Friday, February 20, 2009

favorite thing friday

Last November, Charlie and I dropped off a few meals for Deana and her family. Because they live an hour north of us, we stayed for a little while and let our children play with Jack and Deana's two little boys, Zachary and Zane.

While we were there, I noticed that Zach and Zane each had a monogrammed Pottery Barn Kids anywhere chair. I had been eying those very same chairs in every issue of the PBK catalogue since our triplets were babies. And last year, I had finally made up my mind that I was going to make the big purchase and buy one for each of our four children at Christmas.

But when I asked Deana what she thought of the chairs, she said she didn't care for them too much and was very disappointed in the quality. Apparently, the chairs are comprised of foam pieces that are velcroed together and they don't "stick" very well. The pieces would detach from one another and the chair would quickly lose it's form.

I was so glad to have that nugget of information before I dropped $500.00 on four chairs and non-returnable personalized slip covers.

Still, I wanted some kind of soft chair that each child could call their own. So I did a little more research and ultimately settled upon the PBK anywhere bean bag chair.

What I like about these beanbag chairs is that the durable covers come in a variety of different colors. When the covers are closed, there is small lock that holds the zipper shut. A locking feature is very necessary on something like a chair that is filled with 10,000,000,000 beads. Especially when you have children that sometimes act like goats and pull anything they can get their hands on apart.

The covers are machine washable and the bags can be stashed in a corner when they are not in use. And because they are so durable, I suspect that these bags will last the children for several, several years. (Optimistically hoping that until they are at least teenagers?)

They can be monogrammed with up to eight (8) characters in one of four different fonts. Of course I didn't even think about how many letters our children had in their names until the week before Christmas when I was completing my online shopping. And it was then that I assigned the nickname of Liz to our second born because I figured that was a better option than intentionally misspelling her name "Elizbeth" on a chair that she'll have through her entire childhood and adolescence.

Our children love their bean bag chairs and I love them, too. They will tote them around from one room to the next and use them as chairs, launching pads, nests, beds and walls to their forts.

Do you like them? Do you want one?

For a $5.00 donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society via either Margaret, Charlie or yours truly and a comment left on THIS post, you will be entered in to a raffle to win one, regular sized - solid cover bean bag chair with a personalized cover, from Pottery Barn Kids. (Estimated value including tax and shipping is ~$125.00).

Your donation is 100% tax deductible.

Your donation is fueling research for a cure.

Your donation will help people like Deana who at 39-years old, with two little boys, should be thinking of worms and snails and puppy dog tails and not praying that this next round of chemotherapy will save her life.

Winner will be announced in on Wednesday, March Fourth.

So please MARCH FORTH and spread the word on this contest. Since ideally, I'd like to have the total of donations exceed the cost of the bean bag chair. Makes sense. Right?

Ready, set, GO!

(ps: I haven't yet had an opportunity to look in to adding a Paypal donation button to the blog, but I hope to do that, soon. If and when I get that squared away, any donation that comes to me via Paypal, I will forward to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. And if you provide me your e-mail address, they will send you a receipt for tax purposes.)

42 comments:

  1. Just donated to your cause...and am praying for your friend Deana

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  2. Love, love, love ours. I need to order one for our son, because he's totally jealous of his sister's bag.

    We have a bunch of PBK stuff and that 8-letter monogramming limit has caused us some heartache. Rather than trying to come up with a nn (much more difficult than we initially thought), we take our stuff for our long-named youngest to a thread shop and let them match it to our other kids' stuff. I think most Wal-Marts have places that do monogramming nowadays too.

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  3. Also wanted to add our bag has lasted us three years now and still going strong!

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  4. Hi Jen-
    You probably have no idea who I am...I know you from way back in the resolve/babysteps days(username mags). I have a son from IVF who is a little younger than your trips, another son through IVF who is a little older than Henry and am due with a 3rd son through IVF in July. Being a working mom with young kids, your blog posts always hit home ...in a diminished capacity of course:) While I have follow your blog almost daily since it has started, I have never commented. However, the stories of your friend Deana has brought me to tears these last few weeks/months and I want to thank you for sharing. No question I have always cherished my family but these last few weeks I am hugging my kids a little longer, lingering over a late dinner with my husband and reading that extra book at bedtime. I cannot image the pain in what Deana and her family are going through and she is in this "stranger's" thoughts and prayers. I love what you are doing to support cancer research...it is something that I have been planning to do for years but you have stepped up and made the commitment. Way to go! I look forward to following you in your latest challenge...I know you are going to meet and exceed your goal!

