Happy V-Day 2 You!

D (my hubby) has been of the opinion for the entire time I have known him that Valentine's Day is a Hallmark holiday and therefore does not celebrate it. Early in our relationship I would fight him on this and try to force him into celebrating it. But he is a very stubborn and convincing man, so, if you can't be 'em, join 'em, right? Right. So, now we acknowledge the day. However we do so with out dinners, cards, flowers, chocolates, etc. It really takes the pressure off of us. Don't get me wrong, I am, of course, respectful of others feelings about the holiday. My family got a Valentine card and the kids are doing their Valentine card exchange at school. I'm not a "Valentine Nazi" for crying out loud!



Therefore I shall bid y'all a very Happy Valentine's Day! I do hope it is all you wish it to be!

Snow day? Really?!?!

Hey, I thought is was a pretty good snowman, you know, for a family from Texas and all. : )

The kids THIGH-HIGH in the white stuff Sunday morning.









Apparently, Fairfax Co. Public Schools treat snow as if it were anthrax and feel it would be much too dangerous to expose their students to learning when it is on the GROUND!!! Come on people, the streets are clearer and safer today than they would be if it had rained!!

In all fairness, it was pretty cool this weekend when D was home and our entire family was able to enjoy the snow (snowmen, snow ramps, sledding, etc.) TOGETHER. But HE went to work today and I am not as adventurous with all three when I am on my own because their behavior takes a nose-dive when he is not around.

Example of behavior when Dad is MIA: my oldest son went out in the front yard first thing this morning to sled on the snow ramp we made. I decided to check on him five minutes later. As I am opening the blinds, I see my first born hurling an enormous icy chunk of snow at a passing truck. So now I have one that will be grounded the rest of day, just the icing on the cake! FUN (she screams sarcastically)!!!

So if you believe in God, please pray today for all the moms who are home, and on their own, with ALL their children on this completely ridiculously wasted "snow day". Thank you!

Who Knew? Searching = Good Deed?

is very wise to team up with






Perhaps you have heard of this before, but it was news to me.

The National Organization of Mothers of Multiples has joined Goodsearch. You may disagree, but, I think this is a very practicle and effective fundraising tool. All people must do is use Goodsearch to do their online searches and $0.01 goes toward the charity, church, or school of your choice every time they use it, as long as the group participates with Goodsearch.

So when NOMOTC sent this information out in which we can earn charitable donations for our club by using something we use everyday, well I thought this was fabulous.

So I am sharing this to either ask our "sisters in twin-dom" to use Goodsearch and enter "National Organization of Mothers of Multiples Club, Inc." as the club they wish to support...OR...I am informing you about Goodsearch so that you may enter your school, church or non-profit organization and share this information with your members so they can begin earning donations for your group.

Happy Searching!

The Greatest Woman I Know

WOW! Could we smile any bigger. Ok, not the best picture of us. After all, we were in a bar. But there she is all the same, my friend, my advisor, my ex-roommate, my confidant, my support system, my biggest fan (as I am her biggest fan, too), MY MOM!

She is a rock. My rock. There are no words in the English language big enough to describe her character. Loyal, talented, trustworthy, intelligent, generous and thoughtful are just a few that hardly even come close. Every good quality I own I got from her. What a blessed woman I am to have been her daughter!

This is not coming out of no where, although it may seem that way. She has given me some very solid advice in recent weeks and she may not have realized it. So, I decided to share my appreciation for the greatest woman I know with the world rather just her (another reason I love my blog!!!). She has been dead-on with nearly every piece of advice she has ever offered up my whole life. I won't say that, by any means, I always listened. What about the times that I did not listen to her? Well, we will just call those decisions "my most regrettable ones".

She has come so far in her life. And she did so with her wits and a strength worthy of envy by even the strongest person. She pulled herself out of some major misfortune and created a very comfortable life for herself and her loved ones. She could attribute her successes to an incredible common sense along with book smarts.

She is my best friend and has been for years. I can honestly say that she would be my friend even if she wasn't my mom.

Obviously 2 much 2 do

AND...

Major oops! Mommy brain strikes again! I registered for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer today. Set up my web page. Sent out emails to all my friends and family about the event and fundraising, I had it all together. Luckily I sent it to a friend who obviously knew my schedule better than I and kindly reminded me that I had another commitment already that weekend. My 2006 Mid-Atlantic Parents of Multiples "Treasure the Memories" Convention! Can you say OOPS?!?!

A couple of things lead to this oops. It all began with my getting a knew pocket calendar. I went from one that had a month per page to one with a week per page. This can kind of skew how one looks at their schedule. I had written down the Twins Convention for the last weekend in March instead of the last weekend in April where it belonged. The Avon walk is the last weekend in April, hence, the oops. My roomie for the convention, thankfully, noticed my error and promptly brought it to my attention. Where I quickly sent a retraction email, of sorts, to my dear friends and family, tail tucked and humbled once again.

Getting 2 Know You

We are just getting to know Belle. After all, she has only been around a couple of months. Here are some of the things we are discovering about our new family member:


















*She enjoys sleeping on the couch, in CJ's bed or in her bed.
*She loves to sleep on her back or as close to me as possible if I am on the couch with her.
*If the opportunity to run out the front door arises, she takes it. She loves the chase of us trying to catch her and only makes her run farther. But if you just close the door, when your re-open it in two minutes, she will be on the porch waiting to come back in. (this discovery has made life much easier)
*When she is in the fenced back yard and ready to come in, she lets out the tiniest "woof" as if to say "please, may I come in now", quite charming.
*She barks incessantly at the vacuum. This is one of those things that are cute the first time. Now she goes outside when I vacuum.
*She also thinks the dog in the mirror is another dog in which she must growl or bark. (another one of those cute the first time things)
*We used to get concerned about her growling at the kids. Now we realize it is just her way of saying "I have had enough, go away" and she has yet to take it further. She has proven herself to be a VERY tolerant dog with all things (kids, other dogs, baths, etc).
*She also enjoys howling with all the other dogs in the neighborhood whenever they hear a siren (also, only cute the first time).
*She loves to GO and hates to see us leave without her, so within seconds of walking out the door, she has jumped up into our bay window and stays there until we return. It is so sweet!

As with all new relationships, I think we were a little guarded so as not to get too close too fast just in case things did not work out. But each day, our bond grows a little stronger and she becomes more a part of our lives.

Yes, I'm still blogging

Ugh! I know it has been a while since my last post, but I have been under a little bit of stress lately. Although I can't Imagine why?!?! You see I have been spending a lot of time lately writing in my hand written journal, which I tend to do during stressful times.

See, my blog is just one way I vent. I also keep a hand written journal that is much more personal. Of course my handwritten one has a much smaller audience (me only) than that of my blog (but...then again, according to the number of comments I get maybe not, hehe). But that's ok, I do it all for me in either case.

Anyway, I think hand writing is becoming a lost art and being an English major, a writer, and a lover of the English language as I am, handwriting is very special and important for me to do often. And I am of the opinion that everyone should engage in this lost art as much as possible. Well, enough about that.

Live 2 Brag

I shall now catch ya'll up on this crazy ride that is my life as a parent (AKA, BRAGGING, hehe):

The big boy (CJ) is doing so much better in kindergarten! He is actually reading on his own now. Not pre-reading, but actually reading AND spelling. Even better than that, he loves it! One of his favorite pastimes is to perform in mock spelling bees with me. SOOO CUTE!! In addition, his marks in behavior have been consistently excellent for several weeks now. He also has become quite interested in learning to play the piano. He will begin lessons today with yours truly! ; )



One thing I did not see coming, was the eagerness the twins are exhibiting in learning to read, spell and write because CJ is doing the same. Of course (like many parents) we always hoped that CJ would be a good influence in that way to the twins, but since they don't get along most of the time, I simply did not see this hope coming to fruition. I love that it has!!

Though the growing pains for our family have been difficult, the rewards are great! I am very proud of my kids, can ya tell?!?!?!

