Monday, December 30, 2013

Kids for Peace

I am SO excited about this.  One of my friends recently told me about an organization that is specifically designed to help kids make a difference in the world.  As a mom of two little ones, I am always looking for ways to teach them about being kind and contributing to the greater good.  We haven't yet attended any of their events, but I think their Peace Pledge says it all:

I pledge to use my words to speak in a kind way.
I pledge to help others as I go throughout my day.
I pledge to care for our earth with my healing heart and hands.
I pledge to respect people in each and every land.
I pledge to join together as we unite the big and small.
I pledge to do my part to create PEACE for one and all.

Kids for Peace

I am very anxious to see where this leads, and I suspect there will be some follow-up posts on this subject.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

A Jarring Gift

As I may have mentioned before, I really enjoy gift giving.  I try very hard to get gifts that people will thoroughly enjoy, and I try to personalize them as much as possible.  So, for my daughter's kindergarten teacher (a self-proclaimed soup fiend), my daughter and I made jars of soup mix.  We also made a jar of peppermint cocoa mix, with marshmallows.  It was a great personalized gift that my daughter was able to help make.  It turned out pretty cute, and her teacher just LOVED it.




Sunday, December 22, 2013

I know, I know...

Okay, I know what you're thinking:  Here we go AGAIN.  Yet another post about the importance of blood donation.  Well, yes, you caught me.  It's just such an immeasurable gift, for a family in need, to receive.  It really doesn't take much time, and if you find a blood mobile, like I did (see below - can you believe they can do all that on a bus???), you don't even have to seek out your local donation center.


Consider giving the gift of life this holiday season, won't you?

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Crocheting for a Cause (or two!)

Lately, I have been on a total crocheting kick.  I don't know why, but it seems to come in waves (usually when I have a specific event).  So, when I needed a gift idea, it just made sense.  The doctor that delivered my babies (the person I credit with giving me my children - LITERALLY, I would not have my children, if not for this man) is not only an incredible doctor, but he's also an amazing human being, who is extremely generous and kind.  I am always trying to think of ways to show my gratitude.  Every year, on his birthday, I show up at his office with some form of baked goods, and while he's always super appreciative, I'm certain I'm one of dozens of patients who do the same.  This year, I really wanted to do something special and meaningful, so in the spirit of putting others first, I tried to think of what is meaningful to him.  Among his many amazing qualities, he donates his time as a board member to multiple charities.  One of the charities is an organization called, "Jalen's Gift."  It is an organization that provides, among other things, care boxes to families that are dealing with infant mortality.  I decided to make two blankets, this year, to give to him for this great organization.  I actually forgot to take a picture of the blankets I made, but they were very similar to the ones I made for Project Linus this year.  See: 35 (Am I really that old?) Acts of Kindness.  Anyway, the blankets were a huge success, and I could tell that I really touched him with my gift.  He was extremely grateful, and he joked that he would have a hard time not keeping one for himself.  I told him I would be more than glad to make him his own, and I asked him what colors he would like.  He was really excited, and he told me to surprise him.  So, I took my girls to the store, the next day, and let them pick the colors (they're 5 & 2), and here is the end result...


Right now, I'm working on scarves to hand out to the homeless, with our bags of essential items.  See #9 on my 35 Acts of Kindness or #7 on my 34 Acts of Kindness.  I'll post pictures of those, when I have a few more done.


Monday, October 7, 2013

Back to School

It's that time of year again (okay, okay, so I'm a few weeks late on this one)...back to school.  This year, my oldest daughter started kindergarten (*sniff*  Where does the time go?).  Teachers work so hard and get so little appreciation that I wanted to send her with a small gift, to start the year off right, so I gave her teacher this box of supplies.


Usually, when I give a gift, I like to give something that I know the recipient will enjoy, but since I had only briefly met her teacher, it was very difficult to personalize her gift, but with a little paper, glue and creativity, I was able to give it just a little personal touch.


I used printable Scrabble letters, that I found online to spell out my daughter's name and her teacher's name, along with the words "Learn," "Teach," "Grow."  She loved it!

Monday, September 9, 2013

Kinnear's Kindness

I have been seriously lacking in my posting duties, but my husband and I were just discussing something that happened to us, a few years back, and I just had to share it.  Normally, I am not remotely interested in celebrities.  Frankly, I don't get the hype, but I do have a soft spot when I hear that one is genuinely kind.  So, when I experienced one of them being kind, first hand, I just about melted.  It all happened, a few years back, when my husband and I decided to take a trip to visit some family on the East Coast, for my daughter's first birthday.  We were lucky enough to get a direct flight, but we still arrived tired, and with a one year old in tow, we had a lot to carry (suitcases, snacks, diapers, carseat, etc.).  We made our way out to the car rental shuttle, and while we were waiting in line, I turned around and noticed a familiar face.  I mumbled, under my breath, that Greg Kinnear was standing behind us, but my husband couldn't hear me.  So, we got on the shuttle, and shortly after, Greg Kinnear got on too.  My husband was surprised to see him (as he didn't hear me), so he stuck out his hand and said, "Mr. Kinnear!"  Greg Kinnear shook his hand, but he was on the phone, so he didn't say anything.  He sat down next to us (we were on the bench at the back of the shuttle), and he sort of turned away from us.  I was a little annoyed and dismissed him as another self-absorbed celebrity, that is until he hung up the phone a few seconds later.  He began by apologizing profusely for having been on the phone, saying that it was his daughter's first day of kindergarten, and he had been talking to her about how it went.  He talked to us, the whole way to the rental car place, and when we arrived, without saying a word, he grabbed our biggest suitcase and carried it inside to the rental car counter!!  Did I mention it was POURING?!?  It was so genuinely nice that, to this day, I can't see his face without saying, "Awww," and thinking about that day.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Learn About Enviromental Issues & Earn Rewards

I have had a long time interest in issues connected to the environment. That is why I was super psyched when my blogging buddy pointed me int he direction of Recycle Bank . I have been on for a couple of weeks now, and have noticed that there is a wide variety of information, appropriate for a wide range of environmental interests.  And it is fun because you earn points and can redeem them for a wide variety of rewards. Since I am on a mission of kindness, I chose to redeem my first batch of points for a donation to the Arbor Day Foundation.  However, I look forward to choosing another reward for something personal and fun!

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Posting Kindness

I found this poster online.  The creator encouraged those to print out their great work and share it, so I did!  I printed out a bunch and cut along the bottom words so that folks can tear off a little strip, if they so desire.  It has been kind of fun to find as many appropriate spots to put these up. I have mostly stuck to bathroom stalls and public bulletin boards.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Make Wishes


What to do with extra pennies in a day and age where they won't buy much?  Spread kindness!  I have to admit, I was kind of nervous about this one.  I made sure to find a fountain that already had pennies in the bottom, because I did not want to start a trend that would give the fountain caretakers extra work.  Also, I was not sure if using sidewalk chalk on public property would be considered a nuisance.  But I figured that one good rain would take it away, so the actual impact would wash away any wrong doing. 



Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Tab for a Cause

This is another free way to support a worthy organization.  It is along the lines of my  Goodsearch, post, but it is called Tab for a Cause

I think a lot about my privilege and know that I am very lucky to be in a financial position where I can do some of these acts of kindness. But I also think that financial situation should not dictate one's ability to be able to contribute to the greater-good, as it were. So this is one of those little things that can be integrated into daily life. I already use tabs when I am on the Internet. So why not have each one contribute something (however small) towards a positive cause?

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Bring Extras - Fun For All At The Beach!

While I am not a huge fan of sun, sand, nor water, I still enjoy bringing my kids to our local beach. They make it fun for me!  The first few times we went, I was very ill prepared.  I naively assumed that beach towels, swimsuits and sunblock would be enough.  I neglected to bring any accouterments, even the simple ones like a shovel and a bucket!  We were lucky enough to find kind families who shared with us.  Now when we go, I make sure to pack extras so that we can feel free to share with our fellow beach-goers.  And the good thing about this one is that beyond the initial investment of buckets and shovels (which since the end of the season is coming, could be bought at a steep discount) there is no ongoing cost for this act of kindness.  

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Mail a Hug

This is an idea that I got from Pintrest, one of my favorite sites!

Click here for the original site

We decided to mail our hugs to a friend who had just left the hospital, some family who recently visited from out of state, and a family member who is in an assisted living situation.  They were fun  and easy to make and everyone appreciated them.

This may be one that we do fairly frequently, as it is an engaging, affordable craft which helps us connect with  important people in our lives!

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Lunch for Love and Acceptance

 There is a little gem of a cafe called Cafe 407.


 It is connected to Ophelia's Place



 The proceeds from the yummy food go to support the programming to help folks recover from eating disorders.



 The cafe is super cute, with inspiring quotes posted around the building

I noticed the top one here that says "random acts of kindness" in the top corner.  I guess that means this is my kind of place!

