Mommy Gossip

I accepted Mom It Forward's "Happiness Headlines" challenge this season to perform random acts of kindness. I chose these two activities that involved my kids in hopes that they would catch the spirit of the season and learn to think more about giving than receiving.

1. Bake reindeer cookies for neighbor gifts.
2. Make candy cane notes to thank people for spreading holiday cheer.
   

What Is Magic?

When we think of magic, we think of something appearing out of "nothing." A rabbit from a hat. A bunch of flowers from a shirt sleeve. Or a quarter from an empty hand. We also think of women that give their all—even when their all feels like nothing or they have limited resources—to raise their children—our future leaders, teachers, and our children's future spouses.

This December, HP is redefining magic by making a very big something appear not out of nothing, but out of the goodness of its heart. It has bestowed its magic wand on these amazing bloggers—Firemom from Stop, Drop, and Blog (left), Sugar Jones from Living in Theory (below right) Merlot Mom (below left), and SlashGear (bottom)—for help in spreading a little HP fairy dust, if you will. More specifically, these folks are holding contests and will be awarding one lucky lass or lad each with $6000 worth of amazing HP product. Because this holiday season is all about sharing, Mommy Gossip—GNO would love to take a turn with the Magic wand to sprinkle a little HP fairy dust.

At Mommy Gossip—GNO, our goal is to change the world one mom at a time. Our mission is simple: to help moms improve their lives and achieve personal and professional success so they can, in turn, better their families, better the community around them, and ultimately, better the world. This change can start with just one mom. But why help just one mom when we could help four? Four women in our community—moms with generous hearts, giving spirits, but limited resources and/or significant challenges. Just imagine the ripple effect these women could produce if they had a little magic.

We are dazzled by the magical women in our online community. We see SAHMs, WAHMs, WMs, and every other mom-related acronym balance on the personal/professional tight rope. Many of these women have disabilities, are supporting children with disabilities, have little family and/or financial support, and are facing many other types of challenges. We hear of their struggles to gain an education; give their businesses a go; and do it all while battling infertility, raising their children, and keeping their chins up. We are humbled to watch them line up to volunteer for our fundraisers. We are overcome with their contagious positive attitudes. We are amazed to hear the random acts of kindness they are performing this season to spread holiday cheer. And, we are motivated as we watch them network to find solutions to their situations.

If Mommy Gossip—GNO got to take a turn with the Magic wand, we'd sprinkle a little HP fairy dust on four GNO Gals—women like those you see in the video or like those described above—women in our midst that need a little HP Magic to better themselves so they can, in turn, better their families, and ultimately better their communities and the world. We feel that generations of children impacted by a mother's success would be the most magical miracle of all.

Note: We have chosen not to divulge the names and situations of these women here, because if we win the contest, we'd love the gifts to be a surprise!