Veritas Sports Academy

VSA is a dedicated sports ministry where qualified high school athletes will train in a world-class facility, and be educated in a state-of-the-art, college preparatory, academic setting. The goal is to prepare these young men to take their academic and athletic skills to the next level, whether it is collegiate or professional, and use that platform to make a difference in their world. The masses will provide an eager audience for these young men to give back the leadership qualities, integrity, virtue, honor, and truth that has been passed on to them through the VSA experience.


For more infomation about Veritas, click here.

Is Your Kid's Backpack too Heavy?

Check out this article: http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/safetyfirstaid/l/aa090202a.htm

Cookin' With Bacon

Chicken Parmigiano

Recipe By: Jeff Bacon CEC CCA AAC
Serving Size: 6 Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Categories: poultry

Amount/Measure/Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 1/4 pounds bnls sknls chicken breast – cut in 3 oz medallions and
pounded thin
2 each large tomato -- skinned and seeded
2 each garlic clove -- minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 ounce fresh basil -- julienne plus 12 whole leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
6 ounces mozzarella cheese -- fresh
1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese -- shredded fine
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces pasta -- cooked

Cut Breasts into 3 ounce portions and pound thin

Press meat into shredded parmesan until medallions are coated

Slice mozzarella into 12 thin slices

Core blanch tomatoes, cool and skin

Cut tomatoes into wedges and cut out seed pod

Heat a large sauté pan and add olive oil.

Add chicken medallions to hot oil and brown on both sides, about
3 minutes per side. If cheese browns too quickly, lower heat.

Once all medallions are cooked remove to a warm oven.

Add garlic to pan and sauté in remaining oil for 30 seconds. Add
tomato fillets and sauté for 3 minutes

Add broth salt and pepper and return chicken to pan. If your pan is
large enough, arrange medallions so that each may be topped with
one slice of mozzarella and one basil leaf. Sauce should be
simmering while you do this.

Sprinkle chopped basil into sauce and cover pan with lid for
one minute to melt cheese

Plate medallions and toss pasta into hot sauce and serve
along side.

Description: "Light twist on this Italian classic"
Yield:
"2 1/4 pounds"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 643 Calories; 21g Fat (29.8%
calories from fat); 62g Protein; 49g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber;
139mg Cholesterol; 1029mg Sodium.

Everything You Need to Know About Sending Your Kids Back to School

BACK TO SCHOOL TIPS

The following health and safety tips are from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

MAKING THE FIRST DAY EASIER

• Remind your child that she is not the only student who is a bit uneasy about the first day of school. Teachers know that students are anxious and will make an extra effort to make sure everyone feels as comfortable as possible.
  
• Point out the positive aspects of starting school: It will be fun. She'll see old friends and meet new ones. Refresh her memory about previous years, when she may have returned home after the first day with high spirits because she had a good time.
  
• Find another child in the neighborhood with whom your youngster can walk to school or ride with on the bus.
  
• If you feel it is appropriate, drive your child (or walk with her) to school and pick her up on the first day.
  

BACKPACK SAFETY

• Choose a backpack with wide, padded shoulder straps and a padded back.
  Pack light. Organize the backpack to use all of its compartments. Pack heavier items closest to the center of the back. The backpack should never weigh more than 10 to 20 percent of the student's body weight.
  
• Always use both shoulder straps. Slinging a backpack over one shoulder can strain muscles.
  
• Consider a rolling backpack. This type of backpack may be a good choice for students who must tote a heavy load. Remember that rolling backpacks still must be carried up stairs, and they may be difficult to roll in snow.
  

TRAVELING TO AND FROM SCHOOL

Review the basic rules with your youngster:
School Bus

• If your child’s school bus has lap/shoulder seat belts, make sure your child uses one at all times when in the bus. If your child’s school bus does not have lap/shoulder belts, encourage the school to buy or lease buses with lap/shoulder belts.
  
• Wait for the bus to stop before approaching it from the curb.
  
• Do not move around on the bus.
  
• Check to see that no other traffic is coming before crossing.
  
• Make sure to always remain in clear view of the bus driver.
  

Car

• All passengers should wear a seat belt and/or an age- and size-appropriate car safety seat or booster seat.
  
• Your child should ride in a car safety seat with a harness as long as possible and then ride in a belt-positioning booster seat. Your child is ready for a booster seat when she has reached the top weight or height allowed for her seat, her shoulders are above the top harness slots, or her ears have reached the top of the seat.
  
• Your child should ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until the vehicle's seat belt fits properly (usually when the child reaches about 4' 9" in height and is between 8 to 12 years of age). This means the shoulder belt lies across the middle of the chest and shoulder, not the neck or throat; the lap belt is low and snug across the thighs, not the stomach; and the child is tall enough to sit against the vehicle seat back with her legs bent at the knees and feet hanging down.
  
• All children under 13 years of age should ride in the rear seat of vehicles. If you must drive more children than can fit in the rear seat (when carpooling, for example), move the front-seat passenger’s seat as far back as possible and have the child ride in a booster seat if the seat belts do not fit properly without it.
  
• Remember that many crashes occur while novice teen drivers are going to and from school. You should limit the number of teen passengers to prevent driver distraction; this is even required by law in many states. Do not allow your teen to drive while eating, drinking, or talking on a cell phone.

Bike

• Always wear a bicycle helmet, no matter how short or long the ride.
  
• Ride on the right, in the same direction as auto traffic.
  
• Use appropriate hand signals.
  
• Respect traffic lights and stop signs.
  
• Wear bright color clothing to increase visibility.
  
• Know the "rules of the road."
  
• Walking to School
  
• Make sure your child's walk to a school is a safe route with well-trained adult crossing guards at every intersection.
  
• Be realistic about your child's pedestrian skills. Because small children are impulsive and less cautious around traffic, carefully consider whether or not your child is ready to walk to school without adult supervision.
  
• Bright colored clothing will make your child more visible to drivers.
  

EATING DURING THE SCHOOL DAY

• Most schools regularly send schedules of cafeteria menus home. With this advance information, you can plan on packing lunch on the days when the main course is one your child prefers not to eat.
• Try to get your child's school to stock healthy choices such as fresh fruit, low-fat dairy products, water and 100 percent fruit juice in the vending machines.
  
• Each 12-ounce soft drink contains approximately 10 teaspoons of sugar and 150 calories. Drinking just one can of soda a day increases a child's risk of obesity by 60%. Restrict your child's soft drink consumption.

BULLYING-Bullying is when one child picks on another child repeatedly. Bullying can be physical, verbal, or social. It can happen at school, on the playground, on the school bus, in the neighborhood, or over the Internet.

When Your Child Is Bullied

• Help your child learn how to respond by teaching your child how to:1. Look the bully in the eye.2. Stand tall and stay calm in a difficult situation.3. Walk away.
  
• Teach your child how to say in a firm voice. 1. "I don't like what you are doing."2. "Please do NOT talk to me like that."3. "Why would you say that?"
  
• Teach your child when and how to ask for help.
  
• Encourage your child to make friends with other children.
  
• Support activities that interest your child.
  
• Alert school officials to the problems and work with them on solutions.
  
• Make sure an adult who knows about the bullying can watch out for your child's safety and well-being when you cannot be there.
  

When Your Child Is the Bully

• Be sure your child knows that bullying is never OK.
  
• Set firm and consistent limits on your child's aggressive behavior.
  
• Be a positive role mode. Show children they can get what they want without teasing, threatening or hurting someone.
  
• Use effective, non-physical discipline, such as loss of privileges.
  
• Develop practical solutions with the school principal, teachers, counselors, and parents of the children your child has bullied.
  

When Your Child Is a Bystander

• Tell your child not to cheer on or even quietly watch bullying.
  
• Encourage your child to tell a trusted adult about the bullying.
  
• Help your child support other children who may be bullied. Encourage your child to include these children in activities.
  
• Encourage your child to join with others in telling bullies to stop.
  

BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL CHILD CARE

• During middle childhood, youngsters need supervision. A responsible adult should be available to get them ready and off to school in the morning and watch over them after school until you return home from work.
  
• Children approaching adolescence (11- and 12-year-olds) should not come home to an empty house in the afternoon unless they show unusual maturity for their age.
  
• If alternate adult supervision is not available, parents should make special efforts to supervise their children from a distance. Children should have a set time when they are expected to arrive at home and should check in with a neighbor or with a parent by telephone.
  
