Childhood Unplugged | #givingtuesday

“#GivingTuesday harnesses the potential of social media and the generosity of people around the world to bring about real change in their communities; it provides a platform for them to encourage the donation of time, resources and talents to address local challenges. It also brings together the collective power of a unique blend of partners— nonprofits, civic organizations, businesses and corporations, as well as families and individuals—to encourage and amplify small acts of kindness.

As a global movement, #GivingTuesday unites countries around the world by sharing our capacity to care for and empower one another.”

Join us not only today, but every Tuesday for the rest of December and donate your time or monies to a charity/organization of your choice. Together we can make a difference. Tag your images #cu_givingtuesday on Instagram or Facebook and share with us who you donated to and why. No amount is too small, no act of kindness is not appreciated. We have so much to be thankful for, this is the season for giving. Let’s make a difference!

One of our Childhood Unplugged members, Jenny Solar together with her husband Josh are raising three children, two who are living with Cystic Fibrosis. They face challenges daily.

They have given this Tuesday to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to help raise not only awareness but hope that their children will see a cure in their lifetime.

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Some of you may be aware that my middle son Matthew is affected with autism. We face challenges raising him every single day. My husband and I are so very thankful that he attends a school that is solely for children on the spectrum; a charter school that is truly a one of it’s kind place here in South Florida.

South Florida Autism Charter School, aka SFACS is in the process of raising monies for a new campus and building. What is amazing about this school is that they are not stopping there. They are also building for tomorrow as our children become adults with a center and housing community. This Tuesday I donated monies for SFACS!

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Childhood Unplugged member Jesse Burke has donated to the Jared Moossy Recovery Fund. Jared was critically injured by a drunk driver, monies donated to this fund goes for his recovery. To learn more about this campaign please visit this link.

Childhood Unplugged member Drae Trounce donated to (RED).org. An organization that helps for the fight against AIDS. Visit the website to learn more about this great cause.


Valentine’s Day craft

We are excited to share with you some fun crafts over the next few months from some wonderful moms that are getting unplugged with their kiddos.  Traci Ling has shared with us a simple mailbox to make with your little ones to hold the valentines they received at school!

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“We made special boxes to hold all of the Valentines they receive at their party!  We figured we would just cover a shoe box with wrapping paper and stickers, but we found these really cute stick-on decorations {hearts and unicorn} and we made even cooler boxes! (stickers came from Target)  We wrapped the boxes with paper and cut a hole in the top, then started decorating!  The legs of the unicorn are little white cylinders but you could use paper towel or toilet paper rolls cut to size and colored.  It was so much fun and a simple activity!  I’m not a crafty mommy but I am happy to buy a few little things that help my kids get creative.”

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Unplugged experience through photography

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As part of a new endeavor on Childhood Unplugged we are bringing you ways to unplug with your children – from DIY projects to adventures to classes and more.  We are starting off by sharing with you a wonderful new class taught by Michelle Gardella at The DEFINE School. This class teaches you to include family in your creative process as a means for greater fulfillment.  We are sharing with you a short interview with Michelle about this new gem!

Carolyn: What called you to create this new and totally unique class?

Michelle: When I teach it is because I have a burning question that I need to explore. I never teach because I have answers, it’s always from a place of curiosity and discovery. For Family Tapestry, I set out to see if there was an alternative way of being a Mother Artist, different from what I’ve already seen. I don’t want someone to tell me how to balance my schedule, or hire a new office manager. I wanted to go deeper and really see if it’s possible to include my loved ones in my creative life.

Carolyn: It sounds like you have felt divided at times in the past. Would you say this class helped with that?

Michelle: Oh, for sure. In the past there were times when I felt like I was compartmentalized. Mother. Wife. Daughter. Artist. Teacher. and on and on, all in these separate boxes. It was stressful and I honestly went to bed most nights feeling guilty for neglecting at least one of my roles. When I stepped back and started intentionally finding ways to blend and cross-pollinate my worlds, magic happened and I was super excited to share with others what I had experienced. Now, if I am taking a pottery class, I come home and teach my children and husband what I have learned. If my son is taking an art class at school, we all do the homework. And when it comes to photography, my children feel empowered to pick up one of our family cameras at any time and capture life as they see it.

Carolyn: One last thing. Can you give an example of a homework assignment?

Michelle: Sure! For one assignment, the youngest takes a photo of the oldest, undirected. In my case, my daughter photographed her Grandfather. What was fascinating, is she went right for his hands. She kept asking him to hold his hands still. I know I will treasure that image of my Dad’s hands forever, in ways that I cannot even find words for.

Registration opens on Monday February 9th at 12 PM EST at The DEFINE School.

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