Tweet, Tweet, Tweet!

In lieu of all of the bird and goose imagery this week, we've been slowly hinting at our newest venture here at ECHO: Twitter! You've got it, we started our Twitter account and we're ready to share it with all of you! For those of you that are new to this social media sphere, 

now is a great time to learn. 

Twitter is an interesting platform where individuals, non-profits, and businesses can write 1 or 2 sentences a few times a day to update their supporters. For example, celebrities often use Twitter to allow fans to get a glimpse into their lives. Organizations often use it to provide a live feed of their efforts, update about upcoming events, blog posts (hint, hint) and network online with other like-minded organizations. Make sense? 

Feel free to ask us any questions and we would love to help you out! 

https://twitter.com/DetroitECHO

So what does this have to do with TEAMWORK, our theme this week? Well, Twitter will allow us to connect with other organizations and join together to serve you better! We're hoping to meet more people and expand our efforts into the greater Detroit community.

Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!

Building a Team

Food for thought:

How do these geese facts relate to being a leader or a follower? 

How does your attitude affect those around you in creating a team? 

What is one thing that you can modify in yourself to make yourself a better team player? 

As you watch the adorable YouTube video, think about this question:

What are important ingredients to think about when building a team? 

(whether thats with your family, coworkers, or community)

Geese and Team Building

Mother Nature has a lot to teach us. How do geese and teamwork go together you say? Well, check out these fun geese facts by Charles Lubbe, and lets figure this out:

1. As a goose flaps its wings, it creates a current that lifts the bird following it. By the flock flying in a v-formation, it adds 71% more flying range than if they were to fly alone.

2. Whenever a goose flys out of formation and feels the struggle of flying alone, it gets back into the v-shape to take adantage of the current of the bird in front of it.

3. When the lead goose gets tired, it flies to the back and another goose flies at the point position.

4. The geese from behind honk to encourage those in the front to keep going.

5. If a goose gets sick or hurt while flying, two other geese will follow it to the ground until it gets well or dies. Then they will join in another formation or catch up with their own.

So what are the lessons here? How can you use these facts in your own life? Where do you fall in the v-formation at work or at home? Perhaps you are the point goose and need a rest, or perhaps you are part of a team that carries each other through the work day. What are the essentials that make up a team and how do we stick with them? More tomorrow...

Check out Charles Lubbe's full article here:
http://hrpulse.co.za/first-months2/team-building/229266-5-facts-that-top-teams-learn-from-geese

Dental Event

Here's a FREE DENTAL event. Mark your calendars, plan ahead.

Shwedel Dental will host Dentistry from the Heart

Providing first 125+ people (18 and older) with free dental care on:
Saturday, September 6th, 2014.

7:45am-5pm

25650 Goddard Road - Suite A

Taylor, MI 48180

Dr. Steve Shwedel will once again host a free dental care event through Dentistry from the Heart (DFTH) supporting Wayne County residents by providing first 125+ adult patients free dental services.  For more information call us at 313-769-3459. 

The team of dental professionals at Shwedel Dental will provide patients with a free filling, extraction or cleaning. There will also be several Oral Surgeons, Hygienists, Dental Assistants and other dental professionals donating their time and resources, in order to provide free dental care to as many residents in need as possible. This DFTH event will donate thousands of dollars in free dental care and provide much needed relief to people in need in the community.

You are invited to attend Saturday, September 6th as we spread free smiles across Wayne County through Dentistry from the Heart located at 25650 Goddard Road, Suite A, Taylor, MI 48180. This event is for adults 18 and up. Patients are asked to arrive early as the event is a first come, first serve basis. Event registration will begin at 7:45 a.m. and patients will be seen through 5:00 p.m. that day. Patients are also encouraged dress appropriate for the weather and bring chairs, water, snacks, etc. as they will be outside while waiting to be seen.

What is Oil Pulling?

Oil pulling. What is it? Have you guys heard of this before? Why is this included in ECHO dental week?

Lets get started.

Oil pulling is an ancient technique that long story short is using oil instead of mouthwash. The oil helps clean your mouth from bacteria and plaque, helps whiten your teeth, gum health, detoxing, and many more things...for now we're going to focus on the dental benefits because we're trying to keep our mouths as healthy as possible.

1. Choose an oil: You can go fancy and expensive here or you can go cheap. Of course books and websites say the more organic and less refined the oil the better, however I believe that simply starting this with a cheap oil is better than not doing it at all. You can use olive oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, or sunflower seed oil.
2. Swish: Try 1 tablespoon to start (for me this was too much so I used 1 teaspoon) and swish the oil between your teeth. It is recommended to do this for 20 minutes. Before you gasp and surf to a different website, let me assure you that this is the desired goal. Note the word "goal". I could barely stand it after 10 minutes but the more I do it, the easier it gets. Start small, work your way up. I found that swishing in the shower or while watching tv worked the best because I was distracted with other things. Let me know what works for you!
3. Spit it out! Don't swallow the oil because it contains all of the bacteria, plaque, and toxins we were talking about before! Make sure to spit it out.

If you want to learn more about oil pulling, here's a great YouTube video!

