Priorities in a "Back to School" World....

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.... Pass It On, Baby!

Many of you with kiddos heading or that have headed back to school likely find yourselves in the same boat as me – a little nutty, tired, busy and overwhelmed. School starts, the activities all start and suddenly the new schedule of being up early, shuttling kiddos to and from activities, running around for last minute supplies, trying to find time for dinner, getting homework done – yes, I don’t need to go on….you get it! =) If you are like me, you start to find yourself in this pattern of going, going, going and then feeling incredibly tired when all is said and done. I think I realized how tired I was when one day, I saw the dishes sitting in the sink after the older kiddos had left for school and I just suddenly didn’t want to do them! I was burnt out from chores… I wanted to just sit down for a minute and have a minute to myself!!

I recently heard a sermon which has helped me tremendously in my life and in managing my kiddos’ lives and schedules. The focus of the talk was on goals – long term goals for your life. When most people were asked what was most important to them in their lives, they talked about being a good person, being kind to others, helping someone out, making a difference in someone’s life. Those are great goals and no big surprise – we’ve heard them time and time again throughout our lives and have probably felt the same. But, life gets busy. There are chores to do, kids to raise, promotions to be sought, purchases to save for. And these little things slowly but surely, claim the minutes of our lives. The speaker wasn’t ok with this and asked us to examine if we should be ok with this for our own lives either. Yes, life is busy – it’s busy for all of us – but when something is a priority or a goal – you find the time, you make the time. For instance, in my own life, I have five kiddos. Everyone does an activity or two, some are at school, some are at home. Sure, you get it – life is busy. And just above you heard me complain about wanting time for myself. But, I also highlight my hair. I do it without fail every six weeks. I don’t miss the appointment and I take that time from whatever else needs to get done and prioritize it, because it is something important to me. Now, I have time for that because it’s important to me and I make the time.

What does this say about me? It says that my outside appearance is important to me and that I take the time to care for it in a way that I like. But how many times have I had to say no when someone asked me to help out because I didn’t have the time? That’s not wrong – that’s just priorities. It’s great and important to have priorities – but they need to be in line with your goals for your life. If one of your goals in life is to lead a good life (by whatever moral compass you use), then it is reasonable that you should spend some time everyday bettering yourself, thinking about your choices and working toward that goal. If you want to make a difference in someone’s life, you need to allocate some time to working with another person or devoting some amount of time to it.

To put it in the most basic terms – if my goal is to run a marathon, I have to run several days a week for a long time in advance of the race. I can’t just say that life got busy and then hope that I was prepared enough as I went along without devoting some real time to what I wanted to accomplish.

Don’t get me wrong – I loved the talk. It spoke to my heart, but it doesn’t mean that I’m not in the same boat. There are lots of things that I want to do with my children or teach them, that I constantly tell myself I’ll do when life slows down. If I were being real with myself, then I would say that there is time, I just choose to prioritize other things over it. And I guess that’s true in a sense, whether we like it or not.

When you are busy and stressed, it is never more important to look at the priorities that you are holding in your own life and hold each of them up to scrutiny. It’s how we all learn and improve and better ourselves along the way.

On that note, my alter ego just asked me what my priority was since I am blogging instead of handling that pile of laundry calling my name. I’m going to ignore that for now…..obviously, I’m “bettering” myself in a more important way! Lol!!

Have a wonderful week, friends and take some moment to reflect on where we are all headed.

In love and kindness,


Email Elizabeth & Heather

Tile Giveaway Winner!

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.... Pass It On, Baby!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Engraved Tile Giveaway! We know that many of you shared some very personal stories on how others have helped you in time of need and how it impacted your life at that time. It's amazing the angels that God puts in our paths when we need it most. For me (Heather) - I have to say that Elizabeth and Anna have truly been MY angels that have lent me the helping hand that I've needed these past 12 months. Anna has helped me and my family so much during these slow economic times for us by sharing and giving so many toys, clothes, shoes, sandboxes, you name it! It's been such a blessing and now that business is starting to flow again - I can't wait to return the favor in some way to say thanks! And Elizabeth has helped me beyond the maternity and kids clothes - she has been an inspiration to me as a mother, wife and career woman to continue to persevere mentally and emotionally. Although she is far away - her presence and support is felt. Thank you both for being there for me and my family in different but equally impactful ways!

