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Archived Announcements:

1/23/07--Have y'all checked out the Wild Bird Center on Bullard, just east of first? Its 2 doors down from Luby's (the BEST chinese food in town!), next to a new tea/coffee shop called Lollicup (looks neat, but haven't checked it out yet), around the corner (in the same parking area) as Savemart.

I'd been in there before, awhile ago, and meant to go back cuz its really a neat place...But just recently I got the idea to take Maeven (my 7yr old) there with her allowance...Now we are HOOKED! The owners are SOOOO nice (and VERY knowledgeable about birds!) and they have everything you can possibly need for backyard bird feeding! They have the most beautiful feeders I've ever seen, and so many kinds that its mind boggling...I'm going to be going there regularly to stock up. They have all kinds of bird seeds that inspire me to learn more about the birds that eat them.

They have some awesome websites too!! http://www.wildbird.com/stores/frs/  is their store site and http://wildbirdcenter.podbean.com  is where they have all kinds of podcast stories for kids and such. There's a ton of great stuff on both websites! Very educational!

Anyway, thought I'd spread the word how great this place is! :)

12/21/07--Update on the "Mission Christmas" family (below) that Fresno Family is helping with...I just spoke with Katie and she says that they are good to go with household items and also underwear/socks for everyone...What they need now are Christmas gift items (they don't have any toy/game/fun type things yet), and clothes (other than socks/underwear, which they have plenty of...hand-me-downs are welcome!).
Please contact Katie by email if you would like to donate anything for this family in need. She is planning on taking everything to the family on Sunday, so you have today and tomorrow to contact her still. Please hurry if you're planning on helping!
And let her know you read about this on Fresno Family!

12/18/07--I received the message below from Katie Blanton of Movin' Mamas, and decided that I really wanted to help out with the family she adopted for Christmas this year! Please read the message below and contact Katie if you'd like to help.
Let's help give this family a very Merry Christmas!!

11/10/07--Have you heard about this?
(click the image below, it will open in a new window)

I just stumbled upon info on National Family Volunteer Day (Which is coming up quickly here on Nov 17, 2007!) at the Volunteer Center of Fresno's website.

I'm looking for opportunities for my own family to volunteer and give back to community...And I will share what I learn here, so others can also benefit...So if you know of any other volunteer opportunities, specifically ones that young children and whole families can participate in...
Please contact me and let me know!

10/31/07--HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
For a very enlightening article on "The Real Origins of Halloween" (and no, it has nothing to do with anything evil or satanic), check out the article by the same name! Its long but very well worth reading! I highly recommend it!

9/22/07--Check out the Tamejavi Festival today at Radio Park and the Fresno Art Museum. It's free!

9/7/07--Just learned about these local concerts by Yosemite Jazz Band...thought I'd pass along their schedule and website for those that might be interested.

9/1/07--MOMS Club of Fresno - West needs your support in order to make their community service project - Burden Bears a success.  The purpose of the project is to provide a grieving mother who has suffered the loss of her child to stillbirth or infant death with a soft and cuddly bear.  The Burden Bear will never replace what's been lost but will lend support and something soft and loveable to fill the mother's empty arms.  To learn more about this project or the MOMS Club of Fresno - West please visit www.burdenbears.org or email us at momscluboffresno_west@yahoo.com .  Thank you for your support!

8/30/07--I'm FINALLY back with my own computer! WOOHOO!
Long story but my motherboard died on my computer so we ended up having to do a lot of jumping through hoops to finally get me a working computer, and reinstall my programs and relink up with my files (which thank heavens weren't affected)...and in the meantime I didn't have access to my programs or files...which meant I was unable to update any of my websites. WELL I'M NOW BACK!! WOOHOO! :)

4/8/07--One of my favorite parenting quotes---I'm getting this put on a tshirt as soon as I can:

"That's the way of a Father.
To teach and inspire his children to do good of their own free will rather than fear of somebody else.
That's the difference between a slave's Master and a Child's Father.

--Terence (160 BC)

3/24/07--This is very disturbing.

