Category: MUCHNESS BANDS & MUCHNESS MERCH

Finding my voice

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Tonight I went to a local event hosted by a non-profit called NechamaComfort.

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NechamaComfort is a Jewish pregnancy and infant loss support group started by Reva Judas, whom I met when she reached out to me after seeing the Muchness Bands featured in a local paper.
This event was designed to help the community understand the complexities of pregnancy and baby loss so they can be better prepared to understand and help when it occurs to those they love.
At the end of the event, I raised my hand and shared that today is International Bereaved Mothers Day. And then I asked if I could read something I wrote for the day. It is posted on PowerOfMother.com
The response was amazing.
I never feel regret after sharing my voice. I only regret that I don’t do it even more.
Please check out my post.
A mother is a mother
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Doing good feels great. Help me do more of it.

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I’m so stoked and I wanna share it anywhere I can that maybe will help me connect with friends who will help me!! As many of you know, I recently ran an indiegogo campaign to raise $$ to make a deck of cards called the “30 Day Deck Of Muchness Moments” Even AFTER meeting the goal, the support is STILL coming in and I am SO EXCITED!!!!

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So, here’s what’s going on…

I was so overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone, and because of one anonymous donation that went a long way towards helping us reach the goal, I’ve decided to pay it forward. In addition to donating at least 20 decks to The TTTS Support Team to be included in the care packages to moms that have suffered a loss due to TTTS, I am currently working on connecting with the correct people at a few NY & NJ based Children’s hospitals so I can go there and hand-deliver decks of cards to the moms of kids battling cancer and other heartbreaking diagnosis. Just a small way to share a little bit of light and Muchness with people who could probably use it…

The campaign ends in 5 short days.

Any additional funds I raise in the next 5 days will just go directly to increasing my print quantity so I can make MORE decks to donate!!
I’m really just bursting inside… so filled with gratitude and excitement to be able to do this…

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I’ve updated the campaign page to indicate my new goal / plan and I want to have a shit-ton of decks to donate so PLEASE share this with your friends and social networks… encourage them to purchase because I know they are going to love the cards and you’re all going to love watching the impact they make because I’m going to share this whole journey as it keeps unfolding! You’ll be able to see all the places and people we’re able to impact with these decks of Muchness Moments!!

Here’s a status update. Just Copy & Paste it into your feed:

Check out these inspirational cards my friend Tova Muchness Gold has created! She’s planning to donate them to moms of kids with cancer. The more she raises the more she can donate! Please support & share! http://www.indiegogo.com/30DayDeck1/

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These cards are awesome + they are going to babyloss moms & moms of kids in the hospital. http://www.indiegogo.com/30DayDeck1/   Please support & share! 

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I only wish I could buy more of these… I want to give a deck to every woman I know! + they benefit a great cause! Check it out! http://www.indiegogo.com/30DayDeck1/   Please support & share! 

ARE YOU A TWEETER? Tweet it out, Yo.

would love to give these cards to every woman I know + they benefit a great cause! http://www.indiegogo.com/30DayDeck1/

SHARE THE LOVE + SHARE THE MUCHNESS!!!!!

Thank You again…
xox, Tova

30 Day Deck of Muchness Moments!

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I’m so excited to share with you the 30 Day Deck of Muchness Moments cards that I’ve been working on!!!

WooooHoooo!!!!! (I know…. it’s all so very exciting! Right?!?!)

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These cards are designed to be a fun, interactive way for you to tap into your Muchness Moments… ya know, those moments that pop into your day where you feel light and joy from the inside…. those moments that are so easy to overlook if you’re not paying attention to them….

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Cuz here’s the facts…. it’s really easy to overlook the good stuff.

It’s really easy to get hung up on all the bad shit that goes wrong on any given day. It’s really easy to bitch and moan about the little things that are annoying and lame and generally just move way. too. slow.

I know because I am a Grade A complainer. I know. True Confession. Shhhh.

BUT…

(Yes, that’s right, it’s a big but.) 

…turns out YOU have control over the little things. It’s all about perception. You can actually train your brain to tune into the GOOD shit that pops up in your day. Revolutionary, right?

How do you do that? PRACTICE.

Just like wearing 7″ platforms, it just takes practice. And that’s what these cards are designed to do. They are designed to help you practice seeing the good stuff. Because life happens in the little moments. and YOU decide which ones you’re seeing.

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Please head on over to our Indiegogo campaign and pre-buy these cards for yourself and your favorite people. They are priced well below our actual retail price PLUS there’s like, tons of add-on bonuses that make them Super-muchtastic! If we don’t meet our goal, I can’t make the cards and then there’s gonna be lots of muchless, sad faced people moping around…. including you! (Though you will get your $ back)

So, Please do what you can to help us spread Muchness!!!! Share the campaign, share the site, take a 30 Day Muchness Challenge! Be a hero, Be Muchtastic. You Rock!

 

I have the key to happiness. I’ve had it all along.

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Last week my younger brother got up in front of 200 or so people and made a speech at his newborn sons Bris. He talked about a bunch of things I won’t bore you with. The thing that knocked me on the forehead and said “Hello!” is what I’ve sat down to share with you today.

My brother is actually my half brother. My mom married my stepdad when I was 5 years old and together they had 3 kids. 2 younger brothers with a sister sandwiched in the middle. This was the older younger brother. The younger younger brother’s baby boys Bris was on sunday. 😀

My stepfather died when I was 14. His kids were 2, 5 and 7. Both of my new nephews were named for their grandfather, my stepfather. Baby boys receive their names at their bris and hearing them call their sons by their father’s name was really beautiful.

In my brother’s speech he spoke about a magnet my mom, who’d been widowed at 35 with us 5 kids, has had on the refrigerator for just about as long as I can remember.

It reads:

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“Most people are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

This is a sentiment which, when life is in the middle of shitting on you, can make you wanna take a magnet and hurl it out a window.

But somehow, after years of reading that line over and over and over again, every time we reached for a soda or an apple or a roasted chicken leg, it seems to now truly define a large part of what believe about ourselves as adults.

The Muchness was born from my decision to make up my mind to be happier. All the self-help gurus and happiness coaches in the world always basically come back to this core belief.

“Most people are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

Sure, they each provide different tools to get you there: affirmations, meditation, gratitude, kindness towards others, goal setting etc. etc. etc. My tool? Sparkle. To each his own. And yes, it’s possible that other stuff kinda works too….

But ultimately, it boils down to this: It’s not about waiting to be happy, it’s about making up your mind to be.

Thank You mom for the lesson. I want to teach it to my kids, every time they reach into the fridge for a chocolate pudding, because I see now how well it’s served us. So I made a muchy magnet and because I love to share what makes me feel muchy. you can get one too.

Click for it. 

How Muchtastic is that?

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Muchness when it matters. Fundraising for a friend

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I want to raise money to help my friend and Muchness Challenge alum- Shannon.

Shannon is a TTTS mom. She lost her daughters Anna and Claire about two years ago after two laser surgeries to try and save them.

Four months ago she gave birth to her rainbow baby Zane. Since before he was born, Zane has been having medical issues that have surprised and confused his team of doctors. He’s spent much of his life in the hospital, undergoing multiple surgeries, including one for neuroblastoma, while his doctors explore reasons, explanations and diagnosis for his complicated and heartbreaking medical issues.

Now, upon their most recent potential diagnosis of Opsoclonus Myoclonus Ataxia Syndrome, a disease spo rare it affects only 1 in 10,000,000 annually, Shannon, who has 3 other young children, must travel to seek the care of a specialist. She’s started a fundraiser to try and cover their travel expenses and I’m asking for your help to raise some money.

If you have been thinking of buying a Muchness band for yourself or as a holiday gift, please click HERE to purchase.

For every band sold, I will donate $15 to Shannon’s fundraiser.

Click here to purchase a Muchness Band & Donate

Click here to donate directly.

Shannon, seen here wearing her Muchness band as a necklace, with some Muchy bracelets she won in a Muchness Contest last year – has been a big supporter of The Muchness and I hope I can raise a nice amount of money to tack onto my own donation.

You can read more about Zane’s journey on Shannon’s new blog ZaneLeland

Thanks so much for your support.

Zane’s Fundraiser

Muchness Band I wanted to share…

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Don’t you just love this custom quote from a recent Muchness Band Order?

“All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost,
The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost.” -J.R. Tolkien

I love it, and am proud that a portion of the proceeds from the sale will go to Sandy relief efforts.

If you’re thinking of ordering (The most thoughtful and inspiring gifts of ALL TIME) Muchness Bands as Holiday Gifts for your loved ones, please place your orders earlier rather than later. They can take a couple of days to print, pack and ship and I want to make sure you get your gifts in plenty of time for the holidays!!

If you haven’t yet seen the new packaging, here’s a pic. Custom designed and ready to slip into a stocking!

Go check them out in the Finding My Muchness Shop!

…..and, I’m back!!

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FINALLY MY INTERNET CONNECTION IS BACK!!!!!

It has been a while since I’ve been able to sit down at my computer and write to you, and boy did I miss it. For about a week after the storm we had no power. We were blessed to have friends with a generator who housed us for a few days. It was great to sit with my friend Gina and no distracting internet and discuss the myriad of ways we plan to create more charity and fundraising efforts around The Muchness. That’s really what this is about. When you realize how fleeting life is, who wants to spend it just taking, taking, taking?

The MUCHNESS fills my heart because it is a way for me to use

my gifts to give back and help others.

Certainly this storm and all the heartache it brought with it drove that point home.

This past weekend, before our power came back, we were at my mothers. For dinner she had a family over whose power had not yet been restored and were staying in their cold, dark house. The conversation turned to “What do you do?” and I replied, my usual – “I have a community website and I make inspirational accessories to help women re-find their joy after grief or trauma.” and the woman replied, “Oh, I could really use some of that after this storm.” My brother piped in “Oh- it’s not this kind of trauma…” and I stopped him. Yes. It is.

