Happy Birthday to ME!!!

I mentioned it on facebook and here on my blog. I recently turned 36. Not the most exciting birthday, but a birthday none the less. I am so blessed to have been given one more.  This year I decided to to "The birthday project" this is where we do one random act of kindness for every year I've been here.

For those of you that are not familiar with the " Lindsay way of doing things".....I tend to have a great idea, get excited about it, get everyone on board.....and then only do half of it.  At that point I have only had 30 better ideas and started 30 new projects that I may get half way finished. I am pretty sure my husband bites his tongue until almost bleeding when he hears me say..." I have this great idea".  I was determined to finish this one and it is still in process but will. I say WILL be done soon.  :) 

One of my favorite things is how my girls were SOOO into it. They worked so hard thinking of the ideas and the sparkle in their eye when we did it was amazing.  Julia would come home from school with things that she did that day to add to our list! Our random acts of kindness are as follows.  

1. I left a card  on my kids beds telling them how glad I was to be their mom.

2. I purposely left the change in the pop machine for the next person

3. Mark and the girls gave the waitress a large tip and told her to have lunch on them.

4. Julia let a friend in line ahead of her to get on the bus for a field trip, when everyone was pushing and shoving.

5. Julia tried to pay for a friends lunch at school when he realized he forgot his lunch on the counter at home.

6.Julia let others be the quarterback in gym when she was the team captain and really wanted to be :) 

7  I let someone go ahead of me at a stop sign.  (Julia made me write this one, I think it was kind of a stretch! :) 

8-12.  This is the second year that we have delivered Thanksgiving meals to families in our town thru our church.  It is one of my favorite things we do as a family and it was on my birthday. I feel like I can count each one as a separate act of kindness because each family was such a different experience.  The first family thanked us for the blessing.  She saw my kids walking up with things too. She thanked me for teaching my kids to give back. I was so humbled by her and her spirit. It was one of the many times I was moved to tears that day.  The family I cannot get out of my head, was going thru a situation similar to one my husband went thru as a teenager, losing a parent.  I sobbed from their house to my car.  It struck a chord with me, that everyone's life can change at any given moment. I was also so moved by her attitude. After talking with the mom for about 20 minutes, all she could speak of is how God was in control of their life and situation. Amazing. Praying for her strength thru the holidays.

13-18  Sending notes.  I think I am not alone in this, but I often think good things about people and almost NEVER tell them my thoughts.  I tried to pay attention to my thoughts the couple of weeks before doing this project and sent notes to people telling them how I was impressed by them.  This is one I will be trying to keep up.  It was a little scary to send the messages as I didn't want them to think I was crazy! I am SOOOO glad that I did! 

19. put random carts away at the grocery

20. This was one of my favorites. I bought a Starbucks gift card at the store and then the kids and I waited at Starbucks to give it to the next people that walked in. It was a couple that looked to be in their late 50's/early60's  Julia ran over to the wife and said "This is for you." The woman looked at me and said " I think your daughter thinks I dropped this??" I explained what we were doing, and her response was "but I don't know you..."  I said that is the point. She and her husband hugged all three of us. We cause quite a scene in Starbucks. Julia looked at me and said...MOM I feel like Ellen! :) 

21. We wrote about 20 post it notes with nice things on it and before we went out to eat, we put them on cars...here is some photo proof! :) 

My 9 year old got very creative with her notes!!!

22-24  We made a TON of cookies and delivered them to 2 fire stations and a police station in our town.  The Westfield fire fighter that answered the door, gave the girls the royal treatment.  We got to tour the whole fire house and let them sit  in the truck and ambulance.  Libby is STILL talking about it!! Here is more photo proof!!  

25. The kids made our bed....without being asked to

26. The kids cleaned our bathroom without being asked to.....

27  I left a dollar bill under a payday candy bar at Walmart

28.  I stopped a lady at church and told her how well behaved her kids were during mass. She literally looked at me like I was talking Chinese.  Not sure if she believed me or not.. :) 

29.  I put a dollar bill for someone to find under a bag of water softener salt. 

30. I obnoxiously let cars out at a shopping center. There was no one behind me so it was a win/win. I felt like this one had to be obnoxious to count! :) 

This is the point that I have to say To be continued.  We had a large and AMAZING group at our house for Thanksgiving and we have yet to do the last 6....BUT WE WILL....promise!! 

I asked friends to also do random acts of kindness in honor of my birthday, and quite a few did!! I was so humbled! I will post those when I post the last 6 that we do!  Until then have a GREAT day and much love to all of you!!!