It is Friday. 
It is the last day of July, 2009 (*gasp*). 
It is garbage day. 
It is only one more week until Eric’s vacation. 
It is sort of rainy this morning. 
It is almost nap time for the babies. 
So…it is shaping up to be a good day.

Yesterday, I was thinking to have pizza for dinner.  Then a friend of mine called in the morning to ask if she could buy a pizza for us for dinner. What?!?  See, she had signed up to bring us a meal when the twins were born, but then couldn’t do it. And for almost 8 months has been determined to make it happen (though I kept telling her it was not a big deal!).  But it worked out perfectly yesterday.  So we had pizza.  I didn’t have to pick it up.  And we got to chat for a few minutes.  Fun!

Unfortunately, Eric’s day didn’t go quite so well.  As he left for work, he mentioned his back was bugging him, sort of in passing.  When he came in the door (a bit early), I could literally SEE that he was in pain.  His shoulders were stuck in an unusual position, and he was walking as if he was utterly stiff.  Poor guy!  He started to do better after Advil, a heating pad, and my (sad) attempts to work the knot out.  This morning he was back to where he was yesterday morning, so I hope he manages not to mess it up again today.

So our evening was very laid back.  It involved pizza and lots of television watching.  The babies took a really long nap in the early evening.  And went back to bed pretty well at bedtime, thankfully.  All in all…very nice!

Today, we may run out to Target this afternoon.  And my parents are going to stop in to drop off the green beans my mom canned for us on their way to New York State.  Should be fun!

This week is still going so much better than last week, which is so nice.  It could just be my perspective, too.  But either way, it’s Thursday, and I’m not ready to quit (which I was last week at this time).  Yay!

I think Erin has the very tip of a tooth through.  I can feel a sharp little point on the front of her gum.  And Alex is not far behind. 

The sleeping less-than-fantastically does continue, but now I’m pretty sure it’s because of teething.

I got to see Kimberly’s beautiful ring and talk wedding stuff last night.  So fun!

Erin learned to make a “fun” new noise yesterday.  It invovles high-pitched screaming which results in her red raccoon face (her eyes and nose turn all red when she cries really hard).  She did it about 4 times in a row in the afternoon…which made Alex cry.  Apparently he doesn’t like her new noise!

Eric may be home late tonight.  Never fun, but maybe we’ll just run an errand in the afternoon to fill the time.  I’m glad he’s only got 6 more days until his vacation!

Okay, that’s all I can think of to tell you right now.  Happy Thursday!

This recipe is for a FANTASTIC dessert that appeared at the Mother of Twins club picnic on Sunday.  They rivaled Kimberly’s cake balls.  They were that good.

OREO TRUFFLES (the link is to Kraft foods website for recipe and picture)
1 pkg. (1 lb. 2 oz.) OREO Cookies, finely crushed, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted
Sanding Sugar (optional)

Mix 3 cups of the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese until well blended. Shape into 42 (1-inch) balls.

Dip balls in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs or sanding sugar.

Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Store any leftover truffles in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

How to Easily Dip Truffles
To easily coat truffles with the melted chocolate, add truffles, in batches, to bowl of melted chocolate. Then use two forks to roll truffles in chocolate until evenly coated. Remove the truffles with forks and allow excess chocolate to drip back into bowl before placing truffles on prepared baking sheet.

Enjoy!

First, some fun things I forgot to mention yesterday:

• Alex and Erin are definitely interacting with each other now.  Alex will flail on his tummy, which makes Erin laugh.  And not the pity laughs she gives us.  Nope, belly laughs.  And when he realizes she’s looking at him, he does it more so she’ll keep laughing.  He’s such a social little guy, it’s amazing.  
• Both babies pushed up into crawling positions at the end of last week.  Alex even rocked back and forth in that form before his legs slid back out from underneath him.  We are seriously thisclose to movement.  Yikes!
• I think they’ve both figured out how to turn their crib sound machines on and off.  Mostly on purpose.
• We won a prize in the drawing at the picnic on Sunday night.  An autographed puck from the Columbus Blue Jackets!  Too bad we don’t like hockey or follow the Jackets at all.  But it was still fun to win something.  AND we didn’t win the gift card to Golden Corral, so that’s good, too!

