Today’s guest post is written by Kelli. Kelli just returned from a trip to Tanzania.

Someone told me not too long ago that Africa has a way of getting under your skin. “Once you go,” she said, “You will never fully return. Somehow, a piece of who you are will remain and in it’s place, Africa will stand.”

So it was with this thought that I baorded a plane two weeks ago and made my way to Tanzania along with a group of bloggers. We went on behalf of Compassion International, an organization I have long loved and admired and believed in, so having the opportunity to travel with them was a dream come true.

And now that I’m home I can tell you with certainty that my friend was right. Africa is inside of me. I cannot escape the images I saw there, the emotions I felt. The impact of that trip is something that will affect me for the rest of my life, hopefully in a way that makes a positive change.

It’s not as though I wasn’t prepared to see hardship before I left. I’ve read previous blogger trips. I watch TV. I have seen poverty before. But this? This was something different. Because I witnessed poverty against the backdrop of hope.

It seemed everywhere I turned in Tanzania I stared hope in the face. It was in the shining, tear-filled eyes of a mother as we prayed for the realization of her ten-year old daughter’s dream of becoming a doctor. Hope shone in the laughter of a hundred children as we stepped off of our bus and into their arms.

Hope sang songs, it danced and rejoiced. Hope was realized as I watched children acting like children. These are children who once lived without the promise of a next meal, a pair of shoes or even a future. Yet now, thanks to the amazing work of Compassion, these children act and play like children – as though they haven’t a care in the world.

Hope is an amazing gift.

Did you know how much hope a simple, one page hand-written letter could bring? A letter is the difference between a child thinking about his dreams and believing they could come true. It’s so simple to offer hope. I didn’t realize before that life-changing week in Africa.

I saw the beast of extreme poverty in Tanzania. It was ugly and dark and sometimes I felt so overwhelmed it hurt to breathe. But in the middle of that, I also looked right into the face of hope, of joy, or peace and of a future. Compassion International is the breath of fresh air that breathes life into the darkness of poverty. They are able to provide that hope thanks to the thousands of sponsors around the world who have stood up and offered a small sacrifice.

If you are interested in sponsoring a child through Compassion but have questions or reservations, please feel free to voice those in the comments and I would be happy to answer them to the best of my ability. If you’re on the fence and have been considering child sponsorship I can tell you without fail that you will never, ever regret the decision.

If you’d like to read more about the experiences I and the other bloggers had while in Tanzania, please visit the Compassion Bloggers site where all the posts are listed. But I will warn you in advance – you’ll want to bring Kleenex.

Sponsor a child in Tanzania today by clicking the banner below.

All photos taken by Keely Scott

Janice here…

What is that “tackle” you have wanted to do for years, but life — and maybe some lack of confidence — keep getting in the way? You know the dream that lingers each night in the back of your mind as you go through your mental checklist of accomplished and unaccomplished.

This weekend I decided to finally do something I have wanted to do for years. Instead of putting it off another day, I shouted “Yes, I AM going to do it, whether ‘I have the time’ or not!”

So, you didn’t see me on Twitter or on Facebook, or even here at 5 Minutes for Mom. I was researching themes and planning my new site: Janice Croze Photography.

For me, as I am sure most of you bloggers can understand, the meaning of life is found in our stories — the creating, the sharing, the remembering. I feel when a person’s stories go untold, a part of that life is lost forever.

As much as I love to preserve and pass on stories through words, I also love to tell stories through photographs. I crave the thrill of capturing a story with an incredible image. It is an ultimate high for me.

There isn’t much to see yet at my new site — I am in the very beginning stages of building it. I don’t even have a logo yet. But, I am going to be working hard on it and will update you soon.

What is your passion tackle that you keep putting off? What is keeping you from tackling it?

Calling All Tacklers!

We’re looking for YOU – guest bloggers to post about your own tackles right here. If you are interested in showing off your tackles (we all need some tips and ideas!) then send a quick email to lolli.5m4m at gmail (link in the About Lolli section at the bottom of the post). Thanks for your inspiring tackles!!

