Well, friends I had such high hopes of posting frequently throughout the twins first couple of years. I wanted to write down every precious moment so I could share and savor them for a lifetime.
Well, as you can see that didn't happen. ha! Not even close.
Those sweet little ones are now two and I cannot even remember what we did yesterday let alone a year ago! I can however tell you how today went.
I woke up sluggish as usual, but this morning I had a good reason for it. Remington has had a fever the last day or two and has been sleeping with us (read: flopping around in our bed all night long). Anyway, at some point I pull myself out of bed after Sean leaves for work, I think. Well, honestly I cannot remember exactly how this morning went, maybe I am blocking it out!
Anyway, I do however recall the highlights...
twins dumped smell good gel beads ALL over my bedroom floor
twins open and pour out expensive face lotion on my bedroom floor and their bedroom floor
Remington drinks more than half a bottle (2 fl oz) of liquid garlic
Where was there mother you ask?
I don't know! I can't recall. Probably cooking breakfast, my children do eat like starving wild animals after all... devouring most everything set before them and demanding more within seconds of inhaling their last plate full of food.
SO... I called for backup. I emergency text my sitter/helper and she came over within the hour! How WONDERFUL to have help! Thankfully, she came and helped set our crazy morning back on track. THANK YOU BRIANNA!!
Hopefully, this won't be my lone post for the year, but the way this year has gone with all the sickness I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for my next post... I know you are on the edge of your seat waiting to hear how tomorrow morning will go!
Monday, April 8, 2013
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
our solar eclipe sunday
We had a lovely Sunday. I took the big boys to church and daddy stayed home with the twins. My, it was wonderfully EASY with just two boys!
Then we enjoyed the solar eclipse from our backyard. I loved it and so did daddy and the boys! Here are a few photos from our afternoon.
Then we enjoyed the solar eclipse from our backyard. I loved it and so did daddy and the boys! Here are a few photos from our afternoon.
Friday, February 10, 2012
sleepless nights to sleeping nights?
Well, it seems that the babies are finally sleeping through the night! We do on occasion get up with a baby, but he is easily soothed by daddy and back to bed before he knows it. The sleep is wonderful!
I only have about TWO YEARS of sleep to catch up on now! As you know, when I found out we were expecting twins I was terrified and stopped sleeping. And of course Sean was deployed so there was no one to pick up the slack. Yikes! When they were born I was getting up 6-8 times a night or more depending on if they both awoke at the same time... Yes, those were sleepless nights, but so very worth it. My life is filled with so much joy.
As I am typing they are supposed to be napping, but I here giggles coming from their room. They are having too much fun to sleep! Sweet boys.
I have never been filled with so much love.... or more exhausted! Thankfully, rest seems to be on its way! Love that they are sleeping nights!
I only have about TWO YEARS of sleep to catch up on now! As you know, when I found out we were expecting twins I was terrified and stopped sleeping. And of course Sean was deployed so there was no one to pick up the slack. Yikes! When they were born I was getting up 6-8 times a night or more depending on if they both awoke at the same time... Yes, those were sleepless nights, but so very worth it. My life is filled with so much joy.
As I am typing they are supposed to be napping, but I here giggles coming from their room. They are having too much fun to sleep! Sweet boys.
I have never been filled with so much love.... or more exhausted! Thankfully, rest seems to be on its way! Love that they are sleeping nights!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
The Twin's 1st Birthday PARTY
We celebrated the twin's birthday on New Year's Day, while we were visiting my hometown for the Holidays. This was our first time spending Christmas with my family in SEVEN years! You know how it works with the military, so this was a real treat to be able to spend this very special time with our family.
Being surrounded by family and friends was wonderful. So often we spend special occasions on our own that this moment was extra special. I loved that the babies were FINALLY able to meet their family and were showered with so much love.
I grew up with a large extended family with lots of grandparents, uncles & aunts and cousins galore to help celebrate. Seeing my children playing with their cousins was bittersweet. I LOVED that they were getting to spend time with them, but it was sad knowing we would be leaving soon and they will miss out on so much time with their family. My children are growing up very different than I. Thankfully, at this young age they do not seem to realize what they are missing!
Happy Birthday Finnian & Remington!
We love you so much!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
gluten-free survival guide 101
I have had several folks ask me about eating gluten free, so I thought I would share a bit of the basics that I have learned over the past couple of years.
First you have to figure out what you CANNOT eat and then go from there. To play it safe in the beginning I cut out ALL processed foods. Once I figured out what I could not eat I began adding safe foods back to my diet.
For a complete list of unsafe foods click here, just print this list and post it on the frig for a quick reference. It is just over 4 pages of delightful reading... uhm... Obviously, we cannot have Wheat, Barely, Rye & Oats. In addition to the basics gluten MAY be hidden in artificial color, natural flavoring & soy sauce just to name a few... basically all processed foods. Again, please see the forbidden list for all the details.
What does this mean for you?
Whether you want to or not you will be eating healthier from now on! And, you will be much happier. YAY for energy!
The first survival food we will be discussing is the Chocolate Chip Cookie.
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
I like Alton Brown's Chocolate Chip recipe called The Chewy Gluten Free. I have made it several times and my entire family really enjoys these gooey cookies. (You may have to hide them, like me, or they disappear quick and in a hurry!) The first time I made them I followed the recipe and of course they were fabulous and they second time I used my AP Mix instead of his flours and it was even better, according to my husband. He told me he thinks they may be his all time favorite cookie!
Here is what I did- Instead of measuring out the brown rice flour, cornstarch and tapioca flour I used approximately 2 1/4 cups of MY AP Mix. (I would NOT use a store bought mix, they are just too grainy in my opinion, I would just follow his recipe in that case) Oh, nor do I roll mine into balls- too much work for this momma. After I refrigerate the dough I use a spoon and drop them onto the parchment paper and they still look beautiful. With my oven, I baked them for 5 minutes rotated them as the recipe instructed and then baked for another 5 minutes (my cookies were fairly large). Happy baking!
Note: Be sure to store all of your flour in the refrigerator as it can spoil.
BREADS
Pre-Celiac diagnosis I ate whole wheat bread, not really because I enjoyed it, but because it was the healthy option. Once I was diagnosed I just did without for almost a year. I had tried some GF bread and of course it tasted like cardboard even after toasting so I gave up on it. Then I stumbled across the Udi's brand. I totally LOVE it. In fact I PREFER it to my glutinous whole wheat bread! In my opinion it doesn't even need to be toasted. Yes, it is expensive. Yes, it is a tiny little loaf. Yes, it is WORTH EVERY PENNY! I usually buy mine from Whole Foods, but Raley's also carries it. Whole Foods is an expensive place, but I have noticed they still seem to have the best prices on GF foods so go stock up!
In addition to bread Udi's has pizza crust, bagels & muffins that I buy a little too regularly! I am in LOVE with their Double Chocolate & Blueberry Muffins. Go buy them, enjoy and then come tell me how right I am! ha!
COOKING
The thing about eating GF is baking & cooking can turn complex fairly quickly or at least tedious for sure! This momma cannot do tedious, time consuming meals. Some days I am happy to just get chicken nuggets heated through in the microwave for my kiddos! This is why Everyday Food is my "go to" place for recipes. As I have mentioned before their recipes are simple, easy & tasty. This is NOT a gluten free website, but the recipes I have looked at do not require processed foods, which may contain gluten. When they do call for something that does contain gluten like this YUMMY Honey-Teriyaki Chicken recipe. It is an easy substitution. I use gluten-free Tamari instead of regular soy sauce and the entire family is happy!
Well, that is all I have for today. Hopefully, this has been helpful & you can make it on these "survival foods" until the next post!
Happy Eating!
First you have to figure out what you CANNOT eat and then go from there. To play it safe in the beginning I cut out ALL processed foods. Once I figured out what I could not eat I began adding safe foods back to my diet.
For a complete list of unsafe foods click here, just print this list and post it on the frig for a quick reference. It is just over 4 pages of delightful reading... uhm... Obviously, we cannot have Wheat, Barely, Rye & Oats. In addition to the basics gluten MAY be hidden in artificial color, natural flavoring & soy sauce just to name a few... basically all processed foods. Again, please see the forbidden list for all the details.
What does this mean for you?
Whether you want to or not you will be eating healthier from now on! And, you will be much happier. YAY for energy!
The first survival food we will be discussing is the Chocolate Chip Cookie.
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
I like Alton Brown's Chocolate Chip recipe called The Chewy Gluten Free. I have made it several times and my entire family really enjoys these gooey cookies. (You may have to hide them, like me, or they disappear quick and in a hurry!) The first time I made them I followed the recipe and of course they were fabulous and they second time I used my AP Mix instead of his flours and it was even better, according to my husband. He told me he thinks they may be his all time favorite cookie!
Here is what I did- Instead of measuring out the brown rice flour, cornstarch and tapioca flour I used approximately 2 1/4 cups of MY AP Mix. (I would NOT use a store bought mix, they are just too grainy in my opinion, I would just follow his recipe in that case) Oh, nor do I roll mine into balls- too much work for this momma. After I refrigerate the dough I use a spoon and drop them onto the parchment paper and they still look beautiful. With my oven, I baked them for 5 minutes rotated them as the recipe instructed and then baked for another 5 minutes (my cookies were fairly large). Happy baking!
Note: Be sure to store all of your flour in the refrigerator as it can spoil.
BREADS
Pre-Celiac diagnosis I ate whole wheat bread, not really because I enjoyed it, but because it was the healthy option. Once I was diagnosed I just did without for almost a year. I had tried some GF bread and of course it tasted like cardboard even after toasting so I gave up on it. Then I stumbled across the Udi's brand. I totally LOVE it. In fact I PREFER it to my glutinous whole wheat bread! In my opinion it doesn't even need to be toasted. Yes, it is expensive. Yes, it is a tiny little loaf. Yes, it is WORTH EVERY PENNY! I usually buy mine from Whole Foods, but Raley's also carries it. Whole Foods is an expensive place, but I have noticed they still seem to have the best prices on GF foods so go stock up!
In addition to bread Udi's has pizza crust, bagels & muffins that I buy a little too regularly! I am in LOVE with their Double Chocolate & Blueberry Muffins. Go buy them, enjoy and then come tell me how right I am! ha!
COOKING
The thing about eating GF is baking & cooking can turn complex fairly quickly or at least tedious for sure! This momma cannot do tedious, time consuming meals. Some days I am happy to just get chicken nuggets heated through in the microwave for my kiddos! This is why Everyday Food is my "go to" place for recipes. As I have mentioned before their recipes are simple, easy & tasty. This is NOT a gluten free website, but the recipes I have looked at do not require processed foods, which may contain gluten. When they do call for something that does contain gluten like this YUMMY Honey-Teriyaki Chicken recipe. It is an easy substitution. I use gluten-free Tamari instead of regular soy sauce and the entire family is happy!
Well, that is all I have for today. Hopefully, this has been helpful & you can make it on these "survival foods" until the next post!
Happy Eating!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
chasing the wind
My big boys are outside chasing the wind right now and of course having a fabulous time! We are having the most beautiful day here in sunny California. I may even bundle up the babies for a stroll this afternoon. Although, there won't be much bundling required since it is 61 degrees here with a high of 66. It will be so nice to be outside.
I am very much missing my blogging world, but home life has required all of my energy.
Hoping to be on again very soon.... there is so much to say. Life has been such a roller coaster lately... praising the Lord still.
Thank you Jesus for my beautiful family and home!
I am very much missing my blogging world, but home life has required all of my energy.
Hoping to be on again very soon.... there is so much to say. Life has been such a roller coaster lately... praising the Lord still.
Thank you Jesus for my beautiful family and home!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Our Classical Conversations
Here is a quick glimpse into our Classical Conversations classroom. In these pictures we are studying abstract art, doing a science experiment and learning Latin. We have thoroughly enjoyed learning with other students and parents.
Of course building friendships has been wonderful too!
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