Jarro Formulas Product Review

After writing my last post  on the benefits of probiotics I was contacted by Jarro Formulas to review more products! "Why of course!" was my reply and off I went to search Jarro Formulas convenient web page  http://www.jarrow.com/ to decide which products I would like to try. 

Granted my list was rather large. My first request was Milk Thistle which is great for liver function. Now who couldn't use a little liver function support these days? 

I'm always looking for new medicinal ways I can farm some of the herbs and crops that grow wild on our farm in Indiana. Milk Thistle grows WILD on our 20 acres. We lease a majority of the land to a local farmer during the summer. The parts that are not being leased grow wild with Thistle. I was once told that it is illegal to grow this weed  near sustainable crops. 

Click here if you would like to read about how I discovered this weed on our farm.http://hollywoodfarmfilms.blogspot.com/2008/08/blast-its-hunting-season-wailing-cows.html Who knew this  weed was good for liver function? However, this was not the product that Jarro Formulas sent for me to review, (you can bet I will be ordering some soon.) 

The product that Jarro Formulas did send for me to review was

http://www.jarrow.com/product/492/Sleep_Optimizer> .

Just  look at the ingredients in this homeopathic all natural sleep aide, they speak for themselves. Yes that is Tryptophan you are seeing and you won't have to eat a Thanksgiving turkey to get it into your blood stream. It's all here in JArro Formulas SLeep Optimizer.

Ever have the need to give your 22 year old child a reasonable bedtime?   Give them a Jarro Formulas Sleep Optimizer and call it a restful sleep for you all. 

As I mentioned in a previous post, be sure to check all medications prescribed  before combining them with any medicinal herbs. 

CAUTION TO THOSE WHO TAKE THYROID MEDICATION, LEMON BALM HAS A DEADLY COUNTERACTION WITH  medications prescribed for thyroid condition. 

Lemon Balm is an ingredient in this product.

The package suggest taking two capsules, as I did originally. I found that the Melatonin dosage was a little to high for me. If you didn't already know, too much melatonin can have an adverse reaction.  One capsule was enough to ensure that I had a  restful sleep. On the nights that I know I'll be unable to saw logs for more than 3 hours, The Jarro Formulas Sleep Optimizer not only put me to sleep fast, it also allowed me to sleep sound. I'm no longer having sleep troubles. 

 There are a few  ingredients found in  Jarrow Formulas Sleep Aide that are also some of the ingredients that I use while blending Hollywood Farm's very first medicinal tea we call, Sundowner Blend. Click here to see how we harvest and make the tea on the farm. 

http://hollywoodfarmfilms.blogspot.com/2011/12/medicinal-tea-from-hollywood-farm.html   Hollywood Farm Sundowner Blend will be available  soon at The Good Earth in Broad Ripple Indiana this summer. 

http://www.good-earth.com/

  The other  product Jarro Formulas Sent over were Chewable Probiotics tabs for my children. 

Getting my children to take their probiotics has never been a struggle for me. I admit that one of 3 of my Littles DOES refuse to chew the other named brand chewable probiotic  I've been giving them over the past 2 years.  The Yum-Yum dophlilus are chewable and  naturally flavored and the kids love them! I certainly will be switching to Jarrow Formula Yum- Yum dophilus in the future. 

That said I will be looking to Jarrow Formulas for all of my future needs when it comes to finding the right supplements and vitamins  to give to my family. Go to http://www.jarrow.com/  to choose what products are best for your family.

Probi-what-ics?

"You should start giving your kids, probiotics in the morning. My kids haven't been ill for over two years!" Said the mother who believes in the benefits of probiotics.

"Oh, I don't believe in giving my kids medicine at a young age." Said the mother whose 3 children miss school weekly due to snotty noses, coughs. The same mommy who also keeps an extra large sized bottle of children's cold medicine on her weekly grocery list.  

The benefits of probiotics are sweeping the nation. It's not easy to convince someone to digest fermented bacteria to  help keep away all of the disgusting bacterias that fly around our children at school, and on the door knobs, and bathroom stalls.  If you are like me, you'll want to protect them from all of these germs, and Honey, that bottle of hand sanitizer is not going to do it all by it's self!     

http://www.jarrow.com/product.php?prodid=227 

Click here to order your own batch and watch the kids runny noses disappear.

This quick Wikipedia description may be the cause of alarm to some.  

 Probiotics are live microorganisms thought to be beneficial to the host organism. According to the currently adopted definition by FAO/WHO, probiotics are: "Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host".^[1] Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria are the most common types of microbes used as probiotics; but certain yeasts and bacilli may also be used. Probiotics are commonly consumed as part of fermented foods with specially added active live cultures; such as in yogurt, soy yogurt, or as dietary supplements.


The words, 'live microorganisms' and 'fermented bacteria', could be the terms causing such an uproar. Don't be alarmed! I'm hear to comfort you. 


DON'T BE AFRAID OF PROBIOTICS!! My kids open the capsules and pour them into their mouths and THEY HAVEN'T FALLEN OVER DEAD YET!! In fact, they have been the only ones with perfect attendance. Strep throat swept the hallways of school this year and last year. My children were one of the few kids that attended  class while the majority of their classmates missed days, weeks, months of school at a time. 


For the past 2 years I have been giving my kids a daily dose of probiotics and 
I kid you not, they have not caught ANY OF THE AIR BORNE ILLNESSES FROM SCHOOL, TRAVEL, OR PUBLIC PLACES FOR TWO YEARS! 


It's pretty much a no brainer. Probiotics, is the 'GOOD' bacteria, that kicks the 'BAD' bacterias ass! Still not believing? Ok, here is what helped my kids understand.  You know the watery stuff on top of the brand new yogurt container that YOU JUST OPENED?  NO...DON'T POUR IT OUT!! Drink it! This is the exact same stuff that is in the the small capsules that I shove down my kids throats once a day. Don't have a kid who likes to swallow gel tabs? Then try the chewable tabs.  I wouldn't steer you in the wrong direction, so stop waisting money on all of that cough syrup. (I haven't bought any in over 2 years,) Stop those runny noses, and contagious illness from keeping your kids away from the education they need. AND GET ON THE PROBIOTIC TRAIN!! 



Which ones to buy? There are several types of probiotics out there. I highly suggest that the probiotics with the most number of, ' LIVE CULTURES' . I prefer Jarro-Dophilus+FOS with 3.4 billion LIVE CULTURES PER CAPSULE. My seven and eight year old love these, but my 6 year old won't swallow a pill so for him I choose AMERICAN HEALTH .
 All in all , if it doesn't need to be refrigerated....DON'T BUY IT!! Its the 'LIVE' cultures we are looking for here. They will stay alive in the fridge! 


Good luck and please don't be afraid! Your kids will love them, and you will LOVE KEEPING THEM IN SCHOOL and not at home disturbing you during your only time to blog!

Medicinal Tea From Hollywood Farm

Time to make another batch of my famous Sundowners Blend Tea

Thank you to The Good Earth in Broad Ripple Indiana http://www.good-earth.com/   who offered to carry 2 pounds of my homemade tea that I call, Sundowners Blend. I've been brewing this tea for myself for years. Not being one for taking pharmaceutical medication to calm my nerves, (even though my nerves need to be constantly calmed).  The tea kettle  is always warming within arms reach with my Lemon Balm Tea, helping me to stay calm while cooped up with the children in the farmhouse for months during the long winter season.  My tea has recently received positive attention by those who've also benefited from it's calming effects. 

I read somewhere that drinking a cup of Lemon Balm tea a day will ensure for a long and healthy life. In the 1900 century Lemon Balm was used as a mild form of Valium. It has many medicinal other purposes. One can rub the leaves on the skin to repel insects. It will also help reduce a high fever. It has helped me battle some high fevers on the LIttles in the past. It has a lemon scent, yet does not taste like lemon at all. Sadly if you have thyroid condition or are not sure if your thyroid levels are in sync, or on any kind of medication to treat a thyroid condition: 

DO NOT USE LEMON BALM

 EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO COMBINE WITH LEMON BALM!

I chose the name 'Sundowners Blend' because it is a term used to describe the time of day when it is more agitating for those who suffer from dementia. The tea has helped my father in law who suffers from Alzheimer's during this particular time.  It has also helped my aunt who occasionally has sleepless nights. Also my uncle who is a professional musician and tours often drinks it after a performance. He says it helps him sleep on the bus. 

