Paying It Forward

Two years ago, I was pregnant. I stopped at a gas station to fill up my car on the way to work. I slid my credit card into the pump and started filling up. Now, before they took off all those little dohickeys that allowed you to run around while your car filled up, I didn't pay much attention to when the pump stopped. However, on this particular day the pump stopped way before I knew the tank could possibly be full. And to make it odder, it stopped exaclty at $30. Even. My gas never costs even amounts unless I actively pump it to a certain dollar. If you can recall, two years ago was about the time that gas costs $10000000000 a gallon, so there was no way that $30 filled up my 15 gallon tank. No receipt had printed.

I automatically assumed there was something wrong with my credit card and I had somehow stolen gas. Or that the receipt printer was broken.  I stuck it back in the pump, and it worked just fine. I finished filling up my tank. A recipt printed out just fine. I waddled (remember, I was preggers) into the service station and asked the sales clerk what had happened, apologizing prefusely for any problem I had caused, and no, I wasn't trying to steal gas, etc.

He LAUGHED at me. And he explained to me that the person who had used that pump before me had prepaid $30 in gas for the next person.

I was SPEECHLESS. Seriously. And I ALWAYS have something to say. I mean, gas was so expensive. The economy was HORRIBLE. Why would anyone do that?!

The clerk told me to have a nice day. And I did. It wasn't until a few days later that I learned about "Pay It Forward." I hadn't seen the movie. EVER. But it just happened to be on that weekend. I got it. Somehow had done that for me. So a few days later, while in the drive thru at McDs for breakfast (again, PREGGERS, don't judge), I asked to pay for the person behind me. Every now and then I will do little things like that. I will leave my change in the vending machine. I will pay for someone's Starbucks. Which is exactly what I did on Wednesday, The 2nd Annual Pay It Forward Day. I haven't been on the receiving end of a Pay It Forward action since that morning at the gas station, but that's ok.

Even if that person that benefits from you, doesn't pay it forward, you have put out a small bit of happiness, of good karma, into the universe. If you made someone smile. You did something so small, but considerate and just might have given them a bit of a better day. And maybe they made someone else's day a bit brighter because of their better mood.

The day, or the notion itself isn't about money. It's about positive energy and kindness being put into the universe, pushing out some of the bad.

And We Marched

On Saturday, we got up at 5 am. We loaded into the car and headed into San Fr.ancisco over the bridge we would soon be walking to. We parked at Ft. Ma.son and waited with hundreds of people to begin, and we listened to their heartbreaking stories and admired their courage. As 9am grew nearer, we became more and more inspired, moved, and motivated to make a difference.

Saturday was the SF March for Babies, and Isaac and I were on team Marching for Monkeybutts in honor of D's preemie twins, Drew and Drey. It was a gorgeous, gorgeous morning and the weather was perfect. We got there pretty early so we had breakfast with some other walkers. Isaac was excited. And so was I. We wore our Monkeybutt shirts with pride, and I wore a purple headband for Maddie.

The walk was about 6.5 miles from Ft. Ma.son to the Gold.en Gate Bridge and back. It was beautiful. It took a bit of time, walking with 3 kids under 2 who wanted to walk by themselves and didn't understand the limitations. But we did the whole thing, from start to finish.

We did the whole thing to help prevent premature births and to help families with children born prematurely. We did the whole thing in memory of those babies who became angels too quickly, and to show support for their families. We did the whole thing in celebration for those babies who struggled in the early weeks but are now thriving.

Drew and Drey were born 9 weeks premature and spent 5 weeks in the NICU. My Isaac was born 3 weeks early, but we were blessed that he was born without any complications. It is heartbreaking to hear the stories from families who lost their babies, and I cried about 3 times before the March began.

I look at my beautiful son and feel so blessed. He is my heart and soul, and I would do anything to protect him. I will do this March every year to make sure every other mother can do the same.

The day was moving. I did more physical activity before noon than I usually do in a week. I love spending time with D and her boys. She inspires me in more ways than one, and more than she will ever know. We are blessed to have her presence in our lives. Isaac enjoyed the scenery and got his first real look at the towering bridge.

Our team raised over $3200 for March of Dimes. It's a beautiful cause and so many people supported us. A huge thank you and hug goes out to every single person who donated to our team! :)

Perspective

Yesterday morning, my blackberry died. I was pretty sure my world was going to fall apart.

I um, occassionally let Isaac play with my locked phone. He likes to press the buttons and make it light up. If it's locked, I figured he can't hurt it. Sure it gets scratched to no end because he drops it and such, but I thought I buffered that with a neoprene casing. Not so much. Yesterday morning, he dribbled milk all over it, and the keypad/board DIED. No way to fix it.

Naturally, I freaked. We had to go to the store IMMEDIATELY to fix it. Like, when it happened, we were already late in fixing it, urgency.

I spent about an hour at the store, because we weren't eligible for a full upgrade until March 1, and no, they couldn't move that date up because technically it wasn't until May or something. Ben and I both got new phones in this past year. And being the genius that I am, I opted not to do the insurance because unlike my husband, I don't work in an automotive shop and lose it in cars all the time. Blackberry phones are not cheap. Without being eligible for the upgrade and rebates, I was looking at about $400. Unless, of course, I activated an old phone and used it until March, or added another line to our plan, which would cost about anther $14 a month but I would get a free phone. I opted to add the third line.

As I was setting up my new phone, I had the news on in the background. Of course, what is all over the news? The earthquake relief in Haiti. Now, I have been watching it and am deeply saddened. I did my text Haiti to 90999 to donate $10. But last night was a humbling experience. I watched all these images and videos of devastation, heard all these people retelling their account of the quake and who was lost to them. And there I was, sitting on my couch in my warm house, with dinner in the oven, dressed in clean clothes, watching my plasma TV and playing with my new Blackberry, while these people, these poor people, undeserving of this tragedy, were suffering.

I felt spoiled. I could have waited for a new phone. I WAS spoiled. Would it have been so bad if I couldn't get my email or tweets or texts on my phone for a few weeks? The money I had spent, getting this new phone, it could have helped these suffering people. I felt horrible and felt the need to do another donation. That money could have meant life or death for one of those beautiful babies being pulled from the rubble. One of those scared children, orphaned by the earthquake. Or refuge for an adult who lost everything.

These people have nothing.

I know everyone has their struggles in life. And, yes, we are fighting through an economic rescession and high unemployment. People are losing homes and jobs here in the United States. But let's be honest. Their entire world wasn't LEVELED. Katrina showed us that tragedy can hit close to home. But we pulled through it, because we had the manpower and the resources. Haiti doesn't.

As Americans, we have so much to be thankful for. We complain and we moan. We have debt, I have debt. We have sickness. But we have solutions. Just the other day I was freaking out because my daycare lady was telling me about her evacuation plan in the event of an earthquake. Reality was, yes I am terrified of the ground moving like that, but we live somewhere where there are strict building codes and evacuation plans and survival kits. Sure, we face our diasters. But not like what happened in Haiti.

I am blessed. I am spoiled. I have so much and don't realize that just giving up one of my mochas every week would help someone, somewhere more than I could ever understand. My husband balks at our $10 a day budget for coffee and lunch, etc. It is never enough for him, for me. How did we become this way, where that money that we have the luxury of spending on a frothy drink or deli sandwich is so taken for granted? How did I end up this person?

It is not the example I want to set for my son. I don't like to think of myself as ungrateful. But yesterday, I was acting that way. I needed a big dose of my reality, and just how good I have it.

Believe

I believe in hardwork and dedication.

I believe in perserverance.

I believe in laughing at yourself.

I believe in laughing so hard that it hurts, but not stopping.

I believe in smiling at strangers.

I believe in true love.

I believe that true love is what is left when the shine wears off.

I believe in positive thinking and the law of attraction.

I believe in karma.

I believe in miracles.

I believe in compassion and the good in people.

I believe in the magic of the holiday season.

Merry Christmas to you and yours! :)

Shop 4 Anissa

Today is Shop 4 Anissa day!

What is Shop 4 Anissa day, you ask?

A group of shop owners and vendors are donating a portion of their sales to the Mayhew family. Head on over to do your Christmas shopping! There are a ton of great stores.

My contribution is 100% of profit made from sales on my Mary Kay website.

Its a great cause, and you will be helping a wonderful family in a very difficult time. :)

If the links above won't work for you, just click on the Shop 4 Anissa button in my sidebar.

Happy Holiday Shopping!

Miss

I did really well on the National Blog Posting Month. :( This weekend, not so much. I missed 3 days out of 30. That's not so bad right?

This holiday just took alot out of me. I was home for 4 days, and Isaac was teething. He's a teething BEAR. 4 teeth at once. 2 broke the skin, just waiting for the other two which have caused huge bulges in his gums. We need sleep. All of us.

I will have some posts up soon, to make up for the lack of posts in the past 3 days. For now, I want to give a shout out to Miss Daniela, who incidently is watching Isaac today (long story, husband goofed and she saved his butt).

I have known her for about 4 years now, I think. She has been an awesome friend and support system ever since we bonded in the windows of VS doing their insane holiday floorsets. She has adorable little boys, her 3 year old and her 18 month twins. She just started a blog here. Stop on over and check her out, leave her some love. She deserves it!

Seriously, I would have lost my mind by now if not for her.

For Anissa

I don't personally know Anissa.

I found her blog through a blogroll of a blog on another blogroll....and so on. I was instantly drawn to her wit and sassiness. I began to follow her at Aiming Low and Twitter. I have never met her, but I have a story that I would love to tell her.

