ML Interest Tag: humanity

PlayMonster & Wind Sun Sky Expand the Snap Ships Universe with the Launch of YouTube Animated Series

by Jennifer Swartvagher

Snap Ships invites kids to build, battle and display an exciting array of cool spacecrafts, merging action-play and construction. To tell the epic story of the Snap Ships universe PlayMonster has joined forces with Wind Sun Sky to bring its exciting new Snap Ships brand to life. They recently launched of an action-packed animated series which is now available for streaming on YouTube.

Season 1 of the series, Snap Ships: Dawn of Battle (8 x 4.5 min), takes viewers to the future where the world is under constant attack from a brutal alien threat and the fate of humanity rests with the heroes of the Snap Ships fleet, called The Forge. Klik, Dex, Dee La, 2Bells and Atam use mysterious UJU tech to battle the evil Komplex forces and their villainous leader, The Truth.  The series expands the appeal of the newly launched Snap Ships toy line, bringing its BUILD TO BATTLE action play to life with epic animation, battle scenes, and development of the characters and storyline. The pilots and villains of Snap Ships have faces, personalities and back stories that will thrill fans as they watch it all unfold onscreen.

“We were excited about the Snap Ships brand when it was a building system with a few items and some big ideas. Now, after working with Wind Sun Sky and seeing those ideas come to life and grow into thrilling content and story, we’re more excited than we ever have been about a new product line,” said Scott Flynn, VP Sales and Marketing of PlayMonster. “Wind Sun Sky is a valuable partner with impressive abilities, and who is easy and fun to work with—it’s a big win for PlayMonster.”

Catherine Winder, CEO and Executive Producer of Wind Sun Sky, said, “We knew right away that we wanted to be a part of Snap Ships because of its all-around potential. We’re excited to partner with PlayMonster, one of the fastest growing toy companies in the industry, to bring the Snap Ships story to life through multi-platform storytelling.”

Snap Ships

The toy line will be supported by an AR app, allowing users to explore the vibrant world of Snap Ships. Highly detailed digital versions of the constructible toys come to life in the app and can be summoned into your room via Augmented Reality.

Available now, Snap Ships can be purchased at Target and Amazon, for $9.99 to $39.99.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

All photos courtesy of PlayMonster

RELATED STORIES

LEGO Has a New Streaming Service & It Gives You Access to 1,000+ Videos

These New LEGO Education Sets Bring STEAM Skills to Preschoolers

These New Robotics LEGO Sets Are Perfect for Your STEM-Loving Tweens

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

When Your Business Partner Is Your Life Partner

By Sadrah Schadel

If you feel like you want to kill your business/life partner sometimes, you’re not alone. This article will help.

Any entrepreneur will tell you there’s a special form of pressure on your shoulders when your business is responsible for your family’s well-being. That pressure only grows as you add more employees who need to provide for their families, too. In the age of COVID-19, the weight of that responsibility is almost suffocating…and when work-life and home-life are one and the same, that feeling can bubble over on your partner, your team, and your kids, all at once.

Hey, buddy, I know this is hard. We’re all finding ways to hide from our families a few times a week, at least. But you’re the boss of your business and your family for a reason, and it’s because you’ve got mad skills in leadership, conflict resolution, grace under fire, diplomacy, and more. So take a beat, take a breath, acknowledge those big feelings, and let the challenge fuel you like it always has. I can’t promise you a light at the end of the tunnel, but I promise if you follow these steps, you’ll at least get through tomorrow.

1. Deliver fast sorries. We’re all gonna snap, so let’s just accept that piece of humanity now, rather than beating ourselves up over it. In the book, Option B, Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant talk about how having empathy for others in your family and immediately recognizing when you’ve crossed a line, can help us all move on. We’ve instituted this practice in our house—so when one of us blows up, we can say, “Whew….fast sorries?” and do our best to let it go and move on.

2. Believe in your partner. By simply believing the best in your partner, you’ll fight at least 50-percent less. Seriously. Our relationship, our family, our business…none of it’s a zero-sum game. When you’re in a family business you have to remember you’re doing all of this for each other. Try writing down one thing about your partner you’re grateful for in business and in your household—when you wake up and before you go to bed. And if you think it sounds impossible, try it right now. I guarantee there’s something.

