Wear Red, Talk Red...

Get out that red sweater, skirt, or lipstick and wear it on Friday, National Wear Red Day, to remind everyone that 1 and 4 women dies of heart disease. Then go one step further: Tell 3 women in your life to make an appointment to talk to their doctor about their blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose and diet. Pick up the phone, email, text, join the Go Red facebook group or twitter - do whatever you know that will get their attention so they will have a better understanding of their own risk of heart disease.

Come see the Phillies World Series Trophy

The Phillies World Series Trophy will be on display at the Granite Run Mall tomorrow, Friday, February 6th, from 6:00 - 8:00 pm. What a great opportunity to show your kids a piece of Philadelphia history!

Oscar® Winner Cuba Gooding Jr. and Kimberly Elise
Star in TNT’s Inspirational GIFTED HANDS: THE BEN CARSON STORY,
A JOHNSON & JOHNSON SPOTLIGHT PRESENTATION® Movie

GIFTED HANDS, Based on Pediatric Neurosurgeon’s Moving Memoir,
To Premiere Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT)

A frustrated young boy with problems in school overcomes the obstacles in his life to become a world-renowned neurosurgeon in the new TNT Original movie GIFTED HANDS: THE BEN CARSON STORY. This uplifting and inspirational JOHNSON & JOHNSON SPOTLIGHT PRESENTATION® stars Oscar® winner Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire) and two-time NAACP Image Award winner Kimberly Elise (The Great Debaters, The Manchurian Candidate). It is based on the true story of Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, whose lifelong journey led him to become director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, a best-selling author and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The movie premieres Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT), exclusively on TNT.

In GIFTED HANDS, Gooding plays Carson as an adult, while Elise plays Carson’s mother, Sonya, who inspired her son to study and work hard so he could rise above their inner-city roots. Also starring in the movie are Aunjanue Ellis (The Practice), as Carson’s wife, Candy; Jaishon Fisher (Lakeview Terrace), who plays Carson as a young boy; and Gus Hoffman (Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins), who portrays Carson as a teenager.

GIFTED HANDS was adapted by award-winning writer John Pielmeier (Agnes of God) from the memoir penned by Carson and Cecil Murphey. The film is directed by Thomas Carter (Coach Carter). It comes to TNT from Sony Pictures Television, Thomasfilm and The Hatchery LLC. Dan Angel (TNT’s Door to Door), Margaret Loesch (Benji: Off the Leash), Bruce Stein (The Haunting Hour: Don’t Think About It), Erin Keating and Carter serve as executive producers on the project.

The film opens with Carson’s childhood in Detroit. The young Bennie struggles in school after his father abandons the family and his mother, who suffers from bouts of depression, is forced to be the family’s sole provider, despite the fact that she can’t read and has only a third-grade education.

Seeing that her son is having problems in school, Sonya soon realizes it is because he has troubles seeing. With a new pair of glasses and encouragement to spend time at a library, Bennie dives into the world of books. The joy Bennie gets from reading and the undying love and support he receives from his mother pave the way for him to overcome his impoverished background and graduate from high school, college and medical school. To fulfill his dream of becoming a doctor, he also must face down racial prejudice and other obstacles that threaten to derail him.

Along the way, Carson gets married and starts a family. But his home life becomes strained when his work starts to consume his every waking hour, especially as he faces the challenge of becoming the first doctor ever to successfully separate conjoined twins joined at the back of the head. In the end, however, Carson’s family comes to understand that his work is vital in helping other families, including a young couple whose twins’ lives are saved thanks to Carson’s remarkable skills, knowledge and courage.

Today, Carson stands at the top of his field as one of the most respected pediatric neurosurgeons in the world. He is living proof that, with perseverance, a devotion to knowledge and the loving support of family and friends, one can overcome any obstacles. Like his mother did for him, Carson now pours everything he has into helping young people overcome their medical limitations and fulfill their own dreams.

Click here for a closer look - watch behind the scenes clips from the movie.

Click here to discuss GIFTED HANDS: THE BEN CARSON STORY, starring Cuba Gooding, Jr.

Turner Network Television (TNT), television’s destination for drama and one of cable’s top-rated networks, offers original series, including the acclaimed and highly popular detective drama The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick; Saving Grace, starring Holly Hunter; Raising the Bar, starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gloria Reuben and Jane Kaczmarek; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; and Trust Me, with Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanagh. TNT is also home to powerful one-hour dramas, such as Bones, Cold Case, Law & Order, Without a Trace, ER and Charmed; broadcast premiere movies; compelling prime-time specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards®; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR and the NBA.

