Foster Love Project: Holiday Placement Bag Drive

 

The call came from the social worker....could you take in a 2yo and 4 day old? A 10 minute chat with my husband determined that we would say yes. 45 minutes later they were dropped off on our doorstep with literally no belongings. That's a big change of life in a short amount of time!
In 2015, over 20,000 kids were served through the foster care system in Pennsylvania along. Many of these kids are taken to a foster home with no belongings or a few items thrown into a trash bag. After receiving 7 foster children into our home with similar scenarios, I desired to do something to help aid with the transition of kids that come into care as well as give some practical help to foster families. So in 2014, I launched the Foster Love Project with our first Placement Bag Drive. 

A FLP placement bag contains:

• Duffle bag or large backpack (or zippered diaper bag for infants)
• 2 pairs of pajamas (one summer, one winter)
• Socks
• A small blanket
• Stuffed animal (or small pillow for teen bags)
• Book
• Toothbrush & toothpaste (flouride free for under 5)
• Puff & body wash 

Our placement bag drive will run November 15 - December 15, 2016. This is a wonderful project to take on as a family during the holidays. Share with your kids about foster care and how they could reach out to kids in their school that might be in this challenging transition. Kids love to shop to fill these bags as well!

We are so thankful for the amazing response we've received around our region. We've been able to distribute over 3,000 filled bags to over 20 foster agencies in 10 counties in Western PA. 

Want to know the easiest way you could participate? Shop our online wishlist and the complete bag will be shipped directly to us. You won't even have to leave your house!  Shop our online list here. 

We are also collecting as many gift cards as possible! We share these with foster agencies and foster families when they receive a new placement to help with their practical needs. Restaurant gift cards help relieve the burden of cooking dinner for a few nights and Target/Walmart/Visa cards help with clothing, diapers, wipes, formula, school supplies, ect.... Gift cards can be sent to us via our online wish list here  or they can be mailed to:

Foster Love Project

c/o The Bair Foundation
3755 Library Rd # 3, Pittsburgh, PA 15234

So how can you be involved? Our bag drive will be open November 15 - December 15, 2016. We'll have 25 drop off locations including in Shadyside, Lawrenceville, Robinson, North Hills, South Hills, Monroeville, Washington, Cranberry, Grove City + more! Come over to our event page where you can RSVP that you're participating, post questions and see when we share the best deals around town.

Know anyone who lives in Minnesota? We're doing a drive there as well! See the MN info here.

For local friends, Uno Pizzeria & Grill is graciously hosting a Kick-Off party on our opening drive day of Tuesday, November, 15, 2016. If you bring a filled Foster Love bag, you'll get a $10 Uno gift card (per bag!!). Kids also eat FREE (one kids meal per adult entree). Kids can participate in make-your-own-pizza, a free craft from 5-7pm and each child will go home with a treat bag. AND.......20% of each check who mentions Foster Love Project will be donated to our nonprofit. It doesn't get much better than that, does it? Go here to see our Uno event page and RSVP.

  Thank you to Chick Fil A Pittsburgh who has been a very generous supporter of  the Foster Love Project and are covering the sponsorship of this post. I am taking no profit personally, all monies go directly to help spread the word of help needed for foster youth and foster families.  

Want to learn more about our foster care journey? Read some of my other posts here and here.

We're ready to Hack the Summer in Pittsburgh!

Are you in full swing summer mode yet? We just returned from two weeks out of state, so I feel like our summer has just begun! Having 4 kids in close age range (7, 5, 5, 4) means I have to be very strategic about planning activities for us to do together that won't involve crazy conflict. :-/ We don't make a lot of specific plans too far in advance as I like for our summers to feel very carefree. But I love that summer is an opportunity for our family to explore together a multitude of fun areas all around Pittsburgh without the rush of schedules and other commitments. We try to soak up all the sun we can and spend as much time outdoors as possible! Before we left for our vacation, I gathered with a few in-the-know Pittsburgh mamas and we came up with a lot of great ideas for summer fun. 

The best part? Many of these won't cost you anything! We also experience many of these venues together at our twice-a-month Pgh Momtourage playdates. You can find our full schedule here. 

Check out some of our favorites listed below!

Here are a few other ideas from our mamas of summer family fun: 

• Head to Moraine State Park to rent bikes, rent boats, hike the trails or swim at the Lake Arthur beach.
• Three Rivers Regatta (North Shore, August 5-7) where your kids will love watching boat races, playing on the temporary beach, walking through the mist’ers  + much more.  You Gotta Regatta!
• Beechwood Farms offers a beautiful natural playground, walking trails and room to explore. All free and open to the public!
• Cranberry Township Community Waterpark has an affordable admission fee that includes a pool, waterslides, splash pad, mini beach + more!
• The (free) outdoor gardens at Phipps Conservatory and Frick Park both offer beautiful settings surrounded by nature!  Schenley Plaza also offers a large, green space with plenty of room for kids to run and play. Take advantage of the carousal or head to Carnegie Library to cool off and spend time in their kid’s area.
• Sewickley Night Mart & Squirrel Hill Night Mart (certain Friday evenings) both include vendors, food trucks & family fun.
• Beat the heat with Free movies at Phoenix Theatres three times a week or  the $1 Summer Movie Clubhouse at Cinemark Settlers Ridge or McCandless Crossing!
• Café Date 4 Kids in Brookline is one of our favorite indoor play areas and makes a great rainy day venue!  Includes a bounce house, ball pit, seesaw, monkey bars, climbing wall, jungle gym, enclosed baby area, snack bar + more.

