Today’s Grommet – hand-embroidered nightgowns made by the Haiti Project – got us thinking about a Grommet we featured over the holidays, Containers to Clinics. You might recall that founder, Elizabeth Sheehan, visited us to tell us how about her creative solution for converting shipping containers into healthcare clinics to serve people around the world.
And then, the earthquake hit Haiti.
Containers to Clinics was one of many organizations to offer help. We’d like to share a letter we just received from Elizabeth about her organization’s plans to visit Port-au-Prince next week and bring one of their clinics to the country in the next few months:
Hello Daily Grommet Community,
Greetings in the New Year from Containers to Clinics (C2C). I wanted to update you on our C2C model and our work to bring sustainable healthcare services to women and children in underserved communities in the developing world.
At the end of 2009, C2C was pursing the opportunity to deploy the prototype container clinic to a community in the Dominican Republic. We conducted a feasibility assessment outside of Baní, DR, in September 2009 and began working with the Ministry of Health (both national and provincial) in an effort to support their health sector reform implementation and the extension of health posts to rural areas. Despite efforts to advance our options to pilot the C2C clinic model in the Dominican Republic, the MoH was not able to commit to a reliable and comprehensive supply chain for pharmaceuticals.
As our discussion entered into the New Year, the devastating earthquake struck Haiti and C2C was approached with a number of opportunities to deploy the prototype unit to Port-au-Prince. As always, our commitment to sustainable health systems informed our choices. Piloting the clinic in Port-au-Prince presents a different set of challenges, but also an opportunity to make an important contribution to the post-earthquake health crisis.
Our focus is and has always been on maternal and child health and primary and preventive care. Together with Americares, C2C will launch the pilot clinic in Haiti in May 2010.
While the Haitian Ministry of Health has experienced significant setbacks in the weeks and months after the earthquake, there are aid and relief organizations working to increase the MoH’s capacity and autonomy. C2C is collaborating closely the Health Cluster in Port-au-Prince to ensure that our efforts are responsive, collaborative, and aligned with the MoH’s reconstruction plans.
Americares will provide essential support to C2C’s pilot deployment. Americares will supply all pharmaceuticals and health commodities to the clinic for a period of three (3) years. We recognize that a fee-for-service model is not feasible in Haiti under the present circumstances, but this pilot program will allow C2C to refine our operational model, to learn about ways to improve the facility for future fabrications and – with a robust M&E protocol – we will seek the inputs and learnings that will enable us to fabricate and deploy additional clinics in the second half of 2010 and in 2011.
C2C designed the prototype clinic with the support of a broad stakeholder group, including leading public health practitioners, medical doctors, and international development specialists. The prototype clinic consists of two 8’x20’ shipping containers which have been retrofitted to allow for two patient consultation rooms, a pharmacy, and a laboratory. The mechanical and electrical systems have been designed for maximum versatility, so that this pilot (and future clinics) can be constructed to “plug in” to a variety of water and power scenarios.
C2C would be grateful for any support that can be given to our clinic production roll-out in Haiti.
At C2C, we believe that the high quality health care in both rural and resource-challenged areas is possible and that the lack of adequate delivery systems deprives people of access to healthcare – both treatment and education.
The health situation in Haiti is both grave and urgent and we are confident that the container clinic model is well-suited to disaster relief environments, because we offer a facility that can move with changing migration patterns and demographics. C2C is creating job opportunities for Haitians – we are not importing western medical or management personnel
We will be in Port-au-Prince from March 14th through March 19th to assess the optimal site for the clinic. I appreciate any financial assistance you’re able to offer.
Gratefully,
Elizabeth Sheehan
You can follow the progress of Containers2Clinics on their trip down to Haiti right on their blog: http://www.containers2clinics.org/
By Lindsay Ferrier of Suburban Turmoil
I don’t remember how I got him, or why, but somewhere around the time that I was seven or eight, LeMutt came into my life.
He was a stuffed dog with floppy arms and legs, yellow eyes, and the kind of fur that almost immediately took on a deliciously well-loved quality. I had never been all that attached to any one doll or animal before, so my affection for LeMutt took everyone by surprise. After all, there was nothing very special about him.
What can I say? He just felt right.
