Out of my Head, On to the Web

2009-05-15T14:31:00.001-07:00

2009-05-15T14:19:00.000-07:00

Fashion Forward

28

2008-07-13T21:08:00.000-07:00

So I have turned 28, and also am currently 28 weeks pregnant. 28 seems to have come very quickly for both. The age doesn't really bother me, whenever it sounds old in my head I just remind myself that Dan is turning 30 this year, and that makes me feel much younger - isn't that a lovely wifely thing to think?

This pregnancy is flying by, and though I am getting bigger, no one has looked me up and down at the grocery store and taken a step back - as was the case around this time with the twins... I guess they were afraid I'd spread my legs and they'd get baby on their shoes... who knows, not like I shopped at any stores where the clientele wore Milano Blahniks, but people are protective of their Payless BOGO shoes too. But I don't have to deal with the shoe worriers this time around, at least not yet, perhaps they'll resurface in September, or *gasp* October, if the baby comes late. I posted a new belly shot on the family site, if you're trying to decide if I'm approaching the 'scared for my shoes' size.

A bug? A mole. A bug?! Not a bug.

2008-06-24T08:32:00.000-07:00

Xander and Noah are very into bugs. They get very excited when they see one outside, and will follow a fly around the house for 20 minutes. The indulgent mother that I am, I bought them the Disney/Pixar movie "A Bug's Life" - I now know it by heart. They LOVE this movie, and request it constantly, and say "again" as soon as the credits start to roll. Thankfully, they don't usually tantrum too hard if I put on a different movie, or if I initiate a non-tv activity, but I know they would watch 'bugs' start to finish 7 times a day if I let them.

About a month ago, Xander pointed to the mole on my cheek, which embarrassingly had gone untrimmed, and asked "A bug?" I said "no that's a mole" and then Xander asked again "A bug" and thus the bug/mole game was born. I have alot of moles, and the boys like to find new ones and ask if they are bugs, and then I pretend shout that they're moles and they laugh hysterically. It doesn't take much to amuse a 2 year old. Of course, this game amuses Dan and I quite a bit too.

Unfortunately, not all bugs are really moles... we had a roach in the bathroom - yuck! This is the first one we've had indoors in almost a year... about a month after we first moved in we saw a few, called a bug service, they did the inside just that once, but have come every other month to do an outdoor perimeter spray. So I guess it's time for another indoor round, they're coming this afternoon.

Yesterday morning I thought I was dealing with the pink eye 'bug'... It's been going around, and Xander had been goopy for a few days, and then I woke up with a pink and itchy eye. So I called the pediatrician, and they got us in. Of course by the time we got there, Xander's eye was as clear as possible and my pinkness had gone down. Guess Xander had just had a blocked tear duct that worked it self out and I probably just had an eyelash in my eye that irritated it. I'm glad to know that we did not have this 'bug', but it bugs me that I overreacted and hauled my 2 toddlers and my growing, waddling self out to the doctor's office at 8:30 on a Monday morning.

So that's what's going on with bugs at our house. what a theme-y post this was :)

Things I'm excited about

2008-06-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

My thoughts are all scattered... so in effort to organize, I'm going to do a list of things that are exciting in my life.

1) Vacation! We're leaving on Friday for a long weekend in California. I have never been to the Golden State, or any west coast state, so this will be my first experience with the Pacific Ocean. Woohoo! I haven't finished an official itinerary, but we'll obviously spend part of one day at the beach. Another day doing the touristy see the stars on the sidewalk/Rodeo Drive thing... probably not a whole day, I've heard these sites are not all that exciting, but I wanna check that off on my been there/done that list. Monday we relax and Tuesday is Disneyland and head home.

2) A whole year of vision! It's been a year since my lasik surgery... wow, it rocks. Seeing the clock at night, not worrying about itchy contacts on long drives vs. can't wear your sunglasses with regular glasses, and countless other inconveniences I don't have to worry about. I'm especially excited to be able to see at night when the baby comes... no fumbling for glasses just to change a diaper or nurse.

3) Getting my van back! Ugh! We took our van in a WEEK ago for what should have been a minor repair... and we still don't have it back... they found something else, then didn't have the part... blah blah... It's all covered under warranty, which of course is good, but since we're not paying, there's not much we can do about demanding our car back. It has been a long week couped up in the house. It's pretty hot outside, so the backyard is only an escape option in short bursts in the early morning or late evening. Today the guy said he's hopeful it will be done today. We'll see.

