Thanksgiving

Free Batteries at Staples

From now through December 26, 2009, you can get free batteries at Staples! Just sign up for their Rewards card and then buy a 20-pack of Duracell batteries at $12.99 and you’ll get $12.99 back in Staples Rewards.

This deal can be done twice per week per customer. So by December 26, you should be good and stocked with batteries!

More details here.

Thanks, Balancing Beauty and Bedlam and Money Saving Mom!

Consuming Alcohol During Pregnancy

November 23, 2009

A new study from Perth’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research has found evidence that the amount and timing of alcohol consumption in pregnancy affects child behaviour in different ways. 

 

The study has just been published online in the international journal Addiction. Lead author Colleen O’Leary said the analysis was drawn from a random sample of more than 2000 mothers who completed a questionnaire three months after the baby’s delivery, and were then followed up when the child was 2, 5 and 8 years of age. 

 

“Mothers who reported what we would classify as heavy drinking in the first trimester ofpregnancy were nearly three times as likely to report that their child suffered with anxiety and/or depression or somatic complaints,” Ms O’Leary said. ”Those who drank moderately during that first trimester were twice as likely to report those types of behavioural issues for their child. 

 

“Exposure to moderate or heavy levels of alcohol in late pregnancy increased the risk of aggressive types of behaviours in the child. ”This research suggests that both the timing and the intensity of alcohol exposure in the womb affect the type of behaviour problems expressed.” 

 

In this study low levels of alcohol did not increase the risk of harm to the baby. However, the evidence clearly shows that the risk to the baby increases with increasing amounts consumed. ”It should also be noted that in this study moderate exposure is classified as drinking 3-4 standard drinks per occasion- that’s about two normal glasses of wine-and no more than a bottle of wine drunk over a week.” Heavy drinking included women who were drinking the equivalent of more than a bottle of wine per week.

 

Note: I just received a letter from an adoption agency that placed one of my kids in our home for adoption, saying that their birth mother consumed 40+ ounces of alcohol a day and was addicted to cocaine during her pregnancies. She had been referred to rehabs many times but didn’t go. Why do mothers do this to their children?  This is one disability, FASD, that can be prevented. Not only can the child’s future behavior be affected by the mother drinking alcohol during pregnancy, but there can be physical and mental damage as well.

GAP Changes Advertising – Boycott Suspended

Your actions make a difference! Gap says “pro-Christmas” ad to air this weekend

November 24, 2009

According to Bill Chandler, vice-president of Gap corporate communications, Gap’s Old Navy division will launch a new television commercial this weekend which “has a very strong Christmas theme.”

Chandler responded to AFA last Friday, after a poll showed 90% of AFA supporters wanted to continue the boycott as a result of Gap’s initial “holiday” ad that mingled Christmas with the pagan “Winter Solstice” holiday. Gap says the new ad will include the popular Supermodelquins proudly cheering “Merry Christmas”, and features Christmas trees, lights and ornaments as well.

In good faith, AFA is suspending the Gap boycott until it has an opportunity to view the new commercial this weekend. As a result of your dedicated actions, we believe Gap is beginning to realize that Christmas is not just another “holiday” and will begin to advertise in a way that is respectful to Christians and Christmas shoppers.

Here is the last call to stand with us and proclaim to our communities that Christmas is not just a winter holiday focused on materialism, but a “holy day” when we celebrate the birth of our Savior. We can do it in a gentle and effective way by wearing the “God’s Gift – Merry Christmas” button. Don’t wait!  Place your order by December 1 to receive it before Christmas.

Thank you for your vigilance. My prayer is that you and your family will have a meaningful Thanksgiving Day celebration.

Tim Wildmon, President

American Family Association

Mackenzie Turns 3

It was so fun to have Mackenzie at our house to celebrate her third birthday. We started out by making tuna salad together and had lunch with a birthday cake. Every time Mackenzie saw her cake she said, “Kenzie’s birthday!” Great Grandma Woodward gave Mackenzie a Bible. Pretending to read, she said, “God loves you!”

The Boys Visit PCC

Show Him Your Badge!

A DEA agent stops at a ranch in Texas and talks with an old rancher. He tells the rancher, “I need to inspect your ranch for illegally grown drugs.” The rancher points and says, “Okay, but do not go in that field over there.”

