My Letter to The Children's Place

I can't believe that this is what is bringing me back to ye olde blogosphere, but here it is, warts and all.

Thank you for taking the time to consider feedback from your customers. I am a long term shopper of The Children's Place, having found your products when my oldest son (now 20) was only about 2 years old. For the most part, I've been very satisfied with the quality and the variety of offerings you carry for children. I'm not at all happy that the (local to me) store has closed but I'm making due on that angle. I'm writing to you today because I was so disappointed by my experience when shopping the piles of graphic tees for young girls at your (alternative to the local to me) location.

All the tees that have little girl faces on them were very Caucasian-looking girls (wide eyes, long flowy hair, typical "white girl" features, etc.). There were NO "girls of color" featured on any of the tees stacked in the displays at all. I fully realize that this might be true of just this season's offerings, as in the past I've been happy to find one tee or so every couple seasons. But yesterday was the final straw for me - I have to speak up. I find this lack of diversity in your product lines very alarming in this day and age.

When I inquired to an employee who was working the floor, she encouraged me to speak up. She and her fellow employees (who were lovely and very friendly and helpful. AND were beautiful African American ladies who shop there also!) stated that they too had noticed the lack of diversity. As a mom to two gorgeous Chinese daughters, I feel that the products I buy for my children should be representative of the vast differences that exist in our culture, that we should be applauding the differences by showing beauties that are far more representative of the many families who shop at stores like The Children's Place.  As I stood in that store observing the clientele, I noticed many families of varying ethnicities. I heard mommas speaking Spanish, Korean, and English. It was a truly diverse crowd in there trying to find great bargains and outfit their kiddoes for spring. The products on your shelves and racks need to do a much better job of addressing those demographics!

Moving forward, I hope that you will please consider a more wide-angled approach that will honor the diversity and the beauty of ALL of your customers! Again, thank you for hearing me out and allowing a venue for customers to share this sort of feedback.

Sincerely,
The Gang's Momma

Retiring the Old Gal

Nope, not me. I mean, I'm old. And feeling older by the day. But no, I'm sticking around for a while still. I'm sure you are all relieved.

We've officially retired our rocking chair. It might not seem like a big deal to many of you. But this sentimental mom is remembering the past 14 years of snuggles, middle-of-the-night feedings, spit up and more. All in this $100 Toys-R-Us clearance bargain I scored when I was expecting LadyBug. Who is now 14. Sigh. Four.Teen. Again, with the sigh. But it was long past time for a change. A quiet, smooth-riding change. This late 90's model has seen better days. Its contributions to the noise quotient in this house have exceeded Momma's limits.

I've mentioned before that I have purposed to cherish and use Mei Mei's naps and night time routines for all that they can be. But since Mei Mei's surgery, we've really been struggling with some hard night time issues. Sleep irregularities and deprivation have taken a toll on us all. She's taking MUCH longer to settle for both nap and night time. And that longer time has translated into raucous, grating, obnoxious squeaking and creaking from this old rocking chair. No amount of WD-40 has consistently worked. No tightening of bolts or screws has stood up against the steady rhythm of comfort that I have had to engage in twice a day for my girl. And the terrible noises have made me tense. Oh, so tense. Which, of course, has NOT contributed ummmm, positively, shall we say, to the process of soothing and gentling my girl to her rest. Rest that she desperately needs to feel in order to heal, both physically and emotionally.

So I bit the bullet and started shopping around a bit. True to form, the glider rockers that I really wanted to purchase were ridiculously, insanely crazy expensive. You know the ones that look like lovely recliners and "real" furniture for the family room? Yeah. Those are really gorgeous. But out of The Gang's budget by hundreds of dollars!

I wanted something that would do a great job playing its part in a quiet and peace-filled bed time routine but that also would fit seamlessly into the decor of the downstairs of the house when our rocking-Mei Mei-to-sleep-days are over (sigh, sob). I found a great deal on W@yF@ir, and scored a good price on a special sale day. A couple clicks and my new chair arrived on Monday.

In the process, I may have developed a teensy tiny addiction to their website. And to their giveaways. Maybe.

OH! ALL! THAT! FURNITURE!

OH! ALL THAT REDECORATING I'M DOING IN MY HEAD!

Mei Mei isn't too sure how she feels about it yet. She keeps patting it and saying "Soff, Soff," but she isn't totally embracing it yet. She kind of watches the cushion warily while I'm settling us in. But me? Heh. I might take my next nap there. It's quiet. And soft. And quiet. Oh. SO. Quiet.

It's Perfect!

So I've been looking for a while. Knowing what I wanted, digging through retail sites, wasting far too much time on Am@zon and e-b@y trying to find what I knew existed in my head and must SOMEHOW, SOMEWHERE exist in real life. I could see it in my mind's eye. I knew it had to be out there and I was determined to find it.

What was it for which I was searching, you ask?

Why, the perfect family ornament, of course.

I was going crazy... crazy enough to start thinking about making my own. Really. Like I have the time or the energy or the resources to start ANOTHER project this month. Heh. Like I have the time to sit and search for hours, googling key word after key word. Oh, whatEVER.

In my defense, I think the 10,000 viewings of Despicable Me

has turned my logic skills to mush this month.

