Mommy Gossip

Changing the World One Mom at a Time

As you, my lovely readers and friends, are finding out, I have been a bit busy lately with a new endeavor called Mom It Forward. Some of you may be wondering what the heck this Mom It Forward thing is and why it would have so wholeheartedly caputred my heart and subsequently, my focus!

Mom It Forward is the newest trend in mom groups and makes giving back fun, sociable, accessible, and stylish—the new “in crowd” of moms where "mom" is a verb. IT RAWKS!!! Not only is it fun, has the benefit of forming new friendships, but it is all for a good cause.




With its unique niche, the Mom It Forward community is the perfect mommy gathering place or group—both online and in real life—to talk about something moms have in common—our passion for making a difference. Members of the Mom It Forward community join for strength and friendship—you know, the adult interaction all of us moms are craving—but leave with so much more... feeling strengthened, uplifted, excited, and with ideas for and a call to action to give back in fun, creative, meaningful ways all while balancing their role as a mom.

One of the many benefits of being a part of this group has been the benefit of meeting such great people and serving alongside them and on some occasions, serving together with our families. Attending the Blissdom Conference and subsequent Mom It Forward service project was one of those opportunities.

The most amazing part of Blissdom was seeing the old addage "all's well that ends well" taken to new heights with "all's extraordinary that ends extraordinarily."


I am referring to the Mom It Forward service project at the Nashville Rescue Mission sponsored by Scanpan (who donated 5 sets of high-end cookware to the Mission, nearly making me wish that was my kitchen—the pots and pans were AMAZING).



Five Fabulous Things About Momming It Forward Nashville Style

What was so extraordinary about this experience you may be asking yourself? Let me touch on five highlights:

1. Influence and reach is more important than numbers! We learned at the conference that blogging traffic is not as important as reach and influence. We experienced the same concept in a different way at the Nashville Rescue Mission. Our team was small in numbers—7 to be exact (Carissa, Kim, Josh and Rebecca, Ghennipher, Marie, and moi). But we helped prepare lunch for upwards of 1500 people. Now that is reach!
   
   
2. Shared meaninful experiences builds community. As we Mommed It Forward, our team experienced one of the most vital parts of building community: shared meaningful experiences. We may have been chopping vegetables or mixing in dressing on salads—ordinary tasks done daily for a mommy. But these ordinary tasks became extraordinary when we performed them while working together for a common goal and great cause—to help those who truly were not able to help themselves. It was an amazingly humble experience!
   
   
   
   
3. Stepping forward and out of your comfort zone is key to Momming It Forward. We got out of our comfort zones. Not only did we Mom It Forward in terms of serving, but we took a step forward from an area in which we may not have been entirely comfortable—from our comfort zones, helping us all to embrace a very important step to Mom It Forward—taking action!
   
   
4. Partnering makes Mom It Forward possible. This entire experience would not have been possible without a lot of creative connections. Specifically... the wonderful people behind the Blissdom Conference, who brought all of us together; the amazing Nashville Rescue Mission organization; our small, but influential team of Mom It Forward moms and dad who sacrificed sleep or fought headaches/sickness to participate; Nancy Martira, the lovely and brilliant PR professional and now friend, who introduced us to Scanpan; Scanpan for their generous donation and sponsorship (you've got to check out their cookware... as Alli Worthington of Blissfully Domestic says, "It's Lickable!"; Jessica Smith for introducing us to Nancy Martira; Abdul (I wish he had a blog I could link you to) for being our amazing taxi cab driver (no! he's no relation to Paula. I asked! LOL!); and most importantly, the people at the Nashville Rescue Mission—for their strength and goodness, however limited or ill understood.
   
   
5. The Mom It Forward mission is alive and kickin'. We have heard a few times that the Mom It Forward mission to "change the world one mom at a time" is lofty. What the Nashville Rescue Mission experience taught me is that it is possible. Mom It Forward can accomplish this mission one day at a time, one person at a time, one location at a time. We already are, including the partner that sponsored the opportunity, the organization that made it possible, the team members that provided the service, and the amazing people who received it.

If you'd like to learn more about Mom It Forward or get involved, please visit our Mom It Forward blog. If you have questions or partnering ideas, please e-mail us at momitforward [at] gmail [dot] com.

Enter for a Chance to Serve & Score!

