Rebecca ~ #marijuana,#drugs,#hotchocolate,#peerpressure,

It was snowing today in Iowa where Rebecca and Felicia lived with their parents. Felicia was in tenth grade and Rebecca has always looked up to her.They always had fun playing games,shopping,cooking,taking pictures,singing and other fun stuff. Rebecca walked home holding her owls umbrella and kicked a popsicle stick off of the sidewalk with her uggs."Who eats a popsicle in this cold weather?",Rebecca thought. She thought that she may make some hot chocolate after dinner and sip on it while she finished her English homework.Marshmellows on the top of the hot chocolate and a dash of cinnamon would be a great added touch. Rebecca loved school and was in seventh grade this year.Yeah, school was cool and she made A's and B's in her classes.Her parents told her that they were very proud of her!The only thing was ...there was something that was really bugging Rebecca. She was keeping a secret from her parents and she was not happy about it! OMG...she was stressing! It all began on the first Friday after the New Year started.Rebecca's parents went out to a movie that night.They asked Felicia to stay at home with Rebecca until they got back home.Felecia said,"Fine." Felicia wanted to go out with some friends,but it was okay with her.When their parents left,Felicia decided to invited 3 of her friends over to hang out at their home.There were 2 girls and 1 boy and Rebecca had met them before.Rebecca twirled around and sang: "I get to sing with the teens tonight...Yeahhh, it will be all riiiight..." Felicia told her that she was "Silly Becca". Well, Felicia could not decide whether to pop some popcorn or order out for pizza. So, she did both.The friends came by and they all watched a movie,talked,ate,and listened to music. Rebecca was tired and went to bed early. Felicia asked Rebecca to take her backpack upstairs and put it on her bed.Rebecca said that she would. About thirty minutes later,Rebecca had showered and changed into her pj's.She was brushing her teeth when she thought: "Oh, wow!I forgot to get Felicia's backpack!".Rebecca rinsed her mouth and headed down the stairway while brushing her hair.She got about halfway down the steps when she saw one of Felicia's friends trying to give her a marijuana cigarette.She overheard her sister tell her guy friend,"no! I don't smoke ... and I don't do drugs !!" He was telling her to try it..."just one time." Rebecca ducked down and sat on one of the steps of the stairs while Felicia continued to argue with her friend. "What is going on?",Rebecca thought. Finally, Felicia's friend slipped the marijuana into Felicia's backpack.He told her that she could smoke it at another time.Rebecca's heart was beating so fast! Then,Rebecca dropped her brush and Felicia turned around. She asked her sister why she wasn't in bed yet. Rebecca calmed herself down and in a tiny voice said, "I forgot to bring your backpack up..." Felicia said, " shew! go to bed, I'll bring it up! Nite Becca!" Rebecca flew up those stairs.She couldn't believe what had just happened!Should she talk to Felicia about it? Should she tell her parents? Fiddle sticks! This was bad!Rebecca was so freaked out that she could only sleep after hearing that her parents had made it home a few minutes later. Days passed and Felicia did not say a word to Rebecca about that night. Now,Rebecca had arrived home.She unlocked the door and closed her owl umbrella after shaking the snow off of it. At seven o'clock,everyone sat down to dinner.Grilled chicken,sweet potatoes, and spinach was on the table.Rebecca was silent during dinner and her mom asked what was wrong. She said that it was nothing.Rebecca glanced at Felicia,got up from the table and put her dish away. Rebecca asked her mom,"Where's the large pot? I'm going to make some hot chocolate."A few minutes later,the chocolate was ready and Rebecca poured it into a mug.She finished the last page of her homework while sipping on the yummy drink...It made her feel good inside...so good that she knew that she had to get the truth out of her brain.Rebecca pulled her mom into the laundry room and told her EVERYTHING about the marijuana. Her mom said that she would take care of it and hugged Rebecca so tight. Rebecca knew that the had done the right thing...and she felt so much better! Set your truth free...Marie

New Day for Emma Sue ~ #childhoodobesity, #tweens,#tweenblogs,#selfesteem,#writing,#journalwriting,#healthy,

