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The Salvation Army – Red Kettle Reason

Posted by Brande on December 24, 2014
in Community Issues, Giving Back/Charity, Holidays, News Worthy, Seasonal Stuff, Uncategorized

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Influence Central for The Salvation Army. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.”

‘Tis the season to be giving and what better way to give than to The Salvation Army. I’m sure you’ve seen people ringing their bells near that red kettle.

This is one of the oldest and biggest providers. Established in London in 1865, The Salvation Army has been serving people for about 150 years internationally and over 130 years in the United States.

Here are few great facts about The Salvation Army.

“In 2013, The Salvation Army’s 3,600 officers, 59,000 employees, and 3.4 million volunteers served nearly 30 million American in need. That’s almost one person, every second, every day.”
“The Army has nearly 7,600 centers of operation covering nearly every zip code in the country.”

How did The Army’s Red Kettle start? In December of 1891, The Salvation Army’s Captain McFee decided to provide Christmas dinner to the poor. He needed to raise money and put with the approval from the authorities, he place a large pot on the Oakland Ferry Landing in San Francisco. By Christmas of 1895 there were 30 Salvation Army locations.

You can help online or via text messaging! Anyone can become a virtual bell ringer and raise money for their local communities by creating an Online Red Kettle at onlineredkettle.org.” Or “Donors can text the word “KETTLE” to 80888 to make a $10 donation to support the campaign.” End of the year giving is extremely popular and is also tax deductible with the proper documentation, please make your donation by December 31, 2014.

I believe giving is very important throughout the year, however around the holiday’s it seems a bit more meaningful to my family. I look at what I have and wish that for everyone, I have meals on the table and a loving, healthy family. With a 6 year old daughter it’s sometimes hard for her to understand the real meaning of Christmas. I really have instilled that Christmas is not all about gift, but, giving and thoughtfulness.

Please visit The Salvation Army at RedKettleReason.org.

#RedKettleReason #Sponsored #MC

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State Farm Neighborhood Assist

Posted by Professor on April 30, 2014
in Community Issues, Uncategorized

“I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for State Farm. I received a promotional item to thank me for participating.” www.momcentralconsulting.com

During State Farms Neighborhood Assist program 40 Causes will receive 25,000 AND YOUR VOTE decides where it goes!

Voting is open! Now’s your chance to decide which 40 causes will receive a $25K grant!

Vote up to 10 times each day from April 28th through May 16th. Invite your friends to help, because only the 40 causes with the most votes will receive a grant.

Please download and share the following facebook app so you and your friends can vote on your favorite causes in THIS years neighborhood Assist program. Please consider voting! You can find the app at the following link: http://st8.fm/iKc

Why vote?

This is a great way to help just by voting and give back to your community!

Our family gives back to the community every year, several times during the year. We give back with Operation Milk jug during thanksgiving by donating money so families in need can have a wonderful holiday meal. We also give back through Operation Rice Bowl through our church during the Eater season.

My daughters are Girl Scouts and are constantly giving back to the community in various ways! We collect money and donations for the elderly, homeless, and families in need…all year and especially during the holidays. We have even expanded our projects to pets in need.

If our community were eligible in the State Farm Neighborhood Assist voting I would love to see an Art and music program happening in our community. These classes have been constantly cut and thoughout our district and neighboring districts. Even though these are not considered core subjects they are still important to hone young minds and creativity.

Please take a look at the State Farm app and vote! I voted for the Girls 4 Science Program in the Chicago area. This is a great way to get girls involved in science …this program. How great to offer a program that gets girls geared up for a subject predominantly led by the male species!

Take a look at the following infographic… it shows just how much community is doing for each other throughout the US! It is also important to realize that grant recipients are from both SMALL TOWNS AND BIG CITIES!

There are so many ways to give back to your community!! Please consider joining a local cause AND voting for a cause on Neighborhood assist using the following app link http://st8.fm/iKc!

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Tylenol SMILING IT FORWARD™

Posted by Professor on December 11, 2013
in Community Issues, Family Stuff, Health, Health and Wellness, Uncategorized

I have received information and products from McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc., the makers of TYLENOL®. The opinions stated are my own. This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks

Tylenol SMILING IT FORWARD™

Share a smile and help a child feel better!

I’m Smiling it forward because… I want to share the joy of my little one’s smile with everyone! Smiling is contagious… one smile goes along way! If everyone took some time to smile the world would be a happier place!