Just like before, we have a used a totally randomized way of drawing the winner for our giveaway called "Random Line Picker." It's great so that we don't have to do the picking the old fashioned way. We enter in all 13 names for the comments and then click randomize so it moves the names around several times and then - PICK A WINNER!

So, the winner for this very cool and unique engraved tile by Engraved Euniques is....

SHARLYN!

Congrats to you Sharlyn!! And thank you all again for sharing with us and being apart of our community! We are so blessed to have each and everyone of you! We want to continue to reach more people in need and willing to give! So we appreciate spreading the word.

We still have quite a few families that we are still in need of matches for. If you can take a look and think of ANYONE that might be able to help these families ease a little of the burden - please reach out to them and share this blog link. And if you don't have any clothes to donate and you have a few extra dollars that you'd like to put towards something positive (even if its just $5) - please consider it for helping get a boxed shipped.

Thank you all so much!

In love & kindness,

and

Email Elizabeth & Heather

Personalized Engraved Tile Giveaway!

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.... Pass It On, Baby!

Pass It On, Baby! has met so many wonderful individuals along our journey as I know we have told you so many times before. We've connected with so many people that have resonated with our message, shared our message, been inspired to give and so much more! Back when we were first starting out a few months ago, we came across one wonderful woman named Kaye who felt so touched by the story of the family who lost their home in the fire. She contacted us via email about how she too had lost their home in a fire in 2005. She explained the indescribable feeling of loss and although she doesn't have young children with clothes to pass on, she wanted us to know that she would help in anyway she could - even if it was just lending an ear of support to this family. Her youngest step-daughter had even mentioned she would give almost anything to have blogged the journey of rebuilding and coping with the loss. Kaye miraculously had woken up just in time to get her husband out but unfortunately lost their 2 dogs and everything else. So needless to say - she has a huge part of her heart carved out for giving to others especially when the situation we were blogging about touched so close to home. She is a wonderful woman with a beautiful soul.

After getting to know a little more about Kaye, we learned that she has a business of personalizing engraved tiles called EngravedEuniqes. She has so many beautiful ones - tiles with poems, scriptures, family names, memorials, messages of hope and inspiration, wedding vows, sports, sororities - you name it! Anything you can think of. These tiles are absolutely gorgeous! She has been so gracious and generous to offer a giveaway to the readers and followers of Pass It On, Baby! What a perfect fit for us! We both are in the business of inspiring!

So, here is what PIOB would like to do. We would like each of you to comment about a moment or situation in your life where someone lent you a helping hand just as Pass It On, Baby! is doing for families who need it. What was going on in your life? How did this person lend you a hand? What was the impact on your life at that time? Please share with us your story. We will randomly pick a winner from those who comment. We ask that you comment by Wednesday 5pm CST and we will announce the winner on Thursday. If the story is too personal for you to feel comfortable sharing via our comments - please feel free to also email us. This is a safe place though for people to share. We want others to know they aren't the only one's that are accepting these lending hands and not to be embarrassed or shameful in utilizing the gift of Pass It On, Baby!

The winner will get to choose the tile size and the message they would like engraved on their tile. This is a complete "Winner's Choice!" You can check out the different tiles at www.engravedeuniques.com and see Kaye's blog at www.kkscreations.blogspot.com.

We invite you to share your story and the wisdom, strength, motivation and love you gained from allowing someone to help you when you needed it. And as always, we need your support in sharing our message with others so we can continue to help more moms who are stressed be matched up with moms who are blessed.

Thanks as always and GOOD LUCK!

In love & kindness,

and

Email Elizabeth & Heather

What's new with PIOB....

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.... Pass It On, Baby!

Pass It On, Baby! was founded with the underlying goal to add a personalized touch to donating used children’s clothes. The same clothes that we had dressed up our own children in with pride, would have a second life with another child. Sometimes as I’m packing up the boxes of my kiddos clothes, I take a moment and relive the memory of buying the special outfit or remembering a moment where one of my own kiddos was wearing the outfit I am folding up to pass along. In that moment, there is this feeling of solidarity that sweeps over me between myself and the mother who will receive the box. We’re doing it together…. we’re helping our neighbors along the path…. we’re influencing children by acts of kindness. It’s all so very personal to me….

