Ode to October 14th

Twas the night before my birthday
And all through my place
The kids are all missing
Not a one, not a trace.
The husband has driven
To find me a gift
And the children are helping
With this last minute sift.
The sun, it has set,
The clock's nearing eight
Where could they be going
At an hour so late?
I think to myself
Well, they can't go too far...
The gas light is already
On in my car.
You may be wondering
What store is still open?
There's WalMart and Kohl's
Or Costco (he's hopin')
I've cut out some pictures
And dropped a few hints
Something with a big screen
Or that sparkles and glints.
But to tell you the truth
Now that I'm getting old
I'd settle for a twelve pack
Of Diet Coke (cold)
Or maybe some slippers
To shuffle around
Since winter is coming
And snow will abound.
But...Ssssshhhh...Please don't tell him.
My favorite part is
This night spent alone
Without any kids.
Yes, the night before my birthday
When I'm all alone
And everything's quiet
In my cozy home.
And I think that I heard
'Ere he drove out of sight
"Maddox, don't hit your sister
Hadley, please do not fight!"

Free bags!

Girls...check this out...Handbag Planet is giving away free bags....one per hour on the day of their new site launch. Their bags are great and as a bag person...a bag lady?...I think it's fate that they are launching their new site on October 15th. Yeah, that is my birthday...thanks for remembering! So...if you weren't sure what to get me, now you know. Kidding. Sort of.

Mothers

I know it isn't Mother's Day, but...

A few friends of mine have had major obstacles in their lives this past week. It's amazing how much I have thought about these ladies. I keep thinking about "mourning with those that mourn and comforting those that stand in need of comfort" and I feel the need to express something about mothers.

If I am in a store and I see a mom with that panicked look in her eyes calling her lost child's name, I instantly drop what I'm doing and try to help. My eyes fill up with tears, I get a lump in my throat, and my heart starts pounding. Why? Because I am a mom and I understand how terrifying it can be to lose sight of a precious little one.

Maybe that's why I have been crying a lot for the last two weeks. My heart is aching for a little boy in the hospital with burns all over his body (and for his mom), for another mom with a child with kidney disease and a second in the hospital with meningitis, and mostly for a mom who lost her sweet little 15 month old on the week she is set to deliver her fifth child. I cannot stop thinking about these friends and the aches in their heart. I tried really hard to explain myself to my husband. I don't think he gets it. I think he was considering doing research on anti-depressants for me. Why am I so sad? Because I am a mom and I understand. I haven't been in the same position as these three strong women but I have had my share of heartache with my own children and I know how much we mothers LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our babies.

I guess somewhere deep down in my heart, I hope that my sadness can take away a little of their pain. I hope the tears that I shed for those moms and their babies will make it so that they can cry a little less. I pray that I can bear a little of their load so that they can get out of bed tomorrow. I know without a doubt that during my hardest times, there were other mothers, my own included, who cried tears for me and felt my pain.

Thank you, Moms. I love you!

Regarding....

So...a while ago, I posted a "MY LIFE RULES" in response to this hilarious Deseret News article that a friend forwarded. I, personally, found it to be too true! So I figured...why not go ahead and add to the stereotype. Not to say that I wasn't feeling Seriously So Blessed at the moment that I wrote the post. I do have great kids and a great husband. I really do. I even have a great life. But I think we are a little too real around here sometimes. Does anyone else find that looking around the blogosphere can make you fee like a total loser slob in sweats with dirty hair, dirty kids and a dirty house? I look around at everyone else's pictures and wonder what I'm doing wrong. My kids are never THAT CLEAN with shiny faces, perfect hair and smiles. More likely, you'll find us at the dentist getting a cavity filled, at the audiologist having a cochlear implant adjusted, or at Wal-Mart having a temper tantrum. Unfortunate, I know. We are just too normal.

Anyhow, I saw yet another reference to Seriously So Blessed on Rachel's blog, which, by the way, is pretty honest and also makes me laugh. (Thanks, Rachel!) Thought some of the rest of you guys may find her offensive and/or funny. Take your pick. It's some serious self mockery. Don't we all need some of that sometimes? On the other hand....I did take off my "All This Because Two People Fell in Love" widget when I realized that Seriously So Blessed was making fun of it on HER blog. Thanks a lot, SSB! But you are funny....

Still from Michigan after all these years!

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North   You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
The Northeast
Philadelphia
The Midland
The South
Boston
The West
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

This surprised me. I thought I had a little more Florida in me and that possibly, after spending 15 years in Utah, some of it had rubbed off. I guess not!

Tag!

Thanks, Jamie. I had fun reading your tag. Here goes nothing....

