Oh my the next 4 days cannot go fast enough! I am ready for my 2 weeks off! However, it dawned on me today that we have 1 weekend until Christmas, and we have almost 0 gifts!!! Luckily, Corey and I do our best work under pressure, so no worries.
Last week I blogged about our R.A.C.K...so I will give a quick update on how things went this week. Each day we completed our acts of kindness, which made me proud! It really is more work than one might imagine. It would be easier if I were doing it myself, because I could come up with things on the fly throughout the day, but since I want to make sure my kids are a part of it, I have to do lots of planning.
On Tuesday of last week the "temperature at the bus stop"(as Greg Fields would say) was 38 degrees. We decided to take some hot chocolate and gingerbread scones to the lady that helps the kids out of the car in the school parking lot. She is out there every morning, bundled up to her eyeballs! We pulled up and handed her the hot chocolate and I thought she was going to cry! She kept saying, "I can't believe you did this! Girls, this is so nice!" That is exactly the response I wanted my girls to see in all of this! I want them to see that we did something so small and it "made her day" as she added to the end of the delivery.
The other act that stuck out last week was Saturday when we took brownies to our neighbors. I have to admit, even though I am ashamed, we have lived here for 6 years and have never met our neighbors formally. We exchange waves in the ally and an occasional "Good Morning", but we don't even know their names...bad! I know!
So we started off with the people who live on the corner of the ally. This was Makinley's delivery and she told the lady who answered the door, Merry Christmas and told her what we were doing. The lady was very kind and friendly and gracious, and made sure to ask which house we lived in.
Then we went to the neighbors behind us in the ally. When the woman came to the door, Morgan gave her the explanation and held out the plate of brownies. Then, there was silence........it was so awkward and I started praying that she didn't say "no thanks" and shut the door on us! Just when I though all was lost, she looked at Morgan, went a little weak in the knees, and said, "Can I hug you?" Whew! What a relief!
She hugged us all and thanked us profusely! She said she was thinking about us the other day and how she didn't even know our names. We exchanged information and said our goodbyes. Both of the girls were all smiles! We talked about her response and how it made Morgan feel when she saw how happy our neighbor was. I couldn't have asked for a better outing...but there's more! We came home and about an hour later the doorbell rang. I went to the door and was greeted by the neighbor from the corner, with a pie in her hand. She explained that she wanted to do the same thing for the neighbors and she wanted to give us the pie, which was fresh from the oven and still very hot! As I shut the door, I looked at Makinley who said, "We started a chain reaction!" That was the point I thought I might cry! What a great week of RACKing! There were lots of other acts, but these 2 stuck out the most and I wanted to make sure we always remember the reactions.
In addition to all of the RACKing, the girls also started Upward basketball practice this week. Morgan did cheer last year and she will quickly tell you that I signed her up and am MAKING her play basketball, which is the truth! I just want her to give it a chance and decide to play or not to play based on experience, not on what she thinks it will be like. She is a really good shooter so I think she has great days on the court ahead! Time will tell!
I ended up coaching Makinley's team again, which I swore I wasn't going to do, but my competitive side and my love for basketball just wouldn't let me sit on the sidelines. (I would have a hard time not coaching from there anyway!) We had our first practice on Thursday and I LOVE LOVE LOVE my team! I have 3 players who played for me last year, and 4 that are new to my team. We had a fantastic practice and I know there are great things ahead for this groups of girls! I haven't ever had the best win/lose record, but we have fun, play hard, and most importantly grow in Christ! One of the best things about coaching this year is I talked my friend Misty into coaching with me! Having someone beside you just makes it more fun! I am so thankful for her and for how she relates to the girls and will nurture them through devotions and fun.
There was lots more to this week but those are the highlights. As I said at the beginning of this post...4 more wake ups. We have lots of good RACKs planned this week, Choir and missions parties, Makinley has a PTA performance, and we all have Polar Express/pajama day...we may all pass out when we get home on Friday, but who cares...We will be on VACATION!!!!! (except for all that shopping!)
Monday, December 12, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Better (a year) later, than never!
Yes, it has been a full year since I last logged on! Ok so I don't win blogger of the decade, but I never started out for that award:) To be honest, since Facebook came around, it is much more my style...short sweet, and to the point! Another thing that has kept me from blogging is knowing how far behind I was and trying to find a place to pick it back up. I have come to a realization there is no way I can catch up on an entire year, so I am just starting from here and moving forward.
