Cheers To The Bride And Groom

   Today has been by far the most fun I've had doing a good deed all year I think. Not long ago my oldest and dearest friend Aimee got engaged and she asked if I would come along with her and her mom to help her find a wedding dress. I was very touched and honored that she would ask me to come along and help with this important task. I of course jumped at the chance to go and wanted to do something special to commemorate this day. So I went and bought us a small bottle of champagne to toast the soon to be bride and groom and the new life they are starting. Now the first place we went wouldn't let us bring it inside so we enjoyed our toast and champagne out in the parking lot in true red neck/white trash fashion, lol. But that didn't matter, we had a great afternoon and were even able to help her find her perfect wedding dress today. I am so glad I got to help and be a part of today. Cheers to Aimee and Charles!

Errands Errands Errands

   Today was a day of helping several people and myself as well. Most weekdays I stay pretty busy running errands and taking my kids here and there. But today I did this for others as well. I made some deliveries and dropped off items for people, picked up and transported items for some and basically helped others with errands that they didn't have the time or ability to do themselves. It made for a long day, but I was happy to help and I actually enjoy riding around in the car, so it was a win-win for me. I had a bit of trouble staying on the timeline I needed to, but in the end everything got finished and where it needed to go. Perhaps I should look into some sort of professional errand running service, lol!

Drive-Thru Kindness

  Earlier this year for a good deed, I payed for the person's coffee behind me in the Starbucks drive thru. Well tonight I showed some more drive thru kindness, but instead of coffee I payed for the meal of the car behind me while I was out picking up a special dinner for the kids. I really feel like I got off easy because their order was so cheap but hopefully the gesture made their night. The young guy at the window thanked me as well and told me that not very many people do this so it's always nice when people think of others. Maybe the person behind me will do something for someone else and start a chain of RAK's, That would be pretty awesome, but I'm good with just giving their evening a little boost.

Good Deed For Good Deed

  So many things just fell into place and aligned perfectly for today's act of kindness/good deed. I received a text from GiGi's cupcakes saying they loaded a free cupcake onto my account because they missed my business, and I thought a cupcake would be perfect for a RAK somehow today. The next part was going to be finding a recipient. Then later this morning I was on my way to attend a info meeting for Girl Scouts at Barnes and Nobel and got a call that it was being moved to a cafe because Barnes and Nobel didn't open until 10am. At the cafe I met with several other women about getting our girls into a girl scout troop and we all just ordered coffee and some muffins for my youngest since he was tagging along. Our server Daniel was very polite and realized quickly we were having a meeting so he didn't bother or interrupt us but made sure we had what we needed. Then when it was time to get the check he said it was all on him, he was a former boy scout and saw we were getting things together for girl scouts and simply asked us to pay it forward. I couldn't tell you how happy this made me. As I've tried so hard this year to perform good deeds and acts of kindness, it is always so great when I see others doing it as well. It kind of restores my faith in  humanity, lol. As we left, I knew that he should get the free cupcake I had waiting for me. I headed over to GiGi's and picked out the tastiest looking one to take back to Daniel. He seemed so surprised when I came back and gave him the cupcake. I explained how grateful I was for his great service and act of kindness and that I wanted to do the same for him. I told him about 365 days so I could get his picture and he was more than happy to be apart of it. Before I left I also spoke to the manager there and let him know how great a job Daniel did.
   Days like today make me remember why I started this journey in the first place and excited to see what other acts lie in my future. 

Just Because....

   I got a random email this morning that today is "Just Because" day and that we should do the things we really want to do without rhyme or reason. Most things we do are because we have to or it's expected of us. But not today.... I did some things today just because. At Starbucks I ordered coffee cake and left it for the employees to enjoy, just because. After my kids got out of school I took them for Icee's, just because. While checking out at the store I left my change for someone else who might come up short, just because. I smiled and struck up a conversation with a stranger, just becauseI didn't really have a reason to do any of these things today, but I wanted to because they were kind. Is there something you've really wanted to do or have been too scared to do? Well, today is the day... get out there and do it just because.

Sharing The Savings

I know in the past I've gone on and on about how much I like the grocery store Publix. But I also really like Kohls department store. I am always able to get in and out of there with little to no lines and I always find great deals as well. Most of their items are reasonably priced but they also send me cards like the one pictured here where I get additional savings. I can usually use one of these passes on top of a sale they are already having and use Kohls cash and walk out with items at a fraction of what they usually cost. I went there today with some savings passes and of course found a great deal on a gift I was buying. But for my good deed/act of kindness today I left my pass with the cashier for others to use on their purchases as well instead of taking it with me since it was still good for a few days and you can use it multiple times. He was happy to oblige. I love getting a good deal and hopefully some others did today too!

Beating The Heat

   Today the whole family went to watch my husband's baseball team play in their first round playoff game. It was another hot one out there, nearing 90 degrees, and I can only imagine how hot it felt in those long baseball pants and socks.  So for my good deed/act of kindness today we loaded up a cooler full of ice and Gatorade and took it out to the fellas. They're a great group of guys and I was happy to help them cool down. They even pulled out a win today.

I also wanted to mention an act of kindness I received today.While I was out at the store purchasing the Gatorade and Ice this morning I had a nice woman and her son insist on helping me carry the bag of ice and case of Gatorade. I would have been able to make it to my car, but my hands and arms were pretty full, so it was nice to get a helping hand.

The Bead Lady

  So I've been carrying around a bag of these beads pictured here in my car for a while now, having no idea what to do with them. I got them along with another donation and was told I could do whatever I wanted with these. I went ahead and took them with the rest of the items to be donated thinking "if nothing else my kids can use them when they are playing dress up." But for whatever reason they never made it out of my car and every time I got in my car I would see them and think "oh yeah, I need to take that bag in..." Then tonight my family attended a welcome bbq for a new up and coming church and there were tons of kids running around everywhere and I remembered all those beads in the car. Kids love that sort of thing and there was 20 to 30 sets of the beads which was plenty so that every kid could have one. So I headed over to the car grabbed the bag and started passing them out. They were a hit and I have a feeling that from now on those kids will refer to me as "the bead lady". Not sure if that is a good or bad thing, but seeing the kids smile when I handed them the beads made it all worth it.

Charity For Churches

   Since I started this challenge I've had several people contact me wanting to donate items or asking me if I could find a good place for their used clothing and items. I think this is awesome! I love that people are reading and following along and letting me help them help somebody else. It really is a great thing, and I'm loving every minute of it. I've also been able to make some great contacts in the community and find out where help is needed.
Today's good deed is another one where some very generous people have asked me to help them help others. The picture here is my trunk loaded down this morning with several bags of clothes and about 4 boxes of books looking for a new home. It also struck me that so far I've been able to give to many organizations but I don't believe I've donated items to any churches. So I decided that because I had so many items, instead of just picking one church, I'd go by several and offer up some items. I stopped by a few and they were more than happy to take the items off my hands. They were all very grateful and insisted on getting my name and address to thank me, but I insisted that it wasn't necessary and that I was just the facilitator helping others to give. Today was another great day.

Movies For Soldiers

   While reading through a few of my favorite blogs I came across a little website gem that allows you to send your old dvd's to our soldiers who are currently stationed overseas. As technology advances and everything is moving to BluRay or something you stream or download, those dvd's are just collecting dust. Well, mine were anyway... So my husband and I went through them and pulled out several that we knew we wouldn't watch but hoped that a soldier could enjoy on some downtime. You can find out more about this program by clicking HERE and checking out their website. So if you've got tons of them laying around and taking up space, give them a second life and send them to the troops.

A Little Cool Refreshment

  Some of you faithful readers may remember earlier in the year on a particularly cold day when I went and handed out hot chocolate to people who were working outdoors. Well I did that again today but this time I handed out bottled water to help those whose jobs require them to be outside. It's August in Tennessee and while this year it hasn't been as bad as last year at this time, it's still HOT and HUMID. I know I wouldn't want to be working in it. But I am thankful for those who do and keep our community running, so the bottled water was a little token of my appreciation

The Smile Challenge

   Today for my good deed/act of kindness I tried something that a few people have suggested and that I read about on another RAK blog.  The idea is to smile at everyone you come into contact with trying to brighten their day a bit and see how many smiles back you get. I challenged my son to do it with me while we were out and he for sure got more smiles than I did. But I knew that would happen, he's just too cute not to smile back at and ultimately if it makes the other person happy when my son smiles at them then that's even better. So here is what I have gotten so far today:

Barista at coffee shop: I smiled and asked her how her day was... she smiled back and was very polite

Post office clerk: I smiled at her and she kinda half smiled back but really grinned when she saw my son.

  Salon Lady: I smiled several times at the lady cutting my son's hair but she just wasn't having it. It seemed like she was having a bad day, so I kept trying. She finally did smile back but I think it may have been because I was beginning to border on creepy. She of course had no problem smiling at PJ.

Clerk at Sam's : As I approached her I smiled big and asked how she was doing and she smiled back as she answered but opened up even more when she saw my son.

Staff at Daughter's school: In the pick up line today I smiled at two different teachers, one never made eye contact with me, I suspect she was just trying to keep things moving quickly and avoid any hold ups. The other smiled back and was very friendly.

That's where we're at on the smile challenge so far and I'd say my son is winning. I've really had to work for some of the smiles but if it makes a difference to someone than it is totally worth it. I think the pic with this post sums up today perfectly. I hope some of you will try the smile challenge, you never know who's day your smile can change for the better.

Flower Power

   Today for my act of kindness/good deed, my son and I delivered a bouquet of flowers to local nursing home. My kiddos and I have been here a few times to visit with the residents and some of them don't have any family or friends that can or will visit. I know some of them can get very lonely or depressed there especially if they have debilitating ailments that prevent them from being able to be social. So when I took the flowers in, I asked the lady at the front desk if they could be given to someone who has been having a particularly hard time or doesn't have many visitors. I hope it brightens someone's day even if it's just a tiny bit and that they know that somebody cares about them.

Girls Day Out

   Today was a special act of kindness/good deed for my daughter. I surprised her with a special princess themed lunch at a fondue restaurant just for us girls. We had a great afternoon and seeing how much fun she had and how much she enjoyed the day made mine that much better. I have loved so much getting to help individuals and groups any chance I have gotten this year, but I also want to make sure my own family is on the receiving end a few times too. I also get an extra benefit from acts of kindness like this because special memories are made that strengthen our bond.

Something else I wanted to share about today was that even though I explained to my daughter that today was a special day for her, she wanted to bring something back for her brother since he didn't get to go. So we stopped into a candy store and she picked out a few goodies to take back to him. It warmed my heart to see her passing on the acts of kindness.

Love For Local Music

  Today I am lucky girl because tonight I get to go see Bruno Mars perform with my good friend Erin. We've been looking forward to this concert and night out for a while. Since the concert is in downtown Nashville and we'll be walking for a bit, I'm sure we'll come across several musicians and performers out there trying to earn a living and be the next big thing. This town is full of people on street corners performing to large gathered crowds or just people walking by hoping to be discovered. Many of them are super talented and for some it's their only income. So the plan for today's act of kindness/good deed is to support each musician I come across while out tonight. I'm writing this ahead of time since I'm fairly sure it will be a late night. But hey, who knows... we may run into the next Bruno Mars tonight.

More Help For The Classroom

   Like I've mentioned what seems like a thousand times before, my daughter started Kindergarten this week. It's been a lot of adjustments and not just for her, but for my husband and I as well. Starting school means going through and filling out endless forms, meeting all kinds of new people and buying all kinds of supplies. When I saw her supply list my first thought was "no way is she gonna need all this." But one thing I've learned this week is that even with all that you are required to buy at the beginning of the year, it still isn't enough to keep the classroom going and the teachers can't be left on the hook to pay for everything else out of pocket. Sadly budgets aren't big enough and teachers just aren't paid enough. So this morning when I dropped off my daughter I took in extra supplies for her teacher hoping to save her a little money. I have a feeling I will be going this a lot through out the school year because like I mentioned before, our education system is in distress and there never seems to be quite enough to go around.

Books For Babes

   Today's act of kindness was another one where I got a little help from the kids. They both love to read or look at books, but we've been blessed with so many that it was time to weed out a few that they have outgrown. It turns out that those few were a lot more than I had thought. So once we all went through them and they showed me what they were willing to give up, we took them over to our library. I loved that they were happy to give so many so others could enjoy them as much as they did. When we got to the library the clerk at the desk thanked us all very much for bringing them books to add to the children's library. My daughter even mentioned that she wants to keep passing on all her books her for other kids to enjoy when she's finished. Moments like these make me even more excited about completing these 365 days and that the spirit of acts of kindness is rubbing off on my kiddos.

Supplying Supplies

Yesterday a mom friend of mine contacted me about a local place called the Hispanic Family Center that was in need of help getting supplies for their organization. She felt this would be a perfect fit for my 365 days of goodness and she couldn't have been more right. I was more than happy to help provide them with items they needed and to learn about such a great place. The Hispanic Family Center is a ministry that reaches out to the Latino community here in Murfreesboro and offers English and GED classes for adults and tutoring for children. One of their main goals is to help with acclimation into the local community. You can find out more about them by clicking HERE. So today I purchased some items and gave them to their director. If you are local and feel like helping, they are in need of folders with pockets, mechanical pencils, notebook paper and printer paper. I'm so glad my friend Gwen gave me a heads up and that I got an opportunity to learn about a great place.

Surprise Treats

   I love surprises... getting them and giving them even more. So for my good deed/act of kindness today I came up with some surprises for a lucky random few. This morning I made up some treat bags full of things like candy, popcorn, raisins etc... and drove around town placing them on people's cars. I also included a quick note explaining that they were the lucky recipient of a random act of kindness and that I hoped they enjoyed the snacks. I wish I could have been there to see their faces when they found the bag but anonymous surprises are equally as fun!

A Little Love For The Laundromat

   I've never enjoyed doing laundry, but I have always been thankful to be able to have my own washer and dryer and do my laundry at home. In college I sometimes had to use the laundromat and I really hated hauling everything back and forth. What was even worse was when I would realize that I forgot something only after I got everything inside and sorted. With all this in mind, I made a trip to a laundromat today to leave some goodies for my act of kindness/good deed. I left stain remover, dryer sheets and other supplies on the counters there for anybody and everybody who needed them. I also attached notes explaining that people could take as much as they needed but to try and save some for others who may be in need too. I also picked a location that was very close to the local college in hopes of being able to help some broke students as school is closely approaching. Doing laundry really isn't that great but maybe by easing the crunch on other's pocket book, it made it just a tiny bit better.

Dollar General Literacy Foundation

   One of the best things I have discovered on this journey this year is that if you simply keep your eyes open there are always opportunities to help out great causes and great organizations that benefit so many people. Don't get me wrong, I love the days when I get to do something nice or help someone one on one. Unfortunately, there are some days a single person in need doesn't come across my path, but like I said a moment ago there are always great groups that can use some help or support. Today while I was out I learned about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. This program helps through implementing new or expanding existing literacy programs, buying new technology items or equipment to support literacy initiatives and purchasing books and software for literacy programs. They also give out youth literacy grants. They have collection bins at the cash registers in each of their stores, so today while we checked out I tossed them a little money to support their cause. There are so many great things and experiences out there for us, but if you aren't literate or can't read, you'll really miss out. 

Two For The Price Of One

  This weekend my husband and I have been lucky enough to score some time just for ourselves kid free, a chance to recover from this crazy hectic summer perhaps. So while out and about this afternoon we stopped by Kohl's for a few items and came across a display for their Kohl's Cares items. These change out periodically but they are usually some kind of toy or book that is reasonably priced at 5.00 and 100% of the proceeds go to kids' health and education initiatives. You can find out more about this great program by clicking HERE. Right now the items are all Curious George related so we picked up a book for our kiddos since they are big fans of him and the man in the yellow hat. I always love buying books for them, but it feels even better when the money spent goes to helping out other child related programs.


I also wanted to mention an act of kindness of  my husband's doing today.  On our way home we drove by a family of four standing with a sign saying they were in need of help and that the father was in need of a job. Sadly we drive by situations like these too frequently in my opinion and both my husband and I know that you can't stop and help everyone. But something kept telling my husband that we needed to go back... so we did. After I talked to them for a moment, we offered to buy them dinner and they accepted. They never asked us for cash and seemed relieved to be getting a meal, especially for the kids.  So we ran over to Jason's Deli and got them some food and when we came back there was a gentleman who had the same idea as us and was bringing them food. We were both really happy to see someone else felt the way we did and that they were gonna have food to eat, at least for the next couple of meals. I know that people who are soliciting help and money on street corners aren't always in need and honest, but there are some who really do need help and compassion. I'm really glad my husband saw them and felt compelled to help.

Dog Days Of Summer

   A while back before I became a mom, I worked for the humane society where I lived in Lexington. I loved that job because, while I did office work, I was also occasionally called on to help out in the care of the animals and do fundraising for their care. I loved getting to love on them and play but mostly I loved seeing when they got adopted out to a forever home. So in between errands today I went over to the local Humane society here in town and volunteered to get the animals out to play, run and burn off some energy. It was a lot of fun but kinda sad to see so many dogs in need of a good home.
Here are some of the cuties I got to spend time with this afternoon...

If you are local and are at all thinking of getting a dog, I beg you to check out the Humane Society. Our dog is a shelter dog and he's great. Rescued dogs are awesome and they will love you for the rest of their lives!  Here is the website for the local shelter PAWS.

Sweet Treats

   Tonight my family and I did our good deed/act of kindness by enjoying blizzards from DQ. How does this qualify as a good deed you may ask... Well today at Dairy Queen is Miracle treat day and a portion of every blizzard sale goes to local children's miracle network hospitals. They have this fundraiser every year towards the end of the summer and my family is always eager to do their part when it comes to eating ice cream. I also really like that the proceeds go to local hospitals, so I know I'm supporting a great place like Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. Sometimes doing good deeds can be sweet in more ways than one. 

A Second Life For Items In Need

   As I've been getting my oldest ready to start kindergarten in a few days, we've done some more clearing out of what still fits and what she's outgrown. When all was said and done, we had a pretty sizable amount of clothes, shoes and a few toys that needed to find a new home. After I let some moms who's kiddos would benefit from those sizes take what they needed, I searched for a place to take the rest. This year so far I've been able to donate a lot of our family's things to great organizations in need and today I wanted to continue that practice. A friend told me that the preschool that my daughter attended could always use clothes for the kiddos there for an extra change in case of accidents or emergencies. Some of the younger classes were also in need of toys. So for my good deed/act of kindness today I took all of our stuff to donate to them. The preschool director was surprised and very appreciative of the donation. I'm so glad I was able to help and that someone pointed me in this direction because I would have never thought of donating these items there.

Chemo Angels

   A few weeks ago a friend told me about her father and how he was recently diagnosed with some pretty aggressive cancer. Since she told me this, I haven't been able to get it out of my head and find myself thinking about and praying for them often. I've also had several members of both my and my husband's family who have suffered with cancer, and many had to undergo chemo treatment. Sometimes chemo is the best chance patients have at survival, but the treatment can be so very brutal and awful for them. I've seen the effects first hand and it can be pretty painful for everyone involved. So while thinking about my friend and her dad, I came across and organization called Chemo Angels. This organization pairs up volunteers with patients undergoing chemo to help provide them with encouragement and support during a very difficult time in their lives. They do this through sending things like letters, cards, pictures, etc...  You can find out more about them or sign up by clicking HERE. I figured there is a reason I can't seem to get my friend and her family out of my head, so today I checked out the organization and signed up to volunteer. I look forward to getting paired up with someone in need of cheering up. I know I can't begin to fully understand what they are going through since I've never experienced myself but I'll do everything I can to offer words of encouragement, positive thoughts and be whatever else they need.

