#gno Holiday Party TONIGHT With Origins!
December 10, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 25 Comments
This is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year! But with holiday parties, shopping, and travel, many find themselves stressed out, making it difficult to enjoy the Christmas cheer.
What are ways you can de-stress this time of year? How can simple pleasures like skin care and beauty help you enjoy a happier holiday season? If you had a few extra hours during the holidays, what would you do?
Join Origins the rest of the Mom It Forward community here for a special holiday #gno TONIGHT Thursday, December 10 to discuss the answer to these and more questions! Party details included in the bullet list below.
Don’t forget to enter this week’s giveaway. Click here to enter for a chance to win a $150 spa treatment, a $250 prize pack of Origins products, and free wrapping of 10 gifts at any Origins retail store.
- What: Origins is sponsoring this week’s #gno Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
- When: TONIGHT! Thursday, December 10, 9-11 p.m. EST (8CT, 7 MT, & 6 PT)
- Where: Party with us here on our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno and #origins.)
- Topic: Enjoying a Beauty-Filled and Stress-Free Holiday Season
- Who: @dailymakeover, @duongsheahan, @erikalehmann, @jennyitup, @mominthecity, @wordsmitty
- Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win this week’s giveaway from Origins. Deadline: Sunday, December 13 at midnight PT.
- RSVP: Please leave your Twitter ID in the comments to follow and be followed (on Twitter, of course!) by other #gno gals. The best format is as follows: http://twitter.com/jylmomIF.
Full disclosure: Mom It Forward is grateful for the brands that sponsor its weekly #gno Twitter parties. As part of their sponsorship, they provide tips and techniques and/or expert advice and information on party topics, offer products for giveaway(s), and if applicable, make e-coupons and discounts available to the Mom It Forward community.
Teaching Children to Give—Involving Them in Charitable Programs
December 7, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 2 Comments
The single most impactful thing you can do to teach your children to fall in love with giving is to involve them in giving activities, discussing throughout them why you are giving (what the cause is for) and how it makes you and the recipients feel.
Sometimes, identifying volunteer programs that allow young children to participate in can be difficult. Today, I came across Feed It Forward (perfect name, right?). It is a charitable initiative that allows you to send $10 restaurant gift certificates to 30 people each day during the holiday season. And here’s the clencher: It’s free and only requires a few bits of data and the click of your mouse. What’s more is that you can involve your kids by coming up with a list of friends together and sitting and completing the information side by side.
You have 18 days left to take advantage of this giving opportunity. That’s 540 people you can send gift certificates to. Get ready. Get set. Go!
The Details
The Feed It Forward initiative is built upon a single giving Web site, www.Restaurant.com/FeedItForward, stocked with a total of three million, $10 Restaurant.com gift certificates totaling $30 million. The site will be live through midnight PST on Dec. 25 and allows individuals to go online to give gift certificates on a first come, first serve basis. Gift givers choose whom to give to and gift recipients then decide where to dine among more than 6,500 participating Restaurant.com restaurants nationwide.
To send free $10 gift certificates, gift givers simply enter their name and email address, as well as information for the people they wish to give to—as many as 30 people each day for the length of the initiative. They can go to www.Restaurant.com/FeedItForward every day and share gift certificates with people anywhere in the country, giving out a total value that far exceeds even the most impressive holiday gift giving budget during the healthiest of economic times.
Once a participant selects their chosen recipients, they can share a brief note about why they are giving. Restaurant.com will feature some of these messages of appreciation on the Feed It Forward home page and, if chosen by the individual, will send the giver’s personal message along with the gift certificate. As people join in the celebration of giving and give away gift certificates, a U.S. map displayed on the site will depict the areas of the country where the giving is happening along with keeping track of the amount given in real time.
Feed It Forward 2009 features include:
- Generous “daily give” allowance—Givers can give to up to 30 people per day, with the potential of giving up to $9,000 worth of Restaurant.com gift certificates through the duration of the program.
- Feed It Forward Facebook application—The application allows givers to easily access their friend network and select those they wish to give to. Recipients are sent messages alerting them of their free gift and givers’ status updates will reflect the amount of gift certificates they have given and who has received them.
- Personal message delivery—Beyond sharing their giving story publicly on the giving site, participants can choose to write a separate, private note that will be sent along with the electronic gift certificate, making the surprise of a gift certificate that much more meaningful.
About Restaurant.com
Restaurant.com is the trusted and valued source connecting restaurants and diners nationwide. The company offers savings at more than 13,000 restaurants nationwide with more than 20,000 gift certificate options. Restaurant.com brings people together to relax, converse and enjoy well-prepared and -served meals at affordable prices. To date, Restaurant.com customers have saved more than $100 million through the gift certificate program. Restaurant.com has operated since 1999 and is based in Arlington Heights, Ill.
How to Avoid Weight Gain During the Holiday Season
November 29, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 3 Comments
The holidays are infamous for adding to our waistlines. It happens to the best of us. But we can take some preventative measures, so that we don’t have to go shopping for a bigger size during the New Year. I asked Leah @bookieboo, who heads up the Mamavation Sistahood—a group of moms losing weight and learning a healthy lifestyle together—to share some tips on how to enjoy healthy living during the holiday season. Here are some of the tips they shared:
1. Move more.
Get extra movement in any way you can. Turn the music on and dance. Park at the far end of the parking lot. Run up and down the stairs more. Studies have shown that adding extra steps to your day will burn more calories and keep your metabolism higher.
2. Get a support group.
Find a group of women that will support you in your healthy goals. If you are in need, we welcome all moms to the Mamavation Sistahood. You only need to have a desire to learn about healthy living and a positive attitude. We can be reached any time of day on twitter by using #mamavation.
3. Offer to bring a food item to the party.
Whether it’s a preschool party, family get-together, or office party, offer to bring a healthy alternative. Then bring something you can eat, like salad, fruit, or a low-fat appetizer.
4. Do your food research.
Know what it is you are eating. Do research and find out what the average calorie/fat count is to a certain food you like. Then ask yourself what you want to eat and what you want to skip. Don’t cut out everything, but cut out things you know aren’t worth the calories. For instance, did you know you will have to do over 2,000 jumping jacks to work off every cup of homemade stuffing?
5. Don’t drink your calories.
The holidays bring the best drinks of the season, but It’s very easy to drink your calorie allowance for the day without even knowing it. Check the nutritional count on what you are drinking BEFORE you drink. Wouldn’t you rather blow your calories on food instead? Dropping soda for the month is an easy way of cutting out a grip of extra calories. Stick to coffee, tea, red wine, and water. And for the diet soda lovers out there, studies have shown diet drinks actually make you gain weight, not lose weight. So don’t bother.
6. Control your portions.
Don’t get out of control. You can eat your favorite foods by using sensibility and portion control. Sometimes it is better to eat what you want and limit it, rather than deny yourself and overeat later.
7. Get a shoe that supports your needs.
Get a shoe this month that allows you to burn more calories as you are walking, like Earth Footwear. With a tool like this, you will be able to go about your life and the shoes will do a lot of the work for you.
8. Have a plate strategy.
When you load up your plate, fill half with veggies, ¼ protein, and then samples of whatever else you want. That way you aren’t depriving yourself and will feel full at the end of your meal. Another strategy is to use a smaller plate. You might be eating less, but you will feel more satisfied.
9. Add in more fruits and vegetables to every meal.
Make a conscious effort to eat more vegetables and fruit this month. Think about more ways you can incorporate them into every meal. Filling up on veggies will keep you satisfied and full and the end of your meal.
For more tips on how to live a healthy lifestyle and incorporate that in your family life, join the Mamavation Sisterhood.
Picture courtesy of Pink Sherbet Photography.
What’s on Your Holiday Wishlist This Year? ($3800 in Prizes???)
November 23, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 9 Comments
Win a Sleighful of Gifts!
TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter, I’m sharing this meme with you. Did I mention this giveaway features $3,800 in prizes? For those of you that know me, you know I’m not exaggerating, because if I were, I’d exaggerate using an odd number. LOL!
Click here to check out the ginormous amount of goods.
To enter to win them, all you need to do is the following three things:
- Answer the questions in this meme on your blog.
- Make sure to post links back to TodaysMama.com and Provo Craft (using this link: http://bit.ly/4ikY3c ).
- Tag your friends!
Create a Wishlist!
1. What 5 items are top on your holiday wish list?
- A piano
- A trip to India
- Maid service (even one a month would be heavenly!)
- A trip to New York City (I would love to get this gift early, so I can go this December!)
- A new printer like my old one (where the sheets feed into the copier)
2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?
Do my grandma’s banana cookies count? Honestly… there is no better handmade gift than that!
3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?
I’d love to knit a hat as long as someone else could do the knitting for me!
4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?
Holly Hobby Easy Bake Oven… hands down the best gift evah!
5. What items are top on your kids wish list this year?
- My 6YO wants an electric guitar.
- My 8YO wants us to get a piano. He’s willing to forego toys for it!
6. What is your favorite holiday food?
Where to begin?
- Reindeer cookies
- My MIL’s sugar cookies
- Saurkraut
- My mom’s prime rib roast
- Caramel Apple Spice from Starbuck’s
- Hot chocolate
- Veggie trays (especially if I got to chop the veggies)
- Olives (especially when eaten off my finger tips… tell me you did that as a kid too!)
7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?
Thankfully, nada (unless making reindeer cookies as neighbor gifts counts)!
8. What is your favorite holiday movie?
All of them! I love holiday movies!!! If I had to choose just one, I would probably say How The Grinch Stole Christmas, especially the part when his heart pops out of his chest!
9. Favorite holiday song?
I can’t choose just one:
- Oh Come All Ye Faithful
- We Three Kings/Star of Wonder by BNL & Sarah McLaughlin
- Bring the Torch, Jeanette Isabella
- That one by the Osmond’s that @troypattee dies for (can’t remember the name… not Puppy Love though!)
10. Favorite holiday pastime?
Giving!
Tag! You’re It!
Now, it’s tag time! I’d love to see answers to these questions from all of you, but since the task is to tag some of you and since tagging all of you would mean the rest of you would have no one to tag, here we go!
- Amy from Mom Spark
- Niri from Mommy Niri
- Robyn from Pensieve Robin
- Melissa from Isly
- Carissa from Good and Crazy People
- Angie from 7 Clown Circus
- Elizabeth from Parenting Pink
- Kim from Crafty Mama of 4
- Holly from June Cleaver Nirvana
- Jenny from Jenny on the Spot
Chat About Creative Holiday Gift Giving This Tuesday on Twitter With Crayola
November 6, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 98 Comments
With the height of the holiday season right around the corner, are you getting excited to start your shopping and decorating? Or, have you already begun?
Join us at the #gno Twitter party this Tuesday from 9-11 p.m. ET as we discuss creative holiday gift giving with our friends from Crayola. They, along with other amazing women in our community, will be sharing shopping tips and highlighting the latest and greatest from Crayola (like this project created with the new Glow Dome, left)—just in time for the holidays.
Also, join the #gno Whrrl story to share your holiday shopping tips! Click here to join, contribute to, or view.
- What: Crayola is sponsoring this week’s #gno Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
- When: Tuesday, November 10, 9-11 p.m. EST
- Where: Click here to party with us on our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno and #crayola.)
- Topic: Creative Gift Giving
- Who: @carissarogers @cerisecheri @crayola @gograhamgo @jollymom @makeandtakes @noflashcards @skybluestacy
- Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win products from Crayola just in time for the holidays.
- RSVP: Please leave your Twitter ID in the comments to follow and be followed (on Twitter, of course!) by other #gno gals. The best format is as follows: http://twitter.com/jylmomIF.
Share Your Holiday Plans & Traditions This Tuesday at Our #gno Twitter Party!
November 3, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 41 Comments
Have fun holiday traditions you are excited to continue or start this holiday season? Any upcoming trips planned? How will you capture, share, and archive your fun memories with your friends and family?
Join Whrrl and Mom It Forward gals Tuesday, November 3 as we discuss answers to these and other questions at a fun #gno party to kick off the holiday season before we’re actually in the thick of it!
Check out the first #gno Whrrl story! Click here to join, contribute to, or view.
- What: Whrrl is sponsoring this week’s #gno Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
- When: Tuesday, November 3, 9-11 p.m. EST
- Where: Click here to party with us on our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno and #whrrl.)
- Topic: Capturing Holiday Traditions and Memories
- Who: @houseofprince @jeffholden @jkimlosangeles @lolita @momfluential @momspark @scrappinmichele @troypattee @whrrl
- Party Favors: Win a $250 Visa cash card and create a Whrrlable holiday memory this season. Click here to enter!
- RSVP: Please leave your Twitter ID in the comments to follow and be followed (on Twitter, of course!) by other #gno gals. The best format is as follows: http://twitter.com/jylmomIF.
Mom It Forward This Halloween by BOOing!
October 26, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · Leave a Comment
Check out these great Halloween boo-ing ideas from fellow blogger and friend, Cindy Hopper from Skip to My Lou. She shares how it’s not to late to Mom It Forward Halloween style to your neighbors, family, and friends! What’s more is this is a perfect family activity! In her own words: “It is all about the ding & dash.”
Gather some treats, download and print this special Ghost Door Hanger and you are ready to go. One side lets everyone know you have been booed, the other a fun poem and instructions about how to BOO!
You might also like this unique way to BOO with a decorated plastic pumpkin. “Am I a Cat or Jack Boo Pumpkin” makes a great way to BOO your friends.
