Comments on: Serve Your Community as a Family this Christmas http://simplemom.net/serve-your-community-as-a-family/ Live simply, stay sane. Life hacks for home managers. Sat, 13 Mar 2010 18:16:59 +0200 hourly 1 By: Shop NOW For The Holidays, While There’s Plenty of Time | Simple Mom http://simplemom.net/serve-your-community-as-a-family/comment-page-1/#comment-11608 Shop NOW For The Holidays, While There’s Plenty of Time | Simple Mom Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:15:24 +0000 http://simplemom.net/?p=834#comment-11608 [...] serve as yet another good reminder that life is not all about them, [...] [...] serve as yet another good reminder that life is not all about them, [...]

]]> By: Mindy Weber http://simplemom.net/serve-your-community-as-a-family/comment-page-1/#comment-11567 Mindy Weber Wed, 12 Nov 2008 23:09:45 +0000 http://simplemom.net/?p=834#comment-11567 gv0bif8kyytu64di gv0bif8kyytu64di

]]> By: kathy http://simplemom.net/serve-your-community-as-a-family/comment-page-1/#comment-9461 kathy Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:34:58 +0000 http://simplemom.net/?p=834#comment-9461 Really good ideas here. I concur with Valerie. Your local woman's shelter is one of the best places to donate goods and/or volunteer time. My sister's family mourned the murder of her husband's niece in late August because she did not have a shelter to turn to that accepted both mom and children. Now her children have no parents and deal daily with the trauma of witnessing their parent's deaths. This happens to good people - I never thought that a tragedy like this could be so close to those I care about. Your donation to a domestic violence shelter could prevent a similar tragedy and bring comfort to families in crisis when they should be celebrating holidays as a family. Really good ideas here. I concur with Valerie. Your local woman’s shelter is one of the best places to donate goods and/or volunteer time. My sister’s family mourned the murder of her husband’s niece in late August because she did not have a shelter to turn to that accepted both mom and children. Now her children have no parents and deal daily with the trauma of witnessing their parent’s deaths. This happens to good people – I never thought that a tragedy like this could be so close to those I care about. Your donation to a domestic violence shelter could prevent a similar tragedy and bring comfort to families in crisis when they should be celebrating holidays as a family.

]]> By: Links For Super-Charged Living - November 1, 2008 | My Super-Charged Life http://simplemom.net/serve-your-community-as-a-family/comment-page-1/#comment-9430 Links For Super-Charged Living - November 1, 2008 | My Super-Charged Life Sat, 01 Nov 2008 12:01:50 +0000 http://simplemom.net/?p=834#comment-9430 [...] to a Cause Serve Your Community as a Family this ChristmasOne Dozen Out-of-the-Box Ideas to Inspire [...] [...] to a Cause Serve Your Community as a Family this ChristmasOne Dozen Out-of-the-Box Ideas to Inspire [...]

]]> By: gina http://simplemom.net/serve-your-community-as-a-family/comment-page-1/#comment-9288 gina Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:25:21 +0000 http://simplemom.net/?p=834#comment-9288 This year I came up with the idea of donating to our local Ronald McDonald House (they house parents/families who have sick children who are hospitalized so that they can be closer to them. Some of these people live 2 or more hrs away from the hospital). I sent out a nice letter to our families and friends this week inviting them to join us this holiday in donating to our charity and if so, to do it in place of exchanging gifts with us this yr. (If your house is like ours (2 Oct. birthdays) then you realize the kids already have a surplus of clothes and toys. There are Ronald McDonald Houses all over the US. You can find yours on the web and print their Wishlist. We will collect all donations at Thanksgiving. This is our first year doing this and I have to say my husband and I already have a renewed attitude about the holidays. . .it just feels like "this is what it is all about." We are going to do something like this every yr now so we can teach our kids the true meaning of Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year I came up with the idea of donating to our local Ronald McDonald House (they house parents/families who have sick children who are hospitalized so that they can be closer to them. Some of these people live 2 or more hrs away from the hospital). I sent out a nice letter to our families and friends this week inviting them to join us this holiday in donating to our charity and if so, to do it in place of exchanging gifts with us this yr. (If your house is like ours (2 Oct. birthdays) then you realize the kids already have a surplus of clothes and toys. There are Ronald McDonald Houses all over the US. You can find yours on the web and print their
Wishlist. We will collect all donations at Thanksgiving. This is our first year doing this and I have to say my husband and I already have a renewed attitude about the holidays. . .it just feels like “this is what it is all about.” We are going to do something like this every yr now so we can teach our kids the true meaning of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

]]> By: Andrea http://simplemom.net/serve-your-community-as-a-family/comment-page-1/#comment-9206 Andrea Mon, 27 Oct 2008 22:56:42 +0000 http://simplemom.net/?p=834#comment-9206 wow- these are amazing suggestions. I'm so excited to try some of these with my family this holiday season. Thanks so much!! wow- these are amazing suggestions. I’m so excited to try some of these with my family this holiday season. Thanks so much!!

