Life Not Finished

Every Little Thing Needs Rain

2012-01-30T06:55:00.001-06:00

It never rains here. Months go by without a single drop of moisture falling from the sky. And then, when the sky does open up and nourishment falls down from heaven, the world stops to watch. Even my children are amazed and stare at the rain drops they rarely see. We don’t seem to know how thirsty we are until it finally rains, and then we can’t stop breathing it in, we can’t stop absorbing it. Every little thing needs rain, even children.

On Wednesday it rained for about an hour. We opened up the windows and watched the world get washed clean. Life felt fresh and new again. It was a beautiful day.

Linked up with Cheryl for Makes My Monday

Don’t worry, I’ve got the Carpe Diem thing covered

2012-01-28T08:51:00.001-06:00

A while back there was a post circulating titled Don’t Carpe Diem. Did you read it? It was pretty good and like most things I read I agreed and disagreed at the same time. Yesterday, however, I had my own Carpe Diem experience that reminded me of this post.

I was at the grocery store with all three kids. The only cart that accommodates my brood at the store is a giant car cart that takes up a whole isle. The girls sit close to me in a big plastic car with steering wheels while Isaiah starts in the basket and gets out and walks as it fills up with food. We are quite the sight, me struggling to push the 80lb cart without groceries, two girls in the car “beeping” the horns and giggling like crazy, 4 year old in the basket asking questions about everything, me doing my best to answer.

I pick up a pint of blackberries. “Why are we getting those?” asks Isaiah.

“Because they are on sale for $.99 a pint.”

“Can we get blueberries?”

“Not this week.”

“Why not?”

“Because their $3.99 a pint and that’s not a good price. Don’t worry, they will be in season soon so we can buy them then.”

“What does “in season” mean?”

“In season is when fruit or veggies are ripe and they get picked. It’s the best time to buy that fruit because they taste the best.”

This is the point where our conversation stopped. Not because he stopped asking questions or I stopped answering them but because a nice old lady interrupted me to tell me what a great job I was doing teaching my son about food and shopping. She talk to me from the celery all the way to the oranges, so any conversations I could have had about picking apples or why we eat salad were lost.

After stopping to weigh our produce, one of Isaiah’s favorite things to do in a grocery store, we emerged from the produce and went to the deli. It was at this point where Cadee and Ky started playing their favorite game “Con-old-ladies-into-saying-I’m-cute”. The object is to get as many people as possible to stop me in my tracks and tell me how adorable my kids are. They pull out all the stops for this one and are masters of getting the attention of even the most preoccupied shopper. Cadee prefers the direct approach of waving and saying “Hi” to every passing shoppers. Ky is a little more subtle, she make eye contact and when they see her she starts to giggle. The poor unsuspecting strangers can’t help themselves but get sucked into a game of waving and smiling. Who can resist cute twins who say “Hi” first?

While I prefer this game to the alternative of throwing a fit and screaming bloody murder throughout the store, it does make my shopping trip much longer. Some customers can wave hi and keep walking, but at least one per isle stops me to tell me how cute my kids are, what a lucky mom I am, how their daughter’s sister’s friend has twins, and how much they miss the days when their kids were little. They tell me to “Carpe Diem” and treasure this time and really enjoy my kids. It’s not their fault they can’t resist the charms of my adorable children. Believe me, I know how cute they can be and I can’t blame them for getting sucked in. However, every minute I spend talking to 8 different strangers yesterday was a minute less I have to enjoy my kids.

The thing is, I KNOW how lucky I am. I AM enjoying as much of this age and stage as I can. I don’t mind taking the kids to the store with me. It’s fun to talk about produce with my son and watch the girls entertain the little old ladies. Personally, I think I’m pretty good at the whole “Carpe Diem” thing. And I would think it was obvious to the passing customers that I AM good at this. After all, I stopped to let my son weigh every bag of produce in our cart because he wanted to. We took five minutes out of our trip to figure out which was the heaviest and which was lightest. A mom who is too busy to “Carpe Diem” wouldn’t have done that. Trust me, I’ve got the “Carpe Diem” thing covered.

Any given errand wouldn’t be complete without someone noticing us and saying something. I would feel weird if we went a whole day without a single “Carpe Diem” style comment or at the minimum acknowledgment of how cute my kids are or the fact that they are twins. But they aren’t really adding anything to my life by telling me to seize the day or how lucky I am or how I should enjoy every minute my kids are small. I know time passes quickly, and the time they take to tell me all of this is more or less wasted. I mean, if no one stopped me in the grocery store yesterday I would have had an extra 30 minutes with my kids. Instead the trip took me almost two hours, which put me behind and made me have to work faster and NOT spend as much time enjoying my kids. While I appreciate the sentiment of all 8 ladies I talked to yesterday, I think I’ve got this Carpe Diem thing down. I don’t need any help in that department.

So, to anyone who happens to shop at the grocery store where I live, LISTEN UP!

Thank you for noticing how cute my kids are. I know time flies, I’m doing my best to enjoy it. However, I would enjoy it more if I spent a little less time talking to strangers and more time talking to my kids. While I’m sure everything you have to say is super important for me to hear, I’ve got the “Carpe Diem” thing under control, I don’t need help in that department. From now on my conversations with strangers limit is 3 people. I hope you understand I’m not trying to be rude by brushing you off, but I can only take so much time away from my kids for random people. If you happen to be stranger number 4, you might get cut off. I’m sorry. But 8 is too many and I’m not doing that again. I hope you understand.

-dollimama

BPP- I can’t think addition

2012-01-22T08:11:00.001-06:00

Everything in the house department is going well. On Monday they started replacing the roof. They were supposed to be done by Friday, but they weren’t even close to being finished. Hopefully they will finished early next week. After it’s done the mortgage company will send someone to appraise the house, which should be the last big hoop we have to jump through. Our closing date is Feb 17. Fingers crossed that continues to go well!
On Wednesday I started to feel under the weather, by Friday I was knocked on my rear with a crappy cold. Unfortunately I had a baby shower to host this weekend and I did all the food, so I couldn’t stay on my rear. That sucked.
The baby shower was yesterday, and while we had a lot of fun (and my friend got a lot of great stuff) I am so glad it’s over. It’s been sitting over my head since the beginning of January, and now I feel like I can really focus on packing instead of trying to do both.
I’ve been a pinterest addict for a while, but buying a new house has really sent me over the edge. I find myself spending any spare time online I have looking at inspiring home décor and DIY tutorials via pinterest. If you haven’t joined yet you should STAY AWAY. Seriously. Pineterest is so awesome, but do you really need another time sucking site begging for attention? Probably not. Meanwhile, I have gotten some awesome ideas, so I can’t complain that much
I can’t wait until there is room in my brain for more that “I have to clean” and “I have to pack” because those are the only 2 sentences that are always present in my mind. I meant to make this post longer and more awesome, but I can’t. I have to clean and pack.

That’s all folks. I’m sorry I wasted 5 minutes of your time. 7 if you’re a slow reader. It' won’t happen again. Actually, it probably will.

On letting go and starting over

2012-01-18T07:30:00.000-06:00

It’s been a long time since I lived in the same house for more than 2 years. While packing and moving can be a pain, it can also be therapeutic. Like the beginning of a new year, a different residence is a sort of clean slate, one you can start over in.

Of course this depends on how much of your old house you move with you. I try to keep the “stuff” I own to a minimum. I try to purge often, getting rid of outgrown clothing and broken toys. Of random pieces of plastic and dollar store finds that should never have been bought to begin with.

As I packing our kitchen, I’m so tempted to throw away all our old dishes and pots and pans. In our new house, the one we own, I want to have nice new things, not whatever works and is cheep. I want a matching dinning set. We had a nice one, but it’s got so many missing broken pieces now that it makes more sense to start over than replace what’s been lost. I want new beautiful pans, not purchased at Ikea, ones that won’t burn and stand up to high heat. I want to leave most of this junk I’ve collected behind and really start over. New house, new things.

But I can’t. I have to take the old, transient life with me, at least for a little while. I can’t afford to replace it all at once. As much as I want a new clean slate, I can’t really have one. We will be starting with what we already have, not matter how much I want to leave it all behind. It will take time to start over. It will take time to morph our new, outdated house into a home. It will take time to decorate and make it mine. Time to replace the things that have been lost or broken and time to settle into a new domestic, home-owner life.

I feel like I’m stepping out of a comfort zone and into something big. I’ve never painted, I don’t really decorate. Our drill is pretty new and this is the first place we have even hung shelves. I keep it simple and cheep because I hate spending money. And we are always leaving. I have one foot out the door, I know the count down, so why spend time and money we don’t have to decorate?

This house has felt different. For one thing, it’s a house and not an apartment. But knowing I would be in the same town for more than two years has really helped me let go and loosen up. The new house, the first one we have ever bought, excites me and scares me more than I can admit.

It’s where my kids with start school. We’ll be outside by the tree, taking pictures with new backpacks and pressed polo's. We will celebrate birthdays and holidays with friends and family packed into the living room. The kids will do their homework at the dining room table and play tag with their friends in the back yard. They will stomp up the stairs when I’m being unfair and come crying to me when the world is. It’s the first house they will really remember. It’s where their childhood will be lived.

I can’t wait for new dishes and pots and pans. I can’t wait to paint the walls and hang curtains. But mostly I can’t wait to stop moving from house to house and make a home, one that’s worth being in pictures and remembering fondly for decades to come. I know it will take time, effort, energy and money to make it into what I want it to be, but I can’t wait to start.

linked up with shell for Pour Your Hear Out

A long time coming

2012-01-16T08:47:00.000-06:00

My heart and mind are at the new house. I’m having a hard time focusing on anything else.

Jon and I were willing to walk away. There were issues that needed to be dealt with (specifically the roof) and we didn’t think the sellers were willing to negotiate any more. But the very next day we found out that we could insure the house and roof under State Farm, as long as it was built Wind Storm Certified (which it was). This was really good news, and we were back on track to buy this house.

Later that day I went to get the foundation inspected. He told me the whole house needed to be pier beamed, costing a total of $10,000! What? This caught us by surprised, as the foundation had been inspected recently and there were no problems. Our OCD general inspector who spent 5 and a half hours focusing on every little detail wasn’t worried, so why was this guy saying we had damage?

We got a second opinion, and just as we suspected, the first guy lied. OK, he didn’t lie as much as he exaggerated the truth. We are in a 12 month drought, which causes the outside of the house to dry up and soil deep under the house stays wet, which causes movement in the house. Our foundation is FINE, there is no movement, but the outside is dry and desperately needs to be maintained. If it goes another 6 months without an owner taking care of it, there could be problems, but for now it’s in great condition.

So that gave us another bargaining chip. The owners live out of state, and while they are willing to rent or sell the property, it’s been vacant for 6 months. They need to sell that place before it really starts causing problems and costing money.

We presented our amendment to the original contract, we raised our offer slightly but requested a brand new wind certified 25 year roof. I didn’t think they would go for it. They were taking a pretty good hit with our original offer. But, to my surprise, they said YES!!!

I can’t believe it! Not only are we getting a house in the neighborhood we want with a yard we want but a brand new roof as well!

There are still plenty of other things that will need to be replaced soon. The built in oven looks like it was made in 1950. That needs to be replaced. The air conditioner has a few years left on it. The whole house needs little updates. But the biggest, scariest problem, the roof, will be dealt with before we close.

Now comes the fun part: Money. But that’s Jon's department so I don’t have to do that much except be supportive and listen. And I have to take care of the other fun part: Packing. With an approximate closing date of February 17, I have to get moving. Literally.

I can’t tell you how excited and nervous I am. This is a HUGE thing for us, I can’t believe we are actually buying a house. With everything that has happened the last 5 years (including but not limited to adding 3 kids to the family) it seemed like it would take forever to get to a place where we could buy a house. Every time we turned around there seemed to be a new expensive problem to deal with, a major set back that pushed our normal “American Dream” farther away. And while I was content to be renter as long as it took, I’m so glad that phase is quickly coming to an end.

We haven’t made the big Facebook announcement yet. I think we will wait a few weeks, until the Money part is all worked out. Or mostly worked out. I would hate to tell all 450 of my closest friends we are buying a house just to turn around and say “Just kidding, it didn’t happen!”. That’s the worst. But as soon as we feel more secure and sure about everything, I will post a virtual tour for you guys. Thanks for all your help and support the past 2 weeks, it has been great to have you all to talk to about this. I feel like I should warn you that I might go crazy in the next 31 days, but you already knew that.

The Magic of Sisters

2012-01-12T07:28:00.001-06:00

I was sitting in the living room playing a game with Isaiah when I suddenly realized the girls were not in the room with us. They were strangely quiet so I went looking for them. They were in their room, sitting quietly, stacking blocks. I smiled, glad to see them getting along so well.

I went back to the living room and continued playing with Isaiah. Ten minutes or so passed and I got up to check on the girls again. I expected to find them in their room, but they weren't there. Isaiah's room was empty. My room was vacant, and then I heard a giggle coming from my bathroom.

For Christmas I received a make-up set from my sister. It was a flip pack, one side for day and one for night. The day makeup was in my purse. The night makeup was smeared all over their faces, their clothes, the floor, and the cabinets. I have never seen so much pink and sparkly black.

I stared for a minute, amazed at the mess they made in just a few minutes. Then I laughed. How could you not? They were so happy, covered in makeup, laughing like they just shared a secret.

After I snapped a few shots of the mess I got right to work cleaning it up. Step one, strip the girls and get stain remover on their clothes (by the way, Tide Stain Remover works on make-up).

Step 2, clean off their makeup covered skin. At which point my diaper wearing babies started jumping on the bed while I finished cleaning the bathroom. The mess wasn't hard to clean up, since I just scrubbed the floors that morning. I sprayed and wiped and everything looked as good as new. It took less time to recover from the mess than it took them to make it.

As they jumped on the bed, falling over laughing, I couldn't help but smile. Man, they had a fun and girly morning. Honestly, I was a little jealous. I had have two sisters and we have gotten into plenty of trouble together, but not this young. Not like this. We couldn't plot a crazy mess like this before we could even talk.

I spent so much time worrying that they wouldn't be best friends or share a bond I forgot that part of the magic of a sister is you don't have to be best friends. You can spend 364 days a year avoiding each other, but the one time you put aside your differences and work together to do something awesome or awful, it's magic. The one time you share something, the one time you communicate without speaking, it's totally worth it.

I laughed out loud at the mess they made, and I actually enjoyed cleaning this one up. I love seeing them like this, plotting together, sharing and having the kind of fun only sisters can have. It made my day.

Moving On

2012-01-11T07:11:00.005-06:00

“It’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”

We knew this would probably happen. We both went into this with eyes wide open that this might be a problem from the very beginning, but we tried to make it work anyway. At first things were going great, looking promising. And then the bottom dropped out. Or should I say the top.

Our house, the one we made an offer on, the one we are “in contract” on, the one I tried not to fall in love with but did, has roof problems. We aren’t surprised, we knew this walking into it. The roof is 15 years old. In the good old Midwest this would not have been a problem, but since the hot South Texas sun eats roofing for breakfast the 30 year roof needs to be replaced. Or at least repaired from some nasty hail damage, but after that replaced in about a year and a half. Maybe two.

So here we are, standing with deal breaking information. We can’t replace the roof today. We could replace the roof next year, but we need it to make it that long. They can’t replace the roof today, but they need to sell the vacant house. We may have to walk away, leave the house and move on. We knew this could happen. We knew it would come down to the roof. I’m starting to wish we never took a chance on the house to begin with.

Roof issues are something we will have to deal with no matter what. Roofs just don’t last very long in South Texas, so moving on to a newer house will just mean we need to replace the roof before we sell it, but we will still be replacing a roof at some point. South Texas kills houses. It eats roofs, overworks air conditions so they only last 8 years, scorches your yard, and throws hurricane force winds at the whole thing, knocking off shingles and branches and anything else. It makes me want to stay a renter forever.

But renting is becoming more and more uncomfortable. We can’t stay here, our lease is almost up and being here for another year is not an option. We need a yard, our family is too big for apartment life, and rental houses are much more expensive than buying a house the same size. We need to buy because it makes the most sense where we are at. The housing market didn’t skyrocket or plummet down here the way it did in other parts of the country. It stayed pretty stable, only rising and falling a little bit.

We will be here for at least a few more years, but possibly ten or more. Hey, we may never move. We don’t really know right now. Our hearts are still in the Midwest, but being here is good too. I don’t want to rent for a decade. That doesn’t make any sense. And I don’t want to be looking for a new place every couple of years. I want to settle. I want to paint. I want to buy a house.

Last night we discussed the inevitable breakup with the house we are “in contract” with. We don’t want to start over. We don’t want to start from scratch. But we might not have a choice. So I guess we will be moving on. Staying here is not an option. It’s time to start over again.

dollimama

linked up with Shell for Pour Your Heart Out

BPP week 1: A little on the stressed side of things

2012-01-07T07:29:00.000-06:00

As promised, the first of weekly bullet point posts (BPP) this year. Basically, it's a brain dump where I put ideas, thoughts and events that haven't been composed into a solid post, but are still important for me to write down and remember. If you haven't written one of these before, you should try it. They are very therapeutic.

I can't believe we are at the tail end of the first week of January. That's nuts. And I didn't really get to enjoy it. I feel like Christmas was forever ago, that's how long and stressful my days have been since then.
We are moving forward with the house. Our offer has been accepted and we are getting the inspections done on Monday and Wednesday. This is the part I'm nervous about, and has been from the beginning. I figured they would want us to buy their house, it's been on the market for a while. It's a 15 year old home in South Texas that has been unoccupied for 6 months during a drought. That could be a huge problem, though I suspect they have had someone watering the grass and foundation because the grass is still green. The roof could present the most problems, because it will need to be replaced in the near future. That's fine, as long as the near future is a couple years off. Down here windstorm insurance is a big deal, so not only do we have to have the roof inspected, but we also have to have an insurance agent out here to make sure they will insure the roof before we buy it. It's all very stressful, and I hate that we won't have all the inspections done until Wednesday.
The girls had their 18 month checkup. It's a little behind, since they turned 18 months in November. Ky has a lazy eye, so we have an appointment with the opthamologist on Friday. I am hoping it will be a simple fix, like a bit of patching or glasses or both. I really hope she doesn't need surgery.
Cadence has continued her obsession with shoes, and the big pack of plastic shoes from her great grandma didn't help. She is always clomping around the house in plastic heals. The funniest part is she's pretty good at it. She swishes her hips and stomps like she's on a catwalk. Meanwhile, Ky tried the shoes on for the first time on Thursday. She looked like she put ice skates on for the first time, trying to walk around the tile floor in those. I had to hold her up for quite a while while Cadence ran circles around her. She's got the hang of it now, but isn't quite ready for the catwalk.
Isaiah has been cracking me up lately. His vocabulary is huge and quite colorful, and he can use that most 4-year-old's don't know exist. I make a point not to dumb down my language when I'm speaking with my kids, so they get used to hearing words like "extraordinary" and "ridiculous" and "fabulous" and whatever else comes to mind. It's funny to here my colorful words coming out of his little mouth. By colorful, I do mean bright and big, not curse words.
I'm feeling overwhelmed. Even if we don't get this house, our lease is up at the end of February, so we have to do something. I'm trying to clean out my house and start packing it, but it's hard with 3 kids. I can't believe how much crap we have, even though I am constantly de-cluttering and tossing things. It's maddening.

That's all folks. Come back next week when I once again dump everything in a BPP.
dollimama

Not as Fresh and New

2012-01-04T07:11:00.001-06:00

I feel like I have started 2012 on the Left foot. Not really the wrong foot, just the opposite one I would have preferred. I knew the beginning of this year would be a little topsy-turvy. Our lease is up in February, and while we could go month to month, it would be awesome to move into our new home, the first one we have ever owned, as soon as possible. We found one we loved online and saw it on December 31. In person, it wasn’t exactly everything I though it would be or wanted it to be, but the good parts outweigh the bad. Plus, the location is priceless, and the yard is not something you see every day around here. It might be the best we have seen at any of the houses.

Instead of making a list of goals, picking a word of the year, jumping into a 30 day challenge, I have been keeping my house running and trying to buy a house. It might as well be August or May at the Dolli house. It doesn’t feel like the beginning of a new year around here.

In the mean time, the kids picked up a bug right before Christmas and are still passing it around and hacking like crazy. The same day we made an offer on the house, Isaiah spiked a fever of 104! We thought we would have to take him to the ER because our pediatrician's office was closed, but we didn’t. That crazy high fever seemed to break everything up and he’s doing much better. All 3 have a cough that won’t quit, and I don’t see an end to my constant use of tissues on their faces anytime soon, but they are fine. That was day 2 of the New Year.

Ironically, I love New Years almost as much as I love Christmas. I love looking back, the fresh start, setting goals, starting something new. I look forward to it and start preparing for it just as early as Christmas. I think about it in October and November. I set my goals in December. As soon as Christmas is over, I take that week to prepare for the New Year.

I’m excited about the challenges this year will bring. I’m excited about buying a home, having Isaiah start Pre-K and all the other things I have planned for this year. But I can’t help looking forward to next year, when I can sit down and start a 30 day organization challenge or photo challenge or whatever. A year when I need to make things up to keep it interesting. Like last year. Instead I have a January full of work instead of fresh and fun. It really could be any other month, it doesn't feel like January at all.

In the mean time, I'm cleaning and purging just like most mothers. I'm sorting and wanting to stuff things in boxes, but forcing myself to wait until we clean out the garage. I'm cooking and cleaning and doing every day chores. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and trying not to freak out every time I get a text from our Realtor. I'm here, on the brink of something huge, waiting.

Maybe this is good. Maybe this is an awesome way to start a new year. It's new to me, so I don't know. In the meantime, I will have to watch the 30 day challenges and organization from here. I have a house to buy and a rental to pack, and it will take most of my free time.

Linked up with Shel at Things I Can't Say

Switching to Decaf

2012-01-03T07:29:00.000-06:00

I’m terrified. And excited. I’m terrexcited. We put an offer on a house.

It’s been a long time coming, we have been working toward this for 2 years, but really working on it for the past 6 months. House hunting is exhausting and extremely confusing. I had no idea how much work it would be or how much we would have to learn. But after months of searching and reading and visiting and research we put an offer on a house. Yesterday. I’m terrified.

The house is in our ideal neighborhood. It’s 2 small blocks away from our favorite elementary school. We already have friends within walking distance. The yard is fantastic and has a beautiful 15 year old oak tree and a garden bed already dug up in the backyard. There’s nothing growing there right now, but the hard work is already done. I’m excited.

The layout of the house is beautiful, but the décor and fixtures have not been updated since 1996 when it was built. It’s gaudy and ridiculous, but fixable. The roof is also original, and in Texas you have to replace your roof every 15-20 years. Which means we will have to replace the roof. Sooner than later, probably. Which is terrifying.

The offer we put in was rather low, so I don’t think we will be moving forward right away. The house is a little over priced and the seller doesn’t seem motivated at all. I’m trying not to get my hopes up. We won’t move forward with the house until the seller comes back to reality and deals with the market we are in and the issues the house has. So we might have to walk away. But I’ve already decorated most of the rooms in my head. I’m pricing paint and bookshelves and googling projects like painting ceramic tiles.

We are still far away from the part where we get a key, but closer than we’ve ever been before. I’m learning about insurance and septic tanks and roofing. I’m wondering if I can paint the gaudy gold on every single light fixture in the house. I’m having a hard time staying calm and falling asleep. My heart is racing like crazy all the time.

I’m terrexcited, and it’s keeping me up at night. The possibilities, the uncertainty, it’s all so much to balance in one small person. So I’ve switched to Decaf Coffee for the time being. I’m shaking enough without the adding caffeine. I’m back to Yoga first thing every morning, and I’m making sure to read my bible every day and listen to calming music. All this is too much for one high strung mama to handle without some sort of plan. Life is changing. We are moving forward. I’m excited and terrified. And decaffeinated. People, this could be a long couple of months.

One Last post for 2011

2011-12-30T21:03:00.000-06:00

A year from now when I’m reading this, I hope I’m living in our new home. I hope my 5 year old son is taller, stronger, and braver than he is right now. I hope his smile stays the same. I hope he keeps his positive outlook on life.

I hope my 2 year old daughters are causing a little less trouble. I hope they grow out of the “terrible” stage early. I hope they both keep their bubbly personalities, but Cadee looses her obsession with shoes. I hope they are both speaking in full sentences, or well on their way.

I hope my husband still loves his job. I hope we have a year worth of monthly dates to look back on. I hope we have plenty of pictures of our New York trip and that we made it home for Thanksgiving.

I hope I kept up with my writing goals. I hope I actually decorated my house, or at least started. I hope I spend most of my days being grateful and less of my time in chaos. I hope my house is relatively clean, my kitchen is stocked, and my heart is full of joy. I hope I remembered daily how blessed I am to have such a beautiful family.

A year ago I thought I was through the worst of it, that the first year with twins would be followed by a breath of fresh air. While I am a little disappointed that the breath never came, I am glad that this year felt infinitely more rewarding. While the day to day took just as much effort and possibly more energy than the first year, watching my children bloom and grow made every day worth it. Their personalities, their little quirks made it all worth wild.

Next year will still be tough. Two is not an easy age, and two times two is terrifying. But I’m sure that it will be worth it, and by the end on next year we will be almost to three, which is an absolutely wonderful year. Well, here’s hoping.

2011 in one kinda long post

2011-12-30T16:30:00.000-06:00

2011 is closing up in just a few days. Looking back at this year, it’s been a crazy one, full of ups and downs and in-between. In case you missed anything that happened with a Dolli Family this year.

In January Isaiah started Mother’s Day Out, which we refer to as school. He loved it from the first day. It took me a bit to adjust, but I really enjoyed spending some time with just the girls every week. And since they still took two naps, the beginning of the year held a lot of extra time for me. Man, I miss those Tuesday and Thursday morning naps! My favorite posts are Experts are Idiots, God Given Best Friends and Not so Alone.

February was weird, I’m not sure why. I was off, and it showed a little in my blogging. My computer crashed, and we lost a lot of photos and other things, but luckily most of it was backed up. It had some pretty good parts too. My sister visited for a whole week, and Jon and I went to San Antonio by ourselves for 3 day. Oh, man that was an awesome weekend, one that I hope to repeat some time this year. My favorite posts are Sibling Rivalry, Twin Style and Identical Love.

March was hard. Actually, I’m pretty sure this whole year was hard. As I reread some of my old posts I’m reminded of just how worn out I was. Taking care of two big babies that can’t yet walk or communicate effectively what they want is exhausting. My favorite posts from this month are And Then I Changed my Mind and One Year ago Today.

April brought with it more everyday drama, but it also brought Easter, Spring and a fresh feeling. The girls were 10 months, going on 11 and I felt like I could see the end of the tunnel. My favorite posts are The Yellow Car, or Why I’m not a Better Mother, A perfect moment, and When They Start Talking, look out!

In May my beautiful daughters turned one year old! I was excited and overwhelmed. I filled the month with themed posts titles Celebrate One! and shared my space with some of my favorite bloggers. Some of my favorite posts from this month are Lessons from Year One: Problem Solving, Celebrate One by Leigh Anne, First Call to Poison Control by Amanda.

Summer was welcomed in the month of June. I was excited about the change of season, especially since I had made it over the one year with twins hump. I was sure that the rest of the year would be significantly easier. Ha. Yeah, that didn’t happen. I shared about Ky and Cadee’s Birthday party, and how my Children were trying to kill me. Favorite posts from this month are Being a Big Brother, Another reason I dress my Twins the same and A Chance Encounter.

In July Jon and I celebrated out 5th Wedding Anniversary and I continued to be baffled at just how hard it is to socialize with The Other Mom’s. I did my first comic strip style post with Mr. Mischief's No Bake Cookies, and realized just how hard juggling Productivity and Motherhood can really be. My favorite posts from this month are What’s her name? and His World.

The fall brought a new, more ridged routine and an overall dive in writing and blogging. One that I still haven’t fully recovered from. The problem stems from the dropping of naps. The babies dropped their morning nap in the fall and Isaiah basically dropped his afternoon nap. While he still takes a couple naps each week, it’s not consistent on a day to day basis. So I don’t have any chunks of time during the day to sit down and write. Also, having 3 mobile children running around trashing my house creates a lot more housework for me. I can’t believe how much more time I spend just trying to keep this place from falling apart! As I go back and read posts from this past year, I can really see how much my writing has taken a hit. I am hoping I can break this writing slump soon and get back in the groove again.

Some of my favorite posts from the fall are Just Sisters, Not Twins and Rare.

November and December brought with it a little more blogging consistency with my series Lazy Mama for the Holidays, but I also dropped a the 52 Weeks of ME! Challenge (which MandyE took over). In late November I started working on a review blog This Blogger Makes Fun of Stuff. I also struggled a bit to throw together two holidays for my little family. Some of my favorite posts from the past two months are Twin Love, Finally, The only way out is Through, and Self Control and Christmas.

Overall, 2011 has been a pretty good year, both in the Blog world and in real life. I’m excited about 2012 and will be changing my editorial calendar. I am dropping the Lazy Mama series completely. I prefer the old, pour your heart out style of writing to the how-to kind. So I will be getting back to that. I will have a goal of 3 good posts a week along with 2 posts per month at How Do You Do it and a weekly post at This Blogger Makes Fun of Stuff. I will be doing a weekly bullet point post, probably on Saturday or Sunday. I know they are not the most fun thing to read, but I really enjoy going back and seeing what was happening in months and years past. I write for you guys, but I also write for me. I love being able to see how far we’ve come, and the bullet point post is a great way to dump all the family stats and facts in one place. I will also be doing at least one picture post a week, because really, who doesn’t love a picture post?

Finally, I want to thank you all for sticking with me. As promised in my blog title, I’m still working on it. I know my posts aren’t always the most smooth, best edited pieces out there, but that’s not my goal so I’m OK with that. Thanks for understanding when I vent, or drop challenges, or don’t show up on twitter for a week. Thanks for coming back and reading when I totally drop the ball for weeks or stop checking my email. Thanks for encouraging me, asking questions, and reading. I appreciate all the comments, all the encouragement, all the tweets. You guys are awesome, and you helped make my year.
I can’t wait for 2012! It’s going to be awesome!

A merry little Christmas in Pictures

2011-12-28T16:26:00.000-06:00

participating in Wonderful Wednesday with 7 Clown Circus and Parenting by Dummies

Christmas is Over

2011-12-27T15:20:00.001-06:00

“Christmas is over. It’s not here anymore.” Isaiah says out of the blue or in response to seeing something Christmassy missing from it’s spot or sitting in a box.

“Yep, it’s over. But we’ve got a big year ahead of us with lots to look forward too.” I respond. He nods, and goes back to enjoying whatever toy or goody he was playing with before.

Christmas came and went. We set up our tree on Thursday night after the girls went to bed. The next morning Isaiah got show his sisters the tree he helped set up and decorate. They were excited, responding with “oohs” and “wow” in a preview of the awe they would experience on Christmas. The tree itself took a minimal beating and only tipped over once. No ornaments lost their lives this year, so that’s a big win.

On Christmas Eve we went to Church at 4 pm then came home and had a big dinner. The kids each opened their one present that magically appeared under the tree while they were napping. It was pajamas. They loved them and went to bed almost on time. Jon and I stayed up late in a massive marathon of wrapping presents while watching “A Christmas Story” on TBS, which has become a treasured tradition.

Surprisingly, everyone slept through the night and woke up around 7:20, a little later than a normal day. It was nice and unexpected since Isaiah has been waking up at 4am and 5am quite frequently. Slowly we made our way through the giant pile of presents that took us the first half of the day to open. We snacked on leftovers and appetizers all day. They kids were a little under the weather and at around 3pm there was a major group meltdown. But by 5 everyone was back on track and things were normal again.

Our Christmas was perfect, and hopefully we will have many more just like this one.

Now it’s time to wrap up the year in a pretty bow and place it on a shelf. It’s been full and fun and overwhelming, but nothing we couldn’t ultimately handle. Just a few days left to tie up loose ends and start new.

Lazy Mama: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2011-12-19T07:35:00.000-06:00

We are in the home stretch, one week left until Christmas day! Are you completely ready for Christmas? Is your menu planned, your presents bought and wrapped and your house beautifully decorated? Did you get your cards in the mail and your packages to the post office on time? Me neither.

I still have things to buy, I haven't wrapped a single present, and my cards are in a pile on my bookshelf. I told you I suck at mail.

I'm grateful my kids are still young and don't have expectation of the holidays. I'm taking advantage of that. They are still mesmerized by all the Christmas magic and don't know that things aren't perfect. So I am relaxing and letting things be. My cards probably won't make it into the mail box. Half of my Christmas decor will stay in their boxes. The beautiful glass ornaments will keep for another year or two.

With only a week left of this magic season, it's time to enjoy every minute I can. Making candy with my kids, looking at lights, taking it easy on the couch with some Christmas TV shows. Whatever doesn't get done will keep for next year or the year after that.

Self Control and Christmas

2011-12-16T06:43:00.000-06:00

I remember like it was yesterday. Every year a month or so before Christmas my mom would sit us down and let say the same thing. “It’s going to be a small Christmas this year guys. There won’t be that much under the tree” After a few years of this I pretty much started to ignore her. Because even though that’s what she said, every year on Christmas morning our stockings were stuffed and there was a pile of presents under the tree, almost always including the toy we wanted most.

Growing up we lived paycheck to paycheck, surviving off one salary instead of two so my mom could stay home with us kids. Most of our friends were the same way. But my parents were careful to live within their means. So the presents under the tree weren’t all bought at Walmart. They came from varies places and people, and they weren’t all brand new but we didn’t know or care. We always had a good Christmas, I can’t remember a single small one.

This year as I look at our Christmas budget and count the presents that will be under the tree, I’m temped to say the same thing my mother always did. “It’s going to be a small Christmas this year.” But I remember how I felt hearing that and I choose to bite my tongue. I don’t want to get in the habit of measuring my Christmas by how packed our tree is. I never got sucked into that as a kid, and I don’t want to start now.

Being the mom brings it’s own set of inner Christmas struggles. I’m temped to grab a credit card and make this “The best Christmas ever!” and buy everything my family wants. But I know that a day of artificial, stuff-induced joy isn’t worth the months of bills or the financial set back. So I ignore the commercials that have urge me to buy Christmas. It’s fairly easy for me to do, because I’m used to self control at Christmas. I grew up with it and can thank my parents for that. I don’t think my kids will ever have a truly small Christmas. I know I never did. But they won’t have an all out, everything they could ever want kind of Christmas either.

It’s easy now, to blow their minds and spoil them on a meager budget. They’re small and still wowed by inexpensive things. As they get bigger the lists and price of an Amazing Christmas will grow. Self control at Christmas is not always going to be easy. Each year I will be more tempted to go completely nuts for Christmas and judge my Christmas by the dollar amount or number of presents under the tree.

Growing up with parents who had self control at Christmas makes it easier for me to stick to my convictions and give my children a Christmas I can afford instead of one from a commercial. I’m confident that my decision to keep my spending small won’t affect the smiles or the joy on Christmas morning. There will still be a pile of presents and a flurry of wrapping paper. It will still be amazing, and it will never be small. Just full of self control.

Wonderful Wednesdays: Holiday Cheer

2011-12-14T07:28:00.001-06:00

The past two weekends we have spent doing fun holiday things. First we went to a parade, then we went to our local art museum to tour the Christmas trees from around the world. I love being able to share these things with my kids.

Ky baby, making my season merry and bright!

Isaiah, telling Santa what he wants for Christmas

Cheesing. He's so happy it's Christmas

Cadee off in her own world.

The whole family with Santa

These pictures bring a smile to my face and joy to my heart. I love holiday traditions like these.

participating in Wonderful Wednesday with 7 Clown Circus and Parenting by Dummies

linking up Santa Pics with Mommy of a Monster and Letters for Lucas

Lazy Mama: Baking and Candy Making

2011-12-12T08:00:00.000-06:00

Making Christmas candy and cookies is one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. Growing up we used to go to my grandma's house and spend what felt like days making candy after candy. There was peppermint bark and cinnamon ice, peanut brittle, toffee and home made caramels and fudge. Then we would wrap plates and tins filled to the brim with goodies and pass them out to our neighbors and friends.

The thing about making candy is that it can be time consuming and dangerous. The melted sugar gets so hot and needs to be stirred constantly, it can turn into a dangerous hot mess, especially around the little people.

Stick with chocolate-based candies, or skip candy and bake cookies. If you are going to make a boiled sugar candy treat, wait until those babies are in bed.
Pick simple, fast recipes that don't require a lot of time. I like simple fudge (recipe below), peppermint bark, and buckeyes. They taste awesome, are cheep and easy to make, and go over well with almost everyone!
Plan a swap or mass baking day. Invite friends over to make cookies and candy together. Or you can split up the work, make mass amounts of one cookie or candy and get together to swap your goods, leaving with a variety of home made goodies.
Pick recipes that are fun, that your kids can help with.

OK, guys, I'm going to share with you a super secret, super awesome family recipe for fudge. It's awesome, and so easy. You won't believe it will work, but it does and it's the smoothest fudge you'll ever eat. Are you ready?

dollimama's simple fudge

1 bag of chocolate chips

(note: the quality and kind of chips you use will determine the flavor of your fudge. Choose a good brand and quality chip . You can also use peanut butter, white chocolate, or butterscotch chips for flavored fudge)

1 Tb of melted butter

1 can of sweetened condensed milk.

Pour the chocolate chips, can of milk and melted butter into a glass, microwave safe bowl and stir.
Microwave 20 seconds at a time, stirring in between, just until the chips are melted. DO NOT over cook. Stir until smooth.
Pour into a glass dish lined with wax paper or foil. Let the fudge set up in the fridge for 2 hours. Cut into squares.

That's it! You have to try this recipe, I promise it makes such easy fudge, and it doesn't get too hot, so your small kiddos can help!

That's all I've got for today guys. What are your tips for baking and candy making during the holiday season?

Coffee Talk: Christmas Time

2011-12-11T08:09:00.000-06:00

I decided to go out for some virtual coffee with Rebecca from Unexplained x2. Here's how the conversation went.

1. How was your week?
Ugh, it was one of those. Nothing was going my way, everything I did kept backfiring, and I was stressed to the max. However, most of the situations have been resolved and I'm breathing a little easier.

2. What was the one thing you wanted to get done this weekend?
There was so much I wanted to get done this weekend, and only a few things actually happened. One thing I did accomplish was I made blankets for the girls for Christmas. You know, the fleece kind with the tie fringe? Well I made one for each girl, but I made them with hoods. Ky really loves running around the house with a blanket on her head, so a hooded blanket will make it easier. I know, my kids are weird. It's cool though. I think she's going to LOVE it. And I made Cadee one too, to try and limit the fighting.

3. Did you get it done?
No, I didn't. My kids ~~went absolutely nuts~~ were having one of those weeks too, which was preventing me from being really productive. The good news is I will have some help from my mom the next two weeks, so that will help. The bad news is I have something to do or planned every day from now until Christmas. The next two weeks are going to ~~make me pull every hair out of my head~~ be intense.
4. What is one popular holiday "tradition" that you will just never understand?
Mistletoe. Why does standing under a plant mean you have to kiss someone, no matter who they are? That's just weird. Really. I've never been caught under the mistletoe with anyone, but if I was I would NOT kiss them. Unless I wanted too. You know. :)
5. Is there a gift that you bought for someone this Christmas that you're totally nervous about?
We are limiting the amount of gifts we are buying this year by A LOT! I'm nervous about that. I don't want to be caught in the awkward spot where someone gives you something nice and you have a plate of cookies for them. That sucks. But seriously, if we are friends in real life, all you are getting is cookies, so don't get me anything nice!
My gift for Hubby is time consuming, and I'm hoping I can pull it off.

6. Are you going to be able to attend church services this year?
Yup, Christmas Eve service at 4pm. It's 45 minutes long, with no childcare. I have a feeling we won't make it through the whole thing. My three kids don't really behave ~~anywhere~~ in church, so we will see how it goes.
7. What are you wearing right now? If you house burned down and you had to run outside, do you look acceptable enough to be interviewed by the local news??
I would be so screwed. I'm wearing a T-Shirt from my husbands college that has a weird science picture of a naked man standing in a circle. You know what I'm talking about? I know, weird, but it's comfy. Also, my pants are missing their drawstring, so they keep falling down. That would be a terrible interview!

Want to join in for coffee? Check it out at Rebecca's place.

dollimama

Santa is totally screwed

2011-12-06T07:22:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I was sitting on the couch with my half-asleep son, and he starts to describe the toy he wants for Christmas.

“You take the burgers and you stuff them in the little pigs mouth, and his tummy gets bigger and bigger until he POPS! That’s what I want for Christmas, it’s so fun.”

What? I thought to myself, You want Pop the Pig for Christmas? Really? Of all the toys?

So I changed the conversation, switched it to breakfast or something. I was hoping he would change his mind, forget all about it and ask for something else. He hasn’t. It’s basically the only toy he has asked for my name. And now I’m at a moral dilemma.

Childhood obesity is at an all time high. Diabetes and heart disease are serious health issues and over-eating is not something to be joked about or taken lightly. Any normal, healthy family might look at the toy, shake their head and refuse to buy it. Or they may say,”It’s just a game” and let their child feed the pig until he literally pops. However, I don’t know what side of the fence to stand on.

First, Jon works in pediatrics and everyday he has to tell parents “Your child needs to loose weight, or they will be at risk for some serious health problems.” He sees 10 year olds that weigh more than his 6’4” frame ever has. And that makes me want to say “No way, we aren’t bringing a binge-eating pig into our house!”

But my family doesn’t have food issues. We love our veggies, and you will see my kids snacking on carrot sticks and apples and requesting celery with peanut butter on it. Which makes me want to say “It’s a toy, and it will make his day.” and buy him the stupid pig.

For weeks I’ve been arguing with myself weighing the pros and cons of Pop the Pig. Honestly, there is only one pro: It will make his day. His face will absolutly light up when he sees the toy he really wanted under the tree. That one pro is holding it's own against my growing list of cons.

At the end of the day, I know the responsible thing to do would be to avoid the pig feeding fun at all costs. He probably won’t care. He will have plenty of new, cool toys to distract him. But what if he does care? What if he is disappointed that the one thing he asked for repeatedly is not under the tree?

Does anyone know of a game with a pig that you feed veggies until they are adequately full, but not popping out of their pants? Because at this point, I’m pretty much screwed.

Lazy Mama: Deck the Halls

2011-12-05T07:46:00.000-06:00

Guys, I’m sorry, but this year my hall decking is really sucking. Our tree is still in a box, because this mama is too lazy to fight with her small children off it all month long. It won’t be making an appearance until the week of Christmas, maybe not until Christmas Eve. While our stockings are hung, and there is some garland with lights on it in our entry way, and lights on the outside of our house, overall it’s nothing to brag about.
Instead, I will leave it to the people who can really decorate their houses help you out with yours.

I pretty much love this High-Heeled tree (such a good idea) and these salt dough ornaments. I love this post about keeping it simple for the holidays and this super cute ribbon tree. We made one of these hand print trees (but on paper) and this string of lights is on the agenda for the week. I love this idea for decorating with candles and these hanging ornaments.

That’s it for now, folks. I hope your are having better luck decorating for Christmas than I am.

The only way out is Through

2011-11-30T23:41:00.001-06:00

"He says the best way out is always through.

And I agree to that, or in so far

As that I can see no way out but through--"

Robert Frost

This too shall pass. It's what they say. Heck, it's what I say. I said it just yesterday on someone's Facebook status. Two months into parenting and she's sleep deprived and at her wit's end. So I passed her a pat answer about how it gets better or at least different and she should hang in there. Even as I type the words I regret them. Because they don't really help.

It doesn't help to know there is a light at the end. Because as soon as you get close to the end you realize, there is no end. This journey keeps going, it doesn't stop or even pause. Parenthood doesn't end, it just gets better, or at least different.

I got a mass email today from a new company. They are recruiting "parenting experts". Would I like to be one? I laughed. Because the thought of me sitting at my computer, doing a personal skype call with a real live stranger, pretending like I'm some sort of expert on parenting was ridiculous. Who is qualified to give tailored, expert parenting advice to strangers? I'm not. I don't believe parenting experts exist, but if I did, I wouldn't be one of them. How can you pretend to master the art of raising small humans? I can't do it.

And yet I do it all the time. Pass on the pat answers, the meaningless advice that doesn't actually help. I give little tips, little hints, like I know. I put on my expert hat and pretend. Why do I think I know? Because I've been there? I haven't been there. I haven't been where every new mom is. I've only been where I was. The experience isn't transferable, it's unique. Each path is different. Evey single time, your paving your own way, blazing your own trail.

It's great to surround yourself with people who know, who understand what it's like to begin, to be there, at the start of things. But the advice givers, those of us who are passing on the words of wisdom have to be honest. We don't know. We haven't been in that exact spot. We can offer some wisdom, some understanding, but not that much.

The only way out is through. You experience it. You go through it. It's all you. You do this, and I can't help you, not that much.

Inspired by writing prompt #1 on Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop.

Drama Queen

2011-11-29T04:32:00.000-06:00

Isaiah was an early talker. While I started baby signs with him, he picked up spoken words so quickly that teaching him to communicate with his hands was never a big deal. By the time he was 18 months he had a good 20 words at his disposal and could speak in 2 and 3 word sentences. He skipped the “I’m-mad-but-I can’t-tell-you-why-so-I’ll-just-throw-a-huge-fit!” stage all together.

I know that speech delays can be an issue with twins, so I once again pulled out my baby signs book to try and teach them to communicate with their hands. So far we have mastered “Eat”, “more”, and “All done”. It’s my fault they don’t know any more signs than this, I haven’t worked with them consistently to grown their sign vocabulary. I was hoping they would start talking early like their brother did. So far I’m out of luck.

They each have a few words at their disposal but they don’t know nearly enough to effectively communicate what they want. So they are stuck with a more common, more natural way of communicating; throw a giant temper tantrum.

Ky was the first to master this skill. I do mean master, as her “I’m so MAD!” scream sounds like a “My-insides-are-bursting-and-I’m-DIEING” scream and it has from day one. She can turn on the crocodile tears like nothing you have ever seen about absolutely nothing. Seriously, she has the most well trained ears confused.

Cadee’s temper tantrums are a bit more dramatic. She just recently learned how to cry real tears without being in actual pain. For the first year and a half her “I’m MAD!” cries have been tearless and obvious. While she has learned how to turn on the faucet, she does so with such drama that she can’t fool anyone. When told “NO!, first she throws a little hand over her face, opens her mouth and screams. Then she throws herself backwards on the floor, but is careful not to hit her head too hard. She screams and cries and starts to produce real tears. After that she gets up and throws herself into the arms of the neigh sayer , for comfort, still crying like her world is falling apart. After a few minutes she’s done. She gets up and goes right back to whatever it was that lead to the “NO!” in the first place. Then the entire process repeats two or three times. It’s ridiculous, but sometimes entertaining.

While I was a little disappointed that they were early crawlers and early walkers, I could really go for a bigger vocabulary. I want them to talk so badly! Maybe then the dramatic fits would cool down a bit.

Who am I kidding? I’m pretty sure this little girl is always going to bring the drama. So basically, in 15 years, I’m pretty much screwed.

Lazy Mama: Shopping, Cards, and stuff that gets wrapped and mailed.

2011-11-28T03:23:00.001-06:00

Did you have a Happy Thanksgiving? How was your Black Friday shopping experience? Didn’t you just love it (assuming you weren’t one of the people who got pepper sprayed). I’m glad you had a good time.

I was planning on heading out Thursday night, but things changed and I ended up skipping Black Friday shopping altogether. Instead I followed a few of these awesome shopping tips.

Guys, the calendar flips to the very last month this week. Which basically means we all have to unload our wallets and give each other crap. If this process boggles you and makes you a little crazy, don’t worry I have some Lazy Mama tips that will keep you from turning into a scrooge.

Lets start with Christmas Cards and Holiday letters

If you haven’t snapped some family mug shots perfect for a frame but still long for a Christmas card with your picture on it, try compiling a cute collage. Just take the pictures you have, pick a good one of ach member and put them on one card or letter. There is still time to order cards from Mixbook or Snapfish (two of my favorite photo sites). If it starts getting closer to Christmas, order yours via Walgreens or Walmart, since you won’t have to wait long for printing or shipping. Address, stamp, mail, done.

Give yourself a cut-off date. Mine is December 15. If I don’t get my cards in the mail by then, I just throw in the towel. This year I have mine printed already (thanks to Mixbook) and have gathered most of my address via Facebook.

If it starts getting close, or you don’t want to send cards in the mail, consider an Emailed card or letter. There are plenty of sites to help with this. Hallmark Ecards is a favorite (it costs $12 for the whole year) and so is E Greetings. Or you can simply write an email letter, insert a picture and TaDa! Holiday greetings couldn’t be simpler!

If you get stuck and find yourself a couple of days before Christmas with no annual greeting, you can do what I do every year: post it on Facebook. Seriously, post your card, tag some people, start a conversation in the comment section and consider everyone greeted. People who want to see it can, people who want to hang it on their fridge can print it, and you are not responsible for 30 paper cards that need to eventually be recycled anyway. Aren’t you eco-friendly!

Next up, Gifts!

Obviously presents are a big part of Christmas, and I’m sure you have lists going for your kids and husband. But what about everyone else? Buying gifts for extended family, friends, and coworkers can eat up a large part of your holiday budget, not to mention your time.

The first thing I do in this category is make a list of everyone who might want a gift, and find a way not to give them one. I know, it sounds stingy, but hear me out. I personally don’t need any more clutter in my house. I don’t need anything that can be purchased for less than $20 and comes from an end cap. Since I don’t want more junk for Christmas, I assume that other people don’t want junk either. Therefore, I don’t give it to them. Instead I try and give them something consumable, handmade, or experiential.

Consumable gifts, such a cookies, candy, a pound of coffee or hot chocolate are great because the get used this time of year and they don’t hang around very long. Who doesn’t love chocolate?

Handmade gifts are always great. There is nothing that says “I think your awesome” like a handmade gift. It speaks volumes about someone's worth. If you aren’t super crafty, you are in luck. Etsy can help you out in this department. Even if someone else does the making, handmade gifts still rock. One of the simplest, but sometimes most treasured gift is a handwritten letter. In a day and age where everything is emailed or posted to Facebook, it means a lot when someone takes the time to actually write down how much you mean to them. Don’t underestimate the power of a letter.

Experiential gifts are awesome, but sometimes complicated to pull off. Try to keep it simple, like planning a dinner or giving someone movie tickets. While I love this idea for a basket full of 12 Date Nights, I’m not sure if I will ever be organized enough to pull that off. Instead, maybe just one date night.

Whatever you do, for your own sanity, keep it simple! The worst thing you can do is put so much pressure on yourself that you loose sight of what’s important and spend the whole month stressed out and miserable. That’s unnecessary. If a particular project is stressing you out (say Christmas cards or homemade cookies) just drop it. People will understand if you buy your cookies and skip the cards. Do what you enjoy and simply skip the rest!

I know you are going to be pressed for time, so you should totally check out this awesome Gift Guide, because all the little shops on it are amazing. I know you will find fabulous gifts there. Plus, enter to win a fabulous scarf from Nice Knits. Trust me, you want it, so leave a comment to WIN it. (note: don’t comment here, comment there. I mean, leave me a comment too, but it won’t get you anything. If you want to win the scarf you have to comment on THIS post.)

Hey, Guess what?

2011-11-23T07:14:00.000-06:00

I got a new job! So you remember on Friday where I told you I was really busy and I was taking on a new writing gig? Well, yesterday they made the big announcement (sorry this post is a day late). I have joined the three fabulous reviewers at This Blogger Makes Fun of Stuff as the fourth reviewer! I'm pretty excited about it.

I have been following This Blogger Makes Fun of Stuff since it began a year ago. I love that they take normal items and tell me the truth about them. The reviews are written with humor and always have be laughing. I have bought quite a few items because of the reviews, including these sippy cups and this stain remover. I have written about the bottles that didn't change my life and my awesome haircare products. I'm super excited to join the team on a permanent basis and with my weekly review, which will run every Thursday.

So hop over and check it out. If you aren't a reader of This Blogger Makes Fun of Stuff you should be. It's an awesome way to get the truth about products before you buy them. Today we are unveiling our Gift Guide (check out the button, see if you recognize anyone). We have awesome giveaways and reviews coming this month so be sure to check it out!

Lazy Mama: Black Friday Survival Guide

2011-11-21T06:43:00.000-06:00

I love Black Friday! Which probably surprises you, since you know how much I HATE shopping and spending money. But there is just something about the Thanksgiving paper stuffed with adds screaming “Door Buster!” and “Lowest Price of the Season!” that really gets my blood pumping.
Every year my cousin and I pour over the adds, plan out our shopping trip, and hit the sales together. We love the crowds, the adrenaline, the official sign that Christmas time is here. I buy most of my Christmas presents then, and get the rest online. I do my best to avoid stores the rest of the season. I want to enjoy my holidays, not spend them shopping, so I get it all done on Black Friday. Here are some of my time tested Black Friday Survival tips.

Have a Budget. Don’t even look at those sparkly ads until you know how much money you can spend. There is no point in falling in love with a fabulous new 42 inch screen LCD TV if you can’t pay for it. Know how much you have to work with before you start shopping. If the price tag is too much, it’s not the deal for you.

Get a head start. Black Friday ads are already up at different deal sites around the web. Give yourself time to look at them before Thursday rolls around, that way you can focus on Thanksgiving on Thursday and not be to distracted by the door busters. This year many of the stores are opening Thanksgiving night, some as early as 9pm. You want to know if you need to wait in line long at those stores long before you stuff your belly full of Turkey. If you can’t spend time with the ads this week, plan on flipping through the paper early Thursday morning. Whatever you do, don’t wait until after Thanksgiving dinner to look at them, by then it might be too late!

Make a list, check it twice. Have an idea of who you are buying for and what you want to get them. Once you find the perfect gift, write it down on your list. Include the original price, the sale price, store, and approximate location inside the store (electronics, toys). After you have written everything you want down, add it up. If the total cost is outside your budget, start crossing things off. Do this until you have a final list.

Limit the amount of stores you shop. Pick two or three stores, the ones that have the most things on you list, and stick to that. If this is your first year going Black Friday Shopping, one store may be more than enough. Some stores (mainly Wal-Mart) will match the ads of other competitors. If you want one or two things from another store, just bring the ad and you can get the price matched. Easy Peasy!

Bring a buddy and get in line. It’s so much more fun shopping with friends! I never go alone, it’s part of the fun. You will want to get in line at least an hour before your first store opens, so grab a coffee, head to the store and catch up with a friend while you freeze your butt off with 100 of your favorite strangers. Trust me, it’s fun!

Have tunnel vision. Once you get into the store you will be bombarded by a million items you didn’t see in your ad. Don’t get distracted! Head straight to the items on your list. Door busters go FAST, so it’s a good idea to head to your top picks first, then go back for the less important items. Once you have your loot, get in line to check out. The lines get long fast, so don’t spend too much time shopping. Grab what you want, get in line, and get out!

Have a plan B. There will be at least one thing on your list you won’t get. Maybe it’s an important item, maybe it’s not. If your don’t find what you are looking for at the stores on Friday, go online. Many stores are offering the same deals online, and some extra online only door busters. Don’t be discourage if you didn’t get your top items, there is still plenty of time. Check amazon.com, my favorite holiday shopping stop. I am forever amazed at what good deals I get during the holiday season.

Have Fun! If you aren’t having fun, then go home! Seriously, if fighting the crowds is not for you, there are so many other ways to get awesome holiday gifts at great prices. Don’t go shopping just because everyone else is doing it, or because you are afraid you will miss all the good deals. There will be plenty of awesome deals all season long, so don’t stress. Enjoy your weekend, shopping or no shopping!

Whatever you do this Thanksgiving weekend, make sure you take the time to really appreciate what you have. It’s easy to get sucked into the Holiday mess of shopping and greed. Stuff is great, but people are much more important. So enjoy your Turkey and your shopping, but enjoy your friends and Family more.

Join me next Monday for our 5th Holiday post. I will be taking on shopping, Christmas Cards, and things that get wrapped or mailed.

Do you go shopping on Black Friday?

What are your tips and tricks to staying sane out there?

ME! Challenge, saying goodbye

2011-11-18T06:55:00.001-06:00

I have had so much fun this year, getting to know you guys through the 52 Week challenge. It has been a fabulous year, purposefully doing something for myself each week. While I have loved lining up with you every week, I will no longer be hosting the 52 Weeks of ME! Challenge. I am still committed to something intentional for myself every week, I just won’t be writing about it. Thank you again for participating and understanding. It’s been a fabulous year, and even though I am ending the linkup a few weeks early, I still consider this a huge success. Thank you for making it one!

Let the Kid loose

2011-11-17T05:07:00.000-06:00

Jon and I were watching the latest episode of Parenthood, taking turns cracking up and sighing. Julia and Joel, the parents of 6 year old Sydney came to the realization that they always let their daughter win every game she plays. They thought they were building self esteem, instead they built a spoiled brat who doesn’t know how to loose.

The idea of always letting your child win was foreign to me until I babysat a little girl who informed me that I wasn’t allowed to win. She was always the winner, that was the rule. I beat her the first time we played Chutes and Ladders. She was pretty upset about it. I nicely informed her that part of the fun of playing was that anyone can win. So sometimes she won, sometimes I won, but no one always wins. She was OK with this, and we played games almost every day.

My parents didn’t let me win. They played, not super competitively, but just enough that the game could go either way. As we got older, it got harder and harder for us to win. I can’t remember the last time I beat my mom at any game. I digress…

Isaiah just got to the age where he is really starting to love playing board games. We play Memory and Bingo and I Spy. I plan on getting him a few more of the classics for Christmas. We have even started a family game night once or twice a month. He loves it, and since it’s just the three of us (we play after the babies go to bed) he gets lots of two-on-one attention, which is a rare gem for him.

However, he doesn’t always win. Sometimes he wins, sometimes he looses. Yes, Jon and I purposefully beat our 4 year old at board games. Then we raise our hands and shout “I win!” just like a kid would. Why? Because other people win! And they celebrate and you have to say “Good game!” and be a good sport.

Why should we start his gaming experience with the unrealistic expectation that he is so smart, so good, so fast that he will beat anyone? Why should we teach him that his natural ability will make him better at simple games than an adult? We shouldn’t.

We don’t want him to think he is naturally good at everything. We want him to work hard, learn new skills, practice. We don’t want him to get frustrated with failure, we want him to be used to it and keep trying anyway. How can he be used to failing if we never let him loose? Learning to loose, to fail, to be awful at things is an important part of life. It’s a part that shouldn’t be skipped.

And the Winner is....

2011-11-17T03:32:00.001-06:00

True Random Number Generator

Min:

Max:

Result:

Congratulations

The Pettijohns

Your are the Winner of the Awesome Digitial Scrapbooking kit!

YEAH!

Twin Love, finally

2011-11-15T05:19:00.000-06:00

A while back I wrote about my fear that Cadee and Ky don’t like being twins and that they never will. I poured about how much they ignore each other, how they seem to dislike each other, and how they prefer being apart.

They very next day it was like the season changed. Slowly, at first, the girls started to get along better. Ky has started to give Cadee hugs every now and then. They hand each other toys, they sit together to play. It’s amazing to see. They have started to communicate with each other the way the You Tube twins do. They laugh at each other and occasionally play together. Every time I see them sitting together, sharing something, or simply playing side by side I have to fight back tears of joy.

I’m so relieved that they don’t hate each other. I know it sounds crazy, but I was nervous for a while. Don’t get me wrong, they still spend more time fighting or ignoring each other than playing together, but they do share moments every now and then.

I don’t think they will ever turn into an inseparable duo. I think their independence and separate identity will always be important to them, but I finally see their sister friendship starting to bloom. It melts my heart and excites me. I want so badly for them to be friends. I think its possible they might develop a healthy individual identity AND a loving sister relationship. That would be amazing.

Holiday Menus: Menu planning for the season

2011-11-14T05:43:00.000-06:00

If there is one time of year I am tempted to slack on my menu planning, it’s the holiday season. Unfortunately, it’s also the most important time of year to menu plan. I’m busy enough every day, I don’t need to be thinking about what's for dinner every night. So here is how I menu plan for the big holiday dinners and through the holiday season:

1. I plan out Thanksgiving and Christmas Menus as early as I can. At this point, I have my Thanksgiving menu finalized with recipes and shopping lists. I’m still working on Christmas, but I will be done in the next week or two. This allows me to start adding ingredients to my shopping lists each week so the holiday shopping trip isn’t a huge shock to my wallet.

2. I try to make double on one or two meals each week through the month of November and December. This week instead of making one Lasagna, I will make 2 and freeze one. Then when the weeks of the holidays come along, I serve the frozen dinners.

3. I cook for each holiday 3-5 days in advance. Since I already have dinner in the freezer, I use the time I normally make dinner to make a holiday dish. Then I put it in the fridge or freeze. My goal is to have the meat and one or two dishes left to make on the holiday, everything else just needs to be pulled out and heated up.

By doing my holiday cooking a little at a time, I can actually enjoy the holiday instead of spending hours in the kitchen. This worked so well last year, when I make the entire Christmas dinner myself, but didn’t make anything but the meat on Christmas. This year I will be splitting the menu with my dad, but I still plan on making my half of the dishes ahead of time.

Other tips for surviving dinner during the holiday season:

Look at your week and be realistic with your meal plans. Don’t plan a 30 minute meal for a night you only have 10 minutes to make it in. It’s ok to take shortcuts, like using pre-cut or premade items, just be honest with yourself so you can be prepared.
Are you going to be busy every night of the week? It might be worth it to make a weeks worth of meal over the weekend, and just heat them up every night.
Buy the Sunday paper. This time of year has the best coupons for the brands used most often during the holidays. Even if you are not normally a couponer, it’s a good time to cut some coupons.
Keep a frozen pizza in the freezer. When all else fails, just eat that.

So those are my tips and tricks for Meal Planning for the Holiday Season the Lazy Mama way. Come back next Monday for Surviving Black Friday!

Are you hosting a holiday this year? How do you make sure everything gets done?

Do you Meal Plan? What tips or tricks work best for you?

Dear Friends...

2011-11-13T07:18:00.000-06:00

This week was rough. Between children hacking and almost ending up at the ER 2 nights in a row, I'm just glad I made it. But not only did I make it, I actually got a lot of stuff done. Did you see my new blog header? Cute, huh. I made it in like 20 minutes with my new Digital Scrapbooking Software. Software that you could win, if you entered my giveaway I worked so hard on. The giveaway no one has entered yet. And it's kind of hurting my feeling. Why don't you like my scrapbook pages? Why don't you think they are cool? I'm trying not to take it personally, but after 4 days of being live, on one has entered my giveaway yet.

What am I doing wrong? Why don't you like me?

So, if you could just be a friend and enter my giveaway. I'm sure you'll it. It's good stuff!
Thank you very much.
dollimama

ME! Challenge Week 45: I’m a Party Girl

2011-11-10T23:45:00.006-06:00

Can you believe there are only 7 weeks left until the end of the year? Crazy, huh.

This week was a little nuts. My kids were sick, and gave whatever they had to me, so we have spent the last 5 days sneezing, coughing and wiping our noses. The good news is this particular virus is vomit free, so yay for that. While I’m totally bummed that the first big bad cold I was so scared of came so quickly, it could have been worse.

On Monday night I did my first real Thirty-Party. Remember a while back when I told you I became a Thirty-One consultant? Well, I’m getting a very slow start on this whole party business thing. I was unsure I would like it, because I hate being pushy and I don’t want to bug all my friends to buy my bags. I was so nervous and stressed about my first party.

Guess what? I loved it! I’m serious, I had so much fun. I love being around people, talking to them and laughing with them without my kids around. I love crowds and public speaking. The part I don’t like is adding up orders and collecting money. I feel like that’s awkward. But I have a website and most people prefer to go home and place their orders online. Which is GREAT for me. I get out of the house, in front of people, I’m not pushy and most of the time I don’t have to take peoples money. WIN!

I was really surprised by how well it went, and I have 2 more parties this month. I LOVE that I am guaranteed 3 nights out this month with friends and without my kids. I was nervous about becoming an independent consultant, but now I’m so glad I did!

Now it's YOUR turn!

What did you do this week to get you groove back?

My Memories: Digital Scrapbooking Software Review and GIVEAWAY- Closed

2011-11-09T16:21:00.003-06:00

Winner- The Pettijohns

Guys, I don’t scrapbook. I mean, I love scrapbooking in theory. I love taking pictures of my kids, I love the finished scrapbooks, but I don’t actually enjoy all the work that goes into a scrapbook. I would pay someone to make the scrapbook for me, but I’m too cheep for that.

In all honesty, I’m too cheep to scrapbook at all. It’s an expensive hobby. First you have to buy the book, pay to print the photos, buy the paper and embellishments, and it all adds up fast! While I've made a few pages, I have never actually finished a book. I have a stack of paper and embellishments, but the money was not well spent.

I've gone the other way and created a photo book online at popular printing sites. While they turn out great they can be just as expensive and aren’t quite as customizable as a traditional scrapbook. Plus, mine always end up with typos, no matter how many times I proofread. Then I'm stuck with a book that proves how much I suck at spelling.

Recently My Memories contacted me to do a review of their Digital Scrapbooking Software. Besides creating a photo book online, I had no prior experience with digital scrapbooking. You download this software directly to your computer, so you can get started on your scrapbook right away. I got the software about 2 weeks ago and have been playing with it ever since. This is my honest opinion of the Digital Scrapbooking software as compared to traditional scrapbooking or making a photo book online.

The software itself sells for $39.97 and took me about an hour to download. It came with a few (4 or 5) scrapbook templates and tons of basic papers and embellishments. Additional papers and embellishments can be found at their store. They offer quite a few free ones, as well as reasonably priced packages.

It took me a day or two to get comfortable with the software. There was a bit of a learning curve, but not too bad. They have YouTube videos that are extremely helpful for learning the basics as well as advance stuff. I don’t know anything but the basics, but even so I was able to create some pretty neat things. The templates are adjustable, so you can move things around and change them however you want. You can also build a page from scratch. When building from scratch it’s important to go bottom up. Choose your paper, then ribbons or mats or whatever you want behind the photos. Then place your photos, embellishments and text. This frustrated me in the beginning, but once I got used to what ribbons and mats I had available, it wasn’t a big deal.

I like that I can sit down and create a page without dragging out tons of supplies. This is helpful in my house full of little people. At the end of the night, the last thing I want to do is make a big mess I need to clean up. With this, I can make a page in 10-15 minutes, and then I’m done. No mess, no clean up. I also like that I can copy my scrapbook onto CDs to send to family, or send it via JPEG. I can add narration or music. I can print my scrapbook at home or send it out to be printed.

I also like that it is possible to keep your costs down and still scrapbook. Once you buy a paper or embellishment package, you can use it as much as you want. You are not limited to 3 pieces of a certain paper. You don’t have to print your books to enjoy them, and you can make and share as many as you want for the same price.

So what does a Scrapbook from My Memories look like?

The first 2 pages are from the Diva template, and the third was made from scratch. All the design elements were included in the kit or downloaded for free from the store. You can use the software to make cards, pictures for your walls, photogifts, or even blog headers. Don't be surprised if my blog gets a face lift soon from this software. I love the way the final product turns out.

Are you jealous of my awesome Digital Scrapbooking software yet? You are? Great! Because My Memories is giving one lucky reader a FREE software package! Follow the instructions bellow and leave a separate comment for each entry. The Giveaway will be open until Midnight on Wednesday, Novemeber 16.

Mandatory Entry:
Go to the My Memories shop and check out the awesome templates they have. Which ones would be in your cart first?

2nd Mandatory Entry:
Be a follower of Life Not Finished via RSS feed, email subscription, or Google Friend Connect.

Once you have left me a separate comment for BOTH mandatory Entries, you can start racking up the bonus entries! Please leave a separate comment for each one!

Follow me on Twitter @DolliMama3
Follow @mymemoriessuite on Twitter
Like My Memories on Facebook.
Follow the My Memories Blog
Tweet about this giveaway (1 extra entry per day)
Tell me the first album you will make if you WIN the My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking software.

Good Luck, and I hope you all WIN!

But, uh, since there is only one winner (announced Thursday, November 17) My Memories has an amazing coupon just for you guys! Use it to get $10 off the My Memories Suite Software, making it $29.97, less than an average scrapbook!
STMMMS45816

Happy Scrapbooking, and other cheesy things!

Ok, I’m done. Just leave me a comment (or 10) and try to win this awesome stuff.

disclaimer: I was contacted by My Memories to review and giveaway this software. If you do choose to by it using the coupon code, I will make a small commission. The opinions and words are all mine, I would not recommend a product I wouldn't use. I do love this product and look forward to using if for holiday gifts and tons of other things.

Girls are NOT easier

2011-11-08T07:36:00.000-06:00

I was pretty sure that parenting girls would be easier than parenting boys. I had my son Isaiah first, four years ago. He was all boy, right off the bat. He climbed everything, tried anything, and showed no signs of fear. He started walking at 10 months, was running by 11 months. Months 12-28 were exhausting. My friends with girls seemed to have it easier than me. Their daughters did things like sit and walk and play with their toys quietly. Isaiah thought that sitting and time-out were the same thing. He thought being told to “walk” was a punishment. He was always moving and didn’t start to slow down and listen to me until about 6 months ago, around the time my twins started walking...

To read the rest of this post head over to How Do You Do it, and don't forget to leave me a comment!

dollimama

Lazy Mama for the Holidays: Come up with a plan

2011-11-07T04:37:00.003-06:00

I know what you are thinking. "I can’t start planning for the holidays now, it’s too early! I’m lazy, remember? If I start now, I will be all type-A and organized. Lazy moms throw things together at the last minute. It’s too soon to have a holiday plan!”

HA! You are wrong. Ok, think about it. If you procrastinate now and leave all the holiday stuff until December 15, you will spend the next ten days working like a mad woman just to pull off a decent holiday. In contrast, if you do a little at a time from now until December 15, you can sit on your bum and sip hot chocolate while the other mothers bust their rears trying to get their holiday act together. I’m telling you, it’s much easier and lazier to start on the holidays NOW.

So you need a plan. I like to use the Holiday Control Journal from Fly Lady. You can download it for free and change it to fit your needs. Honestly, my journal looks nothing like hers anymore, but it’s a great place to start. Write down anything and everything you are going to need for the holidays, including menus, gift lists, décor, activities, anything.

The Fly Lady plan attempts to get everything for Christmas done before December 1 so you can take an imaginary cruise through the holidays. Personally, I’m not cruising anywhere, but I do love enjoying my holidays instead of enduring them, so I try to get as much done early as possible. By writing everything down you can prioritize what should be done when and start crossing things off your list.

Things to keep in mind when planning:

Be realistic: As of today there are 17 days until Thanksgiving and 48 days until Christmas. Which is a lot of time. However, that doesn’t mean YOU have tons of time between now and the holidays. Be real about how much time you have (an hour a week, two hours a day) to spend on Christmas related activities before you decided to hand paint a nativity or take on every project you seen in pinterest.

Budget before you shop: Decide on how much money you have for the holidays before you spend any money. There is nothing worse than buy two gifts for random people, then realizing you just wasted half your holiday money on your in-laws. Trust me.

Have a cut off date: I’m sure there are tons of holiday related things you want to do this year. Bake cookies, send Christmas cards, or make homemade gifts for everyone. But you really don’t want to be up until midnight 5 nights in a row just so you can finish all the things you started. So have a cut off time, and if you don’t get something done by then, just forget about it!

Opt out: If this is your first Christmas with small children, keep that in mind. Things that normally take 10 minutes will take you an hour. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. People will understand if you don’t send Christmas cards, or bake them cookies, or whatever it is that you love to do at the holidays.

Getting started on your holiday plans early is the best way to stay lazy during the holidays. Devoting 15 or 20 minutes a day to holiday related things is going to help so much. By the time December rolls around, you will have things so together people might actually think you ARE type A!

Next week we will be cover Holiday Meals; Menu planning for the season. We will be covering Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, and how to make meal planning work in the middle.

disclaimer: I was NOT compensated for or contacted to post any of the above links, they are all my choosing. I have love/hate relationship with the Fly Lady, but I do like her view of holiday planning.

How do you handle the holidays? Are you a planner?

What are tips do you keep in mind when you are getting ready for the Christmas season?

ME! Challenge Week 44: Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate

2011-11-03T23:37:00.000-05:00

I'm a coffee addict. If you follow me on twitter or facebook, you are well aware I drink 3 cups a day. Two in the morning and an iced coffee at 2pm. I know, it seems like a lot, but it's really not. I spent 6 years working as a Batista at Starbucks with a much higher coffee consumption, I assure you.

I love my coffee, but recently I switched my afternoon coffee to hot tea. I'm pretty picky about my tea and we have been out of the good stuff for a while. On Tuesday Hubby brought home a wonderful box of Yerba Mate (the best tea ever) and I have been drinking that every afternoon and in the evening. It's amazing stuff and gives me an extra boost. It also curbs my urge to munch, which is always a plus.

Halloween also brought me a nice supply of candy. I'm a firm believer that by eating a few pieces a day and dwindling the amount of candy in the bucket I am saving my son from all the sugar. He needs protection, he is in big danger of becoming a candy addict. He comes from a long line of addicts, so I am doing my best to keep his sweet tooth at bay. Even though this is a purely selfless act, I am adding it to my list of things I did for me this week.

Now it's YOUR turn!

What did you do this week to get you groove back?

Is THIS the magic age?

2011-11-03T07:01:00.000-05:00

"The first year is the hardest, it gets easier after that." That's what all the twin moms say when you have a brand new set of squishy babies who cry constantly and need you for everything. So I did my best to enjoy the first year while secretly counting down until the "hardest part" was over.

I ignored the nagging in my gut, the voice that told me the toddler years are the toughest. They don't call it terrible two because it's awesome, they call it that because the tantrums are terrible! And while my babies are not two yet, we are in the stage I find the hardest.

This part, where they are too young to really understand discipline and consequence, where they can't connect one moment with the next, where you have to depend on your powers of distraction instead of discipline is the hardest for me. It's exhausting.

But I have something other moms don't have.

Proof, that eventually the hard work starts to pay off. Isaiah seems to be at a wonderful age. He's helpful and understanding. He makes good decisions and pays attention to directions. He has so much personality and loves to make me laugh. He is always looking for ways to be helpful.

Is this the magic age, when all my hard work pays off? Is this the stage I should be looking forward to? Because so far, I am loving age 4. I know it's different for every kid, but this has been the most agreeable stage Isaiah has had to date. I am enjoying his company so much, and he reminds me that the toddler age is not forever.

dollimama

Scared of a big bad cold

2011-11-02T08:29:00.001-05:00

It’s that time of year again, the time when germs are everywhere and you are constantly in jeopardy of getting ill. It’s cold and flu and RSV season again.

Last year we spent December through February fighting RSV and various illnesses. It was terrible. This year I would love to avoid illness. Honestly, there is only one way to do that; avoid all contact with people.

No matter what you do if you are around people you put yourself at risk for illness. Yes, you can get crazy with the Purell and Lysol wipes, but germs will find you one way or another. And it makes me want to stay at home and hide.

So here I sit, debating whether or not I want to go to bible study this morning. Do I want to put my kids in a room surrounded by other germy kids? Do I want to risk it? I don’t have faith that their immunity boost vitamins and clean hands are enough to keep them from getting sick. I‘m tempted to stay home, away for the germs and illness that comes from being in small spaces with other children.

I’m not a germaphoebe, I’m not a neat freak or obsessed with clean. I feed my kids healthy meals, teach them how to wash their hands and cough in their elbow. I behave like a normal mom, with a normal level of germ protection. I believe in our bodies and their ability to fight off illness. I believe that getting sick is part of being healthy, and that we need to build up our immune system. I’m not scared of a little cold.

So why am I sitting here, debating if I should stay home or not? Why am I tempted to stay home, just in case? Because taking care of 3 sick kids is exhausting. Because the last time they were all sick with the flu it was awful, I swear I almost lost my sanity. Because I don’t want to be there yet, in the cycle of illness that is so hard to break. Because I would rather stay home with healthy kids than go out and bring sick kids home.

And as I sit here, 20 minutes later, I still don’t know what I’m going to do today. I still don’t know if I will make up a lame excuse to stay home or face the music and “risk it”.

Lazy Mama for the Holidays

2011-10-31T07:01:00.002-05:00

Happy Halloween!

Guys, I don’t know if you realize this, but Christmas is coming. Fast. Yesterday I opened up the News Paper and found the Toys R Us Big Book of Toys. As it fell on the floor I got a little excited, and a little bit scared. I love this time of year, it’s my favorite, but it’s also the time of year where my responsibilities seem to triple.

This year the Dolli Family will be spending both Thanksgiving and Christmas at home. We usually travel back to the Midwest for Thanksgiving, but this year we are staying put. This means I don’t have to worry about packing and planning a huge trip, but I will have 2 holiday dinners to make this year. Yikes!

Growing up November and December held nothing but fun and happiness. I have so many great holiday memories, and most have one thread that holds them together; my mom. I didn’t realize at the time how much work and effort she put into making each holiday great. She planned the activities and propelled the holidays in a forward motion.

Now that I’m the mom that responsibility falls on my shoulders. I do my best to make the holidays as awesome as I remember them growing up. But I do them my way. I take short cuts, I cheat, I fake homemade and I take the easy road as often as possible. I am a Lazy Mama to the bone!

Starting next week Lazy Mama Mondays will be focusing on the Holidays from now until Christmas. I will be gathering recipes, shortcuts, cheats, anything that might make a lazy mamas holiday season a little easier. Each Monday I will focus on a different aspect of Thanksgiving and Christmas, search the internet and my brain, finding the easiest, cutest, laziest way to do just about everything!

The posts you can expect are:

November 7: Getting started, a holiday plan
November 14: Holiday Meals; Menu planning for the season.
November 21: Black Friday Survival
November 28: Shopping, Christmas Cards and stuff that gets wrapped or mailed
December 5: Deck the Halls
December 12: Christmas cookies and candies
December 19: Unforgettable holidays.

Every Monday I will be sharing my own tips and tricks on the topic and posting a list of ideas and helpful links.

If you have tips, tricks, or favorite posts on any of these topics, send them to me at lifenotfinished at gmail dot com.

September and October in Pictures

2011-10-29T06:41:00.000-05:00

September 17

We have been in a serious drought for months. The first time it rained, it was like breathing for the first time. Even the kids new it was amazing, they sat on the porch and watched the rain with us for 10 minutes. Mr. Mischief enjoyed breaking out his rain boots and splashing in the puddles.

September 25

Mr. Mischief insisted on wearing an outfit that matched Ky. Then he told be to "get my camera and get a great picture." So I grabbed my camera and spent the next 15 minutes snapping shots of Ky and Mr. Mischief laughing, cuddling, and playing. When it was over and I was editing the pictures I almost cried. They were so good, and so natural. It was like a present from my kids, an unexpected perfect present.

October 2

The weather was perfect on Saturday the first, and hubby kept saying "We should have gone to the zoo." We had a lot to do that weekend, but we decided that if we buckled down and got it all done we could skip church and go to the zoo on Sunday. It was a perfect day. We took the girls in single strollers and Mr. Mischief walked with us. It was the smoothest day trip we have taken since the girls were born.

October 18

I put the girls in their Halloween shirts and started snapping photos, hoping to get a frame worthy photo of the girls together. What I got instead was a study of sibling relations. Pictures of hugs and hits, of working together and fighting. There wasn't a frame worthy photo in the bunch, but quite a few that melt my heart.

October 20

Mr. Mischief turned 4 and celebrated all day long. He started with a muffin, then spent the day at school playing with his friends. He shared cake pops with his classmates and came home for a home-made pizza dinner. He kept saying "This is my first day being 4" and "This is the best birthday ever!"

October 22

At Mr. Mischiefs Birthday party, hanging out.

Mr. Mischief had a Super Hero themed party. He and his guests decorated capes and masks and played Super Hero training games. They at super sandwiches and cupcakes. They all had a blast, and Mr. Mischief was extremely thrilled that the super hero theme was carried over into his presents. He has so many new hero toys to play with, I haven't seen him much since his party! His room is way too full of fun stuff.

ME! Challenge Week 43: I turned 27

2011-10-27T23:09:00.001-05:00

I know, I skipped a few weeks. I’m sorry. But I promise that I have been taking care of myself, even if I haven’t written about it.

On Sunday I turned 27. To I spent the week before my birthday cleaning my house and getting ready for Mr. Mischiefs 4th Birthday. He celebrated his birthday with a super hero party on Saturday afternoon, so by that night I was exhausted. On Sunday my parents watched the kids and Jon and I went out for dinner and ice cream. We also did a bit of kid free shopping.

I used to think that once you turn 30, all your birthdays would blend together and feel insignificant and not special. I have changed my theory. Now I think that once you have kids they all blur together. Single birthdays are much different than mommy birthdays, that’s for sure.

I can’t complain about my birthday though, I had a great day with my husband and family. Jon went out of his way to help with the kids and take on some of my normal tasks. Over all it was a pretty great day.

Now it's YOUR turn!

What did you do this week to get you groove back?

I'm Back!

2011-10-27T07:03:00.000-05:00

Thank you SO much for all the support and understanding as I took a break from the blogging world. You guys are amazing!

The month of October has been... I'm not sure how to sum it up. Busy? Cadee and Ky have learned how to climb, and they are into everything. I no longer have dinning room chairs (or any chairs) in my house. The chairs are living in my garage and only come in for dinner time. I have installed locks on the fridge, oven and dryer. I say "How the heck did you do that?" at least 5 times a day. It's nuts.

Over the next few days I will try to catch you up on my life and get back to my regular blogging schedule on Monday. Tomorrow I will be resuming my 52 weeks of ME! challenge link up and continuing it through the rest of the year.

Thank you for being so understanding. I can't believe I took 4 weeks off of blogging and I didn't loose a single follower. You guys rock. :)

dollimama

October is my month of Mourning

2011-10-17T07:19:00.001-05:00

^{This is the time of year I start failing miserably at blogging. Seriously, if you look back through the years, October is never my finest month. I write a series of “I’m sorry I stopped writing, let me catch you up” type posts. It’s just the way October and I seem to go.}

^{I have always had a love/hate relationship with this month. I love the fall season in theory, but I hate that the days are so short and gloomy. Now that we live in South Texas it doesn’t even feel like fall. It’s 90 degrees every day. I find myself looking longingly at the sweaters hanging in my closet, wishing there was a reason to sip hot apple cider. I miss having a Midwestern Autumn.}

^{I love the idea of Halloween, dressing up and having an entire day of make-believe. I love coming up with costume ideas and themes. But I hate that Halloween is such a spooky time of year. I’m not a fan of the cob webs and spiders and witches and gore. I like the cutesy stuff, like pumpkins and scarecrows. I could do without the horror.}

^{I love that it’s my birthday month, but I hate that my birthday is almost always a big disappointment. Half the time I’m sick on birthday, and the other half I’m new in town so I don’t have anyone to celebrate with. Four years ago I brought a pink baby boy home from the hospital on my birthday. While it was the best birthday present ever, it also means that my birthday will forever take a backseat to his.}

^{I hate that October feels like the end. It’s the end of a year of me. I love the holiday season, and once I get past October I get excited about Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year. October feels like the death of a year, like I’m mourning. I start thinking about the year, reflecting. It’s a different kind of reflecting than what I do at the end of December. I’m not thinking about goals or what the future will bring. I’m not celebrating my accomplishments or anticipating a new year of adventure. I look back and see how fast time goes, how much things have changed, and I focus on what I miss.}

^{This October has not been an exception. I’m where I always am, missing the things I’ve lost along the way. This week my baby boy turns 4. It makes me want to cry just thinking about it. A few days later I will turn 27. I can’t believe how fast I got here, and that the term “late twenties” applies to me. I look around and see very little familiar things. I miss the Midwest. I miss feeling like I know where I’m at, and what comes next.}

^{Just like always, this month is hard for me to swallow. But soon enough the calendar will flip over again. November and December bring everything I love about a year. Baking and Christmas lights, decorations and presents and trees. January is a fresh start. October is the end, a time to process the past and move on.}

^dollimama

^{P.S. I haven’t given up on blogging. I’m just going through my usual October season. I will be back to blogging soon, I promise.}

Just sisters, not twins

2011-10-05T07:27:00.000-05:00

At 16 months old Cadee and Kyla hate being contained. They don’t want to be stuck in a cart or strapped in a car seat of imprisoned in their giant tandom double stroller. They would rather walk or run, but since there's two of them and a not quite four year old, most of the time that’s out of the question.

My husband wanted to take a trip to the zoo last weekend. It’s about an hour from our house, and we love going as often as we can. The weather was perfect, so we headed out Sunday morning with all the usual zoo stuff loaded into our car. We packed a lunch, extra clothing, plenty of diapers and wipes, but I didn’t pack our double stroller. This time I packed two singles.

I was unsure of how well it would work, separating the girls. Each parent would have to push a stroller and keep track of our son. We usually divide and conquer, I take the girls and my husband takes the boy. This time we took more of an “all for one” approach. We stuck together, pushing the strollers and watching the boy.

As we walked into the zoo I saw them, sets of twins in matching outfits and double strollers. There are always quite a few sets at this zoo. As we pushed out family along, I realized that no one, not a single person was looking at us. No one asked “Are they twins?” No one stopped us to ask questions or touch the girls. We were not among the twin crowd that day. We were just a family.

The girls seemed to enjoy the day more than I expected. They loved being in a single stroller, loved the freedom and the space. They loved the lack of attention. Honestly, I think they loved not being twins for a day.

It’s a realization I have been coming to for a while; I don’t think my daughters like being twins. They don’t do the cutesy twin things very often. They don’t hold hands or hug or cheer each other up. They enjoy time apart, they like separate things. I know as a twin mom I should be shouting “Hooray for individuality!” because that’s what I’m supposed to want for my kids. I, however, am not shouting. Instead I’m shedding a silent tear.

I love being a twin mom and all that goes with it. I want my daughters to love it as much as I do. I want them to ask to be in the same class at school, to try the same things, to dress in matching outfits. But every day it becomes a little more obvious that it won’t be like that for us. My girls will want separate class rooms, separate friends, and separate closets. They will tolerate the “twin thing” on occasion, like birthdays and holidays. Other than that, they will be sisters. I hope they get along, but I’m starting to think they may not be best friends the way I want them to be.

I know it’s early. I know a lot can and will change over the years. I know that nothing is set in stone yet. But I’m preparing myself, just in case. In case they would rather be sisters than twins.

I have two sisters, and over the years our relationships have gone through plenty of ebbs and flows. Sometimes were close, best friends even, and sometimes we are more distant. I think that’s pretty normal for sisters. I have always wanted my daughters to be inseparable, the kind of twins who fall asleep holding hands. But they have never been that way. They act more like me and my sisters. They fight and make up, they play close to each other, but not together.

They are not split from the same egg, they are simply siblings who shared a womb and were born on the same day. I’m not sure if it makes a big difference or not, but I think that it might. I feel like I need to set aside my twin dreams, because they probably won’t come true. Instead, I have a set of sisters, who will navigate the world separately out of choice. I still hope they will be best friends, even if they are the kind who are constantly fighting a making up.

ME! Challenge Week 38: Who is this person?

2011-09-23T06:15:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure what's going on lately, but I'm not myself. I'm a happier, much more motivated version of who I used to be.

If you've been around here for any length of time, you've read at least one "Whoa is me, life is so hard" post. I am constantly pouring my heart out, revealing my lack of motivation, my frustration with life, my secret wishes. But lately, I haven't felt the need to do any of that. Lately I'm extremely happy and weirdly motivated.

Some signs that I am not myself:

Every morning I do my "Fly Lady" routine of emptying my dishwasher and cleaning up while the kids eat breakfast. I do this without complaining.
I am spending a lot less time on twitter.
My floors are clean, like super "hand and knees scrubbing" clean
I have been talking to my friends on the phone. Frequently.
I have been to 2 play dates this week and have 2 planned for next week.
My house is clean.
I'm not noticeably behind on anything.

I don't know what's going on here. I can't tell you why things are the way they are, but I sure am enjoying it. In the mean time my blog is taking a big hit. Apparently if I'm not complaining about my life, I don't have anything to write about.

Seriously, I am so motivated in "real life" lately, but I haven't spent any quality time with my (or anyone elses) blog lately. I don't feel like sitting down to read, I feel like organizing something. I don't feel like pouring my heart out, I feel like calling a friend. I don't feel like writing funny stories about my kids, I feel like sharing bits and pieces on Facebook.

I'm torn between continuing to "ride the high" or whatever it is that's going on here, and forcing myself to get back to blogging. Because in a month or two, or next year I'm going to want to look back and see what was going on in my life. And if it's not here, if I didn't write it down, I won't have it. And I don't want that...

So what did I do for me this week? I went to 2 play dates and I started going to bible study again. I love that it's getting easier to get out of the house. I don't know why I think it's easier, the girls hate being strapped in a stroller and still run in opposite directions, but it is. I'm in an easy phase right now. I'm sure it won't last long, but I am going to enjoy it as much as I can. I know how quickly things change, how fast it goes from manageable to "What the Heck!?!" It doesn't take long for things to go sour. But right now, it's sweet, so I'm enjoying it.

Now it's YOUR turn!

What did you do this week to get you groove back?

Christmas Cards, oh Christmas Cards

2011-09-18T19:41:00.002-05:00

Guys, Christmas is coming. I know you don’t want to think about it, and neither do I. But it’s coming in, like, a hundred days or so. Seriously, I already started getting “Christmas Countdown” emails from Martha Stewart! (the website, not the person)

You know what part of Christmas I really suck at? Sending Christmas cards. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, I’ve already confessed to being terrible at sending mail. Seriously, it’s a good think I pay my bills online and send birthday messages via Facebook. Otherwise I would be in big trouble.

When Mixbook gave me the opportunity to review 30 custom 5x7 Flat photo cards, I jump at the chance to get ahead of the Christmas cards game. I mean, by ordering this early in the year I am more likely to get them in the mail on time, right? My thoughts exactly.

Step one was getting our family picture taken. I’m pretty sure this was the hardest part of the whole process. Then I edited my photos in another program. After picking out a few of my favorite Christmas card design I uploaded my photos into the Mixbook cards. They have a lot of upload choices, and you can even get photos from your Facebook albums.

Mixbooks has tons of card designs to choose from, but one of the things that makes this site unique is that the cards are completely customizable. You can change anything and everything about the card, from the background color to the layout to the stamps and stickers you want on the card. This is good if your super creative and you know exactly what you want. However, if you are like me you will get sucked in to all the customizing options and be up until midnight working on your Christmas card. Which will make you crabby, and you will suddenly wish you chose lame cards with no options, just so you would have gotten more sleep. Not this would happen to you, I'm sure you're too decisive for that.

So I finally had my card the way I wanted it and finalized my order on September 1. I got an email right away from Mixbook confirming my order (with standard shipping) and a few days later a confirmation email stating my card were printed and being shipped the next day. I received my cards in the mail on September 12, and got another email 2 days later asking if I received my cards and offering a short survey.

I was totally impressed with the speed that my order was completed in. I also love how attentive Mixbook is to the customer and that they keep you updated on the status of your order every step of the way. It is so refreshing to be treated so well and order from a company with such great customer service. I really enjoyed working with this company and recommend their awesome photo products to anyone. They do so much more than cards, and the fact that they have so many sticker and customizing options makes making a photobook with them extremely appealing to me.

So, what did my cards look like?

I really love how they turned out. Plus, by getting the 5x7 Flat cards with the premium envelopes I have plenty of room to include a holiday letter with my cards! You know, if I write one. Which I probably won’t.

You can find Mixbook on Twitter and Facebook

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Me! Challenge Week 37: Just go with it.

2011-09-16T07:17:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday I had the privilege to drive up to San Antonio and pick my sister up from the airport. She lives in Chicago, so we don't see her very often. My dad had an unexpected paid week off of work, so my mom and sister hatched a plan to surprise him with a visit. It was awesome to spend the weekend with her, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Of course things didn't go according to plan. Friday was perfect, we had a family party for Jon to celebrate his birthday, but later that night Mr. Mischief woke up with a fever. Saturday was supposed to be our first family beach cookout, but I decided to keep my little family home. Instead Jon and I ordered buffalo wings and watched Michigan's first night game. Did you see it? It was amazing, there were 3 touch downs in the last minute and a half of the game! I have never seen anything like it, and the fact that Michigan won was icing on the cake.

Sunday we took family pictures, and I can't wait to see how they turned out. Monday we hung out at home, just enjoying time with my sister before she left early Tuesday morning. On Monday night Jon watched the kids and my two sisters and I hung out, just the three of us, for the first time in a long time. It was wonderful. I miss that so much.

The rest of my week didn't go according to plan either. I had two or three things scheduled every day, but all my plans were changed and rearranged for one reason or another. One of the big things I did this week was to keep a positive attitude and just go with it.

The other thing I did for myself this week (besides spending as much time with my sister as possible) was to go to a Jewelry party last night. I don't leave the house at night very often. After a long day of work for both Jon and I, I feel like it's unfair to stick him with bedtime while I go out and have fun. However, I have a much better attitude if I leave the house by myself for a little while. I'm not planning on making this a weekly thing, but I will be going out in the evenings a lot more often.

Now it's YOUR turn!

What did you do this week to get you groove back?

Excuses, Excuses

2011-09-14T20:21:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry I've been neglect you again. But it's for good cause, I promise! I'm focusing on real life, which means my social media life is taking a back seat. Sorry about that.

My time and energy have been spent:

-Cleaning my house. Seriously, this place is getting organized and I am loving it. Every day I take my husband on a tour of a newly organized space. The Fly Lady would be so proud of my mad decluttering skills.

-spending time with my family. Because they need me and they are important. And I have another awesome thing to write about for Friday's ME! challenge, which is good, right?

-My new business. So about a week ago I signed up as an Independent Consultant for Thirty-One, this awesome company that sells really cool purses and utility totes. I'm excited about this new adventure, but it's taking a lot of my time. I am spending all my online free time listening to the training and making contacts. But hopefully my hard work will pay off in the form of cool Christmas gifts from Thirty-One. Seriously, check out their stuff, it's awesome. And if you ever want to do a catalogue show, I'm the girl to call.

Yeah, that's about it. I'm sorry for the neglect, but I promise I will be back on Friday with an awesome 52 Weeks of ME! Link up post, and in the next 2 weeks I will have 2 product reviews and 2 giveaways! Yeah!

dollimama

ME! Challenge Week 36: A Date Day that saved my life.

2011-09-08T23:07:00.000-05:00

Hubby started making plans for labor day weekend a month ago. Every time he has an extra day off we go out of town or take a short road trip. For this holiday we threw around all kinds of ideas; water parks, museums, Moody Gardens, Sea World. However, I really didn’t want to take my kids out of town at all. I wasn’t excited about any of it.

They are in this stage where running away from me is the most fun thing ever. Which makes me tired, since there are two small runners and one big one. I didn’t want to spend the weekend chasing people and spend lots of money doing it. I can just chase them at home.

When my mom offered to watch the kids so that Jon and I could take a day trip to San Antonio, we jumped at the chance. We both needed to go clothes shopping and it’s so hard to do that with small people bolting in all directions. Saturday morning hubby and I drove to the North Star Mall in San Antonio. This mall is beautiful! We don’t live near a really good mall like this and it had been a while since we walked into our favorite store, Banana Republic. For the first half hour or so we just walked around, soaking in the sites. It had been years since I walked a mall without a stroller, I almost didn’t know what to do. Slowly I got back in the hand of things and had a blast shopping.

The thing is, hubby and I had gotten so stressed and beat down from life lately, that we didn’t even know how bad it was until we stepped away and let go. Within a few hours I felt a million times better, just hanging out with my husband and laughing like normal, stress-free people. It was different than a normal date night, because the kids were far away and I knew we wouldn’t be back there until they were in bed. It was so much better that a date night. If you have never taken an entire day off from your kids I highly suggest doing it. This is the second time hubby and I have done this (the first was our anniversary last year). It doesn’t need to be expensive and you don’t need to go out of town or stay in a hotel, you just need to be away from them for a whole. Trust me when I say it’s life changing. It changes your perspective and makes everything better.

So we spent the afternoon shopping, sitting at Starbucks sipping green tea, browsing through Pottery Barn and then we went downtown. Hubby really wanted to try this place he heard about Bohanans. That place is expensive! But hubs and I worked something out and we decided it would be his birthday present. (Hubs turns 27 tomorrow!) He really likes going to places like that, and I like to see him smile over an amazing plate of food. We had a great waiter who brought us complimentary bubbly just for having twins. He took great care of us all night. We had a fabulous time, and the weight of the world stayed outside the restaurant doors. If there was one thing I would have changed, it would be the table we got sat next too. They had 2 kids with them around the ager of 8 and 10. While they were well behaved, their conversation flowed over to our table, and we really didn’t want to hear about school or BFFs or any of that on our awesome date night. I have no idea why you would want to take your kids to a fancy place like that anyway. My kids won’t even know those places exist until their at least 16! I digress…

The whole day was amazing, but the best part was the next morning. I woke up first around 7am feeling completely rested and ready to take on the day. I got the kids up and made breakfast. Hubby joined us around 7:30 and we worked together to get everyone ready to go to church. We were both in such a good mood, both motivated, both of us happy and excited to spend the rest of the day together as a family.

Most weeks I like to focus on the small things I do for myself, and the small things are important. But sometimes you need to do something big for yourself and your marriage. If you are in a rut right now, I encourage you to try something big. Take the day off, or spend a night in a hotel, or go on a date, or get a babysitter during the day so you can have some alone time. Changing your perspective is key, but sometimes it’s hard when you are constantly looking at the same things. Take the time to focus on something different. Trust me, it will help!

Now it's YOUR turn!

What did you do this week to get you groove back?

First week of school recap

2011-09-07T06:36:00.000-05:00

The First day of school has come and gone, and there have been a few school days since then. I am happy to report:

1. Mr. Mischief hasn't been in trouble at all! No time outs, no trips to the office, no sitting out for recess. I wish I could say that this was expected, but honestly after a whole summer I thought he would have forgotten the strict behavior rules of his school. I guess he didn't because he's doing great.

2. Only 2 kids in his class know their alphabet, and he is one of them! His teacher is teaching them how to make the letters one by one. We started this at home, so he can already write a good portion of the alphabet, but since his teacher is helping him he insists on writing letters all the time. They end up everywhere, on his coloring sheets, on my paperwork, everywhere. Well, I haven't found any letters on the wall, so that's a plus.

3. All the kids in his class have their birthday with 3 weeks, so the teacher wants the parents to get together and plan one event instead of 8. I thought you just brought some cupcakes to school and they sang. I didn't know you could have a birthday event at school...

4. Every time I pick Mr. Mischief up the teacher says "He is so smart!" It makes my day.

I'm starting to love this school year.

Plus, how cute is he?

Rare

2011-09-06T04:53:00.001-05:00

Most of the time they fight. Ky will claw at Cadee’s pacifier, snatching it right out of her mouth. Cadee will fall to the ground and throw a fit. Cadee will quickly snatch the pacifier back from Ky’s mouth and run away, using evasive maneuvers to stay one step ahead of Ky. They go back and fourth, until I am forced to step in or they get tired of the pacifier and move onto something else.

They steal food from each others plates. They take toys. They swatch eachother away. They spend most of their time trying to get what the other one has. It drives me crazy.

But every once in a while, they laugh at each other. Or they hold hand for a brief moment in time. Yesterday morning the sat watching Little Einsteins, Ky had her arm around Cadee’s shoulder. It was a perfect moment, rare but perfect. I gives me hope that in spite of all the fighting and clawing and competing that maybe, just maybe, they will be friends. I so desperately want that.

A lot of nothing

2011-09-05T07:09:00.000-05:00

It’s another on of those days, where nothing but a bullet post will do.

Hubs and I had an awesome date day on Saturday. I can’t tell you about it because it’s been so long since I had something truly awesome to write about for my ME! challenge. I don’t want to spoil the awesomeness, so you will have to wait until Friday.
I have had a pretty strong view point against a particular something for years, and now I think I’m changing my mind. I’m not a fan of direct selling (a la Tupperware). I have never been. But I stumbled upon a company that makes me want to say “Oops, I was wrong” and sign my but up to sell some stuff. Plus, the idea of getting out the house once a week to throw a party is more appealing to me now than I ever thought it would be. I guess 3 crazy kids will do that to you…
I really want to loose my baby weight, but I am so not motivated to do anything about it. I eat pretty healthy, except when I don’t. I do my morning yoga and a little cardio here and there. That’s it. I need to step it up if I am ever going to get rid of this muffin top. It’s starting to look like I will be a pastry for the rest of my life.
My mom bought the girls each a pair of winter shoes. Cadee got fuzzy uggs, which she insists on wearing from the time she gets up until we leave the house. It’s still 105 degrees here! Ky got some fuzzy crocs, which Cadee wears when she isn’t wearing her uggs. That girl has a thing for shoes. I am in so much trouble.
Speaking of trouble, Cadee has figured out how to climb on the table and shimmy into her booster seat all by herself. Which is dangerous! So to make that less appealing I have been unhooking their booster seats from their chairs when we aren’t eating. It’s a real pain in the butt, hooking and unhooking those stupid chairs 3 times a day. I need to come up with a better idea.
Mr. Mischief has been unusually sweet lately. Super helpful and super nice. Which has me nervous. Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying the sugar, but I’m worried. It’s weird for him to be so good. What’s up with that?

I know I have been the ultimate blog slacker lately. I ‘m working on it. Hopefully September will be full of awesome posts!
dollimama

ME! Challenge Week 35: A little of this, a little of that.

2011-09-02T07:50:00.000-05:00

Blogworld, I am happy to say the the first week of school went well. We are adjusting to our new schedules and routines. It's going pretty good so far.

The first thing that did for me this week (and the past 2 weeks, actually) was focus on my morning and evening routines, Fly Lady style. I really lost my momentum this summer, which was fine, but it is important for me to get my house in order again. Last night while I was cleaning my kitchen I realized that I am a lot more relaxed when I stick to my routines. The problem with this is it gives me a lot less time/opportunities for blogging and social media in general.

I also took a trip to hobby Lobby and picked up some felt and supplies to make new hair clips for the girls. I stopped at Sonic on Tuesday and Thursday after picking up Mr. Mischief from school for a RT44 Cherry Limeade. I love those things.

I spent some more time on Pinterest getting excited about the upcoming holidays. I hung out with the girls, just the three of us for the first time since May. That was fun. Basically, we had a great week!

Now it's YOUR turn!

What did you do this week to get you groove back?

The Start of School and my lack of enthusiasm

2011-08-29T14:37:00.000-05:00

Mr. Mischief heads off to “School” tomorrow. It’s not a real school, it’s a 2 day Mom’s Day Out program, but the do enough school activities for it to count as a preschool in my book. Plus, it’s a lot cheaper than preschool.

I tried to enroll him in the same school last fall, but he didn’t make it off the waiting list until January. I was heartbroken, because I felt like I needed those 10 hours a week without him in order to keep my sanity. Being a Stay at Home Mom of three under three was more than I thought I could handle. Every day I questioned my ability to do this. However, it turned out to be a good thing that he didn’t get in right away. The four of us got into a good routine together, we grew together, and by the time Mr. Mischief was placed in a class in January, we were ready to handle it.

Getting all three of my kids up, fed, dressed and out the door by 8:30 in the morning was difficult. As the year wore on, it got harder instead of easier. While I missed having Mr. Mischief at school this summer, it was nice to relax for a few months. Not having to force my kids into clothing first thing in the morning has been great.

For a week and a half I have been practicing our morning routine. The kids get up at 7am, eat breakfast, I dress Mr. Mischief, then turn on Little Einstein's. Getting him dressed before the TV gets turned on is key to the success of this whole operation. After that I dress the girls, make sure everything is packed up, and load the kids into the car. That doesn’t seem to hard, right?

Tomorrow is the test. Since it’s the first day, I will have to fit pictures in there as well. By the time I come home after dropping Mr. Mischief off at school and going grocery shopping with the girls I will need a nap. Unfortunately, the girls have dropped their morning nap.

I wish I could say I’m looking forward to the school year. I’m not. After how hard I worked just to get my son into this program, I should be ecstatic that it’s starting up again. Instead, I’m under motivated. I spent most of this month at home enjoying my kids. Part of me is ready to get back into the swing of things, but the other part is still dragging my feet. I hope that by tomorrow I’m more motivated than I am today.

dollimama

Not here today...

2011-08-29T07:02:00.000-05:00

I'm not here today. I'm over at This Blogger Makes Fun of Stuff talking about my obsession with hair care products. Check it out!

dollimama

ME! Challenge week 34:

2011-08-26T07:02:00.000-05:00

August is flying by so fast, I can't keep the days of the week straight. What is it about this month that sends me for a loop every single year? Is it the lazy sun that doesn't rise until 7 and goes back down before 8pm? Is it the impeding fall and crazy holiday season that is right around the corner? I don't know, but every August I feel like this. Unorganized, unprepared, a little stressed, sentimental, and like time is slipping away too quickly.

Mr. Mischief starts Mom's Day Out (aka "school") on Tuesday. We met his new teacher and classmates this week. He is excited to be going back, but I have mixed feelings. I know it's good for him to be there, but it adds a level of chaos to my life trying to drop him off and pick him up on time. Plus, I miss him.

The girls have decided that they are completely bored with playing by the rules. Now they want to get into anything they aren't supposed to, climb on anything, eat anything, and be where ever they shouldn't. It's like a game, who ever can make mommy the craziest first wins.  I loose every single time.

As for me? I'm hanging in there. And what did I do for me this week? Hubby and I have spent a lot of time together in the evenings this week. I mean, we are still at home, still doing normal things like cleaning up after dinner and getting ready for the next day. But we made a conscious effort to connect every single day this week. Ironically, I think it had made a huge difference.  I feel more grounded, and less stressed.

Today I'm going shopping. Again. Didn't I do that last Friday?  I'm headed to target to finish school shopping for Mr. Mischief. Then I'm going to Hobby Lobby for some fall decor items. I have been spending too much time on Pinterest being jealous of the beautiful fall pictures.  I need to bring some of that into my home.

That's it folks. I hope September is a better month for all things ME! I guess we will wait and see!

Now it's YOUR turn!

What did you do this week to get you groove back?

Lazy Mama spreads the Laziness

2011-08-22T08:17:00.000-05:00

I'm not here today, I'm spreading my laziness over at How Do You Do It, one of my favorite collaborative blogs. So hop over there and check it out!

dollimama

Me! Challenge Week 33: Day late and a dollar short

2011-08-20T07:53:00.000-05:00

I'm late with this link-up. I'm sorry.

Is it just me or has August been a tough month for ME! time? Just me? Awesome.

This post is late because I couldn't stand the idea of another fail. I had to wait until I actually DID something for myself. So yesterday I went to the mall with my mom and sister.

We let the kids play in the play place, and walked around window shopping. It's tax-free weekend here, so there are a lot of sales. I didn't buy anything because I didn't want to drag my double stroller into all the crowded stores. Not fun.

We went to our favorite pizza place for lunch. I don't know why, but it is the one restaurant where all of my kids behave and don't make the worlds biggest mess. Gotta love that!

Now it's YOUR turn!

What did you do this week to get you groove back?

Uprinting Giveaway Winner

2011-08-18T07:57:00.000-05:00

And the winner of our fabulous Uprinting print brochures giveaway is:

Comment number 9 from Fun Mama

Congratulations!

Thanks to everyone who participated, and to Uprinting for providing this giveaway!

Don’t Waste!

2011-08-17T10:32:00.000-05:00

My house is always out of something. Toilet paper, dish soap, diapers, something. We go through a ridiculous amount of disposable items. I feel like I am always throwing away money. And even though I do my best to use paper products sparingly, my children are always foiling my attempts at conservation.

In the last week I have thrown away 2 rolls of toilet paper that took a dip in the potty, 4 diapers that had water spilled on them and half a roll of paper towels that was strewn through the house. Are you kidding me? Do I need to keep the paper products under lock and key just so they aren’t wasted? I can’t stand throwing money away. Even though I keep my disposable items out of the babies reach, nothing in the house is out of Mr. Mischief’s reach. He knows how to use a stool. If he decides he wants to play with the paper towels, he will find a way to get them. And I end up throwing money away.

My new parenting goal? To teach my son not to waste things. “Let’s Recycle!” and “Don’t Waste!” are going to be the new catch phrases around this house. Because I can’t stand the thought of throwing away another sopping roll of toilet paper! That just makes me want to scream!

dollimama

This is a sponsored post

24 Hour Giveaway from Uprinting!

2011-08-16T21:08:00.001-05:00

I am so excite to host a 24 Hour Giveaway, brought to you by Uprinting!

Uprinting is company committed to helping you get your message out through amazing printed paper products. The quality is fabulous, and their products really help you make a statement. I am excited to be giving away print brochures that you can use for so many things! Birthday party invites, Holiday letters, and announcements of any kind would look great on their high quality print brochures. They offer free brochure templates that make custom printing super easy!

Prize Package:
One lucky winner will get a 50 pcs Brochure printing on 8.5" x 11" 100lb Paper Gloss printed inside and out with the fold of their choice.
(Half Fold, Trifold/Letterfold, Z-Fold, Roll Fold, Accordion Fold)

Restriction: Limited to *US residents 18 years old and above only. If you have won this print package from Uprinting in the last 6 months you are ineligible.

TO WIN
Just leave a comment saying what you would use your print brochures for! The possibilities are endless, so have fun!

For extra entries (leave a separate comment for each):
Follow me via GFC, RSS feed, or e-mail supscription.
Follow me on twitter
tweet this giveaway

This giveaway will close on Wednesday the 17 of August at 10pm.

The winner will be anounced Thursday morning.

Good luck!

Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting.com, no monetary compensation was given and I will receive brochure printing services for hosting. Print brochures online at UPrinting.com and see their available brochure templates too!

I miss my little babies

2011-08-16T07:49:00.000-05:00

I miss my little babies.

I wish they were little again, just for a minute. Today they are walking and running and getting into everything. All I wanted to do today was sit on the couch and hold both girls in my arms and feed them their bottles.

With my son I got like this all the time, missing him terribly. I missed every single stage as it passed. I wanted to keep him little forever. But with the girls it felt different. I tried hard not to wish it away, but the baby stage was so much work, I don’t miss it very often. Because it was a hard stage of life. It require so much work and energy. It’s hard to miss something you remember as draining.

In the past 3 days each one of my children has fallen asleep on me. This doesn’t happen very often. Actually, it never happens. But this week it did, with every single one of them on a separate day at a separate time. It felt wonderful, but it was heartbreaking. They are growing up so fast, they seem to need me a little less each day.

Today I remembered when I used to hold both babies and feed them at the same time. And my heart broke a little. I miss my little babies.

Lazy Mama Monday: Why I meal Plan

2011-08-15T05:11:00.000-05:00

There is one thing I do every week, without fail. If I don't do it, I feel lost, irritable, and unbalanced. What is it? It's planning what my family will eat for each meal all week.

It boils down to this: I meal plan because it means I spend less thinking “What are we going to have for dinner”.

There are so many websites and cookbooks and services you can get to help you meal plan, it might seem like a huge task to take on. After all, if so many people need help meal planning, it must be hard! Well, it doesn’t have to be. It can be really easy.

When I first started meal planning, I would spend hours pouring over cookbooks, trying to come up with the best week of meals on our budget that I possibly could. Now, I spend as little time as I can on meal planning. My tips for how to do this are:

1. Keep your fridge clean. If something is gross, throw it out right away. Don't keep leftovers that are over a week old. Keep the condiments in one place, put like items with like, that sort of thing. If you can see what’s in your fridge, it’s easier to plan what you want to eat.

2. Write it down. Just write down 2 or 3 breakfast options, 2 or 3 lunch options and dinner ever night. Post it on your fridge, in your planner, or in your home management binder. Writing it down helps to keep you on track. Buy what you need for the meals on your list and what you have run out of.

3. Plan for leftovers. Pick a day or two where you will eat the leftovers for dinner. Or eat them for lunch. Or don’t make any extra food to begin with. Doing this helps to keep the amount of food you waste down. It also keeps your grocery budget in check. We eat leftovers on the nights my husband goes to the gym or has a work meeting or just won't be home in time for dinner. That way I can heat up everyones food when they are ready to eat it, and I never have leftovers hanging out in the fridge for more than a week.

4. Keep it simple. My meal plan includes at least one (more like two or three) no-brainer meals. I write down things like Spaghetti or Chicken Stir Fry or Sloppy Joes. Things that don’t have a lot of ingredients and don’t take a lot of time. Write down the same things you would normally make if you didn’t have a plan. Frozen pizza, chicken nuggets, whatever it is you actually eat. I know, it seems dumb, but trust me it helps.

Meal planning can be overwhelming or intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. You can make it as complicated as you want, but I think it’s better to keep it simple. The point is to have a plan so you aren’t standing in the kitchen scratching your head and listening to your stomach grumble at 6 pm every night. It also helps to trim your grocery budget and to keep waste to a minimum.

Do you meal plan? What are your favorite tips? What is your favorite no-brainer meal?

Love Each Day: a book review

2011-08-13T08:40:00.000-05:00

Recently I was given the opportunity to read and review the book Love Each Day, by Gail Bernice Holland.

In the introduction Gail asks “Do you love your life? To answer that question truthfully here’s a test: How many days in your life would you want to live again?” With this question as a guide, Gail interviewed 40 people from all walks of life and asked them what day in their life they would want to live again. She crafted each persons story into a chapter and combined them to make this book. The hope is that by reading their stories one would be inspired to live each day so they would want to live it again.

I like the idea of the book, to inspire people to live purposefully instead of just letting life happen. However, most of the stories described days that just kind of happened, so it’s a bit confusing. For example, the third chapter is about a comedian spending a day with his wife at the county fair. He describes a lazy day, eating fried food, looking at prize winning animals, and just having a good time with his wife. That day sounds perfect, who wouldn’t want to live that day again? But you can’t spend every day relaxing at a fair.

Some of the stories really made me think, and there were a few chapters that I enjoyed a lot. Chapter 22 was particularly intriguing, as it describes a day a woman confronts her husband about an affair, but loves him more than ever. It was interesting to look at the one day each person would love to live again. But at the same time, I think anyone could pick a day to live again. Heck, I can think of at least 20 that I wouldn’t mind living over and over again, but I can’t live my life like that.

Ok, correction, I kind of do live my life like that. My days are pretty repetitious as I think most peoples are. I live the same day of laundry, dished, playing with dolls and cars, make dinner, bathing babies every day. While each day varies a little, the structure is the same. And every day I will smile at least once, even on the days I cry.

I enjoyed the book to an extent. It was a quick read with short chapters. Each chapter was a separate story about a real life person. Because each story stands alone, you can take your time reading it, so it works well for extremely busy people. There are no characters to keep track of, no story line to remember.

However, it didn’t inspire me to do anything different. While there were a couple of chapters that made me cry or giggle or think deeply, the book as a whole fell a little flat. Each story was so short that there was no character development. There wasn’t enough written about any single character to be able to relate to them. I love memoirs and true stories, and there were times I felt like I was reading a page from a memoir. I really wanted to read the rest of the book, to learn more about the person Gail was describing, but I couldn’t because there wasn’t anymore.

In conclusion, Love Each Day is a quick read that I enjoyed, but it left me wanting more from the characters I barely got a chance to know. To learn more about this book you can check out Gail Holland’s Website or read all about it on Amazon.

dollimama

disclaimer: I received this book free of charge by responding to a campaign from Business to Blogger. All of the words and opinions are mine.

ME! Challenge Week 32: It's Friday already?

2011-08-11T23:01:00.000-05:00

Um, I really can't believe it's Friday. Already. That was a fast week!

So the girls are still recovering from Hand, Foot and Mouth, but their fever broke on Wednesday, so that's good. Their mouth sores have gone away, so they can eat real food again. Their energy level is almost back to normal. I'm not sure if that is good, but their bodies are still covered in little bumps, so we will be avoiding public places for at least another day or two.

As for me, I took care of sick kids. But somehow I managed to keep a good attitude this week. Which is pretty much a miracle. I have a tendency to let these kinds of things get under my skin and drive me crazy. But this week I stayed sane.

Oh, and I ate some cookies, every day this week. :)

Now it's YOUR turn!

What did you do this week to get you groove back?

All out of Awesome

2011-08-10T19:02:00.000-05:00

The girls are sick. Again. This time they have hand, foot and mouth. It's a disgusting little virus that causes a big rash and ulcers in the mouth. It's painful. It's draining. It's a terrible childhood illness, but it only lasts 3 to 5 days. We are on day 3. I am keeping my fingers crossed that by day 5, Friday, everyone will be better.

In the mean time, I'm in "survival mode." Again. Or still, I'm not sure that I ever left it. I'm just going through the motions, sticking to my routine as best I can, trying not to get too behind. I feel like I'm here so often, I should write a tip sheet for how to make it through the super demanding childhood illnesses.

I wish I had something awesome to say, something burning a hole in my chest, trying to get out. I don't. I'm all out of awesome. I hope it comes back soon.

dollimama

What's For Dinner? Lasagna!

2011-08-09T20:40:00.000-05:00

Jon is a big fan of lasagna, but I don't make it very often. I mean, it's a lot of work, it takes so much time, and it creates a lot of dishes. But my Husband requests it frequently enough that I find myself spending an hour making a lasagna about once a month.

Rachael Ray, the queen of 30 minute meal, has come up with quite a few lasagna fake outs. I'm pretty sure I've tried them all, but it wasn't until I saw this last one on 30 minute meals that I really found a recipe that works. I'm serious, this sloppy lasagna tastes is exactly like traditional lasagna, only faster.

You can find Rachael Ray's recipe here, or you can use your old stand-by lasagna recipe. The difference is in the prep, not the actual ingredients.

Make your meat sauce the way you normally do, and start a pot of boiling water. Instead of dropping the whole noodles into the water, break the noodles into slightly larger than bite size pieces and boil them. Once they are cooked, drain the water, return the noodles to the pot, and toss with the sauce! This saves the step of separating the noodles and makes layering your lasagna so easy!

Spread half of the noodles in your lasagna pan and flatten them out.

top with scoops of ricotta cheese. I also added a layer of shredded cheese (not show) to make it extra cheesy.

Top with the remaining noodles, shredded Italian cheese, and bake in the oven at 350 for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Look! It turns out just like a traditional lasagna!

Ok, so the slices tend to fall apart, but I can live with that. I don't think I will ever make a traditional lasagna again, this is so much easier and faster. Start to finish, it took me 30 minutes to make lasagna. How awesome is that! I love it!

Mischief Monday: Sweet Treats in the Kitchen

2011-08-08T04:31:00.001-05:00

A while back Mr. Mischief stopped eating yogurt. Well, He's stopped eating a lot of things, but that's a topic for another post. Anyway, one day he saw a commercial for danninino, the one where the little boy sticks spoons in tops of the danninio and freezes them. Mr. Mischief imediatly wanted to make them. In an effort to make the same sort of treat I pulled out my Deceptivly Delicious cookbook and used Jessica Seinfeld's recipe for Frozen Yogurt pops.

They were a big hit! Mr. Mischief calls them Ice Cream, and he is totally allowed to eat these for breakfast! Seriously, they turned out great. I did have a little problem getting them out of the hard plastic molds, so I'm in the market for some Silicone ones. That has nothing to do with the recipe, but if you don't already own Popsicle molds, go for silicone ones! The hard molds are a pain in the butt!

Ok, that's it for Mischief Monday. Tune in next week for... Uh... Something else.

dollimama

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate so if you buy that cookbook from the link I will make a few pennies. Just so you know. 

The Best Comedian. Ever.

2011-08-06T07:24:00.000-05:00

The scene played out last Saturday Morning. Mr. Mischief woke up and made his way to the kitchen where I was already fixing breakfast for the girls. I started fixing his breakfast too.

Me: Good Morning, Mr. Mischief, how are you doing today?

Mr. Mischief: looking at me blankly Uh, I’m Three.

Me: Smiling and chuckling a bit to myself I know that. But how ARE you today?

Mr. Mischief: looking at me like I’m crazy I’m still Three.

To which I just walked away, trying hard not to bust up laughing. He had such a straight face, and was so serious! It was pretty funny.

I told this story a couple of times and Mr. Mischief decided that the story was so funny it needed to be part of his stand-up routine. His newest joke goes something like this.

And then my mom said “How are you?” And I was like “I’m three” and my mom said “No! How ARE you?” and I said “I’m STILL THREE” Isn’t that so funny?!? (insert fake laugh here)

He really is the best comedian. Ever.

dollimama

ME! Challenge Week 31: Survive

2011-08-04T23:02:00.000-05:00

I have been staring at a blank page for 30 minutes. Ladies, I confess, I have no idea what I did for myself this week. So I guess the answer is nothing.

Last weekend Jon and I went out to dinner and a play. We saw West Side Story at our local theater. It was pretty good, and we have decided to go there more often. They only put on 4 shows a year though, so it's going to be a fairly infrequent date.

Other than that I have been back in survival mode. The girls have pretty much dropped their morning nap. I'm still attempting to lay them down from 9:30 to 10:15, but they only sleep once or twice a week. Usually they lay or play in their cribs. It gives me enough time to clean up a little, try to keep up on laundry, and do a school activity with Mr. Mischief. The girls still take their afternoon nap, but Mr. Mischief has dropped it. He stays in his room from 2 to 2:30, but hasn't actually slept in 2 weeks.

Guys, the lack of kid free time is killing me. My house is so noisy, so messy, and I no longer have my hour and a half in the afternoon to myself. I might be going crazy.

So, this week I survived, brainstormed a little, and hopefully next week I will have a plan of action. Hopefully it won't include biting my husbands head off every evening ( not that I did that this week).

Ugh... Mama said there would be weeks like this.

dollimama

Now it's YOUR turn!

What did you do this week to get you groove back?

What Surprised me the most about Blogging

2011-08-01T22:26:00.000-05:00

Based on Prompt 12, What part of blogging has Surprised you the most?
"Your really good at networking! Thanks for bringing all of us together."

This was said to me last week at a play I set up with a couple moms that didn't know each other. I smiled, then ran after an escaping child. But it kept playing back in my head, followed by You're right! I am good at this!.

There was a time in the recent past when meeting new people made me extremely nervous. I would have to give myself a pep talk before I walked into a new situation. You can do this, You can do this. I would be awkward and nervous. I laugh funny. I say weird things. I'm not great at first impressions. But I'm new quite frequently so I have to put myself out there if I don't want to live life alone.

In the last six months I have spent a lot of time Social Networking online. Places like Twitter, Facebook, and Blogs have been my social outlet. I meet new people daily, have conversations with folks I don't really know. I make friends and value the opinions of people I meet here. They become part of my life.

The skills I have been cultivating online are seeping into my real life. I find myself starting conversations easier. I exchange email right away, I look up people I just met on Facebook. I leave messages like "Hey, do you want to do lunch next week?" and start friendships out of nothing. And I realize most of this confidence is from what I learned here, from you guys.

Blogging has helped me be less socially awkward. Or is has given me confidence to be social even though I'm still awkward. Or both. Either way, it's a bonus I didn't see coming!

dollimama

5 Tips for Starting and Writing a Blog

2011-07-31T20:57:00.000-05:00

I 'm pretty exited to be participating in the #SummerBlogSocial with Liz from Bella, Bean and a Chicago Dog and Jessica from Four Plus an Angel. I know it's going to be an awesome week!

5 Tips for Starting and Writing a Blog

1.) Pick a name that can grow with you. Unless you have a specific niche you are going into, it's a good idea to pick a name that will fit you as you change. When I started this blog, I was a 23 year old new mother of one. My focus was on finding myself. Now I'm a 26 year old mother of 3 including a set of twins. I had no idea I would devote a large portion of my blog to "twin issues" when I first started it. Now I devote at least a post a week to twins! I'm so glad I picked a name that fits every stage of my life and my blog.

2.) Write from a notebook. I keep a section of my "Home Management Binder" for my blog so that I can jot down ideas and outlines when they come to me. I try to have a basic idea of what I'm going to write all week. My life gets busy, so things don't always end up on my blog the way I planned them, but I still have those ideas for a later date.

3.) Get on Twitter. I dragged my feet about this for a long time. I thought it would be a waste of time and energy, I didn't understand the point, the list goes on. I had no idea how easy it would be to make new friends on Twitter. I love it so much! If you aren't on twitter yet, get an account and look me up @DolliMama3. I'll be your first Twitter BFF.

4.) Have boundaries, things you won't write about. It doesn't matter how small your blog is, it's out there and anyone can find it. Your MIL, your best friend from High School that you now hate, your Pastor or Priest, they can find you here. If you don't want them to know it, don't write it. I can't tell you how many posts I haven't written simply because if a specific person found it, I would be embarrassed and it would hurt them. For the most part, I don't write about anyone but myself or my kids. If I am writing about someone else, I change the name, or alter the story a little bit. My blog is not a place to start drama with other people. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, gossip about anyone, or say something that could be misunderstood. If I do write something about someone (my husband, mother, sister) I try to let them know before they read it. If they were to ask me to take it down, I would. It's not worth hurt feelings, no post ever is.

5.) Make blogger friends. I love the people I have met through blogs and twitter. They are amazing people and I consider so many of them my friends. If you are nodding your head right now, thinking "I love my bloggy friends too!" then you get it. You know how valuable their input and opinions are, how they cheer you up in a tough time, and how they can offer the best advice. If you think I'm being corny, then you need to make some bloggy friends STAT! I mean it, you'll thank me later. There is something so awesome about pouring your heart out into a blog and having a group of people totally get it, stand behind you, and support you all the way. I love my bloggy friends!

There you have it, the dollimama's tips for starting and writing a blog. Make sure you check out the #SummerBlogSocial for more amazing posts. If you're new here, leave me a comment so I can stop by and say hi! I love making new friends!

Dear Blogger, You Suck

2011-07-30T06:01:00.000-05:00

Dear Blogger,

I don't have a lot of free time to read and comment on other blogs. I get a few minutes here and a few minutes there. It makes me SO MAD when I log try to comment on other blogs, but it doesn't recognize my profile and my comment comes up anonymous. What is the deal? Why does it keep doing this? This has been happening off and on since the Blogger Debacle of 2011. I know I can simply link my name and URL on the bottom of the comment, but I shouldn't have to. It's an extra step, and it's annoying. I can't tell you how many times I have just left my computer I was so mad about not being able to comment on someones post. Please fix this problem, I am not the only one this is happening to. If you are trying to convince people to make the big switch to Wordpress, keep up the good work. Every day we get a little bit closer.

dollimama

Dear Friends,

I'm sorry about the lack of comments lately. I'm not trying to be a lurker. It's Blogger's fault. I blame Blogger.

dollimama

ME! Challenge Week 30

2011-07-29T11:29:00.000-05:00

Hello ladies,

I'm sorry the link-up is late today. I have been pretty busy with life, and today is my 5th Wedding Anniversary, so that is a bit time consuming as well.

This week I spent some time brainstorming about my blog, what my goals are, the parts I love and the parts that need some improvement. Next week I will be participating in the #SummerBlogSocial and I am hoping to complete my blog transformation by September 1. I have a lot of ideas, and I would love you feedback, so make sure to stop by next week for my Summer Blog Social posts.

Today and Tomorrow Jon has tons of things planned for our anniversary, so I won't be online very much. I'll catch up with you again on Monday! Have a great weekend!

dollimama

Now it's YOUR turn!

What did you do this week to get you groove back?

Five Years Ago Today, I Married my Best Friend

2011-07-29T11:16:00.000-05:00

Five Years ago today I married my best friend.

It feels like a lifetime ago. My whole world has changed since then.

I remember sitting on my bed, talking to my fiance on the phone, planning our life together. We had so many hopes and dreams, so many goals. We thought we knew exactly how things would go, we thought we had it figured out.

Very few things have gone according to the plan in the past 5 years. If you had told me that on our 5th anniversary I would be living in South Texas, the stay at home mother of twins and a preschooler, I would have laughed in your face. I didn't see this coming. I didn't see a majority of the past 5 years coming.

I'm proud of us, the way we handled everything that has happened. I'm proud of how far we've come. It was harder than I thought it would be. We are stronger than I thought we were.

The best thing about being married is always having someone on your side. Before I got married, I thought that was a given. I thought that spouses loved and supported each other no matter what, just like parents love and support their children no matter what. I didn't know that it isn't easy. I didn't know that you had to choose, actively and deliberately.

I am the luckiest wife in the world, because 5 years in my husband has been on my side, every single day, without question. He always supports me, always stands by me, and never waivers. Whether I'm right or wrong, easy to get along with or a nightmare to be around, it doesn't change his love or support.

We are still in the hard part. Our kids our young, our marriage is young, our life together requires a lot of effort. But we are in the happy part as well. The part where we burst into laughter on a regular basis, where we enjoy spending as much time together as possible, where we miss each other when we are apart.

5 years ago I married my best friend, and it was the best decision I have ever made. I'm so glad I get to share my life with him.

dollimama

the other moms

2011-07-27T07:43:00.000-05:00

I have been working hard to create a new local group for moms, one that can meet online and in real life. I am having a lot of fun, and it has been great getting to know these people, but I have something I need to confess:

I'm Jealous of them already.

Because sooner or later these ladies that I have introduced to each other will start hanging out among themselves, develop deep and lasting relationships, and I will be left behind. It sounds pessimistic, but in truth it's just realistic.

These beautiful, fun-loving mothers with their one baby and their posh lives will pair up together. They will go out at a moments notice and leave their stroller at home. They will go to a park and sit on the bench while the children play. They will call each other on the phone and have real conversations.

And me? I attend the play dates I plan wearing yoga pants and running shoes. I sprint in all directions trying to keep my kids where they are supposed to be. I have no idea what they talked about. It looks like they are having fun, sitting on the floor, playing with their kids and talking to each other.

I can't help but be a little sad about the friendships I miss out on. I remember the days when a play date was as much for me as it was for my son. Back when it was just the two of us.

Now, it's different. My life it too chaotic for most. It doesn't upset me, it's just the way it is.

dollimama

His World

2011-07-25T15:08:00.000-05:00

I am constantly amazed by Isaiah and the way he looks at the world. His perspective is unique and unmatched. He spends his days letting his imagination run wild, creating stories, connecting concepts. He shows me things I've never seen.

I get busy, caught up in the tasks that beg for my attention. I get overwhelmed by all the chores and responsibilities. He brings me back to the world where he lives. Where it's completely OK to spend the day building castles with blocks and hanging off the couch upside down.

I feel caught in the middle. One foot in the adult world, balancing checkbooks and making sure the world still spins. One foot in a child's world, chasing dragons down the hall and not caring if the world spins or not. Sometimes I wish I could slip into his world of imagination and leave the "real world" behind. The place where anything can happen and usually does.

I am lucky to have this time with him, building castles and chasing dragons. While he's still small and the whole world is full of hope and possibilities. Where time stands still and rules are bent and imaginations run wild. I want to hold onto this world, the one we create together, forever.

But then the day ends. I tuck him into bed and turn out the lights. I go back to the living room where the adult world of chores and bills and responsibilities waits for me. I am forced to remember what the world is really like and how much work it takes just to make it.

I can't wait until tomorrow. Until the next time I can be in his world. It's so much better than mine.

A Morning at the Beach

2011-07-24T15:18:00.000-05:00

On Saturday Morning we took the kids to the beach. Growing up in the Midwest, I didn't see a Palm tree the ocean until I was 12. But my kids get a glimpse of the waves weekly. They stick their toes in the sand frequently, soaking up the sun and sucking in the salty air.

It's one of my favorite things about where we live, being close to the Gulf and all it has to offer. I love sharing this with my kids, who love jumping waves and walking in the sand.

Sharing a fabulous weekend with my family? That really Makes my Monday.

dollimama

Linked up with Cheryl at Twinfatuation

Photo Challenge: Summer

2011-07-24T14:35:00.000-05:00

Life at the Beach

July 23, 2011

ME! Challenge Week 29: Staycation

2011-07-22T07:30:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry people. I haven't been reading much or posting much or social networking very much at all. And I apologize. I'm on an unplanned Staycation. Or I'm too interested in hanging out with my kids and family to care about social media right now.

My sister as been visiting this week and today we are taking her back to the airport. Currently she is in the college program at Disney and has a couple more weeks there before she comes home for good. She brought us tons of goodies, so we have been making Mickey shaped cookies and eating Mickey-roni and Cheese. Obviously Mr. Mischief has been the very happiest of campers. The girls have had a blast too, playing with their Aunt and playing with their new princess dress.

What did I do for me this week? I went to the bookstore with my sister. Ironically, it was to look at Preschool Curriculum for Mr. Mischief to start this fall. However, it is so much easier to do that kind of stuff when you leave you kids with your mom. Plus, this week has been fun, which counts as ME time too!

Now it's YOUR turn!

What did you do this week to get you groove back?

What's Her Name?

2011-07-19T07:09:00.000-05:00

"Candace!"

That's not her name. It's Cadence, as in the musical term, not the older sister of Phineas and Ferb.

"Kayla!" or "Kylie"

That's not her name either. It's Kyla. Pronounce exactly like it's spelled. Ky-La. Kyla. It's not that hard.

The wrong names burn my ears, especially when I think the person saying them should know better. Because they know my children. They have been around since I announced their names the day they were born. And yet they trip all over their names, slurring them and turning them into something they are not. And it bugs me.

I never had to deal with this. My name is pretty straight forward, no one ever messed it up. Even my last name was easy, and while my married last name is a little easier to botch, most people get it write. Or at least look for me to help them out. They don't mix up the letters and say a different name. They don't screw it up completely.

Which brings me back to the names of my daughters. I didn't know this, when I picked their names. I didn't know that people would have a problem saying them, remembering them and getting them right. And it bugs me.

It's not enough that they have a hard time telling them apart. It's not enough that I have to answer "Who's Who?" every place I go. I love their names, I picked their names, and I wouldn't change them. I would, however, change the way people respond to their names. I want them to look at the letters, think about it, ask me twice how to say their names. I don't want to correct people. I want them to get it right all on their own. Because names are important, no matter how small you are.

That's not too much to ask, right? Am I completely over reacting? Like I said, I have never dealt with this before. I guess my parents were pretty good at picking a name.

dollimama

Motivation for Monday

2011-07-18T07:10:00.000-05:00

The faces that make my Mondays (and everyday) wonderful!

Linked up with Cheryl at Twinfatuation

Photo Challenge: Black and White

2011-07-16T08:03:00.000-05:00

Twenty Toes

I took this picture last week while the kids were watching TV. The girls were close enough that their feet just sort of piled together.

This picture was taken with my NikonD3000 and Edited in Picasa.

Me! Challenge Week 28: A New Plan

2011-07-14T23:05:00.000-05:00

Last weekend was amazing. My mom came over to watch the kids while Hubby and I went house hunting with our realtor. Then we had dinner, just the two of us, and went to see Transformers at the Theater. The movie was awesome, but I don't plan on seeing any more in 3D anytime soon. That gave me a headache. Plus, it's really expensive, and you can't tilt your head or everything gets blurry. Why are 3D movies such a big deal? I digress...

No, we didn't find a house, but we did see whats out there and are waiting a bit longer to put an offer on anything. It's still a buyers market and places aren't moving very fast...

Then on Sunday, well, it was just a good day. Everyone was in a pretty good mood, and I was just happy to be a part of our family.

But Monday through Wednesday kicked my butt. Finally, on Wednesday night I figured out what the problem was: I got too comfortable.

The past year and a half my prayer has been "Lord, help me find creative answers to everyday problems". It's been working, find creative, out-of-the-box solutions. But in the past few months I stopped being creative, I stopped looking for better solutions, and I just got comfortable.

That was working, for a while. I guess I was in an easy season. But the season has changed, and my lazy, comfortable ways aren't working. After groaning a little, wondering "Why me", and a minute or two of wining, I snapped out of it and got creative.

So I did two things for myself this week. I spent Saturday with my husband, and I spent the past two days brainstorming and getting creative. I have been re-writing my routines and coming up with ways to make things smooth again.

Believe me, it was worth my time. I can already tell it's paying off!

Now it's YOUR turn!

What did you do this week to get you groove back?

Productivity and Motherhood

2011-07-13T07:14:00.000-05:00

I go back and forth with being totally satisfied with my life as a Stay at Home Mom and being frustrated and wanting more. Sometimes, sitting on the floor for hours playing blocks and cars is fulfilling. Sometimes having 6 little hands tugging at my pants is annoying. Sometimes I feel like I have a real handle on this Motherhood thing. Sometimes I don't.

I long to be productive. I think most people do. I crave checks on my to do list. I want all my chores to be done. I have all the time in the world, so I should be able to accomplish everything I need to do. I shouldn't struggle to get the laundry done and the groceries bought and keep the house from imploding. But I do.

Lately, I haven't been productive. Sometimes this is because I'm lazy and it's completely my fault. But lately, my children have been too active, too mischievous and too destructive for me to accomplish anything good. I cleaned the living room on Monday, then went in the kitchen to make dinner. 20 minutes later Jon came home, and looked around the house. It looked like a tropical storm had torn our living room up! Stuff was strewn down the hallway, everything was every where. That's what I get for making a meal that takes all of my attention. That's what I get for zoning out in the kitchen.

Don't get me wrong, I love staying home with my children. But sometimes I long for a part time job again. Just 20 hours or so. Maybe less. I talk about going back to Starbucks, where I know that I would leave my shift each day accomplishing something. Where I would get things done. I miss the days when I was productive AND a mother. I can't help but miss them a little.

dollimama

We all Scream for Ice Cream

2011-07-12T20:10:00.000-05:00

Jon and I love going to Ice Cream shops. Places like Ben and Jerry's or Cold Stone or TCBY. We used to go all the time before we had kids, but then Mr. Mischief came along and got easier (and cheaper) just to grab a pint at the grocery store.

But every once in a while we would go as a family and get some ice cream at a real shoppe. We have not taken the girls out for one of these little trips yet, but on Sunday the stars seemed to aline and we had an hour between dinner and bedtime that seemed perfect for the ice cream shoppe.

So we loaded everyone up and head to our local shoppe, and it was closed. I frequently forget that we live in a small town that shuts down on Sundays. So once again we went home with a pint of cookie dough ice cream from the grocery store.

Today as I was hoping around the blog world I found a photo contest. The prompt was "Sweet". I caught the bug and just HAD to do an ice cream photo shoot with the kids right away. I should probably mention it was 8:30 in the morning.

I started setting up, got the kids in their cute little outfits, set out a sheet for them to eat on, and scooped out a small bowl of ice cream with three spoons.

The entire feeding frenzy lasted less than 3 minutes. It's amazing how fast 3 small children will down ice cream when they are eating from the same bowl. It was like watch future competitive eaters.

I did my best to capture their cuteness, but they refused to even look in my direction.

And then it was over. Kyla went ahead and made sure the bowl was clean.

You would think after their awesome mom fed them ice cream for breakfast my kids would have been angels all day. Nope. They were in the worst mood ever. And they didn't nap. Serves me right for being so cool.

Tomorrow, it's eggs and toast for breakfast. And an ice cream shoot before noon? Never Again.

dollimama

Linked up for Wonderful Wednesday with

Parenting By Dummies, Seven Clown Circus, 5 Minutes for Mom,

Photo Challenge: Sweet as Ice Cream

2011-07-12T19:13:00.000-05:00

Sweet as Ice Cream

My first try at an official Photo Challenge. While this shoot was a lot of fun, I paid for it later. You can read all about is Here.

I'm not sure why I love this photo so much. You can't see any of their faces, but I love that you can still feel how intensely they love that ice cream. And I love how close they all are to the bowl, and their all eating or going for another bite.

I can't wait to do this challenge again next week. I peaked ahead at the prompts and I'm pretty excited about them!

Rockin the Baby

2011-07-10T22:21:00.000-05:00

Last Month I participated in Shell's Rockin the Bump link-up. Remember this awesome belly? Well it also showed up over at Babble. Because a baby full of twins is just two ~~big~~ cute for words.

Anyway, what happens after you Rock the Bump? Well you Rock the Baby, of course. Or in my case, two babies!

Our First picture with the girls. Cadee, who came out first, is closest to me and Ky's chubby cheeks are the farthest from my head. They wiped the slime off the babies, snapped this picture super quick, and hauled my little girls off to the NICU before I could really look at them. But I'm not bitter. Mostly.

The night we brought home our babies. They are 7 days old and cute as a button if you ask me. This is one of a few pictures take the first week where they aren't sleeping. I love how close they are together. Cadee is on the left and Ky is on the right.

8 days old, swaddled and sleeping in a boppy. They used to fall asleep like this for the first few months. I love the way they used to cuddle. This is my favorite picture of the girls. I have it blown up above our bed.

Two weeks old during their newborn photo shoot. Cadee has the light pink bow and Kyla has the dark pink bow. I just love those big puffy lips. They slept through the whole shoot, but I still have a few cute pictures.

And just to be fair, here's a picture of Mr. Mischief just 24 hours after he was born.

I love my cute little babies

dollimama

for more awesome baby pictures check out the Rockin the Baby Link up!

Dear Nick Jr.

2011-07-09T09:07:00.001-05:00

Dear Nick Jr,

I want to personally thank you for creating awesome children's shows that teach my children things like what a lemur is (Diego) and how to wish on a star (Dora). These are very important things, so thanks for that. I also want to thank you for your recent creation, Bubble Guppies.

When I first saw the commercials, I was sure it would be the stupidest show on TV. It's not. In fact, it might be the most brilliant children's show ever. The songs are catchy, the characters a cute, and ALL 3 of my children LOVE it.
There is only one problem:

There are only 6 episodes. And I'm going crazy watching the same 6 episodes every. single. week. Seriously, if I have to here "Flap your Wings, your a Spring Chicken" one more time, I'm going scream! It's summer, for pete's sake!

I know the simple solution is to stop watching the re-runs. But I can't. Because ALL 3 of my kids will sit down and watch this show. It's the only way dinner gets made around this house. So I need you, Nick Jr. I need you and your silly Bubble Guppies.

I know it's summer and new episodes of anything are hard to come by, but I really could use your help. You have a real gem here with Bubble Guppies, so lets not ruin a good thing by playing the same episodes every day for the next 3 months. Give us a few new episodes. We will be forever grateful. Well, we would be grateful for a month or so.

Sincerely,
The Dolli-Family.

YOU WIN!

2011-07-08T08:07:00.000-05:00

Time to announce the Halfway There Giveaway

Winners

The first $15 Starbucks gift card goes to one of the Linkup gals.

Random.org

1-9

Melissa at Mame Musings

You are the first Winner!

The second goes to a commenter

Random.org

1-16

Holly at Twins plus One

You are the second Winner!

I will be e-mailing you this afternoon to get your mailing info!

Me! Challenge Week 27: Get my Craft on

2011-07-07T23:16:00.002-05:00

First of all, thank you guys so much for a wonderful first half of the year! You guys are awesome and you keep me motivated to do something for myself each week. The Halfway There Giveaway event was a HUGE success thanks to all of you. I hope you all won something and had fun sharing the love! I will announce the 2 winners of the Starbucks Gift Cards later today.

Ok, Back to Me Time.

I'm not going to lie, last week was rough. Kyla was pretty sick and we spent 6 days cooped up in the house, with the exception of spending a little time outside and going to the Fireworks on Monday night. But I did manage to do a few things for myself.

Jon was off work on Monday, so when it was time to put the girls down for a nap I went to Barnes and Nobel. Isaiah had a good time with his dad, and I had a fabulous time with a stack of magazines.

Normally I focus my bookstore browsing on parenting books and mags, but this time I perused the home and decorating sections. I'm not great at decorating, and since we have always lived in an apartment or rental house, I've never spent much time or money on it. But we are going to be buying a house soon, so I really need to find my inner Martha and start decorating the house.

After I got good and inspired I tackled two canvases I have been meaning to paint for our guest bathroom. They turned out really well, and now one room in my house is looking snazzy. Too bad it's the smallest room.

Anyway, I had a lot of fun browsing and painting, and I'm excited that we are going to be buying our first house in the near future.

Now it's YOUR turn!

What did you do this week to get you groove back?

LAST DAY TO WIN

2011-07-07T14:26:00.000-05:00

Today is the Last Day!

There are less than 10 hours left to enter all the giveaways!

Just in case you missed any...

Go Here and leave me a comment to be entered to win a $15 Starbucks Card

Mandy E is giving away beautiful Handmade Earings

Andrea has wonderful Bath and Body Works products

Marcia is giving away an adorable Beach Tote

Erica has a Barnes and Noble gift card up for grabs

Mama Mama Quite Contrary is giving away a "Take Care of Me" package

Just Another Mom of Twins is giving away a Scrapbook Starter package

MaMe Musings is giving away a Barnes and Noble Card

Holly is giving away a Bath and Body Works Card

Liz is giving away a Simple Blog Makeover - Just added, so check it out ASAP

Each giveaway may have it's own set of rules, so be sure to read them carefully. Winners will be posted on the individual blogs.

Giveaways close TONIGHT at Midnight, so make sure to enter for your Chance to win!

The ME! Challenge link up resumes as usual at 12:05 Tomorrow Morning!

Mr. Mischief's No Bake Cookies

2011-07-05T20:49:00.000-05:00

Mr. Mischief's No Bake Cookies

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. milk

2 c. sugar

3 Tb cocoa powder

1 ts vanilla

1/2 c. peanut butter

3 c. quick cooking oatmeal

Melt the butter. Stir in the milk, sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla.
Stir mixture until thoroughly mixed, stop stirring and let it come to a boil. Let it boil for 3 to 4 minutes *tip- it's important to let the mixture boil because it become like a candy consistency. This part is pretty hot. It's a good idea to move your kid to another counter top for this.
Stir in the peanut butter until melted and well mixed. *tip- the peanut butter cools the mixture enough so it won't burn little hand. You can't touch it, but it's no longer dangerous
Pour the chocolate mixture over the oatmeal and stir well.
Scoop onto wax paper lined cookie sheets and let set in the freezer for an hour.
Enjoy!

Note: Mr. Mischief spends a lot of time in the kitchen with me, so he knows how to be safe around the stove top. This might not be the best project for beginers.

Linked up for Wonderful Wednesday with

Parenting By Dummies, Seven Clown Circus, 5 Minutes for Mom,

Happy Independence Day!

2011-07-04T09:03:00.000-05:00

Yes, I did choose a picture with two crying babies for my fourth of July greeting. Thank you for noticing. I found it fitting for the kind of week I have had.

Kyla has been really sick and I have been stuck in the house with 3 cranky, clingy kids. I have been having flash backs to last year, and it's been awful. The flash-backs, I mean. Sometimes I forget how rough the first year was. I forget about not being able to take a shower all day, getting 3 hours of sleep each night or constantly being covered in clingy children. I forgot how hard it was, like running a Marathon without knowing when it would stop.

Of course, this week was different, because I know that as soon as Kyla feels better I know life will go back to normal. There is an end to this insanity. And I am so excited that the end is near!

As for today, I'm ditching durning nap time and hanging out at a bookstore. Later this afternoon we will set up the water table and let the kids splash. Kyla can't be around people, so we will pile up in our SUV and watch the fireworks from the comforts of our vehicle.

Happy Independence Day!

dollimama

P.S.

Don't forget to check out the Halfway There Giveaway Link up. There are a few new ones, plus I changed my giveaway, so check it out!

Halfway There Giveaway Event!

2011-06-30T23:05:00.009-05:00

I can't believe we are halfway through the year! This is amazing!

First of all, I'm so proud of all the 52 weeks of ME! Challenge participants. You gals are amazing and I am so glad to have "met" all of you. Each week you encourage me to do something for myself and keep me excited and motivated week after week. You give me something to look forward to on the hard weeks. I frequently find myself thinking "I can't wait to tell the girls about this!" in anticipation of the next link-up.

To say Thank You I am giving away a $15 gift card to Starbucks, one of my favorite places to have a little me time.
To be eligible for the giveaway, simply link up your giveaway below and you are automatically entered to win! On Thursday at Midnight the link-up will close, and I will select and announce the winner on Friday Morning.

After linking up make sure to head over to

The May Twins

Twin Trials and Triumphs

to enter their giveaways as well as everyone else on the link-up! I hope you all win something awesome and are able to use it in the future to fuel some ME! time!

Good Luck!

for the complete rules to the link-up please see this post

Update: I will be giving away 2 gift cards! The first is only for those linking up a giveaway.

The second is for ANYONE, just leave a comment below and you are entered!

I'm sorry for the confusion, but the link up is ONLY for those who are hosting a giveaway. You can still win a gift card, just leave me a comment!

Thanks Guys!

Not here today...

2011-06-30T08:25:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow, July 1, makes the 26th week of the year.

We are halfway through 2011. Isn't that amazing? I can't believe how fast this year has gone...

Today I am guest posting over at Multiples and More. Tomorrow the Halfway There Giveaway Link-up opens, so make sure to come back and link-up you giveaway, as well as enter all the other giveaways! It's going to be a really fun week!

dollimama

A Chance Encounter

2011-06-29T08:04:00.000-05:00

"How old are your twins?" She asked

"13 months" I responded as I struggled to get them both strapped into their car seats. The three- year old boy she was holding began to whine.

"I have 7 month old triplets at home. Two boys and a girl" She responded. The six-year-old girl at her side began tugging on her shirt, anxious to get out of the parking lot.

This is when I really looked at her. "I know you! We met before, at a restaurant. I was still pregnant and you just found out you were having triplets."

"I knew you looked familiar." She laughed.

The conversation continued for 5 minutes or so, talking about the logistics of multiples and how hard it is to go anywhere. Soon we were both loaded up into our massive vehicles and driving in opposite directions. I still don't know her name or have her information, but I hope I run into her again.

As I drove home I couldn't help thinking what I didn't say. I didn't say, "Did you have any idea how hard this would be?" I was hot and pregnant back then. She was glowing with wonderful news. We were different, hopeful. It's only been a year since our first chance encounter, but it feels like a lifetime ago.

And now here we are, knee deep in dirty diapers. I wonder if it's everything she hoped it would be. I wonder if she's overwhelmed or stressed out like I am. I wonder if she's happy. I wish I could sit across the table from her at a coffee shop, kid free and relaxed. I wonder what she would say.

Because this is different than I thought it would be. Not worse, not better, just different. It's hard in ways I didn't expect. It's exciting and fun and exhausting all in the same 10 minutes. It's demanding, oh so demanding. It's rewarding and empowering. It's a mountain of things I had no idea it would be.

As I sit here drinking my coffee alone at my kitchen table I can't help but think about her and how much her life has changed since our first encounter. I hope she's happy. I hope she's past the part where you cry a lot and into the part where you realize how lucky you are. And I hope this is everything she wanted it to be back when there was nothing but joy and good news.

dollimama

linked up with Shell

BPP Monday, Caption that Photo!

2011-06-27T07:12:00.000-05:00

I spent the whole weekend unplugged. Again. I wasn't away from technology or anything, I just ignored it all weekend. I'm not sure if this is going to be a summer thing or a permanent trend. It makes for a stressful Monday morning, though. All that catch-up work on Twitter and Facebook, not to mention responding to comments and e-mails. It makes for a crazy Monday morning.
We took Mr. Mischief to see Cars 2 on Saturday. Nana came over to watch the girls and Jon, Mischief and I all went to the Theater for the first time, just the three of us. I have been looking forward to this for a long time, and I was a bit disappointed. Not in the movie, but in Mr. Mischief's bad attitude. I hate it when that happens.
I can't believe June is almost over and we are to the Halfway point of 2011. Didn't we just start this year? I feel like I should start my Christmas shopping so I know at least THAT Holiday won't take me by surprise.
Am I the only slacker mother who didn't enroll their child/children in summer sports or camps or swim classes? Please tell me I'm not. Also, I think Mr. Mischief's VBS starts this week and I totally forgot about it. I need to figure that out ASAP...

Last but not least, if this kinds of post is going to become the Monday thing, it need to be a little punchier. So I am adding a new feature:

Caption that Photo!

fill in the speech bubble with something funny, clever, or LOL worthy.

Happy Monday!

dollimama