Popcorn And A Movie

   Redbox is a phenomenon that my husband and I still haven't become a part of, but I'm not blind to how wildly popular it is. It seems like you can find one of their kiosks on just about on every corner and I'm constantly seeing people lined up to get their movie fix. I thought about this last night and realized that one thing was missing. What goes better with a movie than popcorn??? Not much... So for my good deed/act of kindness I went around town and attached bags of popcorn to the Redbox kiosks for people to take when they purchased a movie. I also left a note and card with each one so everyone would know what they were for and that they were safe to take. You can't beat a deal like popcorn and a movie for one dollar. I hope that the popcorn makes their movie night complete.

NO!

   This afternoon our friend Dawnjal let us come over and swim for a bit at her apartment complex's pool. We had fun even though it got a little chilly later in the evening. We did run into one snag though... There was another kiddo there with his mom and sister who was very interested in one of the pool toys my oldest was playing with. It began causing problems with the kiddos, so we took it away and decided it would be better if it just stayed out of the pool. But this little guy had other plans. He swam over to me and latched on and said he wanted the toy. I nicely told him "no, that no one was going to play with it and that it wasn't his." He insisted and his mom kept yelling at him from far away to let go and come over to her. He pretty much ignored her and kept grabbing for the toy. I told him, "buddy, you better listen to your mom, I don't want you to get in trouble." When I looked back over at the other mom she was so frustrated and looked back at me and asked for help. Now... I don't know how you other parents out there feel about disciplining other peoples kids but for me it's something that I really don't like doing and am never really sure when it's appropriate. But by this point I had some kid fighting me for a toy and his mom screaming and yelling at him to stop and I felt really bad for her, she obviously had her hands full. So I looked back at the little boy and very loudly and sternly said "NO" and he kinda stared at me for a minute but then began to swim over to his mom. She looked back and me and said thank you and sorry.  Now I know this isn't your typical good deed since it involved me yelling at a smile child, but this mom asked for help and as awkward as it felt, today I obliged.

A Soldier's Child

    Both of our kids love race cars and today we took them to their first stock car race. It was a success because they loved it and had a great time. During the intermission there was a presentation done by a group called A Soldier's Child. This groups mission is to stand by the children whose parents have given their lives in service to our country. They strive to help keep the legacy of each solider alive by helping to celebrate the birthday's of the children left behind. They also offer several types of support to help deal with losing a parent. You can find out more details on their website by clicking HERE. During the presentation today they introduced one of the children who is currently a part of this program and shared his father's story of service to our country. It was very touching and they presented him with a new bike for his birthday. I've mentioned on on here before that I feel very strongly about supporting our troops and military because of the great sacrifices they make everyday, but their families also need our support for all that they do. So for my good deed today I donated to this organization. I am so very happy to do what I can help those who lost their parents while defending my freedoms.

Kind Words

   Sometimes all it takes to change someone's attitude is to share with them a few kind words. Random kindness from a stranger in particular is very effective when it comes to making someone's day. So I took this advice to heart today, grabbed the kids and some chalk and I headed out to spread kind words for lots of people to see. I tried to pick areas where there would be heavy people traffic like parking lots and popular store fronts and left messages for all to see. Here are a few that I was able to get pics of...

My daughter even got in on the action to help and drew some smiley faces.
I hope when people saw these it made them smile, reminded them to be happy and that kindness is contagious so they should pass it on.

Helping The Classroom With Donor's Choose

  Today while I was killing time fooling around on Pinterest, I came across a website that is a great resource for teachers and classrooms. It's called Donors Choose and it works by letting those who want to donate choose how much they want to give and who or what exactly they want to give to. Teachers post their needs or projects and their costs and then donors can go through and read each profile to decide where the best place for them to send their money is. You can search by area to find those locally in need or search by subject to find needs in specific school areas. So for my act of kindness/good deed today I logged on and found a local school that is trying to raise money for science supplies and donated to them. Today's act of kindness seems very timely as well since school is starting back already for some and soon for others.