May Service Project: Pay It 4ward

Let me state the obvious.... yes, it has been a while since we have updated the blog. The reason there has been such a delay... it's a little personal, but stay tuned for the reason in a future post. This post is to share what we did for our May service project (and yes, we still owe you April's, but before I get further behind I figured I needed to get this out). For May we borrowed an idea from one of my fellow Howard Bison and her children, we decided to pay it forward.


We made note cards that said, "Have a dollar on us. Please pay it forward." and stapled a $1 bill to the back of them.

We visited the Dollar Tree on Freedom Drive in Charlotte and placed the notecards near/between various items throughout the store and quickly hurried out of the store. Tyler commented that it would be pretty cool if someone reached out that found one of the cards to share how they used it, I agreed but we know that a few people benefitted and that was all that mattered.

I kind of wish that we had been recorded placing the note cards around the store, not to capture the activity but to help me teach my child how to not draw attention to himself. Clearly I'm basically saying I want my child to be a better sneak, but he needs to learn the skill of being incognito, I mean how else will he successfully pull of planning a surprise party/event for me in the future?! ;-)

This was a very simple, yet rewarding activity that we would encourage anyone to do. Pick a place, it could be a grocery store, fast food drive through, doctors office (cover the co-pay or a certain dollar amount for an unsuspecting patient), restaurant, etc.

December Service Project: Holiday Cheer 4 Children

For our December service project we have chosen to help the guests of The Relatives. This will be our third project this year that has benefitted The Relatives.  The Relatives hosts 9 children/young adults that are homeless or have been removed from their family homes.  We are doing handmade cards and gift cards for each of the 9 guests that will be with them on Christmas Day.  We are hoping that others will join us in providing items for each child.  Since some of these children are in transition, we are not wanting to give bulky items (such as stuffed animals) but things that are portable, fun, educational, motivating, etc.  Some examples of items that would be great are playing cards, activity books, Redbox gift cards, bus passes, gift cards to restaurants (the facility is on East Boulevard so restaurants in that area would be more convenient), inspirational books, etc. We don’t know the breakdown of boys vs. girls, so think of things that are gender neutral. We will be collecting items between now and Tuesday, December 23, 2014. If you would like to donate items, send us an email and we can coordinate meeting you.

Thanks in advance for thinking of those children that aren’t able to be home for the holidays.

Eboni & Tyler

Mommy Meltdown: The Morning After Election Day....(Trust this isn't what you're expecting)

Ok, so your candidate didn't win, you're upset about the results of the election, I get it. And just because your people didn't win doesn't meant that your vote doesn't matter, lets be real, someone has to lose. Guess what, take that energy and frustration and turn it into change. Get involved in making the change you want to see in your community. If it really matters that much then you will pull your self off of the couch, re-prioritize and use your time, talent and efforts to do something other than spout about your disappointment from the comfort of your FB page!

Seriously, how much time have you spent this year volunteering and helping those that need it most? If you can write a check, great, that is needed too but don't talk about it unless you're going to be about it! And I mean how much genuine time have you spent trying to make your community better?! Not just the required hours you have to fulfill to maintain membership in an organization or because you are trying to get in organizations! Great you host events where "a portion of the proceeds benefit _________" but are you trying to increase the amount of proceeds that benefit others and not just your bank account with each event? Can we at least get a check presentation to see how much of our money is helping whomever? ****Soap box….stepping down….*****

Miss me with all of this pity party foolishness right now! If you are a parent, please be mindful of the dangerous example you are setting with any apathetic comments about voting and the process. If you have children who are old enough to understand and be engaged in the voting process, this is the perfect life lesson in perseverance or as the saying goes "there being more than one way to skin a cat" (which is so disgusting when you think about the image). My son and I started doing our monthly service projects for the simple reason of becoming involved in the changes and improvements we wanted for our community.  We didn't need any one particular government party to be in office to do this, we didn't need the approval of anyone accept the people we were trying to serve. What I DO know, is that WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Each and every month regardless of the size of our project, WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Join us in one of our monthly projects, WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Come up with your own activities/projects to impact your community so that you can say, WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE! To the over 200 people in Atlanta, Baton Rouge, Charlotte and Raleigh that received new pillows and pillow cases this year, WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE! For the over 100 patients undergoing chemotherapy that will receive a Comfort Kit, WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE! For the children that received some of the 250 pounds of peanut butter and graham crackers from Tyler’ Birthday Service Project, WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE!  What will you do so that you can say, WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE?!?!

Yes, your vote is a powerful way to make change, but so are your daily actions. Now more than ever is the time when YOU need to do something different for things to BE different! MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Service Project Announcement Coming Soon!

At the beginning of 2013 I made the decision that my son and I would do a monthly service project.  Each month this year we gave time, and in some cases, money to help different groups of people/organizations. In 2014 we will be doing the same, but on a larger scale.  Stay tuned for a post within the week about January's service project, of which we are really excited!  This year we are looking to get more people involved and hope that you will join us.  There will be plenty of ways for you and your family to be part of the solution to some of the challenges within the community.

Stay tuned……..

Fun With Food: Stand 'N Stuff Soft Flour Tortillas

Recently while grocery shopping I found the must have item for any taco night…..Stand ‘N Stuff Soft Flour Tortillas! They are the answer to several problems with taco night, especially for people with little hands.  These shells are basically mini soft shell bowls that stand on their own.  The shells make it easy for everyone to fill their own tacos. 

You simply heat the shells and in the time it takes for them to finishing warming you can prep your fillings. Next, you set out the toppings and wa-laahh BYOM (Build Your Own Meal)! :-D Tyler enjoys helping in the kitchen so this is right up his alley. It also cuts out the time that I normally take to fix his meal and then mine, so on taco nights we're able to sit down at the same time and eat together. 

Tyler's tacos: cheese, steak fajita strips (sold pre-cooked in a package) and salsa. My tacos: sour cream, cheese, lettuce, guacamole, salsa and pan seared scallops. This is the other great thing about taco night, you can easily satisfy the various food critics in your house. Unlike hard shell tacos these don't immediately fall apart as soon as you take the first bite. 

If you and your family enjoy tacos, pick some of these up the next time you are in the grocery store.  I've added these as a kitchen staple.