In my defense of the said 10,000 viewings,

it's the only thing that distracts Mei Mei completely

and totally from her pain and activity limitations.

There. I feel better. All those disclaimers and explanations....

Apparently, sleep deprivation messes with my ability to be succinct, too.

I slapped myself out of my delirium and put the word out to my very-connected F@cebook friends.Yes, I harnessed the power of social media for my own gain. Dude. I'm so 2013.

I knew it had to be something like this one, which I found the year after Li'l Empress came home. You know, back when we thought (ha!) we might be done building up our gang's population. I do love it. After all, it is perfect for our folk-art style decor but it's dated wrongly (she came home in 2008 and it's dated 2009). But it had to be different. And again, so far that different existed in my head but I was looking for it in "hard copy."

So, on the advice of several of those friends,

I turned to Etsy. I mean really. What CAN'T you find at Etsy?

Just a few clicks is all it took. A link here and a link there.

I found it. It's perfect. And I love it.

This is The Gang's un-officially official Forever Family ornament.

2013. The year that The Gang is {finally} all here. Home. Forever.

The Gang's All Here. And it's literally "set in stone."

And I love it.

If you like it, go check out Rosi's Place.

Tell her The Gang's Momma sent you. Check out all the beautiful stone work.

I'm certain you will find at least one or two things you will love.

Why don't you head over there now and look.

Come on back and leave me a comment about your faves!

For my friends who prefer to support businesses

that are run by adoption-hearted folks,

I'm thrilled to tell you that Rosi has two beautiful

children adopted internationally.

**(I was not paid or given any discount for the review of this product.

I simply am happy with my purchase and wish to share a great resource with you all.

And I might still be a little delirious, as I'm hearing minions in my head almost daily now.

And yes, I'm very aware that this is a lot of fuss and bother about a little ornament.

Again. I'm a tad delirious. Go with it. It's working for me for now.)

When Christmas Shopping at the Mall

When Christmas shopping at the mall,
the $6 shelled out for a Minnie Mouse camera

at our very first-ever visit to the Disney store is absolutely money well-spent!

When Christmas shopping at the mall,
it was kinda amazing that I didn't even BLINK at the idea

of shelling out that $6. Not even once.

I have SERIOUSLY softened with age.

When Christmas shopping at the mall,
in order to get anything done on your gargantuan To Do List,
it is vital to have a plan of attack.

When Christmas shopping at the mall,
with a feisty two-year old, it is vital
to expect to have that plan shot to you-know-where.
In a matter of minutes.

When Christmas shopping at the mall,
it is necessary to have a kind answer
to the inquiries of well-meaning strangers:
"Yes, dear grandmother, I do have my hands full with THIS one.

As I do with all of 5 of her siblings.
Put all 6 of them together and I am happily and insanely overwhelmed."

*sigh*

When Christmas shopping at the mall,
a very petite Chinese girl strutting through the mall

with her hands shoved into the pockets of her purple cargos

is quite possibly the CUTEST! SIGHT! EVER!

(This was validated by the many passers-by who voiced this over and over.)

When Christmas shopping at the mall,
watching that little one dancing to the Christmas music
WITH her hands shoved in her pocket
while singing at the top of her lungs is HI.LARE.EEEE.USSSSS!

And again, I'm shocked at how I've softened with age.
I likely would have totally "sssshhushed" my other kids when I was a younger mom.

When Christmas shopping at the mall,
and contrary to popular belief (and by popular, I might just mean mine)

Chik-Fil-A waffle fries do NOT make every thing better
for a hungry, almost-tired two-year old.
Worked pretty good for me though.

When Christmas shopping at the mall,
being unsnapped from one's stroller and allowed to walk

with her hands in her pockets again, DOES, apparently, make it all better.

When Christmas shopping at the mall,
someone should remind the "mall Santa" to look up to the upper level

above his big fancy Santa couch, to say hello to his constituents.

As opposed to looking up, startled by the raucous shouts of "HI! HI! HI!"

from a certain little curious constituent.

Heh.

When Christmas shopping at the mall,
raucous shouts of "HI! HI! HI!" echo quite nicely to the ear

of said little constituent.

Which makes her repeat it. Again. And again. And again.

Through. The. Whole. Mall.

Double Heh.

When Christmas shopping at the mall,
a tired two-year old being forced to "snap back in" to her stroller
for transport out to the car is unpleasant for all to see. And hear.

When Christmas shopping at the mall is all done,
an OVER tired two-year old who drops her dolly
in the car 7 minutes from home has the magical ability
to make that 7 minutes stretch into 77 minutes.

Finally, when Christmas shopping at the mall,
anything productive that you do accomplish from that aforementioned
gargantuan To Do List must be treated as a BIG! HUGE! EXTRA! BONUS!
to the fact that you made it there and back
without losing a shoe, a water cup,
a dolly, a hair bow, or your sanity.

And THAT, my momma friends, deserves a celebration.
Or, if you are old like me, a nap.

