Raising Caring Citizens

I'm so lazy! I was talking with a friend about the Roots and Shoots group that she runs – all these kids and families are learning about important issues, and raising money to do some good in the world. And planting trees. And doing beach clean-ups. And collecting food and clothes for the needy. And I realized that – sheesh, I'm such a slacker! Seriously – I want to raise good citizens who care about the world, who feel a sense of responsibility to volunteer in their community. But if it impedes on my weekend? Fagettaboutit.

I have REALLY good intentions. But I work full time, and I come home and I just want to be with my family. And do laundry. Not really, but it needs to be done. Is that so wrong?

So I was so happy to find Members Unite. It's a really easy way to make a significant impact on the world, and the kids and I can choose projects together... on the couch, while I drink a glass of wine.

I KNOW! I SAID I'M LAZY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO JUDGE ME!

For $5 a month, the kids and I can rate projects based on what we would like to support. We just signed up, sat on the couch and looked through the nine proposed projects for this projects. We gave high ranking to helping premature babies (because who can resist a picture of a baby?) but gave the highest ranking (5 stars!) to help The Nature Conservancy plant 5,000 trees in Brazil! Each week, the projects with the most votes will advance, and the winning project each month gets $5,000. Five grand can go a long way – a lot farther than my $5 on it's own.

Here's why you should want to support The Nature Conservancy through Members Unite:

Today only 7 percent of the Atlantic forest in Brazil remains, much of which is in isolated fragments.

Animal and plant life of every imaginable kind live under the lush, green canopy of Brazil's Atlantic Forest. High in the treetops, golden lion tamarins forage for food while woolly spider monkeys gather fruit and nuts. Blue-winged macaws, red-tailed parrots and countless other birds call out while elusive jaguars prowl the forest floor.

This Brazilian rainforest is home to 23 species of primates and 1,180 species of mammals, amphibians, reptiles and fish. Harboring 1,000 species of birds, almost 200 of which are not found anywhere else on Earth, it is considered the most important place for bird conservation in the Western Hemisphere by the American Bird Conservancy. For millions of local people, the rainforest is critical for their livelihoods and provides clean water and hydro energy. For the rest of us, the Atlantic Forest helps regulate the atmosphere and stabilize global climate.

So why don't you join us? There is a $25 annual membership to cover administrative costs, then you can decide how much you want to give each month, starting at just $5 a month.  If you join, please let me know in the comments and share which project(s) you voted for!

We're starting here. The kids are excited about tracking the projects to see which ones make it to next week. And maybe, one of these days, I'll actually get us out to plant some trees for real!

~Krista

Eric's New Glasses

When Eric started asking me for glasses for Christmas, I thought he just wanted them because I was wearing my glasses more than contacts. He’s a stylish kid, often complimenting my outfits, or suggesting alternate accessories. So it was easy to pass off the glasses request as merely for fashion.

But then he asked for them a few more times over the course of the month, and kept bringing it up. Brian and I would try to quiz him to see if he could see things clearly, but we are certainly not trained in that area, and it’s hard to get a 4 year old to give detailed descriptions! I finally made an eye appointment for him and sure enough, he needs glasses!  I’m so glad we listened to him, because they said by catching it early, we may even be able to correct his (slight) farsightedness.

He had a lot of fun trying on all the different styles, but finally settled on these. Disney makes these kids glasses, and I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that they do. They’re lightweight and durable, and super 
cute
 handsome to boot. Leave it to Disney to infiltrate our lives yet again! These glasses are green, his favorite color, and the pattern reminds him of a race car. “Cars” and “Cars 2″ being his favorite movies, he was sold.

Here’s my little guy with his new glasses:

Enter to Win a Nomad Play Stylus Paintbrush!

Congratulations to the winner of the Safeway $100 Gift Card!
Last week, I was thrilled that Safeway offered my readers a chance to win a $100 Gift Card. I was also pretty happy to learn about their Holiday Inspirations micro site! From there, I downloaded an app for the iPad that helped walk us through the turkey cooking process. My mom and I have cooked enough turkeys together that I was skeptical about needing an app, but I wanted to try their 2-hour turkey (high heat/short time) method, and this app took us through step by step. The best part of it, though? Whenever a timer would go off, if gobbled. How can you not love it?

Ms. Turkey came out of the oven with perfectly moist and wonderful breasts. Yes, I know how that sounds. The deep insides where the legs connected were not quite done all the way (our thermometer would have told us that if it hadn’t been broken), but that was actually perfect for throwing in a stock pot after dinner. We collect all of our vegetable ends and pieces and the giblets and start the stock pot while we’re cooking all day.

So Thanksgiving was a hit for us, partly thanks to the help from Safeway! And now one of you gets a little help from Safeway as well. This is my first giveaway, and I’m really excited because this is such a great prize! Rafflecopter managed the giveaway, and they randomly chose from all the entries.

Go back to Mostlymommyhood.com to see the winner!

Win a $100 Safeway gift card!

Read all about how Safeway can make your holiday meal planning and entertaining a little easier,
then come back to enter to win!

Cheers!
~Krista


Return to Mostly Mommyhood.

By clicking the green “I did this!” buttons on Rafflecopter you are confirming that you completed the task, and that you in fact want to gain the number of entries stated into the contest.

Open to residents of the US only. Your odds of winning will depend on the number of valid entries received. All winners are being selected at random, duplicate entries and falsifying entries will be disqualified. We will verify that the tasks were completed prior to the winners being announced. Giveaway ends on November 27, 2011 at 11:59 pm Pacific time. Good luck!

Outside with Kids

I think we’re in the better-than-average realm of outdoor play, but I know we could be better. Hardly a day goes by (even a rainy one) without us finding a window for playing at the park, walking the dog, or riding bikes.

{read more}

Rainy hike in Smuggler's Cove on the Oregon Coast

Idyllic Orchard

We spent a beautiful Autumn day at my parents' place in Canby, Oregon.

{see more of the gorgeousness here}