3G2S Turned 7! Let's Celebrate with 'Gifts That Give!' from UNICEF Market!

Thank you to UNICEF Market for providing a gift code for us to shop and for providing an additional gift code for our giveaway prize.  All opinions expressed are my own.

This March, 3G2S turned 7!  Since I am now a part time blogger and have far less time to write, I have to make each post count.  That's why this blogoversary seems like the perfect opportunity to share the new sister site to Novica.com, UNICEF Market, with 3G2S readers.

As you may have noticed over the years, I have a soft spot for triple garnet silver jewelry.  I love wearing it to represent my three January babies.  That's why I absolutely fell in love with the Garnet and Sterling Silver 'Waterfall' Necklace I found on UNICEF Market.  This necklace was handcrafted by an artisan named Carmen Granados from the Andes in Peru and displays three round garnets in a graceful, yet modern design.

To make UNICEF Market jewelry even more special, each piece comes in a drawstring jewelry pouch and is accompanied by an artisan storycard, which allowed me to learn a little bit about the woman in Peru who created my necklace.  Every UNICEF Market purchase is packed with a postcard with a handwritten thank you.  In addition to all these special touches, you can feel good about giving artisan-made gifts because, not only are you supporting the artisan, but you are also helping UNICEF save and protect children in impoverished areas around the world.  Each product page gives you an example of how your purchase could benefit children.  For example, the purchase of this necklace may have provided 18 doses of measles vaccine to vulnerable children.

I have to admit, I love giving 'gifts that give' as much as I love receiving them.  While shopping for myself on UNICEF Market, I began looking for Mother's Day gift ideas for my mother, grandmother, and sister.  On the top of my list so far are the beautiful scarves and shawls, plus some of the ornate hand carved jewelry boxes.

Thinking of shopping UNICEF Market for your next gift purchase?  Each gift purchase comes with a free greeting card containing your gift message plus there is the option to upgrade to Premium Gift Boxes for jewelry purchases.  For each item, you can click on "Delivery Estimate" to find the cost of shipping (which is surprisingly affordable) and the approximate number of business days it will take the item to travel from its point of origin to your front door.

Learn more about the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and the UNICEF mission here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

This giveaway is open to U.S residents only. You must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. A random drawing will be held shortly after the contest closing. The winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Hand Out Smiles This Halloween, While Supporting the Dave Thomas Foundation For Adoption #Frosty4Adoption

About three months ago, we met an amazing little boy.  We had the pleasure of meeting this boy because he was to become our new nephew and a new cousin to our children.  You see, my sister and brother-in-law are currently in the process of adopting.  It is a long and difficult process, but I know they feel it is worth it.  This little boy has already stolen their hearts.  Thinking about what this little boy has been through over the past year or so is quite saddening.  However, thinking about how he is so close to not only having a home with loving parents, but also aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and great-grandparents who all love him too, is extremely heartwarming.

Did you know that there are more than 100,000 children in foster care awaiting adoption? I find that statistic to be astounding and can't help but think about how many children will never be placed in loving homes.  This is why it's so important to support foster care adoption and why Wendy's makes it easy for you to take action. All you have to do is Purchase a Wendy’s® Halloween Coupon Book for $1 at participating Wendy’s restuarants!

The next time you stop into Wendy's or go through their drive-thru, perhaps to try one of their new Pulled Pork Sandwiches, remember to pick up one (or more) Halloween coupon books.  They're only $1 each and contain 10 coupons for a free Jr. Frosty™. Ninety cents of every $1 Halloween Coupon Book sold between September 13 – October 31, 2014 will benefit the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption®.

Do you love gifts that give like I do? Last year, one of our children's teachers gave each of her students a  Jr. Frosty™ Halloween coupon for Halloween.  They'd be perfect to hand out to trick-or-treaters in place of or tied to a lollipop or other type of candy.  You could even buy one coupon book for each stocking you have to stuff this Holiday.  If you like any of these ideas or have some ideas of your own, don't wait to pick up your coupon books.  They're only available until the end of October, but can be redeemed from November 1st, 2014 through February 1st, 2015.  Thanks to Wendy’s® consumers and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption®, 4,000+ children have found adoptive families.  Let's all do our part in helping to make that number grow!

Visit your local Wendy’s® to purchase a Jr. Frosty™ Halloween Coupon Book* for $1, which benefits the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption®! 

