valentine’sdayideaguide2011

thinkoutsidethechocolatebox

through all the social media i subscribe to i have seen no less than 20 valentine’s gift guides. honestly, they are all expensive things that either i can’t afford or am not interested in. i thought long & hard about what makes a valentine feel special while not breaking the budget. Below you will find some fun ideas that you can adapt for your life to have the best valentine’s day ever.

i hope you enjoy this fun list & it's sparks your creative side to do something fun for your special valentine!



1. make a picture collage of you & your sweetie (and include the kids if you have any). be creative

2. get tech savvy. upgrade your communication to eachother – then upload screensaver shots of one another to your new phones

3. enjoy a special night out together (get a sitter for the little ones) and reconnect!

4. start your i like book for couples to your sweetheart today. i like…your adorable laugh or i like…that you are MY valentine

5. surprise your sweetie with something extra special or do a little shopping together. how about…a cute accessory, hat, shoes, purse/wallet ~ you get the idea

6. get outdoors. be active. play together. make snow angels or draw hearts in the snow. take some pictures.

7. make a top 10 list of the things you like or love about your sweetie. taking the time to do this for the other person makes them feel so special! plus it’s free!

8. cook something together ~ make it an event. cupcakes, dinner, breakfast – linger over the food & have a great conversation.

9. play your favorite song that is special just to the two of you. play the guitar, make up a fun song, sing karaoke

10. find your inner chi and give eachother a hands-on massage, or gift your valentine with a massage at a local salon.

"Be the change you want to see in the world" Ghandi

YOU have an opportunity to make a difference. The i like book is running a promotion for 1 week & a large portion of each book sold will go to help a women’s shelter in India. Please read the letter below from a friend of the i like book, Crissy Bowers. She has a passion to help these women get back on their feet & give them hope that each day will be better and better.

Please look at the blog link and see how this jewelry making project got started and what it is doing for these women. For the next 7 days YOU can make an impact on these women’s lives when you purchase i like books.  http://www.bruceandpattybauman.blogspot.com/   Hope’s Gate is a new nonprofit organization and they definitely could use your support.

Thank you so much for your support ~ here are the details of the promotion:

January 29-February 4, 2011

40%off all i like books

Register your account at checkout & use code: donate40

How else can you help?  Please share this promotion with your friends & family!

Here is the letter from Crissie Bowers

Dear Family & Friends,

In March four of us will be traveling to Pune, India, to work on the development of a new jewelry making project that is giving hope to women who have been rescued from sexual slavery.  I'd like to ask you to consider investing in this groundbreaking trip by sponsoring me to make this life changing investment in many women's lives.

In November of this past year our organization, Hope's Gate, started the first jewelry making project at Project Rescue Women's shelter which is home to 19 rescued young women.  The young women have heartbreaking life stories.  Teena's story is one of heartbreak as well as hope.

When Teena was 12 years old, she wanted to be a doctor. She was the middle child of three kids.  Her uncle had a terrible gambling debt, so one day he asked her parents if he could take Teena to a carnival, but instead he sold her for $250 to a pimp to repay the debt he owed.  When her uncle returned without her, he told her parents that she ran away.  After several years of sexual exploitation she was finally rescued and made her way back home.  When she arrived at the door of her house, her parents finally learned the truth of what happened to her, but instead of embracing her, they rejected her because of shame.  Today Teena lives at Project Rescue House in India.  This jewelry project is giving women like Teena jobs with dignity in a safe environment.  

I have been working along side Patty Bauman, the Founder and Director of this Non-Profit,  since the very beginning.  I believe I am to make this trip to India in order to see the project first hand. Going on this trip will enable me to do the things the Lord is putting on my heart back here in the U.S., as well as have the opportunity to serve and bless these women and children.  I have an incredible heart to raise awareness of the plight of sexually exploited women around the world, and champion others to make a difference in these women's lives.  

While in India our team of four will be working on the development of the project by teaching jewelry making techniques to the women, taking photos and videos that will share the women's stories, and more  We will also be in the red light area of the city, visiting and praying with our friends there.  We will be working in several orphanages as well to see how we can make a difference in the lives of orphans and children who are at a high risk of exploitation.

Crissie Bowers

goldenglobes2011

boomboomroom

the boom boom room is an invitation only celebrity event that is in conjunction with the golden globes. the i like book was invited to showcase their books in a gifting suite. wow…the celeb list was long & strong! many came with babies, children or their new baby bumps. the boom boom room features the trendiest & coolest baby & kid products on the market.

Pictured below are: michelle stafford ~ young & the restless

                                    nichole sullivan ~ king of queens

                                    rosa blasi ~ lone star & general hospital

meredith & hannah



jewel with baby bump



guncles - scout & bill & their new baby



 

 





Make Your New Year’s Resolution to Compliment Your Kids More Often



Your child(ren) look to you for encouragement, affirmation, security, and love.  This is absolutely necessary for positive emotional development in children. Do you recognize how often you compliment your children? What was the most recent positive affirmation you verbalized with your child?  When giving compliments to your kids make sure they are genuine, honest and really mean something.  Kids can sense when you are not being genuine and when they are just surface comments and this can be completely crushing to a child’s self-esteem.   False-praise can break a child’s trust. Conversely, praise from the heart will bring up a child’s confidence and make them feel safe & truly loved.

Make your New Year’s Resolution for 2011 to give meaningful compliments to your child.  Below are 10 compliments every child should hear.



1.      Recognize and compliment character:

When your child(ren) demonstrate honesty, kindness, trustworthiness and reliability – that is a great time to give them a heartfelt compliment.

