Since sharing about my involvement in the Red Nose Day initiative, it’s been so incredibly fun to see the #RedNose popping up everywhere, whether it’s at one of the many Walgreens stores near us, online in my social media stream, or on TV (holy moly, Laurel and Violet FREAKED OUT when Carson Daly and Blake Shelton wore their red noses on The Voice the other week!).

Last week while I was out running errands, I stopped at the Walgreens in Porter Square; this is a newer location and it was on my mind because my friend Jessica recently raved about the second floor cosmetics emporium. The second floor is, indeed, amazing and after ogling beauty products, I headed back downstairs. I like symbolism and wanted to buy a dozen red noses -- in honor of the 12 benefiting Red Nose Day charities -- to give out to our gaggle of neighborhood kids. (I also bought some other red things, because, well, I always need mints and Sharpies!)

In the many conversations I’ve had about Red Nose Day since becoming part of this campaign, not surprisingly, my favorite thing has been talking with people about impact. I am a carrot chaser; I love results! And I especially gravitate towards opportunities where our small actions can have tangible impact. As I shared in my last post, it blows my mind that that a $1 purchase can result in everything from school supplies to vaccines to meals (10 of them! for $1!). The 12 charity partners that will benefit from Red Nose Day include local organizations my kids have benefited from (Boys & Girls Clubs of America), US + international organizations I have supported through media or direct donation (charity:water, Feeding America, Gavi, The Global Fund, Oxfam America, Save the Children, United Way), and organizations that I can’t believe I already didn’t know about or are newer to me (Children’s Health Fund, LIFT, National Council of La Raza, National Urban League). So, so great.

So whether or not your local Walgreens has an expansive cosmetics emporium, please help out and purchase a red nose and watch the live show on May 21 (the lineup is CRAZY AMAZING!). And don’t forget to share your red nose photos using the hashtags #Walgreens #RedNose #promo for a chance to win a trip to New York City to attend the May 21 live event!

And if you missed it last go around, this video offers a quick introduction to our media team and why we're passionate about Red Nose Day. Enjoy!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5ENRQzaGpU&w=560&h=315]

Disclosure: This post reflects a compensated editorial partnership sponsored by Red Nose Day at Walgreens. All opinions are, of course, my own!

You guys, May. I'm already digging it! Warmer temperatures (according to the forecast, 70+ degrees all next week!), I'm starting to see our hosta and peony plants push up through the ground, and it looks like all the flowering trees on our street are about to burst. WOO HOO! Meanwhile, I wanted to leave you with some reads and visuals that caught my eye this week. Enjoy this week's installment of Hey Internet, Keep Being Awesome.

- One way you can help Nepal right now.

- How to attract female engineers.

- John Oliver's glorious Dr. Oz takedown.

- This is how fast America changes its mind.

- How to keep women with children out of the workforce.

- For a healthy heart, you may have to eat more cheese.

- Photo essay: images of empowerment.

- Let's all wax nostalgic with this musical tribute to 80's teen movies.

- What a collection of 250,000 Lego bricks looks like.

Image credit: Greek goddess dip via Pinterest

I've long been a fan of Room to Grow's amazing work, and I'm delighted to be doing a Q&A with founder Julie Burns at their Celebrating Mothers Breakfast on May 8. This fundraising event will celebrate Room to Grow's incredible 10 years of helping families in need in Boston, and also honor the moms in the program who work so hard to create solid ground for their kids. Please support this amazing organization buy buying a ticket and joining us May 8, and of course come say hello -- I would love to meet you!

I have seen time and again how small actions can contribute to big change, so when I was invited to cover (in a sponsored capacity) the Red Nose Day launch event at Walgreen’s in Chicago last week, I was thrilled! A U.K. tradition for over 25 years, Red Nose Day is a comedy fundraising event coming to the U.S. for the first time via a live show May 21 on NBC. The event benefits 12 U.S. and international charities that work to help lift kids out of poverty.

And the super awesome thing? It's ridiculously easy to help the effort! Simply buy a Red Nose for $1 at Walgreens (the exclusive retail partner for the event) and proceeds will go to the Red Nose Day Fund. EASY PEASY!

Last week, our team witnessed the sale of the first Red Nose at the flagship Walgreens in Chicago (which, by the way, was crazy amazing – smoothies! sushi! wine!). I wore my nose as we jaunted around downtown Chicago, and I’ve gotta say, it was incredible how the simple act of wearing a nose made me laugh and made others laugh too. Here's a shot of our media team stopping traffic in Chicago!

