The House on Christmas Street in GERMANY!

Look at this email I just received!

Hello Judy,

first of all we like to wish you a happy new year 2010.

Please allow to introduce ourselves. We are a family of four living in the small town of Mayen in west-central Germany. We are Thomas, Dagmar and our daughters Janine (15) and Kim (12).

Inspired through private initiatives in the USA, which combine a Christmas light display with a charity-event, we spontaneously decided in October 09 to do the same in Germany. We had our first season running from November 27^th to January 2^nd with one of the kids favoured songs being “The House on Christmas Street”.

At closing we had been able to attract a few thousand visitors to our small town in central Germany. And best of all, we were able to collect EURO donations in equivalent of over 3600.-$. to help kids in need.

Overwhelmed from the success we like to share a picture of our little “House on Christmas Street” with you sharing the same passion, helping kids.

As many visitors’ asked about your song, we decided incorporate links to judypancoast.com in the FAQ section of our new website. We kindly ask you to let us know if it is ok with you that we did so?

You find the website at www.lightadream.de, unfortunately up to now its all in German, but under “Videos” you can see a clip of our House on Christmas Street in action and maybe you like it.

Best regards from Mayen, Germany

The Voss family,

Thomas, Dagmar,

and our daughters Janine and Kim

Isn't that cool? Of course, I can't understand anything that's written on the website..but the video looks great! Wish I could see it in person!

Mother's Milk Donations Needed for Haiti Infants

I'm posting this info here because I know a lot of Moms who bring their children to my shows are nursing mothers:

Urgent Call for Human Milk Donations for Haiti Infants

The Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA), United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC), International Lactation Consultant Association/United States Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA/USLCA), and La Leche League International (LLLI) are jointly issuing an urgent call for human milk donations for premature infants in Haiti, as well as sick and premature infants in the United States.

This week the first shipment of human milk from mothers in the United States will be shipped to the U.S. Navy ship Comfort stationed outside Haiti. Comfort is currently set up with a neonatal intensive care unit and medical personnel to provide urgent care to victims of the earthquake. An International Board Certified Lactation Consultant stationed at the U.S. Navy base in Bethesda, MD is assisting with providing breast pump equipment and supplies to Comfort. Dr. Erika Beard-Irvine, pediatric neonatologist, is on board to coordinate distribution of the milk to infants in need. HMBANA, USBC, ILCA/USLCA, and LLLI are responding to requests to provide milk for both premature infants and at-risk mothers who have recently delivered babies on board the USNS Comfort, but an urgent need exists for additional donations.

At the current time, the infrastructure to deliver human milk to Haiti infants on land has not yet been established. As soon as that infrastructure is in place, additional donations will be provided to older infants.

Mothers who are willing to donate human milk should contact their regional Mothers’ Milk Bank of HMBANA. A list of regional milk banks is available on the HMBANA web site.

Currently milk banks are already low on donor milk. New milk donations will be used for Haiti victims as well as to replenish donor supplies to continue to serve sick and premature infants in the United States. Donor milk provides unique protection for fragile preterm infants.

UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the Emergency Nutrition Network, and medical professionals all recommend that breastfeeding and human milk be used for infants in disasters or emergencies. Human milk is life-saving due to its disease prevention properties. It is safe, clean, and does not depend on water which is often unavailable or contaminated in an emergency. Relief workers, health care providers, and other volunteers are urged to provide support for breastfeeding mothers to enable them to continue breastfeeding, and to assist pregnant and postpartum women in initiating and sustaining breastfeeding.

For more information, contact HMBANA at 408-998-4550 (www.hmbana.org). Additional information can be
provided from the United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) at 202-367-1132 (www.usbreastfeeding.org), ILCA/USLCA at 800-452-2478 (www.ilca.org or www.uslca.org), or La Leche League (LLLI) at 847-519-7730
(www.llli.org).

SOURCE: United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC)

The USBC is an organization of organizations. Opinions expressed by USBC are not necessarily the position of all member organizations and opinions expressed by USBC member organization representatives are not necessarily the position of USBC.

The United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) is an independent nonprofit coalition of 41 nationally influential professional, educational, and governmental organizations. Representing over half a million concerned professionals and the families they serve, USBC and its member organizations share a common mission to improve the Nation’s health by working collaboratively to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding. For more information about USBC, visit www.usbreastfeeding.org.

(I would like to thank Sienna from the Hilltown Families blog for sharing this information)

Shakin' it Up

I'm getting the urge to shake things up a little bit over here at Judy Pancoast Incorporated. What can I do to make the concerts more fun for the kids? I'm getting ready to audition The Judy Crew 2010 (if you're a teen and want to audition, email me here and I'll send you the details!)...and I'm thinking about forming a back-up band. SO....watch for some new and exciting changes in my concerts this year...and let me know what you think!!!

CHRISTMAS IN JULY?/Plan Your Road Trip Now!

