Portrait of a giver....

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We have been so fortunate to meet such great people along this journey. Heather has talked about how it feels to receive and we have also received some wonderful emails of appreciation from those that have begun to receive our boxes. On the other hand, the feeling of giving is as powerful as the feeling of receiving. And so in that spirit, I wanted to share with you one of our donors who was generous enough to send along baby boy clothes.

Cheri is a new mom to her son, Reese. She lives in California and is a single mom to her precious little boy. When I first told Cheri of our undertaking, she was immediately on board with some awesome enthusiasm. She talked about truly appreciating her own blessings and wanting to pass them and that feeling along to another. She also came up with some great ways that she could take the message and help spread it. She’s been a great believer in our cause. I love the pic we attached of her and her son. I am such a fan of including your children in the process of giving when possible. I think it teaches them to give back from the very beginning. Though Reese will never remember this moment, what a wonderful picture to show him as he gets older. One of our littlest givers…. Too sweet =)

During one of our conversations, Cheri said a line that has since become one of my favorites. She said, “I want this to be a “hand-up” and not considered a “hand-out.” Love it – and so very, very true…

We’d love to share more pictures and stories. Whether you are on the receiving end or the giving end, take a moment and snap some pics and let us know how you felt or your story. You know we love to hear from you! (Don’t I tell you that every time I write? Lol…)

On another note – we are now on Facebook. If you have a profile, take a minute to click on the facebook link on the sidebar and add yourself as a fan. Once you’ve added yourself, suggest our group to some friends. We feel strongly that the more people we are able to reach, the more people we are able to help. And spreading the message is something we are all a part of!

I wanted to share something on a personal note, since I feel like I don’t do that enough. This past Friday was my wedding anniversary – 10 years married already, even though it seems like just yesterday! My husband has been so supportive of this undertaking and the time that it has taken to get this all up and running. So, he took a half-day Friday and we planned to spend the rest of the day together on a date. As he walked in the door, I saw that he had something behind his back. I figured it was something along more of the traditional lines, but I was wrong. It was a framed picture of our first box that we sent for Pass It On, Baby! He had taken some photos of the box and had the photo blown up and framed for my desk. He wanted me to remember that no matter where this all ends up, that it all started with a box of kindness. Yes, there are some obvious reasons that I married this guy! *wink*

Finally, Heather and I wanted to say thank you for the response on our recent post regarding the request for the 5-7 t-shirts for the mother of the two autistic sons. We still would like to send her more. If you haven’t visited our blog before, her story is two entries back…take a moment and read a little about her life.

Thanks as always for listening!
In love and kindness.



Email Elizabeth
Email Heather

A Pass It On, Baby! Baby...

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THANK YOU to everyone who has been willing to get out there and start looking for T-shirts to send to our family with the autistic son. Much love and kindness to all of you! :)

I too have been very moved by this story - and frankly - all the stories we have received. Each one tugging at different strings in my heart. Since my child is still young, I didn't have anything I could personally "pass on" so me and my husband decided to spend the evening at Wal-mart with my 11 month old son looking for shirts as a family. (here is a photo of Cade enjoying a water bottle while shopping)

It reminded me why I do this and emotionally moves me to continue helping others and reaching out to others for help. (As Elizabeth and I know all too well that we cannot do this alone and rely on all of you and your networks to help those recipients that find their way to us - to all of us.)

As I have stated before, I have been given so many wonderful things to help ease the financial burden of having Cade. He was in ICU for several days after being born and with only part-time insurance it cost us several thousand dollars to have him. That being said, all the items that have been passed on, all the clothes that have been sent my way have helped me in so many ways. So I thought I would share just a few pictures in the slideshow below of all the wonderful things being used by this Pass It On, Baby! Baby. He has never gone without and I haven't had to stress about all the things that I wish I could buy but maybe couldn't (or better shouldn't) afford to be buying at this time. Here is a list of the things that have been passed on by family and friends with pictures of a few below. Thank you to those who helped me when I needed it or those that were just looking to pass on something they no longer needed! :)

Clothes, Breast Pump, Boppy, Baby Carrier, High Chair, Exersaucer, Jogging Stroller, Jumper, Duck Bath, Carseat, Sandbox, Zebra Pony Rider and more.

Here are pics of that happy kid using these items. 

In love and kindness,



Email Elizabeth
Email Heather

Sharing the burden...

