Welcome home everyone! Join us this week for another installation of our current favorites. What are you loving lately?

Pet of the Week

“Garbage is a 7 year old Maine Coon that lives with his parents and brother Freddie Merkitty in Saint Paul Minnesota. Garbage is a very proper gentleman and always minds his manners. Despite weighing nearly 30 lbs, he is a very timid boy, and gets startled by people walking too close to him or loud bags being opened. His favorite place to sleep is on his dad’s chest while he plays video games.” – Garbage’s mom, Dana

Charity of the Week:
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Staci’s Man & Woman of the Year Fundraiser

“Please join me in supporting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) by making a donation to my fundraising campaign for Man & Woman of the Year.

I have joined a team that is driven to find cures for blood cancer. Our team is working to raise as much as possible over the next 10 weeks. Every dollar we raise counts as one vote for my team’s candidate. The candidate whose team tallies the most votes earns the prestigious title of “Man or Woman of the Year”. 

As you know, though, everyone wins when cancer loses. Thanks to your support, my efforts will help fund therapies and treatments that are saving lives. Over the years, support from people like you has been responsible for the blood cancer advancements that have doubled, tripled, and in some cases quadrupled the survival rate for some blood cancers.

Many LLS supported therapies not only help blood cancer patients, but are also now used to treat patients with rare forms of stomach and skin cancers and are in clinical trials for patients with lung, brain, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers. And LLS funded drugs like targeted therapies and immunotherapies are now saving thousands of lives every day.

We really are getting close to our goal of a world without blood cancers!

All donations are greatly appreciated and tax deductible. They’ll not only support LLS research, but patient services, advocacy, public and professional education, and community services as well.

Please visit my website often and tell friends who would also like to donate!

On behalf of blood cancer patients everywhere, thank you for your support! For more information about LLS, please visit http://www.lls.org” – LLS.org

Our Social Media Links

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/athomewiththehillebrands

Merch Store: https://www.cafepress.com/athomewiththehillebrands

Pippi’s Book Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/714361322393755/

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thehillebrands

Etsy Shop Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pippi.and.co/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thehillebrands

Tik Tok: @thehillebrands

Paige’s Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/paigehillebrand

Paige’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MissPaigeElise

Bart’s Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/saxxy_beast

Welcome home everyone! Join us this week as we introduce our newest family member, Olive! We’re also announcing the winner of our latest giveaway!

Pet of the Week

“Meet Olive-the newest member of the Hillefam! Olive is our new kitty who was born on March 16th, 2021, and came home with us on April 23rd. Her full name is Olive Jo Mary Hillebrand. Her first name comes from Bart’s first cat, Oliver, and her middle name comes from Bart’s grandma who was a huge animal lover and shared a birthday with Bart, Jo Mary. She is settling into our home even better than expected and is turning Pippi into a big softie. We’ve started calling them Mama Dog and Baby Cat because of how they act together. Olive goes from 0-100 and back down to 0 at the drop of a pin. She will wake up from a deep sleep ready to play, but can also fall asleep on you right after zoomies. We love her so much already!” – Olive’s parents, Bart & Paige

Charity of the Week:
Everybody Wins! Iowa

“Our mission statement: To increase children’s success in school and life through one-to-one reading and mentoring experiences with caring volunteers.

How does everybody win?
Students win by enjoying consistent and positive interactions with caring adults.
Volunteers win by enjoying meaningful and worthwhile experiences and the satisfaction of knowing they are making a positive impact on the future of a young child.
Schools win by seeing improvement in their students’ literacy skills without assuming any administrative burden or cost.
Companies win by offering a simple, efficient way to enhance employee morale and from the positive effects of providing a valuable service to the community.

