A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - X is for X's and O's

In 2016 I am performing an act of kindness (random or otherwise) every day of the year. That's where B(e) Kind 366 comes in! Last year I blogged A-Z with lists of potential acts of kindness. Here's the list for X if you're interested. I actually had a surprising number of options for X last year.

From that list I chose X's and O's. 

I made this simple little game and left it on a picnic table at a park close to my house. Coincidentally, when my partner and I went out for dinner tonight Elle King's "Ex's and Oh's" was playing at the restaurant and now I can't seem to get the tune and chorus out of my head!

If you like chances to win really cool free stuff, blog hop over to my G is for Giveaway post!

A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - V is for Virtual Hug / W is for With

B(e) Kind 366 is a year long project where I perform an act of kindness (random or otherwise) each day of 2016. Last year I blogged A-Z with lists of potential acts of kindness. If you're interested here's the V list and the W list. A headache got the best of me yesterday so today's post contains two letters.

Yesterday, V was for Virtual Hug. I've been on an emotional roller coaster this week so yesterday was the perfect day for this act of kindness. I posted it on my own personal Facebook and on the profile of a family member who is part of this roller coaster.

Today W is for With - go With and wait With. I went with a colleague to drop off two strangers. It might not have been the smartest thing to do - two women dropping off two unknown men - but we believe in the good in people and went together. Following that little jaunt, we waited with another colleague while she waited for CAA. Her car wouldn't start after our meeting so after we dropped the two gentlemen off we came back to the office and waited with her. 

Stop by my G is for Giveaway post and enter to WIN (one of my favourite W words)!

A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - U is for Unplug

We're in the final week of A-Z! B(e) Kind 366 still has 36 weeks left to go! I'm performing an act of kindness (random or otherwise) every day in 2016. Last year I blogged A to Z with lists of potential acts of kindness. Due to an illness I had to combine my S, T, U, and V posts, but if you're interested you can find that post here: Random Acts of Kindness beginning with "S," "T," "U," and "V."



U is a tough letter. I only had two ideas listed under U last year: unplug and upside down. Earlier this year I performed the "upside down" act by building this snow person. I saw a grown man walk by, do a double take, and smile. Mission accomplished!


Since there's no snow (thankfully) left and I already performed the "upside down" act, the only one left was unplug. Before bed tonight, I unplugged all of the electronics, lamps, phone chargers, etc. that we leave plugged in all the time. I'll save a little power tonight and do the environment a small kindness.

If you like winning free things, stop by my G is for Giveaway and enter to win!

A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - T is for Take What You Need

B(e) Kind 366 is me being kind 366 days of this year - 2016. I've been planning this project for a few years now and while I try to be kind whenever I can, whenever the opportunity arises, this year, I am making a point of doing something consciously every day and keeping track of it.

Last year I blogged A-Z with lists of potential acts of kindness. I ran into some illness around this time last year so my last few letters of the challenge are combined. Here's my S, T, U, V post!

T is for one of my favourite random acts of kindness to perform: Take What You Need.

I made these posters and posted them on three random bulletin boards in the city. The last time I did this act of kindness was a few years ago when I was working at a university. A few days after I had posted these a colleague sent me a photo of "what she needed" - courage - and it made my day. I hope these 24 slips of paper find their place with someone who really needs them!

For a bit of fun, stop by my G is for Giveaway post and enter to win a Blind Date with a Book!

A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - S is for Save the Earth

B(e) Kind 366 is an initiative I've been planning for a few years and it's finally here. Every day in 2016 I'm performing an act of kindness (random or otherwise), taking on monthly challenges (like blogging A-Z), and raising funds for three organizations that have effected my life. 

Last year I blogged A-Z with lists of potential kind acts. Here's my S list, if you're interested: Random Acts of Kindness beginning with "S."

It's Earth Day today so S is for the Save the Earth. 

My act of environmental kindness in honour of Earth Day was to sign up for the city's compost program. In a week or two we'll have a green bin and be ready to compost! I recently learned that food garbage doesn't decompose inside a regular trash bag. I feel like that is something that I should have known, but I didn't. In the near future, between recycling and composting we should have relatively little garbage!

Earth = Green, Green = G, G = Giveaway! (Visit my G post and enter my giveaway!)

