Wordless Wednesday: Crazy Hair Merasia!

I Love Their Bond

One of my favorite things about being a mama to twins, is seeing how they interact with eachother, and seeing their bond and love everyday. I wish I had the opportunity to experience being in my mother's womb with another baby, and then to experience the different kind of love and bond that only twins and other multiples know.

This morning, I cleaned up from breakfast and sat the babies over the baby gate and let them loose to run and play while I cleaned up and got a load of laundry going. I turned around from putting the laundry in the washer and this is what I found:


(Yes, he has one of his sister's pacifiers)

Seeing them sitting like this melted my heart. It just amazes me to see the love and bond they have for and with eachother everyday. They truly have a special relationship that only they can understand.

♥ ♥

AMAZING GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY!

You MUST check this out! This is an AMAZING opportunity for a giveaway!

My blogger friend Laura at www.ethertonphotography.blogspot.com is giving away the AMAZING and incredible paint/activity table in honor of her son's birthday, coming up on the 28th! What mom would NOT want to have one of these for their kiddos?? Definitely check out the giveaway here, and check out the rest of her blog too! :-)

(ALMOST) Wordless Wednesday

After dinner last night, we took the twins to the local playground behind our house. Merasia LOVED the sandbox and crawled allllll over that thing. Connor dug a tiny little hole with one finger, and then just sat there...he wasn't as into it as Merasia was. But we still got some cute photos!

Here is our ALMOST Wordless Wednesday! (LOL)

Please Pray!

Please pray for an old friend.

This mama and I don't talk anymore because of some silly, stupid events that transpired months ago, but I just heard through a mutual friend that she just gave birth to her baby boy 8 weeks early and could use all the prayers in the world right now for her and her family.

Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers!!

♥

"4-20"

I hate the "meaning" of this day.

All over my friend's Facebook pages today were things such as:

"Go smoke some weed"

"Happy 4-20 pot head friends"

And other pot related statuses and comments that I could care less to mention.

Pathetic, if you ask me.

Really, that's the ONLY thing symbolic about this day?

Um...not so much.

Many historic events happened on this day through the years, as well as births and deaths of many amazing historical figures.

When April 20 rolls around, I think of one major event that happened 11 years ago.

The Columbine High School Massacre. Maybe I'm just weird, but I don't know how anyone could forget that. That day forever changed April 20 for me for the rest of my life. Maybe it's because I have pen pals and online buddies that went to that school during that time period, who almost lost their lives and who witnessed the awful events of that day. So maybe that semi personal connection to that day makes me remember it so vividly. I don't know.

What I DO know, is the whole idea of what 4-20 is "really" about is just sickening and ridiculous. If you want to be a pot head, that's fine, keep it away from me and my family. It just got really annoying to see all of the comments about today, when me and others are thinking of serious, life changing things that occurred on this day instead of getting high and acting like idiotic losers.

For me, today was a day of rememberance. A day of solitude at times. Taking a few minutes to think about those we loved and lost. And thanking God for another beautiful day to spend with my children and husband, instead of how many joints I can smoke in 24 hours.

Awesome giveaway on a fellow blog! :-)))

My blogging friend Allison over at You Have How Many Kids?? is having an awesome giveaway right now...teething necklaces from Smart Mom Jewelry...these necklaces are totally adorable and come in many colors and patterns, and you would never guess they double as a teething necklace for your little ones!

Head over to Allison's blog now and enter her giveaway...and check out the rest of her blog while you're there! :-)

Blush Undershirt Giveaway from a Fellow Blogger!

Have you checked out One Savvy Mommy? No? Well, I highly suggest you do. And do it now. Not only is she a wonderful blogger and mama, but she has some amazing giveaways going on right now, like this one, for a Blush Topless Undershirt! I have yet to try these shirts, but have heard rave reviews, and they have some adorable colors and patterns available on their site. Check them out today, and enter Sarah's contest too, to win a shirt of your very own! :-)

Check It OUT!!