I'm sure there are other exciting things, but that's all I have the energy to empty out right now :)

The wait is over!

2008-05-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

Wow, have I been a basketcase the last few weeks. The headaches this pregnancy have been pretty bad. I went to the chiropractor twice last week, and now the headaches are intermittent instead of constant. I have another appointment tomorrow and am hoping to have more relief. Also, we had our 'big' ultrasound this morning, and all is well, so am also hoping to be a little more relaxed. Plus no more wondering about gender... It's a girl! We're very excited to experience the other side of things and I know the boys will adore a baby sister.

Now it's onto the task of picking names. I feel like we had the hardest time picking out boys names for the twins, and now I can't think of a single girls name that I love. Plus now they have to 'go' with the boys' names.

So I read Birthing from Within. It was wonderfully written and very thought-provoking, but not huge with the practical advice for how to actually give birth. I think I might read something geared toward doulas... so I can learn more about the process of labor, I know I won't actually remember or be able to use that type of scientific info in the throws of pain, but it seems so foreign to me right now, and I just want to have some understanding.

Whirlwind Tour

2008-04-14T16:37:00.000-07:00

So I know I've been slacking in my blogging responsibilites. Not much new going on. Had a dr. appt today, everything is just ducky. They did the measuring tape thing, and I'm at 16, so right on track, since I'll be 16 weeks tomorrow. It's strange to be on target with that - last time I got to 40 at 26 weeks. Got to hear the heartbeat with the doppler, but not for too long, since this baby is taking a cue from the big brothers, and is very active and does not like to be still.

I do think I've felt this little bean in the last week or so - that weird fluttery, tightening feeling, especially at night. I'm very anxious to find out the gender. Only about 3 more weeks till that appt.

Tonight Dan's mom gets into town, she's staying for the week, while I go to help my sister move from Detroit to Minneapolis. Yes, the sister that just had a baby on April 3rd. They have movers to do the packing and driving of stuff, the company's taking care of all that - I'll just be doing the minivan chauffeur of Libby, Maddi and new baby Logan. We'll be making pit stops at my mom's and sister's, so even though it will be a crazy trip, I'm glad I'll get to see lots of my family over the course of the week.

Be back next week!

13 going on 40

2008-03-25T16:16:00.000-07:00

No, it's not a coming of age movie with any of the kids from High School Musical... It's me, being 13 weeks pregnant, making my way to full term at 40 weeks. I'm finally into my 2nd trimester, and so mostly out of the woods as far as miscarriage goes, but with 2 losses still in my heart, it's hard not to still worry. Mostly I am focusing on trying to prepare for a VBAC (a vaginal birth after cesarian). I've found a supportive doctor, joined the local ICAN chapter and am seriously considering a doula. I need to start reading some books about natural birth, I think my ICAN group has a lending library, but I keep forgetting to ask about checking stuff out.

It's really kind of overwhelming, all the information that's out there. and I kind of feel like I'm doing all this for the first time. When I was pregnant with the boys, all I did was concentrate on the twin stuff... I'm pretty sure that things wouldn't have worked out much differently if I'd done more, but there are those naggings in the back of my mind, and I just really want this time to be different - mainly concerning a natural birth and breast feeding.

So be prepared readers, there's going to be a lot boob and vagina talk over the coming months :)

Time Change

2008-03-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

Every spring and fall, the time change kicks my butt. I'm so off. and of course so are the boys, which just magnifies it. I just feel so zombie like. So I napped with the boys yesterday, when I should have been showering and now I feel gross, which just adds to the zombie feeling. I guess I'll let the boys tear up the bathroom while I shower, so that we can go outside and enjoy the awesome weather we're having. 9am and it's already 55 degrees, supposed to get up to 77, so we definitely are not spending today inside.

The boys had a great birthday, which I'll post about on our family website, as soon as I dig the camera out of the diaper bag, which I think is still in the car. I can't believe I have 2 year olds. They still seem like babies in so many ways, but when I look at pictures from a year ago, I know they've grown and learned so much.

