If you think repainting or refinishing your furniture is something beyond your capability, you would be completely wrong. If I can do it… anybody can do it. When I decided to redecorate my bedroom months ago, I knew I couldn’t afford to buy new furniture, nor did I really want to. I actually loved my huge, oversized dresser that we bought when we moved into our house 14 years ago. The natural pine worked well when I had a beachy theme – browns and blues – in the room. I changed the feel and color of the entire room and went with a light gray/lavender paint that worked really well with our new distressed, dark wood floors (which we installed ourselves). The pine furniture had to go. So I decided I’d do a gray wash and lighten everything up.

So, what did I do? I took all the drawers out and lightly sanded all the wood faces down. I used a light-weight sandpaper because there wasn’t any paint on the dresser to begin with. There might have been some kind of varnish at one time, but the piece was 14 years old and was basically just natural wood at this point. I sanded everything just to make sure the surface was as clean as possible when I started painting.

I purchased a very light gray latex interior paint from a home improvement store. When I was ready to use it, I poured the paint into another container and added enough water so that the paint color was thick enough to be adhesive, but thin enough to not cover the wood completely. I tried using a foam brush, but really didn’t like the way it covered. It tended to leave bubbles and who wants bubbles on their furniture? A regular bristle brush worked great. I lightly brushed the paint wash onto the wood. Do a very light coat and go over and over it until you get the coverage you are happy with.

How long did it take me? I did the entire project in 2 days. The sanding and painting happened in one day. I then let everything dry overnight and on the second day, I added a coat of varnish to the entire dresser. The varnish wasn’t shiny and didn’t add or detract to the color. Two coats of varnish and we were good to go. The varnish sealed the paint and will prevent it from chipping or rubbing off. I ended up adding some new drawer hardware – super inexpensive from a home improvement store – and I had a fabulous antique-looking dresser. I really loved the way it turned out.

Huge thanks to Lexie Lane for giving me a complimentary copy of The Blogger’s Survival Guide to read and review.

I wonder how different my blog would be if I had a Blogger’s Survival Guide when I started blogging all those years ago. I had nothing. Well, I had Pro Blogger’s book, but to be honest, much of what was discussed was a little over my head. There wasn’t one source that would answer all my questions. Google wasn’t being very helpful back then, probably because nobody was actually writing about how to start a blog or how to make it successful. For those of you wanting to start a blog today… there are plenty of resources that can be found, but the one source that I wish I had is now a reality… THE BLOGGER’S SURVIVAL GUIDE: Tips and Tricks for Parent Bloggers, Wordsmiths and Enthusiasts. Okay… no, you don’t have to be a parent blogger. You can be a fashion blogger, a food blogger, a travel blogger… or you can still be trying to figure out what your best route to blogging success will be. THIS book will not only answer all your questions, but it will help you find a name, a niche and a catch you up on all the social media lingo. In a word… it’s a MUST for any new (and even seasoned) blogger!

If you have mentioned to me that you wanted to start a blog but had no idea how to do it (and you know who you are, my dear friends) then I absolutely recommend you get yourself a copy of this book. You want it all? It’s here.

The book is broken up in super easy chapters that you can either read through in it’s entirety, or you can pick and choose what you want to know. What is pretty awesome is that the chapters are designed so that if you read a chapter a day, you will be ready to forge ahead into the blogging world after a week.

DAY 1: THE SETUP

DAY 2: THE DESIGN

DAY 3: THE LEGAL STUFF

DAY 4: THE CONTENTS

DAY 5: THE TRAFFIC DRIVERS

DAY 6: THE MEASUREMENT OF TRAFFIC

DAY 7: THE MONEY MAKERS

From chapter to chapter, the authors not only write about what you should be doing, but they give you examples of how it should be done with screen shots that clearly show you what to watch out for. I’m a visual person, so I learn from actually seeing things… not just reading about them. I also love that they have given you the actual links so you can easily access the websites they are referring to. I know a lot of people have written blog posts about this or that, or published e-books and pamphlets teaching you one aspect of blogging… but this book is the mother-lode of blogging. It will become your right hand. I think it’s pretty safe to say you WILL be a blogger after reading this book.

