Small deeds make a huge impact

The other day we went grocery shopping Justin started collecting carts. Taking them back into the store. This summer we ran into a lot of people hitchhiking standing outside stores that we ended up giving money to. There is a hotel that is run down and left to rot away near our house. My son asked if we could buy it to let the homeless live there. His thought is they could pay rent by up keeping the place. He wants to do things that would make a person smile. It's a great idea I'm not sure if we are able to do that right now. I will be checking into it. It's definitely a good thought to keep in mind. He is collecting dog and cat food right now for the shelter we donate to. He loves animals. 

We are collecting blankets , food, treats, cat litter, anything you can think of right now. 

#40daysofgenerosity

It's not hard to make a person smile. 

Small things will make a huge difference.

We as a family try to do something for someone else everyday. We love helping people. It warms my heart that my children are now thinking on their own what to do. 

What can you do to help? 

School is almost here

Well we are off to a great start so far. School shopping is done supplies for the kids complete. Teachers supplies dropped off today at open house all set and ready to go. Christopher did a fantastic job on helping pick up supplies for his Teacher. I can't believe he is starting preschool in a week. Justin is taller than me. Christopher  wants me to go find dinosaurs for him to train. I'm freaking out about three hours  popsicle will be gone but really I have that time to study without interruption. I can go grocery shopping by myself. I don't know what to do with myself. That's huge a shopping cart with no little hands grabbing everything. I might just have to go done an aisle and throw something down just to feel normal. Go to the gym I'm a gym rat totally. Well that's half of my studies anyway. The picture of school supplies are what we are donating to Jay's school we also picked up all this again plus four more packs of line paper and copy paper. School starts tomorrow I have so much anxiety about Jay going to school not so much with popsicle. I don't know why that is maybe first born. I don't know! Talking to my friend she is the same way with her son not daughter. It just seems like time is going by so fast. Next year Jay will be in high school and driving soon. I want to stop time. Today ten Teachers stop to say hi to him before we made it to his classroom. He is popular in his school for all the good reasons. I'm excited to see what this year will bring. A lot of memories smiles and laughs. I know this blog post is just me carrying on about a lot. Just smile today be thankful and laugh a lot. 

Justin and Rain

He started his bucket list. Only a week out of school and he's bored. It started raining cats and dogs today its Florida it's going to every day now. Justin thought it would be a good idea to go wash the car in the pouring rain. The mom in me started to say no. Then I realize I have to take advantage of the situation he's wanting to watch the car and it's one less thing I have to do before our trip. I let him took pictures and videos. He was laughing the whole time. He was a little bummed out because he still had to go get the hose to rinse off the car because it stopped raining so hard. Christopher opt out of it he didn't find it to be funny or exciting. The things we do to stay entertained in the time of boredom. After Justin wash the car and rinsed it. I pulled into the garage dried it then did the interior. I even vacuumed it I just have to keep it that way over the weekend.

I love these moments because we might not have them again. I love being a mommy!  

Give a smile

Shopping the other day at Walgreen's we were approach by a women wanting us to help her buy a few things. Now, I have seen her all over the place walking sleeping in the park at one of the parks I take my boys to. She looked like she needed the help. I understand being homeless as I was there once in my life. I remember what it felt like what it felt like to be hopeless. It wasn't fun and not anything anyone should have to go though in life. You would think it wouldn't be an issues in today's world but it is. My son and I gave her $20 dollars I wish I had more on me at the time. There is also a man who waits on the corner with a sign and a dog. Sometimes he is by Burger King with a few other people. We collect and buy food for our local animal shelter this time we have put dog food in our car to give it to him next time we see him. If you have extra anything money, clothes, food please give when you can. We do all the time we try and help daily to put a smile on someone's face. Pay It Forward today and everyday. Be safe as always when dealing with people you don't know. Please keep that in mind. Thanks for reading!

 

Giving Back

It's that time again to give back to our community once again. I know I said every month there would be a post. We have been very busy this past month we plan to double up this October.  The boys and I have been buying away there is twice the amount now in picture below. The Humane Society was taken back by how cute Christopher was bringing in the cat food. However He left crying because he wanted to bring all the dogs and cats with us. I had to say No.

Our crazy cat also know as Mickey the cat on Instagram is more than enough for me.

 

 

Here is our start in making a difference.

 

Christopher being cute! We plan to donate blankets next time as they are in need of that as well. Give back today to a cause, person maybe babysit for a working mom. A smile can go a long way. The boys and I are now working on giving bags filled with things someone can use who are homeless. We see a lot come the Holiday's.

 

 

Giving Back

 Justin is at it again after three years of giving back now he has a new mission. He will even be on the S.P.C.A of North Brevard Facebook page.

8 bags of food and cat litter

I started giving back in High School even if I didn't have anything to give I would find a way. I have now pasted that gift of giving down to my children. They love making people or animals happy. If I left it up to them and my crazy hubby we would be the people with to many cats, dogs,chickens and whatever else they felt needed a home. I almost said yes to a homeless snake as much as I hated seeing that bottom lip of theirs out I can sleep at night knowing I won't be a snake's lunch. 

