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Shenae Grimes’ new movie, “Sugar,” highlights homeless plight in America

30 September, 2013 6 Comments

For varying reasons, it can be difficult to ascertain how many men, women, and children are homeless each year in the States. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, in most cases being homeless is a temporary condition, not permanent. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development concluded that on a single night in January 2007, nearly 672,000 people were homeless.

An uneven number of homeless persons are veterans. Of the general U.S. population, seven percent can claim veteran status, but almost 13 percent of the homeless are veterans. Additionally, nearly 13,000 veterans of the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were homeless at some point in 2010 (National Coalition for Homeless Veterans).

Especially sobering, about one and a half million children are homeless every year in the United States. That’s one in every 50 kids!

How can you help? A quick Internet search should bring up numerous charitable organizations -some in your own community- that you can support through donations or volunteer your time at. The site JustGive.org has an awesome list called “35 Ways to Help the Homeless.” They suggest donating toys, groceries, or clothing. Volunteer your professional services or your time at a soup kitchen. Tutor homeless children and educate your own about the homeless.

Want to see 90210 star Shenae Grimes in a dramatic leading role? Check out the latest movie by executive producer Elliott Broidy called Sugar. Shenae’s leading role takes her to Venice Beach, California where she ends up making lasting relationships with other homeless teens. Rotini Rainwater and Elliot Broidy’s Sugar is inspired by real events and has goals to educate people on homelessness in America. Watch the trailer below!

Sources:

JustGive.org- https://www.justgive.org/donations/help-homeless.jsp
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans- http://nchv.org/index.php/news/media/background_and_statistics/
National Coalition for the Homeless- http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/How_Many.html
PBS Facts and Figures: The Homeless- http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/526/homeless-facts.html
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development- http://www.huduser.org/periodicals/Researchworks/decjan_09/RW_vol6num1t3.html

Note: I was compensated for this post.

DIY, Sponsored Post

DIY: Toyarium gardening project

25 June, 2013 11 Comments

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Miracle-Gro for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

As Baby J grows older, I try to include him in more projects around our home. I even bought a small watering can just for him to help me water our little balcony garden. In reality, it’s more like he’s bashing the tops of the plants with the watering can! It’s cute though, and I want him to grow up being helpful, so it’s all okay!

Miracle-Gro has several fun garden projects (<<check this out!) on their Pinterest and Facebook pages, and as soon as I saw the “Toyarium” project, I knew I had to try it with Baby J! As you can see, the “Toyarium” is a terrarium with toys in it.

To make your own Toyarium, you need:

fishbowl or other glass container
succulents
Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Mix
plastic toys
rocks
spoon

Step 1: Add rocks to bottom of container (they help with drainage).

Step 2: Use your spoon to scoop moisture-control potting mix into the container.

Step 3: Place your succulents into the container (if they have barbs, be careful!).

Step 4: Add your toys. Then scoop potting mix around the plants and toys as necessary.

And that’s it! This project is easy and fast to do.

Tips:

To save money, use a glass jar, vase, or other container you have around the home. Just make sure it’s cleaned thoroughly first, and that the mouth is wide enough that you can easily place the plants and toys inside.

For the drainage layer, you can buy rocks polished specifically for this purpose. Or try small pieces of gravel or broken pottery.

To help your plants grow, try the LiquaFeed All Purpose Plant Food Advance Starter Kit by Miracle-Gro.

Regarding the toys, I started off with a rubber snake we had in the toy bin. I thought it looked cool! But most people would find it creepy (see below), so I took it off and went with Buzz. When I get the chance, I’ll check the dollar store for toy dinosaurs. I think they’d look perfect peeking through the foliage!

Too creepy, eh?

If you want to get your green thumb on, check out The Gro Project and join the movement!

Unique and Multipurpose- The Mombo Nursing Pillow and Infant Positioner

20 May, 2013 3 Comments

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Comfort and Harmony for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

The Comfort & Harmony Mombo is both a nursing pillow and infant positioner in one. The pillow has a 2-sided construction called the “Firm2Soft” that serves the two purposes.

The firm side of the pillow supports mommy’s back during nursing and elevates baby in a comfortable position. The pillow’s soft side functions as a lounger and cradles baby. There’s even an optional soothing vibration feature.

For the Mombo, choose nude (no cover), standard, or deluxe. There’s one with taggies on it to give your baby a little extra fun to play with! There are plenty of pillow cover colors and patterns available for purchase, so you can choose one to fit your style or have extras on hand for wash day.

The pillow measures 21.2 x 16.7 x 5.5 inches and weighs a sturdy 2.7 lbs. For the vibration feature, 1C batteries are needed and must be purchased separately.

You can find the Mombo and other products designed by Comfort & Harmony at your local Toys”R”Us and Babies”R”Us stores or online. They also sell cart covers, one of which we own. I use the shopping cart cover all the time at Target and the grocery store! It’s padded and has loops to hang toys and pockets at the back (out of Baby J’s reach) for me to put my sunglasses, wallet, etc. Comfort & Harmony also has portable swings and bouncers/rockers, so take a look and see if there’s something you like!

Visit Comfort & Harmony on Facebook and Comfort & Harmony on Twitter for updates, tips, photos, and fun stuff.

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