The Newsy Neighbour Issue 101 by The Newsy Neighbor

COMPLIMENTARY

MARCH 2016

ISSUE 101

Make Love Stronger, The Days Shorter, The Nights Longer, The Savings Smaller & A Home Happier

Strathmore Children’s Festival

Why Should Kids Play Sports?

The Ups & Downs of Blending Families

THE GET TO KNOW YOUR

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Stories, Musings, A Little Adventure And Humour Suzanne is a native Calgarian that lived in Langdon for 15 years before transplanting to Chestermere in 2013. By day she is an accountant with a frustrated creative side that occasionally escapes in form of written musings, which is far more interesting than adding stuff up for people.

The other day, I was surfing the Book of Faces when I came across one of those articles that’s full of great ideas to make your kids’ childhood perfect. This one was Easter themed and sug-

gested if you are going to have an Easter egg hunt, either colour your decorated eggs (yeah, right) in different colours, or buy those plastic eggs you can put things into, using them as a form of colour coding. The premise was each kid would be assigned an egg colour and during the hunt they would only be allowed to find or retrieve eggs that were their assigned colour, the idea being one kid wouldn’t end up with all the eggs. In my house, this would have been an awesome idea as my kids are 5 years apart. Meaning for a few years, my oldest dominated the hunt, until my youngest learned sneaky, underhand ways to beat his older brother to the goods. The resulting “festivities” usually ended up with someone in tears and parental interjection for the equitable division of eggs. So when I hit this article, instead of my usual, “Pfft! Who’s got time for this stuff?” I thought, “Heeeyyyy... that’s a great idea, I should do that this year!” Then I remembered my egg-hunters are no longer little cuties that are super excited by the thought of the Easter bunny because they have become boring, occasionally surly, teenagers/ adults that are no longer excited by the “holidays” of their childhood. Case in point is my oldest son’s annual gift of cinnamon hearts that is still gathering dust on my counter, waiting for his Valentine’s Day visit. He may be getting cinnamon Easter treats as a result. Which, in turn, reminded me that it’s time to re-look at my will... but I digress. The article and the realization that it came a good 10 years late got me thinking about how much kid-related festivities are different from “then”, when they were little, excited and super-cute, to “now”, when they... aren’t. Those of you that own teenagers/ early 20’s “kids” know exactly what I mean:

Christmas Then – up at the crack of dawn, novel length gift list, heavily influenced by the latest Disney offering

Now – must be poked with a sharp stick in order to be up at a time still considered Christmas “morning”, gift list = money

Valentine’s Day Then – getting little Disney themed cards and treats ready

for the whole class, excited review of what they got in return, cinnamon hearts

Now – “can I have $50 to take my girlfriend out for Valentine’s? Oh, and the car, too?” 4 •

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Easter Then – up at the crack of dawn, hunting for Easter eggs (or, as the little foil wrapped eggs that came in the net package were known in my house, “bunny poop”)

Now – must be poked with a sharp stick in order to be up

at a time still considered Easter “morning”, would prefer to be hunting cash over eggs. And could we skip the “hunt” part?

Birthdays Then – the party, the gift bags, the gift list a mile long (hello Disney?)

Now – “Can you pick me and my friends up from the pub so we don’t have to take a cab? And can I have $50 to go out for my birthday?” You get the picture. This whole thing would leave me feeling much more depressed (and broke) if it weren’t for one tiny light on the horizon… grandbabies!! But not too soon, ‘kay boys? Because I’m a little young to do the grandmom thing. And it’s kind of nice not having to worry about finding “All Ages” restaurants. Plus, it sure is handy having kids that can drive and run errands without worrying about temper tantrums in Walmart (other than my own). Maybe now isn’t so bad after all. Pass the cinnamon hearts.

We’ve had bad luck with our kids — they’ve all grown up. ~Christopher Morley

Some people can’t handle the truth! My Favourite Animal Our teacher asked what my favourite animal was, and I said, “Fried chicken.” She said I wasn’t funny, but she couldn’t have been right, because everyone else laughed. My parents told me to always tell the truth. I did. Fried chicken is my favourite animal. I told my dad what happened, and he said my teacher was probably a member of PETA. He said they love animals very much. I do, too. Especially chicken, pork and beef. Anyway, my teacher sent me to the principal’s office. I told him what happened, and he laughed, too. Then he told me not to do it again. The next day in class, my teacher asked me what my favourite live animal was. I told her it was chicken. She asked me why, so I told her it was because you could make them into fried chicken. She sent me back to the principal’s office. He laughed, and told me not to do it again. I don’t understand. My parents taught me to be honest, but my teacher doesn’t like it when I am. Today, my teacher asked me to tell her what famous person I admired most. I told her, “Colonel Sanders.” Guess where I went... facebook.com/TheNewsyNeighbour

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LEASING 403-263-4449

1. I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die. 2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong. 3. I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger. 4. There is great need for a sarcasm font. 5. How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet? 6. Was learning cursive really necessary? 7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I’m pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighbourhood. 8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died. 9. I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired. 10. Bad decisions make good stories. 11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren’t going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

OPENING FALL 2016 6 •

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12. I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to. 13. I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call. 14. I think the freezer deserves a light as well. 15. I wish Google Maps had an “Avoid Ghetto” routing option. 16. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger. 17. How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear or understand a word they said? 18. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters! 19. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever. 20. Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is. 21. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I’d bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time. 22. The first testicular guard, the “Cup,” was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important. facebook.com/TheNewsyNeighbour

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Winner of Strathmore Business of Commerce 2013 Business of the Year - Small Enterprise

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We accept Cheque, Visa and M/C PLEASE DO NOT MAIL CASH! Please make cheques payable to “The Newsy Neighbour Inc.” Total subscription cost for one full year is $39.95 including G.S.T. Please return this voucher to: 126 Westwood Street Strathmore, AB T1P1A9 Questions please call 403-478-9114 aleesha@thenewsyneighbour.com

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OUR TEAM:

PUBLISHERS LETTER:

Owner/Publisher, Layout, Design, Accounts Payable/ Receivable & Website.

Aleesha Gosling

Phone: 403-478-9114

aleesha@thenewsyneighbour.com

Owner, Content Development & Articles

Kathryn Hartwell Phone: 403-561-0888

kathryn@thenewsyneighbour.com

Advertising; Regional Sales Manager

Denise Geremia

Phone: 403-608-0686 denise@thenewsyneighbour.com

Just some Stuff

Design

Lisa Grimes

Nicole MH

March is our Kids Issue and this one is amazing!! My goodness gracious, if you do not have children of your own, you may want a few after reading this Issue. With all the articles based on children, I almost wish mine were little again because now I would have a guide on what to do next – which, by the way, no parent ever knows what to do next, but truthfully, this Issue might help you through a couple of the minefields. And (drum roll, please) all the information for the “Newsy Neighbour Get to Know Your Neighbour Festival” is contained within these pages – don’t forget to take out the shopping challenge page “to shop local” and bring it to the festival to win some incredible prizes – and enjoy the festival, of course on June 18. It was such a huge success last year; it is really hard to explain just how fabulous it turned out to be and we promise it will be bigger and better this year (if that is at all possible)!!! We cannot impress on you, especially in today’s economy, how it is MORE than important to support your LOCAL businesses; after all, we are all in this together – right? Please remember that the next time you are going to drive in Calgary to do your shopping. Strathmore, Langdon and Chestermere have pretty much all you need to find; pretty much anything and everything. We also have so many different contributors joining our team every month that the diversification of “The Newsy” gives it an international feel with so many different points of view and loads of information – we are not just FUN, but we are also very informational. Yes, a little bit of everything! A magazine completely different than any other and we are proud of it! Kathryn, Aleesha and Denise

OUR CONTRIBUTORS: JockTalk

Jock Wilson Shaken & Stirred

Guiding you OVER the steps ..... of Real Estate.

The REPs Lomenda Energy

Marcy Field

Carla Lomenda

Natural Choices

Stories Musings

Cynthia Barnesky

Suzanne Shaver

A Mindful Minute

Leela Sharon Aheer

Rebecca Stone

OTHER CONTRIBUTORS THIS MONTH: Women Talk Strathmore, Pet Planet Strathmore, Animal Care Centre of Strathmore Hope Bridges,, Wesley Signer, Lori Caron-Kluppelberg, Jenericay Wellness and Footcare, Langdon Dental, Martin Shields, 5 For Life, Heather Dougall, Axiom Mortgage

On the Cover this month: Austyn. Photo credits go to Flora Photography http://floraphotography.ca/

Sue Kirk from Wisconsin

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Mr. Sherbo and his young family moved to Langdon in 2012, already in the midst of creating an empire based upon a strong moral foundation. Cesare was determined to create a successful plumbing company with a basis on integrity, loyalty and service. Today many of us know him as Cesare, of Cesare’s Plumbing Ltd. Over the years, Mr. Sherbo has donated much of his time and earnings to people within Langdon and its surrounding areas and says, “It’s a great feeling to give back to the community that supports myself and my family.”

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Last year Cesare decided to make a thoroughly heartfelt donation to Langdon’s little league baseball team. “Sports are expensive and in today’s economy, not everyone can afford to enlist their children in activities and pay all of the additional dues,” he stated. “So I figured I could help out by donating enough to cover the costs of the team’s jerseys.”

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A modest man, Cesare sat across from me and explained that he was happy in his life - not because of wealth or status, but because he had purpose - and that seeing the smiles that lit up people’s faces when he was able to help was worth more to him than any dollar amount.

10% of all proceeds from 2015 personal taxes will be donated to the Wheatland County Food Bank.

“During any major crisis, we are the first ones out there to assist. In fact, when the houses in Langdon and Chestermere flooded a while back, we had our feet on the ground and men on the floor helping to get it all cleaned up. We supplied whatever we could - at no cost. We also made a respectable donation to Calgary’s Mustard Seed, because we could.”

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Mr. Sherbo, a father of two young boys and a Master Plumber and Gas Fitter, prides himself and his business on great work, amazing quality and overly-competitive prices. In fact, on some occasions, Cesare has even accepted a simple case of beer as payment for his services. “Sometimes people just need help but they don’t have the means to pay for it and over the years I have learned that there are more important things in this life than money. So I help where I can...”

Nicole is an avid writer with a background in marketing and communications. She has a passion for humanitarianism, sports, local consignment boutiques, home decor shops, coffee houses and lemons - oh, does she love lemons. Nicole is a proud mother of one and a true believer in karma, fate and purpose. She is fascinated by human behavior and eastern religions and if you were to ask her what she wants to be when she grows up all she would say is, happy.

The world is full of beautiful people

and often times that beauty can be found resonating from right here, within our own home town. Cesare Sherbo is one of those genuine diamonds that shines from afar, without asking to be polished or admired. “I’m not in this business to get rich,” says Cesare, “I grew up on a modest farm and back in those days, there wasn’t a lot of money to go around; we always did what we could to help our neighbours - and they did the same for us. It was a sense of community that I learned to cherish and carry with me throughout my adulthood.”

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Just like anyone else, Cesare has big dreams that he plans to one day fulfill, such as world travel and new business ventures. “But in the meantime, why not help who I can, when I can?” This coming year, this down-home family man hopes to support more of the community’s local teams, such as children’s soccer and hockey leagues. When I asked Mr. Sherbo what message he would like to relay to the individuals reading his story, he simply smiled and said, “It’s important that we look at every day as an opportunity to help someone else, while doing what we can to help ourselves. Remain humble and never lose sight of what’s important to you.” If you know someone with an inspirational story, we would love to hear from you. Nicole MH

“It’s important that we look at every day as an opportunity to help someone else, while doing what we can to help ourselves. Remain humble and never lose sight of what’s important to you.” ~Cesare Sherbo The Newsy Neighbour Magazine

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Leela Sharon Aheer MLA

I am thrilled to be part of the Newsy Neighbour family. While I do not have the honour of representing Strathmore residents, you are ably served by my Wildrose colleague Derek Fildebrandt. Please contact his office at: 403-934-4400 or Strathmore.brooks@assembly.ab.ca.

Strathmore & District Chamber of Commerce Presents

Not Your Grandfather’s AGM Tuesday - March 29, 2016 5:30 pm – Civic Centre, West Hall

Hello Newsy Neighbour Readers

Wine Tasting

Karen Crippen, Certiﬁed Sommelier with a Masters in Champagne

We hope you are enjoying this beautiful weather, and that you have found spring in your heart and a bit in your step.

Appetizers

Prepared by International Chef Judy Wood, Grand Diplome from L'ecole de Cuisine La Varenne, Paris & Owner, Meez Cuisine/Catering

Overview of Strathmore Chamber 2015 to 2016: Terri Kinsman, President New Chamber Website Demonstration

We would like to welcome Chestermere Paint and Décor to the Chestermere family. We are so happy to see businesses growing, especially at this very difficult time in our province. So where are we provincially at present? The Royalty Review showed us that we are receiving our fair share, and we are grateful that Peter Tertzakian and Dave Mowat recommended a restrained hand with our royalty regime, and proved what we in the Wildrose had been saying all along. It should never have been used as a dramatic political football. Not only did it cost Albertans a pretty penny just to have the review done, the amount of investment, capital spending, and confidence lost because of uncertainty is not recoverable. We have yet to see what the regulations will look like, and how the government will mix in its so-called “climate strategy”.

Michael Wynn, Full Blast Creative Short Presentation: Chamber of Commerce Group Insurance with Todd & Tammy Williams

We invite you to Nibble, Sip and Network with BDC representatives, local businesses, politicians & organizations. Wine & beer bar $20 Members $25 Non-members RSVP Deadline: March 21

info@strathmoredistrictchamber.com

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The most frustrating aspect in all of this is that we have yet to see a pipeline, and when our Prime Minister was here he more or less told Albertans that he was unsure as to whether or not Energy East would be on the priority list. Our resources are stranded, and this negative mentality brought about by our government snubs innovation, technological advancements, and growth. We wish the Federal Government would see that what is affecting Alberta will have a huge impact on all Canadians. We wish the Premier would treat this as a matter of urgency and advocate forcefully for pipelines rather than attend fundraisers for NDP pipeline opponents in Ontario. By supporting and building this pipeline we have an opportunity to unite Canada in prosperity. Our own home grown prosperity. Right now we are importing around 600,000 bbl/day of foreign oil into Eastern Canada because we can’t get our oil there. Supplying Alberta oil would support jobs and government services right across the country. Importing oil exports Canadian wealth and jobs. Many of these jurisdictions do not have even close to the same environmental standards as Alberta, and we sit here stranded. We aren’t looking for a subsidy like Bombardier, we are looking for a green light to proceed with a project that is in the national interest. It’s time to see our Provincial Government stand up for us, and be proud of what has been accomplished here. Proud of the philanthropic nature of Albertans, and proud of our resources. Remember that this country of Canada is more than a loose association of 10 independent fiefdoms. United we stand and prosper, divided we fall. Let us know what you think. We love to hear from you.

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Speaking of philanthropy, do you think you make good chili? Prove it in a good cause! We are looking for Chili Cook-off teams from around the constituency for our Light It Up Blue Fundraiser in Delacour on The Newsy Neighbour Magazine

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April 2. There is a $150 entry fee for each chili team of up to 6. Proceeds will i Chil k go to Inclusion Alberta and Autism o o Canada. We are also looking for doC Off nations of money or supplies. Teams will gather at the Delacour Hall at 11 AM to make their tasty (fiery?) concoctions. Doors open for tasting at 6 P.M. Entry for the chili tasting is by donation. Call my office at 403-207-9889 or Pete at 403-700-5437 for details or see facebook.com/ LightItUpBlueInDelacour. Hope to see you there.

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Oysters

I am extremely adventuresome when it comes to tasting different food delicacies. I love Taramasalata (Carp/caviar Roe Spread), I’ve eaten frog’s legs and pretty much every seafood you can name on the planet, for the exception of “Fresh Raw Oysters”. My daughter was down recently to my summer home in Arizona and she spotted “Fresh Raw Oysters” in the display case in our local grocery store and started to swoon, explaining to me she has experienced the delight and their delectation. I was feeling a bit skeptical, then thought maybe I might be missing out on an Epicurean delight, so we purchased a few. They would be our special lunch for today along with an equally “Luscious” cocktail. Now getting these babies open is another story as neither of us amateurs had ever shucked an oyster before. We pried using small paring knives, holding the oysters with oven mitts, both fearful the knife may end up opening something else up which may require stiches. There is a definite art to this procedure! Finally, I succeeded in getting one open, hooray!! Soon we had them all pried apart, we slightly seasoned them and I watched as she slurped her first gourmandizing delight. I was watching intensely the expression on her face to see if there may be any hint of rejection, but to my shock I detected only pleasure. I was still very hesitant, but picked up my oyster and down it went. Now I can say I have actually slurped Fresh Raw Oysters. You should give it a try for yourself. It is quite the task, but totally worth it. Make sure not to dump the juice once you finally get the shell opened, it isn’t always easy. Use a sharp knife to de-tach the oyster from the shell. Squeeze a little bit of fresh lemon into the shell, add a couple drops of hot sauce and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Slurp and enjoy! YUM! Well, you know me - now I had to do some research to see if these little ocean oysters are actually good for you, and as it turns out, they are what they call a Superfood! They can provide you with a host of health benefits, among them, high levels of heart- and brain-boosting omega-3 fatty acids and enough zinc

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Luscio u Joys s

(the aphrodisiac mineral) to keep your mojo flowing all night, they can provide the human body with a number of unique nutrients and minerals, which subsequently result in some great health benefits. These include the ability of oysters to aid weight loss attempts, boost metabolic activity, increase tissue repair and growth, lower your cholesterol levels, reduce blood pressure, improve your immune functions, aid in wound healing, and promote healthy growth. Furthermore, they can improve blood circulation, and increase bone strength to reduce osteoporosis. The reason they are called a “Superfood” is the fact certain mineral varieties are in their highest content in oysters, meaning that they are the premiere food item in the entire world for supplementation, particularly of zinc. The other components include very high levels of protein, vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, copper, manganese, and selenium. Oysters also contain high levels of niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, vitamin C, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium. Finally, oysters are a huge source of beneficial cholesterol, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and water. These elements of oysters make them an extremely healthy food that can seriously boost your body’s overall function and health. Now, you may not be too keen on slurping a Fresh Raw Oyster, so I have found instead a simply “Luscious” recipe so you are able to enjoy the truly exceptional health benefits of this superfood. Enjoy!!

Oyster Rockefeller Rockefeller Sauce Base 6 ounces spinach stems removed and rinsed 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter 2 3/4 cups finely chopped yellow onions 1/4 cup finely chopped celery 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2 tablespoons anise-flavoured liqueur, such as Pernod or Pastis 1/2 teaspoon salt The Newsy Neighbour Magazine

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1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup cracker meal or cracker crumbs

At Coldwell, we are real people serving real people.

