Day 333 - Shopped Small

Today is Small Business Saturday and folks are encouraged to support their local communities by shopping locally.  With so much commercialization around Christmas and Black Friday and Cyber Monday the goal of Shopping Small is to bring back the spirit of Christmas by shopping with real thought behind it at small local shops.

So for today's random act of kindness the girls and I headed to downtown McKinney and visited many of the local shops and started our Christmas shopping!!

Stay local when you can!!

Day 333 - Shopped small

Day 332 - Train Tickets for Strangers

Today was A McKinney Christmas in the downtown square of McKinney.  We love to go to this event each year and always look forward to riding on Frosty's train around the square.  It was our first stop and we ended up buying 4 tickets.  As the line was approaching Ryan ended up not being able to ride.  She and Chris instead decided to find a balloon artist.  So on their way out of line they gave both of their tickets to another family in line.  They were extremely appreciative and I hope they enjoyed their train ride!

Day 332 - Tickets for the train

 

Day 331 - Pledged Not to Shop

Happy Thanksgiving!  There has been quite a bit of controversy about retail stores and other businesses opening this year for Thanksgiving.  To support my belief that family should come before shopping, today I pledged not to shop.  I do believe that shoppers play a big role in the demand/supply of these retailers so if more people choose to say home on Thanksgiving retailers would be forced to stay closed.  Enjoy your family today and have a wonderful holiday!!

Day 331 - Pledged not to shop

Day 330 - Tipped 100% for Thanksgiving

Today I was off work so I decided to take the girls out to brunch.  We went to one of our favorite spots in Downtown McKinney, Spoons!  They were pretty busy and I know they will be even more busy Friday and Saturday with the holiday.

So for today's random act of kindness I tipped our awesome server 100% as a little Thanksgiving surprise.  Hope she has a wonderful holiday!!


Day 330 - Tipped 100%

Day 329 - Gift Cards at the Drug Store

Today we thought it would be fun to start spreading some early holiday cheer.  We went to a local CVS bought a couple of $5 gift certificates and passed them out to some unsuspecting customers.  They were all a little surprised and very appreciative once they realized we were serious.  Hope they all have a wonderful holiday!

Day 329 - Gift cards at the drug store

Day 328 - Soft Toys for UNICEF and Save the Children

Every year, the IKEA Foundation donates a portion of every soft toy sold in participating IKEA stores in November and December. The donation goes to Save the Children and UNICEF, and is spent on children’s educational projects.

Ikea Soft Toys for Education has impacted 10 million children in 46 countries for 90 projects. 
So for today's random act of kindness I purchased a few of their soft toys for the girls as Christmas gifts to support Save the Children and UNICEF.  They will continue to donate through November and December so get your adorable soft toy today.

Day 328 - Soft toys for UNICEF and Save the Children

Day 327 - Grocery Bags for Families in Need

Our church is all about community compassion and I love that about them.  One of their largest compassion events is a Community Christmas Party.  They invite under-resourced families to the event, serve them an amazing meal, present an amazing message, play wonderful worship music and all leave with gifts for the kids and a meal back packed full of food for Christmas dinner.

The weeks leading up to the event the church asks those who attend to pick up an empty grocery bag with a list of foods attached, hit the store, pack the bag and then return it to church before the event.

So for today's random act of kindness the girls and I grabbed 2 grocery bags to fill and stuff for the Christmas party.  Hope these bless each family that receives one!

Day 327 - Grocery bags for families

Day 326 - Extra Trip for Shoe Boxes

So last week we made our trip to the Operation Christmas Child drop off location to deliver our 30 shoe boxes.  After we dropped them off a friend of mine mentioned that there were a few extra boxes at our church that no one was able to drop off.  I offered to drop them off for them.

So for today's random act of kindness I picked up a few extra shoeboxes and took them to the local drop off location.  Love Samaritan Purse and their Operation Christmas Child program so I'll take all the shoe boxes people need me to.

Day 326 - Dropped off shoe boxes

Day 325 - Shared A Discount Card

Today when grabbing a few things at our local Walgreens I noticed the patron in front of buying just a jug of milk.  The employee asked if he had a card because it would reduce the cost by quite a bit.  He said he didn't so I decided to offer mine.

So for today's random act of kindness I swiped my discount card so another patron could save $2 of his gallon of milk.  He was very appreciative. 

