Get your sleep while you can

Grandma and Grandpa,

I am having some serious second thoughts about leaving this child with the two of you. And by this child, I do not mean Nic, Olivia, Kate or Andrew.

You see, her mother father has allowed her to be a bit spoiled, a bit indulged, and a bit demanding. But in the most adorable of ways. Really it is not something that can be helped. Siblings to hold her at the slightest whim, attention around the clock, and have you seen her? Really, she is just so darn cute! But I am afraid that although you two are outstanding parents and grandparents, she may just do you in.

I mean let's face it, you are not as young as you once were---neither am I! But I can function in my job profession half awake. It is an art I have mastered.

So although I could certainly use a weekend away with my husband, I am wondering if we may be asking a bit much of the two of you. However, you do have some experience with this type of situation, I believe. I once heard that this little girl reminds you of another. So, maybe....

Okay, camel sleep for the next few weeks. Store up as much as you can. And buy a few energy drinks too. Oh yeah, don't forget your vitamins! This mama is getting away.

Love your daughter,
Heidi

Climb up Lunacy Mountain

At the risk of standing alone on Lunacy Island, or maybe more fitting the topic of this post, Lunacy Mountain, I am going to make a bold statement. Wait for it.....

I like winter.

There I said it. I know that some of you are sitting there, mouths agape. Others are just nodding in understanding. You have had me on the precipice of lunacy for quite some time. This just reaffirmed your previous assumptions.

I am okay with it. I can deal.

I have made this assertion privately to my husband a number of times. You know, just to test the feeling of verbalizing such an unpopular opinion. I figured that with a relationship as strong as ours it would be a safe and accepting place to share my innermost feelings. He looks at me with eyebrows raised and says something along the lines of, "Are you out of your mind?"

Why yes, yes I am....apparently. I love you to, honey.

Fashion in general is so much more appealing to me in the months of cold. It is just a fact. I look far better in jeans than shorts. It is just the way it is. And looking good is so key to feeling good. I learned that little nugget from my friends Stacey and Clinton. Fleece is just silly in the summer. And I like fleece. Scarves? I know that the fashionistas would have you believe that a scarf can be worn year round. They are lying. Scarves are for winter. Period. Boots? Who doesn't love a great pair of boots? (I can say that now that I found mine:0)

But there are other things that just make more sense in the winter. For example: Coffee. I love me a good cup of coffee...but the truth is that a cold Diet Coke makes more sense at 8AM in August than a cup of Joe. Flannel sheets. So cozy. So good. Warming up in bed is always a plus. Sweating in bed is just not a pretty picture.

On and on I could go. Really I could. No really, these kind of things go around and around in my head all the time. While the rest of you are working and helping to solve people's problems...I am thinking things of great importance like how difficult it is to straighten my hair in summer's humidity.

So bring on the scorn. I am ready for it. I have extra thick skin in the winter months. It is part of surviving the cold.

...but what do I know?

It was not easy to talk my nine year old down from hysteria last night. But I did it.

He was convinced that they Saintly New Orleans team was gunning for the Vikings front man a little over eagerly. Almost hoping to injury him. Although I could not help but wonder myself at some of the obvious late hits, I did my best to soothe his anger. He just could not understand why anyone would want to hurt someone as old as his man. "Mom, I just want to punch those guys! Don't they know that Favre is 40!!" "Yes Nic, yes they do. And he would not want them to play any other way. He's out there because he still has it in him to do this. Hard hits and all."

But inside I really felt like punching them too.

By the end of the game, despite our heart ache, (which is pretty much synonymous with fan-dom if you choose to cheer for the Vikings), we could not help but be a bit marveled by this man. Yes, some will say he ended the way he has so many times. Being intercepted. Doing something rash instead of calculated and suave. That can, and I am sure will be, debated endlessly by the drones on all of the sports networks. I really do not care about that.

All that I will remember is how much I admire the man's courage. His passion. His strength. And his love of the game. Forty years old and all.

Jumping in with both boots

**Updated for you!**

I would not typically categorize myself as someone with a fear of commitment. In fact, I kind of crave commitment. I like the predictability of it. The constancy. The routine. It makes my little universe seem to run smoothly and efficiently.

But as of late, two years-to be exact, I have had a bit of an issue committing to a new pair of boots. I know, this is life changing blog material right here. Get out your tissues and prepare to be moved.

Tall, dark and mysterious? An ethnic flair? Leather and long-lasting? Synthetic and more of a one-season stand? Sleek and sophisticated? Stout and practical? Heeled and flashy? Flat and comfy? Oh the decisions! Oh the options! How can I give myself to just one?

