#in other news i actually kind of miss childcare even though its really difficult and annoying at times

[craycraybluejay]

thinking about how special the closeness of mutually loving siblings is. not even in an incest kink way necessarily its just. so wonderful. your sibling you can trust to have your back more than anyone. you can give hugs and kisses and play videogames and shittalk about your friend groups to each other and all of it screams I LOVE YOU. You can lend your younger sibling clothes because they think your style is so cool and you think its really sweet that they want to wear it. You can pull pranks on each other but always be on the same side anyway. Just. It's such a *comfortable* and *consistent* and *infinite* love. you don't have to get to know each other and talk to all their friends and like what they like. you already know them from the moment the second one of you is born. you know their most embarassing moments. you know how to comfort them. you share food and you always know how to split it; "my sibling likes the strawberry candy and i like raspberry." the older teaches the younger how to curse. the younger teaches the older how to take care of someone. sure, if you're lucky your mom or dad love you. but mom and dad ain't shit compared to the sibs. in the theoretical perfectly healthy family theres still a deep power cliff canyon thing there. but your close brother/sister/sibling is happy to side with you. they'll help you sneak out or give you stuff you're not allowed to have at the moment. let you borrow their things. they'll draw you the most terrible drawing and you'll wish you had a fridge to hang it up on. you'll sing them a badly improvised song and they'll cheerfully try to keep melody and fail. you'll teach them how to tie their shoes. they'll teach you how to believe in nice things. you know? that's your premade teammate in life. that's the one that starts at level one with you and you brave the wilderness together. that's the person who, if you put the work in to maintain a caring and good relationship, will always be loyal to you and the most fun even if youre too many years apart to have much in common in way of interests. your hobbies are boring. please tell me more about them.

#a sibling is like a best friend you get to have forever and ever who loves you #often a sibling is your first biggest example of concepts like self-sacrifice and rivalry and camaraderie and others #in other news i actually kind of miss childcare even though its really difficult and annoying at times #there is a very pure kind of joy in making a baby laugh by playing peekaboo or teaching a little girl how to annoy her classmates #ugh why am i sentimental on this nigjt #listen. listen. if you have a sibling you can get to that youre not estranged from #give them a BIG HUG and HANG OUT ok?? thats ur kin. thats a lifelong potential bestie. always make sure they remember how much you care #about them

[sophieellisbextorarchives]

Lockdown's dancing queen: Sophie Ellis Bextor explains how she's survived with five sons while performing web concerts from her kitchen - and owes her life to the NHS after almost dying during childbirth

SOURCE: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8371137/Sophie-Ellis-Bextor-talks-surviving-lockdown-five-sons-performing-concerts-kitchen.html

Any mother of five who is still sane after two-and-a-half months of lockdown will surely have some survival tips for the rest of us. And Sophie Ellis-Bextor does indeed have advice.

Come Friday night, when the textbooks have been flung in a corner and you've finished screeching at the kids, you should dig out your heels and put on your sparkliest hot pants, she says.

'If you don't own a sequined one-piece, you should get one,' the singer insists. 'They make you feel like a disco superhero!'

She would also recommend a glitterball to hang in the kitchen. It will distract from the dirty dishes, she says.

Tidying the kitchen is optional, though: 'I do try to but if there's the odd dish in the sink, who cares?'

When the history of the great British lockdown is written, there will be villains (take a bow, Dominic Cummings) and heroes.

And Sophie Ellis-Bextor will surely be in line for a medal, for services to the national dancefloor (kitchen disco division).

Every Friday night for ten weeks she has donned her own glad rags and, via the magic of social media, invited us all to a disco round at hers.

She has been in charge of the mic, singing her own hits (with tweaks) and cover versions of some of her other favourites (speaking of favourite things, she even does a mean Julie Andrews).

Each week she has changed the lyrics of one of her biggest hits, Take Me Home, to the lockdown-friendly Stay At Home. We cheered. We heeded. 'Well, most people did,' she says.