(from Justice) This was a new year and Emma Sue wanted to lose some weight.She is 40 pounds overweight and she does not like it. Emma Sue's parents have been trying to buy and prepare healthy foods.They told Emma Sue that she would need to stop eating foods that are high in calories and bad for her body.Pizza,fried chicken,cheese burgers,pasta,soda,cookies,pies,cakes,candy, and ice cream were off of the menu.Instead of these foods,Emma Sue would eat healthy meals and snacks. After searching on the internet and reading articles on weight loss, Emma Sue's parents had a plan.They would make turkey burgers instead of regular cheese burgers.Greek yogurt would be substituted for ice cream and the skinless chicken would be baked or grilled. Emma Sue was willing to eat less sugar and agreed to eat smaller meals.Her parents wanted this new lifestyle to be a family task.Emma Sue's mother began to shop for organic fruits,vegetables,and bought almond milk instead of cow's milk.She read the labels of the grocery items that she purchased.Sometimes Emma Sue would look at the label of a box of cereal...there were long words that she could not pronounce! The family had to watch the salt and sugar that they put into their bodies,so they bought a lot of fresh food instead of boxed foods.Emma Sue's mom taught her how to make kale with olive oil,garlic,vinegar,vegetable broth, and a pinch of nutmeg.For snacks, Emma Sue ate apples,greek yogurt,berries,nut,whole wheat crackers, and sunflower butter. Instead of snickers or other candy,she chose to eat a small piece of dark chocolate.She was happy to learn how to cook her own food. Exercise had to be added to their daily routines.Emma Sue's dad made up an exercise schedule for the whole family. They would exercise for one hour a day, seven days a week!Emma's parents woke up early before work and walked outside or used the treadmill before work. Emma Sue walked or ran with some friends after school.Sometimes Emma would run up and down the stairs/bleachers at the school.On the weekends, the family went to their backyard,the park,or the YMCA to play games and work out.She got better at exercising everyday! Her parents encouraged her and she wanted to play outdoor games without breathing so hard.There were kids who laughed at her at school and on the school bus.Emma Sue hated it.She wanted to fit in and have good times with the other kids.Yes, Emma Sue would show them! She would not give up on herself! In a couple of weeks, Emma Sue and her family began to see great changes in their bodies.They had more energy and Emma Sue's acne started to clear up! Her mom lost 6 pounds and her father lost 12 pounds in 5 weeks.Emma Sue lost 9 pounds in the first month.She was so happy in the months to come!She looked in the mirror and saw a nice girl with new energy and a healthy body. On that day, Emma Sue decided that she would never go back to eating foods that were filled with saturated fat and sugar. One evening in March, Emma Sue got on the school bus.A boy that was in a seat behind her yelled,"Hey!Emma Sue, how did you lose so much weight?" Emma Sue turned around, and said,"I just stopped eating the food that makes YOU stand up and ask crazy questions!" Yes, it was a new day for Emma Sue.She is a Power Girl! find your kindness, Marie

Jessie finds joy~#counseling,#journalwriting,#Jessie,#tweenblogs,#anger

Jessie was a rude girl.She never spoke to the boys and girls at school.She would talk in class and gave a frown to the teachers when they asked her to be quiet."Thank You" and "please" was not in her vocabulary. When someone bumped into her in the hallway,Jessie would say'"Watch where you're going!"She was in a bad mood every day of the week.Her parents asked what was wrong.She did not tell them because she wanted to solve her own problems. She wore her long brown hair in a pony tail.Her family was poor and she had two younger brothers in elementary school.It was Jesssie's job to care for her brother until her parents got home from work. Seventh grade was very stressful for Jessica.It was a new school.Her family had moved to Kansas City at the end of the summer.The middle school had 1,200 studenst.Jessie hated walking down the hallway...it was so many kids and made her dizzy just looking at them. Jessie talked to some girls and boys in class,but she did not have any close friends.There were girls who tried to be friends with Jessie,but she never hung out with any of them.The teachers were nice and tried to help Jessie. One of her teachers asked if Jessie could join the counselor's group.Jessie's parents agreed to this.Ms.Marsha was the school counselor.The told Jessie that counselors were there to help her with her feelings and thoughts. Jessie agreed to join the counselor group.Eight kids were in this group. The counselor took Jessie and a group of other kids to the library every Tuesday. Tuesday came.Jessie was a little nervous and played with her pony tail as she and the others waited outside of Ms. Marsha's office. Jessie sat down on the bench and looked at the other kids in the group.They looked 'pretty regular',Jessie thought.She sat by a girl whose name was Shelly.They smiled at each other.No one was screaming or fighting. Then Ms.Marsha came out and they all went to sit at a large table in the library.Jessie was surprised to see that the kids in the group had problems just like her.One boy said that his dad left the family.The boy started to cry and put his head down into his hands.Ms.Marsha listened to the boy and told him that he would be ok.Ms. Marsha told Jessie to bring a writing journal to the next group meeting. Jessie brought her writing tablet to the meeting.Ms.Marshs told the group to write about something that made them feel angry.Jessie took out her pen and began to think about what to write. She wrote: "I don't like being away from my grandmother.We moved her during the summer and it was so hard.My father got another job and we had to leave my other city.My grandmother made me feel so special and I miss her smile.She taught me how to decorate Christmas stockings.I used to help her make chocolate chip cookies too.We would sit outside and talk while we ate the cookies with some almond milk.Grand ma would always tell me stories of what she did when she was younger.I don't want to be at this school.I am not happy here." Jessie had not figured out why she was so upset.She like the counseling class and began to talk about the things that were bothering her.If she did not want to talk,she could write it down on paper. Wow! What a relief! Jessie is doing better now and has made new friends.She was sorry for treating other so badly because she did not want to leave her grandma.The family is now visiting grandma more often which is really cool with Jessie!