A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - R is for Recognition

Every day in 2016 I'm performing an act of kindness (random or otherwise) and calling the project B(e) Kind 366. Last year I blogged A-Z with lists of potential acts of kindness. If you'd care to take a look at my R list, here it is: Random Acts of Kindness beginning with "R."

Today - Day 112 of B(e) Kind 366 - R is for Recognition.

I attended a large meeting today and as I was leaving I made sure to thank the woman who was recording the notes for the meeting. Often the people who do some of the most important work go unnoticed and therefore unrecognized. I try, in every instance that I can, to extend proper recognition.

Be sure to stop by G is for Giveaway!

A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - Q is for Quarters

B(e) Kind 366 has been in the making for a few years now. Every day in 2016 I am doing an act of kindness (random or otherwise), taking on monthly challenges (like blogging A-Z), and raising funds for three organizations that have impacted my life.

Last year I sorted my lengthy list of potential acts of kindness that I had been compiling for a couple of years into alphabetical lists and blogged them A-Z! Here is last year's Q list: Random Acts of Kindness beginning with "Q."

I did two things with quarters today:
1. I gave a man all of the change (which included a few quarters) from my wallet on my way to work this morning.
2. I put two quarters in my coworker's expired parking meter to buy her a little extra time!

G is for Giveaway on A-Z with B (that's me). Be sure to stop by and enter!

A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - P is for Politics

B(e) Kind 366 is all about doing kind things! 366 kind things - one for every day of 2016 - to be exact! In 2015 I blogged A-Z with lists of potential kindness ideas. Here's the P list from last year if you're interested: Random Acts of Kindness beginning with "P."

Today P is for Politics.

It was the Provincial Election in Manitoba today so my act of kindness was expressing my right to vote. It's just that simple today!

There's a really fun giveaway over on my G post that you should enter!

A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - O is for Outside

Every day in 2016 I am performing an act of kindness (random or otherwise) and that is where B(e) Kind 366 comes from.

Last year I blogged A-Z with lists of potential acts of kindness. If you're interested, here's last year's O list: Random Acts of Kindness beginning with "O."

Today O is for Outside.

We've had some really strange weather this spring: exceptionally warm, unseasonally cool, and today finally sunshiney and warm again! Today's act of kindness was for myself and my dogs! Their favourite thing to do is go for a walk and I don't mind soaking up some sunshine myself. I always feel a sense of pride when I walk my boys; they're so well behaved and have quite the presence. The two big guys, Chewie (left) and Winston (right) walk together on a joined leash and Memphis (middle) walks alone on his own leash. Two dogs on the right of me and one on the left! I didn't take a photo today, but here's the one from our wedding invitations - on my favs!

Make sure you stop by my G is for Giveaway post and enter to win!

A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - N is for News and Nigeria

Every day in 2016 I'm performing an act of kindness (random or otherwise) and that is what B(e) Kind 366 is all about. In 2015 I blogged A-Z with lists of kind acts. Here's the N list if you're interested: Random Acts of Kindness beginning with "N."

Today I took an idea from last year's list and spent some time reading news articles and watching news videos about Nigeria's Boko Haram. It's very difficult for me to watch videos and read articles about human rights atrocities so I avoid them for the most part, but today I watched and today I read.

It's been two years since the militant group invaded a school and kidnapped more than 200 girls. We don't hear about #BringBackOurGirls much anymore, but for the families of the young girls in Nigeria the nightmare is still very real.

On April 14, 2016 Boko Haram released a video of 15 of the kidnapped girls reading their names and explaining that they are all alive and well. The Nigerian government confirms that they remain in negotiations with Boko Haram for the release of these girls.

(There's a giveaway over on my G post! Be sure to stop by and enter to win!)

A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - M is for Mom

In 2015 I blogged A-Z with lists of potential acts of kindness for each letter. Here's the M list if you're interested: Random Acts of Kindness beginning with "M." All of that was leading up to 2016 when I started B(e) Kind 366 - an initiative where I am performing an act of kindness (random or otherwise) every day of the year.

This year and last year the letter M fell on April 15th, my Mom's birthday!

My Mom is the most important person in my life so today especially I celebrate her. 

(There's a giveaway over on my G post this year that's easy to enter and one more way that my blog is contributing to B(e) Kind 366.)

