Twin-Spiration

Random Tuesday Thoughts...holiday weight, new blog, Black Friday

2010-11-30T15:06:00.000-08:00

I love being random...I sometimes wonder if there is any other way to be??? I have posted my Random Tuesday Thoughts over at my new blog...iKandi

Check it out and follow me...I am super excited to stay connected with all of you!

OH NO...NOT LICE!!!!

2010-11-15T17:39:00.000-08:00

So of course I knew the day would come that I got a call from the school letting me know that one of my girls has lice. It just goes with being in Elementary school and being around other kids.

Well today the call the dreaded call came. It was a little interesting because when the secretary was telling me about one of my girls...she said that Bug (that's how we will refer to one of my girls...it really is her nickname...no pun intended, I swear) had "an egg" of lice in her hair. Now I don't know about you but I haven't EVER seen.....

To get the rest of the story...my blog page has changed to iKandi...please head over there and follow me! I appreciate all my followers so much and would love for you to follow me over at my new blog. This one will be unavailable to be seen online in a couple of weeks. The new one is the same thing...just without the names of my family and our locations, etc.

Thanks so much for continuing to follow me and when you come over I will be able to refollow you from there!

God bless you guys!

Fat Tastes better than Thin Feels!!!

2010-11-15T17:13:00.000-08:00

There was a time not too long ago that I decided that fat tastes better than thin feels...otherwise more people would be thin. I went with that theory because it allowed me to eat delicious food and exercise very little. Then REALITY hit me...Hello Kandi...are you in a fantasy world? Ahhh yes, that does sound too good to be true...but none the less I lived it and now need to lose the weight. Arghh!!

...for the rest of the story...my blog page has actually changed over to iKandi. Please go to my new blog and follow me there...I am going to be closing this one down in the next couple of weeks.

Can't wait to have you follow me again on the new blog...same type of info...just more secure without naming my childrens names, our location, etc.

Thanks guys!!

I saw Nick Vujicic, the man without arms and legs...AMAZING!!!

2010-11-14T19:57:00.000-08:00

What a BLESSING I received today!!! In our little small town we were blessed today with the presence of Nick Vujicic...the man without arms and legs at a local church!! For those of you not aware of Nick's story...Nick was born without arms and legs and has since learned his purpose in life and travels all around the world bringing HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of people to the Lord!!!
To read the rest of this story...please head over to my new blog at http://www.ikandi.org/!

My blog moved...please follow me!!

2010-11-14T19:41:00.000-08:00

I am proud to announce that I have a new blog where I can write without revealing the identities of my family...that makes me feel much more secure. :) Please head on over to...www.ikandi.org and follow me! Im excited to keep following you guys and being a part of the blog world again!
Thanks guys!

Hello dear bloggy friends....

2010-11-14T19:11:00.000-08:00

I am SO EXCITED to be back up and running in the blog world that I SO missed!!! Due to my displaying my families names, our location, etc....I decided to go ahead and start another blog starting where I left off here! I love you guys so much and love to follow each of and you am SO hoping that you will follow me over at my new blog! Same idea, same style, just a different name!!!

Please head on over to: http://ikandiblog.blogspot.com/ it is actually going to be called http://www.ikandi.org/ but being that it takes a little while for it to come up on the net after you register a domain you can go to the first link for now. :)

I love you guys all so much and love love the twins that follow my blog as well as the fellow twin and high order multiple moms! Please head on over to follow me...

I will be removing this blog from the internet in a couple of weeks...so please head on over now!
Thank you all so much!

My little scare...

2010-08-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

I have received a lot of response to my last post about making my blog private and people wanting to know what happened.

It wasn't something that happened directly to me and I am choosing to not wait until it does...LOL.

About 4 weeks ago there was a man that lives a couple of cities (about 45 min) away from our town that was starting to prank call a lot of the girls in this community, many of which we knew. One of them happened to be my sister in law, some were my 14 year old nieces friends and this man was doing obscene things on the phone when he was talking to all of these girls. He said things like, "I'm gonna kill you" to 14 year old girls. Now that wasn't the scary part...the scary part was that he knew a little too much about all the people he was talking to. Mind you he called over 1000 women in this community and he knew if they had spouses and when they were at work. For the young girls that he was calling, he knew what their moms looked like and a lot about them and their moms. Thankfully he was on the front page of the paper last week after being arrested. That was all it took for me to realize that I have given too much access to the "crazy" people out there to know about my family.

Having said that, I work from home and have many of my business partners (some of which I know, many of which I don't) on my facebook. So yesterday I deleted everyone of my girls pictures off of my facebook. Then I thought about my blog and I really love being a blogger and love having followers and being a follower, but it dawned on me that my whole life was on the Internet.

I know some might say, "what are the odds"...the thing is, there are odds which means that there are some people that are targeted and God only knows what happens after that. I would never forgive myself if I lured a predator to my family. I am such an absolute freak about things like that anyway that I can't imagine how I became so relaxed about the Internet.

Not to mention I have identical twin girls which is kind of a novelty anyway and I am a little partial but they are just gorgeous and I wouldn't ever want them to be fulfilling someones fantasies because of my inadequacies as a parent in protecting my children.

There...that's about it ~~a lot more than you probably bargained for.~~

I love you all and have visited your sites on many occasions. I love the comments and feedback that you all have given me with my girls and in situations where we didn't know what to do. I look forward to continuing growing our bloggy friendship for years to come.

If you haven't already, please leave a comment with your email so I can add you to my readers list after my blog goes private. Friday will be the last day that I will have it open to the public. I look forward to having many of continue to be followers.

God bless you all and your families!

Making my blog private...

2010-08-23T09:21:00.000-07:00

For safety reasons...we are choosing to make our blog private. Please send me your email address so I can add you to the readers list. I enjoy having a blog so much but there was a big scare recently close to our town that brought out the protective side of us. :)
So we love all of you that follow us and would love for you to continue to read our blog...but you will have to send your email address to us so we can invite you.
Thanks so much for your understanding...it's our job as parents to protect our children.

Girls 1st day of 2nd grade...

2010-08-19T21:52:00.000-07:00

This should just about sum up why I haven't been able to blog for the past couple of months and the first day the girls go to school...here I find myself. :)

Working from home is SUCH a blessing however it does have its challenges during the summer break. We worked through it great and they are ready to go back and I am ready to get some work done during the day again...

The girls started 2nd grade today!! I can't believe it. They looked so super cute and I love that they love dressing alike!

They are in separate classes and when I walked them to class this morning (hoping to hang out in each class for a short time), they let the girls sit down and then we (the parents) were shooed out...OMG.
I wasn't ready for the boot in 2nd grade, I still like to be in there and make sure they know where they're sitting and that everything is ok. Perhaps this is a hint to us moms on when to start to cut at least one of the apron strings. It'll take me a little while to digest that ~~actually I never really will...i just thought that was the right thing to say.~~

I am so proud of my precious girls and so excited for what 2nd grade has to offer..

Aloha Friday...favorite state!

2010-07-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too!

Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link over at An Island Life. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

My Question:

What's your favorite state that you've been to?

First and foremost...I love the state I was born and raised in, California. I know you are thinking I am ~~insane and asking for the punishment this state is dishing out~~ a little crazy, but I just love the climate, I love the seasons, I love the fact that I can drive an hour to the snow or an hour to the ocean. It's been an excellent place to grow up and I love that I am able to raise my kids here too!

As for states that I have been to...I am a big fan of Manhattan, NY! I love the pace and everything about it. One of my favorite things was the subway, the fact that you don't actually have to own a vehicle was awesome! If I chose to not be a parent and raise a family, I would have moved to NY in a heartbeat!

Happy Friday!

New Friend Friday...

2010-07-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

Hop on over to The Girl Creative and link up to meet some new bloggy friends. It's a great way to get followers and find others with similar interests.

Just for the fun of it...add your link below. I am just learning how to do the whole "mclinky" thing and would love your help and then head on over to The Girl Creative to do it again...
it'll be like a practice. :)

Happy Friday!

Monday Mugs...

2010-07-11T20:56:00.000-07:00

There is a super cute blog post over at Oswald Cuties for those of us who either don't have time on Mondays to type a single word or who are too tired from the weekend to muster anything up...

My girls ready for school on their 7th birthday...

Wishing you all a happy, healthy and very productive Monday!

Don't forget to link up over at Oswald Cuties and show off one of your Monday Mugs!

Father's Day 2010 in SF

2010-07-11T20:41:00.000-07:00

For Father's Day this year we let my husband decide where he wanted to go...he picked San Francisco. I liked this idea because the only time the girls had been there was for the zoo but that's on the opposite side of the city, so they would love this too. So we all got ready to go with myself, my girls, Adam and my mom.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day!

When we first got there we thought it would be fun to get the girls characture done...

We decided to go down to Pier 39...my girls would love the fun atmosphere down there with the sea lions, the fun people that dress in all silver and the street shows that happen all over.

We had fun going through the pier showing the girls all the super cute shops and letting them ride some of the rides.

Then we found a great spot to get our picture taken with the island that housed the prison Alcatraz...so in the above picture with the family you can see Alcatraz along with the picture you can see it behind the girls too!

We had been there for a couple of hours when we saw that there was a dancing street show about to start...we love these so we got in the front row. Little did we know that because they were in the front row...that this group of dancers were going to look for two REALLY TALL white guys. They spotted my husband Adam right away. I was cracking up!

When they found the other tall white guy...we learned that one of the dancers were going to do a flip over the top of these two guys. This was hilarious. What a Father's Day!

So of course, I recorded it on my phone so here is the grand finale of dance show with Adam in it...super fun!

Then...we got the text that Adam's brother Mikey's wife was delivering her baby right then...we packed up got in the car and headed to the hospital about 3 hours away to be able to meet our new baby nephew and welcome him into this world. WOW...what a day!

I am very thankful for such a wonderful husband but more importantly such an AMAZING father to my precious girls. I couldn't hand pick a better dad for my little ladies and that is such a blessing. Thank you Jesus!

The girls' first sleep over...

2010-07-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we decided that we would let the girls each invite a friend to sleep over ~~because im crazy~~. It is interesting with twins (especially identical) this is something I haven't ever really thought of before because they always have their best friend with them.

This was going to be the first time that they had "friends" not cousins stay the night with them. So they were pretty excited. The girls that we asked, ironically, they hadn't ever stayed with anyone other than family before either, so it was a first for all the girls...that made all of them feel better. :)

So I called and asked the moms first and they both said yes, they were coming over Friday afternnoon.

So Isabella arrives (Emilie's invite) and she is so excited...but I can see the diappointment in Erynn that her friend isn't there yet. (That darn mom guilt kills us...and gets me every time)

About an hour later Erynn's friend, Lauren, finally arrives and we decide that we'll go swimming before the BIG NIGHT...

It just so happened that my girls had been in Vacation Bible School all that week and this was the last day and they were doing a "Celebration" at the park for everyone to come and enjoy dinner, snow cones, bounce houses, they had a swimming pool, etc. I thought ~~thank you Jesus~~ this would be a lot of fun!

As the 4 of them were getting dressed, I figured they might as well GLAM up a little...so I pulled out all of the glitter and the kids innocent makeup. They had so much fun putting eye shadow and glitter on each other ~~even though I didn't know how we were going to get it off~~, it was so super cute to watch.

Then it was time to go...

They ate, played on the bounce house, the playground, etc. and to our surprise the church picnic had scheduled a ventriloquist to talk to the kids. He was HILARIOUS!

So on the way home I figured that we probably let them stay up until they fall asleep on a sleep over (that's what we did when I was little)...so even though it was 9:30pm we might as well stop and get ice cream.

The girls were wired!!

It was time to get jammies on and I thought we could take the TV out of our room and put it in the loft (where the girls were sleeping) and get them all ready for bed, pop popcorn and they could fall asleep watching a movie in the right spot ~~please let this work, my eyes were closing I was so tired~~.

They watched the movie, Evan Almight (one of our favorites) and were starting to wind down.

And even our puppy was taking part in their sleep over!

They all fell asleep before the movie was over except for Lauren...she watched the whole thing. And they slept perfect.

I didn't correct the girls on anything they were doing the whole night...just let them have their sleep over the way they wanted...for instance, my girls felt that since they had "their friend" there with them that every where they went, their friend had to follow...it was pretty funny but no one knew the difference cuz they hadn't ever done this before either.

But thankfully there were NO problems at all. Everyone got along great, they each had a blast...I had to go to training for my business the next morning, so my husband Adam made them breakfast and they sat at the bar and ate it...

Thank you to all of you who offered suggestions...we are excited to have another one and so are the girls.

New Friend Friday...

2010-07-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

The Girl Creative and The Trendy Treehouse have officially teamed up to co-host New Friend Fridays! Each week you will have the chance to add a link to your main blog to the ever growing list below. New Friend Fridays is a fun blog hop where it's all about making new bloggy friends and offering meaningful comment support to other bloggers. Whether you add your link to the list at The Girl Creative or The Trendy Treehouse it's all just one great big list!

The Rules are Simple:

~Add a link to your main blog and the Linky tools below...

~Visit the blog of the person whose name is above and below your name in the list and leave a meaningful comment on their blog.

~Visit as many blogs as you can and leave comments telling them you are visiting from New Friend Fridays at The Girl Creative or The Trendy Treehouse.

~There is no obligation and no pressure to follow everyone who follows you. Please just follow the blogs that are of interest to you. :)

~Family Friendly Blogs ONLY please. Explicit sites will be removed.

*****

So, tell me, where do you all live? State is fine. :) I'm from CAbut I feel like Utah and probably Texas kind of corner the market on bloggers! lol Curious to see if I'm right or wrong. ;)

If you have any questions or concerns about the rules, please click {HERE} to read a post that should clarify things a bit.

Grab a button, post it somewhere on your blog and get ready to make some new friends!

Aloha Friday...Summer

2010-07-09T08:51:00.000-07:00

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too!
Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link over at An Island Life. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

My Question:

What's your favorite part of summer?

I love summer...I have always been a fan of the heat vs. the cold...hence why I live in California. :)
My favorite part of summer is the weather, the freedom to do what we want with our girls when we want. The parties that we get to have...I will post pictures of our Father's Day, the Sleep Over as well as our 4th of July party we just had.

I love the nights that seem like they go forever and I thank God that we have a pool!

Happy Friday everyone!

Aloha Friday...sleep overs

2010-06-17T21:05:00.000-07:00

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too.

My Question:

What advice do you have for our first "sleep over" tonight?

I don't really have any advice on this topic because my girls just finished 1st grade and even though they have slept at family members houses...they have never had their own "official" sleep over.

So tonight (Friday night) they are each having a friend spend the night. Do you remember your first sleep over with your kids and if so do you have any advice on how to make this a fun, argument free (lol), evening?

Don't forget to hop on over to An Island Life to link up!

Friday Follow...

2010-06-17T20:50:00.000-07:00

★ Follow Me Fridays Blog Hop ★

Follow and Be Followed Here at Trendy Treehouse!

Enter your link below & follow the blogs you love.

It's that simple. Have fun!

Don't forget to follow the Hosts below:

Trendy Treehouse & the girl Creative!

HCG...Day 5

2010-06-17T20:36:00.000-07:00

Today started off normal...however I did have an idea that I would eat breakfast a little later than I usually do so that I don't have as much time in between eating. Considering last night...that was rough for me.

So it was time to weigh and considering that I had "cheated" last night I didn't anticipate losing any...actually I was hoping to not have gained.

I lost 1 pound...totaling 6 pounds!! Thank you Jesus!

So I ate a 1/2 of a grapefruit and drank some water.

Oddly, I can tell you that I was not feeling hungry today.

Lunch consisted of a turkey burger patty (with sea salt which has to be included in my diet every day) along with a sliced tomato. Seriously, I almost couldn't finish the turkey burger patty.

So things were going much better today.

I had 9 strawberries for my snack and that carried me until I had made dinner for a large group of our friends. We had homemade tacos with those phenomenal tortillas from Costco that are like they are raw and you put them in a heated pan and they puff up like home made tortillas...aye yai yai...this is a down fall for me. I made about 12-15 of those tacos and didn't have a desire to have one. Of course I know how delicious they would have been but was not starving.

Also...NO LIGHT HEADED tonight! No headache either.

Tonight was awesome.
Going in to dinner I had eaten a total of 220 calories...now understand that if you tried to do this without the HCG, your body would starve. But my body is releasing about 2000 to 4000 calories from fat a day because of the HCG. This allows my body to take calories where it needs them so we are distributing the stored fat.

So for dinner I had crab with a K (imitation crab) and haven't had my vegetable yet. Hmmm...what to have, what to have.

I can already tell you that I can tell a difference in my belly...it has gone down.

Can't wait to weigh in the morning...no cheating tonight. Thank you Jesus! 36 days to go! LOL

HCG...Day 4

2010-06-17T20:08:00.000-07:00

Starting off this morning after going to bed hungry, I thought I would wake up ready to eat an elephant...not the case. I was totally fine. (And have slept perfect since day 1)

I decided to weigh...this would be the first time I have weighed since starting...I lost 5 lbs since the first day which was June 13th. So 3 days in to it I had lost 5 lbs. YAY!!

For breakfast: 9 strawberries
One thing that has been interesting is that I can't inhale the food. If I eat it slow with very small bites it actually tells my body that it's full. This is a complete first for me.

For lunch: turkey burger patty and two pieces of celery

After lunch we had a bunch of the my friends and their kids came over to swim. This was really fun and it wasn't hard to not eat anything UNTIL they had pizza delivered. That was hard because of what a big pizza fan I am. I got through it without any cheating.

I walked up stairs and had such a light headed feeling that I was starting to get a head ache. I decided after my husband got home from work to lay down in hopes that this horrible feeling would go away. I understand that it's going to take a little getting used to. The book also states that this is a detoxing as well.

After the nap, I woke up and thought, OK...time for dinner. I walked in to the kitchen and my husband, in a kind gesture, picked up a pizza for the girls without my knowing. He thought that it would be easier on me to not have to make a dinner for them different than the one that I will be eating myself. Very thoughful indeed....HOWEVER I felt as though I was very hungry and was not going to be able to beat the temptation of pizza again. So I had a piece. I know this is an absolute NO in HCG world, however I'm sure I'm not the first that has "slipped" on the 2nd day of the 500/day calorie diet.

I decided that even with my cheat I was still around 3/4 less calories than my normal diet.

We'll see what tomorrow brings...

HCG...Day 3

2010-06-16T21:30:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day that I had to cut my calories to around 500 calories for the day. With HCG, your body is actually releasing fat and redistributing fat that is stored, so your body is actually living on more than 500 calories, but that is all I am able to consume for the next 42 DAYS!!!

So here's how it went...
HCG are drops that I put under my tongue before breakfast, lunch and dinner.

For breakfast: I had a 1/2 a grapefruit and water...feeling just fine. Not any hunger.

For Lunch: I had 1/2 of a turkey burger that I made by the George Foreman grill with Sea Salt sprinkled on it and a sliced tomato with a glass of water.

After lunch I was still feeling fine but then in the early afternoon really started to feel light headed and a bit fatigued. The HCG guidebook actually said that I could feel light headed and fatigued on days 3 through 6. So knowing that it was normal, made me feel better, however I didn't care for the feeling.

For Snack: I had an apple and a glass of water

Around 4pm I was able to lay down for about an hour and then had to head off to a meeting about an hour away (one way).

What I have found so far today is that eating is actually a habit for me. I find that there are certain times of the day that I am accustomed to eating and I find myself walking in to the pantry and out of habit going for a handful of animal crackers or maybe some kettlecorn.

Getting home from my meeting at around 10pm, I found myself feeling like I was super hungry. I realized that this is my normal routine of coming home from a meeting and eating a bowl of cereal or something of the likes regardless of the time of night.
Perhaps I eat for comfort...LOL It's funny that I'm just realzing these things at 34 years old.

I went to bed hungry and made it without a problem!! Thank you Jesus!

HCG Weightloss Journey - Day 1 & 2

2010-06-16T21:12:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know what HCG is...it's a natural horomone that is turning in to a weight loss cure...not a diet. I have researched the hilt out of it. Holistic doctors are prescribing this for weight loss...here's how it works.

This is actually straight off of the website where I bought it:

Homeopathic HCG oral drops now available to you at a price that is affordable. This is the exact same type of kit and product that sells at the weight loss/ wellness/chiropractor clinics for $250 +, you will actually get more with this kit than what most of them offer. I am selling these kits in 21 days ( 3 weeks) and 42 days (6 weeks) plans which includes everything you would need to get started (except for the fresh food of course!). Lose up to 1-2 pounds a day safely and learn how to keep it off successfully. This program is based off of Dr. Simeons "Pounds and Inches" HCG is claimed to mobilize stored fat, suppress appetite and redistribute fat from hard to lose places like waist, hips and thighs. It breaks down abnormal fat and releases it into the bloodstream, therefore loosing inches as well as pounds. It is also believed to reset your entire endocrine system which your metabolism is a part of and allows you to keep the weight off.

This Diet is not gender specific and works great for both men and women.

Some other additional benefits that most clients have experienced: Balancing of hormones, lowered blood pressure, lower cholestrol, better more relaxed sleep, less joint pain, this only names a few!
There is NO mixing or daily shots required. People are having close to the exact same results with these oral drops as they are with the shots. All of my clients who have done both have all said after they did these drops that they would never go back to to shots! Save yourself the mixing and measuring headache as well as the pain of daily injections. This kit will also save you quite a bit of money over paying for the hcg shots which could cost you up to $1500 +.

Below: Me and my girls about 1 week ago.

So here I go...I started HCG on Sunday, June 13th and here is my record of my journey...

You put the HCG drops under your tongue and then wait 15 min before you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. Due to the fact that your body will be releasing fat over the next (42-days for me), the first 2 days are what they call "fat filling" days. I know this sounds crazy but when you understand how it works, it makes perfect sense.

So basically for all day Sunday and Monday (Day 1 & 2), I have to eat a ton of good and bad fats. Avacados, cheese, etc. including french fries, donuts, ice cream, etc.

So that's what I have done for the last two days.

Day 1- was very easy to eat all of the fat. I ate bisquits and gravy for breakfast, a hot dog from costco with a berry sundae for lunch and pizza for dinner with a piece of coconut cream pie. (I am not a fan of greasy food or red meat or I could have eaten a heck of a lot more fat.)

Day 2- was a little harder to eat because I just didn't really have as much of an appetite. I ate pizza for breakfast and a piece of coconut cream pie. Pizza for lunch and some cashews. Along with a mexican pizza from Taco Bell for dinner.

So after being on this for 2 days I have felt ABSOLUTELY no different what so ever!

I am excited to start the "Weight loss" part of the diet on Day 3!

Stay tuned through my 42-day weight loss journey!!

Boys and Drama and now high school...OH MY!!!

2010-06-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

My niece, Skye just graduated from 8th grade...I know this is an odd concept to many of you out there who don't live in school districts that do 8th grade graduations...but it is set up exactly like a high school graduation. Student speakers, caps and gowns a dance afterward, the works.

I am hoping to learn a lot about what Skye goes through in high school to prepare me for my own girls to enter high school...there is already so much boy craze (yikes I'm not ready for that) and girl drama..."she made out with my boyfriend" and "she's my friend, no she's my friend, blah blah blah" etc.

However my niece is an awesome girl and has a good head on her shoulders and I guess this is the time that you hope she uses it...lol

My girls are spitting images of my niece...she is such a beautiful girl...which is also such a major concern.
Above: Skye with my girls; Below: Skye with her dad, Brett (who is also an identical twin); Skye with her mom, Kim (my sister)

Any prayers for her entering high school and her whole high school career would be greatly appreciated. There is a lot of decisions a teen has to make and please pray that she uses the Lord as her guide. And I truly thank God that I get to go through this with her to prepare me for my own girls when they go...which is thankfully 7 years away. :)

Arrr...me Pirate Ladies...

2010-06-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

The last week of First Grade in my girls school, they always plan a Pirate Party. Knowing this ahead of time I was able to hit after Halloween sales and pick up some Pirate costumes.

It was so cute, we had to look up how we would do "pirate girl hair" and what other touches we could make.

The girls had a great time and did games like tug-o-war and walking the plank!

Aloha Friday...

2010-06-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that they take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too.
Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link over at An Island Life. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

My Question:
What is your favorite TV Show?

It's odd that I would ask this question because I am NOT a TV fan at all. I watch little to no TV...however I do love to watch Joyce Meyers. I actually TIVO her and then can watch her anytime. She is so inspirational and motivating and I always love her messages. If I had to choose a 2nd, it would be Modern Family...I don't get to watch it often but oh my, that show is funny!

How about you...what's your favorite TV show?

2010-05-31T20:57:00.000-07:00

Rules:

I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and link up. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

My Question:

What kind of hairspray do you currently use?

Me??? I use Big Sexy Hair or I also have Bed Head....the only reason I have the Big Sexy Hair is because you can get a great deal at Costco for a two pack. LOL

I really am not a big hair spray user...but I am a salon snob and like to only use hair products from the salon.

Don't forget to link up at An Island Life...

HCG...follow my journey!

2010-05-24T00:07:00.000-07:00

"I've got to lose a kilogram Me buttonholes are stretching And when I bend down in me shorts Me rear end aint so fetching ..." ~Tess Rowley

So after much consideration and after talking to many people who have lost a TON of weight on HCG...I decided that I was going to jump in and get losing!!

I understand that there are mixed feelings on HCG...which is a horomone that Holistic doctors are giving to patients to help them lose weight. 100% natural, the results are unbelieveable.

Whether you agree or disagree...none the less, I am going to track my progress and my daily experiences with HCG. So for those of you debating whether it is or is not for you...this could help you in your decision.

I will be completely honest and up front about everything that I am experiencing on my weight loss journey.

I should be receiving it in the mail tomorrow...and then the story begins.

For now...Happy Sunday!

The Luau Party...

2010-05-02T18:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning all of the tables were set up, the tiki hut was built and the yard was ready to be decorated. The good Lord blessed us with 80 degree weather for our Luau Birthday Party for my girls 7th birthday!

The party was AWESOME! We had around 50 kids and around 70 adults!

I was thinking that maybe 2 hours was not going to be enough and I was right. We should have had 3...but everyone had a great time and the kids swam, we did the limbo, they play with squirt guns, the works.
Then it came time to eat...here is what I knew...if we let the kids dish up their own plates we would be completely out of food. You know how kids work...they would see the fruit and think OMG, I love fruit, take 4 spoon fulls of fruit and then throw away 3 and a half spoonfuls of it. So we had an assembly line...one mom gave one bun with one plate, the next person put one hotdog on the bun, the next person put on spoonful of fruit salad, the next one gave one taquito, the next one gave one handful of chips, the next one gave a fork and a spoon. Vuala...just like that the kids were served. Now for the adults...we continued to serve the adults too because we didn't have enough food to feed more people than we had. We were not going to have left overs so if anyone took too much someone would not eat. Talk about cutting it close! Phew!

Well everyone was fed and it worked like a fine oiled machine.

We then decided we would do a group picture on the waterfall...thankfully I knew every kid that was there because I was having to instruct by name or this could have been very dangerous. It turned out awesome!

So to rap it up...the only negative comment I had was a mom who said in a joking tone...the bad thing about you throwing parties like this is that our kids think they need this too.

I can now throw myself into an overstuffed chair, take a deep sigh of relief and start the plans for next year. LOL

Happy Sunday everyone!

My girls 7th Birthday...

2010-04-29T11:20:00.000-07:00

So at 8:17am and 8:19am this morning, my precious babies were 7 years old! My how the time flies.

I am thankful though that I don't feel like I have missed out on anything. You see I was blessed to be a stay at home mom with them for the first 3 years of their lives. All of their "firsts" I was there for. Then I went back to work and they were in the on-site child care facility that was amazing on site of where I worked. Once they turned 5 yrs old, I decided to start my own business and now work from home and have been home with them again for the last 2 years...thank you Jesus! Why do I tell you this you ask...because I don't feel like it has gone too fast. It's odd to think that my girls are 7...but it doesn't feel has though time as passed me by. I have been there for it all.

This morning was a lot of fun, we bought them new "birthday" dresses and curled their hair, put ribbon in their hair, glitter, etc. You know, the typical birthday stuff. :)

On the way to school I was telling them how special they were and that God loved them extra well and that's why he gave them an identical twin sister and best friend to share their big day with. They both agreed.

I told them that NOTHING will ruin our big day...Erynn said, "Unless someone kicks me mom." Good point, but I told them that it would still not ruin our day cuz we wouldn't let it and you have to let something ruin your day in order for it to.

Then I said today is going to be a fun day...and Erynn said, "That's cuz you make it so special for us mom." Here I go choking up even typing it. I said thank you so much as I choked back the tears. I thought to myself, "you can't cry for crying out loud...she'll never say anything like that to you again...stay calm, stay cool. Phew it passed." I was done with being choked up.

Then after I dropped them off I was coming back to prepare the cupcakes to take to the school for their classes. They were all ready with frosting and sprinkles that the girls did last night...I just had to get them ready to transport...until.....I got home and noticed that over HALF of the cupcakes were missing. My white boxer, Martini was outside. The "rescue boxer" we have named Tyson, he was inside...he was the culprit. You guys...he ate 12 of 20 cupcakes WITH the paper on them. Needless to say, he is not going to feel well today.

So off to the store, I rush to have to find cupcakes...odd, 9am in the morning and the stores bakery don't have cupcakes yet??? How could that be. I was off to the next store...again NO cupcakes. They did however have mini cupcakes. So I had to buy double of those and get to school.

The girls classmates were so excited and even more excited for the girls Luau Party on Saturday. The good Lord is going to bless us with 75 degree weather. Thank you Jesus!!

Tonight we are taking the girls to dinner and an I-MAX movie. Should be totally fun!

I thank God every day for the blessings in my life. How can one person be so lucky to have been blessed with two precious babies?

