Mama and The Dudes

a birthday wake up party

2012-03-04T09:18:00.001-08:00

This year I wanted to start a tradition with the boys on their birthday. They may be too small to remember it now but I wanted to make the day special. I feel like because they have to share a birthday, I want to make it extra special for both of them.

We blew up about 30 balloons and put them in the living room and put streamers across their door for a fun surprise when they woke up. I wanted to put them in their bedroom but my selfish heart wanted to see their excitement at seeing the balloons.

As you can see in the first picture, Julian looks a little pissed off about the streamers. And he had some crazy bed head and rosy cheeks going on. When they got to the living room they were mainly confused, and then just generally entertained by snapping the ends of the balloons.

It was something cheap and easy to do for their special day and I'm for sure going to be doing this next year! This birthday was so much more fun than last year because they're understanding a lot more now and seeing their excitement is just the best.

Venting

2012-03-03T22:34:00.001-08:00

Laying in bed after a day of fun just feeling sorry for myself. I haven't been able to really hold my babies for 4 days. I went to the chiropractor twice in as many days and feel like I should be making some progress but I'm just as sore and tingly as ever. New pains and tingles are happening with every movement. Just laying here flat with ice I feel pins and needles in my left leg, foot, arm, hand...Right leg...which is another new one.

This just sucks.

I haven't had good sleep in days. Tingling doesn't sound painful but when it's non stop it is painful and annoying. I feel bad that this kind of stole my attention on my boys' birthday. Everything I did, it was right there with me.

I want this to be fixed. I wish it never happened. I want to hold my babies.

still alive.

2012-03-02T18:47:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! Just wanted to check in...I'm not dead (sort of). I hurt my back pretty bad earlier this week and have been kind of out of commission the past two days. It turned out to be perfect timing because my mother-in-law flew in yesterday to stay for a week.

Made it to the chiropractor today and found out I have a slipped disk and pinched nerve in my lower back. And my upper back is just as bad (thanks to lifting giant children all the time). Anyways. I'm still alive.

And um, MY CHILDREN TURN TWO TOMORROW. I don't even know what is going on. I can't believe this is happening already. We have a big birthday party planned, and a lot of last minute party stuff to get ready tonight. And grandma brought them tricycles. And a giant caterpillar.

I'll be checking in later in the weekend to let you all know how the party went and if my back is broken yet.

AND I wanted to announce the winner of the $100 Tea Collection Credit giveaway:

Carly Skinner!

Carly Skinner Collapse

I'm a follower of your blog! I'd spend the $100 on some cute onesies for my sweet baby boy.

Carly, congrats! I'll be emailing you shortly :)

last call for March Sponsors: super discounted ad space

2012-02-29T15:11:00.002-08:00

Even though it's the last day of the month-I just wanted to let you guys know I still have a few spaces open for super discounted ad space (which will help me get to Blogher in August!)

LARGE: 2 months + 1 free ($35)

MEDIUM: 2 months + 1 free ($25)

SMALL: 2 months + 1 free ($15)

February was the biggest month yet for us.

+ 41,000 page loads (up 7k from January!)

all time high of + 4000 hits on Feb 25

960 average followers to my feed

795 followers through Google Friend Connect

850 twitter followers

346 facebook likes

We're seriously getting bigger every month and I'd love to have you along for the ride.

GO HERE to purchase your ad space!

or contact me at mamamandolin@gmail.com if you have any questions!

new ink!

2012-02-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

Last night I got this done:

A Japanese peony. I really love peonies, we used to have them at our house growing up and they smelled so good. I wanted something to accent all the blues and yellows I have, this pink flower is perfect. I've also read that peonies stand for strength and prosperity, a couple of good meaningful things to add in to the deep meaning in all of my other tattoos.

The style with a dark outline isn't typical of all of my tattoos but my artist insisted he would look better and gosh, he does it for a living...I trusted him to make it magic. I really do love it and am considering getting some outline touch up work on my existing tattoos so they all look uniform.

I will be going back in the next few weeks after this heals to get some greenery around the flower to really make it pop and blend it in with the others. But for now I'm going to enjoy this beautiful new addition to my arm!

