I finally got certified in Infant and Child CPR and First Aid this past weekend. It’s two years overdue, but better late than never. Why I waited I’ll never know, but thanks to my friend Andrea, I finally went. She and I have children the same age and kept on each other to finally get certified. If we hadn’t talked about it, I’m not sure I would have ever made it to the class. Having a friend to go with makes it easier too.

We learned complete CPR, including the differences between adult, child and infant cases. We also learned about burns, poisonings, fractures and other ailments so that we are prepared for calamities that we surely will be faced with as our children age. I feel better knowing how to deal with serious issues now.

As I’m sitting in class I’m wondering why more people don’t get certified. with all of the disasters we have in this country, we need people to be trained properly to assist in emergency situations. Not just rely on the Red Cross to fix things. How many more people could we save if more civilians like you and me were certified?

Find a location near you.

This weekend we attended a birthday party for my son’s friend. I bought his gift days ago, but neglected to purchase a card. At the last minute I hunted around the house for an appropriate card to send with the gift, but only found a stash of Victorian note cards — not exactly appropriate for a two-year-old.

Loving the Internet as I do, I Googled “free printable cards.” I immediately found a Web site where you can not only print birthday cards, but you can customize them as well. **Love**

I printed a Thomas the Tank Engine card with the toddler’s name on it and it was a big hit — even bigger than the gift! Try it next time you need a birthday card.

The art of letter writing is dead; you practically have to go on “Survivor” or “Big Brother” to get letters from home. Recently I learned of a teen retreat where the kids would be given letters written by family members, telling him/her how much he/she is loved. They were deemed, “love notes” for the teens.

It’s easy to tell a baby or a toddler how much you love him/her, but teens are tricky. You don’t want to embarrass them, or feel rejected if they don’t return the sentiments — but a letter is the perfect way to connect.

I was asked to participate in one of these letter-writing “campaigns” and jotted down some words of inspiration for the teen. At first, you think:

What should I say?

Will it be too sappy?

Will I stare at a blank page for hours not able to put words to paper?

I can’t write.

Don’t over think it. Just write down a few thoughts and give it to your teen. I have to remember this for when my son is a teenager. I’ll file the idea away in the “great idea” category.

Today I went with a few moms and our kids to a local nursing home to visit with the people who live there. We thought it would be nice for them to see the kids all dressed up in their Halloween costumes. Boy, did I underestimate the welcome we would receive.

We planned on handing out some goodie bags to them, kind of like a reverse trick-or-treat. We did not anticipate the kids trick-or-treating around the facility; the employees hadn’t planned for it either — but it’s exactly what we ended up doing. An employee pulled out a big bag of candy (I suspect to be used at the resident Halloween party they had planned for later in the day) — before I knew it, they had distributed the candy to residents so that they could hand our kids the candy.

Up and down the halls we went. There weren’t even that many of us; 4 moms and 6 kids, but it seemed like an army. I could feel the warmth and see the welcome in their smiles. We even made some residents smile, that apparently “never smile.” That’s the power of a toddler for you. It’s the power of giving. Today we gave time.

We were repeatedly thanked by so many people there, but we are the ones to be thankful — for the experience of putting smiles on so many faces today.

I believe all children deserve a present at Christmastime so this year I’m going to participate in Operation Christmas Child. Children from around the world are given a shoe box with gifts you’ve purchased for either a boy or a girl.

Former President Bill Clinton mentions Operation Christmas Child in his new book, Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World. He says that he likes the program because people of all ages and income levels can participate.

A few years after the first shoe boxes were delivered, Clinton went to Bosnia and saw first hand “the happiness and gratitude sparked by these small boxes.”

Clinton also says:

“Countless gift-givers of modest means have made a real difference in the lives of children who otherwise might have been forgotten. Though Samaritan’s Purse is a Christian group, it offers a proven model of caring for children that members of any synagogue, mosque, or temple might want to emulate.”

This is how Samaritan’s Purse summarizes the project (from the Web site):

“Operation Christmas Child brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes and the Good News of God’s love. This program of Samaritan’s Purse provides an opportunity for people of all ages to be involved in a simple, hands—on missions project while focusing on the true meaning of Christmas—Jesus Christ.”

It’s a great way to involve your entire family. Each member can do his/her own shoebox. Each kid can do one for a child like himself and fill it with toys he’d love to receive.

Find a drop off location near you.

Photo courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse.