Kris has told me for weeks to write this post, so I hope I am doing it right.

Kris told you about our girls and their medical troubles in her post. So I’m not going to do that.

Instead, I am going to tell you what she left out. She left out the countless nights of little to no sleep because someone had a stomach ache. Or a new medicine had a bad side effect. She left out that she is the one who paces the hallway with Izzie when she can’t sleep. She’s the one who climbs into bed with Caity after a night terror or regular nightmare. She didn’t mention how she counts EVERY calorie that Izzie ingests daily to ensure that she takes in enough to put on the weight her doctor and nutritionist want to see. She is the one who cooks, cleans, makes sure everyone has clean clothes and does it all without ever raising her voice or losing her temper, despite the immeasurable stress she is under most of the time.

She didn’t tell you about spending her birthday money on Christmas stuff for the girls, because she doesn’t want them to miss out on anything during the holidays. Or how she volunteers to keep her niece, free of charge, any time needed. On top of two daughters with various routines and medical regimens.

So, while its true my girls have had a rough year, their mother deserves to win more. She should have one thing go right for once, and not having to worry about gifts for friends family and most importantly our daughters would be a very wonderful dream come true for her.

Dear Louise,
Thanks for being the selfless wife and mother you are. You tirelessly dedicate yourself to our family, putting the needs of our kids above yourself. I know some days are more difficult than others. Even on those days, when I come home I still see you playing with the kids and giving our family 110%. I appreciate you every day, more and more.
Love,
Your Husband

I really think our family deserves a Christmas of Dreams. Quite frankly, is there a family that doesn’t? I doubt it. But here’s my story:

Tracye and I have two beautiful kids. This past March, on our daughter’s sixth birthday, she miscarried our third child. She took it really hard; harder than either one of us thought she would. We were both devastated. The following week, I left for three straight months, to attend the FBI National Academy across the country in Quantico, Virginia. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, leaving her at such a difficult time in our marriage, to take care of herself, a six-year old, and a toddler alone. I remember driving away that day, watching her standing in the doorway crying, holding our baby, while still grieving for the one we lost.

We made it through that, and she got pregnant again. She’s now five months along, and is already experiencing problems. She’s already experiencing the pain that usually comes at the end of the pregnancy. Her doctor called a few weeks ago with the news that she has precancerous cells on her cervix. She had to go through a really uncomfortable and painful procedure so the doctor could look at it and get a sample of the cells. Two nights later, she started bleeding. It was March all over again. We were both so upset, so I took her to the ER. They ran a bunch of tests and did a really long ultrasound, and think the bleeding was from the procedure. We haven’t gotten the results back from the test, so we don’t know yet what’s going on. Either way, the doctor said he doesn’t want to put the baby at risk by doing a biopsy until after it’s born.

Our insurance deductible went up to $1,000 per person, so we have that to pay this year, then again in January. And then our part of the hospital bill is usually close to that, too. Add to that the ER visit and the cost of the procedure, and money is beyond tight. So there won’t be much of a Christmas, or any new stuff for the baby.

My wife is an amazing woman and mother. She tries her best to make our home comfortable and inviting. She’s so good with the kids, and is always trying to make important days extra-special. My favorite part of the day is coming home and seeing her playing with our kids, or getting dinner ready for all of us. I love her so much, and would love it if you would bless her with a Christmas of her Dreams. I would love to see the look on her face, and it would do her heart more good than you could possibly ever imagine.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and for this opportunity.

Why my family deserves to win Christmas of Dreams, well a few weeks ago my husband and I decided to file for bankruptcy. The lawyer told us to kiss out house goodbye and out timeshare goodbye, we wont be going back to him( he was rude). This is our dream house and now its just a house. I try and put on this brave face everyday but inside I am falling apart. I feel like I did this to my husband, he has worked so hard for me and the kids and all that he has worked for is gone. This man has never missed a bill payment in his life, but when he got laid off last year from Circuit City all of our savings went to keeping the bills paid and our kids taking care of.
I hate to see him feel like he isn’t providing for his family. I can see that he is stressed about Christmas and beyond, so I feel like if I won this contest he wouldn’t have to worry about giving to me, the kids, or the rest of the family. I just don’t want to see my husband worry so much about what is going to happen with us. I want him to be happy on Christmas even if its just for a day. This is the last Christmas in our dream house so I would love to make it one to remember.

