I was going to blog as I did each thing on my birthday list. But I don't have that much time, so I'm going to write (try to) once a week. I have found that I have changed some of the original ideas to fit our needs/experiences. Regardless of the changes, they are still random acts of kindness.
So here are the things that we (I try to have the family help me) did this week.
#4. - Flowers to Hospital - actually I let C pick out flowers for his grandma who had a knee replacement a few weeks ago. He thought it was great! He said "We have to find one with purple flowers, because purple is her favorite color." He was so excited to give them to her.
#9. - Books for needy child - Again, I changed this one. It was Parent/Teacher Conferences this week. Of course, there was a book fair as well. We let L & C pick out books for their classes. It was fun to see how excited they were to give the book to their teachers. The teachers were excited to get a new book too.
#19. - Be a personal shopper for someone - I just picked out books for L's teacher. She had a credit and wanted some books, but was tired and didn't know if she would make it to the book fair before it closed. I offered to go get the books for her.
#30 - Let someone in front of you in line - My cart was full and guy came up behind us with just one item. I let him in front.
#35 - Make dinner for someone - I helped make dinner for the teachers one night during conferences. The lady that was in charge got sick and they needed some help. So I helped out.
I realize that I didn't do one each day, but I have been trying. The part that I love best is seeing my children experience the joy of serving.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Friday, January 25, 2013
My Birthday Gift
I had the wonderful experience of spending my birthday at Disneyland. That in and of itself made it a special day. A few months ago, I saw this blog post. I was planning on doing something similar for my birthday, but it didn't work out with being at Disneyland.
So I decided that instead of doing all of those things in one day, I'm going to try to do the following things over the course of the next 36 days. I'm not doing them in any particular order, just what I feel like needs to be done that day. Here is my list, but it is subject to change :)
Random Acts of Kindness
1. Mailman package
2. Firefighter treats
3. Assisted living visit - hand made cards.
4. Flowers to the hospital
5. Homemade coloring books and crayons in waiting rooms
6. Change in the vending machine
7. Treats for mechanic
8. Food pantry
9. Books for needy children
10. Notes to church leader
11. Treats for librarian
12. Collect carts at a store
13. Presents to random children at a park
14. Send a note to a missionary/ military person
15. Hiding dollars in toy aisle of Dollar tree
16. Buy something from dollar store to give to someone
17. Buy a book to pass along
18. Read a book to a child
19. Be a personal shopper for someone
20. Treat someone to lunch
21. Leave a gift for the server
22. Mail out some coupons with a note.
23. Leave diaper and wipes on a changing table
24. Run an errand for someone
25. Pick up trash
26. Leave a smile
27. Pass out silly bandz to random kids.
28. Drive nice
29. Donate to good will
30. Let someone in front of you in the line.
31. Give a care package to a homeless person
32. Spend time playing with your children.
33. Call a friend just to talk
34. Mail your neighbor a thank you card
35. Make dinner for someone just because
36. Pay for the car behind you at the drive thru
I have some other ideas as well, but am planning on making it through this list first.
Today was my first day at it. Today I did number 31. I keep a stash of "homeless" care packages in my van. When ever I see someone with a sign, I try to give them one. It is neat way to help someone who is in need without giving them money. It is also neat to see my children help me "find" the people we want to help.
Some ideas of things to include in a 'care package' are:
granola bars
gloves
socks
hats
fleece blanket
bottle of water
tissues
soap
chap stick
little cup of fruit & a plastic spoon
wipes
deodorant
Here is a website with lots of other ideas too.
I just pop a few items in a grocery bag and tie it shut. I then store the grocery bags in a plastic box by my seat that I can get to easily while driving.
So I decided that instead of doing all of those things in one day, I'm going to try to do the following things over the course of the next 36 days. I'm not doing them in any particular order, just what I feel like needs to be done that day. Here is my list, but it is subject to change :)
Random Acts of Kindness
1. Mailman package
2. Firefighter treats
3. Assisted living visit - hand made cards.
4. Flowers to the hospital
5. Homemade coloring books and crayons in waiting rooms
6. Change in the vending machine
7. Treats for mechanic
8. Food pantry
9. Books for needy children
10. Notes to church leader
11. Treats for librarian
12. Collect carts at a store
13. Presents to random children at a park
14. Send a note to a missionary/ military person
15. Hiding dollars in toy aisle of Dollar tree
16. Buy something from dollar store to give to someone
17. Buy a book to pass along
18. Read a book to a child
19. Be a personal shopper for someone
20. Treat someone to lunch
21. Leave a gift for the server
22. Mail out some coupons with a note.
23. Leave diaper and wipes on a changing table
24. Run an errand for someone
25. Pick up trash
26. Leave a smile
27. Pass out silly bandz to random kids.
28. Drive nice
29. Donate to good will
30. Let someone in front of you in the line.
31. Give a care package to a homeless person
32. Spend time playing with your children.
33. Call a friend just to talk
34. Mail your neighbor a thank you card
35. Make dinner for someone just because
36. Pay for the car behind you at the drive thru
I have some other ideas as well, but am planning on making it through this list first.