1. Where is your cell phone? Good question. Really good question. Maddox? Where's Mommy's phone?
2. Where is your significant other? Taking cookies to the neighbors.
3. Your hair color? A new, rich shade of dark brown. I know...can you believe it?
4. Your mother? At home making lasagna.
5. Your father? Waiting for the lasagna.
6. Your favorite thing? Family
7. Your dream last night? I don't remember. That's a good thing, though.
8. Your dream/goal? Get my Ph.D. and teach on a university level.
9. The room you’re in? Our study.
10. Your hobby? My preschool, I guess.
11. Your fear? Running out of things. Why did you buy so many rolls of paper towels, Misha? I don't know. I just don't want to run out. Oh, yeah, also....that Stew will sign us up for co-ed softball again. AWFUL.
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Here is good. Not to imply a lack of progress but I'm okay with here. Although...in 6 years, all of my kids will be at school ALL DAY LONG. It doesn't get much better than that.
13. Where were you last night? Grocery store, home watching football and eating pizza.
14. What you’re not? Punctual
15. One of your wish-list items? A soda fountain
16. Where you grew up? Stuart, Florida
17. The last thing you did? Got a fresh, cold Diet Coke.
18. What are you wearing? Orange skirt, cream cardigan.
19. Your TV? Off. Hallelujah. That's 'cause the significant other isn't home. Otherwise, I'd be able to hear one of the ESPNs or the talking heads endless analysis of why our economy is in the tank and who will be the next president.
20. Your pet? A freshly groomed Miniature Schnauzer named Bella
21. Your computer? Almost exclusively used for Webkinz. Don't know what that is? Guess you don't have a 7 year old girl!
22. Your mood? Good mellow.
23. Missing someone? Not really. Just the old me, I guess. You know, the one with a little free time, painted toenails, and new music.
24. Your car? Full of cheerios and gas (that cost way too much money) with BYU plates.
25. Something you’re not wearing? shoes
26. Favorite store? Costco. Sick, right?
27. Your summer? Too hot, too short.
28. Love someone? Lots of someones.
29. Your favorite color? Cougar Blue!
30. When is the last time you laughed? 20 minutes ago. Maddox is supposed to be napping but he's potty trained now so he has figured out that by saying he needs to go to the potty, he gets out of the nap. Clever little boy!
31. Last time you cried? Last Sunday while teaching the Relief Society lesson on death.

Now, how many am I supposed to tag? I'll tag four.
Becca C., Rachel P., Ciara and Bridget ....you are all it!

Blue skies and not so sleepless in Seattle

Should the very first thing mentioned be the football game? Maybe. But I won't. I must first tell you that I finally feel as though I have caught up on my sleep. The concept of a sleep bank, once introduced to me, states that if you are not sleeping enough, you are in the red. Let me tell you, I have been seriously overdrawn for a long, long time. Having a baby in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit for 6 weeks will plummet you into insolvency in no time. Then, bringing home a cute kiddo who can't go for more then 1 to 2 hours at a time without eating just about left me bankrupt. Little by little, though, I have been moving back to stability. This weekend, Stewart and I went to Seattle to see the city. Yeah, right! You all know that we REALLY went to see the football game but I'm going to pretend that we went for a romantic getaway. So what did I do? I slept every night for at least 10 hours straight. Nothing woke me up in the night. I didn't wake up to go to the bathroom or to comfort a crying child. I just SLEPT and it was fantastic.

And the weather....oh, the weather! It was glorious. Everyone says Seattle is rainy and gray and I think it's just a big lie to keep the world from knowing how beautiful it is there. They are such environmentalists that maybe they pretend it's gray and miserable so it doesn't get too crowded. I loved the trees. Maybe they water them a lot because they sure are tall. What? It rains a lot? Oh. Well...I still think that's a lie.

Now, the football game. Stew, sorry, it doesn't get top billing for me. But thanks for a fantastic time. Can you believe that call? Can you believe what whiners those Huskies are? Seriously. The rules are the rules. And besides, we did block that extra point. And even if we hadn't, I think we'd have won it in overtime. We had just made 97 and 84 yard drives in our 2 previous possessions. There were about 10,000 other blue clad screaming fans with us and we loved every second of it. The really close games are always fun. Maybe my heart was pounding and my palms were sweating the whole time. Maybe. That speeds up your metabolism and helps with weight loss, though, right? And, yes, I HAVE become a huge football fan in my 10 1/2 years of marriage. Go Cougars! Looking forward to UCLA next week.

Also fun in Seattle: really amazing Yankees Mariners baseball game, killer seafood at a few restaurants, touristy boat ride in the harbor, more great seafood, crabcakes with caviar, Alaskan Halibut (Oscar style, of course, for a little more crab), one of the biggest cinnamon rolls I've ever eaten in my life, the fish market, so many sights and smells, and most importantly, the first trip with my husband and no diapers, wipes, strollers, car seats or port-a-cribs for a very long time.