Soooo - as you can imagine, when someone throws out an idea to Heather and me on how they would like to personalize the box or the donation they are sending, we are all ears. We’ve had children box up their own clothes for other children and insert a card that they drew of themselves wearing the clothes and another picture of their new “friend” wearing the clothes. We’ve had families pray over the boxes, include personalized notes, cards, you name it. We love the stories, they touch us, they touch the recipients and they keep us all moving in the right direction. And quite frankly, we love that people take our message and make it their own.

Recently, we received a note from a woman who had received two new outfits as a gift for her daughter from Israel. By the time they had arrived, they were too small for her daughter. So, she had heard about us and was interested in the idea. But, the outfits that she wanted to give were very personal to her – they were from her Holy Land. And so, she asked Heather and me if we would post about these outfits and make sure that they were given to someone who cared about their origin and who felt that the fact that they were from such a sacred place made them as special. We love that they are personal to her – in a way, that’s what makes PIOB so special. (And if you are someone who has a baby girl wearing 6-12M that feels drawn to these outfits, drop us a line!!)

There is lots of room in our little community for your thoughts and opinions. We listen and take a lot of the advice you give to us. And that’s another reason why this little community is so special – we are building it together.

A case in point – our new donation button. Heather and I had decided at the very beginning of this endeavor NOT to accept donations. We didn’t want anyone to question our motivations or what was in it for us. The truth is, the kindness that we put in to the world and the fact that we are making someone’s journey a little easier, is enough. This is a huge source of pride and joy for us and by doing this ourselves, it certainly makes it easier to raise children who believe strongly in giving back and doing their fair share to lend a hand. But at the same time, we’ve had many experiences where we receive notes letting us know that someone has clothes that they are willing to donate, but don’t currently have the funds needed to send the box. It has continually put us in a tough predicament. We offer to pay for the boxes where we can, but we are also donating ourselves and paying a lot of the behind the scenes stuff to keep PIOB going. So, after hearing this suggestion come up several times, we decided to give the idea a chance. We aren’t asking for money, but if someone feels called to help and doesn’t have clothes to donate, they are now able to pay for the shipping on a box. If you feel called to help and don’t want your money going to shipping, but would rather pay for a pair of pjs or socks for a family – drop us a line. We take your suggestions to heart, remember? =)

Dear friends, please keep spreading our message. We constantly need to reach new donors in order to help those that need it. Your way of being able to help may not come in the shape of clothes, or even shipping costs – it may come in the form of spreading our message and reaching someone who really needed to hear about the help we can offer at that moment in their lives. After all, we don’t believe in coincidences….*wink*

In love and kindness,


Email Elizabeth & Heather

The Gift Of Forgiveness

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.... Pass It On, Baby!

"To err is human. To forgive is divine." Alexander Pope

Forgiveness has been in the forefront and "theme" in my life for the last few days. There have been several situations where I have allowed myself to take things a little too personally probably overreacting or even being in a situation where someone had been holding a grudge against me for years. And even a family member who has hurt me for many years that is bringing up old emotional wounds. 

Last weekend, my husband and I were on a very rare "date" night when we got asked to come and hang out with some of my husband's old friends. My husband being the introvert that he is was quick to say "It's date night - not tonight!" but me - the extrovert and social butterfly decided it would be good for both us to have a little socializing time with some old friends. As we arrived, I found out that a friend of ours that hasn't been talking to me for some time was there. Now, I had made a mistake years ago by blurting out something a little mean that was alcohol induced. I apologized profusely to her at that moment and even later showed up at her work the next day to apologize. It was all she needed to create drama in her life - to have someone to blame and feel like a victim. And although I had tried on numerous occassions to apologize - she wouldn't have it. It's been tough for our friends as they would invite us to similar functions and neither one of us have felt comfortable going. For along time, I beat myself up for making a stupid comment. I beat myself up sometimes more than anyone else could. But finally, at one point I had decided that I had paid the price enough for a simple mistake. I had forgiven myself even if she hadn't forgiven me. When we saw each other it was a bit awkward but I was gladly going to make the first move. I walked over and said hello hoping to break the ice and end the issue. Surprisingly, she quickly apologized to me for not speaking to me for all this time. I simply stated that I had been over it for a long time and if she was fine - I was fine. WOW! A huge weight truly had been lifted. Luckily I had allowed myself some peace prior to this or I would have spent 4 years in misery waiting for that moment. It's not to say we will be best of friends, but at least the awkwardness is over. The gift of forgiveness truly helped me and her to end this situation.

