Run, Catch, Throw: Why Vitamins Matter For Small People and How You Can Help With A Click

May 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Delaney Pitching Girl's Softball 10UI’m spoiled and I know it.  I sat and watched my small girl play softball tonight. She pitched for the very first time.  She was nervous.

And by ‘nervous’, I do mean scared out of her eight-year-old mind. This was her first time taking the mound. She stretched tall, circled, snapped and followed through from her shoulder.  A girl’s softball pitch certainly doesn’t appear to be the most natural of motions, but she did it.  She threw balls and a few strikes.

But even without feeling as though she was ‘perfect’, or even doing as well as she wanted, she stuck with it, finished the inning and met my eyes with a smile as she entered the dugout. That’s a version of success I will take every time.

Last night, I watched my small dude play his first game of the season.  His team rounded the bases time and again, Coop running up to my chair, ‘Mom… did you see?  I got a single for you and a double for Delaney?’

Cooper Baseball 8UIt is so easy to take these small moments for granted. My small people are happy. They are doing something they adore. And they are healthy.

They get the food and vitamins they need to give them the energy to run, to bat, to catch and to make the throw from shortstop to first.

I suppose you don’t need me to tell you it isn’t that way everywhere, but I’m going to tell you anyway.  And I’m going to tell you because with a simple click, you can do a little something about it. Vitamin Angels is a non-profit organization that connects children under the age of five with the essential nutrients they need.  These nutrients help their young immune systems fight infectious diseases.  This in turn gives them the opportunity to lead meaningful and productive lives (not to mention enjoy the benefit of good health).

Amazingly, it only takes 25 cents to provide a child with vitamin A and antiparasitics for a year. That means for 1 dollar, we can provide a child with vitamin A during the most vulnerable years of their life. Here is where you come in…. Puritan’s Pride, a company I am proud to be working with, is running a ‘Like and Do Good’ Facebook Campaign (fits right in with my ‘Give Good, Get Good’, RIGHT?).  For every ‘like’, they will dedicate $1 to Vitamin Angels.  To date, they have raised over $12-thousand dollars – with a goal of hitting $25-thousand dollars.

Vitamin Angels is working to reach 25 million children in the U.S. and around the world.  For children under the age of  five, a simple dose of vitamin A every six months can reduce child mortality rates by 24% and the risk of early signs of blindness caused by vitamin A deficiency by 68%. What astonishes me is that vitamin A seems like such a basic need – something I never evern worried my children would lack and yet it can cause such problems in our world’s smallest ones.

 

Screen Shot 2013-05-17 at 12.20.13 AM

 

I love the idea that we can do this together.

More parents deserve the joy of watching their children run, jump and play as I do mine.  And for something as simple as a hopping over to another page and ‘liking’ a program that is doing such good work?  I think you can do it, right? Visit Vitamin Angels to learn more and head to Puritan’s Pride’s Facebook page for a quick like and to add your $1 (remember – all you are doing is clicking ‘like’) so more children can receive the essential nutrients they need.

I have faith in you.

Disclosure: I have a working relationship with Puritan’s Pride, but am truly impressed by the work Vitamin Angels does and am happy to share their mission with you.  As you know, my ‘Give Good, Get Good’ mission is incredibly important to me, so all thoughts and opinions expressed both in this post and on this site are mine and mine alone.

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Strong Moms Empowerment Summit – Why It Matters

May 10, 2013 by 2 Comments

Tuesday was a good day.  It fact, it was an amazing, extraordinary day. I could feel energy and connection in the room.  And you know what else?  SUPPORT.

Strong Moms Empower Summit Panel

I have long been a proponent of moms feeling empowered to make the decisions that are right for their own families without fear of criticism or judgement.  This particular afternoon at the Strong Moms Empowerment Summit, sponsored by Similac in New York City gave me an official opportunity to add my voice to the conversation.  I joined the Advisory Board for the Strong Moms Program for a few reasons:

  • I have been on the receiving end of ‘mothering’ judgement: I originally chose to stay home with my children. Now, I am a working mother.  I travel for work.  My kids attend a private school.  I share photos of my family online (this drew an extreme amount of criticism after one of our family photos was stolen in 2009 and used in a billboard advertisement). I allowed my daughter to start a blog and both of my small people have iPod touches. I both breastfed and bottle-fed my children, earning me the benefit of opinions on both fronts. Both of my children are very active in sports – some would say – and have said, too active. And these are just a few of the ‘most critiqued’.
  • I have witnessed mothers tearing each other apart on everything from discipline to eating habits to homeschooling, both in person and online. (I suspect you have as well) And there is a survey and more that discusses how this effects us.
  • And, as important as the previous two, I have found myself judging another’s choices – whether it is a mom losing patience with a young child at the grocery store (I’ve done it too), food choices (you’re going to let them eat THAT? (thought, though never said)), an unsupervised child on the playground or a list of many others. Many of my mental critiques happened before I had experienced a particular parenting challenge.  For example…. I was, in fact, surprised to find, that my son was more ‘rough- and-tumble’ on the playground than my daughter.  And yes, he occasionally knocked smaller children over – leaving me as the parent of ‘that boy’, frequently chasing after him, forcing him to apologize and echoing that apology. When I was the mother of one sweet little girl, I couldn’t understand the mothers that weren’t controlling their strong, tough boys.  Little did I know.

Whatever category you find fits you best…. I know this above all, it needs to stop.

With me at the Strong Moms Summit this week, extraordinary women: parenting expert Michele Borba Ed.D, pediatrician and The Kids Doctor, Sue Hubbard, MD, President of The Kid’s Doctor Media and an entertainment veteran – Dina Conte Schulz,  media personalities Denise Albert and Melissa Musen Gerstein from The Moms, someone I have known from quite some time, blogger at The Chatty Momma – Tonia Sanders, and special guest three-time Olympic Gold Medalist in beach volleyball and mother of three, Kerri Walsh.
Strong Moms Empower All

Though we all have varied backgrounds, parenting styles and opinions on raising our children, we have one common goal – that moms recognize that they are truly ‘enough’.  Additionally we must trust our instincts and remember that we, and we alone, are the only ones who truly know what is best for our children and families.

At one point during the afternoon, Dr. Borba told the audience that one in three women consciously make parenting decisions to avoid criticisms from other mothers.  Think about that for a moment… our self esteem and confidence is so affected by the opinions of others, we are often willing to go against our very own instincts when it comes to how we parent our children. That hurts my heart.

Dr. Hubbard addressed how the increased stress a mother feels from all of this pressure to conform can negatively impact the health and well-being of her children.  It can manifest in the form of behavior problems, self-esteem issues, mental and physical health and cognitive and social functioning.  She said, when parents are stressed or worried, nearly half of tweens and nearly one third of teens confess to feeling ‘sad’.  Again, my heart.

So, what is the solution?

Support. Support. And More Support.  Faith in each other. Respect.  We broke it down into some ABC’s

  • A – Accept and Support – Respect each other’s decisions, both on and offline.
  • B – Be Confident – YOU know what is best for you and your family
  • C- Community – Identify a small circle of trusted friends you can go to for support

And, friends? When all else fails? Bite your tongue. And worry about yourself.

The beauty of this afternoon – it was just the beginning of the conversation.  As I looked around the room, I could see and feel women sitting up straighter, considering the moments when they had felt judged, questioned their own parenting decisions or even possibly questioned another’s.

Strong Moms Empower Summit High Five

If we simply take a few moments to consider how little we truly know about someone else’s circumstances, and how much stronger we are as a community of mothers when we remember what we are each doing is extraordinary, I think we can empower each other to make the decisions that are right for our individual families.

What do you think?

Fabulous Photo Credits to Diane Bondareff/Invision

Disclosure: As mentioned in this post above, I am a proud member of the Strong Moms Advisory Board. This program is sponsored by Similac.  As is true for everything I do and everything I share on this site, all thought and opinions are mine.  

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Moms: Stop Judging, Start Supporting – Strong Moms Empowerment

May 6, 2013 by 33 Comments

“Danielle, I don’t know anyone who could possibly get away with traveling as much as you do….”

She continued, “You realize, when we commit to staying home with our children, we are supposed to stick with it, right?”

And this was the beginning of the end of what had, at one time, been a very close friendship.

Friends don’t judge each other.  At least not in my world. Let me take that a step further. Moms shouldn’t be judging other moms.  Women shouldn’t be judging other women.  And yet it happens every day. But it needs to stop.  We are damaging each other – chipping away at our hearts, our self esteem and our strength as moms. I promise you, I know what is right in my home.  I didn’t sign my name in blood when my children were born, so deciding to be at home full time was a decision I made at that time because it felt right. Just like working from home, and having my own business and sometimes traveling feels right.  I have the full support of my husband and children.  Those are the people I check in with.  But I can’t tell you the words and judgement didn’t hurt.  And I can’t tell you it doesn’t still hurt when it happens.

Do you choose to stay home with your children? Good for you.

Do you choose to work from home or out of your home? Good for you.

Do you let your kids stay up until 10pm on a school night? More power to you.

Strong Moms EmpowerAre your kids in bed by 7pm? Excellent.

Is your home chock full of organic food, including baby food you labor over yourself? Wonderful.

Do you eat out every night, including fast food? Good for you.

Do you homeschool, send your kids to school outside the home at age 2, have a child-free Summer because your kids are away at camp for 10 weeks, breastfeed, bottle-feed, babywear, fly with your kids when they are 6 months old or refuse, talk about your kids online or keep their identities anonymous, say ‘use your words’ or ‘shut up’, opt for natural childbirth or an epidural, involve your kids in 6 activities or stress imaginative play, are you a free-range parent or an over-protective one?

Wherever you fall, it is perfectly extraordinary.  Let me say it again: what you are doing as a mother is extraordinary.

Let me stress this…. I love how you love your children.  I love how you labor over what decisions are right in your home.  I love how you decide what works for you, your significant other and your small people…. because you know who knows what works best for YOU?  YOU DO.

Just you.

I believe this so deeply, so firmly, so STRONGLY, I have joined the Strong Moms Advisory Board.  We live in a world that increasingly wants us to make the ‘perfect’ parenting decisions or face criticism and judgement from others.  The Strong Moms Empowerment Program, brought to you by Similac, is a call-to-action…empowering moms to feel confident about the decisions they make for their families and in turn, support other moms as they do the same.  You can sign a simple pledge making the commitment to do just that right here. 

Every day, moms experience some level of judgement for the choices they make.  And I’m not immune.  Just yesterday, I sat on a flight in front of a little boy who repeatedly said, ‘but I can’t see… I just can’t see’.  I suspect he was about three or four.  His window view was blocked by the plane engine.  Clearly something that couldn’t be helped.  His mom wasn’t interested in listening to him… she vacillated between saying, ‘just SHUT UP!” and “don’t you know you are embarrassing yourself? People are staring at you!”  I consciously chose not to judge her harsh tone – recognizing that I have no idea what her day has been like…. has her child pushed every possible button today? is she coming home from a funeral?  We don’t KNOW what is happening in someone else’s home, and therefore shouldn’t judge. It isn’t always easy.  I was sad for the little boy.

Recognize that YOU may choose to make different decisions, or at least you assume you would, but our job is to support each other, not to tear each other down.

Tomorrow, I will be taking part in the Strong Moms Empowerment Summit in New York City along side my fellow board members, media personalities – the Moms Melissa Gerstein and Denise Albert, parenting expert, Michelle Borba Ed.D and pediatrician Sue Hubbard MD, as well as Tonia Sanders from The Chatty Momma.

We’re hopeful this is just the beginning of the conversation.

We have so much to offer each other….  Support can be so powerful and judgement so damaging.  We need more of one and much, much less of the other.

Join me?

Disclosure: As previously mentioned, I am a member of the Strong Moms Advisory Board.  I chose to join the board because this is an issue that matters to me.  The thoughts and opinions shared in this post are mine and mine alone.

Filed Under: Extraordinary, Give Good Get Good, Recent Posts Tagged With: , , , , ,

Every Kid Deserves This Kind of Carefree Joy….

April 12, 2013 by 2 Comments

I spent one morning last week doing one of my very favorite things in the whole world: sitting on the beach and watching my small people play.  For me, the beach is a sensory experience – the second I arrive, I’m overwhelmed by goodness.  I love the salty smell, the sounds of the waves hitting the shore, the feel of warm sand between my toes and every time I’m mesmerized by the sight of the ocean as it exhibits the power that only it can.

KidsBeach

Living in the middle of the country means we don’t often have the luxury of this sensory overload – and as my small people hit the sand and take off like mini-beach-missiles, I find myself, once again, longing to live on the coast.

They run.

They jump.

Kids Beach Delaney Leap

They dance.

They leap.

They pitch sand. (of course they do).

coop pitch beach

They construct sandcastles.

And play beautifully with each other.

They sprint to the water and race to me, fingers speckled in the gold flecks that I have only ever seen here in San Diego on Coronado Island.

KidsSand Dollars

Screams of, “I’m rich!” punctuate the soft whoosh of the waves as the tide moves in. And then they are gone again, compelled to catch the gold as though it will buy them out of the years of school they have in their future.

But then they discover a plethora of sand dollars.  And by plethora, I mean more than I have ever seen in one place at one time.  Big ones,  medium sized and teeny-tiny – all flecked with the same gold that decorates the sand.

Sand dollar

Now THIS is rich.  King Neptune has coughed up his treasure, drizzling it on the shores of Coronado for my children to gather, sand sliding between their fingers as they pick up one, then two, then a third… struggling to juggle their bounty in little hands.

And I am stuck. They are like wild children – their energy boundless.

I’m lucky.  A witness to their joy. They are in love with life. And it loves them right back…. the sun, the surf, the sand… kissing their hair, caressing their toes.

Sea lion
I marveled at their amazement as a baby sea lion waddled from the surf just feet away from us, taking cover in the nearby rocks.

I’m mentally capturing this moment, trapping it like time in a bottle.  It is always here that I am most reflective. I can hit pause and reset.

Where does their energy come from?  Can I have some?  Why can’t all kids have what they have?

Watching them overwhelms me with gratitude.  And reaffirms my resolve to both push them to grow from carefree small people into big people who effect change and care about the world around them and to continue to model that behavior for them.

Share BreakfastI think more kids deserve to have the same energy… the same carefree love of life.  Funny to think it can start with something as small as breakfast, but it does. By now, (if you’ve spent any time on this site) you know child hunger is something I have written about many times and you also know my family and I are big fans of Kellogg’s – not only for breakfast, but for the work they do to SHARE BREAKFAST with hungry kids.  It isn’t just what they put on our table in the morning, but what they do for kids who need the same kind of energy my small people already have.  This is my second year working with Kellogg’s and I’ve been delighted to watch the progress of the Share Breakfast campaign…as I write, they are this close to being half way to their goal of donating one million breakfasts to children in need.

And one of the most extraordinary things about Share Breakfast?  You can help simply by spreading the message.  Tweet the message.  Pin it.  Watch the video with the amazing celebrity Taye Diggs.  It is estimated that one in five kids is hungry.  ONE IN FIVE.  That is absurd.  If they are hungry – they don’t have the energy to play and experience joy they way my small people were doing on the beach.  And they definitely don’t have the ability to focus so they can learn in the classroom.

It’s so simple.  Click. Watch. And Share.

Thank you.

As I mentioned above, I do work with Kellogg’s, however, all thoughts and opinions on this site are always the reflection of my own opinions.

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40 Days of Water: The Extraordinary Conclusion

April 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Sometimes you take part in a movement that changes you. For me, this is one of those times.

For forty days, I committed to drinking only water. It wasn’t because I was on a diet. It wasn’t because of my traditional Catholic Lenten sacrifice, though admittedly, it did coincide beautifully. I can’t claim I didn’t have any moments of slipping up, but my efforts were valiant. I started my day with ice water. I kept a bottle at my side. I ended the day with a glass nearby.

My reasoning for this commitment was this: in the country of Uganda, the thing I take most for granted – the gift of water – is something they lack desperately. I turn on the shower and water flows.  I head to the fridge, I pour water for my small people, I make ice, I fill pots for boiling….all without a second thought.

In Uganda - they walk for miles for what flows freely from my faucet.  That hurts my heart.

34.5 million people live in the country. 33% of them live without access to safe water.

Working with Blood Water Mission, I joined hundreds of people in this 40 day journey.  And it made a difference.

Blood Water Mission Danielle Profile

You see…. for every traditional drink I skipped – wine… coffee… ice tea…..I donated the money I would have spent to this amazing organization.  Blood Water Mission has made a commitment to overcoming the water and HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa…with the help of people like me. And you.

For every drink skipped, for every dollar donated, it is estimated gift of water can be given to one child in Uganda for an entire year.  I skip coffee for ONE MORNING- the equivalent of $2 – and TWO children can have water for ANN ENTIRE YEAR. The pure power in that is extraordinary.

BWM TotalsLooking at the totals now… I am both amazed and overwhelmed.

In the 40 days I participated in this mission, I gave up 107 drinks for $293.

I am proud and humbled by those numbers.

But even more so, but what can be accomplished when people work together for something so beautiful like this.

So far…. LOOK:

Blood Water Mission Total

That’s nearly 11-thousand drinks given up.  And more than $21 thousand dollars raised.

Water.  The gift of so much beautiful, amazing life-giving, clean water – for people who deserve something SO VERY BASIC.

To everyone who participated…. I’m grateful.

To everyone who is just now learning about the magic that is Blood Water Mission… take some time, look around – the work they do does not stop with 40 Days.  There is so much work still to be done….

 

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On a Mission: 40 Days of Water

March 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment

I’ve been starting my day with ice water and lemon.  It is a far cry from my normal coffee, sweetened with creamer and sugar. But I can hardly complain. I’ve been doing it for a good reason.

Since I was a little girl, this time of year – Lent in the Catholic Church – the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday is traditionally a time for the faithful to pray and observe a level of penance and sacrifice as they prepare for Holy Week – the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Though I have almost always ‘given something up’ for Lent during my 40 years of being a practicing Catholic, it was often as a result of the years of tradition – and occasionally out of obligation.

This year has been different.  This year, I committed to 40 Days of Water.  It has been as beautiful for my soul as it has for my faith.

40 Days of Clean Water - Blood Water Mission40 Days of Water is a committment to sacrifice the drinks I normally reach for during the day in lieu of water.  Each time I ‘give up’ a drink I would normally have, I donate the amount I would have spent on that drink to Blood Water Mission, an organization dedicated to fighting both the HIV/AIDS and water crises in Africa. Each time I have wanted to ‘give in’ instead of ‘give up’, I think instead about the myriad reasons I have chosen to do this.  Certainly faith plays a role, but knowing that I can help by doing something that is ultimately a small sacrifice… in order to provide what I believe should be a GIVEN for everyone seems like a simple gesture. In only the first month, I have given up 62 drinks in total.

My 62 are a small fraction of the more than 8-thousand that have been sacrificed by the many, many people who are participating.  It is extraordinary what can happen when a community of people come together.  One drink at a time – one glass of wine, one cup of coffee, one ice tea, one lemonade… it can all make a difference.

Blood: Water MissionIt is estimated that $1 is the amount needed to provide clean drinking water for a child in Africa for one year.  ONE DOLLAR = ONE YEAR.  It still astonishes me. It makes me feel both hopeful and guilty all at one time.

The 40 Days Project will fund wells in Uganda.  At this time, only 33% of the people in that country have access to  clean water.  That is absurd.  Two-thirds of the people in that country don’t have what shouldn’t be a luxury, but rather a basic necessity - one that affords them, not just simple cleanliness, but health.

Consider participating for the final few weeks of the program.  Will you? Or support Blood Water Mission in one of the many other ways they are working to make the lives of the people in Africa better.

Disclosure: When I first mentioned I was participating in 40Days, I also shared about a trip I was taking at the beginning of March – one to Napa, California. That trip – specifically to include visits to wineries and wine tasting – had been planned for quite a long time and was not something that could not be changed (nor did I want it to be).  I knew I would have wine on that trip in the midst of this 40 days, so I committed to donating double to Blood Water Mission on those days and I have done so.   I will also be attending Blissdom, and may very well enjoy a glass of wine among friends. During this time, I will also donate double.

Additionally, I am proud to be working with Blood: Water Mission to help spread the word about this amazing charitable push.

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Share Breakfast With Your Small People and Other Little Ones in Need

March 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Joanna45Every morning my husband gets up at 4:30 in the morning and heads to the gym.  You might call him dedicated. Many do. Or crazy.  (I’ve done it) You might think his exercise regimen demands this of him, but what people often don’t realize is that his motivation is sleeping soundly as he wakes – one with freckles and chocolate brown eyes and the other a little blond guy who is currently missing three front teeth.

Jeff heads to the gym before the sun rises every morning so that he can be home to share breakfast with our sweet small people before they head to school each day.  I get them out of bed and dressed and as we head downstairs… there is their daddy, pouring milk on their cereal and cutting up fruit.  Instead of this ritual, he could be sleeping for an extra hour or more each morning and THEN heading to work to start his day, but this time is so important to him.

I can’t claim to be a morning person, but these three?  Are laughing, singing songs and telling jokes before I’m fully awake.  With everyone in a good mood, they share time, they share food and they share moments.  Sometimes, I just observe their banter, absorbing the calm before the chaos of trying to get out the door.  You know what I know? Many families don’t have this time.  Many dads don’t have the luxury of these moments – and there isn’t a single one he takes for granted.  He asks questions, quizzes them on past Presidents, and whips out multiplication flashcards.  He prepares their minds while he feeds their bellies, making sure they have everything they need to have the energy to learn.

Never for one moment have my children had to question if there would be enough for them to eat.  And yet one in five children have circumstances that are so far from what mine experience, it breaks my heart.  One in five children right here in the United States is hungry.

Hungry.

They, quite simply, don’t have enough to eat every day.  They head to school in the morning without breakfast, without the energy to focus and make it through the school morning.

For more than the past year now, I’ve been working with Kellogg’s and often talking about the beauty of breakfast in our home.  Today’s message is a little different.  I want to talk about Sharing Breakfast. Because Kellogg’s believes in the power of breakfast and its ability to give each of us – especially our small people – a great start, their ‘Share Breakfast‘ program with partner Action for Healthy Kids is working to change the number of kids who start their days without.

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And even better, you can help. And it is easy: it is some of what we do every day – Tweet or Pin or post a Facebook update.  When you do, use the #ShareBreakfast hashtag to help spread the message. Every time you do, the equivalent of one meal will be donated to a child.  .

Last week, I had the chance to chat for a few minutes with Actor Taye Diggs (Private Practice  - and one of my personal favorites, Stella Got Her Groove Back), the celebrity spokesperson for Share Breakfast.  His passion for this program is fueled in part by his role as a dad.  For me, making sure my small people are aware of the needs of others and that I model how to best to help is a priority.  Though Taye’s son is only a little guy, he did share with me a similar desire.

“We’re already planting the seed and as he gets older, we will introduce him to programs like this, because these are the types of things I think we are going to be involved in for the rest of our lives.  I think the most important thing to do is lead by example.”

Just look at the work already being done and the lives already changing…. this is Cypress Elementary in Kissimmee, Florida.

If you want to know a little more… this is a message from Taye Diggs…

Each time you watch and share these videos as well, you are ALSO making a difference.  As of this writing, the equivalent of more than 287,000 breakfasts have been donated.  The goal is ONE MILLION.  Will you help?  Watch a video. Share a video.  Tweet with #ShareBreakfast.  Post on Facebook.  It all helps – and it doesn’t cost you a penny.

Thank you for caring as I do.

I’m grateful once again, to be working with Kellogg’s.  I’m thrilled with the work they are doing to help hungry children and also – I’m delighted by the emphasis they put on breakfast – it is my children’s favorite meal. As always, all opinions and thoughts are mine alone.

 

 

 

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