Random Websites Round-Up

I've come across some websites recently that I've been meaning to share...because I have nothing else to do (ha!) I figured today is as good a day as any!

Awhile ago my local Mops group told us about Cafe Mom. I searched and found a couple groups in Southern Maryland. I "met" another mom who lives pretty close to where my mom lives. She has a 4 yr old and a 9 month old. (Nice coincidence, or God stepping in?) She told me about the national Moms Club; there are 3 chapters in that area alone! The one she's a member of has about 35 moms and they have different weekly activities; it sounds like they are a pretty active group. Thank you God for putting me in touch with someone before I move! Makes it a little easier to know I already have a point of contact there.

I recently received an email about Coffee Cup Friends - From the very beginning, it has been our desire to share the love of Jesus with women in every stage of life and walk alongside them as they grow in their relationship with Him. Through our “Spiritual Growth” and “Embracing Life” pages, not to mention getting the latest recipe from “Our Kitchen”, it is our hope to equip, encourage, and pray for the women who grace our CCF “online home”. This seems like a wonderful site and I'm going to check it out more when I have the time.

From the USO site - Support the troops by sending a prepaid phone card.

Another site to use to find out how you can support our troops is to visit America Supports You. You can find organizations by state and thank the troops by sending a message.

It's no secret we love books in this household. I even did a Treasure Tuesday post on it before. Kayla's collection has grown since then! I do admit sometimes I'll buy a book and after reading it to Kayla realize I just don't like it very much, or she's not too interested in it. I don't want to buy books just for the sake of having books, but for the joy of reading and for loving the story. Thanks to Mother Talk I found out about Read Kiddo Read. What a wonderful resource this is! The site was started by best-selling author James Patterson. Read Kiddo Read acts as a resource for finding the best books. Each featured book, hand-selected by Patterson, includes a synopsis, related themes, quotes from critics, links to find the book in any number of locations (including local libraries), and even similar suggested reads. I've already found a couple of books I'm interested in getting for Kayla. I like the layout of the website; it's very easy to navigate. I appreciate having the synopsis of the book, plus the suggested reads if you like a certain book.

In different magazines I've come across articles about community gardens in a neighborhood, or even schools that have started one. From Mom Central I learned about Hidden Valley's Love Your Veggies designed to give you ideas on how to get kids to eat more veggies (A recent study found kids ate 23% more veggies when served with ranch dressing) The sites has activities, recipes, and the Search for the Veggies Champs contest.. They are looking for people to submit their ideas for community gardens. Ten lucky winners will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Chicago for classes and lessons on selecting and cooking the best vegetable dishes, dinner at Chef Smith's restaurant, Table Fifty-Two, plenty of pampering, and $5,000 to create or maintain their community gardens. Hidden Valley awarded $15,000 nutrition grants to 10 elementary schools across the country - this will help provide students to better access to fresh produce.

Have you come across any interesting websites lately?