Preeclampsia – My HELLP Syndrome Story

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300,000 women each year will be diagnosed with Preeclampsia or HELLP Syndrome. Knowing the signs and symptoms is the single most important thing you can do to increase you and your baby's chance of survival. Unfortunately, you can't always trust the medical community to make an early diagnosis. Preeclampsia, and especially HELLP, are finicky diseases in the beginning stages and often go undiagnosed until the situation becomes severe. Preeclampsia affects between 5-10% of all pregnancies. … [Read more...]

over 8,000 people will receive access to safe drinking water for the first time – thanks to you

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Thanks to everyone reading, this is the message I am able to deliver to you: By the end of this week, Argisa, Ethiopia will have clean water! Most of you know that you all raised, over the course of one week, the money we needed for our first phase of the Ethiopia project. That, in and of itself, was a miracle. Jack, from Waves for Water, boarded a plan on December 12, and I have just been informed he has landed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Jack will be bringing 80 Sawyer filters to the … [Read more...]

The Rose That Grew From Concrete

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Waterlink Africa: Water Changes Everything

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Did you know? $1 can give clean water to one person for over a decade. Why is water life-altering? Unsterile water is the number two killer amongst children. Around the world, fetching water is a woman’s task. Thus, one of the most crucial health issues for women in Africa is the clean water shortage. 1 in 5 children worldwide dies of a water-related disease. Water is a women’s issue. In order to get access to clean water, women and girls must carry up to 50lbs of water every day … [Read more...]

Recipe: Armenian Monti

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I completed the first of my Pre-30 Bucket List! #13, learn how to make Monti. Monti, is an Armenian dish I LOVE. When my mom first made it for Brian he went crazy. It is now his favorite food of all time, and he's not the only one. I've been around my mom making Monti since I could remember, but this time I was actually going to learn and be able to replicate it at home. Apparently, true Armenian Monti uses lamb which I am a fan of, but my mom is not. That is why we always have used … [Read more...]

Christmas Stocking Project: Use Your Stockings for Good

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Did you know? $1 can give clean water to one person for over a decade. During the holiday season, there’s a lot of tradition in exchanging presents. We want to embrace our traditions and also be able to give back. Here’s our idea: instead of stocking stuffers, let’s put every dollar that would go towards those small gifts towards clean water for our friends in Africa. $10 that would have been spent on stocking stuffers could give life-altering water to ten people. Why is water … [Read more...]

Slutty Halloween Costumes! A Mother’s Dilemma

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It's the one time of year that women can dress like strippers and men can dress as women and no one bats an eyelid. If you want to dress like a themed hooker for halloween I really could care less, my best costume was the year my friend and I dressed up like Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson (I think we won the costume contest that year). I'm only complaining because I'm having a hard time as a woman finding a normal non-sexified costume. See below: I don't know if the costume maker knows … [Read more...]

A Letter About Marriage From My Dad

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My parents have been married for over 40 years. And not a lukewarm relationship- people who don't know them often ask if they are newlyweds due to the way that act towards each other To my Favorite, People always ask your Mom and I what is our secret to such a strong, loving marriage when they watch the way we love and interact with each other, and then find out later that we have been married for over 40 years.  People are mistaken when they think you stop falling in love when you … [Read more...]

Bottle Feeding, Breastfeeding, Famine and a CALL TO ACTION

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I vaguely remember meeting Aram for the first time. He was three days old and they wheeled me into the NICU. One of the nurses rolled me up to a little plastic container holding him. I went to peek in but before I could see him another nurse stopped me. "I'm sorry, I just need to check your ID bracelet and make sure it matches the baby’s. I know, you're thinking 'but I know my own baby!' I'm sorry, it's just protocol."  Overwhelming sadness came over me. I had never seen him before…I … [Read more...]

Sudanese Hibiscus Tea Recipe

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In celebration of our genealogist finding living contacts to relatives in Sudan, here is a Sudanese Hibiscus Tea (Karkade) recipe to celebrate our heritage! Here is a bit of a tweak on a traditional tea recipe in Sudan: 2 Liters Water 2 Cups Dried Hibiscus Flowers ( found in most Jamaican or Mexican markets by the name red sorrel or roselle) 1 Ginger Root peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces 1 Tablespoon Orange Blossom Water 2/3 Cup Honey 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract Fresh Mint … [Read more...]