Every Monday Matters - Wk 6

GET RID OF JUNK MAIL!

That is the "action" for this week. I am going to link you directly to the site because there are some great links to follow from there to take action. Before I do that though...some interesting facts...
**Junk-mail deliveries surpass the U.S. Postal Service 1st class mail—over 100 billion pieces of junk mail are sent annually.
**Even though 44% of all junk mail is discarded without being opened, people will still spend 8 months of their lives opening junk mail.
**Only 2% of junk mail gets a response.

**Over $350 million taxpayer dollars are spent annually to dispose of junk mail that does not get recycled.

**100 million trees are needed to produce the annual supply of bulk mail—that’s the equivalent of deforesting the entire Rocky Mountain National Park every four months.

**5.8 million tons of catalogs and other direct-mail advertisements end up in landfills annually.

**The average person receives only 1.5 personal letters each week, compared to 10.8 pieces of junk mail—over 500 pieces of junk mail per person per year.

**Paper is predicted to take up 48% of our landfills by 2010.
Read more about how junk mail affects our lives: http://everymondaymatters.com/6/

Every Monday Matters - Wk 5

Week 5 - EAT HEALTHY!

Read all about it here: http://www.mygreatretreat.com/showthread.php?tid=4897

What are you going to do to live a healthier life? 

For myself, this is something I have been working on for what seems like my entire 29 years on earth.  I am the one who does the grocery shopping and also the one who does the majority of the cooking.  Therefore, I need to vow to prepare only healthy meals.  There are many delicious and healthy meals out there and I will make it my goal to prepare them.

Every Monday Matters - Wk4

Prepare for an emergency!
FACTS
* On average, 1,300 tornadoes are reported annually in the U.S.
* The average twister path is 660 feet wide and can be as long as 50 miles.
* 40 states are considered at risk of an earthquake.
* More deaths occur due to extreme heat and cold than from hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes combined.
* Because of contamination, clean water is harder to find than food after a flood.
* A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when the speed of its winds reaches 74 mph.
* 91% of people surveyed agree that it is important to be prepared for emergencies, but only 55% said that they had taken any steps to prepare.
* September 11, 2001 will always remind us of the reality of terrorist attacks and the damage they can cause.

TAKE ACTION TODAY
* Develop a family communication plan by selecting a person outside your local area for everyone to call in case of an emergency. Carry it in your wallet.
* Ensure every member of your family knows the phone number and has coins or a prepaid phone card for calling the emergency contact. Cell phones often get jammed due to high call volume during disasters.
* Designate a primary and secondary meeting location.
* Create an emergency supply kit with a 3-day supply of basic items such as: fresh water, food, first aid, towelettes, garbage bags, a flashlight with extra batteries, local maps, a whistle, dust masks, tools, a can opener, and cash. Check and rotate supplies every 6 months.
* Prepare a plan for your pets during an emergency.

YOU MATTER
Disasters are never planned, but they will happen. They are inevitable. Being prepared is the only thing you can do. Having proper supplies and a well thought-out plan can make all the difference in your survival. Readiness will also reduce fear, anxiety, and potential losses. Prepare today … for any kind of tomorrow.

Every Monday Matters - Wk 3

Monday #3 Challenge
(Facts and text taken from the book)

FACTS

• AMBER stands for “America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response” and was created as a legacy to 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, kidnapped while riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas, and then brutally murdered.
•  76% of abducted children who are murdered are dead within 3 hours of the abduction, 88.5% are dead within 24 hours, and 99% are dead within 7 days.
• 443 children have been reunited with their families because of AMBER Alerts.
• Nearly 100% of cell phones are eligible to receive Wireless AMBER Alerts as text messages.
• 100% of computers can have the AMBER Alert ticker downloaded onto them.
• AMBER Alerts are active in all 50 states.

TAKE ACTION TODAY

• Pay attention to AMBER Alert signs on the freeway or on TV.
• Sign-up to receive AMBER Alert text messaging on your cell phone.
• Download the AMBER Alert Ticker onto your computer.
• If you see or receive an AMBER Alert, don’t take it lightly. The perpetrator might be closer than you think.

YOU MATTER
Protecting children from abduction and locating those who have been abducted is the twofold purpose of AMBER Alerts. They increase the number of people who can help locate an abducted child or deter predators, and they have caused perpetrators to release the abducted child after hearing or seeing the AMBER Alert. Remember, those first three hours are everything to that child and his or her family. Your eyes and action could mean the difference between a life lost and a life saved.

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It's a heartbreaking reality.  Children go missing.  Bad people are out there. Watch your children.  Please. I've added the ticker to my blog, and like the EMM book said, it only took a minute to do.  I encourage you to do the same.

Every Monday Matters - Wk 2

Monday #2 Challenge
(Facts and text taken from the book.)

FACTS
* 99% of all homes in the U.S. have at least one TV—50% have three or more.
* 68% of all 8- to 18-year olds have a TV in their bedroom and 49% have a video game player there as well.
* A person watches TV an average of 40 days per year.
* Children spend nearly 2,000 hours a year in front of a TV, playing on the computer, and playing video games, compared to 900 hours in school.
* 200,000 violent acts, including 16,000 murders, will be seen on TV by a child before their 18th birthday.
* Roughly 70% of all shows include some sexual content, with an average of five sexual scenes per hour.
* 57% of parents admit to having some degree of difficulty in getting their teens involved in meaningful conversations; and, 74% of parents are not sure their teens are even listening when they talk.

TAKE ACTION
* Turn off your TV today. Tape the “No TV” sign to all TV screens so that you don’t turn it on out of habit.
* Designate certain TV-free times throughout the week to reduce viewing hours.
* Remove TVs from bedrooms, the kitchen, etc.
* Make a list of activities to do besides watching TV―activities like reading, biking, swimming, walking, gardening, or socializing with friends. Then start doing them.
* Avoid using TV as a reward―this only increases its power.
* Be more selective about programming―choose history, travel, cooking, home repair/design, and other educational themes.

YOU MATTER
70% of people say that no matter how hard they try, they never seem to have enough time to do everything they need to do. Are you part of that 70%? If you gave up TV for just one day a week, you could exercise the recommended weekly amount necessary for healthy living, read over 20 books a year, or spend more time with your loved ones. Instead of watching reruns of Friends, go make some.

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I turned off the TV today.  The same TV that only gets left on in the daytime for background noise.  Yep, that's right.  I only did it to save electricity.  TV is not my vice.  Sadly, it's the computer.  I tried hard to turn that off today too.  I succeeded.  I failed.  I succeeded. I failed.  This is something that I have to work at daily.  I am glad though that I don't have the TV  AND the computer as issues in our house.