Passing On The Perks

Today I took all the kids to the Discovery Center, a local children's museum/ play area. We've been a few times and like it because periodically they rotate some of the exhibits and there is usually something new. But we don't go all the time because it can get kind of pricey. But every once in a while we find a good deal online where we can get a punch card for 10 visits for SUPER cheap. That's what we used to get in today and we had a few punches left when all was said and done. So, I thought it would be nice to pass on our card to another parent coming in with their kiddos and try and save them a little money on admission. It was crazy busy when we checked in so I just stuck the card in my pocket and decided to wait and give it to someone on our way out. A couple of hours later as we were leaving, a mom with three kids in tow came through the front door. I got her attention and told her she was welcome to have our card and get in for free this time. Her face lit up instantly with happiness and relief and she thanked me several times. I was really glad to be able to help her out since I know how quickly one trip there adds up.

Surprise!!

   For my act of kindness/good deed today I'm putting together a small surprise party for our summer guest Gina. She's been here with us the last four weeks and she's leaving right before her birthday. So we thought we'd give her a little celebration today before she goes in a couple of days. I know the cake pictured here doesn't look great, but hey... I tried, lol. We've got a few other things in store for her, so hopefully she won't concentrate so much on how the cake looks but instead on how yummy it tastes. I can't wait to see her reaction because she has no idea about the small party planned for tonight and I really hope she enjoys it.

Love Ya...

   Tonight I met one of my oldest and dearest friends Aimee and several others for a meeting about a church that is starting up in the near future. (For those interested its called Mercy Street United Methodist in Smyrna, TN and if you'd like to know more I'd be happy to share with you.) Anyway, I was so happy to see her even though we really only got to talk for a couple of minutes. We both have busy schedules so we don't get a lot of face time together but even just a few minutes to see each other is always great. As I left I was so excited about what is in store for the new church but also because I got to spend a few minutes with Aimee. Just that little amount of time was invigorating. So I thought it would be nice to let her know how much I enjoy getting to see and chat with her. Also that I love so much that she's my good friend. I left her a little note on her windshield telling her all of this and hopefully it will put a little smile on her face like she put on mine.

Treat Time

  Today I went out to grab some coffee to feed my ever growing addiction, lol, and while I was out I thought it might be nice to grab a few unexpected treats for the kids and hubby as well. I also thought it might be cool to grab a few different kinds of sweets for Gina to try, since she may not have these back at home in Taiwan. My niece Addison was also going to be with us, so I made sure to grab enough candy for all the kiddos to sample and an Icee for the hubby. All were pleasantly surprised with the treats I brought and when we broke the candy open the kids swarmed me like bees. I think it's safe to say they enjoyed it.

Giving Up My Spot

For my good deed/act of kindness today I gave up my spot at the gas station as I was about to start pumping. I gave it to another woman who was having trouble getting into other spots. I can totally understand having problems maneuvering a large car (See post from 2 weeks ago when I wrecked our rental, lol). Where I was at, the lanes and cars weren't so tight. So I allowed her to have my spot to make sure she didn't side swipe anything or anyone. She seemed much happier to be able to get through there and I think I know personally the headache I may have saved her from.

Fortune = Cookies

 Okay, so maybe not a fortune, but while out this morning I came across the money you see pictured to the left. Since there was no around in sight to ask about it and since it was only a dollar and change I figured I could use it for an act of kindness today. I was very close to one of my favorite bakeries, Julia's here in Murfreesboro, so I went in there to see if I could use it to do something nice and unexpected for someone else. I looked the baked goods case over and picked out a few cookies. As the employee was bagging them up for me I explained that I wanted to leave these cookies for the next people that came in and also had her include of the 365 days cards in the bag to explain about the random act of kindness. She was very helpful and seemed happy to be able to surprise the lucky person coming in. Finding money is always fun, but even more fun when you can use it for others.



*UPDATE*

So here is the fortune cookie I got after my dinner tonight....

 Just had to share it here on the blog! Very cool and kinda creepy too!

