Alli's Originals Blog

A Short Note From Alli

2010-03-01T16:03:00.000-08:00

Hello,
I will continue to write again soon. I am sorry to my readers who keep coming back only to find no new posts. Soon....I promise!
I would like to say that I have really enjoyed reading all of your comments and feedback. However, occasionally, I do get contacted by some rather cynical people who like to find the negative in my writing. Yes.....YOU PEOPLE KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!
As I have always maintained, my story is meant to inspire people, give them hope or maybe even help them through their own personal experience....but even more so, it is a way for me to talk about it, work through it and share it with anyone who may be interested.
I do not ask anyone to read my blog. Choose to read it or not. I do not ask for people to approve or even appreciate the personal feelings I express in my story. The opinions I express are my own. I do not speak on behalf of anyone. Just myself.
Like I have said before, this is MY story. The opinions I express are ones I developed through my own experience with adoption and adoption reunion. I do not declare to understand anyone else's experience with adoption. Each story is a unique one with a different set of feelings and emotions and most important, a different outcome.
My story is not meant to bring about controversy. It is just simply an interesting story that some may relate to....some may not.
I will continue to write my story. I can only hope that if you are going to continue to read my blog you will try appreciate that I am just telling my story as it happened.
Thank you for reading and best to all!!
Alli

A Story Of Adoption Chapter 10

2009-09-25T13:46:00.000-07:00

I realize it's been almost a year since my last post.
I apologize to all of my readers for such a long pause in between chapters.
Like I mentioned in my last post, this is a story still in the making. Sometimes, the direction this story is going makes it difficult to write about. It includes many ups and downs and many confusing moments. I am however, quite excited to continue this part of the story as it was the most exciting 4 days of my life! It was a weekend that was brilliant, exciting and life changing.
These next few chapters are copied right from my diary entries.
After a short car ride, we ended up at a restaurant not far from the airport. We all sat down and of course, Jeannie and I sat next to each other. I kept catching her staring at me. I tried to sit up straight and look pretty for her. I could see tears billowing in her eyes. "I can't believe you are 28 years old" she said.
We all had a bite to eat, chatted and then headed back to Jeannie's house for our long weekend together.
When we arrived at Jeannie's, we settled in pretty quickly. Ben went to lie down and Jeannie and my sisters sat on the couch and we all chatted for hours. It was magical to say the least. I bonded with all 3 of them immediately.
I put my home video into the video machine and we all watched it together. Jeannie seemed somewhat nervous at times. So did I. Yet, at the same time, it felt comfortable and natural. It was hard to get my head around the fact that here I was, looking at the woman I had only imagined for 28 years. It was exciting....
Jeannie said to me "In my house, people serve themselves so help yourself to anything. Go into the fridge and cupboards anytime you're hungry."
I had also brought with a large envelope filled with pictures of me growing up. I thought it would be nice for her to see me as I grew...at times though, I wonder if that hurt her to see. I thought it would give her a sense of comfort but I think seeing what she had missed out on was troubling for her more than anything.
We exchanged our gifts. My sisters bought me a cookbook called "The Ukrainian Daughter's Cookbook" which I loved and thought was just so thoughtful.
I had the necklace I made for Jeannie and gave it to her. She cried and loved it. She put it on and told me just how special it was to her.
That night we went out for dinner and I met 2 of my cousins. David was Jeannie's sister Norma's son and Kelly was her other sister Irene's son. They both greeted me with open arms just as I had hoped. We had such a nice evening and stayed up really late that night just talking and sipping tea.
I felt the love and warmth everywhere. Jeannie was sensitive, just like me. So was Tania. I felt the instant Love Affair happening. It was overwhelming and very emotional. It was all I had hoped for.
The next day Tania, Tasha, Ben and I went to the West Edmonton Mall. It was unbelievable to say the least!! Can you imagine a mall with an aquarium, a skating rink and an amusement park? Wow! We were blown away!! My sister Tasha and I bought a matching pair of pants!! We realized we had similar tastes in clothing. All of these seemingly unimportant things meant more to me than anyone could imagine. Similarities...commonalities...resemblances....it was all so exciting for me!!
Our relationship seemed to come together so naturally and without tension or fear. It was Magical, the whole weekend. We were all there to heal each other. In my diary I speak of "Wanting to be a light in all of their lives."
That weekend it seemed like Jeannie looked at me the way a Mother looks at her child. She told me how she never stopped thinking about me or loving me. This was music to my ears.
I will continue the rest of the story of our 4 days together soon. I promise!!
Please feel free to post comments, I love to hear them!!

A Story Of Adoption Continued...Chapter 9

2008-12-18T11:27:00.000-08:00

This story is sort of a diary for me. Even though what I am writing is not current, the story is still going on. I am just a few years behind in telling it!
So keep reading as it will only get better.
Today I am excited to begin to share with you my diary entries from my first visit with Jeannie and her family. Before I went to Edmonton, my amazing Mother-in-law spent many hours talking with Jeannie, getting to know her and telling her things about me since she had known me since I was 16. She also let Jeannie in on the fact that she made a coffee cake that was so good, it was a common request at Ben's family get-togethers! Everyone LOVED Mama G's coffee cake. So of course Jeannie wanted to try it.....so my Mother-in-law made one and I carried it with me on the plane...I still laugh about that! How I shlept an entire coffee cake to Edmonton!
It was June 15th 2001. My husband Ben and myself were on the plane, about a half an hour away from landing. My palms were sweaty and my heart began to pound fast and hard. Reality seemed to set in so quick that I felt unprepaired. I got off the plane and my breathing became rapid and short. I stopped in the first washroom we walked by to check my make-up and hair, put on some more parfume and make sure I looked perfect for them. I came out of the washroom and looked around as I walked, not knowing at what point they would meet us. We arrived at an escalator that was going to take us down to where the baggage claim was. I was used to the Toronto airport where you grab all your luggage and then exit through a door where you meet the people who are picking you up. Only people who were travelling are allowed in the baggage claim area of the Toronto airport.
This was not the case at the Edmonton airport. So just as we were getting on the escalator I let my guard down thinking we had some time before we would meet with them. As we are travelling down, I begin to see a group of people who are all standing arm in arm huddled together at the bottom of the escalator. One had a video camera and 2 others had cameras. I could see Jeannie in the middle, being closely held and supported by the group around her. She had her hand over her mouth and was crying. They all began to jitter and jump. You could see their excitement. I waved and mouthed "Hi" as I began to feel a lump develope in my throat. I could feel tears coming that I had no control over....by the time I reached the bottom of the escalator, I was blubbering! I ran right over to Jeannie first. She ran to me. We hugged and cried. Then Jeannie put both hands on my cheeks and had a look of awe on hers. She held my face and said "You are beautiful....here you are!"
I replied with "I am so glad to finally meet you Jeannie"
I could see that Ben was saying hello to the rest of the Gang, Tania and Tahsa, Tania's boyfriend at the time, Lawrence, and Jeannie's sister Irene. One by one they each came over to me to meet me and hug me. Their love was so concentrated that it flowed right into me. It was awesome. I took a deep breath...finally the hardest part was over, I was able to relax for the first time in weeks.
We walked to Tasha's car. Jeannie went in a different car, Ben and I drove with Tania, Tasha and Lawrence. While driving, I noticed that Tasha was wearing sandles. I looked at her feet and said "Your feet look like mine!" It was the first similarity I had discovered. It was so exciting for me!
We went to a restaurant to eat and relax. It was nice to have time to look at Jeannie and talk to her....and it was only the beginning. We had 4 days ahead of us and I was so excited! I will continue to write soon.....thanks for reading. I hope you are enjoying the story.