Want to plan a fun vacation for the family? Here's my suggestion:

Radio station Extra 99.1 WXGM in Hampton Roads, Virginia, is sponsoring a "Christmas in July" concert with yours truly on July 23rd at the Bena Country Store in Gloucester, VA. It's going to be a blast!
If you are one of my fans in the area you should know that the ONLY way to get tickets is to win them on the air, so as the time approaches you'll want to stay glued to the station. I can't wait to meet you guys! (However, if you are not in the area and are planning to make the trip, let me know and I'll get you in to see the Wizard!)

I've performed down there several times before and I love the area...and I bet your family will love it, too...it's got:
Newport News (http://www.marinersmuseum.org/ that's just one of the great spots)
Virginia Beach (http://www.vbfun.com/visitors/default.aspx)
Busch Gardens (here I come, DarKastle ride! http://www.4adventure.com/BGW/default.aspx)
Colonial Williamsburg (http://www.history.org/)
the Tabb Library in Yorktown...it's one of my favorite areas in the country and one YOU should consider visiting with the kids!
The first time I went there was when my husband and I drove down to Orlando for our honeymoon at Disney World (2 years after we got married!) in 1988. We drove all the way to Williamsburg in one shot and spent a day there visiting Colonial Williamsburg and the surrounding area. We fell in love with it then.
It's a mere 11 hour drive (that's nothing to this road warrior...I've got almost 300-THOUSAND miles on my 2004 Sienna!) so you could leave from Manchester, NH at 8am and be there before the sun goes down, including rest stops. So plan a road trip with the family for that weekend...and be sure to take my new CD "Weird Things are Everywhere!" with you to entertain the kids!
If you want to take a couple of days to do the trip, make sure you check out http://www.roadsideamerica.com/ before you leave, to find some of the weirdest things out there along the way!
If you have any questions about making the trip, let me know! Just consider me your friendly travel guide.....

Weird Things are Everywhere!

HEADLINE:

CHILDREN TAKE SUDDEN INTEREST IN US GEOGRAPHY

Parents Puzzled

No need to be puzzled, Mom & Dad! Someone must have given your child my new CD, "Weird Things are Everywhere!" for a present. Have they suddenly expressed interest in going on a road trip? Are they asking for a US map or atlas? Are they telling you about the weird things out there on the American Road? YAY HOORAY!

Early reports are in, and it seems that kids are playing the CD over and over and over again...having a great time, singing along, and learning! One child recently said to me, "So....you were born in Maine?" and at first I was surprised. Then he said, "Well, in the first song you said there was a giant Paul Bunyan statue in the state where you were born, and then later on you said that Paul Bunyan was in Maine, so I put two and two together." Now that kid was REALLY paying attention!

"Weird Things are Everywhere!" is an educational CD unlike any you've heard before. It's not just packed with dry, uninteresting facts...it's loaded with fun songs and cool stuff specifically designed to catch kids' attention and make them want to go out and see for themselves. It's a great addition to any elementary school classroom and a wonderful present. Navigate to the Tune Room Store NOW to get your copy! http://judypancoast.com/tune_room_store.htm

The Next Holiday is NOT Valentine's Day

It's the birthday of the KING of ROCK N' ROLL tomorrow, Jan. 8th! Elvis would be 75 years old had he not passed away in 1997...and I bet he would still be going strong. Too bad there were no celeb rehab clinics back then...not until First Lady Betty Ford got hers going.

But Elvis lives on in the hearts and minds of many of us who still enjoy his music. He was one of a kind!

In honor of the big day, I have uploaded my tribute song "A Little Bit of Elvis" to my MySpace page. You can hear it at www.myspace.com/judypancoast.

And if you love Elvis, be sure to play his music for your kids so they can love him too!

Where is The House on Christmas Street?

As of January 3, 2010, The House on Christmas Street has been used in outdoor home lighting displays in these locations (these are the ones I know of. If you know of any more, please let me know! I like to keep track!)
AUSTRALIA:
Ballarat, Victoria
CANADA:Tillsonburg, Ontario
Thorsby, Alberta
UNITED KINGDOM:Wells, Somerset

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA:
ARIZONA:
Fort Mohave
CALIFORNIA:
Folsom
Millbrae
CONNECTICUT:
Brooklyn
Vernon
DELAWARE:
Newark
FLORIDA:
Deerfield Beach
Eustis City
Kissimee
Orlando
Punta Gorda
Riverview
GEORGIA:
Smyrna
HAWAII:
Hilo
ILLINOIS:
Kankakee
Leroy
Tolono
INDIANA:
Fishers
Huntington
MAINE:
Wilton
MASSACHUSETTS:
Stoneham
MICHIGAN:
Livonia
MISSOURI:
Jefferson City
Kansas City
NEBRASKA:
Friend
NEW HAMPSHIRE:
Claremont
Hudson
NORTH CAROLINA:
Monroe
OHIO:
Cincinnati
Columbus
PENNSYLVANIA:
Easton
Pittsburgh
SOUTH CAROLINA:
Conway
TEXAS:
Cypress
Garland
VIRGINIA:
Ridgeway
WASHINGTON:
Spokane
WYOMING:
Torrington

TALLY: Four countries and 23 states, 54 Search results on YouTube.
Christmas decorating enthusiasts ROCK!!