Day 41- All done

I thought I would end my last RAK day by helping the person who inspired this project. I know it's a small task, but I unlocked and opened the classroom door for my daughter's teacher. A small task can be something big for the person receiving the RAK. I hope you'll go out and complete RAKs where ever you go. Whether they're big Random Acts of Kindness or small ones, it doesn't matter. The fact is that you're making someone's life easier and brighter by sharing your kindness. And who knows, they might even pay their RAK forward to someone else to help make the world a brighter place. Until the next project, have a wonderful day!

Christina

Day 40 - RAKS gone bad

I didn't post these for a reason, but since I only have 2 people reading my blog..make that 3, I say why not.

#3 - Bronze medal RAK gone bad:

Buying a BBQ lunch for a woman and her baby asking for money in the Albertson's parking lot. By the time I got there with lunch, she was already gone and we had already eaten. Believe it or not, I couldn't off load the lunch on anyone, not even an Albertson's employee. Verdict: Gained 2 extra pounds from overeating. BBQ gets two thumbs up.

#2 - Silver medal RAK gone bad:

I was having an extremely good day. I was stress free, I had lost half a pound after exercising for a whole week and I was sooo happy. I bought a chocolate chip frappucino at Starbucks only to see a homeless guy standing in the corner asking for money. I had used up my last couple of dollars on the frappucino, so I gave him the chocolate chip frappucino instead. I hadn't taken a sip from it, the top half of the straw was still covered and he gladly took it when I offered it to him. Verdict: I'm not sure he was able to collect any more money after drinking the frappucino. What would you do? Would you give money to a homeless man drinking a Starbucks drink? Hmmmmm.

# 1 - Gold medal RAK gone bad:

Holding the door open at a restaurant for a family and closing the door on their slow walking toddler. Ugh. Verdict: Hall of shame. I don't think that family goes to our school, yet. I may have to encourage my youngest to skip a few grades.

Day 28 - Day 39

I worked on some RAKs during our do-nothing summer. Here is a list of the things we did as a family and some things we did on our own:

Day 28 - Day 30: Made some difficult choices and gave away many unused and loved toys to AMVETS & Salvation Army.
Day 31 - Day 35: Donated $1 to homeless shelters, domestic abuse and other organizations soliciting for $. They work so hard and they're out there for so many hours, so $1 donation always feels good to the heart.
Day 36 - Day 39: I'm counting all of the events our Girl Scout Troop has had during the summer (Scrapbooking Event, visit to the local Animal Shelter to learn about the Spirit Foundation, visit to Build-A-Bear and all the planning for the It's an almost sleep over event this coming Friday). A volunteer heart and servant heart always fills the spirit.

Day 40 & Day 41...here I come.

Until tomorrow, have fun with little raks here and there!
Christina

Day 27 - The Presidential Fitness Award

Has someone ever asked you for help and you just kind of said...okay, in a minute, or next week, or during the winter break or summer? I did that..sort of, to my oldest son. He needed help with the Presidential Fitness Award and after asking him what I need to do..and him not being specific with me..I kind of just blew it off to a we'll look into it next week, next month, next year. I went back to concentrating on all the stuff I had to do..all my volunteer stuff, my friends and my life. Zip forward two years later and my son is getting awards for Perfect Attendance, Straight As during middle school, CJSF and a specialty subject award. An award for everything, except the..you guessed it..The Presidential Fitness Award. It wouldn't be so bad, except I used to teach Fitness to adults and kids.

So, I decided to help my youngest son achieve that goal. I know he wants to get fit, I need to get off the couch so it's kind of like a win-win if you ask me. So...we started by practicing the coffee blender move, then on to the zombie, running man, shuffle, the robot..yes, the robot and then planks followed by some streching. I know the next three years are going to be tough for him, trying to follow his big brother's shadow. But, he's special and God made him unique. He made him smart with a kind heart, empathetic and interested in other people's needs. He may not get straight As like his brother..he's kind of lacking in motivation when it comes to studies..but give him a cell phone and he'll figure it out in 5 minutes or less. Oops..side tracked there..anyway..the best thing I can do as a mother is to be there when he needs me and if that means helping him achieve a goal his brother hasn't..I'm going to help and this time, it won't be next week, next month or next year, it's going to start today. Now, if only I can come up with moves for the icee dance, we'll be all set.

Until tomorrow, don't put your volunteer needs over your children's needs. I've been doing that ever since my son was born and became the President of the Mother's Center. I guess I've had an awakening during this do-nothing summer and that means family comes first, the other stuff can wait.

Christina

Day 26 - The do nothing summer!

Yup...you read that one right! We are celebrating the do-nothing summer. It's the summer where we just (drumroll please)...do nothing. I thought the kids would get bored, but they're having a blast, doing nothing. We play games, I let them play their computer games, XBOX 360, DS, watch T.V., you name it..with one exception, they have to clean and organize their room every 30 min. and go outside for atleast 30 minutes or more of sunshine and fun. Once a week, we have to have a playdate, so they could build their relationship with friends and me..well, especially me. After years of telling everybody we'll get together after this or that..I finally did it. I scheduled some Mom Night Out's and just did it. So..I guess this RAK is for my kids. No workbooks, no soccer camp, no karate lessons, just fun, fun, fun..doing nothing.

Until tomorrow, have a do-nothing day!
Christina

P.S. We'll probably start doing something next week since everybody always ends up writing a what I did last summer essay when they get back to school ;-).

Day 25 - Vacation Bible Camp

Each summer, I look forward to volunteering at our local church Vacation Bible Camp. It's fun to serve and to get together with other volunteers. For some of us, it's like a little reunion, for others, an opportunity to meet new members of the parish. We accept each other for who we are and have one goal in mind, to make this year's Vacation Bible Camp better than the last and to share God's message with all kids. Oops, I guess that's 2 goals, right? This year, I learned a new recipe from the kitchen crew and found more ways to serve to make my volunteer job better. I love watching the kids grow each year and this year, I decided to give away some pencils to remind all students about how much God loves them. Until tomorrow, find small ways to serve for your RAK. You may not be able to volunteer for an entire year, but maybe a week during the summer is good. Have a great day!

Day 24 - The Alphabet Book

My RAKs are out of order, but during the school year, I worked on a mini-alphabet scrapbook for my daughter's room mom. It was a gift from the kids in our classroom, all of them telling me what a wonderful room mom she has been throughout the school year. All of the kids posed for one letter in the alphabet and many of them had a great time coming up with creative ways to pose for their letter. Let me tell you, posing for the letter Q was really challenging. The kids had a blast coming up with words for their letter to describe their room mom too...amazing, kind, beautiful, smile, dynamite and zebra. Well, we had a hard time thinking of something with the letter z, so we settled on zeal. It was a great little project and something I probably wouldn't have made for anyone this year. But it was worth it and the kids had me motivated to take on that one extra project. So, if you can manage it and can give from the heart, do something wonderful for someone today. Just do it...even if it's totally out of your comfort zone..because I would have probably just given our room mom a gift card if I wasn't inspired to give from the heart. Until tomorrow, have a great day!

Day 23 - Bitter or Better

I chose bitter. I tried to choose better, but somehow, each time I tried to be a better, I just ended up becoming even more bitter. I thought bitter would get me through my son's last year of elementary school, but it didn't. It just made me turn into the person I thought I could never be...an unhappy, complaining person, who lost faith in the system and lost herself along the way. My bitterness began when I found out my son was in the same classroom as his bully of 5 years. I could go into all the details of how things were not fair, how I fought for him to be removed from the classroom, how I made myself believe that he was in this classroom for a reason, how his bully ended up making him cry most of the school year (especially that time when he made physical contact with my son and I had to make a scene in order for the principal and teacher to know that I meant business about keeping him safe) or how my sweet son, ended up getting a teacher that was not the right fit for him. But I'm going to spare the details because I want to be better. I took that first step when I read this article from Ken Davis. http://www.kendavis.com/connect/an-everyday-choice-that-leads-toward-life-or-death/
I'm not sure if this counts as a RAK, but if you're ever in the same situation, I hope you'll choose to be better.

