How I learned to LOVE to clean!

I don't know about the rest of the mom's that work outside the home but this mom was a mess when it came to keeping up with cleaning our home.  

I cleaned the bathroom because it was resembling a gas station bathroom, did laundry because we were running out of clothes and who washes the windows or cleans the blinds (not this mom!)

I was in constant crisis management mode when it came to cleaning house and I HATED every minute of it.

I entered into being a work from home mom using the same cleaning techniques that I used when I worked outside the home for 18 years.  We had a blast, don't get me wrong, but I was feeling like I was not fulfilling my role of being home.  I dreamed of taking care of our home and loving every minute of it, I just didn't know what to do to get there and had many years of practice the other direction.

So...I did what any other blog addict does, I cruised blogger and got me some ideas!  I came up with a cleaning schedule...who would of thunk it, clean the bathrooms because it is Monday instead of when they resemble the corner gas station!  

I also searched into my heart to figure out what would help me want to clean and LOVE it.  First of all, I figured out I needed it to be easy and not give me an asthma attack.  First thing I did was to remove toxic cleaners from my house.  That was a big ah ha moment to understand why I was so exhausted after cleaning.  It's amazing what bleach and ammonia can do to the old lungs.  I found products that did a great job, didn't waste resources and cost less than other green cleaners on the market.  SCORE!

The next thing I needed to do was to make it easy to grab my cleaning supplies so when I have 10 minutes it wasn't a big production to get it all gathered up.

My Organizing Utility Tote has every thing I need, to clean anywhere in the house.  When I find a few minutes between running errands, folding a load of laundry or hanging out with my kiddos I can grab my tote and get a little something done.  It is always loaded with micro fiber cleaning clothes, an assortment of scrub brushes, gloves (absolutely not necessary with the cleaning products I use unless I'm avoiding a chipped nail), and all of my non toxic cleaning products - I can clean my entire house from top to bottom with this little tote!

Last week it hit me, I have learned to LOVE to clean.  I can clean anytime I find a few minutes and I find a few of those every day.  My house stays cleaner all the time, we are no longer a crisis management crew, except when the kids decide to carry everything they own to the living room.  And I have clean blinds and windows!

Gaining control...with the envelope

I have several items on the list to change in 2013.  One of those items is to get control of our budget and work toward being debt free.  While I'm not a Financial Peace University student or graduate, I am a big fan of Dave Ramsey and this year is the year we incorporate more of his system in our financial life.  The first step for me is turning to good old CASH.  I know, American's really don't do cash these days, we like to whip out our cards to pay for things.  Paying cash is so archaic but at the same time so many, including me, tend to spend more when I whip out the card to pay for everything.

We are BIG users of our debit cards.  And that makes for a lot of receipts and a lot of entries in the register.  I embraced the idea of the cash envelopes because I got tired of looking for receipts in my wallet, or forgetting that I had made a purchase (or five) until my husband was balancing the checkbook, sorry honey!

If you haven't heard of the cash envelope, it is part of the budgeting system that Dave teaches.  Basically, you are taking items in your budget that you would normally pay for with a card, either debit or credit, and removing the card factor and paying by cash making it easier to stick to your budget.  The idea is to take those items in your budget such as groceries, gas, entertainment, clothing, latte's, etc. and creating an envelope with the budgeted amount that you will spend in the envelope for each category and when the money is gone it's gone.  I know that I tend to spend more when I am paying by card, even if it is my debit card.  A few weeks ago I was out grocery shopping, I had brought my list and I was sticking to it and then it happened, I found a few things that I wanted to get and then a few more and my list and budget were thrown out the door.  By the time I got up to the cash register I had exceeded my budget by more than $30, rather than stick to the list and budget I didn't pay any attention to it I just whipped out the debit card and paid the bill.  With the cash in hand I will be more conscious of my purchase and stick to my budget.

The only downside to the cash envelopes for me is loosing those little things in my purse, after all they are often white and look like many other pieces of paper in a mom's purse.  I did some research about systems that have worked for other moms, some like to make their own cute envelopes out of scrap booking paper, others don't mind the white envelopes and others like cute envelope systems made like a wallet.  For me I need something that will be easily identified in my purse, durable to hold up to all the items that get shoved in by my children, and I wanted something not so blah.  I know, we are talking about saving money and spending wisely and I'm worried about fashion.  So I ruled out the scrap book paper envelopes worried they wouldn't be durable enough, the white envelope was definitely out too.  I found a lot of cute ideas, and then I made my final selection...

