reach out.

not just an emo blog post title my friends.

last night, marcus + i put on our sunday evening best [skinnies and a cute cargo jacket for me. bright blue skinnies and a vintage jays fitted hat for him.] and headed out on our little mother's day 'reach out' adventure.

our local starbucks does a monthly music night - you show up, you donate a little [or a lot] something to the good cause of the month, and you enjoy local talent for as long as your two year old lasts in a small + crowded coffee house with his choco banana muffin + frothy brown rice milk. so this month, they decided to throw it down on mother's day, and donate all the goods to a local shelter for abused women + children. they called it 'reach out'. what i totally loved is that they weren't just asking for monetary donations - they were asking for necessities for women + children. what a wicked way to do something good + hopefully have an impact on that little boy's budding moral compass.

first stop: shoppers drug mart. i had explained to marcus when he woke up from his nap that he would get to put together his own care package for mothers + babies that we would give away at the music night. so we got a basket at shoppers, and marcus went to work. i was pretty impressed that he seemed to kind of wrap his toddler head around needs, not wants. he didn't try and load his basket with toys or candy. we went to the baby aisle and he went to town comme ca:

"MAMA! we gotta get 'dem diapers. babies LOVE diapers!" [throws a pack of pampers into his basket]

"MAMA! 'dos babies gotta drink 'dey milk. i getting these cups!" [throws a pack of toddler cups into the basket]

"MAMA! babies need soap. and lotion." [both into the basket]

greenworks was running a wicked promo with shoppers, so we also got them a small haul of all purpose greenworks cleaning spray, and some pint-sized toilettries to help those mom's feel a little more the part on hawt mom monday. marcus was so proud of his basket. he didn't ask for a single thing for himself. i was pretty proud of that - he is afterall only two and a half, and doesn't mind a trip down the dollarama toy aisle for himself if-you're-picking-up-what-i'm-throwin-down.

so off we go to starbucks. it was packed which meant someone good must be performing ;) marcus literally hops out of the car seat, and just swags on in to the place like he owns it. i watched from twenty feet back as someone had to bring in the care package we had put together - the only one under about 17 years old, he literally just walks on in so confidently, and sets up camp in a huge leather lounger RIGHT next to the band. thankfully he saved me a seat.

marcus then started to unpack the care package while the band played awesome coldplay covers, and making trips to the big donation basket. the basket was either empty or filled with monetary donations when we got there [hopefully the latter], but once he had made about ten [seriously] trips back and forth between the leather lounger and the big donation basket, it was literally overflowing with goods for the shelter. to be honest? oh man it was cute - not one to shy away from attention, marcus totally loved that everyone was watching him unpack his care package. he loved it even more that the whole crowd applauded his donation when he was done well, donating it. even the band shouted him out.

only once he had filled that basket did he quietly wander over the barrista and order his warm frothy milk and chocolate chip banana muffin. then he got back to his seat just.in.time. for the cute young dudes to do their rockin' cover of justin bieber's 'boyfriend'. check out marcus up on his knees watching - so 'in it' + whispering along with his fave 'swag swag' part, he wouldn't have known if i sneaked every chocolate chip off his muffin mid-song.

filling the donation basket + enjoying some solid songage.

we loved the music. he loved the frothy milk. i loved the lesson. we go to these music nights every.single.time they're on + getting to put together a tangible + hands in the cookie jar care package instead of just rooting through mom's purse and throwing all the change in a guitar case? that's a pretty awesome lesson for a rad little boy. it was also the perfect way to end our mother's day together.

because not only did we get to listen to live coldplay + bieber covers, this single mom got like, 6 months worth of greenworks cleaning products at 70% off, and totally sneaked a few choco chips off that muffin. now you tell me who's got swag? ;)

-kare
xo