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Sometimes a picture is a million times more powerful than any words could ever be. Such was the case a few days ago when we heard from a dear reader, and frankly an awe-inspiring woman. (Just an FYI - I asked if I could share her story – I would never disclose information without a prior go-ahead.) She is a single mom raising two severely autistic boys on her own – and all the way, enjoying the journey. One of the boys is dealing with some severe sensory and anxiety issues which cause him to bite at his shirts – any and all of them. His mother sends five changes of shirts with him to school daily, and all come home wet in a plastic bag with some real damage done to them. This little boy owns about 20 shirts and currently 90% of them look just like the pics below. The shirts she does have only hold up about a month so it is a constant expense and of course, as this is her older son that is dealing with these sensory issues, there are no hand-me-downs for the younger babe. Here is what you need to see…..the shirts.



And this is why we need to help….because she needs us and her son needs us.

I am asking everyone who reads this blog to take a moment and reflect on if you are able to either find a few shirts from your closet, a friend, a neighbor or for those in better financial situations to buy a few shirts from Target, Wal-mart, Kmart – anywhere. If you cannot do either, pass along the word to someone who might be able to. Spread the message…keep the kindness flowing. We have a chance…a chance to make things easier for a mother and her child. Let’s not let them down. It’s a random act of kindness shown to a mother you will probably never meet…and you know what, that’s what makes it so powerful and SO beautiful.

I hope every person who reads this is touched and that this dear reader receives shirts from all over the country with little notes telling her to stay strong and hopeful. This is how we change the world. One little act of kindness at a time….every single person doing their part. They needn’t be expensive…..some t-shirts at Target are less than $5….

And the particulars….we need XS or S shirts or approximately size 5-7 on boys….short sleeved please. If you can help, email me and I will send you her address and additional information. Let’s do this, Baby! =) Ok, so I adjusted it a little from the Pass It On, Baby!... just having some fun with it!

We’ve continued to hear from some great people and I just want to tell you again, as always, what a pleasure it is to hear from you. Your stories and comments are amazing and in those moments where I wonder if we are doing the right thing, your words uplift and encourage me. (and I’m sure Heather as well =) Since we’ve begun, things just seem to be falling in to place as we build this charity with no experience but with lots and lots of love, faith and hope. So, thank you.


In love and kindness,



Email Elizabeth
Email Heather

Busy little bees...

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WOW! It's all I can exclaim after such an exciting week! After being up on MckMama's blog all last week, we have seen an enormous amount of traffic - new donors are reaching out, and people in need are finding us. We had about 1200 hits and several new followers! WELCOME!! We appreciate those who continue to "pass on" the message to family and friends and many new donors and recipients are finding us through your blogs, emails and other forms of "word of mouth" communication. We cannot express our gratitude to you enough! 

Through all this - we've become quite busy in such a short amount of time and finding clothing quickly can be a bit of a task. So - as you may have noticed, we have added a new "Immediate Needs" section to the right of our blog. This is an area where we hope to match up recipients quickly and could use your help reaching out to your networks. Many of you are already using this! Thank you! If you or someone you know have just a couple of outfits to donate for these immediately needed sizes, please let us know. 

I (and I know Elizabeth does too) continue to be in amazement and also humbled by the stories of both donors and recipients. As I have noted before and many of you have read the story about the family in Columbus, OH who had the fire and lost everything. We were told by a close friend of hers that she and her family had received the boxes that were sent and that it was quite an emotional experience. The friend even noted that - it felt like Christmas for them during this very tough time. Well here is her comment on how Pass It On Baby made her feel!  

"I have to say thank you so much. I had a house fire may 6th. We lost everything including our dog. It was so painful. My friend was talking about our loss. Some one then told her about pass it on Baby, In the next few days 2 boxes came from texas to my work. Both containing some wonderful cloths for both of my children. They loved them. I can not thank you enough. I am going visit the websit aften to see what you need. Paying it back in 3 folds."

After our original posting, we received a loving email from a woman who went through the same thing. They lost everything in a fire too and could relate on every mental, emotional and spiritual level as the indescribable feeling of loss. She just wanted this family to know that someone understands. Her kind words of support for this family and our charity have been heartfelt and received. 

It's these stories, these connections, this outpour of love coming and going in both directions that make it all the worthwhile. Elizabeth and I thank you for sharing with us, joining in with us, and just coming along in changing the world - one outfit at a time. We will continue to share our story, your story, those in need and those donating - the journey of giving and receiving. 

In love and kindness,  


Email Elizabeth
Email Heather

Our new community....

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Hi friends – if you have read our blog before, you will have quickly learned that we have never set up a charity, nor ever expected to run one and there is a BIG learning curve that we are up against. We are just sort of learning as we go!! And, boy, are we LEARNING!! LOL! =) Soooo.. Heather and I thought that if just two people can come up with some ideas – then maybe LOTS of people can come up with LOTS of ideas. And that’s where you darlings come in….We need your thoughts (and BOY do we need ‘em!!) on how to reach people, since the more people that hear about us, then the more people we can help – and the more people we help, the stronger our communities get and the kinder the world gets. We all win! And we need your thoughts on this outreach in general…maybe you’d like to give feedback on the blog, what you’d like to see, stories you’d like to hear….anything!