BTW, just an update on quitting smoking:
I am now 1 Month, 1 Day, 11 Hours and 20 Minutes into my new nicotine-free lifestyle. While extending my life expectancy by 2 Days and 6 Hours and I have avoided smoking 649 cigarettes that would have cost me $97.55. I am also proud to say the my hubby is right there with me, too. YEA!!!!

Way 2 Much Madness

Do you ever have one of those days where you are just GRUMPY!?!?! Nothing you or anyone does makes you feel better. Nothing you do is right, nothing anyone says is right, all things in the universe are wrong and frankly are just pissing you off!!! And there seems to be nothing you can do about it.

Ever have one of those days? Well, welcome to my humpday!!! The short list of my complaints today include whiny twins, traffic, a kindergartener getting in major trouble at school, three kids who do not listen to me in general, traffic, a husband working late, changed plans, sore throat, headaches, lets not forget incessant whining and last but not least, TRAFFIC!! Its more madness than any one sane person can stand in a day (or should have to).

Venting session is now over. Just having difficult time today finding positives.

Belle's Dogster Page

My husband thinks I am a moron for doing this, he thinks it is absurd and ridiculous that I spent even a second, much less an hour, creating a Dogster page for our new dog and our dearly departed Ellie. Dogster is much like blogging for dogs. (Once again proof that I occationally have WAY too much time on my hands especially since quitting smoking.) I thought it was rather adorable and enjoyed writing about our newest family member. Check it out and let me know what you think.

http://www.dogster.com/?243827

MY BET IS: If you are a dog person, you will think it is adorable quickly create one for your own dog, if you have one.

If you are NOT a dog person, you will feel as my husband does.

OH YEAH, BTW.....Have been nicotine-free for 19 days, 15 hours and 23 minutes, skipped 393 cigarettes, saved $58.97 and gained 1 day, 8 hours and 44 minutes of my life back so far.

Who couldn't use more time and money???

My name is Caasmom and I am a nicotine addict. I have stopped nicotine for 14 days, 19 hours and 7 minutes. I have not smoked 296 cigarettes, gained 32 hours of free time and saved $44.42 during the last 14 days. I have saved 1 day and 39 minutes of my life.

It has been tough to say the least. But information is key. Knowing what to expect made quitting easier. That's why I did so with the help of www.whyquit.com. It made sense and it worked for me and my husband.

I quit without patches, lozenges, gum or any nicotine replacement what so ever. That's right folks, cold turkey! And did I mention I went through withdrawals at the same time as my husband, during Christmas, with 9 people in my house (including in-laws and parents) and during PMS. I am a glutton for punishment, what can I say. But seriously, it really helped to be so distracted. And the support of D and my family made life better during the 72 hour withdrawal period.

I am committed this time. And I will be a non-smoker for the rest of my, longer and hopefully healthier, life. The following are a few of the reasons I quit:

-To save money.
-Healthier life.
-Fewer colds and sicknesses.
-To be a better influence on my kids and others.
-Dislike smelly hair, clothes, fingers, car.
-Smoking outside in bad weather.
-Smoking alone outside of a party.
-Wanting to have more time during the day.
-Burn holes in clothes, car seats.
-Dislike look and smell of outside ashtrays.
-Being looked at like a leper when smoking in public.
-Often worrying about offending others when smoking.
-Missing out on parts of smoke-free events to go outside to smoke.
-Feeling frustrated/aggravated/grumpy/rude when smoking is not possible.
-Feeling anxious about not being able to smoke .
-Having to miss out on events where smoking is not allowed, choosing smoking over events and being forced to choose in the first place.
-Feeling light-headed and sick when I smoke too much or first thing in the morning.

Quitting smoking immediately resolved most of these, others will take time or may never be fixed at all. But I just take it one day, hour and minute at a time.

Joke Emails: Love 'em or Hate 'em

I usually just pass on joke emails that I think are funny and worthy of passing on, this one I felt was worthy of sharing on my blog. I have not done this before, but this really made me laugh and think. Yes, I know, I am one of those rare breed of people who actually ENJOY joke emails. Some people curse people like me. But, I love that my friends care enough to want to make me smile at some point during my day. And I enjoy returning the favor when possible. Perhaps I will change my mind when I have a "real" job and don't just sit around eating Bon-Bons all day (as all stay-at-home-moms do). ; )

So here it is:

19 THINGS THAT TOOK ME ALMOST 50 YEARS TO LEARN

1. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

2. If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "meetings."

3. There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."

4. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.

