Day Eighteen.

Working fast today....  Mum flies in from the UK tonight and I want to get the place picked up a bit before she gets here.  I won't go crazy ( it freaks the family out if I get stressed about making the place perfect and I know that a) Mum probably doesn't care anyway and b) it won't stay perfect for more than 10 minutes once she arrives!! )  these days I just aim for tidy (ish) and clean (ish!) anyway, still got lots to do..!

Today's act of kindness was a very spontaneous one though probably wouldn't be for those adults amongst us who are organized!! :D  I was looking out the window and noticed our recycling collection people had arrived to do our weekly pick up.  They are a lovely organization, so helpful and just all round good people.  I grabbed $10 from our collection and tore out of the house, baby in one hand, money in the other!  I ran up to the guy and thrust the cash at him!!  "Merry Christmas!!  This is for you!!"  Another day brightened! :D

Day Seventeen.

Well!! :D  A crazy day in retrospect though it didn't sound that bad to begin with!!  I finished up making the donuts and cupcakes I have made for some friends to give as gifts to their kiddoes... I LOVE making them, I just had a hard time finding the time with my smallest wanting so much attention!!  It's really quite hard to sew with sharp pointy needles and a wriggling, cooing little bundle of joy in my arms!! ;D Anyhoo, they got done and I went to town to meet Rex at lunch, ran some errands downtown, stopped at Hobby Lobby to pick up some more fabric and felt and then headed home after dropping off my "baked goods" !! Oh, but did I mention that I did all of this with an ever worsening headache, the lowering sun streaming right into my eyes and a baby girl who screamed at the top of her lungs for most of the trip?!  : (   Poor girl.   I pulled over and fed her a couple of times and managed to reinsert the pacifier more than once, but eventually the crying got the better of me and my head.  By the time I got home I had to go to bed with a migraine.  Awesome. Anyway, after a little sleep and some Tylenol I managed to procure from my friend's house,  I'm all better now!  I DID manage to get in another act of kindness though!! ;D Whilst leaving the parking garage today we noticed that the lady who took our cash was wearing a santa hat and reindeer antlers on her head!  We issued a hearty "Ho Ho Ho!" as we rolled up and she chatted happily with us as she found her change. Well I thought that she might appreciate a little kindness, so I took two individually boxed truffles, one cappuccino and one salted caramel and handed them to her... one for her and the other for her cohort across the way!!  She was delighted!  Made her day I think! :D  Later whilst at the craft store I noticed a lady carrying a huge and heavy shadow box picture frame...  I offered that she might go ahead of me in the check out line... again, she was very grateful and thanked me again after she got checked out.  It really is remarkable how small things can make a person's day brighter just as much as big things.  I've said before how I'd love to give out one hundred dollar bills but sometimes just opening a door for someone, letting them go ahead of you in line, complimenting someone on their hair cut or shoes... these things can make a big impact too.

Life is like a box of chocolates.

Day Sixteen!

Today was a stay at home sort of a day.  The kids and I spent a lot of time dancing round the living room to Gangnam Style... (yeah, we like it under our rock....!!),  I spent an hour on the phone with Alicia... ( Sorry Alicia!!!!)  and the rest of the day I spent cleaning the house ( can I get a Whoop Whoop?!  ... No??!  Bueller???!! )  So our Act of Kindness today had to be something we could do from home.  We decided to bake cookies for hubby's Uncle who is in care.  He went into hospital in March and will never come out again from what we hear.  : (   It's a tragedy as before he went in he was such a vital man, always had projects going, always emailing us and making us cool magic videos and such.  An awesome man.  An awesome man who loves Tollhouse cookies apparently!  I thought a nice BIG batch might make his day, so that's what we did!!!   I mean really, who DOESN'T love a good cookie?!?

A Good Cookie!

Day Fifteen

Today was Gingerbread House Making Day!!  We'd hoped and planned for a big turn out but due to one thing, another, and some no~shows we had Charlotte come over!  We still had a fun time.....!

Parts and plans laid out...

Making the "cement"

Charlotte's house

Jack's house with garage!

Jack's house finished

Jessie's house finished

Later hubby, baby and I went into town to run a couple of errands and I took two $5 bills with notes attached and planned to hide them in one of the stores we stopped in.  The trouble was, I'd eaten a lot of my construction frosting before I left the house and my focus was a little...um... off?!  I totally forgot to plant the money until we were on our way home!!  My lovely hubby took a detour and stopped at a gas station for me.


He went in ostensibly to get me a cup of coffee but also took in the cash and hid it for me!!  One bill behind a box of pop tarts and another behind a KitKat bar!!  I love the idea of someone finding free money!!  Especially at the gas station!!  I wish I could afford to buy someone's gas or to hide $100 bills!!



Anyway, that was today's act.  Now I've got to figure out how to finish off MY gingerbread project whilst holding a baby that just won't nap!!!!

Day Fourteen

Our friendly little grocery store.

Walking his baby sister.

December 14th started out as a lighthearted, fun day for us and the rest of the country I imagine.  It was only when I scrolled over to Yahoo to see what the rest of the world was doing that the day shifted dramatically.  20 children murdered in an elementary school in Connecticut.  11 days before Christmas. Children.  Babies.  Needless to say the day went down hill right there and I struggled to keep it together for my children, my babies.  I mourned, I cried, I tried to find some reason, I ranted online and on the phone and then finally I had to pull it together for the children.  We decided to take a walk into our little town and to the grocery store where we took our 9 dollar bills, each with a little note on it, and hid them, three apiece, all around the store.  Upon leaving the clerk asked us "Did we not have what you needed??" ... I explained that we were on a little acts of kindness mission and she said "OH!  It was YOU guys who stuck the bag of money to the pop machine?"  I had to admit that yes, it was us..."Well"  she said "We did it too!  We refilled the bag!"

The loot.

I was talking to a friend today and she said how quickly one person can change lives by destroying them with an assault weapon and yet how slowly one can change lives with kindness.  It's true, it's a very small step, but as long as we take that step and then someone takes another step right behind us, then we can get there in the end.

Hug your children.  Never let them go.

My babies. (and the dog!)

Jack wanted to take a pic too...

Day Thirteen!

I may sound a little more subdued tonight.  It's called a sugar coma.  You'll be able to guess why when I tell you my stunningly stupid  clever  idea for an Act of Kindness today.  See, most years we bake cookies and take them around the neighborhood, leaving them on doorsteps on Christmas Eve.  One year I made a batch of fudge, bought some fun dishes, wrapped the both in fancy plastic wrap ( I can't think what it is called!!  It's on a roll, it's different colors, it's see through.... OMG... sugar coma...!!)  anyway, I made it look pretty and gave that out instead of cookies.  Well, the lovely lady who runs the post office REALLY loved the fudge.  I remembered her mentioning it, so I made a big batch of fudge today intending to give it to her as a random act of kindness.  I made up the fudge, (chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanuts, Heath bits, raisins, ....!!) put it in the fridge to set, bagged it in a cute Santa bag... but.... alas.... there was quite a lot left over.  Wisely I made up another bag for a friend I was going to see in Drama class this afternoon.  ( we ballsed up the time, missed the whole thing... I still have the bag of fudge in the pantry....  this could be bad.... ) Anyhoo... even after the second bag... there was STILL fudge left.  Well I don't know about your house but in our house, if there's fudge... well, let's just say there wasn't any for long.  To be honest there is STILL some left ( note to self, next time, make less fudge ) but we have been doing our best to eliminate it from the house ( in the form of sticking it in our faces as much as possible. )   Jessie was the first to notice the side effects.  She was giddy and hyper for a while, pretending to be a dog, jumping on the couch, laughing hysterically and uncontrollably at first, and then, the crash.  She complained her body felt funny, her eyes weren't focusing and her head hurt.  S.U.G.A.R baby.  My eyes start to flicker from side to side at a rapid rate.  My heart rate accelerates and I can't spell or think!  It's not a stroke, don't worry, it's the FUDGE!!  It's GOOD fudge, but I have NO self control.  NONE.  If one piece of fudge is good, then surely half a pan is even better!!!   We tried to fix the problem with protein.  Scrambled eggs and cold chicken for all!!....  it hasn't worked!!  I MAY have to take the remainder and either a) pass it off to a neighbor or b)   throw it in the outside trash.  I could throw it in the inside trash but I MIGHT go crazy and try to fish it out!!!  (not really!... well maybe!!  Nooo!!!.... possibly.  Best to be sure. )

