Giving Back - December 2013



My family is very blessed. Sure, we can think of many things to complain about, but reality is, we have life pretty good. We have many living and healthy family members, a house to live in, food to eat, lovely children, Tyler and I are both doing things we want to be doing; blessed.

We don't always go out of our way to provide service to others or give back to the community/world. It isn't that we don't want to or underestimate the power of paying it forward, but we often (like many, I assume) just get caught up in the busyness of life. 

I want to do more.

My mother-in-law, Barb, and I have decided to do a monthly post noting ways we have given back each month. Not only will this keep me accountable, but help circulate ideas for ways to continue the giving. We are planning to include things we have done and also things others have done for us (or others).

Some things we did in December...

 

 

Bought (thanks to some generous coupons) some new toys to donate to children who don't have many. We haven't done the donating part yet as the month really slipped away, but the toys are ready to go!

 

 



We have a very active local swap site on which I spotted a couple great Christmas presents for people on my list. I got Barb some scrapbook paper and my mom an aloe vera plant, something she has always wanted. This plant weighs like 50 pounds by the way.
The person who sold me the two items was selling things from her home as a fundraiser. She was giving all the money to a Christmas donation fund for a sick young woman with an incurable disease.
If you have things laying around the house collecting dust, what a great idea to sell them and pass the money onto someone in need.

I've also started pumping milk for my nephew. My sister had many breastfeeding hurdles and her milk eventually dried up. After trying both commercial and homemade formulas, Viggo broke out into hives, poor guy! We aren't sure if he has an allergy to something in the formulas or if it is all coincidence, but we do know he handles breast milk fine and it is the superior option anyhow. I'm only getting about 10 ounces (aside from the many milkies sessions Elliot and Finnley enjoy throughout the day) but I'm hoping to work up to higher amounts! It has been easy for me to pump while staying with my family over the holidays, we'll see how things go in real life after returning home.
If you are lactating and have any desire to pump and donate your milk, go for it! There are many families out there that would be forever grateful for such a gift. Check out your local Human Milk 4 Human Babies or Eats on Feets chapters to begin your milk sharing journey.


Linking up with:
Barb - The Ds and the Dogs
Liz - The "My Life" Project

What have you done to give back this month?