Infant Meningitis Awareness Campaign

As parent to a special needs child,

I take great pride in spreading awareness of infant and childhood diseases.

I am a firm believer in vaccines also.

Meningococcal disease is devastating, and it affects infants and teens in particular. We hope these facts will help you see how important it is to prevent this disease. The CDC has already taken huge steps in preventing this disease in teens and young adults. Now they have an opportunity to prevent the same meningococcal disease in infants. Please, Take Action to encourage the CDC to make the right decision.

What is Meningococcal Disease?

• Meningococcal disease is a leading cause of meningitis (an infection of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord) and sepsis (a life-threatening bloodstream infection)
• There are five groups of meningococcal bacteria that are responsible for causing most of the disease. They are C, A, Y, B and W135. Four of these groups are vaccine preventable (C, A, Y and W135)
• Each year approximately 1 in 7 people who contract meningococcal disease will die from it
• The disease starts with non-specific flu-like symptoms, progresses rapidly and aggressively and can kill in as few as four hours, making it a very difficult disease to diagnose and treat
• Of those who survive 1 in 6 will suffer limb amputations, paralysis, seizures, strokes, hearing loss, blindness, organ damage, severe scarring, brain damage and more

Meningococcal Disease in Infants

• Aside from injuries and neonatal complications, meningococcal disease is among the leading causes of preventable infant death in the U.S. Approximately 50-60% of these cases are vaccine preventable
• Recent CDC estimates reveal that meningococcal disease incidence is three to seven times higher in infants under one year old than in any other age group, and the highest risk for meningococcal disease is during the first seven months of life
• Approximately 1 in 16 infants who contract meningococcal disease will die from it
• There are more deaths from meningococcal disease each year than there are from pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella and rotavirus disease – all infections for which infants currently receive vaccinations

Vaccine for Infants

• Right now, the CDC recommends routine meningococcal vaccination for children and adolescents 11-18 years of age
• In April 2011, the FDA approved an infant vaccine as safe and effective at preventing meningococcal disease, and the agency is expected to approve additional infant vaccines for this disease over the next year
• Now that a vaccine to prevent meningococcal disease in infants is available, the CDC will consider it and decide whether or not to recommend its use in infants
• According to a 2010 ACIP presentation, infant vaccination for meningococcal disease would prevent approximately 195 cases and 13 infant deaths caused by this disease each year, making this vaccination an important step towards eliminating the disease entirely in the U.S.

Meningitis Angels is a organization fighting to protect infants against this disease.

Read stories about real families and share your story as well.

Disclosure: "I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central and Meningitis Angels. This campaign was made possible in part through support provided by Novartis Vaccines. A small donation to a charity of my choice was made in my name from Mom Central as a thank-you for participating. All opinions in this posting are 100% my own."

Mother Goose Club DVD Review and Giveaway

About Mother Goose Club:

Mother Goose Club is a series of 1-minute educational programs for preschoolers promoting early literacy. The live-action series features six colorful characters from the Mother Goose world: Teddy Bear, Jack B. Nimble, Little Bo Peep, Baa Baa Sheep, Mary Quite Contrary, and Eep Mouse, who invite viewers to sing and dance along to favorite nursery rhymes.

Nursery rhymes are terrific tools for parents and teachers to help get young children ready to read. Spending a few minutes each day reading or singing nursery rhymes with a child is a simple, cost-effective and enjoyable way to promote early literacy at home. The Mother Goose Club website contains a vast collection of rhymes, with illustrations, audio narrations, songs, sheet music, and printable coloring pages. Some live action and animated videos are also available. For parents and teachers, the site offers activities and tips on using rhymes to promote literacy at home and at school.

Mother Goose Club was produced locally in Nashville, Tennessee. The first 6 of 16 programs began airing on Nashville Public Television in June of 2009, with broadcasts on other PBS affiliates coming soon. The episodes can also be viewed on YouTube, and Facebook. Mother Goose Club is the proud recipient of 14 Midsouth Emmy® award nominations.

