pif #21

another great example today of the kids making a concerted effort to pay it forward every day...

it was the christmas party day in porter's classroom....they got to watch the grinch, while munching on popcorn...and popcorn in the hands of 27 third graders can be a bit....messy.

porter and his friend used their "finger vacuuming" skills to help clean up!

pif #20

oooo - holiday season shopping at Target....need i say more?

once again, the girls and I were out shopping...finally finish making our selections and head to the backed up checkout area. it's not that our cart was full...but we were in target...right before Christmas...so, we had a few items, to say the least..and the kind woman behind us had 2 items...packaging tape and a roll of plain brown paper. my powers of deduction lead me to believe she is lovingly planning to mail a package to a loved one for the holidays.

so, in the spirit of the season and for a pay-it-forward, i told the cashier i would pay for her things, too. so the cashier reached to ring her things up with mine, and the woman behind me started to stop her...i remarked that i was paying for them....

I almost needed to pick the woman up off the floor! she thanked me profusely and asked me why...my response mostly was "why not?" and "merry christmas".

she thanked me again.

while I was completing my purchase, the cashier handed the woman her items, while the girls loaded our cart. I signed for everything and headed to the door ....only to see the woman waiting at the door to thank me again.

I probably spent less than $10 on her items...and in the scope of my purchase, it was negligible. but to her...it was clearly worth way more than that. and that's what pay it forward is about!

pif #19

when we listed our house for sale awhile back, we hired someone to come clean it on a regular basis, to help us stay "showing" ready. and the house came off the market, and we kept her cleaning, just not as frequently. always willing at the last minute, and regularly reminding me that it might be time for her to come again...she maintains my sanity through her cleaning. so, for our pay-it-forward today, i gave her a little bonus.

i think it's a nice gesture to remember to pay it forward to the people in your life, whom you depend on...and not take for granted.

pif #18

sometimes the easiest option for dinner is to grab and go....we often choose subway when the need arises, as it allows us to pick a "healthy" option, but also a cold one, for kids who aren't all home at the same time to eat.

I was picking up subs for the kidlets for dinner and there were a couple of ladies in line behind me....there were two college-aged girls together behind me, and a third woman behind them ...the younger girls were having a bit of debate about the sub specials and which subs were the $5 footlongs, and how much combo meals cost....well, I haven't had to worry about that sort of thing for awhile..so a pay it forward opportunity was clearly at hand...so I bought the subs of all three ladies in line behind me and went on my merry way.

pif #17

we tried to stress to the kids that lending a helping hand embraces the "pay it forward" concept...Molly said that she met our daily challenge by helping put away extra equipment after her gymnastics class!

pif #16

i took the older girls with me to kohls today....it is the holiday shopping season, so i'm sure the staff is a little worn down and tired of the bargain hunters and crazed shoppers...

so, to show a little bit of appreciation and support, the girls removed the hangers from all the clothing items we were purchasing...I even mentioned to the cashier that we were sorry there wasn't something more we could do to help, and she said was thrilled with the hanger help, saying it actually meant a lot to her that we thought to do that!

pif #15

today was the annual youth choir concert....there is nowhere else in this country (truly) where my 9 year old, 10 year old and 13 year old can sing the "halleluiah chorus", in classy uniforms, on a professionally decorated, lit, and micro-phoned stage, with an orchestra accompaniment and paid directors.  what an amazing opportunity we have here - not only to participate, but to sit in the audience.

i am grateful for the support the the program gets, not just from other parents, but those that choose to attend the concerts just for the benefit of attending. 

as our pay it forward today, i purchased 2 tickets for the next folks in the ticket line.  i hope they will continue to support the program and the midland center for the arts!

pif #14

lilly's school is having a "penny war" this week, to raise money for the salvation army. there are four teams - 6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade, and the staff.

the premise is that pennies count as positive points for the team, whereas other coins and bills are negative. lilly gave some cold hard cash to her dad, to have it traded in for pennies during the daily bank run, to help positively influence her team.

we liked her choice to donate, as well as to do it in a positive fashion (vs. putting a bill in her opponents' jars).

paying it forward 5,000 pennies at a time!

pif #13

i was overwhelmed by the support i received after launching the "baker cakery" this week... i received my first order within hours - from a dear friend that had an aching back, but needed three dozen cookies for a cookie exchange...given her circumstances, and for being my first customer, her delicious filled butter cookies were complimentary.

what a yummy way to pay it forward!

pif #12

our after school routine is often madness and chaos...especially when a *new* activity pops up...which is what happened this week, when i had about three different places to be at the same time...

but, one part of the kids' participation in the youth choir that they like the most, is the trip to the nursing home to sing.  they don't always get to go, for a variety of reasons (some on our end, some on choir planning end...) and this week was one of the days when a trip was scheduled, but it looked like the schedule wasn't going to permit it.

well, with a little poke and prod from the director :) and a re-arranging of transportation, porter did our pay-it-forward today by joining his choir at a local nursing home to sing.

(on a funny side note, he asked why, when they were singing right before dinner, was it so early in the afternoon...)

pif #11

i have a dear friend that is unable to drive, and needs transportation for her and her children on a regular basis. she has a great entourage of folks from her church that usually cover this need...but today, she presented our family with a "pay-it-forward" opportunity...

she needed a ride to and from the middle school band concert (her daughter plays in the same band, even the same instrument as lilly) baker family on duty! i provided the ride there, as Jason was able to drive them home!

pif #10

a simple gesture, but one that pays it forward...

the kids have chores, of course...sometimes done without complaint...sometimes not.

today, maya paid it forward to lilly by doing her "dog chores" for her!

miss matched

so i pretty much wear miss matched socks every day.  every. day.

and they are the 'little miss matched' brand socks...so i really have no two that are the same...so i couldn't match if i wanted to...

and one would presume that if you're 'free-spirited' enough to wear miss-matching socks, you wouldn't give much care to what they actually are.  except, you see....i'm a first-born, STRONG type-A personality with some degree of OCD....

so i coordinate my miss-matching.  i like to miss match - and the socks make me happy - but i'm only so crazy and have to have the two socks coordinate with each other, and with my outfit.

and, not only that....but, you see....i always pick one sock that makes me happier than the other.   and i put it on my right foot.  you know...cause i'm right-handed.  that only makes sense, right?  (who thinks like this??  do i need therapy!??!?!)

well...i'm working on my own level of therapy.  (much like my aversion to the use of paper towels and ziploc bags, which i now use freely, without fear....)

i picked two coordinating socks.  one 'happy' and one 'happier' - and i put the happier one on my left foot.

 

 

take that, polka dots.

pif #9

the girls and i were out and about at a few stores today, and found an opportunity while we were in the checkout at meijers.

i remember awhile back, another mom and her young sons were in the self-checkout behind me, and the mom asked if the boys could help bag my groceries - she said they're experienced and love to help.

who am i to turn that down (despite my ocd-nature with how everything is done, including how my groceries are bagged....when it's my own kids, they get a lesson...when it's someone else's, they get a THANKS!)

SO - i'm in the self-checkout with the girls...very experienced baggers...and i say "hey!  here's a pay-it-forward' opportunity!  ask the gentleman in front of us if he would like help bagging his groceries!"

(i like this idea for several reasons - one - doesn't cost money.  two - the kids remembering that they are a part of this project!)

the girls step forward a bit and politely ask him if he would like assistance (a man, by himself, i'd say roughly 30 years old...)  "no thanks, i'm all set..." 

doh.  failure.

the girls were kinda taken aback.  i remind them that some folks are very particular (aka - their mother) and it's okay...we'll just keep asking til we get a taker!  (then, of course, all i could think was that guy thought i was impatient and just wanted to make him go faster so that i could get out of their faster...which SO was not the case...perhaps if we'd had a quick 'pay-it-forward' explanation, he would have taken us up on it...but that kinda ruins the spontaneity for me, i think...)

