Moooooooooo!

Does anyone else have children who make this much noise when they eat? My house sounds like a dairy farm!

Also for your viewing pleasure: Gavin in a food coma after trying (and loving) water ice for the first time and Charlotte entertaining us with a rousing rendition of "The Wheels on the Bus."

Catching Up

Wow, I really fell off the blogging wagon this past week. The weather has been incredible here, and the last place I wanted to be was holed up in the basement, at the computer, away from all the sunshine. So I barely even checked my email.

We were out for lots of walks this week. Not much of interest going on, except maybe:

1. Gavin is getting his eye teeth AND his molars at once. Yikes. He's been up often during the night.

2. Charlotte has a nasty rash. I thought it was diaper rash, but it seems to be more of the yeast-variety. In the same vein, we've put her back on soy formula and nixed the whole milk for now.

3. I joined my local library. I've dragged my feet about joining because it's kind of a joke of a library--they still have a CARD CATALOG, for crying out loud--but a new library is in the works and the plans look promising. Gavin checked out The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too! , Leo, The Late Bloomer, and War and Peace.

4. Charlotte is saying her first semi-recognizable word: key, which means kitty-cat. Gavin has been saying uh-oh for a while, but this week added Ma! to his repertoire. Finally!

Penny Pinching

I've been on "childrearing leave" for 14 months now. 14 months! 14 months on one salary! And I have twins, so I require double...everything! It hasn't been easy. Michael and I planned for my year at home, but didn't plan on two years of fertility treatments, IVF, TWO babies, the mortgage crisis (Michael was a broker until a few months ago), and virtually no renters in our new house in Myrtle Beach. (Until recently, when we switched rental companies, and now that sucker is mostly booked for the next year. Woo-hoo!)

So I've been thinking a lot about money lately, as I'm sure most of us are, what with rising gas prices, and declining real estate values, and the whole bit. Many, many of my friends are stay-at-home moms, and I know many of you internets are SAHM's as well. My point is, we should be pooling our resources, ladies, and sharing tips on stretching our budgets.

Here are some tips I found in Real Simple:

Purchase oranges, onions, and potatoes in bags rather than individually. You'll pay roughly half the price.

Don't buy nongrocery items at the grocery store. Health and beauty goods are usually cheaper at mass-market retailers (hello, Target) and the best deals on paper products are at warehouse clubs.

Opt for frozen seafood over fresh to save 20-40%. If this grosses you out, consider that most "fresh" fish was frozen in transport.

Buy ground beef and chicken breasts in bulk to save 20% on beef and 50% a pound on chicken.

I also started buying my milk (1% for Michael and me, whole for the babies) at my local dairy. It's about $3.50 a gallon and tastes better than what I get in the supermarket. Also, I like knowing where my milk is coming from. I can see the cows right there, in the pasture, with plenty of room to roam, eating their grass. No growth hormones, either. We also buy our cheese, deli meats, chicken breasts, and beef at the local butcher shop. It's at least 50% cheaper than getting it in the market.

So speak up, readers. What are your best budget-stretching tips?

Biting the Bullet

I finally did it. I took Gavin for his first haircut. So, purely by default, Charlotte received her first haircut too, even though she didn't need one as badly. It was, of course, exciting. But a little sad, too. Gavin had these wispy baby curls in the back that have been there since his birth, literally. It was kind of difficult to watch the stylist cut them off. And now he just looks so much like, well, a big boy.

For the longest time, I just wanted the babies to grow. They were so tiny, and it was so difficult, and I kept thinking, "If only they were a little bit older, this mothering thing would be so much easier." And now I find myself wanting the opposite. My babies are becoming toddlers! When did that happen?

Back to the haircuts: I've been trying to train Charlotte's hair to sweep to the side with a barrette, because I wasn't too sure about the bang thing with her since she doesn't have a whole lot of hair to start with. But her hair just wasn't sweeping to the side like I had imagined (where is Suri Cruise's stylist when you need her?) so her hair kept getting in her eyes. I was also concerned that she was going to wind up eating her barette since she continuously pulled it out. (I caught the girl eating leaves yesterday; I'm sure a barrette would have been no sweat.) So I decided we should just go with some "starter bangs" and take it from there. However, the stylist's English was questionable, and she wound up giving Charlotte a trim much like Gavin's, and her bangs wound up WAY too short.

But whatever. The first haircut is out of the way. The trimmings are safely in the baby books. Hair grows. That's the important part, right?

Gavin, with his new business-man haircut. "Hold my calls!"

Charlotte, rocking super-cute bangs. I wish the stylist would have stopped here...

Bye-bye, cute bangs. This is what we now refer to as Bang Massacre 2008.

My Two Cheesy Cents

Michael Johns was voted off of Idol last night. Really, America? You think Jason Castro is a better singer? Sheesh.

*Sigh.* There's really no reason for me to watch anymore.

Mental Post-It

Today was a day I want to remember.

