Remembering our veterans

Age:  any
Type:  craft

In 2011 there were approximately 21.5 military veterans in the United States.  On Veterans Day, my girls and I had the opportunity to thank a hand-full of these brave men and woman by making patriotic themed cards and pictures.  On a sunny November day we headed to a local community center which was sponsoring an event where you could write words of thanks on cards which were delivered to a nearby veteran's hospital. 

Explaining to the girls what it meant to 'serve' our country in the military was a difficult concept for them to understand.  However, because of some other projects we have undertaken, they do get the sacrifice that soldiers have to make as far as being away from home and loved ones.  The community center also offered some suggested words of thanks that we could include in our cards.

Looking to thank a veteran?  Here are a few suggestions to get you started!

"Thank you to all the brave men and women who sacrifice so much for our country! We are proud of you - your selflessness and bravery will never be forgotten!"

"Everyday we remember the sacrifices that are being made on our behalf, so that we can remain free and safe from those who would wish to hurt us. We thank you now and always."

"Thanks for the many sacrifices you make daily to protect us. You are in my prayers."

"For all of those serving or having served, thank you!"

"Thank you for defending, and and fighting for our country and keeping us safe."

Super 6 Summer Service Project Ideas

With my first year as a mom of a school age child nearly under my belt, I am ready for summer vacation!  For the last month I have been madly 'pinning' summer activities, crafts, recipes and other fun things for my girls and I to do together.  As I was doing so, I realized that what was missing was a little hearts post on the subject!  While summer does provide some much needed respite and time to run through the sprinklers and lick melty popsicle off our fingers, it can also be a great time to engage in serving others.  So without further ado, I present the Super 6, a collection of summer-themed projects for you and your little one!

1 - Guest Groundskeeper
For many people summer is a time of family trips and vacations.  It is also a time when that summer heat can quickly undo all that hard work you spent planting in the spring.  Next time your neighbor goes on vacation, volunteer to water their flowers.  Tiny watering can in hand, watering flowers is my almost 2 years olds absolute favorite activity.  Sure the sidewalk, my shoes, the tires of the car may all get a little water as well, but eventually the job gets done!

2 - Fresh Fruit Baker
In Michigan summertime in synonymous with an abundance of fresh berries!  Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries - we love them all.  My girls and I have already been out strawberry picking and almost 20 pounds later we were left wondering what we could possibly do with this haul!  The solution - jars of homemade jam for crossing guards, teachers, babysitters  - a thank you for those people who have made this school year great! 

3 - Lemonade Stand Owner
My six year old has already been hounding me about when she can have a lemonade stand again (this year will apparently be Rock Star themed :).  A classic activity that has jobs perfect for ages 2 and up and a great way to collect donations to a favorite cause.  Consider spending some time researching different organizations and charities that your little heart would like to donate to!  Another twist for the older ones could be holding a car wash!

4 - Thirst Quencher
I am not one to ever complain about the heat - the hotter the better as far as I am concerned.  We only get so many of these kind of days in Michigan!  Still, there are those days where the heat and humidity combine in one hot mess where the girls and I just want to curl up in the house in our AC.  Not everyone has the luxury of seeking out the cool air on these kind of days - garbage and recycling still need to be collected and mail still needs to be delivered.  So how about leaving out cool bottles of water with a little note of thanks for these service providers.  Sure to bring a smile and a little relief on a hot day!

5 - Garden Helper
My first post on the little hearts project was about an experience I had with my first daughter in our church garden and the impact that it had on us.  This summer I plan to enlist the help of all my girls as we head back into the garden.  No longer just something for rural areas, urban farms and gardens are popping up just about everywhere!  Many communities have their own gardens and need volunteer support to keep them going.  I have posted about it here and here previously.  Nothing says summer like fresh veggies and pulling a few weeds is the perfect project for little hands!

6 -  Mini-Parade Maker
A summertime service project list would not be complete without an art project for the little ones!  Who doesn't love a good Fourth of July Parade?  Unfortunately for children hospitalized during the July 4th holiday, attending a parade is not always possible.  So consider bringing the parade to them using these two super cute ideas from Family Fun to make July 4th Hats and Noise Makers.

I hope you have found this list helpful in getting you and your little heart inspired to serve others this summer!  Would love to hear about any of these projects that you - so please send along :)

Happy Summer!!!!

teddy bears and tornadoes - an unlikely pair

Age:  over 2
Type:  donation

Several weeks ago a local community near mine was hit by unexpected tornadoes.  Many homes and businesses were destroyed in an area unaccustomed to this type of devastation.  This story is not unlike many across the country, so I wanted to share an email that I received from another mother about what she and her little one did to help ease the pain for those involved in this tornado.  The author of the email, Maria, is a mother to two little girls and author of several books.

After the tornado devastated so many homes in Dexter, I was motivated to do something to help the families who were involved.  I got an email from a principal at one of the Elementary schools. She was collecting teddy bears to give to the children who lost their homes. I thought this was a great idea and was happy to help. I could even involve my 3 year old, Ruby, in this act of kindness. My daughter helped me pick out the teddy bears. When she asked me what they were for, I was afraid to tell her the real reason for fear that she would have a hard time with future thunderstorms. So, I simply said "They are for poor kids". Looking back, I am disappointed in myself for not taking the time to A. explain the REAL reason we were buying the bears or B. Tell her what it meant to be "poor". I made the assumption that she knew what it meant to be poor.

About five hours after dropping the toys off at the Principal's house, we were driving driving home from the zoo when Ruby asked me what "poor" meant. At first I had no clue what she was talking about! I told her that when a child was poor, this meant their family didn't have a lot of money. That maybe their parents didn't have jobs. They didn't have enough money to do fun things like go to the zoo. Oh boy, did this set off tears! Ruby was crying saying " My mama doesn't work! We are poor! We won't ever go to the zoo again!" We talked the entire way home about all of this. It's tough to really remember how young Ruby is when I am trying to explain grown up things to her. She's correct, I don't have a full time job right now. But she doesn't understand the nature of my work and that it brings in income.

Overall, I am happy to have included her in the experience of giving to others. I look forward to doing something like this again. We love to conduct random acts of kindness for our neighbors, UPS man and mail carrier! We are always baking something and giving it away. We also love making projects and sending them to family members. But we haven't stepped out of our comfort zone to help people out of our network and I want to commit to doing this more often.  I believe in the power of Paying It Forward. I believe in living as a kind and generous individual.

As Maria said, it is often easy to do nice things for people 'in our network', but considerably more difficult to help those whom we have never met.  As this project idea indicates however, it need not be!  The simple gift of a teddy bear from a stranger could have more of an impact on a child in a difficult situation than you will ever know.  Thanks for sharing Maria!

little hearts, big impact

This morning I was reading this months edition of our local parenting magazine when I found an article about a little girl who was recently awarded a Spirit of Detroit Award for outstanding service.  And by little girl I mean 5 years old!!!  I immediately went to the web to find out more (you can read an article here). 

According to the articles I read, realizing during Halloween that some children were too sick to trick-or-treat, Rielly Rudolph set out to bring some spookiness to them.  With the help of family and classmates she decorated and donated 175 pumpkins to a local children's hospital which were put in common areas for all to enjoy. 

Needless to say, I was touched.  I love that Rielly saw a need and responded with empathy and action.  Little hearts at work.  My heart melts.

Serving those who serve us



Age:  Over 2
Type:  Baking

I have to admit I am kind of a baking junky.  To make matters worse, my middle daughter shares my affliction, so who am I to deny her darling pleas to 'make something with me momma'!  Luckily they also enjoy giving our baked creations away, because I never met a cookie I didn't like :)

Last week on the eve of St. Patrick's Day, the girls and I decided to whip up some awesome green mint cookies complete with Andie's mints on top.  For the kids St. Patrick's day is an excuse to wear green and go on leprechaun hunts, but for our local policeforce it is a very busy day I am sure as they try to keep us all safe.  So we decided to package up our green confections and deliver them to the local police station, complete with thank you cards.  It made the girl's day when the woman we delivered them to took the time to read each note they had worked so hard on! 

Here is where I would normally insert all the cute pictures of them baking and delivering cookies (complete with some funny poses outside the station).  Unfortunately some little hands got a hold of my camera and somehow deleted the pictures.  So you only get the little cartoon policeman - take my word for it, the other pics were darling!

So next time the urge to bake results in way more than you would ever want to eat, consider delivering some to your town's finest!

Garden Fresh

Age:  over 5
Type:  gardening

As the March winds continue to blow, here in Michigan I am ready for spring!  While is is still cold outside, now is the perfect time to get started thinking about planting flowers and and planning for our vegetable garden.  While browsing around, I stumbled upon a website to help you do just that - and help others at the same time!  Check out this link for Schools Fight Hunger which gives practical tips for planning and creating a garden at your child's school.  I also love the success stories to see what other kids are doing!  Fresh food is a luxury to those who struggle to put food on the table or rely on food shelters and pantries, so every bit you and your little heart can do will help! 

If your child's class or school organization is looking for a project this spring - this could be just the thing!

Calling all Book Lovers

Age: Any
Type:  Donation

So as an author myself of this book here, I am admittedly a little biased about reading.  I think, however, that as parents we can all agree of the importance of reading to our children.  While my house has shelves overflowing with books, not every child is so lucky.  With that in mind I wanted to give a heads up about Metro Parents Operation 25,000 books.  For those not familiar with Metro Parent, it is an awesome resource for Metro Detroit families.  They are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year and are attempting to donate 1,000 books for every year they have been around.  All books will go to the Detroit Parent Network.  For more information and to find out where to drop off your donation you can go here. 

25DG&G: Day 7

Today my oldest and I had the opportunity to "ring the bell" for the Salvation Army and collect money in their famous red kettles.  As we stood outside the grocery store watching people hurry in and out after work, I wasn't sure what to expect.  Schuler and I talked about how we should smile and say "Merry Christmas" to all those who walked by, but it seemed nearly everyone stopped to donate something.  Even as a 5 year old, Schuler noticed how generous people were, especially since many commented that they stopped when they saw such a cute little girl ringing the bell!  I think it made her feel pretty good that people appreciated her service to the community/

National Reading Month Ideas - Birthday Books

Type: donation, books

Age: any

I have written several times about my older daughter, but this particular idea features an idea appropriate for any age child. In this case it is my 1 year old daughter, Brier. When it came time for her first birthday in December, I looked around at the mountains of girly things we already owned and couldn't conjure up any ideas for what family could get her for this occasion. So instead, we decided having guests bring gifts to donate would be the perfect idea!

Each guest to Brier's party brought a book personalized for her to commemorate this big day, and another book that would be donated. As I have previously posted, we LOVE books, and you can always add to your collection, so Brier happily opened all her specially selected new books. Afterwards we wrapped up the dozen or so donated books and headed to Detroit and and a place called the Matrix Organization which has a Headstart program in the heart of the city. For my husband, myself, Schuler and Brier, it was an amazing experience touring the facility and seeing how excited they were to be receiving this gift.

For your child's next birthday, consider making a donation in your child's name. Not only will you be impacting your community, but yours and your child's lives as well.