The Everybody Wins! program was founded in New York by Arthur Tannenbaum and his wife Phyllis. They had always read aloud to their children and reading aloud together was an important time for them to come together after a long day. It helped the Tannenbaums to instill a lifelong love of reading in their children. Arthur picked up a copy of the Read-Aloud Handbook, written by Jim Trelease after reading a book review in the New York Times. Arthur appreciated how important the read-aloud experience was for children, and realized that there were many children who didn’t have that opportunity to read with an adult in their daily lives.
Trelease wrote that reading aloud to children was the single most important factor in improving children’s literacy skills–but what happens to those children who never had that opportunity?
Arthur saw a chance to make a difference by visiting a neighborhood school once a week during his lunchtime and read to a child. He quickly recruited co-workers to join him in his weekly “Power Lunch.” Soon, the volunteers’ impact became obvious. Children in the program were learning to love reading, they were gaining self-confidence, and they were becoming better readers. This simple program has an enormously powerful impact! Soon Arthur retired from his job and founded Everybody Wins! as a nonprofit in New York.
This program quickly spread, and was brought to Iowa in 2002 after Senator Tom Harkin participated in an Everybody Wins! DC program and knew it could benefit children in Iowa. The original Everybody Wins! reorganized in 2013 as Read Ahead and all of the other affiliates are now stand-alone organizations.” – Everybody Wins! Iowa

Our Social Media Links

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/athomewiththehillebrands

Merch Store: https://www.cafepress.com/athomewiththehillebrands

Pippi’s Book Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/714361322393755/

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thehillebrands

Etsy Shop Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pippi.and.co/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thehillebrands

Tik Tok: @thehillebrands

Paige’s Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/paigehillebrand

Paige’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MissPaigeElise

Bart’s Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/saxxy_beast

Welcome home everyone! Join us this week as we talk about how our 2021 goals are coming along and don’t forget to enter our giveaway on our Facebook page!

Pet of the Week

“Freddie Merkitty is a 2 and a half year old cat that lives with his parents in Saint Paul Minnesota. Like his namesake he loves to sing. He also loves cuddles and showing off his belly. His favorite pastimes besides naps in the sun include screaming at closed doors and harassing his fur brother Garbage.” – Freddie’s mom, Dana

Charity of the Week:
World Central Kitchen

Our Social Media Links

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/athomewiththehillebrands

Merch Store: https://www.cafepress.com/athomewiththehillebrands

Pippi’s Book Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/714361322393755/

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thehillebrands

Etsy Shop Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pippi.and.co/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thehillebrands

Tik Tok: @thehillebrands

Paige’s Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/paigehillebrand

Paige’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MissPaigeElise

Bart’s Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/saxxy_beast

Welcome home everyone! Join us this week as we talk about Paige’s mom’s visit and announce TWO special things happening soon!

*Pet* of the Week

“These are our new fishies we got last week! As you can tell by the photo quality, they’re pretty camera shy and love to swim really fast, so it’s pretty hard to get a photo with all three of them in it. On the left we have Cyndi, in the middle we have Gwen, and on the right we have Dolly. Cyndi loves to chase Dolly around the tank (yes, they’re getting enough food) while Gwen likes to hang out behind the big green ball that floats toward the right side of the tank. It’s strange to think that little fishies could have personalities, but they’ve definitely proven that they can!!” – Dolly, Cyndi, and Gwen’s mom, Paige

Charity of the Week:
Asian Mental Health Collective

“With the rapid development of and focus on personal well-being in individualistic societies, people are now more aware of the detrimental effects of poor mental health and mental illnesses than ever before. However, as members of the Asian Diaspora, there are often strong cultural underpinnings related to our mental health experiences that go unaddressed. Mental health issues do not exist in individuals only, and this is especially true for those who come from cultures that value collectivism. Experiences shaped by cultural ideals that value face, achievement, and filial piety are interwoven in the fabric of our understanding of the world. Intertwined with generations of exposure to trauma, these ideals, while not inherently unhealthy, are often expressed in ways that create dissonance for the children of the diaspora who live in increasingly globalized societies. It is apparent that there is a generational and cultural rift in many Asian families, with mental health woven through both overt confrontations and unspoken grievances as a result.

AMHC hopes to help bridge those divides.