Similarly, in dealing with all my sisters issues the last few weeks, I have been dealing with my mom. I love my mom and all but we have a lot of unresolved issues. I will spare you all the painful details but our relationship in a nutshell is surface. If I try to go much deeper than that, I will find myself in an emotional filled land mine. We just can't go there. And now with her temporarily taking care of my sisters kids, I am seeing a lot of old parenting habits that I felt caused turmoil for me as a child and into my adult years. I know I need to stand up and speak my peace for my niece and nephews sake but I am also protective of my emotions and unwilling to be pulled into it. Through this, I am becoming more and more aware of the negative emotions that I have towards her and the fact that I have been unwilling to forgive her. I have to ask myself as well - how long will I stay prisoner to these negative feelings? How long will I allow myself to be controlled by this? When will I break myself free from the pain? Its me these emotions hurt not her. So I begin to work each and every day on not allowing myself to be affected by her. Each moment that starts to head down the wrong emotional path - I have to cut it off and step away. Then come back when I am ready and try again. I'm praying that our next conversation will go a little smoother and I will be less likely to react - as hard as it may be. I just need to know where my emotional boundaries are but working on not living in the past. That she too shouldn't have to continuously pay for her past mistakes. I'm working on receiving this gift. 

Lastly, yesterday I got very worked up over thinking my brother-in-law had not "included" my husband and I in an event that I thought we were all planning on working on together. Plans had already been made, dates set and our opinion hadn't been requested. It felt like all though we were supposed to be doing this joint event - there wasn't any part of me or my husband in it. Only what they were wanting. At first, I got riled up but then realized - they know not what they do. After thinking about it, I felt bad for being angry. They don't know any better but I do. I know that reacting in anger isn't healthy or best for me or the situation. Once I released it, the situation (although not perfect) did however improve. Another gift for myself. 

One of my favorite sayings is "Forgive them lord for they know not what they do." So many people truly are unaware of the way they affect themselves and others. I was and have been affected by so many people in my life - allowing others to take advantage or not standing up for myself or just simply not letting go of the past. Today I break myself free of the chains that have bound me - I choose to forgive. I choose to let them be who they are. I don't have to choose to be around it but I can also choose not to let it rule my life. 

Give yourself a gift today that will last you a lifetime. Forgive someone for wronging you and set yourself free from unnecessary negativity. Although it is truly easier said than done, with a little practice - you will receive a feeling of peace, comfort, gratitude and love that you have never achieved before.

In love & kindness,

Email Elizabeth & Heather

Embracing Change....

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.... Pass It On, Baby!

Hi friends! I’ve been out of town the last few days and came back to a bunch of emails from people willing to donate and I am BEYOND excited. Can I tell you that I’ve been worried and praying about donations? Then, I took a moment to read Heather’s latest blog and just loved some of her suggestions. Just wonderful things happening everywhere! =)

And I mean everywhere….When Heather and I started Pass It On, Baby! it was about helping others. But, just like any path you follow down in your life, you usually meet with some surprises along the way and some completely unexpected outcomes. Because, dear friends, PIOB was supposed to be about others. So how do I explain that it really became my own path? =) I’ve said it more times than I can count, but I’ll say it again anyway – we’ve met some incredible people on some unbelievable journeys. Some that made us cry, some that made us take action – but MOSTLY, all that made us think. The stories we heard, they just didn’t go away. I worried about the people, the children, the situations, the advice I gave…I would secretly check the blogs to see if there were pics of the kiddos, the families – and I prayed for so many. And a funny little thing happened along the way….the beam of light turned inward. Some of the advice I gave, was coming through me, but was also meant for me. How’s that for confusing? What I mean, was that sometimes you find your own path by showing others the way. I found myself talking about praying a lot and wondering if previously my relationship with God had been a more catch-up, wish list type of relationship…and I found I needed more. I looked at my relationships with my kids and found some things that needed to change. I looked at how we spent money and what it said about us and found that I wanted a different message. And I found that I wanted change everywhere.

It’s funny, right? Because the path I took here, was a path of helping others….it was just later that I would find out that this journey was as much about helping me. I listened to people’s stories and shared one of my favorite mantras, “If you are living in fear, you’re not living by faith.” And somewhere inside, the reflection light shone brightly and I started to see the areas in my life that I was stagnant because of fear. And so I’m changing…and hopefully in some fairly big ways.

