Giving - Days 17-24

Day 17 - Served at Kid City "Thankful Christmas" (for church)

Day 18 - Took our son to buy gifts to donate to Heartbeats, a crisis pregnancy center

Day 19 - Left a snack, water, and thank you note for our mail carrier

Day 20 - Treated friends to Chuck E Cheese (to celebrate our son's birthday)

Day 21 - Served at church; Donated gift to Heartbeats

Day 22 - Pulled toys to donate to kids in need

Day 23 - Dropped a donation to Goodwill (books, games, stuffed animals)

Day 24 - Donated money to the Salvation Army; Took daughter shopping to donate gifts to Heartbeats; had family in for pre-Thanksgiving dinner

Giving - Days 11-16

11 - Made and delivered brownies to Veterans in honor of their service.

12 - Packed Operation Christmas Child boxes with my MOPS group.

13 - Threw a party for my son's birthday; attempted a cake; cooked for family. Gifted a bag of pantry food to my in-laws.

14 - Served at church; Picked up names for Light Up a Life to purchase gifts.

15 - Made banana bread for a friend.

16 - Invested in a family day for our son's actual birthday; Spent a good deal of the night in prayer for the 3 people still missing in Mt. Vernon.

Giving - Days 7-10

Day 7 - Served at church. Took care of a sick husband,
Day 8 - DID NOTHING ... Guess who got sick? (But I did still manage to do some school with my kindergartner.)
Day 9 - Donated books to the "Read for 20" program.
Day 10 - Taking a box and a bag of boys clothing to a dear friend.

Giving - Days 4-6

Day 4 - Enjoyed time with a friend's kids.
Day 5 - Gave my son the morning off of school: pj and movie time; just for fun! Took my husband on a date...if you know us, you would realize that this is long overdue.
Day 6 - Worked at a sports and arts camp (for our church) held at the local YMCA.

I need to get more creative next week.

Giving - Day 3

On Day 3 the kids and I cleaned out our pantry and donated a bag-full of items to the local food pantry. It felt good and now we have some more shelf space for the Kroger sale!

Giving - Days 1 and 2

Day One - blessed a friend with a coupon she needed; wrote about this challenge on my blog to share this blessing to my readers!

Day Two - gave back to the earth by dropping off some recycling; brought in my neighbors trash cans.

What do you have to give?

It is Better to Give than to Receive

Today is day 1 of the 30-Day Giving Challenge. I absolutely loved participating in this last year. Some of my ideas for these 30 days in November are:

- Cleaning out the pantry for the food pantry
- Giving hubby a backrub (which takes both time and energy; a gift on my part)
- Making gifts for the hospital/nursery/pediatrics with the kids...
- Donate baby things to Heartbeats, a pregnancy center
- Offer a free couponing class
- Trip to Goodwill of donations
- Leave coupons on the shelf at the store
- Bring back neighbors trash cans
- Take flowers to elderly neighbor
- Operation Christmas Child boxes
- Buy angel tree gift
- Coupon booklets for the kids (movie night, hug, extra desert, etc)
- Gift of prayer; meeting a friend for coffee and prayer
- Giving a meal to a new mom; or a pregnant tired one
- Sharing a meal with someone new


In a book I was just reading, the authors were discussing how much more fulfilling life is when you die to self and spend your moments in service to others. Things become less complicated, you have a purpose, you become more content and satisfied.

This month, I will join other bloggers in dying to self and choosing to SEEK OUT ways to give. Some I will be able to share. Some will be so personal, I will not. But know this: when I stop thinking of myself and start thinking of others, I will be satisfied.

God is more than enough for me, my thirst, my needs, and He can use me to help others too! How awesome is that? Are you with me?

30-Day Giving Challenge Complete - Or is It?

This month has been both challenging and liberating for me. I have done (at times) more than I thought I was physically and emotionally able. I have done simple, little things that I would have never thought of before.

I have grieved. I have loved. I have taken on new projects. I have given up old things. I have left coupons at the store for the next person to find. I have worked hard for little earthly reward. I have given little love gifts to my spouse (that I'm not sure he even noticed were gifts...) I have celebrated. I have prayed harder and for more than myself and my family. I have talked to my kids about giving. I have tipped more than normal. I have thanked more than normal. I have given. I have received. I have LIVED WELL this November.

I am thankful for this opportunity to intentionally focus on giving. Those of you who know me, know that giving is an essential part of what makes "me." After all, I am the lady who took her kids to work at the food pantry every month when they were 2 and 3! :) What I liked about this month was the opportunity to think outside of the box for new practical ways to give.

I hope you enjoyed the challenge as much as I did. I'd love to hear some of the ways that you gave this month. Feel free to comment below.

One last thing: I found it fitting as my kids and I were hitting Kroger yesterday (Nov 30th), that there was a Salvation Army bell ringer at the store. As I emptied out my change for the kids to give, we saw a soldier in full uniform. I simply said, "Thank you for your service." As my eyes welled up with tears, my son repeated me and added, "and have a Merry Christmas." As we stood there, our eyes locked and that moment was worth it all! I pray that my children remember to be thankful and always praise the One who is the Giver of all good gifts...God with us.

Have a blessed December and as Grant says, "have a Merry Christmas!"

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Luke 6:38 NIV

"Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity."
Luke 6:38 The Message

Update on the 30 Day Giving Challnege

You may have noticed that I have been absent this week. I apologize for not being here - but I am greatful that I could be "there" for a dear friend who lost her mother Monday evening. Please know my heart and that by sharing this that I am not boasting, but acknowledging God's work through me and my willingness to be His hands this week.

I spent most of Monday evening/Tuesday early morning at the hospital with my friend and her family hoping for a miracle and then, grieving a terrible loss. For those of you who are familiar with Strengths Finder, my number 1 strength is empathy; therefore, I too felt the loss right long with them, and I felt it hard. It brought back a lot of memories of loss in my own life...but I am so glad that I was there!

Tuesday I spent the day making calls for meal plans to provide the family with meals for the next three weeks. The responses were overwhelming - so many people offered to help!

Wednesday I started work on the funeral meal, had church, and a little time with the kids...

Thursday was the shopping extravaganza for my son's 5th birthday party... Yes, my baby is 5! Our family also went to the funeral home for calling hours.

Friday was the funeral dinner until about 3 and Grant's party started at 6! Our pastor dressed up as Woody from Toy Story and our worship leader and his weife were Buzz and Jessie! It was priceless... Our church is truly a community of family.

Today, I am still in my jammies at 3:18 pm, enjoyed a movie with the family, and am going to a Thanksgiving meal with friends tonight.

I'm really tired, but thankful for my life and my friends who are my family...I am blesssed!

Week 1 Update - 30 Day Giving Challenge

Week 1 of the 30-Day Giving Challenge is over. How have you stretched yourself this week to give to others in creative ways?

Some of the things that we did this week (while living the hotel-life) were: gave a really generous tip at a restaurant, opted to not have our room serviced (to give the maids a break one day), and had friends over to swim in the hotel pool.

I felt extremely challenged in my giving this week as we were out of the norm. I did; however, give an exceptional amount of TIME to my kids (playing games, reading books, working on spelling, etc) and my spouse (having a private lunch date, trying to be less demanding about his schedule this week, etc)

I received multiple blessings in phone calls from friends, laundry help from my mother-in-law while we were away (she did all the curtains and our leftover laundry), and a dear friend packed my kids lunches for school since we didn't have much space in the hotel fridge (thanks, Meliss!)

I personally plan on upping my giving this week in creative ways. Will you join me?

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galations 6:9

The Challenge Begins...

Don't forget that tomorrow starts the 30-Day Giving Challenge...

What do I have to give?

I WILL ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE!

I have accepted the 30-Day Giving Challenge at kingdomfirstmom.com!!!

Please prayerfully consider how you can join us in this challenge for the month of November. Make this a family project and have a month that you will never forget...

Ideas for ways to give: cookies to a neighbor, crafts/cards to a nursing home, donuts to the firemen, toys to a toy drive, invite someone unexpected over for a meal, leave change at the car wash for the next person, give to the Salvation Army, donate to Goodwill, clean up a park, buy the next person's fast food in line behind you at the drive thru, teach someone something new, give a coupon to someone in the grocery store, volunteer your time at a food pantry, rake your neighbor's leaves, etc...

The ideas are limitless - what can you do for someone else?