I am glad Tylenol has created this campaign… I feel so blessed when my little ones smile after they have been sick. It warms my heart to know that the worst is over and that they are now feeling better. It also means that I have done my best to get them better.

With the help of Tylenol…all moms can help their little ones feel better when feeling under the weather.

How can you help in SMILING IT FORWARD™?

Join TYLENOL, a brand relied on by moms for over 50 years, by SMILING IT FORWARD™. Together with Children’s Health Fund, we can help ensure a doctor’s visit is always within reach for children in need.

Just upload a photo here or use this link: https://www.smilingitforward.com/share/upload to help kids in need. It’s as easy as that.

How can your smile help?

We all love a child’s smile. There’s baby’s first smile, the wake-up smile and the first step “I did it!” smile. But, there’s something special about the smile that comes after a fever breaks and a child starts feeling better.

Creating those “feel better” smiles is what Tylenol is all about.

For decades, moms and pediatricians have relied on Tylenol to provide relief from fever and pain. The smile of good health is one every child deserves and every mom should see.

You can help make more smiles possible for families in need.

That’s where Children’s Health Fund comes in. Their mobile medical clinics provide children in need with access to the doctors, nurses and medicine they deserve.

Join us by SMILING IT FORWARD™.

By simply sharing a photo that makes you smile, Tylenol will make a $1 donation to Children’s Health Fund (up to $100,000).

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Welch’s Share What’s Good!

Posted by Professor on September 16, 2013
in Articles, Community Issues, Contests, Coupons, Uncategorized

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Welch’s. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.”

Welch’s believes in the magic of “kitchen table” moments, and has been helping families enjoy them for generations. In the time it takes to drink a glass of juice or share a sandwich, a special moment can happen. That’s why Welch’s just launched a new movement called “Share what’s good™” It’s all about sharing those special moments that occur each day with family, friends and loved ones – whether it’s at home or on the go. At Sharewhatsgood.com you’ll find a variety of great content from fun family ideas to delicious recipes. You can share photos of your every-day moments and see how others are doing the same.

In our family we share every meal at the kitchen table. This allows us to have a bit of quality time just for the family and connect with each other for more than a few minutes each day. It is also a time of reflection and disconnection! By this I mean reflecting on the day/week and disconnecting from technology! Enjoying a meal and good conversation is so important in today’s fast paced technological world. It is so nice to sit down and just chat without a technological device “on”.

I hope that you can enjoy a meal once a day or even once a month with your family to connect! Thinking beyond the traditional family it is also nice to gather with friends to establish a relationship at the table of fellowship and friendship! I know we gather with some church friends and other people in some of the areas that we minister to in our church at least once a month. (We used to do this weekly after church; until we had children then it became too hard). Establishing fellowship with our community is very important to us…in our home this is just an extension of the family!

So whether you sit down daily, weekly, or monthly…and whether it is with immediate, extended, or community family …TAKE THE TIME to relax and enjoy some time to SHARE WHAT IS GOOD! …And make sure to take Welch’s along for the ride!

The “Share what’s good” Photo Contest Details:

As part of the Share what’s good campaign, Welch’s has launched the “Share Your Moments” photo contest! From 9/16 to 10/25 upload a photo of your favorite family moment for a chance to win $5,000! While there is only one grand prize, everyone who enters will get a $1.50 coupon for Welch’s 100% Grape Juice – or $2.00 if you share the news. Visit Sharewhatsgood.com to enter.

Please Visit the following social media sites to learn more about Welch’s

Welch’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/welchsgrapes

Welch’s on Twitter: @Welchs

Welch’s on Instagram: @Welchs

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Claratin Mom’s Crew & Kaboom Playground

Posted by Professor on August 22, 2013
in Community Issues, Uncategorized

I received this information as a member of the Children’s Claritin Mom Crew. As a member of the Children’s Claritin Mom Crew, I receive product samples and promotional items to share and use as I see fit. No monetary compensation has taken place and any opinions expressed by me are honest and reflect my actual experience

Do you know a school that needs an innovative play space? Maybe there is a school near you that needs a play space that will work for students with any skill level?

Look at this amazing opportunity from Claritin!

Children’s Claritin and KaBOOM! are helping bring play to kids in need by offering 12 national schools the chance to win Imagination Playground™ equipment. These mobile play sets are comprised of oversized foam blocks that can be assembled inside or outside, giving children of all abilities the opportunity to foster creativity and critical-thinking skills.

