Haiti Earthquake Humanitarian Effort Needed

Help Haiti

Earthquake Disaster Relief

Haiti has suffered a horrendous, devastating earthquake within the last week.  In desperate need of food, medical supplies, clothing and water, the country of Haiti, in the Caribbean is desperate from help from all over the world.

It’s difficult to comprehend the suffering of so many people, young and old, just by watching media and news coverage of the vast destruction of this natural disaster, the likes of which have not occurred in my lifetime.

My daughters’ high school, Mercy High, has always been involved in humanitarian effort for Haiti. Many of the girls from their school have volunteered their time over school vacations for the orphanage at Foyer des Filles de Dieu.

You can contribute to Haiti relief efforts at Mercy High School

If you would like to make a contribution to aid in this disaster, here’s a link to a reputable relief organization.  AmeriCares, based in Stamford, Connecticut is one of the international agencies that is assisting in relief efforts.

AmeriCares welcomes monetary donations, and any checks should be made out to AmeriCares.

Countries of the world are opening up their hearts to help in this emergency relief.

Thank you for your humanitarian effort.

For More Information Visit: AmeriCares website.

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Lands’ End FeelGood Donations and Twitter Party

Lands’ End

Upcoming FeelGood Twitter Party

Several years ago I was visiting my friend in New Hampshire, and as we spoke she was crocheting infant hats for the neo-natal unit at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Hospital.  They were so cute – and didn’t use much yarn to make.  Several could easily be made in the course of a night while watching TV.

That whole winter I occupied my time making the hats for charity, and shared the pattern with my coworkers.  I sent up bags full for my friend to bring to Dartmouth.

I’d like to let you know about the Lands’ End FeelGood Campaign.  This initiative is a terrific way to shop and feel good about giving to homeless individuals and families across the country.  For every Lands’ End FeelGood sweater purchased, the company will donate signature FeelGood yarn to One Heart Foundation’s Warming Families, a nationwide knitting charity.  Lands’ End expects to donate thousands of pounds of yarn to the charity where volunteers plan to knit up to 25,000 hats and other items to warm the homeless and displaced.

One cone of FeelGood yarn is enough to make 28 hats.

Help us spread the word about the campaign and the FeelGood collection.  For every blog post  about the campaign from now until September 16th, we will donate a cone of FeelGood yarn to volunteer knitters at Warming Families.  One cone of FeelGood yarn is enough to make 28 hats to be donated to homeless individuals in communities across the country.

Embed Video – We’ve also created a knitting “how to” video you can embed featuring Vickie Howell, best-selling craft author and host of TV’s Knitty Gritty.  It can be found on the Lands’ End YouTube channel here: Lands End.

Send a Link – Once your post is complete, please send a copy to TwitterParty@landsend.com.  We will update everyone on how many cones of yarn were contributed as a result of your efforts at the FeelGood Twitter Party on September 16th.

Your Chance to Win
When you send your post to TwitterParty@landsend.com you will automatically be entered for a chance to win the FeelGood collection including two sweaters and coordinating accessories (valued at $200).  Three winners will be chosen at random and contacted on September 17th.

Join Lands’ End and Vickie Howell, host of TV’s Knitty Gritty for a Twitter Party to celebrate the kickoff of the FeelGood Campaign.  The party will feature more than 20 fun giveaways ranging from the FeelGood sweater and Vickie Howell’s books to Lands’ End Gift Cards and FeelGood yarn.

Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Time: 7pm until 9 pm CST

Location: #landsend

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Diana Birch – Bible Belt – Debut Album – Discover & Donate

Diana Birch – Bible Belt – Debut Album

Discover the critically acclaimed debut album from new artist Diane Birch. Donate $1 to charity. Automatically.

S-Curve Records and Diane Birch are proud to present Discover & Donate. You discover Diane Birch’s soulful debut album, Bible Belt,then you choose one of six charities to receive a $1 donation from your purchase.

PLUS, who ever raises the most money for charity through their widget by June 23, 2009, will win a FREE PRIVATE PERFORMANCE in the winner’s hometown!! (We’ll even throw in a few  refreshments.) More albums sold means more money donated. How cool is that?

Singer-songwriter Diane Birch has already captured the hearts of everyone from Rolling Stone to David Letterman and her recent iTunes Single of the Week called “Rise Up” was downloaded over 500,000 times. Her debut album, Bible Belt, was released on June 2. Diane kicked off her touring at the South-by-Southwest conference this past March and she’ll be hitting the road presenting her piano-playing virtuosity and easy-going soul all summer long.

Diane’s upbringing exposed her to a variety of locations and cultures around the globe. She had the chance to see people who are experiencing the best of life but also those in need.

Now, with her debut album being released, Diane wants to give something back. For Discover & Donate, Diane personally chose SOS Children of Zimbabwe as one the charities.

Diana adds:

“Having spent many years in Zimbabwe as a child and much time there since, I have a very deep love for the land and its people. I feel a moral responsibility to try to help ensure that the youth community are provided with the tools and support they need for a bright future.”

Discover Diane’s timeless debut that Billboard magazine calls “2009 Ones to Watch.” Her CD just released recently and is already #10 on iTunes!

Want to start sharing? Besides  SOS Children’s Villages, you can choose a widget that supports Autism Speaks, March of Dimes, Keep A Child Alive, Share Our Strength or Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Visit: Diana Birch Donate

Grab the Badge!

CONTEST RULES
Winner must be located within the Continental U.S. S-Curve Records will work with the winner of contest to determine best place for a performance in their locale. If winner declines a performance, the runner-up will be offered the prize.

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Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale

Today, more than 12 million children in the United States do not know when their next meal will come. Unfortunately, this number continues to rise as these difficult economic times are leaving more and more people jobless, without homes, and unable to provide food for their families.

As Moms, What can we do?

1. Sign-up to host a bake sale: http://www.GreatAmericanBakeSale.org/vgabs

2. Buy the virtual Great American Bake Sale eBook:
http://StolenMomentsCooking.com/virtual-gabs

3. Post a ChipIn widget or banner on your blog:
http://www.GreatAmericanBakeSale.org/bloggers

Make a difference in a child’s life by signing up and purchasing a virtual cookbook today! 100% of the proceeds from this eBook will benefit Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale, which is a national effort that encourages Americans to host bake sales in their communities to help end childhood hunger. Funds raised support summer and after-school feeding programs in your community that thousands of kids depend on.

Once you have purchased your virtual Great American Bake Sale cookbook, double your impact and use the recipes to host your own Great American Bake Sale! Hosting a Bake Sale is a fun and easy way to make a big impact! To register your Bake Sale or for more information, please visit: Great American Bake Sale

Related:

Recipe and Kitchen Tips:  Grand Launch of Moomettesgram’s Favorite Recipes Blog

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Tips For Using Twitter for Blog Traffic

photo credit: szlea

Recently I posted on Twitter that I was Here before Oprah.  According to my Twitter Profile I’ve posted over 10K tweets.  Not only is tweeting fun, Twitter can be used to gain more blog traffic, much like other social networking and Ning site media.

Millions of people are already on Twitter, as Oprah, Ashton and Suzanne Somers are just finding out.  It isn’t just for the 20-Something set or mommy bloggers!  Plenty of Baby Boomers, PR reps and companies such as Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks and Whole Foods Market are already on it!  Think of it as an untapped micro-universe of potential readers for your blog posts.  If there’s so many potential visitors, the question becomes, how are you going to stand out in the crowd and get them to notice you?

First and foremost, you have to become involved. Start by reading other people’s tweets and join the popular tweeters as a follower.  Many Twitter applications are available that will help you track the tweets of others.  Do keyword search for tweets and subjects that might interest you and are important to your brand and niche.  Get a feel for how it works and respond to current tweets.

What’s great about Twitter is that it works in real time from your PC or cell phone.  Use it as a huge search engine.  It’s almost a given that someone will have an answer to your questions.  If you’re looking  new recipes or for blog followers to your new recipe blog, post a tweet and you’ll be amazed at what responses you’ll receive!

Participate in Twitter communites such as Mom It Forward and  Momfluence.  Charity Events and  Sitewarming parties are a great way to get involved and get to know many new bloggers and companies.

Asking questions is one way to develop suitable traffic to your blog.  You’re looking for quality, unique visitors with staying power who are likely to come back and perhaps click and buy from your affiliate links.  Consider Twitter as a research tool that yields results immediately.

Important things to keep in mind when you Tweet:

Use keywords. Although you might consider 140 characters as limiting, soon you’ll start thinking in terms of 140 characters that anyone can enter into a Twitter search engine to find your tweets.

Thou Shalt Not Spam! You are there to connect, not to always include links.  Use Twitter to expand your knowledge base and find others with similar interests, get feedback, and different points of view.  Link to your blog with discretion.

Be wary of building an immediate Twitter following. Some people follow everyone back.  I don’t.  I vet each and every follower.  I check out their websites, and I see if they engage in social conversation.

Are you on Twitter yet?  Follow @Moomettesgram and say hello!

Leave me a comment here and let me know how and why you use Twitter!

Social networking is an art form. It’s important that you learn how to use it.

Don’t forget to check out the 10 Day May Madness Sale!

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@Moomettes

Turn Your Talents And Food Related Ideas Into A WAHM Job

The time is drawing near and I’ll soon be retiring from after working 30 years in a combination of public and private sector service.  My company is offering a Golden Handshake.  With the support of my husband, I’ve made the decision to get out now and secure my health and retirement benefits in their current form.  I’ve Tweeted that I recently drafted my formal resignation letter (which is still sitting on my hard drive at the office though!)  I’ll be working full-time from home and being my own boss.

Whether you’re a young mom off-ramping from corporate America to stay home and take care of the kids, or a Baby Boomer in the job market for a second career like myself, here’s the big question:  What should you do? I’ve been preparing for almost 2 years for this day which is why I got a head-start working at home online.  It takes time and soul-searching to see what kind of work best fits your lifestyle and what level of income you’d like to maintain.

Over the years of cooking for family and hosting both casual as well as elegant social gatherings, I’ve parlayed that interest into writing a new foodie Recipe Blog, Moomettesgram’s Favorite Recipes.

If you also share a passion for food, here are some tips and ideas to jump-start your online WAHM experience.

Give Cooking Classes

I’ve written in the past that home economics should still be taught to middle and high school students as a lot of people don’t even have basic cooking skills ~ college students, bachelors, wives, new moms, newly arrived immigrants.  Determine your target niche but first work out your classes on paper.  YouTube and Vlogging also allow you to offer digital cooking classes on the Internet.  Start a Recipe Blog!

Start a Catering Service

Carve out a niche for yourself by offering to organize and coordinate children’s birthdays for busy working moms.  If you’ve had volunteer experience with your local church, civil organization or PTA, use it and become an event planner for wine tastings, dessert or tea parties.

Sell Pampered Chef or Similar Products Through Home-Hosted Parties

If you find you’re always buying Pampered Chef products from your neighbor, co-worker or sister-in-law, why not become a marketing affiliate representative?  You’ll get to demonstrate cooking tools you already use and are familiar with.  Use your talents to whip up delicious foods, work the crowd and chat up friends while making money selling cook cooking tools.  The hardest part will be finding and scheduling people to host the parties, but you can perhaps convince them to host a “book party.”

Offer Kitchen Organizing Services

My daughter has been house hunting and I’m happy to see that home builders are bringing back old-fashion kitchen pantries.  Many historic homes in my town still have them.  Sell your organizing services to those who have messy cupboard syndrome and are unable to organize their own cabinets.  Young city dwellers cut corners and often live in apartments with galley-size kitchens and can definitely use organization optimization!  Sell them add-ons such as lazy susans, roll out draws, storage racks, etc.

Sell Your Own Jelly, Barbecue Sauce, Hot Chocolate Mix, etc. at Shows and Through Mail Order

One of the best things about visiting New England are the roadside stands set out to sell homemade crafts and cooking products such as ceramics, beach plum jellies, relishes, and pies.  You won’t make a fortune, but you’ll be surprised at how many folks actually appreciate the fine art of homemade and hand-crafted items like mom or grand-mom used to make.  Expand and diversify on your success and promote your items at local craft shows, forums and farmers markets.

Sell Cookware and Cookbooks from a Website

If your local civic organization has published a special collection of member recipes or cookbooks, feature by setting up an online website to market them, along with cookware and other cooking related products.

Sell Fruit Baskets, Wine and Chocolate Baskets, Cheese and Cracker Baskets, etc.

Personalized and corporate gift baskets are always a big hit, especially during the holiday season.  Identify a niche market such as corporations, realtor, housewarming, new moms and promote to your local Chamber of Commerce.

Developing and coming up with a marketing plan that interests you involves research and planning.  Remember, although it may interest you, in order to become profitable and generate an income, your idea must interest others as well.

Don’t give up, the best ideas may have started out by being written on a paper napkin at a kitchen table!

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Celebrate Earth Day 2009: The Green Generation – Give to Charity

Green Generation

Hard to believe, (well maybe it isn’t) but I was around for the very first Earth Day in 1970. I actually made mention of it here. Your mission today is to save the planet. You see the term “go green” everywhere. Helping the environment helps us all since we all inhabit planet Earth.

Earth Day 2009, April 22, will mark the beginning of The Green Generation CampaignTM which will also be the focus of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day in 2010. With negotiations for a new global climate agreement coming up in December, Earth Day 2009 must be a day of action and civic participation, to defend The Green GenerationTM’s core principles: Family with windmills: Renewable energy for future generations. http://www.earthday.net/earthday2009

Plenty of events are going on. I started the ball rolling with my post about family swap meets, but if you need another idea about how to help, consider give to charity.

You’ll all be Baby Boomer’s like me some day, and there will come a day when some of your favorite clothes won’t fit. It’s just a fact of life. Instead of turning your closet into a war zone by keeping all those clothes, give them to someone who could use them.

Since I’ve downsized by Bonanzle booth and closed my eBay store, I’ve been making plenty of trips to Goodwill lately. The economy also is driving more folks to do their shopping at such charitable organizations and church thrift shops rather than the Local Upscale Mall.

Here’s some tips to keep in mind while you’re decluttering:

• Clothes – Local charities always need clothes in good condition. They sell them to people who need them or provide them to shelters. By donating your clothes, you are helping to clothe a fellow human being. Before you send anything, make sure it is freshly laundered and completely intact.

• Reading Material – What about your books? Donate children’s books and others to your local library or church. Give another person the gift of reading a good book instead of throwing them away or storing them in boxes. You get to clean out your garage and free up space.

• Furniture, Computers & More – You can donate virtually anything. There are groups that will accept furniture (in good condition), computers and some equipment. They, in turn, fix up these items and give or sell them to others for a much lower price that they can afford. Instead of adding to the garbage pile in the landfills, make better use of items in your home that you no longer need or want. They can find a good home with a new owner.

Try doing this as a family project. I’ve found it’s easy to become a packrat when you have a home, especially after 30 years. You (or in my case, the Hubster) could be the type of person who never throws anything away. That’s good in many ways but your family is probably tired of navigating their way around piles of books, papers and clothes.

Take a day and gather together everything that you don’t want or need into one area such as the garage. You’ll need to go through it all and find out what’s useless and what can be saved. Be ruthless! If it’s broken or truthfully useless, you can get JUST.GET.RID.OF.IT! Make sure if it can be recycled that you do so.

Keep in mind that what you perceive as junk or past its time, might be easily put to good use by someone else. Bag it up for delivery or collection by various agencies. You can find the names of local charities and branch offices for national charities in the Smart Pages. Contact them to learn about their specific policies and procedures for donating. Then, help save the environment by giving to charity! You also might be able to take a tax deduction for your contributions!

Giving to charity teaches many valuable lessons to each and every member of the family. You’ll feel good and be able to sleep at night knowing that you gave back to your community and helped another less fortunate person.

Photo Credit – Seagull: Geff Rossi

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Declutter Your Home: Host A Family Swap Meet

Family Swap Meet

About 2 months ago I was on a roll tweeting about how my 2 daughters were bored one day and decided to help me declutter. The kicker was that I wasn’t around to veto what was being tossed! Had I been, much of my worldly possessions that I had intended to pass on to my two heirs would have been donated to charity rather than set to curbside.

Economic times are tough and many families are keeping a watchful eye out to save money while looking for ways to get things they need. This past weekend the Hubster came home with an almost brand-spanking-new swing set on top of his SUV. Complete with teeter-totter, 2 swings, a baby swing and a slide. ‘Lil Moomette and Slugger are already enjoying it outside in the nice spring weather. I looked it up online and it retails for about $200.00 new. To think it was free cycled out on the street for the taking!

If your family lives close by, you might want to consider developing a family trading system, much like a “swap meet.”

Perhaps you have things no longer of use to your family but that someone else in your family might need. I already did do this informally with my daughters when they were setting up their college apartments. Charity begins at home, so you can get the whole extended family involved – nieces, nephews, siblings and cousins!

A swap meet is relatively easy to do and can be as minimalistic or elaborate as you decide.

Begin by sending out a newsletter. Every household can list what they have to swap and include pictures. Barter for trade – this works well if the family isclose-by and shipping costs aren’t necessary or incurred.

Email newsletters are probably easier than setting up a swap in a physical location as it doesn’t involve transporting or hauling boxes to set up, much like a garage or tag sale.

If you family does like to “kick the tires” once every season gather at someone’s back yard to set up shop and barter away! Back yards are probably best so the neighbors or passers-by won’t think you’re having a garage or yard sale.

A family swap meet also provides an opportunity to bond, while at the same time creating a learning opportunity for the younger set. The kids can learn about the joys of swapping as well as acquire some financial barter system skills.

If you have a large extended family, many times sisters, brothers and the in-laws are all experiencing a baby boom around roughly the same time. A swap exchange is a great way to avoid having to buy baby items!

Don’t limit yourself to any monetary goals, either. Try swapping services! In our family alone we have experts in graphic design, auto mechanics, carpentry, wallpapering, painting, crafting, baking enthusiasts and bookkeeping/finance. Make the system work for you! Your family will be able to be frugal and penny-wise before spending gas money pounding the pavement at the local mall.

Family First!

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Save Handmade ~ Indie Designers ~ WAHM Clothing Designers ~ eBay Sellers To Be Affected By Upcoming CPSIA Act

Are you a Work-at-Home Mom or an Indie Designer of children’s clothing or toys? If you are, then listen up as big changes are in store that could affect your business and will be taking place on
February 10, 2009.

I was on Twitter last nite and came across a hashtag, #CPSIA and checked it out.  As of February 10th, a pending legislative mandate will no longer allow the sale of used kids clothing or toys unless they’ve been tested for lead and a host of other potentially hazardous materials.  You can follow the conversation on Twitter by following the hashtag #CPSIA.

This is a huge deal for WAHMs with their own websites, and will also affect eBay and Etsy sellers of childrens clothing. I have many indie designers of children’s clothing in my Moomette’s Magnificents Olde Towne Shoppes, and sell boutique clothing in my eBay store.

Not to mention the fact that businesses such as Goodwill and other thrift stores will be affected.

‘Lil Moomette’s mom, my DD26, is a huge fan of Once Upon a Child, a children’s clothing consignment store that sells upscale clothing and toys. OUAC is terrific source for finding gently used clothing for a fraction of the price, enabling families (and grandmoms) to save a few
dollars in today’s economically-challenged times.

You can find out more about what’s happening and try to help by visiting Cool Mom Picks.

For further reading, the LA Times has posted an informative article HERE.

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Priority Club Rewards ~ A Review

As the current economic situation in this country has taken a toll on many of our families, we’re all examining ways to save a few extra dollars. My husband is self-employed, and as a Baby Boomer, I’ve been trying to retire and start a second career working at home online.  I still have one daughter in her senior year of college, and my oldest daughter was recently let go from her position as a marketing representative.

One of the ways that I’ve been able to get a few extra holiday gifts is by cashing in on the many rewards-points that I’ve earned through the purchases I’ve made on credit cards that offer rewards programs. When redeeming points, I’ve been able to exchange them for gift cards.

With the money I will be spending on holiday-related food, gifts and travel during this busy season, I would love it if I could get something in return.

For quiet some time, I’ve been enrolled in a simple rewards program that not only allows we grandmoms and moms to redeem points we earn for travel and hotel stays, but also on holiday gifts. Priority Club Rewards enables everyone on a budget to earn points through spending their hard-earned dollars that can be used with partnered hotels, airlines, and hundreds of online retailers including:

• Old Navy
• Target
• Barnes & Noble

Earning points through purchases provides a great way to put our spending into perspective. By shopping and spending wisely, we can get the most out of our frugal budgets this holiday season and put our earnings towards purchases in the New Year.  You can also show your goodwill this holiday season and give back to others who are less fortunate. Families are able to redeem PCR points to make charitable donations.

Additionally, you can keep earning new points to use down the line by using a Priority Club Rewards Visa card from Chase and shopping at stores like Target and Walmart where purchases made can earn you points.  If you are a WAHM and use a credit card for your business purchases, enrolling in Priority Club Rewards Points is a wonderful way to earn points that can be redeemed towards travel and hotel stays when you start planning your family vacations this coming spring.

I can utilize the great royalty rewards program so that I don’t need to choose between either a family vacation or holiday spending this year. All you need to do to start earning points is to sign up at www.priorityclub.com

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