3. Over-communicate. Right now, the current environment changes so much day to day, in business and in life. If you’ve instituted a daily standup meeting at work to combat this, it only makes sense to have one for the family, too. Who has a Zoom meeting the kids can’t join? Who’s making lunches today? How many episodes of StoryBots is too many? Run down the list and make sure you’re on the same page about who’s leading what.

4. Be aware of your own feelings. Ok here’s the touchy-feely one. When I’m already stressed and one of the kids loses it, I’m more likely to lose it, too. Sometimes, I really need to tag in my partner for help. But 9 times out of ten, if I can force myself to take a breath, I realize that I’m not reacting to them, I’m reacting to my own stress which can diffuse the situation. And just like your cranky toddler, sometimes simply acknowledging the feeling calms me down.

5. Acknowledge your success. Is your business still in business? Amazing! Are your kids relatively well-adjusted? You’re the best parents ever! Chances are, you’re operating at about 50-percent of your usual octane at work and home, so you’ve got to adjust your expectations for greatness. Maybe you’re not growing at that 300-percent you’ve planned for, but if you’re managing to stay afloat at work and home right now, you’ve got to high five yourself—and your partner. Remember, you wouldn’t be here if you weren’t in this together.

My partner and I have been operating our family-run business together for over five years. In that time, our family has grown right alongside the biz. We’ve added two hilarious, adventurous kids to our brood, and (over 70) employees, to our team. Our business is the center of it all, and the lifeblood of our family. Right now, the business is (thankfully) booming but massively challenging, and as a family, we hit our bumps in the road, as everyone does. But ya know what? We’re gonna make it through this.

So keep doing your best—I promise, it’s enough. And in the meantime, just savor that five minutes of alone time you get around 11 p.m. every night like a fine wine. It’s frickin’ gold.

 

My partner-in-life and business, Mike, and I own and operate No Evil Foods, a vegan meat company. Just as our business has grown, so has our family, with two hilarious, adventurous (and exhausting) kids added to the mix — enter our four-year-old son, Elan, and 18-month-old daughter, Artemis.

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Why I’m Proud My Kids are Protesting & Supporting Black Lives Matter

By Leslie Blanchard

I raised my kids with a strong anti-bullying message, so why was I so shook and shocked when they wanted to attend black lives matter protests?

My 19-year-old son works at a high-end posh steakhouse in the heart of downtown. Typical America.

Initially, when he got his schedule for this past week, I was thrilled he was receiving so many hours. I do know it’s risky for him to be milling about in public with this coronavirus still at large, but ever since he got sent home from his university after Spring Break due to public health concerns, I’ve grown increasingly concerned over how detrimental it is to his overall well-being to be isolated from his peers at his age.

As parents know, it’s a balancing act.

For my son, at least right now, I believe it’s in his best interest to wear a mask and work a few days per week. It feels like a chance worth taking, in the ongoing trapeze walk that has become my life as a single parent.

Until this past weekend…

I spent 7 hours glued to the news. It was more news than I’ve watched since my husband was killed. In fact, it was the very first time I have watched the news since I watched my sweetheart’s mangled motorcycle being towed off the street on 3 separate news channels. I picked up the remote, clicked the news off, and haven’t seen a news report since.

Until Saturday.

But big trouble was brewing in our downtown area. My youngest son was down there oblivious to it all the violence, bussing tables. My biggest worry was him getting to his car safely after work. I texted him to come straight home after his shift ended and steer clear of any protests or large crowds.

He texted me back assuring me that there were not any protests in our town. He added that they were only in very large major cities; adding that IF there was one, he would definitely choose to attend.

That was when I knew I potentially had a dilemma on my hands. I don’t know why it never crossed my mind that he wouldn’t avoid the protesters, but would rather seek them out. He has never been one to stomach social injustice in any form.

At that point, I hadn’t even made myself watch the George Floyd video. I admit I’ve allowed myself to live in a protective bubble since my husband was killed. Can we just write it off to some innate survival instinct? I cried all night after I watched the video.

My boy arrived home safe and sound a few hours later. Exhausted to the bone from a grueling night at the restaurant, completely oblivious to the fact that there had indeed been a mild uprising in our medium-to-large sized city, with more planned for the following day.

The next morning, my son woke up to several informative texts from friends. The group Black Lives Matter had organized a daytime rally which would start that afternoon at the steps of our state capital and march to the steps of our city’s police station.

I heard about it the night before so I knew before my son did. I spent all night researching reasons why he shouldn’t go. I had a dozen good reasons—ranging from the fact that hate groups were protesting against the peaceful protestors in very dangerous and aggressive ways. I also came up with some dumb “Mom reasons,” such as you’ll need a TON of sunblock out there to protect your ginger skin in that blazing heat…

I know. That’s super lame. But I was desperate and my youngest of five children is a cross between Prince Harry and Ed Sheeran.

In the end, after a sleepless night of grappling with the pros and the cons, I realized that I raised all five of my kids from the cradle to the crowd—the protesting crowd. I was never the mother that chased my kids with a jacket, a tissue or even a bedtime. I trusted them to know if they were cold or sick or tired…it was always their call. But what I always drew a hard line at was character issues and mistreatment of others.

I recall drilling into each and every single one of them that they had more than a responsibility, but a MANDATE to protect the bullied. I specifically remember telling this very son once, when discussing a kid in his class that was being bullied, if he stood by silently, than he was AS GUILTY as the bully himself.

So…now my kids accuse me of making them overly-sensitive. Okay. I guess I can own that. I hope they can work that into my eulogy. Better yet, maybe I can just write my own eulogy. I think I’d like that.

Is that a thing?  Please tell me that’s a thing. It needs to be a thing.

So, I’m going to grit my teeth and grip my rosary while my kids stand up against what they feel is wrong in this country. I pray to God it doesn’t cost me any children because I know I’ll only have myself to blame (and their Dad who caused many a dust-up speaking his mind anytime he wanted. He was not afraid to challenge authority—EVER!!!).

It looks as though I’m not the only mom who raised a new generation of bull-headed, strong-willed, rabble-rousers who not only speak, but also live their truths.

I think what our generation can do right now is attend daytime peaceful protests (they need us!) donate funds, organize vigils, and change the rhetoric, for the love of God and humanity.

But most importantly, let’s show our kids we are proud of them for doing the right thing at the right time and to making a difference in the world one generation at a time.

And, of course, we can still make them wear sunblock.

 

Everyone from leslie's husband of 33 years, to her 5 children squirm in discomfort when she uses everyday family experiences as fodder for her blog, "A Ginger Snapped."  They can routinely be heard complaining as she tattles on them in what they commonly refer to as, "Pandora's tablet!"

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Pressing Pause on Family Travel Plans…for Now

By Marni Fogelson

Photo: Fogelson/Teel family

“I don’t know what to do with myself. I don’t have any trips to plan,” I told my husband recently. Joe is a willing traveler, and no one approaches the gauntlet of Disney World reservations and ride prep with as much determination as him, but he is largely devoid of the wanderlust that has propelled me through my life.

The uncertainty, the inability to guess when we’ll again get to go places is what, to me, feels so defeating right now. A trip with my extended family to the Chesapeake Bay in June has been cancelled. My son’s annual birthday weekend at my mother-in-law’s cottage in the woods has been postponed. We don’t know if our annual trip to Cape Cod will take place. Even events farther out such as a trip to celebrate my son’s bar mitzvah and my 40th birthday getaway with girlfriends who I’ve known since elementary school: they are all on hold. For us, for everyone.

My husband and I were students on a budget, when we first started dating, and our trips weren’t always far-flung or exciting. They didn’t have to be: Being together and exploring any new place or even revisiting a place that had special significance to one of us was a thrill and a way to forge a deeper bond. Sure, we’ve had some large trips in the nearly 18 years we have been together, but many of them haven’t required a passport and often they have needed less than a full tank of gas.

When our kids were little, our idea of travel and our expectations changed and, but it still felt fundamental. My husband and I came to Philadelphia (where we first met) with our colicky, sleep averse infant for a week. Almost everyone thought we were crazy: “Don’t you want to be at home with all your stuff?”

No, I wanted to get out of the Twilight Zone of diaper changes, walking around the neighborhood in a daze for four hours a day to get our child to stop screaming and sleep, and post-partum anxiety. I didn’t know what exactly I was doing as a parent, but I felt like I wasn’t doing it very well. One thing I could do well: Plan how to fill our days in a city I loved by visiting with old friends, eating at familiar restaurants and trying new ones and traversing a beloved city with our new child. I still walked around in a daze for four hours a day to get our son to sleep, but there were brief moments during that trip when I felt like me again, the me who had more to talk about than how many times my child woke up last night and when I was planning to introduce solids.

Our kids are 9 and almost 12, and this quarantine has been the longest time in their lives without travel. They have adapted to homebody status better than I thought, especially since my daughter has been known to ask, “So, where are we going next?” while in the process of unpacking. But at times I’m really struggling with this suspended season of our lives, even though I know it’s important for everyone to pause.

Travel felt and continues to feel akin to hope. I can’t tell you how many times my husband and I have written, “I can’t wait to go on more adventures with you!” in cards and notes as a promise of what we hope will fill our future days. As an immune-compromised person, I have trouble imagining jumping back into action, especially long haul flights, the way I used to. I don’t think our family’s days of travel are over by a long shot, but I do wonder how it’ll be changed for all of us. Ironically, nothing has ever reinforced my belief in our shared humanity as much as travel. I have been grateful for every trip I have taken, but I never realized how much I took for granted that there would always be an opportunity for more, more, more.

Other than the multiple long walks I take with our dog every day, I have spent little time actually going anywhere or planning to travel and a lot of time thinking about the journeys, big and small, that are now in my past: To Ethiopia to bring home our daughter, to Cumberland Island and a sunset framed by a fringe of trees that has since become my go-to meditation backdrop or to my parents’ house, where we all gather and reminisce and just hang out. Travel magazines, which I clip and dog-ear and keep for way too long, continue to arrive in my mailbox, and I allow myself a little armchair voyage and try to ignore the feelings that bubble up when I think about how long it’s been since we’ve traveled and how long it still may be until we do so again.

And yet, on Saturday, the kids and I got in the car for the first time in a month. We picked up the seedlings we had prepurchased from a community garden fundraiser and then buckled up again to head home. Suddenly, I felt the thrill of being out of the house, of going somewhere, of possibilities.

“Do you want to go for a ride?” I asked my kids.

“Yes!!” my daughter cheered immediately.

My son, closer to teenagedom and more suspicious, wanted to first know, “Where?”

We ended up ordering bubble tea from a place near my daughter’s ballet studio. In typical times, we go there often, almost weekly, and it had become an afterthought, barely even a “special treat” anymore.

But as we drove the short distance with a plan in place (albeit a very small one), the sun was out, the city traffic was light, and we put the windows down and turned the radio up.

“This is so fun!” my daughter laughed giddily. “It’s like an adventure!”

And for a brief moment, it really was.

Virginia-born and raised, Marni Fogelson has happily settled in Philadelphia with her husband, two kids, and beloved dog. Co-chair of a local literacy non-profit and a freelance writer, Marni is happiest with a book in one hand and a cup of tea in the other.

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Walmart & Nextdoor Launch New ‘Neighbors Helping Neighbors’ Program

by Jennifer Swartvagher

A new program is making it easier for customers to shop for their neighbors when making a trip to their local Walmart store. Now communities have more access to essential items while limiting contact. Walmart and Nextdoor announced today the launch of their “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” program, an effort to make it easier for neighbors across the country to help one another during the COVID-19 pandemic.

shopping cart

Through this new program, Nextdoor members in cities across the country can now request assistance or offer to help someone in their community by shopping for essential items at Walmart. This support network makes it easier for vulnerable members of the community to coordinate the pickup and delivery of their groceries, medications and other essentials with a neighbor who is planning a shopping trip to their local Walmart store. These transactions are completely contact free.

The new “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” initiative follows recent moves by Walmart to make other shopping services, like checking out with Walmart Pay and its curbside pickup and delivery services, contact-free.

“I’ve seen firsthand the countless ways our Walmart team is working together during this challenging time, leading with humanity, compassion and understanding to serve our customers,” said Janey Whiteside, Walmart’s chief customer officer. “We’re continuing to do that through our new program with Nextdoor. We’re connecting neighbors to each other so that more members of our communities have access to essential items, while limiting contact and the number of people shopping in our stores.”

If a Nextdoor member needs help shopping for needed items or wants to offer their help to do so they need to visit Nextdoor or log on to the Nextdoor app, which is available on both iOS and Android phones. Members can click on the “Groups” tab to see Walmart stores in their area pinned to the top of the page. Members will then be prompted to share a message in the group feed where they can indicate if they need help or want to help. Once members connect in the feed they can work out details of the shopping trip on the message board or direct message each other to work on the specifics. Neighbors are encouraged to utilize contact-free payment options and delivery methods.

“We’re inspired every day by the kindness of people around the world who are stepping up and helping out. In recent weeks, we’ve been blown away by the number of members who have raised their hands to run an errand, go to the grocery store or pick up a prescription for a neighbor,” said Sarah Friar, Nextdoor CEO. “We’re grateful for Walmart’s partnership to make this important connection between neighbors around vital services, and we’re proud to come together to ensure everyone has a neighborhood to rely on.”

The “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” program builds on Nextdoor’s recently launched “Groups” feature which enables members to organize around a shared interest or project. Over the last few weeks, Nextdoor has seen a 7x increase in people joining groups to help one another – from checking in with the elderly and vulnerable to running errands for those who simply need a helping hand.

Walmart store locations and hours where “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” is available can be found on Nextdoor’s “Help Map.”

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: Bruno Kelzer on Unsplash

RELATED STORIES

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

4 Agreements Every Rockstar Parent Should Make with Themselves

By Shelby Spear

Photo: Rawpixel

Books are my spirit animal. Well, maybe dragonflies, but anything bound and full of inspiration and insight runs a close second in stirring my soul. While many of us in the book lover club have read hundreds upon hundreds of amazing works, we usually sink our heart into a few favorites.

One of my all-time cherished books, which I recommend to anyone willing to listen, is The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz. This little gem is only 138 pages, but every word awakens the spirit and makes you think. You come to a certain knowing with each agreement listed, nodding your head in affirmation of a spoken truth.

Don Miguel Ruiz shares how making only four agreements with yourself and the universe can unfold and unfurl the bound-up version of self and lead you back to your authentic identity and purpose. Doing so awards you the freedom to live from a place of wholeness.

Regardless of your worldview or spiritual beliefs/non-belief, these four agreements make sense because they’re universal truths any of us can and want to live out. No matter who I recommend this book to, no matter what they believe beyond the here and now, the wisdom shared within The Four Agreements resonates.

1. Be impeccable with your word.

All we need do is look at Twitter for 30 seconds to realize how often this agreement finds rejection. Words matter. They can cause irreparable damage and instill lasting hope. This world is in dire need of the latter.

2. Don’t take things personally.

Who doesn’t do this? And how is it working out for us? The rampant “everything is about me” mentality is causing widespread disconnect and detachment.

3. Don’t make assumptions.

We live in a world that functions on assumption more than fact. Headlines and gossip have become the basis for judgment. In large part because communication, which requires listening, discerning, studying, has become a lost art.

4. Do your best.

Every human can start doing this right now. Doing our best is enough, even if some days our finest hour is a complete mess or failure. Doing our best includes accepting and forgiving ourselves and others for collective weaknesses and faults.

As common sense as these agreements sound, we’ve all fallen into the trap of living outside their boundaries. The human thing, ego thing, illusion thing, is hard. But continued resistance to these positive commitments means more misery, suffering and dysfunction will exist. The good news is, a mindful decision to enter into these agreements—the best we can—will change the world around us. Instantly.

Consider just one example: if you decide not to take your coworkers comment personally today, then your time home with the family after work will be pleasant and enjoyable. This in turn makes for a stress-free evening for your spouse and kids. The lack of tension helps everyone have a good night’s rest. And, come morning, each person in your family starts a new day feeling refreshed, joyful and ready to face the world.

In this scenario, agreeing to not take things personally in one single instance affects the entirety of your experience going forward, including all the people in your sphere of influence. One agreement by one individual in one moment of time has the power to change countless lives via the ripple effect.

The four agreements Don Miguel Ruiz challenges us to embody are powerful, important, healing. My commitment to practicing them has changed my life, my family, the people around me.

Although I’m just one person making a small difference in a limited space, together we can make a significant difference in an ever-expanding space. Humanity deserves the healing.

This post originally appeared on Thrive Global.

A self-described “sappy soul whisperer/sarcasm aficionado,” Shelby is a wife of 27 years & mom of three millennials. She co-authored How Are You Feeling, Momma? (You don't need to say, "I'm fine.") Her stories are in print at Guideposts, online at sites like Her View From Home and Parenting Teens & Tweens, and at shelbyspear.com. Get 3 FREE chapters of Shelby's book

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

The Best Programs to Recycle & Donate Clothes

by Shahrzad Warkentin

Kids seem to grow literally overnight, and they outgrow their clothing just as quickly. So what do you do with all those adorable duds they (or you, if you’re cleaning out your own closet) no longer need? There are a lot of companies and services that will help you clean out your closet and donate clothing. Not only can you put those clothes to good use, but you’ll also help the planet by reducing waste. That’s a definite mom win. Keep reading to see our favorite spots to recycle and donate clothes below. 

**Editor’s Note: Due to the COVID-19 crisis, we suggest checking to make sure any retail locations listed below are currently accepting donations. 

H&M

H&M

This Swedish retailer is well-known for its discount prices and stylish fashions, but it has also become recognized for its leading role in sustainability practices among the retail industry. Not only does H&M sell garments that are made with eco-conscious sustainable materials and recycled textiles, but it also allows shoppers to donate clothing for recycling. All you have to do is bag up your items and bring them to any location worldwide. H&M will accept any textiles, from mismatched socks to old sheets. For each bag of textiles you drop off, you'll earn a discount card for 15% off your next in-store purchase.

Gap

BusinessWire

Gap, Inc. has partnered with resale company thredUP to make it easy for customers to donate and recycle clothing. At select Gap brand stores, including Gap, Banana Republic, Athleta and Janie and Jack you can pick up a free thredUP kit, which includes a Clean Out bag or a mailing label. Pack up your unwanted items, and send them in. If any items are accepted for resale, you can receive cash or store credit. If you opt to receive store credit and use it at any Gap Inc. brands you’ll receive an additional 15% off your purchase. Any items that aren’t accepted for resale can either be sent back to you for a fee or recycled.

Patagonia

Yukiko Matsuoka via Flickr

Considering Patagonia’s mission statement is “in business to save our home planet,” it should come as no big surprise that the company offers a recycling program for all of its products. You can either drop off your used Patagonia products in-store at your nearest location or you can mail them to the address below:

Patagonia Service Center
8550 White Fir Street
Reno, NV 89523-8939

The North Face

Athrasher via Flickr

With the Clothes the Loop program, The North Face invites customers to bring in unwanted clothing or shoes of any brand to help keep those items out of landfills. All items are then sent to the company’s nonprofit partner Soles4Souls whose mission is to create sustainable jobs. The organization repurposes and redistributes donated items. When you make an in-store donation you’ll earn a $10 rebate on your next purchase of $100 or more at The North Face. Check here to find the nearest The North Face location.

Blue Jeans Go Green

Pexels

Denim is made from cotton which can be recycled and repurposed, which is good news for all those too-small pairs of jeans in your drawers. The American Cotton Producers and Importers are behind the Blue Jeans Go Green program, which allows you to donate your old jeans. Donated jeans are repurposed into housing insulation to be used in buildings constructed by Habitats for Humanity. While you can drop your jeans off at specific retailers for recycling, thanks to Zappos for Good, you can also mail them in for free. Just box up your jeans, print a free mailing label here, and they’ll take care of the rest.

Levi’s

Mike Mozart via Flickr

The godfather of jeans also offers an easy way to recycle those dungarees, along with everything else in the closet. Levi’s will accept all clothing and shoe donations at any of its retail locations throughout the United States. All items donated will be repurposed or recycled through Levi’s partnership with I:CO. You’ll also score a voucher with your donation for 20% off a single, regular-priced item purchased in-store at Levi’s.

Pact

Pact

This sustainable fashion company is all about offering eco-friendly, organic alternatives for the whole family. It also wants to ensure that its products are long lasting and don’t end up in a landfill, which is why Pact has partnered with Give Back Box to help you easily donate any unwanted items instead of discarding them. Reuse the Pact box your items came in, and pack it up with any clothing, shoes or accessories you no longer want. You can print a prepaid label here and mail the box in for donation.

Give Back Box

Pexels

You can also go straight to the source and reuse any retailer box you have at home to make a donation through Give Back Box directly. Simply pack up the box with clothing or household items, print the free label and send it off. When you make your donation through the Give Back Box site, you also have the option to choose a specific charity to receive your donation. You will pay a $15 fee to print the mailing label, rather than printing one for free.

Salvation Army

Mike Mozart via Flickr

You’re likely already familiar with this organization to drop off donations, but did you know they also provide pick-ups, so you can add one less thing to your to-do list? Simply bag up your items and visit the Salvation Army online to schedule a pick up time.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

Featured photo: iStock 

 

RELATED STORIES

Here’s How You Can Buy Hand-Me-Down Kids’ Clothes from the Kardashians

This Teen Created a Pantry Full of Clothes and School Supplies to Help His Classmates

12 Clothing Subscription Services Just for Kids

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Nothing like a Crisis to Find Ourselves Again

By Saskia Sorrosa

Two months ago, the Coronavirus felt like a distant problem. I was sad for the countries living in pain, but even as I watched things unfold on TV, it felt far from home.

Fast forward to today, and that distant story is our reality. Not only is Covid-19 affecting life in the U.S., but one of the largest epicenters in the country is my very own backyard. I live in Westchester, NY and in a matter of days, our school districts shutdown, after school activities closed indefinitely, our governor asked that we stop commuting into Manhattan and time just seemed to…stop.

After being bombarded with messages of school closures and district decisions and—OMG THE WORLD IS FALLING APART—I regained my consciousness. I thought, OK, this is life today and we will have to adjust. I made a mental checklist and did roll call: Kids, Dogs, Husband, Business (not in that order). I gave myself permission to fumble and to figure it out as we go.

My game plan was simple:

1.     Business: Meet the increased demands of a world crisis, keep our product in stock, ship to stores, deliver to customers, have contingency plans, survive.

2.     Girls: Teach them valuable lessons about self-sufficiency and imagination.

3.     Partner: Lean into the other working parent, my husband, to manage our 24-hour schedule and sanity.

4.     Dogs: Inform everyone in the house that dogs must be fed and walked and we are all in this together.

5.     Eat.

This continues to be my game plan two weeks in.

Soon after the chaos ensued, I turned to social media to see how the rest of the world was coping. I started noticing posts about homeschooling and parents enthusiastically teaching lessons. I scrolled through hundreds of pictures with hourly schedules of fun activities to do at home with kids. I thought, well, that sucks. I was certain my plan of winging it and keeping my sanity was brilliant until I looked at the pretty pictures on social media.

Between work and no school and simply surviving, I couldn’t see beyond my nose. I felt the external pressures of Instagram telling me to be better and do more, and yet all I could think of was putting one foot in front of the other. I was doing my best but I kept questioning whether this was enough. Then a blessing in disguise: social distancing.

The mandatory space between us and the outside world finally allowed me to tune out the noise and turn inward to my family. As it turns out, that’s all I needed.

The first few days were messy. We became two parents working from home while two girls were bouncing off the walls. As the news about the coronavirus got worse, the demands of my start up business got crazier. Trade shows were canceled, orders surged to an all-time high, and pressures were placed on our manufacturing timelines, all while I prioritized making sure my team and my family stayed healthy. During this hectic time, two young girls were still bouncing off the walls that seemed to be closing in. That’s right, I thought, we can all do hard things (thank you, Glennon Doyle).

I looked around and realized we were all more than OK. We were (mostly!) happy, healthy, and had each other. No one was pressuring me to be or do more. Everyone felt loved. My husband, five and seven-year-old daughters, the dogs and I were all figuring it out as we went and it worked for us.

The past two weeks have been challenging, exhausting and scary at times, but they have also been unusually special. The girls have been learning more about us and our jobs and we have been learning more about them and their school days. We’ve learned that we don’t have to follow a set schedule, or any set of rules, to make things work for us. We can just be who we are and find our own groove. Taking a step back from the outside world gave us an opportunity to reconnect with ourselves and remember who we are without the world telling us who we need to be.

Weekends have also been a welcome change. We normally head into the weekend with a million plans—birthdays, sports, dinners—and have little time to relax. We would wake up on Saturdays and look at our calendar to strategize where we needed to be and when. Now, time on the weekends has stopped. Thanks to social distancing, all our plans are canceled. I can’t remember the last time we had nowhere to be and it feels great.

I keep thinking about how ironic this entire pandemic has been. Like we needed a virus to take our lives back from the over-scheduling, and the gadgets and the FOMO. To be comfortable with stillness and show up in our lives again. To be in the presence of other human beings and make eye contact. To stop living by external pressures and start living our own truth. To heal.

As we navigate through these uncertain times, I hope we all use the space to refuel and rebuild our humanity. Pushing through tough moments, even when it feels impossible, is exactly when we have our most meaningful breakthroughs.

Hang in there. We will all be stronger on the other side!

I'm the Founder & CEO of Fresh Bellies baby food brand. I've won foodie awards, pitched to Shark Tank and appeard on Forbes and CNBC. Originally from Guayaquil, Ecuador, I live in New York with my husband, Fernando and daughters, Isabella and Alexa Luna.

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement