Wordless "Way to big" Wednesday

Poof, Bye Bye Memory Bank.

The other day J was sitting at the computer watching the screensaver slideshow pictures scroll by when I walked into the office. It is a bunch of my favorite pictures that date back to L's birth. This particular picture came on and I commented about it.

I asked, "J, that is one of my very favorite pictures of you. Do you remember the day we took that picture?"

"No," she replied matter-of-factly.

"You don't remember the day you turned 2 and Luke and I took you to your doctor appointment? Then we stopped at the Great Harvest Bread Company for some bread and took a coffee to go, you don't remember that day?"


Calmly she responded, "No, Momma."

"J, don't you remember we had a mini-photoshoot on the sidewalk where you were looking so dang cute and I wanted to eat you up?"

"No."

(Silence fell, and a tear thought about forming in my one eye.)
That is one of my favorite memories of her turning two, and poof...it is no longer a memory of hers.

Deceptively Delicious-Tried and True

I'm realizing that our country is beginning is past the early stages of raising a people on fast food, fat food, and sugar. And how easy is it when a lot of the foods out there are packed with nutritious nothings. I heard just the other day that heart disease is at its all time high where its patients are heavier, and also younger than they have ever been. This is disturbing to me that today's children are at risk of living shorter lives than their parents. So, I look at it as part of my job as their mommy to feed them healthful foods...especially fruits and vegetables. I don't know about you but right around 1 1/2 my children's tastbuds seemed to change toward these foods. They don't seem as tasty to them anymore. So I took the liberty to work around it.

Have you read this book?

Or this book?

I just got done reading through them both and they are WONDERFUL!

I've tried 4 of their recipes and it's true, they work.

One rushed night before Christmas I added an entire 1/2 cup of pureed carrots to a box of Mac-n-Cheese. Watching them devour it was more than satisfying.

The next night I made homemade Tuna Casserole and added a 1/2 cup of Navy beans, once again, they loved it...as well as my Marvelous Husband.

And since then I have added pureed carrots to whole wheat quesidillas and mini pizzas. I made "Green Eggs" for breakfast this morning that included pureed baby spinach. And for lunch I added a 1/2 cup sweet potatoes to homemade Mac-n-Cheese.

Knowing how important all these veggies are for us, I do believe this is the way I will cook until they are out of the house. Don't worry, we always serve a "visible" veggie on their plate with their meal, and if they eat it-double bonus.

Norah Joins Her Sister

Amongst all the hustle and bustle of preparing for Christmas, this happened...Can you see them?

I'll Give You One Guess

It's been 8 nights of waking 2 soaked-through baby girls around 10:00 (right before we go to bed) to change their onesies, pajamas, sleep sacks, AND crib sheet because of their "tummy bug." But tonight...tonight was the night I was waiting for, to walk in and not have to breath through my mouth. We tiptoed in and tiptoed out. Yea!!

But, I'll give you one guess as to what happens, on this 9th night, to these sleeping-through-the-nighters-since-3 1/2-months-old...around 10:30. And why wouldn't it?!

Laugh Cackle Giggle

As a Christmas gift, my Marvelous husband got us a night out on the town, babysitter in all. It included laughing and dinner. For those of you mommys out there, you know that in itself is like Santa leaving a winning lotto ticket in your stocking.

But wait, it gets even better! He got us tickets to the "sold out" presentation of last season's Last Comic Standing winner-Josh Blue.

Somehow we got hooked on that show last year and watched it to the end when we were cheering for Blue.

After a night full of belly laughs we were able to meet Josh and shake hands.

After researching "Laughter" I found this. I'm sure you remember hearing that "Laughter is the Best Medicine." We've all been taught that...but laughter REALLY has enormous amounts of health benefits.

Check this.
A study done in Japan found that laughter helps regulate gene expression to help control type II Diabetes.
And, studies also suggest that laughter positively affects rheumatoid arthritis.
AND, perhaps the biggest discovery is that laughter is now being proven to alleviate some of the lasting effects of heart attacks such as less medication and fewer repeat attacks with humor therapy of just thirty minutes per day.


God knows what he's talking about when he says, "be joyful."

From Under the Piles...

...of wrapping paper, empty toy boxes and laundry from the twins' "tummy bug" I come to you to say, "Hi!"

