Blog Starr

No, I didn’t lose a child. Well, sort of. My daughter (step-daughter), Samantha has gone to live with her real mom. This will be the first time in 8 years Sam has lived with her. It’s not a bad thing ~ just different for us all. We’ll miss her here at home, but she has been unhappy for a long time not living with her real mom. Yes, she and Curt call me Mommy. Yes, I have been raising them for the last 8 years, and I know it is different for kids when they still have their mom. But she has been mine for a long time so it’s a bit strange to not have her around. Now mind you, she and I would butt heads quite often. More often than either of us would have liked. I would yell at her. She would roll her eyes at me. We’d both cry and slam doors. But we’d always at some point say sorry and that we loved each other. Sometimes I don’t think she knows just how much I do love her. Sam may not have come from my body but she is in my heart.

Samantha will be starting a new school this year and hopefully finding some great new friends while keeping her old ones here at home. And yes, I say home because this will always be her home even if she doesn’t live here. I want her to be happy and to have a wonderful childhood. She is lucky to have a great family on all sides. She has me, her dad, Curt and Isabelle here. And she has her mom, 2 brothers, 2 sisters plus a few in-laws and 7 nieces and nephews there. We all get along which is quite strange for ex’s and step’s and half siblings, etc. I think we are a rare breed. We may not always see eye to eye, but who does?

We all want Samantha (and all the kids) to be happy, so I hope that she will find the peace and happiness she is searching for in this new journey at a new school and new home.

And to Samantha, if you read this, you may not be of my flesh and blood but you are of my heart!

I love you!

I was laid off from my job of almost 7 years. At that time I thought it was the worst thing in the world!

No income, no insurance, no stability.

Today, however, I am thinking it was one of the best things to happen.

• My kids love having me home when they get home from school. If one of them is sick I am able to get there in a flash.
• I take them to school every morning.
• My youngest daughter, Isabelle, stays home with me (although she begs to go back to school all the time).
• I am able to get dinner on the table earlier since I dont have my 30 mile commute to Atlanta anymore.
• I can chit chat with my husband when he calls without feeling like I need to be working instead.
• I can clean the house on Tuesday instead of Saturday.
• I keep up with laundry during the week rather than cramming it all into Saturday and Sunday.
• My mood is better – most days  at least.
• I get an “adult” day every Thursday with my friend Melissa.
• My mother in law, who also has been unemployed for quite a while, takes the little one so I can have a day to myself!
• I can wear my jammies all day long if I so choose.
• I don’t have to take a shower if I don’t feel like it.
• No office drama!
• I can take a long, luxurious bath ~ oh strike that one ~ Isabelle has to join me!
• I have the summers off!
• I can go to Myrtle Beach to see Mom AND the beach at any time.
• I go to the store during the week after dropping the k ids off at school! No crowds!
• I can play on Facebook and not worry about getting fired!
• I can tweet all day long, or not.
• I am able to look for a job closer to home without worrying about when I can interview! (If there were any jobs available!)
• And many, many more reasons I love being able to be home and not have to work at the moment.

So, basically, my stress lasted a very short time after I was laid off. My husband has a great job! He is happy! My kids are happier (most days) and I really enjoy the freedom of being to do all these things for my family without being completely stressed out with a full time job outside of the house and then one at home!

I love my life and wouldn’t change anything! Unless, I could get the lucky lottery numbers for the powerball!

Until next time,

Shop for Anissa Day, December 10th, will feature a select group of vendors and shop owners who have generously agreed to donate a percentage of their sales that day directly to the Hope 4 Anissa Fund. (Please read previous post regarding Anissa and the story behind “Shop for Anissa Day”.)

Although I have never met Anissa in person, I read her Blog, I follow her on Twitter and I have “heard” what so many others have to say about her. She is a mom, wife, friend and apparently full of life.

Anissa suffered a massive stroke on November 17th and then another one later in the day. She is still in the hospital and still fighting. Anissa has 3 small children and one of whom has Leukemia they have been battling for a few years.

It is now time to call on friends and strangers alike to help out a mom and her family with fundraising efforts to help with medical bills  that continue to grow each day.

Please click on the “Shop for Anissa” picture and it will link you to my Mary Kay site. I have pledged to donate 25% of all profits from sales today, December 10, 2009.

Will you help make like a little easier for someone who has given so much to others?

Also, please take a look at Aiming Low ~ Anissa is one the writers and contributors for this site. There are many other people and women and moms just like me who are participating in this worthwhile effort! Their companies and weblinks are available there!

Many thanks to each and every one of you who read, spread the word and participate in Anissa’s fundraising day!

I copied this post from: http://aiminglow.com/2009/11/hope-for-anissa/ so that I could share with anyone who reads my blog. December 10th is Shop for Anissa Day and many mom bloggers and bloggers in general who know of or have met Anissa are donating a portion of the profit for Anissa’s recovery. Please see my next post as I will be participating in this event! Thank you for reading!

From Aiming Low:

For the most current updates on Anissa’s progress, please check her first blog,Hope 4 Peyton. Her husband will be updating regularly.

•••

As you may have heard, Anissa, our beloved friend and leader here at Aiming Low, suffered a massive stroke on Tuesday afternoon. She is in the hospital right now, in the ICU.

More than anything, Anissa needs your prayers and positive thoughts but to the many people who have offered help to the Mayhew family, here is some info on what you can do:

Things that would be helpful right now are gift cards (AMEX and Visa are most flexible) or gift cards to restaurants and gift cards to the movies or to Blockbuster (to help keep the kids’ occupied).  If you would like to give a restaurant gift card, the following restaurants are local to them: Chick Fil A, Beef O’Brady’s, Hooter’s, Applebee’s, Moe’s, Ruby Tuesday, Red Lobster, Cracker Barrel, Panera Bread, Sonny’s, Burger King, Zaxby’s, McDonald’s, Subway.

A P.O. Box has been set up to receive any items you wish to send, the address can be found below. Please don’t send anything to the hospital or the Mayhew home. If you have questions, please email helpforanissa@gmail.com

We ask that you please respect the Mayhew family’s privacy by NOT calling the hospital and we thank you all SO MUCH for your outpouring of love and support for Anissa and her family. With thanks and love, The Aiming Low Team

If you would like to send something to Anissa and her family, we have set up a P.O. Box:

The Mayhew Family
860 Johnson Ferry Road 140-184
Atlanta, GA 30342

Please consider making a donation to the Mayhew Family to help with costs.