If you look on our sidebar, a wonderful gal who created the BlogFrog set up a community for us. We called our little community the “Kindness Lovers” – we thought it was VERY appropriate since we all heart kindness (get it? If not, see our blog button…). No one has been brave enough to use it yet – (you can be the first!) but we are really excited about the fact that we can hear directly from you and that we can even join in the conversation. Or, you can even converse amongst yourselves. Talk about anything you’d like – we’d LOVE to hear it!

And – maybe you’d like to have one of your very own for your blog. Click on our link and you can create one for yourself and link it right in to ours….pretty cool, huh?

So – let’s get chatting mommas!

In love and kindness,



Email Elizabeth
Email Heather

Heather's Corner

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As mommies, we take care of our kids, we take care of our husbands, the pets, the house, and with this charity now -- the world! Whew - that can be EXHAUSTING!! LOL!! Let's take some time to talk about how to take care of us...

By day I am an advertising consultant, mom, house manager and newly a charity organizer but by night - I am a 24 hour group fitness instructor and have been for the past 5 years! I teach sculpting, cycle, boot camp and abs. I teach 1 class on Monday, 2 classes on Tuesday and a whopping 3 classes back to back for 2 1/2 hours on Wednesdays! I love a good butt kick, push it to the max, sweat it all out workout. Oh and my husband got his degree in kinesiology and health promotion, used to personal train and run a gym. So needless to say - we try to stay pretty healthy at our house!

It's become a passion (or an obsession for those who know me) to stay in shape and help others stay in shape too. And after having my first child 11 months ago - it has become much harder to do that. (see picture below) Not only just trying to take off the weight but finding the time to eat right, exercise (when you can't take a newborn to daycare), get enough sleep (ummm-yeah), and just take good care of myself from the inside out. So, each Friday we've decided to take a short break for the day to talk about giving back to ourselves. We may talk about an appropriate snack to beat a mid-day crash, a favorite exercise to target a problem area for summer, favorite teas or skin care, vitamins....whatever....you name it! And feel free to give me ideas! I'm open to anything.

So to start us off with something easy - let's start with favorite mid-day snacks to beat a crash. I feel like I'm always going through this battle every day as I sometimes forget to eat with so much going on and suddenly realize I'm starved! Other times just finding something quick and easy to hold me over until I can get a proper meal can be challenging. Here are a few of my favorites.

1. Edamame Soy Beans - These take 5 min to make and you could cook previously and have ready to go in the fridge. It is an excellent source of quick protein and very little calorie. You can lightly season with salt or boil it with a little soy sauce. I like to buy it frozen so it keeps longer.

2. Granola Bars - I take 2 granola bars in my purse EVERYWHERE i go. Some tend to have a little more sugar than others but most of the Quaker Oats brands are only 100 calories a piece. You can get peanut butter ones that have added protein. These are always good on the go.

3. Hard Boiled Eggs - Again, if it's pre-cooked and ready to go - its a quick 2 minute snack. Protein lasts longer in the body than sugar so if you can get some sort of protein in your system it will keep you energized until a meal.

4. Almonds - A handful of almonds (10-14) has just enough protein to keep you going and has also been noted as a food to help you stay young. 

5. Apples - The old adage is true! Plus, It can fit easily in a purse or diaper bag, is filling and low calorie. I love a good organic Gala apple! MMMMMMMMM!

Just a few snacks to give you the idea. I hope this helps some of you with a quick, healthy idea to keep your fuel jets burning. Please feel free to share any quick, healthy snacks you have used to help you during the mid-day. Pass it On, Baby!

PS. Here is that baby, Cade, that did such a number on my body. He was definitely worth it! :)

In love and kindness,



Email Elizabeth
Email Heather

Elizabeth....unscripted

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If you’ve read our blog even once before, I think you get that we dig charity and the whole idea of giving back. We heart kindness, what can I say? And I’m pretty sure that, aside from just simply wanting to help another human being out, I’ve touched on the fact that I get the whole struggle. I mean REALLY get.

