Savannah Linen with her dad, Larry Linen

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On Saturday, April 28, 2012, from 11 am – 3 pm in the Visitor Center, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park will celebrate Junior Ranger Day, an annual event of National Park week that is especially for children. The event is free and open to the public.

This year’s theme is “Trains, Trains, and More Trains!” Children of all ages are invited to attend. Activities include photo, dress-up, and craft stations, model railroads, musicians, and booths (with goodies!) conducted by various railroad organizations – all teaching children about the importance of trains to our local area, state and country.

Do you have a budding conductor in your house? Click “Chime In” to comment on our Facebook page. We’d love to hear from you!

The 2012 Volley to Defeat ALS tennis tournament, presented by Sterling Autobody Centers, will be held at the Harrison Tennis Center at 2653 Shallowford Road in Marietta March 8-11. Proceeds from the doubles-only tournament will benefit the Georgia Chapter of the ALS Association.

The tournament is a series of one-day tournaments. Women can choose to play March 8 or March 11, and men play March 10. The divisions include 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5 doubles in a limited eight-team draw each day. Assuming draws fill, each doubles team will play three 8-game pro sets and the finalists from each half of the draw will play a 4th match to determine the champion. Check-in is at 9 a.m. and each day will conclude by 2 p.m.

Registration is $40 and includes lunch and door prizes. Players can register online through TennisLink using tournament ID# 700057412 at http://tennislink.usta.com/TOURNAMENTS. For more information, please contact Tournament Director Steve Lottinger at stephen.lottinger@cobbcounty.org or 770) 591-3151.

ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease for which there is no known cure. For more information about ALS, please visit the ALS Georgia Chapter at www.alsaga.org. Proceeds from the tournament are earmarked for Caregiver Relief and Patient Equipment in Georgia.

(Reprinted from the MDJ, February 20, 2012.)

There is also a scholarship designated for a student who receives or received special education services and meets the above criteria.

To be considered, applications must be received by March 30, 2012. Applications are available in each school’s counseling office. Please encourage eligible seniors that you know to apply for these scholarships!

Olivia Morgan will host their first Outdoor Market & Furniture Clearance Sale of 2012 this Saturday, February 25. An Outdoor Market will be held the last Saturday of every warm weather month. The next one is scheduled for March 31st.

To become a vendor, click HERE. There is no cost to set up but you must  be registered. Anyone can be a vendor.

Olivia Morgan Antiques will be open from 10am to 6pm, but vendor set-up begins at 6am and take down anytime after 2pm.

The Olivia Morgan Furniture Clearance Sale will continue in conjunction with the outdoor market and continue until every piece is sold! New Dealers Welcome!

Visit Olivia Morgan Antiques at 4936 Lower Roswell Road, 1/8 Mile East of Johnson Ferry, in the Parkaire Triangle.

A healthy heart is essential to a healthy existence. To take care of your heart, take care of the whole you.

“Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Georgia for many reasons,” explains Andrew Kobylivker, a cardiologist with Kaiser Permanente Georgia. “Risk factors for heart disease include obesity, physical inactivity, uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes. Most of these can be prevented, or at least managed.”

Follow these guidelines to keep your heart healthy, or help it heal:

Eat right for your heart. Consuming heart-healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, healthy proteins, and whole grains on a daily basis will help keep your heart and blood vessels in good shape. Incorporate oily fish, such as salmon, into your diet twice a week. Avoid trans-fats and limit your intake of fat, cholesterol, sodium and sugar. Create a weekly menu featuring heart-healthy foods and visit farmers markets for fresh inspiration.

If you drink alcohol, drink it in moderation. Drinking too much alcohol can raise your total cholesterol levels and your blood pressure. Limit alcohol to no more than 1 drink a day for women or 2 drinks a day for men. A drink equals:
12 ounces of beer
5 ounces of wine
1 ounce of liquor

Get your heart pumping. At Kaiser Permanente Georgia, we recommend that you do 150 minutes of exercise in a week or at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days. If you can’t do all 30 minutes at once, do 10 minutes at a time.

Brisk walking, swimming, or cycling are especially good for the heart, but choose any activity you enjoy. Start at your comfort level, and build up gradually. If you have heart disease, check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program.

Maintain a healthy weight. Lowering your weight by just 10 percent can make a significant difference in reducing your heart disease risk.

De-stress your life. Stress, anger, anxiety, and depression may keep your blood pressure high and increase your risk for heart attack, stroke and other illnesses. Talk with your health care provider about creating a personalized relaxation and stress-management plan.

If you smoke, now’s the time to quit. After just a year of being smoke-free, your risk of dying from heart disease is cut in half. Kaiser Permanente offers many resources to help you take this critical step to improve your health.

Partner with your care team. Sometimes exercise and changes in your diet aren’t enough to prevent or manage heart disease, especially if you have high blood pressure unhealthy cholesterol or triglyceride levels uncontrolled diabetes.

“At Kaiser Permanente, we recognize that providing coordinated medical care from a team of nurses, pharmacists, primary care physicians and specialists is vital to managing chronic disease,” explained Kobylivker. Work with your doctor and care team to develop a treatment plan that may include medications, healthy lifestyle changes and classes or online programs. You may need to take extra care to stay healthy:

Watch your cholesterol level. Cholesterol is an important chemical that your body needs, but too much can block your blood vessels and cause chest pain, a heart attack, or a stroke. Your care team can help you reduce your total and LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise your HDL (good) cholesterol through a healthy diet, exercise, and medication (if needed).
Keep your triglyceride levels low. Triglycerides are a type of fat found in your body and many foods. Having a fasting level of 150 mg/dL of triglycerides or greater in your blood may increase your risk of heart disease, especially when you have a high level of the bad cholesterol (LDL) or a low level of the good cholesterol (HDL).

Reduce high blood pressure. High blood pressure (hypertension) is a major cause of heart disease — and you may not experience any symptoms. The only way to tell whether you have high blood pressure is to have it measured. This is done routinely during most doctor visits.

If you do have high blood pressure, monitor it at home with a blood pressure cuff and take your medications as prescribed, even if your blood pressure falls within a normal range (120/80 and lower).

If you have diabetes, manage it. People with type 2 diabetes have high rates of heart disease, so it’s extremely important that you work with your doctor and care team to manage it.

Take your medications faithfully. Whether you’re taking aspirin daily on the advice of your doctor or other heart medications, take them as prescribed.

(Source: Kaiser Permanente)

Do you take steps to keep your heart healthy? Click “Chime In” to comment on our Facebook page. We’d love to hear from you!