Michigan Blog - Featuring Michigan Shopping, Travel, Business & People

Here's a quick one that I found for those of you that are doing some remodeling this year.

With the housing market as bad as it is in Michigan, many of our friends are choosing to make improvements on their current home.

Try this: Pick out your remodeling supplies in traditional ways, and then buy at near wholesale prices at BuildDirect. (building supplies)

Lumber Liquidators - Wholesale Hardwood Floors and Laminate Floors

We'll be out of the office on Sunday .. so 'til then!

Labels: building, tile, wholesale

Anti-Aging Skincare Routines and Reducing or Eliminating Wrinkles

Speaking of Aging - Give us your opinion on Wrinkle or Anti-aging products

This subject is near and dear to my heart, because each morning, I awake and
look in the mirror only to see more wrinkles than the day before.

I have been researching some wrinkle products on the market - but I want your
opinion. Here are my favorite in order:

1. Dermitage
   Wrinkle Reduction (Free Trial)
2. Meladerm Skin Lightener (Civant)
3. Clarisonic Skincare Treatment (not a cream)
4. Hydroderm - 30 Day Free (by far the most publicized)
5. Dremu Anti-Aging

Many of the latest skin-care products are trying to mimic the effects of expensive treatments like Botox. But can they really deliver on that level?
What is your opinion?

Want to plump up your crow's-feet for up to a day? Try: Dermitage

Did you know:

Human skin is involved in protecting, excreting, secreting, absorbing, thermo-regulating etc, but all these functions can be affected by the structural changes due to aging and excessive sun exposure. Mechanical properties, such as elasticity, are controlled by the density and geometry of the network of collagen and elastic fibres.

If damaged, they lose their contractile properties, resulting in skin wrinkling and roughness. Old or unhealthy skin acquires sags, stretch marks, bumps, bruises or wrinkles, is thinner, and has reduced ability to make vitamin D.

Finally: The demand for anti-aging cosmetics will increase 8.1% a year to $6.4 billion by 2010, according to a study by The Freedonia Group, Cleveland, OH. Gains will be propelled by a stream of new and technologically advanced product introductions offering age-defying and other appearance-enhancing benefits for an aging population.

I guess that I am right there with the rest of the population!

Labels: aging, senior citizen, skin care, wrinkles

Signs an Aging Loved One May Need Help

My parents are getting older and my heart is breaking. I did a bit of research on the signs that your parent may need additional help and here they are:

The following are signs that your aging loved one may need help:

• Decreased attention to personal hygiene. Fear of falling while in the bath tub or shower can lead to a lack of bathing. If you notice your parent is repeatedly wearing the same clothing, doing laundry may have become physically challenging.
• Increased isolation. Declining invitations to go out, refusing to see family and friends and a general loss of interest in activities may be signs the aging parent needs assistance. Repeated phone calls at odd hours may be a sign of memory loss, a cry for help and a sign of depression or isolation.
• Change in housekeeping habits. A cluttered and unkempt house can be especially troubling when the parent has always been neat and orderly.
• Change in bill management and financial trouble. If mail and bills are left to pile up, the simple act of opening and filing mail may have become overwhelming. This can lead to unpaid bills if managing a checking account has become too much for the parent to handle.
• Change in sleep patterns. Episodes of narcolepsy or, conversely, sleeping the majority of the time, can be warning signs.
• Change in eating patterns. Significant weight loss or gain can be signs an aging parent is suffering nutritionally – eating just enough to get by or eating lots of high-in-fat food that is easy or fast to prepare. Food in the refrigerator that is uneaten or spoiled may show that shopping, cooking and cleaning have become too much trouble.
• Increased forgetfulness, repeating self, confusion and crying. Forgetting to take medication is a sign of short-term memory loss or depression that isn’t just a quality of life issue, but a real risk factor. A smaller example of a sign of memory loss can be scorching on the bottom of pots and pans. This can be a dangerous indication that a parent is forgetting about pots left on the stove, causing a fire hazard and threatening both the individual’s and the surrounding neighbors’ safety. Missed doctor appointments may simply be a product of not having transportation, but not knowing how to access ride options can be a sign of a larger issue like memory loss.
• Onset of combativeness or excessive aggressive behavior. Inappropriate behavior and speech in everyday situations or when questioned about memory lapses can be an indication of needing assistance.
• Change in physical status and ability. Incontinence, unsteady gait, increased falling and vision problems are all signs an aging parent may need help.
• Thoughts of suicide, preoccupation with death and signs of depression. A frequent problem for many older people who feel isolated and alone like a prisoner in their own homes, depression causes marked changes in behavior and routine. Feelings of hopelessness and despair, lack of interest in once pleasurable activities, crying, listlessness and not wanting to get dressed can all be indications of a problem.

Got a dog that is getting older? Glucosamine & Joint Care for Dogs

Labels: aging, senior citizen, senior nutrition

The Ripples that come with the Michigan Sports Season Change

Been to a HS volleyball game this year? The seasons have changed and ripple effects are starting to unfold.

Here is a summary on what happened. Remember ... I am a blogger and not a lawyer, so some of my terms may be off, but I think it is fairly accurate.

After review of evidence presented in the original court case, the judge ruled that it was a disadvantage for a sport to be played out of season compared to the traditional season of the sport. (ie .. Volleyball in Michigan was in winter and throughout the US it was in the fall)

Going by documents introduced in the case, the seasons were originally aligned many years ago to accomodate boys sports. As a result of this alignment, there were 6 girls sports playing out of season, while no boys sports were being played out of season. In other words, girls were the only ones playing in disadvantaged seasons.