Bring 1 quart of water to a boil in a medium pot. Add the spinach and cook until very tender and the water is green, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the spinach in a colander and set over a large bowl and reserve 2 3/4 cups of the cooking liquid. Let the spinach sit until cool enough to handle, then finely chop, and set aside. Melt the butter in a medium pot over moderately high heat. When the butter is foamy, add the onions, celery and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the reserved spinach water, bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Add the chopped spinach, liqueur, salt and pepper and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reduces slightly, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the cracker meal and stir well to combine. Cool completely before using. Baking Oysters Rock salt and 2 1/2 dozen oysters in their shells, freshly shucked and drained, the deeper bottom shell rinsed and reserved for baking. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spread a 1/2-inch-thick layer of rock salt on a large baking sheet and across the bottoms of 6 large plates. Arrange the reserved oyster shells on the baking sheet. Put 1 oyster in each shell and top with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the sauce, spreading the sauce evenly out to the edge of the shell to completely cover the oyster. Bake until the sauce is lightly browned and the oysters begin to curl around the edges, about 20 minutes. Using tongs or a spatula, carefully transfer the hot shells to the salt-covered plates and serve immediately. Cooked oysters are just as healthy as raw ones – delicious and healthy. Once you master the art of shucking an oyster, you will want to indulge in these delicacies over and over again, which is fine because shellfish are low in calories and high in nutrition. You might want to give them a chance just once you might be surprised!!

With the right insurance in place, you know you have peace of mind no matter what happens to you. We at, Coldwell Agencies pride ourselves on providing solutions to our customers’ insurance needs. We provide professional insurance advice and problem solving. Our expertise is in home, automobile, farm and commercial insurance. We’re committed to you and your family’s peace of mind. Call one of our experienced agents today at (403) 934-3221 and let Coldwell Agencies demonstrate our dedication to delivering quality insurance policies.

COLDWELL INSURANCE 133-2nd Ave Strathmore, AB Phone: Fax:

403-934-3221

403-934-5163

Representing and accessing over 30 of the worlds leading insurers

Kathryn Hartwell

References: healthyeating.sfgate.com, organicfacts.net, rodalesorganiclife.com and myrecipes.com

Like anything too much of a good thing could turn out to be a bad thing so “A Few Words of Warning”: Since oysters do absorb much of the nutrients from the areas

where they grow, it is possible that some oysters contain pollutants and certain toxins, so only eat oysters from a trusted source. Furthermore, since the mineral content is so high in oysters, it is possible to suffer from signs of toxicity or mineral overdose, particularly of zinc, copper, selenium, vitamin B12, and vitamin D. Iron toxicity can result in hemochromatosis, which is a very dangerous condition. All things should be consumed in moderation, even vitamins and minerals, so keep your intake of oysters at a healthy, moderate level. Furthermore, the high sodium content can be dangerous for people already at high risk of heart disease or high blood pressure, so oysters should be used as preventative measures for heart conditions, rather than treatments. Also, allergies to shellfish are not uncommon, and the reactions can be severe. Oysters are considered shellfish, so any past allergic experience should be taken into account. Eat oysters responsibly as a delicacy and a treat every once in a while, and you can enjoy the vast wealth of health benefits they have to offer, and you can help your depleted mineral levels as well!

synscape.solutions Personal and Corporate Taxes Bookkeeping and Accounting Services New Business Setup and Quickbooks Training PREMIUM SERVICE, AFFORDABLE PRICES Call Gillian Parmar at 403-399-9588 to see how we can help Serving Chestermere and area for 6 years helping individuals and businesses succeed piece by piece

PowerFold® Deck Lift

At the end of the rainbow you will find your next mower… GRASSHOPPER!!!

Lift with your finger. Not your back. With our PowerFold® option, our FrontMount™ DuraMax® decks can be lifted at the touch of a switch to an upright position to make maintenance easy and storage a breeze.

124 Orchard Way. Strathmore, AB

403-901-0018 www.clarkssupply.com

Visit grasshoppermower.com for more information.

For more information visit www.synscape.ca or email accounting@sysncape.ca facebook.com/TheNewsyNeighbour GRA.9907_2cx5_powerfold_4C 1

• 17 3/31/08 4:08:26 PM

What About the Treats?

UNDER UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT NEW MANAGEMENT

Are your pet’s treats undoing all the good nutritional work you do for your pet?

Pet Planet Ranch Market in Strathmore is under new management as of June 2015! Pet Planet is here to support every aspect of your pet’s life – from food to play. We understand the importance of a healthy, happy life so you can trust that we will offer you only the best possible products and services, each and every day.

Just like us, our pets need healthy proteins, fruits, vegetables and vitamins & minerals as part of a healthy diet. Feeding low-quality, high-calorie treats would be like eating donuts after every salad; it just wouldn’t make sense.

We look forward to meeting you!

So, how do you know if the treats you are feeding your pet are good quality? Pet Planet Ranch Market 100 Ranch Market, Unit 105H Tel: 403.934.9934

High-quality treats contain trusted, safe and whole ingredients like whole meats, fresh fruits and vegetables that are generally sourced and made in North America. While low-quality treats contain poor-quality, unsafe ingredients like by-products, mystery meat, fillers, chemicals and preservatives. Some low-quality treats may even have ingredients sourced from China, which has been known to cause fatalities in pets.

Spend $25 on any non-food item and

RECEIVE A FREE PET ID TAG!*

Another great option in place of commercial pet treats is offering fresh human foods such as carrots, bananas, broccoli and pears. Some cats enjoy bits of zucchini and even cantaloupe.

Pet Planet Ranch Market | 100 Ranch Market, Unit 105H | Tel: 403.934.9934 *Free basic aluminum pet ID tag only. Valid only at Pet Planet Ranch Market from February 15th, 2016 to March 31st, 2016. Cannot be combined with any other offer, promotion or deal. One coupon per customer/family. Photocopied coupons will not be accepted. Limited to one tag per $25.00 spent, prior to applicable taxes. Coupon must be forfeited at time of purchase.

S T E P

Treats are fun for you and your pet, but we recommend that treats constitute no more than 15% of your pet’s daily food intake. Try treating your pet to extra play time or some snuggles; it’s a great way to reward both of you! ~ Article courtesy of Pet Planet Ranch Market in Strathmore.

Make Your Own Pet Treats Ingredients: ٠ 2 cups wheat germ ٠ 3 (2.5 ounce) jars strained chicken baby food ٠ 1 tablespoon water Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, mix the wheat germ, baby food, and water together. Add more water if necessary to form a dough. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Flatten slightly with a fork dipped in water. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven. allrecipes.com

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The Newsy Neighbour Magazine

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ASK THE VET!

Q: My friend told me that dogs shouldn’t be allowed to eat bones from chickens or hams. Is this true? A: With Easter rolling around the corner, what a perfect time to talk about feeding your pet table scraps and bones. Any type of bone can potentially be hazardous to your pet. A chicken bone can splinter into

smaller sharp fragments that may lacerate the gums, mouth or tongue. In severe instances if swallowed, it can even lacerate the esophagus, stomach or intestines. Furthermore, cooked bones have a greater ability to splinter, which makes them even more dangerous. Larger bones such as ham bones may be swallowed whole. This may present a choking hazard, or could even lodge in the intestines or stomach. If your pet is unable to pass the bone, emergency surgery is required to remove it. Not only do bones present an issue, but table scraps can make your pet obese or sick. High fat foods can cause increased liver enzymes, and pancreatic disorders. Diabetes is always cause for concern in an overweight pet. We will often see a high incidence of dogs becoming sick over the holidays after receiving table scraps with all of the “fixings” from a festive dinner. Often dogs and/or cats will develop diarrhea, vomiting and/or become lethargic. In some instances, a holiday “dinner” can cause your pet to become so ill that he We provide compassionate veterinary or she may need to be hospitalized. And care for your animal. Because we care. believe me, we have seen it happen more often than not! So instead of treating your dog to your dinner, maybe fancy up his regular food with a canned version, or a real doggy treat! Jodi Viste, Veterinarian/Owner The Animal Care Centre of Strathmore facebook.com/TheNewsyNeighbour

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SALES, COUPONS With the current economic situation in sharp contrast with the boom experienced in the recent past, consumers are watching their bank books more diligently and earnestly searching for bargains. Which leads me to... what was it that Jim Henson said? If you can’t beat them, join them. You will not convince your clientelle to spend more while they’re making less. In fact, you’ll have a hard time convincing them to spend at all unless you have something extraordinary to offer them - a deal.

Company Sales and Promotions - Why They’re So Important Why waste your corporate dollars on advertisements? More than that, why waste your corporate dollars on advertisements that will essentially be promoting your business losing money? Sales and promos - that’s what we’re here to talk about. Spending big bucks to publicize discounts, 2 for 1 deals, clearance sales - it almost seems like a lose-lose situation for business owners, right? Great news! As many of you are aware, not everything in this life is always as it seems!

“But if I’m cutting costs and making bargains, I’m losing money - and that’s risky, especially in today’s economy.” Yes, I hear you and you do have a valid concern, but let me assure you that long-term outcome far outweighs any short term gains. Here’s how:

You will Attract New Customers

By offering a reduced price on a popular item, you can entice customers to shop with you instead of your competitors. Treat them well while saving them money and watch as they evolve from an occasional customer to loyal one. For example, if you own a small electronics store that’s competing with a large retailer, offer a discounted price on a popular cell phone model for a limited time. If you serve the customers well during the purchase process, they may be willing to come back.

Encourage Repeat Purchases

A lot of businesses use rewards programs to encourage customer loyalty; you might consider doing something similar for your small business. Starbucks, for example, recently gave customers a rewards card and each time a coffee was purchased, the customer would get a sticker. After the card was full, customers could redeem the card for a free coffee - I personally went through three cards.

Phone: 403-934-3053 Fax: 403-934-6271

TIRE SALE ON NOW! 10% Off Mechanical & Tires With This Coupon!

www.fountaintire.com

1010 Westridge Road. Strathmore, AB T1P1H8 20 •

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The Newsy Neighbour Magazine

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SUPPORT

TE RM

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DON

E • STRATHMOR

BUSINESS

With all of that said, the most important thing to keep in mind is: promotions, when done well, are a paradisiacal way for you to market your products - and in trying economic times, it is always in your best interest to put your best foot forward. Appeal to your consumers and they will stick with you for life. Nicole MH

EIGHBOUR MA SY N W GA NE

NE ZI

Word of mouth is one of the most positive forms of advertising, especially if it is coming from a trusted source such as a friend or colleague. How many times have you heard someone say, “There was an awesome sale at (company name) yesterday - I picked up one of these for myself and one for my mom. You should check it out too!” Okay, maybe you haven’t heard that exactly, but you catch my drift. It happens - and it happens a lot.

Here are some Great Sales & Promotions, see more on pages: 11, 13, 25, 27, 37, 49, 50, 57 & 71

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Creates Word of Mouth

TH E

& PROMOTIONS &A

Extra 5% OFF

of All In Stock Vinyl & Carpet Phone: 403-934-4954

42A Spruce Park Drive. Strathmore • www.strathmoreﬂoor.com

facebook.com/TheNewsyNeighbour

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THE GET TO KNOW YOUR

This Festival is part of the Downtown Strathmore Revitalization Project

Presented by

Match the number on each ad in the downtown section to the location on the map.

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16. Strathmore Pawn 17. Stylz Salon & Spa 18. TAJ Indian Cuisine 19. Tracy's All-Breed Dog Grooming 20. Valley Dental 21. Value Drug Mart 22. We've Got Issues

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1. Back to Good 2. Bubbles Drycleaning 3. Canadian Pizza Unlimited 4. Curves 5. Ezze Wear 6. Ideal Nutrition 7. Katy's Consignment 8. Lil Hoots Consignment 9. NV Hair 10. Pure Natural Health Company 11. Rebel Sports 12. Red Carrot 13. Sole Discretion 14. Standard Shoe Shop 15. Strathmore 2 Jewellery Boutique

10:00am - 4:00pm

These businesses are Festival & Shopping Challenge Participants/ Supporters

This is a Non-Proﬁt Event! 100% of Money raised goes back into the community!

Support the Businesses that support YOUR community, provide local jobs, impact sustainability and strengthen YOUR local economy. These businesses play a MAJOR role in creating links between neighbours, building socal relationships, contributing to local causes and giving your family a place to call home. That is what this festival is all about! Join the Shopping Challenge. See Pages 24-25 to learn more about the shopping challenge.

thenewsyneighbour.com

The Newsy Neighbour Magazine

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The Get To Know Your Neighbour Festival IS BACK!! On June 18, 2016, The Newsy Neighbour will again be shutting down 2nd and 3rd Avenues in downtown Strathmore for the Second Annual Get to Know Your Neighbour Festival!! Last year, the streets were packed with people of all ages, enjoying bouncy castles, karaoke, a bucket dump, high heel races, delicious bbq’s, a box city, beer gardens, a cupcake decorating contest, huge bubbles, science experiments, face painting, balloon animals, carnival games, lasso lessons, a wishing tree, a community mandala, and amazing music entertainment.

BACK TO GOOD WHOLE FOODS MARKET & DELI

232 – 3RD AVE, STRATHMORE • 403-901-5855

This year, we intend to make it even bigger and better! The sole purpose of the Get to Know Your Neighbour Festival is to showcase downtown businesses, and introduce customers to businesses available in our amazing town of Strathmore. We need to support these local downtown businesses every chance we get!! The Newsy Neighbour is big on supporting local. Supporting local is vital to the growth of any town. With this project, we are focusing on downtown Strathmore.

ECO FABRICARE SPECIALISTS

DRYCLEANING ON SITE! Coin Laundry Quick turnaround!

A True Community Based Local Family Business! Proudly Serving Strathmore & Area for 15 years.

Join the Newsy Neighbour’s “I SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS” Campaign!!

Open EVERY Day to serve you better. Our business is built on a solid foundation of fantastic customer service and great drycleaning!

NOW 100% ECO FRIENDLY

Learn more @ www.newsyneighbour.com

THANK YOU to all our customers and friends for their continued support and for voting for us into FIRST place for Drycleaning.

IGHBOUR Y NE MA S W GA E N

316A 2nd Ave, Strathmore, AB • 403-934-1807

NE ZI

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Fresh SOUPS, SALADS & SANDWICHES MADE DAILY • Specialty Coﬀee, Teas • Gluten Free Options • Organic Products • High Quality Supplements • Local & Organic Produce • Local Grass Fed Beef & Lamb • Free Range Chicken & Turkey • Pasture Raised Pork • Organic Non-Homogenized Dairy • Organic Herbs & Spices • Nutritional Consulting

SUPPORT

DON

• STRATHMOR

BUSINESS

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Twin Deal

2 Pizzas 2 Toppings on each

403.934.0006 403.901.1181

12” $26.99 14” $28.99 16” $32.99 419 2 St, Strathmore, AB T1P 1B9

Triple Deal

3 Pizzas 4 Toppings on each

12” $36.99 14” $39.99 16” $43.99 www.canadianpizzaunlimited.ca

facebook.com/TheNewsyNeighbour

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Back to Good

THE GET TO KNOW YOUR

DOWNTOWN STRATHMORE

232 3 Ave., Strathmore 403-901-5855

Presented by

Bubbles Drycleaning

316A 2 Ave., Strathmore 403-934-1807

Curves

Lil’ Hoots

12 14

23122Ave., Ave.,Strathmore Strathmore 231 403-934-2882 403-934-2882

116 2 Ave., Strathmore

116 3 Ave., Strathmore 403-934.0008

124 3 Ave., Strathmore 403-901-0003

Valley Dental

We’ve Got Issues

Rebel Sports

Sole Discretion

136 2 Ave., Strathmore 403-983-0020

134 2 Ave., Strathmore 403-983-1114

307 3 Ave., Strathmore 403-901-0049

Standard Shoe Shop

TAJ Indian Cuisine

NV Hair & Body Studio

403-983-2045

403-901-1100

104 3 Ave., Strathmore 403-983-8481

#2 118 3 Ave., Strathmore

410 Lakeside Blvd., Strathmore

Katy’s Boutique

Pure Natural Health Company

Strathmore Pawn

104 3 Ave., Strathmore 403-983-5679

236 3 Ave., Strathmore 403-680-6733

239 3 Ave., Strathmore 403-934-9979

EZZE Wear

Ideal Nutrition

Red Carrot

419 2 St., Strathmore 403-934-0006

207 3 Ave., Strathmore 403-901-1144

223 3 Ave., Strathmore 403-934-6112

Canada Pizza Unlimited

Prize levels will change depending on if you purchase at 11, 15 or ALL of the 22 stores. 2) Make sure the store owner/employee initials this sheet in the white circle and then takes down your first and last name for their records. 3) Once at least 11 of the spaces below are full, deliver or mail this page to us to be entered to win one of several AMAZING PRIZES. You can deliver this page to our booth at the festival on June 18th or you can deliver it or mail it too: The Newsy Neighbour Magazine, G-510 Highway 1, Strathmore, AB T1P 1M6. (At Studio 86 Tanning)

Thank You Shopping Challenge

Sponsors:

128 3 Ave., Strathmore 403-934-3364

Stylz Salon & Spa

119 2 Ave., Strathmore 403-934-3940

19 20

Tracy’s All Breed Dog Grooming

107B 2 Ave., Strathmore 403-901-5162

Nancy Stairs

COLDWELL INSURANCE

Value Value Drug Drug Mart Mart

132 22 Ave., Ave., Strathmore Strathmore 132 403-934-3122 403-934-3122

thenewsyneighbour.com

1) Spend $10 at 11 of the 22 stores on this brochure by June 18th 2016 to participate.

Strathmore Jewellery Boutique

Name: 24 •

RULES:

For more details visit:

www.thenewsyneighbour.com

Phone: The Newsy Neighbour Magazine

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The Shopping Challenge is back!

Try 3 classes FREE!

Buy Local - Help Support Yourself Several studies have shown that when you buy from an independent, locally owned business, rather than nationally owned businesses, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers and farms – continuing to strengthen the economic base of the community.

4 Body Balance Boxing Arms-Core-Legs Dance and Tone Curves Circuit with Jillian Michaels

Buying Local Supports Community Groups.

Non-profit organizations receive an average 250% more support from smaller business owners than they do from large businesses. Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community and by people who actively participate in the non-profit organizations events.

403-901-1144

Now Downtown In Hilton Plaza 207 Third Avenue

/CurvesStrathmore

Your good deed for the month:

GO SHOPPING!!!

Why is shopping a good deed?

You are creating more good jobs: Small local businesses are the largest employer nationally and in our community, providing the most jobs to residents. You are investing in your community: Local businesses are owned by people who live in this community, they are less likely to leave the community, and are more invested in the community’s future. You are encouraging local prosperity: A growing body of economic research shows that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character. You are helping to keep our community unique: Where we shop, where we eat and have fun -- all of it makes our community home. Our one-of-a-kind businesses are an integral part of the distinctive character of out town. Our tourism businesses also benefit.

20-60% OFF Select Items

Real Clothes For Real Women Since 1991 Hours: Thurs. - Sat: 10am-5pm Sun: 10am - 3pm

Phone: 403-983-5679 104, 3rd Ave. STRATHMORE

ezzewearcalgary.com

Check Out These Results! Ideal Protein ranked the

#1 DIET OF

2015

Local Strathmore Couple. He lost 86 lbs, she lost 66 lbs.

BY DIETSINREVIEW.COM

Participating in the downtown Strathmore shopping challenge is Take control of your weight and experience why Ideal Protein was named the What most popular diet of 2015. are you fun and chances are pretty good you will tell people you are doBook your consultation today! for? waiting ing it, OR people will see you doing it. This will encourage others to do the same. The more people that shop locally, the stronger Call NOW: 403-680-6733 our community will be. Challenge your friends. See who can finish www.idealnutritioncalgary.com first, and then drop off your contest forms to The Newsy Neigh236 - 3 Avenue Strathmore, AB bour table at the festival and..... Langdon & Calgary locations as well

Be Entered to WIN 1 of MANY AMAZING prizes! Last year, the 3 prizes totaled over $4000 in value

GOING! PP

SHO

7 DOWNTOWN STRATHMORE

Quality Consignment

104 3rd ave Unit #9, Strathmore, Alberta

Phone: 403-983-8414

www.katysboutique.ca facebook.com/TheNewsyNeighbour

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Spring & Summer Items Now in Stock!

DOWNTOWN STRATHMORE

(Does not apply to color corrections)

Must bring in this ad to 403-901-0049 receive the 25% off 101-307 3rd Ave (downtown Strathmore)

403-934-9979

Join the event on facebook: www.facebook.com/ events/1518470605122507/

Are you participating in The Shopping Challenge?

Downtown Strathmore has some of the best clothing stores around with high quality men’s, women’s, and kid’s clothing and shoes – and you can shop here in town instead of driving to the city, paying for gas, paying for parking, and spending time looking for a parking spot. Downtown Strathmore has a great drug store with some of the nicest staff members and some of the coolest items from hilarious birthday cards to beautiful jewellery – the list really does go on and on!

Make sure to take a picture, post it on instagram, facebook or twitter and tag us in it. #TheNewsyNeighbour #NewsyShoppingChallenge #StayShopSaveLocal

Need good insurance? Check out downtown and get treated like you matter and are not just a number. On a budget but your kids need clothes? Why buy something new that will shrink and rip for twice the price when you can buy a pre-loved outfit for a fraction of the cost but is still in great shape! This is why we are having the festival. People say, “I didn’t even know we had a kid’s consignment store.” “I didn’t know we had a computer repair shop.” “I didn’t know we had a place to buy skates.” “I didn’t know we had a bakery.” “I didn’t know we had an antique store.” We do. We have that and much, much more.

#TheNewsy Neighbour /TheNewsy Neighbour

So we are throwing a downtown festival. We are shutting down 6 blocks for 1 day on June 18. There will be kiosks, open doors, happy people, balloons, buskers, entertainment, paintings, excitement, fun… everything.

/TNewsy Neighbour

10 Nicole Thompson, RMT/Owner Bharbara Melanson, RMT

Relaxation, Therapeutic & Prenatal Massage Daytime, Evening and Weekend By Appointment Only thenewsyneighbour.com

Team and corporate apparel Summer clothes Baseball Lacrosse

We now do ENGRAVING! /RebelSportsStrathmore Phone Us: Find Us: 403-934-0008 116-3Ave Strathmore,AB

Call for an appointment today! Bay #2 - 118 3rd Avenue Strathmore www.facebook.com/PureNaturalHealthCompany 403-983-2045

26 •

25% off color or hi-lites to get your hair ready for spring.

Visit us on /lilhootsconsignment

239 - 3 Avenue, Strathmore

Kaitlyn & Toni Are Doing a Spring Fever Special!

The Newsy Neighbour Magazine

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All occasion gifts, clothing – crafts – gifts décor, 403-934-6112 women’s fashions 223 – 3rd Ave., Strathmore, AB & more. Across from the Co-op. Downtown.

J�in Us F�� Our 1 Year Anniversary! Enter to Win A Free March 19 Pair of Shoes!! 12

Sales Door Prizes

13 Hand Bags Jewelry & Clothing

Visit our website @ www.theredcarrot.ca

Gift Certiﬁcates Available

Visit us on Facebook 124 3rd Avenue. Strathmore, AB

Ph: 403-901-0003

Do you want to help out? Do you want to showcase your talent? Do you want to be a vendor and have your Strathmore business seen?

Join the event and invite all your friends!! We are doing a draw for a $100 gift certificate to any one of the businesses in the shopping challenge, of your choice. Everyone that says they are “going” to this event on facebook will qualify. We will do the draw at the end of the day on March 23rd, 2016.

We are looking for Vendors, Entertainment, LICENSED Food trucks and stands, VOLUNTEERS, Sponsors and participants of all Vendor Tables are $20 shapes and sizes!

each and 100% of the money will be donated to a local charity.

www.thenewsyneighbour.com

Good Luck!

New Spring styles arriving weekly!

Strathmore Jewellery Boutique

Men's, 14

Ladies & Children's Footwear.

403-983-0020

If you are interested in being a part of this festival please contact us aleesha@thenewsyneighbour.com or denise@thenewsyneighbour.com or

thestandardshoeshop@gmail.com

136 - 2nd Ave. Strathmore, AB (in the old Strathmore Standard Building)

Repairs, Body Piercing Jewellery, Antiques & Gifts. A wide variety from costume to exquisite!

403.934.3364 #1 - 128 3rd Ave. Strathmore, AB strathmorejewelleryboutique@gmail.com

www.strathmorejewelleryboutique.com facebook.com/TheNewsyNeighbour

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Shopping Challenge Word Search 16

Stylz Salon & Spa Treat:

• Age Spots • Psoriasis •Broken • Acne Capillaries • Scars & Wounds • Eye Bags • Wrinkles • Dark Circles • Anti-aging • Fine Lines • Alopecia • Sun Damage • Rosacea • Eczema • Hair Reduction

We now have a Phone: 403-934-3940 119-2 Avenue. Strathmore, AB

Cold-Light Laser!

Under new ownership! Same great food, brand new atmosphere! Bring your whole family!

INDIAN CUSINE 134 2 Ave, Strathmore (403) 983-1114

Tracy’s All Breed Dog Grooming $5 Nail Trims

Bath And Tidy Specials

Tracy: 403-901-5162

DRYCLEANING ON SITE COIN LAUNDRY

Open Everyday & Quick Turnaround Phone: 403-934-1807

107b - 2nd Ave., Strathmore, AB thenewsyneighbour.com

This space is sponsored by...

• Laundry Drop Oﬀ (Wash & Fold) • 10% Senior Discount • Shirt Service • Horse Blankets • Leather Club Jackets • Wedding Gowns (Preservation Boxes)

www.facebook.com/groups/ tracysallbreeddoggrooming

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Send your answer to aleesha@thenewsyneighbour.com for your chance to win a $50 Gift Certificate to any one of the businesses in the Shopping Challenge

316A 2nd Ave, Strathmore, AB

The Newsy Neighbour Magazine

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Valley Dental Clinic Hope Bridges is a local non-profit organization that uses the universal language of the arts to connect adults in an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere where everyone belongs. For more information, see www.hopebridges.ca or call 403 983 3640.

Volunteering:

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What will I get out of it?

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Giving of yourself and your time as a volunteer means a great deal to the organization you are helping and to your community. But it may surprise you to know that there are also personal benefits to being a volunteer.

231 2nd Avenue, Strathmore 231-2nd Avenue, Strathmore

Maybe you’ve considered volunteering but can’t help thinking, and may even be hesitant to ask, “What will I get out of it?” It’s not a selfish question, so don’t feel guilty for asking. Before putting yourself out there, it’s important to know the volunteer positions that will suit your personality and your interests. Finding the right activity increases the chance that you’ll feel good about your decision, and happy as a volunteer. At Hope Bridges, there are many ways to help out. When people come to us willing to volunteer, we start by getting to know a bit about them. This helps us match the person with the areas where help is needed. Our volunteers bring many varied skills to the table, and they usually seem to pick up a few new ones just by being involved.

www.valuedrugmart.com

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The bottom line – we do our best to find the spot that suits you best.

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One volunteer’s experience Terry, a new volunteer at Hope Bridges, is adding her insights and talents to our media page and we couldn’t be happier that she found us! After witnessing a dramatic change in a close friend, Terry was inspired to ‘give back’ so she contacted Hope Bridges and offered her services as a volunteer. Terry’s inspiration to volunteer came from her friend Mandy who had become introverted as a result of traumatic circumstances in her life. Mandy lost interest in family, friends and activities that would take her outside of her home. With some encouragement, Mandy gathered the courage to attend a Hope Bridges workshop, but on one condition – she did not want to be in photos or join in celebrations of any kind. Terry agreed; this was a step in the right direction for her friend! At the workshop, Mandy came out of her shell! This surprising change that Terry observed made her wonder if she was with the same person! Mandy set aside the conditions she had insisted upon earlier and gladly participated in photos, engaged in conversations with others and even took the time to admire their artistic creations. This change made Terry realize the power in connecting with community through art. The positivity and acceptance shown to

934-2882

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Mandy at the workshop has brought a little more healing to her heart. Through this experience Terry’s heart was also changed and now she can’t wait to be a bigger part of Hope Bridges, the organization that did so much for her friend. By Patricia Timmermans and Wanda Reinholdt facebook.com/TheNewsyNeighbour

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I have a rock obsession. No,

not “rock and roll” but rocks – real rocks! It really doesn’t matter where I go, I’m always picking up rocks and it has gotten worse, I’m afraid to say. You see, living in Arizona over the past few months, well… let’s just say Arizona has a lot of incredibly beautiful rocks! Just the other day I found myself a real beauty – a 27 lb. Snow White Quartz and I’m thinking it might be worth a bit of jingle.

I always wonder about how old the rocks are, are they millions of years old – Scientists have calculated that Earth is 4.54 billion years old, so does that mean that some of my rocks could be that old? There is a great site for kids all about rocks and it also answered a few of my own questions about the hundreds of pounds located in my rock garden. The site is www.sciencekids.co.nz. Enjoy their wide range of fun facts and information about different types of rocks and minerals for kids. Learn what rocks and minerals are, what the difference is, examples of rocks and minerals, the difference between igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, Mohs scale of hardness and much more. For example, Minerals: Minerals are naturally occurring substances formed by geological processes. They are usually solid and feature a crystal structure, as well as specific physical properties and chemical composition. Physical properties of minerals include crystal structure, hardness (Mohs scale), lustre (how it reflects light) and colour, as well as more complicated properties such as streak, fracture, cleavage and density. Mohs scale of hardness measures the ability of minerals to scratch each other. Talc is very soft and is listed as 1, diamond is very hard and is measured as 10. A mineral is sometimes made up of just one chemical element, but more often it is a compound (mixture) of two or more. For example, diamond is made up of just carbon, while fluorite is made up of a compound of calcium and fluorine and there are over 4000 different types of minerals. Only around 30 of these

are commonly found in the Earth’s crust. Examples of minerals include calcite, gypsum, feldspar, pyrite, gold, quartz and diamond. The precious gems, ruby and sapphire, are varieties of the mineral corundum. And, rocks and stones are naturally occurring solids made up of minerals. The Earth’s crust is made up of rock. Rocks have been used by humans for millions of years, from early tools and weapons through to various construction materials. There are three different types of rocks based on the way they form, igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. When magma cools and solidifies, it forms igneous rock. Examples of igneous rocks include granite, basalt, gabbro, obsidian and pumice. Sediments deposited over time, often as layers at the bottom of lakes and oceans, forms sedimentary rocks. Examples of sedimentary rocks include sandstone, mudstone, flint, greywacke and chalk. Extreme pressure and heat over time forms metamorphic rocks. Examples of metamorphic rocks include marble, quartzite, schist, granulite and slate. The metamorphic rock marble is formed from the sedimentary rock limestone. The metamorphic rock granulite is formed from the igneous rock basalt. Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in Earth’s continental crust, after feldspar, and there are many different varieties of quartz, including chalcedony (white or lightly coloured material), agate (multi-coloured), onyx (where the bands are straight, parallel and consistent in size), jasper (typically red to brown), aventurine (translucent chalcedony with small inclusions that shimmer), tiger’s eye (fibrous gold to red-brown coloured quartz), amethyst (purple), citrine (yellow to reddish orange to brown), Prestolite (mint green), rose quartz (pink) and milky quartz (white, translucent to opaque) and I’m sure there are a few more quartz varieties I have missed. Rocks are sooooo cool and interesting! With so many colours, textures, and shapes, kids usually have no problems with starting a rock collection. They know the rocks that draw them in, enticing them to pick them up. While kids can find rocks anywhere, small bits of mineral, fossils, and other pebbles also make great, inexpensive mementos of vacation spots. Sorting a rock collection is a great rainy-day activity that can bring up memories of the places visited during nicer weather. Encourage kids to sort their rocks in as many ways as they can think of: by colour, by size, by texture, by pattern, by weight, and whatever measure speaks to them. Get a book on rocks for older kids, and help them sort by method of formation, classification, and so on. I have spent many hours walking and picking up the rocks I think they talk to me (they carry energy) – this can be a great way for you to spend some quality time with your children.

KIDS

Kathryn Hartwell

References: sciencekids.co.nz, Wikipedia.org and decodedparenting.com

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Back to Basics Saturday April 9 th 2016 ~ 10:00am - 3:00pm At The Strathmore Civic Center ~ Free Admission Monetary/Food Donations Welcome!!

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The Ups and Downs of

Blending

Fairness. Discipline and Friendship

Families

Personally, I am a strong believer in step-relation friendships. Barging into a child’s life after they already have their foundation laid and their mannerisms formed, telling them who to be and how to behave is a bad idea. You need to ease in slowly and gently; give them time and space to understand that you are not there to take the place of their other parent, or to steal away their mom/dad’s time from them. They need reassurance - and more than anything, especially when they’re coming out of a fairly new separation, they need a friend.

And How To Not Only

Survive, But Thrive In Them

Take it from me - relationships are tough! Even when two people are madly in love and seemingly perfect for each other, they will still undoubtedly endure madness and chaos, tears and anger. It’s just the natural way of things. Toss in an ex or two and some children and you’ve got yourself the conditions for a perfect storm. People all too often think that just because they’ve got that headover-heels, heart thumping, can’t stop smiling kind of love, their children from their previous relationships will somehow feel the same. Sadly, that’s rarely the case. In fact, I believe that the more in love you are with your new partner, the more likely your children will feel resentment - in the beginning, at least. Whether you understand it or not, kids have the amazing ability to imagine the seemingly unimaginable - which very likely includes the idea that you and their other biological parent will reconcile and become that “happily ever after” family again. So you see, when you fall in love with someone else, in your child’s eyes it’s almost as though you’re crushing their biggest dream all over again. Combine that with the idea of someone new telling them what to eat, when to sleep, how to speak, where to play and all of those other things that parents are there to help them with and you’ve got yourself a whirlpool of emotions. Sounds fun, right? It can be - as long as you approach it properly. Let me digress and give you a little back story so that you can understand that I am not just writing for the sake of writing - I am writing from experience.

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My boyfriend and I have that love that I described above. The kind of love that people who see us together often envy - but believe me, we’ve had our share of issues. However, once we decided to introduce our children to each other and realized that two of the three nearly despised each other, we discovered a new set of issues we hadn’t really considered. I had been single for six years prior to meeting this man, so my son and I spent all of our time together just the two of us. Being that I am slightly hippy, I never really “punished” my son. I spoke with him, I gave him that, “You’d better stop before I kick your butt,” look that every mother finds at some point and I pushed him to speak his mind. Respectfully, but honestly. Basically, I raised him to be me - a carefree hippy with an opinion. My boyfriend’s children grew up with both of their parents and when he and I met, they had only been separated for about 3 months. We didn’t introduce the kids for a few more months after that, but even still - I can only imagine their confusion. They had obviously been raised differently than mine and were more of the by-the-book, rule abiding children who had been raised in a slightly more strict setting than my own. So they went from a “normal” family to now having this strange girl and her “unruly” son hanging out with their dad. Not to mention the fact that my son had never seen me with anyone, ever - and now he was sharing me and my time with three other people. It’s been over a year now since they met - and the children still bonk heads, hard, which occasionally causes my beau and I to bonk heads too. Hence the reason I am here to tell you now: it’s not going to be easy. It is however, going to be worth it.

It is imperative that you leave the discipline up to the biological parent. Sure, you can remind them to use their manners, or to take their shoes off at the door, but I strongly advise against dishing out consequences until you have formed an absolutely solid and trusting relationship with them. Respect goes both ways - they want to feel it from you, just as much as you want to feel it from them. Another extremely important thing to keep in mind is fairness. Of course, it is a part of our parental nature to want to protect our children, but pointing the finger or placing the blame on the step children will only cause a bigger rift between them. Give them the opportunity to work things out as a team. As my boyfriend said once, they are trying to determine who the alpha is, so instead of distancing them more by picking sides, listen to them equally and then allow them the space to work it out together. Trust me, this is most likely going to be chaos. New rules, new bedrooms, new “siblings,” sharing toys and spaces and parents - they’re probably going to rebel and you are undoubtedly going to have moments where you consider throwing in the towel. But don’t. They are innocent little children who have been brought into a life that they did not choose for themselves. They have no control over what happens in their lives and the only thing that they knew before you (the step parent), is gone. With all of that being said, if you genuinely love the person you’re with, you owe it to yourselves, and your children, to put in the effort. If done correctly, I promise you will make it out of the storm to see that ever glowing rainbow that has the potential to last a lifetime. Nicole MH The Newsy Neighbour Magazine

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Altogether Different

An Early Childhood Development Coalition 5forlifeforever.com

Mommy, WHY?

NEW Ten Week Programs

Does your preschooler ask you a myriad of questions?

Some days you might even find yourself short on patience to answer all their questions. Take heart - your child is developing normally. At this stage, her brain is twice as active as your brain. She is forming new brain connections and pathways that will ready her for school in areas such as thinking, reasoning and reading. Encourage your child’s brain development by what is termed “serve and return interactions”. In those early years, when your newborn gazes at your face (SERVE) and you respond by smiling and talking gently (RETURN), your continuous devotion to respond positively to her will help build brain cell connections. At 3 years, she may SERVE you many “Why?” questions. When you RETURN by engaging in conversation about how things work, you encourage a curiosity for learning about her world. So the next time your child SERVES you a why question, take a deep breath and RETURN positively because you are actually helping to build her brain! For more information check out: www.healthyparentshealthychildren.ca or watch Brain Hero: www.albertafamilywellness.org/resources/video/brain-hero

Did you have a baby in 2015? Strathmore Communities in Bloom would like to remind you to register your child for a FREE tree to be planted in the Chinook Financial Birth Forest. More details at: www.strathmorecib.weebly.com or pick up an application at the Town of Strathmore office.

Spring Session April 4th to June 13th Classes for Pre-schoolers to Adults

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The Easiest No-Cook Playdough Ever!!! Homemade playdough is so much fun for kids! Here is a recipe for you to make at home for your kids to create various ideas, such as snakes and flowers! Ingredients • 3 cups flour • 1 cup cold water • 1 cup salt • 2 teaspoons oil • Food colouring or powdered paint Mix it all together in a bowl. Keep kneading it until it’s just right. You can even add a touch of vanilla or peppermint to make it smell wonderful! Provided by Early Minds Preschool

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• 33

Surprisingly Fun and Educational Things to Do with Your Children

KID

Scavenger Hunt A scavenger hunt isn’t a new idea. People have been doing them at camps and family gatherings for decades. Sometimes an old idea is still a good idea. The concept is simple. Just make a list of items around the house or yard that your child can find. Then set them loose to look for them. Make clear boundaries

so they know where they can search, though. You wouldn’t want them running across the street to find the ball that’s just sitting in their room. This game teaches children to observe the world around them and discover new things. You can also change the difficulty in a few ways. You can set a time limit on the hunt if you’d like and then see how many items your child found before the clock ran out. This can give them time management skills as well. The game can also become more imaginative. Try telling your children to find something that can be rolled, instead of telling them to find a ball. This way they have to think for themselves a little bit more, and you’ll be delighted to see what things they come up with and why. Scavenger hunts can be done with one child or with many. They can be teamed up or play individual. Just tweak the idea until it fits your own situation.

Riddles and Puzzles Children love to see things differently. It’s fascinating to them to find out that things aren’t always set in stone and straight forward. This is why a lot of kids enjoy doing puzzles and solving riddles.

Puzzles can be as simple as a jigsaw puzzle, or a more complex brain teaser. Find a puzzle that you understand the rules for and then explain them to your child. Work together to solve the puz-

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zle. Solving things like this promotes analytical thinking and gives a sense of accomplishment when you’re finished. Riddles, on the other hand, typically promote a different kind of thinking. The solutions to riddles are often not as cut and dry as puzzles. It makes kids think outside the box and helps them develop the skills they need to solve unique problems.

Make a Grocery Store

This game doesn’t really have any clear objective. It’s more like just playing pretend than finding an answer. But you can still make it a learning experience. A pretend grocery store is full of opportunities to work on mathematics, social skills, and even a bit of reading. Set up a little store in your home or yard with displays of whatever items you’d like to sell there. You can use toy food, clothes, pillows, or anything else you’d like to add. You can even just make cards with pictures of items you’d like to pretend to sell. Once your displays are up, you should label the items and put a price on them. Then supply your child with play money or a good substitute. After creating your grocery store, try playing as the cashier so your child has a place to check out all of the items they wish to “purchase.” Now you should figure up the cost of these items for them. Have them count out their money to you and give them proper change. Then you can switch roles and become the shopper in their store. You can make the game more complex if you want to by adding concepts like sales and haggling. Maybe open two stores. One for you and one for your child and take turns shopping at one another’s. This can keep the money in circulation. The Newsy Neighbour Magazine

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Altogether Different

happen at Parties include Drinks, Festive Plates & Cups, Party Loot Bags and much more!

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Pictionary and Charades

The rules to Pictionary and Charades are very similar. With Pictionary, you are assigned an object, concept, person, or place and then you are asked to draw it to the best of your ability. Then the other players try to guess what you drew. Charades is the same, except instead of drawing, you have to physically act out your word. In both cases the artist or the actor is not allowed to talk. These games help children learn communication skills as well as developing motor skills.

20 Questions

20 questions is another simple game that you can play with your children. All you have to do is think of a person, place, or thing. Then you allow your children to ask questions in which the answer will be: yes, no, or sometimes. Once someone has correctly guessed what you are thinking of, you switch and let them choose something to think of. 20 questions helps kids work on deductive reasoning and find out how to ask good questions.

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Bonus: Improvisation

Improvisation games feel silly but they are surprisingly good for your mind. The point of an improvisation game is to create a fun and coherent skit on the spot, with no script. You can look up several improvisation games and exercises online or even make up some of your own. Try simple ones at first. Some children, and even adults, find it hard to get into the swing of it all right away. Wesley Signer facebook.com/TheNewsyNeighbour

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Benefits of Positive Reinforcement during the Preschool Years The preschool years can be difficult. Your child is growing rapidly, becoming inquisitive, and starting to feel her independence. Along with this new independence comes power struggles with both adults and her peers for who will win the battle of supremacy. Rest assured, this is all part of your child’s development at this stage. She is trying to figure out her role and is testing all the rules.

The question is: How do we, as parents and teachers, get through this stage without feeling like we’ve failed?

It’s important to remember that, while preschoolers are not capable of complex thinking like adults are, all of us are motivated to succeed in much the same way. When we are told we are doing something right, we feel strong, confident and self-assured. The compliment is rewarding and we are more motivated to do even better the next time, knowing we will be praised and perhaps receive a reward for our efforts. Let’s create a scenario: You are having a really bad day and you are about to lose your mind because nothing you do seems to be going right. You know at any moment you could explode, especially if someone says the wrong thing. This is a terrible feeling but it is real to you and, no matter how hard you try, you know you are on the verge. Somehow you manage to hold it together because you have been taught the skills throughout your life to survive it and handle it without going off the deep end. To a preschooler, these feelings are also very real and happen often, but he is not quite as skilled as you are in strategizing through it. Like you, he needs time to work it out and calm down. The last thing he (you) want to hear at that moment is how “bad” he is being. This is especially more pronounced in children who are struggling with other challenges such as undiagnosed ADD/ ADHD, speech or cognitive delays. What is the best course of action? Think about the last time you were rewarded by your boss for good service. How did that make you feel? Now think about how you felt when you were reprimanded. You may be a model employee, but you certainly didn’t get that way without the guidance and nurturing of positive people in your life who told you in some capacity that you were worthy. Now, let us put ourselves in the mind of a child for just a moment. How would she feel if she was constantly being reprimanded for her mistakes? Perhaps, like you, she would feel afraid of trying new things in fear of failing, or she may feel angry because she did the best she could with the skills she had at the time.

In no way should we avoid correcting bad behaviour, but how we correct bad behaviour is an important factor. If all we ever hear is, “Don’t do this, don’t do that,” we are trained to think, “I can’t.” We can empower people by lifting them up to see their potential, or we can tear them down by pointing out all that is wrong with them. It is more effective to teach good behaviour by focusing on good behaviour. The best way to do that is through modelling the behaviour you want to see. If you want your preschooler to pick up his toys, show him how first. When you see his effort (even just a little bit), reward him. The reward needs to be immediate and can be simple - a sticker, a tickle, a story - followed by kind, encouraging words like, “You did very well cleaning up today,” or “I am proud of how you picked up more toys today.” Find what motivates your preschooler, and empower him with positive feedback. Track his success on a chart so you can review it when you need him to stay on task. Sure, you may get results using punishment instead of positive reinforcement, but you need to consider the long-term effects of this method. Is my child motivated for future success, or obediently suppressed from fear of making mistakes? Childhood anxiety is on the rise. We need to start empowering our children in the preschool years by nurturing them to be positive thinkers. As with anything, change takes time. Be patient with this process. You are creating independent, confident, motivated, strong little people who will one day grow up to be just like you! Lori Caron-Kluppelberg Owner/Director Stepping Stones Langdon Preschool “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” ~ Albert Einstein

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Open registration throughout the season (Sept-April) Email us for more information!

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11-16years.

Ability to swim 50m, and comfortable in deep water

WHEN: Tuesdays 7:00-8:30pm Jan 5 to Jan 26/16 WHERE: Strathmore Aquatic Centre COST: $84.00

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Hola! Larry here!! March…in like a lamb, out like a lion? In like a lion, out like a lamb? Which one will it be? We have an interesting March lined up for the pair of us. Before we forge ahead, we have some healing to do… We took our human and we went to Cancun, Mexico, and just got back a few days ago. We thought we had better get the “fun in the sun” out of the way before spring happens here in Strathmore. We will soon have gardening to do. We are exhausted! Who knew holidays could be so much work? I suppose we should have known better. We are delicate diabetic feet, after all. With a little preparation, I think the holidays may have gone so much smoother. We thought we were ready, as we had done our research on scoping out a clean spa. We stayed on the resort and asked all the right questions, and had some great spa time. However…we had some problems. First, we tend to swell if we are in one position for a long period of time, so we were both quite uncomfortable by the time we landed in Cancun and got off the airplane. Roger stepped on a piece of seashell on the beach at the resort and he is on antibiotics and fighting a raging infection (which is a very serious condition for us delicate diabetic feet). Our human did not sunscreen us so we both got very sunburned and are peeling and very sore and swollen. Our issues slowed us down somewhat. Other than that, the getaway was spectacular (sun, music, watersports, excellent food, new friends). Next time, we hope our human will do things quite a bit differently. Here is a terrific list of important things to do for your diabetic feet when travelling! We found it at www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk produced by National Services Scotland. Foot and Skin Care • During travel, make sure shoes are not too tight as feet can swell. It might be helpful to slacken laces or straps. • A walk each hour can reduce the chance of ankle swelling. • If considering ‘flight socks’, discuss this with your diabetic care provider, as they are not suitable for everyone and may require careful measuring beforehand. • If hospital shoes are normally worn, then also wear them on holiday. Changing to ordinary shoes could cause ulcers. • Avoid walking barefoot; wear protective footwear on the sand and in the water. • Avoid sunburns, particularly to feet and legs by using protective sunscreens or covering up. • Prevent dry skin by using moisturizers, especially on heels that crack easily, particularly if wearing sandals. • Moist skin can lead to fungal infections such as athlete’s foot. • Examine feet regularly and seek medical attention if any problems arise. • Take first aid kit for minor injuries. Happy March to all you Lambs and Lions! Get your seeds ordered and started. Get excited; spring is just around the corner. See you next month! Make your Footprints Count! Larry and Roger

Vicki L Myhre CPOD (I) CMP PFRP Jenericay Wellness and Footcare.

Internationally Certified Podologist. Registered through the Canadian Examining Board of Health Practitioners

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

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Sharing Your Medical Information With Your Dental Team Do you think you don’t have to mention to your dentist that you’ve started taking a new supplement or that your longstanding prescription has had a dosage adjustment? Though you may have been taking a medication for some time or recently been prescribed a new drug, your dental team needs to be kept aware of all drugs and supplements that you are taking, as some can cause problems during dental treatment.

Why Does My Dentist Need To Know About My Medications?

If you’re going to the dentist for a routine filling, make sure you let them know if you’re on any new meds. If you suffer from dental anxiety and taking advantage of Oral Sedation Dentistry, don’t forget to tell your dental team if grapefruit juice and supplements are taken daily. This might all sound a bit far-fetched, but certain dental procedures involve the use of anesthetic and others involve additional sedation medications being used, all of which have to be taken into consideration to prevent adverse reactions to meds and supplements. Ingredients in anesthetic and the nature of some treatments can really cause concern for patients who have not informed their dental team about physical health concerns and medication use. What Type of Physical Concerns Can Impact Dental Treatment? When asked about patients disclosing medical conditions and sharing information about prescription drugs and over the counter supplements, dentists recommend ‘full disclosure’ at all times. Patients who have artificial joints and require pre-medication prior to dental treatment are at risk of infections if the dental team are unaware of the artificial joint and need for pre-med. Likewise, patients who take blood thinners are at high risk for bleed-out if they do not let their dentist know about taking medications to reduce their blood clotting factor. Imagine if you’re coming in for a tooth extraction and you haven’t let your dentist know that you’re taking Coumadin® or Warfarin® - controlling bleeding is going to be incredibly challenging and may result in a trip to the hospital. Whether you’re taking vitamins, prescription drugs or meds that you may not want to disclose (i.e., Cialis, perhaps?), your dental team does need to know about all the little pills and concoctions you’re taking – prior to an adverse reaction in the dental chair. Article By Langdon Dental

Q: Doctor, I’ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?

A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that it... Don’t waste them on exercise. Everything wear out eventually. Speeding up your heart does not make you live longer; it’s like saying you extend the life of your car by driving faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine; that means they take water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is made of grain. Hence, it’s all healthy. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

A: Well, if you have body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: Aren’t fried foods bad for you?

A: YOU ARE NOT LISTENING! Food are fried these day in vegetable oil. In fact, they are permeated by it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?!?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise muscle, it get bigger. You should only be doing sit-up if you want bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?

A: Are you crazy?!? HEL-LO-O!! Cocoa bean! Another vegetable! It’s the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?

A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain a whale to me…

Q: Is getting in shape important for my lifestyle? A: Hey! ‘Round’ is shape!

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

Habit is habit, and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time. ~Mark Twain

A bad habit never disappears miraculously. It’s an undo-it-yourself project. ~Abigail Van Buren

A Mindful Minute

Becky is a yoga instructor and the owner of Pranava Yoga in Strathmore, AB. Pranava yoga is a community minded studio, fostering the growth of the yoga community in Strathmore (and the world) by promoting the values of personal practice, creativity, abundance and community spirit. Make sure to check out her website at www.pranavayoga.ca, call her at (587) 365-3651 or email her at: info@pranavayoga.ca

Good Habits, Good Karma? What is the challenge with changing a habit? Habits are formed like this: Repetition of an action, followed by another action. The first action, after a time, becomes a trigger that causes the next action which, over time, becomes the habit. At first we use conscious effort – we must think about the action we wish to take. An example: pretend it is your first time riding in a car. The first time you get in, most likely someone had to show you

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how to buckle your seat belt. It would take conscious effort to get the belt across your lap and buckled. The next time, you’d know how to do it, but perhaps that same person had to remind you to buckle up. After many times of getting into a car the action of buckling your seat belt is one that you do automatically. Without thinking about it. Habit. There is a trigger (getting into the car) and there is the habit (putting on the seat belt). You can apply this equation to all the habits you have now. At one time, they weren’t a habit, but over time have become so. Habit can be a good thing. It takes a lot less mental energy getting into the car and doing up your seat belt when it is a habit, and not an action you have to think about. It is a good habit to brush your teeth twice a day. It is a great habit to go for a walk after dinner. It is a fabulous habit to look in the mirror and feel good about yourself.

This is what a good habit looks like: Trigger (getting into the car) causes habit (putting on seat belt) causes positive feedback (feelings of being safe/actually being safe). A good habit to keep is one that has an ongoing positive outcome the majority of the time. This description looks a lot like Karma – action creates an effect, which has a consequence! Not all karma is good though... What if the habit formed is one that is unhealthy for your body, spirit or mind? Or perhaps not unhealthy, but a habit that no The Newsy Neighbour Magazine

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Yoga 101

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longer serves you? I know I am not the only one that has wanted to change a habit. I know I am not the only one struggling to change a habit. We see the habit we want to change, strive to change the habit, and very often we fail. Or we strive to create a new habit, try for a while, and then give up. Why is that??

Example of trying to create a new habit:

We haven’t been wearing our seat belt, and decide to begin creating the habit, knowing it is a good one to have. We get into the car (repetitive action) and put on our seat belt (the habit we wish to form). But the seat belt rubs and creates a sore spot on our shoulder (negative feedback). So we undo the seat belt and it stops rubbing (positive feedback). So, after a time, we give up on trying to create this new habit, because it feels better to leave the seat belt off. That is until we need it. All we had to do was figure out how to circumvent the negative feedback – perhaps as simply as adjusting the seat so the belt fit properly—and we may have been able to successfully form our new habit. An example of trying to stop a habit that is bad for you (which also happens to be a true story): I am trying to give up some of my daily intake of carbs, and increase the whole foods I am eating. Normally I get up in the morning (trigger) and eat toast and jam (habit) and get on with my day (positive feedback). When I strive to change this habit, I get up in the morning (trigger) and go to the kitchen to make eggs and veggies (new habit I wish to form) but find that it takes a lot more time and I am stressed about the mess (negative feedback), so after a few days of feeling this negative feedback I go back to my old habit.

So Karma and how it is like habits (as I see it)... Contrary to popular belief, there is not really “good” or “bad” karma. There is only the pattern of cause-effect-consequence to which we are subject to in life. We are utterly at the mercy of it. We are not guaranteed good karma when we do a good action, as our good action may have unintended effects, and cause a negative consequence. And the opposite could also be true – negative action causes an unexpected side-effect that results in a positive ending. Habits can be like this!! What we think are good habits may end up proving otherwise. BUT we all know that doing a good deed will most often end with a positive result. And that is the BEST reason to do as many good deeds as possible. Habits, like karma, have consequences that are sometimes unpleasant. If there is something we are doing that keeps giving us grief, it

makes sense to change that action – doesn’t it? A lot of the trouble with habits is that so much is happening at a sub-conscious level. Add to that our attachment to our belief systems, it can be really tough to “change the mind”. Not only that! It is also occurring biologically, with the formation of neural pathways, cellular memory, even gut bacteria is ruled by routine. So in a nutshell... we don’t even notice the habitual routines AND our body/mind is patterned and influenced by habits AND we receive positive feedback when we lapse back into old patterns because that is the comfort zone for body and mind. No wonder it is so tough to change. For the example above (still a true story) if I stick it out for the time it takes to create the new habit of eating better before too long I will have created a new habit that takes little of my energy and is part of my daily routine. And the long term benefits far outweigh the short-term discomfort. Habits are part of every waking moment of our life. They are helpful and energy saving in many ways. The struggle comes in creating change when change is called for. In my mind, we are empowered by knowledge – perhaps by understanding the karmic-like cycle of habits and their creation, we can be loosened from the bonds those habits have on us. Stay present, mindful and hopeful, it is definitely worth doing and you CAN do it!

Namaste

Namaste, Becky

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Adult Colouring Psychologists Say Colouring Is The Best Alternative To Meditation #TheNewsy Neighbour /TheNewsy Neighbour /TNewsy Neighbour

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Share your completed work on our facebook or instagram accounts for a chance to win a $50 Gift Certificate to any advertiser of your choice in this issue. We had 7 entries last month, You can see them on our facebook. The winner by random draw is Shauna Hepner. Congratulations! Shauna gets a $50 Gift Certificate to The Lakeshore, Esthetics & Tanning.

