Pink It Forward - Friends - Fun and Funds

You’ve been invited to a friend’s house for a girl’s night-out party. She asked you to bring an appetizer to share and item that you once treasured but would like to see someone else enjoy it. During the evening you have a chance to chat with friends, learn about breast health and raise money for a local organization that supports women undergoing breast cancer treatment….would you go?

Pink Parties are becoming the rage and it’s easy to see why. They combine treasured time with friends and raising funds for a great cause.That treasure that you were asked to bring will be recycled and raffled off at the party to raise money; the breast cancer information sitting on the sideboard may save your life one day; the fellowship with friends is just what your needed and the women being helped by your party is priceless!

Pink it Forward Parties are the up and coming way to support a great cause. They are fun and easy to host. To get you started, here are party tips and party games for your Pink it Forward Party PinkItForward.com. Make your Pink it Forward Party even more special by using Celebrate In Pink partyware. Take advantage of an October only special of 50% off everything.

Who knew that one party would change someone’s life? Who knew that you and your friends would pay for chemo treatments and copays, utilities and food, wigs and other incidentals? Who knew that this would be the best party you ever had? Start planning your Pink it Forward Party now and see how many other Pink it Forward Parties you can spawn, let’s go viral with Pink and make a difference one party at time. Party. Fun. Feel Good :=)

Cancer - The Real Equalizer

Look around you, who do you see? Does she look like you? Is her lifestyle like yours? Does she drive a fancy car? Does she live in a McMansion? Is she famous? Does she have breast cancer?

Did that last question throw you off and feel like it doesn’t belong? Guess again. It’s THE question that connects all of us. Whether it’s breast cancer or any other disease, it is the only discriminator that brings equality to all of us. It matters not if you are rich or not so rich, pretty or not so pretty, young or not so young, we all get sick. The BIG thing that makes a difference for all of us is how we plan to pay for our medical bills when we do get a major disease. Many women do not have medical insurance to help cover expenses and even those who have medical insurance the out of pocket expenses can devastate a budget (my own expenses ran over $10,000).

Did you know that 50% of family bankruptcies are due to medical expenses?

Did you know that those who do not have medical insurance delay medical attention and are almost as twice as likely to die within 5 years as those with insurance?

Some sources estimate the total cost for breast cancer treatment somewhere between $75,000 to $200,000 depending on the type of treatment received.

Now you can see that many women and families just can’t afford to cover medical expenses for breast cancer. They not only have to fight for their lives but at the same time they have to worry about where the money will come from. And did I mention that most never saw it coming?

Thank goodness for organizations whose mission is to provide financial support to these sheroes. Their support only goes as far as their funds permit. One such organization who is making a difference for so many women is the The Pink Fund. It provides financial aid for medical and household expenses to get women through treatment and back to work. The Pink Fund was founded by Molly MacDonald, a five year breast cancer survivor who knows firsthand what it’s like to need financial assistance while undergoing breast cancer treatment. Watch for a post soon on Molly and The Pink Fund.

While I agree that money needs to be raised for research so that one day the word breast cancer won’t be part of our vocabulary, I absolutely know that there isn’t nearly a large enough voice for the many women who need financial assistance. If you want to support these sheroes, before you give to a breast cancer non-profit with this mission please be sure to ask how much of their revenue raised actually goes to these sheroes. Look for organizations whose mission is to put as much money raised in the hands of our sheroes….they need you. Please consider making a donation to The Pink Fund as they are one organization truly dedicated to sheroes...thank you!

Pink Parties Going Viral

You’ve been invited to a friend’s house for a girl’s night-out party. She asked you to bring an appetizer to share and item that you once treasured but would like to see someone else enjoy it. During the evening you have a chance to chat with friends, learn about breast health and raise money for a local organization that supports women undergoing breast cancer treatment….would you go?

Pink Parties are becoming the rage and it’s easy to see why. They combine treasured time with friends and raising funds for a great cause. That treasure you were asked to bring will be recycled and raffled off at the party to raise money; the breast cancer information sitting on the sideboard may save your life one day; the fellowship with friends is just what your needed and the women being helped by your party is priceless!

Pink Parties are the up and coming way to support a great cause. They are fun and easy to host. To get you started, here are party tips for your Pink Party CelebrateInPink.com/Pink_Parties. Raise even more money for your charity and make your Pink Party even more special by using Celebrate In Pink partyware. We offer our products to the hostess at discounted pricing for resale at the party, so that any profits can be given to support your chosen breast cancer charity.