That disparity was finally ruled (after appeals) a Title IX violation.

The Michigan High School Athletic Association tried to argue that they did not fall under Title IX because they were a private company, but the ruling stated that they acted as a government agency because they served the schools.

.. and whala - we are have VolleyBall in the fall.

...and whala - we have AAU and USAV Volleyball tryouts in the fall too. I guess that we always did ..but the off-season will start ALOT earlier and the girls will be able to attend alot more volleyball tournaments this year.

Here are a few tryouts that I know of:

Huron Valley Volleball (Ann Arbor area) will hold national team tryouts on Oct 14 and regional team tryouts Oct 21 for U15/16/17/18. An information meeting will be held on Oct 7. Multi-sport athletes are welcome.

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MI Elite - Date 10/21/07

Place : University of Michigan Dearborn(fieldhouse)directions are on website under locations
Times: Ages U12 (ages 8-12 are encouraged) - U15 10:00am till 2:00 pm

Ages U16 - U18 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
MI Elite VBC will make every effort to place all HS aged players.

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Volleyball Club Directors - Post a comment with your tryout dates and times. Lot's of volleyball visitors here!
:)

Labels: AAU Volleyball Tryouts, michigan elite, Michigan Volleyball Tryouts

3:16 The Numbers of Hope

I've heard so much about 3:16 lately that I had to do a bit of research
myself. Was it a new drug? Was it bad, good? Is 3:16 the
latest "gang" symbols?

Stop laughing.

I was happily surprised that 3:16 is just the latest fad reflecting upon the
oldest truth:

John 3:16 (chapter 3, verse 16 of the Gospel of John) is one of the most widely quoted verses from the Christian Bible. It has been called the "Bible in a nutshell", because it briefly (and accurately) summarizes the Christian faith.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

3:16 is "Off the Hook". For those of you my age, Off the Hook
means that is so "fresh" and "new", "cool" and "hip" that its literally right off the store shelf.

Kinda weird that an Old Boiler like me is talkin bout somethin new.

Enjoy: http://www.michiganbusiness.us/showcompany.php?id=14572

Labels: bible, catholic, christian, coupons, faith, gospel, t-shirts

Fantasy Football Online

Here's one to think about over the weekend -

Fantasy football owners are expected to cost Michigan employers close to 1 million this year. During the National Football League regular season, nearly 1 million Michigan workers spend an average of one hour per week at work managing their fantasy teams.

But .. would the potential damage to morale and loyalty resulting from a fantasy football ban at the workplace be far worse than the loss of productivity caused by 12 minutes of online team management per day?

Hum .. I know that a ban of both of my son's "football team management time" would cause great havoc and dissention in my household.

.............and anyway ... my husband wouldn't allow it :)

Labels: Detroit Lions, fantasy football, football, Michigan

Exactly how did it get to this point? - Teri Rhodes

“Never can we avert every tragedy. They are a part of life. But we can and should learn from them, deal compassionately with those who are hurting and double our efforts to offer support to those who are in crisis.” — A statement issued by Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa.

The district attorney from Erie, Pennsylvania took five weeks to charge 19-year-old Teri Rhodes with homicide. A month and a week after she gave birth to and "allegedly" suffocated her newborn baby daughter, Rhodes sat in a courtroom with bloodshot eyes and arms wrapped around her body, as she was read the charges against her. No need to repeat the charges here, you have read them all- over and over again.

I have too much in common with the Rhodes family to not be following this story closely. I too, have daughters that play volleyball in the Catholic League and they have aspirations to play college ball. My heart breaks to see the rest of Teri's life be ripped away from her because of this horrendous mistake. On the other hand, I was adopted at birth and feel a deep sense of devastation and sadness for her baby girl who only had 10 minutes to live in this world.

I can't help to wonder where I would be if my birth-mother had made such a mistake.

Teri was a fabulous setter at Ladywood High School in Livonia and both Teri and her family are well known in southeast Michigan volleyball circles. Teri played for the Motorcity Volleyball club before it became Michigan Elite and her younger sisters are still involved in volleyball here in Michigan.

What went wrong and was there a chance, somewhere along the line, to save both Teri and her baby? Why did Teri Rhodes choose to keep her pregnancy a secret? Secrets are powerful and dangerous for youth. How could she have spent the entire summer at her parents home and they not have known that she was pregnant?

Rhodes managed to hide her pregnancy from her parents, her sisters and her friends. Still, there were people in Teri Rhodes’ life who knew something was wrong. Rhodes’ assistant volleyball coach suspected pregnancy and asked Rhodes to take a pregnancy test, which she did on August 11.

The test, she said, was negative.

But if we only study the time before Teri Rhodes gave birth to her baby daughter and the time that she was pregnant, we haven't come close to how far back we need to look to find these answers.

I am sure that Terri Rhodes will become a target for many people to voice their personal opinions regarding abortion, sex education, college athletes and abstinence.

When do we stop debating over these things and start to figure out how we keep lives from ending like this?

The story of Teri Rhodes is heartbreaking. Many of us will be crying over the next few weeks - but none as hard as Teri and her family.

What exactly did you not understand about "Thou Shalt Not Kill"?

Labels: homicide, ladywood volleyball, mercyhurst, michigan elite, pregnancy, rhodes, teri rhodes