My kids LOVE to color.  They love to pass it along their artwork to people and cheer them up.  Yesterday we took our masterpieces to the retirement home and today we sent a package to an orphanage in Haiti.

Haiti holds a special place in our hearts as my family is heavily involved in an organization called “Friends of Haiti”.  I have made several mission trips along with both of my parents to go and serve a beautiful country and  these kind, sweet people who have nothing except the clothes on their backs and the love in their hearts.

My dear friend Connie helps run an orphanage in Haiti that houses 31 children.  The orphanage is just 4 walls with dirt floors and not much else.  We drew 31 pictures, one for each child, and put uplifting phrases on them. We used an app that we found that helped us translate some words/phrases in Creole.  We actually used a lot of the same phrases we used for the retirement home (You are loved, Smile, Have a wonderful day…)

We had quite the assembly line going with my pals last night and it was a good time…a great time.

My friend is heading to Haiti next week so we put them in the mail to her today along with photos of my pals so they can see who cares about them and loves them all the way from Chicago.

Another great deed that only cost us postage.

Until tomorrow…

Well we did a repeat in our quest to do a good deed every day….it was bound to happen but this has been one of my favorite things we have done so when my daughter, Eden, suggested it again we were all on board.  She wanted to draw more pictures and bring them to the nursing home.  My children LOVE to draw and color and craft and they love to share the fancy artwork.  Every day they want to put something in the mail and send it to their Aunt Sas or Nonie and Papa or even sweet Grammy in heaven.

This is such an amazing project because it costs nothing, nothing at all.  We brought 25 pictures and passed them out during a Bingo break.  I wrote words of encouragement (Smile, Have a wonderful day, You are loved….) and my kids colored designs and hearts and people and robots, all things they thought would make the residents happy.

I am blown away by how much this little act of kindness meant to these people.  We have done it twice and it has brought tears to my eyes both times.  They were thrilled to get the picture and their smiles were contagious.  We got invited back tomorrow by one sweet little lady.  We promised her we would be back.

I was especially proud of my daughter who was just so excited to do this.  My daughter has a sweet soul and has been kind since she was a baby.  It is just instinct for her and I adore this quality about her.  She made sure everyone had a picture and even passed out hugs along with telling people to “have a good day”.  She did all of this with a smile as big as theirs.

I am so proud of my pals for doing this project with me.  We are making a difference….a tiny bit at a time.

Until tomorrow…..

Well, if you live anywhere near Chicago or the Midwest in general, you know how cold it is here.  Brutally cold. So ridiculous…..as they say, colder than a witches tit, which apparently is VERY cold.  I mean, realistically it is too cold to send my pals out to play.  Too cold to make a snowman, too cold to go sledding but we’ll get there.  Spring is coming…..I am convinced.  I may need some real proof it is coming but I have to believe for my own sanity.

So we decided today to help those out in need dealing with this cold weather.  We gathered tons of scarves and hats and gloves and even a couple coats and blankets and put them in a big box.  My youngest son, Abbott, and I took the box with a nice sign taped to it, to a local train station where homeless gather.  The least we can do is give a scarf, a hat or a pair of gloves to make someone’s life just a bit easier.

Life can be tough enough….At the very least, let’s be as warm as we can be.  We were so happy to share our items along with some donated by friends and some purchased to help those in need.  Bless them all…..every single one.

It is the least we can do….everyone deserves to feel human enough to be kept warm and know they are loved.

God bless…….until tomorrow.

Well, today I was without my pals as they were lucky enough to go to Nana’s house for the weekend.  So I was on my own for the good deed.  I actually had some time to breathe since I was not yelling, changing shitty diapers or cleaning up spills of any kids.  I wasn’t playing referee to my pals fights…..which tonight involved a heated convo if I (me, their MOTHER) was a boy or a girl.  Really?  Really?  They were fighting upstairs and I kind of tuned it out until Eden came down in tears….”What is wrong sweetie?”  “L.A. says your a boy Mommy but I told him you are a girl.”  I told her to march right back up there and tell L.A. that I do not have a weiner and could the please just go to bed.

So back to the deed….I decided to make my neighbors favorite appetizer.  Asparagus rolled with phyllo, proscuitto and cheese…..then roasted and dumped down your hatch because they are so good.  Really, they are amazing but time consuming.  I knew I had time so I made her a batch with a hand written note.  We need to bring these back too.  We spend too much time on email as it has become the norm but nothing beats a real letter that just says truthful nice things.  Sometimes it is the little things in life – your favorite treat along with a nice note.  My neighbors are fabulous so I thought she needed a little surprise.

It feels great to make someone happy….and to surprise them is even better.  Happy Lent.

Until tomorrow.

Well today we had a great idea.  We decided that it was payback day!

Payback for a great team of people who deserves a “thank you”…..our local FIREFIGHTERS!

We went and got cookies for the store and taped a note that said, “Thanks for making me safe!”  We also had rehearsed them saying it in unisons but it didn’t go as planned.  Miss Eden decided to knock over (and crush) the giant cardboard box collection phones and sunglasses.  she knocked it down and phones and glasses were flying everywhere.  It was quite a scene……but, as some random guy up there who was laughing so hard he could barely breathe, she never dropped the cookies she was holding for the fireman.  She fell over knocked a hug display down but she made damn sure those cookies were safe.

After we explained what we were doing for our Lenten gig, the amazing fire chief took us on a tour of the station, gave them trinkets and let them hop around the firetruck for about an hour.

It was an amazing experience and my pals really learned something.  We were not expecting to get such grand treatment.  We really just wanted to drop the cookies off and say (in unison) – “Thanks for keeping us safe.”  My pals learned that when you do nice things for people you can get a great payback.  We all loved every second and they invited us back…so we will be there!

Today was one that really hit home with me as Autism strikes in our family and I have many friends who deal with the constant struggle which becomes their “new normal.”

A dear friend from college told us about a local Kansas City boy who was beaten by his classmates for simply being different.  That’s it.  He was beaten so badly he was hospitalized.  Heart-breaking.  Infuriating thoughts consumed my mind.  But what could we do?

We could send him a note with a hand written letter and my pals can draw some pictures for them.  We also picked out some special stickers and some fruit snacks to send along.

The lesson my kids got today was just this:  just because someone is different, the deserve the same love and respect that you give your mom and dad.  We talked about how sometimes different is better.  But the bottom line is treat everyone the same – with love and respect.  If they give you a reason not to, then come to me (mom) and we will figure out how to handle the situation.  Handling bullies can be hard enough so sometimes you need an adult to step in.

We didn’t know the poor boy, Blake, who got beaten but we thought he deserved a note from someone he had never met so he knew people from all over the country are thinking about him.

Eden thought he needed Prince Charming and L.A. thought it was Darth Vader for sure.  We wrote the letter together.  My kids learned another lesson in kindness and I got to be proud.  Nothing better than your insides smiling because you are on your way to making someone’s day. But watching your kids enjoy do something for someone else and expecting nothing in return really is priceless.