Sustainable September 2018 Day 19

Sustainable September on...

Day 19. Cleaning Products –

Reduce what you already have (particularly any that are toxic) and replace them with homemade variations.

I love this simple Cleaning spray from Lauren Singer...

Here in the UK, I am yet to sort out a way that I can reduce the amount of plastic when it comes to using Vinegar in my homemade cleaning products. I am still setting myself up. But here in the UK white vingar (here its called Spirit vinegar) is used for very little and Malt vinegar is used for everything. So this Celiac has to be careful as malt is a wheat/barley derisitive and my body hates gluten contained in Wheat and Barley.

So white vinegar, Citric acid (to clean the kettle/and often in the form of fresh lemons), and bi-carb soda are my go to cleaning products. However I know there are a lot more that you could add. I also know, there are a lot more that you could do without.

My housemates in the path have had their own cleaning rituals, so i am responsible only for my own spaces. So keeping these clean for me is really important.

I hope this finds you well. 

Love Daena XX 

Sustainable September 2017 - Day Twenty Three

SEPTEMBER 23 (SATURDAY)

CLEANING - DISHWASHER

Hello again,
I am feeling much better today. So I hope you enjoy this blog post as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I spent some time today cleaning up and sorting out my clothes. In the last few months I have changed shape a lot. I have lost two to three dress sizes. This means I have a lot of clothes that are not comfortable or even the right size. I spent some time giving a lot of my clothes a go, seeing what fits and what doesn't. It was kind of sad to realise that some of my favourite clothes are actually too big for me now. Which is also a blessing. This will actually lead on to the next weeks theme of FASHION AND BEAUTY. I'm giving you a day or two advanced notice. It is a huge theme so I hope I do it justice. Anyway... back to todays idea and this weeks theme of cleaning.

To end off this weeks theme of cleaning, i wanted to talk about dishwashing.

Sustainable September Day Twenty Three - Sustainably cleaning dishes.

Often there is a lot of plastic when it comes to washing up. Either the washing up liquids you buy come in lots of plastic containers or the dishwasher tablets come wrapped in plastic too, and often wrapped twice in plastic.

There are some different ways to reduce waste and make the way we do our washing up more sustainable

1) buy in bulk. This reduces the amount of plastics that go into landfill. For example, Where you would buy 3 x 330ml bottles plastic bottles of washing up liquid, you could buy a single 1Lt bottle of liquid instead. It is not a huge difference to make but it can actually make a pretty big difference. And this can be done with dishwashing tablets too.

2) Buy an eco friendly brand. If you currently use a heavy chemical based dishwashing liquid, you could simply change to one that uses less chemicals and uses sustainable practicises in its packaging and bottling. If you are not sure what some of these brands are you can check a local (to you) Facebook group that does Zero Waste, or Environmental sustainability. I am part of a few Perth based Facebook groups and i am so amazed by the collective knowledge that this group of people has.

3) Refill a container. I know this because i have done it before. I had one of those previously mentioned small plastic bottles of dishwashing liquid that I took to The Wasteless Pantry. There i got it refilled (which basically made it zero waste. That was one plastic bottle of dishwashing liquid that i didnt need to purchase, and one that didnt have to end up in landfill or at the recycling yard either.

4) buy plastic free Dishwashing tablets. We are yet to find a wonderful option for this, even though we do use dishwashing tablets at home (unless we hand wash stuff - which I tend to do a lot of). We buy an eco brand in bulk (where possible) but the packaging still has plastic, so I wouldn't recommend them here. However if anyone knows where I can get dishwasher tablets without plastic wrappers I would be so grateful.

5) Make your own dishwashing liquid or dishwasher tablets. This is actually the ACTIVITY for today too.

Now I know this wont work for everyone. Apparently some recipes can be a little temperamental so some experimentation is required. But give it a go.

Zero Waste Liquid Soap/ Dishwashing Liquid - This is made with Soap Nuts!!! I mentioned them in the last two blog posts, so if you havent read them yet... check it out.

Note: You dont have to have colouring in this recipe either... it just gives it a nice way to differenciate the dishwashing liquid from other cleaners in your home.

Zero Waste Dishwasher Tablets - look pretty easy and she shows you how to make Washing soda from baking soda.

Note: you can make this into a washing up powder if you want to- just dont add water to recipe.

I would love to see what you have made and how it looks!

Here is a video about Zero Waste Cleaning. I thought I would include it here because tomorrow is the last day of the Cleaning Theme and I didn't want to miss anything. This is from Kate Arnell from EcoBoost. It is about 20 mins but it is worth it.

