Happy Valentine's & Random Acts of Kindness Day!

This year, both Valentine's Day and Random Acts of Kindness Day fall during Lewie's February vacation.  For school, Lewie made cute ruler Valentines and handed them out on the 13th (before his break).  On Valentine's Day, we drove to my mom's place of work and surprised her with a beautiful flower arrangement.  For Random Acts of Kindness Day (February 17th), I will be doing my usual and surprising friends with a few unexpected gifts.

Here is what we've been up to!

For Lewie's Valentines, I want to make sure to give credit where credit is due.  As you can see, we fell in love with two different designs (which are not my own).  The first design, by TidyLadyPrintables, can be bought on Etsy HERE.  The second design with the stars were absolutely free; they were created by an awesome blogger named Crystal from the blog Little Bit Funky.  The "You Rule Valentine" design with the stars can be found for free HERE.

The last pic are my "care packages" that will be hand delivered to friends this year for Random Acts of Kindness Day.  I'd also like to do something like treat a random person or family to dinner by paying for their meal.  A few short weeks ago, Little Lewie and I were recipients of the very same kind gesture.  On a random Sunday, Little Lewie and I ordered breakfast at Friendly's (his favorite restaurant in the whole world).  When it was time for us to pay, the waitress told us there was no charge because a gentleman already paid for our breakfast.  "What?" we asked, completely in shock!

The kind man had left the restaurant before we could ever thank him.  I quickly asked Lewie, "Would you like to pay it forward?"  There was a young man with two little girls eating breakfast next to us.  I  quietly gestured over to them.

Lewie smiled and replied enthusiastically, "Yes!"

"Can you pay for their meal?" I said to the waitress as I gave her my credit card.

She took my card and commented how much she loved it when an act of kindness starts a chain reaction.  Evidently, this mysterious gentleman has paid for other peoples' meals before.

We paid the bill and left with only a quick smile cast in the direction of the young man with his two girls.  He didn't know at that moment that we paid for their breakfast, and we wouldn't be around to be thanked.  We would be just as mysterious as the kind man before us.

As we got into our car to leave the parking lot and go home, I said to Lewie with tears in my eyes,  "Didn't that feel good?"  He was teary-eyed, too.  "See, there's a lot of good in this world, Lewie.  There's really a lot of good."

This February 17th, I want to share this type of joy again...  There's a lot to be said for being KIND.

Happy RAK (Random Acts of Kindness) Day!!

Today's my favorite holiday, and yet, not many people know about it.  Today is a national day to celebrate kindness, but even more, it's a day to promote random kindness--meaning unplanned kindness to everyone and anyone.

This quote comes from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation.

I started celebrating this day/week when Lewie was just four years old.  We'd bake cookies, write cards, and create little "surprise" care packages for our friends and family.  The fun of it, as he soon learned, was the element of surprise.  Giving from the heart feels good, but it feels even better when you surprise someone with no expectation to receive anything in return.

This year, I gathered up my surprise gift boxes, and we (Lewie and I) started delivering them on Friday.  Since everyone lives at a distance, it's hard to do the surprise visits all in one day, so instead, it's been a weekend of giving.  Thankfully, I have President's Day off tomorrow, so I'll be able to finish my mission then.  Little Lewie's used to the routine; he knew exactly who we would be visiting this year.

Still, RAK week is not just for celebrating the ones we love and cherish.  It's also about doing favors for those around us whether it's holding a door, buying someone a cup of coffee, sharing a smile, offering to carry a heavy bag, etc.  We intentionally do these small gestures today with the hope that they become an everyday habit.  My goal is not to raise the smartest, richest, or most successful kid; my goal is to raise a thoughtful human being who is kind, gentle, and confident.

This year, as I started looking up Random Acts of Kindness for kids, I uncovered this amazing website/business called The Idea Box Kids (http://theideaboxkids.com/).  An idea box is "a little box filled with wood coins" that provide inspirational ideas for kids.  (I wish I knew about this when Lewie was younger.)  Still, I came across their "Caring" box, which provides simple ideas/acts on how to display kindness, such as "Tell someone you love them," "Be patient today," "Pull some weeds or water plants," "Put a note or picture on someone's pillow before bed," etc.  Even though the box is meant for children, I bought it for the entire family.  From now until the end of the month, all of us will be selecting a coin or two and doing "a caring act."  In fact, I hope to pull out this box anytime we may need a reminder on how we can touch people's lives and create a culture of altruism.

