George's Midlife Crisis

Some say its a midlife crisis, some say its a new toy... but I say its a very stylish way to save 20 MPGs baby! Besides, now I don't have to stick my head out the car window to get a little wind whipping through my hair!

The details:
-1999 Honda Shadow Aero
-1100cc's of pure power
-Green with black paint
-Whitewall tires (retro)
-Sounds like a Harley, but without the vibrations and the oil leaks!

Faron's Benefits of Going to Church

Faron found these studies that are amazing benefits to attending church:

-Church attendance is the number 1 predictor of marital stability (Journal of Marriage and the Family, 40)

-Attending church is helpful in the prevention of cancer, heart disease, and mental illness (National Institute of Healthcare Research in America, June 2000)

-Teens who attend church are 4 times less likely to commit suicide (Journal of Chronic Disease, 25)

-Church attendees stay half as long during hospital stays (Duke University)

-There is an additional life expectancy of 7 years (Demography, May 1999)

-People attending church report a 50% higher weekly avg income (UCLA School of Medicine)

-Church goers have fewer heart attacks (National Institute of Mental Health)

-People attending church are physically healthier and less depressed (American Medical News, 03/96

Looking for a few good homes - the Morning Espresso

UPDATE - Gizmo has gone to a good home! Thanks to Smile FM listener Kris from Northern MI for adopting Gizmo :-) BTW - George still has kittens available.

Jenn & George are both downsizing their feline families. Anybody looking for a good cat or kitten?? Ok, Jenn's persian cat, Gizmo is looking for a home without twin toddlers and other pets. Gizmo is really a super sweet kitty, but the twins are stressin her out. George has some kittens that are ready to go. E-mail: jennc@smile.fm or george@smile.fm for more info.

Money Saver Ideas for Families - from the Morning Espresso

Sometimes we go to great lengths to save money for our family, but often overlook some big savings and common money wasters. See our list for the top ideas.

Congrats to Rob Dale and his New Bride

Twice an hour you hear his familar voice telling you what to expect outside. Whenever severe weather hits, he's the first on the job to warn you and your family how to stay safe. Kids love to sing Rob's weather jingle..."Smile FM weather...la la la!"


We're thrilled to congratulate Rob Dale and his new bride Julia on their recent wedding. Have a wonderful honeymoon trip and we look forward to having you back on the air soon! We're glad the wedding wasn't a total wash out! (Photos from Dan Johnson Photography)

12 New 'Necessities' That Drain Your Cash

On the Morning Espesso, we were talking about these 12 "must have" budget busters. So which ones are messing up your budget??? Jenn's budget busters include McDonald's Sweet Tea, matching outfits for the girls and craft supplies.

Smile FM banned words and phrases

The Diceman is demanding that we create a list of banned words and phrases for Smile FM. (Years ago there was a list of the 7 dirty words that were not allowed on broadcast radio and TV...that doesn't seem to be the rule anymore) Anyway, the Diceman has his own ideas about the Smile FM list of banned words. Since we are the positive hits station, he wants these words and phrases banned: (Let him know if you have anything to add to the list) diceman@smile.fm

-Bummer
-I can't
-I give up
-impossible
-hopeless
-it's never been tried before
-it's too hard
-i'm not good enough
-depression

Cancer is so limited

Here is something the Diceman read on the air.

Cancer is so limited...
It cannot cripple Love
It cannot shatter Hope
It cannot corrode Faith
It cannot destroy Peace
It cannot kill Friendship
It cannot suppress Memories
It cannot silence Courage
It cannot invade the Soul
It cannot steal Eternal Life
It cannot conquer the Spirit

Top 10 phrases kids hate to hear

Several people have me (Diceman)for a copy of this.
I have have 2 teenage daughters, so I get it. I feel guilty as I am typing this out, because I have spoken some of these things to my kids.
From Mike Deboer (Middle School Counselor)
Top 10 phrases that kids hate to hear

Will you ever learn?
You are lazy
You are so immature
You’ll never amount to anything
I’ve had it with you
Don’t you ever listen
what is wrong with you?
who do you think you are?
All you ever do is cause trouble
Can you do anything right?