I hope you have enjoyed the cleaning theme and look forward to the next one! :) 

Much love and kindness to you all. 

Love Daena x

Sustainable September 2017 - Day Twenty

SEPTEMBER 20 (WEDNESDAY)

CLEANING - WINDOWS 

Did you know we are two-thirds of the way through sustainable September 2017! Wow... time flies when you are having fun!

For those who are still doing some of the things that we talked about early in the month. The Sustainable September idea of taking your own cup to a cafe has been rather successful. 

 There is often a sign outside the cafe (like this one) that will tell you if the cafe gives you a discount when you bring in your own Keep Cups! One of our local cafes gives a 50c discount when you bring in your own reusable coffee cup! I think that is awesome! 

I also wanted to share with you all a kindness I did in the theme of reusable cups. I gave a friend a reusable mug to take with her to work and anywhere really. Now she has it and has used it a couple times I thought it would be okay now to share the photo of the reusable cup. Because you'll get to know her name with this one! :) 

What did you decide to do with your baking soda activity today? Did you find any other uses for it in the cleaning of your home? 

I remembered after I wrote the post yesterday that The Slow Home Podcast had another awesome episode about Bi-Carb Soda and a couple other simple and awesome environmentally friendly options for cleaning. So check out the link to that episode here. The Slow Home Podcast Episode 144. It should look something like this on your podcast app of choice. 

Sustainable September Day Twenty: Window Cleaning. 

This is another idea that uses things you already have around the house that means that you don't need to buy environmentally harmful chemicals for your home. 

It's as simple as vinegar and newspapers! Check it out here...

ACTIVITY: get down a dirty or should I say clean and clean those windows. 

I hope these ideas and links help you make greener choices and give you awesome cheaper ideas when it comes to cleaning your house. 

With love. 

Daena x

Sustainable September 2017 - Day Nineteen

SEPTEMBER 19 (TUESDAY)

CLEANING - BI-CARB

Welcome to day Nineteen of Sustainable September 2017. 

Last week I talked about buying or making some "bees wax wraps". I had bought some a while ago and after a house sitting trip they had mysteriously gone missing. I had thought they had been thrown out. So I purchased some more when I went to the Dwellingup Bespoke handmade craft and art market over the weekend. I got some new wax wraps from the same wonderful ladies Undisposed, to replace the last lot that went MIA. As I was cleaning up today though I found a single bag of stuff that hadn't been unpacked since house sitting and guess what was inside? My old wax wraps! So now I have 4 wax wraps all to my self! :) 

Which also means I owe an apology to my family for assuming they had thrown them out! Sorry guys! 

Whilst I was waiting for the Internet to be fixed here (fingers crossed it's done now completely) I spent some time using today's idea "use vinegar for cleaning". I scrubbed the communal kitchen stove with vinegar. And it's before and after pictures are pretty cool. But please don't judge the before pictures too harshly. 

The idea for tomorrow is something that builds on today's idea. 

Sustainable September Day Nineteen: use bi-carb soda. 

Today when I was using the vinegar I had some really tough grime cooked onto the stove so I had to pull out my trusty super Bi-carb soda to help with it. Sometimes vinegar alone doesn't work as well, particularly with stubborn grime like this. 

As you can see the cook rings were caked with grime. So I soaked it with vinegar and added some bi carb for an awesome reaction.

Look at all that bubbling... Glad to know it was working. 

This is what they looked like afterwards with some scrubbing. I didn't do heaps of scrubbing because I wasn't feeling great (still had the headache from yesterday). But it came out pretty good! 

You can see the difference here between the front one and the back one. One with baking soda and vinegar the other without. 

That is probably way too many photos of my stove top. Hehehe. 

But the point is that Bi-carb can be a wonderful addition to any household cleaning routine for tough and stubborn stains. 

Here is a heap of uses for Baking soda in cleaning...

ACTIVITY: use one idea from the video above to test out. Find out how simple and easy it is to use baking soda in your environmentally friendly cleaning routine! 

That's all from me today folks. I hope you are all enjoying Sustainable September. 

If you have any other uses for bi carb or vinegar of you have any other cleaning tips and tricks that are environmentally friendly and sustainable, then let me know. I would love to hear about them. 

Love Daena x

Sustainable September 2017 - Day Eighteen

SEPTEMBER 18 (MONDAY)

CLEANING - VINEGAR

I've got a ripper of a headache so I'll do my best to keep it short. Mind you last time I said that it was one of the longest posts I had written. So maybe I should just forget the headache and do my best. Like usual.

Sustainable September Day Eighteen: Use Vinegar for cleaning. 