My friends over at In The Mommy Business are running an awesome giveaway right now! Kolorful Kids is offering up a $10 credit to one lucky winner of this contest! These tie dye shirts are THE CUTEST!! Check out the contest now, and check out the rest of their blog as well!

Insensitive Preggos?

Why does it always seem that as soon as hubs and I start trying to conieve, a whole SLEW of other people get pregnant, and we continue to struggle and struggle? I know two hands full of people that are pregnant...some I am close with, some I just know of. And here we sit, struggling to ovulate and actually concieve again. Yet we want it SO. FREAKIN'. BAD. And some...NOT all, but definitely SOME of the people I know of who are pregnant, weren't trying, and yet somehow, it happened to easily. Am I wrong in feeling that it's just not fair? No, I'm not. I am sure I'll get a lot of slack for this post, but I don't care. I shouldn't get slack for it anyway...I'm not bashing anyone. Just putting feelings out there.

YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS LIKE TO WANT A (FIRST, SECOND, THIRD............) CHILD SO BAD, AND NOT BE ABLE TO GET IT AS EASILY AS OTHERS, UNLESS YOU HAVE BEEN THERE YOURSELF.

It's that simple. Everytime someone I know finds out we are having a hard time concieving again, I get the generic comments...

"What's meant to be will be."

"It will happen when the time is right."

"It's not meant to be, you should stop trying now."

"If it was meant to be, it would have happened by now."

"Just stop trying so hard, you never know when you will be surprised and it will happen."

Oh, and my personal favorite...

"How are you doing? How is trying to concieve going? Oh, you're having trouble again? Well, I'M PREGNANT!"

Nice, huh?

First off, I WISH I could just stop trying so hard and not worry about it. But, my "girl parts" don't work like other women's do. I don't ovulate on my own, so not trying so hard will make it worse, since I really won't be pregnant then. I don't ovulate without the help of fertility drugs, so we don't have a choice but to actively try to concieve with temping, charting, and all that jazz. Fun stuff.

Most of the people that say anything to me, mean well. They don't mean to hurt me, they just don't know. And then there are a few who are CLEALRY throwing it in my face that they are pregnant, and we aren't, and those are the ones I avoid altogether, rather than subject myself to torture.

None of the comments above help me feel any better. Nobody can put a number on how many children another person can or should have. And the meant to be/time is right thing? WE make the decision on when the time is right, nobody else. So, if we are trying now...then THAT is when the time is right. For us.

I understand how hard it is for others to know what it's like to be in our situation. I don't expect them to understand, but yet I can't help my feelings of resentment, jealousy, anger, and sadness. It's difficult to be happy for those that are pregnant and it was so easy for, while we fight and fight and FIGHT for another baby. It's hard to be around them or hear them talk about their pregnancies with me and how excited they are and all of the new things going on...the first time the baby moves, the first ultrasound, hearing the heartbeat, finding out the sex...all of the things that WE are trying to experience again.

I thought after having the twins, I wouldn't feel this way anymore. And I didn't, for a while. But now that we are trying to concieve again and it's not happening as easily or as quickly as we had hoped or thought it would, those old feelings are coming back, and there's nothing I can do to stop them. I can only hope that those that are my true friends will be sensitive about the situation, and try to understand that my feelings aren't ill toward them as my friends or toward them as individuals, but toward what they get to experience, and we don't...

The Charm Factory Review and Giveaway

The Charm Factory produces beautiful sterling silver charms and charm bracelets in the U.S., are these bracelets make wonderful Mother's Day gifts!

While looking over the variety of charm bracelets they offer to choose one to review, I had such a difficult time! So, I decided I wanted something a little more custom and tailored to me. I chose to get my children's initials, along with their birthstone, my birthstone, and my husband's birthstone on a bracelet. I figured it would be something meaningful for me, and that's what I really wanted in the bracelet.