I’m thirty-three now with five kiddos, the oldest of which is 13. God bless that child as I truly believe he was my destiny, and I thank God for him every day as he defined and gave me my purpose. Anyhow, with some easy calculations, you can tell I was pretty young when I was pregnant with him. Young enough that I was still in college with years to go and no real means of support, with the exception of my parents. I took a semester break from school and worked as much as I could to save up for expenses that I could only imagine, but even while working I didn’t have any maternity clothes. I had friends give me some baggy clothes they had (seriously – no one has maternity clothes in college!! =) and a woman I worked with gave me two outfits of her own beautiful maternity clothes to make me feel a little cheerier and get me through the picture-taking-plentiful holiday season. When Patrick was born, I was given plenty of cute outfits that saw us through the first few months. But, eventually those clothes no longer fit. I was young, working as a teller at a bank and back in school. I needed help just to cover Patrick’s formula necessities (this was WAY before my long-term breast-feeding days), daycare arrangements, his baby gear – not even mentioning his clothes. We did the best we could…but it was hard. I can clearly remember getting my paycheck from the bank and heading over to Wal-mart because Patrick needed summer clothes. I picked out a bunch and ran the calculations in my head -- $200. On my earnings, if I paid $200 right then, there would be very little left over. I ended up putting the clothes on lay-away.

The years have passed since then and we were fortunate. We finished school, Dave went to grad school, we worked our way up the corporate ladders and we added on to our family. But those times were real, and unforgettable. Now that I’m on the other side, its my turn to give back – to remember that time in my life, to honor those that helped me up, and pass it all along and help someone else out.

Looking back, I wouldn’t trade the struggle for anything, it defined my character. In moments like those, you either rise to the occasion or you don’t. But when you do, you find out who you REALLY are….and you will be surprised where the new road may lead you – after all, how would I have known back then that I would “meet” so many great people right now? *wink*

So – there you go. That’s why we do what we do. Because there are LOTS of moms who were there, and JUST as many who are there and they don’t have to do it alone.

If you’ve read some of our posts, you know that we have spread the love to a family out my way….but there is still lots of work to be done. Do you know of someone who could use the kindness right now? Don’t be shy – we love hearing from you, and I’m sure the momma on the receiving end would love receiving some clothes in a trying time. And all you mommas cleaning those closets – keep us in mind!! If you need to get that stuff out of your house RIGHT NOW and we don’t have someone who needs those clothes at the moment, I will take them and send them onward on your behalf at the appropriate time. Takers?

And about that child I discussed earlier, Patrick, the kiddo turned out A-OK so far. *wink* Here he is in all his glory….he has always loved cars since as long as I can imagine. Soooo – there is surely no better way for him to spend a day than with his dad at the Chrysler Museum.


As always ~
In love and kindness,




Email Elizabeth
Email Heather

It's all about timing...

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It has been such an exciting and busy week for us! If you haven't seen it yet, we currently have a blog button on MckMama's blog as well as The Meanest Mom. People are starting to see us and join our group! We have had great feedback on receiving clothes for possible recipients and the message is growing.

I wanted to circle around on our first recipient. If you go back and read the "Happy Mother's Day" post - you can catch up on the family I'm talking about that lost everything in a fire in Columbus, OH. Needless to say, the timing was right as Elizabeth and I had just started Pass It On, Baby! It was our very first opportunity to show what we could do. Obviously, time was of the essence as this family had nothing. So we began reaching out to our networks - searching for anyone who had clothes that would fit this little girl.

Elizabeth spoke about how she and her family helped put together boys clothes in the last post "Giving...A family Affair". This same family was also in need of girls clothes size 7-8. I frantically emailed any mother I could think of or friends of mothers asking if they could please help us find girls clothes. I had one very generous mom offer to donate clothes but she was unable to get the clothes out quickly as she had been very sick (fear of having the swine flu here in TX) so I went and picked up the clothes helping to expedite a box to Ohio. After finally getting the clothes and realizing that the sizes weren't quite right - I became worried. Here was our first chance to give to this family and for whatever reason - I was having a tough time pulling together these clothes for this little girl. So I made one last plea on facebook to all my friends and family hoping the right person would see my message. (Keep in mind this is all in a matter of 1 day) That very day - a mother who I knew from teaching cycle had seen me at gymboree as well and requested me on facebook. She immediately saw my post and responded. She had previously worked as a children's clothing rep for Ralph Lauren before having her first son. Apparently, she had stocked up on both girls and boys clothes to last her until the age of 18! She had clothes ready to go. I was ecstatic! I couldn't believe how such an unlikely connection resulted into this helping this little girl get a few items to wear. Not to mention these were brand new clothes - never been worn.

So I guess the long and short of it all is that I need to breathe, relax and have faith that it always works out. I just want to help as many hurting families as I can and sometimes I forget to give a part of that up to a higher power. Someone in more control of it all then me. The recipients, the donors, will all come in good time. When and if we are meant to help, it will cross our path.

I look forward to continue sharing our journey to helping others and how that fits in our lives as mom's too!

