Do Your Members of Congress Protect Children?

Last week, the CDF Action Council released its 2006 Children's Defense Fund Action Council® Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard, which grades every member of the House and Senate based on key votes affecting children.

Find out who got a perfect score, who failed, and how YOUR elected officials rate when it comes to protecting children with their votes.

http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?pagename=act_learn_scorecard2006

Around the 'Net - Families.com

Families.com is excited to announce that they have merged snugglepie.com, dealagogo.com, cyberbabycafe.com and mommieforums.com into Families.com!

The combined community at Families.com now has 270,000+ members and 750,000+ posts on hundreds of family-related forums at http://forums.families.com/.

They now have the Internet's best family-focused blogs at http://blogs.families.com/ with 20,000+ entries and about 50 new entries per day.

They have a great money-saving and couponing community at http://deals.families.com/ and a coupon database with 7,000+ entries.

Members can now create tickers (http://tickers.families.com/) and counters (http://counters.families.com/) that can be customized and added to signatures or other websites. These tickers and counters count the amount of time that has elapsed since or time that is left until and important event, such as a birth, a holiday or a birthday.

As always, members can share journals and photos with family and friends at http://www.families.com/mysite. They've recently upgraded http://photos.families.com/ to integrate with MySite, so when as you add photos to your MySite, you can select a category for the photo that can be browsed in the Photos section.

They've also recently launched Families.com Local at http://local.families.com/. Go and introduce yourself on your local forum, and get to know other families.com members in your area.

Temporary Sanity

Temporary Sanity by Rose Conners

"When can a citizen become a killer? Is homicidal insanity ever a moral or legal justification for murder? What should a jury do when the facts are clear but they don't tell the real story? The charge is murder one. When Buck Hammond's seven-year-old son was raped and killed by pedophile Hector Monteros, Buck took justice into his own hands. Unfortunately, the TV cameras were rolling as Buck aimed his hunting rifle at Monteros's head. The only viable defense is insanity, bu the grieving father refuses to say he was crazy when he pulled the trigger. On the very eve of the trial, a battered and bleeding woman staggers into their office. She's in deep troulbe -- her attacker's body has just been found, viciously stabbed, and he's an officer of the court."

This is Conners second book. It took some dedication to get through the first couple of chapters but once I got engrossed in courtroom drama and suspense, it was worth reading.

Rating (1, lowest; 5, highest): 3

Health Care Coverage for All Children

Last month, CDF President Marian Wright Edelman spoke to U.S. Mayors about CDF's proposal to provide health care coverage to ALL children.
Check out the webcast at http://usmayors.org/75thWinterMeeting/video/videolink.asp?video=friam04edelman.

The Associate

The Associate by Phillip Margolin

"A poster boy for the American Dream, former blue-collar boy turned high-powered lawyer Daniel Ames is on easy street as an associate at Reed, Briggs, Portland's most prestigious Law Firm. Until one man... and one case... changes everything. When a charismatic lawyer sues the firm's biggest client, a pharmaceutical company, for manufacturing a drug that causes unspeakable birth defects, Daniel believes the case has no merit. But when information implicating company malfeasance surfaces, the intrepid lawyer doggedly scrambles to find the truth -- an investigation that leads him into a vortex of greed, corruption, deceit, and murder. Suddenly caught on the wrong side of the law and in the cross-hairs of a powerful enemy, Daniel must unmask an evil conspiracy that wants to bury a deadly secret... and Daniel with it."

This is a new author for me. I enjoyed this mystery; though, I have to admit I wasn't sure the author would be able to tie up all the loose ends.

Rating (1, lowest; 5, highest): 4

A Valentine for Single Parents

He's never brought you roses. She's never given you chocolates. They've never bought you a nice card or a fancy dinner. It may seem that all you do for your children, day after day, year after year, goes unnoticed. You may wonder if it's worth it. Well, they might be too young to tell you what you mean to them now. But one day they will likely take your hand, or hug you, and say the sweetest words you'll ever hear: "Mom, I know how hard it was for you to raise me on your own. Thank you. I love you." Happy Valentine’s Day.

Remember, your family first.

Deepen Your Appreciation

God's Valentine's Day Gift to You - His Word

Keep yourselves in the love of God… Jude 1:21

When it comes to focus in our lives, our Lord makes it clear that of all his commandments, "the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:1) No other topic is mentioned and discussed more in the Bible. Loving can be both a joy and a challenge.

While the world directs attention to romantic love on one special holiday, St. Valentine's Day, we believe that loving one another is a reflection of one's fundamental values. Practically applying love in and for life requires commitment, growth and sometimes help.

Love too deserves to be celebrated! We have selected a special collection of resources that can enhance the diverse aspects of love in your life, from Love for the Father to Loving Yourself and Loving Others in your life! If you're giving a gift this holiday, we suggest considering one that can have a much longer impact; and an eternal one!

The Maze

While recovering from surgery, I have had a lot more time to read and I love to read!

The Maze by Catherine Coulter

"Obsessed by her sister's death at the hands of an apparent serial killer, a brilliant young pianist dedicates her life to tracking down the murderer, only to become a target herself. Lacey Sherlock's life is forever changed when her beloved older sister's body is discovered in an abandoned warehouse with multiple stab wounds. Belinda is the fourth victim of the String Killer, the handle the media has given to the serial killer who leads his victims into a maze with a ball of twine. Seven years after Belinda's death, Lacey, now an FBI special agent, becomes a member of Dillon Savich's new Criminal Apprehension Unit (CAU), where he has programs to aid in the apprehension of serial killers. When the String Killer strikes again in Boston, Lacey immediately spots his handiwork, resulting in his capture. But did he really kill Belinda? Or was it someone closer to home? Together, Lacey and Dillion must discover the killer's true identity -- before they both become the next victims."


Coulter is one of my favorite authors, especially the Sherlock & Savich series. I love their characters, the in-depth look into their lives. It seems that Sherlock and Savich are real people with real feelings. I love it when an author can pull me in like that, as though I really know the characters as people. In this book, we are introduced to Sherlock (I've read the books out of order). This book is full of surprises and also delivers a love story.

Rating (1, lowest; 5, highest): 4