• If you choose a commercial after-school program, inquire about the training of the staff. There should be a high staff-to-child ratio, and the rooms and the playground should be safe.
  

DEVELOPING GOOD HOMEWORK AND STUDY HABITS

• Create an environment that is conducive to doing homework. Youngsters need a permanent work space in their bedroom or another part of the home that offers privacy.
  Set aside ample time for homework.
  
• Establish a household rule that the TV set stays off during homework time.
  Be available to answer questions and offer assistance, but never do a child's homework for her.
  
• Take steps to help alleviate eye fatigue, neck fatigue and brain fatigue while studying. It may be helpful to close the books for a few minutes, stretch, and take a break periodically when it will not be too disruptive.
  
• If your child is struggling with a particular subject, and you aren't able to help her yourself, a tutor can be a good solution. Talk it over with your child's teacher first.

© 2008 - American Academy of Pediatrics

Career Bounce Back

Damien Berkel is the founder of Professionals in Transition and author of Career Bounce Back.

He'll be speaking at First Christian Church in Kernersville this Sunday, August 24 from 5-7 PM. Call 996-7388 for more info about the seminar

For more info about Damien and Professionals in Transition visit: http://www.jobsearching.org/

What Steven Curtis Chapman Says About Adoption

Check out this article that Steven Curtis wrote about adoption and orphans on CNN.com
http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/07/chapman.orphans/

Label Your Navel

If you want to, anyway! Mabel's Labels offers all sorts of dishwasher, microwave and laundry safe lables. Great for the back-to-school-label-everything frenzy. Visit this website: http://www.mabel.ca/mabel.php?n=root

Freebies

Get free stuff! Check out this article from msn.com:

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SmartSpending/FindDealsOnline/26FabulousFreebies.aspx

Help for Homeowners Facing Foreclosure

If you are like many Americans feeling the pinch of homeownership, a Davidson County Organization may be able to offer some help. Davidson County Community Action will hold a Foreclosure Prevention Seminar at the J. Smith Young YMCA, Aug. 28, between 6 and 8 p.m. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. There is no cost to attend and dinner is included, but anyone interested is asked to pre-register by calling Community Action.

Anyone planning to attend should preregister by Aug. 25 by calling Community Action at 249-0234.

Link to more info from the Lexington Dispatch:
http://www.the-dispatch.com/article/20080811/NEWS/808110321

Cookin' with Bacon

Jerk Style Mahi-Mahi with Tropical Fruit Salsa

Recipe By :Jeff Bacon CEC CCA CDM AAC
Serving Size : 6
Categories : seafood

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 1/4 pounds dolphin fish fillet -- Mahi-mahi
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
1/4 cup onion -- diced
2 tablespoons cilantro -- minced
1/4 cup fresh pineapple -- finely diced
1/4 cup tomato -- seeded and diced
1/4 cup mango -- finely diced
1 each jalapeno -- finely diced
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 dash salt and pepper -- to taste

Cut each mahi filet into 3 slices and dust with jerk seasoning

Heat oil in large pan (alternately heat char grill and cook on grill)

Sear fish medallions 1 minutes on each side

Mix remaining ingredients and use to top cooked fish

Yield:
"36 ounces"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 199 Calories; 6g Fat (27.2%
calories from fat); 32g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 124mg
Cholesterol; 218mg Sodium.
Serving Ideas : Serve with beans and rice and fried plantains

Limit Your Cell Phone Risk

Are you concerned about the amount of radiation seeping from your cell phone into your brain? Check out this article from CNN...

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/07/31/ep.cell.phones.cancer/index.html

Help for Victims of Domestic Violence

Associates in Christian Counseling
(336) 896 – 0065
www.christiancounseling.org/
Associates in Christian Counseling is a full-service counseling
and psychological center serving the Triad since 1991

Family services of Forsyth, Stokes and Davie
Locally: (336) 722-8173 Toll free: 1-800-316-5513
http://familyserv.org/

Next Step Ministries (Kernersville)
24 Hour Crisis Line: (336) 413-3156
www.nextstepdv.org/index.html
North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Toll Free: 1-888-232-9124
http://www.nccadv.org/

A New Kid by Friday

Dr Kevin Leman - psychologist and best selling author (The Birth Order Book)

Latest book: "Have a New Kid by Friday - change a child's behavior and get your life back"

www.lemanbooksandvideos.com