Way to Go Yesterday Self!

I'll admit it, I'm in a lunch rut.  Day after day my boys just keep getting peanut butter and fluff or jelly, and whatever fruit and vegetable I have around.  They don't complain, I'm sure I could just keep the status quo and they wouldn't care but I'm over making those sandwiches day after day. I always think I'll make something else but then once I get in the kitchen it's the same old same.

That is until today.  As I came upstairs to make lunch and I reached for the bread I realized that I had done it! I had totally set myself up the day before.  I had forgotten that yesterday I used the last of the bread making lunch and that I needed to take another loaf out of the freezer but then  I decided not to so I would have to do something different for lunch today.  I had totally forgotten and I was so proud of my yesterday self.  Apparently my yesterday self didn't trust my today self and with good cause!

Let's hope that's the kick in the butt I need to try a little harder at lunch or I'm going to have to to write my tomorrow self a little note to get my shit together!

$25 Easter Challenge - update

Katie R.

So I posted a couple weeks ago about only spending $25 on Easter this year.  If you want to know the whole background on why the bunny is cheaping out this year http://2katiesblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/25-easter-challenge.html 

I was going to wait until Easter morning to take pictures but I thought if they are already in the baskets you may not be able to see everything.  So here is everything I bought for this year:

2 Easter Baskets with Easter Grass:

 

Candy for Baskets:

 

 

 

2 Packages of Plastic Eggs and Candy for Eggs:

 

 

 Monster Trucks:

 

Egg Sidewalk Chalk and a 3 Pack of Bubbles:

 

 

 

 

Carrot Golf Clubs and Balls and a Ball for Wes:

 

 

 

Coloring Books, Book and a Puzzle:

 

 

Eggs, Vinegar and Dye:
(Joe insisted on doing the traditional Paas ones. I wanted to try a different dying them by using shaving cream and food coloring but he felt that this was our tradition.  Lame.)

 

 

 

Here is all is together

 

 

  

So the GRAND TOTAL is = $24.45

 

I know as the kids get older they won't like all of these "little things" but right now they are 3 and 1 and this is plenty for them plus I still have $.55  to put in eggs and 55 pennies goes a long way.  I'll post their reactions, good or bad, after Easter morning.

Making Memories

Every year we brave the weather to make a memory.  This year we banged out the memory in about 15 minutes.  A local community center hosts an annual Easter Egg Hunt and we have participated in almost every year since Colby was born.

Year One

And the answer you are looking for is yes, it is a scary bunny but the big kicker is that year he was talking!  Colby didn't seem to mind but isn't it a rule that mascots shouldn't speak?

Year Two

And then in 2011 Lincoln joined us in the egg hunting festivities.  The weather was nice enough that a group of friends walked to the local pizza place after the hunt for lunch.

Year Three


We didn't make it last year! I blame a chocolate birthday cake for someone special-Katie R! I won't go into details but Colby wasn't up for running around the next day searching for eggs!

Year Four

And this year, thanks to Easter being so early the hunt took place during winter! Nothing like getting in the spirit with snow on the ground.  Picture an open field filled with eggs, a strong breeze and bare fingers grabbing at eggs.  Yeah, it was pretty crazy!

It was so cold this year that we didn't even stick around for the Easter Bunny! Despite Lincoln's face he and Colby had a great time collecting the eggs and checking out their haul but they had no problem heading home as soon as it was over. 

That's us, making memories even in the freaking cold!  I can only hope Easter is late next year!

Puzzle Races

One of my favorite memories as a child was having puzzle races with my sisters.  Emily and Jeanne would each have one of the 100 piece smurf puzzles and because I was younger had the 65 piece Garfield puzzle.  We had all memorized those puzzles so well I bet we could have done them in the dark from muscle memory. 
That is why I get so excited when my boys finally gravitate to puzzles.  We have some floor puzzles that have been fun for the boys but it seems lately that the smaller ones where we all can look over the table at it and help out seem to be the most engaging for them.  It's not a competition yet between the boys but if they have any of the competitive juices in them like my sisters and I had against each other it won't be long!


