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.