Managing the Seasonal Wardrobe Project

I'm so excited that fall is finally here. The smell of pumpkin spice coffee is on the breezes flowing through our house this week, soothing the clutter and mess that changing out the seasonal clothing always ruffles up. It's a several-days process here, what with 6 kids and all. Because of that, I (long ago!) streamlined the job to a twice a year change-out.  We lump Spring/Summer together and Fall/Winter are paired. It means waiting a tad longer into the start of the school year for "new clothes" but with our early years of home-schooling, I never developed the "school shopping" habit of late summer anyway. With this system, I'm only buying clothing as it is needed, and not in one fell swoop unless there's a special occasion like a wedding or such. That change of focus has saved us a ton of money over the years. (aaaand, BONUS! I get to pitch all the "Back to School" flyers that flood the mailbox beginning in mid-July!)

This year, I'm enjoying the fact that at least 2 of the 6 kids are quite capable of pulling out all their summer gear, trying on the prospective fall clothing and making up a list of their "needs" for me without too much coaxing and prodding. Two of them need me to pretty much do the whole project FOR them. And the other 2 tend to wear the same "uniform" of shorts, jeans, and tees all year around. Which in and of itself presents a whole 'nuther project that I'm putting off till, well, when I have to face their closets in search of something for family photos.

Even saying that, "...family photos" is enough to make me cringe... anyone else get that? Coordinating dates for 8 of us plus one photographer friend. Coordinating clothing so that we at least look like we INTENDED to be photographed together. Coordinating the clothing so that we don't clash and maybe even, well, coordinate. OY. Sigh.

Oh, wait. Where was I? Fall clothes. Oh yeah.  I know I'm not the only momma who dreads this project. And I've had enough younger mommas ask how I manage it without breaking the bank each year that I figured it would be blog-worthy. So I'm posting these pics from our fall clothing project and sharing some organizing tips that I've picked up along the way of managing this task for my gang. AND I'm hoping to hold myself a little accountable to get it done and cleared off my To Do list by the end of the week. Anyone with me on that one?!

 There are pockets of the unfinished project all over

the house, upstairs and downstairs.

Normally, this stresses me out. But this year,

I'm drinking my Pumpkin Spice coffee and breathing through it.

Each kid has a Fall/Winter bin in their size, and a Spring/Summer bin. When the weather turns cooler, I have them haul their two bins up from storage and begin the process of weeding out the summer pieces. Generally speaking, we make three piles: return to storage, discard, and donate. In Baby BlueEyes' case, anything that is too small (or will be too small by next summer), immediately goes either to discard or donate. He's our last boy-o and there's no need to return things to storage for him. (YAY!) For the girls and the bigger boys, the "return to storage" pile can only be things that they KNOW they can wear again next year OR things that they know will not go out of "style" by the time the younger sibs get to them. I'm always excited when my "discard" and "donate" piles are big enough to fill a garbage bag or two. Truthfully, if I could pare things down to just one bin per size, holding both seasons of clothing alternately, I would. But these darned kids keep growing and those bigger clothes just don't work that way.

Having a well organized and labeled system for our clothing storage has been a lifesaver for me. I used to store them in whatever plastic bags and/or cardboard boxes that I could salvage but that got messy and pricey, too. Investing in these heavy plastic totes has really allowed us to protect the majority of stored clothing from dry rot, moisture damage, and other environmental issues.Therefore, we're saving money. And I'm all about THAT! Living in three different homes with three different storage spaces, I learned that lesson the hard way one too many times.

At this house, the bins are all stacked and stored in the basement.

An occasional hurricane forces my hand to purge and sort more judiciously than

the twice-yearly projects require.

As you can imagine, as Mei Mei is outgrowing her clothing (yay, she's gained about 4.5 lbs since April!), I'm trying to be pretty quick about passing it on and moving it out. It's a great feeling and I'm surprised at myself - I'm not even feeling sentimental about clearing things out. In fact, by the end of this week, I hope to have nothing smaller than 18 month clothing left in the bins and I'm excited by that!

When the summer clothes are sorted and stored or bagged up and the fall clothing is put away in drawers and closets, I have each kid give me a list of the "needs" and the "wants" they have for rounding out their wardrobes. Again, as they have gotten older the lists are easier to generate and in the boys' case, these lists are shorter and more streamlined. As you can imagine, my fashionista LadyBug has quite a few editions of her list before she hands me her "final copy." I have her help me plan out the list for the little girls, too. It's a great way to help LB think strategically at something she loves. Shhhhh, don't tell her but her artsy self has a hard time with planning and plotting so it's a sneaky way of teaching her some good life skills. She also helps me pare down the wardrobes for the little sisters by pulling out duplicates or past trends that I don't "see" and that "horrify" her. Heh!

I run through my clothing with the same system and check in with The Boss for his needs at this point, too. Then each person's list gets transferred to an index card that I store in my handy dandy envelope system. When I'm out running errands or I see a bargain on my online yard sale sites, I can reference the lists quickly and easily AND have an up-to-the-moment idea of how the clothing cash is holding up. I pretty much take the envelopes with me everywhere I go, especially now that it's just me and Mei Mei all day long. It's so much easier to shop and run errands with just one little sweetie and NO half-day kindergarten routine to work around.