"The 20,000 nerve endings that encircle the opening of the foreskin allow a man to know what his penis is feeling and where he is in relation to the ejaculatory threshold. These erogenous nerve endings allow an intact man to learn to ride the wave to orgasm. Without them, he goes "Ohhh, ohhh, oops! Sorry, honey, it's because I'm so sensitive."

In reality, it's not because he's so sensitive, it's because the nerve endings he's supposed to have are gone! Someone cut them off when he was too little to consent, resist, or escape. Circumcised men don't ride the wave to orgasm. My circumcised husband says, "I've never had an orgasm. I ejaculate, but I've never had an orgasm."  In human sexuality classes, men tell me the same thing. And, they're happy to know they aren't to blame for the #1 cause of sexual dysfunction in young American men: premature ejaculation. It's not because they haven't read enough, had enough experience, or are selfish lovers, it's because they lack the nerve endings that would allow them to have normal sex.

As men get older and the keratinization process causes the free nerve endings on the glans to become more and more deeply buried and insensitive to stimulation, it takes the circumcised male longer and longer to reach orgasm. This is why older men complain about sexual dysfunction and impotence when they get older. That's the legacy of what we've done to our precious husbands, brothers, and sons...

This, in part, is why we must bring the atrocity to an end!"

"And, yes, it is sad. Very sad! But, once we realize what the problem is, we can do something about it. Men stop feeling like it's their fault, wives stop blaming them, couples begin to talk, and the deep tension that underlies many relationships because of a dysfunctional sex life dissipates. We can work with it when we know what "it'" is. And, we can stop making more "it"s happen, too! That's the good news... I hope you'll post this, the rest of the story, too."

1/29/07--I've been asked to pass along the following information regarding a franchise business opportunity with Funtastic Play Centers...I would totally jump at this myself if I had the funding. But since I don't, I'm sharing here in hopes that someone else, more financially able, will find a way to bring this business to Fresno. I think it is something MUCH needed!
For more info and if you are interested, contact Jim Kerr.

This is the information I've been given to share on the investment:

1/19/07--Looks like I finally got the navigation fixed, although I'm not entirely certain how. Oh well, as long as it works! If anyone sees anything that's not working properly please do point it out to me so I can fix it. :)

1/9/07--Figured out a fix for the navigation issue...but it's going to take me awhile to get it all fixed...so bear with me...starting with the homepage navigation. :)

1/8/07--Still can't figure out how to fix the pregnancy/birth navigation issue and in the process of trying to sort through things, apparently screwed things up worse because now none of the navigation works. Until I get this fixed, you can find the pages you are looking for by using Google or email me and I can send you a direct link. I apologize for the inconvenience! I'm doing all I can in my very limited spare time to try to sort through this and have enlisted online help and even the help of my host and so far none of us have been able to solve the issue...Stay tuned!

1/3/07--I screwed up something...I was trying to fix some errors in the pg/birth section of Fresno Family and in the process something got royally messed up and I'm still trying to figure out how to fix it. It's giving me quite the headache, lemme tell ya!  For now, to access the pg/birth pages, please go here. There is a link to all the pages there. They should all still be there, they just don't, for some reason, link up to the navigation right anymore. So I'll have to fiddle with it some more later.

This gives me even more reason to want to get Fresno Family revamped...I'm in the process of researching how to do this efficiently and effectively. Stay tuned! :)

1/1/07--HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I just created this Flickr photo group for us to share our local family photos! Please come share pics of YOUR "Fresno Family"!!

12/24/06--MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Hope everyone is enjoying their special family time!

Don't forget to track Santa! It's an exciting & fun family tradition!!! :)

12/15/06--Charity for the Holidays

Thought there might be others looking for charity things to contribute to as well so I wanted to share a few things...

Salvation Army has a Christmas tree over by the kids' play area near the food court at Fashion Fair mall where you pick a star ornament with a child's info on it and buy a gift for them. Sierra Vista Mall, I'm told, has something similar. (Not sure yet who runs it or where exactly at the mall it is.)

Barnes & Nobles has a donation thing where you buy a book and give to the register person and they will give to teachers who will distribute to their needy students.

Jamba Juice has a donation box where you buy a snack from them and put in the box and they will donate to the Povarello House.