Speak up Samantha! #tweenblogs, #selfesteem,#friendship,#tweenblogs,#selfconfidence,#tweengirls,#

Samantha's bff is Tanisha.Samantha and Tanisha grew up in the same apartment complex.They became friends in kindergarten and played together at the YMCA after school program.The birthday parties and swimming pool parties were always a blast!Tanisha used to love playing with Barbie dolls and singing as she listened to Beyonce and Taylor Swift.They wrote about their favorite books and games in their personal journals.Tanisha and Samantha liked going on the fastest rides in the amusement park.After the amusement park,the girls would go and get strawberry and chocolate ice cream cones.Those were fun days for the girls. Now the girls are in 6th grade.Tanisha plays on a soccer team and Samantha doesn't.Samantha wanted to play but her parents did not have anyone to pick her up after practice.This made Samantaha sad. Meanwhile,Tanisha made new friends on the soccer team and had fun playing at the games.The soccer coach told Tanisha that she was doing a great job. Tanisha was usually tired after soccer practice and fell behind in her homework assignments.Samantha was making good grades in all of her subjects.One Tanisha's teachers gave her a 69 on an English worksheet.She started asking Samantha if she could copy homework assignments from her.Samantha said,"ok".'That's what friends do',thought Samantha.She felt good about helping her friend. A teacher noticed that the two girls had the same answers on their classwork so Tanisha stopped copying the homework.Tanisha stopped talking to Samantha and began hanging out with her soccer friends.Samantha missed her friend but didn't say anything to her. Two weeks passed.Tanisha didn't eat lunch with Samantha anymore.Instead she ate with the soccer girl and some of the other popular girls.Samantha had not talked to her friend for days. Then on Wednesday Tanisha called.She had a favor to ask of Samantha.Tanisha had asked Samantha to bring her backpack to the soccer field after school. Samantha agreed and carried Tanisha's backpack to her each day that she had soccer practice. Because of this,Samantha would have to run to get a seat on her school bus after school.This went on for a week until Samantha's mom found out. On Saturday, Samantha asked Tanisha if she wanted to go to the mall with her.Tanisha said she would go. They were to leave at 3 pm,but Tanisha never showed up.Samantha called her cell,but there was no answer.Samantha and her cousin went to the mall anyway. They walked and looked at jewelry,cd's,clothes,and tried on some shoes.Samantha walked out of the shoe store and saw Tahisha and her friends standing outside of Macy's.One of Tanisha's new friends made eye contact with Samantha.The girl slung her long brown hair and turned her back to her. Samantha's feelings were hurt and she wondered if she had lost her best friend.Samantha didn't like the way that Tanisha was treating her.There was an ice cream stand in the mall.Samantha's cousin wanted to cheer her up,so they bought strawberry and chocolate ice cream.The strawberry ice cream did not taste so good on Samantha's tongue today because her heart was smashing... igg! It was like a part of her body being burned by a candle flame...or falling down on a piece of sharp broken glass. It was time for Samantha to think about the situation and find a solution to the problem. Samantha was smart,kind,and a real good friend to Tanisha.Samantha understood that there was absolutely nothing wrong with herself.She knew that she had to do something to throw this experience behind her.That night, Samantha went to her room,listened to music on her mp3 player and fell asleep with her thoughts. Samantha made friends with a new girl in Math class. Her name was Anna. A couple of days later Tanisha walked over to Samantha in the bathroom.They said hello.Tanisha asked if she could borrow her new house slippers to wear to a friend's sleepover that weekend. Samantha knew her friendship with Tanisha was over at that minute...she realzed that Tanisha was a "user". Samantha smiled and calmly said to Tanisha,"no,my slippers only fit my friends feet." That weekend,Samantha and Anna had a pink slumber party... and yes she let Anna wear her glittery house slippers! What would you do if your best friend stopped talking to you and got another best friend? Do you think Tanisha knew how badly she hurt Samantha's feelings? friends, Marie

