So Wednesday was, to sum it up in one word: fabulous.
We all woke up bright and early - or at least what bright and early means at our house ;-) And headed off to the big city. (here's where I also tell you that I used the navigator on my new phone so I wouldn't have to print directions. And also that my phone gets traffic updates and will tell us how much time left on our drive. And so for most of the car trip instead of hearing "Are we there yet?" I heart "How much more time till we get there?" ROFL!)
We met up with everyone at the parking lot of the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) where we got our box of fun stuff for Do Good Day (thank you cards to pass out, stickers, candy, t-shirts for the kids, and our 77 dollars to pass out). We gathered all our stuff together and headed inside - which was good because let me tell you, it was pretty darn hot that day LOL!
The moms and older kids started to work on setting everything up. The younger kids found the play room right away! They seemed to float in and out of there during the whole day - but it was nice for them to have that area to hang out in. Well, at least my 4yo had a good time playing in there. Then he'd come out and do something with me, then go back in. So nice!!
In the middle of the dining room we set up a table and had the kids make some thank you cards. My 7 year old thought this was so fun that she ended up making quite a few cards all through out the day! We had the kids then take the cards they made to the office. They shared the thank you cards with the staff to thank them for all that they do!
Then we were all given a tour of the house by one of the residents there - her family has used the RMH several times. Her older sister was in the hospital. She knew the house pretty well and gave us a great tour of the house. I enjoyed getting to look around. We also learned that Coca-cola donated beverages to them. The vending machines were a quarter for each pop, but the RMH kept that money to help cover costs. The recommended fee for staying was 10 per night. It actually costs about 70 per night to keep a family housed there, so as you can imagine RMH and the families that stay there rely heavily on
donations to stay operational.
After the tour, it was time for lunch!
It really was such a nice lunch. But of course, you can't have lunch without dessert can you? Well, you can, but it's just not as fun is it?
A very full and fun afternoon for sure. But before everyone headed their own separate ways, we were able to get one group shot!
I was able to talk to one family for a little bit while we were there and being able to stay in this house was such a wonderful thing for them. They were able to visit their daughter/sister everyday - the mom mentioned if they couldn't come downtown they wouldn't be able to do that. I can't imagine as a mom having to leave my child in a hospital for several weeks and then not be able to be close enough to visit daily? :( Heartbreaking, but thankfully RMH is there to help those families out.
This was indeed a full day for us, but it didn't end there!
We got home and ALL of us (yes, me included) sat down to decorate the thank you cards in our box. We had decided while we were driving home that we would decorate all the cards and take them to our local police officers and fire fighters. I won't lie - we dropped them off after typical hours and we were met with a few strange looks when we first walked into the police station/rang the fire houses's door! The kids were all smiles though and so proudly handed a pack of thank you's over. They told them today was Do Good Day and they wanted to thank them for all the good they did. They handed them over (to a nice woman at the police station and a fireman at the firehouse) and asked them to please pass them around to the people they worked with. I admit, as mom watching them, it was so sweet and I loved it!
Then we decided to pass out (cold) water bottles and our dollar bills to those commuters coming off the train at rush hour.
We patiently waited for the trains to come. Fortunately for us, three trains were all coming in a short period of time so that was good. Unfortunately for us, people were very taken aback and we had a very hard time passing our dollars out. I think people thought we were trying to sell something to them (whether the water, the dollar, a political belief or religious believe - I'm not sure!) Anyway, we passed out what we could - but we couldn't pass out all of it. I won't lie - the kids were VERY disappointed by this. They were so down when we went back to the car. So, we headed to a park and passed some out there. Then we came home and passed out the rest to neighbors and friends! I will say, I think the passing out part was the most fun for all of them! And hence why the most disappointing when people wouldn't accept the dollars. I will say this though, the people who got it and accepted them, really got it and all had such kind words to say to us. And that was awesome! And that was especially nice for the kids to hear.
And then I think we all came home and completely passed out! ROFL!! We were tired. But we were happy. And we would all do it again in a heartbeat! =)
As an aside, I took lots of pictures on Wednesday and you can see them all
here!
Disclosure: I am working with The Motherhood on behalf of 77kids by American Eagle, and was paid a monetary stipend for participating in this project.
