Happy Birthday Love Bug #3

It is so hard to believe our third Love Bug, Evangeline Sejal, turns 1 today. Our children and so many others are our greatest inspiration for the work that we do. Thank you for your wonderful, wonderful support since the beginning only 4.5 years ago.

As an entirely volunteer-run organization, we are so deeply grateful for the support of our donors, volunteers, and beloved board members. The gift of three children in a short 3.5 year span has meant that we didn't always get to focus on the mission of Love Bug Bundles. However, we have done the most we have been able and look forward to doing so much more.

Thank you again for EVERYTHING, and please stay in touch to hear about upcoming activities.

xoxo,
Sarah & Shervin

Reaching the Unreached...with YOU

Since 2008, core to our founding mission to serve mothers and babies in need has been the desire to spread love in the smallest ways. We embarked on this mission with these inspiring words:

In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.

Love begins by taking care of the closest ones – the ones at home.

~Mother Teresa

Original Love Bug Bundle, 2008

During the past four years, we have been blessed to receive your support in so many amazing ways, from dollars and diapers to encouragement and evangelism. Many of you have also offered your time, and we have been working hard to find the best way to take you up on your generous offer.

Because you are such a special part of Love Bug Bundles, we are announcing a new little program called "Reaching the Unreached." From time to time, we are blessed to receive unexpected donations. We want to ensure that these gifts go to someone who truly needs them. Each of you knows a parent in need, whether it is a sister or a cousin, a neighbor or a service person. We want to help YOU help that someone.

Here is your first opportunity to become involved with "Reaching the Unreached"...

First Chance Foundation: Comfort Packages

Today we would like to honor and thank the First Chance Foundation, which recently donated 9 Comfort Packages to help support the mission of Love Bug Bundles. First Chance Foundation is based in Bulverde, Texas and was created in 2006 to generate the financial resources to help fund children’s charities that are helping provide that first chance every single day. We are grateful to receive their support.

Because of the generosity of First Chance Foundation, we currently have 9 Comfort Packages (4 girl, 5 boy) and want to help YOU share YOUR love and support with someone YOU know. Each package contains a towel, washcloth, shampoo, conditioner, and soap, as well as other small toiletries or baby items. Let us know with a comment here, e-mail, or a post on Facebook. We will arrange to deliver the bundle to you in the greater Houston or San Antonio areas.

Comfort Packages from First Chance Foundation

This program is about doing small things with love. Sometimes life is so busy that we think we cannot help someone in need. As a small volunteer-run organization, we have seen that even the smallest gift to a family in need makes a difference.

Thank you again for every way you have supported Love Bug Bundles in the past. We look forward to growing the "Reaching the Unreached" program with you.

***

A small selection of Mother Teresa's wisdom and grace:

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. 

If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one.

Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go. 

Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty. 

Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action. 

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. 

***

Are you mom enough?

You couldn't have missed last month's provocative TIME magazine cover, which posed the question "Are you mom enough?" Most mothers question their "enoughness" on a daily basis. Of course, the vast majority of mothers are more than mom enough.

Attachment parenting is nothing new and neither is the controversy surrounding it. Let's advance the conversation and stop sensationalizing the image of the modern American mother. What is the point of isolating and demoralizing mothers? Why is it so disturbing to see a mother mothering? How does it help to stigmatize natural behaviors like breastfeeding and baby wearing? When will we liberate women to achieve in every realm of life?

And, where are the images capturing the love, sacrifice, and intimacy of motherhood? Here are some we love...

Stunning image and insightful words from singer Pink...“I felt that the article in TIME on attachment parenting was unfortunately a tad extreme. I support attachment parenting 100%… And have a very happy and healthy little girl to show for it. It’s time we support what’s healthy (breast feeding) instead of judge it.”

Licia Ronzulli took her seven-week-old baby to work at the European parliament September 2010. Cradling her daughter in a sling, she voted on proposals to improve women's employment rights. Ronzulli said, "It was not a political gesture. It was first of all a maternal gesture – that I wanted to stay with my daughter as much as possible, and to remind people that there are women who do not have this opportunity [to bring their children to work], that we should do something to talk about this.

Time passes so quickly, and the sweetest moments with your children can be but a blur. This is one of my favorites with the original Love Bug.

Let's move past the mommy wars and celebrate what is really important...the loving bond between parent and child.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! To be a mother is a divine gift and a profound responsibility. Thank you to all of the mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, and mothers in heart.