Now, you all know how in awe of writers I am. Writing a book is no easy task… having a manuscript actually published is HUGE! Lexie Lane and Becky McNeer, co-founders of The Social Media Panel,  have really blown me away with all the content and details this book contains. I’m certainly not a novice blogger, but even I didn’t realize how much goes into creating a blog. It’s not easy… but it’s SO worth it.

Still unsure if blogging is right for you? Shoot me an email and I’ll talk you into it.

I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review. No monetary compensation was provided. All opinions are entirely my own. Go buy the book… it’s all kinds of awesome!

A big thank-you to AEG for providing me with Bon Jovi concert tickets.

I have to admit that there is a lot of great music out there today. Those of us who grew up in the 80′s always like to claim it as one of the best decades for music, but the songs my kids are listening to are pretty fabulous and I wonder if they’ll still be listening to them 30 years from now. Will they remember them fondly as the soundtrack to their childhood?

Lucky for me, many of my favorite 80′s bands are STILL producing new music and are STILL touring! Of course, it brings back memories of oh so long ago, but it also says something even more profound… good music is good music. It lasts. It lingers. It makes a comeback with each subsequent generation.

Last month, I was able to relive my youth once again by going to see Bon Jovi at Staples Arena in Los Angeles. It wasn’t my first time seeing them, and hopefully it won’t be my last, but even after 30-something years… they still put on a hell of a show!

The last time I saw Bon Jovi, I noticed that most of the concert-goers were middle aged women (like myself). Totally understandable since WE were the ones who grew up listing to them. This time, I was really surprised to see so many young kids and teens at the show. That was amazing to see, knowing that Bon Jovi is reaching a whole new generation of fans. Yes, my own kids will listen to them too – of course, it probably helps that I yell “Bon Jovi” every time a song of theirs comes on my iPhone.

I have to say, when we got to Staples to pick up the tickets, I got all kinds of giddy when the ticket counter woman told me I was in the wrong line. I was supposed to go to the ARTIST WILL-CALL! ARTIST????? Yep! My ticket has “JBJ” on it (Jon Bon Jovi). Of course, it’s not like he actually put the tickets in the envelope himself and said… “Give these to Carolyn West.” But… I can still dream, right?

Actually, I was provided the tickets from AEG. Just one of the perks of being a blogger… and a HUGE Bon Jovi fan!

Bon Jovi is still touring and there might even be tickets available in a city near you. If you haven’t seen them live… GO! I guarantee you’ll have an amazing evening. And maybe… you’ll even remember what it was like to be back in your teens and hearing them for the first time.

AEG provided me with concert tickets in lieu of tour promotion. No compensation was provided and all opinions are entirely my own. And may I just add that… I LOVE BON JOVI!

Disneyland is about an hour away from my house. You’d think we’d go often, but we don’t. Disneyland is also really, REALLY, expensive for our family of 5, so if we go, you know it’s for a special occasion. This past Saturday, we made the trek down to Anaheim because Temera’s Junior High Show Choir was performing.

Not everyone can perform at Disneyland. The Show Choir teacher had to videotape the kids performing and send it in with a bunch of paperwork, all to convince Disney that they were worthy of taking up space on the Big Thunder Stage. Fortunately, Disney DID find them worthy, as well as the Advanced Band and everyone flocked down to Disneyland for the day.

I have to say, performing at Disneyland is a first class act. The kids were impressed with the professional dressing rooms and I was impressed with the professional Disney announcing of the performance. I know we all get a little teary-eyed when we see our kids perform, but seeing my daughter up on a big stage at Disneyland was pretty incredible. (Proud Mama Moment)

Temera is in the center of the photo – 2nd row, kneeling down.

The performance was really amazing and a lot of fun to watch. Lucky for the girls, they had the entire day to spend at the park.

So, I have to say I was surprised at all the changes to Disneyland that occurred since we were there last. There were several new rides, new things to see and do and the food way way better than I remembered. I was also really excited to learn about the new charging lockers they implemented. What a great idea to be able to drop your phone off for an hour and have it charged up for you. Unfortunately… this is what we found when we tried to do just that.