Going through the boys closets and toy boxes this weekend. They love giving back. It makes them happy when I say it's time to think of things to add to Justin's Steps. He comes up with most of them with a little help from the Internet possibilities are endless. 

If we want to help change the world we have to start with our children. It doesn't take much to put a smile on someones face. 

Justin's steps

                                               My son's steps to make a difference


I have decide to turn his page into a post until I fix the his page for 2014. Just a little ideal of what he has done in the last two years to help out.

April 2012
Justin Steps to make a difference is what he wants to call it. Hubby and I were talking about the website I just bought coffee from when Justin walked into the room "What can I do to Help?" We explain to him why we bought coffee from Three Avocados(http://www.threeavocados.org/) instead of from the store. Now, He wants to turn it into a project for school. We are having a bake sale which all proceeds will go to Three Avocados.If you would like to help out please email me. Here are the things we have came up with so far. Mind you most if not all are Justin's idea's. If you have any more idea's please contact me. I also have a facebook page to www.facebook.com/placesintime



1. Donate reusable bags to a local food pantry.(Monthly)
2. Have a bake sale May 5th for Three Avocados
3. Help save the Polar bears by donating $10.00 a month for a year to WWF. Already started this month(http://www.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/Species-Adoptions/Polar-Bear.aspx?sc=AWY1200WCGF1&gclid=CNirp_nA1q8CFQpY7AodCSKVEA)
4. Plant a tree with Mom and Dad.
5. Help out Sea Turtles by adopting one. http://www.seaturtle.org/adopt/
6. I will donate my time to a local shelter. ( He has to wait till he is a little older to do this by his self.)http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=3&ThirdPartyClicks=PF-PublicPages-text_Bottom
7. Help raise money for a children's playground.( This is a long work in progress)
8. Nine random acts of kindness on my birthday.(http://mixmingleglow.com/blog/?p=1358)
9. Make someone smile daily
10. Help children who are being abused by Taking a Stand in Stopping Child abuse.I'm in the process with my son on creating a product to sell for children safety.(http://www.nspcc.org.uk/)
11. Play WeTopia with my mom. It really helps kids all you have to do is play.
Here are some links of Justin's Step's.


http://lifeisonlywhatyoumakeit.blogspot.com/2012/09/acts-of-kindness.html
http://lifeisonlywhatyoumakeit.blogspot.com/2012/05/this-is-playground-justin-is-trying-to.html

12.Making a cookbook to sell for playground equipment.(pictures will come soon with a link to buy)
13. Catching fish for a fish fry.
14. Babysitting
15. Baking bake goods giving them away to see a smile.

There are a few steps my son is still working on in the year 2013. The biggest step he has made is in his own age group. He stands up for the ones who can't. My son Justin is the reason I'm a better person everyday. My hubby and I are amazed by his acts of kindness daily. We love you Justin very much.
1. Help our Men and Women by buying coffee from a Cup of Joe every month.
https://www.greenbeanscoffee.com/coj/

2. Visit a children's hospital to make them feel better and make some new friends.(couldn't do it last year still too young)
3. Help out with children who need help
4. Justin will Jump Rope for a little girl name Lexi who needs a new heart on Feb 20,2013. He raised $40.00 on his own by asking friends and family here in Tampa and in Michigan to donate money. He will jump for 45 minutes. It takes Heart to be a Hero! The American Heart Association puts this on every year at his school. www.heart.org

Christmas

A Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without giving. The boys and I donated about six coats to the Salvation Army with a duffle bag of my hubby's clothes that he no longer wears of course. Sending in a Christmas gift today for a little boy who is the same age as my little one. Who may not get anything but what we bought him. Justin was so cute explaining to his brother what we were doing.  Christopher kept asking why doesn't Santa just get him toys. Justin finally just told him he will. While looking at me and said  "I hope he does." It's hard not being able to explain fully without destroying Christmas for my son. I have always told him that some people don't believe in Christmas that's why Santa doesn't come. I don't know what else to say. We give a lot around this time of year. I help out everywhere I can. Now, That my son is getting older he understands more of the meaning of Christmas not what he will get. He sent a gift in for someone in his school and one for a child overseas.  We were on the way to his tap class when he asked if we could stop to give a homeless person his last ten dollars.  I pulled off in the parking lot where the man was. Justin ran up to him as I was getting out of the car.

Justin "Maybe you can get something to eat. Merry Christmas try to be safe." 

Yes, I'm a proud momma. A qick note please be careful if you take part in giving to a homeless person.  

The gift contains

Thomas the Train, Captain America and in the stocking is filled with cars.

I hope we helped out just a little for this little boy. 