The Coupon Clutch!

It is the perfect size for my purse, has five interior pockets, five colored tabs to label the cash spending categories and it came in the perfect color to match my wallet and other accessories.

I'm excited to see how the cash method works for my family budget.  I know it will make checkbook balancing less stressful for my sweet hubby.

Send me a message if you need help picking a functional and fashionable item for your cash envelope.

WOW, time has flown by...again

Looking at the blog it has been nearly a year since I have posted.  So much has happened in the last year.  My heart had made some big decisions and my body and mind needed to catch up the last time I had posted.  I, being the human that I am, kept telling God if you do ______ I will leave my job and stay home to care for my family.  I could really feel that God was calling me home to care for my family and to care for me.  The last few years at my job had really paid a toll on my mind, spirit and health.  Of course, God doesn't really like for us to tell Him what to do.  He instead led me to believe that He had this all taken care of and for me to trust Him so I waited for further instruction.

Fast forward a few months...my hubby was offered a job that he couldn't refuse and ... it came with health insurance.  One of the big factors of my job was the health insurance.  So that was the clear sign that it was time for me to leave my job of twelve, yep you got it 12, years.  I had been there the longest of any job, the majority of my adult life.  Many people thought I was crazy to leave a good gov't job after so long.  My health and my family were paying a heavy price for that good job, I was having foot problems and could hardly use my left hand (thank goodness I am right handed but it did make for interesting times opening jars).  I woke up the day after my hubby decided to take the job (he declined the job at first) I woke up with full use of my left hand, nothing like getting confirmation from God that He is taking care of everything.  On June 20th I left my office at the court house for the last time and became a work from home mom!

The last six months have been an adjustment for all of us.  Some of them have been great, spending the summer hanging out with my kids picking strawberries/cherries, canning and taking my kids to school and picking them up at the end of the day.  Others have been an adjustment, learning to live on one income, while we have saved so much money by me being at home by not paying for daycare, eating out and convenience meals that use to fill our life because of my full days working outside the home.  I use to arrive home from work after 6 pm to then have to think about what should be for dinner, I know I should have planned better for it and many moms who work outside the home do so much better with it than I did but for some reason I didn't make it work.  So often I would be pulling through a drive up window grabbing dinner, running home to grab the family to eat somewhere or pulling something out of the freezer or pantry that was loaded with preservatives.  I have found my love of cooking during these last 6 months.  I love cooking meals for my family that are fresh and preservative free.  Now each afternoon after picking M and E up from school we head home to do homework and work on dinner.  Dinner is served in our house normally by 5pm and we are finished with dishes done by 6pm.  It still amazes me that we are done with our evening meal before I would have gotten home from work.

I am so ready for the adventure of 2013.  I am ready to embrace and find the love of cleaning and organization again.  We have been living the last six plus years in a state of getting by, doing what has to be done and letting everything else skate by.  I am so excited to have a home that is healthy so my family can be healthy.  It's been amazing with the small changes we have made over six months how much healthier we all are.  The kids have been fever and stomach flu free!  My hubby has had a few cold bugs but the rest of us have been able to avoid it.  In the past we were always fighting one string of illnesses after another.  I have been doing so much research on healthy toxin free living and can't wait to share it with you.

Ok, enough of the story of all that was missed during this past year.  Looking forward to being a better blogger and sharing 2013.  Happy New Year!

My heart is full of PEACE!

I have so much on my mind, so many BIG changes to come in the very near future for our family.  I have never been so at PEACE with a BIG decision as I am right now.

In the last year and a half my life has been FILLED with stress, to the point where the smallest change could send me into a full anxiety attach.  I had learned how to cope but I knew coping was not what God wants for us.  He wants us to flourish in all of our challenges of life.  It is so hard to see that the worldly things that bring us so much stress and discomfort are not the things that matter to God, we put that importance on them.

I have been having a conversation for months with God going something like this; Ok God, if you do this I will do that.  Of course, just as it would be when we don't trust God to take care of things nothing in the situation was changing.  You ask yourself why won't it change and then a few weeks ago I finally realized it was God telling me to have faith and do this and then He will take care of the rest.

