Premiering Tuesday, September 27 at 9 p.m. on the Style Network, the documentary “Sperm Donor” will explore the relationship between sperm donors, their offspring, and resulting siblings. The show is part of the “Style Exposed” series, which began in July.
This Tuesday’s episode will follow the story of Ben, who recently discovered that his sperm has already helped to create 74 children and is still being used. More than 10 years ago, while Ben was still in college, he donated his sperm and is now using the Donor Sibling Registry (DSR) to find some of his offspring. During the documentary Ben prepares to connect with two of his daughters and grapples with telling his fiancé the news.
The episode will also follow the story of two half-sisters who discover that their mothers used the same sperm donor. They too use DSR to find each other.
Previous ”Style Exposed” documentaries include “Psychic in Suburbia” and “ Born Male, Living Female.”
In college I remember reading an article about egg donation and how much money a donor could make. For a second I actually considered it (which, considering my diagnosis of PCOS is a little funny to think about - how naive I was....). Sperm donation is an amazing thing, and the ability to assist someone in creating the child they long for is a wonderful gift, but to the donors ever thing about what could happen if their sample became THIS popular?
It was a long awaited event, and now that it has passed, I actually feel like I have a one year old. (I've been fighting that reality for awhile now...)
Her birthday was a week ago, but we pushed it back so my visiting aunt could attend. It turns out it was a great choice because it also allowed some busy friends to attend as well.
However, even with the extra week, I still could have done better.
I planned a menu that featured some of Hannah's favorite foods and one menu item was supposed to feature blueberries.
I was going to make blueberry cheesecake bites like this:
but I was going to make it easy on myself and buy the Philadelphia Cheesecake filling in the tub - hey! I'm working here! - but according to two different grocery store managers, they no longer make/carry/sell it. Damn!
I still had the graham crackers and blueberries, and Chris brought home some cream cheese for me to make my own cheesecake, but really - who has time to make cheesecake AND ten layers of birthday cake?
Yes, you heard me right. TEN layers of birthday cake. Because I'm INSANE.
I admit that I also put family members to work the second they walked in the door and even made a guest hang a banner.
Oh, and I made my photographer friend take pictures while we opened gifts.
{Basically I just thrust our nice camera into his hands and told him to go crazy with it.}
You might think that's a little ... rude? presumptuous? rude?
Meh! He didn't complain at all and, in fact, took some fabulous pictures.
He's hired!
....Well, I'll at least send him a really nice thank you card.
Like I said - I'm not perfect.
But my little ONE YEAR OLD daughter sure is close!
Stay tuned for lots of birthday photos to explode all over this blog tomorrow.
Chris and I have this running conversation about what we'd do if we won the lottery, and it's gotten to the point where we truly believe that we will one day WIN the lottery.
Although it's fairly diluted, I'm okay with living in this fantasy land.
Sometimes I think about what I'd do if I had an unlimited income, and today I'm thinking of the people I'd hire.
Wouldn't everyone? While cleaning can be theraputic, I'd gladly let someone else do the vast majority of the 'therapy' while I play with Hannah on my weekends. Can you imagine not having to scrub toilets or put away laundry?
But I think that's where his 'love' of all things yard related ends.
If someone would regularly mow the yard and prune the trees I'd be happy.
If someone would weed the garden and treat any issues like leaf mold or low nutrients or .... whatever maintenance gardens need, I'd be blissfully happy.
But if someone would come in and completely overhaul our entire back AND front yard's landscaping, I'd be over the moon excited.
I like the 'idea' of cooking, but once I start doing it I realize how low my aptitude for cooking really is. I appreciate yummy food, but I don't care about all the spice and cooking nuance that it takes to GET food to taste yummy. Jamie Oliver would be hired in a second. or at least a reasonably handsome and talented knock off.
I have a million well intentioned thoughts every day. Here's the first five thoughts that come to my mind:
a) send a thank you note to SIL for the giant box of 18m and 24m hand me downs she sent to us (along with the picnic basket toy - too cute!)
b) that reminds me that Chris still needs to actually SEND his niece's birthday gift. utter failure this year...
c) I have to bake Hannah's birthday cake and her little personal cake. How am I going to frost them? I should probably practice.
d) I need to finish REfinishing that dresser. It would have been the perfect cake table but not half stripped like it currently is. I bought the paint (do I have primer?) and some stripper to finish the job, I just need some Hannah free time to do it.
e) I need to make the stand for the french fries. And apparently find a new cake table....
See - those are 5 rapid fire, real time thoughts. Random to-do's that could easily be completed by a personal assistant. Now that I'm back to working full time (the week before her party - what WAS I thinking?) I almost feel like I deserve it.
It would be great if there was someone that would run this blog and optimize the heck out of it. Not WRITE the content, just stay on me to keep it fresh. I'd also have him organize messages, comments and letters into those are need a quick questions answers, those that need a thoughtful response, and those to reread on days where I feel defeated.