so...we turn behind us...a 20-something woman, by herself.  the girls politely ask if she would like assistance.  a loud "sure!" and they got to work.

i headed out to our car to unload our cart of groceries, while the girls bagged for this kind lady.  they were quite efficient, and even loaded the bagged groceries back into the cart before joining me outside - regaling stories of how the woman commented about how great they were.

pif mission #9: accomplished.

pif #8

we lost our beloved dog max in october, after he had been a member of our family for over 11 years (hard to believe a bouvier can live that long - especially knowing that we got him when he was 2!)

we've almost always been a two-dog family...and it just felt like kennedy was a little bummed without another friend in the house (and, of course, i was, too...) as regular donators to the humane society here, i kinda keep track of who's coming and going (or more importantly, who is NOT going) and have been trying to find a suitable family member....

after a couple of failed attempts this week (our humane society is so popular, they literally announced today that they are out of adoptable dogs!)  i expanded our search to mt. pleasant and bay city, and found a couple of contenders at the bay county animal control....so saturday morning, we all piled into the van to see if we could meet a new friend!

we visited with a big black lab - he was a little too big, and really not interested in us at all.  then we visited with a 6-month old black lab mix...she was too little, and WAY too interested in us!  and then....we found one that was just right....she is a 3 year old german shepherd mix, who appears to be pretty well trained, interested in us, but not hyper.

we have named her Magee...after the 'head' elf in Disney's "prep and landing" christmas specials (if you haven't seen them, you are missing out!)

we definitely paid-it-forward for her (she was NOT in a no-kill shelter) and she is paying it forward to us!

pif #7

well, this one was kinda easy and fun...

we like to decorate for the holidays, especially Christmas....inside and out. and when my grandparents passed away, I 'inherited' a box of 'vintage' Christmas crafties....and so I opted to use some of them to decorate a wreath as a surprise enhancement to a friend's house (and, I actually used some others to decorate one of our small trees, and have plans for another wreath, but I digress....)

jason purchased the wreath (we opted for one that could be used again, as opposed to fresh...) and I went to work...

and then we told the kids the plan....we piled into the van, in the dark, of course, to make the secret delivery...

we drove across town, enjoying light displays along the way, and pulled into the driveway (curtains were drawn - SCORE!) i hopped out of the van to sneak to the front door - holy smokes, I don't know who built this house, but I suddenly realize I might be a little short for this mission....I struggle trying to get the wreath hanger over the door and its banging like crazy and I'm CERTAIN someone inside is going to hear me and catch us in the act...

finally, SUCCESS - and I race back to the car, I hop in and DANGER, WILL ROBINSON - we've been spotted! the kids and Jason and screaming "go, go, GO!!" and we sped away thru the streets....

good times.

pif #6

I had a meeting that kept me away from the house until after Lilly got home from school... usually when that happens I give her call to let her know where I am and how soon I'll be back....

so - I call - and as part of the conversation, I say "do you need anything?"

and she replies with "um, like what?"

and I said "I don't know, a vanilla shake from McDonald's?"

and she says "chocolate"...

well, now it's so late in the day that the other kids are going to be home from school by the time i get there...

and so...aside from paying for the car behind me...i also paid it forward to my own kids, with an after-school snack they won't soon forget!

pif #5

i'm very excited to be a part of a new endeavor...

as our pay-it-forward for today, I had a lunch meeting with the very inspirational Katie (who happened to be the person behind me in the food line...so I bought her lunch....) and Mary...and as a continual pif, I'm going to be putting some time into an important ministry....

please read about it here

and then perhaps you might pay it forward this way, too :)

pif #4

Working hard to come up with some ideas that are not always buying a meal, etc....and we are still drowning in toys...I told the kids that there are many parents who buy "garage sale" toys for their kids, because it makes it easier for them to buy toys for their kids, because it's not so expensive. especially at this time if year...