There are Muchness Stealers all around us, all the time. They don’t have to be as heartbreaking as baby loss or infertility- though, for some, this storm may have been.

So, how does one stay Muchy in the face of such acute disaster?

Gratitude.

As the storm beat the hell out of our region, and in the days of frigid darkness that followed, I found myself constantly counting my blessings. That we were safe, our family intact, our house dry and still standing. I thought about those that had suffered much greater losses than us, and those that live in areas of the world where a storm of this magnitude might affect people who live in poverty and don’t have a roof over their head to protect them, let alone having to worry about the lights going off.

I want to do my part.

From now until November 15th-  The 2nd Annual International Muchness Day- I will be donating 50% of all Muchness Band proceeds to local Sandy relief organizations.

Any Color. Any length. Click HERE to view the collection.

Muchness Bands. Little Bits of Light To Help You Find Your Way Through Darkness.®

PS- Stay tuned for my upcoming post in Still Standing Magazine with the nitty gritty details of how this storm really made my gratitude meter swell…. I’ll drop you a note when it’s published.

PPS- Yes, You DID read that correctly! The 2nd Annual Muchness Day is upon us! I have a really great idea & contest planned that I’ll be sharing in the next day or two…

 

 

Tova’s Muchness Pic of the Day + Muchness Hunting!

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This past weekend I went to a Bar Mitzvah and I wore some super Muchtastic Muchness:

Because I got a bunch of compliments and was told I looked like a breath of fresh air, (and because it’s fun for me :-)) I went looking online for similar Muchy looks to share with you!!

Check it out!

 

 

 

 

Love this- I think it’s so fun and forgiving.
DKNY Short Sleeve Sequin Shift Dress by DKNY – $276

 

 

 

 

SHOES!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course, My Muchness Band!

 

 

Balance… Something I’ve been looking for a lot lately. (Especially on that chair. 😉 )

 

Brain Farts.

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I’ve been having a lot of them lately and they are making it hard to sit and write about all the muchness that is actually happening all around me- Big things, from working on MUCHNESS TV(!!!!!) to little things, like how incredible the gourmet chocolate shop, neuhaus, in the mall was. And the more I try to get to the bottom of this case of mental flatulence, the worse it gets.

It is also August. The shadow of September looms in these warm months. I am missing the twins a lot. Thinking about them. I wonder if it would be different if I’d chosen a different path after they died. If I did what so many people try to do- take that pain, lock it in a box, and move forward, never to speak of it in polite company. If I didn’t create this beautiful project as a tribute to them, if I didn’t create a place for me to speak of them. Maybe I’d think of them less? Maybe I’d be further along in my grief? Further Behind?

Anyway, hoping that just releasing some of my feelings will, um, release some of my feelings so I can get back in the swing of things. Because really, things are swinging!

Today I went to the Mall. Not a place I head to frequently but I needed to pickup some Thank You Cards and knew Papyrus would have some super Muchy ones (I was right)

…and a whole host of other Muchtastic glittery cards!

I was feeling sorta ‘ehhh’ about all the stuff I mentioned above when this chocolate shop caught my eye.

OMG— I loved how they just filled these cases with perfectly perfect mounds of mini chocolates all lined up just so perfectly. I walked in and the woman that worked there gave me this one to try. I thought it was poetic, since it was actually sparkly! I’ve never seen sparkly chocolate!

And if I tell you, that hint was devine!

So I bought two more and left the shop, only to be drawn into LUSH- that shop that sells all natural creams and lotions and potions and soaps.

So, this is why I never head to the mall. I always end up romanced into buying shit I never knew I wanted and didn’t know I needed. I walked into the store because the stuff looked beautiful and colorful and Muchy and I was needing a little of that.

Look- they even have gold bath salts!!

The women offered to give me a mini ‘treatment” on my hands using one of their rubs.

It felt nice.

It smelled good.

I bought it.

Then, they showed me their color wheel. She sat me down and spun the wheel while I held my eyes shut. She instructed me to open my eyes and select the three colors that I felt drawn to, today. Not my favorite colors,per sé, but the colors which grabbed me by the Muchness Meter. (My words. 😉 )

These are the three I selected:

She then “read” me my feelings for the day and kaboom! They were right on target!

After that, I told her about The Muchness Bands which ALSO have a color associated with a positive and inspiring feeling!!! I told her how when people wear their muchness bands they are reminded to look around for their Muchness Moments and see the light and positivity all around them!! (Are you a Member of the Finding My Muchness Community? Log in to your account for info on a special weekend sale on Muchness Bands!!!, Not a member, sign up now!!)

As I am wrapping up this post, I received a text from a friend telling me that this site has inspired her friend to do something huge!Love how the positive energy comes just when I need it the most!