So lucky

to have spent my Sunday night with these guys!



It was an awesome night of Bob Books, charades and Yahtzee!
Thank you Sirignano Family for a great dinner and a night filled with lots of love and lots of laughs. You guys are the best! We love you tons and can't wait to do it again soon.

A Message from Borders CEO Mike Edwards

Can you believe it - I got a letter from the CEO of Borders. He must have saw my very unhappy blog post from yesterday. Oh wait a minute, it was an e-mail he sent out to all rewards members to let us know that they filed bankruptcy today. What are the odds that one day after I "announce" that I will not shop there again they file bankruptcy - CRAZY! Not really, but it is an odd coincidence.

I really do hate to hear of any company going under. It's sad for the employees and bad for the economy. However, as upset as I was at Borders yesterday all is better. Not because of anything Borders did - the Manager didn't even call me back like he said he would (guessing he's a bit busy or just totally disgruntled now). All is better because of FedEx.

Yes people, FedEx ROCKS!! So you see good customer does not go unnoticed in my book (or blog).

We will return to our regular scheduled programming right after this post. Thanks for baring with me during this slight post detour.

Borders.com is the WORST

I think I might post this every day for a month. I am SO frustrated and disappointed with their LACK of customer service. I have wasted way to much time on the phone with them over the last week.

SUPER POOR SERVICE!

I will NOT be shopping Borders anymore! I hope someone at their corporate office hears about the absolute incompetent "service" I received. It's clear no one at their "customer service" center cares!

Give Love - Guest post by Joanna

One of my dear friends and fellow Spina Bifida mom Joanna put this post together and I asked if she would be willing to share it here on our site. It's just beautiful. We are all still praying for little Shea (the sweet four year old boy living in an orphanage in Ukraine who also has Spina Bifida) to get home soon! However, international adoption is costly and his current situation is not ideal. We have learned that he has been scheduled to transfer to an orphanage in the next few weeks. Thankfully, the adoption is still scheduled to go through but this is not what's best for Shea. Please pray that this doesn't happen. Please pray for Shea's protection and that his forever family will stay strong and have peace. We can all help to save Shea this Valentine's Day. We can help by giving the gift of love. The kind of lave that lasts. Love that can change a little boy's life forever.

Because it's February.

Because I just decorated my house in pink and red hearts.

Because Valentines are not just for couples...but friends, mommies, daddies, siblings, classmates and neighbors.

Because everybody needs love. And not the romantic comedy, butterflies in your stomach, plucking petals off daisies kind of love.

They need the "I'm yours forever" kind of love.

The "we can do this together" kind of love.

The "can't stop starring at you" kind of love.

The "I'm always there for you" kind of love.

The "I can't keep myself from smiling around you" kind of love.

The "I promise to make time to laugh with you" kind of love.

The "everything you say is so important to me" kind of love.

The " I couldn't be prouder of you in this moment" kind of love.

The love that lifts you up....

Squeezes you tight...

Makes even hard times feel alright..

The love that teaches you all that you need to know...

And gives you support you need to grow...

The undeniable you were made for me...

And together we make a family...

What's mine is yours...

I treasure each kiss...

And everyone deserves to feel like this...

Kind of Love.

Because real love is something that cannot be bought - only shared. We need it from the time we are born - and those of us who having loving families know that NOTHING could have replaced that. The love of family - the love I was given as a child - made me who I am today. It teaches us how to love the rest of our lives. It can never be truly expressed in the form of greeting cards, chocolates, flowers, or jewelry. Those sweet tokens and gestures give momentary happiness - it's the feeling love behind them that really means anything at all. So with that in mind, and in the spirit of this holiday of love - I would like to propose the perfect gift for your loved ones.

Give the gift of Love itself.

Give Love.

You can bring joy and love not only to those who hold your heart -

but to child who needs your help.

Give Love.

By helping one little boy come home to the family who is waiting to give him this kind of love. The kind of love every single one of these children pictured above are given every day.

The kind of love so many of us are blessed to have.

The kind of love he deserves.

Give Love.

Shea's story is a remarkable one - and it is only just beginning. He now has a family ready for him - and Shea is WAITING to come home. His family is actively completing the adoption process - eager to give Shea the love, support and care only a family can give. The only thing wecan do to help them bring Shea home as soon as possible is to GIVE.

Give what you have.

$5, $25, $50

It's not the size of the gift, but the size of the heart behind it.

GIVE LOVE.

It is so costly to adopt internationally - so much so that many people say "we can't afford that" or "it's just not possible for us". But this family has given everything they have not once, not twice, but 3 TIMES (read their blog - they are an amazing family)and is making that leap of faith to make Shea a part of their family - but they need help raising the last bits.

(And in adoption language, "bits" = $9,000!)

They need our HELP!

As a friend so honestly reminded me " Let's face it ... we all spend/waste $$$ on this every year. The chocolate is gone...the flowers die... and all you have is a distant memory of the token(s) you invested in."

How much more meaningful - how much more noble - how much more true to what love is all about - to give that money instead to this family - to this little boy -

to bring him home - to give him Love.

So help share the love...with Shea. :)

Isn't that the most adorable Valentine ever?!

It's message is simple - it's purpose sincere.

Make a donation (even just $5!) in the name of a friend or loved one - to Shea's Adoption Grant (through the chipin on the right hand margin of this page) or visit his family's blog and donate through their chipin (it all goes to his account.) Then print out these adorable Shea Valentines(see Donation Gift Cards for the printable link) and give them to your sweetie, your sister, your mother, your friend - and see their faces light up at the sweet face on the card.

I can't think of a sweeter, kinder, more beautiful way to Give Love.

Can you?

(visit www.savingshea.blogspot.com to read about Shea's story

as well as view and print these Valentines)

Thank you. With Love ~ Joanna

Read to me

Last week I took the kids to the library - not for story time, but for quite time. It was really great. We spent well over an hour there just pouring through different books. All three of my little loves seemed to really enjoy themselves.





The best part about a trip to the library with mom in the afternoon is getting to read with dad at night! It's amazing how he and all his funny character voices can captivate the children the way he does. They were so engrossed in the story they didn't even know I was taking their picture.
I love, love, love family time!


Read to me riddles and read to me rhymes
Read to me stories of magical times
Read to me tales about castles and kings
Read to me stories of fabulous things
Read to me pirates and read to me knights
Read to me dragons and dragon-book fights
Read to me spaceships and cowboys and then
When you are finished- please read them again.

Read to me
by Jane Yolen