7 years ago tonight...oh my!

2010-04-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

It was April 28th, 2003...I had been carrying my identical twin girls for 38 1/2 weeks and was going in for a C-section the following morning. All of my family had flown in and was ready for the BIG day!

I remember my feelings being nervous...not about going in to have a C-Section, I knew this was given to my by God and I would be in God's hands the whole time. The nerves were from the thought that I had to introduce my precious babies that I had carried for almost 9 months to this BIG, SCARY world.

The picture to the left is the girls just minutes after they were born...why would you put a picture like that of yourself on here you must be asking yourself and I truly don't know...

I cried and cried. I remember thinking that I eat so good for them, I know they are safe, etc. My husband looked me in the eyes and said, "Babe, it's time to share them with the rest of us." Oh yeah, that's right, I was the only one that knew them at this point! Silly me!

For those of you who don't know my husband, he is about 6'1 and weighs about 230lbs. So the above picture should give you some perspective on what a HOUSE I was. I gained 40 lbs in my pregnancy and lost 35 lbs. 10 days after. Apparently, it has come on times 10 since then...but whose counting ~~yeah right~~.

Pic to right: Hubby and I a day or two before delivery at a softball game for my niece.

My girls were born at 8:17am and 8:19am on April 29th, 2003. We knew they were identical but because they shared a placenta (even though they were in separate sacs) we never had a "baby A" and "baby B" because they moved everywhere.

So the first baby out was going to be named Emilie...Em came out and was 6 lbs. 4 oz. and 17 inches long (She is on the right in the picture to the right ~~I think~~)...2 minutes later Erynn was born at 6 lbs. 13 oz. and 17.5 inches (On the left in the pic ~~I am pretty sure~~).

April 29th, 2003 was truly the happiest day of my life!
God is good and I thank him every day for blessing me with my girls. Thank you Jesus!

First swim of the year...

2010-04-26T20:39:00.000-07:00

I couldn't believe it...the pool was actually warm enough for the girls to get in today! They were SO excited! This is a good thing considering their birthday party is Saturday and it's a "Luau"!

Of course her identical twin sister would...

2010-04-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the girls and I decided to go grocery shopping...now it never fails that always half way through the shopping trip we have to make a trip to the bathroom. Not for my girls...which is what you would normally think, but for me. The old bladder just doesn't work the same after twins ~~pee my pants everyday~~.

The girls and I go into the bathroom of Safeway and I am washing my hands, Em is getting towels to dry her hands and Er is waiting for the towels. The rest of the stalls have since filled up since we got out.

Emilie was drying her hands and screached in the loudest almost non-human tone I had ever heard. I instantly said to her in a stern tone..."Em, there is not a human being on earth that would think that was funny." Erynn looked at me and said, "Mom...I think it's funny." I said, "Well of course her identical twin sister would."

This was an epiphany for me in my life...I finally figured out a portion of my life that puzzled me daily. The reason my girls are so goofy and crazy, is because their sister thinks it's funny! They always have a given audience with the exact same sense of humor. What an absolute blessing to be an identical twin.

I laughed so hard...it was hilarious. Not to mention...all the women in the stalls found the humor in it too.

Have a great Friday night all!

Aloha Friday...

2010-04-23T07:16:00.000-07:00

My question for today is:

Do you make your bed everyday? Why or why not?

I am ashamed to say that I don't make my bed every day. I do try to remember though...if that counts for anything. It's not that its hard to do...it just isn't that big of a priority to me.

Now if I know that anyone is coming over, I will definitely make it. I don't like others to see my bed not made but as for me, my husband and my girls...we don't care.

What made me think about this was that we were at a close friends yesterday and my girls wanted to see their whole house...you know 6 (almost 7) yr olds. They were not going to let us if their bed was not made...they would have died if anyone saw their bed unmade.

What about you? Then...link up at An Island Life!

Friday Follow...

2010-04-23T07:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the April 16 Friday Follow celebration hosted by One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families and Midday Escapades! We invite you to join us every Friday to get more blog followers and to follow other interesting blogs. It is all about sharing and having fun.

Here’s how YOU can join the Friday Follow celebration:

•Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below. Only need to add on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops.

•Grab the Friday Follow button and include on your Friday Follow blog post.

•Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots.

•Follow as many other blogs on the linky as you’d like.

•Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you’re from Friday Follow.

•Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow.

This list is new each week. The links do not carry over. Please link up each week for new participants to find your blogs. The list is only open to add your blog links on Fridays. It will be visible all week to visit the blogs listed.

As hostesses, we realize the time required to participate in Friday Follow. Due to the overwhelming number of entries each week, we understand everyone, including ourselves, may not be able to follow every blog. To keep it fun, follow what you can at your own pace. We appreciate your understanding and thank you for your continued participation!

Friday Follower of the Week!

Congratulations to Mommy Living the Life of Riley of the Week! Each week we will randomly draw from all the links, one Friday Follower for the next week’s Friday Follow, and the chosen blog will be placed in the highly coveted number 4 position on the blog hop. We love your participation and want to give back to you! You could be next!

Going small on the birthday party...yeah right!

2010-04-18T18:21:00.000-07:00

Party planning is a passion of mine...any excuse to have a party and I'll take it. I have always thrown REALLY big birthday parties for my twins (I actually believe that is a reason that God gave me twins because throwing huge parties for one child would be considered "overboard". LOL)

This year we decided that we were not going to go "all out".

That was a great thought...in theory...but how do you take a party planning crazy like me and make me go small...apparently it doesn't happen.

So the birthday party is Saturday, May 1st and I just had their invitations printed and are delivering them this week to their friends at school, softball, church, etc. The invitations did turn out cute...considering I have never used photoshop to make their invites before...BUT GET THIS...I made the invitations, sent them to the photo shop at the closest Costco to us...uploaded them via http://www.costco.com/ photo link...and they printed them out for 13 cents per invite! WHAT???? We had 70 invitations made (cuz I'm going easy this year ~~yeah right~~) and they were only $9.75.

Above is a look at what the invite looks like....(well with a few modifications of the address, etc. being it's on the internet at all)...I didn't find very much out there in cyber world as far as digital scrapbook kits for Hawaiian Themes or Luau Themes...But this was as good as I could do with what I had. I created it in Photoshop and for all of you out there who are Photoshop Pro's...I am far from it. This was my first. I did create the header on my blog...but that was a little different than having to put it in a form that I could print off and still have it look good.

So as much as I thought I was going to "go small"...apparently not. The list is done and the invites are out...72 kids are invited, 41 adults...and that's not counting that I put on the invite that all the kids have to come with someone or have someone here watching them as we have a pool without a life guard. So you have to double the 72...which turns to 144. Now going off of the old...50% flake factor....we are going to figure that 144+41= 185 divided by 2 = around 36 adults and around 56 adults...so we're looking at a total of about 92 people...now that's if only half show up!! LMAO

Well for a party planner...this is what it's all about...the kids, the fun, and the experience. Why size it down anyway, right?

Can't wait to show you guys pictures from the party!

Any suggestions you have are greatly welcome!

Multiples & More Question of the Week...Child Leashes?

2010-04-17T21:23:00.000-07:00

The child harness... (or "leash" as some call it,) is a commonly debated topic among moms. As parents of multiples, our safety concerns just might make them a little more acceptable. What do you think?

This week's Question of the Week is:

How do you feel about child harnesses?Do you use them? Why or why not?

Prior to having kids I remember feeling like child harnesses were horrible. I could not believe people would put their kids on a leash...then I had twins. It became very obvious right away when my twins would run in completely opposite directions and I had to determine which one was going to be in the most iminent danger first. That's which one I would run after first. I learned very quickly that the child harnesses were a GREAT idea.

How do your kids react to them?

My girls never used one but they did think they're neat because I have explained the purpose behind them. I let them know that the mom of that child cares so much about her young one that she doesn't want that child to run off and doesn't want any stranger to pick them up.

Do you think they are an example of laziness, or simply concern over your child's safety?

I don't actually believe that there is a parent that could use it as a form of laziness...to be quite honest with you it looks like it would be a lot of work. Personally when my girls were little I told my husband that we were going to have them...#1 - because I am a mother bear and would not ever want my girls to wonder away from me in fear of someone grabbing them. #2 - The thought of having them go in different directions at the same time...you could use a stroller but they start to gain their independence and then they want to walk. Here is the reason that I didn't use them...because my girls are excellent listeners. That's the ONLY reason that we didn't use them and it was because we didn't have to.

If you are against them, do you think it's more acceptable for a parent of multiples to use them?

I find it WAY more appropriate for a mother of multiples to be using one. Otherwise I guess a singleton mom could use one however that to me would be a little lack of discipline if she had only one child and that child was not staying in the stroller or holding the moms hand. That would be a little concerning.

Do you think negatively of other parents that use them?

Because I am such a freak when it comes to parenting...the ONLY time I think negatively is when I am watching the parent that has their child on a leash and is jerking them around. They are not a dog. Use your words and help this become a learning opportunity to your child to become more responsible.

Proud Mom Moment...

2010-04-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

On a normal day of dropping my girls off at school...being blessed to work from home I don't have to be in the line of cars that get as close as they can to the curb and then boot their babies out as they drive off before the door is closed because they are late to work....oh no, not me! We get to park and walk our girls up to their classes every morning.

I do have some strategy though...you see all the BIG kids are playing on the playground in the morning. So we strategically get to the school about 2 minutes before the bell rings every morning. I know some of you are saying "Shame on me"...however, my girls are 1st graders and they don't need to be bullied by the 5th graders...get me?

Anyway, there is another parent that must do the exact same thing every single morning dropping his daughter off in one of my girls classes because we are always within seconds of each other.

The other day when I was walking back to my car, so was he. I introduced myself and told him that we must be on the same time schedule. Blah blah blah. You know all the getting to know you talk.

Then I told him how much I loved his daughter...you see I am blessed to volunteer in each of my girls classes once a week and have got to know his daughter very well. What a sweet girl who must come from very sweet parents.

When I told him that I loved his daughter and she was so sweet...he said..."Your girls are SO good in softball!!!" ...then he said, "Oh and they're sweet too."

OMG...how exciting...the girls are in 1st grade and he is telling me how good they are in softball.

Being the athlete that I always was and still am...that warmed the cockles of my heart!!

Just a proud mom moment for the proud moments book....

Have a great day!

Aloha Friday...

2010-04-16T08:02:00.000-07:00

My question for today is:

Do you count calories?

If so, what is the easiest way you have found? If not, why don't you?

I have counted calories throughout my life but have not done it ~~over the last couple of years~~ recently. I listened to the audio CD out of this month's SUCCESS Magazine and the person featured in this month's SUCCESS Magazine is the Fitness Diva...Jillian Michaels from The Biggest Loser. She is on the audio CD talking about your body and mind and how they go so hand in hand. One of the most important things she said you can do to keep track of your weight is to count calories. I am going to start counting calories becuase I think it's rediculous that I am in a constant battle with my weight. I put a lot of energy into a lot of things but let one of the most important things, my own health, slip by.

I used to be a part of an awesome website called http://www.sparkpeople.com/ this is a free website that helps you manage what you eat, what you should eat, how much of it you can eat, etc. I am going to try to find an application for my cell phone so that I can track what I eat and the calories right in my phone.

I would love to hear any methods you have that work for you with calorie counting and keeping track of what you eat.

And if you don't count calories...please comment and tell me why?

Don't forget to leave some bloggy love in the comment section below...Happy Friday!

Friday Follow...

2010-04-16T07:28:00.000-07:00

Here’s how YOU can join the Friday Follow celebration:

Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below. Only need to add on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops.
Grab the Friday Follow button and include on your Friday Follow blog post.
Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots.
Follow as many other blogs on the linky as you’d like.
Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you’re from Friday Follow.
Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow.

This list is new each week. The links do not carry over. Please link up each week for new participants to find your blogs. The list is only open to add your blog links on Fridays. It will be visible all week to visit the blogs listed.

As hostesses, we realize the time required to participate in Friday Follow. Due to the overwhelming number of entries each week, we understand everyone, including ourselves, may not be able to follow every blog. To keep it fun, follow what you can at your own pace. We appreciate your understanding and thank you for your continued participation!

Friday Follower of the Week!

Congratulations to The Human Race 600, this week’s Friday Follower of the Week! Each week we will randomly draw from all the links, one Friday Follower for the next week’s Friday Follow, and the chosen blog will be placed in the highly coveted number 4 position on the blog hop. We love your participation and want to give back to you! You could be next!

Welcome to the Ultimate Blog Party 2010...

2010-04-09T09:43:00.000-07:00

***I will be leaving this post up for the week of the blog party...then it'll be back to the usual.***

This is my first time participating in the Ultimate Blog Party!

The party continues from April 9th thru April 16th, so you still have plenty of time to join us!

The idea of the Ultimate Blog Party (UBP) is to create a post that describes you and you link it up on the main UBP post over at Five Minutes for Moms so that others can stop by and visit you! It is a great way to meet new friends in the blogosphere!

Okay, now that that is taken care of, time to tell you about me!

I am a wife to my high school sweetheart, the youngest child of 5 kids, mom of identical twin girls, work at home mom, and animal lover to the core!

We have two boxers...an albino boxer named Martini and a brindle boxer named Tyson. Those two dogs have a better life than most kids.
We live in Northern, CA...where I was born and raised. I went to college in Ashland, OR and then moved back to my hometown to raise a family. It's a beautiful small town community and we love it!

I lost my voice when I was 29 (now I'm 33) after I caught a cold...and never got my voice back. So I have a permanently raspy voice...ughh!

I LOVE party planning...and being blessed with twins I believe is a reason to have a HUGE birthday party every year...we have pulled off some really good ones. My favorite was their 5 yr old birthday...it was a Carnival...and I do everything super inexpensive as I know a lot of people with a lot of talents. *wink *wink We had a magician (who also did balloon animals...bonus!), cotton candy machine, face painting, all the carnival booths, etc. It was awesome! The girls loved it!
See picture to the left...the yard of our old house before the kids arrived

We are in the process of planning their party for this year which is on the 29th of this month when they will be 7 yrs old. We are doing a Luau! I can't wait...I'll post pictures directly following the party for sure. :)

I watch little to NO TV...NO NEWS...there are times when I watch a program with my husband...usually "Modern Family" which is a friggin hilarious! Why? Because I believe the filter of news is so negative and there is SO much good that goes on out there. I am committed to making so much good out there and I believe that what you put into yourself is what you are going to put out...for example, garbage (like news) in, garbage out...good in, good out!

I love animals, love to travel, love scrapbooking and crafts and love to read.

I work from home and feel blessed every single day to be able to be a room mom to my twin girls, I'm in charge of my own schedule, and am a really hard worker knowing that with what I do...if I work really hard for about 5 years, I won't have to work hard for the rest of my life.

I am a committed Christian and am thankful every day for the lessons and blessings that the Lord brings.