Lots of entertainers have been doing their stuff in lockdown. Few of them have done so with five children in tow, though, and with such pizzazz.

You'd never guess it from the size of her waist but 41-year-old Sophie — whose mother is former Blue Peter presenter Janet Ellis — has five sons, aged from 16 down to 16 months. Her family life has never really been a part of her work.

But at the start of lockdown, something changed and she decided to stop being so precious about the work/home life divide.

'I've always been quite private, never showing the kids' faces, that sort of thing,' she says.

'But suddenly it all felt totally irrelevant. I just had this desire to sort of connect with people, to have fun and do something that just distracted us all — and for me, as an entertainer, that meant getting up and putting on a show.

'If it was going to be a show in my own house, the kids had to be involved as we're all locked down together. That overwhelmed any other emotion, really.

'I said to them, 'We're going to have a party. Do you want to come? What do you want to wear?'

'We pulled out all manner of sequined things we already had. They got out costumes, hats, whatever. There were no rules. They could be in their pyjamas if they wanted, because they often are.

'At the end of the first one, I remember making a joke like, 'This could be the end of my career.' '

In another time, it could have been. What too-cool-for-school singer sashays around the Lego, for goodness' sake? And what pop star hoicks a baby onto her hip, limbos around the lightsabers or attempts some sexy strutting when there is a pint-sized Superman in the way?

'It has been quite surreal, hasn't it?' she says with a laugh. 'But this whole situation is surreal, so I guess it has been fitting.

'We've had all sorts — the kids joining in, or sitting there bored with it all as I dance around them. We've had the baby crawling across the floor, trying to pull the plug out of the router. It's not stuff you normally have to contend with when you go on stage.'

And the performances have been all the more magical for it, I suggest. Her kitchen discos have been in keeping with the national mood, which lurches between delirium and despair and involves much trying to get on with the day job, with the kids at our feet.

All our kids are represented in hers, too. There is Sonny, 16 and a typical teenager, who mostly rolls his eyes at the idea of being in his mum's disco 'but actually he's invaluable because he helps with the baby so I can relax'.

Kit, 11, has 'kind of dipped in and out of the discos. He has missed a few. Sometimes he'd just rather do something else'.

Ray, eight, and Jesse, four, are generally game for anything — but if the children all join in at the same time, while wearing masks, the potential for chaos is high.

Last is baby Mickey, who likes to reach for bright lights. And cables. And sparkly shoes.

'I think what has kept some people tuning in is the music, but others are only watching to see if any of my kids injure themselves,' Sophie says.

People may also be tuning in to see her game attempts at making the most inappropriate songs kid-friendly. Her new repertoire includes the highly suggestive Prince song Gett Off. If the kids ask, it's a song about getting off the climbing frame, she explains.

When we speak, Sophie is preparing for — sob! — the last lockdown disco. Kitchen Disco No 10 will finish with a rousing rendition of the Madness hit Our House, which contains the lines 'Our house it has a crowd/ There's always something happening/ And it's usually quite loud'.

How apt. That sums up family life in all its messy glory.

It will be the end of a very weird chapter for Sophie.

'We could keep going but I'm getting the feeling that lockdown is being eased. There is a different feel, so it's time to stop. Although I'm bad at saying 'never again'.'

It has been a blast — and Sophie admits she has benefited herself.

'The discos have done my soul and my spirit the world of good. I've always turned to music anyway when anything has been happening in my life, good or bad, but I don't know what shape the past few months would have taken without this outlet.

'I've been doing cover versions of songs and they have all basically been like love letters to people I can't see any more.'

Lockdown came earlier for this household than for most of us. One of the children showed symptoms even before the schools closed, so they all isolated early.

That Sophie's stepfather — Janet's husband, John Leach — was having chemotherapy as part of his cancer treatment made the situation even more serious.

They are a close family. Janet, who lives only a few streets away in West London, is used to popping in and out, and provides childcare once a week. Any contact at all between them stopped overnight, as it did for so many families.

'I haven't hugged my mum since I don't remember when,' Sophie says. 'They couldn't leave their house at all at the beginning, so it was a case of leaving some groceries on the doorstep. My stepfather has Stage Four lung cancer and was in the middle of chemo, which had to stop.

'Now, thankfully, it has restarted but it has been a terrible time — devastating, really. For so many families the world has just tilted.' The older children understand why they can't see their grandparents, the little ones less so.

This is a united family (Sophie's mum split from her father, film and television producer Robin Bextor, but they are all on good terms), yet not necessarily one that ever did things by the rulebook.

Many will recall the furore when Janet — then the nation's darling, as many Blue Peter presenters were — fell pregnant with Sophie's brother Jackson. She was unmarried at the time and it was a national scandal.

It sounds as if Janet was the sort of mother Sophie has become — old-fashioned about some things (table manners, eating together) but more relaxed about others. And Mum having a slightly crazy day job was par for the course.

'I remember going with her when she did a skydive. She was in the Guinness Book of Records at one point for the highest-altitude jump for a female. At the time it was just normal.'

Janet didn't mind when Sophie decided she would not go to university because she wanted to join a band. 'Many parents would have said, 'No, we have paid for this private education. You will go,' but they never did. They were completely supportive.'

And of course, it worked out. Sophie started to get attention in the industry in the Nineties with indie band Theaudience — but in 2000 her career went mainstream thanks to a feature spot on the song Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) by Spiller.

Further hits followed. Then, in 2013, she went even more mainstream, signing up for Strictly Come Dancing. Her Charleston was a thing of wonder but she lost in the final to Abbey Clancy.

She knew her husband, The Feeling bassist Richard Jones, for a year before they started dating. When they did, it was something of a whirlwind and she discovered she was pregnant within weeks.

'Sonny was premature, so he was actually born eight months after we got together. Weird maths.'

Then, finding that it was rather fun, they kept having children. 'In a way I think it sort of set the tone, having Sonny so early. We've never really known what it is to be just the two of us.'

Juggling a pop career with five children can't have been easy, but her laid-back approach must help.

Some aspects of her parenting style have come in handy in lockdown, she says. 'I try to get up and dressed myself, but I'm not bothered if they want to stay in their pyjamas,' she admits.

Other aspects of lockdown have been hard. She admits she is not a natural home schooler.

'With five, it has been really difficult keeping up with the school stuff. I think their teachers do a brilliant job and I can't compare.

'At the start I did try hard, but to be honest I was feeling a lot of pressure to be running the home and making them emotionally happy. I quit quite early, realising it was making me really tense and really unhappy.

'We've kept the eldest two doing more formal work (Sonny is in his GCSE year, she explains) but with the little ones it's more about projects they can do.'

She says it isn't practical — or even desirable — to turn their home into a school. 'I'm hoping that home is where they learn to interact with each other, where they learn how to be happy, how to be kind.'

They have all been clapping on the doorstep on a Thursday night, too, aware of the debt they owe the NHS.

Sophie's life was saved by doctors when she suffered from complications during her first two pregnancies and gave birth prematurely both times. Kit weighed just 2 lb 6 oz.

'Anyone who has ever had a loved one's life in the hands of hospital staff knows what it is to feel that gratitude,' Sophie says.

'If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here and neither would my first two.

'I'll never forget their faces, the doctors and nurses who treated us in the neonatal unit. You don't, because you owe them everything.'

To be a singer in this climate is perhaps to feel a little superfluous, but Sophie says the only things she can do are sing and dance. The reaction from the wider world to her 'little discos' has been heartwarming.

'If you can make people smile and laugh at how daft it all is, then you make a connection that is actually quite special.'

