Christmas Breastfeeding - G'head, Tell Mary and Jesus to Cover Up...I'll Wait

When my son was just over a year old, we ran across this video.  I'm not at all religious, but it struck me nevertheless.  My son was hypnotized.  There were so many babes in arms having "bed" like he did.  It was like he could relate on the deepest of levels.  He watched it over and over again, falling asleep in front of the screen, which was unheard of, as he always fell asleep at the boob instead.  Something about this, though, touched his little self and it has had a special place in my heart ever since.

Enjoy.  Enjoy the full message if you're the religious sort or on mute if you don't care to hear about the Mary, Joseph, Jesus story.  The images are gorgeous no matter what you believe and they speak to my heart and the heart of my son who breastfed like these babes for 4 1/2 years.  They didn't need to #normalizebreastfeeding or raise awareness about #NIP, because it already was normal.  It is normal.  

Help Refugees While You Shop

Americans and Syrian refugees
are experiencing two very different types
of camp-outs this Black Friday.

The shopping season is upon us. Coming up is our beloved Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday. Oh, and there's a massive refugee crisis happening that you can help with during any and all of those days.








Head to Made for Refugees, satisfy your shopping needs (or, more accurately, wants), score unique deals, and do your part to help those in need. It's a multi-fer! (That's like a two-fer but not.)

from the Made for Refugees Facebook page

From the site:

How does it work?
Very simple. Browse our shop. Purchase your items. When we receive the funds, we will donate them in their entirety to the International Rescue Committee.


Oh, and did I mention I'm one of the makers? I am. Check me out. I don't have a lot of disposable income, but I have a strong desire to help those in need, a crafty inclination, and a friend who has friends, so I got to be involved. And now you do, too. Lucky you!

The IRC was carefully chosen and vetted by the Made for Refugees founders, but please feel free to check them out on Charity Navigator (which I recommend doing for all your charities). You'll see they have top status, so your money will be going to all the right places.

Maybe you're an early bird, like me, who has all their holiday shopping completed. (Way to be!) You can still help by donating at the bottom of the Made for Refugees website through your PayPal and/or sharing this blog post encouraging your friends and family to shop and share along with the #madeforrefugees hashtag. Oh, and don't forget to like their Facebook page, too!

It's hard to see the travesty going on around us and feel helpless as so many struggle. We can't all do the big stuff, but we can and should do what we can with what we have. This is our little way of helping.