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Class Trip: Quiet Waters

Mr. Doug and I have planned our classes to be held on Wednesday July 9th at Quiet Waters.  We are leaving time for everyone to have their stripe test and to do a walk at the park with us.  We may even do a quick game of kick ball with everyone.  Here is how we see the day going:

4:00 PM to 5:30 PM 5/6 year olds

5:30 PM to 7:00 PM 7 – 12 year olds

7:00 PM to 8:30 PM adults / intermediate and teen

Please just wear comfortable clothes, (no uniforms), tennis shoes etc..  We will work out, test, and have a walk in the park.  Last year when we did this we found the time we got to spend with everyone very rewarding, and we look forward to seeing everyone turn out and have a good time with us.
Please note that on Thursday we will only have an Open Mat style class from 4:- 5:30  for all ages and then from 6:10 – 7:40 for adults and intermediate students.  If there are any questions please feel free to email Mr. Joe or talk to us at the school.
Title: Class Trip: Quiet Waters
Location: Quiet Waters White Oak Pavillion
Description: For a complete description and schedule changes see the post: Class Trip: Quiet Waters
Start Time: 16:00
Date: 2008-07-09
End Time: 20:30

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Honesty with ourselves and others

The end of the month has come and so we are completing our discussion with our students on honesty. One of the concepts we spoke about was the practice of being “two faced”. Most of our 7/8 year olds had not heard that term before and did not really understand the practice of saying or being one thing to one person and something different with another.
The older students were very aware of this happening within their peer groups and many have been affected by this personally. It is such a lesson for us young or older. Honesty with our selves and being who we are with everyone is so important to our health and welfare.
Being a person that others can trust to be who we are to everyone is a key ingredient to being a good friend. It is also the way that we can keep ourselves liking ourselves, which is a boost to our self esteem and confidence. Our true friends and supporters (like mom and dad) will honor our opinions and decisions, and be kind to us, treating us in a way that is true to who we are. Our responsibility is to be who we are to everyone, and not one thing to one person and another to others.

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8 Percent of Americans have diabetes

In last nights Capital newspaper, it was reported that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention are reporting that the 2007 figures indicate about 3 million additional Americans now have diabetes, bringing the numbers to 24 million individuals with diabetes and 57 million with sugar abnormalities (pre-diabetes).  
As a school and community interested in our ability to defend ourselves against things that harm us, lets continue to make this a part of our program here as well as in our home.  When we eat the right foods and get our bodies moving as well as being aware of risk factors we can decrease the risk we have for the disease.  
This fall we are looking forward to working with the community college and some in our BLS community to develop a video that can be used as an education tool for our community.  If you would like to assist in this effort please be sure to let us know.  

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Honesty about wants and needs

Have you heard of someone being tricked into believing something or someone that wasn’t true? Well of course we have and probably can recount stories of our own. One of the biggest threats that we and our children have today is the the marketing that takes place in the media.
There are many ways that we are enticed to buy products or services including big claims, use of vidid colors, saying “this is the best”, and bringing peer pressure on us and our children. Much of the marketing that takes place today is aimed at our children. As parents we need to be able to help our young ones understand what is happening and to be able to think for themselves to see if this is the best thing for them or just someone trying to sell them something.
How can we teach our children and maybe ourselves the difference between our needs and our wants? Sometimes I look at what I personally have and think of the many individuals and families in the world that do not have the quantity of food or housing that we feel is required for us. In fact I believe that in our quest to be kinder to the earth and world, one way would be to reduce the amount we consume. Not just recycle or reuse, but first reduce.

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June Belt Testing

This was one of the best belt test. Everyone did a great job. I have posted all of the photos I have at this time and they are available for you to see by clicking on the link below. If anyone has any other photos that you took and would like to share them with us please do so. These are great memories for us all. I think about Jackson C. who just moved to Maine. His mom brought us some photos in, including the one of him getting his white belt over 3 years ago, and it just made all of us think about all the progress he had made. Think what it will be like as our students grow and one day when they earn their black belt and we have photos of them when they were 6 years old – doing there best!!
Click on photo to see the whole album of photos.

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Baltimore Farmers Market

From Baltimore Far…

It was 2 Sundays ago my wife and I went up to the Baltimore Farmers market. The photo here was one of the more early popular farm stands. This family had fresh peas, coolers filled with them, and a long line to get some of them. If you go to the photo album you will see photos of some of the stands and the people we met. I will try to introduce some of them to you over the next few weeks along with other markets.
One I would like to highlight now is Gloria. You will see my son Sean with her. She is an artist who makes paintings and art work out of ‘makeup’. It is beautiful. More interesting her marketing plan is that nothing is priced that is on her table. If you want a piece of art you may have it for a contribution of what you choose to contribute. She only wants to provide art as a way to promote peace.
This is a great family trip for an early Sunday morning. Give it a try one weekend!