Yesterday was pretty good for me.  For a couple of reasons.

1.  I got a few things done.  The babies took good naps and went to bed MUCH more easily than in recent days.  We ran some errands in the afternoon.  Dinner fell into place easily. Eric came with us to the grocery store in the evening.  All in all…very nice.

2.  More importantly, I focused on someone other than myself for the day.  And spent a lot of time in prayer.  It did me a world of good. 

See, in the morning, I clicked into this blog to read about Baby Stellan’s heart issues.  He’s just a bit older than my twins.  And yesterday, he was in VERY bad shape.  And my heart broke for his momma.  So I joined the prayer war on his behalf.

For the first half of the day, I mostly just cried (literally) out to God to save this little boy’s life.  But gradually, I began to realize that I had to pray not just for what I wanted, but also for God’s will to be done.  No matter what it was.  And suddenly my prayers began to change.  They got…bigger, for lack of a better word.  Prayers for his family and, of course, still for his healing.  But also prayers for God’s glory and for strength for them all if God’s healing came in the form of Stellan’s passing.

And then my babies woke up from their naps.  And suddenly I was holding a little man, just about Stellan’s age, who is healthy and happy.  And my heart just about burst with love for him and with gratitude that I am not the momma in that hospital room today.  We prayed together, my little guy and me, for this family we do not know.  But because of them, God helped me to live yesterday more fully than I’ve done in a while.  No more slogging.  Just lots of praying (for someone other than myself for once), lots of thanking God for babies, and lots of letting God fill my day with his presence. 

It was lovely.  Refreshing.  Eye-opening.  It made me think a lot about prayer and how I pray.  It made me grateful that He is a God who hears and answers our prayers.  It made me wonder why I don’t spend more time really interceding for people like that.  It made me forget about slogging through and helped me really “remain in him”…and I saw fruit, even much fruit – just like he promised.  

So, all in all, it was a good day.  And gave me a much better perspective from which to approach today.  So on that note…Happy Tuesday!

I think (hope) the babies are teething, thus resulting in the “not-themselves-ness” of last week.  They did some better over the weekend (and some worse, at times).  And they are both currently sleeping (yay for me!).  But they are cute, healthy, generally non-fussy babies whom I love very, very much.  And for that I’m so very thankful this morning.

The weekend was busy.  And continuous.  And I struggled to have the right attitude for most of it.  I guess it’s just one of those seasons (a brief one, I hope) where the trying to live the truth I’m learning means slogging through a mud pit of my own selfishness, suddenly aware again of how utterly un-Christ-like I really am.  *sigh*  At least He’s the one leading me through the muck to the fruit he promised (John 15).

As for the weekend, we really did have some nice times. 

• I got a haircut and a new phone which meant 3 hours of being outside the house without babies. 
• My in-laws came out for a few hours on Saturday.
• Eric grilled dinner on Sunday (ie, I didn’t have to cook!).
• We had a picnic with the Mother of Twins club in Columbus on Sunday which was a good time.

And now it’s Monday again.  I’m going to have to get out of the house this week more, even if it does mean the babies don’t nap as well.  Last week was proof enough that staying home all day every day is not healthy for me!

Okay, sorry this post is so up-and-down.  I guess that’s just where I am today.  So off I go…happy Monday!

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you barely left the house, the baby(ies) stopped sleeping and were very needy, and you were just out of resources to draw from?  That’s where I am today.  And I’ve still got today to get through. 

I’m doing a bit of bible study on the concept of fruitbearing, focusing on John 15 where Jesus talks about it.  He said:

John 15:5 – I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Nothing, apart from him.  Yep.  That’s where I am this week.  So I’m trying to reconnect to Him this morning, and figure out how to get some sort of break for myself today, and I hope to see much fruit. 

Because that’s the promise.  And that’s what I need.  And that’s what kind of mom the babies need. 

Happy Friday

I decided to try a tinted moisturizer for those days when I don’t go anywhere (and thus feel no need to put on makeup).  I really like it.

I think I’m going to adjunct an online course for C-ville in the fall.  A little extra income will be nice, and if it’s too much work for now, I’m only contracted for the fall term.  I figured it was worth a shot!

Yesterday was a very tiring day for us.  The trip to Eric’s workplace was good, but carrying a 16-pound baby around for an hour and a half got really difficult for me.  Add to that the fact that our trip totally messed up our routine and the babies wouldn’t nap in the afternoon and I was pretty beat. 

On top of that, Eric got home late (so I slowed dinner preparations) and then the babies finally took a good nap late in the day and woke up needing dinner just about the time our dinner needed to come together (roast with mashed potatoes and gravy).  The result of all of this was that I  hit a wall about 6:30.  It wasn’t a huge fit, but it wasn’t pretty.  Thankfully, Eric noticed, asked what was wrong, and very patiently let me work through it.  And we just watched some of our recorded shows on the couch for the evening, which was very nice.  And then we got to go to bed.  Best of all!

I’ve actually enjoyed the rain the last couple of days.  It’s been gray and dreary, sure, but the rain was soft and all-day, and we have desperately needed it.  And it meant I didn’t have to water plants for two days.  And it even got to the farm, I think, which is fantastic because they really needed it (especially for the corn).  So all in all, the rain was nice.

Okay, I have to go get a second baby up from a nap.  Have a lovely Thursday!

Since Xanga ate my post from yesterday twice before I could get it to post, and it took me an hour of crafting it each time I tried to post it, today you only get short blurbs. 

• I’m a bit foggy this morning.  The babies’ sleep schedule is changing again, and I’m not sure where it’s going. But I’m tired this morning.  I could have stayed in bed.

• I did realize I forgot an important item on my 40 Things list from yesterday.  It would go in the philosophical half of the list:  Laugh often, laugh well, and when possible, bring laughter into other people’s life (not at their expense, of course).   I’m not sure which one I’d delete to fit it in, but I think it’s super-important.

• We’re taking a trip to visit Eric at work today.  A lady he works with is leaving and he wants her to see them one more time before she goes.  Actually, it’s sort of sweet.  She was already working at the company where Eric got his first-ever real job, and they both moved to their current company when the first one went under.  So, Eric has never worked a day in his life after college where this lady hasn’t worked with him.  I think he’s really going to miss her. 

• We took the babies for a hike last night.  Fun, but man do they get heavy!

• After switching baby wipes, the itchy bumps on my hands seemed to be drying down and going away (leaving my hands horribly calloused).  But in the last day or two, I’ve realized they’re coming back.  I have no idea what I’m reacting to.  I may have to go see a doctor after all.

• We watched VeggieTales’ The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything yesterday.  It’s cute.  Not their best, but not bad, either.  I got a kick out of the cheese curl monsters.

• I’m sure I could think of something else if I tried.  But I’m not going to try.  I’m sure these tidbits will do.  Happy Wednesday!

I was browsing through posts on my parenting feed and stumbled onto a website which lead to me another blog on which was written an interesting post: 40 Things to Teach my Kids Before They Leave Home (check it out!). It was an interesting list, so I thought I’d do one of my own (and any that I copied directly, I marked with an *). So here it is:

40 Things To Teach My Kids Before They Leave Home

My greatest joy as a parent is to love my children. Out of love for them, I have set two primary goals for myself as a mom: to teach them to love and serve Jesus and to teach them to be well-rounded, capable human beings who can function in this world without me. I hope to achieve these two goals, keeping them always balanced by love. And from them come my 40 things.

Practical life skills

I will teach my kids:
…how to create an effective budget that allows them to live within their means and continually increase their net worth.*

…how to plan meals, shop with coupons and compare prices which can save them a considerable amount of time and money.

…how to cook and bake for themselves. There is more to eating well than opening a can or reheating a meal.

…how to properly complete their chores. Knowing how to sweep a floor, sort laundry and wash dishes will mean you can always keep your space looking nice.

…that a job is not finished until it’s all the way finished (for example, the laundry isn’t done until it’s folded and put away).

