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Product rave for the kids - Sippy Cup

I have been in the process of weening the kids off of bottles. They have no problem drinking juice out of sippy cups but for some reason they like their milk in a bottle. I figured I needed to just find the right sippy cup to make that transition easier.

Yesterday during my weekly trip to Target I decided to take a look at all the different cups. I finally decided on the Nuby No-Spill Easy Grip Cup. The main reason I choose this cup was because it had a soft silicone spout similar to the nipple on a bottle. It is also BPA free, has a built in vent with no extra parts, and has the no-spill design.

The twins used the cups for the first time this morning with their milk and so far so good! I would love to pack up the bottles by the end of this week!

Great website for great deals

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What are the twins up to?

Product Rave - Nail polish

If you are like me, you like your nails to look nice and polished - fingers and toes. But because I am always on the go and I have kids that don't like to nap (long story) I don't have time to wait for the nail polish to dry.

I just found a product that actually works: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Fast Dry Nail Polish.

I bought a bottle last week and used it a couple times and yep, it dries within 60 seconds. I was able to apply 30 minutes before we left for a wedding this past weekend and was able to get dressed and no smudges!

I started with the Mochachino and went back and got a bottle of Wined-Up.

It's about $4-5/bottle at Target.

Go get it now!

That's all.

I'm hosting Thanksgiving, just call me Martha, or Clark

Ha!

I've always wanted to host a big holiday, you know, like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation?

"Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny (bleep) Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of (bleep) this side of the nuthouse."

Hopefully it won't end like that.

This year we decided to invite everyone over for Thanksgiving. Not everyone will make it but we will have a full house! The Packer/Lion game will start at 11:30 and our traditional family football game will be played at half-time.

I am looking at different recipes for side dishes and appetizers. I want to keep some things "traditional" and yet incorporate some of my own traditions.

We grew up with such wonderful traditions in our individual families and now we are so excited to start our own traditions with our family new little family and share them with others.

What are some of your favorite family holiday traditions?

Busy Summer!

I can't believe the summer is coming to an end! Kids are getting ready to go back to school, summer clothes are on clearance, school supplies are out and I wouldn't be surprised if I saw some Christmas decorations soon. I have a lot to catch up on:

Kids celebrated their first birthday!




We took the kids camping





I have been picking great vegetables out of the garden




I got a part time job

My husband and I are celebrating our 5 year wedding Anniversary this week

He took me to Phantom of the Opera

Anna and Luke are walking

I need to keep up on my blog! I have a feeling it will be easier come winter.

Creative Day

If you know me, you will know that I am not creative. I do not scrapbook, stamp, quilt, sew, knit, paint and I think the only colors are the primary colors.

But sometimes I try to be creative when it comes to decorating. If it were up to me, I would just buy page 34 of the Pottery Barn catalog. Unfortunately money really doesn't grow on trees.

What I do is look at different catalogs - Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel etc. - and get ideas. I then take my ideas to Michael's and try to find better bargains. This means I have to be creative and do it myself.

A couple weeks ago I did this with various flower arrangements. Michael's had a big sale on their flowers. I had some miscellaneous vases around the house. I combined the two and you will see the results below!

Happy Birthday to my babies

A year ago I was getting ready to be wheeled into surgery. Now I am sitting in our beautiful home watching the twins play with their farm and puzzles. What a year. I did it! I took care of two babies without any disasters. Well, I did have a lot of help. A special shout out to my mom. There is no way I could have done it without her. (I = me and Jaime)

Happy Birthday Anna and Luke. We love you!!

Happy Fathers Day

I know I'm late. But Happy Father's Day to the two best dads in the world. My husband and my dad. Love you both.

Grilled Pizza!

I have always wanted to try grilling pizza but was afraid of the outcome. Plus I never had a nice grill. 

I finally got a nice grill and the guts to try grilling pizza and it was a success!