Image comes from http://theideaboxkids.com/teaching-empathy-kids-acts-of-kindness/

This image comes from http://theideaboxkids.com/teaching-empathy-kids-acts-of-kindness/.

I'm using photos right from the Idea Box Kids website because they so beautifully share their craftsmanship.  (Their photos are way better than mine.)  I highly encourage anyone with children to look at their array of boxes.  I bought others for Lewie that I hope to open during the summer, with coins on "Adventure" and essential "Life Skills."

For now, the biggest life skill I can wish for Lewie is how to be kind to people--even when people are not kind back or do not share our same values.  In some ways, it might be one of the hardest lessons for us to learn, and yet, it could inspire a movement that changes our lives and the world.

Valentine's Day Week

Last week went by quickly, but it was full.  Somehow between our hectic work and school schedules our family managed to visit our beloved friends, make Valentines, sneak in a fun trip of snow tubing, and for hubby and me, go out on a classic date (after Valentine's Day, of course, so we didn't have to spend top dollar).

The week started out with visiting my closest friends--my college friend on Saturday and my oldest grammar school buddies on Sunday.  Little Lewie and I didn't have a chance to bake, so instead, I bought a few items to place into care packages for them.  My friends remembered the tradition right away: "Oh, you brought gifts for us for Random Acts of Kindness week!"  I enjoy celebrating my friends, and since we hardly ever get to celebrate each other's birthdays, R.A.K. week seems to be the best time for me to remind them how lucky I am to have them in my life.

Since I didn't have time to make my care packages all at once, I'm still delivering them to friends this week, too.

For V-Day at school, Little Lewie and I made quick, fun, heart Valentines using glow sticks.  I found a fun template at The Teacher Wife, The Blog, and the Valentines came out fantastic.  I am so grateful for all the creative moms out there that are willing to share their talents with us.  In this case, I am thankful to Lindsey, the artistic mastermind of this blog.  You can get her template here.

On the Friday after Valentine's Day, Lewie's February vacation began.  A snow storm swept through the area, and we decided it was the perfect time to go snow tubing at Ski Butternut in Massachusetts. 

After a day of snow tubing as a family, hubby and I planned an actual date for the very next day.  We found a movie theater still showing The Shape of Water and then went out to dinner at a quaint, rustic restaurant near us called the Milestone Inn.  Meanwhile, Lewie spent a day with Grammy and will be ending his short five-day weekend with a visit to a friend's house.

Yes, during this very busy Valentine's Day week, I am most grateful for both my friends and family.  Love and kindness were certainly all around us.

Random Acts of Kindness Week

Last week was BUSY.  Little Lewie and I made s'mores Valentines for his classmates ("I wish I had s'more friends like you.")  Then we were baking cookies and creating Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) packages for our friends.  Since our friends live in all different parts of the state, we had a little bit of traveling to do, so our last package wasn't delivered until yesterday.

Little Lewie and I started celebrating Random Acts of Kindness Week when he was four.  Similar to now, he would help me bake cookies, put packages together, and then come with me on deliveries.  I thought it was a good tradition to start, and now I'm committed to it for life.  The goal was to teach Lewie to think about others.  It was meant to show him how a little bit of kindness can have a lasting impact.  It was also meant to teach him that the secret to our own happiness often rests in how we treat others.

By now, my friends usually anticipate something will be coming to their home during the month of February.  Even if it's not a surprise, I still hope the gesture adds some sunshine to their day.  Since life is short, we might as well make it short and SWEET.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day and a great RAK week too.   "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."--Aesop

The Kid Behind the Blog - February Edition

February is one of my favorite months. With Valentine's Day, Random Acts of Kindness Week, and February vacation coming up quickly, there's a lot to celebrate.  Ultimately, it's a month about spreading love and kindness, and since Random Acts of Kindness Day falls right during Lewie's vacation (Feb. 17th), I'm looking forward to skipping work, so I can stay home with Lewie to bake cookies, create little "care" packages, and spread some cheer to friends and family.

Last month, I participated in "The Kids Behind the Blog" link-up hosted by Secrets of a SAHM, Hall Around Texas, Wife Mommy Me,  The Adventure Starts Here, and  Our Pretty Little Girls.  I love the concept.  Each month, I "interview" my son and share his comments with other moms.  At age eight, I know Lewie might be older than some of the other little ones that are interviewed, but his comments are still just as precious and innocent...

Here are the two "loves" of my life...

What does the word love mean to you?
"It means someone who is very close to you.  I love you (Mommy), Daddy, Grammy, Sarah, Ninny, Papa (who is deceased), my aunts, Uncle Moises, and Lily and Brooklyn--well kind-of."  (He loves his younger cousins Lily and Brooklyn, but he has more of a sibling relationship with them!)  "I mentioned pretty much everybody, right?"

