If you read TWOP (and you should), then you probably know Sars and Tomato Nation.

Sars has been looking for a man she met on September 11th. His name is Don. His birthday is on September 11th.

Do you know Don?

I was going to write this whole post about blogging and community and privacy and how it seems that no matter what I write about, someone will always say something that upsets me and is that an issue with me or is it because people are just rude?

But then I read Figlet’s post and she said it better. So go read it.

(And then I went to put on a Dora movie, and I tripped over my cell phone charger wire while carrying Snowbaby, and I did this stunt-man roll thing to avoid falling on top of her, except I am no stuntman and now all the skin is off of my elbow and knee and I think my big toe is broken and my left shoulder hurts, and after I landed Bubba said, “Are you hurt Mom? Your eye hurt?” and poked me in the eye to check.)

The blogathon is rapidly approaching. Right now, we have raised $646 for the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition.

Remember, this is an organization that helps find homes for foster children. They provide support groups and training to foster parents. They help grant Little Wishes to those children who wish to do special activities that might be outside the realm of the foster parent’s budget.

They also provide a store where foster parents can shop for clothing and equipment for their foster kids for super cheap prices.

This is the kind of organization that helps foster parents stay foster parents.

My goal is to raise $1000. Right now, we are almost at $700.

I have a number of prizes to be given away. Anyone who makes a pledge will be entered to win a copy of “The Bilingual Edge: Why, When and How to Teach Your Child a Second Language” by Kendall King and Alison Mackey.

I also will give a copy of the “The Bilingual Edge” to the person who pushes us over the $700 mark.

So come on! If you haven’t sponsored yet, please do so!

Special thanks to Harper Collins and Writers Revealed. Writers Revealed is a great site for anyone who wants to be a writer or is simply interested in learning more about those who write. They also have a great virtual book tour and a podcast. Check them out!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to the shower. Bubba threw up all over my feet. And I have a 102 temperature.

WOOO!

Thank you guys so much! Since my last post, we’ve managed to bump up our pledges for the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition to $591!!!!! I know there is someone out there who has an extra $10 to donate to push us over the $600 mark!

Also, if you can’t make a pledge, but have something to offer up as a prize to be given away during the blogathon, please contact me! I have a few cool prizes already lined up.

I’m so proud of us!!

I forgot to mention in my last post that Bubba and Snowbaby do their share around here too. They help straighten up their room, for one. Bubba clears his plate into the trashcan and then puts it in the sink. They both know that dirty clothes go in the laundry room or in a hamper. They love to help with laundry.

On a completely unrelated note..

Daycare lady: Bubba, tell Mom what you did today?

Bubba: I put fish in the potty!

Me: You did?

Daycare lady: Our class fish died.

Me: Ohh..

Bubba: I put fish in the potty! And I flush it!

Me: Wow! Where did the fish go?

Bubba: It went bye bye.

Daycare lady: We just had a little funeral for the fish. I wanted to sing something for the fish, but the only song they know is the ABC song so we sang that.

Thanks to some very generous sponsors, we are up to $379 in pledges. We’ve got less than 48 hours until the start of the blogathon, so please, please, please help out the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition by sponsoring me at www.blogathon.org.

Also, anybody have any ideas as to what I should talk about for 24 hours?? The kids are looking forward to it..they can’t wait to help out. I’ve also lined up Geo to be here on Sunday so I can sleep.

So come on! Join in the fun!

“All I’m asking you…is to do what Jesus Christ would do..he’d give me a quarter..why don’t you?”

–Avenue Q

Two things:

1. First off, can you pretty please go sponsor me for the blogathon? The Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition is such a good organization and it really helps out kids and families. Plus, I need some good motivation for staying up all night Saturday. Thank you for those who already have pledged..I think we have raised about $100 so far.

2. Thanks for all your nice comments. It got me thinking about blogging. I know some people write their blogs like diaries. They write as if no one is reading. It is almost like you were over at someone’s house and found their diary in the bathroom cabinet or something. Then there are those blogs in which the writer knows they are writing for an audience. I am one of those. I know there are people reading. I check my stat counter to see how many people read that day and what brought them to the blog. (Does Ashley Tissdale wear thongs? was a recent search query. Bug got a kick out of that.)

I often direct posts at my readers or address things people said. Because this is an open forum, is it necessary to allow people to say mean things to me? American Family doesn’t think so. On her blog, she encourages debate but won’t allow people to act like a jackass.

I know some people who don’t turn their comments on. Or some people who moderate all their comments. If you say something mean, they won’t publish it on their blog.

