Undomestic Chica

Heartbreak & Tears

2012-02-08T09:18:00.000-08:00

I took this picture of Lovebug last week. He had been playing with my phone and Peanut took it away. He got it back after I quit snapping pictures but for those 30 seconds, having that phone taken away was the most heartbreaking thing that had ever happened to him.

The worst thing that's ever happened to him is his brother taking a toy away. That is pretty fantastic.

Now if only I could keep it that way.

Our Love Story

2012-02-07T11:23:00.000-08:00

Interested in our love story?

1. How long have you and your significant other been together? 3 years

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}We met at work. We were working Race for the Cure and he gave me the jacket he had been wearing because he was leaving (it was the station's.)

Months go by and we never ran into each other again, then one day he had been talking to someone whose desk was close to mine. He overheard someone else mention that I'm Native and he said, "So you're Native American? Do you have oily skin 'cause I do and I'm adopted and I've always wondered if my oily skin might be a sign that I'm Native American." Smooth Boyfriend, real smooth.

Luckily, I thought he was hot despite that awkward start because a few weeks later, the person he had been talking to last time he'd spoken to me (unbeknownst to me, he'd come talk to her just to see me) came and told me she was like me f-c-ing wingman. One of our DJ's had just told me he had a little crush so I asked her what she meant and she said not only the DJ but B had a crush too. About a week later we went out, to the driving range (how romantical) and then to a bar for dinner and some beer. Although the driving range would not be my ideal first date (I suck at golf,) our date made an impression because he actually kept the conversation going and it was different. B has this tendency to make everyone feel like his best friend within minutes, and I was no different.

I didn't hear from him (not even a text) for a whole week, until he asked me to come over and make Christmas cookies. I did and we were pretty much together after that.

3. If married, how long have you been married? If not, is this the guy you hope to marry? {do tell}
I guess I'd like to someday. I kind of go back and forth about marriage since we already have kids together and everything. But, I know that deep down, I'd like us to legally be a family.

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding? If not, where would you like to get married? And will it be big or small? I go back and forth about this too. Growing up, I wanted to get married in Hawaii. I can't explain it, but Hawaii just feels like home. Plus, plumeria is my favorite flower.

I've had this pic saved forever! I don't even like yellow but love this bouquet. via

Then as I've gotten older, I think I'd like my aunts, uncles and cousins to be able to attend. But, deep down, I know that I'd like to get married in Hawaii. I have to decide between having my family attend or getting married where I'd really like to. I've thought about having a reception for family, but I worry that my family wouldn't travel across the state just for a party that lasts a few hours.

If we have a wedding here it will be big because I have a lot of family, if I we have it in Hawaii it will be smaller with 20 people or so.

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share! Sorry, nothing embarrassing, just "Babe." And sometimes "Button," but that's a whole other story I'm blogging about soon.

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey. I love that he's outgoing because I'm not. I wish I could talk to people as easily as he does. I love how giving he is. He's always willing to help people out even though I feel like he gets taken advantage of a lot. It doesn't deter him though, he's always willing to lend a hand the next time. And most importantly, he's such a good dad. He had almost no experience with babies before we had ours, but he's taken to fatherhood so well. He's so involved, and a huge help. I've loved watching his love for them grow.

Why yes, that is B DJing a wedding with Peanut asleep in the carrier.

7. Tell us how he proposed? Or your ideal proposal? I haven't really thought about this much. I'd like pictures of it, that's all I know. A cool idea I gave a friend was to tell his girlfriend they were going to take pictures (they had done the same thing early in their relationship for Valentine's Day) and in the middle of the shoot, he dropped to one knee and proposed. She was pregnant at the time so they had not only pregnancy pictures but also special engagement photos.

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals? Neither. He's not super romantic. Actually, he's not romantic at all. BUT, about three months into our relationship, he did surprise me by taking me to dinner and then to see the Lion King on stage. I had been dying to go. He went to a lot of trouble taking his motorcycle out before hand to figure out a good route to go that wouldn't give away that we were going to the theater. A birdie told me that was the night he was first going to tell me he loved me but he chickened out.

And, before we had the boys, he took me to the Edgewater Hotel for the weekend where he surprised me with pearl earrings made from the pearls we had gotten at the fair (that's a fun story!) I take that back, he's romantical, just more of a grand gesture type of romantic rather than everyday things.

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch? Both. I love water, I think it would be awesome to sit on a beach with B enjoying each other's company, but I'm just as happy sitting with him on the couch watching a movie. To me, it's more about spending time together rather that what we're doing.

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere? Travel. I'd love to travel and it would be fantastic if he'd go with me. We end up having fun whatever we do so I know traveling to Spain or France or Italy would be amazing with him.

And also....stay together. In a time where so many marriages end up in divorce, I hope we can beat the odds and model a good, healthy, loving relationship for our boys. I want them to be able to say, "Our parent's have been together for 50 years!"

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day. Nothing. I actually hate Valentine's Day and think we should let people know how we feel every day. We don't usually do gifts, but try and do something fun together like the aquarium. We try and do something we wouldn't do any other regular weekend so we stay away from dinner and a movie. This year, I'm thinking the Children's Museum or something. Something our whole family will enjoy.

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day? Nope, nothing gift-wise, just for him to spend time with me. We used to do fun things like go to Roller Derby matches or plays or burlesque shows all the time and we don't really get to anymore so I cherish the time we do get to spend together.

Roller Derby 2009

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love. Spend time together! We went through a really rough patch a bit after the boys were born because we were so focused on them that we lost ourselves and our sense of "us." But we made it a point to spend time together (and have couple *wink* time) and that helped tremendously! We're much more of a team again. And having gone through that made us so much better. Now we know if we feel disconnected we probably need to communicate a bit and have a date night, or just sit on the couch and watch a movie.

14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.

I did not know how much I could love someone until I had these two. From the moment I found out I was pregnant I was in love.

Flashback Friday: I Did Something Embarrassing

2012-02-03T10:21:00.000-08:00

I mentioned last week that B and I went out to a going away party on Thursday evening. While there, the girl in the green shirt in the pic below timidly came up to me and told me she was kind of nervous to come up to me 'cause she thinks she's kinda drunk and didn't want to make an arse of herself blah blah blah.

I proceed to tell her that I had just been looking through the pictures of our work party in 2005 and was laughing at all the shenanigans and all this other stuff. She didn't really say much and was kind of awkward about the whole situation.

Hmmmm, that's weird.

It occurred to me on WEDNESDAY that the girl I talked to was not Pang, but instead this girl, Michelle, who used to be one of my employees at the radio station! It took me SIX days to realize my mistake.

How embarrassing!

No wonder she was acting awkward. I wish I could blame it on the alcohol, but sadly I have no excuse other than I used to see Pang out once in awhile when I was still promoting so I just figured it was her.

I still can't believe it took me six days to figure out my mistake.

Sister Love: Anjelah Johnson

2012-01-31T07:01:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, my sister flew back from college to see comedienne Anjelah Johnson with me. Normally I'm not into watching comedians; I usually fall asleep if B and his friends are watching some Eddie Murphy DVD (ugh, claw my eyes out, please.) But, I wanted to do something with my sister and I think Anjelah Johnson's youtube clips are really funny.

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Girlfriend did not disappoint! She's this gorgeous, tiny little thing that at times makes you think she really is this tough thug from South Central and at other times an old Filipino woman. Her best joke was about her castmates in the movie Our Family Wedding, and the woman who killed Selena.

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Since Selena is one of my favorite movies, I was almost crying as she said this. Anjelah's timing is impeccable, her delivery is perfect her beatboxing will surprise you, and it's so refreshing to see that a woman doesn't have to be crass to be funny. If you get the chance to see her in your city, go see her. And that's a big recommendation coming from a comedy-show-hater.

Mama Says: I Don't Tell My Kids "No."

2012-01-30T08:10:00.000-08:00

Before you read the title and crucify me for kids needing boundaries, let me explain. I'm not raising little heathens who run amok and do anything and everything their heart desires. We have boundaries, we have expectations, but I don't tell my kids "No." Occasionally it slips out, but for the most part, I don't tell them "No."

I think too often kids hear, "No, don't do that James," or "No, Sarah." That they hear "No," all day long and become oblivious to it. And just telling them "No," doesn't direct them to what they should be doing.

I may be shooting myself in the foot here, but I've decided not to tell my kids what not to do and what they should be doing instead. I find myself repeating, "Peanut, we sit down in the tub," 785678946329 times as I help him sit back down, but at least I feel like I'm telling him what he should be doing. He shouldn't be standing up in the bathtub and he should be sitting instead. We're trying to teach them not to touch the oven so instead we say, "Ouch, ouch, ouch!" The oven is hot!" as we pull them away.

I repeat, "Hands off!" more times that I can count each day, but I'm really hoping not to have kids who just ignore me because all I say is "No." They still test the boundaries, they are kids after all. Lovebug is really good at the hands off command whereas Peanut just laughs as we pull him away from the oven or dog food. But I'm really hoping that in the long run we can avoid some of the terrible two meltdowns because although they may not be able to communicate back to us very well, they understand what we'd like them to do.

We'll see how well this actually works, but with two boys to raise, I've thought long and hard about my parenting and it's all about raising socially acceptable children all the while avoiding two screaming, tantrum-throwing heathens in the long run. I know they will throw tantrums, I'm sure many times it will be at the same time, but by not telling them, "No," I'm hoping to avoid just a little of the craziness.

Flashback Friday: Short Hair

2012-01-27T15:42:00.000-08:00

I've been considering chopping my hair off. Last time I did it, in 2006, my hair was about as long as it is now and I was tired of looking like everyone else. I was in the club industry, going out (but not drinking or doing drugs mind you) and every girl either had long hair or was growing it out long.

Remember when my best friend broke up with me? That's him.

TPD-2007

Last night we went out because my former boss, the guy in the mohawk in the 1st & 3rd pictures is moving to Oregon. Last night was the final goodby bash.

I found the pictures of me with short hair when I was looking for pics to send to TJ's wife for a slideshow she was putting together. I kind of think I might look better with short hair. I hated when it was a bob, but I'd like to think that I know how to style my hair a bit better now.

TPD - 2012 We're missing a few peeps

What do you think? should I chop off my hair? I'm thinking around collar bone length, so it can still go in a ponytail and stuff. I'm sure that as soon as I cut it, I'd be pissed that I did, but after 2+ years of long hair, I kind of want to try something different.

Suggestions?

Pinteresting Outfits

2012-01-25T12:39:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling a little.....uninspired. I'm going through one of those times where I don't feel like I have anything to say, so, let's participate in Oh How Pinteresting. Sounds good to me!

I've been complaining about my clothes a lot lately. Annoying. If my clothes are the worst thing I have to complain about, I've got it made. I know this.

Target has been a disappointment lately so here's a few things/outfits I couldn't mind owning:


via on pinterest

I love everything about this. I'd probably wear it with heels, but it makes a good work or weekend outfit.

via on pinterest

I wish I could pull off the "cool without trying too hard" look, but I can't.

via on pinterest

I need a pair of neutral heels bad. The ones I have (some old Steve Maddens) kill my feet. Does anyone else have that problem with Steve Maddens? They have almost no cushion.

via on pinterest

Ballerina TOMS! I have yet to own a pair of TOMS (I always thought they were ugly, but they're growing on me) but I think these are a good first pair.

via on pinterest

Love this top but I don't think it's available anymore.


via on pinterest

I wish I was this pulled together every day. This outfit reminds me, I need a cute blazer that's not going to break the bank, any suggestions?

The Hunger Games

2012-01-24T11:54:00.000-08:00

Why did it takes so long for me to get into these books?! I'll admit that I've mostly been using my Kindle Fire for the apps. The Fire is a good alternative to the iPad, btw. I'm so happy B got me the Fire for Christmas.

Anyway, I decided that instead of playing games when the Bambinos go to bed, I'd rather read so I bought The Hunger Games on Saturday. I finished it by the Bambinos' first nap in the morning, around 9:30am.

I should point out, I was not reading instead of spending time with my boys. I'm very conscientious about being present when they're awake. I mostly read Saturday night when they'd gone to bed, it's that good. Staying up late bit me in the foot later because an hour after I finally went to bed, Peanut woke up crying, and would only sleep in hour and a half stretches, with me holding him and rocking him, in our bed.

via

Needless to say, I was exhausted Sunday so I debated about buying the 2nd book, but I did. It didn't draw me in quite as quickly (the first book had me at "It was Prim Everdeen.") but not even 48 hours later I'm something like 60% finished. I know the most exciting parts are coming up so even though I should be adding Etsy listings tonight, I'll probably be reading instead.

I know I'll buy the 2nd book, but I'm going to force myself to do some other things first. I'm loving these books, even more than - dare I say it? - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

The Weather Outside Is Frightful

2012-01-19T10:24:00.000-08:00

We took the Bambinos on their first sledding trip yesterday. But first, let me back-up. The Seattle area completely shuts down whenever we get a few inches of snow. We don't get snow often so we're pretty much unprepared when it happens. Plus, a lot of Western Washington is built on hills so it makes driving pretty treacherous. After going to work at 4am with B for two days, I was ready to go home and have some fun yesterday afternoon.

The plan was not to have me ride with them, but they were so bundled up that Peanut almost rolled off and face planted so B ended up pulling the three of us around the block.

Lovebug was cooing and making little sounds the whole time, I think they liked it!

Today, the snow has finally stopped but now we have freezing rain making the roads just as slippery, people are losing power, trees are falling over roadways, some parts of Western Washington have been declared in a state of emergency! The temperature is supposed to get above freezing around noon or so making the roads much easier to navigate. It'll be nice to go back to normal tomorrow.

