Christmas Fun

Our Christmas celebrations are in full force! The girls helped me decorate the tree this year- I just let them at it. The ornaments aren't perfectly placed, but they had so much fun with it. They spend several minute each day tending to the tree, they love rearranging the ornaments.

They also had a ton of fun putting presents under the tree. I was afraid that they might try open them, but other than rearranging them a time or two they have left them alone.

budding artist

I prefer not to interfere with Audrey's creative process.

bedtime shenanigans

The girls have been resistant to bedtime (and naps) lately. A while back I took a bunch of toys out of rotation, but in a recent moment of brilliance I started luring the girls into their room with "special toys". They had been doing so well playing independently that I decided to let them have a wooden puzzle tonight. Big mistake.

I heard a bit of a scuffle, then Claire started bawling. She can be a bit dramatic, but I figured I better check things out. Both girls were completely naked (a new favorite trick) and Claire exclaimed "sissy tried to hit me!". Audrey was holding the puzzle and calmly responded, "yeah, I bashed sissy". (Side note: where did she ever learn the word "bash"? That is definitely not a Daniel Tiger sanctioned activity!)

Needless to say, I put the puzzle away, their diapers back on, and sent them back to bed. Audrey was just singing the potty song from Daniel Tiger, and is now kicking the door so I can say with a 97% confidence interval that she is once again naked.

claire conversations

Claire: Maybe when daddy wakes up we can go to the mall. That would be fuuuunnn.

Me: What would we buy at the mall?

Claire: Maybe some grapes? And apples?

You have much to learn my dear child...

proud moments

We are in the throes of potty training. I told Claire that I was proud of her for keeping her underwear dry and she responded "I'm proud of me too mommy".

She is also a geometry whiz. I showed her a triangle yesterday and asked her what it was: "well it has 3 sides, it's a triangle!"

declutter day 2

Day 2 of my clutter busting purge went off without incident. It was a little harder to find 100 things to toss in the bedroom, but I completed the project in under 20 minutes.

Next week I'll probably work on some of the stuff that's harder to part with (like shoes) but starting easy should help me build momentum.

let's get organized: the 100 challenge

A while ago I read "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up". I'm sure you've all heard of it by now, but if you haven't read it asap. It is a quick 1-2 evening read.

Anyway, some of her philosophies don't fit with my lifestyle, but the mood to purge struck tonight.

I challenged myself to throw away 100 things. Sadly, this only took 15 minutes. And no, I don't belong in an episode of hoarders.

Here is how it went down. I started in the kitchen and tossed receipts (I will be so happy when receipts go the way of the vcr) and junk mail. Next I hit up the bathroom with reckless abandon.

Here's the deal. Get rid of the products you don't use without guilt. Throw away that bright pink lipstick, instead of being mad that you wasted $2.97, thank it for teaching you it wasn't your color (and now I have just kondo-ized you). Toss those half empty shampoo bottles you took from the hotel and next time do yourself a favor and leave them behind. And don't even get me started on expired medications.

See how fast you can get to 100- this should be fun! Well, maybe my idea of fun is a bit different than yours, but I have two small children that can't be left unattended.

Have I convinced you yet? Great! Now you can play along with me. For the next 5 days we are going to get rid of 100 items per day. Take a few deep breaths- it isn't as terrible as it sounds because digital clutter counts too, so emails and selfies are included. 

Here is an outline of my clutter-busting week:

Monday- junk mail and bathroom

Tuesday- master bedroom and purses

Wednesday- 2nd bathroom and cleaning products

Thursday- personal email and phone

Friday- work email

And remember- this is just garbage we are throwing out- socks whose mate has been long gone, party invitations that you wouldn't put in a scrapbook, underwear that is more than a decade old. 

my paci... I think it's probably gone!

Monday (the 9th of August...) started like any other day. I was leaving for work and saying bye to the girls. Audrey snuck her pacifier out of her room and I told her to put it back. I thought she tossed it in her room and went on my way.

Justin texted me at nap time letting me know that the paci was AWOL. He powered through it and Audrey was in good spirits when I got home. She went to bed without much incident, only commenting "my paci, it's probably gone".

I frantically looked for the paci that night, knowing that if she found it all bets for weaning would be off (I actually found it 2 days later behind the shoe basket in the entry).

So we have been paci free for a couple of weeks. That first week Audrey woke up crying for it in the middle of the night.

I started telling her about all the things she can do as a big girl (but things I would be ok doing in the motn) but Claire chimed in, "go on an adventure, stay with grandma and papa..."

Audrey still asks about her paci sometimes. First it was, "my paci! It's probably gone!" But her last statement was "my paci went in the garbage".

When we are out and about and she's other kids with pacis she gets really excited and in their face, proclaiming "paci! Paci!" But she hasn't tried to steal one, so I'm calling it a success.

the case of the missing markers

Claire: (Looking out the window) That's Miss Allie's house!

Me: Yup!

Claire: She take it!

Me: Who took it?

Claire: She take it! She take-a my markers!

Side note: contrary to popular belief, Allie is not a marker thief- she has markers that the girls play with when we go over for a visit. Marker play gives Justin heart palpitations, so we only have the special color wonder markers, which apparently are not as much fun.

does this make me a cool mom?

I spent more time than anyone in her 30's should putting together this masterpiece.

We will see how long it takes for the girls to destroy my creation. Also, if they wake up in the middle of the night it will be game over.

But I won't stress, because I'm not a regular mom, I'm a cool mom ;)

no, I'm a copycat

Audrey repeats pretty much everything we say these days. She also refers to herself as a copycat as a term of endearment. I recently said "good morning dolly" and she corrected me with, "no I'm a copycat". Duly noted.

the most wonderful shopping time of the year

T minus 4 days until the Nordstrom anniversary sale! I am contemplating getting a Nordstrom card so I can have early access next year, but we will see. I would say that over the last year about 1/4th of my shopping dollars went to Nordstrom/the rack.

This is a great time to replenish essentials, like the natori feathers bra and  zella live-in leggings. During fall/winter I wear the leggings at least once per week, so it will be nice to have another pair.

These Sam Edelman beauties are on my list.

Due to issues with tendonitis I've had to retire my sky high heels, but these will be a nice compromise. About half of my recent shoe purchases have been Sam Edelman.

Next up is the Kendra Scott rayne necklace. I've been pining after this for at least a year, so provided it stays in stock I will pull the trigger.

If these are in stock in your size, but them. Let me live vicariously through you.

If you need more shopping ideas, this is always a great time to stock up on purses, boots, and denim.

fewer toys equals more fun (?)

I recently noticed that aside from their baby dolls, the girls hadn't really been engaging with their toys lately. Pinterest told me that they might have too many choices. I don't know about you, but I listen to Pinterest. So last night I started packing up their toys. I started with the ones with several pieces/are a bit too developmentally advanced. 

Then I tackled the duplicates. Do they really need 45 pieces of train track when only 8 pieces fit in the table? And do they need access to all of their duplos when their preferred form of play is just to dump them all out? I don't think they will even notice the difference. 

When they were under a year old (and all of their toys fit in one basket) I was really good about rotating them out. I'm not quite sure when I started slacking, but I'm ready to reclaim my floors.

I separated the toys that I'm storing into small boxes by type, and grouped them all in one large box. That way if one day they suddenly can't get enough of their trains, I can pull a few more pieces out. And if several months go by without pulling something out of storage, I can get rid of it.

Here is what the basement currently looks like. Keep in mind that every single bin and the fridge were overflowing before the great purge of 2015.

Another solution I like is to shop more (shocking, right?). Apparently the school of thought is that if you buy fewer items around the holidays you can space out new toys throughout the course of the year and always have something developmentally appropriate.

happy 4th

We are having a low-key celebration around here. I have a few craft projects up my sleeve and will share them if they don't end up as #pinterestfails.

Here are the girls in their festive outfits:

It's crazy how tall Audrey is! The dress looked like it was going to be a midi, but it is knee length. She is starting to wear 3t (where did my baby go?)

birthday fun

We celebrated Cameron's 2nd birthday and had a great time. I didn't take many pictures, but here are a few of the girls enjoying the festivities:

Audrey and the birthday boy:

The girls were afraid of the slip and slide at first, but ended up enjoying it. Justin remembered that we have one from college packed away in our attic, so one of these days he will get it out of storage.

I ended up ordering new swimsuits for the girls last weekend- these are theirs from last year and they are getting a bit snug. I probably could have made these work for the rest of the summer, but I'm hoping that the girls will enjoy the hotel pool when we are in Rapid City! And I think few things are grosser than putting on a damp swimsuit, so it will be nice to have another set.

claire conversations

This girl always has something to say- she is either talking or sleeping! A few recent gems:

Pointing to the ditch: "look mamma! There's the wicked witch!"

"She broke you, she cut your hair, hallelujah!"

"What's the Justin doing?"

Regarding any insect, "that's a ladybug"

Getting a little dirty playing outside "oh dear mommy, I so messy, I sticky!"

About our dog "Avery so stinky, Avery needs a bath!"

Trying to put off bedtime "No mommy! I still playing cuddle!" Or "cuddle a little bit!"

Not wanting to come inside, "no mommy! I still playing slide!"

Whenever she needs help, "help you mommy! Heellp you!"

And one of my recent favorites: "what papa doing?" Without waiting for an answer, "papa eating soup!" Then Audrey chimes in "papa doesn't like the soup!" (True story).

Audrey has quite a few words, but doesn't have the constant stream of one liners like Claire. She has told me some funny things, like "I don't like Sesame Street" and regarding her pacifier, "no mommy! I still using it!"

running

So I have taken up running again. Although my running is really more of a slow jog, but runners don't like to be accused of jogging, mmkay?

I have been feeling a bit disappointed with my pace (9.5-10 minute mile pace sans girls, 11-12 with the double jogger) but after a bit of reflection I realized that I hadn't even ran 1 mile last summer. Right now I am following a 10k training plan and can do 3 miles without stopping, so that is tangible progress.

I want to get faster, so I will need to put in more runs and add some speed work. I have never been particularly fast, I ran 6:30 miles in high school and 8:30 in recreational running in college (long story as to how I ended up taking that class, but that semester was pretty much the only time I exercised my entire collegiate career). If facebook is to be trusted, I ran a sub 8 minute mile in 2012. I actually remember that run well- it was at the local gym's track- with 9 laps to a mile... So the more likely story was that I counted wrong.

Anyway, I plan on running a 10k in October. My current goal is to have a sub 60 minute finish- I am sure I will develop secondary goals as my fitnes levels improve.

And because you really just come for the babies...

claire conversations

Claire is quite the little chatterbox. I have no idea where she gets it from. A few recent highlights:

Regarding a random twenty something man in Target "ooh, that's a nice daddy". Perhaps that we could be a good opener if I was in fact on the prowl for a new man, but her own "nice daddy" was just a few feet away.

Singing "I like you just the way you are". This is a product of Daniel Tiger, but is adorable.

Shutting me in her room and saying "bye bye mommy, I love you" as she waltzes off.

Presiding from her perch, commanding birds and cars to "get back here"

And the last is nonverbal, but whenever we encounter someone on our runs, she gives them a beauty queen wave.

claire gets ready

One morning, Claire decided that she wanted to get ready too. After she was done applying her "make up", she told me "there, that's better".

spring essentials

Number one is babyganics spray lotion sunscreen. According to the ewg the chemicals in it will kill you, but I think the threat of melanoma is more realistic.

Floppy hats are next up. The girls know that they aren't allowed outside without one.

Bubbles are another top item. I love the fubbles brand- they don't spill when tipped over.

We picked up a couple of balls today- they were a huge hit.

The sandbox had provided hours of fun- the girls love making sand pies.

Having a swingset and slide is also a huge plus. A fenced in yard and home swingset are essential for twin toddlers.

I didn't post about this in my clothing essentials post, but play clothes are another must have. I've found that jeans work better than leggings for outdoor play. I also have a couple of sweatshirts that are perfect for playing outside.

audrey talks about feelings

I've been working on feeling identification with the girls. "Sad" is the feeling that has stuck with Audrey- several times a day she will come up and tell me "Audrey so sad". One of the things that really gets her is when she drops her pacifier- she will tell me "paci drop it, Audrey so sad".

I think I will need to teach her disappointed- I think that may more accurately capture her emotions. And she is able to say that she is happy, it just needs a bit more coaching.

I almost forgot- she knows scared too. We were at the farm and my cousinwas turning on some sort of tractor/truck contraption. My mom was carrying her and she clutched on tight saying "Audrey so scared" ( and yes... she always refers to herself in the third person).

photo shoot

Amanda is going to have a tough job when we do 2.5 year pictures this summer. Audrey kept on jumping up and down saying "Audrey hold it" (referring to the camera) and Claire wanted nothing to do with pictures at all.

projects

We have had to get a bit creative around here to deal with winter boredom.

Claire got cold and needed a break.

dresses and braids

I have been practicing my braiding skills on Claire. The definitely need improvement, but I have lots of time to practice. She refuses to wear barrettes, so a braid is the only way to keep hair out of her face.

Here is a better shot of the braids... 

I am loving these dresses. They are tea collection. The thing about tea is 2x per year they visit a different destination. Last fall it was Germany. I only ordered a couple of dresses because I figured they would have lots more cute stuff this spring/summer. Of course they have some adorable stuff, but nothing as cute as the Germany line #thestruggleisreal. I'm hoping that a visit to Nordstrom rack will yield a few good finds.

The bird print is one of my favorites... I'm sure my mom will give me a hard time about it because in the not so distant past I teased her about buying bird fabric. I guess I am converted. #birds4lyfe