Meet "Piggy". Piggy is part of our family and is helping us teach our young son the importance of giving back.

Piggy was a gift from my friend Kelly at my baby shower. Eight months pregnant at the time, I felt a lot like Piggy. But alas, Piggy was a gift for my son. He's been in our boy's bedroom since before he was born and does his best to blend in with with changes to decor over time.

He's currently half full with silver coins with a few paper dollars mixed in. Our son is saving for gifts that he will donate at Christmas time to the "kids who don't have toys to play with". He's very serious when he talks about Piggy and knows exactly what Piggy stands. Everything inside Piggy is his to give back.

We also teach our son about giving, by doing just that. He's helped me donate clothing items, baked goods, gently used baby gear, books and just about everything else we aren't currently putting to good use. We also talk about the beauty in receiving. For back-to-school, we bought a pair of TOMS shoes together online. I showed him what the purchase of my son's corduroy lace-up shoes means to a boy in Haiti or Cambodia or South Africa. A pair of shoes. "You mean he doesn't have any shoes, mom?", he asked. It's a fact of life I feel compelled to teach our young child. We are very fortunate. Others are less so.

Today he asked to shake Piggy when we added the money he earned at our recent garage sale. "There's a lot of money in there, mom".

I couldn't be more excited about Halloween which is, in part, due to the fact that my four year old really "gets it" this year. He's costumed and ready to be Buzz Lightyear. "To Infinite - And Beyond", he says...constantly...

Today's going to be a busy one. I'm heading to the office early to get a jump on my laundry list of projects and meeting prep. It's going to be a busy day and I'm planning to leave early to attend my boy's final costume parade and Halloween Party at daycare/preschool. The first costume he wore at six months old was a Pea Pod. It nearly brought me to tears. Last year he was a Sheriff. He looked - and acted! - the part. This year as Buzz he looks so grown up and boyish.

After the party, we'll head back to my office for some Trick or Treat fun which in actuality is an employee run bake sale to benefit the local charity for received the most votes. My son is bringing the $3 he received in a Halloween card from Grandma and Papa. After hearing me explain what a bake sale was, he wanted in (mostly for the goods, if you know what I mean). I explained that he'd need to bring money for a cookie or cupcake and that all the money collected would go to people in our local community who need a little extra help. After sharing with him the fact that some people don't have extra money for treats, and just want a nice lunch or dinner he said "should I save my lunch for them, too?".