LilSugar

Gifts That Give Back: Best Charitable Gifts For Kids

Nicole Abbott — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 05:02:45 PST

As little ones make out their wish list to Santa this year, we think it's a great opportunity to remind them that the holidays are not just about receiving - they're also about giving! Charitable gifts have come a long way from mugs and bumper stickers, and many brands are giving proceeds of their sales to charities and non-profit organizations. Get in the giving mood with these 5 charitable gifts for kids!

Real Mom Gift Guide: All Debra Messing Wants For the Holidays Is . . .

Rebecca M Gruber — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:31:18 PST

Window shopping has never been so charitable! If you happen to be doing some holiday shopping in New York City or San Francisco, take a look at the store windows you pass - some may be filled with a high-tech way for mama to do some charitable giving without ever opening her wallet. Ebay just unveiled Give-a-Toy Store interactive storefronts that allow shoppers to use their smartphones to scan QR-coded price tags to make an immediate donation to Toys For Tots.

Debra Messing, mom of 7-year-old Roman, and the upcoming star of Smash was on hand to kick off the new endeavor and spoke with me about her favorite holiday traditions.

LilSugar: With the holiday season upon us, how did you come to work with eBay on this project?
Debra Messing: The holiday season is a time when people are more inclined to give, and I just thought that eBay's initiative was so brilliant. They have this window with virtual gift tags with toys, and there are different donation amounts - there's $5, $10, $20 - you just scan your [smartphone] over the window, you're on the sidewalk, and instantly you're donating to Toys For Tots and 100 percent of the money goes to Toys For Tots. Being able to make things really quick and easy and meaningful is important.

LS: What family holiday traditions are you most looking forward to this year?
DM: We just moved back to New York, but have always had family here. We love to go skating at Wolman rink, and go see plays - musicals specifically. Waiting for the snow to come. Looking forward to putting on the snowsuit and stomping through Central Park.

LS: So much of the holiday focus is on kids. What's on your wish list this year?
DM: For me, there is no better present than a massage. Flowers are beautiful, but they die. Champagne is fun, but it's gone - very quickly. As a mom we're on 24/7, and if we're working moms, which most of us are, we're exhausted, and sleep deprived, and we don't take care of ourselves. We feel guilty if we take too much time for ourselves. It feels like an extravagance, but it really is a necessity for moms to take an hour to shut down, rejuvenate, and have someone to rub out the kinks from carrying the baby on your hip too much or whatever you're doing. My son's now at a place where he likes to jump on my body to wake me up at 6 in the morning, so I've literally got bruises all over my body.

Keep reading to see how Debra Messing our famous Four Lil Questions about motherhood!

Yes, You Can and Should Help Save a Child in Africa

BabyCenter — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:31:01 PDT

We're excited to share this post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we will be bringing you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Amy Graff about how moms can combat the famine in Africa.

A debate recently erupted on the BabyCenter Facebook page over whether the United States government should provide education, food, clean water, vaccinations, and other health services to those living in poverty-stricken Africa. Many Facebook fans sympathized with moms and children suffering in under-resourced areas while others felt that we should turn our back to the famine in Africa and focus on those who are struggling in our own country.

And then the discussion spiraled into a heated political discussion.

Honestly, I don’t think this should be about politics. Yes, it’s about government, but it’s not about left and right. It’s about right and wrong. It’s about whether you value a child’s life or not.

Related: Did I Overreact?

This discussion was sparked by a Facebook post about my visit to the White House. On Tuesday I stepped inside the West Wing with a group of 10 other moms to meet with Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden, USAID Administrator Raj Shah, and National Security Council Senior Director Gayle Smith.

We were invited to the White House because over the Summer we traveled to Kenya on a trip organized by ONE, a nonpartisan advocacy group dedicated to fighting poverty and preventable disease in Africa (join ONE Moms). You might remember some of my Momformation blog posts about visiting a hospital where doctors treat kids with malaria and watching a health-care worker test a family for HIV. We observed US investments savings lives, and now we were bringing our experience back to Washington DC to let lawmakers know that these programs are effective and working.

Dr. Biden chimed in with stories about her recent visit to a Somalia refugee camps in eastern Africa, a part of the continent that’s experiencing the worst drought in 60 years, the worst famine in 20 years, and ongoing violence. She consoled women and children trying to survive in the largest camp in the world. It was originally built to accommodate 90,000 people and is now overflowing with nearly a half-million impoverished people. In Somalia, a child is dying every six minutes.