I suppose I could do this one myself using gmail folders..... hmmm.
I take pride in my accomplishments and like being fairly independent, but if I can delegate some of the less-than-stellar jobs to someone OTHER than Chris, I'd do it in an instant.
Yesterday Hannah & I attended a consignment event with Jessica & Ethan and while shopping between the toy and book sections, I found this round gauzy THING shoved under the table. It was wrapped up pretty tight, but appeared to be a bed canopy. It only cost $3 so I took a chance.
After some investigation online, I discovered that it is IKEA's Fabler bed canopy and retails for $20.
Score.
This afternoon, I gathered up the canopy, Hannah's stuffed animal collection, a wicker-ish laundry basket I bought at Goodwill ($3) months ago, a cushion I made for the dogs that was never actually USED by the dogs, and some blankets. The resulting transformation:
The leaves are changing, the school buses are driving 10 miles under the speed limit right in front of you and then stopping at all the train tracks... it was a long commute this morning... and, most importantly:
your kids just finished a growth spurt and nothing fits anymore.
No Clothes?! oh NO!!
Have no fear! It's fall consignment event season!!
Do you have no idea what a consignment event is?
It's a bunch of parents that, instead of donating to Goodwill or selling at a consignment STORE, have all gotten together to sell their kid gear at one big blowout weekend event. They clear out their garage and get paid quickly and YOU get to buy fabulous clothing, strollers, toys, cloth diapers, maternity clothes, at a fraction of the price.
Too good for 2nd hand clothes?
Well if you're shopping for size Newborn-12 months, many clothes might still have the tags on them because the baby simply outgrew it before they could wear it.
Still too good for 2nd hand clothes?
... then we probably wouldn't be friends in real life.
Moving on.
If you're still confused, here are some of my previous hauls:
The #1 questions I get is "How can I find consignment events in my area?"
You can also google "consignment event {your city/big city near you}"
Check out craigslist.org! Quality search terms include "consignment event sale second hand, etc" and you can always just scan through the baby/kids section.
Community papers, bulletin boards at your pediatrician office, gymboree, little gym might have fliers. Sometimes walking into a baby boutique and just asking the clerk if they now of any events near you. If you still can't find any you could always ask the sales person at your local consignment store. Keep in mind that the event is probably in direct competition with them (unless they are the ones hosting it) so they might 'have no idea'.... riiight.
Always start by getting a lay of the land.
When going to a sale, do a quick sweep of the sale's layout. Sometimes there is a little nook filled with gold. Sometimes the ergo carriers are with the strollers, sometimes they are with the maternity clothes. Sometimes the (ridiculously expensive when purchased brand new) shoes are in plain sight, sometimes they are at the end of a row of clothing or hidden in a back corner.
Make sure you come to the sale with a wish list.
Do you want to by cloth diapers, a lamp for the nursery, robeez shoes, wooden toys and winter hats?
Scan those sections and shop the one with the lowest inventory first.
Know about the 'Secret' sale hours.
Most times there are special presale shopping hours for those that are selling items, those that volunteer for shifts and first time moms/teen moms/ foster parents/ teachers. If these time are not easily visible on the sale's website, see if the sale has a facebook page. Most likely there will be many consigner talking on the facebook wall about tagging their items, when to drop off and when the presale is. If you're available to shop on that day and either (1) are expecting or have a baby under a year old or (2) can volunteer at the sale, contact the person running the event (look on the facebook info tab if the email is not visible on the webpage) and ASK. It never hurts to ASK.
Give a little to get a LOT.
Volunteering to work a shift or two will let you beat out hundreds of shoppers and buy the quality items. I've volunteered multiple times. Sometimes I help the cashier by counting and bagging items (which is a good job if you're pregnant because you don't have to walk/waddle anywhere and sometimes they have stools for you to sit down), sometimes I am a greeter (which is a good job if you have a baby and own a carrier - just wear the baby during the sale and if you need a nursing break, they'll understand and accommodate you. PLUS, all you do is just say HI! Even if you're shy - it's worth it to shop early - but if you are painfully shy, ask to work at the HOLD area. All you do is take people's full bags, write their name down and HOLD it for them until they're ready to check out. Easy peasy. There are plenty of other positions, but those are the three I'm most familiar with.
Follow the Rules.
Every sale has their own rules. Realize that the rules exist for a reason and respect them. If they ask for 'no strollers at the presale' then leave the baby with daddy or strap on your sling/wrap/carrier. If they ask you to bring your own bags - do so. Otherwise they'll probably have some thin ghetto bags to carry your stuff in and they'll rip as you're walking to the car, and you'll have to pick up all your - now dirty - items while managing a baby, or belly, or people pointing at you.
And you'll deserve it because YOU FORGOT YOUR BAG.
:)
I think that's about it.
Does anyone else have any tips, tricks or suggestions for consignment event newbies?
