soleRebels

Some shoe companies offer a handout to those less fortunate when you buy a pair of their shoes, for example they will donate a free pair for each pair you purchase.  Those shoes may still be made in low wage factories in China.  soleRebels are different.  soleRebels are an Ethiopian company which offers a fair wage to their employees and are made from organic cotton and recycled tires.  We are talking about a fair trade shoe here!  That alone is exciting to me, but even better, their shoes are great looking and comfy.   

To be fair, I must confess that I am NOT a shoe hound.  I own less pairs of shoes than my husband.  I prefer to spend as little as possible on them (we are talking end-cap clearance rack of Target low) and keep them forEVER.  So for me to spend, $60 on one pair of shoes is major, but I did it and I am very happy with my new shoes. 

soleRebels are made in Ethiopia and each pair is custom made.  Sizing is easy with a chart you can print out and check your size.  The price includes shipping (all the way from Ethiopia).  From the date I ordered the shoes until I received a shipment notice was exactly 2 weeks and I received them within 3 days of the shipment notice.  I picked the TOOs xxYYY elite style shoe in Steel Blue.  They are a medium wash denim color; super soft and comfy and they fit great.  Only problem is, I want another pair now.  Maybe soleRebels will make a shoe hound out of me yet!  

Hearts for Hearts Dolls

Without mentioning the brand name, there is a particular 18” doll that girls are fond of that can be very pricey.  I know, we own two of them.  You know the ones, with a few select boutiques with restaurants in major U.S. cities, their own magazine and website?  No doubt the dolls are beautiful.  They come with books that encourage reading and some even teach about history in a very real way to our girls.  But for 1/4^th the price, you can get a similar doll that is NOT a cheap copy of these expensive ones I am talking about, but original in its own way; Hearts for Hearts dolls.

If you have heard the commercial for Hearts for Hearts dolls, there is an annoying little jingle that is played which I think has certainly not helped with their popularity.  Please don’t let that discourage you from checking them out.  There are 5 dolls in the collection, from 5 different countries.  Each doll has it’s own little story of how she is trying to make a difference in her particular country and community.  A portion of the purchase price from each doll is donated to the humanitarian organization, World Vision. 

The dolls are well made, and the quality of hair is much better than their more expensive counterparts.  There are also additional ethnic outfits that can be purchased separately for the dolls.

There is also a website that can be accessed by a code with each doll or outfit to create a personal page for the girl who owns it.  The page is like a bulletin board in which the girl can put what issues are important to her.  The dolls are fun and educational.  I have seen them at BJ’s, Target and Wal-Mart and they can also be purchased online from Amazon. 

147 Million Orphans

Sometimes a name says it all.  Take 147 Million Orphans for example.  Then think about it for a second.  147 MILLION orphans.  ORPHANS – kids without a mommy or a daddy to love them, alone.  147 MILLION of them in this world.   I would love to adopt 1 or 2 or 4.  I would love for there to be 147 million orphans minus one.  If you can’t adopt 1, you can feed 1, love 1, help 1.

Check out the 147 Million Orphans website.  They have an ever-changing supply of gear.  Purchases help orphans in need with basic necessities.  Sporting the gear will help raise awareness too.

The Cupcake Kids

Over on the right of my blog, on my links button, you will see The Cupcake Kids.   

What are The Cupcake Kids?  Well officially, The Cupcake Kids are little people with big hearts for God and the imprisoned children of Africa.  Technically, my Cupcake Kids are on the bigger side of little as they are in their tweens, but they do have great big hearts for God and the imprisoned children of Africa.  

The Cupcake Kids raise money for Sixty Feet.  You can read more about Sixty Feet by clicking HERE.  

This year will be our first year participating in the sale and can I just tell you how excited I am?   I sent an e-mail out a few months ago to see if any of my mama friends would want to join in and I was overwhelmed by the enthusiastic support I received.  Since we live in a fairly rural area, a local preschool volunteered their building to host the sale.  We have lots of families on board for baking and manning (or "kidding" I should say) the sale and we even have our church’s puppet group set to perform. 

It’s a wonderful thing to have your heart set on fire for God’s children.  It is beyond awesome to see that fire lit in your children.  Oh, and the picture of the cupcake in this post was drawn by my sweet little neighbor boy, for our sale.