Our Cascade Hops were in full bloom this summer. 

Sadly we were not home so this years harvest wasn't as abundant as last years shown above.

We planted the hop vines several years before they started to bloom. Last season we returned to the farm in time to harvest the hops before they dried out. We made a batch of beer that was absolutely amazing. This year the vine grew extensively along the fence and was probably gorgeous while it was in full bloom. Yet upon our return from our vacationing in Venice Beach, they were all dried out.  I saved as much as I could and ground them up and added them to Lemon Balm. 


Next Ingredient I combine the hops is Lavender. This is the one ingredient I've yet to grow on the farm.  Lavender thrives in the neighborhood we live in now! I may try to  get a few plants started here in pots.   

Littles famous past time.
Harvesting Hops last summer for dough!

During the Civil War,  hops were used as a sedative and were stuffed inside the  pillows  of  wounded soldiers to help keep them calmed by the aroma. Brewed in hot water, or even chewed alone, the leaves have an awful bitter taste. Blended with the right aromatic herbs camouflages the bitterness. I add to the tea blend a large amount of chamomile and I found adding a vanilla based cream used to flavor  my tea, softens the blow of the bitter hop. But the sedative effect will help you sleep like a baby! I add a tremendous amount of lavender so that the lavender aroma is stronger than the bitterness of the Hop. The lavender also provides a calming effect unlike no other herb. 

I harvested the lemon balm in October upon my returned 

 to film R6 at Roctober. http://shleegyrocks.blogspot.com/

The Lemon Balm was sufficiently dried when 

we came home for the Holiday

Chamomile is also an ingredient that is included in the Sundowners Blend. We grow chamomile on the farm, but not by choice. It grows wild all through out the property and probably has been doing so for centuries. It must be harvested while the flowers are in bloom. This is how the aroma of the chamomile flower is captured. This year I had to order my chamomile for the Sunny Valley Country Store in Liberty Kentucky.http://www.yelp.com/biz/sunny-valley-country-store-liberty It is also where I bought the Damiana.

I bought this Damiana as a replacement to the lemon balm. A friend very close to me has a thyroid condition and I was determined to make some tea that they could RELAX and enjoy. Damiana is a medicinal herb used for depression and anxiety. It has also been know to be an aphrodisiac.


As with all medicinal herbs please advise your Dr. before combing with any medications. 

Thankful For 10 Years Of Bliss & Admiration

As I sit here and watch my youngest daughter pull her own pumpkin from the ground I am overwhelmed with thankfulness. We celebrated ten years of mairrage this year. Looking out at our beautiful farm as the littles trample about within their own realm. I'm thankful for the direction the Lord has chosen for my life. I'm thankful for the health and happiness that each one of my four children find within their own hearts. I'm thankful for a family whose blood bonds us thicker than water.  I'm especially thankful for the family I married into that bond may not be by blood, whose love is equally as strong.  I look at my love, my soul mate, the one that God had chosen for me before I even knew myself. Especially after reading a sweet note he so thoughtfully expressed his love for me, I'll forever wear on my heart. Just as I do the earth of this farm.

I am truly thankful for you, Matthew my love.  I love and adore you for life! Get on that plane and come home to me! Thank you for this special note, It made my last 10 years!

                    

                    I love

                    By Matthew Shaver 

The almond shape of the deep brown windows to her soul.

The wit of the writings I wait for her to finish.

To imagine the dimple of her right cheek was   there at four

Lost in the berry bushes of Oregon long before

The "genetic mutant"  (I say this as earnest compliment)

bore three more with their own three sets of almonds.

Through her not from her the ink will say

 But nay for without her there is not "they" 

 I love most by her side

 whether for an Oscar movie or simple RV ride.

The Bee's Knees Peonies

Our short time at our farm this year was a much needed rest to the busy life we led in the city over the winter of 2010. While in LA , it came to my attention that there is a market for Peonies. Being a native to California, I was MESMERISED by the beauty and fragrance of the Peonies that were growing wild on our farm in Indiana we call Hollywood Farm. I immediately tried to plant some the next  spring  in hopes that they would come up the following season. I eagerly awaited for their budding heads to emerge from the ground once the earth has thawed. 