We do not need, or want, to do away with centuries of beloved culture and tradition for the sake of mental health. We at AMHC believe in integrating our shared backgrounds with the progressive ideals of emotional well-being and mental health – expressing collectivist ideals while respecting the agency of the individual. It all begins with understanding. Through projects such as our Facebook group, resource library, video web-series, and meetup groups, we hope to not only provide mental health support, but also facilitate the difficult conversations we need to have to move forward together.” – AMHC

Our Social Media Links

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/athomewiththehillebrands

Merch Store: https://www.cafepress.com/athomewiththehillebrands

Pippi’s Book Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/714361322393755/

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thehillebrands

Etsy Shop Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pippi.and.co/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thehillebrands

Tik Tok: @thehillebrands

Paige’s Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/paigehillebrand

Paige’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MissPaigeElise

Bart’s Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/saxxy_beast

Welcome home everyone! Join us this week to see what we’ve been up to the past few weeks as well as our plans for the next few weeks. Just as a heads up, the podcast will be bi-weekly for the time being, but not forever!

Dog of the Week

“Winston Earl Von Wigglebottom is a tri-color Pembroke Welsh Corgi with a tail. He is full of sass and LOVES being held and cuddled. He stole our heart the moment my husband and I met him. At only 9 weeks old, he already has us wrapped around his little paw, and we wouldn’t have it any other way!” – Winston’s mom, Angie

Charity of the Week:
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

“Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five, no matter their family’s income.

After launching in 1995, the program grew quickly. First books were only distributed to children living in Sevier County, Tennessee where Dolly grew up. It became such a success that in 2000 a national replication effort was underway. By 2003, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library had mailed one million books. It would prove to be the first of many millions of books sent to children around the world.

Dolly’s home state of Tennessee pledged to pursue statewide coverage in 2004 and global expansion was on the horizon. After the United States, the program launched in Canada in 2006 followed by the United Kingdom in 2007, Australia in 2013 and the Republic of Ireland in 2019. In 2020, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library gifted its 150 millionth book.” – Imagination Library

Our Social Media Links

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/athomewiththehillebrands

Merch Store: https://www.cafepress.com/athomewiththehillebrands

Pippi’s Book Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/714361322393755/

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thehillebrands

Etsy Shop Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pippi.and.co/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thehillebrands

Tik Tok: @thehillebrands

Paige’s Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/paigehillebrand

Paige’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MissPaigeElise

Bart’s Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/saxxy_beast

Welcome home everyone! Sorry for the one day delay in this week’s episode, but we’re back! Join us as we discuss our week in review as well as a teaser for our next giveaway

Dog of the Week

“On the left is Artemis.. she is big and lunky and all around a good girl. She will wash your face and hold your fingers in her mouth nibbling on them. Artemis loves the babies and it’s generally found wherever they are. They are both rescue girls and sisters!! Athena is my other goddess and she’s the criminal mastermind… Goddess of chaos.. she loves snuggling and eating and is a great foot warmer. She wants to be the center of attention. These doggos talk to me and each other reminding you of anything they need at that moment. Every day, when I come home from work, it’s like the first time… They climb all over me and give me all the kisses. They are mutt breeds mixes between mastiff, black mouth cur and American Dingo… I love them both and they keep me free.. my spirit spare when they are with me.” – Artemis and Athena’s mom, Liz

Charity of the Week:
Planned Parenthood

“In October 2016, Planned Parenthood turned 100 years strong. Planned Parenthood was founded on the revolutionary idea that women should have the information and care they need to live strong, healthy lives and fulfill their dreams — no ceilings, no limits. 

Today, Planned Parenthood is a trusted health care provider, an informed educator, a passionate advocate, and a global partner helping similar organizations around the world. Planned Parenthood delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of women, men, and young people worldwide. 

Planned Parenthood is America’s most trusted provider of reproductive health care. Our skilled health care professionals are dedicated to offering all people high-quality, affordable medical care. One in five American women has chosen Planned Parenthood for health care at least once in her life.

The heart of Planned Parenthood is in the local community. Our 49 unique, locally governed affiliates nationwide operate more than 600 health centers, which reflect the diverse needs of their communities.