So far that's all I'm aware of, but I know there are tons more, so please email me and let me know more and I'll detail them all here for everyone to see!

9/30/06--WOW! What a parade! For anyone that didn't go to today's Sesquicentennial parade in downtown Fresno...you missed out!

I meant to post here about it ahead of time but just never got to it...I'm so sorry! But I hope lots of you made it! They estimated they had between 50 and 60,000 attendees! The parade went on for over 2 and a half hours! There were some great floats and I was so impressed with all the cultural clubs that were represented! Just about every ethnicity had an entry! Wow! What a great diverse Valley we live in! And what a fun parade!

9/27/06--Fresno Family will be starting a fun new contest very soon! But first I need local businesses to get involved to donate prizes to contribute to our grand prize gift basket!

If you are a local Valley business and would like to donate towards this contest...read on...

The details aren't completely worked out yet, but the gist is this...

The 1st ever "Fresno Family Foto Hunt" will commence as soon as I have enough items for the grand prize giveaway!

Visitors to Fresno Family will see photos each week, right here in the news box on the Fresno Family homepage that will show my children in front of things here in Fresno. I will strive to keep the hunt not too simple and not to hard...For example, I might pose them in front of one of the less obvious Storyland character statues...or one of the many Clement Renzi statues around town. Contestants will then need to pose THEIR children in front of the very same thing and email it to me. I'm not sure yet how long the contest will go on...depends on how much fun we're having with it and how many prizes we get donated. :)

Winners will be drawn from those with the most (correct) photo submissions.

As a business, you would benefit from some great (and FUN) free publicity! (Well, free with the exception of the cost of the donation.) The only thing I will ask in return is that you help advertise this contest to your customers, friends and family. I will give you fliers to put out in stores and pass out where appropriate in your lives. :)

I will post a list of all the donators on the homepage of Fresno Family, here along with the contest info. Also, if you have a brick and mortar store that has something unique and picture-worthy, we might just pose in front of your store, or IN your store...which would bring in potentially a lot more people to your store! You could even choose to put something up specifically for this contest and just let me know so I can check it out.

If you're a local business and are interested in donating towards this contest, email me and let's talk!

Everyone else--stay tuned!! This is going to be a blast!!

9/14/06--We now have 11 local businesses in the Fresno Family Online Mall! Please help us grow our online mall...pass the word along to your favorite local businesses to come sign up for a FREE listing!

9/8/06--Here's something I was asked to pass along--

SpiralScouts is an alternative scouting program for boys and girls ages 3-18. It was founded by the Aquarian Tabernacle Church, a Wiccan church headquartered in Index, Washington. SpiralScouts is much like other youth programs, including camping, badges, and other activities. We are interested in forming a Circle (the SpiralScouts version of a troop) here in the Fresno area. We'll be meeting at the Fig Garden Library Meeting Room on Tuesday September 11th at 2pm. Please join us there, for more information.

Contact Tiffiny or Beckie

9/3/06--Very interesting...I was just looking through the search words/phrases that were used to find Fresno Family.
Most are to be expected...LOTS of local info searches--fresno mom s groups, birthday party fresno, birthing classes fresno, gymnastics for kids in fresno ca, kids party fresno ca, things to do for kids in fresno california, etc etc

But very interesting is that searches for things related to homemade playdo tend to be also very frequent--homemade playdo, playdo recipe, playdo activities for kids, playdough activities, best homemade playdough recipe for preschool, children s playdo recipes, recipe for playdo, recipe homemade playdo, playdo koolaid, homemade play-do, recipes for edible playdo, homemade playdo without cream of tartar, pb playdough, and on and onnnnnnnnnn..... WOW! I think I need to capitalize on that! Gotta find some special ads to stick on those pages! LOL!

Now here's some weird ones...These just make me laugh!--listen to swahili christian songs, rocking chairs brain damage, how to get along with family.com, edible finger paints -sex -sexy recipe.  ?????  LOL!!! Now I have to go do those searches and see what page on my site they point to! LOL! Weird!

9/2/06--I just want to share a fantastic children's book publisher: Dawn Publications! They are all about quality nature books for children and I have become a reviewer for them recently...already checked out 4 of their books and they are AWESOME!!