Blackout

2012-01-18T05:52:00.000-08:00

Learn more

Yesterday I Stayed Home

2012-01-17T07:40:00.000-08:00

I have a secret.

I'm envious of stay at home moms. I know it's hard, their days are probably much harder than mine because for 6-7 hours a day, someone else is at home watching my kids. I get to get out of the house and have adult interaction. I get to focus one something other than home for a few hours a day. I get a break.

But still, I want to stay home.

Yesterday I stayed home and got a glimpse of what being a SAHM would be like. Peanut was whiney. He's in the throes of teething and didn't want me to put him down for any reason. He wanted to play, but I better be not more than an arm's length away. He whined between sucks on his bottle and that never happens. My children are food lovers.

The whining wears on your nerves eventually, especially when you have another baby that also needs attention.

Not from yesterday, the Bambinos were not dressed this cute yesterday either.

Halfway through my day I had a realization: I'd showered and blow dried my hair but didn't straighten it or put on makeup. I was wearing yoga pants and a huge oversized t-shirt. And then I thought, would I even bother if I stayed at home everyday?

You see, I always put on makeup before I leave the house. I grew up in a household where it was unacceptable to leave the house in sweats. I don't even own sweats; the closest I have is the yoga pants and even if I leave the house wearing them, I have makeup on.

I swore I would never be one of those people that quits getting dressed or "getting ready" every day. So far, with two babies my track record is pretty good. But then I took a good, hard look at myself.

I was being naive. There are just some days where I would not be able to get ready. Would B still love me or be attracted to me? As someone that does not feel good about herself unless she looks good, I always told myself I would always try and look my best -no matter what- but yet I finally understood what it meant to be a mother. I understand why women say they quit taking care of themselves and focus solely on their family.

I finally realized that sometimes, something's gotta give and if that's the sacrifice I'd be making in staying home with my babies, that would okay with me, it would have to be. Most of the time.

Disclaimer: I do not judge others for not getting ready every day, I just never thought I would ever give up getting ready every day. It's the way I was raised. I was not judging those that do not get ready every day so please don't get your panties in a bundle.

Change of Plans

2012-01-16T11:13:00.000-08:00

I had a post planned for today but that didn't work out (I'm home due to snow, I'm such a wus and won't drive in it! And the boys are keeping me a bit busier than usual.) So....how about two giveaways?

Heather is having a giveaway for her blogoversary and she's giving away a Lilo Print! Go show her some love and tell her Happy Blogoversary!...and enter to win of course!

I'm now sponsoring Stuttering Shell too. She's also giving away a Lilo Print so stop by her blog for another chance to win!

And I'd love it if you'd "like" Lilo Prints on facebook, it'd really make my day.

Whether you're working or have today off, I hope you're enjoying Martin Luther King Jr Day!

Flashback Friday: 2011

2012-01-13T07:41:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been a whole year....

Birthday Wreath Tutorial

2012-01-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

Tired of the birthday talk yet? I promised a few people I'd show a tutorial of the wreath I made for the party Saturday so here goes.

It's super easy.

Buy a metal wreath form. Our craft store only carried ones with stuff already on them so I bought a discounted Christmas one and tore all the stuff off at home.

Make sure you have a lot of balloons. A lot a lot. I used at least three bags of 72 then I bought a few bags of individual colors I was running out of. Truth be told, I have a lot of balloons left over because I didn't want to use certain colors that were included in the bags.

I started with the outer (the biggest) ring

This is the back of the wreath, but it's the easiest way to see how I tied them

Start tying the balloons around the wreath. It took me a bit to find my groove so I like one side of the wreath better than the other but it works. I tied them on around the middle point of the balloon so you could see the end of some of the balloons too.

The outer ring finished.

Once I finished the outer ring of the wreath, I moved on to the inner ring. B and my sister thought it was full enough and I didn't need to but my OCD self did it anyway. I couldn't tell too much of a difference, but I do think it looks a bit fuller when both rings are filled.

Voila! This was a super easy and super cute addition to the party. I did it throughout the week while watching TV. Unlike everything else I did for the party, this was easy to pick up and put down whenever I had time.

Bambinos 1st Birthday Party!

2012-01-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

We had the Bambinos birthday party on Saturday! It was a looooong, stressful week for Mama but they thoroughly enjoyed it. I slept only 2 hours Friday night/Saturday morning. I conceded that I would have to give up on a few ideas for decorations. Staying up until 4am was enough!

My living room was a disaster Saturday morning, luckily my sister stayed over so she could help and I put B to work too.

The finished sweet table. The wreath, thumbprint picture, cake pops, cookies, chocolate covered pretzels and soda labels were made by me with a lot of help from my sister.

One of my favorite parts of the party was the picture I made, the party had an UP theme, but we couldn't have helium balloons in the venue we rented. To help combat that little issue, and to have a keepsake from the party I made this picture.

I ~~told~~ asked guests to ink their thumbprint and put it on the picture. The idea was to have a big bunch of balloons pulling Lovebug up, but people took it upon themselves to draw balloon strings in Lovebug's other hand and in both of Peanut's hands. If I were to do this again, I would cover the part of the picture I don't want inked with Saran Wrap. I'll have to post a pic of the final product later this week.

Custom T-shirts since people still can't seem to tell them apart!

One of my aunts and uncles came all the way from Eastern Washington. Two of my cousins even came too! These two little guys are so lucky to have so many people that love them so much.

They still don't really get the concept of opening presents. Peanut just wanted to try and use them to pull up. He always wants to pull up these days.

My sister got them a Radio Flyer Wagon! They like it, but I think I was more excited to get it put together. Our double stroller is cool, but the wagon will be handy on walks, or at the zoo or fair and stuff. I was itching to get it put together yesterday morning.

Peanut wanted the helicopter sitting in the table behind him so bad. He lost all interest in trying to open presents.

Having never had cake before, they dug into the cake fairly quickly. They poked at it for a minute or two, but Lovebug finally dug in with one finger and then it was game over when he realized how good it tasted. I had to give Peanut a swipe of frosting from my own finger but then he caught on quickly.

That's Peanut's I see a bottle and want it face. He's in the middle of signing "milk."

Trying to clean them off with baby wipes. I didn't think cleanup through very well, I would have brought a towel and a change of clothes. We took off their custom shirts for cake but the ended up with cake all over their onesies and jeans so they went home in their red cardigan and diapers. Oops.

They are the best babies. They were about 2 hours overdue for their nap and although you could tell they were tired during cake, they didn't fuss at all. People always comment about how good they are; especially when they're tired.

Overall, it was a fun party and I'm so glad we went all out, but we will not be doing that again next year. We'll be sticking with family and only very close friends. I'm still trying to catch up on sleep! I intended to start decoration in November but hadn't mad very many decisions yet. Next time, I will start decorations earlier than the week of. And, I need to keep reminding myself, they won't remember this party and they don't even care. But, because I care and love them so much, I wanted to go big for this, to celebrate their first year of life.

The celebration continues tomorrow on their real birthday!

Flashback Friday: Do You See the Resemblance?

2012-01-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

In honor of mine and B's birthday this week, I thought I'd share baby pics.

1st birthday

1st Christmas

1st Birthday

Is there any doubt who they look like?

It's My Birthday!

2012-01-04T08:02:00.000-08:00

via

I made it to 300 followers, and on my birthday! Everyone always says it's not about numbers but I've been hanging out at 298 for a while now and it was driving me crazy.

Hello new friends! I'm glad you're here.

So....I'm one year away from 30. I think I'll have a hard time with it next year. I've never really had a hard time getting older, but I'm no where near where I thought I'd be at 30. When I was younger, I wanted to be married and in a successful career by 30. I'm neither of those, but I'm okay with it. As I got older and older, the age of marriage got pushed back for me (it started out at 23,) and having my babies kind of made me lose my ambition. I no longer want to be in a career making gobs and gobs of money. Well, I want the gobs of money, but I love working part time and getting to play with them a bit in both the morning and evening. My ambition has turned away from a ton of money and turned toward my family instead.

How am I celebrating my big day? Well, I woke up to texts from Meli and B. Meli's was a nice birthday wish, and B told me I could open my present from him....if I could find it. That sneaker took it to work with him! I can imagine him sitting in the studio laughing knowing that I'm rushing around the house trying to find my stupid present wrapped in Christmas paper!

via

And later we're going to Red Lobster. Mmmmm...cheesey biscuits. That's the only reason we decide to go there every year.

In celebration of my birthday, I'm giving 10% off in my etsy shop! I haven't updated it in awhile but I will as soon as the Bambinos birthday party is over this weekend. If you see something you like, use the code Birthday10.

Now I gotta run, I just realized it's B's birthday too and I never wrapped his present!

Letter To Lindsay

2012-01-03T12:14:00.000-08:00

Two years ago, on my birthday, I wrote a letter to my 5 year old self sharing all the insights I now know as a grown up. This year, I'm writing one to myself last year telling myself all the wonderful lessons I will learn in 2011. Get yourself a piece of cake, a glass of champagne....

via

Dear Almost 28 Year Old Lindsay,

This year will be one of the most fantastical years and one of the hardest years you will ever live through. You can't wait for your babies to come out and let me tell you, other than feeling them move inside you, you will not miss pregnancy at all. Having them out in the world is much better than keeping them to yourself. The joy and love those two babies will bring to your life is unmatched by anything you've ever felt. They will bring you so many smiles and laughs that having them in your life will be hands down, the best thing that has ever happened to you.

You will be exhausted. The first three months really are the hardest. You will feel like you're doing nothing but nursing, and in a way you are. Every fiber of your being will revolve around those two precious Bambinos. But you know what? The very week that you go back to work they will start to sleep through the night. You will be blessed with two very good night sleepers but naptime will continue to be a struggle. They'll get the hang of sleeping in general, eventually.

Right around the time that you feel you're getting the hang of parenthood, your relationship with B is going to throw a wrench in everything. It will be the most difficult time you two have ever faced. You will feel sad, and lonely and scared, hang in there! You two will make it through and be communicating much better than ever. You will finally feel like a team and a family of four rather than two parents trying to make it through. In the end, the difficult times will be worth it because you know how much you care for each other and are committed to each other and you know if you made it through that you could make it through anything. Your relationship really is better and stronger. You will start 2012 on such a good note! Keep that energy going.

Realize that your babies are small and maybe you should take them to the pediatrician sooner. Trust me. You will beat yourself up for months about this. Don't listen to people who don't have twins. They have no idea. Two babies is a completely different ballgame. People will keep telling you, "Twins are naturally smaller." They don't know from experience. Putting them on formula is not the ideal situation, but life will be so much less stressful once you quit breastfeeding.

Take the boys to meet your Great-Grandpa. Not many kids have a great-grandparent alive let alone a great-great-grandparent. He will pass away before you take the boys and you will very much regret it.

Around 10-11 months you really find your stride in parenting. It took a bit after you quit nursing but you and B make a great team and have a definite rhythm going. Th Bambinos will really start to show their different personalities around this time also. They will make you laugh daily. You guys will have so much fun as a family.

You'll be a sap on Christmas. You'll take a moment and realize that you have exactly what you've wanted. Although it's sad to not have tiny newborns anymore, things only get better. They return a love that is so deep and so meaningful, nothing has compared. Ever.

You have so many hopes and dreams for the next year, although it will be heard relationship-wise, you will grow into a better person, a better girlfriend and a better mother. You are strong, you will make it through and you will have just as many hopes and dreams for 2012. Your struggles (and joys) will help you find yourself, help you figure out who you are and what's important to you. But you know what? You've got a good grasp already; you already know these three guys are important to you, but you have no idea how important just yet.

Happy Birthday Lindsay, enjoy 28 because 29 will bring on a whole new set of adventures.

You can also read the birthday letter I wrote for my Bambinos last year here

Flashback Friday: An Oracle

2011-12-30T08:01:00.000-08:00

I may have shared this pic already and if we're friends on facebook you've definitely seen it.

I was 5 years old, we were visiting my Grandma and Grandpa for Thanksgiving, and my little cousin, Jess, and I put balloons up our pajamas. We loved wearing my grandma's shirts as jammies and we loved bumping into each other with our big "tummies." As the day went on, we ended up putting my new, colored, hair elastics around our ears and kept telling each other how pretty our new earrings were. At five years old, I had no way of knowing that 22 years & 2 months later later I really would have a tummy that big.

Random Ramblings

2011-12-29T12:09:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends! Here's a mish-mash of what's going on in my head:

I really wish I could stay home and play with the Bambinos all day today. Mamas, you know those days? Today was one, as was yesterday......

via

I'm exchanging my Kindle Touch for the Fire. I've heard it's pretty good competition for the iPad and it plays Android apps, since I have an Android phone, I think I'll be happy. Thanks B, for putting up with my ways! (I go back and forth about exchanging things a lot.) Do you have a Fire or Touch? Do you love it?

via allwomenstalk.com on pinterest

I've only worked out one day but I still look in the mirror to see if I notice a difference, am I the only one that does that? I hope I can stay motivated to actually keep it up.

I have a shit ton to do for the Bambinos' birthday party. So much, that I actually forgot my birthday is next week. I guess I should get a present for B since we share a birthday.

How much does that suck? Everyone in my house shares a birthday with someone else (except Teddy.) I'll never get a cake or party just the way I want it anymore.

via simply sweets blog on pinterest

Someone told me yesterday she's half a set of twins and all she ever wanted was a cake with only her name on it. I completely understand so luckily each boy gets their own smash cake.

I'm going to be on the radio in a few weeks. I work in radio but I've never been on it, live, so I'm kind of nervous. Plus, I go on after an actress (I can't say yet, sorry) , hopefully people will still want to listen!

