Getting fit without gym membership or exercise equipment is easy. The first thing to remember is to try and eat healthier. That doesn’t mean you have to start one of those ridiculous fad diets. It just means to pay more attention to what you are eating. If you are eating something that you know isn’t good for you, then eat less of it, drink less soda, eat less sweets. Drink lots of water. The great thing about water is that it keeps you hydrated (which is really important while you are exercising) and it gives your body the illusion that it is full, I used this trick a lot when I was dieting, if you start to get hungry but it is too early to eat again just drink a glass of water. If you don’t really like water, they have all kinds of low calorie powders now that you can add to your water to make it juice.

The second thing is to start an exercise routine. You don’t need any fancy equipment for this. The only thing you may want to buy is an aerobics dvd of some sort. The only reason for this is that it you need a program that will keep your heart rate elevated for your workout. It doesn’t matter what kind of dvd it is as long as it is some kind of aerobic workout. Try to find one you think you might enjoy, this will make it easier for you. You should do this tape at least 3 times a week, 5 times a week if you can handle it, then after your aerobic workout you will want to do some muscle strengthening exercises to keep you toned. You can do sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, squats, and jumping jacks. There are plenty more, that is just to name a few. If you follow this plan for a couple of weeks you will start to see very noticeable results.

For more on healthy weight loss check out my blog at http://lose-weight-right.blogspot.com

Designing a website can be a daunting time consuming task. Many people hire professional web designers to avoid the hassle. Unfortunately, web designers can be very expensive, and for those just starting out or those looking for a cost effective solution, templates can be the answer. Although, free templates are available on the internet, they can be also be costly.

Free Templates May Not Be Your Best Choice.

There are millions of free templates readily available on the internet. The problem can be that many do not look very professional. Would you really want to use a template on your website that screams “amateur”? I really doubt it. Most webmasters want their websites to look professional, clean and sometimes maybe even a little cool.

Although, many HTML editors, like XSitePro, come with many free templates. These templates are a much higher quality and don’t scream beginner, plus they are designed to work with your specific HTML editor. There is an issue with these too though, and that is they may leave your website looking like many other websites. It can be very alarming if you come across a website that looks just like yours. One possible solution is to alter the template enough that it becomes unique and only you will have it.

Low Priced Templates

You can expect a higher quality template when you have to pay for it. The higher quality is usually due to the fact that a professional designer has created the template, this helps to keep the price low. This creates a win win situation for everyone as the consumer receives an economical price, the designer can sell as many different designs and never have to deal with the customer, and the company selling the template can sell the template as many times as they wish. So everyone is happy and more importantly the website owner purchases a professional looking template that is reasonably priced.

Of course this there can be pit falls too. As more and more entrepreneurs are creating websites and purchasing low priced templates, you may run into the same problem of too many people using the same template as you. This will be more of a problem if you purchase a template from a website that sells millions of them. Although if you choose your template carefully you may just end up with professional design that won’t leave you broke.

One Of A Kind Templates

The websites that sell inexpensive templates have come to the realization that many people don’t want to see their template being used on another website, so they now offer another option, exclusive templates. Exclusive templates have become very popular among websites that sell templates.

Even though exclusive templates have become very popular, they may not be the best option for you. Before purchasing an exclusive template from a website you should really get a few quotes on having one professionally designed for you. You may just find that it will be a better fit and more cost effective to pay a designer to create the template that you want, instead of choosing a pre-made one.

Visit Easy Website Builder Design today and see just how easy it can be to build your own small business website. While you’re there be sure to pick up your free copy of Search Engine Optimization Made Easy ebook.

For the past two decades, Victor Lysakov’s modern expressionistic art could only be found at international exhibitions, in private collections or inside his own painting studio in Moscow, Russia. The renowned artist holds a vault containing hundreds of masterpieces. For the first time ever, 40 of these prolific pieces have been released to the American public.

Art enthusiasts living in or traveling to California, a side trip to the first exclusive Lysakov gallery in Pacific Grove is a worthwhile detour. For those outside California, never fear - your local fine art gallery may soon display Lysakov’s art on their walls. A distinct group of hand-selected galleries nationwide have been offered the Lysakov Distributor opportunity; your neighborhood gallery might be one of them.

Named one of “The Best European Artists,” Lysakov has participated in several prestigious exhibitions and auctions in Russia, Poland, Germany, Sweden, Austria, France and Italy. Using oil or acrylic on canvas, Lysakov prefers brilliant, unmistakable hues - his color palette is very distinct. Each painting is its own unique creation and exudes a certain depth. New or seasoned, trusting or suspicious, frightened or fearless, the artist challenges you to grow bored with his paintings.

The local mayor, savvy art collectors and local design firms have unanimously agreed that Lysakov’s art rivals paintings found in upscale metropolitan art galleries in San Francisco and New York. In what the company considers a groundbreaking revolution in modern art, Lysakov’s work is not entirely subjective. A captivating story accompanies each image, giving the viewer riveting insight on the artist’s muse.

At first glance, the modern expressionistic work of Victor Lysakov might invoke an unexpected reaction - curiosity, mystery and even fear. But after closer inspection, the eccentric becomes extraordinary and the weird, wonderful. Lysakov challenges the viewer to conquer their fear - paintings should not be scary. “They merely depict life,” he says. “Sometimes the scariest things in life are the most trivial ones.”

He began experimenting first with watercolor, but now paints almost exclusively with oil or acrylic on canvas. Though never classically trained, Lysakov studied Rembrandt’s and Bryullov’s techniques. A self-taught artist, he read books incessantly, and spent hours upon hours in museums.
Born in Siberia in 1952, Lysakov discovered his artistic talent at a young age. “It was when I was six years old that I realized, for the first time, that the most natural and the most fitting way for me to carry on a conversation with the world was through the visual language.”

In early adulthood, Lysakov veered off the creative path and focused on a more traditional education - engineering. In 1975, he earned his MS in Physical Chemistry from Moscow State Institute of Steel and Alloys. In the decade following, he established a successful career in various military machine building plants. At one time, he was even accountable for over 700 employees under his command. In 1984, he attained his Ph. D. in Technical Sciences from Lomonosov State Institute of Fine Chemical Technology in Moscow.

Lysakov’s paintings range in image size from a humble 14×14 to a majestic 58×50. All are offered at an extremely low edition size of 395 Signed and Numbered (S/N) and 30 Artist Proofs (A/P) giclee canvas prints.

Giclee (pronounced zhee-clay) is a French term roughly meaning “spray or squirt” which refers to the digital printing process. During printing, millions of microscopic droplets of ink per second are applied to the print media. A giclee is a high-end fine art print often recognized as the next best thing to owning the original.

Artists at all levels and in a wide variety of media are creating prints using giclee technology. Buyers, attracted by the high quality and dynamic reproduction of giclees, have triggered a giclee explosion; while the fine art print market increases by about three percent annually, the giclee market is growing at more than 60 percent annually. In a $2.8 billion print market dominated by lithographs and serigraphs, giclees now total $160 million annually - and growing. According to CAP Ventures, digital fine art is expected to reach a retail value of $600 million by 2007.

Lysakov Art Company, Inc. is located at 305 Forest Avenue in charming Pacific Grove, California, in the heart of one of the nation’s art capitals: the Monterey Peninsula. On-site, the 4000 square foot facility houses the corporate offices, publishing headquarters and the first-ever exclusive Victor Lysakov Gallery.

Heather Neal is the VP of Sales and Marketing for Lysakov Art Company, Inc., the exclusive publisher for renowned Russian artist Victor Lysakov. Her previous career was as owner of Executive Details, a consulting firm that provided business writing and marketing assistance. She also worked six years at the Thomas Kinkade Company world headquarters as Director of Sales Operations. Ms. Neal attained her BS degree in Journalism from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California.

For more information on artist Victor Lysakov, please visit: http://www.lysakovartcompany.com

“The Secret” has really caught on. It seems like you can’t watch news programs and daytime talk shows without someone bringing it up. The teachers from the movie are showing up everywhere from The Ellen Show to Larry King Live.