For those that know me IRL (in real life), I’m type A. I stress over details, I worry about the unexpected and though at the end of the day, I have this personality type tendency, it doesn’t mean that I have to accept it or that I can’t change it. Because along with the pursuit of perfection, comes a lot of worry, stress, unhappiness, never-being-satisfied – you get the picture. This weekend was a fairly good example – it was my daughter’s second birthday party. I like everything planned out and NO surprises. I usually spend my time worrying about the food, greeting people, watching the flow of the party, observing the little areas that you see flaw in, so much so, that yes, I’m there at the party – but not really. My mind is going a million miles a minute and I’m interacting with people, but without really being present in that moment. Most times, the beforehand is where I become a drill sergeant barking out orders, scheduling everything to the minute and occasionally, melting down when the schedule doesn’t hold up. My darling friend comes over before each and every party to help me set-up, just as she did this time, knowing that she will find me in some stirred up state – but you know what? She didn’t. Because I wasn’t. I REALLY wanted to enjoy this party, mistakes and all. And so, I planned what I could, did what I could and appreciated the ones helping me along the way. No orders – no stressed behavior. She commented that this was the most calm she had ever seen me before a party, and she had to be right. I enjoyed myself, my daughter, my family and my friends. I felt appreciation at every turn, and I came home reinvigorated instead of exhausted like I usually do. And I liked the change…now obviously, it will take a lot of work to perfect, but I feel proud. I liked who I was Saturday and that’s a pretty wonderful feeling and quite a change from the usual aftermath where I analyze everything I could have improved upon.

And I’m liking these changes – a lot. I’m embracing the fact that I’m a Midwestern girl with strong family values who likes the TV off and the books open. Who thinks dinner is always better when its home cooked and is excited about her new church. Who is learning that sometimes the process is more important than the end result and that if you love and guide your children daily you’ll never have a better use of your time.

As always, PIOBers – thanks for sharing your journey. Thanks for shaping who I am. Yes, we all set out to make this place a little better, I just didn’t know that the place I should have been talking about was the little one I live in. *wink*

In love and kindness,


Email Elizabeth & Heather

Habits For Happiness

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.... Pass It On, Baby!

I have been in a bit of an energy slump it seems like for the last few days.  My husband and I have been enjoying our week with the house much quieter (and more organized) with his mom and grandmother gone but the list is endless of all the things we need to get done before their return: deep clean the house before everyone returns Saturday, organize my husband's desk and the filing for his new real estate business, work on his marketing plan, get business cards ordered, work on my client's marketing plan, have date night with my husband and family time over the weekend before the hectic work week all starts again. On top of that, we are still working on figuring where we can cut our monthly's to keep making ends meet until some of these checks start coming in, looking into a mother's day out for my son, and keeping up with the other daily things that it takes to keep a household running, and so on! I am also still dealing with my sisters situation and trying to support where I can emotionally but I just don't have a lot left to give. I'm exhausted just writing about all of this - let alone actually DOING IT! :) I know my body is telling me to slow down when my eyes burn of exhaustion daily and now my sciatic nerve is acting up again which it hasn't done in a couple of years. I know it's stress related and the inability to release all this pent up emotional energy. 

So, when life starts to get a little out of whack for me (as it seems to do sometimes a little too often), I like to revert back to a book that has made a huge impact in my life. A book called "Feeling Your Way to Happiness." It's a book that I helped ghost write for my husband now almost 5 years ago (hard to believe its already been that long!) To make a long story short, we started writing this back several years ago when we had both been struggling with personal issues and demons. On the journey of re-discovering our purpose and meaning in life - my husband started coming up a list of energy lifting habits that needed to be intertwined into any happy person's every day life. As we started to implement them one by one - we began to notice some major changes in our life, our emotions, our reactions, our relationships, our outlook. Fast forward a few months later - I decided that I would quit my corporate downtown advertising agency job and help my husband write this book. It was very therapeutic and every day as I sat to write, the more I felt the information became imbedded into my mind and my soul. It was quite the therapy session for me. We helped a friend start their own publishing company and wallah - they had published their first book and so had we! Very exciting! Now this book has not been on the NY times best seller list nor made it to Oprah's book club (yet anyways) BUT it has touched and changed too many lives to count. Everyone from drug addicts to soldiers. So, below are the Habits for Happiness that I am re-connecting with in my life today in order to bring my energy levels back to where they need to be - happiness! Below each habit is an Energy Exercise that you can use to practice building that habit.

