Closest to number 1 but if a little one wanders in and wants to cuddle with mom or dad a few minutes conversation switches to child friendly things, and if older kids pop in to tell us something or ask something that's fine. If they linger too long they might be told to go play so the adults can chat. Kids and adults alike are always happy with this arrangement! The kids like the chance to play with other kids and the adults like the chance to chat and joke about adult topics and enjoy adult company.

Hooray! Welcome back! (Almost)! It must feel so exciting and odd all at the same time! What are you most looking forward to upon your return to the U.S., and what will you miss the most when you leave Germany?

Last week, the week of Thanksgiving, we started our "Random Act of Kindness A Week for 52 Weeks" Challenge. To reiterate, it doesn't matter how big or how small your Random Act of Kindness is over any given week. The idea is to just improve somebody's life, mood, spirits, week, or day in some way, no matter how big or small. Happiness is contagious. By doing nice things for other people, you're bound to make not just them feel good, but yourselves, too! And by involving the kids, the whole family, you'll be making THEM feel good, and teaching them to do good, too...it's a win/win! It doesn't matter who the recipient is. It can be a friend, a relative, someone in your own household, a complete stranger, an animal friend. It can be someone truly needy, or truly deserving, or it may be one of those weeks where it is just someone you allow in front of you on the checkout line. Just DO something to brighten somebody's day each week. I hope you'll join in on this challenge and post to the threads I'll be posting each week to let us all know what you did! This way, we can offer each other accountability to continue on with the challenge, inspiration as we give each other new ideas, can share fun stories of what we did and how people reacted and so on, and, okay, give each other a little bit of well-deserved recognition, too. :) This is the place to chat this week, which runs from Sunday, November 27 to Saturday, December 3rd. Come share your ideas, ask for ideas, tell us about the things you end up doing, comment on other people's stories, and so on. Can't wait to hear from you!

Regena, I've never heard of the International Book Project. Going to have to look into it! Toawh, That's ok, you have to start somewhere and there will be bigger weeks and smaller weeks! The big thing, really, is that you have the kids on board with helping others. :) Jenn, That's an amazing way to spend Thanksgiving! And every year, too! I am glad so many of you have participated this first week. *I know how busy many of us were with family and holiday stuff. But again this doesn't have to be anything major or time consuming in any given week. You guys have done great. You've made a difference in other's lives and have hopefully inspired others to join in next (this) week and touch even more lives! This thread is now closed. I am going to start the Week 2 thread right now and will be back within a few minutes to edit this post to include the link. Anything you do from today to next Sunday and even updates you want to share from this past week (notes of thanks etc) you can share in the most current thread). ETA: Here is the link to the Week 2 thread, please direct all further conversation there: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3358964#post3358964

Stephanie, That's great! EVERY time- the little ones must get excited. Look, Mommy, another one! lol. Dolphin, That's true, it's someone's child! I'm impressed you went after him, and I'm curious to hear if he does show up in January so make sure you let us know!

AJ, Love that he left you a thank you note, and that's so funny about your husband! Chelle, I know exactly what you mean and do think it's both important and kind to go out of your way to make people feel like they aren't invisible! And oh I really hope this challenge doesn't make anyone hesitate to post for fear of coming across like bragging! The idea isn't to show each other "look how great I am!" it's 1) accountability- to keep us going with doing these things. 2) to pool ideas- to give each other ideas we might not have thought of. 3) to show cumulative effect- that while it might not seem like what any one thing you do is a big deal it all adds up and when you add up what we are all doing together we are making the world a brighter place. :) Amo, Very sweet of you, it can be so tough on the elderly who don't have much and might not have anyone looking out for them! Mom25girls, Wow! 1,000 cookies! How awesome that you do all that baking for the shelter! Cowgirl, I am sure your server really appreciated that!!! My SIL is a waitress and it's been such a struggle for her lately. Business slow in general, people not tipping well, etc, and of course they can't even count on minimum wage and really depend on those tips! Kathleen, Those gloves sound awesome! I am sure she will love them!! Carrie, Would love to see pics of the ornaments! That is nice of you to give away things that took so much time to make, both as gifts and for the charity event!