Day 325 - Shared a discount card

Day 324 - Befriended a Homeless Gentleman

Chris was still in San Diego today and he and a friend decided to walk around the city a bit before dinner.  While they were out they ran into a super nice homeless man playing music for tips.  Chris' friend wanted to help him a bit so gave him a little money but also asked if it would be ok for him to play his guitar.

So for today's random act of kindness Chris and his friend befriended a homeless gentleman and played a little guitar while they all sang along.

Day 324 - Befriended a homeless gentleman

Day 323 - Gifts for the Teachers

Tomorrow is the last day of school before Thanksgiving break so I know the kids are going to be a little wild during the day.  So for today's random act of kindness I sent the girls with gifts for their teachers.  Motivational books for each and of course CHOCOLATE!  I hope they enjoy the books and the chocolate!  Happy Thanksgiving Imagine teachers!!
Day 323 - Gifts for the teachers

Day 322 - Stuffed Animals for Children and Community Health Center

Today we noticed that the Children and Community Health Center was collecting stuffed animals for the child age patients for the holidays.  The girls and I headed to Dollar Tree and cleaned out their stash of stuffed animals and will swing it by the Children and Community Health Center for all the kids.  Really hope the kids enjoy them!!

Day 322 - Stuffed animals for the Children and Community Health Center

Day 321 - Paid for Pizza

Chris is at a conference today in San Diego and for dinner a group of 5 of them hit a local pizza joint.  He's always looking for fun random acts to do when he's away on business so today it was dinner.

For today's random act Chris paid for dinner for the 5 of them and also took a few slices outside to homeless man outside the restaurant.  Yum!!

Day 321 - Paid for Pizza

Day 320 - Toys for Operation Homefront

During the holidays it can be very easy to find stores, organizations and groups collecting toys for those in need.  From Toys for Tots to Operation Homefront to Toys for the Holidays.  Today the girls and I decided to support one of these organizations, Operation Homefront.  All Dollar Tree stores have collection bins at their check out stations for toys donated to Operation Homefront. 

Operation Homefront, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, provides emergency financial and other assistance to the families of our service members and wounded warriors.  Once toys are donated to any Dollar Tree store Operation Homefront collects and distributes the toys to military families in the local area.

So for today's random act of kindness the girls and I donated some toys at Dollar Tree to support military families in our area.

Day 320 - Toys for Operation Homefront

Day 319 - Dropped Off 30 Shoe Boxes

Today started the National Collection Week for Samaritan Purse and the wonderful shoe boxes.  This week the Acorns, girls and I packed up 30 boxes for boys and girls all over the world.  We ended up with 30 boxes and for today's random act of kindness the girls and I delivered them to the local drop location.  Friday is the deadline for drop off so there is still time to put together a box if you still want to help.

Day 319 - 30 Shoe boxes for children around the world

Day 318 - Chose to be Nice

Choose To Be Nice has been a long time coming! Dina Creiger, Founder, kicked around the crazy idea of encouraging and inspiring kindness for a couple of years. An unexpected tragedy, the Boston Marathon Bombings, compelled her to finally move forward.

Since that awful day Dina hasn’t stopped thinking about how the world truly is ready for Choose To Be Nice, a dedication to inspiring and encouraging kindness. After all, even in today’s fast-paced, sometimes impersonal world, you still catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

The mission of Choose To Be Nice is very simple.  They want to inspire, promote and encourage kindness whenever and wherever possible.

So for today's random act of kindness I purchased a super cool shirt and made the following promise: 

"I promise to help spread kindness wherever and whenever possible. And to the very best of my ability, I'll be nice to those with whom I come into contact on a daily basis."

Day 318 - Chose to be nice

Day 317 - Diapers to Community Lifeline Center

Some of you may have heard but just in the last couple of weeks we have launched a community organization that provides diapers and diapering supplies to under resourced families in Collin County.  After a few weeks of planning things out we started advertising and marketing the beginning of November.  We are now less than 2 weeks in and have already distributed just under 1,000 diapers to babies in need in our community.  Awesome! 

So for today's random act of kindness we grabbed a few cased of diapers and a great friend of mine dropped them off to the Community Lifeline Center and their Lifeline Market.  We hope these can fill some immediate needs and help keep some local babies clean and dry!

If you are local we'd love for you to pass along our information and if you are not local we have made it very easy to support our efforts through online donations as well as an Amazon baby registry.  Check us out!!

www.littleacornhappybottoms.com

Day 317 - Diapers to the CLC

Day 316 - Made Bracelets for Friends

Today was completely Kailey's random act of kindness.  We heard from a friend that Dollar Tree had great little sets of bands similar to the ever so popular Rainbow Loom.  So before heading to Ryan's theater class we swung by Dollar Tree grabbed a few sets and headed off.

