New inspiration

Throughout my day I always have an eye out for different project ideas I can share on the blog.  I tear things out of magazines, bookmark sites, pin things, leave myself little notes, my point is that inspiration is everywhere!  It is always good to keep things fresh and mix it up, so when the school year started I decided this year we would focus on a new area at the little hearts project - the holidays!!

Each year my girls get older the excitement level over the holidays seems to ramp up!  Baking, decorating, crafting - they ( and I :) love it all.  It's easy to get caught up in a very me-centric mind frame during this time as well though.  As excited as my kids are, I can't help but think how difficult the holidays would be for those without the means to do much celebrating.  So this year we will be doing a special project related to each holiday throughout the year.  Look for them soon and consider adding a service projects to your list of holiday activities!

Water Women

Type:  Activity
Age:  Over 1

After the birth of my last daughter I took up running to get back in shape and take care of myself.  It has been a wonderful outlet and has turned into a family affair.  My girls regularly go to the gym with me while I train and we all ran several races this summer.  They are familiar with the workings of a race, so when a friend of mine from church mentioned they were looking for volunteers to run water stations for their 20 mile marathon training run, I knew this would be a great project for my little hearts!

My oldest holding a sign to cheer on the runners

Who could say no to water from these three?!?

You can do it!!!

There was a lot of significance personally about this training run and I blogged about it over here if you want to hear more of the story.  Most of the runners that morning have never run even close to the 20 miles that they would be doing that day, and nearly all of them stopped to tell my girls how much it meant to them to have their support.  Their smiling faces and handmade signs were simple gifts that uplifted the spirits of those running.  We spent two hours pouring water, handing out cups and high fives, but even a month later my heart still feels full thinking of this morning spent together serving!

Fathers and Frostys

Who doesn't love a delicious chocolate Frosty from Wendy's?! This weekend you can have one more reason to indulge in this tasty treat, as Wendy's will donate $.50 from every Frosty purchase towards The Dave Thomas Foundaction for adoption. For more information or to find a Wendy's near you, check out this link http://treatitforward.wendys.com/! Have a wonderful Father's Day weekend!!

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!!!!