We are getting all wistful now, when I suggest that her sons will grow up knowing they were a part of something magical. She laughs.

'They are more likely to roll their eyes at their crazy mum dancing around and tell me to keep the noise down!'

#Sophie Ellis-Bextor #Instagram #Daily Mail #Kitchen Disco #article #interview #British #Singer-songwriter

[danyka-fendyr]

As the Raven Flies: Part 4

I can’t even believe I made it to a part 4 of this story. I owe most of it to everyone who comments, to be honest. I’m an absolute slut for literally any kind of reaction. Like, oh? I made you laugh? Here have an entire novel have a great day thanks. Anyway, I only did lazy editing on this, but that’s because I forgot to write it throughout the week since I’m newly back to school and so I wrote this in like an hour and it’s 2:22 AM at the time I am queuing this and i’M TIRED OKAY

Taglist: @dreamwritesimagines @rhabakoli @disengagefrmreality

Word count: 2186

“See you tomorrow.”

“I’m sorry, exactly what conversation went down while I was getting an education?” Vivien stood in Matt’s living room, shocked.

Matt, for his part, was sitting at the kitchen counter looking like he was physically in pain. Well, he probably was, Vivien figured, but he also looked like there was considerable emotional pain.

“Frank made the…” Matt paused, gritting his teeth, “unfortunately good point that I may not be totally fit for childcare.”

“And so you’re kicking me out?” Vivien fought the tears coming to her eyes, fueled by her outrage.

“It’s not like that, Vivien.”

“Oh like heck it isn’t,” she spat.

“Listen, I’m not just putting you out on the streets, it’s-”

“I decide where I go,” Vivien interrupted. “If that’s the streets than it’s the streets.”

“Listen, Frank knows some very nice people,” Matt tried.

“Yeah, I’m sure he does. I don’t want to get to know them. I certainly don’t want to bust down their door demanding they give me food and shelter.”

“It wouldn’t be like that.”

“I’m no one’s charity case, Matthew!”

Matt flinched at her volume, and maybe at her words as well. He stood slowly, sighing as he crossed the room to put a hand on her shoulder. His eyes tried to focus on her, drifting over her shoulder and swimming in the flames that illuminated his world. Sometimes Vivien wondered if the fire he saw outside lit him up on the inside as well, burned through him like it burned through her, bright hot and slicing its way up and out.

“I know you’re not. I know...I know you’re not a charity case. Not mine. Not anybody else’s. But Vivien, I’m trying to protect you.”

“How is this protecting me?” A hot tear rolled down her face as she whispered the words, and she dashed it away with her sleeve.

“You and I both know this isn’t working. You survive on take out and Ramen noodles, you don’t get enough sleep, you’re permanently exhausted and you’re hurting and I...I don’t know how to fix that, Vivien.”

For the first time, Vivien saw how much the blind man could actually see. He looked so helpless like this, hands grabbing at fistfuls of his hair, scrambling for something to hold onto. And for a moment, she saw how bad she really was at hiding how much everything hurt. She had always known he caught glimpses, but now…

“I don’t know how to make this better,” he whispered, eyes dull as they watched the floor, as he felt the vibrations of the city moving around them and heard its song.

Vivien wasn’t sure when it happened, but she was crying. Gosh, she was crying like a baby, fat tears falling down her face faster than she could wipe them away, mouth twisting into some twisted version of the fake smiles she had trained herself to wear and couldn’t even escape when she cried. He was right, and she was crying about it.

She had sunk to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest, and Matt joined her, arms wrapping around her softly like he could protect her. They both knew he couldn’t, but it was so much easier to just pretend.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, rocking with her sobs. “I’m so sorry. I promise, I promise you Vivien, I am not abandoning you. We’re going to figure this out. We’re going to find you a home.”

“I don’t want a home.” Her voice came out as a high keening sound. “I want here. I want to stay here.”

“I know. I know.”

And that was all they said. For a long time, they stayed like that, crying on the floor in an ugly apartment right in the thick of Hell’s Kitchen. Vivien knew from experience though that she could only cry for so long.

She sniffled, wiping at her face again, and Matt handed her another tissue. At some point, he had grabbed a box of them.

“Does Karen know?”

Matt looked at her. “What?”

“Does Karen know?” Vivien repeated.

“Oh. We forgot to tell Karen. Huh.”

“Matt!” Vivien punched him in the arm, not bothering to go light.

“Ow! Okay, okay, we can tell her. She’s supposed to be coming over anyway. Any minute now.”

Speak of the Devil.

“Matt?” Karen’s muffled voice could be heard from the other side of the door as she knocked.

“Come in!”

Vivien scrambled to make herself look presentable, trying to hide the very obvious fact that she had been crying. Matt stood up, helping her to her feet and kindly not mentioning her bloodshot eyes that probably made it look like she’d started a marijuana garden in Ms. Simmons’ biology lab.

“Hey, you said-” Karen dropped her bag on the floor, taking her coat off in a rush so she could cross the room to get a better look at Vivien.  “Oh my gosh. Is everything okay?”

“No.”

“Yes.”

Karen glanced between the two, raising an eyebrow.

Vivien sighed. “Also yes.”

“What happened?” Karen gave her a concerned look.

“Frank Castle happened. He’s the worst, K. You don’t have my permission to date him.”

“I am not dating Frank.”

“Good. He’s a jerk and I hope he accumulates an absolutely massive amount of cabbage and then has it all destroyed in a series of unfortunate events.”

“Oh no. She’s swearing. Seriously Matt, what happened?”

“Frank pointed out that I might not be the fittest caretaker for Vivien,” Matt said, reluctant to look anywhere near where he could hear Karen.

“Well, I can see that. Poor thing. Has he even fed you yet? Do you want me to make something? You look like you need some soup sweetheart.” Karen gently wiped at some stray tears Vivien had missed.

She shook her head, sniffling again. “I can eat in a minute, Karen. It’s not important.”

“And that’s why you’re a terrible influence on her.” Karen glared at Matt, forgetting he couldn’t really see it.

 “Which is why she won’t be staying with me anymore.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“That’s what I said,” Vivien spoke up.

“Matt, as bad as you are at this whole childcare thing, I’m not sure leaving her on the streets is your next best option.”

“I am not leaving her on the streets!” Matt exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

“Well, then what is happening here?”

“Frank suggested he could find Vivien a better home. She could quit being a vigilante and start being a normal teenager. Frank knows a guy who knows some really nice veterans.”

“First of all, I’m not quitting vigilantism. I just got a name! Secondly, I would rather be on the streets than with some random stranger.”

“You’ve made that very clear,” Matt grumbled.

“You can’t tell me what to do Matt. Technically, I’m an adult.”

“Your legal status absolutely does not make you an adult.”

“According to Uncle Sam it does.” Vivien stuck her chin out defiantly.

Karen had been watching this whole exchange with a fascinating look on her face. If the two had bothered to glance her way they would have seen that she was clearly deep in thought. It almost looked like the face she made when she was trying to sort through all the details of a new story.

“You guys,” she said.

“Well then you can go join the army if you want to be treated like a real grown up.”

“Guys-”

“Maybe I just want to have some input in decisions that will drastically impact my life, Matthew.”

“You guys!”

Both of them turned to her, blinking like a couple of deer in the headlights.

“Why doesn’t Vivien just stay with me?”

“I feel like I’ve said this a lot today, mostly in math class, but what?” Vivien stared at her like she had grown another head.

“I mean, think about it. I’m clearly more fit to be your caretaker than Matt -not that that’s difficult-” Karen paused to roll her eyes. “I have the space in my apartment, I did the math and I make enough money for the extra cost. It would be perfect.”

“Karen, no,” Vivien said. “I can’t let you do that.”

