There’s a new game in town that allows you to share your “kindness” and watch it multiply into the world  by using a 26 card deck of Boom Boom! cards.

Feeling generous, kind, or very humanitarian?  Perhaps that’s what the creators of Boom Boom! cards were thinking when they launched their universal “kit for a social revolution”  that enables card holders to do a good deed and pass on some good karma at the same time.

“We’re trying to incite a global revolution of kindness powered by Boom Boom! cards,” says Mary Beth Campbell, one of the Co- founders.

Mary Beth Campbell, Co-Founder Boom Boom!

The cards have individual acts of kindness written on them such as “Give five genuine compliments in one day”, or “If someone in line in front of you is short a few cents, reach in your pocket and help them out” and even a “Wildcard” where you can execute an act of kindness of your choice .

“Like a boomerang, we believe whatever thoughts, actions or words you put out into the world eventually finds their way back to you,” she said.

The cards  make a great gift  for yourself or someone you think really wants to see more good deeds and kindness in our every day lives.  Boom Boom! Cards are meant to generate social change  and transform the world one purposeful act of kindness at a time.

Here’s how you play Boom Boom!

Kit: Cards, card sack, pad, pencil

First,  register your deck of cards on the website at www.boomboomcards.com so that a card can be tracked as it moves from person to person or state to state.

Then choose a card and do the act as suggested (buy a stranger a cup of coffee for example); after that leave a Boom Boom! sticky note for the person you Boom Boom’d, either signing your name or leaving it anonymously;next,  log onto the website to share your adventure and finally pass the card on to someone else so that the act can be repeated.

By logging your experiences with the Boom Boom! cards online you are sharing with others your purposeful act of kindness.   The hope is to see your acts of kindness replicate themselves across the globe. This is a new take on “Reach out and touch!”

There are three editions  of cards; the Original Edition, Teen Edition and Sustainability Edition.  It’s a revolution!  Be a part of the Boom Boom! society.  Remember, you get back what you give!

A format for donating to charitable causes through the use of the cards is being planned,  Mary Beth told me when I met her at a media event and she along with co-founder, Helene Scott, were excited about the great feedback after the cards were featured in the Emmy Awards Gift Lounge.

Got kindness?  Get Boom Boom! Cards and share the innate altruism that lives in all of us.  www.boomboomrevolution.com

Mabel's Labels

School just started and the kids are leaving home with lunch bags, book bags, water bottles, gym clothes and other supplies.   Now is the time to use Mabel’s Labels to make sure that everything that goes to school, comes home from school.

In addition to the older kids and all their school gear, Mabel’s Labels are perfect for the toddler who goes to daycare or preschool. You can label the bottles, toys, shoes and  clothes with the super durable, indestructible labels and not have to worry about missing stuff  according to Tricia Mumby, one of the mom owners of the Canadian based company.

Labels, labels, labels

Mumby, whom I met in New York City at a new product event, says they worked on the labels for over two years before they launched the company making sure that the labels could withstand microwaves, dishwashers and  the laundry.

Not only are the iron on clothing labels perfect for school uniforms or gym clothes, but they also have sticky labels for shoes which are meant to fit on the insole and help a preschooler identify his shoes;  Bag Tags are metal tags used for labeling diaper bags, school bags or luggage and the Teeny Tags which are smaller copies of the bag tags can be used on a backpack or lunch bag.

Bag Tags

The labels I liked best and put to use myself are the Skinny Mini’s!
If you have cameras, tape recorders, a cell phone or anything else that could get lost in the shuffle, having a skinny mini is the assurance you need. Hey, even adults need to label sometimes!

Labels on camera, microphone

Kathy Dow mini's

All labels can be personalized with names up to 20 characters and in your choice of colors. For the kids a favorite sports icon or one of the other icons help make identifying their belongings easier.

The company also has what they’ve labeled a “Neat Freak Combo”  that include the Crafter Pack, Cord Control and Curbside labels. You can organize your entire household with this pack.

There’s only a few days left for the September Back to School Combo pack which includes tag mates, 40 skinny minis, 16 shoe labels and two teeny tags for only $39. Check out their website at www.Mabel.ca and place an order that will help you and your kids keep your things coming back home.

Imagine a scene of school kids grabbing at a pile of backpacks, book bags, shoes, water bottles….now imagine Mabel’s Labels.  It can make things a lot easier can’t it?

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JTB Concept Box

Imagine a new baby, what a joy and a job!  The  joy  is in watching them take their first steps and discover new things every day while the job is keeping them safe, even from their own toys. 

Help doing just that has arrived in the form of Jade’s Toy Box.

Parents Angelique and Robby Ledoux got the scare of their lives when they discovered a couple of “manufacturer recalled” toys in their daughter Jade’s toybox.  A swift clean up, some research and a dedication to tackle the problem of toy safety for  all children became their focused mission.

Their solution? A new business, aptly named Jade’s Toybox, packaging safe, educational, eco-friendly books, games and toys.   All toys pass the safety test of the CPSCIA guidelines and provide parents with cool tools to teach. These toys take childs play back to old school days when imagination ruled over television.

Jade’s Toy Boxes come in three sizes:  the Baby box for newborns to 18 months; Toddler box for 18 months to three years and the Preschool box for munchkins three to six years old. The prepackaged goody boxes are perfect as gifts for new parents, teetering toddlers or preschoolers. 

There are cute themes for every box, like The Bambino Box for babies which includes a starter library and a bedtime buddy.  

The Toddler boxes feature themes such as The Daily Grind which helps children learn time management skills and includes an activity clock, calendar and visual schedule cards. This helps them  learn how to transition from one activity to another and who can’t use that when trying to move a toddler along durng the day?

For preschoolers themes include the Moodie Foodie, a box that encourages the finicky eater and Too Cool for Preschool which is packed with items to give a headstart on preschool learning.

For Jade’s Toy Box the Ledouxs research the safest and best quality products on the market, provide free resources, offer ideas and tips and keep parents informed and updated about toy ratings .

Get schooled with the Ledouxs about what’s good in your child’s toy box at www.jadestoybox.com.

More contact information on Kathy’s List.

SixtyFive Roses

If you’ve got a reader in your life, then there’s nothing like giving a great book as a gift. Last month I went to the Good Causes and Celebrity Connections Media Expo in New York City and there I met the author of a recently released book entitled SixtyFive Roses.

Because I’m an author too (www.lowdowndirtyspot.com) I always like to stop and get a review of any new book just out on the market. (Uh, yes, that was a shameless plug for my book, Low-Down Dirty Words, in case you’re in the market for a children’s book. It’s subject matter is timeless: reminding us to be kind to one another.)

SixtyFive Roses, written by Heather SummerHayes Cariou is a memoir of Cariou’s life with her younger sister who was stricken by Cystic Fibrosis (a mispronunciation of those intimidating words led to the title of this book). I’ll just tell you this much, it’s a touching tale of love and admiration between sisters. Get ready for a tear jerker.

I had a chance to speak to the author about the book and what it means to her to have a chance to tell the story of her family’s struggle with the disease that eventually took the life of her baby sister. She was estactic to have the opportunity to share her story. This is a revealing love story. Pick it up for someone that might be affected by this disease or someone who is struggling with sadness because a loved one is stricken.

Perhaps you might just want to buy the book and give it to the compassionate reader in your family. It’s really a good read. (If I had Oprah’s Midas touch this would become a best seller immediately, but for right now Cariou will have to settle for help from KathyDowDiscovers.)