When I have out of town visitors or local friends who want to get together for a meal, I will frequently suggest meeting here.  The fact that this is not only a quality establishment but provides a wonderful service that can be self-sustaining.  And really, how clever is it to help folk recover from eating disorders using a cafe! 

Saturday, July 20, 2013

From one to the next, to the next, to the next....

I came across this link explaining how 55 cars in a row "paid it forward" for the next customer at a drive-thru.  And there is a slideshow videos about the kindness that people are spreading. This makes me happy, and I sincerely hope it spreads even further!

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Paying library fines - perspective switch!

I have been an avid patron of the public library for many years (and was thrilled as well as jealous when my sister in law became the director of her local library!  She gets to spend hundreds of dollars a month on books each month!  how FUN!!!).
Anyway, as an avid user, I do occasionally acrue a library fine (typically on some media that I ended up not liking and forgot about, or hoped that I would get into, but ultimately hated.)  I used to get SO annoyed at these fines.  But a former boss gave me a new way of looking at these fines.  I now consider them a donation to the library.  Love it!  But the blog has pushed me to find new and creative ways to give back.  So as I was paying my most recent fine (an act that in the past would make me hang my head in shame, but now I consider my most recent contribution to an instiution that I LOVE)  I asked if they would keep the change and use the money to zero out another patron's account.  They obliged.  I gave them a note to give to the chosen patron. 

I think this is a nerd's variation on paying for the toll/coffee behind you. 

Friday, June 28, 2013

Supporting Veterans Through Strawberry Picking

 It's strawberry season! Not only is it cheaper to go pick your own, it gives this stay-at-home parent a fun outdoor activity to do with my children.  And as if that were not incentive enough, I heard about a local organization called Clear Path for Veterans that has a strawberry patch and the money goes towards supporting the programming they provide. Here is an interesting segment on a great approach to help veterans find meaning, prupose and connection upon their return

Fun in the fields. There were so many strawberries, and we are catching the tail end of the season. The staff and volunteers were very friendly, and they encouraged sampling in the fields (good for my kids, especially the little one, who gave me the challenge of keeping her basket full, she ate them so quickly)

Don't the strawberries look luscious?

Friday, June 21, 2013

Appreciation - Via Social Media

With the magic of social media, I am now at least somewhat connected with hundreds of people.  Some are people I knew before I hit double digits, others are much more recent.  There are some people I have not seen in almost TWO decades, and have just a few specific, perhaps slightly random, memories of.  But I thought that I would take a few moments to shoot each one a private message sharing with them what I appreciate(d) about them.  This is free, kind of fun and hopefully will spread some smiles (it is an ongoing project that I do a few at a time)

Monday, June 10, 2013

One hour for the girl scouts





This is one that I did awhile ago, and I hardly consider it a "kind deed" but none-the-less, I did share my time and knowledge.  An old friend of mine does lots of good work for her daughter's Girl Scout Troop. Periodically, we bump into each other in the community.  One day she asked me if I would be willing to do a session with the girls on American Sign Language (ASL).  I am not a particularly skilled individual in any particular area, but I do have a deep enough knowledge of this language that I felt I had a lot to offer for a very basic introduction. And I was honored to have been asked!


So it was a super fun, though short, evening teaching 15 young Girl Scouts some basics about ASL.  Side note, In preparing for this session, I learned that the founder of Girl Scouts was Deaf.  Additionally, my notion that this all comes around, this lovely Girl Scouts troop contributed to my St. Baldrick's fundraising efforts too! 

Friday, May 31, 2013

Blessed with Love



I am so very fortunate to have folks who love me!  In April, a far away loved one shared this beautiful card with me. I think it is spectacular that I get to pass it on.  That being said, for now, I am treasuring it, and inspired by it.  The loved on who shared it with me is dedicated to volunteering at an organization that is near and dear to her heart. This is the notion of love (and kindness) I think the more you share, the more you receive.  And there are enough of us with enough widespread passions to cover a wide range of needs, and I am consistently inspired by those who are able to spread kindness in any number of ways! 

