian Book Outlet or Christian Gift Outlet. The socks will be distributed to area children for Christmas. Thank you for your blessing!

After seeing  this I felt the need to pass this along to all of you. Socks come in many shapes and sizes and most are relatively inexpensive. Girls especially will love getting funky/cool socks and besides it will keep their feet warm…. Warm feet = Warm Heart.

To find a location close to you, simply go to their website: www.inspire4less.com or you can find them on Twitter or Facebook. There are many different ways to be inspirational this upcoming holiday season so let’s be overachievers! J

Bullying

When I agreed to write a blog on bullying, I was skeptical at first. I didn’t know a lot about the subject to be honest. It seems that the topic of bullying is everywhere now. I was watching the news last week about a School Board member posting a status on Facebook implying Gay people should kill themselves. This is absolutely horrible. It doesn’t matter if you find a persons beliefs wrong,  you should never, ever want someone to die!

I have 2 small children & one of my main goals is to teach them to always treat others like they would want to be treated. My daughter recently started Kindergarten and has already seen bullying. This is one of the main reasons I stopped putting her in pageants. ‘Pageant Moms’ are some of the worst bullies I have come across. Kids learn by example and so the children of these monsters start bullying at an early age. Most bullying is in the form of words, “I am prettier than you… I should’ve won… etc.”

In my opinion, parents are the number one reason why bullying exists. As a parent, it’s my job to teach my kids right from wrong. Bullying hurts everyone. Victims can have their feelings hurt or be injured by bullies. Other kids can feel sad or scared, even if they are just watching a bully pick on someone else. Kids who bully often grow up to become adult bullies.

Bullies come in all shapes and sizes and ages. Anyone can be a bully - even you. Kids usually become bullies because they are unhappy inside for some reason or don't know how to get along with other kids.

Bullying can happen to anyone. Here is a website to help with this problem: www.bullying.org

At that site there is lots more information and special support groups for victims of bullying.