Working Together

You can see the 2 puzzles already completed on the table

It occupies so much of their time.  I can take them apart as soon as they are finished and they will start all over again! I haven't even bothered putting them away at night so when they come out of there rooms in the morning they go right back to them.  It allows me to enjoy my morning coffee without any interruptions! 

Really?

Katie R.

And not to be outdone by Andrew's crazy Shere Khan antics, this is what happened we we didn't get Wes in the bath as soon as he would like.  Joe was simply washing his hands while I was changing clothes and I heard Andrew and Wes laughing.  I walked as he was climbing into the tub (do not worry that I would ever leave Wes alone in the bathtub-I can't even imagine what would happen)

"Look I'm Shere Khan"

Although Andrew doesn't nap daily I still have him in his room for "quiet time."  He is allowed to look at books and play with his stuffed animal and puzzles.  Lately he has spent hours coloring and doing activity books.  I thought I would give him a chance to do this in his room while Wes slept.

So I prepared by putting a blanket in his room and setting out his coloring supplies.  He was threatened  told to not color/write on his walls, floor, blankets, furniture, bedding, toys, puzzles, books and closet doors.  I checked on him after 15 minutes and he was happy as could be coloring.  Finally his hour and a half were up so I went to get him and this is how the conversation went:

Me:  Great job buddy on staying in your room and being quiet

A:    Look mommy I'm Shere Khan (from the jungle book)

Me: Wow.

A:   It's on my arms.

Me:  Yes I see that.  I guess mommy forgot to say not to write on your arms

A:   (pulls up leg of pants) And look it's on my knee

Me:  You're right it is on your knee

A:  (pulls off socks) And on my feet

Me:  It sure is.  I didn't know we had a black marker in there.

A:  No daddy left his pen with my crayons

Me:  Oh.  That's pen huh?

A:  (Proud smile)  Yes I know how to hold a pen.

Me:  Ok. Did you write on your clothes

A:  No just my body

So tomorrow I will have to say no coloring or writing on: walls, floor, blankets, furniture, bedding, toys, puzzles, books and closet doors OR YOUR BODY.

Amusement Park

I've been a little under the weather this week so needless to say I've haven't been the rock star, hands on mom that I always am (meaning the cartoons went on much earlier than usual and stayed on late). Knock on wood, it's not the flu but it still means no big outings for the boys and no playdates that we had scheduled with friends.  So everyday when Tom came home from work the boys were ready to run and play with a functional parent.  Fortunately for Colby and Lincoln and unfortunately for Tom's back the popular choice was horsey rides throughout the house. 

 

With the expressions on their faces you can tell they are loving every moment of it. Over and over again Tom would let them take turns until he (or his back) couldn't take it any longer.    We have survived the week and I'm feeling much better so I guess I'll have to take my place in the horsey rides again.  Great! Remember that Lincoln isn't called meatball because of his small stature!

$25 Easter Challenge

 Katie R.

So every year at tax time, Joe and I realize how much money we spend and decide it's time to go on a strict budget.  Most years we have done our taxes and completely forgotten about the budget by now, but this year with some vacations planned and preschool bills we are going to try even harder.

I have no problem on cutting back on clothes, groceries and items for the house, but the one challenge for me is not spending money on holidays and birthdays.  I won't have to worry about Andrew's birthday presents and party for a few months but with Easter fast approaching I decided that I need to try my best to stick to the budget.

In the past I would have bought the kids a ton of presents, hid a million Easter eggs and purchased candy that we never manage to eat (we still have Halloween candy in the freezer).   So for the past week or so I was thinking that I could do Easter for $25 this year and today's trip to the Dollar Store solidified that plan. 