In love and kindness,


Email Elizabeth
Email Heather

Giving....a Family Affair

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This past week has been a strange combination of the realities of setting up the charity mixed with the emotions of helping another person. If you know me, I tend to get obsessive focused on whatever I’ve set out to do. So this week, I got obsessed focused on setting up ALL the structure of a charity (tax ID numbers, whether or not to accept donations, how to get traffic to the blog, and on and on….). And since I’m a complete novice, it was pretty much like fumbling around in the dark. Another thing I’ll likely laugh about someday…..just not today. =)

On the other hand, aside from setting up all this structure, we had a need for boys clothes in sizes 3-4. In my family, my third son, Aidan just turned 6 and my fourth son, Riley just turned 3. Since we have four boys, we typically pass most everything down between them where we can, but we decided that we were going to take on this request and make it a family activity to reinforce the idea of giving back. We had the whole family in Riley and Aidan’s room (they share a room) and we went through the clothes we had in their closets, drawers and storage bins. Now, I’m not going to insult all you moms of many little ones and act as though my children were singing church hymns while we went through the clothes. =) We had some sword fighting here and there, some random pulling of clothes off the hangers, a few threats of time-outs, plenty of refocusing, but in the end – we had thirty items of clothing and felt it was time well spent with the family. We boxed up the clothes, included our letter of love, and sent them onward. It felt awesome – and as the box sat in the dining room, I watched the kids keep peeking in on it. I could tell they were as proud as I was…and once again, all was right in our little world.

Its been a roller-coaster of emotions this past week – but we SO needed to be the ones again getting down and dirty in gathering up the clothes. It reminded me all over again what the real focus is….its not the charity – it’s the people.

I know that life is busy, many times each day seems to blend in to the next - all of us never getting to the bottom of our “to-do” list. But, there is always time to be thankful for all that we all have, and attempt in our own way to give back. There are many worthwhile charities out there. Maybe the one thing that sets PIOB apart is that we engage in the act of “mindful giving.” While you are collecting the clothes, boxing them up and including the letter – you feel the act of giving, you feel the act of charity. It is a sacrifice of time, possessions and yet a true act of love. Our family, like probably many out there – gives to other charities. But those donations don’t always feel like an act of charity. It happens in the midst of cleaning and organizing and it is set aside from the stuff we are tossing out, but in reality, it feels the same. This activity felt different – was different. We talked through our blessings, we laughed together when the little ones threw in random pieces of non-size appropriate clothing (think underwear or little doll clothes), we chased down our fourth one who was worried that we were giving away “his” clothes, we wondered what the little boy and his mom would think of the clothes, but in the end, we ALL felt a sense of pride, not to mention some wonderful family time and memories. We ask, again, that if you cross our path via this blog and feel that you too would like to join us that you reach out to us and help us, help others.

On a side note, all ended right with our fourth one, Riley, who was worried about his clothes....he had a icey stick to celebrate his accomplishments…..

In love and kindness,



Email Elizabeth
Email Heather

A helping hand - first hand

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I wanted to share with everyone how I came to be involved with Pass It On Baby! and how these simple acts of kindness have impacted me and my life. It started with a couple of very close friends and family (Elizabeth, Jodi, Kristina, Anna, and Nikki). I received gently used maternity clothes (little did I know when I got pregnant how expensive they were - especially when you are worried about looking cute fat), boys clothes, toys, car seats, etc. All in love and kindness from those around me. Little did they know how their generous gifts were such a blessing in my life at the time. Especially now.

When I got pregnant - I decided that it was very important to be at home but yet my career was important to me too. I have been in advertising for over 10 years. So I had made up my mind that I would work from home finding my own clients to help with their advertising and marketing and needs - all while staying home to care for my new son. It was tough - nursing, caring for a newborn, working, and managing the house. I was a bit overwhelmed but felt it would pay off in the end. I couldn't have predicted a recession back when I was so excited about starting my own company and being a stay at home mom. The clients that I did have, the projects that were coming - slowly dwindled over time. My husband being a stock trader at the time- couldn't get things to work out either. So here we are with very little income and a new family to care for. Luckily we had been staying at my mother-in-laws home while she cared for her mother out of town. Prior to the recession - we had been doing her a favor but now that had come full circle and the living arrangements were a blessing to us.

So needless to say - the recent acts of kindness that I've received from Elizabeth, Kristina, Jodi, Anna and Nikki have not gone unappreciated. It has lightened my load. The worry of caring for my son in the way I feel he deserves - has been lessened just a bit. I can focus my energy on finding new clients and helping my husband re-create his career as well. This to me is what Pass It On Baby! is all about - what it was founded on. It is the framework for how we want to help others. I continue to "pass on" to others what was given to me. And the circle of love continues.

I know there are many other stories of moms and families in worse off situations than myself but thought sharing this would help others understand that we at Pass It On Baby! can relate. We understand that tough times happen. Charity doesn't have to come with an ashamed price tag. I can tell you it has not for me. It has been a blessing that I can repay through helping others. Feel free to share your similar stories of how someone may have helped you or you helped another.

In love and kindness,


Email Elizabeth
Email Heather

Just a small break....for laughter's sake

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So – I sat down to write this blog with many of the same thoughts about changing the world one person at a time. I wanted to write about how the world is changing – how we need to look no further than things like “The Karma Experiment,” than the idea of random acts of kindness and how many people are practicing them, than how books on kindness are shooting to the top of the bestsellers list….but today, I think I need to just smile about being a mom.

I love this whole idea. As you can imagine, setting up this charity, figuring out donations, Tax ID numbers, advertising and all of it is an act of love. And right now, its something that is all consuming in our home. (just ask my husband…hee hee) But at the end of the day, first and foremost, I’m a mom. And many of you reading this are too. So, how about for one day – we talk about that….and celebrate the moments that make us smile and quite frankly, make us strive to make this place just a little better. After all, its our little ones, that we hand this all over to one day…

As I write this, I’m debating – do I stick with the truly funny stories – and with five, there are PLENTY! Do I talk about the days I barely survived – (think sneaking a shower while you believe a three year old is contently watching a movie and feeling that creepy silent feeling while the conditioner is on your hair….fast forward to a mother in hysterics wrapped in a towel frantically searching the internet on how to remove Sharpie marker doodles from hard-wood floors, tile, the TV, banisters, clothes and even the carpet. And I won’t mention the phone call to my husband on a business trip screaming that its ALL ruined….our home was done. People told me I’d be able to laugh about it someday – let’s just say I’m at the point of a smile…) I think we have to celebrate this because its why we do what we do….

So I guess that was my start- but I do hope you’ll write in with your funny stories about mommyhood (or even daddyhood for you great guys out there!). After all, if we can’t have fun doing it, then why do it at all? And for you new mothers – just gloss over stories such as the Sharpie one….I’m sure nothing like this will happen in your homes. (insert stifled laugh here)

In love and kindness,



Email Elizabeth
Email Heather

Happy Mothers Day!

Please note: If this is your first time visiting our blog, please click here to hear the premise of Pass It On, Baby! and how it all began.... www.passitonbaby.blogspot.com/2009/04/building-it-all-on-faith-in-human.html

Happy Mothers’ Day to all of you mommies out there! I hope for this one day you can relax, put your feet up and let the fruits of your labor (that would be the kiddos – you know you LOVE that pun!!) spoil you for one day! Heather and I feel like broken records by telling you just how overwhelmed we’ve been by your response. So instead, we are going to start focusing on where your response has brought us.

If you know me, you know that if you’ve gotten within fifty feet of me, you’ve heard about Pass It On, Baby! I’m constantly talking about it everywhere I go. Friday, I was at my son’s therapy session. While he interacts with his friends, the moms and I talk. I waited for everyone to get settled in before I started talking about Pass It On, Baby! (well, let’s be honest….patience is hardly a strong suit of mine – I waited at the most, thirty seconds…and people were hardly “settled” but anyhoo…. =) There was an immediate response. A friend of mine, Ginny, started talking about one of her friends who had lost her home in a fire the night before. While the family involved had gotten their children out safely (except their dog), everything else they owned was destroyed in the fire. There was an immediate need for clothing for their daughter (size 7-8) and son size (3-4). Due to your generosity and support, we are going to be sending boxes that help that dear family. I just can’t imagine. My home is my foundation. It’s where I feel safe. While I imagine I would be immensely grateful for my children and husband getting out ok, I also imagine that I would feel chaotic as I shuffled from one resting place to another after the fact. So, we are here. And we are helping. As boxes begin to reach from one person to another, we will spotlight both the sender and at times, the receiver. Stay tuned….

Boxes are shipping, that’s an amazing statement. Mothers are helping other mothers – ones they don’t know and may never know. It’s amazing. And hopefully contagious. Keep getting the word out…you never know who you are going to meet who may need us! =)

Relax this day, mommies. You deserve it. Look around at the home you’ve built with love. There are imperfections, there are things to be cleaned, I’m sure. But, be thankful. Feel your blessings today.

In love and kindness,



Email Elizabeth
Email Heather

Redefining the meaning of charity...

Please note: If this is your first time visiting our blog, please click here to hear the premise of Pass It On, Baby! and how it all began.... www.passitonbaby.blogspot.com/2009/04/building-it-all-on-faith-in-human.html

We can’t begin to re-iterate how truly exciting it has been over the last couple of days, due to the numerous supportive, positive, inspired messages that both Elizabeth and I have received! It feels amazing to know that the Pass It On, Baby! message is beginning to take on a life all it’s own. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the love and kindness you all are sharing.

