The Power of One

[JenNJ]

I love my dad but he talks and talks...and talks... especially since his wife died... so I usually call him on the quick when he knows im busy, we chat a minute and lets me go. Last night I called him and let him babble ( 1 hour and 52 minutes!) the saaaaame stories I know by heart and asked him questions, even though I knew the answer and just let him talk and he was thrilled....he even called today to thank me for our nice chat last night. Patience with your parents goes a long way. We dont know how long we'll have them.

This sounds exactly like my dad (my mom is still here though). I have made an effort lately as well and have started bringing up topics that I know he loves in hopes of hearing NEW stories, . ::

I have an awesome dc mom that I love. She was job hunting for months and went on an interview so her kids were here for just 2 hours. I didn't charge her for that day. I know things can be when money is tight and I am fortunate to have free sitters for my kids when needed. I wanted to pass it on.

[Unregistered]

My family took in two of the dc kids for 7 days/nights so the parents could vacation abroad...at no charge :-)(MARSTELAC here....cannot find my password at the moment)...

[kidkair]

I love my dad but he talks and talks...and talks... especially since his wife died... so I usually call him on the quick when he knows im busy, we chat a minute and lets me go. Last night I called him and let him babble ( 1 hour and 52 minutes!) the saaaaame stories I know by heart and asked him questions, even though I knew the answer and just let him talk and he was thrilled....he even called today to thank me for our nice chat last night. Patience with your parents goes a long way. We dont know how long we'll have them.

My dad's the same way. He's a writer though so I asked him to write out some of his favorite stories so that I have a record of them after he's gone. Since then it's been much more new material and he has written out some of his past and is working to do more. It'll be great to have when I can no longer have 2-3 hour chats with him.

[MG&Lsmom]

We are helping to raise a service dog for a local prison puppy program. He stays with us on the weekends. We socialize him in public and teach him good house manners, attend trainings, etc. When he's 14-18 months old, he'll go off to work with his human partner, and we start the process all over again.

[SilverSabre25]

We are helping to raise a service dog for a local prison puppy program. He stays with us on the weekends. We socialize him in public and teach him good house manners, attend trainings, etc. When he's 14-18 months old, he'll go off to work with his human partner, and we start the process all over again.

Ooohhh, I want SO BADLY to do puppy raising someday!

[MG&Lsmom]

Ooohhh, I want SO BADLY to do puppy raising someday!

DO IT! It's so rewarding. I have to say, we get so much out of it, so maybe it's not as selfless as we think. We have learned the proper way to train a dog, everything from pottying to advanced commands. We have the benefit of 'having' a dog but without the cost. And my daughter with autism reaps benefits we can not yet explain but I swear she is 100% better when he is here. If we had the financial means we would apply for a dog for her. For now it is what it is and one day when she's old enough to take the handlers test we will get one.

[Unregistered]

Took coffee to a friend who was having a harried day. She was out of coffee... I filled two go mugs at home and took them over.

[deliberateliterate]

I hope it's OK that I bumped this, it's such a great idea for a post.

Mine is not wonderful, but it's all I can think of. I read on my local Facebook mom's page that one of my DCMs was looking to by some used fall clothing, so I purged my son's closet and gave her all of his old cold weather stuff.

[Kabob]

This thread is old but I think it is a good idea.

I took my friend with me on my errands and had her drive. She is currently practicing for her license at the age of 25 as she has a severe phobia of driving. So I took her because her dh is terrified of her driving. I very much so wanted a drink after her driving but she was very grateful for my patience as she went in the ditch a couple times. ::

I also write handwritten letters to my 90 something year old grandma weekly but that costs me a stamp. She talks a lot too like a pp mentioned their father does so I meet her halfway by writing letters. She saves them and shows them to her visitors back home so I have been working on my penmanship.

[melilley]

I love that this thread was bumped!


I have been getting a ton of calls for infant and toddler care, but I am full right now. These spots are in high demand and a lot of the parents calling for a spot are desperate to find one. I have been contacting other providers in my area (through a fb group that I am in) to see if they have any openings. I then will get back to the parent and give them the information of the providers who do have openings.

It might not seem like much, but some of the providers in my area need to fill spots and aren't finding families and families are desperate to find a quality provider. It makes me feel good to know that I'm helping both parents and providers!

[crazydaycarelady]

For the past 7 days (8 weeks actually) I have been fostering a mama dog and her 6 puppies for the local shelter. The puppies can't be at the shelter until they are fully immunized so I have them until they are old enough to be spayed/neutered and go to their new families.

[sahm1225]

I volunteered at my daughters kindergarten class because the teacher broke her foot. She has 25 students and shared an assistant with another class's... So I told her to sit down and I walked 25 students to the bathroom. Let's just say I think I will bake her some banana bread or something for the patience that woman has. In the 45 minutes I was there I said 'hands to ourselves more that I ever say it to my 2-3 year olds! Lol

[Kabob]

For the past 7 days (8 weeks actually) I have been fostering a mama dog and her 6 puppies for the local shelter. The puppies can't be at the shelter until they are fully immunized so I have them until they are old enough to be spayed/neutered and go to their new families.

I've always wanted to foster cats and dogs! My dream when I have the right location...

I overheard a shelter volunteer say to a man looking to adopt a pet that he should foster first because it's like dating a woman before marrying her because "no one with a happy relationship marries a woman they just met at a bar." ::

[AuntTami]

I've been thinking about this for the last 10 minutes and I'm ashamed to say that it was difficult for me to think of something! I'll have to work on making that a priority. But I did come up with one.
A few days ago a friend of ours came over with his girlfriend and their 3 small children to play for a while. He's unemployed and she just got a job a couple weeks ago, so things are tight for them. The growing season is wrapping up(we have a large, organic garden) so we went through the garden and found 3 shopping bags full of fresh, organic produce for them to enjoy. Tomatoes, peas, green beans, carrots, onions, everything that was left in the garden got sent home with them! We still have some stuff in the green house, but it's getting too cold for any outdoor produce, and they needed it more than we did!

[midaycare]

I try to leave everyone better than I "found" them. Knowing how a bad look, sarcastic tone, or any little thing can ruin someone's day, I try to uplift people by small compliments, recognition, a smile, a nod, etc. Some people have told me that I always have a smile on my face, and that's why.