This morning I woke up and thought it was Friday. I hate when that happens.

And Happy Birthday to my Mama, can't wait to have you and Sister over tonight!

Handerpants!

2011-12-28T10:41:00.000-08:00

The most coveted item of our Christmas Festivities was a present B picked up: Handerpants!

via

Friday night the four of us went to a White Elephant party at our friends Janny & Dan's house. They ended up making a full sit-down dinner that was to.die.for, and even though it was past the Bambinos bed time, we stayed for the White Elephant.We were shocked to find out the most coveted present was the handerpants.

We had been doing a little shopping after we went to the aquarium and B found the handerpants. It's a very silly, goofy present, just like B so it only made sense he'd pick them up, we had no idea they'd be so popular. Here's what kills me though,

via

Late night blogging?!?! I never knew I was missing out on such an integral part of the blogging experience.

Too funny.

I realize I haven't posted about the rest of Christmas Day or even Christmas Eve but I'm not sure I'm going to. I'm blogging about it on the other blog and I don't really want to recycle posts.

Bambinos' First Christmas

2011-12-27T11:05:00.000-08:00

Mama stayed up until 1am waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve. But, look what he brought us! His elves made decorations 'specially for the Bambinos because it's their first Christmas.

I pictured it like the scene from "Elf" where the Bambino's wake up in awe, but this is all the elves could muster this year.

Santa filled stockings and dropped off presents. The next morning, I woke up bright and early. I've always loved Christmas but now that we have babies I couldn't wait for them to open presents. It's the 2nd day in a row I woke up early from anticipation!

Lovebug and Mama waiting for Peanut to wake up.

B was so cute. Lovebug woke up before Peanut so we let him sleep. Around 8:15-8:30, Daddy asked, "Can't we wake him up?" I think he was just as excited as I was.

Lovebug's been tempted for weeks!

Finally, I let B wake up Peanut and we let them eat a bit before we started on Santa's presents.

Finally we started presents! The 1st one was a gift from Daddy. Of course, Lovebug was more interested in what Peanut had. He's always more interested in what Peanut has.

New coats! Daddy did a pretty good job picking them out. We've been dressing them in a ton of layers and then also their blankets, but it'll be nice to have some coats to put on them....and they're 12-18 month size so they can grow into them.

B's new Coug hat

They got these from Chat With Women, one of B's show hosts. They help teach colors and shapes in both English and Spanish. So far, they love them.

New bath toys

Blocks with family member's pictures on them! They're so funny because once we started a rip in the paper, they'd tear a bit but once they got a whole piece off or could see the present underneath, they weren't interested in continuing to open the present at all.

Peanut's new thing. He's not interested in being on his knees, he wants to skip that and go straight to his feet or stand. I think he may end up skipping crawling.

Peanut pulling over to Daddy to check out their new car. It goes when you shake a rattle...... and scares Lovebug.


The car got too close.

After we finished presents, we moved on to stockings. Each of them got a ball and puffs!Daddy got gloves and a coffee gift card (which he accidentally recycled and I had to pull out of the bin yesterday.)

Lovebug finally calmed down after we gave them some puffs and had them finish their bottles.We watched them play with their new toys for a bit, and I seriously teared up. I don't think B noticed but it was so fun and so special getting to watch them enjoy the morning and your new presents. It's crazy to think that on that morning one year ago, how different my life was. I was anxiously waiting their arrival and my relationship with B wasn't as good as it is now. Now, we have these two incredibly special little people that have brought so much joy and love into our lives. I'm so very blessed.

After my sappy moment was over, I decided we couldn't let Christmas go by without the typical Holiday shots we do for the other ones (except Thanksgiving - oops!)

Peanut was not happy we took off his jammies.

And just because I love their little rolls.....

I love this one. They two interact a bit but I don't think I've ever caught them making eye contact. I wish I knew what they were thinking.

Slightly happier

After the pictures were done, it was time to get ready for Aunt Amy's. We still had two more houses (full of presents!) to go before the end of the day.

Two roly-poly's in new coats.

And what did I get? A Kindle Touch (B debated long and hard about the Touch vs Fire and finally concluded that the Touch would be better because it had better battery life & even if I get a Fire, I'd still want an iPad....so now I get to save for an iPad.) It's cute all the trouble he went to. I also got a jacket I wanted, a Staples gift card (which I also asked for) and some jeggings. I feel like I'm leaving some stuff out, but the amount of new stuff at our house is pretty overwhelming.

How was your Christmas? What's your favorite present?

Linkin' up!

A Scary Visitor

2011-12-23T08:22:00.000-08:00

Someone came onto our deck yesterday morning. My routine every single morning is to let Teddy out after I change the Bambinos' diapers. After he comes back in and walks around a bit he realizes he needs to go out again, to do his real bid-ness.

I was letting him in for the 3rd time right before I was leaving for work and noticed footprints on the back deck.

The entry point is the higher part of the deck. It's not easy just to step up, and furthermore, why were they in bare feet?! Do the strides seem really weird and awkward to anyone else? Almost one in front of the other and at weird right angles when they turn?

They came right up to the back door then retreated down the stairs. I wonder why they didn't go back the way they came....and why didn't they use the front door?

The footprints were not there the first two times I let Teddy out, so the person "visited" sometime between 8:30am and 9:45am!.....Why didn't Teddy bark?

Next time, can they use the front door, please?

However, the night ended with a bang (literally) when my dad backed into my sister's car. It barely made a noise, but Teddy barked then. And my dad & step-mom brought me a KitchenAid.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas List

2011-12-22T08:10:00.000-08:00

I don't want much for Christmas....

Like everyone else seems to want, I'd like an iPad. I don't even own any Apple products, but an iPad seems like good starter.

I take an insane amount of photos now that I have the Bambinos. My cheap-o laptop is almost full so I'd like an external hard drive. I even have Adobe Lightroom that I never installed on my computer because I think it'd be smarter to download it onto the hard drive.

via

No, I'm not trying to get a new car, well I am but.... what I need is my brakes fixed. It's just not something I want to spend my money on. I should have asked for brakes from my parents. Sadly, I didn't.....and I know they've already purchased my birthday present too.

I'd also like my dental bill paid. It's not even that much, but I'd rather spend my money on Christmas and the Bambinos' first birthday party. I do need some more work done, but I want to do it in parts and pay each bill off first so I don't end up owing $60832082308 in the end. Why is dental work so expensive?!?

Photoshop. Oh how I love photoshop. I have Elements 6 at home, but my character window is gone, and nothing I do gets it back....and it doesn't have the pen tool either; I need the pen tool for some 1st birthday decorations. I'd love an updated version of either Elements or a full version on Photoshop. It could even be an old one :)

I'd love a pedicure. Have I mentioned before how much I hate feet? I do. I couldn't even bring myself to put a google image of feet up. I always try and keep mine pretty, but I've only had one pedicure since having the Bambinos and I'd love one now.

It seems like every time I plan to get one something comes up so my plan gets pushed to the backburner. It's okay, most of the time our plans involve doing something just the four of instead so it's worth it, but it doesn't make me want a pedicure any less.

Most of what I want is pretty practical (except the iPad.) It's funny how being a mom (or maybe just getting older) makes my wishlist so much different. Gone are the days of wanting nothing but clothes and shoes and makeup....you know, the fun stuff :)

What's on your wishlist?

Army of Four

2011-12-21T07:17:00.000-08:00

I know they're hung tackily, we literally have no where else....maybe someday.

You know how something doesn't hit you until you get a visual? That happened to me the other day. I know there's four of us, but seeing out stockings hung seemed to solidify:

we are a family of five.

I always wanted a family.

I have family. But with my parents being divorced and throwing my step mom's family into the mix, it was just different. I wanted my own family.

And now I have everything I ever wanted.

Under The Sea

2011-12-20T14:17:00.000-08:00

We went to the aquarium for the first time Saturday. The Bambinos loved it!

Lovebug didn't like Mama sticking his hand in the touch pool right before this and Peanut didn't like Daddy doing it to him after.

This is my favorite part of the aquarium, the jelly fish doughnut. Peanut reminds me of a little dolphin about to skip through the water. He wasn't quite sure if he should touch the glass or not.

Just like Peanut to be more concerned with the stroller straps than the octopus

They loved the real octopus! It made it's way around the tank and the two of them stared and stared. I think Lovebug only looked away for this one picture.

They kept trying to reach out for the fish in the Hawaii part of the exhibit. A random lady saw Lovebug doing it and made her mom come look at you them. They get smiles from strangers wherever we go :)

This part of the aquarium freaks me the eff out. I don't love being surrounded by water, especially when it's above me and salmon are floating in a tank above my head. It's creepy.

See?

They loved this. There's so much to see, and a bunch of the fish are really big. It was difficult getting them to look away so I could get a pic.

Of course, we went to the gift shop but didn't end up buying anything. Do you see Lovebug's face? This is his I'm-too-tired-I-must-take-a-nap face.He can barely keep his eyes open!

Oddly enough, after being surrounded by fish all day, B chose to eat at Ivar's on the waterfront and once they had a bottle the both got a second wind....but passed out on the way home.

Walking back to the car, we came across this totem pole. It's being erected in memory of John T. Williams who was a wood carver shot and killed by a Seattle police officer while walking across the street with his carving knife and a piece of cedar. It was really cool to see the totem pole actually being painted, and part of it wasn't carved yet - that would be fun to see.

Sweet Baby N

2011-12-15T07:36:00.000-08:00

Hello new friends! I see I've gotten quite a few followers lately. I hope you like what you read and stick around for a while :)

Saturday the Bambinos turned 11 months old and we attended my cousin's baby shower.Can you believe in less than a month I'll have two one year old's?! I know time seems to speed up as I've gotten older but now that I have kids it's even worse.

Lovebug played under the table for quite a while. He's chomping on a piece of bread and was happy as a clam under there.

This picture warms my heart. Everyone kept saying they weren't sure how Atlas would do with kids but he's pretty laid back. When I set Peanut down, Atlas came right over and chilled. It's like he knew Peanut wouldn't harm him. I love this picture because Teddy would never sit like that; the minute they touch him he takes off.

My gorgeous cousins. I have a lot of cousins and they're all gorgeous. I'm so glad we got to spend time with everyone because although they only live an hour away, we still never see them. How cute is the Mama-to-be?

Link Up:Christmas Decorations

2011-12-13T16:46:00.000-08:00

Our decorations are sooooo lame this year! Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday (and not because of the presents!) but I've been a big, fat, failure at purchasing, making or even setting up decorations.

I've shared a pic of our tree already.I can't not put up a tree. It would not feel like Christmas to me.

Lovebug army-crawls his way around the house and is obsessed with the tree. I'm so impressed that when I say, "Lovebug, hands off." He ends up withdrawing his hand and just stares instead.

I know this is watermarked for my other blog, I'm too lazy to watermark the same pic for both blogs

Someone please tell me how to take good pictures of the lit tree. It's killing me over here!

~~I forced~~ B put lights up over the weekend. It doesn't feel like Christmas to me until people start putting up lights.

Other than that, this is the only other decoration we have up. A print from my Etsy Shop.

My children don't even own stocking yet.

Teddy does... but my children don't.

Bad Mama.

My plan this weekend is to at least get them stockings. I should take advantage of the fact that they're not super mobile yet and go all out this year, but I've been so stinking busy this month. Next year for sure I will be that lady.

Linking up!

Glitz & Glam Swap

2011-12-12T07:33:00.000-08:00

This was my most favorite swap ever! I was paired up with Ashley from Very Ashley

and she got me the best stuff

Striped Thank You cards, silver bangles, two nail polishes from Sephora, a cupcake ornament, a nail file, a rope toy for Teddy (so thoughtful) and a purple infinity scarf....and she sent Ghiradelli peppermint bark but that's gone already :)

My step-mom was with me when I opened my package and she said, "Oh my gosh. It's like she knows you." We had just gotten back from Sephora where I was looking at that gold-colored polish (Keep Me On My Mistletoes) and I had been telling her I wanted a gray infinity scarf (.....I was a bad swap partner and was shopping for Ashley, actually.) It's so crazy how Ashley was able to pick out such a great gift from reading my blog!

In addition to my amazing gifts, Ashley decorated the box with scrapbook paper and glued "jewels" to the top too - she's so creative!

Thanks, Ashley!

Teeny Tiny tree

2011-12-09T09:07:00.000-08:00

This is our tree this year. I've always had a full-sized tree. Growing up, my parents had a fake tree, but it was always full-sized. I'm very traditional in the sense that I love Christmas,and my memories of the holidays. I like things to be just so concerning our traditions and if you would have asked me two years ago if I would ever have anything less than a full sized tree, I would have scoffed at you.

Pssssh, no way!

But, our house is small and now we have no room. The longer B and I have been together (3 years ago today!) I realize we've done things anything but the traditional way.

And I like it. I like that we do things our way. On our time. I like that we take things and make it our own. It works for us. And that's what matters.

Will we have a full-sized tree someday? Absolutely. But, for now our small tree is better than the alternative: no tree at all.

Now that's just a tragedy.

Stop. Drop. Shut 'Em Down, Open Up Shop

2011-12-07T07:24:00.000-08:00

I'm thrilled to announce that I opened an Etsy shop! I've been working really hard these last few weeks which is why I've been away from the blog so much.

Lilo Prints is a collection of handmade, original, giclee prints. All can be customized to fit your decor so please don't hesitate to ask me to make changes. I'm not even close to finished uploading the prints I have so please check back often and if you don't see a quote you'd like, contact me and I'll make a custom order for you.