These health centers provide a wide range of safe, reliable health care — and the majority is preventive care, which helps prevent unintended pregnancies through contraception, reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections through testing and treatment, and screen for cervical and other cancers. Caring physicians, nurse practitioners, and other staff take time to talk with clients, encouraging them to ask questions in an environment that millions have grown to trust.” – Planned Parenthood

Our Social Media Links

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/athomewiththehillebrands

Merch Store: https://www.cafepress.com/athomewiththehillebrands

Pippi’s Book Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/714361322393755/

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thehillebrands

Etsy Shop Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pippi.and.co/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thehillebrands

Tik Tok: @thehillebrands

Paige’s Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/paigehillebrand

Paige’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MissPaigeElise

Bart’s Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/saxxy_beast

Welcome home everyone! Join us this week as we discuss our current favorite things. What have you been loving lately?

Dog of the Week

Full Disclosure, our tired brains pulled the wrong dog when we checked our messages before recording, so Wiggles gets to be DotW two weeks running

“How about my Wiggles. He’s a Dachshund/Pomeranian/Jack Russel/Siberian Husky mix. His dad was the Husky, mom was the other mix. We’ve had him since he was conceived & the day he was born, we’d gone to grab dinner. When we got back, our other dog at the time, Charm, was barking her head off, as if to say “HUMANS THERE’S A BABY UP HERE!” He was so tiny and all he could do was wiggle, hence his name. He’ll be 13 years old in April. We almost lost him to mange but he made it through and is my husband’s fluffy sidekick.” – Wiggles’ mom, Desiree

Charity of the Week:
Paws With A Cause

“Paws With A Cause^® enhances the independence and quality of life for people with disabilities nationally through custom-trained Assistance Dogs. PAWS^® increases awareness of the rights and roles of Assistance Dog Teams through education and advocacy.

In 1979, Michael D. Sapp Sr. and Antoinette (Candye) Sapp founded Paws With A Cause, initially named Ears for the Deaf^®. PAWS began when Mike agreed to help a friend. Marty Jansen and his wife, Dianne, are both deaf and had just adopted a young deaf child. Their hope was that Mike could train their Cairn Terrier CRYSTAL to alert them to important sounds such as their baby crying. Mike agreed and soon other deaf and hard of hearing people approached Mike and asked if they could have dogs trained as well.

Through the years PAWS has added additional Assistance Dog programs. PAWS now trains Service Dogs for people with physical disabilities, Seizure Response Dogs for people who have epilepsy, Hearing Dogs for people who are deaf or hard of hearing and Service Dogs for Children with Autism.” – PAWS

Our Social Media Links

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/athomewiththehillebrands

Merch Store: https://www.cafepress.com/athomewiththehillebrands

Pippi’s Book Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/714361322393755/

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thehillebrands

Etsy Shop Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pippi.and.co/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thehillebrands

Tik Tok: @thehillebrands

Paige’s Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/paigehillebrand

Paige’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MissPaigeElise

Bart’s Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/saxxy_beast

Welcome home everyone! Join us this week to learn about our top ten dream travel destinations. What’s your dream vacation?

https://soundcloud.com/athomewiththehillebrands/68-bucket-list-destinations/s-OCaB9RGNzqh

Dog of the Week

“How about my Wiggles. He’s a Dachshund/Pomeranian/Jack Russel/Siberian Husky mix. His dad was the Husky, mom was the other mix. We’ve had him since he was conceived & the day he was born, we’d gone to grab dinner. When we got back, our other dog at the time, Charm, was barking her head off, as if to say “HUMANS THERE’S A BABY UP HERE!” He was so tiny and all he could do was wiggle, hence his name. He’ll be 13 years old in April. We almost lost him to mange but he made it through and is my husband’s fluffy sidekick.” – Wiggles’ mom, Desiree

Charity of the Week:
Conquering CHD

“Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect in the United States and worldwide. 1 in 100 people are diagnosed with CHD and nearly 40,000 babies will be born with CHD in the U.S. this year. Estimates suggest there are more adults living with CHD than children, upwards of 1.5 million.