Your vote can make a difference! Join Children’s Claritin, the #1 pediatrician-recommended non-drowsy allergy brand, and KaBOOM! to help select 4 schools to receive Imagination Playground™ equipment. You can visit http://Facebook.com/Claritin between 8/1-10/31 to cast your vote for one of twelve finalist schools. The four schools with the most votes will win Imagination Playground™ equipment for their students.

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Healthgrades Website

Posted by Professor on July 20, 2013
in Business, Community Issues, Eye Care, Health, Health and Nutrition, News Worthy, Reviews, Uncategorized

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Healthgrades. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.”

Looking for a great doctor or hospital and do not know where to turn? Well, there is a great website that can help! Healthgrades is a wonderful website that provides information on doctors and hospitals.

All you have to do is type in the doctors name or specialty and your zip code and Healthgrades will give you providers within your specifications…. it’s that simple!

After you search for your provider their name will pop up or if you searched for a specialty a number of providers will pop up… then Healthgrades not only gives you their information but gives you a rating on the practice as well. Patients can rate the practice and give them 1 – 5 stars. I don’t know about you but I like to know that the doctor I am going to got 5 stars!

I think this is a wonderful service to find providers for health services… I have used the service and have been very pleased with new providers I found on the sight and have been pleased to see that my existing providers are getting high ratings!

I personally like to research and meet doctors/hospitals before I have a visit or procedure… Healthgrades gives me the option of finding out and narrowing down my choices. Although I do not think I would replace an in person office visit to meet a doctor with Healthgrades I do think it is a great choice to narrow down choices of who to see for a consultation. One other thing I found that it is great to look up a provider based on the recommendation of others. I can type in a provider that someone else suggested and find out what multiple people are saying about the same doctor… this is a great service!

I do not think you will be disappointed in healthgrades.com … try it out and see if you can find what your provider is rated. Do not like your current provider or their rating… browse Healthgrades for a new provider. Quick simple and easy to use!

You can also find out more about Healthgrades by Downloading d Healthgrades’ Women’s Health Report 2013 and review the material presented. They have factual information as well as highlights of the 2013 award recipients in different areas. I was certainly pleased to fund my provider/hospital on the award recipient list. Download the report to find out more information and find out the award recipients in your area. You can find the report at: www.healthgrades.com/quality/womens-health-report

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Johnson & Johnson Donate a Photo Plus Giveaway

Posted by html404 on April 13, 2013
in Baby Products, Community Issues, Contests, Coupons, Giveaways, Giving Back/Charity, Personal Care Products, Uncategorized

This is a compensated post by The Motherhood and J&J. I also free J&J product for my participation.

Everyone is familiar with the Johnson & Johnson brand and probably use at least one of their products, if not more, in your home. Well, they are running a campaign right now called The Donate a Photo, using The Donate a Phone app. The campaign is encouraging people to donate a photo and for every photo donated, J&J will donate $1 to one charity of your choosing.

The campaign kicks off with three charitable partners to choose from:
Keep America Beautiful: One photo helps restore a community park.
Save the Children: One photo helps a newborn get medicine to thrive.
Safe Kids: One photo protects seven children from a preventable sports injury.

The Donate a Photo app is available for download in the App Store and Google Play. Be sure to head over to HealthyEssentials.com and register to save on J&J products. J&J coupons will be available in newspapers and online starting on Sunday, April 7, which was last week.

The app is really easy to download and use. Very user friendly. All you have to do is sign up for an account, click the buttons through to donate a photo and voila! you are done.

Here is an excellent video about how to use the Donate a Photo app. Video below, direct link here – http://youtu.be/SoNv_BGxfyk

Donate a Photo is a fun way to help give back to three great causes. I just donated my first photo today but plan to donate more over the next week or so. Johnson & Johnson has curated a list of trusted causes, and you can donate a photo to one cause, once a day. Each cause will appear in the app until it reaches its goal, or the donation period ends. If the goal isn’t reached, the cause will still get a minimum donation.

J & J Giveaway

You can also enter to win a box of assorted J&J products – valued just over $100.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

No purchase necessary. Open to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and District of Columbia, Eighteen (18) years of age or older. Sweepstakes end May 20, 2013. Prize(s) provided by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Company Division of Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. Void where prohibited.

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Herdshare Cow – Wordless Wednesday

Posted by html404 on April 10, 2013
in Animals, Community Issues, Family Stuff, Farm Stuff, Food and Treats

Not so Wordless this week…ha!

