How do you clean up after the holidays?  For us, it is a tad more interesting.  Madison’s birthday was yesterday (she turned 5!), so we always have the quick cleanup that needs to be done from the time we get back from visiting Wisconsin and her birthday party.  I usually get about a week if we are lucky.  Since we have the basement now, Bill let me keep up the Christmasy decorations, but we did pull down the Christmas tree.  I need as much room as we can get, and this is pretty much the only way I was going to get it.  I figure everybody will hang out downstairs for her party just like they did for Christmas Eve.  The sad thing is that we are the only one on the block who still has their outdoor lights up.  Now, we don’t leave them up till June or anything, but it seems that it is kinda odd that on 8th of January that everyone has packed up everything already.  Now, I’ve slacked this week, and I have to get all my cleaning done tomorrow with the kids underfoot.  This should be interesting.  My sister is arriving tomorrow, so its not quite the end of the world if she’s the only one who sees my non-clean house.

How do you clean up?  Do you have a set plan?  Do you just do a little bit each day?

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Yes, we have already started celebrating Halloween.  That happens when you have a little one in preschool.  Since I have to dress Madison up anyway, I threw Will’s costume on too.

This would win any 2 and under cutest costume contest, right? I love this costume. It does come with a cute little hat. However, no matter how hard I try, he won’t keep it on. Madison came home already with an entire bag of candy from preschool. She’s already figured out how to sneak some of it already too! They trick or treated in her preschool building. Plus, all of us parent brought candy too! I do feel the need to smack the parents that brought pure sugar candy. Trust me, Madison does not need sugar to bounce off walls. You can only imagine how she is with sugar.

Madison would win for cutest costume 3 and up, don’t you think?  I love this costume.  It sucks that I caught the window glare in her glasses, but she looks super cute in her Cinderella costume.  It is suppose to be in the high sixties tomorrow, so we shouldn’t have to wear our coats out trick or treating.  We then are meeting at my sister-in-laws and going trick or treating by her house.  We also have a Halloween party on Saturday.  We have quite a busy couple of days just to celebrate Halloween!

Though I’d have to say that the best photo I took so far, I took at her preschool today:

She looks so excited and happy!  What are you doing for Halloween?

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Do you ever find yourself frustrated that the charities that you give to keep a huge portion of your donation to themselves to cover “overhead” costs?  I know I feel that way a lot, so when I come across a charity that gives 100% of your donation to the kids, I want to scream about it from the rooftops.

This is where the Child Foundation Charity comes in.  They are foundation that helps children with physical birth defects get the surgeries they need to look normal again.  They help children from all over the world.  Each one of these surgeries costs around $30,000, and some children need multiple surgeries to fix their birth defects.  As a mother of two little ones, my heart certainly goes out to these children. I remember how cruel children can be to one another and even how society can be towards you if you look different.

Now, I said that 100% of your donation goes to the kids.  It does.  They have a donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, who covers the operating costs of this charity.  Every cent you donate goes towards these kids surgeries’.  For me, that is huge.  You can directly help a child.  Granted, most of us do not have the $30,000 to help with the surgery, but a little here and there can definitely add up.  You can even see some of the kids they have helped and those still waiting for surgeries.  When you read their stories and look at their pictures, I can’t help but tear up.  This could very easily be one of my children needing this.  I am just happy that there are charities out there willing to help these children.  If their stories touch your heart, you can even send these kids an e-card to help brighten their spirits. Now, if you know some one who is in need of this, please send them their way.  Their motto is “giving children worldwide the quality of life every child deserves”.

The Child Foundation Charity was founded in January of 2007.  Up until now, they have been able to help 6 children live a normal life.  Their goal?  They would love to be able to help 10 – 15 kids a year!  However, they need help from you to be able to do this.  If you would like to donate, they have a page set up to walk you through the process (you can even use Paypal!).  Another way you can help is to post about this charity and get the word out.  The more people who know about this, the better!  A third way you can help is if you are in the Miami area.  They are having an inaugural fundraising event on September 27, 2008 at The Rusty Pelican in Key Biscayne, Florida. It starts at 7 pm and includes complimentary cocktails provided by Bacardi. Afterwards, you will enjoy the house specialty of filet mignon and lobster, followed by a night of dancing to a live band, and a silent and live auction.  The ticket prices are $125 per person or $1,000 for a table of 10. Lastly, you help by donating to the above event by donating items to be used for the live and silent auctions, by purchasing an ad in the Event Program for the night, and donating promotional or sample items from your company to be included in the gift bags for our guests. As you can see, there are so many things you can do to help!

I know this ended up being a really long post, but there were so many important things to tell you.  Let me sum it all up for you.  If you want to help kids with physical birth defects live a normal life and have 100% of your donation go towards their surgeries, then the Child Foundation Charity is for you!

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