For the next four years, LeMutt accompanied me on car trips and vacations. He slept beside me in bed each night. During those years, everything was changing- my mom remarried, we moved from the town where I had lived my whole life, and I began seeing less and less of my father. I was changing, too, undergoing the slow metamorphosis from child into budding adult. But through it all, LeMutt was a reassuring constant, a soft, fuzzy presence that never failed to soothe me. He didn’t need anything from me. He didn’t make demands. He just was. And that was just what I needed.
At some point, like all girls, I grew too old for stuffed animals and LeMutt was put away with my other childhood toys. Years later, I sorted through my childhood memorabilia. I eagerly looked for LeMutt, but he was gone. I sifted through the toys again. All the dolls were there, along with bags and bags of plush toys, most of which I reluctantly threw away.
But no LeMutt.
It seems a little silly now, but I’ve never forgotten that loss. What on earth happened to LeMutt? Why didn’t he survive when so many of my toys with far less significance did? Was he my own personal Mary Poppins, sent with the understanding that he would only be around until I didn’t need him anymore? I wonder.
Because I wouldn’t mind having him around now, just to take out on occasion, when no one else is looking, to bury my face in his fur and smell that old familiar LeMutt smell, and to feel the familiar peace that only a favorite stuffed animal can bring.
When Jeanne asked if I would be interested in doing a Q&A with the band Dala I jumped at the opportunity. You see, I am a proud Canadian and love to see my fellow country(wo)men doing well in their chosen field. Plus, I adore their sound and knew they would be a fantastic find to share with our loyal readers here at the Daily Grommet. They were not only gracious enough to answer my questions, they are offering up a signed CD, Everyone is Somone, for one of you lucky folks. Read on to hear about them and about how to win.
1. What’s the most important thing we should know about Dala?
The most important thing you need to know about Dala is that we’re best friends who love to sing together.
2. What instruments do you two play?
We both play acoustic guitar and piano. Amanda also plays the Mandola (a type of mandolin) and I play the ukelele.
3. Can you tell us how you got your start?
We met in our high school band class, in Scarborough Ontario. I was playing the trumpet, and Amanda was sitting behind me in the bass clarinet section. We each took turns singing with our school jazz band, so the first songs that either of us ever sang in public were big band tunes, (“I’ve Got You Under My Skin” and “My Funny Valentine” for example). When we finally started singing together as a duo, we realized that our voices blended really naturally. Some people said we sounded like siblings. We started songwriting together, and performing at coffee houses all over Toronto. At that point we were both still in University, with music as a side project. Then in 2003, we met our current manager Mike Roth. That was the turning point, as he really encouraged us to take songwriting and performing more seriously. We both decided to pursue music as a full-time career, and we haven’t looked back since!
4. Who are you inspired by?
Our musical heroes include Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, CSNY and Simon and Garfunkel.
5. Do you two write all of your own lyrics/music?
We write most of our music collaboratively. We don’t consider a song to be complete until both of us are happy with the lyrics and the melody.
6. What’s the most challenging part about what you do … and what’s most fun?
I think the most challenging thing about what we do is keeping a healthy balance between our lives on the road and our lives at home. Amanda writes a lot of letters while we’re on tour, and that helps her ward off homesickness. We both love performing live, that’s where we’re in our element. I love that feeling I get when we finish a brand new song. It is so exhilarating!
7. Who would you collaborate with if you could choose anyone – dead or alive?
Amanda and I are both completely in love with Fleet Foxes. They have brought harmony back into the spotlight, and we would love to sing with them one day.
8. What’s currently playing on your ipod?
I’m currently listening to “McCartney” (his first solo album) and Kathleen Edwards’ “Failer”
9. So, what’s next for Dala?
We just finished filming a PBS special called “Girls From The North Country”, and hopefully that will be broadcast sometime this summer. We have a busy year ahead of us, with shows all over Canada and USA. Some of the festivals we’ll be playing include: the Strawberry Music Festival in Groveland, CA, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, The Edmonton Folk Festival, The Vancouver Island MusicFest, and the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Colorado. You can check our website www.dalagirls.com for all our upcoming shows!