Originally founded as the Pediatric Congenital Heart Association in 2013, we quickly filled a niche as the voice of the congenital heart patient and family. We are changing both the national landscape and empowering patients and families in their local communities. In 2020, to better reflect our efforts in being more inclusive both culturally and across the lifespan, we changed our name to Conquering CHD.” – Conquering CHD

Our Social Media Links

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/athomewiththehillebrands

Merch Store: https://www.cafepress.com/athomewiththehillebrands

Pippi’s Book Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/714361322393755/

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thehillebrands

Etsy Shop Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pippi.and.co/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thehillebrands

Tik Tok: @thehillebrands

Paige’s Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/paigehillebrand

Paige’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MissPaigeElise

Bart’s Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/saxxy_beast

Welcome home everyone! Join us this week as we give an update on how Pippi is doing as well as how our 2021 goals are coming along so far.

No Segments This Week

Our Social Media Links

Scentsy:https://smellieswithsam.scentsy.us/party/13102705/paige-kendra

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/athomewiththehillebrands

Merch Store: https://www.cafepress.com/athomewiththehillebrands

Pippi’s Book Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/714361322393755/

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thehillebrands

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thehillebrands

Tik Tok: @thehillebrands

Paige’s Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/paigehillebrand

Paige’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MissPaigeElise

Bart’s Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/saxxy_beast

Welcome home, everyone! Join us this week as we introduce the newest member of the Hillebrand Family – Stitch! We also have news about an upcoming donation drive we’ll be hosting!

Dog of the Week

“We adopted Stitch on Saturday, January 30, 2021, so he is very new to the Hillebrand family! We weren’t allowed to have more than one dog at our old house, and knew that we wanted to get a second dog once we were settled into our new home.

On Saturday morning, Bart put us in the virtual line (COVID precaution) at the ARL and we brought Pippi down to pick out her new best friend. We told the employee we didn’t care about breed, age, or gender, and she introduced us to Stitch (shelter name-Yeti) who we immediately fell in love with. The employee at the shelter told us that he was brought in as a stray and he’s clearly been attacked before, as he has multiple scars on his body.

He did so well with Pippi that we decided he was the perfect fit for us. We’ve only had him for a day, so we don’t know too much about him yet, but so far he’s been very snuggly and loves napping and playing. He’s made it very clear that he feels comfortable here and can tell he’s finally safe.

We named him Stitch because that’s Bart’s favorite movie and just like the original Stitch, he’s the missing piece that our family didn’t know we needed.

We are so happy to have him home with us.” Stitch’s mom, Paige

Charity of the Week:
Animal Rescue League of Iowa

“

The ARL serves people and pets from across the state of Iowa through its programs, which include pet adoption, humane education, pet behavior training, spay/neuter, animal cruelty intervention and much more. The Animal Rescue League is dependent on individual and corporate contributions to care for its animals.

• The ARL receives no state, federal or United Way funding.
• The ARL takes seriously the investments of its donors and supporters for the care of the animals.
• The ARL, governed by a volunteer board of directors, adheres to standard accounting practices; conducts an annual independent audit; and carefully and frugally manages its resources in order to care for as many animals as possible for decades to come.
• The ARL is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
• The ARL is a Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity, meeting all 20 Standards for Charity Accountability
  

We only euthanize animals that are dangerous or suffering, and that is only after we have exhausted all other humane and responsible options. We do not euthanize for lack of space in the shelter. Ending suffering and enhancing public safety is a responsibility we take seriously.

Every decision we make is based on the globally accepted Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare Under Human Control:

1. Freedom from Hunger and Thirst by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigor.

2. Freedom from Discomfort by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.

3. Freedom from Pain, Injury, and Disease by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.

4. Freedom to Express Normal Behavior by providing sufficient space, proper facilities, and company of the animal’s own kind.

5. Freedom from Fear and Distress by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.” –ARL

ARL’s Fetch! List

Our Social Media Links

Scentsy:https://smellieswithsam.scentsy.us/party/13102705/paige-kendra

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/athomewiththehillebrands

Merch Store: https://www.cafepress.com/athomewiththehillebrands

Pippi’s Book Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/714361322393755/

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thehillebrands

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thehillebrands

Tik Tok: @thehillebrands

Paige’s Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/paigehillebrand

Paige’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MissPaigeElise

Bart’s Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/saxxy_beast