I asked the kids to sort out some toys I could "garage sale", and so far they have given up some littlest pet shops, dinosaurs, a doctor kit, their play kitchen, some puzzles and more! It's a step in the right direction!

pif #3

while driving to dance class in bay city, I asked the kids if any of them has done any acts of kindness today -

porter - my friend, Caden, slipped - well, he kinda tripped himself - while we were playing basketball, and he hit his knee and it really hurt, so I helped him up. (we discussed that he probably would have done this anyway!)

molly - there was a kindergartner that was climbing down the ladder, and she kinda fell and hurt her knee and it was bleeding. so I took her to her teacher so she could get a band-aid! me - is this something you already would have done? molly - NO! I've never seen anyone get hurt before! :)

lilly - i tried to hold the door for someone, but the kid who was coming to the door swerved and went into the other door....i was like ...oookkkaaayyyy.....

so given that we didn't have an overwhelming opportunity today...we stopped at subway for dinner...

while 3 of the kids and I were in line, a lovely lady who worked at the Great Clips a few doors down, came in for dinner...it was obvious that she is in there with some frequency, and was very much looking forward to having her sandwich tonight - Steak & Cheese (this girl needs some meat, she exclaimed!) she coached the Sandwich Artist into making it the same way she'd had it before...took some joy in some dance moves porter was busting out in line, and was overall very delightful.

so we bought her sandwich. the person ringing us up said "oh, this happens all the time - that's very nice of you!"

we tried to scurry out before she made it to the cash register (but one doesn't scurry very well with 3 kids in tow)...as we were headed out the door, she shouted out "thank you!" and I gave a quick wave and we were off!

pif #2

We met my parents at a restaurant halfway between their house and ours, to retrieve porter who had been visiting them for the weekend...

our family ordered dinner at the counter... and then I told our cashier that I would like to pay for the next car in the drive-thru... she looked at me a bit confused, but then said okay and headed over to the drive-thru cash register... she came back a moment later and said that she wanted to double-check that she had the right car... I told her it didn't matter - that i just wanted to pay for the next order in drive-thru.... she got very excited and said "really???" - I indicated "yes" and she walked back to the drive thru window... the next car had already pulled up, so she opened the window and told her that her order had been paid for... the woman in the car also said "really???" and the cashier said "yes, there is someone inside who is paying for your order." the driver asked our cashier to tell us thank you and was very happy. upon returning my credit card, the cashier said - "you guys are awesome!"

if awesomeness only costs $9.42, i'll take it!

and what's neat is - we not only paid it forward for the person in the car, but for that cashier, too :)

pif #1

like her sister before her, Lilly opted to collect donations for the local Humane Society instead of receiving gifts at her recent birthday party...

she had a little bit of cash to spend as well, so while at the store, we bought a few extra things to bulk up our donation, and made our delivery!

paying it forward

so, as usual my blog posting goes in spurts.... and often times, it's when I have very strong motivation to share important things that I start blogging again - if only for a short time...

and it just so happens that now is one of those times...

last week, a local boy, just six weeks younger than Porter, lost his long battle with brain cancer... i have been following his journey, along with that of one of Lilly's classmates, who is also battling leukemia....

i shared this as my facebook status this weekend - "I am a very vivid, active dreamer - I find it safe to say that 90% of my nightmares involve great peril, injury or possible death of my children. it is every parent's worst nightmare."

Jayden's parent are taking that journey right now. i've never met them, or their son. or anyone who has, actually. but my heart aches beyond belief...such is the nature of being a mom, i think. i have relatives and friends who have come out the other side of having lost a child - I don't know how they did it...but they have.

Jayden's parents are sharing their strategy for trying to move forward... and it's by paying it forward... and they have asked others to do the same...

and so, to quote Maya, who was describing the plan to Porter last night (he was gone for the weekend ...) "mom has issued a challenge to us..."

one act of kindness every day til Christmas... it must be something that we do not ordinarily do (safety patrol doesn't count!). some days we can plan ahead...other days, opportunities just might present themselves...

i'll tell you about our experiences here (Jayden's parents asked to hear...) and if you're so motivated, help pay it forward this holiday season, too :)