"I looked on child rearing not only as a work of love and duty but as a profession that was fully as interesting and challenging as any honorable profession in the world and one that demanded the best that I could bring to it."
―Rose Kennedy

Our Smallest Supporters Give Big

We are simply delighted to share the story of our smallest supporters who gave in a big way! The second-grade girls of Brownie Troop 25346 hosted a charity baby shower on February 12 to benefit three Houston mothers in need.

After hearing the personal stories of three moms and viewing their Love Bug Bundles registries, the group of 16 girls began to plan how they would meet the needs. Together with their families, the girls collected all of the requested baby essentials, including some special requests like a food processor and cooking utensils. One mother and daughter had a goal to provide $100 in baby food. The dozens of jars filled a large Girl Scout Cookie box (it's that time of year!), but they marveled at how quickly the baby will probably need more. We are still marveling at all of the donations...three trunk loads!

The curiosity, spirit, and budding sense of compassion of these 7 and 8 year olds were remarkable. We had the best Sunday afternoon talking with these little girls about big issues like poverty and profound joys like swaddling a baby. The girls took the hands-on swaddling lesson seriously and mastered wrapping their dolls. As we discussed all babies' need for love, one Brownie said, "And love is free!" At the end of our talk, we gave the girls magic wands as a reminder of their power to help others.

Congratulations are in order because each girl earned her Baby Shower badge! Thank you also to troop mom and Love Bug Bundles volunteer, Erin Gottlieb, for planning a project to inspire empathy and compassion.

We would love to help you create a baby shower with the young children in your life, whether it is a Brownie Troop, play group, church, or school. This isn't just fun for the little girls...we also think this could be a great mom's night out event! Please feel free to contact us for more information at info@lovebugbundles.com.

Tickets on Sale: Love Bug Soiree

Love Bug Bundles is hosting its 2012 Love Bug Soiree on February 15th. Each ticket is $25, which includes wine, appetizers, classical Indian dance entertainment, and a raffle entry. But, more importantly, 100% of each $25 ticket goes toward a care bundle for a mother in need (each bundle costs approximately $25 and contains a variety of basic newborn necessities).

Click here to purchase tickets online.

Save the Date: Love Bug Soiree

We love Houston and the arts, so we are thrilled to join with Gallery 3 in the historic Winter Street Studios for our Love Bug Soiree on Wednesday, February 15. Gallery 3 is generously donating both their gorgeous space AND 10% of gallery sales during the event to Love Bug Bundles.

We hope you will save the date for a post-Valentine charity benefit (ticket sales and event details below).

Buy Love Bug Soiree 2012 Tickets Here

A Look Back at 2011

Happy New Year! 2011 was a year of wonderful stepping stones for Love Bug Bundles, and we are looking forward to taking leaps and bounds in 2012. Now for a little retrospective...

Our Giving

Thanks to your generosity, we donated 51 new infant bath tubs, more than 2,500 pieces of gently used infant clothing, and hundreds of other basic necessities, such as new infant clothing, toiletries, wash cloths, Lansinoh cream, baby wipes, and diaper bags to Houston families. We are hopeful that this year will bring many more opportunities to share as much love as we can with those who need it most.

Our Growth

As an organization that started as a personal charity project, we achieved a major milestone this year...we became an official non-profit corporation. Jessica Morrison, an associate at the Austin-based law firm Thompson & Knight LLP, volunteered to help us pro bono. Jessica's commitment, diligence, enthusiasm, and kindness helped us navigate the process of becoming a non-profit corporation in the state of Texas and obtaining 501(c)(3) federal tax-exempt status. We are truly grateful for Jessica's support in this transformational step toward fulfilling the Love Bug Bundles mission.

Our Joy

With love and gratitude, we welcomed our third love bug, Evangeline Sejal, born on September 9, 2011. Our first love bug, Micah, will be four in January; and our second love bug, Isabel, will be two in February. As we also prepare to celebrate the 4th anniversary of Love Bug Bundles in March, we are amazed by how we have grown as an organization and as a family.

Our Gratitude

We are humbled by every donation, large or small. Every little thing matters. We sincerely thank you for every item you donated, whether it was an infant bath tub, wash cloths, bath wash, diapers, baby wipes, clothing, a diaper bag, or breast pump. Thank you also to those who gave monetary donations...every dollar matters.

Our Hope

2012 promises to be our best year yet! We are grateful for the support you have given at our past events and look forward to creating new events that will become Love Bug traditions. "Love" is in our name because it's at the heart of our mission. We'll be sending details on a Valentine's Day event soon!

Here's to you! May hope, joy, peace, and LOVE be yours!