Acme Holiday - Valentine's Day

isn't it the cutest thing when your kids come home from school with a paper sack filled with valentines from their classmates? mine love to spread them all over the table to read and re-read them.

this year, the save the children organization has given us a meaningful alternative to the box of "scooby doo" cards (no offense, velma). save the children has made a box of 28 cards, all with great artwork from classic children's books; Olivia, Hugo Cabret, Piggie and Elephant to name a few. purchase this box for $25 (ok, a bit more than the scooby cards, but it's FOR A CAUSE!) and the proceeds will go towards the programs they support; literacy, medical assistance, and general aid inside the rural U.S.

order cards by february 4th to make sure you have them for V day.

here's the link for save the children 

the lesson: it isn't always just about us. i think. i hope.

***added bonus: not getting sucked into the "earth garbage" cycle, you know, buying super balls and little plastic toys to add to the envelopes, the ones that will be played with for 45 seconds and then get added to the landfills of the world for thousands of years to come.

Acme Birthdays - change the present

i have come to realize that "birthday party season" is not a season, but rather a euphemism for the over-whelmed to describe what is, in fact, the entire school year.

here is a website to help. CHANGING THE PRESENT is a great place to browse with your kids to pick out meaningful gifts for their friends.

buy flowers for a playground ($5), books for kids in need ($15), feed horses ($12) or buy toys for children needing aid in recovering ($20).

click here to "change the present"

the lesson: every chance to give is a chance to help.

***added bonus: not having to make that trip to the toy store, which inevitably winds up with you bringing home more stuff that your kids didn't need.

Dear Mr President

well, he's been in office for only a few hours, but why not have your child write to President Obama? seriously, what are you waiting for?

kidthing.com has created the "dear mr president project" where kids are invited to draw and/ or write to our new commander in chief. what a great chance for families to sit down and talk about our hopes and dreams for the future.

the mail in deadline is postmarked by january 27th (one week from today). don't forget to sign the submission form so that your child's letter is eligible for the "dear mr president project book" which will be available to purchase in early february.

kidthing.com

the lesson: power is not only in the hands of adults, kids have to know that their voice counts. in a world where children mostly feel small, this can help them feel as though they are heard and can make a difference. 

***added bonus: it's OBAMA, baby!!! what more bonus is there?

Call to Service

our new first-lady-to-be is a girl after my own heart. she's a mom of two, supports her busy husband, has understated style and wants everyone to give back. come on, we're 2 peas in a pod!

this monday, january 19th is DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR day and MICHELLE OBAMA'S day to "call to service" the entire country.

the m.o. for M.O. is to get everyone to do ANY kind of community service on monday, (which is also a school holiday, so we'll be looking for things to do). the idea is to "renew america together, one community at a time. it will take ordinary citizens working together with a common purpose to get this country back on track. this national day of service is an important first step in our continuing commitment." 

this is an exciting project and one i hope you will consider doing with your families. to find local activities and to learn more about this national day of service, check out the website:

usaservice.org

if you can't find anything that speaks to you, please browse the acme sharing archives with over 70 ideas for community service projects to do with your kids.

***extra credit - i would LOVE to hear from you. please let me know how you spent the day, how it affected your kids and what did or didn't work in teaching them the most important aspect of humanity: SHARING.

Day of the Jerk

it's a new year and time for resolutions and fresh starts.

we all want to be good people, be better, do better and look better.

well, i am SICK of it. i do "good" all the time and i have had it up to here.

i use canvas bags at the market, feed my kids soy nut butter, give to the homeless, write an endless stream of thank you cards and hold open doors every time i walk through one. i am not telling you this to pat myself on the back, i am telling you this because i am tired of helping. tired of trying to be a good person. it can be a real drain.

so today (maybe it was that time of the month, or a holiday too filled with kids home from school or too many relatives, or that i was attacked by a Lorikeet at the aquarium this morning who drew blood after pecking my ear- true story! see photo above) i decided to be a jerk. and eat a lot of ice cream in the middle of the day.

i didn't yield to let the car ahead of me in, i didn't stop to chat with the solicitors in front of whole foods and i didn't turn out lights when i left the room. i was feeling tired of doing "good".

and then it set in. i thought about it for a beat. now, i was feeling bad. and not just from too much ice cream. it was actually harder to be a jerk. it takes more effort and feels really crappy. if everyone felt and acted this way, we would live in a WORSE world than we already do. BUT... if everyone tried to do just a little bit better as a human, we could achieve greatness.

so, cranky tantrum over, ear still throbbing, i thought about it for a minute.

i realized that for some, it's about a strong belief in KARMA, for others it's about GOD and for more, it's just about right from wrong. for me, it's a lot about legacy. i want my kids to see how i behave in hopes that they will mirror that behavior. what do we leave behind when we are gone? did we leave this place better than we found it? did we help spread smiles or hope or laughs or kindness? make any one's life a little bit better? in the end that's all we can do. and that's why i will continue to model this in my home and for this blog. i have no idea if it is helping any of your families and i don't kid myself to believe that my subscribers are doing all these projects every week. BUT, if we all did just a little bit better, and showed our kids how it is easier to be nice, wow, what a wonderful world.

and not just at the beginning of a new year, but at the beginning of each new day.

wishing you all a happy, healthy and Lorikeet-free 2009.