As I listened to people asking some hard questions about Darfur and 9/11 during the Larry King Live show, I just had to chuckle. It’s not that the problems we face in this world are anything to make light of, because they aren’t. The world is full of horrible suffering that is not going to be solved with wishful thinking. In order to change the world, we will have to not only think positively, but we will have to think and act compassionately.

For years I have seen Christians maligned and ridiculed because people have looked at all the problems in the world, the suffering and the pain, and believed that the existence of these evils was proof that God doesn’t exist. They reasoned that a good God wouldn’t allow such things to happen, therefore there must not be a God.

But thanks to “The Secret” they now have something else to blame, because the Law of Attraction says that it’s the victims themselves who are causing their suffering. If you listen to Dr. Joe Vitale he will tell you that people attract everything that happens to them. So the people who are suffering around the world are creating their own problems, they just don’t know it. At some unconscious level the victims are really the perpetrators, because they must feel that they deserve to be beaten, starved, and murdered. After all, that is what they are “attracting” into their lives.

Not all of the teachers from the movie share Dr. Vitale’s sentiments. Their answer to the world’s ills is: They don’t know. The “universe” has good and bad in it, and that’s just the way it works out. The events in Darfur or the attack on 9/11 just happened, and we don’t understand why.

And then there are those who teach that the universe is a perfect balance between positive and negative, good and evil. If you take that thought to an extreme, you might begin to believe that bad things happen because of the good. For every person who is doing well in life, there would have to be someone, somewhere, who is suffering.

When I look at the world from a Christian point of view, I recognize that there is evil in the world. It got its power from the rebellion of Adam when he disobeyed God and ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The world started going downhill from that point on and all the problems we see today are not because some cosmic balance has to be maintained, but because men are sinners. They don’t understand the blessings and goodness of God, so they cause pain and suffering.

It is Romans 12:21 that tells us we can overcome evil with good. With God all things are possible, and there isn’t some universal balance that needs to be maintained. As we learn to live and love in the way God wants us to, we can change the world. We can bring the truth of God’s love to a suffering world and tell them that He wants the absolute best for them. There isn’t some capricious universe that punishes some and blesses others, there is a God who died so that all men could be forgiven and freed from the power and consequences of sin.

As we learn to live in God’s abundance, fully recognizing that there is no limit to His goodness, all greed and competition will cease. Those who live in His blessings know that they can only enjoy more when they become loving, giving servants. The promise of scripture is so much greater than anything “The Secret” has to offer, because it puts everything in the proper perspective. And our faith in God will do more than put money in our bank accounts; it will fill the world with God’s love and blessings.

The same faith that helped David defeat Goliath is in everyone of us. In “Taking On Goliath - How To Unleash The David In All Of Us,” author Rob Marshall shows you how to unleash your faith, overcame any obstacle, and live your dreams. Get two free chapters of “Taking On Goliath” when you visit:
http://www.TakingOnGoliath.com

In my day to day conversations with real estate professionals and both my sales and customer service teams at my company, I’m finding that too many agents look at open houses the wrong way. Just like many agents look at doing a free CMA for their real estate leads as a waste of time, many agents don’t like doing open houses…usually because they have the wrong expectations. A free CMA is simply an icebreaker for you to get a listing appointment. An open house is not for the purpose of selling that particular house. If you do, great, but that rarely happens. An open house is simply another rich source of real estate leads for you.

The attitudes of some agents just baffle me: “Oh gosh, I gotta appease my client…appease my seller. I can’t find somebody to do this open house for me on Sunday. I don’t want to do it.” These are the same people complaining that they don’t have a check coming in for the next 90 days. Real estate leads ensure that you have a steady flow of income for the rest of your life. You must always keep your pipeline full of leads…I always had several hundred of them (at different stages, of course). If you don’t want to do this, get out of real estate. it’s not for you. This is how you secure your income flow…just always keep your pipeline full of real estate leads.

