Saturday, June 27, 2009

Summer of Service Continues!

I cut and pasted this from the Mom It Forward Site because I LOVE how simple it is. Sometimes we get wrapped up in the thought that service has to be BIG. I like to challenge that thought.

Working in a school for so long has made me realize that oftentimes, a child only needs a friendly smile to feel better. So, I love this challenge for the week!

10 Ways to Make a Difference This Week By Smiling

1. Smile inside to give yourself a compliment or a pat on the back for a job well done.

2. Start your day out on a positive step by smiling at yourself in the mirror as you are getting ready.

3. Smile at each family member first thing in the morning.

4. Have a “best smile” contest with your kids to see who has the silliest, funniest, prettiest, nicest smiles. Have each child vote and win prizes in the different categories.

5. Have a “smile stare down” contest with your kids, family members, or friends to see who can stare the longest with a big grin on his or her face.

6. Go on a walk with your family members or friends and count who can smile at the most people. As an added bonus, count how many people you can get to smile back at you.

7. Take pictures of your kids doing their “best smiles.”

8. Make a smile photo album, where you capture each person in your family, smiling in several different settings.

9. Keep a smile log of how many times you smile during a single day and how many times someone else causes you to smile.

10. Keep a smile journal for a day. Write your thoughts and feelings about what smiling at others and others smiling at you does to your mood, your emotions, and the overall tone of your day.


I have been focusing on the kiddos lately since that is where I am greatly lacking in patience. Yesterday we went on a picnic in the living room (Champers was having a sad teething day. And it was raining) where we went on some amazing pretend picnics in fantasy land. Just doing such a small thing brought huge smiles from Bud and Baby. It was wonderful!

Happy smiling, all!

If you are interested, there is a fantastic Kodak giveaway on the Mom It Forward site that ends tomorrow! Hop on over.

2 comments:

Kristina P. said...

OK, I can do this! Here's to a weekend of smiling.

Cal said...

that is awesome. I am going to try it. I need more smiles in my life!