The most stress-full-est week ever

Wow! I can't believe it's been so long since our last blog post. At the same time, we've been a little busy. I will try to update everyone.

First of all, a big thanks to the Mechanicsville Moms for the Used Book Sale last week. We raised almost $300 for CJSTUF which is not bad for a bunch of books priced at $.50 and $1 apiece. The remaining books were donated to the Ashland Library for their annual book sale at the Hanover Arts and Activities Center (July 4th....mark your calendars!).

Secondly, the Cow Drop raised a little over $1000 for CJSTUF. That will help two families! How great! I didn't win the Disney vacation or the Romp n' Roll birthday party (oh, wait...) but Roger had a great time at the event. Huge kudos to Pam and Sharon, the Virginia Center Chick-Fil-A marketing gurus who help to make this event a success year after year. Much thanks to them for including CJSTUF in their in-store sales.

In the middle of all these foundation events, we have been armpit deep in moving the business. Anyone who has ever built a house knows the stress that comes with construction. Take that and magnify it a few 1000 times when you move a business. Not only are you trying to get everything up and running in a timely manner, but you still have a business to run, vendors to pay, and a staff to manage. We're getting there but this is not my favorite thing in the world. I have HUGE thanks to offer to:

My parents: Not only did they help with painting and moving but they always had dinner (or lunch) ready for me and for Roger when we came home each night. Plus they're always good for a laugh or two!

Our Romp n' Roll staff: They roll with the punches and have displayed their many talents in this process including painting, shop-vacing, and packing.

Our many helpers and volunteers: Along with our paid staff, we have recruited a few volunteers to help with loaning us LARGE vehicles and painting and hauling and unbolting shelves and hanging bulletin boards and....

My husband: Roger is a pretty handy guy and he is doing a lot of the "grunt work" these days. I, in fact, have felt pretty useless lately and he is just a bundle of positive energy. I really appreciate all his hard work.

So, yes, this past weekend was Mother's Day. I pretty much tried to ignore it. At the same time, I felt extremely loved and supported by many friends and family. I think between keeping myself busy and the many positive notes, small gifts, and other gestures of kindness that were nudged my way, I made it through. The extra stress in my life certainly doesn't seem to help with my wanting to cry (or scream) at the drop of a hat. Today we had to take the cat to the vet (more on that in a moment) and as I was waiting to pick up Mr. Tigger, this other woman comes out to the lobby to pay her bill and makes an off-hand comment about "having to sacrifice her first born child" to pay the vet bills. I almost let loose with a snarky comment like, "You think vet bills are bad...try REALLY sacrificing your first born child to brain cancer." but I held my tongue. I know the woman meant nothing by the comment. In another age, I probably have made comments in the same vein and never thought about the actual words.

So why, you might ask, did I have to get Tigger from the vet? Well, Roger came home earlier today to get a needed tool and grab some lunch and found Tigger very injured. Apparently, he had tried to climb a fence (or something like that) and seriously hurt his foot. The tendon was actually exposed! Roger dropped everything and rushed him over to the vet (did I mention how wonderful he is?) and they took him in for surgery. Now he's wearing a funny cat collar and has to stay isolated in a room for 10-14 days. Oh, and we get to give him kitty meds. Goodie. The ladies at the vet's office said he was a really good boy and when I picked him up, he was meowing at about 100 decibels. He's resting in the spare bedroom right now, looking awfully pitiful.

In Foundation news, we have received our applications for Financial Assistance Grants. We do have at least 10. We will review them at the board meeting next week and we will be very excited to award the $500 grants to our recipients in early June. More on that to come. Roger is talking with a local business and we may have some great PR events lined up soon.

Also, we are slightly further along in the process of getting our nonprofit status. Still nothing official but we're one step closer. AND I think that within the next month (or two) we should have some SWEET CJSTUF t-shirts and other merchandise available for purchase. Stay tuned.

