A Capitol Idea…

Recently, I took my 10 year old son Samuel to the Official Swearing in Ceremony of the Boise City Council.  It was held in the historic Boise Depot built in 1925.  I thought it was important that he gain some “practical” understanding of the process of making a commitment to public service and all that it encompassed.   He was really NOT very excited about the prospect.  I asked him what he expected would happen at the ceremony and between grunts he uttered “people standing up in the front talking, then other people taking the stage talking and more talking.”   Well he did get quite a bit of talk between the farewell to a retiring member, the swearing in of each individual member, their thank yous and the business that had to be conducted by the new Council before the meeting’s adjournment.  I do hope that he also gained an understanding and was impressed by the commitment these volunteers make of their time, energy and intellect to serve the citizens of our city.  While kids study the structure and function of government, they don’t always understand how their everyday lives are affected by it.  Samuel just came in to ask me what I was working on.  I read my draft to him and he crafted this last line which seemed a good ending.  “It may not always be as exciting as a good Star Wars battle, but paying attention and participating is important.”  

Balance.......Part One

Balance…what a great concept.  As a product designer, I am always trying to find the right balance.  My customers are looking for safe, effective, fragrant formulas that are manufactured in America.  It is important that the product’s  packaging be appealing and add to the décor of their home.  They are also looking for a value so finding the right mix is not a small challenge.

Lately, my pet peeve is to bear witness to the outrageous misinformation campaigns conducted by “watch groups” and industry giants in an effort to define what is “natural or good for you” .  In my view, instead of providing accurate information their goal is rather to demonize ingredients that are perfectly safe, effective, affordable and by the way, in the case of the giants, are not present in their particular formulas.  Their claims often ignore current science and have no basis in fact.    They scare people needlessly and spread untruths because they can.  Unfortunately, these campaigns attempt and often succeed to force companies into make product development decisions that not only do not yield the best product, but also may not use our planet’s natural resources wisely.

I think it is important to check the science for safety ( http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org ) and then to balance the costs.  Is it is a good idea to use 4000 kilograms of rose petals to produce 1 kilogram of pure steam distilled rose otto for the desired product?  You should be the judge.  Check out this link.  It provides an interesting discussion and gives accurate balanced information with regard to the use of natural oils or synthetic fragrances in bath and body products:  http://www.pioneerthinking.com/lc_eos.html .

Got Any Ideas on Education?

Recently I attended a fascinating presentation given by Sir Ken Robinson about education.  That is a topic that resonates with most of us across the U.S.  I know I have been dissatisfied with the results of the system and horrified at the enormous cuts to public education over the past few years.  These are dismal times.  But I am encouraged because I know that often the best innovation occurs when a business is struggling.  So if we can just start talking perhaps we can rethink how we educate our kids, determine why we don’t get the best from them with our current system, tap the data and open our minds to finding a new way to nurture and capitalize on the enormous talents of every child.  Listening to Sir Ken is a good place to start.

Sir Ken Robinson is a visionary cultural leader.  He lead the British government's 1998 advisory committee on creative and cultural education, a massive inquiry into the significance of creativity in the educational system and the economy and was knighted in 2003 for his achievements.  He believes we need a system overhaul as he states in his book, “The fact is that given the challenges we face, education doesn't need to be reformed -- it needs to be transformed. The key to this transformation is not to standardize education, but to personalize it, to build achievement on discovering the individual talents of each child, to put students in an environment where they want to learn and where they can naturally discover their true passions.”

Sir Ken gives both an informative and HILARIOUS presentation.  Check him out on YouTube.  Changing Educational Paradigms at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U  AND start the discussion in your community!  Throw your ideas out for discussion.  As Sir Ken would say, “If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original.” 

Doing Good AND Doing Well.......

Last week, Walmart launched an initiative that is quite amazing in its potential impact for women and families and its proportions.  It is called The Global Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative (http://walmartstores.com/women/).  It is the kind of thing that should have been front page news, but since it wasn’t I wanted to draw your attention to it.  Over the next five years, Walmart plans to direct billions of dollars in spending to train female workers around the world and support women-owned businesses.  For example,

·      $20 million will be spent to buy goods from women-owned businesses in the U. S. (double its current spending amount) and the firm plans to double their sourcing efforts from women-owned businesses worldwide.

This is not only good, it is smart business.   Women control 20 trillion dollars in consumer spending a year globally.  We know that when women are educated and have resources, they invest in their families’ health, education and advancement.  Their family unit prospers, the community benefits and the economic picture is better for everyone.

As a women-owned business, supplier of consumer goods and one who has worked with a pro-active Diversity Supplier organization at SUPERVALU,  I can appreciate the impact this kind of global initiative can have to help raise the barriers to entry and make doing business with the giants a real possibility.  Small enterprises are the innovators, quick to action and quick to change to meet market demands.  They bring the spice to the shelf.

I am excited about the prospects for women and their communities everywhere.  My hat is off to Walmart.

For our kids

My cycling adventure to benefit Children’s Hospital in Colorado has made me think a lot about health and exercise.  On the plane home I had the difficult experience of having to raise the arm rest to share a quarter of my seat with the person sitting next to me because their own seat was too small.  Everyday we are all reminded in little ways about how important it is to keep ourselves active and our food intake sane.  Oddly enough technology, that giver of economic growth and life saving power, also presents the greatest obstacle to maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle.  Instant gratification, a tool for every task that minimizes our physical work plus that mesmerizing flow of information and games at our finger tips all conspire to undercut our efforts to keep our bodies healthy.  I feel the pull constantly myself as my son (waiting to go on a bike ride with me) groans…”Mom!  not another e-mail!”  I know it is a tall order, but we must overcome that pull for ourselves and even more important, for our children.

Last year, The First Lady launched her “Let’s Move” campaign to raise awareness about childhood obesity with really good information and recommendations to start working to stave off obesity and get back on a healthy track that you can access at:   http://www.letsmove.gov/about .  

At Idaho Voices for Children, we are taking up childhood obesity as one of our top priorities.  I’ll keep you posted on our efforts, but just to start you thinking…did you know:

·         One in three children in America is overweight or obese

·         Evidence indicates that there is a correlation between childhood obesity and family obesity. If both parents are overweight, a child’s likelihood of being overweight increases by 60-80 percent. The chance of an obese child growing into an obese adult is about 70 percent.

·         The New England Journal of Medicine tracked thousands of children through childhood and found the heaviest youngsters were more than twice as likely to die prematurely, before age 55, of illness or a self-inflicted injury.

·         Data from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry shows the indirect costs of obesity, such as days missed from work and future earnings loss, are estimated at more than $56 billion annually. Children treated for obesity are nearly three times more expensive for the health care system than children of normal weight. And it is a fact that severely overweight people spend more on health care than smokers.

Shocking, sad, upsetting and criminal.  Think about what you can do to make a difference in your community and make it a priority to at least influence one life.  We need everyone to help solve this massive problem.

I Find True "Courage" High in the Mountains

I just spent the last three days in Vail, Colorado with my great college friend Laura. We cycled for 125 miles to support Children’s Hospital Colorado. Riding up and down the high Colorado passes was beautiful and challenging. The ride stretched us physically and emotionally, but our real reward was the opportunity to ride alongside Team Courage. Team Courage is comprised of former and current patients of Children’s Hospital Colorado, as well as some amazing adults. It was a humbling experience for me to pump my way up Battle Mountain (9400’), thighs burning, barely able to breathe, only to ride up behind a member of Team Courage, propelling himself up very same the hill on a hand-pedaled bike! Unbelievable!!! 

Our final climb up to Leadville (10,100’) was a real tearjerker. As Team Courage rode up toward the finish line, one hand pedal cyclist cried out in anguish, “I can’t make it!” The crowd was spellbound and I felt my insides tighten up. The other cyclists, volunteers, family and friends shouted out, “you can do it, you can do it!” Bolstered by their support, he pulled out everything he had and began to move forward. The crowd roared as he crossed the finish line. There wasn’t a dry eye among us. He made it, and you know what? Most of us barely did.  He and the other Team Courage kids are a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.  

Team Courage 2011

Our team at the Courage Classic was called The Rocky Roadies.  Form your own team for this event at www.couragetours.com or join up with a walk, hike or ride in your hometown to support strong kids everywhere!

Since this is the Morningside Soapbox, I want you to know that I am a committed child advocate, and you can help kids too, by buying Morningside products.  I have formed a foundation called Every Child is an Original. A percentage of the proceeds from sales of every Morningside product go to this foundation. It supports advocacy for children on a range of issues. Our goal is to help better position children in life, with the tools they need to become successful adults.  So, please explore our site and stock up for every occasion at www.morningsideproducts.com. You’ll feel doubly good as you lather and moisturize yourself with our wonderful, quality products knowing that you are also helping kids.

A Tool that Tracks, Measures and Inspires!

I’m training for a 3-day, 180-mile charitable cycling adventure in the Colorado Rockies, scheduled to begin next week. I’ve been working on improving my fitness level for months. It has been tough to stay consistent with a 9 year old at home and a busy work life. With all that, I haven’t always succeeded in getting to the exercise. Another big challenge for me has been eating the right foods in the appropriate amounts to fuel my increase in exercise. But what confounds me the most is how to measure or quantify if everything balances out on a daily basis. A good web site I found to help understand and plan for my daily nutritional needs is:

<http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_eating_women_nutrition.htm>

We all know that good nutrition for women includes several servings a day of fruit and leafy green vegetables, fiber from whole grains, beans and legumes to give our bodies power, and minimally processed foods as a mainstay. Of course, we also need to make sure we have lots of calcium for bone strength and understand that over-eating protein can cause bone decreased bone density. That is a lot of information for me to juggle with my daily life. I try to do well but often fall short of achieving these goals. Measuring the good, bad and the ugly is the key to inspiring me to strive to greater nutritional and exercise heights.

Coincidentally, I discovered a tool that helps me manage this complex process. It takes into consideration my age, current weight, fitness and weight goals, and measures my food intake against my exercise levels to give me, with a tap of my finger, my carb/protein/fat intake measurements on a daily basis. It is called Tap & Track, and I purchased it for my iPhone. I’m just getting started, but so far I’m loving it. The only drawback I’ve discovered is that you cannot go back and edit your food intake or exercise once you have entered it. The food you need to enter is not always exact, but there are similar choices and they even have a host of popular restaurant menus with specific items listed. Last night, I picked up food from PF Chang’s and thought, oh, no there goes my plan to track my diet, but I was very pleased to find that I was able to log what I consumed, down to the dish!  Tap & Track can also be managed online <http://www.tapandtrack.com/home/index>, as can similar programs, such as the Pyramid Tracker on the USDA site <http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov>. Check these and other out and start tracking, measuring and being inspired to improve your fitness!

Three tips I thought worthy of sharing as you train for your next exertion adventure:

1.      Eat to control cravings and boost energy

Eat breakfast, Eat regularly, Cut the junk and Eat more complex carbohydrates

2.      Don't cut out the fat

Your body needs fat for healthy brain function, vibrant skin, hair and nails and helps 

control cravings

3.      Get plenty of calcium - 400 to 1,200 mg/day,  magnesium - 500 to 800 mg/day,  vitamin D - 400 and 1,000 IU daily