I was excited when I recieved the finished product, and it was more beautiful than I could have imagined.

It came in an adorable little white box, packaged so beautifully and I could tell that a lot of care was taken with the bracelet.

The quality of this bracelet is amazing. It's not made of cheap sterling silver that you would find in any store, and the charms are just as good quality as the chain itself. I put the bracelet on immediately, and I have to admit, I was nervous at wearing it at first. I didn't want to get it snagged on clothing or something else and break it, or have one of the twins pull on it and break it. But, I soon saw I had nothing to worry about. It did get snagged a couple of times, and Connor LOVES to play with it when I change his diaper and it dangles in his face from my wrist. And with all of the pulling from him, it's not even close to breaking. Very high quality and strong sterling silver. These photos do not do the bracelet justice. (I had to take them myself and contort my wrist in different positions to get different angles of the bracelet...LOL)

I love how it dangles and is so feminine. I love hearing the charms clang and clatter together as I move about my day, and I love looking down at my wrist and seeing the tribute to my children and husband every day. It makes me smile everytime. :-)

Want a charm bracelet for yourself, or for the special mother/daughter/grandmother in your life, just in time for Mother's Day? The Charm Factory is offering up a charm bracelet of choice to ONE lucky reader of A Day in the Life of a Mother of Multiples!

How to Enter:

1. Visit The Charm Factory and check out their wide variety of bracelets available. Then, come back here and post a comment, telling me which bracelet you would choose if you won.

2. Follow my blog publically, via GFC.

Contest ends May 1!

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!

eShakti Review and Giveaway!

eShakti is a contemporary women's clothing online store. They offer a variety of women's clothing, jewelry, and accesories and even offer customized clothing. The clothes fit every shape and size of any woman, which is a wonderful bonus.

From their website:

"Our Mission:

To make every customer look her absolute best by providing amazing drape and always carrying any size she wants, and by letting her change the style too to suit herself."





I was sent this shirt from Jennifer at eShakti, to review:

As soon as I recieved it, I LOVED it. I wanted something semi-summery for spring/summer months we are getting into now, but nothing too revealing. I also wanted something that had a little room to grow, for when we concieved that third baby. :-) Having two messy toddlers, I wanted a darker color so any stains from them couldn't show as much as they may on a lighter colored shirt.

I had to wait a few days to wear this shirt, as we had a few days of chilly weather, but the first sunny 50 degree day we had, I threw it on ASAP! I LOVE it. It is SO comfortable, and there's lots of room to move around in it, which sounds silly I know, but I can't stand shirts that are too tight and ride up my back or show off the extra baby weight I still carry around from the twins. The top isn't thin, so my bra straps don't show with every little movement, which is important for me as a wife and mother, to stay modest for my friends and family. The design is simple yet beautiful, and very high quality, and there is no tag on the nexk to rub and be annoying.

All in all, I am extremely happy with the quality of eShakti products, and will be turning to them for more of my clothing needs in the future. Be prepared when you visit their website though...it's difficult to make a choice because of all the options!

Now, for the best part...

eshakti is offering up a $15 gift card to ONE lucky reader of A Day in the Life of a Mother of Multiples!

How to Enter:

(All entries are mandatory to be entered into the contest, post a seperate comment for each of the three things below, to enter your name in the giveaway 3 times!)

1. Visit www.eshakti.com and pick your favorite product, and then come back here and post a comment, telling me what product is your favorite and why.

2. Become a fan of eShakti on Facebook.

3. Follow my blog publically via GFC.

Contest ends May 1!!

GOOD LUCK!!

Jewelry!