*Coupon book may contain coupons for 5 or 10 free Jr. Frosty™ treats. Prices and participation may vary. Ninety cents to every $1 coupon booklet sold between 9/15/14 and 10/31/14 will benefit the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption®. Coupons valid from 11/1/14 through 2/1/15. ©2014 Oldemark LLC

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Share a Photo of Something Good for Charity to Support Proper Eye Care for Children! (#EyeSawGood #MC)

I participated in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Alcon. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating. All opinions expressed are my own.

I got my first pair of glasses when I was 9 years old and my husband got his when he was 6.  Now two of our three children wear glasses at the ages of 6 and 9.  We are lucky that our children's school administers eye exams because, unless a child is squinting often during class, any vision problems can easily be overlooked.  Our 6 year old son already struggles with learning, so it was imperative that we not add unclear vision to his list of obstacles.  I know first hand how costly it is to buy glasses for children, especially when you need to keep one pair at home and one pair at school.  I shudder to think how many families are unable to provide proper eye care for their children even after a vision problem has been identified.

Through Alcon's #EyeSawGood campaign, you can help to raise up to $50,000 to go towards providing eye exams and glasses to children of families in need across the United States.  All you need to do is share a photo of something you deem as good on Twitter using the hashtag #EyeSawGood to prompt a $1 donation from Alcon to this worthy cause.

To learn more about this cause, visit www.theeyesolution.com.  My #EyeSawGood photo is at the top of this post.  What would be the subject of your #EyeSawGood photo?

For the 13th Year, the Office Depot Foundation National Backpack Program Equips Children in Need for Back-to-School

Thank you to the Office Depot Foundation for providing sample products for us to donate to our elementary school community.  All opinions expressed are my own.

I've share about the Office Depot Foundation National Backpack Program during previous years and am happy to report that 300,000 backpacks will be provided to children in need for this back-to-school season.  I am always happy to support a retailer who gives back to the community, especially when it is in support of education because every child deserves an equal chance at succeeding in school.

To tell you the truth, when I think about charitable programs that support education, I always think they are doing good somewhere.  I don't associate such programs with my own community because our school is not a high-poverty school.  After a brief conversation with our school principal, however, I learned that there are many families in our school who cannot afford to buy basic school supplies for their children.  How can a child succeed in school without writing utensils, notebooks, and something with which to carry their books back and forth?  My family is quite far from being wealthy, so I am very conscious of how much it costs to equip 3 children with everything they need to start off a new school year.  I am very thankful to be able to donate 3 sackpacks complete with filled pencil cases, provided by the Office Depot Foundation, to our school.  Hopefully they will make going to school a little bit easier for 3 children this fall.

To learn more about how you can support the National Back Program and other Office Depot Foundation projects, visit OfficeDepotFoundation.org, as well as their pages on Facebook and Twitter.

4 Tips for Getting Ready for Back-to-School On a Budget & How to Help Others Get Ready Too!

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Boys & Girls Clubs of America. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Last year, was the first year I had children in 3 different classrooms because our twins were in the same classroom during preschool.  I have to say that I was a little bit flustered because I had a different list of school supplies and wishlist items from each class.  I could not believe how much I spent after all was said and done.  This year, I feel like an old pro compared to last year.  I had everything done for back-to-school 3 weeks early and now I can enjoy the last few weeks of summer vacation with my children.

If you are a little stressed out about the amount of items on your child's back-to-school list or about the total cost of those items, here are few tips on how to cut down on spending . . .

1.  Shop for clothing, outerwear, and shoes in advance.  Since I shop for children's clothes in the next size up during end-of-the-season sales, I usually have a good supply of fall clothes for each of my 3 children.  Then I just need to take advantage of the back-to-school sales to fill in the holes in each child's wardrobe.  If you are buying boots in advance, then I would buy 2 sizes up so that they will last from fall through the end of the winter.

2.  Reuse last year's school supplies.  Even though it seems nice to have everything brand new for the start of the school year, there is no reason why your child cannot use last year's backpack, lunch box, pencil box, pencils, pens, highlighters, crayons, markers, poly folders, etc . . . again if they are still in good condition.  On the same note, a younger sibling can use an older sibling's previous backpack or lunch box that may be too childish looking now that he or she is older.  The cost of school supplies can really add up, especially when you have more than one child.

3.  Buy school supplies in bulk or multi-packs.  You can buy school supplies at office supply stores or at warehouse stores in large quantities and then split them up between your children.  Purchasing this way is usually a better value.  You can also do the same thing for classroom donations.  If you only have one child, you can put the excess supplies away for next year.  Examples of things you can buy in bulk are yellow pencils, ballpoint pens, glue sticks, 2-pocket portfolios, safety scissors, disinfecting wipes, paper towels, boxed facial tissue, and hand sanitizer.

