Priceless

When you come home from spending 3 hours in the company of 2 great friends, and you can honestly say that you laughed so hard you cried...those friendships have earned the right to be called priceless.

That one word defines Chris and Bernie and what our Moms Panel friendship and bond means to me. These guys are 2 of the best and I'm blessed to be able to call them my buds. :)

Say Yes...

I've posted previously in my blog about Give Kids the World Village in Florida and how members of the Moms Panel are joining together to raise money for this incredible organization.

Along with Give Kids the World, we are asking you to "Say Yes". I'm sharing the following information from their website so you will know what your donation will do for a family:
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"One person can make a difference! Say "yes" to help make the Give Kids The World experience extra special for the wish families we serve.

”$25 says YES to unlimited ice cream served in our Ice Cream Palace for an entire week for one family. Imagine; ice cream for breakfast! And the only hard part is choosing between a cone, cup, sundae, or banana split!

$50 says YES to a welcome basket for one family. Each basket includes milk, juice, and snacks in the fridge and gifts including an autograph book for the kids to capture signatures of their favorite characters.

$75 says YES to our Gift-giving Fairy who delivers gifts to each child in the family, every day of their stay. Stuffed animals, DVD’s, games, souvenirs, and more – all the things that make a child’s face light up with joy.

$100 says YES to Christmas every Thursday, complete with visits from Santa, horse-drawn carriage rides, and yes, even snow in Florida!

But that’s not all – there is a special entertainment program every night of the week where kids can become pirates or princesses, take to the stage to show off their talents, and play the world’s largest CANDY LAND game – all this and more!"

Please Say YES today!
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So far we have raised almost $6,000 through Ice Cream Socials and collecting donations. If you are one of the people who gave, THANK YOU for saying YES!! Know that you have blessed a family and a very special child with your generosity.

If you would like to donate, please click: http://www.firstgiving.com/wdwmoms

Thank you so very much :)

Two Peas in an Podcast

Kathie and I are not only fellow Walt Disney World Moms Panelists...we're also very close friends.
Having both tried three times to be on the Panel, we developed a close bond during the application process in September of '09. We discovered that we had a lot in common beyond Disney. She was originally from New England, we have sons the same age, we share an uncommon love for Star Wars and many other similarities. She is a very special person and I'm blessed to call her my friend.

Recently, Kathie and I had the opportunity to record an episode of the "Be Our Guest Podcast" together. It was SO much fun. Listening to it last night, I was couldn't wipe the smile off my face...and I woke up today with it still there.

If you'd like to listen to that episode to hear what we have to say about the Disney Moms Panel, click: http://beourguestpodcast.podbean.com/2010/09/09/episode-262-disney-moms-panel-2011-preview/

Enjoy :)

Help Us Give Kids the World

As you likely know, I've spent the last 9 months proudly serving as a member of the Walt Disney World Moms Panel (www.disneyworldmoms.com) . While helping people plan their Disney vacations has been indescribably wonderful, one of the most heart-touching parts for me has been being able to be involved in an upcoming event.

On Friday, October 1st, members of the group will visit the Give Kids the World Village in Central Florida. This special place provides cost free vacations for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. It offers hope during a frightening time in their lives, and gives them a place to get away from the stress and create memories together. The Disney Moms Panel raised money last year and went to visit the Village. See Disney Park Blog post about that here: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/08/moms-panel-it-takes-a-village/ . This year, we raised some of the money through "Ice Cream for Breakfast Socials" during the month of July. Thanks again to those of you who came to enjoy it with us. :)

As mentioned above, our family will be visiting the Give Kids the World Village in a few weeks for a tour. Together with other Moms Panel families, we'll make a donation that will help to "Give a Scoop of Hope". My sons Jared and Shawn will be attending this with me. I believe seeing first hand what other children face can only help them to appreciate their own health even more. It will also help them to continue to develop empathy for others. Then, on Saturday October 2nd, Jared and Shawn will run a 5K Race with me at the Magic Kingdom. Yes, I'm running too...yikes! We are running for a cause...to help give HOPE to other children and their families. That's where you come in. If you feel so inclined, and would like to sponsor my boys and I, we'd love if you could make a small donation to help Give Kids the World. Even $5 can help, everything adds up. Please do NOT in any way feel obligated to do this. I'm posting this to my blog for two reasons: One to help this incredible cause and two to fill you in on our plans. We'd love if you could keep us in your thoughts that weekend. The visit promises to be life-changing.

If you'd like to make a small donation, please visit: http://www.firstgiving.com/wdwmoms . Every penny of it goes directly to Give Kids the World Village. The donation is tax deductible, the gift is priceless. Please be sure to note Jared/Shawn's name in the comment section.

Thanks for considering this. Most importantly, thank you for your friendship and support.

It Ends...

Eleven years ago, I left my job as a Hotel Front Office Manager to stay home with the kids. I was expecting Shawn, so Steve and I decided to make whatever financial sacrifices were necessary for me to be able to be home for the children. As the years went by, I had Malia and Kassia too. It wasn't always easy, but having the opportunity to be a "stay-at-home-mom" is a gift that I will forever cherish. Shawn, Malia and Kassia didn't ever have to go to daycare. Jared and Sierra got to have me home from the moment they walked in the door from school. I was able to be there for the memories.

Last night it hit me hard that Kassia is going to Kindergarten tomorrow. I knew this would be hard, but I don't think I realized quite how difficult. I started thinking back to this Spring when she and I were going around the block together, with her piggie-tails flying in the breeze, and how that had affected me even then. (See blog post: http://fivetimesblessed.blogspot.com/2010/03/piggie-tails-in-breeze.html). I got all teary and headed to bed. Steve soon joined me, asking what was wrong. We ended up talking about how Kasi is going to school, and that led to how all the kids are growing up too fast. Shawn is more than half way to 18 and Jared is going to High School. When we moved to the Cape, Jared was home with me for a year before going to Kindergarten...and now he's going to High School?? How did THAT happen? Yeah, so as you can imagine, I cried some more...and Steve's eyes weren't particularly dry either.

I decided that someone needs to create a "pause" button. I would give anything to stop time right now, the day before my last baby goes to Kindergarten. I know how very blessed I have been to be home with my children. I made sacrifices giving up my career, and we've lived "tight" financially through the years...but I would not trade these years for anything in the world. They've been priceless. It ends tomorrow, and I can assure you...I'll be having a very hard time letting go. I'm not just letting go of my baby, my 2nd grader, my "last-year-of-Elementary school boy", my Freshman in High School and my College Freshman. I'm letting go of the last 11 years of staying home to take care of kids. I'll be searching for a job again, this time with different requirements: It'll need to be the same hours that the kids are in school so I can be here when they get home. I don't need to make a ton of money, and have a big fancy title after my name. Nope. I need to continue to snuggle my children, hold their hands and hear, "I love you, Mommy". I'll just have to wait until they get off the bus from now on to do it...