A Story Of Adoption Continued...Chapter 8

2008-10-15T16:04:00.000-07:00

I have been so wrapped up with my adoption lately, for so many reasons. I would love to explain but it would ruin the flow of the story. It was over 7 years ago that I met Jeannie and my sisters and so there is quite a long story to write.
I will try to write more regular posts so I don't keep you all hanging.
I have a diary that I wrote when I came home from Edmonton after meeting my birth Mother. I pulled it out today to use for this post. Upon opening it a piece of paper fell out. It was a diary entry that I wrote 16 days before going to Edmonton to meet Jeannie(I often keep a diary that's in the form of scrap pieces of paper with entries on them!)
I will read it to you (so to speak!)
May 30th 2001
"I'm leaving in 16 days to meet Jeannie for the first time. My fear and nervousness has decreased over the last moth. Jeannie is scared and nervous. She fears disappointing me but she doesn't realize that she has given me a wonderful life. She could never disappoint me. She has already far exceeded my expectations of her.
She seems kind, sensitive and emotional, just like me. She sounds alot like me. I am not suprised by that. What a wonderful event I get to be a part of! What an amazing story and I get to be the main character! I feel blessed and lucky. I am thankful for my Mother, Mother figures, my friends and my favorite person in the whole world, my Husband Ben. Ben is and has always been, my biggest supporter. I am grateful to have him in my life.
I know my reunion with Jeannie will be a wonderful one. I will try to do everything right. My friend Kathy says "You always do what's right Alli, just be yourself."
I love my life!!
How lucky I am....."
Thanks for reading. I will write again soon. Next, my trip to Edmonton!!
Alli

A Story Of Adoption Continued...Chapter 7

2008-09-22T17:28:00.000-07:00

I must apologise to my readers for taking so long to continue this story. I love and appreciate all the feedback, kudos and support I receive from so many of you. I am running a full time jewelry business ~ www.allisoriginals.com ~ and there are times when I have to put my writing aside to deal with work. This is my passion and love and I will always come back to it. Please, just be patient with me and keep checking in. Feel free to email me and bug me to write...the pressure does actually help!
So here we go...I am finally getting to chapter 7.
My flight to Edmonton was booked and there was so much I needed to do to prepare. My first thought was that I really wanted to arrive with gifts in hand for all 3 girls (Jeannie, Tania and Tasha). I wanted them to be special and I wanted them to be gifts that I put time and thought into. Something sentimental. For my sisters, I went to one of those do-it-yourself ceramic making stores and made them each something a bunch of little things. I remember enjoying the afternoons I spent making their gifts as it added to the excitement and anticipation of meeting them. It gave me time to think about them, focus on them and put all of my love into what I was creating for each of them. Ironically, I met a woman there who had recently reunited with her birth parents and she felt compelled to tell me her story and warn me of some realities of the relationship. She was the dose of reality I needed going into this new found relationship. I am eternally grateful to her for her words of encouragement and logic. She was so excited for me but stressed what a complicated relationship it can be and to take it all in stride. Her message stayed with me...still does.
For Jeannie's gift, I wanted something really special....really sentimental....this leads me to a story that I think will peak anyones curiosity or belief in the universal powers and forces that exist.
My Mother had left to me in her will, a beautiful diamond ring. It was a larger diamond in the center and 2 smaller diamonds on either side. When Ben and I decided we were going to get married, I asked him to please resize the ring my Mother had left to me and use that to propose to me with (when he was ready of course, really it was more romantic than I am making it sound!!. I guess in resizing the ring, the stones were loosened. The night of our engagement party I came home to notice that one of the smaller diamonds had fallen out. We looked everywhere...for months. We never found it. So we replaced it.
A year later I found the diamond sitting in a corner on my bathroom floor. How I even spotted it is still a mystery to me but even moreso, how did it not get swept into a dustpan all those times I mopped and swept my floors? I was happy to find it and put it away saying to myself "one day I will have a daughter and I will make something special for her with it"
So when I was thinking of the perfect gift for Jeannie the diamond came to mind. I thought it would be so special to make her a necklace with a pendant and have the diamond set into the pendant. A diamond that came from me and my Mom.
I had a jeweler make her a gold floating heart pendant with the diamond in the center and hung it from a gold chain. It was perfect!! An interseting piece of this puzzle.... A year later I had a pshychic reading. The psychic said to me "what is this necklace your Mom keeps talking about...she said she took a diamond from you. She wants you to knows that she took the diamond away and gave it back to you so you could use it to connect the 3 women, you, your bio Mom and your Mom." That blew me away!!
Then I thought it would be nice to make a video that I could bring with me to Edmonton. I wanted all of them to see where I lived and worked and who my friends and family were. For weeks I brought this video camera to work, friends houses, my families homes and had everyone record a personal message to Jeannie. My Aunts message was the most touching. I remember her saying "thank you Jeannie for giving Alli to us....and now...because you shared so well, we are happy to share her with you!" I had friends who had known me almost my whole life who recorded the most flattering and sweet messages to her about how much they loved me and appreciated having me in their lives. It was so special.
I got new outfits to wear for the 4 days I was going to be there. And I got my hair done!! I collected old pictures of me growing up and a video with clips of my family.
I did not sleep the night before we left. I was so nervous.
I actually kept a diary over my 4 days with Jeannie and the girls. I knew I would forget little details so I made sure to include everything.
In my next chapter I will tell you all about my 4 days and open up my diary to all of you!
Thanks so much for reading. Please feel free to leave comments, I love your feedback!

A Story Of Adoption Continued...Chapter 6

2008-03-28T17:44:00.000-07:00

So Jeannie went back to Edmonton.....
She soon met a man who she would eventually marry and have 2 daughters with. Tania and Tasha. His name was Adolph. I never met him~he passed away from Cancer before Jeannie and I met~but they have told me nothing but wonderful things about him.
When Adolph and Jeannie got engaged, Jeannie called the Lawyer who handled my adoption, to tell him that that she wanted to get her daughter back. He explained to her that I had already been with my new family for over 6 months. I was already a part of the family and in a good place. I was being well taken care of. He asked her "Do you really want to go and take that baby away from all of them now?" He then went on to explain to her that my parents would take it to "The Supreme Court Of Canada" before giving up their daughter. Was she up for that fight? She wasn't. But still very flattering to me!! I had 4 people wanting to be my parents!!
I asked her what ever happened to Len. "Bio Dad" and she told me that she ran into Len's brother over 20 years ago and he told her that Len had died from Alcoholism. In his 30's. This was so upsetting and shocking to me. I was never going to have the chance to meet him. It also meant that I would have no other biological siblings....or at least any that I would be able to track.
I put it to rest figuring one day I would at least track down a picture of him.
So my journey with Jeannie continued over the phone until I was able to finally go out and meet her. Which actually didn't take long. The customer of mine who promised to fly me there when I was ready, made good on his promise. He asked me when we wanted to go and we booked out flight.I had to bring my husband ~ Ben~ with me of course.
It was June 15th 2001. We booked a 4 day trip. I had butterflies in my stomach just booking the flight. The anticipation of what it was going to be like....that first moment we meet...
When I called Jeannie to let her know we were coming she was insistant on us staying with her. I wasn't so sure how I felt about that at first. What if it was uncomfortable? What if I needed to be able to be alone with Ben to talk? This was so huge and I wanted to allow my self the freedom to process everything as I needed to. I felt better just knowing I had a hotel room to go back to each night where we were alone Where we could talk. But then she was insisting on paying for the hotel...and I wasn't going to allow that so I gave in and agreed to stay with her. That may seem odd that I would go and stay there without really knowing her very long but I had spent so much time talking to her and the girls before we went that it seemed comfortable. I went with my gut.
Throughout this you may all be wondering about my Dad. My adopted Dad. Like I mentioned before, both my parents were always supportive of us searching one day.
The story between my Father and myself, my brothers.....and my whole entire family....is a long and unpleasant one.
I will sum it up to satisfy any curious readers but it really doesn't play any significant role in the story of Jeannie and I.
After my Mother passed away my Father decided that it was "His time."
He would say that all the time.
It was "his time to enjoy life."
We had taken care of my Mom for over 3 years while she was dying of cancer. I say "WE" because WE all did. Together.
I guess that he wanted to start a new life and it just simply didn't include his 3 kids. We weren't part of the picture. My Dad was capable of being really cheap and kinda nerdy but no one ever expected him to take thigs to the point he did. Years of lawsuits for support for my brother Adam and I (he thought at 16 and 17 years of age that we should be able to support ourselves), fighting him in court for the modest amount of money my Mother left to us....it goes on and on and it's just a bunch of dirty laundry I don't need aired!
In the end we don't speak. We run into each other occasionally but any significant run-in's will be included in the story as I go.
In the next chapter I will lead you up to my reunion. There was lots of planning and lots of nervous days and sleepless nights!!
Thanks for reading, please feel free to leave comments!!

A Story of Adoption continued...chapter 5

2008-03-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

In the first few days after talking to Jeannie and the girls I was so eager to see a picture of all of them. Especially Jeannie. I had this vision in my head for 28 years of this woman with brown curly hair. An older version of me. When I asked her to describe herself to me she described herself as blond, shorter, not petite. These were all not ways I would have described myself.
Finally, 2 days after our first conversation, a family friend emailed me pictures of Jeannie and her husband and of my two sisters. I was so grateful to Lorenda for that and always will be. The first picture that showed up was the one of Jeannie. Although she was nice looking, she didn't resemble me at all. Now don't get me wrong, often we look alot like one parent and not the other. I see it with my friends kids. But for me, I had waited 28 years to finally meet someone who looked like me. Never, in my whole life did I look like someone. It may seem petty but it was something I had built up in my head for so long that it was tough for me not seeing any resemblance, at all.
One of my sisters, Tania (the older of the 2) did look similar to me. Just slightly similar. But no real features that stood out.
Funny, I remember one of the first things I asked my sisters on the phone was if they were "busty" ~as my Mother would have put it! They all were. So that was one thing we did all have in common, Jeannie gave us big boobs!
So if I don't look much like my Bio Mom then I must look ALOT like my Bio Dad.
When my search began 9 years earlier it was for both my Bio Mom and Dad. When I applied for my search I was only allowed to have them search for one parent/family member at a time. So my obvious choice was my Bio Mom.
As soon as I began to talk to Jeannie in detail about my adoption I asked her many questions about my Bio Dad. We'll call him "LEN" just "LEN" for now.
So here was her story. Now take into account that the story I am repeating is HER story. We all know there are 3 sides to every story. Certainly she would tell it as SHE saw it.
She began to date Len when she was in her late teens. He was a bit older then her I believe. A few years into their relationship they got engaged. A few months later she got pregnant. Not a planned pregnancy obviously.
Now I want to explain that when Jeannie described Len to me it was never in a positive light. She told me that he was a banker and that he liked to drink. When Jeannie got pregnant he asked for his ring back and told her he wanted no part of the baby. He walked out and she never heard from him again. This was the story told to me. I do not judge him or her, I just tell the story as it was told to me. However, their relationship and it's fallout was and still is not what is important to me. I am sure I will never know the full story and it is not significant to me. I don't think I need to know more.
When she approached her parents and told them she was pregnant they told her to give it up for adoption. "If she came home with the baby she was out of the house!" They were not prepared to support any decision to keep it.
They put her on a plane to Toronto to stay with family friends. She was to have the baby there and then come back home. While in Toronto, she worked as a nurse in a hospital~the same hospital I was born in. While pregnant she took care of herself and had proper prenatal care. I never underestimated the importance of that. I can't imagine how many women would not take that kind of care of themselves under those circumstances.
She stayed with a couple who had a son her age. From what I have heard about this couple they took excellent care of Jeannie both physically and emotionally. They even offered to take her in and help her if she decided to keep the baby. But Jeannie knew it would be the wrong choice. She would have been alienated from her family forever and that was not a tempting life for her. And if I could have had my say from the womb I would have agreed!
One of the greatest thrills for me was having Jeannie tell me about her pregnancy. "Boy did you ever kick alot!" She would say. Another thing that would seem so simple to someone who grew up hearing stories like that from their parents. For me it was so facinating. So exciting. I could sit and listen to her talk about her time in Toronto all day long.....I never got sick of it.
When she was only a couple of weeks away from delivery the people she was staying with were planning a trip to Florida. They offered to take her with. She declined but she also didn't want to be alone for the remainder of her pregnancy. She went to her obstitrician and asked if it was safe for her to be induced 2 weeks early. I was already over 8lbs so they felt it was safe. So on March 7th 1973 I was born!! All 8lbs 6oz of me!
She didn't hold me when I was born. She never saw me. I imagine it would have been too difficult. A week later she was on a plane back to Edmonton.
I will continue the story again soon.I love to hear your comments so feel free!
Thanks for reading!!

