Twisted Tween- "Celebs that Make a Difference" by Hannah and Cailin Loesch

iCarly’s Reed Alexander -he’s no Nevel!

Hello everyone! We hope you all had a good week. We finished our first week of school and WHEW! Summer is definitely over.

With all the stress that school can bring, we found a great place for you to go if you need someone to talk to. Best selling author of many books geared to tweens/teens Annie Fox has started a twitter to give kids a place they can feel safe to ask questions on things that matter to them. She gives great advice. Follow her on twitter @HeyTerra .If you have not read any of her books, you should check them out. Her most recent books are “The Middle School Confidential Series”. Also “Too Stressed to Think”, and “The Teen Survival Guide to Dating and Relating” She knows what she is talking about, and she shares her wisdom! Not on twitter? Go to Http://heyterra.com/teens/

This is National Child Cancer Awareness month so we would like you to check out the Seany Foundation Http://www.theseanyfoundation.org/

A non- profit foundation to carry on Sean Robins legacy of battling Ewings sarcoma, and to find a cure for cancer.

Do what you can!

So here is what you have all been waiting for! This weeks celeb that makes a difference is iCarly’s own Reed Alexander!

You know him as iCarly’s evil Nevel, but believe us when we tell you that Reed is nothing like his character!

Reed makes community service a priority. Helping people in need and making a difference is important to him. Finding a cause and working together to make a difference is something his whole family believes in! We have found with this series of blogs, that most kid’s who go out of their way to give back, have parents that have influenced them, by their actions.

If your family is not involved in a cause- then you be the one to start making a difference! It can be a great way to spend time together!

Reed has been working with the American Cancer Society’s Reaching Out to Cancer Kids (R.O.C.K) He specifically works with the Nicholas R Chiera Foundation, a non- profit organization to raise money for the R.O.C.K program as well as other programs. The R.O.C.K program provides the children a chance to experience summer camp, while it gives them the special medical care they need.

This year Reed co-hosted the Chiera Foundation Charity Ball and Golf Tournament. All the proceeds were given to the R.O.C.K program’s . This enabled family weekends, support programs, and a fantastic scholarship fund for children with cancer to pursue their dreams of attending college!

For more information about this foundation and how you can help contact;

http://www.chieragolfclassic.com/ and is run by Lou Chiera

Reed has helped to raise funds for hurricane victims who have lost their homes, and are trying to rebuild their lives. He enjoys helping to provide victims of these unfortunate circumstances relief, which includes basic necessities. Things that we all take for granted mean the world to someone who has nothing!

A few years ago one of Reeds friends was diagnosed with autism. Thanks to an immediate diagnosis and treatment, her condition has really improved. In support of his friend he supports an organization called Autism Speaks. It raises money for research to figure out exactly what causes autism, treatment, and trying to find a cure! Reed helps to raise funds to support these goals. To contact Autism Speaks and find out how you can make a difference go to: http://www.autismspeaks.org

When asked why do you feel it is important to help people in need? Reed responded: “We are all people- we all deserve help from each other.” “If there is anything we can do to help out in the world, it is to bring a positive change to people” “It does not have to be anything tremendous-just something easy and small,can make all the difference.”

Well, one thing is for sure- Reed does big things to make a difference, and we all can learn something from him!

Reed says everyone should find a cause that interests them, and then do whatever you can to support it! It is easy and fun to do!

Reed loves acting, writing, and reading. He is currently working on a new project that he hopes will inspire people to live a healthier lifestyle, and take good care of themselves. We can’t wait to see what that is all about!

We are sure that there will be a lot more in store for all of us, when it comes to Reed Alexander. His acting talent is incredible, and now we know his commitment to making the world a better place is just as amazing!

Hope you enjoyed this weeks “Celeb that Makes a Difference” We thank Reed for taking the time to answer our questions!

REED ALEXANDER ROCKS!

Have a good week and be inspired to find some way (whether it is big or small) to make a difference in someone’s life.

Keep it Real!

H and C

Twisted Tweens- Tween/Teen Celebs That Make a Difference!

On TV, in magazines, on the internet, it is always reported all the negative things that are going on in the lives of tween/teen celebrities. First of all, what people need to realize is that most of what is reported is completely not true! Negativity and gossip unfortunately sells... Many people enjoy seeing others fail, and love to find ways to bring people down.

Well, we think it is time to give these tween/teen celebs a chance to show what they are really doing with their free time! The compassionate, loving, giving sides of them, that the media chooses to neglect.

Our next few blogs will be showing you that many celebs are going out of their way to make a positive difference in the lives of the people around them in the world. Many of them have charities that they support. We hope our series of "Tween/Teen Celebs that make a Difference" will not only show you what great things they are doing, but inspire you to find a way that you can give back in your own community!

Charity- definition: goodwill toward or love of humanity, generosity and helpfulness especially toward the needy or suffering

Community service does not just mean giving money. Sometimes just giving of your time is what is needed. It could be helping out at your local food bank, or as simple as helping the little old lady down the street carry in her groceries, and put them away. You will find, that finding a way to make others feel better really ends up making you feel pretty darn good too!

So favorite this blog- because starting next week we will be featuring our first celeb who makes a difference! And believe us when we tell you, that it will be someone you know and love...

Keep it Real!

H and C

Twisted Tween- No Voice No Choice!

This weeks blog is a subject that is going to make you question if anything anyone says is true!

For example, if you are going to watch a show called Teen Choice Awards wouldn't you think that the awards were chosen by the teens? In this particular case the answer is - NOT!

Finding this information out was a huge disappointment to us, and everyone we know. We went out of our way to take the time to get online and vote for the people that we thought deserved to win. If we knew that we were wasting our time, and that our votes were not actually deciding the winner, we would not have wasted our time!

Posted on the screen for a second of the awards show was this:

"Winners for the teen choice awards were determined through voting on the teenchoiceawards.com website. The results of the voting were tabulated electronically by teenchoiceawards.com and confirmed by a committee of Fox representatives. Teenasaurus Rox Inc had the right to determine the winners from among the top four vote getters of the nominees in each of 88 catagories. Ultimate choice was determined solely by the producers."

Sound like teen choice to you? Sounds like producers choice to us! And they chose from the top 4? At least if they had chosen from the top 2 it would have been slightly more fair! Either way it was absolutely NOT teen choice...

iCarly had better ratings than all the other shows it was up against- and yet did not receive one TCA? Does this make sense to you? Seems pretty fishy to us! We think they got totally robbed! Everyone we know watches iCarly, and everyone we know voted. Were our voices heard? Maybe they were heard, but completely ignored. Oh how we hate to be ignored, don't you? This should also be upsetting to the people that won. When you win something you want to win fair and square. In this case why did they bother to even have the teens vote? The producers could of had their winners in mind all along! Again- NOT TEEN CHOICE!

So next year, unless they release a statement saying that they have changed their voting rules and decision making process we have one word for them.... Boycott!

So that is our rant for the week.

Keep it real! H and C

Twisted Tweens- Is it true?

OK, this week we heard something that has rocked the tween/teen world.
iCarly is filming episodes until the end of August and then it's over. No more
iCarly...
Popstar Magazine posted a video on twitter that showed Nathan Kress aka
"Freddie" of iCarly saying this.
We watched it-he said it!
He said they were pushing to film a bunch of episodes by the end of August, and that would be it.
Saying the show had been on a long time, but not to worry the episodes they would be
filming would last for many more months.
Now Nathan is saying he has no idea where people came up with this! How
about because it came out of his own mouth? The video has now been mysteriously
removed...
Everyone we know loves iCarly, and found this news really disappointing!
Dan Schneider (the producer of iCarly) recently stated that the rumours are
not true. Why would Nathan say it then? Why? Is it true? Guess we will all have to wait
to find out! Keep it real- H and C

Twisted tweens :Random Things To Do This Summer!

Howdy Peeps! We hope everyone is enjoying their summer, it is halfway over didja know?

If you are starting to feel like you are running out of ideas of things to do, we decided to list some things we have either checked out already- or they are still on our list for when we get bored.

Hope you enjoy them.

We saw this on a morning news channel and thought it sounded interesting. You know those strips you buy in the drug store to remove blackheads from your nose and face? The ones that cost over $7.00 a box? Well get this- buy a $2.00 bottle of Elmers Glue (the white kind) put an even layer over the area and let it harden. Peel it off and believe it- the little things peel right off with it! Yup! We think it works even better than the other kind. We even read somewhere you can use the stuff watered down for hair gel. (we personally did not try that one) Hey- if your sportin' a mohawk don't dilute!:-)

Here is something that we have not done yet, but it is on the list....

Clean out that closet!

If your closet is not organized how are you going to know what you have for back to school?

We found stuff stuffed in the back of our closet that we forgot we had searching for something last week. Try it all on and if it doesn't fit, either donate it or maybe have a yard sale. Most of the time you can mix and match all kinds of things with just a few new things for back to school

to get a new fresh look! You really do not need a lot of money to get a look that is comfortable for you. Have your own style!

Need some cash to buy some new things for school or the latest Jonas Brothers CD? Enroll in your local Red Cross babysitting course program. We did it and it was fun! Check out http://www.redcross.org/

It is an awesome way to learn everything you need to know to feel confident about being in charge of other peoples children. CPR and other techniques that will help you to know what to do in case of emergencies are taught. Right down to changing diapers you will learn it all! If you are starting out, a mom will be much more likely to hire you if you have taken this course. So if you enjoy kids- why not make some money doing it? Nothing better than being able to buy what you want with your own money.

Own tents? Put them up in the back yard and sleep outside! Build a campfire with supervision, and cook Smores. Yummy! Invite all your friends, have them bring flashlights, and enjoy the outdoors. You don't have to go far to do that, just outside your door.

It just takes some thinking to come up with fun ways to fill your time. Sometimes simple is better. Don't get us wrong we love big fancy vacations, or spa treatments, or new clothes, just as much as everyone. But sometimes a tent, and some Elmers Glue is all you need!

Have a great week everyone- Keep it real- and do something! H and C

Twisted Tweens: Are we friends or what?

First off (and totally unrelated ) how cool was iCarly last night? Of course these twins would never miss a new iCarly, especially one named iTwins! That show never fails to make us crack up...:-) Gullible Freddy!

Ok, here is what we would like to talk about today.

Anyone have a "friend" in their life that makes them question just what being a friend means?

You know the one, the person who says they are your friend, but then says nothing but negative things to you. We like to refer to this as a "constant downer". At our age, friendships and acceptance by the people around us is HUGE.

But you really have to surround yourself with people who will lift you up- NOT drag you down! Don't worry about being in the "in" crowd or joining a clique of peeps. Just get involved in whatever activities that really interest you, and open yourself up to meeting and making friends that way. If you have the right attitude and send positive feelings/thoughts/ideas to people then guess what? That is probably what you will get in return! Imagine that?

True friendship absolutely takes work. You have to listen and support, and accept your friends for who they are. Quirky, weird , and wonderful- ya gotta love them all. If everyone were the same, life would be soooo boring! Friends disagree- it happens. True friends talk things through. Sometimes, you have to agree to disagree.

Every once in awhile you will need to let go of someone you thought was a friend, because they just don't treat you with the respect and caring that true friendship deserves :-( . This can be sad, but will save you trouble in the long run!

Anyway, hope you found some bits of wisdom that will help you from our first "Twisted Tween" blog. The subject today is something we have been going through lately, so we figured that other tweeners out there must be going through it too! Keep it real! H and C