surprise

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane...

2010-03-15T06:06:00.000-07:00

...okay not really.

But I'm moving.

So, click HERE.

Yes.

Really.

Now.

See ya in a sec!

BIG BIG BIG BIG BIG

2010-03-12T19:53:00.000-08:00

Remember all that chatter about some changes happening around these parts???

Well, ladies and gentlemen (come on Troy, I know you stalk my blog...)...

It.

is.

HERE.

You may not realize it, but lots and lots of work has been going on in my head, heart, and my little corner of the web.

And you get in on it....

MONDAY.

as in a few days Monday.

You excited?

I am.

Nervous too.

How sad would it be if I do my big unveil and...

...crickets.

Come back Monday crazy kids!

See ya soon! ;)

Friday Favorites: Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie

2010-03-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

You know how you get invited to things and you know you should bring something?

Or, you get invited and you are asked to bring something?
Confession time: 9 times out of 10 I ran by the grocery store on my way over...or....I showed up empty handed.

Gasp. Horrors.

The issue was that I would rack my brain trying to think of something extra fabulous to make and then run out of time or energy, or I didn't know what other food would be there, so I didn't want to make something that didn't "go".

Until now.

Just a note: if you know me in real life and invite me over, know that I will likely be bringing this.

I don't care if you are allergic to peanuts.

Note #2: I made this yesterday just for you. My blog readers. I had no other event to make this, I just knew it had to make it to one of my Friday Favorites posts.

Be impressed.

What? Nooooo...I didn't do it because I needed an excuse to eat the yummy goodness! Puhlease! What do you people take me for?!

Oh yeah. You're right. I'm a cow. It's cool.

***

1 cup heavy cream
9 pieces of pre-made peanut butter cookie dough*
6 ounces of cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tbls. vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 pkg. of reeses' peanut butter cups

*you can make your own dough if you are an overachiever. I might make fun of you though.

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 inch pie plate with cooking spray.
2. With an electric mixer, beat cream to stiff peaks. (careful you don't make butter!) Refrigerate.
3. Roll out dough between 2 sheets of wax paper in as big a circle as possible. Remove one of the sheets of wax paper and invert dough into pie plate. Press dough up sides of dish. If dough is sticky and paper difficult to remove, refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.

4. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven and press down center if puffy. Cool *completely* on a wire rack.

It aint pretty, but who cares? And if you do have friends that care about what your pie crusts look like...you need new friends.

5. In a large bowl, blend cream cheese and both sugars until smooth. Add peanut butter and vanilla, beat until light colored.
6. Fold in (that's fancy cook speak for "mix in gently") whipped cream until no streaks remain.Notice how I have 2 stand mixer bowls? Be jealous.

So I burned my crust a little. Sue me. Still tasted good going down my gullet.

7. Spoon peanut butter filling into cooled crust. Refrigerate at least one hour.
8. Chop up peanut butter cups and sprinkle on top of pie. Melt chocolate chips in a glass bowl in microwave. Drizzle (or pour, whichever) over pie.

Can't you just *taste* it??? mmmmmmm....

9. Serve in small slices because this is really rich. Or be a cow like me and serve yourself a giant slice and eat it until your tummy aches.

Surprise your family. Make this tonight. I mean really, why not?!?!

And without further ado, the winner of the Monkey Foot Designs Wetbag is:

CARRIE H.!!!

Happy FRIDAY!!!

(p.s. notice how crappy my pictures are? i'm pretty sure it's a sign i need a dslr...just sayin'...)

Can I Complain for a minute?

2010-03-11T12:15:00.000-08:00

Today I went to Costco with the kids.

I'm sure I'm quite the sight...Henry and Lucy in the cart next to eachother, and Jill in the ergo on my chest...

...pushing that huge cart full of who knows what.

In all my 5'2" glory.

Some smile.

Some exclaim "How cute!"

But most...

...yes, most...

....have some kind of less than positive reaction.

Mutterings of "Dear God..." under their breath...

..."holy cow"...

or out loud "Boy! You have your hands full!"

Today, one woman (in a disgusted voice) said: "You have your hands full...you poor thing..."

I stopped in my tracks, looked at her and said much more chipper than I wanted

"Yes I do, and I love it! It is awesome!"

She was really awkward and didn't make eye contact the next three aisles we crossed paths.

This is what I want to know:

at what point in our society did we view three, perfectly behaved children...all dressed...teeth brushed...quietly sitting...happy as clams...as vile, disgusting creatures?

It shouldn't matter one bit that they were all dressed cute and clean, but even that I can almost understand.

But really, people...you would think I was carting around three filthy, stinky, screaming, diseased hyenas.

While it makes me mad inside, I am angered more for my children. I do not want them to feel bad...like they are icky or gross or meddlesome to others just because they exist.

It's just plain sad. I feel sorry for people.

And while I'm pissed off and complaining...

TWO grown men...stood next to me in the aisle...waiting their turn...as I visibly struggled to haul a FORTY POUND BAG OF DOG FOOD into my cart...WHILE WEARING A BABY STRAPPED TO MY CHEST.

Moms, please teach your sons to be chivalrous. Kind. Polite. Helpful.

I don't care what any feminist says.

Manners are important. And a woman trying to lug a package equal to a third of her own body weight could use a little help. And she shouldn't have to ask. Because you should have been raised to know enough.

Rant over.

Thanks for listening.

Answers: Part 1

2010-03-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

I want to know how you and your husband met. Did you know he was the one right away, or did it take a while of dating? How long have you two been married? And how did he propose to you?
Those are some big questions! They'll take up their own blog posts later on...so stay tuned for those answers. :)

What is one quirky thing about you?
ONE quirky thing???? Geez. I could list a million. But one I can think of off the top of my head is that every time I pull a cup out of the cupboard I blow into it. Presumably to blow any dust out??? No clue, I just do this absentmindedly and always.

did you play sports in your younger years?
BAHAHAHHAHAHAHA...!!! ::gasp::
No, no I did not. You see, playing sports requires first of all...coordination. Of which, I have none. None. No really. None. It's embarassing really. I have a hard time following along to exercise videos...I turn into a twisted mess. Which brings me to the next point: sports also require physical activity...of which, I am decidedly *not* a fan. I hate exercising, I hate sweating, I hate the exertion. It's any wonder I don't weigh852 pounds...

how long did you and husband wait to start a family and what was your thought process with the timing/married years under your belt/etc. ?
Henry was born at 1 a.m. on June 23, 2007. Our 5 year wedding anniversary was June 22, 2007. So, he was kind enough to wait an extra hour so that we wouldn't have to share the day. :)

Andy and I are planners. We like things to be "just so". Control issues much? yeah. We got married young (think: 21), so we felt like we weren't in any rush to add kids to the mix. I started getting baby fever by our third year, but Andy wasn't ready. You see, we had all these things we *had* to do first:

His business (he's self employed) had to be steady, we had to own a house, and we had to be able to afford for me to stay home.

Riiiiight.

Luckily, God knew better than us (weird.) and decided that we would have a family even before everything was just "perfect". So, I got pregnant 5 weeks into a brand new job...that I couldn't afford to quit from...because Andy's business was nowhere near ready to support a family...all the while in a rental home.

I worked full time, we bought a house when Henry was 9 months old, I kept working, got pregnant with twins (when Henry was a wee 15 months old)...and then quit my job.

So it all worked out in the end. Because it always does.

Despite all our well-intentioned plans. God loves laughing at me. He thinks I'm pretty silly. And stubborn.

I now giggle a little inside when people lay out their 5 Year Plan.

I don't think it really matters how long you "wait" to have kids. Kids are awesome. They are a blessing. They drive you bananas, but they are rad. It was nice to be able to just pick up and go and not have to answer to anyone but ourselves on Saturday mornings, but then again, the longer you wait, the harder that transition will be, you know? Ultimately, I think the timing was just right for us...but I don't know anything. Really.

Having three kids in 25 months?
Whole other story.

what's your favorite kind of food?
Italian. Lots of cheese. Grease. Loads of bread. And anything vinegar-y. Salt & Vinegar chips...pickles...stuff like that.

what is your favorite meal to make?
I don't really have a favorite meal to make, but I do love trying new recipes and tweaking old ones to change them up. It's easy to make tried and true things...you know, the stuff you can whip together without thinking because you've made it 1,862 times. So that's no fun. Bring on the homemade breads and the pies from scratch! But first, no crying babies...

what kind of things do you make henry for lunch (i feel like i always make the same 3 or 4 things for dillon and am wondering what other people make for their kids)?
Henry went through a (long) phase where he would only eat PB&J...on whole wheat. Now I'll make him rice and beans, turkey sandwiches, egg salad on pita bread, tuna, broiled chicken tenders...it just depends on what I'm eating and what mood I'm in. But I'm in the same boat...it's usually the same things over and over and over...

what was your first job?
My first job was working at Blockbuster Video. I ended up becoming a Manager and worked there for like 4 years? I can't remember. I just remember it being really stressful and being really tired. And having lots of funny stories from that time period.

when you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Honestly? A travel agent. Weird, huh? I "stole" a bunch of those little pamphlets from a travel agency when my grandma booked a flight to Portugal once...and I used to sit and pretend that I was booking fabulous trips around the world for people. When I was a teenager I wanted to be a doctor. Which is weird because I hate hospitals. Then I wanted to be an architect. Until I realized how many math classes I would need to take. I became an urban planner in real life, and am now a mommy.

Much. better.

Okay, that is all for today. If you got anymore up your sleeve, let me know!

LAST DAY TO ENTER THIS WEEK'S GIVEAWAY!!!

Wishing Wednesday

2010-03-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

I read somewhere that the reason women love purses and shoes so much is because they don't make you feel bad about yourself.

Think about it: they always fit (and if they don't, who cares if you need a bigger size?!).

I think that the only thing better than shopping for new shoes...is shopping for new shoes *while wearing* new shoes! :)

And with that, here are some of my fave shoes and purses for now:

Lovely People

Mini Truffle in Yellow

Pierre Dumas

Steve Madden

Via Spiga

Melie Bianco

Bandolino

Andrew Marc

(I know that last set doesn't "match", but when you have the attitude to wear red shoes, you can tote a purple bag too!)

Ask Away

2010-03-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

So, if you read any number of blogs, you know that the lastest "trend" is to have your readers to ask you questions.

I've really enjoyed not only reading the answers from some of my favorite bloggers, but also seeing what questions people have.

Since I'm having a bit of writer's block anyway...I thought I would be a total copycat.

Because I have no new ideas people.

Besides, I wanna be a cool blogger too.

The "in crowd" you know.

SO...

Leave me a comment with any question(s) you might have.

What's my favorite color?

If I could be any animal, what would I be?

You know, the important stuff.

Obviously, anything inappropriate will be deleted and ignored.

Just sayin.

I'll answer them in a follow up post soon.

***

And just because posts without photos are boring, I thought I'd toss in these pics of Baby Jilly and her 90 year old great grandma...who, by the way, are like long lost 90-years-removed twins. See for yourself:

A Phone Call & A Coupon

2010-03-08T06:17:00.000-08:00

A couple of quick (and *completely* unrelated) things:

1) Compassion Internationa l called me a few days ago. As in, a LIVE PERSON made a personal phone call...not a pre-recorded message...not a mass email with the name changed...but a real human being telephoned me...I can.not say enough good things about Compassion International!...

...to let me know that they were finally able to track down Robenson (a little boy we have sponsored in Haiti). He and his family are fine, however, their home did sustain some damage. I just about burst out into tears. I prayed and worried for my little guy so much! PRAISE GOD!

2) Remember my Swiffer Vac review? (see, I told you they were totally unrelated!)...well, since then, I have had like 6 people tell me that they went out and bought one based on my post! (Swiffer, my compensation check can be mailed to...) Anyway, I think that's pretty funny...but just yesterday, in the Sunday paper, I saw a coupon for $10 OFF a Swiffer Vac starter kit!!! Holy Moly! $10 off is a lot!!! I don't need it, sooooo....the first person to email me their address to jeannett_gibson {at} yahoo {dot} com will get it mailed to them! :)

*UPDATE* The coupon has been claimed by Carrie!

But don't fret...just hunt down someone you know who gets the paper and beg them for their coupon!

Keep scrolling down for this week's giveaway!!!

Giveaway: Monkey Foot Designs

2010-03-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED!

CONGRATS TO CARRIE HAUGHEY!!!

Anyone who cloth diapers knows that a wet bag is a *must*.

I mean, how else would you be able to tote around a dirty diaper in your Petunia Pickle Bottom bag?

And puhleease...don't *even* suggest a plastic grocery bag!

Just because it has a poopy diaper in it doesn't mean it can't be cute! :)

But Jeannett...I don't do cloth diapers...in fact, my kid is well beyond the diaper stage! I have no need for this!

Really now...

-Summer's coming up. Swim lessons? Beach trips? Running through sprinklers at a friend's house? A wet bag is a PERFECT way to haul the dripping stuff home.

-In the middle of potty training your toddler? Accidents happen. In public. 'Nuff said.

-No kids? Do you go to the gym? Need a place to toss your stinky clothes in? Or maybe your own swimsuit after a few laps in the Olympic sized pool? (I can't relate since I don't exercise, but I can imagine this being a problem...)

-And really, with as cute as these bags are, you can just use it AS. A. BAG. for whatever. It doesn't *have* to carry wet stuff just because it's called a wet bag! ;) Lunches, snacks, coloring books...whatever!

Monkey Foot Designs not only makes wet bags, but they make THE wet bag...

"...the lining material has sealed seams (which means that the wet and odor stay *in* where they belong!). The seals are permanent, so you can wash the bags time and again and the seams will stay sealed and wet-proof! (it's impossible to make a truly "waterproof" bag, but this bag comes close!). My bags also have snaps on the straps, so you can attach them to your stroller or where-ever else suits your fancy :)"

Kris at Monkey Foot Designs wants to give YOU one of her large wet bags (14" x 14") in Almond Sparrows (one of her most popular prints!).

As always, you have five ways to win.
Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry.

1) Visit Monkey Foot Designs and tell me how you would use your wet bag.
2) Follow me on Twitter
3) Tweet about this giveaway
4) Facebook about this giveaway
5) Blog about this giveaway

Winner to be announced first thing Friday morning!

Friday Favorites: Burt's Bees

2010-03-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

I *heart* Burt.

And all his crazy bees too.

I have been loving and buying Burt's Bees products...WAY before it was cool to do.

Back when you couldn't walk into Target or WalMart and buy it.

Back when only health food stores carried his stuff.

You know why? Because I'm a trail blazer like that.

Watch out.

It all started a few years ago when I just got sick. and. tired. of smelling like Petunias, Whispering Jasmine, Strawberry Cream, or Plumeria.

Look, those are all great, but at some point I just wanted to smell like...*LOTION*.

And frankly, some of the brands were overpowering...or if I put them on my legs too soon after shaving, it stung....which caused little red bumps...which is completely COUNTER PRODUCTIVE to why I even bothered to shave in the first place!

If I knew I was going to have to wear pants anyway, I'd have gone Beast Woman and saved myself the trouble.

Don't lie. You know you do it too.

Enter Burt and his Bees.

It started with the lotion.

And then the (mild) obsession with the lip balm.

And then the hand wash.

And then the baby shampoo.

Baby lotion.

Diaper cream.

Men's shave oil.

Men's after shave.

Men's shave cream.

Cuticle cream.

Foot cream.

Pretty much, you name it...you'll find it in my house.

Burt's Bees fanatics really.

I would bet there are close to 32 tubes of lip balm strewn throughout my house.

No lie.

I just love that it doesn't smell like a funeral parlor full of flowers and I do love that it's all at least 90% natural.

Particularly for my babies.

I get all weird and granola crunchy when it comes to my kids.

No Johnson's & Johnson's here.

No sir.

Only Mr. Burt.

And his bees.

Do you love Burt like I do? What's your favorite product?

How many tubes of lip balm do you think are floating around your house right now?

And the winner of the CitySlips is:

RACHEL!!!

Congrats!

I coulda SWORN I've posted this before...

2010-03-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

Oh wait...

That's because I HAVE posted this before.

Henry circa March 2008:

Lucy circa March 2010:

Like any good mother, I ran around looking for my camera *before* pulling the dog food out of her mouth.

Sometimes I think blogging might be bad for your health...or my kids' anyway. :)

Don't forget, today's the last day to enter the CitySlips giveaway!!!

Wishing Wednesday

2010-03-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you know that I love to cook. And, I love kitchen gadgets.

Sadly, it seems that most of my kitchen gadget love is also on the pricey side.
Poop.

The. BOWL.

The glass bowl.
You can buy it. Separately. This is bad. It has taken *all* will power to not "accidentally" buy it.
It's actually not available until April 1st, but you can pre-order it.
I secretly hate you if you do this.
"Why do you care about a glass bowl so much???" the husband asks.
"Um, because it's pretty. duh. And because then you can toss it in the dishwasher."
They got themselves some real geniuses working at KitchenAid.

A pot filler over my range. Not because I need it very often but because it's just cool.

Viking Range. Need I say more?

I am an ice chewer. It's bad for your teeth, I know.
My favorite KIND of ice???
What I call "rabbit pellet" ice.
You know, those little soft nuggets of icy perfection you get at certain fast food joints???
Yeah, well...these babies MAKE that kind of ice.
Ice nuggets and Dr. Pepper.
Bliss.

What kitchen-y gadget is on YOUR wishlist???

***Disclaimer: I feel really compelled to say this, even though I truly hope that any of my readers would just know this without me having to say it. This wishlist is a silly, fun, unrealistic post of fun material things that I think are cool. My *true* wishlist is much more heavy. Much more heart wrenching. My real wishlist finds my heart breaking for children around the world with no mommies. Children who have curable diseases but no medicine to fix them. Souls who are hurting. Mouths that are thirsty. These Wishing Wednesday posts? Just silly fun. That is all. Please don't think I'm a super shallow, materialistic so-and-so.

Baby Shower: Cute As A Button

2010-03-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

My friend Christine is having a baby girl (after having two boys), so a shower dripping in pink was the only option.

I went with "Cute as a Button" as my theme.

Wanna know how to save money and still pull off a super cute party?

Before I begin, I have two things to say:

1) I am not an expert party planner. That title goes to Lindsey. Frankly, I learned all these tricks from going to enough of her parties. I'm just passing it along. Doing my part, you know.

2) STEP AWAY FROM THE PARTY AISLE. Put down the crepe streamers. Don't even *look* at the latex balloons. And if you even so much as glance at the matching plate/cup/napkin sets, I will reach through this computer screen right. now. Don't think I won't turn this car around...

Oh wait...

First, keep in mind what holiday/season it is. Trying to throw a lavender party in the middle of December can prove to be a challenge. Valentine's Day was only 2 weeks before the shower, so I decided on pink/red/white...but NO hearts. I wanted to take advantage of all the pink/red decor in stores (and on clearance on February 15th!), but I didn't want to confuse the shower for a Valentine's Day party.

A banner strung on red grosgrain. (I own a Cricut...if you don't, find a friend who does and borrow it).

Another money saver is to use fresh flowers wherever you can. It adds lots of color, and it's always festive and nicer looking than those weird honeycomb centerpieces you buy at party stores. I always go to Costco for my flowers. You get a ton for cheap.

Scour your house for things you can re-use. I already owned this runner and I have a few boxes of mason jars for stuff like this. Some grosgrain ribbon and a big pink button hot glued on adds some detail.

Don't spend a ton of money on paper napkins. Buy solid napkins in a coordinating color and then stamp them. Michael's sells a bunch of stamps for $1 and it only takes a minute. Ideally, I will one day bite the bullet and just buy a big bunch of white cloth napkins. Keep in mind that the fewer paper products you have, the nicer your party will look AND the cheaper it will be.

Again, mason jars as cups in lieu of matchy paper cups. Pink straws bring in more color.

Remember how I said to scour your house?...notice the red pitcher? Perfect. Also, make it a point to incorporate your party colors into your food and drink. It just adds one more level of detail to your decor. Without succumbing to balloons and streamers.

Invest in plain white serving dishes. White is key. That way, you can use them for any party and any color scheme. And when I say invest, what I actually mean is buy random white pieces whenever you come across them on clearance. I have good luck at Kohl's. The "runner" you see there? Just four rolls of ribbon strung across a white tablecloth and some extra buttons sprinkled along. Speaking of tablecloths...do me a favor and promise yourself to never buy those icky plastic ones please. "Invest" in 3 or 4 white tablecloths. Use them over and over.

Um, I pretty much hate streamers. Unless you can come up with a fun and funky way to use them, don't do it. I usually make Martha Stewart's Tissue Pom Poms, but I feel like I've used those the last few parties I've done and I was tired of it. So, this time I cut a bunch of pink/white/red circles, taped them to thread, and then hung them from the ceiling.

Throw parties as a team if you can. You know all those people who call and ask if they can help? And you know how you always say "oh no, I'm fine!" Knock it off. Accept the help. You get no brownie points in heaven for throwing showers solo.

In this case, Kate and Ruth were in charge of food for the shower. I knew Joy owned these cake stands (because I covet them everytime I go to her house), so I borrowed them.

Feel free to raid your friends' houses too. Well, that is, if your friends have good taste. If they don't, please refrain.

White blank notecards stamped in pink. Set stuff like this out. Again, might as well take advantage of the detail.

I paid Joy to look this happy. That, or she's packing a flask of something...and I don't think it's Sunny D. ;)
I only include this because it makes me laugh. Poor Jill looks like she's a bit afraid of being dropped.

Here is Kate holding Jill...who incidentally looks more like Kate's daughter than mine.

Jeannett!
Did you really go out and buy new dresses for your girls just so that they matched the party????!!!

I plead the fifth.

Thanks to: Kate, Ruth, Dori, Debbi, Joy, Lindsey I., & Laurie for all your help!

Giveaway: CitySlips

2010-03-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

This giveaway is CLOSED.
Congrats to Rachel!

I swear...I normally would tell you I never win anything...

but it seems like I've been winning a bunch of these blog giveaway things lately!

I recently won a pair of CitySlips from another blog, and after contacting the company, they are graciously offering one of you a pair too!

CitySlips is a really cool idea.

Basically, a pair of super cute ballet flats that fold in half.

Why?

Because that way, you can carry them in their matching pouch in your purse or diaper bag...
...still wear your uber fab stillettos...

...and when your toes (inevitably) throb after a few hours, you can pull out your CitySlips, unzip the pouch to become a full size tote...

...pop your fab heels in the tote and keep right on going with your day in comfort!

I wore my CitySlips today, and they are SUPER comfy. And did I mention they are cute too?

I was worried that they would be flimsy (nope), that the folding sole would bug me (nope), or that the design of the rubber bottoms would feel weird (nope).

The only "thing" is that I should have ordered the size small...the sizing is Small: 5-6; Medium: 7-8; Large: 9-10. I wear a size 6.5/7, so I got the Medium...they're not huge or anything, just a note if you fall in between the size range go with the smaller end. FYI.

(Oh, and in case you were wondering, I got the gold ones.)

These would make GREAT bridesmaids gifts after a long night of dancing, perfect for leaving in the trunk for mamas on the go, or a place of refuge whenever your other shoes make you want to cry Uncle!

As usual, you have 5 ways to win:

1) Visit CitySlips and leave a comment telling me which color you would get if you win.
2) Follow me on Twitter.
3) Blog about this giveaway.
4) Facebook about this giveaway.
5) Tweet about this giveaway.

I will pick a winner first thing Friday, March 5th.

Good Luck!

Friday Favorites: KitchenAid Stand Mixer

2010-02-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

I will admit that when someone tells me that they don't already own one of these things...

...I am shocked...and a bit appalled.

I mean, how can you *not* have a stand mixer???

How do you make it through LIFE????

You might think I'm being dramatic, but...um, I'm pretty serious.

"But Jeannett, my little handheld mixer works just fine..."

Sure it does honey.

Look, I can't exactly explain the amazingness of being able to WALK AWAY from your mixing job...

...or how *awesome* it is to be able to keep spooning ingredients in without having to set that silly hand mixer down....

...or how *efficient* it is to not have to turn it off and on and not spray brownie batter all over your cupboards because you forgot to wait for it to stop spinning before pulling it out of the bowl...oh wait, maybe that's just me...

The best way I can describe it for you is this:

For the better part of my life I lived in houses that did NOT have master bedrooms.

I never understood the fascination...I mean, really...how hard is it to walk 8 feet down a hallway to a bathroom, right?

UNTIL...we moved into an apartment that HAD a master bedroom.

And then...I understood.

You can certainly go your whole life without ever having a master bedroom and be perfectly fine.

You can certainly go your whole life without having a dishwasher too.

BUT WHY WOULD YOU????

Once you experience the convenience...it'd be mighty hard to go back.

And so it is with a stand mixer.

I still have a little handheld that I hold onto for some reason. But honestly, it has a layer of dust on it. I'm not even sure I know where both of the little whisk doo-hickies are.

As a side note, if you have a stand mixer already...do yourself a favor and get a second bowl and a second mixing blade. SO nice to not have to wash it all up when you are making more than one thing.

For Christmas, Andy got me this:

Rad. He knows the way to my heart.

Kitchen supplies.

I love my mixer. She makes me happy. (While I love my black one, I secretly covet this one. It has a GLASS bowl, people! How cool is that???!!!) Every once in a while I will look over at her sitting in the corner and think: "hmmm, it's been a couple of weeks since I used you...you look lonely...I should make something..."

Again, not kidding.

Clearly I have issues.

I'm good with it.

Do you have a mixer? What color is it?
Do you have a love affair with it like I do?

Lastly, the winner of the Figgy & Wink Giveaway is:

Lesli!!!!

Happy Friday!!!!

I Don't Know About the Rest of You...

2010-02-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

...but mama needs her quiet time.

Every morning, I crawl out of bed at 6:00 a.m.

It's so much cozier in my warm bed, but I know that if I don't steal away now...I will not have another opportunity at quiet, uninterrupted time.

So, I wrap myself in my fluffy white robe...

...stuff my toes into my minky slippers...

...and pour myself a piping hot cup of coffee.

The house is dark.

Quiet.

Still.

You can hear the clock ticking.

But nothing else.

My cup warm between my palms.

Husband. Babies. Toddler. Dogs.

All in bed.

I wiggle the mouse and the computer screen comes to life....

...I squint, until my eyes adjust...

...and I check my email...read through my blog roll...check the Yahoo! news page...

...and savor.

The quiet, dark, still house.

The sun starts to come up...and rustling can be heard in the rooms.

Husband is getting into the shower...

...babies are stirring...

..."Mama, I'm awake!"...

The day, whether I like it or not, it about to begin.

And it won't be for another 23 hours that it will be this quiet and dark and still again.

The next 23 hours will be filled with diaper changes, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, nursing, crying, arguing, cajoling, negotiating, begging, pleading, laughing, playing, train track assembling, tickling craziness.

But no matter how tired I am...I find a way to crawl out of bed before the rest...

...because if I don't...

...I *feel* it.

(buy this print here)

What do you need to do to find your center?

(P.S. Notice how Bible time is glaringly missing? Working on it. Promise.)

(And don't forget, today is the last day to enter the Figgy & Wink Giveaway!!!)

Wishing Wednesday

2010-02-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Shey B Camera Strap Cover in Valentino

I am seriously in *love* with this camera strap cover...the only problem is that it does me no good...unless I have one of these...
Canon Rebel T1i

...and while snapping fabulous pictures with a fabulous camera hung around my neck by a fabulous camera strap, I would tote my laptop around in this...

Gussy Laptop Bag in Yellow and Damask

While wearing these fabulously high and turqouise shoes...Piperlime

...and then fall into this fabulously comfy bed at the end of my otherwise fabulous day.

Farmhouse Canopy Bed

It's unfortunate that I'm not rich.

What caught YOUR eye this week?

The Widening Gap

2010-02-23T06:32:00.000-08:00

Oh, Lu Lu Belle...how you make me laugh...

...and how you terrify me with your craziness.

Lucy is on a developmental rampage.

She is crawling. Everywhere. It's still more of an army crawl, but she is FAST. And busy.

It's been interesting to see the relationship between her and Henry...since she's getting into his toys, messing up his perfectly lined up race cars, and otherwise giving him a run for his money. (For the record, "mine" is a bad word in our house. "Henry...you don't say MINE...it is the FAMILY'S toy...")

Lucy can also add her first...and I think her second...word to her list of achievements..."mama", I am happy to report, was her first. So far it's cute, but I'll let you know when it's not. I'm sure it won't be long. And, she's used "dada" a few times...specifically to her daddy. :)

If you hold her hands while she is standing...she tries to WALK. As in, she begins taking deliberate steps towards whatever item she has her sights on. She can't balance to save her life, but the fact that she knows how to move her chubby legs in a forward motion baffles me.

Oh, and she can sit unassisted too.

...and one of bottom teeth is poking through. Let the record show that this last development sends chills down my spine like no horror movie ever could. I see yelping and tears in my future.

In case you forgot, the girl is 7 months old. Seven.

***

The thing about Lucy's rapid development is that it widens the gap between her and Jill.

Sure, I could tell that Jill was behind before...but the average person couldn't, and I was her mom and hyper-aware of every movement.

Beforehand, babies...even those on track...don't do much. They just kinda lay there for the most part.

Now though...as Lucy scoots around like a maniac...my heart sinks as I see Jill still laying there quietly on a blanket. Barely even able to coordinate her movement enough to grab a rattle sitting next to her.

Don't get me wrong...Jill is progressing. Every. single. week. we see improvement. She is getting stronger and can do things a little better every week.

THIS IS GOOD.

But while Jill is moving forward...she is so. far. behind. It's *really* obvious now.

It's not just that she can't sit up yet...it's that she is nowhere NEAR ready to sit up yet.

Asking the therapist: "Do you think Jill will be able to sit up unassisted by her first birthday?"

"Um...let's make that our goal okay?!"

Not the answer I wanted.

VERY strange to think that my daughter may not be able to sit up at her first birthday party.

Particularly when her twin is likely to be running around like a banshee.

The conundrum for a mom is this:

As Lucy hits milestones, I find my reaction to be one of a sinking pit in my stomach...not the joyous celebration, hooping and hollering I did when Henry did these things.

Rather than being ecstatic for Lucy, I grieve for Jill.

And that's grossly unfair...to both of them.

I know that Lu is on the high end of the spectrum, Jill on the low. Put together, it's a big difference.

I just have to remember to celebrate each of the girls' development separately. Make it a conscious decision to not compare. (Easier said than done, no?)

Hoop and holler for each girl individually...and not as a unit.

Love my children for who they are.

Henry as Henry.

Lucy as Lucy.

Jill as Jill.

(Don't you just love Jill's bedhead?!)

Different but precious.

Made in His image.

Loved like no other.

Lucky, Lucky & A Bloggy Favor...

2010-02-22T12:47:00.000-08:00

The girls have graduated to their big girl carseats now. I used the infant carriers up until this weekend, and while it was nice to be able to snap them right into the stroller (snap n go), I was constantly pulling something in my back trying to lift increasingly heavy baby and seat into and out of the car.

Today we went to Costco (Lu and Henry in the cart w/ Jill in the Ergo)...and when I got home and opened the car door, I couldn't resist but to run inside, grab my camera and share with you all how *stinking lucky* I am.

THIS is the beautiful view I have:

Six, big beautiful blue eyes and three grins...makes me feel like a rock star.
(ok...so Henry is doing the fake "CHEESE" smile, but I'll take what I can get...)

As for the favor...our dear friend Jon has gone off to Dartmouth University to get his MBA (clearly he is smarter than I can ever hope to be)...and is doing a project which requires the taking of a survey regarding Ocean Spray products. Obviously, the mommies reading my blog are the perfect audience...soooooo...if you wouldn't mind, would you please take a quick minute to do the survey and help Jon out??? (And really, it seriously took me like 30 seconds...it's short...)

Thanks everyone!

Giveaway: Figgy & Wink Wall Decals

2010-02-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

This Giveaway is CLOSED.

CONGRATS TO LESLI!!!!

Remember the gorgeous wall decals in the girls' nursery?

I ordered them from Figgy & Wink. They were great, super easy to work with, and even willing to customize the decals for me a little.

I am *regularly* asked "Wow! Did you paint those names on???"

That's how good these decals look. They aren't all glossy and cheesy looking.