The DEA agent explodes: “Mister, I have the authority of the federal government behind me.” Reaching into his rear pants pocket, he proudly displays his badge to the rancher. “See this badge? This badge means I am allowed to go wherever I wish … on any land. No questions asked or answers given. Have I made myself clear? Do you understand?”

 The rancher nods politely, apologizes and goes about his chores. A short time later, the old rancher hears loud screams and sees the DEA agent running for his life while being chased by the rancher’s prize bull. With every step the bull is gaining ground on the officer, and it seems likely that he’ll get horned before he reaches safety. The officer is clearly terrified. The rancher throws down his tools, runs to the fence and yells at the top of his lungs: “Your badge, Show him your badge!”

Free Bloomin’ Onion at Outback

Outback is on Facebook and is offering a free Bloomin’ onion to those who become a fan of their page. Go to http://www.facebook.com/outback and click on “become a fan.” You will have to sign-up to receive your coupon via email. The Bloomin’ onion is free with purchase of an entree. Enjoy!

Retailers Censoring Christmas

Naughty or Nice? AFA’s 2009 listing of top retailers and how they recognize Christmas Based on current advertising, below is a list of companies that avoid, ban, or use the term “Christmas” in their advertising. They will continually update the list, so check back with the AFA through out the Christmas season.

Criteria – AFA reviewed up to four areas to determine if a company was “Christmas-friendly” in their advertising: print media (newspaper inserts), broadcast media (radio/television), website and/or personal visits to the store. If a company’s ad has references to items associated with Christmas (trees, wreaths, lights, etc.), it was considered as an attempt to reach “Christmas” shoppers. If a company has items associated with Christmas, but did not use the word “Christmas,” then the company is considered as censoring “Christmas.”

AFA is calling for a “Christmas” boycott of Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic stores. Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic, the three stores owned by San Francisco-based Gap Inc., are being targeted by AFA in a limited two-month boycott over the company’s failure to use the word “Christmas” in its advertising to Christmas shoppers.

Gap refuses to use the word Christmas in its television commercials, newspaper ads and in-store promotions despite tens of thousands of consumer requests to recognize Christmas as well as repeated requests from AFA to do the same.

Just one week before Christmas last year, Gap reiterated this politically correct statement to Christmas shoppers. “Gap recognizes that many traditions are celebrated throughout this season and we feel it is important to display holiday signage that is inclusive to everyone.”

Here are the companies who have kept “Christmas” in their advertising:

Amazon.com
Bass Pro Shops
Bath & Body Works
Bed Bath & Beyond
Belk
Big Lots
Collective Brands
Costco
Dollar Tree
Family Dollar
Dollar General
Hallmark
Hobby Lobby
Home Depot
JC Penney
Kmart
Lowe’s
Macy’s
Meijer
Menard’s
Michael’s Stores
Neiman Marcus
Petsmart
Rite Aid
Sears
Super D Drug Stores
Target
Toys R Us
Walgreens
Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club

Listed below are the companies who use “Christmas” marginally. We are encouraged to either avoid these businesses and/or make it clear to them that we want “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays” in their advertisements.

Advance Auto Parts
Aldi
Barnes & Noble
Books-A-Million
Braum’s Ice Cream
CVS Pharmacy
Dick’s Sporting Goods
Gap Stores
Harris Teeter Stores
H.E.B. Stores
Home Shopping Network
Kroger
Limited Brands
McDonald’s
Nordstrom
Office Depot
Olive Garden
Outback Steakhouse
Publix
Radio Shack
Staples
SUPERVALU
Victoria’s Secret

More Deals – Photo Cards & Prints

Freebies 4 Mom  has an exclusive coupon code available on her blog today for 50 free photo cards plus free shipping. Go to the post here  to check it out. The cards include free envelopes so go get your Christmas cards or birth announcements made for free!

If you want to order some custom mailing labels to ship out your photo cards with, you can order 100 here for only $3 shipped.

Custom photo cards, envelopes, and custom labels for $3 plus the cost of stamps? Now that’s what I call a deal! Thanks Freebies 4 Mom and Money Saving Mom!

$15 Gift From Kodak Gallery

Kodak is giving away another 100,000 free $15 gift codes. Just go here to sign up for yours. There is a limit of one per person, so you should be able to register an account and get a free $15 for each person in your household.

