tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93696422024-03-13T10:26:35.145-07:00Mommy Monsters Inc.Heidi Hess Saxton and family invite you to stop on by a spell ... Have a cup of tea and marinate in the chaos!Heidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.comBlogger357125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-17655007147149509642011-01-02T09:24:00.000-08:002011-01-02T09:33:20.198-08:00Letter from a Birth Mother: Adoption RealitiesThis morning I opened a comment attached to an old post on one of my blogs, which came from a young woman, “Erin.” Erin is in the middle of a heartbreaking decision, and because she says she reads Catholic websites I wanted to post it here. Erin’s letter reads in part: I am seven months pregnant and am in the process of putting together my adoption plan as I do not intend to keep my unborn son. IHeidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-26093962949122062832010-04-16T19:37:00.001-07:002010-04-16T19:58:55.463-07:00Happy Trails!Dear Friends: Five and a half years ago, I started "Mommy Monsters" as an online journal, to record the ins and outs of raising an "extraordinary family" -- a sibling group that we first fostered, then adopted.As it turns out, five years can be a lifetime. Each week, each day even, brings new joys, new challenges. Above all, they've brought changes: changes in our children, and especially changesHeidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-74202420988615977822010-02-27T05:02:00.000-08:002010-02-27T05:10:50.792-08:00Kamsah hamnida! (Thank you, in Korean)Christopher finally got his next belt (white with yellow stripe) last night! Hip, hip, hurray!Never in your life have you seen a little boy so excited. While all the other kids stood, the picture of dignification (is that a word?), Chris didn't bother to hide his delight.He jumped up and down.He swung his new belt over his head like a lasso.He danced around in circles.He assumed the "Rocky" pose Heidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-10019480937897080582010-02-16T18:43:00.000-08:002010-02-16T19:01:31.038-08:00My Lenten "Re-treat": Forty Days to Home BeautifulOkay, you are all my witnesses. For Lent this year, Heidi is going to SIMPLIFY an BEAUTIFY my home, one area at a time.Sarah's First Communion is coming up May 1, so I have additional incentive, but the primary "push" is the simple fact that I've been feeling as though the walls are closing in on me, and it's time to do something about it! My goal is to tackle one area each week, and include "Heidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-15117960931500408272010-02-01T19:34:00.000-08:002010-02-01T19:41:24.146-08:00How to Read a Non-Fiction Book (Michael Hyatt)Michael Hyatt, the CEO of Thomas Nelson publishers, recently posted this great column, which anyone putting together a book proposal should study closely. Granted, he's talking about reading books -- not proposals -- but many of the same principles apply.Years ago when I was working at Servant, our marketing/sales experts used to say that it takes seven seconds, on average, for a customer to Heidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-29311144988025479412010-01-31T09:42:00.001-08:002010-01-31T09:59:05.705-08:00Mommy ChoicesIt all started with a pointed exchange of ideas."You can't wear that to church, Sarah.""AAAAAAAAAAAAAH! But I WAAAAAAAAAAAAAANT to!" (upper registers of exclamation make the dog run for the door.)"No. You have to trust me on this one. Pink polka dots with brown sequins and blue tights is too much of a fashion statement. Sorry. Now, if you want to wear the brown dress with tights and your little Heidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-40916831093661223682010-01-27T19:36:00.000-08:002010-01-29T09:51:26.043-08:00Ethel Heyer: In the GardenTonight on Facebook I learned of the death of yet another of the staff members at Bethany Fellowship (a Christian community and Bible school where I lived off and on from 1983-1989). The gardens there were lovely, largely thanks to Ethel Heyer. Joyce Haase said that Ethel passed away in her sleep last night, and I couldn't help but think of her bending gently over the heavenly rose Heidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-44513812333786842352010-01-27T06:50:00.000-08:002010-01-27T07:48:39.537-08:00"What Do You Do?" Groping Toward the Light..."What do you do?" is a question one frequently hears when meeting people for the first time. In years past I always had a handy response -- editor for this or that publication or house, student. The thing is, as one main "job" has gone by the wayside, the time is filled with dozens of little hats that don't merit one large label but keep me busy