Tea time with Valerie

Oh, the weather outside is frightful

2010-02-22T01:00:00Z

I didn't work Friday because I was getting sick, and was just exhausted. I woke around 4:00 and realized it was dark and gray outside. Uh oh. ANOTHER winter storm. I'm really tired of this.

I've been inside convalescing all weekend, grateful for communicating via email, internet and text, because I just have NO voice. It's sleeted, snowed, iced, sleeted and snowed again. It's STILL snowing. I can't believe I was just commenting on seeing grass the other day.

Emily had a debate tournament this weekend. She was excited because she got to meet Miss Missouri and Miss America. She got her picture taken with Miss Missouri. She and Josi bought a Faith jewelry set to share. I love the bond those two girls have. Josi is a blessing and I love her to pieces. Emily worked out at All Star Sports-Center again today. She has a really good shot at making the Stars and Spikes 16U competitive softball team. They're based out of All Star, and the coach, who owns the facility, said that he would work extensively with Emily whenever she came in. We got her a membership so she can work out whenever she wants. We're really lucky because in NORMAL weather, this is walking distance, halfway between school and home. Coach Lee is letting her keep her equipment there so she can go whenever she wants. She's already improved, and we're looking in to getting her some private catcher coaching as well as some hitting coaching (although she was impressing them with her batting the other day). I told her if she made the team, we'd get her a good composite bat. She's wanted one for years.

Matt's doing a batting club at the same place on Wednesday evenings. He was slamming them the other night! He has grown so much this winter that he needs another batting helmet. The same team is getting back together; his best friends Jarrod and Kaleb, his buddies Quenton, Spencer, Jared, Cam, Hayden, Taylor....we have another great year with a fantastic group of parents and kids. I love the coaches, too. Two of them are Emily's youth leaders. They want Emily to consider going to Haiti with them to start an orphanage. She is ALL over that. Mom and Dad...not quite so much.

Speaking of Haiti, in a month, I will be subbing for a teacher at the middle school who is going on a mission to Haiti with our church. I am so excited for her! I look forward to hearing about her experiences. She is such a gentle woman; I can see her really blessing many people while she's down there.

I officially got my acceptance for college. I just have to prove I'm a US citizen, and I can start signing up for classes. I'm a little (did I say LITTLE?!?) excited. I'm looking at taking English 101 because all of the exciting classes need it as a prerequisite. I think I have the equal class though. But, it wouldn't be a bad thing to take it again. The classes I could take are overwhelmingly exciting. Literature for the middle school student. Classroom psychology. Creative writing for the fiction author. I could really enjoy this!

Darren took the kids sledding on "the Hill" where I went sledding many times as a child (oh, and as a refined college student, as well). They came back cold and wet, but it really seems like they had fun. Fire in the fireplace, hot chocolate, and gloves warming on the furnace. Life's good.

I'm going back to college

2010-02-17T21:16:00Z

I've found out I need about a year's worth of college credits to be eligible for my MIssouri teaching certificate, so I've made the decision to return to college. I'm going to take some hours at a local community college. Wow. Now it's on the internet, so it has to come true! My wonderful husband supports me 100%. I'm going to sign up for internet based classes, and I will do whatever I can online.

I'm excited!

In other news, Emily is going through some workouts with a local competitive softball team. They are not going to fill her position until they see if Emily can improve her skills. We're getting her some coaching (we're renting a tunnel for her for 3 months / the coach is so high on her that he will give her free lessons whenever she's at the center. Did I mention the center is exactly halfway between school and home...WALKING DISTANCE?!?!? Emily's chemistry with this team has been phenomenal. She's bonded with several of them already. She will be going to the practices, doing everything like she's ON the team, but she won't actually sign until she shows improvement. They love her attitude; that's why they're giving her this chance.

MmmmmmmmmmMonday

2010-02-15T17:12:00Z

Monday. President's Day. Our whole family under one roof, inside, safe from the slippery streets and intermittent snowflaked. The smell off hot coffee and fresh blueberry muffins. Life is simply...perfect.

Valentine's Day was sweet. I've come to the realization this year that I don't need a Hallmark Holiday to get Darren to show me he loves me. This year, he has really branched out and is becoming more demonstrative. And, maybe, I've begun to see just how he shows me, daily, what I mean to him. It's not a good thing to have a near death experience. But if God chooses you to have one, I hope you grab life by the horns, just like my hubby's done. So the day was low key for us. Yes, we did chocolate and small gifts, and dinner. But that wasn't the focus of the day. I have to say...it's liberating just...being.

Emily tried out for the Stars and Spikes softball team last night. It's a 16 and under B team, looking for a backup catcher. They were impressed with her attitude, her coachability, and her raw skills. She's been invited back for strength and agility training tomorrow night. She's really excited about that, because she's fast in sprints (thanks for Track and Field!) and she's strong (thanks for weight training!). Plus, because of her dancing, she's very limber.

I have a massage scheduled in about 2 hours. I need one. My hip's been hurting lately. I should be happy and relaxed before long!

Darren's been busy painting the entry. Painting an old house is a long process. The walls are plaster, so mudding and smoothing take on a different meaning. We've also decided to take down the curtains in the front entry and making the makeshift closet into a storage nook. We'll garage sale around in the spring and see if we can find a chest to fit in the nook. I WISH Emily would clean her room so we can finally paint it!

We're going to sell our camper and buy a motorhome. I wanted to do that when we first got the camper, but Darren was hesitant. Now he sees the benefits of traveling in a motorhome, so we've been on the hunt. I'd like to fix the camper more cosmetically, maybe retiling the floor, kilzing and painting the ceiling, etc. The camper's in great shape considering the age. We'll Craig's List it and see what happens.

Enjoy the day!

Week wrap up

2010-02-14T06:40:00Z

It's been a fun week. Monday, the kids didn't have dance because the furnace in the studio wasn't working. They were able to go back Tuesday, though. They didn't have school Friday, which was fun.

I subbed in middle school SPED on Tuesday and high school EMH Thursday. Both were assignments I thoroughly enjoy. I did get some disheartening news on Thursday, though. It appears I'm going to have to retake a few of my college classes before Missouri will grant me a certification. I'm pretty bummed about that. But I WILL make it happen!

Friday was a blast. We slept late, then I took Emily shopping for JW's Valentine's gift. We had a fun girly girl time together. I planned to drop her at the high school for her debate tournament, then take the boys to the new crepe restaurant for lunch. We got to the HS early, so I let Emily do some driving practice. She's getting really good at parking. I just wish she had the confidence on the gas pedal. That will come. I'm convinced.

After I dropped her, I started back home. I called the boys and asked them to get ready and meet me outside. As I was hanging up, Emily called. It seems this was a strange debate tournament, and she actually wasn't debating or doing either of her individual events until today. Hmmmmmm...I turned around to pick her up, and the coach asked her if she wanted to debate Congress as a fill in. She wasn't comfortable with that, so we brought her home and took her to Crepes on the Square with us. If you're ever there...I highly recommend their white hot chocolate. It's amazing! After our jaunt around the Square, I got my hair cut...SHORT! Nicki is amazing. She uses those scissors like a magic wand. I've always been very happy with what she does. Em got her hair cut, too, and it's absolutely the cutest it's ever been. She looks very grown up, though.

We went to the wine room last night. We had a really good pinot. After that, we went to 6 for their delicious flatbread pizza (I love mine with tomatoes, goat cheese and mushrooms; Darren prefers chicken, goat cheese and mushrooms).

Darren's working on the front entry. We bought a beautiful hook for coats and backpacks. Since we won't need to use the front closet for those anymore, we've decided to keep that open and put a storage desk in there. He'll be painting the full entry HOPEFULLY tomorrow.

Tomorrow is church, then Emily has a softball tryout at 6;00. It's Valentine's Day, too. Who knows what we'll do for that! Monday is another day off school, and Darren is off work, too. I'm going to try to convince the family to go bowling. I don't think I'll have to try hard. We love to bowl (even though we aren't very good).

Double Trouble!

2010-02-10T04:14:00Z

My deepest thanks to LitFuse publicity for the opportunity to review this book.

PJ Sugar is at it again! The accidental super sleuth is on the job as a sometimes bumbling PI in training is busy saving lives and souls in Susan May Warren's second book in the PJ Sugar series. Whether she's stopping suspects by hurling doughnuts through the air, or stopping fastballs with her softball mitt, PJ's heart remains true to her Savior. Caught between her high school love's marriage proposal and an increasing attraction to her boss, PJ wrestles with the demons of her past and the hope of her future throughout this novel.This delightful read shows PJ's weaknesses and strengths, as well as her dedication to God, even when she doubts.

About Susan:
Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning author of twenty-four novels withTyndale, Barbour and Steeple Hill. A four-time Christy award finalist, atwo-time RITA Finalist, she’s also a multi-winner of the Inspirational ReadersChoice award, and the ACFW Book of the Year. Her larger than life charactersand layered plots have won her acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. Aseasoned women’s events and retreats speaker, she’s a popular writing teacherat conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’sworkbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!.She is also the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service thathelps authors discover their voice. Susan makes her home in northern Minnesota,where she is busy cheering on her two sons in football, and her daughter inlocal theater productions (and desperately missing her college-age son!) A fulllisting of her titles, reviews and awards can be found at: www.susanmaywarren.com

The HUMDINGER-of-a-CONTEST:

One Grand Prize winner will receive a $150 SUPER SLEUTH prize package that includes:

A brand new iPod Shuffle (perfect for those all-night stakeouts)
A $10 iTunes gift card (we recommend the ALIAS soundtrack)
A $10 Amazon gift card (why yes, they do sell spy pens)
A $10 Starbucks gift card (for fuel, obviously)
A pair of designer sunglasses (be stealthy AND super chic)
A gorgeous scarf from World Market (can also be used as a blindfold, and/or for tying up bad guys)
ANDsigned copies of both Nothing But Trouble & Double Trouble.(romance! danger! intrigue! sooo much better than Surveillance forDummies!)

To enter this contest, please click the link below!

I miss my blog

2010-02-04T16:17:00Z

I miss my blog. Last year was such a crazy year that I dropped the ball. I look back on my paltry few posts from 2009 and I see that I didn't even scratch the surface of the year. I will say, I doubt there was ever a year in which an entire family was so excited to kiss good-bye.

January started off with a bang with Darren's brain tumor. You can read the entire story here:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/darrengallup. We are still praising God for the fact that there is no sign of the tumor, and he is still recovering so well. For all intents and purposes, he's the same guy he's always been. I think he has a better appreciation for life, though, and he's a lot more demonstrative in his love and appreciation of people. He doesn't take much for granted anymore.

In April, Mikey fell off the swing at school, breaking his nose and sinus bone. This was just as baseball season was getting under way, so he had to start the season with the impediment of a face mask. He ended the season well, and there are no after effects of the breaks. He does like to tell people he broke his face, though! Goofy boy...He has started piano, and is really good at it. He played "Let It Snow," along with 5 other pianists, at the school's winter concert. He's a WEBELOS now, and working on his Arrows.

In July, Matt was officially diagnosed with Tourette's and OCD. He's adjusting very well, but it appears that the diagnosis freed him from keeping the tics hidden. We see a new tic every couple of weeks. He moved to middle school, and is really succeeding in the social and active aspect. The organizational aspect is lagging, but his team of teachers is working really hard to help with that. He started percussion, and we have his marimba in the new music room in our house. He's also discovered acting, and has had a part in, "Romeo and Juliet, a Comedy," and is now working on the musical, "OKLAHOMA!" He started dancing ballet and is still taking tap and hip hop. The ballet is really helping him handle his tics.