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Remember the simpler days? The days when mom and dad did the cooking and cleaning, packed your lunches and paid all of the bills? Those days when your only responsibilities were sitting in a classroom with 20 of your good buddies and building mud castles in the rain? If there is only one takeaway from your years here on earth, I suggest you take this: you’re only as old as you allow yourself to be. Be silly, be crazy, say what you mean and mean what you say; play in the snow, jump in the puddles - be childlike, because studies now show that “immaturity” can actually be a prescription for sanity.

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

Have you ever noticed how much joy a child gets from his colouring book? The look of sheer satisfaction and pride that radiates from her face after she finishes colouring her perfect little masterpiece? Guess what! Those kids are onto something - and adults are beginning to take note. Grown-up colouring books: who would have thought? As it turns out, there are several perks to indulging in a “mature” colouring session from time to time. Curious? Just take a peek below.

De-stress

With our daily lives being bombarded by stressers such as work, kids, spouses, debt, commutes - it’s no wonder we are wound up so tight. Adult colouring books are a great way to force your mind to escape some of these realities and give it something less exasperating to focus on.

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Activate Both Sides of your Brain

According to psychologist Gloria Martinez, colouring helps to activate different areas of our two cerebral hemispheres. The magic of it is, the art of colouring incorporates the cerebral cortex (responsible for vision and fine motor skills) and at the same time, lowers the activity of the amygdala - a basic part of our brain involved in controlling emotion that is affected by stress.

Reduce Anxiety/ Increase Emotional Wellbeing

These activities can help tremendously individuals with PTSD, anxiety, and stress issues, as they calm down our amygdala. This is the part of the brain that controls our fight or flight response and keeps individuals in a heightened state of worry, panic, and hyper-vigilance. Colouring and focusing on this harmless and calming activity can actually turn that response down, and let your brain have some much needed rest and relaxation. This can be an exceptionally productive and welcome outlet for these individuals.

Similar to Meditation

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Meditation is the art of doing nothing. It is also the art of ‘de-concentrating,’ which helps relax and reduce the chatter of a restless mind. While most people find it difficult to meditate, colouring pages and books for adults easily help induce the same meditative state.

Increase Focus

It has also been recognized that focusing on colouring intricate pictures greatly increases our stamina to focus on the tasks at hand and disallow the concentration of intrusive and troubling thoughts. This is one reason that individuals with disorders such as OCD, PTSD and anxiety have experienced such positive benefits from the “doodle books.” So the next time you’re at your wits end and are begging for a vacation in a faraway land, whip out your colouring book. Or even better, you might consider making this colourful meditation a part of your weekly ritual so that you can work to prevent those mental breakdowns in the first place! Nicole MH

Happy colouring

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/13/coloring-for-stress_n_5975832.html

Jacqueline Buckley Certiﬁed HeartMath® Coach jacquieb@theheartsolutions.com

theheartsolutions.com

What you can gain from our programs: • Revitalization and increased energy • Enhanced communication in business and personal relationships • Increased performance • Stress relief and mental clarity • Increased resiliency HeartMath® is a registered trademark of the Institute of HeartMath facebook.com/TheNewsyNeighbour

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

Natural Choices

Cynthia Barnesky is a Holistic Practitioner/Certified Professional Spiritual Life Coach and owner of SunRise Healing Center: Specializes in helping you with the natural ways of healing through her services of Inner Clarity Spiritual Life Coaching, Intuitive Massage, Reflexology, IonCleanse Detox Foot Bath, Intuitive Readings, Reconnective Healing, and many natural healing products. For more information visit her website: www.sunrisehealingcenter.com or give her a call: 403-934-6416.

Guide for Massaging Your Children

What if you could influence the bond between yourself and your child, help in the development of a healthy body, and improve their intelligence and concentration? What if you could also help them learn the difference between relaxation and tension; and just over all make them happier and healthier? Wouldn’t you do just about anything to help achieve this? Well you can, through massaging your child at any life stage from infant to adolescent. As a Registered Massage therapist for over 8 years, I can guide you through the simple step by step process. Massage can also be helpful for different childhood conditions such as anxiety, ADD or ADHA, Down syndrome, cancer (with medical permission), autism, premature infant weight gain, and many more. Try these easy steps: Step 1:

• Make sure that you are relaxed, calm and in the right frame for mind before you start. Turn off all distractions, such as phones and the television. • It does not matter where you start to massage your child, as long as you start. If they are very young, work with your child. If for instance a baby decides to roll onto his/her stomach, then massage the back. It is all about the quiet contact. • Before you start, make a physical connection with a gentle touch on the hand, head, stomach or feet. Talk to them in a calm and pleasant voice, asking permission first; “We are going to start with some healing massage right away, is it OK to start?” If the child pulls back or, for older kids, might say no, then we need to stop and respect their independence and that they have the right to say “No!” • The room where you will be giving the massage should be warm and comfortable. Be sure to rub your hands together to warm then up first. • It is OK to massage over clothing, as well as massage directly on the skin using a little massage oil (coconut, grape seed, and extra virgin olive oil). You can also add lavender essential oil to the carrier oils mentioned above, but do not overdo it; this is when less is more. (Caution: try a little lavender and carrier oil first on the inside of the arm to see if they are sensitive or allergic to it. If so, stop using the lavender and just use the carrier oil, if they are not sensitive, it is ok to proceed.)

wards towards the feet; you can add a little more pressure to the feet, but if they are ticklish or pull away, ease off. Rub the bottoms of their feet and each toe, and then gently pull on each toe. Then finish off with a smile and a kiss the bottom of the foot and start with the other leg. - For a toddler and a younger child, you can start with their hands, shoulders, or back if they are sitting in a chair. If they are lying on the bed face up, start with their legs, just like the baby’s and work down to the feet and massage just like you would a baby’s feet, maybe using just a little more pressure than you would a baby. You may finish off with or without the kiss, depending on the age of the child. • The next part of the baby’s body is the stomach, but make sure you do not massage for at least 30 minutes after baby has eaten. So go ahead and apply gentle massage to the belly, working in a clockwise direction. Massaging the stomach area can help with gas pains or constipation. You can also do this to older children too. Just follow the easy step described above. You can use oil, but it is not necessary. Step 3:

• Once you have done the legs, feet and stomach, you can move to the arms. Using the same gentle strokes you applied to the other parts of the body, start from the shoulders moving downwards. Once at the hands, massage with circle-like motions all over the hand and fingers. Make sure to massage each finger. Once you have finished the massage part, give each finger a gentle pull. Then, rub the hand and continue to rub upwards to

appointment

Step 2:

• If you are massaging baby face up, place your warm hands on baby’s legs and around their hips. Start with a gentle stroke down

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What's all the ﬂutter about

HEALTH & BEAUTY

Red Light Full Body Rejuvenation? "I am so thankful for red light therapy. The cramps in my legs and feet have stopped. Moles and skin tags are disappearing oﬀ my face and body. Thank you"

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the shoulder again. Once done one arm and shoulder, work on the other one. Massage is another way to get to talk, sing or tell stories to your child or to just check on how they are really doing. Make sure that you keep checking to see if your child still would like you to continue; if they pull away or fall asleep, this lets you know that they had enough; you can stop at any time.

It is OK to do it every day or every second day or even once a week. Please note that if you have any concerns or questions, contact your massage therapist or medical profession.

Step 4:

Did you know that a gentle massage will also help relax your pet, assist with grooming, and grow the relationship between you and your dog or cat?

• If it feels like your baby or child would like more, then starting from the shoulders gently massaging the back. With baby, you can gentle turn them on one of their sides to massage the back area. Working from the top of back to the bum and then back up again. Remember to avoid putting pressure on the spine; this is important for anyone you are giving massage to. - For older children, rub the shoulders and back with light pressure and just keep talking and checking on how they feel.

May you and your child enjoy the benefits of the healing touch/ massage and may it help grow the connection or bond between you!

Cynthia Barnesky

References: http://www.liddlekidz.com/massage-your-child.html , http://www.livestrong.com/ article/114384-benefits-massage-children/

Step 5:

• Once the shoulders and back are done, you can do one of two things; for babies you can end the massage with a hug and a smile! For the older children, you can go ahead and gentle massage the head with your fingertips starting at base of the scull to the front of the head with small circular movements. Massage the head gently about three times. The last thing to do is look at your child and let them know how well they did and give them a big hug too. The best time to give a massage for either a baby or older child is about 1 hour before bed time and just after a warm bath. This will help them relax, remain calm and fall asleep and stay asleep.

201, 97 Centre St SW Langdon, AB ● (403) 936-5006 facebook.com/TheNewsyNeighbour

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67. Acknowledge fully whatever emotion you are experiencing in the moment, don’t try and not feel it because all emotions have joy in them. 68. Write a review or testimonial for someone or a business you had an excellent experience with.

69. Write a thank you note.

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70. Write a letter by hand to someone and send it in the mail. 71. Notice where you receive your spiritual food.

72. Don’t just choose your battles, but more powerfully choose where you are in agreement and create harmony.

80. Stretch first thing in the morning before you get out of bed. 81. Write 15 of these ideas down on sticky notes and put them in random places as reminders. 82. Write 5 of your own happiness ideas on sticky notes or share them on the Lomenda Energy or Newsy Neighbour Facebook pages. 83. Get out of your comfort zone.

Random Priceless Ways to

84. Doodle. 85. Colour.

Happiness Written by Carla Lomenda-Segovia of Lomenda Energy Inc.

73. Did I say dance? Yes I did, but it’s worth repeating. 74. Did I say laugh? Yes I did, but it’s also worth repeating. 75. Declutter your environment, keep things in your environment that are useful or beautiful. 76. Shush the should’s in your head, if you hear you saying to yourself, “I should’ve…” stop yourself, notice the dissonance it brings you, replace that should’ve statement with, “I did the best I could with the information I had at the time.” Own where you are now, not where you were. 77. Love yourself more today. 78. Add more vegetables into your meals. 79. Fuel your body with nutritious food.

Part 2

86. Have mentors that have either been where you’ve been and moved beyond or are going where you want to go. 87. Hire a coach. 88. Create a happiness support system and allow it to work for you. 89. Encircle yourself with happiness by being around other happy people. 90. Send a text just because telling someone how awesome they are.

I offer these random thoughts and ways to happiness (that cost nothing or almost nothing and yet are all priceless). This is part 2. Continued from last month! Enjoy!

Lomenda Energy Carla is a wife, a mother and an agent for happiness. As a Senior Life Strategist and Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, Carla helps people get amazing results while having fun and deepening their relationships. Carla founded Lomenda Energy Inc. in 2010 to create community, life balance and wellness for professionals and organizations. Connect with Carla by phone 403-861-4810, by email carla@lomendaenergy.com and on twitter @LomendaEnergy

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91. Relax your jaw.

92. Sit and stand tall keeping your spine as straight as you can allow. 93. Whatever you may have been avoiding, start embracing it or forget about it.

98. Find what works for you and do it over and over again. 99. Say no to letting your energy leak.

94. Let your angels guide you.

95. Believe you are complete and whole, nothing is broken inside you, nothing needs fixing, and you are complete and whole as you are. 96. Stop asking yourself why you are not happy; instead simply allow yourself to not know why and just be a little happier than the moment before this.

100. Do something you’ve been wanting to do in whatever way it is possible today.

97. Give Thanks! Make every day a happiness day. Please share your ‘free’ ways to happiness on Facebook and tag Carla Lomenda-Segovia or Lomenda Energy. I am part of your happiness team of experts.

The quickest way for you to live your DREAM LIFE! Gain Clarity, Optimize Performance, Enhance Communications & Manage work-life integration! Specializing in Happiness & Career Coaching

FOR LEADERS LIKE YOU lomendaenergy.com Call 403-861-4810 for a free 1 on 1 consultation or to register for our upcoming Vision Board Workshop The Newsy Neighbour Magazine

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Pregnancy Q& A LANGDON GLASS

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Q: Is there any reason I have to be the delivery room while my wife is in labour? A: Not unless the word “alimony” means anything to you. Q: Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth? A: Yes, pregnancy. Q: Do I have to have a baby shower? A: Not if you change the baby’s diaper very quickly. Q: Our baby was born last week. When will my wife begin to feel and act normal again? A: When the kids are in college.

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Jock

Why Should Kids Play Sports?

Obviously, I am a little bias on this topic and you certainly don’t need me lecturing you about self-esteem, confidence, social skills, sportsmanship and healthy habits for your children.

Here is what I do know from my own personal experience. Every child is different. My 16 year old daughter is a high performance athlete. Her sport is springboard and platform diving. She is focused, she is competitive and she is motivated. At the age of four, we started her in a recreational gymnastics program, she played soccer, took skating lessons and she was also into highland dancing. She didn’t like soccer, she hated skating but she did have some success in dance and gym. Three years later, she asked if she could go to a summer diving camp. She could barely swim but with her gymnastics background, the coaches at Dive Calgary wanted her to join the competitive program immediately. My daughter said no. She wanted to dance, she still wanted to do gym. One year later, my 8 year old daughter had to make a choice. Gymnastics and diving both wanted her in the competitive program, both involved a major training commitment and as parents, we knew there was no way she could do both. We left the choice up to her. Dancing was still part of the mix but that was just a hobby.

As parents, we all try to expose our kids to an environment where they can learn, be happy and hopefully make the right decisions when they are older. Sport is a great starting point as it does teach you to handle disappointment and accept personal responsibility for mistakes. The same can be said for the arts or other life skill opportunities.

Sport is a great starting point as it does teach you to handle disappointment and accept personal responsibility for mistakes.

My 18 year old son is the exact opposite. He enjoyed sports. He tried hockey, soccer and baseball but it was clear from the very beginning that team sports weren’t his thing! Dad was working at the Olympic Oval, so he thought speed skating was pretty cool. He skated for a number of years, went to a couple of Alberta Games and had a little bit of success. However, he didn’t have the passion. He didn’t have the drive or the motivation to continue on. He took up fencing for a couple of years and now he’s into drama. He’s in the school play and he working at Jubilations Dinner Theatre. As parents, we are hoping he has found his passion. In today’s society we see too many parents living the dream through their children. My son is going to play in the NHL! My daughter is going to be an Olympian! Heck, I would be lying if

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Car & Truck Maintenance & Repair Needs GENERAL REPAIRS SPECIALIZING IN TRANSMISSIONS Phone: 403-934-5774 14A BAYSIDE PLACE. STRATHMORE, AB those thoughts haven’t crossed my mind. I would never stand in the way of a dream but through my own experience with my daughter, I have seen goals change. Setbacks can make you stronger, injuries can make you tougher. I have come to the conclusion that you can’t push an agenda. A bigger issue facing parents in sport is the fear of brain injuries or concussions. Amateur football in Alberta is facing a huge drop off in participation. “It’s a huge concern,” says Greater Calgary Amateur Football Association president Greg Peterson. “Football is no worse than hockey or soccer but we are not doing a very good job of getting our message out. Losing kids at the grass roots level will have a huge impact down the road on the CIS and CFL. It also affects us at the amateur level.” I can certainly understand where parents are coming from on this topic and it is up to all sports to address the issues and make the playing field as safe as possible. Last but not least, I want to weigh in on participation trophies and ribbons. This was a very hot topic last year when James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers made his two boys return two school trophies that he felt were not earned. This was his post on Facebook: I came home to find out that my boys received two trophies for nothing, participation trophies! While I am very proud of my boys for everything they do and will encourage them till the day I die, these trophies will be given back until they EARN a real trophy. I’m sorry I’m not sorry for believing that everything in life should be earned and I’m not about to raise two boys to be men by making them believe that they are entitled

About Jock Wilson: Jock has been involved in the Calgary sport media scene for over 30 years. He hosts the Calgary Stampeder football broadcasts on News Talk 770 and is the co-host of Sportstalk with Mark Stephen from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm.

Jock@am770chqr.com On Twitter: @talkwithjock

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to something just because they tried their best...because sometimes your best is not enough, and that should drive you to want to do better...not cry and whine until somebody gives you something to shut you up and keep you happy. #harrisonfamilyvalues Personally, I have no problems with participation trophies or ribbons up to a certain age. Kids are not stupid. They know the difference between winning and losing. In recreational sport, it’s not always about the wins and the losses. It’s about keeping our kids active and motivated for that healthy life style we all strive for.

It’s not always about the wins and the losses. It’s about keeping our kids active and motivated for that healthy life style we all strive for. QUALITY WORK, PERFORMED BY CERTIFIED TECHNICIANS.

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CHESTERMERE WHITECAPPERS’ NEWS & HAPPENINGS Weekly activities: Carpet bowling, quilting, fitness for seniors, tuesday afternoon bridge, friday evening games, saturday morning coffee, pool Events: Tuesday, March 1- nakoda casino trip – bus pickup: 9:15am / back around 4:15pm. Cost: $15.00 (Includes bus, soup and sandwich buffet lunch and a $5.00 Casino voucher). Maximum: 20 people (no exceptions). Sign up at the whitecappers centre or phone the office 403-235-2117. Your payment is your confirmation that will be on the bus/van. Thursday, March 3 – lunch n learn - financial aid & benefits for seniors! Presented by: deidrie maclean, alberta seniors & fcss. Location: at the chestermere whitecappers free coffee and refreshments provided! Tuesday, March 15 – st. Patrick’s day dinner! – 4:30Pm doors open; 5:30pm supper. This is a provided meal (by prince of peace) that will include irish beef stew+. By donation at the door. Drinks available for purchase. Please sign up at the whitecappers’ or phone or email. Tuesday, March 29 - mary brown’s chicken dinner!- 4.30Pm doors open. A provided dinner followed by our general meeting. Wine and beer available before and after 5:30 supper. Please sign up at the centre or phone/email so we know how much food to order. PLEASE NOTE: The Lunch ‘n Chat event for March is cancelled but will resume again in April Whitecappers’ office hours: Tuesdays, 1:00pm -3:00pm Address: 201B West Chestermere Drive. Office phone # 403-235-2117

The Wheatland Seniors Transportation Society Bus Trips Seniors 55+ and Caregivers January 18 (Monday) Chinook Mall *Note this is a one-time only change to the 3rd Monday of the month and not the 2nd Tuesday when all other trips are scheduled for.

