What is it? I’m happy to explain, take a minute and read on. This is neat!
APOSB – A Part Of Something Big is an inspired fund-raising company that provides alternatives for schools, churches, sports leagues and/or socially minded shoppers.
They offer a one-stop shop, guilt-free for back to school or the coming holidays. Yes, the holidays are that close.
A Part Of Something Big has put together a diverse selection of high quality gifts produced by individuals and organizations that are committed to making a positive difference.

Offering items such as TreeSmart Pencils, a very neat example of reuse and recycle. The pencils are made directly with rolled up newspapers. Entire sheets of newspaper are rolled around high quality #2 graphite and glued with special non-toxic adhesive. No mulching or mixing with toxic chemicals is required to make these.
They sharpen easily, just like any other wooden pencil and offer jobs for people in the developing world. Each set of NewsPaper pencils come in a pack 12 for $5.25.

Another very popular item offered by APOSB are ReSnackIt bags. Keep it fresh while holding onto the idea of reuse and recycle. A reusable bag keeps snacks, goodies and sandwiches fresh because of a coating on the underside of the lining – away from the food. It allows contents to hold onto moisture (meaning no hard bread) It has a fold over design with velcro on the front to keep the freshness inside. The design allows little fingers to open it and hold it easily.

Cleaning? Easy as pie! You can shake out the old crumbs and snacks, wipe it clean, toss it in the dishwasher or the washing machine for a good wash and dry. It’s around 7″wide, and 6″ long. You can purchase a ReSnackIt with happy designs on it from A Part Of Something Big for $11.50.

These are just a couple of items offered from A Part Of Something Big, take your time and take a look around. My daughter and I love these pencils, it’s just a cool concept all around.

Think back-to-school shopping, and school lunches here folks. These are really high on my cool factor scale, and have passed my 12 year old’s use and abuse! Go ahead, shop for a cause – we double dog dare ya!

Take a minute and connect with APOSB | A Part Of Something Big on Facebook. Everyone enjoys comment love!

“In a perfect world our schools and organizations would be so well funded that they wouldn’t have to spend time raising money for field trips and supplies. While declining budgets and increasing pressure on schools have made individual school fundraising a necessity, most programs include catalogs full of products we don’t need or care to buy. The fundraising model hasn’t changed much over the years and there are few alternatives.”

Pakistan is suffering a major catastophe with the floods wiping away entire communities and taking many lives.  The UN estimates over 16 million people are suffering .   How does life ever get back to normal?  The flooding began on July 20th after heavy monsoon rains.  Approximately 160,000 square kilometeres has been affected.  Many villages are isolated becaus roads and highways have been destroyed.

Last week, India’s Prime Minister manmohan “Singh offered Pakistan $5 million in assistance, which was accepted by Pakistan’s Prim Minister Yousuf Raza Giliani.  Relations between these too countries has always been turbulant but they have united .

Novica’s heart and Networking Witches heart goes out to the flood victims in Pakistan.  Novica is pledging 10% from the sale of items grafted by Indian artisans.  With the help of their India region they will ensure the amount raised reaches those who can benefit the most from it.

Novica carries a wide variety of items listed below that will help raise funds for Pakistan:

• India – Jewelry
• India – Area Rugs
• India – Paintings
• India – New Arrivals

Visiting our national parks is a rich and rewarding experience.  The dedication of Yellowstone National Park was just the start in 1872.  Our national parks need care and support to help maintain them.  These parks have become underfunded and the huge amount of traffic they receive have been causing environmental problems like pollution and climate change.

Patricia Shultz, internationally know author of 1,000 Places To See Before You Die, is joining forces with Nature Valley to help support the funding and bring attention to our beautiful National Parks.

Here in Michigan We have National Memorials, National Parks, National Historical Park, National Scenic Trail, National Lakes Shore and quite frankly they are all names used for National Parks.  I’m reading the list and and I’ve been to them all.  At the time though I thought they were state parks (woe is me eh?).

I really want these beauties of nature pereserved for my kids and their families to visit at some time.  I remember climbing and rolling down into the water at the Sleeping Bear Dunes.  That is almost a full post on itself.  Pictured Rocks is a Northern Michigan beauty unlike any other.  The only place I have been able to compare it to is Niagra Falls but of course the Falls are much larger.

Shamefully I haven’t taken my kids to most of these but Nature Valley has reminded me that these amazing places are best visited with friends and family and make memories of a life time.  We enjoy hiking, fishing, and cooking out as a family and these reserves are waiting for us.
This to me falls under a giveawaway and blogging for a cause.  I love our area and Northern Michigan.  I see the effects of high tourism and lack of money the parks are going through and it makes me sad that my grandchildren may one day want to visit and these parks will be gone.

Want to help?  Save your wrappers  and mail them to the address below.  Nature Valley will not only recycle the wrappers but will contribute $0.10 to the National Parks Conservation Association for every wrapper received up to $600,000 total.    Learn more  at PreservetheParks.com.

National Parks Project
PO Box 450328
El Paso, TX 88545-0328

Win it:

Networking Witches is giving away one Nature Valley National Parks Project Prize Pack that includes a neat back pack, a green water bottle, a great tasting box of Nature Valley Granola Bars and a copy of, Patricia Shultz, internationally know author of 1,000 Places To See Before You Die

Mandatory Entry:

Tell me the nearest National Park near you and if you have visited any.  Why should we care that they are taken care of?

Extra Entries

If you are a follower of Networking Witches on Networked Blogs and leave us your user name and we’ll give you 1 extra entry
If you are a Facebook Fan of Nature Valley leave us your user name and we’ll give you 1 extra entry
Subscribe to Networking Witches New Feed Please RESUB! Feed
Subscribe to Networking Witches  NEW Please RESUB! Emails
Follow Networking Witches on Twitter and leave us your user name

Follow Nature Valley on Twitter and leave us your user name
Tweet this giveaway  and leave the link (unlimited):  RT #Giveaway at #NetworkingWitches for a chance to win a Nature Valley National Parks Pack http://wp.me/pKFiJ-28b
Grab our button and leave us the link to find it
Add our text link to your blog roll
Blog about this giveaway and leave us the link(5 entries)
Submit this giveaway on another site (ie: linky, prizey, a forum, etc,…) leave us a (verifiable) link +1 for each link.

Notice:

Thank you to MyBlogSpark and Nature Valley for the review and giveaway package.

Nature Valley Winner Comment #5 Ellen

DoSomething101.Org is one of the largest, driving forces creating a culture of volunteerism.  Using the web, tv, mobile, and pop culture DoSomething101.Org is inspiring, empowering, and celebrating a generation of doers.  Teens that recognize the need to do something, believe in their ability to get it done, and then take action.

What are they about?

• Largest org in the US for teens and social change
• Help young people rock any cause they care about
• 3 rules:  No Money, No Car, No Adults
• Activating 2 million teens in 2011
• Giving teens a simple way to make a big difference

DoSomething101.Org can be found where you are:  Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and Twitter.  Encourage your teen to join.  Many times teens want to help but don’t know how or where to start.  DoSomething101.Org can help!

Remember when the USA, or New Orleans to be exact was hit by hurricane Katrina?  Remember the heart wrenching scenes?  I do.  I remember Anderson Cooper from CNN and Shepard Smith from Fox News reporting on the tragedy that soon turned to mayhem.  There are people still displaced from those horrors.  People who still have no home and we are not a third world country.

On January 12, 2010 another tragedy occurred.  The world watched as Haiti crumbled to the ground.  These people are in a 3rd world country.  It is a country of very little.  These people are long forgotten and now everything is a recovery mission.  People are lacking homes and I’m not even going to start on the misery of this hot weather.

Haitians  are generally happy people.  How do I know?  During the summer many of them work in our area.  When I was younger my family cruised on Carnival Cruise Lines.  Many, many of those workers were working to support families in Haiti.  I loved listening to stories about their homeland.  The thought that these people have been forgotten, breaks my heart but even worse?  How do they feel with no hope?  I can‘t imagine.

As I’m writing this I’m looking at Oxfam.  Networking Witches donates to different causes on a pretty regular basis and my next donation is going to Oxfam to go toward the Haiti Earthquake victims.  Think about yourself  in your home with or without a/c.  Think about the meal you’re about to have and most of think about how you would feel with “No Hope”!

Please note these pictures are from Oxfam website and they were kind enough to let us use them for this article.

