The PB & J Books Project

Okay, my dear followers and folks that stumble into my blog by accident. It's been many months since I last posted.

That is, in part, because I've been focused on doing something significant.

You see, several months ago, I approached my husband about the book donation we do every year on the twins' birthday. It had started with just us, delivering a few books we personally bought. The next year, a few friends and even a total stranger pitched in. And it got me thinking...

What if we do this as a legit charity?

Our goals are basically this:
We provide donated baby books (new board books) to maternity wards and NICUS, in loving memory of our twins, to encourage bonding, to promote literacy, and to help build precious memories.

I posted about my plans on Facebook, and the feedback and support was positive and swift.

I got to work making a logo and a Facebook page to share our story and successes.

Now, we're still sorting through all the red tape to make it official (ie: so people and companies can make tax-deductible donations). The IRS wants a lot of information, money, and paperwork to give us the stamp of government approval. So, please, bear with us for that.

In the meantime, people have been sending books and donations anyway. Most people donating $10-20 in money or books, aren't seemingly worried about the tax deduction <3

So, while we fine-tune our mission statement and organize a non-profit from the ground up, we need your support. Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram (@pbjbooksproject). Donate if you can. Tell others about our story, and what we're doing.

I am so grateful to get to do this in honor of my babies.

Goodnight Moon - Continuing to Remember

We're quickly approaching two years since the birth, and loss, of our twins.

As you may recall, last year, we donated a couple sets of board books to the maternity ward at IU Methodist (where they were born). The hospital was especially gracious. We met several members of the staff, were able to tour the ward and visit the room adjacent to where I delivered, and to share the story of our babies. They even interviewed us for their website.

We plan to do the same this year. Though we expect it to be much more low-key -- no interview or tour. Brad and I discussed how important it will be over the years to continue to honor and celebrate Bodhi and Jasper, especially doing so with our two youngest boys. We hope it will foster a chance for their brothers to get to know them and feel just as proud of them as we do.

Last year, several family and friends expressed interest in being involved, but since it was our first time trying such a thing we weren't organized or prepared for that. We now have several options for anyone that would like to honor Bodhi & Jasper in remembrance of their one day on earth.

1) You can donate physical copies of the board book Goodnight Moon -- either delivering to us in person, or buying and having it shipped via Amazon (email me on FB or at carollorton@alumni.purdue.edu for shipping address).

2) You can donate funds to us via Paypal (same email as above), that we will use to buy more books ourselves.

or

3) You can make a monetary donation directly to Methodist Health Foundation in their name.

As their mother, I just keep thinking about how awesome it would be to show up at the hospital on their birthday with 10 to 20+ books -- knowing that so many families/children will have something tangible in their daily lives because of Bodhi & Jasper. A chance for them to matter in the world that they didn't get to visit for very long.