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"Happiness is never something you get from other people. The happiness you feel is in direct proportion to the love you GIVE."
~ Oprah Winfrey
On Gratiutude:
I am grateful, every day, for all of the amazing blessings in my life. I believe it is my JOB to teach my children HOW to be grateful. It is my job to help them to know and understand gratitude. I must do this by example.
The phrase 'give good, get good' is an easy way to teach your children the valuable lesson of paying it forward.
This portion of ExtraordinaryMommy will be dedicated to this philosphy.
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Imagine expecting a baby while your husband is on the other side of the world. Now imagine you can help to make that new baby transition just a little easier.Operation Shower is a not-for-profit organization that supports military families who will soon have a new little life in their midst. They send 'baby showers in a box' and host showers on military bases. And now, they have some help from some amazing designers.
Resadesign.com is hosting an online baby registry and shower to benefit Operation Shower. Products from Resa Design‘s accessory line have been selected and made available at super low prices. Customers and visitors will have the opportunity to add any of the gift registry items to their personal purchases, or shop solely for Operation Shower. Resa Design has committed to shipping the designated purchases directly to Operation Shower's home office in St. Louis, Missouri for distribution in ‘showers-in-a-box' and event showers on military bases.
Resa Design products are not the only items available. Southern California's Julian & Co. has also committed to participate by offering their stunning Galleria Necklace at more than 60% off. More designers and products are expected to be added in days to come and throughout the year.
Creative ways customers can get involved with the Operation Shower registry at Resadesign.com:
•Give a gift on behalf of someone else. (tribute cards are available)
•Give to Operation Shower instead of a birthday or holiday gift.
•Invite your playgroup over and gather around the computer to host a baby shower on behalf of Operation Shower.
•Have scouts raise funds and make purchases for Operation Shower.
Operation Shower is a non-profit organization (pending 501(c)(3) status) that recognizes and honors the sacrifices military families make by producing and coordinating baby showers for pregnant and expecting military personnel and their families.
Click here to Shop at ResaDesign for Operation Shower.
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Mackinac Island Press and ExtraordinaryMommy.com team up to 'Give Back'. Mackinac offers beautifully crafted children's stories...the kind of stories your little ones will beg to hear, night after night. By using a special ExtraordinaryMommy promotion code, you can receive 30% off ALL of the books you purchase. The Code is mommy123. For every purchase made through our site, Mackinac Island Press will donate 10% to the charity of our choice. We have decided to use the 10% to purchase books for needy children who don't have the pleasure of books to read on a regular basis. Mackinac also does something you won't find through any other publisher...they let you flip through every page of every book online (complete with page turning sound effects!) You will see the rich illustrations, you will fall in love with the characters. Take a look at their Free Previews. And thank you for helping us to help children in need!
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If you are looking for another way to help military families....it is simple. It is called the Heroes at Home program. It is a way for us to say 'thank you' to military heroes and their families for the sacrifices they make for us daily.
Sears has set up a 'wish list' program where you can see what military families need 
most. Kid's shoes and boys and girls PJs top the list. You can read individual stories and donate to individual families. You can also post notes of encouragement on the site. So far, there are more than 30 thousand military familes in need.....and amazingly, more than 525 thousand contributions have been made. Doesn't it make you feel warm and fuzzy? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Animals lovers won't be able to resist this: it is free, it is easy, and a few simple clicks on your computer send money directly to the ASPCA.
"You search, together we rescue." This is the motto of the new search engine, Dogpile.
They have launched Search & Rescue, a philanthropy program that donates money each time a user searches the Internet using Dogpile.com. Their goal is to raise $1 million by the end of 2009. To date, we've raised more than $93,000– you can view the live counter at the Dogpile homepage.
According to Dogpile, as it turns out, "now is an incredibly important time to help the ASPCA. Research we've conducted shows that Americans are decreasing their donations by an average of 41 percent in 2009 due to economic struggles. This combined with a home foreclosure crisis that has left many animals abandoned, leaves animal-related charities in a dire situation."
So, simple, right? Point, type, search and rescue.
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The Life is Good Kids Foundation benefits a variety of children's charities that work with kids facing extraordinary challenges, including trauma, family death and poverty.
100% of all money raised through the Life is Good Kids Foundation goes directly to these children.
The foundation's main source of income: a series of Life is Good Festivals held throughout the country. The Life is Good Festival is a family event combining live music, backyard games, great food and tons of free activities for kids.
Through sponsorships, personal donations, the sales of Life is Good Festival merchandise, additional monetary donation and volunteers the Festival raises money that directly benefits children.
Every single penny raised is donated directly to Extraordinary children's charities.
To date, more than $3.6 million dollars has been raised and donated....and more than 375,000 people have enjoyed themselves at the festivals.
ExtraordinaryMommy.com is proud to be directly involved in the St. Charles, Missouri, Life is Good Festival.
You can get involved next year by
Volunteering. Giving your time is the greatest gift.
Donating. 100% of your individual donations go the the Life is good Kids Foundation and are tax deductible.
Buying Giving Tees and other Fundraiser Products. Life is good donates 100% of it's profits from the sale of these items.
Learn more about the Life is Good Kids Foundation.
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Operation Phone Home
The USO buys and hands out prepaid phone cards for the men and women in uniform who are serving our country. You can imagine few things could comfort them more than hearing a familiar voice. Imagine hearing your children sing happy birthday or chatting with a friend. A $10 donation buys them 30 minutes of phone time.
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A newly released book captures the thoughts, prayers, hopes and love of breast cancer survivors as well as the family - the mothers, daughters, sisters, granddaughters, brothers, husbands and friends who have surrounded those battling through this disease.
Danielle Smith, Founder of ExtraordinaryMommy.com, contributed to this book in honor of her grandmother, a 95 year old woman who fought breast cancer - and won- more than 40 years ago.
Learn more about the Pink Prayer Book here.
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Give a little, get A LOT! (peace of mind, the knowledge of helping a child, the potential to help cure a dangerous disease!)
Visit Color For A Cure to learn how young Emily Berry is battling a brain tumor and trying to raise money for research, one dollar at a time. You'll be inspired by Emily's story.
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We have found a beautiful new resource to comfort mothers who have suffered an early pregnancy loss. HeavenBorn was created by a Mommy who suffered just such a loss. Maureen Day lost a baby at only 11 weeks and was surprised by the depth of 
her grief. She created HeavenBorn as a not-for-profit that provides a tangible source of comfort - a handmade pillow, as well as a simple booklet that offers help in handling the physical and emotional challenges a mother in this position will face.
Maureen creates the pillows by hand with the help of some generous women. It is her goal to make these pillows available to all mothers who experience this type of tragedy. Many of the HeavenBorn pillows are now being given to mothers in local hospitals at their time of loss. HeavenBorn exists solely based on donations and volunteers who donate their time to create these small tokens of love. If you would like to donate your time...or you are interested in starting a HeavenBorn chapter in your area, email Maureen at Maureen@heavenborn.com.
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It it amazing just how many ways there are to help others, and how many of those require so little of us. The difference is AWARENESS! You can go about your every day. You can use coupons, you can buy diapers...and you will be helping others....if you just know how.
Please see the example below:
One of the things I am grateful for every day is the opportunity we have to drink clean water. It is life-sustaining, and it does not make us sick. This is not the case for millions of people world wide.
Consider this: about 4,000 children die every day as a result of diseases linked to unsafe drinking water. That is one child lost every 15 seconds. Can you imagine losing your child to the water they need?
Here is an incredibly easy way to help: Proctor and Gamble is dedicated to helping these children. They have set an incredible goal: to donate 50 million liters of water during the months of March and April.
The Give Pur Water Project allows you to help! Learn how redeeming Proctor and Gamble Brand Saver Coupons can make a difference!
Click on the links above, or go to www.givepurwater.org to learn more.
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If you are interested, right now, in a beautiful, simple way to express gratitude, please take a look at www.gratitudecampaign.org. This unique website touched a chord deep within me, and it just may do the same for you. A Seattle man, Scott Truitt, has devised a way for us to thank military men and women 'from the bottom of our hearts' for the service they give. I, for one, hope this movement catches on.
(ExtraordinaryMommy.com passes this information along to you so you may choose to make decisions that help others. We do not officially endorse any particular product, nor are we compensated in any way for posting this information)