Agents sometimes start off strong and then relax prematurely, thinking they can rely on referrals when they really should be generating more real estate leads. Open houses are a great way to do it. Form a relationship with a loan officer and have them with you at your open houses and listing appointments to do good faith estimates. The opportunities are there for you. There are very successful agents, some of whom you work with, who literally are so busy that they NEED someone to work an open house for them. If your pipeline isn’t full of real estate leads and you have the time, don’t miss out on these opportunities. ASK for them. They’re there.

Look for FSBO open houses, as well. Don’t let the “For Sale By Owner” sign scare or discourage you. FSBO’s can be a great source of real estate leads as well. I met with a lot of FSBO’s and converted them into my clients. All you have to do is show them how they’ll come out better with you as their agent. I can’t tell you how many times I went to FSBO open houses, had a nice conversation and asked if I could list their house. The worst they’ll tell you is “no.’ So what? If you don’t ask for it, you don’t get it and I found that most FSBO’s were okay with me visiting their open house. If they sell it on their own, that’s okay…you didn’t put out too much effort anyway. On the flipside, I made many calls where I asked them if they had sold the house, they said “no,” I said “I have a buyer for you,” and I wound up earning their business and making a commission. I’m amazed at how many agents just won’t do this.

Keep an open mind with open houses. Whether you’re hosting the open house or visiting a FSBO open house, they’re a goldmine of real estate leads if you have the right mindset.

You can get more information on obtaining real estate leads by visiting GetMyHomesValue.com

Rory Wilfong is co-founder of http://www.getmyhomesvalue.com and was an award winning real estate professional with Re/Max. He uses his sales, coaching and positive motivation skills daily with GetMyHomesValue’s staff and customer base.

The Benefits Of Home Staging.

One of the hottest trends to sell a home today is home staging, an interior decorating technique for making the most of your home’s attributes and making it more appealing to the widest array of potential buyers. Home staging has been known to boost home sales prices, as well as quicken the amount of time the home stays on the market. But the question is - What is the pricing for home staging-and is it worth it?

Preparing Your Home for Sale.

Most sellers realize the importance of cleaning up their home before putting it on the market. Things like fixing leaky sinks, mending cracks in the walls and completing other minor repairs are also pretty standard. These things are often good to do, and, in many ways, are considered forms of “staging,” or preparing your home for sale.

What Do Home Stagers Do?

There are professionals, however, who will go above and beyond what most homeowners think of when they go to sell their house. While decorating is geared toward the owner, Home Staging is aimed first and foremost at pleasing the biggest possible number of buyers. For a fee, these home stagers will come into your home and use your existing items. Or, bring in items that add that special touch to complete a room and make your house as attractive as possible. Home staging costs often include moving around, removing or adding furniture and adding tasteful artwork or other decoration to make your home really shine.

Staging - Is It Worth It?

The main benefit of hiring a professional to stage your home is that they will look at your surroundings with an experienced, tasteful and objective buyer’s eye. They won’t be attached to a souvenir plate collection, like the homeowner would. They will be able to come in and tell you which items should be removed, what should be added, and how best to feature your home.

While home staging may seem like an unnecessary expense, there probably isn’t a single house that couldn’t benefit from a bit of carefully manipulated staging. Only a mere 10% of home buyers can actually visualize living in your home, or your homes hidden potential. This is why having a vacant home staged is so important. Buyers cannot visualize size and scale, so furniture helps to give them a frame of reference.

Why Can’t I Just Stage My Own Home?

Home owners have gotten used to the way their home looks and in fact it is difficult emotionally to change it. If you can’t view something objectively then you are unable to market and package it effectively. Not to mention, most home sellers don’t stage homes everyday for a living. Staging is more than a “to-do” list, de-cluttering, and painting. Its about decorating a home for potential buyers. Home Stagers, rearrange, shop the home, and pull items from other rooms, to create a whole new look to rooms. It takes a designers eye, to pull the rooms together. And often, suggestions and changes from professionals can amount to significant increases in the bottom line profit when selling your home.

