kiss me,i'm irish

In keeping with trying to teach our children about community service we decided to adopt a convalescent home for St. Patrick's Day.  I called to ask if it would be ok and to inquire about how many residents there were- 44!  We explained to the children about how people in convalescent homes can get lonely and that it would be nice to do a little something to cheer them up for St. Patrick's Day.  I got some green bags at the craft store and our older two children helped stuff five kisses into each bag (five - since the bags were small- and then there would be one kiss from each of us).  We also included a little piece of gold paper that reads "kiss me, i'm irish" along with a gold paper shamrock.  We are going as a family to deliver them and I know that the response from the residents will be enough encouragement for my children to know in their hearts that they made someone happy!

MLK

I have been thinking a lot about community service.  I was trying to think of a way to teach my kids about the value in doing service for others.  Martin Luther King day proved to be the perfect opportunity.  I had read that Burlington Coat Factory was holding a coat drive called "One Warm Coat" and my idea was born.  This morning I had my kids go outside in just their clothes for a moment to feel what it would be like to not have a warm coat to wear in the winter.  Then I talked to them about how some children were not lucky enough to have a coat to wear.  I told them that we were going to collect all of the change we could find in our house and use it to buy a coat for someone in need. We have a tin in the kitchen we use to collect change and the kids raided their piggy banks to add to the fund.  We even found some change on my husband's dresser. It was a joint effort. We took the coins to a local grocery store and traded them in for dollars.  We had $27!  We walked down to Burlington Coat Factory.  The kids picked out a coat, purchased it and placed it in the box for the charity.  I was so proud of my children, especially my oldest, who gave all but one coin from her piggy bank.  It is very cold in Connecticut today and all three of my children have bad coughs so we   are going to spend the rest of the day in our pajamas playing games, doing puzzles, and watching movies. May your day be as meaningful and rich as ours.