I Want to be A Chain Starter!

I Want to be A Chain Starter!

This December we ALL have an exciting opportunity to take up the cause of finding a cure for a disease that has taken the lives of more than 25 millions people worldwide. As World AIDS Day arrives on December 1st, I’m going to do my part by being a “Tin Carrier” for Kabre and Jean Paul! What is a “Tin Carrier”…and who in the world are Kabre and Jean Paul, you ask?!?! Keep reading... :-)

(you can also find the details at http://www.chicblvd.com/aids)…

Hint Mint, http://www.hintmint.com/ along with ChicBlvd.com is launching this, the first annual, CarryATin4AidsCampaign. The companies are selecting 50 people to begin an awareness chain by presenting us with a uniquely numbered, Limited Edition AIDS Awareness Tin and asking us to take one mint and pass along the tin. The ultimate goal is for the participant to inspire 34 more people (whether they be friends, family or random encounters) to do the same until ultimately, 35 mints later, the now empty tin is sent to the office of YouthAIDS/ PSI in Washington, DC on or before January 1st, 2007 deadline. The goal of the journeys of these tins is to raise $50,000 for the cause.

Why am I participating? …because of two adorable little boys on the other side of the world. My husband and I sponsor Kabre from Burkina Faso and Jean Paul from Rwanda Compassion International. Although we’ve never met these little guys, they’ve come to mean a lot to us through letters and prayer. They are both part of Compassion projects in areas that are highly affected by AIDS…most likely, their family is directly impacted by the disease. This is another way that I can help these little guys and the vicious epidemic that is sweeping their country, community, and family.

Here are our boys...


Kabre
Jean Paul
















I’m asking all the people who get my tin to email me so I can document where the tin is across the US on its way to DC...I’ll give you updates here on my blog!

Hardest, Best Job Ever!!!

Hardest, Best Job Ever!!!

Being a mom is the hardest, most wonderful job I’ve ever had! I know once Sophia becomes mobile, life will change even more. But even now, as she just reaches 12 weeks, trying to get everyday things done has taken on a whole new dimension!

A typical day in our house now completely centers around our “1 Foot 11 Inch Queen”!

7:00am: Get up to feed Sophia and start her day…if she hasn’t already woken us up at 6:30am when I’m just not quite ready to get out of bed (after having woken up at LEAST once in the middle of the night!).

7:20am: Try to keep myself awake while Sophia and Justin share a few minutes before he heads off to work…by the way, this is a VERY “smiley” part of Sophia’s day:)

8:00am: Good thing Sophia loves the lights in our bathroom…she hangs out in her bouncy seat while I enjoy a nice hot shower. Uh-oh…she’s getting bored…I guess my legs won’t get shaved today:-(

8:30am: “Please take your morning nap, Sophia” (so that I can have one too!)

9:30am: Try to get a few things picked up around the house which looks like it’s been hit by the “Cyclone That Leaves Only Baby Stuff Behind”, read a few emails, pay bills, etc.

10:00am: Feeding Round #2….hopefully by this time I have grabbed something of sustenance for myself to eat since I AM keeping a little person alive. Sometimes it’s so hard to remember or have the time to EAT! (Mental Note: Try to focus on my H2O intake too.)

10:20am: Enjoy some time with my little angel. Her new favorite toy on her activity mat is her Gangly Green Bunny…he’s kinda growin’ on me too. If Sophia’s in a REALLY good mood, she might like a little tummy time. I should spend a little time on my tummy too, but getting in an ab workout these days is nearly impossible.

11:00am: Sophia starts to get crabby…probably time for another nap, but she’s fighting it. Guess I’ll just hold her for awhile…I might get a smile before she dozes off, anyway:)

11:30am: Laid her down…now maybe I’ll have a few minutes to do something fun. My project of choice for today will be working on Sophie’s scrapbook. I have an amazing one for her that I got from Jack Scrapbooks it’s called Baby Feats. You can find them at www.jackscrapbooks.com. I can record the darling details of her life up to age 5 in this book and it will last forever….its cover is made of wood and it has stainless steal hardware. So if Sophia gets her hands on it in the next couple of years, it may survive!

1:00pm: Feeding Round #3…yikes…”Surprise Spit-up”...good thing I have some very special burp clothes from MoMo Baby Gifts (www.momobabygifts.com). They have Sophia’s name embroidered on them…what a spoiled little girl:) But seriously…great gift idea for baby showers! MoMo also has adorable and affordable outfits that you can have embroidered for any little cutie.

1:30pm: Since Soph is in a good mood…I think we’ll try to run some errands. It’s funny how little I get out these days…it seems like I have to have a REALLY important reason to put forth the effort to walk out the door. Will it ever be easy to go to the mall again?!?! I have some boxes to mail…I think we’ll try to swing by the post office.

1:45pm: After strapping on the Baby Bjorn, getting the little munchkin situated in
it, juggling 3 HUGE boxes up to the post office (mind you, no one offering to open the door for me), I take my number (#82) only to find that they’re on #51…ugh. After about 3 minutes, Sophia starts freaking out so we turn around…back out the door with all 3 huge boxes, unload her from the Baby Bjorn and head back home…she screams all the way.

Well…I could go on, but you get the idea. What makes it all worth it are moments like the one I had just the other day...I could hear Sophia just waking up from her nap and fussing a bit. When I cracked her door to take a peek, I saw her looking up at the smiling bugs on her new mobile. She was smiling right back at her new friends with her biggest, gummiest grin…those are the snapshots in time that simply melt my heart and make being a mom “The Best”!

*Disclaimer: Times indicated above are the framework for what a wonderful typical day would be….this rarely happens:0


Here's Sophia in her Halloween Costume...I had every intention of putting her in the adorable "Pea in the Pod" costume that I've seen in years past...but once I saw the "Lobster", I knew it was meant to be!