Here's one of my faves:

and another one:

To celebrate the opening of Lilo Prints, my good friend Claire is hosting a giveaway! Head over to her blog for your chance to win.

In the meantime:

Lilo Prints on Etsy

Lilo Prints on facebook

I'd really enjoy it if you'd check out the shop and also "like" it on facebook! And don't forget to....

Check out Claire's blog, I'm giving away a $25 shop credit!

Thanks for joining me on another crazy adventure, I really hope it's a success!

I Tried The Upsexy

2011-12-06T08:29:00.000-08:00

I saw this on Raven's blog yesterday and knew I had to try it. I did B and my sister at the same time but we'll start with B:

Me: Do you ever smell the upsexy at your house?
B: Huh?
Me: Do you ever smell the upsexy?
B: What? I don't know what upsexy is?
Me: So you don't smell it?
Me: Hello? Do you smell the upsexy?
B: I'm lost

Then I came home and this is what ensued:

I tried it on my sister too:
Me: Do you ever smell the upsexy at your house?
Sis: Upsexy?
Me: Yeah, do you ever smell it at your house?
Sis: What kind of drugs are you on?
Me: Haha, I just want to know if you smell the upsexy.
Sis: Oh my gosh, that's not even funny!
Sis: Har Har what's up sexy
Me: Did you laugh?
Sis: No, I thought you needed to be sent in for an evaluation.

BUT, I know my sister, and I know she would have laughed if I were asking in person so I called her and she told me that not only did she ask her roomate if she knew what upsexy was, she googled it too!

B and I took the Bambinos to meet three Seahawks today (one of which, Marshawn Lynch, has been doing amazing!) and look what happened after we got home and put the Bambinos to bed!

Look who's into the upsexy now!

I don't know why my voice gets higher in videos....

First Christmas Photo

2011-12-05T08:17:00.000-08:00

Good morning! I promise to get back to regular posting soon, but for now, I'll leave you with this.

And I will tell you that right after this, Peanut started fussing. I kind of wish the picture lady would have let us choose which photo we wanted for our package....maybe we wanted the fussing one.

Kind of.

The Three Thanksgivings

2011-11-30T08:12:00.000-08:00

It's true. This year we had three different Thanksgivings. After being at everyone's house for only 10 minutes on Halloween, we decided to split our celebration into different days so we'd actually have time to enjoy our family. And, let's face it, the Bambinos are less grumpy if they're not being carted from house to house. Thanksgiving Day we spent at my dad and step-mom's, with her family.

First they ~~napped~~

"I'm happy to see you!'

Lovebug has figured out how to pull the bumpers down when I'm reading a story. It's so cute I can't help but smile, but I'm afraid it just encourages him.

They tried turkey for the first time. Lovebug loved it (of course) and Peanut wasn't so sure...

First taste of turkey

They really like bread and rolls, (they are their mother's children,) but I really try to stress giving them a lot of veggies and more meat.

Friday morning, we tried on the 'coon skin caps a co-worker bought when they were born.

Since my sister picked out lumberjack shirts for them, we thought it was fitting.

Peanut's been making some of the funniest faces. As soon as I get the family ones on Thanksgiving from my Dad, I'll have to post it. One just cracked me up and showed everyone in the room.

I ended up making dinner because my mom got a scratched cornea. She could barely open her right eye. It's a good thing the ham she bought was already cooked so I only had to warm it up and put on the glaze. Luckily we decided to go a little untraditional this year since we were celebrating for three days. Otherwise, I would have had to cook a turkey! .....Or we would have been eating out :)

After dinner was presents! My Aunt brought Christmas presents from her and my Grandma last time she came to visit my mom. I convinced my mom to let them open them early, but they weren't sure what to do.

Two new toys and all you want is the basket one comes in.

Sunday we had lunch at B's mom's. Since his whole family is vegetarian, his sister made a version of manicotti. It had spinach and tofu but it was pretty good. It's one of the vegetarian dishes they make that I actually like. We gave the boys some of the filling and they loved it.

The Bambinos brushed up on their piano skills

And read books with Grandmommy. It was a pretty low-key day but a great way to end four days off.

I'm so glad we split our Thanskgiving into three days. In the past, we've done my parents on the same day and it's a lot of running around. Now you add babies into the mix. Plus, like my mom said, "Kids don't know it's not the actual day of the holiday anymore."

Be Thankful

2011-11-24T08:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

I've been reflecting a lot lately on all the things I'm thankful for. At the top of my list is the Bambinos, obviously. They've enriched my life in ways I couldn't have imagined even a year ago. I'm learning so much from them.

I could go on and on about what I'm thankful for, but I won't :)

What are you thankful for?

I Used To Have Time For Blogging

2011-11-21T08:14:00.000-08:00

I used to have time for blogging when The Bambinos slept 13 hours at night. I used to have time for blogging, when B worked on his car in the garage every single night. I used to have time for blogging when the Bambinos didn't wake up until 8am every morning.

Now? Now we wake the Bambinos every night at 10pm to give them a bottle. Now, B sits inside and watches TV or goofs off with me...... sometimes he does things like this:

This is better than what he was wearing. Trust me. I'd post it but think he'd get mad

Now, Peanut wakes up between 6:30 and 7:00am every day and screams bloody murder until I get him up even though he's still tired and then needs an early nap.

But you know what? I wouldn't trade my life now for anything. I cherish the moments B and I get to spend together goofing off the way we used to.

And who can resist this sweet little guy cuddling with Mama in between his whines? I secretly love when I get to spend time with the Bambinos individually. It doesn't happen very often, but I think it's so important.

Blogging may take a backseat to my life but I love this life.

Bloggy Break

2011-11-17T12:10:00.000-08:00

via

Apparently I'm taking an unintentional blogging break. (And I was so proud of myself for actually posting five days last week too! #fail) I had Monday off work, so I thought it was Sunday and forgot to post Monday. I've been fervently working on something really exciting. And our house got tiny ants coming in through a crack near a window, so I've been cleaning, washing every article of clothing, vacuuming, dusting and getting rid of stuff like a mad woman!

I miss you all, I'll be back to my regular posting schedule next week!

PS
Don't worry, the ants weren't very bad so it was easy to get rid of them. Knock on wood.

The Way You Make Me Feel

2011-11-10T11:07:00.000-08:00

Last night I got the best last minute experience. Even though I had left work early for the dentist, when a pair of tickets to the Michael Jackson Cirque Du Soliel show opened up, my co-worker was thoughtful enough to get me a pair of tickets.

I couldn't believe it.

I looked into purchasing tickets when I was on maternity leave but for us to get decent seats was just too expensive, but I had been regretting the decisions not to get them and B and I had been emailing back and forth all week about how we wished we could go.

I owe my co-worker lunch, big time.


It's funny what two beers'll do to ya when you've quit drinking.

We ended up in the 10th row. Our seats couldn't have been more perfect unless we were in the 10th row facing the front instead of the side because all the action was directed towards the front.

I've posted about my love for Michael Jackson a few times.

And this show did not disappoint.

See that big blob near the pole? I like to think it's MJ's spirit getting in on the fun.

For the first time ever, when I said, "I want her body," B agreed with me. It was pretty fantastic.

The show was so good, and weirdly emotional. No matter your thoughts on his personal life, there's no denying that Michael Jackson was an amazing performer and left his mark on music and dance. I kept thinking about that and it made me kind of sad. Plus, I'll Be There gets me every time anyway.

The only disappointing part of the show is PYT was not included, that's my favorite song and neither this show nor This Is It included it. I guess he just has too many good ones and they have to cut something out.

If you get a chance to see the show in your area, go! Go now!

And, just because I couldn't decide which video to show you, I'll let you decide: Smooth Criminal , Thriller , and I Just Can't Stop Loving You

I'd embed them but I'm kind of afraid MJ's estate might come after me or something.

Sesame Noodles

2011-11-09T07:25:00.000-08:00

Hello new followers :) I'm glad you're here. I hope you stick around and join me in this crazy life. Of course, I love all of my followers, not just the new ones.

I'm lucky in that B makes dinner for us almost every night. But lately, I've been trying to branch out and learn how to cook some stuff too. I've been craving sesame noodles so I looked up a recipe and I found this easy one from The Pioneer Woman. I tried 'em out Sunday night and....

Add caption

Eh.

I feel blasphemous saying I don't like something from the Pioneer Woman but the noodles could have used a little more flavor. And I'm used to eating them cold so I think eating them warm threw me off a bit too. They were quick and super easy, I just expected more flavor.

A friend came over last night so I tried making the noodles again. I was determined to make sesame noodles I actually like. I used this recipe, it's just as easy, the only difference is you use the stove to make the sauce on this one.

Success! I'll admit, I used way too much chili oil. I was so used to using tablespoons for the rest of the recipe that I used 2 tablespoons of chili oil instead of 2 teaspoons. But you know what? They were perfect. And tasty. And I'm not a spicy person at all.

Don;t forget about the giveaway! It ends Friday.

The Erin Condren Bandwagon

2011-11-08T07:29:00.000-08:00

Thank you for all your kind comments about losing the baby weight. It's seriously the nursing. I have a post coming up about post-baby body soon.

After seeing the Erin Condren life planners all over blogs, I didn't get what the big deal was. I have my phone, everything goes into my phone so I didn't see a need for a planner. But what if something ever happened to my phone? I would be lost. Seriously. All Dr. appointments, work engagements for B and me, dinners with friends, everything goes into my phone.

Since Zulily had such a great deal on Erin Condren products recently ($25 for $50,) I purchased one and then used a promo code to get an even bigger discount so I ordered the life planner and a gift card.

I'm always like a kid at Christmas waiting for any packages to show up in the mail so I squealed with excitement on Saturday when this beautiful box was delivered.

Cute packaging always sucks me in.

I'm obsessed with my kids so of course I chose their picture for the front.

via

The planner seems pretty fantastic so far. I love the tabs, the page marker, the area for goals (I'm writing down something I'm thankful for each day in November.) One thing I didn't expect was how big it is. If I would have read the description better I would have seen that it's 7x9. I'd heard rave reviews about the big boxes to write in but it didn't occur to me that the planner would be significant bigger than other planners I've had in the past. As a former Huge Handbager, I'm trying to simplify a bit so I'm not sure how easy it's going to be to carry this around with me everywhere like I was planning to.

I do have one problem with the planner though. The planner is so pretty and colorful, not just any old pen will do. I need pretty, colorful pens to go along with my wonderful new planner. I'm a little OCD and want everything to be color coded so I need to get my butt to Target and finally find colorful pens I looked for all weekend at other stores.

Does anyone else have that problem?

Le Fauxed

2011-11-07T06:58:00.000-08:00

I had the best time Saturday night! I went out for the first time without The Bambinos or B. I've run errands since they were born but not gone out and done anything fun. This girl's night was much needed and so fun.

This was the perfect place for a girl's night: Le Faux at Julia's on Broadway. Not only is it a celebrity impersonation show, they're all men. It's a drag show! If you're ever in the Seattle area, I recommend you go, it's a fun time.

If you've been reading for awhile, I've seen the show before, B and I accidentally ended up there, it was a night to remember!*

The "actress" who did Liza Minelli and Lady Gaga is the same one who did Lady Gaga for us at the concert.

And the one who did Britney for us was the same one who was Britney in this show.

The host, Mama Tits. It was her last night hosting the show.

I was not impressed with their Michael Jackson. He looked like he was half-assing it and did a few moves that were not MJ-ish at all. But, I LOVE MJ, people who don't love him as much probably wouldn't know the difference.They did a really good job on his makeup though making him have the chisled cheekbones and cleft chin.

This pink is the same guy who did Britney above, what a difference makeup makes, huh?

Same as Liza Minelli. We were also treated to a performance by Cher, Ke$ha, Tamara the Trapeeze Lady and the new host, Jinx Monsoon.

My girlfriend and I were positive Jinx was a lady because she had an awesome singing voice, she didn't have an adam's apple, and she was very loose with her movements, much more so than men trying to play girl's are. We thought she was a lady trying to look like a man trying to look like a lady (got that?) but my friend asked one of the female backup dancers in the bathroom who said Jinx is a man.

Later, she was doing her own version of Fergalicious and rapped, "'Cause a lady I am not." and everyone's jaw dropped. It was pretty priceless.

If you're ever in the Seattle area, make sure you hit up this show....or better yet, come visit me and we can go together.

Don't forget about the My Memories Suite giveaway, it ends Friday!

*Apparently I never blogged about seeing Le Faux before but when B and I went we thought we were going to a burlesque show but the ticketing agent got the dates wrong. We were in the 2nd row, and B was near the aisle. A "woman" in a low-cut (buttless) dress sat on his lap and made him grab her boobs. When I asked what they felt like, he said, "Nerf footballs."

Couponing Fail

2011-11-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we finally went to the grocery store. I hadn't yet organized all my coupons but I grabbed the ones I knew we would use and some I thought we might. I was ready.

Armed with my plastic sleeves of coupons, B and I sauntered down each aisle finding stuff that was on sale that we could get at further discounts. We were doing pretty well, we managed to have coupons for a lot of items we bought.

We ended up with one and a half cart-fulls of stuff we needed. Entering self checkout brought B back to his teenage days working at Safeway and he expertly loaded the bags into each of our carts. Our final bill was $283 and then he started to scan the coupons. Our coupons saved us.....6 bucks.

6 bucks?!

We only saved $6, and we most likely bought items we might not have otherwise because of the coupons (batteries.) It had been a while since we'd been to the store so I knew this trip would be costly, but I thought we would have saved more than a measly $6.

I guess next time I need to plan our trips out more. I need to scan the sale sections of each store and determine what I'm going to get at each store instead of just using manufacturers coupons at Safeway. I'm finally getting all the coupons organized so next time it will be much easier to determine where we need to go for each item.

Don't forget about the giveaway! It ends 11-11

Seriously Thursday

2011-11-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

It's Seriously Thursday with From Mrs. to Mama

Seriously, this is the pile of coupons on my floor. I'm trying this whole coupon thing ya'll. I need to get the rest of them cut out and organized before the Bambinos wake up.

Seriously, I don't know hoe people get super cheap diapers. I can't figure it out and then couponing makes me feel stupid. We got $4 off which is better than nothing, I guess.

Seriously, my boss called me the other day while I was pumping. And she knew I was pumping. I'm pretty open (IRL, not on the blog) but I don't want to be talking to someone on the phone while my boobs are getting squeezed.

Seriously, I have a little anxiety about planning the Bambinos' first birthday. Invite a lot of people? Or just a few? Where will we have it? How will I make enough food for everyone? I need to start the decorations, etc., etc., They won't remember but it needs to be perfect.

What made you go seriously? this week

Giveaway!

2011-11-02T07:24:00.000-07:00

I bet you didn't know I was a scrapbooker. I caught the bug a few years ago but haven't even completed one whole scrapbook. Who has the time and money for all those supplies?!

My Memories is perfect for the super crafty girls with a ton of ideas or even for those of us who may need a little help. You just pick your pictures, pick your paper, pick the embellishments and put it all together.

This is the first page I made, and it took about 5 minutes. Cute right?

This page took me a little longer but only because I couldn't decide on embellishments. I still don't love it, but I had to stop somewhere 'cause I could have played with it for hours!

The possibilities really are endless with My Memories Suite. You can even make pages with background music, cards, photobooks and movies. I may or may not be making a movie for the Bambinos' first birthday.

My Memories is awesome! I had a little trouble getting free papers that I had downloaded to show up in my software, I contacted them asking what I should do and I got a very detailed email back within 48 hours. Talk about customer service.

My Memories is offering one lucky Undomestic Chica reader the My Memories Suite Software BUT if you don't win, use order the software online, enter this code and get $10 off plus $10 credit to use in their online store. STMMS31919

The Details:
Be a public follower of Undomestic Chica and then go to My Memories, poke around a bit and tell me which paper pack you would purchase with your $10 credit.

For extra entries:
Like Undomestic Chica on facebook
Follow Undomestic Chica on Twitter

Like My Memories on facebook (they have some fun challenges & tutorials on their page every week, plus they're always giving away free stuff!)
Follow My Memories Suite on Twitter

Each of these is one extra entry and I'll draw a winner November 11th.

Good luck!

Bambinos First Halloween

2011-11-01T07:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! The Bambinos' first Halloween was busy! I got home around 5 and they go to bed around 7ish so we had just a few hours to make three stops. But not before we took a ton of pictures.

I wanted to take a funny picture like I have been for the other holidays. I wanted to put them in the pumpkins in their candy corn onesies, but we didn't pick out pumpkins big enough at the patch.

Lamb, Lion and Mountain Man. B's growing a beard just 'cause he can, but now that it's Movember, he'll probably keep it.

I need a tripod so we can get all four of us at once.

We knocked on the door then hid at my Grandma's. We wanted them to stand, but Lovebug kept pressing the side of his face against the door. They don't quite stand by themselves yet.

Peanut's trying to sneak a little TV watching in.

B getting eaten by a lion....always a jokester

Finally! The four of us.

My dad and step mom just came back from Hawaii.

Our last stop was my mom's but she wouldn't let us take pics. By the time we were putting them in the car to head to my mom's, Peanut was arching his back and starting to throw a mini-fit (I am not ready for my 9 month old to throw a fit already!) so we decided next year we'd do our thing and make the fam come to them....except my Grandma, maybe we'd see her the day before like we did B's mom this year.

And for those who asked, here's how the candy corn onesies turned out

If you try your own, make the orange stop at the top before you think it should, because it bleeds up (and turns yellow.) I had the whole upper chest part white but because of the bleeding, it didn't stay that way.

Always A Bridesmaid

2011-10-31T07:11:00.000-07:00

For the third year in a row, I got 2nd place in our work costume contest. I'm always beat by some random person, not even someone who dresses up every year.

I was an old woman who lived in a shoe

Baby Boyfriend is looking out the window....

She had so many children, she didn't know what to do....

I got beat by this half naked viking. He's one of my own employees - I hired him for our Promotions Team! I have to admit, the costumes good, but I bet he didn't make it all by hand*

Bitter party of one.

*turns out the costume is made by hand - his roomate sews. He deserves to win.....

DIY: Candy Corn Onesie

2011-10-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

After A Blue Eyed Boy Met A Brown Eyed Girl pointed in the direction of this tutorial today, I thought it would be cute to try and make a candy corn onesie for each of the Bambinos.

The tutorial calls for Tulip tie dye paint but our Joanne's didn't have any, so I decided to try Rit dye instead. I'm thinking I should have gone with the big tie dye kit even if it had colors I didn't need.

I started with the orange so that I had a stopping point for my yellow. Otherwise, I was afraid I would go too far with my yellow and then have to go too far up with my orange. I was okay with leaving just a little white at the top because real candy corns don't have a ton of white.

Then apply the yellow.

I let it sit for an hour or so then I thought I could rinse it out. Some of the orange ran upwards, I should have left more white space so the orange could run up without the white being compromised.

Rinse it under water until the water runs clear. Keep the onesie with the white at the top otherwise some dye might run into the white part.

The first one all rinsed out. It bled into the white too much and there's not much difference between the orange and yellow.

After seeing the first one I did and not being too happy with it, I decided to let the other one sit for 4-6 hours (or overnight) like the tutorial says to.

After rinsing, you're supposed to wash them both (or one in most people's cases) in the washing machine by themselves with detergent. I let them sit out to dry instead 'cause I'm not happy with them and they will mot likely become rags. They're 6-9month size so they're almost too small anyway.


The one on the right sat overnight but there's still not much difference between the two onesies. Letting the dye sit longer does not give more vibrant colors.

Run to the store for the actual tie dye kit. Trust me. Rit dye does not work if you follow these directions. The tie die kit, however, does.

via

Target Is My Weakness

2011-10-25T06:53:00.000-07:00

It's Target Tuesday with Fabulous but Evil! Since I always want something from Target, I thought I'd link up.

I've been wanting this gray sweater for awhile now, but for some reason, I just haven't been able to bring myself to buy it (or even try it on) I always buy something for the Bambinos instead. I dream of getting dressed in a cozy sweater, leggings and boots every single day.

I'd pair the sweater with jeggings. I never thought I'd actually own jeggings (and I don't yet) but the few times I've worn leggings lately I haven't wanted to take them off. I think I'd be more comfortable wearing jeggings and a sweater at work that leggings and a sweater.

Love all the buckles on these. Not that I need any more boots, but it would be nice to have something a little more casual with a lower heel. Although, I feel really weird spending $80 for an item at Target. I usually go to Nordstrom for a nice item and get cheap stuff at Target. I guess I just see Target as not being quite as good quality. Anyone else?

Another pair of boots. Again with the buckles.

I would get this bubble umbrella purely because we had one when I was younger...and I live in Seattle.

And last but not least I would get this sweater so I can recreate this outfit like Chelsea did.

Did you get anything from Target lately? Do you want anything?

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-24T06:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, was the perfect day for the pumpkin patch! It was finally not raining so we took advantage and headed up to this place called Remlinger Farms.

I completely forgot the baby bjorns so B went and got a wheelbarrow while I tried to take pictures of Lovebug:

Then we started looking for pumpkins.

We enjoyed a hay ride

Obviously, the trip was more for me and B than the Bambinos, they had no idea what was going on, and just wanted to look around at all the people. We decided next year would be more fun, and next year we needed rain boots. B also mentioned that the Bambino's vests looked very 80's.

Why yes they do.

Lindsay Loves: Nails

2011-10-20T07:22:00.000-07:00

I've posted before about my love for nail polish and nail stuff.

I decided to get a little crafty with mine recently:

I thought it was kind of fun, so I did a fall colorway

If you're interested, I'll do a tutorial soon, it's a little time consuming but super easy with this amazing topcoat I found.

This topcoat is fantastic! You apply it while your nail polish is still wet and it not only helps dry your polish in a matter of minutes, (brilliant for a mom of twins!) it reacts with your polish and base coat to kind of make it all one coat.

But, this stuff is hazardous. Like, really hazardous. It comes with a warning that reads," This product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm." Yikes! I'm done having kids for awhile but I want to be able to have another when I choose to. Plus, when I was nursing, I didn't want the Bambinos to get any of the effects. I used it twice until I noticed the label and then gave it to a co-worker who has been using it for years and has grown kids of her own.

I just heard of a topcoat called INM Out the Door which doesn't have toluene in it, so I think I'll try that one.

Halloween's About Winning

2011-10-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

I love to dress up. When I was younger, I wanted to be a ballerina because I wanted to wear costumes. I loved to dance too, but the costumes did it for me. Once I learned about the bloody feet, constant practice and sometimes eating disorders that I decided ballet wasn't for me. Plus, I always liked hip-hop and jazz more. Halloween's the one time of year that I still get to act out my fantasies.

I was like most girl club promoters and went the slutty route in 2008.....and 2007...and 2006. But 2008 was by far my favorite. I thought the tail and ruffles on the back was so cute.

That mirror..... I still have that mirror. It was given to me by the hippie in the picture above. When you pushed a button a face appeared in the mirror and it screamed. After three too many long island's, it was hilarious to walk up behind people, put my arm around the front of them and make it scream. Apparently I was the life of the party that night.

Funny story: That night, B ended up being at the club for a bachelor party . I'd never spoken more than 10 words to him at work (I can be shy) but I tapped him on the shoulder and before he had enough time to turn around, I gave him a big hug. Luckily, it really was him because I wasn't completely sure when I tapped him, and luckily he recognized me because I obviously don't dress that way at work.

The next day I ran into him telling Roomate about how he saw me (this was before she was Roomate) and I was so embarrassed.

2009, I decided I wanted to win my work's Halloween party (hello $100!) so I searched forever for a big garbage bag. I wouldn't tell B what I was going to be, but he's actually the one that came up with the garbage bag for me. B decided to be a Hooters Girl so he shaved off his beard, bought nylons and a wig, and even wore one of my bras. I came in 2nd to a head in a freezer

There's two buns in my oven! Coming up with a costume while 6 months pregnant with twins can be difficult. I have this issue where I don't want to be anything that someone else might be, or be anything that's been done a million times so I really struggled with a costume. The one thing I knew was I didn't want to do the whole painted stomach thing. Showing my pregnant, bare stomach to strangers really creeps me out.

At the last minute, I was beat by the Wicked Witch of the West's leg's poking out from a house. No joke, Roomate (who was no longer Roomate at that time) made a house out of a cardboard box with individual shingles and everything. For the 2nd year in a row, I came in 2nd.

This year, Halloween is all about winning. I have an idea for a pretty clever costume, I'm just not sure how I'm going to pull it off.

What's your favorite holiday, friends? Do you know what you're going to be for Halloween?

Mama Says: Don't Forget About Your Relationship

2011-10-17T08:20:00.000-07:00

Meet Floyd

We became friends this weekend

B and I took a one night trip to the amazingly beautiful Sun Mountain Lodge in Eastern Washington - without the Bambinos!

Woah that was hard.

When I first had the Bambinos, I tried so hard to be super mom (who am I kidding? I still do) and take care of both boys, not neglect my boyfriend, work and still do my part around the house. Actually, the house part is not true. I actually let B do pretty much everything around the house.

I was good at it for awhile, but I was exhausted. Something had to give. I needed to work to make money so the thing I let up on a bit was my relationship with B. A few months ago, we decided to try and reconnect and build an even better, stronger relationship not only for the boys but for us as well.

With the Bambinos now eating formula and nursing a little less, we decided to take a one night stay to Sun Mountain Lodge in Winthrop Washington.

The Nanny volunteered to watch the boys overnight and since she's with them all week and knows their schedule, she was the one I'm most comfortable leaving them with. She came over around 1pm and we took off for our adventure.

About an hour in to our 4 hour drive, we almost got ran off the road, literally. A woman was not paying attention and almost changed lanes right into us. Instead of pulling back into her lane when B honked, she just kept going so we ended up half on the shoulder, just inches away from her car. I'm glad there even was a shoulder instead of a median. The angels or someone were watching over us.

We saw a black bear down at the river

I had never seen a bear out in the wild before.

And because Karma's a betch, we came just inches from hitting someone else's truck when B was trying to back up so we could take a pic of the bear. He was watching the right side so he didn't back up over the edge of the bank, he didn't notice the truck on his left that we very nearly hit. But at least he was super apologetic to them man for almost hitting his car. The lady earlier didn't even seem to care.

We debated about the plural of Bigfoot. Is it Bigfoots?.....Bigfeet?

After missing our turn for Sun Mountain, we ended up in Twisp, so our 4 hour trip really ended up taking closer to 6 hours (we also stopped for lunch ~~and a beer~~ after we almost got hit.)

We went to dinner and made friends

We ate way too much and ended up falling asleep around 10:45pm.

The next morning, I woke early and pumped in the bathroom until B woke up. He made my hot chocolate and enjoyed his coffee while taking in the amazing view

He does not normally sit with his legs crossed, he was trying to be funny for the camera.

B was obsessed with the robe, for some reason. Anyone who knows B knows he does not seem like a robe kind of guy.

The view from our room

Did I mention the room didn't have a TV?! It was great because not having a TV led us to unofficially unplugging for the weekend. We both stayed off our phones and computers, unless we were texting the nanny.

We ended up going back to bed and making up this funny way of talking using the letter P. I won't explain it because it's one of those stupid things that are only funny to us, but it cracked us up to the point of tears.

Eventually, it was time to leave, but not before I took a ton of pictures. It was so quiet and still out there, I loved it.


The valley in front of the lodge

Found some roosters

Eating lunch in Winthrop was a lot of fun because they really really preserved the buildings originally erected in the 1890s so we almost felt like we were on a movie set. There were planked wood walkways instead of sidewalks, for the most part.

We went through Wenatchee to get back home (I forgot underwear! Who does that?! I normally take 6+ pairs for a two night stay) but we made a stop at Costco for formula (& underwear) so our drive home still took almost as long to get home as it did to get there, but I'm so grateful for the time B and I took to just enjoy each other.

We had a lot of fun just hanging out and being dorks the way we used to before the Bambinos were born. Of course, we couldn't wait to get home and see them, but I definitely think we need to get away every once in awhile and enjoy being Lindsay and B- in a relationship instead of Lindsay and B - E&E's super-parents.

Although we're not sure we'd go back (it's a long drive fore just one night) I think we both enjoyed ourselves to the point where we'll try and make it a point to get away once in awhile sans kids.

The Day Teddy Ran Away

2011-10-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure I've professed my love for Teddy enough. He was my first baby, my first puppy, the first time I took total responsibility for something. He's been around longer than B.

Wednesday afternoon I got a text from the new nanny asking if the painters were supposed to stop by to look at the house, because the gate was left open, Teddy got out and she looked for him for 35 minutes before the neighbor around the corner found him and returned him.

With a pounding heart, I read the text to Boyfriend before he left work. He seemed a little blasè about it and told me we can't blame the painters.

But oh we can.

TWICE I've found the gate open after they've left and have told B so he could mention it to them. I didn't want to call and yell at them for losing my dog, I wanted them to be aware they have been leaving our gate open and to be more careful. They have a habit of coming over to work without letting us know and sometimes they just stop by to check on something so we don't even know they're coming or have been here. Otherwise, the nanny would have checked the gate herself.

Of course, this caused a big talk between me and B (it really wasn't a fight) so he did call the painters and ask them to be more careful and I came up with my own solution:

These signs will be on each side of our gate, if people still don't close it after them, there's no hope for them after all.

Thank you all for your kind words on Wednesday's post. I know I'm a good mom, I just feel like I should have known, like it should have been common sense. I'm feeling better about it now. Happy Friday, friends!

The Time I Failed As A Mama

2011-10-12T07:47:00.000-07:00

You know how sometimes things happen exactly they're supposed to? Yesterday, I received this sweet package from my favorite Meli Faif.

It's a set of cocktail napkins that read, "I thought I childproofed my house but they still get in," a set of wash cloths with "E"s on them and a photo wallet, the perfect size for my new handbag.

This package couldn't have come at a better time because for the first time, I felt like I completely failed my Bambinos.

We had their 9 month check up yesterday and they're severely under weight. They've only gained 4 ounces since their six month check up. They're even less than 5th percentile (what they were last time) and if they weighed one pound less they would have gone straight to the hospital.

The pediatrician says their weight scares the pants off of him.

Since it's both Bambinos, the pediatrician thinks it's caloric and not medical so I have to feed them 16 ounces of formula in addition to the 24+ounces of breastmilk and three meals of baby food per day they currently get. He said my body may be producing fluid, but it may not have a lot of calories. We go back for a weight check in one month and if they're still under, he'll order a full work up to test their kidneys and everything.

So why do I feel like a failure? Because I knew they were small but had no idea just how small they were. I feel like I should have caught it sooner.

Because they sleep so well at night, they go for 14 hours without eating and I should have known that was too long. We now have to wake them up at 10pm for a bottle so they're only going 10 hours without eating.

Their height is too short, but not nearly as bad as their weight. Their heads are in the 50th percentile and luckily the rest of their development is on track. We're hoping to have them caught up by their 12 month appointment.

I'm really hoping they catch up within the month and there's nothing wrong medically, then I'll really feel like a failure.

I feel like Meli's package came at exactly the right time (it was supposed to be here Saturday) because it was the Universe telling me, "Hey, it's okay! A lot of people care about you. Don't be so hard on yourself." It was a sliver of happiness after I'd been beating myself up all afternoon. Thank you Meli, you're amazing and I love everything you sent!

Let's Shop: Accessories

2011-10-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

I'm not usually a gold jewelry type person, but I love these

Goddess Bracelet by Lionette

via Open Sky

Annie originally pinned these on Pinterest, but I NEED these like right now! And yes, I do teeter around in 5 inch heels. At work. I take them off as soon as I get home so I can play with the Bambinos.

I'm not letting kids cramp my style!

Mama Says: Don't Buy Your Kids Fancy Toys

2011-10-10T07:16:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend (we didn't get to visit the pumpkin patch btw) I decided to buy the Bambinos this car toy I've been wanting for awhile. We first saw the commercial for it when I was pregnant, Boyfriend exclaimed, "Cool!" and I told him we should at least wait until they're born.

A bit after the Bambinos were born, we decided not to give the boys any toys with batteries. But, I gave in and bought this toy yesterday.

Big mistake.

They're terrified of the toy. The middle part spins way faster than we expected and it shoots the cars out pretty forcefully with a loud bang. At first we thought they were scared of it because they were tired but even after they were napped and nursed, we tried again and they cried.

We took it apart and took it back.

What does keep them happy? A water bottle, the TV remote, my cell phone cover, all kind of other daily instruments that we take for granted.

Go figure.

Weekend Plans

2011-10-07T06:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday Friends! After a week that included a lot of work, a sick baby and a fun party for charity, I can honestly say TGIF! Too bad I have to work for a bit tomorrow too. But, on the bright side, I think we're going here on Sunday:

The pumpkin patch!

It's funny because in the past, I've always been fine with picking out my pumpkin at the local grocery store but now that we have the Bambinos, it's really important to me to give them experiences....and one of those is the pumpkin patch! They're too young to really care yet but I'm going to find one that has hay rides and all that fun stuff for us to do too.

What are your plans for the weekend? Do you go to the pumpkin patch too?

A Marriage Made in Heaven Pinterest Style

2011-10-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

The nice thing about Pinterest is I actually try making things I find on there. First my subway art, and then over the weekend I made cheesecake stuffed strawberries. Have I mentioned my love for strawberries and cheesecake before? Well, if I haven't, they're two of my favorite things. When everyone else gets fancy shmancy cheesecake at Cheesecake Factory, I order plain cheesecake with strawberries. Perfection!

From The Sweet Life via Chelsea Ray on Pinterest

We took these to B's sister's where we were celebrating his mom's birthday a few weeks late. They were a hit, but I think next time we're going to try making them with real cheesecake filling rather than the creamcheese/powdered sugar/vanilla concotion.

Tonight we're trying this chicken for a girl's dinner with my friend, Becky!

38 Weeks!

2011-10-03T13:33:00.000-07:00

38 Weeks! You've been out in this world as long as I carried you inside me. At times, I miss the special time of having you two inside me, but it's been so much fun having you out in this world. I miss feeling you move inside me but you two amaze me with your growth, your personalities and your love.

I loved you the second I found out I was pregnant.

So often, I look at you two and think, they're getting so big! And big you are, although you're still fairly small for your age. Mama wants to keep you small as long as she can :) but you've grown so much since my little Peanut and Lovebug were born.

You've loved your Daddy since the moment you laid eyes on him...this was not that moment

In the hospital, I was so anxious to see what you two looked like. Would you look like me? Like your Daddy? Like a mix of the both of us? You two mostly resemble Daddy, but I wouldn't have it any other way. You two are the cutest little babies I've ever laid eyes on. Hearing Peanut's cry for the first time, I tried to hold back tears, by the time they pulled Lovebug out, I was a gonner. There was no holding back my tears of joy - you two were the best thing that ever happened to me. I try every day to be the best Mama I can, raise you into loving little citizens of the world and make you proud of every decision I make. I am not just me anymore, I am me and the two of you combined. Every decision I make is for the three of us.


See? Tears. And the dark circles were due to lack of sleep the night before. I was too excited for sleep!

The day you came home, I kept thinking, I have TWO babies! I can't believe I get to be their Mama. I am the luckiest Mama in the world. My nights were sleepless and your appetites insatiable, but your smiles, your coos, your funny faces and your cuddles made everything worthwhile.

We did a lot of this in the beginning.

I am so happy we've had a chance to spend 76 weeks together, here's to 3,744 more.* I love you my little Bambinos, I never knew how much I could love another being until you two came along. I love you to the moon and back.

*that means I'll live to 100 years old.

Mama Says: Then There Were Three

2011-10-03T06:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? Good I hope! Today's Mama Says Mama is Danielle from Then There Were Three. She has an adorable little girl with an adorable name:) She's talking about how much your life changes once little ones come along. Take it away Danielle!

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I love guest posting! Why? Because I love to meet new mamas & share in on their roller coaster experience because we all know that being a mom is one hell of a ride! So..here I go! I'll try not to bore you too much.

I'm Danielle and I'm 24 years old. I'm married to Jeremy going on 2 years. Hello, anniversary, I would like a new pair of diamond earrings, k? thanks. We have a beautiful little girl (maybe I'm biased?), Rylee, and she was born on 10.07.10 - 3 weeks before my due date. Before I became a SAHM I worked for Coca-Cola Enterprises for 3 years. While I had a love/hate relationship with my job I'm thankful for it & am so glad I was able to get that experience. Thank god that's over with. Being a mom has been the most important job I will ever have in my life. Although there are days I want to scream at the top of my lungs & pull my hair out I love it.

Showing you her 2 teeth!

My life has dramatically changed since having our little babe. Before we had here we did whatever the hell we wanted. A normal day in the life of us would have been going to work until 6, going to class until 8, cooking & eating dinner around 9- unless we went out (which we normally did.) On the weekends we always were out with friends having dinner, a few drinks & going out dancing. Staying out until 2-3am and repeat. Loved my life.

Now? Well, things are quite different, but I love it! Rylee is such an early bird (totally didn't get that from me.) So we are normally awake by 6-7am. We play & eat breakfast until around 9am and then it's time for her nap. She'll nap anywhere from 45 minutes - 1.5 hours & then it's time to eat & play all over again. Dinner is at 6pm- bath at 6:45- nursing time & then bed at 8pm. And we do this everyday unless there is an occasional play date.

We don't go out with friends as much or if we do it's normally the friends that have babies. We haven't been to a club or out drinking since NYE '10. If we go out, we take her. I always say "I didn't have a baby so other people could watch her". If Rylee can't go then we more than likely won't be showing our faces.I try my hardest to take time for Jeremy & I, but it's hard. No one said having a baby would be easy, right? Luckily once Rylee goes to bed we will snuggle on the couch & watch a little tv until one of us falls asleep.Well, that's it folks. That's me in a very small nutshell. Come visit my blog if you want to know more & check out the awesome Butt Paste giveaway I have going on!

DIY Subway Art

2011-09-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

I have this in my house

It looks like poop against the brown wall

It was supposed to be subway art-ish.

Major fail.

I'm going to redo it, I'm just debating about if I'm going to do it white with green letters or what exactly (besides the design) that I don't like about it.

In the meantime, I found this tutorial on Pinterest and became a subway art making fool. I started out making one with the exact quote she used for B's cubicle at work because he loves How I Met Your Mother, and I made it in his beloved crimson. I put it up as a surprise.

And he didn't even notice. There's too much other WSU stuff up already that it blends in.

Then I moved on to making one with the Whole Heart quote in the actual colors I wanted (to match our couch) which I can't find in paint. It's okay, but at 8x10 it's too small and I like the look of it being on wood so I'm still going to try and redo the other one.

And because I get excited when I learn something new and get carried away, I made one for my sister using her favorite quote: "When someone makes a decision he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he never dreamed of."

Let me tell you, that is way to long for an 8x10. It took me forever because I finally got the spacing right, I didn't account for the matting on the frame. So I had to re-space it all over again.

Then I couldn't find the perfect frame for it.

There's one!

What? You don't have silly photoshopped pictures of your loved ones in your house? It's actually not there anymore, I just had it up to ~~terrorize~~ tease B.

This one works, and it's already matted.

The finished product

It's okay, but again, if you're using a long quote, you should probably have it professionally printed onto a bigger size. I kind of love it though. I love that my sister will have a piece of something I made in her house.

Now I want to make 736247635764 more of them. I can see myself getting carried away and covering our walls.

Oh How Pinteresting Words

2011-09-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

I've been on Pinterest way too much lately. I dream of covering my walls with subway art that says all of these, but I need to stick to the one I have right now.

The Reluctant Entertainer via Laura Brockoven via pinterest

From rockettstgeorge.co.uk via Barbara Stevenson via pinterest

Via vodkaandvogue.tumblr.com via Brandi Murphy via pinterest

I tell my boys this all the time

Via Life by April via April Jones on Pinterest

There's so many more, but I'll stop with these ones.

Tomorrow I'll share a DIY I actually made using a Pinterest tutorial

Genius Google Reader Tip

2011-09-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

Mama Says is taking a break this week because I have to post this genius tip I found on Oops I Craft My Pants last week.

Did you know you can install a next button on your bookmark bar and still give your fave blogs the page views everyone needs? Yes you can, here's how:

1) Go to your google reader home page and choose Reader Settings from the drop down menu

2)On the settings page, find where it says "Goodies" and click on it

3) Scroll down until you see this:

4) It's pretty self-explanatory, you drag the bookmark to your toolbar and your next button will be ready to use.