Yep… completely SOLD OUT!!!!!!

So, here’s the deal, Disneyland. GET MORE CHARGING LOCKERS. And… have them throughout the entire park, not just on Main Street with the Main Lockers. Seriously, ever single outlet we encountered (at stores and restaurants), someone was sitting there charging up their phone. You know those airport charging stations? DISNEY NEEDS THESE!!!!

Since we spent the entire day, we were able to go on a good amount of rides, despite the crowds and the long waits. Thank God for FastPass. Just wish you were able to actually choose the time you wanted to come back. Something else to consider, Disney.

The best part of our day? When we came out of It’s a Small World and saw all the fireworks. We got to experience them directly overhead while we were still sitting in the boat. It was awesome! Disney knows how to do fireworks! And as we walked back to the main gate, Lauryn says… “This was the most awesomest day ever.” Can’t beat that!

While it might not be the Happiest Place on Earth every hour of the day… you can’t help but love Disneyland. You just do.

Wish I was able to take my kids more often. Sigh. Maybe next year Disney Social Media Moms will invite us. (Hint Hint)

Disclosure: I was sent a complimentary box of Staples office products for review. No other compensation was provided and all organizing ideas are entirely my own.

If it wasn’t for the box of office supplies Staples recently sent me, I’m pretty sure I would still be sorely behind and unorganized. Suddenly, I have gone from a few things to do here and there to full-fledged CEO kind of busy. I wasn’t prepared for that and when I’m unprepared, I get a little crazy. I’m sure my husband can vouch for that. I just came off not one, but TWO blogging conferences that had my head spinning with plans and ideas. If every there was a time for me to sit down and organize myself (and my thoughts) it’s now.

I know you probably have just as much on your plate as I have. Between the kids’ schedules, the husband’s schedule, my blog posts, my events, school board stuff and working in seeing a friend here and there… whew… I’m way to busy and really had to find a way to keep it all under control.

I’ve used several different online apps to keep myself organized, but honestly… I feel much better with a good old fashioned notebook and pen. I took the really cool supplies I got from Staples and decided to get myself organized once and for all.

I think I have an office supply addiction. I just love them. I love everything about them. I love notebooks, pens, fancy folders and cute binder clips and push pins. Lucky for me, I also have TWO Staples stores close to me, so I know I can always get something colorful and fun.These are the supplies I’ll be working with.

So, where to start? A great big binder is always a good place. I need a section for This Talk Ain’t Cheap, a section for SoCal Lady Bloggers and it’s probably a good idea if I have a section called HOME. I tend to jumble everything I need to do together… you know, when I do my “to do” list for the day, it includes grocery shopping AND write a blog post. Stupid. I need to S.E.P.A.R.A.T.E. my work life from my home life. It’s getting too muddled and nothing gets accomplished.

So I took a big, sturdy Staples binder and created separate tabs for each category I needed to focus on. I decided to make it all super simple (right?) and my at-home work binder mirrored my take-with-me purse binder. Smaller, but meant more for note-taking when I’m out in the world. So… big binder at home, small binder that goes with me everywhere.

So, binders sectioned and prepped… but now what? Now, you find the tools to help KEEP you organized.

When it comes to blogging (or any business, really) you have a few things you absolutely must have.

• Calendar – whether it be a daily, weekly, or monthly, you need some way to keep track of your schedule and where you need to be on any given day.
• Editorial Calendar – For writers, this is such a helpful tool in determining what you are writing about and when you will be publishing posts.
• Blank pages for lots and lots of note taking. I usually jot down a few sentences on paper to get me going with a blog post when I’m not at home and an idea comes to me. I’m not always right at my computer and at my age, I basically have no short term memory left.
• Business Card Sleeve – I get handed business cards all the time and I tend to never have them where I need them. I love those plastic business card sleeves that you can find at Staples and insert them into your binders. It makes it easy to rotate the ones I want to keep and the ones I use often.
• Binder Pockets – these are the inserts that let you pile in paperwork that always ends up floating around your purse. Receipts, flyers, etc.

