What's a whistle worth to you?

To a child soldier in the Congo, this could mean living another day.

Falling Whistles is an organization that sells whistles as a symbol for peace in the Congo and more importantly to raise money to rehabilitate, educate, disseminate, congregate, advocate for the people affected by the war in the Congo, known as the deadliest war in Africa's history and it continues today.

Why whistles? On his trip to Congo in 2008, Sean Carasso, founder of Falling Whistles met a group of former child soldiers who told him that some children who were too young to carry weapons were sent into battle armed with only whistles, as a way to distract the enemy. If you're going to wear a statement accessory, wear one that really makes a statement.

More info:

http://www.fallingwhistles.com/main/

https://www.facebook.com/peaceincongo

Posted via email from I am Audrey.

Give your kid an onion for Xmas, what do you think they'll say?

Christmas has always been a really big deal in my house when we were growing up -- the tree goes up, decorations, list for Santa, a ton of presents under the tree and one year, I remember trying to figure out whether I should leave out a glass of strawberry or chocolate milk for Santa (yes, even at 6, I was a type-A "let's-outdo-the-other-kids-and-their-plain-milk!).

So you only imagine how hard I laughed when I watched this video from Jimmy Kimmel, where he had parents give their kids terrible presents and film their reactions. The result, as your would expect is totally adorable! Kids so say the darnest thing! My favorite is the little Hot Pockets girl, who you know is trying her best not to say a single mean thing to her mom -- girls are made out of sugar & spice and everything nice!

Watching the video made me think of how I reacted when I unwrapped a present from my parents that I didn't like (sorry Mum & Dad!) -- the good news is, I only remember one "bad" present: a doll named So Playful Penny! And what's wrong with getting a doll for Christmas? Well, let's start with the fact that I was at least 8 or 9 years old by then, and oh so over dolls. And definitely not dolls that look like babies and came with their own diapers. Standing at least 20-inches tall meant that the box was also huge. You can imagine my disappointment when I tore open the biggest present in the pile only to find... a doll. The kicker was definitely  the fact that my sister got the same doll too, except hers was So Loving Laura. The last thing you want as a tween is the same gift as your 3-4 year old sis! I don't remember playing much with it, which probably explains why it's still sitting at home, close to mind condition in its original box. Ahhh, maybe eBay some day.

On the bright side, I remember getting some awesome Christmas gifts from my parents and my favorite ones include a pair of super awesome drop earrings that were of naked trolls with a shock of rainbow hair, OST of Baz Luhrmann's Romeo & Juliet and a mini pink sewing machine that actually works!

Posted via email from I am Audrey.