Philadelphia is My Home

17
Sep

Starting Some New Routines

Author: Momish, Category: General, Local Charity, Resources, Something to Do, Volunteer

Now that summer is over and school has begun, I am sure you are settling back into your usual routines.

There is just something about the fall, with the change in the air, that makes me become reflective and serene.  Maybe its the fact that you can sit outside comfortably without sweating to death or swatting away a million bugs.  In any case, these past few nights have been great for chilling in the back yard and thinking, thinking, thinking.

I like to give myself fresh starts come fall.  Maybe pick up new projects, begin a new task, kick start a lingering idea or project…

One of the things I definitely want to do this year is to volunteer my time.  I want to get my daughter involved in volunteer work too.  She is old enough to be of some help for a few hours a week, I think. 

So I have been researching volunteer opportunities around the area.  With the toddler I am fairly limited, but still managed to find a few options.  And just in case you too were sitting around these past few nights reflecting on ways to bring more enrichment into your lives, I am passing along some of the volunteer opportunities I stumbled upon.  It’s never too late to start a new routine and fall is the best time to do it.

Volunteering is like buying a pair of shoes though. It has to be a good fit.  For your personality, your schedule and your passions.  Otherwise it becomes a second job, instead of means of personal fulfillment and growth.

I think the kid and I are gonna put in some hard physical labor over at Philabundance a few hours a week (still waiting to hear if they need us so wish me luck!).

Center for Literacy - Adult Tutoring (3 hours per week)

The Career Wardrobe - Boutique Assistants (1 hour per week)

Philabundance - Food drives, packaging, etc. (not sure of hours and days)

Check out Greater Philadelphia Cares for many more opportunities available.  And if you have an organization that needs helping hands, please feel free to give us a shout out!

10
Aug

Old Friends And New Artists

Author: Momish, Category: General, Local Charity, People, Philly Finds, Resources

I just want it to be known that I have no artistic talent whatsoever. 

None. Nada. Nil. Zip. Zero. 

That being said, I also want it to be known that I fully support the arts, especially the local arts.  I just spent two hundred bucks on Wicked tickets for crying out loud!! And before I had a kid,  I went to countless First Fridays (and no, it wasn’t just for the free wine and cheese either so don’t even go there).  I love art, despite the fact that half the time I don’t always get it.  I also love that fact that Philadelphia has a thriving art culture.  If you don’t believe me, just check out InLiquid. 

I just discovered the site myself by chance.  Well, maybe not by chance really.  You see, I was at the bank the other day, impatiently waiting in line and hating my life at that moment.  When all of a sudden, I hear my name being called out.  I turn around and there stood a very good old friend of mine whom I haven’t seen in a dog’s age.  Naturally, I was thrilled to death because she was just the type of long lost friend you hope to run into again. 

So what has she been up to these past ten years?  Oh, nothing much.  The usual, like starting a non-profit on-line resource network for local artists called InLiquid.  Stuff like that. 

<Gulp. Inferiority complex anyone? I can barely manage getting my car registered once a year.>

Anyway, I immediately added her website to my blogroll, but that just wasn’t good enough.  I felt the need to get the word out.  InLiquid is a vital network for local artists.  If you are an artist in the area, you gotta check it out.  The techie geek in you will totally lurve the web design too.

31
Jul

Bookworms Unite

Author: Momish, Category: Kids, Local Charity, Shopping

Tomorrow starts Border’s August Book Drive.  They will be collecting new books to donate to Reach Out And Read all month.  

Now, let me ask you this… do you need any other reason to go to Borders?  I didn’t think so.

While you are browsing around, you can pick up a book right then and donate it to this great cause (after you pay for it, of course).  Just think, you get new books for your summer reading (still a month left) and pass along the thrill of books to children in our own community. 

The love of books and reading is one of the greatest gifts you can offer to anyone, especially to kids that don’t have the luxury to browse around Borders with the world of words at their fingertips.

You should check out some of the information on Reach Out and Read’s website.  The studies and statistics regarding the importance of early exposure to reading are interesting.  They give a lot of statistics regarding reading out loud to childern under the age of three.  I am guilty of failing short in my duties as a parent and fall into the 23% of parents that only do it once or twice a week.  But even so, I still believe she will be fine, because I was.

My mother hardly ever read out loud to us as we were kids.  But she was an avid reader.  So although she didn’t put us to bed with a bedtime story, we watched her enjoy devouring book after book as a favorite past time.  That alone was enough to pique our interest and get us hooked.

Exposure is the key, but that requires books, lots of books. 

Border’s August Book Drive:

August 1, 2007 12:00 AM
Location: In Store

Philadelphia - Avenue of Arts
1 S. Broad
Suite 100
Philadelphia, PA
Phone:215.568.7400