    Maggie

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  5. Hey there. Just wanted to send a big "good luck" with your training, and say this is such a great thing you're doing. And I really hope your friend makes a complete and speedy recovery.

    And yes, sure, I'm all about entering the contest. But really it's a great excuse to contribute to a great cause. My donation is in (as Liz J). I hope you exceed your fundraising goal!

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  6. I donated today to Margaret, since she still has the farthest to go.

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  7. Have been meaning to donate anyway, but this was just the motivation to do it! Thanks for a great giveaway but thanks even more for working toward a cure!!!

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  8. Count is in! I've always had my eye on those chairs too...that was good inside information.

    Deana is in our prayers.

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  9. Thanks for what you are doing, you, Charlie and Maggie. I donated today to Maggie since she has the most money to raise. You guys are truly amazing.

    Tracy

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  10. I donated to your site.
    Good Luck with your race. You rock!

    Oh and your kids are too cute for words!

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  11. Donated to Margaret also (and you earlier this week!). Thank you for doing this, always keeping Deanna in my prayers.

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  12. Thanks for all you are doing, Deana is in my prayers. I just left a donation under your site (Barb C.)

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  13. Jen,

    I just donated to your cause and wanted to thank you for doing this for our friend, Deana. She is such an amazing person, as you know, and it breaks my heart to see her have to fight for her life like this. Her boys need her and I feel so helpless right now. Thanks for letting us "help" in every way we can by supporting you. Good luck with your race!

    PS - I remember you from the boards and sometimes read your blog - I love it. I don't get to it as often as I would like but I love reading it when I get a chance. I put your button on my blog, so hopefully we can raise a TON of money and find a CURE for CANCER! You rock and you are inspiring me to look into fund raising races here in Austin. Who knows, I may join a race here soon too! And I'm SO not a runner! :) Thanks again for being such a good friend to Deana!! Hugs!

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  14. Deana is a friend of mine from Carolyn's Boards. Her grace, generosity of spirit, and love for all of us have been and continue to be such an inspiration. Jen, I donated to your team for Deana.

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  15. Here Jen.. For Paypal.. (I'm sledbet from Duckies btw )

    Here you go, log in to the paypal acct and then click this link

    https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_xclick-donations-factory


    It's an easy little wizard, answer the questions, then copy and paste what it gives you in the end into the post :)

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  16. Donated to Charlie
    susieg

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  17. Thanks to you and your family for doing this, Jen. I, too, donated to Maggie since she has the most money to raise.

    I've never commented on your blog before, but I've been enjoying reading it for several months now. I know it wasn't an easy decision, but I really respected your choice to do preschool at home. I do a "homeschool preschool" program with a few fellow twins moms. Everyone has learned so much from it -- moms and kids.

    Thanks for running for this cause!

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  18. I have been a long time reader of your blog, this is the first time I have commented. I think what you, Charlie and Margaret are doing an amazing thing in honor of Deana! I just donated 10.00 to Margaret, I wish I could give much more than that. I am praying for Deana.


    Cheri B

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  19. I am a friend of Deana's. Thank you for running in her honor. You are an inspiration to us all.

    Thanks Jen.

    Ann L.

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  20. Jen - I have been meaning to donate to you but it just gets being put off. I am friends with Deana as well. We met through Carolyn's Duckies. My dad also has Lymphoma as well as my deceased father in law was afflicted with Hodgkin's at 25 and then Non-Hodgkin's at 50. Cancer SUCKS! I am thnking of joining TNT but OK only has one chapter. I am donating, not putting it off any longer. I also encourage you to encourage your readers to be a bone marrow donor. It is easy to register and you never know... you could be a match for Deana when we get her to that point. AND WE WILL WITH PRAYER!

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  21. Hi Jen,

    I am a big fan of your blog all the way from Missouri. I found out about your blog while searching for "20 Weeks Pregnant" on Google when I was expecting. My daughter is now 5 months old and I love reading you blog to get a little taste of what I have to expect. (1/4 of what to expect!) Anyway, I donated today and know that you will represent TNT to the fullest! My best-friends grandmother recently passed away from Leukemia, and I could not think of a better charity to donate to.

