Googly Bands introduce new rings and necklaces! Googly rings for your fingers will come 24 to a pack. Googly Charms come in packs of 12 with a necklace to string the charms. You’ll find the classic themes and brand new ones coming out soon. More to collect, trade and give away.

Check with the stores where you buy your Googly Bands to see if they are carrying the rings and necklaces yet. They will hit stores soon! Googly Bands are still running their contest to find a new design. You can vote for the 10 semi-finalists up until August 16th.

You can also enter a photo of you and your Googly Bands to posted on the website. Show off your love of Googly Bands and now the new rings and necklaces too!

When we think of July 4th, fireworks, picnics, trips to the beach and family fun come to mind. Let’s not forget the Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving campaign. I worry about firework safety, but lots of people consume alcohol on July 4th and then then think they’re “just buzzed” and can drive.

Buzzed driving is the same as as drunk driving. You may think you’re capable of driving, but a buzzed driving car accident is the same as a drunk driving accident and can be just as deadly. Besides not drinking while buzzed, what else can we do to stay safe and keep others safe on the road this July 4th and the long weekend?

1. Serve non-alcoholic drinks. You can find delicious, refreshing beverages without alcohol on the web.
2. If you are drinking, then be sure to have a designated driver who will remain sober.
3. Find another means of transportation home before going out.
4. Take The Pledge and don’t drive buzzed.
5. Call 911 if you see someone driving drunk.
6. Don’t mix prescription medications and alcohol. Even one drink can impair your driving.

July 4th is one of those holidays where we focus on celebrating and forget about common sense, but not focusing on being buzzed and driving can be deadly.

Disclosure: I am entered to win a gift certificate by writing this post. All opinions are mine.

The campaign Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving is important but even more so on St. Patrick’s Day. Even if you are going to your friends’ house for corned beef and cabbage dinner, driving to choir practice, or a school event, you’ll be sharing the road with drivers who were partying this Wednesday, March 17th. They may have started drinking early in the day or after work.  They may have the mind set that buzzed driving is OK.

Bars do a lot of business on St. Patrick’s Day. There’s lots of parties that include drinking that day too. Be safe and plan ahead. The Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving campaign continues and wants to spread the word for St. Patrick’s Day. Global Influence is working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Ad Council.

I’ve been part of the Buzzed Driving campaign previously on my blog. This topic is vital to our safety. Here are some facts that we can change:

• 1,179 people in other vehicles were killed in 2008 in crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers.
• In 2008, the states with the highest number of alcohol-impaired female drivers involved in fatal crashes were Texas, California, Florida and Georgia.
• Number of alcohol-impaired male drivers in fatal crashes in Kansas went up 26% from 2007 to 2008, most of any state.
• In 2008, approximately 32 people per day were killed inalcohol-impaired driving crashes
• Of the 11,773 people killed in 2008 in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, 8,027 (68%) were the driver.

If you are going to drink, plan ahead. Get a designated driver, keep the number of a taxi company with you, learn about public transportation and don’t drive buzzed!

For more information, follow @BuzzedDriving and fan Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving on Facebook.

This post was written with information provided by Global Influence.

Children Count too in the Census of 2010. Parents be sure to fill out your census form and include all of your children even newborns. If you haven’t received your Census form, or have any questions about it visit the Census Questions site. The Census is taken every to years to get an accurate count for funding government programs.

So why do children count too? Since many of the government funded programs concern children and their well being, it is imperative to get them counted! Here’s some programs that rely in some way on Census counts:

• Special Education Grants to states ($10.8 billion)
• Head Start ($6.9 billion)
• State Children’s Health Insurance Program ($5.9 billion)
• Foster Care Title IV-E ($4.7 billion)
• Improving Teacher Quality State Grants ($2.9 billion)

The Census Burea has teamed up with Nickolodeon and Dora The Explorer to spread the word. Feel free to visit the Toolkit site and get a button for your blog or a fact sheet to add share the news.

This is an important issue for everyone concerned, but we parents can make the difference by being sure that we include our children on the Census 2010.

Information for this post provided by Global Influence.