4.  Invest in reusable bottles and food containers.  You probably already know that the cost of bottled water, aluminum foil, and sandwich bags can add up quickly.  Buying reusable water bottles, snack containers, and sandwich or lunch containers will help to save money in the long run (and it's better for the environment).  If you are good about washing these items daily, then you will only need two sets . . . one to use and one as a spare in case your child forgets their lunch box at school.  Just be sure to label all your child's bottles and food containers so that they do not accidentally go missing.

Unfortunately for some families, doing the above does not make getting ready for back-to-school affordable enough.  I know such families exist in my children's grade school community and they likely do in yours as well.  That is why I love the idea of an online school supply drive!

Once again this year, the Boys and Girls Club of America (BGCA) has teamed up with Disney to run an online supply drive.  To participate, it costs you nothing but your time.  All you need to do is play the Supply Drive Game, a multiple choice trivia type game.  For every 5 questions you answer correctly, a school supply kit will be donated to a child in need who is a member of the BGCA.  It literally took me less than 2 minutes to answer 5 questions correctly, so if you devote 20 minutes of your time to playing this game, 10 club kids could each receive a school supply kit because you cared.

For more tips on preparing your children for back-to-school, visit GreatFutures.org.

The UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation is Currently Accepting Applications for Children's Medical Grants

As a family of five trying to make ends meet in this struggling economy, we understand too well what hardship any unplanned medical expenses can cause.  Even though we are covered under my husband's medical insurance through his employer, anything that is not routine is not covered 100%.  Even if the coverage is 80% for non-routine medical attention, tests, and procedures, that 20% of a large medical bill would likely be more than the average family can afford, even when paid in installments.  The frightening idea of something like this happening is always in the back of our minds along with an overwhelming feeling of helplessness.  As parents, we might consider putting off medical treatment for ourselves, but we would never think of doing that for our children.

Thankfully we have yet to go through such an ordeal and certainly other parents who have would have useful advice to offer.  I would, however, like to share about a source for financial assistance for child-related medical bills that parents may not be aware of.

Since 2006, the UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation has been awarding grants to families to assist with their children's medical expenses that are not covered or fully-covered by their insurance plans.  Over the course of approximately 7 years, this non-profit children's charity has awarded more than 5,000 medical grants to families in need.  Each grant awarded can be up to $5,000 and can help to pay for child-related medical expenses, including (but not limited to) the following . . .

• Physical, occupational, and speech therapy
• Counseling services
• Surgeries
• Prescriptions
• Wheel chairs
• Orthotics
• Eyeglasses
• Hearing aids

Although UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation grant applications are being accepted ongoing, here are some guidelines for knowing if your family is eligible:

1. Child with the medical condition must be 16 years old or younger
2. Family must meet certain economic guidelines
3. Family must reside in the United States
4. Child must be covered under a commercial health insurance plan
5. Application must be completed by the child's parents or legal guardians
6. Expenses covered by the grant must have been incurred within 60 days prior to submitting the application (Note:  Grants awarded will also cover related medical expenses incurred in the future.)

Visit www.uhccf.org to submit your grant application or if you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to the UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation.  Please know that all donations are used towards grants to help families in the same region from which the donation was received.

CampusBookRentals Supports Operation Smile With Their "Making A Difference Program"

Earlier this year, I shared about an Operation Smile Facebook campaign led by SwimWays.  Well, you should know that there are many retailers who support Operation Smile.  Operation Smile is an international medical charity that performs reconstructive surgery on children with congenital facial deformities, most commonly children born with cleft lip and/or cleft palate.  By donating a portion of the precedes from their sales, retailers (and their customers) are able to support this worthy cause.  CampusBookRentals, an online textbook rental program, is one such retailer.

For the second year in a row, CampusBookRentals had chosen Operation Smile to benefit from their Making a Difference Program.  If you know someone who is enrolled in college or is taking college courses, make sure to tell them about CampusBookRentals.  Not only does this retailer rent nearly every text book available with free shipping both ways, they also offer referral bonuses to students and a Textbook Scholarship Program.  You can learn more about all these programs by visiting CampusBookRentals.com.

Boys and Girls Club of America (BGCA), Disney, and JCPenney Team Up for a Better Back-to-School for Our Children

Last night I was able to go out and buy the last of the items on my children's school supplies lists given to us by their soon-to-be teachers.  If you can believe it, I had 5 lists between our 3 children.  Some of the things on the lists were just common sense items, like a backpack for instance.  Other things were very specific, like liquid hand soap in a pump and large glue sticks.  It always amazes me how one class' list can differ so much from another's.  Still, I don't mind picking up these things throughout the summer, if it means that the teachers will need to spend less of their own money to have the basics for their classrooms.