There are many magical properties of the humble white vinegar when it comes to cleaning. I've been using vinegar in my cleaning routine for a long time now. I dilute vinegar with water and wash my floors with it, I use it full strength for grubby marks on the counters or baked on on the stove, I use it as a fabric softener in my washing. It's amazing stuff. 

I learnt a lot about Vinegar and all its uses with the help of the Slow Home Podcast. It is one to a handful of podcasts that I listen to regularly. A while ago they had a whole series of episodes about cleaning simply and also easily. And they had a whole episode specifically on Vinegar. 

 You can check it out on your phone or tablets podcast app. I use the Apple Podcasts app because I have an iPhone that goes with me everywhere. Which means I can listen to podcasts as I drive around town or whilst I catch public transport. I often listen as I'm doing the laundry or cooking dinner. 

Anyway, back to Vinegar. It is a simple and environmentally sustainable cleaner that is safe for family, friends, neighbors, pets AND the environment. So that's a winner. I used to own a lot of cleaners, one super strong cleaner for every different surface in my house. Needless to say it was quite a lot of plastic and also a lot of chemicals that gave me headaches. So I had to find a better option. 

My brother in law started washing the floors with vinegar years ago and it sort of became a really normal thing for us all to do. We have an Enjo mop we use and we just wet it with equal parts water and vinegar and wipe down the floor (after it's been swept of course). And it's super easy and fast. The smell of vinegar disappears pretty quickly after it dries too so your house doesn't smell like pickles all the time. 

I really like the podcast because it shows you all the benefits of using vinegar and reducing all the other stuff in your house. The benefits include, saving money, using fewer toxic chemicals in your home, simplifying your cleaning routine, minimising waste and keeping the same level of cleanliness as commercial cleaners! 

I love that I can also refill my white vinegar bottle at the Wasteless Pantry too. Which means I'm saving on Waste coming into the home. I'm saving money because I'm not buying fancy cleaners that are specifically for one reason only. I love that it's earth friendly, because it's not going to accidentally poison my family if I wipe down my bathroom with it and then wash a glass with the same thing. If I did that with some other chemical based cleaners I don't know what my life expectancy would be. Heheheh. 

ACTIVITY: make some fancy Citrus Vinegar for your household. 

Don't love the smell of vinegar but like the smell of citrus? Well I have an idea for you. I put my old citrus peels in a jar. I make sure it's full of peel and then pour over vinegar. I seal the jar and let it steep for 2 weeks. Then I use this citrus smelling vinegar like I would use my plain white vinegar. And the smell is a lot more pleasing. You can check it out in the video below. 

I don't recommend spraying Citrus Vinegar in your mouth... watch the video for an example of why this is a terrible idea! hehehe. 

I hope this finds you all well. I'm off to bed with an icepack for my head and a big bottle of water. 

Love Daena

January 15, 2014

Hello beautiful people, 

Today's kindness was a little embarrassing, as you will see in a minute, because I let it get this bad! But I did this for mum whilst she was sleeping today, so it was a nice surprise for her to see when she woke up! 

Yes... That is our messy stove top! See... How embarrassing! But I finally sorted that out so mum didn't have to & so it was more welcoming for visitors! 

It now looks like this...

All shiny & clean! Much better! I did it after I cooked lunch & dinner too so we had delicious meals & then a thoroughly clean kitchen! :) 

I also sent messages of love to a friend who is struggling with health issues! She needed to know someone is thinking of her! And be reminded of how wonderful she is! :) 

Plus I made tea & hot water for mum & a visiting friend! 

All in all a good days work! 

Stay safe! 

Luv Daena x

Sorry you had to wait so long... December Kindnesses

Hey everyone,  
sorry I haven't posted in a few days, I think my brain has been in holiday mode! For those who have been checking the blog to see the last of 2012s kindnesses, they are finally here!

My mum (who I am carer for) has been a sick and my job is to look after her, so that has been & is my priority this week! But I am still doing kindnesses which goes to show just how easy it is to do a kind deed a day! :) if anyone has any ideas of kind acts I might be able to perform in this new year, please post them in the comments section of the blog! I would love to hear from you all! :) thank you all for your love, support, encouragement & understanding! You all rock! :) 

So here is the kindnesses for: 

December 2012

December 1:

started typing the last three months worth of kindnesses ready to blog. I also did some gardening in the communal garden. I put up the Christmas tree for mum, in the hop to bring “holiday cheer” to our home. Also did 3 loads of washing and all the vacuuming without being asked

December 2: I helped a lady at a popular craft store to return a broken window blind. I helped an elderly man who had been waiting for the toilet key, by giving it to him after a lady had walked off with it in her shopping trolley. I also made cups of tea for mum after she received some news that an elderly friend Had been diagnosed with Alzheimers disease. Mum was very upset (naturally) so I did my best to comfort her.

