Smart Solutions for Busy Moms!
Learn how easy it is to get some totally free Kleenex Care Kits, so that you can share the softness – and some kindness – this holiday season… Since we’re smack dab in the middle of what’s expected to be a pretty nasty cold & flu season, it’s the perfect time to stock up on supplies like cold medicine and Kleenex. Because moms don’t have time to get sick, right?
You know the Aflac duck, right? The little star of all those commercials… I’m sure you can hear it in your head now, “AFLAAAAC!!” On TV, he’s always trying to help someone out – by teaching them about the benefits that Alfac insurance can bring. Well now, there’s a holiday version of our feathered friend who’s doing even MORE to give back… The Aflac Holiday Duck makes a great gift for anyone – it’s the perfect combination: A super fun plush duck that will make everyone smile, from the young to the young at heart. And every purchase helps raise money for a great cause too! Learn more about why you’ve got to add the Aflac Holiday Duck to your shopping list this year, and where to buy one…
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“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.” – Mother Teresa… This is a really great way to look at things. There are huge problems in the world – hunger, poverty, sickness and disease, lack of access to things like basic medical care, education, and clean water. Things that we totally take for granted here in the US. But most people feel like these issues are too big, too far away, too vast to do anything about. And it’s true – you can’t solve world hunger, bring about world peace, or cure all of the sick kids across the globe. But you can use the resources you have, no matter how big or small, to make a difference in someone’s life. Sure, you can’t fix it all – but to that one person that benefits from your generosity, what you do DOES matter.
One very simple way to help – that’s extra relevant during this season of shopping and gift giving! – is to direct your spending to places that use those proceeds to give back, help out, and do great things. A site that I’m especially excited about is 1000 Shillings. Why? Read more…
Visit 1000 Shillings online, and check out all of the beautiful handcrafted, one-of-a-kind artwork available to purchase. Then share some love on their social media pages – “Like” them on Facebook, and share the page with your friends. Follow them on Twitter and tweet them a message of support! Connect with them on Pinterest and pin some of their gorgeous products. And visit them on YouTube, and subscribe to their channel for new updates. {I was the very first subscriber there – woo hoo!}
For more ideas on doing good and giving back, visit Mom Bloggers for Social Good – which is who connected me to this great site, and follow my Giving Back board on Pinterest.
Today is Newborn Heart Defect Screening Awareness Day… I’ve told you guys before about Abby’s birth – she was almost 3 weeks early, and had an incredibly rough delivery. That first day, we weren’t sure that she would make it through the night – but luckily, she pulled through, and quickly grew into a happy, healthy baby girl. But some kids aren’t quite as lucky…
Each year, thousands of babies go home from the hospital with undetected congenital heart defects, sometimes leading to future problems.
Learn how you can help – whether it’s keeping your own baby safe, or helping to spread the word to friends and family. About one in 100 babies are born with a congenital heart defect, but early screening can save lives.
Well, as I mentioned, one out of every hundred new babies born each day are born with a defect in their heart. Congenital heart defect {CHD} is the most common birth defect in the US, but sometimes these defects can go undetected into adulthood. I know this first hand – My youngest brother, Brian, was born healthy as could be. As a toddler, he was a chunky but active little guy – no problems whatsoever. At about 6 years old, we switched to a new family doctor, one who would see both of my parents and all of us kids – my mom liked the idea of a doctor who knew all of us, and one that we could grow up with, and still continue to see as we got older. He was the first one to detect a very faint sound when listening to Brian’s heart, something that was probably fine – but he was a really thorough kind of guy, and sent us for further testing.
We saw another doctor for a second opinion, who said there was nothing wrong, and to forget about it all. But my mom really trusted our new family doctor, and her mother’s intuition – so she agreed to his advice to have just a couple more tests done. It turns out, my little brother had been born with a defective aortic valve in his heart. It wasn’t causing him too many problems yet, but it was incredibly dangerous. The specialist that we saw said that it was the type of thing that is usually missed by doctors, and leads to a sudden death in a child – either as a baby, an energetic toddler or thriving kiddo, or even as a high school athlete who dies suddenly during a game. Scary stuff to hear as a big sister – Now as a mom, I can’t imagine how frightening this type of news would be.
After she was born and later passed away in 2009, a new tradition was born as well. Her parents asked for people to wear pink on the 30th of every month and to do an act of good in Cora’s name. So to honor Newborn Heart Defect Awareness Day, pick out your favorite pink shirt, dress or socks or accessories – Together, we’ll wear pink for not only Cora, but for all of the babies born with undetected congenital heart defects.
Do a random act of kindness in their honor that day.
And there’s more you can do. Sign the Pledge to ask your baby’s doctor about screening for congenital heart defects. Share the pledge with other new mommas-to-be. And spread the word about this important screening test using the tweet button below – this test is done in the first 24 hours after a baby arrives, is painless and quick, and you can even hold your baby while they do it – so no separation anxiety for new moms. Learn more about the pulse oximetry test for newborn heart screening.
Could your baby have a deadly heart defect and not even know? Learn more: Newborn Heart Defect Screening – sunshineandsippycups.com/?p=11435 #PulseOxAwar
— Meagan Paullin (@SunandSipCups) December 1, 2012
Let’s Chat: Did you know that this test isn’t standard at many hospitals, in many states? Have you ever heard of it, or had a child in your life with heart defects? Share your stories and your thoughts in the comments below…
{Disclaimer: Photo credit: SabianMaggy. I learned about this cause through Mom Bloggers for Social Good – an amazing group of women using their social media power to do great things and promote amazing organizations. I received no compensation, and all thoughts shared are my own.}
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” – John Fitzgerald Kennedy… Since today is Thanksgiving {and yes, I’m still working. *Sigh*} – I thought that this was a wonderful quote to wrap my mind around in. It’s important to not just use today to give lip service to those things we appreciate – but to truly live them, enjoy them, slow down to appreciate them. What I personally love most about Thanksgiving is that chance to slow down – as a work{aholic!}-at-home mom to a toddler, my days are filled with chaos. There is always one more chore to do, one more email to respond to, one more post to write, one more story to read, one more mess to clean up. But today is a time for me to shake all that off, and slow down enough to see all of those amazing blessings around me, and actually enjoy all that I have.
“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” – William James... Giving back to others in the world around me is something that I am very passionate about. Growing up in poverty, I know what it’s like to not have enough. Luckily, I grew up in the United States, where we have programs to help mothers who are raising children – programs that act as a safety net if you lose your job, someone gets sick, or an emergency happens. Children in countries around the world aren’t always so lucky.
Especially after becoming a mother, the struggles that other families must go through, just to provide the most basic of essentials to survive – well, it just tugs at my heart in a whole new place. When I talk about charities that I support, I often get asked why I would want to send money to mothers and children in other countries, when we have starving kids right here in America. Here’s what I wish more people would realize – we THROW AWAY more food in this country than some other areas even have available at all. No children in America starve to death, unless they are a victim of abuse. Imagine it – You’re homeless, with not a penny to your name, and a baby to feed. You’ll visit a food bank, the Salvation Army, a soup kitchen. If your child was near death from lack of food – they’d be saved at a hospital, without you needing money up front.
That your neighbors have no food either. There are places in the world where children actually die from lack of food, water, or medicine. That is NOT something that a mother in this country, not matter how poor, will ever have to face. Which is why I support some wonderful charities here in my town that are a tremendous help to local families in need – but I also passionately support families across the globe who are in even more desperate need than I’ll ever be able to understand, living life here in the US.
I realize that not everyone feels that they have many resources to help when it comes to big issues such as poverty. But there are always ways that you can help – big or small. One amazing group that is working towards ensuring that children don’t go hungry is the World Food Programme. Currently, I’m working to support their program in Bolivia:
Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in Latin America: of its 9.5 million population, two thirds overall – 80 percent in rural areas – live below the poverty line.
This is a poor nation, where the majority of their income – and food – comes from agriculture. But frequent natural disasters make agriculture an unreliable source of income, leading to a serious amount of children growing up malnourished. The WFP is striving to get these children basic nutrition so that they can grow up healthier, so that they can go to school instead of working, so that they are fed enough to even be able to concentrate while in classes, and to enhance emergency preparedness and response capacity in their country, to minimize the impact of future disasters. These kids are the future of their country – the more we help them grow up strong and successful, the brighter the future for their families.
Get to know these kids! Watch the video below, click the graphic above, or visit them online – You can ask a question for the children in Bolivia that will be translated and delivered by Ximena, WFP’s Communications Officer there. Let them know you’re listening, you care, and that you want to help!
If you want to do more, there are so many resources on the World Food Programme’s website that you can check out, that make it truly simple for every single one of us to help out:
Make sure to take a minute to take some of these small actions – they might seem small to you, but they’ll have a huge impact on families who are in dire need of your help. As moms, we should do all that we can to help make sure that no other mother, anywhere in the world, has to watch her children go hungry…. So make sure to share this info with your friends and family too.
October is National Anti-Bullying Month… Did you know that American Justice Department bullying statistics show that one out of every 4 kids will be bullied sometime throughout their adolescence? As someone who was bullied for years and years as a kid, that’s a really sad statistic to read. And, it’s one of those problems that sometimes feels overwhelming – You think, “Well what can I do about it? My kid isn’t a bully…” But bullying isn’t just about the really dramatic, in your face type of meanness that happens. It’s also about the small things – Whispering about a classmates new dress behind her back. Not picking the new kid to play a game at recess, even though he’s sitting alone. Those little acts add up. And with the negativity and nastiness in so much of the media – from trashy reality stars, to the sometimes equally-trashy anchors on cable news shows – it’s more important than ever that we constantly strive to set good examples, and teach our kids compassion and kindness.
"The phrase "working mother" is redundant." I'm Meagan - a Momma, a Blogger, a Freelance Writer, and a total Social Media Junkie. I love sparkles and … [Read More...]
