Cartwheels In The Rain

I'm not even really sure how to start in telling you about this book and the author.

I can tell you that a family friend had emailed me when the book came out and I definitely wanted to be sure to share the story to you.

February 14th, 2008 a terrible tragedy happened on the campus of Northern Illinois University.  A gunman took aim at students in a classroom and Gayle Dubowski was one of 6 who were killed that day.

Turns out, this girl's father was close to our family friend.

I honestly haven't read the book-as I just got it the other day.  But I will tell you, I'm looking forward to learning more about this sweet girl that her daddy loved so dearly.

Joey

Here is more about the book:

____________________________

On February 14, 2008, while Joe and Laurel Dubowski were exchanging Valentine’s gifts, a tragedy was unfolding on the campus of Northern Illinois University. A gunman had targeted students in a classroom, and their daughter, Gayle, was one of six who died that day.

In this brave and hopeful book, Joe takes us along on a journey he would never have chosen to travel. He recounts the details as they moved toward an understanding that was unthinkable and gut-wrenching. With great candor he gives us a glimpse into his thoughts and responses and approaches to healing over a two-year period.

Introducing us to twenty-year-old Gayle, he celebrates her life and her faith. Gayle loved the rain. In fact, she loved it so much she would run outside and do cartwheels in the downpour. Thus we come to see Gayle’s approach to life, and her exuberance calls us higher.

A book for all who have experienced loss and for all who comfort them, Cartwheels in the Rain is more than a recounting of the all-too-familiar happening of a school shooting. It is an affirmation that whatever we are called to face in this life, God is always there to hold us, to carry us, to see us through.

Pick up the book at Amazon today!

 

Money Matters

Money Matters by Susan Hirshman

The author of Does This Make My Assets Look Fat shares her tips on how to manage your finances and invest like a pro!

Financial expert Susan Hirshman, author of the brand new book "Does This Make My Assets Look Fat" answers our readers' burning money questions and breaks down the concept of investing and budgeting and puts it into terms any woman can understand.

The Five D's of Financial Sabotage... The most common response to the question "What are the biggest risks to your financial portfolio?" usually has something to do with market volatility - i.e. the up and down movements of the stock market. Unfortunately, market risk is not the only risk that needs to be managed during one's lifetime. There are 5 other risks to one's portfolio that must be taken into consideration to ensure that you protect you and your family from financial sabotage. The five other risk's I call the 5 D's. · Disability · Dementia · Death · Destruction · Divorce Most people find the thought of one or more of these 5 D's depressing and painful and avoid it like the plague. Like so many things in life, ignoring something does not mean that it won't happen. So instead of becoming a victim to your fear, become a person of strength and power by addressing these risks and giving both you and your family the gift of financial security and peace of mind (in times of acute stress.) Let's briefly look at each of these 5D's.

Disability - If you became disabled for an extended period of time during your and could not work what would happen to your financial security? The risk of disability does not get the respect it deserves. Few people realize that the chances of becoming disabled are greater than dying prematurely. In fact, it has been reported that by age 42, it is 4 times more likely that you will become seriously disabled than that you will die prematurely during your working years.

Dementia - If your physical or mental health deteriorates so that it prevents your from performing the ordinary tasks of life, such as bathing, dressing, eating etc will you have a choice as to how you will be taken care of? This is especially important for women, since studies show that women face a greater likelihood than men of needing long-term care.

Death - If something were to happen to you during your working years would you want to replace that income in order for your family to maintain their lifestyle and fund their long-term goals? The risk of premature death for those in their typical working years, ages 25-64, is still significant - a greater than 1-in-6 chance for males and a 1-in-9 chance for females of not surviving from age 25 to normal retirement age. These odds are much higher than most Americans perceive.

Destruction - Catastrophic events like fires, floods, tornadoes etc are not under our control and we can't predict when they will occur. But when they do, they can be disastrous to your property. For most of us, our home is our most valuable assets and studies show that most people are underinsured. Are you? Divorce - It happens. It's hard to think about it going in but unfortunately the divorce rate in the US is still at 50% and the average length of first marriages that end in divorce is 7 years. You must take this into consideration before, during and after your marriages. Ignorance in any or all of these cases is far from bliss; it is financial suicide. Know what you are up against and have the right tools in place to protect your finances from sabotage. Your investments plan means nothing if your "risks of life" are not managed and protected well. Don't let yourself be a victim.

Susan L. Hirshman is a former managing director at JP Morgan. She holds an M.B.A. from Baruch College and is a Certified Public Accountant, a Certified Financial Planner and a Chartered Financial Analyst. She currently lives in Manhattan. If you have a money question for Susan, email us at beth@rolemommy.com.

*This post is sponsored by the Role Mommy Writer's Network.

Heading Home With Your Newborn

Important Newborn Questions and Answers

The authors of Heading Home with Your Newborn answer important questions from moms about infant and baby care.

Pediatricians, moms and authors, Laura A. Jana, MD, FAAP and Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP offer a wealth of "parent-tested, pediatrician-approved" advice in Heading Home With Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality, Second Edition (American Academy of Pediatrics, September 2010).

Available on the American Academy of Pediatrics official Web site for parents, HealthyChildren.org. Also available in bookstores nationwide.

Here they answer a few questions from fellow moms:

Question: The new recommendation for rear facing car seats is two years now, not one year. There are moms out there who say, 'no you switch them as soon as they start kicking the back of the seat, because if there's an accident they're going to break their legs' or 'I don't want my seat to get dirty'.

Dr Jana: I've actually spent several years as an Instructor in child passenger safety. So there's almost nothing that we haven't heard before along those lines. Specific to your question about breaking the legs if they're going to touch the seat... crash dynamics tell us that when a car is in a crash, everything moves towards the point of the crash, which is usually the front of the car. If they're in a rear facing car seat, their car seat presses their whole body into the car seat as it moves towards the front of the car. Yes, there is some rebound to the seat, but if you're in a serious enough crash, even if your child is protected in a car seat, what do you want to protect more, their head and torso or their legs? That becomes a very easy choice in terms of why we keep rear facing longer. Technically the recommendation is to keep kids rear facing as long as possible within the limits of their seat. The bare minimum is 1 year and 20 pounds, and then I always add on; and I don't know a parent, who when it comes to the safety of their child wants to settle for the bare minimums. In Heading Home with your Newborn, even though we already had an extensive section on car seat safety in the First Edition, the field has changed so much that we did a huge update on that section of the book with the absolute latest in child passenger safety recommendations. In a book that is meant for new and expecting parents about newborns, we give parents an overview of car seats in general, knowing that it may be the last time that parents read about car seats. We obviously spent the most time on infant car seats and making sure your baby is secured correctly in an infant car seat, because we're talking about newborns, but we give parents a perspective of what is in their future, because really parents should be dealing with car seats for the next 10-12 years.

Dr Shu: I think where parents might be nervous about something happening to the legs are mostly a theoretical risk. We really don't see reports of damage to the legs from rear facing car seats, where we do get reports of whiplash and brain damage and death from babies who are forward facing.

Comment: Most instruction manuals should have a set height limit for rear facing.

Dr Jana: In fact you can find those limits on the boxes when you're walking the aisles of the store. They all very clearly say, once you know what to look for, they will all say 'rear facing height and weight limits for seats that are meant to be used, rear and forward facing'. The other thing for parents, and partly why we were committed to including that big picture view is, there are some seats that may say they can be used up to 80 pounds, but they're talking about the entire life of the seat, but rear facing can only be used up to a certain weight, and then it has to be turned face forward. That is something that people want to take into account when they're buying car seats. If they want to be able to use this longer rear facing, then one of the criteria is to buy a seat that has a higher rear facing height and weight limit.

Question: Are the latch limits in the car seat manual or are they in the car manual?

Dr Jana: You need to look at both, because cars can have limits. Every vehicle has its own individual uses and cannot use recommendations for the vehicle itself. We felt it was so important to include these as a substantial chapter of the car seats, because if you're going to pick the single most important thing in terms of preventing unintentional injury to children, all the way up to the age of 14, it is going to be motor vehicle crashes.

Question: Do you recommend in your book that parents go ahead and go to the fire station or someplace where they can have their car seat checked out once they have it put together? Dr Jana: Absolutely, and we tell people where to go on the website, to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, to go find by zip code where your closest fitting station is. If you'd like more information about caring for your infant visit Heading Home with Your Newborn at HealthyChildren.org.

*This post is sponsored by the Role Mommy Writer's Network.