19 months old...I'd pretend to "eat" play food they gave me, I'd color with them if they liked that, I'd hide things and let them find it, I'd play hide and seek, I'd do a little bit of rough house/tickling, make silly faces to make them laugh, I'd play conversational games like easy rhyming games, easy opposite games, I'd have pretend "bands" with simple rhythm instruments and pots and pans and bang away, build with over sized blocks and such, read board books and texture books, and do some of the same stuff mentioned in previous posts....really, probably most of the stuff you already naturally do!

Definitely sweet to give people extra compliments. They can leave you smiling. :) So, what did you do for the mail carrier? That's a great idea. I think people donate a lot of food and stuff especially around the holidays but not so much those other things! Wow, huge! That's cool that your husband is the one who made the box for it! Aw, three under three is tough, and two with special needs no less is even tougher. That's sweet of you to get them things with your own money in addition to hooking them up with the charities! I've enjoyed hearing from you all about what you've done over the past week! Still hoping to hear from more of you! :) Week two will start tomorrow, and I will post a new thread for that... so if you've got stories to share from this past week, post them here! Remember, these don't have to be major, life-changing things! They can be minor, smile-inducing things- and for all of us, many weeks they will simply be just that, so don't feel like you shouldn't post because it won't be post-worthy...or else other people won't post because they'll feel the same, and the whole challenge will fall apart....just post, encourage each other, and keep the challenge going. For us, the things that come to mind from this past week are the letter and GC we sent to Shirley from the food pantry, which I already mentioned here in this thread, stopping just short of running some lady's groceries over in a supermarket parking lot while circling around looking for a parking spot, as 2 or 3 cans and jars went rolling under her car as she was loading up and one of her bags broke...my daughter jumped out of our car and gathered them for her and gave them to her...and I helped someone looking into my homeschool group connect with someone else who could give her information on the cyber school she used as this was a single mom who is going to school, working a few odd hours, overwhelmed by the thought of homeschooling her two girls on top of it all, but desperately wanting them out of the public school they are in and wanting to know how she could find out what cyber schools might be good ones.

Oops...meant to post to the "Week 1" thread, sorry! I'll go pull up the "Week 1" thread instead lol. Post there instead! Link is in post directly above this one if you need it!

We play board games, card games, and sometimes video games. We read together. We watch movies together. With DD sometimes we do nails. We do school together and sometimes that involves fun hands on projects and experiments. We go on walks together and look for things to collect for our nature tank. I take them on fun field trips and outings. Sometimes we will play things like Simon Says or Follow the Leader or Mother May I or Red Light Green Light. Sometimes I'll play around with one of their "toys" with them if it's something like a geoboard or Perfection or legos or something else you can build with or make designs with. Sometimes I color with them or do other arts and crafts with them. Sometimes I'll help them set up some sort of tent fort kind of thing or suggest a game or activity they can do with each other. But do you mean do I get down and play Barbies and with toys and make believe and such? Not really. I think they get enough of that on their own, and with each other, and with their friends.

Seriously! My husband would never do this either! I can't imagine him keeping the kids with me going alone on a WEEKEND vacation, let alone a week/week and a half one, unless it was like a family or medical emergency, but not just for fun! Take advantage of that! :D Yeah...that's a good point. When my kids were two it was very hard to think of leaving them for any length of time. You're very bonded with them, of course, and you feel like they need you for every little thing and like you'd feel guilty if you weren't there. Now that they are 19, 11 and 6 I am drooling over the fantasy of a relative being willing to take them for a week while I go on a cruise lol. But you've got a husband who is willing to take on primary caretaker role long enough to let you go experience this wonderful trip with your mom, and I'm assuming even with a mom who is willing to take you on the trip, chances like this don't come around often! And they can be bonded with Daddy, too, and you're not abandoning them to the wilds of the big bad world with nobody to look after them. You're leaving them safe at home with a parent. And you'll be home soon. And, think about it, wouldn't it sound funny if you read a thread title that said, "Would you leave a 2 year old alone with their mother for 10 days?" Dads are capable parents, too, right? :) (Okay well a lot of them are haha). This really does count for a lot, too. :lol: (Only because I totally identify).