Everything costs PER GALLON

Thanks to our ever-rising gas prices, we recognize more items
priced by the gallon. Here are some national averages for approximate
per-gallon prices as of June 2008:

· Regular gas varies from $3.70+
· America’s Choice Vitamin D milk $3.89
· Home heating oil $4.36
· Diesel fuel $4.46
· Poland Spring bottled water $4.59
· Laundry detergent $ 5.99
· Breyer’s Ice Cream $ 8.99
· Wesson Cooking Oil $11.99

Smile on :) Rob Dempsey (midday Smile FM)

22 Questions from the Diceman

These are 22 questions the members of John Wesley's Holy Club asked themselves every day in their private devotions over 200 years ago.

Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I relly am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
Do I confidentially pass on to another what was told to me in confidence?
Can I be trusted?
Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?
Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
Did the Bible live in me today?
Do I give it time to speak to me everyday?
Am I enjoying prayer?
When did I last speak to someone else about my faith?
Do I pray about the money I spend?
Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
Do I disobey God in anything?
Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
Am I defeated in any part of my life?
Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy, or distrustful?
How do I spend my spare time?
Am I proud?
Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?
Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it?
Do I grumble or complain constantly?
Is Christ real to me?

Pilsbury Dough Girls from Jenn

Yes, Hosanna and Hallelujah decided to try their hands at baking or patty caking or something like that.

Hosanna and Halle are Jenn's girls (Morning Espresso) they are now 19 months old and into EVERYTHING!

Find your Perfect Political Match

Picking the right candidate is never easy, but we've got a couple of options to help you find the right one for you.

USA Today Candidate Match Game

Fox 2 News Poll

Be sure to get out to vote on Tuesday, January 15th for the Presidential Primary in Michigan. Polls are open from 7 AM to 8 PM.

Merry Christmas from Jenn & the Twinlets

It's been an amazing year for our family. Thanks for sharing it with us on the radio.

Here are the latest Christmas pictures from our sweet girls. (if it doesn't start playing for you automatically, click on "view slideshow.")

Thanks for looking! Ed, Jenn, Hosanna & Hallelujah Czelada

Pics taken at Olan Mills in Lapeer by Shannon - be sure to ask for her!

Congratulations to George's Big Buck Pole Winners

Well, it's so hard to pick just one....so George has picked 4 Big Buck Winners! Congratulations goes to....

BEST LOOKING BUCK ENTRY – Dan Smith of Haslett, MI – 14 points and 264 total pounds!

____________________________________________________________

BEST BOW & ARROW ENTRY – Chris Shelters from Harland, MI – 14 point with a 19” rack spread!

____________________________________________________________

BEST FEMALE ENTRY – Jennifer Dack from Leslie, MI – 10 point buck shot on Nov 16th!

______________________________________________________________

BEST YOUTH ENTRY – Joey Wilkinson (11 yrs old) from Mason, MI – 1st buck with a bow!

Congratulations to all 4 of our winners. You'll each receive a Smile FM Camo Hoodie w/ Hunter Orange print, a bag of Beef Jerky & a Smile FM CD prize pack.

Even though the prizes have been awarded, we'd still love to add your catch to our virtual buck pole, just e-mail your photos to george@smile.fm!

Oh Deer, it's George's Big Buck Contest

George doesn't have time to hunt this year, so instead he's hunting for good game pictures from our Smile FM listeners. Enter your recent Buck (or doe) by sending a picture of the two of you to george@smile.fm by Sunday night at 5 PM. He'll pick the winner on Monday morning. The winning entry will get a limited edition Smile FM Camouflage hoodie with Hunter Orange print, a day's supply of beef jerky, a CD prize pack and a few other surprises that we're putting together. Hunt safely, have a good time and send us those pictures! See George's Virtual Buck Pole and be sure to get your entry in soon!

Before & After - Happy Birthday Twinlets

It's hard to believe that our lovely twinlets are already 1 year old. It's hard to believe all the changes they've been through in the past year! They've tripled their birth weight, grown a lot of hair and are almost walking. We've had a few challenges and a lot of sleepless nights, but we wouldn't change it for a minute.

Here is a picture of the girls at 3 days past fertilization. One advantage to going through infertility treatments is that you get a picture of your kids when they were only 8 to 10 cells big! They say it takes a village to raise a child for us, it took a great team of doctors to create a child. We are very grateful to Dr. Daly and his whole team in helping us to experience this amazing dream!

Grocery Shopping Saga

The Pokemon Cards. $143 for a pack of Pokemon cards??? Doesn't seem possible, but add a sprinkle of creativity and 6 misbehaving kiddos and that's what happened. Read this cool e-bay listing!

Smile FM's Rob Dempsey Finishes Crim Race In Record Time!

It was Rob's first 10 Mile Crim, and it was his own personal best record for a race of that length! He finished in 1 hour, 13 minutes and 2 seconds, placing him in 76 place for his division. Big congrats to Rob!

Rob Dempsey's interview with Josh Devine of Channel 12 (view interview at 3 minutes into report):
http://ww2.abc12.com/global/video/popup/pop_player.asp?clipid1=1697445

PS We appreciate the many people that stopped by our broadcast booths and said how Rob had inspired them to embrace a healthier lifestyle.

Keys to a happy marriage....

Sharing the money?? Sharing the parenting responsibilities??? Nope, it's sharing the HOUSEWORK!! Amen, Sister! Oh, sorry. Read the full story and give us your two cents.

Have Kids - Will travel!

Just because you have kids now, it doesn't mean that you have to stay at home. Why do you think they invented strollers?!? Jenn from the Morning Espresso had a chance to talk with Michele Zavatsky about traveling with kids in Michigan. If you missed the chat, you're in luck, you can listen to it in it's entirety right now! Also check out Michele's website and see about their "Kids Love Michigan " book.

Paul Colman comes to Big Ticket

Brian Dumont had a chance to chat with Paul Colman on the Morning Espresso. They talked about everything from movies to the current tour. If you missed the interview, just listen to it here! Enjoy and see ya at the Big Ticket!

Twinlets 6 month Pictures

Hosanna & Hallelujah turned 6 months old on May 2nd and we wanted to share their super cute 6 month pictures with you. Stats: Hosanna 14lbs 15 oz, Halle 14 lbs 4 oz.

Since George gives me such a hard time for "hogging the whole website," you'll have to click on their one tiny picture to see their whole photo album of 477 pictures from this session, er, um, I mean 47 pictures! Thanks for looking. Jenn - Proud mommy of twins.

Sweet Tea?!?!

From my recent vacation down south, I have fallen in love with real southern sweet tea. I've tried and tried to make it at home, but it's just not iced tea with sugar. Thanks to Bev from Cadillac for a real down home Sweet Tea Recipe. I've tried it and it's great, although I use one batch of syrup for several pitchers of tea.

Simple Syrup:
5 cups sugar
3 cups cold water
For simple syrup, in a small non-reactive pot combine 5 cups of sugar and 3 cups of cold water. Slowly bring to a boil and add 6 sliced lemons and a few sprigs of fresh mint. Remove from heat. Allow to cool 10 minutes and strain.

Enjoy!

Spring Chix

Here are the fuzzy chicks from George's Hobby Farm...

From L to R: fuzzy, wuzzy, chicky, licky, lucky, duffy, georgie, porgie, blackie, whacky and so on!

A tragedy in Virginia

What a sad day at Virginia Tech. What a sad day for our country. It's hard enough for us as adults to deal with these type of events, but how do we help our kids deal with it?

Feel free to blog with us about one or more of the following questions:

What have you told your kids about the event?

How have your kids responded?

Have you watched the news coverage with your kids around?

How much do you want us at Smile FM to talk about it when these type of events happen??

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us! Jenn & George

Mom's Chocolate Cake

I talk about it all the time on the Morning Espresso and I wish I could give everyone a piece, but how about the "recipe" or the closest thing to it.

Mom's Chocolate Cake*

3 boxes of cake mix

follow instructions, except only use 1/2 cup of water per mix and substitute the rest of the water with oil.

Follow the rest of the instruction on the mix. Mom uses 3 boxes of mix for her 2 layer cake. It's HUGE.

Frosting: Crisco, powdered sugar, vanilla, evaporated milk, baking cocoa or melted chocolate. Mix all that stuff together until it becomes frosting. Top with shaved chocolate

Sorry, I couldn't get actual measurements from my mom, she just does a little of this and and a lot of that!