“Why not? Sleepovers every night.”

“I know, but the money, Karen. I can’t.”

“You can. End of discussion.”

Well there was really no arguing when Karen said end of discussion.

“I guess I’m moving in.”

It was no cup of tea moving all of Vivien’s stuff to Karen’s place. She hadn’t thought she owned that much stuff, but apparently, she had been wrong. She had a habit of keeping silly things for nostalgic value. Or, in Matt’s words, “You’re a hoarder! You need help.”

Vivien yawned. It was officially way too late for any normal teen to be up, and after this day she didn’t feel so keen on stopping any crime. She just wanted to curl up in her new bed and go to sleep.

They could have moved her in another day, but Vivien had wanted to do it tonight. She reasoned that if she didn’t do it now, she would lose her nerve. She had also incorrectly presumed she owned fewer things, as previously stated. Mistakes were made.

“I am in physical pain,” Vivien groaned, slumping down on Karen’s couch. “And if I have to put one more thing in a box, I’m going to just start screaming.”

“No more boxing things. Now we just have unboxing. The good news is, we can take our time with the non-essentials. Potentially put them in a storage unit and never let them see the light of day ever again.”

“Oh. That sounds delightful.”

“How does sleep sound?” Karen sat down beside her, long reddish blonde hair spilling over the back of the sofa slightly.

“It sounds good. I love sleeping here because I get to sleep on an actual bed instead of Matt’s couch. But don’t tell him I said that.”

“You know I’m still here, right?”

Vivien cracked an eye open. “I did not know that. Thank you for all of your help Matty. Your couch was very comfortable. I will see you next week for bridge.”

“I don’t even know how to play that game.”

“Neither do I, so we’re on even ground.”

Matt just sighed, holding his arms out for her. Half-reluctant to move, Vivien dragged herself off the couch and ended up in a tight hug from Matt. His arms wrapped around her like an octopus, and she realized he was really going to miss her a second before he said it.

“It won’t be the same without you.”

“Well you’ll still see me on weekends. The only difference will be that we’re in costume. And also fighting for our lives.”

“I don’t suppose I could convince you to quit, could I?” Matt let her go, taking a few steps back.

“Not a chance.”

“That’s kind of what I thought you would say. Be good. Don’t do anything extra stupid.”

“No promises, Murdock.”

“Goodbye, Vivien.”

“Goodbye, Matty.” She smiled softly, waving him off.

Matt headed out the door, and Vivien heaved a sigh.

“I hate goodbyes.”

“Everyone does, I think,” Karen mumbled sleepily.

“K, you can’t sleep on the couch. You’ll mess up your back.”

“I can live with that.”

“Come on.” Vivien tugged at her arm, and Karen whined. “What will get you to move?”

“Tell me about your day at school,” she demanded.

“My day at school?”

“Yes. Responsible guardians generally ask that sort of thing.”

Vivien rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m aware. It was extremely unremarkable. I did make a friend though so you can be proud of me for that.”

“Oh yeah?” That seemed to catch Karen’s interest, and she opened her eyes, sitting up straight. “Who?”

“You have to get up and go to bed first. Then I’ll tell you. Like a bedtime story.”

“Who’s the guardian here anyway?” Karen complained. Nevertheless, she stood, padding her way into her bedroom and her bed. “Spill.”

“Just some guy on the bus. His name is Hunter. James Hunter.”

“Wait, James Hunter like, almost beat you for top of the class last year James Hunter?” Karen asked.

Vivien’s eyes narrowed. “Yes. I still haven’t forgiven him for that.”

“I know. You still talk about it. You guys are friends now?”

“Well, it’s more like I’m his project. He said he would help me get Brannigan off my back. It’s a friendship of convenience.”

Karen giggled. “So you could say you’re friends with benefits?”

Vivien stared. “You need to go to sleep.”

“Maybe. But I’m not wrong.”

“The benefit is health insurance, Karen. And a 401K.”

“If you say so,” she sing-songed.

Vivien responded by throwing a pillow at her.

“Hey!”

“I’m going to bed. I’ll see you when you’re willing to be reasonable.” Vivien started her walk out to the hallway, heading to her own bed.

“Tell me more about your boyfriend tomorrow!”

“He’s not my boyfriend!” The frustrated face plant she did into her pillow might have said otherwise though.

Moving in with Karen was quite possibly a terrible mistake.

#as the raven flies #frank castle #frank #castle #punisher #oc #queue #karen page #karen #page #matt murdock #matt #murdock #daredevil #mcu #marvel #defenders

[2traveldads-blog]

 A few weeks ago we shared some stories of our friends who have spent time in the NICU working with NICU nurses as part of our partnership with Huggies. We have some more cool programs to share today that are all about some relatively unknown needs within our community and others. As part of Huggies No Baby Unhugged we have encountered one of the most intense operations we’ve seen when it comes to community support: the National Diaper Bank Network, which Huggies became a founding sponsor for in 2011.

For so many of us, we are aware there are countless families in our communities in need and oftentimes we don’t know where that need actually is or how to help. We visited WestSide Baby in Southwest Seattle and learned so much about the people of the Seattle area that we never knew. We learned about the needs of families just settling in the area and about families who come upon unfathomable hard times and just need support of the basics. The National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN) connects and helps launch community organizations supporting these families and I’ll tell you, visiting a location and hearing the stories really opened my eyes about those just outside of our little world.

What is the National Diaper Bank Network?

The National Diaper Bank Network is so much more than it sounds. Yes, it is a place for awesome companies like Huggies to donate diapers and supplies for families in need, but it’s also an amazing resource for diaper banks within each community. We spent time at WestSide Baby here in our own community and learned about all of the different ways they support the entire Puget Sound area. From diapers newborn to size 6, to Huggies Little Swimmers and GoodNites, or even car seats and strollers, diaper banks are an incredible resource for families who’ve either come on tough times or are just starting out without the means to fully support themselves.

The goal of WestSide Baby is to provide essential items to children in need when their caregivers and families are struggling; to keep them safe, warm and dry.

In talking with Nancy and Toni at WestSide Baby I came to really understand how thorough and intense of a process their support is. Providers, such as community social services or nonprofits like the YWCA, work with individuals who come in looking for some form of assistance, maybe not even knowing what is available to them. At WestSide Baby, the social worker or staff of one of the programs will work with an individual or a family to determine what their needs are.

The social worker determines what supplies are needed, then they will use an online system to actually complete an order request.  The diaper bank, or in our case WestSide Baby, will process the order and fill it to the best of their ability. Volunteers go through they’re small warehouse of diapers, supplies, children’s clothing, books, and newborn equipment to put together bundles addressing basic needs.

Note:  sometimes a request comes through with supplies that the diaper bank doesn’t have enough of. In that case, the provider (nurse or social worker) oftentimes will fill that gap out of their own pocket, much like teachers will do when they can’t get enough school supplies for their classrooms.

Supporting communities within communities

So, who is it in our community that is receiving this life-changing support?  Sometimes it’s a young single mom in need of newborn diapers and supplies to get a new baby started in life; sometimes the request is putting together clothes, diapers, and books and games for an entire family of refugees coming to the area with nothing.

Another example of who is supported through the National Diaper Bank Network may be single parents, or somebody leaving their former home situation due to domestic violence or other emergency circumstances. Really, it’s difficult to capture how many different people and situations in the community are being supported.

A moment that really stuck with me as we were looking at different orders was this: some orders were for families with two or three kids needing a variety of children’s clothing sizes, a few orders were very simple, and then we saw a request for a refugee family that has not even arrived yet but whose family has proactively asked for support. They are supposed to arrive in the next two months and already, WestSide Baby is working with somebody to ensure that family has the essential goods for a safe start when they arrive in the Seattle area.

Some of the stories we talked about today really tugged on my heart, both as a dad and as a member of the Puget Sound Community. We have such a happy household sometimes it is difficult to imagine people just beyond our door who are struggling.

Note:  WestSide Baby completes 600 to 700 orders per week to be distributed all around Western King County (Seattle area). It’s inspiring how many lives are touched by this amazing crew and the donations they distribute.

How does Huggies help babies through the NDBN?

In 2011, Huggies became a founding sponsor of the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN), with WestSide Baby being a part since its inception. With the growth of the NDBN and individual locations, such as WestSide Baby growing on their own, it became important for those individual locations to establish a diverse support base beyond founding financial contributions. Since the NDBN began, countless individual contributors, local businesses and larger corporations have been able to really make a difference in thousands of people’s lives annually.

When it comes to the diaper side of things, the numbers, and I don’t like to share numbers, but the numbers blew me away. The need is huge. Last year WestSide Baby here in Seattle supplied families with 1.4 million diapers. What’s shocking about that though is that if they were able to supply diapers to everybody in our area who is below the poverty line or the line that’s considered for social assistance, 22 million diapers would have been needed to diaper all those growing babies. That’s just incredible.

Note:  diapers don’t fall into government assistance programs, such as WIC, which is why the diaper bank is so crucial to supporting families.

Supporting life changing community organizations

It might seem strange to think of a place like WestSide Baby or any other National Diaper Bank Network member location as a life-changing spot but it totally is. In Huggies and the NDBN’s new study, Diaper Need and Its Impact on U.S. Families, 57% miss work or school due to a lack of sufficient diapers required by childcare, day care or early education programs to care for a baby or toddler. As a result, parents experiencing diaper need missed an average of four days of work or school in the past month. It means that you can’t go out and get a job if you’re unable to leave your child in another’s care set up to have a healthy, dry day. That’s why the NDBN and local diaper banks are so life-changing for so many.

One of the resources the NDBN distributes to families

How can you help?

There are so many ways to help when it comes to organizations such as the National Diaper Bank Network.  Of course, there are always the amazingly helpful ways of making financial contributions if you are able, but there are also ways that you can donate your time. WestSide Baby and other diaper banks always need volunteers to sort through donations and to fill orders that will go out into the community. If you’ve got a knack for folding baby clothes, great! If you live to organize books alphabetically or diapers by size, then there is a job for you! If you’re one of those people who is incredible at getting others to take action from the ground up, starting a diaper drive in your workplace or working with community businesses to do a larger diaper drive would be something you could do. Truly, the possibilities are endless.

Over 200 million diapers and wipes have been donated by Huggies, but the need goes on.

If only everybody could have the experience we had today, going in and talking with volunteers and seeing what happens at the ground level. It was eye-opening and inspiring.

Helpful links to support the National Diaper Bank Network

To locate a National Diaper Bank Network member near you, visit nationaldiaperbanknetwork.org

To support WestSide Baby serving the communities of Western Washington, visit westsidebaby.org

To donate your Huggies Rewards or sign up for the program, visit huggies.com/NoBabyUnhugged

Huggies – the fastest growing diaper brand in U.S. hospitals – believes deeply in the Power of Hugs, which is why every diaper and wipe are inspired by a parent’s embrace. The Huggies No Baby Unhugged program helps ensure all babies get the hugs they need to thrive by supporting hugging programs in hospitals and donating diapers across the country. Learn how you can help at Huggies.com/NoBabyUnhugged. #HuggiesCouncil #ad

Supporting the National Diaper Bank Network: Huggies No Baby Unhugged  A few weeks ago we shared some stories of our friends who have spent time in the NICU working with NICU nurses as part of our partnership with Huggies.

#community #Huggies #Huggies Hugs Back #National Diaper Bank Network #No Baby Unhugged #volunteering