Butterviews

In my school district, the parents provide most (sometimes all) of the supplies necessary.  And frankly – that’s been a hardship to us due to my husband being underemployed and unemployed.  We’ve pulled it off each year, but this year is a tough one.  We’ll make do, like we always manage, but some families can’t make do.  While you are school shopping this season, why not help a student in need?

In comes Elmer’s Bag It Forward! While, you are shopping for your supplies pick up a few extra for someone who can’t buy supplies for their children. If you are looking to get the most for your donation, Walmart is a great place to start! They have amazing back to school prices on supplies that last from now until school begins! No need to wait for a sale with Walmart’s roll back pricing.

Helping classrooms in need this back to school season is as easy as 1 – 2 – 3

1. Write a post about this charity blog meme

2. Send a virtual bag of school supplies to another blogger and challenge them to join the #bagitforward movement

3. Link up your post at BagItForward.org

Easy peasy! Elmer’s just donated $10 for your post to Adopt-A-Classroom!

Here are the details of the program:

Elmer’s will donate up to $10,000 to Adopt-A-Classroom with your participation. Join now!

The Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward is charity blog meme, bloggers are able to raise $10 per blog post for Adopt-A-Classroom by writing a blog post and donating a virtual bag of school supplies. Elmer’s will donate $10 per each post written to Adopt-A-Classroom, up to $10,000.

HOW CAN YOU JOIN? It’s easy.

Participate in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward and by giving away a virtual bag of school supplies and creating a blog post or Facebook note (make sure you make your Facebook note public) with specific rules described below.

Elmer’s will donate up to $10,000 to Adopt-A-Classroom.

You can give as many virtual bags as you want.

The Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward will officially begin at 12 AM EST on July 22, 2010 and end at 12 PM EST on August 12, 2010. Blog posts submitted to us before or after that time period will not be counted.

The blog post link has to be submitted in the comment section below for your participation to be counted.

In addition copy and paste the following text into your blog post:

ELMER’S VIRTUAL BAG IT FORWARD RULES

* Copy and paste these rules into your blog post.
* Create a blog post giving a “virtual bag of school supplies” to other bloggers or write about your Back to School shopping trip at Walmart.
* Link back to the person who gave you a bag of school supplies.
* Let each person you are giving a virtual bag of school supplies know you have given them a bag.
* Leave your link in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward comment section. You can also find the official rules of this virtual #bagitforward program there.
* Elmer’s is donating $10 for each blog participating in the Virtual Bag It Forward Donation to Adopt-A-Classroom (up to total of $10,000 for blog posts written by September 10, 2010).
* Please note that only one blog post per blog url will count towards the donation.

I’m sending my Virtual Bag to Kendra of Headless Mom fame, challenging her to #bagitforward with Elmer’s!

When I attended Blissdom last month, I won a contest to go to SXSW sponsored by the Eleven Moms and Wal-Mart.  I believe my personal trip is being sponsored by the Pledge to End Hunger, but I haven’t yet been able to connect with their rep.  Although I’ll be attending their panel later this weekend and learning more about it, which I’ll pass on to you as well.  Considering the latest in the Sparks household, it was both a blessing and a curse.  A great way to get my business cards out there for my business venture, Vineyard Virtual Services, but also a difficult time in my personal life to leave.  But I decided to attend anyway.  Well – perhaps I went kicking and screaming based upon my husband and parents’ insistence.

So – here I am…  Currently writing to you from my beautiful hotel room in Austin.  I have yet to meet my roommate.

Poe and I got up at 4am in order to make my 7am flight this morning.  I had a previous engagement the night before, so I wasn’t able to get to bed until midnight.  Makes for a morning reminiscent of the infant years.  As of this writing, the local time is 7:30pm, my body’s time says it’s 5:30pm, and I’m just plain ready to go to bed now.

The plan was to eat at McDonalds on the way.  Which was thwarted by the notion that it wasn’t open yet.

I had one measly cup of coffee before heading into security.  Apparently this flight is particularly  popular, and I was unable to even eat at the airport before boarding.  Security and the shop line were simply too long.  I just really had time to run to the potty and wait for my boarding group.  Sad thing is – that meant that I would be unable to eat until after landing and getting to the hotel and maybe 2:30pm-3pm.

I landed at my Dallas stopover with no issues, but had a slight delay departing for Austin.  There was maintenance…  Ok.  Later, “Maintenance has not yet left the cockpit, so we’ll need to delay further.”  Yeah.  DELAY ALL YOU WANT.  FIX THE COCKPIT.

The flight was delayed by a half hour or so.  The rest was no big deal.  Made my way to the hotel.  Registered for the conference.  Ate some dinner.  Hung out in my room a bit…  And my roommate, Kim arrived along with Robin.  We met and hung a bit and met up with Sugar and went down for a drink.  And met Ori.  Ori was fun and irreverent and the little group we had together was in stitches.  Slightly sleep deprived stupid stitches.  Ended on the right note.

Tomorrow starts with a breakfast conference which I’m sure I’ll tell you all about it.