Thunderstorm at the Duck Pond

It's raining here today in the usually sunny South. But that's not what is making me so gloomy. It's the raining inside my house that is making things dark and somber. I cannot quit crying.

All my life I wanted a brother sister. (Yeah, I was a tomboy growing up.) I had step and half siblings, but I didn't live with any of them. When I was 10, my parents started a children's home. So I had kids in my house all the time, but they came and went. We still keep in touch with many of them. I am close to a few. But I always wanted that close relationship that could make you want to snap someone's neck off one moment and move mountains for them the next that siblings have. So what did I do? I married a man with two brothers and two sisters. I adore his siblings. I am envious of enjoy the closeness they have with each other. One of his sisters moved out here  from Texas. I consider her MY sister.

One Thanksgiving many years ago after the prince and I were first married, we went to spend the week in Texas. We made the rounds seeing family and friends. We were able to spend time with the prince's brother, Bill at his new restaurant. He was so happy and full of life. He had reached his ultimate goal and was doing very well. Bill was on top of the world. Less than two weeks later my prince got the most devastating call he had ever taken. Bill was gone. Just like that. Ripped from our lives....leaving behind a wife and a three year old son. He was 28 years old....

Having a young loved one ripped from your life like that is horribly devastating. Though the daily pain of Bill's loss has dulled, I still cry for him from time to time.

Daffy from Batcrap Crazy is dealing with the loss her sister. Just a few days ago she was tweeting funnies from the hospital with her sis. I was thinking how awesome she was to keep her sister's spirits up by finding humor in the ridiculousness that they were seeing all around. That kind of love and support is vital when dealing with situations like this. I am now thinking about how fortunate they were to have each other. Even though the pain is enormous right now....

At some point way down the line when Daffy thinks of her sister, she will not cry. She will laugh and smile and focus on all the fun times. I wish I could wave a magic wand and get her to that point sooner. But then again, you cannot ever truly appreciate joy and happiness without pain and sadness.

Please go show Daffy your love and support. You have no idea how much your thoughtful words mean.

And please consider the gift of organ donation. One loss can spare so many other people of the same fate. It's a simple gift with extraordinary outcomes.

I love Ducks and Monkeys...

First of all....

Please remember Daffy today. If you haven't heard what her family is going through, please click on her button for an update.

Go show her some Blogfia love!

<a href="http://www.princessofsarcasm.com/2010/03/what-i-meant-to-say-9th-edition-we-are.html"><img src="http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/xx200/amberlaha/blogfia.png" /></a>

Mission Monkey


Hello blog-world!  I am participating in what's known around the world as Mission Monkey day!  What is Mission Monkey you ask?  Well, there's this blogger friend of ours known as Pixie Momma, aka Michelle.  Michelle has a little girl, or Monkey as she's known by who was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma.  To learn more about it, click here. Monkey is a sweet little 16 month old girl.  She doesn't deserve this.  Nobody deserves this.

But the good news is that Monkey only has Stage 1 (low risk).  The bad news is the medical bills are mounting and the Physical Therapy (starts today) isn't covered by insurance.  Michelle is using the donated money to offset medical bills.  She will donate and unused portion to another family dealing with the same issue.

This is why the blogging universe is banning together like never before to rally around Michelle and Monkey to provide support.  In addition to further entice you to lend your hand, and donate to the cause, we have over 50 items that have been donated.  Many bloggers are hosting these fabulous giveaways and all you need to win one of these items is just one raffle ticket.

Donation pages:
Princess of Sarcasm - http://bit.ly/9nUmBp
The One and Only Oka - http://bit.ly/9KZSOG
SupahMommy - http://bit.ly/bSMrGw
Jenn B Says #1 - http://bit.ly/bYzHAH
Jenn B Says #2 - http://bit.ly/bej01D
Amber - http://bit.ly/cTGq29
Two Little Monkeys - http://bit.ly/cZKjzK
Mommy's Nest - http://bit.ly/9tLjoy
Chief's Hiding From the Kids - http://bit.ly/cfKIiO
Jenny - http://bit.ly/dftIS2
Jana (link forthcoming)

You may donate any amount of money via PayPal as it's linked directly to Michelle's bank account.  However, in order to be a part of the raffle, this is how that's going to go.  If you donate the following, you get the subsequent number of entries:

• $10 - 2 entries
• $20 - 5 entries
• $30 - 10 entries
• $40 - 15 entries
• $50 - 20 entries
• $75 - 35 entries
• $100 - 50 entries
• $200 - 125 entries

 The raffles for each item will start on or around July 1st.