    Keep up the amazing work with your amazing trips.

    Sincerely,

    Jessica

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  22. I am a friend of Deana's through Carolyn's boards. Thanks for doing this for her.

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  23. Just donated to Margaret. Good luck in the training and positive thoughts for Deana and her family.

    Steph A

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  24. I just made a donation. I am truly inspired by your commitment to run this race. I'm going to use you as a role model to get my training done more in ernest.

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  25. I'm in when you get the paypal thing up and running!

    Kathy

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  26. Jen,

    Hope you don't mind.....I pasted your web page and team in training sites on my blog.

    I CANNOT figure out how to put them on the side like you have yet but I will........I hope the race is not over by that time.

    I suppose I will have to ask one of my kids to help me. Don't laugh! You will be here one day too!!

    Happy training.....and we will be praying and praying for Deana....and all the cancer victims.

    Love,

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  27. Oh WOW! JEN. I turned on my computer this morning and couldn't believe the donations! My first thought was of you....and ALL of your WONDERFUL readers! They are AMAZING. Like the bean bags and LOVE that we are doing this!

    Love, Marg.

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  28. Praying for Deana ~and her lovey family. Love, Marg.

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  29. Dear Jen,
    I finally managed to send 10 USD via paypal. Apparently, this takes around 5 days so pls look out for it at the end of this week. I hope I did everything right and the money arrives where it should. Would you mind dropping me a short note?
    Oh, and even if I loved to get one of those beanbags, you don't need to put me on this winning thing because shipping to Germany will exceed reasonable costs.
    I am praying for your friend.

    Michaela

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  30. Congratulations on all your hard work this far. I have been meaning to donate -- and this contest made me get off my butt and do it.

    I have donated to Margaret's cause -- because she has a steeper goal to meet.

    You're all doing an amazing thing here. Thanks for bringing us along for the journey!

    Cindy B.

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  31. Jen you are complete inspiration! I'm going to donate right now. Good luck with your fund raising and training and TONS of prayers for Deana!

    AmyE (from BabySteps)

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  32. Count me in for making donations! My new best friend Margaret can vouch for me (seriously, that woman is fantastic!!!)! I have been praying for Deanna and her sweet family...now that I have a 7-month old and better understand what it is to be a mother, my heart cries out to God to comfort her and work a miracle for her entire family.

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  33. Ok, I'm in for $30 for you and $10 for Margaret. Mostly because I love reading this blog and I don't comment often enough, but the main thing that really pushed me to do it this time was because you are holding the drawing ON MY BIRTHDAY!!! You don't get much luckier than that right? So $40 total, that is 8 entries right? Have been praying for Deana since you started posting about her, may a miracle happen for her.

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  34. Wish I could donate more but I sent my $5.00. My sister is a 17 year non-hodgkins lymphoma survivor. At the time she had a very low chance of making 5 years and this past summer we celebrated her 50th and I watched her and her teenage son who she was pregnant with at diagnosis dance. It was quite the tear inducing event.
    I love those bean bag chairs!!

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  35. Our family will keep Deana and her family in our prayers. Wishing you the best of luck with your training. I donated to Charlie's page.

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  36. Dear Aunt Jenny & Uncle Charlie,

    I would like to win the bean bag chair because it will be fun for me and my California cousins to use when they visit me in Massachusetts.
    Sorry--no eating Kimball or Erickson icecream while relaxing on the beanbag.

    We can't wait to come visit. Do you have any California cutie clementines?
    Your favorite nephew..Michael

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  37. hi jen, just donated today. thank you for the great inspiration!

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  38. Hi - just donated to Charlie (you had already made your goal - congrats!).

    Steph Asheim

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  39. Just made a donation towards your husband's goal. Congrats on making yours. I'll also post a link to your blog on my blog so I can pass your friend's story to my friends a family. Good luck and God bless.

    Glenda
    (fellow triplet mom)

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  40. Just donated to your wonderful cause. Continuing to hope and pray for Deana's miracle.

    Becky in TX

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  41. I have been reading your blog for a long time and I love it!
    Your friend is very lucky to have you and your family in her team, I will be praying for her.
    Just donated to Charlie.

    Claudia

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  42. Okay, donated again to Margaret - she needs to meet that goal and I want to win this chair! :) Go, Margaret, GO! Thanks again for all that you are doing!

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