Summer Fun!
With the hot sunny days of summer ahead of us, my kids (much like you and yours I’m sure) are very happy school is out and the pool is open. In addition to those impromptu summer gatherings and lazy days of the season, we really try and take advantage of the downtime during the summer months to get our house in order after a long winter of collecting and gathering. Not just for the benefit of our family but others too. First on the list is to clean out the kids closets and get rid of those clothes that are too small and then moving to my closet and get rid of the things that I don’t wear and donate them to the Junior League of Long Island Thrift Shop. Next, we move on to the “like new” toys and games that haven’t been touched since the holidays and give them to the local Boys & Girls Club. You know all those magazines that are piled up in baskets and bins that have been briefly flipped through, once the address labels has been removed, they go straight to the nursing home where they are greatly apprecited by residents and visiting family members. Cleaning the basement is always a priority and will result in the discovery of forgotten and unused treasures that we’ve accumulated over the last year. Always trying to find a good home for “the stuff” I will attempt to repeat our Yard Sale of 2008 and have the money earned donated to a charity (one we as a family agree upon). Minus the pizza and ice cream bought with the proceeds from that last sale, we donated about $600 to The Smile Train. Lastly, I move to the garage and pack up all those bags of bottles that need to be returned and recycled (including water bottles) and off to the store to collect my hard earned cash of $14.25! For me, that is a gross, sticky 45 minutes, but for my sons who are six and nine years old that is 45 minutes of hands-on making a difference in cleaning up our garage! So in addition to relaxing this summer, think about ways you and your family can support local charities. They don’t stop helping others because it’s summer!
Happy Summer : )
p.s. In the summer months, local food pantries like Long Island Cares are in need of donations… At your next bbq, encourage all your guests to bring can goods to donate!!!