9/1/06--I've not been as active online lately because I started homeschooling my 5.5yr old daughter just recently. So I've had to cut down my computer time considerably to focus on her, her very active little brother (almost 14months now, and getting into EVERYTHING), and trying to get this house in order so we can have homeschooling, and life, run smoothly. But Fresno Family is not dead! There is still tons of info up here. (over 160 pages!)

If you email me and I don't respond for awhile, now you know why. I do still check email fairly regularly...though not always every single day now. If you emailed me and didn't hear back...please email again...It's not that I'm ignoring you...It's just sometimes hard to respond to everyone in the limited computer time I have. So I appreciate the reminder email to keep me on top of things. You're not bugging me if you email me again to make sure I got your email...You're helping me not lose your email in the mass of email I still get daily.

Remember I have 2 major websites...Fresno Family (this one) and Mommy Chats....so I'm dealing with emails regarding both and trying to help everyone that has questions...So sometimes people get lost in the shuffle. If you suspect your email may have gotten lost, just go ahead and email me again.

Thank you for understanding! And check out the FF Online Mall! Tell all the local businesses you frequent about it and let's get more biz's in there! :)

7/22/06--Very important study uploaded. Everyone needs to read this.

In our c-section-happy culture, you really need to read this study before you consent to a c-section. Print it out and take it to your doctor! A quote from this study:

"Delivery by caesarean section in the first pregnancy could increase the risk of unexplained stillbirth in the second. In women with one previous caesarean delivery, the risk of unexplained antepartum stillbirth at or after 39 weeks' gestation is about double the risk of stillbirth or neonatal death from intrapartum uterine rupture."

I share this with you because I am one of those statistics...I had an unexplained stillbirth after a previous c-section. Fullterm. When I learned of this study I was LIVID. No one told me this...if I had known that my chances of stillbirth went up so significantly I would NEVER have consented to a c-section! My first c-section was unnecessary...due to "failure to progress", which really is "failure to be patient."  Just keep all this information in mind and be educated, mamas!

7/18/06--The new Fresno Family Online Mall is open for business!

At this time I'm taking businesses to list in the mall...Its still brand new so it'll take a little while to get things filled up. Please pass the word along to your favorite businesses to check out Fresno Family and submit their biz to the new Online Mall! There are both free and paid listings available...I'd like to see all family friendly businesses listed in the mall eventually. I could use your help to spread the word! Stay tuned for a printable flier to take to local businesses.

For those of you that are not business owners...The Fresno Family Online Mall is a place for you to browse local businesses and find out what's out there, what specials there are, what their hours and contact info is, and print up valuable coupons to take to the stores! For the businesses that are also online, you will also find links to their websites and where applicable, even make online purchases!

6/25/06--I JUST PUBLISHED MY FIRST BOOK!!!

How to Create a High Quality "Mommy and Me" Program
"Mommy and Me" programs are popping up all over in many forms. Learn how you can tap into this exploding industry by creating and running a high quality program from your own home, with your children by your side! Be the stay at home mother that you want to be and still help contribute to your family's income! You too can be a WAHM (Work-at-Home-Mom)!
From: $12.50

5/25/06--
Please sign this petition for sun shades over our children's parks!!!--
click here: http://www.petitiononline.com/sonp2006/petition.html

4/11/06--
Gymnastics Beat is outgrowing, we need your help!
Available positions include: Birthday Party Manager, Mommy & Me Coach and Summer Camp Counselors. Are you creative? Got some extra time to teach or incorporate your own class at our premier school of gymnastics? If you have experience in early education development please call Helena Guzman to schedule an interview or fax your resume at 271-9500. Part time. Flex schedule. Call (559) 271-9400.

4/10/06--
Added a TON more art recipes to the activities section! Redid the whole section even to accommodate them.  I had some great sites linked that had a ton of recipes and then when I recently went to look for them again they were gone! Found them on www.archive.org and copied all the info and pasted it to my site so the recipes are not lost. I've not had time to do all the recipes yet, of course...but eventually I plan to go through them all and take off the useless ones, since I'm sure some of them won't work as expected...that tends to happen. If you try any out, let me know how it goes and I'll put your comments up on the site! :)