1. Faith

• Connect With Nature
  
• Turn Your Negatives Into Positives
  
• Put Time Into Your Spirituality

2. Passion for Happiness

• Say "Hello" Wherever You Go
  
• Be More Child-Like
  
• Do the Things You Enjoy Doing

3. Create Your Vision

•  Plan Your Success
  
• Be a Daydreamer
  
• Increase Your Knowledge

4. Be Willing To Learn Something New

• Listen to Others
  
• Attitude is Everything
  
• Fail Successfully

5. Appreciate Your Journey

• Spend Five Minutes  a Day Being Thankful
  
•  The Power of Please and Thank You
  
• Learn to Accept Other People's Journey

6. Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle

• Drink More Water
  
• Eat Smaller, More Frequent Meals
  
• Exercise, Your Energy Depends On It

7. Strive for Excellence

• Put Things Where Belong
  
• Organize Your Life
  
• Be a Leader at Work and at Home

8. Have Confidence in Yourself

• Be a Fear-Fighter
  
• Accept Your for You
  
• Do Not Judge Others

9. Maintain Positive Relationships

• Network With Positive People
  
• Eliminate Negative People From Your Life
  
• Make Your Friends and Family Feel Good

10. Be Forgiving

• Release Past Hurts
  
• Ask for Forgiveness
  
• Stop Playing the Victim

I'm sure there are many more "habits" that we could implement in our life to help us attain and sustain this energy of happiness. But these are the ones we felt most important at the time we were writing. If practiced for 30 days - I bet you too might see some life altering changes. It is something I am re-introducing into my life so I can increase my energy and use that energy to propel me forward. 

And if you would like to learn more about the book - feel free to check out www. feelingyourwaytohappiness.com or go to Amazon.com. My plan wasn't to push the sell of the book but only to share the information. Hope it has struck a chord with you to try out one or two of these habits in your life. Let me know!

In love & kindness,

Email Elizabeth & Heather

Behind the Box....

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.... Pass It On, Baby!

Those of you that have been with us for awhile remember the story of Landyn and Larsyn. We had an outpouring of support for this family while the mother was carrying her twin son and daughter. The family knew that Landyn had a terminal brain defect and the mother’s true prayer was that she would be able to meet her son and spend some amount of time with him before he was called home. This was all in doubt because many times babies with such problems pass away prior to birth. Landyn and Larsyn were born on Friday morning and the family’s prayer came true. As their Caring Bridge page states, “Landyn and Larsyn both have alot of curly black hair. Landyn was born at 11:46 a.m. and weighed 3 lbs, 4 oz and was 14" long. Larsyn was born at 11:47 a.m. and weighed 6 lbs, 7 oz and was 18" long. Larsyn has some really chubby cheeks.” Landyn was held, loved, kissed and cuddled for three hours before he returned home. Please hold in your heart this family right now. They have been so appreciative for the love sent to them thus far, and Heather and I feel so blessed that our little community was able to help.

As I finish typing up this information, I feel so much sadness. There are people out there fighting tough battles, ones that I can’t begin to fathom. And I guess right now, I’m not supposed to…some of my own battles have passed and some are on the horizon – the same is true for all of us. It almost makes you feel helpless – but it shouldn’t. Because you weren’t….Many of you packed up infant clothes and sent them along, some didn’t have infants, but purchased clothes anyhow, some sent baby items, some offered prayers, some shed tears, some just hugged their own kiddos a little tighter. Many did something. And the same is true for so many of these stories that we can’t always share. There are so many stories that Heather and I hear that break our hearts and tug at our soul….but those are the people you are helping on the other end of the box.

Thank you, dear little community, for sharing your lives with us. We take it so very seriously and to be honest, your stories are never far from our minds and our hearts.

As the back to school season is upon us, there are so very many families struggling to gather all of the necessary items to give their child an equal start…if you can’t donate, please share our information with someone (you never know who can help) or send up a prayer for those families. Sometimes the way each of us can help comes in very different ways…and each of those ways are amazingly important.

If you feel moved to contact Landyn and Larsyn’s family during this time – please contact us so we can send you their information privately.

In love and kindness,


Email Elizabeth & Heather