When the needs and even some of the wants on a card are taken care of, I toss it and usually by November I am done rounding out the kids' fall/winter wardrobes. I love it when it happens earlier but it's been a while since I finished before Thanksgiving, between budget constraints and regular crazy-life pace, so I try not to stress and I DON'T give in to the temptation to just do it all and pay the budget back later. A little prioritizing, a little layering, and a lot of patience goes a long way. For all of us!

There you have it. Managing the seasonal wardrobes for 6 kids and 2 adults. It's not nearly as daunting as it sounds and with all the much-appreciated hand-me-downs that the kids recive from friends and family, it's actually kind of festive for the few days it takes to wrap it all up. Well, festive for the girls anyway! To the boys, it's just a project to be endured. And for Momma? It's a chance to clear out, clean up, and re-organize the rooms (including my own!) that got neglected a bit during our lazy hazy days of summer. That alone is reason enough to make me take a big gulp of that Pumpkin Spice goodness and breathe deeply of the fresh crisp air!

How about you? What tips and tricks have you discovered along the way for this big project? 

Last Official Appointment And Shopping!

This morning, April 17th, was our Consulate Appointment, the last official appointment of our adoption paper-chase! We met our guide, Lily, in the lobby at 7:40 a.m. and drove off to join a bunch of other adoptive families in the waiting room of the American Consulate. The whole process was very quick and anti-climactic considering all the hoops and obstacles and reams of paperwork we tunnel through to get to this point, but I still found myself choking up when taking the vow on behalf of my daughter. The vow is nothing more than an "I swear that all this documentation is as true today as it was at every step along the way" kind of oath but still, it is "THE" official oath that all legal immigrants must take before entering into the United States of America. And just like that, our daughter is now an official immigrant to the United States. When we arrive in Newark on Friday and hand over her legendary "brown envelope" to the Customs Officer, she'll no longer be an immigrant but a citizen!!!! Only two days till then. YAYAYAYAYAYAY!

Once that was over, we headed over to do some shopping and strolling on Shamian Island. For those that followed last time we adopted, that is the island where we stayed for this part of our trip. That is the island that flooded so badly that we had to trudge through about 12" of muddy, dirty, sewer water to get to our medical appointment. So you'll understand when I say that I was so glad for the sticky muggy but NOT RAINING weather that I could have danced in the streets. I didn't, but I sure could have!

The island is spotted with this kind of lovely little statues in many

of the open courtyards between streets.

Mei Mei wanted to make friends :)

The Boss and I were on a mission to find a little artist shoppe in particular. When we were here in '08, we had a lovely piece of art made with Li'l Empress' name on it and we really wanted one for Mei Mei. We had heard that the island was much less busy and many shoppes had closed since the famed White Swan Hotel closed two years ago for construction. But then yesterday we also heard that this particular artist was still working on the island. We were sooooo excited to find the shoppe where he works right away and we commissioned a pretty piece for Mei Mei.

While he worked, we wandered around the island, peeking in shoppes and enjoying the fact that Mei Mei LIKED the stroller our guide lent us. She's tiny but when she's squirming like an octopus, she feels like she's 25 lbs. heavier! Plus, it gives me hope that she will adjust quickly to the car seat at home. Of course, while we peeked, we lightened up The Boss's wallet a little bit. Can't have him being weighed down by all that Chinese currency now, can we?! I won't spill the beans about all that we purchased, as I'd like the kids to have some fun surprises.

However, I will tell you that we found a wonderful little store others had spoken very highly of and tried to purchase what we could from them. It's run by an organization that donates to Chinese children's charities and features a lot of beautifully hand-crafted items made here in China. I love that they are equipping craftspeople to care for their families and turning around and investing in the children of this rich land. For those of you traveling in the coming months, heading over to Shamian Island JUST to shop at A Gift From China is well worth the trip!

Once we knew the artwork would be ready, we headed off to pick it up. When we got there, the artist was just finishing the piece and he treated us to another style of his work - all done with ink and fingers. It was beautiful to watch the mountains and trees appear as he placed fingertips and parts of his hands... I was amazed.

We made sure to tell him how much we loved the one

he'd made for us in '08, and how Li'l Empress loved it too.

I can't wait to frame this and hang it in their room!

From a blank card to the beginnings of a double

waterfall surrounded by trees. I don't have an artistic

bone in my body so I am always completely intrigued

that he can see this in his mind and then make it happen.

And with no tools beyond what God gave him at the ends of his arms!

By this time, Mei Mei was BEYOND ready to call it a day. She had skipped her morning nap because of the timing of the consulate appointment, so we hurried off to catch our driver and get lunch in the room before an early nap. We're pretty excited about tonight - we've put together a little group of us to head to an Irish pub about 10 minutes from our hotel for dinner. And tomorrow, we are meeting a fellow blogger friend for a nice Chinese lunch. And last night, The Boss and I ate here at the hotel, enjoying freshly made personal gourmet pizzas. I swear, I'm going to be so spoiled by all this international cuisine that I will be a cooking fiend for weeks. Once the jet lag wears off, that is :)

Tomorrow is a down day for us, likely spent packing and re-packing and off-loading the "excess" that we don't want to cart home. We've collected quite an assortment of stuff that was great to have while living in a hotel or two but I'll be just as happy to pass it on to our guide or the families from Living Hope that come in behind us. And all of it will be for one singular purpose - getting HOME to our other five kiddoes. I can't even believe how much I miss home. And tap water. And sugar-free hazelnut creamer in a Tigger mug. Can't wait to hug my gang and get on with the business of our completed family!

