I remember one particularly difficult holiday season when my ex and I had both lost our jobs and found out that we would have to move from the place we were renting. This would have been hard enough to handle, but the fact that we had 4 children and that the holidays were approaching made the situation even more desperate.

That year, the Salvation Army helped us out financially and they also bought the kids Christmas gifts. I felt very humbled by the whole thing, and yet so very grateful too.

This year, when we were shopping, I saw the familiar red kettle at our local Walmart. The Salvation Army worker standing at the kettle was singing his own jazzed up version of the Christmas carols and ringing the bell loudly. My son stopped and clapped and danced alongside the kettle for a while! I gave him some change to put in the kettle and he was so thrilled! The man stopped his singing and said, ?God bless you child. Have a most wonderful Christmas.? Then he went back to singing and ringing his bell, and we continued on to the store.

I was surprised to learn that the Salvation Army is also using other methods to boost donations. In Atlanta, GA and Columbus, OH, donors can use cell phones to text $5 to the Salvation Army. Text the letters TSA to 90999 in Atlanta; in Columbus, text KETTLE to 90999.

The Online Red Kettle program allows anyone to set up a virtual kettle on their website and gather donations from friend, family, and website visitors. Facebook members can add widgets to their pages to solicit donations too. You can also follow the Red Kettle Campaign progress on Twitter. Of course, you can always go old school and donate in person like we did.

In 2007, the Salvation Army helped 29 million people in the United States alone with over $118 million it received from the Red Kettle Campaign. This year, requests for help have increased and officials are hoping to be able to help as many people as possible.

Do you think using social networking like Twitter and Facebook is a good way to increase donations? Would you donate via these methods? Have you every donated to a cause via texting?

Babies need so many clothes, and they grow out of them so fast! What can you do with all those teeny onesies, pants, dresses and shirts?

The first thing that comes to mind is to save them for the next baby. Plastic bins or boxes are the best thing to store baby clothes in, or those plastic bags you zip up and suck all the air out with a vacuum cleaner. Store them somewhere in the house, not the garage or basement, to keep them dry and away from creepy-crawlies. The law of the universe, however, dictates that if you keep all your little boy clothes from your firstborn, the next baby will be a girl, and vice versa. It’s a good way to choose the sex of your next baby!

And if this little one completes your family? Women’s shelters, and teen maternity homes are usually in need of clean, good condition baby clothes, toys and supplies. Look in your telephone book, or contact your local United Way for a referral to a local charity.

Are you a crafty mom? Or can’t you bear to get rid of those tiny onesies? Why not turn those little clothes into a memory quilt? Ticche & Bea sell a $35 kit with all you need to make a quilt from baby clothes. Or, for an extra $40, they’ll make it for you.