spring_memories
Giveaways

Celebrate Spring Memories With PosterJack #Giveaway

April 4, 2016 /

I have a spring baby. She celebrates her birthday every year right about the time we have our March break. The timing means her birthday celebration is sometimes challenging. People are often away, and if you don’t time it just right we can miss the window to deliver invitations to them, and then miss out on inviting someone special. That’s one reason why this Posterjack spring memories gallery box picture is so meaningful to us as a family.

spring_memories

Spring Memories

This is the other reason this piece is so meaningful to us. My youngest has special needs. She has some communications challenges when dealing with social cues, so birthdays can be a minefield. But this past couple of years she has exceeded expectations at school. She has also carved out many amazing friendships. I am super proud of her, because she’s a resilient child and a fighter. Her good friends accept her and support her, and that’s golden. Ainsley is a girl who is very motivated by her friendships. On days when she is dragging, and has no interest in a particular subject or a test, she always can be reminded that a day without school means a day without seeing her friends.

spring_memories

Posterjack approached me and asked if I’d like to create a special picture from our March break and then also offered a giveaway to one Canadian reader as well. We didn’t go anywhere as a family and we both worked until after March break, so we didn’t really have travel photos from the break. But we did have this girl’s 12th birthday party and sleepover and I had some fun birthday pictures, so that’s what I chose to celebrate as a special memory.

Oh it might seem like a small thing to you. I assure you it is not. Every special needs parent knows the bittersweet nature of birthdays and birthday parties. Our kids often struggle with sensory overload, which is pretty much what birthdays are all about. And sometimes they are the last ones invited to birthday parties, because people do not understand square pegs in a world full of machines that require round pegs. So birthdays and friendships can be so challenging. I know this. I have been there. I have cried many tears over the things my child misses. I’ve held my daughters’ hands tight when walking through the YMCA and spying a roomful of classmates celebrating someone’s birthday together. I’ve seen one deflate when she realized what was happening as I tried to hustle her out the door, failing miserably at shielding her from that pain.

Children’s birthdays are the litmus test for so many things. Every parent wants their child to be happy and to get birthday party invitations. Every parent wants their child to have friends. I don’t need my kids to always have A’s, or to be the valedictorian of their class. I mostly would be happy knowing they have friends.

This PosterJack personalized gift is a gallery box, which I have never tried before. We have many Posterjack pieces around our house and we’ve done two different acrylic blocks in the last year. I love how polished the gallery box looks, surrounded by the tasteful frame. It looks amazing and it is a gift as much for me, as it is for Ainsley. Because every time I look at it I see a successful girl with unique needs who doesn’t let anything stand in her way. I see ability, and hope, and I see the future too. It’s not just a picture to me. It’s everything we have been through to get to a place where this beautiful girl can enjoy a happy birthday, surrounded by good friends.

Ainsley’s friends are super important to her. This Posterjack picture will hang in her bedroom, reminding her of them always.

What is your special memory this spring? What picture would you frame?

[tweetthis]Enter to win a special Posterjack giveaway today. #giveaways[/tweetthis]

Enter below. This giveaway is only open to Canadians. Many thanks to the generous PosterJack people for offering to sponsor this post and giveaway. Good luck! The prize is a $50 credit to use at Posterjack.ca.

Mom of two beautiful active girls, traveller, fitness junkie, social media consultant, and keeper of the sanity.

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