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We know it, you know it: women love celebrity dirt. This Valentine’s Day, a new mobile campaign from Clorox® Regular-Bleach helps women clean up their own dirt while they enjoy their Hollywood news.

Clorox is sharing quick clean-up tips on how to keep fashionable winter whites white, keep flowers fresh longer, and host a Hollywood-style party. And with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, a girl can use some help. Tips like…

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Crystal offers two lines of natural deodorants:
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In my school district, the parents provide most (sometimes all) of the supplies necessary.  And frankly – that’s been a hardship to us due to my husband being underemployed and unemployed.  We’ve pulled it off each year, but this year is a tough one.  We’ll make do, like we always manage, but some families can’t make do.  While you are school shopping this season, why not help a student in need?

In comes Elmer’s Bag It Forward! While, you are shopping for your supplies pick up a few extra for someone who can’t buy supplies for their children. If you are looking to get the most for your donation, Walmart is a great place to start! They have amazing back to school prices on supplies that last from now until school begins! No need to wait for a sale with Walmart’s roll back pricing.

Helping classrooms in need this back to school season is as easy as 1 – 2 – 3

1. Write a post about this charity blog meme

2. Send a virtual bag of school supplies to another blogger and challenge them to join the #bagitforward movement

3. Link up your post at BagItForward.org

Easy peasy! Elmer’s just donated $10 for your post to Adopt-A-Classroom!

Here are the details of the program:

Elmer’s will donate up to $10,000 to Adopt-A-Classroom with your participation. Join now!

The Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward is charity blog meme, bloggers are able to raise $10 per blog post for Adopt-A-Classroom by writing a blog post and donating a virtual bag of school supplies. Elmer’s will donate $10 per each post written to Adopt-A-Classroom, up to $10,000.

HOW CAN YOU JOIN? It’s easy.

Participate in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward and by giving away a virtual bag of school supplies and creating a blog post or Facebook note (make sure you make your Facebook note public) with specific rules described below.

Elmer’s will donate up to $10,000 to Adopt-A-Classroom.

You can give as many virtual bags as you want.

The Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward will officially begin at 12 AM EST on July 22, 2010 and end at 12 PM EST on August 12, 2010. Blog posts submitted to us before or after that time period will not be counted.

The blog post link has to be submitted in the comment section below for your participation to be counted.

In addition copy and paste the following text into your blog post:

ELMER’S VIRTUAL BAG IT FORWARD RULES

* Copy and paste these rules into your blog post.
* Create a blog post giving a “virtual bag of school supplies” to other bloggers or write about your Back to School shopping trip at Walmart.
* Link back to the person who gave you a bag of school supplies.
* Let each person you are giving a virtual bag of school supplies know you have given them a bag.
* Leave your link in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward comment section. You can also find the official rules of this virtual #bagitforward program there.
* Elmer’s is donating $10 for each blog participating in the Virtual Bag It Forward Donation to Adopt-A-Classroom (up to total of $10,000 for blog posts written by September 10, 2010).
* Please note that only one blog post per blog url will count towards the donation.

I’m sending my Virtual Bag to Kendra of Headless Mom fame, challenging her to #bagitforward with Elmer’s!

Money. Money is harsh to me right now. PBN is talking money and kids this week.

I’ve been struggling to get my business up and running. It takes one to two years to become profitable, and yeah – that’s looking to be true. But I keep at it, because my clients like my work, and I know I’m awesome at it. I know it can eventually succeed. But that means no dependable income.

My husband has been out of work for 6 months now. We’re just about out of unemployment, and I’m trying to figure out how to get an extension on it. 6 months. We’ve gone through our savings. The only thing left is the retirement I’ve been saving since I was 18 – but I’ve put that off because the 40% hit I would take just hurts too much.

In otherwords… Right now, we’re dirt poor. I keep the internet running because that’s my potential livelihood, not an “extra want.”

But I have two kids. We’ve now gone through two birthdays on unemployment for them. School supplies needed buying. Shoes needed buying. The school always wants money for a bunch of things (x2 of course.) They need some clothes for cold weather but I can put that off, since it’s still warm here.

I keep having to say NO. It’s hard. It’s not so much that they can’t have all the crap they want, the don’t need most of it anyway. What I’m struggling with is keeping them secure. They’re children. I don’t want to scare them with the very bad predicament we’re currently in. They know, obviously, that Dad doesn’t have a job right now. And I’ve told them that the reason they can’t have is because we don’t have a lot of extra money right now, because Dad doesn’t have a job. And we had to cut their allowance. That was particularly painful, because I didn’t want this to touch them. It’s one thing to say no to a game, that that is a total want, not a need. It’s another to stop giving them their own spending money.

They’re 9 & 7 now, and I’m struggling with how much to tell them. We’ve basically kept it to, “There’s not a lot of money right now, so we have to be really really careful about how we spend our money. We have to decide which thing is most important to buy… Groceries?” The 9 year old gets it. The 7 year old doesn’t. And I hate even being in the position.

This year, for school, I just kept them out of it. I shopped off of their lists, and didn’t give them any options. I did it all online, and they don’t know what their getting. This way, I was able to shop for the cheapest items, while still getting their proper supplies, and without them begging for other stuff. This year, I just didn’t have the heart to say no – and so I took that option off the table. Cowardly? Probably. Not teaching them about money? No. Just giving them a break. They’ve lived with the unemployment for 6 months as well. Capital One has a new program called MoneyWise to teach parents like me about talking to kids about money, budgets, and other financial matters. This sounds like a fabulous service. Although I could have used it 6 months ago. Instead I fumbled my way through myself. Would using the service have helping me? I don’t know, but you don’t have to find out.

It’s important to give of yourself.  It’s important for a family to give together.  But what do you do when it seems like you have nothing left to give?

We do not have a lot of money.  Actually, this week I’m scrambling for grocery money.  Need vs. want is a constant question at our house.  But that’s ok.  I’m trying to lift my business off the ground to try and alleviate some of the pressure, and we have peace about what brought us here.  Leaving work and coming home was the best thing I could have done for my mental state, and for our family.  But I still want to give charitably.  We have a roof, and food, and cars, and jobs, and medical insurance.  Sure, it’s old, leaky, second hand, store brand, paid through the nose for – but it’s a LOT more than a log of people have.  Frankly, we’re blessed.  So, we scrape together a few bucks a month and sponsor a child through Compassion International.  I chose this organization on purpose for a few reasons.  I first became aware of them through Shannon’s blog, Rocks in my Dryer.  She went to Africa to see Compassion in action.  They are Christian, which is important to me and my faith.  And when you are sponsoring a child – you really are sponsoring that child.  In other words, if you don’t give, they get put back on the list.  You see, i had seen other organizations where you “sponsor a child” but really, your money is put in a pool to help.  I didn’t want that.  I wanted the face sent to me to be the actual face of the child I’m helping.  I need that accountability.  I want to see the changes happen.  Elizabeth is our child.  She’s in school now.  Because we – through Compassion – put her there.  That’s an amazing thought to me.  From the research I did, and first person (Shannon and other bloggers) experience, it seemed to me to be a reputable, faith-based, truly helpful organization.

As an aside – I whole-heartedly reccommend CityTeam Ministries.  While I cannot give to both organizations right now, I can tell you first hand that they are reputable, accountable, honest, and hardworking.  I used to work in the administrative offices in the HR department, so I got to see the good, bad, and ugly.  When asked by family and friends, I always recommend them.

Some people tell me I should volunteer.  While I sometimes volunteer for my kids’ school – I don’t charitably volunteer.  I’m at a season in my life where I have to take care of my children, and all that goes with their needs (they’re both special needs kids.)  In addition to that, we live next door to my elderly sick parents, and help them.  So for now – that’s all the caretaking I can muster.  And really?  That’s enough.  I only want to volunteer if I feel pressed to on my heart, and that’s not a place I’m at right now.

But give of yourself, somehow.  Unless you’re currently the recipient, there’s something.  Anything helps.  If you’re strapped for cash to give – perhaps you can save spare change in a jar.  Those pennies add up.  If you’re at a place in your life where you can give of yourself and feel called – do it.  It’s important to remember that as bad as it gets…  Someone is probably worse off.

This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by The Quaker Oats Company.

From January 12 through February 28, for every UPC from a Quaker Oatmeal hot cereal product families enter at www.startwithsubstance.com, Quaker will donate one bowl of oatmeal to Share Our Strength, a childhood hunger organization. You’ll need to be a Facebook member to participate.

The long hiatus is over.  So what happened?  Ooohhhhh…  I had a spiritual priority shift, quit my job, came home, and then survived the holidays.  I’m back.

This year?  I had nothing to clean up.  And that made me sad.  This year, we traveled to the in-laws for Christmas, and so I didn’t decorate.

Normally, right about now I’d be cleaning up all the decorations – perhaps still putting some gifts in the “homes.”  Normally…  I’d take my time, cull old decorations…  and then get frustrated and cram everything somewhere, just to get it done.  I have no system.  That might be a problem.  I keep telling myself that I’ll get a system.  I’ll get organized.  This year I didn’t have to.  Maybe next year.

And so – I have no tips.  I have no way of telling you how to make the next year’s decorating easier.  I wish I did.  For example…  We may have been traveling, but I still wanted to take our stockings with us for everyone – except for the small detail that I couldn’t find them.  So – I ran out and bought four cheapies.  This may explain why we have four people (and two cats) in the family, and about 15 stockings in the Christmas boxes.

This blast has been brought to you by Right@Home and the Parent Bloggers Network.  Go get some Christmas clean up tips from them!

This mother’s day, I’d like to be honored…  Yes.  Maybe the traditional breakfast (cold) in bed (while it’s bounced on).  And I’d love a gift, the more handmade the better (and of course told what it is before I can get it open.)

But you know what I’d really love?  A spa day – in silence.  A massage, facial, and footrub – in silence.

Really?  I’d just be happy with silence.  No talking.  No screaming.  No crying.  No chasing.  No hitting.  No complaining.  No whining.  No fussing.  No tattling.  And no husbands thinking that once the cold breakfast and gifts have been given thinking their responsibility is completely done, and go back to playing computer games while I take care of everything for the rest of the day.

Basically, I want to be TRULY honored.  With my wants/needs taken into consideration, not just lip service played in order for their “responsibilities” to be fulfilled.  I’d like someone to really take the time to tell me that I’m valued and loved as a mother, and that on this day I shall be pampered.

I mean it’s really just one day – is that so hard to accomplish?  What’s worse is, I don’t think my husband’s even thought about it.

This post is brought to you by The Parent Bloggers Network Blog Blast and Johnson’s Baby Cause.

As part of their responsibility to the global community, Johnson’s has hand-selected dozens of charities around the world that mirror their deep commitment to caring for the health and well-being of mothers and children – not just on Mother’s Day, but every day of the year.