I have a new addiction... HGTV - mostly the shows concerning buying homes, but I watch the remodelling/decorating type shows too. I've definitely got a house bug. No real news on when/if we might be moving back to the midwest, but enough hints to keep us from buying here in Vegas. So mostly I house hunt in Madison, see what's out there, just in case. Currently I'm obsessing about how relevant test scores are to how good an elementary school really is. This is a silly thing to worry about, since we're not even sure when we might move, and even then, the boys are 3.5 years away from kindergarten. But it keeps me occupied.

Ok, gonna let the boys empty the bathroom drawers so I can de-zombify.

27 and 7/12th

2008-02-06T08:33:00.000-08:00

On my birthday I posted a "to do" list... Here's me being accountable for myself and taking a look at how I'm doing.

1. Lose 27 lbs. by Christmas
1.5. I lost 10, which I think is a good start. I took a break from WW from Thanksgiving to New Years, now I'm back on, and feeling good.
2. Read more with Xander and Noah
2.5. Definitely doing this, especially at bed time - we love Boynton books!
3. Get involved at church
3.5. I'm one of the leaders for our bi-monthly playgroup
4. Remember my own bags when I go shopping
4.5. Was doing well bringing back the paper bags with handles, now doing really well with my stylish new envirosax
5. Take a biology class
5.5. Not yet... I didn't realize how much commitment this would be, especially since most classes include a lab. Maybe this summer.
6. Drink more water
6.5. Pretty good, especially if I put a slice of lemon or lime in.
7. Unpack
7.5. Definitely done!
8. Keep a cleaner house
8.5. Yes, I think I have done much better at embracing my 'Domestic Goddess' position.
9. Get dressed (almost) every morning
9.5. We leave the house at least 3 days during the week, so overall better.
10. Run the dishwasher only every other day
10.5. Probably run it 4 times a week. yay!
11. Be nicer to Dan when he gets home from work
11.5. Dan says I'm better, but I think I could continue to work on this
12. Nap less
12.5. Doing, but using that time to sit mindlessly in front of the computer, now I need to be productive during that time.
13. Go for walks
13.5. Forgot about this one, maybe we'll go for one today
14. Pray more
14.5. Yes, but there's always room for more!
15. Eat more whole foods
16. Buy fewer processed foods
15.5-16.5. These have have tough with WW, it's much easier to count points with frozen dinners, but I definitely have added for fresh fruits and veggies in to my diet. Call it a draw.
17. Update the babysite frequently
17.5 Doing, but obviously not blogging very much, which is silly, cause it's very therapeautic...
18. Get Life Insurance
18.5 Done!
19. Have digital photos printed
19.5 Not so much... better stick that one on my bulletin board
20. Be consistent about putting sunscreen on Xander and Noah
20.5 Well this is not as relevant right now, but I did pretty good through short sleeve weather.
21. Do a charity fundraiser
21.5 Been thinking about this lately, need to find a good cancer one, as cancer has affected several close people this year.
22. Learn to drive stick shift
22.5 Tried once, it's so hard to find time!
23. Watch less TV
23.5 I think I'm watching less, but have been letting the boys watch more than I think is okay...
24. Dance more
24.5 This is easy, Noah, Xander and I love to dance, especially in the car, they got mama's rhythm, poor kids
25. Make myself a dress
25.5 Hmmm, this was an ambitious one... guess I'll start sketching26. Enjoy my children every day
26.5 They definitely make me laugh everyday :)
27. Be more thankful
27.5 I'm saying thank-you more, and I think it's accompolishing this

So, I think I'm doing alright. Definitely some more to work on, but it's nice to see some things are done or at least progressing. I promise to blog more often, because it certainly helps clear my head!

I would love some cheese

2007-11-08T13:03:00.000-08:00

with my w(h)ine... Well, as you all know, I'd pretty much never turn down cheese. Though I certainly have cut back on my frommage intake since starting weight watchers. But as to the whining, I've been a little woe is me lately. Things are just stacking up, and I'm overwhelmed.

Today the boys are 20 months old. Wow, I had no idea what twin toddlers would be like. The first 6 months were hard, then they got on a schedule, slept more, held their own bottles, things weren't easy, but most of the time, it was fun. Now, it's hard again... they are into EVERYTHING. They throw tantrums, they throw their food, they scream in a pitch that makes me want to throw something. I know this too will pass. And I am enjoying the fun parts - the ever growing vocabulary, the excitement of discovery. Plus, the fun parts that are unique to twins, how well they play together, help each other 'discover', giggle at each other, sometimes hold hands in the car and dance to the radio. so cute... BUT, sometimes, the struggles outweigh the 'awww's'

I think I'm less upbeat about it because of a lack of sleep, due to our latest struggle, the transition from cribs to toddler beds. One might think, well that's my own fault, why take them out of their cribs? Well, because last week while playing in their room, Noah managed to climb IN to his crib, and so I had to assume that climbing IN would be closely followed by climbing OUT - and so thanks to Craigslist - we now have 2 toddler beds.

The first night went wonderful. They were thrilled with their new beds, and we kept them up a little late, and they were definitely sleepy going in. They went down quietly, and though they woke up in opposite beds, they slept till about 6:30 the next morning. That was the end of ease... Naptime used to be my sanity time. When I could eat, shower, email and just generally decompress. Now I spend it getting up every 5 minutes to put them back in bed. Just now, as I was writing this, I was giving them some time to play and tucker out... I went in to find them both on top of the diaper table - they used their giant stuffed Shrek as a ladder. Nevermind that they refuse to be still on this very same table when it's diaper changing time.

Bedtime has gone well every night, mostly because they are exhausted from barely taking a nap, but they wake up at 5... and getting up that early on top not getting my decompression time... I'm going a little batty. And the boys are suffering too, I definitely am not the patient Mommy I usually strive to be. UGH!

So that's my whine. Hopefully, after a week or so, we will have mostly completed the transition, and I will be back to mostly enjoying instead of almost enjoying motherhood.

Social Butterfly

2007-09-26T22:36:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's me having a life. Who knew? Last Saturday I went out with some moms from my playgroup for a 'night out'. We went out to dinner and then to a bar, a fancy one. There were 10 of us so we pitched in and got a table with bottle service. Thank goodness for the travel channel, I knew what this was. For those of you not 'in the know' - at Vegas clubs (and I'm sure in other 'hip' cities) the tables are not first come first serve... you have to get 'bottle service' to get table rights - but then the table is yours for the night, and you can get up and dance and the table is still yours. Bottle service means you pay a ridiculous amount for a bottle of hard liquor, and then they supply mixers (we got vodka plus juices and red bull). Despite it being quite a spendy night, fun was certainly had.

I just wish I didn't feel like the high school band geek tagging along with the cheerleaders :) My mommy friends are hipper and thinner than I am. I did not know a single song they played - in fact to me it seemed liked one long song... Why am I such a granpa when it comes to music - 'what is this racket?' (with the cane shaking, you know?) Also, I had to dig in my closet for 20 minutes to find a purse that I don't think my 13 year old neice would have used... who has a nice purse when they always are carrying a diaper bag? But I definitely need to get a decent one. Especially for my NYC trip.

Speaking of thinner - I just completed my 3rd week of Weight Watchers. I've only lost 4 pounds, but I guess any progress is good. I need to add more workouts in, but the boys are at the hilt of 'separation anxiety' and just can't hack the day care at the gym. I need to try some different timings... even just to go for 20 minutes to do the elliptical - which by the way, kicks my butt.

I have been going to yoga a few nights a week - I love it! I can't believe how much less achy my body is, and how centered I can be in that hour. Last night I successfully did the crow position - I was so proud of myself.

Ok enough brain spewing for one night. Obviously yoga focus does not extend to blogging :)

Dairy State Girl

2007-09-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

Football season is finally here! Oh how I've missed my Badgers. We had a really fun weekend - Dan's brothers came into town and we went to the Wisconsin vs. UNLV game. I haven't been to a game since college, and it was such a good time. Dan and I got season tickets, so I am looking forward to more fun Saturday nights, followed by raspy voiced Sunday mornings. The UNLV fans that are in our section were fun, so that's cool. It will be weird to cheer for a team that's not Wisconsin, but UNLV is a red team too, so it won't feel to foreign...

In other dairy news - we have a milkman! I love it. Every Tuesday morning there is very fresh, hormone free milk on my doorstep. Also, hormone free cheese, organic yogurt and other goodies that I can change from week to week. Twice a month I get 7 pound of organic produce. This week we got a big melon, some dried dates, broccoli, cucumbers and artichokes. Who knew my boys would love dates? AND Not only is the milk fresher and healthier - it's cheaper and greener! The organic milk in the store comes in those waxed cardboard containers that are not recyclable. Winder Farms delivers their milk in plastic containers that you return - then they sterilize and reuse. Woohoo!