I'm dying...dying...to order this decal for Henry's room...

And guess what???

Figgy & Wink want to give you a decal too! They are offering these darling jelly fish in Lime.

They would look great in a kid's room...a kid's bathroom...and actually, how fun would it be to put them in your laundry room as an unexpected cheerful surprise in an otherwise icky room??? :)

OR...

How about decor for a under the sea party theme???!!! oooohhhh...

You have five ways to win:

1. Visit Figgy & Wink's shop and come back and tell me which decal is your favorite.
2. Follow me on Twitter.
3. Tweet this giveaway.
4. Facebook this giveaway.
5. Blog this giveaway.

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry!!!

Winner will be chosen first thing Friday!

OPP: Other People's Posts

2010-02-20T08:41:00.000-08:00

Ohhh, blogging on a Saturday??? Watch out folks!

Anyway, I try to be really disciplined about the blogs I read. There is so. much. talent out there...so many bloggers who have beautiful, funny and inspirational things to say...good, right? Well, except that if I allowed myself to click from one blog to the next, I would be buried deep in Blog Land...hours later...starving children...and eyes watering from staring at the computer screen.

NOT healthy.

With that said, every once in a while, I will stumble across a post that I. just. love.

And it makes me want to share it with my own readers.

So, that's just what I'm doing.

So get cozy, grab a cup of coffee, and settle in. I hope you like these posts as much as I did.

***

I don't know Julie in real life, but I like to think that if we lived closer, we might be friends. But actually, if we met in real life, she would probably think I'm altogether too lame and I'd have to pretend we were friends....Either way, I love this chick. She cracks. me. up. Regularly. Here is one of my all-time favorite posts:

Freakcycle

***
I have no idea how I stumbled across this blog post... I don't know this girl, but I found myself nodding, laughing, "You Go Girl"-ing, and "AMEN!"-ing all over this post. She just says it all so well.

Mama's Had It

***

Jenny is my (in real life) friend Kate's sister. Jenny actually came by the hospital after the girls were born, but we are more of internet friends (is that lame???) since she lives in Kansas or Oklahoma or somewhere that is not California. She has a beautiful heart. This post made me cry. I can feel her pain and while different, I can relate in many ways. This may be one of my favorite, favorite, favorite posts of anything I've read in a long, long time.

Beautiful

Hope you enjoyed.

Happy Saturday!!!

Friday Favorites: Swiffer Vac

2010-02-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

(Just to start, I want to say that I am in no way being compensated for this review. Bummer.)

Okay, so a lot of you seemed pretty shocked that I Swiffer my house every day.

See, when you have TWO long haired dogs...each of whom weigh over 80 pounds...well, it's not just my neurosis taking over.

The amount of hair is staggering.

I'm actually shocked that the dogs aren't bald by now.

I have no idea where it all comes from, but what I do know is that I find fluffy tumbleweeds of fur blowing across my wood floors.

Too often.

It's disgusting.

The Swiffer Vac is my BFF.

It sucks up those pesky hairs in an instant. And really, it only takes me about 10 minutes to do my entire first floor. Not to mention, that there is almost always a baby in the non-swiffering arm. Easy peasy.

I use the dry cloths for everyday use. And I have a tub of the wet cloths for times when I feel like the floor could use a little cleaning...but I'm too lazy to *actually* clean it with floor cleaner and a microfiber mop doohicky.

I buy the refills at Costco...SO much cheaper...but I think I might even cut up old rags to the right size and try that when I run out. With as often as I Swiffer (since when did that become a VERB???)...it might be a good way to save some money.

Cons?
It's a bit expensive. ($28 at Target...but you can get a $5 coupon at their website).
The refills can get pricey depending on how quickly you burn through them.
The rechargeable battery loses its umph after a while...in fact, this is my second Swiffer Vac...the first one lasted about 3.5 years before I had to toss it out and replace it. The battery just wouldn't hold the charge anymore. So sad.

Anyway, if you have wood floors, a regular Swiffer is lame. Buy the vacuum one.

And while you are at it, tell Swiffer to pay me for the glowing review.

Bums.

***

The Winner of the Material Gal Fabric Bundle is:

Liz!!!

Happy Friday!!!

ATTACK!

2010-02-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

Not really.

That's just my completely psychotic dog Ryley eating Henry's bubbles.

Ryley is...well, dumber than a box of rocks.

She's a good dog.

But boy, is she dumb.

And lazy.

You're lucky if she'll even look up when you toss a ball for her.

Much less retrieve it.

Which is odd...being that she's a golden RETRIEVER.

Then again, what do I know?

BUT, for every ounce of dumb...she has 10 pounds of sweetness.

A sweeter, cuddlier, more loving dog does not exist in the universe.

She's always been great with Henry.

Now, she's moved on to doting on LuLu. (who, by the way, is crawling all. over. the. place.)

Ryley will regularly saunter over to Lu and plop her big, block head right in the baby's path...thereby turning into an overstuffed, furry jungle gym.

She lays there patiently, eating up all the baby love...

...sighing in sheer contentment from time to time...

...because Lucy is more than happy to dole out baby kisses to her doggie.

My dogs love my kids.

My kids love their dogs.

So patient and kind.

For as often as I proclaim that TODAY is the day they are being listed on Craigslist...

I know that they are a vital part of our crazy family.

(even if it means that I have to vacuum and swiffer every.single.day.)

(every.single.day.)

(every)

(single)

(day)

ugh.

Don't forget: today is the last day to enter the Material Gal Fabric Bundle Giveaway!!!!

Wishing Wednesday

2010-02-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, I made this up.

But hey, it gives me an easy post idea.

So every Wednesday I'll be posting random things I come across that I love on.

Ready?

Palm Necklace with Starfish Necklace from Stella & Dot. I'd wear this with my yoga pants and t-shirts at the grocery store. I'd be hot.

If I could sew without punching my machine, I would whip me up my own Ollie Elephant by Heather Bailey.

Pretty much anything from Williams Sonoma. Anything at all.

Cupcake apron from Flirty Aprons. I'm pretty sure I'd make gourmet meals effortlessly if I had this apron. No, I know it. Yeah, totally.

Okay, that's it for this week. If you are feeling generous, feel free to email me and I'll happily provide my mailing address. You know, since my birthday is only 8 months away.

Jill-Jill

2010-02-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

I really don't have much to say today.

But, I will update you on Miss Jill.

I took her in for a weight check yesterday morning.

She gained 14 ounces in 21 days!!!

WOOP WOOP!

(this is in comparison to not gaining a SINGLE ounce in over two *months*)

I'm still nursing her like usual, and then feeding her a bottle of formula.

So, after all of that, she is now all of 11 pounds, 5 ounces. :)

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Giveaway: Material Gal Fabric Bundle

2010-02-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

This giveaway is closed. Please check back for more soon!!!

Get the perfect mix of Olivia's Holiday by Tina Givens in this adorable bundle!

You will receive the 5 half yards pictured:

Winks in Ivory
Friendship in Blue
Sugardrop in Pink
Hydrandrea in Pink
Chandelier in Pink

100% quilting weight cotton
44" wide

Material Gal carries some of the greatest designer fabrics, and at fan.tas.tic prices. Better yet, I don't know about the shops near you, but none of my local fabric stores will cut fat quarters in my own hand selected fabrics.

Stephanie comes to the rescue with the ability to custom make your own bundles.

Love. it.

Wanna win some candy colored happy?

1. Check out Material Gal's shop and come back and tell me what your favorite fabric bundle is.
1. Follow me on Twitter.
2. Blog about this giveaway (btw, it doesn't have to be an entire dedicated post...you can just link to it)
3. Tweet about this giveaway.
4. Facebook about this giveaway.

Be sure to leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry.

Good luck all!

Friday Favorites: Best {ever} Sugar Cookies

2010-02-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

I'm a sugar cookie snob.

It must be sugary and sweet.

It must be crispy...but only on the edges.

It must be soft...but only in the center.

BEHOLD!

My all-time fave sugar cookie recipe:

Before you begin, it is of *utmost* importance that you have the right sous-chefs. Sugar cookie making is tricky business without the right help.

2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 sticks of butter, softened
1 c. granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375. Whisk together flour, baking powder & salt.
2. Cream butter and sugar using an electric or stand mixer. (and if you don't have a stand mixer by now...we. need. to. talk.)
3. Add egg & vanilla. Add dry ingredients from step 1.
4. Roll dough into little balls. Roll the balls in the extra sugar you have set aside (a cereal bowl works well).
5. Place your sugared balls (ok, kids...keep the jokes clean) on a baking sheet. Squish them down with the bottom of a glass cup. You may need to dip the bottom of the cup in sugar to keep it from sticking to the dough.
6. ***SPRINKLES***

7. Bake 10-11 minutes until golden brown.
8. Lick the dough right off the mixer blade...even if you know that your mother-in-law is having an ab.so.lute. COW right now...can you hear it???..."that's how you get salmonella!!!" :)

9. Eat in horrifying amounts.

Especially good dunked in hot coffee.

Yeah, for breakfast...before the kids get up of course. :)

(oh, and these are too sticky for cutting shapes with cookie cutters so don't try it.)

The winner of the Less Ordinary Designs Giveaway is:

Erin S.!!!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Therapy Days

2010-02-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Therapy Days are *really* hard on Henry.

Imagine being a 2 1/2 year old little boy...

and twice a week, someone comes to your house with a *big* bag full of toys...

spreads out a big fluffy blanket in the middle of your living room floor...

and spends an hour playing with your sister and all. those. toys...

and your mommy sits and watches them play.

You aren't allowed to interrupt.

You aren't allowed to sit on the blanket.

You aren't allowed to play with the toys.

Mommy can't play with you right now.

You will have to wait.

So sad.

But the nice lady now brings special toys just for you.

Toys you can play with quietly.

But there's this ball...it's bright blue...and has these funny little spikes on it...

nope, can't touch.

That one is for Jill Jill.

Mommy remembers that you had a yellow one just like it...

she searches the house high and low and finally finds it.

And you exclaim:

"Mommy! Look! I have therapy too! It's MY therapy!"

And your mommy smiles through tears...because you are happy with such a simple little thing...

...because although you probably think therapy is nothing more than a playdate...

...she secretly hates that her 2 1/2 year old even *knows* what the word therapy is...

...she secretly wonders how many other words will enter your vocabulary that so many other kids go their whole live never even hearing...

...but mostly, she's just happy that you are happy.

(and don't forget, today is the last day to enter this week's giveaway!!!!)

Legacy

2010-02-10T06:08:00.000-08:00

Me & My Avo (I was pregnant with Hen in this photo).

Do you ever wonder what it is that your kids will remember about their childhood?

One day, when they are grown, married, with babies of their own...what will they wistfully recall about their days when you were their "mommy"...?

I wonder about this sometimes.

Don't worry, I'm not all obsessive about it, it just crosses my mind every once in a while.

Will it be the days I lose my cool and yell "Henry if you ask me ONE. MORE. TIME. you are going to get a TIME OUT!!!!"

Will it be all the times I say "Hold on...let me put away these dishes first..."

Will it be the nights I hurry through dinner so that bedtime can be pushed back just a few minutes earlier?

Or...

Will it be singing at the top of our lungs in the kitchen where our voices echo...dancing like fools while the girls sit in their highchairs giggling?

Sneaking into his bed for a few lazy moments and chit chatting about a 2 year old's plans for the day?

Going for walks to the park in the big red wagon?

Reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar for the 1,548th time?

Andy's mom and aunt once told me that one of their most vivid memories were the nights that their mom got all dressed up for nights out with her friends...laying in their beds...they would hear her taffeta skirts rustling down the hallway...their doors creak open...and the scent of her perfume as she leaned in to kiss them goodnight.

Isn't that sweet?

My memories of my grandma revolve around lots of food, lots of cuddling in her bed, gorgeous hydrangeas, and shopping for crafts at Woolworth's. Few things make me more nostalgic.

Joanie once blogged about her grandmother and Avon Pink Bubble Bath. Precious. You really have to read it.

One of the things I look forward to most are crazy, loud Christmases...when the kids are grown, married...babies on my babies hips...laughing, talking...too much food...good wine...lots of people all crammed in the house...and the kids joking and reminiscing on what life was like when Mom and Dad were young...

I can't wait to hear what they have to say.

What memories do you hold near and dear about your childhood?

Starbucks Redo

2010-02-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, I *have* to tell you this story:

So, remember this post where I totally wanked and whined about Starbucks????

Well, the very. next. night I packed up into the car on my way to watch one of Andy's basketball games.

It was chilly out, and a hot chocolate seemed awfully cozy and yummy.

As I drove through the parking lot to the big green mermaid sign in the sky, I thought to myself:

"sweet...and I totally remember all of the sizes, so this should be easy!"

Yes, I really thought that.

Because I'm lame like that.

So I pulled up to the kiosk, and coolly announced:

"I'll take a grande hot chocolate with whipped cream."

Quick. Confident. I felt like the cool kid in school. I had this.

Until...

"Would you like the regular hot chocolate or the signature hot chocolate?"

I. almost. died.

I seriously started laughing.

Hysterically.

The poor girl probably thought I was a psychopath.

"M'am...?"

"Um, I'm sorry...I don't know what the difference is..."

"Well, our signature is a blend of four different imported cocoas..."

I almost lost it again.

Really???

Really???

Hot chocolate is this complicated too???

"I'll take the regular kind. Thanks."

***

On another note, the bad part of blogging is that everyone calls you on...well, everything.

I had four...count 'em FOUR...different people comment on my Starbucks...

"...what???!!! I thought you hated Starbucks???..."

Gee whiz.

Giveaway: Less Ordinary Designs

2010-02-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

TOLD you there would be more! :)

This fabulousness was our birth announcement.

Designed with and by Sara at Less Ordinary Designs.

She also does ultra-cute Christmas photo cards. Love. Them.

Here's how it works: you work with Sara on a design (which by the way, she is *awe.some*). She emails you a .jpg of the file, which you then take (or email) to any place that develops photos...and print off as many as you want. I did mine through winflash.com, but you could use snapfish, shutterfly, walmart, costco...wherever you prefer.

I ordered envelopes through Envelope Mall.

Way easy, way custom and way cheap.

Wanna win a $15 credit to design your own fabulousness?

1. Head over to Less Ordinary Designs and come back and tell me which design you like best.
2. Follow me on Twitter.
3. Become a follower of my blog.
4. Tweet about this giveaway.
5. Facebook about this giveaway.

Be sure to leave a SEPARATE comment for each.

Giveaway will be open until Friday 5:00 a.m. PT, at which time I will choose a winner.

Good Luck!

Friday Favorites: Bumbo Chairs

2010-02-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

I did a post on the Bumbo back when Henry was a baby. At the time, I liked it, but it wasn't something I would have considered a necessity.

But let's face it. You hold your first baby an awful lot.

You just *can*.

So, having yet another version of a baby chair is sorta like dipping a chocolate chip cookie in hot fudge. It can be too much a good thing.

Fast forward to baby #2...

...or in my case, babies #2 and #3.

Being able to set your baby down is a MUST.

Twin mamas feel this more accutely.

Regardless, I am loving our Bumbos.

They have such a small footprint that they can be used anywhere.

And for anything.

Sitting.

Eating.

My new favorite use for our Bumbo:

Some moms like to give their babies long, luxurious baths.

They bond.

They giggle.

Me?

Notsomuch.

In. Shampoo. Rinse. Out. Done.

I pretty much only bathe my kids as insurance against them being the stinky kid in class.

Come on, you all know you had that kid in class.

You probably even remember his name all these years later.

And yes, it was probably a him...because boys are gross.

I can say that because I have one.

Anyway, the point is that my Bumbos are rad.

I love them and I use them multiple times a day.

But buy it on Craigslist. There's no need to pay full price for molded foam.

Oh, and the winner of the LilaFrances giveaway is:

NatureManipulated!

If you didn't win, don't worry, more giveaways to come!

National Geographic: Suburbia Edition

2010-02-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

It is imperative that the following blog post be read as if a man with a slight British accent is whispering the narrative.

In her natural habitat, the mother wears no make up and her hair is traditionally worn in a ponytail. The t-shirt, if clean, is considered a perfectly acceptable fashion choice, and if a shower was obtained, her day is officially a success.