Sharing Our Table

  Today the kids and I got to spend most of the day swimming, playing and enjoying a local park with my parents in their town of Lebanon. After swimming for a good while it was time for lunch. My parents had packed a picnic for all of us and headed to the car to get the cooler while I took the kids and started looking for tables for us to sit at. We spotted two perfect ones together in the shade and we headed on over. As we began to sit down another family started heading our way as well. I knew they were going to want one of the tables the kids and I were unpacking all of our stuff at so for my act of kindness I gladly shared our shady spot and told them to take how ever much room they needed. As I was telling them this, I never really looked up much from trying to wrangle the kids and get everyone dried off from the pool. Once I did sit down and look up I realized I knew them immediately. It was the family of my cousin Brian's wife Sara. I have talked about Sara on here before and how wonderful an inspiration she was and is to so many. Almost a year ago she passed away from cancer, but her brothers (one of which we sat with and had lunch today), and her parents keep Sara's kind heart and work going through the Sara Walker Foundation. It benefits My cousin Brian and their two sons, but it has also recently completed work helping to build and sponsor schools in Africa. Sara was the epitome of acts of kindness and good deeds and I think I was meant to run into her family today. Just another reason it is always great to be kind and do for others when you can.

Making Things All Nice And Pretty

*DISCLOSURE* This pic is not of the CVS I visited today to print some pictures. The one I went to was much more disgusting and sloppy looking. I'm guessing this picture is what it once looked like before people decided to just leave their trash everywhere, throw their cigarette butts all over the ground and leave shopping carts rolling around the parking lot. I'm not sure when it became acceptable for the public to make any place they want their own personal dump and for store owners to not care enough to try and keep their properties up. To me this kind of attitude in people is just sad. So for my act of kindness today, I picked up the trash and threw it away, returned runaway cart and did a general clean up of all the stuff I saw. My hope is that others saw what I was doing today and will think twice before they litter all over and that the store employees that were standing around might do a little more cleanup to keep the store presentable.

Um... Can you tell me where the (fill in the blank here) is???

  Today's act of kindness was another that I felt was meant to be. I had a doctor's appointment this morning and after what seemed like what took forever to be seen, I finally went in and after everything was said and done I checked out and headed back to the parking lot to head home. As I was getting into my car a woman stopped and asked me for directions on how to get to a different office. I knew exactly where she was talking about and was happy help her get on her way. She had been driving around lost for a bit and was relieved to finally know exactly where to go to get to her appointment. As I got into the driver's seat I realized I had left some items in the doctor's office and had to run back in to get them. On the way back up in the elevator I thought "If I hadn't left those items behind, I wouldn't have run into the lost lady needing help." I love days like these and hope there are many more to come as I continue my goal of 365 days of goodness!

Giving Back To The One Who Always Gives

My good friend Rachel from my high school days told me about about today's act of kindness. (Which also means more money in the jar for a cause, in case you guys out there forgot about it...) Anyway she sent me a link about a great cause. In a nutshell it is about Gloria Thomas from New York.  In the past two years her son was murdered and she was left to raise his two children, along with other children she already had. But she stepped up and took the challenge head on. She also works for a local food pantry giving help and compassion to several in her community. She had a reputation for helping anyone and everyone she could. But then more tragedy struck... Her home was burned in a fire and she and the children lost everything. That included her blood pressure medication which led to her suffering a mild heart attack because she went several days without it. Her coworkers have helped her secure a new place to live but she is still trying to secure many other things like a fridge and washer and dryer. You can read about her story by clicking HERE. By clicking the link you can also donate to help raise funds to help Gloria's family get back on their feet. I know there are thousands of families out there having hard times and sadly I wish I could help them all, but for my act of kindness today, I gave back to Gloria and her family.

Coolest Mom Ever....

Okay... So I know I'm not really the coolest mom ever but I did perform an act of kindness for my kiddos and our guest Gina tonight that may have gotten me a bit closer. We took the kids spur of the moment to see Despicable Me 2 at the theater. Why is this an act of kindness you may ask??? Well I'm not the kind of mom who usually takes the kids out last minute, especially on a Sunday night knowing we'll be out plenty past bed time. I'm the kind of mom that has a routine and that works well for us. But the kids loved getting to go the movie and the spontaneity, and every once and a while that isn't a bad thing. Seeing them enjoy the movie was great and reminded me that it's okay to stray from the schedule and routine sometimes.

Highway To Help

My husband was a big help earlier in performing a good deed/act of kindness. We've been on the road all day driving back home from Florida and when we were about 2 hours from home he spotted a car on the other side of the interstate that was in trouble. It was stranded and caught in between the fast lane and shoulder. It was also at the end of a curve so people coming around it may not have had time to slow down and move before colliding with the car. He had me grab the phone and I called the emergency road services to report what we saw and where we saw it so hopefully the car could receive some help before serious accidents or injuries occurred. It just so happens that I wasn;t the only one to report the car, which I think is great. That just means there are more people out there doing the right thing and looking out for each other.

Hop On Over

   Tomorrow we begin the trek back home so to squeeze in a bit of more fun, so we headed to Sea World to spend the day. While I was disappointed with the majority of the park, the shows there were really great. Everyone's favorite was the dolphin show that combined all kinds of acrobatics with lots of dolphin tricks as well. It was here that I came across an opportunity for an act of kindness. Before the show began I ran to the concession to grab drinks for everyone. There were two check out lanes and after grabbing my drinks I got in one of the lines. Right before it was my turn to pay the lady at the register next to me (who had been waiting patiently for a VERY long time), was told that the register she was at was now broken and she'd have to get in the line I was in. By this point there were quite a few people behind me and if she went to the end she'd probably miss the start of the show. So I told her to just hop in front of me because she really was supposed to be next. She didn't seem sure at first and neither did my cashier because he kept saying it was my turn, but I insisted and thought she had waited long enough. She thanked me and hurried on to her seat. I'm not so sure the people behind me were thrilled that I let someone in front of me, but hey... it was the right thing to do. 

A Little Assistance

   This evening we went for dinner with my aunt Trish while we're visiting here in Florida and enjoyed some yummy seafood. While the food was good, my youngest was not. He was being particularly crabby and hard to get along with because he is just worn out from all the fun we've been enjoying this trip. So instead of  making the rest of the tables around us listen to him whine and cry, I got up and took him outside for a while to walk around and get some fresh air. While we were outside, I spotted an older woman coming in from the parking lot and she was having a bit of a time getting to the door with her walker. So we made our way over and for my act of kindness today, I helped her get up to the door and inside to sit down. Thankfully once my son (who is normally all over the place) saw me helping her. he stayed right by my side and watched carefully as if he knew this was just NOT the time to be running crazy through the parking lot. She was very kind and thanked us once we got inside. While I was not happy about my son's behavior while we were trying to eat, it was his actions that led me to going outside and being able to help someone.

The Happiest Place On Earth

Today we made our trek to the Magic Kingdom at Disneyworld and I'm not sure who was more excited, me or the kids... Everyone had a great time and we saw and did just about everything you could at the park. Our busy day kept us on the move constantly but even with the quick pace we kept up all day, we were able to get in a few good deeds here and there. A few times we let people go in front of us in line, we gave up the table we ate lunch ate for a woman in a wheel chair, my husband caught a woman who was leaving her umbrella at a restaurant and made sure she didn't forget it, squeezed in and made extra room for people on trains and trams and helped people lugging around massive strollers. Then at the end of the night when were so exhausted and needing to get home, we still had some fast pass tickets for a ride that we hadn't used yet. So I took them to the entrance and gave them to a family waiting in the regular line and saved them about 30 min from their wait time. We had a wonderful day and so much fun that was made even more special by getting to help others.

A Little Motherly Advice

   A lot of our vacation so far has been filled with all sorts of things that have kept us moving and on the go, but today I got a few minutes of downtime. Instead of resting, I hopped online to check some emails and Facebook and had found that I had been added to a new, small group for moms looking to help other moms by offering advice and sharing their own experiences. It was perfect timing since lately I've been encountering new situations with my own kids and was thinking about them this afternoon. I scrolled through for a while and read about some of the different moms on there and their kiddos and a few were asking for advice for different situations. So after reading for a while I decided that for my good deed I would offer up my 2 cents and take on things in hopes of alleviating some anxiety for some new moms. I tried to stress that every kid and situation is different so they just had to do what works best for them and not worry about what everyone else thinks. That has always been a tough hurdle for me to get over but I hope sharing my experience so far can help them avoid some unnecessary heart ache for them.