So here we are December 6th 2011...I have to admit I have struggled with getting into the Christmas spirit this year. I'm not sure why... maybe because work is such a struggle, maybe because everywhere you turn someone is in financial crisis, maybe because I just tired...I don't know. Christmas is supposed to be a happy time. A time when even though the schedules are packed and our lives a crazy, we don't care because we are so full of excitement we thrive off of it. That just wasn't happening, until this past week.
A few weeks ago I came across a blog that explained R.A.C.K or Random Acts of Christmas Kindness. The author of this link http://thefirstgradeparade.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-11-17T21:04:00-08:00&max-results=9 explained that for each day of December she planned out a list of random acts of kindness for her family to do each day. She provided her list and even notes to give the people you show the kindness to so they understand why and what you are doing. I was inspired! I decided we would do this in our house.
I came home and told the girls my plan and they were ecstatic! We talked about how you can change some one's day just by doing something for them that is out of the ordinary. Not necessarily big things, or things that cost money, but thoughtful things.
So we planned to start on December 1st. Now I will say it has been a rough start, due to lack of preparation on my part, so bare with me!
Day 1: Last Thursday Makinley was part of a district choir that sang at the tree lighting in downtown. While she was waiting for her performance, we walked across the street and bought 2 $5 sonic gift cards. After she sang, we wrapped them in this note:
I gave one to Morgan and one to Makinley and told them to pick a car to place it on. They thought that was so cool! Since then we have talked several times about who we thought got our cards, and how they felt when they read the note and realized someone left it just for them! What a fun feeling!
Day 2: On Friday I had a meeting and so I called a few friends and offered to bring them Starbucks. That was a fun and simple way to show kindness! Who can turn down Starbucks!
Day 3,4&5: These were not my good days! I totally failed on these days due to lack of planning ahead. I learned a good lesson though, Doing R.A.C.K requires pre-planning, which I have since done!
Day 6: that was today. The girls each got a container of instant organic oatmeal (it was really hoity-toity oatmeal but it was packaged nicely!) and attached the note to the top. I told them they could give it to any staff member at school as long as it wasn't someone who teaches them. I wanted them to think outside of their box and reach out to someone else that they come in contact with, but who would see it as truly a "random" act of kindness. There was MUCH discussion about who each of them would give it to, and even as Morgan was getting out of the car, there was still discussion about who she would R.A.C.K today. The passion that my kids get from this is amazing! So, I couldn't wait to see who they ended up selecting. Makinley said she gave hers to the building custodian and that she was extremely grateful. Morgan gave hers to the school secretary...I'm sure my mom would attest to the fact that was a great choice! Both girls were so excited to tell about their experience, I love it!
So the rest of the week looks like this:
Day 7: We have all chosen a staff member at church and are each writing them a Christmas/Thank You card. We have 4 staff members, so that works perfectly!
Day8: We will take hot chocolate to the lady/crossing guard who helps the kids get out of the car in the mornings at school.
Day 9: The girls will take food items for a food drive to school. (we had planned on giving to a food pantry, which we may still do on another day, but they really want this to be part of the plan)
That is all I have "planned" for now. I have many other ideas on my list to choose from so I will make sure I have a plan before day 10 rolls around!
I realize that we have gotten off to a rocky start...however it's the first year and we can't be perfect the first go round! What I am excited about is what we have done! We started something, something that I hope we can make a family tradition. I am also excited about the conversations it has started with ideas about how we can continue to show kindness to others. Not to mention, the Christmas Spirit has crept into my life this week! It's truly amazing how giving can make things so much better in your life. And I must say, when you give to someone who doesn't know who has given to them, the good feeling gets even better!
On a side note, I started this at school too. Since we are part of Rachel's Challenge and that is focused on showing kindness year round, I figured this would be a great way to stress it during the holidays! So each day we announce a RACK challenge to the students and encourage them to complete it at school, home, daycare, wherever. We have also decided to show kindness to animals by collecting items for Prairie Paws the local animal shelter. I am excited to see all of the things our school can collect and deliver to the shelter!