Will My House Sell If It’s Not Staged?

Eventually, every house will sell…it’s just a matter of when and for how much. Even if your house sells quickly in a good market, it doesn’t mean it sold for the amount it would have sold for had it been professionally staged.

How Much Does It Cost?

Having your home staged, doesn’t cost a fortune. It’s the most inexpensive way to achieve the most dramatic and profitable results. Home staging pricing runs from $200+ depending on the market you’re in. According to a 2003 Survey, by Home Gain, statistics showed an average of a 6+% increase in the final sales price on homes that had been staged, versus those that had not. On a $300,000 home, that’s a $18,000 increase! And well worth the low cost of home staging fees.

To find out how to best showcase your home for sale, contact a home staging professional or your local realtor. Many realtor’s will even offer home staging services as part of their listing package, so be sure to ask if that’s something they offer, or if they can recommend someone in the industry. If you’re willing to put out a bit of money up front, you just might find that the benefits from staging your home can greatly outweigh home staging costs. In the end, Home Staging is really a no risk, win-win situation for everyone involved!

Cindy Bryant - Owner of Redesign Etc. a Home Staging & Interior Redesign Service. Serving Houston’s Bay & Gulf Coast.

Losing weight doesn’t mean that you have to completely change the way you eat and not eat the foods you love. Here are a few tips for cutting calories without cutting the foods you love. If you follow these tips you will start to lose weight.

1) Carbonated Beverages

Carbonated beverages with a lot of sugar adds hundreds of empty calories to your diet. If you replace these drinks with their sugar free counterparts you will greatly reduce your calorie intake. You will soon start to prefer the diet drinks over the high sugar ones.

2) Salad Dressing

Use low fat or no fat dressings on your salads. Salad dressing naturally have a lot of calories, but there are some out there that naturally don’t. Try these salad dressings, or buy the low fat version of the salad dressing you like. This will significantly cut calories.

3) Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise is used in a lot of foods. For instance you can’t make a tuna sandwich with out mayonnaise. Mayonnaise adds flavor and moisture to lots of foods. Use the low fat or no fat versions to lower your calorie intake.

4) Bread

Bread is one of the main source of carbs in your diet. Reducing carbs will help you lose weight. Try just using whole grain breads instead of the higher calorie white bread. And try to use just one slice instead of two when you make a sandwich. This will greatly reduce your calorie intake on a daily basis.

5) Spreads

Basically instead of using butter and margarine for your spread try using a jelly or jam. This greatly reduces fat and calories.

6) Baked Potatoes

Instead of using butter and sour cream on your baked potatoes, use butter flavored sprinkles and cooked veggies like broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower. Add chives for extra flavor.

7) Fried Foods

Instead of frying your foods, you can use bread crumbs and seasonings to bake your food which can be much more flavorful and a lot more healthy than frying your food.

Milk

Try switching to skim milk. Skim milk has a lot less fat and calories than whole milk and even 2% milk. It may take a little adjusting but soon you won’t even like whole milk because you will be able to taste the fat.

9) Candy

Make sure you don’t eat to much candy, you can treat yourself every once in a while. Try eating the mini bars instead of the full size ones. This will help a lot.

10) Meats

Consider using ground turkey instead of ground beef, there is a lot fewer calories and fat in turkey. You will get a similar taste and texture with significantly less fat and calories.

For more on healthy weight loss check out my blog at http://lose-weight-right.blogspot.com

Dating after divorce can be tricky. But introducing that special someone to your children is even harder. Let’s cover the 4 most important steps to take in that first meeting between your new partner and your children.

1. Don’t introduce them too early Be sure this is a committed relationship before you bring your date home. Having a revolving door of boyfriends or girlfriends is really hard on kids. Just when they start to get used to someone you’re on to another partner. This causes kids to become less likely to accept someone later on down the road when things really are serious because they’re tired of getting hurt.

2. Don’t do Disney World A lot of couples make the mistake of the first meeting being some grand affair. If you’re going to marry this person, the kids need to get to know them in a genuine way. They need to experience “real life” right from the get go. A meeting at a park or in your home with dinner and a movie rental are much more conducive to laying the foundation for what real life will be like.

3. Don’t have your partner bring their kids too This first meeting needs to be about your partner getting to know your kids. If their kids are there then things can get distracting. Your kids can easily avoid getting to know your partner by just hanging out with the other kids. Now, I don’t expect every minute of the first meeting to be spent focusing exclusively on your children but the door needs to be wide open for the opportunity for conversation and questions in order to get to know one another.

4. Don’t expect a lot from your kids other than their being respectful This is weird for kids. Thinking of their parents having a boyfriend or girlfriend just may not feel right. Remember that this meeting is the bringing together of strangers. Acknowledge that this is going to be awkward for everyone! Give the kids permission to express their discomfort. But, no matter how uncomfortable it may be, the expectation that they are to be respectful toward your partner like they would any other adult should be stated firmly.

First meetings are uncomfortable no matter who we are meeting or what the situation. This first meeting is especially charged because it’s vitally important to you that these two groups of people you love dearly come to like each other so you can begin to experience them together. Understand that this process takes time. Don’t force it and let it happen naturally.

This first meeting is just the beginning of a long process of building relationships between your children and your new partner. I encourage you to visit http://www.RemarriageSuccess.com for more tips and strategies for your step family’s preparation. You can join our free monthly e-zine at http://www.RemarriageSuccess.com/e-zine.htm to receive special articles and resources that will help you to learn how best to prepare for your remarriage. If you’re already preparing for that wedding date, be sure not to miss our best selling 2 book set, “THE 7 Questions to Ask Before Saying ‘I Do’ Again at http://www.RemarriageSuccess.com/7questions.htm. This set will walk you through other important aspects in building that relationship with your kids and discussing how to help all of you create a wonderful step family.

America’s wealthiest buyers are busy bidding at auction.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - While most home sellers in the national real estate market struggle to find willing buyers. Luxury home sellers find an eager audience at auction.

Luxury homes are the fastest growing segment of the real estate market in the United States. Even while the rest of the housing market is in a slump and heading for rougher territory the luxury home market is vibrant.

A robust market for luxury properties does not guarantee overnight success for sellers of million dollar homes however. The number of homes priced at over 1 million or more in the United States is approaching 500,000. With the highest concentration of luxury real estate found in Massachusetts, Florida, U. S. Virgin Islands, and California.

Selling a luxury property can often be a long and expensive process. Knowing your buyer and creating a unique selling proposition for your property can shorten the sales cycle and reduce expenses significantly. This is why real estate auctions conducted by a professional and knowledgeable auctioneer are becoming the preferred method among luxury home sellers.

Winning bidders at luxury home auctions pay with cash.

And exactly who are these luxury home buyers. Let’s take a look: first of all they can be recognized by their financial influence. A third are cash buyers, not affected by interest rates or fluctuations in the economy. Of those who use a mortgage, nearly half placed a 50% or more down payment. And despite paying top dollar for their home purchase 40% will invest more money in major home renovations.

These buyers can afford multi million dollar homes for a reason; they are the best negotiators in the housing market. As far as negotiating style goes, 62% provide minimum divulgence playing it “close to the vest” while 24% “play hardball”, and only 13% say “money is no object”. The auction method of selling real estate levels the playing field resulting in a fair selling price and acceptable terms for both buyer and seller.

Most luxury home buyers are “Baby Boomers”.

How would you recognize a luxury home buyer on the street? Well to begin with
two-thirds are of the “baby boom” generation (between the ages of 43 and 67), but many do not buy their first luxury home until they reach retirement in their early 60’s. They are nearly always married and two-thirds are “new money” as opposed to inherited wealth.

For an occupation the vast majority refer to themselves as large corporation business executives, closely followed by entrepreneurs who own their own business. This is rounded out by doctors, lawyers, inventors, professional athletes, stock broker, actor and musician. One in three buyers will come from over 500 miles away.

Luxury home buyers spend more time at home.