all the same: catechist, columnist, piano player, Heidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-80858084314616299762010-01-18T20:04:00.000-08:002010-01-18T20:28:58.705-08:00Can Can Girls --- Bah, HumbugToday over at EMN I write about our visit at Kalahari Water Park in Sandusky, Ohio.At the risk of sounding like an aging old prune, I gotta tell ya ... I gained a renewed respect for the effects of aging on the body after a day of casting myself (alternating head-first and feet-first) into various wave formations. Let's just say I was sorely (seriously) tempted to blow a week's grocery money on Heidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-52896318476243418662010-01-18T15:27:00.000-08:002010-01-18T15:34:03.291-08:00South Arbor Academy: Spring Auction Ahead - Your Help NeededAt South Arbor Charter Academy, teachers and staff start their day before sunrise. By 7:30, five hundred cars begin filing along curbside as administrators and parents help children with their oversized backpacks into the building. In the gym, students and teachers recite the South Arbor Creed:I am a South Arbor student.I can make a difference by doing my personal best.I will work hard, and Heidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-67269118409861737572010-01-14T06:13:00.000-08:002010-01-14T11:20:36.380-08:00Love Is a BattlefieldThis week I finished reading Elena Maria Vidal's The Night's Dark Shade, and it got me to thinking about all the ways marital fidelity is tested.Sometimes the testing comes from the past: the subtle temptation to dwell on pleasant memories of the past, from a life before our spouse was known to us -- and comparing (with longing or regret) our present moments to the rosy glow of yesterday. Other Heidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-33434598727279362932010-01-13T17:59:00.000-08:002010-01-13T18:17:34.648-08:00In Defense of the Tooth FairyMonday on the way to religious education, I listened as Christopher informed his sister that there is POSITIVELY no Tooth Fairy. Sarah, having a steadily growing stash of cash and no shortage of baby teeth, was none too pleased about this pronouncement."There is TOO a Tooth Fairy. Right, Mom?""No, there's not -- it's always Mom and Dad, right Mom?"*sigh* For a moment, I envied those parents who Heidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-6367635844019116782010-01-06T09:23:00.000-08:002010-01-06T09:28:18.937-08:00Allergy Tests ... Bah, HumbugToday at EMN, I post a story about taking Sarah to get her allergy tests yesterday.I swear, you'd have thought we were skinning her alive. Even though she remembered (after the fact) the sage advice I'd given her about the best way to get a shot: just try to relax and think of something else, so your muscles don't tense up.Yeah, right. One look at those plastic toothpicks, and we practically hadHeidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-1932787224495469782009-12-31T07:26:00.000-08:002009-12-31T08:08:12.108-08:00Thoughts on a New YearThis week Craig and I have spent some time dreaming about the future ... What we hope it will be, what we'd like to be doing and where we'd like to be doing it. Time will tell how many of those dreams will become realities ... but the seeds of dreaming, of wishing, of hoping, of planning have been firmly planted.Craig is 55, I'm ten years younger. Our children are 7 and 9, which means Craig will Heidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-72977278515129876792009-12-31T06:50:00.000-08:002009-12-31T07:02:35.713-08:00Wisdom from "Domestic Felicity"From time to time I receive comments -- often long after a particular entry has been posted -- expressing an alternate viewpoint about some aspect of adoption. What to do with those comments is sometimes a perplexing question. When the remarks are really nasty and (let's just say it) a bit "off," I have no problems deleting them.But when a reader forms a well-thought out and respectful expressionHeidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-11145346167036202342009-12-25T12:57:00.000-08:002009-12-25T16:08:15.721-08:00Lessons Learned This ChristmasIt was a quiet Christmas for us ... shared Christmas Eve with our good friends Katy and Todd and their German exchange student Sammy. It was the perfect exchange: I cooked, they did the dishes. (Any Christmas guests who jump up to do the dishes after dinner are welcome at MY table every year! Ha, ha.)In keeping with tradition, I made a stop at the local World Market to pick up a couple loaves of Heidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-32575777952802776842009-12-22T22:24:00.000-08:002009-12-22T22:25:25.068-08:00Merry Christmas from the Saxtons!Okay, so once again I’ve managed to