G is for "Getting Ready for RAOK" and "Greenwich Public Library"

 

G is for "Getting Ready for RAOK" and "Greenwich Public Library"

I found 3 boxes of these note cards at Christmas Tree Shops- aren't they perfect??? I'm going to enclose them in my Fenway treat bags!

 It's 3 days out from my RAOK binge, and the kids and I have been having a fabulous time getting ready!  We've been (along with two of our awesome chamber music friends) brainstorming ideas for the big birthday RAOK blitz, and we're figuring out that 43 is a LOTTA years and a LOTTA RAOK to "think up"!

Before I detail some of the prep work we've been enjoying, I thought I'd better address something pretty important that has come up as I've shared my birthday goal with friends...in fact, it's so important I may even "bold" it- (but definitely not "caps" it- I'm SO not yelling at anyone! ;-):

Just because I've asked folks do perform a random act of kindness in my honor for my birthday does NOT (had to "caps that ;-) mean that I don't realize that you perform these acts ALL OF THE TIME (or at least with remarkably admirable frequency)!  Of course you do!!! If you didn't, we probably wouldn't be friends :-)!  I am privileged and truly fortunate to call an amazing, thoughtful, and generous group of people my friends- random acts of kindness are simply "who you are"!  In fact, your kindness is rarely technically"random", because it's purposeful and central to your character....and I love that about you!  

(Oh, and to those of you who have told me that you think I'm nuts and will "freak people out because only weirdos do stuff like this"- I love that about you, too! ;-).

I decided to go on a RAOK bender because I was inspired by The Birthday Project .  I, (like my fab family and friends), engage in frequent acts of kindness; however, I've never had the experience of such a concentrated, purposeful blitz.  I'm realizing that the rewards have already started!  Friends have been sharing their own stories of recent acts of kindness- many have been both benefactors and recipients, and several have stories related to their vacations.  My kids and their friends have been brainstorming ideas to help me get to 43, and I love that they're spending time engaged in conversations about helping others!  I have LOVED trying to find just the right things to share with folks for the ideas that require "specialized" (I mean "specialized" so loosely, that if my mac had an "air quote" key, I'd use it now ;-) items.

So, my son and I passed the time before carpool today on a quest for some of the things we'll need.  Here's a sneak peek at a few of the things we have up our collective sleeves:

These are washcloths from L.L.Bean and toothbrush kits from Target.  I called our local homeless shelter and they said these were items for which there is currently a need.  L.L. Bean had the Turkish cotton washcloths on clearance for $1.25 each (we selected 2 of each color) and the toothbrush kits were $1.00 each.  I'm loving the wash cloths- I can't remember the last time I washed my face with something that didn't have a Disney character on it ;-)!  I may need to return to the store for a few for our house!  In the meantime, we'll drop these off at the Columbus House this weekend.

These are crayons and  dog treats to hand out to kids and puppies at the farmer's market on Saturday (and leftover doggie treats will be taken to the doggie park for sharing :-).  I know ZILCH about dogs, but the guys at the Earth Animal store in Westport told us that these treats are 100% USDA organic, and wheat free!  He said that the pumpkin flavor is their best seller?  Hmmmm......that gave me pause ... (or "paws"?;-)....is it the best seller because the dogs love it, or because the owners like the beta-carotene/slighty "autumn in New England" aspect?

O.k., so I'm WICKED excited about these!!!! Many birthdays have goodie bags, and in this case, the goodie bags are headed to random strangers!  I'll be going to a Red Sox game for my birthday, and I'm making about 20 goodie bags to distribute to folks I  meet at Fenway!  I found some super cool Snoopy and Charlie Brown packs of baseball tissues.  Then, at Bath & Body Works, I discovered "Home Run, green grass" anti-bacterial hand gel.  YES, Purell (or "Up and Up" at Target was the better value- more product for the $; however, these go with my THEME!!! C'mon, I had to get 'em :-).  I'm also including a couple of classics such as the original "Wet Naps" and some Pep-O-Mint Lifesavers.  

I'm so excited about my non-organic (but so thematically perfect) hand sanitizer that I have to share a close up:

I know, RIGHT?!?!?!?

I grabbed these gift card tins for a  cards to share to a couple of local restaurants and a bookstore.

The magazines are for my hair salon.  I ALWAYS love their magazines- it is such a guilty pleasure to sit for an hour and read People, In Style, and US Weekly; however, my kids don't share my enthusiasm for celebrity gossip ;-).  They bring their own books to the salon; but sometimes I know they'd enjoy the same light-reading experience a magazine can offer.  So, we selected some kids' magazines at our local bookstore to donate to the salon's magazine basket!

So there you have it, the tip of our RAOK iceberg!  I am so excited to share this with you; my intent is to share our response to some great inspiration we received and we hope you're enjoying reading about it, and therefore sharing it with us.

 

And now, another library review from my bookishly critical kiddo.....

"G is for the Greenwich Public Library"

It started poring right after I took this photo.  Our umbrella was int he car, so we waited for the rain to stop under a tree.

OMG!!!!!! This library was HUGE! My mom, brother and I were very excited to visit the library in Greenwich and were amazed at not only the size of the building from the outside but also the size from the inside. As soon as we walked in my mom told us that the library was around the same size as a college library. Even the music section was a big as a CD shop itself!! This library (much like the library in Fairfield) had a gallery inside and contained many fantastic pieces of artwork. This library also had a parking lot nearly the size of one at the mall which I felt was a little odd because I do not think that nearly all the spots would ever be completely filled up at once. However this parking lot gave the library a feeling of great importance.

The CD section was huge with a capital H!!!!!!!~

The Flinn gallery on the upper level.

The huge parking lot out back-

After looking around the downstairs a while we wanted to check out the children's and teen sections. I have to say the Greenwich Public Library's teen section was not too impressive, relative to the rest of it. Other libraries such as the Fairfield and Avon had actual rooms where Greenwich only had a small area in the middle of the adult section with a fairly small selection of books for the teens.

The teen section nicknamed Teen Central.

This library's children's section was one of our favorites. There were a few places to sit scattered around here and there and there was a room dedicated just to picture books, for the smaller kids. The Greenwich library also had a great summer reading program where kids who participated created a little character of themselves and hang it on a decorated wall. 

The picture book room.

The star decorated wall.

One of the decorated paper figures hanging on the wall.

This library was amazing and the largest I've seen so far! Sorry I hadn't posted any in a while. I have been at camp!! I hope I have a great time in Hartford and Ivoryton next week!