The mother of the clan is adept at multi-tasking. In this scene, she is seen feeding her young where her adaptability allows for an unprecendented variety of feeding techniques. Not only is she able to nurse one baby, while bottle feeding a second baby...she is able to give a third child the look of death for playing with her camera.

So, you know how you (ideally) look in the mirror at least once a day...but it isn't until you see a picture of yourself that you *gasp* aloud? Yeah. That weird tuft of hair...those USED to be bangs.

WOMAN GET THEE TO A SALON!
...fantastic sams, super cuts, even the neighborhood barber shop...
ANYTHING!

Gee whiz. It's any wonder my husband hasn't left me yet.

(oh, and you can stop reading with a British accent now...)

So, apparently I've been totally starving my poor child. Jilly has been nursing the usual 10-15 minutes...and THEN *pounding* 6 ounces of formula.

oops.

A bit of research on my part found that many kids with CP (and remember, we still don't have an official diagnosis), have feeding issues because they get tired sucking and/or chewing. It appears that this may be the case with Jill.

It will be interesting to see how much (if any) weight she gains.

By the way, bottle feeding sucks. There's dishes and mixing and buying and packing and pouring...man, it is so much easier to just whip out a boob.

Yes, I just said boob. It's okay.

But, Henry likes to help. And as you can see, Jill adores her brother so it works out for everyone.

Thank you for everyone's kind words in the last post. :)

And don't forget, today is the last day to enter the giveaway!!!

Perfection

2010-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Every baby who has done any time in the NICU, is scheduled for a follow up "Infant Development Clinic"...

Jill's was on Friday morning.

Today was the first day I haven't cried since.

One of her NICU doctors says:

"She's probably going to be diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy...[looks over at the therapist who shakes her head in agreement]...and we need to get you connected with an orthopedic surgeon because it is very likely she will need surgery in the future."

So non-chalant.

He may as well have said

"Oh, and your library books are due back on Tuesday."

I, on the other hand, felt like I had been hit by a ton of bricks.

That I hadn't even seen coming.

Really...I felt like I had the wind knocked out of me.

He seemed so sure of it all.

Yup, she has it.

And surgery????

In all my mind's wildest dreams of what Jill's life might look like, surgery *never* entered the picture.

Wheelchairs, braces, crutches, learning disabilities...all kinds of things had run through my head.

But never surgery.

Wait, I've done surgery with a baby.

It was no fun.

I thought I could cross that off my Bucket List.

When the therapist placed her hand on my knee and looked at me with tenderness and said "I know it's hard news to hear...you can call me anytime"

I wanted to slap her.

Do not touch me. I do not know you. You are not my friend. You do not know what it feels like. I know you are just trying to be nice, but honestly I'm about to go postal on you.

As we walked out through the lobby, we passed a very pregnant girl.

"I bet her baby is perfect."

Dripping with bitterness.

But wait...

Jill IS perfect.

I do not believe that God makes mistakes.

Jill is *exactly* who God intended her to be.

I do not want Jill to ever, Ever, EVER believe that she is imperfect.

Or that she is flawed.

Damaged.

Defective.

She is His creation.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
-Psalm 139:14

She may need extra help. She may not be a triathelete. She may need extra snuggles and kisses and hugs.

But she is not wrong or broken or incomplete.

Jillian Mary is who God lovingly made her to be.

My next thought went to her brother and sister. The way that their lives will change.

And then I smiled...

...because yes, Henry and Lucy will be changed.

They will be more compassionate, more loving, more tender hearted.

Well, Lu might need a little help in the tender department...the girl has quite the mean streak. :)

So excuse me if I burst out into tears the next time you see me.

I'm a little fragile right now.

Not gonna lie.

My heart is much too wrapped up in my children.

Have I mentioned how hard it is to be a mom?

But oh, how I wouldn't trade it for all the riches in the world.

It's a...GIVEAWAY!!!!

2010-02-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED. Check back for more!

And, let me be clear: it is the *FIRST* giveaway of many, many to come.

In fact, starting this Monday, I will be giving away something new every week...for...

...at least 6 weeks.

Lurkers, be prepared to out yourself.

I have a plan up my sleeve.

A big one.

But, there is some work to be done on the back end...

and in the meantime, I want to boost my readership.

Ooohhh, cryptic.

What better way to do that than to intice you all with really great FREE stuff???!!!

Can I get a woop woop?!

This week's giveaway comes from Anna, who owns the LilaFrances etsy shop.

I mean, really...could these BE cuter?!

I ordered a couple of these...one for a baby shower and another for an upcoming bride.

And, *seriously* for as cute as these are in the photos, I absolutely SWOONED when I opened up the package and saw them in real life.

Don't have a baby? Give it to someone who does!

I am even considering ordering one with our last name and putting it up in the laundry room.

How cute would that be???!!!

Wanna win one of Anna's 8-inch personalized hangers?

You have 4 ways to win:

1. Check out Ana's shop. Come back and leave me a comment telling me what you would have your hanger say if you won.
2. Blog about this giveaway.
3. Facebook this giveaway.
4. Tweet this giveaway.

Be sure to leave a SEPARATE comment for each.
(So yes, that means you have up to 4 entries).

I'll announce a winner on Friday.

Good luck crazy kids!

Friday Favorites: Healthy Berry Crisp

2010-01-29T07:00:00.000-08:00

There's this great, TOTALLY out of the way little restaurant in Morro Bay called the Bayside Cafe. When we lived in SLO, we drove out there *regularly* for no reason other than to have their famous Berry Crisps.

I know we're not the only ones who loved these things...you seriously would have to let the waitress know at the beginning of your meal that you intended to have them for dessert and to reserve them...or you risked them running out!

Over the years, we have since moved and it's now about 50 miles to our little Cafe.

So sad.

I've tried a bunch of different recipes...and after many tries and lots of fiddling, I think I got it. I haven't done a side by side comparison, but these are DARN good.

4 cups berries*
4 tbls. sugar
2 cups flour
2 cups oats
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup softened butter
1 tsp. cinammon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
Whipping Cream

*(I usually buy the Marion Berries at the grocery store, but you can use any kind of dark berry...black, boysen, etc. Fresh is great if they are in season, but frozen works well too.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Mix berries and sugar in a bowl. (You don't have to defrost the berries if you don't want to...)
2. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients (except cream). You'll probably have to use your hands...the mixture should be crumbly.

3. Divide up the berries evenly into individual serving, oven safe dishes. You can use ramekins, bowls...those mini loaf dishes from Michael's are a perfect size...

4. Cover berries with oat mixture. GENEROUSLY. Think you put enough on? Put some more on there. Really. It sort of settles down into the cooked berries so you want to be sure there is enough to have a decent amount of topping. (Depending on how big your dishes are, you may have leftover so don't think you have to use all of the topping).

5. Bake 30-35 minutes.
6. Serve warm.

Okay, now this is the REALLY, REALLY, REALLY important part.

Vital.

The crisp will not be nearly half as good if you don't do this:

Before you bite into the yummy berry goodness...you have to pour some whipping cream on top.

Keep that cream handy.

You will re-apply.

Trust me.

Healthy?

Oh, that's right...

I put that in the title because I figure it's still January, so some of you may still be in New Year's Resolution mode...

::cough::lame::cough::

Well, let's see...berries are chock full of antioxidants, and they are a fruit...the oats are good for your cholesterol...and you got yourself some dairy in there too...

That screams healthy if you ask me...

(this is also coming from the girl who goes around wearing yoga pants and running shoes convinced that her body is somehow tricked into burning calories as a result...because it's not like I actually DO yoga or go running...pshaw....!)

***And dear readers, be sure to tune in on Monday...I have a surprise for y'all!!!***

The 30% Discount WAS Nice, but...

2010-01-28T06:24:00.000-08:00

I've had a handful of odd jobs through high school and college.

One of which was a 3 month stint at Victoria's Secret.

SUPER coveted job amongst the college girls.

I mean, who wouldn't want to wander around all that lace and satin and pink and get paid for it???

Yeah, well, it was likely one of the *worst* jobs I ever had.

Do tell?

Okay, if you insist.

Basically, if I had to sum it all up in a nutshell, I just couldn't handle how SERIOUSLY they took themselves. Look, I know they are multi-bajillion dollar company, and they obviously are successful because they do, in fact, take themselves seriously...but in practice, it was pretty hysterical. And even though I was fully clothed, it was pretty demeaning.

It was all about rules:

Rule #1: You had to wear 90% black. Translation: the only color you can wear is your top. If you wear a skirt, it has to be paired with black tights. You MUST always, no matter how hot, wear a black blazer. Which, incidentally, they don't provide you with. So I found myself having to fork over $50 for a blazer in order to get paid minimum wage. (And in college, $50 was an astronomical amount of money).

Rule #2: You had to call them "panties". Just typing that makes me feel dirty. Ugh. You were threatened with being fired if you were caught calling them underwear. Oh, and the "full butt" panties...those are briefs in case you weren't quite sure. And yes, your manager will shoot you the look of death if she overhears you calling them "full butt". Oops.

Rule #3: You can't call anything "cute". It has to be "beautiful" or "gorgeous" or some other fancier version of cute.

Rule #4: They give you a 30% discount. Rad. Loved. it. And at Christmas time it went to 40%. Even better. And when a new bra came out, you got it for free. The not so rad part? You were supposed to wear said bra and/or use your discount to buy bras...so that you can wear them on your shift. So that you can say to random customers YOU HAVE NEVER MET BEFORE IN YOUR LIFE "this is a great bra...in fact, I'm wearing it right now"...which is basically a gigantic invitation for said RANDOM STRANGER to peer at your rack and asses whether or not they feel that they are being supported sufficiently.

Really.

My favorite was when someone would look you over, shrug their shoulders and say "meh"...

Ouch.

Rule #5: There's this sort of unsaid expectation that you will get ogled up one side and down the other...and it's just part of the job and you can't be weirded out by it. What does that mean? "Hi, I'm here looking for a gift for my wife/girlfriend". "Okay, what size does she wear?" "Um, I don't know...[steps back, looks you up...and down...back up again...] but yeah, I think she's about your size..."

Shower...now...please. Wait, I think I just vomited in my mouth a little bit...

Rule #6: You can't laugh at people. So when a girl comes in and tries on some lingerie, because her husband or whoever is coming home from Iraq after 8 months...and she tries on 2 different little outfits...but she looks like a 9 year old boy in both of them...you have to keep a straight face when she asks you in all seriousness "which of these do you think he'll like better?" That was mean, but really people...I don't know, I don't care, and honey...maybe you should stop by the local salon and get them eyebrows wrangled while you are out...

Meow.

Needless to say, I only lasted a few months.

Congratulations, you are stupid in 3 Languages

2010-01-27T13:40:00.001-08:00

Enjoy.

(there is one bad word...but it was too perfect so I had to post this.)

Starbucks Stress

2010-01-27T10:18:00.000-08:00

Since the last two posts have been a bit of Debbie Downers, I thought I'd post something super frivolous and random.

Why?

Because it's my blog, and I can.

With that, I have something to get off my chest:

Starbucks totally stresses me out.

Look, their coffee is okay. I don't think it's great...it's not bad or anything, but it's not that phenomenal either. (I'm sure some reading this will gaffaw and be utterly offended, but whatever, it's my opinion).

Even still, you will find me at the drive thru every once in a blue moon. Mainly because, well, you can get yourself a coffee at a drive thru.

Even if it does cost me almost 5 bucks.

But the whole experience makes me break out in a sweat.

I mean, really...can't I just have a MEDIUM mocha???

I can never seem to remember the stupid size language...why is a "tall" the small???? And the "grande" (which means BIG) actually the MEDIUM??? And then suddenly they go to "venti" which means 20 in Italian...because it's 20 ounces...but it's out of sequence. If you want to go that route, you should call the small Otto...since that's how you say eight (ounces) in Italian.

(By the way, I had to totally google all of that...)

CONSISTENCY PEOPLE!!!

And when I DO say the word medium...the cashier, er barista (whatEVER)...always feels the need to correct me..."okay, so you want a Grande Cafe Mocha..."

Seriously. Just give me my stupid coffee.

You don't have to insult my intelligence by correcting my inability/refusal to speak your MADE UP and inconsistent fake language.

I shouldn't have to refer to the menu in order to remind myself what your silly lingo is.

It's COFFEE.

Don't make it more complicated than it needs to be.

(It reminds me of when I worked at Victoria's Secret and they had all kinds of rules about words I used to describe the "panties"...ugh!...how gross is that word???...I wanted to just shake the manager and scream YOU SELL UNDERWEAR FOR A LIVING!!! GET OVER YOUR BAD SELF!!!!" )

Coffee.

And then they print these little "philisophical" quotes on the side of the cup...like they're doing you a favor by making you not only bi-lingual...but now you got your Enlightenment 101 for the day too.

Gee, thanks Starbucks.

Because I would be totally shallow and uneducated if it weren't for you.

And then...they start firing all kinds of questions at you...soy? dairy? double shot? whipped cream...

I just. shut. down.

I have no idea.

Just coffee that kinda tastes like chocolate.

In medium size.

Not the big one, not the small one.

The one in the middle.

Skinny? Macchiato? Frapuccino???

I have honestly been so overwhelmed at times, that I seriously scrap my entire order and just ask for a water.

"Bottled? Flavored? With ice? No ice? Lemon?"

O.M.G.

You have GOT to be kidding me.

"Would you like a shortbread cookie that supports an Ethiopian Village of basket weavers?"

No thanks.

"How about a CD with crooning tunes from a self-absorbed pseudo-pop star where five cents goes towards a knitting tribe in Madagascar?"

Just a medium coffee.

At this point, I don't even care if it tastes like chocolate.

In fact, I just want to get out of here.

The grinding and steaming and clanking is making me want to have an absolute nervous breakdown.

I always marvel at the people who go to Starbucks to "study" or "read" or have a "conversation"...how can you hear yourself THINK in all that racket????

(this is where I know I'm getting old...)

"Did you bring your own mug? Did you want a napkin? Would you like to buy a pound of coffee to make at home? Have you tried our new instant coffe? How about some granola and yogurt?"

Just shoot me now.

Obviously I'm not the only one...since someone made a cheat sheet...

Okay, I'm done now.

Thanks for listening.

I'm pretty sure I just wasted like 7 minutes of your day.

Sorry about that.

(Footnote: none of this is directed at the employees themselves, since I know that they are only doing their job and following corporate directives...hell, I had to utter the word "panties" all day long...ugh...just typing it gives me the heeby-jeevies...)

More (not so good) Jilly News

2010-01-26T07:22:00.000-08:00

We had our 6 month check up for the girls yesterday.

Lucy has gained almost 3 pounds in 2 months and weighs 14 lb. 11 oz.

Jill, on the other hand, didn't gain a single ounce.

Not one.

She weighs exactly the same 2 months later at 10 lb. 7 oz.

My six month old baby only weighs 10 pounds.

She grew 2 inches...but didn't gain any weight.

Our first experiment is to supplement with formula after every feeding...it obviously isn't a milk supply issue (since I have LuLu's rolls to attest for that!)...but it *might* be that Jill gets tired and quits nursing too early...

Since it's easier to suck from a bottle than it is from mama, I have to see if she will take formula after a regular nursing session.

We go back in 21 days for a weight check to see if that was the issue.

In the meantime, we are being referred back to the neurologist...when I asked why, this was the response:

"Lots of babies don't get referred to the neurologist because they look so bad that you can tell from just looking at them that they will have long term issues...and then some babies are doing so well that you can tell from just looking at them that they won't have issues...but Jill is in this gray area...she's made remarkable progress since she was first born...but she's still struggling, so the neurologist might be able to see some predictor indicators for Cerebral Palsy...and at least give us an idea of what we might be dealing with in the future..."

There were those words again.

I focused my attention on a door hinge.

It's all that kept me from bursting out into a hot mess of tears.

This morning was our first bottle feeding.

She didn't drink any of the formula...but then again, she had no idea how to suck from the bottle nipple...and when she did manage to get some formula out accidentally...her eyes watered and she pretty much gagged...apparently formula isn't so yummy...

So we will keep trying. I hope she gains some weight.

I just wish I knew what it was like to go to a standard well-baby check up and not hear the words cardiologist or neurologist...

It makes me tired.

Jumped the Gun...

2010-01-24T15:12:00.000-08:00

Remember this post when I said that Jill scored at 75%?

Well, apparently I was wrong...

...or wishful thinking...

...or that was my sub-conscious hoping that if I typed it that way, it would come true?...

I don't know.

Psychologist I am not.

See, what happened was that I had glanced at the checklist...while trying to keep Henry and Lucy entertained...and I thought I saw most of the boxes checked...but what I didn't realize was that there were multiple pages of checklists...excuses, whatever...

As a reminder, Jill is 6 months old.

The promising sign is that she has caught up with the 0-2 month skills...which she didn't score very well on at the time either.

Perceptual/Fine Motor (small movements - hands): 4/4 skills at 0-2 months and 3/8 skills at 3-5 months.

Cognitive/Adaptive (problem solving): 4/4 skills at 3-5 months and 1/5 skills at 6-8 months.

Language (gestures or verbal communication): 3/3 skills at 3-5 months.

Gross Motor (large movements - legs/arms): 6/6 skills at 0-2 months, 5/10 skills at 3-5 months, and 2/16 skills at 6-8 months.

Social/Emotional: 5/6 skills at 3-5 months and 1/4 skills at 6-8 months.

I almost didn't post this. I almost just left it as is. Not because I am ashamed, but because I feel stupid. Why did I jump the gun and post what I thought I saw before I had the report??? Why did I assume that a quick glance was sufficient?

Whatever the reason, I don't know. But I do know this:

I am sad.

So sad.

I guess if I'm honest, I thought that Jill's movement issues would be a lot like Henry's heart...scary and stressful...but ultimately...

temporary.

Something that would be a memory.

A story for the baby book.

But nothing long term.

Surely she would grow out of it.

...

We know nothing for sure right now. She can still go on and catch up...it just might take her longer to get there.

We have an appointment with a different Physical Therapist on Friday through the NICU...who will do their own, separate assessment...someone who has never seen her...a second opinion if you will...

So we will see what they have to say.

But if I'm honest...and I watch her movements...really watch how she does things...or doesn't do things...

...I'm not entirely sure that I believe that this will all go away.

At least not completely.

And so, I try to wrap my brain around the idea that I may, indeed, have a special needs child after all.

To what degree I don't know.

But even still it's hard to come to terms with.

I have so much to say about all of this...but I need to process it...make it coherent...and not turn this into the world's longest blog post...

So I'll leave it at that for now.

I don't know about you, but it's a lot for me to take in all at once...but then again, I'm her mommy...

Insanity. On my part.

2010-01-23T08:02:00.000-08:00

"Hey babe..."

"Yeah?"

"I know this sounds crazy, but I have baby fever."

"No."

"I know. I don't know what I'm thinking, but it's true."

"Jeannett, you have TWO babies. No."

"I know. But I always feel like someone is missing. I feel like we're not complete. Just today I loaded the kids up in the car to go run an errand, and I seriously felt like I was forgetting someone and had to go back in the house to get them..."

"That's nice. But no."

"And then I just kinda think...our life is super crazy right now...we're up to our eyeballs in poopy diapers and snot...so there's a part of me that just kinda wants to get it all over with at once...I really dislike the idea of getting through all the baby stuff and then having to start all over again...and as crazy as it is sometimes, I really like how close our kids are in age..."

"You really want to be pregnant again???"

"Not really...maybe let's just start adoption paperwork...that'll take a couple of years anyway..."

"Look, can we just have an uneventful 2010? We can start paperwork or whatever next year maybe?"

"okay..."

I'm insane. It's totally true.

But go big, or go home, right?

:)

(oh and in case you were wondering...I'm pretty confident that we will cap the Gibson Family at 4 kids...and yes, we are seriously considering #4 being adopted...although we don't know from where and we haven't committed to that 100% but it's a very real and likely consideration...remember how hard pregnancy is on me?...yeah...)

6 months old.

2 weeks old.

These pics have nothing to do with the post, but they were cute, so whatevs...

Friday Favorites: Orka Ice Cube Trays

2010-01-22T06:51:00.000-08:00

I make my own baby food.

Don't be impressed.

It's super easy and is a *significant* cost savings.

Here is a post from when I did it with Henry if you want to see the cost breakdown and more details.

After a few batches of food, I came across these ice cube trays with silicone bottoms.

Before you have a heart attack...yes they are $10...EACH.

I know, it's ridiculous...and I'm a total cheapy...BUT hang in there...

I own five of them (I found them a few bucks cheaper at TJMaxx randomly)...and I'm telling you...having these trays can seriously make or break your baby food making experience.

I found that using regular ice cube trays was a disaster...first, they don't have lids, so you have to cover with foil...then, when you stack them, they sort of sit down into one another and the foil squishes down the food and makes a mess...and then when I tried to pop out the frozen food my trays cracked.

Maybe it was just me, but it was frustrating and I needed something better or I was going to abandon ship altogether.

As for the cost, this is how I look at it: you save so much money making your own food that you make up the $ pretty quickly...

...and if you buy them with your first kid and use them again with subsequent babies, it pays itself off even more...

...and when you are all done?...I would imagine you could sell them on ebay or craigslist easily (ebay has a set of 3 for $20!)...or even hand them down to another friend who could use them.

After frozen, run hot water along the bottoms real quick...seriously, like 3 seconds.

Poke each of the silicone bottoms and the food will pop right out. Enlist the help of your 2 year old. They think it's a fun game.

Store in a labeled freezer bag.

Each of these cubes is roughly 0.5 an ounce of food.

Depending on how organized you are, either pull out a few cubes to defrost in a bowl on your counter in advance...or if you are like me, defrost in the microwave at feeding time.

I know lots of moms just kinda mash up whatever they are eating and feed it to their baby...but between the food allergies my kids have/had, and the fact that I'm not exactly the healthiest/most consistent eater, doing that isn't really practical for me. (And when I worked full time, we really had no choice but to go the traditional baby food route.)

Now go out there and puree yourself some carrots!

Have fun!

Just when I thought I knew a little something about motherhood

2010-01-21T16:48:00.001-08:00

Carrots completely undid me.

***

When Henry was a baby, I couldn't wait to get him started on solids.

It was just kinda the next big step, and I was excited.

And then I did...and regretted it.

It was messy, took forever, and was just a plain pain in the rear.

So, I've been putting off solids with the girls...I just really didn't want to deal with it...nursing is soooo much easier. (And babies don't need solids until age 1...anything they eat before that is really just considered practice for when they are bigger).

But Lucy has all but been ripping hunks of steak out of my hands so that she can eat it.

Finally, I figured I should probably start the girl...although I really didn't want to start until both girls were ready...and I didn't think that Jill was ready...I didn't think she could hold steady enough to really sit up and take the food and I didn't think she would be coordinated enough to actually eat/swallow the food.

I also would have sworn to you that Henry HATES carrots.

But apparently, if you tell your 2 year old that it's "baby food" he not only wants to eat it, but he somehow manages to shower in it as well.

Since she was sitting there, I thought I would try carrots with Jill. I really didn't think much of it...just wanted to see her make a funny face.

Well, not only did she eat it happily...she ate it easily, eagerly, and CLEANLY.

I'm telling you: if I didn't know better, I would wonder if someone was secretly feeding her solids for MONTHS now. She ate like a champ.

In fact, this was as messy as she got by the end of it.

Her *first* time eating solids.

I was shocked.

Lucy on the other hand...needed taken out back and hosed off by the time we were done.

She batted at the spoon as I tried to bring it to her mouth...you know, the mouth she had stuffed her sausage fingers into...

And because she had the bright idea to blow raspberries with a mouth full of pureed carrots...*I* looked like a victim from a crime scene.

I had pureed carrot on my forehead.

My forehead.

I seriously showered afterward.

So there you have it:

Henry likes carrots, Jill's an old pro at eating, and Lu might need some more practice...while I wear full rain gear much like the guys in Deadliest Catch.

Whodathunkit?

Random Product Review: Baby Carriers

2010-01-20T12:51:00.000-08:00

This might seem kinda random, but I feel like people ask me about baby carriers all the time.

I'm a huge fan of wearing your baby. Henry pretty much spent the entire first year of his life strapped to me with some contraption or another.

Loved. it.

Unfortunately, I rarely wear my girls. It's just tough to have one baby strapped to you and try to pick the other one up. I know lots of twin mamas wear their babies, but I just found it was too cumbersome for me. With that said, my reviews are based mainly on my experiences with Henry.

Bjorn:
I think everyone registers for one of these. And frankly, I think that's the only reason these keep selling...because once you get it home and really start using it, you realize that it's not the greatest. I was given one of these by a friend, and used it a lot in the beginning...until I realized how bad it made my back and shoulders hurt. Remember when you were in high school and you had to carry around that Jansport filled with ridiculously heavy, hard backed American History books? It's like that only on your front...and that's another thing...you can only use it to carry on the front...it doesn't work to carry on your back, so you can really only use it for a short period of time...you just can't comfortably carry a 20 pound baby off your chest...I don't care who you are...

The Bjorn isn't without some pros, though. It snaps on quickly and easily...and it's a bit more "manly" looking...so Andy was happy to wear it without feeling too immasculated. :)

Sling:
I made one of these myself. Bought some super cute fabric, ordered the rings from a specialized sling company, followed directions online. I wasn't a fan. Granted, I have a feeling I must have been wearing it wrong or something, because there are a lot of people who *swear* by slings...I just felt like it always dug into my neck. No matter how I adjusted it, I didn't feel comfortable. The jury is out on this one because I think my issues were more user-error than the sling itself. Needless to say, I have a really cute turqouise and brown sling sitting in the corner of my closet. Bummer.

Moby:
I also made this myself (actually, my mother in law did it for me). A "real" Moby costs about $45...for $3 we got 1.5 yards of jersey (t-shirt) fabric...cut it in half (lengthwise), and sewed the ends together to make one, reeeealllly long piece of fabric. (I think I googled "how to make a moby wrap" and found plenty of instructions...and it took all of 15 minutes). Anyway...Loved, Loved, LOVED it. Henry LIVED in his Moby. It. was. awesome. The fabric distributes the weight of the baby throughout your entire upper body, stretches with your movement, and baby is all cozy and snuggly wrapped up tight. Plus, since it's just T-Shirt fabric, you can throw it in the wash. I *highly* recommend a Moby (real or otherwise).

Apparently, you can tie your Moby in such a way that will allow you to carry twins. Unfortunately, by the time my c-section incision healed enough for me to actually have something tied around my waist, I felt like the girls were a bit big for me to handle having them both wrapped up on me. (I wouldn't have *dreamed* of tying anything around my waist for at least 6 weeks...their combined BIRTH weight was 13 pounds...)

Cons: it is quite a bit of fabric, so it is kinda a lot to carry around with you when not in use. Husbands tend to be less enthusiastic about wearing it (at least mine was). While it does take some practice to get it tied on, it's easy...albeit a bit difficult to do if you are in public and your kid is screaming. :)

Ergo:

(I'm pregnant with the girls in this photo...although I didn't know it was twins yet! I was soooo nauseous!!!)

I never used my Ergo on my kids when they were newborns, so I can't really vouch for that time period. I just went straight to the Moby. But I *adore* my Ergo. I use it regularly when we go for walks (since I don't have a triple stroller, I push 2 and carry Jilly), and I've used it with Henry even recently. It distributes most of the weight onto your HIPS and is super easy to put on...just snap a couple of buckles, and you are done. You wear smaller babes on your front...and bigger kids on the back. Plus, Andy will wear this one too. :)

Cons: It's pricey. You can only buy it online or at fancy baby boutiques. And it's rarely on sale. BUT, (as I'm sure you won't be surprised), I got mine on Craigslist for $50.

***

I think if you wanted to only buy ONE baby carrier, I would suggest the Ergo...and then spend the extra couple of bucks to make yourself a Moby. There's just nothing that can compare to the coziness of a newborn in a Moby...

Twin Carriers?

Yeah they exist. No, I don't own one. I just can't imagine my 5'2" frame comfortably wielding one of these...and they resemble the Bjorn...for two babies...double the misery. Blech.

Have I missed something? What is your favorite carrier?

Bloggy Thoughts

2010-01-19T07:10:00.000-08:00

Thanks for all the responses on my "to be or not to be" post last week.

It was just kinda weird.

I mean, I have a ticker off to the side...and I saw that it went up daily...I have it set to record unique visits...meaning that if my mom checks to see if I updated my blog 15 times in one day, it still only records her as 1 hit.

And I average 200-300 hits a day.

You would think that would be enough to convince me that people read my little corner of the web.

But you start second guessing yourself.

Am I flattering myself to think anyone cares?

How vain is that?

Maybe people stumble here...you know, by accident. They click around, blog to blog...but they don't really *read* this stuff.

I wasn't "fishing for comments".

That post wasn't the blogger version of the size 0 girl in high school who would ask "Do I look fat?"...just so that you can tell her how skinny she is.

No.

I guess that in all the confidence I try to exude, there's still some insecurity in there too.

Shocking.

And now I'm thinking.

Thinking hard.

Really hard.

Like, hardly-sleeping-I-can't-turn-my-brain-off hard.

27 comments isn't all *that* many.

But what amazed me was the similar theme:
"Thanks for telling like it is...it makes me feel like I'm not the only one..."

Really?

Okay. So now I feel...no...I know...that God wants me to do something.

I'm trying to hash out the details, figure out what that something is, how to make it work, what to do next.

I know that might sound weird to a lot of you...but it just is.

No thunderous voices from the heavens, but it's this crazy undeniable feeling that I'm supposed to go one step further and grow this little blog of mine.

Stay tuned, I have some surprises in store.

Soon.

Give me a couple weeks to work out the details.

Wanna come?

Jilly Update

2010-01-16T21:36:00.001-08:00

Now that the girlies are 6 months (!) old, Jill had a big assessment with her physical therapist.

Basically, a checklist of things she should be able to do at this age.

Back when she was first assessed, she only scored 50% for babies 0-3 months.

Now, she scores at 75% for babies 3-5 months.

So, that's pretty good.

Not 100%, but definately better.

Oh, and the places she didn't score on were all physical...not cognitive (mental). So the troubles she is having so far are all with movement.

Another good in my book. :)

Most of Jill's issues with movement are really based on her not being very strong. She can *do* most things, but they are hard for her and she gets wiped out pretty quickly.

A pictoral example:

She can hold her head up when she's on her belly...
But she quickly tires and has to take a break...
Up again...

Another break...
Okay, a little more... But remember: being this beautiful is tough work. :)

She can roll over from her belly to her back...

So that her sister can suck on her fingers...oh, and spread around the germies...

But I'm pretty sure LuLu doesn't care.In the meantime, all three kids are super gunky, nasty, grody sick. Not feverish, just really bad colds.

Me and the booger-sucker-outter are BFF right now.

If ever my heart broke...

2010-01-15T09:36:00.000-08:00

It is now.

Two Americans run the Bresma Orphanage in Haiti, which is now in ruins. They are charged with 120 children, and a number of them have adoptions pending. They state in the article above:

In a text to her husband Doug, Jamie McMutrie Heckman, 30, said she and her sister, Alison, 21, were living in the orphanage's yard with the children without food or water.
"We truly can't keep babies alive ... water contaminated. This is our only hope," she texted, using a stranger's Blackberry. "I want to make sure everyone understands we can't stay in Haiti and the kids will not live if they stay. Riots will start within two days."

My own children's faces are all I see.

I was up most of the night thinking.

Praying.

Lucy woke up at one point.

Hysterical.

She was hungry.

It had been a handful of hours since her last feeding.

I lay there for a few minutes...tears...how much harder would her crying be if it had been a handful of DAYS since her last feeding?

We are actually in the middle of doing "Cry It Out"...but last night I couldn't bear it.

I knew she would quiet in just a few minutes, but my thoughts were in Haiti...

...with babies who cried...

...hungry...

...thirsty...

...injured...

...without even a mommy to wipe their tears and cuddle them.

I know I probably went backwards with the girls by going to them last night.

But I ached to rub their little heads and kiss their soft cheeks.

Read Here.

Robenson, Haiti, and Hope

2010-01-14T11:07:00.000-08:00

"I cannot help them all, but I grieve and weep with them, and am completely absorbed in the duties that charity imposes on me. Today we must translate the precepts of the Scriptures into deeds. Instead of speaking saintly words, we must act them."
- St. Jerome

We've sponsored Robenson through Compassion International for the last few years. He lives in Haiti and in fact, we JUST got a letter from him a couple of weeks ago.

Cute kid.

Love getting his letters and crayon drawings.

And then the earthquake.

Having children makes you feel devastation differently.

I always find myself thinking of my own children...how I would feel if events or circumstances were happening to THEM.

Sweet Jill's smile...Lucy's blue eyes...Henry's goofy ways...

The desparation I would feel if a major catastrophe had just occurred to my own family.

Having children makes the world feel so much smaller.

I got an email from Compassion yesterday...explaining that I would receive a PERSONAL email from them as soon as they located Robenson and let me know how he is.

That is just the coolest.

That email made my day.

I just pray that the email bears good news.

In the meantime you can bet that we'll be praying and donating to help.

Think about doing it too.

If you were planning on donating anyway...or if you need a little extra motivation, check out Hope for Haiti. They are doing a series of raffles...every dollar you give earns you a raffle ticket.

Good gig if you ask me.

Think about it.

Pray about it.

A Life of Its Own

2010-01-13T06:47:00.000-08:00

This little blog of mine has seemingly taken on a life of its own lately.

It all started way back in 2006 when we found out we were pregnant with Henry.

Being that the nearest family member lives over 200 miles away, and quickly finding that I was answering the same questions over and over and over again...I decided that a blog was a good way to keep everyone updated on the pregnancy and eventually the little boy that would soon make his grand debut.

That's it.

Hey Grandma! Check out pictures of the little bean!

Nothing more.

And then something happened over the months and years...

I don't know when exactly, but at some point this little silly blog of mine became like an open faced, intimate journal. I've noticed that many of my posts lately are pretty personal. I lay it all out there...in the vast world wide web...exposed for anyone who cares to look.

The funny thing is...that doesn't bother me. I have no problem being transparent.

It's who I am anyway. You know, in real life.

The thing that bugs me is wondering if it's even *worth* it.

I find myself asking:
What are you doing? Why are you doing this?

Look, what I'm saying is this: I don't mind pouring out my heart and soul if someone is actually READING this. If someone is actually gleaning something from it. If it helps someone, somehow, someway.

But if I'm just lobbing this stuff out into the depths of the Internet and it's floating out in cyberspace with no purpose...well, that's lame. And not worth my time, energy, or emotional output.

So, as I type this to an unknown (and possibly non-existent) audience, I'm trying to make a decision:

Do I continue this online diary under the assumption that someone is being encouraged or whatever by my ramblings...

...or do I go back to more of a "Hey look how cute my kid is Grandma!" kind of blog?

If I ask "Hello? Is anyone there?" Do I get a response...

...or a few crickets?

hmmmm....

Happy Half Birthday Ladies!

2010-01-12T14:36:00.000-08:00

Can you freaking belIEve it???

It's been six months.

I'm lamenting the loss of babyhood.

I know they're certainly still babies.

But they're not really that squishy newborn baby-ness anymore.

LuLu wore HARD SOLED SHOES today for Pete's Sake!

(Thanks Linds, for pointing that out...because I wasn't feeling all nostalgic this morning already...).

After reminding Andy that today was their six month birthday...

"...sooooo...when's the next one coming on board?..."

Just commit me now.

I'm certifiable.

What on earth am I thinking???!!!

And now for your viewing pleasure, a parade of photos:

What can $4 buy you?
2 pairs of BabyLegs (Carter's brand from the 99cent Store!) and little dresses on clearance for a buck a piece at Walmart!

Holding hands now...

...and then.

Brother doesn't want to be left out!

Picture won't rotate. Mea culpa.

We pulled out the jumper doo-hicky. It's a hit.

Even Jill loves it...although she gets tired quickly.

The house is getting louder. Both girls are starting to "talk" a lot. LuLu isn't crawling, but she can get where she wants by either scooting or rolling. Long gone are the days where she stays put when I lay her down. Jill is doing well. She has a big assessment with her physical therapist on Thursday, so I should know more then. Well, at least have a better sense of where she officially scores for her age and abilities.

Okay, baby parade is over. :)

So How Do You Like It? - Part 3

2010-01-11T20:06:00.000-08:00

Being a stay at home mom is hard.

It seems like you should be able to get a ton done...

...you know, since you're home all day.

right?

right.

Except that I can't seem to have more than 10 minutes when I don't have someone either:
a) pooping their diaper
b) wanting to eat
c) screaming about something or another
d) all of the above

The house is messier. Because it's *never* empty.

I do laundry...CON.STANT.LY.

Constantly.

More dishes to do since there are now three meals a day prepared.

Which leads to more dish towels to wash.

More napkins to throw away.

More crap that falls to the floor...

...only to be ground in by the constant parade of feet.

I don't have time for sewing, reading, or otherwise doing anything besides basically...

...well, just making sure someone isn't crying.

(Strangely enough, any "projects" I manage to do are done on the weekends when Andy is home to help keep an eye on little ones.)

The hardest part though, so far, is how it just kinda keeps going on and on and on.

Don't get me wrong. There's no such thing as a day off when you work full time either.

In fact, frankly, it's worse in most ways.

You put in a long day or week and then you come home and still have to be mom. You still have dishes and laundry and groceries and scraped knees and all that other stuff. Weekends are not time off...they're just time to get all that house business taken care of.

And that's been the biggest thing for me to adjust to just the same.

While I never got a weekend "off"...something *changed*.

I was busy as ever, but at least I didn't have to go to the office. I didn't have to get all dolled up. I didn't have to rush around in the morning.

There was a paradigm shift. Saturdays and Sundays just felt different.

I wasn't "off", but there was a distinct beginning and ending to weeks, months, years.

I find myself a bit put off on Saturdays that I have to make lunch for everyone. Not because I didn't make lunches on Saturdays before...just that now...well...

I DON'T WANT TO MAKE LUNCH BECAUSE I'VE MADE LUNCHES FOR THE LAST 64 DAYS STRAIGHT!

And frankly, I'm sick of making lunches. I don't want to make lunches. I want to do something different today because it's the weekend for Pete's Sake!

Does that make sense?

Nothing really changes. Except of course, that Andy is home, which is nice and does provide some change. But my daily tasks are the same regardless of the day.

I don't want to call it tedious, because that carries such a negative conotation...and so far, I'm not wanting it to be negative. It's just the fact of the matter.

The dishes are the same. The laundry is the same. The stupid lunches are the same.

But the kids are different every. single. day.

And in the end, that's the best part.

I get to watch the changes first hand.

Even if it means that I have to make yet another PB&J...you know, for the 546th time.

Tell Me I'm Not The Only One...

2010-01-09T08:52:00.000-08:00

I mean really.

So How Do You Like It? - Part 2

2010-01-08T13:56:00.000-08:00

Guilt.

Loads of it.

Carried it around.

Was always, and I mean *always* aware of it.

Both self-imposed and doled out by others.

I think all working moms carry around a lot of guilt. Even if they prefer working to being home full time.

Actually, let me re-phrase that: I think all moms carry around a lot of guilt. Working or not. We all have these pre-conceived notions of what motherhood and womanhood should look like, and somehow it always includes some level of relative perfection. Of which, none of us can master.

Add to that personal masochism, going to work and being away from home (and subsequently your kids) 50-60 hours per week. (Remember, work days are 8-5...plus travel times...that works out to be more than the 40 hours you pull on your paycheck.)

I always felt so guilty. Leaving my little boy at someone else's house.

Wondering if he behaved...how did he play with the others?...did he get a good nap todaay?...did he have any "firsts" today?...

Guilty that I was inevitably missing something.

Maybe everything.

Guilty that I wasn't being a good mom.

Terrified that he might like the daycare provider more than he liked me.

Worried that the values and morals I wanted instilled were going to have to happen by osmosis, because Lord knows I didn't see my kid as much as I did my co-workers.

So. much. guilt.

Dropping him off never got easier.

The only difference was that I quit crying after a while.

But my heart still ached.

As if that weren't enough, there was the judgment from others.

Maybe it was my paranoia. Maybe I was overly-sensitive.

Probably to some extent.

But I know that some of it was certainly real.

A sense of "I cannot believe you work! Ugh!"

Sometimes it was said with words.

"oh."

Most times with raised eyebrows and a disapproving look.

Many times by sheer virtue that most of the women's bible studies and events happened in the middle of the week during the middle of the day.

Almost always by the topics and speakers selected for women's conferences.

As if I don't dole out enough guilt on myself, I felt like every other woman I knew secretly (or not so secretly) disapproved...and by disapproving...labeled me a bad mom.

At the very least...a less than good mom.

I've had moms in hushed tones admit that they wished they could afford to work.

Hushed because it is frowned upon.

I heard the word "choices" a lot. And without literally pulling out my checking account, going over every detail of my personal finances, and then moving to a single wide in Arkansas...I could never explain to anyone how this was a choice that while heart-wrenching, was the right choice for us at the time.

And while finances were one of the reasons, it wasn't all about dollars and cents.

There was more to it.

Much more.

It wasn't an easy decision, but it was the decision. The right one. The hard one. The one I anguished over. The one that everytime I prayed, God whispered "not yet..patience..."

A friend recently asked if I feel isolated being home all day with the kids.

No.

In fact, now that I think of it, I felt isolated working full time.

Funny how that is sometimes.

So How Do You Like It? - Part 1

2010-01-06T17:33:00.000-08:00

"How are you? How's life with twins?....

So, how do you like being home full time? Do you miss work?"

That's pretty much the beginning to most conversations lately.

I don't miss working.

I don't miss rushing around getting ready. I don't miss being away from home so much.

Don't get me wrong. Being home all day is tough work.

There is NO sitting around eating bon-bons, watching Oprah or even that clean of a house....

I remember thinking "Gee, if I was a SAHM (stay at home mom) my house would be SO much cleaner!" But that's actually the exact opposite. It's not so much about having the TIME to clean, but the fact is that someone is ALWAYS home. There is hardly any time at all where the house is empty. It isn't like when you work and the house sits empty for 10-11 hours per day. There are 3 meals a day being prepared and who knows how many snacks being eaten. I mop my kitchen about 3-4 times a week and it still always looks like it needs mopped. Putting away toys is a losing battle. If he's not napping or eating...he's playing. As for deep cleaning...you know, scrubbing toilets and showers...ugh. When exactly is it that I have 4 solid uninterrupted hours to be up to my elbows in bleach and Tilex???? Riiiiight. Swish the toilet bowl...no more gross grow-y things...good enough...

I'm certainly less harried. I don't feel so rushed and strained. I don't feel like I'm being pulled in so many different directions. I feel more....FOCUSED. That doesn't mean I feel all relaxed and blissful...um, you been to my house lately???

No, it just means that when I was working I always felt like I wasn't being a very good mom nor was I being a very good employee. Too many places to be, not enough hours in the day. Now, I may not be the perfect mom and my house may not be as clean as I like, but I at least don't feel so dang...RUSHED. I feel like I can at least focus on being a mom and wife...that doesn't mean I do it brilliantly, but at least I can make an honest effort at it.

I think the best way to sum up how I felt when I worked full time (outside the house!), was that I felt like I was in perpetual SURVIVAL MODE. I was just trying to make it from one weekend to the next. One work day to the other.

Get up, get dressed, drop off at daycare, work all day, meetings, pick up, take a sick day, soothe screaming kid, make dinner, do dishes, sniff that load of laundry still in the washer...husband? oh what is that you wanted? HA! Silly boy...A for effort, but um...no.

Life was a crazy whirlwind. It was just. too. much. I wasn't doing a good job at much of anything. I was just doing good enough. Just good enough to not have CPS called and just good enough to not get fired and maybe even work in a small raise.

I know lots of moms who thrive on working full time. I know moms who know that they are BETTER moms for working outside the home. I don't think that being a SAHM is for everyone. I don't think it's the ONLY way to parent. I don't think that choosing to work makes you a bad mom. Everyone is different. Everyone comes to the table with a very different set of circumstances. I just know that for ME and MY FAMILY...it wasn't right.

I have lots more to say on this topic. I'll just have to break it up into separate posts or it'll be waaay too long.

Stay tuned.

Resolutions

2010-01-04T20:05:00.000-08:00

Choose to delight. Look for the joy in the everyday.
Be active. Being home full time makes me crave some kind of physical activity. Quit laughing, it's true. This isn't a "resolution" to lose weight...just a realization that I can't keep myself so sedentary. Believe it or not, I'm *dying* to do some yoga. Dying.
Be creative. Learn to sew better. Make some throw pillows. Maybe even applique a shirt or two. All without punching my sewing machine.
I'd love to take a photography class or otherwise learn to take better photos. Maybe I can find a cool DSLR under a rock somewhere? Or someone who is gratiously giving theirs away...you know, for free...
Above all, make an effort to be the wife and mother God wants me to be.

Do you have resolutions for 2010?

Little Moments

2010-01-02T08:43:00.000-08:00

Every week Henry sits on the front stoop and watches the garbage truck come by.

Every week they wave and honk at him.

Every week this makes me smile.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2009-12-31T11:28:00.000-08:00

2 out of 3 looking.

1 out of 3...kinda.

1 out of 3 smiling.

ummmm....

Come on kids! Look at MOMMY!

ANDY! Come help me!

We're getting closer...

Closer...

Ah, forget it.

I'll do individual shots...that'll look cute on the blog...

Jill is thrilled.

Wardrobe malfunctions.

Sheer annoyance.
(and her brother picking his nose in the background...sigh...)

And after all of that...

HAPPY 2010 EVERYONE!
May your year be as full of chaos and laughter as mine is sure to be!

Clearly I'm a Trendsetter

2009-12-30T07:47:00.000-08:00

Last night, had dinner with some friends.

Tracy says to me: "The girls' room is beautiful! Did you get the ballerina skirt idea from Pottery Barn?"

HUH?

No...

They just wanna be me.

It's totally understandable.

(and for the record...ALL of the fabric...for BOTH crib sets cost me about $100...this crib skirt alone?...yeah...that would be $149-199).

In case you were wondering...I got the idea from this nursery:

Twin Girl Nursery

2009-12-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

Finally!

Remember this sneak peek way back in the day?

Yeah, well...that's how long it took me to get the room done.

Actually, let me be more specific: the room has been 99% done for MONTHS...it was my hair brained idea for crib skirts that kept me from being 100% done.

I'm not really into pink.

It's not that I hate pink so much...just that I'm not a pink kind of girl, you know?

I'm also not into teddy bears, butterflies, princess castles, unicorns, flowers, or...

Pretty much all things that a little girl's room is.

Originally, I was going to go with some funky color combos like turqouise and orange. Still fun and girly but not overtly...well...girly.

And then I realized that this was likely my only chance at having baby girls...so I should probably just embrace it.

Naturally, I added black to offset the frou-frou.

Think Parisian Glam without the Eiffel Towers or Poodles.

In the end, I love, love, love the result.

IfIdosaysomyself.

Chandelier from Craigslist spray painted black.
Pale pink walls, black stripe, bubblegum pink stripe, white. Painting courtesy of Unci Dunci.
By the way, painting black on a wall is stressful.
It just seems wrong.

I made the bedding myself and my mother-in-law took over the debacle that was my "hey, I know! let's make the crib skirts out of tulle and they can look like giant ballerina tutus!" Cute idea, but if I never see a piece of tulle again it will be too soon.
Lucy's crib used to be Henry's. She gets the black/white bedding and pale pink tutu.

Coordinating, but not matching crib sets.
My brattiness about this is why I had to actually MAKE all this myself. It's impossible to find something un-lame for twin girls.
This crib was given to us...it used to be wood colored. Nothing 6 cans of black spray paint can't fix!
Jill gets the pink/white bedding and bright pink tutu.

Used some leftover fabric and the stuffing from an old pillow to make these little bird mobiles.
(The "hardware" was a re-use of Henry's old mobile and a second mobile I bought on clearance and threw away the hideous courdoroy sailboats from.)

The changing table from Henry's room (that is from Pottery Barn Kids but I bought used). Toss on a pink cover and swap the ribbons to a matching color.
Easy.

A *fabulous* armoire given to us by a friend. I didn't have to do a thing to this.

