Tutus and Tantrums

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T09:22:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!!!! Here are some pics from our photo shoot today! I must admit, we are getting some better shots these days!

Madeline's take on potty training...

2012-02-09T09:50:00.000-05:00

Today I took Madeline to Target to pick out her big girl underwear. We went a few weeks ago but they were all out of her size so today was take 2. She happily chose the Hello Kitty pack and hugged them the entire way home. How awesome right? I thought it was so great she was this excited about them.

When we got home, we quickly opened the package to try them on. She took two pairs out and slid them onto her arms and said "OH NO! TOOOO BIG!". Hmm. This is a problem that she thinks these belong on her arms. I explained to her that these went on our bodies, we pull them down to go pee pee, blah blah blah. She just laughed. I let her play with them for a little while and then she got bored and we went our happy ways in the living room.

About an hour passed and I noticed that the pack of underwear with the remaining 4 pairs in it was missing. We had only been in 2 rooms all morning and they were GONE.

Fast forward to later in the day, I walk into Curtis' office to get a paper off of the printer and look down to see this:

Yes, that is the Hello Kitty underwear in the trash can. After laughing hysterically and snapping a pic, I took them out. When Madeline woke up from her nap, she happened to walk in there and was quite perplexed when she walked into the office and the underwear were no longer in the trash. Sorry kid, potty training is not that easy to get out of!

Need a new diaper bag? Check these out!

2012-02-07T10:32:00.000-05:00

One of our sponsors, Layla Grace, has great new diaper bags by Petunia Pickle Bottom. It’s the brand every style conscious new mom craves! The Petunia Pickle Bottom Spring 2012 collection has arrived at Layla Grayce, featuring all new prints in their popular diaper bags, totes, coordinating travel bags, cell phone cases, baby carriers, slings, layette sets and more. Not to mention, Layla Grayce is offering Free shipping on Petunia Pickle Bottom orders over $50. Don't miss out on this amazing offer because this brand is extremely popular on baby registries and wish lists. Layla Grayce also offers free gift wrap on all Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bags and accessories. Additionally, if you spend over $250 in Petunia Pickle Bottom products you can receive a coupon for $25 that can be used towards your next Layla Grayce purchase. Enjoy!

Happy Shopping!

First Snow of the Year!

2012-02-04T21:31:00.001-05:00

Mother nature has decided to be kind to me (well for the past few months anyways). After the winter from hell last year, this year we have enjoyed much warmer weather and a few inches of snow. Two weeks ago we had a nice small snow storm and the kids got to go out and play in it! Then it melted the next day and we are all happy about it (mostly me...).

Brooke was so excited to make a snow angel!

Here is how it turned out! Pretty cool!

Madeline absolutely loved the snow. She could not get enough of it!

Brooke loved trying to make snowballs and throwing them at us.

Here are some attempts at family pics. It was snowing pretty hard at this point but I am really trying to get us in more pictures with the kids this year!

Brooke's face is hilarious in this picture!

and of course Madeline looks in this one and Brooke does not :)

Here is a video of our day!

We had a great time in the snow. When we came back in Brooke complained she didn't feel good. Turns out she had strep throat. Oops! Well at least she had a good time playing before the fever hit her!

Chatty Kathy. A.K.A. Brooke

2012-01-31T18:36:00.000-05:00

Brooke talks non-stop. I have to remind myself that 3 years ago she was enrolled in speech therapy with a total of 20 words. I used to cry thinking she would never talk, etc. HA! Well she proves me wrong daily. Last week I recorded a few conversations we had over a two day span. This is not even close to everything, but it gives you a glimpse into the questions I have to try and answer. She has been on a God/Heaven kick so those questions are super hard to answer in a way that she deems satisfactory.

-Mom, was God in New York when I was born.? Where is he? Why did you have two babies in your stomach? Why didn’t we come out at the same time? Did I have toys when I was in there? Why did you want to have me first? How come Madeline came second?

-When I grow up I want a girl baby, not a boy. Do I get to pick? Why not? (cries)

-Do we have birthdays in Heaven? What about Santa? Does Santa come to Heaven? Who brings toys there then? Do you have toys in Heaven? Why do people die when they are young?

-Did you and Dad make me? With God? How did you see God to help you make me? Will I understand once I have my own baby? (YES LOL).

-What time did I wake up this morning? Did Madeline get up at the same time?

-Mommy guess what? I am going to make a picture about a piece of paper.

-Why when I first saw the Elf on the Shelf movie did I not sing the songs right away? Why did we get a boy elf?

-Mommy guess what? Remember the birthday when I turned 3? Now I remember the 4 and the 5.

-Are Dinosaurs in Heaven? Why did Dinosaurs come first? Is finding Dinosaur bones like finding noodles in sauce? Why are some bones in rocks? What would happen if humans and dinosaurs lived together? How do the people at the museum know what a dinosaur would look like? Why did dinosaurs lie down when they died? Did God start making people once all of the Dinosaurs died?

-Why did Claire at school say I was not invited to her party when I am? Was she lying?

-I think the Lite Brite people are lying to me. The box shows pink lite brite pegs but there are none!

-What designs can I have on my birthday invitations? I want Rapunzel. Did you know? Guess What? On Lexi’s star student paper it said she liked rapunzel too!

-Mom do I have germs in my body?

Yes but your medicine is taking care of it.

OH so there are little men in suits in my body cleaning up the germs??

Uh…I don’t think so. The medicine works on its own.

I plan on doing this a few times a year just to see what her conversations are like as she grows older :)

Blog Giveaway: The winner of the January blog giveaway has been notified! Thanks to all that participated!!!!

Meal Plans week of 1/29

2012-01-30T08:46:00.000-05:00

Here are the meal plans for the week! Two meals from last week were bumped so they may look familiar :) Hope you have a great week!

Sunday: tortellini, salad, garlic bread
Monday: BBQ beef cups
Tuesday: 6 can tortilla soup
Wednesday: Beef stroganoff in the crock pot
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: Marinated grilled chicken, rice, veggie
Saturday: Undecided, but probably Lasagna

Happy Blogaversary to me!!!!

2012-01-29T16:32:00.000-05:00

ONE YEAR! My blog is officially one year old today! Here is a giant pat on the back to myself for actually keeping up with it! I am horrible at keeping their baby books up to date, so I am so excited to be able to print out my blog into books for them to read when they grow up! It's also a great way to see what we have accomplished this year. We have been busy with a lot of things!

To honor this day here are pictures of both of my kids on their first birthdays:

Brooke at 1 year:

Madeline at 1 year:

Here is to another great year of blogging! I have had over 11,500 visitors to my blog this year. Glad to know people are reading :)

Save the Drama for Your Mama

2012-01-26T10:56:00.000-05:00

Madeline has what we call a "Flair for the Dramatics". Brooke has it too but in a completely different way. Brooke is dramatic about life events, cries over everything, loves to perform, etc. Madeline throws fits. I am sure she will grow into the other type of drama, but for now she just gets super mad and cries. Screams and cries.

Here was her latest drama. Funny thing is I have no idea what she was mad about. We were sitting on the couch watching TV. Then she suddenly got off of the couch, threw her pacifier and elephant (standard procedure before a tantrum), and started screaming. One day at her wedding I will show these videos to her husband so he knows what he's in for. :)

January Blog Giveaway!!!

2012-01-22T22:08:00.001-05:00

It's time for another giveaway!!! This month my friend Mandy at Passion Parties is sponsoring this months giveaway!

Here is a personal message from Mandy about her company and products:

Passion Parties is North America's premier sensual party plan company. Passion Parties was founded to provide women with a comfortable, fun environment for learning about and purchasing sexual enhancement products. Our party presentations are classy, educational and FUN! We carry a wide variety of products from the mild to the wild. So surely, there is something for everyone. We are always welcoming new Passion Consultants as well. The Passion Parties approach offers Consultants a way to run their own flexible, female-oriented business while giving customers a friendly way to hear sexual advice and information. So whether you want to hold a party (anywhere in North America), just find something fun to spice things up or own your own business, I can help.

Mandy Roberts
Executive Director
Passion Parties

Mandy is giving away the Pom Perfection set! Here is a description of the product:

Awaken the Passion Diva within. Infused with the sensual fragrance of Pomegranate Ginger, this set includes Refreshing Bath & Shower Creme, Smoothing Sugar Scrub, Toning Body Butter and FREE Super Deluxe Smitten. It is valued at $77.00

**DISCLAIMER** Mandy's website is for people 18 and over. Please do not open this with your kiddos around or let them browse ;)

Need something for Valentine's Day? Check out Mandy's site for some great gifts!

Mandy's personal website is www.mandyspassion.yourpassionconsultant.com
Use the code TUTU15 and receive 15% off of your order! This is valid from January 23rd-30th.

Here are your ways to enter the giveaway:

1. Leave a comment here on my blog in the comment box below. :) That will get you ONE entry. An order is not required to win so just leave your name here if you want a chance!

2. If you order from Mandy by January 30th, you will get FIVE extra entries into the giveaway. All orders will be delivered by Valentine's day. Do not forget to use your discount code to get 15% off: TUTU15

**All orders placed will be confidential. Mandy will be tracking those orders for me and they will not be made public. I will contact the winner privately on January 31. You do not have to comment here on the blog to state that you ordered. :)

If you have any questions feel free to email me or you can email Mandy at passionatenightsbymandy@yahoo.com. The winner of the giveaway will be announced on January 31! Good luck and happy shopping!

Meal Plans week of Jan 22

2012-01-22T13:34:00.002-05:00

It's taken me over a month, but I am finally back on track with meal planning, blogging, daily life, etc. It calms me to have my meals planned and my grocery list written by Sunday morning. It's the little things...

Sunday: leftovers
Monday: Chicken Alfredo
Tuesday: Grilled steaks and veggies
Crockpot Wednesday: Thai Pork Stew
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: Cheese Tortellini, salad, and garlic bread
Saturday: BBQ Beef Cups, green beans

Martin Luther King Jr. from Brooke's perspective

2012-01-16T08:54:00.000-05:00

Here is a conversation Brooke and I had yesterday about Martin Luther King Jr. She is obsessed with heaven right now so its not a shock that this is the direction the conversation took. Plus once I said Martin Luther King Jr. was no longer alive it was a no brainer :)

Is it Martin Luther Kings Birthday yet?

No Tomorrow.

YEAH!!!!!!! How old is he going to be?

Well he is dead so we just celebrate what a great man he was because he did great things.

Why is he dead? When I am dead will I not be here on the earth to talk anymore?

No not on earth. Your spirit will go to heaven.

Well when I get to heaven will I see Martin Luther King?

Yes you can.

Well what planet did he go to when he died?

He didn’t go to another planet, he went to Heaven.

Well can you help me find him when I get to heaven? There are a lot of people in heaven and I don’t want to get him mixed up.

I have fallen off the face of the earth

2012-01-10T12:59:00.000-05:00

I am so so so behind on life in general, that the blog has been put on the back burner. I did not bring my laptop on vacation and now I am sick and have zero time to upload pics and do updates. I didn't even turn my laptop on until last night and we had been home for 5 days at that point! Hopefully by the weekend I can get some updates put up on here and get this blog back up and running! Oh and stay tuned for a special Valentine's Day giveaway too! (I must admit it was nice to be disconnected from the cyber world for a few weeks and just enjoy our vacation. However, I did FB from my iphone. I couldn't keep off of there!)

Madeline's First Haircut!

2012-01-09T11:58:00.000-05:00

Madeline's hair was looking very raggedy, so I decided it was time to cut her curly locks! Brooke had regular hair cuts starting at 7 months. Madeline is a baldy and honestly didn't NEED the cut, but she needed a trim to make it look neater.

We headed off to the mall where they have a place that has cars to sit in and TV's to watch. I wasn't sure how she would do, but she was SOLD when she saw the yellow Taxi.

She did so well while her lovely mullet was trimmed right up. She has NO hair on the sides of her head so we are hoping it grows in soon into more of a bob style.

Here she is looking very serious but at least behaving :) I think the woman took me saying "I don't want bangs" to mean "I want bangs". Oh well. They will grow out.

Here is the finished product! Not bad! They even gave me a sweet little certificate to save her hair on! That will go in the baby book. :)

The San Diego Zoo

2011-12-28T19:52:00.000-05:00

Every year we spend some time with my in-laws in San Diego but never really do much sight seeing. This year we decided to take the kids to the San Diego zoo. They were great ages for it and I had not been since I was a child.

First of all, the weather was gorgeous! We were actually dressed too warm for most of the trip. Our first stop was to see the Elephants. Madeline LOVED it. We actually got to see them get a bath and be fed and they were really close to us.

We also saw the lions. They were asleep but right against the glass so we could see them close up. Madeline kept screaming saying "ASLEEEEEPPPP". Brooke was not thrilled. She had a chip on her shoulder at the zoo for some reason.

We did manage to get one family photo out of the day. I must say I am shocked at how our photos are actually starting to have all 4 family members looking at once!

The petting zoo was a huge hit as well! I wanted to burn their clothes after being in there, but the kids had a good time :)

Here are some other animals we saw on our HIKE. I say hike because I had no idea that zoo was so hilly and rugged. By the end my legs were burning!

At the end of the day Brooke HAD to see the Pandas. The line was so long and it was so hot waiting in line to end up seeing this:

Madeline could not even see the Panda and Brooke just said "why isn't he moving?" and that was the end of our Panda experience.

Overall we had a great trip! Brooke is asking to go to Sea World so maybe we will do that on our next visit to CA.

Here is a pic from our last day in San Diego. Such a pretty day!

Christmas Celebration #1

2011-12-23T12:17:00.000-05:00

Right after arriving in CA, we had a Christmas Celebration with my mom's side of the family. It was nice to see all of our relatives we had not seen in a year! My uncle dressed up as Santa and the kids were thrilled!

Behold a family photo that is halfway decent!

Here are the kids with Santa. Brooke was on cloud nine! Madeline actually sat on his lap which I was shocked at since our visit to Santa at the mall did not go over so well!

