Horns and a halo

I promise this is not a statement about their personalities. It's October ... are you busting out the pumpkins and Halloween decor?

Operation Uniform

Since I stood in my bathtub yesterday and snapped a few photos, I've decided to go ahead and open up this project today. So without fanfare and any notice, here goes ...

I see this project taking shape with the universal theme of giving women ways to not wear sweatpants all day long and how to look more pulled together and polished in a few outfits that may become part of your "uniform."

Just like how when you see the kids going to private school in their navy polo and khaki shorts ... they always look nice and they didn't have to think much about what to wear that morning. Hopefully this will be the same way. Women across the world can finally open their closet, grab a few items, and look great! (I have to laugh here, because I don't have that many readers, but bear with me!)

I would also say, when you link to your post, let us know what you would like advice about ... are you trying to perfect an outfit to wear to your a college roomie's wedding, do you need to pick out a power suit to ask your boss for a raise, do you need a go-to outfit other than black pants and a pink sweater? So, grab your camera and start snapping your outfits, then post it to your blog, and link to it here!

I thought you might get sick of the same pose ... so I sat down for a few. And, I may have to dig out a full length mirror. I get too distracted looking at bath tub toys, or whether or not I have soap scum to concentrate on the photo!

I am wearing:
Gap blue jean jacket, circa ???. This has been one of my staples pieces for year. Every Fall I pull it out and wear it through Spring.
White Ann Taylor loft tee
Gap khaki/greenish pants
Target metallic flats
Target big chunky necklace from a few years ago. (See, I listened to you last week!)

I like this outfit. After taking my photo, I realized that these pants are too big. Normally that would make me happy, but they are big in all the wrong places. I need to find good fitting pants that I can put on with anything. I've been looking at these from Lands End. They are the new modern fit and they can be hemmed to any length. I've had good luck with their sweaters, but I've never ordered pants. Anyone who has bought these before?

Any pants that you love and can't live without? I have loved a few in the past, but I've ended up having issues with many of them ... this pair that I'm wearing being one of them.

So post and link away. I'll keep this up for 2 days, so grab your cameras and share!

Runnin'

Maddy and Libby have been doing their fair share of races lately and all for a good cause. My wonderful running buddies volunteered to help me push them at each race. When you have 60+ pounds to push, you'll take all the help you can get and I definitely needed their help.

Luckily, both races coincided with what is normally Maddy and Libby's morning nap time (when they still take it), so they both zonked out for a while and were happy the entire time. And if you are in the market for a jog stroller, go BOB or go home. I won't say pushing them on hilly courses is easy, but this stroller definitely makes it so much manageable.

With Jules and MM before the Miles for Matthew 10k started.
Can you tell it's almost nap time?

With ET after the Women's Only 5K.

Coming in at the finish of the Women's Only 5k to benefit local mammogram scholarships.
You may not be able to see it, but that was up a hill
and just before that was an even bigger hill.

Did you know?

That Target has a line of "Fit Solutions" dresses, tops, and jeans from Merona. Leave it to Target to figure out something this ingenious.

I was in today to pick up diapers (shocking) and came across a cute, black v-neck dress. If you follow the link, I tried on the dress that is on the second row, short sleeved dress. It looked like it would be one of those perfect LBD's that could be dressed up or down. I thought it would be a perfect addition to the "uniform" project.

Well, I wish someone would have warned me about the girdle inside the dress. Let's just say I laughed out loud trying to get the dress on, situated, and pulled into position. But, I have to say that it actually worked. I could barely move my legs more than a foot apart, but I looked sucked in without any lumps and bumps.

I didn't purchase it today, but it's definitely something that I may consider. And for $24.99, what's not to love? I will be posting this week about the uniform project, trying to figure out how the link gadgets work, etc. Stay tuned and get your outfits ready!

Fashion critique

Thanks so much for the comments. It's funny, because I thought about putting on a different colored tee under the sweater, but just opted for the white because I saw it hanging in my closet. I will definitely try out a color the next time. And the v-neck/elongate rule ... I usually remember this one!

I think I'll definitely try to make this a weekly installment and hopefully I can post some current clothes and also some new purchases and tips on how to make a good "uniform."

I am such a creature of habit and typically stick to the classics which can sometimes read a bit boring. I like the idea of trying out some necklaces and incorporating a few new pieces that can be used for multiple outfits. I should probably buy this necklace which truly is one of those items that you go "why didn't I think of this!?" My friends started a company and are selling these through their website. I also love the colors in this one. I think either of these are similar to what everyone was talking about, plus I think they are also sturdy enough to withstand two 15-month-olds.

So, if I made this a weekly installment, would anyone else want to play and show us what you're wearing? Maybe we can all share some good ideas, cute shoes, deals and coupons, our new "faves", etc. Any takers out there to post their fashion adventures for the world to see?

Uniform Attempt: Day One

So, I have to post this photo with a few disclaimers.

