Day 6 - Wow, that's a lot!

My daughter and I decided to go coin hunting today. She was bored and stuck at home with a fever and I was looking for an excuse to get out of cleaning the house. My daughter's class is participating in a Haiti Relief Coin Drive. So we decided to go coin hunting because "earthquakes are bad and one killed lots people in Haiti". We found pennies, nickles, dimes and quarters (we're saving the quarters for Operation Thin Mint) in places where they probably shouldn't have been and some in my purse, the car and jeans that were fresh right out of the dryer. Either way, we were so proud of our coin hunt. We almost filled up an entire gallon Ziploc bag with coins and to that, my daughter said, "wow, that's a lot!"

Day 5 - Even the little things help

The start of a new school year is always fun and exciting. You get to meet your child's new teacher, you reconnect with friends after a long summer vacation and you get to go shopping without having to use the words "stop fighting, cut it out or leave your brother or sister alone". The one thing I get excited about is the volunteer list that comes out during Back to School Night. Call me crazy, but there are a few of us out there that come armed with our planner, pencil and notebook with the hope that we'll be the first ones to sign up for that coveted volunteer position.

This year, I came prepared to be the rotation mom, the Word Club mom or the Math Club mom for my daughter's classroom. I love working with kids! I like being there during that "a-ha" moment...you know the moment that follows that pause before they get it...before they get why the answer is what it is? I love that moment!

Well, sometimes things just don't work out the way we want them to. I ended up as the filing/weekly envelope filler mom. At first, I was a little disappointed but then I realized that my job as the filing/envelope filler mom was just as important as all those coveted volunteer mom positions. So yesterday, I stuffed envelopes and filed lots of kid work knowing that my volunteer job was helping my daughter's teacher and her classmates. Because even the smallest tasks help when it comes to making a difference in this world.

Day 4 - Procrastination is good!

It's kind of funny how things don't work out sometimes. You make all these plans and just expect things to fall in to place. You research, you Google, you share ideas with friends, you write your to-do's on a calendar and expect that when the day comes, you will be doing that one thing that you planned for and tomorrow, something else.

Well, yesterday didn't quite work out the way I had hoped for my 40 day volunteer plan. I ended up with two sick kids home from school and had to cancel my volunteer plans for the day. I said to myself, this is good. It's one of those learning lessons that teaches you how to be flexible. You see, I love to plan. When I'm not busy doing something, I like to add more things to my planner. When things don't work out, I panic, chill out and then get to work...sometimes, I add procrastination in between the chilling out and get to work phase.

Whenever I procrastinate, I web search and respond to e-mails super quick. I can honestly say procrastination is a good thing because when I checked my e-mails, I found one from my friend, Anna. She e-mailed me about Sports Chalet's Help for Haiti program; between now and Jan. 31st, Sports Chalet is accepting gently used shoes to help the earthquake victims in Haiti. I was so excited that I could work on this volunteer opportunity with sick kids in tow. I quickly got the kids involved in a game of Shoe Hunt. Guess who won!

Day 3 - Cooookies

Yesterday, I volunteered as a Girl Scout Leader for my daughter's Girl Scout Troop. We talked about safety and selling Girl Scout cookies. We also talked about the Panda that the girls will earn after selling 200 boxes of cookies, but focused more on the reason for selling cookies. We are trying to earn enough money to pay for next year's Girl Scout Uniform. During the process, we'll learn how to set team and personal goals, build confidence and leadership skills.

We decorated Operation Thin Mint postcards (you can purchase cookies and have them go directly to the U.S. Military Troops serving overseas) and talked about World Thinking Day. On the agenda, India. In the next few weeks, we'll be learning all about their culture; their traditions, their customs, the clothes, the food, the language, the dances and the bindi.

If you have a specific set of skills that builds courage, confidence and character in young women (ages 5-17) contact your local Girl Scout Council (http://girlscouts.org/). Since we started our troop, we have been blessed with many volunteers from fire fighters to crossing guards, a registered nurse and environmentalist. We learned how to cross the street safely, how to eat healthy, keep fit and wash our hands, we learned about the wetlands and our environment as well as how to keep safe from a fire...all skills that build up young girls to become strong members of our community.

Until tomorrow, have a great day!
Christina

Day 2 - freerice.com and the SAT

Well, I haven't quit yet, but I had a slight detour yesterday when the health office called me to tell me that my son was feeling quite ill. My Monday volunteer plans went out the window and one of my kids recommended www.freerice.com. My son had heard about the website from his History teacher when he was one hour short of completing his community service requirement last year.

Freerice.com is a non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Program. It's two goals: to provide free education and help end world hunger by providing free rice to hungry people. The sponsors who advertise on their website makes it possible for kids to learn while giving too. The way it works.... you are asked a multiple choice question. For every answer you get right, they donate 10 grains of rice through the World Food Program.

