Do Unto Others: Somewhat Simple

While I’m out taking a break and healing from surgery, some of my favorite bloggers and bestest of friends have kindly agreed to help out with an LCMF blog series:

This series will hopefully answer some of your most frequently asked questions about “what can I do?” for someone who might be needing your help or support.

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Hi everyone! I am thrilled to be here sharing a thoughtful idea on Lara’s site today.

{Doesn’t Lara think up the best blog series? Seriously!}

Here is a simple, but meaningful idea the kids and I did last summer.

I can’t take credit for this idea, it came from a really great book I bought titled

52 Weeks of Fun Family Service, by Merrilee Browne Boyack.

Here is what we did:

When I told my kids we would be doing service activities each week this summer on “Thoughtful Thursday”, my 4 year old asked, “What is service?” We had a simple discussion about what it means to be of service: we will have a lemonade stand and donate money to a charity, we will write letters to our grandparents who live out of state, we’ll bring dinner to the new mom at church, we’ll bake cookies for the lonely widow on our street, pick up trash at the community park etc.

I then told them in my own words a cute story about service from Thomas S. Monson. My kids and I talked about how service can make us feel and how important it is for us to serve others.

None of my kids had ever heard of “Foster Kids”, so I explained to them that not all children are as blessed as they are to have a home with a family and that many kids are put into a Foster Home and are watched over by other people. Some foster kids don’t know what it is like to be loved, or have friends and many of them do not get to celebrate their birthdays. When I suggested that we take the time that day to make these kids some cards for their birthdays, my kids were all over it!

First, we gathered supplies:

We had cardstock, scissors, glue, stickers, crayons, markers, ribbon etc.

Next, we got creative:

With a plethora of supplies at hand, the kids had a blast decorating and writing sweet messages to kids they don’t even know!

Then, we shipped them out:

We put all of the cards in an envelope and got them ready to go into the mailbox. I did a google search for foster homes in my area and found a children’s foundation that dealt directly with the foster care system. I called the number and spoke with a lady who gave me an address that would take the cards and distribute them.

Lastly, we Grabbed a Treat:

The book suggests making ice cream sundaes to celebrate anyone and everyone’s birthday, so we hopped in the car and drove to our favorite yogurt shop and grabbed a fun treat! It was a great ending to a great afternoon.

My 8 year old said to me, “Mom, doing service is fun!”

…and I think so too!

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Thank you so much for coming Steph! What a TOTALLY awesome way to teach kids about service! And guess what? One of my favorite acts of service comes courtesy of Steph and her sister-in-law Becca. They drove me home personally from SNAP! because I was unable to even make the drive home. Just stepped in and did it. Amazing.

Please visit Steph at her amazing blog: Somewhat Simple. (You will for sure love her as much as I do!)

Do Unto Others: Somewhat Simple

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