Scholastic Announces Last Call for BIG Idea Submissions

June 15, 2009 By speppel Leave a Comment

After submissions from all across the country, this is the last chance to enter Scholastic Media's Clifford The Big Red Dog® “Be Big™ In Your Community” Contest.

The contest calls upon kids, parents, teachers, and community leaders to submit their BIG ideas for creating positive change in their communities by demonstrating Clifford’s Big Ideas; Share, Play Fair, Have Respect, Work Together, Be Responsible, Be A Good Friend, Help Others, Be Truthful, Be Kind and Believe In Yourself.

The BE BIG Fund will help bring the winning BIG idea to life by awarding one (1) Grand Prize $25,000 community grant and ten (10) runner-up $2,500 community grants to implement the winning BIG ideas via HandsOn Network local affiliate organizations.

To enter, go to www.scholastic.com/cliffordbebig and remember….IT ONLY TAKES A LITTLE TO BE BIG!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. Contest ends on June 26, 2009

DOWNLOAD A FUN ACTIVITY PAGE FOR YOUR KIDS HERE: View this photo

Clifford

Filed Under: Contests & Giveaways

PCA PresWIC Devotional: Gardening God's way

June 12, 2009 By speppel 2 Comments

Devotional for my next PCA PresWIC newsletter: (WIC = Women in the Church)

1 John 1:7: “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

When you start a garden you realize that there is a big difference between starting something and maintaining it. Earlier this season, I planted a delightful little gathering of six strawberry plants. I tilled my soil with additives, put in the right amount of fertilizer and made sure to water them regularly. The leaves were growing beautifully and producing nice little greenish-white strawberries that would redden over a couple of days. A friend even brought me tomato plants to add to my budding garden. Everything was going well.

Then, the slugs and weeds and ants and field critters found my cute little plot. The tomato plants disappeared in one day and something left only a sliver of my one ripe strawberry which was just enough to attract the ants.

Browsing through a small gift store in my town, I spied a booklet called “Growing Strawberries.” I immediately grabbed it up to see where my little garden had gone wrong and what I could do now before it was all gone. I learned several steps to a healthy garden but knew it would take some serious maintenance to keep such a treasure going. Apparently, I am not the only one who like strawberries in God's green earth and I would have much competition among the creatures of God's creation. I also realized that my plants were too close together and would eventually choke each other if I didn't thin them out.

As always, I couldn't help but think of this scenario as a wonderful parallel to women's ministries in our churches. Time together with other women is so precious. We learn and grow from each other. We encourage each other. But, there is much competition for our time and when we start things they easily fizzle without maintenance and some serious hoeing. Like my garden plot, putting too many things on the schedule isn't wise either because then the events might choke each other out. Pick the best ones and spread them out.

Also like my organic experiment, it is easy to let things slide and think, “Oh, I'll get back to that” but in my little gardening book and in the Bible, we learn that now is the time to act or the plants won't produce fruit next year and our lives will be dried up and empty without the light of Jesus and fellow Christians.

The important thing to remember here is to never give up planning time together with other Christians, don't give up when the things of the world threaten to discourage, and never stop reading the Bible, God's instruction book, on how to improve your “gardening” skills. Talk to other "gardeners" or planners of womens event or past leaders to learn what works and what doesn't for your church. Protect the things of the Lord with jealousy and ardent fervor.

Application:

What are your plans for the women's ministries in your church this year? How are you advertising each event?

Have you thought through activities that will help women get involved through a variety of means (i.e. bible studies in day versus night, banquets, teas, one-on-one mentoring, etc.)?

Filed Under: Current Affairs

Video Footage with Fellow Mom Bloggers in NYC

June 9, 2009 By speppel 4 Comments

In NYC with Blogging Moms: Beth, Amy & Jen from sarah peppel on Vimeo.