As I was packing the school supplies up into separate bags for each classroom, I started to think about how some families cannot even afford to buy their children backpacks or lunchboxes, never mind all these other supplies in front of me, like antibacterial wipes and gallon-size food storage bags, none of which are inexpensive.  That is why I think the combined effort between Boys and Girls Club of America, Disney, and JCPenney to make going back-to-school a better experience for less fortunate children is such an admirable one.  How can you help?  Here are two easy ways . . .

1.  Visit bgca.org and play the Tools For Back to School "Supply Drive Game" sponsored by Disney.  All you need to do is answer 5 trivia questions correctly about BGCA and school supplies will be donated to a child member of the club.  The questions are multiple choice and, if you get one wrong, it let's you try that question again.  This costs you nothing, but 2 or 3 minutes of your time.

(Click any image to enlarge)

2.  When you shop at your local JCPenney during the month of August, support JCP Cares in benefiting the Boys and Girls Club of America by rounding up your purchase.  What does that mean?  All you need to do is round up your purchase total to the nearest dollar and the difference will be donated to BGCA.  For example, if your purchase total comes to $39.50, when you opt to round up, your new total will be $40.00 and $.50 will be donated towards this worthy cause.  You may think a little change does not sound like much, but when it is combined with a little change from thousands of shoppers, it can add up to quite a lot.

You can learn more about both these initiatives by visiting bcga.org.  While you're there, remember to checkout the useful back-to-school tips for parents and students, such as these tips about how to make homework time a more organized, positive, stress-free experience for both you and your child . . .

Open publication - Free publishing

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Boys and Girls Club. I received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Back-to-School: Office Depot Will Donate 400,000 Sackpacks to Students in 2012

Every child needs a school bag to carry their books home from school, right?  Well, you may be surprised to learn that there are children in the U.S. who carry their lunches and books to school in plastic grocery bags because their families just cannot afford to or have simply neglected to buy backpacks for them.  In fact, there are enough children in this situation for the Office Depot Foundation to donate approximately 400,000 brand new sackpacks towards this cause in 2012 alone and an astounding 2.5 million backpacks over the first 11 years of their National Backpack Program.

The backpack program is only one of several socially responsible philanthropic programs organized or supported by the Office Depot Foundation, including efforts towards disaster relief and recovery.  You can learn about these efforts, how to get involved by volunteering, and how to make a charitable donation by visiting www.OfficeDepotFoundation.org and Office Depot Foundation on Facebook.

(Click any image to enlarge)

As always, I am proud to be a customer of a retailer that makes such a huge effort to give back and whose efforts benefit children.  Office Depot will definitely be one of my stops for back-to-school shopping this year.

No compensation was received for sharing this information with my readers.

SwimWays Partners with Operation Smile in a $50,000 Facebook Challenge

Earlier this month, I announced on Facebook that my family was invited to be part of the SwimWays "Swim Steps Swim Team" again this year!  I was so proud to be part of this team last year because SwimWays strongly promotes safety when it comes to children and swimming, whether they are beginner or advanced swimmers.  This year, I am even more proud to be on this team because SwimWays has expanded its charitable efforts to benefit Operation Smile even further with a new Facebook campaign.

Operation Smile is a medical charity that benefits children worldwide, providing costly medical services, such as life-saving operations.  As an ongoing effort to support this children's charity, SwimWays donates a portion of the sale of every SwimSteps product sold to Operation Smile.  For the month of April, SwimWays has added to their regular contributions by donating $2 for every new "Like" of the Operation Smile Facebook page (up to $50,000).  As a thank you for taking the time to "Like" this page, SwimWays will give you a special 20% discount off your next SwimWays purchase.

So, what are you waiting for?  Just a few seconds of your time, will prompt a $2 donation towards this worthy children's charity.

No compensation was received for sharing this information with my readers.

Send a Free Mother's Day Card to Support "Futures Without Violence"

This year for Mother's Day, thanks to Macy's Thank-A-Mom Movement, I was able to send a free e-card to an amazing mom I know and had $5 donated in her honor to Futures Without Violence courtesy of Macy's.  I was actually able to choose this charity out of five very worthy causes.

Futures Without Violence (formerly the Family Violence Prevention Fund) supports the prevention of child abuse, teen dating violence, and teen sexual assault.  As helpless as an adult who is subject to abuse must feel, I cannot imagine how a child in that situation must feel.  Every child deserves to receive love and support from those around them, giving them the chance to grow up into loving, caring, and well-adjusted adults.