Dental Tips

Hi everyone! Missing a week of ECHO blogging left me lonely...I missed you all! This past week I went through an interesting dental experience that I thought could apply to all of you. How crazy expensive is the dentist? I mean, seriously. It can be very overwhelming. Did you know there is A LOT of preventive care that you can do at home to help minimize your risk of cavities, root canals, gum disease (and spending tons of money!). I thought today I would put together a list of at-home tips to care for your precious teeth and keep the cash in your wallet.

1. FLOSS - Probably the cheapest and most effective way to save a trip to the dentist. DollarTree has multipacks for a dollar or less. Flossing (even if you only do it 3x per week) can save you money. One way to think about it is making a small investment of a couple of dollars and a couple of minutes each week can save literally hundreds of dollars in fillings down the line. My dentist was telling me that she keeps her floss by her remote and flosses every time she watches tv!!! I LOVE that! C'mon guys, that's a great tip.

2. FOOD - Here are just a few foods that you can eat to literally improve your teeth as you chew: cheese (anything with calcium), celery, onions, sweet potatoes, and raisins! For more info check this out, 10 Best Foods For Oral Health. The more raw fruits and veggies the better!

3. OIL PULLING - more info on this ridiculous money saving tip tomorrow :) If you're in a rush to learn about it,

4. TONGUE SCRAPING - The tongue collects bateria and toxins. If you simply scrape your tongue with your toothbrush first thing in the morning or at all during the day, you will decrease bacteria build up in your mouth.

5. WATER - I find myself always including water as a tip, but it is pretty amazing. Mouthwash is great, especially the brand ACT which contains fluoride to work against cavities! BUT if you are in a situation where you cannot afford mouthwash, swishing your mouth with water will help remove a lot of bacteria/plaque and keep your teeth strong!


Do you guys have any other money saving teeth tips? Let me know!

Don't Forget Campus Maritus!

Don't forget about the fountains at Campus Maritus park downtown! Talk about the best FREE community resource in town! Who knows, maybe you'll meet your next employer or scope your next job opportunity while keeping cool in the D! 

DIY Air Conditioner

Found this one on wikihow and had to share it with you guys considering the theme of this week!

Make your own Air conditioner! Put a metal bowl of salted ice in front of a fan, and adjust the fan so that the air is blowing over the ice. Or, use one or more 2 liter bottles and fill them mostly full of water (70%) and rock salt (10%). Leave 20% of the volume empty for expansion. The salt lower the temperature at which the water freezes, allowing you to make the ice super cold. Freeze the liquid in the bottles, then place them in a large bowl (to catch dripping condensation). Position a fan to blow on them. As the salty ice in the bottles melts, the air around them cools and the fan will blow that air at you. The water and salt in the bottles can be refrozen every night and used repeatedly.

Beat the Heat!

Are you hot in Detroit this week? Are you hot all the time now? We hope we can do something for a bit of heat relief! We've gathered some east tips for those of us without air conditioning this summer!

First things first, if its in your budget a fan works wonders! Opening the windows/doors can also help to create a cross breeze in your home. Believe it or not, there are many more ways to keep cool!

1. Drink more water. Relief from the heat is almost immediate. They have popsicle trays and ice cube trays at Family Dollar - pour in some water or whatever kind of juice or ice tea you have around and voila! Feel the cool!

2. Freeze your pillow a few hours before bed. Mmm. 

3. When you wake up in the morning, hang your bedding in the coolest part of your house and when you're ready for bed enjoy fresh, cool sheets!

4. Spray bottles! They're also at Family Dollar and mist your face (or your furry friends!) for cheap, cheap, cheap.

5. Soak your feet in a bucket of cold water! OR rinse your wrists under cold water in the sink!

6. Mint, cucumbers, and believe it or not SPICY food helps to cool you down! 

Cheap Dinner Recipe

Cheapest meal on the block:

Upgrade your ramen noodles! Boil some water on the stove. Add ramen noodles and whatever veggies you have around. (Onions, peppers, mushrooms, kale, lettuce...whatever you have!) Drop an egg or two in the pot and break up the yolk with a fork. Let it cook for just a bit longer and voila! Dinner under $3! I love this with s
oy sauce and some hot sauce!

Here's a website for more step-by-step descriptions: http://www.isavea2z.com/cheap-meals-budget/

GroupOn Details

Do any of you know how to use "GroupOn"? 

GroupOn is basically an online coupon catalogue of sorts. If you go to www.groupon.com and click on the second white bubble box and fill in "Detroit, MI" the website will link you to coupons and deals in the area. You can also subscribe to their email listing and get an email with a new Detroit-based coupon each day. The coupons are sorted by categories like Beauty, Fitness, Food, and Automotive. Its great to form a new habit and check the website before making a purchase... you never know what kind of deal will come up! (right now they have a GroupOn for thai food downtown for 50% off! http://www.groupon.com/deals/bai-mai-thai-detroit) 

Freeze Ahead Meals

Happy first week of July everybody! With all of the barbecues and festivities this week, I thought I would give a great resource on making large meals for your whole family, for cheap. The key is lots of freezer bags, coupons, and maybe a crockpot. Here's a website for a mama who made 28 family meals for under $200! MamaSayWhat.com

How do you guys cook for cheap? Let us know!