Today's Difference

Today... I made a difference by purchasing stuff for my son's 2nd grade classmates. I'm making goody bags for all... Candy, Christmas Pencils, Christmas Erasers, Christmas Straws and Christmas Ornaments for all! His classroom only has 15 kids. I made 30 bags. Enough for all the 2nd graders in the school. I also made goody bags for the kids that live in our neighborhood. I wrote out Christmas Cards for everyone that lives in our lil community. Doing my best to spread the Christmas Spirit to everyone I know! :)

It may not seem like much... but it shows those around you that you care. :)

Project Hope: Making a Difference Dec. 5

The difference I made today...

In the last 24 hours I have donated 10,000 grains of rice through Free Rice! I have a decent vocabulary but I can't get past level 42!!! Dang it!

Project Hope: Making a Difference Dec. 4

Today I'm making a difference and a pledge. I've been alerted to a site in which clicking on a button donates a free mammogram to someone that can't afford it. The entire site is great. It has tabs for hunger, breast cancer, children's health, literacy, rain forests and animal rescue. Please check it out. You'll notice a new button to the right. Clicking on it will take you directly to the page to click for free mammograms. Its two... little... clicks. I'll be clicking every day from now on. Please do the same. :)

Why Mommy is blogging her struggle with Inflammatory Breast Cancer. Please go check out what she has to say and give her a lil support. :) She's awesome and in a fight for her life.

Project Hope: And A Child Shall Lead Them...

Please check out this blog. What this young girl is trying to do is just inspiring! I'm going to try to follow her example and do something for the next 22 days!

December 3rd- I procured some toys for a family of children my son is friends with. Dad isn't working. They've just been evicted from their home. Its not going to be a very good Christmas for them. I've gotten them each 2 things for under their tree and we will get the items to them anonymously.

25 Days To Make A Difference

Holiday Musings... and A Challenge

The Holiday's are HARD. I LOVE them. Don't get me wrong. I love the baking and the cooking and the shopping and the wrapping and the family gatherings. I love the sense of wonder you find in children at this time of year and the warm fuzzies you find in adults.

However, (you KNEW there had to be a however, Right?) for some reasons the Holidays also bring to the surface everyone's... ISSUES. Everything is intensified. Issues with your family, with yourself, with your pocket book and with society in general all seem so much WORSE during the Holidays. People die every... single... DAY. Yet, when it happens during the Holiday Season it seems so much more tragic. The impact of that death seems harder... lasts longer... is remembered more vividly.

I try to keep a positive mindset during the Holidays. I'm thankful for all that I have. I appreciate everything I can do. I also like to stop and reflect on how fortunate I and my family really are. But... (You KNEW there was a but, RIGHT? ) I can't help but think about those that aren't as lucky. Who can't give their kids a happy holiday be it for financial reasons or other things that may not be within their control.

Because my mind works the way it does, my husband and I have a tradition of doing... SOMETHING for someone else during this time of year. Its generally not someone we know. Often, we don't know their names or their full circumstances. Those things don't really matter to us. We just want to make things a little better for someone else because were things different... we could EASILY be in the same boat.

Last year we adopted 2 kids and made sure they had a Christmas. The year before we took two names off a tree at Walmart and bought something for those kids. This year I'm baking my arse off and sending the results to a random person in the army hoping that it eases their heart while away from those they love during the Holidays and hoping it lets them know their sacrifices aren't unappreciated or un-noticed.

My challenge for you is this:

One Random Act of Kindness. It can be for someone you know well or not at all. It doesn't matter. You can donate money, toys, food or time. Help and elderly person put up their decorations... Bake a pie or cake for a neighbor who's having a hard time.... Pay for the coffee of the person standing on the corner selling newspapers on the corner this chilly Sunday.... WHAT EVER. It doesn't have to be a huge gesture. Something small works as well. Make a small difference to someone... and then... encourage someone else to do the same.

I'm involving my mother in my efforts this year. She's helping me plan and bake. Shecky... his entire 2nd grade class is making Christmas Cards for soldiers to be sent with my package. His teacher is having them do it.

This isn't a new idea. The movie "Pay It Forward" put it forth in a massive way. There's a National Day of Kindness. However, (you HAD to know... cough... ) during the holidays seems to be a time it can be of most use to those who may need it the most. Join me, won't you?

Project Hope: A Way To Make A Difference

I had this great plan for Project Hope. I was going to post once a week about someone or something that inspired me to make a difference in our world... even if it was in a small way. I fail. I've been so involved in trying to work The Plan I have for weight loss and health that I haven't done it.