THEY NEVER  SPROUTED. So year after  year, I would enviously gaze at the surrounding farms and their wild peonies.  Year after Year, I would watch the neighbors Peony buds emerge, knowing where each one would arrive.   Last winter when were in LA, I  was not able to be entertained by the Peony reentry into society, and somewhat  became obsessed about missing it. So I began to visit all of the high end florists in Calabasas, Santa Monica, Hollywood, including all of the farmer's markets and gathered a small clientele.  I offered  a handful of designers an opportunity to choose rare  peonies to put into the ground. I was met with a great response to my request and went back to the farm with the hope of putting 200 plants in the ground.  

That is exactly what I ALMOST did. I went online and  found a great selection at  American Meadows. I ordered 20 Peony plants and I had the perfect patch of land to put them. A patch of land that would allow the sun to adore the peony allowing them to thrive and produce a magnitude of buds for the next 100 years. http://www.americanmeadows.com/http://www.americanmeadows.com/     

The day I decided to plant them just so happened to be one of the hottest days of the year. There were a couple of weeks where temperatures were over 100. It was a very humid, muggy, it was a hot sticky mess. Local farmers were concerned that their crops may have become  unsustainable.  I started farming early, and did not look up until each root was in the ground. I started at 10 AM, and ended at 3PM. Mind you there was tilling involved, and digging, and coffee breaks, and 3 Little's to look after. 

Once the Peonies were in the ground I took the kids to eat. Immediately after we ate, I was struck with an internal bacterial infection and could not leave my bed for 7 days straight. WIth my husband off in Hollywood shooting movies, I was alone with the kids to tend to their every need as well as my current ailments.  Having family and friends  help take over my farm chores was hard enough, I didn't want to add the watering of the peonies also, which would required one to go down into our scary basement to get to the water source. 

The Peonies were not watered for 4 days in 100 degree weather. I thought for sure I was doomed and had just waisted the money, time and effort to get them in the ground. 

The first time I had a chance to go out to the field to check on them I held my breath waiting for the wave of disappointment to cover me. To my surprise they had sprouted. ALL 20 OF THEM,!! 

They all have sprouted and were thriving. They were happy, they were alive!! They made it!!!!! They would be here for the next 100 years! The Peonies that American Meadows sent were handled with care and love, and I will not stop ordering from American Meadows until I have the 200 peonies in the ground. Hopefully leaving a little business to offer to my kids once they are older. 

What Was I Thinking

Ok therapy is definitely in order! Why you ask?

Well, for one......I have finally come to terms with the fact that I AM AN ANGELONIAN!!! Born and raised, and bred. An Angelonian is a person WHO LIVES IN LA!!

Long story short, we RUSHED LIKE A BAT OUT OF HELL, to get back to farm as soon as the snow melted. When we arrived, all the joy of living in a peaceful small farm town came to light. I began gardening again, putting 20 Peony bushes in the ground to sell one day. The kids completed all of their summer camps, we began to work on the house and the documentary film of course with my FABULOUS BAND R6. If you don't know what I am talking about go here http://shleegyrocks.blogspot.com/. Everything was PEACHy KEEN!

Until my husband NEVER CAME HOME! No,

he didn't leave me, and no there isn't another woman, he was actually booked on a full-length feature film that would take him away from the home for 6 weeks. A great opportunity for our family, for him, for us as film makers. He is working with the best in the business, and we couldn't be prouder. The movie is called He Loves Me.

My husband was invited by the directors Jon Dayton and Valerie Faris, whose first film was Little Miss Sunshine. More info on them here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Dayton_and_Valerie_Faris There are major stars on the film. Honey has been working along side great talent such as Annette Bening and Antonio Banderas. More info about the films release here

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1839492/

Since the films production started we've been spending the last three weeks staying in Venice Beach so we can be near the rock of this family when he comes home from work every night.

While here in Venice, living in the city where we courted each other, way before the Little's came into our lives, I have to say it has been WONDERFUL TO BE BACK.

