Tundra Fun

It is officially the snowiest winter ever for Philadelphia. Over 70 inches of snow (so far), and I'm so glad I was here to witness it.

*Please note the sarcasm*

I like to think I'm a pretty creative and fun mom, but with all of our days snowed in, I'm running out of fresh, exciting ideas. Here's what we have been up to the past few weeks - hold on to your seats.

Activities/Crafts - I filled empty wipes containers (I knew those would come in handy) with opposite objects (hard and soft, circles and squares, people and cars, etc.), blind-folded the kids, and had them sort the objects by touch. Bubba preferred to dump everything out on the floor and play with it, but my little gal LOVED this.

Coloring/Activity Books - I have no idea where this book came from but I am oh so grateful for it. It is full of mazes, connect the dots, and hidden picture activities. Even my active little dude will sit down to do this with MJ and I. Happy kids + hours of quiet, educational fun = priceless.

Dance parties - this is one of our favorite activities, even when it's not cold outside. Considering I exercise, ummm, never, it's a good way for me to get moving. Another thing we have just discovered is the exercise section on OnDemand - MJ and I love the yoga section and the Bollywood work-out under the "Dance Your Butt Off" section.

Tent houses - another one of our favorite things. This was one of the most epic tent houses I have ever created. I'm pretty darn proud of myself. I always make the kids separate little areas so we can cut down on the in-tent fighting and ultimate tent destruction.

Snuggling - this one is my favorite. There is nothing quite like having your two babies on your lap, covered with blankets, and watching one of our favorite family movies. I wonder if they will still want to sit on my lap when they are in their teens...

We are always looking for new, fun activities to do - if anyone has any they would like to share, we would appreciate it.

Wordless Wednesday: Why Mastiffs Rule

the most patient/laziest dog in the world

Worth Repeating

My little gal, bless her heart, is like any other child and can't list patience as one of her virtues. The other day, I was in the middle of washing dishes and she was asking me repeatedly for a drink. I calmly explained to her "honey, mommy has a lot that she does every day and you have to remember to give mommy a minute. I am busy and do laundry, clean, makes meals, run errands, and I can't always do what you want right away." She listened very intently, and I knew I had gotten through to her.

A little while later, I overheard MJ and Bubba up in her room. Bubba was trying with all his might to get his sister to play with him. This was her response: "I'm a very busy girl and I'm so sorry but I can't play with you right now. I have to color, play barbies, watch Max & Ruby, eat dinner. You just have to be patient with me, alright Bubba?"

It was SO. Ridiculously. Cute. And a good reminder that my days need to resemble my daughter's a bit more. I didn't decide to stay at home with my babies so I could spend the whole day cleaning.

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait for tomorrow,

for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.

I'm rocking my babies and babies don't keep.

Movie Monday: My Material Girl

In an effort to upload more videos, I'm going to post one every Monday. Well I'll try to. Don't be surprised if this fizzles out after a few weeks.

I always love seeing videos on blogs because it puts a voice to the blogger. Anyone else want to join me?

(I should probably add that my little gal is the giant in the pink)

Tiara+Sweatpants=Hot

Don't you love it when you play dress-up with your kids, then a little later when you remember that you need to pick up more milk, you forget to take off your plastic tiara before going out?

The good people of Wawa, bless their hearts, didn't make mention of my awesome headpiece. This may have looked a little less ridiculous if I hadn't already gotten into my comfy night outfit which consists of a hoodie, tank top and sweatpants. I should probably be embarrassed about this but meh. At least I looked regal while shopping for my milk. At Wawa. With my two kids. In sweatpants. And a tiara.

*This post is linked to Rage Against the Minivan's Keeping It Real*

Rodents - The Bane of My Existence

I am not fond of small, furry critters. They terrify and disgust me. So naturally it would be our house that this awful squirrel decides he would like to move into. Last spring, this squirrel and what we assumed to be his lady friend, chewed their way into the air conditioner in our kitchen and made a nice little home there. Not only that, but they also chewed through the wiring in the unit and completely ruined our chances of having any cool air in the kitchen during the balmy summer months. A wooden spoon had a permanent spot on the kitchen counter so I could bang on the unit to try to scare them out should I hear them scratching around. And they were always scratching around. I dreaded going into the kitchen, convinced that one day I would discover them in my kitchen after they had chewed through the metal of the unit itself.

We didn't have many options as to how to get rid of these mangy creatures. As much as I hate squirrels, and especially these squirrels, I didn't want them to die, so poisoning them wasn't an option. I thought maybe we could hire someone to trap them and then release them somewhere far away, but Al didn't seem to think that would work. I was just kind of hoping that they would forget where we lived.

Sometime in August, they stopped coming and I thought my prayers had been answered. Turns out they were just on an extended vacation because just last weekend what should I hear but that oh-so-familiar scratching coming from the kitchen. I'm just thankful we were lazy in getting our air conditioner replaced because I would be majorly peeved if they had chewed their way through another unit. We are *this* close to putting our house on the market so we have to replace the unit, and I really don't feel like providing a brand new chew toy for them to destroy. I'm not a fan of having the label of squirrel killer so I'm speaking with an exterminator about my trap and release idea, but if that doesn't prove to be successful I think the end is near for these little beasts.

Winter Wonderland

This is what two consecutive Nor'easters look like. Just in case anyone was wondering.

Three Years Old

Sweet Boy,
Well, I had a nice Batman themed birthday party planned for you, but Mother Nature had other things in mind for your birthday. As I type this, we are in the midst of a huge Nor'easter and can expect 18-24 inches of snow. Not quite the day I had in mind, but I'm thinking it may be a blessing in disguise because now we can celebrate the day of your birth with just our little family. Sounds perfect to me.

What can I say about you bubba? You have the unique ability to be the most lovable and most frustrating little dude that ever lived. That's probably not a fair statement - you are just a typical, wild little boy - but I spend all day with you, everyday, and put up with your antics, so I'm allowed to call you frustrating.

You make me laugh - the kind of laugh that I can't control. You make the funniest faces and bring smiles to complete strangers' faces. I predict that you will be nominated "Class Clown" in high school. You are such a boy, the exact definition of the word, but you talk in the sweetest baby voice. You are a complete mama's boy and always want me to carry you, hug you, and dress you. I eat it up because I know it won't always be this way.

You have started coming into bed with us in the middle of the night. You always come to my side of the bed and climb in with me. But when I wake up you are all snuggled up and warm, right in between your dad and I. I really treasure the mornings with you. You call me "my precious."

You are growing up right before my eyes. In the past week you have become completely potty trained. You are speaking complete, full sentences, and surprising me everyday with your vocabulary. You amaze me. You are such a sweet-hearted little boy, and I'm so very blessed to be your mom. Happy birthday my precious.

I love you to pieces,
mama

Pure Randomness

1. Sometimes I underestimate my kids. I had a dentist appointment this week and didn't have anyone to watch the kids. So I had them pack up their book bags with a few of their favorite toys. Despite that, I was dreading the appointment and just knew that they would be a handful. They were angels. When I realized that I was surprised, I thought to myself "Why??" They are great kids and instead of expecting the worst from them, I should give them a chance and have a little faith in them.

2. Periodontal scraping is pure evil.

3. Diet A&W Root Beer is fantastic! Last weekend, I even concocted an alcoholic beverage featuring Vanilla Vodka, Diet A&W, and vanilla ice cream. Heavenly.

4. Those OAMC (Once a Month Cooking) gals really may be on to something. I cooked and shredded 5 lbs. of chicken last week and it was so great to have that on hand to make enchiladas, chicken salad, nachos, and pizza. It took next to no time to do but saved me SO much time when I went to whip up dinner.

5. The bigger the dog, the bigger the baby. Over the past two days Layla has decided that she is too scared to cross the one inch of crate necessary to exit. And that it's just a better idea to sit in her crate and whimper. It's quite pitiful. MJ and I have entice her to come out by laying a carrot on the floor.

6. Potty training your kids is overrated. Now that bubba is potty trained (no accidents in 3 days!), most of my day consists of running him to the bathroom every time he feels the slightest urge to pee. Which is kind of what the point of potty training is, but terribly inconvenient for me.

7. The Girl Scouts are robbing people blind. I bought a box of the lemon cookies for MJ and they were $3.50! For about 12 cookies. Considering it took us two days to eat the box, I'd say that's a waste of money.

8. Muppets Take Manhattan is timeless. It was great 15 years ago, and it's still great today. The kids and I have been singing "Together Again" all week. I'm sure it's been quite enjoyable for Alby.

9. Pita bread will now be a staple in our house. I randomly gave the kids some turkey in a pita and they gulped it down. Since then anything and everything that I've put in a pita they have loved.

10. I started this post yesterday and am just now finishing it. That's sad.