World Vision Gifts–Gifts That Make a Difference (Holiday Gift Guide 2012)

The Gift That Makes a Difference

At this time of year, many families want to give gifts but are also aware of the many people without money or homes who don’t get gifts this holiday season. It can be  tough sometimes to justify the gifts you are buying when others are going hungry.

There IS a way to give a gift to a loved one AND help deserving families at the same time with World Vision Gifts.  Purchase a gift from World Vision Gifts and you receive a card to pass on that tells how they helped a poverty stricken family.

World Vision Gift Catalogue

There are more than 60 gifts to choose from. If you are in Canada, you can see what’s available at World Vision Canada, while those in the US will want to check out World Vision. There catalogues are slightly different but they idea is the same.

For example you can buy Two Hens and a Rooster for $50 or a Goat for $100 which will provide milk and an income as they can sell the goat manure and any offspring. Two mosquito nets is $30 or if you have lots to spare, you can buy a family a Ger which is like a warm tent like home for $900.

In fact, Burnbrae Farms is currently partnering with World Vision and will donate $10 to World Vision for each purchase of Two Hens and a Rooster through Nov. 30/2012 (so hurry!)

Recently added are some handcrafts gifts which help women. For example I was sent this Turquoise and Wood bracelet (see below) which was made by women and girls who have escaped exploitation and abuse in Thailand. A purchase of this gift helps support the women creating the jewellery.  You can also get a hand-woven scarf or a Haitian hand-beaded necklace.

The bracelet is beautifully crafted and I love sharing that it was made by women and girls in Thailand. It would be the perfect gift for the fashionista in your life.  It’s quite big so would fit a thicker arm and hang loosely on a thin arm.

World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender.  - World Vision

*Disclosure: I received the product mentioned above free of charge by the company or PR representative for evaluation purposes. No other compensation was provided. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Mother India: Life Through the Eyes of the Orphan

 

There are over 31 million orphans in India and David Trotter and Shawn Scheinoha teamed up with the goal of showing what life is like for these orphans by going to India and finding and meeting some orphaned children and getting to know them and filming what there life is like.

“MotherIndia is a compelling documentary capturing the life and stories of 25 abandoned and orphaned children living along the railway in southern India.” – motherindiafilm.com

The purpose of the trip was to tell the story of the kids but David and Shawn were inspired to do something to help little Polayya and Koteswari, young homeless children who had recently been “adopted” into the local group of orphaned children.

View the Trailer

(not with young kids around)

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The documentary is upsetting. The stories of what these kids went through is horrendous at times and their living conditions are terrible. It will make you hug your children tighter. But documentaries aren’t supposed to be entertainment, they are to teach us something.

In this case, it’s to teach us what is going on in India and to help make a difference. Raising awareness is the first step and then collecting donations is the second.

Meet the Children

This is a group shot of the street family of orphaned children. Would you like to meet them?

Connect or Learn More

You can find out more at Mother India Film.

I’d also like to invite you to connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.

*Disclosure: I received the DVD mentioned above free of charge by the company or PR representative for evaluation purposes. No other compensation was provided. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Majesta’s “Take It On the Road Flushability Challenge” Contest

I was a Majesta Mom back in 2010 and I did a fun test to show how much more flushable Majesta paper products are compared to their competitors.

Now I’d like to let you know about their latest contest to win 1 of 10 Majesta Products for a year.

How to Enter

To enter, simply go to the Majesta Facebook page, watch the video to learn more, and then enter your email address and click continue. The first time you enter you get a $1 off coupon as well!

Majesta and the Environment

If you aren’t familiar with Majesta, it’s not just another paper products brand. Majesta is “Treesponsible” which means that for every tree used to produce Majesta products, 3 trees are re-planted.

Have you tried Majesta yet?

I don’t regularly buy it only because it’s sadly not available at our usual store but I do prefer it. As I found out when I did all the Majesta tests on it in 2010, it breaks down well but is still soft on your skin.

Majesta doesn’t just make toilet paper, they also make facial tissue and paper towel.

Good Luck!

Advocating For Those Who Can’t Speak–Punish the Deed, Not the Breed

Look at these cute faces and tell me that they want to tear you apart:

That’s right those are all pitbulls. Don’t they look so fierce? There are 3 different dogs in those pictures and not one of them has ever hurt anyone. The two white ones have already passed and the brown one is our current dog.

I am sick and tired of hearing how Pitbulls are natural killers and of all the places that have banned pitbulls. I know that there are some cases of pitbull attacks but there are cases of other breed attacks too and countless pitbulls who do NOT attack. I have heard the case of the other side but I just don’t agree.  Many people mistake another breed of a dog for a pitbull anyways so some of the attacks could be incorrect. I OWN a pitbull and have seen many others and even I got this test wrong.

The whole thing about BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) no matter what breed we are talking about is that it’s discriminatory. We could never get away with saying people from a certain country or culture are not allowed in our country because of the actions of some of them.

I am an Advocate For the Underdog. Help Raise Awareness of the Pitbulls plight by sharing and/or pinning this post!

*Note: I love comments and you are welcome to disagree if you have a different opinion about pitbulls however if you are MEAN I will delete your comment. Keep it civil and you can share your opinion.

*No compensation was provided. I posted this because I wanted to share my feelings.

Speroway Helps Out Children of Haiti–And So Can You (and you might win an #ipad !)

I’m sure you’ve heard of Feed the Children? Well they’ve rebranded and now they are known as Speroway.

Speroway is trying to raise funds to build a medical clinic in Haiti and raise awareness of what they do. To help bring awareness, they are offering up a GREAT giveaway.

We have been working in Haiti for several years and are continuing to expand our relationship and work there. Last fall we went to Haiti to evaluate new projects, upgrade an existing dental clinic we previously installed, and to run both dental and medical clinics.

We are also partnering with an organization that is responsible for a feeding program that serves 30 orphanages and approximately 1,400 children. It was at one of the orphanages we visited that we identified a piece of property that could be used to build a permanent medical clinic to serve the children in this network of orphanages. – Speroway Blog

The Grand Prize Gift Basket Includes:

1. iPad HD 2012 (16GB)
2. $500 WaySpa Package for Two
3. Four Cineplex Night Out Gift Pack
4. 2 “Big Kaboodle” combo packs from Mabel’s Labels

Spot prizes will be awarded every two weeks. It’s easy to enter, just fill in the form!

This contest is SHARE & WIN! What does that mean? It means that you can gain more entries into the giveaway by sharing with your friends and family. When you enter the giveaway, you can share on facebook, twitter or via email. For every person who enters through your link, you will gain an extra entry into the giveaway!

You don’t have to do anything to win other than enter! But there is an option to donate after you enter.

Rules &  Regulations:
This contest is open to CANADA, excluding Quebec. See the full list of rules and regulations. Contest is open April 26, 2012 at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time and ends on June 22, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. EST.

Check out what they are doing on the Speroway Facebook page.

*Disclosure:  This post was compensated however all opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Pink Shirt Day - No More Bullying

Why is it that some people feel it's okay to put others down to make them feel better? Do they not realize there are other ways to feel good about themselves?

Be An Upstander, not a Bystander!

That's the message shared throughout our school this Pink Shirt Day. All around Canada people are wearing pink shirts to show support for anti-bullying efforts today.

If you see bullying happening, don't just watch or walk away, stand up to the bully! Stop it from happening!

So Canada - did YOU wear pink today?

Check out this Pink Shirt Day Flash Mob:


Read these other posts:
Did You Know Canada? - Pink Shirt Day
Multi-Testing Mommy - Bullying Stops Here
Whispered Inspirations - Signs of Bullying
Be Nice or Leave - When Bullying Becomes a Buzzword

Iams Home 4 the Holidays - Finding Orphan Pets Forever Homes

Iams Home 4 the Holidays Campaign is one of the world's largest pet adoption campaigns. They have helped 5.8 million pets find homes across the globe to date (The campaign is in it's 13th year.)

Canadians can visit the Iams Facebook page and click to "like" the page or the content (messages, photos, videos, etc.) For every “like” that is posted Iams will donate meals to participating animal shelters

The page also allows you to easily search for adoptable animals using the Petfinder app to find a local Iams Home 4 the Holidays shelter location near you.

Some other ways to help:

• The Iams Facebook page encourages fans to create a custom adoption announcement or holiday card to share the news of their new pet with their friends and family. For every card created and shared, Iams will donate meals to participating animal shelters in Canada.

