Put your money where your heart is! Many mamas love to shop — often for their kids more than themselves. If t-shirts, stuffed animals, and shoes are on your list, consider purchasing versions that do more than put clothes on your lil one's back or shoes on their feet. These 10 generous products, and companies, give a percentage of their sales to causes that benefit those less fortunate than we are.
Moms spend their lives giving to their children. Mother's Day is all about giving mama a day about her. While we are inundated with advertisements for gifts that moms will love, many are happy to continue giving to others. Check out five gifts that will keep giving long after Mother's Day dinner is cleaned up and put away.
Fly, little bird, fly! In Japan, legend holds that if you fold 1,000 paper cranes, your wish will come true. Following last month's devastating earthquake and tsunami, as well as the powerful aftershocks that are still being felt throughout the region, several organizations have called for students to create their own paper cranes to benefit families affected by the natural events.
Students Rebuild and DoSomething.org have launched the Paper Cranes For Japan effort to collect 100,000 origami cranes and trigger a $200,000 donation from the Bezos Family Foundation to Architecture for Humanity's relief efforts. Simultaneously, OshKosh B’Gosh is in the middle of a Cranes For Kids campaign that will donate an article of clothing to Japanese children for each crane sent into the company, or uploaded to their Facebook page. Want to learn how to make the beautiful paper creations? Follow Modern Parents Messy Kids' tutorial above, or go to their site for detailed photo directions. Now get folding!
Source Modern Parents Messy Kids
Lots of moms like to think out loud and Camilaruano is one of them. In the latest post to her I'm so stylish blog, Camilaruano tells us about her favorite new charity line for kids.
Gabriel is wearing Disney's It's a small world koi fish TOMS and short sleeve T-shirt
We love to support profit for a purpose companies. Disney's "It's a Small World" collection exclusively at Nordstrom's, teamed up with TOMS ,Trumpette and UNICEF. Every time you purchase from the collection, half of the proceeds go to UNICEF. Even better, if you buy a pair of TOMS from the collection, a child in a third world country gets a pair of shoes plus half of your proceeds go to UNICEF. Japanese Spring, the debut collection, is playful and has the sweetest prints! You also get a Mary Blair original print (while supplies last)! Get behind a good cause and look good doing it!
Want to see more? Start following I'm so stylish. Or, start your own OnSugar blog. It's easy, it's free, and we just might feature your content on our site.
The aftershocks keep coming and they're felt around the world. It's just over two weeks since the devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan and the hardest hit areas are still digging out of the rubble. While the world's top-selling artists have come together to release an album benefiting the relief efforts, local artisans have on their own missions. These clothing items and toys are designed for tots, but their impact will be felt by adults and kids alike when their profits are donated to Japan. Check them out!
We love it when two brands we love come together to do something good! Appaman, the hipster-chic tot line from Brooklyn, is joining forces with Jessica Seinfeld's Baby Buggy as the organization's third (and final) layette collaboration with Target, raising money to provide children's clothing and gear to low-income families. Best of all, the adorable clothes – which have a celebrity following that includes the Jolie-Pitt tots, Moses Martin, and James Wilkie Broderick – will be sold at a fraction of the cost of Appaman's regular line. Featuring the company's iconic ape, the garments will be available beginning April 10 for babies up to 9-months old. Get a sneak peek of the entire line here!
She spends her mornings interviewing Hollywood's biggest celebs, but Kelly Ripa's afternoons are filled keeping all of the balls in the air as she juggles life with her husband and three kids – Michael, 13, Lola, 9, and Joaquin, 7. The Live With Regis and Kelly host recently hosted a Tea Party For a Cause to support The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, and spoke with me about life with her family, their upcoming secret Spring break getaway, and why she's trying to educate mothers and daughters about the deadly disease. Take a look!
A conversation between parent and child can be incredibly powerful. StoryCorps is a program that records exchanges so society can benefit from them. It's not hard to be moved by one such interview between 12-year-old Joshua Littman (who has Asperger's syndrome) and his mother, Sarah Littman. It was taped five years ago and garnered national attention, but as budget cuts threaten the organization's existence, the interview has be brought back into the spotlight.
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to eliminate funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). No federal funding for CPB might mean the end of StoryCorps, which for me would be a deeply personal tragedy. StoryCorps is the national public broadcasting project that gives everyday Americans the chance to record a forty minute oral history interview with a loved one. A copy of each interview is archived at the Library of Congress so our great-great grandchildren can get to know us through our voice and story. CPB is StoryCorps’ primary funder.
Would you take part in this project? Who is the person you would choose and why?
Today is the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, a date dedicated to celebrating the achievements of women past, present, and future. Many women have laid the groundwork for us to live our lives as moms and these celebrities are helping make the world a better place for our tots. Take a look at some of the women's favorite causes.
Ellen Pompeo may live in Tinseltown, but the mom of one — daughter Stella Ivery, 1, — hasn't allowed success or the bright lights of Hollywood to shake her sensibilities. The Grey's Anatomy star answered a few of my questions as she promotes Huggies campaign to diaper babies in need.
LilSugar: There’s a big debate about whether or not it’s possible for a woman to truly "have it all" — a career, a marriage, and children. What’s your opinion and how do you manage?
Ellen Pompeo: I do think it’s possible to have it all. However, I don't believe the definition of having it all means the same thing to everyone. Just because someone chooses not to have children doesn't mean they don't have it all. Just because a woman decides to be a stay at home mom doesn't mean she doesn't have it all. "Having it all" to me means being fulfilled and that should be determined by the individual not society. As far as managing goes. That's always a tricky question for me because I would seem a little out of touch if I didn't acknowledge the fact that I have a great job and am very lucky to be able to afford a little help. That being said I am a big fan of a strict schedule. Stella's mealtimes and sleep schedule happen at the same time every day and everything gets planned around that. Also a couple of days a week I set aside time to prep food. Veggies, brown rice...etc... so making meals takes less time and there are always things in the fridge ready to work with.
LS: On Grey’s Anatomy, Meredith and Derek are having a hard time getting (and remaining) pregnant. The storyline is reflective of what a lot of couples go through. How do you feel about your character having this struggle?
EP: The infertility issue certainly is a relevant one. One of the conversations I had with Shonda was about the fact that we have an opportunity here and what do we want to do with it? It’s very important to me to not ONLY portray the angst or desperation one would feel in a situation like this. I want Meredith's journey to be multifaceted and hopefully some sort of enlightenment happens along the way. What you end up seeing in the final cuts of the episodes is an entirely different story!
LS: Hollywood is experiencing another baby boom. With all the paparazzi and interest in famous families, is it difficult to raise Stella in such an environment?
EP: I don't think there's a baby boom. People have always had babies. The boom is the tabloid media’s obsession with famous people's children and pregnant actresses. It is predatory and creepy. I'm a big girl and I can deal with being stalked by paparazzi — it’s a very small price to pay for all the perks that come along with this life, but it’s unfortunate our society is obsessed with exploiting innocent children.
LS: Fill in the blank. You know you're a mother when?
EP: You know you’re a mother when you get excited about poop!
