The Motherhood

Welcome to the month of June, everyone! We’ve finally made it through the polar vortex and unseasonable cold and snow in many areas of the country. In just a few weeks, we’ll be enjoying the first official day of summer – and in most parts of the country, we’re already enjoying the hallmarks of the season: sunshine, warmer days and plenty of kids excited to leave their classrooms behind for a few months.

At The Motherhood, we’re celebrating summer with beloved kids’ clothing retailer OshKosh B’gosh, which has created an adorable Forever Summer website that will feature a different blogger every week through mid-July. You can visit this week to see a video and other content from Kelli and Kristi at Lolly Jane, a gorgeous DIY and craft blog.

Previous weeks have featured videos from Kristyn at Lil’ Luna and Kayla at Kayla Aimee, and you can view those in the site archive. They are truly adorable, so check them out!

In upcoming weeks, you also can look forward to seeing a few other fantastic ladies share what “Forever Summer” means to them and their families.

This Thursday, June 5, our new featured blogger will be Hanan at EAT.CRAFT.PARENT., showcasing a nice setup for a backyard movie (we love that idea for a nighttime summer activity).

Next week, watch for Meagan at Sunshine and Sippy Cups and check out the site for advice and ideas on road trips with the kids. The team through the rest of the summer will feature Caryn at Rockin’ Mama for fun at the beach, Monica at Marino Bambinos with thoughts on staycations, and Betsy and Kristin at The Little Style File to celebrate July 4th.

Visit the OshKosh B’gosh website to take a peek at the cute summer styles and find a store near you.

If any young people in your life have impressed you with their community service (or other good deeds) recently, you can do them a service in return: Nominate them for the Build-A-Bear Workshop’s Huggable Heroes program, which will enter them to win a $5,000 educational scholarship and $2,500 donated to the cause of their choice.

The Motherhood is currently supporting the Huggable Heroes program with a blog campaign and 30-minute Twitter party, which you can join this Thursday, May 29, at 3 p.m. ET. Visit the Twtvite to learn more and RSVP.

Since 2004, more than 12,000 kids have participated in the Huggable Heroes program, which has awarded more than $1 million and recognized more than 100 socially conscious young people. So fantastic!

This year, 10 more Huggable Heroes winners will be added to the ranks. Nominate a young leader (between the ages of 8 and 18) in your community or around the world before the entry deadline of June 12.

We hope to see you at the Twitter party later this week, and good luck to all of the nominees!

What comes to mind when you hear the term child hunger? Many people think of events they see on the news or people from countries far away, but the truth is that child hunger hits a lot closer to home than we realize!

In the state of Pennsylvania, where The Motherhood office is located, one in every five children are food insecure, so we are honored to team up with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank to share ways that you can help. If you are in the Pittsburgh area, we invite you to take part in a family miniature golf outing to benefit local families in need!

Held on May 31, 2014, the Putting an End to Hunger event will take place at the Fun Fore All family entertainment center in Cranberry Township. The donation is $100 for a family of four (or $50 for two golfers) and includes lunch, a t-shirt, $10 Fun Card and a discounted 2-hour fun pass!

Our friends from ‘lil Burghers, Pittsburgh Mommy Blog, and Play Pittsburgh will be there and they’d love if you would join them! So gather up your family and friends, and plan to attend this important event that will benefit families in need in your very own city. If you go, make sure to let us know by tweeting with the hashtag #ForetheKids!

You can reserve your family’s tee time here.

Unable to attend the event? The Kids Campaign to End Hunger offers many other ways that you can help local children who are food insecure!

How have you helped hunger in your own community? 

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Photo by Kelly from Muddy Flowers

As you may have read on our blog previously, The Motherhood and an amazing group of bloggers recently have been enjoying the opportunity to review several new book releases from Tyndale House Publishers. We couldn’t help but share one more amazing book to add to your summer reading list!

The Waiting, written by Cathy LaGrow, is the unique and true story of a 16-year-old girl, Minka, who becomes pregnant after being sexually assaulted and makes the difficult decision to give up her child for adoption. The book follows Minka for the next 77 years as she searches for her daughter – and waits. After nearly 80 years, Minka prays one last time to lay eyes on her daughter. Just days later she gets the one thing she had waited for her entire life.

Check out this video trailer to learn more!

You can watch the three generations of ladies from The Waiting story reunited on this TODAY Show segment!

As Stephanie from Moments That Take My Breath Away shares, “The Waiting by Cathy LaGrow is one of the most touching stories that I have ever read. I am sure that if you take the time to read this true story of loss, love, and forgiveness, you won’t regret it.”

We heard over and over again from our review team of bloggers how this beautiful story enthralled them:

“I read this book cover to cover in one day. Once I started…I truly could not put it down.” – Kristen, Mudpies and Tiaras

“I could not put this book down, I was hooked!” – Nicole, Mama to 5 Blessings

“This non-fiction book reads like a fiction story and I got sucked in from the very beginning! I pretty much read the entire book in two days because I couldn’t put it down.” – Jami, Young Wife’s Guide

The verdict is in – if you’re looking for a great summer read, we strongly encourage you to check out The Waiting by Cathy LaGrow!

Your family might not win a singing contest with the von Trapps – but they can probably come together to sing a pretty cute jingle. That’s all you’ll need for a shot at winning a $10,000 Walmart gift card, brought to you by BAND-AID® Brand.

The Motherhood is currently working with a great group of women to spread the word about the BAND-AID® Brand “Stuck on Me” Video Contest, which runs through May 26. The rules to enter are simple and fun for the whole family:

1. Listen to/download the jingle at www.band-aid.com/stuckonme. (You likely know it already – “I am stuck on BAND-AID® Brand, ’cause BAND-AID®’s stuck on me!”)
2. Grab your camera or smartphone, and record your children (or the whole family!) singing the “Stuck on Me” jingle.
3. Complete your registration and submit your video.
4. Once the video is approved, it will appear with the other BAND-AID® Brand stars in the contest video gallery.
5. Judges will select the top 12 entries and then the public will vote on who will receive the $10,000 Walmart gift card!

Be sure to submit your video entry by May 26! If you enter early, you’ll get a shot at being a bi-weekly winner, and receive a $250 Walmart gift card plus an automatic finalist spot. The remaining 9 finalists will receive $100 Walmart gift cards.

Once all of the submissions have been received, you’ll be invited to vote for your favorite BAND-AID® Brand “Stuck on Me” finalist through June 17 – and if you’re a finalist, you can let all of your friends and family know and get out the vote! The winner will be announced on June 25. Official contest rules can be found here.

Check out this adorable video of the “Stuck on Me” jingle by Jorge, Alexa and Eliana Narvaez!

Now it’s time to make your own jingle video! Head over to the BAND-AID® Brand Facebook page to submit your family’s jingle and to be entered to win! Good luck!