Finally, without getting clubbed over the head, the question came to me. The same question that everyone else in the family has been asking for 5 years,

I HAVE A HUSBAND WHO WORKS IN LA WHILE I AM LIVING IN INDIANA.......why is SANS HELL am I living apart from him? I've been living in la la land on the farm for five years having the time of my life living a recluse life out int he middle of no man's land. Granted its a great place to raise the kids, but in all actuality, the greatest way to raise the kids is by us ALL BEING TOGETHER!! So as you guessed.......we are moving back to LA. I have to break up with farm life. OFFICIALLY! Peonies, chickens and hound dog dreams will have to be kept safe here in this blog to remember all of the great times we've had living the Beverly Hill Billy life. I'll always be a farm girl at heart, and thankfully we will still have a farm to retire to. I'm fortunate to have had this fabulous life, and saddened to leave the people I have grown so close to. But I must go where my man is. The man I love tremendously and want to be near to wake him in the middle iof the night when he stops snoring, and feed him well when he comes home after a hard day of work, and squeeze him

WHENEVER I WANT TO! Best of all, he can be the disciplinary in this circle of children we are rearing. I am so thankful for him and all of the blessing that come with being his one and only true love! I'm truly blessed to have such an amazing man in my life and I'll be by his side until the end of time.

Bitter Sweet Welcome Home

After escaping one of the worst winters in decades in Indiana we returned to the farm. In a haste we left before the school year was over to get the kids enrolled in their summer camps, and to get the hounds back to the country and hunting vermin where they belonged. They were ecstatic to get back to the smells of Hollywood Farm. Two days upon our return at 7pm, the tornado sirens started blaring. This was the first time in my 5 years of living on the farm that I've EVER heard the sirens. They didn't turned off after a minute, and this wasn't a Friday afternoon test. I received a text from a friend and neighbor, 'Welcome home! Get in the basement!" A week earlier Joplin MO was wiped off the map by a mile wide tornado. I brought the children to the basement and set up a cozy corner on the dank, damp 100 year old cement floor. (This house HAD to have been used as an underground railroad!) It took some coaxing, but the hounds were also in the basement, with a cozy pillow & snacks all to themselves. (Daddy was working in Hollywood doing what he does.) We stayed int he basement until I received clearance via text by a neighbor whose daughter is a meteorologist. We went on with our night, the Little's tucked away in the guest room, hounds on my bedroom floor, and a sleepless night of my peering out the windows in search of something that never appeared.

The next day...the severe thunderstorm alert texts began, this time they had the words, TORNADO warning included. The Little's, the hounds and I stayed indoors. ALL DAY!! At 5 o'clock I fed the hounds in their perceptive rooms then let them out to go potty. I saw Abbey trot across the back yard with her tail in the air, sure to find a great spot in the tall grass. Rounder was off in the other direction, I went indoors to feed the rest of the family. That was the last time I saw the hounds. Later that night, after screaming their names at the top of my lungs out every window of this farm house, I heard the tornado sirens going off again. S#%! F*%! DAMN!! Where are the hounds? WHERE ARE THE HOUNDS????!!! I stared at the car keys contemplating going out to look for them! We did not. We stayed in the basement for 4 hours that night. Buckling down waiting for the clearance text, and praying for our puppies.

Heart broken I'm unable to write the rest of the story, our dear friend and personal Dog Whisperer Maggie honored our hounds in her blog; http://maggiesdoggodstories.blogspot.com/2011/06/when-door-closes.html .

Please do me the favor in honoring the memory of our hounds,

BY CLICKING ON ONE OF THE AD'S AT

http://maggiesdoggodstories.blogspot.com/ ONCE A WEEK! PLEASE!!!!

Every click helps. They could use the support after all of the great work they've done rescuing, rehabilitating, and training animals.

Thank you Maggie and Larry, you helped the sting of the loss feel a little bit better.

Here is the damage caused by the storm that night 2 miles away.

A week later Rusty jumped out in front of my husband's car. Skin and bones, lacerated and bee bee shot. He hasn't left my sight since.

Howwwwl Are We Gonna Get Out Of Here????

http://thatsmyhounddog.blogspot.com/

LA Life In A Nut Shell Snowbird 2011

Instead of battling snowdrifts and black ice, my drive to work has it's perks.

I Went back to work in commercial production (will post spots once they air).

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, working. Found a nice college grad to help with the business and babies. (He doesn't laugh at my Manny jokes.)

He just happens to be a musician too and would love to share his music once I get the big OK from him!

II I have been helping my honey grow his business. While working back on set I've been scouting for future operators; green bee's to train to do what my husband does.

III Working on the documentary film 24/7, building a crew, researching new equipment. Husband bought the business a Cannon 5D Mark II that we will use on the doc. I've been putting together a shoot schedule for when we return to the farm this summer; prepping for another benefit concert, tour, and interviews.

IV Volunteering at kids school three times a week. I love the kids. I love assisting the teachers. I love being a staple figure in the school. I love that all of the teachers know who I am and that my kids are in a wonderful loving environment.

Hear ye, hear ye, I DON'T DO FIELD TRIPS!

V Nuisance neighbor who hasn't been working. Please pray that she gets work, all of you who pray. If she gets a job she will get her nose out of our business. She has placed complaints regarding the hound, who howls only when she passes the house with her little ratty dog that looks like a puffy-haired skunk. Ever since her aggressive morning visit the first day we moved here, our dogs sense her tension and go berserk when she is around.

(Please pray that she gets work!! )

VI Having plentiful romantic dates and free time with my boyfriend and father of my children on a weekly basis.

While I am still missing the farm and all of the great people back in Greenfield, I am not missing the sub degree temps. I keep getting weather alerts on my phone and so far this year my kids would've had a handful of snow days that would have certainly driven me KOO KOO banana's. Instead I had two weeks of driving along the coast to work everyday with kisses by angels along the way.

So I'm Blogging For The Dog Now?

http://thatsmyhounddog.blogspot.com/

Help Keep Our Kids Off The Streets Feed A Family

There was a knock on our door today. Two young children ages 6-8 were selling decorative pine cones. 3 sparkly Christmas colored pine cones wrapped in a plastic bag for a dollar each. I looked up and down the street to look for a guardian that is usually attached to the sight I was gazing upon. The guardian who usually explains where the funds were going, and how the kids would benefit from the sale. Looked to my left and looked to my right. There was no parent any where in sight. As my heart began to flutter I ran into the house to grab 5 one dollar bills. As we were exchanging dollars for cones I asked,

"Where is mommy?" they pointed to a small red truck and said. "Our dad is in the truck. Are you a Christian?"

Touched by the sweet girls inquiry I responded.

"Yes I am, and I think God brought you to our house today because my kids used to gather pine cones from the 100 year old tree at our farm. This year they couldn't since we moved away. So thank you for bringing these by!"

They scurried off to the next house as I shouted in a matronly manner, "Don't go into anybodies homes!" I then scurried off to my bedroom and started to cry my eyes out. I couldn't help assuming that their out of work father sitting in the truck whom was feeling so humiliated sending his kids off to fetch the daily dollar. I was compelled to meet this person.

I wiped my tears and walked to the truck. I knocked on the window interrupting the tall thin man reclined in the drivers seat talking on the phone facing the opposite direction. Which means he was not watching his sweet children as they went door to door. I saved my judgment for the blog and knocked on the window.

"Excuse me, Are those your children? Are you familiar with this neighborhood? " He told his caller to hold and nervously chuckled.

"Ha ha, yes their mine. They made the pine cones with their Grandma." Again with the unanswered question as I eyeballed his kids rounding the bend out of sight.

"Are you familiar with this neighborhood? I'm new to this neighborhood and haven't yet let my ki...."

The dad still on the phone told his caller to hold and slightly rolled his eyes.

"We live across the road. They made 20 bucks yesterday." He answered.

I persisted still eyeballing the now missing kids.

"So sorry to pry, I'm a little concerned, I've a few ham steaks that my kids won't eat would you like some?" The look on his face finally caught up with my brain and he nodded in silence accepting my offer.

I ran back to my house just as I noticed his kids round the bend from up the hill. I packed a bag of groceries, carrot packages, juice boxes, mac&cheese and a couple of frozen ham steaks. I walked them to the truck and without catching his sorrowful glaze I simply rested them in the back of the pick up.

"Thank you!" came from the cab as I walked back to my house.

My two smallest kids ages 4 and 6 watched the whole interaction. You see when we lived out in the country, there were no door to door salesmen, or children for that matter. Even the Jehovah Witness drove to the farm. They were shocked and immediately asked me why the kids came to our house.

