New found space...

We bit the bullet and bought a new TV. We had talked about hanging a TV on the wall of our family room long before this house was even built. We even deviated from the builder's position of the windows in the family room to accommodate our plan.
For years Bobby has scoured the sales each week to find the best price for a 46-50 inch 1080p HDTV. We finally got a deal at BJs last weekend.

This meant we got to move our old bulky rear projection TV to the basement (in front of my treadmill!) thus creating tons of extra space on the family room floor.
But don't be fooled... its just more space for toys breed. (I swear they multiply overnight!)

Bobby knows how much I hate wires, and he did an awesome job of hiding them...

Doesn't it look sexy?

I don't know what Bobby will do with all his free time now that he doesn't have to scour the ads anymore.

This day in history...

Today is January 28th, 2009. Ava and Alex are 23 months old today.

Ava and Alex were born on Robert's 23 month birthday - February 28th, 2006.

Robert at 23 months (his last day as the only child)

I never thought I'd say it, but I love that my kids are 23 months apart!

Holiday Treats

To most, this is a Rice Krispies Treat.

To Robert, it is an "Ice Christmas Tree."

Delish.

knock knock...

Lately, Robert has been very into telling jokes. The jokes, themselves, are old hat to us, but the funniest part of all is listening to him butcher them:

The real Joke:
Why was 6 afraid of 7?
A: Because 7 ate 9 and 10.

Roberts version:
Why was six afraid of eight?
A: Because one and two and ten weren't there anymore.

The real Joke:
Why did the chicken cross the road?
A: To get to the other side

Robert's Version:
Why did the chicken go across the park?
A: Because... to get to the other side. Hah Hah Hah. I'm funny.


I'm gonna miss it when he's not this cute anymore.

Pass the oatmeal, please.

Today, Alex stood at the pantry pointing to a box of oatmeal. He said "Pap-pe, Papp-pe."

Apparently, The Quaker man resembles Pape (my dad).

I think he's right.

Smarty Pants

Yesterday, at nap time Robert asked/told me 4 things in a row.

"Mommy, What time is it? I'm hungry. Can I have a drink? I'm tired." (pause. he had to stop and think "did I just say that?")

I stopped what I was doing (dusting the blinds - not that anyone ever notices) and said to him "I think you are bored. B-O-R-E-D."

He said, "No, I'm R-O-B-E-R-T." (emphasis on the B.)

I hope some day he wins a spelling bee so I can tell him this story again.

New Recipe Tuesday

Last night I made Dorito Chicken Casserole. It was the first recipe that appeared in my Google search at 4pm yesterday afternoon. It's a combination I have heard about for years and have always wanted to try. I had no ideas for dinner and happened to have some fresh chicken in the fridge, so I whipped it up.

The verdict: Not bad. Not terribly good either. Alex ate a decent amount. Ava picked at it. Bobby said it was 'a waste of his perfectly good doritos' and my thoughts were similar: a waste of perfectly good chicken.

On the positive side, it was pretty easy to make. If you like doritos, you can't miss their taste in this one. Of course, Bobby would much rather have them alongside his sandwich at lunch than in a casserole at dinner.
And that, my friends, is a perfect example of the kind of cook I am! (and probably why I hate to cook!)
THANK YOU to everyone who has sent me recipes to try. I trust that you have tried them so they must be reputable. I am anxious to plan for them! And you'll be reading about them - I promise!

new toys my kids have already broken/destroyed

Am I the only mom out there who loves when I toy breaks? It gives me a reason to get rid of it without feeling guilty! Here is a list of new toys my kids have broken/destroyed since Christmas:

silverware from kitchen set
toy cardboard 'food boxes' (they were destined for the trash before we even opened them!)
race track
needle from doctor kit
baby bottle

here's a picture of some of the said broken objects:

This blog post has been brought to you by...

I'm on a roll today... making up for lost time.

Two dumb things I have wanted to blog about:

/begin commercial #1/
Do you suffer from dry hands in the winter??? Every winter my hands (usually my right more than my left) get cracked and dry around my knuckles. It has gotten worse as I have gotten older. Since I can't stop washing dishes or changing diapers I have had to live with this condition.
I decided to try some of my face lotion, which is very mild, on my hands. Within days, my hands are back to normal - smooth and soft! I use Purpose lotion on my face (and now my hands) and I recommend you do too if you suffer from dry cracked hands in the winter.
/end commercial #1/

/begin commercial #2/
Do your kids hate the end piece on the loaf of bread? My kids (and my hubby) won't eat it. BUT I have discovered if I use if on a grilled cheese sandwich, crust side in, the kids can't tell the difference. And I feel great because I have saved those two pieces of bread from ending up in the trash!
/end commercial #2/

Thanks for reading, and have a super day! :)

new bathroom

For months, I have been telling Bobby that I wanted him to paint the half bath while he was home over the holidays. Well, the holidays came and went. And yesterday - the last day of his vacation, he decided he wanted to paint. I was planning something 'Terra cotta' or 'rust' colored. Bobby disagreed. So I let him chose the color. He spent a long time (more than 10 minutes!) matching the cabinet and counter with 'the perfect color' from a ton of paint chips (thanks, Soniya!) He finally chose a color called 'Cafe Mocha.' Sounds cozy, right?

So, I present to you, Cafe Mocha:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's Pink. PINK! We are in agreement that it's a nice color overall. It kind of reminds me of Grandma's house. It's livable. Not at all what we envisioned for the bathroom, but it will do until potty training takes it's toll and we'll need to repaint anyway.

We;; finish it off with crown moulding and some accessories next weekend. Can't say that I love it, but it will do. Anything is better that the embarrassingdirtygrossness that it was before!

resolutions

I posted on this very same topic on my skinnyblog, but here I decided to create a new resolution post. This one involves the family so I thought it more appropriate to post here.

This year, I will try 2 new recipes every month. I thought about trying 1 new recipe every week, but if you know me, you know I am not much of a cook. Bobby, on the other hand loves to cook, but is short on time. He isn't crazy about veggies or new foods, so this will be a huge challenge for me. Robert is a terrible eater (got that from Dad) but the twins eat anything and everything.
Right now, I cook the same 6 things: grilled chicken, chicken parm, tacos, meatloaf, pork chops, and turkey burgers. Occasionally Ill make a lasagna or a roast. Friday night is always pizza night. I can follow a recipe pretty well, but I'm just not too creative.

So, now I ask for a favor of you. Can you share your favorite recipes with me? Please?

Sassy Diva

At 22 months, Ava was finally in need of a haircut!

I took her today to Sweet and Sassy for her first ever hair cut. I already knew she wasn't going to cooperate. When I asked her if she wanted to go get a hair cut, her response was 'eh uh', as she shook her head 'no' emphatically. I'm convinced she had no idea when getting her hair cut entailed.

Walking into Sweet and Sassy was an experience. Think pink. Think girly. Think spoiled. The walls were decorated in 'all things frilly' - signs that read 'Spoiled (but not) Rotten', Frilly slippers, pink bathrobes, and hair bows and ribbons out the wazoo. Do people really buy this stuff for their daughters?
Off to the right were a few girls having pedicures. They must have been 7 or 8. While I was there a woman came in to book a party for her daughter's 10th birthday. Seriously? I digress...

Ava sat - reluctantly- on my lap while she had an inch cut off and some bangs created. She wore a cape that said "Sassy Diva." (very appropriate) When she was finished, the hairdresser sprayed glitter and some smelly stuff in her hair. I paid 15 bucks, left a tip and got the heck out of there.