5. Assuming there is a God, who created the entire universe with all of its glories, if he decides to deliver a message to humanity, he WILL NOT use, as his messenger, a person on cable TV with a bad hair style.

6. You should not confuse your career with your life.

7. No matter what happens, somebody will find a way to take it too seriously.

8. When trouble arises and things look bad, there is always one individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command. Very often, that individual is crazy.

9. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

10. Never lick a steak knife.

11. Take out the fortune before you eat the cookie.

12. The most destructive force in the universe is gossip.

13. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight savings time.

14. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.

15. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age eleven.

16. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above average drivers.

17. The main accomplishment of almost all organized protests is to annoy people who are not in them.

18. A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person. (This is very important. Pay attention. It never fails.)

19. Your friends love you anyway.

Dog-isms

Introducing the newest member of our family, Belle!!! We adopted her when we were in Texas. She is perfect in every way (well almost). Below, she poses with her siblings.

Soooo CUTE!!!



















Dog-isms
(Some "lessons to live by" inspired by the very special dogs in my life.)

- Find a way to lick your OWN wounds.

- If you have an itch, scratch it, no matter where you are or what your doing.

- Sleep when you can, roam when you can, play when you can, fight when you must.

- Showing your love everyday with affectionate actions speaks louder than saying it with actual words.

- No matter how long it is, if you stay at the end of your leash, you will always be choked.

- Establish a dominant stance when possible, but be submissive when necessary.

- Appearing confident can be your best protection when strangers are near.

- Wake up your family with a kiss on the face every morning.

Charmed

(Deep Voiced Announcer) - This Tender Moment is brought to you today by Caasmom's review of her journals and organization of a few hundred photos.
________________________________________________________

Someone once told me I have had a charmed life. For this and more, I will keep this person in a special place in my heart forever for giving me the gift of that compliment.

It was more than just an observation, it is a thought that I revisit when I am feeling that my life, well, sucks. I AM truly blessed and have had lots of luck throughout my life. There have been some insignificant and some fairly life altering events that seem to have been touch by this charmed aura that luckily surrounds me. (::knocks on wood::)

I revisit this thought today once again as a look back on the pictures of my children, stories of my life, events that have taken place, friends that have graced my life and I realize how true it is. I write this blog because I truly feel it is important to recognize and give thanks for our blessings on a daily (sometimes hourly when necessary) basis.

I only hope that all of this is somehow connected to genetics and has been passed on to my precious angels.

Halloween 2005

As requested, Halloween pictures.

I think I like these better than the school pics. (hehe, JK)

All three spooky kids.

The Thing from Fantastic Four (CJ)

Princess BA with Matilda (her Build a Bear)

(BB) Being Batman is a very serious job.

Friends Halloween get together.

Yes, that is me, ugh!

The Boys School Pictures

There is really nothing I can say, a picture is worth a thousand words, right?!?!

Mommy Brain

Please try to not judge my blogs too harshly before reading this entry. I am not a dim woman. I am very well educated, socially capable, and can easily exhibit common sense when making decisions. On a daily basis, I seem to have it all together.

But with the incessant feeding of children's television programming and movies into my brain, talking to pre-schoolers the majority of my time, and doing it all pretty much on my own, I AM LOSING MY MIND!!!! It is true, the old adage, if you don't use it, you lose it. I can literally feel my brain melting away, cells disappearing, waves going still. I feel so dumb sometimes. I call it "mommy brain".

I apparently can be easily influenced which was obvious when I informed my husband the other day that I was "going potty" when he called for me from the other room. He quickly pointed out that it was not necessary to use polite kiddy language with him. It was embarrassing because I began to wonder when I have spoke to other adults like a child. I know I am not the only mom who feels this way, it just seems like it sometimes. However I think most other people seem like they have it together more than they actually do, though. I hope that is true for me. Anyway...

