The Best of 2013

2013 was an amazing year for Pennies of Time. 

As a family, our relationships were strengthened through our deliberate acts of service.  Our love and appreciation for each other grew as we served alongside each other.  If I had to tally out what we did during out daily service acts,  I wouldn't be able to say, exactly.  I lost count of the number of service hours we gave to our community as a family.  I do know that:

• We bagged over 250 bags of trash from the creek by our school.
• We made and delivered over 15 homeless care kits in a sock and received emails from others that, in total, showed how that one post inspired the making of over 400 hygiene kits!
• We visited nursing homes and brought meals to those who were sick.
• We collected and donated over 300 square feet of supplies to an organization that helps children that are homeless.
• We raked leaves, pulled weeds, cleared brush, and picked up dog poop.
• We cleaned grave sites and visited a homeless shelter.
• We listened to and gave supplies to disaster survivors.
• We made over 800 busy books to help out kids in our local emergency room, over the course of 2013.
• We took a "magic show" to a nursing home and to a little boy who was seriously ill in the hospital.

Our most popular, and one of the most meaningful service projects this year, was creating Chemo Care Kits for those undergoing chemotherapy.  Very simple kits that helped my boys understand what it might be like to go through chemotherapy.  Every one knows someone that experiences cancer.  This is a great project to learn about what that is and an easy project to help someone else.

In fact, we are currently putting together Chemo Care Kits for Kids.  My boys have really enjoyed picking out comfort items and activities for kids to put in a kit along with things to help with chemotherapy side effects.  If you are interested in more information about this new project, keep visiting the blog, sign up for updates, or "like" the Pennies of Time Facebook Page.  I'll be posting ideas, free printables for the kits, and examples that we have put together.

Midway through 2013, I was blessed to find like minded people through the Kid Blogger Network and am able to share with you the Best of 2013 for that awesome group of writers and kid experts.

Below you'll find over 50 Kid Blogger Network members coming together for The KBN Best Of 2013 Blog Hop. We know you'll find tons of wonderful ideas to browse, pin and share. We'd love for you to join the blog hop and share your favorite activity of 2013 too, and make sure you're following the Kid Blogger Network on Pinterest.

Happy New Year from the KBN Best of 2013 Blog Hop Co-Hosts! 

Powerful Mothering, The Good Long Road, All Done Monkey, Afterschool for Smarty Pants, B-Inspired Mama, Babble Dabble Do, Bits of Positivity, Boy Mama Teacher Mama, Caution! Twins at Play, Child Central Station, Creative Family Fun, Creative World of Varya, Cute and Peculiar, Dirt and Boogers, Edventures with Kids, The European Mama, The Eyes of a Boy, The Fairy and the Frog, Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails, Fun-A-Day!, Glittering Muffins, ,  Growing Book by Book, Hands on: as we grow, Here Come The Girls, iGame Mom, I Heart Crafty Things, Inspiration Laboratories, Kid World Citizen, Kiddie Foodies, Kids Yoga Stories, Kitchen Counter Chronicles, Lalymom, Lemon Lime Adventures, Let's Play Music, Living Montessori Now, Makeovers and Motherhood, Mama Smiles, Multicultural Kids Blog, My Little 3 and Me, P is for Preschooler, Peckle Pie, Pennies of Time, Playdough to Plato, PlayDrMom, Preschool Powol Packets, Racheous - Lovable Learning, Still Playing School, Smiling Like Sunshine, Stir the Wonder, Teach Me Mommy, Teach Preschool, There's Just One Mommy, Toddler Approved, True Aim Education, Tutus and Tea Parties, Where Imagination Grows, and Wildflower Ramblings.