Backpacks for Foster Care: Crafting for a Cause with Cricut

As a parent, I've always followed the motto that more is caught than taught. I want my kids to see me living a generous life and giving to others. I want them to understand that there are human faces and stories behind every set of numbers and statistics. Did you know that there are more than 440,000 children in Foster Care nationwide?  When most children enter into the Foster Care system it's through an emergency situation. Children are experiencing uncertainty and upheaval in their lives and most of them don't have an opportunity to grab those items that are familiar and comfortable for them. Many kids entering the system are given black trash bags to carry whatever few belongings they do have. 
I've partnered with Cricut to help personalize backpacks for children entering Foster Care. I'll be donating them to The Blue Ribbon Project and showing you how you can join in too!

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Matthew 25 Challenge Day 7: One Child at a Time

You did it! You made it to the end of our 7-day text challenge. We were in this together and I'm so glad that you joined me. In case you are new here, read a little bit more about the Matthew 25 challenge.  Now it's time to celebrate! I can't wait to see how this experience has shaped you and your family.  Several years ago, I read a quote by Shane Claiborne, in his book Irresistible Revolution that says "the problem is not that American Christians do not care about the poor. The problem is that American Christians do not know the poor" How true is this! We care when we know. When we hear about true need and crisis, American people are quick to step up and help when they can.

It's so hard to know how we can know about those needs, but I hope that this week's Matthew 25 challenge helped to open your eyes so that you have a larger world view.

Want your final challenge???

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Kids These Days Are Inspiring Me to be Better

Thank you Allstate for sponsoring this post. I chose to write this post because doing good in local communities is at Allstate’s core.

Kids these days. Usually, that's a phrase older people say while shaking their head in frustration or disapproval of the younger generation. My generation though, the mamas of those kids, will be saying that phrase a little differently.

Heck, I'm already saying it differently. I'm saying it in awe and in reverence at the amazing things I'm seeing kids these days do. I see kids generously giving of their time to volunteer, kids embracing and accepting people who are different than they are, and kids advocating for social causes. Kids these days are saving the world and caring about the people who are in it. Kids these days are the next generation of leaders and change-makers and I for one don't want to stand in their way.

Kids these days are making me want to be better and it leaves me thinking that the future is bright. So, what is it about kids these days?

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Smart Ways For Your Teen To Find Volunteer Hours

There are plenty of great reasons to get your teen to volunteer. Whether they choose to volunteer their time helping out at a food bank, community park, local school or somewhere else, they’ll discover the importance of giving back to their community and helping others while learning valuable skills. As an added bonus, they may even benefit from the experience when applying for colleges or scholarships. If you’re not sure how to help your teen find ways to volunteer, I can help! Here are a few smart ways your teen can find opportunities to give back and volunteer their time.

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Five Ways To Find Volunteer Opportunities In Your Area

Giving back to your community can be a great way to spend a day, but sometimes it can be tricky to actually learn about the volunteer opportunities that exist - especially if you’re based in a rural area. However, with a little digging, you might be surprised to find just how many ways you can find to give back in your area. If you’re looking to donate your time and support a meaningful cause, here are five great ways to find volunteer opportunities in your area.

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Confessions of a {Former} Class Room Mom

As soon as my first child went to school, I filed out the volunteer paper work and signed up. I kind of thought it was mandatory. Sort of like once you have a baby you find yourself on the church nursery rotation when all you really want to be doing is sitting baby-free in the pew for an hour each week. There were a few different circumstances and a move that happened and I had the opportunity to experience parent life at a private Christian school, a co-op, a private school for gifted children and two very different public elementary schools. I feel like I've seen it all, and I've taken on all kinds of different roles from room mom to PTA president. I won't sugar-coat it. It's not all good. So buckle up. I've got some confessions from a former class room mom you aren't going to want to miss.

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Walk for Water

This past weekend our family participated in the Walk for Water.

The event raised $5400 to provide clean water and sanitation programs to rural Uganda.

It was a beautiful day for a walk.

There was lots of information posted to bring awareness to the dire need for clean water in Uganda.

Buttons were made of the children who each person or family was walking for.

It was such an awesome visual to remind us that we are walking for the health of these kids and their families.

Families and neighborhood groups came together.  People carried buckets of all sizes and weight.

We started walking

and kept walking

raising awareness with every step

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When we got to a calm part of the river we hiked down under the overpass and filled our buckets up with water.

And then we carried the buckets filled with water back on the same path we just walked

With each step we labored

We adjusted our buckets

We sloshed water

We stopped to rest

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We came up with new techniques to ease the burden

With each step we became more aware of the work that has to be done every day in an effort to get water.

Water that isn't even clean and most of the time isn't even safe to drink.

Water that runs freely from faucets in our homes and comes squirting out of our refrigerators at the touch of a button.

Clean water can cut a communities child mortality rate in half.

We walked for the children

We walked for the families

We walked for the community

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Thank you for donating

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Paula's Pillowcase Project sewing for kids with cancer

  Last week, I sewed my buns off for the third year at Paula's Pillowcase Project. You can read more about past years here and here You can read more about the project here
In a nutshell, my friend Paula's 10 year old son was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. While her son was at Children's Hospital in Seattle he had a scratchy stiff pillowcase. It didn't take long for Paula to see a need for kids with cancer and Paula's Pillowcase Project was formed.
Each year the amount of pillowcases that are made continues to increase as do the volunteers that are involved. This year the goal was to make 250 pillowcases for the kids at Children's Hospital in Seattle.
The event starts long before the project weekend. Donations are accepted and Paula and her son head to JoAnn's on black Friday buying bolts and bolts of fabric Volunteers wash and iron the fabric and on Friday, more volunteers come to pre cut kits that are sewn on Saturday
Here are the pieces of the kit all ready to be put together There is one narrow piece one wider plain piece and a printed fleece that is the main fabric

People are cutting

Sewing 

and ironing

 Volunteers make a handmade card for each pillowcase with a sweet handwritten note inside

Volunteers young and old come out to help.

I was quite impressed with several young girls who came out this year to sew.

Both said they were taught by their Grandmothers

Such a great skill

It was also a lot of fun to teach this 10 year old boy how to sew

He really liked sewing more than he thought he would.

And just as I started helping him make a pillowcase from start to finish, my machine died on me.

Thankfully, Jenny was there to lend a hand and her sewing machine to help Seth out.

This year a decorative stitch was done on each of the narrow pieces of fleece.

I think it turned out great!

 Aren't they just adorable!

I am so thankful to have a part in making a little something to help the kids be just a little more comfortable.
 
I can't wait for next year.

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Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

For the past few months our family has been spending our Monday nights making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the Tacoma Rescue Mission. I happened to read in our newspaper about a local gal named Jenny who saw a need and decided to do something about it.

Jenny contacted all of the necessary people, started getting donations and her idea of peanut butter jelly night was formed. We serve every Monday from 7-8. We have donated supplies, and some consistent (and not so consistent) volunteers. We work with lots of hands, or with just a few but we work hard that whole hour or until the loaves of bread are gone.

Every Monday around 500 sandwiches are made for the homeless shelter.

The thing that our family loves about it is that everyone can participate. It doesn't require any special skills and there is no age minimum to volunteer. Even our 6 year old can help out.

The sandwiches get packaged up and ready for delivery the next morning.

We love that we can give our kids the opportunity to serve in the community in this way. To share God's love to the homeless community even if we aren't meeting them. It's a way to think about something bigger than ourselves. How do you get your family involved in caring for others?

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