December 3: I bought my neighbours rubbish bin in, helped mum change her sheets and wrote a blog post on gratitude. I did my best to act as a listening ear for a friend & a blunt perspective (My friend asked me for it! I didn't just give it). I also learned a new skill – making butter chicken! Yummy! :)

December 4: After I parked my car, I collected a shopping trolley that was beside my car space. Then I put two more in the trolley return too, making sure no-ones car got damaged. I put away some cards at Poker, and packed up some chairs too to help out the Poker league co-ordinator.

December 5: Today I had dinner at a friends house and did the washing up for her. I also did the scoring during most of the netball game. I made a special trip to the shops to buy my sister a crochet hook for her to use at the school so she could help with a school project!

December 6: I woke mum up with a cup of tea. I also invited a neighbour in for a coffee. I also helped a lady at the shops by getting her a trolley, because she had her arms filled with stuff. I even helped the same lady again by getting her a plastic bag – we both laughed when we realised we were the same people as earlier. I had thought I was helping another person but she was grateful for my double kindness.

December 7: I made drinks for mum and I, and also decorated dads bedroom all Christmassy so he didn't miss out on the festivity. Mum and I also passed our condolences on to staff at dads nursing home because 2 long term patients had passed away within a day of each other.

December 8: I went to a 3^rd birthday party where I helped out in the kitchen by taking food to the tables and drying up the dishes after they'd been washed and I even poured some drinks. I also made small talk with a couple of strangers at the shops, everyone is so chatty around Christmas. I also made a delicious Daena Friendly Chinese Meal for mum and I to share. I am learning new skills! It was also delicious!

December 9: I dried up after having dinner at a friends house. Also I said thank you to my Facebook and blog fans by posting a THANK YOU and celebrating the blog reaching 4000 page views, & 80 Facebook fans!

December 10: I put someone's trolley away in the car park. I also performed “Fish First Aid” on my nephews fish, after it had managed to jump out of its fish tank and under a cupboard. It took about 10minutes to find the missing fish, and get him out from under the cupboard. When we finally got him out he was still breathing, so I put the fish back in the water again, cleaned off the cobwebs it had acquired under the cupboard. I lay held the fish under the water filter for a little while and then lay him on the bottom of the tank and then about an hour later the poor (almost dead fish) started swimming around again, like nothing had happened! It was a weird story but a pretty awesome Christmas MIRACLE!

December 11: Today I went to my nieces first nativity play & took photos for my sister.

I also helped out a lady at the local shops. We were both in line for Layby's and she was picking them all up before her kids got home from school and after we chatted for a while (The layby staff were very busy & they took a little while to track down all the laybys). When they did bring them out, there was a mountain of them, so having seen an empty trolley near by earlier, I went and got it for her so she could actually push all her Laybys and not have to try and carry them. I also collected a man's meal for him at poker, because it was ready and he was in the middle of a hand.

December 12: I was unwell but went to the shops to pick up some food and Layby's of my own for Christmas and as I was in the queue the woman in front of me, who was obviously pregnant, but seemed to be struggling with reaching the back of her trolley so I offered to help her but she refused. I then realised that the pregnant woman was a girl I used to go to high school with about 9 years ago. I haven't seen her since then and so we had a very brief chat but she looked happy. And that made me happy as well! I also gave mum one of her Christmas gifts early, because she really needed her new diary to start planning events in the new year!

December 13: I invited a neighbour in for coffee, helped mum sort and wrap her Christmas gifts for the family (but she wouldn't let me wrap mine... lol). I learned how to make Tabouleh – with good from our garden! I acted as a listening ear for a friend when she visited and gave her her Christmas gifts early to help cheer her up! I stood watch over the family belongings at the kids Christmas concert and did some OCD organising at my sisters house. I also listened intently as my nephews friend told me a story about his life!

December 14: today I helped my sister by carrying the heavy gift basket, up the hill to the classes, so the gift baskets could be presented to the teachers. I also helped out the mum of a pair of twins by holding one up so he could see Santa, like his brother (whom his mum was holding). I also picked up my brother-in-law from his Christmas party and let him crash on our couch, so he could sleep off the wine before he headed home to my sister & their kids in the morning!

December 15: I wrote a Facebook post about the need for Kindness in our world today, more than any other day. I also helped a friend clean her house. I also helped mum get more prepared for Christmas by wrapping a heap of presents for her.

December 16: Today I contacted an old friend I had lost contact with them and spent chunks of the day catching up via digital media. I did the washing up, a job neither mum or I relish, and I did it without hints or begging from mum!

December 17: I made a coffee for a visiting friend and invited a neighbour in for one too. I also made the effort to go and see a friend during her lunch break so we could catch up! We had a good time too!

December 18: I acted as a chauffeur, driving mum from doctor appointments, craft and hair dressing appointments. I also made some of the craft ladies cups of tea, and gave them small gifts as a thank you for all that they had done this year for mum and I. I also checked a friend in to poker, because he was running late and might have missed out. I also helped pack up some cards at Poker.

December 19: I gave an elderly single lady a huge hug because she doesn't get much physical contact. I also made the effort to drive to the other side of the city to see a friend who was leaving for Europe today and would be gone for two months. I also took my mum and family friend out to lunch ~ I had won another $25 bar voucher. I also offered a couple my shopping trolley after I had finished with it, I was returning it and they were entering the store. I also wished a stranger whom I had made small talk with a Merry Christmas, and she was enthusiastic in wishing me one too!

December 20: I made funny faces at a baby to keep it occupied whilst its parents were trying to finish their dinner. I also found a shopping bag in a trolley, so took it down to the centre management/concierge desk. On my way back I made two kids very happy by paying $2 for them to have a go on the rotating train ride in the shopping centre. I left as soon as it started up.

December 21: I got up early to help mum get errands done before the shops got too busy. I also drove to our chiropractors office to drop a gift off for her.

December 22: I did my blog post with 2 of the 3 kindnesses posted from the TOP SECRET mission. I also made the effort to see family friends and exchange gifts with them before Christmas. I also helped perk a friend up who just needed some support.

December 23: Mum and I took Dad out of his nursing home and took him to church, and then out to lunch with our “extended family”. I helped get dad in and out of the car, so mum didn't have to . Mum and I also gave little home made thank you/Christmas gifts to the staff at dads nursing home & to our neighbours. I also bought mum dinner!

December 24: I drove all the way down to Bremer Bay, so mum didn't have to do any of the driving. I also watered my sisters pots, fed my nephews fish, & fed and watered the chickens before we left for down south. I did some cleaning for a family friend. I also cooked prawns on the BBQ for the whole family.

December 25 CHRISTMAS DAY: I had offered to be the person to get up with the kids, at the crack of dawn (so the other adults could sleep in) but the Adults were up before the kids. I also made breakfast for the whole family.

December 26: I helped mum by pulling her up a hill (very steep). I also helped out with dinner for the 6 of us because I BBQ'd the meat and some Veggies. I also helped my brother-in-law out by reading a bed time story to my nephew, so my B.I.L didn't have too!

December 27: I cleaned up and vacuumed the whole house we were staying at before the owner returned home, so he would have a nice surprise when he did get home. I also acted as Skipper for my BIL who had been drinking with the owner of the holiday house.

December 28: I supported a friend by watching her do her 14,000m skydive. I also packed up the car in preparation for our return to home, because mum couldn't do any heavy lifting.

I drove the full 6 hours trip back to Perth. I fed my nephews 2 fish, made sure the chickens had plenty of water (it was a sweltering 42*C today), and I gave them some weeds to fuss over. I watered the gardens! I bought mum dinner. I also spent some time chatting to a lady who was working at one of the visitors centre in a small country town (on our return home), because she was manning it on her own.

December 29: Today I bought lunch for a friend on the way to her house. And then bought dinner for mum and I whilst we were camping at my sisters house. We again, fed the chickens, watered down their enclosure, watered them, fed the fish, watered the garden.

December 30: I cleaned out the water & fed my sisters chickens by making up some of their special food! I also fed the fish, did a load of washing for them, watered the garden and bought their mail in. I also made mum a much needed cup of tea!

December 31: I did the food shopping on my own, so mum could rest. I also made the effort to put my shopping trolley away, even though it wasn't an easy thing to do. I also drove out of my way to take my friends home after a New Years Eve party when it was unlikely they were going to get a taxi home.

I hope you enjoy these! I cant believe that I am almost up to date with the blog! Only 6 days out currently! Which is a crazy aweosme improvement on last years blogging! :) 

Thank you again to everyone who helped make 2012 such a raging success! :) There were more than 366 kindnesses done last year, by me alone. So if you all started doing just one a week... just think of the difference we could make in this world of ours!

Much love and kindness to you all, 
Love Daena x

Keep up the good work...October Kindnesses

Hey everyone,
I just wanted to share some of the kindnesses people have already done and share what i got up too! Appologies, as photos were not taken at any of these kind acts, but that does in no way belittle the effort these kind people did! :)

These two came to me on the same day, and I have slightly edited the story so no-one know who is who, but the first one was...

A lady was having a drink at a cafe and a man arrived not long after her, and stood just near her and got out his violin and played it for the guests of the cafe. The music was described to me as "breath takingly beautiful". So not only did she give him the little coin she had in her purse, but she wrote him a not telling him how much his music had meant to her and how beautiful she found it! KINDNESS ACHIEVED!

A young woman was working at a shopping center late into the night, and the security guards were keeping watch over the place and making sure everyone got in and out safely. This young woman told me she had been baking the day before and had surplus, so instead of keeping it in the freezer, she offered it to one of the amazing security guards she had gotten to see regularly. The security guard was very touched and told the young woman "that was the nicest thing anyone had ever done" for the guard.
KINDNESS ACHIEVED!

My Random Act of Kindness I had planned, was to put a couple of dollars on to a kids shopping center carousel, preferably with a note to say "Have a ride... Merry Christmas" or something to that affect. However, I was on my way doing another kindness (someone had left one of their shopping trolleys in the upstairs car park and I was returning it to the concierge and center management) when I saw two kids playing on one of the carousels that I was planning to putting the coin and the note. I checked to make sure I had enough money and then I walked over to the kids (whose parents were chatting nearby) and asked if they wanted to have a ride on the carousel they were climbing on. The eldest of the pair was a little braver than his stunned sibling. He said yes, he would love a ride, but his parents wouldn't pay (i laughed because my dad used to be stubborn about it too!). So I said Merry Christmas, put the money in to the carousel and pressed the start button and just walked away. From a distance, I looked back and the kids were laughing and playing on the carousel! What a wonderful way to celebrate christmas! with brightening the day of kids! I didn't take photographs of this, because you all know how inappropriate it is to take photos of children who aren't your own, and without their parents permission! But I love that I can still share this with you all regardless!
KINDNESS ACHIEVED!

Well, after those Random acts of kindness shared by some of this blogs followers (and myself), I hope you really enjoyed them, and can see just how simple it is to do a kind deed for another this Christmas season. I will check with these wonderful women, but there is still AT LEAST one book of "The Magic" left for grabs! So if you want to share your kindness story with me, with or without a photo, then I would be happy to send the book to you!

I have to say that i have been rather busy, and i apologize for not being completely on the ball. I had hoped to have all the kindnesses for this year completed, and I have written up October and Novembers at least. I shall be posting them in the next couple of days! :) I may have to post them without photos and add the photos later though, so I am sorry about that!

Anyway, Here are the Kindnesses for...

OCTOBER 2012

October 1: I had a migraine today but still managed to make mum and I cups of tea and also made lunch and dinner – they weren’t flash but they were food! :)

October 2: I had car troubles and I waited outside with the car so the RAC man could find me whilst mum was at craft. I also put the heavy comfy chairs away at Craft. I also stacked chairs, packed cards and sorted them ready for next time at poker. I also bought THANK YOU WATER.

October 3: Today I sponsored the Ronald McDonald House Charities WA's Ride for Sick Kids, by donating loose change. I also said “bless you” to a sneezing stranger. PHOTO

October 4: I helped a lady at IKEA who had her hands full with her son, as she had just had her purse stolen. I helped her son in the bathroom by turning on the taps (he was a little kid and couldn’t reach) and also by reaching the hand towels and giving him one to use too, all whilst his mum was on the phone, and under her supervision.

A friend and I also helped mum out by providing her with amusement as we constructed her new bedside table (its taller so she can easily get to the things she regularly needs with her bad back).

October 5: Helped a new lady at poker and helped the poker league staff by helping sort and pack up the cards and tables and by stacking some chairs and putting empty bottles and glasses on the bar. 

October 6: Today I was very busy! My sister asked me to pop over to her house (whilst she and the family were on holiday) to check on their chickens and pet fish. So to help out I did 2 loads of washing, bought in the washing on the lines, emptied the dish washer, repacked it with dirty dishes, washed them, cleaned the kitchen, scrubbed the oven, washed the windows in the kitchen, fed the fish, cleaned out the chicken coop, added fresh shredded paper. I also set the dinner table all fancy and wrote a welcome home letter from me!

I also helped a friend sort out her beauty room and hang out some washing and helped a friend at her birthday. 

October 7: I had another migraine but I made the effort to medicate then do some much needed vacuuming because it was a quick job and the vacuum cleaner was out.

October 8: Made the effort to push through the pain and occasional nausea to celebrate a friends birthday by taking her out to lunch. I also helped up a couple of quilts to be photographed before they were donated to charities. I also shared some craft ideas with a friend who does a lot a craft ideas for charities.

October 9: I helped wash up at mums craft group, helped sort and re-roll balls of wool. I also put away chairs for the older ladies. I helped out at poker by sorting and stacking the poker cards so they were ready for next time. I also put some chairs away to help out.

October 10: I bought dinner for mum and I. We also attended another meeting for the community day at dads nursing home. And made more crafts including these salt dough decorations. 

October 11: I did a lot of running around today trying to source cheap craft materials to make crafts to dads community day. Today I also made a button Christmas tree, reindeer candy canes, and finished the angel Christmas tree decorations.

 

October 12: I helped out my sister by distracting her kids by doing out door craft with them which gave her some time, in peace, to finish a few jobs. I also made two more tie crafts and also helped finish of mums crocheted tea towels (the Christmas ones were discovered in a Christmas box from last year – they were supposed to be a gift last year)

October 13: Today I worked on a completed a whole range of crafts for dads community day; including more reindeer candy canes, salt dough tree decorations, tie roses, finished off some of mums crochet topped tea towels. 

I also was offered last minute tickets to see Mumford & Sons, (a popular band). Instead of going myself, I passed them on to my sister and brother in law who often miss out on concerts like this because they have kids but as their kids were staring at their grandparents house mum sister and brother-in-law could go! They had a blast and felt like I had given them the best treat in the world.

October 14: I made “Button Tacks” for the community day. I also photographed and priced all the things I had already made. I also went and bought special “coffee” for dad – Chai lattes and took them to his nursing home and spent the afternoon just hanging out with him and watching a Ballet. I also invited a neighbour in for a coffee.

 

October 15: I got up early and took mum to a ladies luncheon. I dropped off 3 of mums blankets to the church. I also washed up, packed up and stacked chairs after the luncheon mum was at. I also helped one of the organisers by taking a heavy bag to her car. I also went to an art store closing down sale to buy some canvases I knew my sister needed.

October 16: I acted as a chauffeur, I even took mums shopping back to the car so we didn't have to have it with us whilst she was with the doctors. I also drover her to craft where I put away some chairs and made drink/tea for several ladies. I also made 3 tie roses before I went to poker, where I helped out by getting the cup holders out from under the table (they had rolled away) and sorted out cards and personally packed up 2 tables worth of chairs that I stacked. I also returned glasses and bottles, that were empty, to the bar so the staff didn't have to. 

October 17: I made a tie rose ready for the community day but I managed to burn myself pretty badly from the hot glue gun, so got banned from hot glue gunning for a while! (Mums decree for my safely). I also made mum a BIG cup of tea and chatted happily to a store worker who was bored at work.

October 18: today I had a day at home, making crafty things. Like two more tie roses, and bananas in pyjamas. I also made mum multiple cups of tea and spent time encouraging mum when she was having a hard day.

October 19: I drove my 8 year old nephew to the shops so he could do some shopping for our entrees. He is a budding chef so his interest and enthusiasm for creating and beautifully presenting an entree is just delightful. I also read to him the last two chapters if his book so his dad and mum had more time to themselves and to help their daughter with her nightly routine. I also took mum for a longer walk than she has been on for a while.

October 20: today I made the effort to ring and talk to people I hadn't seen in ages and make a time to catch up for a BBQ on the beach. I got to catch up with a few people and met a few new people. I also lent my jumpers to several of my friends on the beach who were freezing because of the wind.

October 22: I invited a neighbour in for a cup of tea and a chat. I also did some gardening in out communal garden today and petted a different neighbours cat. I also went to a pub gig to see a friend play in his band “Blatjang” with Isaac Mead.

October 23: Today I spent some time in the communal garden and invited my fellow gardening neighbours into our home to share a cup of coffee with us. I also made stuff for dads community day and made cups of tea for the craft ladies. I also made these Reindeer Noses for the community day!

October 24: I gave dad a manicure, so the staff can save time and not have to do it for him. I also made more stuff for the community day. I took chocolate to my best friend who was in need and sent love and condolence messages to her as she had just sadly lost her grandmother.

October 25: I made the effort to apologize to friends I had been rude about someone else too. That is not who I am nor who I want to be. I also bought mum a nice breakfast out at a nice Cafe.

I also called my best friend regularly to check and make sure she was okay because her Grandmother had passed away. I also made her dinner and dessert. I made sure she got home safe after she was sick. I helped mum ice Christmas cakes for dads community day and started packing up all the crafty things I had already made, ready to go for Saturday. 

