1. Make today loud by screaming with excitement when good things happen.
2. Make today pop by wearing bold colors.
3. Make today frisky by… well, I’ll leave that up to you .
4. Make today playful by flirting with your spouse.
5. Make today lyrical by playing and bringing classical music to life in your home and making up and telling fun stories to your children about what the music means.
6. Make today glamorous by being beautiful on the inside!
7. Make today fearless by stepping outside your comfort zone to serve someone you may not know well or at all.
8. Make today heroic by being someone’s hero in whatever way they need to be saved, served, or made to feel special.
9. Make today huge by making a triple batch of cookies and surprising your kids with some when they walk in the door from school, sharing some with your neighbors, and giving some to your friends as a thank you just for being in your life.
10. Make today electric by shocking someone. Call someone you haven’t talked to in a while. Drop in on someone unexpectedly just to let them know you care about them. Do something for yourself that you don’t typically do that will make you feel really good.
11. Make today dangerous by taking a leap of faith. Only you know what that will be, but do it. You know you’ve been wanting to for a while. Don’t hold back!

These ideas were prompted by this fun video by Famous Footwear!

How Will You Give to Others This Week?

• What other ideas do you have for making today unexpected?
• What are things that get in the way of adding variety between the days in your week?
• What are ways to overcome these challenges?
• How has making today unexpected made a meaningful difference for you? For others?

How Else Can You Make a Difference This Summer?

Make a meaningful difference this summer by taking the Summer of Service (SOS) Challenge. Here’s how you can participate:

• Commit to do one act of kindness/service based on the week’s challenge.
• Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week’s challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.
• Grab the SOS button in the sidebar and put it on your blog or social networking site.
• Enter to win each week’s giveaway. Click here to check out this week’s prize from Famous Footwear.
• Click here to join #gno this Tuesday on Twitter to connect with other Mom It Forward moms about the challenge.

1. Run up to a loved one and give him or her an enthusiastic bear hug.
2. Smile to those you pass on the street.
3. Ask someone how they are doing, listen to the answer, and comment on it.
4. Give others heartfelt compliments.
5. Give someone a bouquet of flowers just because.
6. Together as a family, identify another family whose day needs brightening, prepare some artwork (each person preparing something that is special to him or her)—even something as simple as coloring a page from a coloring book—and deliver it to the family together.
7. For a date night with just you and your spouse, get some butcher paper and finger paint a picture for your children, hang it on the wall, and let them see it when they wake up.
8. Kiss everyone in your family at least five times in a day!
9. Gather your family together, turn on some upbeat music, and start dancing. Dance with each of your children, even if you have to do it while holding them.
10. Give each member of your family a gift that relates to their favorite color (this can be store bought or homemade).

How Will You Give to Others This Week?

• What other ideas do you have for brightening someone’s day this week?
• What are things that get in the way of brightening someone’s day?
• What are ways to overcome these challenges?
• How has brightening someone’s day made a meaningful difference for you? For others?

How Else Can You Make a Difference This Summer?

Make a meaningful difference this summer by taking the Summer of Service (SOS) Challenge. Here’s how you can participate:

• Commit to do one act of kindness/service based on the week’s challenge.
• Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week’s challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.
• Grab the SOS button in the sidebar and put it on your blog or social networking site.
• Enter to win each week’s giveaway. Click here to check out this week’s prize from Crayola.
• Click here to join #gno this Tuesday on Twitter to connect with other Mom It Forward moms about the challenge.

1. Write a list of ten questions you’d like to know about a family member or friend and schedule an interview with them to get to know them better. Encourage your children to interview someone they’d like to get to know better as well. If they are younger, help them create the list of questions.
2. Write a note to a family member or friend, telling them how much you appreciate, love, or admire them. Use your talents in drawing, painting, stamping, hand writing, letter writing, or your favorite form of creativity to put your personal stamp on the card.
3. Involve your family in putting together a progressive dinner right within the walls of your own home. Assign each person to be in charge of a specific room and portion of the meal. Work together to make the meal and set up the rooms. Award prizes for most creative, yummiest, most colorful, etc.
4. Welcome your spouse home from work or your children home from school with a picture or note on one of your windows or mirrors using Crayola’s window markers.
5. Encourage your children to welcome their mom or dad (or both!) home from work or other outing by helping them write a love note using Crayola’s sidewalk chalk on the driveway.
6. Have a family art gallery night where each of you prepares a drawing, painting, photograph, Model Magic sculpture, or other artistic project and showcases it for each other. Award participants with certificates or ribbons, indicating most creative, best use of color, best use of black and white, best use of emotions, etc.
7. Encourage your children to get to know their grandparents better by having them record (through audio and/or video) an interview with them about what life was like when they were growing up. Help your children prepare the questions, get the recording equipment ready, and set up an appointment. Then help them put together the audio/video project and share it with the rest of the family, including their grandparents.
8. Have a girls’ night out that’s a blast from the past with activities like finger painting, running through sprinklers, jumping on the trampoline, or other fun things you enjoyed as a child. Make sure to feature your favorite childhood snacks and drinks. Tang anyone?
9. Have a “walk down memory lane” party with your family, your friends, other couples, or others where you all bring photo albums and share your favorite memories. One fun group date is to all bring your wedding photo albums and each take turns sharing favorite memories from your wedding and your newlywed years.
10. Schedule a family coloring night, where you each choose a favorite page from a coloring book or your own coloring books and color together while chatting and enjoying your favorite snacks.

How Will You Give to Others This Week?

• What other ideas do you have for strengthening your relationships this week using creativity?
• What are things that get in the way of strengthening your relationships using creativity?
• What are ways to overcome these challenges?
• How has strengthening your relationships this week using creativity others made a meaningful difference for you? For others?

How Else Can You Make a Difference This Summer?

Make a meaningful difference this summer by taking the Summer of Service (SOS) Challenge. Here’s how you can participate:

• Commit to do one act of kindness/service based on the week’s challenge.
• Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week’s challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.
• Grab the SOS button in the sidebar and put it on your blog or social networking site.
• Enter to win each week’s giveaway. Click here to check out this week’s prize from Crayola.
• Join #gno this Tuesday on Twitter to connect with other Mom It Forward moms about the challenge.

10 Fashionable Ways to Make a Difference This Week

Service doesn’t have to be stodgy! Make service sexy and “in” by taking on this week’s Summer of Service challenge, sponsorsed by Lifetime TV. How? By doing one or more of the 10 ideas listed below!

1. Buying or making some beautiful stationary and writing a thank-you note, congratulations card, birthday greeting, get-well wishes, or other thoughtful sentiment and delivering it to a friend or family member.
2. Planning a date for your significant other and getting all dressed up for it.
3. Taking care of yourself inside and out: Treat yourself to a new hair-do, mani/pedi, spa treatment, or makeover. Pay attention to your overall health and well being.
4. Have your family pictures taken.
5. Treat your daughter(s) to a spa day. Paint their nails for them, wash their hair, help them try on different outfits, and have a special luncheon just for them
6. Decorate the table beautifully for a special family dinner you plan.
7. Go through all of your closets and give any old or unused clothing to charity.
8. Comment to one person each day during this week’s challenge on how beautiful he or she looks. Watch the difference it makes in their countenance.
9. Have a family activity where you share the things that make each of you beautiful on the inside. Share with your family the importance of internal and external beauty.
10. Encourage your children to take care of their outward beauty by eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep, and taking care of their health!

How Will You Give to Others This Week?

• What other ideas do you have for serving in style this week?
• How has serving in style made a meaningful difference this week for you? For others?

How Else Can You Make a Difference This Summer?

Make a meaningful difference this summer by taking the Summer of Service (SOS) Challenge. Here’s how you can participate:

• Commit to do one act of kindness/service based on the week’s challenge.
• Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week’s challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.
• Grab the SOS button in the sidebar and put it on your blog or social networking site.
• Enter to win each week’s giveaway. Check out this week’s prize from Lifetime TV.
• Join #gno this Tuesday on Twitter to connect with other Mom It Forward moms about the challenge.

10 Delicious Ways to Make a Difference This Week

Service doesn’t have to be bland or boring! Spice it up. Sweeten the pot. Make it delicious. Think of people that need a little love and touch their heart by going through their stomach during this week’s Summer of Service Challenge, sponsored by Campbell’s. How? By making and sharing a tasty treat, including one or more of the 10 ideas listed below!

For more ideas, join us for a great Girl’s Night Out (#gno) on Twitter this Tuesday night. And, please share a comment on this post with other ways to serve others by sharing a tasty treat.

1. Make some baked goods—cupcakes, cookies, bread, muffins, etc.—and take them to a neighbor.
2. Take a meal to someone in your community that is sick or needs a night off from kitchen duty.
3. Spend one-on-one time with your children by having a cooking class with them to prepare dinner for the family! For a special treat, do a craft activity beforehand to make paper chef’s hats.
4. Have a family activity where you make a tasty treat together, such as suckers, decorated sugar cookies, chocolate-dipped strawberries and pretzels, etc.
5. Have a couple’s night in! Invite your closest friends over with their significant others for a fondue party. Play the newlywed game no matter how long everyone has been in their relationship.
6. As a family, choose another family that needs some love or an act of kindness/service. Drop off an anonymous treat on their doorstep with a nice card telling them how much you love them.
7. Organize a girl’s night out with your closest girlfriends and have a progressive dinner where you rotate houses during the meal, starting with appetizers, moving on to salad, heading to the main course, and ending somewhere else for the dessert.
8. Treat your spouse or close friend to a dinner at his or her favorite restaurant!
9. Make your family’s favorite meal and decorate the table special just for them. Devote the evening to family time by turning off phones, TV, etc.
10. Make your children’s favorite cookies, making a different batch once a week until you’ve made all of their favorites. Don’t forget to include your favorite as well!

How Will You Give to Others This Week?

• What other ideas do you have for sharing a tasty treat?
• How has touching other’s hearts by going through their stomach made a meaningful difference this week for you? For others?

How Else Can You Make a Difference This Summer?

Make a meaningful difference this summer by taking the Summer of Service (SOS) Challenge. Here’s how you can participate:

• Commit to do one act of kindness/service based on the week’s challenge.
• Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week’s challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.
• Grab the SOS button in the sidebar and put it on your blog or social networking site.
• Enter to win each week’s giveaway. Check out this week’s prizes from Campbell’s.
• Join #gno this Tuesday on Twitter to connect with other Mom It Forward moms about the challenge.

10 Ways to Make a Difference This Week By Smiling

1. Smile inside to give yourself a compliment or a pat on the back for a job well done.
2. Start your day out on a positive step by smiling at yourself in the mirror as you are getting ready.
3. Smile at each family member first thing in the morning.
4. Have a “best smile” contest with your kids to see who has the silliest, funniest, prettiest, nicest smiles. Have each child vote and win prizes in the different categories.
5. Have a “smile stare down” contest with your kids, family members, or friends to see who can stare the longest with a big grin on his or her face.
6. Go on a walk with your family members or friends and count who can smile at the most people. As an added bonus, count how many people you can get to smile back at you.
7. Take pictures of your kids doing their “best smiles.”
8. Make a smile photo album, where you capture each person in your family, smiling in several different settings.
9. Keep a smile log of how many times you smile during a single day and how many times someone else causes you to smile.
10. Keep a smile journal for a day. Write your thoughts and feelings about what smiling at others and others smiling at you does to your mood, your emotions, and the overall tone of your day.

How Will You Be Prepared This Week?
Please share with us:

• What other ideas do you have for smiling?
• How smiling made a meaningful difference this week?

This week’s SOS Challenge is sponsored by Kodak.

How Else Can You Make a Difference This Summer?

Make a meaningful difference this summer by taking the Summer of Service (SOS) Challenge. Here’s how you can participate:

• Commit to do one act of kindness/service based on the week’s challenge.
• Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week’s challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.
• Grab the SOS button in the sidebar and put it on your blog or social networking site.
• Enter to win each week’s giveaway. Check out this week’s prizes from Kodak by clicking here.
• Join #gno this Tuesday to connect with other Mom It Forward moms about the challenge.

• Commit to do one act of kindness/service based on the week’s challenge.
• Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week’s challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.
• Grab the SOS button in the sidebar and put it on your blog or social networking site.
• Enter to win each week’s giveaway. Check out this week’s giveaway by clicking here.
• Join #gno this Tuesday here on Twitter to connect with other Mom It Forward moms about the challenge.

10 Ways to Make a Difference This Week

Here are 10 ideas to help you Be Prepared that will make a meaningful difference in your and your family’s life in the event of a disaster, emergency, or job loss! The wonderful thing about being prepared is that it puts you in a much better position to give back to others.

1. Data: Back up your computer data, including pictures, important documents, and e-mails. Ensure your anti-virus software is up to date. Click here to enter this week’s giveaway sponsored by Mozy to win online backup.
2. Food: Start building a food supply by adding a few storable items to your pantry, including water, that you typically eat. For example, if you see peanut butter on sale, instead of buying one tub, buy two.
3. Money: Live within your income and start or add to your savings account. Model this behavior to your children this week by helping them create the equivalent of three piggy banks entitled: “For Now,” “For Later,” and “For Others.”
4. Insurance: Prepare for the future by having sufficient medical, auto, homeowner’s, renter’s, and life insurance. This week, review your policies to ensure they cover your needs. Make changes where necessary.
5. Investments: Put aside some money for long-term needs, like education and retirement. If you are not in a position right now to invest, this week create an investment plan and contribute to it as soon as you are able.
6. Emergency Disaster Preparation: Stay up to date on current situations and plan ahead for potential disasters. Visit these websites this week to learn more and to prepare: http://www.ready.gov, http://www.fema.gov, http://www.redcross.org, http://osha.gov. And, since we cannot be assured that we will know where family members will be when a disaster strikes, take time this week to create a communication plan to prepare for this. Download, print, and make a plan by clicking here.
7. Health: Prevention is the best preparation. So, make sure your family is up to date on annual physicals, dental exams, immunizations, and other appointments. Also, make sure you have items on hand in case of emergency, such as a 72-hour kit for each family member and a first-aid kit.
8. Important Documents: Create a water-proof and if possible, fire-proof, place to contain your most important documents, such as marriage and birth certificates, social security cards, passports, copies of your drivers licenses and credit cards, etc.
9. Employment: Identify what you can do to this week to increase your marketability. Start small by reviewing and updating your resume. Identify areas in which you could improve and make a plan to gain skills or knowledge in those areas. Since the highest percentage of jobs are obtained through word of mouth, identify ways in which to increase your network. You never know when you will need to tap in to those resources.
10. Self-Sufficiency: One of the best ways to prepare for the future is to become self-reliant. The more we can do for ourselves, the more we are able to provide for our families as well as help others. Start small by choosing areas that are of interest to you. Some examples include: planting a garden, sewing your own clothes and crafts, canning your own food, etc.

How Will You Be Prepared This Week?
Please share with us:

• What other ideas do you have for being prepared?
• How being prepared has made a meaningful difference for you and your family this week?

This week’s SOS Challenge is sponsored by Mozy.

• Commit to do one act of kindness each week based on the week’s challenge.
• Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week’s challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.
• Grab the SOS button at the bottom of this post and put it on your blog or social networking site.
• Enter to win each week’s giveaway. Check out this week’s family focused giveaway by clicking here.
• Join #gno to connect with other Mom It Forward moms about the challenge. (Note: 10 lucky winners will receive popcorn gift packs during #gno!)

10 Ways to Make a Difference This Week

Here are 10 ideas to help you Focus on Family that will make a meaningful difference this week!

1. Choose your favorite games and set aside an hour to play them together as a family.
2. Enjoy mealtime together, having each person take a turn sharing about his or her favorite part of the day.
3. Have a talent show where each person in the family is encouraged to participate. Talents can include simple things like doing a karate kick, juggling, or telling a story to more complex things like playing a musical instrument, reciting a poem, or performing a dance number.
4. As a family, write a letter or send a package to a family member that lives far away, expressing your love and gratitude for that person.
5. Decide on your favorite at-home family activity and plan some time this week to do it. For one extra step, assign each family member a day of the week and allow him or her to choose which family activity to do. Set aside an hour to Focus on Family each day this week.
6. Make a treat together as a family and share it with a neighbor or other relative.
7. Create a CD with all your favorite family songs. Listen, sing, and dance to them together.
8. Choose a favorite family movie and set a time this week to have a family movie night. Don’t forget your Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn! Mmmmm!
9. Come up with a family mission statement. Identify your family goals and short- and long-term goals. Remember to include fun stuff in your plans like vacations, at-home family activities, etc.
10. Make time every day this week to spend one-on-one time with each of your children, telling them how much you love them. Do the same with your spouse!

This week’s SOS Challenge is sponsored by Orville Redenbacher’s. What other ideas do you have for Focusing on Family? Please share a comment here, letting us know how Focusing on Family has made a meaningful difference for you and your family this week.

<br /><center><a href=”http://momitforward.com/” mce_href=”http://momitforward.com/” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv43/momitforward/sos-125.png” mce_src=”http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv43/momitforward/sos-125.png” alt=”Service,Giving,Mom It Forward” border=”0″ /></a></center>

Photo used with permission from Flickr.

Enter to win this week’s giveaway here by reading the rules for entry below. You can also enter at these terrific parenting blogs: Make and Takes and I Never Grew Up.

Giveaway Prizes

Four lucky winners from this site will be randomly selected to win a gift package, including:

• A popcorn bowl
• Three boxes of Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn
• Kathy Peel’s most recent book, The Busy Mom’s Guide to a Happy, Organized Home

Entry Requirements

To enter to win, you are required to do the following four things:

1. Take this week’s SOS Challenge to Focus on Family by completing one of the post’s 10 suggestions or by performing one random act of kindness that fits within this week’s theme.
2. Share your experience by leaving a comment on that post.
3. Tweet about this giveaway sponsored by Orville Redenbacher, including this link: http://momitforward.com/giveaway%E2%80%94win-a-popcorn-gift-pack-for-the-perfect-family-night-in.
4. Leave a comment on this post by Sunday, June 14 at midnight EDT, including your e-mail address and information about your extra entries, if applicable.

To receive extra entries (for a total of five extra entries):

• Click here to join the Mom It Forward Facebook group.
• Post about this giveaway on your Facebook wall.
• (For 3 extra entries!) Join and post a picture of your favorite family activity to the Mom It Forward Flickr group.

In the event that you do not win a giveaway, Orville Redenbacher’s would still like you to enjoy family fun with a big bowl of popcorn. Click here to download this coupon for a box of Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn.
The Fine Print
You may enter in all giveaways, but you may only win once. No purchase necessary to enter this giveaway. Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. ConAgra employees and Mom It Forward, Make and Takes, and I Never Grew Up family members are ineligible to participate. All entries received after Sunday, June 14 at midnight EDT will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered.