Doughnut Surprise

   Today was another day that my sweet daughter helped me with my act of kindness. You see... she LOVES going to preschool and is even more excited about starting Kindergarten next year. Part of that is just her personality, but I also think that part of that is thanks to the great teachers and staff at her school. Everyday she is talking about all the fun things she got to do and I feel like they have done an awesome job getting her ready for what to expect for next year. So for today's act of kindness my daughter and I thought we should do something for the staff at her school. On the way in this morning we stopped and picked out a dozen different doughnuts for them to enjoy as a special treat. Her two classroom teachers were surprised and very thankful, they even posed for a quick snap shot. Later today my daughter told me that they let her go from room to room to share the doughnuts with each teacher. Today's act has been another one of my favorites because I love it anytime my kids WANT to participate in a random act of kindness and also because I feel like teachers have one of the hardest jobs out there and don't get anywhere near the recognition they deserve.
   One a side note, today marks one month down in my year long journey. So far this has been so awesome and I love how other have told me that certain acts have inspired them to do their own. So please keep the ideas and suggestions coming. And please... SHARE SHARE SHARE this with others! Knowing more people are reading keeps me motivated and  the more random acts I can pass on to others will hopefully inspire them to do the same.

Blown Away

Last night was a long and wild night weather wise around here. Strong and windy storms pushed through the area and there were even a few tornadoes. We're very lucky and thankful our side of town only had a little if any damage. But what we did have this morning was a lot of debris and overturned trashcans like my neighbors pictured here. So for today's good deed. I went around and picked up neighbors belongings and trash that got scattered all around in the storm. Hopefully I got everything back to the right house, but I know I at least got their trash picked up and that is one less hassle for them to attend to before leaving for the day or to come home to tonight. I know the last thing I would want to come home to after a long day is garbage scattered all over the lawn and my trashcan missing.

Clearing The Coupon Clutter

So my original plan for today's good deed didn't really pan out, so it's one I'm storing away for later. But even though my first plan fell through, I kept thinking, "okay no big deal, something will present itself." So I kept waiting... and waiting.... and just when I thought I was gonna have go into my arsenal of ideas that I've been saving for later this year, I found it staring me right in the face, literally. For the last week or two I had coupons piling up on the counter for products that I know I won't buy.  I occasionally get free products to write reviews and post online and then in exchange companies will  send me coupons to hand out to friends and family to try the product as well. Lately these coupons have been stacking up fast like I mentioned before, and as they stared at me I realized what I would do today. I grabbed up the kiddos and we headed to the grocery.  We went up and down the aisles leaving piles of coupons next to the products they were for, in hopes that others could save a little bit on their bill. Everyone likes finding an unexpected treasure, right??? I also had coupons for things in the pharmacy and asked the pharmacist to give them to customers who needed them. I love finding ways to cut my grocery bill so I hope these coupons are a big help to others!

Beep Beep

For today's good deed I was a courteous driver, which now days is in short supply. I feel like I am always in a hurry or stuck in some kind of traffic so I am constantly guilty of not letting people in when I probably should, going over the speed limit and fighting for the best parking spots. But today I changed my driving habits... I let several people cut or turn in front of me, a couple of times I let other cars have the better parking spot that I could have had  and I even drove the speed limit. And you know what, I didn't get where I was going any slower than had I sped up or cut others off. These habits may be common place for some of you, but sadly for me they aren't... just ask my husband! Having the mind set from the get go that I wasn't going to rush and that I was going to let others go ahead of me also made for a more pleasant ride, I didn't feel all wound up like I do most of the time while driving. Hopefully some of the other not so nice drivers out there like me saw what I did today or will read this blog and perhaps change their driving strategy a bit.

I Just Called...

    So today's good deed is along the same lines as yesterday but with just a different way of carrying it out. While it's always nice to get a message or letter from someone letting you know someone cares and is thinking of you, it's also nice to get a phone call. So for today's good deed I called my grandparents just to chat and let them know I was thinking about them. Again, I know this doesn't seem like much but to them it certainly took them by surprise and added a little something extra to their day I think.I know they are always wanting to hear more from their kids and grandkids especially as it has gotten harder and harder for them to get out and visit as much as they like. So just being there and listening as they got to tell me about how their week was, how church was, etc.. was probably a nice change. And as a bonus I got the hear a funny story about one of my uncles that I hadn't heard before. This is one deed that I certainly hope to continue on a regular basis. I may not call my grandparents each time, but I'm sure I know of others who would benefit from a nice random phone call from time to time.

Thinking Of You

    I don't know about you, but to me it is always nice to hear that someone is thinking about you. Just taking a small minute out of your day to let someone know that you care about them or to send them well wishes could turn things around for someone instantly who maybe isn't having such a great day. So for today's good deed I did just that. But not just for one person, for several. I went through my email contact list and sent an online greeting with a little personal message to let them know they were in my thoughts in hopes of making their day just a little better.

A Little Library Love

  When I decided what I would do for my good deed today, I had my friend Kendra in mind. She loves all things books and is an avid reader. She has even passed this love along to her adorable kiddos. With how far we've come with technology today fewer and fewer people still visit the library and instead read books and articles online or on a mobile device that they can directly download a book onto. But Kendra still takes her boys to the library to let them experience how fun it can be searching for that perfect book on any random topic that they could possibly dream of and the feel of an actual book in their hands. And I LOVE that she still does this. With all this in mind I figured maybe I could do something nice related to our local library and the people who still frequent it. So today I decided to pay some people's late book fines in hopes they could check out more books to enjoy. I talked with a nice guy named Dave at the circulation desk and he was thrilled to let me pay on others late fees. I asked him if he could put it towards people who were really in need  of some help paying because of unfortunate circumstances. He told me of some people who have late fees because they had been in the hospital and missed their due dates and I was more than happy to pay their fines. Hopefully this will be a little something extra to brighten their day when they come home from the hospital and have one less thing to worry about.

Trash Day

   Since today is garbage pick up day in our neighborhood it got me thinking about trash that I see laying around every time I'm out running errands or doing something with my kids. My daughter has even begun to point out "litter bugs" when she sees them. So for today's good deed I decided to pick up trash that I saw laying around while I was out.

   Before I headed out I threw a trash bag in the back of my car and then when I saw litter I pulled over and picked it up. This was another simple good deed but I'm glad I did it because each time that I did pull over and pick up trash, other drivers took a long look at what I was doing, so maybe this will inspire them to pick some up when they can or at the very least make sure they throw their items in the garbage.

Angel Teddy Bear Foundation

  Today's good deed is for an another organization that I have found through online research and one that also hits close to home. The Angel Teddy Bear Foundation is a non profit organization based out of Pennsylvania that delivers teddy bears to parents who have suffered the loss of a child through miscarriage, a stillborn child, or a loss in the NICU. They in no way think the teddy bears are a replacement but just some small token to show that they don't have to grieve alone. Along with the teddy bears is sent a sympathy message from other parents who have experienced a similar loss. Their website also offers support and other resources for those who are grieving. You can find out more about them or even donate by clicking here.
  As I mentioned before, this one hit close to home for me because my first child was born very premature and spent months in the NICU. While the first weeks were filled with the uncertainty of if my daughter was going to live, we were very blessed that she did survive and was able to come home. Ever since that experience, my husband and I have wanted to do something for parents with with sick children in the hospital because we know exactly how scary it can be. So for today's good deed I donated a teddy bear in hopes that it will bring a small amount of comfort to parents who need all the support they can get.

Feeding Those Who Need it Most

   Today's good deeds were very simple but I feel very important. Hunger is one of the largest problems around the world and also one of the most solvable. I'll try and not get on much of a soap box here, but people are hungry and underfed in every single country and to me that is just sad. So after doing a little research on food organizations I came across the World Food Programme and a non profit website that supports them called freerice.com. You can go to this website and answer simple trivia questions and for each correct answer they donate 10 grains of rice to those in need around the world. I know that doesn't seem like much but after I was on the site for only a few minutes I had donated several hundred grains of rice and plan to go back to spend more time and donate more rice. You can visit the website by clicking here and check it out for yourself. You can even sign up for daily reminders if you like so that each day you can donate a little bit.

    But people aren't the only ones who are hungry, our four legged friends are too! Before I stayed at home with my kids I worked with a non profit animal shelter and saw on a daily basis how many animal shelters are in need of help and support to feed homeless animals. So in my research today I also came across the website freekibble.com. It operates in similar fashion to the freerice website in that you can go there everyday and answer easy trivia questions and for each correct answer they will donate 10 pieces of kibble to animal shelters in need. It also had the option to sign up for daily email reminders. You can check them out by clicking here.

I'm really hoping people will share these with others and pass along something that is so simple to do that could really make a big difference.

Have One On Me

   Today's good deed is one I've seen before and always wanted to do myself, so this morning I thought, "Why not today?" We've always got spare change lying around our house in tons of places like the nightstand, kitchen counter, in between car seats and in the washer after I forget to empty pants pockets and it could be put to good use instead of adding to clutter. So today I bagged it up and added a little note to each one and headed out to several random vending machines around town to leave it for strangers to enjoy a drink on me.

I hope something small like getting a free drink will brighten someone's day or perhaps turn it around if it wasn't going so well. Now, I know that not everyone that finds the money I left will use it to buy a drink from the machine and will just pocket the money instead. But I figure that finding some random money could also brighten someone's day and they might get something for themselves that they wouldn't have before.

Oh Baby!

  My husband James helped me with today's good deed. We went and visited a family that just recently came home with their 2nd baby and brought them a meal. I know each time we came home with a new little one, we were very grateful to those who dropped by with warm meals and kept us fed in those early days of adjusting to a new family dynamic. So were happy to be able to return the favor to this great family. I am so glad I finally got to meet their new little one and he is absolutely adorable. Here is the new proud family of four. Maybe a future good deed this year will be getting to do some babysitting of these cute kiddos!

Happy Birthday!

   Today was ending up being another two deed kinda day... This evening I was able to take my good friend Erin out to dinner for her birthday. We had a great time just getting out of the house and chatting but also stuffing our faces with some yummy food. When I started this challenge and blog I stated one of the main reasons was because I had been so blessed in my life and felt like there was more I could be doing. Well Erin is one of those blessings for sure. She and I became friends about a year ago and I am so thankful to have her in my life. So I was more than happy to get to take her out for her special day. And I am always happy for birthday brownie!

   Also we've been slowly changing my son's room from a baby room into more of a big boy room and in the process have some furniture that we no longer need. A local pastor friend told me he knew of some ministries that are in need and could get some good use out of it, so I was happy to donate it.

Go Preds

  Today I was able to help another personal friend who was in a pinch. Another fellow mom Amanda and her family were able to obtain some season opener Predator tickets and everyone except her adorable little girl was able to come up with some Preds gear to wear to the game this weekend. So she sent out a message looking for anyone willing to lend her daughter a child's shirt or jersey to wear to the game so she wouldn't feel left out. Both my kids have jersey's that their awesome aunt and uncle gave them and I knew my daughter was close to to the same size as Amanda's. I also know how expensive fan gear can be so I was happy to lend her ours so she wouldn't have to shell out a ridiculous amount for something that might only be worn one time. I of course asked my daughter if she was willing to share her jersey with another little girl and she was very happy to do so.

I brought it to them this morning and both Amanda and her little girl seemed pretty pleased, but who wouldn't be if they looked this cute!

Donate Life

  With both my kiddos currently being sick, it got me thinking about all of our health and well being in general. We are so very blessed with how well and healthy we are and have been the majority of our lives. But sadly that can be taken away in the blink of an eye and I don't just mean with disease and illnesses but with accidents and disasters as well. I've heard countless stories about how car crashes or even home accidents have taken a life or left someone handicapped physically for the rest of their life. But with as far as we've come in medicine sometimes a life is able to be made better or even saved through organ and tissue donation. So today I signed up as a registered organ donor and hope that when the time comes I can help someone else in need. Now I know many of you many think, "okay well I already signed up when I got my license." I thought the same thing too, but when I actually got online and checked it out it hadn't been updated and had some incorrect information for me. That may not seem like a big deal but I'd hate for someone to lose out on a life saving organ because I failed to do something simple like cross the t's and dot the i's. You can go online HERE to register in your state to be a donor or to update your current registry.
I encourage anyone and everyone whose religious beliefs don't keep them from donating to go and do so today. I know I'm proud I did, and you never know... the life you save may be a loved one.

Pregnancy Support Center

   For today's act of kindness I did some more donating. My youngest is finally out of his baby car seat and has moved up to something bigger, so I had a perfectly good infant seat on my hands and not sure what what to do with it. I was hoping to give it to a person or group who could get some good use out of it but wasn't sure what kind of regulations there were on giving used car seats to others. A mom friend of mom mine turned me on to the local pregnancy support center and after talking with some of their employees I found out that they did indeed take car seats and are always in need of donations. They are a great organization that help women out through all stages of pregnancy and after birth with several services at no charge.

When I found out they would take my car seat, I also rounded up a few other baby items I had and never got a chance to use or had duplicates of to donate to them as well. When I dropped them off they told me a little about their center and their needs and they are now a place I have added to my list of great organizations to give to.

Hold That Door!

  Today's good deed was a simple one but one I think everyone can appreciate at one time or another. There are days when I'm out with my family, specifically my kids, that my hands are so full with coats, hats, diaper bag, etc... that I can barely get into whatever building we are trying to get into with out dropping a million things or knocking over a kid while trying to open the door. I see this all the time with several families when I'm dropping my daughter off at school and today was no different. I can't tell you how nice it has been when a fellow parent has held the door open for us as I try and get in with two kids and all of our stuff. So today I returned the favor and after we got in I waited as parents and kiddos arrived at the school and as they got to the door I opened it and held it for them as they walked in. I did the same thing when I came back this afternoon to pick up my daughter. People seemed very happy to have an extra hand at the door, especially on a cold and wet day like today. When people do something small like this for me I know it always puts me in a bit of better mood and much more likely to pass something nice on to someone else. I hope it had that effect others today!

Help From a Friend

  Today I feel so great about how I was able to help a fellow family out. Earlier this evening while talking with my husband about possible ideas of things to do, the phone rang and a friend informed me of a situation going on with another mom that I knew and her family. They had just recently moved and are trying to make ends meet, especially when it came to groceries. My friend felt like she really needed to do something but wanted it to be anonymous and asked if I'd be willing to help out her out a bit. She had boxes of food she wanted to give and was wondering if I'd deliver it to the family who needed it. I felt like the fact that she called at the very moment I was trying to decide how to help someone today was a sign that I was for sure supposed to be involved and I couldn't have been happier to help.
  So I went and picked up her VERY generous food donation and stopped at Kroger on the way so I could add to the food to be delivered. I had planned to just leave it at the family's door with a note, but because I wasn't sure if I had the right house I waited for someone to answer when I knocked. When they did, they were so very appreciative and thankful for every bit of it. Instances like these are one of the very reasons I started this journey and challenge. I was so grateful tonight to get to be a part of helping a family who truly needed it right now. I'm also very thankful for my friend for asking me to help her. She has such a great heart and her generosity tonight was amazing.

Two For One

   In a previous blog post I had talked about my love and respect for those who have served or are currently serving in the military. To me they are a very vital and important part of our country and when I get an opportunity to show them some appreciation I can't pass it up. So today my husband shared some info with me on how I can support them and another organization which I think is great and that is the Girl Scouts of America. Currently they are having one of their biggest yearly fundraisers, and that is selling their wonderfully addictive cookies. So now they have a program called Gift Of Caring in which most local Girl Scout troops are participating. When you help raise money for local girl scout troops by buying their cookies, you also have the option to purchase boxes to be sent to soldiers who are deployed all over the world and brighten their day as well. This is also a great option for those of you who are more health conscious who may have wanted to help the girl scouts but didn't really want to have cookies in your home. I thought this was a great idea and contacted a girl scout family I knew who was selling cookies and was able to purchase boxes to be sent to our troops. I think this a great program and hope that many others who plan on buying can send a little extra love to our soldiers out there. And for those of you wondering out there, we of course bought some cookies for ourselves as well!

Toothbrush Trouble

   This weekend I am lucky enough to get away on a mom's retreat for a bit with some other wonderful ladies. So I have been thinking, "what can I do for some of these other great moms today?", and again another opportunity has just presented itself. One of the awesome moms here is Melanie who is currently pregnant with her 4th kiddo. All of you out there who are following along and have had children know of the crazy disease that strikes when you are pregnant that we lovingly refer to as "pregnancy brain". And it has struck Melanie here this weekend in the form of forgetting her toothbrush... So knowing that's something us mom's just can't do without, I decided to go and find one for her and not make her go back out again (in the rain) and hunt for one either at the front desk or find some local store and purchase one. I ran out to get her one and was presented with several different colors and brands and not knowing what Melanie would chose, I just grabbed several and thought, "in case pregnancy brain strikes again and she loses one, she'll have backups." I came back and presented her with a plethora of toothbrushes and she was very grateful.

Melanie being the great lady she is also decided to save the extras to pack up in kits that she and her family give to the needy and homeless. So glad to see it all being passed on!

Wedding Dress Dilemma

   I was lucky enough again for today's good deed to just fall in my lap. While going through my morning routine of feeding the kiddos and making coffee, my photographer friend Gina put out an S.O.S. to borrow a wedding dress for an upcoming photo shoot. I thought, "my dress is just sitting around in a box gathering dust, maybe she can use mine." So after getting in touch we made arrangements to meet so she could pick it up. I was so happy to be able to lend it to her and can't wait to see the photos of adorable little girls in wedding dresses. Gina is a great photographer and has some really cute ideas. If you are interested you can find out more about her here

On a related note, my husband has gotten in to the spirit a bit and did something awesome to help me with this year's challenge. He had some business cards made up for me to give to others thanking them for being apart of my 365 days of goodness and surprised me with them last night. Hopefully this will help when I am approaching strangers to do something nice for them and make them a little less apprehensive.

Snail Mail

  I don't know about you but I still love getting old school mail. You know the stuff that comes in envelopes and in the box outside your house with numbers on it??? With technology so rampant and our need for everything to be "right now" no one actually hand writes letters or notes anymore. Everything is sent via email or text or Facebook, etc... I'm just as guilty of this as anyone, so today I thought I'd send some notes and thank you's the old fashioned way... snail mail.  I figured it might make some people's day to get some fun mail that wasn't a bill or some kind of junk mail.

So I sat down today and wrote out several notes to people. Mainly just telling people thank you for all they do and for being such a blessing in my life. I've very lucky to be surrounded by the people in my life and I thought they should know! If the mood strikes you, write out a quick note to someone just to say hello. You never know, it could just be the thing they need at that very moment!

READATHON

So today I decided that my good deed would be focused toward my children. There's no good reason that they can't be on the receiving end of some good deeds right??? Doing something a little extra for them I feel is a great way to set an example that I hope they will pick up and pass on to others. Today was perfect for what I had in mind since it was so rainy and cold outside. I want to instill a love of reading in both my kids so anytime they ask me to read to them I rarely have the heart to say no. While I love reading to them and recently love hearing my oldest read some to me, there are times I that I feel I need to do something else instead and sometimes they pick up on that. So today I told them I would read anything and everything they asked me to all day today. No TV, computer, phone, laundry, dishes, etc was going to distract me or be an excuse not to.
Here we are ready to start our readathon!

So far our count is up to 19, but we still have the rest of the evening to go!
One of the reasons I embarked on this challenge was to set an example for my two kiddos and I feel that today was a great way share with them.

The Old Standby

   So this morning I did what my husband and I refer to as "the old standby". On my way to taking my daughter to school I stopped by Starbucks to get my morning fuel to get me through the day. (For those of you following my journey on the blog this year, you'll probably hear about countless trips to Starbucks, lol) When I pulled up to the window to pay for my drink I asked if they would add the the next car's total to my bill as well. My husband and I refer to this as "the old standby" because it's a deed we've done at drive-thrus several times before and from what we can tell so have others. I love this one so much because many times it starts a chain reaction of others paying for strangers food and drink which is a great thing in my book. Anytime someone gets inspired to do something random and nice for someone else it's a great thing in my book.

On a related note, after only doing this for a week now, I've gotten lots of great feedback and ideas from people. I've even heard how a few of you have performed a few good deeds of your own. This just warms my heart and the fact that it's leading others to reach out to strangers is awesome. So keep it coming!

Winter Warm Up

   Monday morning is the time of week that I do our grocery shopping and today was no exception. I went out this morning and while in the store I thought it would be nice to go out and collect all the carts from the parking lot and give a few of the employees a break since it was only about thirty degrees out this morning. But alas, as I went out to put my groceries away there was only one other cart in the parking lot. That Publix crew was on top of things! So the kids and I got in the car and headed home. As we were driving we passed a person sitting at an intersection corner holding a sign about a huge clearance sale going on and I thought, "glad I'm not working outdoors today as cold as it is." And that's when it hit me! I need to do something for people working outside and trying to stay warm today. So we swung through the McDonald's drive-thru and picked up several hot chocolates to pass out to those working outdoors. I loved this one today, everyone was so surprised when I approached them and very grateful. I wasn't able to get pictures of everyone who got hot chocolate but I was able to get a few.
  My inspiration, the sign holder...

 Some mobile Goodwill collectors...

Looking forward to what tomorrow's inspiration will be!

Shower Time

 Today's good deed has been in the works for the last couple of months, so maybe it's cheating a little bit since I have done a lot of the prep work beforehand but I still had plenty of work to do. Today I got the honor of throwing a baby shower for one of my favorite younger cousins Melissa. She is due with her first baby in about a month and we couldn't be more excited for her. My mom and I were so happy to get to do this for her and help her get ready for the big change in her life that is about to happen. After having two kids myself I know how great and important showers can be. Not just getting all the baby items you need but also getting great advise and tips from family and friends and making memories.

 The lady of the day... So happy for her!

I really look forward to meeting her new little guy soon and who knows... perhaps some of other good deeds this year will be doing a little babysitting for Melissa so she has a chance to get out every once and awhile.

Adopt A Us Soldier

   On both sides of my family and also in my husbands family we have several members who have served in the military or are currently serving today. I have always been proud of this fact and am so grateful for all those that sacrifice on a daily basis and put their lives in harms way so that I can feel a little safer and enjoy my freedoms. I'm also grateful for all the families of those who serve because they make enormous sacrifices as well. Because of all this, today I went and adopted a US soldier. This is a pen pal program where you can sign up and communicate back and forth, send packages, etc... to a soldier who is currently deployed. I can't begin to imagine all of the stress, homesickness, fear, and challenges that go hand and hand with being deployed so I hope maybe making a connection with one soldier and showing my appreciation can help brighten a few of their days away from home. I feel really good about this deed today and I hope some of you might adopt a US soldier too! You can find out more or sign up by clicking here.

Great Things at Greenhouse

   In our house after the holidays there toys strewn about in every imaginable place and as far as the eye can see. We've been blessed with several family member and great friends who love our kids as much as we do and love to give them gifts for Christmas. We appreciate all the generosity but simply put we don't always have room for all their stuff and when I think about how my kids are blessed it makes me think of all the children who are in situations where they may not have gotten anything. So each year in January we go through their toys and decide what they want to give to other kids who may not have been as fortunate this year. We had no problem quickly filling up a box and I even had some new toys that I added to donate as well. This year we decided to take our items to Greenhouse Ministries to donate. This is a great local organization that helps others in many ways. They have a food pantry for those in need, offer shelter programs, education and GED classes and much much more! You can check out more about them at  http://www.greenhousemin.org/

When we arrived a nice lady named Emily met me at the door and helped me bring in all my items. She was very thankful for our donation and encouraged us to come back soon. When she said this I went ahead and asked about volunteer opportunities and got signed up to attend a volunteer orientation next week. I look forward to helping this organization and in turn helping others in need.

Three for Three

So for day three I ended up with three kind acts that I got the joy of performing. On this very cold morning when I got up I thought it might be nice to pick up some of the neighbors newspapers from their yard and driveways and put them on their doorsteps so they didn't have to venture out into the cold to retrieve them. Again I enlisted my daughter Kaylee's help with this one. I put both the kids in the car and we went through the neighborhood taking turns picking up multiple papers and putting them at people's doors. After our neighborhood we went to a couple more to continue our task. Here's Kaylee picking up one of the papers. She really enjoyed doing this and was hoping someone would meet here at the door.

 Later on this morning I noticed a friend had posted a message saying she was in desperate need for purple crayons for a baby shower she was hosting soon out of town and needed them today. I thought, "well I know we've got several of those laying around." I gathered them up and asked where I could bring them to her. She was so appreciative and was able to get even more from another friend. I was very happy to help her out of a last minute emergency before she left town. I think this by far will be the easiest task I perform all year. Here's Christina with her crayons...

The last one today I'm hoping helped someone the most. After leaving where I met my friend, I came to a stoplight where there was a young man with a sign asking for money. Usually when I pass people asking for money I don't think twice about it and assume they are just scamming people when they could get a "real" job. The light turned green and I drove on thru and as soon as I passed him I realized, "what am I doing?" The money I could give him could mean the difference between being hungry or full today, possibly paying a bill or getting even further behind, providing for his kids or letting them continue to go without what they need. I circled back around to the light and gave him what cash I had in my wallet. He smiled kindly and said "God bless you ma'am." Now I know he may not be in the situation his sign claimed he was and he may waste the money I gave him, but it could also go towards getting back on his feet. My daughter had several questions to ask about me giving him the money which led to a great discussion on how we've been blessed with more than we need and that we can give to others who don't have what they need.
Looking forward to more great things to come!

Cookies To The Rescue!

   Last December when I decided to do this challenge I started stockpiling ideas from all sorts of places of things to do when opportunities didn't arise on their own. One of them was baking some treats and taking them to local fire stations and police stations to show appreciation for the hard work they do and putting their lives on the line on a daily basis. Both my children are very interested in fire trucks and firemen so I thought today would be a great day to take our local fireman some home made cookies. This morning I got up a little extra early and let my five year old help me make the cookies that we would deliver. I explained to her as best I could why we were doing this and hoped she would thank them for their service too.
   When we got there both my kids were excited to see the firehouse and meet one of the firemen. He seemed just as excited when I handed him the tray of cookies :) After we thanked him for all his hard work, he and my daughter had a long conversation on fire safety, interestingly enough Kaylee did most of the talking telling him all that she had learned at preschool about fire safety and how she knew how to get out of our house if something happened. He seemed impressed and tickled at her energy. I was so excited with how happy he was about the cookies and that my kids got to take part in today's task I forgot to take a picture.
Oh well, I'm just happy we got to bring a little happiness to the firehouse and that hopefully my children learned a little something about passing it on!

So Sweet CeCe's

   So today was day one of my year long attempt to perform at least one good deed or act of kindness for someone everyday of 2013.  While out at Target today I kept my eyes peeled for any opportunity that might present itself. I picked up the things I needed and went to the check out and as I finished I saw a older lady with a motorized cart who was having problems getting it to move. I offered to help her with her items and push her cart for her but she declined. I offered again but she actually seemed a little frightened by me so I went on my way. After a moment I remembered a voucher I have been carrying around in my wallet for a couple of months now and decided that could be the perfect way to make someone's day.
   I headed over to Sweet CeCe's frozen yogurt and found a family of four walking in and decided to give them my ten dollar voucher to use for their treats. The mom seemed apprehensive at first but I explained I just wanted to do something nice, no strings attached and she warmed up pretty quickly. I watched the family fill their bowls and with lots of yogurt and yummy toppings and give the voucher to the cashier to pay for their items. My favorite part was when they put their yogurt on the scale the cashier told them they still had a few dollars more to spend and that they could add more to their bowls. Both the kids got so excited and ran back over to the yogurt bar and begged for more of their favorite flavors. It also brought a smile and laugh to the parents faces as well. I was so happy to be able to share that voucher with them for many reasons, one of them being it appeared at first they were all going to share the same bowl but this way they were able to have their own. They were even nice enough to let me snap their photo.

I'm excited to see what tomorrow brings!