See, there's mine, right next to my Pinterest bookmark.

And when I click the button, my browser goes to the next unread item in my reader and still gives the blog the page view it deserves!

Baby Food Making Machine

2011-09-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

Last night I became a roasting, baking, steaming, chopping, pureeing aficionado. For $15 I got all this


Plus one butternut squash,I forgot to take pics before I roasted the squash

and turned it into all this


Notice I also forgot to steam one pear. Oh, well, we'll have it for next week.

Usually, $15 gets me this

I was so proud of myself, that I posted on facebook that I'm a Baby Making Machine
.
Oops.

Baby FOOD making machine.

Slinky Slimy Slopher WHAT?!

2011-09-20T08:52:00.000-07:00

Growing up, my parents and I never had open lines of communication. In fact, when I was a wee one of five years old, I remember walking to the bus stop with my mom singing:

Greasy Grimey Gopher Guts

Slinky Slimy Slopher Sluts

"Lindsay! My mom admonished me,"that's a bad word."

"Which one, Mama?" My five year old self wondered.

"I'll tell you when you're older."

Not understanding, and feeling like I did something so terribly wrong, I grew up thinking Slopher was a bad word!

I hope to learn from my parents' mistakes.

Mama Says: From Two to Four

2011-09-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

Today's Mama Says Mama is Brittany from From Two to Four. She's one of the first twin blogs I found and I love being able to keep up with her two adorable little ones!

Thanks to Lindsay for hosting me today!Heres a quick rundown of who I am:I am a mommy to boy/girl twins via IVF and born at 32 weeks who will be turning 16 months on September 13th. I started my blog because I am better at sitting at a computer then filling out a baby book. Hubby and I will be celebrating 6 years of marriage on 11/11/11 this year!! I work at my Father In Law's dental practice 3 days a week doing PR and marketing for the practice. Hubby works in the Insurance industry. We had a long road to parenthood and never take a day for granted because of this. You can learn more about us at our blog From Two to Four.

When the twins were born I think I was on a mommy high, I went through each day that the twins were in the NICU holding everything together to the point that most were surprised at how well I was doing. The first fews days were a blur of nurses and doctors telling us a hundred different things about each baby. I was recovering from my double whammy (vaginal & c-section birth) and trying to be 100% there for each baby at every care, every diaper change and feed, I wanted them to know that mommy was there.

You see those nice dark eyes (I NEEDED sleep)

I refused to relinquish any sort of control over anything that I thought I could do. I thought that was what being a mom was about, I was supposed to be the ones to care for these babies, I was supposed to change their diapers, I was supposed to be there night and day to tell them how much I loved them and cared for them and how much I couldn't wait for them to come home. My hubby and I would spend several hours in the NICU every day with the babies, we had nurses who had been NICU RN's for 20+ years tell us that they had never seen more dedicated parents and they loved seeing us with the babies. I thought they were crazy how could a mother have a baby in the NICU and NOT BE THERE...

After several days of trying to continue on my SuperMoMmy run I finally hit a wall and BIG. HUGE. YOUR GOING TO THE ER WALL. I was dehydrated, had a UTI, was bleeding too much for where I should have been in my recovery and the doctors and nurses told me I needed to rest. Rest, Rest, how was I supposed to rest I needed to be with MY babies. Finally someone told me these words "You can't take care of your babies, unless you take care of yourself". Suddenly it clicked, they were right, obviously I wasn't being a good mommy if I was exhausted and dehydrated (which was effecting my milk production), and fighting infection, I needed to rest and accept help where help was offered. I FINALLY listened to my mom, my mother in law, my friends, and the nurses and accepted the fact that I needed to heal from what my body had gone through, if I needed to stay home from the NICU for a day so be it, but it didn't make me a bad mom.

One of my happiest days!

This didn't stop at the NICU, I had to learn to let laundry sit there for an extra day (or two), I learned to eat whatever someone might have made us to help out so I didn't have to cook, I learned to enjoy my babies. This poem really says it all.

Babies Don’t Keepby Ruth Hulburt Hamilton
Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.
Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren’t his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.
The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs;
Dust go to sleep!I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

I know us moms tend to just go into superMOM mode, we are supposed to handle our children, a husband or significant other, our homes, our jobs, our pets, and our daily tasks with a certain poise. This balancing act has become my biggest challenge of motherhood. Some days I feel like a freaking ROCKSTAR, like when I have managed to keep both children alive and done laundry and have a warm meal ready at 6 pm, other days I feel like I could just curl up in bed and sleep for hours on end because I am exhausted from being a rockstar. My babies are healthy and happy and my house is "semi" clean and I am happy and well thats really all that matters in my book!

Such great advice, Brittany! I think all new mom's juggle with balancing everything. I know I do.

If you'd like to be a Mama Says Mama, just let me know in the comments below!

It's Okay Thursday

2011-09-15T11:55:00.000-07:00

It's okay to have been planning a So What Wednesday post last night only to realize that last night was Wednesday.

It's okay to have almost facebooked your Uncle about his dad's memorial and to let him know how much you're thinking about him this morning only to realize that it's not Friday yet.

It's okay to be from the great Starbucks City and not care at all that Pumpkin Spice Latte is back on their menu.

It's okay to still have no idea what you'd like to do with your haircut tonight.

It's okay to be proud that you're one pound under pre-baby weight without any working out.

It's okay to imagine how much better I'll look once I do start working out again, but know it won't happen this month.

What are you saying It's okay to?

8 Months

2011-09-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

The Bambinos turned 8 months on Saturday. Where has the time gone!?!

They're closer to a year old than a newborn. I'm having the most troublesome time coming up with a theme. I like some, but I'm just not sure. I can't throw just any party, it has to be an original one that hasn't really been done before....much like my Halloween costumes.

Speaking of Halloween costumes, anyone got any good ideas? I need to incorporate the Bambinos and I must win our costume contest this year - I've been 2nd two years in a row!

Mama Says: Adventures in Mommyhood

2011-09-12T08:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! Today's guest blogger is Victoria from Adventures in Mommyhood. She's covering something I've always wondered about: how you decide you're ready for another child.

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Hi everyone! I'm excited to be guest blogging over here at Undomestic Chica today! My name is Victoria, I'm 27, and am currently a stay at home mom, but will enter nursing school some time next year. I have already finished half of the program, I just have to get on the awful long waiting list for the clinical portion which is an excellent opportunity to stay home with my kiddos meanwhile.

My husband is Irwin, a 35 year old Professional Computer Nerd from Norway. My father's side of the family is also from Norway and that is where we met. Want the story of why and how I have traveled all over the world? Click here!

On January 5th, 2008 we got married on the beautiful island of Key Biscayne, just off of Miami, Florida.

Then on October 24th, 2008, this little guy decided to join us:

Jake is now almost 3 years old and we can not believe how time is flying! Just recently, on July 23rd 2011, this little guy joined us making us a family of 4!

I'll admit it now. I was TERRIFIED of becoming pregnant again and expanding our family. Our first had colic from hell, reflux and a milk allergy so for the first 10 months all he did was cry it seemed. As a first time mommy I was so distraught and upset that I couldn't just fix him! I always knew I wanted 3-4 kids though and really wanted Jake to have sibling so I finally just bit the bullet and did it!

There were a few factors that gave me the courage to go ahead and have another baby even though I was scared. I always knew I wanted our kids to be close in age, 2-3 years apart was always the number in my head. As we approached Jake's 2nd birthday I knew that it had to be crunch time if I wanted the age gap to be under 3 years. I was not mentally ready before Jake turned 2 so it was only then that I started to be ok with the idea. Another reason was age. Both my husband and I always wanted to be "young parents" with me always saying I'd like to be done having kids by the time I'm 30 or close to it. I was 26 last year so I knew if I wanted 2-3 more kids I better get moving.. also Irwin is 8 years older than I am so at 34 he really didn't want to be much older when we had our future children. Finally, I lined up more help! When Jake was born I only had my husband there to help and he only took one week off work. This was not nearly enough when I was recovering from a c-section and had a very difficult baby. I knew next time had to be different! So we agreed that he would take 3 weeks off of work next time and his mom agreed to fly over from Norway and stay with us for a month to help out. Without those two things I don't think I would have had another one.. at least not then.

I have to say life with 2 has been wonderful so far and Justin is my reward for having such a hard baby the first time. He is the sweetest baby and his big brother Jake just loves and adores him (something else I worried about!). I'm only a little over a month in, but I wish I hadn't of stressed about this my whole pregnancy because life is definitely easier than I had imagined. I'm even already looking forward to the next baby lol! (and yes with two baby boys I would love a little girl next time, something a lot of people don't care or admit to.. but I will!) We'd love for you to join us on this trip through parenthood :) So come visit, click around, feel at home.

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Thanks Victoria! Would you like to be featured? Let me know in the comments :)

In Rememberance: 10 Years Later

2011-09-11T10:27:00.000-07:00

I will never ever forget where I was the morning of 9-11-01. It was to be my first year of college, but school had not started yet. I woke up with my alarm radio turning on. I heard something about a plane and New York and a building, I thought the radio channel had somehow been switched. In a sleepy haze, I tried re-tuning it and discovered it was in fact the right station. As the fog cleared, I put two and two together - something terrible had happened in New York. I, like so many others, was glued to the TV and the coverage. Nothing like this had ever happened in all my 18 years.

I was to work at Wet Seal, my retail job, that morning. When I got to the mall, the energy was melancholy. Many people were not even opening their stores. My boss called her boss who gave us permission to go home.

In the hours surrounding the attacks, I remember seeing people gathered on the four corners of a major intersection in our city. Instead of the usual signs denouncing our government, they were waving signs of support for our country. Quickly, one person on each of the four corners turned to four people, and then eight, and then swarms of people. For about a week, people from all walks of life, all economic classes, all experiences gathered together as one to show what pride we have in our country. People waved signs, cars honked, some people drove their cars through the intersections over and over with their own signs.

It seems like such a silly thing compared with all the at was happening in New York, but it was all we knew to do. It was one way for us to unite and come together as one. I remember quietly shedding tears of joy, feeling the positive energy we had created on those four corners. I'll never forget the way the whole country seemed to unite after the tragedy. For once, people were talking to others they had never spoken to, saying "Hello," to their neighbors, giving someone else a friendly smile.

We will always make sure that these two know about the terrible things that happened that day. We are so grateful for all those that have given their life as a result.

Where were you during the attacks?

The Fly That Wouldn't Die

2011-09-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

Last night there was this beastly, gigantic fly buzzing around my bathroom. I was finally so agitated by its buzzing that I picked up my handy, electric spider killer and decided to have it out with this fly.

Within two swings I had this fly down. For good measure, I jolted it with electricity again which almost seemed to bring it back to life like a defibrillator. It jumped near the bathmat.

I picked up a piece of the mat and threw it over the fly then using the side of the spider killer, I smacked the bump the fly created under the mat. At that point I was sure it was dead.

Against my better judgment, I grabbed some toilet paper, quickly lifted the mat, swooped up the fly and threw the whole thing into the toilet. I've always had a fear that dead spiders tossed in the toilet will come back alive and bite my butt, but surely this fly was dead.

I heard all kinds of hissing as its charred body hit the toilet water, but still flushed for good measure. I went along with my business of blow drying my hair when a few minutes later, what did I hear? Loud, angry buzzing coming from the toilet bowl.

I kid you not.

Tentatively, I lifted the seat and the damn fly was creeping around the toilet! This thing survived getting electrocuted and flushed! I should have taken a picture for proof, but in my haste of trying to get the stupid beast to go away I didn't think of it.

I flushed three more times, finally ridding myself of the creature.

I kept flashing back to a conversation Raven, Sabrina, Brittany and I had on twitter not long ago about spiders coming back alive in toilets and outhouses.

Creepy!

So What Wednesday

2011-09-07T08:58:00.000-07:00

I'm in a slump. Outside of the Bambinos, my life has been consumed by work. I love the Bambinos, and could talk about them all day, but I won't, so you have to settle for So What Wednesday!

So What if I'm happy it's finally fall season although we haven't had great weather all summer anyway. I still feel like I shouldn't be wearing my cute boots during the summer.

So What if I'd rather play with the Bambinos than do anything else. If I could get paid to play with them all day I would. I'd even turn down plans with my friends to play with them.

So What if I'm super bummed we can't attend a wedding this weekend. It's in Costa Rica, I would kill to be there!

So What if I'm happy we're not attending the wedding only because I can avoid putting on a swimsuit.

So What if I kind of wish I could still buy school supplies. I haven't bought them in ten years but there's something so fun and satisfying about school supplies...I especially like markers.

What are you saying So What to?

Mama Says: Chasing Twins in Louboutins

2011-09-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

It's Mama Says Monday! Today's featured Mama happens to be one of the first twin blogs I came across, Amanda from Chasing Twins in Louboutins I found her very recently but I love her blog!I asked her to do a guest post and she wrote something up that was exactly what I needed to read. Here's Amanda!

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Hi!! I'm Amanda and I have the cutest twins ever made. Okay, they are mine so I should feel that way. I refer to them on my blog as J and E- the little chicken nuggets. J is my sweet little boy who can melt you with his smile, laugh, and good manners. Miss E is baby A all the way! She is like an 85 year old woman and she cracks my butt up. She takes charge of most situations and tries to swindle her little brother out of all the cool stuff. But when she climbs onto my lap and strokes my hair, like I do to her, she has my heart. Their dad, the husband, is my best friend and the best father you could ever ask for. Our marriage works so well because he is so great. No lie.

We tried for a year, with the drugs, to get these little turkeys. And when I went into labor all I kept thinking was "we have made a terrible mistake. I am NOT ready to be someones mother- let alone 2 at once!" And then they came home and I realized it was so heart changing, I could never imagine not having them again {Even when I try and remember what sleeping in was like}. They were born in the beginning of November, and though everyone scares you crapless about RSV season, I refused to sit in the house for months. So I was the mom with 2 week old twins walking around the mall. No one touched them ever, and they didn't get their first cold until they were over a year. Score!

For me, having 2 babies in the beginning was a lot, but not that bad. Granted, no one had colic and they slept. But I did have one with severe reflux and wouldn't wish that on anyone! I will say when the kids started running and E started talking a lot, my days got harder and harder. Around 18 months, E stopped napping and started talking. I've been exhausted ever since. J picked up the talking thing a little bit later and that was fine. Now I have 2 of them yapping all day long. And while it is hilarious most of the time, some days by about 5pm I am mentally empty. For a while during this 2nd year, I felt like we were still inching up this mountain. I kept waiting to peak and for things to begin to get easier. Finally around 2 1/2 I felt that switch. I haven't hit 3 yet and that may be harder, but for now I feel head above water. We can go to restaurants without wanting to run away, and they can do so much more for themselves in general. I also love that at this age you begin to see how much they not only love each other, but really like each other.

The husband and I are truly blessed and lucky. Our relationship has only gotten stronger through the years with all the kids stuff. Whether it was having him stick needles in my behind, or waking up together in the night to take care of two babies. We make sure we go on LOTS of dates alone, a few weekends away, and this past year we had our first week vacation without the kids. Time spent alone with your spouse is so important! It's all about remembering why you are together to begin with and a lot of people forget that or don't make it a priority. My kids know I love them and leaving them for a few hours or a few days won't scar them- not continuing to nurture our marriage will however.

I can't imagine life without our kids. I can't imagine only having one at a time and I thank God everyday for having the 2 at once. There are poofs of moments where I wish I could give them each more attention, but they have something that is so special, I don't think they would ever feel resentful. Imagine having someone who has been with you since conception. Watching the love and respect that they have for one another, even under 3 yrs old, is the most amazing thing I have ever seen. The thought of how their relationship will grow through the years {hopefully} can make me weepy in an instant!

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How cute is her family?! That last picture melts my heart. I can't wait for my boys to show signs of their bond like that.

Do you want to be featured on Mama Says? Let me know in the comments or email me!

Jay Z and Beyonce's Kid

2011-09-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

Jimmy Fallon tweeted something a long the lines of Jay Z and Beyonce are having a baby. That kid will have everything, except a last name. Love Jimmy Fallon

And I found this this morning, here's what their boy might look like:

via

Kinda creepy.

Not the kid, but the fact they can do this now.

Target Tuesday: Whole New Outfit

2011-08-30T16:04:00.000-07:00

It's Target Tuesday with Fabulous but Evil!

I'm loving some of the stuff Target has right now (don't I always?) This is what I got recently:

I actually started this post at 6am and couldn't find the dress on Target's website. Then, I had to do this thing called work and am just now finishing the post, so you'll have to settle for a picture of me! Ugh. Please ignore the wonderful salmon/white wall behind me. Boyfriend's house is in a constant state of projects.

I'm kind of in love with this dress and I can't wait to wear it with tights and these shoes, (but in black):

You know what's (not) funny? I could wear the outfit tomorrow and not look out of place. Our high was supposed to be only 68 today. I'm so over this crappy weather.

Mama Says: Mama Laughlin

2011-08-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

Today's Mama Says Mama fascinates me. I've always had weight and food issues. Before I found out I was pregnant, I was working out pretty much every day and was finally getting the trim, toned legs I've always wanted. Then suddenly, I was too tired to work out. What does that have to do with today's Mama? Today's Mam is Brandi from Mama Laughlin, she went from fat to fit and pregnant again (her words!) She so inspired me and I promised myself that if I were to get pregnant in a few years, I will look to Brandi and do as she did. What does she do? Here, let her tell you......

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Hello Undomestic Chica readers!
My name is Mama Laughlin and I'm not your typical mommy blogger.

I write about the shit no one wants to talk about, like poop, baby weight, and whatever else my little heart desires.

I'm not your average "wholesome, Betty Crocker" mom either.
I like recipes that take less than 30 minutes, I cuss, I offend several, and I just don't care.
It's my blog, right? So why change the content to please everyone? It's not possible anyway!
Someone's always gonna have a stick up their ass and leave a few rude comments. It's part of it.

I have a 2 year old little boy who is the light of my life, and another one due in November!

After having my son in September of 2009 I lost over 60 lbs. and declared myself a MILF.

I blogged about my weight loss and posted progression pictures with every 10 lbs. I lost.
I found out, that through this blogging community I was able to help other mom's with their weight struggles and for me, there was no bigger reward.

I was a fat bride

an even fatter pregnant lady

and then a fat mom.

That's when I'd had it and decided to change my life. And I did just that. For all the internets to see.

And then I got pregnant with number 2, and while this pregnancy is MUCH different than my last, on most days I still feel quite Large and In Charge...another great part of pregnancy...

And now, 28 weeks pregnant

This pregnancy I'm doing things totally different.

I'm still running (even though these days it's more of a waddle/jog), lifting weights, and staying active.
With my last pregnancy I didn't move off the couch but to go to the freezer for ice cream. It also helps that I have an active 2 year old to chase after these days.

I workout 3-4 times a week and plan to continue to do so right up until I deliver.
I feel amazing this pregnancy and have had no complications, swelling, or anything otherwise. I truly feel that is because I've stayed so active this time.

With my last pregnancy I was in physical pain from carrying 217 lbs. of fat and baby (okay, mainly fat) around day in and day out!

It took a toll on my body every day. My feet swelled, I had horrendous back pain, I couldn't sleep, I snored, etc.

I was miserable.
But now, however, I feel amazing!

Other than my weight struggles, I am also a full time working mom.
I feel like I need that time away to be an adult and have a reason to dress up every day and put on makeup.
I truly believes it keeps me sane and makes me a better wife and mom.
Most days my house is a mess, dinner is cooked in some sort of casserole dish, I'm lucky to get in a 30 minute workout, and there is laundry sitting in the dryer from 2 days ago.

But honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Now don't ask me how I'm going to balance all this with TWO kids... I guess we'll figure that out as we go!

<center><a href="http://undomesticchica.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Sneaky Momma Blog Design" src=" http://i836.photobucket.com/albums/zz282/undomesticchica/MamaSaysButton.jpg"/></a></center>

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See? Inspiring! Thank you, Brandi!

Are you interested in being a Mama Says featured blogger? Let me know in the comments! AND, did you see that new button up there?! If you have the old Mama Says button on your blog, feel free to post the new one instead.

Fear

2011-08-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

Recently, someone asked me If I Were Not Afraid I Would_____. Well that's a loaded question. If I were not afraid, I would do a lot of things. I feel like I'm at a pivotal turning point in my life where I want more. I've just kind of felt.....unfulfilled lately. I feel like I'm meant to do something more than I am right now.

How did I answer her question? If I were not afraid, I would sit at home and play with the Bambinos all day. Sadly, that is not an option. I wish it were. I don't think I could ever not bring in income, mainly because Boyfriend and I are not married and I don't think he should have to pay for my car. But, I'm terrified of missing firsts.

My sister has gone back to school so the new nanny started Monday. She said the Bambinos were playing with each other's feet cracking up, and I missed it. This is the first time they've made each other laugh and I missed it!

That kills me.

If I were not afraid, I would market small businesses from home. I've been in marketing long enough, I know there's people out there who need good ideas, I know I can help their businesses grow.

If I were not afraid, I would take a photography class. I will do this, but I don't feel like I can make a living without a ton more practice. I've wanted to take photography since high school. It's time for me to bite the bullet and just do it, even if it's something for me to keep on the side as a hobby.

If I were not afraid, I would open a cupcake shop/bakery. It's no secret around here that I can't cook. I LOVE to bake though. I love the feeling you get from bringing home-baked goods to parties and seeing smiles on people's face knowing, "I did that." I even have a name.

I've always thought I was meant to have a home-based or self-run business. With the arrival of my precious Bambinos, I feel the tug even more. What's holding me back is the financial aspect. I don't feel like I can tell someone that I'm not married to, "Hey, I'm going to quit my job and we're going to live off your income for a while so I can get this project off the ground." I think he'd be supportive, but I still just can't bring myself to do it.

Fear's a funny thing, isn't it?

Don't get me wrong, I love my job, I really do. And luckily for me, I'm one of the bosses so I do so much more than pass out bumper stickers at events (which is how most people think of Promotions.) But, I can't be doing the same thing when I'm 50 and our station is aimed at 20-year-olds. I'm thinking much more long term here.

I just have the feeling I'm meant to do something much more creative, even if it's just on the side, for now. Now if only I can get rid of that fear.

If you were not afraid, what would you do?

I Need A New Name

2011-08-25T08:16:00.000-07:00

I need a new blog name. I've never really liked the "Chica," and I just don't feel like a Chica. I like Undomestic Mama but there's already an Undomestic Momma. I believe her blog is private now but I still don't want to infringe on her brand if she ever makes it public again. Am I over thinking this too much?

When I started this blog, I had just moved into an apartment, had been dating Boyfriend for almost 9 months and my focus was mainly decorating my apartment, my job, my dog and my boyfriend. Now so much has changed: I'm living in B's house, it's been about 2 years 9 months, we have twin boys(!)...my focus has changed a bit.

Do you have any ideas for me? I'd like to keep the Undomestic, but Undomestic.....what?

I'm redesigning the blog too....it's taking me forever though because I've seriously only been getting 15 minute increments. Such is the life of a M.O.M. I guess :)

Moobies

2011-08-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

The last decent picture I have of us. After this I turned into a cow.

The other day, Boyfriend and I were arguing because he's very clean and organized and if I leave anything for 2.5 seconds he cleans up after me. This may sound like domestic bliss to you, but I HATE cleaning and actually like doing the laundry and that's what we were arguing about.

Me: Please, just leave the laundry alone when I do it, I actually like doing it.
Boyfriend: It's no big deal, you were at work, I just put it away.
Me: Yeah but I told you I want to pull my weight more around here and try to be cleaner.
Boyfriend: You do, you feed my boys. I can't do it.....my moobies don't work.

What the heck?!? I couldn't do anything but laugh.

Are You Kidding Me?!

2011-08-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

via

I may get skinned a live but I think it's ridiculous that Swaddle Designs has started making Angry Birds burp cloths, swaddle blankets, sleep sacks and loveys. I mean, I'm all for flinging birds at those fat pieces of bacon but really, I would not want my children donning a piece of Angry Birds fashion. Furthermore, I think the people who would have taken their gaming obsession to an all new low.

Apparently I'm the only one. In a Pop Sugar Poll, 72% of people said they're cute (at the time I looked anyways.)

What do you think? Do you love Angry Birds so much that you'd pre-order any of these pieces?

Mama Says: Our Little Family

2011-08-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

It's another Mama Says Monday! Today I'm featuring one of my faves: Annie from Our Little Family. She has the most adorable little, blonde babes. We were pregnant at the same time so it was a lot of fun reading her blog knowing exactly how she felt.... Anyway, here's Annie!

Hey Lindsay’s readers!! I am so excited to be featured today :)

My name is Annie. I am a working mama of two. My hubby and I have a son, Blake William, who is 2 and a half and we have a daughter, Olivia Kay, who is 8 months old! My family seriously makes my world complete! I just love them SO much. It is crazy how your life changes so fast after having babies...but I wouldn’t change it for the world!!

I work out of the home full-time, so one of my biggest challenges is balancing everything. I am still trying to figure out everything that it takes to be a mama, wife, career woman, friend, housekeeper, chef, etc.! Honestly, some days I feel that there are just not enough hours in the day to do it all! (and that is probably the reason that some days my home is a disaster and there is not a hot meal on the table at 5 o’clock!!....housekeeper and chef are at the bottom of my “list” :)).

I struggle with the fact that I work 40+ hours a week and feel guilt for leaving my babies. Sometimes I feel like I would rather be a SAHM….but then I think long and hard about it….and I honestly don’t know if I could do it! I give all of you SAHM’s some mad props! I actually LIKE my job. I am the Assistant Director of Alumni Relations at a state University here in Michigan. It makes me feel accomplished and successful. I like adult conversation and planning events. Plus, I worked long and hard on obtaining my bachelors and Masters degrees…and really feel like I should put them to good use!!

Luckily I have a VERY strong support system. My husband is the most hands on dad EVER. He never hesitates to do ANYTHING when it comes to his babies. I also have my mom. She retired when I got pregnant with Blake. She watches the babies part time. They attend a day care facility part time as well… we are SO lucky to have the best day care ever! It is so structured. The kids “teachers” are amazing. I just know that they are benefiting from being there and learning so much.

For ME (and this is just ME…) I think that being a working mama makes me a better mama. I seriously CANNOT WAIT to see their sweet faces at 5:00. I rush home and spend the rest of my time just snuggling with them. Being away from them during the day makes me appreciate every moment that I have with them!!

SO….although I do not have the balancing act all figured out (and probably never will) I wouldn’t change my life for anything in the world. I guess I like my life a little hectic and a little crazy….because, that’s just how we roll :)!!

See? Adorable! She's not the only one who struggles with being a working mom. I like it but hate it at the same time. Next Monday, we have a very special post, check back and see who it is...

If you're interested in being featured, let me know either in the comments or an email: UndomesticChica@gmail.com