Tiny Oranges – Fresh, fun blog for OC moms

I try to be pretty consistent with posting 5 days a week, have done so for over two years now, and I LOVE it!

But what that also means is that I am never “off!”  Nights, weekends, what have you.   So I have made a commitment to myself that two times a year, I am going to take a week off to TOTALLY unplug.

Time to stop and dream.  Time to think of new ideas and improvements  for my site. Time to refresh and breathe and reflect.  Time to be away from the constant checking of everything that is so easily accessible at my fingertips these days!

I just wanted to give you the heads up so that you didn’t wonder WHY there would be no new posts next week.

So hmmmmmmm……what can you do during this next week, you might ask?

I have an idea!   Help me recruit members for team Tiny Oranges {<– click to see our growing team!}  for the Cinco de Mayo run/walk on May 1st, 2011 benefiting the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation!   You can click HERE to see my post on this.  You guys, I am so excited.  We are already making a difference and I am FIRED UP.  But this is just the beginning.  We need as many people as we can get!

So I hope I come back from my unplugged week with lots of new team members and more money raised for this AMAZING cause.  Now THAT would make me feel completely CHARGED!

Have a great week everyone.  As always, thanks for reading. See you back on the 15th!  xo Jen

This is a great post with some really, really great information on one of the most important things we need to do for our kids:  clearly state who we would want to be their guardians, you know, just in case.  Darlynn Morgan is a local OC estate planning attorney (and OC mommy – that’s her with her little tiny orange!) who specializes in helping you get everything you need to in order so your kids are protected.

If you want to learn more, her next free teleseminar (=call in for free from home in your jammies!) will be held on November 17th at 8PM.  Click HERE for more info and to register online.   Here is what she wrote…

4 Easy Steps to Name Guardians for Your Kids If Something Happens To You

By Darlynn Morgan

As an estate planning lawyer, I know one of the most important decisions a parent can make is determining who will care for their kids if something tragic happened to them. I also know it’s very easy for parents to get stuck during this critical decision making process.  Do you choose this person for financial reasons? Religion? A certain parenting philosophy? Do you care if the couple you chose stays married or eventually gets a divorce? Then what?

While it’s great to put a lot of thought into who you would want to raise your kids, indecision and ultimately inaction is a very dangerous place to be, especially with young children at home. It’s important to remember that SOMEONE will determine what happens to your kids….so it might as well be you!  The alternative is a judge who knows nothing about you, your family or what truly is in the best interest of your children.

So to avoid having a judge make life-changing decisions on your child’s behalf if something unexpectedly happens to you, I would like to share four easy steps that will help you finally take action and choose the right guardians for your kids:

1. Sit down and brainstorm all the people who could possibly raise your kids if you were killed or incapacitated in an accident. Don’t limit your choices to family either. Think outside the box and write down everyone who even remotely fits the bill.

2. Determine who you would NEVER want to raise your kids in your absence. You’ll need to tell the court who you DON’T want raising your kids so they can protect your family should that named individual (s) contest your wishes and seek custody of your kids following your death or incapacity. (This can be kept private and only revealed if the need arises).

3. Weigh your values. Make another column and write down what is important to you and/or your spouse.  Do you value education?  Religious or spiritual training? The ability to live in a certain community?  Being raised in a two-parent family?  Whatever your values may be, be honest about them, write them down, prioritize them and eventually rank the top three.

Match your top choices to your top values. This will give you a clear picture of who you can trust to raise your children with the values you hold near and dear to your heart.

And of course, the last (and arguably the most important step) is to legally document your choice of guardians so there’s no question as to who you want to raise your kids if something happens to you!

This part can be tricky, but you can do it with a bit of education and know-how on the subject.  To help make this step easier for you, I’d like to invite you to a FREE teleseminar I’m hosting where I will personally hold your hand and teach you how to name guardians for your minor children.  On this call you will also discover:

·      The 9 simple steps you can take immediately to ensure the safety and care of your children …and why the police could take your minor kids out of your house if you are in an accident and don’t plan the right way.

·      And why these 9 simple steps aren’t something you “do” once and then never look at again…and the rock bottom bare minimum your plan must be reviewed to ensure the safety and security of your kids.

·      You’ll learn how to avoid the expenses and delays of a long, drawn-out court process that would make life difficult for your loved ones if you were in an accident.

·      How to avoid the 6 common mistakes parents make when choosing a Guardian for their minor children.

·      You’ll discover how to make sure your hard-earned money is immediately and privately available to your chosen guardians……and much more!

The information you learn on this call will literally save you thousands of dollars in legal fees (not to mention years of headaches if something happens), so get the details and register at www.kidsprotectioncall.com.

Remember, an hour invested in learning how to protect your kids could result in a lifetime of security for them if the unthinkable happens.  So I encourage you to join us at on one of the dates and times available to ensure your kids are protected and cared for by the people you want, in a way you want….no matter what!

{Disclosure: Morgan Law Group is a Tiny Oranges Sponsor}

I had the pleasure of training in pilates with Erica from Core Athletica for the six weeks before my last half marathon, and let me tell you, the results and difference I felt in my body was  astounding.  It is just SO good for you.  As I was working out with her, she shared with me that she also specializes in prenatal and postnatal fitness and recently launched (like this week!) a BRAND new, awesome site called Knocked Up Fitness for you  mamas-to-be!