Okay, now you have a few tools to get you going. Now, I want to give you a few links for some awesome printables to help you move even further along.

The Simple Home Calendar Printables

Blogelina.com Blogging Printables 

Homeschool Creations Blogging Printables 

Great! Now that you are well on your way to an organized life (don’t you just love sarcasm?), I thought I’d show you my organized desk. Yes… an organized desk means an organized life. Well, sort of. I do find that when I have an organized place to work from, I get more accomplished.

So, these are the Staples products I used:

Staples Better Binder 1″ with removable file rings (275 sheet capacity)

Staples arc customizable notebook system (8.5″ x 5.5″)
Staples arc poly pocket dividers
Staples arc poly tab dividers
Staples arc page flags
Staples arc task pads

Staples Heavyweight fashion file folders

Sustainable Earth Stapler
Sustainable Earth Calculator
Sustainable Earth sugarcane-based copy paper

Colored push pins
Colored binder clips

Avant Pen – and check out the new Spring colors! Ooohhhh… pretty.

I can’t even begin to tell you how much better I feel now that I finally have things organized. I am a little in love with my arc binder – it has now become my right hand. Okay, I told you I love office supplies. And guess what? YOU can be just as organized. Because Staples is all kinds of awesome, they are letting me give one of my readers the same big box of office products that they gave me. Excited? I know… me too.

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was provided with a selection of Staples office supplies for review. All opinions and photos are my own, as are my organizing tips.

The only product listed in this post that was sent to me complimentary was the Leonardo’s Dogs drawing mentioned at the bottom of the post. No monetary compensation was given and all products listed are entirely my idea.

Yes… it’s time again for my annual Mother’s Day Wish List. I have to admit, I wasn’t going to do one this year. I have everything I need and I am thankful my kids are happy and healthy and my husband still wants to be married to me. But… there are definitely a few things that I’ve come across lately that I wanted to share. Feel free to pass this post along to your significant other should you find something that pleases you as much as it pleases me.

I have this strange affinity for Michael Kors handbags. If you go back in the archives and find my previous Mother’s Day lists, you will see I have the yellow Michael Kors bag on it. I never got it. That’s why it’s STILL on my list. We have a MK store in our mall and I usually just walk by and drool a little at the gorgeous bags in the window. I don’t let myself actually go into the store… that would just be torture. If I had an extra $358 floating around, I would totally buy myself this bag. Cute in red, isn’t it? I wouldn’t mind brown or black either.

I came across this mug on Pinterest and fell in love with it. If you know me at all, you know that I am a major coffee drinker. What would be better than starting my day with a little reminder that I’m a pretty darn good Mom… despite what my kids might tell you. This can be purchased from Etsy for $21.00. A little pricey for a mug, but it really does make the perfect gift for Mother’s Day.

Another awesome Pinterest find, I had no idea what it meant until I looked it up. Any ideas? 398.2 is the Dewey Decimal number for the Fairytale section of the library. Seriously, every time I think about it I get all choked up inside. I think every woman should have one of these. Sold on Etsy for $8.95 – pendant only.

Seriously… how incredibly awesome is this necklace? Whatever your commute is, there is a number for you. Combine any routes/highways/freeways you want. Created as a fun gimmick, these are just as adorable in real life as in the picture. They are also smaller than they look like in the photo, which makes them dainty enough to wear every day. I was fortunate to meet the designer (Lauren Makai) and she is amazing. Check our her site to see all the numbers available. Retails for $72.00 at L. Makai.

No, it isn’t a cell phone – although I’m sure many Moms out there would just love a new iPhone for Mother’s Day. Check out the case… it’s a Mophie. Never heard of it? I hadn’t either until a few weeks ago when I was in the presence of my blogging posse and they introduced me to this miracle device. The case itself acts as a spare battery pack for your iPhone. Now, for those of us who spend endless hours on their iPhone (especially at blogging conferences and events) this is a MUST HAVE. There are different versions, ranging from $79.95 up to $149.95 retail.