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Spreading Flowers




 
My hardworking husband was invited to a formal celebratory dinner to commend his (and his team's) efforts.  It was a very nice affair, and I am proud of all of them. My formal acts-of-kindness efforts have been minimal lately, though I do try to maintain a general attitude of gratitude at all times, so I was excited when I saw the beautiful centerpieces. I appreciated the privilege I live in and that there are certainly lots of people/places that could share in the appreciation.  So I first conspired with my table mates to "abscond" with our centerpiece. But one did not seem like enough (I have so many ways to spread my appreciation!) so I found out who the organizer of the event was (through the covert efforts of our willing server) and she gave me the go-ahead to take arrangements.  Cautionary note to those who wish to replicate my efforts: Do not assume that an empty tables mean that someone does not have their eyes on the bouquet. I was walking out with two bouquets in hand when, of all people, my spouse's boss' wife gave me a look.  After some awkward back-and-forth I realized that I had crossed her boundary (*gah*) She was kind about it all, but seriously, this is why I would never survive in the corporate world!
Slight embarrassment aside, I enjoyed sharing these beautiful bouquets with others who certainly deserved and appreciated them!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Kind Deeds - effecting my choices!

So I got this little nastygram from my local mail person:



I have to admit, I was taken aback by the stern wording, all-caps and highlighter used.  I even checked in with my even-tempered spouse and he thought it a bit much.  This seems more appropriate for a third or fourth notice.  But this was the first time I was being made aware of the concern.

I will admit, I have been ruthlessly clearing out my house of things we do not need.  And anything that is big and bulky is difficult for me to fit in my car to bring to Goodwill so have been putting it at the end of my driveway with a "free" sign.  So the concerns are valid.   But really?!  I think this was an over reaction.  My first wave of emotion was annoyance which mutated into embarrassment.  Both of these emotions made me want to respond in inappropriate, somewhat passive aggressive ways.  I talked myself down from these responses, and naturally figured I would just do nothing and comply.  However, a really neat thing transpired. "One kind deed" came to mind.  So I decided, somewhat artificially, that I needed to do more.  So I wrote this brief note and attached a little bar of wonderful dark chocolate (which I always have on hand, thanks to the amazing, affordable 5 pack at Aldi's...) to put in the mail box.


    Here's the exciting part.  As I was doing this kind deed, even though I didn't really want to, I started thinking about the mail person.  I realized that USPS is going through a lot of struggles, there are many post offices closing and perhaps this person is under more stress as a result of concern over being laid off or increased workload because of a smaller workforce.  And the nastygram they wrote was just an over reaction to an admittedly annoying obstacle. I had an internal shift and I WAS NO LONGER ANNOYED! ( I typically never use all-caps, but this is how exciting this internal shift was for me. picture me saying this with wide eyes, raised eyebrows and a breathy excited voice).  I just can't believe how wonderful for me this "one kind deed" perspective is.

 

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

St. Baldrick's: shaving my head to raise money!

Just over a month ago, my Love and I shaved our heads after more than doubling our original fundraising goal for St Baldrick's.  This is a national fundraiser that contributes the most money (other than government funding) towards research to cure childhood cancers.  I put a few jars up in local businesses (tip from experience: go with the locally owned businesses, anything that is a "chain" will need to go through corporate) but I mostly begged through Facebook and it was a huge success!


Here is me holding my first pigtail. I do typically donate my hair to organizations that make wigs for folk who cannot grow hair.  Since I just did a donation last spring, I needed to donate to Pantene Beautiful Lengths because they only require 8 inches instead of 10 as some of the other donation programs. 



Shaving in Progress

 Finished product.  Note that all of the people shaving heads and the bartenders were volunteering their time.  So even if one does not want to drop the locks, there are still ways to contribute.  I even met someone this weekend who was giving chair massages in exchange for donations to St. Baldrick's


And the husband of the year award goes to my Love, when I mentioned last fall that I planned on doing this, not only did he support me, but he said he would join me! (that's him next to me!)

And here we are right after the event!  I think we look pretty good!  And all levity aside, I did not find it to be a difficult decision to shave my head, in fact, it was kind of a good excuse for me to do it.  I think donating blood is much more stressful, unlike my blogging buddy.  But during the process of fundraising, I often found myself distraught.  I simply cannot imagine taking my babies to chemotherapy.  I am so very blessed and hope that our efforts make a difference somewhere...

Friday, April 12, 2013

35 (Am I really that old?) Acts of Kindness

Okay, so it's here again...my birthday, and I have once again attempted to spread some kindness.  I tried to come up with all new ones, but whew is that tough (maybe if I had an unlimited time frame and budget), so some you will see are repeats of last year, but I promise they were all newly executed this year.  In case you missed it, here's last year's.