…that no matter what the fashion is at the time, when it comes to an interview, work or special occasions — grab an iron. Walking around all wrinkled and creased sends a message of laziness.*

… that making their beds and keeping their rooms clean is a mark of maturity, as well as a sure way to keep from being embarrassed when someone comes over to be with them.

…to drive responsibly and defensively. Let the guy who’s in such a hurry go ahead of you. He may get there first, but then again, he may not get there at all.

…that they can save money on books if they frequent the library.*

…that learning to do new things is a fun and valuable way to spend their time.

…how to turn the television OFF. It’s easy to turn it on and leave it on, but turning it off allows for time to develop themselves and connect with others.

…eating breakfast every morning will help them handle their day, physically. And making time for bible reading and prayer will help them face their day in every other way.

…that basic math skills actually ARE used in everyday life, so they need to learn them well.

…how to barbecue a perfect meal paying particular attention to pre-grill prep and special recipes.* (this one they will learn from their dad.)

…that they should attempt, every day if possible, to read or to watch the news so they are not consumed only with their own lives and forget the greater world out there.

…how to hem pants, sew on buttons and fix minor problems with their clothes.

…how to type properly with both hands on the keyboard. In a society where computers are used for nearly everything, learning how to type properly will increase their efficiency and productivity.*

…the concept of compound interest. Who doesn’t want to make interest on interest?*

…how to read a map and use a compass.*

…how to swim and tread water, these skills could potentially save their life.*

…how to do CPR and first aid, which are skills that could potentially save someone else’s life.

Philosophical life lessons

I will teach my kids:
…the Bible is true, that Jesus loves them and died for them, and that he wants to be their friend and savior.

…that a smile is the simplest thing you can do to truly brighten the day of someone else.*

…that learning to think critically, logically, and for themselves will put them far ahead of the majority of people who let
others think for them.

…that there is no such thing as being too polite. You can never say please, thank-you or excuse me too often.*

…how listening without judgement, criticism or offering solutions to problems, is a guaranteed way to show someone you care.*

…that respect goes beyond being kind to their elders – it also includes property, people in general, animals and even
themselves.*

…that people are always more important than things. No exceptions.

…that NOBODY knows EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING.*

…that it’s okay to be wrong as that’s how we learn.*

…that the world and society does not really care about their well-being, so they should listen to worldly advisers with great caution.

…not to compare themselves with anyone. No person is an adequate mirror against which to judge themselves.

…that tolerance is not the highest value in life. They must listen with grace to differing views, but they do not have to accept all ideas as equally true.

…that if something looks too good to be true it likely is.*

…that there is no such thing as “good enough” and seeking that ideal will result in them wasting their lives in vain pursuits.

…that friends may come and go but family will always be by their side. Always.*

…that having character is always better than having friends, money, or material wealth.

…that life is short and that they should make the most of each and everyday, focusing on enjoying what they already have instead of wasting time focusing on what they don’t have.*

…to remember that life is more about enjoying the journey than simply reaching the destination.*

Actually, I need to learn a few of these better myself. And I’m sure there are other important lessons to add to this list. But hopefully, these will enable them to figure out the ones that are missing. And someday when I look back at my life, I hope to see that my children have become this type of person. It would make my momma-heart proud!

Happy Tuesday!

Going on a date with my husband tonight (my parents are babysitting).  Can’t wait!

Going to C-ville tomorrow for a birthday party for my brother.  Should be fun! 

Going to drop off some donations at my church for the Africa missions trip that leaves on Sunday. 

Going deeper…something that I sense God asking of me these days.  Not sure what it will exactly look like, but it seems to involve really (and I mean really) caring about people.  Hurting people.  Sad people.  Good people.  Neighbors.  Poor people.  People whom God loves (everyone) and those I don’t know how to love (most of those same people).  I avoid this, have avoided it for years, because it hurts my heart to hear their stories.  But I can’t get away from them these days (the stories, I mean), and I’m beginning to think that God is trying to get something into my thick skull.  I’ll keep you updated…

Going to rethink my blogging.  It’s boring (except the baby pics, of course).  I feel like I should say real things or nothing at all.  I’ll get back to you on this one, too…

Going to go feed babies their breakfast.  They’re starving, you know.

Happy Friday!