Home Maid Simple

Tag: charity

Can you feel the beat…to beat Polio? Spread the word by dancing and donating to Shot@Life

Black Friday is behind us, and Cyber Monday is almost here. What I look forward to every year though is Giving Tuesday – a time that truly helps remind me of all I have and should be grateful for. This Giving Tuesday I’ll be donating to Shot@Life to help kids around the world beat polio. Check out the initiative below and then join me in dancing to beat polio!

Did you know that in 1988 there were 350,000 cases of polio in 125 countries? Today there are only 51 cases in 2 countries! We have almost eradicated this debilitating disease completely!

This year Shot@Life is encouraging everyone to take to social media and share videos or gifs of you, your family, and/or friends dancing to help spread the word, and encourage those who can to donate to Shot@Life. Why dance you ask? Polio often causes paralysis, making walking – let alone dancing – impossible for some. We want to live in a world where everyone can dance!

This year Nigeria was removed from the list of polio cases. If it stays polio-free, Africa will be polio free for the first time! With your donations to Shot@Life, the UN helps deliver billions of polio vaccines to kids each year, along with other essential health care services.

Will you donate? Share your dance videos with #ShotatLife and spread the word!

November 28, 2015
Kindness Begins with Me and Mompacts Summer Spirit of Giving #SSGiving

*This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

I want to be kind to everyone, for that is right you see.

So I say to myself, “Remember this: Kindness begins with me”

These are the words to a children’s song I grew up singing many Sundays. Words that have had a great impact on my life. Whether through the example of others kindness, or feeling it myself as I try to show kindness, I know without a doubt that kindness has to begin with me. I can’t let it end when it reaches me.

Through many trials, I’ve always been blessed by the kindness of others. Some moments were large that brought me to tears, others were a simple gesture or smile that let me know I was visible. One particular rough spot had me in tears as I thanked a very dear friend for her kindness to our family that truly meant the world to me. Being such a good friend I felt I could open up to her, and tell her how often I felt disappointed that I was getting the help when I’d rather be giving the help.

She told me “One day you’ll be in a position where you can do the helping.” It helped me accept others kindness easier, and look for ways that I could bless people’s lives in small and simple ways, before I could financially help in larger ways. Since then I’ve come up with a number of small kindnesses to share.

My particular favorite way to spread some cheer to others is with “Sunshine”. I’ve sent a couple “Sunshine Boxes” off to friends I knew needed a pick me up, but recently started thinking my neighborhood could use some pick me ups too. People right here who I don’t even know could use some Sunshine too. So I created these Sunshine cards. A quick simple idea really, but one I’m hoping will spread the cheer around.

The idea behind a Sunshine Box is to send a bunch of yellow items to brighten someones day. The Sunshine Card is similar but on a smaller scale. I may find a number of things to attach to these cards as I leave them around town; things like chapstick, quarters or Boogie Wipes.

Speaking of Boogie Wipes – the Mompact community has put together a Summer of Giving event going on right now! This is a great time to spread a little sunshine to your friends! You can nominate yourself, a friend, or even a preschool to receive a gift from the Mompact Giving Tree. No need to wait for the holidays to spread some cheer, because Mompact and their awesome Mom centered Companies are doing it right now!

I have already nominated one of my dear friends for a tag on the tree, and then signed up to be notified when the tags are live so I can pick and fulfill one as well.

Summer Spirit of Giving Event

When: Nominate someone TODAY!

Where: Online at Mompact

Who: Anyone and Everyone with a Kind heart.

August 5, 2015
Learning to Live Without and Save Money

This is a sponsored post; compensation was received. All thoughts are my own

Sometimes I look at my life, and I wonder, how do I do it? How have we continued to make it despite the constant struggle for employment that will cover the cost of living? I’ve been reflecting on that as we begin a new adventure in a city that is literally close to everything you could ever want. The answer for us has been simple

Live Without.

You Don’t NEED things. You can live without, and still survive. People do it all the time around the world. There are of course a few basics every human should have – food, clothes, shelter. After that, though, the rest is just to add comfort and adventure to our life. The great news is, you can find comfort and adventure without spending a fortune. In fact, you can get those things while saving money at the same time!

So I’m here today to tell you how you can save money, and learn to live without, while still enjoying life.

