Being :: Beyond the Baby Book (Journaling for Motherhood ...

Being: Conscious, mortal existence; life.

Every month we welcome two families, two people, two voices to share their stories in whatever way they choose.? We hope that you find joy in their daily lives, and their simple habit of just being.

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I am a horrible baby book keeper and scrapbooker. For several years, I was bothered by this and felt like I was constantly behind in organizing and curating memory records for my children. As I let go of that perfection, I found a new way that has allowed me to feel comfortable in my recording keeping.

My main way of staying organized is by keeping a journal. This journal has expanded to include so much; it is a rich and true life record of our family life.

I write in it like you might expect to in a journal, recording the daily going ons. I also tape things like a grocery list or a party planning list into the pages. A feather or leaf from a walk might makes its way in too. I mention the books we are reading and shows we have seen.?I paint on some pages, copy poetry and quotes on others.

In 50 years, one can read the pro and con lists for the big decisions our family grappled with as well as ?lists of Christmas gift ideas. If I am eating a banana, its sticker might be put in to my journal.

I write snatches of conversation in scraps of paper and glue them in later. I affix photos and post cards. Sometimes, I might find a really old photograph from my life before children and I tape it in and write a little remembrance.

The space in these journals hold the overflow of my mind and heart, my plans, ideas and dreams. Most of the good things that have happened to me, can be traced back to a journal entry of some sort.

This might not seem like much, and I guess it is not, which is why I love the ease of this approach.

But, as I look back at 10 years worth of journals, I am in love.

I love the record of our life with this method. I feel like I have captured a real glimpse at what our time together is like; so much better than a yearly studio portrait and fill-in-the-blank scrapbook.

What I leave my kids with will not be the prettiest scrapbook with coordinated backgrounds and stickers. It will be a dogeared stack of composition books with coffee and wine spills, filled with both big memories and the mundane. Hopefully, it will give them a richer insight to who I am and how much I love them.

This month we are pleased to welcome Amy to the blog to participate in the Being series. Amy blogs about inspired family living and leads e-labs designed to help families take the leap into developing a creative family culture at Mama Scouts. Thanks for sharing with us, Amy!

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Rhythm of the Home is an?online magazine?for families that focuses on creating with children, nature explorations, seasonal celebrations, conscious parenting, and mindfulness in all that we do. ? To learn more about us, please visit us on?Facebook,Pinterest, and?Twitter.

We welcome new submissions for our upcoming seasons. To learn more about submitting, please visit our?magazine.

Source: http://rhythmofthehomeblog.com/03/being-beyond-the-baby-book-journaling-for-motherhood/

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Girl Meets World: Cory & Topanga's Wedding Rings Revealed!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/girl-meets-world-cory-and-topanga-wedding-rings-revealed/

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John Kerry arrives in Kabul seeking to repair ties with Afghan leader Hamid Karzai

NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports on the news conference between Secretary of State John Kerry and Afghan President ?Hamid Karzai.

By Andrea Mitchell and Jamieson Lesko, NBC News

Jason Reed / AP

Secretary of State John Kerry, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan James Cunningham, left, meets with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Monday.

KABUL -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who has infuriated U.S. officials with anti-American rhetoric, on Monday denied suggesting that the U.S. was colluding with the Taliban to convince Afghans that foreign forces were needed in the country beyond 2014.?

In a joint news briefing with Secretary of State John Kerry, Karzai said the media misinterpreted comments he made during a visit by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on March 10.

Karzai said the point he was trying to make was that by continuing to bomb and kill innocent Afghans, the Taliban is giving a reason for the U.S. to stay.

It was the media, Karzai said, that misinterpreted that to mean collusion, a word he said he did not use.

?If they want the international forces to leave, the best thing to do is stop hurting Afghans,? Karzai said.

Kerry arrived in Afghanistan?s capital Monday on an unannounced visit that aims to repair fractured ties with President Hamid Karzai.

For his part, Kerry said the United States and Afghan leaders share the same goals ? bringing the Taliban into peace talks.

The meeting came on the same day the U.S. turned over the detention facility at the U.S.-run Bagram military base north of Kabul to Afghan control, which has been a priority for Karzai.?U.S. officials say they've been assured the most dangerous prisoners will not be released.

It is Kerry?s sixth visit to Afghanistan since President Barack Obama took office, but his first as secretary of state.

State Department officials told reporters traveling with Kerry that he is optimistic the U.S. and Afghanistan can overcome recent differences, including the awkward moment earlier this month when Karzai accused the U.S. and the Taliban of colluding to convince Afghans that foreign forces were needed beyond 2014.

