DeClutter Baby Stuff For Good Drive – May Mission Accomplished

I am pleased to report that we were able to meet and exceed the goal set of 50 baby items for the May DeClutter Baby Stuff for Good drive… Thanks to the generous donation of several folks who shared items after their own yard sales (a great idea!)

Special thanks to one special person who reached out to me through NorthShoreCafe, an online yahoo group connecting freecyclers on the north shore. This wonderful woman donated baby clothes in great condition that she had lovingly used several times while caring for infant foster children over several years. What a fantastic person! It’s one of many “perks” that I’ve already experienced – meeting so many wonderful ~ and wonderfully inspiring ~ people along the way.

My first carload delivered to Cradles to Crayons included items I picked up at the end of a school-wide yard sale at Hamilton-Wenham’s Grammar School Thanks to the women there for letting me sort through all of their “stuff” for items meeting the Cradles to Crayons “good enough for your own child” standard.

Here’s the list of items delivered:

115 TOTAL ITEMS

EQUIPMENT (28)

Car Seats – 2

Car Window Shades – 2

Diaper Pails – 3

Blankets – 5

Pillow – 1

Mosquito Net – 1

Changing Pads – 5

Washcloths – 2

Bibs – 4

Baby Tubs – 2

Booster Chair – 1

TOYS (16)

Leap Frog and Books – 3

Misc Rattles & Small Toys – 8

Activity Pad – 3

Play Tables – 2

CLOTHING (71)

Girls – 31

Boys – 13

Boys Coats – 2

Boots – 3

Sneakers – 1

Slippers – 1

Baby Socks – 20 pair

Not included in the above count (yet), I still have another carload of baby stuff to deliver to Quincy and need to find the time to make the 2-hour round trip – the kind of “problem” I don’t mind solving!

I’ve blogged about Cradles to Crayons frequently, so feel free to search for them using the search tool in the right-hand column if you’d like to learn more about Time Well Spent’s support of Cradles to Crayons. We are so pleased and proud to play a small role in helping them with their good work.

 

 

Cousin Maura is Helping in Honduras Again ~ And Sharing Some Ways You Can Help, Too.

Down and dirty posts these days… Following is the entire contents of Maura’s email received today. I wrote about Maura nearly a year ago with links to her website sharing photos from her 2008 Honduras Mission Trip. Click here to read that post.

Tomorrow (Saturday) is the E-Cycle event to raise money to send me, Anna, Juli and Katie on a mission in Honduras (and I’m panicing!)…   the Yard Sale is on Sunday.

Below is the “Note” I posted on Facebook about how far a few dollars can go in Honduras.

How much can be done for another person/community simply by sacrificing one or two little luxuries now and again.  Imagine the potential!

I’ve also attached a pic or two from my last trip.  More are on my blog:  http://maurachappelle.blogspot.com  so are details on tomorrow’s E-Cycle and the Yard Sale on Sunday.

Maura

 

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collecting old electronics and appliances for money…

E-Cycle fundraiser to go to Honduras (get rid of that dinosaur computer and broken TV) May 16… go to http://maurachappelle.blogspot.com for details
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Support our Relay for Life “Super Friends” team: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?team_id=501587&fr_id=16383&pg=team

MOSQUITO NETS = YOUR MORNING COFFEE

i loved this family…

village has Mass only about once a month when Father Craig can make it there…. they don’t have a church, so they move the tables around in their tiny two room school 

this Dad and his little girl were in their Sunday best (even though it was a weekday) and Mom was in the choir

 

In the poorest parts of the world, where effective window screens are lacking, insecticide-treated bed nets are arguably the most cost-effective way to prevent malaria transmission.

Honduras is one of those countries.

Studies show that use of insecticide-treated bed nets can reduce transmission as much as 90% in areas with high coverage rates. Bed nets prevent malaria transmission by creating a protective barrier against mosquitoes at night, when the vast majority of transmissions occur.
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Nets in Honduras range from $2.50 (untreated) to $6.50 (treated with insecticide). That’s the price of a couple of coffee in the morning or a #4 on the menu

Can you skip your Dunkins run for one day and pay for one net to save a life?
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Malaria is a disease caused by the blood parasite Plasmodium, which is transmitted by mosquitoes. Malaria, from the Medieval Italian words mala aria or “bad air,” infects more than 500 million people a year and kills more than a million— one person dies about every 30 seconds.

Malaria is PREVENTABLE

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MOVIES EQUAL ACETAMINOPHEN 

Seen a good movie lately? What’d you pay for tickets?

Average price for two to see a movie (just tickets) would buy a GALLON of acetaminophen in Honduras

For just $15 medical clinics in Honduras can purchase a whole gallon of acetaminophen to treat pain, fever and such

Same amount would be roughly $112 over the counter

How about next time you think of going to the movies you get a film for a buck at Red Box and donate the amount you saved toward Honduran missions?

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MANICURE EQUALS AMOXICILLIN

Ever have an ear infection? Your child suffer from them?

Thankfully you had your doctor down the street for speedy diagnosis and a simple prescription to pick up at CVS

Not everyone is as lucky– in fact, most aren’t. They certainly aren’t in Honduras.

So maybe next time you want to get a manicure you’ll paint your own and donate the money saved to our trip.

40 bottle of amoxicillin is only about $28– how can you beat that price?

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ROUND OF GOLF = MILK FOR 15 CHILDREN

When Anna and I were in Honduras last year we both learned about the lack of milk available to the people…

refrigeration is scarce, as is money… not a good combo for stocking up on healthful drinks

the water supply is iffy at best (we weren’t allowed to drink local water, the mission supplied us with purified water) so simple tap water isn’t plan A when the people are thirst

sadly, Pepsi is everywhere and cheaper by far than the boxed milk that the bodegas would sell… so a poor family would get a 2 liter bottle of that rather than a quart of milk….

so they’re drinking sugar water and caffiene rather than hydrating and calcium filled milk…

when we delivered food to the poorest of the poor most had no teeth with which to eat the meager provisions we brought…

but YOU CAN HELP!

the rough cost for a round of golf with cart and a few perks is $100

same cost at current rates to give a village enough powdered milk to last a month for 15 Honduran children

imagine that… 15 children can get a head start on having a healthy life if you forgo one day of golf and donate that money

something to think about

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WASHER WOMAN’S WAGES = MOVIE ON DEMAND

Last time Anna and I were in Honduras, there was a woman who washed the laundry of the mission house guests every morning.

She washed each item by hand, rinsed, rung them out and hung them to dry. It took her entire morning.

We paid her 2 limpera per item (a pair of socks is one item).

A typical days laundry included:

11 underwear
11 shirts
4 pair socks
3 pair pants
3 pair shorts

Exchange rate at the time was about 18 to 18.5 limpera per $1 American, so 2 limpera was about 12 cents.

Imagine washing a stranger’s underwear by hand for 12 cents?

So for a morning’s work, this washer woman $3.50, maybe $4

$4?! for a morning’s work? 

The cost of a movie on demand was this hard working woman’s daily wages. (of course, we tipped her well, we felt like thieves paying her so little)

Please think of the less fortunate next time you want to order a movie.

Remember, poor doesn’t equal lazy– many many of the most destitute work their tails off every day but the system and economy hold them down

Happy Mother’s Day ~ With Those in Need and Mother Earth in Mind

Here’s a quick cut-and-paste job from my email inbox, sharing some neat ways to say Happy Mother’s Day to your own mother, a worthy mother you know who could use an extra Mother’s Day wish, or in honor of a mother who has passed, leaving memories that linger to this day… Happy Mother’s Day to all!

CRADLES TO CRAYONS

From Lynn Margherio, Founder of Cradles to Crayons:

Dear Nancy, 

 For less than the cost of a dozen roses, you can give a local family a chance to succeed. Through this Sunday, when you donate online to Cradles to Crayons through this link, you’ll get a unique C2C Mother’s Day card which you can print out and sign for mom!In these trying economic times, the best gift of all is to share the joy of Mother’s Day with struggling families.

 Thank you, and have a Happy Mother’s Day! 

Cradles to Crayons
Founder & CEO
Lynn Margherio

 And, From STAY VOCAL, an eco-conscious website from Boston’s South Shore:

On tomorrow’s episode (Tuesday, May 5th) of ABC’s Good Morning America, there will be a Mother’s Day Gift Segment and one of the featured items is the STAY VOCAL “What Do You Do?” ReUse Patch T-Shirt. We couldn’t be more excited about this, as the shirt is not only great for mom, but also Mother Earth.The show will air on all national ABC affiliates and the Mother’s Day segment will be at around 8:30-9AM (all time zones). In addition, the segment will be later posted on the Good Morning America Website.

Here’s a close-up of the eco-friendly shirt for eco-savvy moms of all ages:

 

So much more to share of folks doing good that mothers would love, just by their very nature of being a mom… But, this mother has got to get to work on her latest baby,  business – Time Well Spent. I often joke I had my babies faster than I’ve managed to launch Time Well Spent – but, it will  be worth the wait!

Happy Mother’s Day to all out there who are one or are blessed to have one. And a special shout out to those who help those who do not have a capable. loving and nurturing mother of their own.

 Nancy

May Day ~ May Day ~ How green is your garden?

Given the repurposing and reuse that abounds within the Time Well Spent concept, there truly is a triple-bottom-line mission, aka People/Planet/Profits, that is what drives me to make Time Well Spent a reality.

    

Thanks to my action-while-planning approach to the start-up, I’ve already met some fantastic eco-friendly people along the way.  The vast majority of those I’ve met are not the artificial kind of green imposters, those guilty of “green-washing,” a term used to refer to false claims and insincerely wrapping of one’s products or one’s company in the earth-friendly flag, presenting a false front, for economic gain…

   

Because authenticity is another cornerstone value of Time Well Spent, phoney-baloneys are a pet peeve of mine and phoney eco-friendly is the worst. So, it’s really been heartening that the local earth-friendly people I’ve met are genuine and authentic people who are leading the way, slowly mainstreaming daily living and consumer choices that reflect stewardship toward our planet. 

   

With spring yard work upon us in New England, our yards, lawns and gardens provide a great example of how changing our daily lifestyle habits, by increasing awareness and attention to the impact of the decisions we make, can improve our own lives, that of our families and those in need, as well as the environment ~ the overall mission of Time Well Spent.

   

So, here are a few examples of small steps you can take in increasing your own attention to your landscaping and gardening choices that you will be making now and that will affect your entire summer gardening:

  

1. Just say NO to traditional green lawns.

  

Did you know that, summer drought or not, your lawn wants to go dormant as the summer winds down? Think of all the cost and waste associated with trying to stop a lawn from doing what it wants to do naturally.  Not to mention all the spring seeding and patchwork required to get the lawn up and going in the first place, only to know that the inevitable summer browning (aka lawn going dormant) will come, just as sure as the sun will rise each day. 

   

“What am I supposed to do, Nancy, have a horrible embarrassing, excuse of a lawn?” you ask, “What will the neighbors think?”  Here’s one suggestion: If you have clover in your lawn, lucky you! Clover provides a green “lawn” that requires less water.  For more anti-lawn and alternative lawn tips and suggestions, check out the Less Lawn website.

       

2. Choose native flowers and plants.

    

• Buy from locally-owned nurseries  or stands and let them know that native choices matter to you – that’s letting your green purse do the talking – promoting change through consumer choices.  To learn more about the power of your big green purse, click here!

 

• Attend local farmer’s markets and special events promoting local gardening. The newly-formed local farmer’s market in Newburyport has two seedling days planned for May 17th and May 30 from 10-2 at The Tannery in Newburyport. Mark your calendars and plan to get inspired and get seedlings!

   

• Splitting perrenials with neighbors is a cool thing to do. Those gardeners with a truly green thumb might want to spearhead a sharing day in their neigbhorhood and can at least help folks know what to split and when. If you think about it, you really don’t need to know what something is in terms of latin names and the like, just knowing where it grows, when it blooms and how much it spreads should do the trick.  For those plants that grow like topsy, best to double check that they aren’t some invasive species that is going out of control. As long as it isn’t, hooray, something easy to grow and very share-able (like lillies of the valley that still make me think of my childhood). Okay that’s the extent of my native plant knowledge…

   

3. Ask an Expert!

  

We can’t be an expert on everything, but we can learn how to find experts when we need them. Go to the websites of local business people who have the knowledge, expertise and passion for green gardening and landscaping. Here are a few I have met personally and found to be the truest shade of “green:”

  

• Green Gardening: Nanette Masi’s Back to Nature

  

• Green Landscaping: Matt Ulrich & Associates

  

• Local Green Community Groups: Greater Newbuyport Eco-Collaborative

 

• Green CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture): Green Meadows Farm

I get the distinct impression that all CSAs are eco-conscious by there very nature. Green Meadows, located in South Hamilton, includes an open-to-the-public farm stand, a monthly newsletter filled with info, and a really informative and educational series of programs throughout the summer to help educate those interested in learning more about living in harmony with nature, even as they provide organic food to their members.

   

This list just scratches the surface and I make it at the risk of leaving someone out. So, let’s just call it the beginning of a list. Add your own personal suggestions for those people and organizations, CSAs and other farmstands that care about Mother Earth and Humankind, and understand the impact one has on the other. 

  

I love the idea that Time Well Spent will bring together people with different levels of expertise on different topics and at different stages of their own learning curve on new areas of interest. So, whatever stage you are at on all things green, I look forward to sharing more info, and learning a great deal along the way myself, about all things earth-friendly. What lesson I’m already learning is that earth-friendly ideas and inititiatives are also beneficial to the creatures that inhabit the planet, including, you guessed it, people!

Oops ! Lost the green gardening article from my newsletter

Lesson Learned – Don’t send that e-newsletter without a good proofreading.

Here’s the story ~ I stayed up late doing the newsletter as my goal is to get it out the first of each month. Big mistake! I had written a nice eco-gardening article and was planning to add some links to local green garden and landscaping folks I’ve met. Somehow, I lost the article in cyberspace and decided I better scrap it for the time being and write it up as a post, but not in the e-newsletter.  Here’s the mistake – I left the reference to green gardening in the subject line! So, an explanation and an apology to all my eco-friendly contacts I’ve made. And, a lesson learned about late night writing – never do a final version.  Better yet, go to bed! Wonder how many other mistakes are in the newsletter?

I know that old school would be not to point out the mistake and hope it goes unnoticed but I thought it better to share, not only by way of explanation, but also so others can learn from my mistake.

Live and learn! Or. learn from the mistake of others!

Nancy

p.s. I considered deleting this now that I re-wrote the post. but then I couldn’t share the lesson learned. So, leave the post, I shall…

May DeClutter For Good – Baby Clothes and Equipment

 

Help Time Well Spent reach our goal 

of a total of 50 baby items donated this month

and watch for the results next month!

  

 Here are the details of our May DeClutter For Good drive. How can you help out?  

 

For Whom?      Babies of Massachusetts Families in Need

With Whom?   Cradles to Crayons

What?               Baby Clothes & Equipment:

                           Blankets to Baby Toys,

                           Baby Monitors to Cribs and Strollers

                           Remember C2C’s guideline:                          

                         “good enough for your own child!”

  

When?              Sunday, May 17th, 11 am-3pm* 

 

Where?             Time Well Spent Pre-Launch Office

                            89 Turnpike Road/Route 1, Ipswich, MA 

                                   

Cradles to Crayons works with over 400 organizations right in Massachusetts, reaching tens of thousands of children in need, from birth through pre-teen. Know that your donations will go through their efficient distribution system into the hands of a child in need locally. What’s more, with Cradles to Crayons handling the material needs of these kids, the local service organizations can spend that much more of their time on the physical and emotional needs of those less fortunate. 

For safety reasons, the rules for baby equipment are rather specific, so check out the particulars if you have equipment to donate:

Donate your child’s good-as-new crib, car seat, stroller and other baby equipment.

All equipment must be less than 5 years old, in perfect working order, with manufacturer’s instructions and contain all hardware and attachments. Please package hardware and attachments in a ZIplock bag and attach it  to equipment. If cribs do not inlcude complete incstructions and all the hardware, we will not be able to accept them. Copies of instructions are often available by contacting the manufacturer directly.If batteries are required for operation, please discard old batteries and include new ones.

I’ve blogged about Cradles to Crayons frequently, so feel free to search for them using the search tool in the right-hand column if you’d like to learn more about Time Well Spent’s support of Cradles to Crayons. We are so pleased and proud to play a small role in helping them with their good work.

 More Ways to Help those who are the most helpless among us ~ babies in need:

• Forward this information to local pre-schools, day-care centers, churches, scouting groups and the like, and encourage their participation (whether via the DeClutter For Good event or by hosting an event of their own).
• Share this info with friends and family with little ones.
• Share info about the baby needs with those holding yard sales.
• If you know of any high school students who would benefit from a few hours spent this month helping me spread the word of this month’s DeClutter For Good event, send them my way! It’s good for their resume, their self-esteem and their spirit!
• If you know of another local service organization that could use some baby clothes and equipment, encourage them to contact Time Well Spent and we’ll see if any items come in that fit their specific needs.
       

Would you rather share a paper copy of a flyer instead of forwarding a link or the e-newsletter? Comment here or go to the contact page and get in touch.

   

*If you can’t make it on the 17th, contact me for alternative drop-off arrangements. 

  

Thanks!