Valentine's Day Treats & Goodies...Ideas for Kids

It's that time of year again...love is all around us! Next week, on February 14, is Valentine's Day! It's the day that flower shops and Hallmark's all around us thrive on! I'm sure you've been planning a little something special for the ones you love, but just in case you're stumped...we have a few ideas for you. These Valentine's Day treats are great to make with your children and for your children. They are also all wonderful ideas if you're planning on giving your children treats to bring for their classroom Valentine's Day parties at school or even great things to bring your co-workers for fun snacks for the office.

Teachers love when classroom parties run smoothly! So, forget the messy cupcakes this year...why not go for something a little neater...simpler...and that does two jobs at once?!

Like these little treat bags that combine the Valentine's card and treat all in one...


You can create these treat bags by using small cellophane bags (found at any craft store) and a decorated paper topper or sticker. Fill the bags with a favorite candy, like red hots, M&M's, conversation hearts or Hershey's kisses, then attach the paper topper with staples or the sticker to the bag....it's just that simple! You can get creative with the paper toppers and stickers...if you're a stamper...create them using your card stock and stamps...if you're more into digital designs...make round stickers on your computer with a whimsical design - you can even personalize them with your child's name. Get creative!

Another great idea for Valentine's Day cards and a treat is these cute flower and butterfly lollipop holders.
All you have to do is print...cut...and insert a lollipop! Can't get much easier than that!
For the flower design instructions & download, click here and here.
For the butterfly design instructions & download, click here.
Get creative here too...print these designs on colored paper to save time or have your toddler color them for a more "personal" touch!

Would you rather make something that's doesn't involve sugar? Then here's an idea for you...
Make heart shaped crayons! (These might not go over well with your co-workers at the office...but you never know!!!)

This is a great project, because not only are you making something fun and unique for your children to give out to their friends...but you can recycle all of those itty bitty crayon pieces your children have piled in their art boxes!

To make these crayons:
Get out your old crayons. Take off the paper (if it's still on) and break them into smaller pieces (kids love to help with this). Spray your muffin tin (use heart shaped tins or silicone candy molds to make them heart shaped) with vegetable spray and put some crayons pieces into each spot. The more or less you put depends on what size you want for each chunky crayon. You can also group the crayons into colors that are fun together, red and blue for purple, pink tones or blue tones - or even red, pink and white for a fun Valentine's Day theme. Place the muffin tin full of crayons into a preheated oven of 275 degrees F. Watch them carefully, they will melt fast. Bake them for about 7-8 minutes. When they looked melted enough, carefully and slowly remove them from the oven. You can stir them with a toothpick for a swirly look, or leave them as is. Let them cool completely (can be placed in the freezer to speed up process once the tin is not so hot). Once cooled, the crayons can be popped out of the muffin tin, tap the back to help this process.
If you love this idea, but don't want to make them, check out this Etsy shop where you can purchase heart crayons...already made and neatly bagged up for you!

Or how about making these delicious Cookie Pops! Click here for recipe.

Or Valentine's Day Chex Mix! Click here for recipe.

Want something a little more "chocolatey" instead? How about dipping your favorite treats in melting chocolate and handing those out? Like these yummy treats...
Oreos, jumbo marshmallows, Nutter Butter Cookies, pretzel rods, graham crackers sticks and fortune cookies!

All you have to do is melt the chocolate (Almond bark is also good because it "sets" the best) in the mircowave or in a double boiler on the stove until it's completely melted and smooth, then dip your delicious treats! Decorate them with sprinkles if you'd like. Place them on wax paper lined cookie sheets and allow them to "set" or cool. Put them in the refridgerator for a few minutes to speed up the process. You can even wrap the goodies in cellophane bags for a more finished way to disperse them in the classroom or at work.

And one last idea...and probably the healtiest choice of all - Heart Fruit and Cheese Skewers.Just cut out melon and cheese into hearts shapes with a small cookie/pastry cutter. Put the fruit and cheese on kabob skewers...and enjoy!

We hope all of these ideas inspire you to make some fun and delicious Valentine's Day goodies for this upcoming holiday!

Day of Beauty at Ulta in Exton
February 7th, 2009

Pamper yourself with FREE
Skin Care & Hair Care Consultations

Face Mapping by Dermalogica

Demo’s from the Ulta Design Team
Kinerase Skin Care Specialist 11:00am – 7:00pm

Too Faced Make-up Artist – 12 noon – 5:00pm

Fusion Hair Extensions 2:00pm – 3:00pm

Complimentary Refreshments

Please schedule your appointments in advance

Ulta Salon

187 West Lincoln Highway
Exton, PA 19341

610-280-0888

Play the Market at Houlihan's and Win Every Time!