We then opened gifts which of course was their favorite part of the night! It also gave us some things to keep the kids entertained at Grandma's until Christmas!

I hope everyone is having a great Holiday Season so far! I am going to try my best to not fall behind on this blog while we are out of town but that is not going so well :)

A Brooke funny for the weekend

2011-12-09T12:15:00.001-05:00

Brooke said this to me on our way home from swimming lessons today:

"Mom, I am sure glad you decided to have me first and not Madeline. I am glad I am not the little sister. Big sisters are better."

Why you are welcome, Brooke! I really had a say in the matter.....

Our visit to Rockefeller Center

2011-12-04T16:22:00.001-05:00

Since we live near NYC I want to take full advantage of it while we can. Last year we had big plans to go see the tree in Rockefeller Center but the day we wanted to go was freezing, Brooke had a fever, Madeline would have been too cold, etc. It never happened.

This year I was determined to go. I knew Brooke would love it! I planned for us to take the train, have lunch at the Stardust Diner, then walk over to Rockefeller Center to see the tree, maybe do some shopping, etc. It was a loose plan and now I am glad I didn't have anything set in stone.

The city was awesome, but super crowded. I really have not been in the city on the weekends much. Normally we go during the week and its pretty empty in most of the touristy places. Not true for a weekend during December! Curtis had the pleasure of navigating the stroller through the crowds. He only cursed a few times :)

We made our way to the Stardust Diner and we saw a line around the block. I thought it was a line for something else so I asked the last person and they were waiting for the Diner! There were probably 100 people in line. We wisely chose to go elsewhere. NO way my kids could have waiting that long in the cold. Instead we went to TGI Fridays. 2 appetizers+1 kids cheese pizza = $57!!! Way to inflate the menu Fridays! Oh well. We were starving and cold so it was a nice break and we were seated right away.

After lunch we headed to Rockefeller Center. It was crowded! The line for ice skating was very long but I had not really planned on doing that anyways.

Here are the 3 pics from the day. First off the tree in all its glory! Very nice!

Curtis and Brookie. She was so excited!

Madeline and I. I guess I am too short to actually get the entire tree in the picture. Or there was some photographer error :)

After our tree viewing we headed to Toys R Us per Brooke's request. NEVER AGAIN will I go there on a weekend. OMG it was literally wall to wall people. You could barely move. After that we were done and headed home on the train. We were all beat!

Overall we had a great day! No tears from anyone and we accomplished what we set out to do!

Crockpot Wednesday!

2011-11-30T08:39:00.001-05:00

I did not post meal plans this week so here is today's Crockpot Recipe. I found it on Pinterest of course!

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chile

I have a few recipes that are similar to this so I hope its a hit!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving (a few days late...)

2011-11-28T15:16:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We had a fun filled weekend of eating, ER visits, shopping, and hotel sleeping.

Of course Wednesday morning while we were packing the car, Madeline started running a fever. Lovely. There was no time to call the Dr., so I gave her some motrin and we went on our way. We picked up Brooke from school and shockingly did not hit a ton of traffic while traveling to Curtis' Aunt and Uncle's house in Springfield, MA. Madeline's fever would not go down and by Thursday morning she was pathetic. There were not any urgent cares open so off to the ER we went.

Here is my little sick patient:

After them finding no cause for her fever, they wanted to test her for a UTI (which was very involved). I decided not to go that route just yet and we left without any answers but at least I knew she did not have pneumonia, bronchitis, or an ear infection :)

The rest of Thanksgiving was great! The kids looked adorable if I do say so myself.

Here they are with their cousin C. Don't they all look thrilled to be doing this photo shoot?

Friday I set out to do some shopping. I had a BLAST! I think since most stores opened at midnight, by the time I got there at 7am it was not crowded at all! I got some great deals. I convinced Kate to steal a shopping cart and I would push it :) I was so glad. I bought 3 Yankee Candles and they were heavy!

Overall the weekend was fine, but Madeline was such a crab the last day. Yesterday she broke out in a rash and has roseola so that solved the fever mystery! I know this won't be the last time a holiday is interrupted by an illness.

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving! On to Christmas now! I am done shopping, my cards are mailed out, and now I am starting to prep for our trip to CA!

Bad Santa Photos

2011-11-20T20:58:00.001-05:00

Call me crazy. Call me cruel. But I just love photos of kids crying on Santa's lap. It almost should be a rite of passage for all kids under the age of 5. I mean its not scary at all for your parents to drop you onto the lap of a complete stranger dressed in a red suit with a giant white beard right???

A few years ago when Brooke was 19 months old, we got this gem:

The best part about this was that Curtis and I were laughing hysterically as she freaked out. Parents of the year here!

This year we once again had a Santa hater. Madeline really isn't afraid of anything so I didn't think she would freak out. Well, she just wanted to give us another photo gem to treasure for all time:

Yes, that is Madeline screaming in fear and reaching for me as Santa happily held onto her for dear life. Brooke was unphased by the screaming and just wanted to make sure she told Santa that she NEEDED an easy bake oven. Maybe next year I can have both kids happily smiling in the santa photo. (Last year it was Brooke who was afraid and I had to be IN the picture as she pretended to be scared on my lap....).

OH and yes we saw Santa on November 2nd. We were at the mall taking pictures and there was no line and a lonely Santa ready to go. No line at all! It was perfect :) I am sure Brooke will make another visit, but we surely no Madeline won't have any part of it!

Tea Collection sale!!!

Just in time for black Friday, one of our sponsors, Tea Collection, is having an awesome sale! Tea Collection will be having a special Black Friday sale featuring $15 dresses for girls and $15 pants for boys valid 11/25 through 11/27. Here are some of my absolute favorite gift ideas:

For girls, I love the Pinata Stripe Dress! This dress was inspired by the brightly colored striped pinatas in Mexico. The dress is made of 100% cotton and machine washable and is sure to create tons of fun. The Ticking Stripe Pant for boys is definitely a staple item for any outfit. These stylish striped pants are 100% cotton, machine washable! Keep children dreaming with Little Citizens Pajamas. This adorable pj set is inspired by Mexico's famous Arbol del Tule. Not only are these pj's adorable but proceeds from your sale will benefit the Global Fund for Children and their work advancing the dignity of children around the world. I also love the Art To Go Deluxe Set. This is the perfect gift for the little artist whose creativity won't be contained--even on the road! Let their imaginations run wild!

Happy Shopping everyone!

The winner of the November giveaway is......

2011-11-15T17:14:00.001-05:00

Thanks to all who participated in this month's giveaway and to all of you who ordered from my Thirty One party! There is still time to order if you want something!

The winner of the wonderful Organizing Tote is.......................................................................

jhensleyphotography!

Congrats to you and please contact me so I can get your organizing tote in the mail!

There will not be a giveaway in December. My life is way too hectic next month for that! Giveaways should be back in January. If you have a business and would like to sponsor a giveaway you can email me at Katiegalvin02@yahoo.com.

Thanks again!

Meal Plans week of November 13th

2011-11-13T12:48:00.001-05:00

Sunday: Blue Mac N Cheese
Monday: Stovetop Chicken
Tuesday: Beef Stroganoff
Crockpot Wednesday: Honey Sauced Chicken
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: Cheese Enchiladas
Saturday: Grilled steak, peppers, and rice

Don't forget my Thirty One party and giveaway is still going on! Great gifts for teachers and family for the holidays! Order by tonight to get extra entries to win the free Organizing tote!

It's Christmas Card Season!!!

2011-11-11T17:35:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite things about the Christmas season is receiving Christmas/Holiday cards. I love getting mail and during the Holiday season its guaranteed! I just get so excited to see what cards people chose and their cute family pics that go with them! I also get super sad when I have a day when no cards arrive. Don't be slackers people!!! :)

I always start browsing cards in late October/Early November. I can't help myself! I love looking for the perfect card! I try to order them by mid-November and I send by December 1st. I have my list all ready to go so I sit down one night while watching a good Holiday movie and address them all to send!

I am in love with Tiny Prints cards this year. IN LOVE. They have such unique designs and their paper quality is awesome.

Here are a few cards that I have my eye on:

Be Merry:

Behavior Blocks:

Delightful Pastels:

Family of Trees:

Fine Festivities:

Behind the Scenes:

I guess you can say I have a theme going this year with bright colors :) I had the girls pictures taken in bright dresses this year and am trying to do a card that will coordinate perfectly! Luckily I have a lot of options with Tiny Prints. Sorry, I won't be telling you which card you'll just have to wait and see :)

When do you order your holiday cards? Do you obsess over it like I do?

Cleaning House

2011-11-09T12:59:00.000-05:00

As a mom, I am never "done". There is always something to do. Always. I saw this picture on pinterest that explains my life:

I can't even claim the house was clean yesterday. Sometimes it was, but most likely not. Parts of it were clean maybe!

Here is the main reason why I can't complete a task in my house:

While the big sister is at school, that leaves Madeline at home with me. Sometimes its great, and sometimes we have days like this. Days where she rips off her pants and hangs on my legs while screaming because I wouldn't let her play with a sharpie. How dare I?????

Here is what you will find if you come over after the kids have been playing (old pic since obviously Madeline is bald here LOL) :

That's just my life right now. As I clean, Madeline is behind me taking it all out. I had to make a bed the other day with her in it! I laughed at myself because it was the only way I could keep an eye on her while changing the sheets. One day I will actually have something called "free time" back again. Oh how I miss that.

Don't forget that my Thirty-One blog party is going on as well as the giveaway! It's a great way to get some holiday gifts out of the way!

November blog giveaway!!!!

2011-11-07T11:30:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone! It's time for another blog giveaway! We had a great response to our last one so good luck this month!

This month's sponsor is Thirty-One! My friend Julie is a consultant and has graciously offered to do a giveaway this month!

This month's giveaway is an Organizing Utility Tote from Thirty One in the Harvest Floral Print! This is a great bag for new moms because it can serve as a diaper bag! I love to use it as a day bag if we are going to be out all day, etc. Fits a ton of diapers, snacks, water bottles, sippy cups, etc.

Thirty-One also has other products that I love! Our absolute favorite is the Thermal Zipper Tote. I use this several days a week. Brooke uses it as a lunch bag sometimes, or I use it to pack snacks or dinner if we won't be home for the day. I can fit BOTH girls meals in here and its insulated which is a bonus. Here is a pic of Brooke's (this pattern is no longer available but they have new ones that are adorable!) These would make GREAT teacher's gifts too!

Two other products I love are the Organizing Shoulder Bag and the Pop Crossbody Bag. Great and practical but still cute! The Over the shoulder bag holds a lot and I can sometimes get away with not carrying a diaper bag since it fits so much!

Needs some toy organization ideas? Try the Square Utility Totes! Perfect for toy storage in the house or in the car! No more toys rolling around on the floor while you drive! Can fit in between car seats in the back seat too!

Also this month if you spend $31, you get the Littles Carry-All Caddy for just $1!

So do you want to know how to win that great Organizing Utility tote?

There are two ways to win! First, you can leave a comment here on my blog for one entry. If you place an order with Julie within the next week at Thirty-One, you will receive TWO additional entries! Be sure when you are ordering you choose to ship it to YOU and not the host. I want to make sure you get your gifts on time! You do not have to order in order to win, it just earns you extra entries :)

I know I will be shopping for teacher gifts since the holidays are approaching! They have such cute things that can be personalized and are very affordable!

Good luck and happy shopping!

Great sale on Blurb books!

2011-11-04T12:33:00.000-04:00

One of our great sponsors on this site is Blurb. They are a fantastic company and great for making photo books! I am currently working on one titled "Sisters" as a Christmas gift for my girls. They love looking at pictures of themselves so this will be great!

Don't put shopping for the holidays on the back-burner this year because I’m excited to share with you that now through 11/30 you can save 15% off your Blurb order with promo code AFFILIATE15OFF.

Here are some of my favorite gift ideas:

Make a truly special gift with the Instagram Photo Book with the photos you've taken with your cellphone. Gather up those sacred family recipes and create a cookbook perfect for family and friends! Create a custom notebook for all the kids to take back to school. You can use your family photos or pictures from summer vacation!Blurb has all the tools and customization for you to make unique gifts for everyone on your list.

Remember that these things take time to do so don't put it off too long! They make the perfect gifts for Grandparents too!

Happy Shopping!

Have you thanked a soldier today? (and Brooke sings a lovely song)

2011-11-02T13:13:00.000-04:00

A few years ago I saw a segment on the Today show about an organization called Soldiers Angels. This is a non-profit organization that provides aid to active and deployed military and their families. There are many ways you can be involved, but we have adopted two soldiers in the past. All soldiers are nominated to be eligible either because they have little family support or could use some extra support. You can adopt a soldier, join a writing committee, donate money, or donate your time in another special way.

We have adopted two soldiers in the past (as well as sent packages to a family member that was deployed for a year). You should not expect to hear back from them, as they are obviously busy defending our country. I can say, however, that if/when you do hear back from them, it makes the tiny sacrifice of sending them notes and packages very very worth it.

Even though most of our troops are supposed to be home by the end of the year, there are still people who have to and will be deployed from here on out. They are sacrificing their time and lives to defend our country while we stay safe at home. Please consider helping out in some way. It's also a great way to get your kids involved in a great cause helping others. Brooke loved to draw pictures and help pack up the packages before we mailed them!

We just had our second soldier come home and I am glad he is safe and back with his family. I hope we made his deployment a little better by letting him know that people here in America really care.

On that Patriotic note, here is a video of Brooke singing "God Bless America". Can you catch any off lyrics from her? :)

Happy Belated Halloween

2011-10-31T22:02:00.000-04:00

Well Halloween 2011 has come and gone. We survived the long day of waiting since Brooke did not have school (those clever school Principals.....).

They were both very into it this year. Madeline even said "Trick or Treat!" when arriving at people's doors! She also loved collecting the candy in her basket and would not let us hold it at all!