Char •i •ty – noun –
1. something given to a person or persons in need
2. benevolent feeling, especially toward those in need or in disfavor

When many of us probably think of charity - we think about someone else. Someone less fortunate than us, someone with no one to turn to, someone unable to help themselves, someone at rock bottom – but Pass It On, Baby! would like to redefine for you what charity means to us. According to Wikipedia – the word charity comes from the latin word caritas which became the standard translation for the greek work agape, meaning “an unlimited loving-kindness to all others.” This truly encompasses the entire message and meaning of Pass It On Baby. We want to provide love and kindness to as many people as we can through this act of passing on gently used threads of love. There may be many people out there that don’t feel that they fit the bill for needing charity. But both Elizabeth and I have had our fair share of help from others when we were in need too. Times are tough for many people out there and the thought of charity to some may seem embarrassing or even shameful but we can honestly say – it’s people like us – people like you that may be in need of what we have to offer. Although we gladly want to help anyone – we know that many people – especially during these tougher economic times may be finding their finances less than adequate. Maybe a spouse has been laid off, maybe a single parent trying to stretch the dollar just a little further, maybe you’ve just found that for whatever reason or situation you have more month than you do check. We want anyone who is finding this time a little tougher than they thought – a little more stressful than they can handle – we want them to know that Pass It On Baby is there. Maybe through this box of unlimited loving-kindness it will be a step in the right direction. It will be the extra push needed to get over the hurdle. We know someone’s situation won’t stay this way forever. And when they too are feeling ready to give back – they can continue the circle of love by “passing it on”. So many people have been gracious enough to pass on lots of clothes already for many ages of both boys and girls. Please don’t view this as a charity only able to help a select few – we want to help anyone needing some extra tlc. Please continue to pass this along to anyone you care about that could use a little extra help right now. We promise to keep any recipient anonymous who wishes to stay that way. Any box that is sent from a donor will be sent to the “Pass It On Baby Recipient”. We thank you again for sharing our message.

Again – the process is simple. If you would like to donate – please email us and let us know the sex, size and season of the clothes you have available. (if you have maternity clothes or toys – let us know that as well) If you or someone you know are in need of a boxful of loving-kindness to help ease the load – please send us an email address with the sex, age and size as well as shipping address. For now we will be asking our donors to carefully select items for that recipient, download the Pass It On Baby letter off our blog, insert it into the box and ship via the US Mail. Our goal in the very near future will be that we have money to cover the shipping for those boxes.

In love and kindness,


Email Elizabeth
Email Heather

Ready, set....Blog!

Please note: If this is your first time visiting our blog, please click here to hear the premise of Pass It On, Baby! and how it all began.... www.passitonbaby.blogspot.com/2009/04/building-it-all-on-faith-in-human.html

Well – we launched it!! And to say the very least, its been an EXCITING last few days. The response has been awe-inspiring as people we’ve never met have emailed and let us know that they have clothes organized and ready to ship! It overwhelms me just thinking about it! And so many more have taken our message and (you know what’s coming)…passed it on, baby! =) Heather and I are going to use this blog to answer questions, let you know where we are headed, share stories of people you’ve helped and quite simply, talk. (Having never blogged before, I’m a little nervous. You would laugh if you could hear the thoughts in my head. Should I be funny? Should I sound serious? I’ll just write and we’ll see what comes out. =) But enough with my nonsense – here goes nothing!! )

A lot of people have asked why we don’t have a separate link on our blog for donating and one for need or any type of automation on our blog for that matter. It’s a great question and initially the idea we had for the site. The truth is, at first we didn’t know how to. We figured we could hire a designer but that would have been expensive. Then, we started to get overwhelmed with trying to create too much framework and structure and focusing our energies there, when we weren’t sure what the response would be. Now that we have the blog and our email addresses out there, we LIKE hearing from you and not sure that we would ever want it any other way! We do own the actual passitonbaby.com – but we haven’t done anything with it yet. If this grows like we hope, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

Right now, we are focusing on spreading the message and getting some clothes out to some VERY special kiddos. We are in the process of partnering with a local YWCA. The YWCA has a temporary family shelter that will give the family a place to stay for 7 days before they transition to some other type of living arrangements. While the families normally don’t need clothes during their stay, once they are out on their own again – as you can imagine, the needs are probably pretty great. Moms and dads in a tough enough personal situation, still trying to put on a brave face for their kiddos and trying to shelter the kids from the outside worlds’ judgment. So – we can help just a little bit. We can make sure that the kids have some clothes to wear proudly to school or to play, and for the initial moment, we can give a little peace to a family in need. I get SO head of myself with this image I just want to get out there and start helping! Its because the very thought of a mother who is struggling, opening a box of clothes and truly feeling a sense of peace and comfort for that moment is such a powerful image to me. I was a young struggling mom once too. And I’ve never forgotten the kindness that was shown to me. See – it truly does all goes around. In the end, if we help a dozen people – a dozen people are better off. The world is a little brighter for those dozen people. And just like all of us can look back upon an act of kindness that was shown to us in our own lives and smile, those dozen people will be able to also.

Pass It On, Baby is an act of love. We’ll make mistakes, we’ll learn as we go, we’ll work hard to reach each and every person who is willing to donate, and just to spread our message. It isn’t going to be easy, but it will be important and good and heading in the right direction. And every step will make this place a little better than how we found it. Doing the right thing isn’t always easy. In fact, its easier to just clear out your closets in one huge garbage bag and toss it out. But this is something that at the end of the day, you know that you spread some kindness in the world and maybe a whole lot more. And this donation is not in some vague way where you drop off your stuff to a drop box where you are certain it is a charity, but it strangely feels more like a garbage bin. You’ve lovingly boxed it up, enclosed a letter and sent it directly to someone who asked for the help. And so we go on….many people have heard the message and we have many, many more to go. I hope you enjoy our little journey – all of ours. Now that we have you, we can’t let you go (but you knew that already, didn’t you? *wink* )

As always, thanks for listening. We appreciate it! =) And whether its clothes, our message, our blog address, our spirit – take it with you and Pass It On, Baby!

In love and kindness,


Email Elizabeth
Email Heather

Building it all on faith in human kindness....

It started with a simple premise, a kind gesture meant to lighten the burden on a friend. One friend was finishing up her family, the other just starting. When the soon-to-be mom found out she was pregnant, the other sent maternity clothes across the miles. The kind thought worked two ways – a smile and some joy on both ends. As time went on, the maternity clothes became toddler clothes. One mother clearing out her child’s closet and packing up clothes she once loved on her own child, the other beginning to stock hers with a new size and some of those same loved pieces – meant for another to love. We shipped Parcel Post – the cost was minimal….the feeling – unbelievable. One day the new mom asked if she could at least pay the shipping and the spirit of “Pass It On, Baby” was born. No – there would be no reimbursement for shipping – just love those clothes and “Pass It On, Baby!” And she did….her baby outgrew the newborn phase and those clothes that were just sitting there – went to another to love. And our little circle of kindness grew….

Many of us are in that same situation – clearing out clothes each season from a child’s wardrobe. Somewhere another mother is in need of those same clothes….maybe stressing on how to get a wardrobe together for her own child for the upcoming season. One random act of kindness can change both these situations. The mother clearing our the closet, once seen as a chore, now has a purpose – to pick out gently used clothes to help another in need. She likely will have never met her….but she will know, as all mothers do, that the receiving mom will smile and truly feel the power of one simple random act of kindness. Hopefully, the receiving mom will remember that feeling and when the season passes, even if she finds herself in need again – she will get the clothes that she received earlier and pass it on….and keep the message going.

And so we begin the process of asking you to open your hearts and your closets. Some of you will have clothes to donate. Some of you will know of someone in your community that could use the smile and the kindness. Some of you will not be able to do either, but will pass along our message to someone who can help. Some of you will help once, some more often – whatever works in your life, thank you for the kindness. It makes the world a little better, and it makes our communities a little stronger. With this message of hope, we invite you to visit us here, comment us, send us a note and let us know if you have clothes, if you know of someone who needs clothes or if you’ve just heard our message and felt drawn to respond. Whether you are the one helping or the one receiving, we will do our best to match you with someone who will appreciate it greatly. And on top of that, we appreciate you – for taking the time to listen to our message.

The process is simple. If you have clothes to donate, please send us a note at grzelaks@columbus.rr.com for Elizabeth and norton913@mac.com for Heather and let us know the sizes you have as well as season. (Some of us lucky ones in Texas don't have to worry about the winter clothes - but those of us in the Midwest know all too well the season of bundling up!! =) If you need clothes, send us a note about that as well. If you are asking for clothes on behalf of someone, we'll need the sizes and of course, the address. We will be matching up those who have clothes to donate with those who need clothes in the same size and asking them to send on their clothes via the US Mail. We are donators ourselves, as well as the faciliators for the transfer. Please make sure to keep personal information such as addresses, etc off the comment area. I know we are all kind hearted individuals, but just to be safe! Regardless, please forward on our note to anyone that you believe can use the message... Our sincerest gratitude to you all.

In kindness,
Elizabeth & Heather