Filed Under: blogging

What I Learned This Week: On Writing

June 9, 2009 By speppel 3 Comments

1) This week, I learned my way around the NYC subway and thanks to Maria Bailey, I learned about the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund and met Kelly Ripa yesterday, which was WAY cool, as she talked about the fundraiser Electrolux is backing with a great contest and a chance to win one of their new refrigerators. Click HERE to read yesterday's post about when, where and why and how you can be a part of the fun. I also have video footage of some of the bloggers that I will still work on getting up today!

2) If there is anything I have learned this last year through blogging and writing, it is that you never stop learning and when you do start studying something new life, you realize how much you don't know and how much more you need to learn. Get all that? A year ago, MRS. SERIOUS WRITER (me) bought every book she could get her hands on (and I promise I'll stop talking about myself in third person now) and many of those books now have a thick layer of dust on them.

BUT, when interviewing Author Justin Matott for my Story of My Life writing (and he's running a contest for 4-8 line poems about gross food combinations by the way through July 4 and keep reading for an excerpt of his amazing story that just went live), he said, YOU MUST READ Stephen King's On Writing. (Oh, and if you participate in the contest, link to it HERE at Terra's book review blog.)

WELL. . . to make a long story longer, last year I was in a cute little book store in my town that I have always wanted to stop in but hated that you have to climb steep stairs (despite my attempts at exercise and healthy living) to get to the little treasure trove. Finally we meandered in there one night and I was pursuing the books when I found Stephen King's On Writing. I bought it at the young-ish clerk's suggestion that it was an awesome book. Note, this was LAST year. At Justin's suggestion, I picked it back up and read it in one weekend cover to cover, Stephen King uses his own life and writing experience to make the process come to life. You learn from him without even realizing it until a paragraph or chapter is done. One of his biggest recommendations is to READ, READ, READ.

So, I have been trying to do more of that these last couple of weeks and to my delight realized that I had let READING slide in my life. I LOVE reading and after studying writing for the last year, I really enjoy GOOD writing.

Reading for this week includes: The Poisonwood Bible on Audio, Marybeth Whalen's Learning to Live Financially Free, and the 2nd book in the Fablehaven series (care of my daughter).

What's on YOUR reading list?

Here is the beginning of Justin Matott's Story of My Life Interview:

Justin Matott stood in awkward embrace as the elder gentleman hugged him as if his life depended on it. He didn't recognize the older man until the words of apology began to pour from the man like rice from a homemade maraca — quiet, dignified and sincere.

(To read more, click HERE! It is incredible and I think you would enjoy it!)

2) I also learned this week that some people equate green living with quality living or at least Dave at Hipster's does! I interviewed him for this week's article since he sells recycled items and quality home goods. Dave says "Good Design is Green." I bought a new soda pop top purse (which is pictured in my post about going to NYC yesterday) from him b/c I love the idea of using recycled goods in a real way – thus the article I am finishing at the last minute RIGHT NOW which will be coming out tomorrow and I can send you over there then.

3) Finally, I learned that when you agree to TRIAL your first ever phone (the Nokia e71x) that lets you easily send twitter messages and check the internet, it becomes VERY addicting and VERY hard to think about putting in that little DHL bag and sending it back BUT, I did agree and I have TWO more weeks of being paranoid about keeping it in good condition and then stressing over what to buy to replace it and whether I should stay with AT&T and whether I should consider a different tool since there are a couple good options for a discounted phone when I renew the plan.

Sometimes a glimpse into life with a particular convenience is very stressful. I may just need to go back to my beat-up pink Razor and let go of aspirations of being IN TOUCH with the world AT ALL TIMES. With my simple camera phone, I couldn't be so addicted. What to do, what to do?It about killed me when the service when down on the train on the way to NYC and I couldn't do ANYTHING about it until after the event when I spent an hour on the phone with customer service trying to figure out how I could still get internet service and not be charged during this trial service.

Sometimes, review and giveaways come with BIG strings even though they promise it won't. Be careful of those! (My new pop top purse also scratched the phone that I was trying to be so careful with. Yikes!)

Filed Under: What I Learned This Week

On Virtual Lemonade Stands & Kelly Ripa

June 8, 2009 By speppel 1 Comment

I am tired, worn out and exhausted from an incredible day but I had to throw this post up!

