The Mom Crowd

Dick Hoyt is one of the most inspirational parents I have ever heard of.  Their story is so empowering and inspiring.  My husband told me about them after reading about them in his Sports Illustrated magazine a while ago.  When I think of how to love my children, this is the picture that comes to my mind now.  I hope to give my child the amount of love Dick gives to Rick.  Rick was born with Cerebral Palsy.  While doctors encouraged Dick and his wife to place Rick in an institution, they knew that their son belonged in their home with their family.  When Rick learned to talk with computer assistance, he told his dad he wanted to compete in races.  Rick’s amazing dad competed in the Ironman Triathalon with his son.  The last part of this video will surely force you to find some tissues if you haven’t already needed them.  You can learn more about this dynamic duo at their website: Team Hoyt.

Today I picked up our family’s copy of 1001 Things Your Kids Should See & Do for the first time in a long time.  It was inspiring and encouraging, because it gave me some good ideas and reminded me that I am doing a pretty good job of being a mom so far.   (Sometimes, I’m just a little too hard on myself.)  On the other hand, it showed me that I can’t even do (or haven’t yet done) some of the things on the list.  Ruh-roh!

Some random selections:

• “No. 28:  They need to see you struggle with difficulties.”  This one resonates with me a lot lately; the kids have seen my hubby & I struggling with bills, physical pain, and a fire where my hubby works.  And all of this was just in the past week!  As much as I want to put on a happy face for them, it just isn’t possible every minute of the day.  What they’ll remember is how we handled that stress.
• “No. 53:  They need to listen to Mozart or Beethoven every morning before school.”  Now if only I can find some Mozart or Beethoven!
• “No. 85:  They need to stand up when meeting an adult.  And shake hands while looking them in the eye.”  I like this.  I would love to meet a child (or teenager!) who can do this.  It is so rare.  And it is obvious from a lot of adults I meet that this skill is not taught that often.
• “No. 105:  They need to give up their bedroom to visiting friends and relatives.  It’s good practice for future giving.”  It sure is.  This one challenges me.  We have company coming in a few days and the thought has actually crossed my mind to give them our room.  But that means I’d have to clean EVERY room in the house!  Ha!   This is probably not so practical with a 2-year old and a 1-year old.  So I’ll bookmark this idea for a few years from now.
• “No. 148:  They need to RSVP.  It doesn’t matter what it stands for, it simply shows whether they were raised by wolves or not.”  Amen!  My hubby posts a lot of his youth group activities on Facebook (where they all hang out when they’re not actually hanging out), and most kids can’t even be bothered to check the “maybe” box, let alone “yes” or “no”!  I’ve often said that RSVP-ing is a dying art; my poor friends used to host a dinner at their house every Tuesday night and they’d never know if they’d be cooking for 2 or 20.  Guess what?  They don’t do Tuesday night dinners anymore.    It’d be great if current parents would commit to teaching their children that simply saying “yes” or “no” to an invitation is courteous and essential.

If you have this book, what’s a tip you like?  I’ll be posting more of these in the coming weeks.

Congratulations!  Over sixty of you bought a whole lot of raffle tickets and I’m so happy that we were able to help the Balsis family in this way!!  They are now home from their first trip to Russia and have met a little girl who has Down syndrome and will be bringing her home very soon.  Addison Veronika is the cutest thing ever!  She is going to be two years old next month.  While our raffle is closed, they still have a lot of expenses coming their way with another trip to Russia and the costs of finalizing their adoption.  If you would like to follow the Balsis family and/or financially support their adoption, you can do so by visiting their adoption blog: Dreaming on an Angel.

Before I announce the lucky ducky winners of our fantastic prizes, I want to send a big THANK YOU to the sponsors and co-hosts of this raffle!  I am blown away by the generosity of others and grateful for your support for this special family’s adoption journey.  Thank you so much, from the bottom of our hearts!

Now onto the big announcement!  All winners have been notified by email as well.  Congratulations!!