Day 22 - Fancy Tech Stuff

A couple of months ago, I was in my daughter's class, waiting for a classroom party to begin. I was seated next to another mom playing SUDOKO on her phone. I waited for her to complete her game so I could introduce myself and get to know her a little bit, but that opportunity never came up. By the time she put her phone away, the kids had already started coming into the classroom. So...I thought about all those other lost opportunities to get to know other parents at my child's school. All those times I brought my netbook to work on Girl Scout stuff or cruising the internet on my phone just because I thought it was so cool that I had figured out how to do that all that fancy tech stuff. And I came to the conclusion that just for one day..or two..or three or maybe more, my RAK would be to put all that fancy tech stuff away and look for opportunities to meet other people on campus. It was kind of weird at first, but once I put away my security blanket, I was amazed at all the conversations I had with people and how many things our children had in common. I double dog dare you to try and put away that security blanket of yours whether it's an ipad, iphone or iamholdingsomethinginmyhandssoIcanlookbusy and just talk to somebody. You can start with a hello or a whatz up and see where the conversation goes next. Now, if you have a bad cold or a flu...I would probably wait until you get better. No need to give your new friends a present they won't like. Until tomorrow, have a great day!

Day 21 - Bad Posture

Hard to believe that bad posture can be a RAK, huh. But I've been thinking about if for days and the fact that everybody always fixes their posture when they're around me..that's gotta be a good thing right, for them? So my RAK for the day...fix everybody's posture.

Day 20 - The Safety Dance

I know I am dating myself here, but does anyone remember The Safety Dance? It was an 80s song that was awesome and had a catchy tune. Check it out on youtube.com. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7movKfyTBII

So, today, we're at Karate. While everybody is working on their karate techniques, my middle son is dancing. He seriously looks like he is doing the Safety Dance or some sort of new robotic move for 2012. He looks pretty good, the only problem is, we're in Karate class and he's not at home, in his room, practicing his dance moves in front of a mirror. Since we are new, the instructor is trying really hard not to laugh. I'm not so lucky. I have to cover my laughter because I haven't been formally trained in the martial arts of seriousness. Throughout the class, he is doing his robot moves and trying his best. He looks like he's having fun and getting a good work out too.

Finally, it's time for class to end. I'm thankful because at this time, my mouth has started twitching because of all the laughing. I'm also thankful that the instructor hasn't kicked me out the dojo yet. Anyway, the instructor asks the class to fold their belts. Everyone begins to fold their belts and my son rolls his. Yeah..he rolls his into a ball. Even though he's got a good view of the instructor..and his glasses work, he rolls the ball and looks at me with a big smile on his face. I start to cry. At this point, I'm laughing so hard that tears are coming out of my eyes. As I'm crying and laughing, I'm proud of my little boy. Not because he wasn't paying attention, but because he had the guts to think differently and roll his belt because it would take less space in his chest of drawers.

My RAK to you...Steven Ellair's Lecture from LA Congress - They don't all learn the same.

Until tomorrow, find joy in the uniqueness of your little one. God made him/her unique and special.

Christina :-)

Session #2 – Steven Ellair – You Mean They Don’t All Learn The Same Way?
Intro: Begins with Song: Deep and Wide – 1. Speed 2. Hand Motions 3. Both 4. Leave Out Key Words.
Learning Styles: Cycles around in Educational World.
Learning styles is essential to creating vibrant lessons. All about understanding the learner.
Exercise: Introduce yourself, to someone you don’t know. Tell them they look fabulous.
Answer the following questions and see if you get any of them right.
Where did they grow up?
In School what was their favorite subject?
What is their favorite kind of music?
Are they a morning or evening person?
Are they introvert or extroverted?
Start with that activity because we do this with the people we are working with. We make assumptions instead of trying to find out who they are. We are dealing with very unique individuals. We make assumptions based on behavior. Can’t do that in the classroom anymore. If we make presumptions about learning, we’re going to battle with what’s going on in the classroom.
So many different theories of how people learn.
Def. of Learning: Learning is three things: acquire knowledge, relate knowledge and choosing to do something with the knowledge. You haven’t really learned if you haven’t yet done.
How do you learn best? Book & Visual. How you learn best is about 95% style of teaching.
Exercise: Learning Styles Assessment:
1. I really like to listen to people talk.
2. I really like to watch TV.
3. I can sit in one place for a long time.
4. I really like people to talk to me.
5. The things I remember the best are those I see.
6. I can’t sit in one place for a long time.
7. I’d rather read than listen to a lecture.
8. I prefer to learn something new by having it told to me.
9. I find it hard to sit in one place a long time.
10. I find it easy to listen to people talk.
11. it’s easy for me to remember what I see.
12. I have to get up and move around when I study.
13. I enjoy learning by listening.
14. I like to learn by reading.
15. it’s easy for me to stay put when I study.
3 Major Learning Styles:
Auditory, Visual or Tactile/Kinesthetic. We have to challenge to other learning styles.
Visual learners:
Do they tell about colors, sizes, appearances?
Do they use their hands to draw pictures in the air as they talk?
Try to give you mental pictures?
Auditory learners:
Love to change their voice.
Do they use noises or voice inflections to help tell the story?
Tactile/Kinesthetic:
Do they relate the action in the story without much visual or auditory detail? Tell about feelings? Move around to act things. It is helping them to gather info.
Put visual learners in the front of the classroom. They need to see you. They watch people’s mouth. If put in back of the room, distracted by others.
Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners should be in the back of the room. Why? Because they are hyper. They need to move. You don’t want them to be distracting to the others in classroom. They don’t need to see or hear that well. They will be processing through movement.
Auditory learners do well in the middle of the classroom. Easier to hear well.
VAT learning styles = Classroom Management Issues go WAY DOWN.
People learn in these different ways.
Auditory learners don’t need to see you. Sometimes it’s distracting to the learner. May think there is a behavioral issue.
You can engage learning my using active learning.
Exercise: On a piece of paper.
Think of someone who means a lot to you:
Hubby.
Think of a special time or activity:
Wedding.
Come up with three words to describe the person:
Kind, Generous, Smart
What that person means to you (1 sentence):
I love my hubby.
If you ever said something that hurt that person, rip paper once.
If that person has ever said something hurtful to you, rip paper again.
If you have ever asked that person for forgiveness, rip paper again.
If that person has asked for forgiveness, rip paper again.
Now, tape pieces together. Lesson on Forgiveness. What do you notice about the ripped paper and where the tape is? (Great lesson about reconciliation.)
Exercise: 6 brave volunteers. Relay Race. Blow up balloon and let balloon go. Wherever it lands, that’s where you go. Pick up and blow it. Blow up balloon again and then let it go. First Balloon that touches screen is the winner.
How would you use that in your classroom. Teach about supporting each other. Cheering on everybody. The Holy Spirit. Can use it to teach the Holy Spirit. How we think there is one straight path. But if we’re open to the Holy Spirit, it may take us in different directions before getting to the destination.
Great exercises for all learning styles. Doesn’t mean that the entire class should be taught by using games. People remember 75% of what they teach other people. 95% of what they do. People remember by doing. Ex. Remember the activity of Holy Spirit when you see balloon. That’s just one example to make lessons come alive.
Be ready to add another dimension. What am I doing that is visual. What am I doing that is auditory and what am I doing that is movement.
Myer-Briggs Type Indicator:
ENERGY - Extrovert- Introvert (Either more introverted or extroverted) – Introverted, will go to their room. Extroverted, would be so excited they would want to go and have fun.
Introverts are great thinkers, but you have to get them involved.
Introverts will never ask to answer a question.
Where do you get your energy? Get energy from people when they are outside of themselves.
Most classrooms are set up for extroverts.
ACQUIRING INFO - Sensing – Intuition (Either Sensing or intuition) Through the 5 senses. It’s scientific. Intuitive people take info in a very different way.
MAKING DECISIONS - Thinking – Feeling
Where do you get your info?
This is an actual chemical reaction.
Impact that learning styles can have on the environment or teaching styles.
Another Theory:
Multiple Intelligence Theory (Gardner)
Linguistic (Language use or likes to use words. Very verbal person, can think on their feet.) English Teacher?
Logical-Mathematical (Acct.)
Musical (People are gifted in this way.)
Spatial
Bodily – Kinesthetic (Athletes)
Interpersonal (Psychology. People who relate to other people. People who like being with other people.)
Intrapersonal – Writers. Relate to Self. Love to Journal.
Naturalist – Someone who relates really well to nature.
We have to stay on top of these skills.
The #1 trait we value is the Logical-Mathematical.
Right Brain/Left Brian Theory
Random
Intuitive
Holistic
Synthesizing
Subjective
Look at wholes
--------------------------
Logical
Sequential
Rational
Analytical
Objective
Look at parts.

