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Wikipedia defines my favorite summer dessert, THE S’MORE as: “A traditional nighttime campfire treat popular in the United States, consisting of a fire-roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker.” I remember, as a rookie s’more roaster, using the original marshmallow, chocolate bar and graham cracker.  Even though it was delicious, these ingredients have since become somewhat boring to me as the summers went by. Throughout the years, I have changed it up a bit.  I have used peanut butter cups, white chocolate, chocolate bars with caramel, chocolate bars with peanuts, marshmallows tossed in coconut, strawberry flavored marshmallows, graham crackers with sugar and cinnamon and even chocolate chip cookies in replacement of the graham crackers. At one desperate point in my life, during the winter season, I had actually tried making a S’more by roasting a marshmallow over the blue flame of my gas stove and a fork as my “stick”.  Trust me when I tell you, it isn’t even close to the same taste and isn’t worth the mess. Being that summer is almost here, I am looking forward to sitting next to a blaring campfire with my kids and teaching them one of the most important life lessons…how to roast the marshmallows to perfection.

For years it has been said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Is this really the case? Is the saying a good marketing strategy to help breakfast brands sell their products? Or is it a way to convince youngsters to eat before heading off to school? While most agree that breakfast is a great way to get the day started, it may not scientifically be the case. According to Popular Science magazine, there has been a large amount of research put into proving whether or not it is the most important meal of the day. Scientists have yet to discover the best time of day for hu first meal. One dietician has explained that it truly depends on a person’s daily routine and age. Some studies have been successful. For example, children who consume breakfast at the start of their day perform better than those who do not consume breakfast. For adults, the study once again points to individual habits and routines. Some prefer breakfast as soon as they wake up, while others choose to hold off and wait until lunch to eat their first meal. Although the question, “Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?” has a wishy-washy answer, scientists explain that the most important thing is to eat when you are hungry. Reference: http://www.popsci.com/eating-breakfast

About four years ago, my 17-year-old daughter came home and told me she had volunteered me to participate in the mock car crash they were having at school. At the time, I figured I’d be applying makeup, making sure everyone was placed in the appropriate positions, helping with lines, etc.  This was no surprise to me because I had helped out behind the scenes for previous productions performed by the students.  However, this one was very different. I was performing this time, and the part I was playing was not one that I ever want to have to deal with in real life.  I was given the part of the mother whose daughter was killed in a car accident on her prom night due to getting in a vehicle with a drunk driver. I thought that I was just going to walk up to my daughter with a police officer to confirm it was her, bow my head and walk off the field.  Easy. Two days before the mock crash, my daughter and I were at a restaurant when the Ohio State Highway Trooper who was in charge of this event walked in.  He came to pick up some empty beer bottles that were being collected to use as props.  Of course, I asked him what was expected from me. He sat down and showed me a diagram of the field, placement of ambulances, police cars, the life flight helicopter and hearse.  After all of that, he looked at me and stressed the importance of my role. He said, “You are a big deal.  You are the mom of every student in that stadium.  It is your responsibility to make sure every child leaves thinking that they never want to put their mom in that position.” The morning of the mock crash came and it was a huge deal.  When the time came, a police car took me to the “scene of the accident” where I ran up to my daughter who was in an unzipped body bag.  I screamed and cried as the police officers pulled me off of her.  As the officer and I walked back to the police car, I felt sick to my stomach.  I had to remind myself that this was a mock car crash, and that I would see my child after it was over.  Sadly, there are moms who don’t get that privilege. Afterwards, I had school faculty come up to me and tell me how there were students with tears in their eyes as they watched this all go down.  They also got caught up in the moment of watching kids their age being taken away from blood stained cars by helicopter, by ambulance, and the one, my daughter, being taken away in a hearse. Since that day, I have done four other mock car crashes at various schools hosted by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.  It was such a privilege to partake in a program to educate our youth of the importance of staying sober while behind the wheel.

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (“WARN”) Act, a federal law, became effective on February 4, 1989. The Act protects workers by requiring employers to provide notice 60 days in advance of covered plant closings and covered mass layoffs. This notice is given to affected workers or their representatives, such as a labor union. WARN applies to large employers, specifically, an employer must give notice of impending lay-offs or reductions in force if they have 100 or more full-time employees, or at least 100 employees who work a combined 4,000 hours or more per week.  “Full time,” for these purposes, means working 20 or more hours per week.  Furthermore, employees must have worked for the employer for at least six of the 12 months before notice is required.  While business owners and partners are not entitled to notice under the Act, the protections of WARN extend to hourly workers as well as salaried workers, managers, and supervisors. Notice is required to reach the affected workers at least 60 days before a closing or layoff.  When the individual employment separations involving a closing or layoff occur on more than one day, the notices are due to the representatives at least 60 days before each separation.  If a worker is not represented, each worker’s notice is due at least 60 days before that worker’s separation. There are some exceptions to the notice requirement.  The Act does not require an employer to give notice if a plant closing is the closing of a temporary facility, or if the closing or mass layoff is the result of the completion of a particular project or undertaking.  This exemption applies only if the workers were hired with the express understanding that their employment was temporary and limited to the duration of the facility, project, or undertaking.  An employer may not avoid the notice requirement by labeling an ongoing project as “temporary” in order to evade its obligations under WARN. Employers who fail to abide by the WARN act may be penalized.  An employer who violates WARN provisions by ordering a plant closing or mass layoff without providing appropriate notice is liable to each aggrieved employee for an amount including back pay and benefits for the period of violation, up to 60 days.

Do you ever wonder how much time you spend on social media or attached to a mobile device in your typical day? Have you ever been out to dinner with the family and looked around just to observe how many people were either on a telephone call or flipping through their phone while they sit waiting for their food to arrive?  Today, I want to share with you my own observations and self-realizations about how I have come to understand that it is necessary to step back, unplug and unwind. I, like millions of others, have a Facebook account.  Since I live away from most of my friends and family I am on Facebook daily in order to stay connected.  It is a convenient way to keep up to date with what is going on in everyone’s lives, to make announcements of achievements and celebrations and to stay involved when life just doesn’t allow the time for a face to face visit or even a telephone call.  The same can be said for text messaging.  However, while there are a lot of benefits to having a social media account and mobile devices that you can access nearly everything you would ever need from, there are also some significant drawbacks to today’s technology. It is very easy to misconstrue or misunderstand a text message or any kind of electronic message.  Since it is not face-to-face communication or even a telephone call, there is no way to get a sense of the tone or emotion of the message being delivered. This makes it very easy to misunderstand what the individual is trying to communicate.  When speaking with someone on the phone you can hear the tone in their voice which gives you an understanding if someone is upset, frustrated, happy, etc.  This can also be said in regard to a face to face conversation.  Body language and facial expressions also have a lot to do with communication and how the individuals interpret the true message of the conversation at hand. I also cannot help but feel that social media and texting can sometimes be a major distraction.  Of course, we already know this due to the laws against texting and driving.  However, driving aside, I have experienced this distraction first hand.  I cannot tell you how many times I have been in the middle of a conversation with someone and a text message or a Facebook message comes in and I feel compelled to check and answer that message.  When that happens and I act on that impulse to check the message, it is disrespectful to the person I am speaking with. The same goes for thumbing through Facebook.  If you are going through your news feed or chatting with a friend, it is impossible to focus or concentrate on anything else that may be going on around you at any given moment. While today’s technology has created more convenient and immediate ways to communicate it takes the personalization out of the communication and sometimes can be more distracting than helpful.  We live in a very fast paced world.  In most family households, both parents work full-time.  On top of your full-time job, you may have children that are involved in activities that also require a great deal of time away from home and traveling. Being distracted by an electronic device can take away from time spent with family members. I feel it is important to step back, self-evaluate and put things into perspective. For me, personally, it is almost summer and my little girl will soon be out of school.  I work full time and my husband and I are first year business owners.  Life is clearly busy for my family.  As I sit back and think about ways I personally can make my life a little less stressful and chaotic, unplugging from social media and relying less on my electronic devices to solely communicate with people is just what the doctor ordered.

The other day, my middle child came to me and expressed her interest in trying out for the cheerleading squad for the upcoming football season. Just to give you a little background, she is a 16-year-old teenager who just moved to this school and is one of the “new kids”.   At her prior school, she had three years of cheerleading and the fourth year she tried out, she didn’t make it; and it devastated her. I’m going to admit that I am surprised that she signed up to try out.  This is a way bigger school and a little more intimidating, but when that sign-up sheet was posted, she chose to give it another try. For the past two weeks, I have been outside watching her stretch, jump, kick and practice cheers and sidelines.  One day, she came to me and said two words that can defeat the strongest person’s ability to accomplish anything…”I’m scared”.  She was reconsidering her decision to try out and cross her name off the list. Fear - Such a strong emotion with very little substance most of the time.  My advice to her was to replace the “I’m scared I won’t make the squad” thoughts with “what if I do make the squad” thoughts.  It took a while, but soon that negativity went out the window and the positive demeanor took over.  You see, if you focus on the fear there is no way you can see a positive outcome.  Don’t look around at who you feel may be your competition.  Look at yourself and do your best, because your best is the only thing you can offer.  However, your best is unable to shine if fear takes over and looms its negative, dark cloud in the way. Tryouts are this weekend.  Is my daughter nervous?  Of course she is.  Is she fearful?  No.  There is no doubt in my mind that she will do the best she can.  If the outcome isn’t what she is hoping for, then rest assured, it will not be because fear stood in the way of her attempt to try.