"Because their father does not have a job and he's putting his kids to work to collect dinner money. (Sorry the assumption had to turn into a lesson somehow.)

"Aren't you glad your dad works hard so that you don't have to put yourself in danger going door to door selling pine cones to strangers?"

They both shook their heads in agreement.

I can't help thinking about those kids. I pray for them as they raise money for their household in such a desperate fashion. We are so thankful. That we are!

Please find a family to sponsor during this holiday season and all year. Help keep the kids off the streets!!

Here are a few organizations around our country that you may consider supporting.If you don't see a link that benefits your town then google it baby!!

Thank you!

http://www.createthegood.org/hunger/organize?CMP=KNC-360I-GOOGLE-CTG&HBX_PK=feed_hungry&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=feed%2Bhungry&utm_campaign=G_Hunger&360cid=SI_175915518_6828302017_1

http://www.feedthechildren.org/site/PageServer?pagename=dotorg_homepage

http://www.jimbonham.com/LFP.html South Carolina

http://www.volunteermatch.org/search/opp314054.jsp

Comedy Improv Class Builds Kids Self Esteem

We enrolled our 7 year old in an improv comedy class in Studio City. The school offers classes for all ages. We've found Studio LOL has played a huge roll in building Madeline's self esteem. If your looking for a fall camp or winter camp to enroll your kids in this year Studio LOL offers a space fro everyone!

http://www.StudioLOL.com/

I asked Studio LOL's instructor and founder Katy Kraus about the how beneficial a class like this is towards child development.

We believe that our classes do a wonderful job of encouraging creative thinking, spontaneity, teamwork, courage, and of course performance skills. The material is challenging in just about every way imaginable. It's quite intimidating for a child to get on a stage and "be funny" on command. By jumping in to such a challenging task, the students are able to face a fear and learn a lot in the process. We mask these lessons with games and exercises that are full of playfulness and laughter. We've seen this approach pull even the shyest of students out of their shell.

Ryan and I opened Studio LOL because we saw a demand for a creative place for kids to learn the basics of improv that we had been studying for years. There are so many programs out there for kids. There are sports programs, academic programs, and even performance programs. But we felt that there was nothing being offered that encouraged growth in all of these areas at the same time. Also, it seems we were able to create our dream job. We combined our two favorite things- children and comedy. We feel so fortunate to get up and teach comedy every day.

At age 17, I moved to New York City and studied film acting at The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. I continued my improv studies at The Peoples Improv Theatre, The Upright Citizens Brigade, and Chicago City Limits in Manhattan. While living in New York, I started teaching some basic improv classes in public and private schools throughout the city. My specialty was school assemblies for up to 600 students at a time. This is where I began to see the impact that these skills could have on young children. In 2006 I moved to Los Angeles where I performed at various comedy venues as an improviser. I continued to study and perform at The Groundlings School, UCB LA, Complex Comedy, and The Hollywood Improv. I also worked as an actress in various film and television projects, most notably in many national commercials and in a TV pilot titled "You're So Dead!" In the meantime, I worked as a professional nanny for many years in New York and Los Angeles. I worked for a few years as a full-time cheerleading, dance, and gymnastics coach for girls ages 4 to 16. I also went back to school to study the science of child development, and sought to apply it to the various work I was doing with children. Studio LOL opened in June of 2010 and I have been operating the school full-time ever since.

My goal for Studio LOL is to first see our original location grow into a community of young people who study and perform on a regular basis. There is nothing ilke seeing a group of children encourage each other in a supportive environment. Improv comedy lends itself to terrific social bonding, and I look forward to the time when our "LOL Family" feels like a home away from home for our students. Next, I'd love to see our community grow as we branch out into other parts of Los Angeles. We opened in Studio City because it has been my home for many years and I am quite partial. But we've had lots of requests for a beach-side location and I look forward to fulfilling those requests and spreading the laughter.

:)
--
-Katy

A Writers Work Is Never Done

Since the move I have been diving into my work. The kids are in school all day and I've been reviewing hours of footage previously shot in Indiana.

