Updates on things you probably didn't need to be "updated" on :)

So I have mentioned a few things on my blog as of late and I thought I should do an update.

30 Day Shred

Well, I must say I had to take a break due to a hip injury (stop laughing I am serious) and didn't quite get back on the wagon. It hurt to walk or stand for 2 days and then for the next couple it hurt to work out therefore I fell of the bandwagon. As far as the video I really do like it so here is the good and the bad as told by a 33 year old woman with an apparently 95 year old hip:

Good: I like the different levels, and when I say levels I refer to 1 and 2 because 3 is EVIL and I did 1/2 of it. The different options seem to ensure that it doesn't get too boring. It is a lot of cardio smooshed into 27 minutes (I will get to the minute thing in the BAD) and well, you gotta love that. I did notice that the cardio was getting easier and that my legs and arms got stronger. Unfortunately, I did not measure so I have no idea if inches were lost.

BAD: They lie and it is not 20 minutes it is 27. The first time I did it I was at 19 minutes and thrilled to be almost done and that is when the betrayal was realized. Hmm, so not cool, Jillian! Speaking of Jillian, she needs to invest in some more supportive work out gear (watch and you will know of what I speak). She also uses annoying phrases like "phone it in" all.the.time. I also did NOT lose the "up to 20 lbs" in a month. I didn't plan to but hoped for maybe 1/2 that. NOPE. I am guessing that I had to change my eating habits. Who knew?? O.K. I did :) Bummer!

All in all it is a great work out and one that I will continue but not daily because it is a little hard on the joints and I have to start training for a 5k that I promised Steph I would do with her. It is in 1 month. Pray for me!

Big Boy Beds

After almost selling my children on Craigslist for a REALLY GOOD DEAL they decided to succumb to staying in their beds. So we only had ONE really, really, really, (you get the picture or should I add one more? O.k.) REALLY bad nap time and we haven't had any more problems. I don't know what happened I am just glad that it did.

Growing up!

Since I last posted I have also turned 33! I cannot believe it. The boys didn't get the memo yesterday that it was Mommy's Birthday so it was a pretty rough day. Alex and Eli are both getting BOTH of their lower canine teeth and it is NOT going well. I tried to call Jared to beg him to relieve me (which I have NEVER, not even in the infant stage, done unless it was a medical emergency) but our phone, cable and internet were not working. How does one survive this you may ask???? I hopped in the car and headed to my sisters where she somehow managed to cheer me up with caffeine, chocolate and one of our favorite shows that she had dvr'd. God bless her! I found it interesting that once in the car Alex was fine. Not a tear, not a whine, FINE!

On the way home I dropped off a video at the library which upset Eli because we didn't go in and he cried the remainder of the way home UNTIL we saw the train and he stopped. Then the train passed by and he cried because the train was done. I tried to explain that I don't personally control the train but he didn't care and he was ticked!

So there you have it, I just thought you might like to see what I am up against because I often focus on the fun and for good reason BUT let me tell you there are some challenging days that leave me gasping for air! :)

Hi friends!

I don't usually get on the "posting about giveaways" bandwagon because there are a million going on at all times BUT there is an awesome one on "The Secret is in the Sauce". It is unbelievable and I could tell you all about it or you could hop over there and make both you and your child's ENTIRE summer break MUCH more enjoyable. Actually I am hoping that I win, to be honest :) OK I would be happy for you also!

Writing this gives me five more entries so I am crossing my fingers. I also did a "Fishful Thinking" book that is explained on the blog more thoroughly. Go and see mine. I wrote about the boys NICU journey.

Here is the link to the giveaway post! Enjoy!

I will take this opportunity to also mention that the bed/naptime roller coaster continues and the boys have not given us ANY problems since naptime on Friday! YAY! I may actually stay sane. Stay tuned to find out :)

Alert: Mommy to twins did not get her usual "break" during nap time.

I cannot be held responsible for this making sense. I have battled twin two year olds all day and they are the victors!

First and foremost disregard my entire last post. I am in no nap HELL! They didn't stay in their beds for nap. They didn't even stay in their rooms for that matter. I stayed near their bedroom door and kept it slightly open so that I could spy on their behavior. They took this as an exit sign and scurried out one after the other. I will admit that part of me thought their antics were pretty funny but the, I just ran around all morning part, was tired and in need of time away from my sweet children.

My next step was to stay in the room with them as suggested by Nanny 911 and put them back in bed when they got out. I cannot put into words how thrilling it is to put your children back into bed a million times in under two hours. It is annoying and exhausting and honestly I finally gave up. I know, this was not a proud moment but I left the room and figured it was baby proof "have at it, boys". I opened the door 15 minutes later to find a pop-up book ripped into approximately 50 pieces, both window shades open and two boys standing on the train table handing me the book that was, in their words, broke. I found this a bit funny because it seemed to imply that they had simply found it that way.

I was tired, frustrated and done. I plopped them on the couch and reached for the Barney DVD, popped it into the DVD player and it froze. Yep, it wouldn't come back out and it wouldn't play. At this point I wanted to quit the whole Mommy gig. I was over it. I found a PBS show they like. Thank goodness we have PBS. I called my sister and I cried. I e-mailed two other twin mommy bloggers and desperately sought their insight. I told Jared all about it when he got home. Ultimately, I feel MUCH better.

Jared geared up for the battle tonight due to my fragile state ;) He told the boys, "It is bed time and you are NOT to get out of these beds. Go to sleep." We said our "goodnights" and "I love you's" and I headed for a much deserved shower. I came out and asked Jared how it was going and he hasn't heard a peep! NOT A PEEP! I have decided that it was due to my diligence ;) during nap time. Yep, I rock!!!

The Transition I've Dreaded

Don't worry it is not the binky because that one takes an emotional toll both on Mommy AND Alex so let's move on K? Alright! The transition of which I speak is the one from cribs to big boy beds which at this point is actually the crib with the front off and an added bar. So far it is going well but it is 8:16 and we put them down at 7:40. I will finish this post tomorrow and tell you how the entire night went but I have to say, for the record, that I am betting Jared that it goes well and he says I am delusional. He admits that this bet is one that he hopes I win! Isn't that sweet??? ;)


Well, the boys did quite well last night, as expected. ;) They were wound up from the excitement of a "new, big boy bed" but they relaxed and fell asleep by about 9 without getting out of bed the entire night. I consider this a success and when we went in this morning they were up and babbling but they did not get out of bed once again. Hooray!


Right now they are in bed for naps and have been chatting for about 20-30 minutes. I am not sure if they will relax or not. I may go in and try and calm them but when I did that at the beginning of the nap it seemed they were just set out to defy mommy. In fact, I was tenderly rubbing Eli's head and his blond curls when he kept trying to stick his finger up my nose. This only made me laugh which in turn made them both laugh and on and on it went. I finally decided to let them be silly and come back if it didn't end soon. It's not ending so I will probably head back in there.

These didn't come out very clear but here they are in their big boy beds. This morning they insisted up having their milk in their beds and reading books. So cute!

And here is Alex giving BIG hugs!!!

Random Nonsense

Keep in mind that I warned you about this post in the title and you chose to keep reading.

O.K. so I am somewhat new to this whole Stay at Home Mom (formerly known as "housewife") thing and I must admit some things allude me. I am sure there are more "pressing" issues that should concern me but for today here it is:

I am incapable of picking a good melon! Cantaloupe, to be specific! I am 5 melon picks into this season and I have failed miserably each time. They are either over ripe or not ripe at all. I finally broke down before buying the last one on Tuesday and asked the produce lady if she thought I had picked a good one and she said she thought so. I carefully mushed at it with my fingers and it gave slightly but did not seem TOO mushy and it smelled, well it smelled like a cantaloupe, actually, but I thought that too was a good sign. I thumped it like the lady told me to although still didn't completely understand what it was supposed to "thump" like. I proudly brought it home and declared to Jared that I thought I'd done it, I had actually picked the right melon.

Fast forward to today while prepping lunch for the boys. I cut into it excitedly (well, if you can get "excited" about fruit prep) and found a mushy, mediocre tasting melon. Eli actually liked it and asked for seconds but it wasn't up to par and I threw the rest out. Maybe waiting two days was a huge mistake. Who knows? Ugh, the only good melon that I have had this year was at my friends house or when my sister in law buys it because they obviously know how to pick a melon. Where was I when others were being taught this?

That's it. That is the end of my deep thoughts. Told you it was pretty random. This is in honor of my friend Mariah who always writes this funny type of random post. Yes, her random thoughts are a bit more intersting than canteloupe!

Rainy Days!

Today we had a great rain storm. It was the kind where the sky goes nice and dark and all of a sudden the heavens open up and pour. It was a LOT of rain. The boys quickly ran to the window to see it. It was a sweet moment and I enjoyed hearing the rain fall. Unfortunately, today is the day that my sister, Missy, was in charge of field day for the entire elementary at the school. She definitely had to revamp her plan but all went well from what I hear.

I watched Missy's daughter, Miss Olivia, and I planned a craft knowing the forecast was calling for rain. As usual, I stole creativity from another blog called, No Time for Flashcards, and we did this craft. On a side note I also found another great blog for kid's crafts called, Just For Fun . She has five kids and manages to craft. Women like this amaze me much like my friend Stephanie who has five and works out DAILY among other things. Anyways we plan to do this craft once our corresponding book is available at the library.

I thought it may be helpful to hear how an "everyday kind of mom" completed this craft because I am convinced that the mom's that I just mentioned are super human! ;) As I've said before I am FAR from crafty. I even have a folder in my "favorites" that is labeled "Craft Stuff That I May Never Do". You see I love other's creativity I just am not one to come up with ideas alone.

OK enough about that here are the pics.

I used crayons instead of markers to color the "A". In the original post, she took this as an opportunity to teach "inside, outside" by coloring both inside and outside the lines. The boys are not there yet so I mentioned it but I just let them color.

The big hit with the boys was the glue. I used stick glue and she used Elmers. I don't think it made much of a difference.

Other than that I followed the directions and this is our finished project.

We had a great rainy day!

What kind of activities do you do on a rainy day???

Simply Saturday

This week as I think of the simple pleasures in life I am reminded of the holiday weekend. Memorial Day as a kid just meant that we got to hang out with family friends all weekend and eat hot dogs, hamburgers and whatever other yummy stuff our parents decided to make. It was always enjoyed. This year, well yesterday, after reading this post, I was reminded of the sacrifices that those in our military make and have made in the past in order for us to enjoy the seemingly simple things in life.


Yesterday, I played "ring around the rosie" with the boys in our backyard and we fell on our backs laughing together. The boys stayed on their backs and looked up at the "tees, tees" (aka trees for those without a 2 year old in their home). I joined them and we stayed on our back for quite a while, considering their limited attention spans. We enjoyed watching the birds, the leaves swaying in the breeze and planes flying over head. It took me back to September 2001, when despite living near a metropolitan airport there were NO planes flying over head. It was an eerie "sound" because we are all so used to the roar of the engines on a regular basis. That plane reminded me that I am unbelievably blessed to have this freedom AND the freedom that my boys don't even understand yet but are able to enjoy.


I feel indebted to those who fight for us daily and those who have lost their lives and their loved ones in order for me and my children to have the freedoms that we do. Whether that freedom be having an ice cream cone on Memorial Day or those that are much more "significant" in the grand scheme of things. These men and women that fight for our freedoms don't know MY name, Jared's, Alex's or Eli's. They aren't sacrificing because we "deserve" it or even always appreciate it. It is what they feel called to do and for that I am very grateful.


It also makes me think of my heavenly Father who sacrificed his Son on the cross so that we could experience true freedom. I live a blessed life that would not be possible without these sacrifices, all of which, today I am very grateful for.


I guess sometimes life's "simple pleasures" come at a pretty high price and aren't as "simple" as they seem.

Happy Memorial Day!!!