It's July already!

I can not even believe that its JULY! Even more so, I can't believe that my girls start school again in August....I guess it's true what they say "time waits for no one". Our summer has been pretty busy but also pretty relaxing. I have been trying to stress the importance for our family to "be" in the moment. Thus, we have taken time to plant a garden, lay in the backyard and pick out the shapes in the clouds, make homemade concoctions (some of which I would never touch, like the combo of Gatorade, marshmallows and pop that my oldest drank) bake tons of goodies and just enjoy each other. We like to all lay on the floor and read books, play eye spy in the neighborhood and go on nature walks. NO TV allowed but Music is definitely allowed as we throw a MEAN Dance party over here. My husband misses some of this as he doesn't get a summer vacation but we pull him into our madness when he's home.

I am thankful. Let me say that again...I AM THANKFUL!

To be able to stay home with my kids

To have a hard working, loving and dedicated husband

To have a wonderful group of friends

To have good health and to have healthy children

To have a home and food on the table

I AM THANKFUL for it all

Enjoy the rest of your summer and remember to take each day as it is...don't try and change it, flow with it.

Processing it all

I'm still having trouble blogging about Haiti. I don't know how to wrap my head around the grief. The suffering. The death.
It hits too close to home.

Haiti is like Ethiopia in a lot of ways. It's a very, very poor country with a very rich culture and amazingly loving people. People in Haiti don't ask for our help. They live their lives and raise their children and have a strong faith that sustains them. Like Ethiopia.

So when I see the destruction, when I see the little boys and girls in all the orphanages...when I see all the children who will now end up in orphanages...I see Sam. And it's too much.

So please, skip that cup of coffee at Starbuck's, or that pizza night out...and go here or here, or here.  And help. And then go into your child's bedroom, and inhale his scent, and kiss his cheek, and thank the heavens that he's your baby. And pray that all the babies find their parents, and all the mothers find their little boys.

Doing more this holiday season

I'm a busy mom. But I have a home, a job, a husband, food on the table, clothing for my baby, 2 cars...and the list goes on and on.  But many, many moms around the world don't have these things.  They are trapped in the cycle of poverty.  They cannot provide for their children.  I cannot imagine that level of pain, not being able to feed and cloth your children.
But there is a way out of poverty. 
It's called Kiva.  Kiva makes microloans ($25) to individuals around the world.  The recipient of the loan uses the money to purchase inventory to sell (be it food, clothing, etc.)  The recipient improves her life, her family's life, and her community by being a small business owner.  Through local banks, the loans are disbursed and PAID BACK IN FULL to the lender.  YOU are the lender.  YOU can transform a life, a family, a community.
If you are reading this blog, then you have a computer.  If you have a computer, you have $25.  Let's face it, we are all going to spend a lot more than that on holiday gifts for friends and family this year.  We ALL have $25 to give. 
So I encourage you to make a Kiva loan, and maybe even have THAT be your gift to a family member (like Charity: Water or Heifer International.)  Kiva has gift certificates so your family/friends can pick their own project to loan to with YOUR money.  How great is that??

Do you have a favorite world-charity?  How are you working to help others and take the "commercial" out of the holidays this year?