While Ryan was in theater Kailey spent an entire hour making bracelets for as many friends as she could.  She ended up with 8 or 9 bracelets to share at school tomorrow.  I'm sure her friends are going to be very excited!

Day 316 - Bracelets for friends

Day 315 - Toothpaste and Toothbrushes for School Drive

We received an email last night from the girls' school that the 1st grade class would be doing a community service event to support the Community Lifeline Center of McKinney.  As many of you that have been following this blog know we love the CLC and their staff.

The kids are collecting items for the CLC's new Lifeline Market through this week.  We had such an outpouring of support for our Operation Christmas Child boxes that I had some leftover toothbrushes and toothpaste.  So for today's random act of kindness the girls donated the extra toothpaste and toothbrushes to the Community Lifeline Center for their service project.  I just love that their school is so involved in the community and always reaching out to help people and non-profits in need!

Day 315 - Toothpaste and toothbrushes to CLC

Day 314 - Remembered Veterans

Today is Veteran's Day.  The girls' school is celebrating veterans by having the kids recognize veterans in their family.  So for today's random act of kindness Kailey and I went through some old family pictures to use for her project and we talked about the wonderful service and sacrifice of veterans all around the world. 

Day 314 - Remembered our veterans

Some of our family veterans!

 

Day 313 - Supported UNICEF

UNICEF makes the world better for kids.

Rescue workers were struggling on Sunday to reach survivors of a powerful typhoon that killed an estimated 10,000 people and displaced more than 600,000 in the central Philippines.
The United Nations said some survivors had no food, water or medicine. Relief operations were hampered because roads, airports and bridges had been destroyed or were covered in wreckage, it said.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to save and improve children's lives, providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more.

The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy and education in the United States. They're working toward the day when ZERO children die from preventable causes and every child has a safe and healthy childhood.

UNICEF estimates that more than 40 percent of those affected by the storm are children — up to 4 million may be at risk.  UNICEF is mobilizing all of its available resources to reach these children immediately.

So for today's random act of kindness I made a small donation to UNICEF to help support their efforts in the Philippines.  Praying for all those affected and all the rescue workers.

Day 313 - UNICEF support

Day 312 - Packed Shoe Boxes

Today the girls and I and a friend and her daughter spent the afternoon packing shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child.  The girls had a blast and it was wonderful to be able to pack so many boxes!  After an hour or so of packing we ended up with just under 30 boxes.

Samaritan Purse and Operation Christmas Child does some amazing work so for today's random act of kindness we packed boxes in support of their Operation Christmas Child program. 

Day 312 - Packed shoe boxes

Day 311 - Drive Thru Difference

Our favorite radio station KLTY promotes  their own random act called the Drive Thru Difference.  It's simply paying for the car behind you in the drive thru line but they also suggest giving this letter to the employee to give to the car you pay for.

 Friday is always our day for a special breakfast before school so today it was Chick Fila.  So for today's random act of kindness we paid for the car behind us and gave this letter to the employee to pass along.  I always wonder where the chain stops and if they decided to pay for the car behind them and start a reaction.  Guess we'll never know..but that adds to the fun!

Day 311 - Drive Thru Difference

Day 310 - Supported a Flood of Love

A Flood of Love is a benefit to raise money for flood victims in Colorado through Music, Food, and Cinema!  The event is November 29th, 30th and December 1st.

The Colorado floods have impacted so many of our friends and family members.  Some folks in Texas decided to come together and send some LOVE the best way we Texans know how...THROUGH MUSIC!!

So for today's random act of kindness I supported Flood of Love and shared their info on Facebook.

Day 310 - Supported a Flood of Love

Day 309 - Cold and Flu Medicine to the Shelter

So since November is Homelessness Awareness Month I am going to try and get quite a few acts in to support those working with the homeless or those trying to bring awareness to this epidemic. 

