Tag Archives: family

Chateau Elan Sponsors Foster Love Event

Chateau Elan is a proud sponsor of the Foster Love Party!

We’re incredibly THANKFUL Chateau Elan will host us at the Gene Sarazen’s Pavilion.  It will be the perfect spot for us to gather and listen to a concert by Miss Georgia, Victoria Hill, enjoy a tea party along with fun family activities and raise funds to give foster families Love Boxes.

You can get your tickets or donate here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/foster-love-event-tickets-71551176495

The theme is ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ so you can come and make your own crown.  Word has it that some people are getting all dressed up.  You can come as you are and be treated royally.  Just be ready for a fun-filled time on Nov. 2nd from 2-4 pm.   Tickets are only $5 for kids, $10 for adults and $20 per family.  If you can’t make it and want to sponsor families to get a Love Box, they’re $30 each.

Here we goooooooo!

 

Hope you can come!

Send Dayton Love

Are you fed up with the mass shootings and wondering, “What can I do?” My heart goes out to the families and community – and imagine yours does too.
Violence is pure evil and we need true love to overpower it.
Dayton was home to our family for 13 years. I know the Oregon district and Bellbrook well. I raised my kids in Dayton and even though we live in Atlanta, I feel for every family and people in the community. As a Mom of three 20-something children, this is NOT the type of world I want my children and future grandchildren to live in. This level of violence and fear is just not right. Fear seeks to cast doubt and divide us. Love seeks to unify us. As humans we are made for connection and community. We crave peace, joy and love. So, I did what I always do when I feel overwhelmed. I called some friends and we talked and then we talked about ‘What can we do?” You and I can do things to build stronger, safer families and communities. What we’ve done in the past simply isn’t enough and it’s not working. Friends and I made a ‘Love Pledge’. We’ll do more. We’ll contact our legislators and tell them we want responsible gun control. We’ll advocate for better mental health care, access to care and support for families. One dynamic woman decided she will run for office. Another caring friend will spend more time with her grandkids, instilling them with strong moral values and she’s going to help other youth more. As the inventor of the Original Love Box, the Love Agents and I have decided to surround our Dayton friends with Love – by sending love notes and Original Love Boxes. The families, 1st responders, community members, bar patrons and establishment owners will know we love them and that they’re not alone. 
That’s what WE can do: come together, support one another and ‘Love our neighbor’, both near and far.
Will you join us in prayer and love note writing? On Tues., 8/13 we’ll gather at Papa Jacks in Flowery Branch, Georgia, from 6:30 pm – 8 pm. Stop by any time. If you can’t make it, you can write love notes on the Original Love Box fb page and a Love Agent will handwrite it. If you want to support the effort financially, you can give a family or families an Original Love Box for $35 each. You can give here: https://www.paypal.me/christinemartinello/ These are challenging times, yet we can have hope for the future. Remember, this is a time of re-awakening. A time where the darkness is being exposed to the light and we all have a choice as to how we’ll move forward. Know you are loved. In fact, you are Adored. And you have absolutely nothing to fear. Love wins. Your hands and heart prove that. OX, Christine Martinello Founder, Original Love Box Thank you for your support: https://www.paypal.me/christinemartinello/ Love Agents and Christine Martinello, Inventor of the Original Love Box send Dayton love. Original Love Boxes, and handwritten love notes will surround families, 1st responders, hospital personnel and Oregon District establishments. #Daytonstrong #Love #Dayton #LoveAgent #massshooting #family #business #OriginalLoveBox #heart #sendlove

Join US and LOVE a firefighter

Encourage a Firefighter

How is your life different since 9/11 2001?

I remember that fateful day starting out sunny and cool in Dayton Ohio. In the morning I watched TV in disbelief and fear as the twin towers toppled over.

Much was lost that day and it was the beginning of a newfound appreciation for life and loving our neighbor.

We each had a choice to make. Would we be consumed by fear or focus on faith and love?

Days after 911 Bob and I decided; we won’t let fear rule our family, have a place at our table or in our hearts. We would go order selves and our neighbors so that the world would become better. We seriously thought about the kind of world we  wanted our children to be raised in.

We decided to let faith in God and his love lead us.  We put our trust in each other and stepped up efforts to promote a loving family and a more loving community.  We committed our time, energy and money into creating a better world.

The sacrifices of all those who suffered were not in vain. Our country has become more vigilant in protecting us.  People have stepped up to do good & unleashed a fierceness of love.

Let us each pick up the torch of freedom and create communities that we are all free to live in.