The Cupcake Kids represent how easy it is for everyday people and kids to make a difference. Go  HERE.  Sign up for a sale.  Send in your money.  Change lives forever.

 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Luke 12:34

The Greater Good

Looking for a unique and meaningful gift for someone special?  Look no further than The Greater Good.  They offer a variety of items supporting a spectrum of causes.  My personal favorite is the Hunger Site, but you can support Autism, Veterans, Breast Cancer awareness, Literacy, the environment or rescuing animals.  You can also make a donation to charity through this site. 

Through the hunger site, www.thehungersite.com I ordered a fair trade purse made in (big surprise) Uganda.   Each item has an explanation of its origins and how it is helpful, and tells you how many cups of food are provided when you purchase the item. 

There is also news on the website relating to each particular cause.  I recommended liking them on facebook as they often offer special deals like free or reduced shipping to their fans. 

So the next time a friend’s birthday rolls around and you are struggling to think of something special and meaningful, something she doesn’t have and nobody else does either, head to http://www.greatergood.com/.  Pick a cause that is most meaningful to you or the recipient and start shopping.

Purple Prairie

I plan to blog in the near future about a very useful site for finding products that are not harmful to our bodies called Environmental Working Group (EWG).  Hopefully you’ve already heard about them!  Today though, I am sharing a company that I found through EWG.

Both my neighbor and I made the decision last summer to switch to a sunscreen with let’s just say, milder ingredients.   Think about it, we slather this stuff all over our skin and our kids’ skin all summer long.  EWG provides a list of products and rates them.  Many of the recommended sunscreens are more expensive and difficult to find.  Purple Prairie offered a well rated and reasonably priced sunscreen, so I decided to give it a try, while my neighbor ordered another product and we decided to compare notes.  The sunscreen my neighbor ordered, while it worked well, had a peanutty smell to it that her kids objected to.  We both gave Purple Prairie’s sunscreen high marks.  

With each order for sunscreen I placed with Purple Prairie, I would try some of their other products.  Mosquitos seem to love me (must be all the sugar I consume), so I tried their Bug Spray.  This really kept them away.  I shared it with my family.  I shared it with my daughter’s cheer squad.  Nobody thought it would work.  They were so surprised by how well it does work, and bonus, it smells good too.  I had to order more because people kept taking my bugspray!

I love their soaps and candles too, but another of my favorite products is the Gardener’s Carrot Salve.  It comes in a cute tin and is the only product I have ever found that heals my son’s dry, cracked, bright red winter hands.  He just ran out and even he was saying he didn’t want anything else for his hands but more Carrot Salve.  Ever the bargain shopper though, I was waiting for a sale, so I was very happy to get an e-mail from them today with a sale!  Purple Prairie is currently offering 20% off your entire purchase through February 28^th with the code NewMoon at checkout.  You can also score Free shipping on orders over $50. 

http://www.purpleprairie.com/

Happy Shopping!

Kisses From Katie

I can’t remember the exact chain of blogs and/or websites that led me to Katie Davis and her ministry, but I am so glad I stumbled upon her inspiring story. I found out about Katie just before her book, Kisses From Katie was released. After watching this clip on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfXgCx3f_1c , I knew I had to read her book when it came out and pre-ordered it on Amazon.

I think it’s corny to put a period after each word for emphasis, but, wow, this young woman has got. it. together.

Got it together in a way I may never. In a way I strive to. If we all had a tenth of Katie’s passion and compassion, we could change the world. Katie IS changing the world.

Katie is a single 24 year old from Tennessee that has adopted 13 Ugandan girls. She founded Amazima ministries which feeds and sends over 400 children to school each day. She started a feeding program for the poorest of the poor in her Ugandan community, feeding over 1600 children 5 days a week. She has also started a program to teach the women of the community to make magazine paper bead necklaces, similar to those offered by BeadforLife.

You can find out more about Katie and Amazima ministries at http://www.amazima.org/ or by reading her book. There is also a link on the Amazima site to an online store that supports her ministry. At Christmastime they offered a plastic tub filled with useful supplies that included a Bible, blanket, 4 cups, 4 plates, buttons and thread, a mosquito net, jerry can (water jug), razor blades and knives that would be given to every family in their sponsorship program. I printed out a picture of the gift, mounted it on card stock and decorated with glitter and string to hang on the tree, wrapped it up and gave it as a Christmas present.

I hope Katie inspires you like she’s inspired me!