I just remember being proud of my words as a writer and speaker, I have a degree in English for heavens sake!!! Yet my mind frequently goes blank when I need to recall even the simplest thought or word, like "fork" or "slide" or my children's names. I have to call roll before I get to the name of the kid I need to yell at. I have a love and passion for grammar, I aced it in college. Yet even typing a blog article has become difficult for me and I seem unable to remember all the rules. I also seem to over use the same words because I am just unable to recall synonyms.

So I am thinking, did I waste my time and money on an education that seems to be disappearing from my cranium faster than you can say "Sesame Street"?

My Own Take

Another blogger used his kids' book titles to come up with a list of pick up lines, absolutely hilarious!!! (check it out on "Laid Off Dad" in my links). So I decided to try my hand at it by taking a look at our own kids' library, this is what I came up with:


(For those who enjoy eating at the "Y")
"If You Give a Moose a Muffin..."

(For the foreplay challenged)
"Ready or Not, Here I Come!"

(For the Viagra users)
"Dr. Seuss, Pops Up!"

(For those late night quickies)
"Once Upon a Time, The End (Asleep in 60 Seconds)"

(For the role players)
"Tickle the Duck"

(For the ladies)
"I Need a Snake"

(For our little friends)
"Bob the Builder: Can We Find It?"

(For our NOT SO little friends)
"Billy is A Big Boy!"

Finally...
(For the swingers)
"We Can Share!"

Personal Space PLEASE!!!

My kids have an issue. They are really quite behaved with me and if they crawl all over me, I am their mom I don't mind. Unfortunately, NO ONE will ever know this because as soon as they get around other people, they become leaches.

They have no concept of personal space. They also do not know a stranger. Everyone is their friend. This happens when we go out with people, when they visit our house or in public. If I talk to someone and apparently know them, they become fair game for my children affection. Let me clarify for those with their heads in the gutters, I am NOT talking about anything inappropriate by any means! (hugs, sitting in lap, sitting close, etc)

I wonder if this was my fault. Did I hold them too much? Did I allow too much affection? If so, I would have never thought in a million years that too much attention or affection toward or allowed from my children would have eventually turned into a behavior issue. Where did I go wrong?

So my question is, do people have a problem with children invading their personal space, whether they HONESTLY like kids or not? How would they prefer the parents handle it? Should I insist that my kids quit hugging or sitting close, even if the person says "no, its fine, its ok"? Any when people say this, are they just being nice or are they really ok with this? Also, do any other parents out there have this problem too?

I cannot be an unbiased judge of this because they are my kids AND I love kids and honestly do not mind children being close. I find it very sweet, charming and adorable.

Just a few thoughts and questions brought on by a visit from DC Cookie and another friend last night. Especially with females, my kids are very affectionate. What can I say, they are mommy's sweet babies!

Discipline without shouting? Spanking? Huh?

With the age of my children growing larger, so does my patience grow thinner.

After a very honest discussion with some of my sister's in 'Twindom' on Thursday night I realized, once again, that I am not the only one who has problems with trying to balance a PEACEFUL, yet EFFECTIVE, form of disciplining our multiples without shouting or even spanking. Which is why I love to go out with them, feeling apart of a group is always more satisfying than feeling alone in any situation. I always walk away feeling refreshed and empowered. Thank you ladies!!!

Anyway, I decided that I needed to do some research, AGAIN, on discipline to see if there is something more out there to help those of us who truly want a more peaceful relationship with our children. Usually I only search child care in general, but this time I found something specifically catering to the mom's of multiples out there.

It is a group of three book from the authors and experts at Twins Magazine. It is a Discipline Packet that covers topics of dealing with the difficult task of parenting multiples so they can become the glowing examples of angelic behavior that they are in our sweetest dreams!

I can't say that I can or am willing to practice all the suggestions, but I know I am always up to learning any new technique that MAY make my job as a MOM a little easier.

Here is the link if you want to check it out: http://www.twinsmagazine.com/discipline_packet.html