Let us not forget where we were and how the world has changed.  We can continue to change America with each of our actions or inactions.

Let’s encourage one another along this journey.  Encouragement is like a cold glass of lemonade on a sweltering hot day.

Tonight at 6:30 PM we will write love notes to fire fighters from Georgia to Carlsbad California. Please take a moment and encourage first responders.

Sending you so much love!

OX,

Christine Martinello

Founder, Original Love Box

 

5 Ways to Add a Spark to Your Relationship

Add a ‘Love Spark’ to Your Relationship

Recently, my husband and I celebrated our 25th anniversary with not one, not two, but 10 special events. That’s right. What started out as a two week vacation turned into months of celebrating everywhere we went. Including: renewing our vows and partying with dear friends, going out for multiple anniversary dinners and being showered with many free desserts and unlimited well wishes.

Why did we go overboard? Because being married for 25 years is a huge accomplishment and our love deserves celebrating!

We’ve learned a few things about relationships along the way. Every relationship goes through seasons and once in a while, it needs a spark to re-ignite it. If you’ve been in a relationship for a while, you may need to jump start things.

Here is a recipe to add a SPARK of love to your relationship.

S – Spiritually Connect!

Your love story is a grand adventure and God is in it with you. God is the glue and the ultimate power source to your love. Pray together and watch God bind you closer together than ever. Remember – a strand of 3 cords can’t be easily broken.

To Do: Ask your partner: “What is 1 thing I can do this week to be a better partner?”   Then listen. Sit quietly and really hear what the other person said, without getting defensive.   Then, as long as it’s not offensive to you, when you’re ready to step out of your comfort zone, try it.

P – Physical Touch.

Hug, kiss, hold hands and be intimate. All of these physical touches are critical to keeping you close to each other.

Research shows that hugging (and also laughter) is extremely effective at healing sickness, disease, loneliness, depression, anxiety and stress. Research shows a proper heart to heart hug builds trust and a sense of safety.

Virginia Satir, a respected family therapist, “We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth.”

To Do: Ask: How many hugs and touches would you like each day?

A – Actively Grow

Spend time together & apart doing NEW things. Add novelty to your relationship.

Engage in New experiences.  Try new things together. Whether it’s traveling to a new country, taking a cooking class, or writing YOUR love story, this too will help keep your relationship alive. Engaging in new experiences will allow both you and your partner to learn new things about yourselves and each other. It also provides room for excitement, and to support each other.

Do the Original Love Box tradition.  Write each other love notes and read them aloud to each other.  Try writing your love story in the Original Love Box book. Keep your love alive by reliving wonderful past experiences and creating new ones.

You can keep your love story alive for future generations as well by writing it in the Original Love Box book.  It’s such a treasured keepsake.

R- Respectfully Communicate.

Respectfully express your love and appreciation for each other. As often as you can. Top regrets people have at the end of their life are that they didn’t do what they really wanted. #3 regret is “I didn’t express my true feelings.”

It’s vital for us to express ourselves. The good and the bad. Make sure you pour loving words into your partner and your kids.

What’s a good ‘Love Talk ratio’?

Say 5 ‘Love Talks’ to 1 correction.   Pump 5 positive, uplifting and loving statements to 1 negative one. Your tone of voice speaks volumes.

Start the Original Love Box tradition and keep pumping love notes into your partners life. Write love notes to each other!

If you hurt the other, be sure to extend grace and forgiveness.  Do the 3-H Forgiveness method. Kathrine Lee, creator of the Ultimate Source recommends forgiving with your head, heart and hands. Forgive logically by thinking about making the conscious choice to forgive. Then search your heart and spiritually forgive them. Then extend your hand to forgive them and ultimately, use your hands to help another person.

K – Keep On Keeping On!

Different ages and stages bring different changes. Each season has challenges and opportunities for growth. Keep working on your relationship. Remember; the only way you can lose is if you give up.

Relationships have ups and downs. Keep the faith and keep believing in the other person. Stay hopeful and add a spark to have a happier and more rewarding relationship.

Wish you a love to last a lifetime. You can add a fresh spark to your love at any time and enjoy a long and loving relationship.

Remember to:

  • Communicate daily
  • Date weekly
  • Adventure monthly

Spark challenge:

  1. What’s 1 thing I can do to be a better partner this week?
  2. What can I do that’s novel and different?

What’s the 1st word that pops into your head about the holiday season?