2.      Compliment obedience and respect:It’s too easy to fall into patterns of disapproval, where the only time we notice is when kids do wrong. Rather than waiting for disobedience or disrespect (then coming down like a ton of bricks) try noticing obedience and respect: “I don’t always remember to tell you, but you are an awesome young man, and I appreciate the way you treat your mother”.

3.      Appreciate them for simply being part of the family: “Every time I see you, I’m thankful that I your mom/dad.” Kids need to understand that they are valued simply because they are themselves.

4. Compliment contributions to the family:
   “Feeding the pet (sweeping the porch… putting out the trash) is helping the family. I appreciate your contribution.” Kids need to understand that what they do makes a difference, that the adults notice, and that pitching in is a good part of family life.
5. Compliment the quality of a child’s work:“You did a great job setting the table!” “You mowed the lawn right up to the edge.  Way to go!  I’m so glad you take this job so seriously, it shows.” Doing a job at a high standard is always worth noting.
6. We can compliment the effort, even when the result is not the best:“Your willingness to help makes me happy! Now we need to take a look at how you can get the trash to the curb without leaving a trail!” Compliments can be an important part of our role as teachers.
7. It’s important that we compliment children when they achieve something new:
   “Wow! You are doing a great job writing your first and last name.” “Awesome! I’m not at all surprised after you worked so hard.” A well-placed compliment can keep a positive ball rolling.
8. We can compliment sense of style even if we don’t exactly share their taste:
   We don’t want to hedge kids into being clones of dad, or mom. “When it comes to putting together an outfit, you certainly have some flair!” “I can tell that you put a lot of thought into the way you look.” “I’ve never seen a table set quite like that before – you have an amazing imagination!” It’s not useful to limit compliments to the narrow range of our own taste.
9. Compliment steps toward a long-term goal:“Son, the improvement you’re showing is commendable. Thanks for trying.” Waiting for perfection before we’re willing to dish out a compliment is inefficient, may dampen enthusiasm, and does little to help the process of growth.
10. Try complimenting their friends:But only do this when you can do it honestly! “Your friends are the greatest!” “That Jake is such a positive young man.” “You know, it gives me a lot of confidence to know you use common sense in choosing your friends.”

Shutterfly - Here Comes Holiday

Are you a busy mom?  That's probably a ridiculous question because of course you are!!! In between playdates, cleaning, cooking, activities, shopping, and events you are supposed to find time to send out holiday cards.  I have been using Shutterfly.com for the past 5 years & LOVE it!  Shutterfly is an online photo gallery life saver. One of my very favorite things to do is to make personalized photo calendars for everyone in my family.  Shutterfly makes it so easy to upload your digital photos onto their site and you can choose the style of calendar you want as well as personalize it with special events through out the year.  Since my kiddos were born I have made holiday cards and photo Christmas cards.  This is the quickest & easiest thing to do & I get a ton of compliments every year on how cool they are. On a side note they are very affordable which keeps me coming back. I love a good deal!

 

Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… apply here: http://bit.ly/sfly2010 

top 5 activities with kid blogs & sites

it’s getting cool out – leaves are falling – and we are soon to be indoors for the next several months. if your family is anything like ours we tend to get a little cabin fever and are always looking for cool projects.  try some of these cool activities without needing expensive materials on these top 5 kid blogs and sites.

1.  http://todayisfun.com/blog 

2.  http://www.craftjr.com/

3.  http://www.makeandtakes.com/




4.  http://www.skiptomylou.org/

5.  http://scrumdillydo.blogspot.com/

                                                                        

Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

At a time where we are so caught up in Facebook, Twitter, reminders of all our friends’ birthdays, a zillion emails every day of the special deals we should take advantage of, we often forget to take a look around and be thankful for the life we have. Many of us only worry about getting all the kids to school or practice on time or when that next annual performance raise will come so we can get a little nicer ride.   Let’s get real – there are thousands of children in our own backyard that have much greater worries. These children don’t get to think about going to soccer practice or tumbling classes. They are bogged down with pills, treatments, and keeping enough energy up to make it to the next round of testing. Many of them are lucky enough to have family nearby who they can see every day. But so many of them cannot afford such a luxury and spend many of their days with no one but the wonderful caretakers at the children’s hospitals.  Can you imagine? A young child alone in a hospital and the only familiar faces are those of the Doctors, Nurses and other kids in the hospital?  It happens every day, it is happening right now.  These children are faced with things that even in my adult life I would find hard to swallow.  They are so brave, so positive & so strong; bless their little hearts.  The i like book was developed with these amazing children in mind. It is designed for 12 months of “LIKES” about the children.  The “LIKES” come from the Doctors, Nurses, friends & family who get to interact with the kids on a consistent basis.  Bringing up a child’s confidence starts with the basics of creating a documented keepsake for them to reflect on every day from the people who are caring for them daily. I can just imagine some of the “LIKES” that would invoke a sweet giggle & heartfelt memory:

I like... playing knock knock jokes with you

I like… that you always want to wear my Broncos button

I like…that you wink at me every time I come in your room

I like…how very brave you are

I know I went pretty heavy in this BLOG but the message is an important one.  These children need you to VOTE everyday in October so that they may receive an i like book of their very own.  The i like book company is trying to win a contest from Pepsi Refresh Challenge so they can donate more than 3,000 books to kids in long-term care.  They are currently working with 5 hospitals that really want these books but have room for 5 more if you would like to make a recommendation.  Please reach out to us on our Facebook page or make a comment on this BLOG but don’t forget to VOTE at  http://www.refresheverything.com/journalsforspecialkids
Meredith Looney | Owner | the i like book