October 26: Today was busy. I helped mum get cakes and cup cakes iced. I went to dads nursing home and dropped off stuff for the white elephant stall. I went and picked up stuff at the shops to complete the last minute jobs for the community day. I made the effort to drive and hour and a half to a friends house to return her stuff and pick up some crates for tomorrow. I then drove the hour and a half home during peak hour. I came home and finished the roses and the tags/decorations for the jams, pickled onions and soup mixes. And I even had enough time to invite a neighbour in for a drink! 

October 27: today all the hard work came to fruition. Mum and I ran the cake stall at Dads nursing home for the community day. We donated our time, money and resources to have it be a success. I handed over my crafts to the craft stall and they sold a lot. But not all. The cake stall alone raised $800 and the whole day raised $3000. A great day and very successful. (If you want to see the blog all about it, check it out HERE)

October 28: Today was my rest day so I looked after myself and rested a lot. I also made mum several cups of tea. I made the effort to drive 40 minutes to see a friend for her birthday party.

October 29:We spent the day catching up on housework. I also made several cups of tea for mum, invited a neighbour in for a cup of coffee, spent some time gardening in the communal garden, & sent messages to my friends in the USA who are about to be hit by Hurricane Sandy.

October 30: I helped mum out by doing lots of housework in preparation for some visitors. I also bought mum lunch, washed up after afternoon tea and wipes down the kitchen. I also helped a lady with her trolley on a travellator and chatted with her all the way down.

October 31: I made the effort to say "thank you" to those performing any form of services for me. I also let a lady in front of me at the coffee shop as she was in a 15 minute break from work and I had plenty of time. So she went first and was very grateful. 

I hope you enjoyed this lengthy update! :) 

I hope you are all surviving the Christmas seasons! Its called the silly season for a reason, so please be safe! :)

Much love

Daena, 

p.s. Aren't you all glad the world didn't end yesterday! :) lol!

Migraines and kindnesses...

Hey everyone,
I am still alive which has been a bit of an effort on my part this week as I have just survived two migraines in less than a week! But I still have managed to do my kind act a day regardless of the pain I have been through! Just wanted you to know I am still committed! :)

My sister loves me (and is proclaiming my awesomeness to all of Facebook, lol) this week as I made the extra effort to spoil her and do some cleaning at her house whilst she, her husband & their kids were on holiday! It's school holidays so keeping the kids entertained is far more important than some hard cleaning! At least that's my opinion! Lol!

Anyway, during my migraines I struggle to stand up, people suddenly start glowing with auras & the pain is intense, I also can't handle much light! But I managed to medicate (with prescribed medications - please don't do this without medical consultation!) enough to make mum a cup of tea and did some cleaning! With regular breaks I survived! You might think i am crazy, and you are probably right! :D lol!

Anyways, I wanted to write about this because there are things in life that often hold us back and we shouldn't let them! I struggle a lot with holding myself back from being extraordinary. But it was a nice change for me to push through pain & discomfort to prove my commitment to making this world a better place! I hope if you get the chance, you will choose to benefit the world and not be held back by self imposed restrictions!

This doesn't mean you should disregard your own health & well being! When I did my kindnesses I did them after sleeping several hours (which is also a consequence of the migraines) and also made sure I was well hydrated! And I took regular breaks! But the ability to push through far outweighed the pain for me! Because it was something that would normally stop me! I don't want to be stopped. I want to make a difference!

I hope this finds you well!
Luv Daena x

My 40th Blogpost - A facebook adventure!

Hey everyone,
I can't believe I have made it to 40 blog posts! This project of mine to do a kind act a day has seemed to have a strong impact on some people! I am also excited that I am not the only one who is undertaking such an awesome and yet extremely crazy idea!

and this milestone wouldn't be complete without a THANK YOU, to all those who have encouraged and supported me! :) You guys/girls are amazing! :) 

This week I launched my new Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/365daysOfKindness#
which should help me keep a little more connected. I am still having problems with the commenting on this blog. So I thought that something like Facebook should be able to get a more interactive experience for those following this blog and those who are looking for ideas to be more kind in their communities. Please feel free to "Like" my page and follow me on Facebook!

This week I have been focusing on doing more gardening (After all there is STILL so much to do!). So I thought I would show you a couple of pictures of some of the stuff that I have been doing around the house. I know it may not necessarily be considered a kindness, but if cleaning up my garden/yard means that my mum can safely walk out the side door or take pleasure in our gardens, that we haven't been able to do for so long, I think that is a kindness!

BEFORE                                                                                         AFTER...

 I hope you are all enjoying this blog! I am excited that I can make a difference, one small act at a time! But please feel free to share what you have been doing in the community, for you friends and family, as I need inspiration too! :)

Thanks for reading the Blog for so long! :)

Cheers,
Daena X