Skip the Treats.
This is probably the biggest for us. When it comes to our grocery budget I’m tight. Very tight! People are always asking me how I manage to feed us with our limited budget, and most of the time I honestly don’t even know. One thing though is we skip the desserts and treats. Periodically we indulge, but they are not common in our home. If we have treats, it’s most likely homemade from scratch, like my apple pie burritos.

Free Entertainment.
One thing I love to do is find free entertainment. When you’re living on a budget, memberships to gyms, museums.and zoos just aren’t going to happen. So instead, we walk around our local farmers market, take in some free concerts in the park, and get out in nature. Mostly, though, we enjoy hanging out in the backyard, finding new bugs, and swinging on the tree swing.

Money saving apps.
Then there are the apps. I love Checkout51 and Ibotta the most. The key to using these apps is not to let it sucker you into buying extra things just to get the money back. Just like coupons, I only use them if it’s something I’m already buying. So I may not have high returns, but every little bit adds up.

Giving Assistant.
A new favorite discovery of mine, is Giving Assistant. After living in North Dakota I finally caved to buying more things online out of necessity. With Giving Assistant, I can do my online shopping through places like Amazon (my personal fave!); get cash back, AND donate to charity! You can choose how much of the cash back you get and how much goes to charity.
Now besides shopping my favorite site, I noticed they also have a deal with Thred Up. I’ve never personally used ThredUp, but I know it’s a way to save money on clothes. What makes that better, oh just getting cash back by shopping through Giving Assistant.

What have you learned to live without? How do you save money?

July 14, 2015
Donating Hair

Goodness I feel it’s been awhile since we’ve chatted. School is winding down for the kids, but that means life is picking up for me. More kids, more entertainment ideas to come up with, and just more awareness around the house will be required these upcoming months. I’ve got some great summer ideas coming up for you, but today I want to talk about my 2 awesome oldest.

Princess V and Princess C decided one day last week they wanted their hair cut. We’ve talked about it often before, usually concluding that Princess V wasn’t quite ready to emotionally let go of her hair, and mom being emotionally attached to Princess C’s hair.

This time though, we said OK! I took Princess C out just the 2 of us one Saturday morning, to cut her hair. We weren’t just going to let it fall to the ground though. Oh no! This girl wanted to donate her hair to help kids without hair. We’ve recently told her how at 1 years old about a 1 inch patch of her hair just fell out. A diagnosis of Alopecia Areata had Mark and I vowing to grow her hair out forever like Rapunzel. After 6 years with no recurrence though, choosing to give her hair to someone who may be currently suffering a similar disease was most definitely an option.

We started to get a little sad when the first pig tail began to be cut, but by the end she was all smiles again and asking for a picture with the hairdresser. She couldn’t wait to come home and send her hair out to someone!

total length cut – 12 inches

The following week Dad took Princess V for a haircut. She was hoping for about the same length as her sister, but a miscommunication occurred and her hair came out much shorter. I received a phone call from her just in tears. Not sure what else to do I texted her best friends mom and asked if she could let her daughter know about the hair cut and to help her be brave in school the next day.

Through a big awesome support system including her BFF and teacher, she went to school and came home not nearly as upset as the first day.

total length cut – 14 inches

Despite her look, Princess C is excited about donating her hair. She was just tired of waiting for Prinecss V to put a smile on. We finally got a beautiful smile from her and lost the other smile. Kids.

So where are we donating their hair? I’ve heard some unsatisfactory things about an organization we use to donate to, so we did some more research. We’ve decided to send the Princesses hair to

Children With Hair Loss

This non-profit works to help kids who may financially be unable to afford wigs, cover those costs. Did you know it costs approximately $1800 to complete one hair replacement? That’s quite a bit for hair, but what a boost of confidence hair makes when you’re already suffering an illness. If your hair isn’t long enough to donate, or you prefer not to cut it, please consider making a monetary donation instead.

May 27, 2015
Get a Shot. Give a Shot® and Recipe for Vitamin C Boost
This shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

Back to school time often brings up the debate of immunizations. Do you vaccinate? Do you delay them? Or do you completely forgo them? This is obviously a personal choice for everyone, and I’m not here to judge you. Promise. Just sharing my opinions on why we choose what we do, and how you can turn a simple choice into an act of good for others.