Houlihan's will soon be offering a special connected to Wall Street that will make everyone happy! When the Dow Jones is up, Free Italian donuts and when the Dow Jones is down (as it was today at the close of the day), receive a FREE appetizer at your next visit.

The promotion is running Monday - Friday from February 9th through the 27th after 4:00 pm. Each day's offer is based on the Dow Jones Industrial Average close for that day. One offer per table. For more information, visit their website.

So you can either celebrate with free donuts or commiserate with a free appetizer but regardless of the rise or fall of the DOW, you are a winner at Houlihan's!

From the desk of Dr. Gottlieb

Wow, it’s hard to believe that January is over already!! Time does fly.

This week we are going to cover the third and last leg of our New Years Promises to ourselves: STRUCTURE!!

As a brief review, let’s just cover the first 2 health focuses that we have covered already. Endurance was the first focus. Without endurance it’s hard to get through the day without relying on doses of sugar or caffeine. Not good for your long-term health.

Second was Strength. Strength is of course needed to both ensure against injury and also to improve our calorie burning abilities. Who doesn’t look better with a little less flab and a little more muscle?

The final focus is Structure. What kind of physical shape is your body? Pear? Apple? Some structural abnormalities to check are:

1. ‘Waist to Hip Ratio’. High waist to hip ratios, above 0.8 for women and 0.9 for men are associated with higher rates of high triglyceride levels, high blood pressure and insulin resistant (Type II) diabetes. These symptoms develop as a result of sugar burning, fat storing eating habits. Carbohydrate intolerant, insulin resistant individuals tend to deposit fat in the waist area. This is a fairly easy home measurement. If interested in how you can measure and monitor your own waist-to-hip ratio, just email us and we will email you a 1 page, simple set of directions.

2. Your posture is also a good indicator of your health and mental disposition. Are you all hunched over and round-shouldered? Does your head stick out like a goose neck? Do you have your grandmothers ‘hump’ starting in your upper back already?

3. Balance is necessary for any weight bearing exercise program. If running, walking, hiking or biking ‘hurt’ when you do them, check your balance. Stand with each of your feet on a different scale and look straight ahead. Your weight on each scale should be 0-3 pounds different. If you weigh more than 3 pounds different on one side of your body, that is an indication of a problem you don’t want to stress with exercise until it is resolved.

Okay, you now have all 3 focuses to help you get healthier this year than you have in the past. There are no excuses left!!

If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail us and we will be happy to help. We have gotten wonderful questions and feedback from our patients who read this blog, as well as hearing from non-patients about their questions. Don’t hesitate, your health depends on you!

Sincerely,

Dr. Cynthia Glendening
Dr. Andrew Gottlieb
Eagle Chiropractic, P.C.
http://www.eaglechiropractic.net/

Answers to All Your Money Questions

ADVICE FROM EXPERTS AND MOMS AT COOKIEMAG.COM

The country may be facing job losses, a credit crunch, and the worst recession in years, but your son still wants his allowance ... and he hasn't even done his chores. See how one mom tries to teach her kids the value of money. Also, maybe it's time you created a family budget. And we've got tips on how to get the biggest bang for your buck, how to maximize flex spending, save for college, get life insurance, and write a will. Remember, a penny saved...

Click here to get more finance tips.

Create Your Own TV Character

ARTHUR: ALL KIDS CAN CHARACTER SEARCH

The folks who created the TV show Arthur have invited 6- to 12-year-olds to create a new friend for Arthur, D.W., and Buster. The new character should have a unique ability, character trait, or disability that makes him or her different but no less fun. The idea is to get parents and kids thinking about what life is like for special-needs kids and to stress the importance of inclusion. The child whose character is selected will be featured, along with the character, on a live segment of the Arthur show. Now that's TV worth watching.

Click here for more info.

Go Red!

Friday, February 6th is National Wear Red Day. Make sure you wear a red dress, scarf, sweater or even socks.. what ever it is help tell the world that a woman's heart is a very special thing.

Click here to visit the GO RED website and order your very own Go red Love Your Heart T-shirt

IMG00233.jpg

Phil proclaimed...... Go Steelers...... and six more weeks of winter.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

IMG00228.jpg

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

IMG00222.jpg

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Front Row....woo-hoo!