General contest rules: To enter, you must be a U. S. resident, and at least 18 years of age and you must leave a comment or question for Dala. No purchase necessary. The winner will be randomly selected and will receive a signed copy of their CD, “Everyone is Someone“. Employees, contractors, and the families of employees and contractors of Daily Grommet, Inc. are not eligible to enter. You are not eligible to win if you have received a prize or giveaway from Daily Grommet in the last six months. Void where prohibited. Contest will run from 8am EST through 10pm EST March 10, 2010.
Book Review: How to Never Look Fat Again (over 1,000 ways to dress thinner without dieting)
When Jeanne asked me to take a look at a newly published fun, fashion book and pull out some tips for summer style, I was all over it.
Then she handed me the book: How Never to Look Fat Again (Over 1,000 Ways to Dress Thinner Without Dieting).
Hmm, should I be offended?
No worries — turns out it’s clever, fun, and more about taking a practical approach to buying clothes that make you look your best. It’s written by nationally-known style guru, Charla Krupp (you might know her as the author last year’s NYT best-seller How to Not Look Old … or from her many appearances on the Today show). Along with some great laughs (“Don’t you dare walk around with a unibutt … or … settle for ugly comfort shoes”), she shares advice like which colors are “high fat” and lays out the 100 most fattening things you can wear.
Some we already know (it’s all about the “foundation garments” - see Grommet features about Sassybax and Yummie Tummie), and some will help you figure out what to wear based on your own personal problem area (“arm flap,” “muffin top,” “wide feet,” even “thick neck,” etc). But Charla includes seasonal rules too — and graciously agreed to let us share a bit with you. Her 3 summer “uniforms” for summertime were my favorite section, and I hope they’ll inspire you too.
Leave a comment today and we’ll select one lucky reader to win a copy of How Never to Look Fat Again!
Enjoy and happy shopping …
Your Dress-Thinner Strategy for Summer
Three New Summer Uniforms – by Charla Krupp
1) Instead of wearing the same dark pants and jackets that you wore day in, day out the rest of the year, let’s lighten up for the season in style. If you love pants and your butt is not your problem, choose white or khaki and pair them with a crip tunic. Add the highest sandal that you can walk in, plus a hoop earring and a stack of bangles and you’re good to go. Tory Burch is the designer responsible for bringing back this sixties-style tunic. There’s a new one from her each season in different prints and embroidered trims, and it often becomes the best seller in every collection. Why do women love the tunic? “It’s an incredibly flattering silhouette,” says Tory. Over a skinny pair of jeans, it looks elegant and it’s so forgiving. For someone who isn’t in the best shape she’s ever been in, the tunic makes her look elegant and smooth.” You can find tunics now everywhere and at every price point. Even at Chico’s!
2) When you’re not wearing a tunic, and you need a layer of warmth in overly air-conditioned offices, movie theaters, or airplanes, invest in summer-weight cashmere V-neckss or long cardigans in yummy colors. Layer over body-shaper camisoles, bare tops, or dresses.
3) A third, easy summer option is a fresh dress in a pretty pattern. One zip and you’re done. You don’t have to worry about tops and bottoms. Add the same accesssories — high strappy sandal, a hoop earring, a stack of bangles — and you’re about to embark on a no-fat summer!
General contest rules: To enter, you must be a U. S. resident, and at least 18 years of age and you must leave a comment or question for Charla. No purchase necessary. The winner will be randomly selected and will receive “How to Never Look Fat Again.” Employees, contractors, and the families of employees and contractors of Daily Grommet, Inc. are not eligible to enter. You are not eligible to win if you have received a prize or giveaway from Daily Grommet in the last six months. Void where prohibited. Contest will run through 10pm EST March 8, 2010.
Thanks to the Internet, I eventually learned anyway. To some extent, I taught myself to sew (with lots of phone calls home to mom: ”how is the bobbin thingy supposed to go?”) so that I could have original, unique and custom home goods. Inspired by interior decorating web sites and designers’ blogs, it occurred to me that if I only knew how to sew a straight line, I could make a duvet cover, some curtains and a table-runner that would be uniquely mine, and maybe they’d even be lovely.
Getting organized is a great feeling … it’s knowing how to get started that stumps most of us. We’ve found lots of different Grommets to help with everyday organizational strategies, like the Fridgefile, Mint.com, Simply Sarah, Better Basket, and today’s Grommet, ClutterFreeBox. But still people ask us for more tools and advice.
Enter Regina Leeds. She’s an organizational guru and has written a series of books focusing on getting organized one day at a time. So with taxes looming, she sent us an excerpt from her new book — One Year to an Organized Financial Life. Even better, she’s offered to give one lucky reader all three books (her new one, along with One Year to an Organized Life and One Year to an Organized Work Life). Leave a comment or question for Regina and you could be our winner! 
One Year to an Organized Financial Life, by Regina Leeds
If you haven’t been organized up to now, I’m going to bet that getting ready for tax time has traditionally put a big strain on you and possibly on your relationships as well. Surveys show that the average American spends nearly thirty hours tracking down, figuring out, filling out, and mailing off tax forms. Once the April 15th deadline has been met, a new kind of confusion infiltrates many American homes. “What can I safely toss or shred?” “And what exactly do I need to keep? And for how long.”
Here’s a sample of the guidelines you’ll find in “One Year to an Organized Financial Life.”
1. Tax backup material:
This is material that supports the most common tax deductions and must therefore be saved. It includes:
- Investment papers that confirm the purchase, sale, or transfer of your holdings.
- Pay stubs.
- Monthly finance-related statements, including those from your broker, mutual funds, 401(k), and all other retirement plans as well as your children’s college savings plan.
- Monthly bank statements. The IRS can check these for income you may have forgotten to declare.
- Credit card statements (if they include deductible purchases for which you have no other receipts).
- Utility and phone bills, if they are deductible (which they could be if you run a home business).
2. Documents that are safe to shred:
- Credit card statements if the purchases are solely personal and not deductible. Shred them after your payment has been credited. If there is a purchase dispute, hold onto the statement until the dispute is resolved. And remember that most statements are available online for up to a year or more with most financial institutions.
- Shred monthly or quarterly statements after you have received your year-end statements.
- Utility and phone bills if these are not deductible. Shred them after a month when you see that your payment has been credited).
- ATM receipts and deposit slips can be shredded after you reconcile your bank statement.
- Any paperwork that duplicates files you have safely stored online. You can always generate a printout if you need one.
3. Old tax forms and backup materials:
Uncle Sam may want you but not all your backup paperwork. At least not forever, thank goodness.
- Save the Federal and state tax returns you file forever.
- Copies are always helpful as guides for future returns or amending previously filed ones. And in case the IRS claims you failed to file, you can easily prove them wrong.
- Hold onto backup material for at least three years beyond the date you file your taxes. Most audits happen within three years. Keeping backup files for up to six years is better because the IRS can audit you beyond three years if fraud is suspected. (No state requires record retention beyond six years so you are covered on this front.)
- As for state returns, every state has a different time frame for how long you need to hold onto state-tax related receipts. In California, for example, this time period is four years. You’ve probably heard the old saying: ‘Knowledge is power.’ These tips can take the confusion out of dealing with the potential mountain of paper that can accumulate at this time of year if you decide to save everything. Because tax laws are ever changing, don’t hesitate to ask your CPA, tax attorney or tax preparer if these guidelines are still current.
General contest rules: To enter, you must be a U. S. resident, and at least 18 years of age and you must leave a comment or question for Regina. No purchase necessary. The winner will be randomly selected and will receive a set of three books: One Year to an Organized Financial Life, One Year to an Organized Life, and One Year to an Organized Work Life. Employees, contractors, and the families of employees and contractors of Daily Grommet, Inc. are not eligible to enter. You are not eligible to win if you have received a prize or giveaway from Daily Grommet in the last six months. Void where prohibited. Contest will run through 10pm EST March 3, 2010.
You know how there are some people you just click with? Well, Leslie Reichert is one of those people for me. I first met her on Twitter and was instantly swept up in her stories about her great-grandmother and her passion for simple, low-cost green cleaning. Of course, we decided to feature her book - The Joy of Green Cleaning – and in the process, Daily Grommet made a great friend whose expertise has come in handy again and again. For today’s Grommet, she joins Joanne to share our latest discovery (Spoiler alert: Leslie gives away the name of today’s Grommet in her guest post below, but I figured it was ok to give you a sneak peek just an hour before it launches!).
Behind the Scenes at Daily Grommet, by Leslie Reichert
Yesterday I was doing what I usually do on a Sunday – trying to get a head start on my home before the busyness of the week overwhelms me. Right in the middle of scrubbing my kitchen sink, my email pinged me. I knew I should ignore it, but since I’m curious by nature, I had to go see who wanted me. It was my friends at the Daily Grommet, inviting me to write a blog post to go along with today’s Grommet. I had a choice: continue on with my cleaning or write for you. I chose writing over cleaning! The dirt’s not going anywhere and I figured catching up would give me something to do today…. 
So let me share with you what it’s like to find two companies that are helping people like you learn how to green your cleaning. When the Daily Grommet called and asked me to be their “cleaning expert” and participate in some of their product features, I was so excited! The Grommet’s headquarters is about an hour away from me, so it was like having a neighbor call and ask for a hand cleaning their home. Even better was when they told me our first segment was going to be a product called Eco-Me. I’ve known this company for years and it’s one of the best tools to help people start mixing their own cleaners. You can’t ask for a better DIY kit for green cleaning than their starter kit — tune in at noon and you’ll see what I mean.
So off I went to The Daily Grommet to show the camera and all of you this great product that will be your first step in learning that mixing your own cleaners can be good for you, your family and the environment. If you decide to give it a try I’d love to hear what you think.
And while you’re at it, let me know your favorite recipe for cleaning by posting them in the comments here. I’m in the middle of my second book right now and if you have a great green recipe with a story to go with it, I’ll include you in my book! So share those stories about some “green” tricks that really work.
My all time favorite: using the inside of a banana peel to polish leather shoes. That’s right, the inside of the peel has an oil that leaves your leather shoes looking like you used polish. Just buff them with a shoe brush or microfiber cloth and you’re all set. Okay, there’s my favorite. Let’s hear yours!
I’m thrilled Daily Grommet was asked to present at the upcoming South By Southwest Interactive conference. It’s a huge honor and opportunity. SXSW is an enormous 24 hour party wrapped around a conference. And the place where Twitter really got lift-off when they presented.
If I could pick one place to take our show on the road it is there. Why? Because it is a giant, young crowd that believes in the power of people (and technology) to change the world. It’s the right place to expose Citizen Commerce to the world. My presentation is going to be more MLK Jr (I wish!) than Bill Gates. But I do have a huge sense of excitement about evangelizing this message with Millenials, rather than the usual crowd where I present (Baby Boomer investors). Millenials have such an attractive combination of idealism and pragmatism when it comes to business. I won’t have to say much. I will just have to show that we are the real deal, and they will “get” it.
Prepping for this is unlike any other conference. I am told to:
- Scour the list of parties and RSVP to as many as possible. In other words, be sure to see and be seen. I have to admit that I am overwhelmed by this seemingly attractive task. I delegated it to Jeanne. “Please just tell me and Joanne where to go.”
- Be prepared for the crush of almost 20,000 people who are energetic, dreamy, and slightly confused by the huge scene.
- The official PR team required a coaching session and one of their main pieces of advice was: “Instead of trying to rise above the noise, you instead work to work the system from inside by being helpful, altruistic, conversant, and open to serendipity.” I think some hallucenogenic drugs must be dispensed at the door to make that advice more actionable.
Anyway, I am SOOO looking forward to hitting Austin next month. I’ve never even been there.
And…if you plan to be at SXSW, please let me know. And, as always, please tell me about any potential Grommets I should scout on this second trip–ever, in my whole life– to Texas.
About a month ago, Jules and I dropped by the Xconomy offices in Cambridge, MA, for their Friday “Innovators Lunch” – always a great place to meet interesting folks. On our way out, we bumped into Paul Jin, founder of Plummelo, a practical web service where you can collect and share recipes and plan your meals. Organization … planning … cooking? Count me in. I asked Paul to tell us more the story behind his business, and he sent us this post.
What’s for Dinner - by Paul Jin, founder/CEO of Plummelo
It’s 5:00. Everyone is hungry. What’s for dinner?
That was the usual routine at our house.
