Fab 5 Friday...and ME!!!

Our first full week of Daddy’s summer vacation was fabulous, indeed...such that this is really a Fab 6 list because I couldn't narrow it down any further!

1) The girls have been playing “restaurant” a lot lately. Last week they kept saying, “I’m taking my baby to Garcia’s” [our favorite Mexican restaurant]. Then they would detail what they were going to order…”She’s gonna eat rice…and beans…and cheese…and salsa…and chicken quesadilla!” On Friday night we surprised them with an actual trip to Garcia’s. We waited until late afternoon to tell them where we were going, and they were elated! They clapped and started dancing around. Baby B kept saying (as she was dancing), “I’m excited for my dinner!”

2) On Sunday, we attended our MoMs group picnic. The girls had a blast running around and kicking the soccer ball in a big open field, and I was so proud that they played so well with the other kiddos. On perhaps a not so fabulous note, they also ate Doritos for the first time. I think they’re in love.

3) Monday was THE BEST. The girls napped so well (hallelujah…it is possible!!!), and we decided to turn our downtown post office field trip into a family dinner date, as well. We took the girls to one of our favorite restaurants. It’s not what I would call kid-friendly (they seemed to have to search for high chairs!), but the girls did GREAT! They sat like little ladies and enjoyed our appetizer, a good portion of my salad, and then they scarfed down most of my half of our gourmet pizza. It was one of the most pleasant family outings to date!

4) The girls have continued to sing a lot this week. “Buffalo Gals” is one of their faves, along with “John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt”…which I finally deciphered them as saying “John Jacob Jingle-on-the-Fence”! Close, girlies, so close!

5) Both girls have been running around the den this week at times, saying, “I’m imitating Sasha!” They mean they’re running really fast, like our cat does sometimes…which is cute…and just as cute is them saying “imitating”!

6) Both girls have been doing a great job at asking how our dinner is, and saying what they like about their food. Unprompted, Baby A said, "This squash is very good." It just melts my heart...that she was being so sweet...AND that she loves her veggies so passionately!

And what did I do for ME this week???

I L-O-V-E sushi. Before kiddos, the hubs and I ate it once a week, religiously. Since kiddos, it’s a rare treat.

While once upon a time I turned my nose up at the thought of buying sushi at the grocery store (even though they have a little sushi station with a little man in a big hat making it, it’s just not the same as our nice family-owned Japanese restaurant, where we have gone for years)…times have changed. I now treat myself to grocery store sushi about once a week. Whereas I do love me some raw fish, I stick with the veggie rolls…but slather on some wasabi, and whip out my beautiful new bamboo chopsticks I bought for myself, and it’s a fantastic break from my ham sandwiches.

And as a little bonus, I love that my girls can spot sushi from a mile away. They know what chopsticks are. They know what wasabi is, and that it’s hot. And they’re big friends with the little man in the big hat at the grocery store.

Thanks so much to the dollimama for hosting the 52 Weeks of ME! Challenge! I firmly believe that taking the time to think about ourselves each week...even splurging on some $4 sushi now and again...makes us better moms.

The dollimama will be hosting an awesome giveaway link-up the first week of July to celebrate being halfway through the challenge. There will be lots of us linking up with ~$10 giveaways...paying it forward to encourage our fellow mamas to enjoy a little "me" time. The link-up will be open to anyone...check it out for more details!

Summertime...and the Living is Easy...

…well, not necessarily easy (as someone still has to run the dishwasher every day of the world), but at least it will be fun!

Although the girlies aren’t in school, my hubby is a school teacher, so “summer” has real meaning for our family. And at 2 ½, I know this is going to be such a fun summer for us as a foursome.

There’s something about summer that means “family adventure” to me…a time to go and do and experience…and have lots of fun making memories.

Given the girls’ age, and that there are two of them, climbing Mt. Rushmore is obviously not on the list. It’s all relative, but I’m so excited about some of the fun things we hope to do and see and eat!

In no particular order…

• Eat an ice cream cone
• Eat a slice of watermelon
• Go to the zoo
• Do yoga in the park
• Run through the splash pad downtown
• Attend a live music performance
• Go to the aquarium
• Play with sidewalk chalk
• Run through the sprinklers at home
• Swim in the baby pool
• Swim in a big pool
• Learn to ride new tricycles
• Buy a swing set
• Enjoy many, many hours of play on new swing set
• Visit the orchard
• Visit the dairy barn
• Make cookies with Mommy
• Make homemade pizza as a family
• Help Daddy wash the car
• Plant some flowers
• Water the flowers
• Eat on a picnic blanket
• Make S’mores
• Eat out for breakfast
• Go to a children’s museum
• Go to the train museum
• Take a carriage ride
• Go to the ag farm
• Ride a carousel
• Make homemade ice cream

I could go on, but I hope to incorporate a little piece of adventure into most of our days, taking advantage of that extra set of hands I'll have to help keep our adventures in check.

Happy Summer, Y'all!

Semantics?

About a year ago, I read a post by reanbean about “positive discipline”, part of which is telling a child what they can / should do instead of what they can’t. Say, “Hands off,” instead of “Don’t touch,” for example.

At the time, our girls were about 16 months old, and I began to try to incorporate some of the principles that reanbean mentioned.

“Hands off,” or “One finger,” [meaning you can touch something, but only with one finger] are biggies in our house.

Instead of telling the girls they can’t stand on the sofa, I tell them, “Sit on your bottom.”

Instead of telling the girls they can’t climb on the open door of their play kitchen (oddly, a frequent offense), I say, “Keep your feet on the floor.”

I try to reserve the word “no” for infractions that require immediate attention, if one of the girls is doing something that is dangerous, for example.

Yes, this may fall under “positive discipline”…or some people might dismiss it as semantics…but I think it can also be defined as being literal. Little ones don’t necessarily understand all the ways we can bend words, or the colloquialisms and idioms that color our language.

Saying, “Keep your feet on the floor” is pretty literal, and I don’t want to leave much room for interpretation in certain contexts.

Along a similar line, I had a funny exchange with Baby B a couple of days ago. “Can you help Mommy pick up these books?” I asked.

In the adult world, that of course is a nice way to ask someone to do something.

I had to laugh when Baby B replied, “No, I can’t.”

Ask a silly question, get a silly answer, Mom!

So, to my list of "semantics tricks", I’ve begun rephrasing such “requests” more directly, “B, please help Mommy pick up these books.”

This approach definitely requires some thought at times, but in a way it’s a fun challenge…it definitely makes me stop and think about what I’m saying and how I’m saying it.

I Get By with a Little Help from My Friends...

My friend Jenny has said that Motherhood is a great equalizer, and I think that is so incredibly true...

...young or old, rich or poor, with a high school education or a PhD...becoming a mommy -- at least in one very critical aspect -- puts us all on the same playing field.

Spit-up is spit-up, a high fever can be very scary, and our babies' smiles are the light of our lives...no matter who we are or where we came from.

Holly posted "The Mom Pledge" a couple of days ago. It's a reminder to avoid the "mommy wars" mentality, to support each other as mothers, recognizing that we may have differing opinions, but that each mom makes the choices that she believes are right for her family.

I love the ability to surf around the blogosphere, to share in fellow moms' lives...to see what they're up to with their kiddos...how they handle challenges...and what brings them joy.

I certainly don't "agree" with everything I see online, and I'm also certain that not everyone agrees with me. But we still learn from each other, and support each other, and I am so thankful for that.

I'm grateful to be a part of such an awesome network of moms, many of whom I consider wonderful friends. If I have a question, or need advice, or a laugh, or to commiserate...I so appreciate you being there!

...and speaking of great friends, my dear friend Andrea, whose B/G twins are about a year older than A&B, is celebrating her 35th birthday today!!!

Just wanted to take this opportunity to wish her a Happy Birthday filled with many blessings! And from what I hear, Andrea, [ahem] 35 isn't all that bad.

I think poor Andrea may have gotten a little confused in her old age, though (just kidding!)...instead of getting presents, she's giving stuff away in celebration of her birthday!

Hop on over to enter her 2nd birthday give-away, and stay tuned for more throughout the month.

My Sunglasses Trick

I never used to wear sunglasses on my head.

For one, I used to wear expensive designer sunglasses, and I didn’t want to stretch the frames.

And two, I thought it was a bit silly. Unless you are literally just coming off the beach, put your sunglasses away in your purse, Lady…you really don’t need to sport them all through dinner…when it’s raining outside.

Over the past couple of years, though, I have found myself singing a different tune.

I no longer wear designer sunglasses. Although a little part of me misses the mystique, I’m perfectly content buying my shades at Kohl’s.

Since both my hands seem always to be full, I’m grateful not to have to worry about my designer sunglass case, too. My $20 peepers get thrown right on top of my bag. And if they get a scratch? That will be camouflaged by all the tiny finger smudges, of course.

And I’ve discovered (or at least led myself to believe) that coolly pushing my sunglasses on top of my head makes me feel more put-together somehow…at times even glamorous!

I vowed at the beginning of spring no longer to dress like a hobo, to get up each morning and put on some Capri’s and a decent t-shirt.

I’m proud to report that, with very few exceptions, I’ve been living the dream the past couple of months.

I bought several new pairs of casual-yet-comfortable pants and picked up some new tees, and I even bought a cute new pair of flip-flops. I think it’s a great sign that the girls no longer ask, “Where we going?” when they see Mommy enter their room in the mornings.

However.

I can’t say that I’ve managed to add the full spectrum of hair and makeup into the mix.

I still only wear makeup a couple of days a week, I’m guessing, on average. And some days just have to be ponytail days, depending on what how many chores I need to get done in the mornings before the girls get up.

Enter my sunglasses trick!

I don’t think a thing about running to the mall all fresh-faced with my hair pulled back. Perhaps I look like I’ve just run in off the beach (a mere 500 miles away), to do a quick errand…

…or perhaps I look like a harried mom who hasn’t taken the time to treat herself to a full hygiene regimen…

…but at least I have on cute Capri’s.

One step at a time, and mind over matter...and I’m running with it!

Fab 5 Friday...and ME!!!

The unofficial start of summer took off on a fabulous note, complete with lots of sunshine and the sweetest ice cold watermelon!

1) On Saturday, we took our first day trip since the Potty-capades began. We enjoyed a great lunch with dear friends in downtown Nashville. Hubby and I hadn’t been downtown since the girls were born, so a little taste of the “big city” was a treat, too.

2) On Sunday, we planned a trip to our local orchard. We made the trek "to the country", only to find they were closed! The girls were not particularly happy…but they cheered up right away with the promise of ice cream and a trip to the park. For the first time, the girls fed themselves some DQ soft-serve (my babies are growing up!!!), and Hubby and I may have each enjoyed a Blizzard.

3) We spent some time at one of the local parks on Sunday afternoon. The playground equipment was scalding hot, so we lured the girls into the wide open grassy fields by asking them to find dandelions. It was amazing to see them running so freely, their cheeks all flush, having a blast.


4) On Monday, we enjoyed a mid-afternoon frozen yogurt. I dressed the girls in the cutest coordinating outfits, and I let them wear their sunglasses for the first time. They looked like true movie stars…and also acted like ones, avoiding the paparazzi [my camera] at all costs!

5) And the girls’ quotes of the week just warm my heart...as they brought up family members waaaay out of the blue. Baby A said, at random, “We haven’t seen Grandpa Cecil in a while!” And B was “dancing” on Daddy’s feet, and said, “This like Daddy used to do with his grandma,” as Hubby has told her a few times (but not recently). Wow.

And what did I do for ME this week???

Wednesday afternoon, Miss Jennifer was here for a couple of hours to hang out with the girls. I met Hubby after he got out of school for a mid-afternoon snack. I enjoyed a very leisurely cup of coffee, and he, an ice cold lemonade, and I sneaked a couple of bites of his ginormous cinnamon roll. We just hung out and talked and laughed…it was a fantastic mid-week break.

Savoring the "Awww" Factor

Any parent of young multiples knows it’s rare to go out in public without someone – usually a few someones – making a comment.

You’ve got your hands full! Double trouble! Who’s older? Who’s smarter? Which one is your favorite?

And even if folks don’t say anything, I can sometimes feel them checking out my brood. I feel like I should acknowledge their interest with a smile, or at least try to have a pleasant look on my face at all times.

I know those comments can get under our skin a little bit at times, and the performance factor can be exhausting…especially when all you want to do is pay for your bananas and bread and milk and load up the kiddos and get home.

…but I had a little realization last week at the grocery store…

The girls had had a bit of a cold, and it was ugly, cold weather, to boot…but we were desperate for a few groceries. I say that to say, the girls and I were far from being dressed to the nines. I was just happy for us all to be there, fever-free.

A group of college girls walked past us. One glanced at the girls, and said, “Oh, how cute!” and she called out to her friends, “You guys come look! What cute babies!”

I’ll always be in awe of my girlies, but the truth is that they probably won’t stop traffic like that forever. When’s the last time you cooed at an eight-year old, after all?

As borderline aggravating as some of the invasion of privacy can seem at times, I’m willing myself to enjoy the “awww” factor as long as I can.