Mom Bloggers — what are you tackling this week?

Link up your Tackle it Tuesday post…

Tell us what you’re up to with all your other tackles… housework and otherwise… add your link to your tackle in the Linky below!

We are Tackling Our To-Do Lists Together and making housework bloggable — Each week on Tuesday, we are posting before and after pictures of a project or trouble area that we tackled this week.

Find out more about how Tackle It Tuesday began.
The project can be little or big – whatever you want.

Basically, Tackle It Tuesday is about giving ourselves incentive, deadlines and satisfaction in tackling all our tasks — whether household or otherwise.

If you tackled a project this week, just add a comment and add your link below.

If you found this post helpful, we would love it if you gave it a Stumble, Tweet, Pin, or Facebook Like. Thanks so much! We really appreciate your support of 5 Minutes for Mom.

Written by Janice Croze, co-founder of 5 Minutes for Mom.

We want to get to know you better — Tweet with us: @5minutesformom, find us on Facebook: Facebook.com/5minutesformom, or join our newsletter list.

My eight-year-old son had talked a lot about wanting to keep a diary. I thought that was a great idea, so I gave him a notebook as he requested, but he didn’t use it a whole lot. I’m still hoping to tap into that desire, because as I writer I know how therapeutic and inspiring and cathartic writing can be.

With two creative and artistic kids, I definitely thought that The Scribble Diary: My Brain Right Now by Lisa Currie could help them entertain themselves as they examine their days. This is a book that is a twist on a traditional diary — designed for all ages to be able to use.

Each two-page spread has a place to record events and feelings in a creative way, either writing or scribbling. Honestly, when I first looked at it, I wasn’t sure how it would really work in a practical way.

But my son LOVED it. He has used it consistently for the last week, even doing more than one entry during a day when he was feeling inspired. I even picked it up and left my own entry for him to discover.

So whether you want to encourage your child or teen to record their lives, or give them a creative activity for the summer or a long road trip, or create a fun family book, The Scribble Diary: My Brain Right Now is a unique way to do that.

We have TWO copies to give away today. Just leave a comment, and we’ll announce the winner in our 5 Minutes for Books column right here on June 4.

The winner of I Never Promised You a Goodie Bag is #46 Lori D.

Welcome to our weekly roundup here at 5 Minutes Around the Blogosphere.

As you know, you can come back all week and add a post or giveaway to our Linky. Be sure to check back often, as new links will be added daily. You don’t want to miss out on something fun.

What’s been going on at 5 Minutes for Mom?

• What Did You Expect When You Were Pregnant?
• Neato Robotics Vacuum for Your Home
• Eye Smart Week is This Week
• Wholesome Snacks for Your On-the-Go Kids
• Do Dr Sears and Attachment Parenting Make You Feel Guilty?
• Nature’s Hand-Granola That Every Family Member Will Love
• Creamy Blueberry Coconut Popsicles
• Experience Brave and Carland With Me
• Checking in with the Sisters-The Good Enough Mom
• Have you checked out the current deals featured at 5 Minutes for Deals?

Giveaways at 5 Minutes for Mom

•  NEW! Centrum Prenatal Vitamin giveaway (100 winners)
• NEW! Neato Robotics giveaway
• NEW! Mega Blocks Steer Me Steve Giveaway
• NEW! HTC Mobile Phone Giveaway
• NEW! Smartmune Giveaway
• NEW! Rabbit Air Minus2 Air Purifier Giveaway
• NEW! Use Your Words (Book) Giveaway
• Method Giveaway (30 winners)

Giveaway Winners Announced!

Giveaways galore! We’ve got more winners to announce for giveaways that ended this past week. Congratulations to all our winners! Emails have been sent…

The Winner of the Kodak Hero Printer is Danielle Dein.

The winner of the Hoodie Pet Giveaway is Heather Sidwell.

The winners of the Two Blue Peas review is Kenia Garcia and Sindy Murray.

Please note: all giveaway winners were selected using random.org.

Giveaways Around the Blogosphere

Would you like to share a fun giveaway? Please add it to the Linky below. You can come here any time this week to add in your link. Don’t miss out on the fun. Be sure to visit throughout the week as the linky grows, and more sites are added.

Or if you prefer the traditional linky….

Written by 5 Minutes for Mom Advertising and Communications contact, Jennifer. You can find me blogging at For Such a Time as This and tweeting at @jennifer_sikora.

Being a mom is tough work, all magazine controversy aside, and it’s pretty normal for a mom to question the “quality” of her job as a mother. I know I have compared my parenting styles to other moms. I’ve compared the cleanliness and organization of my house to other houses, and I’ve certainly compared my kids to other people’s kids.

The fact is, the small window we get into other people’s lives never gives us a broad picture of all of the behind-the-scenes details, and comparing and judging are almost always a losing battle.

I appreciated this post from Suzanne, author of Special Needs Mom, on our sister site, 5 Minutes for Special Needs:

The “Good Enough” Mom

I am about 12 years into motherhood now… and like lots of Moms I know, I still don’t feel like I’m getting it right. Mothering kids with medical issues takes a purposeful amount of focus and attention, the kind that sometimes prevents you from being that cool “chill” kind of mom. Yet still I try, and every day I learn.

I have learned that sometimes rolling off the bed as a result of a tickle fight is the kind of good clean fun that all kids need, low muscle tone or not.

I have learned that a smiling, happy-faced kid that got that “5 more minutes!” in the pool she desperately wanted can help you dismiss and not obsess over the flushed color of her fatigued face.

I have learned that your sad, crying kid can break your heart at any age, whether she’s a sick toddler unable to tell you what’s wrong or a frustrated, overtired 10 year old that just can’t verbalize every feeling she feels.

Finish reading this article….
 
Checking in with the Sisters is managed by 5 Minutes for Mom team member, Lolli. You can find Lolli blogging at Better in Bulk and tweeting at @1momof5.

Photo credit: BigStockPhoto.com

It’s Friday and time to share pins!

Join us for another edition of Pin It Friday. In the linky list below, you can add links directly to your pins on Pinterest OR if you do a Pin round-up on your blog, you can add that link. If you’re new to Pinterest, we’ve got helpful tips on our Pinterest Resource Page and you’ll find lots of new Pinterest friends there.

Show us your Pins! Add a few of your favorite pins from the week and then enjoy browsing through the list.

You can add a link to one of your Pins that is based on your own content and add another link to one of your Pins that links to someone else’s website.

Thumbnail Linky

Pinterest doesn’t allow Linky Tools to automatically pull the image, so to use the thumbnail linky, first download the image to your computer and then use upload from File.

Remember to tweet out and tell all your friends to get pinning and link up here. Use hashtag #PinItFriday

Written by Susan Carraretto, co-founder of
this Mom Blog, 5 Minutes for Mom.
Talk with me: @5minutesformom and Facebook.com/5minutesformom
Pin with me at http://pinterest.com/5minutesformom/

Lolli here…

If you were to go back through the Tackles that I have written over the last several months, you would see a very strong trend. I am not exactly proud of the trend, but it’s a reality that I have to face every day around my house.

The trend? Of all the projects I’ve tackled and the goals that I have worked on this year, none of them have been about cleaning, organizing, or home improvement. And that’s not because I have mastered those skills. No, sadly, those areas are the most neglected around my house.

Back in the days before I needed to earn a living, I was careful about keeping the clutter picked up, the carpets vacuumed, and the windows sparkly clean. But when my available hours drastically changed, I found that my priorities changed as well.

Suddenly I found myself considering cooking dinner, cleaning a few dishes, and washing a few loads of laundry as really productive.

In the middle of this shift in time and priorities, I realized that something new was happening. Instead of the old feeling of needing time away from home and kids, I was craving MORE time with my kids and more time just relaxing around my house instead of only working in my upstairs room.

I’ve made some changes to maximize the time I get to spend with my kids, and although they are not drastic, they represent a shift in my thinking.

How I make the most of mommy and me time:

• I save my errands for after school so that I can take a child with me. Shopping with mom can be treasured time!.
• I make a point of eating breakfast with my elementary school aged kids each morning (my middle and high schoolers eat FAR too early for me!)
• I take advantage of car rides and bring kids along whenever possible.
• Even though my kids are all independent readers, I make a point of reading out loud with them.
• I join in with their chores (plus, seeing Mom cleaning with them always motivates them so much more than hearing Mom shout orders down the stairs).
• As often as I can, I take my kids out on one-on-one dates with me. I love to see movies, so I use our dates as an excuse to see as many movies as I can.
• I focus on THEM.

I think that focus, no matter what activity we are doing, is the most important factor in creating meaningful moments with my kids.

How do you maximize time with your kids?

Calling All Tacklers!

We’re looking for YOU – guest bloggers to post about your own tackles right here. If you are interested in showing off your tackles (we all need some tips and ideas!) then send a quick email to lolli.5m4m at gmail (link in the About Lolli section at the bottom of the post). Thanks for your inspiring tackles!!

Mom Bloggers — what are you tackling this week?

Link up your Tackle it Tuesday post…

Tell us what you’re up to with all your other tackles… housework and otherwise… add your link to your tackle in the Linky below!

We are Tackling Our To-Do Lists Together and making housework bloggable — Each week on Tuesday, we are posting before and after pictures of a project or trouble area that we tackled this week.

Find out more about how Tackle It Tuesday began.
The project can be little or big – whatever you want.

Basically, Tackle It Tuesday is about giving ourselves incentive, deadlines and satisfaction in tackling all our tasks — whether household or otherwise.

If you tackled a project this week, just add a comment and add your link below.

Tackle it Tuesday is managed by Lolli. You can find Lolli blogging at Better in Bulk and tweeting at @1momof5.

Photo source: Bigstock photo

I think that most mothers want to record their children’s lives. Many of us started blogs prompted by the reflection that motherhood brought out in us. Others share joys and frustrations via Facebook or Twitter. Perhaps we journal or scrapbook or write yearly letters.

If you want to write about motherhood, but sometimes feel uninspired or struggle to find the time, read Jennifer’s review of Use Your Words over at 5 Minutes for Books.  Read Elizabeth’s essay below, then leave a comment below if you’d like to win a copy of the book so that you can be similarly inspired.

Sharon is not really my child but it is to me she cries out in the night. I get up, cool tiles under my feet, and walk into my daughter Ilsa’s room, where Sharon sleeps uneasily next to her in the double bed. I crawl in on the edge and cradle her skinny, long body. I tuck her head, covered in tight curls, under my chin, although it feels odd, too intimate, to comfort another woman’s daughter like this. But there is no one else to bring comfort. “Shh, shh, it’s okay, it’s okay,” I soothe, although I am lying. It is not okay. Sharon’s mother was killed by her father a week ago, and we are taking care of her until her grandmother can come up from Cote d’Ivoire to Nouakchott, where we live, on the coast of Mauritania. The sense of betrayal I feel—both the parents were close friends of ours—is nothing compared to what will be felt by this alien child whom I have taken into my heart.

Every day she comes home from preschool at noon in the desert heat. It’s March and already hot, the dry wind blowing across 3000 miles of sand and gathering strength from arid places until it seems to suck your very breath when you step out into it, the heavy heat like gold bars crashing down on your head. A friend of ours whose daughter, blonde and sturdy, goes to the same preschool gives Sharon a ride to our house. I meet her at the door in the wall that surrounds our house, and we hold hands as we walk past the low shrubs blooming in this desert thanks to the large hose that runs off our washing machine and waters the sand. Our house, built of concrete blocks, feels dark and cool when we first enter it. It is only a block or so from the house where Sharon lived with her parents, our friends.

Every day, she comes home from preschool and loses it. She shouts and hits, has a tantrum. I hold her tight and soothe her. “It’s okay, Sharon. It’s okay. I’m here. I love you. Auntie Elizabeth loves you,” I tell her. Her English isn’t bad, although her first language is French, but in this crisis my French flees. “Je t’aime, je t’aime,” I manage. Eventually, she subsides into sobs, her lanky body racked with them, while I clutch her tightly. I do not cry. My tears are dried up in the horror of this new reality as my head whirls to wrap around the fact that I did not know this man I counted as a friend, and that the horror is complicating my chance to grieve my friend Yolande, and her marvelous singing voice and sly sense of humour and fierce love for her only daughter.

Ilsa and Sharon

My own children come home from their French elementary school for lunch. Sharon is 4, half the age of my 8-year-old twins but already half a head taller than Ilsa. Elliot, nearly 10, is having the hardest time with her being here, but they’re all struggling. They loved her parents, both of them. How can someone they trusted, called “uncle” affectionately, went boogie-boarding with in the strong Atlantic currents, ate spicy Ivorian food with, have stabbed their “auntie” in the heart while their daughter slept in the next room? The presence of Sharon, the amount of my attention she takes up, is hard for them—they are not greedy children, and they understand, but they are hurting too and they need me. I am not there. I am gone, with Sharon, to view the body (a counselor said this might help her understand the fact of death); with my husband, navigating the complications of a legal system in a dusty undeveloped country where the constitution is half-based on tribal law, half-based on Islam, and thoroughly corrupt so that, even after he confesses to murdering his wife, he is given a one year sentence. He worked with us at the English center and stole a grant we’d just received, and we have no doubt that this explains that short prison sentence. He committed the crime on the twins’ 8th birthday and was released from prison on their 9th birthday.

He now lives with a couple of whom the wife was formerly Yolande’s best friend. This hurts me still.

His daughter wears Ilsa’s t-shirts instead of her own clothes and looks at a family picture of the 5 of us. “Where am I?” she says. She holds her arm next to mine, thinks for a long time, and then goes to the bathroom and begins scrubbing, hard. This breaks my heart anew. She is so beautiful. A woman comes by to braid her hair, so she’ll look nice for her mother’s memorial service. She cries and cries until Ilsa, smiling, holding her hand, sits to have her hair braided too.

I try to journal once while holding her. She takes my pen. NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO she writes, wobbly preschool letters following the lines on the page.

That year, by Mother’s Day, Sharon is gone, back to the country of her birth, to live with family known to her only through phone calls and framed pictures on polished side tables. That year, I feel like I was meant to be mother of 4 but am left with 3, a perfect 3 yes, but with one missing all the same, never to be found again. I find a forgotten tiny flip-flop in the sand at the end of the porch but I don’t cry. I just stare at it for a long time, and then go lie down on my bed.

This essay was inspired by the writing prompt “Sensory Details.” I’d planned to write something quite different, but I sat down and suddenly memories of Sharon came pouring out. I’ve never written about her before. She lived with us for a month, but she changed the shape of family for me forever. I have had no news of her since she turned 6. She would be 11 now, but her country has experienced a lot of unrest. I hope and pray she is well and that she has forgiven me for letting her go with her grandmother and aunt, even though we all know logically that was the best choice.

Remember to leave a comment if you’d like to be entered to win a copy of Use Your Words: A Writing Guide for Mothers.

• The winner of Stay Close to Mama is #27 Joy.

Book blogger Elizabeth is celebrating Mother’s Day with her 3; Elliot, who will be 17 this summer, and twins Abel and Ilsa, 15. Learn more about her life in Mauritania, Morocco, and America at her blog Planet Nomad.