What’s a little poopy between friends?
Week Two!
This week, the hubby was traveling for work again, so things have been a little more hectic. We tried to make it to church for inspiration, but Mother Nature gave us a great excuse. The Snowstorm of the Century was just starting on Sunday morning! And by Sunday evening when it was over, we had about .00002 inches of snow and totally clear roads. But being dedicated, selfless parents, we stayed inside (except for an emergency run to the coffee shop) so our kids would be safe from the treacherous conditions. Laziness had nothing to do with it.
Without inspiration from above (or below, or from that rock over there — we are basically Unitarians, after all), I wasn’t sure what our giving project would be this week. Being a lover of serendipity, I’d like to be open to whatever comes our way, so when I saw a news story about a lack of space heaters for needy seniors in the area, I knew that was our bag! Simple again. When we went outside this week, I’d talk to the kids about how cold it was. We’d notice our breath on the air, how we started shivering within a couple of minutes. Then when we went inside, I’d talk about how warm and cozy it was because of our heater. We’ve talked before about how Daddy works hard so we can have a warm house and good food to eat (yes, this makes my inner feminist shiver a bit, but it’s the truth… I’m fairly certain Daddy would have been fishing off a pier somewhere instead of slogging through a Nor’easter in Pennsylvania this week if he didn’t have us to support). So, we talked about how lucky we are to have a warm house. Then I told them that some people don’t have a warm house. I don’t know how much of that they get, and I don’t go on and on about people suffering, etc. I just asked them if they’d like to help someone stay warm. Baby girl replied, “Yes!” Baby boy replied, “I wanna watch Doo-ra!” So, we made a deal that we’d watch Dora after a little trip to Lowes, and off we went.
This is where things got tricky. As we rounded the corner to Lowes, baby boy announced, “I have a poopy!” What to do? Abandon mission? Change diaper in the back of the Pilot? Search Lowes for a changing table? Wind chills were still around 20 degrees at this point, and we can’t stop our mission – it’s only week 2! So, what’s a little poopy between friends for the 5 minutes it will take to buy a space heater? Oh, except it turns out that everyone else in the metroplex also bought a space heater this week (see above, Snowstorm of the Century). After asking three different employees (what’s a little poopy among friends and Lowes employees?), we located the LAST electric space heater. An opened box item, tucked underneath a counter but in great working condition. Hooray!
(Yes, I should’ve had them in real coats instead of those wimpy sweaters.)
I’m going to drop off the heater at the Meals on Wheels office tomorrow. I’m not sure how much the kids actually absorbed this week, but I’m thinking it’s all about little acts of giving, planting the seeds of awareness that not everyone has it as good as we do, and that we can help one person at a time.
After the post-Lowes diaper change, we watched Dora. I’m pretty sure that was the highlight of their day.
Both hilarious and earnest
(Originally posted on January 3rd)
Hello 2011! Week one. Post one. Just a few words to frame up the goals of this blog. First, it’s a chance for me to meld two things that I really love – writing and playing with my kids. But this little project is also a way for me to keep in touch with the work that I left behind to (mostly) stay at home with two chatty, adorable, and sometimes-bratty two-year-olds. At the end of the year, I’d like to have a written memory of our service projects, which I’m sure will be both hilarious and earnest. I also really hope to instill a sense of community obligation and selflessness in my little ones even at this very early age. Ambitious? Well, sure, but I like challenges.
So, I began with the idea that we’d focus on one act of giving each week for the year. That’s still the goal, but already in Week One I am reminded that nothing goes according to a smooth, orderly plan when you have two toddlers along for the ride. So, we may have weeks with 10 projects (yeah, right!) and weeks with no projects, but in the end I’m shooting for 52 projects, even if some are total repeats.
We started this week by actually making it to church on Sunday. Oh, sure, lots of (busier, bigger) families do this every week, but for us it’s a monumental accomplishment. And we made it to the 9:15 service, too. How’s that for New Year’s motivation? The service was about finding your place in the world. Perfect for me on so many levels, but also a great catalyst for this little project. I am a terrific procrastinator and I’ve found that having twins has only made it worse. So many things put off until “nap time” or “when they’re older.” Lately, I’ve been looking around and realizing that this is it. THIS is the life I wanted. Moreover, this is the life we have. So, let’s do something fun with it.
Yesterday, we started our giving project by wrapping baby clothes for a client’s newborn son and mailing them to her. Nothing big, but we talked about it as we wrapped and drove to the post office. Honestly, I was afraid that my kiddos wouldn’t get it at this point (they are 26 months old this week), but I was blown away by my baby girl’s comprehension of it! As we wrapped, I told her that some babies don’t have many clothes to keep them warm. I kept it simple, just “We are giving these clothes to a baby to stay warm.” She said, “We helping, Mama!” I thought that was probably the extent of her attention span, but when we got to the post office, she actually told the clerk that we were sending clothes to “keep that baby warm.” And then she remembered it today and asked if the baby was warm. Success! Er, partial success. My baby boy (we’ll just call him “N”) was smashing Buzz Lightyear (“Bu-Year”) into the hallway door most of the time while we wrapped, and then removing his socks and shoes at the post office. But, hey, he has 51 weeks to go. And what did we expect from a guy, anyway?
Today, I am filling out forms for the Meals on Wheels/Adopt a Grandmother program. Just think, there’s an elderly person sitting in her house around here somewhere who has no idea what’s about to hit her. I’d like to apologize in advance to seniors everywhere. Ready or not, here we come!
theyearofgiving 