For two years I have been admiring the feet of others. Well, I should clarify. Admiring the boots on the feet of others. I do not particularly enjoy feet all that much. And for two years I have been saying things such as, "I really want a cute pair of boots." But for two years my tootsies have been waiting. I am a bit of a player when it comes to shoe shopping. I do not want to invest, settle down with, and then grow tired of, a large purchase. Not when something better is bound to come out just seconds after they swipe my credit card.

So for two years I have been whining doing research on the best boot for me. Sitting in the food court at the mall looking over the heads of my jabbering kids and zeroing in on footwear. And I have seen it all. The good, the glamorous, the hooker-ish, the ugly.

Just recently I settled down with a pair. A warm, suede, grey pair of goodness. And although I am certain that we have a few relationship hurdles to overcome...like when it is appropriate to tuck, roll, or be hidden, I am certain that we have a long and healthy relationship ahead of us.

Is five the magic number?

They say, (and I am pretty sure that 'they say' is Oprah...or at least someone who has been on her show), that there are an infinite number of personalities. For as many people that are born, there are equally as many unique personality types. And I have always believed that to be true, I mean, God is super cool like that.

Especially being a mother with more than one child.

I marvelled each time that I became pregnant and the growing baby in my womb would begin to show us that their personality was developing right along with their lungs and extremities. And we further marvelled and experienced the differences when we would bring that baby home. Whether it be sleeping peacefully for hours at a time, or squalling at the very minimal of aggravation, we saw it all. And each one has proven to be uniquely different. Just as 'they say', said that it would be.

That was until baby number five.

I might have leaked a few more brain cells onto the delivery room floor this time, but if I am not mistaken, I have experienced this personality before. I know that memory fades with each pregnancy, but there is something very familiar about this one. Is it possible that five is the magic number for repetition?

Here's the thing...I was much younger when this personality made it's first appearance in our home. Much less tired too.

Oh well, bring it on baby!

I may be older and worn out and tired and a bit forgetful and a bit slower and much saggier, but if time has not done much for my stamina, or body, it has taught me a thing or two.

Sharing the good news

Remember this little guy?

I know that many of you have been following Noah's journey of his diagnosis of Berkitt's Lymphoma since I shared it with you in July. I am not sure, however, how many of you have been able to keep up with the Caring Bridge site, as his family is only able to update sporadically.

Noah, and his family, have been on this journey for six months now. Half of a year that in someways feels like an eternity, I am sure. And yet...when we are all on the other side of this, it will be but a mere moment in our lives.

There have been, and I imagine will continue to be, many bumps in the road for him and his family. As is the road of cancer. He has had good days and very dark days. He has endured surgeries, scans, probing, transfusions...all lingo that is very familiar to any of you who have been affected by cancer in your own family. Through it all, he and his loving family, have persevered. Carried on. Taken one day, sometimes one moment, at a time. Fighting when they could and surrendering when they had too.

As part of his extended family, we all wait in anticipation for the latest report on his 'condition'. We pray and pray and pray...and hope that we will hear a good report when the phone rings. We never give up.

Recently, we were very excited to hear this report from his mama:

"GREAT NEWS!!! Wonderful News!! The PET scans are clear, and when compared to the CT scans it appears that there are no tumors and his lymph nodes look normal!!!! Noah continues to be in remission. Thanks and Praise be to God, this is another blessings He has given us. It was wonderful to get this good news during the Christmas season. Noah has been feeling great, spunky, and acting like his rambunctious self. Noah will still finish the chemo that was outlined at the beginning of his treatment and that means he has 4 more rounds to go through." (Lisa Comes)

Thanks be to God, indeed. In sickness and in health, in joy and in suffering, in worry and in peace, in fear and in faith....God is good. All the time.

Thank you for caring enough to offer a prayer for this boy and his family. Thank you for persevering, thank you for rejoicing along with us.

Not so wordy Wednesday

HURRY! Call in the search party!

Someone has taken my precious little baby....

...and left this adorable little girl!

One of the greatest things

Nursing my children ranks up there as one of the greatest experiences, more accurately, greatest joys, of my life.

Looking into her eyes, seeing the drowsy peacefulness envelope her body, feeling her softness conform to the shape of my waist as her pudgy arm encircles my back, having her stop mid-swallow to look up at me and smile as milk drizzles out from her cheek, breathing in deeply the scent of her head as I snuggle my nose across her warm head, propping her up and tapping out the baby burps before switching sides.... all is as it should be.

I am all that she needs. She relies on me for everything. She can not find what she wants in anyone else. Her affections and primal instincts bring her to only one place. Her mama. And that is a wonderful thing. I am awed and grateful that I have had the privilege of experiencing the goodness of it.

Inspire me

It is time for me to do something that requires skill that I do not possess. So I am turning to you. Well, not necessarily you...YOU as in the proverbial blog-o-sphere of genius. Whatever, you know who you are.

I have wanted to give the girls' room a make over for a long time. But like any other crafty, fixer up, tweaking project around here, it just does not get done. The handiest and craftiest thing I do is turn my television on to HGTV.

So when they beg for a room make-over I shudder and deflect as any good mother would do, "Hey let's go to a movie! 'Alvin & the Chipmunks' anyone?" But that is not cutting it anymore. I am not talking high renovations here. A little paint slapped up on some walls, a new bed covering, a rug here and there. It is not rocket science. But it may as well be.

So help me Rhonda. They, and by they I mean Kate & Olivia, agree on a color choice of blue. The tone and name is where they differ. Olivia swears she wants "Caribbean Blue", mainly because the name sounds exotic and that floats her boat. But when I show her "Caribbean Blue" she is not quite sure. Kate leans toward the teal and turquoise side. Which could and should work with the exotic oceanic ideas of Olivia, but since Kate thought of it, than it is instead a big N-O.

Blue it will be. We are getting somewhere. I want something soothing and simple. Their personalities are better displayed on throw rugs and bed linens, where we can easily change out when we are long past the days of bold polka dots and snazzy stripes.

I have seen the work of many of you. I remember a fantastic room of Cowboy done by this lady, and I remember a table make-over posted by this woman, and I remember a complete kitchen renovation pulled off by this cool chic, and the skills of these two ladies never cease to amaze me. I am just sayin' I know some peeps with skills. So help me out.

Ideas. Suggestions. Great steals on bed, window, floor coverings. Anything. Remember to speak slowly and hand gestures would be appreciated.

Not so wordy Wednesday

This is what you feel like when the snowdrifts are taller than your legs.

Enough already, my baby came 8 months ago

Either the people at Destination Maternity, Old Navy Maternity, Motherhood Maternity, and any and every other brand of maternity store out there, think that I have the gestational period of a frilled Shark or African Elephant, or they just have a very high hope that I must be pregnant again by now.

Without fail, there are no less than three emails in my inbox each and every day from one or more of the above. I get the whole idea of customer retention. Really, I do. That is why I do not grumble at the endless list of advertisements sent my way electronically, because sometimes they work. The catchy titles and promises of free shipping with a kicker of life everlasting do make me click over occasionally. But let's be serious. Maternity wear just isn't all that practical when you are NOT pregnant. And if I made a purchase fourteen months ago, chances are high that I had that baby by now.

Of course, as I mentioned above, they could be checking my purchasing history, cross-referencing that with the probability that I could indeed be pregnant again any day and taking a marketing chance that might pay off.

However, I think I am being profiled.

Did you ever know that you're my hero?

Hail! Hail to Momma Roar! I bow to your vast knowledge of Html codes and photoshop thing-a-ma-jiggy's. Thanks to her, and "The Cutest Blog on the Block", I can have a smanschy new header. And I am diggin' it. Thank you Leigh Ann. Now, go check out her blog here.

Some changes you can see---HELP NEEDED

As you can well see, there is a different look to my blog. Not one that I had in mind, mind you, but necessary all the same.

Quite some time back, a kind and very patient soul in blog land felt compelled to help my helpless self, when she emailed and asked if she could design my blog space. With my input of course. For F.R.E.E. Well of course I had to think about it for a very long time, before hitting reply and cyber shouting, "OF COURSE!!!!" I was not excited or anything.

So the beautiful look that I previously had was a custom design from a giving soul who has since vanished from the face of cyber connectivity. Literally. And all of the widgets, gadgets, and html codes that she used also expired due to her lack of connectivity. Well a few of my side bar thingy-bobbers remain. But I have no idea why or how.

So if you logged on to HeidiJoWhatDoYouKnow anytime in the past week, you may have seen the result of that in the form of thousands of tiny blocks all over my pretty page saying the accounts were no longer active. Yeah, it was startling.

So, thanks to "The Cutest Blog on the Block", which I am perfectly content to use, I have something other than blogger basic.

HOWEVER, I would love my old heading style, or something similar. I found a banner at the same site, but have no idea how to create my own font and heading for it. And now it is time for total honesty. When it comes to computers, I know how to do two things. Type. Shop. That is it. Completely serious.

Does anyone want to be my hero? Help me out? Anyone?