I know there are a lot of hidden information in this post that I can't yet share but let me tell you it is going to be such a different world for us and I can't wait.  When you know that you are doing what God is calling you to do it is amazing the PEACE that fills your heart.

I am so blessed by God.  My heart is so full!

Harper's Fundraiser

I have extended the closing date of Harper's fundraiser.

It now closes on the evening of Friday the 13th!!  You can shop here.


Let's bless this family big time!!!

Life is not a race - but indeed a journey.

Be honest. Work hard. Be Choosy.

Say "Thank You", "I Love You", and "Great Job" to someone each day.

Go to church, take time for prayer.  The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh.

Let your handshake mean more than pen and paper.

Love your life and what you've been given, it is not accidental - search for your purpose and do it as best you can.

Dreaming does matter.  It allows you to become that which you aspire to be.

Laugh often.

Appreciate the little things in life and enjoy them.

Some of the best things really are free.

Do not worry, less wrinkles are more becoming.

Forgive, it frees the soul.

Take time for yourself - plan for longevity.

Recognize the special people you've been blessed to know.

Live for today, enjoy the moment.

~ Bonnie L. Mohr

I'm not ready

...to go back to work.  I really thought that 5 days post D&C that I would be ready to head back to work.  My Christmas vacation was spent laying around and enjoying my kids which of course I loved so much.  Now I am back to work tomorrow and thinking that I still need a couple down days.  I am normally a fast healer but this time around I am a little sluggish, guess it is a sign of my age.

Leaving you with a precious pictures of my life's inspiration...

Don't forget about Harper's fundraiser, can't wait until I can see a picture of her with her sisters!

GIVE

My friend introduced me to having a word for the year last year.  I didn't really pick a word for this last year, we had so many things going on, life was really at an overwhelming point.  How could I choose just one word.

I have been so excited for 2012.  For weeks I have been thinking about all that is in store for our family in 2012 and the word GIVE has been so deeply in my heart.  I was thinking about my word for 2012 and I could feel the Lord impressing GIVE in my heart even deeper.

I have been thinking about all the ways we can GIVE to others.  Not just in a monetary sense, while that is really important, we can give so much more than all the money we have.  I am talking about giving with all of you, walking through the day looking for all the ways that we can give to others, our family, friends, strangers, etc.  Seeing that person in the store parking lot that could use some help loading something into their car, they could probable figure out a way to get it done themselves but just imagine how much you could bless them by lending them a hand.  Walking into work with your coworker who is carrying a few to many things and grabbing the cup of coffee they have perched on top.  Seeing someone on the side of the road who could use a little extra something, a few years ago I drove around with some coats in my car and handed them out to people I saw that could use another layer, time to stock my car again!  The mom in McDonalds that has her hands full and could use two more hands as she gets her kiddos bundled up to go.

All these ways of giving may seem so small in our day to day lives and easy to forget but they could also be the best part of someone's day.  Just think of all the Jesus has given to us, we may be showing a little Jesus to that person at just the time in their life that they need it.

As a parent I know that my daily actions hold the biggest impact on my kids.  I pray that by modeling a giving heart to my kids they will be more giving in their days.  My oldest daughter gets citizenship awards at school, "dragon eyes", for doing things that we should really be doing all day every day.  She is on a quest for dragon eyes and will come home to tell me how many she earned each day.  While I love that the kids are recognized for their actions I want these to be a daily part of our lives without recognition.  I have been following a family that did something very similar this during Christmas.  It was awesome to see some of the things that they did and how small they may seem but what a huge impact they can have.

What an amazing year 2012 will be!  What is on your heart for 2012?

Fundraiser for Harper Skye!

Introducing the Ost family!  I am so blessed to be helping this family fund raise for their beautiful daughter, Harper Skye, who is patiently waiting for them in China.

Look at this sweet little princess with her legs crossed.  Now doesn't that just say "Mom and Dad, I am patiently waiting for you, now get that paperwork done and get over here!"

I am holding a Thirty-One Fundraiser for this family from now until January 11th.  Click on the link above and you will go directly to their fundraiser and be able to shop from our current catalog.  We have our famous thermal tote sale going on right now, if your resolution is to save money, eat healthier lunches or both this sale is just for you!  

Do you have a favorite retired print that you would love to find, check out our Outlet Sale and you might find it.  Items are marked down 50% and your purchase from the sale also helps Harper come home.  Send me an email let me know that you made a purchase to support Harper's fundraiser from the outlet sale.  