Click on monkey to donate!

<h2 class='title'>Click on monkey to donate...please help!</h2><form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post"><input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_s-xclick" /><br /> <input type="hidden" name="encrypted" value="-----BEGIN PKCS7-----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-----END PKCS7----- " /><br /> <input type="image" src="http://i378.photobucket.com/albums/oo230/Heather910Pics/missionmonkey.png" border="0" name="submit" alt="PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!" /><br /> <img alt="" border="0" src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" height="1" /><br /> </form>


If you are donating money via PayPal, I need to know who it's coming from.  For example, look at the first picture below.  The link takes to you this screen.  Press the plus sign and then indicate your blog name/blog email address so I can track you accordingly.

And, here's the thing: this could be any of our kids.  Thank you for your time and thank you for your donation.

There are also a few other things going on to celebrate Mission Monkey please visit them all!






Twitter party!
More info can be found here - CASH PRIZES!!!!!!


Kerri over at Kerri's Klutter is donating $1 for each and every linkup she receives for her weekly meme, Comment Love Letters.  In addition, Adrienne is matching Kerri's donation dollar for dollar!  Go and link up and support Mission Monkey!

ZGirl and Travis are participating in a weight loss challenge and they are asking for your sponsorship.  Please visit them and lend your support!

Jenn over at BabyStepsInHighHeels has a challenge where she's going to donate $1 for every comment/new follower from now until the end of May.  Please visit her!

 

Auction Items for Mission Monkey

Do you want to win something awesome from the Mission Monkey Auction? 

Duh, OF COURSE YOU DO!!

Take a peek at some of the awesome things people are offering.

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smArtee Pants from Insights and Belly Laughs has an Etsy shop where you can see her funky art work. She is donating four art prints of the winners choice valued at $40. These are so cute. I wish I had a daughter, cuz I'm gonna need someone to come visit me at Christmas when the boys are at their MIL's I would totally love to put these sassy prints in her room.

   

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Elyse Rosati is donating a copy of her book, By Little Hands, and a handcrafted children's smock. 

The for a description of the book go to this link on Amazon.

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Erin from The Mother Load is donating a "Get Your Green On" package, which includes (but is not limited to): 1.) 1 set of Belief Beyond Bags---reusable produce bags; 1 oversized and 2 standard reusable produce bags from Whole Foods. All are white. 2.) 1 soy candle with cotton wick. Vanilla Latte scent. 3.) 1 Flip & Tumble reusable tote bag (possibly my favorite brand/kind). Holds 25 lbs, has padded shoulder strap. Rolls up into a tiny ball you can toss into your puse, briefcase, gym bag, etc. Shown in photo rolled up and laid out flat. 4.) 1 handmade bar of soap (all natural ingredients) made by Soaptopia. Eucalyptus and mint scented. 5.) 2 green reusable totes with important message on the outside::One Earth, One Person, One Chance."

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The next item up is super duper cuteness. Check out this red zebra pirate pixie hat from this Etsy shop.

BABY NOT INCLUDED!!! Otherwise I would have snatched this one up already.

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Lisa from Mommy's Nest secured this donation from Boutique Mia: Retro and Fun Tuxedo inspired Peasant Top with the added Boutique Mia touch.

It can be a vintage button, a little bow or just a little surprise.

Size 4/5

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Polka Dots and Hockey Sticks is donating this 80x62 quilt.

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I Fly Like a Bird is donating a handmade rosette pin, rosette headband, a pair of handmade earrings, a handmade earring hanger, and a book wreath.

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And the most valuable last  item I am posting is a phone call from Princess of Sarcasm. It can be done via Skype complete with boa and tiara if you wish. 


I will play the part and praise your child for performing a task such as going pee pee in the potty or as a birthday greeting. Are you having trouble getting your child to take their medicine like JennFab was? I got you covered. Is your little one sneaking up and getting out of bed like Supah Mommy's little angel, Yep Yep? Princess to the rescue. 

If you are a dirty old man looking for a party.... 

Do. Not. Bid. 

