Today is Armed Forces Day and we have so much to discuss:

1) JUST FOR FUN

If you haven’t already seen this, make sure you catch this video of our boys over in Afghanistan remaking Telephone by Lady Gaga – LOVE to see them relaxed and having fun.

P.S. Would it frighten you if I admit this is the first time I’ve heard this song?!?  Oh man.

Moving on…

2) SEND A BOX

This week I sent a big (and heavy!) box off to Iraq.  Inside I had Costco-sized boxes of Oreos (that’s what I’d want in Iraq), Graham Crackers, EasyMac, DVD’s, iTunes giftcards, and some drawings by my elder adorable.  I’m not telling you this for any accolades, but merely to report that it only cost $14.08 to ship it Priority Mail.

And that made me want to do it again, so I just signed up at AdoptAUSSoldier.org to be connected with another deployed service member.  It seems like a very small thing to do yet one that would make a big impact for someone else.

3) READEO.COM GIVEAWAY

The folks at Readeo.com have provided us with a different kind of Giveaway in honor of Armed Forces Day.

Readeo combines the best children’s books with high-quality video chat to create a shared reading experience called BookChat^TM where people can see, hear, read and interact with grandchildren, nephews, nieces, and others—just as you would if you were in the same room. Readeo allows families to connect and interact in a meaningful way—even when they may be far apart.  Ahem, this could be an excellent gift.

Neat, eh?

So here’s the Giveaway:

5 families with a parent deployed overseas will win a full one-year subscription to Readeo.com (a $99.95 value).  Would you help me find 5 families to give this to?  Just leave a comment or send me an email with the names of families you know.  I think this would be really special for their adorables and I appreciate your help locating them!!

4) AMAZON REMINDER

Remember all proceeds from Amazon for May will be donated to the USO.org.  I’m going to ask you to vote on The Good Stuff Guide’s Facebook page for the June recipient, so be on the lookout.

So a mighty big thanks for all that our service men and women are doing for us.  And perhaps an even bigger thanks for their families who love and miss them.

Younger adorable has been spending large parts of his day adorning these little babe-magnets.  Foggy and all.   They leave a red imprint the rest of the day which leads me to believe they are not comfy, but aren’t we all a slave to fashion?

Younger adorable also spends large amounts of time here in the pantry.  “All by myself.”  Doesn’t that huge jar of queso make you hungry?

Cooking time with the elder adorable.  We’ve been on a baking frenzy to make it through all of these snow days.  Oh the waist expansion!  But yum.

Battle of the cameras with my little budding photographer.  He’s all about the tripod lately.  Kinda wish I could have it back though…

And with that, I wish you a happy weekend.

Iwo Jima Memorial, Washington D.C. by Ann Dayton

With charitable giving currently sharing the same fate as our economy, several charities that support our military need our extra help this holiday season.  Here are a list of several wonderful organizations that I’ve either donated to or researched.  See a full list of Military Aid and Charity Organizations.

1. USO

I’ve supported our USO for several years and this year will be no different.  Best known for bringing rock stars and Bob Hope to war zones, the USO provides so much more.  Prepaid phone cards for calling home, Care Packages of sunscreen (kinda necessary in Iraq and Afghanistan), toiletries and snacks, and their USO Mobile Canteens, equipped with refreshments, televisions, and mini-stages for live performances, can be deployed anywhere around the world to provide a little sense of home.  They also have a special rooms in many airports where soldiers can get a meal, relax and often offer a shower and a place to sleep.  The USO is not government funded thereby relying wholly on private donations.

www.uso.org

Donate to the USO

2. Operation Gratitude

Of course I love the name.  Operation Gratitude care packages contain food, hygiene products, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation, all wrapped with good wishes of love and support for our soldiers.  Most items are donated by corporations; your donations ships the boxes.  They have a $1.2 million dollar budget, with $1.1 million spent on postage.

www.opgratitude.com

Donate to Operation Gratitude

3. Knights of Heroes

The Knights of Heroes mission is to provide young men who have lost their fathers in military service the opportunity to experience character building events with the positive support of a male mentor.  Boys are invited to Colorado Springs for one week of fishing, canoeing, and horseback riding amid the company of other boys and mentors who share and understand the tragedy.

www.knightsofheroes.org

Donate to Knights of Heroes

4. Wounded Warrior Fund

This great charity provides support to the families of those who have been wounded, injured or killed during combat operations.  They own 4 condos in Orlando and 4 in Galveston, Texas for the use of returning wounded soldiers and their families or those who have lost a family member.  Wounded Warriors is also in the process of building a retreat facility for these families in northwest Nebraska.  In addition, they also provide returning soldiers and their families with football and baseball tickets for a variety of professional teams.

www.woundedwarriorhospitalfund.org

Donate to the Wounded Warrior Fund

Our soldiers who are so far from home this Holiday season will thank you!

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12 Days of Giveaways

Announcing 12 Days of Givaways starting Monday, November 30th!!  Why buy gifts for your adorables when you can win them?  So mark your calendars for 12 days of amazing giveaways from Fisher-Price, Hasbro, eeBoo, EA Sports, Bakugans, just to name a few starting November 30th until December 12th.  Enter every day!  I just can’t wait…