My Overthinking

Philly Area mom, Life forever changed by adoption

They aren’t the only ones with school supplies

Sometimes blogging is particularly fun. 
There’s a big ole company–Avery–heard of them?–they’ve got a big cause going on right now that they are promoting. And, as part of that promotion, they had some PR people looking for ways to promote it. And, someone read this post–the one where I mention that I felt like I needed to take out a home equity loan to pay for school supplies–and this post–the one where I confess my love for office supplies and my odd joy perhaps over sharp led and colored wax. 
And, check out the fun box I got in the mail–glue sticks, highlighters, dry erase markers, tabs, dividers, and a brand spankin’ new binder. 
And, they are all for me. 
That’s right. They aren’t the only ones with sweet new supplies for the first week of school. I’ve got some of my own. And, I’m pretty excited to put them to use. I can see it now–walking into CBS with my tote bag with my new binder stocked with labeled dividers and maybe a pencil case with my highlighters and other goodies. And, you bet I’ll find a use for those glue sticks. Someone is bound to need one in class one Tuesday morning. And, I’ll be the gal they come to. Because this gal’s got school supplies. 
Oh, yeah, I’m pretty happy about that. 
Avery’s got some smart PR people–and some smart executives doing some pretty neat things. I hadn’t heard about it before now, and I can’t believe I hadn’t. 
You know those box tops we send into school with the little pencil logo on them? Well, Avery is part of that Box Tops for Education program. With each little coupon found on their products, schools have earned over $1,000,000 from Avery stuff alone to buy computers, playground equipment, textbooks, etc. Wow. 
And, Avery has their own program called Avery Give Back to Schools–folks can vote online for the K-8 school they want to win (and can nominate their own local school). The top 5 schools at the end of the promotion will each win $10,000 worth of Avery school supplies–that’s a lot of binders, glue sticks, and sticky notes–10,000 bonus box tops coupons, and $1,000 worth of gift cards. That’s pretty sweet. And, 25 runner-up schools will get 5,000 bonus box top coupons as well. 
Head on over there–do a quick registration to vote (takes a whole 60 seconds, maybe)–and then vote for your local school (or look up Barkley Elementary in Phoenixville if you want to give my kids’ school some love). Share the link and get your friends to vote too–so easy to do by clicking on the little FB or Twitter icon there on the voting page. Just think, no home equity loan needed, and your kids could have all the supplies they need.
Thank you, Mr. or Mrs. Avery. 
Now, I’m off to find something to highlight.

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Oh Yeah She Does

She’s a greeter.

“Hi, Mommy.”

“Hi, Daddy.”

“Hi, Ev-ah.”

“Hi, Ashy.”

“Hi, Dew Dew.” (note the preferred spelling)

She must greet me spontaneously 15 times a day (correction–after counting about 6 times in one hour earlier tonight, I’m thinking it’s more like 40 times a day). We’ll be sitting in the car or at the dinner table or watching tv or whatever, and she looks over and says, “Hi, Mommy.”

Two days ago, she came on over to me, hugged my legs, and said something that sounded remarkably like “I love you, Mommy.” Mark and I laughed at how much it sounded like “I love you,” whatever it was that she was trying to say.

Then, a couple hours later, she did it again to me. That really sounded like “I love you.” Then, she turned and did it to Mark as well. Oh yeah, that was definitely “I love you.” No question.

We have gotten lots of spontaneous greetings. But, we have entered a new era of spontaneous “I love you”s. And, I’m pretty excited about that.

And, I was the first to receive it, you know, the one she took a bit longer to attach to.

She loves me. (insert sigh of joy here)

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Nearly 1/2 Way

I don’t even have to look at the calendar. This week, I have had the feeling I seem to get every year. Not exactly mommy guilt, just sort of a sinking sigh of a feeling.

The kind of feeling that makes me ask myself if I am doing enough, have I spent enough time one-on-one with each child, am I laughing enough with them, playing enough games, being the hands-on mom I want to be.

The first weeks of summer seem to be a let-down time for me–no more early mornings racing out the door, no rushing to do drop-offs and pick-ups, no laboring through homework in the evenings, no going through backpacks and reading lots of what seem like the same papers, and making lunches….and on and on. The first weeks of summer mean sleeping in and wearing pajamas well into the day. 

But, laid back days quickly become days of a lot more wii and computer time. And, then I start to feel like the days are just being lost. And, instead of enjoying the kids everyday, I find myself more often playing the role of referee and starting to feel irritated by the even-larger-than-normal piles of laundry that I can’t keep up with and the sink that is never empty of dirty dishes.

So, here I am with my internal body clock telling me we’re about 1/2 way through summer. And, it’s time to get a few things straight.

I’m going to say no less and yes more. I’m going to stop moving and just sit. I’m going to close up the laptop and do one thing at a time. I’m going to wake up earlier and just have quiet awake time. I’m not going to consider Bible study a school year thing. I’m going to be the fun parent too.

I still have work that needs to be done. I still need computer time and kitchen time and laundry time. Can’t let those things go. But, when I have the chance to be present with my kids, I’m going to be present.
I’m going to laugh at Drew’s air guitar and enjoy Evan’s freedom from things that have bound him in the past. I’m going to wrestle Lydia on the floor and skype Ashlyn from the other room, just because she wants to.
And, I’m not going to feel guilty at the end of this summer. I’m not going to be anxious about if I did enough, if I made enough lasting memories with the kids, if I used the time wisely. I’m just not. We don’t have to do something everyday to make a memory.

Here’s to the rest of the summer.

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A Hardy Giveaway

I went from Cow to Queen in less than 24 hours.

Check out what I ate for breakfast…sorry, I know I’m being terribly cruel.

(And, that would be Lydia’s head in the bottom corner as she desperately tried to snag one before I snapped a picture.)
My too-sweet-for-words friend Jenna sent this to me to celebrate the anniversary of our crazy conversations back and forth, trying to find a little boy’s file who was waiting for his family, a little boy who became her son. 
I remember that weekend so clearly. I had been emailing Jenna for a long time as we had both been waiting for our Chinese children for what seemed like forever (both of us starting our adoption journeys in 2007). By July 2010, I was home with Lydia with my arms and heart full. And, Jenna still waited. I saw on a yahoo group that some boys from New Day Foster Home were on the shared list and were waiting…and waiting. I clicked on some links and saw that one of the boys was a little heart baby boy they called “Evan.” And, I knew I needed to email Jenna. 
The rest of the story is not mine to tell. But, you can go here to read more their decision to say yes to Cooper and here to read about their post-referral panic, a post that I think is a really good one for waiting families to read. And, just follow the links on the sidebar to read about their process in making him theirs, a process that was one of God directly speaking to them and guiding them. And, me? Jenna has given me way too much credit. Really, I just got to have a front row seat to watch what God was doing in this family to prepare them to parent the little boy He had had for them all along. And, it doesn’t get much better than that. 
Jenna is hosting a giveaway right now; she’s fun like that. She gets to give stuff away; and she’s doing it this time in support of The Sparrow Fund and the refugee women we support in Kenya. Head on over to this post and enter to win one of two pieces of your choice from the Etsy store The Nest. And, give Jenna some love for me, Queen for the day.
Now, off to eat another strawberry.

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