Kids choice!  How do you want to spend Valentine's Day?
"With Sarah giving gifts and playing Xbox."  (Sarah is Lewie's "older cousin."  He looks up to her like a big sister.)

Do you have a Valentine?  If so, who?
"No, I don't."  (At this point, I ask Lewie if I can be his Valentine.  He answers, "Well, you're my mom, so you kind of already are.")

How many days are in the month of February?
He runs to the calendar and announces, "thirty-one."  (I think he may have been looking at January...)

How do you show someone you love them?
"I have no idea.  Hold on...  By hugging them!"

I'm looking forward to linking up again with Beth of Our Pretty Little Girls on March 8th. Her February linkup is here:  http://ourprettylittlegirls.com/2017/02/kids-behind-blog-february-2017.html/ 

Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Week

Hello Friends!  Yesterday (Valentine's Day) started the beginning of Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Week, which runs from February 14 - 20th.  Little Lewie and I feverishly began making cookies last week along with little bags of gram crackers, heart marshmallows, and chocolate for S'mores.  We made a whole batch of S'mores for his classmates, but we remembered to keep some behind for our close friends and relatives too!

As I am typing right now, we are spending the day on a mini-vacation in Vermont, but let's just say as we started driving Northbound through Connecticut yesterday, we made a few surprise stops along the way... Once again, we delivered little treat bags to our friends.  In some cases, we left the bags on our friends' porches and then drove off.  (The goal isn't to make anyone feel obligated to invite us in their home--that would go against the principle of doing something nice with the expectation that someone does something nice for us in return...)

Our five bags were successfully delivered this weekend, and Little Lewie and I can't wait to do more this week...For some ideas, please go to www.randomactsofkindness.org or read the article, Ten Kindness Ideas to do with Your Kids.

Oh yes, yesterday was just the beginning...

Lewie's S'more Valentines for friends and family.  This design came from missiontosave.com.
(My creativity comes from Pinterest.)

A few gifts inside each bag...

Yes, our Valentines and gifts took a few days to prepare, but they were so worth it.  Now onto writing letters, surprising a town service-worker (or two), giving compliments, and playing the "kindness doorbell dash" with our neighbor.  It's fun to spread warmth during this time of year (especially since we've been seeing temperatures in the negative digits; yesterday was 13 below 0.)

Happy Valentine's Day and RAK Week!

Happy Valentine's Day Week!

This year, we're celebrating Valentine's Day for seven straight days.  This decision came partly out of necessity (the snowstorms here have been brutal), but it mostly came out of our desire to celebrate our friends and family for longer than one day.

For us, Valentine's Day Week started last Friday, February 13th.  Lewie had his school Valentine's Day party, and parents were invited to attend.  I was thrilled to be able to use my lunch hour to go participate, and Lewie was ecstatic that I was there. 

Instead of the usual store-bought Valentine's Day cards, we spent Thursday evening making our own heart cards out of construction paper.  We also went to our local pharmacy down the road to buy everyone little gifts.  Lewie picked out pretty pens and stickers for the three girls in his class; "cool" little tow trucks for the two boys in his class;  a colorful scarf for his art and Spanish teacher, Miss Gabby; and a Willow Tree Angel for his very special kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Kranz.

When we picked out the gifts, Lewie immediately started to daydream about what his classmates might buy him.  I stopped him in his tracks: "Lewie, I have an important secret to share with you.  Getting presents is nice and it makes us happy, but giving presents to others is pure joy.  You'll see."  I then proceeded to tell him that we were buying these gifts for our friends because we want to make them happy and to show them how much we love and appreciate them.

The Willow Tree Angel Lewie chose for his teacher because she loves flowers.
 It's called "Sunshine."

Making our heart Valentine's Day cards.

Lewie w/ Mrs. Kranz and his classmates.

Yay for Valentine's Day!!

After Lewie's Valentine's Day party at school, we spent the weekend making sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies to deliver to some of our other special friends this week.  Since we had a snowstorm/blizzard on Valentine's Day, we barricaded ourselves inside.  My husband and I agreed we would have a date night sometime this week, and in the meantime, I'm prepared to use our last four days of "Valentine's Day Week" to show Lewie the true joy of giving.  Just like last year for Random Acts of Kindness Week, we'll be delivering special surprises to unsuspecting friends, family, and even strangers.
  

All set to go!

How was your Valentine's Day?