If your closet is full of gifts you can still help bring Harper home.  Check out their blog and see all they have going on and see a precious video of this darling little girl.

Blessings to you and yours in the New Year!

Yipee, Thank You Jesus!!!

I am so excited, Kalia is almost home.  Kalia's family was the first family I partnered with for a Thirty-One fundraiser way back in February.  Kalia's wait for her family is nearly over, thank you Jesus!

Read all about it here.

Ready for 2012

The only time I have wished time away was when we were waiting for our babies to come home from China.  However, we are not waiting for a baby (as much as my heart longs for another little boy) but I find myself wishing time away.  I am ready for 2012, a new year, a new beginning.  I have no idea why the calendar changing to 1-1-12 will make a difference but in my heart I feel that there is great opportunities for our family.

The last year and a half have been hard, really hard emotionally, financially and physically.  Hard on me and hard on my family.  I am ready to live a simple life; we started cutting back, coupon shopping, searching for things that we can do without.  Searching for more ways that we can live on less but have more in a non-material way.  I know this doesn't sound like the American Dream but it is my dream.  I dream of spending my days with my children and I am looking for ways to make this dream a reality.

Today I made a call to cancel a service that is a luxury that we don't need.  As they were offering me great deals to keep me as a paying customer, all the way up to free months of service I was so tempted to accept.  But then my heart and my head caught up with each other and I did the right thing, I said no thank you - we need to cancel our service.  I have a feeling that I will be challenged in this way again as our standard of living keeps changing, in the right direction!!! but I am ready for it.

While I am very excited for Christmas and spending time with friends and family, boy am I looking forward to the new year and all it has in store for us.

Give me your book recommendations...Please!

We almost have all the kids presents purchased and ready to wrap (we have impatient little peekers so that won't happen until the last minute) but we are still missing one gift for little Miss S.  At first I was going to find some baby doll clothes as she loves her babies but then the other day I realized how much she loves her books, they are the last thing she has at night and the first thing she gets out of bed to get in the morning.  I am a book lover myself so this brings me so much joy to know that we share the love of books!  I was known in my family to live in our claw foot bathtub when I was in the middle of a good book, draining the water when it was cold and starting over again.  Nothing like enjoying a good read and a long soak in the tub!

We have a pretty good sized collection of books to include Dr. Seuss, all characters from PBS kids, The Bernstein Bears and of course a good size collection of adoption themed books.  I am looking for some recommendations of books or book sets that would bring such joy to our little Miss S on Christmas morning and that we could add to as the year goes by.  She will be three very soon, so keeping that in mind I would love for you to share your recommendations.

Thirty-One Fundraiser for Olga - Updated Giveaway!

As many of you know my heart breaks daily for the orphans.  My friend Kenlyn shared about a precious little girl that is in need of her family a few weeks ago and she has been on my mind since.  She posted about Olga and her needs here, take a moment and read about her and she will move right into your heart too.

As Kenlyn's has continued to share about Olga I have been asking myself what can I do.  I believe that we can all do something for orphans, we don't have to all be willing to bring the child into our home, it could be as simple as sharing their need for a family or helping a family that has come forward to bring the child home in their fundraising efforts.  In my thoughts of what I can do my Thirty-One business came to mind, the reason that I became a Thirty-One Consultant was to help families fundraising.  At the point that I was thinking about this Olga didn't have a family that was able to bring her home but she does have a Reese's Rainbow fund so the idea of this fundraiser was born.  There is now a family petitioning to bring Olga home however, like so many the funds are not there to pay the immediate fees and they will need our help.

I will be donating all commission (25% of sales) to Olga's Reese's Rainbow adoption fund for all orders placed on my website in November and December.  If you would like to place an order you can go to Olga's Fundraiser on my website and place your order.

To thank you for helping Olga I am giving away the hostess benefits for this event.  Spend $50 $25 your name will be entered into the drawing 1 time.  However, the more you spend the more entries you get!  Spend $50 you get 3 entries, $75 gets 5 entries and spend $100 and you get 7 entries!!!  Now here is what the drawing is for:

1) $25 in FREE Thirty-One (number given away determined by amount of participation)
2) 1/2 price Thirty-One (number given away determined by amount of participation)
3) Opportunity to purchase the Extend-A-Day Tote for $10 ($49 Value)
4) FREE Organizing Utility Tote ($25 Value)
5) Opportunity to purchase a Hostess Exclusive of your choice (number given away determined by amount of participation)

All orders will be placed by Dec 12th in order to allow for Christmas delivery.  As soon as we have $600 in orders I will be placing the ordering and opening a new event and a new giveaway!  Wouldn't it be great to have your gifts give TWICE, once to your loved ones and again to Olga!!!

