Girl Scouting is Great Experience

Did you know that Hillary Clinton, Jackie Joyner Kersee and Nancy Reagan were all Girl Scouts?
n the 95 years since they were founded, the Girl Scouts have become much more than just cookie sellers. Girls have opportunities to learn so many different skills, meet people from all backgrounds and become true leaders. I guess it's not that surprising, considering the words they model their lives on:

Girl Scout Promise and Law

The Girl Scout Promise and Law are shared by every member of Girl Scouting.
The Girl Scout Promise is the way Girl Scouts agree to act every day toward one another and other people, and the Law outlines a way to act towards one another and the world.

The Girl Scout Promise
On my honor, I will try:
To serve God* and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

The Girl Scout Law
I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong,
and responsible for what I say and do,
and to respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place,
and be a sister to every Girl Scout.

* The word "God" can be interpreted in a number of ways, depending on one's spiritual beliefs. When reciting the Girl Scout Promise, it is okay to replace the word "God" with whatever word your spiritual beliefs dictate.

Girl Scouts of South Florida are holding an informational evening at all Miami-Dade Public Elementary Schools Thursday evening, August 30th, with a big rally September 15th, so everyone can get to know the benefits of Girl Scouts. Click on the link to get more info.

**By the way, it's not just for 'girls'. Adults are invited to be Troop Leaders, an equally rewarding experience!

Still More Recalls

It can't be easy taking toys away from your kids, but it's becoming necessary as a safety measure. There's yet another recall of children's products imported from China that may contain high levels of lead. The recall includes SpongeBob SquarePants address books and journals, as well as Thomas & Fiends and Curious George spinning tops and pails. Here's info from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Parenting.com has great guidelines for taking back the recalled toys without upsetting the kids.

Balancing School & Work

School's back in session and there's three times as many things to do. The Miami Herald's Cindy Krischer Goodman offers advice to balance your life.

Back to School Safety

With all the rush and stress of getting school clothes and school supplies and re-arranging your schedule to get the kids to and from school, just a quick reminder about safety. Carmen Caldwell from Citizen's Crime Watch of Miami-Dade offers some tips to keep kids safe in and out of school.

*Make sure your child knows his or her full name, phone number and address, parents' full names and work phone numbers. This is vital information for a police officer if your child is lost.
*Don't place your child's name on a piece of clothing that's visible - it gives a stranger the opportunity to call the child by name, an assumption of familiarity.
*Check with your child's school about emergency policies and procedures so you know what to do in the event of a lockdown.

More tips about child safety.