I’m exhausted and pooped out but in a good way.  We have had company constantly since mid June.  We have been very lucky to see both sides of our family from out of town.  We usually don’t stop and smell the roses in our own small town but have this year.  I had forgotten what a great area we live in and was reminded of that when my Aunt and Uncle were here.  I was disappointed though when we visited our favorite restaurants and had poor service and poor food.

We live in a resort area and many companies are only open until October.  It was very disappointing to take our company out and spend hard saved money on meals that were terrible.  When visiting restaurants with a large party you expect to have the gratuity built in to your bill.  I understand this but what made me mad is a 20% gratuity was added to our bills and the service was terrible.

3 people at our table order the “special of the night”, prime rib.  We arrived at 6:30 pm and they were out.  THEN after our dinners arrived and 2 tables behind us were served prime rib or did I mention they arrived and ordered after we did?    The explanation was they called ahead and ordered it.  What the hell?   These restaurants have famous people visit them yet our food never arrived all at once, I’m talking over 1/2 hour between when the first meal was served and the last plate placed  for  a party of 9.

Our friend finally received his dinner last night and right away the waitress returned wanting us to order dessert.  My aunt and our friend were the only takers.  He ordered plain vanilla ice cream and they forgot it.  Another 15 minutes later he was served melted ice cream.  My aunt complained about the food and the service and the manager didn’t care and had a lot of excuses.  PS:  We won’t be back!

On another note…. I wasn’t really happy when Michael Moore moved to our closest large town, Traverse City.  I had only ever heard him ranting and carrying on.  When he arrived to stay though he bought our old “State Theater”.  Put a LOT of money into it and brought more tourism dollars to our area.  This in light of the fact that the car industry tanked, and all of our factories that are sprinkled around in small towns, and manufactured parts for cars lost their small town revenue.  Larry King Live, on CNN featured Michael Moore last night live from our small town, the “State Theater” alive once again with a Film Festival.  Michael Moore  has brought people from paupers to famous of all ages to enjoy some culture and help boost the economy.  This added with our local Cherry Festival our economy is working again and headed down the right road.  Is this a sign of recovery?

Not hardly, the car industry is junk to put it mildly.  The fat cats for each car company are the only ones making money.  Bail outs?  Paid off?  Not!  They seem to think that they can manipulate their pay as $1 while accepting private plane rides, all expense paid vacations, and lots of other things that we as normal people in the workforce are not receiving.  Then they whine that the company isn’t making money.  Aren’t paying out to the investors, so the chain reaction is… no one is going to buy stock, so they can’t hire more people and they can’t produce more or better cars.

What does this have to do with Michael Moore?  I really didn’t like him but now I understand his fights for causes he believe in.  He is a very good hearted person.  I don’t agree with all of his tactics and I don’t agree with all of his opinions but our fights are for the same cause and for the same reason.

Pssst!  I’ve included links so you don’t make the same mistakes we did and so that you can find out more about our great small town.  Our area is beautiful and on Lake Michigan.  Do you need a vacation?

Saving Promise, Live, Thrive, Be Free is a organization fighting to eliminate abuse statistics.  The founder became a statistic when she was 16.  Relationships are complicated and even more so when one of the partners is being abused by the other.  Many times abuse is a family cycle trapped in violence.

The founder,  LY Marlow’s daughter became the fourth generation of women abused.  LY Marlow, promised there would not be a fifth generation and she promised to help end domestic violence.  Saving Promise was born.

LY Marlow wants to inform people that domestic violence comes in many forms not just being hit.  Domestic violence can be verbal, financial, and sexual too.  It is NOT ok for people to violate another with the excuse that “she made him angry or that it’s her fault”.  Women leaving their abuser needs emotional help, financial help and a safe place.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah: July 6, 2010 – Sibu Beauty, a global leader of premium sea buckthorn berry-based beauty and wellness products, today released the findings of a survey conducted on measuring the effectiveness of the Sibu Beauty product line.

95% of respondents said that the Sibu Beauty products made their skin feel softer/smoother and would definitely recommend the product to a friend. In addition those who tried a combination of the ingestible and topical products reported a clearer, more-toned complexion.

Peter McMullin, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Sibu Beauty commented “We are extremely encouraged with the findings in this initial survey. These outstanding results continue to validate the extraordinary benefits our health and beauty products deliver. We value the quality and effectiveness of our products above anything else. That is the reason for our meticulous process of sourcing Sibu Beauty sea buckthorn berries from high in the Himalayan Mountains and handling them in a way to preserve the utmost freshness and nutrient density for our products.”