Please visit my website at: mythirtyone.com/MandieMetier to view the catalog and place your order, email me at acupquitefull@cableone.net if you have any questions.  We have a great array of customer specials: spend $31 get your choice of an All-In-One Organizer, Soft Wallet, Cinch Sac, Zip-Up Pencil Pouch or a Flat Iron Case for $5!

You may have wondered how this fundraiser did, I am very sad to report that there were not any participants.   Olga is still not far from my mind, I know the Lord has big plans for her and with the help of Reese's Rainbow her family will get her home.

Kindergarten and Plantar Fasciitis

M started Kindergarten today!  She had a great day and loves school.  She is in all day kindergarten in a Mandarin Immersion school.  She spends her mornings in a traditional kindergarten class and then in the afternoon she is in a mandarin class.  She has wonderful teachers and was so excited when she came home today!  We feel so blessed that we have this opportunity for our children to help them learn so much more about their native country.  Who would have thought that our school district would be able to offer such a great program with these hard financial times.

I on the other hand did not have as great of a day as I found out I have Plantar Fasciitis.  I have had pain in my foot for the past year but it was only there when I woke up.  Well a couple weeks ago it began bothering me more throughout the day and by this weekend I could barely walk.  I ended up getting into the doctor today and I am happy that I have a diagnosis but I am worried the recovery will be long term from what I am reading.  I am on anti-inflamitories and bought myself some nice heal cups.  Now I am on the lookout for some Plantar Fasciitis friendly shoes that are somewhat cute as I will be wearing them daily at work.  Very worried the cute part won't be as easy to find :(   If you have any recommendations for some great shoes I would love to hear them.  I believe my much loved Danskos aren't an option as I was wearing them when the pain began.

To everyone who made a purchase from the Thirty-One Fundraiser to help Wills family bring him home, I appreciate your support of their family.  We were able to raise over $80!!!  While to some that might not seem like a huge figure, to a fundraising family it pays a couple of fees or part of a day in country.  When we were fundraising to bring S home I broke our fundraising down into fees to be paid or days in China.  If we all band together and help pay a fee or contribute to a day in China (or whichever Country/State the family is adopting from) we really can do so much.

An update on E and S.  They are both growing so fast.  E is in the 5's class in preschool and is counting the days until he can be a "school ager".  It has been so hard on him being in a different school than M.  Although they were not in the same preschool classes they were in the same building and spent their outside play time together.  We had no idea how attached to her he really is.  S has settled right into preschool.  She is the cutest student, she is learning her alphabet and her awesome teacher Ms. Kelli is teaching her to sign the alphabet.  Any time you start saying ABC's with her she gets her little fingers going in the signs.  It is the cutest thing!  We are so amazed at how quickly she is absorbing all of this and is now speaking like a little parrot, her brother and sister love teaching her new words.

My Thirty-One team is growing.  Since the recruiting freeze has lifted I have five ladies on my team, very excited to see what's in store for my team of Virtuous Dreamers.  I am enjoying introducing our beautiful products to our area and all the new ladies I am meeting.  I thank the Lord everyday for bringing Thirty-One into my life!

Shopping with a purpose to bring Will home!

Take a look at this precious little man!  I can't wait to see him in his families arms.  They have received LOA and it is looking like a very Thankful Thanksgiving for them!

Let's help them raise the funds they need to bring him home and shop with a purpose.  Their Thirty-One Fundraiser has been extended through the weekend.  Take a look and see what you can find to help organized your family with pretty functional products!

I love being able to help families bring their children home.  I am so thankful for the opportunities Thirty-One gives me to fundraise with families.  If you are fundraising and looking for new ideas I would love to fundraise with you.  Send me an email to acupquitefull@cableone.net.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2011/08/21/proverbial-success.html

I love being a part of this, changing women's lives every day!  Conference was amazing, the first time I had been to a conference like this.  Loved standing together with my Sisters singing praise to our Father.  I thank Cindy and Scott for taking the leap of faith and following the call to bring this business to so many women.

