I’m not going to lie.
I’m disappointed.
Look, I don’t wanna lay on the guilt. That’s not how I roll. But if I’m going to be honest I’m gonna have to admit that I’m frustrated with the response I’ve gotten to my fund raising pleas and the charitable auction. Now, I’ve had some really generous donations from friends, family, and fellow former Mormons. And that’s great! That’s fantastic! They’ve given far more than I expected individual people to give. I appreciate it immensely.
However…what I hoped for, what I asked for was that my blog followers and Tweeps give a few bucks. I started out asking for $4, and then $3. But really, just a couple of dollars, less than a latte would be powerful if enough people did it. And some have. To them I say thank you. And some have given to the MS Society through other people. And a big thank you to them as well. But this blog has 398 followers. And my Twitter account has 1,237 followers. If just half of my followers had given 2 dollars I’d be well over my fund raising goal. If even just a third gave 2 dollars I’d be over my fund raising goal. So what’s up?
Look, I understand that some of my followers can’t even afford 2 dollars. I get it. I’ve been there. I’ve known what it’s like to not know how you’re going to pay for groceries. If this is you know that I understand. No worries. You can still help. You can blog about the MS Walk. You can tweet. You can post on Facebook. You can tell your friends, real life and online, about the auction. I had far more people tweeting and social media sharing on my behalf when I was trying to win the Sitscation contest and the Parenting By Nature blogging contest. Believe me, this is a far more noble endeavor. This is really important stuff. I’m not going to give you a deluge of sob stories but know this, MS sucks. MS is a big deal. And the MS Society cannot function without support.
So yeah, I’m bummed. If you’ve been wondering why I’ve been sort of absent the last several days it’s because I’m down. I’m disappointed and I just haven’t known what to say. I don’t want you guys to feel like I’m saying “hey, you suck! give me money!” That’s not what I’m trying to say. But I am confused. I am frustrated. And I do feel compelled to ask “what’s up?” I keep reading about the backlash against “mommy bloggers.” You’ve probably heard it all too; we’re all fluff and no substance, we’re catty, all we care about is getting free stuff for reviews and winning giveaways. And I’ve read some of the rebuttals saying “no, that’s not who we are! We’re a community! We care! We support each other. We work to help good causes.” I believe that. So I’m confused. This is a good cause. And I really didn’t think I asked too much: a few bucks and/or help spreading the word. Don’t think of this as me saying “you suck, give me money.” Think of it as me saying “help, please give the MS Society a hand.”
What will it take to motivate you? Obviously the auction, which I think is absolutely fantastic, hasn’t gotten you excited enough. Apparently my giving incentives {the honor roll for example} aren’t enough either. What if I did something crazy? What if I offered to let you all choose what happens to my hair if a certain amount is raised? What if I buzzed my hair off and vlogged it? What would it take to make you want to give? If there’s something more I could do, tell me.
So please, if you can spare $2 and/or 5 minutes I would consider it a personal favor. If you can’t give and feel weird about spreading the word when you haven’t donated yourself, don’t. I’m not going to judge. Help is help whether it’s money or time. And you shouldn’t be ashamed if time is all you can afford to give. Time is a precious gift. But if you can give, if you can skip your morning Starbuck’s once this week and donate instead then a lot of people, including me, will be very grateful.
Please help me out.
If not for me, for my mom.

Rachel of Madchen Studios totally rocks my socks. We got maternity, newborn, and family portraits done by her and they were fantastic {see some of ‘em here}! And every time I read her blog I’m just awed by her skill. Well, Rachel read about my fund raising efforts to benefit the MS Society. And guess what, guys. She’s donating her time and talents for an auction! You should be excited. You should be REALLY excited. Here’s the details:
Auction Item A {for locals only, you must live in or be willing to travel to Medicine Hat, Alberta to bid on this item}:
Portrait Session which includes:

• 10 retouched images on a CD printable to 4x6
• online proofing and sharing gallery
• copyright release for portraits

That’s an approximate value of $300! Though, let’s be honest, good portrait photography is truly priceless. And Rachel isn’t just good, she’s amazing!
Auction Item B {for non-locals only}:
45 Minute Question & Answer Session via Skype, phone, or webinar on the subject of your choice:

• photography
• business
• marketing
• how to use your camera
• how to take better portraits of your kids with or without professional equipment

Rachel’s a wonderful photographer, so learning from her is learning from the best. Seriously. If you don’t believe she’s an incredible photographer just check our her online galleries.
So, now that I’ve got you all excited about the items for auction let me explain how the auction will work.

