Oh Winter, Where Art Thou?

I live in Virginia and we are desperate.

It wouldn't take much to make us happy.  After all, I live in the land of over reaction and panic.

The mention of rain or (gasp) snow, literally stops traffic in its tracks.  Toilet paper, milk and bread fly off the shelves at the grocery store.

And, while I'm on the subject.  Why exactly are these items hot commodities at the store?  Are we all really afraid that we're going to get hit with the most god awful stomach flu and that we realistically have a need for 24 rolls of toilet paper?

Anyway.  We thought we had a shot this weekend.  Beginning last Thursday, the rumors started. 

"Did you hear the weather"?
"I think we're really going to get it this time".

The weather man touted "Winter Weather" and "Storm Potential" on every news cast.  They were hesitant to give out any real predictions because you know. 

Those storms can be tricky.

Now, I'm not a meteorologist, but even I can figure out that 7 days of 50+ degree weather isn't very suitable for "winter weather".

Yet, we all bought it.  And, we watched the weather, holding our breath.  Could this be the one?  The storm that actually makes it feel like winter?

Nope.

It missed us.

And, today?  It's almost 50 degrees again.

And, Thursday?  It will be in the 60's.

C'mon already!  My kids have brand spankin' new snow boots that are still sitting in the boxes.

Happy Valentines Day

A bunch of nothing

I've been a bad blogger lately.   But, in my defense, we haven't done anything exciting and I didn't want to bore you with a bunch of nothing.

Which, by the way, this post will consist of a bunch of nothing.  Just for the record.

The last few weekends have been spent mostly indoors.  It rained a few days and the other days, it was just too cold to let the kids outside for any length of time that would make a difference.

So, we painted

And made cinnamon rolls

And played Choo Choo with our friend, Mr. Bear

Bubble Fun

Shameless Plug

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about finally starting another blog that I had been thinking about for quite some time.

The name of the blog is Meals for Moms and I'm happy to report that I've posted 19 recipes so far!

Thank you to everyone who has left me comments.  My main goal with starting the blog was to offer simple, easy meals to other moms who were faced with the same time constraints and struggles as me.  I really hope it helps to relieve some of the stress associated with trying to get a meal on the table at the end of the day.

If you haven't already, please check it out.  And, if you like what you see, tell a friend!  I love reading comments so please give me your feedback if you've tried a recipe or if you have one that you'd like to share.

I have a ton more recipes to share and I'm commited to posting new recipes each week.  So far, I've been focusing mainly on main dishes but I promise you, I have some wonderful appetizer and dessert recipes too!

Happy Cooking!

Where's the instruction manual?

The twins moved over to the Pre I room at their daycare on their 2nd birthday in October. The room that is also known as the “potty training” room.


I remember thinking to myself, “Are we really here already”?

The kids were quite apprehensive about the whole potty experience at first. Christopher approached it with his usual “I’m not afraid” attitude and then quickly came to the conclusion that it wasn’t exciting enough and he didn’t want to be bothered with it.

If it doesn’t involve footballs, markers or sharks, forget about it!

Kendall was much more intrigued but would sit with a death grip on the teacher. She slowly learned that it was OK and she now sits there like a big girl. And then suddenly, Christopher thought he was missing out on something and began to exclaim, “My turn!” when Kendall was on the potty.

I thought it was probably time that I joined in on the fun and the kids started sitting on the potty at home. Admittedly, I’m completely clueless with how the whole process works.

I mean, I know how to use the potty myself but how do you teach someone how to do it? What equipment do I need? How will I know when they need to go?

I knew I didn’t want to buy one of those potties that sits on the floor. To be honest, it grosses me out. Who wants to empty and clean that thing multiple times per day?

It’s so 1800’s.

I debated on buying a training seat for the big potty but decided against it. They don’t use anything at school and I thought it was probably better to keep things consistent.

Until about 2 weeks ago.

The kids started sitting on the potty at every diaper change. It was Kendall’s turn and she was happy as can be. Beaming with pride as she sat on that potty.

Christopher walked in and started climbing on me. I grabbed him so he wouldn’t knock her down and as I did that, I lost my grip on Kendall.

S-P-L-A-S-H!

Oh, yes. My baby fell in the toilet. Ass first.

She looked at me with this look of horror. And then she started crying. I tried not to overreact because I didn’t want her to be scared. The whole time I’m thinking, “Crap. I just set back the whole process by months”.

I didn’t push the potty the rest of the day. At the bedtime diaper change, she approached me and asked if she could sit on the potty.

Ah. No permanent damage done. The next day, I went out and bought a Sesame Street training seat.

And, that’s as far as we’ve gotten. We do A LOT of sitting with no action to date.

So, here’s my question for those experienced potty trainers: What’s the next step? Do we just keep doing what we’re doing? Or, should I start setting a timer for every 30 minutes and asking if they need to go?

To be honest, I’m not sure I’m ready. The thought of training 2 at the same time freaks the hell outta me.

Can’t they stay in diapers forever? If I play my cards right, they’ll be in Depends Undergarments before they hit the 1st grade.

Saturday Morning Snuggles