The sea buckthorn berry and its benefits are relatively new to the western world and studies are reaffirming that the bright orange berry boasts numerous benefits for beauty and well being. Fortified with over 190 bio-active compounds, sea buckthorn is an unsurpassed source of Omegas 3, 6 and 9 and is also a rich source of the most elusive essential fatty acid, Omega-7, a naturally occurring component that keeps free radicals at bay and a major building-block to healthy skin, and mucus membranes. Numerous scientific studies have concluded that sea buckthorn demonstrates the ability to improve hair, nail and skin tone/texture, digestive wellness and promotes healthy aging.

Sibu Beauty premium sea buckthorn berry products are 100% natural, preservative, paraben and cruelty-free. They contain no dairy, wheat, gluten, sodium, yeast or preservatives and are a naturally-sustainable resource.  The Sibu Beauty trade practices promote equal and healthy relationships through a fair trade agreement that includes fair wages and safe working conditions for the indigenous people of the Himalayan mountain communities where Sibu Beauty’s sea buckthorn berries are harvested.

A personal, odorless mosquito repellent device. Clip it to your belt, purse, chair and away you can go.
What do I find neat about this? Is that you don’t have spray smelly chemicals on your body. Enjoy your outdoor activities without the skeeters!

• Clips onto belt, purse
• Sits on a flat surface, odorless
• Quiet fan circulates the repellent

I’m an advocate of using outdoor protection. Why? Because a bug got the best of me. I now have lyme disease and ache a lot from a tick bite. No more nasties (like West-Nile Virus) need to be passed along from bug to human!

A small price to pay for the peace of mind that there isn’t a transfer of bug germ/bacteria to you or a loved one. You can purchase OFF! Clip-On at many retailers or online for around

Last year 2 out of 5 women admitted to rarely or never wearing spray-based bug repellants while spending time outdoors, complaining either that they didn’t like the smell (46 percent), disliked the feel of the spray on their body (39 percent) or didn’t enjoy having the spray still on their body after they’ve returned indoors (39 percent). That’s why OFF! Clip-On Mosquito Repellent is the perfect solution to protect your personal time outdoors – from laying in the hammock, or gardening to camping or watching a ball game.

No disclosure needed here. I was not provided with any product, samples or compensation of any kind to write this post. It’s simply a subject that hits close to home.

I’d like to thank, Karen Wilson-Dooley- Freelance Writer for an amazing article she wrote titled “Blessed Are The Caregivers“. I had originally contacted her to assist and add my own information to her article. However I missed that she had provided me with a form to fill out with the information, I had been waiting for her to send  it to me. Call it a ” d’oh moment” if you would.

When she sent me the direct link to her article, I read it with smiles and tears. It’s all so familiar! I thought  to myself, “Thank you God, I’m not alone“.

I’m
Not
Alone

I read her article late last night. And was so disappointed to find out that her allotted space was cut back (almost in half), for advertisements. A shame really. What she wrote was jaw dropping, inspiring even admirable. And she spoke the truth. Yet she’s tucked away in the pages of a magazine. No matter where her article is, it’s grand! And I’d love for everyone else to read it as well.

You may be wondering why this article touched me so deeply. Well, it’s because I am a caregiver. And it’s hard to do. Some people may be a caregiver on a short term basis, or maybe a few hours a day. Yet there are many of us that do it full time. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. We’re “on call”, with little or no pay, no off days and no vacation days. So there’s something that keeps us going, right?

Emotions.

And a lot of them. Perhaps it’s our “fuel”?

Love, anger, fatigue, exhaustion, agitation, loneliness, fear, depression, anxiety, sadness just to name a few.

I’m thinking I’m going to break this into a series of posts. I want to get some other thoughts, and opinions from those of you that have, or are walking this mile. Feel free to email me from our About Us Page, or even comment here if you’re comfortable doing so. I think I’ll put together a few other things for my next post in regards to Caregivers, our trials and tribulations.

I’d like to share a part of Karen’s article with you all. A poem.

Courtesy Of Karen Wilson-Dooley - Freelance Writer

Thank you Karen for your article. And if there is anything you would like to add, I would be happy to invite you to a guest post here on NetWorkingWitches.com