I heard about San Diego Food Bank’s
FOOD 4 KIDS BACKPACK PROGRAM a little while ago on NPR, and now thanks to
Alice I am finally getting involved. Everyone else can too! Here's what it's all about:
"The program was launched in 2007 to provide food to help chronically hungry elementary school students get through the weekend. Every Friday, eligible kids receive a backpack with child friendly items such as peanut butter, pop-top canned goods, cereal, juice boxes, fruit cups, raisins, pudding cups, granola bars, shelf-stable milk and macaroni and cheese tucked inside.
These kids receive free or reduced cost meals while school is in session, but do not have food available on the weekends or school holidays for themselves and their siblings. Food 4 Kids provides food directly to them, without requiring their parents to receive a referral to a local food pantry, pick up food at the pantry or prepare it at home.
Charitable donations are down this year, and hunger in San Diego County is up. Those of us who love food and view it as a pleasure are in a position to ensure that the children of our community don’t go hungry.
With that goal in mind, San Diego’s food
bloggers and other members of the local community are coming together to raise funds for the San Diego Food Bank’s Food 4 Kids Backpack Program. The program costs a mere $6.00 per week per child to fund, and a donation of $250.00 will fund a backpack for a child for the entire 36 week school year. Giving what you can afford will help us ensure the program continues to provide this much needed service!"
To participate in the fundraiser event, you can donate through the
Firstgiving fundraising page at
www.firstgiving.com/food4kids. All donors on the
Firstgiving page will be eligible to win prizes sponsored by local businesses,
bloggers and individuals. Just be sure to include your e-mail address when you donate so you can be contacted if you win.
If you're in San Diego, you can also participate by bringing items to the food and backpack drive at the Little Italy
Mercato Farmers Market on Saturday, December 12 from 9-12. Recommended donations are any non-perishable kid-friendly food items and good quality neutral colored backpacks. Hope to see you there!
Thank you, and Happy Holidays!
I haven't picked up this book yet, but it's on my short list of things to read. You know, it wasn't that long ago when girls who were graduating from college with a ring on their fingers were presented with a corsage, while their spinster sisters got a lemon. With the college's blessing, no less. You can listen to the author's enthusiastic synopsis here and read the review here. 
This picture kind of says it all.
What is the frickin' deal!?! I forgot to bring my trusty bottle of Tabasco sauce to work yesterday, the result being my veggies and cheese sandwich was beyond bland and practically inedible. It never used to be like this. Are the taste buds the first things to go? Not that the rest of me is completely intact, but c'mon!
Snook is all ready for the 2010 birthday party circuit with this new dress, courtesy of her grammie. But it might be a good idea to have a couple of back-ups, just in case this one should fall victim to a chocolate cupcake, overzealous paintbrush or a tempting mud puddle. In case you were wondering, Mom/Grammie. Love.
Which is great for painting . . .
. . . potty training . . .
. . . and for generally acting silly.
Not so great for playing tea-party-dress-up. But still so cute and gratifying to see how much he adores her.
As fun as our recent trip to the happiest place on earth was, the highlight for me may have been dinner on our way home at Mr. Pete Burgers (the H has been sporting their t-shirt for years). Where the burgers are fresh and flavorful, and the fries strike that perfect balance between crispy and potatoey, with just the right amount of finger-lickin' saltiness. You know the fast food is good when you get in your car the next day and the lingering aroma makes your stomach growl, not turn over. If you ever find yourself craving a burger on that stretch of highway between San Diego and Anaheim, I would highly recommend stopping by.
Family jungle cruise ride
Sending the Chargers some love from afar
Good boy, Pluto!
Awaiting the Princess and the Frog riverboat extravaganza
There's Princess Tiana!
Snook got a case of the bashfuls
Until it came time to negotiate, of course.
Luckily, we had two brave kids at the Santa Claus meet and greet. Bubs even piped up when asked what he would like for Christmas, "Choo choo train, pees." That place is so much fun!
Forget about ties, power drills and aftershave. Your guy would probably prefer a helping of Brulee this holiday season. From what I can see, Kiki and Perla have nothing on these newcomer trifles, direct from NYC. Not that those oldies wouldn't be goodies too . . . And in that much-loved category of gifts that keep on giving.
So why haven't mommy cards taken off? Are they a little dorky? Over the top? More to the point, would you be scared of a mom who handed you one of these? Perhaps. But I do remember brainstorming with my mother-in-law once about how I could go about designing something like this because I truly thought they might come in handy. Looks like my mompreneurial ambitions (such as they are) were thwarted once again!
Sweet Ballerina - Brunette Stretched Canvas by Karina Bania
I heard about San Diego Food Bank’s FOOD 4 KIDS BACKPACK PROGRAM a little while ago on NPR, and now thanks to Alice I am finally getting involved. Everyone else can too! Here's what it's all about:
Pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
Then, little Bubs couldn't decide if he wanted to be an elephant or Peter Criss from the band KISS. So he ended up being both.
"Peter Criss," wearing his pink ribbon to help raise awareness.
My neighbor, Joy, made all of the boys' KISS costumes. They looked awesome!
And Halloween dinner was the same way. Should we serve bison steaks or buffalo steaks? We served both.
Our friends, Amber and Jay
It was both a very spooky AND A VERY FUN Halloween, indeed!