We made it to Gobbler's Knob. There are thousands of people and we still have 2 hours to go. We are in the front row.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

We're here....

We arrived in Punxsutawney a little before 9PM. The road trip was pretty uneventful. The road to Punxsutawney is the longest road ever! It seemed like we were on it forever or maybe it was because we were watching Elmo on an endless loop. Did I mention I have both of my children with me?
Yep, they are 4 and 18 months. Thankfully, my mom and sister are with me or there is no way I would be able to manage both kids on my own in the sea of people tomorrow. I have heard a few different reports of spectators expected to be at "The Knobb" tomorrow. The highest I have heard was 20,000. Whoa!

We are staying in a hotel on the outskirts of town. ALL of the hotels in town were booked. Some as far as a YEAR in advance.

After we checked in to the hotel we caught the last few minutes of The Superbowl. Go Steelers! Since we are in "Steelers country" we heard lots of cheering through our thin and I do mean thin hotel walls. Although, I am an Eagles fan by marriage, I am happy the team from PA won.

I should be sleeping right now since I have to get up at 3am to get ready to head into town....so I am going to sign off. C-ya bright and early in the morning!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Happy Groundhog Day!

We are packing up for our big trip west to Punxsutawney, PA., to visit Pennsylvania's, most famous, weather predicting marmot, Punxsutawney Phil.

Bright and early on February 2nd, Phil comes out of his burrow on Gobbler's Knob - in front of thousands of followers from all over the world - to predict the weather for the rest of winter.

According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring. Keep your fingers crossed that he doesn't see his shadow. I am ready SO for spring!

Be the first to know Phil's prediction! We will be blogging live from the festivities via our handy dandy Blackberry. Click here to connect to our Facebook page or tweet us on Twitter.

Can you believe that it has been a year since Chick-fil-A opened their doors in Downingtown???

Come out and help Chick-fil-A celebrate their one year anniversary. If you are an early bird (or are forced to be an early bird by your lovely kiddos) then head out to Chick-fil-A for breakfast and you could potentially win 6 months worth of free meals!

Chick-fil-A will be opening their doors at 6:30 a.m. and the first 50 customers will receive 26 free meal coupons. But the celebrating doesn't stop after breakfast, come any time during the day to a spin the Chick-fil-A wheel to win great prizes and food!

You can also enter to win prizes in the raffle. The cow famous Chick-fil-A cow will be stopping by throughout the day and there will be a special anniversary cake for all to share.

Don't miss the wandering magician from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. and of course, the play center will be open for the kids.

AND... did you know that Chic Fil A offers FREE Breakfast on Tuesdays. Now through February 24th. Click on the community calendar tab for more details. Thank You Lindsay from Graco for the tip!

Pennsylvania's most famous marmot...

Pennsylvania's unique and most famous holiday is right around the corner, so get ready. On February 2, we'll all learn what Punxsutawney Phil, the world's only true weather-predicting groundhog, has to say about the length of this winter.

Looking for answers to your Groundhog Day questions? You've come to the right spot! Scroll down to learn about various aspects of the Groundhog Day holiday, and how we've been celebrating it in Punxsutawney since 1886.

Here are some answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the holiday:

• Yes! Punxsutawney Phil is the only true weather forecasting groundhog. The others are just impostors.
• How often is Phil's prediction correct? 100% of the time, of course!
• How many "Phils" have there been over the years? There has only been one Punxsutawney Phil. He has been making predictions for over 120 years!
• Punxsutawney Phil gets his longevity from drinking the "elixir of life," a secret recipe. Phil takes one sip every summer at the Groundhog Picnic and it magically gives him seven more years of life.
• On February 2, Phil comes out of his burrow on Gobbler's Knob - in front of thousands of followers from all over the world - to predict the weather for the rest of winter.
• According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.
• No! Phil's forecasts are not made in advance by the Inner Circle. After Phil emerges from his burrow on February 2, he speaks to the Groundhog Club president in "Groundhogese"(a language only understood by the current president of the Inner Circle). His proclamation is then translated for the world.
• The celebration of Groundhog Day began with Pennsylvania's earliest settlers. They brought with them the legend of Candlemas Day, which states, "For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May..."
• Punxsutawney held its first Groundhog Day in the 1800s. The first official trek to Gobbler's Knob was made on February 2, 1887.
• So the story goes, Punxsutawney Phil was named after King Phillip. Prior to being called Phil, he was called Br'er Groundhog.