Andrew has been asking for weeks to play with Easter eggs and I found $5 in my pocket the other day so I told Andrew that we would go to the Dollar Store for eggs and one toy.  So they each picked out a package of eggs and one package to share.  Andrew chose 2 coloring books, and I was so happy that he didn't pick a junk toy I rewarded him by buying 2 coloring books. Wes chose a yellow ball, so in the end we spent $6 which shows how much I suck at staying within a budget. 

We have now spent over and hour playing hot/cold with the eggs and kicking around the ball.  I think that this proves I don't need to spend a lot of money this year.  They are still young and pretty content with the small things.  So for the $25 I need to buy: 2 baskets, grass/filler, items/toys for each basket, candy for each basket, eggs to hide, items for the plastic eggs, eggs to dye and egg dye.   Can I do it?  I'm not sure but I'm going to give it a shot.  If I'm successful I'll post it, if you don't see a post around Easter just assume I failed...and I would go ahead and assume you won't be seeing a post.

 

Lately Andrew has spent hours coloring which is awesome.

And this is how Wes plays with the.

Recycle or Upcycle

Katie D.

Colby :Mom, is fluff or trucks in that?

Me: Fluff you silly goose!

But when I think about the question Colby asked, he had good reason to ask it. I recycle my paper, cardboard and bottles like a good girl.   And every now and then I'll save a container or two and use it to hold the millions of little toys that Colby and Lincoln have.

The peanut butter container holds baby crayons, wipes container holds regular crayons, fluff container holds mini-cars and the wine bottle box has transformed into a treasure chest. I like having a place, preferably with a lid, for all the little toys and crafts that can get stuck in couch cushions.

I've also got a few empty glass jelly containers kicking around that I'm sure I'll need for something soon. Maybe not for the boys because they are glass but I just can't seem to part with them yet.

This Apple Falls Far from the Tree

My parents, especially my dad, are very clean and organized.  I don't just mean their house is tidy I mean at any given moment you can walk into their house and every surface is clean, the bathrooms are spotless and the floor is swept. 

Now I wish I could go on to say that it is because they don't have any little kids running around that their house so it is easy to keep it clean; however, it was just as clean when I was growing up.  As a parent of small children I can honestly say I have no idea how they did it.

So unfortunately the saying "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree", doesn't apply in this case, this apple landed in a completely different orchard.  It doesn't mean I don't want to be clean, I'm not just being defiant, I just find it builds up and then you open the junk drawer which looks like this:

 

And you empty the contents which consist of this:

I mean really that is ridiculous.  It too me an hour to clean out one drawer and if I'm completely honest there is still a pile of office materials in the office.  Normally I blame the kids on the mess but this is pretty much all me.  I just sweep whatever is on the counter in there when I clean the kitchen counter or someone comes over. 

So it was done on Thursday and right now perfectly organized.  I give it 2 weeks.

Spring Forward

Katie D.

You know you're a mom when this is the daylight saving time that you like. The other day Katie R. and another friend and I where sitting around talking about our kids sleep schedules.  I asked if this daylight savings time was the good one or the bad one. Katie R. made the very true point that it is the bad one if we were single and out at night but good if you have kids.  In our younger days it sucked to lose that hour in the morning after a night out if we needed to get somewhere and not be hungover. But in the world of children it allows your children to sleep in and keep to push back their sleep schedule so they don't wake up so damn early.  Oh my how times have changed! 

 

 

And happy sleeping boys make everyone's morning better!

Syncronized Spinning

I don't know why they do it. Every time they are a little too tired it starts.  One starts and then the other joins it. 

When Colby was little we called it the spins.  You know that time just as your kids reach that overtired stage and get crazy, that is when the spins kick it.  Colby would twirl and twirl and twirl. We would all laugh and then he would get too dizzy and collapse.

Well...now that it's Colby and Lincoln the spins have taken it to a new level.  You can tell that they are brothers because without even trying they sync their twirls. 

and spin...

and spin...

and spin!

Damn these boys just crack me up.  And yes it's only a matter of time before one of them spins and falls into the corner of the coffee table.