Today was my first day at it. Today I did number 31. I keep a stash of "homeless" care packages in my van. When ever I see someone with a sign, I try to give them one. It is neat way to help someone who is in need without giving them money. It is also neat to see my children help me "find" the people we want to help.
Some ideas of things to include in a 'care package' are:
granola bars
gloves
socks
hats
fleece blanket
bottle of water
tissues
soap
chap stick
little cup of fruit & a plastic spoon
wipes
deodorant
Here is a website with lots of other ideas too.
I just pop a few items in a grocery bag and tie it shut. I then store the grocery bags in a plastic box by my seat that I can get to easily while driving.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Disneyland 2013!
We just got back from our family vacation for this year. We went to Disneyland. This was the first time that I had been since I was about 10 years old. Our children were so excited to go for the first time. I tried to find out some tips for going with young children, children with special needs, and being pregnant. There were lots of websites that I found to be helpful. I decided that I would share some things that we found useful during our visit to the Magic Kingdom. Take them for what they are worth!
(We had 3 day passes with one Magic Morning Entry to Disneyland. We have 3 small children (3,4,7) and I'm 6 months pregnant. Our oldest is on the Autism Spectrum. We were also trying to save as much money as possible:)
Tips:
1. FOOD: Take lunch and healthy snacks with you. We ate breakfast at our hotel and then headed out for the day. We made lunch before leaving and took TONS of food with us in our stroller to munch on throughout the day. This proved to be very nice because we didn't have to stop to eat dinner, we just ate a snack. After the park closed (8p.m. in the winter), we took time to eat.
We found that having a fridge and microwave in our hotel room was so nice. It meant that we could make our own meals if we wanted to. We also found that Mimi's Cafe and Food 4 Less were two places that had reasonable prices. We utilized their coupons and were able to save extra money.
2. WATER: Take a water bottle and stay hydrated! There are numerous water fountains located in both Disneyland and California Adventure. We took water bottles with us and refilled them when ever we had a bathroom break. For me, I found that I stayed hydrated better if I took the lid off of the water bottle rather than sip it from the spout. I also found that the days that I stayed hydrated, I felt better and wasn't as tired by the end of the day.
3. SPECIAL NEEDS: We picked up a "Guest Assistance" pass the first morning that we were there. Basically you talk to a cast member about the needs you have and they give you a pass to help you out. It was a blessing for us.
4. PREGNANT: I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to go on a lot of the rides. I was pleasantly surprised when I found that there were no warnings concerning any health concerns on most rides. I also learned that the warnings are only "recommendations" and that they won't stop you from riding those rides. I have to admit that I did choose to go on some of the rides with warnings. That was a personal choice and I recommend that you decide what your body and baby can handle. If I had any question about my safety, then I didn't go on it.
Another tip that I would recommend is purchasing a maternity support belt. If you are just barely pregnant, you may not need one. However if your tummy is showing, I would HIGHLY recommend it. There are several on the market. This is the one that I used, but I'm sure any of them would work fine. I found that this was a lifesaver! I know that it helped me in a lot of ways. At first, I was very embarrassed to be wearing it. But as I wore it, I saw how much it helped and I stopped complaining about using it. I don't know how I would have made it without one.
The last tip for pregnant women, let your husband pick up the little ones, push the stroller, and do all of the extra stuff that needs to be done. I didn't do this the first day and by the time that we got back to the hotel, I was feeling it. The next two days I was better about it and it made a HUGE difference. My husband was a star about helping me out and I appreciated it SO much!
5. MAGIC MORNING: I didn't realize that the Magic Morning entry only applies to Tomorrow Land and Fantasy Land. For us, we had our choice between Tuesday or Thursday. Since our first day in the parks was on Tuesday, we opted to save it for Thursday. It was hard to get up and get going that morning because we were so tired, but I'm glad that we used it. We chose to hit Fantasy Land because it gets SO busy during the day. It worked out great for us and we were able to ride the rides we hadn't gone on because of long lines.
6. TIMING: We found that timing was everything. We tried to get to the parks early and found that to be very rewarding. On Tuesday, we were there when California Adventure opened up. We walked into Cars Land and found that EVERYONE was headed for the Radiator Springs Racers ride. We noticed that Lightning McQueen was waiting for people to come see him. We were able to walk right up and talk to him. We also were able to walk right onto the other two rides. By the time we went on the Racers ride, we didn't have to wait as long. It was sweet!
7. HIDDEN GEM: A hidden gem that we didn't know about until the last 30 min. of our last day was
(We had 3 day passes with one Magic Morning Entry to Disneyland. We have 3 small children (3,4,7) and I'm 6 months pregnant. Our oldest is on the Autism Spectrum. We were also trying to save as much money as possible:)
Tips:
1. FOOD: Take lunch and healthy snacks with you. We ate breakfast at our hotel and then headed out for the day. We made lunch before leaving and took TONS of food with us in our stroller to munch on throughout the day. This proved to be very nice because we didn't have to stop to eat dinner, we just ate a snack. After the park closed (8p.m. in the winter), we took time to eat.
We found that having a fridge and microwave in our hotel room was so nice. It meant that we could make our own meals if we wanted to. We also found that Mimi's Cafe and Food 4 Less were two places that had reasonable prices. We utilized their coupons and were able to save extra money.
2. WATER: Take a water bottle and stay hydrated! There are numerous water fountains located in both Disneyland and California Adventure. We took water bottles with us and refilled them when ever we had a bathroom break. For me, I found that I stayed hydrated better if I took the lid off of the water bottle rather than sip it from the spout. I also found that the days that I stayed hydrated, I felt better and wasn't as tired by the end of the day.
3. SPECIAL NEEDS: We picked up a "Guest Assistance" pass the first morning that we were there. Basically you talk to a cast member about the needs you have and they give you a pass to help you out. It was a blessing for us.
4. PREGNANT: I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to go on a lot of the rides. I was pleasantly surprised when I found that there were no warnings concerning any health concerns on most rides. I also learned that the warnings are only "recommendations" and that they won't stop you from riding those rides. I have to admit that I did choose to go on some of the rides with warnings. That was a personal choice and I recommend that you decide what your body and baby can handle. If I had any question about my safety, then I didn't go on it.
Another tip that I would recommend is purchasing a maternity support belt. If you are just barely pregnant, you may not need one. However if your tummy is showing, I would HIGHLY recommend it. There are several on the market. This is the one that I used, but I'm sure any of them would work fine. I found that this was a lifesaver! I know that it helped me in a lot of ways. At first, I was very embarrassed to be wearing it. But as I wore it, I saw how much it helped and I stopped complaining about using it. I don't know how I would have made it without one.
The last tip for pregnant women, let your husband pick up the little ones, push the stroller, and do all of the extra stuff that needs to be done. I didn't do this the first day and by the time that we got back to the hotel, I was feeling it. The next two days I was better about it and it made a HUGE difference. My husband was a star about helping me out and I appreciated it SO much!
5. MAGIC MORNING: I didn't realize that the Magic Morning entry only applies to Tomorrow Land and Fantasy Land. For us, we had our choice between Tuesday or Thursday. Since our first day in the parks was on Tuesday, we opted to save it for Thursday. It was hard to get up and get going that morning because we were so tired, but I'm glad that we used it. We chose to hit Fantasy Land because it gets SO busy during the day. It worked out great for us and we were able to ride the rides we hadn't gone on because of long lines.
6. TIMING: We found that timing was everything. We tried to get to the parks early and found that to be very rewarding. On Tuesday, we were there when California Adventure opened up. We walked into Cars Land and found that EVERYONE was headed for the Radiator Springs Racers ride. We noticed that Lightning McQueen was waiting for people to come see him. We were able to walk right up and talk to him. We also were able to walk right onto the other two rides. By the time we went on the Racers ride, we didn't have to wait as long. It was sweet!
7. HIDDEN GEM: A hidden gem that we didn't know about until the last 30 min. of our last day was
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail! This is taken from the movie "Up" and is a course for children to earn "wilderness badges" My husband had mentioned it, but I didn't know what it was until we were passing by and saw the signs. Our children LOVED it. It was a great way to end the day. They were tired and complained about going in, but once they were in, they didn't want to come out! My only regret was that we had tried it out sooner.
Our trip to Disneyland was magical and wonderful! I hope that the insights that we gained can help your trip to be just as magical for your family. We highly recommend going in January! It was warm, not crowded, warm, fast lines, and did I mention WARM? (At least from our perspective of 20degrees :)
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