A Walk With Sandy

   Today we began the next part of our fun filled vacation and started making our way to Florida. While here we're staying with some of my favorite family, my uncle Randy and aunt Trish. When we got here this afternoon they had the pool all ready for us along with plenty of snacks and a yummy dinner in the oven. We've had a great afternoon and evening so far and to say thanks I thought it would be nice to walk their dog Sandy. Trish was more than happy to let me take her on her evening walk so they could begin relaxing a bit earlier. Sandy is the sweetest lab and it was nice to walk the neighborhood with her. I look forward to the next few days here and hopefully getting to spread some more random acts and maybe even some more walks with sweet Sandy.

Lets Check Aisle 4

This afternoon I went out to grab a few things before we hit the road for our next destination tomorrow. While at the grocery, a guy approached me and stared for a minute like he was trying really hard to say something and he finally just kinda blurted out "ranch!" It took me by surprise but then I replied, "as in dressing?" He nodded and it was then I realized that he was probably intoxicated or high... perhaps both, lol. He said he couldn't find it and I looked up and pointed to the aisle 4 sign that said dressing and condiments on it and again he just kinda looked blankly at me. So I asked him, "do you need me to walk you over there?" He nodded again and I took him over there. I'm not sure if he thought I worked there or what but clearly he was in no state to locate salad dressing. It was all actually kind of comical. After we grabbed a bottle I walked with him over to the check out and made sure he had what he needed and he just kinda mumbled something back to me, which I think was a "thanks" While this isn't the usual opportunity that comes my way, I got to help someone and it was a good laugh as well.

And yes... for those of you wondering I did watch him leave and make sure he didn't get behind the wheel. He hopped into his buddy's truck with his bottle of ranch dressing.

I Run For ???

   Our first stop on this trip is Savannah to visit with our good friends Amanda and Will. Despite the rocky start of me wrecking the rental car yesterday before we even left town, we've been enjoying our time catching up and visiting with our friends. One of the many things that Amanda and I have in common is that we're both runners and today she gave me a great suggestion for an act of kindness. She told me about a group called I run for Micheal that she found out about through some of her local runner friends here. What it is, is a group that pairs up runners with disabled kids to help them make a new friend and the runners will run races for them and help raise awareness for whatever disability it is that they suffer from.  I thought this was a great idea and couldn't wait to sign up. So for my good deed today I went and signed up through the group and hopefully soon I'll be making a new friend and helping them through my runs. You can find out more about this group on their facebook page. Just search for "I run for michael"

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished....

Today has been a very crazy day. The fam and I were all packed and ready to leave for vacation and while packing our rental car up, we found an Ipod left behind by the previous renters. So I thought it would be nice to drop it back by the rental place so they didn't have to wait until we got back vacation. After dropping it off and heading back home to get ready to hit the road, I hit a little snag.... Well actually I hit a toyota. Yup I wrecked our super nice rental car returning the Ipod.... Everyone in our car was okay but the car, not so much. But hey, at least someone isn't going to have to wait too long for Ipod right???

Packing It Up

  So today's act of kindness/good deed is one for my husband. We're getting ready to hit the road again and I've been packing us up all day. But besides packing all of my things and all of the kids things, I went ahead and packed for my husband too.  Now some of you wives out there may think that this doesn't really count since some wives do this for their husbands all the time, but for me it's a little different. For whatever reasonI really hate packing and I am very particular in how I pack for the kids and myself and want to make sure that I have plenty of what I need and plenty of options. So when I pack for James I never really know what he's gonna wear while we're gone and almost inevitably every time I do, at some point during our trip I hear... "hey, did you happen to pack my (fill in the blank)?" And the answer is usually no. But in getting things wrapped up here at home and work he's been super busy so I hopefully was able to help him cross off one more thing from his to do list.

As we get ready to hit the road again I really look forward to doing some good deeds and spreading some kindness out there. Who knows, you could be next to receive a random act...