Gavin was playing with his activity table about 3 feet from where I was sitting. He stopped what he was doing, crawled onto my lap, and gave me a big sloppy kiss. And by kiss, I mean he opened his mouth wide and put it over my mouth. He's kissed me once or twice before, but only after I've prompted, "Gavin, can you give Mommy a kiss?" Today was totally spontaneous. It was the cutest. thing. ever.

I also got to spend some one-on-one time with Gavin today. Michael had to run some errands and took Charlotte with him, so it was just Gavin and me for about an hour. It was nice. And, well...easy. I certainly don't mean to belittle the efforts of women with only one child, but it was so much different than having two. I didn't have to referee any baby-squabbles, or pull one child off the other, or chase babies who are moving in two different directions. I cooked dinner, and Gavin basically sat at my feet and played with blocks. I loved it.

Tomorrow we're heading to the zoo with my brother-in-law and nephew. I'm sure I'll have plenty of good photos to share!

Ms. Whiny

It's funny how, even at 13 months, the twins have these personalities that are pretty consistent from day to day. Except when he's not feeling well, Gavin is generally laid-back and happy. He has his moments, but he is such a smily, good-natured baby.

Charlotte has her happy moments, too, but these usually occur when someone is holding her and directing the activity at hand. She is happiest when someone is reading her a book, or showing her how to play with a toy, or otherwise holding her attention. But when she's left to her own devices, she has this mischevious streak--and I believe we have only seen the beginning.

One of her favorite activities is throwing all of my folded clothes out of the laundry basket. Actually, she throws just about anything in front of her; blocks, toy cars, books, cat food, the phone... Lately she's been throwing her food off of her high chair tray, and throwing her sippy cups as well. She's also a big fan of stealing Gavin's pacifier or cup away from him, waiting until he cries, and then immediately looking at me because she knows I'll intervene.

And have I mentioned the screaming? She's discovered her voice, and that raising it gets her some attention. It's more of an aggravated whine/grunt, and it's usually when she's not being directly engaged (or when Gavin decides to push her away from the activity table).

In her defense, she's getting over a pretty nasty double ear infection and a cold. And before that, there was the month-long bout of diarrhea, some teeth, vaccines... The poor kid can't catch a break.



A glimpse into the future...can't you just picture her? "Mom! You're ruining my life!"

Score!

I braved my way through my first Mothers of Multiples Rummage Sale tonight. Holy Crap, I've never seen so much stuff in one place.

Rummage sales are kind of a nightmare for me, for two reasons: One, second-hand stuff freaks me out a little. I know, it sounds snobby. As long as the things are in good condition, I'm fine. But if there's, let's say, a stain on something, then I start imagining where the stain came from, and that's not a fun place for my mind to go. Or if there's a toy that's a little dirty, I start imagining a toddler with a runny nose playing with it. You get the picture. The other reason I dislike rummage sales is that I am not an impulse buyer. In fact, I'm exactly the opposite of an impulse buyer. (A calculated buyer?) I've been known to visit a certain pair of Citizens of Humanity jeans in the mall for several months before I could actually justify the purchase. ("Alright, Amy, you work hard, and you have like no designer clothes, and you've wanted these jeans for 6 months now, and they are never going on sale, so just buy them, and if you wear them every weekend for the next two years, they will totally be worth the money. Oh, and you DESERVE them!!")

But I digress.

I went to the Rummage Sale to look for a double jogging stroller in particular, and there was a nice one there for $75. I decided to take a lap around the perimeter to think about it, and when I came back it was gone. See? Rummage sales are for impulse buyers.

I did manage to score another 6-panel Superyard for $25. And I bought Charlotte and Gavin some really cute clothes totaling $30. All in all, not a bad first run.

Charlotte's "new" gear

Gavin's "new" gear

Superyard!

Nostalgia

I've been feeling a bit nostalgic for my younger days recently. I'm not sure why; it seems that springtime always triggers this feeling for me. Maybe because it's prom season, or the anticipation of summer that is still very real to me because of my profession. Whatever the reason, it hits me hard at this time of year, and the bittersweet sensation of the passage of time blooms right along with the daffodils.

I got to revel in the feeling a bit this morning when I saw that the band that was such an integral part of my formative years is reuniting and putting out a new album. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that my heart fluttered just a little.

Sad, no?

Some Days, Other Days

Some days I feel like I have tons to blog and talk about. Other days I feel like I have nothing important to say at all.

Some days I feel like I should be Mother of the Year. Other days I figure I'll be lucky if the twins are still speaking to me when they turn 18.

Some days I feel nothing but love; huge, encompassing love from Michael, Charlotte, and Gavin. Other days I feel completely unappreciated.

Some days I want to be a stay-at-home mom forever. Other days I can't wait to go back to work.

Some days I think I manage the demands of being a wife and mother pretty well. Other days I ignore the dust building up on the TV screen and order pizza for dinner.

Some days (most days) I'm happy with the way my life has turned out. Other days, I wish I could go back about 15 years and do it all differently.

Do you have days like this too?