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I Need A Little Help From My Friends

Hey Ladies!

So many of you have asked what you can do for the girls at Saint Monica's. Here is the link to the new site. I am heading out April 13th and will be in Kenya for one week. If you are a new friend you can check out my blog when I was there and check out my experience, My Journey To Africa.

So from being there and spending time with them, besides your basic food needs, this is what we can do that is so little to us, but will make a HUGE difference in the lives of these girls...

• Sports Bras (gently used would be great) Here Are Some On EBAY
• Black Bike shorts HERE ARE SOME ON EBAY (for the girls to wear to keep their pads in place during their periods) This is the most important thing on my list right now.( size medium women - medium girls) used would be just fine
  
• Vitamins (Ebay)
  
• Advil
  
• Twin Vinyl Fitted Mattress Covers (Like when you are potty training. The girls are suffering from incontinence from sexual abuse)

The girls have to walk to school (up to 1.5 miles) Rainy Season has started so...

• gloves
• ponchos
  
• ski hats. (Any that your kids have outgrown)

BTW, if any of you know how to sew, I would love if anyone would donate their time and money and sew some of these Homemade Sanitary Pads for them. It would be such a money saver for the orphanage and the girls would NOT miss school because they are on their periods. If you have a group of friends that would like to help, I would love to help organaize this for you!

AND LETTERS TO THEM! You can take a look at their profiles on the new site above.

Mail to:

Mothers Fighting For Others
Saint Monica Wish List
27943 Seco Canyon RD # 533
Santa Clarita, CA  91350

I love and thank you all for all your love and support. 

Standing In Front Of Greatness

What a great day for me. It was a spur of the moment kinda day. I decided to take a chance, drive in the rain, and see what it was like to be in the same room with Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Caroline Kennedy, and Maria Shriver.

Oh what a day! I ran into some family that I had no idea was going to be there. Time disappeared as we stood in the "cold" California weather. But what a great day it was! I left feeling great, hopeful and downright JAZZED!

 

 

 

 

 

I went to BarackObama.com and left Michelle this little note.

Michelle,

Today, I witnessed greatness. Today, I witnessed an inspirational woman and Mother. I watched and listened to you today and was inspired to do more, to be more, and to want to continue to teach my children more.

Thank you.

Thank you for your love for our country, the love you have for your girls and for your genuine love and respect that you have for your husband. I look and listen to you, and you are genuine and honest.

Thank you.

I want our country to change. I hope for a better nation and for the first time I feel inspired by a politician. I see hope. I see it clearly. I am happy and engaged for the first time about politics. I owe that to both of you.

Thank you.

Thank you for taking the time to walk around and shake our hands, and chat for a bit. I am the woman that spoke to you about my six children, and that I had traveled recently to Kenya. I do owe that to your husband. After reading "Dreams From My Father," I knew I wanted to go to Kenya and see it for myself. And because I went, I have dreams and hopes of my own to help girls in Kenya. Both of you have inspired me to do more and to be more.

Thank you.

I look forward for better future. I look forward to watching a new change, a new hope for our country. I look forward to a new President. I look forward to telling my children that on February 3rd, I shook the First Lady's hand, that I looked into her eyes and felt inspired to stand up, and hope for a better future for them.

Thank you Michelle.

Racquel Turner

I was in the presence of greatness. I was inspired by all these strong women and it just felt great to be an American. Here is Oprah...

A Photo From Kenya

This is a picture with Tracy Herring at the Nairobi Children's home. Click on these links to see more photos from Kenya or read more about my journey to Africa.

A Story I will Always Remember

I wrote about this amazing mother on Mothers Fighting For Others. In case you missed it, I thought the story needed to be shared here too.

I was watching a special about Mothers on Oprah last year when I  first heard about this amazing woman from Uganda. Her name is Bakoko Zoe, and she is the Mother of 40 children. Yes, 40. She has adopted 40 orphans, some who have HIV themselves, whose parents lost their lives to AIDS. She is a former government official who is working to get the laws that give men unlimited power over woman changed in her own country.

She started at home. She is raising 20 sons on her own. She is teaching those men who will be married one day to respect and empower their future wives. What she is teaching her children now will slowly change the face of Uganda.

I am inspired by her. I strive to be like her. It's amazing that a mother that lives on the other side of the world has touched me and inspired me not just be a better mother, but a better woman.

I Am One Happy Mutha

This is what 96 bookbags look like! UPS delivered them on Saturday. I have not been this happy about spending hundreds of dollars in a long time! Wait a minute, I haven't spent that much money in a long time!! And I must say, "THANK YOU!" Thank you all for buying a Muthahood Aint For Sissies shirt! Because of your support, these brand new bookbags will be on their way to Kids Haven!
Last week, I sent Susan at Kids Haven the link to the bookbags. She forwarded to Terri and this is the response that was sent back to me...

"Way to go girl!  They are fantastic, my darlings are going to be over the moon."
Thanks so much,
Terri

This is the kind of response that makes me smile from ear to ear.  I can't say THANK YOU enough.

All of you are responsible for this. One T-Shirt pays for 1 1/2 bags!
   

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! 

If Everyone Cared...

           

        I WILL WATCH THIS EVERY MORNING TO

         REMIND ME TO BE BETTER THAN I EVER

                    DREAMED OR  IMAGINED.

Dear Oprah,

Once again you moved me. Once again you made me cry. Once again you opened my heart and reminded me why I am here. Without you even knowing, you have changed my life. You have made my life better by having me question who I am and what am I going to do with my life to make it better not just for myself and my family, but for the world.

I have been on my own journey these past few years. I have been trying to find my place in the world and make a difference. I began as a woman who was ignorant of the world, to one that would soon be educated and wanting to make a real difference. I then took a leap and became a woman who would make a difference. You were there with me every step of my journey and I thank you.

Thank you for teaching me to want to be a better person. Thank you for teaching me to open my eyes to the world. Thank you for inspiring me to become more than what I was or could ever imagine. Thank you for inspiring me to be the woman, mother, and wife I have always wanted to be.

From the bottom of my very full heart, thank you.

Racquel

Set Your VCR's, DVR'S or Tivo's

Get ready to be moved.

Get ready to want to make
a difference.

Sit back with your kids
and see what life is like
and what it can be for
these really amazing girls.

.

$22 FINE FOR RAPING A 4 YEAR OLD?

In January 2007, Andrew C. James, a man with two prior domestic assault convictions, pled guilty to sexually assaulting a 4-year-old boy in Vermont. In a plea bargain, he was given a $22 fine and sentenced to rehabilitation and lifetime probation. Today, he walks a free man.*

Want another story?

Last year, another Vermont judge who sentenced a man convicted of raping a 6-year-old girl over a four-year period to only 60 days in jail. The convicted man's friend, who also allegedly raped the girl, received 12–15 years. After Bill O'Reilly confronted the judge with his cameras, the first man's sentence was extended to three years.*

Does this just make you want to vomit? It should. It should make you mad. It should make you want to scream from the rafters.  It should make you want to get up and help stop these sick bastards from hurting our children.  But what can we do? What can YOU do?

If you haven't been a victim of rape or "inappropriate touching" from that favorite uncle of yours, consider yourself lucky. Including myself, I know AT LEAST 7. 

HERE ARE SOME SCARY FACTS:

• Of the more than 600,000 convicted and registered sex offenders living in the United States, 100,000 are missing.
• California is the state with the highest number of registered sex offenders at 109,000. Second is Texas, with 50,000. Ranking third is Michigan, with 40,000.
• Only 1 in 3 sexual offenses against children are ever reported.
• 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 10 boys will be sexually victimized in some way in the United States before they turn 18.
• Forty to 50 percent of those who victimize girls are family members, but only 10 to 20 percent of those who victimize boys are in the family.

                THE LAWS NEED TO CHANGE!

We, as a nation, need to come together and stop this, STOP THEM. We need a united front of us against them. How do we do this? It's starts with us, the moms of the United States, to rally all the other moms, dad's and family members to stand up and say... GET THESE BASTARDS OFF THE STREETS FOR GOOD!  

It starts two ways.

• We educate our children AGAIN and AGAIN to NEVER get in the car with a stranger, to NEVER let an adult touch their PENIS OR VAGINA and to always, always come and talk to you if they ever need to!
• We need to have our voices heard by our government representatives.

Oprah made this step easy for us. All you have to do is CLICK HERE to get your  PRE-TYPED  letter.  It's not going to get any easier than this. Oprah's team already did the work for us. Now all you need to do is click-click-click, sign your name, and let your Congressman and Senator know that you won't put up with this any longer. Let's change the laws. Let's make the United States a safer place for our children and our grandchildren to play in.

            WE CAN CHANGE THE LAWS!

Let's do it together. Get mad and stay mad until we get ALL these sick bastards in jail for LIFE!

Want to learn more?

Click here to go to National Center For Missing & Exploited Children.

Click here to see Oprah's Child Predator Watch List

* copied from Oprah.com

What The Heck Can I Do With My Old Glasses?

I know you have old prescription glasses sitting around the house!

How do I know? Because I do! This is a great idea! The following description is straight from their website. I have added links so you can find the best and fastest way for you to get rid of donate your old nasty out of style big framed prescription eyeglasses.

Donate your used eyeglasses
Drop off your old eyeglasses or sunglasses at any LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sears, Target or BJ’s Optical store, or Lions club to help someone in a developing country experience a brighter future. We will clean, repair and classify your glasses by prescription, then personally deliver them on Give the Gift of Sight international optical missions.

Organize a used glasses collection drive
Collecting used glasses is a great community service activity for schools, scout troops or anyone interested in helping others. For help with putting together a glasses collection drive, contact a local LensCrafters and ask to speak to the Gift of Sight Store Captain.

Want to read more about Give the Gift Of Sight? Here you go!

http://www.givethegiftofsight.com/