A lot of science is showing chemistry affects learning.
Learning Environment:
Need to be attentive.
Affect (Feeling..learners, learn when it’s positive. If Negative learning. No.
Acceptance & Affirmation – Celebrate Uniqueness.
Appropriate Boundaries (Sometimes you’re going to ask visual to be more auditory.
Attention to Learners – Teen attention span is 20 minutes.
Atmosphere
Attention Span
Active Learning.
We need to understand that we teach the way we want to learn. The ideal learning environment for students helps our own student understand, build and apply lesson. Engage in active learning

Day 19 - Just Shut up and Listen

I can't tell you how many times I've been in a position where I have doubted my mothering skills, my ability to lead or my ability to teach. I was scared when I became a first time mom and petrified when I started the MOPS group at my local church. It was one thing to be a mom, but another to start a group and lead by faith. God had called me to be a leader of a mom's group, but how was I going to convince other busy moms of preschoolers to help build a program for other mothers of preschoolers at our local church? How was I going to find volunteers to help watch our kids and how was I going to organize a group that would support other moms during these difficult times of mothering?

There's a saying that Christians tell other Christians who doubt their calling...God wouldn't have called you to this ministry/task/roll/leadership responsibility, if he didn't think you could handle the task. I would say it to myself over and over again the next few years and a beautiful group was created at our church: MOPS (www.mops.org for more info on MOPS). As a result of God's plan, new leaders were created, moms came to MOPS for friendship and support, and volunteers came to watch our children so they could provide for this important ministry.

All of this happened because it was God's plan and because I was willing to be quiet and just listen to God.

My RAK to anyone who has ever doubted or been afraid to do what God has called them to do.

Father Tony's message at LA Congress, Just Shut-Up and Listen.

Enjoy!
Christina :-)

P.S. You gotta get through the first part of the lecture to get to the meat of the message :-). Sorry vegetarians...couldn't think of a better way to rephrase that considering my mind is on Spring Break too.

Session #7 - Just Shut Up and Listen – Father Tony
Day 27, 1995 – Enter Church and knelt down in altar as priest. 2000 – First LA Congress Opportunities happened to Tony, just because he’s willing to say YES to God.
God’s plans were different. God showed him a new world, where you can stand in an Arena, ready to celebrate God’s love. Tony is thankful for the opportunity to bring God’s word to everyone.
In June 19, 1954 – God blessed this world with ME. Some priests enjoy doing this so much, that every morning they get up and enjoy what they’re doing every morning. It’s the greatest gift that God has given him. Thankful for all the prayer and support from everyone.
Comedy: If you want collection to go up, preach about sin and turn off air conditioner. Babies need to bring the message of hope to people ;-).
Comedy: If we want the Church to grow, have to let it crawl…let it walk…let it run. If you want Church to grow, have to give more $. People say, let it crawl.
In the Beginning, God was feeling kind of lonely. Day 1 – Let there be light. The light was everywhere. God said, this sure is good. “BOOM”. Day 2 – God created the Sky and Vermement (that which is ???). God said, this sure is good. Sky doesn’t do anything. Etc. (Story of Creation – on youtube.com)
After a while it’s going to get boring for most of us – Similar to playing basketball with tree.
As much as he loved the things he created, he didn’t create anything that would love him back. Lord stepped down from space. Grabbed clay and breathed breath of life. Adam. Adam got tired ask God for someone. God grabbed rib, Eve created. Wo, Man. At end of 6th day, God declared that we were very good. Day 7 – God took the day off. (He knew he wasn’t going to rest again). You had dominion over the entire Earth. Only had 1 rule to live by. Decided not to abide by law. Kicked out of Garden.
Why did God made you?
God made me to know him, to love him and to serve him in this world and to be happy with him in the next.
Problem w/child: Just give one sermon w/your children and let it go. Don’t keep going on and on with the sermon, just one time and then let it go.
Sometimes in your life, God has said, just shut up and listen to what Jesus has to say. Christ message is powerful..don’t need to improve it, just have to use it.
Scripture: Abraham (ex. of being quiet and listening to God). Prophet Jermiah..God places his word on his lips. Jeremiah tries to find an excuse about why he should not be the leader. Say not, that you are too young. (Say not = Shut up) Because I’m going to tell you what to do. Lord infuses him with the Holy Spirit. Before this happened Jeremiah just needed to be quiet so he could listen to the Lord.
Blessed Mary. When Mary was visited by Gabriel. Mary – Huh. Gabriel – tells her what’s going to happen. Mary –how can that be, I do not know man? Holy Spirit will come upon you. Emanuel will save the world. Then let it be done to me according to your word.
With God all things are possible. If you shut your mouth than God will make it possible. Mary was willing to just be quite, the power was there.
God: This is my beloved son, with him, I am pleased.
God’s plan – Jesus’ crucifixion. Satan you got to go. The closer you get to God the greater prize he sees you. Once he gets you, he puts you aside and moves on to the next. You have to say, Satan Shut Up and listen to Jesus, He has something to say.
This is my beloved son, just listen to him. Jesus has something to say. How many times in our live has Christ tried to bring a message to us. We’re so busy w/our work that we don’t listen. You can get bogged down w/doing church work (worried about all the little details) that we miss the opportunity to listen.
“There’s nothing greater that God can do, but to put me on that altar. “
Challenge yourself not to get caught up with doing church that we miss the transfiguring moments. Sometimes, you just have to be still and let God nurture you. This is different from doing nothing. Wonderful to celebrate, but don’t get caught up in the moment when Jesus is nourishing us w/his body and blood.
Sometimes you miss what God is trying to say, that you just have to leave it alone.
When the weight on the world was on his shoulders, Jesus said, “My God, why have you forsaken me.” (Jesus was saying it for himself and human kind.) But your will, be done. At that moment, the world was saved.
How many times in our lives have we been spiritually dead. We’ve been alone in our room. Just need that moment when Christ says, I’m with you, no matter what. Don’t forsake me. I love you so much, I’m willing to die for you. Just want you to believe. The day is coming when I’m going to take care of you, all you have to do is listen. Hanging on this cross because all I have to say is I love you. I love you for who you are. No matter what the world says, I love you, just because you’re you. Just listen to me. Sit down and just listen to God. He is giving up a message of power and faith. If the wind and waves are listening to God, why aren’t we being quiet and listening? Imagine all the miracles that would happen in the world, if we would only stop and listen to God’s message.
Open your minds and hearts to what God is trying to say to you. Don’t allow world to sit still.
Pay attention to what Christ is trying to tell you.. just close your mouth and open your ears.
May you stand firm in faith, no matter what he has called you to do.

Day 18 - The Teddy Bear Tea (STOP, LOOK & LISTEN)

Last week, our school had their first annual Teddy Bear Tea. My daughter was looking forward to attending her first Teddy Bear Tea and I was looking for a miracle. My daughter had been sick a few days just before the Tea and I was starting to get sick with a pretty nasty cough. I got up on the morning of the Tea and taught Religious Education class. It was during the class that I first began coughing. The day before, I had spent most of my time getting ready for the Tea. Getting my hair done, buying a dress, getting nails done..all that "important stuff". Instead of resting up, I ran myself ragged looking for everything I needed to attend the Teddy Bear Tea. I was go, go, go, instead of STOP and REST mode.

On the day of the Tea, I was tired and didn't feel so good. My daughter was starting to get better, but still kept coughing. I felt miserable and had secretly hoped for an unexpected snow storm in Southern California, so that the event would be cancelled and rescheduled for another day (yes, it is possible for us to get snow in Southern California. I think it happened before..in the early 1900s?). Anyway, we were getting down to the wire. I showered, I even blew dry my hair for the special occassion and had taken a delicious dose of cough medicine...after all, one of the mom's at our school had shared her special secret with me..if you want your kids in school, just give them medicine to mask the symptoms. So,take some cough medicine and just go to the Tea!

In 30 minutes, we had to leave for the Tea. I asked my daughter how badly she wanted to go the Teddy Bear Tea. She looked at me and then she looked at her dad and asked if we could have the Teddy Bear Tea at our house. My husband went to the store and bought all sorts of cheeses, crackers and deserts. He washed my daughter's Barbie tea set and set the table with our fancy napkins, glassware and cutlery.

A few minutes later, we sat down to a nice Tea...all five of us, wait, 9, if you count everybody's teddy. We ate, we talked about school, we played a dancing game on the wii, we played board games and foosball too. At the end of the day, the kids went to bed and hubby and I spent some time talking about the events of the day. We realized that all our daughter had wanted out of this day was to spend time with the family. She wanted us to play with her..and this was worth more than going to a Teddy Bear tea party with her friends.