Why Nursery Rhymes Matter?

Nursery rhymes help children learn to read. Research has shown that familiarity with Mother Goose and other nursery rhymes helps children develop pre-reading skills, including the ability to detect rhymes. Children who can recognize rhyming words learn to read more quickly and successfully than their peers. This relationship holds true regardless of a child’s socio-economic background or the education level of the parents.

Nursery rhymes are also short and rhythmic, which makes them easy for children to learn and memorize. As children hear, sing or read nursery rhymes, they develop “phonemic awareness” or the ability to detect the individual sounds that make up words, a crucial first step in learning to read. Nursery rhymes also introduce children to new vocabulary, which increases comprehension and benefits learning in all subjects. Most importantly, nursery rhymes are full of colorful characters and stories, which make them fun. The delight children experience as they engage in rhyme activities fosters an enduring enthusiasm for books and reading.

Review:

My son has always loved the computer and online videos. We came across Mothergooseclub.com and I found some videos that caught my son's attention. I found them to be very educational and decided to review the Nursery Rhyme Singing Time with Mother Goose Club DVD. The DVD has story-telling, sing-along songs, and lots of rhymes. The DVD is 40 minutes long and kept my son's attention for the entire length of time.

Giveaway:

I have the opportunity to host a giveaway for the same DVD to one of my readers.
Please fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

The Idiot's Guide to Buying Your Valentine Jewelry

Valentine's Day is coming up, and guys everywhere are wondering how to choose the perfect jewelry item for the one they love the most. It shouldn't be that complicated, but once you step into the jewelry store, the choices can be overwhelming. It doesn't help that your mother, sister and secretary may give you conflicting advice about the best way to express your love for your Valentine.

Jewelry Buying Tips

Toss out the advice of others unless that person knows your partner very well. Her sister or best friend would be the best person to ask for advice. It doesn't matter what your co-workers would like. Buy what your girlfriend or wife would want.

Pay attention to her taste and style of jewelry. Subtly examine the jewelry that she already wears. Does she wear silver or gold more often? Does she like large, flashy pieces or smaller, simple styles? Some ladies prefer artsy, unique pieces, and others like classic styles. Some women do not care much for gemstones, but prefer engraved metal jewelry. If you give her a piece of jewelry that matches her taste, she will be flattered that you cared enough to notice what she really prefers.

Consider whether she follows trends and fashions in clothing and jewelry. If so, look for a new and exciting piece that will add to her collection. Currently, large chunky jewelry is in style that emphasizes natural colors and organic materials, like stone and wood, leather-wrap-bracelet-with-sterling and feather-and-citrine-earrings-fall-sunset
Know your budget. Just because you may be on a tight budget, you can still make her say wow and demonstrate your passion by a lovely jewelry gift. You will just have to put a little more thought into your gift, since you can't awe her with an amazing diamond. Perhaps she would find it romantic to have a bracelet or pendant engraved with a special quote or both of your names. You could give her a Pandora bracelet, for which you can buy her a charm on every special occasion that the two of you spend together. 

What Not to Do

 Never give her a piece of jewelry that you originally gave an ex-girlfriend. Instead, see if you can trade it in at the store toward the purchase of something new, special and just for her. Don't think you can get away with this, because she will eventually find out, one way or another. 

 Make sure that she will wear the piece that you choose. Some women don't like to wear rings or bracelets. If you are thinking of buying her earrings, make sure that her ears are pierced. If so, dangling earrings annoy some women, so make sure that you have seen her wear something similar to what you may be considering.

Do not always buy jewelry based upon the ads that you may have seen. Be sure you look around, compare prices, and take your time. 

Above all, shop ahead of time, so that you will not feel rushed. The biggest mistake that men make is to wait until the last minute and then rush to the store, buying the first item that they find.

Laura Davis currently writes for Accessrx, an online facilitator for discreet medications such as Viagra, Cialis and Levitra online. Laura has extensive background in health and wellness and enjoys offering her tips on the AccessRx Research Center and AccessRx Health Blog.

