When I was a kid, I remember taking my lunch to school each day. One peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich, a bag of potato chips, some fruit and maybe a little dessert like leftover brownies or homemade chocolate chip cookies. My mom was always so thoughtful with our lunches, but when I sat down to eat, the first thing I would do was find the note my dad had written me. Each day, before he left for work, he would sit down and write my sister and I a quick note.

Some days, it was just a simple “Have a great day, I love you” and his signature smiley face. Other days, he’d spend extra time imparting bits of wisdom, using our spelling words in a sentence or dressing up that smiley face into a pumpkin for Halloween or a including a four-leaf clover on St. Patty’s Day. To this day, I have a shoebox full of every lunchbox note my dad ever wrote to me. He was touched a few years ago when I told him I still had each of those notes.

My dad took the time each day to commit this small act that left a lasting impact on me, so when I heard about someone doing something similar with paper airplanes, I was on board!

Usborne carries a book called 100 Paper Planes to Fold and Fly. The book is a fun take on the art of paper airplane folding and includes several folding instructions for different styles of airplane and boasts changing paper patterns on each page.

A consultant in one of the groups I’m in began using this book as a way of connecting her Air Force husband to their kids during his absence. He would write them a letter, she would fold up the plane and the kids would find them in the house or their yard. This simple way of relating a message inspired me! I immediately sent a message to my friend Cait (whose husband is a pilot) and she loved the idea of doing this with her kids!

That got me thinking…I would LOVE to gift my friends with some samples of these paper airplanes to create a fun, new experience for their kids. If you are a pilot’s wife or military spouse, I would especially love to share these with you and your kids as a small token of my appreciation for your family’s service and sacrifice.

To claim your FREE paper airplanes, please follow the link to fill and fill out this Google Doc: Paper Airplane Giveaway

Once you’ve written, folded and shared all your letters, come on over and join my VIP group and tell us about your paper airplane experience!