Two of a Kind: Half way through Project: Give Thanks

This Thanksgiving we are doing a family project. We are doing acts of kindness each day of the month to show people we are thankful for them. Project: Give Thanks 2012 is half way done and so I thought I'd list what we've done so far.

1: We made cards for Children's Cancer Connection. Hopefully the kid's hospital stay was brighten by our cards, pictures, and stickers. We received a very nice card back from CCC thanking us.

2: The crossing guard up the street was our target. This is where the idea for the project was created. Each day we pass the crossing guard at the neighborhood school on our way to Josie's school. We always talk about how she protects the kids and keeps them safe. So we decorated a bag and filled it with cookies, kleenex, and hot cocoa. She was so surprised by our gift. She thanked us over and over. When she said, "but you don't even know me." Josie said, "Yes we do, we see you everyday taking care of the kids." Melted me.

3: Ring Bells for RKR. This was awesome. I've been working on the Red Kettle Run for The Salvation Army since April. It was a fun run to kick off the kettle season and bring awareness to what all The Salvation Army does in our community. The kids rang bells and cheered on the runners. Will was so adorable. Every runner he yelled, "Good Job, keep going, all the way to the clock." He really was getting into it!

4: Sunday School Teachers. We did bags with tiny flower pots in them with decorated cards. Josie walked into her class and said loud and clear, "I'm thankful for you!" to both teachers. One started to cry. This thankful stuff is easy, fun, and rewarding!

5: Doctor Beebe got a bag of fun from the Bemis kids. Homemade yummies, tissues, hand sanitizer, etc... With 3 kids we know the doctor office well... too well. We needed to tell them we appreciate all they do for us. She was thrilled.

6: All of our teachers. I say ALL because Josie has 4 teachers in her class, the boys have two, plus an awesome preschool director to boot. We gave our last bag of treats for the week but in this one we also put Junior League Gift Mart tickets in there too! I am required to buy so many tickets as a member. Last year I brought a bunch of friends with me to the event, but this year my schedule wasn't looking good. So we decided to give them all away. The boys' teachers all were excited to go!

7: Clive Librarians. We go to the library almost every week. Even when we don't have story time we find ourselves there to check out books and play with the toys. The librarians are always so sweet and the free programs they offer are awesome. The boys brought them a big vase of flowers to say thank you. I get such a kick out of them saying, "We're thankful for you!" It NEVER gets old.

8: Over 30 cards in the mail... this took some time. The kids wrote on most cards and the ones they didn't they helped stamp. It felt good to send some love to our friends and family.

9: Food Pantry donation. Will & Ben's gymnastics were doing a can good drive for the food pantry. By participating we got a free open gym pass... Winner winner chicken dinner! I read an article about the need for protein and kid friendly foods. So I let them each pick something out they like at the store then added some tuna for good measure. 10 can goods later we were set!

10: Postal Carrier. This was a shout out to our Grandshe. We gave a small box of chocolates with a card to the carrier. The boys sat by the mailbox for a good 15minutes just to make sure she got it.

11: Hospital visit. We created a very large basket of yummies for the NICU nurses at Blank Hospital. Those nurses will always have a special place in our hearts thanks for the wonderful care they gave the first 12 days of the boys lives. When each kid said why they were thankful I felt tears in my eyes.

12: Make Dad lunch. We've been working so hard to show others we are thankful for them, we didn't recognize what's right in front of us! Our number one supporter in all that each of us does! It was a simple gesture that went a long way... he used that paper bag to carry his lunch in ALL week. Proud daddy.

13: Good Friends! We made brownies for our besties. The kids all had teacher conferences within a week. The conferences never last long and seem silly to have a sitter drive all the way over here (none of our sitters live near us!) for 45minutes of watching the kids. What do you do when you need help?! Ask good friends to come to the rescue :)

14: Baby shower. A neighbor decided to have a baby shower for a girl who is young and pregnant. She doesn't have a support system and needed help with the bare necessities. We purchased an outfit, diapers, and wipes to contribute to the gifts they were putting together for this soon-to-be mom.

15: Kindness goes a long way. The boys brought flowers to the receptionist at the Chiropractor office. This mom of 3 tends to need adjustments and never gives a lot of warning on when I can come in. Amanda always gets me in right away, which is awesome. But her attitude to everyone who comes through the door is kind. It's the little things in life that are easy to take for granted. So today we thanked someone for being kind hearted.