Random Acts of Kindness - January

Well at the start of the year I laid out my plans for a kinder 2014 and what a month it has been.

For my first act of kindness I decided to send a copy of my favourite weaning book to a friend of mine, Carrie, who has just embarked on this magical journey. She has been sending me supportive messages throughout my pregnancy and since Jamie was born. She had asked me for my advice on weaning just before Christmas so I knew it was something she would be receptive to (some people may find being sent a parenting type of book through the post a bit insulting) but she knows how much I loved the whole weaning process and I am just so desperate to share it. 

I also decided to treat my husband to a bit of random kindness. I often overlook him. He has stuck with me at times over the past few years when other men would've run a mile. He has been looking for a change of job for a while and he finally got one a lot closer to home. The night before his first day I put together a 'back to school' hamper for him with some essentials such as a few shirts, a jumper, a new tie, a manly packed lunch bag, water bottle, flask, some helpful post its, a notebook and pen. He was surprised I think and although he's the type of man who doesn't say much, I think he was touched.

I've also been on the receiving end of kindness this month too.

My sister Kate bought me a lovely bath bomb from Lush as she knows I'm finding it hard to make time for myself at the moment. She is my step sister and came into my life when I was 21 but I love her like she's always been around. She is quite a bit younger than me but I've watched her grow up a lot these past few years and she has really been there for me since Jamie was born. She gives up her Saturday nights after a long day at work to keep me company while my husband swans off to watch ice hockey. I hope she knows how much I appreciate her and I hope I can return the favour when I support her as her bridesmaid in the next few years.

I recently started selling Usborne books and some of my friends have been kind enough to host or attend parties to help me get started. Thank you so much xx

I parked in the car park at the cinema the other week, running late as usual, JC was excited to be having a mummy date. I got to the pay and display machine to put in my £1 for all day parking when I realised that my 10p and 5p collection in my purse only came to 95p.  How bloody typical! I went to walk away, my inner voice giving me a real good beating for being so late, disorganised and unprepared when a hand came from behind and slotted a pound coin into the machine.  A nice old lady had seen me struggling. She wouldn't take my 95p worth of dross! What a lovely example of a random act of kindness. 

My husband bought me these beautiful flowers this week, just because. 

Have you been kind this month? Has someone been kind to you? I'd love to hear about it. Feel free to link up below...

The Price of a Life

This is a post for my meme Random Acts of Kindness. To read more about this see here. Sorry for the delay in getting this post up but due to a) falling asleep on the couch last night, laptop in hand and b) Blogger being down during my 'free' time today it has had to wait.

I was inspired to write this post when I read Michelle's blog over at Mummy From The Heart this week. I read this post on Sunday and thought what a lovely thing to do. Michelle and her family sponsor two children through a Christian charity called Compassion. This is something I always think about doing, especially when I see adverts on the TV but like a lot of things, I never seem to get around to it.

I sponsor a dog through Dogs Trust. It was a gift to my primary 6 class from a few years ago (the gift that keeps on giving!) His name is Smudge, he lives in Glasgow and he loves treats. He can't be visited anymore because he has a knee injury.

My hubby's primary 5 class have recently sponsored two dogs through the same charity and they raised their sponsorship money through an enterprise project.

My school has a citizenship programme and as part of our Global Citizenship we sponsor a child called Adreen who attends a school in Uganda. The money the schools sends throughout the year pays for equipment, meals and clothes to attend school in.

I think that sponsoring a child/animal who needs our help to improve their life can be a valuable lesson to our children. When it comes to sponsoring less fortunate children, it teaches our kids about different cultures and values. As for sponsoring animals, it provides an excellent opportunity to discuss animal welfare and care. Many children who get dogs as pets for Christmas and birthdays end up not being able to look after them and they end up in a shelter.

