My ‘Scatter Love’ Story: When Marns met Pam

Scatter Love! image: Fat Mum Slim & Emma Kate Creative

I want to tell you guys a little story that I’ve been meaning to share with you since I first started this blog.  

The story is about my friend Pam.  Pam is my 70-something year old neighbour, who is full of sass, old-school attitude, and a heart as big the ocean. Pam and I have now been friends for about a year and I thought it was timely to tell you our story, since it all began with the original Scatter Love project that was dreamed up by two very talented ladies Chantelle Ellem aka blogger Fat Mum Slim & artist extraordinaire Emma Kate.

Now that the latest range of Scatter Love postcards are available {and cos it’s nearly Christmas and I love me a feel-good story at this time of year} I thought I’d share with you the original story of how Pam and I went from being slightly hostile neighbours, to the best of friends!

Here goes:

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Scatter Love project, its basically a pack of 10, beautifully designed post cards intended to be popped in the mailbox, sending messages of kindness and love to your friends, family, or even a stranger. This small act then ‘scatters love’ across the world, and good things happen!

Back in January when the first Scatter Love postcards were released, I bought some online andonce they arrived, I got thinking.  Who would really benefit from receiving one of these? I sent one to my Sister,  I sent one to my Husband, cos well, I even sent one to Violet, who was only 6 months old at the time.  I sent one out for each of the Grandparents and signed them from Violet because I fondly remembered sending letters to my own grandparents when we were kids.  After that, I sent a couple more to my  girlfriends, but ended up with one postcard left over. It was the one with the polka dots and a big cheery ‘hello’ on the front.

Eventually, I decided to do something a little bit out-there {crazy even?} and send one to our cranky old neighbour that lived over the back.  This lady had lived there long before we moved in 7 or so years ago.  She’d always been kinda rude, constantly sitting out on her back porch smoking. If she glanced our way she just stared at us. No wave, no hello, nothing! Her house was a high-set home, and it overlooked our back yard.  Anytime we were in the yard we kinda felt like we were being watched, so we didn’t spend a whole lotta time out there.  Unlike most sweet ol’ ladies, this lady just seemed a little bitter at the world.  I know that when we’d first moved in that there was another lady who was living there with her, however we hadn’t seen her in the last few years, so I’d assumed she’d either gone into a home or passed away.

This is the Scatter Love postcard from the original series that I sent to Pam. Hello! image: Fat Mum Slim

So despite knowing nothing of our neighbour except what I’ve just told you, I wrote her a postcard.  I told her who we were, where we lived and drew a little stick-figure drawing of myself, Trav Violet and Minty. I told her that we often saw her sitting on her back porch and that if she felt like waving to us, we’d wave right back.  I sent it, and immediately kinda regretted (How awkward if she got it and STILL ignored us?). Too late! It was done, and I’d just have to wait to see what happened.

Imagine my surprise when a few days later I came home to find Pam at my front door! Yep, Scatter Love had worked its magic…

You can read the full story on the original Fat Mum Slim blog post here.

Eventually, I wrote to the lovely Chantelle to thank her for giving me the courage to do such a bold thing, and to show her that the project was really working in our little neighbourhood!  She responded almost immediately and asked if she post my story on her blog, which I of course agreed to (however f I’d know she was going to post my email verbatim  I’d have probably made more effort to fix any spelling and grammar mistakes) Once the story was published I received so many lovely messages and couldn’t believe how a simple post card could cause so much joy amongst so many people!

Pam and Violet up to no good. As usual!

Chantelle also recounted our Scatter Love story at the recent Pro Blogger conference at the Gold Coast, and reported back that so many people were moved by our story. I was chuffed, but also kind of amazed at how a simple act of kindness could cause such ripples! Keeping in mind that I’m not some Mother Theresa type who set out to become life-long pals with my cranky old neighbour, I was just hoping to make it a little less awkward for us to spend time in our own backyard! Just goes to show how a small act can create big ripples though, huh?

If you guys haven’t bought some of the latest range of Scatter Love postcards, I highly recommend it! Not only are the gorgeous to look at (I’ve kept the Pineapple one to frame) but they are kinda life-changing as well! If you’d like to get your hands on a set you can buy them here.

So there you go! theres still some good in the world and it doesn’t take much to make it happen!

Disclaimer: There are still quite a few rubbish neighbours in the world that will never be your friends! For example one set of our neighbours allow their dog to regularly relieve itself on our front lawn…but let’s not go there and ruin the moment shall we?

Ps – Now that I’ve introduced Pam to you all, you can expect lots more blog posts with her as the topic, I think you guys are going to love her as much as I do!

xo Marns

The Lighter Stuff: Exchanging Gifts with Strangers

As you guys know, I’ve made it my personal mission to not get bogged down in all the yucky headlines of late and instead turn my focus to the lighter stuff in life so I don’t cry myself to sleep every night. Well, I’m a woman of my word, and in my attempt to do good, I’ve recently signed up to the FMS Gift Exhange for 2014! I thought that this is a perfect example of a fun little project that might help restore our faith in humanity and a real sense of giving!  It also helps that I’m mad keen present buyer/giver and nothing gives me greater joy than to get my present on!

So, what is this magical FMS Gift Exchange I’m waffling on about? It’s basically a little project dreamed up by the fabulous Chantelle (AKA Fat Mum Slim) that encourages people to sign up to a worldwide group of beautiful gift-exchangers! (Hello! FUN!) You’ll be assigned a random person from the group to buy a gift for,  and then given the spy-like opportunity to ‘stalk’ your gift recipient to find out more about them (in a cute way, not a creepy way!). Once suitably stalked, you will be armed with the knowledge to able to buy the gift of their dreams! (so long as the gift of their dreams has a $25 limit). Now as if that’s not rewarding enough, not only will you receive a lovely return gift in your mailbox from a complete stranger, but more importantly you are being a part of a fun little movement that is spreading love across the world! Yay!

I’m super stoked that this year, signing up to the FMS Gift Exchange invokes a $5 ‘fee’. This fee is then donated towards one of my favourite charities, Rafiki Mwema!  Rafiki is a very worthy cause that I also support through my business Pineapple Traders (I volunteer my services by packing and posting their charity totes which you can buy here).

The beautiful girls of Rafiki Mwema

Rafiki Mwema is a safe-house in Kenya that has been set up to protect and heal girls who’ve been horrifically sexually abused.  Some of the girls are as young as 3, and it’s awful the things they’ve endured, but Rafiki Mwema is the big fat rainbow after the rain for these girls! Who better to throw a measly $5 at?! (And you can totally donate more than that if you’re feeling generous!).

Wanna sign up? Yay! you can do so until Sunday October 5th 2014. Just pop over here for all the details!

I’ll be sharing my experiences of the FMS Gift Exchange here on Marns the Mama, so make sure you keep popping back in and  you can keep helping me spread the lighter stuff!

Anyone else signed up to the FMS Gift Exchange?! Tell me in the Comments below!

#TheLighterStuff

xo Marns

The Lighter Stuff

A bit over a year ago, I stopped watching the news. Not because I didn’t care what was going on in the world, but because I can no longer stomach the violence, terror and fear that is constantly being thrust upon on our TV screens now that I’m a Mama. I know that might sound ignorant, but being a mum changes you and I couldn’t process the negativity going on in the outside world when the inside of my world was so joyous and full of love for my small person.

In recent weeks, despite my best attempts to ignore them, those heavy headlines have managed to infiltrate my perfect little world and have left me reeling.  To make matters worse, arrests regarding these unspeakable acts were made in my very own neighbourhood. That’s not really something you can ignore, and it left me rattled. I considered never leaving the house again (seriously!).  I also considered moving to somewhere remote where we might be safer, but the more I tried to come up with viable solutions, the more I realised that you can’t live in constant fear, and you can’t avoid all forms of danger completely no matter where you are.

So what’s the answer? 

Perhaps the true moment of clarity came when Trav and I had settled in one night and were watching TV.  Trav offered to go to McDonalds and get us a McFlurry ice-cream for dessert.  Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal (in fact, it probably occurs way to often in this household!) but in light of my newfound paranoia, I was worried!  “What if something happens to you?”  Trav looked at me, and in a very serious tone responded: “If we can’t leave the house to get McFlurries…Then they’ve won”.  I realised he had a point, and despite the fact that his point was made as a joke, it actually made total sense!  I realised he was right.  I don’t want to live in a world where I can just go out and get a McFlurry when I want it! Do you? Heck no!

It also made me realise that despite all the yucky stuff going on in the world, that we are human, and we need to laugh sometimes! We need to focus on the lighter stuff in life and not just sit around and let the fear and worry consume us! Seriously, why else do puppies, chocolate and reality tv exist?!  Cos it’s the lighter stuff in life that makes the world go around!

Don’t believe me? I’ll prove it! Watch this video below, and despite all the crap going on in the world right now, I bet it makes you smile…..right?

Wanna help spread the lighter stuff  in life? Yay! Let’s collaborate!

Just like the examples in the video, wouldn’t it be nice to help people to switch their focus to the lighter stuff in life instead of all the doom and gloom? I mean how easy would it be to do this one small thing!? I’m going to give it a try, and I invite you all to join me!

If you’re tech savvy, use the hashtag #TheLighterStuff on social media too so we can spread the lighter stuff even further! See? Don’t you feel better already? I know I do!

Wishing you all Love, Light & McFlurries!

xo Marns