A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - L is for Learn

Every day in 2016 I'm performing an act of kindness (random or otherwise). That's what B(e) Kind 366 is all about! In 2015 I blogged A-Z with lists of potential acts of kindness beginning with each letter. Here's my L list from last year: Random Acts of Kindness beginning with "L."

Today L is for Learn.

Today was the second and last day of Mental Health First Aid. It's a course that I truly feel everyone should take to gain a better understanding of mental illness. Over the two days I learned about mood disorders, self harm, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and psychoses as well as how to aid people who are experiencing any of the many symptoms or effects that fall under these categories.

ALGEE is the reference guide for the five basic actions required to perform mental health first aid:
A - Assess the risk of suicide and/or harm
L - Listen non-judgmentally
G - Give reassurance and information
E - Encourage the person to get professional help
E - Encourage other supports

I honestly learned so much and I have no doubt that I'll be able to aid people in the future should the need arise.

(G is for Giveaway a few posts back! You should check it out and enter!)

A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - K is for Keepsake and Klinic

If you haven't been visiting my blog since the start of A-Z you'll have no clue what B(e) Kind 366 is. Since it's more likely than not that you haven't been with me from the start, I'll explain B(e) Kind 366 and the reasoning behind my posts. B(e) Kind 366 is a year long initiative that I created and have been planning for a few years now. Every day in 2016 I am performing an act of kindness (random or otherwise). I'm also taking on monthly challenges (like blogging A-Z) and raising funds for three organizations that are very dear to me. To visit my fundraising website click here: B(e) Kind 366.

In 2015 I blogged A-Z with lists of potential acts of kindness. If you're interested here's the K list from last year: Random Acts of Kindness beginning with "K."

So, today's act of kindness, brought to us by the letter K, is two-fold.

One act is really for myself. At least five years ago my sister bought me the perfect wallet. I loved it and I still love it. But it's fallen apart. I transferred all of my things over to a new wallet today, but I just can't stand to part with the messages that the old one was adorned with. For me and as a statement to the importance of my relationship with my sister, I took the wallet apart and I'm going to frame the material as a keepsake for myself.

I'm using "Klinic" for the second act because Klinic is the name of a community health organization that has one of the important crisis phone numbers that I put in my cell phone today as well as onto my course outline for my class this coming fall. Klinic has the only sexual assault crisis phone line in the province of Manitoba. In addition to Klinic's 24-hour sexual assault crisis line I added the province's Domestic Violence Crisis Line, Adult Crisis Line, Youth Crisis Line, City Police, and Campus Security to my cell phone and to my course outlines for this fall. When it comes time to hand out my outlines in the fall, I plan to ask my students to take out their phones and input the numbers right then and there. If having these numbers in my own phone and them having the numbers in their phones makes a difference for one person, it's definitely worth it!

And in case you're new to my blog - I have a giveaway that's super easy to enter on G post this year!

A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - J is for Journal

My B(e) Kind 366 act for today is one that I've loved ever since I stumbled across it. I left this kindness journal in the library at the university where I teach in the hopes that someone will find it and pass it along to keep the kindness going!

Last year I blogged A-Z with lists of potential acts of kindness for each letter. Here's last year's J list: Random Acts of Kindness beginning with "J." Every day in 2016 I'm doing an act of kindness (random or otherwise) and raising funds for three incredible organizations. It's my hope that blogging about this project will encourage others to join the effort in some small (or large) way!

Don't forget to stop by G is for Giveaway and enter to WIN!

A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - I is for Invite and Inspire

Every day in 2016 I'm performing an act of kindness (random or otherwise) as part of a project I've been planning for a few years now: B(e) Kind 366. Last year I blogged A-Z with lists of potential kind acts. Here's the I list: Random Acts of Kindness beginning with "I."

I thought today was going to be all about ice cream and although I did eat some myself I didn't use ice cream in any acts of kindness (other than to myself!).



Today I did a pretty simple act; I invited people to a fundraising event on Facebook that a friend of mine is having to help her pay for law school. She's having a Bannock Taco Sale (also known as Indian Tacos) and they are amazing so I've basically done everyone I invited a kindness for letting them know about it! Yum!



Another big part of B(e) Kind 366 is my goal to inspire others to be kind and so I leave you with my hope for this project and a list of Ways to Inspire Others. 