"Leave Only Your Footprints"

                    Adopt-A-Shore




I hate going to the beach seeing plastic bottles, sandwich bags, plastic grocery bags, beer cans and broken sand buckets to just rot away on the beach. You would think that people would want to be clean so they can keep coming back. Nope My son and I have no problem asking someone to pick up their trash if they just toss it to the side. I didn't realize how much my oldest is just like me. He is quite yet very out spoken on topics he cares about. We bring back a beach bag full of trash to the car to get rid of it properly. I mean it takes all of two seconds to walk your lazy ass yes LAZY ASS to the trash cans that are on the beach to throw away your garbage. The family and I have decide to adopt a shore here in our county.

http://keepbrevardbeautiful.org/adopt-a-shore.php


I think it will be fun to clean up the beach it's not anything we haven't done. It will also teach my Popsicle early that our environment is very important to take care of. I think I started with my oldest when he was one we started recycling, picking up the neighborhood trash and throwing it away. He cleaned his first park and donated his time in Kindergarten. Justin  help painting his Aunt's garage when he was six.  Here are some pictures of the second year he helped out his school with Cub Scouts.

Now we are off to make our beach beautiful. It's really the small things in life you can be proud of that will mean more as you get older. He still talks about wanting to help when people out on Thanksgiving at a shelter to make sure people get enough to eat on that Holiday. I have held him back in the last recent years because it's emotional for an adult to give their time on Thanksgiving let alone a child. Justin takes it to heart when people suffer. Maybe he can handle it this year he hit the big 10 in July. He has grown so much this year. I'm very proud of my little man. We already donate clothes to our church the YMCA and day cares around our city. What do you do to help out?                                                                                                                                                                                Leave only your FOOTPRINTS.

Act's of Kindness

                                                        Justin's act's of kindness
My son Justin loves to help other's out in any way he can. We sat up the other night to surf the web of things he could do to make someone smile. Here is his list of things.

1.Justin and I decide to make a list of things to do for others. We made some cupcakes to pass out to the mailman with a little note saying thank you for delivering our mail. It made him smile.

2.We seen this old man cleaning his yard. Justin made him two peanut butter and jelly's and took him out two bottles of water. It made him really happy. He talks to Justin all the time now. Justin even helped bag some of the leaves to give him a break.

3.We have made it an everyday thing to support our troops. We made some happy by buying them coffee through www.greenbeanscoffee.org At least they can have a piece of home away from home.

 

4.At a local grocery store Justin went around the parking lot to collect the carts for the workers.

 

 

 5.Justin tape some change to a game machine with a note to pay it forward.

 

 

 

 6.We also wrote some letter's to children in the hospital.

 

7. We donated to charity with blankets we no longer need along with the boys clothes that are to

small. This was just the start my hubby and I need to go through our closets still.

 

 

 

 

 8. Justin talked me into giving Christopher old stroller we no longer use to a teen mom.

 

9. On one of walks we heard a kitten crying. Justin was able to get this tiny kitten out from under a house who he named Mickey. She is well and about four weeks old. Justin and I take turns feeding her with a medicine dropper. Today she just started eating dry food.

 

 

10. Justin gives a  bag full of shredded paper away that we would normal just take to the recycling center. Instead we found out the little girl down the street has a hamster but can't afford to go to the pet store for the bedding. Instead she comes up to the office for the shredded paper every week.

 

11.Justin thought it would be a great idea to buy Halloween tote bags for all the children in the area who don't have bags to go treat or treating.

 

 

I found that it is very simple to make someone smile everyday. Justin wakes up asking "So mom who will we make smile today?"

Steve has taking the boat out with Justin and friends to catch fish for a fish fry on Saturday to help raise money for our neighbor's who's house burned down. I think it will go well. What have you done today to make a smile appear? It's as easy as saying hello to someone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coffee for our Troops

This is a great idea. Justin will love this he loves to help out in any way shape or form. Come help us out we need to support our troops. Justin just spent $16.00 that will give coffee to eight of our troops. He gets a kick out of it now he will have a pen pal. Justin wrote to some troops back in April but no letter. He is always looking to help someone especially our troops. He's daddy is a Marine who he adores. He wants to be just like daddy. He definitely has his daddy's drive.
http://www.greenbeanscoffee.com/coj/

This is the playground Justin is trying to raise money for. The top picture is for 5 years to 12. The bottom is for 5 and younger. Besides bake sales, car washes,cleaning yards, washing windows, walking dogs, cleaning tanks, paper boy what other idea's do you have to help Justin in his Steps to make a difference in the world. I'm open for ideal's if you have any please feel free to email me at cottonpatty@yahoo.com

Save the Sea Turtles in the Memory of

In the Loving memory of : Donald Cotton
 From : The Needham's

 A memory I will share with you all in adopting a nest for my son is Papa was going to teach him how to do magic. The trick was he was going to turn him bald. We love and miss you very much!

Sea Turtle Nest #3 Hatching @ Carolina Beach, NC 8/30/2007

 http://www.savetheseaturtle.org/adopt-a-nest.html Justin just took it upon his self to adopt a nest. They are too cute. I want one to put with my other turtles. I know this one will need a lot more care then the two in the tank.

Help us save polar bears and other species

Aquarium Maintenance which is our family business along with my son Justin helps the Polar Bears every month won't you help them too. Look into your heart and give what you can. You can write it off at the end of the year.
www.NeedhamAquariumMaintenance.com
www.facebook.com/placesintime