As much as we try to live a "normal" life..we have a pretty crazy life style...working from home I have a deal with my husband (who works for our city that we live in)...that if he and I work together, I can run my business really hard right now so that we can enjoy the rest of our lives. With that comes the craziness...so my husband does the cooking, cleaning, laundry, and the night time routine with my girls. I am blessed to be able to take them to school, pick them up, volunteer in their classes every week and get to have a couple of hours with them after school every day. Our kids are our whole lives!

I am a complete mother bear...I don't trust ANYONE around my kids. I say ANYONE...but have to correct that, my mom has my girls as much as I do and I will let very select family members have my girls over night at their houses. Why? Because you can't trust anyone with your children. I know that we are to teach our children how to handle situations that they may be put in...and we do that. But I am also a firm believer that it is our job to NOT put them in those situations. Just yesterday we learned about VERY close friends of ours (they divorced and lived in separate houses) and the dad had a room mate for years and years...a friend of his from child hood and just found out that this "room mate" not only molested his own children but allegedly molested my friends two girls as well!! There were MANY times that the dad left the kids at home with this roommate by themselves.

So I am 100% committed to having the coolest house on the block so my kids will want to be home and all their friends will want to be here too...so far it's worked out pretty good. :)

I love blogging...I started in October of 2009 and just did it for an outlet...but have met so many amazing people, learned from so many others experiences...especially from identical twins and moms of identical twins. It's a complete network of moms and friends that I wouldn't have ever had otherwise.

I am excited to be a part of the blog party...and hope you hop on over to 5 Minutes for Mom and take part in it too.

There are so many cool prizes to be won at this year’s Ultimate Blog Party, but my top three picks would be:

Toshiba Satellite L505D-ES5025
Be My Guest Certificate ($250 value) for a two night stay in the Hilton Garden Inn By bloggin2noggin
USC17 - $200 gift certificate to Apple by CmomGo

And if my top three picks are already chosen, I’d love any of the following (in order of preference):
7, 70, 112, 95, 49, 31, 32, 65, 105, 96, 111, 85, 67 ( or anything to do with little girls...as I have 7 year old identical twin girls.)

Friday Follow...A Celebration of Followers...

2010-04-09T08:27:00.000-07:00

Welcome to a SPECIAL edition of Friday Follow celebration hosted by One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families and Midday Escapades! We invite you to join us every Friday to get more blog followers and to follow other interesting blogs. It is all about sharing and having fun.

We're very excited to announce this week's Friday Follow Sponsor! Please grab BOTH buttons after linking up. By grabbing our sponsor button you help us to promote this new venture and keep Friday Follow going strong for everyone.

Check out our Friday Follow Sponsor!
Buttons and Blogs is your source for a blogger or word press make over! Whether you need a button or a complete redesign, Buttons and Blogs will give you a one of a kind design with you in mind. Business logos are also available.

Here's how YOU can join the Friday Follow celebration:

•* Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below. Only need to add on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops.

•* Grab the Friday Follow button and include on your Friday Follow blog post.

•* Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots.

•* Follow as many other blogs on the linky as you'd like

•* Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you're from Friday Follow

•* Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow

The list is new each week. The links do not carry over. Please link up each week for new participants to find your blogs. The list is only open to add your blog links on Fridays. It will be visible all week to visit the blogs listed.

As hostesses, we realize the time required to participate in Friday Follow. Due to the overwhelming number of entries each week, we understand everyone, including ourselves, may not be able to follow every blog. To keep it fun, follow what you can at your own pace. We appreciate your understanding and thank you for your continued participation!

Friday Follower of the Week!
Congratulations to Jill's Real Life, this week's Friday Follower of the Week! Each week we will randomly draw from all the links, one Friday Follower for the next week's Friday Follow, and the chosen blog will be placed in the highly coveted number 4 position on the blog hop. We love your participation and want to give back to you! You could be next!

Aloha Friday...

2010-04-09T08:14:00.000-07:00

My question for today is:

Do you pee in the shower?

Ok..Ok...I know this is a totally random question, but I have to admit, I have been a bartender among many other things for the last 10 years and this is a common conversation starter at the bar and I am always blown away by peoples responses. It's about 50/50 I have found on people that do and don't...so don't be embarrassed, just answer the question.

For me...I do not pee in the shower. I have always gone right before I get in the shower for no other reason than the fact that as soon as I hear the water it makes me have to go so bad I couldn't wait until after I got in the shower anyway. When my girls were really little and they would shower with me, it never failed the second they would get in they would have to go potty. So there were a couple of times that I just had them stand over the drain and go.

Don't forget to leave a comment and then go link up at An Island Life...Happy Friday!

The girls asked Jesus in their heart...

2010-04-05T16:37:00.000-07:00

The girls were home on the Friday prior to Easter since they already had their "Spring Break". We were sitting around talking about Easter and I asked their girls what they thought Easter was about? They both said, "Chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, Easter bunnies, etc." I said, "Now what is it really...?" And they didn't really remember what it was about. They knew it had something to do with Jesus...but not sure what. Mind you, they are only 6 years old.

So I thought it was a good time to read them the story in the bible...so we opened the bible to Matthew and started to read. The girls were amazed...they said, "OMG mom...he had to carry his own cross?" and "I can't believe the earth shook when he died." They never really knew the magnitute of what Jesus had done and how awesome he was to rise again on the 3rd day.

They love Jesus so much...this is something that we have taught them since they were little babies. They love the Lord 1st, themselves 2nd and then everyone else. This was not taught to me and I remember the time when I was a teenager and learned that I needed to love the Lord more than anyone else. That was really hard for me...I remember thinking that I was betraying my mom if I loved the Lord more than my mom. Then when I accepted the Lord in my early 20's...it all became clear and I totally understood.

So at the moment that I was done reading the bible to the girls...I asked them if they wanted Jesus to live in their heart. They both said yes and were very excited. We said the prayer with each one of them. It was so sweet and so special and they truly understood what it was that we were celebrating yesterday.

I am so thankful for the amazing presence the Lord has in our life. He is our everything!

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

Celebrating 100 Followers...

2010-04-03T21:37:00.000-07:00

Here it was in October of last year and my dear friend Amanda showed me how to start a blog. I remember feeling super excited about the fact that I really got to journal all the things that happen in our family.

I also remember thinking how is anyone ever going to want to follow me. I just watched what other people did and learned a lot in the beginning of what NOT to do. LOL

Then the followers started coming. I remember being so thrilled at the fact that I had 3 followers...no that wasn't a type...I really did say 3! Just the thought that I am journaling my thoughts and learning how theraputic it was...and people really read about and learn from your life.

I have had the opportunity to connect with so many awesome moms from all walks of life...stay at home moms, several multiples moms, work from home moms (like myself), working moms, stay at home dads, etc.

In the short time that I have been blogging...156 posts...I have been featured on Multiples and More and Something To Talk About. That was such an honor. And Multiples and More has asked me to write a guest post on working from home while raising twins and how I balance the two. So that will be coming up in the next couple of weeks.

I am thankful for all the followers that I have and want you to know that I follow you back and enjoy each and everyone of your blogs. Also, thank you to all of you who have in someway or another influenced my blog.

God bless you all and please remember the reason for the season tomorrow. Jesus gave his life for our sins...and we should be forever grateful. I am thankful to be a committed Christian above all else.

Happy Easter!

Aloha Friday...Easter Traditions

2010-04-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

Aloha Friday is the day to take it easy, and relax!! Aloha is hosted by Kailani! You can play too…just post a question in your blog and link up on Kailani’s current Aloha Friday post. Then visit the other blogs in the link up and answer their fun questions!

What is your favorite Easter tradition?

Mine is a post that I posted earlier this week...{click here} to see it. When my girls were little we started making clues in plastic Easter eggs that would direct them to where their basket was at. Since that first time, we have just continued to do it. We actually type up the clues and cut them up so there is no handwriting to recognize.

What I realized yesterday was how fun this is going to be as they get older and older and we can really send them on a wild "Basket" hunt.

Happy Easter everyone!

Don't forget to leave a comment...I'm looking forward to hearing your favorite recipes, any traditions, etc. Then go link up at Island Life.

Friday Follow...

2010-04-02T08:23:00.000-07:00

Here’s how YOU can join the Friday Follow celebration:

* Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below. Only need to add on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops.

* Grab the Friday Follow button and include on your Friday Follow blog post.

* Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots.

* Follow as many other blogs on the linky as you’d like

* Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you’re from Friday Follow

* Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow

The list is new each week. The links do not carry over. Please link up each week for new participants to find your blogs. The list is only open to add your blog links on Fridays. It will be visible all week to visit the blogs listed.

April Fools Day...Identical twin style

2010-04-01T10:25:00.000-07:00

When my girls woke up this morning I was trying to think of something really fun that they could do as an "April Fools" joke. Then I got it...

They would switch classes. Mind you they are only 6 yrs old and are in the 1st grade, which is why I thought the teachers would expect it less. :)

So I told the girls about it and they loved it. It was so funny when they had to take the others back packs, and try to pretend to be each other.

We first went to Emilie's class to drop off her back pack and one of their friends came up and started to talk to Erynn and said, "Wait, are you Emilie?" and Erynn said yes and she said, "I thought so" and continued to talk. When we went to Erynn's class we had to show Emilie where Erynn sat.

This was going to be fun.

The bell rang for them to line up and go into class. When Emilie got into Erynn's class there were two of Erynn's friends that said, "Wait a second, this looks like Emilie." I walked in and said, "Erynn, you don't have a lunch in your back pack, you'll get hot lunch today, ok?"...hoping that would take any suspicion away. When I did that, the friends said.."Wait, I'm confused!"

Then I waited down the hallway watching...I thought I would see them switching classes fairly quickly, but they weren't. They were playing it off. It was cracking me up.

I went in to Emilie's class and told the teacher that I needed to tell Em (well actually Erynn) something. I whispered to Erynn..."are you ready to tell her?" and Erynn said yes...she raised her hand and when called on said, "April Fools...I'm not really Emilie, I'm Erynn." The teacher said, "Oh that explains why when I asked her to pick up her jacket she completely ignored me." We all cracked up and the teacher put her head in her hands and said, "Shame on me, I had NO idea." It was great!

Then off to Erynn's class to rescue Emilie...I walked in and nodded to Emilie and she said the same thing about her not being Erynn. Half of the class was surprised but the teacher and Erynn's two friends had it figured out. What good sports the teacher was to play along. :) Then we all laughed and they went to the rightful classrooms and have successfully accomplished their first "switch-a-roo".

Happy April Fools!

My girls were afraid of the gigantic bunny....

2010-04-01T10:12:00.000-07:00

I started to think about Easter and it reminded me of my girls either 2nd or 3rd Easter...they were either 3 or 4 years old and it was the first one they actually were going to "remember".

It was time for them to go to bed and we had told them that the Easter bunny would be coming overnight and in the morning they would have an Easter basket. They instantly got a little concerned and asked..."Mama...is that great big bunny gonna be in our house?" I told them that he comes in like magic and then he goes out. Oh no, they were not ok with a giant bunny in their house. They said, "No mom...that bunny can't come in the house." So I told them we would write him a note and leave one on the front door and one on the back asking the bunny to not come in. I wrote the note and showed them...and that was good enough for them to be able to go to sleep without sheer terror that a gigantic bunny was gonna be in the house.

That night I thought, how the heck am I gonna have an Easter basket in the house without the bunny coming in. So I figured it out. I made little clues by typing them up and printing them out (so no one would recognize the handwriting) and I put them in plastic eggs. They started on their night stand and then that one told them where to go to find the next and the clue in the next told them where to go next...etc. After about 4 eggs it said, stand in front of the sliding glass door and ask your mom to open the blinds. And there were their HUGE baskets with big bunnies, etc.

Phew, we pulled it off.

What happened though is that we have had to continue the clue tradition ever since...so every night before Easter I am having to make clues, hide eggs and have the Easter basket in a "special" place. What I didn't know when we first started this was how much fun it is going to be to make them have to look for their baskets when they are older...that will be an amazing "HUNT".

Happy Easter everyone!

Aloha Friday...

2010-03-26T11:03:00.000-07:00

If you could have any job you wanted,

what would your dream job be?

I would love to have Jeff Probst's job on Survivor! That would be so cool...I would make sure that I was able to take my kids and husband on these adventures with me.

Please comment below with what your dream job would be and then head on over to Kailani and link up!

Friday Follow...

2010-03-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

Here’s how YOU can join the Friday Follow celebration:

* Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below. Only need to add on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops.

* Grab the Friday Follow and Sponsor buttons and include both on your Friday Follow blog post.

* Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots.

* Follow as many other blogs on the linky as you’d like

* Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you’re from Friday Follow

* Follow back if you like, when you get a new follower through Friday Follow

The list is new each week. The links do not carry over. Please link up each week for new participants to find your blogs. The list is only open to add your blog links on Fridays. It will be visible all week to visit the blogs listed.

Cell phones = Oxygen

2010-03-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

You don't really realize how much you rely on your cell phone until you lose it!

I work from home and basically all I need to run my business is a cell phone and a laptop. Well on Tuesday night I was at a meeting and when I was leaving I realized that I couldn't find my phone. I thought there was a chance that maybe I just left it in my purse in the car. When I got out to the car and realized that it wasn't there either, I was becoming a little concerned.

You see I was almost 3 hours from home and was NOT about to leave without my phone. So now we started searching high and low and had everyone in on the search!! I thought it couldn't be long to find it...I mean I really didn't go very far.

Two and a half hours later...we were STILL looking. At this point it was close to 11pm at night. I just couldn't leave without it.

At one point I thought I didn't have a choice, that I was going to have to head home without my life...oops, I mean my phone. At this point my friend Jenn said, call me when you get home. I had to let her know that I had no idea what her number was...it was in my phone. She said, OK is there a number I can reach you at if I need you tomorrow? I said, yes I have a fax line at home...but I don't know the number, it's in my phone. I then realized that all the meetings that I had the next day...the addresses of where I was going were in my phone. This was getting more depressing by the minute.

So Jenn asked me if we should check one more time in the car that we were in, just in case. I thought why not...it couldn't hurt anything. She didn't find anything and as she was walking back to the apartment, she realized that she had left the trunk open. When she turned around to go back...IT WAS AT THAT MOMENT...that she saw my phone! How??? I have no idea...other than the conclusion I came to that she has bionic eyes!

Here we are close to midnight, extremely dark, near a very dark parking lot and my phone is black. Where did she find it? Near the side of the building in the tall, dark grass. I was blown away.

For one thing, I was NEVER even close to that location. For another thing, how would it have gotten in the grass off of the road or sidewalk? I am still a little bewildered, but would rather be bewildered than sophicating...cuz that's what was happening without my phone. Hence cell phones = oxygen!

The most exciting thing about this...I own my own telecommunications company that I run from home and to realize how dependent people are on their cell phones, internet, TV, etc. It makes me have warm fuzzies that I get paid every time people pay those bills.:) Thank you Jesus!!

Blogaholics Anonymous...

2010-03-21T23:26:00.000-07:00

Ali at Mommylife started a new meme that you should all check out...head on over and link up!

This week is the introductions week. Here's how it will work. Every monday you can do a BAM post about your favorite post from the past week and your Blogaholic Confessions. Since this is introduction week I'll also have every one tell us a little or a lot if you prefer, about yourself and your blog too! Once you've finished your post, link it up and go around the meeting and support our fellow Blogaholics through comments & follows of course!!

This meeting is called to order at 11:12pm....
Hello everyone, my name is Kandi and I'm a Blogaholic. {everyone: "hello kandi" }

I blog to find and maintain harmony in my chaotic, frenzied, beautiful, dysfunctional, happy, crazy, inspired, blessed, and did I say CRAZY life! I am a proud mom to almost 7 yr old identical twin girls, wife to my best friend and own my own telecom business that I work from home. If that doesn't sum up crazy...I don't know what does. :)
Being that it has been a busy couple of weeks, I haven't posted as many blogs as I usually do...so I am going to post my favorite blog over the last couple of weeks...Answers to questions about potty training, time-outs, toddler beds, etc.

Now for my confessions:

I love love love that my kids are home for spring break and actually have a little bit of guilt that I am looking forward to them going back. Not because I don't love having them home, but because I work from home and have a tough time getting work done with them here.
I knowingly missed my girls' first softball practice on Friday by being at the zoo, park and a friends for dinner about an hour away from home. What was I supposed to do? There'll be another.
I am trying to eat healthy and exercise to be able to get into my "bathing suit" body by May/June time. (Understand that I use the term "bathing suit" body loosely...that means a tank top and board shorts.) I did stop twice at McDonald's twice this last week late at night...that wouldn't be so bad but that I am addicted to dipping my french fries in my ice cream...and I had that a couple of times this last week.
I have a little guilt that I haven't been able to post once this last week besides tonight. I will start to balance my work, home, family and blog life immediately.

BLOGAHOLICS: Supporting one another through the addiction that is our blog!

Now head on over the Ali's blog and confess...it's very theraputic.

Peace Out...

Aloha Friday...dinner

2010-03-12T18:29:00.000-08:00

It's aloha Friday, once again! Remember once you're done answering my question, post one on your blog and make sure you don't forget to head on over to Kailani's to answer her question.

My question of the day is: What is your favorite dinner you make?

My favorite dish to make is Huevos Rancheros. It's something that I eat at a little restaurant in South Lake Tahoe called, Ernie's. They serve a Huevos Rancheros that is to DIE for! I just model that in my own home and we love it. It's a popular meal I make on Christmas Eve also.

Don't forget to comment below...I look forward to getting new ideas for dinners.

Then link up over at An Island Life.

Friday Follow...

2010-03-12T12:32:00.000-08:00

Welcome to a SPECIAL edition of Friday Follow celebration hosted by One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families and Midday Escapades! We invite you to join us every Friday to get more blog followers and to follow other interesting blogs. It is all about sharing and having fun.

We're so excited to announce our First Sponsor of Friday Follow. Please grab BOTH buttons after linking up. By grabbing our sponsor button you help us to promote this new venture and keep Friday Follow going strong for everyone.

Here's how YOU can join the celebration:

•* Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below. Only need to add on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops.

•* Grab the Friday Follow and Sponsor buttons and include both on your Friday Follow blog post.

•* Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots.

•* Follow as many other blogs on the linky as you like

•* Comment on the blogs telling them you're from Friday Follow

•* Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow

The list is new each week. The links do not carry over. Please link up each week for new participants to find your blogs. The list is only open to add your blog links on Fridays. It will be visible all week to visit the blogs listed.

The hotesses realize the time required to participate in Friday Follow. Due to the overwhelming number of entries each week, we understand everyone, including ourselves, may not be able to follow every blog. To keep it fun, follow what you can at your own pace. We appreciate your understanding and thank you for your continued participation!

Answers about potty training, time-outs, toddler beds, etc.

2010-03-07T20:54:00.000-08:00

Jenni over at The Foster Family asked a series of questions on her blog today that I decided to answer in a blog format due to the length my response was going to be...to answer these questions with your own experiences...please head over to The Foster Family and make a comment.

* When did or will you start potty training? We decided to start potty training at 26 months. They were a little over 2 yrs old and it was a time when I planned to not have to leave the house for one week. We had a talk with our girls letting them know that we were going to be making a transistion in to being a "big girl"...so when we decided that we were going to start potty training...all I did was put them in real "big girl" panties and let them know to tell me when they had to go. Obviously they were going to have a couple of accidents but it was a very positive experience and they didn't like the feel of pee on their legs. Within 24 hours, my girls were going on the potty during the day with a pullup at night. It took them a little while to go #2 in the potty, which was fine. They would go as soon as I put a pull up on them at night. Then one day they just started going in the potty! ***One REALLY important thing to remember is no matter how long it takes them to potty train...they can NEVER be in trouble for going in their panties. It has to be a very positive experience or you can ruin them and they will have an issue until they are in their adolescence. Every child will have a different potty training journey...just be patient!

Oh...and one more thing that we did that was very instrumental in helping our girls was I always kept a potty chair in the back of our Expedition. With a large bottle of water to rinse out the potty chair, toss it out and go again. This was so helpful because how can you expect a toddler that is learning to potty train to hold it. I believe you confuse them if you put a diaper on them after they have started using "big girl" panties...so instead of doing that, we would pull over where ever we were and they could go in the back of the car. There were some people that thought this was so rediculous, but all that mattered to me were my girls and that they were moving forward in potty training and not backwards. This was a key component in that.

* When did or will you move into toddler beds? Prior to going to toddler beds we wanted to prepare the girls for when they were in toddler beds, so we decided to put the side of their crib down. This was an opportunity for them to be able to get out of bed and for them to know they weren't supposed to. This allowed us to be able to put the side back up if they were not listening. We did this as soon as they started potty training to indicate that they were now "big girls". We always told them that when they wake up in the morning with a dry pull up...this would mean that they were really big girls and that would be the day that we would put up their toddler beds. It actually happened when we were on vacation...so before we even unloaded the bags out of the car, we had their cribs taken out and their new "big girl" beds put up. It made them so proud of themselves because the transition of their bed was made possible because of their accomplishments with potty training. It made them feel like they really earned it.

* What types of activities do you do to entertain your toddler? When my girls were toddlers, I was always busy. I was really big into the mother of mutiples groups, we had yahoo toddler playgroups in our area, there were mom's clubs I was a part of as well as looking into the community and finding out what things they had available for kids on a weekly basis...look up your local First 5 group for more info on that. My girls and I were either in a playgroup or on a fieldtrip every day. It was a blast! Not to mention crafts...my favorite website is www.familyfun.com and a lot of times you can get a free subscription to that magazine. Tons of ideas.

* When should we drop the sippy cup? I was blessed to be able to breast feed my girls for the first year and a week. That was when they went to a sippy cup...never a bottle, just breast to sippy cup (I was proud of that lol). They were not on a sippy cup for too long...as soon as they demonstrated that they could put their cup down with it still standing up and be consistent with that. We started taking the lid off of those little cups and would put very very little water in it. We would let them get used to this and then add a little bit more at a time. For the person that said..."Don't cry over spilled milk"...they obviously didn't have twins!! Expect spills and many of them. :)

* How do you handle time outs? We once went to a parenting seminar with the woman who wrote "Positive Discipline from A to Z" (which is a great book that I recommend by the way). What she said was that Time-Outs are considered very negative and almost make them feel bad about themselves. The idea of a time-out is good but the actual way that time-outs are done make them ashamed of themselves. My girls were very little when we saw this woman speak so as soon as we started "time-outs"...we called them (and still do) "taking a break"...it is not a negative thing. They are allowed to bring a book or a stuffed animal with them...basically the idea of it is just getting them out of the environment or situation they were in for a moment to gather their thoughts and then they are fine. The time of the break would be a minute per year they are old. When asking them to take a break, we would make sure they didn't feel bad about themselves...but that they knew why they were in it. How we did that was that the break wasn't over until they came and talked to mom or dad (depending on who asked them to take a break). What I would do is ask them...why did you have to take a break? They would most of the time know but sometimes they would not know. I wanted them to know what they did that was causing them to have to take a break. Then I would say to them, what could you have done differently...and we would discuss other alternatives that might have solved the problem without them being in trouble. They are now 6 almost 7 years old and we still do this same practice and always have.

One more thing... is that we have them apologize to each other when they did something to the other that they did on purpose. After one of them apologizes, the other one will always say I forgive you. In the event that they did something by accident, saying "i'm sorry" would be fine...but when they do things on purpose, we want them to acknowledge what they did, what they could have done different and then apologize for it. Whoever they apologize to...always tells them I forgive you and then we hug.

These are just my suggestions and what have worked for me with my girls...it may not work for you.

Aloha Friday...save our schools

2010-03-05T09:28:00.000-08:00

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day they take it easy, and look forward to the weekend.

So I thought that on Fridays I would and take it easy on the posting,as they do in Hawaii! Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

Oh, and don't forget to hean on over to Kailani and link up with the rest of us!

You will make some new bloggy friends too!!

My Question is:

What do you think of the education system in the United States?

In my opinion, the education system is seriously lacking in the U.S. Not because we don't have outstanding teachers and excellent schools...but because we are not supported and funded like we should be by the states.

Schools should be the LAST thing effected by this economy...to read more about my feelings on this topic...{click here}

I would love to hear your opinions on what we can do to ensure that our children, the next generations, our countries next decision makers...

are protected and receive the funding they SO deserve!!

WARNING: This post is a political venting session...

2010-03-05T09:14:00.000-08:00

It is not very often that I will write about something political...it just doesn't usually tickle my fancy to do so. Well this topic doesn't just tickle my fancy...it's pissing my fancy off!!

I understand that we are in a economical crisis...and being in California...we are really feeling the effects of it. With that being said, there is still a lot of money that is going to the banks ($700 billion) and all the money going to the health care reform (which in my opinion we aren't going to notice anything from)...what about the schools??? Where does education fall into the priority list????

How is it that in the US...there is so little value put on education? The last thing that should be touched by the economy is the schools! Doesn't everyone realize that this is the next generation...these are the people that will be running our country in the near future!! Or do they not care because by that time, they won't be around anymore?

We live in a small town and being that I am blessed to work from home, I am able to volunteer at the school in my girls' classes a lot. I know all the teachers, principal, etc. Not to mention, I went to this school when I was a little girl.

Walking my girls up to the school yesterday, there were big signs in front of the school that said..."SAVE OUR SCHOOLS"...they are going to be laying off 26% of the teachers in our school district. It made me sick to see this!

What does that mean for our children and our schools...the classrooms are now going to go 30 kids to 1 teacher!!!

Now tell me how this makes sense...our prisoners can get a FULL college education (on our dime), they can get a HEART TRANSPLANT (on our dime), the can receive a SEX CHANGE OPERATION (on our dime)...and we can't find enough money to keep our schools open!! What the hell is wrong with this picture?

It has always been said that the United States is the most powerful country...guess what guys??? The other countries out there are a lot SMARTER...they put a HUGE value on their education systems!!

The schools should be the LAST thing touched! The teachers should be a lot higher paid!!! Maybe the politicians salaries could be cut to the same salary that the teachers make...and give all that extra money to the schools!!! How is it that our society has come to a point where our education system is so low on the priority list?? Our teachers, our educators, our next generations are the ones that should be protected ESPECIALLY in an economy such as this.

There...I did it! I got it all out and I feel much better. Whether you agree or disagree...this is just my opinion. I don't want the people in the prisons to suffer but I also don't think they deserve more priviledges than our own children.

Have a happy Friday!

Friday Follow...

2010-03-05T08:12:00.000-08:00

Friday Follow Blog Hop #8
Hosted by Rita @ One 2 Try Tami @ Hearts Make Families and Lynn @ Midday Escapades . Join us every Friday as we celebrate followers! Link up your blog name and URL below to follow and be followed!

PLEASE VOTE FOR ME...

2010-03-02T13:30:00.000-08:00

Hey Ladies, I've submitted my blog to a wonderful site called Top Mommy Blogs. If your looking for new blogs to visit or a place to add your own then this is a great site for you. If you like my blog click on the button below and vote for me then go check out Top Mommy Blogs. Don't forget to add your blog while your there. Thanks so much in advance for voting for my blog!

Funny stories about my twins...

2010-03-01T10:56:00.000-08:00

Being that I was unable to write much over the last week...I have some super funny stories to tell you about my girls.

~The other day the girls and I had just got them home from school...and they were upstairs playing. A couple of minutes later, Em came over to the balcony of the loft just crying "Momma..." she was saying. I asked her what was wrong and she said... "I am gonna be the president of the United States and sissy said she is not going to vote for me." The devastation in her voice was so sad. I told her that I can assure her that by the time she is running for president...sissy will vote or her. LOL ~The daily struggles of a 6 yr old. :)

~The girls basketball season just came to an end and was so much fun! They did great! Living in a small town you generally know all the parents of the kids that are playing and if you went to school in this area as I did, you generally went to school with all of the parents also. So I was sitting next to my high school friend whose son plays on the girls' team. Her mom was sitting next to her and told me that my girls really aren't cut out for basketball...being the major basketball player that I am and have always been, I had to politely share with her that my girls are 6 yrs old and in first grade and that by the time they are in high school, she is going to wonder who those awesome basketball twins are. LOL

I then turned around to watch the game and my girls were in the middle of the court (as the ball was on the other side) and they were hugging...I am imagining one of them must have done something good. It was so funny...what are the odds that this was the time they chose to hug in the middle of the court after I just went to bat for them. It kind of killed my case...but was still precious. :) Basketball players?...I think so...but it will remain to be seen. :)

~And for those moms who think I dress my girls alike on purpose...they dress themselves alike every single day. I asked them the other day if they like dressing alike and they both said YES and hugged each other. I love that I am so blessed to have been chosen to have identical twins.

I will keep you up on more as it happens...but wanted to catch you up with those cute stories for today.

Have a great Monday!

Friday Follow...Week #5

2010-02-26T08:13:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 5th Friday Follow celebration hosted by One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families and Midday Escapades! We invite you to join us every Friday to get more blog followers and to follow other interesting blogs. It is all about sharing and having fun.

Here’s how YOU can join the celebration:

Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below – Only need to on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops.
Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots
Follow as many blogs as you’d like
Comment on the blogs telling them you’re from Friday Follow
Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow

The Blog Hop is the same at each of our three hosts blogs so you do not have to add your blog at each site. Just one – but you can follow each host blog. Follow a few or follow them all.

This list is new each week. The links do not carry over. Please link up each week for new participants to find your blogs. This list is only open to add your blog links on Fridays. It will be visible all week to visit the blogs listed.

As hostesses, we realize the time required to participate in Friday Follow. Due to the overwhelming number of entries each week, we understand everyone may not be able to follow every blog including ourselves. To keep it fun, follow what you can at your own pace. We appreciate your understanding and thank you for your continued participation!

Aloha Friday...cell phones

2010-02-26T08:02:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of Aloha Friday? According to Kailani at An Island Life, in Hawaii Aloha Friday is “the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend.”So every Friday we get a chance to take it easy on posting. Each participant asks their own simple question and then we visit each other’s blogs to comment on one another’s question.