5 Things.
Dyson~ oh how I love their vaccuums!!
Leap Frog~ My kids love their toys. I want to get the Tag System for my oldest
Baby Legs~ Peyton loves them and calls them socks! So cute to watch her try and put them on.
Silly Monkeez~ Loce shirts with saying on them!! Im a nerd that way!
Scentsy~ I love candles, I would love to have my new house smell like Vanilla

Here is my video: http://s254.photobucket.com/albums/hh91/customblogdesigns/video/?action=view&current=DianaApplication.flv

Thanks!

Diana

There are so many families out there who deserve to have their very own Christmas of Dreams. We are like many other families out there trying to pay the bills, heat the house, buy groceries and gas. We don’t have a tragic story (which I am thankful for). If we were lucky enough to win, I would use a lot of the prizes as gifts for the families that I know aren’t going to have a Christmas this year. In other words, I would spread the wealth. Things are tight this year, and there aren’t near as many gifts being bought, because the money has to go to food and heat. We aren’t able to “adopt” a family this year because there are no extra funds. It is true that you get so much more when you Give rather than Receive. What a great thing that so many companies are willing to donate such great prizes during this hard time that we ALL are facing!!!!

Alright, that took more than a day to write. I could barely type that. Whew…

Um, ok, back to what you ask. 5 favorite things from the sponsors.

1. Dyson Allergy and Asthma vacuum. We have an old old Kirby that isn’t doing it anymore. My son’s asthma isn’t doing well in this new climate. I think this could benefit him greatly.
http://www.dyson.com/store/product.asp?product=DC17-ALLERGY

2. LeapFrog Clickstart http://www.leapfrog.com/gaming/clickstart/ My four-year-old would adore this beyond words, as fascinated he is with the computer.

3. BabyPop Super hero capes! My sons would LOVE THOSE! (can’t link to that page, though)

4. Let’s Go Strolling Phil and Ted’s Vibe http://www.letsgostrolling.com/phil-and-teds-vibe-stroller.html My sister is expecting and has a three year old, so this would allow her to be able to push both kids!

5. FeeFiFoto Personalized Porcelain Plates http://www.photogiftplace.com/Content.aspx?Page=PlateJump&PK=fa3615daca954a148af6c6f9e7c90a04 When I was kid, I made a plate for my mom in Kindergarten. Now that I’m grown, I’d like to get a plate with a picture of all of us on it, to display next to that plate I made her.

Christmas of dreams button has been in my sidebar since it launched and you’ve been on my blogroll for.ev.er lol

And my blog post is located here http://www.crazyadventuresinparenting.com/2008/11/christmas-of-dreams.html

Extra entry will come later..

Now for the comment portion of this contest….I feel like our family deserves to win because this Christmas has been really hard on our family. I am unable to work, therefore I stay home with our 2 yr old daughter. I do some freelance work on the side but that isn’t enough to make ends meet sometimes. In addition to that, we are away from our families and everyone doesn’t have the funds to travel to get the family together for the holidays. Its also been hard on our family after several family deaths and a near death experience just yesterday. You guys have an amazing contest and the generousity from the sponsors is incredible. Despite all of this, we consider ourselves pretty lucky and our Christmas dream for this year is for this prize pack to go to someone who is less fortunate than us. I have read many blogs out there about lossing a child, fighting diseases that are uncurable, and making most of the time that they have left on this Earth. Those are the people who’s Christmas Dream should be granted to.

http://schiranotriplets.blogspot.com/2008/11/christmas-of-dreams-over-1000-in-prizes.html

and the button is in my sidebar

when i first saw this giveaway, i was blown away by the incredible generosity. this is amazing! there are so many people out there who are struggling to make ends meet and this couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. christmas is just around the corner and i have so many gifts that i would like to give, but very little money to spend. i am not sure that our story is really any different than anyone else’s…frequent job changes, debt, a house and all of the bills that come with it, 4 children, medical bills from our premature triplets, the list goes on. the details change with each story, but the overall theme remains the same. i do feel blessed to have what we have so i think that if i won, though i would surely keep some of the items for myself and my family, i know i would also pass some of the items onto others who could use them.

thank you so much for this!