And, that's about it.
Hope to catch up with you all soon.

P.S. I was granted my one Christmas wish. I just didn't think it would get passed to the twins.

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful...

...but the fire [in our fireplace] is so delightful

and since we've no place to go [because of the white-outs]

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

It doesn't show signs of stopping [it might-as-well fill the ski hills for our ski trip next week]

so my two boys made some [oreo balls*] for popping
the lights are turned way down low

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

*crush 1 pkg Oreos, mix with 1 pkg softened cream cheese, roll into 2 in. balls, chill 20 mins, dip in melted vanilla almond bark, chill. Who knew about these and didn't tell me???

Project Manager Mommy

I mopped today.

This wasn't like yesterday's mop, where I merely mopped the perimeter of the KIX spill, this was the "seriously-nitty-gritty-sweep" first, after pulling the table and all the chairs out...along with "shaking the rugs," followed by "filling the sink with suds" (scary, I know) and using a little "elbow grease" enabling me to get even the corners to sparkle.

I'm not telling you this to brag, because if you remember I don't mop often...
(Which reminds me, I don't think I clearly clarified my whole mopping situation. You see, I LOVE to mop...along with vacuuming. I just don't do it as often since the twins were born. But, this love for it, I think it has something to do with the process and the finished product. There's something that makes my heart sing about seeing a freshly vacuumed floor with perfectly drawn lines from the wheels along with a shiny kitchen floor (shiny as NOT in ketchup splats and dried shredded mozzarella).

Anyways, I'm telling you this as a precursor for my morning events.

I chuckle as I gather my "keys" to explain this. "Chuckle" because the longer I sit here the crazier I think I am, and the faster my leg is bouncing under this desk..for using this precious time to post instead of doing all that needs to be done before my in-laws are here. This was a change in plans, Christmas was to be at their house tomorrow, but because of the weather, it is now here....today, and tomorrow.

You see, when Mitch's alarm went off at 6 this morning and he wasn't in our room, he had moved to the chair in the livingroom somewhere during the wee hours because he couldn't sleep. I rolled over to shut it off but was left wide-eyed. So after getting ready for the day, getting the babies their bottles, the "big kids" their scrambled eggs, followed by the babies their rice cereal (I haven't shared with you that we started that...I'll post about that later, it's going well.) our first scheduled appointment showed up.

We had the water softener replaced. YEA!!! So as I am walking the man down to his appointed room, introducing myself, and telling him to just hollar if he needs me, our next appointment showed up.

We had our in-wall oven and micro pulled out a couple of days ago and our handy man, Gary, came to cut out a slightly bigger space for the new. As I am talking to him, in walks another "appointment." The crew that was to install the new stuff was here. (What better time to have it done then the days before Christmas, right?)

So as I'm answering questions and directing here and there, I'm holding two babies in my arms, trying to keep Jaclyn from asking each visitor 101 questions while they try to get their work done, and holding Oli back with my leg so he doesn't walk through the many piles of sawdust that are now accumulating on my kitchen floor....it was then, that very moment, that I imagined this spotlight of some-sort that started shining down on me as if I was this wonderful "Project Manager Mommy."

So THAT my friends, is why I mopped today. Right after I wiped down the cupboards, countertops, and swept, I MOPPED the many snowy, wet "Big-Man-Shoe-Prints" right out of my house.

Thankful Thursday

1. The MOP that wiped up a dropped bowl of KIX and a sippy cup of cranberry juice that hadn't met its lid yet.
2. The TOWEL that dried a very wet bathroom floor from 2 rambunctious bathers.
3. The RAG that cleaned up 2 milk spills at lunch.
4. The PLUNGER that unplugged 2 of our 3 toilets today.
5. The WASHING MACHINE that cleaned a very wet crib sheet from 2 overloaded night time diapers.
6. The KLEENEX that has wiped many drippy noses.

and most importantly...

7. My WONDERFULLY PATIENT and UNDERSTANDING HUSBAND who loves me unconditionally even after hearing about my cell phone (3rd one in less than a year) that vibrated off the kitchen window sill into the sink full of suds.

I wonder what this afternoon has in store for us.

