A trip to the grocery store...

Watching Paige holding her great grandma's hand as they walked down the aisle in the grocery store was awesome. Time is precious and Paige is thankful for the few hours she got to spend with her great grandma on Sunday. Early in the week I asked Paige what she thought she'd like to do for Week #16 and she came right out with "I want to take grandma Pallett grocery shopping". Love it! And so she did this Sunday.

We met grandma and aunt Wendy at Second Cup for a coffee. Paige had picked out flowers for both of them (her auntie Wendy's birthday is today!). A purple potted plant for auntie Wendy and a pretty house plant for grandma. The florist was very patient with us as Paige filled out the cards and decorated them with cupcakes, flowers and hearts. A women approached us at the cash and commented on Paige's wonderful drawings "wish I was auntie Wendy" she said. Paige giggled.

We had a great visit and they both loved their flowers. Paige was so excited for them to read their cards and she gave them a big squeeze too. We said good bye to auntie Wendy and headed to the grocery store with grandma. Definitely interesting getting her into the truck. I think she was a gymnast based on the arm leg swing combo I witnessed her do! lol. Awesome. And she sat happily in the front seat ready to go.

Paige grabbed her hand in the parking lot and lead her to the front door. Grandma voiced that she could not see anything and that the store was "too dark!". So with Paige as her guide they conquered the aisles of the store and picked up some groceries for the week. Yahoo!!! Paige got her wish and grandma was pretty thankful too. Grandma called later and told Paige how happy she made her and how much she appreciated her help.

Spend time with the ones you love.

Helping out in the Neighborhood! Week #15

Wow did we ever get dumped on! And it was heavy too! Paige was up for the challenge...and decided for Week #15 that she was going to help out our neighbors by shoveling the ends of their driveways. Isn't it amazing how the plow can build up a wall at the end of your driveway!!! Yikes. Makes it pretty tough to get to work on time! So Paige to the rescue..lol..she grabbed her mighty shovel and headed down the court. Here are her words about the experience...It was fun! I worked hard. I like helping out!

When we went to Fortino's to get stuff for dinner Paige also donated $2 from her piggy bank fund to their Children's Charity. She proudly wrote her name on the handout. As we walked away I could see how giving made her feel good. She looked at me with a smile. She is thankful...and her mom is too.

Week #14 Giving Out Smiles..and Chocolate!

It's Valentine's Day and also one of Paige's favorite days of the year. Why? Because it usually means she might just get a special chocolate heart from her daddy. That is if history repeats itself! And it did. Though something was different this year...Paige was excited about something else from the moment she got out of bed. As she pulled off the covers she whispered to me "be quiet mommy and remember to tip toe". I almost forgot she wanted to surprise her dad with pancakes in bed. Lucky him! Or maybe not since pancakes are definitely not my specialty.

After they had both eaten breakfast she decided it was time to open the card and heart shape box of chocolates sitting on the counter with her name on it. She was thankful gave us both a big squeeze...which was the best gift she could give us today.

I mentioned that Paige loves chocolate...so when I asked her what her face did when she had chocolate she said "smile" it was not surprising.

For Week #14 Paige had wanted give out smiles and she realized she could do this by giving out chocolate! We headed out and my little chocolate fairy dropped off little sweet gifts to some little and big people she cares about. We pulled up to each home and she walked up to the front door and gave it a knock. She made it clear to me that she wanted to do this herself! A few people weren't home so she left it on their front door and others that were it was great to see them and say hi! She was pretty pumped about giving today. As we drove home she said "it feels good to give Mommy". Think it's sinking in...so good.

Have a Phat Valentine's Day!

xo

Week #13

On a routine trip to the grocery store Paige and I walked in the door and I went to grab a basket. I glanced back to see Paige staring at a poster that read "Give a Tonnie. Fill a Tummy!". She looked up at me and asked "can I give to this? I want to help fill some tummies." We had filled a baggie from her piggie bank at home last week and I store it in my purse for moments like this. It's awesome to see her give from what she had been saving up. Her favorite babysitter Leah gave her the piggie bank when she was three. She's big on saving..so we're even happier that she's also learning about sharing.

Toonies for Tummies is a program run by The Grocery Foundation. It was launched to make a difference in the lives of children who experience hunger every day. Not only can you donate at your local grocery store (Longo's. Sobey's, Metro, Highland Farms, etc..)but also online at http://www.groceryfoundation.com/ , click DONATE and follow the prompts.

This is a great opportunity to make a BIG difference to the children in our community.

Week #12 Everyday...

Week #12 Paige has found a way to give a little everyday this week to the people in Haiti. Whether it was at school (they have done an amazing job informing the kids!), a counter top coin box at the grocery store, bank, coffee shop, you name it there's a way to give. It's amazing how everyone has come together to support the people effected by this tradegy. For ways you can help out too check out...
http://mashable.com/2010/01/13/haiti-earthquake-donate-help/


Every little bit helps.

Be Phat!

Helping Haiti

Week #11- there's no question this week...Paige decided to donate her piggy bank to the people of Haiti. Darcy and I sat down with Paige and explained to her (trying not to frighten her) about the earthquake and it's impact on the people of Port-au-Prince. We watched video coverage together and answered her questions the best we could about why this happened. She cannot imagine the depth of devestation that has taken place so far way...but she wanted to "help make things better". We looked at the listing of organizations offering aid and Paige wanted to donate food to give everyone the energy to stay strong. She picked Food For The Hungry and made a donation on-line and also sent a donation text.

Here is some information about how the organization is helping out...

Food for the Hungry is flying in 4800 blankets, 160 rolls of plastic 2200 solar flashlights, two commercial size water filters, 1,152 jerry cans and 1440 hygiene kits. With funds supporting Stop Hunger Now, a 747 jet is headed toward Haiti with purchased dehydrated food packs and water. We are also partnering with Kode Red to ship clothing, plastic sheeting and tarps, wheelchairs, bandages and gauze, water purifying tablets, water and food.

If you would like to make a donation go to: https://www.fh.org/learn/news/disaster/haiti-rocked-by-powerful-quake?promocode=WA25WD0A2

Namaste

xoPaige

Week #10 Burrr...

The snow is finally here and for Week #10 Paige decided to gather up some extra coats, pillows and blankets to donate to those who could put them to good use. "It's so cold outside..everyone needs a good jacket to keep them warm". I tried to explain to Paige the amount of people that don't have one. She looked a little confused and I know she has a hard time understanding how many people that actually is. I reminded myself to take one day at a time and that her genuine love for giving is a HUGE start! As we packed the stuff up she spotted a large blue blanket up in the closet and she had to give it too. Seeing the smile on her face as she pushed it into the drop box was inspiring. "Someone's going to love this!" she said.

Her new daily giving idea: she put some of her piggy bank change in a little purse and gave it to me to hold onto. She keeps her eye out for donation boxes on store counter tops...and she can donate to them too! Today she donated to the Heart & Stroke Foundation. That sparked a whole new conversation! To be continued...