Lessons of Giving Thanks

Now that Halloween is over, my kiddos would love to fast forward to Christmas.  Mom has other ideas, though!  We are going to spend some time reflecting on what we are thankful for this month and come up with some good deeds we can do for others.  I feel like we do a decent job of incorporating this into our everyday lives, but lately it seems that our kiddos are becoming so focused on their own wants that we need to shift the focus a bit.  I fully understand that kids are egocentric at times, but that doesn't mean that I won't do my best to teach them to think of others, too.  

To start of the month of giving thanks, I pulled out some books to read to the kids before bed.  Tonight my oldest guy snapped up Thank You, God and read it to me.  We haven't read it in such a long time and it used to be one of his favorites when he was a toddler.  Amazing how much he's changed since then!  Our collection is a bit small and I'd love to add some more books about giving thanks and doing good deeds.

Some reading material

Since it was a pretty quiet Saturday, I decided it would be fun to bake some treats for our neighbors.  Our kiddos always love to share things with their friends that live around us.  I made some caramel corn and pumpkin muffins and mini bread loaves.  (I tried a new recipe for the muffins and bread and think I like my old one better so I won't share that today!).  My older two assisted with making today's activity and the whole family delivered the goods this afternoon.  It was a fun way to spend some time together.  When I asked the older kids about our day at bedtime they both were able to explain why we made treats for our neighbors.  I am hoping that it is something they are proud of. 

We'll be sharing more of our activities as the month goes on so stay tuned!

Working hard creating our cards

The finished product

Mixing up those muffins!

 

Thanking our Heroes

Over the weekend my husband suggested that we make something for our local fire department this week.  I have to admit, I was a bit baffled when he suggested this, but then I figured out what the date was and realized that September 11th would fall on Wednesday.  Then it all made sense.  We are approaching the 12th anniversary of this tragic day, yet I can still so vividly remember nearly every moment that transpired that day.

I've often heard that for our generation it is very similar to those who were old enough to remember Kennedy's assassination.  For most of us we remember where we were, what time we learned the news, and the hours of television coverage we watched.  We were overcome with sadness, shock, and hopelessness, but we stood united and were quick to pray,  hang flags and create other patriotic displays .  Each year September 11th comes upon us and I think it's safe to say that for many of us those feelings arise again.  Will it always be that way?  I believe so. 

Obviously my children were not born at the time of September 11th, but I think it's a great time for us to stop and talk about how important it is to recognize those who risk their lives to keep us safe:  firefighters, policemen, and military personnel.  We will take the opportunity to make some thank you cards, some sweet treats, and personally deliver them to these heroes in our community.  

I think it's important for us to teach our children about service and being thankful for the freedom that we have.  It seems that when they're young, finding these opportunities can be difficult.  Let's not forget that there are people surrounding us everyday that deserve our gratitude and taking the time to recognize them is a great way to get the little ones involved and teach these valuable lessons.     

Pride

Thank You!

A Giveaway (The first!): We Need Help with a Name!

As I mentioned late last week, a friend and I have been working on a big project to help promote literacy and bring comfort to those in need with some awesome fleece tie blankets in our community.  We have been in the planning stages since before the holidays and are ready to forge ahead with our idea.  This is where we need your help:  we need a name!  Here's a little background information...

My end of the project is literacy.  Thus far, we've purchased about 100 books to be distributed to those who need to get a book in their hands and are looking to raise funds or receive donations of new books.  If your children are in school and their class participates in the Scholastic book order, you can get books for all ages for just $1!  While our biggest target initially will be young children, we are also looking to help tweens and teens as well.  Reading has always been such an important part of my life, that I want to do what I can to get some wonderful book titles into kids' hands.  I'm sure you all have some favorites from your childhood that you still are fond of today.  Wouldn't you feel great passing them along to others?

The other part of our project involves providing fleece tie blankets to those in need.  It would be awesome if our organization could provide a blanket for low-income children in schools and shelters, as well as those who are ill, and pair it with a book.  Our goal is to coordinate the blanket with the theme of the book to really tie it all together.  We will also be using a portion of our funds to purchase the materials to make the blankets, but this project is also wonderful for families and groups looking to help out in their community by making and donating new blankets or donating materials to make them.