Anyway, it really was an Act of KINDNESS to give it to our lovely post mistress.... SHE has self restraint!!!  We went for a walk in the glorious "winter" air ( 50+ degrees?? Please. ) and took her her fudge! She was delighted.  We were pleased!  ...and a little sleepy.

oh fudge. 

:D

Day Twelve!

OK... today was another example of expecting one thing to happen and instead doing something else!  Firstly, it should be noted that today is 12/12/12.  Insert obligatory shot of kids and kitchen clock at 12:12 12/12/12......

We got our gingerbread baked ready for our Gingerbread House Day on Saturday then we headed out to Barnes and Noble to perform today's act!  

We'd planned, since it was 12/12/12 to get a copy of the Twelve Days of Christmas and give it to anyone in the store who had a 12 year old OR who KNEW a 12 year old!! :D  ....  our plans were somewhat thwarted when it was discovered that the only version of the 12 days was A Pirates 12 days of Christmas.  

 

That wouldn't have been SO bad but it was about 20 bucks!!   (The price of books in this country just staggers me.  In the UK books are SO inexpensive AND tax free...!!)   anyway....  It turned out that Barnes and Noble was having a book drive for the Children's Home in Lincoln.  They had a selection of books that you could buy and donate to the home.  We checked them all out and Jessie picked 
A Smart Girl's Guide to Sticky Situations.  It must have been a pretty good book as she read it all the way up to the checkout counter! We purchased the book and gave it to the clerk to put into the donations pile.  It felt like the right thing to do, even if it wasn't the original plan!  A stop by Trader Joe's on the way home to try the Dark Chocolate coated Peppermint Joe Joe's made the afternoon complete.... oh my....   where have those things BEEN all my life?!?!? 

The absolute kicker though, the piece de resistance, so to speak, is when my littlest girl LAUGHED for the first time in her entire (almost four months) life!!!  Yeahy!!  Life is pretty awesome around here!!

So there ya have it.  Day twelve!!  We are getting this thing down I tell ya! ;D 

Day Eleven!

Isn't it a STUNNING bus!?!?

Oh today's act was FUN!!!! : D  We took 9 $1 bills and wrote a little note for each bill saying  "Merry Christmas" and "random acts of kindness".  We headed to the bookmobile where we have spent many an hour over the years.  We hadn't actually been since the summer... it was SUCH a hot one and I was pregnant.  Pregnant and summer heat don't mix for me.  I stayed home in the A/C.  Well, we CERTAINLY didn't have to worry about heat this time! :D  It was COOOOLD as we headed out.  We tracked down the bookmobile ( it had changed locations since we were last there! ) and were amazed to find it was a totally different vehicle!!  A BRAND SPANKING NEW BUS!!!  Wow!  It was lovely!!  We hustled on board and the kids went giddy!  They LOVE the bookmobile and were so excited to scan the shelves and pile up books to take home.  I headed to the back of the bus to chat with the librarian, Becky, and also to select some of my favorite Christmas books.  Into nine of these books we slipped the dollar bills... somewhere in the middle of the book so it will be a delightful surprise to any little reader!  One book had a CD in the back and we hid a bill back there too... just to see if anyone listens to it!! ;D

It was really fun for some reason!  The idea that some little reader will be sharing the holiday spirit with Mum or Dad and will suddenly come across a whole dollar bill!! ;D  Warms my heart right up it does! ;D

Day Ten!

Today started out as one way and ended up another!  We had originally intended to go to the Goodwill Store and drop off a ton of donations, then whilst we were there we were going to hide dollar bills in the pockets of pants and coats so that people would find them when they bought them.  Then we got to thinking, finding a dollar isn't that big of a deal anymore, I mean it will be for children when we hide the bills in the Target toy section, but for an adult to find a dollar in a pair of pants well, it won't really raise any pulses.  I often find myself wishing I had $100 bills to hide!!  How exciting it would be to find one hundred dollars!!! ;D Anyway, we then thought it might be better to just hide ten dollars all at once for one person to find.  We taped two $5 bills together and added a note saying "Merry Christmas" and got ready to find a nice winter's coat we could seclude the loot in!

We got to the store and headed in, looking for winter coats.  ...  ...  ...  No winter coats.  Really?!?  Really.  I didn't see any anyway.  Hmm.  We continued to browse the store and the kids picked out books they wanted to buy.  I noticed an older man shopping too.  He looked through the houseware section, he was in the sweater section and finally I noticed him picking out a pair of pants.  He's the one, I thought.   We hustled over there and I rather forwardly handed him the money and note and said "This is for you!!"  .....  "Why?"  he asked.  Suspiciously and not unreasonably in my opinion!!!  I explained that we were doing 25 Acts of Kindness and he said "Nooo.... buy the baby some formula!"  ( as a FERVENT Breastfeeding advocate I thought that was hilarious!! ) "We're fine there..." I said "She's a breastfed baby!" ... this left him no wiggle room so he took the money and smiled.  "Thank you!"  he called out.  "I'll remember this Act of Kindness and pay it forward" .....!!


Awesome. :)

Day Nine!

We made another batch of cookies today, Norwegian Butter Cookies no less!  They are so delicious and simple to make too.  It was Jack's turn to be "Santa" today so he put on his hat and coat and made ready to deliver cookies to the retirement home up the road.  It was about 26 degrees outside.  You'll note Jack's outfit...  Ahem.

Yes Folks, those are shorts.  And Wellington Boots.  And an enormous coat that will make you sweat.  Still, he was in the mood and Ho Ho Ho'ed with me all the way up there!!

Once we arrived we found a staff member and told her we had made cookies for the residents and staff.  She seemed quite grateful, if confused!  Jack said "Ho Ho HO!  I'm SANTA!"... she smiled at him nicely and we headed home!  Jack asked if perhaps we could have "warm chocolate milk" when we got back.  Not hot.  Warm.  I'm on it, Kiddo.  :D

We presented the cookies with an ingredients list also, incase any of the residents had any dietary restrictions. 

Day Eight.

Today Jessie had a partner in crime!!  Both girls donned Santa hats and headed out in the chilly air to find someone walking in town.  (I kept Jack home with me!! ) When they found someone the girls were instructed to hand them a bag of delicious Lindor Truffles and explain that this was a Random Act of Kindness.  Apparently the lady they stopped as she left the post office was most delighted at their offering and left with a big smile on her face! ;D  Mission accomplished!!!

Day Seven!

Today's Act was a quickie but appreciated none the less! ; D  We put a $5 Starbucks Gift Card in the mail box for our mail carrier, Becky.  She is so lovely and works hard all year long, a little unexpected pick me up should brighten her day we hope! ;D  

We were peeking from behind the curtains when she drove up today and she looked for us when she opened our mail box and found her treat!!  She waved and mouthed "THANK YOU!!" to the kids!  

Spreading the Starbucks love!! ;D  

Day Six

This was a cheap, easy and effective Act today!  We baked a big batch of sugar cookies and took them to the gas station where hungry folk on their way to work could help themselves to yummy cookies to go with their coffee!  Those who took one whilst we were there were very grateful!  Frankly I was surprised they let us leave them there and had banked on telling the staff to eat them for themselves if that was the case but the manager didn't seem to blink!  The benefits of small town living I think! :D

Day Five!

Today's Act of Kindness was heaps of fun!!

We bought 12 Candy Canes and made little cards that said "Something Sweet for Someone Sweet.   Join us in our 25 days of Random Acts of Kindness."  We cut two slits in the cards and poked the canes through.  We set them in a basket and Jack and I donned our Santa hats.  At the appropriate time he and I headed across the street to the bus stop where the kiddies were due to get dropped off home for the day.  It was pretty breezy out there but Jack and I amused ourselves and kept warm by jumping up and down and dancing as we waited for the bus.  Since we were both in our Santa hats, every car that went by felt obliged to wave to us for some reason!!!  It was hilarious to see them but of course we obligingly waved back!!   When the bus finally arrived Jack walked up to it and as the children departed he offered them each a Candy Cane and wished them a Merry Christmas.  The children were really excited ( and the children who remained on the bus were intrigued and probably frustrated...!  :)  )   If I'd have been thinking I'd have had enough for each child on the bus too, but I didn't this time.  (Hmm....  you can get those tiny candy canes... there's about 60 in the box....  *Note to self...!!)  The children were all smiles and very grateful AND there were three left so we each were able to dip one in a nice hot cup of cocoa when we got back home!

Perfect!

The Candy Canes ready to go!

My Handy Helper Hander Outer !

Passing out the loot!

Day Four

Showing the UPS guy some love!

We love our UPS guy and at this time of year we tend to see a lot of him thanks to online shopping!  On our way home from Target today we happened to spot him pulling into the Subway parking lot.  We turned our van around and pulled in behind him.  Jessie jumped out and handed him a $5 Starbucks gift card with a snowman on the front.  At first he was a little confused and thought she meant she wanted him to deliver the gift to someone else but she finally managed to explain! He was very pleased, thanked us profusely and wished us a Merry Christmas!  Hopefully he'll get himself something to keep up his energy with all the running around he's going to be doing!

Day Three!

Today's Act was an easy and fun one...!  We checked out the post office website and picked a book of stamps and chose this one...

At the post office we handed over $9 and a card that said "Share some Christmas Cheer on us and enjoy this random Act of Kindness as we count down the 25 days to Christmas." We asked the lovely Kathy, the post mistress, to hold onto the stamps and card and to give them to the next person who picked out the holiday stamps!  She seemed delighted with the idea and exclaimed "FANTASTIC!!" I like to think this will help someone keep in touch with loved ones at Christmas...! :D  (or pay bills... but, you know, sending Christmas cards is more romantic!!) 

Random Acts Day Two

Today it was back to our little grocery store again.. this time we needed some tortillas but we had another cunning plan! We had a little plastic bag with four dollar bills inside and a note we had written. We intended to paste this note to the front of the pop machine outside the store.  As we drove up we noticed a young girl trying to get a drink from the machine.  She was fishing around trying to find change.  We walked up to the machine and she stepped away, apologizing!  We reached into our bag and handed her a dollar bill.  She said "Oh no!  I'm fine!!" but then we explained she had to take it and showed her our little sign!  She laughed and thanked us.  She used the bill and bought a drink for herself and then, with the change, she bought a drink for the little girl who was with her!!  Jessie and I carried on and stuck up our bag and our little note and then went into the store and carried on with our business!  We both wanted to stay and watch what happened when people saw the sign but we also prefer the secret santa sort of idea where you just have to imagine what happens next!! ;D

Our little sign!

25 Random Acts of Kindness. Day One.

This year, instead of the usual advent calendars and such, we thought we'd try and different and exciting approach to the countdown to Christmas.  We are planning to perform at least one random act of kindness every day from the first through the 25th of December.

***DID YOU KNOW?!?! ***
Performing Acts of Kindness is shown to produce the hormone Oxytocin in the body.  This hormone is proven to lower blood pressure!  SO Act of Kindness are not only good for others but good for you TOO!!  Try it yourself and see!!!!

 Our first Random Act was pretty fun!  We went to our tiny local grocery store in our tiny town to buy a potato.  One potato.  I asked Jessie to run and ask the checkout lady how many people worked in the store.  She told her four.  When I went to check out I casually asked for the potato and five separate lottery tickets.  She gave them to me and rang me up.  I thanked her of course and then handed back four of the tickets!  She was a little confused of course but then we explained ourselves and said there was one ticket for each employee.  She was very excited and grateful!!  We left the store feeling quite giddy and looking forward to tomorrow's act!