If I have to even mention how much I would love a spa day at Burke Williams for Mother’s Day, then I guess I haven’t been doing my job well enough throughout the rest of the year. What mother doesn’t want a day of pampering? If you haven’t been to BW before, you are missing out. I highly suggest you go. And if you don’t get a gift card for Mother’s Day? Go buy one yourself. Honestly, when in doubt… a spa day is the perfect gift.

I recently wrote about how much I love Leonardo’s Dogs. Their incredible artistic Leonardo Da Vinci inspired drawings quickly became one of my favorite things. In honor of Mother’s Day, I am offering you a chance to WIN a Bulldog Print drawing of your own. This 14″ x 14″ drawing would be beautiful hanging in your own house, or given as a gift. I framed mine, but this one comes unframed so you can coordinate with your own home decor and style.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Want more ideas? Check out my previous Mother’s Day Wish List posts HERE and HERE.

Once again, I was provided with a bulldog drawing from Leonardo’s Dogs for review on a previous blog post. I was also provided with one to give away. All opinions are entirely my own.

Bullying effects our children, our families, our neighbors, our society. It’s wrong, it’s got to stop and YOU can pledge to make that happen!

It happened in elementary school.

I rode the bus to school and back every day with all the other kids who lived on our street. Most of them were friends. One of them wasn’t.

He wasn’t older than me. In fact, I think he was younger than me. He was mean. The kind of mean that only comes from some kind of really rotten home life. I don’t know why he picked on me specifically. Maybe because I was the smallest one on the bus. Maybe because he felt my fear. On the way home every day, he would take my shoes off and throw them outside of the bus at our stop. I had to get off the bus without my shoes and go find them. And put them on. In front of everyone.

It was a long time ago. I don’t remember all the details. But I remember. At 47, I still remember.

Every time I hear about a child who died because they were bullied one way or another, I sit down and tell my kids. I don’t do it to scare them. I do it to remind them that we all have choices. We don’t have to be bullied. We can say no. We can tell someone. We can help someone.

The schools all have anti-bullying programs that tell our kids not to be bullies. Some might “get it”. Most probably won’t. Being a bully doesn’t happen overnight. It comes from kids seeing and hearing bad behavior so often enough that they start to believe it’s okay behavior. Bullying is awful, but it doesn’t mean a child who does it is necessarily a bad kid. Bullying is a learned behavior… it can also be a corrected behavior. As adults, it is our job to recognize it… and stop it. Our kids are depending on us.

So, what CAN we do? We can…

• Listen. When our kids tell us someone is bothering them or bothering a friend, ask questions. Find out the why, when, where, who and how.
• Look. Watch out for a change in behavior. Is your child eating too much, eating too little, are their grades slipping?
• Ask. It just takes minutes to ask your kids how their day was, how their friends are doing, what they did during the day.
• Talk. Tell your kids about your personal experiences with bullying (if you have any). Let them know they can talk to you. Let them know they should talk about it if it happens to them or someone they know.
• Educate. Help your kids and other adults know what to look out for. Bullying interferes with learning and with self-esteem. It is everyone’s problem.
• Be Brave. If your child has never been bullied… that’s awesome. But, changes are, they have a friend who has. There is power in numbers. Have them get a group together and stand up for each other.
• Take the Pledge.

Won’t you please take a stand against bullying!

Want to learn more? Visit StopBullying.gov and AntiBullying.net and find out how you can help prevent this very preventable issue.

This is a sponsored post by for TakePart Pledge.

There is a company called Leonardo’s Dogs that takes two of my favorite things – art and animals – and turns them into something magical. As a design student, I studied Leonardo DaVinci in depth and have a huge appreciation for the artistic process he helped to create. The first time I saw one of Leonardo’s Dog Prints, I was transfixed. It was unlike anything I had ever seen and I immediately wanted one.

I am a horrible wife. I never ended up getting my husband a birthday gift when he turned 40-something last December. As a big bulldog lover, I knew the bulldog print would be the perfect gift. So what if it was a few months late… better late than never.

When checking out the website, I noticed that Leonardo’s Dogs don’t just cover dogs. There are also beautiful drawings of cats and horses. There are so many breeds to choose from, but here’s a tip… if you don’t see the breed you like, you can request a custom made drawing in the breed you want.

