Hitting the Wall.... And Then Climbing Over It!

We have 77 days left in our campaign on indiegogo-  http://www.indiegogo.com/ZackGow?a=740312 Donations, through the site, have started to dwindle, so I continue to look for new and exciting ways to advertise.

In visiting the website for Yale's Center for Dyslexia & Creativity , I came upon a list of successful people who have dyslexia. Many of them didn't have their dyslexia diagnosed, until late in life. Largely, they seem to see this as a good thing- their perseverance, creative thinking, etc. helped make them the people that they are today. I think that it is wonderful that they were able to overcome the difficulties that their dyslexia presented!

On the other hand, I don't want Zack to be defeated by a system that, currently, does not provide appropriate accommodations for students with dyslexia. If he becomes so disheartened that he gives up altogether, I will be heartbroken. SO, I am going on another letter writing campaign. I will be sending personalized letters to each of the individuals on that list, provided I can find their contact information, and asking them to spread the word about Zack's situation and need.

My decision to do this was reaffirmed when I saw the following piece on NBC's today show...

Couple Building American Palace

If you don't have time to watch the video, here's the blurb:

New documentary “The Queen of Versailles” follows a Florida couple, David and Jackie Siegel, who set out to build the biggest house in America when the recession caused their opulent lifestyle to crumble. Jackie and filmmaker Lauren Greenfield talk about the surprising turn of events neither of them expected.

This feeds right into my "life isn't fair" issue and the fact that there are some in this country that have more money than good sense. I know that the wealthy have no obligation to do charitable works and there are, certainly, charitable organizations that would benefit more than "just" Zack from funding. However, I am disheartened by the fact that Today believed that this story was newsworthy. And, if you didn't watch the video, you will be relieved to know that the couple has recovered and are hoping to sell the home, upon completion. If they are unable to sell it, then they will just have to suffer through and live in it. The house with the bowling alley. Sad.

Really, I hope that their take away from this is that "things" will not bring them happiness, especially when times are tough! And, to that end, I am off to write some letters!

Since our lives are not all about dyslexia.... what's your decorating style?

We have lived MANY years in "We have kids chic" design and I've had about enough. Now that the boys are old enough to really clean up after themselves, I have decided to pick a damn style and go with it. Relax, Pat, this does NOT mean that I will be spending willy-nilly to re-decorate the house. BUT, I will be re-arranging things so that what we have seems to make sense. I like order but we have been too busy running around trying to keep up that we simply CAN'T keep up!

So, a logical start was to try to decide what my style is.... and then, what Pat's style is.... and then how we can compromise so that we both feel comfortable with our furnishings. So, I started with this quiz from hgtv. Of course, as soon as I started, I knew why I have so much trouble with decorating. There isn't ONE answer to any of the questions they ask.... but, it sounds like my style is "transitional" OR "cottage shabby chic." I put together some pinterest boards to show to P and see if he could decide what his style was and I was surprised at the results.

However, we both agree that there are so many elements that we like, from each, that we should be able to slap something together that works for us!