Marisol's new day ~ #tweenblogging,#tweengirls,#hispanic,#tweengirls,#selfimage,#peerpressure

Marisol was in 6th grade.She loved when Saturday and Sunday came around.School was not a happy place for Marisol and she did not tell her parents why school was so awful for her. Marisol was born in Mexico and her family moved to San Diego when she was in kindergarten.Her kindergarten teacher was so nice and learning was so much fun with Mrs.Cook.The teacher taught her how to read,count,paint pictures,and sing songs.Marisol smiled and gave her teacher a hug every day as she left the classroom to go home. Things had changed now.Marisol had begun to grow very fast in third and fourth grade.She was taller than all of the girls and most of the boys as she entered 6th grade.She was 5 feet,2 inches tall and wore a size 7 shoe. Marisol was different and wanted to fit in with the other girls.Her mother told her that she must not worry about how tall she was.She told Marisol that she had to learn to like her body.No matter how she tried to believe her mother,she knew what was waiting for her at school. Some of the boys and girls had begun to point and whisper about her in class and in the hallway.Marisol could hear them call her "bigfoot" as she walked into the classroom.She would often ignore them.At home, she would go to her room and cry. One day,Marisol and one of her friends were coming out of the school cafeteria when Coach Stevens stopped her.Coach Stevens was the basketball coach of the 7th/8th grade girl's team.She needed a tall girl to rebound the basketall during the games. She asked Marison if she wanted to try out for the team. Marisol was surprised and excited and told her that she would ask her parents if it was okay. She had not played basketball before! Yeah! This was something new and she wanted to go for it! That night,Marisol asked her parents if she could try out for the team.Her parents told her she could if she wanted to.They also told her to keep making good try grades.Marisol was happy and talked to the coach the next day that she wanted to try out for the team. Marisol made the team and practiced after school for the next three weeks.She played in her first game and her parents rushed home after work to go to the games.They were so proud of her! Playing basketball with the other girls made her feel so good and she liked being a part of a group.The team got along real good and she went to parties and sleepovers with some of the team members. Today,Marisol still hears the kids call her "bigfoot" and other ugly names.But now it did not bother her.She had new thoughts about her height.Her new thoughts about herself were so cool.They made her understand something.She understood that she was tall and "so what?".Marisol saw herself in a new way, the way she felt in kindergarten with Mrs.Cook. Marisol knew that she was a STAR and had skills.The ugly words were just that... just words,not fact! Keep smiling, Marie

she cut in line! #tweens #tweenblogs #friends #tweengirls #charactereducation

Tina and Emily were excited to go to a concert of one of their favorite bands: "One Direction" They had won tickets for correctly answering 5 questions about the band on a local tv show.They could not wait!Some other girls at their middle school were going also. Finally, the day of the concert came.Emily's mom dropped the girls off and they got in line at the stadium.Two girls from school called Tina on her phone and asked where they were.Tina told them that they were near the entrance. Emily and Tina looked around and the two girls had skipped the long line and got in line with them.Tina looked at Emily and a funny feeling came over them.They could not believe that the girls had cut the line and were laughing about it. After people complained,security came and put the girls who cut at the end of the line. Emily and Tina shrugged their shoulders.Emily told Tina that she would not like it if someone cut in front of her. The girls enjoyed the concert,took pictures and told their friends all about it on Monday. Have you ever skipped someone in line? How would you feel if a stranger did it to you and your friends?