And her blog is not going to be just another fitness site for pregnant moms, it will for sure be your go to site for REAL talk about fitness during pregnancy and beyond.  Erica wants to connect with you, answer YOUR questions, and help you have the best, most fit pregnancy possible. She will even be featuring videos on different exercises (coming soon!)

And for you local pregnant mamas, I am excited to share that Erica will be at Xpecting Maternity boutique (my FAVORITE maternity store!)  tomorrow night from 6pm – 7pm to host a free prenatal fitness workshop. She will be sharing the benefits of exercising while pregnant, demonstrating sample exercises and sharing certain modifications you will want to make to workout safely with your baby bump!

Space is limited, so please RSVP by leaving a comment on Erica’s site or you can email Erica at Erica@CoreAthletica.com.

Prenatal Fitness Workshop by Knocked Up Fitness
at  Xpecting Maternity
369 E. 17th Street, #20
Costa Mesa, CA 92627

Thursday, November 4th, 2010
6:00 – 7:00pm

RSVP by commenting HERE

{Disclosure: Knocked Up Fitness is a Tiny Oranges Sponsor}

It’s officially November and we are now only one month away from the holiday photo card season! So mamas, you cannot procrastinate any longer, now is the time to book your photo session for THIS year’s family photo.  And, the fabulous Laura Rauch Photography is offering an AMAZING special for one week only just for Tiny Oranges readers!  Here are the details…

Book your session with Laura Rauch Photography during November 3rd- November 10th, 2010 and receive this Tiny Oranges exclusive special pricing. Book either the Session for $75 and purchase your prints separately or you can purchase her Dvd Package for $300.

With the Dvd package you get all of your full-res images on Dvd so that you can get those beautiful images printed on a card for the holidays or super sized for your wall.

Email Laura at LauraRauchPhoto@yahoo.com with the Subject Line “Tiny Oranges Special” to schedule your session~but hurry! It’s has to be booked over this next week!

Thanks for giving my readers this opportunity Laura!

{Disclosure: Laura Rauch Photography is a Tiny Oranges Sponsor}

I have a dream, and I need your help.

Before you get scared that I am going to try to get you to run a Half Marathon, let me be clear, to be on the Tiny Oranges Team, you can choose to participate in any of the events, the Half Marathon, 10K run, 5K run OR walk, even a 1K kids’ fun run!

Now that hopefully your mind is still open, please keep reading on how this idea all came together and what we can do together to make a difference in a child’s life!

Last year on December 31st, I wrote a list of resolutions. Things I wanted to do this year.  #4 on my list was to organize a charity project through Tiny Oranges with your help.   I just didn’t know what it would be.  So I waited and listened because I had this feeling it would just come to me.  And it did.

A couple months back, I got an email from an old friend that wrote this beautiful post on surviving childhood pediatric cancer.  And it sat heavy on my heart.  Because as a mom, I can’t even wrap my head around how you would cope if it was your child.

Then I did some research and I learned how UNDERFUNDED pediatric cancer research is and that made me sad and angry because we are talking about CHILDREN.

Then when I picked up my bib for the Long Beach Half Marathon last month, in it was a flyer for the Cinco de Mayo Reaching for the Cure Run/Walk to benefit pediatric cancer research.  It was right then when I KNEW, in my heart, this was it. This was the project.

So I am asking you {and your husbands, friends & relatives) to please join TEAM TINY ORANGES! Because together we have the opportunity to raise money for this incredibly important cause and make a difference.

$2000 is my team goal to raise.  But between you and me I am hoping we blow that number out of the water! And I think, no, I know, we will!

So, six months from today, on May 1st, 2011, I hope you will join me and Team Tiny Oranges as we get ready to ROCK the Cinco de Mayo race benefiting the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation!

1. Click THIS LINK to go to the Tiny Oranges Team page
2. Click “Join Our Team” at the top
3. Agree to the terms
4. Then you will enter in your information, select your race of choice and enter payment info.  After you register, you will be directed to a personal page where you can put in a personal fundraising goal and find the forms to  email contacts and spread the word to your friends to start raising money.

But this is also an important note! If you are uncomfortable fundraising, please know that this is not a requirement to be on the team!  I hope you do, but you don’t have to.

And that’s all folks!   I have to have 10 people to even be considered a “team” so my goal is by the end of the day today that I can have at least 10 people signed up so I can be “legit!”

I would love you to please post this on your Facebook pages too! Here is the link to this post:

http://www.tinyoranges.com/2010/11/01/team-tiny-oranges-reaches-for-the-cure

If you have never attached a link before on Facebook, let me tell you how!

1. Select the entire line above from the http part to the last word, then right click and copy
2. In your status update you can write whatever you want
3. In the grey box where it says “attach” click the first icon for “link”
4. It will pull down a white box where you will put your mouse and hit “paste”
5. Then click “attach” and then “share”

Thanks friends! Can’t wait to see our team grow!

And feel free to email, forward, do anything you can to spread the word and help recruite team members!  I am SO EXCITED you guys!   I can’t wait to see what we can do!  XO

{P.S.  If anyone out there is looking fear in the face at this moment, thinking “could I maybe, possibly do a half marathon?”

Let me tell you, there is no feeling that will compare to when you cross that finish line. Even if you have never run in your entire life (like me when I trained for my first one.)  I thought I could NEVER do it.  But I did, one foot in front of the other, and it has been a life-changing experience.

Six months is more than enough time to train, and I am so happy to provide tips and encouragement along the way! I applaud you for even considering it!}