One day I read a tweet from her that commented on TNT's cleverness at censorship. She made a remark about how they edited one of Sam.uel L. Jack.son's lines from "Sn.akes on a P.lane." to something about "monkey fighting snakes" since it was on primetime. Gotta keep it clean for the kiddies. Clever, huh?

We exchange a few comments about how SLJ was himself, one bad "monkey fighter." It made me laugh.

A few weeks later, Isaac and I were in the local grocery. He was riding in the cart, squealing like he always does, laughing, swinging his legs, and drawing the attention of other customers, especially women. One woman approached the cart and said to him and me "Isn't he just a little monkey fighter!"

Umm.....I must have looked shocked to no end, enraged, and horrified. The woman took a step back, and just as I was about to retaliate, I looked at Isaac.

He was wearing camo pants with a matching shirt that had a monkey on it. And monkey shoes.

Oh. I got it.

Deep breath. I laughed it off and said to her "why yes, I guess he does look like a member of an army of monkeys."

I just couldnt' bring myself to call my sweet baby a "monkey fighter."

I was shocked and saddened to hear what had happened to Anissa. I hope she gets better soon so I can share this with her!

Wordless Wednesday

Today, if you are reading my blog, take a minute and go give the Spohrs a hug on Maddie's 2nd birthday. The world is a better place because of this little girl.

Stop by the Friends of Maddie website, and help premature babies make it to their 2nd birthdays and well beyond.

And then go to your own child, and hug them as if you are never letting go. Every day with a child is a blessing. Treat it as such.

Happy Birthday Precious Maddie!

Isaac In the Pool

This holiday weekend was big for my little man! Check him out in his swimmie raft in Friend A's pool! :)

He was a little skeptical at first, but her pool is nice and warm. He was a little too small for the raft, so I had to hold him. Not that I wouldn't anyway, but still. He LOVED it. He kicked his little legs and was shrieking in delight. We had to get out when he started to lick his raft. Bad chlorine.

And he LOVED the fireworks we watched at BIL's house in So.noma. :) He slept through the first half...swimming and partying tires him out. He woke up and was so excited and just stared. Then he'd look over at Daddy and smile, kick his feet, and then watch again.

I love all these firsts. Each one is such a blessing. I love learning what my baby likes and dislikes.

Busy week for us. We are getting ready to head to Oh.io for K's wedding. I have so much to do its insane.

I know this seems a little stupid, but I am worried about Isaac eating jar food. :( We have been making all ours (not the cereal...I am not that dedicated), and I don't know if the taste or consistency will throw him off. I spent a good chunk of time looking at the different kinds in the store yesterday, and to my dismay, I don't think that the kind I am most drawn to is carried in Oh.io, land of the limited organic. We have done green beans, carrots, and golden beets. Sigh. I know I am just being hyper but I can't help it. I am trying to pack light, and I don't know how well the baby food will travel, or how much he will need. He eats between 3-4 ounces a day of his veggies, plus about 4-5 of cereal. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Again, sigh.

And fyi: 9 days left for My Mary Kay for Maddie! :)

My Mary Kay for Maddie

Many of you have probably heard the story of Maddie. Madeline Spohr was born to Mike and Heather 11 weeks early and demonstrated what a fighter she was from the get-go. She was a beautiful, inspiring little girl with an infectious smile that left the world unexpectedly on April 7, 2009.

I never met Maddie or her parents, but I became hooked on the blog that told her of her adventures and her parents witty tweets. I don't know her family in person, but I know this: No one should ever have to deal with the heartache of losing a child. No one. EVER. I can't imagine the pain and devastation that her parents are feeling. I look at my beautiful little boy, and I know I want to do something to help honor Madeline, and to help premature babies and their parents. I want to help raise money for March of Dimes, her favorite charity, in honor of sweet Maddie.

You may recall that I mentioned I started to sell Mary Kay. With the help and support of my family, friends, and community, I have successfully started my business. And it is giving me the means to help a bigger cause.

Starting today, June 15 until July 15, all profits from my Mary Kay business will be donated to March of Dimes in Maddie's name. ALL of it. Whether it's $1 or $1000. Let's help MOD help other families from experiencing this heartache. Let's help inspire the way Maddie did throughout her life.

So if you need skincare products or make-up, if you use Mary Kay or know anyone that does...now is the time to buy. You can order through my website. There are tons of promotions and new products out for summer, and every order in the US will get free shipping. Any purchase will be tax-deuctible and I will send a donation receipt with orders. I won't keep any of your information in my customer base unless you ask me too, and I won't profit at all. IT IS ALL FOR MADDIE.

I wish there was more I could do, that any one could do. I wish more than anything, that this tragedy never happened to these loving parents, and that somehow, someway I could make their pain and heartache go away.

(Note: The donation to March of Dimes in honor of Maddie is only taking place from my personal business, as far as I know. This is not a Mary Kay company wide event/donation period. But wouldn't it be great if it was?! :) )