For many years mine was, overwhelmed. Followed closely by over burdened and let’s not forget overweight. You get the picture, I was in way OVER my head. Then I hit the “That’s it! button and decided, “This holiday’s going to be different.”

It was time to change and to enlist help. My hubby and I looked around and realized we had a whole team of helpers at our disposal, they were just disguised as family members. So, we decided to organize and mobilize ourself and the troops.

Give the gift of love

1. Have a Plan.  Make a plan for your time, your health and your Spiritual growth.

Use the Holiday Help! checklist and stay organized.  The Holiday Help! checklist includes all the activities that make the holidays complete and you can tweak it for your family. You post it on the fridge and let each family member or holiday guest “sign up” to help. Then, assign a completion date for every activity on your calendar and who is responsible for its’ completion. The checklist keeps you organized and holds everyone accountable.

If no one signs up for an activity, it doesn’t get done. Oh what fun, it is to get the whole family helping along, Hey!  When you’re organized and everyone’s working together cheerfully, everything is better.

If you want the checklist, just e-mail me: info@christinemartinello.com

2. Be still. Pray, meditate and open your heart to the Spirit. Focus on the true reason for the season. Read the Bible, devotional or other spiritual books to slow you down and grow in faith.

3. Simplify the Season.  Ask; Why are we doing what you’re doing? Ask your family, “What are the most meaningful traditions? Do those & ditch the rest.

4. Control gift giving. Ask the kids TODAY: “What gifts do you remember from last year?” Then brace yourself. If your loved ones can’t remember, simplify to just 3 gifts.  After all, 3 gifts were good enough for Jesus.

5. Focus on Relationships. Focus on growing in love instead of more stuff. Simplify and include others in the Season. Let go of wanting things to be perfect. Life is not a Hallmark show. They’re not going to be. Strive for ‘good enough’ instead. You really do NOT have to do it all alone. When we let others help we teach our kids and hubby how to love by serving.

6. Be grateful and Focus on the Moments – See all the joy in faces of the people you love and the moments.

7. Give the gift of Love. Grow closer together with family and friends as you share your love with the The Christmas Love Box tradition. If you’re not Christian, you can do the Original Love Box tradition. Giving the gift of love is the greatest gift you can give your family and the world.

You can get yours online at: www.originallovebox.com

Wishing you and your heart joyful moments amidst controlled chaos. Keep the faith and by all means, just keep breathing – deeply.

Breathe in: I am at peace.
Breathe out: I share love.

Merry Christmas friend!

Sending Our Military Love!

Our soldiers work hard to defend our freedoms and their families sacrifice much.  We decided it was high time to send them more love!

The Love Box Mission:  To be ‘Love Agents’ for the Military Family by providing Original Love Notes® and/or The Original Love Boxes®.

Let’s give every soldier as many love notes as possible and give their families a Love Box too.  The Love Box for Military Families includes the Original Love Box® plus unique patriotic items especially designed for military families.

Benefits:  The Original Love Box® for Military Families is a powerful tool that will benefit soldiers and their families every day and keep them close, especially during periods of deployment when military marriages are the most stressed.

Sponsor levels:

  • Organize a Love Note Campaign to send military soldiers and their families more love now.  Suggested donation: $1 per love note.
  • Sponsor an Original Love Box® for one or more Military Families – $39.99 each.
  • Provide extra Original Love Note Packs – 20 love notes – $9.95.
  • Donate seed money toward the creation of ‘The Military Love Box’.
  • ______________________ Your idea here! Would love to hear it.

Who’s Involved: Christine Martinello, Inventor of the Original Love Box® & Jacqueline Arnold, Creator of Sweet Life USA (www.sweetlifeusa.com) are joining forces to send our military families more love.

The Braselton Rotary is hosting these keynote speakers at the Nov. 9th meeting @7:30 a.m.

Contact:
Christine Martinello, P. O. Box 851, Braselton, GA 30517
Email: info@christinemartinello.com   PH: 678-960-www.originallovebox.com

Let us know if you want to join forces and send love to Military families.  Because of you, we can spread more love!  You help educate & encourage military families so they can build foundations of love. Thanks!

5 Ways to Grow in Love

Hi!  Deep down do you wish you could have a loving life and family?   For everyone to just get along and be kind to each other. Oh,  I sure have.  For this to happen we have to intentionally work to create peace and love.

When I think of some of the greatest people who love deeply, I think of Moms.  As a wife of nearly 25 years and Mom of 3 college aged kids, I’ve discovered Moms love deeply and are a great example for us all.

Here are five ways we can grow in love.