We had been so busy running on empty and always on the GO as a family, that we didn't STOP, LOOK and LISTEN so that we could live life in the present.

My RAK to you.

Notes from the LA Congress that I attended a couple of weeks ago. Terry Hershey's: STOP, LOOK and LISTEN.

May you live your day always mindful and joyful of living it in the present.
Christina :-)

Session #4 – Terry Hershey – Stop, Look and Listen
Comedy introduction.
We take ourselves too seriously.
Life tells us to be faster, newer… yet we’re exhausted, tuckered, out of gas, drained, and running on empty. Life is difficult and we’re buying into it.
Ex. Dad how much $ to you make. Dad tells child, there are certain things you don’t talk about. And one of them is $. Dad apologizes to child. Daddy makes $50 hr. at work. Child..can I borrow $10. Dad says child is being rude again. Tell me why you need $10. Child gives $40 from piggy bank and w/borrowed $10, child wants to buy and hour of his time.
Life is predicated with us being important, busy or hurried.
Story: Westerners being kicked out of Republic of China. They can only take 200 pounds. What should we take. Books, equipment, pics, mementos, etc. Get to check out border where they are supposed to be deported. Guard asks, Did you weigh the children?
We lost sight of what was human, real and our heart. We get weighed down with stuff.
Wisdom from Elementary Crossing Guard: Stop, Look & Listen.
People Ask: What do you do? How much do you make?
Not what is your passion, what’s in your heart.
My life is all about where I need to be bigger, or what do I need to do to plump up my resume. All the stuff I need.
Not gossip. It’s called prayer concern.
Why are people addicted to those messages? Addicted to Gossip.
We see symptoms, but use Western technology to solve problems. We are stressed and frazzled, so we’ll go to a seminar on distressing. Or we’ll buy a book on living a balanced life. Or get an app on our iPhone. Balance is highly overrated. They are anal-retentive people.
Stop…Look…Listen.
Why Stop?
When God said to Moses. Take off your shoes. God said it because he wanted Moses to touch his feet on the dirt. We have a phrase. It’s called being grounded. Want to STOP.
Story: Japanese person pouring tea. American said, “ I could have texted you, this is a waste of time.” Japanese Zen master keeps pouring tea. It over flows. American says the cup is full. You can stop pouring now. Zen master says, “that cup is just like your life. You came to me for wisdom, but your cup is already full. So there is no space for wisdom.”
Spirituality is about subtracting, not addition.
Story: Location: A College. Subject: Someone needs directions. Everyone was helpful to tell where the building is located. 2 construction workers pass. And walk between 2 people (asking for help). For 2-3 sec., they replaced person who was lost with another person…or a different gender. Different clothes. Only 50% realized that it was a different person.
If life is about productivity..newer..better..than LIFE IS NEVER WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
STOP
Watch with no hands, just the word, NOW.
To do lists. Some people write things down, even if they already did it. Just to cross it off.
Deadline means time to get started.  for some people
Js vs Ps. J= Just do it! P= Procrastinators
If God was a P, God played Day 1-6 and on Day 7, God pulled an all-nighter.
If God was a J, God would have a to-do list and check things off as he finished doing it.
Performing tests on people. Do some have compassion and others don’t?
Group Study:
People were asked to go to a presentation:
Group A: Were told it started 30 min. ago.
Group B: Were told it starts in 5 min.
Group C: Were told it’s going to start in 1 hr.
Group of people had to be at the presentation at a certain place and a certain time. On the way to the presentation, there was a guy who needed medical care.
Which Personality type is going to be compassionate b/c if they know, they can train it.
Compassion had nothing to do with personality.
The ones who stopped to give medical care to the guy were the ones who had an 1 hr. before presentation.
As long as we’re in a hurry, Ethics becomes a luxury.
Stopping gives us the permission to create space for _______________________________.
We want to STOP, but we want to be productive while we’re stopping. Productive stopping.
STOP. The culture says otherwise.
Talk fast b/c we’re in a hurry.
Hurry is linked to public opinion. No wonder we can’t stop. A lot of things make us angrier than we used to be. Then we end up getting angry at the person that we’re not even mad at.
Story: UPS. I don’t want to be Christian for the next 15 min. Went to front desk and gave them piece of my mind. (Delivered boxes to car, charged $300.) Wristband – Keep Jesus in your heart. Cussing UPS guy out until I realized what was on my wrist and I covered it up.
When we are in a hurry, we forget who we are. We are not in our own skin.
Story: Jesus said no one can serve 2 masters. No one can serve God and Man ($,things, etc.) Next verse, therefore, (what is it there for?) do not worry. When we worry, mind is somewhere else. As long as I worry, I am in the past or future. Not the present. You need to STOP.
If people were exposed to beauty, would they stop and celebrate it? Kid opens violin case (3 million dollar violin – plays Mozart, Joshua Belle (most known violinist), he is playing in high traffic area.
2,000 people pass, only 6 stop (4 were children) to watch him play. The night before, he was playing at a sold out concert.
When I stop and make space, I see.
Story: Bumper to Bumper traffic. Know you’re going to spend time stuck in traffic. If you let someone in, is it really going to change the amount of time you’re in traffic. By how long?
The Sacrament of the present moment.
STOP and LOOK.
List makers:
When you’re walking out there. Stop in the crowd and just say LOOK. Everybody LOOK.
When the host is elevated. Maybe that’s what we should all be saying. LOOK. Make that a part of our liturgy. Not only here for mass, but practicing the sacrament of the present moment.
If we keep saying LOOK. They may even clear the way for us in the future ;-).
Story: Born in Colon. Little self-esteem in a town called Colon. The assoc. of regular Baptist in colon. 4 H club – colon ever ready.
I don’t know what I am, except a CHILD of GOD!
As long as I’m in a hurry and I don’t stop. If I don’t stop, I can’t look. The I see only what I want to see.
Story: A difficult kid in school (1930s). There were no labels. Like ADHD, etc. Jillian is a difficult child. Calls parents to meeting. You think you’ve done something wrong. Feeling like you’re being measured (?). School counselor talks to parents. Jillian left alone. Play classical music. Jillian is dancing around the room, no longer sitting in her hands. Said to parents. Your daughter is not troubled, your daughter is a dancer. As long as I assume that my identity is on how much faster, what I need to do, etc. my life will be predicated on those labels.
You are the light of the world. God didn’t say you have to make the light. The light is already here. Let your light shine. (Doesn’t say. Let your light shine after therapy, or after light shining classes. In order to be a certified light shiner.)
Could have labeled Jillian.
Invited parents to STOP and LOOK. When that happens, you see someone bigger than the label that they’re given. You see someone better.
Jillian hated school. They are wired that way. After done with school, went to dance school, went to ballet school and then went to work for a dance company. Then hooked up with Andrew Lloyd Weber. Jillian L. choreographed Phantom of the Opera. At one time in her life, someone Stopped and Looked. They didn’t label her. Her life could have gone differently.
Anytime you label someone else, you dismiss them.
We see what we want to see.
STOP and LOOK.
God says. Inside of you is a dancer, inside of you is a light.
What are some of our favorite labels:
How many teachers give kids a chance when they put a label.
STOP. LOOK and LISTEN.
Drink it in and savor it.
Wallow in Grace.
Listen not only with your ear, but with your heart.
Story: Sister asks parents if she can speak alone with her baby brother.
I’m glad you’re here and I need your help. I know you just came from GOD and I was starting to forget what he looked like. Can you remind me?
God gives that child their own unique song. Mom given that task to learn that unique song of the baby in their belly. Mom’s supposed to teach the tribe and everyone sings the child’s song when he/she is born. When baby is teen, adult of done something wrong, they sing the child’s song.
The planet does not need more successful people, needs more story tellers, peace makers, healers, people who have moral courage to make planet more humane and just.
Do Less. Live More.
I’m pausing.
When you have one of those days. Just breathe and remember the wisdom of the school crossing guard. STOP LOOK AND LISTEN.
In the middle of the crazy. STOP. LOOK AND LISTEN. Jesus Is there.
Life is not about being tidy, but about being in the present.
Story: Friend is Pastor. Special needs home. Doesn’t know how long will have kids or what special needs are. Near Christmas, they did not have enough $ for food or presents for special need kids. At door, 3 men w/bandanas. They had groceries. 13 sacks of grocery. Out in curb, 1959 Cadillac. Wearing masks…getting away.
They wrote on the grocery bags: God’s desperados have been here. Some kids wanted to sleep with food. Don’t know who the 3 men where. I am one of those desperados. Because inside of you is a dancer and the light..when you STOP, LOOK and LISTEN, the light of Christ spills to everyone around you.
Do something for someone and don’t tell anyone about it. Because you know that labels don’t tell you who you are.
You can kill the desperado program by bringing a sign-up sheet.
Story: Frog and Toad – Toad looks sad..because he doesn’t get any mail. Frog decides to cheer Toad up by writing him a letter. Frog tells Snail to deliver the letter to Toad’s house. Frog keeps looking out of the window, each time he looks out, he notices that the snail was not there yet. Frog asks why do you keep looking out the window.
Frog tells Toad that he wrote him a letter. The contents of the letter: you are my friend. They were happy. 4 days later, the letter arrived.
Be a Frog and Toad to someone in my community..spill that light to a friend..see a dancer in them.

