Ready for some Christmas shopping? Join us for a fundraiser!!!

Like personalized bags, lunch boxes, organizers, and more? 

My friend, Amanda, sells Thirty-One and is having a fundraiser sale for our adoption.  We get 10%-15% of sales towards our adoption fees!  We will also earn free items that we can raffle off for an additional fundraiser :).  There are also monthly specials that you can get as well!

The "party" opens now and closes on November 12th.  All orders must be in by the 12th.

To browse and purchase go to http://www.mythirtyone.com/amandamcmahon/ ,  then click on "my events" and then "Jamie's fundraiser for Ramya".

HAPPY SHOPPING!

If I won the lottery

My mom and I like to talk about what we would do if we won the lottery.  It's a silly thing to talk about considering we don't play, but we have fun with it anyhow. 

This weekend the kids, Kyla (the teenager living with us for a bit), and I tagged along with David to a work conference he had in Vegas.  The only cost for the kids, Kyla, and I to go was what we ate in food, so hey, why not?!?!?  Anyhow, while we were there I got a really good look at how some people, who are blessed beyond comprehension with money, choose to spend it.  I have to say, I was very disappointed. 

Timothy Sykes, the guy putting on the conference, had a big blowout party one night for the guys attending his conference.  He hired a bunch of women to the party and mingle with the guys that were attending the conference.  He rented a huge studio, got tons of booze, and paid each of those women an insane amount of money to be there that night.  He spent $25,000 total.  That is more than half of the adoption fees we are trying to raise blown in one night!  

One day, David and I shared an elevator with a man that David called the $60 million dollar man.  I thought he was joking.  Nope, apparently the man had just sold his business for $60 million dollars!!  One of the nights he was in Vegas he went to a club and threw hundred dollar bills in the air so it would rain money on the people at the club.  He literally threw his money away!  I was teasing David and told him I should have asked the million dollar man for some adoption money. David says that our adoption will mean more because we will have to work for it. I'm pretty sure he's right ;). 

After seeing all this I started thinking about my mom and my conversations about what we would do if we won the lottery (though first we'd have to start playing ;)).  My story goes like this...

First I'd buy a big house (stop shaking your head, it's for a good reason, I swear ;)).  Next I'd adopt lots of kiddos to fill the house with.  I'd hire people to cook for me, people to clean for me, people to help me home school, and I'd spend my days playing on the floor with the kiddos, taking them places they have never been before, and loving on them.  David, of course, would be working his dream job, trading the stock market with his own money.  He'd be loving on the kids a lot too, though.  He's great at that.  Of course, we'd take some awesome vacations (with all the kids in tow) and I'd probably get a pedicure every now and then, but I like to think that we would use our money wisely and not just (literally) throw it away.

I know we will never win the lottery and we will never be millionaires, but I also know our life is amazing just the way it is and that we are blessed beyond measure.  We can't wait to bring home Ramya and include her in the next chapter of our story; one that will never include millions of dollars, but one that will always more amazing than any life money could buy!

Save the Date and Your Unwanted Stuff!

Live in Phoenix?

Have lots of unwanted stuff you want to get rid of?

Looking for an easy way to help us raise money for our adoption?

Well, I have the perfect event for you!

Mark your calendar for:

Saturday, December 2nd and 3rd

We will be having another fundraiser garage sale at our house.  I know it's late in the year, but better late than never!  We will probably have another in March as well.

How can you help?  Great question!

1)   We want your unwanted stuff! Clothes, electronics, exercise equipment, old movies, toys, household items, etc... We want it all!  Anything we can sell at our sale, on craigslist, or on e-bay that you don't want, send our way!  All the money will go towards our adoption.

2)  Volunteer a couple days here and there some time before the sale to help us price and organize, or to play with two cute children while I price and organize. 

3)  Help me run the sale the day of, so either December 2nd or 3rd, or both!

4)  Bring me coffee when I'm a walking zombie and come prepared with a smile and a joke to keep me motivated!

Thanks so much for all of your support!!!!

A Sweet Face of Spina Bifida

Join Team Madi!

Next Satuday is our local Walk-N-Roll for spina bifida!  Our goal is to have 10 people walking with us and to raise $500.  We are at 5 people walking and $285.00, so we are over half way there!  Please join us!

http://www.sbaazwalknroll.org/faf/r.asp?t=4&i=484149&u=484149-332052133&e=4765266894

Spina Bifida Stories: Michelle

I was born in 1971 - the early days of spina bifida. I was born with Myelomeningocele (L4/L5) and hydrocephalus. Not long before I was born, most babies with SB died due to either infection caused by their spinal cord not being surgically closed after birth or hydrocephalus. I was truly born at the right time! Another thing that worked in my favor was being born in Chicago and Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago was pretty much the birthplace for the treatment of babies born with SB. In fact, the Spina Bifida Association of America started off in Chicago with just a few parents. Amazing what a grassroots effort can turn into.