1.  Prepare for love.   When a woman begins to consider  becoming a mom, she immediately begins to prepare for it.  She sees friends that have children and starts to imagine herself in that role.  After she gets pregnant, preparing really heats up as she makes room in her body, announces the upcoming birth to family and friends, plans for doctors visits, etc.  Each day she opens her heart to the idea of creating and loving another human being.

Erma Bombeck captures a  mother’s heart with these words, “Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I’d have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.”

2.  Give Birth to Love.   In order to  grow in love we need to be willing to give birth. Mothers intimately know the amazing miracle it is to give birth to her precious new baby.   For us to love we must be willing to go through the pain of birth to receive a new life and love.

3.   Raise up love.   For love to grow we need to tend to it an mend it.   From the time the child is born until they leave the nest mothers tend to millions of details to raise up loving children.  A mother’s constant spirit reads emotions and heart strings like no other.

For us to  truly love we know we need to mirror love as a couple. It’s super important to  continue to grow a relationship with our spouse and schedule date nights.

I remember when my daughter Tina was five years old and she asked me, “Mommy are you going to be home after I come home from kindergarten today?”  I told her, “Of course honey. ”   She began to jump up-and-down and excitedly say, “Hip hip  Hooray, today’s a Mommy Care day! “   It was at that moment that it struck me – she would remember what we did from this point forward.

In 1999 our family started  creating traditions that would build a foundation of love in our family.  On of my favorites is ‘The Original Love Box’ tradition – which is writing love notes to everyone in our family and reading them aloud. This tradition gives us space to express heart-felt feelings and bond our family together in profound ways.  We did & will continue to do the tradition every Christmas eve.  We also do it for birthdays or before the kids go away, etc.  What a huge blessing it has been for all of us!

4.  Realize Love Fades & Dies (for a while).   A dear friend named Peggy recently celebrated  her 50th wedding anniversary. I asked her what her secret was and she said “Great love requires two great forgivers.”       We are human and make mistakes.  We must apologize over and over again for our failures and mend our relationships.

When each of my children were in high school I knew it was time to begin letting  you.  When you love someone deeply you want what’s best for them and that means letting them go to follow the path God has for them.

Graduations were marked with so many emotions including intense joy & celebrations.  Then when we dropped each of our children off to college I felt heart broken and as if a piece of my heart was taken out.  At the time the pain seemed overwhelming and the following weeks I felt like I was sinking in quicksand.  I was so happy for them but sad for me.   Then as each child started succeeding I realized we could create a new type of relationship and love.

Love may fade for a time.  Many beloved family members have passed away and some of our saddest times in life have been losing our loved ones.  There are seasons to love and one of them is letting go.  Ultimately, we realize that we can love forever in our memories.  Death only ends our Earthly relationship.  Our spirit and love lingers on.

5.  Love lasts forever.   We can continually grow in new love and new life despite challenges, death and deep loss.

I remember tearing up when our children went off to kindergarten. Yet, I was also delighted because I got a few hours of freedom per day.

Since the kids went off to college my hubby and I have a lot more time time to do new things. It has brought us great joy to rekindle our romance. We can focus on traveling, hobbies and our careers. For years I wondered “When is it going to be my time?” Now it is.

I now have the time and energy to promote more love in the world with educational programs and the Original Love Box tradition.  We are taking all the love we used to pour into our family and share it with so many other people – at work and in or community.  What an honor to watch love grow in unimaginable ways with thousands of families.

As you can see a mothers love is immense and lasts from birth to letting go.  Mothers are incredible role models for unconditional love.

We hope that in the future (not too soon though) we will have grandchildren that we can love on too.  Oh, the joy and more love that waits.

Love grows and lasts forever!

So, how do you grow in love?  Let’s hear your comments below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spreading Love in the Classroom

Love is Your Legacy

When a 5th grade math teacher gives her students love notes, students feel loved, have a better attitude and do better in class.  Isn’t that amazing?

Here’s the teachers story:

Student Love Note

I’ve been writing love notes to my math kids. On the right side of the note I share a personal note to them. On the left side I give them  “A major award”  that I think up.

These kids are so excited when it’s  their turn to get them! I seriously see some students gazing at their love notes repeatedly.

The boy who got his first love note last week is carrying it with him always. He literally hated math at the beginning of the year and did a lot to get out of doing it (Ie:  bathroom clinic, mom checking him out, sighing deeply, etc.).

After the receiving his love note his attitude changed for the better.

