I’m watching NCAA football today and looking at all of these athletic boys out on the fields, making or breaking plays. Their mamas are in the stands cheering them on and I wonder if they were raised to be these strong football players. Did their daddies take them outside and throw footballs to them from [...]
May 092012
I’ve come to the conclusion that my children want me to be fat.
It only makes sense, I mean, why else would they scream like pterodactyls in child care at the YMCA and force the poor, deaf child care workers to come haul me out of a class only 15 minutes in?
Because they like being able to run circles around me.
I mean come on! Doesn’t it make perfect sense to you?
“Mom is fat and can’t keep up with our crazy energy. Man, this ROCKS!”
Upon Mom renewing her Y Membership:
“Balls! Mom’s going to try to get fit again! We can’t let this happen. IF we let this happen, she’ll be able to keep up with us and then we won’t be able to wreak as much havoc on her life, therefore our lives will become increasingly dull and uneventful. No more watching Mom clean food up off of the living room floor while we do back flips off of her forehead while juggling steak knives with one hand!”
They then concoct an evil scheme that works EVERY time.
They scream.
And scream.
AND scream.
AND SCREAM.
while in the care of others so that I cannot work out for longer than 15 minutes….
Until I’m sick and tired of putting in the effort of getting them into the car, taking them out of the car; signing them, kicking and screaming, into the kid fit area, only to get to work out for 15 minutes. That’s JUST long enough to break a sweat.
What’s WITH these people, anyways?! Can’t handle a screaming kid? Then perhaps you’re in the wrong industry.
How the HELL is a mom supposed to have some “me” time if her kids won’t let her out of their sight?
After this happened tonight, my eyes were bulging out of my head in absolute anger, and I wanted to drag them back to the car caveman-style. I refrained from being so barbaric but I really am at my breaking point with these little buttholes.
Don’t they realize that if Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy?
Dec 162011
So today was the very last day of school for the kids in the Savannah Chatham County School district which means that it was my day to present one of Styles’ classmates with a Disney themed-stocking.
I asked his teacher last week if she knew of any families in need in her class and she said no, that she was completely oblivious. Our school district has a mandatory dress code that is extremely strict so you can never make assumptions from the way kids dress or are groomed. She gave me permission to send home a letter with the children to see if any parents would reply. Here’s what it said:
Dear Parents,
Hi! It’s Summer, your Room Rep for Mrs. Rowland. This is an extremely important and personal letter. Please do NOT throw this away and make sure you respond immediately if this applies to you.
I was a single mom for 5 long, hard years. During that 5 years, I struggled financially in a big way. I often wondered where the money for my electric bill would come from, and Christmas was always a source of extreme financial burden and worry. There were several years where I had to get help from outside sources such as Empty Stocking funds and Toys for Tots to provide a Christmas for Styles.
I am blessed to be in a different position now, but I will always remember those hard years. It is a personal goal of mine to help a family in need each Christmas for the rest of my life, according to my abilities.
That said, I am now an ambassador for Champions for Kids in partnership with Disney, in promoting the Stocking Stuffer program this Christmas. I am so excited to be involved and to give back to a family who needs it. If your family is struggling this Christmas, please email me at: BananasTuts@gmail.com with the name of your child. I will be drawing one name that has been submitted to me TOMORROW, Tuesday, December 13. I will be shopping for that child on Wednesday, December 14 and presenting a Disney Themed stocking valued at a minimum of $25 to the child on Friday, December 16 at the class Christmas party.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS WILL BE COMPLETELY ANONYMOUS. I am the only person who will know whose names are submitted and why. When I present the stocking at the party, the students will think that the entire classroom was in the hat and that it was a random drawing.
If you would like more information about this effort, please visit http://championsforkids.org/ and http://bananahammocksandtutus.com/2011/12/christmas-giving-time/.
Thank you for allowing me to be part of your Happy Christmas!
I wanted parents to know that there was no shame in being in a rough situation, but I didn’t want the children to have that extremely personal information about one another. Only one mom emailed me, and another girl came up to me in class and asked for my phone number to give to her mom because they don’t have a computer. I made the executive decision to buy a large stocking for the family who emailed me and a smaller one for the other girl since her mom never contacted me directly.
I told Styles that at the Christmas party, I would be presenting a stocking sponsored by Disney to one of the kids in his class. He asked who was getting it and I told him that I drew names out of a hat and told him the name of the students.
I was SO thankful to have him shopping with me. This is a class full of 10 and 11 year olds. They’re just getting to that age where some things are totally uncool and I almost bought a bunch of Cars 2 stuff before Styles stopped me and told me that Phineas and Ferb was MUCH cooler. I also remembered that *DUH* Disney has a bunch of fantastic movies which would fit perfectly into a stocking. I knew immediately what I would get for the little girl in his class. I found a cute Minnie Mouse stocking and put a pair of Tinkerbell socks and some Disney Princess lip gloss in it. The stocking for the boy wasn’t quite as easy for me but Styles found some really great stuff to put into it. Want to see what shopping with 5 kids looks like?