This last month I received this notice from Maria Bailey of BSM Media and NewBaby.com:

You're invited to an exclusive NYC event with Celebrity Mom Kelly Ripa!

Hmm. . let me think about it. . . ah, YES! Reading further I learned that Kelly would "be handing out glasses of lemonade to help support the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, a cause close to Kelly and to women everywhere. For every lemonade stand opened at www.electroluxappliances.com, Electrolux will donate $1 to OCRF."

The email also read: "And in case you’re inspired to get in on the action, you can help the cause even more by selling virtual glasses of lemonade to your friends and family. 100 percent of their proceeds will go to OCRF."

(Kelly was awesome to meet and since she is one of my all time favorite day time talk show hosts — keep reading down and see us all together! Here she is with Elizabeth Howard, COO of Electrolux and Keith McLoughlin, CEO of OCRF.)

I LOVE great causes and fun events to celebrate them. So, despite inquiries into whether I had lost my mind travelling almost 3 hours for a short media announcement, I decided to go anyway. I dropped my kids to school and headed to Trenton to catch the train. On the way, I learned that YES, my sister would be in NYC the same day and that we could meet together for a quick bite to eat. How fun is that? We ended up eating at Carmine's in Times Square. The cold antipasto plate was huge and awesome even if I could see the tentacles in my food.

But, going back to the beginning of the trip, I managed to almost lose a limb jumping out of the A train on the subway when a woman told me I needed to go the other way and the doors were already closing. I also got a couple of stares over my NEW purse that I am very proud of but that my husband promises me the world if I will only NOT carry this strange new addition to my wardrobe. See below. (Purse made of string and soda pop tops)

I only had to ask a billion people along the way because I hate getting lost and there are so many knowledgeable people willing to help out there. To get there, I talked to the following:

ONE man who told me to NOT get off the local from Trenton to NYC when the train announcer told us that the express was behind us and to get off this train and back on the next one if we really wanted to get to NYC faster. The same man got off two stops later.

ONE asian man who looked at me blankly when I asked how to buy an A Train ticket and said he was trying to figure it out too. I let him know when I figured out where the machines were on the other side of the hallway. Having bought mine, I saw him still walking around dumbfounded by the swarms of people swimming past making no attempts to help this apparent underground newbie — so I yelled over "Sir, sir, they're over here" and did one good deed for the day.

ONE maintenance man who told me to keep following the "A" signs after I thought I hadn't walked far enough.

ONE woman who let me know that I needed to get off and go back towards downtown since I was already at 125th street when I should have stopped at 72nd (BUT the train DIDN'T stop so I must have boarded some sort of express in NYC).

ONE woman who told me I was still going the wrong way at which point I scurried out the closing doors and about lost my arm and new purse which would have made my husband very happy – well the purse part anyway – not the arm.

ONE nice adorable foreign accent young man bicycle taxi driver who let me know how to get to the boathouse – past the fountain – and offered to drive me there for $10 but I said "no" on such a gorgeous day.

Finally, ONE maintenance worker in the park who pointed me back the right direction when I started veering off course. OHHH, and I can't forget the very lovely AMY from Selfish Mom who gave me the web address for HopStop which was immensely helpful in navigating the subway system! (She also has a great post of the paparazzi stalking Kelly Ripa from the water!)

God provided many angels to show me the way today! AND, so, once there, the moment you have all been waiting for, I did get to meet Kelly Ripa and watch her tape a segment about the fundraising efforts and Electrolux contest. She is a true star! Her husband was there briefly and is A-dorable! They are both so cute.

In NYC with Kelly Ripa

(Me, Jen, Kelly, Beth)

Kelly gave lemonade to the totally adorable children who came with several women from the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. Children always add such a special element to an event.

We were able to talk briefly with Kelly and get a picture. She asked about blogging and wanted to know what it was all about. I told her that bloggers (who don't vlog) don't get in front of the camera much and wondered if she knew any tips for looking skinnier. She shared that some of the ladies she knew told her to put one foot forward, shoulders back and best side forward. She was very game with it all as she stepped down from her chair to demonstrate. She also shared that Regis had the same good side as her.