I very rarely moderate comments, and I only do it when someone posts some information that is private. For instance, some people know my real first name. If they address me by that in my blog, I’ll edit the comment. Some people know where I live. I might edit a comment to take out identifying information like that. But other than that, I let comments go.

Comments like Devon’s sometimes upset me because they tend to come on a post where I am obviously struggling with something. I’m venting about how I’m upset and depressed and then I get a comment basically pointing out what they think I do wrong. In some cases, it makes me laugh because this blog is only a fraction of my life. So this morning when I logged on and saw the comment, I called Geo to tell him and we laughed about how an Ipod that I got as a present way before I had any kids was the root of my financial problems today.

When we read blogs, we form an idea of who a person is and sometimes our impressions are way off. If you stumbled upon this blog today, you might want to know the same things Devon questioned. Why do you have these kids? Why did you go see a play if you are broke?

And by the way, what is broke? Geo is the type who, if he doesn’t have several thousands dollars in the bank, feels like he is absolutely broke. For others, broke means that your electricity got shut off and you only have $2. For others, broke means that you are homeless or starving.

I’m losing focus here. Basically what I’m trying to say is, when I comment on blogs, I try to remember that I’m coming into this person’s house. They might have left their door open, that’s true. But if someone walks into my house and says, “Wow, your couch is really ugly. You should have not gotten a couch at goodwill. At my house, I cut out my cable bill and go to the park instead of plays. That is why I am doing things better than you. That’s why I have a nice couch and you don’t” I’m likely to kick their ass out on the street. Now, if one of my friends said to me, “Baggage, I know you hate your couch. Would you like my advice? How about cutting out your cable? Then you might be able to afford a new couch.”

There is a big difference between saying, “Well, in my life I do this, and you wouldn’t have these problems if you were more like me.” and saying, “Hey, have you thought of this idea? It might help.” Especially if you don’t know the whole situation.

I also wanted to comment real quickly on something Holly said and Mrs. Butter B said. Basically the idea of this being a calling for me. You know, I don’t think this job is easy at all. At times, it is very stressful. But it has been put in my heart as something that I have to do. Would my situation be better if I hadn’t brought Izzy into the home? Probably. But should a 17 year old be left without a family so I can have a little extra money? A little less stress? Is my ability to have ten grand in the bank more important than her ability to have a family?

We always talk about the number of kids who are waiting for a permanent family. What is, about 118,000? What if all of us took responsibility for that? What if you stretched your heart open a little more than you thought you could and took in a child who needs a family? So many of us complain about the state of the world. We talk about taking care fo children and we talk about what this world is becoming. But how many of us actually do something about it? I am adopting Izzy because I want to have another daughter, yes. But I’m also adopting her because someone needs to. If not me, then who?

I know that I can’t save the world. I know my limits. I get calls for kids all the time that I say no to. But when a child will fit into my heart and my home, I say yes, even if it means that I have to worry a little about money until my checks from DFS start coming in.

Sometimes I wish I could have my own reality show so you could look into my house. So you could see these kids and say, “Hey. Maybe I could do that.” That is what I hope this blog does. Even if you say, “Wow, I know I’m not as fucked up as that Baggage girl and SHE does this. Maybe I could too.”

In the meantime, I’m going to keep on keeping on because I know in my heart it is the right thing to do. I don’t think in 10 years I will regret not having money for a pedicure or for new jeans. I don’t think I will regret driving a van that is 14 years old.

I think I would regret my life, a lot, if I sent these kids packing and had a bunch of money in the bank. Sometime having a calling isn’t easy. Sometimes it is scary and hard and frustrating.

But I wouldn’t give up my life, even if it meant less stress and less difficulty. I know this is the right thing to do. I believe that 100% in my heart.

Here’s something that was sent to me that some of you might be interested in. I haven’t tried it myself, as I am on a credit card moratorium, so I can’t vouch personally for anything here.

Basically, it is a deal that when you get a particular credit card, you get points which can get you a free plane ticket or help you make some money. 

If you get an American Express Business Gold Rewards credit card, you will automatically be given 25,000 points as a sign up bonus. You can use these points to get a plane ticket anywhere in the United States. You can also the points to get a $250 gift certificate or a voucher on Southwest airlines.

We fly on vouchers from Southwest all the time because we have a friend who works for them. One good thing about these vouchers is that anyone can use them, so there is quite a lucrative market on craigslist and ebay for them.

So basically, you get the credit card and then you can either get a free plane ticket or the gift certificate. Or, if you want to make some money, you can get the voucher and sell it.

