This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #40Pounds #CollectiveBias

You’ve probably seen the phrase of “Believe There Is Good In The World” floating around, with emphasis on the “Be The Good”. I love it, and it’s really so powerful, especially with all the bad that is happening in the world right now. It’s so easy to only see the bad, to only see violence and hatred. But we need to remember that there IS good in the world, and that WE can be that good.

Over the summer, we spent a week at Lake Tahoe with Kyle’s family (his parents, 3 brothers and their spouses, and our 8 nieces and nephews). It was so much fun! One of the first evenings we were all together, Kyle’s parents had us all sit together for a family council, in which they talked to us about this very thing — about how we can be the good. They told us that they’d like to make it our family theme, or motto, and gave everyone a framed printable to display in our homes. They also introduced the idea of a warm fuzzy jar – each day while we were there, we would look for someone doing something kind for someone else, and then that person could put a warm fuzzy in the jar. Our goal was to have the jar filled by our last day, and if we met that goal, Grandpa (my father-in-law) would buy us all a treat. This idea was so much fun! The kids in our family (our nieces and nephews plus our own 2) range in age from 12 to less than a year, with the majority falling between the ages of 4-9, so it was a lot of fun to see them pointing out nice things that each other were doing, or hearing the little ones say something like “I get a warm fuzzy!” and get so excited to throw their cup away, or give their cousin a hug. And as adults, we even had a good time getting in on it! If someone changed a baby’s diaper, we’d say something like, well that deserves 2 warm fuzzies, or something funny like that. It really built a sense of community between family members, and of course, it really encouraged us to be the good in the world, and serve each other.

Since coming home, Kyle’s parents have emailed us little challenges each month in an effort to keep this theme going. One month was the challenge to be the good to someone you don’t know — so we were supposed to do something nice for a stranger. Another month it was to be the good in our family — which focused on the kids doing something nice for their parents. Each month we do a google hangout session together, where we share what we did, and Kyle’s parents introduce the next month’s theme and challenge. It’s been so great to watch our kids (well, Abe) and our nieces and nephews learn how to focus on the good in the world, and learn how to serve our fellow man.

I love the idea of a warm fuzzy jar, like we used at Lake Tahoe, and have started to use it in our own little family. All you need to do is this:

1. Grab your container of choice, anything you’d like to decorate it with, and some warm fuzzies.
2. Decorate your container.
3. Start to utilize your warm fuzzy jar!

Ta-da! A warm fuzzy jar for you to utilize in your family. Of course you don’t need to offer a reward or incentive for filling the jar up (like we did in Tahoe). You can change and create a warm fuzzy jar tradition that works for you and your family.  And I hope you have fun with it.

This time of year is crazy. The back-to-school craze leads into the routines of homework and extra-curriculars, and that leads right into the busy holiday season. That’s one reason I love the warm fuzzy jar – it’s an easy way to help our kids take a minute to help recognize that it’s important to serve others. Heck, it’s an easy way to remind myself of that! There can be an air of entitlement surrounding both back to school and the holidays – but when we think about what truly matters and what we truly need – like the water that we take for granted! –  we will find that our material wants slip away, and are replaced with the want to serve. And then we can get out and find ways to serve. Serve our families, serve our friends, serve our communities, and serve the world. And it will become a part of us – more than a habit, but a part of who we are. That’s what I want to do by implementing the warm fuzzy jar in my home, to instill the love of service in my children, so that they can be the good in the world.

That’s one reason I love Emergen-C’s partnership with charity:water. Currently women and girls in Ethiopia have to walk up to 3 hours a day to get the water their family needs. EACH DAY! And the weight of a full can that these women carry water in is 4o pounds when filled. 40 POUNDS! And this water that they bring to their homes isn’t even clean or safe to drink. It breaks my heart.

But what can we do? How can we help? It’s one thing to want to serve others, but sometimes it’s hard to know how. Emergen-C’s partnership with charity:water makes it easy to help the families in Ethiopia. First, take a picture of yourself holding anything heavy or that is around 40 pounds. Then, upload it to Instagram or Twitter, with the hashtag #40Pounds, and tag @emergenc. Through October 31st, Emergen-C will donate $5 to charity:water for every picture that is uploaded, that follows those terms, to help fund projects that bring clean, accessible water to communities in Ethiopia. This is an easy way we can help bring clean water to those in need. (Read more here.) All we need to do is snap a picture. This is an easy way to “Be The Good” and help those in need.

I think it’s awesome that Emergen-C has created this partnership. Emergen-C is something I like to keep on hand, especially during these cold, winter months. Emergen-C® is packed with B vitamins, antioxidants†, electrolytes plus more vitamin C than 10 oranges^. With over 20 flavors, you have plenty of delicious varieties to choose from. I pick mine up at Walmart, in the vitamin and supplement aisle, when I’m doing my weekly shopping trip there. Emergen-C: Emerge and See. Emerge restored. Emerge replenished. Emerge Fortified*.

So please, let’s all join the challenge together! You can post on social media today, and help those girls in Ethiopia return to school, boost their self-esteem, and create healthier communities for them and their families. Here’s the picture that I’m sharing today for the #4oPounds Challenge. To be sure, Abe isn’t quite 40 pounds yet, but he’s still plenty heavy for me to carry around, even for a short amount of time. The fact that women and girls carry jugs of water heavier than him for long periods of time every day is terrible. So I’m glad that I can help, even just a tiny bit.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
^Based on the USDA.gov nutrient database value for a large, raw orange.
† Zinc and Manganese.