In December, Emily was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis. That's a big word for a digestive disorder where she produces too many white eosinophilic blood cells, causing severe pain and bloating along with a terrible rash. She's working on controling the physical symptoms with medication and is working on pain management through biofeedback. Never think she lets that get her down, though! She has started debate and has lettered! She is on the broadcasting team, too. She's taking advanced comm arts and advanced biology. She has her schedule figured for the rest of high school, and intends to finish her senior year with a Certified Nursing Assistant certification. Her Girl Scout troop just finished their Silver Award, and she's already brainstorming for her Gold. She is still in dance, taking ballet, pointe and jazz.

As for me, well, I'm still working on my certification. I have passed the Professional Teaching Knowledge exam and hope to pass the English Language Arts by May. I have done two long term sub assignments; one in French and one in the therapeutic learning center at the high school. I hope to have another LTS by the end of the school year.

We have welcomed two new family members. Toby the Cat joined us just a few days before Darren got sick. He has become Emily's cat, preferring to snuggle her at night, and playing with her at all times. In September, we adopted Cruiser the Yorkie. He's MY dog, and makes sure everybody knows it. Our family is DEFINITELY complete!

God bless. Thank you for reading.

Mead Johnson, Maker of Enfamil, Loses Multi-Million Dollar False Advertising Case Against Store-Brands

2010-02-04T16:11:00Z

This is a sponsored guest post written by a Press Release on behalf of PBM Products. Post powered by Sponzai.

GORDONSVILLE, VA., December 2 , 2009—PBM Products, LLC, a leading infant formula company that supplies store-brand infant formulas to Walmart, Sam's Club, Target, Kroger, Walgreens, and other retailers, has received a favorable jury verdict and a $13.5 million damages award in its false advertising lawsuit against Mead Johnson & Co., the operating subsidiary of Mead Johnson Nutrition Company (NYSE: MJN) (“Mead Johnson”), the makers of the national-brand Enfamil® LIPIL® Infant Formula. Mead Johnson is 83 percent-owned by Bristol-Myers Squibb.

PBM’s lawsuit claimed that Mead Johnson engaged in false and misleading campaigns against PBM’s competing store-brand of infant formulas, suggesting they do not provide the same nutrition as Mead Johnson’s brands. PBM’s store-brand infant formulas cost up to 50 percent less than Enfamil® LIPIL®. The $13.5 million in damages awarded by the jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is one of the largest damages awards ever for a false advertising case.

“This decision by a jury of the people confirms that Mead Johnson’s ads have been false in suggesting that there is a nutritional difference between our store-brand formula products and their products, when in fact the only major difference is price,” said PBM CEO Paul B. Manning. “Despite Mead Johnson’s scare tactics, parents are assured that PBM’s formula products are as high quality and nutritious as Mead Johnson’s.”

U.S. District Court Judge James R. Spencer issued his written rulings yesterday following the November 10^th jury verdict. Judge Spencer’s written rulings permanently enjoined Mead Johnson from making any false statements concerning PBM's infant formula, including the claims Mead Johnson previously made in Enfamil advertising that "It may be tempting to try a less expensive store brand, but only Enfamil LIPIL is clinically proven to improve brain and eye development," and "there are plenty of other ways to save on baby expenses without cutting back on nutrition." The Court also ordered Mead Johnson to retrieve from the public domain all advertising or promotional materials containing these or any other false claims about PBM's store brand infant formula.

The details of the decision and the complaint are posted online in full at:

· http://www.pbmproducts.com/docs/Order_Laches.pdf

· http://www.pbmproducts.com/docs/PBM_Complaint_MJ_III_LIPIL.pdf

The nutritional supplements under examination in the case are two fats, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and ARA (arachidonic acid), which Mead Johnson calls “LIPIL®” solely for marketing purposes and touts as promoting infant brain and eye development. PBM’s claim focused on Mead Johnson’s direct mailing to more than 1.6 million parents of an alarming blurry picture of a child’s cartoon duck next to a clear picture of the same image which suggested that anything other than the Enfamil LIPIL® blend of ingredients is inferior and will result in poor eye and brain development. Other parts of the false advertising campaign consist of statements that only Enfamil LIPIL has been proven to confer visual and mental benefits on infants, and store-brand formulas are a “cut-back in nutrition” compared to Enfamil.

PBM successfully argued that these advertisements were false and misleading especially since PBM store- brand infant formulas have the same nutrients at the same levels as Enfamil. PBM infant formulas are formulated to contain DHA and ARA, and are sourced from the same supplier in amounts which equal or exceed the DHA and ARA in Mead Johnson’s Enfamil LIPIL®.

This decision marks the third time PBM Products has sued Mead Johnson for false advertising claims. On the prior occasions Mead Johnson admitted that it made false claims about PBM’s products. It is also the first false advertising case to focus on the issue of DHA and ARA nutritional ingredients in formula, which were introduced into the market in 2003 and have become a staple in recent years by many brands as key components for infant development.

“This jury verdict should send a significant and clear message to Mead Johnson about the way it conducts marketing and advertising for its brands,” said Manning. “This lawsuit also demonstrates our complete commitment to defending our products and the valuable brands of our retail partners.”

“As a parent and supporter of children’s medical research, I take a personal responsibility in assuring our customers that the products we produce are healthy and nutritionally equivalent to brand names like Enfamil® LIPIL®. It is important, especially now, for parents to know that there are lower priced yet highly nutritious store-brand formulas that will provide the same benefit to their children as any national brand name formula product,” Manning added.

The U.S. infant formula market is estimated at $3.4 billion and the global market is estimated at $7.9 billion.

All of PBM’s formulas, and for that matter all of U.S. infant formulas, are subject to the exacting standards of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), pursuant to the Infant Formula Act of 1980. This legislation vested FDA with the authority to ensure that all infant formula products sold in the United States provide the necessary levels of identified nutrients required for the growth of healthy babies. For more information, visit this FDA link.

PBM Products was represented by the law firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP. Partners from the firm’s advertising practice, Harold P. Weinberger and Jonathan M. Wagner in New York, led the team.

About PBM

PBM is privately owned and based in Gordonsville, VA. PBM companies specialize in manufacturing, distributing, and marketing consumer food, nutritional, and pharmaceutical products. For more information, visit www.pbmproducts.com.

Enfamil® LIPIL® are registered trademarks of Mead Johnson & Co.

One of those weeks...

2009-11-12T23:22:00Z

This has been one of those weeks that you look on and wonder, "Did I really do all of THAT?!?"

Monday, I shadowed the teacher for my new long term sub assignment. I got a surprise call last week that a high school special needs class needed an immediate long term sub; was I interested? I had worked in this class before and I know the special issues these kiddoes need, so I said yes. Friday and Monday, I followed the teacher, taking numerous notes, getting my class schedule in order, learning more about IEP information needed, and working with the students. I am so excited about this classroom!

Tuesday, I took off work. I had lunch with my cousin, Joyce, and my great aunt, Elva. Ginger Sue's...MMMMmmmmmmm! Lisa brought the two youngest kiddoes in, and I got to see how adorable they are. After that, I left for the Drury Inn by the sports stadiums, so I could be close to the testing center, and have a few QUIET, uninterrupted hours of STUDY. Why?......

Wednesday was my English Language Arts certification exam. It's reportedly the hardest exam in the ABCTE certification process. Considering the year we've had, and the months spent away from studying while Darren was so sick, I honestly thought I was going to bomb the test. Imagine my surprise when I saw my score! No...I didn't pass, but I came VERY CLOSE to passing! I've started this new position, which will last until December, so I don't plan on taking the repeat until January or February. I did find out I need to become really good friends with Mr. Cliff and Mr. Sparks, though!

I started my position today, and I think it's a good fit. I'm excited about some of the education objectives I'm planning to reach. There are a few glitches here and there, but all in all, I'm pleased with the flow of the class, and the lessons. I think I'll be more on my game tomorrow, and it should just improve from this point forward.