Out and About In Beijing

Today was a great day for the three of us. Daddy woke feeling much better so we got ourselves up and ready for breakfast while Mei Mei slept in a bit. She's still a little surprised to see my face each time she wakes but is settling into it more easily and even smiled a bit at me when I got her calmed down. And surprise of all surprises, she polished off a 6 oz. bottle of formula! Granted, it was seriously doctored up formula but she drank it and we can correct the bad habit later. Thanks to my reader-friend, Amy, for the tip of adding stuff to the formula. Apparently, I got the recipe right!

After a simple and bland breakfast in the hotel buffet, we did a quick load of hand-washed laundry while we waited for Dion to pick us up. And then we were off!

Our first stop was about an hour away, on the outskirts of Beijing, at a beautiful jade factory and store. We got a personalized tour as we were just about the only ones there during the lunch hour. We learned about the 8 different categories of jade quality, the ranges of colors and translucency of jade, and the traditional meanings associated with jade. Then we got to wander around a huge show room of jewelry, statues, statuettes, more jewelry, showcase furniture, and home decor. The intricacies of the carved pieces were amazing.

This huge boat is ENTIRELY jade.

It was magnificent.

A beautiful table and four chairs of jade.

I'll bet it's too heavy for my dining room floor!

The Boss, Shaggy, Dr. D, and Baby BlueEyes....

forever enshrined in jade!

After that, we hopped back in the van and Dion asked if we'd be interested in visiting the Olympic complex. Interested?! ME? HEH! Uhhh, yeah! We're interested! I spoke for the both of us. (And yes, I know there's no Olympic games going on now. Yes, I know that I got to see the complex in 2008. But this is OLYMPIC stuff guys! And we all know how crazy I am about all things Olympic!)

We got to walk right into the campus, stopping on the way for a little snack from a street car. YUM! It was a tortilla like wrapper filled with shredded veggies and a bit of a kick in flavor. Mei Mei, The Boss and I all shared one - which Mei Mei was NOT a fan of at all. She really does love to eat - pretty much anything we offer. (Don't worry, I'm careful not to overwhelm her system with all the new things and I keep an eye on quantity while we're learning her signals and cues!)

This was our first attempt at using the Ergo

carrier that my friend, Lisa, lent me.

She resisted at first, which I'm getting used to,

and then snuggled in to enjoy the sights from a safe perch.

I'm still pinching myself.... I got to stand at the foot of

The Bird's Nest! Aaaaaaaaaaah!

The Ling Long Pagoda, where

most of the broadcasting studios for the games

were located, including The Today Show.

The Water Cube from across the complex.

This sculpture is called "Olympic Torch Relay."

One side was smooth and intricate, the other very rough and primitive.

It is really amazing and beautiful to see up close and personal.

After the ooohing and aaahhing over the Olympic sites, we hopped back into the van and headed to a little noodle house for a "light lunch." Heh. We're learning that there's no such thing when eating out with Dion. He ordered for us and our driver, plate after plate of local deliciousness. We had stir-fried cabbage, noodles with a sweet Peking sauce and veggies, sauteed eggplant with green beans, fried rice, and a chicken dish with little wraps and bamboo shoots. So fresh and flavorful - all of it was just amazing! I really need to hit the internet when we return home and do some recipe research.

Next door to the noodle house was a traditional tea house, where we got a mini-version of a tea tasting ceremony. We tasted about 6 or 7 different teas and learned about the health benefits of each featured tea. Just my luck, the one noted for its slimming and healthy heart properties tasted the worst! I was tempted to buy a tea set for Mei Mei while there but we could tell it was a bit more upscale and we wanted to avoid the hard sale. Big spending at the jade house was enough for one day!

This was our hostess for the ceremony. She was so patient

with all of Mei Mei's interruptions while explaining the right ways

to drink tea and to hold tea cups.

Through all of this activity, Mei Mei did great - even though she was skipping a nap. But man, sitting back in the van for the hour drive through rush hour traffic was no picnic. It was like wrestling an octopus at points. Granted, she's easily distracted and was pretty pleasant tempered about it all but I am sure glad we use car seats in America to restrain our kiddoes. Letting her loose in a car on errand day would be downright insanity! 

Finally, because I know most of you are really only here to see her and her sweet little face, here's one that The Boss snapped of us while we were admiring the blooming forsythia.

It was a beautiful day and I love that we got to spend so much of it outside in the beautiful weather to enjoy our time here and each other. Tomorrow, we've got a lighter schedule so hopefully nap time will still happen at a decent hour. We'll all need it for Saturday's big trek to The Great Wall! 

All Tuckered Out

I despise running a day of errands in the rain but in all of the excitement of news about our really quick Article 5 turn-around, I neglected to check the forecast to plan my week. So when I woke Tuesday, ready  to hit the road with my list of To Do's and saw the rain coming down sideways, I made the executive decision to postpone. I enjoy that particular aspect of being a stay-at-home mom - the ability to flex my own schedule and "be the boss of me." It helps to balance out the less-than-enjoyable aspects of being home full-time.

I woke up to a bright, sunny Wednesday. I felt almost giddy with the excitement of a clear forecast. Until I stepped outside into the wind. Brrrrrr. The chill went right to my bones. But it wasn't raining and I had STUFF.TO.DO. I ran a bunch of quick errands while Li'l Empress was in school and couldn't believe how much I got done so early. Early, as in, sit in the school parking lot and play with my phone for a few quiet minutes alone. Quietly. By myself. Heh. Wonders will never cease.

Li'l E and I enjoyed a quick lunch back at home and hit the road again for the remainder of my errands. I'm hunting for a good pair of running shoes for our trip to China... After my stop today, I think I maybe should have started looking earlier. Sheesh, there were some seriously expensive and really ugly sneakers out there. Ugh. This might be a harder thing to knock off the "To Do" list than I planned.

We then headed off to our local Aldi. Do you know about Aldi? I love that store. I filled my cart to precariously overflowing - including the bottom rack! - all for less than $240. That's INCLUDING two really cute canvas totes to help solve some of our toy storage issues in Li'l E and Mei Mei's room. I'm not nearly stocked up ENOUGH to keep the kids in food and resources while we are gone, but I sure made a dent in the effort today!

Finally back at home, I supervised the kids' duty of putting it all away while multi-tasking on emails, kitchen clean-up and "Pope Watch."  (I'm not Catholic but I am a total news nerd!) Once that was all done and things quieted down a bit, I looked across the room and spied this sweet scene.

Seems I tuckered Li'l Empress out with all our stopping and shopping. Sheesh, she was only there for half of it. I have no idea what Maggie's excuse is. Beyond the fact that she's always game to help someone relax and re-charge if they sit still long enough! Don't they look cozy together?!

Wordless Wednesday {$1.99}

I think this is the best $1.99 I've spend all winter long.

She's barely taken it off since Saturday night!

It's been a long while since I joined in,

but  if you want more Wordless Wednesday fun,

click HERE and link up!

You are Cordially Invited...

My sweet friend Joslyn, strikes again!!!! Several weeks ago, I attended an Open House at her home, intending to pick up some new mascara for Lady Bug and myself, have some intelligent adult conversation and play with a bit of pretty jewelry. By the time the night was over, Joslyn had fully talked me in to hosting a big holiday event. And her friend, Karoline (of Premier Designs Jewelry) offered to join in. By the next day, we had two more home-based businesses on board and pretty soon, we were trucking! We've been busy all week gathering links, confirming participants and going live on Facebook.

I am so excited to unveil the big event here now, too. I'm even more excited to tell you that those of you who are not local to me can participate, too. Yes, it's true: You are ALL invited! You can also check out the "public event" here.

Isn't this invitation simply gorgeous? I'm always so impressed when folks can create graphic designs like this.  I'm also incredibly grateful for the time and effort that was put into this beautiful invitation and the support that each of these participants is lending to our event.

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If you are here by way of the Christmas Frenzy linky event, thanks so much for stopping by. If you don't know what a Christmas Frenzy linky event is, stop by over there and check it out. And thanks to the Richards family for helping families get the word out!

If you have any questions or need more information, please feel free to contact me at the above email (which is also the email attached here to my blog. And if you are the praying sort, we'd appreciate your prayers for a successful event for all of us.

Where Have I Been?

We've had a great start to the school year! Li'l Empress gets up (mostly) happily every day, and practically skips her way through the morning routine. She's so pleasant and even the bus driver, Miss Lynne, commented on how she is enjoying Li'l E's sweet joyful demeanor. 

As far as we can tell, her adjustment to the bone-conduction hearing aide in the classroom setting has also gone well. Our hearing support teacher had me take pictures of the device and send them to her. She used the pictures to make a "cheat sheet" for all of Li'l Empress's teachers to reference. What a great idea, right?!  Li'l Empress also uses the portable FM system for in-class teaching time and is getting used to that along with her teachers. I get the impression that she doesn't love leaving her home classroom for specials (she told me yesterday that she cried in Art class because she likes Mrs. S's class room best) but I would expect that from most any Kindergartner and especially from MY kiddo - she's always more content with the familiar places that she knows Daddy or I have deemed "safe."  Both The Boss and I have been very pleasantly surprised by the easy acclimation to the new environment and routine. Compared to how she transitioned into last year at pre-school and then again this summer (to the new hearing aide) we were really expecting much more of a battle and a longer adjustment.

The older kids are all settling into their regular school routine pretty well. I think that having both Baby BlueEyes AND Li'l Empress on the same routine this year is really helpful this fall. I've seen a new level of maturity in BBE since school started, like he's growing into his role as Li'l E's primary touch point for both the morning routine and the bus ride. She calls him her "breakfast buddy" and her "bus buddy" and it's like he's preening in the attention. Tooo cute :)  Dr. D has turned into a serious morning person - up and moving and out the door almost before I can even get my stumbling self down the stairs. Must be all those early football camp days that formed a new habit!  And LadyBug gets herself up in time to perfectly coordinate her hair, make-up, and outfit for each day. Somehow in there she almost always finds time to eat and give the "big sister okay" to Li'l E's outfit, too. I have taken to keeping my bedroom door shut until my alarm goes off, to avoid the lights on in the hallway at the ridiculous hour she gets up to accomplish all that!