We hope to someday make this an official non-profit, but that is a time-consuming process, so in the meantime, we're ready to get this project rolling.  It would be great to build our collection of books and blankets over the summer to help kick-off the school year on a positive note to those in need.  If you would like to help in any capacity, please let me know.  I'm sure we'll have a few fundraising activities and ideas to present soon, so stay tuned!  

Here's where you can help!  We need a name for this project and want to hear your ideas.  The winner of our contest will receive their very own book and blanket (or if you'd like we can donate the combo on your behalf).  Our contest will close on Saturday, April 27th, at noon, so get your minds working and leave us a name suggestion in the comment section below or on Facebook!  

We can't wait to hear your ideas!

A Big Project in the Making

Many posts ago, I talked about taking care of our corner of the world.  As horrific events have unfolded around us once again, I think we all realize that you can really never take a day for granted.  I am sure that many of us feel helpless and like we can't do enough, but if we take a step back and focus on our community, I know we could all make a difference.  I think the first step is to think about a few causes that you feel passionate about and channel your energy in that direction.  Set some goals, involve your family, and start taking steps to make a difference!

For me, I have two areas that I always come back to:  hunger and helping to promote literacy in children.  Today I am going to focus on promoting literacy in children.  I have spent a great deal of time over the past several months creating some goals to assist with this growing problem.  If you recall, I sent out a request for money to purchase books for a family service project at Christmas time.  Over the past five months, I have collected 100 new books to be distributed to those in need.  This is only the beginning!  It is my hope that we can continue to raise funds to purchase books or receive book donations from others.  

A friend and I have been collaborating on this project and we are beginning to contact school districts to reach out and find out how we can assist:  books for the classroom, providing a book for a child to take home, providing books for shelters, etc.  While my main focus is books, my friend's focus is on providing fleece tie blankets for those in need.  We have read some startling statistics about children in our area who have don't even have a bed to sleep on.  While we can't provide a bed, we would like to provide them with a book and a comfortable blanket to call their own.  We need to take care of the children in our community, as they are our future.

This project is definitely in the early stages of development.  It will take time to grow, but we are committing ourselves to making a difference for children in our community.  One of the wonderful things about this project is that it is child-friendly.  My kids can be involved in picking out the books and distributing them.  We can teach them the importance of helping others and they can see first-hand how beneficial it can be.  

I challenge you to come up with a family project, big or small, to make a difference in your community.  It's never to early to show children how to be compassionate citizens and the importance of helping others.  If your children are a little bit older, encourage them to come up with an idea and take the time to help them come up with a plan and follow it through.  I am sure they will be proud of their accomplishment and their eyes will be opened to the needs of others. 

If you would like to donate to this effort monetarily, please click on the donate button.  If you would like to help out in any other way, please let me know!

Easy Sunday Meal: Ribs!

Happy Saturday!  It's been a lazy day around our house thanks to a 4:15 A.M. wake-up call (no, we do not have a baby in the house yet!), but sometimes a lazy Saturday is just what the doctor ordered.  The Princess had a play date this morning with her two little girlfriends from preschool and was not a happy camper when it was time to go!  My husband took our oldest son to our alma mater's basketball game today.  He was so excited to go (all decked out in basketball gear with a sign to cheer on the team).  I love his enthusiasm and love of the game!

We've been discussing our 52 Kind Acts Project a lot the past few days and I plan to update that blog later on.  If you'd like to check that out, I am including some service activity ideas that even the youngest kiddos can help out with!  I really can't stress enough how awesome I think this project is going to be for our kids and family.  It will teach them a lot about helping others and show them that even small, thoughtful gestures can make a big difference.

I planned our menu this week and am taking advantage of a decent meat sale:  ribs.  This recipe is so easy and yummy (and one of two easy rib recipes that I use)!  Ribs used to intimidate me, but not anymore!

Easy Ribs in the Oven

Rack of baby back ribs with bone (or more if needed)
Salt, pepper
Bottle of favorite BBQ sauce

Line a large baking sheet (I like to use a jellyroll pan) with a piece of aluminum foil large enough to cover pan twice.  Line the foil with a piece of parchment paper.  Place ribs, meat side up, on parchment paper.  Season with salt, pepper, or any spices to taste.  Fold the parchment paper and foil over the ribs and seal tightly on all sides.  Bake at 300 degrees for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until ribs are tender.

Remove from oven and peel back foil and paper.  Brush on BBQ sauce.  Return to oven uncovered and cook another 20-30 minutes, until sauce is brown and thickened.