I've always said I won't be getting anything below my elbow so this was my last one on the outside of my arm. In the future, I plan on doing the inside of my arm to make it a complete half-sleeve. At the rate I'm going, I get a new tattoo about once a year I'm guessing this will all take quite awhile but it's definitely worth the wait.

11 things!

2012-02-28T14:29:00.001-08:00

I was tagged by Jessica in a 11 things post - let's do this thing!

There are five rules:

1. Post these rules

2. Post a photo of yourself and 11 random things

3. Answer the questions set for you in the original post

4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them

5. Go to their blog/twitter and tell them that you've tagged them.

1. I threw out my back this morning bending over to take a cushion off the couch (to make a fort!) this has never happend to me. I felt a pop and I just collapsed! My vision started to go and I was sure I would pass out. Then I proceeded to crawl to our bar and attempt to reach my phone. Made me super nervous about any thing ever happening to me home alone with the boys. I need to set up some kind of emergency plan.

2. I grew up on a pig farm in Iowa and always wanted to keep a baby pig as my friend.

3. When I was little I wanted to be a poet. I loved Shel Silverstein.

4. I have hoarding tendencies. I attach memories and emotional meanings to objects. I've gotten better at only keeping a few important things. Just yesterday I decided to finally get rid of the red vase that came with a dozen roses from Chikezie the day after we got engaged.

5. I'm a very independent person. I wish I could just go somewhere and be by myself for like a week and not talk to anybody. I love my family, don't get me wrong. I really love being by myself though.

6. Before I moved to California, I had two cats, Marley (named before all this Marley and me crap) and Pocket. Chikezie hated Marley (she was really fat) and every time she walked by he would just yell out FAAAT! really loud.

7. I wish I had a grand piano in my apartment. I miss playing. Also? I have a guitar in my house and have yet to take lessons.

8. One time while walking home (in college) I was semi-attacked by a man. He grabbed me and I punched him in the face and ran. You always wonder what you'd do in those situations. I found out I fight back!

9. Tonight is tattoo night!! YEEEE!!! It's been a year :)

10. Some day I want to live in a huge log cabin in the Rockies.

11. I dislike swimming in anything besides a pool. The idea of fish and things swimming below me and I can't see it!!! AHHH!! It freaks me the freak out.

Questions from Jessica:

1. Who is your #1 celebrity crush? I kind of love James Mardsen.

2. What is your zodiac sign? I was born October 17, I'm a Libra :)

3. Do you feel your age? Since having kids (at 25) I feel like my age stopped and I hardly ever remember how old I am...which makes me feel old. Oh and throwing my back out today makes me feel even older.

4. If you already have a kid(s)- do you want more? I'm kind of torn. I want to be pregnant with one baby. To feel a normal pregnancy. For this to not have been my only shot. For the boys to be big brothers. At the same time, I don't feel like putting my body through hell again lol. Chikezie is good. He doesn't want more.

5. Which movie character (not the star playing them!) do you think you're most like? I have no idea....I've never thought about it before!

6. What's your favorite cocktail ever? I keep it simple. Jack and diet coke. Always tastes good to me, always gets the job done.

7. If you could trade places with any blogger for a week, who would it be? Um, maybe Ma Nouvelle Mode...because she has killer hair and lives in France.

8. Could you have ever been a contestant on Fear Factor? um, no. I don't need or want money that badly. And I don't have giant fake boobs and bounce around in my bikini all day.

9. Are you a morning or night person? Morning. I actually love mornings.

10. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? You know what? I have no freaking clue. Is that bad? That I'm 27 and don't have a plan?

11. If you had to live in a reality tv show, which would it be? House Hunters International. I want someone to find me some kick ass house worth millions.

And now my questions for those I'm tagging:

1. If you could live anywhere, where would you live.

2. What's your secret talent?

3. What's something about yourself that would surprise people to find out?

4. If you found $100 on the sidewalk, what would you do with it?

5. What would be your last meal if you could chose?

6. If you had a superpower what would it be?

7. What is the one household chore you hate the most?

8. Tell me the craziest thing you've ever done.

9. What is your guilty pleasure?

10. What is your favorite sleeping position?

11. What is your favorite restaurant and what do you order when you're there?

I tag: Moriah Emily Becky Jill and Olivia

steppin' out: new favorite jeans

2012-02-27T10:45:00.002-08:00

top: forever 21 // jeans: Levi's Curve ID Supreme Curve // sandals: target // bracelet: world market

I stepped out a whole bunch this weekend. I had a ton of errands to run and I'm pretty sure I got most of it done. Luckily the boys take long afternoon naps so I can get out of the house without leaving Chikezie to entertain two teething boys for hours.

Let's talk about these jeans...um, I love them. After seeing Mandy's commercial (yes...COMMERCIAL, so cool) I decided to go to the Levi's website and try the little quiz myself on how to find your curve ID. Turns out I'm a Supreme Curve. I could have called that one. I have a small-ish waist and a big ole booty.

these are the ones I got

Jeans NEVER fit me right (I'm sure a lot of you can relate). If they fit my thighs, they gap or are too loose at the waist. Plus, I'm not a fan of super low cut jeans because it sits weird at my c-section area. I decided to take a risk of ordering these online without trying them on just to see how they'd work. They seriously fit me better than any jean I've ever worn. I'm in love.

They're just the right length, they curve in at the top so there's no gap, there's a good amount of stretch in them (making them super comfy), the pockets are wide set wide (which is a must when you have a big butt), and the rise is perfect.

I encourage you guys to go check them out, Levis really knows what they're doing on these!

Linking up with Steppin' Out Saturday at Harper's Happenings.

I just spun $1 on The Price is Right.

2012-02-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

Front page baby!

I got a text late on Thursday night from my sister-in-law that Isaiah was on the front page of Etsy. I dropped putting clean sheets on our bed and ran down to the compter. AND THERE HE WAS. On the front page! I know these kind of end up there at random but gosh, it felt like a big accomplishment for me.

I screenshot that shit up and told my best friend who celebrated with me for a minute. Then I went back to the home page and he was gone. Jeez, they change those often!

Anywho. I know it's not that big of a deal but I felt like I just spun a $1 on The Price is Right. Totally by chance, but a badass move nonetheless.

This was the listing featured.

And my shop stats looked like this:

This is for the past 7 days. Most days I'm in the 30's for shop and listing views. On the 23rd I skyrocketed to 230 shop views and 575 listing views.

Thanks Etsy...for my one hour of fame :)

a kindle girl now!

2012-02-24T15:22:00.003-08:00

Got myself a Kindle touch.

I really love actual books. I love the smell, I love turning pages. I love having them out to look at. But since we've had the boys, I can't keep them out or they'll be torn to shreds. I have books stashed under my nightstand. I have books lining the boys' high shelves in their bedroom closet. I'm running out of places.

I got the Touch, and not the Fire because although the Fire looks fun to play with, I have an iphone that I do a lot of playing on. And I'm at home most days with a computer in front of me. I don't need any more technology enticing me to mess around. I need to read. I need my books all in one spot. I need to be able to take them with me easily when I need to look up a pattern or something at the fabric store.

So far, so good! I've only had it a few hours and it already came in handy while laying in the boys' room waiting for them to fall asleep at nap time. A book purchased, a couple of chapters read. It took me a minute to get used to turning the pages (not scrolling) and then once turning a page my first instinct is to look to the top left side like when reading a book (but there's no page there!).

I'm excited for all the reading I'll be doing in the coming months! One of my goals this year was to read more (at least a book a month). I'm slightly behind but I think this'll help catch me up.

Do you have a Kindle/Nook/E-reader? How do you like it?

meet our february sponsors!

2012-02-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

Meet my February Sponsors! I highly encourage you to visit these wonderful ladies and say hi :)

Stephanie: Mrs Stephanie T // twitter // facebook

Audrey: The Daily Wyatt // twitter // facebook

Jenni: jenni from the blog // twitter // facebook

Summer: Crosbie Crew // twitter // shop // photography

Gina: Acute Designs // twitter // shop // facebook

Melissa: hi, baby. // twitter // facebook

;

Moriah: Moriah Makes // twitter // shop // facebook

Michelle: The Momma Bird // twitter // facebook

easy chalkboard tabletop DIY

2012-02-22T22:00:00.000-08:00

I bought some chalkboard spray paint a couple of weekends ago for a different project for the boys' birthday and got random idea to spray the top of their little Ikea table. The white showed everything. And I figure chalk might be more fun for them to use than colors (and for me too!)

This was the easiest thing to do ever. I'm guessing there are other ways to do it...but this is what I did.

* Make sure the table is clean before you do anything.

* Tape pretty much anything you don't want painted. Make sure to really push down the tape so it doesn't bubble. Spray paint gets into every little nook and crevice.

* I used plastic bags on most of the legs to save some tape, I just taped the tops shut.

*Spray one light layer of chalkboard paint and let it dry. Repeat until everything is covered well. I did 2 coats. And it dried pretty quickly.

And that was pretty much it!

I gave it adequate time to dry before writing on it. If you rub your finger across it and black rubs off, it's not ready to be drawn on yet.

Pretty much the easiest/quickest way to spruce up something. I'm contemplating chalkboard spray painting our scuffed up coffee table. I'm going chalkboard paint crazy...and I like. I've been pretty much obsessed with chalkboard paint lately and want to like, paint a whole wall in my house with chalkboard paint. Like these:

half chalkboard wall

chalkboard doorway

chalkboard kitchen

Have you guys chalkboarded anything in your house lately?? I feel like it just opens the doors for creativity!

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the funny guy

2012-02-21T21:52:00.000-08:00

I love this stage in the boys' development. Each day I learn new quirks of their personalities and get to know these little people a little better. Julian....he is a funny kid. He's always doing things that are so completely random and out there, he makes the weirdest noises, he has the most hilarious facial expressions, even the way he moves his body is hilarious. He's such a noodle and he's just so clumsy.

I just have this feeling he's going to be inadvertently funny as he gets older and as he starts talking more. He's going to be that funniest guy you know who isn't really trying to be funny, he just IS. I love it. Being funny is an awesome thing to be.

toddler beds!

2012-02-21T13:50:00.000-08:00

I did it. I ripped off the bandaid. I converted the boys' beds into toddler beds this morning. We didn't think we were ready to get rid of the pacifiers either but that took one night and one nap and it was done.

Reasons I switched:

* They're getting mad that they can't get in and out of their bed on their own.

* The boys are so heavy. I don't need to be lifting 30lb kids in and out of beds anymore.

* I think they're ready. They'll be 2 in 2 weeks. They know what it means to stay in your bed.

I put a feather bed on the floor between their beds to hopefully pad any falling. And now I'm crossing my fingers. I put them down late for their nap so they were good and tired. I put the baby gate up at their door just for my own sanity.

30 seconds into nap, the bedroom door opened. I used my super-serious-low-I-mean-business mommy voice and told them to lay down and go ni-night and don't you dare get out of your beds. They got the point I think.

So far, we're about 12 minutes in and I don't hear a peep. That could be good, could be bad.

When did you change your kids' beds over? How did it go? Any advice for us?

Tea Collection Review and Giveaway!

2012-02-20T13:44:00.000-08:00

I was recently given the opportunity to test out and review some great modern children's clothing from Tea Collection and am so excited to share them with you guys. As a mom to two boys, it's hard to find good, non-cartooney clothing for little boys. One thing I really love about Tea Collection is their inspiration:

"Everything we create—our products, images, words and ideas—is inspired by going there and being here. And by our passion for exploring different cultures. We are awed by the unique beauty and diversity of people around the world. As we celebrate and share our discoveries, it reminds us how small the world is and how alike we all are." - The Tea Story

Here, Julian is wearing Playa Plaid Hoodie from the boys clothing line (they also have baby boys clothes line if your guys are still little).

And gosh he looks cute in it. I love that the hood has buttons so you can take it off for a different look. The shirt is great quality and soft (which is important for sweet little boy skin). And it wasn't too heavy, which is also important for us here where it doesn't get too cold. It makes it easier to layer without worrying that he's going to get sweaty.

I got him a size 3 so it would last awhile and it really fits great now. This such a cute alternative to a plaine old hoodie (which we have way too many of). And the hood is even big enough to fit over his big head of curls.

Here, Isaiah is in the Jaguar Mask Tee and French Terry Cargos

Gosh I love this shirt. I love the color, the sweet design. Just love it. This is what I mean about design that is not too cartooney. The shirt and pants were both size 3 and fit well. The pants were a little long (which I expected) because the boys have big bellies and shorter legs still, but the material folds (and stays) easily. The cargo pockets ad some cute to the soft pants and they look really comfortable. These could easily be dressed up or just worn like we do around the house and playing.

I love these clothes. All of them. The boys look so cute in them and they're such good quality.

Oh, and Tea Collection has clothes for girls and baby girls and yes, even a little something for you. I was seriously impressed with this company and can't say enough good things, even down to the super fast shipping.

Now for the best part:

Tea Collection has generously offered up a $100 online gift certificate to one of you lucky Mama and the Dudes readers! Woot! And since they carry clothes for pretty much everyone, you should probably enter.

Here's how you enter:

1. MANDATORY ENTRY: MUST be a follower of Mama and the Dudes blog. (1 entry)

Visit Tea Collection website and leave a comment here telling me what you'd buy with the $100. Make sure to include your email address.

additional entries:

2. Follow Tea Collection on Twitter. (1 entry)

3. Like Tea Collection on Facebook. (1 entry)

4. Tweet about this giveaway (you can copy this if you want)

" I just entered to win $100 credit to @teacollection clothing via @mamaandthedudes http://tinyurl.com/6mwpod2 "

Good luck! Giveaway ends Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 11:59 PST.

Note: *I was provided with product for the purpose of conducting this review and promotion. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are not influenced by monetary compensation*

steppin' out: i wore skinnies.

2012-02-19T23:09:00.000-08:00

I stepped out TWICE this weekend. And I stepped out good.

Saturday night Chikezie and I went out on a full romantical date, to a fancy restaurant. We sat next to the fireplace. There was a rose on our table. We had sparkling water (which is, I don't know, ehhh). We ate expensive food. A guy was singing and playing guitar. And we felt like Mandey and Chikezie again, and not just mama and dada.

Oh, and I wore skinny jeans:

shirt: F21 // Belt: Target // Jacket: thrifted // Jeans: Old Navy // Flats: Target

I told you I was going to go out of my style comfort zone this year. I went way out of my comfort zone. And leopard print flats? Yep. WAY OUT for me. I've had this notion about wearing skinny jeans. That you have to be a certain size or look a certain way. I still think some people should just not wear skinny jeans; they're not for everyone. BUT I encourage you to go out of your comfort zone and at least try a pair on sometime. You might be surprised.

And then on Sunday, the skinnies made a second appearance for a day of shopping, nails, Red Robin and watching The Vow with Stephanie. We were gone all day and holy crap, it was a good day.

sweater and jeans: Old Navy // shoes: TOMS // purse: Krust

Effing right I'm holding a 30+ pound kid on both arms.

Thank you husband for an amazing date night and for watching the boys so I could get some girl time in. Love this guy, and gosh, he's so photogenic...

oh ryan.

2012-02-18T00:00:00.000-08:00

When my hands hurt from cutting fabric and my fingers hurt from pinching closures shut...I just think of Ryan. He knows what I'm going through.

I got these off of Handmade Ryan Gosling...and there are plenty more where these came from.

music obsessions: people who actually play instruments.

2012-02-17T13:06:00.000-08:00

MUSIC! I love listening to Rdio all day long, I go to the new releases page and love finding new bands, or new to ME bands. If you guys don't have Rdio, you should. $7 a month for unlimited music. And you can sync it to your mobile and have it everywhere you go.

I tend to favor music of people who actually play instruments. None of this auto-tune bullshit. I mean, yeah I'll listen to some rap and pop when I'm working out but when it comes down to music I can listen to forever, it's usually music played by actual musicians.

My two current obsessions:

Her voice! And the harmonies in this song. And anyone that sounds that good acoustic.