I'm making a deal with myself. No more blogs entries until I'm finished with my current project. We all know that documentaries take years to shoot. I'm gathering footage on a constant basis. Last month I left the kids with daddy, (along with tickets to the what I called "The Celebrity Pumpkin Patch" here in Calabasas), and traveled with the band to Liberty Kentucky.

Capturing more amazing performance footage of the kids and the surrounding Amish country, which was GORGEOUS! You'll have to wait for the film to see the rest.

Remington is 10 years old. My Uncle Kelly who is the drummer for Night Ranger is floored at these kids talent. Watch Remy rip it on the skins. To learn more about the documentary film and for a sneak peak at some more footage go here. http://shleegyrocks.blogspot.com/

It's been the time of my life working with these kids. My heart has been literally BREAKING being so far away from them. I'm counting the days until I return to my beloved farm this summer so we can pick up where we left off and throw another benefit concert.

If you know me well enough you also know that I'm not comfortable in my skin unless I am doing 12 different things......all at the same time.

This past week I had a meeting with a dear friend who is also an AMAZING AND BRILLIANT ARTIST. She has just published her first children's book

http://blueoceanbob.com/

I'm honored and amazed that she has agreed to illustrate my first children's book.

IT"S FINALLY GOING TO HAPPEN I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! The Blue Ocean Bob book is an amazing way to introduce marine biology to your kids. You can purchase a book at the link above. Pick one up! Great work Aleksandra. I look forward to collaborating with you! You are truly an amazing talent!

My story is in no shape for publishing or illustrations for that matter. So I must get to work.

I'll be adding to the "Doc Blog" on a weekly basis, so If I were you. I'd start following me over there! http://shleegyrocks.blogspot.com/

Feeding Friends Fresh Edited by Kailyn Cornish

Hollywood Farm Films presented this short during our Feeding Friends Fresh benefit concert last June. We projected this onto a big screen in the theater before intermission.

It was a great transition before R6 came out and rocked the stage!!

I am so proud to announce that this was edited by my fabulous daughter Kailyn Cornish.

Some footage was shot by Shea Goodpastor from Channel 6 news in Indianapolis and myself.

More footage from FFF here http://shleegyrocks.blogspot.com/ coming soon.

Ok So It's Not So Bad

After leaving the slow pace of our small farm town in Indiana Agoura has turned out to be a perfect match for our family We live right next to a State Park, and the kids are amazed at all of the hills that surround our home. They're not used to seeing hills as Indiana is known for being a flat state. Agoura is a small ranch town with a population of 20,000. I'm blessed with a small country road that I utilize, instead of the freeway, to take my son to school everyday. It makes me feel like I'm kinda sorta,(not really), back in the country. The thought of the kids returning to an LA Unified school district was frightening to me as I'm well aware of the budget cuts in this state due to the high number of unemployment. There are no extra funds to support arts in the public school system here in California. In fact the state is close to being bankrupt, school

budgets are the first to go. Parent participation is greatly encouraged. Art classes have been cut from a majority of the Los Angeles public schools.

To ensure that our school does not loose art, music, PE and computers, our new school has a parent funded program called: PHEMAC an acronym for, Physical Education, Music, Arts & Computers.

These programs are available to our children solely due to the generous donations provided by the families that attend the school. It's awesome!

Please log on to:

https://www.boxtops4education.com/common/Register.aspx?sid=14348&WT.mc_id=topnavJoin to join the Box Top Family.

Each person who joins under our children's school will be donating 5 whole American dollars to the school. You'll need to create an account by logging on with the schools zip which is 913

01. If you would like to help donate to the school by logging, please email me directly at sheshleegy@mac.com so I can share the name of the school with you.

Every 10 box tops collected adds up to $1 for each class. I have two classes to contribute to so

HELP SOS BOX TOP SAVERS!!!

The kids are learning on MAC which REALLY

EXCITES ME!!

One last note, last year while living in Indy, I was devastated to be so far away from an Italian market. I wrote a post about it here http://hollywoodfarmfilms.blogspot.com/2009/12/momma-mia-its-finger-tingeling-not-so.html.

Look what I found about 4 miles away?

PSST: We haven't seen the neighbor since our said meeting. We have noticed that another hound dog lives on the exact opposite side of her house. Matt and I call it a ,

SIng it now........" A DOUBLE HOUND CONUUUUUNDRUM"