The classified ad

2008-01-24T13:46:00.000-08:00

A Story of Adoption continued...chapter 4

2008-01-24T12:40:00.000-08:00

I am sorry I have not kept up with the story over the last few months. With a 4 yr old and a home based business I have not had the time.
I want to preface my story by saying that the views and opinions I express in my story are based on my own personal experiences with adoption. I realize that there are many different emotions and opinions surrounding adoptions ~ from all ends. This is just my story!
During the time I was searching I was working in a pub. Many of the "regulars" from the bar and all of the staff knew about my search. Many of them on a daily basis would ask for updates. One gentleman in particular ~who I had talked to on many occasions about it~ came to me one day and said "Alli, when you find her I would like to get you a ticket to go out west to meet her"
Through his job he travelled extensively and had earned more airmiles than he was able to use. His gift to me was to get me a flight out to Edmonton with his airmiles points.
There was so much support and excitement from everyone it seemed.
So there I was, working till 5pm everyday and running home at the end of each day to sit by my phone. I was willing to dedicate 4 nights to waiting!
The Wednesday night came and went.......Thursday night came and went....Friday night comes...it's about 11pm and my Husband and I were ready to go to bed.
The phone rings....long distance (the phone had a double ring when the call was long distance) and I looked at my husband and said "this is it....this is her..."
I remember picking up the phone ~my husband not 2 feet away from me~ and saying "Hello" in this quiet and almost unsure way....
From the other end I hear "Is this Allison?"
"Yes" I replied
"It's me.....Mary Jean.....I'm your Mother"
I instantly had tears rolling down my face and dropped to the ground. My legs wouldn't hold me up. I looked up at my husband and he was crying. I mouthed to him "It's HER, it's my Mother"
and he was smiling and crying and with the utmost pride and excitiment he mouthed back "I know" with his hand on his heart.
I remember thinking that I needed to be sure. So I asked
"What is March 7th?"
"That's your Birthday and you are Allison Beth" I didn't include my middle name in the ad in the paper so I knew it had to be her.
Then she started to give me information about the Hospital I was born in and the name of the Doctor who delivered me. She knew the name of the lawyer too.....I didn't need anymore convincing.
That first conversation lasted for 3 hours. She went on to tell me how I had 2 sisters. Tania and Tasha.
It was a conversation mixed with a calm exchanging of questions and then tears....She began to tell me how she thought of me everyday and how she always prayed for me. Then she started to cry. She passed the phone to Tasha (Tania was out on a date that night) and we started to talk. She was nothing shy of so sweet and compassionate. She kept asking me if I was ok becasue I could not control my tears at times either. At points I was sobbing.
We asked each other questions about our jobs, friends, boyfriends etc...
I wrote all of it down on a piece of paper. I still have the paper.
At one point she put my "bio Mom" back on the phone so she could go to a payphone around the corner to call her sister Tania.
Tania, upon hearing the story, came home immediately with her date/boyfrind. We talked that night too.
Tania was also very sweet. Quieter and more reserved than Tasha.
My "Bio Mom" although her given name was Mary Jean she always went by Jeannie. So from this point on I will refer to her as that.
I will tell you a little about my sisters at the time I first talked to them.
Tasha was 24 years old and working in a hospital in Edmonton. She was single. She was still living at home with Jeannie at the time. Jeannies Husband (Tania and Tasha's father) had passed away from Cancer about 3 years prior (I am not completely sure when he passed but I think it was a few years before).
Tania was 26 ~a grade school teacher~ and had a steady boyfriend. She had her own apartment.
Both of the girls are very close with Jeannie.
After getting off the phone from our 3 hour conversation all I did was cry. I didn't sleep that night. Not one second of sleep and I didn't care. I was so excited. I couldn't wait to talk to her again. I still wanted to ask so many questions. The next day I called in sick to work and spent the day daydreaming about the "New Loves of my life"
The excitement was so overwhelming.
My friend Debbie came over the next day with a photo album that said "Pictures of Allison" on it. It was for me to fill and send to Jeannie. I will never forget how special that was of her to do.
After calling all my friends and family I called FTD and sent Jeannie and the girls a bouquet of flowers to celebrate our reunion.
All I wanted to do was call them and talk to them but I was so worried about scaring them off. I wasn't sure if they needed time to process it all.
I couln't help it, I called anyways. Tasha answered the phone and I said to her right away "If you guys aren't up for talking and you need some time I understand. But I couln't stop thinking about all of you today and was hoping we could talk"
Immediately she cut me off to say "Us too!! We didn't know if you would feel pressured if we called today" And from that point on I think we all talked almost every day for a while.
During my first couple of conversations with them we were all on our "best behavior."
We didn't swear or tell each other anything unappealing about ourselves. Just testing the waters. I said to Tasha one day "Do you guys NEVER swear?!"
She started to laugh....."we were wondering the same thing about you!"
"We were so afraid to say a bad word, we didn't want you to think our Mother raised us poorly!"
I think that was an icebreaking moment for us.
I will continue my story soon....thank you for reading, please feel free to leave comments!
Alli

A Story of Adoption continued...chapter 3

2007-10-02T13:33:00.000-07:00

So my search begins....I didn't even know where to start. I called my friend Debbie who always found detective work interesting and facinating. I figured she would have some ideas or at very least she would help me with mine. That night we both started calling all of the Davis' in the Edmonton whitepages. Probably one of the most stressful ways to find someone. Blind calls to people not knowing if at one point you will hit a jackpot of some kind. I had such anxiety that my heart was pounding and I could feel myself trembling. I would call a number and when someone answered I would say "I am working on a family tree for a friend and I am looking for someone by the name of Mary Jean Davs. This is most likely her maiden name"
Most of the time I would get that far and the person on the other line would say "No, sorry, no one here by that name" Or they would just say "NO" and hang up. Debbie was having the same bad luck as I was. I remember at one point asking "Do you know a Mary Jean Davis?" and the person immediately hung up. That really freaked me out because I actually thought it may have been her and that I had scared her. After a few hours of anxiety and stress I decided to give up on the cold calls. We had no luck and something was telling me it was a waist of time. I must give us both alot of credit, we made it through about 300 names before we quite.
Almost all of them!
Next, I went online. I looked at every possible website out there for "People looking for people"
Most of them were in the US and with her name being so common it was all dead ends. So I began to network online and by phone with other adoptees and Mom's looking for their kids. I remember developing a huge support network for myself during this time. There were so many people looking for people and they all had ideas to offer me. One person suggested going to the reference library and trying to find her through a voters list. Since she was of voting age when she had me maybe there would be some record of her. Another dead end.
I remember finding an old Edmonton phone book from back in the early 40's. I thought for sure this was how I was going to at least find my grandparents. It had very few listings~apparently there were not too many Davis' in Edmonton back then. This book actually had the names and phone numbers but it also listed occupations and names of children. I tried to find her family but no luck. Maybe they weren't living there back then. This was the hardest part of my search. I had so little infomation to go on that I worried that I was going to miss a clue staring me right in the face. And one thing I discovered was that the more information I had, the more information people were willing to give. People don't want to be exposing someone or getting someone into trouble. It's such a funny thing.
So for weeks my husband would drop me off at the library and come back hours later. Each time hoping that I had found a lead. No such luck. The more I searched the more I realized just how little information was out there. It was almost as if I became desperate to find her. I had never been so curious and it all seemed so far out of my reach. It was so hard for me to remain positive with not even a little bone thrown my way.
When I reached my late teens, I started a yearly Birthday tradition. I would wake up and go to the store and by a Toronto Star newspaper. I would carefully look through each page of the classifieds hoping she had posted something.
During my search at the reference library I tried to find my birth announcment in the Toronto star~no luck. Then I looked through archives. I would look at the classified ads for March 7th (my Birthday) dating back to the late 70's. I was hoping to find something titled "Looking For My Biological Daughter" Such a romantic notion but I hoped.
I remember thinking my best option at this point in my search was to hire a private investigator. I had a friend growing up who's father was a private investigator. So I called him. He was more than willing to help. I gave him everything I knew and then just waited....and waited...and waited until one day he called. He had no news for me. His search turned up nothing. She was not an easy person to find and I knew this when I called him. There were so many "What if's"
What if she is married and goes by her married name?
I know she was BORN in Edmonton but that does not mean she grew up there. And if she did grow up there, how do I know that is where she went back to after leaving Toronto?
So my emotional roller coaster continues....what now?
Well, I called all of the contacts I had made over the months of searching. I don't remember how but I got to talking to one woman who had recently found her biological daughter. She had been searching for her for years. All she knew was that her daughter lived in Ontario. She had an idea that I had never thought of and it seemed like such a long shot. She had placed classified ads in newpapers throughout Ontario for years. This was how she eventually found her daughter. She suggested I place ads in all the major newspapers throughout Edmonton. She thought it would be best to post them on significant occasions such as our Birthdays & Mother's Day. She made sure to prepare me for the fact that it could be years and take many ad posts before I get any calls. If any.
So I called the Edmonton Journal and the Edmonton Post newspapers. I inquired about placing a classified ad. When I started to tell the man on the phone the purpose of my ad he told me that there were some rules and limitations to what I could say in the ad. Here is what he said,
"If you want to post her name in the ad then we are not able to put anyting in the ad that indicates that she is your biological Mother. If you just put her initials then we can say that she is your biological Mother."
I remember calling back the lady who suggested the idea in the first place. I had no idea what to say and needed some help. There was so much to think about. For starters, I did not want to post anything that said I was "Looking for my biological Mother" because I feared getting calls from lonely, potentially crazy, women saying "I'm your Mother"
I wanted to eliminate that possibility as best I could. I also worried about the ad revealing something about her life that she had possibly kept a secret from her friends and family. I did not want to expose her secret. What if she was happily married and had a family who knew nothing about her past? This could ruin her life. It would also be a bad foot for us to start off on.
So after careful consideration, here's what we came up with,
"LOOKING FOR MARY JEAN DAVIS. WE FIRST MET IN TORONTO ON MARCH 7TH 1973. PLEASE CALL ALLISON COLLECT AT..." and I left my phone number. I know that she signed my birth order and therefore she knew my name was Allison and only she would know the significance of the date March 7, 1973. This seemed like the best wording for the ad. So the ad went into 2 major newspapers for 4 days each. From a Wednesday through Saturday.
Once the ads were in place I began to imagine all of the potentials who could see it. A friend, a family member, a sibling. There were so many people who could see it. I remember lighting a candle one night and for the first time in my life I prayed. I prayed with all my heart until tears were streaming down my face. I was begging G-D to please help. "Let me find her, I need to"
The next day the 2 newspapers kindly faxed me a copy of the ads to my work. My boss walked up to me with this long sheet filled with little ads and there was mine at the very bottom. Like a needle in a haystack. There must have been 80 classified ads on the page. This was so discouraging. You would need to be looking for this ad to see it. And if noone was looking, there was no way anyone was finding it.
So now I had to play the waiting game.....
I will continue the story soon....thanks for reading!