If I have learned anything in motherhood, it's that FOOD must follow the crowd. I'm constantly packing lunches and snacks to take on the go. There is no fury like a HANGRY toddler, am I right? :) :) But sometimes you get caught with a need for food asap and that's why I am loving the new option from Chick-Fil-A to order from my phone and have our food ready when we get there!

I met up with my mama friends at Chick-Fil-A where they introduced us to their new CFA One app. This is truly revolutionary for any parent that has ever stood in a restaurant food line with kids running circles around their legs. 82 percent of parents would do almost anything to avoid long lines at fast food restaurants when you have your children in tow, so I guess I'm not alone! :)

What is Chick-fil-A One? Simply put, it’s a digital app that brings together mobile ordering, mobile payment, fun giveaways and even a way to place online catering orders. Chick-fil-A is a company known to put customers first. They developed this app based on customer feedback, so it was specifically designed to give guests an even more convenient and personalized experience in their restaurants.

How Chick-fil-A One is helpful for families:

• Order and pay in advance, meaning you can skip the line at the register, speeding up the process of waiting at the counter or drive-thru.
• Customize your order so each person gets exactly what they want.
• Bypassing the line at Chick-fil-A is an awesome perk, especially if you visit during peak lunch and dinner times!
• A new way of saying “thank you” to guests with free food offers, based on their preferences and previous orders. When you order or purchase through Chick-fil-A One, you get closer to your next free offering and can track your progress in the app.
• It makes families’ dining experiences at Chick-fil-A easy and convenient – and there are some built in surprises as well!
• A-List, Kids Club and other ways that guests interact with your local Chick-fil-A will also be a part of Chick-fil-A One.
•  Membership is open to anyone over the age of 13.

So don't delay! Download Chick-fil-A One via iTunes or Google Play, or simply by tweeting #CFAOne with the horizontal cow emoji to receive a prompt to download the app from Twitter directly to their mobile device.

Share how you use Chick-fil-A One! Use the hasthags #CFAPgh and #CFAOne to spread the word about this incredible mobile experience.

Thanks to Chick Fil A and The Motherhood for sponsoring this post and to Brown Mamas & Sugar Aunts for all working together for these Pittsburgh Summer Hacks! All opinions remain my own. 

#CFAPgh
#CFAOne

Chick Fil A: new superfood side!

As a mom, there are two things that draw me in quickly: healthy and convenient. Fast food is often known for it's convenience....but healthy? Not so much! To walk into a fast food restaurant and see a plate of fresh fruit goodness is not a regular occurrence. Unless you're at a Chick Fil A, of course! 

I'm not a big proponent of fast food....in fact, I've turned down other fast food companies that wanted my promotion because I just couldn't in good conscience endorse their products. This past year I've had the chance to work with Chick Fil A and I've been amazed each step of the way! Their quality, customer service, restaurants and food stand far above any other chain in their competition.  

And Chick Fil A is listening to moms. They are listening when we say we want convenient AND healthy and they are paving the way to give us those options! I was recently invited to come check out the launch of their new superfood side: the new kale salad. This new salad includes: kale, broccolini and dried cherries, all tossed in a sweet maple vinaigrette dressing. Roasted nuts come separately packaged for those with allergy concerns. 

I'm not a huge fan of kale. To me it often has a bitter flavor and I'm more likely to throw it in a smoothie than to eat it raw. So with some trepidation, I was ready to try the kale salad! But it was awesome. Truly. Washington, PA operator, Kory Kaye, gave us a demonstration on how they make it (fresh daily in the store) and gave us the secret! It marinates in the sweet maple vinaigrette for 30 minutes before it is served. This seems to take any bitterness of the kale away and between the dressing, the sweet cherries and the nuts, it is so delicious!

 4 ingredients, made fresh. As food should be! Pair with their grilled nuggets for a (healthy) and (convenient) lunch on the go! You can also substitute it for fries on your next order.  The kale salad with an order of grilled nuggets is only 320 calories. And I can attest to the fact that it definitely fills you up. So next time you're feeling cooped up in the house and the Chick Fil A kid's play area is calling you out (it does that, right?!), you don't have to sacrifice eating something healthy!

Chick Fil A is also the only fast food restaurant that is now offering organic juice drink for their kid's meals. 

The Washington, PA store is brand new and is part of the new Heritage design. This design incorporates a variety of finishes and has unique custom features such as light fixtures make from recycled Coco-Cola bottles as a nod to their home base in Atlanta. It's interior is so warm and inviting!

If you've ever tried to stand in line to order with toddlers running in circles around you, then Chick Fil A is again thinking of you! Some CFA restaurants offer the option to order in the drive thru and have your food delivered to a table inside (varies by location) or you can place an order online and have it ready at the restaurant as well. I am excited and thankful to try those options! 

So, go, try the new kale salad, you won't be disappointed! And hey, that leaves more available calories for ice cream, right? :) 

#SuperFoodSide

#CFAPittMoms

This post is sponsored by ChickFilA and The Motherhood. All opinions remain my own as I don't endorse products that I don't love!