We ended up with a Perry the Platypus long sleeved T-shirt that came with a Phineas and Ferb beanie, a Toy Story 3 “Whack an Alien” LED game, the Disney movie Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice, and a Cars 2 Pez dispenser. The stocking was valued at about $45 and the one for the girl was about $13 including the cost of the stocking.
I went to Styles’ class party and hosted a craft. I got to spend some time with both of the kids, helping them with their crafts which was super fun amidst the chaos. Unfortunately, my baby boy got sick, literally puke on the floor, and I had to leave before I presented the stocking. Styles’ teacher took over for me from there and from what Styles tells me, his classmate was EXTREMELY excited about the stocking and everything in it. I seriously would have missed the mark if Styles hadn’t gone shopping with me. Does that mean I’m getting old?
I stuffed the stockings and headed to Styles’ school to help with a craft that I had planned.
I feel so proud and blessed to be part of this campaign and I hope that I have given you a little incentive to join with me in blessing a needy child or family in your community. Disney is a company that means a whole lot to me. My dad’s dad worked with Eastern Airlines a long, long time ago when Disney and Eastern were partners. Because of his service, he had “The Golden Pass” and we went to Disney whenever the heckfire we wanted to. I’ve also got every Disney VHS known to man and am working on stocking up on all of the great Disney movies for my kids as they grow older. The Disney Channel is on constant rotation when Styles is home and we NEVER, EVER miss a new episode of Phineas and Ferb. As a matter of fact, Kyle and Styles dressed up as Phineas and Ferb for Halloween in 2009!
What do you do around the Holidays to help those less fortunate?
This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All stories are true and my opinions were not influenced in any way.
Dec 092011
I LOVE Christmas.
No, I don’t think you understand. I really love Christmas.
I love the trimmings, trappings, smells, and joy that Christmas means for my children and for me. I want to stick my face into my live Christmas tree and leave it there, sniffing the raw fir smell. I love reminiscing Christmas’ past with my family while decorating our tree. Christmas music makes me want to put on mittens, scarves, and soft woolen hats and take a walk in the snow. Alas, we live in South Georgia and don’t see much snow here. For now, the crisp air will do. We do not live near family but our families come visit us in a steady wave of Grandparents. There is rarely a dull moment, always lots of delicious food, and ridiculous amounts of wrapping paper being exchanged. We talk, laugh, and reminisce while watching the kids play with their new toys…or the boxes that they came in. Christmas is a wonderful, fun, delicious time for us.
I know, however; that Christmas can be a time of financial burden, loneliness, and sadness for many people. It is no secret that suicide rates, and violent crime increase noticeably during the holidays. Such stress is put on GIVING that it leaves people feeling helpless. I’ve been there. I was a single mom for 5 years and more than once had to receive outside assistance from Toys for Tots, The Empty Stocking Fund, and a gift tag drive that my church hosted.
Now that I am married and in a much better financial position, I am excited to announce that I have partnered with Disney and Champions for Kids to present a child in need with a Disney themed stocking stuffed with goodies.
I will be shopping at Walmart next week for Disney themed items to put into a stocking and present to a child in need. We live in an extremely depressed city where there is lots of poverty. Many of the very children in Styles’ own classroom are in need. I have sent home a letter to each child in his classroom’s parents in hopes that some of them will nominate their child for the stocking. I will then draw one name randomly and bless them with a stocking full of cheer.
Because I am the room representative for Styles’ classroom, I have to put together a Christmas party next Friday. I will present the child with their stocking at the party. While I find that there is no shame in being in need, I plan on letting the class believe that the chosen child was chosen from the entire class, not from a select few individuals.
I get butterflies in my stomach just thinking about gifting to whomever this child may be. I was so blessed to be chosen for some of the funds that I was chosen for when Styles was young. I feel so proud and blessed to be able to give back to the people in my community who make this community what it is.
I look forward to my children growing older so that we can all go volunteer our time in food kitchens and harvest pantries throughout the holiday season. I think that it is important to give to those who have a greater need than you do. It is good for the soul and always makes me feel amazing afterwards. It also keeps us humble and exposes us to new people who have different and complex stories. I think that it is also important for children to know that they are not “better than” anyone, despite their situation. What better way to teach them that than volunteering and giving back?
I am SO proud to partner with Disney and Champions for Kids in this effort. If you would like more information, visit the Champions for Kids website, and/or contact me directly.
Stay tuned for pictures of the stocking that I build, and of me presenting the stocking to Styles’ lucky classmate.
This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias All thoughts are my very own and were not influenced in any way.
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Come to Our Nest 
