5 Ways to Improve Your Kid's Childhood Experience, and Teach Kindness

Everything I have learned in life has been a stepping stone to my current state of well-being, prosperity and balance. I am a constant learner, and am always open to self-improvement, even now, as an adult. Children get most of their ideas about themselves and the world around them by what the adults in their life say and do, so it is important to be fully aware of the message you are giving to your little ones. In this short blog entry, I will give you some wonderful ways to nourish and encourage your children's creativity, promote kindness, and engage in positive activities that you both will enjoy and treasure as cherished moments! I do these activities now, as an adult, so this will be excellent advice for people of all ages.

1. Cook Something Healthy

Making healthy food daily is an absolute must in my life - my food nourishes my mind and body. Give your children a chance to participate in food preparation, and they will take responsibility and pride in their task. Small tasks such as washing the veggies or ripping lettuce leaves for the salad allow your kids to feel like they have contributed to making the meal, and teach them how to become efficient and autonomous. Sharing food is a beautiful way to show love and care, and I often make enough food for my family, as well as the neighbors. My neighbor is a doctor, and works late, so I often invite her for dinner. I also have an elderly woman on the cul-de-sac, and I feel that it is a privilege for me to bring her food. A wonderful weekend activity is making sandwiches for the homeless, and passing them out. Make food with love, share food with loved ones, and teach your children to share and care.

2. Make Bird Friends

I currently live in a house with a large back yard, but I have grown up in an apartment, and have learned to live comfortably and efficiently in a small, urban space. I have a dog and a cat whom I love very much, but if your living conditions don't allow for pets, this advice will be wonderful. It can be challenging for parents to tell their kids they can't have pets because of space or time constrictions, so a great alternative is to hang up hummingbird feeders filled with nectar, and watch these lovely beauties come to sip their sweet nectar. Here is a photo I took yesterday of the bird flying up to drink - they are truly majestic, and therapeutic. Making the nectar is easy - it's a 1-cup sugar to 4-cup water ratio. Simply bring this mixture to a boil, cool, and pour into the feeder. I make enough for the week, and store the rest in the fridge - it's much more convenient, also. This is a wonderful activity to do with the kids - they will love it! Another great idea is to put out feed for the larger birds, especially if you have colorful birds in your neighborhood, like I do. I buy bird feed in bulk, and put it out for them in the flat bowl feeder I have in the back yard. It's great to know that even little creatures can benefit from your kind gesture.

3. Grow Something
Buy a plant that the child will have the responsibility to water. If you have a chance to start a small
garden together, there is nothing more fun than digging in the dirt while taking care of your vegetables or flowers! Children will take great responsibility in doing their part to water veggies, or flowers, and proudly display their labor when it is time to harvest! This is a great activity that will beautify the home, and will also teach the child the values of farm-to-table lifestyle.

4. Volunteer
Lending a helping hand to others is a divine privilege, and a task that will not only fill your children's heart with joy, but will serve as a wonderful reminder of how important each and every one of us is on this planet. I've been caring for my grandmother for the past few years, and one day I thought of
the countless number of elderly people who spend their lives at retirement homes, and rarely get visitors. I went to the dollar store, and picked up puzzles, coloring books, crossword puzzles, crayons, beads, glue, and a couple of poster boards, and showed up at a retirement home. The feeling of joy these wonderful elders experienced made me so happy! Your children will enjoy interacting with elders, and vice versa! I volunteer with kids at an orphanage in Mexico, and the days spent with them have been as rewarding for me, as they have been for them. Gratitude and appreciation creates children who mature into appreciative and self-sufficient adults.

5. Help the Homeless

Vacation season is approaching, and many of us will travel with our families. I frequently travel for work, and spend a third of the month in a hotel room, but since my company manufactures skincare, I bring my own products with me.  Did you know that you are paying daily for the toiletries in your hotel room, and they are yours to use and take? Give your children the task of collecting all unused shampoos, conditioners, soaps, and small toothpastes each day, and putting them away into their suitcase. In six months to a year, the child will have a large box of travel-sized items to donate to the local homeless shelter/mission. These small toiletries may seem like meaningless items to most people, but every little bit counts for the less fortunate. I regularly send monetary donations to charities, but since children don't have the financial ability to help, teaching them to help in this way will get them on the path to sharing and giving. When generosity becomes second nature, so do gratitude and abundance.

Be well, live abundantly, and give abundantly!

Casa Hogar Sion Holiday Trip

Hello beautiful friends! I hope you enjoyed my previous post about my last month's Casa Hogar Sion volunteer visit to Tijuana, Mexico. Here are some photos from yesterday's trip to Casa Hogar Sion. 

This orphanage houses from 80-100 children at a given time, and it receives ZERO funding from the government, just like all Tijuana orphanages. All the money raised by volunteers and donors goes DIRECTLY for essential supplies for the kids - toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner, hair gel, school uniforms and other essentials. You can help by monetary donations, or by purchasing the supplies, and bringing them with you on the trip.

These kids are beautiful, fun, grateful and full of promise! As you remember, this volunteer trip is made possible by Corazon De Vida which is a non-profit.  The last time I came, I had the privilige of helping out in the kitchen, so I signed up for that task again. It was easy, and a wonderful way to help out.  I hope the photos encourage you to join me on the next trip, or to help me raise some much-needed funds. Remember, the money doesn't go to buy toys or fancy clothing - it's directly feeding the children, and making sure they have enough supplies for daily sustenance.