The drawing comes packaged in a cardboard tube, wrapped in paper and tissue. When I unrolled it, I was actually quite surprised.

The drawing is beautiful on the website, but is even more so in person. The craft that goes into these is incredible. I have no idea what the process is, but the paper is rich and elegant and the sepia tones make it very hard to believe this isn’t a vintage piece.

My husband… LOVED IT! He was as blown away as I was. We don’t have a lot of artwork up in our house because wall space is at a premium, but this piece will be showcased and treasured for years to come.

I found a vintage looking frame at Michael’s that would be perfect. The matting is a canvas/burlap material and the frame is a natural wood. It is just perfect.

With Mother’s Day and Father’s Day coming up, this would make the most amazing gift. Drawings come framed or unframed and the one I have measures 14″ x 14″. Take a look at the website and experience the beauty of Leonardo’s Dogs. I’m sure you will be as magically drawn in as I was.

Connect with Leonardo’s Dogs on Facebook.

I was provided with a complimentary drawing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are entirely my own and I was actually floored by how much I adore this drawing.

I recently watched Jeffrey Smith’s new documentary, “Genetic Roulette“, an eye-opening film created to educate the world about the dangers of GMOs. Jeffrey Smith is the founder of the Institute for Responsible Technology and author of several best selling books on this issue. For those of you who have heard the term but aren’t sure what it actually stands for… GMO means Genetically Modified Organism. And for those of you who aren’t quite sure why this has anything to do with you personally, I want to say… EVERYTHING!

We all want to eat healthy, right? I mean, I can’t say I know one person who would say they want to eat unhealthy foods that are bad for them. We go to the grocery store and we choose fresh produce and lean meats and we check the back of cans and boxes to make sure the food we eat and give to our children contain vitamins and minerals and aren’t too high in fat and calories. But, are we doing enough? Probably not.

Narrated by Lisa Oz (yep, she’s Dr. Oz’s wife), this documentary goes step by step in explaining what GMO’s are and why they have slowly disrupted our entire food chain, as well as systematically caused us all kinds of illnesses and diseases that our bodies shouldn’t have ever known about. Not only are our foods changing their DNA, but that altered (as I call it… fake) DNA is entering our bodies that our organs are trying hard to figure out what to do with. Like any foreign body… our own bodies are rebelling against a DNA sequence they don’t recognize as being natural. So, what happens? We get sick. Very sick. We get cancer and autism and birth defects and we have trouble conceiving children. It’s all so dangerous. And scary. And preventable!

MONSANTO

Have you heard of Monsanto? I bet the name rings a bell. They’ve been all over the news for years because they are the very company that has created the genetically modified seeds that farmer’s are planting to grow the food you eat every day. The party line has always been that these genetically modified seeds will grow easier, faster and prevent insects from destroying them. The bigger issues… that the world is starving because we don’t have enough food… has been Monsanto’s reason for producing… and SELLING… these modified seeds. SELLING! As in… MONEY! Because, it’s always about money.

So here’s a secret. The world has plenty of food. What the world doesn’t have is plenty of money to purchase it.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

Can I share another secret? It would most likely take just 5% of us NOT  purchasing GMO foods to make a difference in the actual food the grocery stores we shop at carry on their shelves. Only 5%. Why? Because it’s the mighty money again. Stores don’t want to lose money. If they are carrying products that even a small percentage of people don’t buy… they won’t carry them. Europe has already sat up and taken notice and refuses to allow genetically modified food. Whole Foods, a large grocery chain, has said NO to GMOs and is requiring that all GMOs in their stores be labeled as such by 2014. Recently, California voted against requiring all GM food be labeled. Yes, of course that would mean practically every single food in our stores would require a label. And yes, that would probably mean that all those foods would go up in price. But… don’t you want to know what you are putting into your body? I do.

• Consider looking for non-GMO Verified labels at your grocery store. There are currently 400 brands, with 6,000 products, that have the label.
• Buy organic produce.
• Avoid corn, soy, cottonseed oil, canola oil, and sugar from sugar beets.
• Visit nongmoshoppingguide.com 
• Download the free iPhone app ShopNoGMO

Thought this might interest you…

Just recently Obama signed what was referred to some critics as “the Monsanto Protection Act” to protect biotechnology.