Yes, I am standing in our bathtub. It's the only full length mirror in the house and yes, I will admit to standing in the tub in heels and a party dress to make sure that everything was in check.

Yes, Hubby ... you will think I am crazy for standing in the tub and taking photos of myself. But, you married me so you probably already know about all of my "quirks."

Yes, there are mirrors all around the tub. Installed by the previous owners. Not what I would have picked, but it does add a lot of light to our bathroom and Maddy and Libby love laughing at themselves in the mirror when they are in the tub. Plus, they also love placing little hand prints all over the mirrors.

So, luckily, all of the items were in my closet, still fit, and work for my uniform attempt.

I am wearing:

Old Navy white cardigan from last year.
White tank from Target, I believe.
My beloved Joe's Jeans.
Pewter flats from Target.
My usual jewelry - wedding rings, Tiffany bracelet, watch, and pearl stud earrings. No necklace because the girls love to pull on them.

This will definitely be good for working from home, running errands, and I would even do this for dinner with Hubby, or a casual outing with friends. The shoes will likely get kicked off, but that's OK because then Maddy and Libby will have two new toys.

A few self-criticizing notes ... these jeans are a little long to wear with flats, the cardi really doesn't do much to define my waist and I wish it were a tad longer, but all in all, this is definitely better than staying in running clothes all day.

Uniform

I have decided that I no longer like to shop, because I always leave frustrated. I used to love to shop ... I used to work for a major shopping center developer, so I shopped all day long, I mean on my lunch hour.

Anyway ... I looked around for a bit today and left empty-handed. Big drapey sweaters, while cute and bohemian, do nothing when you're 5'3" and have hips. It looks like a big ol' mish mash of yarn that is too short to be a dress and too long to be a sweater.

I really want someone to come and go through my closet and tell me what to keep, what to donate, and to take me shopping for what I need. I really want to be on What's Not to Wear.

I need the following go-to outfits/uniforms:

* Everyday - when I do change out of my workout clothes or PJ's and would like to be comfortable, but still look pulled together.

* For when I have to go to work for an event and want to look a little more professional and polished.

* For when I have Junior League meetings, or Hubby and I actually have a date, or go somewhere. So, maybe this would be cute, still pulled together, but possibly a little more special.

I could live in a good pair of pants or jeans, white tee shirt, with a cardigan or my blue jean jacket if I'm not wearing jeans. Is this too boring if I do this every day? Will someone come and raid my closet and shop with me? And maybe teach me how to incorporate fun shoes or a good piece of jewelry? Or give me recommendations on where you find your "uniforms?"

Please?

I don't want to scare people this fall when I'm still wearing my running shorts and a sweatshirt revealing white pasty legs. Think of this as a public service for my local community.

I got duped

When I bought my trusted box of Quaker Oatmeal Squares over the weekend, I thought the box looked pretty small.

When I got it home and compared it to the box I had at home, I realized just how small it was.


A whole 8 ounces smaller for the same price.

I definitely need to find something else for my breakfast menu.

Ball Pit Mayhem

At a recent consignment sale, I spotted a ball pit with OVER 200 BALLS!!! I should have known when that's the way the tag is written up, that you should just step away. But, I caved. What's one more big plastic thing with OVER 200 BALLS!!!?

Today has been cool and rainy, so I thought it would be the perfect day to try this thing out. While Maddy and Libby were down for their nap, I brought it out and pumped up the container portion. Then, I wiped off each and every one of the OVER 200 BALLS!!! with antibacterial wipes.

They have definitely had fun this afternoon playing in the pit, licking almost all of the OVER 200 BALLS!!!, and throwing them out as well. Our family room currently looks like a bomb went off and left, wait for it ..., OVER 200 BALLS!!!

Who, me? I wasn't throwing any.

Checking it out.

Maddy tasting each and every one.

Libby wasn't so sure about "swimming" in the pit.

Libby's fast little hands throwing the balls over the edge.

And other ways

that I torture my children.

I take a lot of (good-natured) teasing from some of my friends about the foods that I make for Maddy and Libby. I'm proud of the fact that they are 15-months-old and have never tasted a chicken nugget. I'm proud that they devour avocado, fresh fruit, tomatoes, peas, and various other foods that I probably would have spit out when I was their age. Or at 36. Peas. Blech.

By no means am I an all-organic hippie mom, growing her own veggies, and only serving all natural unprocessed foods, but there are days that I wish I could live that simply and be better about being a "locavore." I also don't mention the bag of Halloween candy that I bought yesterday and it's already short a few pieces. I'm not trying to save the world - just trying to find a good variety of healthy foods for my family.

I feel strongly that as a parent, I am charged to keep my children healthy, happy, and loved. I think by offering a variety of healthy foods at an early age can only do good for them. Sure, they still get cookies after lunch, but I try to make sure that they are somewhat healthy and not totally loaded with sugar. They have many years ahead of them to start buying Halloween candy in September if they choose.

