mommysee

care begins with me: a health and lifestyle expo for women

A few months ago, Mercy hosted several fabulous events for expectant moms. This time around, all the focus is on you, moms! Mercy is hosting a special event October 2nd at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in downtown Sacramento to empower the unsung hero behind every family’s care: Care Begins with Me—a health & lifestyle expo for women.

 

With your registration, you will enjoy a night of pampering and camaraderie with women like you AND you will help provide important breast health screenings to women in need throughout our community.

• Enjoy a culinary demonstration by Randall Selland, Executive Chef of The Kitchen Restaurant, Ella Dining Room and Bar and Selland's Market Cafe
• Stroll through informative exhibits on health, fitness and style at every age
• SAVOR tempting hors d’oeuvres and sample local wines and gourmet coffees
• PAMPER yourself with chair massages, skincare and beauty product demonstrations
• Join breakout sessions focused on health and fitness issues that matter to you
• Hear personal insights from KCRA news anchor Deirdre Fitzpatrick, whose own life is a balancing act of work, family and fitness
• Take home a "swag bag" of fun and practical gifts and enter to win a grand prize complete spa day for two 

All included and FREE with your paid registration. So call your mom, your sister or your best friend and make plans to attend this entertaining and enlightening event. Make sure to swing by Kidaround's table. I'll be there with photographer Penny Sylvia, who will be giving away some amazing portrait packages that focus on you!

Thursday, October 2, 5:30 to 9 pm
Sheraton Grand Hotel
$10 advance registration
Register

 

Proceeds from your Care Begins with Me registration will benefit Mercy's "Take a Swing at Breast Cancer" helping to provide screenings and purchase much-needed equipment to care for women without coverage for breast health.

take 2 minutes: The PROTECT Our Children Act (Senate Bill 1738)

Can you imagine knowing a child—in some cases, an infant—was being hurt, and not being able to do anything about it? This was the story told by a police officer about the current state of law enforcement on a recent episode of Oprah, and it's happening right now in America. It shed light on the disturbing fact that hundreds of thousands of children are victims of sexual abuse each year. Due to the sheer lack of resources, law enforcement is unable to follow up on the vast majority of leads they have. Technology makes it much easier to track and capture these criminals today, but due to the lack of resources, only 2% actually get pursued. That is unacceptable, and the PROTECT our Children Act will change that. It may hit the Senate floor this Friday, September 26, so please take the time to send an email to our senators on Senate Bill 1738, which will:

• Authorize over $320 million over the next five years in desperately needed funding for law enforcement to investigate child exploitation.
• Mandate that child rescue be a top priority for law enforcement receiving federal funding.
• Allocate funds for high-tech computer software that can track down Internet predators. 

Again, our U.S. senators will be voting on the bill soon, so it is crucial you contact them immediately (you can use this sample letter).

Barbara Boxer's Web Form
(202) 224-3553

Dianne Feinstein's Web Form
(202) 224-3841

talk about timely: down syndrome in kidaround, on cbs news

If you missed it earlier this week, CBS News had a segment on the exact topic featured now in the September/October issue of Kidaround—Down syndrome and the issues surrounding the prenatal testing and genetics counseling that accompanies the increased odds of having a baby with Down syndrome.

Read about my personal experience with genetics counseling after a positive screening for Down syndrome in the current issue, and you'll see it parallels the couple featured in this segment below, as well as numerous friends I know who have had similar experiences. 

Watch CBS Videos Online

for bag ladies...

I picked up a hobo bag at The Pink House in Sacramento last year and I have to send a quick post about how gorgeous and well-made it is. It looks like it's leather but its a glazed fabric that is vegan and has held up like crazy. Crystalyn's handbags are distinctively stylish, durable and functional, and they have a wide selection of cruelty-free bags. Each bag is sustainably created in Seattle using a mix of natural and synthetic materials. Crystalyn offers an impressive selection of her work, including limited edition and one of a kind creations at crystalynkae.com.

A good excuse to shop & save: Community Shopping Day at Macy’s Downtown Plaza and Chicks in Crisis

'Tis the season soon for a special community fundraising event featuring fashion shows, live entertainment, free sampling from area restaurants, mini-makeovers and exclusive discounts on designer fashions, jewelry and household items! Community Shopping Day at Macy’s Downtown Plaza is November 22 (the Saturday before Thanksgiving), and participating nonprofit Chicks In Crisis has the tickets for you to save 10–20% on regular, sale and clearance priced merchandise. Use your ticket over and over on event day, as well as during the pre-sale period of November 12 to 21.

Here's a no-brainer—you get the cost of the $10 ticket back via a tear-off coupon that offers a $10 savings on any single purchase of $25 or more on Community Shopping Day!* Also, you can enter for a chance to win a $1,000 Macy’s Shopping Spree (this must be returned on event day and turned in at one of two specially-designated tables). This is especially important because it will also give Chicks in Crisis an extra $3 for each stub turned in on event day.

Chicks In Crisis will receive 100% of the $10 ticket price which will help with their mission of finding good homes for unborn, unplanned and unwanted babies and helping women in crisis situations learn what it is to be a new mother or improve their parenting of existing children.

Tickets are on sale now via PayPal below—and your contribution is tax deductible. Please consider this great way to save and help a worthy cause!