Grocery store outing... whew!

I tell ya, some mothers of multiples make going to the store look easy.... It's not! Right now Ben and Penny aren't walking, and we live in a apartment where the parking is not right by my door. So just loading and unloading them is quite a fiasco that either involves me carrying to 25 lbs babies at once or putting up and taking down a double stroller twice. Add groceries into this and man... I'm sweating afterwards... even if it's not 100 degrees outside.

Penny all ready to go!

Taking young twins to the grocery store can be daunting.  My favorite places to go have carts that sit two right up from.  That's a life saver!  I do have a few other tips though.  Bring snacks!  This can win you a little time when they start getting cranky.  Also have a plan.  Make a list and know where you are going.  It is a mission.  Finish fast before the cranky starts.  No matter how long the trip is the check out lane is always bad for me.  Ben cries when the cart stops moving, I would love advice on that!  I hate being the lady in the check out lane with the crying baby.  Usually they look back and see I am dealing with two and I get some sympathy points.  (One of the good things about twins!)

Waiting for the check out crankies... not too bad this time.

Snacks... wins every time!

Getting out and about is a necessity, and I think it is good for the babies to get out and see the world around them, but having babies can make it difficult!  Just plan ahead.  I have always been a planner, having twins just solidified it in me.  It is getting easier though... now just to unload babies and groceries... I'll be sweating again!

Zucchini boats ~ Pinterest Party

Hello!

As we all know pinterest can be addicting!  I know I pin tons of stuff everyday.  I have decided to make a conscious effort to actually make them.  I will share with you how they go.

Tonight for dinner I made Zucchini Boats.  These were delicious!

Basically you scoop out the seeds and brush with olive oil, garlic and salt.  Then you put in the tomatoes and bake it at 350 for about 30 minutes.  Then add cheese and basil and cook until the cheese is melted.

It was so simple yet so delicious.  Will loved them!  His sister is a vegetarian and he said next time she's over we should have this for dinner.  We just ate it as a side, but if I made some pasta and these it would be totally filling.

For more details check out the site here.

Join the pinterest party in you have anything you would like to share.  Also you can follow me on pinterest by clicking on the link in the side column.

Happy Pinning!

Summer times picnics, my favorite night of the week.

We have been having a fun summer, until this recent heat wave struck.  We used to go to the park a couple times a week.  Once a week we would pick up Will from work and have a picnic.  Picnic night is quickly becoming my favorite night of the week.  I pack most of the lunch during nap time.  So all I have to do when it's time to eat is toss it all in my picnic tote, get the babies in the car, and go get Will.  The babies will eat just about anything, so it's easy.  This week they had cheese sandwiches, blueberries, and one of those grabber things.  It is just relaxing to eat dinner on our little picnic blanket.  Then afterwards we can swing or walk around for a little bit.... or swing.  Penny LOVES to swing.  Ben likes it, but Penny is swing crazy!

Picnics work out well for us with Will's crazy schedule and their being so many parks in the area, but I hope it is a tradition we continue.  It is really good family time, and you gotta make the most out of those moments when they come.

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Penny enjoying our picnic

Ben and daddy relaxing with each other.

Finding the balance

Being a stay at home mother I often feel like my life is out of balance.  I feel like I am never alone, yet I feel lonely.  I feel like I am doing a good job, then a baby decides to get cranky and I am overwhelmed by life.  I feel like super mom taking twins out in public managing them and doing good, then after a bad outing I say that I'm not leaving the house by myself with them ever again.  I feel like I need to find a balance, but that balance is hard to find sometimes.

Getting through my first year with twins has been difficult, in fact I barely remember the first few months.  Now they are almost a year and I am ready to find myself again.  I am ready for some hobbies and some me time.  Just saying that makes me feel selfish, but that's the culture of today.  Mom's are expected to do everything and be in love with it every minute.  While I do love being a stay at home mom more than I ever though I would be, but I need more.  This blog has been an asset to me.  I really enjoy the writing process, it not only gets me thoughts out, but it chronicles our lives.  I love looking back at older posts and seeing what I have written and seeing old pictures of the babies.  Plus it has introduced me to a community of supportive of women going through exactly the same thing I am.

Another thing I have started doing to help find the balance.  The mommy meet up group I'm in has a mommy's night out.  One night a month we get out and get drinks and dinner.  It is so nice to have some adult conversation (even if all we talk about it the kids).

Also I take nap time as me time.  When they go to bed I have dishes, laundry, picking up, cleaning and all those other mommy chores.  So I take nap time and I do whatever I feel like, whether I'm writing on my blog and checking facebook or just relaxing and watching tv.  It is time for me!

So while I still feel guilty for getting me time (if any mom doesn't have guilt, please tell me how!!) I am finding ways to climb out from under the rock that is trying to figure out life with babies.  While I feel like me life won't truly be balanced for awhile, I'm trying to find semblance of a life I live not one where I just get by.

How do you find a balance? 

Home made finger paint... a sensory experience!

So today I made finger paints for the babies to play with.  I always see these post on blogs or on pinterest of babies having fun with sensory things.  So today I made some finger paints.  I got the recipe from a friend, it was really simple!
2 tbls sugar mixed with 1/3 cup flour.  Put it in a sauce pan and mix with 2 cups water until smooth.  Turn on heat and continue to stir until it thickens.  Then put in container and add desired food coloring.  Easy Peasy!

So here is how the babies first sensory experience went.

I decided I would do it in the bath tub at bath time.  Blank white canvas and easy clean up!
Whenever I see babies the same age as my babies doing sensory, I think yeah right.  All my babies would do it is eat it!

Totally right!!  That's really all Ben was interested in, perhaps this recipe is a little too tasty.

They got the hang of it after awhile though.

Penny had a lot of fun with it!

All in all it was totally worth it.  The mess was contained, the babies had fun, and Will and I had fun watching it.  Ben may have eaten all his and Penny just wanted to slide around the slippery tub, but they had a new experience with texture and sight and taste.