Make A Little Girl's Christmas Wish Come True

I just helped my daughter, Siobhann, write her letter to Santa. Other than asking for clothes that would fit me because "she has gotten fat," her letter was rather moving. Particularly the last item on her list...

"Please bring all the stray dogs and cats lots of good homes, families that love them and lots and lots and lots of food," she wrote. It was straight from the heart. Because of her heartfelt plea, I've compiled a short list of ways you can make Siobhann's Christmas wish come true.

1. Adopt a pet from your local animal shelter, humane society or animal control agency. Many of these pets are reasonably priced. They are usually already altered (spayed for females and neutered for males). Sometimes, they are even up-to-date on their vaccinations. Rarely these pets have not gone through some sort of personality testing to make sure they are adoptable. Go in and let a pet pick you out. They know if they will like you and your family. Ask a lot of questions to make sure you get the best pet for your family and your family's lifestyle.

2. Donate money to you local "helpers of animals." Any amount will be fine. Drop some loose change in the canisters. That will do a world of good. Monetary gifts are usually tax deductible. Ask at the front desk if you are unsure.

3. Donate items to the animal shelter. What to give? Pet food, cat litter, blankets, towels, wash cloths, and cleaning supplies like bleach. Leashes, small litter boxes (even cardboard flats), pet toys, collars and pet carriers are always appreciated. Think about what your pet uses every day and donate accordingly.

4. Volunteer at you local animal shelter. Just a few hours a week will help ease the workload of those who care for the animals. Offer to walk dogs, wash bowls scoop poop. Not your cup of tea? Play with the pets there. They call it "socialization," but we know better. This is great for puppies and kittens; you'll enjoy it as well. Ever sit in the middle of a litter of puppies or kittens? If that isn't fun, I don't know what is. Maybe allergies keep you from dealing directly with the animals, so volunteer to lick stamps, put up posters and signs or answer the phones. If you are familiar with a computer, offer to help with their website or blog. Get creative and help the animals in need and those who help them. Get your kids involved. There is a lot they can do to help as well.

5. Take a stray to your local animal shelter. It will be better than them living on the streets. They will be warm and have enough food. They will receive the necessary medical treatment or their suffering will be ended in a humane manner. They will be evaluated to see if they are suitable for adoption and every effort possible will be made for them to go to a good home.

It is pretty simple to help animals in your area. It will make you feel good. And, the animals. It isn't expensive to help - a lot of the time it is free. I know it will make my Siobhann happy to know someone cared enough to do a little something for the countless animals she prays for.

Shameless Plug

I'm so proud I could pop! Siobhann, my four year old daughter, just started her very first blog. Yes, a four year old is blogging on the internet. It all started quite innocently...

For the past few weeks, Siobhann has been pretending to have a website and a blog like I do. She would take "photos" with her toy camera and type about them on a Word document. I didn't think too much about it. She was having fun with it. Then, I got to thinking...

"Siobhann could do this for real." Seriously. Whatever she wrote couldn't be as bad as some of the stuff adults are putting out there for all the world to see. She loves to tell me and her Daddy stories. Why not put them on the internet?

I started the blog for her. I chose a simple background and gave it a title. I write a few little things in the sidebar, explaining the overly-simple concept. Siobhann chose the colors for the blog and wrote her first story.

Then, she wanted to take pictures. We made it clear that we (her Daddy and I) would never allow a picture of her or of us to be posted. I told her there were people who weren't very nice that could do bad things with them. A little tough to explain freaks, weirdos and sickos to a four year old, but I thing we did okay.

Just like her Momma, Siobhann is hooked on blogging. I think she may have a knack for it. Her stories are good and so are her photos. Okay, I am prejudice.

I have yet to see anything like this on the internet. Have you seen a blog completely designed and written by a not-quite five year old? She's doing almost everything herself. I type for her, word to word. I download the photos and crop them. That is it. She is doing everything else. She's even learning how to type, crop photos and other "blogging" skills. Well, SEO will come later.

Wouldn't it be something if her blog took off? That thought never occurred to me until I started getting wonderful feedback from my Twitter friends. They seem to love the idea. Siobhann even has two subscribers, me and one of my Twitter friends.

I'm excited. We are adding this to our home school curriculum. She's learning all sorts of computer things as well as writing, spelling and grammar. This is beyond super cool!

The best part is I'm seeing a side of Siobhann that is new to me. She's very picky about her writing. I can't change a single word. There are a lot of "veries" and flat adjective like big, but it is still good writing for someone her age. I can't wait to see her develop as a writer.

I so want to use a warning to all bloggers, including myself. "Be careful; there's a new kid in town. And, she's good. She's only going to get better."

That's my shameless plug. Check her blog out for yourself. Subscribe, if you like, so you can keep up with whatever is going on in her head. Just like me, you never know what she might right about.