I’m the founder of Plummelo, a website that provides a soup-to-nuts solution for busy cooks. Our site lets you collect recipes from the top recipe sites on the internet, store them all in one place (along with your recipe for mom’s meatloaf and other favorites), and even create a weekly meal plan. From there, you can automatically create a shopping list that you can print or email.
My wife and I both work, and we’ve got three active kids (one with food allergies, which made keeping track of recipes often tricky) — that’s five hungry bodies. So preparing for dinner, from thinking about what we would eat each week to making a shopping list, to getting to the grocery store, and chopping the vegetables, was never easy. The process (or lack thereof) was disorganized and disconnected.
When you love to eat and you want to cook a delicious, healthy meal for your family, but you’re short on time, you need a solution. Our family was in desperate need of a more efficient meal planning, preparation, shopping, and cooking process from start to finish.
That, in short, is how Plummelo was born.
And now, we’re daily users of the site. In fact, my wife’s favorite part of Plummelo is that she can hit “Email Shopping List” and it comes straight to my iPhone so I can pick up the groceries on my way home from the office. Plus, we can rate our recipes and tag them to make them easier to search. And if we ever run out of ideas for what to make, we can see what others are planning for dinner.
I set out to solve problems for the household meal planner and cook. At the end of the day, I think I’ve made it easier for families to enjoy great meals together.
Got a favorite recipe? We’d love to hear about it … and you can save and share it on Plummelo.
I wrote a post many months ago about the incredibly rich talent pool created by folks who take a career break and want to get back in the game. I proposed that companies create an “Executive in Residence” program to maximize this under-appreciated human resource, and simultaneously give these professionals a quick updating in the technologies that they may have missed.
A few months after that post, we created our first “for-real” Executive in Residence position, for Lara Simon. (Anyone at Grommet knows I am not so keen on idle chatter or speculation. I deeply value brainstorming and fresh ideas, but I value concrete action even more. We had to really DO this EIR program, and not just talk about it.) It’s been a huge success.
Lara came to us with a very rich background. She’d worked directly with the Seth Godin at YoYodyne, the first online direct marketing business. Seth created the idea of Permission Marketing, and Lara was part of the team that gave it shape. She went on to become a Director of E-commerce at Yahoo!, slipped in a JD degree from Boston University, and practiced law long enough to know it was not for her. She then took a career break to focus on her adorable three children (see them–and Lara–here in this Grommet video). After two years at home, she started to miss the crazy startup vibe.
Fast forward to today. Lara’s been working in the Grommet creators/supplier side of our business since September. She spearheaded a massive effort to convert our business model to a drop-ship one, from the previous incarnation as a mixed model of affiliate and drop-ship. Her efforts have directly contributed to a steep climb in our revenues, as we now have full control over the customer order process. The economic justification is clear.
Beyond this, Lara is at just the ideal point in her career to make a meaningful difference at Daily Grommet. She’s energetic, wise, thoughtful, and experienced. Having completed the drop-ship conversion part of our business, she picked up a new raft of responsibilities relating to our supplier base and customer service.
On her side, Lara got to “try us on.” Grommet is not for everybody. The pace and demands of our business are relentless, considering we are creating a daily news event, delivering a decent commerce experience, and working with a very active Citizen Commerce community. We think she’s a “keeper” and I’m delighted she is happy to make a more permanent home at Daily Grommet.
I asked Lara about her EIR experience and she responded:
It’s an ingenious program that meets both the needs of the person re-entering the workforce and the business looking for someone seasoned to spearhead a specific project. In quick-changing industries like the Internet where the technology can change cataclysmically in the course of a single year, lack of recent experience can be the death knell to a mom in the process of relaunching her career. EIR allowed me to not only gain valuable knowledge and experience from incredible women but also experiment with structuring my own work/life balance – how to still keep the household trains running on time with pursuing a satisfying career. I would do it again without a second thought and would enthusiastically recommend the program to other women and businesses.
One key thing: Lara entered the EIR role with no expectations of a permanent position. At the time, we had no such possibility. For an Executive in Residence to work, that has to be the deal. Otherwise the company will, by necessity, forced to bring in people who are “sure bets” and that does not give the career break person a fair shot. Beyond this, how great would it be for several people to cycle through this role, and therefore be re-launched for their next career move? It’s a win-win for the individuals, and for our flagging economy.