I don’t think I am more deserving or less deserving . . . we are just regular people, in a regular family . . trying to do the best we can with one income from my husband. he works wwwaaayyyy too many hours. But we get by, like most of Americans these days. We try to do the best we can with what we have, we give loads and loads of help to the needy in our area and help our at our church whenever they need us. We give back in areas that we can . . . because we can and we want to. For as long as we have been married , we don’t exchange christmas gifts . . namely we can’t afford it, but we take what we might spend on the spouse and buy something for a needy family instead. Actually getting a big load of stuff for ourselves would be SUCH A TREAT and a TREASURE TROVE and a blessing!

http://brneyedgal.blogspot.com

I added a link back to your website on my sidebar…at leased I think that is what I did!! Oh boy…lol.

My favorite sites and items are…
1. Dyson…I really need a vacuum.
2. Leapfrog…Would love to get my son the Didj.
3. Kushies…Love the Stacrobats, so cute.
4. Mimsi Bags…couldnt help but check out something for me.
5. Organic Blankees…Couch Blankee is so soft and beautiful.

First to all the folks out there who entered…I pray that your Holiday finds you warm, safe, well-fed, happy, and healthy!

Now my story…
I will make this short and to the point. I am entering this contest to give my son and our family a Christmas this year. My husband works for the auto industry in Michigan and if you have been watching the news you know that they are suffering in a major way. It is so bad that they have already said they are laying my husband off indefinately just before Christmas. Of course, it could be anyday…today, tomorrow, or Christmas Eve…He will not know until they tell him to walk off the job. That is a hard wait.

Not only will he lose his job, but soon after our health and dental insurance will cancel. This is a worry because our son has been quite sick this year with all sorts of things and they haven’t really figured out what is causing his problems.
I, myself, cannot work because I suffer from a few things that I do not want to mention right now but would be willing to verify if I should happen to win. I am only 36, and the fact that I cannot contribute to my families well being is just so hard and terribly frustrating.
And the really sad part is that the only work history my husband has is working for the auto suppliers or in a shop that makes parts for these companies. There is not going to be any work for the type of backround he has for maybe many years. Its a very scary place to be in…especially when you just brought yourself up from being layed off a few years ago.
Well…there is not much more to say than may the best story win….we are all the “best” families in my eyes!!!

Thank you for this opportunity…really great!

My top five picks-

Dyson- Dc 25 Animal
JacJewlry- Rose Quartz and Pearl Necklace
Leap Frog- Tag Reading System
Babylegs- Green Sport (J-E-T-S! jets Jets JETS!!)
Huddy Buddy- “Daddy’s Girl” shirt

Christmas is indeed a time of giving, however when you really can’t give what you think others deserve, it is both embarrassing and frustrating at the same time. I cannot tell you that my wife needs this, that our 2 little girls need this…but i can tell you they deserve this. My wife deserves this because she is the most important person in the world. She deserves Christmas every single day of the week. My daughters deserve to be spoiled for at the very least this one magical day of the year when all should be right and good in the world.

It deeply hurts not being able to afford to share the spirit of Christmas with others who have so generously taken care of our children. Our families went above and beyond what was needed or expected last year as far as making sure our girls had a special Christmas of their very own, and while it touched my heart, at the same time it made me think about the reasons I, their own father, her own husband, couldn’t give them a day like that…I couldn’t give my wife a day like that.

My oldest daughter, the look on her face was enough to light up the night sky…but it was not I who made her smile, not I who made her giggle while trying on her new clothes or riding on her new tricycle. The thoughtfulness and kindness of others made our Christmas.

To be able to give our daughters the Christmas they deserve would be gift enough for me. If my wife wins this, she would be almost as happy as the day she married me, which is no small feat! You would be making someone’s year. You would be defining the meaning of Christmas with one act of kindness and generosity. This is a great thing you are doing here. Please have a very Merry Christmas from our home to your’s.

Here is where you can read my wife’s entry.

My top 5 sponsors and products:
Dyson – DC24
Leapfrog – Didj
Let’s Go Strolling – Bumbleride Queen B Stroller
Lollipop Book Club – 8 to 12 subscription
FeeFiFoFoto – Picture Handbags

Ok…..I guess it’s time for me to now post my reason for me. I’ve always struggled with talking about myself but I’m going to give it a shot – for my girls.

I’ve not read the other entries. I’m sure there are others who are more deserving or more in need, but here it goes:

I’m the single mom to two daughters who are so understanding when I explain that I don’t have the money for the different things they ask for. My girls are 8 and 17, and I’m raising them entirely by myself on a teacher’s salary – no child support, no government assistance. Here in rural Texas teacher’s don’t make (I actually made $200 too much last year for them to qualify for reduced price lunches at school). But somehow we manage each month to pay the bills and then I struggle to make sure they have as many opportunities as possible – dance and twirling classes, debate, music lessons, student council, FCCLA, FFA, basketball and softball (just to name a few). None of this is free though. Even those that are free to join, have expenses for all the “stuff” they have to have to participate in each. Giving them these opportunities means going without tangible items. The majority of the nice things we own, were given to us by family – the Wii, each of our televisions, mine and my teenager’s phones – all gifts. And my family gives us these gifts unconditionally – asking nothing in return. In fact they happily accept the small gifts, the homemade gifts of love for birthdays and Christmas each year knowing that it takes everything I have to just put gifts for the girls under our tree. I’m on a quest to lose weight – not because I need to – but because I’ve outgrown my clothes and can’t stand to spend money on myself so I must get back into the clothes I have.

This year Christmas is going to be even harder. First, two summer’s ago my teenager came to live with us. She’s not actually my biological child, but she was in a bad situation. She was stuck going to a school that was close to being shut down for being such a horrible place – definitly not worthy of educating tomorrow’s leaders. She was doing everything she could, participating in anything they’d let her sign up for, but no teacher’s would work with her, no one would help her succeed. I was so impressed at her courage and how she continued to push herself to do as much as she could on her own, that I had to offer her the opportunity to get out of that situation. By changing her guardianship and her coming to live with me, she was able to change schools and now competes at the state level in various activities. Second, I took a pay cut to get a job closer to home where my girls would get a better education and have more opportunities for success and that has caught up with me. This past year, I’ve not really lived paycheck to paycheck because each month when I get a paycheck, my checking account is actually overdrawn. This has led to a vicious circle that this prize pack could help by reducing my spending on Christmas gifts this year and allowing that money to go towards one of the many bills that are now delinquent.

If I was to win the MomDot Christmas of Dreams contest, I would be able to put a few more nice things under the tree for my girls, we’d be able to give family members nicer gifts than ever before, and those gifts that we could not use, I would pass on to another single mom I know who is raising one young daughter on her own also while she goes to school to be a teacher and works part time. And finally, as mentioned above, by spending less on Christmas, maybe I could have a few less late notices, a few less phone calls – from those debt collectors.

Why my family deserves $1000 Christmas Dream because I have heard dreams do come true. In June we closed our non-emergency medical transport business and had to layoff our 15 employee. his was a low point letting all them down and us feeling like a failure. My husband has been cleaning houses with me to make ends meet because when you are a business owner you pay into unemployment but you cannot receive it because you are the owner. We have 4 children ages 19,15,13 and 12 and Things have been tight but the Lord has provided and if this is a Dream come true I would be grateful but if you find another more deserving I’m sure it will be a dream come true for them. Thank you for your blog