March 8 - Northland Mall April 12 - Cross Iron Mills May 10 - South Center Mall June 14 - Sunridge Mall July 12 - Market Mall August 9 - North Hill Mall September 13 - Chinook Mall October 11 - Northland Mall November 8 - South Center Mall December 6 - Cross Iron Mills December 1 - Sunridge Mall

ors

Seni

The fee is $25 return. To reserve a ride call before 12 noon on Friday. In order to ride the bus you do not need to belong to a seniors club. For Strathmore call: Phyl at 403.934.2589 or Ruth 403.934.3106. For Standard call: Marie 403 644. 2147 or Joan 403. 644.3860 For Rockyford and Drumheller call: Frances at 403.677.2278 or Irene 403. 677.2235 Pickup times are: Drumheller – 7:15 AM, Rockyford – 8:00 AM, Standard – 8:30 AM, Strathmore – 9 AM. The bus leaves the malls at 3 PM

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Leela

SHARON AHEER

MLA Chestermere - Rocky View

OUR MISSION STATEMENT: HOW CAN WE HELP? See Our Facebook Page For Updates

/ChestermereRockyView Phone: 403-207-9889 Fax: 403-216-2225 Chestermere.RockyView@assembly.ab.ca

CONSTITUENCY OFFICE: 215, 175 Chestermere Station Way, Chestermere, AB T1X 0G1

Women Talk Strathmore Darlis is an entrepreneur with a passion for helping people in business, organizations and entire communities recognize their uniqueness and achieve possibilities they may not have thought possible. She believes growth and success start at the grassroots level… with people, and she uses training, coaching and facilitating to inspire positive change. She is a Board member of Women Talk Strathmore. Contact her at Darlis@ DownToBusinessSolutions.com.

Why isn’t the Sky Purple? “Satisfaction of one’s curiosity is one of the greatest sources of happiness in life.” ~Linus Pauling “Why do I have to put my toys away?” ”Why can’t I have cookies for breakfast?” “Why do I have to go to bed?” Dr. Bruce Perry says humans are born curious and that, “When we are curious about something, we want to explore it. And while exploring, we discover.” Consider how babies put things in their mouth. Toddlers turn a light switch on and off… and on and off… and on and off! Young children may ask, “Why?” or “What’s that?” like they are the only three words they know. There is no doubt about it, we come into this world as curious creatures. Webster’s College Dictionary defines curiosity as, “The desire to learn or know about anything,” and kids are masters at being curious. As we get older, we tend to ask fewer questions. Perhaps it is because we have gotten the message that asking questions is dangerous. Yes, dangerous. Our parents got angry when we asked too many questions, we got in trouble at school when we asked our teachers challenging questions, and remember what happened to Adam and Eve when they were curious and ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden? All around us is the message that curiosity is not good. And yet, we remain curious. We find pleasure in discovery. We want to learn and grow and connect to others. Research has linked curiosity to several benefits including improved health, greater problem-solving skills, more satisfying relationships, increased senses of happiness, enriched life experiences and improved creativity.

WE COLLECT FOR: SE ROCKYVIEW FOOD BANK CHESTERMERE FOOD BANK VETERANS FOOD BANK

PLEASE SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS AND VOLUNTEER! Light It Up Blue Autism Fundraiser, Delacour, April 2 Call for details.

The benefits of curiosity encourages us to support our children in remaining curious, and it reminds us that even as adults it is important to be curious about the world around us and the people in our world. The key strategies for fostering curiosity in children focuses on encouraging, respecting and answering their questions and supporting healthy self-confidence. As adults, we can keep our curiosity active by keeping an open mind to ideas and perspectives that may be different than the ones we currently have. Rather than taking things for granted, we can seek out the story behind what we see. We need to ask questions like a child – who, what, when, where, why and how. We need to see learning as fun and exciting and be willing to learn about different topics, even those that at first don’t hold much interest to us. One of the most powerful ways to build our curiosity muscle, while also creating personal connections, is through the genuine sharing and hearing of stories, ideas, experiences, knowledge and perspectives. It is in this sharing that we are inspired, informed, entertained and our lives enriched in ways we never expected. Women Talk provides a welcoming environment for this sharing and connecting to occur. Everyone has something to share. “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” ~ Walt Disney For more information about the WOMEN TALK meeting in Strathmore, visit www.WomenTalk.ca/Strathmore.

Tracy Griffith

Agape Photography

March 31, 2016 7 - 9 pm Strathmore Station Tickets are $15 online or $30 at the door

Sue Deyell

660 News/KISS FM

For more info and tickets go to

www.womentalk.ca facebook.com/TheNewsyNeighbour

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IN YOUR COMUNITIES Chestermere Lyalta & Indus UPCOMING EVENTS AT THE CHESTERMERE REC CENTRE KRAFT HOCKEYVILLE

The Chestermere Recreation Centre has been nominated for Kraft Hockeyville. Please take the time to share the link on the official Hockeyville Facebook page so that our building can be considered to get some much needed facility upgrades and we could win the opportunity to host a pre-season NHL game! Your support is truly appreciated. Official voting will take place March 13-14, 2016 if we make the top 10.

A doctor tells an old couple at his office he needs to get a stool sample, a urine sample, and a blood test from the old man. Hard of hearing, the old man asks his wife what the doctor said. The wife replies, “He needs a pair of your underwear.”

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FUN MONEY CASINO FUNDRAISING EVENT

Join us for a great night out with friends from the community! The Chestermere Recreation Centre is holding a Fun Money Casino Fundraising Event Sat. April 2 @ 6pm. Tickets are $40 and include dinner, silent auction, live auction and a fun money casino. Try your hand at Blackjack, Poker, Craps, Roulette, Horserac

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LYALTA COMMUNITY CLUB Lyalta is having our annual

Yuk Yuks Event

March 19, 2016 3 Fantastic comedians will be performing this year. PLEASE join us for an evening of Friends, Fun and MOST OF ALL LAUGHTER

with a 50's & 60's Theme! Cocktails – 5:30 pm. Supper – 6:30pm. Show – 8:00pm.

$40.00 ea. Ticket prices include dinner and a show PLEASE contact Kimberley at 403-934-9964 or kimberleyproust@hotmail.com for more info.

PLEASE remember tickets are limited so get yours before the sell out ing and more. Come support your local Recreation Centre to be able to offer new programs and services. Reserve tables of 8-10 or purchase individual tickets. For tickets call 403-272-7170 or visit our website. We are also looking for volunteer blackjack and poker dealers for this event. If you would like to volunteer please email Jody @ marketingandsales@chestermerecrca.com

FAMILY DROP IN BASKETBALL

6:30—8:00 pm at Prairie Waters Elementary School Friday Feb 5th to April 29th. No Feb 19th, Mar 25th & Apr 15th. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult Cost: $5.00/person or $10.00/family (cash only at the door)

CRCA SUMMER DAYCAMPS ARE BACK & BETTER THAN EVER!

July 4th – August 31st Best Deal: $1900.00 for 8½ wks. (CRCA members only) Weekly: Members $250/wk. or Non Members $275/wk. (Short weeks will be prorated and payment plans are available) Registration starts Feb 23rd on line or at the Rec Centre Office.

FRIDAY NIGHT FRIENDS ACTIVITY NIGHT

Connecting families with children with special needs. All ages from toddlers to adults. Friday, March 4th, 6:30—8:30 pm at the Chestermere Rec Centre Main Hall. This will be an opportunity to let the kids play and network with other families. Cost: $10.00/family at the door includes coffee, juice and treats. (Or donate what you can!)

CHESTERMERE MIND BODY SPIRIT EXPO

10 am – 4 pm, Sat Mar 19, 2016, Chestermere Rec Centre The Expo showcases products, services, and resources for Your optimal health & well-being!

PRESCHOOL OPEN GYM

Tues & Thurs 9 – 10:30 am Chestermere Rec Centre MPP Rm Cost $3.00 for members $5.00 for non-members This is a parent supervised gym time. Equipment will be supplied.

NEW PROGRAMS STARTING SOON!

CRCA Learn to Skate Programs Ages 3 - 6 yrs. Tues & Thurs, starts Mar 10 CRCA/Yogart Ages 6 – 14 yrs. Wed. starts Mar 16 – Apr 20 (5 wks). Gentle Go and Flow Yoga 18 + Wed. 7:30 – 8:30 pm starts Mar 30 (8 wks). Recreational Outdoor Soccer for Ages 3 – 8 yr. olds. May & June Register March 1st – 31st!

MOM 2 MOM SALE AND TRADE SHOW

Come browse a huge selection of gently used children’s clothing and toys. Sat April 16th, 2016 10am - 3pm @ the Rec Centre Main Hall. Admission: $2 / Person (Children & Seniors are free). Strollers welcome after 12pm. Mom Vendor table registration ($25) opens on Feb 19th. www.facebook.com/chestermeremom2mom for more details or call Jocelyn @ 403-272-7170 email: admin@chestermerecrca.com. The Trade show will bring together organizations that offer products and services for families. To book a table for the trade show email Vicki at recreation@chestermerecrca.com

For more info on all these events call 403-272-7170, email recreation@chestermerecrca.com or visit:

www.chestermerecrca.com facebook.com/TheNewsyNeighbour

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ART ON THE BOARDWALK

1st Bow Valley Scouts

Art is one of those things that is as diverse as the human imagination and it has been a growing phenomenon in Langdon. The first Art on the Boardwalk in 2008 was conceived as an art show with friends, a fun way to bring the art community to Langdon. The loan of the large tent from the Langdon Community Association and permission to use the space in the parking lot beside the boardwalk from the Main Street Condo Board made for an airy summer fair event, coinciding with the annual Parade of Garage Sales the first Saturday in May. It was great fun and provided lots of interaction with the locals, as well as the multitudes of ‘garage salers’ in town for the day. Year three saw us move to the I.O.O.F. Hall to relieve the volunteer intensive task of setting up and taking down the big tent, as well as the weather concerns. The ‘group of friends’ was joined by a few more local artists and the larger space allowed us to exhibit a larger volume of pieces. This was also the first of three years we hosted the community painting – a painting at the show that everyone who attended the show was encouraged to paint on – no experience required!! This painting was then finished, ‘tweaked’ and donated to the Langdon Community Association as a raffle prize at Langdon Days in July as part of their fundraising efforts. The show also featured artwork created by the local Girl Guide groups (Sparks, Brownies and Guides) in a silent auction fundraiser for their activities. The Langdon Fine Art Group was formed in 2011 to provide a connection and mentoring for the growing number of local artists. It was only natural that the group should take on the local show and sale. The group has grown to include local photographers and artists of various mediums. We continue to meet a couple of times per month to create together, exchange ideas, resources and experience, and for constructive critiquing and encouragement. New members are always welcome. With the current state of the economy in mind, the theme of this year’s show is Affordable Art for Everyone. The show will include original art of various mediums, prints, photography, sketches and other items. All pieces in the show will be priced at $100.00 or less. There is bound to be something for every taste and budget. This show will also feature Art Cards made by local students. These cards are imaginative and unique and we have found that people love to receive them rather than a store bought card. There is one for every occasion!! Each year we support a local charity and this year we have chosen the Wheatland Women’s Shelter. With a donation to the Shelter, you will be able to enter your name to win one of the door prizes donated by the participating artists. Proceeds from the sale of the Art Cards will also be donated to the Shelter. Please join us Saturday April 2 at the I.O.O.F. Hall from 2pm to 6pm to discover an art piece that you can enjoy in your home or office, or give as that special unique gift… one that won’t break the bank!

Garage Sale

Where: Langdon Field House When: 8:00am-4:00pm, Saturday May 7 Please stop by to check out our HUGE Fundraising Garage Sale. There will be lots of items (furniture, electronics, household, outdoor, toys, books, etc.) and No price tags... sound appealing? Come enjoy some fun banter. Don't go away Hungry! Our Scouts will be serving fresh hot breakfast sandwiches, coffee, hot chocolate, and assorted baked goods. After 10:00am, burgers, hot dogs, drinks and snacks will be available. Make this your first stop as you head out to the Langdon Parade of Garage Sales! We are also accepting donations for this event. If you have anything you would like to donate we would be happy to pick them up any time prior to May 1st. (no clothing please). Please contact Tim Weber at tklweber@telus.net to arrange a pick-up time. All proceeds go towards funding our local Scouts.

Thank you for your continued support.

Abraham’s Plate Everyone is invited to joins us for a free bowl of soup and a sandwich!

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7 days a week from 10am-5pm Sagewood Seniors Community In Strathmore Alberta

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MartinSHIELDS Martin Shields, MP Constituency Office Phones: 1-844-241-0020

Phone: 403-793-6776 Fax: 403-793-6778 Email: martin.shields.c1@parl.gc.ca CONSTITUENCY OFFICE: #2 - 403- 2nd Ave W. Brooks, AB T1R 0S3

See Our Social Media Pages For Updates

/shieldsmartin @MartinBowRiver

Dear Constituents,

Why Do You Want A Divorce?

I wanted to remind you of an important public consultation taking place, which is being hosted by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). This consultation is all about Broadband Internet. They will be hosting a public meeting on the issue in Gatineau, QC on April 11. As with all of their public consultations, this one will be televised on CPAC, and I encourage all of you to watch if you get a chance.

A judge was interviewing a South Carolina woman regarding her pending divorce and asks, “What are the grounds for your divorce?” “About four acres and a nice little home in the middle of the property with a stream running by.” “No,” he said. “I mean what is the foundation of this case?” “It is made of concrete, brick, and mortar,” she responded. “I mean,” he continued. “What are your relations like?” “I have an aunt and uncle and 12 cousins living here in town, as well as my husband’s parents.” The judge took a deep breath and asked, “Do you have a real grudge?” “No, we have a two-car carport and have never really needed one because we don’t have a car.” “Please,” he tried again. “Is there any infidelity in your marriage?” “Yes, both my son and daughter have stereo sets. We don’t necessarily like the music - all that hip hop and rap tap - but we can’t seem to do anything about it.” “Ma’am, does your husband ever beat you up?” “Yes, he gets up every morning before I do and makes the coffee.” Finally, in frustration, the judge asked, “Lady, why do you want a divorce?” “Oh, I don’t want a divorce,” she replied. “I’ve never wanted a divorce, my husband does. The damn fool says he can’t communicate with me.”

In conjunction with this consultation, the CRTC has made available a short questionnaire for you to fill out to help them better understand the issues. The questionnaire can be accessed at https://97. ca/ekos/cwx.cgi?EN:01616R. From the CRTC press release: “Canadians who cannot access the questionnaire online may call 1-877-249-2782 to fill it out over the phone with an agent or to request a paper copy (a prepaid return envelope will be supplied). Canadians may also send a fax to 819994-0218 to request a copy to complete and send back. The responses to the questionnaire (online, phone, fax or mail) must be completed and received by the CRTC by February 29, 2016.” http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=1027549 I would also like to introduce Andrew Poncia, Legislative Assistant in my Ottawa office. Andrew was born in Cornwall, Ontario in 1987. He went to high school there and completed a Social Service Worker Diploma at St. Lawrence College before moving to the Nation’s Capital in 2008 to study history and political science at uOttawa. He has worked for a number of M.P.s since 2008, including his mentor Cornwall M.P. Guy Lauzon. He also worked for former Calgary area M.P. Hon. Diane Ablonczy for a brief period in 2010-2011. He then worked for the M.P. for Medicine Hat, LaVar Payne, from 2011-2015. Andrew is fluently bilingual in both of Canada’s official languages. He is an avid history buff and loves keeping up to speed with UK and Australian politics. He enjoys visiting Cornwall and spending time with his parents, and grandparents, as well as his nephew Sydney. Andrew can be reached at 613-992-0761 for any questions or comments about federal legislation or Government of Canada services. I’d like to remind you that you can also contact Karen in my Brooks office at 403-793-6775 or 1-844-241-0020 or by email at martin. shields.c1@parl.gc.ca.You can also find my page on Facebook and follow me on Twitter, where my handle is @MartinBowRiver.

TAXES Personal, Self Employed, Rental, ETC.

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Pam Metzger-Savoie pms_pam@hotmail.com

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A little bit of everything Gaylene Smith is a Career Coach with McBride Career Group in Strathmore and while she isn’t sure if she will end up on the naughty or nice list she does wish you all a very blessed 2016. Gaylene can be reached by phone or email. 403-934-4305 gsmith@mcbridecareergroup.com

When I was in university, I took a course called Psychology of Death. It was at 8:00 am, Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.

Students shuffled towards the classroom in a manner not unlike a prisoner heading towards the gallows. The class was located in a basement room that was painted a depressing shade of taupe, sporadically decorated with motivational posters that offered words of wisdom such as, “Get to work – your parents paid a lot for you to be here!” The professor, who spoke in a monotone that has now become the imaginary voice of death for me, did not inspire enthusiasm in his students. When you consider the topic he taught, that may have been a blessing. My entire experience with this class could be summed up by one of the main concepts we studied (and honestly about the only thing I remember from that class): The five stages of grief. According to Doctor Kubler Ross when a person suffers a loss, be it a death of a loved one, a relationship ending, or yes, even the loss of a job, individuals progress through five stages. Now everyone progresses at their own rate, some taking longer in one stage than another, but we all move through the five stages. The five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and then, finally, acceptance. Let me offer an example, fictitious of course! Imagine a university student that perhaps didn’t put in the effort she needed to succeed in a particular psychology class. She gets her final grade. She double checks it. She thinks the professor has made some sort of grading error; after all, psychologists are not known for their mathematical prowess. She wonders if perhaps they have gotten the wrong test back. She is firmly planted in denial. Then she progress to anger. She responds to the professor’s four letter word fail with a four letter f word of her own. She tells her roommates that the prof is an idiot that should never have made tenure and he should be sent out to retire, or shot, or hung and quartered. She bunches her exam up into a ball and throws it across the room. Oh ya, she’s got the anger down pat. I mean how dare they fail fictitious me? Come on, I did great on my term paper, I bet if I went and talked to him he’d be willing to let me write another paper. Or perhaps if I slipped him a fifty along with his favourite bottle of vino, we could just over look

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this mark. Bargaining, the stage of grief that turns a normally rational individual into a spoof of a game show host willing to do whatever it takes to make a deal. And now a really hard stage - the stage of depression. “Well I might as well just drop out of school now, I’m never going to graduate after failing that class. How did I fail a class on death? What’s wrong with me? God, I’m such a loser.” Suddenly she goes from dressing to impress to spending her days in flannel pj’s, with Ben and Jerry becoming her new best friends. Days are spent sleeping, nights are spent worrying. She no longer hangs out with her friends or goes to football games despite efforts to force her to get out there. She has no motivation and wonders if it is all worth it. And then one day she says enough is enough. She gets up, she puts on makeup and heads to the library to study. She talks to a peer counsellor and hires a tutor. Ah sweet acceptance. It is what it is and she can’t change the past. It comes to no surprise to anyone that many, many people are now struggling through the stages of grief as a result of job loss. Everyone that has recently been laid off needs to understand that it is okay to be mad and angry. It’s okay to imagine all sorts of mid-evil torture devices being used on your previous employer. And yes, please understand that it is okay, and very much normal, to feel sad, or blue, or depressed. But please, please understand that if you find yourself stuck in the depression stage of job loss, you need to take steps to move onto acceptance. Build a team to support you – friends and family, career coaches and counsellors and therapists; they can all help you. Resources like the Distress Centre or Mental Health Help Line are there when you need them. If you find yourself thinking about self-harm or suicide, you need to get help; and asking for help is okay and normal and the right thing to do! Get help with the grieving process. Know that while it may feel very lonely, you are not alone. There is a strong community available to help you, please just ask. I’ve gone through the grieving process a lot since that failed class (drat, I just let the cat out of the bag). Each time has been different. I’m still grieving some losses and some I’ve come to accept but what I know for sure is that going it alone makes the process much more difficult. Best of luck out there; it’s a tough time to be looking for work so let others help you share the load. Distress Centre – 403-266-Help (4357) Mental Health Helpline – 1-877-306-2642 McBride Career Group – 403-934-4305 Gaylene did go on to earn a degree in psychology despite her less than stellar performance in Psychology of Death and she will tell you she probably learned more failing that class then she did in passing the rest. Gaylene is a Career Coach with McBride Career Group and enjoys helping people prepare to enter the work force either for the first time of the fifteenth.