Today's question is:

What cell phone do you have and do you like it?

I have the Pink Blackberry Pearl 8110...Being that I have my own business...this phone is perfect for me! I have to have a smart phone. I have to be able to get all my email, Facebook, Twitter, messages, etc. to my phone and this phone has proved to be awesome. It does anything I want!

Don't forget to head over to An Island Life and link up!

Happy Friday!

Sorry I have been MIA...

2010-02-26T07:43:00.000-08:00

Good morning fellow bloggy friends. I'm back!

For those of you who don't know, I work from home and am so blessed to do so! Every 3 months I have the pleasure of going away for the weekend for my business. It's a nice little break and usually well needed. :) This last weekend created a major amount of production in my business which has kept me a bit ~~friggin crazy~~ busy and out of the blog loop.

For those of you who found a void in your life without me being there ~~yeah right,~~ never fear...I'm back.

Happy Friday everyone!

Living on little to no sleep....

2010-02-20T05:55:00.000-08:00

Since Thursday I have been going on little to no sleep...why you ask? Being that I work from home, there are times in my business that we all get together for the weekend for a mass amount of training.

THIS IS THE WEEKEND!!

I have to admit that is one of the best things about my business is that every three months I get to travel for a weekend and it is truly THE MOST AMAZING training I have ever received in my life...however we truly go on little to no sleep.

Here is the problem with that my friends...I can't stay awake when I am tired. I am not one of those people that just continues to go and go and go and then when I finally lay down it's over...I mean don't get me wrong, I do pretty good with staying up late and being up early, but I do need a little assistance sometimes.

I am not a big fan of the large can energy drinks. They are too big and you have to drink too much in order for them to work...for me, I have "liquid magic". Wow, that sounds like I am on crack. Let me explain myself...there are these little red...(oh my, its sounding even worse)...bottles of 5 hour energy drinks.

This is how it works...when I find myself not able to lift my head because I am falling in to a deep slumber...I find my 5 hour energy drink. I can't tell a lie...they are NOT delicious. HOWEVER...they work so well...all of a sudden (about 15 minutes after taking it) you ~~come back to life~~ wake up! It is a complete transformation where all of a sudden you actually feel alive and well again. It doesn't give me the jitters, what it actually does is just make me feel normal again. I literally look around and think to myself ...I'm back. And you are literally back for 5 hours...and counting. So when that 5 hours hits..you feel it.

Looks like I'm only gonna need only 4 more today...LOL

Alright, alright...I don't actually take that many in a day...maybe 2!

Have a great day all!

Random Tuesday Thoughts...

2010-02-16T09:34:00.000-08:00

It's Tuesday again...let's get random.

I am so super excited to have been featured today over at Multiples and More... What a great website for Mothers of Multiples (twins or more).

God is good how he puts people in your life that were meant to be there. I am so thankful for a new couple in our lives...Amanda and Peter. They are fun, quirky, loving, kind and huge animal lovers just like us.

COMING SOON...TO AN INTERNET NEAR YOU....

Speaking of Amanda...she is pregnant with her first baby...a precious girl.

And she is going to start blogging about her journey...I am excited to announce her blog

{The Pigeon Flight} that we will be pimping out here real soon.
Amanda is an awesome person and will have great stories to tell...can't wait!

An update on our rescue boxer, Tyson...he is doing AWESOME. Aside from the continued runny stool...he is gaining weight. Thanks to the "Amanda" talked about above...she helped to determine that he was allergic to corn and just taking him off of that and he is great. Why the runny stool...just for one second think that you had "a date with reah" (that's our way of saying diareah) for TWO years. It would probably take your insides a bit to recover from that...it's only been a week for heavens sake. Stool update to come...

Valentine's was fun...I LOVE being the room mom in my girls classes...and having the freedom to volunteer. They both had great days and it was so much fun to help them make their own valentines for their friends. This is 1st grade...now next year is when they actually start looking at the wording on each valentine that they want to give to that special "boy". NOT ALREADY!!!

Yesterday was so beautiful...we were out by the pool all day. Mind you, it was still a bit chilly to be in the pool but while hubby worked on the yard...I caught some rays in the sun. Trust me ladies...fat looks WAY better tan!

I have a very huge, exciting weekend planned... I have training from Thursday thru Sunday. We will have the most amazing, motivating, inspirational weekend ever. Not to mention we will be being trained by Donald Trump on Sunday. That'll be cool too.

My girls party is quickly approaching...gotta start the ordering of all the Luau things from Oriental Trading Company.

Decided to do a end of the school year party for both of my girls' classes. With 1st graders though...it goes both ways...some parents just drop them off and others stay. Do you think it's rude to make the parents stay unless they set it up with me in advance. I just can't take any chances with our pool...you know what I mean?

Yes...I totally pre-plan for parties...phew, that should have answered most of the questions.

Thompson out

Go get down with your randomness over at The Un Mom and link up!

I have been featured at Multiples and More...

2010-02-16T08:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Tuesday!

I am so excited to share with you that I am the featured blogger of the week over at Multiples and More... What a fun experience. Multiples and More is an outstanding blog for moms with twins or more. This is such an outstanding support network and I was super excited to be featured. Please head over and check it out...then leave some blog love and let me know what you thought.

Friend Makin' Monday...

2010-02-15T08:47:00.000-08:00

Come join Friend Makin' Monday! Answer some fun questions at {aefikin} and then link up on her page. You will find new fun blogs!

Today's Friend Makin' Monday is on Valentine's Day, of course!!

1. How did you spend your Valentine's Day? What did you get? What did you do?

Woke up early and ran to the store to get freshly made cinamon rolls from the bakery for my girls. We then hung out playing Wii until it was time for church. Went to church for an AMAZING service, came home and took the very well needed nap for all four of us.

We then took the "Valentine Cake" to the park along with my mom and let the girls play. While at the park, the police department was training their K-9 unit how to bite an attacker...so we got caught up in watching that for awhile...came home and had dinner. We can chalk that up to another wonderful Valentine's Day spent with the most important people in my world.

Thank you God for the many blessings!

Friday Follow...

2010-02-12T12:23:00.000-08:00

Want to find new blog friends from all over? This is a fun way to try some new blogs to read–I have participated a few times and met some great new people~one of my favorites? Cop Mama!

Anyway, You are invited to the fifth Friday Follow celebration hosted by One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families and Midday Escapades! We invite you to join us every Friday to get more blog followers and to follow other interesting blogs. It is all about sharing and having fun.

Here’s how YOU can join the celebration:

* Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below. Only need to add to one blog linky.

* Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots. We will follow you back.

* Follow as many blogs as you like

* Comment on the blogs telling them you’re from Friday Follow

* Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow

The Blog Hop is the same at each of our three hosts blogs so you do not have to add your blog at each site. Just one – but you can follow each host blog. Here is the great part, we will follow you back.

Friday Follow Blog Hop #5

Hosted by Rita @ One 2 Try Tami @ Hearts Make Families and Lynn @ Midday Escapades . Join us every Friday as we celebrate followers! Link up your blog name and URL below to follow and be followed!

Aloha Friday...

2010-02-12T12:07:00.000-08:00

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. Please post a comment with the answer and then hop on over to An Island Life to link up!

My question of the day is:

What was your first concert you ever went to...and where?

My very first concert was when I was 13...my oldest sister, Kelly took my sister and I to see The Judds. It was at the Concord Pavilion in Concord, CA. So much fun...my sister is 14 yrs older than me and wanted to take us to a concert so bad. It was a great concert for a first time for sure. That was actually the tour before Wynona went out of her own.

Works for me Wednesday...(stop kids coughing at night)

2010-02-10T10:57:00.000-08:00

Last night was a long night with one of my girls up coughing and complaining of a super sore throat.
I am so thankful that a couple of years ago I learned of this remedy to stop your children (or your own) from coughing in the middle of the night...

Here's all you do:

Get Vics Vapor Rub ...( you know the one that our moms used to put under our nose to keep our noses from running)
Rub generously on the bottom of your childs feet...layered thick
Put socks over the top to keep it from getting everywhere...And like magic your child stops coughing!!!

This is something that you can even do while they are sleeping and they don't wake up! I have used this for a couple years now and everyone I recommend it to, swears by it.

Just thought this might be the right time of year to learn how to stop your children from coughing all night.

Go to Kristin's site to see what works for other people.

Random Tuesday Thoughts...Oprah, G-strings, Twin Skin

2010-02-09T11:33:00.000-08:00

Tuesday again...here we go!

This is one of my favorite days in the blog world because this is the time that you are encouraged to write about your most random thoughts...link up with Keely over at The Un Mom and get down with your randomness.

Don't you think it's funny how things that started affecting you when you were pregnant never go away...for example...when I was pregnant and would hear a loud applauses, they would make me very emotional and I would cry. Don't ask! So every day my husband would get off work at 4pm...get home around 4:10pm and I would be crying...he would look at the TV and I would be watching Oprah. He would say, "did Oprah come out on her own show again babe?" I would cry and look at him and say yes...you see when they applauded for Oprah, I was overwhelmed and would cry. The crazy thing is that applauses still greatly choke me up today...remember you wanted random...well you're getting it.

G-string underwear...I have to wear them with dress pants (so basically every single day)...otherwise you will see the "panty line" and that's a fashion no no...so I have heard. There are two funny things that I have found with this...

1) they actually make you feel sexy (as sexy as an oversized mother of twins with a lot of left over "twin skin" in the front can feel) and

2) they don't feel like they are going up your butt.

Again...remember the topic...random tuesday! Hello!

As for my "twin skin" what is that all about? For all of you who had twins or more out there...you totally know what I am talking about. Twin skin is what is left of your belly/body after having the babies. It's just never the same. Do you know that when looking at my belly ~~which is not a pretty site~~ there is one side of my belly that is a different shape than the other side. Oh my...and people think it's wrong to get plastic surgery...trust me ladies...when you were blown up like a helium balloon while pregnant and now you are a helium balloon that has the air let out of it...but not all the way, you can see why we would seek a doctors help. Don't make me post pictures!!! LOL

Controlling...I just am. I try not to be, but then I am trying to control not controlling. It really is a losing battle...how does someone who is controlling stop...without controlling how they are stopping? What to do, what to do?

Party planning...I am a HUGE party planner. My girls' birthday is April 29th and I start planning it on January 1st. This year we are doing a Luau! Any ideas for a 7 yr old birthday Luau?

Get random...get crazy..let your hair down...just do it...you'll love it. Hop on over to The Un Mom and get on down with your randomness.

Texting Acronyms...OMG

2010-02-07T21:47:00.000-08:00

I have actually surprised myself on how well I am able to decifer acronyms that are used while texting...there have been LOL (laugh out loud), OMG (oh my gosh), LMAO (Laughing my ass off), BRB ( be right back)...all of those that in context you can tell what they are. And I blush a little to admit that I am often proud of myself when I can decifer ones like...ROTFLMAO (rolling on the floor laughing my ass off).

So I thought I would take a look at the most common texting acronyms...OMG! There are WAY more than I could have ever imagined. Some of these were worth mentioning just because of how silly they are, but there will be some that will educate parents of texting children as well.

Here we go...hope you get as much out of this as I did...LOL

AAWC - After awhile crocodile
ALOL - Actually laughing out loud (I never realized that LOL meant pretend laughing out loud)...LOL
ASLP - Age, sex, location, picture (This is kind of scary that it's that easy to ask for all of those things.)
AYKM - Are you kidding me? (I was aware of the AYFKM...you figure it out.)
Azm - Awesome
BTWITIAILWY - By the way, I think I am in love with you (WHAT???? Who could remember all of the letters...wouldn't it be easier to write the whole thing.)
BTSOOM - Beats the shizzle out of me (This one just made me laugh)
CNRHKYITF - Chuck Norris roundhouse kick you in the face (OK so I would have NEVER got this one on my own.)
CRTLA - Can't remember the three letter acronym (Wouldn't writing the three word phrase be easier than wasting your time texting this).
CRTLA - Can't remember the three letter acronym
FORGIVE - Faith, Obedience, Righteousness, Grace, Inheritance, Victory, Edify
GGOGG - Great gobs of goose grease
GSHIWMP - Giggling so hard I wet my pants (I actually will use this one...I like it)
OMFGYASB Oy my freaking gosh, you're a sexy beast
HH1/2KO - Ha-ha, half-kidding only (How do you "half kid"?)
IAGSMSOL - I am getting some money sooner or later (Only in this economy would there be one like this.)
ICOCBW - I could, of course, be wrong (This probably gets little to no use...LOL)
IMHBMAO - In my humble but most accurate opinion (Really? Would someone really say that?)
IFOCN - In front of computer naked (Either really funny...or really disturbing... I side with disturbing)
KOS - Kill on site (That is a little concerning)
LMFAOPIMP - Laughing my freaking a** off peeing in my pants
MBS - Mom behind shoulder (All you moms with texting teens better memorize this one...LOL)
OMFGYASB - Oh my freaking gosh, you're a sexy beast (I get this all the time...YR)
P911 - Parent alert! (Again parents...you might have a little studying to do.)
ROFLTRABTD - Rolling on floor laughing, thinking Republicans are better than Democrats (Are they serious?)
RYFS - Are you freakin' serious?
SPROS - Stop, parents reading over shoulder (Again...hello mom and dads...study, study, study. Be up on the latest!)
UY - Up yours (Just in case you need it...)
YYSSW - Yeah yeah, sure sure, whatever

If you are interested in furthering your education in the acronyms of texting...go here. There is even a section that you can enter the acronym that you are not sure about and it will tell you what it means.

Hope you got a little use, definitely some humor and perhaps a little wake up calls for the parents out of this post.

TTYS HAG8D (Talk to you soon...have a great day)

Beautiful Blogger Award...

2010-02-07T18:09:00.000-08:00

I was given a Beautiful Blogger Award by Amanda over at Garibay Soup!

Talk about a beautiful blog...you should check hers out!

Thanks to Amanda for nominating me for this award...I wouldn't even be blogging if it wasn't for you.

Here are the rules:

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award and insert a link to their blog.

2. Pass on the award to about 15 other bloggers who you recently discovered and think are great!

3. Contact the other bloggers and let them know they have been chosen for this award.

4. Say 7 things about yourself.

~7 Things About Me~

1) I am the baby of 5 kids...4 girls, one boy...in the above picture is all of us with my mom.

2) Music is everything to me...it can make a bad day good and a good day great! I also LOVE to dance and in another life I had the lead roll in Step Up 2...~~I wish.~~

3) I am a major animal lover...besides cats. I know thats odd but I wasn't raised with them and quite frankly they scare the hell out of me when they jump out from under the bed and get me.

4) I was a twin, my mom miscarried while she was pregnant with me and the doctor told her it was a twin.

5) I do not use the word "fat" ever...I think it is a very derrogative word no matter how you use it. My girls are not allowed to use it either.

6) I was a huge athlete in high school...basketball was my game! I played for about 11years...and have coached since I was 19. Now our new house has a basketball court and my girls just started their first year. God is good!

7) I am the type of person that people either REALLY like or REALLY don't. There is usually no in between. And I'm good either way. :)

I pass this blogger award to the following bloggers...

The Walker Quads

Something To Talk About

Simply Blessed with Chaos

Prologue To A Twins Blog

McKim Multiple Maddness

Jumpin Beans

Jonas Life With Twin Boys

From Stilettos To Sneakers

Double The Adventure

Crafty Chic Mommy

Beth, Will, Rod and the Quads

4 Babies 4 Us

3 Under 3

Blessings Overflowing

Adventures of a Stay At Home Mom

My boxer rescue...Tyson Update #1

2010-02-05T10:23:00.000-08:00

Erynn with Tyson before he started feeling better.

Well we have had a breakthrough this last week...thank you Jesus!

This is an update on the rescue of our Boxer dog Tyson...to view the first post, please go here.

This week we have had good things and bad things...which do you want first? The bad...ok.

Bad thing: So this week we really thought we were making progress. Tyson was eating really well and seemed to be doing better...well kinda. Then my husband noticed that in the yard he there was straight blood as his stool. OMG! This meant that things were not going well at all! Back to the drawing board.

I have talked to several of my animal lover friends and my friend Amanda mentioned to me that her mom had a boxer and she was going to talk to her. She got back to me right away to let me know that their boxer went through the exact same thing to where he was dreadfully skinny and losing weight every day. What was it, I ask? She said that her mom learned that about 99% of boxers have an allergy to corn. I started looking it up online and sure enough...they do!!

Any dog food you can buy at a grocery store or Wal-Mart type store is absolute garbage for dogs!

Here is something that I have learned and this could be very disturbing to you so I apologize in advance...but most of the dog foods that you can buy in a grocery store contain euthenized dogs...not just the dog, but the collar, the metal tag, the works. Not to mention...animal byproduct means that those were rendered animals. This was a HUGE eye opener. Not just for our rescue boxer, Tyson, but also for our own precious baby, Martini.

We thought we had Tyson on great food that came from the Vet. It was a formula that was really good to help with digestive issues. My husband checked the ingredients and the #1 ingredient is CORN!! That means that is the largest ingredient in that whole bag of food.

Good thing: We instantly took both dogs off of this dog food and in the mean time I was feeding them 2 cups of cooked oatmeal with 2 eggs in it. They LOVED it! We have since been mixing rice with eggs and oatmeal. After much research we have found some REALLY good foods for dogs. They are all natural and don't contain any animal "byproduct".

Since we took Tyson off of this food he is actually starting to put on weight! He was so terribly thin that not only could you see his ribs but the skin in between his ribs was sunk in. Now it is not. He is feeling so much better and the blood in his stool is getting less and less. Not to mention that his stool is actually taking a shape. It has been straight liquid for some time now.

He also seems to be so much better! We are so super excited and going to fill him full of protein and great food and see if this is the answer.

Please continue to keep him in your prayers. We are not out of the woods yet...but definitely have a new direction to go. Thank you Jesus!

Many thanks go out to all of you who have sent very kind message and are keeping this precious, very sweet, very well behaved and loving young boy in your prayers.

Aloha Friday...Valentines

2010-02-05T08:19:00.000-08:00

It's Aloha Friday over at An Island Life! Answer my question and make sure you post one on your blog! After that, go relax because today is Friday!!

My question for this week is:

What will you get your spouse for Valentine's Day?

We will go to a nice dinner and I will get him a sweet card and his favorite Valentine candy. I have never been very creative with this holiday and am hoping to get ideas from your responses. Please don't forget to comment below...

Happy Friday everyone!

Now go link up at An Island Life...

Friday Follow...Week #4

2010-02-05T08:03:00.000-08:00

We are going strong! Here is the 4th week of Friday Follow. This idea is a fun way to find out about new blogs, find new friends, and grow in followers. Come join the party. We have had a great turnout so far and are finding some wonderful blogs to share.

Welcome to the Friday Follow celebration hosted by One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families and Midday Escapades! We invite you to join us every Friday to get more blog followers and to follow other interesting blogs. It is all about sharing and having fun.

Here's how YOU can join the celebration:

--Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below. Only need to add on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops.

--Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 2 slots. This week Hearts Make Families will not be participating due to technical issues. She will be back next week.

--Follow as many blogs as you'd like.

--Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you're from Friday Follow.

--Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow.

The Blog Hop is the same at each of our three hosts blogs so you do not have to add your blog at each site. Just one - but you can follow each blog. Follow a few or follow them all.

The list is new each week. The links do not carry over. Please link up each week for new participants to find your blogs. The list is only open to add your blog links on Fridays. It will be visible all week to visit the blogs listed.

Please be patient with following or getting followers. With the tremendous response there are a lot to visit. The Mcklinky will stay here so you can visit blogs at your own pace.

Random Tuesday Thoughts...Cleanse, boxers, Valentines

2010-02-02T12:53:00.000-08:00

Wow...Tuesday again already??? Where does the time go?

Today is the 100th day of school for my girls...in 1st grade this means that you have to dress up as a 100 year old person. So yesterday I was on the hunt for really old clothes...oddly everything that is really old is actually coming back in. So it wasn't as easy as I thought...you can see in the picture though that we came up with an adorable outfit. They are gonna be precious old ladies for sure...

I am thinking about doing a cleanse...not sure what one to do though. I have heard how good they are for you. I realize, however, that I will not be able to walk more than 3 steps away from the bathroom. For those of you who already know 2010 is the year for a new bladder for me...you will understand why. My twins took my bladder...or the use of it anyway...when they were born. LOL

So we have a resue boxer named Tyson that we love oh so much! We are trying so hard to help him get well but my husband just found a pile of straight blood in the yard...back to the drawing board. We actually have recently learned that boxers usually 100% of the time have a HUGE allergy to corn and the #1 ingredient in his food is....CORN! So let's try boxer formula food and see how that works.

I am not a big drinker at all. You know though...there are times at night when it just sound like it would take the edge off to have a drink.. and I am actually afraid to have a drink as a mom of 6 year old identical twins, becuase I know that I will never stop! I have great kids but none the less...they are 6 year old twins. :)

Valentines Day...so excited to start the Valentines for the girls' school parties right now...will post pictures when they are done. We are actually going to take a picture of each of my girls holding a sign that they make that says...BE MINE or any of those Valentine sayings and then take it to Staples and have 30 pictures to a sheet made up in color copies so we can cut those out and put them on the Valentines they are giving away. So much fun!

That's it for today...Thompson out!

Don't forget to link up over at The Un Mom!

My boxer rescue...

2010-02-02T11:55:00.000-08:00

On Thursday night of last week, one of my best friends called me to share with me a very sad story about her precious boxer, Tyson. (Boxer on the right) She mentioned that he was very sick and could not put on weight. He is not even 2 years old and should weigh about 80 lbs. and only weighs 45 lbs. She has had every test known to man done on him and he comes out with a clean bill of health each time.

We thought that perhaps it could be something in her yard or her water, there really isn't much more it could be. So Mandy called me because she knows the animal lover that I am and asked if I knew what to do. I said, I would love to have him and try to see if I could help him. You just never know.

So above you can see Tyson on the right. We already have an albino boxer, Martini who is our precious baby! They are new BFFs. You can see in the picture above that Tyson's ribs are showing. He is terribly skinny.

We have started to feed him three to four times a day and have really been watching his stools. So far, he is eating but still really loose stool. We are praying for him, loving him, he has a new best friend and we may very soon resort to making his meals for him.

Any suggestions anyone has would be greatly appreciated. He is one of the sweetest natured boxers you could ever meet. Such a nice boy. We love him and want him to get well...so prayers would be an awesome help as well.

You can see in these pictures that he has obviously made himself at home, considering that we don't let our animals on the furniture and you can see where we found him yesterday evening...on the couch.

Multiples & More Question of the Week...Twins Birth Order

2010-01-31T08:58:00.000-08:00

My friends over at Multiples...and More! are having a Question of the Week for us mothers of multiples.

Describe your childrens' personalities, in birth order. Do you think your kids personalities are related to their birth order?

Baby A is a very sweet, loving, totally organized, just wants everyone to be happy, little girl. Baby B is very strong willed, sweet, loving, wants to help with anything...very kind and giving, not organized at all.
I don't believe birth order has anything to do with the girls' personalities. Also, they don't know who is older...they think they are the same age...CUZ THEY ARE! 2 minutes doesn't constitute "older" in my book.

Is your baby A any bolder or more dominant than B, C, D?

No...it actually the opposite. Baby B is more strong willed which then makes her a little more dominant. However there are times when Baby A is...it actually depends on the week. LOL

Does your last-born reach milestones last as well?

Well, she was the first to walk, the first to lose a tooth. Baby B was the first to whistle, the first to learn to ride her bike (with her sister about 10 minutes behind her).

Are there any characteristics that you feel are somehow related to birth order?

Being that these are my only children, I don't really have anything to compare it to. If the birth order has something to do with Baby A being more organized and more of a planner where Baby B is more fly by the seat of her pants then I guess so. But I won't know until I read others' posts. :)

Do you find that a lot of people like to "classify" your kids? How do you feel about it?

The people that I find do it the most are the ones that don't have multples, aren't multiples and aren't parents to multiples. The ones that do it the most basically have absolutely nothing to back up what they are saying. They do like to find things that make them different, so they say...which one is older? My girls will say neither. It's so funny though, people just want so bad to find something different that they think that's a sure bet. My girls are 2 minutes apart, in my book, that's not older. So my girls don't know that one is older than the other. Just another way to try to compare them. :)

Aloha Friday...Vacations

2010-01-29T08:31:00.000-08:00

Welcome to this week’s edition of Aloha Friday! Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life, I participate in Aloha Friday each Friday!

If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link at An Island Life. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

My question is:

What is your favorite vacation spot and why?

I like Kauai for tropical vacations...it was the most beautiful, non-commercialized island I have ever been to. And as for non-tropical vacations...my favorite would have to be New York. We were there for 8 days and had a blast!

Head on over to Kailani and link up!

What to do...besides eat!

2010-01-28T09:12:00.000-08:00

Some things in life you just have no choice about...one of those is metabolism. When it came to the gene pool, I got the shallow end of the metabolism. With a half brother and sister that are seriously on the verge of unhealthy skinny, it's obvious who hogged the metabolism when it was being handed out. Being the baby...I guess there just wan't any left over. Wonderful...thanks Dad!

So needless to say my life journey has never allowed me to just eat whatever I want without consequences. To be quite honest with you, I can actually gain weight just by looking at a delightful morsel!

Well last year I was really big in to Cardio Kickboxing...and it rocked! OMG...first of all I can't believe I would actually make it through the class alive. Not to mention go back! It was kind of like a disease...you were there and seriously didn't know if you were going to live through it and then at the end you couldn't believe you did it...adrenaline rush! So you couldn't wait to go back.

Well I did lose a lot of weight and was totally tone. I actually found that my arms really can have a definition line. I had a muscle and I'm not even kidding.

Then around the summer of last year I started to slack off...however I ate what ever I wanted. Don't ask me how I was adding this all up in my head to be remotely ok. Well some...not all...but most of the weight is back. So here I sit at the drawing board again.

I know what motivates me and that's competition...so I called one of my close friends and business partners...Blake. I said, "I challenge you"...and he was all ears because...shocking...competition is what motivates him too!

So here is the competition...starting on February 1st, we are going to see who can lose the most weight in 2 months...by April 1st. (The last time I did a competition like this I lost 45 lbs in 5 months.) I am so excited...any of you that would like to join in on the competition, please let me know and I will add you to it.

I will be blogging the progress...

So here's how I am going to start. I have already gotten a gym membership, so I start on Monday. Also, I will be eating no carbs...at least for the first two weeks and then I will allow a small amount of carbs in to my life style. Also, I am going to do a cleanse. I have always wanted to do one and will be blogging about that...not the "outcome" if you will, but the process. LOL

I will announce when we start and maybe we will even post pictures...before and after. That would be very scary in the beggining...but worth it by the end.

Have a great day guys...because I only have a couple of days left, I'm off to Chinese food with the church. LOL

Multiples & More Question of the Week...how did I name my girls?

2010-01-24T08:33:00.000-08:00

My friends over at Multiples...and More! are having a Question of the Week for us mothers of multiples.

The question was...

How did you choose your multiples' names?

It's kind of a funny story...when we found out we were having identical twins we didn't know what their sex was. So we had names for either boys or girls...for boys they were going to be Tanner and Tracyn and for girls they would have been Taylor and Tori.

After we got the ultrasound that told us we were having GIRLS...we were so excited. When I got home from the doctor that day, there was a message on my answering machine that said, "Hi Taylor and Tori's mom." and it was at that moment that I realized I didn't like those names. So we were on the search again...

We finally settled on Emilie and Erynn (of course they were spelled different because my name is Kandi and I like that my name is spelled different.)

As for middle names...I really wanted them named after Adam and myself. His middle name is Joseph and mine is Darlene so we were going to name them, Emilie Jo and Erynn Darlene. But then I didn't like that fact that one would be after him and one after me...I wanted them both after both of us.

So I started to figure out how to make a name out of our first names...but with Adam and Kandi...there weren't a lot of options. I then started playing with our middle names and got it...we took the "Jo" out of Joseph and the "lene" out of Darlene and named both of their middle names Jolene!

Emilie Jolene and Erynn Jolene! And I am so satisfied with that!

As for how we were going to name them when they were born...the first one out was going to be Emilie...that's how she got her name.

To read about more multiples name combos...head on over to Multiples and More.

Friday Follow...A celebration of followers

2010-01-22T07:20:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the second Friday Follow celebration hosted by One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families and Midday Escapades! We invite you to join us every Friday to get more blog followers and to follow other interesting blogs. It is all about sharing and having fun.

Here's how YOU can join the celebration:

•* Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky at one of the blogs above. Only need to add to one blog linky.

•* Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots.

•* Follow as many blogs as you like

•* Comment on the blogs telling them you're from Friday Follow

•* Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow

The Blog Hop is the same at each of our three host blogs so you do not have to add yours at each site linky. Just one - but you can follow each host blog.

***I just linked up and think you should too! It's easy and fun!

Happy Friday!

Aloha Friday...

2010-01-22T00:16:00.000-08:00

This week's questions is:

What book are you reading right now?

I decided to change my question this morning...so you will see some answers to my last question (What is the best blogger advice you have been given) but I liked this question better. Thanks for bearing with me! :)

I am currently reading the Jim Rohn book, "The Five Majore Pieces to the Life Puzzle". It's amazing! If you are in a place in your life that you are looking to grow, change, re-evaluate...this is the book for you. It's amazing, very small and you will definitely relate to it!

To get more Aloha Friday...head on over to An Island Life!

A bomb at school...

2010-01-21T08:43:00.000-08:00

A mom can truly never rest...the girls and I went through our normal routine today and were off to school. They looked adorable as usual, but then I am pretty partial.

Every morning I walk the girls up instead of kicking them out on the curbside...they are only in 1st grade.

This morning, however when I was walking Erynn to her class...one of the little boys came walking up and talking to me. They all know me because I volunteer in each of the girls' classes once a week. He said..

"I have a bomb in my pocket." as he is wearing one of those big black, long coats. It was obvious that there was a large bulk in one of his pockets and not the other.

I said to him, "You can't say things like that. If you say things like that, the cops will come and you will be sent to the office. That's pretty serious." His eyes got big and that was that. I mentioned it to the teacher before leaving to make sure that he talked to him about saying things like that at school.

You would think that it would be all over with, however as I was driving away from the school I thought to myself, what if he really did have some sort of a bomb in his pocket and is in the classroom with my daughter. Of course you want to give him the benefit of the doubt that he is kidding, but what if?

I drove away and thought I wonder if at any time during these school shootings or bombings...did the perpetrator jokingly say something to the kids..." I have a gun in my pocket" and they just brush it off not believing him. These are the kind of things that are going through my mind.

So now I sit at home still wondering if I should call the teacher, just to confirm for my mom heart that the big bulky thing that was very obviously sticking out of his pocket was not a bomb.

What to do?...how sad that this is my worry today.

Commonly Asked Twin Questions...

2010-01-19T15:54:00.000-08:00

I got this idea from Simply Blessed with Chaos...to answer commonly asked twin questions...so here goes:

1. Do they have a special 'twin' language?

A: My girls never really had "a language" if you will, except for one time...I was washing dishes and they were in their high chair behind me and I used to repeat what they said so they knew I was listening...they were 17 months old and I repeated what they said but actually had no idea what I was saying. I turned around and looked at them and they looked at me like...are you stupid? I actually felt stupid oddly enough and they went on to continue talking to themselves. That was the only time I noticed it and it only lasted for a month or so.

2. Does one cry when the other gets hurt?

A: No...although there was a time when one of them was throwing up and the other was complaining of the stomach pains. Also, there was a time when one of them had hurt their arm and the other complained of the pain.

3. Do the girls share a room/crib/bed?
A: They do share a room. When we first brought them home they were in the same crib until they were 8 months old and that separation was harder on me than on them. LOL When they were 5 years old we gave them their own room and for the first two nights they loved it, then they wanted their room back together. They didn't like being apart, so we put them back together and made the other room a play room. They loved that.

4. Can I tell them apart?

A: Usually identical twins do not look anything alike to the mom! There are many moms that think their twins are not identical because she doesn't think they look alike, however that is a mother nature thing.

5. Why do you or don't you dress them alike?

A: I used to dress them alike because it was just easier to pick out one outfit and buy it or pick out one outfit and they both wore it. Anytime we received gifts, they were always matching and I loved it. As they have gotten older they still dress exactly alike most of the time and others will think that I do it. This time I have nothing to do with it. They enjoy dressing alike and will tell that themselves. Which if you think about it, they were one egg...of course they are going to have a lot of similarities and likes and dislikes that are the same.

6. Which one is older?

A: It is so funny to me that people will automatically try to find something different with the girls. When they can't they will ask...which one is older? My girls don't know that one of them is older than the other. Why create a problem, right? And honestly, 2 minutes to me is not considered "older". So when they ask them, who is older...they will say, neither, we are the same age. It sometimes makes me a bit crazy sometimes when they are so determined to find something different. I always talk to my girls about it though and we laugh.

7. Lastly...I will share with you all the funny ~~stupid~~ things that people say and think they are original...like:
Double trouble; Boy you got your hands full; The doublemint twins; Better you than me (and I totally agree); Are they twins?; and many more but that's just a handful of what I can remember.

If you're a multiple mom out there please send me a message with the most annoying thing that you hear from other people...you know just for the fun of it. :)

If anyone has any other questions...just ask! It's actually kind of fun!

How do you tell the kids what the dogs are doing????

2010-01-18T21:44:00.000-08:00

We recently decided that we are going to breed our Albino Boxer, Martini. She is almost 2 years old and is now in her second heat.

The whole heat thing was something that we had to learn how to handle ~~slightly a nightmare~~...I looked online and found that if you have boxers with a stub for a tail, you can actually use Luvs size 6 diapers and they leave them alone. You are never going to believe it...IT WORKS!! It is friggin hilarious and every time I laugh I have to make sure she doesn't think it's at her...check out these pictures you guys...it's off the hook funny! I actually give her a cookie every time she lets me put one on so she thinks its a really good thing!

So like that wasn't enough...we found a stud and had them bring the dog over and were gonna leave him for the night so they could "mate". Earlier that day my husband looked at my puppy (she's really not a puppy but we love her so much and she is such our baby that we still call her our puppy)...he said to her, "Well Martini, I guess you're gonna get laid." I was SO offended, I could not believe he would talk to our baby girl that way. How inconsiderate! Talking to her like she was a piece of meat!

I thought this whole "breeding" thing was going to be fine...I figured we would put them in the garage for the night and my girls would never know anything. They were a little confused as to why the "boy dog" had to come over...they thought he was going to be able to tell us if Martini was pregnant or not. I just really wasn't ready to have the "birds and the bees" talk with my girls at 6 years old girls, if ya know what I mean.

So the boy dog gets here, his name is Boots, and all of a sudden he is "hugging" our puppy! My girls said mom what is he doing...I turned around and said..."oh, for heavens sake, he is already hugging her he is so excited to see her...get in the house NOW girls!"

I was sweating bullets!

I can honestly tell you that I actually felt a little guilty and still do. Our dog Martini is our baby and I just pimped her out. Oh, it kind of makes me a little sick to even say that!

We have researched the whole breeding thing and found out how it works...when he actually does his "deed" in her...they are stuck together. I truly wish I was kidding! What have we got ourselves in to???

Well, we believe that the "deed" was done and we are now waiting a couple of weeks to find out if she is pregnant. I will call the vet tomorrow and find out...but seriously, can't you just use a normal pregnancy test and have her pee on it. How much different could it really be? Totally kidding!

Anyway, we were reading other things that I am so excited about...the full term of her pregnancy will be about 63 days and when she is getting close we will know because she will continue to look at her butt in a confused ~~what the hell is going on~~ manner...LMAO.

Then when the babies are born, we get to help her by ripping the sacs open and cutting the umbillical cord...for those of you who don't know, I was a pre-med major when I started school. I CAN'T wait for this part!

I will be blogging the whole journey so stay tuned....for rest of the story.

Good night!

I have added this to the memes True Story Tuesday and Tuesday Toot at Mommy Community...to read more True Stories or other toots...hop on over to Once Upon a Miracle and Tuesday Toot Meme.

Parents for Sale on Craigslist...

2010-01-18T21:11:00.000-08:00

Parents For Sale - $155

“Got lots of use out of these guys over the past 50 years but it’s time to move on. Excellent overall condition. Still plenty of life left in them.”

I have recently learned how many people don't actually use Craigslist and I thought I would share with you what an awesome site it is for buying and selling...not necessarily your loved ones...unless that works for you. LOL

There are many times that I am looking for something to buy and just can't find the right thing for the right price...I always check Craigslist.com first and can find outstanding deals. For example, we have recently bought a new house that has a full bar, we found the coolest four, kind of funky, bar stools with backs that fit perfect...that were just recently reupholstered with the best material. They are like brand new...4 of them for $35.

We were selling our old house and moving in to our new house and the appliances in our new house were black, whereas in our old house they were white. So we put our refrigerator on Craigslist and were able to have a response, seriously within about 15 minutes of posting it. Not only did we sell our refrigerator but we sold the matching dishwasher also. I had no idea how much to charge for the two of them cuz I'm not good in that arena and they offered $700 for both. That is about $200 more than my husband and I would have asked. In addition, we sold the kitchen table and chairs, the trampoline, etc.

Our new house is on a hillside so there is not level ground for our playstructure that we bought from Costco...you know the one, the big huge wooden one that's awesome! We paid $1500 for it 3 years ago and my little girls were 3 years old playing on it...so needless to say, very little use. We put it on Craigslist for $750 and sold it...the best part is that they come to get it, pick it up, pay cash and all you have to do is post it.

We then wanted to look on Craigslist.com for a new refrigerator before we went to the store...we found a guy who had lived in his house less than 2 years and was having to short sell it. He was selling all of his applicances...we couldn't have hand picked the more perfect refrigerator for our new house. It was the top of the line...couple thousand dollar refrigerator...he was asking $500. We went that day and picked it up and are blown away with the deals that you can sell and buy on Craigslist.

As you saw at the beginning of this blog...some people have actually put their parents for sale on Craigslist...for $155. Go figure.

The one warning I have for you is that there are a number of people that will send messages about your ads that aren't legitimate. Make sure you don't check or even respond to any of the ones that you receive over night...those are from different countries and scams. And don't EVER accept a deal where they are saying that they live over seas and are having to send you a money order with more money on the money order than what you are asking...and they say that extra money is for shipping. They ask that you could just give the additional amount in the form of a cashiers check to the gentleman coming to pick up the items to cover shipping with that money...TOTAL SCAM!! Don't even respond!

Accept Cash...no if ands or buts about it!! CASH OR NO DEAL! And I would not even respond to anyone that says anything that doens't seem quite right. You will see the area where the people are from that are interested and if you don't recognize it, don't respond. I know this seems scary...but it really is very easy and kind of fun.

I actually found myself looking around my house for more things to sell just because it was fun! Thankfully my husband wasn't on the list that time...

Peace out!

Makes My Monday

2010-01-18T08:14:00.000-08:00

My girls and our precious dog Martini being lazy on a Sunday! I love this picture so much...it's makes not only my Monday but my whole week.

To Make Your Monday...hop on over to Twinfatuation and link up!

Monday Mayehm...what would you do?

2010-01-17T18:20:00.000-08:00

It's time to play Monday Mayhem, where no two Mondays are the same.

Today's meme is the scenario meme. For each prompt, simply write your best answer.

1. You see a strange car pull up to your neighbor's house every day at lunch time. You accidental glance into the window of the house and notice that your 'happily married neighbor' is fooling around! What do you do?

Hope they are making it worth it...i guess. None of my business...wouldn't get involved. Except for buying a telescope...totally kidding. :)

2. You are at the mall and a mom with really annoying screaming little kids is walking in front of you. She goes to give her kids a quarter for the giant gum ball machine and she accidentally drops a $10 bill and doesn't realize it. What do you do?

I would either tell her or pick it up and give it back to her...now if she was being mean to the kids, that's a whole other ball game.

3. You get an email from a candy company telling you that they will send you 6 pounds of delicious chocolate if you blog about their product. When you get the product and try it you realize that it is the worst chocolate that you have ever tasted. What do you do?

There would probably be a reason they were sending me so much in the first place...I would contact them, let them know my feelings and ask what they wanted me to do. Or I would re-gift it to my in-laws....lol

4. Texting while driving is one of the most dangerous and annoying things someone could do. Yet, what would you do if you were driving and listening to the radio when the announcer says that he will give $10,000 to the first person with your name that texts a message to him?

Being that my name is Kandi...I would have to go ahead and do it cuz what are the odds that someone else out there named Kandi was listening. I can't stand when people text and drive so if I was at a stop siglight when I heard it on the radio, I would do it right there. Otherwise, pull over and take care of that.

5. You've been invited to your boss's house for a dinner party. It's dark out and there is poor lighting when you get there. As soon as you get inside you realize that you have stepped in dog poop and you have tracked into your boss's house. What do you do?

Being that I am my own boss...I will have to think about my previous boss. I would have laughed, put my shoes outside and done my best to find the carpet cleaner so that it doesn't ruin the party with the smell.

6. You are at a restaurant waiting for your food to arrive. You've waited nearly 30 minutes since the moment you placed your order when your food finally shows up. There is a hair on the top of the food. Do you send it back and wait another 30 minutes or do you deal?

It depends on if we were with a large group or by ourselves. With a large group I would have sent it back and asked for my food within the next couple of minutes. Having worked in a restaurant, I know how quick they can pull food out when need be regardless of how busy they are. If I was by myself, we would have explained to them what happened and left.

7. If you had the power to do so, what would be the one question that you would like to ask anyone who reads this?

You're are at a your Christmas party of a very elite company. I mean they are dressed in ball gowns and most of them are wasted. One of the "big wigs" wife has her dress tucked in to her panty hose in the back and she is really cutting a rug on the dance floor with all of the other big wigs' wives. What do you do?

To get more answers to these questions...hop on over to I am Harriet and link up!

I wrote my own obituary...

2010-01-17T09:18:00.000-08:00

Yes, you read it right. I have been blessed to have learned about an 8 week course done by the publisher of Success Magazine, Mr. Darren Hardy. It's called Designing The Best Ten Years of Your Life...and part of this last weeks session was to write your own obituary.

First there was a series of questions that you had to answer assuming you were just told you had 24 hours to live. And he encourages everyone to Play Full Out, meaning really get in to the roll to answer these questions. Then the next exercise was to write your own obituary. A little strange I might add but definitely eye opening...what would you be remembered for?

My sister called me right after I started writing it and as the usual conversation starts, "Hey what are you doing?", I said do you really want to know and she said yes. I told her what I was doing and she almost dropped the phone. She said, "You're kidding right?" I had tried to tell her about the course because I know it would greatly benefit anyone who goes through the entire course, but she was too busy to listen and said she had to call me back. So she was blown away by what I was doing. I said, let me read you the first sentence that I just wrote..."Today we are sad to have to lay to rest a beloved mother..." and that was all I had by the time I was talking to her. She was so grossed out.

Isn't it funny that people are so disturbed by thinking about what their own obituary would say. It actually proved to be a very good exercise. When you can't think of anything important to write about yourself that you have done, you should be thankful that you actually are alive and able to change the course of your life.

What if you died today? I know a little morbid, but think about it, what would those that loved you write on your obituary? Is that what you would hope to be remembered for? If not, change the course of your life...change the course of your next ten years and get started on this awesome FREE course through SUCCESS Magazine. All you do is subscribe by putting your email in the top right hand side of the screen. Then on Tuesdays and Thursdays there will be new installments. All of the documents, training, video messages that you need, he will provide, FOR FREE! Understand this course usually costs people around $5000 each.

You will log in to http://darrenhardy.success.com/ on Tuesdays and Thursdays and you will receive an email in the evening of those days with the documents that you need to fill out. He will give you all the ones that you have missed so you can start from the beginning. But once this course is over, the forms will no longer be available.

Take hold of the next 10 years of your life and be a part of this amazing opportunity to Design the Next 10 Years of Your Life!

I am a featured blogger...check it out!

2010-01-17T08:06:00.000-08:00

Jerrica over at Something to Talk About has started a new meme every Sunday called "No Stranger Sunday"...each week she interviews and features a blogger to help others get to know each other better...hence the name "No Stranger".

This week I am proud to be the featured blogger...please click on the above "No Stranger Sunday" link and don't forget to leave a comment.

If you would like to be featured on this meme, leave Jerrica a comment with your email address included and she will get back to you.

God bless you all and Happy Sunday!