If you would like to make one, I can taste it for you and let you know if you're getting close :-) - Jenn

* Also know as "Contraction Cake" as it once sent me to Labor and Delivery for contractions because I ate too much of it and caused the babies to do too many somersaults. Pregnant ladies, eat at your own risk. I'm not kidding!

Happy Easter from the Twinlets

We just wanted to wish you and your family a very happy Easter and share our Easter portraits.

Eggs Galore!!!

Thanks to everyone who came out for the Easter Egg Hunt in downtown Lapeer!

- George & Autumn


(Czelada twinlets below)
Hosanna the Bunny
Halle the Flower
+ Mom & Dad

25 Trends that have Changed Culture

We thought USA Today did an interesting article about trends that have changed the world. We'll be talking about some of them this week on the show and we'd like your opinion. Which ones have affected your life the most? What ones do you think are causing the biggest problems or are bringing us the most hope as a society?? (Warning some adult content in the article). Trends include Super-Sizing, Longer Life Spans, Diversity, Makeovers, Mainstream Luxury and more!

Are "Forever" Stamps really FOREVER?!?!

George the skeptic is contemplating buying his lifetime supply of first class postage before the rate increase on May 14th. They say that these new stamps are good forever, but he doesn't believe it. See the whole article and give us your two cents worth, get it, two cents...LOL. How much money could we save by buying in advance? How many stamps do you need for a lifetime??? What about the value lost for the time value of money, spending it now to save it later?? I think we need an accountant to help us figure this out!!

Beverly Mitchell - Lucy on 7th Heaven

Jenn got to chat with Beverly Mitchell who plays Lucy on 7th Heaven. Listen to the entire interview including her first radio single "Angel." Beverly's first CD is available now.

Seventh Heaven fans should know that the 4th Season comes out on DVD on March 27th. Jenn will be one of the first in line for the new release!

Twinlets 4 Month Pics

Back by Popular Demand...The Czelada Twinlets :-)

Halle

Hosanna

Hosanna

Hosanna

Hosanna

Halle
Halle

Thanks to Candy from Olan Mills in Lapeer for another great photo shoot! You can contact her at 810-667-2922

Pet Food Recall

Yikes, that's a lot of petfood that is being recalled. See the whole list of foods affected.

First Radio and now Print??

Yup, from the minute they were born the twinlets have been on the radio (or at least crying in the background). Now, they've been featured in the local newspaper. Check out the article for yourself, it's about the local Mom's of Multiples club. BTW - we spell Hallelujah's nick name as "Halle," but she can't read yet, so we don't think she'll mind.

Toby Mac is in the house

In case ya missed it, here is the full interview with Tiana and Toby from the Morning Espresso. Don't forget, there are tickets available for the Portable Sounds tour coming to Northridge Church in Plymouth on Friday Night, March 16th.

Building 429

Building 429 is coming with Toby Mac to Northridge Church in Plymouth this Friday Night. They are also joining us on the Morning Espresso on Wednesday Morning. You can catch the whole unedited interview here. Tickets are still available for the portable sounds tour with Toby Mac, but they're going fast!

Thousand Foot Krutch

Tiana chats with Trevor from Thousand Foot Krutch on Tuesday's Morning Espresso. Listen to the whole interview online. Plus see the band as part of the Portable Sounds tour with Toby Mac at Northridge Church in Plymouth on Friday, March 16th.

Pay for Elective Absences?!?!

A school in California is now sending the parents the bill when their kids miss classes for elective reasons. The School says that their kids take an average of 2.3 days per year off for reasons such as vacations or other non-illness reasons. They also say it costs them around $225,000 a year in missed funding. See the whole article.

2 questions here....do you think kids should get "personal" days off at school?? Or should they be in school when the doors are open?

2nd question....do you think the school has any business billing the parents for missed school days? Or is it just a good ploy to help make parents aware of the issues??

Let us know your thoughts.

Mark Gungor and Laugh your Way is coming back!

Join Smile FM and Mark Gungor for the Laugh Your Way to a better Marriage event. It's coming on Friday and Saturday, March 9 & 10th to New Life Church in Attica (near Lapeer). Buy Tickets now or hear the interview from the Morning Espresso. See ya there!