]]> By: Jess http://simplemom.net/serve-your-community-as-a-family/comment-page-1/#comment-9198 Jess Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:20:03 +0000 http://simplemom.net/?p=834#comment-9198 These are great. Especially the extra large tip idea. As a former waitress I know how hard these people work, and are often disrespected. You're right, adults need the reminder to give as well. These are great. Especially the extra large tip idea. As a former waitress I know how hard these people work, and are often disrespected. You’re right, adults need the reminder to give as well.

]]> By: Naomi http://simplemom.net/serve-your-community-as-a-family/comment-page-1/#comment-9195 Naomi Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:54:07 +0000 http://simplemom.net/?p=834#comment-9195 At the holidays, our synagogue organizes a slew of family-oriented helping projects, from visiting nursing homes to making a latke party at a homeless shelter (I am a firm believer that holiday food is entirely non-sectarian!) to packing and delivering Christmas dinners to homebound seniors. Year round, we are involved in Family-to-Family (http://family-to-family.org), through which we send a box of groceries every month to a needy rural family. My sons enjoy helping with the shopping and (especially) the packing, and my elder boy often encloses a few original artworks (dinosaur drawings anyone?) and some gently used books. Family-to-Family also sponsors a birthday box project specifically for kids which could easily be adapted to holiday significance. The basic gist is that kid party guests bring a gently-used toy or book and a shoe box; the hosts provide art supplies for decorating and wrapping the items, and one of the party activities is creating a gift package for a kid in need. More detail and explanation here: http://family-to-family.org/giving_partyK.htm Naomi's last blog post...<a href="http://hippiecoolchick.wordpress.com/2008/10/20/the-elephant-in-the-room/" rel="nofollow">The elephant in the room</a> At the holidays, our synagogue organizes a slew of family-oriented helping projects, from visiting nursing homes to making a latke party at a homeless shelter (I am a firm believer that holiday food is entirely non-sectarian!) to packing and delivering Christmas dinners to homebound seniors.

Year round, we are involved in Family-to-Family (http://family-to-family.org), through which we send a box of groceries every month to a needy rural family. My sons enjoy helping with the shopping and (especially) the packing, and my elder boy often encloses a few original artworks (dinosaur drawings anyone?) and some gently used books.

Family-to-Family also sponsors a birthday box project specifically for kids which could easily be adapted to holiday significance. The basic gist is that kid party guests bring a gently-used toy or book and a shoe box; the hosts provide art supplies for decorating and wrapping the items, and one of the party activities is creating a gift package for a kid in need. More detail and explanation here: http://family-to-family.org/giving_partyK.htm

Naomi’s last blog post…The elephant in the room

]]> By: Frugal Babe » Archive » Sunday Round Up http://simplemom.net/serve-your-community-as-a-family/comment-page-1/#comment-9185 Frugal Babe » Archive » Sunday Round Up Mon, 27 Oct 2008 06:05:36 +0000 http://simplemom.net/?p=834#comment-9185 [...] Mom has a beautiful post about giving back this holiday season, and doing it as a family.  I love the ideas here, and I really want to do something this Christmas with my husband and son [...] [...] Mom has a beautiful post about giving back this holiday season, and doing it as a family.  I love the ideas here, and I really want to do something this Christmas with my husband and son [...]

]]> By: Lisa http://simplemom.net/serve-your-community-as-a-family/comment-page-1/#comment-9184 Lisa Mon, 27 Oct 2008 03:09:06 +0000 http://simplemom.net/?p=834#comment-9184 Great post! Two favorites that are part of our yearly tradition are Operation Christmas Child and Gospel for Asia. GFA sends a catalog (similar to Samaritan's Purse and others). Each member of our family chooses a gift that we will fund. Some gifts we've chosen - a lantern to light the way of a native missionary, rabbits for families in third world countries to raise, etc. Wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea but has become an important part of our family's celebration. Great post! Two favorites that are part of our yearly tradition are Operation Christmas Child and Gospel for Asia. GFA sends a catalog (similar to Samaritan’s Purse and others). Each member of our family chooses a gift that we will fund. Some gifts we’ve chosen – a lantern to light the way of a native missionary, rabbits for families in third world countries to raise, etc. Wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea but has become an important part of our family’s celebration.

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