Little "vases" from my ever gorgeous baby shower.
(They're really just tin cans covered with wrapping paper and ribbon).
I kinda hate the silk flowers but I can't think of anything else to put in there.

An old dresser I painted black and added glass pulls to match the armoire knobs. I got these on ebay for $2 each.

Little lamps that used to be in my room (that I originally got on massive clearance at Pottery Barn about 7 years ago), frames from the $1 bins at Michaels (that were already the perfect colors!), and a tiny ceramic bird that was tied to a baby shower gift from Lisa. (I really need to step up my wrapping...I just toss stuff into a bag and call it a day!)

Vinyl wall decals from FiggyandWink.

So there you have it.

Girly.

Pink.

But not too girly.

Christmas2009

2009-12-28T15:35:00.000-08:00

As is now tradition, our Christmas was filled with lots of people, a sickening amount of chocolate consumption, staying in our PJ's until the afternoon, and a general air of controlled chaos. :)

Not much to say, except to provide some photos of the grand day.

I'm gonna steal my friend Lisa's tag line about their family's stance on Santa: "It's fun to pretend."

And that is pretty much what we think too.

So let's talk a bit about this otherwise extravagant gift. We have friends who have a train set and Henry is in love with all things Thomas right now. Perfect Christmas gift!

So, off I naively went to Toys R Us...

and just about had a heart attack.

Train stuff is EX.PEN.SIVE.

As in, ridiculous expensive.

Luckily, I thought to check Craigslist.

Found (an obviously wealthy) family in Santa Barbara who were selling all of their kids' Thomas and Brio stuff.

The train table.

TONS of track.

Wooden trains.

Tunnels.

Bridges.

Accessories.

Books.

DVDs.

Bed Sheets.

PJ's.

Die cast trains.

Carrying cases.

Video games.

Coloring books.

Name. It.

Anything and everything you can imagine that has a licensed Thomas on it...they had it...

and sold it to us.

For $125.

In case you don't know, we *easily*...EASILY....scored about $1,000 worth of Thomas stuff.

(There are two more drawers filled with stuff).

Easily.

I normally wouldn't spend over $100 on my 2 year old...but this deal was too good to pass up. So it has sat in our garage for the last two months...and I definately convinced Henry that what he wanted Santa to bring him was a choo choo train set.

The gift was a hit.

I haven't even seen the kid for three days.

Brilliant.

Dear Andrew Moore and Marcia Rocha,

2009-12-25T17:19:00.000-08:00

In case you were wondering why I haven't blogged today, it's because...

we're just having way too much fun.

No time to blog.

Okay, gotta get back to the loads of fun we are having.

You know, without you.

:)

Wish you were here!

Merry Christmas!
(it's really not the same without you!)

Giving

2009-12-24T09:19:00.000-08:00

Since the next few posts will undoubtedly be about all the "getting" around here, I saw this on a friend's blog, and thought it was really interesting.

Merry Christmas!

(Apparently my blog wants to cut this image in half, so click the link...it's really a good read!)

Really?

2009-12-21T07:47:00.001-08:00

"Mommy! It's a present!"

"Yes, it is."

"It's a present for me. It's a book."

Wow.

Really?

He's two. And the era of guessing and completely ruining any kind of surprise begins.

Because it really was for him...and it really was a book.

Apparently I'll have to box *everything* up from now on.

Family Christmas Party 2009

2009-12-20T09:43:00.001-08:00

The Saturday before Christmas, Andy's family gets together .

This year, it was a *bit* hectic.

Not gonna lie.

The girls didn't do too well, refused to go to bed, and were pretty hysterical by the end of it all.

BUT, they looked fabulous in their party dresses!

If you can get past the fact that both girls are trying to catch flies...this is a pretty good picture!

My greatest joy. Ever.

These dresses were a gift from a friend. She bought them FIVE YEARS AGO at a yard sale...some wealthy family who had twin girls...my friend didn't even know anyone who had twin girls, but she couldn't resist the dresses and bought them anyway and held onto them. When my girls were born, they were given these silk (yes, silk) dresses that were made in Italy. As in, the tags are in Italian and likely bought while the original family vacationed.

Fancy.

I even had them dry cleaned.

Lucy.

Before you comment on the "twinsies" look...I realize now that I'm not as anti the girls dressing alike...but I think it's because they look so different that the same outfit looks completely different on each girl. Besides, it's Chrismas.

Jill.

I made these bows that morning. Don't be impressed. I heart YouTube.

Easy peasy.

Mama & Jilly.

And the Oscar goes to....

I'm smiling. But it's fake. The girls were both screaming. I was doing that bouncing/rocking/shushing thing that every mom has in her bag of tricks. It wasn't working. I was sweating. I wanted to scream. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO TAKE A PICTURE PEOPLE???!!!! HURRY UP DON'T YOU SEE HOW RIDICULOUS THIS IS FOR ME RIGHT NOW????!!!! QUIT CHIT CHATTING, TAKE THE PHOTO, AND LET'S GET OUT OF HERE.

Okay, better now. :)

During all of this, someone loudly said: "We'll be reading about this tomorrow!"

Yes, yes you will...

Holla!

2009-12-19T08:35:00.001-08:00

In lieu of gifts for some people, I donated to Charity Water through Project 320.

Felt good to do that instead of buying something that I know people don't even *need* and it's debatable that they even want.

As an aside, the girls at Project 320 did a series of raffles and you got one entry for every $10 donated.

I woulda donated anyway...but...

I won!

Woop Woop!

The entire bundle is super awesome...

But I CAN.NOT wait to wear this shirt.

(you can get your own here)

The Great Sleep Experiment: Part 452

2009-12-18T06:47:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have babies the normal way...you know, ONE at a time...

Let me take you on an adventure of epic proportions.

It's called:

PLEASE EVERYONE JUST SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT
co-starring No Waking Up at Un-Holy Hours

In the beginning, I was pretty much spoiled. Lucy could be screaming at the top of her little lungs, and Jill would be deep in SlumberLand completely oblivious to the injustices being done to her sister.

And vice-versa.

For the first few months, we would always and I mean *always*...wake up the second baby whenever the first baby woke up, and I would tandem nurse them during the night. That way, I was only getting woken up three times...you know, instead of six.

That whole "never wake a sleeping baby" thing? Twin mamas smile at that.

Cute.

So, after a while, we realized that Jill was always the first baby...and we realized that Lucy was always pretty annoyed that we were disturbing her. After a few false starts and Lucy basically waking up 20 minutes after her sister, we got to the point where Lu was sleeping through the night.

Awe.some.

And then it happened. That moment I had read about in my twin books:

They wake eachother up.

Ugh.

Before we knew it, Lucy was waking up at the slightest peep from her sister. Worse, as Jill was on her (slow) way to sleeping through the night and as she was (slowly) stretching out the time she woke up...Lucy was now USED to be woken up at 2 every night. So, even though Jill was going until 3 and then 3:30 and then 4...Lucy was up at 2. Because, you know, she was pretty sure she was hungry, right?

And we couldn't let Lu cry it out because...then Jill would get woken up. And I WAS NOT about to mess with that and go backwards with that girl. Her sleeping has been a constant struggle so I didn't want for a *millisecond* to undo any of the progress she had made.

Our solution? Set up a pack and play in the hallway for Jill. Sure, she has a fabulously decorated nursery (if I do say so myself)...but she's relegated to the hallway.

So sad.

Not.

Okay, so now Lu can scream it out and not wake up Jill. Great. Luckily, because she wasn't *really* hungry to begin with, she only cried for a few minutes...for two nights. She's back to drooling on herself until morning again.

Love that girl.

The catch????

4:45 a.m.: Jill wakes up to eat (for the first time all night....cue the angels singing)

As I am getting out of bed...I see Henry's bedroom light flip on.

You. Have. GOT. To. Be. Kidding. Me.

"Mommy!!!! I wake up!!!"

At 4 (insert bad word here) 45.

Jill has now moved on to waking up her BROTHER instead of her sister.

Fan.tas.tic.

Before anyone suggests it...yes, we bought him a little alarm clock. yes, it is set to go off at 7. yes, we've explained to him that he's not allowed to call for us or get out until it goes off.

oh yeah...he's TWO.

And it takes over 2 HOURS to get to 7 when you wake up at 4:45. So that's a really long time for a 2 year old.

And before you ask...no, he didn't ever go back to sleep. He just layed by his door asking to be let out (we took his doorknob off so he's imprisoned until we let him out).

Our next attempt will be to move Jill to our room. I really tried to avoid this because I'm a super light sleeper and every little movement tends to wake me up. If that happens too much she may end up downstairs in the kitchen.

And don't think I'm kidding.

A full night's sleep is coming.

I can taste it.

I can feel it in my bones.

I may die of happiness.

(update: this morning Henry woke up...on his own...at 4:30. When I *finally* let him out at 6:30 he told me "Mommy, my alarm can't go off. It's broken. You have to go to the store to buy a new one." "No honey, it's just that IT'S STILL NOT 7.")

Mornings at Our Place

2009-12-17T08:23:00.000-08:00

We are creatures of habit. We have our little routines.

They don't change much.

They aren't glamorous.

But they are *our* routines. The kids seem to thrive on our simple mornings...and as a mom, I love, love, love the few calm moments when my whole family is in the same room, enjoying eachother's company...and frankly, no one is crying. :)

This is the scene any given morning: Daddy with his cup of black, unsweetened coffee...a blueberry protein shake...reading the paper...laptop open...three kids sitting on the counter goofing around, mom wandering around chatting with Dad about her upcoming day with her own cup of (sweetened) coffee.

In this particular case, the laptop is blaring Metallica. Nice way to start your morning...you know, with heavy metal.

As a result of the lovely, soothing music, Henry is head-banging.

And yes, that is what he calls it.

Real head-banging consists of holding up your index and pinkie fingers making a devil type sign and waving your arms to the beat of the music. Since it's *just a tad* inappropriate for a 2 year old to be making the devil sign...Andy taught him to just use his index finger. It makes me laugh every time.

Here he is making Jill head-bang. He's even holding her little fingers up although you can't tell from the picture.

I can't help but think that these are the types of things my kids will look back on fondly about their childhood. Not the big, expensive gifts we buy them for Christmas...not the staged family trips...but these simple everyday moments...

Getting to sit on the kitchen counter and hang out while Dad reads the paper and mom hovers around gabbing.

Happily Ever After.

So much more than Disney can ever make up.

stuff

2009-12-15T19:52:00.000-08:00

Joy and I (and our 6 kids) met up at the Barn for a playdate.

The pics are pretty lousy, but I haven't put up photos of the kids in a few posts so I'm gonna include them anyway.

Grandmas like that kind of stuff.

Like macaroni necklaces. Not so cute, but you like it anyway.

I swear, this girl makes the most ridiculous faces. She really is much cuter than this! But see how her eyes are turning hazel/green?!

Our ride.

"Henry, look at the camera and say CHEESE!"

And then there is Jill. Who looks utterly annoyed that I am taking a picture...

Lastly, I finally remembered to take photos of Andy's christmas light extravaganza:

Okay, that is all. I'll try to think of something funnier for my next post.

Twins are hard.

2009-12-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

There.

I said it.

I love my girls.

Even knowing what I know today...I wouldn't change it for the world.

I wouldn't even ask for them to come one at a time.

That being said:

Twin pregancy?

Awful. Honestly. Really, really, really trying on your body. It's nothing like being pregnant with one. I can't explain it...it just isn't. And until you've done it, you won't understand. I don't want a cookie for it...I'm just sayin'.

Twins are awesome. Wonderful. Fun.

But they are hard too.

Really hard.

It's just a lot.

Two babies is just a lot of work.

Babies. Little ones. Ones who cry and want to snuggle and be held.

Who need to be strapped into car seats and carried around everywhere.

Who can't sit up or walk or even crawl.

Who can't entertain themselves.

Or even sleep through the night.

You can't really go anywhere alone with them...because they can't sit up, you have to keep them in their infant carriers...and unless you only plan on buying dental floss, you won't have any room in the back of your cart to actually put any of your purchases.

Not to mention how do you chase after your 2 year old who refuses to leave the toy aisle??? And once you *catch* him, what exactly do you DO with him??? It's not like there's room in the cart.

Because, you know, it's taken up by 2 infant carriers.

And what happens when they start crying? Your cart is full of seats. So, you can't just pick one up...because then you don't have any extra arms to keep track of that 2 year old...and you have nowhere IN the cart to actually put him anyway...

Because, you know, it's taken up by 2 infant carriers.

And even though Baby #2 is quiet for now...you start sweating bullets at the mere THOUGHT of that one deciding to cry too. Because then you're REALLY in for it.

Why is it so hot all of a sudden? Stripping layers of clothing...

In the meantime, you suddenly feel a great deal of empathy for Britney Spears. You can't walk all of three steps without someone stopping you.

Twins???!!!!

My sisters-brother in laws-cousins-neighbors-friends has twins...a boy and a girl.
Great. Fantastic. Happy for them. Really.

How do you do it?
I have no idea. I just do.

Boy, you have your arms full!
Better full than empty!

Wow!
[Polite smile.]

Aw, how cute!
Thanks.

How far apart are they?
1 minute.

Are they identical?
Not even a little bit.

A boy and a girl?
Um, yeah. Because I regularly dress my boys in pink dresses and bows, but that's cool.

But that one's so much bigger...
Yeah, amazing that whole fraternal thing...

Was it a surprise?
You betcha.

Are those all YOURS???
Every last one.

You feel like a freak show some days.

So you quickly buy your dental floss...and everyone else who wants to coo at your babies probably thinks you are a complete B*&%H because you hurry past them hoping to make it through the trip without a meltdown of your own...load everyone back up into the car...drive home with 2 out of 3 screaming bloody murder...try to turn the volume up on the stereo...notice your harried reflection in the mirror and grimace at the sight...

And wonder why on EARTH you needed dental floss so damn bad to begin with...

because you are now EXHAUSTED, need a nap, are sweating like a hog, have hysterical kids who need calmed down, and your hair looks like Hurricane Katrina Re-Visited.

Wondering and hoping that you remembered to put your ATM card back into your purse and didn't just leave it on the counter with the pimply-faced cashier.

Inevitably, the phone will ring at this point.

You'll find your phone (on the last ring) at the bottom of the diaper bag...nestled snugly among the cracker crumbs and that rogue baby sock you were looking for last week. It will be your husband wondering what is for dinner tonight...and if you can please call Comcast about the latest bill increase...and "why are the babies crying?"

Because I had the dire need for dental floss, that's why.

But then that crazy two year old of yours decides to start making googly faces at his sisters...

and the crying magically stops.

and turns into full-on, uncontrollable belly laughs.

Mommy! Jilly's laughing!

And you know what is sweeter than a baby laughing?

TWO babies laughing.

And you tear up because even though your blood pressure is probably through.the.roof...it is all worth it for moments like these.

And you make a mental note to just ask your husband to pick up dental floss on his way home next time.

Not done shopping?

2009-12-14T20:23:00.000-08:00

Give it all away!

Check it out.

Do something different this year.

Skip the ugly sweater and the nose hair trimmer.

*No one* and I mean *no one* needs yet another bundle of overly-scented lotions and bath beads.

Promise.

But someone does need water.

Lots of someones.

And better yet...win a little (awesome) something in the process maybe?

I really needed this this morning

2009-12-12T07:48:00.000-08:00

Woke up.

Ugly attitude.

Ugly heart.

Read this post.

Realized my ugly.

Here's to a fabulous Saturday!!!

Rainy Day Moments

2009-12-11T15:19:00.000-08:00

2 napping sisters.

1 rainy day.

Race car slippers.

2 mugs of hot cocoa with mini marshmallows.

Warm in our bellies.

Watching the rain fall from the warm house.

And convincing mommy that running in the puddles would be fun.

Top it all off with a warm shower...

I love the one on one moments with my son.

So precious.

Thank You Cousin Mia!!!!

2009-12-11T09:36:00.000-08:00

Henry would literally spend HOURS "cooking" and bringing me meals "Mommy, I make this for you!" when we were down at my grandma's house. Cousin Mia decided that she didn't play with her kitchen anymore and was nice enough to hand it, and all the accessories, down to my kids.

Andy had a quick turn around trip to L.A. last night (for a Metallica concert), and stopped by and picked it up.

