Day 62: Christmas Caroling at Assisted Living Facilities

Today we were lucky enough to be able to join our MOMS Club and go Christmas Caroling to two Assisted Living Facilities that are nearby. The places are called Bee Hive Homes and they are in residential facilities that give custom care to smaller groups of individuals. Both places were warm and welcoming and had really homey atmospheres. As a group we were able to sing 4 songs at each location and give the residents a small Holiday treat, that our President Leslie provided. The kids and I have been practicing our singing for about a week now and they were excited to go, and even more pumped when they found out they got to ring real jingle bells while we sang. When we actually got there they clammed up a bit and got a little shy- but they still had a jolly time singing :) It was a great experience and really made me appreciate more personalized care places like the Bee Hive Homes.

Here is a tiny bit more information on the Bee Hive Homes:
Beehive Homes assisted living offers the very best of assisted living care. At Beehive Homes we make every effort to bring the comforts of home into our assisted living home. Meaningful relationships, home cooked meals, healthy and rejuvenating activities are all a way of life at Beehive Homes. We invite you to come and visit our Beehive family and feel what truly makes Beehive Homes assisted living the next best place to home.

Day 26: Candy for Our Troops

My husband's cousin, Casey, sent me the greatest idea just after Halloween. Send extra candy to the Troops! And who doesn't have extra candy after Halloween?! I looked it up immediately after getting her email and found an organization called Operation Gratitude  that sends care packages to the U.S. Military and they love to add some extra goodies in the care packages to the soldiers around the Holidays. I emailed some friends (thanks Jamie, Megan, Peggy and Leslie!) and was able to send 6.5 pounds of candy along with 10 kid drawn or heart felt thank you notes to them today for our Good Human Act. It is a great mission Operation Gratitude has undertaken and I am so happy to have learned about it and been able to participate. My kids loved making letters for the soldiers (all 3 of them made one) and giving their candy to people who help us so much. We are so thankful for the sacrifice soldiers and their families make to grant us all safety and peace of mind.

Here is a little more information on Operation Gratitude:

Their MISSION

Tens of thousands of American Service Members are deployed in hostile and remote regions of the world, including the Middle East, Afghanistan, and on ships throughout international waters. The physical conditions they must endure are difficult and they may be separated from loved ones for long periods of time.

Operation Gratitude seeks to lift morale and put smiles on faces by sending care packages addressed to individual Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines deployed in harm’s way, to their children left behind, and to Wounded Warriors recuperating in Transition Units.   Operation Gratitude care packages contain food, hygiene products, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation, all wrapped with good wishes of love and support.

Through Collection Drives, Letter Writing Campaigns and Donations of funds for shipping expenses, Operation Gratitude provides civilians anywhere in America a way to express their respect and appreciation to the men and women of the U.S. Military in an active, hands-on manner.

Operation Gratitude is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, volunteer-based corporation, funded entirely by private donations. For safety and security, the assembling of all packages occurs at the Army National Guard Armory in Van Nuys, California.

Wounded Warrior Care Package Program:

Operation Gratitude works with representatives at Military hospitals and Wounded Warrior Transition Units to provide care packages for Wounded Warriors/Veterans to let them know they are never forgotten.

Recognizing that Warriors when first injured are most concerned with the well-being of their comrades still on the frontlines, we also offer a service to send care packages to the wounded’s buddies.  Not only does this let the downrange troops know their wounded comrade is thinking about them, but most importantly, it helps the wounded feel they are still contributing to the mission and supporting their comrades.

Battalion Buddy Program:

In cooperation with Family Readiness Officers and battalion leaders nationwide, Operation Gratitude provides special stuffed toys – known as Battalion Buddies – to the sons and daughters of U.S. military personnel as their units prepare to deploy.

Our special “Battalion Buddy” care packages contain a large, cuddly stuffed animal, along with other special snacks and items. The Battalion Buddy packages are given to each child at their parent’s pre-deployment or farewell event so the child has something to hug while their Mommy or Daddy is away.

The Battalion Buddy Program is designed to serve and encourage the young children of deploying troops and offer them some degree of comfort while their parent is far away, serving their country.

Who We Serve:

Operation Gratitude sends packages to Wounded Warriors and deployed members of all Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and to units from all states and territories. While we will send at least 100,000 care packages per year, we know the recipients share with their comrades, so we project that at least 250,000 service members will be directly touched by our program annually. In addition, the impact of our program on morale is felt generally throughout the Military (2.7 million people) and by the loved ones of those who serve (several million more).

Day 25: Treats for Firefighters

Today was my MOMS Club's Annual Bake-Off at 10 am. (YUM!) On the way to drive my son to school, I had a quick inspiration that we could donate some of the left over goodies to our local firefighters for our Good Human Act today. So, when I got home at 9:15 I rushed to make a second entry, my go-to recipe for chocolate chip cookies, (which surprisingly took first place) to be sure there would be enough desserts to donate. I also had my son help me make a quick "Thank you" card for everyone to sign. I wasn't sure if any of the ladies would be interested in this idea, but because it is such an amazing and generous group of ladies, they couldn't be happier to donate some treats and show their gratitude to some of our local servicemen and women. A friend helped me make the drop. We ended up going to the Fire Department with a  huge plate of cookies, 2 plates of sweet breads, a plate of cake and a bag full of homemade corn bread. When we got there the firetruck was just driving away to help more people and we thought we were going to have to come back another time, but after a little bit an ambulance and a firetruck came by and we were able to share our appreciation with them. To my surprise they asked us if we wanted to come and look around and we all got to check out the huge firetruck. They even let our boys climb in the truck and turn on the lights!! It was so nice and just emphasized how worthy our Firefighters are of a little show of thanks!

Firefighter Cal.

Thank You Card by Calon.

Daxon and Calon in the Truck!

A Good Human Movement

My name is Angela. I am a stay at home mom of 3 boys, ages 6, 3 1/2 and 1. I am a good mom, not perfect by a long shot, but good. I am married to my high school sweetheart, we have been married for 8 happy years and been together for 12, I try to be a good wife, some days I surpass that and unfortunately others I don't quite reach it, but in general I am a good wife. I have 3 sisters and 1 brother, not all with whom I am extremely close, but all of whom I respect for their individuality and love tremendously, I am a good sister. I have a small group of friends that I could not be happier to share small adventures and activities with, I am a good friend.

I am about to be 30 and have recently found myself having a 1/3 life crisis. I feel like I am missing a piece of life that I should be focusing on. I am a good wife, mother, sister and friend. But I have found myself wondering, am I a good human? All of the things I do in my life are centered around myself and my family, which is wonderful, but I feel like I can do more. I need to help the needy, maybe my neighbors, perhaps the planet. I need to use what I am good at and help where I can. I am not trying to save the world, but I need to do my part to make it a place worth living.

I have decided to try my hand at a new idea to make this a reality. I want to put my desires  and efforts down permanently so that it will be easier for me to follow through and not just talk a pretty picture. I am going to try to be a good human daily for 100 days. Being a good human can mean a million different things and I am going to try to tap into those and do 1 thing a day. For myself,  I am going to start A Good Human Movement. I would love if anyone wants to join me in this movement or would like to share their ideas on what I can do.