Well, there you have it. I am back in the blogging game. Can't promise I will be the blogger that many of you are, but I will try not to stay gone for a year again!
So here we are December 6th 2011...I have to admit I have struggled with getting into the Christmas spirit this year. I'm not sure why... maybe because work is such a struggle, maybe because everywhere you turn someone is in financial crisis, maybe because I just tired...I don't know. Christmas is supposed to be a happy time. A time when even though the schedules are packed and our lives a crazy, we don't care because we are so full of excitement we thrive off of it. That just wasn't happening, until this past week.
A few weeks ago I came across a blog that explained R.A.C.K or Random Acts of Christmas Kindness. The author of this link http://thefirstgradeparade.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-11-17T21:04:00-08:00&max-results=9 explained that for each day of December she planned out a list of random acts of kindness for her family to do each day. She provided her list and even notes to give the people you show the kindness to so they understand why and what you are doing. I was inspired! I decided we would do this in our house.
I came home and told the girls my plan and they were ecstatic! We talked about how you can change some one's day just by doing something for them that is out of the ordinary. Not necessarily big things, or things that cost money, but thoughtful things.
So we planned to start on December 1st. Now I will say it has been a rough start, due to lack of preparation on my part, so bare with me!
Day 1: Last Thursday Makinley was part of a district choir that sang at the tree lighting in downtown. While she was waiting for her performance, we walked across the street and bought 2 $5 sonic gift cards. After she sang, we wrapped them in this note:
I gave one to Morgan and one to Makinley and told them to pick a car to place it on. They thought that was so cool! Since then we have talked several times about who we thought got our cards, and how they felt when they read the note and realized someone left it just for them! What a fun feeling!
Day 2: On Friday I had a meeting and so I called a few friends and offered to bring them Starbucks. That was a fun and simple way to show kindness! Who can turn down Starbucks!
Day 3,4&5: These were not my good days! I totally failed on these days due to lack of planning ahead. I learned a good lesson though, Doing R.A.C.K requires pre-planning, which I have since done!
Day 6: that was today. The girls each got a container of instant organic oatmeal (it was really hoity-toity oatmeal but it was packaged nicely!) and attached the note to the top. I told them they could give it to any staff member at school as long as it wasn't someone who teaches them. I wanted them to think outside of their box and reach out to someone else that they come in contact with, but who would see it as truly a "random" act of kindness. There was MUCH discussion about who each of them would give it to, and even as Morgan was getting out of the car, there was still discussion about who she would R.A.C.K today. The passion that my kids get from this is amazing! So, I couldn't wait to see who they ended up selecting. Makinley said she gave hers to the building custodian and that she was extremely grateful. Morgan gave hers to the school secretary...I'm sure my mom would attest to the fact that was a great choice! Both girls were so excited to tell about their experience, I love it!
So the rest of the week looks like this:
Day 7: We have all chosen a staff member at church and are each writing them a Christmas/Thank You card. We have 4 staff members, so that works perfectly!
Day8: We will take hot chocolate to the lady/crossing guard who helps the kids get out of the car in the mornings at school.
Day 9: The girls will take food items for a food drive to school. (we had planned on giving to a food pantry, which we may still do on another day, but they really want this to be part of the plan)
That is all I have "planned" for now. I have many other ideas on my list to choose from so I will make sure I have a plan before day 10 rolls around!
I realize that we have gotten off to a rocky start...however it's the first year and we can't be perfect the first go round! What I am excited about is what we have done! We started something, something that I hope we can make a family tradition. I am also excited about the conversations it has started with ideas about how we can continue to show kindness to others. Not to mention, the Christmas Spirit has crept into my life this week! It's truly amazing how giving can make things so much better in your life. And I must say, when you give to someone who doesn't know who has given to them, the good feeling gets even better!
On a side note, I started this at school too. Since we are part of Rachel's Challenge and that is focused on showing kindness year round, I figured this would be a great way to stress it during the holidays! So each day we announce a RACK challenge to the students and encourage them to complete it at school, home, daycare, wherever. We have also decided to show kindness to animals by collecting items for Prairie Paws the local animal shelter. I am excited to see all of the things our school can collect and deliver to the shelter!
Well, there you have it. I am back in the blogging game. Can't promise I will be the blogger that many of you are, but I will try not to stay gone for a year again!
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