Day 17 - Just for Teachers

This RAK is just for teachers, especially Catechists. If you want to know how to reach your students with games, read my Session 3 notes from the LA Congress.

Enjoy,
Christina

P.S. Know a teacher, pass on this RAK! If you have any great games to share, just post them on this blog.

Session #3 – Game On! Creative Catechesis with Young People – Michael Theisen
What’s your motivation and why are you here today?
What are the most frequent complaints you hear from young people regarding faith formation?
It’s boring. Why do I have to go, if mom and dad don’t go to church. My sports team needs me. I don’t get it. It doesn’t relate to me. My parents make me come. Not just boring, but you are boring.
It’s never too late to learn something new.
Game: Faithful Feud (Similar to Family Feud)
Volunteers: 10 people on stage to be sign holders. 5 for 1 family, another 5 for 2nd family.
Family chooses 1 spoke person. (Who looks the smartest:-)
When you think you know the answer, have to make the sound and motion of a buzzer. It’s important to practice.
Question 1: What’s your favorite book of the Bible? (Most families answered _____________).
If John is the #1 answer, it would be up there. Whoever gets closest to the #1 answer, they get to play.
Question 2: What’s your favorite Feast or Holy Day.
(Ash Wednesday was #7) (Pentecost was #5) 1 family, plays.
Make this a learning opportunity: Ash Wednesday, what do we know about it…beginning of Lent, where do ashes come from..etc. What do we know of the Pentecost? 50 days after Easter. Why do we call it the b-day of the Church. Holy Spirit came down on the disciples. Disciples were liberated to share the good news. What feast where they gathered for? Easter, #1 answer. Christmas, #2 answer..celebrates the birth of Christ. Good Friday. The day Jesus died. He died for our sins. Die to be resurrected. Celebrate by Stations of the Cross. Palm Sunday… Assumption of the Lord (March 25th) …Holy Thursday (Tridiuum).
These are just ideas of how you can incorporate lesson plan w/games.
Next Game: Win it in a minute. Sign Holders must get in liturgical year order.
Use game shows to review lesson plans:
Faithful Feud
Graceball (Similar to Baseball)
Holy Word Squares
Jeopardy
Catholic Millionaire
The Wheel of Fortune – Depends on a Theme…(~ to hangman). Guess a letter. First person comes in and guesses. Then 2nd person coming in guesses 2nd word.
Are you Smarter than a _______ Grader?
Win It in a Minute! (Ideas: DO exactly what’s on the show for your religious education class. Get creative to cover the topic you’re covering in class.
DVD or Online games
(CatholicQuiz.com, CataQuizem?)
Want to engage people – it’s the reason why we have games. We want to make sure we go beyond the games. Where is game going to leave them? Understanding the topic/lesson plan.
Some Truth or Consequences of Playing Games:
Engagement is the Goal.
Go Beyond the Game.
Games are End to Means.
Empower Youth to Lead the way. Games are a means to an end. If parents play, it puts parents on the same level. They are working together not at odds with each other.
Why should we be playing games?
Catholic teenagers tended to be particularly inarticulate about their faith, their religious beliefs and practices, and is meaningful in their lives.
What’s My Core Mission?
Ex. Southwest. They are the low fare airline.
What is our End Game? What is our core? Discipleship.
All ministry w/adolescents must be directed toward presenting young people w/the Good News of Jesus Christ and inviting and challenging them to become his disciples.
As Catechist, we are called to build a kingdom w/god.
Disciple Builders Ask:
1. How will this lead youth to actively participate in their faith.
2. How can this empower our youth to be disciples? Empowerment
3. How is this leading youth to grow as disciples in the world today? Growth.
The Power of a Core Message:
How do we engage people with a message. How do we get them to remember the message. Remember the campaign about smoking, the images of those who were exposed.
How likely were people to smoke a cigarette during the year. It depends on the commercial. That’s why smoking campaign was so successful. Young kids, snowboarding, etc.
Make sure it gets to the heart.
Sour Grapes. Story: The fox wants to eat juicy grapes on the vine. The Fox jumps several times to try and eat the grapes. The fox finally gives us. Fox says, I’m sure it’s sour. Easy to despise the sour grapes rather than to admit the fox couldn’t reach the grapes. Easy to assume people already know the story.
Name that Tune - Don’t move lips or hum tune. We go into lesson knowing this is so simple because we have been there. Our assumptions set us on the wrong course. We’ve already studied it..they haven’t. When you teach each lesson, go in with the idea that no one has studied it yet.
How to sing your Catechetical ABCs.
A – Affective Knowledge = Heart
B – Behavioral Knowledge = Hands
C – Cognitive Knowledge = Head
Comprehensive Catechesis brings all three elements together: to know, love and serve Jesus.
Love others as yourself and create ownership.
Top Five effective approaches –
Ideas: Role Playing, Story Telling, Music, Strategies, Skits.
5. Service Learning – Going out and doing service and talking about it.
4. Drama/Acting
3. Extended Trips/Conferences
2. Retreats (Can be day retreat – field trip)
1. Summer Intensive (vacation bible school) – usually for kids, teens teach it and they are involved. You learn because you have to teach it to somebody. How do we get our kids to teach to others. This is what disciples do to others.
Teaching to the Core: - Handout
What is the Core message?
Keep asking yourself why? Why is this topic important for teens? Then come up with an answer. Why is it important to teenagers to know why Jesus instituted Sacraments. Not trying to create disciple in 60 seconds..but a journey on the way there.
Getting to the Core in Three Acts
Core Idea
Act One: Engage
Act Two: Examine
Act Three: Explore
Core Idea
Example: Getting to the Core in Three Acts
Zacchaeus, The Tax Collector. Luke 19:1-10 (Actors from the audience for parts, including a tree.) Play to the Audience. Zach was the shortest person in..(person acts it out).
Core Idea (Conversion)
Act One: Engage
Act Two: Examine
Take the story….Make sure it is proclaimed. The Town of Jericho, Taxes, Taxes, Taxes, Zacchaeus the Chief Outcast, Climbing over Dignity, A Dinner Conversion, Payback Time, Following Jesus. Ex. Zaccheus was rich, but was an outcast. Out of all the people, Jesus speaks to one..Zaccheus, can you imagine what was said or recorded to the story. Jesus says, I want to have dinner in your house. What go to the house and eat with the sinner? What happened as a result. During dinner, conversion occurred. Transformation occurred. He paid back over and above what he needed too. Sign of a converted heart and followed Jesus down road to Jerusalem.
Act Three: Explore
Want kids to apply the story to their life. Look at different level of status in their school. Ex. Geeks, Jocks, etc., they create the label. Who has the most and least power. Where are they in the social letter.
Creating your school’s Ladder of Status…..
..and Jesus turning it upside down.
Outcasts were the first one to hear the news.
Imagine Jesus came to your school and sought you out?
What would other students be whispering?
What would Jesus need to say to you to change your life? To have you follow him down the road? To have heart turned in such a way, that you would be willing to risk following him as his disciple.
Must apply it to their lives. We’ve been called to engage people for the sole purpose of disciples.
Core Idea
Warning: The risks facing contemporary teens bear solemn testimony to the church’s ineffectiveness at addressing adolescence. Youth look to church to show them something. Someone, capable of turning their lives inside out and their world upside down. Most of the teacher’s just order pizza and have our teen socialize.
Our job is to educate kids and to form disciples. We have to take them deeper.
Ice Breakers build community.
Each Classroom has questions that each child is struggling w/. Go to different classrooms and see what other children are struggling w/. What did you learn?
Many started changing the way they deal w/other students as far as space. (They had moved around desks.)
We have to be very careful not to explain everything.
Better to create more questions. Create a hunger in young people.
Prayer and Faith sharing is critical.
Bottom line..all of it (see handout) has to lead everyone to core message.
Which signs reflects your life right now. Build boards…etc. Praying Scripture.
Word (1)
Word (reflect on 1 phrase)
Prayer
What is God telling you to teach?
If a student can visualize it, they will learn the lesson.

