Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure. The prostheses they provide help to restore their self-esteem and their confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers.

This is a fantastic organization to donate to if you have the time and desire to grow out your hair. I’ve know several families where mother and daughter did it together. I haven’t cut my hair in a year and recently decided to let it go a little longer to make the 10 inch requirement, so I can donate mine. I am excited for a great opportunity to help a child in need. If you are interested in finding out what it takes to donate, simply click here. I’ll keep you posted and let you know how the experience turns out to be for me!

Here’s a little more about FreeRice.com from the site:

How does the FreeRice vocabulary program work?

FreeRice has a custom database containing thousands of words at varying degrees of difficulty. There are words appropriate for people just learning English and words that will challenge the most scholarly professors. In between are thousands of words for students, business people, homemakers, doctors, truck drivers, retired people… everyone!

How does the FreeRice vocabulary program work?

FreeRice automatically adjusts to your level of vocabulary. It starts by giving you words at different levels of difficulty and then, based on how you do, assigns you an approximate starting level. You then determine a more exact level for yourself as you play. When you get a word wrong, you go to an easier level. When you get three words in a row right, you go to a harder level. This one-to-three ratio is best for keeping you at the “outer fringe” of your vocabulary, where learning can take place.
There are 50 levels in all, but it is rare for people to get above level 48.

Who pays for the donated rice?

The rice is paid for by the advertisers whose names you see on the bottom of your vocabulary screen. This is regular advertising for these companies, but it is also something more. Through their advertising at FreeRice, these companies support both learning (free vocabulary for everyone) and reducing hunger (free rice for the hungry). We commend these companies for their participation at FreeRice.

If FreeRice has the rice to give, why not give it all away right now?

FreeRice is not sitting on a pile of rice―you are earning it 20 grains at a time. Here is how it works. When you play the game, advertisements appear on the bottom of your screen. The money generated by these advertisements is then used to buy the rice. So by playing, you generate the money that pays for the rice donated to hungry people.

Does FreeRice make any money from this?

No, it does not. FreeRice runs the site at no profit.

Try it out and see how great it is. Have fun!

I came up with a system a while back that seems to work well for us. Just before the kids have a birthday, and right before Christmas, I head into their rooms to de-junk. Doing it at this time allows room on the shelves for all the new toys they’ll be getting. I go in with three categories in my mind. Stuff to keep, stuff to re-purpose, stuff to toss.

First I start with the stuff to toss category. I check out all their things to find what can no longer be used. I often toss out broken toys, things with missing pieces, papers and scraps to recycle, and other odds and ends.

Then I move on to the stuff to re-purpose. These are things like toys they have outgrown, those silly McDonald’s toys that seem to appear out of nowhere, stuffed animals, and clothes they no longer need. I occasionally down size large bins of toys too. For example: One year I found that we had 80 or more Matchbox cars. Now for some families that’s not a big deal, but we just don’t have the extra space to store so many. So I had the kids each pick 20 and we found a new home for the rest.

Most of what no longer has a place in our home goes to charity. It’s much easier for me to give it away then to spend the time and energy trying to sell it. I also ask around to see if a friend or neighbor wants it. This works great when negotiating with the kids too. I can let them know that when they go over to “Jonny’s” house to play, they can use it then. Occasionally I take things to a consignment store. I trade in my things, and earn a credit to get things the kids need.

There are several other ways to re-purpose items. Craigslist.org, Ebay, and garage sales are great ways to get money for things you no longer need. You can also give things away using freecycle.com. Local churches generally accept items to use in the nursery.

Once I’ve cleared out everything we no longer need, I organize what we have. I like to put things with small parts up high and larger items at the kid’s level. This way they have to ask for specific toys, allowing me a little bit of authority over what is taken down and played with. We also have a general rule about the bed. In the past the bed became a place to store way too many stuffed toys and extra blankets. One day while the boys were cleaning their room, Dad came up with the 2/2/2 concept. This means they can have 2 blankets, 2 pillows, and 2 stuffed animals on their bed at any given time. The rest are kept in the closet. If they want to choose a new animal or blanket to sleep with they need to rotate them out.

To me, when it comes to “stuff,” less is more. If their room is organized and free of extra things laying around to accumulate, they play in there much better. It’s also easier for them to keep clean.

Sometimes the kids complain about getting rid of their old things, and honestly, I try to do it when they’re pre-occupied. (it’s the whole out of site out of mind theory) When they do complain I give them two choices. They can keep everything they have and not get anything new, or give away what they no longer use to make room for other things. You can probably guess what the response is. But more often then not they don’t even know what’s missing.

I found a site I really like when it comes to organization. Unclutter.com has tons of good info. and great tips. I often check it out looking for new ways to organize my life. Feeling organized reduced my stress level, and I can spend more time focusing on my family and their needs.