A Story of Adoption continued...chapter 2

2007-09-25T10:59:00.000-07:00

....So here we are 11 months after receiving my letter saying they were starting my search. I had been waiting so anxiously when one day I got a call from the Adoption services saying they were nearing the completion of my search and wanted to make sure I still wanted to go through with it. OF COURSE!
They did not say much but I remember them telling me that they were'nt having a successful search. "Why?" I asked. It seems that my biological Mother lived out of Province and that there was not much in the file about her or the adoption.
They said that they were able to give me some "Non Identifying" information about her. This is what they said "Your biological Mother was born in a Western Province in Cananda, she is Anglican Prodistant, she signed my birth order and therefore was privy to my given name, my biological Father's name was in the file (which is rare, usually the Father is unknown or not listed as the Father) as well as the lawyers name who did the adoption. They also told me that her name was extremily common. "Infact" she said "Your Father's name is as equally uncommon as your Mother's name is common" Which really aroused my curiosity. I felt like for the first time I knew SOMETHING about her. Even though it was so little, it was so much to me. Now, they said they were going to complete my search and it should take about a month. I asked them "What if you don't find her?"
They put together several scenarios for me and gave me the possible outcome for each.
"If we find her we contact her and tell her you have requested to meet her. If she says yes then we arrange for you to meet. If she doesn't want to meet you then that's a dead end for you. We will not be able to give you any information and we will have to close the file. If she is deceased or cannot be found then we give you all the info we have aquired during our search."At that point I realized that there was a possibility that she might actually reject the idea of meeting me. What about all of my unanswered questions? What right would she have to deny me what is rightfully mine, my roots? I NEEDED to know where I came from. This was a soul necessity. When I considered the possibility of her denying me that I promised myself that I would make the biggest stink I could about it. I would have every newspaper I could find write an article about how this whole "Privacy Law" was completely unfair and only to protect the Mother who gave her child(children) up for adoption. These "CLOSED ADOPTION FILES" were not to protect the child, but the Mother. I waited that month out and then got a call from the agency. "I am sorry" the woman on the phone said, "we were unsuccessful in your search. Your Mother is from another Province and we do not have access to files outside of Ontario. What I can do now is give you all the information we have and you are free to continue your search on your own." She went on to tell me that many people are successful in doing there own searches. There are resource libraries and the internet, many ways for you to search.
So here was the information they gave me.
My Mother's name was "Mary Jean Davis," she was born in Edmonton on Feb.6th 1952.
They also gave me the lawyers name who handled the adoption. That was the bulk of it.
The first thing I did was find the lawyer and call him. As soon as I told him my name he knew who I was. He had so much to say and I remember our conversation vividly. He said that he represented both sides because my biological Mother did not have the alot of money. So my parents covered the cost for the lawyer. He said he remembered my adoption beacuse he had only handled 2 in his entire career and that mine was a particularily emotional one. He said that he had met my "bio Mom" (thats what I call her) and that she was "WHOLESOME." That was music to my ears. I could not have asked him to use a better word to describe her. He went on to tell me that he had brought me my first bottle of formula to the hospital after I was born. "She did not want to give you up" he said. I started to cry. I guess it never occured to me just how important that was for me to hear. Just knowing that I was wanted by her changed me. Some deep part of me was now at peace and I didn't even know I needed it. He went on to tell me how he hand delivered me to my parents in the parking lot of the Hospital (private adoptions back in the early 70's are very different than they are now) and that my parents borrowed my Grandfather's car and that they wore wigs. They were so concerned about my Bio Mom seeing them. Then I asked him what she looked like "She was really pretty" he said. I cried more....then I asked him if he could give me my file so I could contact her. "I gave the file to your parents years ago and do not have a copy" He and my parents were friends so he bent the rules for them. "But" he said, "Continue your search for her beacuse she will want to meet you, that I know for sure."
That was so reasurring because I worried that if she knew I was looking for her before I found her then she could make it impossible for me to find her. I was so affraid of being rejected by her.
Now I had the reassurance I needed to continue the search. But there were still fears. What or Who will I find? Will she be kind? Will she have expectations of me? What if I am a disappointment to her in some way? All these fears and concerns were now a part of it.
So now my own personal search began. It was tough, so many avenues to go down. So many places to search with no guarantees of finding anything. It didn't help that there were 312 Davis' listed in the Edmonton whitepages.
The next part of my story will be about my search. I am hoping that this story has peeked peoples interest. It gets good so stay tuned!
Thanks for reading!

A Story of Adoption~chapter 1

2007-09-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

For years I have been saying that someday I will get a book published. A book about my experiences in life.
I've never even attempted to start that book because I never knew if I was willing to "tell all."
I suppose one day I will reach an age where I don't care what anyone thinks!
I do think that my adoption story is almost a book in itself. I like to tell people the story because people are so facinated by it. As much as I love that, what I love even more is when my experience can help someone else who is considering searching for their family.
So if this blog can help even one person who reads it then I've done my job. At very least I have part of my book done!
I won't be able to tell all in one entry so keep checking back for the continuations. This story deserves not to be rushed or summed up.
I am 34 years old and was adopted from birth. I was adopted into a Jewish home with 2 older brothers ~ Brad (7 years older than me) and Adam (14 months older than me). Brad was my parents natural child and Adam and I were both adopted but from different women.
My Father was a Dentist and my Mother was a stay-at-home Mom. My Mom was wonderful, sweet, loving, affectionate and full of pride of her 3 children. Our parents raised us to know we were adopted~it was just a fact I grew up knowing from birth. And we were to be PROUD of it as far as my Mother was concerned. She always said "You are special because you were chosen, NOT given up."
She also told us that she had a file for each of us with all of the information about our Mother's.
"If you guys ever want to meet your Mother's we will drive you to their front door" she would say. Funny, she would say that but I think the idea of that really scared her deep down inside.
I remember as a kid threatening to go and find my "REAL MOM" when I was pissed off.
How many people could use that as a threat against their parents growing up!!
I think that knowing it would hurt my Mom was why I didn't really think I would ever go looking for her. But I always wondered about my "real Mom"
When I was a kid I wondered things like
What did she look like?
Did she have brown curly hair like me?
As I got older I wondered things like How old was she when she had me? Did she Marry my dad? Did she want to keep me but just couldn't?
Then I lost my Mom to cancer when I was 16. I found myself wanted to meet her for the first time. I think a part of me felt free to do that now that my Mom was gone.
So when I was 18 I started my search. It was 1991.
I remember calling social services adoption unit to start. They told me that my adoption was done privately so there was not much information. They would have to put me on a waiting list for a "search."
They said that they would contact me when they were a few weeks away from beginning my search. I asked how long the waiting list was and they were still doing searches for people who applied back in 1986. So I had a while to wait. I must have moved a dozen times over the next 10 years and every time I moved I would call social services FIRST just in case I was next on the list and let them know of my change of address.
Finally, about 9 years later I got a letter in the mail "You are next on our waiting list for a search for your biological Mother. Please do not contact us until you hear from us. It will take about a year to complete your search"
So that was it. I felt so close but yet so far away.....
I will continue the story soon.
Thanks for reading!

2007-09-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

French Toast Casserole mmmmmmm......

2007-09-11T17:53:00.000-07:00

I have this fantastic recipe for a french toast casserole that even the pickiest eater can't resist.
It is a real crowd pleaser and trust me when I tell you that you will impress people with this one! Just a heads up, for those of you who don't know what "CHALLAH" is, it is Jewish egg bread and can be found at most bakeries. it works well with this recipe because traditional Challah is quite sweet. You can use regular white bread as well.

7 eggs
2 1/2 cups of milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 unsliced Challah (remove crusts and cut into cubes)1/2 cup butter melted
1 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
*Make the bread and batter mix the night before serving and let it sit in the fridge over night in the casserole dish)~In a large bowl mix eggs,milk and vanilla. Add bread and mix until the bread has absorbed the egg mixture~I do it right in the casserole dish so you don't have to transfer it)Cover and let sit over night in the fridge.The next day (preheat oven to 350)~before baking~ add blueberries, raspberries and or apples. combine sugar, syrup, and melted butter. I also add some cinnamon even though the recipe does not call for it.Drizzle the sugar and butter mixture over the casserole. Bake for 40-45 mins (keep an eye on it, it will puff up and be brownish and you will see it is done)Then, while it is hot I sift icing sugar over it (lots of it...yum...)That's it...so easy and horribly fattening!!
If you do decide to try this one, I would love to hear your feedback on it. Enjoy!

A Story For All Parents

2007-07-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

As parents, we all make mistakes. We learn parenting skills as we go. Often we question ourselves, doubt ourselves and maybe even feel a little embarrassed or ashamed about the things we do as parents. You are not alone, all parents feel this way and I find it comforting to know that it is not just me.
I found myself in a terrible situation about a month ago and wanted to share my story.
For the last day of school my sons preschool put together a fun fair in the back parking lot. We arrived at the fair and immediately walked over to where one of his teachers was,to give her a gift. I handed her the gift and went to take my sons hand to lead him to the games. He was not there. In a matter of 5 seconds he was gone and all I could see in front of me was a sea full of children, parents and teachers. I figured he must be mixed in with the crowd so I began to look for him. I was so embarrassed that I had "misplaced my child" that I did not want to tell anyone. After about 2 mins. I went over to a couple of the other Moms that I know and quietly whispered "Can you help me find Jacob, I can't seem to find him"
A few more minutes went by and now I started to panic. Once the panic set in I began to think of the most awful things that could have happened to him. At this point, all the other parents and teachers could see by the look on my face that something was wrong. Once everyone knew there was a child missing, EVERY SINGLE PERSON (including the kids) was searching for my child. They all kept saying "Don't worry, he's here somewhere, we'll find him"
In and out the school, back and forth between the road out front and the parking lot and still no Jacob. Then my husband showed up and I had to tell him "We can't find Jacob" I never thought I would here myself say that, ever.
My Husband scanned the outer part of the lot and on his way back towards the school he noticed my Son standing at a locked door at the side of the school. He was knocking on the door wondering why it was locked!
So he brought him to me...immediately tears were streaming down my face. "Oh, Mommy, it's ok, don't be sad" he said as he hugged me. He had no idea what had happened over the last 10 mins. Good thing for him, at least he was not panicking looking for me.
Once I calmed down I felt so embarrassed, like I was the worst Mother in the entire world. Each and every Mom there came over and told me their story of when they lost their child. Suddenly I did not feel so humiliated. I was so grateful that it happened at his school where I had that many people to help me find him and help keep me calm. That day I came home and wrote a letter to the school for the parents and teachers.
Here it is......
" Jacob was the 3 yr old boy who temporarily went missing today at the fair.
I feel compelled to say thank you to you, Goldie and all the Moms, Dads, teachers etc... who pulled through for me today. I have no way to contacting any of these people so maybe you can forward on my gratitude & appreciation.
In my entire life I have never experienced anything as terrifying as when I could not find him. Those 5-10mins. felt like hours. At first I just started to look for him on my own but after a few minutes I realized that I had scanned everywhere and he was NOWHERE.
Immediately every single person there was looking for him. ALL of them are like heroes to me. This is a moment long forgotten about by Jacob but a memory that is burned into my brain forever. A part of that memory will be of all the people who looked at me and said "Don't worry, he's at Torah Tots, we will find him" and then ran off to continue their search as if it were their own child missing.
And when we finally did find him, I will never forget all those Moms who came up to me and told me their terrifying stories of when they lost their child. After calming down and I had a moment to think, all I could think about was "What kind of a Mother looses their child? I am a horrible Mom"
Hearing all of those beautiful and wonderful Moms Mother's tell me that this has happened to them made me feel much less guilty. I realized today what a wonderful community I am a part of, what a wonderful school Torah Tots is and what a wonderful group of Mom's, Dads and teachers my child is surrounded by. I will forever be grateful to all of the people who were a huge support for me today. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Your support and quick reaction to the situation made the world of difference. Thank You...Thank You, I will always remember."

Great Blogs to check out

2007-07-15T08:17:00.000-07:00

http://mumsthewurd.com/
Are you looking for some great finds? I love these 2 blogs that I stumble upon. They do reviews, promotions and contest giveaways. Both these ladies have fantastic taste and clearly have a nack for finding unusual, funky and fun finds!
I must comment that as a "Mompreneur" it is so nice to have the support and encouragement of other Momprneurs out there. Much of my online popularity is credited to all the wonderful women out there who have written rave reviews about Alli's Originals designs. I am lucky to be a part of this amazing networking community of talented women!http://www.funkyfinds.blogspot.com/

New Designs are on the way!

2007-06-01T12:00:00.002-07:00

I have been busy lately...I have been taking silversmith courses over the last few months and I LOVE it!Not only is it a great way for me to develope some great skills and design some really unique pieces but what a great way to get away a few hours every week. As a full time Mom running a full time business there is not much time for me. Someone once said "If your job is so much fun that it feels like play then you are in the right job."I must say that I have definately chosen the right job!Each week as I drive into downtown Toronto, I listen to music, call some friends and soak in the fact that for the next 4 hours I am all about myself. It is something that every Mom should do. Take a few hours each week to work on something that is just for you.

So I am posting some pics of the work I have been doing. I have also been working closely with a young designer from Europe who creates these fantastic glass beads. Each one is a work of art. I have been incorporating these beads into some of my latest designs. They are all one of a kind pieces so get them while I have them!

These pictures are of my hand cut silver hearts and tags and of one of the new charms bracelets. The hand cut pieces have a brushed finish. The little tags are great for Father's Day gifts. These pieces have not yet been posted for sale on my site so this is your sneak preview. If you are interested in purchasing one, please email me at info@allisoriginals.com.I would love to hear your comments!

2007-06-01T11:59:00.001-07:00

Mabel's Labels

2007-04-03T12:32:00.000-07:00

I have a vivid memory of my Mother sitting and sewing nametags onto mine and my brothers clothes each year before camp. It would take weeks for her to label each article of clothing for each of her 3 kids. Well Mabel's Labels found a solution to this ongoing problem that all parents share.
I am so excited tell everyone about Mabel's Labels because I can speak from personal experience about just how great they are!
About 2 years ago I met Julie from Mabel's Labels, at a craft show. I fell in love with their labels and tags and couldn't wait until I could place my first order. www.mabel.ca
Mabel's Labels is a Hamilton based business run by 4 enthusiastic and ambitious MOMPRENEURS, Julie Cole, Cynthia Esp, Julie Ellis and Tricia Mumby. They design these fun and funky labels for kids cloths, sippy cups, shoes, school bags....anything you could ever want to label for your kid. What makes them even more special is that you can choose your own colors and icons for them. Kids feel so special when they see something that was designed JUST FOR THEM. They have many types of labels to choose from to suit all of your needs. Labels for clothing, household & stationary. They even offer combo packs. Their sticky labels (which I have and love) are dishwasher and microwave safe and will not fade from the sun. I purchased them and immediately put them on all of my sons sippy cups. I was constantly leaving his cups at friends and families houses, birthday parties and school. Now I get them back! I have put these labeled cups through the dishwasher a thousand times and they are still bright, vivd and look brand new.
Here is another great solution to a common problem for parents. I have found that so many of the children in my sons class wear the same coats, hats and even shoes. Mabel's Labels www.mabel.ca offers a perfect solution to this problem. They have "Shoe Labels" that stick to the inside soul of your childs shoe. They have "Bag Tags," personalized Dog Tags that attach to your childs napsack or bag. They also offer "Tag-Mates" which are a no iron, no sew, sticky label that is easy to put on any article of clothing.
With so many products available you can now label everything your child owns!
Mabel's is always creating and adding new fantastic labels. The latest additions to their collection are their "Return Address Labels" and their easy to use "Tag-Mates."
Now for the household. Who says that with kids you can't be organized? Mabel's Labels www.mabel.ca has an amazing line of labels for everything in your household. There is nothing they haven't thought of from Curbside garbage cans to storage bins and spice rack bottles.
They have
*The Neat Freak Combo
*Crafter Pack
*Cord Control
*Curbside
*Cannister and Spice labels
*Bin Lables
All of Mabel's Labels are durable, easy to use and multifunctional. They are sold online through www.mabel.ca and also sold in person through one of their 170 agents throughout North America. The labels prices range from $16 US and up. Very affordable for parents and a great price point for gifts for the special little people in your life!
I love my Mabel's Labels! For any parent out there (or neat freak) this is a MUST HAVE!
visit www.mabel.ca or call 1-866-30-mabel and start labelling!!

2007-03-08T16:10:00.000-08:00

www.allisoriginals.com

5 minute creative ideas for Moms

2007-03-08T10:21:00.000-08:00

Most parents try to control the clutter and mess when it comes to their kids toys. At times we may even feel like our kids toys and books have taken over the whole house! We go to make pasta and find an Elmo doll inside our pasta pot! We go to put on a pair of shoes and find a mini dinosaur inside. Often we try to deal with this problem by bringing home bins, baskets, buckets and anything we can find to keep all the toys in one place. The only problem is that over time, the toys sitting at the bottom of some of those baskets become forgotten about. Theres often a mound of little cars, balls & dinosaurs (and quite often stale bagels, cheerios and other bits of unidentifiable snacks), trapped at the bottom. Most of these are piled under all the big fire engines, airplanes and tool sets. You may even find an old sippy cup thats been in there for so long that you would sooner throw it out then attempt to clean it!
You are not alone in this. This is a common problem for any household with kids. How can we get our kids excited about the same old toys and books that they have become bored with or have forgotten about? How can we make them want to play with the same old toys so that they are not inclined to want to sit in front of the T.V watching the same Blues Clues video over and over again?
My very creative friend Tammy thought of an idea that can be a great solution to this problem. It requires 5 minutes of your time at the end of the night before you go to bed. I call it "reintroducing your child to their toys."
One night last week I sat down and wrote down a bunch of themes. ie. aquatic life, dinosaurs, tea party, alphabet, animals, food groups and transportation. I realized that for every theme I came up with, my son had dozens of toys or books that fit that theme. So each day I set up a play area that was focused on a particular theme. My son loves to have tea parties with all of his animals. So Sunday night I set up his craft table with a tea party. I had all of his animals and dolls sitting around the table, each with a cup, plate and cuttlery in front of them. Then in the center of the table I put a platter with all the toy food I could find. The next day, he was so excited about "The really great tea party" that he insisted on having breakfast at the table with all of the dolls and animals.
The next day I took all of his fish, turtles, frogs, snakes and any other water life toys I could find, and set up an aquatic area with books of the same theme.
I set up a "Dora The Explorer" table with all of his Dora and Diego toys and printouts from the computer for him to color.
On Tuesday I pulled out his train set and put it together. All around the train set I put out cars, airplanes, trains, trucks and any other form of transportation I could find.
My friend Tammy's idea was brilliant. Her daughter Lola loves to play dress up with her dolls. Over time however, even a 3 year old doesn't want to dress her dolls in the same old boring cloths! So one morning while Lola was at school, Tammy dug out all of Lola's newborn baby clothes. She then dressed each doll in a new outfit and set them all up on her bed for her. When Lola came home from school she was super excited. "This is so great Mommy, these clothes are beautiful!" She loved the idea that her dolls could wear HER old baby clothes.
Some other great ideas....
*Set up an office with phones & pads of paper
*Arts and crafts center with paper cutouts, sprinkles, markers and glue. Watch how creative they can be! Dollar stores often carry a ton of arts and crafts supplies.
*"Family Day" Put out photo albums with family pictures. If you have any old photos you can part with, cut out the faces and glue them onto popsicle sticks to make puppets of family members.
*For older kids learning to read and write* Use masking tape and label common household items and toys. This will help them to become familiar with how to identify and spell words they know.
*Keep old food boxes and containers and set up a little Grocery Store so they can shop like Mommy and Daddy!
*Letter of the day. Pick a letter each day (or each week) that you will focus on and create activities around. Post that letter magnet on the fridge, help them identify objects around the house and in books beginning with that letter. Pull out all of your alphabet books and flashcards for them to look at. Repeat the letter throughout the day, making sure to teach them the sound that letter makes. Cut out magazine pictures of of objects beginning with that letter.
*Look through old magazines with your child. Ask them to identify pictures they find that are a particular color or theme. Choose a different color or theme each time. Help them cut out the pictures and make a collage out of them.
*Pull out all of their playdough and accessories and set it up at a table or on a mat.
*SPRINGTIME FUN. Put out toys and books that represent spring ie. flowers, bugs, garden etc.. Plant seeds with them in a little paper cup (grass is an easy one to grow). Teach them about how plants grow when we water them, feed them and take care of them. Watch how excited they get when they see their flower or plant begin to grow. Then have them help you transplant it into your outdoor garden.
Another idea I like is to have an area in your basement or storage where you can store toys. Every week, switch the toys up. This way, you will be removing the stale, "already been over played with" toys and replacing them with a fresh batch of "haven't seen in a while"toys.
There are thousands of creative ideas. Sometimes just asking your "Mommy Friends" how they keep their kids from getting bored, can inspire great ideas. Unfortunately our kids (as creative as they may be) can become tired of the same old toys and books and run out of ideas.
Now, I find my son enjoying toys that he never looked twice at. He comes down in the morning wondering what exciting activity is waiting for him. I am also able to limit his time in front of the T.V. which I think was a cure for boredom for him.
MOMS, let me hear about your crafty and creative ideas.
Let me know how some of these ideas worked for you. I love to hear new ideas and pass them on to other Moms. We all run out of ideas!
Thanks Tammy!

Hand made glass beads

2007-03-01T11:20:00.000-08:00

I couldn't help but to post something about these fantastic, hand made, glass lampwork beads I just purchased. I have been seeking out artists from all over the world who create these beautiful beads. I will be introducing an awesome collection of them on my website over the next few weeks so this is your SNEAK PREVIEW!!

I found artists in the US and France who have created these to my specifications. Each one is a one of a kind. If you are interseted in purchasing a necklace or bracelet with these hearts, send me an email. I have many more which I have not yet posted so please enquire if you have a color preferance. Quantities are limited as I only have one of each of these. Get em while they're HOT!!

Stay tuned to www.allisoriginals.com to see this new collection.

Thanks for visiting!!

Pledge to my children

2007-02-26T10:28:00.000-08:00

I love this and have it on my work table so I can look at it everyday. It helps me keep perspective on my childs limitations and what I should try to give to him as a parent.

This is my son Jacob holding our newest nephew Avery.
PLEDGE TO MY CHILDREN
*I promise to look forward to our life together
*I promise to stay and watch you blossom
*I promise to charish the sacred place you came from
*I promise to walk beside you on your miraculous path
*I promise to share what I know with love
*I promise to protect you as a parent and a friend
*I promise to value your hopes and dreams
*I promise to bring you great vistas
*I promise to hold you close to my heart
*I promise to celebrate the blessings of this day

I want to know about your business

2007-02-26T07:16:00.000-08:00

OK, so this is my first written entry. I love to talk and love to write so you will find new posts daily....until I run out of things to say, doubtful!
Here is what my blog will have to offer. I have been fortunate in my networking to have come across some incredibly talented, ambitious, creative and motivated entrepreneurs. I am always inspired by stay at home Moms who manage to find time to run businesses, cook meals, do laundry and take care of their families each and every day. Did I mention they are running businesses?
I am proud to be part of the next generation of Moms who are eager to maintain their independence, earn their own money and still play the role of the attentive mom and wife. How do we do it? I'll tell you how and I know this from practical experience. We stay up until all hours on the computer, we often deny ourselves a proper meal and even a shower. We let the laundry pile up for one more day....you know how it goes! Once a week when my Husband calls to say he is on his way home from work I will say "I didn't make dinner tonight, can we order in Pizza?" Hey, we all need our breaks where we can get them!
I have been so fortunate in my business to have had many women (allot of them work at home Moms like myself "WAHMS") review my jewelry designs. I have had dozens of online reviews over the last year which has been an enormous help in getting my name out. I attribute much of my success over the last year to the enthusiasm of "blogging Moms" and "Mompreneurs" who have done some amazing write ups on their websites.
I have a list of some amazingly talented people who I will be promoting in my blog. I will be reviewing their finds, art ware and crafts and services. This is my way of giving something back.
So here's your homework. Let me know if you know of a great find. I would like to stick to products, ideas and services that are Mom, kid and family friendly. Let me know if you would like to nominate a business (including your own) for a review.
Over time I will also post entries that will include marketing tips and ideas. If you would like me to post your write up or inspirational story, send me an email.
Thanks for visiting and please feel free to leave comments, I love the feedback!

2007-02-25T15:18:00.000-08:00

with Mothers Day coming up, I would love to hear your stories about what your Mom means to you or what it means to be a Mom.

All entries will automatically be entered into a draw for a $30 gift certificate to Alli's Originals

The Draw will be held on May.8th so you all have time.

Are you viewing my blog? I would love to hear from you, post your comments.

New designs

2007-02-24T17:34:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of new pieces. Feel free to email me comments. info@allisoriginals.com

www.allisoriginals.com

my website

2007-02-24T17:14:00.000-08:00

www.allisoriginals.com
have a look at my designs.....

New pieces

2007-02-24T17:03:00.000-08:00

I just made these today. They are new and not available on my website. Email me if you are interested...

info@allisoriginals.com

Have a look

2007-02-24T16:34:00.000-08:00

Hello, so this is my first post. I am excited to get this started. I am a jewelry designer from Toronto, Canada. My designs include hand stamped personalized sterling silver jewelry.

My website is www.allisoriginals.com

Please feel free to email me with any questions. If you are coming form my blogger and plan to make a purchase on my site then mention my blogspot and receive 10% off.