So many teenagers are swallowed up by social media. For some it’s such an addiction that they have a hard time functioning without their devices and apps. Honestly, I have never been too eager to get involved in the whole social media phenomenon. Being really honest, who in the world has the time?  To my surprise, there are quite a few adults who have jumped on the social media train. Social media can be a great way to keep in touch with family, friends and businesses in our fast-paced world, but does everyone in the public have to know your personal business?  With that said, I think there is just as much fabrications and negativity that can come from it as the good and you must be careful. I choose just stay away from it all.  My business is my business and if I need input, I will ask a person for it directly. HOWEVER – my teenage daughter Aleigha recently created Bitmoji people for my husband and me.  If you do not know what a Bitmoji is, you will have even more fun once you decide to try it.  A Bitmoji is a little replica (almost caricature) of yourself that you can attach multiple expressions and phrases to.  You can change your clothes and hairstyles and search a phrase for exactly what you want to say.  Our text messaging now consists primarily of pictures rather than words, and a lot more laughter, I must admit.  I am finding that more and more of my middle-aged friends (40s) are having a blast with this app. My phone is now filled with my Bitmoji friends.  This is all done on our own private devices for sharing fun and laughter with each other.  Who doesn’t need some of that? If you’ve not created your own Bitmoji, I encourage you to do so.  This app is a way of expressing your true feelings rather than a straight forward boring text that sometimes makes it hard to decipher one’s true thoughts on a matter.  With a Bitmoji, you can show a person exactly what you intend to come across.  Have some fun and give it a try.

“I’m not afraid of heights. Have you seen my shoes?” If you’re a Carrie Bradshaw fan, you’re probably familiar with that quote. What Carrie doesn’t mention, though, is that high heels are more harmful to the health of regular wearers than one may think. According to NBC News, high heels are one of the most common causes of foot pain among women. Wearing high heels forces your ankles to bend forward, like you're standing on your tip toes. It restricts blood circulation in your lower limbs which can lead to spider veins. It can also shorten the muscles in your calves and stiffen your Achilles tendon, leading to pain and muscle spasms. And don’t forget about your knees. According to a study from Stanford University, heels that are 3.5 inches or higher put enough stress on a woman’s knees that it could increase the risk of osteoarthritis. Heels can also cause back problems. For your body to stay balanced on heels, your spine needs to sway unnaturally, which adds stress to the muscles in your spine. This results in a sore lower back. If you’re a high heel wearer and are experiencing some of the above issues, perhaps it is a good idea to see your physician before they get worse. To avoid such issues, NBC advises decreasing the amount of days you wear heels — or change into flats or walking shoes when you leave work. At the end of each day, spend a few minutes stretching your quads, calves and hip flexors. After all, fashion doesn't have to be painful.

When his senior year came to an end, my oldest son, Ryan, decided he would go to WVU to fulfill his dream of becoming an anesthesiologist. However, coming from a very close knit family posed some problems for Ryan.  When he got to college, he was lost.  He didn’t know how to handle being out in the big wide world, let alone at one of the most reputable party universities.  Needless to say, he did not fare well with the college life.  Although he made it through one year of school, he decided he didn’t want to attend a university or go away from home for school.  So, he went to WVNCC.  Now, as a parent, I had very mixed feelings about this decision.  I was excited he would be back in our home, but in the same breath, I knew he needed to learn to be on his own.  When I found out about half way through the first semester at WVNCC that he was skipping classes and was failing, I sat him down and had a little talk with him.  My speech basically consisted of something along these lines: I don’t care what you decide to do with your life, because essentially, it is your life and you’re the one that has to be happy with your choices.  You’re intelligent, things come easy for you and you have a memory beyond anyone’s wildest beliefs.  Why you can’t see this and become what you’ve always wanted to be is beyond me.  You have the ability to do or be anything you want.  No matter what you decide to do with your life, I will always be very proud of you. However, you cannot live with mom and dad for the rest of your life. Now, I didn’t realize this little speech of mine would have such an impact. Apparently it did, though, because within a month or so he told me had had joined the United States Air Force!  WAIT…WHAT!!!! Ryan had never spoken of the military that I can remember.  It was never a thought or option.  This came completely out of the blue and was the biggest shock and surprise of our entire family’s life.  Thank you to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve our country.

