All My {Sick} Children

What a two weeks this has been!   Oy!

Last Wednesday, I heard Kendall crying and heading toward my room at 3:30 am.  She proclaimed, "My throat is coming out".

Thinking she had vomited,  I went into her room but couldn't find anything.  I let her crawl into bed with me (Daddy fell asleep on the couch, thankfully).  Kendall used to get croup when she was smaller and that cough had also started to kick in.  About an hour later, she sat up and started gagging.  I had nothing close by so I cupped my hands.

(The things a mother does, right?   Is it bad that I thought, "Oh my gosh.  Please don't ruin my Pottery Barn duvet cover")?  

That time was only a little bit of spit up but I promptly went downstairs and grabbed "The Vomit Bowl". 

Does everyone have one of those, or something similar?  I remember the Pink Bucket when I was growing up.  

She vomited one last time about an hour later and then the fever kicked in.  It hung around 100-101 for 2 days and then Friday morning, it spiked to 103.  Time for a doctor's visit.

My poor baby had strep AND bronchitis. 

Her fever was gone by Saturday (the miracles of antibiotics) so we ventured to our local pool. We had the place to ourselves.

The next day, we went to my niece's 2nd birthday party.  My sister-in-law did an outdoor beach theme with a blow-up moonbouce water slide, a slip 'n slide, baby pool and tons of snacks.  It was perfect.  And, as you can see, the kids had a fantastic time.

We've been watching Christopher and sure enough, he woke up this past Wednesday morning with a cough and complaining of his stomach hurting.  I took him to the doctor yesterday and we have more strep and bronchitis.

I'm so thankful I have a flexible company that allows me to work from  home.  I've been in the office 2 times in the last 2 weeks. 

Today is the first day in 2 weeks that they are both in school.  And, wouldn't you know that I woke up with a stuffy head and sore throat?  I'm praying it's just allergies and that I didn't catch it. 

Seriously?  I don't think the grocery store has enough bleach to disinfect this place.  I might have to torch it.

I have GIANT infants who know psychology

My twins are going to be 4 years old in a few months. 

Until recently, I did pick up from pre-school in the afternoons.  Kendall always spots me, yells "Mommmmyyyyyyy", gives me a huge hug and (most times) walks happily to Chris' classroom so we can pick him up.

Chris, on the other hand, has started requesting to be carried to the car because "his legs hurt" and he doesn't "have any energy". 

Seriously.  Those are direct quotes.  He wants to be picked up and carried to the car like a 40 pound baby. 

Now, back when the twins were still in their car seats, I developed some pretty nice arms. 

(if I say so myself).

But, now?   Ah, hell no!  Now, I have "flabby, my kids are bigger so I shouldn't be lifting them anymore" arms.

At home, Kendall has to hold my hand whenever we walk anywhere together.  That includes going on that HUGE trip up the stairs to her bedroom OR downstairs to the laundry room or their play room. 

It's, like 10 steps!

And then Chris has to get in on the act and sometimes he wants to hold my hand too.  Climbing the steps becomes a feat not unlike that of climbing Mt. Everest. 

While playing Twister.

If I try to go ahead of either of them, they have recently started crying accusing me of leaving them.

"Oooooohhhhhhh, yooouuuuuuu leeffffttttttt meeeeeeeeeeee".

Now, I get they are now old enough to lay on the ole' guilt trip.  And, clearly they have both learned the fine art of manipulation.

Admittedly, sometimes I cave and I do pick them up.  And, I'm sure it's quite a spectacle. 

The twins are 41 inches tall.  When I'm holding one of them, I wonder how many people think I'm a Siamese twin at first glance?


Anyone else out there having this problem? 

(and, please.  If your child is now 15, I really, really don't want to know).

{GIVEAWAY} - How to Stay Organized with Grace Adele!

As many of you, I struggle to stay organized. There are some days when I swear I put the same item away 10 times. Since having my twins, I’ve learned that I won’t have a perfect house. It will never look like those pictures on Pinterest or Pottery Barn. Sure, they look inviting enough but c’mon. Does anyone’s house really look like that 24/7?

Trying to stay organized is a battle. Even with my purse. Before the kids, I used to carry a cute little Coach purse. It was all I needed to carry my wallet, cell phone and maybe a mirror. When I got pregnant, I remember a co-worker laughing and telling me when the kids came, that purse wouldn’t last me a week. I laughed back and thought, “How much stuff could I possibly need”?

You guys are laughing too, right?

As my “thanks for birthin’ my babies” gift, my husband bought me a new Coach purse and I loved it. But, over the years, it began to lose its appeal. I’m constantly on the go and if I have the kids with me, it’s all I can do to get through the check out line in one piece. The receipts and any other miscellaneous papers, juice cups, snacks, etc. get shoved in the bag to be dealt with later.

Several weeks go by and then all of the sudden, I have wads of paper in the bottom of my purse. Or, better yet, I can’t find my sunglasses. Or, better yet, I find broken sunglasses because I hastily shoved my wallet in my purse and broke the hinge.

Yep. $200 Ray Ban sunglasses down the pooper. True story.

Enter Grace Adele.

I purchased my first Grace Adele bag a few months ago when I became a Scentsy consultant.  I thought they were attractive but I honestly didn't give much thought to the functionality of it.  A purse is a purse, right?