Family and organic farmers via Food Democracy Now and Organic Consumers Association are now in court with Monsanto to protect our food system.

FACTS ON GMO’s

• Studies have proven that non-GMO crops have more growth than the GMO crops.
• We lost 99% of the corn exports to Europe once we started selling corn grown with GMO’s.
• More pesticides are applied to GMO crops than non-GMO ones.
• 60 – 100% of our water supply was found to have contained Roundup (a pesticide used on GMO crops).
• Aspartame is derived from GMOs.

I realize that other people might feel differently about GMOs. If you want to eat foods that have been modified, you have every right to do so. All I’m asking is that we have the choice. The choice to choose what we buy and what we eat.

I’d love you to see this documentary and share your thoughts.

You can either BUY or RENT Genetic Roulette.

I was given the opportunity to view this documentary through Bookieboo, LLC. I was not compensated in any way and all opinions are entirely my own.

If you don’t think underage drinking is a huge problem in our society, you really should take a closer look at what our teens are doing with their free time. We talk to our kids about sex. We talk to our kids about drugs. We talk to our kids about bullying. But, how many of us have sat down with our kids to discuss the dangers of underage drinking? Since April is Alcohol Awareness month, let’s take this opportunity to start talking about it.

I was blessed to be involved in a webinar last week with The Century Council and Dr. Anthony Wolf about the problem we have with underage drinking. The entire conversation had me wondering if I’ve done enough as a parent to educate my own children. As parents, David and I have shared our feelings about the issue with our kids and every time one of us has a glass of wine or a margarita at a restaurant, we explain the reasons why they aren’t allowed to have the same. We hope it’s sinking in, but we also are very aware that peer pressure as they get older will be a tough nut to crack.

I cringe when I hear about a teen who has been drinking. Despite the obvious dangers they could be causing to their own bodies, my mind immediately jumps to them getting behind the wheel of a car and possibly causing harm to other families. This isn’t just something of concern to me… it’s very personal.

My family has experienced the horror of underage drinking firsthand. My Aunt & Uncle were killed by a teenage driver who had been drinking. The details are inconsequential. The point is a teenager who had been drinking, got behind the wheel of a car and crashed that car into another, killing two people. The scary part is that this happened 40 years ago. And 40 years later we are STILL having this conversation about the dangers of alcohol.

There is a reason the drinking age in this country is 21. Not that at the age of 21 a person is completely responsible enough to drink, but we know that a person younger than that definitely isn’t prepared to take responsibility for their actions. Drinking as a kid/teen can cause so many other problems like:

• Alcoholism
• DUI
• Pregnancy and STD’s
• Violence and Crime

If alcoholism is in your family, your child has a much greater chance of developing the disease as well. Even just one drink with their friends can lead to behavior that in out of character. If the dangers are so great… why even start? Underage drinking MUST be one of those topics you discuss with your kids early and often. It’s not that hard to do… really.

1. Ask them their thoughts on drinking alcohol.
2. Tell them your own feelings on the subject.
3. Talk about peer pressure and that it’s okay to say no to your friends.
4. Drinking alcohol inside the safety of your own home is STILL a crime if you are under 21.
5. Driving while under the influence of alcohol can kill other people.
6. Drinking can cause alcohol poisoning and kill you.

We all know that no matter how prepared we think our kids are, mistakes happen. If there is one piece of advice I would give to every parent it would be to have a “no questions asked” policy. Let your kids know that if they are in trouble in ANY WAY, whether it be from drinking or drugs or sex, they can call you and you’ll come get them NO QUESTIONS ASKED. Let them know they will be safe with you. And please… let your kid’s friends know the same. Be the kind of parent or relative or friend who will be their “go to” person if they need help. Please don’t EVER let someone who has been drinking get behind the wheel. It’s so not worth it.

Please join me and The Motherhood on Twitter

Wednesday, April 17th at 1pm ET.

Use the hashtag #TalkEarly and let’s share ways we can curb the problem of underage drinking.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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