Wordless Wednesday

When NOT to take a 3-year-old Along for the Ride

If you don't want your husband to know you went to...let's say....for example Fleet Farm to quick pick up a Christmas gift for him (even though you said you were going to drop off an overdue library book that you didn't want to continue paying late fees for as it sat on your nightstand, which is the truth but not the main reason to get out of the house)

...don't take your 3 year old along for the ride.

Because, once he asks you, "What took you so long?" and you reply with "I just had to make a quick stop somewhere else" but you refuse to tell him where...

...that's when your darling 3 year old might pipe in with the most excited little voice, "Daddy, I love going to Fleet Farm."

There are No Monsters in Your Room

This is what I woke to at 5 this morning.

(The sound of a humungo elephant J running across our wooden floors to our room as she burst into tears.)
Daddy: "J, Jwhat's wrong?"
J:"There's a monster shaking my bed."
Daddy: "J, honey, there are no such thing as monsters."
J(sobbing): "Yes there are, I just felt it shaking my bed."
Daddy: "No, there are no monsters anywhere, God never made monsters."
J: "He didn't?"
Daddy: "I think what you heard is that [darn] squirrel that thinks it can live in our attic. Remember? I heard it run across the roof last night when I kissed you goodnight."
J: "Oh yea."

After snuggling with daddy, because he is the best snuggler, maybe because Mommy gives a kiss and makes her go right back up to bed so we can both get quality sleep eliminating a heel in my back a sleepless rest of the night, daddy says this...

Daddy: "Ok, go back up to your bed, hon. I'll see you in the morning."

A couple hours later as J and I were feeding the babies their bottles in my bed I asked this...
"J why did you think there was a monster in your room? God never made monsters, remember, they are are just pretend."

J: "But I want God to make monsters so that mean animals [tigers & lions] can eat them so their tummies won't be hungry."

(This comment might have something to do with the Let's-Talk-About-What-Mean-Animals-Eat" conversation we had a couple of days ago. Although, monsters were never mentioned.

Just Another Manic Monday...Whoa Whoa!

Almost every Monday my mom, bless her heart, comes over to watch the little ones while I run frantically around town tackling every errand possible from groceries to doctor appointments. Ahhhh...the freedom of getting in and out of the car without strapping 4 seatbelts, covering 4 heads and fingers, and folding and unfolding a 2 ton stroller. Due to the mile long list I wrote last night, my eyes popped open without hesitation at an abnormally early hour this morning.

After rerunning today's events in my head, I knew canceling our fitness center membership a few months ago...because of the child care that just didn't pass as professional in my eyes but that's a whole different post...was going to be an o.k. move.

Who needs to pay to exercise when I can get a month's worth of working out in just 4 Manic Mondays? Here's how I got my workout in today.

"Stretched" as I gave hugs around 4 little pajama bodies before leaving the house by 9.

Ran "Power walked" through the mall to return a gift and search for tall black dress boots for Jaclyn and a Christmas sweater for Oli. (No luck, once again.)

"Jogged" from the car to the entrance of each store and back. Eight stores in all.

Worked on "Deep Muscle Stretching" while holding my phone up to my ear with my shoulder as I ran around gathering last minute Christmas gifts, paid for my items at the checkout, and drove. (woops)

"Walked" through CUB (because I'd look pretty funny running, right?) while loading ingredients for our Cookie Baking Party on Thursday, formula for the next few weeks, and the basics-milk, eggs, etc.

"Lifted" 6 cases of Similac RS (Reflux Sensitive) premixed liquid formula into my cart...then into the car...then into the house. This is 36 quarts of liquid food for the girls. I consider myself a champion weight lifter now.

And, "Practiced Deep Breathing" as I looked at the clock to find I had 30 minutest to run to 3 more stores that were nowhere near eachother. Needless to say, I didn't finish everything today. I'd love to share with you the specfic stores I visited and the items I purchased and didn't purchase, because this is a blog and I enjoy sharing unimportant specifics with people who I don't always know, but...my Marvelous Husband reads this and...well, that would ruin some Christmas surprises for him.

After unloading the groceries to their entitled spot in the kitchen, putting the little ones down for naps and giving kisses and hugs to my mom as she darted out the door to finish her Christmas shopping, I engaged myself into the much needed "Cool Down Segment" of my day by preparing a warm, tasty bowl of my mom's famous chicken vegetable soup. Mmmm.