my neverending storage bench saga.

If you remember my storage bench review for CSN Stores (now Wayfair), I had to amend my review based on poor craftsmanship & poor customer service. Well, it seems this tale has no end. I contacted Wayfair about this bad experience, and, surprisingly, received a prompt response from them. They apologized for my bad experience, and graciously offered to send me a replacement bench. Well, I had no idea where I was going to put another bench, but of course I accepted their offer! The bench is no longer offered in white, so I ordered the black bench. We need more storage space around this house, so I was starting to get excited about the prospect of having another place to stash my junk. :-) We promptly received our bench, and a few months later Baron assembled it. As soon as he put it together, he could already tell we were going to have the same problem we did with the first one. Sigh. So, after assembling 2 of these benches (which, BTW, takes about 2 hours...UGH.) and taking note of the poor craftsmanship of the lid, I can definitely say that I do NOT recommend this product. And to be honest, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth for Wayfair as well.

think before you post

A lot of people get in trouble by saying things they shouldn't on facebook, twitter, etc. It's easy to rant in a status update, or tweet in the moment of anger. Sometimes we can delete our comments before it's too late & we've hurt someone's feelings. Sometimes we never even realize what we've said is inappropriate.

[ see update below regarding referenced photo ]

I have seen this photo posted several times by my friends on facebook. I understand the humor behind it; however, let's think about what we're posting before we do it. Think about the potential adopted children who might see you laughing at this joke. As a mother of an adopted daughter, I hope she is NEVER the butt of a joke like this. Adoption is not something to be ashamed of, or upset about, or embarrassed by. Adoption is a beautiful thing, and it is the means by which God has made us His children.

Am I over-analyzing this supposedly humorous poster? Probably. Do I think less of the people who post this image & think it is funny? Definitely not. I understand the whole "I told my little brother he is adopted and he believes me" joke. But that is child's humor. If you are a child, then by all means, laugh at that joke. But as an adult, you should see the inappropriateness. I am sure I sound like a stick-in-the-mud to some of you. Normally I am not so sensitive about jokes like this. I just want to make people aware of the feelings that might be hurt by something like this. Adoption is obviously a sensitive subject to me, and I just want us to all think about things like this before we post them. In a world where so many are becoming aware of cyber-bullying, and real-life bullying, let's not support ugly jokes like this one. In fact, let's be even less specific and just try not to post anything that might be hurtful to someone; regardless of the subject matter.

I know I need to work on that.

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up..." ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:11

:: UPDATE ::


I received a comment on this post from the person pictured in the photo. Because of his story (click here to read) I have removed the photo. Just know that it was a photo that poked fun at adoption. If you know what photo I'm referring to; great. If not, then just take the message & intent of this post and run with it. ;-)

the dynamics of vacation

dynamics, n. :: an underlying cause of change or growth.

Everything changes when you have a kid. I knew this before having a kid; everyone told me. Constantly. But I didn't really know it, until it happened. I will refrain from discussing just how many aspects of my life changed after introducing Natalie into it. But I will talk about how much vacations change with a kid. Especially with a toddler. :-)

We take a summer vacation every year with my dad's family. We go to Vogel State Park, nestled in the North Georgia Mountains. It's an awesome place. It has always been the most relaxing vacation that I personally take. You know - the kind where you actually don't feel like you need a vacation from your vacation? We stay in cabins, where there are no TVs. We eat a lot of food & take lots of naps. We read lots of books & play lots of board games & go on lots of walks. This picture doesn't do it justice, but typically this is the essence of the trip:

Two years ago, the "this is the most relaxing vacation EVER" aspect of this trip changed. That was the first year we had a child of our own with us. Now there are diapers to change, meals to struggle over, cousins to discipline, and naps to work around. But...there is a reward for all of that. It comes in the form of memories like these:

Basically, I love it. I love watching Natalie have a blast. She loves being outside, and she had so much fun! She was spoiled, of course, having so many family members around her. We had fun, just like we do every year!

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go pack for our week-long beach vacation with the other side of the family. Have I mentioned I love summer?! :-)