The officials said Kerry was not in Kabul to lecture or chide Karzai, adding that he acknowledged the relationship was ?not always going to be easy.?

The secretary of state arrived in Kabul this morning just a day after another unannounced visit to Baghdad. Kerry plans to meet with Afghanistan's president Hamid Karzai to discuss political and security issues. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.

Kerry is optimistic the two countries can move in from Karzai?s anti-U.S. rhetoric, which the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan warned was putting the lives of Western troops in danger.

Anja Niedringhaus / AP

An Afghan prisoner leaves with his belongings from the Parwan Detention Facility outside Kabul after the U.S. military gave control to Afghan authorities, Monday.

On Sunday, Kerry visited Iraq before leaving for dinner in the Jordanian capital, Amman, with Pakistan's powerful army chief of staff, Ashfaq Kayani.

The secretary of state is not visiting Pakistan during this trip as the country is in the midst of a political transition.

NBC News' Catherin Chomiak and Alastair Jamieson contributed to this report.

Related:

Kerry urges Iraq to stop arms flow to Syria on Baghdad visit

Full Afghanistan coverage from NBC News

This story was originally published on Mon Mar 25, 2013 8:03 AM EDT

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653387/s/29f64783/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C250C174540A770Ejohn0Ekerry0Earrives0Ein0Ekabul0Eseeking0Eto0Erepair0Eties0Ewith0Eafghan0Eleader0Ehamid0Ekarzai0Dlite/story01.htm

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What might 2 popes discuss over lunch?

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (AP) ?

Pope Francis arrived at the papal residence south of Rome for an extraordinary date with his predecessor Benedict XVI, who met him at the helipad and escorted him to his library for a private chat and lunch, presumably discussing the future of the Catholic Church together.

Outside the villa, the main piazza of Castel Gandolfo was packed Saturday with well-wishers hoping to catch a glimpse of history: two popes breaking bread together and presumably discussing the future of the Catholic Church. They chanted "Francesco! Francesco!"

Benedict has been living at the papal summer villa since he resigned Feb. 28, the first pope to step down in 600 years. He has said he plans to live out his final years in prayer and remain "hidden from the world."

Benedict's dramatic departure that day ? flying by helicopter from the helipad in the Vatican gardens with his weeping secretary by his side and circling St. Peter's Square in a final goodbye ? is one of the most evocative images of this remarkable papal transition.

The Vatican is downplaying the luncheon in keeping with Benedict's desire to remain in private and not interfere with his successor's papacy. There was to be no live coverage of the private meeting by Vatican television, only a few still photos from the official Vatican photographer and perhaps a video released after the fact.

The Vatican said Benedict was at the helipad in the villa gardens to welcome Francis, and that the two were meeting in Benedict's library and having lunch together. Francis will then return to his makeshift home at the Vatican hotel at an unspecified time later in the day.

The Vatican spokesman promised a general comment about the meeting, but no detailed statement.

All of which has led to enormous speculation about what these two men in white might have to say to one another after making history together: Benedict's resignation paved the way for the first pope from Latin America, the first Jesuit, and the first to call himself Francis after the 13th century friar who devoted himself to the poor, nature and working for peace.

Perhaps over their primo, or pasta course during Saturday's lunch, the two popes might discuss the big issues facing the church: the rise of secularism in the world, the drop in priestly vocations in Europe, the competition that the Catholic Church faces in Latin America and Africa from evangelical Pentecostal movements.

Or maybe during their secondo, or second course of meat or fish, they'll discuss more pressing issues concerning Francis' new job: Benedict left a host of unfinished business on Francis' plate, including the outcome of a top-secret investigation into the leaks of papal documents last year. Francis might want to sound Benedict out on his ideas for management changes in the Holy See administration, a priority given the complete dysfunctional government he has inherited.

Then over coffee, they might discuss the future of Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, Benedict's trusted aide who has had the difficult task of escorting his old pope into retirement and then returning to the Vatican to serve his successor in the initial rites of the office.

Gaenswein, who wept as he and Benedict made their goodbyes to staff in the papal apartment on Feb. 28, has appeared visibly upset and withdrawn at times as he has been by Francis' side. The Vatican has said Francis' primary secretary will be Monsignor Alfred Xuereb, who had been the No. 2 secretary under Benedict.

Benedict's resignation ? the emeritus pope's personal choices about his future ? have raised the question of how the Catholic Church will deal with the novel situation of having one reigning and one retired pope living side-by-side, each of them called "pope," each of them wearing papal white and even sharing the same aide in Gaenswein.

After a few months in Castel Gandolfo, Benedict is to return to the Vatican to live in a converted monastery in the Vatican gardens, just a short walk from St. Peter's Basilica and the shrine devoted to the Madonna where Francis went to pray on one of his first walks as pope.

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Nicole Winfield reported from Vatican City.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/might-2-popes-discuss-over-lunch-112417090.html

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Desperate race to save autistic boy, 9, up to his neck in mud as tide comes in

By David Chang, NBCPhiladelphia.com

A 9-year-old boy is alive thanks to the heroic efforts of several police officers.?

On Saturday, around 3:45 p.m., police were dispatched to a home on Billows Drive in East Greenwich, New Jersey. When they arrived, they learned that a 9-year-old boy with autism had wandered from the home in an unknown direction around 3:30 p.m. East Greenwich police, along with the police departments, fire departments and emergency crews from neighboring towns began to search for the boy.

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After searching for about an hour and a half, police and K9 units found the boy several hundred yards behind his home stuck in the Mantua Creek during low tide. The boy was about a quarter mile away from the shoreline and was submerged up to his neck in mud in extremely cold temperatures. Police say the boy was within several minutes of drowning due to the tide coming in.

See original report at NBCPhiladelphia.com

Police officers quickly took action and ran into the creek. At one point, investigators say the officers became submerged in the mud and water as well but managed to free themselves and get to the child. The boy was eventually freed and carried safely to land. The child was not seriously hurt and was reunited with his father after being treated at the hospital.

?The officers did an excellent job and are credited with saving the child?s life,? said Lieutenant Charles Barone of the East Greenwich Township Police Department. ?The only casualties were several destroyed police uniforms.? ?

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/29eae5c0/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C240C174360A170Edesperate0Erace0Eto0Esave0Eautistic0Eboy0E90Eup0Eto0Ehis0Eneck0Ein0Emud0Eas0Etide0Ecomes0Ein0Dlite/story01.htm

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Cyprus racing to complete alternative rescue plan

Cyprus lawmakers vote on key bills aimed at securing a broader bailout package from international creditors in parliament in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, late Friday, March 22, 2013. Cyprus lawmakers have approved three key bills aiming to raise enough money to qualify the country for a broader bailout package and help it avoid financial ruin. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Cyprus lawmakers vote on key bills aimed at securing a broader bailout package from international creditors in parliament in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, late Friday, March 22, 2013. Cyprus lawmakers have approved three key bills aiming to raise enough money to qualify the country for a broader bailout package and help it avoid financial ruin. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Cyprus lawmakers vote on key bills aimed at securing a broader bailout package from international creditors in parliament in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, late Friday, March 22, 2013. Cyprus lawmakers have approved three key bills aiming to raise enough money to qualify the country for a broader bailout package and help it avoid financial ruin. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

A protestor rips an European Union flag during a rally outside of the parliament in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Friday, March 22, 2013. Cypriot authorities were putting the final touches Friday to a plan they hope will convince international lenders to provide the money the country urgently needed to avoid bankruptcy within days. ?The next few hours will determine the future of this country,? said government spokesman Christos Stylianides. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

People buy goods from a vegetable market, in central Nicosia, on Saturday, March 23, 2013. Politicians in Cyprus were racing Saturday to complete an alternative plan raising funds necessary for the country to qualify for and international bailout, with a potential bankruptcy just three days away. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) ? Politicians in Cyprus were racing Saturday to complete an alternative plan raising funds necessary for the country to qualify for an international bailout, with a potential bankruptcy just three days away.

Finance Minister Michalis Sarris said "significant progress" had been made, and that new legislation raising funds could be completed and submitted to Parliament as early as Saturday evening, although the timing was not certain.

Cyprus has been told it must raise 5.8 billion euros ($7.5 billion) in order to secure 10 billion euros in rescue loans from other European countries that use the single currency, and from the International Monetary Fund. The country's lawmakers soundly rejected an unpopular initial plan that would have seized up to 10 percent of people's bank accounts, and is now seeking a way to raise the desperately needed money.

Time is running out fast. The European Central Bank has said it will stop providing emergency funding to Cyprus' banks after Monday if no new plan is in place. Without ECB's support, Cypriot banks would collapse on Tuesday, pushing the country toward bankruptcy and a potential exit from the 17-nation eurozone.

Banks have been shut all week while the plan is put into place, and are not due to reopen until next Tuesday.

Representatives of the IMF, ECB and European Commission ? collectively known as the troika ? met with Sarris and other officials in the Finance Ministry throughout the morning, negotiating several new laws, including a crucial bill that would impose some form of a tax on bank deposits.

The details were still being worked out, but officials have said that the tax could apply to deposits in the country's top two lenders, which were most exposed to bad Greek debt, or even all banks.

Troika consent is essential as they will determine whether the plan that the Cypriots come up with would meet the requirements for the bailout before it is presented to the eurozone finance ministers for final approval.

A eurogroup meeting of the finance ministers is expected to be held in Brussels over the weekend, and Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades was also to fly there, potentially as early as Saturday.

"Significant progress has been made toward an agreement at least with the troika which will report to the Eurogroup," Sarris told reporters after the initial morning meeting at his ministry.

"Two or three issues need further work, issues on banks, there are different calculations," Sarris said. "There is the contribution of experts from the private sector."

The experts would hold consultations amongst themselves and officials would resume negotiations with the troika again later Saturday afternoon.

"We have a number of experts that are working from the private sector, at the Central Bank, at the Ministry of Finance trying to iron out these details so that when we do reach an agreement there will be no room for different understanding or misrepresentation."

Nicosia made a significant step towards cementing a new plan Friday night, when its lawmakers approved nine bills, including three crucial ones that will restructure ailing banks, restrict financial transactions in emergencies and set up a "solidarity fund" that will act as the vehicle for raising funds from investments and contributions.

The bank restructuring will include the country's troubled second largest lender, Laiki, which suffered heavy losses after being exposed to toxic Greek debt.

The restructuring of Laiki and the sale of the toxic-asset laden Greek branches of Cypriot banks is expected to cut the amount the country needs to raise to about 3 billion euros instead of 5.8 billion euros, officials have said.

Other banks may also be included in the restructuring, such as the country's largest lender, Bank of Cyprus, which was also exposed to Greek debt.

"We have to be clear to protect the financial system and for banks to open Tuesday with a clear picture," Sarris said.

____

Elena Becatoros in Nicosia contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-23-Cyprus-Financial%20Crisis/id-992287e760c34be19c2f6818f78b8e18

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Modest changes in military dining facilities promoted healthier eating

Mar. 22, 2013 ? The prevalence of obesity within the military is currently 13 percent. This rising epidemic, also rampant throughout the general population, could result in military career setbacks, negatively impact operational readiness, and jeopardize Department of Defense operations. To combat the epidemic, a team of researchers chose the military cafeteria as the venue to observe and evaluate eating behavior and the positive impact of modest changes to promote healthy eating and food selection.

The results are captured in a new report published by the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

"Many studies have tested the effect of dietary, informational, and environmental interventions on the eating behaviors of customers in civilian worksite and university cafeterias," says lead investigator Major Aaron Crombie, PhD, RD, Military Nutrition Division, US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA. "However, studies to date testing such interventions in military dining facilities (DFACs) have been very limited and inconclusive. Our study aimed to address that information gap." Nearly three-quarters of military personnel eat at least one meal a day in garrison dining facilities.

The study team from the US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center staged an intervention within five dining facilities on Fort Bragg, NC, that included the following actions consistent with 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans:

• Increased availability of fresh fruit
• Increased availability and variety of vegetables
• Increased availability of whole-grain foods
• Reduced availability of foods with high dietary fat and sugar
• Offering one main lean meat or vegetarian entr?e at lunch and dinner with no added fat
• Placement of color-coded "Go for Green" nutritional information cards at the point of service

Five other dining facilities served as a control during the first half of this year-long study. Researchers collected data using a combination of survey questionnaires and digital photography of the diners' plates before and after meals were consumed.

Over time, investigators observed that minimal changes in food service practices and menus in DFACs produced significant improvement in soldiers' nutritional intake, including decreases in fat. Customer satisfaction increased on four criteria -- flavor and taste, available choices, low-fat food availability, and appropriate portion sizes. More favorable results were observed the longer the intervention lasted, indicating that the positive changes are sustainable over time.

Says Major Crombie, "The results of this study give credence to the idea that DFAC food service interventions can promote a healthy lifestyle and, in turn, optimize the health profile of warfighters. Although intakes of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains continue to be problematic, reductions in energy and fat intake may prove effective over the long term in combating the obesity problem."

While the study was performed in army dining facilities, it has implications for the entire military family, since many meals are not taken in the DFAC, but at home. Further, the study team advocates that results can be easily applied to civilian settings.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Elsevier Health Sciences, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/health_medicine/nutrition/~3/t-LwklKujNc/130322125351.htm

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