Give a Lesson in Dutch Oven Cooking

The project:
Teach a friend's pre-teen with an interest in camp cooking how to use a Dutch oven.


Time:
About an hour, including bake time, but only 20 minutes or so for prep and cleanup.

Why bother?
Our friends have a daughter who has expressed an interest in cooking, particularly when they're in camp. My parents mastered a peach cobbler cooked anywhere a Dutch oven, some fire and the makings can be gathered in one place. We combined these for a winning combination.

Worth it?
Absolutely! The girls (ours and theirs) had a nice time working together on the project, measuring, mixing, licking the bowl clean, playing while they waited for the unwatched pot, sniffing to determine whether the baking was finished, tasting to test the end product. And everyone came away with new or improved life skills.

Recycle Our Glass, Plastic and Alumninum (again)

The project:
Take our household recycling to the buy-back center.

Time:
20 minutes including drive time and sorting help from the kids.

Why bother?
Recycling good. Dump bad. For more details see any of these posts.

Worth it?
Yes, even though the kids got the cash and I just got dirty fingers and a cleaner garage.

Opening Doors

The project:
Hold open the library door for a book donor heavily laden with titles.

Time:
A minute or so.

Why bother?
I was heading in, but saw this man with a large box overflowing with books headed for the donation pile. Clearly, he didn't have a free hand to open the door, so I held it for him.

Worth it?
Yes, particularly when I got that look of surprise, relief and his word of thanks.

Photo courtesy Matt Searles under Creative Commons License.

Volunteer for to Provide Snacks

The project:
Put myself on calendar to provide team snacks for an extra soccer game.

Time:
Moments to volunteer. The work comes on game day.

Why bother?
If every parent of kids in youth sports and other group activities chipped in a tiny bit, providing snacks here, picking up equipment there, painting sets over there, life would be a lot easier for those who volunteer their time to provide leadership for those activities. On our teams, every family is donating snacks on an organized schedule that makes it easy for all of us.

Worth it?
I'm sure it will be.

Make the Road a Safer Place

The project:
Help spread the word about the danger of texting while driving.

Time:
45 minutes

Why bother?
It's incredibly dangerous, yet people still do it. It costs people's lives every day. Someday, it could be one of my loved ones lives. Isn't public education that could save a life worth the time?

Worth it?
Yes!

Listen to Someone Else's Child

The project:
Listen to someone else's child tell a story.

Time:
15 minutes

Why bother?
Everyone wants to be heard, particularly children. But not every parent has time at any given moment to listen. Today, I actively listened to a young boy we know tell me about one of his interests (motorcycles) and his most recent escapades.

Worth it?
Yes. Though I confess I just wanted to relax and read my book, this boy really wanted to talk, and there I was, without my own kids to distract me, just a book in hand. SURELY I'd want to listen.

And, yes, I agree that adults need their own time, too, but by listening to him for a few minutes, he was happy (he'd been heard) and went on his merry way to live new story-worthy experiences while I got in some reading relaxation.

Meal for Church Potluck

The project:
Make a hot dish for church potluck in honor of the pastor's anniversary with the congregation.

Time:
15 minutes to prep, 60 minutes to bake, 90 minutes at the potluck with friends and acquaintances

Why bother?
Potlucks can be pretty amazing things. Everyone brings just a little something, and there's abundant food for everyone. Somehow it just multiplies.

Worth it?
Absolutely