I had about 30 surgeries by the time I was 10 years old. Thankfully, the majority of those were done before age 6 so I don't remember much. Even though I had many surgeries and physical issues growing up, I feel I had a pretty typical childhood. I went to a regular school and attended regular (mainstreamed) classes, had lots of friends, went to summer camp, played with my sisters, fought with my sisters, loved playing with my dolls, and loved to swim. I also went on many trips with my family - California, Mexico, Florida, Ireland. My parents did their best to not let my having spina bifida keep me down - even with my leg braces and crutches.

As I grew up, I always knew I would be independent and live on my own. My parents told me so as I grew up, so I had no other frame of thought. I got my first job at 16 being an annoying telemarketer, learned how to drive at 18 and moved out when I was 25. I decided to move to Florida with a friend from high school and so I quit the job I had the time (working in a law firm) and packed up my car and drove down here in January 1997. I have been here ever since! There really is no comparison to the weather from Florida to Chicago. Florida wins hands down!! Moving down here was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. It wasn't (and isn't) always easy, but so worth it. I wouldn't change my decision to move out for anything. I still go back home for Christmas and usually in the summer and my family comes visit me. It's a nice arrangement!

 

My most recent job I had was at a small family-owned company that made and installed counter tops. I was their production coordinator. Unfortunately, I developed a severe pressure wound 4 years ago that required many lengthy hospital stays, so I had to resign and go on Disability. My 20 year work history worked in my favor though, as I make much more than people who are on Disability and have never worked. My wound is finally healed and I'm hoping to be back working in 2012. I miss working and making my own money!

Life with spina bifida can be difficult at times, but every life is presented with challenges and hardships. Mine just happen to be physical. As strange as it may sound, I am grateful for that. There are many more wonderful things about my life than negative things. I try to remind myself of that fact everyday.

..

A Piece of Equipment We Love

I blogged a while ago about getting Madi a Rifton Dynamic Stander (mobile stander).  I haven't updated about it for a while and thought it was about time!  I really love Madi's stander.  I love that she can easily wear her HKFOs to use it and that it keeps her upright and weight-bearing.  Another thing I love about it is that it puts her at eye-level with the other kiddos her age.  She can maneuver it very easily and get where she wants to go.  Most importantly, Madi loves her stander as well!

I've talked in the past about trying to vary Madi's activities while she stands up.  Usually that is a mix of spending time using the walker, spending time in the learning tower, spending time holding my hands to walk, getting carried in her HKFOs, and spending some time in her Rifton mobile stander.  Madi is two, so she likes to keep busy.  Changing activities often keeps her happy and also keeps her upright, which is so very, very important for her.  It's important for her bone growth, muscles, bowels and bladder, circulation, and so much more!

The only thing that I wish I could change about the stander is I wish it had a removable handle. I'd prefer to take this out, instead of Madi's wheelchair, but it's hard to use in busy parking lots and places like that. Because of the design, I have to bend over to push Madi, and it is hard to safely maneuver Madi around without killing my back and while watching Conner. Madi is amazing at getting around in it without help, but I always push her in the parking lot to keep her safe (ask her how much she loves that ;). She always yells, "NO! I DO IT BY MYSELF!" and gets upset at me).  I have plans to try and get someone to rig a little handle for me, so I'm hoping I can work something out there.  Other than the lack of the handle, the stander is amazing!!!

We bought a little table that works great with Madi's mobile stander.  We got it at Costco and it was only $20 but it is adjustable to four heights.  It fits when she is standing in her HKFOs, when she is in her stander, and when she is in her wheelchair; it's great!  I love easy and simple solutions that are affordable! Here's a picture of Madi using it in her stander:

We eat at the table, do stamps, color, paint, make food, and so much more.  It gets a lot of love!  In fact, it has some paint and ink stains to prove it!

If you want to check out Rifton's stander, you can go to http://www.rifton.com/products/standing/.  They also have a blog you can read at http://www.rifton.com/adaptive-mobility-blog/. 

We found our stander on craigslist and were able to buy it because of the money we get through Madi's amazon associates account.  Anytime you purchase through Amazon and use Madi's link, we get money back that we use towards therapy equipment and other equipment that insurance won't cover.  THANK YOU to everyone who purchases through her link for us!!  You are such a blessing!  http://www.amazon.com/?_encoding=UTF8&tag=missmadi-20