Alright, I want to try something with you – Take a look at your knees. A good long look.

Alright, are we back? I bet you’re wondering what that was all about huh? While you were looking at your knees, did you by chance reminisce about your childhood? That is what my knees always remind me of. Lots of days running through our wooded backyard, climbing trees, and flipping over my bike handles at the end of our gravel driveway.

My knees carry many good childhood memories. My forehead on the other hand does not. If you take a close look at the left of my forehead, at the end of my eyebrow, you will find an indentation. A scar if you will from when I had the chickenpox. A time, that even though I was only 3-4, I still remember pretty clearly. It itched, I was miserable, and oatmeal in the tub? yuck! If I recall all my siblings had it at the same time too. Absolutely no fun at all for any of us, and I’m sure my parents weren’t enjoying it either.

Like my knees, we can’t protect and prevent our kids from ever getting hurt. That’s just part of life, and those memories will be with us forever. However, things like chickenpox, whooping cough, and meningitis can be prevented, and I personally think should be. Unfortunately in developing countries the vaccines we have available to us in the USA are not as readily accessible. That’s why I love that by taking my kids to Walgreens for their school immunizations, we are directly helping a child receive a life saving shot.

How? Walgreens has partnered with the United Nation Foundation’s Shot@Life Campaign. For every shot Walgreens gives, a shot is provided to a child in need. Since I can’t physically go help these children, I’m glad I can still help out by choosing Walgreens for our school immunizations. They make it easy too! No appointments are necessary, most insurances are accepted, and they will keep your primary care physician in the know.

I want my kids to look at their knees as adults and remember that time they played foursquare and missed the ball as they took a spill into the pavement. I want them to remember learning how to learn a bike, and the time they begged me to let go before they were completely ready to go on their own. Or when they were climbing trees at Nana’s house.

Since we can’t prevent bad things from happening, we can be ready for those scraped knees and common colds. I picked up this cute Johnson & Johnson first aid kid to go the other day with Princess R. It was timely too, since Princess C then came home with scraped up knees and asking for clean bandages. It also fits handily into the back of the stroller – it never ceases to amaze me how many times my kids get hurt just walking down the sidewalk.

For colds and sore throats, I love making this Vitamin C Boost. Seriously, if I had not been so sick and stressed from moving I would have picked the ingredients up for me. As it is, now I have it all whipped up to get the kids and Mark over their colds.
Vitamin C Boost

2016-01-14 07:51:45

Keep the colds at bay with this boost of Vitamin C

Write a review

Save Recipe

Print

Ingredients

Ingredients

1 cup Tang, or orange drink powder

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp lemon peel

6 whole cloves, crushed or 1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp Saigon Roasted Cinnamon

Hot Water

Cinnamon Sticks – optional

Instructions

Mix the drink powder, sugar and spices together.

Store in an airtight container, or in the freezer.

Boil water.

Add 1TBS drink powder to a cup of hot water.

Stir with a cinnamon stick (optional), and drink.

By Home Maid Simple

Home Maid Simple https://www.homemaidsimple.com/
Will you Get a Shot to #GiveaShot ?
September 5, 2014
Fiesta to Feed Families and Twitter Party #Fiesta4Kids

*This post is sponsored by Champions for Kids and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own*

Giving back to our community is something I am extremely passionate about. So when The Motherhood reached out and asked if I could help spread the word on Simple service to help kids get the nutrition they need, I had to jump on board.

See, over the years we’ve periodically had to rely on the help of others to put food on our table. It’s frustrating, full of tears, and extremely humbling. It is also a wonderful experience to allow others to have the opportunity to serve. You see service does not just benefit those being served; it serves the givers as well.

Even when you don’t have a lot, it doesn’t take much to give back to others. Which is the message we’re sharing today. It’s SIMPLE! Want to know just how simple? Let me tell you about our Taco Party.

I used Facebook to let all my friends know we were having a Taco Party. Usually people will ask if they can contribute anything to the meal, so this time, instead of asking our guests to contribute to our meal, I requested they bring some non-perishable items to be donated to our local food bank.

So simple, plus for many this was even cheaper than contributing to our meal. Our friends, even though I know many of them are on limited incomes as well, simply went through their cupboards and brought cans and boxes of food they most likely would not be eating. You know we all have some of those. Some families brought a small bag of goods, others brought multiple bags full. It was truly a wonderful thing to see.