These guys remind me of Mumford and Sons, but they have a sweet variety of songs. And just really some really good beats. Mumford and Sons songs sometimes all end up sounding the same to me.

bittersweet

2012-02-16T23:39:00.000-08:00

There's just something about little boys with their daddy that gets me every time. These are from last February and are some of my favorite photos I've ever taken. Just a regular old morning before Chikezie got ready for work, and spent some extra cuddle time with the boys. I wish we could still do this but they don't do much cuddling anymore.

They really love their daddy. Julian has been really sad when daddy leaves for work in the morning lately. He'll drop everything to make daddy hold him and will just CRY as soon as Chikezie is out the door. I feel so bad for him, it's probably the worst part of his young little life. His biggest problem is that daddy has to leave every day.

These pictures just make my heart do flips. They make me wish I could go back to that moment and just be stuck in it for awhile. Babies growing is so bittersweet.

embarrassing pictures of me.

2012-02-16T14:09:00.000-08:00

Does this picture make you feel sad?

No?

Well what about this ugly cry face?

Still no?

Jeez what kind of person are you?

Just kidding. (sort of)

Well that sad face is real. It's really sad. And it needs your help to turn into one of these:

That's a happy face, if you had trouble telling.

You see, I'm going to a little place called Blog Her in August. It's a magical land where blogging princes and princesses get together and talk about blogging. And they have fun. And the stay at home moms have an excuse to get away from their lives and go off to be normal people for once. That sad face needs your help to get here. Do I need to play a Sarah McLaughlin song? Do you get what I'm trying to say?

I need your monies. Even just a couple monies if that's all you can do. And I'm going to whore myself out in a bunch of ways to make it worth your while (No, not in THAT way you perverts.) and because I reeeeeally want to go.

FIRST, I've set up a Go Fund Me page to make it easy for you to donate. (How nice of me, I know.)

And now, here's all the ways you can help me out by donating:

ADVERTISING

$15 = 2 months + 1 free month SMALL ad space

$25 = 2 months + 1 free month MEDIUM ad space

$35 = 2 months +1 free month LARGE ad space

BLOG BANNER BUTTON/DESIGN

I've never offered this before but a lot of people have asked me about my blog design (header/buttons etc.) and I make them all myself!

$40 = 1 blog banner/ button combo

OR if you purchase advertising I'll make you a button for FREE!

GO HERE to help fund me!

And there's always this:

MAMA MANDOLIN ETSY SHOP

And as usual, if there is something you're wanting from my shop...I'm going to be using funds from my store to get to Blog Her. And I'll provide all of ya'll with a discount!

Use the code: BLOGHER12 to take 12% off any order in my shop :)

And that's all I've got.

I'd really, really, really appreciate your support. I can't think of any other good adjectives besides that.

Oh, and I have ROOMMATES.

Stephanie, Tammy and Gina. And I'm kind of excited.

coffee grounds body scrub DIY

2012-02-15T18:00:00.000-08:00

Used coffee grounds can be used for a multitude of household and beauty purposes. I used these with some olive oil as a body scrub and my skin has never felt so soft. It was seriously amazing, and totally worth the messy shower afterward.

There are a lot of variations of this, including wrapping your legs with plastic wrap as a means of reducing cellulite, but I kind of made up my own way that was easiest and quickest. I don't have time to be wrapping my legs up!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup warm used coffee grounds

olive oil

Directions:

* Mix coffee grounds with a little bit of olive oil to make a paste- like consistency.

* While in the shower, scrub mixture in a circular motion on whatever areas of your body you want to exfoliate/soften. (I chose my legs/butt)

* Rinse off and wash as usual.

ENJOY THE SOFTNESS. Seriously. I don't know if this really helped with cellulite after one use, or if it will at all, but it sure made my skin feel glorious!

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workin' it pt. 1

2012-02-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

I found my motivation again.

If you follow me on Twitter (if you don't you should!) you may know I started a 30 day work out, kick my ass in shape plan to look and feel my best in time for my best friend's wedding on March 17. I want to keep you all in on the process over the next few weeks and let you know a little bit about what I'm doing, eating, etc. I'm hoping for some good before and after results to show you guys at the end.

I'm going to make 3 goals each week to keep me focused on the positives instead of the negatives (like the chocolate and crap I ate today).

