Aloha Friday...

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!

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...

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

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...

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

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...

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.

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

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...

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...

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...

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...

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!