Day 16 - What do you mean the Easter Bunny is not real?

Last week, I was feeling a bit depressed. I had overheard some news that made me downright sad about things that I couldn't change and because of certain circumstances, just had to live with it for the next few years. It reminded me of the time that my cousin told me the Easter bunny wasn't real. We were in the back of my parent's mini-van, heading to the park, when she told me. I was devastated..sure I suspected it was kind of weird how the Easter bunny just lays these eggs with candy and stickers inside..but somewhere deep and I mean really, really, deep, I just wanted to believe the Easter bunny existed and he came to visit my house and others too, on Easter Day. Anyway..the news wasn't something detrimental to my health or the health of my family, but it was sad news to process, especially when it was about people I trusted to do the right thing.

Luckily, I was charged up for a weekend get away at a religious education conference with my friend, Tiffany. I was thrilled after taking a class on five essential strategies to a joyful life by Father Joe Kempf. It was a great lecture that changed my outlook on life and the little problem I was having handling some negative news.

For today's RAK, I would like to share the notes I took on his lecture. Hope the lecture helps with any part of life that is getting you down.

Until tomorrow, share a little RAK wherever you go.

Christina

Session #1: You want me to be good all day? - Father Joe Kempf

Five Essential Strategies for a Truly Joyful Life:

1.) What % of your happiness depends on your circumstances?
Some people are more grateful than others. Is it because they are more blessed? Of course not.

10 Lepers parable: All were equally healed, but only one came back to say thank you. Where do we put our focus? Grateful people are those that have focused on their blessings. The more we look for stuff to complain about, the more we’ll find. The more we look for stuff to be grateful for, the more we’ll find.

Scientists suggest that 10% of our happiness depends on circumstances. Most of it has to do with our ATTITUDE. The good and the bad in life don’t cancel each other out. Our life is imperfect, we suffer great pain. What being grateful does: We do not deny those things, but we see the blessings that are right there.

The first way to nurture ourselves and our children is by practicing the art of gratitude thinking. It will make our life more meaningful. Practice it! Intentional about being a grateful person. Ex. Spend the first 15 minutes being grateful for what you have…during the summer. At first, you’re thinking when are the 15 min. going to be up..after only 6 min., but by end of summer, 15 min. will fly by because you learned how to be grateful.

Ex. about a sister with a learning disability. They tried an activity. Everytime the sisters talked, the sister without the disability would ask what is one good thing that happened today. Sister could sense something shifting inside of her disabled sister..because her sister could always find at least 1 good thing inside of her. Anyone who struggles w/depression..ask them to find just one good thing. Have them write their blessing in a gratitude journal. Each day, write down 3 things that you’re grateful. Following day, 3 different things you are grateful for. We forget how blessed we are.

Okay to grieve losses, don’t want to deny them. Just try to be aware of being aware of the blessings of what this moment hold.

The key to happiness is the practice of gratitude, being grateful.

2. Why do you exist?

The first sign of civilization was compassion.
Remember that our lives are not all about us. Don’t stop taking care of yourself or enjoy your blessings.

The secret to a miserable life is trying to find what will make us happy.
Favorite definition of motherhood: the incredible risk of having ½ your heart walk outside your body for the rest of your life. We all have a piece of a mother’s heart. Our lives are not all about us. Ex: your life is all about you – bombarded with advertisements. Must have special place for vulnerable, broken and poor. How you treat the poor?

You need to have a place in your heart for others.
We can’t get to heaven without a letter of recommendation from the poor.

The second way to a joyful life is to know that life is not all about us.
What’s the most important word of all: You.
Most important phrase: All of Us!
The way to make yourself miserable is to think that your life is all about you.
Essential discipline to a more joyful life – life is not about us.

3.) Who has hurt you?
Help me to forgive.
Ex. Drunk Driving accident that took life of daughter. I will have anger, but I will not have hatred. If I have hatred in my heart, the senseless act of violence has another victim. Determines the kind of person we are. With God’s help, we forgive.

To forgive does not mean to act as if no wrong has been done, or continue to stay in an abusive situation,. It is w/grace of God to pray for healing and peace, free from bitterness and hatred and not seek revenge.

To not forgive, causes untold damage. Why should one person’s senseless act claim another victim.

Although father misses his son terribly. Father knew what he had to do, to help set himself and the (drunk driver) person free. Father forgave the drunk driver.

The third habit that leads to meaningful and joyful life is to forgive.
Ex. Big Al (character in Father Kempf’s book) wants to clobber mean person, but Jesus wants you to forgive. Big Al idea, first clobber then forgive. Ask God to help you forgive.

4.) What do you worry about these days?

I know that you are with me, you will never go away. From morning to night, people are troubled. We worry. Ex. Pay mortgage, sound of a car that is different, conversation doesn’t go well.

Jesus says..do not worry. Do not worry about your life, what you will eat, what you will wear. Do not worry about it, yourself. Trust that God would be there for him, no matter how hard the time. To worry, robs us of life. Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its trials, it simply empties the day of its job. Worry has this corrosive power that eats at our relationships. Just love right now, it’s all we have to do. We trust. It doesn’t mean that everything will be okay. No matter what life holds, we can be okay. Because love can be with each of us every step of the way. Jesus is not saying don’t plan for the future. He is saying live now, love now! Don’t live in the past..just live in the now. When anxiety comes, we don’t stay there..all we have to do is to love God. It’s all we can do.

Ex. Emily went back to Earth for one day. Sees a lot of worry in people’s faces. She wants to tell her dad that she has only one day to stay, but she can’t. She has to live life, liked she lived it. She just wants to hold her mom’s face and love her. Before she leaves, she wants to have just one more look. Goodbye world..mom, dad, clocks, mamas sunflowers, sleeping and waking up. Poor Earth, you are too wonderful for anyone to realized you.

Jesus says don’t worry, just love now.
Big Al is worried, that Fr. Kempf worries too much. Jesus says whenever you start to worry, just love more. Don’t worry, love now.

The prayers are from 2 different books of prayers: my sister is annoying and you want me to be good all day. Ligouri.org. WeloveBig Al.com.

5.) On what does your happiness depend?

It depends on things such as health, getting my way political or economically, do I have a job, am I succeeding, if my life turning out as I planned. Does happiness depend on external circumstances, does it depend on what others do to you.
Going through life..almost don’t want to be too happy. Because we got used to complaining and being the victim. We are each responsible for our own joy. No one can take it from us, no matter what anyone chooses around us. We can be happy. We can choose joy. Pain..until confronted from a different perspective.

You tube video: sometimes world will knock you down hard. You get back up. Don’t give up when you fall..even if it takes 102 tries. If you give up, you’re not going to get up. We all face limits. You will get up and you will be strong.

The truth is that we are responsible for our own joy. Doesn’t have to depend on anyone around us. Happiness is ultimately a decision. Give free reign to unhappiness..that we can be happy no matter what, we can choose joy.
People die, faith tells us that God is forever. We all face discouragements (ravages of time with our bodies, can’t find a job, etc.)..nothing can take away dignity and joy. We can choose to give them away, but no one can take those away from us. Faith tells us that we can be happy.

Choose Joy for a meaningful life.

The power of Christ is within all of us. We can choose joy. God comes disguised in our lives. Faith asks us a simple question. Do you choose to be happy?

Practice Gratitude

Life not all about us.

Forgive.

Don’t worry, love now.

Choose Joy.

Day 15 - A RAK for me

Today was a good day! I felt like everywhere I went, there was a RAK for me. I saw my son perform with his singing group and it was great! The Directors were kind enough to give me credit for writing the script. All I did was share an idea and wrote down a script..but they expanded on it and the idea grew into this wonderful show that I was so blessed to be a part of. My son got over his stage fright and performed Why Can't We Be Friends and it was good. The whole audience got involved and it was one of those moments that you catch yourself and thank God for the wonderful experience your child will never forget...that really good moment when you're flying so high on happiness that nothing else matters.

Today was a good day because I was the guest speaker at a MOPS meeting and I received several compliments on my talk...moms were laughing, no babies were crying (just spitting up..but I don't believe that's a bad thing if you have a burp cloth under you :-) and it was good..really good. It was a good day and although I gave $ to the Japan Relief Efforts and Operation Rice bowl as my RAK..it really felt like today..that RAK was for me.