So, in closing, please keep the positive vibes flowing for our move. We are aiming to be open by Monday with a ribbon cutting at NOON on 5/17. Come on out if you're around. You can always become a fan of our new location on Facebook for the latest updates and moving pics. If you haven't heard, we are dedicating our moving week (this week) to ReeseStrong. 10% of any birthday bookings or summer class/camp bookings through Saturday will go back to this Mechanicsville based organization that is very dear to our hearts. SOOOO...if you live in Mechanicsville or know anyone that does, check out our Romp n' Roll website and call us to register today (shameless plug, I know, but it's for a good cause!).

A busy week & a beautiful picture.

There are two big events of note this week so I wanted to pass along a few reminders:

1. The Used Book Sale hosted by Mechanicsville Moms is TOMORROW (Thursday, 5/6) from 3 PM-7 PM at the Romp n' Roll at Virginia Center. There will be used books for all ages AND baked goods. Come on out during one of the LAST Open Gym sessions at the Virginia Center location to get some great books.
   
   
2. The Chick-Fil-A Cow Drop is Saturday, May 8th from 11 AM-3 PM. Roger will be there with a romp n' roll obstacle course. You can buy $10 tickets at the Virginia Center Chick-Fil-A until Friday May 7th. $6 from every ticket benefits CJSTUF! You do NOT have to be present the day of the cow drop to win any of the fabulous prizes....but if you are able to be there it's always a fun event with kid's activities, family entertainment, chick-fil-a FOOD, and more!

Other than that, there is not much to report. Romp n' Roll's move to Mechanicsville is coming along. It's very stressful right now for all of us but it will all be over in a few weeks. I am grateful to my family and others who have been helping with painting. We also have our great employees and some other volunteers who are donating vehicles and/or their able bodies to help with the move. There is a lot to get done before May 16th but I think we will get there.

Emotionally, I've been a wreck this week. I don't think I've felt this bad since January. Everything just kind of slammed me in the face and between the stress of the move and other issues, missing Charlotte has just been an added stressor that's made me "on edge". I apologize to anyone who I might have snapped at or been less than courteous to this week. I am grateful for the many friends and family (and most especially my husband) who have been leaving lovely notes, special gifts (often anonymously) and just giving me extra encouragement this week.

To close, I will leave you with my new favorite picture of our girl. I just finished uploading a bunch of pics to Costco so I could actually get prints made. Going through the photos of our trip to Florida, etc. and this one is certainly one of the best, in my opinion. I nabbed this one during our Penguin Encounter at Sea World. Those eyes just speak volumes....

May is right around the corner

It feels like a lifetime ago. On May 1, 2009, we were entering our third round of inpatient chemo. Life at that time revolved around the hospital. In fact, we felt like MCV had a literal revolving door between regular and unplanned admissions. This round started with an MRI...scheduled earlier than usual because Dr. Khan didn't really like what he had seen as a "shift" in the previous scan.

On May 1, we started to face the reality. That was when we realized that it might not work. The tumor was still growing. Despite the toxins pumping into her system. After that, everything snowballed and by the end of May, we were meeting a new team at MD Anderson.

Like I said...it feels like a lifetime ago.

Yesterday, my mom and I attended the annual memorial service for children who have passed away that were served by VCU Children's Medical Center. It was a very simple, lovely service of remembrance led by the team of Child Life specialists and chaplains at the hospital. The theme was kite flying and I was thrilled to learn that ASK chaplain Jim Bonomo's inspiration for the kite theme was Charlotte's memorial service. Another kudos to Mary Poppins! (Slight aside...I'm typing this at romp n' roll and Jolly Holiday is playing over the speakers during Open Gym.) Anyway, the event was another time to remember Charlotte. Some of the nurses and other specialists who had worked with us during our time at MCV were there and so was Miss Monica, the nutrition services staffer who frequently brought us meals on 7 East.

The memorial service aside, it's been another one of those emotionally charged weeks. There's all kinds of reasons. My emotions seem to wax and wane as it is. Couple that with the timing of my parents visiting from Florida...they haven't been here since Charlotte passed

...the oncoming media glare of Mother's Day (Yes, it's coming. Please stop reminding me, members of the mass market media.)

....and then just the activities of everyday life. I think of her every day. And I miss her.