First I started by grilling a piece of chicken. While the chicken was on the grill, I prepared the toppings:

• Fresh basil from my basil plant
  
• Fresh spinach from Trader Joe's
  
• Chopped onion
  
• Mozzarella cheese
  
• Black olives
  
• Cherry tomatoes from Trader Joe's
  
• Tomato sauce (my recipe)
  
• Garlic
  
• Salt and pepper
  
• Olive oil
  
• Balsamic vinegar

I cheated by using pizza dough already made from Trader Joe's (yes, I love this place). I rolled it out and made two mini pizzas. I gathered everything and took it outside (including a bottle of wine and some jazz music). Once the chicken was done, I took it off the grill and let it cool on a cutting board. I sprayed the grill down with olive oil cooking spray. Then I took a little cornmeal and sprinkled it on both sides of the pizza dough. I carefully placed the dough on the grill making sure the dough was not sliding down the grate. 

Then I enjoyed some wine. ($3.99 bottle of red zin that was good from Trader Joe's.)

Once the dough started to bubble, I carefully flipped it to the other side. You'll want to take your time or you could loose your pizza. Once the dough was done, I took it off the grill. My husband and I prepared our own pizzas. He used sauce, cheese, olives, spinach, basil and chicken. I used olive oil, balsamic vinegar, spinach, basil, tomatoes, cheese and chicken. We threw them on the grill for about 5 more minutes, until the cheese melted. It was so good!

It's been too long!

I have missed blogging. The last two months have been crazy, but a great crazy. We moved into our first house and we are in love. My free time has been spent planting a garden. I hope to freeze and jar many of the veggies. I just hope that it warms up around here soon. 

My garden consists of:

Potatoes

Onions

Green Beans

Carrots

Corn

Spinach

Arugula

Cucumbers

Tomatoes

Peppers

Eggplant 

Pumpkin

I also have Oregano, Basil, Parsley and Chives

I am so excited to see life in the garden! I'll post picture as everything grows. 

I also promise to blog more again. 

More posts to come

We have been packing and getting ready for our house. But I ideas to share with you! For example, how I got two brand new car seats for $90.....total!!

But the twins are crawling up the stairs and we have our final walk through at the house today. I will be back soon!

WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!

I've been MIA. I'm sorry. It's been a crazy month, a good crazy. We bought a house and move at the end of April. This means I will be able to extend my blog to "Married with twins and a new house......on a budget!!!" I can't wait to decorate and share some great money saving ideas. The first? Plant a veggie garden. I am in the process of planning out a garden with a friend.

Twins are great......9 months as of last week.

Zoe turned 1! The miracle girl. Zoe truly means life.

My husband had a birthday last week too. The picture below is one from a photo shoot I did for his birthday.

Twin update

Hi! The twins are now 8 months. 8 MONTHS! Where has time gone? Wow. They are little people now. Full of personalities and they are the cutest babies around. Yes they are!

They are eating puffs and are in the Gerber Stage 3 food products. They are also learning how to use their sippy cups.

Every morning they talk to each other in their cribs. Anna will sit up in her crib and shake it until someone comes in the room. She then starts laughing and Luke laughs with her. It really is a great way to wake up.

It's interesting to see them interact with each other. They have already figured out the "I want they toy he/she has" syndrome. They "talk" to each other and laugh at each other. Two laughing babies is one of the best sounds. When one is sitting on my lap the other has to be on my lap too.

Lets see, what else are they up to?

Luke:

• Has 6 teeth. 4 on the bottom and 2 on top. He has ordered a steak for his first birthday.
• Crawls army style EVERYWHERE. He is not interested in his toys but is interested in wires, tables, the blinds and the cat food.
• He is trying to climb the stairs.
• Gives open mouth kisses.
  

Anna:

• Crawls all over on all fours.
• Is trying to stand and can get up on her feet with her hands on the ground.
• Has 2 teeth - the bottom two.
• Gives Eskimo kisses.