Another idea is to make a special BOO! Cone .
If you are into paper crafts a BOO! Sign is a wonderful way to share some Halloween fun!
Let the “BOOING” begin!
10 Tips to Raising Service-Oriented, Giving, and Charitable Children
May 21, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 2 Comments
Growing up, I remember feeling frustrated when my parents dragged me from service project to service project, forcing me to give up precious time with my friends and, let’s face it, even more invaluable time sitting on the couch watching tv LOL! I was convinced my parents were service-a-holics. And what that meant for their six children, especially me being the oldest, was a life of indentured servitude… or so I thought.
Now, with two children of my own, I have realized that my parents taught me one of the most powerful lessons a parent could teach—a knowledge and a love of service. So, now as I “drag” my own children from project to project, I have wondered what, exactly, it was that my parents did that helped me turn my drudgery for service into a passion.
Here are 10 tips I have extrapolated from their parenting that I hope to instill in my children.
1. Serve With Your Children. Serving side by side with your children is one of the most powerful teachers of how to serve all while bringing the family closer. While kids may complain, the bonding time you share sticks in their memories as a positive experience. When they have children of their own and search for ways in which to bond with their children, they will want to repeat the positive experiences they had as a child and the cycle will continue.
- One of my most memorable service projects as a child was a family picnic where my dad did all the service. My dad was the president of our local Rotary Club and they were raising money to wipe out Polio. I was 10 years old and remember the hot Arizona day, watching my dad prepare the dutch oven luncheon for the event and him talking to me at length about Polio, explaining why the Rotary Club was focused on raising money to eradicate it, and the importance of my participation. I felt important! I didn’t do a thing but talk to my dad and eat the picnic lunch, but I felt I had made a huge difference for mankind.
2. Talk to Your Children About Giving and Sharing. When you are not able to serve side by side with your children, share in detail your experiences after the event. Specifically, help them understand the need, how you helped to meet the need, and why your giving and sharing was so important. If you can, take pictures or video and share it with them. Your excitement for your volunteering will be contagious!
Family Service Project at Assisted Living Facility
3. Choose Service Activities Your Children Are Passionate About. Service activities come in many shapes and sizes. Identify what is important to your children and choose activities and causes that fit with their interests. Some suggestions include animals, the environment, children will illnesses, an illness a family member suffers from, etc.
4. Choose a Cause That Taps In to Your Child’s Talents, Skills, & Abilities. Does your child play a musical instrument? Does she like to do arts and crafts? Is he good at weeding or picking up trash? Can she make homemade greeting cards? Can he sing in a group? Nursing homes is just one example of a place that allows kids to visit and share who they are with others. This act of sharing and giving boosts self esteem and helps children learn that their talents, skills, and abilities can be used for good.
5. Tie Everyday Tasks Into Service. Make service an everyday activity and giving a constant thought by reinforcing these concepts in simple things like sharing toys, taking turns, secretly doing a sibling’s chores, giving family members hugs and kisses, etc. You can do this by saying things like: “Johnny, great job at sharing your toys with Billy. That shows that you are a giving person.” To help kids recognize the many ways to serve, create a Giving Chart, where they identify either in written or drawing format things they can do on a daily basis to serve those around them.
Cousins Creating Treasure Boxes (Gratitude Charts)
6. Show Gratitude. Helping kids recognize and show appreciation for things they are grateful for is an important aspect of service. Involve your children in gratitude activities such as keeping a gratitude journal or art book; going on gratitude walks; keeping a Daily Gratitude Chart on the refrigerator where you, as a family, can list your blessings; and having activities such as sitting in a circle and sharing what you are grateful for about the person sitting to your right. Check out Fishful Thinking for their Grateful Sayings activity.
7. Add an Aspect of Giving to Holidays & Events. The Christmas and Hanukkah season is a terrific and natural time to give to others, but you can add a touch of service during many other events as well. For example, many people are now donating their birthday gifts to charity.
- When I was 11 years old, my parents enlisted our help in doing the 12 Days of Christmas for a family whose mom was dying of breast cancer. Together, we picked out all of the gifts, items that would help the family feel joy during the holiday season. We created a strategy for how we would anonymously deliver the gifts. Then, we created a schedule of which family member would take responsibility for various tasks: wrapping the gifts, delivering them, etc. Each day, we huddled together after it got dark to work on our tasks and carry out the project. I will always remember that as one of the best Christmases. Not surprisingly, I don’t recall what I received for my gifts that year.
Kids Bowling to Help Fight Poverty in Africa
8. Serve even when you’re away from home. What a better way to get to know and bond with a destination location than to serve it or its community? If you’ll be away on a long trip, you can arrange a project through an organization. Nearly every major city has a homeless shelter or rescue mission, for example. For shorter stays, simple tasks like picking up garbage at a park and smiling at strangers on the street can make a big difference. Before going on a trip, plan as a family by answering the question: What can we do to give back to the towns and people we’ll be visiting?
- When I was 12 years old, my parents gave me the wonderful opportunity of visiting their friends in Costa Rica for the summer and encouraged me to do a service project before I left. I planned and ran a bake sale with the help of some of my church friends. I raised a whopping $30, which felt like a million bucks! Once I arrived, Silvia, the mom of the family I was staying with, took me all by myself to the grocery store where we purchases items for three families—food that would help them survive for 6 months. The most memorable part of my summer was delivering the food to the three families, crying with them as they humbly accepted it, and gaining a stark realization at the age of 12 of how other people suffer and that I had the power to make a huge difference. I count that as one of the most fortunate experiences I’ve ever had and thank my parents for ensuring it happened.
Decorating Tree at Center for Abused Children
9. Do Unto Others as They Need You to Do Unto Them. What’s valuable to teach your kids about service is that everyone needs to be loved in different ways and that finding out and meeting their needs is most important. While some people need your undivided attention, others need a quick smile or hug. Still others may need a meal brought in (and yes, kids can and should help with that!) or their houses cleaned. When you look at a person and ask yourself and your child: What need does that person have and how can we meet it, you are getting at the heart of selfless service.
10. Emphasize the Role of Money in Charity. Giving includes all sorts of things, many of which do not cost a cent. A child can donate old toys, clothes, or art supplies to organizations that need them. But, since charities also require money to operate, volunteer opportunities and causes that require money offer a wonderful way to teach children about its value. For example, just as you can teach kids to save by reserving a percentage of their allowances for a savings account, you can also have them put aside a specific amount for a giving account. Turn this into a craft activity where they get to decorate three cans or envelopes, labeling them: “Spending,” “Saving,” and “Giving”.
For some great child-oriented service projects, read http://www.parents.com/family-life/work-money-politics/volunteering-philanthropy/10-kid-oriented-causes/.
(Top photo used with permission from Flickr.)
Topic Talk—Holiday Hodgepodge!
November 26, 2008 by jyl johnson pattee · 3 Comments
Today’s Topic Talk post is a hodgepodge of shopping tips, best buys, holiday pic tales, and Black Friday stories. We are thankful for the great GNO Gals for their submissions!
- Abby at Steals and Deals
- Elizabeth at Parenting Pink
- Holly at June Cleaver Nirvana
- Jamie at The Heiner Clan
- Julie at The Cool Mom Guide
Steals and Deals offers several tips for buying gifts on a budget. Here’s a great one:
Don’t pay full price for anything. This might sound like an impossible task, but with the internet at your disposal, you have a grand tool to accomplish this, even if you are not making the final purchase online. Every time I “checkout” online I open up a new tab and search Google for online coupons. 99% of the time I find a 10-30% discount code, or a free shipping code, or a dollar amount off when you buy a certain amount like $10 off a purchase of $30. I always check “Steals and Deals” for their most recent posts to see if there is a tip I can use for this particular purchase.
Parenting Pink highlights fab finds for girls. Yep! They are all pink just like this Roadster!
June Cleaver Nirvana talks about a topic many of us can relate to—snapping the perfect holiday pic, or not! If you haven’t read Holly’s blog before, don’t delay another minute. She’s got humor coming out her ears!
The Heiner Clan poses the question: Do You Black Friday? Then, she shares her thoughts. Can you relate?
I think part of why I love shopping on this day is because I have money to spend. I am almost expected to spend. I am not just spending frivolously. It’s for Christmas, so it’s ok. I think of everyone on my list and what great things I will find at a great deal. I started going out years ago and think of it as a tradition now. Sometimes I go by myself, sometimes I talk my sisters into going with me.
The Cool Mom Guide, provides a great “must haves” list for kids from 9 to 92 like this great Nintendo Dogs for boys!
Thanks to these amazing GNO Gals for their Topic Talk posts.Wanna be featured? Please comment here or e-mail us at mommygossipgnoATgmailDOTcom and provide your BLOG URL,
linking to the holiday shopping post you’d like to contribute.
Wanna follow your favorite GNO Gal Pals? Visit Mommy Gossip—GNO’s Who’s Who page to follow or to be followed on Twitter.
