Penn Trafford Area Recreation Commission

During the last few months in 2020 Sweet Buzz Bean & Bistro informed us they would be donating 50 cents for every cup of their delicious coffee sold and a dol...lar for every bag of coffee sold until the end of 2020. Today, Chief Gene Good had the honor of accepting a generous $3,000 donation from our friendly neighbors over at Sweet Buzz Bean & Bistro. That was a lot of coffee sold and we thank everyone who took time to support an amazing small business! Thank you Sweet Buzz Bean & Bistro for this generation donation!!!

I spent most of the day yesterday trying to keep my three teens off their screens. Between cold weather and online school and the pandemic--we're just trying to... make it to Spring. But I can't help notice how they are getting more and more attached to the phones--even worse than just typical "teenagerdom". So, yesterday, we ran some errands and I made them take a walk with me and the dog and we watched a movie and ordered in dinner We spent an hour at Target looking at hangers and throw pillows. We made hot chocolate at home. Don't get me wrong. They scrolled in the car or waiting at the counter. But mostly, they were present and good humored about how in-their-face I was for the day. So, when my youngest decided at 9:15 p.m. she wanted to bake a cake and asked if I wanted to help, my first instinct was to say have fun and head off to bed. But as I was gathering up my things, my second daughter came downstairs and sat next to me. And then my third. Before I knew it, there was music playing and laughter and someone made a decision to make green frosting. In a flash, it was 11:30 p.m. and we were all full from cake. We talked about some big issues like prejudices and how I was raised in a more socially-conservative household. We talked about some little issues like some divisiveness at school. We discussed how boxed cakes are awesome and what college is like and hopes and dreams for our futures. I almost missed it. I almost missed it as I thought we spent the day together and what was there left to say and what left was there to do. But those activities were all on my terms--and I need to remember that even though the bulk of the day I made my kids trail after me. the parenting gold is when they ask you to do something with them. That is the sign they're letting you in to their world, their comfort zone. When your teen asks you to do something with you, do it. Don't hesitate. Listen to the crazy music. Watch the movie they've been dying to see. Learn about the weird technology. Listen to their opinions about issues. Play the video game. Bake the cake--even when it's late. We all spend a lot of time watching our kids do what they love from the outside, but we still need to work hard to wiggle in to the inside. We make all the rules, so they want to dictate their world a little bit, so when they let you in, don't miss it. Even if you're a little tired because of it the next day.

This made me laugh out loud literally.

DON’T CHUCK THOSE MARKERS. 15 pounds of dead markers that will NOT end up in landfills or our oceans. Did you know that Crayola has a program called ColorCycle...? Crayola ColorCycle will accept all brands of plastic markers, not just Crayola markers. That includes dry erase markers & highlighters. If you collect the dead markers, they’ll send you a free shipping label & you can ship them back to Crayola to be recycled! Link to get started with this program: http://www.crayola.com/colorcycle.aspx This program is currently in the US & parts of Canada, check website & www.crayola.com/colorcycle/frequently-asked-questions.aspx - FAQ's. Kids get so excited to set up boxes at their schools...know any teachers? These markers were collected in just 3 months at a preschool! Imagine what we could divert from landfills during the whole school year at every school! Thanks for Sharing & Caring, Kim Miller See more

On Saturday, December 19, we will be their witness, say their names and remember their lives. Where will you be on National Wreaths Across America Day 2020? #WAA2020 buff.ly/1wYtP5z

We have a winner! Congratulations to Grace for creating a beautiful set of book ends. Thank you to all who participated. Thank you for voting.

Busy week at Buckets! Join us for some festive fun!

This will be the last raffle of this year! We will be starting up again in January. We are doing $330 worth of Scratch-offs. 100 Tips, $5 per tip. Tip numbers will be emailed to you not posted on this post. https://checkout.square.site/buy/Y34AOGIVIZ6YAC6XPRHXSNZZ

Our elf helpers, Santa, and Mrs. Claus.