Bing’s Teacher Appreciation Website helps teachers help themselves. Here’s how it works: a teacher can log onto the DonorsChoose.org website to start a “classroom project” or donation request. Parents and students can then visit the Bing Teacher Appreciation site to leave a comment [up to 5 per visitor] about a teacher who has made a difference in their life, enabling them to receive a $5 giving code to donorschoose.org [one per comment]. Parents and students can then apply the $5 giving code to the “classroom project” of their choice. Classroom projects are created by teachers, so reach out to your childrens’ teachers and encourage them to submit their own projects!

Madison and I embarked on doing this.  The Bing site is super easy to use and $5 can add up quite quickly.  As my children have learned, every little bit counts.  I’ve also taught my children about giving back, so I let Madison choose what classroom project we were going to donate too.  I was given a $100 giving code to use.  Donorschoose.org is another awesome site (though I wish they would include private schools so my daughters school could benefit from this).  There is a classroom project for everyone!  Madison picked a classroom of kindergarteners like herself in Texas.  We were able to get a science kit for a class of 22 students.  What grabbed me was this statement in the description of the project:  ”Imagine a class full of little students walking around with a magnifying glass in the garden looking for bugs and looking for the grooves of a leaf.”  That is Madison to a tee, so I am very happy to help fund this class!

Make sure you check out the Bing’s Teacher Appreciation Website and write about your favorite teacher and help some kids in the process!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Bing and a $100 DonoseChoose.org giving code to facilitate my review. Mom Central also sent me a thank-you gift certificate.

Now, my kids are normally pretty good.  Except on Saturday.  While we had company.  Will took a plastic golf club and whacked Madison on the face.  The lip to be exact.  He busted her gum, bruised her face, and gave her a fat lip.  Just what we needed before school starts.  Then Will took a faceplant last night coming out of the tub, so he has a busted lip.  So we are not looking good here.  LOL

With all that being said, a great gift for a college bound student has to be gift cards.  The Sears Reloadable Gift Cards are the perfect gift.  You can get them in your local Sears and Kmart stores.  Once in school, if you want, you can reload it online.  This allows you to watch what they are spending and giving them some money to help with their home away from home.

Sears has a great campaign called Sears CampusReady to make sure you are ready for college. There are tips, advice on how to make the best with the amount of space you have in your dorm room, and even a checklist. There is even a CampusReady on Facebook that is really easy to use!   This is great way to make sure your student has everything they need!  Giftcards, checklist, supplies — what more could you ask for?

The American Heart Association offers several different ways for you to learn CPR.  You can take classes in a classroom.  There is also a course you can do at home.  It’s called CPR Anytime.  It comes with an inflatable mannequin and instructional DVD.  They  have both adult and infant kits.  In 22 minutes, you can learn how to save your childrens’ life.

Nothing is more important than your children, so make sure you get your CPR up to date this summer.  You never know when you may need to use it.

Sgt. Kenneth G. Ross
24 years old from Tucson, Arizona
7th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment
September 25, 2005

“He believed in serving his country,” said Ross’ father, David C. Ross. Gary Anderson, Ross’ best friend and an Army infantry veteran who served nine months in Afghanistan and 11 months in Iraq during his active duty stint, was a classmate of Ross at Marana’s Mountain View High School. “You know, I heard this news of Ken and I broke down and cried hysterically,” said Anderson, now a firefighter for the Ak-Chin Indian Community in Maricopa. “He loved everyone; everyone who came in contact with him loved him. He’d always help everyone out that he could.”

A 1999 graduate of Mountain View, Ross played drums in the marching band and orchestra, his father said. Ross enlisted in the Army right after graduation. “He just wanted to take part in history,” Anderson said.

At the time of his death, he was a helicopter mechanic ? acting as a door gunner on his last mission, his father said. SSgt. Ross was killed when his helicopter went down southwest of Deh Chopan, Afghanistan. Also killed in the crash were Sgt. Shawn A. Graham, Warrent Officer Adrian B. Stump, Sgt. Tane T. Baum, Chief Warrent Officer 2 John M. Flynn and Sgt. Patrick D. Stewart.

Along with his father, SSgt. Ross is survived by his mother, Mary Ross, 57, and his sister, Stephanie Ross, 30. “I know his last thoughts were for everybody else and not for himself,” Anderson said. “I know he wanted to make sure everybody was safe and would go home.”

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

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