• Shay K.- Serena and Lily Rory Crib Set
• Amelia S. -  Dear Johnnies Robe and Gown Set
• Vanessa B. – UPPAbaby G-Lite Stroller
• Judith D. – UPPAbaby G-Lite Stroller
• Amy A. – Born to Love Pink Argyle Visor Beanie
• Shylo U. – Bella Tunno Circus Spots Chalk Placemat
• Claudine E. – JessiJeanJewelry Blue Swirl Glass Pendent
• Julie O. – Ellie Bellie Kids Lavender/Lime Tutu
• Kim D. – SlickSugar Guitar Tee
• Williams Violet – Cuddlebee Brown Dot Bib and Burp set
• Robert B. – JP Lizzy Sprout Tote
• Cheri P.  – BabyRock Apparel Sorry Boys tee
• Brian R. – Baby K’tan Camo Baby Carrier
• Michael G. – Made By Angie Primary Dots Wipes Case
• Kristie B. – Itzy Ritzy Bitzy Blanket in Black Damask andBlack Minky Dot
• Shylo U. – Paperluxe Studio Set of 24 Notecards
• Aimee B. – BabyRock Apparel Heart and Crossbones Shoes
• Breanna P. – Born To Love Tan Visor Beanie
• Sherry F. – Baby Rock Apparel Sweetheart Onesie
• Jessica S. – Wet happened? Carnival Bloom Wetbag
• Natalia D. -  Baby Rock Apparel Preschool Tee
• Amy A. – Clairebella Candy Stripe Blue Moses Basket
• Jenna P. – Mia Moda Ciello Stroller
• Brigitte V. – Bella Tunno Sweet Tooth Play Smock
• Debbie B. – Born To Love Pink Visor Beanie
• Sherry H.  – Cuddlebee Fun Dot Bib and Burp Set
• Naomi S. – Baby Rock Apparel Angelic Onesie
• Kara S. – Ellie Bellie Kids Mocha Messenger Bag
• Carmen M.  – Little Showoffs Myself Tee
• Colleen B. – Little Showoffs Rock Star Newborn Onesie
• Craig G. – Ribbies Hair Clippies
• Jodi R. – Sarabear Havana Diaper Caddy
• Sherry F. – Mairzey Dotes Dotty Bird Bib and Burp Set
• Jennifer S. – Pink Axel Peace Beanie
• Jeanette W. – Pink Axel Peace Beanie
• Kari B. – Georgie Tees Let’s Get Smashed Onesie

Since I was a very young child I have wanted to adopt a child someday.  I loved the idea of adoption and dreamed of adding to my family through adoption someday.  When I became a Christian, adoption took on a whole new meaning for me.  I was chosen by my Heavenly Father and adopted to be His child.

When our biological daughter and first born was born with Down syndrome, my adoption dream evolved into adopting a child with Down syndrome in the future.  The incredibly high abortion rates of children prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome and my growing love for my own biological daughter with Down syndrome fueled my passion to adopt one of these precious children.  Over 90% of these prenatal diagnosis end in abortion.  That broke {breaks} my heart.  Shortly after my daughter’s birth, I started researching domestic adoptions of children with Down syndrome.  What I found was incredibly heart-warming.  In America, there are waiting lists of families who WANT TO ADOPT a child with Down syndrome.  Learning about the waiting lists encouraged me to start researching international adoptions of children with Down syndrome.  What I found was not so heartwarming. A lot of countries discourage families from keeping a child born with special needs and there are way too many children sent to orphanages and later institutionalized because they have Down syndrome.  Dateline recently did a special on one country’s institutions and they are under-resourced, understaffed, and basically inhumane.

While researching international adoptions of children with Down syndrome, I found Reece’s Rainbow.  Reece’s Rainbow is an adoption ministry aimed at finding homes for orphans around the world who have Down syndrome.   They have helped to save over 90 orphans with Down syndrome (or other special needs).  While they are mainly focused on saving children with Down syndrome, they do have an “Other Angels” page where they share information about children who have special needs other than Down syndrome.  Our raffle beneficiaries, the Balsis Family, is working through Reece’s Rainbow in their adoption of a little girl who has Down syndrome.