However, Liv over at Madness, Madness I Say has an INCREDIBLE idea/campaign going to bring our boys overseas some Holiday Cheer. Please to check it out and get involved. No matter your views on the war and whether or not we should be there those boys deserve a great holiday season.

Tomorrow: An update on the weight loss drama that is my life.

God Bless Those Who Have Gone Before...

I have a favor to ask of you. Jenn over at Serving the Queens has had a terrible loss. One of her family was serving in Afghanistan. He was killed in the line of duty. You can read about it at the link above. She is creating an online card from her most recent post. You can find that post here. Please, Please, go comment and give this family your support, your thanks, your prayers, whatever you care to offer. Even if you don't support this war or believe in the reasons for it, this family lost someone they love... lend them a shoulder.

If you are a blogger please, pass these links along to your readers and encourage them to participate as well.

The email I received from Jenn follows:

"I've never asked for site visits before, but I'd like your help with this.

I'd like to make this link a card for Matt's parents. I'd like to get as many comments as possible for them over the next couple of days and then give it to them. The funeral is Thursday; would like to have it finalized at that point.

Can you please post this link to your blog and direct commenters to it?
It is for Terry & Cheryl Blaskowski, parents of Sgt. Matthew Blaskowski.

http://iservethequeens.blogspot.com/2007/10/of-america-heroes.html

Comments will be moderated; no anti-war messages will be posted.

Please, please, do your magic friends, and pass this link along to your friends, who can pass it along to their friends.....
Jenn "

Project Hope Week 2 and A Rant About Child Rearing

One of the things that I want to instill in Shecky is a sense of altruism. I want him to have the desire to help others when there's nothing "in it" for him other than having done something that makes a difference to someone. I'm finding its one of the most difficult lessons to teach him.

I informed him two days ago that we will be going through his MULTITUDE of toys and boxing up many of them that he no longer plays with. I explained that we would be donating them to a local shelter for kids that were much less fortunate than him. Kids who's mommy's and daddy's were cruel to them. Kids who were beaten and abused by their parents and forced to leave them for their own safety. I told him how, many times, these kids have nothing to give them comfort or make them smile and feel happy. His response to me? "But... ::sniffle:: they're... MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!!!!"

I know, I know he's only 6. He's an only child. He's spoiled ROTTEN by us AND his grandparents. Blah, Blah, BLAH! I'm at a loss as to how to make him understand how important looking beyond himself and his "wants" is. We've been cracking down on his misconception that every time he goes into Walmart he gets something. We've been limiting his time for doing what he wants and started making him do things that are necessary yet "not fun" or "not fair" (at least in HIS estimation).

I really am beginning to fear I've failed my child and waited too long to start impressing this ideal upon him. He's a great kid. He's got a loving heart. He's just so damn self-involved it makes me wanna scream. I don't want him to be a brat as he grows older. Any suggestions? Anyone else having these issues? Am I just overreacting? Am I expecting to much of him? Am I failing him?

I found this story about a teenage girl who took her parents similar desire into her heart and her own hands and did something AMAZING with it. She's my hero for the week. Go read her story!

Project Hope

I just realized I missed my VERY FIRST Tuesday installment of Project Hope. I apologize for my sucktitude! However, I'm kind of glad I am late with this. Otherwise, I may not have thought to share this post over at Oh, The Joys with you. Its a perfect example of how one person can make a difference. If you've never read her blog... consider yourself on notice! She's amazing with her heart and her funny!

PROJECT HOPE LAUNCH

Hey everyone! Today I launch my Project Hope. I put forth a challenge to everyone to find a way to make the world better. Some small thing you can do to improve the world for ourselves and our kids.

I know I was supposed to announce this yesterday but some things happened and I was unable to post. My Project Hope is going to consist of the following:

Every 6 months I am going to find books we've read. Clothes we no longer wear. Toys that are no longer played with and donate them to a local battered wives/children safe house.

Also:

Every Weds here on Mean Girls Need Not Apply I am going to post about something I found that makes me hopeful or something that is trying to make the world a better place. Organizations, other projects, acts of heroism, whatever I can find to help place the emphasis on Hope and on Looking Forward to a better future. If you want to nominate an organization to be highlighted or a person who's efforts you want to crow about just send me an email to tessalemmons@gmail.com and let me know about it!

The first Project Hope post will be next Weds. Keep an eye out!