So, you guys! Go buy a Red Nose (or 10!) at Walgreens (or Duane Reade, if you have one of those near you). It’s such an easy way to make a difference and also empower your kids to engage in a charitable act (by donating $1 from their piggy bank). And because I love tangibles, here are some examples of what your $1 Red Nose purchase can provide:

• 10 meals secured on behalf of local food banks via Feeding America (CRAZY, right? 10!)
• Two bars of emergency soap through Oxfam America
• One child’s polio vaccine through Save the Children
• One water safety test for a student in Cambodia through charity:water
• A box of pencils for a school in Nepal

Finally, there’s another cool thing that Walgreens is offering. Share your red nose photos using the hashtags #Walgreens, #RedNose, and #promo, and you’ll have a chance to win a trip to New York City to attend the Red Nose Day star-studded event on May 21. So go on and share -- I can’t wait to see your pictures!

Sorry, one more thing! This video offers a quick introduction to our media team and why we're passionate about Red Nose Day. Enjoy!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5ENRQzaGpU&w=560&h=315]

Image credits: 1) Walgreen’s; 2) SparkFete; 3) Leticia Barr; video by SparkFete

Disclosure: This post reflects a compensated editorial partnership sponsored by Red Nose Day at Walgreens. All opinions are, of course, my own!

I'm thrilled to serve as a media partner for the St. Jude Give thanks. Walk. at Patriot Place. Though St. Jude is located in Memphis, TN, children nationwide benefit from their treatment and research. On November 22, St. Jude supporters in 65+ U.S. cities will participate in the walk to help St. Jude's childhood cancer work. Registration for this family-friend event is free -- so go register (then show your support with a donation or fundraising on your own)! Meanwhile, I wanted to share an incredible story with you.

I had the opportunity to interview Jason Mortimer about his involvement with St. Jude via his son Brady. Trust me, you will find yourself tearful and inspired. Read on, and please consider donating to or joining Jason's team.

Christine: Jason, thanks for taking the time to share your story. Can you tell me a little about your son Brady?

Jason: Brady was born on June 23, 2009 in Manhattan, KS. He was healthy and happy; it was one of the most beautiful days of my life. Being from New England and a HUGE Patriots fans, it was a no brainer to name our son Brady after Tom Brady!

As a toddler (2 years, 9 months), Brady experienced headaches, eye pain, and vomiting. I took him to his primary care physician and she said it was just a virus. I became anxious as the symptoms persisted so I grew VERY persistent and demanded a CT scan. The PCP finally gave in and found a massive tumor in Brady's brain. We immediately headed to Children's Mercy in Kansas City and two days later Brady underwent a risky 8-hour brain surgery. Brady made it through the surgery in good spirits (he consumed about 15 chocolate milks and 4 chicken legs!) but we soon found out he had cancer, with less than a 20% chance of survival.

Christine: At the time of Brady's diagnosis, you were stationed in Kentucky. How did you end up at St. Jude?

Jason: After serving in the U.S. Army and being deployed to Kuwait and the original invasion of Iraq, we were stationed at Ft. Riley, Kansas. We had heard of St. Jude but really didn't think of it as an option until our doctor in Kansas gave us NO hope. We decided to give our child a fighting chance at a place that offered so much love -- and most of all HOPE!

Christine: Your experience at St. Jude was bittersweet; can you tell me more about what happened there?

Jason: We contacted St. Jude's in Memphis, TN and were accepted. We arrived about 3 weeks after Brady's surgery. An MRI revealed that 6 tumors had grown in his brain and spine. He started undergoing regular chemotherapy and despite all of the challenges -- hair loss, change in skin color, rashes, mouth soars, pain while urinating, vomiting, allergic reactions, poor sleep -- Brady never lost is his laugh, smile, 3-year-old screams, sense of humor, silliness, and awesome personality. If anything, his will to live was growing! He spent his days at St. Jude playing and making new friends, even while inpatient receiving chemo. He especially loved jamming at the juke box! St. Jude always had parties and events for the children to boost their morale. He got to meet some professional athletes, pop singer Jordan Sparks, and even our former president Bill Clinton!

Sadly though, despite dedicated treatment, Brady's cancer spread all through his brain and spine. He lived just 3 short days after the MRI results. He was playing outside of St. Jude's Target house 12 hours before he passed, still full of energy!

Christine: Your family still lives in Kansas. Why do you feel compelled to travel such a long way to participate in the St. Jude Give thanks. Walk. at Patriot Place?

Jason: My home state is Maine and when I heard that the wallk was going to take place in Massachusetts, I jumped at the opportunity to get my New England family involved and spread the word about St. Jude and make people aware that childhood cancer is a real thing! I also feel that Brady's story needs to be out there because ultimately, we need to raise research dollars to find cures so kids can live to see another day, unlike Brady. We never got the opportunity to potty train Brady, walk him to preschool, help him learn his ABC's. Losing a child is hard and we need to raise money so a cure or more effective treatment is found. That is one of the reasons why we decided to donate Brady's whole brain to research...to help save another child in the future. We'd like to see St. Jude shut down someday because a cure has been found!

Christine: Jason, you and your family are amazing and embody the spirit of giving with this walk. Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Jason: St. Jude became home -- a family to us. There was so many other families there with the same struggle and it was good to know that we weren't alone in this journey. We partcipate in EVERYTHING possible we can for the hospital. We were on the radio during the radiothon and in the 30 minutes we talked about Brady we raised $3,000 and a total of $58,000 for a 2-day event! It soothes the heart and fullfills the whole family when we partake in such important events. If it wasn't for generous people -- and people becoming partners in hope -- the hospital wouldn't be free and therefore my son's treatment may not have been possible.

We also created the Brady Mortimer Fund, through which we host a yearly toy drive and balloon launch on Brady's birthday to benefit kids at St. Jude. These acts fill our hearts and keep Brady's memory alive. We're so grateful to Dr. Kevin Ginn, Dr. Karen Wright, and the whole St. Jude team for their efforts. We know Brady is jamming out at the juke box -- cancer free -- in heaven.

How can you not be inspired by Brady's bravery and Jason's strength and generous heart? Please consider donating to or joining Brady's team or joining the walk on November 22 in Foxborough and raising funds for St. Jude on your own. And thank you again, Jason, for sharing your family's story.

So, I've never been as excited about staring down a jug of dirty water as I was this morning! To help spread the word about the P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program -- an effort that has turned billions (yes, billions) of liters of dirty water into safe drinking water for kids around the world -- I shot the below demo video about their water purification technique, which is something I could actually do at home with said jug of dirty water! Check it out and learn more about how YOU can help (in, like, 2 seconds!):

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BCZTtIOXzk?rel=0&w=574&h=323]

Isn't that incredible? Now, here's where you come in. Each time you use the hashtag #7BillionLiters on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram between now and April 22, P&G will donate a liter of clean drinking water (up to 1 million liters) to people in need around the world. Awesome, right? It’s so easy for you to help! Go on and use the #7BillionLiters hashtag!

Disclosure: P&G compensated me to shoot this demo video; my opinions on the awesomeness of this initiative are, of course, my own.

Last year we opened a bank account for Laurel -- she's really proud of it. She saves up money to put in her account and is always game for rolling loose household change (we tell her if she's willing to roll it, she can deposit it into her account...she just deposited $21 in loose change this week, actually). And while normally I don't get excited about banking matters, I am really looking forward to ableBanking opening so we can transfer her savings. Normally I would not write about a bank opening, but stick with me -- helping out your favorite nonprofit is involved!
First, I want to disclose that ableBanking is a client of Women Online. In my advisory role on the project I am not obligated to post about ableBanking, but I love their model and want to share it. In a nutshell, as an online-only savings bank, ableBanking will save on overhead and thus be able to offer better rates and no fees for customers. But the big differentiator? They are foregoing fancy ads and redirecting their marketing budget to charity -- on behalf of their customers.

Once ableBanking is open, simply open an account ($250 minimum to open) and you then can designate $25 (a huge amount compared to other banks offering charitable percent donations) to any nonprofit you choose. Even better, ableBanking is committed to ongoing charitable giving and will donate one quarter of a percent of your balance every year to the charity of your choice.

As I said, I find this model totally awesome and it also offers a wonderful means to talk to kids about charitable giving. And most immediately, before the bank opens, ableBanking is engaging a charitable campaign. Simply nominate a beloved Massachusetts 501(c)3 non-profit by January 31, 2012 and the five most nominated nonprofits will each receive a $1,000 donation from ableBanking. This is a big sum for many struggling nonprofits and nominating takes about 5 seconds. So GO DO IT! Also, don't worry, nominating doesn't commit you to opening an account -- submitting your e-mail will add you to a distribution so they can let you know when the bank is open, but then you can choose at the time whether or not to take action.

Personally, I am rallying for Laurel's school PTO. Like many schools, they do so much and are so committed and are always in need of cash flow. I double checked with my friend Elise (who seems to know everything about anything related to the PTO!) that it is a 501(c)3 and was thrilled to receive confirmation. I'm going to try to rally all of my friends and their friends at the school to nominate.

And what about you? It takes only a few seconds to nominate your favorite nonprofit and then a few minutes more to rally friends and family via e-mail. While yes, of course I want to win $1,000 for our school PTO, I'm rooting for all of the nonprofits you all care about.