• You have until the 15th to place your bids.
• To make a bid just leave a comment with your e-mail address, which item you are bidding on and the dollar amount of your bid.
• Keep an eye on the comments. If you get outbid you are more than welcome to bid again.
• On Saturday, the 15th I will close comments and the highest bidders win! I will contact the winners as well as announcing them in a blog post.
• The winner{s} will be required to make a donation in the amount of their winning bid via my fund raising page. They will have until Monday morning {the 17th} to make the donation, at which time the second highest bidder will be declared the winning bidder.

Are you guys stoked? I’m stoked! This is a fantastic opportunity to get awesome photography/training and help a really great cause! So…
GET BIDDING! :)

 

It’s almost time.
I try to participate in the MS Walk every year, in honor of my mother. It’s a cause that matters greatly to me. And I would love your help.
This year I’m hoping to raise at least $1,000. If all 328 of my Blogger followers gave just $4 that would be more than enough. See? Even small donations can make a big difference! So, if you’re able, please consider sponsoring me. Not able to donate? That’s OK. You can still help me out by blogging, tweeting, and sharing on Facebook. Any help at all will mean a lot to me, and to the MS Society.
I’m sure you’ll be hearing from me about the MS Walk a few more times between now and the date of my local walk. Consider this a “kick-off” post.
And, just FYI, I will make a blog signature for anyone who donates $10 dollars or more and provides a valid e-mail address in their online donation form. You’ll have to select the “name and amount” option to receive your free signature. Or, if you donate $15 dollars or more you can choose between a free signature or one month of advertising space on Domestic Dork {provide an e-mail address and select “name and amount”}. And everyone who donates {again, you’ll need to provide an e-mail address in the form”} has the option of being added to an “Honor Blog Roll.” The blog roll will be left in my sidebar for 3 months and then left indefinitely on the blog page {see the “blogs” button in my menu on the left}.
Thanks for reading this, and thanks in advance and from the bottom of my heart for any donations and/or help spreading the word.

It's never too early to start a blogging career. So, without further ado, here's Lucy!

Hi! My name is Lucy! This is my very first blog post. Mama is blogging all the time, even while feeding me. Now it's my turn!

On Sunday Daddy and Mama took me to the MS Walk. My Grandma has MS. That's why Mama does the walk. {Hi Grandma!} Mama raised $232 for the MS Society. She wanted to raise a lot more. But I think $232 is a LOT. I won't even be able to count that high for a really, really long time!

Well, that does it for my first blog post. I don't get what the fuss is about. I'd rather roll around on the floor.

1. Moving to Edmonton is something I both look forward to and fear (assuming we do, in fact, move to Edmonton).

2. Yesterday I got iced coffee at Timmy's AND McDonald's (Timmy's is better) for free.

3. My best quality is "my fun" (according to Bear).

4. Don't worry about the details if in 5 years you won't remember the details.

5. In nearly 10 years, Bear should be a certified M.D.

6. A shower is what I need right now!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to reading some books I got from the library for the Banned Book Challenge, tomorrow my plans include reading more and Sunday, I want to take Lucy along for the MS Walk (it's not too late to sponsor me)!

1. Join me in the fight against MS.

2. Put a little humor in your day!

3. Happiness is a warm gun?

4. Glazed and confused (by how anyone can love those over *REAL* donuts).

5. I'm waiting for my big Canadian tax refund.

6. Chocolate* is hard to resist.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to homemade pizza with our new recipe, tomorrow my plans include a Buffy The Vampire Slayer/Angel marathon and Sunday, I want to go to the library!

*I've had hot chocolate from Angelina's. I almost died it was so good.

WHO is affected by MS? Men, women, adults, children...though it is more prevalent in white women and individuals directly related to someone with MS have a somewhat higher chance of developing it themselves. Of course it's not just the individual diagnosed who can be affected. Spouses, children, siblings, parents, friends, and so on are affected when their loved one has MS.

WHAT is MS? It is believed to be an immune disorder in which the immune system attacks the nervous system, specifically the cells which maintain the myelin sheaths. Myelin sheaths protect part of our neurons. As the myelin sheaths thin and vanish the neurons lose the ability to send signals. Which means that nearly any motor or sensory function can be affected. Currently it is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic, environmental, and immunilogical factors.

WHEN do people discover they have MS? Most people receive a diagnosis as young adults.

WHERE is MS a problem? People all over the world have MS. But it is most prevalent in the UK (especially Scotland), Sweden, Ireland, Denmark, Iceland and Canada.

HOW can it be cured? Nobody knows...yet. This is one of the problems the MS Society is working to solve. You can help.

Thus concludes my series of MS Monday posts. I hope you now better understand multiple sclerosis and the effect it has on people's lives. It is my hope that a definitive cause and a cure will be found in our lifetime.

CANCELED due to lack of interest.

Ta-da! The raffle begins today! It will run through the end of March and is open to US and Canadian residents. First, the nitty gritty details on how to enter:

1. Visit the donation site here.
2. Click the "pledge me online" button.
3. Make a donation of at least $5. For every $5 you pledge you will get one entry into the raffle.
4. Wait for me to e-mail you to confirm your entry.
5. See if you win stuff!!!

For an extra entry blog about (and link to) the raffle (leave a comment on this post with your blog address).

Now for the exciting part! The prizes:

This colorful wristlet is perfect for sunglasses, cellphones, coupons, and quick errands that don't require a big bag. It's from the Etsy shop Baffin Bags.

But guess what. This is just the beginning! I plan to have several more prizes posted by the end of the week! So be sure to check in again. And good luck! Remember that this is for a really great cause! And hey...why not win some neat stuff while you're at it?

All right guys, here's the deal. My brain is fried. Whether it's just her 3 month growth spurt, early teething, or something else, Lucy has been pretty high-needs the last week or so. I'm too tired to be all thoughtful and articulate. So I'm giving you this Time article from 2007 for this week's MS Monday.

I'm hoping to reveal the raffle prizes and rules next Monday, so be sure to check in again.

And of course here is the MS Walk donation page.

Well, dear readers, it's MS Monday! Bet you thought I had forgotten seeing as this post is coming pretty late in the day. I didn't forget. I was in Calgary for some immigration stuff. I'll write more about that later. But I will say this...I'm beat!

Today for MS Monday I want to give you a preview of things to come:

There will be a very cool raffle to raise funds for the MS Walk.*

Anyone who donates can have their name (or a screen name) added to the "Dust Bunny Honor Roll" with a link to their blog or another website of their choice.*

There is a Facebook Group already up and running.

I also want to spend a moment discussing signs/symptoms and diagnosis of MS.

The symptoms of MS are varied and numerous. They can include pain, spasticity, cognitive dysfunction, fatigue, partial paralysis, vision problems, and even dementia (though rarely). For a more thorough look at the very, very long list of possible symptoms visit here or here.

MS is not an easy disease to diagnose. Unfortunately it isn't as simple as doing a blood test and getting a positive. Getting a diagnosis requires answering a lot of questions about one's medical history, and undergoing lots of tests (such as neurological and vision tests). Then, after all that, an MRI is usually used to confirm the diagnosis. For a look at the current criteria used to make a diagnosis see this Wikipedia entry on the McDonald Criteria.

MS diagnoses are almost as mysterious as the disease itself which researchers are still trying to find the cause and cure for. To help fund the ongoing research and to help those affected by an MS diagnosis click here.

*These perks will be retroactive for those who have already made donations.

March is Multiple Sclerosis Education & Awareness Month. Every Monday in March will be MS Monday (starting next week on the 2nd). MS awareness and MS research are issues near and dear to my heart. My mother, probably the classiest lady I've ever known, has progressive MS. As I've grown up I've watched her take the cards life has dealt her and make the best of them. Her strength never ceases to amaze me. She is the reason that I did the MS Walk in 2007 and she is the reason I'm doing it again this year.

I'll be doing the 12 km walk and you can read more about the walk and make an online donation here (I've already pledged 3 months allowance so I hope you'll join me in this cause)!

You can look forward to more exciting posts with more information about MS and about the MS Walk and how you can help (there will be contests and prizes)! Monday might not necessarily be the only day with posts relating to MS Education & Awareness Month so be sure to check in often.

And here are a few links to tide you over until I announce some of the fun currently in the works.

• The MS Society (Canadians click here)
• MS FAQS
• The Multiple Sclerosis Foundation
• The Wikipedia entry on MS