So in a effort to promote kindness towards other beings (with 4 legs or 2) I write this post to ask you to think about the price you would put on a life. It really is that simple. Your money will go towards helping help your sponsor not just live but be comfortable and provided for. It costs £21 a month to sponsor a child through Compassion, £22.80 through World Vision or if you can't afford that, you could donate what you can afford to a charity like Save the Children.

If you want to sponsor a 4 legged friend then you can sponsor a dog through Dogs Trust for £1 a week. One of my favourite charities that I volunteer for is Boxer Welfare Scotland. If you love boxers as much I as do you can sponsor a kennel for £5 a month or £60 a year to help keep our bouncing babes safe and warm until we can find them a forever home.

So if you have any kindness stories to post then feel free to link up here:

Paying it Forward (RAOK)

Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.
Princess Diana

It's that time of the week again where I spill the beans on any Random Acts of Kindness I have bestowed on others throughout the past week. It was easy this week! Here is what happened last week .  .  .

I was not really interested in watching the Royal Wedding (ironic choice of above quote) so I planned to go the the Scottish Baby and Toddler Show in the SECC. I ordered tickets online ages ago but I hadn't opened the envelope. When we got to the show my hubby, who has the bladder of a two year old boy, had to visit the little boys room so I stood outside with JC. I was taking the tickets out of the envelope when I realised that I had bought 3 tickets by mistake. Initially I thought 'bummer, I could've sold it if I noticed sooner' but then I realised an opportunity to take part in a RAOK. 

I looked around and spotted a heavily pregnant woman walking past with her family. She had a kind face so I asked her if she had already bought tickets. She looked at me suspiciously as if I was some sort of illegal ticket tout and hesitantly replied 'no'. I handed her my spare ticket and explained that I had bought an extra ticket by mistake but that she could have it. She was a bit taken aback but then I guess that people are not used to getting something for nothing these days!

I spoke about karma and paying it forward (fab film!) in my first RAOK post about homelessness and  I firmly stand by the fact that being kind pays off. I don't think you should be kind and give to others with an expectation that you will receive something back but I do believe that everything happens for a reason and that kind deeds will be rewarded. I was brought up with the philosophy of treating others the way I would want to be treated. I even try to be kind to grumpy, not so nice people, not because they are kind but because I am. 

I hope you, my wonderful readers, have all experienced kindness in some form this week either as the giver or the receiver. If you would like to write it about then feel free to link up . . . 

Swimming - Not Enough Arms! (Kindness)

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."

Aesop

It's the 3rd post of my Random Acts of Kindness and I would like to tell you about something that happened to me yesterday. 

I love to take JC swimming as he has adored the pool since he was 12 weeks old. It can be quite difficult to be organised enough to sort myself while holding him, the bag, the car seat and the locker money! I went to a different pool for the first time as we were going to our first baby swimming lesson with WaterBabies. I was extremely excited about it but felt a little nervous because he has been suffering with a cold for the past few days.

I decided to take him and he actually really enjoyed the lesson. He was smiling and giggling the whole way through it. This happiness all came to an end as we stepped out of the pool. I don't know if it was the cold air or what but he started crying. I wrapped him in the towel and took him to the changing room. As I fumbled with the locker to try and get my bag out, I slipped and fell on my backside. I couldn't put my arms out as I was holding JC. I must have looked a right state and if I'd have seen me I would have laughed but I felt like crying. It was just one of those days!

However, a rather kind lady who had witnessed my pride crushing fall came to the rescue. She took JC from me (now all calm, happy and warm in his towel, giggling away like he had personally caused the fall and was rather pleased with himself). I was able to regain my dignity and get my stuff from the locker. He seemed quite happy with her so I just popped behind the door and quickly slung my clothes on. It was a small and random act of kindness from a stranger but it was a huge help to me and allowed me to regain my composure before I got him changed and ready. There are some days where you just don't have enough arms! Had she not been there I would have managed but I would have become hot, bothered and flustered. I need to remember to take help from people more often when it is offered to me. I like to think I can do everything myself but sometimes it helps to have an extra pair of hands.

Feel free to join in and post up your Random Acts of Kindness for this week . . .





Here is my button . . .

Smile Like you Mean it

"A warm smile is the universal language of kindness"

William Arthur Ward

Random Acts of Kindness has been on tour this week as I was on holiday in the Czech Republic visiting my Dad. It's a country I have visited many times over the past 7 years since my Dad moved out there. When I first visited I thought that the people were quite cold and lacked emotion. The sense of humour in these parts is dry and they can take a while to warm to you. The language barrier is a big issue as English is not even the second language, Russian or German are more commonly spoken after the official language of Czech due to the countries communist roots. Many of the people I have met in  CZ and have come to know well have been warm and welcoming to me. They prioritise family, keep clean respectable homes and work hard for a living. I wish I could communicate better. There is nothing worse than when you are sitting next to someone who gives off the non verbal cues that they want to converse with you but you can't understand a word! Czech is a difficult language to get your head around though. 

With my Random Acts of Kindness meme in mind, I went on this trip with the intention of bringing the simplest communication devise to the table, my smile. 

I made it my aim to smile at as many people as possible while I was out and about. Even though I couldn't always communicate with words, I could communicate kindness through a smile. My little Grumpinator has the most infectious smile . . . 

I found that many people smiled straight back at me and some would try to strike up a conversation as I guess it made me more approachable. I quickly realised that it actually makes me feel good too. I think that no matter where you are in the world and what situation you find yourself in, a smile can always bring happiness to both smiler and receiver. 

I googled smiling, because I'm nerdy that way and the first hit was 'top ten reasons to smile'. I like this list . . . 

Smiling . . . 

1.  makes us attractive 

2.  changes our mood

3.  is contagious

4.  relives stress

5.  boosts your immune system

6.  lowers your blood pressure

7.  releases endorphins, natural pain relievers and serotonin 

8.  lifts your face and makes you look younger

9.  makes you seem successful

10.helps you stay positive

With a list like that we should all be going around with a big cheesy smile and psychologist, counsellors and plastic surgeons might be out of work! 

I should also mention that many people were really kind to me this week when I was travelling with the wee Grumpinator. Lots of people offering to help me at the airport, carrying my bags and buggy etc. I hope they are Karmically rewards as I certainly appreciated their thoughtfulness and kindness. 

Fancy linking up your own thoughts on kindness? Something you've done or something someone else has done for you?

Home is Where the Heart is

This is the first post of my Random Acts of Kindness meme. Click Here is you want to find out what it's all about. There is a linky at the bottom of this post if you want to write your own Random Acts of Kindness post and link up. I will post my Kindness post on a Thursday but the link will be open for the whole week. 


Here is my Random Act of Kindness for the week . . . 

Every Thursday I go to Edinburgh to visit the Post Natal Depression Service that I use. I am currently on the waiting list for counselling at the moment but I take JC to the creche so that he gets used to spending time there. I also get some time to myself to go for a walk. I like to walk up Princes Street and I usually visit Waterstones or Starbucks for some book and coffee therapy.

When I was walking back to pick JC up I passed a homeless man sitting outside one of the shops. I looked over at him as I walked by and he gave me the loveliest smile. Sometimes the city can be a coldhearted place and not a lot of people smile at me when I go for my walk. I walked straight into Starbucks and bought a takeaway coffee and a muffin (lemon drizzle, my favourite). As I left the shop I thought of the homeless man and that lovely smile and without thinking I turned back and gave him the coffee and the muffin. He mumbled a 'cheers hen' as he tucked into his muffin and I just said 'nae bother' and off I went to pick up JC. Karma must work because all the lights were green on the way home and anyone who drives in Edinburgh will know that that rarely ever happens!

