Random Acts of Zhu 2011 #RAZ2011

"Bless you!"

Those were the last two words I heard just before I hung up the phone with the family services coordinator for The Arc of Southern Maryland. After a few episodes of playing phone tag, we finally had the chance to make arrangements for a delivery of ZhuZhu Pets to a family in need. We were both equally thrilled to have made this connection.

Before I made it to today's delivery of ZhuZhu Pets, I was "box-deep" in them a couple of weeks ago. Cepia graciously sent 78 boxes of pets and their accessories and habitats to make this year's Random Act of Zhu even more bigger than the year before. While I was overwhelmed by the amount of work to organize the pets, I was also overjoyed to be chosen as a participant.

Random Acts of Zhu, or RAZ for short, is a program created by Cepia LLC, the makers of ZhuZhu Pets® that provide 100 bloggers with an assortment of ZhuZhu Pets® and accessories to be donated to their charity of choice. Each blogger is given complete control over how, who, and when they want to distribute the toys.

This year, I donated toys to a local church and a local intellectual and developmental disabilities center. I think I heard over 100 'thank you' responses during this process. Each person was grateful, shocked, and touched by the this generous program. No one expected it, but everyone accepted it.

Here's a video summary of my experience:

I joked with a lot of people that Santa must really love his job. I can only imagine the joy he feels when he delivers toys and presents to people all across the world. It makes you feel like the one receiving something.

When I consider how huge the 'blogsphere' is, it make my heart warm just to know I was chosen as 1 of 100 to take part in this toy donation program. Last year, I had the pleasure to participate in Random Acts of Zhu, but this time around I understood the magnitude of the program. I was blessed to be put in a position to make another family receive blessings. This could not have been a more fitting cause for me to be a part of.

I will admit that this year required a little more time and patience. The unloading and sorting of the boxes was time-consuming, but I was able to bond with my family while doing so. My son was thrilled to help me and was a great sport at managing the massive amount of ZhuZhu Pets.

I know there are moments when things get hectic and it seems like the weight of the world rests upon your shoulders. Then, I think about the look in the eyes of a mother who has just received a toy donation and how that weight is now lifted. It makes me forget all the petty challenges I face and helps me remember everything will be okay.

And it is!

Thanks to Cepia for choosing me for this wonderful program again. Not only did it make a family's day...it made my year.

'Tis the season for giving...no matter how big or small.

Disclosure Information
I was provided products to donate to charity thanks to Cephia, LLC. Thank you to MomSelect for the opportunity as well. There was no monetary compensation for writing this post. The opinions and views are my own.