Help For A Mom In Need

   Through some fellow mom friends I recently found out about another mom-to-be who is going through some rough times. She is due in less than two weeks and her husband lost his job. He was able to find some work but the pay is not enough to support a family and they are having trouble making ends meet. Being so close to giving birth is stressful enough, I can't imagine having to go through a financial hardship and worrying about not being able to provide what your baby needs on top of that. So I, along with a bunch of other caring moms are putting together what items we have and getting the essentials for her and the baby to help them out. Today I packed up a blanket, some hooded bath towels and some new baby toiletries to donate. I'm really glad this new mom was able to get connected with the moms that I know so that we can help her and her new family out in any way that we can.

School Supplies For Kids

While out and about today I went to pick up a few items I forgot to get yesterday and saw that at the local Kroger's you can purchase boxes of school supplies to be donated to local schools for kids who can't afford their own. I had planned on buying some to donate anyway and this was so nice and convenient  with everything all together in one box. You can see in the picture that each box includes pencils, notebook, erasers, glue sticks, regular glue, filler paper, pencil sharpener and a pencil pouch. They had them right at the checkout so you can just have them add it on to your total and then they send the boxes to surrounding schools. My daughter starts school this fall and I have a feeling I am about to find out just how crucial supply donations are to schools these days, so I'm happy I could help.

It's A Girl!

   Today marks the beginning of a fun few weeks in our house and the start of an extended goof deed/act of kindness. One side of my husband's family is from and lives in Taiwan including his only first cousin Pin-Shin. She is eight and her parents decided this would be a good time for her to come and visit the states since her schooling and schedule is only going to get more hectic as she gets older and takes on more studies. But her parents both work full time and can't take enough time off to come and travel overseas. So my husband and I have agreed to let her stay with us for a month and try and let her experience American culture. My sister-in-law is also going to take her for a bit as well. I'm very excited that she is here and can't wait to share with her as much of the U.S. as we can. We've got some fun travel plans coming up so that we can show her more than just Tennessee. I'm also nervous about going from two to three kids, not to mention that there is a bit of a language barrier. But I'm sure it will all work out and hopefully this will be the experience of a lifetime for her. If she has a great time than that's worth whatever worries and anxiety I may have, lol.

Brunch Crew

  Today we started our trip back home for a few days before we hit the road again. But we decided to make a quick stop to visit my absolute favorite cousin Stephanie and her family. They weren't able to make the trip this year with the rest of us because she just recently welcomed their newest kiddo, Collett. We always love seeing them and all the kids have so much fun together that we just couldn't go all the way back home without seeing them. In addition to visiting, we picked up some food from a local restaurant for brunch for everyone. It's hard enough to try and go out for a meal with four kids but then add a newborn to that and it really isn't ideal. Like I've said before, one of the best things after we brought our kids home from the hospital was the food that friends and family brought us. They were very appreciative and seemed happy for some company as well. I'm so glad we got to catch up and visit for a while and that we could keep Stephanie from having to cook at least one meal.

They Still Make Pay Phones?

   My family and I are still on vaction visiting other family and while out and about this evening, we were at a store that had a pay phone in the atrium. When I first saw it, I did a double take. With almost every person having a cell phone these days, pay phones have almost vanished completely and I was very surprised to see what looked like a new one that had been recently installed. I walked over and looked at it for a moment and was then pretty positive that this one was brand new. It had fresh drill holes in the wall and all. As I stand there looking at it like I've never seen one before, I turn and see that each person coming in and out of the store was either talking, texting or playing some sort of game on their personal cell phone and became even more baffled that the store would spend money to install a pay phone that no one will probably ever use. Then I thought if someone was in a situation where they had to use a pay phone it was probably an emergency because they didn't have a cell phone themselves, weren't with someone who had a cell phone or couldn't borrow one from someone near by, which again... seems almost impossible these days. But should all that happen, the last thing someone wants to be doing is searching for change to use the pay phone. So for my good deed/act of kindness I left change on top of the phone for someone to make a call if they needed to, because like I said before, if they are at a pay phone they are probably in a desperate situation.

Kindness And Cubs

Today I had the pleasure of taking my kids to their very first Cubs game at Wrigley Field. We had several family members going and lots of fun planned. We all decided to meet outside one of the front gates, so we could all go in together to our seats as a group and because some family had other family members tickets. While we were waiting there we snapped a few pictures and stayed busy watching all the bands playing and hub bub going on right before game time. Not long before the rest of our party showed up, a couple of people stopped me and asked if I would mind taking their picture in front of the iconic Wrigly Field sign, and for my act of kindness/good deed I was happy to oblige. I'm glad I could help out because I had some taken of our family in front of the sign too and I know how much I wanted those shots.

Family On The 4th

 Every year for the fouth of July we travel out of town for a family reunion. It's a trip that we look forward to each year because we have such a great time and this year didn't dissapoint.  So much great food, fun games, catching up with loved ones, and a little patriotism thrown in makes for a great day. So my random act of kindness today/good deed today didn't involve some grand gesture for a stanger. But it was made up of several small things for my loved ones. Things like helping set up and clean up, helping to organize games, give a few minutes of my time here and there to visit and chat with elder family members, blowing up balloons for kiddos and my favorite is taking part in our raffle. Every one pitches in and buys raffle tickets for prizes that are contributed by different family members and then the money from the tickets goes to pay for the pavilion we use and for some of the food as well. This way, no one is stuck with a huge financial burdon trying to put this together each year.  Another great 4th of July this year because of lots of kindness and good deeds spread all around, and not just by me but by the whole family!

Road Trippin'

Today my family and I begin several travels that we have planned for the summer. So I am posting ahead of time since today we will be on the road. For my good deed/ act of kindness today I plan to do a few things to be a courteous traveler. I will be nice to my fellow driver by letting folks in, not cutting them off, etc... I also plan on helping however I can when we stop by holding doors for others, letting others get in front of me in line, etc... If I'm able to do something particularly awesome I'll of course update this post with the details, but for now my plan is to keep a watchful eye for many small gestures I can perform for others out there.

Also, I am really looking forward to in the next few days and weeks getting to be able to perform acts of kindness in places like Chicago, Savannah and Orlando to name a few. So please keep reading and sharing so we can spread the inspiration for good deeds all over!

Feeding The (New) Family

Yes... I realize I've done some form of this act of kindness before, and while I try and not repeat much this year, this act is an exception. I feel you can never bring food to families in need too many times. I've been blessed to have so many new friends welcome new babies into their families and today I got to go and meet another one. My husband and I remember those crazy first days of bringing a new baby home and one of the things were were most thankful for was the meals that family and friends provided for us during that hectic time. So for my act of kindness today along with getting to meet baby Isaac for this first time, I also made dinner for his dad and mom, Andrew and Jeannie. They were very grateful and looked pretty good for having a one week old baby. They weren't zombie-like at all, lol. Congrats to Jeannie and Andrew and welcome home to baby Isaac!

Making A New Friend

   So one of the goals this year when I began 365 Days of Kindness was also to perhaps venture outside my comfort zone in an attempt to help or do for others. Well, I am at the half way point and I haven't really accomplished that. But today I did something to change that, I wrote to a prisoner. Now some of you may be thinking, "okay... big deal". Maybe I've seen too many movies or let my thoughts get the best of me but when I had considered doing this earlier this year I kept putting it off for fear that when the person I was writing got released they'd try and come find me or escape and try and find me. I know that sounds silly or ridiculous to some but it is a real fear to me. After reading some other blogs and information this random act of kindness kept tugging and pulling at me. Every single person out there, no matter what their circumstances deserves and act of kind kindness. So I found what I feel to be a pretty safe way to correspond with someone who is incarcerated and sat down and wrote them a letter. I can't imagine what it's like to be in their shoes everyday, but I do think that if it was me, it would be great to know that someone out there is thinking about me and cares enough to send me a letter and develop a relationship. If any of you out there are interested you can check out www.writeaprisoner.com and perhaps find someone who is need of a little kindness.

   I really hope today inspires you out there to maybe do something nice for someone that perhaps take you out of your comfort zone. Even though I still have reservations, I am glad I am reaching out to someone in need and that trumps any fear I might have