 

https://www.crowdrise.com/DashasCasaSionFundraiser/fundraiser/dashasaian

Here is the link to help me raise funds for the children. Thank you!

If you wish to come with me and my friends to Casa Hogar Sion

The next volunteer trip to visit the orphanage in Mexico is December 6th! I know many of you have shown tremendous interest after reading the blog about Corazon de Vida Foundation, so here is the link to sign up, and the link to donate!

Sign up for bus #2 if you wish to come with me and my friends to Casa Hogar Sion. There are only a few tickets left, so you may want to do this ASAP. -----> https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bus-2-december-6-2014-cdv-holiday-bus-to-the-casa-hogar-sion-orphanage-tickets-13102643359?ref=ecount Also, here is a link to donate for CDV 12th annual pledge drive. https://www.crowdrise.com/DashasCasaSionFundraiser/fundraiser/dashasaian

My Visit to a Tijuana Orphanage, and Info on How You Can Help

Dear friends, I would like to share my experience visiting an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico, in hopes that it will inspire you to participate, donate, and show your love. I had the privilege of getting introduced to the Corazon de Vida Foundation by my friend, Veronica, who has been on many trips with them in the past, and came along with me and my friend Dana on our first visit! A bit of background - Corazon de Vida helps bridge the gap between orphaned children in Tijuana, Mexico and loving people who come to volunteer, sponsor children, and provide generous donations that make meals, clothing, and education available for these amazing kids. There are few things that can compare to the warmth, sincerity, and beauty of a child's smile, and when I saw these children's smiles, I could hardly believe how happy they were in that moment, surrounded by the rubble of Tijuana's houses. You will see the beautiful photos of the time we had bonding with the kids, but I'd like to start off by showing a couple of photos of Tijuana's landscape, and telling you about my journey.

I woke up at 4am, got dressed, packed my supplies into the trunk of my car, and drove to the arranged location to board a charter bus to Mexico at 5:30am. The bus makes 3 stops before the Mexican border - Los Angeles 5:30am, Irvine 6:15am, and San Diego 8:15am. My friend Gayane and her  sweet children made a shopping trip to help us with supplies that were much-needed at the Casa Hogar Sion orphanage. Some of the things we bought were shampoo, conditioner, dish soap, toilet paper and toothbrushes. Dana brought giant tubs of detergent, and what looked to be a life-time supply of toilet paper. Once we arrived at the border, we cleared the bus, it got x-rayed, and so did our posessions. We went through customs, and were in Tijuana by 10am. Corazon de Vida sponsors and visits 11 orphanages, but this day, we were at the Casa Hogar Sion - the largest, housing 90-100 children. There is a girl's and a boy's house, each has 2 floors with bunk beds. The children don't have personal possessions - there is one great big closet in each house - they wear whatever is clean and fits them. The dorm rooms may be poorly decorated and tight, but they are clean and bright, and so are the little inhabitants who dwell at Casa Sion.

I am a fluent Spanish-speaker, so communicating with the kids in their language was easy for me, but I can tell you without a doubt - there is no language barrier when it comes to love and care. The children are sweet, shy, and talented. Another volunteer brought a conga and you should have heard the great beats all of the kiddos were producing on that drum! Simply tremendous! The beauty in this photo is Rebecca -she's 9 years old and has 10 siblings, all of whom live at the orphanage... This was very hard for me to take in, and was very painful to hear. Some kids here are orphans, with deceased parents, some are left by parents who can't support them financially. Rebecca really touched my heart. She was playing board games with us, and got a fancy pink manicure and glittery makeup that day. I love her smile, I just adore it, she reminded me of myself at that age! There were little babies at the orphanage, barely 3 months old - Veronica held little Luis, who could barely hold his tiny head up, he was so small... It made me sad, but also made me grateful to know that there are good people out there who will adopt him. Hopefully... I met some young ladies who were academic stars! One just got accepted to Dental school, and the other to Veterinary school!  I respect their dedication and hard work on the way to triumph over poverty.

Dana and I didn't waste any time, and jumped in the kitchen at 11am, where we peeled and cut up fruit for a giant fruit salad until 1pm, and then served a mountain of hot rice, broccoli, and chicken to 150 people at lunch. It was a great experience, because we were able to physically help out where we were needed! We played, we made food, we ate, we talked, we drew and colored, we bonded, and at 2pm, we boarded the bus back to Los Angeles. It was hard saying goodbye, but I have already signed up for my next trip back to Casa Hogar Sion on December 2nd, 2015 - it's a Holiday trip.

Please donate to the cause using this link! I am hoping to raise at least $1000 for the kids by Christmas! I am sure that we can raise that amount and much more if we all pitch in a little (or a lot)! The organizer of the trip, George, pointed out how ripped and destroyed the sofas in the boy's dorm were, and said they desperately needed some leather sofas. I couldn't resist but to offer a pair of mine from the office. They were enjoyed here by clients and staff, but now its time to do some good in Mexico :) I am glad to keep the giving spirit, and I know you will fall in love with these kids, as well. I hope to see you all on my next trip, and remember - open your heart - let love out, let love in :)

 CLICK HERE TO HELP ME RAISE FUNDS FOR THE KIDS
https://www.classy.org/dashasaian