Who knew that one party would change someone’s life? Who knew that you and your friends would pay for chemo treatments and copays, utilities and food, wigs and other incidentals? Who knew that this would be the best party you ever had? Start planning your Pink Party now and see how many other Pink Parties you can spawn, let’s go viral with Pink and make a difference one party at time. Call us for more ways to raise money at your party or for help finding a local organization in your community.

Women Over Winter

Looks like we are on the downside of winter, Yippee! With the holidays over we really need diversions to keep our sanity intact until Spring. Really, there isn’t much in the way of activity between January and March so we have to work at it. This time of the year can be harder for some especially if cold temps, snow storms and early sunsets get you down.

I decided to embrace the ugliness of winter and tackle it head on. I signed up for an exercise class that starts at 6pm, that way my endorphins are peaking and the early sunsets don’t really bother me. I also found that making it a point to schedule more dinners and outings with girlfriends has helped. Having friends over also does the trick, just being with friends makes everything better. It’s the one time of the year that we should force ourselves to get out and do more in spite of the weather. I like to think of it as women over winter with women winning. Perhaps a’ Women Over Winter’ rotating party every month is just what the doctor ordered.

I’m sure there are lots of fun and creative things to divert us from winter, would love to hear about some of the things you do that make winter more delightful. Just think, if we stick together and share ideas, maybe just maybe we’ll look forward to next winter – NOT :)

Feel Better With a' Feel Good' 2011 Resolution

January is almost over, have you made your resolutions for 2011 yet? Roughly 45% of us make New Year’s resolutions and the most popular ones have to do with losing weight, exercising more and stop smoking. While these are great resolutions and help our bodies in so many ways, I would like to suggest that adding a 'feel good’ resolution will make a difference in so many ways. These are resolutions that make us feel good spiritually or emotionally such as committing to working in a soup kitchen once a month. Think about how great you will feel knowing that you are helping so many people.

It’s not too late…add a ‘feel good’ resolution for 2011. Look for a cause that you are passionate about and find organizations that support it. Contact them and see which ones you are a good fit for and make a commitment to help them out. I’ll bet this is one of your resolutions that will beat the ‘ 50% of us abandon our resolutions by June’ statistic…this is one that provides rewards in so many different ways, it is sure to stick.

Not only will you meet new people and make a difference for so many, you will be surprised at how much better your 'feel good' resolution makes you feel. Where will you give your time this year?

"Save the Girls" Checklist

Since this is the time that most of us make resolutions of some sort, it’s the perfect time to create a check list that could “Save the Girls” (you know what I am talking about ;). By the time you finish showering, dressing and eating in the morning, BFF’s of 20 more women will hear the words “You have breast cancer”. Don’t be one of them! (Every three minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer).

Add these routine easy to do items to your checklist for 2011: 

• By exercising only 2 hours a week you not only burn fat that produces excess estrogen, a contributor to breast cancer but you will feel much better too.  
• Eat at least 5 fruits and veggies each day
• Limit fatty foods and alcohol consumption
• Take calcium and Vitamin D every day
• Perform monthly self-breast exams
• Begin yearly mammograms starting at age 40 

See how easy that is! Starting with 2011, make every year the year to “Save the Girls”.

 

3 Easy Stress Busting Tips

Thanksgiving is the official kickoff of the holiday season. It seems like we no sooner get dinner cleaned up when the Christmas shopping starts. For many of us, this is an extremely stressful time as we try to fit the holidays into an already tight schedule. So, let’s tackle this early so we can make the most of the holidays and really enjoy them. Here are 3 really easy stress relieving tips that can really make a difference:

Exercise
One of the simplest and easiest ways to blow off steam and gain a new perspective is to take a walk when you feel stressed. Being outside removes you from the stressful situation and allows an opportunity to reflect. It also releases endorphins which always makes us feel better.

Breathing
If you can’t leave the situation then use your breathe to help manage your stress. Getting more oxygen into your body and releasing physical tension are two ways that breathing exercises can benefit you. They are free, easy to do and can be done anywhere or anytime. Here is an easy breathing exercise that works wonders:

• Sit or stand in a relaxed position.

• Slowly inhale through your nose, counting to five in your head.

• Let the air out from your mouth, counting to eight in your head as it leaves your lungs. Repeat several times. That’s it! Do this a few times to release tension and you will feel good as new.

Mental Break
If you can steal away a few minutes of peace, visualizations are a wonderful way to restore peace of mind. They're easy to do, and can relax you physically as well as mentally. Think about that last great vacation at the beach or mountains, message, hot tub soak or whatever put you into a relaxing mood. Go there mentally again to relive that wonderful feeling.

So get ready for the holidays with these easy stress buster tips. Use all three as needed to make a difference in your outlook. How do you relive stress? Share your stress buster tips, the more the merrier!