Be sure to place your order through Ebates or ShopAtHome to get 10% back, too!

I used my free $15 gift code to order a mug with pictures of my grandkids on it. It turned out very nice and was very easy to put together.  Thanks Money Saving Mom!

This site doesn’t work well for AOL users, so I got on the highspeed internet at Barnes and Nobles and used Firefox instead.

Sorrow, Worry & Faith

Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, but faith looks up.

Sociopaths, Psychopaths, Borderline Personalities, Etc.

OH MY, OH MY! I just ran across this today – very interesting reading for those of us who have experienced difficult children through adoption. Click here. Here and here are other sites that speak of these disorders.

This is an excerpt from an article on Answers.com:

• The key characteristics of a sociopath include: (1) having no conscience, (2) inability to treat others as human beings, with feelings and rights and (3) inability to learn from experience, from life. One result of this last is gross immaturity, though it may be hidden unless one knows the person well. A sociopath behaves as if he/she were the only person in the whole world and as if everyone else just existed for their benefit and had no existence in their own right. (4) Sociopaths treat other people as toys and hanker after the power to control and hurt their ‘nearest and dearest’. (5) Many are monumentally self-important: they may pretend to be millionaires when in reality they are sliding towards financial disaster. (6) Habitual dishonesty.

• He will charm his way into your life and heart, then take complete advantage of you – your emotions, your finances, your intellect. He will make you think you are the crazy one. Your friends will see right through him. He will isolate you from your friends and possibly your family. He cannot hold a job and will probably commit crimes – theft, fraud, forgery, and spend time in jail or prison. He will abuse drugs or alcohol. He may abuse you.

Free $40 Gift Certificate to 1-800-Flowers

Would you like a $40 gift certificate to 1-800-Flowers–for free? Here’s how to get one:

::Sign up for the 1-800-Flowers Fresh Rewards program here. Make sure to use an email address you don’t mind getting advertisement emails to

::Add at least 10 reminder events to your account (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.)

::Once you add 10 events, 400 points will be added to your account within 48 hours and you’ll receive a $40 savings pass by email within 2 weeks.

::Remember to shop through ShopAtHome or Ebates when you use your $40 Savings Pass so you can earn 10-16% back on your order!

Thanks, Surviving the Stores and Money Saving Mom!

Traditional Marriage Upheld by Maine

Voters in Maine have rejected an effort by lawmakers there to impose homosexual “marriage” in that state. Same-sex marriage has now lost in every single state - 31 in all - in which it has been put to a popular vote.   Click Traditional marriage now 31-0 for the story

Power Point by Adoptive Parent

Click here for a Power Point that shows the story of one adoptive family’s struggle to get help for their emotionally disabled child.

Those of us with similar stories find that Michigan does not want to fund residential treatment centers though often they are the only solution for families with these types of kids. They cannot risk keeping them in the home due to safety issues.

It appears we will be losing our funding for our son’s residential treatment center at the end of November. The state would be willing to continue funding if we’d rescind our adoption and place him back in the custody of the state welfare system. Unfortunately, saving money (versus serving the best interests of a child) is their goal.

Inmate Gets Not-Guilty Ruling Due to FASD

 By Steven Elbow, The Capital Times, posted Nov. 1, 2009

 Tyler Mills finally got what he wanted: a mental defect that carries some weight in court.

The 30-year-old state prison inmate last week was found not guilty of a crime because of defects caused by his exposure to alcohol when still in the womb. Experts who track court cases involving fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) say it’s the first time in Wisconsin a defendant has won a not-guilty verdict because of the array of physical and mental defects caused by alcohol use by pregnant women.

And some think it could open the door to a more enlightened approach to dealing with criminal defendants suffering the effects of the disorder. Todd Winstrom, formerly an attorney for Disability Rights Wisconsin, the state-appointed advocacy group for disabled individuals, says the case sets an important precedent.

“Fetal alcohol has actually finally achieved some legal recognition in Wisconsin as a condition that could lead someone to be found not guilty by reason of insanity,” says Winstrom, who for years tried to get jails to provide Mills with the psychological and medical treatment he needed. “The hope that this gives me is that the system now will respond to Tyler and hopefully to others like him with a n approach that’s grounded more in an understanding of the disorder and some attempt to provide treatment and intervention rather than corrections and punishment.”

For Mills, its a hard-won personal victory that comes after years of disappointment.

“I think it was my stubbornness that paid off,” he says.

In early 2008, Mills was being passed from jail to jail in counties where he had committed a string of petty financial crimes, mostly stealing credit cards. He says a man he met in a federal corrections halfway house led him on the crime spree. But the charge that landed him his current seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence was child enticement. The charge stemmed from Mills’ attempt to meet up with a 14-year-old girl he met on the Internet, whom he later discovered was a police officer conducting an Internet sting operation.

An Eau Claire County jury in that case found that while his fetal alcohol defects constituted a mental disease, they didn’t cause him to commit the crime. Last week Mills appeared in Pierce County court to answer to two charges of identity theft, both for stealing ID cards. In a deal struck between his attorney and prosecutors he agreed to plead guilty to both charges. But the district attorney agreed to stipulate that on one charge he was not guilty by reason of mental defect. The judge ordered three years of commitment by the state Department of Health Services to be carried out concurrently with his current sentence, which will likely mean he will go to a mental hospital.

He’s currently appealing his Eau Claire County conviction, but if he fails he will have to spend another two years in prison to finish off his sentence in that case in addition to his mental commitment. In itself, Tyler Mill’s plea hearing was an insignificant court event, one of thousands of plea deals reached every year in Wisconsin courts. But for defendants with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, which some estimate make up thousands of Wisconsin prison inmates, and their advocates, it’s a ray of hope.

The resolution would have had more impact as a precedent if it had been decided by a judge or a jury, rather than being the result of an agreement between attorneys. “It would have been better had it been on record in terms of a ruling,” says Natalie Novick Brown, a clinical psychologist at the University of Washington’s Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit. But she says that because a judge endorsed the defense argument that Mills was not guilty because of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, “We still regard it as a foot in the door.”

Brown says recent years have seen an increased volume of case law dealing with fetal alcohol issues, mostly death row cases such as a recent Nevada case where the perpetrator was spared the death penalty. One case involving a Louisiana death row inmate was even considered by the U.S. Supreme Court, but the court eventually denied review.

“The fact that there is growing awareness in the legal system is positive,” says Novick Brown, who spends much of her time supporting the cases of criminal defendants with FASD and who has testified on behalf of Mills during his trial. The resolution of Mills’ case, she says, “is just another indication that people are paying attention to FASD as a legal argument.”

But the attorney who struck the deal on Mills’ behalf, Liesl Nelson of Hudson, questions the value of the case as a precedent. “I don’t know that it necessarily throws the door open for the next guy that comes along,” she says. But Nelson praised Pierce County District Attorney John O’Boyle, who didn’t return a phone call seeking comment, for going along with the agreement.

“I really respect a prosecutor who finally looks at this and goes, ‘Let’s do the smart thing here,’” she says. “I really give him a lot of points for that because nobody else has been able to do that yet, to say, ‘Let’s try smarter, not harder.’”

A Capital Times story in May 2008 chronicled Mills’ odyssey through the criminal justice system at a time when his appalling behavior in jails usually got him thrown into solitary confinement, which typically inspired even worse behavior. He infuriated prison officials by creating scenes, attempting suicide, spreading food and feces on the wall of his cell. He has a compulsion for eating objects like tooth brushes, razor blades and pencils, and on at least one occasion jail officials refused to provide medical treatment for complications from objects lodged in his stomach.

Mills had been facing more than 100 years in possible prison time mostly for petty financial crimes. Most of those cases have been resolved, many of them dismissed because of the time and expense it would have taken to prosecute them. Only the Pierce County case remained.

“It was the last chance he had to persuade someone that his fetal alcohol was an important factor,” says Nelson, his attorney. “That was a huge moment for him, to have somebody acknowledge that.”

It is still unclear when Mills’ mental commitment would start. He was taken from Pierce County to the Wisconsin Resource Center, the Department of Corrections program facility where he spent the last year. The center gave Mills a job, put him in classes and kept him busy every minute of the day, providing a rigid daily structure that is the only way many with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder can function. Most experts consider solitary confinement to be one of the worst possible punishments, but one Mills is all too familiar with.