Henry has been quietly cooking all morning.

THANK YOU MIA!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

2009-12-10T09:04:00.000-08:00

"You know...it's been so hectic this year, and I'm so tired...let's not do a bunch of Christmas decorations...maybe just a tiny tree...?"

"What???!!! No WAY!"

In case you were wondering...it was Andy that insisted on going the whole nine yards. He tries to act all tough, but really...he's a big sentimental fool about Christmas. :)

Andy has a knit stocking from his childhood. He *insisted* that the kids must also have KNIT stockings. Sadly, I don't knit. Luckily, someone at Pottery Barn Kids does.
(Thanks Grandma!)

My 9+ foot tall naked, topless tree.

The Village. THE village. Wasn't gonna put it up. In fact, had plans to sell it off on ebay. Guess who about had a cardiac over that suggestion? So, up it is again. Totally dorky. But you know what? Henry *loves* it. So I guess it stays. What do I know anyway?

I don't know why, but I LOVE this little Mexican Nativity...

The outside of the house is all bedecked too. But, the photo will be a bit anti-climactic if I take it now...being daytime and all.

While I really wasn't up for decorating this year...I'm secretly glad Andy "made" me do it.

It really is quite cheery.

Well, when the tree is upright that is.

(Update on the sleeping: the other night was a ruse. They were just messing with me. Teasing me. Last night I was up 5 times between 1 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. )

Woop Woop!

2009-12-09T07:09:00.000-08:00

JILLY SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!!!!

She didn't wake up until almost 5:30 and then fell back asleep until 7.

Don't cheer too loudly.

Lucy, however, decided that this was the *perfect* time to start waking up at 1:30...and 4:30....

Such is the life with twins.

Just when you think you got it figured out...you don't.

I'm optimistic though...it IS getting better, right?

3:38 a.m.

2009-12-08T07:22:00.000-08:00

CRASH!

Babe? What was that?

Is a baby crying?

No. That big crash...did you hear it?

Oh...yeah...

Crap...was it...

The tree. (Andy had picked it back up before I took a pic).

We left it alone not wanting to deal with it at that moment and crawled back into bed.

It took me 2 hours to finally fall back asleep.

I was sick.

Thinking about the destruction we would find when we picked it up in the morning.

Unfortunately, my fears were right.

The last time (yes, there was a last time...I don't know why we have this problem with trees...although talking about it this morning, we think we might just have trees that are too big for the stand) we only lost about 3 or 4 glass bulbs. No biggie.

This time the tree fell onto the hard floor.

Not carpet like last time.

My Tinkerbell tree top? About 25 pieces.

Almost every glass bulb we had left...shattered.

But worst of all?

Many "irreplaceable" ornaments...things we were given by family members...ornaments we had given each other...gone. (I say "irreplaceable" in quotes because we could probably find many of the Hallmark ones on ebay...but at a price).

My mom *just* had these darling ornaments made for the kids with their picture and a personalized saying. They were beautiful. Two out of three are done. And not "hey, just glue it together..." but literally DUST...

We were sick to our stomachs sweeping it all up this morning.

I know they are just THINGS. I know that it really doesn't MATTER...it's just a really. big. bummer.

We did have two blessings with all of this: 1) that when Tink slammed into the glass coffee table...IT didn't shatter too...2) this didn't happen when there were kids playing nearby.

Now, I get to re-decorate with what we have left.

I had nothing else to do today. Really.

Ah, Parenthood...

2009-12-07T10:47:00.000-08:00

I secretly knew that we would eventually have to convert our formal dining room into a playroom.

Having three kids in 25 months sped that up a bit.

We never ate at the dining room table.

*maybe...MAYBE* once a year at Thanksgiving.

The rest of the time, I dusted it.

I didn't take a before photo, but here's the best one I found in my archives:

The kids' rooms are all upstairs...and we live downstairs. So I needed somewhere to put toys.

Especially now that I'm home with the kids all day, I was finding that my living room was looking like a disaster and it wasn't functioning well as a play space.

With the change over, I've discovered that Henry plays with his toys a lot more AND my living room stays perfectly tidy all day long! The playroom can be a whirlwind sometimes, but at least it's contained to one place.

Andy is not happy with this. I can't figure out why, but he really liked having the formal dining room. Which is weird, because we honestly never used it. So, I don't what the big deal is. But, I'm the one that is home with the kids all day, so I pulled rank on this decision. I, for one, love it. It may not be the intended use of the space, or the "perfect" place, but it WORKS. And I'm totally going for function over form at this point in my life!

I need to get a bigger area rug and that cute toy box/storage bench? Got it at a yard sale last week for $15! Score!

I had Andy swap out the (ugly) chandelier that was hanging and put in a flush mounted fixture. The mirror will stay since I think it helps make the room look bigger and the black cabinet in the corner will also stay since I have nowhere else in the house to put it.

At some point, we can have a formal dining room again...but not for the next few years. :)

Paparazzi

2009-12-05T18:43:00.000-08:00

This is really random, but I happened across this picture today...and is it just me, or does it totally look like one of those paparazzi photos of celebrities in People magazine?

Well, except that I'm not a celebrity...

And this is just my lame little blog, not a nationally published magazine...

And if I *were* a celebrity, I would look MUCH more fabulous than this...even 36 weeks pregnant with twins.

But that's cool.

(This photo was taken on Henry's 2nd birthday...I remained pregnant for almost another 3 full weeks...seeing this makes me physically hurt. I had never been so uncomfortable in my life. As much as I love my girlies...I have no desire to ever do that again...)

...at least he's honest...?

2009-12-05T14:49:00.001-08:00

So, do you think my hair looks okay like this?

You mean unbrushed?

Um, actually it's brushed...I put gel in it while it was wet to see if I could get the wavy-ness to actually work for me...

Oh. So you don't have to straighten it?

Yeah. Well...?

It looks greasy. And unbrushed.

***

Right.

Constructive criticism has never been my husband's strong suit.

The Good News: He really will tell me if something makes me look fat.

The Bad News: He really will tell me if something makes me look fat.

Geek Moment of the Day: Fabric

2009-12-02T20:33:00.000-08:00

I love fabric.

I want to buy it all up.

Stack it up by color.

Lined up on shelves.

So I can look at it sitting there all pretty like.

I don't particularly want to *sew* with it since I hate sewing.

I just want to look at it.

My fave etsy fabric seller has started their own independent website.

It's awesome.

They carry all the best designers.

Great prices.

And my favorite part???

You can search fabric by color.

Too perfect.

So, for those of you who also like fabric...check out Hawthorne Threads.

Try to not spend your entire life savings.

It's tempting. I know.

(and no, I'm not getting any kind of kick-back for this post!)

Cloth Diapers: Final Verdict

2009-12-02T12:51:00.000-08:00

Now that I've been using cloth diapers for a while, and since a couple of my pregnant friends have asked my official opinion, I thought I would give you an update on what I think of this whole cloth thing.

I see a substantial cost savings. However, keep in mind that I have TWO babies in diapers...I'm not sure that the cost savings are quite so significant if you only have one babe. Also, keep in mind that I bought the bulk of my diaper stash used via Craigslist. The retail price on cloth diapers is quite high...which would still be worth it for multiples, but definately less of a savings for a singleton.
No diaper rashes. Neither of the girls has ever had a diaper rash and I have had no issues with them reacting to the diapers. While Henry never seemed sensitive to any of the disposable brands, there are many children who react to certain brands (apparently I had a perpetual diaper rash as a baby until my mom switched me from Pampers to Huggies!).
They're cute. I know this is lame, but I like them better than the Sesame Street characters. :)
If you are concerned about the environment, they save landfills. Apparently no one knows how long it takes for a disposable diaper to biodegrade...but estimates range from 250-500 years. I don't think you have to be a hippie to find that worrisome.

BUT:

They are bulky...both underneath clothes and in your diaper bag. In fact, I've taken to just packing disposable diapers when we go out. I have a wet bag so I'm not concerned about having to carry around a dirty cloth diaper...but when you have to pack a minimum of 4 diapers...and they don't fold down as compactly as the disposables...they take up a HUGE amount of space in my bag. Again, if you have a singleton this may not be a big deal since you don't have to pack as many diapers to begin with...
They leak at nighttime. I was supposed to buy hemp inserts a while back to see if that solved the problem of the regular inserts not holding 12 hours of pee...but I was lazy and we just put the girls in a disposable for nighttime. Remember, my major motivation is financial...so using 2 disposables per day is fine by us...and I just didn't want to fiddle with it to be honest.
They leak if you keep them on baby longer than 2 hours. Here's my biggest issue with cloth: if you don't stay ahead of it, you'll find yourself changing baby clothes and crib sheets a lot. The cloth diapers hold just fine...but you know how in disposables they get all mushy when they are overfull and you go "oops! you need a new diaper!"...yeah, well, there's no grace period with cloth. You really have to stay on top of things and be sure to give the baby a fresh diaper about every two hours. If you lose track of time, you'll have a leak on your hands. As long as you can keep track of time and not end up totally side tracked...you are fine. I have a harder time with this...not sure if it's because I have three kids 2 and under or what, but I find myself swapping clothes a lot. Maybe if I only had one baby at a time this would be less of an issue. But for now, losing track of time is the story of my life. Which is a bit of a bummer. Incidentally, the fact that they can't stay on too long is probably why you end up with no diaper rashes...

A few weeks ago, I stayed at my grandma's for 4 days. I used disposables while I was down there so that I wouldn't have to lug laundry soap and deal with it at someone else's house. At one point I thought: "Gee, this whole throw it away and never have to see this diaper again thing is kinda nice..." And then I realized that I went through about 65 diapers in 4 days. Not counting Henry.

Eh, it's not THAT nice.

Notice how none of my cons have anything to do with laundry? HONESTLY, truly...the laundry thing is NO BIG DEAL. I end up doing about 2 extra loads of laundry per week. And really, my washing machine does 90% of the work. I just have to push a few buttons and then stuff inserts in about 10 minutes' time. The laundry thing is a complete non-issue...so if that's your worry...don't let it be. I *hate* laundry and this doesn't phase me so you should be fine.

Oh, and it's not gross...not much of an icky factor either. But I'm a mom...it takes a lot to gross me out by now.

Summary: I highly recommend cloth for moms of multiples. Just be sure to change frequently. If you do that and use disposables at night, you are golden. If you are only baking one baby??? Well, I'm not sure it's entirely worth it. The cost savings is definately less...especially if you have to buy the diapers at full retail price. And if you are a first time mom...you might not need another "project", you know?

IF we have a fourth baby (and it comes without a mate) would I use cloth? Um...probably not. It is more work...not a TON of work...but it is more work than just tossing things away. I guess it all ends up being just one. more. thing. Not a big thing or a difficult thing, but another THNG. So, you either have to really need to save that money or you have to really want to be "green".

It's not awful, it's not terrible, it's not difficult. The laundry is a non-issue. It's not gross. It's just an extra thing to keep track of...which can be a pain.

Missmas Tree 2009

2009-12-01T13:20:00.000-08:00

As is Gibson Family tradition, we headed to Holloway's Christmas Tree Farm to pick out *the* tree.

Our super rad wagon came too.

Henry was beyond jazzed.

Tractors, you know.

After spending 6 days in L.A. visiting family...being back on the Central Coast...a beautiful, crisp fall day...gorgeous blue skies...a phenomenal backdrop of rolling hills...dirt on my shoes...

good for my soul.

Really.

Even if Lucy thought it was fun to pull Jill's paci out over and over again...

I was back home.

While I love and miss family...I am home here.

Away from the traffic. The smog. The graffiti. The concrete.

A 9 foot tall tree now adorns my living room.

With lots of white lights.

And I love it.

90 Years!

2009-11-30T15:34:00.000-08:00

Andy's grandma turned NINETY last Friday.

Obviously, a party was to be had.

I handled decorations.

Henry was in charge of the entertainment.

I think it's safe to say from these photos that the cousins had a blast together.

I printed old photos onto vellum, cut out "frames" using black cardstock, taped 3 together, a candle...voila!...a centerpiece!

Lots of family photos lined up along the mantle...

A family tree showing Grandma holding each of her grandkids and great-grandkids.

Cousins. Goofing off. With my camera. Always fun to find photos on your memory card!

Hey look! He still likes me after all!

Dancing. In the driveway. With a basketball. Because, you know, that's what you do, right?

Me and my beautiful "little" sister.

Henry also found my camera at some point in the evening.

The boys.

The girls.

More dancing. Henry schooling them in the moves.

We girls had gone to see New Moon the night before. The boys mercilessly teased us. So, posing like vampires was the logical thing to do.

Me and my boy. :)

LuLu

2009-11-25T09:33:00.000-08:00

So, I think Lucy is really cute.

I know, I'm her mom. I'm supposed to.

YET...every time I take a photo, it comes out...well...kinda ugly.

I'm always frustrated by her pictures...like, they don't really look like HER, you know?

So yesterday, Auntie Marcia and Tessy babysat the three kids for me while I ran some errands.

As I walked out the door I tasked them with taking some CUTE pictures of Lu.

Mission Accomplished.

One of my favorite things about having little girls: Super cute dress too small? Pair with some jeans and it's now a cute top! :)

There's that pout!

Apparently Tessy thinks it's hysterical. I do too.

Wow...you two related???

Thank you ladies!

Found

2009-11-22T09:27:00.000-08:00

Do you ever go through your digital camera card and find photos you forgot you took...?

This is Lucy's signature pout. I believe this will come in handy when asking Daddy for a new car someday...

(pretend you don't see the mess that is my room...)

...or in my case, photos you didn't realize your TWO YEAR OLD took???

Apparently Henry knows how to turn my camera on and how to snap a few pics. I had no idea until I came upon a handful of these...

My budding photog showed me just how he knows what to do when he hijacked my camera this morning...

As he looked at the LCD screen: "Where's mommy?....oh, there she is!..." SNAP!

So I hijacked the camera BACK and took these...

Happy Day!

surprise

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane...

BIG BIG BIG BIG BIG

Friday Favorites: Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie

Can I Complain for a minute?

Answers: Part 1

Wishing Wednesday

Ask Away

A Phone Call & A Coupon

Giveaway: Monkey Foot Designs

Friday Favorites: Burt's Bees

I coulda SWORN I've posted this before...

Wishing Wednesday

Baby Shower: Cute As A Button

Giveaway: CitySlips

Friday Favorites: KitchenAid Stand Mixer

I Don't Know About the Rest of You...

Wishing Wednesday

The Widening Gap

Lucky, Lucky & A Bloggy Favor...

Giveaway: Figgy & Wink Wall Decals

OPP: Other People's Posts

Friday Favorites: Swiffer Vac

ATTACK!

Wishing Wednesday

Jill-Jill

Giveaway: Material Gal Fabric Bundle

Friday Favorites: Best {ever} Sugar Cookies

Therapy Days

Legacy

Starbucks Redo

Giveaway: Less Ordinary Designs

Friday Favorites: Bumbo Chairs

National Geographic: Suburbia Edition

Perfection

It's a...GIVEAWAY!!!!

Friday Favorites: Healthy Berry Crisp

The 30% Discount WAS Nice, but...

Congratulations, you are stupid in 3 Languages

Starbucks Stress

More (not so good) Jilly News

Jumped the Gun...

Insanity. On my part.

Friday Favorites: Orka Ice Cube Trays

Just when I thought I knew a little something about motherhood

Random Product Review: Baby Carriers

Bloggy Thoughts

Jilly Update

If ever my heart broke...

Robenson, Haiti, and Hope

A Life of Its Own

Happy Half Birthday Ladies!

So How Do You Like It? - Part 3

Tell Me I'm Not The Only One...

So How Do You Like It? - Part 2

So How Do You Like It? - Part 1

Resolutions

Little Moments

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Clearly I'm a Trendsetter

Twin Girl Nursery

Christmas2009

Dear Andrew Moore and Marcia Rocha,

Giving

Really?

Family Christmas Party 2009

Holla!

The Great Sleep Experiment: Part 452

Mornings at Our Place

stuff

Twins are hard.

Not done shopping?

I *really* needed this this morning

Rainy Day Moments

Thank You Cousin Mia!!!!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

Woop Woop!

3:38 a.m.

Ah, Parenthood...

Paparazzi

I really needed this this morning