If you would like to learn more about this wonderful company, check out my websites mythirtyone.come/MandieMetier.

Be Blessed!

I know, I know, I'm a bad blogger.  I keep promising to post some pictures of the our munchkins and then I get busy again.  Here are some cute pictures of the kids from our last couple of camping trips!

They are growing up so fast.  It's hard to believe that M will be in kindergarten in a month and half.  E is turning into such a little man, he is now in PreK and loves it.  S is the star of her class, she has made so many friends and has really come out of her shell.  She is starting to talk, we can really understand what she is saying and has turned into a ham.

The start of summer has been really good for me.  My Thirty-One business is doing fantastic.  Growing my team of Virtuous Women living the Thirty-One Dream!  So grateful to Anne for bringing this opportunity to me.  I love being able to share it with others and help them realize their own dreams.

Speaking of Thirty-One, with my birthday coming up in a couple days I decided to give some stuff away.  Having a mystery hostess shopping event, check out all the details on my newsletter!

Have a fabulous Fourth of July!  (Would have posted some cute pictures of my kiddos in their patriotic apparel but I didn't get the camera before they got ahold of snow cones.)

Sale into Summer with Thirty-One

One day sale! 
Tuesday, May 10th starting at 8:01pm EDT Five fabulous products at 31% off.  The sale runs until supply is gone, don't wait or you might miss out.  No minimum purchase to receive sale prices.

All orders must be placed on my website: mythirtyone.com/MandieMetier.  Send me an email at acupquitefull@cableone.net if you have any questions.  Have a Thirty-Onederful shopping evening!!! 

Exciting Thirty-One News

When I joined Thirty-One it was right at the beginning of their recruitment freeze.  Thirty-One made a big decision and decided to put a hold on future recruitment in February.  Due to their huge growth their home office structure was not staffed to support the consultant and customer base as efficiently as they would like.  While many companies would continue to focus on growth they decided to slow down and focus on support.  That right their made me realize that Thirty-One cares about their customers and consultants.  In April we learned that they will open up recruiting in August just as the new catalog is being launched.

I have great news for all of you that are considering a personal Thirty-One business!  Starting tomorrow May 4th Thirty-One will open up the official "Ladies in Waiting" list.  In order to start your business as soon as recruitment is open you need to be on this list.  Send me an email at acupquitefull@cableone.net if you would like more information about getting on the wait list.

Thirty-One has allowed me to continue to do all that I can for families adopting.  My Thirty-One business has allowed me to do more to help families adopting as well as for organizations that assist orphan care than ever before.  I am very passionate about adoption, orphans and vulnerable children.  I am so grateful to Thirty-One for the opportunity it has given me.  Check out my website mythirtyone/com/MandieMetier to see which organization or family I have partnered with each month.

Thirty-One Fundraiser for Philip Hayden Foundation

E spent approximately 15 months living with Philip Hayden before he came home to us.  We will be forever grateful for the care that they gave him and how much they prepared him to join his forever family.  Philip Hayden is in the process of building a vocational center for children that are not adopted.  This facility will help prepare them with life skills they will need as adults.  It is my privilege to donate all proceeds from the purchases to Philip Hayden Foundation to go toward the vocational building project.

Orphans in China do not have many opportunities once they age out of the social welfare institute.  Most lack education or any skills that help them in their adult lives.  Philip Hayden is working to prepare the children in their care that are not adopted for a more successful future.  By giving them vocational training they can teach them the much needed life skills for a brighter future.

The fundraiser for Philip Hayden vocational center will run through the month of May.  You can look at the thirty-one catalog online and you can place your order here.  My goal is to process orders twice through the month, one mid month and again at the end of the month.  Remeber 25% of all purchases goes to Philip Hayden.  Please email me if you have any questions.

While this picture doesn't have anything to do with the vocational center it shows the heart of the founders of Philip Hayden.  The kids at Philip Hayden are their kids, they love them all.  This picture was taken just months before E joined his forever family.  Thank you to Pam and Tim for all they do for China's Orphans.  If you would like to learn more about Philip Hayden Foundation please visit their website.  They take in children with Special Needs and Vulnerable Children and give them the love, care and medical attention they need to thrive.  Please consider partnering with them and sponsoring a child.