Also on the recycling front, my alternating week curb side recycling stinks. They don't take regular paper or paperboard, just newspaper and magazines. They also do not take any plastics besides #1 & 2. So I've been stock-piling my non-recyclable recyclables and finally found somewhere to take them. And I got almost $4! Here's a picture of my efforts:

Am I tooting my own horn, you may ask? Damn straight! But I've been telling other people about my efforts, and some of them have started stock piling too. Also, some of Dan's co-workers don't even have the every other week recycling, so they bring their glass and cans to our house. So if my tooting inspires others - I'm going to keep on blasting.

Alright, off my soap box and off to bed.

A day at the DMV

2007-08-23T18:37:00.000-07:00

It's official! I'm a Nevada resident - I spent a very long trying time at the DMV this afternoon and now I have a Nevada license with a picture of me, with the same forced, freaky smile that is every picture I pose for... the boys were pretty good considering they had to stay strapped in their stroller for well over 2 hours.

Going public places like the DMV is not easy for a twin mom - not only are there the obvious struggles of keeping young active children happy and somewhat behaved, but you must deal with THE COMMENTS that come with twin parentdom.

Here's a sampling of what I heard today (a good representation of what I hear EVERY time I go out with my boys)
1) You've got your hands full
2) Oh, Double Trouble!
3) God Bless you (accompanied by exasperated, pitying look)
4) I'm saying a prayer for you today for when they both start driving
5) He's the (fill in the blank) one Today Xander was "active" and "verbal" Noah was "strong" and "mellow"
6) My husband's aunt's neighbor's daughter-in-law just had twins.
7) Oh, I could never handle twins.

Here are some rants on each of these comments, that I must pour out through my fingers, or I might burst.

1) What a ridiculous thing to say, it has no meaning and I've heard it SO many times and people seem to say it even when the boys are on their best behavior. I've heard some moms say that I respond "better hands full than hearts empty" but just can't risk saying that to the wrong person - but I definitely think it.
2) Oh you are so clever! No one has ever thought of that rhyme before, much less said it to me - you should really try out to be Leno's replacement! Additionally, I do not appreciate you calling my children 'trouble' - they are no trouble at all, thank you very much!
3) Now I am a Christian, and I hate to complain about 'fellowship' but I just don't think that is really the true motivation behind this comment. It's like saying "wow I don't know why God would burden you so badly, and I hope he hasn't forgotten about you" Puh-lease! OBVIOUSLY my blessing is already here!
4)This was a first, but I've definitely had a lot of 'wait until they start _____' When they were crawling, it was walking - and guess what - life is much better now that they can walk!! And don't I want my children to grow and develop and obtain new skills? Wouldn't it be much worse if they didn't reach new stages?
5) Why do people who I have never met and have observed my children for less than 5 seconds feel they can pass judgement and determine what qualities they have? Both of my boys are smart, active, strong, verbal and mellow at some point in the day - and at no time is either of them 'evil'.
6) I realize that sometimes this is simply a conversation piece, but most of the time it's completely random and irrelevant - especially if we are not about to have a conversation. If you have twins yourself, are a twin, or are a very active grandparent of twins, you are more than welcome to mention that to me.
7) Like I thought to myself, "I am so the kind of person who could handle twins, that's definitely what I am going to do". Even if we'd had more help than we did (which is complicated and also NONE of your beeswax unless I offer it up) it's still not an active choice and so what would these people have done - left a baby at the hospital?

Whew - I feel better. I'm not trying to be nasty, I swear, it's just hard to hear the same stupid stuff all the time and try to have a response or at the very least manage a smile. On a nicer note, I enjoy it when people simply smile and move on or say quickly and without expecting me to stop something like, "you're so lucky" or "so cute" etc.

To end I had to share this, a mom selling some pokemon cards that her kids snuck into the grocery cart - a very, very funny narrative

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130144061675

A Night to Remember

2007-08-22T16:05:00.000-07:00

Gee, I've been a slacker blogger lately. The boys have been keeping me at the edge lately. Most of the time they are the cutest, smartest, best little babies I could ever have dreamed of - but occasionally their toddlerdom pushes me toward the brink. Mostly it's the throwing. Throwing their cup/plate/food at mealtime. Throwing anything you hand them if they're not in a good mood. I know they're just testing out their new skills and testing limits, which are developmentally appropriate things to do - but... sometimes I get tired of hearing myself say "food is for eating" "banana goes in your mouth or stays on your plate" etc... Makes me ready for the next stage... please!!

But instead of next stage, last night we had a MAJOR rewind. Xander was up most of the night. Just did not want to stay in his bed. Cried and cried. So I went and got him, then he jumped on and tickled daddy, climbed on the nightstand, anything but lay still - but he wasn't sick or upset. So then he calmed down, we put him back to bed - then more crying 10, 15 minutes - so then I went back... rinse and repeat (or in this case tylenol - no effect). I think he slept from 4:40 to 6:40... which is when Dan usually leaves for work, but instead it's when we all woke up - oops.

I really hope that was a one time thing. My body is not in the up all night with a baby mode anymore...

4 Years

2007-07-26T07:46:00.000-07:00

Today is our 4th wedding anniversary. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. Thus far, our marriage has been an amazing journey, and sometimes it makes me giddy to think about the many adventures we still have ahead of us. I just feel so blessed to have Dan as my partner, so I thought I would make a list of the things that make him a great husband:
1. He's my best friend:
when something happens, he's first person I want to tell
2. He thinks I'm funny
even though I have a strange sense of humor
3. He's a smart decision maker
from voting to circumcision - he researches and contemplates before he decides
4. He's a great teacher
he's patient, he really knows his subject, and he knows how to adjust explanations if someone doesn't get it the first time
5. He takes care of me
he opens doors, rubs my neck, carries stuff, was amazing when I was nearly immobile at the end of my pregnancy, brings home the bacon and yet...
6. He respects me
he says thank you, he compliments my cooking, praises my mothering, and insists on my abilities if I make reference otherwise and never makes me feel like I NEED to be taken care of.
7. He's an AMAZING father
I positively could not imagine what he could do better, he's loving, playful, encouraging, involved. He enjoys the fun parts and doesn't mind the dirty parts. He values my parenting goals, and stays informed on the how and why. And together we brought the 2 cutest, smartest, most wonderful little boys into this world.

Just went out to pick up a few things...

2007-07-16T23:12:00.000-07:00

Today the boys took a short morning nap - half an hour tops. They got up around 10:30, lunch at 11, played for a while and around 1pm I loaded them into the car for a quick trip to the grocery store, thinking we'd be back within the hour, and then they could take a decent afternoon nap.

We arrived at the grocery store and there were a couple cop cars parked outside - a small voice of worry in my head, but I figured if it was unsafe, they'd have diverted people from entering. Guessing that it was some simply a kid trying to snag some smokes or booze - or a drunken slot machine player (yep, all the grocery stores have slots - crazy town we live in), I plopped the boys into a cart (one in front, one in the basket - picture warnings thrown to the wind, yikes!) and headed inside. This was my first time at this grocery store, there's another one a block closer, but I thought I'd check this one out, to see if there were better deals/selection. So I was shopping a little slower than usual, wandering and then zig-zagging across the store to find the items on my list. There were a few overhead announcements about moving cars and they rattled off license plate numbers, I didn't here 'saturn vue' so I just figured someone had left the engine running, or left a dog in a closed car or something...

When I'd been there about 20 minutes and was almost through my list, a loud and clear announcement said "All cars must be removed from the parking lot immediately - everyone proceed to the exit" - hmmm - definitely something fishy going on (duh!), so I make my way to the front of the store, and a woman with her cart is headed toward me, I looked at her inquisitively and she told me that she had been told that she could not leave because of where her car was parked, nor could she move her car. I asked if she knew what was happening, and she told me she'd heard they'd found an attache case in the lot...

So I went up to the doors and asked one of the group of staff if I was supposed to move my car and she said as she pointed "if you're on that side, then you must leave, but if you're on that side, you have to stay" - I was in the middle, and said so, but toward the 'staying' side of the middle - so I said "so I should just continue shopping?" and she said yes -

So I just went back to my list which only had 'olives' and 'desitin' left on it - I found these 2 items, and then had just started making my way to the check out when the same shopper I had met before told me that "they want us all at the back of the store" so we all went back by the cheese to wait it out. Thankfully there was an endcap with some cheesy crackers - which kept the boys happy for a little while. The staff brought chairs from the patio/seasonal section and there was an empty cart, so I was able to have them both buckled in and facing me.

After 10 minutes or so they brought out some bakery items and fruit and bottled water - then later some fried chicken from the deli - after one bite of pound cake the boys refused anything else and devoured several pieces.

Placated by the pound cake, the boys were extremely well behaved for 2 guys who normally hate to be contained - many people commented on what good kids they were and how happy they were despite being stuck. I smiled and said thank-you giving off an air of superb mothering, but inside I knew it had much less to do with my talent at parenthood and much more to do with butter-induced moistness...

It was 3:30 and we'd been at the store nearly 2 hours and we finally heard through the grapevine that 'the robot was about to open the briefcase' about 20 minutes after that a police officer came back and simply said 'all clear, you are free to leave' - no news on the robot's findings or anything...

And so I went and paid for my groceries - though I insisted they not charge me for the cheesy crackers I would not have grabbed without the circumstances, and they willingly obliged. I put the boys in the car and then loaded the bags in - I pulled out a few feet before I realized I hadn't actually buckled the boys in, they were just sitting in the seats. That's when it hit me - I was suddenly quite overwhelmed and had to take several deep breaths and drinks of my bottled-water hand-out before I could leave.

The incident has not so far been reported on any internet news sites that I can find - but I guess I'm assuming that it was simply a left behind run of the mill briefcase with no bomb or other dangerous/illegal contents - because it seems like there would have been more questioning or further detainment after opening if it had been 'something' rather than 'nothing'

So that was my day - we came home and I let the boys have some more of the cheese-food crackers before we all laid down for a nap - and we slept till Dan got home at 6.

Bookworm

2007-07-12T23:13:00.000-07:00

I can't believe the last Harry Potter book is about to come out. It sort of snuck up on me and I realized I needed to reread the series before my copy arrived - which I have done for every other book. Since Sunday night I have read 1, 2, 3 and am half way through 4. I read mostly while the boys are napping, but they often play together without needing attention from me, so I can read a little while they play. They are very into copying our actions. If they find a spare piece of paper, they run over and put it into one of their books!

Other things they copy are putting toy phones down their shirt (I often use my cleavage as a pocket). Also, they have tried to pick up their plates to eat off them - which confused me at first - until I saw Dan finish off the milk after a bowl of cereal. They love to mimic us with writing utensils, forks and shoes - and love the fact that we finally put pillows in their cribs. Sure brings it home how our actions as parents really influence our children's...

27

2007-07-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

Today I turn 27. So I thought I should come up with 27 goals and put them down in black and white. Some long term, some short term, some big, some small, some simple, some complicated...

In no particular order:
1. Lose 27 lbs. by Christmas
2. Read more with Xander and Noah
3. Get involved at church
4. Remember my own bags when I go shopping
5. Take a biology class
6. Drink more water
7. Unpack
8. Keep a cleaner house
9. Get dressed (almost) every morning
10. Run the dishwasher only every other day
11. Be nicer to Dan when he gets home from work
12. Nap less
13. Go for walks
14. Pray more
15. Eat more whole foods
16. Buy fewer processed foods
17. Update the babysite frequently
18. Get Life Insurance
19. Have digital photos printed
20. Be consistent about putting sunscreen on Xander and Noah
21. Do a charity fundraiser
22. Learn to drive stick shift
23. Watch less TV
24. Dance more
25. Make myself a dress
26. Enjoy my children every day
27. Be more thankful

Alright, there they are, time to get started!

Car Shopping

2007-07-01T07:03:00.000-07:00

Ever since I got to Vegas, we have been looking for a 2nd vehicle. Mostly been looking at Craislist. We were really interested in this one, so Saturday morning I took it to mechanic to have it checked out. I waited nearly 2 hours for them to look at the car, and when they finally did, the guy comes back in not 5 minutes later and says 'you will not buy that car the engine is crap' it's rotted, needs a engine assembly it would cost at least 3K to fix it, and then who knows what else is wrong... Then he charged me the whole 90 buck fee for the inspection - for just turning the car on and listening to the engine. The whole time I was there he kept calling me 'kiddo'. Grrr - I hate when I let myself be treated that way! I'm a smart, confident, soon to be 27 year old woman! I'm still angry at myself for not trying to lower the price. ugh.