Off to freerice.com and where do I end up, the English section. I'm only on level 28 and I feel like I'm studying for the SAT again. I'm thinking to myself, I'm going to be on this website forever trying to donate 5,000 grains of rice. Luckily, I have really bright kids who don't play computer, Wii, DSI during school days, who see me "playing" on the computer. (They said I was playing, but I was helping to feed hungry kids.) My son asks me why I'm not on the Math section. I didn't know there was a Math section, how cool is that....I LOVE MATH. He showed me how to get to the Math section, kind of like he showed me how to double space on MS Word, how to program my cell phone and how to connect the Wii (too much information, huh) and I was surprised to find a Grammar section, Art, Geography, Languages and Basic Math...there is even a section for Multiplication (12 x 11 comes up a lot).

30 minutes later, I had earned 5,500 grains of rice for hungry people. I felt good and I even had fun working out the basic Math problems. When this 40 day project is over, I'm going to go back to freerice.com, practice my rusty French and tackle the vocab words on level 30. Meanwhile, I think I'll have my boys start practicing for their SATs on freerice.com. If anything, they'll have fun trying to figure out the words while giving to hungry people.

Make it a great day! Check out freerice.com today.

Christina

Day 1 - B-day Celebration

Yesterday was my b-day and although I had envisioned a big 40th b-day party with friends and family for the last 3 years, it was nice to spend the day with family and volunteering. I taught religious education at my local church and got the kids involved in brainstorming their own volunteer projects to help make the world a better place. It was nice to see children so excited about volunteering that it got me thinking about one thing...maybe my own kids have ideas too, but I never bother to ask them because I'm so busy with everything I have to do. So tonight, we're going to have a sit down dinner and talk about all the things they would like to do to help make the world a better place. Because it only takes a few minutes to hear the one idea that can bring you one step closer to making a difference in someone's life. Was that a run on sentence? Don't tell my H.S. English teacher okay.

Filling The Holes

I finally got the calendar out and started planning my 40 day journey. I have to say, I am a very good procrastinator. I have an excuse for everything, some of which I have used twice, very successfully. Jan. 24th is just around the corner, so I thought I would Facebook chat with friends to get more ideas. My good friend, Nelie, shared some great ideas with me, but I still have a few holes that need to be filled on my 40 day calendar. If you have any ideas, please post them or e-mail them to me.

Until Jan. 24th, have a great day!
Christina Williams

C.A.C.E.

Last night I went to C.A.C.E. and celebrated being 40 before being 40. It was a blast being with my friends and telling them about this project. I've known Cynthia, Anna and Emily for almost 5 years, ever since we started MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) together. In 2008, we started getting together for craft nights where we would sit, talk and craft at someone's home. We talk about family, life, MOPS, where to find the Chai Tea at Costco.....important stuff like that. But last night, we talked about how we could all make a difference by doing little things here and there. Everyone came up with ideas for my 40 days project. Beach clean-up, stamping cards at the Senior Center or local orphanage, helping the troops that are overseas, collecting jackets or blankets for a woman's shelter. There were so many things that took a little bit of effort to make a big impact in the world. I have to be honest, I'm nervous about this 40 day project. I don't want to fail. It's a lot to take on, but I really want to do this. It's kind of like saying world, thanks for putting up with me. I soooo appreciate you. Okay, just kidding about that last part, maybe. So, I guess the next step is to take out my calendar and start planning the 40 days. I think I'll call a few more friends to help out too. I would love to go on this journey with them too.

Christina

Just an idea

My idea is simple. Volunteer every day for the next 40 days to celebrate 40 years of life. I start on my b-day Jan. 24th, but there's lots of planning to do to get ready for those next 40 days. Given my already impacted volunteer schedule, I need the help of my friends to get me through the next 40 days. I know I might not be able to make a worldwide impact, but the goal is to do just a little, enough to be able to make a difference in a life or two. I'm not Oprah, I can't give tons of $ and prizes away, nor Mother Teresa, I can't leave my family for missionary work, but we all have that little thing inside us, the special thing that God gave us, that makes us unique and talented with very special gifts that we can use to make the world a better place. I'm looking forward to the journey and hope that my family and friends will join me along for the ride.

In the beginning

I'm turning 40 in a few days and wanted to do something special. When hubby asked me if I wanted a party to celebrate 40 years of living, I jumped at the chance to let him know just how I would like to celebrate my 40th birthday. I told hubby I had a great idea. I didn't want a party, but wanted to do something a little bit different. My husband jumped for joy...not at my idea, but at the idea of not spending $ on a big party. After he settled down from all that dancing and jumping for joy, he asked me how I wanted to spend my special day. I looked at him, told him my idea and waited for him to tell me I was nuts. I was surprised when he told me it was a great idea. He would help as long as the whole family got involved. I agreed.

I began to share my idea with my friends. A few of them thought I was crazy (they all came around after I talked about it more) and many were supportive and excited to be helping me with my b-day request. I have 14 days to figure it out and looking forward to going through the process. Wish me luck!

Christina