I love jewelry. What can I say? I'm a typical girly girl. I don't get to wear much of it, but I love shopping for it,even if I can't have it. I used to wear jewelry and watches allll the time. Earrings, bracelets, necklaces, rings...the list goes on! I even have 9 ear piercings...although, all but my ear lobes are closed now. At some point I guess I grew up and got over that stage. :-)

Hubs gets annoyed with the amount of jewelry I have and never wear anymore. But I can't part with it. Some of it is sentimental, or some is just too pretty to get rid of or throw away. :-) Because of his job as a mechanic and cook, it's hard for him to wear a watch or anything else. He doesn't even wear his wedding band anymore to work. Well, the truth is, he lost his ring and we have yet to get him a new one. It doesn't matter as much to us; we know we are married.

With kids came the realization that jewelry would never be able to be worn again. Maybe in the newborn months when they didn't grab at everything in sight. But 4-5 months old changed that and the jewelry I used to lovingly wear started collecting dust in the jewelry box, with the exception of my engagement ring and wedding band, which I wear regardless. Always.

Maybe as the kids get older, I'll be able to wear jewelry again. For now, I'll just have to admire it from afar. :-)

Just. Five. Minutes.

I need just five minutes to...BREATHE.

I am straight out busy lately and it's driving me insane! I can't wait for things to settle down a bit so I can actually BREATHE and relax.

Of course the main thing I am busy doing is being a busy, busy mama to my wild, active, crazy 15 month olds. They are SO. MUCH. FUN. But, exhausting at times! I love running around after them and hearing their contagious giggles day after day. It's the best sound and the best feeling in the world.

On top of that, I have to run the household. I have to do the dishes, clean the floors, keep up with the mounds of laundry we have every day, fold that laundry when it's washed and dry, feed the cats, clean litter boxes, take out the trash, make dinner, clean up from dinner, pay the bills, run errands, go grocery shopping...the list goes on and on!

And...I'm in school full time. Crazy, right? I took about a year or so off...I stopped when I was 7 months pregnant because it was way too much for me at that time, and of course had to take the first year of the twins' life off because I would not have been able to do school at that time. I started back in January, and it has been a ton of work. It's difficult to find the time to sit down and get homework done and to remember the deadlines for when work needs to get done, when tests need to get done, etc. I do all online classes, so luckily, I can stay home and do the work from my home computer, instead of worrying about finding child care or paying someone to watch the twins while I go to class. I work on homework during nap times, or when the twins are in bed for the night. Occasionally, if they are being cooperative and playing nicely together, I can bust out some homework when they are awake and playing. Occasionally being the big key word there. ;-) But, this semester is coming to a close in a few weeks, so I will have a little time off to relax before the summer semester begins. But boy has it been difficult to juggle that on top of everything else!

And to top that...I have started a freelance writing job, working from home, to bring in a tiny bit of extra cash. Ridiculous, right? Like I need something else that takes up the time I don't have! We don't NEED me to do it, but I enjoy writing, and the extra cash doesn't hurt, even if we are living comfortably without it.

Oh, I almost forgot the most important thing...trying to concieve that third baby! That department isn't going so well...the 50 mg. of Clomid from this month didn't even make me ovulate! I should be getting good ol' Aunt Flo at the end of this month, and my doctor is going to raise the Clomid dosage to 100 mg. and see if that does anything. Let's all cross our fingers it does something!!! The 50 mg. made me ovulate just fine last time, so it's weird that it did absolutely nothing this time around. And it seems every time I turn around, another friend is pregnant. That's another post for another time though.

On a side note...I am working on getting a few new reviews and giveaways up and going, so stay on the lookout for those!

EcoMom Giveaway Winner!!

The winner of the EcoMom (formerly Sprout Baby) Supergoop! Sunscreen wipes and lotion is.............................................



Krystal (KryssiRuss)!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Congrats girlie!!!! You have 24 hours to respond to my email before I will have to draw another winner!



Be sure to enter my next giveaways, for eShakti and The Charm Factory! :-)

CSN Upcoming Review!

Have you heard about CSN stores? If not, check them out! STAT! I came across them on a friend's blog, and was very impressed! They carry EVERYTHING! No really. Clothes, shoes, tools, kitchen items, cookware, home decor, baby items, and toddler beds, which we will be investing in VERY SOON! :-)

I will be reviewing a few different baby items from CSN stores in the coming weeks...a couple cutlery sets for my children, and a new hooded towel for my little man. :-) Be on the lookout for the review coming SOON! :-)

My Future Basketball Player?

Connor LOVES to play ball. For Easter, my sister got them each a ball, and it was perfect timing with the warmer summer months, so we can get outside and use them! Connor LOVES playing ball! He plays with it inside and outside, and LOVES to roll it back and forth with me or daddy, or anyone who will play, really. And he loves to pick the ball up and throw it back and forth with someone or just throw it, crawl after it, and throw it again. He holds it just like a basketball before he throws it, which seems to really impress the hubs, a former high school basketball player himself. ;-)

I can't wait to be the soccer/baseball/softball/basketball/gymnastics/figure skating/dance/ whatever-they-want-to-do mama, toting kids from practice to practice and game to game, recital to recital, and so on! :-)

Lessons in Trying to Concieve

About 2 or 3 years ago, I did some research online about tracking my fertility signs and came across a truck load of valuable (though I didn't know it then) information. At first, it was overwhelming, to say the least. What was all of this temperature taking, cervical mucus observing, cervix checking, mumble jumble? I had no idea where the heck to begin.

I set out to the local drug store and bought a basal body temperature thermometer, and signed up with a free account on http://www.fertilityfriend.com/

It took a little time to get used to it, but I was well on my way a few months later. At first it didn't do much for me. I was tired of getting up at the same early time everyday to take my temperature, and found myself thinking about my ovulation even in my sleep.

Looking back on all of those beginning months now, I am thankful. I come into contact with soo many women my age, my friends and family, etc., who get pregnant with no problem at all, and when they talk about their cycle, their pregnancy, their ovulation...it becomes clear they really have no clue what they are talking about. It wouldn't have bothered me a few years ago, because I was the same as them. But now, I have a whole new appreciation for learning about my ovulation cycles. It has made me more in tune with my body and my individual cycle and everything that goes along with it. How can you regret something that puts you in such deep contact with the inner workings of your "womanly" parts? I love that I am so informed and know what to look for, and even more than that, I love that I am so educated and in tune with things that I know what to expect when to expect it, and there are no surprises or guessing when I do become pregnant again, because I took the time out to research and learn these valuable lessons.

♥ ♥

Wordless Wednesday: Strike a Pose

(Almost!) 15 Months!

It's hard to believe Connor and Merasia will be 15 months old in a couple of days. It just never seems possible that they are getting so much older with each passing month.

Connor just recently started crawling. Weird. We really thought he would skip right over crawling and go straight to walking, since he showed no interest in trying to crawl beforehand, but we were wrong. In the last few weeks, he started crawling and has gotten quite good at it actually. ;-) He still stands up and cruises around people and furniture, and will take itty bitty little steps if you hold his hands. He could probably walk on his own but he's too afraid to let go and go for it still. All in due time! I think he will definitely be walking within this month. He weighs 2o-21 lbs., which is around what he was last month, but the bout with diarrhea we recently had impacted their weight a little bit. He is 31 inches tall and has gotten sooo much more hair! I was looking at old baby pics the other day and cannot believe how much hair he has now, compared to barely anything back at 6 months. He says "mama," "dada," "bop bop," "good girl," (LOL), "kitty," "uh oh," "ya," "oh," "hi," "hey," and a few others that I can't think of off the top of my head. :-) He's just so darn cute, I can't stand it!! :-)

Merasia is running all over the place! Literally, running. She says all of the same words as her brother, and some extra babbles that sound like Chinese but we can't quite understand what she is saying or what she means by them, but they're cute. :-) She loves to wave at anyone and everyone, and her biggest, newest accomplishment is climbing. She climbs on the couch, the sofa, daddy's recliner, the bed, any chair she can get to, and even stairs. Thankfully, there are no stairs inside our apartment, but at our friend's house a few days ago, she climbed the stairs almost all the way to the top, but she got halfway and decided she was ready to come back down. She gets mad and throws her signature temper tantrum if you don't let her climb on stuff. At first it worried me, in case she fell off the couch or some other object, but I don't really need to worry about that. As soon as she is on the couch or in a chair, she is happy as a clam sitting there, giggling, laughing, playing with her brother, and she will sit there for hours. Somehow she gets down when she is ready, but I haven't actually caught her doing that so I'm not quite sure how she does that for sure, but I'll see it sometime, I'm sure. ;-) She has fallen off the sofa three times in one night, but she cried for a second, and then was over it and back to climbing back on the sofa. I keep some pillows on the floor next to the couch and sofa so if she does fall, she has a softer landing. :-) And she does pull ups. She grabs the top of the pack and play on the outside, and pulls herself up the side of it. She doesn't do it to climb into the pack and play, she just does pull ups on the side of it...exercise I guess. (LOL) It's actually quite impressive for a 15 month old. She has a big personality and isn't afraid to show it, and I love that about her.

Check This Out!

I came across a wonderful giveaway on a fellow mama's blog tonight. Sabine over at Lots of Little Blessings, is hosting a giveaway perfect for you as a mother, or for any other mms in your life. She is having a giveaway for a gorgeous rose quartz pendant on a silver chain necklace. This necklace is the perfect gift for the mom, sister, friend, or grandmother in your life.

For more on this necklace and many others, visit Shiny Little Blessings jewlery at www.shinylittleblessings.etsy.com, and then leave a comment on Sabine's blog, letting her know which of the jewlery on the Shiny Little Blessings site that you like the most. :-)

So head on over now, enter the giveaway and while you're there, check out the rest of Sabine's blog! It's wonderful! :-)

Easter Festivities!

We had a wonderful, fun filled Easter! Last year, the twins were only 4 months old, so they couldn't really enjoy much. This year however, was a ton of fun with them!

The "festivities" started the night before when I made angel food cake, let it cool, and then used cookie cutters to cut it into various Easter/spring shapes like bunnies, eggs, etc. I then decorated them with cool whip, icing, and sprinkles.

Okay, so I'm not Betty Crocker, but don't I get points for creativity, last minute ideas, and the fact that the babies loved them? ;-)

After that, I got the twins' baskets put together with all of their goodies:

The last thing I did on the night before Easter was to make a few prints of bunny feet, color them, and take them to the floor leading from their bedroom to their baskets and goodies.

So I'm no artist but again...last minute creativity!

The twins were up early Easter morning and were very curious at the bunny feet, but lit up when they saw their baskets and sat down to dig in!

They each had one treat for breakfast, and liked the cool whip and icing much better than the cake itself. :-) (Like I didn't see that one coming!)

After that, we went to breakfast with my sister in law and her partner, and it was sooo yummy! Here are some pics of Connor and Merasia at breakfast:

After breakfast, we went back home for a couple of hours and while the twins napped, I got things ready for us to leave again. Hubs had to work for a few hours that night and while he was gone, me and the twins went to my sister's house for dinner and an Easter egg hunt with my family! Connor and Merasia had a great time eating some yummy ham, potatoes, asparagus, rolls, applesauce, and of course cupcakes for dessert. And they had an even better time playing outside in the grass and dirt, finding eggs, and playing with the eggs. :-)

Connor loved throwing the eggs in the air to see them fall back down.

Notice the "hiding" egg in front of her? ;-)

Connor showing aunt Rachel his eggs. :-)

Merasia looking for more eggs with cousin Molly:

Needless to say, we were all exhausted after the business of the holidays, and this mama was fighting the onset of a nasty cold, so we collapsed into our welcoming beds and slept in late the next morning. :-)

All in all, it was a beautiful holiday spent with beautiful friends and family!

I hope everyone else had a wonderful Easter!