I also invite you to enter my giveaway over on my G post!

A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - H is for Hundredth Day and Happy Pills

This year my A-Z posts are all about B(e) Kind 366 - a year long initiative I've created where I perform an act of kindness (random or otherwise) every day in 2016. In 2015 my A-Z blog posts led up to B(e) Kind 366 with lists of potential acts beginning with each letter. Here's last year's H List: Random Acts of Kindness beginning with "H."

Today happens to be Day 100 of B(e) Kind 366 and I marked today's milestones with an act that I've been wanting to do for a while: Happy Pills!

Of course I had to be careful who I gave these too. It couldn't really be anyone random; after all, "Happy Pills" could be construed as any number of things! One of my colleagues will be the happy recipient of these pills! I took my dogs for a nice long walk and left these on her door step.

Happy Hundredth Day!

Stop by my G is for Giveaway post this year and enter to win a Blind Date with a Book!

A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - G is for Giveaway!

Last year I blogged A-Z with lists of acts of kindness. Here is G's list: Random Acts of Kindness beginning with "G." This year I'm doing an act of kindness (random or otherwise) every day in 2016 - that's where B(e) Kind 366 comes from - and blogging about it for the month of April.

Today, G is for Giveaway!

For the rest of the A-Z Blog Challenge and until the end of May I'm hosting a giveaway for all of you wonderful visitors! The prize is a Blind Date with a Book. The winner will receive a random book of my choosing!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - F is for Feet, Friends, & Stress Free

B(e) Kind 366 has been in the works for a few years now. Every day in 2016 I'm doing an act of kindness (random or otherwise). In 2015 I blogged A-Z with ideas for RAKs. Here's last year's F list: Random Acts of Kindness beginning with "F."


Today was my best friend's birthday and my gift to her was a pedicure and dinner! We spent the afternoon at a salon getting our feet pampered and then had dinner out. It was below zero today, but our toes are ready for summer!



Today was also my last day teaching my first semester as a university instructor. After the students finished writing their final tests I handed out stress relief packages and said farewell!

Directions: Pop stress relieving capsules every four to six hours
or as needed. If symptoms persist, grab a sweet treat!

One specific idea from last year's F list is something I am actually doing every day: Fundraising. Part of B(e) Kind 366 is a fundraising campaign for three charitable organizations that have deeply effected my life. If you're able and interested in supporting me financially here's the link to my site: B(e) Kind 366.

A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - E is for Eating (Local) and Ethical Purchasing

Last year I blogged A-Z with lists of potential acts of kindness. All of those lists were part of the planning process for this year's massive kindness project: B(e) Kind 366 where I am performing an act of kindness (random or otherwise) every day of this year!

Today is Day 97 and E is for Eating (local) and Ethical purchasing. 

The Dock is a pub located less than a block from my house. They serve a host of menu items prepared from locally grown ingredients and dare customers to be locavores: one who eats food grown locally whenever possible. Tonight I ordered one of their feature "locavore" items: Buffalo Chicken Dip made from local, farm-fed chickens. Recently my partner and I decided to stop purchasing meat from large big box grocery stores and instead are visiting one of the local butchers when we need to stock up on meat. The meat is a more expensive, but it's also more ethical and that just sits better with us.

For more acts of kindness here's last year's E List: Random Acts of Kindness beginning with "E."

A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - D is for Donating Dollars

A major part of B(e) Kind 366 is the fundraising campaign. Every day in 2016 I am doing an act of kindness - random or otherwise - and taking on additional challenges in an effort to raise some funds for three charitable organizations and spread kindness far and wide!

Blogging A to Z is my April challenge! In 2015 I blogged A-Z with lists of potential acts of kindness. Here is last year's D List: Random Acts of Kindness beginning with "D."

Today I decided to DONATE for my act of kindness. 

A month ago the Pimicikamak Cree Nation, also known as Cross Lake First Nation, declared a state of emergency after 140 suicide attempts in two weeks and six suicides in two months. Massive changes need to be made in these remote northern communities. Donating a few dollars definitely isn't going to achieve those required changes, but it's something and I feel a strong need to do...something.