Not gonna happen. 

Skype call will need to be scheduled in advance to make sure my diamonds plastic gems in my tiara are polished and ready for show. If you do not have a webcam, we can still do the call via regular phone. 

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For the record it's pure torture posting cute little girls things when you only have boys....but I'll do it for Monkey.

For information on how to donate to Mission Monkey and win an auction item, please visit Ian at Daily Dose of Reality. He will have a master list of links up on Wednesday so you can find all the other items that have been donated.

Click on monkey to donate...please help!

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Winnah! Winnah!

Chicken dinnah!






Who won the 500 business cards from DigitalRoom.com?






Drumroll please.....................................






*insert dramatic pauses*




The winnah......*echo*........




of the 500 business cards.........*echo*........




izzzzzzzzzz........




*another annoying Ryan Seacrest pause*.......

Frugal Vicki

*insert raucous studio applause*




She has some kind of theory on how to work the system with Random.org.....and apparently it works! Congrats Vicki! I will be in touch with you to give you the deets.


In the meantime, don't forget to support Mission Monkey!

Click on monkey to donate...please help!

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Calling all BLOGFIA!!

 <a href="http://www.princessofsarcasm.com/2010/03/what-i-meant-to-say-9th-edition-we-are.html"><img src="http://i755.photobucket.com/albums/xx200/amberlaha/blogfia.png" /></a>


I have another very important task for you.

I'm sure you've all see this button floating around unless you live under a rock.

Have you heard about the sucker punch horrible news this mom received? 

Her beautiful 16 month old baby, Monkey, has cancer. 


Heart wrenching. Simply terrible. No words.

What can you do? You can kick cancer's ass. 

Spread the word on your blog. So simple. How can you say no?

Donate something to the auction that Ian from Daily Dose of Reality is organizing.

Pray.

Visit Michelle's blog and read her updates. Leave her some love and support.

Donate cash. 

Click on monkey to donate...please help!

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Post this button on your blog and encourage your readers to donate.

Individually, we may all be small time. But together, we can take this big time.


Go see Ian at Daily Dose of Reality for more details.


Let's show Michelle and Monkey what the Blogfia can do...

Post It Notes: Edition #21 - Standardized Testing

Our school is in the middle of testing this week...thus the theme for my Post It Notes....

On Becoming a Mother....

What kind of things have I learned from being a mom?

I have learned that...abstract art is not stupid....there is truly nothing more emotion invoking and precious than a picture of a dinosaur drinking coffee at an amusement park you and your child hugging in a meadow full of flowers and puppy dogs.

I have learned that....you DO use fractions and other "mathy" stuff after high school. *Damn you third grade math*

Photo Credit

I have learned that....Kidz Bop, while cute at first and certainly better than the Wiggles, is quickly becoming the leading cause of mothers becoming heroin addicts pulling their hair out.

I have learned that....peanut butter and/or jelly is apparently wall art...and my house is a gallery.

I have learned that...getting your first tooth is not nearly as much fun as it sounds.

I have learned....not to judge stay-at-home moms vs. working moms and breast feeding vs. bottle feeding....we are all just mom's trying to survive. Though I'm sure my kids will turn out better than yours...... Shut up. Let me live in my fantasy world.

I have learned that....cleaning my house is a complete waste of time. Yet I keep doing it. (But don't come check it right now, k?)

Photo Credit: The Dude who does Garfield

I have learned that....kids don't really need so many toys. Wish I had learned that one sooner......

I have learned that...using the phrase "my kids will NEVER *insert undesired behavior*" is the quickest way to get God to laugh and show you his sense of humor.

I have learned that....ranch dressing and ketchup are their own separate food groups and each should be given a nobel peace prize.

I've learned that....my kids are willing to forgive me easily when I make mistakes though I'm sure they keep a secret diary for future therapy sessions. 

I've learned that....I CAN handle a crisis though the prince is much better in those situations.

I've learned that...I can switch from being so excited about the future for my children to being terrified in the blink of an eye. 

I have learned that...becoming a mom is the best thing I ever did.

And most importantly, I have learned that....not every mom is as lucky as I am....and that any mom's life can change in a moment without notice.

Please go show your support for this mom whose wind has been knocked out of her. She needs to hear some encouraging words of hope. Be on the lookout this week for more information on how you can help her.