Some fast facts about homelessness:

• Families comprise nearly 40% of all who are homeless.
• According to the US Conference of Mayors report, Family homelessness increased by 9%.
• 68% of the cities reporting in the Mayor's Report, had to turn away homeless families with children because of a lack of available shelter beds.
• Among families who are homeless with children, the majority cited loss of a job as the cause, followed by the lack of affordable housing, poverty, low-paying jobs and domestic violence.
• 42% of homeless children are under the age of 6.
• A child is born into poverty every 33 seconds.
• Families with children comprise one of the fastest-growing segments of the homeless population today.
• More than 15% of Americans live in poverty, including one in five children (22%), the highest rate in the industrialized world.
• Almost 60% of Americans will spend at least one year below the poverty line at some point between ages 25 and 75.
• There is no city or county anywhere in the United States where a worker making the minimum wage can afford a fair market rate one-bedroom apartment.
• The cost of rent and utilities for a typical two-bedroom apartment increased 41% from 2000 to 2009.
• 2 million additional American children will fall victim to the foreclosure crisis over the next two years.

It is definitely a problem in our country and one we all need to stand up for and bring awareness to.  Things need to change.

So today I went to The Samaritan's Inn's Needs List, a comprehensive residential program for the homeless in our community, and one of the top 3 was cold and flu medicine. For our random act of kindness the girls and I headed to Dollar Tree grabbed up all the cold and flu medicine they had and drove it over to the Inn.  Hoping this helps with a few coughs and sniffles this winter. 

Day 309 - Cold and flu medicine for The Inn

Day 308 - Firefighter Hats for Preschoolers

Our curriculum theme this month at school is Community Helpers.  We get to learn about a new community helper each day of the month and the kids always love it.  Today we were going to be talking about Firefighters and I wanted to get them something fun they could enjoy during the day but also take home and enjoy.

So for today's random act of kindness we got all the kids firefighter hats from the local sub shop to go along with our theme.  They were loving it!!

Day 308 - Firefighter hats for the kids

Day 307 - Made Yarn Dolls for Shoe Boxes

November is the month for Operation Christmas Child and the famous shoe boxes!!  Samaritan Purse is the creator of this amazing program.  Since 1993, more than 100 million boys and girls in over 130 countries have experienced God’s love through the power of simple shoebox gifts from Operation Christmas Child. Samaritan’s Purse works with local churches and ministry partners to deliver the gifts and share the life-changing Good News of Jesus.

We are planning to pack about 2 dozen boxes through our childcare and my church small group.  So for today's random act of kindness I finished 2 dozen yard dolls to pack in the boxes.  Just a little handmade love to hopefully bring a smile to a child's face. 

National Collection Week is November 18th - 22nd so there's still time to pack a box if you were considering it. 

Day 307 - Yarn dolls for shoe boxes

Day 306 - Walked to Church

Our church is bursting at the seams.  We have already broken ground on a larger building that should be opening early next year and it can't come soon enough.  Because we are outgrowing our current building parking is always a problem and when it rains it becomes a huge mess.  Preston Trail has been great about securing some parking lots behind our church at a school that families are able to use to help with the congestion.  Then families can ride a golf cart to the church.

For today's random act of kindness we passed up the golf cart so other families could enjoy it and we enjoyed the walk from our car to church. 

Day 306 - Walked to church

I was even able to find the little parking map of our walk today. ;)

Day 305 - Gave My Time at a Homeless Program

Today I began my weekly volunteer work at The Samaritan Inn in McKinney.  They offer a comprehensive homeless program that helps willing people gain dignity and independence.  

The Samaritan Inn is more than just a place to spend the night. It is a holistic program that teaches self-sufficiency and life skills. To assist the needs of individuals and families before, during, and after a homeless situation, The Samaritan Inn provides interactive, in-house programs for its residents and graduates. Those with special needs are referred to additional programs and resources available within the community to help during their crisis.

Community members wishing to help the Samaritan Inn by volunteering are asked to go through a brief volunteer orientation session, interview and background check.  Once "official" volunteers are able to help in the daycare, the thrift store, as a hostess, as a computer teacher, a tutor, administrative helper and more. 

From the Samaritan Inn website:
Contributions from our volunteer work team are invaluable to the success of The Samaritan Inn. Our volunteers are an integral part of the work team and perform a wide range of diverse services. 

So for today's random act of kindness I began my volunteer work at Samaritan Inn.

Day 305 - Volunteered my time at Samaritan Inn

Day 304 - Lollipops for Coach

The day after Halloween I always head to the store to check out the deals.  50% of candy today so I grabbed a few bags for our girls' soccer coach.

He's so great and always give the girls lollipops after each game and practice.  So for today's random act of kindness I re-stocked his lollipop stash.

Day 304 - Lollipops for coach