Until tomorrow, live out your day, being mindful of all the RAK that's all around you!

Day 14 - Psycho Driver....Tartar Sauce...Ah Fushigi and other fine respectable phrases and words.

Last week, I was driving my son to middle school, when out of the blue my daughter said, "mom, hey look, it's Psycho Driver." I looked over to my right and she was right...it was Psycho Driver. It was the same guy that was weaving in and out of traffic, driving on both lanes..mind you, there is a reason why there are big bold white lines on the street, two days ago. So..I may have accidentally called him a Psycho Driver. And, my kids may have accidentally overheard. Which proves my theory that selective hearing in young kids, teenagers and husbands is correct..because if I would have said something like, go take a shower or clean up your room, or your socks accidentally missed the laundry bin by 30 feet, I'm 100% positive that they wouldn't have heard me.

Anyway, I'm ashamed to admit it, but the first thought in my mind..was wow, she has a really good memory. The Second thought..hmm...did I do that? Did I have another bad mothering moment? We had a little talk about Psycho Driver, name calling and giving the benefit of the doubt until I heard Ah Fushigi from my oldest. I would have stopped the car, only traffic was moving and we were running a little late for me to get a primo spot at the Elementary School.

My daughter said..oohhh...and I said, oh no...because guess what happened about a month ago. I accidentally stubbed my toe while I was cleaning my house and instead of saying the F word (and I don't mean flowers, fun or face) I said..Ah Fushigi. Fushigi is this toy that my kids have been wanting forever. If you ever can't sleep at night, turn on the TV and you'll see an infomercial on why Fushigi is a great toy..as long as you don't drop it..like on your foot. Anyway, I had a talk with my son when he came back from school about how words can be hurtful depending on how and when we say them. And his response..of course..but mom, you say it, so I thought it was okay. He had a little smile at the end of the sentence, so I kinda knew what he was up to..but nevertheless..it was a teachable moment for all my kids and so far, it's been good.

So, for today's RAK, I decided that for all the injustice that is done in the world, let's say...driving on both lanes, rigging a fundraiser raffle or cutting in line, I was going to keep my negative words to myself. Give it a try and see if you can do this RAK for a whole day. I'm staying in my house all day so I can be successful. :-)

Day 13 - Water Changes, Chocolate and Dr. Seuss

I should be sleeping, but I'm not. You see..I gave up Chocolate for Lent and rather than preparing kindly, I've spent all day eating as much chocolate as I could eat without needing a brown paper bag. So..I have all this caffeine in me and I'm wide awake...thinking about whether I should spend the last minute eating some more chocolate or just letting it go. Oops..too late, it's midnight and Lent has officially started today.

So..since I'm awake, why not post about my latest RAK.

Today, I volunteered in my son's classroom and it was awesome!!!! I got an e-mail from a friend who asked me if I wanted to come over and help her teach an art lesson on Dr. Seuss and watercolors. I know nothing about art, but I knew a thing or two about set-up, clean-up and changing the water when it got all dark and cloudy. It was really cool to see the kids excited about art and I was happy to be a part of their excitement. My son is moving on to 6th grade next year, so I won't get any or very many (I'm trying to keep positive here) opportunities to volunteer in his classroom or meet his classmates. I had a blast changing water and providing positive feedback on their artwork. If I could change anything about volunteering today, I probably would have added some lunges in between the water changes. After eating so much chocolate, I'm 100% positive my pants are not going to fit tomorrow.

Until tomorrow, find a little bit of time to volunteer in your kid's classroom. That saying kids grow up way too fast is soooo true!

Day 12 - Selective Hearing

I think my kids might be on to something...I really do. You know how many times I've said something that I probably shouldn't have said...multiply any random single number with 1,000,000..and you have the right answer. If everybody had selective hearing at just the right time..I think the world would be a better place. For instance, this morning, somebody told me to wake up. It's someone who has a pretty important high-stress job (not my family, thank goodness) and had just heard another mom make a comment about her whistle. If I could turn back time, I would have seriously pointed to the other mom and said, it wasn't me. Regardless, I was flicking off a bug that my daughter had just found on her shirt. I didn't want her to freak out, so I kind of stood there, in the safe zone, while I flicked off the bug. The crossing guard got mad at me and told me to wake up. I was just a mili second late from when she motioned us to cross...really, it wasn't that long, but that comment kind of got me upset. I thought of all the other comments she could have used to get us going...like..it's time to cross, good morning or why did the chicken cross the road, to get to the Starbucks on the other side. But..she chose to say wake up instead. I know for a fact that I wasn't sleeping, you got to be awake to drive to school..but it got me thinking about all the other 1,000,000+ random times that I said something that I probably shouldn't have said. So..for my RAK, I decided to have selective hearing. If I heard something mean or hurtful from anybody today, I decided to just ignore it, just like my kids do when I tell them it's time to get ready for bed or set the table for dinner. Give it a try..if someone has said something just a little bit hurtful, pretend to have selective hearing and ignore it. If it happens again, well..then, it might just be time to have a little talk with that person to resolve the problem.

Day 11 - The gift of a dream

When I was little, a trusted family member told me that I couldn't sing. I was bummed to hear the news and even though the cassette recorder said otherwise, I chose to believe him. I moved forward with Piano lessons, became one of the best piano players my teacher had and didn't sing until I became a Girl Scout Leader. Unfortunately, I started singing by default. None of the moms wanted to teach our girls scouts how to sing the Brownie Smile Song..so guess who had to teach it to the girls. Yeah, me! So...there I went. Me and my "bad" voice. As the parents watched, I didn't see the same reactions as Simon, Paula and Randy when they have a really bad contestant on American Idol. In fact, no one started cracking up, making faces or covering their ears (because there is a way to do this very discreetly without making a scene). It was then that I began to think the what if...what if the trusted family member would have said something positive or encouraging? What if? The problem with what if is that it's always the what if. You never get a chance to figure out the what if..you don't get to dream the possibility because you never know what could have been with that what if. Some people go their entire lives chasing the what if, being miserable and sad about that what if. So..for my RAK, I decided to give the gift of a dream. The gift of you can do it and the gift of why not! Three gifts all tucked into one. A mom called me and I told her she could do it. She could move to a new place with her family and survive. Another mom called me about starting school..and I told her why not, go for it! And when my daughter asked me if she had a great singing voice..I told her that it was awesome to me..and that with singing lessons, she could be great! She walked up the stairs singing Ain't No Mountain High Enough. A song that her 2nd grade teacher taught everyone in the class to sing. Until tomorrow, offer the best RAK ever..the gift of a dream, the gift of hope and the gift of yes, you can!

Day 10 - The truth and nothing but the truth...

I guess I've always known this but have chosen to ignore the obvious..but a good teacher really does make a difference in your kids life. For my oldest son, it was his 5th grade teacher. He opened his world up to Science and Math, taught him life lessons that he still quotes to this day and encouraged him to love learning new things. It was during this year that he committed himself to being an Honor Roll student and an out of the box thinker. My son is in 8th grade now and along the way, he's had some amazing teachers that have encouraged him to read, taught him to run and believed in his abilities that he skipped a whole year of math last year. So..for my RAK, I decided to thank his 5th grade teacher for all that he had done for my oldest son. I told him how much he meant to my son and how thankful his dad and I were for the inspiration and encouragement that he gave to our oldest son during his 5th grade year. It certainly made a difference and to this date, my son continues to be in Honors, getting As and A+s on his report card. Better write that now..because we just got back his College prep Geometry test on Friday night and it wasn't pretty. Until tomorrow..thank you child's teacher for everything positive that they have done for your child. It will make them smile and let them know that they have made a difference in a child's life.

Day 9 - Pay It Forward

I remember watching the movie on HBO several years ago and thinking what a great idea it was to Pay It Forward. I didn't like the end of the movie (I like happy endings), but the stuff in the middle was inspiring...well, at least the idea anyway. So on Sunday, I asked my entire Religious Education Class to get involved and complete some RAKs over the next few weeks. One student asked me if he HAD to do it..and I said, "yeah, it will make you feel good". So for the next few days, make an effort to make RAKs a part of your daily schedule. It really will make you feel good.