McBride Career Group

Oﬀering career and employment support to all residents of Alberta at no cost to you.

Services available at our Strathmore Location and by appointment in Wheatland County, Chestermere and Langdon 403-934-4305

www.mcbridecareergroup.com

The Province of Alberta working in partnership with the Government of Canada to provide employment support programs and services

The Newsy Neighbour Magazine

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Do-It-Yourselfer vs. Professional Help

Hi, my name is Nicole and I am a Do-ItYourselfer. My friends and family have suffered with me through this for several years now and the worst thing about it is, there is no cure.

Growing up in a low income family and having a family of my own at a young age, I learned to be resourceful - and by resourceful, I mean I learned how to waste a lot of home ingredients on body parts that should never have home ingredients put on them. I have Googled how to cut your own hair, how to dye your own hair, how to brighten your skin, how to cleanse your body, how to build a shelf, how to change your oil. I have literally researched every home remedy for every possible situation and I am here to tell you - I failed miserably at all of them. I recall one time I was dead set on curing my skin issues with turmeric - a nice golden Indian spice. “It’ll brighten your complexion,” they said. “Leave it on all night,” they said. Pfft. I woke up the next morning, hopped into the shower and tried to rinse this “DIY mask” off my face but, to my surprise - it didn’t come off. My face was stained fluorescent yellow! My job at the time was marketing and communications at a relatively large engineering firm and this day in particular, I was hosting an event for 600 of our employees. I called my mom in a panic and explained to her that I couldn’t get the turmeric mask off of my face; she was laughing so hard she couldn’t even speak. She did manage to spit out, “what was the purpose of this mask?” and logically I replied with, “To brighten my skin!” And the laughter kicked off again! Brightened it was. And not even a dull, golden yellow ¬- it was a brilliant, sunshiney yellow

But anyway, we’re not here to talk about turmeric masks. We are here today to talk about the dreaded do it yourself bikini wax. Oh yes, it’s as bad as you just imagined. You always hear about these fancy girls who get their upper lips, armpits and hoohas waxed and how glorious it is to never have to shave. I guess envy got the best of me at this point because I decided I wanted to be smooth as well, but I wasn’t prepared to pay the price at a salon. I purchased the cheapest package of wax I could (that was my first mistake) and headed home. I poured a glass of wine, turned on some reggae, lit a candle and began to apply this sticky concoction to my – well, you know. One leg up on the counter, awkwardly trying to coat the areas that are nearly impossible to see on your own; hot wax dripping down my leg and onto the floor while getting half tipsy on merlot. Turns out, it wasn’t the tranquil, beautifying evening I had planned. I finished applying the now lukewarm wax to my bikini line, threw on three of those cutesy little material strips that come in the package, pressed down and ripped! The friggin thing didn’t come off! So there I was: one leg up on the counter, screaming in agony trying to hold back the tears - and for what? Nothing happened! So, being the dedicated do-it-yourselfer that I am, I tried again. I braced myself, took a deep breath and ripped again. This time the strip came off, but the wax didn’t. By this point I was in tears and thinking I would give birth again before ever doing this again. I hopped in the shower and tried to wash off the other two strips and the remaining wax. The strips came off, but the wax? Nope. So I ran a bath and I sat in it until my skin pruned, then tried to wash it off again. Still nothing. I couldn’t for the life of me get this sticky goo off of me. Eventually a girl has got to sleep, so I dried off (the towel sticking to places it shouldn’t be sticking to) and hopped into bed. The next morning when I woke up, I threw my legs off the side of the bed I realized my – you know - was now stuck to the inside of my legs. I threw on my skirt, blouse, some lipstick and headed into the office, I was already late, and yes...same office as the turmeric incident. Walking like a cowboy who had just been on a 6 month trek, I finally made it to my desk. It was literally three days of promenading around, constantly squatting, trying to inconspicuously unstick my, you know, from the inside of my thighs. The whole ordeal gave me a brand new appreciation to the women that go get this done professionally, and the women who actually do it. It is a fine art that not just anyone can master. Nicole MH facebook.com/TheNewsyNeighbour

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Alice Didn’t Stay

Down the Rabbit Hole Alice stumbled into Wonderland, experiencing fear and disorientation as she fell down the long tunnel, after she decided to follow the White Rabbit. When she realized the fall was slow, she started looking around and discovered the walls are covered in cupboards, bookshelves, maps and paintings. Exploring her surroundings led to the discovery of some ridiculous, silly creatures and behaviours. Her literal minded reactions to the impossible were considered absurd, even laughable, but they provided coping mechanisms. Following media reports, I’m of the opinion that many Albertans feel like Alice. They are frightened, disoriented and unsure of what lies ahead. It is a strange reality that transports us to worlds where we consume and interact with everything in new ways. Processing it has minds going in many directions. Brian Tracy, an entrepreneur/ author/speaker said “The key to success is to focus our conscious minds on things we desire not things we fear.” A lot of attention is being paid to the impact of oil and gas prices on the economy. One gets the impression that Premier Notley and the NDP caucus created the current fiscal chaos that problems are restricted to Alberta, and only by removing this democratically elected government will any solutions appear. It is time to recognize the current status is due to a long, slow fall down a tunnel started decades ago. Universally, people are so focused on local occurrences they fail to notice things taking place elsewhere. Alberta has the third largest oil reserves after Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. A look at what is taking place in those countries broadens one’s understanding of the current global crisis. Saudi Arabian oil minister Ali Al-Naimi told a packed crowd at the IHS CERA Week Energy conference in Houston in February that anyone depending on the production of high-priced gas and oil is in for a tough time. Oil represents only 4% of government finances in Dubai, yet they like other Arab sheikdoms are shuffling their government and seeking new ways to innovate for the future. In February, Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, announced the first rise in petrol prices in 20 years and a sharp devaluation of the currency in efforts to shore up the flailing economy, hard hit by falling oil prices. This makes up 95% of government income. Prices at the pump rose over 6000%. Things look pretty good here at home in comparison. Alberta has strength in several industry sectors. Although other sectors exist, decisions made by the previous governing party to rely on high oil and gas royalties did not create a diverse economic base. Now confirmation bias prevents many from acknowledging this. Governments, despite illusions and efforts, cannot direct or control the future nor create jobs. A misguided belief that they possess this power prevents the majority from moving forward and developing their own economy. Author Tyler Cowen provides a provoking take on harnessing technology, embracing multitasking, and opening our minds to “neurodiversity” in order to create happier, richer personal economies in his book Create Your Own Economy:

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The Path to Prosperity in a Disordered World. It is time to assume individual responsibility for determining our future. The outcomes experienced are dependent on attitudes formed from feelings that evolve from thoughts. Those we hang around with and chose to listen to influence those thoughts. If different outcomes are desired, changes are required to the way things are done. Alice triumphed when she quit listening to the nonsense that was occurring. She responded to the Queen’s cry at the Knave’s trial: “sentence first — verdict afterward,” with “Stuff and nonsense! Who cares for you? You’re nothing but a pack of cards!” She took control of her life by shattering and scattering the absurdity of her situation. It is time to quit blaming others for our current situations. And time to assume responsibility for our lives and decisions, look for solutions and take advantage of opportunities. If you’re looking, you’re sure to find a way out of the tunnel.

Shaken & Stirred Marcy enjoys helping others experience the joy in life. She started Mountain Lion Leadership, in 2003. As a leadership & community advocate, she is actively involved with organizations & businesses working to aid growth and development. This is combined with a passion to see women grow both personally & professionally whatever their stage of life. Contact Marcy: marcy@mlleadership.com. Follow Marcy on Twitter @MarcyLField to my profile.

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www.methodarchitecturaldesigns.ca The Newsy Neighbour Magazine

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the sale in many different ways from book storage, pre-sale advertising, flyer delivery, book collection, pre-sorting books, set up and book sorting to clean up, recycling and anything else in between. They are as follows:

The 5 For Life Early Childhood Coalition would like to thank the following businesses for their support of our 3rd annual book sale. Grafics, Town of Strathmore, Strathmore High School, Strathmore Magnetic Signs, Strathmore Library, Strathmore AG Society, Strathmore Times, Rona, Royal Bank, No Frills, Parent Link Centre, Westmount School, Wheatland School, Sacred Heart School, Valley Dental Centre, Strathmore Home Hardware, Carseland Post Office, Central Bow Valley School, Hussar Library, Standard Coop and Rockyford Library.

5 For Life would also like to extend a special thank you to the many volunteers who contributed to

Patrick McDonald, Prabhjot Singh, Anne Paoliello, Tammy Anderson, Michael Anderson, Joan Wilton Tera Spyce, Sandra Jones, Bobbi Parkins, Kyla Parkins, Margo Sevcik (Susanne, Luke, Jake and Marika), Pat Cornett, Terri Humbke, Lynne Bailey, Jinny Haubrich, Bharbara Melanson, Lynn Anderson, Carol Lanz-Turnbull, Mary Ann Pinchbeck, Nicole Payne, Polly Balfour, Joanne Teunissen, Pat Major, Lynn Walker, Jenny Bakken, Karen Harris, Luc Harris, Zach Anderson, Luke Zachary, Sharon McFarlane, Doug Southam, Sandra Southam, Laurie Woodkey, Adrianna Kiemeny, Mike Kiemeny, Christine Kiemeny, Brenda Struiksma, Deb Taylor, Lisa Sader, Rhonda Rhys-Doering, Leanne Sauve, Joy Stewart, Chelsie Nielsen, Marion Purwins, Gail Garvin, Kay Fraser, the strong, able bodied men at Samuel Crowther Memorial Junior High School, Bruce Bishop and the Strathmore Lions and Mrs. Smith’s Grade 2/3 Montessori class at Wheatland Elementary School.

Lastly a HUGE thank you goes to each and every one who donated books to our sale. We couldn’t have done it without you! We raised over $1400.00, which will go towards the Books for Babies program as well as other 5 For Life events and initiatives in both the urban and rural areas of our county.

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• 59

Computers Are Scary!!

Do you remember the very first time you sat down in front of a computer? Do you remember the sheer terror and anticipation and the knowing that you did not have a clue as to what you were doing? I remember my children becoming very irritable after a while when they had to come get me out of some sort of computer mess I had gotten myself into—even the very simplest of tasks such as opening my email, closing a site and, “How do I turn this on again?” Don’t be ashamed to admit that your computer, in the beginning, was not your friend; it was a very scary adversary and to this day, I still call my daughter with questions and she moans and sighs as she tries to explain it to me once again. They may not know who Steve Jobs was or even how to tie their own shoelaces but, according to an authoritative new report, the average six-year-old child understands more about digital technology than a 45-year-old adult. Kids are also unafraid of computers while many older adults, who did not grow up with computers, are intimidated by them. Trust me, I love technology (we could not publish “The Newsy” without it) but I really think it is important for parents to make decisions that help their children to not literally “lose their voices”. Did you know that two decades ago, teenagers devoted their evenings to monopolizing the home telephone line, dissecting love affairs and friendships in conversations that lasted for hours? But today’s children do the majority of their remote socializing by texting or through shared photographs and videos on Facebook and other social media sites. “The millennium generation is losing its voice”. The idea that the younger generation is somehow inherently more adept at using technology is slowly taking hold. In a re-

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cent survey by John Lewis, 71 per cent of parents admitted that they consult their children for technological advice, whether that’s help online (setting up social-media profiles) or around the home (operating the TiVo). In other words, while adults are busy putting food on the table, children are becoming our technological overlords. There’s a world of difference between the Windows 95 PCs that many adults cut their teeth on and the sleek, 21st-century touch-screen devices; the latter are far more geared towards entertainment and communication, so it’s unsurprising that children spend far more time getting to grips with them than timestarved parents. Many parents are under the belief that technology and gadgets are essential for a child’s development, but can you go too far? How much time should a child spend in front of a screen is a question being asked not just by worried parents, but psychologists, health organizations and even governments. I did not start this article with the intention of being loquacious, so I am going to add a few laughs and giggles to lighten the mood. I found (on the internet, of course) some of the really silly questions that the poor IT people have to deal with – enjoy!! The IT help people (I would not want this job) say after you spend a few years in this industry you realize that some questions asked by users keep recurring like bad dreams or glitches in the matrix. Luke Maciak has been very kind to list these on his website and has said feel free to print this out and share in your help desk training manuals. • Can you show me how to hack into someone’s Facebook? No! Also, shame on you. • I think some virus put all these porn websites into my browser history. Cool story, bro. • It said “do not shut down your computer” so I shut it down. Now it won’t boot. What should I do? Work on your reading comprehension. We’ll pick up the laptop for repair in the morning. The Newsy Neighbour Magazine

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Altogether Different

• How come my laptop won’t turn on when I remove the battery? Physics. • What do I need to access files on these 5 1/4 inch floppy disks? A time machine. • My Excel is broken. I literally can’t get anything!!! Press Scroll Lock. • I wrote 100 page report, then it asked me if I wanted to save and I said no. Now I can’t find it. Your computer appears to be working correctly. • Printer is jammed! Says open front cover. Open front cover. Then close it. Printer is un-jammed. • Can I use that TeamViewer software to spy on my girlfriend without her knowing? No. Also, you are a terrible person. • When I shake my laptop really hard it freezes on me. Stop shaking it. • I gave my work laptop to my two year old to play with despite you warning me not to do that and now the computer is completely destroyed. Can I have a new one? • I opened up the laptop and I tried to jam this random memory module I found into some card slot on the motherboard. It wouldn’t fit so I forced it in but it still won’t work. Also, second completely unrelated issue: laptop won’t boot up now. Yep, completely unrelated. Is it a virus? And, in closing, remember special one-on-one time spent with your children is far more important than telling them to go play with the computer or laptop or watch television because you are just too busy right now to spend quality time with them. Trust me, we have all done it!! But, hours of sedentary behaviour is linked not only to obesity, but other health problems such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke. While you’re thinking of how much time your kid is sitting down in front of a screen, do yourself a favour and just take that time for yourself and your family. Don’t fool yourself that being on Facebook all day is social. It’s vital that kids get out and interact with other children in real life and not in phony virtual worlds. It might not feel like it sometimes but children are very good at working out ways of filling their time when they have to; finding some stimulating hobbies – art, craft, fishing, sports, Lego, kites, collecting, bird watching, astronomy, cooking, museums, photography, music, gardening, etc – shouldn’t be too difficult. All us old folks know that too much of a good thing turns out badly! Kathryn Hartwell References: theguardian.com, vlaurie.com, independent.co.uk.com, terminally-incoherent.com, pcadvisor.co.uk

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• 61

ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS WHEN SELECTING A CUSTOM BUILDER Designing and building a custom home is a big undertaking, and perhaps the most important decision in the process is selecting your Custom Home Builder. When we start the custom build process, people often ask us what makes a builder “good”. The truth is that finding the right builder is much like going on a date; you need to find the right fit for you! But here are some points that we think will help you find that perfect fit:

can suck all the fun out of building. Ask questions about how the communication works with your builder. Do you have a dedicated client liaison? Can you easily access schedules, selection dates, pricing and materials selections? You want to choose a builder who values transparency and offers easy access to everything throughout your build.

Specifications

Part of communication is knowing exactly what you are going to get; “An informed homeowner is a happy homeowner.” Make sure that your builder is providing you with a detailed specification at the onset of your project - and when I say detailed, I mean detailed!! Knowing what you are getting, right down to

Reputation and Workmanship

While reputation isn’t everything, it is a good starting point. Find out how long they have been in business and how much experience they have under their belt. Check out their portfolios online, or even better, tour some of their current projects! What about aftercare? Do they belong to a new home warranty program? And always ask for references!! A good home builder will have plenty of customers who are raving fans!

Communication

The #1 complaint homeowners have with their custom home build experience is communication (or a lack thereof!). Not understanding what is happening and when it is going to happen

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the model number on the toilets, this care and attention to detail means there will be no surprises down the road.

Connection

Building a home is a big project; finding a company, and a team, that you trust and feel confident in is key to making the experience a positive one. Follow your gut. You’ll be working closely with this company, so make sure whoever you select as your builder feels right!

Price

There’s a reason this one comes last. When picking the right builder for your new home, price should really be one of the last

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considerations. As long as you know what your budget is and clearly communicate that your home builder, the right custom home builder, will be able to take your project and tailor it to your budget, providing you the best bang for your buck! I’ve heard nightmare stories about ballooning budgets and delayed schedules, but with the right custom home builder, the process of designing and building your dream home can be stress-free, and dare I say it, fun! If you’re ready to start the custom build process, or just have some questions, I’d love to chat! Provided by Heather Dougall and BrycorHomes.com

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• 63

The REPs... Guiding you over the STEPS... Of Real Estate.

Straight Line Contracting

We are... 3 REMAX horizon Real Estate Professionals ... DEDICATED to work together and licensed in Residential, Rural, Commercial, Condo. We are here to help our clients reach ALL their real estate goals. Contact us: reps.remax@ gmail.com.

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A truly customer driven company.

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Residential: • Kitchens • Additions • Bathrooms • Basement Development • Garages • Decks • New Home Construction

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With all the negative media about the Calgary real estate market the last few months, we decided to give you an indepth look at what’s happening in Strathmore’s single family detached sector according to the MLS data supplied by the Calgary Real Estate Board MLS system.