Brooke did well and also got a few lessons in manners this year: Always say thank you. Don't walk on people's lawns. Don't grab candy out of people's hands. If someone left a bucket of candy out, only take one (thank you to the group of older kids who emptied most of them out by 5pm. Jerks.).

Oh and we had yet ANOTHER picture miracle today. I hope this streak lasts!

Here they are last year:

and this year!:

Now wish me luck since I am taking my kids for professional photos the day after Halloween. What was I thinking???

Meal Plans week of October 30th

2011-10-30T14:18:00.002-04:00

October is pretty much over! After our little snow storm yesterday I am not sure what to expect out of November now!

Sunday: Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Monday: Grilled Cheese and tomato soup
Tuesday: Chicken Parmesan and pasta
Crockpot Wednesday: Slow cooker Cranberry pork, mashed potatoes, corn
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Grilled burgers and fries
Saturday: Curt's on his own. This mom is out of town! :)

A Picture Miracle

2011-10-26T10:13:00.000-04:00

Something miraculous happened this weekend. I actually got a picture (well TWO) of my children both looking at the camera and smiling. This is huge people! A rare occasion to say the least!

This one is a framer. I just love it. LOVE!!!!

Brooke is looking so old to me these days. Sigh. Before I know it she will be talking on the phone with boys.

So if you are on my Christmas card list, you might see two girls in pumpkin shirts celebrating the birth of baby Jesus. Or I can just crop their heads off and put these two faces on it LOL. There is just no telling if this will happen again during our attempts for a Christmas card photo.

Speaking of Christmas cards, have you started planning yours yet?

Here is today's deal by TINY PRINTS. 30% off Flip cards by using code: 1026DOD. I have already taken a peek at some cards that I love and I will share some of my faves with you next week.

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Fall Festivities

2011-10-24T09:05:00.000-04:00

We have done a few activities this fall so far. Here is a quick recap:

We went to Hick's Nursery to pick pumpkins. Last year we went to a great place in the Hamptons but its a far drive and we decided to go local this year. I must say I was slightly disappointed in this place. They didn't have any pumpkins in a "patch", just pumpkins sitting on tables. Plus all of our pumpkins we bought from there have rotted completely! Such a bust! The kids didn't mind though. They had a petting zoo and hayrides so they were happy :)

Here are the kids in front of the petting zoo. Even though there are no animals pictured, I promise you they were in there LOL.

Next we went on a Hayride. Note the two constants in this photo: Brooke is not looking at the camera and Madeline is eating. The usual!

Next we met the famous "Otto the Ghost". He was kind of creepy looking but I guess he is a staple at this Nursery.

We also went to the local fall festival this weekend. Brooke had a great time going on all of the rides and getting her face painted! We love it because we can walk to it and its stress free!

We have some fun Halloween activities going on this week so stay tuned for that post next week :) Brooke has been asking me every night if it is time to Trick or Treat. Next Monday can't come fast enough!

A quick sale from our sponsor Tiny Prints: Have you thought about your holiday cards yet? Tiny Prints is offering 25% off William Arthur cards, good only until tomorrow. Click HERE and use code 1024DOD. Happy Shopping!

Meal Plans Week of October 23rd

2011-10-23T13:59:00.000-04:00

Where did October go??? This month just flew by!

Here are the meal plans for the week. Trying to majorly simplify since cooking dinner with two girls who want to eat exactly at 5pm is getting harder!

Sunday: Birthday Party
Monday: King Ranch Chicken
Tuesday: Jalapeno popper grilled cheese with tomato soup (first time trying this one!)
Crockpot Wednesday: Hawaiian Chicken
Thursday: Steak, Risotto Cakes, roasted bell peppers
Friday: Pasta, Garlic bread, salad
Saturday: leftovers or pizza

Also, today is the last day the 10% off code will be good for the Love Lucas Creation special. She was our giveaway sponsor this month and has some really great stuff!

Love Lucas Creations is giving my blog readers and friends 10% off your order. Just visit the site, enter member code "katie" (prior to putting anything in your shopping cart, this can be found on the left hand side of the home page) and just for being invited you will get 10% off of your order! This code will be valid until SUNDAY.

www.lovelucascreations.com

Brooke's Christmas List (round 1)

2011-10-20T09:28:00.001-04:00

Brooke has made her first Christmas list of the season. I am sure it will change and get longer, which will only make my shopping that much more difficult. My mom reminded me that we were famous for telling her something new that we wanted like a week before Christmas LOL.

So here it is. I am pretty sure she won't be getting 99% of it :)

-Mini Bakery
-Fairy dolls like Barbies
-Roller skates (daddy vetoed)
-Xia Xia crabs (Google it. They are fake hermit crabs that walk. NO)
-Balloon animal making kit
-Makeover kit
-Tea party kit
-Brownie Maker
-Lady Bug pillow pet
-Ariel costume with fins that cover my feet (she has an ariel costume that apparently is not up to par)
-Disney Charm school backpack that turns into a house (have no idea what this is!)
-Littlest pet shop stuff
-Dora kitchen (she has already been told no since we already have one!)

I will be sure to keep this list updated. I think its hilarious the things that she will ask for on a daily basis.

I also have made a toy list on Amazon made up of gifts my kids will be getting (hopefully) and of some toys we already own but love!

Our trip to the 9/11 memorial

2011-10-19T07:13:00.000-04:00

At the beginning of October we visited the 9/11 memorial. My aunt had some extra tickets so my mom and I hitched a ride and took the opportunity to see it in person.

I had mentioned a few weeks ago that I wanted to go one day to pay my respects. Let me just say that this place is amazing in many many ways.

Here is the new World Trade center (or Freedom Tower). It's a really cool building! It does not stand where the old buildings were. It's just off to the side.

If you plan on going, you need tickets. They are free but they try to keep it organized, etc. It is VERY structured to get in. It was not a hassle, just different sets of lines, security checkpoints, etc.

Here was a sign showing a map of the place. They have electronic directories of everyone's names to help you locate someone specific.

Now the mood is very interesting when you walk in. It's quiet. Very quiet. Even with hundreds of people there, it was very still. No one is laughing or joking. I saw a few people hovering over names and crying. I think that's when it hit home. This is a massive grave. The size of these waterfalls is amazing, and does make you realize how large these buildings were.

Here is the lone surviving tree from September 11th. They relocated it to another part of the city until it was replanted here.

Then there are the names. So many names. My aunt and uncle knew quite a few people who died that day so it was hard to hear them say so many times "Oh remember him? He went to our church. Oh yes these two brothers worked together and knew they were going to die so they called their siblings". Just SAD. However, it needs to be heard. We walked around both waterfalls completely.

It was also hard to see "and unborn child" written next to their mothers names. Those tiny lives that never got to breathe their first breath.

Someone had made little paper cranes and set them around. I just thought it was pretty and a sweet gesture.

Here is a close up of the new building. Love the flag hanging!

My mom and I both felt kind of funny posing for a picture in front of these waterfalls. It's like you are not happy they exist for the reason they do, but we also wanted a snapshot that we were there.

The 9/11 museum will not open until next year, however I took some pics of the outside as well as an original steel beam that will be inside of it.

After we left we went to the 9/11 mini museums/gift shops. Again the mood is very somber and quiet. We walked inside and it was DEAD quiet. Not a sound. They had a few interesting remnants from 9/11 to look at.

First a firefighter's hat:

Also a wallet of a man who died that day. They found his wallet and wedding ring. There was a sweet story about how he kept a $2 bill in his wallet always and his wife refused to believe he had died until she saw that $2 bill and knew he was gone.

Overall it was a good experience but very emotional. I would like to go again when the museum opens to see that as well.

And the winner is.......

2011-10-17T10:38:00.000-04:00

A huge thank you to all who participated in my first blog giveaway! We had over 100 entries! Thanks so much!!!!

So the winner of the $20 credit to Love Lucas Creations is.............. Sarah Bahm!!! Congrats Sarah! Enjoy your shirt and please show us what you choose :) Contact Lisa at lisaboggiano@hotmail.com for your prize!

I know a lot of you love Lisa's stuff, so she is giving my blog readers a special this week! For ONE week only, put in the code "katie" on the home page (left hand side of Lisa's page) and you will receive 10% off your order! This code is valid through October 23rd! Take advantage! To get to Lisa's page click HERE and get shopping!

Thanks again and stay tuned for another giveaway next month :)

Happy Monday!

Meal Plans week of October 16th

2011-10-16T20:28:00.001-04:00

I know I have been bad about posting these. I have been meal planning but they don't always make it to the blog.

Sunday: Pizza
Monday: Grilled Chicken, peppers, and rice
Tuesday: Buffalo Grilled Cheese and tomato soup
Crockpot Wednesday!: Chili and Corn muffins
Thursday: Cheese tortellini, garlic bread, and salad
Friday: leftovers
Saturday: Grilled steak, baked potatoes, and green beans

Have a great week everyone!

Happy 18 Months Madeline!!!

2011-10-14T13:48:00.001-04:00

Time flies. Literally. How is my baby 18 months old already? I'm not sad about it. She's growing up and although still a bonafide Ninja, she's getting easier to reason with at least. We also can leave the house and do fun things and at least make it productive. Easier but harder at the same time :)

Here she was just a year ago:

At 6 months she was a pretty mellow baby. Fairly content to just chill out in the house, play with some toys, etc. I LOVE that age. She smiled at everything and was not mobile yet.

Here she is today at 18 months:

Her toddler hood is proving to be somewhat of a challenge. She loves life and is eager to try new things and do everything her big sister does. I mean EVERYTHING.

Favorite foods: Cheese, any type of fruit, chicken nuggets, yogurt, applesauce, mum mums, veggie chips, goldfish, cheez-its, juice, milk, pancakes, waffles, bananas, and macaroni and cheese. She is not as adventurous as Brooke was in terms of eating, but still a great eater.

Current words: milk, please, more, ipod (LOL), Brooke, Mickey, Elmo (and all of the sesame street characters), shoes, socks, cheese, crackers, cookies, dog, cat, bird, Guinness, eat, open, help, bye bye, monkey, out, mama, dada, grandma, grandpa, circle, star, square, book, get down, pass (for her paci), ant (for her elephant), car, diaper, pee pee, and bath. I am sure she has more but I can't think of them all! She is talking so much earlier than Brooke did, which I think is a good thing because she has such a temper.

Body parts she knows: teeth, mouth, nose, eyes, cheeks, hair, belly, feet, chin, and toes.

Madeline is also proving to be just as hilarious as her big sis. She is starting to perform for everyone and gets on tables to sing! She and Brooke are starting to play together which is so fun to watch. Of course they fight, but as Madeline's language progresses I think they will have great fun.

She keeps us very very busy. We can't turn our backs for 10 seconds without her getting into something. So different from her big sis. Loves to climb, jump, spin, dance, etc. As her personality emerges, I am excited (and a wee bit scared) to see what kind of little kid she becomes :)

Happy 18 months Madeline!

Help! My toddler wants to potty train and I don't want her to.

2011-10-12T08:02:00.000-04:00

A while back I wrote an entire post about how there is absolutely no bathroom privacy in this house. You can read about it HERE. Madeline pretty much watches everything that goes on in there (minus daddy of course LOL). She sees Brooke go to the bathroom, says what she is doing, watches her every move, etc. This is now truly working against me and here is why: Madeline wants to potty train. Yes, I am complaining about this. NO this is not a brag. I really really really don't want her potty trained right now.

First of all, she is 17 months old (okay two days shy of 18 months). I can barely keep my eye on her long enough to prevent her from scaling the couch, standing on the top of it, and jumping off. The thought of her 20 lb body running around in underwear would be cute, but not cute enough for me to have to take her potty in public places just yet.

She started showing signs during the summer. She would tell me she was going poop, etc. I just thought it was cute and glad she knew what was up. Well this week its at a whole new level. Yesterday she told me she was pooping twice while she was going and then pulled at her diaper until I changed her. Then today was the kicker. Before bath time she was in just a diaper while I was getting things ready. Madeline then proceeded to take her diaper off while saying pee pee. Once naked she then bent over to stare at her girly parts and await the arrival of the pee pee apparently. Well I scooped her up and sat her on the potty where she promptly FREAKED OUT. Okay well that's working towards my advantage LOL. So I took her off and as I went to turn the bath water on I hear "PEE PEE" and yes, she was peeing all over the bathroom floor.

So what now??? I guess I need to dust off the old mini potty and find it a home in the bathroom. Madeline is a full year younger than when Brooke was potty trained. Brooke never even showed signs, I just had to put her through potty training bootcamp at 2.5. That was pretty normal I thought. All of my friends kids trained around the same time.

Do they even make underwear in size 18 months ? HAHA! I never thought of that..... Am I a bad mother if I don't embrace this premature motivation to potty train? Frankly, its easier to have my 17ish month old in diapers for a bit longer. However, if she keeps ripping off her diaper before she goes, I am going to have major problems.

I do have something good in my back pocket. Madeline is addicted to candy corn. ADDICTED. (yes she is my second child and has had candy. Brooke never had a piece until well over 2). Maybe the candy corn addiction would work to my advantage?

Please tell me if you have potty trained a child under the age of two and how did you do it? Is it even worth my time? Do I just close my eyes and ignore the signs and hope I don't miss my window?

Sale Time!!!!

I also want to tell you about a sale from one of our sponsors, Layla Grace. They are offering a special discount for my blog readers this week!

Layla Grayce is offering a fabulous deal in celebration of their 7-year anniversary! For one-week only, save 15% off coupon for the ENTIRE site (some exclusions apply) with promo code LG7YRS valid 10/11 through 10/18! While I certainly love all things Layla Grayce, I just love this blanket lovey.

If you are searching for a unique baby gift, look no further. The Kashwere Kreature Blanket Bear is perfect for naptime snuggles and bedtime hugs. This unique blanket is just the right size for little hands, and features a teddy bear head. It’s too cute for words!

It's also CrockPot Wednesday!

Wow I have a lot to blog about today! Here is a new recipe I tried. Sorry, no links.