Shaggy has been working hard to organize his belongings and ready himself for his departure to Denver. When he's not working like a dog at Chick-Fil-A, he's sorting clothes, making lists, and cleaning his room. We've had some nice mornings here at the house together and it's going to be all.too.quiet. every morning once he's off to Colorado. There's a post about that coming but not now. I'm happy in my river of De Nial. :)

This week, he had a big chunk of time between shifts at work so he helped me sort over 14 bags and boxes of all kinds of baby paraphernalia, clothing, toys, and lots of other stuff for our fundraising efforts. So much stuff that I am actually doing another yard sale event.  I've been doing the F@cebook sales diligently all summer but the inventory was getting a tad stale. And in God's timing and provision, I got not one but TWO huge loads of donations that are almost all sure to be great sellers. (Both loads came from folks I barely know. How cool is that?!) Also in God's perfect timing, my new friend contacted me and offered to let me set up a bunch of stuff in her front yard at their neighborhood yard sale event.  I continue to be amazed at this gal's generosity, as well as the compassion and generosity of virtual strangers who just hear about our efforts and want to come alongside us and join in our purpose.  It's quite humbling.

 14 or 15 bins of clothing, most of them overflowing, 

from newborn sizes up through adult apparel.

Toys, strollers, bedding, home decor

We've got it all!

Join us in praying that it ALL goes, too!

The load of "Back to School" paperwork, before school even began, was overwhelming this year. I don't even want to look at Li'l Empress's IEP binder - it's a mess and totally unorganized after the scramble to close out her time with the Intermediate Unit, request a transfer from P.M. kindergarten to A.M., and amend her IEP for the coming school year. After all the phone calls and emails that the transition generated, I didn't want to touch the phone for a week! (Again, that stuff is a post in and of itself...)

I've been sorting, cleaning, purging, and organizing my way through bags and boxes and bins of STUFF. Lots and lots of stuff. It's always a huge chore to re-claim my home from the lazy hazy days of summer and this year the yard saling has added a huge new dimension to that. Somewhere in there we got to sneak away Labor Day with our friends, but that seriously feels like mooooonths ago already. We also had a big family wedding to prep for and sheesh, I forgot how much I hate school supply shopping. I sheepishly admit, we did not do one stitch of back-to-school clothing shopping this year. I just couldn't add one more thing in and really, except for sneakers that BBE seems to always need, the kids' wardrobes are fine for now.

And so, that's where I've been. August and now early September has been spent. Literally spent. Wrung out and hung to dry....  Which might explain why my blogging mojo feels like a wet dishrag.

I'm Under The Big Oak Tree!

Just wanted to mention to you all that my guest post at Under The Big Oak Tree is going live today.  I'd sure appreciate it if you'd stop over there and leave a comment. Surf around her site a bit. Check out some of her awesome recipes and menu ideas. And leave a comment. Take some time to look over the cool organizational tips and the weight loss challenge she has going on. And leave a comment.

Yes, please. Leave a comment. Encourage others to think about adoption. Cheer Alison on for being a voice for little ones who wait for mommas like me. Tell the other readers how much you love your Wild Olive tee. Tell them which one you've already ordered. Leave a comment. You get the idea!

And by way of updating you about our Wild Olive tees fundraising project, I wanted to say thanks to those who have ordered already. We are a little less than half-way to the crazy goal we set for ourselves. But we know that God loves to blast crazy goals out of the water. And the gals over at Wild Olive have graciously extended our sale to allow us to "go for it!" So we are!!!!!

If you are interested in purchasing your own Wild Olive tee, click on the pretty little button to the side of this post, the one that says "Help Bring Our Child Home." And when you get to the Adoption Fundraising Tees pages, put our family code (WHITNEY407) in the coupon code button at check out.

But first, go read my guest post at Under the Big Oak Tree. And leave a comment. Pretty please?!

Yup, We're Still Doin' "That Sale Thing"

The other day, someone rather randomly asked me if we were still doing "that sale thing."  I was confused, at first, because I wasn't sure that this person had ever heard me talk about my online yard saling (my new "part time job" on F@cebook). But then, they said, "Ya know, those tee shirts with the Bible verses on them?"

Oh. That sale thing.  Heh. Heh.

Yeah. We are still doing that sale thing. We're so grateful for those of you who have purchased tees already (from as far away as AUSTRALIA! Can I get a WOOT WOOT?!). I'd love it if you could snap a picture of yourself, sportin' your fancy schmanzy Wild Olive Tee and send it to me. It's such fun to see the beautiful variety you all choose.

And for the record, we are actually still doing that book sale thing, too.

And I'm still doing the F@cebook Yard Sale thing, too. I had originally planned to phase it out by July and think and pray about re-starting it in the fall when the kiddoes go back to school. But I have some seriously cute inventory of kids' summer clothing and even some cute ladies' clothing (sizes Small 4/6 all the way up through Medium 10/12) that were recently donated so I've been keeping it up and running.