Our family drinks and goes through a lot of milk in a week so we’ve been looking at the possibility of getting a herdshare cow (the kids will own a portion of her milk “shares” and we’ll sell “cow or milk shares”, which is where other people desiring raw milk will buy shares of her, that is if IL doesn’t change their raw milk laws). We have been researching dairy cows or rather our daughter has been, and even went to visit a Guernsey dairy farm in Wisconsin, nearly two hours away, in November. The economical benefits to owning our own cow would allow us to supply our family with milk for 8-10 months out of the year, plus all the other dairy products we enjoy – butter, yogurt, ice cream and cheese, as well as providing others with fresh milk too.

Then a couple of weeks ago while my mom was here we came across a Craigslist ad for a Guernsey for sale locally. It was a person we bought some of our bookcases from just after we moved into this house. The reasons we like this cow is she’s local so less travel time, less stress on the cow. The owner is raising the cow the way we want to, which is a huge factor to us wanting her. The cow was also affectionate to our daughter the first time she went in her pen, which resonated with us…so….we bought her!

Pictured at her old home.

Eclipse is a 5.5 year old Guernsey. She has given birth to three calves, the third one was born last year. Even though it’s been a year since her last birth she is still giving a couple of gallons of milk per day. We are really impressed, but we are newbies so it doesn’t take much to impress us She is being fed pasture, hay and fodder (sprouted grain). We *think* the fodder is what is helping her give milk for so long between calves. Either that or she’s just a faithful milker! Here’s to hoping she likes us as well as she did her former owner.

The children are hoping her first calf with us is a heifer (female) so they can buy back the herdshares and make Eclipse our family cow. If she has a bull calf, then he’ll be processed for beef and shared among all the shareholders. We hope to get Eclipse bred this spring or summer, Lord willing. First we have to figure out when she cycles, which can be hard to determine when there’s only one cow. Or so we’ve been told.

While I grew up surrounded by cows, I have very little experience taking care of them, especially a dairy cow. Growing up I watched them being milked and took their yummy milk from the cooler of our neighbors milk parlor, but not once did I take care of one or milk one. I took care of my pastor’s beef cow when he and his family went away a couple of times, that’s my extent of caring for a cow. Other than that my experience is limited to visits to neighbors farms in my hometown in Nova Scotia, having the cows lick my rubber boots and runny a muck through their pastures as a child.

We are excited but a little apprehensive, as cows require a set routine and it’s a whole new animal to acclimate to our farm. So do you have any experience with cows?

Stay tuned to more adventures of milking a cow, making butter and even fencing….from our fledgling little farm….

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Healthy Classroom Station Review

Posted by Professor on April 3, 2013
in Cleaning, Community Issues, Education, Health, Personal Care Products, Reviews, Uncategorized

The Healthy Classroom Station Review

Kimberly-Clark Professional is taking the lead in helping transform schools into healthier learning environments.

Good Hygiene habits should begin early. The Healthy Classroom Station brings accessible product solutions to the classroom. Students learn to WASH, WIPE, and SANITIZE to help reduce the spread of germs.

Statistics show that the average student misses 4.5 school days each year due to preventable illness. Symptoms of illness are bad but so are the side effects… when children are ill their performance suffers. Student absences are linked to lower achievement and higher school dropout rates. Even when ill students are physically present but they often perform poorly. Further more, it is not only the student that is affected but parents’ work in affected. In the U.S., caring for a sick child results in 126 million lost workdays and $14.5 billion lost in productivity annually. This affects schools because schools spend over $2 billion on substitute teacher pay each year. Studies show that teacher absenteeism also affects student achievement.

Absenteeism starts with presenteeism ~ coming to school sick. When ill students touch a doorknob, keyboard, desk or other surface, they leave germs that can live up to 48 hours. Other students and teachers pick up those germs, and the cycle continues.

Kimberly- Clark Professional has come up with a solution to combat germs in the classroom. The Healthy Classroom Station!

The classroom Caddy creates a fun, engaging way to promote good hygiene in the classroom. Fill it with the hand sanitizer, tissue, and surface wipes to create a Healthy Classroom Station. The Classroom Caddy boasts a durable design, suitable for use by children age 3 and above (patent pending).

Contents of the Caddy:

KLEENEX Hand Sanitizer ~ effectively kills germs on hands with a foam formula that is perfect for schools. It is 99.9% effective against most common disease-causing germs in as little as 30 seconds. One step sanitizing solution. NO rinsing required.

KLEENEX Anti-Viral Tissue ~ moisture-activated middle layer that is scientifically proven to kill cold and flu viruses.

SCOTT Surface Wipes ~ safe enough for children to use. Clean high touch surfaces by removing soil, dirt, and other contaminants without the use of disinfectants. Alcohol and bleach free. Safe for children to use.

Our Review:

This is a neat innovative product! We really liked the Classroom Caddy and the Kimberly-Clark products. We used the products at home in order to do this review… but I WILL be giving a caddy filled with new products to my daughters preschool class. I wish I had more of these to go around as my other two children’s grade school classes could certainly benefit from a germ fighting kit!

On to the review… the caddy effectively fits all of the products securely and it easily fits next to the sink on the counter. The Hand sanitizer option is a nice plus. Having the sanitizer in a convenient pump and in the handy caddy location proved useful. I also liked that the sanitizer was of the foam variety. The foam seems to be easier for the children to dispense with less mess. The KLEENEX anti viral tissue is very nice. I must admit that I have not used this version of KLEENEX before this review…. But it is very soft and easy on the nose…plus it has the anti viral properties that are a large plus! Most of all I LOVED the SCOTT surface wipes. This is a great product! I often use regular sanitizing wipes on my counters and sometimes a bleach spray on the doorknobs. I LOVE the option of having an alcohol and bleach free product to wipe off the doorknobs and children’s toys, etc. This is a much safer option!

Overall we LOVE the Caddy and all of the contents. As I mentioned I intend to refill it and give it to my daughter’s preschool. I think that these are wonderful product to combat germs. How convenient not only for schools, but for anyone really! Think about it… homes, homes schools, daycares, in home daycare, etc… Wow! So many places…so many uses! Thank you Kimberly-Clark Professional!

For more information about these products and other solutions for your home or school, visit www.kcprofessional.com

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

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Boys & Girls Club of America ~ Open the Door Take the Tour

Posted by Professor on April 3, 2013
in Community Issues, Uncategorized

April 7^th – April 13^th is National Boys & Girls Club Week!

The Boys & Girls Club of America (BGCA) is a wonderful organization.

I encourage everyone to find out about this organization. What a great way to give back to the community by supporting or volunteering at your local BGCA! Although there are many local, national, and global organizations that you can pick from to help the less fortunate…I suggest learning more about the Boys and Girls Club of America! BGCA is a great organization that assists children in need.

BGCA welcomes everyone to

OPEN THE DOOR. TAKE THE TOUR.

So what exactly is the BGCA? It is an organization of more than 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs that serve millions of children across the nation and on military installations overseas. BGCA offers children a place to grow and have a great future. Clubs. Provide caring guidance and fun, engaging programs that help kids: do well in school, give back to their communities, and choose healthy lifestyles.

What is National Boys & Girls Club Week? It was established to celebrate the invaluable service that Clubs bring to communities and to highlight why great futures start at Boys & Girls Clubs.

THE WEEK OF April 7 – 13 ~ Thousands of Clubs across the country will be holding Boys & Girls Club Week celebrations ~ including opportunities to hear from children and other stakeholders about the ways that Clubs transform young lives.

If you have a local BGCA…I encourage you to visit a local Club and see the magic happening behind their blue doors. If you are not sure if there is a BGCA in your area…. please visit www.greatfutures.org, to find a local Club.

No club in your area??? Well, the BGCA does not want to leave you out of the fun… just visit their website at www.greatfutures.org and take a virtual tour! You can take the virtual tour HERE.

I urge you to stop into a Club in your area this week to join in the fun! Clubs across the country are planning fun daily activities for Club members, their parents, and the entire neighborhood to enjoy! The events include teen forums, carnivals, health fairs, and so much more!

In addition to the fun …many BGCA leadership and service groups (such as Torch and Keystone Clubs for tween and teen Club members) also use the week as a chance to give back to the community by volunteering at homeless shelters pr assisted living facilities.

If you are unsure which day to venture out to your Local BGCA…take a look at the schedule below for the daily theme, this might help you decide!

Monday, April 8 – Open the door to education
Tuesday, April 9 – Open the door to technology
Wednesday, April 10 – Open the door to character and citizenship
Thursday, April 11 – Open the door to healthy lifestyles.
Friday, April 12 – Open the door. Take the tour.

*** For more information about how you can support the BGCA please visit www.greatfutures.org or click the link HERE.

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Boys and Girls Club. I received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.” www.momcentralconsulting.com