One technical note: For kids under 16 years of age, ableBanking accounts will need to be opened in an adult's name with the child listed as a beneficiary. Those 16 years and up can open a joint account where the teenager is the primary account holder. Either way offers excellent fodder to involve kids in charitable giving discussions!

Image credit: vintage Mexican piggy bank via Etsy

I love when creativity meshes with doing good, and this weekend the Life is good Festival will feature an impressive lineup of musical talent in Canton as a fundraiser to help kids in need. In addition to a steady stream of musical performances (which includes a dedicated kids stage), families can enjoy games, activities, crafts, and food. Meanwhile, how cool is this? The kind folks at Life is good are offering one of you awesome readers a Life is good Festival package*! Here's how to enter to win:

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Bethan!
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Rules:

Simply e-mail contests@bostonmamas.com (with "Life is good Festival" in the subject) to enter to win.

One entry permitted per person; local entrants welcome to enter.

Entry period closes at midnight EST, Wednesday, September 21, 2011.

*One lucky winner (drawn using Random.org) will receive a Life is good Festival package including a family four pack of tickets (2 adults/2 children) to the Life is good Festival on Sunday, September 25, 2011, a copy of the new Laurie Berkner DVD, and a case of Chobani Champions Greek yogurt for kids.. Sweet!

I first met the lovely Isabel Kallman of Alpha Mom at the inaugural Pampers mom blogger meeting in Cincinnati and have since adored being in her company at every turn (most notably while interviewing Salma Hayek, talking all things blogging, and while wearing paper bags on our heads). Isabel is a smart entrepreneur, a kind friend, and always is thinking towards personal improvement, community building, and outreach to those in need. Fittingly, for the fourth in my Simplifying the Holidays guest blog series – Isabel shares easy ideas for reconnecting with the spirit of the holidays through giving.

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From Isabel:

It feels better to give than receive.

And yet, our kids haven’t figured that out. It’s our responsibility to help them understand that adage.

I always remember the episode of Friends where Phoebe is struggling with whether to become a surrogate for her brother and sister-in-law. Phoebe’s mom steps in to help her in the decision-making process by giving her a puppy to care for for a week or so, with the caveat that Phoebe must give back the puppy soon after. Right about when a sad Phoebe is about to return the puppy, her brother falls in love with it and Phoebes spontaneously decides to gift it to him. She declares that as hard as it may be, it feels better to make another person happy with a treasured gift. (Of course, the requisite punch line is that the puppy wasn’t hers -- but her mother’s -- to give away.)

You get the point.

Developmentally, young children are selfish. It’s just who they are. As parents, we need to help them learn firsthand about the gift of giving and the joy it brings to others. And to oneself.

As adults, we too, often forget -- especially in the craziness of shopping and wish lists.

Here are some things you can do by yourself, and with your children, to donate your time, goods, and services during the holidays, hopefully to reconnect with -- as cliché as it may sound -- the spirit of the holidays.

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1. Begin the holiday season on Thanksgiving Day, not Black Friday. Thanksgiving is perhaps the best day of the year to model charitable giving. Local schools, shelters, and houses of worship throughout the country are already organized to feed the needy. We all are busy, but taking time out of your day to feed the less fortunate is a priceless gift you can give to your family and others.

2. Online shopping can help you give without costing you a cent. Ever heard of iGive.com or iBakeSale.com? These sites connect shoppers, retailers, and charitable organizations. There you can holiday shop your favorite retailers (like, almost all of them) and assign a percentage of your purchases to be donated in your name to your favorite charities. This is all without having to pay extra for your purchase. You pay the retail price of the goods, but the retailer pays the referral fee to the charity. Huzzah!

3. Donate your earned points. That is, the shopping points you earn and accumulate through your credit card companies and the frequent flier miles earned through the airlines. See, your loyalty is valuable.

4. Remember those not at home for the holidays. The holidays are associated with home and family. But as you know, for many that is not their current reality. Perhaps pay special attention to charitable organizations focusing on the military (e.g., Adopt a US Soldier) and hospitalized children (e.g., Toys for Tots).

5. Clean out your closet ahead of the season. You’re going to need the extra space to hide gifts and store new ones, right? So, kill two birds with one stone and clean out your closet and take your gently-used goods to the Salvation Army or Goodwill.

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Isabel Kallman is the founder and chief cook at Alpha Mom, a lifestyle parenting and marketing research company. She loves stilettos, comfort food, and reading books with her 6-year-old son. You can follow Alpha Mom on Twitter at @alphamom.

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Image credit: Power of Giving