BUT there is much to do and much to report.

First, I want to direct you to the RichmondMom website. The Super Mom contest is running again. Our good friend Megan Blake won last year with the support of many in our network. Then Roger won the Richmond Dad contest. This year, we have several friends who are nominated. Some of our favorites:

Sherry Klauer: Mom to Reese (and Rhett and Wade) and founder of ReeseStrong
Lisa Goodwin: Mom to Connor and founder of Connor's Heroes
Jennifer Morris: Mom to Rosie and Kellan, a constant cheerleader for all her kids endeavors and constantly positive through many challenges.

Voting ends April 30th. You can only vote once but please visit the website and make your choice. There are many other great moms nominated as well.

Other events coming soon:
The Chick-Fil-A Cow Drop is on May 8th. I will be at the Virginia Center Chick-Fil-A on Tuesday evening, 4/27, selling Cow Drop tickets for CJSTUF. Come on out for Kids Night (Kids Eat FREE!) and a mini concert from Silly Bus! The concert will be from about 6-7 PM. You can also buy your Cow Drop tickets at the Virginia Center Chick-Fil-A anytime before the Cow Drop on May 8th. CJSTUF gets $6 for every ticket bought!!!

The Mechanicsville Moms will hold a Used Book Sale at Romp n' Roll on May 6th from 3-7 PM benefitting CJSTUF. This is during Open Gym time so come on out and find some great books and videos. There will be media for all ages!

Be sure to check the website regularly for other fundraising updates and events.

For anyone wondering, the romp n' roll move to Mechanicsville is moving along well. Everything seems to be going according to schedule. We just started painting this week. Summer registration starts on Monday (there's my plug) and we are looking forward to the new space!

Have a good weekend, everyone. Might be a wet one if you're in VA. Hopefully the ASK 5K won't get too rained out.

Where does the time go???

With everything Roger and I have going on, time for blogging has been difficult lately. Being busy doesn't even begin to explain it. Things are definitely gearing up with Romp n' Roll's move to Mechanicsville. So far, so good. Everything seems to be running on schedule and in line with only a few minor glitches here and there (all manageable). It's still a LOT of work. I don't even want to imagine what it would be like if we didn't have things moving smoothly.

For those who haven't heard, we will be closing the Virginia Center location on May 9th and using that next week to move our equipment and any remaining furniture over to the new site. Those of you who offered trucks: that's when we'll need 'em. We'll be contacting you. We are slated to open for business in the new location on May 17th. Mark you calendars and cross your fingers.

The CJSTUF Benefit Concert at RMC was last night. I didn't make it until near the end. It was kind of a small crowd BUT they raised over $450 for us. Thanks to Mu Phi Epsilon and all the musicians for their work on this endeavor.

Today and tomorrow is the Kid Stuff Yard Sale at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. You can get more info about it in the last blog post but if you're in the market for any maternity, baby, or kid stuff, head over there tomorrow morning. Proceeds benefit many local charities, including CJSTUF.

Slightly further down the horizon is the Moms Club Used Book Sale on May 6th. This will be at Romp n' Roll (right before we move!) from 3-7 PM. If you're a book lover like I am, you will want to check it out. They will have books for all ages plus some videos and other media.

Not long after that is the Chick-Fil-A Cow Drop. Have you bought your tickets yet? If not, you can stop by Chick-Fil-A at Virginia Center any time. You do NOT have to be present at the Cow Drop event on May 8th to claim your prize, but if you DO come out to the Hanover Airport, you're in for a treat. The event is always family friendly and fun. There is more information about the Cow Drop on our website.

Speaking of which....if you haven't heard or seen, we have a newly remodeled and relaunched website for the foundation. Included on the site is the new video, updated information about our fundraisers and events, as well as the applications for our financial assistance grants. I think we've worked out all the bugs and broken links, but if you find anything amiss, just drop me or Roger a line.

If you know of any families served by VCU Children's Medical Center (MCV), please let them know that our applications for the first round of grants are due (postmarked by) May 1st. We want to give away $5000 by June 1st so spread the word. The application process is very simple (only two pages and no financial information is required).

