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!

So yesterday, we went to the zoo.  My parents, all six grandchildren, three daughters (or DIL) and one SIL.  The son and other SIL had to work. 

The babies in their stroller…

My mom was trying to keep Abby (in the carseat) from crying, but it wasn’t working.  Apparently, she didn’t want to wait until her sisters were done in the bathroom before we went into the zoo!

Abby’s adorable older sisters…
 

Here’s Jason.  He’s 16 months old and terribly cute!

Except when he was unhappy about having to ride in his stroller.  Good thing Dad came to save him!

The animals and the carousel are always the big hits.  And Grandma is too!

And just for fun…some gratuitous cuteness for your Wednesday enjoyment!
      

Spent some time at the farm last weekend.  Fun, but tiring.

We actually managed to take the babies to Eric’s grandparents house so that Grandma could make us dinner.  She’s been “dying” to do that for us for months.  Now it’s done.  And it was more fun than I thought it would be.

The babies have started to show the occasional sign of separation anxiety.  Hopefully, they won’t get too bad.

Eric and I took the babies to the zoo on Sunday afternoon to spend some time together.  It was good to be out with him (and all the thousands of oblivious people who were also at the zoo on Sunday…does no one watch where they walk anymore?).

Both babies slept all the way through the night again (woke up about 5:40).  Apparently, Alex’s waking up at 4 and 4:30 was hunger.  Good to know…

I got all our laundry done yesterday.  And cleaned up my house from two weekends of traveling.  It is nice not to see clutter everywhere I look.  And to see clothes in my drawers again. 

I need to go shower and start the day.  Happy Tuesday!

The Stuff
The babies were seven months old yesterday.  Crazy! 

Their personalities are starting to come out now, which is fun.  Erin is getting really mobile these days.  She rolls around to get toys or until she runs into a barrier.  But she is happy to play with toys or explore a new texture (like the bricks on my dad’s fireplace) by herself for the most part.  Alex is not terribly into the whole moving thing, though he can roll if he wants to.  He is a jolly little social guy, though.  He loves to laugh, and he prefers to interact with people, unless he’s tired.  He likes to suck on the tags of his toys these days, and he’s started sticking out and sucking on his tongue.  Too cute!

And I figured that some pictures would be appropriate, too.

Alex sitting up in a chair…sort of…
 

Erin just generally being adorable:

The “babyproofing” I’ve done so far…a makeshift corral (those are our pack-n-plays)!

The Nonsense
Yesterday, we spent the day in C-ville with my parents and visited Michelle and her girls for a bit since they were in town.  Fun times!  Kathy has a really cool playset in the backyard now.  Wish it had been there when we were growing up!

We took the babies on a hike in their carriers on Tuesday evening.  My hip hurt really bad yesterday.  I guess I was carrying Erin a bit wrong or something.  But it was fun, so we’ll have to figure out how to do it better next time!

We watched the pilot of a new Sci-Fi channel series last night (Warehouse 13) and really liked it.  And Eureka is coming back on Friday night.  WooHoo!  Who needs reality TV when you have Sci-Fi shows to watch?!

Of course, I have two episodes of America’s Got Talent to watch on DVR, too.  So I guess I’ll have to admit to the more “normal” fare, too! 

I think we’re going to make a quick trip to the farm this weekend.  Eric is probably going to take some (or all) of tomorrow off and we’ll head out, stay one night, and come back on Saturday.  We really do need to get out to see everyone, but I can’t do another two-night excursion this soon!  I do think we can manage a one-nighter, though.

I think that’s about all I have for now…later!

First, a mommy question:

Alex is still constipated.  He seems to need more liquid in his diet than he is getting from me, but I’m not sure he really needs more food (ie, formula).  I’ve tried formula after nursing, but he wouldn’t take it (warm or at room temp).  I’ve been trying to get him to drink water from bottles and sippy cups, but it’s not working very well.  He doesn’t seem to want to drink from bottles (formula or water) and he’s not very good at sippy cups, so most of it just ends up down the front of his shirt.  I’m still trying different bottle options and I may try juice to see if he will drink that.  But does anyone have any suggestions for helping get a baby past constipation?

Second, a baby food question:

I’m going to try making baby food this week.  If you’ve done that, what did you find that worked or not?  What suggestions can you give me?

Finally, a question about ants.

The sugar ants came back last week.  I guess Eric never got around to spraying the foundation a couple of weeks ago, so now they’re in my kitchen.  Anyway, I started with last summer’s solution, so they’ve only been on my counters in ones and twos instead of hundreds.  That’s good.  But last night, I realized that since I’ve blocked their access onto the counter, they’ve been coming up through my dishwasher.  Which means that they are crawling on (some of) the dishes in dishwasher, dirty and clean.

So here’s my question:  If you had ants in your dishwasher, would you
1) re-run the dishwasher to re-clean ALL the dishes?
2) only re-wash the dishes on which you actually found ants?
3) start washing all dishes by hand until the ants are gone?
4) some other option?

And most importantly, how, exactly, does one stop ants from getting into a dishwasher?

This morning, I stayed in bed until 8:00 am.  I felt a little bit bad about it since Eric got up at 6:00 am and was off to work at his normal time.  But only a little bit.  I worked hard all day yesterday without much of a break.  So I took my break this morning!

Anyway, this weekend we went to Buffalo to visit with my mom’s family.  It was a good time, but it meant two 6-7 hour drives and two nights in a hotel with two 7-month old babies.  I was a little nervous about that.  But we didn’t do so badly.  Erin did great on the drives and in the hotel.  Alex did okay on the drives (he screamed right before he fell asleep) and not well at all in the hotel.  He just doesn’t seem to sleep well in pack n plays.  Friday night we were up from 3:45 to 5:30 or so.  Saturday we were up from 10:30 to 3:00 when I finally got him to sleep on a blanket on the floor.  Somehow we’ll figure out something with him eventually.  And overall, they did really well.

As for the rest of the weekend, we got up leisurely on Friday so Eric could sleep in (since he was giving up his 3-day weekend for a trip to visit my family that he’s only met like twice) and we loaded up and left after the babies had lunch. We arrived about 7:00 pm, checked into the hotel, fed the babies their dinner, and then my parents watched the twins while we went to get dinner. 

Saturday, we had breakfast with Les and Rosie (my mom’s brother and wife). Then my mom and I did some quick running-around before it was time to feed the babies lunch and head to my Uncle Andy’s house, where we stayed for the rest of the day.  The kids swam in the pool and played on the ginormous swingset they have now.  And the adults just sat around, eating and talking.  The weirdest part was that my youngest cousins are now like 16-20 years old.  We had normal conversations with them…crazy!  I guess that means I’m old…

Also, for the family members who read this blog and wondered who was there, the attendees were: Andy & Joan, Marie and Ben (her husband) and Marie’s four kids; Les & Rosie, Phil and 3 grandkids (Britney (not spelled right), Damon, and Zion), Stacey and John and their 2 kids (plus their 3rd, due in 6 weeks); Glenda and Josh; Timmy and Luann, Emma, Luke, and Samantha (who came later); Sara and Danielle (and two of Danielle’s friends); Ruth and Kevin (plus his girlfriend and girlfriend’s mother) and Keith; Grandpa and Greta; Jim and Rachel; and our clan.

Saturday evening, we went back to the hotel to try to get the babies down at a “normal” time.  We got close.  Chris and I walked to the Bob Evans next door to get supper for everyone. Then Eric watched babies while I went down to watch Kelly and Holly swim for a bit.  And of course, we had a really bad night in the hotel that night.  So, we loaded up the car the next morning and headed out about 9:30 am.  We stopped for lunch just before we got to Ohio.  I drove from just above Cleveland the rest of the way home so Eric could rest.   And he eventually climbed into the backseat to entertain the babies for the last hour or so.

We got home about 4:00 last night.  We spent the evening readjusting the babies to being home and getting things put to rights again (or I did anyway).  But, thankfully, I was in bed about 9:30.  And Alex slept almost all night without too much fussing.  Lovely!

So today, I’ll be working (slowly) on getting the rest of our trip stuff put away.  And I might throw the laundry in to wash just so that’s done.  But mostly, we’re just going to be hanging out at home.  Very nice!

Happy Monday!

I feel slow this morning.  Xanga is slow this morning.  The babies are already about ready for a nap.  A sloooow morning, I guess.

Unfortunately, I need to have a fast and productive day today in order to be ready for our trip tomorrow.  Of course, nothing on my list will really take hours (except maybe packing), but I need to be better about staying focused and doing all the things on my list instead of goofing off. 

I did go to the zoo with the babies yesterday.  It was a bit chilly and we did get rained on a little bit, but it was nice to get out and walk around and stop only at the exhibits that I wanted to see.  Unfortunately, the otters were closed, though, so I didn’t get to see every one of my favorites.  But with our spiffy new zoo pass, I guess I’ll just have to go again soon to see the otters!

As of a few days ago, I had decided to keep nursing the twins for a while longer.  I simply figured that there was no real reason to stop at this point and I needed to remember to enjoy the time we have with them at this stage.  Of course, in the last week or so, Alex has seemed to have fewer dirty diapers and a bit of constipation.  This was the one thing the pediatrician said would indicate they aren’t getting enough to drink.  So, either my supply is a bit down because their appetites were low because of their colds last week.  Or I may need to move to formula sooner after all so that I can make sure he’s getting enough liquids in his day.  I am planning to keep an eye on him for a few more days (since I don’t want to make a big change while we’re traveling) and see if things improve.  If not…then let the weaning begin!

I think that’s all the big news of the day.  And as I probably won’t post tomorrow, here are a few pictures of the babies to end the week.

Gotta love this smile!

She’s doing her pushups!

Mommy and babies (don’t you love Erin’s hair?)!