The Tree of Life has many meanings to many people. There are stories about trees that produce peaches every 3,000 years that give you immortality if you eat it and trees that connect the underworld. There are also more realistic things concerning trees including global warming and the destruction of forests. We often forget that trees benefit the environment, and provide us food and medicines. “What better symbol of our world, of life itself, than a tree - to remind us and inspire us to do all we can to protect our environment,” says Paula Brooks, owner and designer at Alef Bet. “Many of us do small acts to improve things each day, from carpooling to using cloth totes at the market. I wanted to create something that is fashionable and is a reminder about taking care of our planet.”  These Tree Of Life pendants are not only pretty but also lets you where your heart on your sleeve errrr neck.

Sometimes it is extremely weird when certain things happen in your life. We had that happen today. We found out at church today that Madison does not like to go up to the front. We literally had to drag her up there for the New Members greeting. I was just trying to wrack my brains and come up with a way to overcome that fear when I remembered that we just got a book called Genevieve’s Gift. This is an award winning children’s picture book for ages 4 - 8. It is about a little girl who is able to overcome her nervousness by “listening to her heart”. When she listens to her heart, she finds courage and inspiration. There is a step by step guide in the back of this book that I am hoping to use with Madison. We briefly talked about it today, but she was too busy wanting to read the next book. This story definitely flows, and Madison could easily follow it and pay attention to it. Madison also likes to sing, so we sang the song Genevieve did for her friend (there is also a music guide in the back of the book, so you even have the tune). I love that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book is donated to the National Down Syndrome Society. This is a great little book that has some great lessons in it.  All kids should definitely read it.

Let me warn you, make you sure have a box of tissues handy when you check out the blog Because Someone Cares.  This blog is about (to quote her site) “Every time I hear of a suffering child, my heart breaks. I must do something to help in any way I can. For now I’ll write about some of these children, and hopefully you’ll read and do whatever you can to help.”  She also has other posts, but there are a lot of really good posts about children who need your help.  As a mother with two little ones myself, it reminds me of how lucky my kids and I really are and breaks my heart at the same time.  She even has the foundations that she talks about in her sidebar for easy reference.  If you want to make a difference in this world, check out her blog and the foundations she talks about and consider donating yourself.

I love when I come across a blog that I wish I would have thought of that title.  New Memories is one of those blogs.  Each post gives a glimpse into Anna Glendenning’s life — you know, a new memory.  I love how she is gut wrenching honest.  To be honest, that is the first thing I noticed when I first saw her blog. Every post she does has a bit of her heart and soul written into each one.  This is also the first dark theme that I have seen that is easy on the eyes to read too.  The grey background with the cream lettering actually compliments each other quite well.  She has made it pretty easy to navigate her blog and be able to read her newer posts as well as some of the older ones.  My only complaint is that she needs an about page.  I want to read more about you!  From her header, I have figured out that she has adopted special needs siblings.   However, I want to know more!

New Memories is a blog that I would highly recommend reading.  Though the posts may be a long, they are truly informative and grab your attention to the point you can’t stop reading.