Summer classes, or ‘summer school,’ often receive a bad rep. Since I was in elementary school, talk of summer school was everyone’s worst nightmare. Generally speaking, I feel as if it is fair to say that this stigma continued on throughout high school and even college. What no one talks about is the potential to reach goals in a much shorter period of time by adding summer classes every summer. Taking on summer classes is also a great way to keep busy; I know many people that are constantly complaining of being bored in the summer! Take that boredom and make great strides toward your future success. I graduated from Wheeling Park High School in May of 2015. It is now May 2017, and I graduated from Ohio University Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in English. I graduated two years ahead of schedule. Some of this was due to completing many core college classes while enrolled as a senior at Wheeling Park, but I feel as if most of it was due to my summer classes. More than just finishing school early, I learned how to better manage my time to balance my summer work while taking 9-12 hours of classes (some in person and some online). Additionally, I think taking classes also trained my mind to stay prepared and in the zone with school. I maintained good study habits and found it easier to not only keep my priorities straight by doing this, but also earning a high GPA, too. Advice for all high school and college students working on getting a degree: all of the hours add up! Taking a couple of extra classes here and there will help you reach your goals fast and stay motivated!

Those of us who are dog lovers are ready to hang a person who kills a pet from the nearest tree. How bad would you feel if you accidentally poisoned your own dog? The many commonplace foods which are toxic to dogs makes it easy to do just that. Let's start with the one we all know: 1) Chocolate. You may be a chocolaholic, but for your dog it's a big no- no. So if you are munching on chocolate snacks, make sure to put them away. My dog once ate quite a few Hershey kisses, foil and all. We had a very sparkly lawn the next day. The dog survived, but I am still on the guilt trip. 2) No drinking or smoking! Alcohol, hops (an ingredient found in beer) and caffeine can all cause death in a dog. Stick to water. 3) Onions and related products like shallots, scallions and especially garlic. Not just their breath will suffer. 4) Grapes and raisins are a healthy snack for humans but not for our four-legged friends. 5) Raw bread dough. Though this isn't something I imagine someone feeding a dog, but Fido might not be able to resist when it is left on the counter to rise. 6) Avocados. This one is on most lists of foods toxic to dogs. 7) Candy and gum and anything else that uses xylitol as a sweetener. We have all left half a pack of gum lying around. Let's not. 8) Macadamia nuts. Aloha and goodbye to this canine toxin. 9) Raw meat and fish, bones, fat trimmed from meat and raw eggs. Although these might seem like good sources of protein, they are very bad for a dog's digestive system. 10) Persimmons, peaches and plums. The 3 "P" words are prohibited. 11) Salt, baking powder and baking soda. Put these on a high shelf. 12) Apple seeds. Not even if your dog's name is Johnny. This list is far from complete, so when in doubt, look it up or just don't. Dogs get all the nutrients they need from a nice dish of dog food. It's so tempting when they look at you with those big sad eyes. Use your will power and resist. We all know how creative and relentless dogs can be when foraging for food. They need protected against themselves just like toddlers. So keep all of these items out of reach. Let's not send any dog to the rainbow bridge before his or her time.

As many of us start heading outdoors as warm weather approaches for ballgames, picnics, hikes, camping, etc., we need to be mindful of some of the risks that come with it. One that most of us would not give a thought to is Lyme Disease.  Lyme Disease is contracted when you are bitten by a deer tick.  Deer ticks are very tiny in size and most often undetected at the time of the bite.  There are a reported 300,000 new cases each year.  If untreated, this can become a very debilitating illness, not only for humans, but animals also.  Lyme Disease can be very treatable with antibiotics if caught early, but can have very serious, irreversible affects if its not caught and treated.  If you are among the avid outdoorsmen, please watch for any of these common symptoms: Rash – this is the most telltale sign.  It is easily identified as a bull’s eye shaped rash or looks like a target.  It can form anywhere from three to 30 days after the initial bite. Neurological Issues – memory loss, trouble focusing, depression, anxiety, emotional tantrums or total personality changes. Meningitis – swelling of the membrane of your brain. Joint Pain – 60 percent of Lyme Disease sufferers develop joint pain fairly quickly. Flu-like symptoms – body aches, fevers, cold symptoms, just feeling plain lousy. Swollen Lymph Nodes – lymph nodes in the neck area become swollen. Eye Inflammation – some may experience optic inflammation. Eyes swell, look red and become sore and you may experience blurry vision. Fatigue – feeling tired when your body hasn’t been overworked. Heart Palpitations – dizziness will sometimes accompany the heartbeat changes. Hepatitis – dark urine, aching, eye color turning yellow and nausea. Bell’s Palsy – facial muscles start to weaken, but only on one side of the face. Hair loss – some may suffer from hair loss due to the toxins from the Lyme Disease. Watch for any of these symptoms, and if they last for more than a few days, you should see your doctor.  As always, better safe than sorry!