The Power of 10

When children with a life threatening illness are asked what one thing they wish for by the Make a Wish Foundation, do you know what is requested most often? It's Disney World of course! You guys know I am a Disney World fan so what else would the answer be? :)

Give Kid's The World is the organization that makes those wishes happen. Terminally ill children have so many medical problems that just picking up and heading to a hotel in Florida is not an option. They need special care for medications, extra tubes, and mobility issues just to name a few.

Give Kids The World is the most amazing place and more like a theme park than a hotel. They have stated that they like to be a place of "yeses" for kids who live in a world of "no". If you want ice cream for breakfast so be it! They even have characters from Disney World and Universal come to the resort and just love on the kids. There are several stories about children who were taken there to have a wish fulfilled who were not expected to live through the visit. Apparently this happens quite often. But once they arrive their spirits are lifted so high that they end up living several more months or even winning their battle with illness.

I have heard about this organization for years and have wanted to do something to support them. But with so many worthy causes in need, I never got around to donating. A new fundraising initiative has just been started called The Power of 10. A group of disney fans started this effort once they visited Give Kids The World and saw the inspiring work they do there. Once I heard more about this organization and saw the easy way they have set up to donate I got motivated to help.

So here is the deal, I have committed to getting 10 people to donate $10. The goal of The Power of 10 is to get 10,000 people to make this commitment so they can raise 1 MILLION DOLLARS for Give Kids The World!

Donating is easy! All you do is text the word DISGKTW to 50555 and you will automatically donate $10. Please let me know via a comment here or by email if you donate so I know that I have gotten 10 people. And please, please, please feel free to contact 10 more people and so on.

Click here for more information. Be sure to watch the short video that gives some background information about Give Kids The World. She doesn't take cheap shots at making you cry like an infomercial but it is very interesting. For example, last year they were deemed to most fiscally responsible charity in America! That means the money donated goes to the kids not "administration costs".

Don't forget to let me know if you donate!

Let the Info Flow!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I am blogging again on Eating The Good Life after a long hiatis.

Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside my window...pure white snow coats my neighborhood and somehow it seems to have silenced the world. I hear no birds, children, neighbors, squirrels, or even dogs.

I am thinking...that I should have had more for lunch than just a bowl of homemade Moroccan carrot soup. Don't get me wrong it was delicious but my stomach is telling me that one should not consume that large of an amount of pureed veggies at once. It might have been wise to have a cup of that soup with something else instead of a bowl. Oops. I think I actually had 2 servings.

Around the house... a sweet boy is sleeping and a snow-enthused little girl is off to school. Meanwhile a camping tent fully erect in the living room sits waiting for children to fill it again.

From the kitchen...well no more carrot soup that's for sure. Tonight we will have leftover homemade enchiladas and fresh organic salad greens from a local garden.

One of my favorite things...is the smell of my baby. The only thing that can top that is the smell of my baby after my grandmother (either one) has been holding him (or "her" when Savannah was little). Then that little bugger was double the sentimental smell.

I am reading...Restore. Recycle. Repurpose. Create a Beautiful Home by Randy Florke. There are so many of you out there that I think about when I read this book. One can be "green" and go out and purchase eco-friendly decor which is expensive. Or even better one can be resourceful and thrifty and use things already around or found and as a result have an even better and most unique look. What fun would it be if all our houses looked like Pottery Barn anyway. Funky us way better!

I am creating...a refreshed look for the house. I have an innate characteristic in my personality that causes me to get restless now and then. The treatment is to shake things up a bit. Also in the works is my favorite January tradition...vacation planning. Right now we are looking into one of the French Caribbean islands. We are warm weather folk so that combined with awesome french food sounds like a winner to us! Can I go now? I'm really cold.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you.




The hammock in front of Foxy's on Jost Van Dyke where Mark and I spent a relaxed evening pre-kids.

Okay. Now, here are the stats...

My last post was cut short by none other than the featured character. Belated, here is the run down of Archer at age one.

Favorite food: sweet tators

Least favorite food: chicken unless it is fresh and very spicy. Moroccan chicken seems to be the best bet chicken wise.

Favorite books: "Mr Brown Can Moo, Can You?" "Peek-a-boo I Love you" and "The Rhythm of My Day" The later 2 are books from Savannah's Kindermusik days. Every morning Archer and I read books for about an hour. And each one he hands to me with a giggle and then begins rocking back and forth almost dancing with excitement as I open the first page.

Favorite place: outside.

Favorite toy: a blanket with a stuffed animal attached that Esther (our neighbor) gave him. It's his lovey and he cannot sleep without it. After getting a whiff of this over-loved toy, my Dad's wife nicknamed it staphylococcus bear. We do try to wash it regularly but sometimes the smell of baby love lingers.

Favorite song: anything from kindermusik.

Favorite instrument: shakers. He can shake a shaker forever. If he begins to get restless in the grocery store then all I have to do is find a food item to pose as a shaker and he is good to go!

Favorite game: peek-a-boo. He can and does play this all day long. And this is the only way I get a daily shower in. I place Archer in the exersaucer and occasionally pop out from behind the shower curtain and yell peek-a-boo while laying on the suds.

And with that note I think you now know enough about how Archer and I spend our days.

The Stats

Archer's one-year check-up at the doctor's office revealed he is up to 21# which is pretty average, and he is healthy as can be. Praise the Lord!

On the other hand, I don't know how long I can keep him in great health with his climbing habit. He is not walking yet but he will scale anything that he can get that little knee up on and begin to climb. He climbed the attic latter as we stowed away christmas decor. And he inched his way up the latter to Savannah's bunk bed in hopes of reaching Chickory, his favorite cat. Add to that his obsession with sticking things in electrical outlets (ours our covered thankfully but that does not stop him from trying!)and you have yourself a full time job keeping him safe.

But he is so darn sweet and full of giggles that you just can't help but be patient with him. If that boy even thinks about giving my his sly little grin I swoop him up and cover him with kisses.

Have I said lately that I love the stage of life Mark and I are in right now?