And, so before we knew it, our time was over and we were
heading out the door with our bag of real lemonade encased in a tin and tucked neatly into gift bags with blue and yellow tissue, compliments of Electrolux.

I then enjoyed a mini-tour of NYC by Beth at Role Mommy who has done a lot of publicity-related activities in NYC for work and met tons of cool people. I enjoyed hearing about her new anthology of great humor bloggers coming out in November. It sounds awesome. I have some video footage of her personal tour but that will have to be tomorrow before I get that up!

AND, sooo, HERE's my lemonade stand should you be so kind to help donate. You can even start your own stand. Let's fight ovarian cancer together – one virtual glass at a time!

AND, as a fellow blogger: (and if you are not with MomSelect already, click HERE to learn more.)

Electrolux is hosting an exclusive giveaway for MomSelect bloggers who spread the word about the Virtual Lemonade Stand Campaign to their readers. One lucky MomSelect blogger will win their very own Electrolux French Door Refrigerator with Perfect Temp™ Drawer – ideal for summer entertaining – even impromptu lemonade parties!

To be eligible for this contest, publish a post on your blog between June 8th and June 30th that includes the following elements:

Description of the Virtual Lemonade Stand Campaign
A link to www. electroluxappliances.com, encouraging your readers to enter the contest
Images/Screenshots of at least one of the following:
- Kelly Confidential Page (www.kelly-confidential.com)
- Electrolux French Door Refrigerator
- Your Lemonade Stand

Please send a link to your completed post to Amy@bsmmedia.com to be entered to win this amazing prize. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. We look forward to hearing from you and thank you for your participation.

Warm Regards,

Your Friends at MomSelect.com and Frigidaire
Thanks for stopping by!

Filed Under: blogging, Featured

Story of My Life: Tony Luke Jr.

June 5, 2009 By speppel Leave a Comment

Here's an excerpt from my latest Story of My Life Interview to go live:

"From Sandwiches to Screen Plays: Feeding a Different Hunger"

Standing in the dark theater, Tony Luke Jr. eyed the audience as they watched his first feature length film as the lead actor. It was the 2009 Philadelphia Film Festival and their vote would affect everything from distribution to future filmmaking. If only they knew the sweat, heat, angst, money and years of personal preparation that went into this, they would understand what an incredible experience it had been; but, as with any first-time audience, they would come and go and he would get only one shot to make an impression.

For the rest of the story read HERE!

Interviewing Tony Luke Jr. was very fun. Tony's life has represented so many facets of the Philadelphia landscape and he is very fascinating to speak with. I first met Tony when I answered an ad on Craigslist for actors and actresses needed for an independent film down in Philly, no pay — just experience. Don't ask me what I thought I knew about acting other than a few classes, but I was called and told to bring a nurse's outfit. Showing up at the old hospital, I met the cast and crew of The Nail: The Story of Joey Nardone. I loved it and everyone was so nice, including Dayanara Torres with whom I shared a sandwich since I couldn't eat a whole Tony Luke Jr. sandwich alone. She couldn't eat much since her stomach was upset from crying for the scene all day long. Meeting Leo Rossi was a treat too. Read HERE for a previous blog post about being in the movie and to see the trailer.

It was sooo hot in there that day that we were passing notes about passing out (which I did do on a set earlier in the summer and was extremely paranoid about doing again) but I learned so much that day that I look forward to passing on to my children and college students.

I learn & do so that I may teach (in case you wondering why I do these things.)

Filed Under: Story of My Life

Old Jean Shorts: Lessons from Nehemiah 9

June 3, 2009 By speppel 3 Comments

You know summer is coming when you put on your jeans and you begin to feel prickly sweat start to crawl up your shins, defying gravity. You push all fears that the shorts in the bottom of the drawer might not fit this year and shimmy into a pair that at least keep your legs from sweating, all the while weighing the fact that had you left the long jeans on, you might actually sweat off a pound or two.

After inspecting my legs to make sure I shaved sufficiently to warrant summer attire, I decided to don a pair of shorts the other day. I reached into my drawer for my favorite pair of jean ones. Pulling them out, I was appalled. When did I let them go to pot? Ragged strings hung down like the bangs of a toddler-turned hairdresser and paint drips streaked the front in a random pattern giving no clue as to where and when I was actually painting last because honestly I don't remember actually doing any painting for years. I couldn't believe it. Had I lost my mind? When did these shorts get so bad?

Waxing poetic, I thought of the bazillion parallels to life. When did those weeds get so high? When did the cabinet under the girls' sink become such a mosh pit of miscellaneous girl stuff requiring a shovel to extract a single hair barrett? When did I give up on cleaning? Well, that was an easy answer. It was when I learned about blogging and the fun of connecting with other women online also complaining about the piles of laundry and life that were now being unattended because we were all having so much fun meeting each other and figuring out what life might hold in the next stages after kids or perhaps swapping stories about what life held in that moment that day and enjoying the comraderie that immediate feedback brought without tying up the phone lines, creaking the neck changing the sheets.

And then, I forced myself off the computer and opened my Bible at random. Falling on Nehemiah 9, I came across the story of God's people, His covenant with them, their betrayal, their repentance, His forgiveness, their betrayal again, their repentance AGAIN, and His forgiveness AGAIN.

So true the old words which read, "But you are God, ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness, . . ." Nehemiah 9:17c

How often we get so busy with our lives. The important things get pushed aside out of view, under the cabinet or in the drawer with the summer clothes: our relationship with God, our God-given need for Christian fellowship, and our bible studies. We turn around one day and our Christian walk that used to fit in God's plan is now in rags, paint spattered and mishapen. We look on with horror and wonder just where we went wrong.

When did the licks and bites add up to extra weight in our heart and in our jean shorts? Sometimes it is so slow and steady that we can't even remember the slide down the hill. Sometimes a single event takes us down a quick disintegration into prideful abandon and disillusionment with our Christian sisters and brothers. Satan doesn't care which way we fall, just that we do fall and miss the incredible freedom and love that God, through His Son, Christ, has to offer us and the joy of the accountability of the Holy Spirit whose whispers are muted and veiled when we let other voices crowd in.

But, praise the Lord for His forgiveness. Because of His love of us, His creation, He keeps letting us come back, clothing us in fresh robes and giving us a new start!

Are you disillusioned or overwhelmed with the burdens of life that have become heavier than you can bear and yet you still try to bear them alone? When Jesus came to earth to die as a final sacrifice for our sins, He said this, "Take My Yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:29-30.) What joy and freedom there is in Christ, in staying in His word, in fellowshiping with other Christians, being held accountable by each other every day, in spite of the eventual fires that can only bring forth gold from dross if your heart is true.

Don't let life catch you unaware. God knows your heart and is waiting to help you organize and clean out. You have to knock. You have to open the door. Let the light shine off those new robes of glory once again.

Filed Under: Religion

If you didn't win, you can still get $5 in Sun & Earth coupons!

June 3, 2009 By speppel Leave a Comment

Even if you didn't win the Sun & Earth giveaway, email your name & address to sarahfreymoyer@sunandearth.com for $5 worth of Sun & Earth coupons to try the products. Everyone is a winner!

While you are cashing in, read here for my latest article saving YOU money through changing every day habits around your home. Here's an excerpt to get you started:

Is your house working for you or are you working for it? There are many energy saving methods which people don't think about on a daily basis.

Do you read your gas and electric bills closely? If you do and you live in PA, you saw that PECO's rate caps are dropping in 2011. To offset the potentially disastrous rise in costs, PECO is offering a 6% savings account to customers who wish to bank extra dollars from July 2009 to December 2010. That's better than the banks are offering. The extra payments will be applied in 2011-2012 as homeowners adjust to the new prices, estimated at a potential 20% increase.