Future developments with the website will include the CJSTUF merchandise area (CJ STUFF...), ways to hook into our volunteer database, and more. Stay tuned! Big thanks to Jay and Ruth Campbell at Jade Enterprises for all their support in hosting our server and developing the website.

In family news, my parents are coming for a 3-week visit starting next week. We are very excited to see them and in true fashion, we will put them to work straight away on long-delayed home projects and help with the romp n' roll move. We never cease to appreciate their generosity and their talents! Hopefully they will get to relax a little too.

Before we know it, Roger and I will be heading out to Denver for his niece Cerissa's wedding at the end of May. We are very excited for her and Patrick although Roger has a very hard time realizing that his niece is all grown up. This might be our only "vacation" for a while so we are definitely looking forward to it from that perspective as well.

Ok, I'll end this now because...guess what? I've got more work to do!

Happy Weekend, everyone.

Many Upcoming Events: Please mark your calendars

A few updates are in order:

First of all, we have our "clerical" volunteers lined up so thanks to those of you who expressed interest in helping. Don't worry...there will be more to do as time goes on.

The website relaunch is taking a little longer than expected so I wanted to make sure some important events and announcements made it onto your calendars.

The Mu Phi Epsilon chapter (music fraternity) at Randolph-Macon is hosting a concert to benefit CJSTUF on Thursday, April 15th from 6-8:30 PM at the college in the Alumni Gym. Tickets are $5 each. There are five groups performing and they are featuring a wide variety of genres: jazz, rock, gospel, acoustic, and bluegrass. We have a few tickets available at Romp n' Roll and I think others will be available at the door.

Megan Blake and her friends are organizing a Kid Stuff Sale (gently used kid gear, kids clothes, maternity clothes, etc.) at St. Thomas' Church (3602 Hawthorne Ave in Richmond). Proceeds will be donated to a number of local organizations and CJSTUF is one of the benificiaries. There is a sip-n-shop on Friday 4/16 from 5-8 PM. For $10, you can get refreshments and first pick at the goodies. The regular sale is Saturday 4/17 from 8 am-1 pm.

Saturday 4/24 is the ASK Fun Run/5K at Short Pump Town Center. This is not a CSJTUF fundraiser or event but our good friends at ReeseStrong will have quite the team. Roger is running in this event. Come on out to support the crowd if you're available.

Have we talked about the Cow Drop yet? The 3rd Annual chick-fil-a Cow Drop is on Saturday May 8th. If you've never been before, the event is held at the Hanover Airport. There is a family fun day from 11 AM-3 PM with face painting, moonbounces, vendors, food, and kid's games. Around 1:30 PM, an airplane loaded with hundreds of little plush COWS will fly overhead and drop the animals from the sky. Those landing closest to a predetermined target will win FABULOUS prizes. Over 20 great prizes will be given including a Disney Family Vacation, a Romp n' Roll birthday party, a year of movie passes from Regal Cinemas, and MORE.

All Cow Drop tickets bought at the Virginia Center Chick-fil-A locations benefit CJSTUF. Tickets are just $10 each and include a coupon for a free milkshake. You don't have to be present on the day of the Cow Drop to win either.

On Tuesday 4/27...there will be a mini-concert and promotion for the Chick-Fil-A Cow Drop at the Virginia Center Chick-Fil-A from 6-6:45 PM. Silly Bus will be playing a small concert as a preview of the Cow Drop event on May 8th and this will be a great opportunity to buy your Cow Drop tickets. This is also Kids Eat Free night at Chick-Fil-A so bring the kids for an evening of fun.

I think that takes you through the month of April (and even into a little bit of May). With Romp n' Roll moving to Mechanicsville, we won't have too much going on CJSTUF-wise during May.

If you haven't been on Facebook lately, Roger started a fan page JUST for the Butterfly Bush (CJ's butterfly bush). He is taking daily pictures and posting them. The page reached over 200 fans in about a day and many of them were not already fans of CJSTUF. Gotta love viral marketing.

I think I will close for now. Happy weekend, everyone.