“It’s so bad,” Dr. Biden said. “It’s worse than you can ever imagine.”

Keep reading to learn what we can do to help save a child in Africa.

Think Pink! 5 Kids' Products in Support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

LilSugar — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:36:54 PDT

You don't need to wear rose-colored glasses to be seeing pink this month. It's October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which means it's annual shop for the boobies time! We've found a selection of child and baby products that give something to the cause with every purchase.

Clockwise from top left:

Infant Splatter Romper ($12): 25 percent of your purchase price will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Crane Drop Shaped Pink Cool Mist Humidifier ($45): Partial proceeds go toward the fight against breast cancer.
Kids Stainless Steel Scissors with Antimicrobial Pink Handles ($4): 10 cents from the sale of each product are being donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Plush Winter Bear ($12): 25 percent of your purchase price will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
California Baby I Love You Aromatherapy Bubble Bath ($14): A portion of the proceeds of the I Love You line of products is donated to the California Breast Cancer Research Program.

Trendsetting Hollywood Mamas Team Up With Destination Maternity For "Celebrities 4 Maternity Denim" Auction

LilSugar — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 10:41:59 PDT

The biggest shopping night of the year saw thousands of eager fashionistas parading in and out of stores taking advantage of the ultimate shopping extravaganza.

Laila Ali, new mom and champion of health and beauty, was a gracious host to mamas-to-be in attendance at the 2011 Fashion's Night Out celebration held at Destination Maternity's flagship store on Madison Avenue in NYC. She talked candidly about motherhood, shared health and beauty tips, and posed for pictures and signed autographs for fans.

To celebrate FNO, Destination Maternity teamed up with fashionable Hollywood moms - including Heidi Klum, Naomi Watts, Jewel, Busy Philipps, and Ali - to create one-of-a-kind embellished maternity jeans for "Celebrities 4 Maternity Denim," an online auction from Aug. 25 to Sept. 22 to benefit the March of Dimes.

Nicole Sullivan, who also partnered with Destination Maternity to create a unique pair of decorated maternity jeans, made a surprise appearance at the event - with her eldest son, Dashel Pierce, by her side.

H&M's Charitable Collection For UNICEF Is Stocked With Trendy Pieces

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 07:01:17 PDT

Get ready to squeeze into your kids' clothes - all for a good cause! Next month H&M will introduce a collection of tot-sized pieces that will benefit UNICEF's All For Children initiative. The contemporary collection of pieces for babies through kids wear size 8, takes its cues from classic children's styles, including boys and girls pieces in Fall's muted nude, mole, and coral tones. The on-trend designs will not only appeal to tots, but to their mamas too.

From sailor-striped tops to retro-inspired sweaters and dresses, the collection is based on an original children's book illustrated just for H&M. Moritz! is a text-less picture book featuring a lamb, a mouse, and a kitten in various situations. The characters' clothes and the book itself are all included in the All For Children collection.

Twenty-five percent of the sale of each garment will go directly to the charitable program that benefits families in the world's poorest communities, including those that help make the discount department store's clothes. Keep reading for a sneak peek at the collection, and visit H&M's site for more details about the initiative.

Cultivate a Love of Books in Your Preschooler With the Help of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

LilSugar — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 05:15:16 PDT

Dolly Parton is mostly known for her big hair and her big hits, but the country music star also has a big heart! In 1996, she founded a non-profit organization in her home county in east Tennessee to foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families. She also wanted to ensure that every child would have books, regardless of their family’s income.

Fifteen years later, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library - with the help and support of individual communities - is providing books to hundreds of thousands of children in hundreds of communities in the US, Canada, and the United Kingdom. A brand-new, age appropriate book is mailed to every registered child each month until their 5th birthday! Registering for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is free and it helps tots get excited about the magic that books can create!

Shop For a Good Cause: 10 Pint-Size Purchases That Give Back

LilSugar — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 03:21:05 PDT

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.

Mother's Day Gifts That Keep on Giving

Rebecca M Gruber — Tue, 03 May 2011 11:04:00 PDT

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.

Paper Cranes For Japan: A Tutorial to Benefit Tsunami Affected Tots

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 05:45:10 PDT

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