403-999-0429 www.straighlinecontracting.ca Licensed, Bonded, Insured

“I saved a man’s life once,” said Granny. “Special medicine, twice a day. Boiled water with a bit of berry juice in it. Told him I’d bought it from the dwarves. That’s the biggest part of doct’rin, really. Most people’ll get over most things if they put their minds to it, you just have to give them an interest.” ~ Terry Pratchett

Let’s go back to the last Boom (2006-2008). During this period, Strathmore saw record sales and record sale prices like it had never seen before. In the height, the median sale price was as high as $350,000 and the total number of sales peaked at 311. Now let’s look at the bust (2009-2012). During this period, Strathmore saw sale prices and a number of sales plummet. At the worst, the median sale price was $312,000 and the total number of sales was 139. Now let’s look at 2013, the median sale price was $334,900 and total sales were 186. In 2014, the median sale price was $359,900 and total sales were 249. In 2015, the median sale price was $358,000 and total sales were 169. In 2016 for the month of January the median sale price was $314,000 and sales totaled 4. In January 2015 the median sale price was $380,000 and sales totaled 9. In February 2016, as of today, February 24 when we wrote this article, the median sale price was $363,750 and sales were 6. In February 2015 the median sale price was $386,250 and sales totaled 8. February 2016 saw a significant improvement over January 2016 with the median sale price going from $314,000 to $363,750 and total sales go from 4 to 6 as of Feb 24/16. We, The Real Estate REPs at RE/MAX Realty Horizon, believe that there may be some more downward pressure on pricing and sales yet to come this year but so far the inventory remains low and we are not seeing many foreclosures, which is positive. Stay tuned for another update in the April issue. For more information, contact us at www.the-reps.ca or call 587-316-2000

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HOUSE TIPS Clean your sink with herbs.

One of the worst things about porcelain sinks is that they scuff so easily. Forget the Ajax. Instead, Linda Mason Hunter, coauthor of the book Green Clean, recommends an herbal bath. Steep several bunches of rosemary or thyme in hot water for a few hours, then strain. Top up the sink with water, pour in the mixture, and let it sit overnight. In the morning, you’ll find a glistening white sink that smells like an herb garden.

Dirty disposer.

To remove grease buildup in your garbage disposal, periodically grind a handful of ice cubes mixed with 1/2 cup baking soda. Together, the powder and cubes will safely scour the inside of the disposer. Flush any residue by plugging the sink and filling it with 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm) of water, then run the disposer while the water drains. Grind lemon peels to freshen the smell.

Seating arrangements.

Avoid the predictable seating arrangement. You know; a sofa, a pair of matching chairs, a coffee table in between… boring! The solution is elegantly simple. It’s a trick designers call the “pull-up chair’ - a non matching chair tossed into the mix to keep the arrangement looking fresh and unique.

Painting tricks.

Add architectural interest to a room. Paint the molding and the trim around windows and doors a shade or two darker than the walls, and paint the window sashes—the sliding parts that carry the glass—an even deeper shade. Guests will ask for the name of the designer you hired!

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Decorating tips.

Use bold fabric patterns in small way. A little on a footstool or accent pillows will go a long way. It won’t overwhelm and it will stand out. This is a good way to use your favourite without having to break the bank buying several yards to cover an entire couch. For large chairs, choose a small print. The chairs are dramatic enough. A small print helps balance that drama and looks more sophisticated.

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Four Steps to Being a Guilt-Free Stay-at-Home Mom or Dad

Because a Great Experience Begins with a Great Agent. TM

As your real estate agent, I am committed to providing you with the best possible real estate experience. I will oﬀer you an exceptional level of service and knowledge, whatever your real estate needs.

From government officials to everyday parents, many people have said that raising kids is the most important job any one can do.

www.carolwarawa.ca E: cwarawa@cirrealty.ca

For women or men who choose to stay home with their children, that’s reassuring. Even so, stay-at-home moms and dads often experience feelings of guilt about their decision to stay home. This is often because they think they should be using their brains more, attempting to make a difference in society, or contributing to the family income. The good news is, they can do all that and still be a stay-at-home mom or dad. Here are four steps to make the job of staying home with the kids a guilt-free success:

Carol Warawa, C.C.S, SRES

Make sure it’s a sensible option. Before committing to staying home with the kids, make sure you have all the resources you need to do the job well. First, assure yourself that it’s financially doable. Work out a budget and compare what you would be saving on expenses, such as daycare and transportation, with the money you would be making at a paying job. Next, determine whether you have the skills and traits you need to be successful, including organization, time management, conflict resolution, and patience. Another crucial resource is a support group of friends, family, and neighbours. With everything in place to make staying home with the kids a sensible option, there’s no reason to feel guilty about it.

REALTOR R

C: 403-585-5270 B: 403-291-4440 F: 403-366-6708

Clean your windows for pennies. Here’s how to whip up high powered glass cleaner for pennies. Pour 1 gallon (3.7 liters) warm water into a bucket. Add 1 cup white vinegar and 1 teaspoon grease-cutting dishwashing liquid, and then stir. If you’re cleaning a lot of large windows, apply the glass cleaner with a squeegee straight out of the bucket. Otherwise, pour the mixture into plastic squirt bottles. Easy and cheap!

BDSProperties

Providing Strathmore with beautiful rentals you would be proud to call home! Units available now apply online.

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www.bdsproperties.com thenewsyneighbour.com

Overcome guilt with productivity. Work is all about productivity, and that’s just as true for stay-at-home moms and dads. When you’re productive, there’s nothing to feel guilty about. The choice

DNC ELECTRIC

Rental Properties in Strathmore

66 •

Adopt the right mindset. As with any job, attitude can make or break your happiness and success as a stay-at-home mom or dad. If you tackle your daily tasks with confidence and a positive outlook, chances are your attitude will pay off; the days will run smoothly, you’ll feel satisfied and rewarded, and the kids will be better behaved. On the other hand, if your mind is filled with guilt about being home with the kids, the days will become onerous and dreaded. A good way to turn negativity around is to remind yourself how lucky you are to be able to have this time with your children. Of course, time away from the kids now and then helps eliminate bad attitudes and burnout.

Phone: 403.669.7170

Email: dnc.elec@icloud.com

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Re/Max Realty Horizon

Visit all of our listings & virtual tours at

www.nancystairs.com

Proud A+ Members of the Better Business Bureau! MLS®:C4050305 Strathmore, AB Beautiful Custom Home!

MLS®:C4039860 Strathmore, AB Backing onto PARK! End unit condo backing onto park and green space!!! 1151 SqFt Fully Finished Condo. Maple cabinets, great size eating area with a door to back patio and Park!! Close to schools, shopping, and much more. The condo fees are $149/Month and is run by a professional management company.

NEW PRICE! $239,900

1450 sqft bungalow with wrap around deck. Huge RV parking. 3 sided ﬁreplace between the spacious living room and large kitchen with stainless steel appliances & stone counters. 5 Bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, basement has in ﬂoor heat. New roof 2015,heated garage, Central Air, Stone Raised Flower Beds and more!

NEW LISTING! $439,900

MLS®:C4049155 Strathmore, AB Backs onto MAJOR Park!

MLS®:C4015661 Strathmore, AB 3 PROPERTIES AVAILABLE!

1245 sqft 3 bedroom, Fully Finished! Brick patio ﬁrepit area, pond, RV parking, 2.5 bath fully ﬁnished walkout condo! Single attached double 24x24 detached garage! Modern interior garage, maintenance free design. Master features his deck. 1230 sqft main level, kitchen has updated cabinets, and her closet as well as a full 4 piece ensuite. Full quartz counters & massive New Home Warranty and island 3+2 bedrooms, 3 backs onto future bathrooms. Many upgrades greenspace & park. including windows. Very quiet Can be ready by early March! neighborhood.

NEW PRICE! $339,900

is yours: you can spend the days just supervising the kids or you can structure each day with activities that produce results, such as parent-and-child classes, playgroups, cooking and craft projects, and library story times. Keep in mind that stay-at-home moms and dads aren’t just capable of being productive in the short-term; their years of work at raising kids who one day become contributing members of society is a long-term accomplishment that benefits everyone. Add to the family income the stay-at-home mom or dad way. When there’s only one income available, the way you regard and spend money can be especially important. Learning to conserve and spend wisely is key to financial health--and might be easier than you think. By using coupons, buying in bulk, din-

Sticky's Maintenance Services Travis Boersema • 403-901-9810 tboersema@yahoo.ca

• Commercial, Residential & Condos • Grass & Edge Trimming • Snow Clearing • Fall Clean-ups • Spring Clean-ups • Grass Fertilizing & Weed Control

$259,900 or $269,900

MLS®:C4048275 Strathmore, AB OPEN CONCEPT HOME!

MLS®:C4050530 Standard, AB Nice Quiet Location!

One of the largest units in Vaulted cedar ceiling, here. Walk out-central air, newer (2015) laminate end unit with double ﬂooring. Massive country attached garage. 3 kitchen with many cabinets Bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms. and 2 pantries, 3 season sun Central vac, air ﬁltration room that leads to a huge system, water softner, deck and hot tub (negotiable) storage areas, located close and landscaped backyard. to visitor parking. Close to 4 Bedrooms, 4 bathrooms. schools, rec center, New hot water tank, siding shopping, golf, and more. and shingles!

C/S

NEW LISTING! $289,900

$254,900

ing in, and avoiding nonessential purchases, for example, savvy stay-at-home moms or dads can end up saving big bucks for the family. Parents who stay home also have many home-based work options to consider, like freelancing, daycare, tutoring, and direct sales. Even volunteer work can come with financial perks, including discounts on family memberships, stipends, and tax deductions. Feelings of guilt are common for stay-at-home moms and dads. But if you choose to stay home with the kids, do yourself a favour: never underestimate the importance of the job, and give it your all. You’ll find that, while there’s always room for improvement, there’s never room for guilt. Susie Yakowicz

Stickys Maintenance Services will take care of your

COMMERCIAL, CONDOMINIUM, TOWNHOME OR MULTI-RESIDENTIAL

landscaping and snow management needs, you will enjoy personal service and proven expertise. Call us today for a custom quote! facebook.com/TheNewsyNeighbour

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Mortgage Moment with the Mortgage Mogul Available Walkout Lot In Hillcrest Manor Estates Now Building In Lakewood Meadows. show home is now open in Wildflower Ranch

Will Build To Suit!

As members of Progressive Home Warranty Solutions you can be assured that we stand behind our product!

Brian Martin 403.830.0949

trilogyhomes.ca

For years, people wishing to purchase or refinance a home have always gone to the same place…their bank. Is this the best option for everyone? Not necessarily, but it is the one alternative that most people have been aware of, or felt obligated to use...perhaps until now. In the past, mortgage brokers were often called upon in cases where the client(s) did not qualify under traditional criteria, or they needed money quickly, and hence had to borrow from a “loan shark”. While mortgage brokers still assist clients with bruised credit or other qualifying challenges, the vast majority of our clientele is made up of clients with good job stability, and excellent credit history.

Bathtub Test During a visit to my doctor, I asked him, “How do you determine whether an older person should be put in an old age home?” “Well,” he said, “we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the person to empty the bathtub.” “Oh, I understand,” I said. “A normal person would use the bucket because it is bigger than the spoon or the teacup.” “No,” he said. “A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?” 68 •

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PASSION PRIDE PURPOSE

So what are the advantages of working with a dedicated mortgage professional? Firstly (and perhaps the biggest reason for most clients), is the interest rate that can be obtained. When you go to your bank, more often than not, you will be put into the uncomfortable situation of having to negotiate with your banker for a better rate. When you work with a broker, if you qualify for the best rates (based on your credit history), you automatically get the best rates. No tied selling. No moving all of your other banking and investments to the new lender to get the better rate. And the best part…it doesn’t cost you a thing. There is no charge for our service (when working with a chartered bank or regular financial institution. Even a ¼% reduction in your interest rate, can save you thousands of dollars in unnecessary interest costs. Secondly, you have more lenders and options to choose from. When you go to your own bank, you only have access to their The Newsy Neighbour Magazine

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EQUITY LENDING

Keep Your Credit in Check During This Recession!

The Lowest Interest Rates,

GUARANTEED!! mortgage products. Mortgage brokers have access to over 30 lenders, including many of the chartered banks, so we have access to a vast array of mortgage options to suit your particular needs and goals. While there can be subtle differences, something as simple as better prepayment privileges may be a reason for choosing one institution over another. Thirdly, mortgage brokers cater to your schedule, not the other way around. Don’t you enjoy the process of calling your bank and then you are told that they can’t see you for a week or so because they are already “booked up” with appointments? Mortgage brokers will meet with you where and when you prefer, or at the very least offer you the convenience of arranging your financing via phone, fax and/or email. Generally speaking, you can be pre-approved for mortgage financing the same day you apply. Finally, mortgage specialists are able to offer their clients a more relaxed qualifying process. If you don’t happen to meet all of your banks’ criteria, they will often turn you away, whereas a broker will continue to source your application to as many lenders as required to find you the financing you require based on your personal situation. If you are looking for a change, and would like to experience the convenience and value of working with a dedicated mortgage professional, please ensure that they have their proper accreditation. As a mortgage specialist working with Axiom Mortgage Solutions, I am governed by the Alberta Mortgage Brokers Association (AMBA), and the Real Estate Council of Alberta(RECA). As always, I welcome any questions or comments you may have regarding the information contained in my articles. Until next month…this has been a Mortgage Moment with the Mortgage Mogul. Jason Eldridge

· Over 15 years mortgage lending experience · Access to over 50 lenders · Including the chartered banks · 24/7 Availability · Evening and Weekend Calls Welcome · Unlimited Accessibility · A more relaxed qualifying criteria • Self Employed Applicants • Client Applications With Less Than Perfect Credit

I WORK ON YOUR BEHALF to ensure that you receive the best interest rate possible.

PLUS, using a mortgage broker does NOT cost you any money!

Save THOUSANDS THO USANDS in

unnecessary interest!

Jason Eldridge Mortgage Specialist Cell:

PFP, B.Admin

403.630.1718

Fax: 866-708-5807 Email: jason@axiommortgage.ca

Apply Online: http://jason.axiommortgage.ca facebook.com/TheNewsyNeighbour

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Debbie Mitzner, Outstanding in her field! Based on Calgary market share.

30+ YIeTZNER ars

IE M ing DEBB Winn

403.934.5555 | 1.800.661.6262 debmitzner@gmail.com | www.debbiemitzner.com

A place in California that is completely off the grid

Want to get really get away from it all? While there are no signs leading to Slab City, you head east from Los Angeles to the desert, then south past the Salton Sea. There you will find an abandoned Marine base that travelers and locals have dubbed “The Last Free Place in America.” Slab City (“The Slabs”) is a campsite inhabited by RV users and squatters from across America. Several thousand campers use the site during the winter months before departing for cooler climates when summer temperatures reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit. However, Slab City still has 150 residents that tough it out on the slabs year round. Some “Slabbers” come to the area just to live off the grid, while

d Awar vice Ser

Each office independently owned & operated

some live off of government subsidies (SSI, Social Security and Social Security Disability) and have been driven to the area through poverty. Others just want to stretch their retirement income. Slab City gets its name from the concrete slabs that dot the region. They are what remains of Camp Dunlap, a former World War II base that was given back to the state in 1961 and subsequently dismantled. The state still owns and controls the land, and while Slabbers are considered squatters, the government leaves them alone. Slabbers have no town services – there is no running water, no electricity, no sewers or toilets and no trash pick-up services. Campers bring and use their own water and generators. Additional supplies are purchased in nearby Niland, about 4 miles west of The Slabs. www.oddee.com

A-PLUS Developments Inc.

“Strathmore’s Finest”

Serving Strathmore & Area since 1990

Roofing ~ Siding ~ Eaves & Custom Cladding HAIL & WIND DAMAGE SPECIALISTS WCB ~ Insured

FREE ESTIMATES Call Jeff (Roofer by Trade)

403-934-6337 24 Hours

www.aplusdevelopments.net 70 •

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A-Plus Developments comes Highly recommended by Local builders! The Newsy Neighbour Magazine

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3 MONTHS

Triple Car Garage Homes starting from $459,000

Visit Our Showhome

72 Lakes Estates Circle, Strathmore Lakes Estates Showhome Hours: Saturday - Sunday 12:00 - 5:00pm

Take your next trip on us through Airmiles Reward Miles! Refer a client and earn a referal bonus on a completed transaction.

For more information call 403.917.0780

``Inspired Homes for Inspired Living``

Strathmore Chestermere Calgary Airdrie luxuriahomes.ca facebook.com/TheNewsyNeighbour

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Carey Rose Debbie Enslen Hayley Poirier

The MARKET has

CHANGED!

Please call the Real Estate REPs to discuss your options as a BUYER or SELLER!!

Adult Community 3 Bdrm, 2 Bath, unobstructed views, enclosed deck $99,900

Country Home on 4 Acres, NEW 30’x40’ Shop, Short commute to Calgary or Strathmore $634,900

Fully Finished 4 Bdrm Bungalow in Hillview. NEW SS Appliances, Gorgeous Media & Games Room $409,900

BUILD your DREAM HOME! Gentle Rolling Hills AND a Creek, all on 13 Acres with Utilities at the property line $169,900

3 Bdrm Bungalow on 40 Acres with a Shop & Riding Arena. Easy Commute to Calgary

MAINTAINED & UPDATED home with REAL VALUE! New Kitchen, Floors and Windows, Detached Garage $179,900

Bachelor Style Suite in a Secure Building, Close to shopping, schools, professional offices

Immaculate Bungalow LOADS of Upgrades, Walkout Basement with Suite Option

MOVE-IN READY! Cathedral Ceilings, 4 Bdrms., 3 Baths, U/G Sprinklers, RV Parking

Completely remodeled home on 4 Acres w/ 24’x30’ Garage AND 32’x40’ Shop, Short commute $699,900

Immaculate raised Bungalow, 5 Bdrms., 3 Baths, Fully Developed, backing field/trees

Walkout Bungalow with SS appliances, Granite, Fireplace, Hardwood, Custom Shelves, large fenced yard $478,800

Family home on quiet street backs onto green space. Kitchen with granite. Hardwood, tile and cork flooring. 3 + 2 Bdrm, 3 Bath. $434,950

VALUE! IMMEDIATE POSSESSION! 3 Bdrm ground floor condo. Stainless appliances & Granite counters. Parking stall. $214,900

FULLY DEVELOPED! 3 Bdrm, 4 Baths Townhouse. Open concept. 2 Parking stalls.

10 ACRES! 2 LARGE HOMES! Heated Shop. Large Quonset, Big Barn, Corrals, Double Garage, Mature Trees. $599,900

D L SO

$279,900

AMAZING HOME! 1565 Sqft., 5 Bdrm, 2.5 Baths, Finished Bsmt., Hardwood, Fireplace, $424,875

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$440,000

$237,900

BUNGALOW …. 1470 Sqft. Main Floor. 3 Bdrm, 2.5 Baths. Finished Bsmt. Fireplace. Fenced yard. Big Family and Games area

$380,000

thenewsyneighbour.com

$420,000

363 Boulder Creek Cr Langdon, AB

D L SO

NEW Carpeting, Central A/C, Kinetico Water Softener, 3 Bdrms, Upper Level Laundry Rm, Fireplace $409,000

$449,900

$69,000

D L SO

Modern 2-Story with UPSCALE features, BONUS Rm backing Golf Course $679,900

The Newsy Neighbour Magazine

240 First Ave Strathmore, AB

LD O S LD O S

B324 – 4TH AVENUE STRATHMORE $195,000

#10 707 WESTMOUNT DRIVE STRATHMORE $123,500

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