Entertaining in style is very important to this group of buyers. They want party rooms for their children as well as outdoor living rooms with fully equipped kitchens, grills and fireplaces. Media rooms with the latest in technology and sports bars where they and their quests can cheer on favorite teams.

Having the energy for all this entertaining requires good fitness so extensive exercise space is a requirement; multiple workout rooms, indoor lap pools, and indoor courts for basketball and tennis are in demand.

While fun and fitness is important, luxury home buyers are also practical and looking for spaces to reflect this sensibility. His and hers office space, computer work stations located in the kitchen. Even the laundry room is more significant; pulling double duty as a second pantry, storage area away from prying eyes or gift wrapping center.

And the entire package must be wrapped in security which is a top priority. A luxury property should have color video/audio cameras which can be viewed from any TV as well as the internet. Buyers want panic buttons and secure bullet proof rooms, and of course safes for valuables and important documents.

For more information, contact Tower Auction Company at 317-333-6977, or by visiting them on the web at www.TowerAuctionCompany.com .

*Contact Information:

Tower Auction Company
3208 W. 16th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46222
Phone: 317-333-6977
Email: info@towerauctioncompany.com
Web: http://www.towerauctioncompany.com

*This article may be freely reprinted and redistributed as long as this paragraph remains intact.

Douglas Hostetler is a licensed Auctioneer and Real Estate Broker with 15 years experience selling real estate nationwide and in The Caribbean.

International Compost Awareness Week (early May) is a perfect time to read Pee Wee’s Great Adventure (ISBN# 0969788339) to groups of children during the various events celebrating the week. This book is the second installment in the series of three children’s books based on the character Pee Wee Worman - who teaches us about vermiculture, or composting with worms. Published by Recycling Resource Service, this book has taken even greater environmental steps during the production phases than the first book of the series (Pee Wee And the Magical Compost Heap). By using only 100% post-consumer paper that is both acid free and chlorine free the publishers are providing an excellent example of making choices that are better for the environment. Interestingly, even the ink been considered - only vegetable based inks were used.

Pee Wee’s Great Adventure continues with P.W. Worman, Nancy, her brother Scott and their friends Mathieu and Naseem. The story begins during a communal meal in the compost where Pee Wee is asked to tell about his origins, because he was not born in the compost pile. His tale of wild adventure and near death experiences will have little readers wide-eyed until Pee Wee reaches safety and finds a comforting home in the compost pile.

The story concludes with an entertaining song that employs the universally applicable tune of “The Hokey Pokey”, written by Jane Gilmore. I found it interesting that instructions on how to care for an indoor worm bin are included in the dialogue between the children, even though the story focused on Pee Wee’s journey to the compost pile.

The book is illustrated by Ryan Dening, with what looks to be pen sketches. Children will enjoy identifying the ground beetles, worms, flies, centipedes, millipedes, springtails and more. Scenes of back yards and detailed close-in views (making small things appear larger) will appeal to children. I particularly enjoyed the colorful cover with children doing various activities in what looks to be a park near a large city.

Pee Wee’s Great Adventure could be an inspiration for readers to start their own class or home project. Retailing at only $7.95 (Canadian), this paperback book is a bargain for frugal minded educators, parents and caregivers. There are two pages of detailed instructions for worm bins at the end of the book, followed by a two-page glossary. Finally, the author shares tips on what worms will eat, where to place the bin and how to use the castings.

Larraine Roulston, the author of this series of worm compost books for children, has been involved with Recycling Council of Ontario for a number of years and wrote a newspaper column for 15 years called ‘Recycler’s Report’. Her series of Pee Wee books has inspired the Recycling Council of Ontario to provide a 30 minute P.W. Worman puppet show that is performed at schools, libraries and environmental fairs. Larraine is a loving and enthusiastic grandmother who hopes to spread knowledge of the benefits and importance of composting.

Be sure to visit Larraine’s website: http://www.castlecompost.com

~ Lillian Brummet: co-author of the books Trash Talk and Purple Snowflake Marketing, author of Towards Understanding (http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit)