This week we will be talking about big cats, swimming on Tuesday and Wednesday, and going to the Feline Refuge in Brazil, Indiana. It’s about a two hour bus ride.

This week parents will need to fill out some new paperwork for the USDACCF Program.

We will be doing a “Chicken” drive for the big cats. If you have it in your heart, please bring a dead chicken to school and let your child put it in the big freezer in the kitchen. Turkeys and other game birds are also welcomed. This is very greatly appreciated by our hosts. You can find the website by clicking HERE.

We will leave school about 9:00 a.m. and return by 4:30.

Please remember to sun screen your children every morning.

Looking forward to the week!

Here is some information Flaxmilk, a brand new non-dairy product that has the health benefits of Flax and as much calcium as cow’s milk.
It’s great for kids — especially those that are sensitive to dairy.

Goodrich, North Dakota – A truly innovative product in the field of nutrition, brand new Flaxmilk is the first and only all-natural, dairy-free milk product made from cold-pressed flax oil. Several scientific studies have found evidence that ingesting flax on a daily basis may help reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes. Flaxmilk is rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids known for their heart-healthy benefits. A daily glass of Flaxmilk is a simple and delicious way to help prevent heart disease, stroke and cancer. The perfect companion to whole grain cereal or as a dairy-free substitute in recipes, one eight ounce serving of Flaxmilk is only 50 calories and provides as much calcium as cow’s milk with zero cholesterol and zero trans fat. In addition, Flaxmilk is completely plant-based and enriched with Vitamins A, D, and B12.

A study published in the 2006 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology stated that sources of plant-derived omega-3 fatty acids including flaxseed and flaxseed oil had remarkable cardioprotective effects and consumption of these food sources should be increased in the diet to decrease cardiovascular disease risk significantly.

What’s more, according to Eco Chef and cookbook author Bryan Au, “Flaxmilk is not only as good tasting as it is good for you, but is great for making smoothies, desserts, puddings, ice creams, and sauces for those who wish to eat a gluten-free, lactose free, raw or vegan diet.”

Flaxmilk is made by Flax USA, Inc., a company operated by the Stober family, who are fifth generation farmers in North Dakota. Flax USA was founded in 2001 to market Golden Omega Flax Seed, a non GMO flax seed that is 100% natural and grown on the Stobers’ 1600 acre farm. To insure the highest quality in making Flaxmilk, only the best flax seed is used.

“I started Flax USA to make it easier and tastier for consumers to add flax to their daily diets and reap the multitude of health benefits,” says Stephanie Stober, president and owner of Flax USA. “In addition to the full line of omega 3 flax products that we market, including flax seed, flax oil and pet food, we were excited to be the first to produce 100% natural Flaxmilk so that all consumers, adults and children, could enjoy a lactose-free, dairy free, soy-free, gluten-free milk product derived from flax.”

Flaxmilk comes in original and vanilla flavors and is sold in ½ gallon containers at Wal-Mart stores across the country for $2.98. For more information on Flaxmilk, visit www.flaxusa.com.

Here’s a great book by Jennifer Fosberry with pictures by Mike Litwin. It’s a fantastic book, quite frankly, because it presents a possibility for great teachable moments.

The little boy keeps telling his dad that he is any number of wonderful heroes. These heroes present all kinds of teaching possibilities for the modern classroom. They present homework, independent study, and a lot of fun for the class.

I plan to use this book this summer with my fifty little kids and budding readers. Hopefully, the children will like what they find when they investigate people like Theodore Roosevelt, and Thomas Edison, and Chief Joseph. There are lots more.

It’s a book every home needs. It’s available through Amazon.

We had a great time! Pictures to follow this week. Kids were well behaved for the most part. Trip was long…

Terry sent this to me. I agree wholeheartedly. Life is not about self but about others. Read on.

Over the past few weeks, America’s colleges have sent another class of graduates off into the world. These graduates possess something of inestimable value. Nearly every sensible middle-aged person would give away all their money to be able to go back to age 22 and begin adulthood anew.

Josh Haner/The New York Times

David Brooks

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• Times Topic: Education

But, especially this year, one is conscious of the many ways in which this year’s graduating class has been ill served by their elders. They enter a bad job market, the hangover from decades of excessive borrowing. They inherit a ruinous federal debt.

More important, their lives have been perversely structured. This year’s graduates are members of the most supervised generation in American history. Through their childhoods and teenage years, they have been monitored, tutored, coached and honed to an unprecedented degree.

Yet upon graduation they will enter a world that is unprecedentedly wide open and unstructured. Most of them will not quickly get married, buy a home and have kids, as previous generations did. Instead, they will confront amazingly diverse job markets, social landscapes and lifestyle niches. Most will spend a decade wandering from job to job and clique to clique, searching for a role.

No one would design a system of extreme supervision to prepare people for a decade of extreme openness. But this is exactly what has emerged in modern America. College students are raised in an environment that demands one set of navigational skills, and they are then cast out into a different environment requiring a different set of skills, which they have to figure out on their own.

Worst of all, they are sent off into this world with the whole baby-boomer theology ringing in their ears. If you sample some of the commencement addresses being broadcast on C-Span these days, you see that many graduates are told to: Follow your passion, chart your own course, march to the beat of your own drummer, follow your dreams and find yourself. This is the litany of expressive individualism, which is still the dominant note in American culture.

But, of course, this mantra misleads on nearly every front.

College grads are often sent out into the world amid rapturous talk of limitless possibilities. But this talk is of no help to the central business of adulthood, finding serious things to tie yourself down to. The successful young adult is beginning to make sacred commitments — to a spouse, a community and calling — yet mostly hears about freedom and autonomy.

Today’s graduates are also told to find their passion and then pursue their dreams. The implication is that they should find themselves first and then go off and live their quest. But, of course, very few people at age 22 or 24 can take an inward journey and come out having discovered a developed self.

Most successful young people don’t look inside and then plan a life. They look outside and find a problem, which summons their life. A relative suffers from Alzheimer’s and a young woman feels called to help cure that disease. A young man works under a miserable boss and must develop management skills so his department can function. Another young woman finds herself confronted by an opportunity she never thought of in a job category she never imagined. This wasn’t in her plans, but this is where she can make her contribution.

Most people don’t form a self and then lead a life. They are called by a problem, and the self is constructed gradually by their calling.

The graduates are also told to pursue happiness and joy. But, of course, when you read a biography of someone you admire, it’s rarely the things that made them happy that compel your admiration. It’s the things they did to court unhappiness — the things they did that were arduous and miserable, which sometimes cost them friends and aroused hatred. It’s excellence, not happiness, that we admire most.

Finally, graduates are told to be independent-minded and to express their inner spirit. But, of course, doing your job well often means suppressing yourself. As Atul Gawande mentioned during his countercultural address last week at Harvard Medical School, being a good doctor often means being part of a team, following the rules of an institution, going down a regimented checklist.

Today’s grads enter a cultural climate that preaches the self as the center of a life. But, of course, as they age, they’ll discover that the tasks of a life are at the center. Fulfillment is a byproduct of how people engage their tasks, and can’t be pursued directly. Most of us are egotistical and most are self-concerned most of the time, but it’s nonetheless true that life comes to a point only in those moments when the self dissolves into some task. The purpose in life is not to find yourself. It’s to lose yourself.

Talk about the minutia of life…

Here’s a wonderful website for people looking for a Nanny.

Choosing a nanny, au pair or babysitter for your children is a process that should be organized and performed carefully, to ensure you find someone who can be trusted, will contribute significantly to the development of your child and integrate well into your family.

The step-by-step process described below will help you make an informed decision and choose the best possible nanny for your kids, ensuring their well-being and safety.

Caregiver Screening Tips

Step 1 Define requirements and expectations

The first part of the hiring process is to define your exact requirements and expectations. Ask yourself questions and build a list of all requirements, then narrow it down to the most important ones. Are you looking for a nanny in a full-time or part-time position? Does she need to be flexible with over-time? Are you looking for a young, outgoing and energetic nanny or do your kids require an older and more authoritative person? How important to you are tidiness and cleanliness? Is the nanny expected to cook for your kids? Is she expected to drive them around? Are there any additional duties she is expected to perform?

Step 2 Interview

Once you know what you expect, you can start interviewing the nannies. The interviews should be structured with a standard set of questions that are asked of all candidates. This makes it easier to evaluate and compare the candidates and to ensure that all critical topics are indeed covered.

The phone interview

In order to save time and effort, it is recommended to start with a phone interview. First explain the requirements of the job and the duties it includes. Ask about past experience with similar age groups, the motivation for choosing this sort of profession, the reasons for leaving the previous place of employment, future plans, other responsibilities which may affect the job and any other questions you consider important at this stage. Also ask for names and phone numbers of references. If satisfied with the responses, invite the nanny for a face-to-face interview at your home.

The Face-to-Face interview

In the face-to-face interview, it is time to find as much as possible about the nanny as well as provide her with all necessary information to allow her to decide whether she indeed wants the job. Discuss your child’s personality and routines, review the various duties and explain also the house rules concerning issues such as smoking, visitors, phone use, etc. Inquire on details about the nanny’s views and attitudes on handling crying babies, disciplining a child, toilet-training children, ideas for activities and any other topics of importance to you. Describe certain scenarios and ask the nanny to explain how she would act in such situations.

At some stage of the interview let your children meet the nanny and allow time to observe the interaction between them. Children make it clear when they don’t like someone. Trust your instincts and those of your child.

Step 3 Perform a Personality and risk assessment

Once you are satisfied with the interview results, continue and perform the NannyTest personality and risk assessment. NannyTest is a psychological test that will help you screen potential caregivers by providing a better insight into their personality and traits, as well as an assessment of possible risk factors. http://www.take-care.me/
Step 4 Check references

Checking references with previous employers and acquaintances is a sort of interview as well. Expect the previous employer to give you a good reference, but try to read between the lines and ask questions that require a detailed answer and may reveal underlining issues. Such questions may be about what has the previous employer liked and disliked about the nanny, why has she left her position, and whether would she be rehired by the same employer. Pay attention also to the tone of the responses. Is the previous employer excited about the nanny? Is he just being polite or does he really care about helping the nanny to get a new job?
Any red flags or problematic issues identified during steps 2 and 3 should be used to focus your inquiries and be validated or clarified during the reference check stage.

Step 5 Follow-up interview

If needed, interview the nanny again, either face-to-face or over the phone, to discuss and clarify any concerns you have following steps 3 and 4.

Step 6 Run a background check

The last step in the processes is running a background check on the nanny. Use a reputable background screening agency to verify identity, past employment and education and search for criminal records, driving records and more.

Step 7 Spend time with the nanny on a trial period

Before making a final decision, ask the nanny to spend a day or two with you and your kids, on a paid trail period. This period shouldn’t be too long to avoid confusing the kids but it will allow you to see how the nanny interacts with the kids and performs her various tasks.

About the NannyTest

TakeCare enables parents to significantly improve the screening process of their nannies and au pairs by providing them with an easy and affordable online access to the same psychological assessment tools used by the largest organizations.
TakeCare’s NannyTest has been constructed specifically for this purpose by leading Israeli psychologists, utilizing the PsyPass Computerized Psychological Assessment system developed by Psiphas Psychological Applications Ltd.

The PsyPass system is being used by hundreds of companies, organizations and placement agencies in Israel, including the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Airport Authority, Bank of Israel, IKEA, FedEx and many more.

For more information on the NannyTest, visit www.take-care.me.

This week is going to be quite a week! We will begin to study the World’s Healthiest Foods on Monday and look at beans and their sprouts. We will also look at fish, aquariums, and the kinds of things will will see at the aquarium on Friday.

We will ask that all people who want to go on this trip sign up on Monday because tickets will be purchased on Tuesday. Our itinerary will go home on Monday. Please pick up a copy. We will be leaving school at 7:00 a.m. Don’t make us call you at 6:45!

Tuesday and Wednesday, weather permitting, we will be going to the Newburgh Pool and having our usual picnic at Fortress of Fun.

Thursday is a down day for R and R so that children can be in great shape for Friday’s excursion.

If you have any questions, please see Miss Judy.

Looking for Energy? Get Down with Nettle
By Susun Weed

Comment: Susun Weed has a wonderful website at Wise Woman that is very worth reading. As a firm believer in Nettle Tea, this is just a little more information.

If you’re looking for energy, you’re looking for nettle. Nettle has so much energy she stings! If you consume nettle regularly – as infusion, vinegar, or soup – she’ll soup up your energy and infuse you with “the stamina of a teenager,” as one nettle devotee put it. Nettle energy is even and steady, consistent and constant. Nettle is the energy of the Earth; it is grounded and loving. Nettle is the only energizing herb I know of that also promotes sound sleep. Nettle increases energy without increasing blood sugar, so sleep is deeper and more refreshing. With nettle-energy in the adrenals, menopausal women wake less often and feel more rested in the morning. Nettle never leaves one feels jittery or groggy.

Nettle builds energy by nourishing deeply. Nettle is a rich storehouse of needed nutrients. Its protein, vitamins, minerals, and health-promoting phytochemicals recharge exhausted adrenals, rebuild flagging kidneys, and restore flexibility to the blood vessels. Herbalist EE Shook comments that nettle combats inflammation with iron phosphate, feeds the brain and nerves with potassium phosphate, and prevents blood clots with potassium chloride.

Nettle leaf is known to tonify and strengthen the intestines and lungs too. It is a safe diuretic and does not disturb electrolyte balance while relieving edema. It is completely safe for use during pregnancy and lactation, improving the health of mother and child and enriching the milk. Nettle tea and capsules of nettle have little effect and less nutrition. Freeze-dried nettle is effective at relieving allergic symptoms, but has little nutritive value. Nettle infusion is the most effective form; the dose is 4-12 cups a week.

Join Susun for a one hour teleseminar June 12 – 3pm EST $25 – listen live or replay later

Learn how to use nourishing herbal infusions, mineral rich vinegars, simple tinctures, and high quality foods to supercharge your life and give you endless energy. Susun will share with you her favorite ways of resisting acute problems, outwitting chronic problems, and staying flexibly strong for a long time. If you don’t already love Nettles, Oat straw, Comfrey, Linden, Hypericum, Hawthorne, Mint family, Seaweeds, Medicinal Mushrooms, animal fats, and yogurt, you will by the end of this teleseminar.

Using Nettle Seeds and Roots

Nettle’s dark green leaves nourish health, increase energy, and cure allergies. But did you know nettle’s roots and seeds are medicinal too.

Nettle seeds nourish the endocrine glands, especially the thyroid. They are said to antidote poisons, but I love them most for their high-protein crunch. The daily dose of ¼ teaspoonful can be added to hot or cold cereals, baked into breads and cookies, sprinkled on salads, or cooked with any whole grain. Add a tablespoonful of nettle seed to a cup of uncooked brown rice and cook in two cups of water for 45 minutes or until done. Nettle seeds are easily harvested too. Cut the stalks down before wind and rain strip them off the stalks. Hang to dry.

Nettle roots are gaining in popularity as an ally for men with prostate problems. They may be tinctured; the dose is up to 4 dropperfuls a day. Or they may be infused, one ounce in a quart of boiling water, steeped for four hours; the dose is up to a cup a day. Nettle root is also a strengthener to the urinary system and helps quell bleeding from the kidneys or bladder. It reduces and relieves prostatitis and benign prostate hypertrophy.

Nettle root tincture or infusion rubbed on the scalp thickens thin hair, eliminates dandruff, counters scalp infections, preserves hair during chemotherapy, and helps women who’ve lost hair during pregnancy or menopause.

Nettle root tincture preserves the immune system during times of great stress. It is a wonderful ally for those with chronic infections as well as those who are routinely exposed to environmental toxins. Start with a small dose of 5-10 drops three times a day; gradually increase to a dropperful several times a day. Overdoses may cause hallucinations.

Study with Susun via correspondence course (mail and telephone) in the comfort of your own home – choose from four courses tailored to your personal goals.

Here are, according to George Mateljan the Worlds Healthiest Foods.

The World’s Healthiest Foods

130 foods that can serve as the basis of your Healthiest Way of Eating. Links to the articles about these foods can be found below.

Of course, there are many other nutritious foods other than those that we have included on our list that we feel are wonderful, health-promoting foods; if there are other whole foods – such as fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds, whole grains, etc – that you like, by all means enjoy them. Just because a food is not on our list doesn’t mean that we don’t think that it can be included in a diet geared towards the Healthiest Way of Eating as long as it is a whole, natural, nutrient-rich food.

To find out why some of your favorite nutritious foods are not included in our list, read The Criteria Used to Select the World’s Healthiest Foods.