There are a few catches. You have to make a purchase in order to get the points. So you have to buy something in order to get the free stuff. The card also has an annual fee of $125 bucks. But it is waived in the first year. So you could get the card, make a purchase, get your free stuff, and then cancel the card.

I’m not really experienced in these kinds of things, but I know a lot of people use points to get free plane tickets and all. So if you are interested, check out the Bankaholic site for more info.

Thank you to those of you who purchased something from my first ever blog yard sale. All weekend long we’ve been decluttering our house. It’s a really good feeling. I read recently that if you want good things to enter your life then you need to make room for them. So that’s what we have been doing. Organizing. Throwing away. Selling. And whatever we don’t sell we are going to give away. The kids have been helping. Callie went through her clothes and came out with a pile. And Snowbaby gave me a piece of toilet paper. “MONEY!” she said.

I sold my laptop to a lady here locally which was kind of sad but I didn’t use it much in the BDH since we are on dialup (oh the horrors) and it was too fragile for the kids to use. 

Some of my readers have offered up donations for the virtual yard sale which is just amazing to me. My mom has fabric for sale. 5 pieces for $20. So does Amanda. Isn’t that nice of them?? And Amanda has offered to handknit either a scarf or hat for you if you make a donation of $20 for a scarf or $15 for a hat to the “take the kids to see a Broadway show” fund. What an amazing thing to do. I will never get over the fact that people offer to do this kind of stuff for my kids. It makes me cry just to talk about it.

I mentioned to Callie earlier that I was having a virtual yard sale on my “website.” She doesn’t really know much about this blog, just that I keep up a website where I talk about issues related to foster care. I told her that I was selling some of my things in order to raise some money so we can get tickets to the show. And that one person had just sent me some money without buying anything, telling me that they wanted the girls to experience what she had the first time she saw a show. And that someone else had purchased something from me for way more than it was worth, just because they wanted to do something nice for “someone who deserves it.”

Callie looked at me in shock.

“You mean people sent money for us? So we could see the show?

“Yeah. I don’t even know them. They just wanted to help and to be nice.”

“Oh my God. I didn’t know that people actually cared about kids who are in foster care.”

Thank you all for showing her that there are people who care very much. I can never say thank you to you enough.

I’ve sold the Shopaholic book and the Wicked book. Thanks!

I also found two Rachel Ray cookbooks to sell. They might have little bits of food stuck to them, as a free bonus gift.

**Cookbooks have sold!

I also have a Leapfrog Leapster TV system with the Dora game and the Finding Nemo game.

And a Casio FX-9750G Plus graphing calculator.

I still have the laptop for sale and the rest of the books. And the jeans.

**Leapfrog just sold to someone in my town.  Everything else is still for sale.

So here’s the deal. On the 15th of this month, I get my DFS check which will finally accurately represent the children in this house. Plus the mileage check which I’ve been waiting on.

But before then I need to pay my rent, and my Cingular bill and my Direct TV bill.

AND I really really really really want to take Callie, Izzy and Bug to see one of my favorite Broadway shows which will be performing in the Big City this month. But I have to buy tickets for it before the 15th. And even if we sit in the very back section, it is expensive. But Callie and Izzy have never seen a broadway show and Bug loves them and hell, I do too.

So I figured I would have a blog yard sale. I’ve been looking around looking for stuff I could sell and thought I’d offer it up to see if anyone wants anything. (Sort of like when the fabulous Angela sold her shoes!)

I’m going to keep adding to this list as I find stuff so check back:

1. I have a laptop. It’s an emachines. It sells for $895. It is less than a year old. You can read about it here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=38333&page=2 

Nothing is wrong with it, except Snowbaby ripped the “B” key off, but I’ll put that back on  before I send it to you. I’m willing to make a really good deal on it. I’ll even through in one of those cooling pads and a funky trigger mouse thing.

2. “Wicked: The Grimmerie.” Mint condition. This is the behind the scenes book from the musical Wicked. Very awesome. I paid $40 for it back when it came out.

3. The book “Shopaholic and Baby” I always take my dust jackets off the books when I get them and I can’t find the one that is supposed to go with this one. But there is nothing wrong with the book.

4. I also have some size 2 and size 4 American Eagle and Old Navy jeans/pants. Most are “short” because I am.

Ummm..that is all I can think of right now. I’m off to find more stuff. If you are interested in anything, leave me a comment or send me an email to baggageandbug@yahoo.com

Edited to add: I found some more books. I’ve got paperbacks of ”The Nanny Diaries”  and “The Historian” by Elizabeth Kostova. I’ve also got the hardback of “Julie and Julia” but it is missing the dust jacket.