We Are The Godparents!

On Saturday, DH and I went for brunch with his brother and our SIL and they asked us to be godparents to our niece! Technically, DH will be the godparent since he is Catholic and I am not, but I get to be a "Christian Witness" according to things I read on-line. Pfft! I am a Disney fan, so I will just consider myself to be her Fairy Godmother instead! Where's my wand?

I kind of had a pretty good feeling that we were going to be asked and, at first, I was nervous because of the whole non-Catholic uncertainty of it all, but now I am gong to have fun with it!

And, my super powers have already been put to use! My SIL was shopping for curtains for my nieces bedroom and could only find one panel, but I was able to find a matching one buried at the back of the pile! Godmother to the rescue!

Ok, ok, so this is kind of exciting - even for the Protestant Aunt!

Updates From Holland: A Guest Blog By Colton’s Mom

Back in September 2013 I shared a story with all of you titled “Welcome to Holland” in reference to a very special little boy, close to my heart, but I never shared any details about why I wrote this post… until now.

This little boy is my sisters’ son, and my only nephew. He was born September 1st, 2013 and his name is Colton. Soon after being born he was diagnosed with Wolf–Hirschhorn Syndrome (WHS) and his main challenge so far has been with Hypotonia. Every day is a new day, but from what I have seen he is doing amazingly well considering his original prognosis! He seems to be at the lower end of the spectrum and with all of the help and support he has around him, he will succeed! And I couldn’t be prouder of my little sister; she has also been a trooper through all of this and she is one of the best mommies I have ever known!

So, why am I sharing all of this five months later? Well, soon after I mentioned my idea of having guest bloggers, my sister jumped on the bandwagon and wanted to be heard! And without further ado, here is her first posting!

"How do I do it?"

I have been asked a few times "how do I do it?", and I never quite know how to respond. I normally just smile and reply something along the lines of "because I have to." But once I have time to ponder the question (of course this is after the conversation is over), I always have a great response.

How do I do what? How do I care for my son? How do I handle all the stress of juggling doctors and therapy appointments, remembering to give him all his medication daily, keeping his feeds on schedule, trying my best to never forget anything he needs when we leave the comfort of our home? Or, how do I deal with the looks from strangers when we are out in public and I whip out his feeding tube to feed him? Or maybe they are asking how I will help him with all the insecurities he'll have from being different when he's older?

What is it that they want to know exactly?

The problem is not the question. The problem is that they are asking the wrong person. I do what I have to do because he is my son. I do everything for him because I am his mom. He needs me. He relies on me. I do these things because I love him.

The real question is... how does HE do it? How does he handle all of the pain and stress from his rare syndrome? He is the one taking all the medications; I simply give it to him. He's the one eating from a feed tube; I simply mix the formula for him. He's the one being poked and prodded during doctors’ appointments and surgeries; I simply drive him there and offer to comfort him the best I can. And even when the looks from strangers casting pity or confusion are directed towards him; I can only offer him love and show him that no matter how different a person looks, we are all the same inside!

So my answer is… because he is simply amazing! He is so strong and so brave with great determination for such a little boy. Some days are better than others, but isn't that how it is for everyone? I don't know... how do YOU do it?

By: Colton’s Mom

Spring Cleaning

This was posted by Virgin Radio on Facebook this morning and I had to share. It's so true!!!

A LIST of Things you must GET RID of in your house! Guilty! Can you add to the list? Consider this your guide to start.

The near-empty ice cream carton in the freezer
The extra packet of buttons that came with a cardigan
The ratty towel you've been using in lieu of a bath mat
Holiday cards
The treasure trove of plastic grocery bags under your sink
Promotional mugs or glasses that came free with a meal
Piles of ticket stubs, old transit passes, etc., to concerts, movies and places you don't really remember going to in the first place
Any receipts that have accumulated in your pockets or purse (unless it's something you'll need come tax time)
All the stacks of magazines you haven't touched in months
Old invitations for things
Anything you've agreed to take from your parents'
Journals, notebooks and other writing pads you've used maybe twice and then given up on
Paperback novels that didn't change your life
VHS tapes, cassettes and DVDs
Expired medicines
Office supplies you never use, such as pens that no longer work
Old batteries
Instruction manuals for appliances you know how to use
Near-empty booze bottles containing one pathetic shot
Miscellaneous cables, cords and wires
The weird secret stash of chopsticks acquired from all those times the sushi place thought you were ordering for 4 people, not 1
The stash of duck sauce, ketchup, hot mustard and soy sauce packets

Paying It Forward & Guest Bloggers

This was originally posted on Facebook, but I have decided to do this a little bit differently. The original said "the first five people to comment on this status will receive, from me, sometime in the next calendar year, a gift - perhaps a book, or baked goods, something homemade, a candle, music - just a surprise! There will likely be no warning and it will happen whenever the mood strikes me. The CATCH? Those 5 people MUST make the same offer on their Facebook status".

I am going to do this, for myself; and not because Facebook told me to do so! I generally do this kind of thing anyhow, but I will make my five things a little bit more special somehow. And yes, I will inform those five people that this is my pay it forward and if they choose to play along then great! If not, I am fine with that too!  I already have some ideas in mind, I just need to execute them! 

Another thing I had in mind was to let other people guest blog here. I was actually approached by someone about this some time ago and never followed-up. Better late than never! So, if you are interested just let me know! Maybe if you decide to pay it forward with me, you could share here? Just a thought!

A Quote From Paulo Coelho