About six months ago, I started really feeling like it was time to pursue an adoption of a child with Down syndrome through Reece’s Rainbow.  Several months later, my husband started feeling a heart tug as well.  One child in particular really spoke loud and clear to both of us that NOW was the time to grow our family through adoption.  We are very excited to announce that we have committed to adopting a very special 8 month old little girl who we are calling “Reese.”   Reese has Down syndrome and also a cleft lip and cleft palate.  We are hoping to bring her home from Eastern Europe in early spring. I realize that adopting a child with special needs is not the road often traveled for most folks, but I want everyone to know that my husband and I are not “special people.”  We were given a very special gift when our daughter was born with Down syndrome and we have a very special love for her.  While we are overjoyed to save a child who needs a Mommy and Daddy, we are selfishly ecstatic to be having another daughter who has Down syndrome and to experience the gift she is going to be to our family.

There are so many ways you can make an impact in these orphans’ lives:

• Adopt! I know this may seem like a crazy notion to most of you, but before you dismiss it completely, I encourage you to strongly think about this option.  You will be blessing a child, but will also be blessed in more ways than you can imagine!!
• Give! We have our AWESOME raffle going on right now which benefits a specific family and gives you a great chance to win something.  However, you can also donate to children who are waiting for their forever families, children whose families are in the adoption process, or give a general monetary donation to Reece’s Rainbow.  All of these options (except for our raffle) can be found at Reece’s Rainbow.
• Visit Reece’s Rainbow and see the many other ways you can help!

To receive information on domestic (American) adoptions of children with Down syndrome, visit the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati.

It’s that time again: the start of school.  For many of us moms, it’s the start of pre-school.  My kids have been in pre-school for about four weeks now (and my mental health is the better for it!)  Lucy is in the 2-year old class, so she brings artwork or little projects home twice a week.  Eli, 1, goes once a week, and doesn’t bring anything home yet.

I love that the kids get to do fun projects at pre-school.  I love seeing how proud Lucy is when she shows me what she did, and listening to her cute voice describe it: “What did you make, Lucy?”  “A col-LAGE!”  Another new word in her ever-expanding vocabulary.

So this is just the beginning.  Soon, artwork is going to start piling up all around us if we don’t have a plan of action for what to do with it.  I’m sure lots of you moms know what I’m talking about.  What happens when there’s no more room on the fridge?

Thanks to ideas I’ve read in various magazines over the past couple of years, I’ve acquired some helpful tips for this issue.  I don’t really take credit for these ideas – except for #1 and #3, which I just thought of as I was writing this post.  I hope this helps you prevent mountains of construction paper from forming in your house & car!

1. Turn your laundry room or spare wall into a gallery.  As I mentioned last week, my house has out-of-date wallpaper.  In our laundry room – a place where I spend a fair amount of time each week, and also the room we walk through to get to the garage – the wallpaper is pretty busy.  So I started taping up the kids’ artwork and projects.  Every day that Lucy brings home something new, she helps me pick out a spot on the wall, and up it goes.  It’s her artwork-central.  She loves it.  I get to appreciate it, and the less of that wallpaper I see, the better.
2. Take pictures of the artwork as it comes in, and save them in a special folder on your computer.   Then the opportunities are endless:  use the pictures for your screensaver, or make a photo year book for each school year!
3. Create a blog just for their artwork.  Give the address to family members and friends so they can comment.  The kids will love the praise on their own special webpage!
4. Mail pieces of artwork to distant relatives.  Not only does this get it out of your house, it gives Grandma a special surprise amid her bills!
5. Keep a special portfolio, box or file for each of your childrens’ work.   At the end of each quarter or semester (or any time you feel is necessary), sit down with your child and the artwork, and do a cleanout.  Have them choose their 5 best pieces, and save them in the portfolio with the dates and their signature.  Then decide what you will do with the rest.  Tell your child that any of options 2-4 are acceptable, but it’s time to make room in the portfolio for new things that come in.  Not only does this whittle down the amount of paper you’ve got at home, it gives your child ownership in what is kept, and even helps develop a critically-thinking mind.
6. Frame your favorite pieces to be hung on the walls.  I saw a picture of this in the latest Real Simple; the decorator created a collage on the wall of framed family pictures and artwork.  It was really cool and colorful.

Surely there are other ideas and tips out there for cherishing the work of each of our little Picassos, Monets, or better yet, Dalis.    What have you done?