So I returned the car and we're back at square one. We decide we're not going to find anything on craigslist in our price range, and that we'll go to a dealer, look for something a little more expensive, and finance some of it. The first place we went they tried to sell us a Ford Taurus that was out of our price range. They were crazy pushy and kept trying to make deals with us - it's hard to escape a 300 lb man in a baby blue linen suit... but this time I did much better and stuck to my guns and kept saying that it wasn't the car for us, especially since the mileage was only 21/26. So then he says, well if you pay a little less on the car, but have to spend a little more on gas, that will even out. And I said, NOPE! I'm a tree-hugger and using less gas is not just about money and we left - well sort of snuck out.

The next place we went just sucked, they tried to put us in a new car that was double what we were looking to spend. We went there because there had been an ad in the paper for a new Chevy Aveo for $7500 - apparently this price was after an assumed $2500 trade in and for a car with no air conditioning - who would possibly consider buying a car with no A/C in LAS VEGAS! Scammers....

So finally we wound up at Friendly Ford - and they were actually true to their name. Best car dealer experience I've ever had. They listened to what we were looking for and we got a decent deal on a '03 Ford Escort. It's 2 door, but we don't intend on putting carseats in it - but it does have LATCH - so if we had to put the boys in it, we could. It's a stick shift - which means we're going to have to get a babysitter just so Dan can teach me to drive it... but it's not urgent, as the main purpose of the car is a commuter car for him, and the mileage is rated at 28/34!

That is the story of yesterday, it was an exhausting day, and the boys were awesome. Thank goodness car dealerships all have helium balloons - that kept them very busy - trying to figure out why those balls were floating in the air... Hooray for a new car!

Creepy Crawly

2007-06-26T07:47:00.000-07:00

So we had friends over Sunday night, which was very fun. Tan and Nathan are also Las Vegas transplants, and they were giving us the low down on what we had in store for us. One thing we talked about was pests... We have an ant superhighway that runs the entire perimeter of our house. I've meaning to research ways to get rid of this. I've only see 1 or 2 in the house, so I wasn't too pressed. Tan warned me that roaches are very prevelent in these areas - yuck! I had seen a bug in our office, but it was dark when I saw it so I didn't think it was a roach.

So last night I was piling up some more recyclables in the garage (only 2 more days till pick-up, woohoo!) - and I saw a icky gross red roach - ewww! And now in retrospect, I do believe the bug I saw in the office last week was his brother - ewww, again! So today I called a pest control service - Bulwark, who claims to be environmentally friendly and use organic treatments, and the internal service they administer through the electrical outlets, so even though they say there stuff is safe for kids/humans - I think I'll still feel better with it inside the walls than on the baseboards.

Fruit and Recycling

2007-06-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

We went grocery shopping Tuesday night and Raspberries were on sale for a DOLLAR! Just the small square container that you usually see them in, and they were on sale, but I have never seen them for under $3, even on sale. So I bought 4 pacakges - delicious! Also, the bananas here are huge - about the same length, but alot more girth - the boys use to finish a whole one no problem, now there is always some left on the plate.

So I had to do some calling around to figure out recycling. When I asked the rental people originally, the agent did not know, because "Recycling is not mandatory in Nevada, and I guess I should be embarrased, but I don't recycle." I replied, "You should be embarrased!!" Silly naive me, I had no idea how lucky I was to have lived in Chicago, Wisconsin and Connecticut - who all have great programs. So our trash gets picked up twice a week (this seems completely ridiculous, as I only accumulate 1 bag of trash per week plus 2 bags of diapers), but recycling only picks up once every other week. My bins won't be delivered for 3-4 weeks - I hope they're huge, because I always have an overflowing bin of recyclables. Although we are hoping to get a faucet attachment water purifier thing, so that should cut out the water bottles.

So those are 2 things that are different here in the desert.

Out of my Head, On to the Web

2007-06-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

So, I decided that my head is too full of thoughts, and a girl can only spend so much time on the phone (though in my case, that's still alot) and thus this blog was born! For those of you that know me, I will still maintain our baby website that has all the news and pictures of Xander and Noah. But I wanted a place where I could release all the things that are going on in my head, in a rambling, run-on way, that did not always have to be the sugar-coated version of my life as a stay at home mom, recently relocated to Las Vegas from the Midwest.