Southwest Crockpot Chicken

1-1.5 lb chicken - breasts or tenderloins (You can even put it in there frozen!)
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn
1 (15 oz) can black beans
1 can rotel (or you can use 15 oz jar of salsa)

Throw it all in the crockpot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. We put it in tortillas and made burritos, but you could eat it alone over rice.

Happy Wednesday!

My Very First Blog Giveaway!!!!

2011-10-10T09:59:00.000-04:00

I am so excited to be hosting my very first blog giveaway! This month's sponsor is Love Lucas Creations! My friend Lisa has a fabulous custom t-shirt business. I have ordered from her for years for personalized shirts for my own kids as well as gifts for others! They make the perfect gift for a new baby! Here are some examples of her great shirts:

This was Brooke's holiday shirt two years ago! Loved it!

Great Sibling shirts!

Newborn sets!

I will be ordering these for our upcoming Disneyland trip!

Here is Brooke in her big sister shirt! She loved it!

One lucky blog reader will win a $20 store credit to Lisa's store! The contest starts today and ends Monday, October 17th! There are 3 ways to enter!

1. Leave a comment here in this post and include your email address.

2. Follow my blog. Add yourself to the followers tab on the sidebar. If you are already a follower just say so in your comment and I will add your entry. Make sure if you are a new follower you also mention so in your comment below so I know as well.

3. Visit the Love Lucas Creations Facebook page HERE and leave a comment that says "Tutus and Tantrums blog giveaway!"

Good luck! Entries will be received until midnight on October 16th and the winner will be drawn on the morning of the 17th!

Brooke's take on Columbus Day

2011-10-07T13:53:00.000-04:00

Brooke brought home a very cute Columbus Day picture. She finger painted the water, cut out a boat, etc. The typical preschool craft.

I asked her what this craft was about. Here is our conversation:

Brooke, what is this craft about?

Brooke: Christopher Humungous

Christopher Humungous huh? What did he do?

Brooke: Well he sailed in a boat and found our country.

Yes that's right. How long ago did he do that?

Brooke: Like 59 years ago mom.

59 years huh? How long did it take him to find America?

Brooke: 59 years!

How many ships did he use?

Brooke: He used three but I only drew one. Actually, I put it on sideways but then I fixed it.

Okay, can you remember anything else?

Brooke: yes! We don't have school Monday to celebrate his Birthday!

Okay, close enough :)

Our trip to American Girl

2011-10-06T11:47:00.000-04:00

At the end of September, my entire family (besides my brother Matt) came to visit. We originally wanted all of the girls to go see Mary Poppins. However, the $500 price tag made that sort of unappealing. Instead we went to lunch at the American Girl Store on 5th Avenue.

Let me start off by saying that Brooke has no idea what American Girl is. She has seen the catalogs but that is it. I must say that going there was definitely worth it, even if she didn't buy a doll or own one before we went.

**Let me give a photo fail warning. Brooke once again is showing her inability to actually LOOK at the camera in any picture from this day. Sigh.

Here is Brooke on her first taxi ride. It only lasted 5 minutes as it was rush hour and we decided to just get out and walk!

Here she is in front of the dolls that you can pick to look like you. I think she looks like the bottom left :) These are $99 I believe. She never even asked for one....whew!

Now the lunch was $24.95 a person and was totally worth it! Brooke did not have a doll so the restaurant had plenty to choose from. Here she is with her borrowed doll.

It was not crowded so she insisted my sister also have a doll next to her. They give the dolls little cups and saucers. It was adorable! The food was excellent too!

Overall it was a great time! My mom has more pics that I am waiting on (ones with me actually in them LOL). Brooke even screamed "This is the best diner ever!".

After lunch we went walking around in Times Square. This Mickey was standing in front of the Hershey Store so I thought he was part of their store. Oh of course not. After this pic he asked me for money! Jerk!

Brooke is holding a bouquet of flowers from our waiter at American Girl. He said she made his day :)

I would definitely recommend going to American Girl. It's quite impressive and I would have totally been into that when I was younger. I can't wait until she is older and wants to go and buy a doll! They even have a doll hair salon and there were little girls in there getting their dolls hair in an updo. Brooke loved watching that! It was a great day!

Crockpot Wednesday and a Sale from a sponsor!

2011-10-05T12:27:00.001-04:00

It's Wednesday again! Here is what I am cooking up tonight! Also, if you have any crock pot recipes you would like me to try, email me and I will gladly try it out on the blog!

Chicken Parmesan

I also have a sale to tell you about from one of our sponsors, Layla Grace. I’m very excited to offer an exclusive discount that’s valid for the next 7 days only! Save an EXTRA 10% off all Layla Grayce sale prices now through 10/10/11 with promo code saleonsale. Here are a few of my absolute favorite sale items—enjoy!

The Bedhead children's pajamas in stretch blue and green butterflies will make your heart flutter. Float your little one off to bed in these adorable and comfy pj’s!

I also really love the Bedhead pajama collection for mama! Cuddle up and lounge a little longer with a stylish pair of cozy flannel pajamas by Bedhead. The navy blue toile pattern is classically designed in cut and palette and they’re made from 100% soft cotton flannel. As listed on Oprah's "O" list, these pajamas are sure to be a luxurious addition to your life!

Click here to shop around: Layla Grace.

Hope you all are having a great Wednesday!

Stuck on a Train

2011-10-04T13:37:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I find my life laughable. Random things always happen to me. Super random things. Once when I was 6 and had surgery for a rare chest deformity, another patients mom asked to see me and how I was healing. My mom agreed so we walked in and it was Dana Plato who played Kimberly on Different Strokes (remember that show? ). Random right? I thought it was cool at 6 though.

Last week my family was visiting and my parents were going to babysit the kids so my siblings and cousins could all meet up in the city to go out for the night. We had looked forward to it all week. Around 4:30 my sister, brother, and brother in law decided to take the 5:05 train into the city. Curtis and I stayed behind to settle the kids and were going to take the 6:05 train. Easy enough right?

Around 5:30 I get a text from my sis that their train is stuck and not moving. They were still on Long Island but had no other info. I looked up online and it said service had been suspended on the LIRR due to a lightening strike and signals not working. Great. Curtis and I decided to go to the train station and see what the deal was with our train and if it was delayed we would just walk back home. When we arrived it said it was running on time so we decided to get on. BIGGEST MISTAKE EVER. Now by on time I guess they meant that it picked us up on time. That would be the end of the promptness of that train ride.

We slowly started making our way to each stop. We had to stop for about 15 min at each one but overall we were making progress and feeling good. I kept in touch with my sis who was just a few stops ahead of us with my brother and her husband. About 2 hours into our ride, both of our trains were cleared to get into the Jamaica station in Queens. From there we would have to get off and take a subway into Manhattan as Penn Station was also having major problems. Still we were feeling pretty good. My sister got off of their train about 8 or so (3 hours after they had left) and headed into the city. Curtis and I planned to get off and just find out where they were and find them later.

Around 8:45 p.m. we were told they were having issues moving trains for us to get into the Jamaica station. We were pretty close (maybe a few hundred yards) but stuck. Then about 10 minutes later they told us that the rail had lost power and we would be evacuated. WHAT? I just started laughing hysterically because of course this random lightening strike train issue would happen to me.

This is the pic Curt took of me at that point.

We ended up moving to the front of the train since that was where we figured they would evacuate from (we have no knowledge of train evacuation routes so we just guessed ). This is when the train crazies came out! One man had a Target bag full of his belongings and just started screaming "GET ME OFF THIS ***** TRAIN!".   Another woman started calling Eyewitness news (which I will get to later on). All in all it was proving to be super entertaining in the front! Then the conductor came over the loud speaker and said "PLEASE do not self-evacuate the train!". Yes, people started prying the doors open and jumping out. Super smart when there are live rails outside and its dark. Yeah good idea.   So this is how we found out that 1. there are undercover cops on trains and 2. even if you are trapped in a train, the NYPD can get 10 officers into that train in like 5 minutes.   The people who jumped off were then brought into our train car. The man with the plastic bag started demanding a police chopper come with a spotlight and light the way for us to walk out, the woman took pics and video and sent them to the news station, etc. Such great people watching. By 9:45 we still had no sign of evacuation and I was hungry. Okay STARVING. All of the sudden a sweet man behind me busted out a dozen Dunkin Donuts!!! I think I ate my jelly donut in 3 bites. I don't even like jelly donuts but I could have cared less at that point.

Around 10:15, four hours and ten minutes into our trip, we got power back and were cleared to get into the train station. The issue was, there were no trains running back home so we were now stuck in Jamaica Queens. It was a mad house!   Thousands of people trying to figure out how to get home, etc. I called my dad and he and my uncle were going to try to find us and pick us up. Let's just say that train station is not in the best part of town. Around 11:30 we found my uncle and dad and headed home. The rest of my family got stuck in Manhattan and had to stay in my cousins studio apartment. Tight squeeze!

So here is more hilariousness. Wanda, the woman who called Eyewitness News about 10 times, captured us in a picture.   You can't really see me well, but you can definitely make out Curtis. Oh and listen to how Wanda describes our situation. Honestly, it was not that bad other than the lack of food. She made it seem like we were all close to death LOL. Here is the link to the video: TRAIN DISASTER

Needless to say we never got our night out in the city, but were in no way bored on the train!   Oh and when we got off there was not ONE employee from the LIRR to apologize, help you, etc. Nice.

Our Summer Craft

2011-09-28T20:27:00.000-04:00

This post is titled "Our Summer Craft" because that is how many crafts we did. One. One little craft. I wouldn't even call it a craft as I had to do nothing but provide water.

I had great plans for our summer. I was going to be a super mom keeping my kids busy and blogging about our memories. I had a ton of crafts pinned on pinterest, websites, etc. I envisioned both of my kids participating equally. I was so excited that Madeline was finally old enough to do some more fun things with Brooke.

I decided to just start out with watercolors. Easy enough and I didn't have to buy anything for it. I set them both up in the kitchen and was so excited to see them both doing the same activity!

A few minutes in it was still going well.

Then this happened:

Craft time over! Madeline is on restriction and only can use Color Wonder markers with supervision. Brooke did crafts alone for the rest of the summer. Hopefully by Christmas craft time we can try again :)

Crockpot Wednesday!

2011-09-28T15:00:00.000-04:00

I have family in town so I am not doing my Crockpot Wednesday today. However, I will post one of my favorites for the crock pot! This is a great one especially for fall!

Slowcooker Cranberry Pork

Enjoy!!!

Photo Shoot Fail

2011-09-22T13:50:00.000-04:00

I really struggled to get pics of my kids this summer. Mainly because if we were out in public, I had to be holding onto Madeline at all times. I decided last week to take some quick pics of the two of them together. Mind you these are the BEST photos of nearly 30 minutes of me shooting pictures. Here is how it went:

I guess this is a preview of how Christmas card photos will go.....

Followed by me trying to get Madeline to smile. These are the faces she gave as "smiles". (I am seriously dying laughing at these. They are so bad).

Followed by Brooke's attempt to model....

And finally the finale. This isn't so bad but you can't see one of Brooke's eyes which is sort of vital....

I currently have their Christmas pics scheduled for the end of October in case we need a reshoot. I can only imagine how that day will go! Curtis surprisingly can't make it and is totally okay with missing the photo shoot.... Memories of last year must be haunting him :)

NEW SPONSORS!

On another note, I now have some sponsors featured on the right side of my blog! This week I am featuring a great sale by Tea Collection! Have you checked out their clothes? They are awesome! Great quality and perfect for pictures (in case you have that on the brain !).

Tea Collection is offering 15% off orders of 3 or more items for four days only--Thursday, September 22nd through Sunday, September 25th. Click on the link below and put in this code at checkout:

Code: YAYPICK3 | Offer valid: Thursday, 9/22 through Sunday, 9/25 at 11:59 pm PT

Crockpot Wednesday!

2011-09-21T08:57:00.000-04:00

It's crazy Wednesday in my house again! Time for another Crockpot dinner!

First let me review last weeks dinner I did. I had never tried it before. Hawaiian BBQ Chicken. This was AWESOME. 3 ingredients and so easy. It was great served over rice. Definitely adding it to our rotation!

This week I am trying yet another recipe from Pinterest! Orange Chicken . If you try any of these and like them let me know or offer your review in the comments for others to see :)

Surgery #2 for Madeline

2011-09-19T10:23:00.000-04:00

Madeline has been monitored by her birthmark Dr., Dr. Waner, for the past few months for some spots that have showed up on her leg. They started to show up at around 8 weeks old and have continued to pop up over the past year. Some are darker and some are lighter. They start at the knee and go all the way down her leg, her ankle, and onto the bottom of her foot. Here are some not so great photos (its hard to get her to sit still!)

Dr. Waner is not really sure what is causing them, but for now is considering it a venous malformation of the leg. He decided he wanted to try laser surgery to see how the marks would respond. Curtis and I were unsure of what to do. Treat now or wait it out? I wish I could predict the future and know if this was going to bother her in her teenage years. The marks are growing with her, which means they will cover a large portion of her leg as an adult. We ultimately decided to do the surgery for several reasons. First, the younger skin responds better to the laser treatment. Second, we wanted to treat it before it became an issue for her socially. Last, and the biggest, is that we won't always live here and have access to Dr. Waner. I trust him 100% and would only want him treating her.

Here are some pics of her surgery on Friday. We had to wait a long time so I was so glad the hospital clown showed up for a while. He entertained them for a good 20 minutes!

Here she is with daddy ready to go in. Her surgery was delayed so we were all happy when it was finally time!

Here is the after. It looks pretty bad but it doesn't hurt her. I guess I didn't realize how many spots she actually had until they were all darkened from the laser. The Dr. wants to see her back in 3 months but said her skin responded very well and hopefully she won't need a second treatment. I will post an update on her leg in a few weeks to show the fading!

Crockpot Wednesdays!

2011-09-14T10:24:00.000-04:00

Wednesdays this year are our LONG days. Brooke has school until 2:30 and then dance from 4:30 to 5:30. This puts us home around 6. That means there is no way in hell I am cooking dinner on Wednesday nights.

I have decided to do Crock Pot recipes on these days. That way we can walk in, eat, and the kids can go to bed :)

Here is this week's recipe. It was found on pinterest and I have found some awesome recipes on there!

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

I will review next week whether or not it was a worthy recipe to enter my rotation :) Happy Hump Day!

Brooke's First Day of Pre-K

2011-09-12T21:22:00.000-04:00

Brooke started Pre-K on September 9th. Finally! Unfortunately our summer was not all that exciting and we were all ready for some sort of normal routine. She is now going full day for 3 days a week so this will be hard for her! She still naps! This year she will have Music, Spanish, Gym, Library, and Science! Busy day!

Here she is on the front porch. She would barely sit still!

Here is last year's pic before Nursery school. Definitely more of a baby face!

More silly faces...

Striking a pose.

Let's not leave out Madeline. Here is her current face that she makes when you tell her to smile:

10 years ago

2011-09-11T13:02:00.000-04:00

10 years ago I went to sleep in one world, and woke up in another. I was 21, newly engaged, fresh out of college. I was living with my friend Shauna in our very first apartment (that was pretty crappy by the way).

My phone rang sometime around 5:50 or so. It was Curtis. I thought he was calling to tell me his car had been broken into again. He worked the 6am shift (east coast call center) for Nissan at the time. He was on the road and trying to understand what they were saying on the radio. Curtis said “they are saying a plane hit the World Trade Center”. I was thinking small two seater plane. He wanted me to turn on the tv to see what was up.

Shauna was asleep still. I was quiet so I didn’t wake her. When I turned on the TV both Towers were on fire. I was so confused. I thought he said a plane hit one tower. As I listened to Diane Sawyer talking, I was quickly realizing what happened. I told Curtis I wanted him to leave work since he was almost there and worked near the airport and some oil refineries. He said he was fine and went in.

I was then alone. I decided to wake up Shauna. This was bad. She said she just remembers me standing in her doorway saying “You need to get up.” The next few things are a blur. I remember watching TV with her and I know at some point I got ready for work. I had a pager for work that had a news feed at the time. I remember getting pages saying that people were jumping from the building. I didn’t tell Shauna because I remember she was getting upset. Then the Pentagon was hit. We panicked. Shauna just kept saying “ I don’t know what to do!”. We were 21, adults, but this was the first time we actually had no guidance in a dangerous situation. We wanted our parents. I know I called mine at some point but I don’t remember what was said. We also called our friends who were still in college. We knew most of them were not awake and had no idea.

I then left for work after the Towers had fallen. I remember thinking to myself “why am I going to work???”. Driving to work was eerie. Everyone was crying in their cars, etc. I also kept looking up at the sky waiting for a plane to drop. At this point I am not sure if we knew about the 4th plane or not. There were rumors swirling around and since we lived in Los Angeles we were considered a Target.

I remember leaving work early. I just didn’t feel right pretending like everything was fine. Shauna and I went out and put gas in our cars and went out to dinner to stimulate the economy. That night we were terrified to go to bed. I didn’t want to go to sleep. We ended up pulling out the sleeper bed on the couch and sleeping together there with the tv on. I woke up in the middle of the night and heard a plane. I panicked again. Air space was closed! Later I would realize it was a fighter jet patrolling the area. We slept out in the living room for months. I think I just didn’t want to be alone in my room if something happened. I also had to sleep with the TV on.

Shauna and I have a bond and I always think of her on this day. We were each other’s support system. We had to figure out what to do.

Every year I watch shows documenting 9/11. I don’t want to shut it out and ignore it. The people who lost loves ones that day can’t, so I don’t think I should either. Living in NY for this event is also very sobering. There is a memorial around the block with the names of the people from my town who died. I pass it every day. Curtis and I want to go to the memorial at Ground Zero at some point too. I would like to pay my respects.

I remember how the country was in the weeks following. We would be driving along and fire departments would be lining the streets with their boots out asking for donations. It would make me cry but I was proud of my country and proud to give money to the fire fighters. I wish that feeling was still in the country today.

Last night when I put my kids to bed, I realized that they will never know a world before 9/11. Before terror on our soil was something we didn’t think about a lot. Before we had to be searched and take our shoes off when flying. Before code yellows and oranges and reds. I hope they never have to feel the terror and fear we all felt as we watched the events of 9/11 unfold before our eyes. I envy their innocence. They don’t yet know what happened today. It’s just another day to them. One day they will ask me. I will have to explain what happened and why. I still don’t know how I will find the right words, but I hope I can explain it in the best way possible.

One year Post op! Goodbye Hemangioma!

2011-09-08T12:56:00.000-04:00

One year ago today, Madeline had the hemangioma on her head removed. I can't believe its been that long! We are so glad we made the decision to have it removed. After a full year you would never know she ever had anything there. Her hair completely covers her scar and her hair line is completely normal. A big thanks again to Dr. Waner and his staff for doing such a wonderful job!

Here she is a few weeks before surgery.

A close up:

Morning of surgery (she looks so little here!)

Right out of surgery:

One week post op:

3 months post op:

7 months post op:

Here she is today! (Excuse the messy shirt!).

Meal Plans week of Sept 5th

2011-09-06T09:05:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe its September already!?! Sorry this is late. I am still recovering from the hurricane LOL.

Monday: Grilled brats with home made pasta salad
Tuesday: Baked Ziti with Garlic Bread
Wednesday: leftovers
Thursday: Grilled filet mignon, roasted peppers, and risotto cakes
Friday: Buffalo Grilled cheese (regular for the kids) and tomato soup
Saturday: Chicken enchiladas with Spanish rice

Recipe Reviews

2011-09-05T20:32:00.001-04:00

I have tried two new recipes lately that I have had a few questions about so I give you my thoughts. I also have a new one I found that I will be adding to my favorites list.

First recipe: Crispy Chicken and Bowtie Pasta

I was really excited to make this because it looked delish! The pasta portion of this was very very good. Loved it and the kids did too! I had some issues with the breading on the chicken. It was soggy, not crispy. I also had issues with the breading staying on. I think next time I would skip the crispy chicken part (and the time it takes to do it) and just throw some grilled chicken on the pasta.

Second recipe : Slow Cooker Root Beer Pulled Pork

I was really excited to make this. I love recipes that have random ingredients, and root beer plus pulled pork would qualify. This wasn't terrible, but I just have a lot of other pulled pork type recipes I would choose over it. The flavor was okay, I just felt it was missing something. I would definitely say try it once. We put it over rice. You can also put it on bread for a sandwich.

My new favorite recipe: Mini Meatloaves

I changed this slightly using turkey meat and breadcrumbs instead of ground beef and oats. It still tasted great! Super easy! I also baked them in large muffin tins (mine made 6 mini meatloaves). I will be adding this to the "My favorite recipe" tab on the right :)

Privacy please?

2011-08-31T14:24:00.000-04:00

I saw this quote last night on Pinterest (my new favorite addiction by the way!).

This quote really does sum up my life right now. This is something you NEVER think about before you have kids. The fact that once you do have them, you have little to no privacy unless they are passed out in bed, and even then it might not be true LOL! I never used to really get it when I just had Brooke around. A lot of people would make reference to this "not peeing alone" business and I would just smile and nod. Brooke always played well alone and I never had to worry about her bothering me in the bathroom. Plus we had many bathrooms so if I needed privacy I would just go to a different one.

Then I moved to a house with just one bathroom. All four of us share it. Now this hasn't been as bad as I had envisioned, its certainly tight quarters. So needless to say, all bathroom privacy is GONE. Madeline can't be left alone for a second, and her ninja skills also make it her mission to get into the bathroom and pick up the toilet brush before you can even blink! It's like she thinks the bathroom is Disneyland and she just can't wait to run in there and explore!

Even when I am showering (when Madeline is asleep of course) I have to leave the door unlocked in case Brooke has to go to the bathroom. Well this is the downfall of all privacy needs. You tell a 4 year old "only come in if there is an emergency or if you have to use the bathroom and let me have my privacy while I shower". The 4 year old hears "please come in every five seconds to tell me something and interrupt my shower".

This is how my shower went the other day.

I hear the door open first.

me: What do you need Brooke?
Brooke: can you button the back of my nightgown?
me: Brooke is this an emergency?
Brooke: No
me: okay I will button it when I am not wet in the shower. Please leave.

2 minutes later the door opens again.

me: Brooke what do you need?
Brooke: mom I think there is a giant black jumping bug in my room.
me: I will look at it when I am out.
Brooke: okay but what if it attacks me?
me: it won't. go in the playroom until I am done.

2 minutes later she is back again

me: Brooke I really need privacy
Brooke: I love you mom.
(great now I feel guilty for being annoyed)
me: I love you too can you please leave the bathroom?

She returns yet AGAIN

me: Brooke is it an emergency???
Brooke: yes mom I have to go to the bathroom.

Of course you do.

Ironically whenever Brooke is in the bathroom and I walk in she proclaims: MOM, I need some privacy please?! I guess its not a two way street :)

Swagbucks

2011-08-30T08:09:00.000-04:00

I recently joined Swagbucks thanks to a friend who invited me. It's a way to earn free money for basically just using their site. Normally I am sort of cautious about these kinds of sites since there is usually a catch, but there isn't with this one ! You can earn points by using their search engine, filling out surveys, taking polls, etc. I am home all day with internet access so its been a great way for me to kill some time and earn "swagbucks". You also know that I am all about finding bargains and never paying full price for anything!

You can redeem your swagbucks for gift cards or other prizes. I have made it my goal to earn enough Amazon.com gift cards to at least cover 50% of Christmas gifts for this year. I would love to cover it all, but I figured that would be overly ambitious for now LOL. I will keep you all updated on this goal, but it would be pretty awesome to not pay anything for Christmas gifts which is usually a huge chunk out of our budget (on top of airfare and traveling!).

In almost 3 weeks I have earned $15 in Amazon.com gift cards. It might not be a lot, but it was more money than I had 3 weeks ago :) If you want to sign up for Swagbucks and give it a try you can click HERE. I also put a link in the side bar to the left. I can help you get started. Once you get used to it you figure out the easiest ways to earn swagbucks and redeem them for prizes! Good luck!

The Hurricane Jackpot

2011-08-30T07:50:00.000-04:00

Last week I was preparing for my family to come visit AND a hurricane. My family never made it, but Hurricane Irene did.

Living on the east coast for almost 10 years now, I have never experienced a hurricane. Once when we lived in GA the remnants of a hurricane hit us, but it was just a ton of rain/ flooding. We didn't have to prepare for it if that makes sense.

This was a completely different experience. I spent 3 days shopping/preparing for this. I still thought I was going to have a house full of people so I had to buy extra supplies and food in case we lost power for a period of time. According to the projections we were going to be very close to a direct hit here in New York so I didn't want to be unprepared.

Well come Friday night my parents flight was canceled so then the rest of my family decided (and I encouraged) to stay home too. It was just too risky in case we were hit hard.

Waiting for the storm was the worst I think. Saturday we were pretty much ready and just had to wait. I put the kids to bed early anticipating they would be up with us in the night. The winds started around 10pm, our power flickered by 10:30. I took this as a bad sign LOL. Curtis and I decided to stay up since we would have to move the kids if things got bad. Around 1:30 a.m. the winds picked up a lot. We prepped the downstairs for the kids to come down. We moved Brooke first and she thought it was awesome that we were having a campout. Then we got Madeline up who was WILD. She was body slamming Brooke on the air mattress, running around the room, etc. We let the kids play until about 3am and then put Madeline to bed in the hallway. Brooke decided to stay up to see when the power was going to go out. Around 5am we all were dozing off and on. Around 7:30 we got up and I really could not believe we still had power!

We have so many trees around our house. Two fell last month when no storm was happening so we figured it was a given that we would lose a tree or two. Around 8:30 the eye of the storm passed and the winds got stronger. Power flickered some more but never went out! By 10:00 in the morning it started to calm down, but really we had major winds until 10:00 p.m. that night! Longest storm ever!

We lucked out. We had no damage from the storm, were one of a few blocks left in our neighborhood with power, and never even had to use one hurricane supply I had purchased. At least I know I am set for the next major disaster (which hopefully never happens). We had a lot of debris in the yard but that was the worst of our hurricane experience.

My family is already rescheduling their trip, but I think that was the hardest part. We watched the storm closely, hoped they would make it, but there was nothing we could do. Mother nature had another plan. This was definitely an experience we will never forget!

The Great Escape

2011-08-21T20:38:00.000-04:00

The Ninja is at it again. This time, we had to get serious.

Yesterday I put Madeline down for what I prayed would be a second nap of the day. I was downstairs on the computer and had my video monitor on. Let me remind you that the video monitor had to be purchased after she got her leg stuck in the crib and I had to vaseline her leg out of it. Anyways, after she fussed for a while I started to hear her scream so I turned the camera on and see this: Madeline in the corner of the crib with an arm on each side, and BOTH legs on the top of the crib. She was still on the inside somewhat, but definitely on her way out.

I have never run so fast in my LIFE. I ran up to her room and grabbed her before she let go and plunged down onto the hard wood floor. I put her down again and watched her try to get out two more times before I gave up. I got her up and Curtis' watched the girls while I ran to Buy Buy Baby to buy a crib tent. Yes, at 16 months old my daughter needs a tent permanently attached to her crib to keep her in.

Let me just say that the crib tent was harder to assemble than the actual crib! Curtis and I almost had an assembly divorce (a divorce that occurs while a couple is assembling some type of household product, especially ones for the kids). $70 and an hour later we had this:

In case you need to buy one, this is the model we got for convertible cribs: Crib Tent

I can't offer a review just yet as we have only used it for a day, but I am loving it. The netting goes all the way down to the bottom of the crib so she can't throw anything out!!! She went to sleep super fast and woke up later (well woke me up later) this morning! I am thinking its because she can't throw her pacifiers and lovey out and scream 20 times a night. Hopefully this tent holds up until she is ready for a bed!

Madeline at 16 months and a Brooke quote

2011-08-16T21:12:00.000-04:00

I am a horrible mother and have no pictures of my kids. I do have some phone videos but am still learning how to get them HERE. We've been busy disinfecting the house and all of our belongings. I will take pics this week hopefully!

Anyways, Madeline has two new words she says very clearly: Mess and Nice. It's the cutest thing ever. It is not so cute when she is throwing her goldfish on the floor of Gymboree and shouting MESS though. She is also saying Big Bird, Elmo, juice, snack, milk, sit down, get down, night night, various animal sounds, etc. She is quite the talker. I guess she wants to keep up with her sister who never shuts up :)

She continues to be a spitfire getting two separate mouth injuries this week and earned herself her SECOND trip to the dentist for teeth injuries. The child is nuts. She can climb on the couch all by herself and get down. Her main goal right now is to somehow get whatever Brooke has. I can see this Christmas being the year of doubles so there is not any fighting!

Madeline has also mastered the art of hair pulling. As if Brooke didn't have enough hair issues, Madeline pulled a giant chunk of Brooke's hair out yesterday. Thankfully Brooke is still nice enough not to fight back, but I know its only a matter of time before she has had enough!

Here is a fun Brooke quote from yesterday: We were driving home and she was looking at the window and says "See those white fluffy clouds mom? Those are cumulus clouds. And the gray ones are cumulonimbo". Yes, close enough smarty pants :)

Meal plans week of August 14th

2011-08-16T20:31:00.000-04:00

Due to the craziness of our house last week, my meal planning has been way off. Some things got pushed to this week and some meals just did not happen. So here is my extended plan for this week and next.

Sunday: Macaroni and Cheese with Ham and green beans on the side
Monday: Frozen Pizza
Tuesday: Grilled Steak, salad, and risotto cakes
Wednesday: Buffalo Chicken Lasagna
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Slow Cooker Root Beer Pulled Pork (new one I am trying!)
Saturday: Crispy Chicken and Bowtie Pasta
Sunday:Rachel Ray's Vodka Pasta with salad and Bread
Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: Pizza

What's Grosser than Gross?

2011-08-12T14:14:00.000-04:00

What's Grosser than Gross?

Brooke has lice.

Oh and I do too.

Yes. I am coming clean. We have lice. And its pretty gross. I would say this even surpasses vomit. I would rather have vomit.

Poor Brooke has been complaining that her head itches for quite sometime. Curtis and I blew it off. I swear she just had an anxiety problem and we got onto her about stopping the scratching, etc.

I checked her head 1000x for bugs or lice. Seriously. Once I found something that looked like a gnat so I brushed it off. I saw nothing else.

Then last week, my head started to itch. It was like my scalp was on fire. I bought some Head and Shoulders thinking I just had a dry scalp and it did nothing.

Yesterday morning I started putting Brooke itching with my itching together and decided to look at her head one more time. That's when I found the bastards. After pulling 3 or 4 out, I did what any mother would do. First I placed a frantic call to my husband. He was with a coworker so he calmly said "we will get it handled, don't worry". This made me laugh but also furious because I was envisioning a lice filled party on my head and was freaking out! Oh my God I had lice too. I called the pediatrician who said to go buy something over the counter, so that's what I did. I bought every single lice product I could find.

After giving Brooke the 2.5 hour shampoo and comb out, I then had to start on washing everything we own. Joy. Like I already didn't have enough laundry that I couldn't get done. Last night Curtis got the job of giving me my treatment. He looked at my head over and over and told me he saw nothing and didn't think I had it. I KNEW I did. I told him to treat me anyways. I will spare the details, but yes there was a small village of lice living on me. He was a good sport but men just don't know how to deal with female hair. I screamed at least 10 times LOL!

So now we begin the process of fighting off the lice. Combing, vacuuming, washing, repeat! I guess I will let you all know in 10 days if we are lice free. If not, I am calling the professional lice ladies to come in. Yes, this is an actual job that I had no idea existed until yesterday. They charge $200 an hour, but they deserve it.

I took Brooke to Toys R Us to let her pick out a gift for the ordeal she has been through. The beauty of taking a 4 year old to that store and saying "pick out whatever you want" is that she chose a $7 tea seat and a $4 pony. LOL!

Madeline and Curtis have been spared. I am so glad because there is no time to comb another head in this house right now! At least its the summer and I didn't have to call school to tell them my child has lice :)

Meal Plans week of August 7th

2011-08-07T16:24:00.000-04:00

Sunday: Date Night
Monday: Chili in the crockpot with cornbread
Tuesday: Tangy Grilled Pork Tenderloin with salad and veggies
Wednesday: Honey Lime Enchiladas with Spanish Rice
Thursday: Home made Mac N Cheese with ham and green beans on the side
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Concert! Kids having pizza :)

If you must make something, TRY the Honey Lime Enchiladas! They are my new favorite recipe. So so so so good!

Sippy Cup Review

2011-08-07T08:35:00.000-04:00

Due to our hellish experience of finding a sippy cup Madeline would actually use, I am providing this review to hopefully save some of you from wasting as much money as I did.

Let me preface this by stating that Madeline was not in love with her bottle by any means. She hardly drank out of that either. I guess she was just super slow in coming around to the cup, thus causing me to spend probably $100 on cups.

First up we have the Munchkin first cup. This is a good cup for babies in that they can bite and chew on it and get some liquid out. It is NOT good for preventing spills. Madeline quickly learned how to shake and press down on the spout so it spilled everywhere. We didn't use these often and tossed them.

Next we tried the original cup that I used with Brooke: The Playtex First Sipster. LOVE this cup. They do have to suck on it to get liquid out, but it does not spill and is a very sturdy cup. Took Madeline a while to warm up to it, but we are still using it! I would recommend this cup.

Next we tried the Dr.Brown's cup. I liked this because the spout is tiny. Madeline had issues with giant fat spouts so this one was good. Another bonus is that it has ounces marked on the side so you can actually see how much they are drinking. This was critical for me since she was drinking almost nothing for a lot time.

I then decided we needed to try a straw cup. I bought the Playtex Grip n Go first straw. At first I thought these were great because you can squeeze the middle of the cup and it pushes some liquid out of the straw to help them suck. However, this same mechanism somehow causes pressure in the cup so when you put it down the liquid will just start pouring out of the top. Tossed this cup as well for that reason only. I have enough to clean up!

I then wanted to try a Gerber cup. Brooke loved these so I bought the Gerber Sip N Smile. I would say these are horrible for early sippy cup drinkers. I even had a hard time sucking out of it! Now at 15 months old this is one of my favorite cups for Madeline, but under 12 months she could not get anything out of it.

I then went a different route and bought cups that were not out when Brooke was little. Tommee Tippee is new to me so I decided to try their Closer to Nature cup. It has a soft spout but they actually have to suck out of it to get liquid. My favorite again is the ounces marked on the side to track it! They are easy to clean since they don't have a multiple parts and very light and easy to hold. One of our favorites!

I liked that cup so much that I bought the bigger version which we also love! They only spill if you throw them (and Madeline is a little rougher than most...). It's the Tommee Tippee Explorer First Sippee.

Okay we still have a few more to go :) These we have had forever but I figured I would review them since I love that they do not have spout connectors and are easy to clean. They also NEVER leak. Props to the First Years Sippy Cups!

During our sippy cup crisis I came across the Tilty Cup. The concept is awesome. The inside is angled so they don't have to tip the cup practically upside down to get the liquid to the spout. These are great but I would recommend they are only for high chair use. They leak terribly and if thrown they will bust open and spill the entire contents onto the floor. I know this from experience.

By this point I was getting desperate. Can you tell? LOL. I ended up buying the Playtex little gripper sippy cup. They are bigger and have grip indentations on the cup so its easier to hold. The spout is smaller which I like, but for some reason these leak if you don't close them just right. We still use them though. They have not annoyed me to the point of throwing them away yet.

This is a cup I am not thrilled with but bought it on clearance at Babies R Us. It's a stainless steel cup by Munchkin. I can already tell its going to break and don't recommend buying it. The silver part that the lid screws onto is already loose and you have to hold it in order for the lid to screw on. Buyers Beware!

Now here are the two cups that worked the best for Madeline and ironically are nothing new and fancy. Just goes to show that the newer things don't necessarily mean they are better.

First up is the Take N Toss cups. They are not spill proof, but are easy and work great in a pinch. They are also easy to clean. We of course have the Princess version.

Last but not least is the Playtex Sipster. Very basic design but Madeline finally turned the corner and we dropped the bottle completely after buying these cups.

So there is my short but sweet sippy cup review. I never thought I would have a kid give me so much trouble over drinking (out of a bottle or cup!) so I hope this helps someone out! It will also save you a ton of money :)

My Favorite Recipes

2011-08-04T17:54:00.000-04:00

I added a tab on the right with my current favorite recipes. These are things that are hands down always delicious and a hit with company too! Enjoy! I will add more as I find them :)

Goodbye Dr. Brown

2011-07-26T14:52:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago we said goodbye to our very good friend Dr. Brown. Dr. Brown's bottles that is. They were the 4th brand of bottles we tried and the ones Madeline drank out of the best, but washing all of those damn bottle parts got old! We tried Avent (my love with Brooke) and she choked. We tried Tommee Tippee which were awful! We used Playtex drop ins for a month or two but she still wasn't drinking that well. Dr. Brown's did the trick! It was my last resort since everyone I know told me what a pain these bottles were to clean. However, you do what you have to do!

While I was excited to finally find a bottle she could drink well out of, they are quite involved! Each bottle has 4 pieces you have to wash and then reassemble. It's a pain to say the least. If you have to use these bottles, I highly suggest buying the dishwasher basket that holds all of the parts. It can be found HERE. It saved my sanity.

The bottles are still sitting on my counter just staring at me. I can't throw them away. I don't know why. She hasn't had a bottle since June 24th so maybe its time to make way for some clear counter space!

Part 2 of this goodbye will be posted shortly. It will involve our exhausting process of finding a sippy cup Madeline will actually drink out of. This child doesn't make anything easy :)

Madeline at 15 months

2011-07-20T19:37:00.003-04:00

Madeline turned 15 months last week. This girl is giving us a run for our money!

She is talking like crazy! This is so fun to me since Brooke had a speech delay and while very smart, she didn't say much for a long time. Madeline put two words together for the first time this week. She said "more nana" for more banana. She apparently also knows the word "pizza" since she said it tonight while eating it. Her other favorite phrases are "get down" and "sit down". Wonder what she hears a lot of...??? I am shocked she does not say NO yet.

She isn't a huge fan of drinking milk or water. I feel like I am shoving a cup in her face all day. She is transitioning between one nap and two which is making our summer plans disastrous. We are always wondering when she is going to sleep, if she is going to sleep, what mood she will be in, etc.

Madeline is loving the pool and anything that involves being outside. Her new favorite activity involves climbing on furniture, standing up on it, turning towards me and saying GET DOWN. I try very hard not to laugh but I stink at keeping a straight face.

She also worships her big sister. Of course there is already some fighting going on, but they are really starting to play together which is great! Tonight they were both sitting on the floor and Madeline just grabbed Brooke and gave her a huge kiss. So adorable! Then they both had a giggle attack!

Her independence grows daily and I am excited to see what the next few months hold (and also fear them!)

Fire Island

2011-07-18T09:36:00.007-04:00

We spent the week of July 5th out at Fire Island. Our good friends let us stay in their wonderful beach house for the week. It was a much needed vacation! Our cousins the Corridan's also came up for a few days! Somehow we have no pictures of them or me LOL!

Madeline loved the float in the bay!

Brooke was a big fan of the sand. Someone needs to work on her tan as you can barely see her body in this picture.

Madeline spent most of her beach time begging for snacks and crying if she didn't get any. Here is what my view of the beach was for most of the trip:

Brooke also enjoyed collecting hermit crabs and chilling on the shore of the bay.

Madeline also loved the water table on the deck. This killed a lot of down time while we showered and cooked dinner at night! Oh and there is half of Guinness' body making an appearance. He had a good time too :)

Meal Plans week of July 17th

2011-07-16T19:40:00.002-04:00

I am back after a few weeks of not meal planning/vacation! I can't believe its mid July already!

Sunday: Honey Lime Enchiladas
Monday: Tortellini with Garlic Bread
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Grilled Steak with Risotto Cakes and Veggies
Thursday: Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Friday and Saturday out of town.

A bedtime conversation with Brooke

2011-07-12T21:46:00.002-04:00

Brooke asked me to come in and rub her head while she fell asleep. Now I know she will NEVER fall asleep while I do this, I always say yes and we have little chats about things. Tonight's conversation was exceptionally interesting.

Brooke points to my bra strap: Mom what is this?
Me: It's a bra.
Brooke: Why do you wear it?
Me: Um... well.... when you get older your body changes and you need to wear one.
Brooke: Oh you get nipples?
Me: (laughing under my breath) Yes and breasts.
Brooke: Well when I get older I am going to buy a bra.
Me: Okay
Brooke: But mom! I cut out a bra coupon out of the paper so its on sale! We should go buy it.

(She helps me cut coupons and likes to cut out the mail order products)

Me: Well I don't think you need a bra just yet.
Brooke: Mom I am going to need one AND some grown up clothes okay? For when I grow up.
Me: Okay, but first lets focus on buying your clothes for preschool.

A trip to the Aquarium

2011-07-11T09:58:00.007-04:00

Last weekend we went to the Long Island Aquarium. I wish it was closer since we had a great time!

When we first got there we went into a Butterfly sanctuary. The kids LOVED it.

Brooke got to feed a bird.

Madeline tried to pet some birds, but they tried to bite her so we stopped that!

Madeline loved the butterflies too! She just kept screaming!

We also saw some sea horses and other fish. Brooke wanted to rush through all of the exhibits to see what was next.

Madeline loved everything we saw. She could have stayed all day!

We will definitely be going back again for another visit!

An Interview with Brooke

2011-07-04T14:12:00.001-04:00

Here is an interview I did with Brooke yesterday. I think its a good snapshot of her life right now :)

1. Favorite Food: Tomato Soup

2. Favorite Sport: Soccer

3. Favorite Movie: Rapunzel/Tangled

4. Favorite thing about School: Doing a craft

5. Thing I do best: Play Dress Up

6. Favorite color: Pink and Purple

7. What word describes you? Yes (LOL!)

8. When I was a baby I used to: Throw my Puppers

9. What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to stay in this house and my job will be to tell people where to put jewelry and I will come straight home.

10. My favorite memory: Playing with my doll house

11. My favorite thing to play with daddy: Pizza game

12. My favorite thing to play with mommy: Dice game

13. A food I don’t like: Hamburgers

14. My best friend is: Gianna

15. If I could have one wish: Doing homework with you.

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T09:56:00.001-04:00

Happy 4th of July! We spent the day packing for our beach trip and then went to a BBQ.

Miss Independent

2011-06-27T19:23:00.003-04:00

My non-rule conforming toddler will no longer let me feed her anything that involves utensils. This is completely my own fault. One night while attempting to cook dinner while she was still awake, I handed her an applesauce and a spoon and let her go to town. It was a huge mess but it bought me 25 minutes of cooking time! I was onto something here! Well that backfired because now she sees anything that involves a spoon and expects to feed herself with it. I am talking screaming, pointing at the spoon, pushing it away if I try to feed her, etc. She is determined! There is really no issue about it right? She is growing up and mastering a skill. However, its a giant mess. She is guaranteed a bath on these nights!

Here she is so proud of herself! You can also see her chipped tooth in all its glory!

Meal Plans week of June 26th

2011-06-26T10:44:00.002-04:00

Some meals were carried over from last week. Brooke's surgery threw us for a loop!

Sunday: Chicken veggie fettuccine
Monday: leftovers
Tuesday: Tacos with Spanish Rice
Wednesday: Date night
Thursday: Three Cheese pasta bakeFriday: Roasted Red Pepper Chicken
Saturday: Grilled pork chops, corn the cob, rice

The Patient

2011-06-25T21:47:00.006-04:00

Brooke had to have surgery yesterday to repair her umbilical hernia. It had been there since birth and became noticeable around 6 months old. We waited to see if it would close on its own. It did improve, but the doctors decided it would not fully close on its own.

We decided to not tell her fully what was going to happen. She is a worrier and a deep thinker. We told her that the doctor was going to fix her belly button and make it flat and that after she was done she got lots of prizes. I stuck with that story since it made her the happiest.

Brooke could not eat after midnight. The usual deal with surgeries. I warned her ahead of time so she knew she could not have breakfast in the morning. I could have woken her at 6am to give her some juice but decided to let her sleep in (THIS decision would haunt me the entire day). Instead she woke up at 7:30 and immediately asked for breakfast. We were leaving soon so I turned on a show and it distracted her enough.

My aunt and cousin watched Madeline for us. THANK YOU! The day ended up being so long that I cannot imagine what we would have done if she was with us.

We got to the hospital at 8:45 for a 9am check in. Brooke was in good spirits and found some cool computers in the waiting room. By 10:15 I was getting a little worried as to why we were not in preop since her surgery was supposed to be at 10 am!?? The nurse manager came out and all she would tell me is that they were backed up and she could not tell me when the surgery would be. WHAT???? I was livid. She told me they would come and get us by 11 am. Okay fine.

We walked Brooke around outside and back, gave her a new leapster game. Honestly she was such a trooper. A volunteer gave her some crayons and paper which kept her busy too!

After this period of time, Brooke started asking for drinks. She started fake coughing and telling me she needed water. This broke my heart. It had now been around 18 hours since she had last had anything to eat or drink. I decided by 11:30 to ask AGAIN what was going on. The nurse manager came out again and told me flat out "The Doctor isn't here. You also have one surgery ahead of you so once he gets here it will probably be around 1pm". I burst into tears. Not my finest moment but as a mother I was so frustrated and sad for Brooke. I told the nurse I was so mad that my child is having to go through this. She just looked stunned. She then brought the anesthesiologist out to tell me Brooke could not have anything to drink or they would cancel her surgery. I contemplated leaving but we decided to wait it out.

We got called back into pre-op finally around 1pm. 4.5 hours after arriving. At least this was progress in my eyes. We got checked in and Brooke got changed. She was getting antsy but they had a TV for her.
The doc then made his appearance in our room. He told us he was called into a surgery for a 2 month old in cardiac arrest. Obviously that takes precedence over our surgery, but I just wished I was informed instead of having to ask every time for information as to why we were in the waiting room for so long! Then it was time to go. Curtis and Brooke headed off to the operating room (I cannot do those drop offs. That's daddy's job.).

She was in for about an hour and then they came and got us. Brooke did not come out of surgery well. She was screaming for her puppy (for course not even mom or dad LOL). She was crying and kept saying "get me out of here! I don't want to be here anymore!". The nurses got a kick out of that considering how long we had been there.

We waited until 4pm and were discharged from the hospital and headed home. We were gone 9 hours for an outpatient procedure. Exhausting! I also learned that when needed, my child can go 23 hours without food or water. I hope we never have to experiment with that again.

Brooke came home very sore last night and emotional. She felt a little sick after having some applesauce so she never had dinner before crashing at 7pm. She ended up having a midnight picnic with mom and dad in her bed with goldfish crackers and water. Poor thing was so hungry! By tonight she was in much better condition. She is learning that if she moves herself it hurts less than when we help her. She also was very into all of her gifts/prizes so that helped distract her too. Hopefully tomorrow we can do a spongebath to keep her from getting too stinky.

Here she was today modeling her new nightgown from grandma. Of course its a big hit!

I think by mid week she should be back to her old self. We go for a post op check on Tuesday. Let's hope this is the last of surgeries for us. Two in one year (one for Madeline) is too much!

A Day at the Races

2011-06-21T11:06:00.003-04:00

On Father's day we went to the Belmont Race track with our extended family. It was actually very fun! The kids LOVED it! We got a nice shady spot and camped out for the day to watch the races and hang out with family.

Madeline spent most of her time trying to run away.

Trying to get them both to smile for the camera is impossible. Sadly, this is the best I got.

Happy Father's Day to our awesome Daddy! (No one thought to actually have them stand up to get the beautiful race track in the picture. I guess a chain link fence will do. Oh well....)

Meal plans week of June 19th

2011-06-19T20:30:00.002-04:00

Sunday: Pasta with Marinara sauce and salad
Monday: Grilled Steak, Risotto Cakes, Veggies
Tuesday: Creamy Chicken Fettuccine
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Hot dogs in Crescent Rolls, green beans, fruit salad
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: Tacos with rice and beans

Madeline is 14 months!

2011-06-14T20:46:00.002-04:00

Madeline is 14 months. We don't take monthly pics anymore, but I wanted to do a quick summary of her life right now.

Besides getting limbs stuck in crib slats, she loves to climb. She spends a lot of days standing on top of chairs and giving me a heart attack.

Her current words (not said clearly obviously):
all done
dada
fish
cheese
balloon
ball
bear
bottle
mama (when prompted)
bye bye
dog
Elmo

She loves to play peek a boo and to play outside. The baby pool is a big hit as well as the slide out back.

This girl also loves to dance! Brooke has been practicing her tap routine non stop and Madeline has picked up on some of the moves. It's adorable!

She has 8 teeth and is currently cutting her top molars.

Madeline loves books and is always bringing me one to read to her.

Her favorite foods are cheese, yogurt, pizza, pasta, any type of fruit, and bread. She is still on the bottle but is now sort of drinking out of cups more. I hope we are off bottles by the end of the summer!

First Day of Summer Break.....

2011-06-14T09:34:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was the first day of summer break. No more school for Brooke and time for me to run errands with just one child (which is so shockingly easy compared to taking both somewhere!).

I had high hopes (as I usually do for such days). I had a plan. We would get up, have breakfast, then head to the grocery store by 9am. I love shopping early with just me and the senior citizens. It's very relaxing and no one yells at me. After that we would come home and unpack. Then we would head out to the pool to buy our passes and play at the park next door until lunch.

Well this was not meant to be. Madeline woke up with a cold and was literally tearing my living room apart by 8am. I don't even know how many times I had to say "NO" in a one hour period. Needless to say I wanted the day to be over and it had barely started. Brooke was whining because she wanted to play "dress up" and I was telling her to get real clothes on to go to the store. So the grocery store got pushed back!

We finally made it there around 11 am. The girls were actually the most well behaved of the day there! (Side note: I found a new grocery store. It's so beautiful it almost brought a tear to my eye. Yes, my life has come to this.).

Came home for lunch and naps. Madeline took 2 hours to fall asleep thanks to her cold. When she finally got up she was screaming. This screaming is not unusual for her. She likes the drama. She also prides herself on being a baby ninja and has already tried to climb out of the crib. Yes, she is 13 months old. Kill me.

Now here is where my day just became laughable. I had to experience something I have only seen on TV or in a movie.

I went in to Madeline's room to get her. I went to pick her up and then realized her body would not move. She was stuck. I look down to see her leg bent and her knee shoved through the slats and is all red and not moving.

I did not panic. If figured if my MacGyver skills could not help me, then I would have to call the Fire Department. I guess I didn't freak because I knew she was "okay", just needed a little help.

I propped her up with one arm and started scanning the room for things I could use to help me. I tried just using my hands but her leg wouldn't budge. I called for Brooke and told her to come to the room. I spotted a jar of vaseline! Perfect! Brooke handed it to me and I started greasing up Madeline's leg while still propping her up with my other arm. After I was done I gave her leg a gentle push and BAM! She was free!

All I could do was laugh. Did this really just happen? Will she even remember that her trying to climb out is what caused her drama? NOPE. I caught her this morning trying to climb out again.

So let's hope the second day of summer break is more fun but a little less eventful!

Meal plans week of June 12

2011-06-12T13:06:00.003-04:00

Sunday: Grilled Cheese with Tomato soup and noodles
Monday: Going out, pizza for the kids
Tuesday: Grilled steaks, corn on the cob, pasta salad
Wednesday: King Ranch Chicken
Thursday: Grilled burgers and fries
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday : BBQ Beef cups with green beans and salad

Picnic in NYC

2011-06-11T21:16:00.008-04:00

Last Sunday (yes I am a week behind) we went to a picnic/fundraiser for Madeline's Dr. Dr. Waner has a foundation that raises money for his patients that cannot afford treatment. All of his former patients were invited. It was at a park right across the street from Beth Israel Hospital, where Madeline had her surgery.

It was so fun! Everything was catered perfectly to the kids and they had the best time!

First stop was the balloon animals. These guys were good. When they whipped up Brooke's balloon I almost fell over.

Brooke requested Ariel. You can't see but she even had a purple bikini top on!

Madeline got a dog and immediately tried to eat it. Safety hazard to the max!

Then Brooke got her face painted:

Madeline was obsessed with the balloons they had everywhere. She has a pretty nice obsession going on with balloons lately. She spent the entire day like this:
Here is a video of the pure joy and frustration they caused:

They also had caricature artists there and they were awesome! Here is the one of my kids and I think its really good!

By the days end we were ready to go. Brooke had won 2 fabulous rings and also got a snow cone. You can see that Madeline was not thrilled that she did not get her own snow cone. Brooke has become immune to the pinching.

It was an awesome day and we hope they raised lots of money for the foundation! If you'd like to read more about Dr. Waners Foundation, click HERE. We will definitely attend next year if we are still here!

Brooke graduates from Nursery

2011-06-10T09:05:00.003-04:00

Today was Brooke's last day of nursery school. She loved it and was sad it was over! We are looking forward to next year's Pre-K program!

Here she is on the front porch.

Attempting to get both girls to pose for a pic together...

During her singing performance. This girl is NOT shy.

Receiving her diploma.

With her teacher.

Another failed attempt at a group shot. Notice the balloons distracting Madeline and Brooke not paying attention at all.

Dance Rehearsal

2011-06-06T10:01:00.002-04:00

Brooke loves to dance. Loves it. Love might actually not be a strong enough word LOL. This weekend was her dress rehearsal for her recital. We cannot take pictures or video during the actual recital, so I took some during the dress rehearsal.

Here is the outfit in all its glory. It's grown on me slightly but will never be a favorite of mine.

Here is the video of the dance. I must say Brooke knows her stuff!

Meal Plans week of 6/6

2011-06-05T21:42:00.001-04:00

Monday: Pizza
Tuesday: Buffalo Chicken Lasagna
Wednesday: Steak with grilled veggies
Thursday: Thai Pork Stew
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Hot dogs, french fries, and fruit salad

First Beach Trip!

2011-06-04T21:36:00.003-04:00

I am so behind on blogging but I am trying my best to catch up!

We went to the beach Memorial Day weekend. This was Madeline's first trip as a toddler. She was so much easier last year when she just laid in the baby tent. Brooke of course was in love because she could collect shells all day long! Overall we had fun and managed to stay 4 hours. We hope for many beach days this summer!

My little bee

Brooke striking a pose.

First Trip to the Dentist!

2011-06-03T19:59:00.003-04:00

Madeline earned herself a trip to the dentist today. While we were in NC, I noticed Madeline's tooth was chipped. The sad part is we have no idea how or when it happened. Oops!

So I took her to the dentist today. We have a great pediatric Dentist here that I love. There are no pictures of this visit as I had to lay on the table with Madeline and put her in a full body restraint so they could take a look at her tooth and look at the rest of her teeth. Fun times! Of course when we were done all she wanted to do was climb back onto the chair.

The good news is the chip is only a grade 1 so its minor. Oh and we can keep the pacifier for a while too (see why I love this dentist?). WE also had her upper lip looked at since the frenulum is tight. Big sister Brooke had to have hers cut when she was Madeline's age. The doc said Madeline's can wait until she is 8 or 9. This way she won't have to be sedated! Fine by me!

She goes back in August to get her teeth cleaned. She is cutting 6 teeth right now so that way they can be cleaned when they are all in.

Flashback Friday!

2011-06-03T12:51:00.002-04:00

One year ago tonight, Brooke made her ballet debut. Little did we know this would be one of the most hilarious moments ever!

Enjoy! I know many of you have seen it but it brings a smile to my face every time!

Car Naps

2011-05-29T21:00:00.003-04:00

My kids don't sleep in the car. Or anywhere in public for that matter. Every time we have a road trip planned people say "oh leave at night so the kids will sleep". NOT MINE. During our 15 hour drive from NC to NY, Brooke never napped and Madeline took maybe 1 hours worth of naps during that drive. It was awful. I wish they would sleep, but they won't. This also includes my many hours of air travel with these two non public sleepers. At least they are good sleepers in their beds at home :)

I had to take pictures of this rare event. It occurred after a birthday party that was during nap time.

Hey Stranger, can you watch my kid?

2011-05-26T15:27:00.002-04:00

An incident happened at Ballet class a few weeks ago and I have just not had time to post about it. We've been busy around here for once :)

I have found as your kids get older and you spend more time out in public with them, you soon realize how other people parent. I am a hawk parent. Or maybe the term is helicopter parent? LOL. My kids are never out of my sight. Ever.

I remember the first time I experienced the fact that other parents do not watch their own kids while out in public. I think Brooke was around 15 months old and Curtis and I took her to a local park by our house in NC. We were both playing with her and we realized there was a 3 year old boy also playing with us. He was needing help on things, etc. So we helped him. Then we realize his parents are a good 100 yards away at the picnic area and cannot even see him! I was appalled. I felt responsible for this boy's safety since we were now the only adults who were supervising him!

Of course there were more run ins with this as our park trips were more frequent, etc. However, what happened at ballet a few weeks ago takes the cake.

I showed up before class and sit in my usual spot, get Brooke ready, etc. My friend sits across from me and does the same with her daughter, etc. We both have babies in strollers as well.
Soon we notice two moms walking up and down the benches looking for something. One of them lost their car key, which is apparently not on a key chain or anything. At this point I am not paying a ton of attn. since I am getting Brooke ready, shoving food at Madeline, etc.

Next thing I know the woman dumps her giant house of a purse out onto the bench next to me. She rummages through the mound of stuff looking for the key, etc. Meanwhile their two girls (who are 2 years old) are running around in the dance room behind me. The mom with the lost key states how she had gone to get coffee but did not want to go back there because she didn't like the people in there. So my friend says "well you should probably go check since its the last place you went before coming here". So the two moms agree and then look at us and say "okay we are going to go to the coffee shop. Our girls are in there ok?'

And they freaking LEAVE.

My friend and I have no idea who these ladies are and don't even know their kids names. They are freaking two years old and you leave them in a dance studio with strangers??????My friend swore we were on the "What would you do" show . So now my friend and I are watching these two little girls and pretty soon they come out of the empty dance room and start looking for their mom. We tell them she will be right back, etc. One of them just looked sad and scared. I mean I could not believe it!!! Would you ever do this????

They were gone for 10 minutes and then return with the missing car key. Could not one of the moms go by herself and the other one stay with the kids? Am I totally off here? I swear the one mom was afraid to go back to this mystery coffee shop alone. They just sort of walked in and said thanks and grabbed the kids and left.

I am amazed at people. What if one of them got hurt or we really didn't keep an eye on them ,etc??? What if they came back and the kids were gone?

Brooke is 4 and I would never dream of just leaving her with people I didn't know. I can't think of any instance that would qualify.

Meal Plans week of May 22

2011-05-24T18:44:00.003-04:00

We were out of town this weekend and now my meal planning is off! Sunday and Monday we were not home so I am planning from Tuesday through Memorial Day.

Tuesday: Frozen Pizza
Wednesday: Cream Italian Fettucine
Thursday: Parmesan Sage Pork Chops , Salad, and riceFriday: Steak with grilled Veggies and risotto cakes
Saturday: Sour Cream Noodle Bake
Sunday: Grilled Chicken with Corn on the Cob and Pasta Salad
Monday: Memorial Day BBQ (to be determined what I will cook )

Dora Live!

2011-05-24T14:27:00.004-04:00

I forgot to post about this! Last month I took Brooke to a production of Dora Live at a local theater. I surprised her when we showed up! Madeline stayed home for this event :) The show was great and very interactive. Brooke loved it!

Here she is waiting for the show to start. Everyone got a free popcorn and soda!

Here she is with Dora and Boots. (Brooke thinks she is looking at the Camera. This has been a year long battle as she poses for pictures LOL)

The Witching Hour

2011-05-18T14:02:00.000-04:00

It starts young. Like at birth. The almighty Witching Hour. It's the hour/s of the day where you really question your sanity and wonder if your kids have secretly plotted against you.

As newborns its when the babies suddenly cry for no reason. And they don't stop. It's usually right around when you reach your point of exhaustion for the day and are trying to cook a meal to give yourself more fuel to get you by until bed time. I distinctly remember cooking dinner with Brooke in the Baby Bjorn because it was the only way she would calm down.

As they get older, the witching hour changes slightly. While the kids might not be crying from 4-7 pm, they instead embrace the almighty whine. This whining could involve just about anything and usually makes no sense. Sometimes the whining is about the fact that they are staving and cannot wait until dinner to eat. Sometimes its about Rapunzel's hair not being long enough to rescue Flynn Ryder from the couch. It's anyone's guess.

It's usually when an infant insists on being held and not put down until bed time. Of course what are us mom's trying to do: Cook dinner! The result of this is many nights of frozen pizza and left overs (if you are lucky enough to have cooked a meal earlier in the week).

This time of day is also when you never feel like leaving the house and going somewhere. It would be such an easy fix if you can just load them up and go to the park at 5pm. The issue is, Madeline goes to bed at 6pm. Plus your energy level is so low by 5pm that you might as well call it quits.

I learned this yesterday as Brooke had a Dr. appointment at 3:30. OH BOY. Normally I would never in a million years schedule a Dr's appt in the afternoon. It is just a recipe for disaster. You are basically combing the start of the Witching hour with kids in a confined space! I brought enough snacks to feed us for 3 days, but they were all eaten within the first 10 minutes of our visit. The highlight was Madeline trying to stick her fingers in a socket as I am talking to the Dr. about Brooke. Mother of the Year here. Then you are stuck driving home in traffic with over tired kids screaming in the back.

Today's witching hour includes Madeline throwing a fit because the two bowls she is carrying around do not fit on her head as hats at the same time. Brooke is obsessing over a lost piece of play food from the picnic basket and has emptied out the entire toy box in an attempt to find one small lost piece of cheese.

Will I make it to bed time? YES. Will we have dinner cooked? Who knows. Will the house be picked up and cleaned? Definitely Not. Will we all survive and still love each other? Of course. :)

Say Cheese!!!

2011-05-15T16:09:00.003-04:00

Madeline now makes this face when you take her picture. I laughed so hard when she did it that I am surprised these even turned out.

Meal Plans Week of May 15

2011-05-15T16:08:00.001-04:00

Sunday: Slow Cooker Taco Soup
Monday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato soup
Tuesday: Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Wednesday: left overs
Thursday: eat out
Friday: dinner at Julies
Saturday: Birthday Party
Sunday: eat out

Following Directions

2011-05-09T21:29:00.003-04:00

This weekend was a struggle for both kids and following directions. It was a very long weekend with lots of time outs! Today there was finally a turn around!

Madeline has been doing pretty well following one step directions. She is very good and finding objects if I ask her to bring me her baby, cup, shoes, etc. I like this age because its so fun to see how much they learn every day.

Well today I could not find my car keys. Little swiper LOVES car keys. So after a few minutes of searching I said "Madeline, where are the keys?". Well wouldn't you know she walks over to the Little People farm, opens the hatch, and there are the keys!!!! I would have never looked there! She was so very excited to hand them over.

I was very proud that she followed the directions so well, but then became terrified that she actually took my keys and hid them somewhere. This kid gave me my first gray hair I swear!

Then tonight I had promised Brooke she could go get her nails painted. This was something we were supposed to do on her birthday but it kept getting pushed back. We walk into the salon and she chooses hot pink and a purple glitter color. She wanted them on alternating fingers. Have at it kid! Well due to the language barrier we ended up with hot pink fingers and purple glitter on top. Even better! They also put flowers on her fingers too. To top it off, they did it for FREE! So nice of them! They thought she was hilarious. Plus I was just in there yesterday getting a pedicure. Brooke just kept turning to me and saying "thank you so much mom for bringing me here".

After that we walked over to the Italian Ice place and got some Italian Ices and then started walking home. Pretty soon we see tons of Police cars so we stopped to see what was going on. We saw people processing down the street carrying something. All of the sudden Brooke screams "ITS MARY!!!!! She's wearing her crown!". (Good to know she is learning something in Catholic School )Yes, we stumbled upon a procession of the Virgin Mary with a ton of people following her and singing hymns. Brooke seriously thought this was the coolest thing. She was screaming "This is the best day ever!!!!!!". Then we had long conversations on the walk home about how she wished the Virgin Mary lived closer, like here in NY.

It was just such a nice night! The weather was great! Brooke also was on her best behavior. She didn't whine or cry at all and was just so appreciative. I needed this. It was a rough weekend with the kids.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T16:22:00.003-04:00

Today is my 5th Mother's Day! I can't believe it! I have dreams of a Mother's Day when the kids wake up by themselves, make their own breakfast, and stay quietly downstairs until I arise from my slumber. Well that's not happening yet so here is how it goes with a 4 year old and 1 year old.

I got up as usual with Madeline (she did not get the memo that she needs to sleep in at least until 9am on Mother's day). Curtis was getting ready to go to his football game when he gave me my awesome Spa Gift Certificate for a Day at the Spa. Just what the doctor ordered! I am booking this on Monday so I don't have to wait until the end of summer when space opens up again!

When Brooke woke up I decided we should all take a nice walk to the bagel shop to kill time until Curtis got home from football. Well there were a few issues with this. Problem 1: The line was 20 people deep and out the door. Hello! I forgot its Sunday AND a holiday. There were gobs of men looking frantic as they ordered their bagels while holding giant bouquets of flowers they bought next door. Last minute planning guys? LOL! Problem 2: While waiting in line Brooke decided she wanted a giant cupcake. The issue is that they did not have the exact same cupcake she saw in the store last week. She did not want the plain chocolate one. The one she wanted had a white flower on top and was not present. Problem 3: Madeline. While very good when the stroller is in motion, she is not a fan of just sitting there waiting. She starts to flip out, I convince Brooke to let Madeline hold her rubber Princess Aurora Polly Pocket, fighting and screaming ensues, etc. The gobs of men at this point were not thrilled with my two.

Finally our bagels are ready and we head out to the lovely tune of Brooke whining about her lack of cupcake ownership and the fact that Madeline had touched Princess Aurora. At this point she was scolded on the side of a busy street with witnesses. This mortified her. Then I was oh so lucky have to hear here bawling her eyes out for the rest of the walk. To top it off she then tripped and scuffed her brand new crock. DRAMA! Finally I turned to her and said "It's Mother's Day. Can you please just be a nice girl for mom on Mother's day? No more whining and crying". Her reply as she sobs "Well mom, kids are mothers too!!!". Um, nice try kid.

When we walked through the door I decided Mother's Day was starting over at 10:00 am. I am forgetting about my attempt to have a nice morning with the kids. Madeline went down for a nap and I treated myself to a long hot shower free of screaming children. Curtis got home and we headed out to the park! Yippeee! The weather is finally nice enough to be outside and need sunscreen. The park was a blast and I realized that my summer will mostly involve fishing sand and rocks out of Madeline's mouth. Brooke is at least old enough now that she requires very little assistance at the park so it all balances out.

Here is the group shot. I so happy that both kids look relatively happy and are looking at the camera!

Spring Break!

2011-05-05T13:36:00.003-04:00

Last week Brooke was on Spring Break from school and Grandma was visiting. We had grand plans to do a lot of things, but quickly realized that doing anything with a one year old was very very hard. Instead we did a lot of mall trips and hung out around the house. We still had fun and hopefully next time Grandma and Grandpa come to visit we can get out a little more!

Grandma taught Madeline how to smell the flowers:

Brooke posing in her new outfit (and not looking at the camera of course)

Madeline's new love-SUNGLASSES!

Cousin pic on Easter. Madeline is thrilled as usual.

Madeline trying on a new outfit from her birthday. Hopefully we can wear it in a month!

The Rapunzel outfit!

Cupcake love!

Dressing up!

Meal Plans Week of May 1

2011-05-01T09:36:00.003-04:00

After a two week break (vacation and mom visiting) I am back to meal planning! I am also back on the coupon wagon full force so hopefully I can post with some good savings this week!

Sunday: Chicken Cacciatore
Monday: Beef tips over noodles
Tuesday: Sweet and Spicy Pork Chops with mashed potatoes and carrots
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Goldfish Chicken with Green Beans
Friday: Home made Macaroni and Cheese with Grilled Hot Dogs
Saturday: Out at a Birthday Party

Happy Easter!

2011-04-25T13:19:00.004-04:00

I am finally catching up on this blog after a week off! Whew! We were busy! We had a great Easter Morning this year! Grandma was here too which made it even better!

Both girls had great fun digging into their baskets. Later in the day they got dressed up for a photo shoot outside and we headed off to Uncle Ed's and Aunt Margaret's for dinner!

The weather was so nice that day! No jackets needed for once!

Double Birthday Party!

2011-04-23T21:05:00.006-04:00

We decided to have a small family party for the girls when my mom came out to visit for Spring Break. I surprised Brooke with a Rapunzel cake and theme which she loved. Madeline didn't get a say. Hope she doesn't mind when she is older :) Madeline also had her first cupcake which she LOVED LOVED LOVED. Total opposite of Brooke's first bday when she bawled her eyes out eating the cake. Brooke had a blast and loved all of the attention during the party.

The Rapunzel Cake. Not so well done but Brooke didn't care! We added some of our own figurines:

Excited to see the cake!

Madeline digging in!

Grandma got the Rapunzel dress she had been begging for!