giving back

Today's post is a guest post by the Hubby...
We have been blessed with a happy, healthy family and it is easy to forget that so many in our world are not as fortunate. As a family, we feel it is important to give back, either financially or with the donations of time. We also want to teach this to our children at the youngest age possible so they can truly appreciate the opportunities they have and how important it is to pay it forward.  We recently had an opportunity to do exactly that when I had scheduled a business trip to Sierra Leone.

One of our favourite charities is SOS Children's Villages who build families for children in need. In addition to running their own family, SOS mothers are responsible for upwards of 10 children each, 24 hours per day, with only 4 days off per month. Orphaned children live with their SOS mother and 7-9 other siblings until they are teenagers.  They are then transitioned to an SOS youth hostel until they are ready for society at 21 years of age. Children share the responsibilities of cleaning, budgeting, and cooking under the guidance and supervision of their mother and with the support of others.

I was already aware that there was an SOS Children's Village in the city where I would be travelling so we decided as a family to organize the donation of valuable items to the village.  With the help of family, friends and colleagues, we collected enough money and goods to fill four large duffel bags for the children of the village.  Although little Miss L. is too young to fully understand what we were doing, we involved her in the process.  She helped choose which articles of her clothing to be sent to little girls who needed it more than her.  Little Miss L. came shopping to our local dollar store and helped pick out toys, books, games and school supplies for all the boys and girls to use.

I arranged with the local village management to deliver the goods in person, which was one of the most powerful experiences of my life.  The village director was very proud to show us around the village and introduce us to some beautiful and motivating families. I was introduced to several lovely mothers who have continued to raise happy, loving children for over 20 years in the village. The staff and children were genuinely appreciative.  I will draw from the experience and use what I learned at the village within our family.

Once Little Miss L. is able to better understand, we will remind her about what she did for those boys and girls and ask her to come up with her own ideas on how to help others who are not as lucky as us.  This makes for a wonderful family experience.  Money is not required - it is amazing how far a small amount of your time and consideration goes. You don't have to fly to Africa to find children in need, there is likely an SOS Children's village in your country, and there are certainly children in need nearby.  We thank SOS Children's Village for providing us this opportunity to give back.

Little Miss L. picking out fun stuff for the boys and girls at the village.

Some of the items to be donated.

One of the children irons the family clothing as he watches over his brothers and sisters cooking outside.

They proudly showed me how neatly they keep their cubicles.

An older sister looks over the pot of fish as the sous-chefs prepare the sides.

A loving mother, her children and the village director show me around.

Football is a popular passtime in Sierra Leone.

spring has finally sprung!

Spring is finally in the air and I am loving every minute of it. The sun has finally decided to come out and the flowers are starting to bloom. Now Little Miss L. wants to spend all day outdoors, and I am not going to complain one bit. I love seeing her explore the world around her as she uses all of her senses - I am amazed at what excites her. Her imagination is in overdrive as she picks up a stick and says it is a pencil to make a picture; as she stops every time she sees a flower and bends over to smell it; as she looks up into the blue sky and tells me the birds are singing a song. These are the moments that allow me to stop and remind myself of the beauty of nature that surrounds us. I love love love sitting quietly, doing nothing, watching my little girl as she has masters climbing the playground on her own, as she giggles and squeals down the slide in delight because she does not need mommy's help anymore...

My little girl growing up so fast.

Mommy is learning to let her little girl be independent.

Watching as she builds mommy a castle.

Learning that my child wants to know I am there for her but wants me to keep my distance, as she is a big girl now and very capable of doing things on her own.

climb...jump...roll

I have been debating for several weeks now if Little Miss L. was ready to join an organized gymnastic class.  So many questions ran through my mind: Will she have fun in an organized setting? Will she understand she needs to listen to another adult besides her parents? Will she get along with other children in this type of atmosphere? Does she have the strength and coordination to take on such a class? I checked out several local gymnastic centers and decided this week I would take the opportunity to join one of their drop-in classes. The drop-in class allows Little Miss L. to have one full hour of free play in a safe and fun environment. It would give me the opportunity to watch and maybe answer some of the questions I stated above.

Yesterday morning, we put on our jackets and boots and headed out the door to an unknown territory. Once the initial meet and greet happened, Little Miss L. was free to do whatever her little heart desired. For an hour straight, my little girl did not stop running, jumping, climbing and swinging all over the place and she loved every minute of it. As she interacted with children, I knew she would have no problem in future classes with social interaction. During the hour, there were several staff members who came and asked Little Miss L. to complete a task (like climbing through a tube or jumping on the trampoline) and not once did she ignore them - she listened and watched as they demonstrated and then copied what she had just watched. I realized as I observed my daughter running and jumping - she was more capable and stronger than I gave her credit for. All this to say that I am glad we made it to the drop-in class and I will definitely be back again next week. For the time being, I think I will hold off on organized classes not because I do not think Little Miss L. is capable but I like the flexibility drop-in classes provide.

If you have an energy-filled child, check-out your local gymnastic center and see if they have the option for a drop-in class available. I promise you will not be disappointed, this is great way to foster your child's physical and intellectual growth.

We had a moment when Little Miss L. thought she was superman and could fly off the trampoline. After several times explaining she must step off - this is the look I received (yes, my daughter has an attitude)

See Momma? I told you I could jump off without falling... my little gymnast in training.

the grocery store is a perfect learning tool

As a mom, I am always looking for ways to inspire Little  Miss L. to use all of her senses. I know children learn through everything they experience and that everyday activities actively engage our little ones.With that said, I sometimes have to stop and remind myself of this. As examples: when it is time to prepare dinner, it is easy to just allow Little Miss L. to watch television or to play with her toys instead of helping me prepare the food; with our busy lives, it is easy to run into the grocery store throw what we need into the cart and zip out - these are the opportunities I need to take advantage of as a parent to actively include Little Miss L. in simple everyday tasks and activities.

Yesterday we headed to our local grocery store- it truly was the highlight of Little Miss L.'s day. She loved pointing out and naming the fruits and vegetables. The grocery store is a great place to allow her to explore her senses and to be hands on. She loved smelling the fresh fruit and practiced her hand-eye coordination by putting the fruits and vegetables into the bag. I know that as Little Miss L. progresses, she will be able to handle larger tasks such as preparing a grocery list or spelling out words she sees around the store, but until then, I will remember the big smile that comes across her face as she points to an apple and says the word correctly.

So, from one parent to another, today I thought I would post this little note about how much I enjoyed slowing down and taking a minute to actively include my child in everyday tasks such as shopping, cleaning, cooking, and gardening to name just a few. There are so many products/tools out there to help promote child participation such as child-sized shopping carts for the store, and miniature gardening tools allow children to feel comfortable and are easy to operate. Everyday can be a full day of learning opportunities - so it is our duty to take advantage of  these situations because children love adult responses and feedback. I would love to hear what you and your little ones have been up to!