(I know I've mentioned it before and the purpose of this post is NOT to sell you a purse.  Us mom's need to stick together and if I find something that helps me, you're darn tootin' I'll share it with ya)!

I now have 3 Grace Adele purses of different sizes.  I've used them every day and within one week, I noticed I no longer had wads of paper laying in the bottom of my purse.  I noticed that my car keys were actually at my finger tips.

And, my NEW sunglasses?  Tucked into their own little pocket away from that big, bad wallet. 

It wasn't until my latest trip to Nashville that I truly understood what a gem Grace Adele is.  I travelled with the Shelby bag and it had plenty of space for my wallet, makeup bag, 2 magazines, a bottle of water and a few other necessities.  My boarding pass, drivers' license and cell phone were easily accessible.

The top picture shows the clutch interior.  Lots of pockets and storage!  And, did I mention TWO shoulder straps?



My pink Shelby and Shae clutch. 




Adding my "bling".  Grace Adele has TONS of accessories so you can customzie your own bag!




Shelby bag interior.  Check out all of those pockets!  And, how cute is that lining?



I started feeling bad for other women in the airport as I watched them fumbling through their purses searching for their ID.

We took a few trips to downtown Nashville during my visit and I didn't want to carry the larger bag with me.  No problem!

I took the clutch out of the front pocket and wha la!  Instant small bag that was perfect for carrying a credit card, ID, cell phone, sunglasses and makeup bag.

And, huge surprise!  The clutch came with TWO shoulder straps so I could coordinate the color with my outfit. 

As I was walking down the street past a restaurant, I overheard a woman say, "She has a cute purse".  Yay!

Even thought I no longer have a use for a diaper bag, I've heard the Mary bag can double as one.  It has 2 side pockets that can easily hold a bottle and the interior pockets can fit wipes, bibs, pacifiers and any other thing you might need. 

Grace Adele has a simple, smart system.  First, choose your color.  Next, choose your bag style.  Pick your accessories and you're good to go. 

Oh!  Did I forget to mention they also have matching jewelry so you can complete your look?

It's like Charming Charlie's for purses! 

And, so.  This takes me to my GIVEAWAY!   Leave me a comment on why you think Grace Adele would be helpful to you.  I'll choose a winner on July 31st to receive:

A Grace Adele Style System that includes a bag and clutch of YOUR CHOICE!*
*excludes the Laney and Bella Leather bags and clutches
* offer only valid for residents of the US and Canada

Start picking out your bag and clutch now!  There's a cool "Build Your Look" tool so you can create your fav!

Website:  https://suzannebanks.graceadele.us


Good luck! 
(You can thank me later)    ;)

What We've Been Up To

I don't know where the days have gone.  I keep thinking about writing a post and then before I know it, another day has passed. 

I am happy to report that I have GOOD NEWS to report!

First, hubby found a job!  He had an interview with a recruiter 2 weeks ago.  They set up a phone interview with a company 15 minutes from our house and he started last Tuesday!  It's a temp to perm position, which is OK.  Everyone is on my health insurance so it's not a big deal.  Once the temp contracts expires in about 3-4 months, they can hire him as a permanent employee. 

Can we all do a collective sigh of relief? 

And.... inhale.  Aaaaannd, exhale.

I also went to visit my sister in Nashville last week.  I flew out May 31st and returned last Tuesday, 6/04.  It was a nice trip but I was missing my babies and ready to come home.  My sister's mother in law was also visiting so we got to see the town on Saturday night while she watched my niece and nephew. 

My overall impression of Nashville?  Eh. 

I don't know what I was expecting but I was fairly underwhelmed.  Everything was smaller than I imagined.  Granted, I live in a populated area so maybe my view is skewed?  I grew up here and I guess I never thought I lived in "the big city". 

My sister's house was really nice and they live in a great neighborhood.  I think they are enjoying the move overall but they are definitely home sick when it comes to socializing.  They just haven't met anyone and they haven't been able to make any friends.  My brother in law is still searching for a job and he seemed a little depressed.  I think he's OK with everything but he just doesn't have anyone to socialize with.  My sister at least gets to go to an office everyday. 

Let's see.  What else?

The kids' got their school pictures done last month.   They were pretty good so I bought one of the packages.  The following week, I saw a flyer posted by the front desk that said they were having a company called Portrait Café come in for a fundraising event.  It said there was no pressure to buy and no need to dress up the kids for another picture day.  They provided all of the costumes. 

I didn't really give it much thought and forgot about it.  As I was picking up the kids one afternoon, the principal approached me and told me I just HAD to look at the photos that were taken that day.

OH.  MY.  GOSH.

They turned out sooooooooo good!   I couldn't make up my mind so I ended up buying the CD of all 24 shots.  It was a splurge but I figured the chances of getting photos this good again would be near impossible.  Here's a few of my favs:

Super adorable, right?!

I hope you are having a fantastic start to the summer.  We haven't hit our neighborhood pool yet but I see that in our future.  The kids don't miss a beat.  They already noticed that it's open.  I figure we'll have to go at least once in the next month.  We have plans to go to my mom's beach house at the end of July and she has a pool. Last year, the kids both loved it.  I'm excited to be going this year.  We're timing it so we'll be down there the same week that my sister is there with her mother in law.  We'll both stay at my mom's for a few days and then my sister and her family will head down to a beach house they rented for the rest of the week. 


That's it for now!