As his Pierce County case wound down, the Department of Corrections was on the verge of sending Mills back to the general prison population, where if his past is any guide he would undoubtedly act out, and once again find himself alone, staring at the wall of a cell.

Nelson says after the Department of Corrections and th e Department of Health Services hashes out the details, they’ll likely send Mills to a mental treatment facility. The Corrections Department would be crazy to want him, she says. Placing him back in prison where there are no resources to deal with his behavior problems would be punishment not only to Mills, but to corrections personnel as well.

“They just don’t have the resources to deal with him.”

Update on Baby Aletheia

Oct. 26, 2009

Dear Friends,

It has been over a month since my last update and really that is good! I am very excited to tell you that the civil case regarding the Burns family is closed. Aletheia is no longer in state’s custody but now completely in her parent’s custody. Judge Steetle signed the order on Tuesday of this week, so from what I understand – no more FST meetings, no more DSF visits, no more court hearings (in the civil side of things). Unfortunately the criminal case is still open so Nate and Beth are still facing trial next year for the charge of endangering the life of a child. The prosecution can still drop the charges at any time and our prayer is that he does drop the charges soon.

Thank you for praying for me about my deposition. God’s grace was there and I’m so thankful. The deposition itself lasted close to 2 hours and I remained another 20 minutes or so longer talking with the Burn’s lawyer and the prosecutor. There were only two times that I felt very uncomfortable but I did my best to answer honestly.

The prosecutor said on more than one occasion that he thought this whole thing (the arrests, etc) could have been avoided if only Beth would have let the officer and DSF worker into the home and answered questions, I didn’t really respond to him but my thoughts were, that she didn’t have to and shouldn’t have to let people into her home if they don’t need to be there and she has that right to refuse esp. because they didn’t have a warrant (another point is that he must not really believe Aletheia was in danger if it all could have been avoided by answering questions)! Anyway, I think he believes the ends justify the means because he also said that in the long run, no matter the outcome, that Aletheia and her parents are better off because of all this and they will be together as a family regardless. I’m really not sure why he thinks they are better off now (perhaps because she looks fat, I don’t know) but I wonder how he can say some of that when both Nate and Beth are facing lawyer fees, possible wrecking being involved in children’s ministries, and even prison time if convicted (which I have a hard time believing any jury could be convinced they were endangering the life of their daughter). Mr. Mark Williams at the moment is continuing prosecuting the case. Pray for this man, maybe through this whole ordeal he could be introduced to Christ, because after meeting him I strongly doubt he knows our Lord.

This is a long e-mail but just one more bit of news regarding my husband’s case. We have still not received state’s evidence though all the proper papers (motion of discovery) have been filed in the proper time frames. Our lawyer at the first of Oct. filed a “motion to compel”, basically asking the judge to order the prosecution to give state’s evidence and the judge ordered the prosecution to give the evidence by Mon, Oct. 19. If we still are not given the evidence I think our lawyer can approach the judge, asking him to dismiss the case. If the evidence is given to us, our lawyer can finally start preparing our defense. Again, the prosecution can drop the case at any time and we think that sure would be easiest but we know God has all authority and we don’t always know His plans!!!

God bless you and again thank you for praying for us!
Vee Rodgerson

Family Photo Op

These first few pictures are some candids I took of April’s family, my oldest daughter, during our family picture outing. We’ve had a hard time deciding which ones to use for their family Christmas picture. Of course, being the mom, I’ll be printing them all and placing them around my house, in scrapbook albums, sending them to the rest of the family, etc.!

Isaac told me today that when we move here to Wausau that he’s going to put tape on both of our houses so we’ll never be apart again. Hudson was a real trooper during pictures. When he wasn’t sticking his finger in his dad’s ear, or looking at his brother be silly, he was flashing us smiles right and left. I was even able to catch a few.

KFC Free Grilled Chicken 10/26

KFC: FREE Grilled Chicken on Monday 10/26

If you tried to participate in the last Kentucky Fried Chicken freebie, you might just be tempted to pass this one up. However this time, KFC says they will not be turning you away for your FREEbie or giving out rainchecks because they will be prepared! Just go to KFC on Monday, 10/26 and each customer will get a FREE piece of Kentucky Grilled Chicken! You can read more here.  Thanks, Money Saving Madness!