• By purchasing a specially-marked bag of dog or cat food during the duration of the campaign, from October 1, 2011 through January 3, 2012, Iams will donate one bowl of food to a participating shelter through Iams Home 4 the Holiday Bags for Bowls program

*Enter to Win a $100 Pet Gift Basket from Iams*

*Disclosure: No  compensation was provided. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Help a Family In Need This Holiday Season

One Busy Moma is raising money to help a needy family this Christmas just like she has for the last 2 years.

A lot of people don't donate to causes because they feel they can't afford it or that they should only donate if they can donate a large amount but that's not true!

Even if you can only afford $1, it helps! 10 people donating $1 each is still $10, it all adds up. If you can donate more, great!

She is just barely half way to her goal and there are only 12 days left to donate so please go over there and donate!

UPDATE: Bloggers - Sign up to be a part of the Bloggers Giving Back Cash Giveaway Event. $10 for GFC, FB and Twitter and $6 of that is donated to the family while $4 is used for the prize. 


*Disclosure: I'm just sharing this because I believe in the cause, I even donated!  See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Buzzed Halloween Driving - Be Careful!

This is a reminder to be extra careful when driving on Halloween night and to NOT DRIVE DRUNK!

Halloween night is often one of the deadliest nights of the year due to the number of impaired drivers on the streets. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2009, 48 percent of all traffic fatalities on Halloween night involved a driver or a motorcycle rider with a Blood Alcohol Content of .08 or higher. 

Even if you had half a beer, please DO NOT DRIVE. Halloween means more children and they are distracted by the excitement of the holiday and often don't obey traffic rules.

If you are headed out to a party on Halloween night, make sure you have a designated driver, even if you don't plan on drinking much. Or check out this list of 50 non-alcoholic party drinks.

If you don't have a designated driver, there are services that can help. If you are in the US, find a list here of Sober Ride programs.

Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving. - Find Out More

*Disclosure: I am posting this information because I believe in the cause. No compensation was provided. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

GIVEAWAY: In Honor of the Tatas Giveaway Hop - CANADA ONLY

*This post will be a sticky until October 24. Please scroll down to see if there are any new posts (but probably not since I'm away this weekend!)

In Honor of the Tatas is a giveaway hop hosted by Makobi Scribe. All participating blogs will have giveaways of $50 or more in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Please visit my sponsors for this event:
First Alert
Tic Tac Canada
Pink Ribbon Garbage Bags

Make sure you use the linky below the rafflecopter widget when you are done entering to hop to another giveaway!

GIVEAWAY RULES
Use the rafflecopter form to enter. Comments will NOT be accepted as entries. If you do not know how to use rafflecopter, see this guide. Open to Canada Only till October 24 11:59 PM EST. Only one entry per household please. Winners will be randomly selected using the rafflecopter widget and notified via email. You will have 3 days to claim your prize or another name will be chosen. Winners will be listed in the rafflecopter widget using the name you enter with so don't put a last name if you don't want it displayed. Each sponsor will ship their prize separately, they will not all come at once.

Click Read More Below if you don't see the widget.

REVIEW: First Alert Smoke & Fire Alarm (In Honor of the Tatas Sponsor)

We should all know how important it is to have working smoke alarms in our home and to test them regularly but many of us slack off and don't have the right amount or have them in the right places, or test them enough.

According to Fire Prevention Canada, eight Canadians die every week from fires and residential fires account for 73 per cent of Canadian deaths caused by fire

It's been a long time since I got a new smoke alarm so maybe all new smoke alarms have these cool features or maybe they don't, I don't know. However I am impressed with the following features:

• Bright Escape Light - automatically activates when alarm sounds to help show the path to safety. Perfect for hallways or rooms without windows.
• Mute Button - The button that can be used to test the smoke alarm can also be used to mute the alarm in case it goes off and there is no danger (like when you are cooking.)
• EZ Access Battery Drawer - You do NOT have to take the smoke alarm down to change the battery. There is a little drawer that slides out (see the package). 
• Optional Theft-Prevention Lock - when activated, batteries and/or alarm cannot be removed without proper tools. This would be perfect for a young child's room where you are afraid they may do something to the alarm during play so that it doesn't work in an emergency.
• Ionization Smoke Sensor - Apparently flaming fires produce greater amounts of smaller particles that may not be picked up by older smoke alarms. This one will sense them.