Some people have very little sympathy for the homeless. They are often seen as drug addicts, alcoholics or just plain lazy. Some think that they don't deserve help because they got themselves into this situation so they can dig their own way out. I think differently. A lot of homeless people are drug addicts and alcoholics, some of them are lazy and some of them are really nasty people but so are a lot of people who aren't homeless. I think if I was living on the streets of Edinburgh I would look for something to block out my dire existence too. I don't think anyone would actively choose to be homeless, they become a product of the circumstances in their lives.

I originally come from a small mining village (Lochgelly) in the east of Scotland where unemployment is high and prospects for young people are low. I like to think I have made something of my life and that I am a credit to my small village roots but it could've been totally different. I was lucky that I had a loving and stable homelife, a supportive school environment and a sensible peer group. I think there is a part of it that is internal too as I have always been a keen learner and naturally ambitious. I went through a bit of a bad patch in my youth but all the positives I have mentioned pulled me through it and kept me on the straight and narrow. Maybe this man didn't have a good homelife or upbringing, maybe he had bad teachers, maybe he has a mental health problem, maybe he made mistakes but he's still human and he still deserves respect, empathy and most of all kindness.

If you want to link up that would be lovely, or you could just leave a comment . . .
This is new to me so let me know if you have any problems linking up!

Random Acts of Kindness

"Kind hearts are the gardens, Kind thoughts are the roots, Kind words are the flowers, Kind deeds are the fruits. Take care of your garden and keep out the weeds, Fill it with sunshine, kind words and kind deeds."

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882); American poet, educator

I started thinking about random acts of kindness a few years ago when I was talking about being kind with my primary 6 class. We were discussing how it feels when someone is kind to us and how it can feel amazing when we are kind to other people. Apparently we are the 5th kindest nation according to a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). I don't think it feels like that sometimes. I think we can be a really negative nation at times and can be preoccupied with ourselves. I think that kindness is a quality that can be perceived as weak sometimes and that is quite sad.


I tried to start up this 'meme' a few weeks ago but I got cold feet about it. So I guess this is me trying again. I am going to take the approach that it is something I am doing for myself but if you want to link up then you can but if you would rather just leave comment then that is fine also. 


The idea is to write a post with the theme of kindness. This can be something kind that has happened to you or someone else. It can be something kind you have done for someone or feel free to take the theme of kindness and go off on your own tangent. I will not be setting any particular rules. 


I will do my Random Acts of Kindness post on a Thursday and the linky thingy will be on there, feel free to link up and join in, no strings attached!


Feel free to take my button and put in on your blog or in your posts:




<center><a href="http://grumpinator-theweanmachine.blogspot.com/p/random-act-of-kindness.html/"><img border="0" src="http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n96/cm0212/random-acts-of-kindness.jpg"/></a></center>

A Random Act of Kindness

I have decided to update my blog with this theme every Tuesday. The task is to perform a random act of kindness for someone and to be aware of people being kind to you. So, here is mine and feel free to link up and join in!

1. A man came to my door today to deliver a parcel, it was a DHL van and he often delivers things to me. I noticed this morning that I still had a box of chocolates leftover from Christmas. So when I saw him coming to my door, I grabbed the box and went to the door with it. I signed for my parcel and I handed him the chocolates. He looked perplexed and viewed me with suspicion (isn't it funny how we don't trust anyone anymore!). I told him that I had them leftover and that he always delivers parcels to me, even in bad weather, so I wanted him to have them as a wee thank you.

"I get paid to deliver them to you, I'm not doing it out of kindness" he said.

I replied "I know, but you don't get paid to smile and be nice when you come to my door but you always do."

He took the chocolates with a smile all over his face and off he went back to his van. I hope that I made his day today! I just hope he doesn't expect chocolates with every delivery! lol

As for kindness towards me, I have received some lovely emails and phone calls from my friends over the weekend. It is lovely to know that you are all here to support me and that I can call on you whenever I need you. Thanks!

Over and Out!
Feel free to link up and all that jazz . . .