10 Things to Love About Summer

The weather's heating up, and I'm remembering all the glorious things to love about summer. There's really way more than 10!

1. Dining outside.

2. Pedicured toes.

3. Wearing shoes that show off pedicured toes.

4. Cool drinks.

5. Sunflowers.

6. Is there anything cuter than babes in sunhats, sundresses and rompers?!

7. Food fresh off the grill.

8. Hangin out outside.

9. Sunshine that feels like a big, warm hug.

10. Watching our garden bloom and grow.

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What do you love best about summer?

10 Things I've Learned About Toddlers (So Far)

1. Food tastes better when it's attached to a spoon or fork.

2. Toddlers want to do it themselves. That makes the food taste even better. 

3. Toddlers fall down. A lot. It's okay; don't freak out, even though you want to. Most of the time they just shake it off, but they will cry if they see that you're upset. Use your best p-p-p-p-poker face.

4. Toddlers will get lots of unexplainable scrapes and bruises (see #3).

5. Toddlers like to help pick up (and sometimes they even clean). "Go pick up the yellow stacking cup," or "What else belongs in this bag?" They're smart little whips---my girls get so excited when they figure out what toy I'm referring to, and quickly toddle over. My girls actually race to see who can pick up the toy first. I know, I'm milking this one for all it's worth!

Here is a picture of Hadley wiping down a board book with a dryer sheet, actually. I think she's seen me sterilize every page of every board book with antibacterial wipes a few too many times. Whatever. I'll take it!

6. Toddlers love, love, love to go outside. It's a great way for them to burn off energy!

7. Toddlers need baths more frequently. See #2 and #6.

8. Don't underestimate your toddler. Here's my husband's facebook status the other night:

Apparently Hadley did not like us using Eucerin on her dry skin. I found the jar of it floating in the toilet...with the toilet lid down...and the child proof safety latch in the locked position. She's good. Maybe too good.

9. Toddlers love to be praised! Everyone wants to hear that they're doing a good job. Praise a toddler, and you'll get more of a good thing. When we go outside, the rule is that the girls must hold my hand. Hadley likes to let go and venture off on her own. The other night when she was about to let go, I told her what a great job she was doing of holding my hand. You know what? She smiled at me and tightened her grip.

10. Jedi mind tricks work on your toddler.  If one of the girls is doing what they are supposed to, I heap on the praise. The other twin quickly follows suit (see #9).

Ten Kitchen Tricks on Tuesday

1. Juicing a Lemon/Lime. Put the lemon in the microwave for 30 seconds. You'll get more juice out of it if it's heated up a bit.



2. Grating Cheese. Put the cheese and the grater in the freezer for 10 minutes before grating. This prevents the cheese from sticking to the grater.



3. Measuring sticky stuff. Before putting peanut butter, honey, corn syrup or molasses into a measuring cup/spoon, spray it with cooking spray. The contents of the measuring cup all slide right out.



4. Hard brown sugar. Instead of throwing it away, put a piece of bread in the bag. The sugar will absorb the dampness in the bread, and soften.



5. Calcium deposits in teapot. When you see calcium deposits floating in your teapot, pour in vinegar, bring to a boil, let it cool and soak. After a few hours, pour out and rinse.



6. Peeling peaches/nectarines/plums. Cut an X in the fruit then put them in boiling water for about 45 seconds (maybe a few seconds longer for firmer fruit). Then remove and put them in ice water. The skin peels right off. It's quick and easy!



7. Measuring herbs. If the recipe calls for fresh herbs, and all you have is dried, use half the amount it calls for. Contrarily, if you have fresh herbs, and the recipe calls for dried, use twice as much.



8. Separating coffee filters. Instead of fumbling with the coffee filters to get one separated out to make your early morning cup of joe, gently blow air onto them. It's silly, but they separate really easily that way.



9. Peeling garlic. Microwave garlic cloves for 15 seconds, and the peel slips right off.



10. Hard cheese. To prevent cheese from getting hard and crusty at the ends, rub a little bit of butter the exposed end.



Let's hear it! What are your kitchen tips?

Ten Scary Things on Tuesday

So, I was going to avoid talking about all things hand-sanitizer, in order to prevent inciting another chemist to saying mean and nasty things, but forget you chemists with your "anti-hand sanitizer" platform. I would be remiss if I did not include in my top 10 list of fears:

1. Germs, which leads to:

2. Sick babies.

3. Running out of hand-sanitizer. Just kidding. I'm don't rely on it that much. Just messing with you chemists out there.

4. Showering when Brad is not home. Showering is a very vulnerable thing to do, really. When I hear little noises, I'm always peeking out from the shower curtain. I curse the day I watched Psycho. It has forever dampened my showering experience:

5. Snakes. One of my first memories involves me sitting on the toilet in the bathroom by myself, and a snake coming out from behind the sink. Maybe that clears some things up for you.

photo credit

6. Brown Recluse spiders. Their bites can do all kinds of bad--and they can be hiding in the most obscure spot, like under a rock. Gardening gloves, gardening gloves, people! 

photo credit

7. Heights make my palms sweat.

8. Burns. I threw water on burning butter once in high school. Don't ever do that, it hurts.

9. Getting hurt and not being able to get to the girls or a phone. Maybe I should get one of those Life Alert, I've fallen and I can't get up, things--that might make me their youngest client.

10. Cramped spaces. I didn't realize this one until I was in a very small plane in Costa Rica, where I could not straiten my legs, not even a little bit, the entire flight. I had to work hard not to scream in frustration.

What rational, or irrational things are you scared of?

We Can Do Hard Things on Tuesdays

1. I started using BabyGanics foaming hand sanitizer on the girls when we're at home. I love that stuff--it dries quickly, contains no alcohol, it has no scent and is all natural. Hadley LOVES putting it on her hands. She will walk up to the table where we keep it, and reach up while rubbing her hands together to ask for some.

2. I take full responsibility for creating Hadley's love of hand sanitizer, and I'll admit---it makes this mama happy. Some people see swings and shopping carts I see ugly germs--green with big teeth like the Mucinex guy.


3. This particular Mucinex guy is not very scary, but he and his cough-inducing pals terrify me. Two sick toddlers babies = my nightmare!

4. Speaking of germs, these Touchy Tags were featured on Multiples and More. Aren't these awesome!? Fasten them on carseats and slings--what a great way to kindly ask people to keep their paws (and germs) off your baby! Wouldn't they make a great shower gift?

 

5. How am I just now discovering Adele? Just like Ebay and duck tape, I'm a little behind. Mmmm--she is soulful, and just good. If you don't know who she is, you should.

6. I'm all about mantras. I need them--especially when things are difficult. This is my new mantra. I got it from Glennon. I say it to Brynne and Hadley all the time. It's a good mantra for the whole family. It pretty much sums up raising twins.


7. The sign above--LOVE it! I pretty much love all things Barn Owl Primitives.

8. I don't know who said the following. I wrote it down in my journal in college. If it was shorter it might be one of my mantras too.

A tree doesn't ponder why it grows a gnarled branch, a dog why one ear flops half-mast, or a clover why it sprouts three leaves, not four.

What is broken mends; what is stretched to the limit, strengthens. That which is flawed glows with certain beauty.

9. "Life must be aromatic." ~Gwendolyn Brooks.

I think she must have written that in the spring.

10. I am off to plant some zinnia seeds in my garden. Zinnias make me happy.

 

 

Ten on Tuesday

1. Mamas (or soon to be mamas), you've gotta check out the Daily Peppermint. It's the genius idea created by Andrea. Every day, one short, useful tip will show up in your email inbox. It's short, it's sweet---perfect for busy moms! I'm flattered that Andrea asked me to be a contributor. If you've got a tip, there's a spot to add it on the site.

2. I'm not about to start a debate on nurture vs. nature, but I will say this: I don't wear necklaces. If I did, the girls would yank them off. Every.single.day. my daughters have to wear their link necklaces. I have no idea where this comes from. I'm not modeling it. I'm not teaching it. It is pretty cute though.

3. Last week I mentioned I'd gotten some prints from A Happy Exchange. This shop is awesome! The very talented, Jillian, gives you the print (you just pay shipping). In exchange, she asks that you share one of the following with her: your greatest joy and how you  incorporate that into every day life, tell her how her art makes you feel, or send her a letter or note telling her how you gave to someone and how that made you feel.  

Isn't that just beautiful?! You can also find Jillian over here.

I got these three prints for the girls' room:

I love gardening, which is a love I want to pass on to the girls. And the girls just love ducks. Hadley is working on perfecting her quacking noises.

4. So. When I was in sixth grade, I won a jump rope contest in gym class. Out of the entire school, I could jump the most times in one minute. 144 times. I have no idea why I still remember this.

20 years later, in bootcamp, they had jump rope contest. Guess who won? That's right, I did. This chick's still got it two decades later! 153 jumps! Woo hoo!

5. A big thank you to Mandy at My Life as Described by Twin Trials and Triumphs for the Life is Sweet Award. Mandy is the mama to twin girls a year and a month older than Brynne and Hadley, so I pay close attention, because I know in a year my girls will be about where hers are now. From her post, you can see that Mandy is lovely and intentional. She is also a fabulous southern gal who loves Crimson Tide football, ice cream and riding in the car with the sunroof open--she's hilarious and spunky, if you don't read her blog, you should!

6. If I could point your attention to a couple blogs that might be new or interesting to you:

(Tw)inside Out. This mama chronicles her life with her boy/girl twins that she calls Inchworm and Doodlebug. She's funny, passionate, and finds time to make her own stock to cook with--amazing! If you do nothing else today, you should read this post.

the climb. Cyndi is a lovely mama, also to eight month old boy/girl twins. She balances work and mothering with a gentle grace. She is currently in need of some help getting them to sleep, so if you can lend a hand, please do.  

7. I decided this spring/summer that I needed to invest in a "mom" wardrobe. I currently have about 23 pairs of black pants collecting dust in my closet. I got those pants when I worked in an office. Now, my office is at home with the girls. I've added a couple pairs of capris. I wanted them to be quick drying, look nice enough to go out and about, but also be appropriate for taking walks, bending stooping, sitting on the floor, etc. If you have any suggestions to add to my "mom" wardrobe, I'm all ears!

8. Hadley's bangs are getting really long. I don't want to trim and maintain bangs. I'd like to part her hair and put it up, but here's the trouble: her hemangioma. It's in the way, and makes it difficult to find a part. Any suggestions? I need help, and clearly Hadley agrees:

9. Tomorrow I will be 32 years old. I can remember when my parents turned 30. This makes me feel old.

10. When I was writing this post I calculated that I will be 49 years old when the girls graduate from high school. That makes me feel ancient! It also makes me wonder if I would be able to win another jump rope challenge when I'm 49.