Christine, Thank you so much for sharing this tradition with me. -Mrs. Tate, 5th grade teacher

See how much of a difference a love note makes.

We’re delighted to see the  changes that the Original Love Box tradition is making in families, schools, churches and companies.

Love is spreading in vast and unimaginable ways.  It takes all of us working together and as you can see, we’re making a huge difference!

Give the gift of love, one note at a time.

 

 

We’re all in search of a happy life. What if you knew just what to do, to have a happy and successful life?

Would you focus on it with all your time, money & energy? Probably.

Do you think the secrets are; Having plenty of money, a happy marriage, experience, your dream career, being a philanthropist, having a strong work ethic, or being raised in a happy childhood?

Some fascinating research reveals the secrets to a happy and successful life. The Harvard-Grant study was conducted for 75 years at a cost of over 20 million dollars to conduct.

Dr. George Vaillant, the lead researcher, notes there are two pillars of happiness:
“One is love. The other is finding a way of coping with life that does not push love away.”

The study directs us to a five-word conclusion:
“Happiness is love. Full stop.” Vaillant says.


Love means everything. A person can have plenty of money and luxuries, but if love is absent, they ultimately feel unfulfilled deep down inside.

“Our relationships with other people matter, and matter more than anything else in the world,” writes Vaillant in a 2009 Positive Psychology News article.

Your earliest relationships impact your long-term happeness, specifically the relationship you have with your mom. Business Insider highlights a connection to the fact that men who had “warm” childhood relationships with their mom we more likely to earn more money, have professional success and were less likely to develop dementia in their later years.

We know healthy relationships set a foundation for overall life contentment but also career satisfaction. Vaillant says that having a meaningful connection to the type of work you’re doing is more important than achieving traditional success.

This research confirms ancient wisdom.
“In as much as love grows in you,
So in you beauty grows.
For love is the beauty of the soul. ~St. Augustine

“Don’t underestimate the power of love, because it’s the key to happiness.” Vaillant writes. LOVE. Yes, we’re talking about loving relationships.

Value & cherish love above all else.
Grow in Love.

So, the next time you have a choice between going shopping for a little ‘retail therapy’ or indulging in other ‘escapism’ activities, take a moment to think of a new way to love. Ultimately, growing loving relationships and forgiving, will make you happier in the long run.

Does this resonate with you?
How do you value & invest in love?

5 Ways to Teach Kids to Combat Commercialism

Tis the Season . . .
And the decorations and songs in the stores are here to prove it.


At this time of year I always feel a battle between doing what the world wants me to do (buy more) and what God wants of me (love more). The tug of war is real and we need to take steps to counteract commercialism.

It’s time to take back Christmas. Here’s the thing. . . YOU get to decide what kind of holiday season you want. When it will start, end and everything in between. So, let’s be intentional and do what’s most important.

If you have thought “Christmas has become like a circus” or “The Holidays suck the life force out of me,” there’s hope for a better holiday.

5 Ways to Combat Commercialism
1. Ask your kids, “What do you remember about last Christmas?” What traditions did you like to do? What gifts do you remember getting? You will probably be surprised by the answers. Do what’s most important and let go of the activities that don’t fit into your top priorities. Let’s simplify.

2. Let’s focus on celebrating the real reason for the season which is the birth of Jesus and sharing the light and love of God with others. During Advent focus on spiritual activities like prayer and good works. How about singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Jesus this year?

3. Set a limit on time, money and number of gifts to give this year. Long ago our family decided to give no more than 3 gifts for each person. We figured if it was good enough for Jesus to get 3 gifts, it was good enough for us.

4. Model for your family the values you hold dear. Your kids will do what they see you do.

5. Host a ‘Family Love Night’ with the Christmas Love Box Tradition.
Just imagine, you’re sitting in your living room with your loved ones, surrounded by candles, chocolate and Love. With each note read aloud, the magic of love is released and binds you all closer together.

The night is a precious and magical time together as each person feels valued, appreciated and loved. The force of love binds you closer together.

Then after the holidays are over, you have love notes in your loved ones handwriting to relive those happy times. You’ll have notes from when the kids were 5, 10 or 15. The kids have notes of love from their parents, aunts, uncles and Grandparents. Forever. You can read and re-read those love notes all year round.

Oh, it can be different alright. Rather than giving stuff you can give and get the gift of love.

It’s so, so much better. I promise.

There’s a battle going on between commercialism and spirituality. So, let’s lace up those combat boots and start walking. Singing Christmas carols all the way. Ready? Set. Let’s go.