A Little Goes a LOOONG Way.

I am writing you today to tell you about an upcoming event that I am participating in that is both very important and very exciting to me. It is NAMIWalks for the Mind of America, NAMI’s signature walkathon event that is being held in Minneapolis, MN at Minnehaha Park on September 26, 2009.

Ok peeps. I'm not one to solicit, but this...this I cannot resist.

As I've mentioned previously, a person I went to high school with recently passed away. He suffered from a mental illness, and although it did not define him, it led him to take his life just over a week ago.

To honor his memory and to help others who suffer from debilitating mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, please help support me as I've joined a team that is walking in my friend's name.

I would like to ask you to come and walk with me or to donate to support my participation in this great event. If you would like to register to walk with me, visit my team's page at http://www.nami.org/namiwalks09/MIN/teamjohnson. Or if you just want to make a donation to sponsor me, visit http://www.nami.org/walkdonation.cfm?id=90562. Donating online is fast and secure, and I'll get immediate notification via e-mail of your donation.

NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the largest education, support and advocacy organization that serves the needs of all those whose lives are touched by these illnesses. This includes persons with mental illness, their families, friends, employers, the law enforcement community and policy makers. The NAMI organization is composed of approximately 1100 local affiliates, 50 state offices and a national office.

The goals of the NAMIWalks program are: to fight the stigma that surrounds mental illness, to build awareness of the fact that the mental health system in this country needs to be improved, and to raise funds for NAMI so that they can continue their mission.

NAMI is a 501(c)3 charity and any donation you make to support my participation in this event is tax deductible. NAMI has been rated by Worth magazine as among the top 100 charities "most likely to save the world" and has been given an "A" rating by The American Institute of Philanthropy for efficient and effective use of charitable dollars.

Thank you in advance for your support. If you are interested in supporting me via a monetary donation, please leave a comment including your email address and I will send you my full name so you can look me up.

I cannot reiterate how much your support means to me.

Undivided Attention

It's almost the middle of February and the weather in MN is crazy warm. So warm, that the grass (in some areas) is starting to get a green tinge. Weird.

On another note, I've decided to pledge one night a week for me time. I'm going to take one night, and leave the confines of motherhood for two hours or so...most likely I'll wind up at a coffee shop or book store. The time will hopefully be peaceful, rejuvenating, and worthwhile. Not gonna lie, I'm pretty excited.

Pre-little man, I never realized how valuable alone time can be. I'm not talking alone time after little man is in bed. I'm referring to alone time that is unrestricted and unconfined. Time where I can do this or that, and not have to worry if someone has to go potty. It amazes me how the simple things in life can be so amazing, but so complicated.

Since pledging time strictly for myself seems a bit selfish, I'm also pledging one night a week for special little man time. No tv (unless we're watching a movie together) no telephone interruptions. Just the two of us.

Don't get me wrong, I try my best to give him attention every single night...but I feel like now is the perfect opportunity to make our family bonds a bit stronger..and what better way to do that then to commit my undivided attention to him once a night :) Wish me luck, I don't think it's going to be as easy as it seems!!