This week my goals are:

1. Drink 4-5 mason jars of water a day.

2. Work out for at least 30 minutes all 7 days this week.

3. Snack on fresh fruits and veggies instead of crackers and carbs.

I'm only on day 2, and today was thrown off because of Valentine's Day. I let myself enjoy the day, somewhat, and still tried to focus on my three goals. If I go too hardcore on a diet or work out, I usually end up quitting it soon. I'm trying to do this realistically. Holidays happen. Dates happen. Life happens. It's just a matter of enjoying a balance between splurging on special days and still working to get healthy.

Workouts: I've been working out while the boys nap for the past couple of days.

Day 1: Bob Harper's Ultimate Cardio Body

I really like this work out. It's an hour of non stop movement. You don't stay on one exercise too long so it keeps things moving. I really like his style of motivation. The next day my hamstrings were so soooore.

Day 2: Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred

I did Level 2 of this because I know I can do Level 1...and Level 1 isn't going to get me the results I want in a month. And it was Valentine's Day and I didn't feel like working out for an hour. Let me tell you, I sweat more in that 30 minutes than I did in the hour I did with Bob. I didn't let up at all and made sure to make the most of the 30 minutes.

And now, some motivation for the week:

happy gooey hearts day

2012-02-14T11:19:00.000-08:00

I wanted to wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day. I know they say we should be showing this kind of love every day of the year but we don't. In this busy, crazy life, sometimes we get caught up in everything else and forget to stop and tell those around us how much they are appreciated and loved.

I want you to know how much I truly appreciate all of you! This blog has been a source of pride and accomplishment for me over the past 2 years. It's been my own little outlet and means of feeling productive with the outside world as I've adjusted to life at home. I've made some great friends and connected with so many people. I've shared my thoughts, hopes, fears, problems with all of you and you've stuck around to read about it. You've watched my babies grow into curious and sometimes frustrating toddlers. You've supported me with your words and just by reading along on this crazy ride.

Thank you. From the bottom of my gooey heart, THANK YOU. You are appreciated and loved. Even if it's through something as seemingly silly as a blog... y'all mean the world to me.

steppin' out and my children are cute.

2012-02-12T23:02:00.000-08:00

I told you last week I'd try to get out of the house every weekend. Well, Saturday was spent filling shop orders and doing our taxes (groooooan) so I stepped out to do a little thrifting on Sunday.

And this is what I wore: (and I promise I wasn't angry, I was just squinty)

top: thrifted (F21) // cardi and belt: target // jeans: gap // shoes: toms

I went to Goodwill and found a couple of jackets for layering because I've recently decided I need to do it more. I tend to shop in pieces and not in outfits and I rarely have things that match or remotely resemble an outfit. I was proud of myself today for not just finding things I liked but things I needed, not the same things I buy all the time.

In other news, my children have been killing me with cute the past couple of days. I've said it before and I'll say it again; I love having twins. LOVE. And twin boys at that. They truly are best friends.

Like laying down on the living room floor watching the Grammys and holding hands.

Or just doing this...

Or laying together on the living room floor playing cars.

Or sitting together for a good 15 minutes at the play yard at the mall.

Or cuddling on the couch with all their friends. They lay there forever together.

Or having meetings in their boys only tunnel.

Or being super heros...

Gosh I love them.

new ties and shop discount!

2012-02-11T00:00:00.000-08:00

I added a bunch of new fabrics to the shop! And if you look closely you might recognize some of the names :)

20% off your order this weekend only by using the code: MAMA20

Go HERE to see these and all the rest!

Happy Saturday, friends.

new hairs and red lips!

2012-02-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

You know my post the other day when my children were being challenging and I was about ready to stick a fork into my face?

Well I have a super husband. For reals. He knows when shit goes down at home and I'm having a bad day, that he needs to up his game. And he did. He watched the boys so I could go get my hair done. There's something about someone massaging your scalp and changing things up for you that really makes a shitty day into a less shitty day.

And I thought I'd show you:

Oh hell... I'm just kidding. I don't really look like this all the time...

We all know this is my the only face I make for photos:

You bet your hairy butt, I put red lipstick on specifically to take a photo of myself and then to sit around while the boys napped.

Happy Friday, Crazies!