Gas card sounds awesome. Why would it be "tacky?!"

Well, we had Thanksgiving dinner at someone else's house yesterday, so leftovers are out. We are cooking dinner tonight... we are making mashed potatoes, and we're going to grill some chicken breasts marinated in Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce. And I've got a bag of mixed frozen veggies that I'll throw in one of those microwave steam bags.

It doesn't really matter what I would do, because you said she is the kind of woman who believes husbands should get to make these choices so she will probably give in to him. Perhaps the kindest thing you can do is help her understand that millions of kids go to public school and many do turn out fine and help her brainstorm ways she can prepare them, help them cope with situations that might come up, work now on various confidence building techniques, etc, and suggest she talk to her husband about a compromise where they try it his way but if public school seems to be having a negative impact on their children in any way, including their self esteem, they come back home?

No. She was doing something dumb and I'm sure she knew it was dumb but it was absolutely none of your business.

No, no, no. Do not do it yourself. Tap them on the shoulder, clear your throat, smile politely, and say, "Sorry to wake you, but do you think you could do X now, I really need to get X, Y and Z done before ____ 0'clock. Thanks!!" As for the brother, "Hello, brother, nice to see you! Brown rice stuffing? Ha ha, no, not on Thanksgiving! Why don't you go in and play with the kids for a little while...."

Well, doesn't that just figure! I watched the one show that came on like forever ago, and then figured it was never coming on again. I didn't know it was on last night, so, no, I missed it. Pout.

I do find it rude to comment on how fast someone eats or how much they eat. ETA: I have always been a fast eater. I don't know why, I just am. I'm kind of sorry to see that some people would find that I am "rude" because of that. Really, such a minor thing would bother some people about somebody else? That just seems so minor and silly to me!

I like it!

She sounds horrid lol

Maybe you need to find some "assigned reading" and she won't have time for reading those just now... tell her you'll renew them for her...but don't get around to it... lol

Yep.

There is one called Fusefly, no idea how active it is these days.

Hey Cindie, I'm not skipping Thanksgiving, because I love the meal, but I AM skipping Christmas. :lol::lol::lol: Love, your (Jewish) friend, Nance

Thanks for the commiseration! I forgot to add the part where my nephew (who was always a great, charismatic kid- now 21 years old and still a great, charismatic kid!) told us that when he was in high school, there were kids who used to throw pennies at him when he walked down the halls. :( This is one of the things I won't be upset about my kids "missing out on" now that they are homeschooled instead of public schooled, that's for sure. Don't get me wrong- there are plenty of people around here who are NOT like that and we've been fortunate to not encounter any outright hatred ourselves like that and we've all made some great friends, too, of all sorts- from atheist to Christian and everything in between. But it's just sad and uncomfortable to know that people are like that out there and that there seem to be a lot of them around here in particular. As for Santa...after how it was with my daughter when she was young, I decided that I am not going through several Christmases like that with my son, no matter what. He's been told in no uncertain terms right off the bat that Santa is not real and that he's just pretend and just for fun. I have asked him NOT to mention that in front of other kids his age and younger because some of them DO believe he's real and that we wouldn't want to upset them, so I did my best with that, but if he slips, I can't help that. I'm more concerned with not having another kid who can't understand why s/he can't have what every other kid around here gets to have every single holiday season, especially when it's drilled into them by every single friend, every single cashier, every single school teacher, every single waiter and waitress, every single show on television, every single kindly old lady waiting behind us on the checkout line at the store....you get the idea!