Celebrate Mother's Day! E-Cards & Charity Contest

How are you celebrating Mother's Day this year? Perhaps you will have a nice, homemade dinner with the family or relaxing spa day and outing. Whether you enjoy your holidays indoors or out, there are many fantastic ways to honor and celebrate all the great mother's out there.

19th century painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec painted a portrait of his mother in the garden.

We can't all be famous French painters, but how about sending a lovely Mother's Day e-card that also raises awareness about the importance of early cancer detection? E-cards are great for the moms who are always attached to their computers. Flower shops and postal services don't work on Sundays, so an e-card is the perfect bonus gift to add on Mother's Day for the faraway mothers!

Noreen Fraser Foundation has collaborated with many celebrities to produce funny Mother's Day cards in an effort to honor mothers and raise awareness. See the quick and hilarious clips here - and send one out today! (Some notable celebrities include Seth MacFarlane, Jack Black, Zach Galifianakis, Kim Kardashian, Will Farrel, Neil Patrick Harris and more.)

Is your mom extraordinary? Tell everyone why by entering Extraordinary #MOMents campaign and you and your mom can win a year's supply of Wet 'n Wild makeup! This campaign is a collaboration effort between the Noreen Fraser Foundation and Wet 'n Wild to support women's cancer research. The best part is that for each #MOMent shared, Wet 'n Wild will give a dollar to the Noreen Fraser Foundation to support women’s cancer research!

Making a Difference

Growing up in a very green home, my niece Jenny has always been a environmental fanatic. Ever since she joined her high school environmental club, she has been more determined than ever to clean up the earth. She recycles absolutely everything possible. She is not only responsible for all the recyclables in her home, but she also makes it her duty to keep everyone in the neighborhood in check. If a piece of cardboard is ever thrown into a trashcan instead of the recycle bin, she'll be there. If someone so much as accidentally drops a tissue, she'll be there. I have never seen so much determination in a young teen. It makes me feel inferior, like I should get out there and make a difference too.

Recycling is good for the mind and spirit.

One of Jenny's most passionate hobby is gardening. She plants everything from grass to flowers to fruits to trees. She also makes her own compost. I've seen her countless times asking neighbors and friends for bits of leaves, grass or kitchen scraps. Sometimes she would have excess and return the extra compost, offering to help others with their gardens or lawns. She is a generous girl, always willing to help out and make a difference in this world. She is a small teen who can only contribute so little, but the impact of her kindness goes far beyond initial actions.

Holiday Season: Donate Beauty Products & Clothing

The holidays are quickly approaching. As we get ready to do our seasonal shopping, we must clear some room in our closet for new holiday gifts and goodies.

Instead of throwing things out, why not donate any unused or gently-used beauty products and clothing?

List of donation places courtesy of iFabbo.

United States:

• Beauty Bus  Delivers dignity, hope and respite to chronically or terminally ill men, women and children and their caregivers through beauty and grooming services and pampering products.  
• Dress for Success Promotes economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.
• Donation Town  Donates clothes and household items to local charities.  Free donation pickup nationwide. 
• Sacred Heart  Dedicated to bringing the community together to address poverty in Silicon Valley, CA.
• Salvation Army Worldwide organization that provides social services.

United Kingdom:

• British Red Cross  Helps people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are.
• Give and Makeup  Is a non-profit initiative whose sole purpose is to get everyday essentials into the hands of women and children who need them the most.

Australia

• ANGLICARE AUSTRALIA  Is a nationwide organization that engages with all Australians to build communities of resilience, hope and justice. 
• St Vincent de Paul Society  The organization aspires to be recognized as a caring Catholic charity offering “a hand up” to people in need.
   

This is just a very short list of donation places. Check your local charities for more options. If you know of any donation places in your country that is not included on this list, please let us know below! Happy holidays!

Pause for Charity

I vow to take a pause next time I am about to spend money lavishly; I will consider buying one less item and doing one more good deed.

As a lifestyle blogger and avid shopper, I find myself obsessing over material things. I spend countless hours admiring the newest trends and I spend a good portion of my paycheck on new shoes and makeup. Beauty is a fun hobby for me and I enjoy it tremendously - but sometimes I forget about some important and less perfect aspects of life.

I know that I am fortunate enough to have the leisure of enjoying beauty, fashion and art. I do realize that there are women much less fortunate than myself who suffer from illnesses and diseases. Women are diagnosed with breast cancer everyday. In 2009, approximately 40,170 women were expected to die from breast cancer. What about them? What about their children, husbands, and friends?

I am not trying to guilt myself or anyone else into giving up hobbies or passions. I just want to pause. Next time I want to overindulge and spend my entire paycheck on a new wardrobe or line of makeup, maybe I will pause and I will think:

Put down one lipstick, one scarf and make a difference. Use that money for something greater than myself. Whenever I indulge, I can make a small donation to charity - for someone, for everyone.

And I make that vow today: to take that pause.

Now, I am that typical "poor" college student with student loans and debts to pay. I am in no way rich or have money to spare, but somehow I find myself overindulging in fashionable goods. And when I find myself lavishly spending money I don't really own - maybe I will take that pause. Maybe instead of putting down one lipstick, I will put them all down. Regardless, to the best of my abilities, I will take that pause.

Even one pause a year is infinitely more than nothing.

The charity I support is breast cancer research at Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. I made a Pause for Charity donation page with them so I can donate to the research fund whenever I take my pause. I encourage those are interested in this cause to consider supporting. I know not everyone can make donations, but any sort of support goes a long way. If you are interested, you can click here to visit the donation page to make a charitable donation to breast cancer research.

Alternatively, you can donate to any of the hundreds and thousands of charities out there. Or maybe you can just take that pause and consider doing something nice for someone else today.

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Feel free use any of these buttons (or make your own) if you would like to show your support:

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