Day 8 - Making the zzzzs count

We have a rule at my house. The kids get ready for bed around 8 p.m. and after all of the questions about tomorrow, telling my pre-teens to brush their teeth twice (because you know they didn't brush them the first time) and making their beds because "they can't reach that corner to pull the sheet", it's time for mommy and daddy to get ready for bed. Part of that ritual is trying to fall asleep before my husband does. If I get to sleep any later than a milli-second, I am toast (not real toast..but in big time trouble). Last night, I fell asleep more than a milli-second too late... which means that I didn't get to bed before hubby. 10 seconds later, the Snore Fest of 2011 started. I tried ear plugs, the old put the pillow over the face trick and then the hand cup against the ear trick..nothing worked. Usually, I bring out the big guns and do this gentle shove, light leg tapping or mild poking routine. It usually works and then it gives me an extra 30 seconds to try and fall asleep before he falls asleep. But last night, I decided to practice the art of RAK. Instead of lightly prodding..I let him snore away. Poor guy is at the height of the Tsunami cold of 2011. He needed all the sleep he could get. So for Day 8 RAK- let hubby sleep without waking him up every minute until I get to sleep first. I never got to sleep, but I did get to update my blog which is so nice because I don't think anyone is reading it ;-). Until tomorrow, forget Day 8 RAK and just poke or gently prod your significant other until you get to sleep first. When that happens..you barely hear the snoring. Here's hoping that you get or got a good night's sleep.

Day 7 - 2 birds with 1 grain

Have you ever heard the saying..killing 2 birds with 1 stone? Well, I got a new one..feeding 2 birds with 1 grain. I know it's impossible to do..if anything, these birds would get mad at each other and probably fight for that 1 piece of grain. But let's pretend it's a big grain, big enough to feed 12 birds. For Day 7 RAK, my daughter and I decided it would be super cool to give our Room Mom some Girl Scout Cookies (Thank You Very Munch) for all of her hard work on being a totally awesome room mom. This mom goes way out of her way to make classroom parties fun and to deliver all communications to classroom parents. She is amazing! So..since my daughter has been out of commission for a while to sell Girl Scout Cookies, thanks to the Tsunami cold of 2011, we gave the gift of a box of Girl Scout cookies. It was all to say thanks and a double bonus because we got to feed 2 birds with 1 very gigantic grain.

Day 6 - RAK begins at home

It's hard not to feel the RAK when your kids are sick. For Day 6..and really Day 6 - Day 16..I've been extra kind to my kids. I'm usually a good mom, but on some days, I get stressed out and get upset with my children for fighting. I think my parents secretly wished that I would get some sort of payback for all those fights in the backseat of the car with my brother. It was seriously his fault that we got into those fights. You see there was an imaginary line that I drew and he always crossed it..with his fingers, his legs, his hands..his face. Most of the fights were verbal, but every now and then..and I'm ashamed to admit this, I got a nice swat in there. So..I think this is one of those Karma things, right? So for Day 6 RAK..I was extra kind to my kids while they were sick and while I was sick. Although I hate having really bad colds, I gotta say, our family really connected during this cold..we bonded as we shared the same tissue box, fought less as the kids got to play video/computer games and ate dinner together...on the couch while watching t.v. so that my daughter would stop coughing all over my dinner plate because no one else would sit across from her. I hope we can keep up the RAK at our home between all of us, even when we're sitting back at the dinner table together and playing a whole lot less video and computer games..oh yeah, and watching less reruns of Pair of Kings, Phineas and Ferb and Big Time Rush. Seriously, I think I know all of the lines for some of those episodes. Until tomorrow..try and create a little bit of RAK in your home...even during those stressful days.

Day 5 - The $1 bill

The dollar bill is in the wallet..sometimes, it comes in the form of 4 quarters or change after buying a small Vanilla STARBUCKS Frappucino. For Day 5, RAK, donate $1 everywhere you go. I did it and it felt good to donate to the Salvation Army, the Homeless Shelter, does tipping the person who makes your Starbucks drink count?..donated to that tip jar too. I guess I should have gone to more places, but that last cold wiped me out..until I picked up a new, awful cold which will go down in the history (of my life) as the cold Tsunami of 2011...with one wave, it knocked down my whole family. I am buying stock in Kleenex and Tylenol..maybe NyQuil too.

Day 4 - Facebook

Day 4 - Facebook.

Well, this has been my ongoing RAK since I received b-day messages on Facebook. You know how you send an e-mail to somebody. Sometimes you get a response, sometimes you don't. Well, for the last 2 days, I thought it would be a very good RAK to reply to everybody's message on Facebook. I was sick anyway....and wasn't going anywhere. I had to take it easy because my abs had been working so hard from coughing every 2 seconds. So..I sat down for a couple of hours and replied to all of the B-day postings on my wall and some on my Facebook friends too. It was awesome and what made it even great was that I didn't feel any carpal tunnel pain whatsoever since I was already taking Tylenol for my "coughing headache". Oh just re-read that part, it sounds bad. Really...you can get a headache from coughing a lot. And Tylenol is really good at taking care of the pain.

Tip of the Day: Spend a little time on Facebook to get reconnected with some of your buddies. It's fun and it lets them know that you care. We all need friends in this world and it's so nice to know that someone cared enough to post back. If hubby gets upset with all the time you're spending on Facebook, just let him know that Marcia Brady thought it was a good idea, not me.
;-)

Day 3 - just like the Plague

For day 3, I thought it would be best to stay away from everyone. I managed to catch a really bad cold and didn't want anyone else to get it. The last time I was this sick was Nov. 2009. Yeah...that bad. So bad the doc gave me cough pills. Can you believe there are pills for coughing? Okay..I guess there are pills for just about everything these days, huh. After 5 nights of not sleeping, just coughing, I was willing to try just about anything. So..Day 3 RAK, I am staying away from everyone, just like I would if I had the Plague.

Day 2 - Forgiveness

For my b-day, I decided to forgive everyone who has ever wronged me, including the driver of a white gigantic SUV who cut me off on the way to school, only to hit her breaks and drive SLOW the entire way down to school. Forgiveness is a great RAK! If you drive a white gigantic SUV and you cut off a mini-van last week on the way to school...know that I forgive you, but I'm not forgetting. Just kidding. Or am I?

Tip of the Day...if you're going to cut someone off while driving, make sure that you keep your current speed, okay.

Day 1 - The line

Three months ago, I was in a short line at Party City. The lady in front of me had over 100 small items to buy, I had one. She was with her 20 year old daughter and there was only one cashier. You can imagine what happened next. It took the cashier 10 minutes to ring her up. It seriously felt like FOREVER. Really. Did she ask me if I wanted to go in front of her....no! Did I ask her if I could go ahead of her? Yes. Guess how she answered me...I was here first (yeah, by a nano second..darn that meniscus tear and the knee surgery that followed afterward). I never forgot that moment and the example she had set for her daughter about the (lack) of kindness for strangers. So for my RAK Day 1, I let the elderly gentleman at the local grocery store go in front of me since he had about 10 items in his cart and me...about 1,000. Well, it sure felt like that after grocery shopping for a whole hour and 30 min. RAK rules! Next time you're shopping and you're not in a hurry or running late, look to see who's behind you. It might be Tony Danza from Who's The Boss or someone with a whole lot less items than you.

41 Days of RAK

I guess it's no secret, I'm turning 41 in a couple of a days. If you're just now catching this blog, I'm really 29, but if you've been reading it since last year, I'm really 41 ;-). For this year's birthday project, I thought it would be cool to participate in 41 days of RAK (random acts of kindness). I gotta be honest, I really need this project. Just a few days ago, I saw a teacher trying to juggle her keys, her Starbucks, her books and purse while opening her classroom door. I could have helped her by opening her door (once she got it unlocked) but did I....NO! I just watched the whole thing and what's worse..my kids watched with me. Never mind that I was sleep deprived and thinking about the AMVETS guys showing up at my house with nothing to pick up because I forgot to leave the donations outside of my front door before taking the kids to school....the fact is, if I would have been more aware, I would have thought to help. So, I shared the idea with my CACE (Cynthia, Anna and Emily) friends and they liked it. (If you're wondering what CACE is all about, check out Day 2 of my blog.) So, here goes. I start on Monday, my 29th birthday, and I'm really excited about this project. I gotta say thanks to my friend Melzo (her name was changed to protect her identity just incase you don't like reading my blog :-) for encouraging me to start blogging again. 41 RAKS! It's going to be tough, but I'm going to do it. If you catch me being nice to you and you don't like it, too bad. Wait a second, I just wrote something kind of mean, huh. Good thing I don't start until Monday :-)! Have a great day!