I never really saw myself as a fund-raising type, even for something as important to my family as adoption, but I've actually really enjoyed these particular ventures. And recently, I believe the Lord gave me a pretty cool idea for a potentially exciting and profitable opportunity that can benefit our adoption as well as many, many others within the adoption community. I'm praying over it and trusting Him to make it all happen as He sees fit. In the meantime, pray for me as I tiptoe into the early prep work of it, if you think of it, please?

If you happen to be interested in any of the items mentioned above, please check out my sidebar to the left of this post or feel free to contact me by commenting here or by emailing me. I'm thrilled to share the details with you. If you desire to support our efforts further, please feel free to share our information or posts and give folks the low-down on the family code for the tees or our family name for the book. That'd be awesome, too.

Building the Nest

This month marks the one-year anniversary of the awesome non-profit called The Sparrow Fund. I blogged about it here when they launched and am so excited about the growth they've experienced over this year. They have been able to sponsor grants for medical reviews for files of more than 10 kids in 2011 and they are already on track to blow that total out of the water for 2012.

For a really cool example of a comprehensive program

that offers medical reviews for a potential adoption file,

check out CHOPADOPT. We love them!

What that means is that lots and lots of folks gave generously to support the "building of the nest" from which those grants could flow. What that means is that the families welcoming home these kids have tools, resources, and information to properly meet the needs of these precious children. What that REALLY means is that 11 kids have come home to forever families in part because The Sparrow Fund exists.

And they are gearing up to build the nest again this month. Over 50 businesses and individuals have come together to offer special discounts and savings with a portion of their proceeds for the month of May heading to The Sparrow Fund. Which means that more families can have access to thorough reviews of medical files when considering a referral for adoption. That's amazing. And inspiring.

And YOU can be in on it all!

If you are a business-owner who has a heart for families, a heart for adoption, or a heart for children with special medical needs, then helping build the nest in this month's event might be right for you and your business. I'm pretty sure it's not too late to join the effort! Click on the button above or on my sidebar and contact Kelly. She's more than happy to get you involved!

If you like to shop and love to know that your purchases are going to a great cause, then head over here and help build the nest that way. Let the business owners know you are there because you heard about The Sparrow Fund. There are beautiful gift items there, and Mothers' Day is just around the corner. As is graduation, Fathers'  Day, and well, who doesn't love a "just because" gift once in a while? Ahem, Boss, if you are reading this, that was for you.  :)

Most importantly... If you like to pray, then join me in praying for amazing multiplication of the resources that Building the Nest will bring in to The Sparrow's Fund. These medical reviews are essential to helping families properly equip themselves when of reviewing a potential referral file of a child. There's no easy way to describe to you just how important it is to have these professional reviews done in the adoption process, particularly of international and/or special needs adoptions.

Go. Click away. And shop. For The Sparrow Fund's sake. Shop!

Another Great Giveaway

I'm pretty excited about this particular giveaway - first, because it's an awesome way to shop for gifts that have incredible meaning and purpose behind them. From moms trying to help support their family, to families creating and crafting to bring home adoptive children, and more - the gifts featured here are DOING DOUBLE DUTY!

And second? Well, it's opened a whole new world to me... Can we say ETSY?!

(I know, I know, I'm so behind. Sheesh, I can't be up on EVERY trend.)

(And right now, as I typed that, I'm realizing I'm not up on ANY trends.  But anyhooooo.....)

So, head over to Purposeful Giveaways and click away.

There's some beautiful things there and while you are clicking and commenting, take a moment to pray for the family that is creating the gifts you are trying to win. And pick out something special for your loved ones.  Your support will be priceless to them, I promise!

We're At It Again!

Another home improvement project has begun....

The older boys' room was the first one we tackled when we moved to our current home. It was unfinished and empty, the "bonus room" over the garage. Not even any carpet or switch plate covers! So the jungle theme, however funky it felt at the time, is really passe for them now. Bye, bye, tropical green, King of the Jungle posters, zebra-striped lampshades, and tiger striped throw pillows.

I found this in my archives - from the weekend that The Boss

and my cousin painted the room amid new carpet fumes.

I canNOT believe it's been 7 years already!

And I CANNOT believe how little my gang all was then.

Aren't the matching VBS tees so cute?

(Baby BlueEyes was too little for that particular VBS project, I recall.)

Stay tuned for the final product. We've got a quick turn-around on this one planned, as The Boss took time off work for dedicated focus on the room.  I'm busy selling the accessories from the old room to give us some extra cash to for finishing touches. And scouting the Salvation Army and second hand stores for ideas.

Wordless Wednesday

Li'l Empress got some birthday money
from Grandma and Grandpa...

Momma used it to score
some serious bargains for back-to-school.

Don't you think that every little girl should

have some sparkly red shoes for fall and winter?

Or is that just me?

Thank you so much, Grandma and Grandpa!!!!

She loves all her new pretties.

And she LOVES YOU even more!

For  more Wordless Wednesday fun,

head over to 5 Minutes for Moms!

Leave me some comments

and I will be sure to 

come by your WW post too!