Through my B(e) Kind 366 efforts I am collecting funds for World University Services of Canada, an organization that advocates for refugee rights, specifically access to education, and has changed my life; The Women's Resource Centre, an organization that counsels and supports women and children who have been effected by domestic or family violence; and the Canadian Cancer Society.

If you happen to be in a donating disposition please do; I dare you!

B(e) Kind 366

A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - C is for Chocolate and Consent Culture on Campus

I'm doing an act of kindness (random or otherwise) every day in 2016. That's where B(e) Kind 366 comes from. Last year I blogged A-Z providing alphabetized lists of potential acts of kindness. Here's the C list: Random Acts of Kindness beginning with "C."


I'll start with the fun part of this post: Chocolate! For some unknown reason, Chocolate was not on last year's list. Candy was, but not chocolate. Anyway, I just got back from leaving these sweet treats for some unsuspecting students who were studying at the university campus. It just so happens that the brand name of this chocolate is Carnaby and if we want to have even more C fun, the french word for pig is cochon. So we have a Carnaby chocolate cochon on campus for today's act of kindness!


Now for the not-so-fun, but definitely more important, Consent Culture on campus. It's a fact that universities and colleges across North America have a serious issue when it comes to dealing with sexual assault on college and university campuses.

A group of students on the university campus have organized a We Believe Survivors website to allow survivors of sexual assault to anonymously submit their stories. Today, as a lead up to their event on Wednesday - Airing BU's Dirty Laundry - they released this anonymous contract that a survivor of sexual assault was required to sign on campus. The result has been complete and utter outrage at the total disregard for survivors' rights as shown by this gag order. As an entire society we need to move away from rape culture and replace it with consent culture. University and college campuses are a solid place to start!

A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - B is for Birthday

The letter B is my favourite letter. I'm sure you can guess why -- my name is Brandy after all! B is also for B(e) Kind 366 and if you've never visited before B(e) is a play on my nickname - "B" - and being kind! B(e) Kind 366 has been years in the making, but 2016 is finally here and I am doing an act of kindness, random or otherwise, every day of this year.

In 2015 I blogged A-Z with lists of acts of kindness for every letter of the alphabet. Here's a link to last year's B list: Random Acts of Kindness beginning with B.

This year the act of kindness I perform on each day of the A-Z Challenge corresponds with the letter of the alphabet for that day of the challenge.

Today B is for Birthday - or better yet, "buy someone birthday dinner."

It's one of my friend's birthday's today so I bought him dinner. To be honest I didn't actually make it to the restaurant, but my husband did and I gave him my debit card to pay for dinner. This particular act wasn't on last year's list, but with 366 different acts to perform, I find myself coming up with a number of acts not on my lists!

One thing that was listed was Big Brothers Big Sisters. Saturday is also the day that my husband and I take our "Little" out. We became a Big Couple earlier this year and it's one of the best things we've done. Today we took him to the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair.

All in all today was a great "B" day!

A to Z Challenge: B(e) Kind 366 - A is for Ally, Activist, & Advocate

For the 2015 A-Z Challenge I posted Random Acts of Kindness ideas for each letter as a lead up to 2016 and the launch of B(e) Kind 366! Now it's 2016 and I've been B(e)ing kind for 92 days now! For A-Z 2016 my plan is take one idea from my alphabetized lists, perform that act, and then blog about it! Fun, right?!

With that said, here's the link to my A List from last year: Random Acts of Kindness beginning with "A". 

My chosen act for "A" is Ally and I'm adding Activist and Advocate as well. 

Yesterday, March 31st was the International Transgender Day of Visibility. This date is recognized as a day dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of the discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide. Admittedly, yesterday came and went and I didn't promote #TDOV, but I remembered today. I posted the following video on my facebook page today and try to take steps on a regular basis to do exactly what this video asks allies to do: be an activist ally not an armchair ally! As a cisgendered woman it's important that I recognize and use my privilege to advocate along side folks that don't find life quite as simple as I do. 

I've taken LGBTTQ* awareness and support training and really do try as much as I can to make an active effort to refrain from using gendered language. It's difficult; it really is! If you'd like to see how difficult try telling someone what your weekend plans are without using any gendered terminology: she, he, mom, dad, sister, brother, wife, husband, etc.  

I'll close with this infographic and hope that you'll consider becoming an activist ally/advocate too!