First Alert is the leading manufacturer of smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, combination alarms, fire extinguishers, safes, security camera and much more. It is the most trusted, recognized safety brand in Canada and has protected families and what matters most for over 50 years.

Established in 1986, The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF) is the leading national volunteer-based organization in Canada with regional offices in British Columbia/Yukon Territory, Prairies/NWT, Ontario and the Atlantic Region.

So Why did First Alert and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF) partner up?

• First Alert and CBCF have one common and important message to spread to Canadians: early detection saves lives – whether it be a middle-of-the-night fire alarm or a routine mammogram.
• October is Fire Safety Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness month. Fires and Breast Cancer can both be fatal and for both, early detection is key.

So First Alert developed a line of Canadian Breast Cancer Fire Safety products: two smoke alarms, a carbon monoxide alarm and a kitchen fire extinguisher. For each product sold, First Alert will donate $1 to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

First Alert has donated some smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms as prizes for the In Honor of the Tatas event starting tomorrow so come back to win.

I'll leave you with some Home Safety Tips from First Alert:

1. First Alert recommends having a working smoke alarm on every level of your home. In addition, you should also install alarms inside or near every bedroom.
2. Smoke alarms wear out and should be replaced every 10 years as per the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Underwriters Laboratories of Canada (ULC).
3. The number one complaint about smoke alarms is that it can be difficult to change the battery—purchase one that has an easy access battery door so it never has to be removed from the ceiling.
4. Fire extinguishers are often your first line of defense in a residential fire. Keep at least one extinguisher on every level of your home—especially in the kitchen—and ensure every member of the family knows how to use them.
5. Carbon Monoxide is odourless, colourless and tasteless—it is a silent killer. Ensure a detector is installed on every level of your home and if the alarm goes off, get out of the house immediately. Review a fire escape plan for your family. Walk through exit paths and decide on a place to meet outside—then practice it.

*Disclosure: I received the product(s) mentioned above free of charge by the company or PR representative for evaluation purposes. No other compensation was provided. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Tic Tac Canada (In Honor of the Tatas Sponsor Spotlight)

In support of Breast Cancer Awareness month in October, Tic Tac Canada is donating $25,000 to
the Breast Cancer Society of Canada and will be launching a limited edition Pink Grapefruit flavour. 

All month long, the Tic Tac Canada Facebook Page will be posting pink-related promotions, giveaways and prizes.

The Breast Cancer Society of Canada is a registered, national, not-for-profit, charitable organization dedicated to funding Canadian breast cancer research into the detection, prevention, treatment and to ultimately find a cure for the disease that women fear most.


You can find out more here: http://www.bcsc.ca/

Meet the new Tic Tac character that was created to represent Tic Tac Canada's support for the cure!

Guess what? Tic Tac Canada has agreed to provide a Prize Package for the In Honor of the Tatas event including some pink grapefruit Tic Tacs and some Tic Tac swag!

You can also follow @TicTacCanada on Twitter.

*Disclosure: I will be receiving the product(s) mentioned above free of charge by the company or PR representative for evaluation purposes. No other compensation was provided. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

REVIEW: Pink Ribbon Bags (In Honor of the Tatas Sponsor)

The Breast Cancer Society of Canada has partnered with Enviro Healthcare Inc. to develop an exclusive line of pink ribbon garbage bags for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  You will have an opportunity to win some of these bags starting tomorrow during the In Honor of the Tatas Event.

Enviro Healthcare Inc. is a leading supplies of high quality hospital laundry bags and other healthcare products.

Enviro Healthcare is donating $0.50 from each sale directly back to the Breast Cancer Society of Canada. The campaign will continue throughout the holiday season. They are hoping to raise a minimum of $35,000 across Canada by the end of 2011.

The pink bags are available in the following sizes:
Large Bags - for average household garbage cans - 67 liter capacity
Small Bags - kitchen and bathroom garbage cans - 31 liter capacity
Both sizes come with twist ties and are on rolls for easy storage and to limit packaging.

Can I just say, PINK was a great choice and not just because of Breast Cancer Awareness. My girls got more excited over the pink garbage bags we received than they did over a toy we received for review around the same time. They have a Dora garbage can in their room and they quickly took the garbage out so they could put a pink bag in!

The garbage bags are of really great quality, very durable. 

You can purchase the bags at many major national and local retailers across Canada including: London Drugs, Thrifty Foods, Northwest Stores, Overwaitea Foods, Buy Low, Sobeys, Loblaws Superstore, Metro, Fairway Markets and Atlantic Co-op.

You can find the Pink Ribbon Garbage Bags on Facebook and Twitter @PinkRibbonBags

*Disclosure: I received the product(s) mentioned above free of charge by the company or PR representative for evaluation purposes. No other compensation was provided. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Energizer Canada & Evergreen's "Do Something Little, Help Something Big"

Evergreen is a not-for-profit organization that is committed to making Canadian cities greater and more liveable… creating a more sustainable future for all of us. Energizer Canada has teamed up with Evergreen on their “Do Something Little, Help Something Big” initiative.

Energizer is proud to contribute $100,000 to Evergreen to make cities more liveable.

You can help make that amount larger. Make a pledge to perform kind acts that make positive energy.  Pledge at least three things and Energizer will donate an additional $1 to Evergreen.

I've made the pledge to the following Kind Acts:

1. I will tell my kids how much I love them.
2. I will greet a person in the elevator.
3. I will donate clothes to charity.
4. I will smile or say a kind word to create more positive energy around me.
5. I will do my laundry during off-peak hours.

In reality I already do most of those and some others I didn't include but I pledge to do them more! May I ask that you consider pledging some of the ones that aren't about the environment? You may think greeting a person in an elevator is easy and no big deal but a smile or hello goes a long way. Have you ever seen the movie Pay it Forward? If not you should. I make a point of saying hello, smiling or nodding to every person I pass in an elevator or on the street.

Make sure you pledge your kind acts!

NOTE: It didn't work for me in Firefox. I had to use IE. If pledge counter is showing no numbers, then the form won't work and you will need to use a different browser.

Disclosure – I am participating in the Energizer Canada and Evergreen “Do Something Little, Help Something Big” program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Energizer Canada and Evergreen. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own.

(Windsor/World) - June 14th is World Blood Donor Day

This post is relevant to anyone in the world but also includes some local information. 

Today is World Blood Donor Day so if you've been meaning to donate blood but have been putting it off, now is the time to do it.

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If you live in Windsor, visit the Windsor Blood Donor Clinic at 3909 Grand Marais Road East (see hours below.) You can also get your name on the Bone Marrow Registry? Go to the lobby of the clinic between 10am - 2pm and get registered! You may be eligible to join if you are between 17 and 50 years old and meet certain health criteria. Go to onematch.ca for more information.

There will also be donors who have reached the 250 milestone on hand to speak to donors about their experiences as well as those who have received blood will be thanking the donors for their time and life-saving gift. We want to appreciate YOU, our donors, for helping us keep up with hospital demand with your dedication to the blood system.

Windsor Blood Donor Clinic
3909 Grand Marais Rd. East
Windsor

Mon. & Thurs.      Noon to 7 p.m.
Tues. & Fri.          8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Wednesday          3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday               9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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See if you meet eligibility requirements and then call 1-888-2-DONATE anywhere in Canada to book your appointment 

Donate to Habitat for Humanity This Mother's Day

*This message brought to you thanks to the Brand Buzz Network who alerted me to it.

Gifts from the Heart cards in honor of mothers help Habitat for Humanity build homes

This Mother’s Day, give a Gift from the Heart and help build Habitat for Humanity homes in honor of mothers.

Make a tax-deductible Gift from the Heart donation to Habitat for Humanity and a special Mother’s Day card will be delivered by e-mail or postal mail to the recipient you choose to let them know a donation has been made in their name. Donations made through Habitat’s Gifts from the Heart will help families achieve the dream of owning a home of their own.


“What better way to show our moms how much we love and appreciate them than to invest in the dreams of mothers around the world,” said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. “A Mother’s Day Gift from the Heart is a beautiful way to say ‘I love you.’”

When you make your donation, you will be able to choose Mother’s Day or another occasion and the recipient the donation is honoring.

To give a Gift from the Heart, go to http://www.habitat.org/md2011



About Habitat for Humanity International

Habitat for Humanity International is an ecumenical Christian ministry that welcomes to its work all people dedicated to the cause of eliminating poverty housing. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat has built, rehabilitated, repaired or improved more than 400,000 houses worldwide, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than 2 million people. For more information, or to donate or volunteer, visit Habitat.org.