Thanks to Jennie-O we had a delicious Taco Bar set up so through out the party everyone could get fill their plates as needed. Truly the night could not have been more simple to throw together. We did it open house style, since our apt is fairly small and we were planning on around 50 people – both adults and kids.

Friday morning, the kids and I headed out to the Provo Food Bank – find your local food bank – to drop off the many bags our friends and family willingly shared with us. We had about 6 grocery bags full of canned vegetables, soups, tuna, pastas, meal kits, and peanut butter.

I wasn’t entirely sure who to talk to when we arrived, since the inside was just like a large warehouse. But we found a bell to ring, and someone came out and helped us get the food inside to the correct bin. Before he left though, I asked if he would take a moment and tell the kids what exactly they do with all the food that is donated, and how it helps.

Bless her little heart, while the worker was talking, Princess V pulled out her wallet and donated some coins. When it comes to giving to others in true need, this girl is always forefront in helping out. He then let the girls all grab a small box of food and try out the night time drop off chute. They thought that was a ton of food seeing the food drop into the bin after dropping it through the chute.

What kind of Simple Service will you do?

Join us for ideas and kid friendly recipes at a TWITTER PARTY

When: Tuesday, June 24th at 1pm ET

Hashtag: #Fiesta4Kids

Sponsor: @Champions4Kids

Hosts: @theMotherhood, @theMotherhood25, @CooperMunroe, @EmilyMcKhann

Prizes: 5 $25 Walmart Gift cards and coupons for Jennie-O products

So what are you waiting for?! RSVP to the party

June 21, 2014
Can you live on $1.50/Day?

This is NOT a sponsored post. Information about the program has been shared with me, and I am sharing it with you in hopes to spread awareness. No compensation has been given for this post.

Could you do it? How would you spend that $1.50 every day if it’s all you had? Would you walk to work, or forgo eating? Maybe all you could afford is a loaf of bread – and perhaps you aren’t working because you can’t afford to get to work.

That is the reality facing 1.2 Billion people today.

So could you do it? Would you do it to raise awareness?

Opportunity International is doing it! Kicking off this initiative is the 2nd Annual Live Below the Line Cook Off. 4 Chefs are coming together to prepare meals that cost less than $1/serving

Paul Hitalenko of Huegah

Mariela Bolanos of Whitelodging Services/Viand Bar and Kitchen

Christy Gaylord of Simply Plated

Justin Hall from Fig Catering

Then starting Monday April 28th you can join the 5 day Live Below the Line Challenge to eat on no more than $1.50/day. Learn more, and see how this initiative can help those living in extreme poverty stop the cycle and start living a better life at the Live Below the Line and Opportunity International website.

Keep up with the challenge, and stay informed

Twitter – @YAOpportunity

@YAO_Chicago

@LBLUS

and #BelowtheLine

Will you take the challenge?

April 23, 2014
IfOnly and the American Red Cross promoting Earthquake Preparedness

This post is sponsored by IfOnly and contains affiliate links.

When we think of California’s landscape, one thing I think will come to everyone’s mind are earthquakes. Sure California has a beautiful coast line, and ginormous trees, but they also suffer from several earthquakes every year.

IfOnly has partnered with the American Red Cross to participate in the California Auction – sponsored by the California Earthquake Authority. Through this auction they hope to help more people prepare for and survive through earthquakes.

Did you know?!

source

In Southern California today alone has already seen 11 earthquakes! (14 a little after I typed this up!)

In the past year there have been over 2000 earthquakes in Southern California!

I don’t know about you, but I find those numbers pretty staggering. I love that someone has decided to take initiative to educate and help California citizens to prepare for these earthquakes. The California Earthquake Authority is a publicly managed, privately funded, not for profit organization!

Even though I don’t live in California, I like to think that world catastrophes are not outside of my scope of help. By bidding or purchasing some unique experiences from IfOnly this April you will be helping the CEA and The America Red Cross better serve the residents of California before, during and after earthquakes.

Just check out some of these really cool experiences that could be yours!

My personal favorite experience would be the VIP Shania Twain Experience in Vegas – complete with a 2 night stay at Caesars Palace, backstage pass to meet Shania, and the best seats in the house for her performance! Mid price range

For a more conservative budget though you could purchase a Personalized and Signed copy of Demi Lovato’s book Staying Strong: 365 days a year. Low price range

Or perhaps you’re a Dodgers Fan? This experience has you sitting in a luxury box during a Dodgers Game, part of the time with Legend Steve Garvey, plus so much more!! High Price range.

Do you live in California? Check out Get Prepared California now, and download the App!

April 8, 2014
Doing Good with Warby Parker

This post is sponsored by Warby Parker, however no compensation has been received. I believe in doing good and sharing companies that feel the same.

I’m going to just jump right in here with a video about Architecture for Humanity–

I love the idea of a more sustainable future for communities in need around the world.

To celebrate Architecture for Humanities 15 years of design, Warby Parker has released 2 new collaborative frames – the Aslin and Fowler. These frames, like Architecture for Humanity, are designed with built to last materials and streamlined angles for elegance and sustainability.

Why is Warby Parker celebrating Architecture for Humanity? Simple really, Warby Parker is committed to making the world a better place for everyone. Their employees, their customers, and the world at large.

Did you know for every pair of glasses purchased at Warby Parker they give a pair to someone in need? They call it their Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program. It’s companies like these that remind me how blessed I am, and how much good there is in the world.

Currently Princess V likes to tell me that she needs glasses “This eye is blurry mom! I can’t see. When are we getting me glasses?”

Glasses can give so much comfort to people with poor eyesight – but they aren’t always attractive. I am personally digging the new Aslin glasses. The natural look combined with a little pop of color in the corners speaks to me.

However, since I don’t currently need glasses to see, I do enjoy a good pair of sunglasses. The Fowler is a sleek pair that is not overly bulky like the ones Mark enjoys, but still seems to afford proper coverage for the eye’s protection.

Looking for ways to help give back to communities in need?

See if their is a local chapter of Architecture for Humanity near you.

April 7, 2014
Project HEAL – Raising Awareness for Eating Disorders

About a year ago I came across Project HEAL. They had recently opened a chapter up in Utah, and I believe I saw it come through my facebook feed. I reached out to the Utah chapter to learn a little more and see if there were some volunteer opportunities. At the time I didn’t live close enough to get involved with any of their activities.

Then we moved.

So once again I reached out to them, in hopes of being able to volunteer. You may ask, why this group? There’s plenty of other groups I’m sure I could volunteer with…and do, like the PTA. Let me tell you why. Growing up I had a few friends that suffered from eating disorders, and since then I’ve known others close to me develop an eating disorder. I want to learn more and educate myself so I can help my friends and also my daughters.

As the mother of 3 girls, it’s important to me to be aware of any issues they may encounter in their lives, and to be ready to help them through anything. My children have different body types, different personalities, and different ways they react to situations. When our 5 year old began making comments about her sister being skinny and herself being fat, I knew we needed to talk. She is by no means fat, but her body type is larger boned than her sister. Our 5 year old also has a great relationship with food of all types, while her sister is much more picky and unwilling to give new things a try. Neither of these are bad, but depending on the message I send to them, it could morph into an unhealthy relationship with food and with herself.

I’m a mom, and I have a responsability to my daughters to show them beauty and help them find the beauty within themselves.

I know there are many different reasons women and girls develop an eating disorder, but I feel one of the main causes is poor self image. With places like Hollywood showcasing size 0 women as the “perfect woman” or the “most beautiful woman”, it’s easy to believe that you are not beautiful. That you must lose insane amounts of weight to ever look pretty. You must have plastic surgery, take botox, eat nothing but water and fruit, take diet pills, and the list goes on.

Project HEAL is working on raising awareness of eating disorders. Their mission as seen in their logo is to “Help to Eat, Accept, and Live”.

Isn’t that awesome? It’s OK to eat food. It’s OK to accept your body for what it is. It’s OK to LIVE and enjoy living!

I’m joining Project HEAL to help raise awareness, and educate everyone I can reach. Love your body. Love your curves, your imperfections. Enjoy eating food. Enjoy your body. Most of all Enjoy Life!

You can find me on the Project HEAL G+ page sharing inspirational stories, educational information, and more!

January 28, 2014