Archive | April, 2011

Give Me Strength

29 Apr

The day is finally here.  Today my flower girls and ring bearer get to put on their dresses and tuxedo, which seems to be a highlight of their childhood.

I know I told you I don’t care about the royal wedding, but I did catch a glimpse of some photos this morning.  I must say I do love her dress and I enjoyed seeing it.  It’s not often these days you see sleeves on wedding dress and I dig it….not a fan of strapless dresses.  When I dropped the little one at school her teachers were excitedly talking to some moms about having awakened at 4 a.m. to watch.  And again, I felt like an alien witnessing the excited buzz about it.

But back to our wedding.  It’s a beautiful April day.  We made it through the rehearsal last night but the result for me was a migraine which I still can’t shake as I anticipate the day’s events.  The kids have hair appointments at 4:00, pictures at 5:00, the ceremony at 6:30 and the reception at 8:30.  I’m imagining they won’t make it to the reception but who knows.  I’m hoping I’m still standing by the reception :) .

My niece gave a beautiful speech last night at the dinner.  It cracked my cranky demeanor and I’m still choked up thinking about it.  Motherhood has definitely made me softer.  Perhaps I was imagining being at wedding festivities for my own little brides.  I certainly hope they feel the love and happiness that my niece is obviously feeling right now.  We love you Nikki!!!

Any last-minute advice to enhance the kids’  (and my :) ) endurance will be appreciated!  Have a beautiful weekend.

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I Don’t Care About the Royal Wedding

28 Apr

It feels like I’m supposed to care.  But I really just don’t care about the royal wedding.  And once again, I’m in a place of altered reality where I see buzz and excitement over something and I can’t seem to feel an inkling of it. (I’m also in this type of reality during any holiday, on Oscar/Emmy night, during sporting events, American Idol, and I could go on…)

Forget about who’s getting married in England.  I’ll tell you where there’s real excitement…right over at my house where my flower girls and ring “bear” are rehearsing for their wedding tomorrow!  It’ll be a miracle if these monkeys pull it off, and I will surely need some medication before, during and/or after this royal event!

How am I ever going to get my little guys to carry out their wedding attendant roles :) ? (the ceremony starts begins when we are usually getting into pajamas!)

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As I Watch, They Grow Up

26 Apr

When we were in Florida recently I took this picture of my twins walking on the beach one night after dinner.

They were chatting with one another about this and that.  And sounding so mature.  Maybe it was the wind thrashing about or the salty air, but my chest started to feel very heavy.

I suddenly saw them grown up, walking away, into the sunset, leaving a trail of footprints behind them.

It’s a struggle to stare at that picture of them seeming so much older, when they are still, and always will be, my babies.

Do you ever have moments like this?

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Best Day for a Bunny Girl

24 Apr

If you’re a bunny lover, Easter can be a magical time. I hope my baby girl always hops to the step of her own bunny…

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Peeps Sunflower Cake!!!!

24 Apr

This is super cute and not too hard.  And I LOVE sunflowers so I couldn’t resist.

I went to 4 stores on Friday before I found Peeps in stock.  Apparently everyone, except me, knows you have to scoop those babies up early.

So, I basically made a Duncan Hines vanilla layer cake with chocolate frosting and decorated with chocolate chips, mini chips and Peeps!  The original recipe is here.

What do you think?

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Successful Travel With the Kids

23 Apr

We just completed our annual family vacation.  Last year I lamented about traveling with the kids and how it felt more like torture than vacation.  Sometimes I feel like I’m too negative so I am delighted to report that this year things were significantly smoother and my husband and I actually got a bit of relaxation.  I’ll tell you why.

First, the kids are older!  I’ve noticed that five seems to be a magical age in terms of maturity.  The twins are more receptive to bribes can be reasoned with to keep it together in planes and restaurants so it’s easier to manage the little one when and if she freaks out.  I have two 5 year olds and one almost 4-year-old now!!! Aside from hitting the bathroom every five minutes, and wiping noses constantly, I relish in the quietish moments I can snatch not dealing with things like bottles, pull ups, cups, diapers, extra clothes, etc.

But there’s still a lot to lug around with three little bodies, so it’s worthwhile to us to travel with the greatest double stroller ever (and don’t you doubt for a second that I didn’t research them all :) ), our Double Baby Jogger City Series.  Yes it’s a  double stroller, but as you know, when you are a parent you become very resourceful so this stroller actually houses all 3 kids.

You know people clear out-of-the-way when they see us coming!  Once we check our bags we are good to go.  We get to the gate and let the kids roam.  It’s surprisingly no problem checking the stroller in right as we are boarding.

Though I have already stocked every provision imaginable, getting a 6 dollar bag of candy at the airport store seems to be the necessary incentive they need to be enthusiastic about being good on the plane.  And they are!

Some tricks that helped:

  • They each carried a backpack that held their special blankets, coloring books, crayons and snacks.
  • Their backpacks were stocked with a wrapped gift only to be opened once we were airborne.  I wrapped them just to draw out the whole experience.  The game of anticipation was fun for them.
  • They each had their own bags of snacks.
  • Prior to boarding I medicated them with decongestants and Tylenol as noses were running!
  • The twins had ear pain on the way there so on the way back I made sure they were all chewing gum or eating when we descended.

What are your tips for air travel with children?

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Kids Like Pushing Buttons

19 Apr

(I just wrote a fabulous post that somehow didn’t save so you are going to get the unfabulous version, unfortunately.)

We were at my in-laws wonderful Florida condo recently and although there was a gorgeous pool, and a more gorgeous private beach, my kids were almost more fascinated with the elevators and long hallways.

But they fought non stop for the first couple of days.

The source of the continuous shoving matches was about who would open the door, who would be first to get out the door, who would push the elevator call button, who would push the elevator floor button, who would push the button to leave the building, etc, etc.

They were all pushing my buttons on what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation.

So, I came up with a plan, an ingenious plan, I think.  Each kid was assigned a day.  And it worked out that they each got 2 whole days.  On the identified child’s day, that individual would get to push all the buttons, open all the doors, and do everything first.  Each morning they announced whose day it was and really respected it.

And, they never fought again…………………………………….about pushing buttons, that is!

What ingenious solutions have you come up with to manage brawling children?

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Something Different…Rabbit Exposition

16 Apr

I have a kid who is hooked on bunnies.  I was never even aware I had bunny toys and things in my house.  But I started to notice early on when she was an infant that she always seemed to gravitate towards the bunny in her crib.  I LOVE her love for rabbits.  I am more than happy to indulge her!

So I saw in the paper that a rabbit exposition was going on not too far away and we decided to check it out last weekend.

The kids ran around for 5 minutes waving at the rabbits.  The rabbit breeders……whoa a very interesting bunch, I’ll leave it at that. And really I felt badly for these bunnies who were crammed into too small cages!

But luckily we were in a cool place with other things to see…Old Bethpage Village Restoration is an old farm that recreates some of the scenes of 19th century life.  It’s a giant scenic piece of property which is nice to walk on a beautiful day.  We were able to check out some farm animals and some Little House on the Prairiesh scenes.  Days like this reinforce for me that it’s good to get out of the house, take advantage of the sights not far from home, and try something different!

Have you explored any new sights or activities lately?

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Two Months Post Eye Surgery

12 Apr

I’ve meaning to update about my eyes.

If you recall, I used to be very visually impaired and have been wearing glasses (and then contact lenses) since the age of 7.  Last summer my husband and I had laser vision consults and my husband got his surgery in August.  My surgery was planned for Thanksgiving, but there were some mishaps.  I ultimately had PRK surgery in February.

The surgery and recovery were a little more hardcore than I anticipated.  However, ladies and gentlemen, my vision is now 20/20! Let me put this into context.  Prior to my surgery, my unassisted vision was 20/600.  I’m no expert on visual acuity, but that basically means what I saw at 20 feet was what an individual with perfect vision sees at 600 feet.

Can you even imagine how thrilled I am?  5 out 7 nights a week I STILL look for my contact lenses case as I wash my face and brush my teeth before bed.  To be able to open my eyes in the morning, and see what time it is without groping for glasses….amazing!

I only wish I hadn’t waited until MIDDLE AGE to do this!

Are any of you still considering laser eye surgery?

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Hanes Review and Giveaway! Enter to Win…

9 Apr hanes_logo_130x114

 

I was happy to see the Hanes table at Getting Gorgeous last weekend.  Hanes was showing off their new cushion-socks and a ComfortFlex Fit bandeau.  Cushion-socks!?  I was intrigued and so excited to nab a few pairs to try out.  The background is that I have the most achy feet.  It takes forever for me to find comfortable shoes and I am easily irritated by socks that are usually too tight OR too loose and then sliding down in to my shoe (hate that).

I’ll admit I was suspicious when the gals at the Hanes table told me the the Hanes Casuals Cushioned Low-Cut Women’s Socks would not slide down my feet.  I mean why would these socks be different than all my others?

But boy oh boy did my feet get a treat!  I’m all about these socks that are plush, snug (without being too snug), and warm (cold feet over here…)  And, THEY DON”T SLIDE DOWN!  My feet get comfortable with Hanes!

Here are the official details about these fab socks:

  • Extra-soft cotton blend feels soothing, heel to toe.
  • Cushioning through the sole pampers your every step.
  • A hint of knit-in stretch assures better fit and feel.
  • Ribbed stretchy top stays up comfortably all day.
  • Cotton/acrylic/polyester/nylon/spandex/natural latex rubber

The best part is that Hanes has offered to let one of you try them out too!

One (1) Just Another Manic Mommy reader will receive 3 packages (3 socks per package!) of Hanes Casuals Cushioned Low-Cut Women’s Socks.

To enter? Easy.

Visit Hanes.com to check out the best-fitting most comfortable clothing.  Then, each of the following will earn an entry:

  1. Leave a comment with your name and email stating something you love about Hanes.
  2. Became a fan of Just Another Manic Mommy on Facebook, post on the wall, and leave a comment stating it.
  3. Became a fan of Hanes on Facebook, post on the wall, and leave a comment stating it.
  4. Become an email subscriber of Just Another Manic Mommy, and leave a comment stating it.
  5. Post a link to this contest on your blog, and then leave a comment on this post with your link.

Winner will be chosen randomly on 4/22/11 and notified via email.

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