Friend Story ~ #friends,#friendship #tweenblogs,#adolescence

Missi was friends with Colleen,(the new girl at school)Missi would often see Colleen in the cafeteria and after school while waiting on the bus. Colleen had 4 brothers and 1 other sister in her household,in addition to her parents.They had just moved to Los Angeles from Honduras.Colleen spoke Spanish but was learning English. Missi did not live close to Colleen but she decided to be friends with her. Missi knew how it felt to be the new girl in school and in a neighborhood.Colleen did not have nice clothes to wear to school.Sometimes she wore the same shirt for two days in a row.This did not matter to Missi.She liked talking to Colleen and learning about her family and her culture.They ate fried plantains in her country.They also ate beans,rice,tortillas and coconut. There were days when Colleen did not have a pencil for class.Colleen gave Missi a beautiful bracelet that was made in Honduras.Missi would buy extra fruit or a snack and share it with Colleen during lunch time.The girls would laugh and talk and Colleen would teach Missi Spanish words such as: "comida" means food.Missi wondered how it would feel to live in a country where most of the people spoke Spanish.Missi thought that she would feel isolated and left out.Wow...Missi would freak out! Missi felt good about having a friend like Colleen.She told her mom that it was fun to learn about other kids.... especially kids that are different from herself! make a new friend... Sweet talk, Marie

Bully ~#bullying,#tweens,#tweengirls #bullies,#middleschool

Paola and Dawn handed in their Reading assignment to Mrs.Sanders and gathered their books for the next class.Mrs.Sanders smiled at Paola and told her that her heart necklace was pretty."Thank you!" said Paola.(Paola's grandmother gave her the heart necklace for Christmas.It was pink,yellow,and blue.) Paola went to the doorway of the classroom where Dawn was waiting.Dawn told Paola that her stomach was hurting.They always walked to Art class together on Tuesdays and Thursdays and had five minutes to get to the next class. Paola went to her locker.Then she went around the corner to the stairway to Art class.She dreaded walking to the stairway.It wasn't because she sometimes lost her pencil on the way to class.It wasn't because the line at the water fountain was too long.No,it was not because the hall monitor hurried them to the next class. Paola was being bullied. The girls names were Desiree,Cindy,and Jina.They would wait for Paola in the stairway that lead to Art class.Sometimes they tried to trip her with their foot.The girls told her that she was ugly and made fun of her clothes.Paola did not like it,but she pretended not to hear them and didn't want to stir up trouble.Paola never told her mom what was happening to her in school.Dawn told the girls to leave her friend alone.Dawn told Paola to stand up for herself. Today, Dawn told Paola that she was going to the school nurse.Paola had to walk down the stairway by herself.So the took a breath and held her drawing pad to her chest tightly as went down the steps.She could hear Desiree and the other girls talking as she approached the classroom.They talked about trying to skip their next class.Paola figured that these girls thought they were cool,but really were just losers. Paola saw the girls and they saw her.She looked away and a couple of seconds past.The next thing she knew,Desiree tried to snatch Paola's drawing pad away from her.Paola knew she had to stop this nonsense or it would get worse each day.Paola felt the silver chain of her heart necklace break and saw it fall to the floor.Dawn and Cindy laughed and walked over and tried to stomp on Paola's necklace. Paola felt her fear go away and it was replaced by rage!She knew that she had no right to be treated this way!She decided to protect herself and her property.Paola yelled for them to stop and pushed Jina and Cindy to the floor before they could stomp on her heart necklace.Paola stepped on Desiree's foot and twisted her wrist to make her let go of the drawing pad.Desiree's mouth flew open so wide that a tennis ball could have fit in it.She could see the surprise on Desiree's and the other girls faces.By this time,a teacher came by and rushed all of the girls to class. After school,Paola called Dawn and told her all about what had happened.Dawn told her that she was proud of the way she stood up to the bullies.Paola's necklace was not damaged and she wore it the next day. Desiree,Cindi and Jina never bothered her again. Now,Paola enjoys her walk down the stairway to Art class without fear and polishes her heart necklace everyday! *Should Paola tell her mom about the girls who wanted to bully her? *What would you do if you were bullied? *How would you deal with one of your friends if they bullied others? no more bullies, Marie Brewer