I am always looking for new veggies or new ways to introduce veggies to Maddy and Libby. I'm sure peas for lunch every day would get a little old. Now that they are a bit older and are great self-feeders, I was happy to find Wholesome Toddler Foods. I loved their Baby Foods website and found many of our puree recipes from their site.

One that caught my eye were the spinach nuggets. I didn't have all the required spinach on hand, but I did have broccoli so I decided to improvise. After all, who doesn't want their kids to eat another veggie and serving of dairy?

Freshly grated Cabot extra sharp cheddar.

Choppin' broccoli.

Here is the recipe (adapted) from their site:

Spinach (or Broccoli) Nuggets

1 16-oz package frozen chopped broccoli, cooked, drained, and chopped further if needed .
1 cup bread crumbs
1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese *I used Cabot Extra Sharp cheddar, because it is the World's best cheddar!
3 Large eggs

Heat oven to 375F

1. Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil and set aside.
2. Combine all remaining ingredients and mix well. *Add seasonings if you like - garlic powder, pepper, extra basil & oregano for example. Add a fruit or veggie puree to substitute for the eggs if desired*.
3. Shape mixture into nuggets or fun shapes such as squares or squigglies etc..and place on baking tray. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turn nuggets over after 15 minutes. Serve warm

You can "roll" this out and then try using small cookie cutters to make these into fun shapes!

I tried to roll out the "dough", and make heart shapes, but just ended up forming them into circles instead. It seemed a little too sticky so I just did spoonfuls.

Ready for the oven.

So, here are a few "after" photos. Happy girls, don't you think? And, I'm pleased to report that they ate all of their "nuggets." Unfortunately, they still left the sweet potatoes on the tray. They used to love them as a puree, but baked and diced, not so much.

Libby chowing down.

Maddy loves 'maters.

By the way, the nuggets were really good. I had a couple for my lunch too. Hmmm, maybe it would work on Hubby.

Sucker

I'm a sucker for good marketing/advertising campaigns.

We just booked our hotel for NYC, and not only does this hotel seem to have a great location, a "hidden" burger joint, but they also had very tongue-in-cheek marketing on their website.

This was taken from the website that describes their rooms.

Park Views? Further than the eye can see.
Comfy Beds? Better than sleeping with the fishes.
DVD/CD players? Oh yeah.
Hi-Speed Web? What do you think?
Humongous TV's? Stole 'em from Times Square.
Showers for Two? Even Two Sumo-Wrestlers.
Desk Space? The Envy of Your Boss.

Now to start planning where to go and what to do. This, of course is all based on hoping that Hubby will be able to walk the day after the marathon.

Tone that Zone

I started a Tone Zone class with my friend, E on Monday. The same woman who is our running coach also has a small classroom/fitness center and this is one of her exercise/torture classes.

We were late starting the class for the month of September, but she's repeating it again for October, so we'll be able to have 6 weeks of toning.

If you remember, I used to do Boot Camp classes, and hey ... I just ran a half marathon, so I was feeling good about the class. I also haven't done any exercise like this since before I had Maddy and Libby, so I will readily admit that I'm a bit out of shape when it comes to any kind of core fitness.

Ummm, let's just say, I'm still hobbling around like an old lady this morning. We were supposed to have our arms and core session today, but we have had to reschedule due to rain.

I feel good about the soreness in my abs ... I haven't felt that in so long. Plus, I'm hoping that it means there's a washboard under this big pile of laundry! But, not being able to sit without moaning is another story.

Girl talk

Don't you wonder what they're talking about in there?

I'm not an interior designer

Not just no, but hell no. Wrong on so many levels.

If I can't laugh at myself, who will?

I woke up this morning at 5:45. Way too early, so I rolled back over and didn't wake up again until 7:45. And, the house was still quiet. The girls were still sleeping, so I crept downstairs to get breakfast started. Oh, and did I mention that I've been single parenting since Monday? It is hard.

I had to get them out of the house by a few minutes before 9am and wow did that 1hr. and 15 minutes ever fly by.

A few things that were going on this morning ....

• Maddy won't keep her PJ pants on. She's just figured out that she can take them off, so I just decided to let her crawl around in the diaper. It's cute, she's happy, but the pants thing just make me laugh.
• Got them fed (1 scrambled egg, strawberries, 1/2 banana, handful of cheerios, 1/2 of a bagel, and milk for each). Lord help us when they are teenagers. I already feel like they're going to eat us out of house and home.
• Some slapping incident (Maddy on Libby's face). Libby was not a happy camper, and Maddy doesn't quite understand what "no" means. Drama.
• Wet paws with the dogs due to rain. Ugh.
• Wet bottoms on the girls due to both sitting down in the grass while I was trying to get the backpacks in the car.
• Oh, and me dressed in my workout clothes to take them to school. Like I was going to work out. Ha. I just had to put on something that didn't resemble PJ's so I could get them to school and hit the ground running on work errands.
• And what made me laugh even harder were the Moms (with kids and without) that I saw today dressed exactly like me. I bet 95% of us didn't even drive past a gym this morning.
  

Should I?

Home

I really feel like the grocery store is my home away from home, and that Maddy and Libby are going to eat us out of house & home.

I am so thankful that they are good eaters, but I feel like trips to Harris Teeter are becoming daily, or twice a day. I had to go there again today to exchange a box of Cheerios. Yes, I was that woman walking in with my big ol' box of Honey Nut Cheerios. Hubby picked them up accidentally when he was there yesterday, but we just eat the plain ones. I don't think the girls are allergic to nuts, but I'm not willing to test it out just yet.

So, I just finished baking three chicken breasts and a batch of turkey meatballs. It's so much easier to bake in larger amounts, then freeze the majority of it. I can then get out what we need for the day and not have to worry about making something right then.

Growing up, we typically had standard meals on certain days and I can now understand why. As much as I hated "Hot Dog Monday", I know that it was probably much easier for Mom to plan ahead and not have to stress about what she was making for dinner.

Any tricks that you do to help mealtime and meal planning run more smoothly?

One tip that a friend of mine does (that I've never been this organized to do) is she plans her family's weekly meals and they are posted on the fridge so the entire family can see them. On the back of each color-coded, laminated card, she has the recipe printed so she immediately know what she needs to buy, how long it takes to bake, that she needs to defrost chicken that day, etc. I think her daughters (5th and 7th grade) also help out more and they also get excited when they see the "Dad's Choice" card which ultimately means dinner at Chick Fil A.

What a week

From Sunday til today, I've

• Finished my fourth half marathon
• Enjoyed some cocktails with good friends post race and danced with a reggae band after said cocktails.
• Ate my weight in yummy food after the race. Cheeseburger, french fries, crab cakes, omelet, Nutter Butter cookies. Why else do you run if you can't enjoy the food afterwards?
• Felt like I looked pregnant on Sunday night wearing my new "cute" dress. Perhaps it was all of the food?
• Wrote a blog post about my running experience for our local newspaper. When it's up, I'll post a link.
• Had a biopsy, felt like my left boob was slammed into a car door, didn't cry because I was trying to hold still, and then felt like crying when all I had in the house was regular strength Tylenol.
• Found out that the biopsy was benign and everything was A-OK. I still don't know who was happier. My Doctor kept exclaiming "I'm so happy!" when he called to tell me the news.
• Took the girls to their first "Parents Morning Out" class. We were told that they did great, loved music time, and Maddy was supposedly already flirting with Dax, a cute little boy in their class.
• Came home after taking Maddy and Libby to school and couldn't believe how strange it felt to not have them here. Everything was very quiet and neat for about two hours.
• Happily accepted some rosemary from my neighbor's garden. Now to see if we have any potatoes to make some roasted potatoes with fresh rosemary.
• Just turned on Sesame Street to function as a babysitter for a few minutes so I could check email, and write this post. Is that awful?
  

"School"

I feel like all I do is write in " " lately. We went to the open house where Maddy and Libby will be attending "school" aka Parents Morning Out. I like that they are PC when it comes to the name.

About half of the students are attending 3 days a week, 3 of them are going 2 days a week like we will be, and then the other 2 are going only 1 day. I think they have 9 children on Wednesday's, but only 7 on Monday and Friday.

So cute ... the door is decorated with monkeys and a trailing vine with leaves. Each leaf had the name of a child in the class. We walked inside and found their very own hook! with name to hang up their little backpacks. Can you tell it's been a while since I've been in a classroom? We also know one of the teachers and she is wonderful. It turned out that we knew two of the other families in the class, so that is always reassuring. Another Dad is a Detective, so I know they'll be safe!

So cute and I love their little schedule ... outdoor time and music every day. The teachers talked about how they come in as babies and leave as toddlers. What??? My babies are growing up for sure. Maddy and Libby will be about in the middle as far as ages go for the class.

I'm a little worried about snack time. I have known that Maddy and Libby are great eaters. Lately, our sitters have commented about how much food they can put away, so I'm assuming that they are ahem, overachievers in this category. The school will provide a snack, but it will typically be Ritz crackers, graham crackers, goldfish, etc. I may need to sneak in a banana to go along with what is provided. Otherwise, we may have a tiny revolution from my two Generals who want to know where the rest of their food is!

One cute thing that I've noticed lately ... if you say "good job" to Libby, she automatically claps her hands. So adorable! Sigh. They grow up too fast, they really do.

I'm going there

I typically don't "tell" people what to do ... well, with the exception of my girls and Hubby, but it's just not part of my normal routine.

But today, I'm going to do it. I'm going to tell you what to do.

If you are a woman, 35 or older, please go get a mammogram. See, I did still say please.

I had my first one two weeks ago and last week, I received one of those calls. You know those calls from your Doctor that you don't want to receive ... you want that nice little flat letter to come in the mail instead.

They told me not to worry, but they wanted to do a 2nd mammogram of my left breast. AKA Ol' lefty who never produced as much milk when I was nursing.

So, I went yesterday to have the 2nd mammogram completed. It's not cancer (that's my cancer whisper voice), but they have found calcifications that aren't completely normal (indeterminate) and need to do a biopsy to determine what they are. Hopefully, they'll turn out to be benign and I won't have anything to worry about. If they aren't, well then that's a whole different post. From what I've read and what the Doctor told me, most of the time the calcifications turn out to be benign, but they can be an indicator of early cancer. That scares the crap out of me.

So, I go next week for the biopsy and to find out what's going on.

I've definitely been feeling some nerves, but it has also made me realize the importance of mammograms and self exams. This kind of calcification would have never been detectable during a self exam and while it may end up being nothing, if it does turn out to be an early cancer indicator, then I feel like it's better to catch something this early and not find out years from now when it could be full blown.

I'll hop off my soapbox for now, but please ... if you are a 35 year old + female, please call and schedule your baseline mammogram today.

Please tell your family, co-workers, and your friends what to do, too.

Looking at ...

on One Step Ahead Baby. I used to chuck this catalogue as soon as it arrived, but now I'm actually looking at every page and noting a few baby items that seem like some must haves.

These placemats are reusable and will stick to tables. Great for going out to eat or even at Grandma's house who may not like blueberries smushed into her kitchen table.

The snack traps. Good for the car, stroller, or even around the house so cheerios stay out of Zeus and Zoe's tummies. Love the strap feature.

Really cute Monkey Halloween costumes. I've often called them my little monkeys, especially when they are jumping in their cribs after naptime.

Stove Guard. They can't reach yet, but they sure do like to try and it worries me to no end.

Travel Bed. Not sure if I'm sold on this one ... what keeps them in this thing once they are mobile? Nothing like putting your babies to bed at Grandma's house to find them crawling down the hallway five minutes later. But, a pretty neat idea. Wonder if this might be good at the beach or if it would become a parasail for infants!

Alright, off to look for something a little more interesting ... like shoes.

Something must be terribly wrong

I had to drive to Charlotte to set up for a trade show yesterday. On my return trip, I decided to stop at an outlet mall for "lunch." Oh, who am I kidding? I was going for the Sak's Off 5th store, but we can call it lunch.

I looked around Off 5th, Ann Taylor Loft, Gymboree, Polo Ralph Lauren, Banana Republic, TJ Maxx / Home Goods, and Brooks Brothers. Couldn't find Gap and Ann Taylor ... I'm wondering if they have closed.

Guess who got lucky? Hubby! I picked up 3 of Brooks Brothers dress shirts and two polo shirts for him.

Guess who didn't get lucky? Maddy, Libby, and me.

I couldn't find anything for me that I was just dying to have and just didn't have any luck at Gymboree for the girls even though it seemed to be full of cute clothes.

I have decided that I need to be nominated for What Not To Wear. Seriously. So many of the new blousier dresses and tops look so cute, but I'm not sure if they are cute on me. I think I just need someone to shop for me and make me look good. Sigh. Any takers? You nominate me & I'll nominate you. I could easily spend $5k on a new wardrobe so as not to look like a middle aged part time stay at home mom.

Did I tell you ...

That I ran a half marathon? Well, I did. But, not really.

Our training plan this past Saturday was for 13 miles and my running partner and I ended up going 13.09. I might have gone the full 13.1, but someone accidentally turned off Garmin and forgot to hit "start", so I'm not 100% sure. Yep, that would have been me, so I was trying to do math while running to figure out our time and distance. And for anyone who runs, you probably feel the same way ... or at least I hope you do. Math+running just doesn't happen. No idea why my brain turns to mush when trying to do simple math while running. I just can't do it.

It was strange to essentially run the entire race, but without all the fanfare, cheering, porta potties, and crowds. No one passing out little cups of water and Gatorade, no pre race Expo, no iced towel afterward. I did get a few cheers from the rest of my running group, some lovely ice cold water, and good stretching when I got home.

But, I know I can do it and will be running it again in less than 2 weeks! We are tapering right now and suddenly 4 miles during the week sounds so short and easy.

If this ...

is what 14 months is like, I'm in trouble.
Happy 14-month-birthday, girls.

I love you more and more every day.

xoxo,
Mama

Wouldn't you?

So, we did it. Maddy and Libby will start a Mother's morning out program two days a week.


I'm excited.


For them to have different opportunities than what I can do at home (music every day, a neat outdoor playground with features that are the perfect size for them, more kids to meet and interact with, etc). For me to have nearly 4 hours twice a week to have uninterrupted time to work, run errands, work out, etc.


So, if you found the absolute cutest pink polka dot backpacks, don't you think they need them? You know, to hold their change of clothes, lunch, sippy cup, extra sweater, diapers, and lipgloss? Oh wait ... so maybe the lipgloss is a few years down the road.



Wouldn't you really need them especially since you found a PBK gift card literally burning a hole in your wallet? Plus, there's a free shipping offer going on now. Yes, I know the backpacks are probably bigger then they are, but still. Aren't they adorable?

Firsts

A week of firsts ...

• We are going to look at "school" i.e., Mother's Morning Out for Maddy and Libby. They would go two days a week, it's at a church five minutes from our house, plus we personally know one of their teachers, and have heard nothing but wonderful things about their program. How can we not do it?

• A mammogram for me on Friday. Whoopee! (By the way, it's routine.)

• 13 miles on Saturday for my half marathon training. Wowee. For the other halfs that I've done, the most I've run during training is 10 miles so it's a little scary and exciting. It's kind of crazy when you look back at the entire mileage from the training. It's a lot. Or a lot to me.

Happy

It's amazing how sunflowers can brighten your day. I brought home six on Saturday morning. I realized that six looked puny in the vase, so Hubby went out later that day for six more.

That's what I call a good Hubby and a neurotic Wife.

Real Tears

It's not often that we have "real tears" from Maddy and Libby. There's the normal whining and fussing, but when we have "real tears", it generally means something big. Someone is hurt or scared.

Well, today Libby has been stealing Maddy's pacifier. All. Day.Long. Libby would have one in her mouth and still pull Maddy's out of her mouth and it usually ended up on the floor.

I had told Libby no, replaced Maddy's paci, and she would do it again. I repeated this version a few times, then finally moved them to separate areas of the room with some individual toys.

Sure enough ... they found each other and it just kept happening.

And then Maddy had the real tears. Her paci sat on the floor within her reach, but she just sat there and cried.

I know there are probably some twin Moms out there shaking their heads, saying "Just wait. That ain't nothin'. ", but it just broke my heart for Maddy, made me want to show her how to stand up for herself, and also made me a bit frustrated with Libby for being mean to her sister.

I'm not quite ready to take away the pacis just yet. I may be tempted to make them a bedtime/naptime only treat, so this doesn't become a constant struggle.

And tonight, my heart broke a little again. I had given the girls a bath and Libby was already in her PJ's in her crib. I was drying off Maddy's hair while she sat on the changing table. Libby started to fuss a little and Maddy pulled her paci out of her mouth and extended it in her hand to her sister. After all the "fighting" today, Maddy still wanted to be sweet to her sister.

I guess that's what being a good sister is all about.

Child labor laws

Now we're talking. This Productive Parenting activity was in my email inbox this morning. Think it would hurt to add a few squirts of Scrubbing Bubbles while we're at it?

I think I'll also teach them how to vacuum and mop, fold laundry, clean toilets, and unload the dishwasher.

Too much for one-year-old?

I could just sit back, delegate, and eat bon-bons. Ahhhh.

Perspective

Hubby and I met to look at a Mother's Morning Out program earlier today. Unfortunately, I had confused my dates and the school was closed. Since it's rare that we have much time that it's just the two of us, he asked if I wanted to go grab a cup of coffee. Since I can rarely turn down Starbucks, I said yes. Maddy and Libby were already with a sitter so I had some time.

We were just chatting about general stuff, drinking our coffee, and people watching. We had both noticed an older gentleman with a walker, US Navy hat, and his own coffee mug.

He was one of those guys that I thought to myself is some old codger, yelling at kids, shaking his cane, barking orders, etc.

He was sitting in the corner and I didn't really think twice about him. He walked over to get napkins and said hello when he passed our table. Of course, Hubby who has never met a stranger immediately engaged him in conversation and asked him a question about his hat.

We ended up chatting with this man to find out he had served in the US Navy during WWII, met his bride in NYC at a dance while he was also in training classes, but opted not to get married until he returned from overseas, heard the story how his boat was almost attacked by a kamikaze plane, but narrowly escaped. He was a little hard-of-hearing, but charming and funny. He even showed us photos of he and his wife on their wedding day, some when he was stationed in Hawaii, and it truly was a pleasure to see the excitement that he had to talk about his family and what the Navy had meant to him.

We stayed a little longer than we probably "should" have, but it was so worth it to have met him. Plus, he told us a funny joke and if I can remember it correctly, here goes.

God made Adam and had to get Adam acclimated to his surroundings. God told Adam that he would need to walk down the Valley. Adam didn't understand what a "valley" was, so God explained. Next, he would need to cross the river. Again, Adam didn't understand what a "river" was, so God explained. God also explained how he would walk up a hill, find a cave, and meet Eve. He also explained to Adam how once he met Eve, they would need to reproduce.


Adam set off on his journey down the valley, through the river, up the hill, and into the cave. A few minutes went by and Adam walked down the hill, waded through the river, scrambled up the valley and went back to ask God a question.


Adam asked, "God, what's a headache?"

This gentleman also reminded us that husbands are to obey their wives, that if Mama ain't happy, nobody's happy, and to complete one act of senseless kindness every day.

Not what I was expecting out of my trip to Starbucks, but encouraging and rewarding nonetheless.

Better late than never

I had forgotten about these shorts that I pulled out of the closet today.
At least I can wear them before Labor Day and then I feel like I need to pack them away for another season.

Oh, and a few side notes ...
* Mine aren't the pink & green pattern, but I wish they were.
* I think the price has gone up considerably since I bought mine.
* Or I must have found them on sale.
* Or I had a very weak moment.

Damn, I just looked and the pink & green ARE on sale. Still $44. Damn.

Who knew?

If you want your entire family (yourself included) to take a nice afternoon nap ... have them all go work at your church nursery for a 3-hour shift. Well, I guess Hubby and I worked while Maddy and Libby checked out all the other kiddos, ate their weight in cheerios, and enjoyed new toys, puzzles, and books.

Once we got home, Maddy and Libby slept for over 3 hours and Hubby and I both napped for well over 1.5 hours.

Pure lazy Sunday bliss.

Hubby and I also had a nice, real live date yesterday afternoon. First movie we have seen in well over a year. His parents came to visit, kicked us out of the house, so we went to see Julie / Julia and it was wonderful. The theater was packed with young and old alike and there were a ton of laugh out loud moments. We topped that off with yummy burgers and beers at a downtown Brew Pub. The weather was nice enough to sit outside, which is always a plus in my book. It felt wrong to go out to eat after watching that movie, but there was no way I was going home to fix up a little french cuisine! I do have a bit of a craving for Beef Bourguignon. Maybe I'll get brave and try it.

Playing along

Kelly's Korner is hosting "Show us your life ... wedding reception & honeymoons." I can't find some of our honeymoon photos ... they may be on the old desktop computer. So, here is a glimpse at what I could find.

Our reception was held at a great downtown place in our city. It wasn't our original location, but it turned out to be perfect. Nothing like stressing a bride out to hear that the City Club where you booked your wedding reception was closing!

Here is a photo of our cake. I've blogged a million times about Maxie B's who made our cake and they are still one of our favorite bakeries. We had different flavors for each layer: raspberry lady (white cake with raspberry jam), chocolate with raspberry, red velvet and peanut butter. All with cream cheese frosting. Yum. We displayed my Great Aunt Lucy and Great Uncle Horace's wedding toppers that they had used at their 1927 wedding. I found a similar cake in a magazine ... it was square (our invitations were also square) and just had simple piping and our monogram.

Here is our first dance to "It Had to Be You."
Here is a photo of our "guest book." We had everyone sign it at the wedding and reception. It now hangs in our dining room and I absolutely love it. I had a calligrapher write our names, wedding date and information, along with part of 1st Corinthians that was also read at our wedding.

We also served ice-cold milk (regular or chocolate) along with our cake. Here are the martini glasses lined up and ready. Not sure if anyone drank milk since they had the choice to opt for the open bar. Who knows?
I love this shot that our photographer captured towards the end. We truly had an evening surrounded by our family and close friends ... exactly what we wanted.
We didn't leave for our honeymoon until Monday morning and I never regretted that decision. I was wiped out on Sunday, so we had the day to spend with family, open presents, finish packing, and rest.

We honeymooned in Antigua in the British West Indes and stayed at the Blue Waters Resort. It was wonderful. They are a relatively small resort (80 rooms, I think) and were so attentive and great. The grounds were gorgeous and we enjoyed a lot of pool, beach, and relaxing time while we were there.

Antigua was a perfect mix of relaxing and exciting. We did some great tours (the 360 degree speed boat tour, snorkeling, swam with sting rays) and we also did a lot of vegging, reading, and relaxing at the resort.

One of the little umbrellas on the beach at our resort. Beaches are small in Antigua (compared to other areas), but there 365 beaches across Antigua. There are definitely no long strolls on beaches here.

One of the sunsets at the resort.
We met another couple who shared our wedding date (Nov. 12, 2005) and we ended up enjoying some meals together and also doing a few outings. If you knew my husband, you would understand that he's never met a stranger. It was actually really fun and we still stay in touch with this couple and were excited to hear that they just had their first baby a few months ago.

This is after a great meal at Viveyn's.

Enjoying a Wadadli on the 2nd evening there.


Like Kelly said, I look back at these pictures and had forgotten the tan and skinny part. I think this is before we ventured out into town for shopping one day.


This last photo is at an amazing bed and breakfast called Harmony Hall. If you are ever in Antigua, you must go here. No, I'm not kidding. It may still be one of the best meals of my life and amazing views.

T. and I enjoying our lunch.



When you arrive, you are asked if you want to take a little boat cruise. They take you out to this little island where you are free to walk around and enjoy the private island before your meal. We had fun exploring and I wish I had my photos of this!

When we returned, we noticed employees carrying up burlap bags. With fish that is about to be cooked for you. It is really that fresh. Bread and butter - beyond amazing. Wonderful desserts. Seriously ... everything here was amazing. They had a great art gallery and shop with art, pottery, jewelry, clothing, soaps, etc.

Sigh. Would love to go back ... Blue Waters has a great house called the Rock Cottage that we have always talked about getting a group of friends together and renting it. Can you tell I've enjoyed my stroll down memory lane? Wish I was sitting under one of those little thatched umbrellas right now!

I can admit

I think y'all know that I've been on a kick trying out new fruits and veggies with Maddy and Libby.  Kiwi?  Love it.  Mango?  Ditto.  Avocado?  Yep.  I saw a recipe in one of my baby books for brussel sprouts and I thought I would give it a try.

I will admit as a thirty-something-year old, I have never eaten a brussel sprout until today.  Growing up we ate a variety of fruits and vegetables, but they were all what I will call the "normal" variety - corn, lima beans, bananas, strawberries, green beans, etc.  Honestly, I ate a lot of grilled cheese up until high school, so I probably didn't eat many veggies until then either.  Not that my Mom still didn't put those 5 damn green beans on my plate every night.

The recipe I used said to trim the bottoms of the sprouts, but to keep the leaves intact. Next I washed and dried them.  I put a little EVOO in a container and threw my sprouts in.  Coated them and put them on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil.  I added a little salt and pepper and popped them in a 425 degree oven.

The original cooking time was 15 minutes and flipping them at the halfway point.  I didn't cook nearly as many as the recipe called for, so I cut my time in half.

When I pulled them out, they were crispy on the outside and still tender inside.  They had a good cabbage-ish flavor, but I loved that crispiness to them.  

I added them to M&L's lunch today, so they enjoyed baked chicken, rotini pasta with cheddar cheese grated on top, tomatoes, the brussel sprouts, kiwi, and plums.  Oh and a little milk.  And a few Annie's graham bunnies for dessert.  Thanks, ET!  

I was a little nervous that they may throw them on the floor.  There were a few funny faces, but they seemed to enjoy them and maybe left one on their tray.  

If you're like me and had never eaten a brussel sprout, try them out.  I think they would be yummy to roast some with new potatoes.  

Back in the day

Back in college, I took several photography classes. I used my Mom's manual Pentax camera, developed my own film, and had a blast. Film ... what's that? Sigh. I still remember fumbling around in the pitch-black closet to get the film out of my camera and the way the developer smells. I was never the star pupil, but it was always fun and I enjoyed the classes so much. Maybe one day, I can take another class and while I would stick to digital this time around, I'm sure it would still be a great experience.

It was always such a surprise when using traditional 35mm film to see what you would get at the end of your 24 exposures. Now, it's such instant gratification to see your results.

I took a few photos of Maddy and Libby the other day and got a few that I was very happy with ... and a whole slew of bad ones. I was playing around with a few different settings other than "manual" and I think I may start testing them out more.

Here are a few that I lovedThis is Maddy in her "look, Ma ... no hands" pose.

Libby - showing off those 2 bottom teeth.
I know she wishes those others would finally pop through.

Maddy looking very much like my Great Aunt Hazel and Great Aunt Lucy.
We've seen it in a few photos.
Maybe one day we'll figure out who they really look like beside each other!

This photo totally captures Maddy's spirit.

Sweet Lib. Curious and wrinkling her brow just like me & my Dad.

And then a couple of the "whoops" ones.
After all, it is kind of hard when you have moving targets!
Maddy bbbbblurrry.

Libby - Snapped it too late and blurry.

If you ...

pull out a white EYELASH will 13 more grow in it's place?  Or does that only happen with the hair on your head?  What about eyebrow hairs?

How old does this mean I am?

Thank goodness Thursday will bring highlights and a cut.

Come on, a white eyelash?  Does that really happen?

Maybe Libby will lend me some of hers if mine all go white.

Nap, no nap, nap, no nap.

If you had twin thirteen-month-old daughters who for the past two days have only taken one nap a day, would this mean they are trying to drop one of their naps?

Please, please, please tell me it's not so.

Yesterday, I ran with my running group and when I got home it was during their morning nap time.  Hubby said that they had been chattering for over an hour and he had tried several times to get them to go to sleep.  We finally went ahead and got them up, so we didn't mess up any other naps or sleeping for the rest of the day.  In the afternoon, we put them down at 1PM (their normal nap time), and they slept for almost 3.5 hours! WOW!  They normally will sleep for about 2, but I assume they were trying to make up for the hour or so that they didn't get that morning.

Today, they went down great for their morning nap and slept for about 1.5 hours.  Today, they went down around 1:30 and it was uggggly.  Lots of crying.  Lots of listening to the monitor and trying to wait it out to see if they'd fall asleep.  Two doses of Tylenol because there was a lot of hand gnawing, but no sleep.

When I got them out of their cribs for a snack, they happily ate and drank.  Now they are playing and life seems good.

I thought they would transition to one nap around 18 months.  Is this just a fluke?