put off writing out my Christmas cards until the last possible moment. Ironic, given how much writing I do the rest of the year, wouldn’t you say? Then again, most of it is “virtual writing,” so perhaps this is apropos.It has been a good year, generally speaking. Craig has been especially busy at work these past few weeks, although he has been able to do at Heidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-11868777577753673182009-12-11T14:14:00.000-08:002009-12-11T15:14:41.857-08:00Fundraising TipsThe past few weeks I've spent quite a bit of time on various projects intended to raise money for South Arbor Charter Academy, where my children attend. The goal is to raise $50,000 this year, which in restrospect might have been setting the bar a bit high. But, you know, shoot for the stars and you might just clear the trees, right?I know a lot of schools are facing similar funding cuts, and I Heidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-65352166116831531522009-12-10T16:35:00.000-08:002009-12-10T16:41:15.026-08:00Fighting the Bozone Layer: Thanks, Washington Post!From my college friend, Carol Garborg:Here are some of the winners from The Washington Post's yearly neologism contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternative meanings for common words.Coffee (n.), the person upon whom one coughs.Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.Esplanade (v.), to attemptHeidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-14966575994882145572009-12-09T11:02:00.000-08:002009-12-09T11:20:17.890-08:00It's a Dog's Life!Whenever we leave the house, Maddy assumes her favorite position: Propped up on the back of the sofa, paws and snout rooting for a clear spot in the living room curtains. Judging from the state of our curtains, she generally has to root around for a while before she gets a clean spot of glass.Judging from the number of images I googled (see left), it appears to be a common problem. Most people, Heidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-71981431804494333792009-11-26T05:36:00.001-08:002009-11-26T05:47:03.138-08:00Sarah Gives Thanks...We've been up since six. Sarah wanted to get a head-start on her turkeys. Each multi-colored feather is labeled with an "attitude of gratitude" that begins: I am thankful for my mom and dad and __________ (brother, toys, baby sister, etc.)Yesterday Benita, the school secretary, greeted me with six words guaranteed to stop me in my tracks: "Guess what your daughter did today."It seems Benita was Heidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-56294272659404673682009-11-15T07:44:00.000-08:002009-11-15T07:47:03.722-08:00Gotta Book? What Does It Cost to PublishToday I came across this insightful post at Rachel Gardener's blog, which gives breakdown of the hidden costs of publishing abook.Bottom line: A publisher has to be able to pay the bills. So if a publisher is going to invest in your book, is it going to be worth the investment?Heidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-39352719681094609392009-11-14T06:33:00.000-08:002009-11-14T07:58:17.029-08:00Beleagered from Battle..."You gonna catch up on your blog today?" my husband asked as I stumbled out of the bedroom. "You haven't written anything in almost a week now."I smiled. I didn't think he'd noticed. But Craig had seen me stress out all week, and did a sneaky husband bit -- went to the blog to find out what was REALLY going on. Smart guy. If only I'd written on it!This week I was reminded again of the importance Heidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-10481189154281219542009-11-02T06:17:00.000-08:002009-11-02T06:33:16.702-08:00All Souls' DayThis morning as I put the final touches on my religious education lesson for my 20 fifth graders, I think about how to make the lesson memorable for each child. What will they take away from that class? What will they remember a day, a week . . . dare I say it? a decade from now?Today, we study the life of St. Miguel Pro, who donned disguises in order to bring the sacraments to the faithful of Heidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9369642.post-41577100666206827432009-11-01T04:12:00.000-08:002009-11-01T04:26:17.290-08:00Trick or . . . Terrified?Last night when I took my little goblins for their annual "sugar rush" -- circling our friend's development in search of a bucketful of chocolate treats -- the experience was very different than in years past.While the number of dinosaurs and ballerinas and superheroes and ghosts had not diminished, the number of porch lights certainly had. "Times are tough" commented parents to one another as weHeidi Hess Saxtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02791510605285520649noreply@blogger.com0