So here I sit tonight, basking in the successes of the week. I've read my Bible daily. I've nearly passed a difficult test. I began wok in a position that, a year ago, I would have had no chance to get. And I've enjoyed my family.

Life's so grand!

Weekends

2009-10-19T01:41:00Z

This has been a wonderfully busy weekend. One of those weekends that I wasn't sure would happen way back when Darren was so sick. I count my blessings daily, and I have many right now.

1. Scout Camporee--Matt, as a Tenderfoot in Boy Scouts, got to enjoy a weekend of camping and fun at Smithville Lake. Apparently this is a big deal campout, with troops from all over KC there to enjoy some fun. Matt got to tent with the Barrett twins, and he designed a skit and actually asked Mikey to be involved. EARLY Saturday morning, Darren and Mikey left for the second day and night of Camporee. As a WEBELOS, Mikey is now qualified to do this campout on the second night. Darren's felt guilty because he wasn't well enough to go to WEBELOS camp with Mikey over the summer, so they went. I guess Mikey tried to catch a catapulted crabapple; a nearly hand breaking experience. They slept out in the ICE cold (although Matt said they had bonfires throughout camp, as well as hot chocolate available at all times...Darren said the cold ground is STILL a cold ground). They had a blast, and came home smelling of campfire and cold.

2. Friday night, we went to the Grain Valley football game to see Trace play. He was amazing, as always. I am sad that my precious nephew is growing up so fast, but I'm so proud of the young man he's become! It will be interesting to see where he signs for college next year. MIZZOU...ARE YOU LISTENING!?!?! Just sayin'...It was just me, Mikey and Darren at the game. We took Cruiser, too, and he had a BLAST! Got to see my sister; a rare and wonderful treat.

3. Saturday--Emily had another competitive softball tryout. She doesn't feel very confident about this one. I am really concerned that she won't find a team. She isn't the greatest because she hasn't been coached in 2 seasons. She needs a team where the coaches will teach and enhance what the players know. It's hard to find that. The coaches, understandably, are looking for the best of the best. It's been a frustrating experience, but when we find the RIGHT team, it will be worth the effort. After tryouts, she and I went to lunch, then shopping at World Marketplace. I love that place! We bought a Whirleypopper and when we got home, we made homemade kettle corn. The stuff at the fairs is good...homemade is even better. I'll have the recipe on the Domestic Greatness blog sometime soon. I have to dust the cobwebs off of that one, too! We ended up at the Hart's house last night so the lovebirds could spend time together, and so Mike, Lesli and I watched KU lose, then we watched MU lose. Yeah...not the greatest night. When Em and I got home, we snuggled and had a sleepover, just the two of us girls (and Cruiser LOL).

4. Today, we welcomed the boys home. It was so good seeing them again! Emily had a walkabout for her Silver Award in Girl Scouts, then she had her Court of Awards. She earned the Dreams to Reality award, an IPs in Understanding Yourself, Camping, Sports for Life, Games for Life and Your Own Business. Unfortunately, I couldn't go to the Court of Awards, because the boys and I had Praise in Motion. We finished choreographing everything (finally) and are now down to the business of making it even more amazing than it already is. We have an incredible group of dancers this year.

So there are many things I learned this weekend.

* Family is precious, and we should celebrate each other daily.
* Time spent with loved ones is time worth spending.
* What your children learn as Scouts will carry them through anything.

Isn't life sweet?

I PASSED!

2009-10-15T15:59:00Z

Yesterday, I took the first test toward my certification in secondary English Language Arts. Last November, i began the program with ABCTE (American Board for Certification of Teaching Excellence). It's been a crazy year, and I wasn't sure I'd make it through the program. But if yesterday is any indication, I will be good to go!

I passed the multiple choice section of the test. I still have the essay portion of the test left to grade. I'm pretty sure I did okay on it, but essay writing can be subjective. It's out of my hands now, though, so all I can do is pray.

I will be taking the English Language Arts portion of the test November 11. I need to brush up big time on this.