Purex UltraPacks Review

I received a sample of the latest laundry innovation- the NEW Purex UltraPacks laundry detergent.
In February 2012, Purex will be launching new UltraPacks detergent, et another innovative new laundry product from Purex.

So what are Purex UltraPacks?

Convenient pre-dosed liquid detergent packs that make laundry easier than ever.

No more mess, spills, or heavy jugs!

Each Purex UltraPack contains powerful 2x concentrated liquid detergent, giving each UltraPack double the cleaning power in every drop.

Purex UltraPacks are dissolve quickly once the washer is started- even in cold water.

Purex UltraPacks are formulated and safe for all machines, including high-efficiency.

Available in Mountain Breeze and Free & Clear.

The Purex UltraPacks are great. They made doing laundry very easy. I like the no spill or heavy jugs too. I am going to be getting some coupons to share with my readers so you can see how easy and convenient Purex UltraPacks are!

You can visit FreeSamplePurex.com in February 2012 and score a sample!

Disclosure: "Purex provided a free sample of their UltraPacks laundry detergent so I could write a review. However, all opinions expressed are my own."

Healthy Child Healthy World Searches for 2012 Mom on a Mission

Nominations are now open at http://www.healthychild.org/mission to find

eight extraordinary parents—one of whom will become our 2012 “Mom on a

Mission.” From January through August, Healthy Child will select and honor

one finalist each month; in September and October, the general public will

vote to choose the winner, who will honored with a grand prize at a gala

event in New York City in November.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary year, Healthy Child Healthy World began in

1992 after five-year-old Colette Chuda died of a rare form of

non-hereditary cancer linked to environmental factors. Playing a leadership

role in one of the most important public health and environmental movements

of the 21st century, today Healthy Child Healthy World ignites the movement

that empowers parents to protect children from harmful chemicals. More

information can be found at www.healthychild.org.

Careful of Unknown Websites

Guest post written by Joseph Finch

While I was doing some research on the internet that I got from www.clearwirelessinternet4g.com the other day, I came across some very interesting information. The website that I was visiting promised that I could work from home and make some extra money. Now, this certainly seemed like a scam, but since I’m so miserable in my job I decided to click on the link. Here’s something that you should know about any offer that seems too good to be true- IT IS. After I went through a series of what looked like legitimate screens, all of a sudden advertisements started popping up on my screen like crazy! Every time I tried to click out of them, another one would pop up! After several minutes like that, my computer totally crashed. I’m not even kidding you. I had to go and buy a whole new computer AND unsubscribe from all of the spam e-mail from my account. (I gave them my e-mail address.) Please learn from my mistake and DO NOT go to a website that you’re not familiar with!

'It Can Wait' Pledge

In the new year, musician JoJo, Cambio and AT&T want one of your resolutions to be to stop texting and driving! Take the pledge today to be a safer driver!

JoJo , Cambio and AT&T Join Together to Tell Fans ‘It Can Wait’ to Stop Texting While Driving

According to Car and Driver , texting while driving is more dangerous than driving under the influence* and those who send text messages while driving are 23 times more likely to be in a crash**. Music sensation JoJo and Cambio, the online destination for teens and young adults, have teamed up with AT&T’s “It Can Wait” campaign to help combat this epidemic.

Throughout the month of January, Cambio will release three videos about the risks of texting and driving narrated by the twenty-one- year-old-platinum-selling songstress, JoJo, through Cambio Impact — Cambio’s new social causes platform. In these compelling vignettes, JoJo reminds her peers that text messages can and should wait until after driving. The first video is available to watch HERE.

JoJo and Cambio encourage their collective fan base to take AT&T’s “It Can Wait” pledge to not text and drive on Facebook. To help drive pledges, JoJo has agreed to do a Cambio Live Chat with her fans when the total number of pledges exceeds 50,000. To take the pledge, visit https://apps.facebook.com/itcanwait/.