Prompting a $5 donation can be done in 4 easy steps . . .

1. Visit Macy's on Facebook and choose which cause you would like to support.  You can choose from Go Red For Women, Futures Without Violence, The Make-A-Wish Foundation, National Park Foundation, and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).
2. Select a card design or upload your own image.
3. Add a message to your card.
4. Choose to send the card to up to 10 moms on Facebook or as many moms as you like via email.

Macy's will donate up to $400,000 combined to these 5 charities during this campaign.  When you are all done, you will be invited to browse the Macy's Mother's Day Gift Guide, which is filled with great ideas for putting a smile on Mom's face on her special day.


Macy's sent a floral bouquet to a mom of my choice as a thank you for helping to spread the word about the Thank-A-Mom Movement.

Review: Girls Pediped Flex "Grace" Shoes for Spring 2011

My daughter was first introduced to pediped Flex shoes when she was only 2-1/2 years old with the Giselle sandals.  She just fell in love with them.  Then last fall she wore the Giselle leather Mary Janes for the first day of school.  Needless to say, we are huge fans of the pediped Flex Fit System.  We completely understand why pediped footwear has been awarded the American Podiatric Medical Association Seal of Acceptance as a shoe that promotes healthy foot development in children.  Most recently, pediped received an endorsement by researches associated with Harvard Medical School and Boston's Children's Hospital in recognition of pediped shoes' roomy rounded toes, ultra-flexible soles, and extremely breathable designs.  This all proves what we already know about pediped, that a shoe can be cute and fun, while still giving our children the room, support, and flexibility that was once only associated with athletic shoes.

The pediped Flex shoes, aside from the sandals, all come with an extra pair of insoles, which give parents the option of purchasing a shoe in a half-size larger than their child currently needs.  Once the child grows into the shoe, then the parent can remove the extra insoles, making these shoes last months longer than an average pair of shoes.  We have always used the insoles in the past, but this time the Light Pink Sparkle Grace canvas Mary Jane fit my daughter perfectly, to her delight.

The pediped Foundation . . . 

In 2010, the pediped Foundation was established as a philanthropic entity to support children's charities.  Since it was founded, over $1,000,000 of funds and pediped products have been donated to better the lives of children, not just in the United States, but around the world.

Visit pediped.com to shop and view all the new arrivals in Originals (for children 0-24 months), Grip 'n' Go (for sizes 4 to 7), and the Flex Collection (for sizes 5 to 13.5).  You can also find out more information by visiting pediped on Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you to pediped for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

Visit Macy's to Support the Make-A-Wish Foundation & Aflac for Pediatric Cancer

If you have been touched by the spirit of the holidays, then you most likely have been thinking about ways to give back and ways to just do some good. Do you remember the Macy's Believe campaign of 2009? Well Santa's mailbox is in Macy's stores again for Holiday 2010. All you need to do is bring your children along with their letters to Santa and drop them in the mailbox to prompt a $1 donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for each letter. Macy's will donate up to $1 million for the 3rd annual Macy's Believe campaign.

If your child needs help with their letter to Santa, there is a tool to help you type your child's letter out in his or her words and decorate it right on the Believe website. Then all you need to do is print out the letter and have your child drop it in the mailbox at your local Macy's store. You can also find on this website, the schedule for the Macy's National Santa Tour, which continues through December 22nd, 2010. Visit Macy's on Facebook for a fun game helping Virginia and Ollie get their letters to Santa.

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Another great way to give this holiday is to support the Aflac/Macy's Holiday Duck sale! Do you remember the Aflac Duck in this 2010 commercial? . . .

Since the year 2001, the Aflac Duck has been sold in Macy's stores to benefit the Aflac Cancer Center. For some, it is a tradition to collect the current year's Aflac Duck. The 2010 Aflac Duck is already sold out online in both the 6" and 10" versions, but you can still find him at participating Macy's stores. He only costs $10 for the 6" and $15 for the 10". Both contain a sound chip, so you can hear the Aflac Duck's signature line. Purchasing this duck will benefit pediatric cancer treatment and research.

This adorable little guy would be a great gift for a child, but I think he would be the perfect gift for a co-worker. Usually at work, you are not allowed to blow off steam. Well, the Aflac Duck screams when you cannot. One or two squeezes of my new little friend really helps me to relieve a bit stress. I've found it to be very therapeutic.

Visit AflacHolidayDuck.com to learn more about this great cause, including which U.S. hospitals will benefit from the Aflac/Macy's Holiday Duck sale and which store locations are selling the 2010 Aflac Holiday Duck.

Thank you to Aflac for providing a complimentary product sample to base this review upon.