I had a little wrinkle in my plans, when I (thankfully) remembered that I had to go to the DMV to renew my license.  So, I spent most of my actual birthday at the DMV and had to spread out my 35 acts over several days.  But, hey, kindness is kindness, right?  So, without further ado, here they are (in no particular order)...
 

1.) We made a donation to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.


2.)  We donated all of our change to this meter, which promised responsible distribution of funds to those in need.


3.)  I made my homemade mac & cheese and brought it next door to our neighbors (it's their favorite, and they always go on and on about it). 


4.) I donated blood (a repeat of last year, but oh so important).


5.) I left laundry detergent and coins in a laundromat with a note about passing on kindness.


6.)  This might be my favorite one from this year.  We invited some friends over for dinner and asked them to make a donation to charity, based on the amount of money they would have spent on dinner anyway.  It was an all around win-win.  My friends were especially generous and gave way more than they needed to, so we were able to send donations to both St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Safe Nest.  


7.)  This next one was pretty gross, but I saw some gum on the ground, as I was walking into my daughter's preschool.  I kept going and got my daughter, but as we were walking out, I had to keep my daughter from stepping in it, and I realized that if I didn't pick it up, someone would certainly end up with it on the floor of their car.  So, I went back inside and asked for a napkin.


8.) We brought toys and games to the pediatrics ward of the hospital.  Another repeat from last year, but still a special gift, I think.


9.)  Okay, I almost feel guilty counting this one, because we started this last year, and it has been an ongoing thing since.  We always keep these bags in our car, and when we see someone standing on the street, asking for money, we pull over and give them one of these.  For my birthday, though, we didn't just give them out to people we saw soliciting, we actively sought out the homeless to give them these.


10.)  Here is another repeat from last year - we left Girl Scout cookies for the mailman with a note of appreciation.  Last year, we put them in the mailbox and left.  This year, we got to see the mailman's reaction when he saw it.  He pulled it out, read it, smiled.  Then, he turned it over and gave a fist pump "yesss!"  and then turned and waved to the house.  It was nice.


11.)  I made two baby blankets for Project Linus, who provides homemade blankets to children in crisis.


12.)  We donated diapers to a shelter for women and children.


13.)  I created these little kindness kits for some of the kids in my daughter's preschool.  I gave them to the kids and encouraged them to figure out a way that they could pass on some kindness with each of the items inside.


14.)  I wrote a letter to my grandparents.  They are 87 years old, and I am so grateful to have them, but I do not write to them nearly as often as I should.


15.)  We went out to lunch, and we bought a gift card for another family in the restaurant. 


16.)  We left a 40% tip for our waitress.


17.)  We left a gift card inside one of the children's chapter books at Barnes & Noble.


18.)  I baked cupcakes for my husband to bring to work (he works in a casino, which is why they have "dice" on them).


19.)  We saved all of our can tabs for the last year and gave them to the Ronald McDonald House to help support their efforts.


20.)  We made a $100 loan to Kiva, which lends money to help those in poverty.


21.)  Everyday, when I take my daughter to preschool, I pass by the same two crossing guards.  They're an older couple, and no matter how many times I smile at them, they do not smile back, so I thought they might be feeling a little unappreciated.  We gave them some Girl Scout cookies and told them that we appreciated them keeping the kids safe.  They seemed genuinely excited and surprised (they still didn't smile when I left the preschool, but I think it was deep inside).


22.)  We gave a gift card to a family waiting in line at the movies.


23.)  I made breakfast in bed for my wonderful husband.


24.)  I taped popcorn to a Red Box (sorry for the bad picture, I forgot my camera and had to use my phone).


25.)  We made bags for cancer patients that included antibacterial wipes, lotion, Chapstick and a note of encouragement.


26.)  We saved all of our Box Tops for Education over the last year, and we gave them to a family with school age children.


27.)  We donated clothes to Goodwill.


28.)  We gave a gift card to a random person in Target.  This was my favorite activity last year, so I had to do it again this year.


29.)  We bought something from a baby registry, for people we didn't know.


30.)  Last year, I switched my daughter from disposable diapers to gDiapers, which have a flushable/compostable/biodegradable liner.  This year, I took the plunge and switched her to cloth training pants.


31.)  We brought coloring books and crayons to the E.R.


32.)  We bought a gift card for a friend who really needed a night out.


33.)  We made a donation to Autism Speaks.


34.)  We participated in a walk-a-thon for Operation Smile, which helps children with cleft lips/palates around the world.


35.)  We went to Valley of Fire State Park and cleaned up garbage, both near the picnic area and on the trails.

Another successful birthday!!