Three Different Giveaways. Amazing Prizes.
Eleven Winners.
Four Ways to Enter: Vlog, Blog, Photo.
One Great Purpose: To Mom It Forward!


Introducing Mom It Forward's #GNO Gab & Give Event. In celebration, we are having 3 different giveaways. You may enter all of them, but you may only win once.

Hint! This giveaway is all about promoting service—the mission behind Mom It Forward. We are partial to those that truly embrace the spirit of Mom It Forward and help others catch sight of the vision as well.

Click on the links and images below to learn the entry requirements, see the specs for each prize, and find where to enter each giveaway. Please do not enter in this post.


Vlogging Giveaway 1
HP Mini 1535NR Laptop Specs
Click Here to Enter
Deadline: Saturday, February 21

Photogging Giveaway 3
Muvee Reveal Movie Editing Software Package Specs
Click Here to Enter
Deadline: Saturday, February 21

While browsing around Twitter Moms, I noticed and later joined a group called Raising Kids With Conscience. The group's description states:

This is a group for moms who want to raise GIVING kids. We want to inspire our children to think outside themselves: give to their communities, the planet, and others.

How can we help our kids identify service/giving opportunities?

One idea I have is to keep a service journal/blog that records ideas for giving back, feelings about service opportunities and experiences, and the impact of that service.

What are your ideas?

Here are just a few from today's comments. In addition to giving great feedback, these gals have awesome blogs. Go check them out!

From Sassy Stephanie

One thing we do, while teaching the value of money at the same time, is the three jars for money. Everytime they get money for chores, etc. they split it into three jars: save, spend, give. The give jar is usually given to church, but we allow them to give where they see fit.

From Lindsay at Our Lives in a Nutshell

we've decided to make Christmas cookies for all our neighboors this year, as well as the elderly people in their great-grandparent's apartment building

From Elizabeth at Parenting Pink

We bring items to our local SPCA once a month to donate to the kitties & doggies (my daughter's words). The love picking out little treats at the Dollar Store and then giving them to the animals at the shelter.

From Leslee at Phillips 101

growing up my mom made us go at thanksgivng and christmas and work in homeless shelter and soup kitchens and church dining hall to help out people who were less fortunate that us. we served food, cleaned tables and helped people. also my parents took $ from our christmas budget every year and adopted a family. we always adopted a family with children our ages. so we got to go shopping and pick out toys, coats, socks, clotes etc. for needy families and children our own ages. it was very humbeling and you had better bet i will have my little man right there with me when he is old enough to help!

From Jamie at Jamie's Rose Cottage

Each year for my daughter's birthday, we pick a charity of some sort to collect for in lieu of more gifts she doesn't really need. (We get her a few things & inevitably a few other relatives do too, but it's not a crazy gift-fest.) This year was collecting for Operation Christmas Child; last year was collecting for the pet rescue where we had recently adopted our dog.

I've joined Angie and crowd for Wordful Wednesday. Come and join in on the fun!

This next story is proof of the positive influence one mommy can make in this world.

I was driving home this afternoon and decided to stop by my sister-in-law's sister's house. She is going through a divorce and recently moved a half a mile away from me. I stopped at her house, located in a cul-de-sac full of cars. A beehive of activity goes on around me as I walked up the walk. People were everywhere. Men outside with saws. Women inside with paint brushes. "Becky?" I call out. "Down here," the reply.

I go downstairs to see am emotionally overwhelmed and amazingly happy Becky with swarms of people around her, working madly to beautify her new/old home. Pale pink for her little girl's room. Mustard yellow for her boy's sanctuary--with Wain's Coating no less. Then, she fills me in on the best part. It was all a surprise. Her colleagues from the middle school where she works--led by Tonya the math teacher--organized this endeavor at a staff meeting.

Every employee donated in one way or the other. Nearly 15 people showed up today to help with the makeover. One woman donated a Home Depot gift card. People went in on groceries and filled her refrigerator and freezor with food. Others donated gently used furniture and other much needed items. They unpacked boxes, did laundry, and identified other needs, like curtains, and assigned people to take on those tasks.

This outreach of love and service caused me to reflect on the many outpourings of love I have received in my life. I am glad to KNOW that the world wide web extends far beyond the internet and makes up a vast network of individuals that make such a difference as this in every day life... All because one person has a need and one person--in this case, a mommy--takes time out of her life to organize an effort to meet that need. Makes making a difference not seem so overwhelming.