What 2 looks like

We have a 2nd birthday coming up this weekend.

just the thought of you makes me smile, laugh hysterically and sometimes cry because of the joy you bring to my world daily. 

Happy 2nd Birthday Dylan!!!

A Poem

My Name is Pride,

I am a Cheater

I cheat you on your God given destiny....because

you demand your own way.

I cheat you of contentment...because you

"deserve better than this."

I cheat you of knowledge...because you already

know it all.

I cheat you of holiness...because you refuse to

admit when your wrong.

I cheat you of vision...because you would rather look

in the mirror than out the window.

I cheat you of genuine friendship...because

nobody is going to know the real you.

I cheat you of love...because real romance

demands sacrifice.

I cheat you of greatness in heaven...because you

refuse to wash another's feet on earth.

I cheat you of God's glory...because I convince

you to seek your own.

My name is Pride, I am a cheater.

You like me because you think I'm always looking

out for you. Untrue.

I'm looking to make a fool of you,

God has so much for you, I admit, but don't worry...

If you stick with me

You'll never know.

s

Some Starter Tips

It's been awhile since I last posted. As the girls are getting older it seems like finding time is getting a little harder.  Or maybe that's just an excuse and really I just need to get more organized and focused.

I'm not sure about you, but as soon as I eat or drink something that isn't good for me I don't feel as sharp. But when I am eating clean and staying active I feel amazing.  Sometimes I need to remind myself of a few things.

Here are some exercise and nutrition tips to start out with: ( and a note to self)

• Keep a food journal. In the past when I really am trying to lose some weight I write down everything I eat for the day
• Do not eat a heavy dinner. I would rather see you eat a bigger lunch or breakfast, but at night stick with something light. Maybe grilled fish and salad. I will be posting some healthy recipes in the near future
• If you are busy all day running around town make sure to pack some healthy snacks in your purse. Such as almonds, an apple, rice cakes or even a Lara Bar.  Do not wait until you are starving I have made this mistake and end up overeating.
• I am still a coffee LOVER, so I'm not asking anyone to give it up, but PLEASE drink more water throughout the day and less of all the other bad drinks out there. 
• Try to do something active every day. Walking, biking, swimming, dancing with your kids. The more active you are the better you will feel
• Don't obsess with the scale. As long as you feel good and healthy that is all that matters.

Starting this week I will be starting up a fitness boot camp with some other girlfriends. Not only will this keep me accountable to working out, but I can hang out with some friends and maybe make some new ones too.  Grab a friend and go running or if you are in my neck of the woods come join us. 

The Truth on Milk

We have an ongoing debate in my household on milk. Yes, Milk. I know growing up we all drank milk and most of us turned out ok, but there is so much information out there that kind of scares me. Check out this  article I found.  

Sevi

Mimi came back from Italy with some fun gifts for the girls. I had to share with you these cute toothbrush holders from this Italian company

They both have a little timer for the girls to know how long to brush.

Home Again, Home Again

There is so much going on, I do not know where to start. We just got back into town from a long summer vacation. One that included long bike rides, horse back riding, boating, kayaking, hiking, waterfalls, golf, tennis, spa trips (for mommy), family, friends, tubing, skiing the list goes on and on. Needless to say we had a fabulous time. And to top it all off the last week of our vacation my baby girl turned 3 years old. We are in the process of throwing her a birthday party I will share that for another post. Thank goodness for the iphone camera, I am horrible about taking pictures and forgot my camera but the iphone took some pretty good shots and video.

Marmol-Radznir

Sometimes I might add certain posts to my blog just so I have them for a future reference. Marmol-Radznir is an architect and design firm based in LA. In my dream world I would like to build this house one day. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the stone work.

First Night in Big Girl Bed

We spent weeks getting our little girl excited about the BIG transition from crib to "BIG GIRL BED". This is an email we sent out to our family and I thought I would share it with you. (Jim is our handyman, my husband is awesome but not very handy sometimes)

EMAIL:
So court had Jim come over and set up camryn's big girl bed today and that's all we talked about all day was how she was going to stay all night in her very own bed. So we tucked her in and went downstairs to watch tv and figured maybe she was really liking her new big girl bed because it was pretty quiet- Then we went to go to bed and look what we found on the stairs.........fast asleep

Fun with iMovie

Wordless Wednesday

okay, maybe a couple of words,, This is 18 months old. Very kissable and those cheeks just might be edible.

Big Girl Bed

I remember when friends of mine would tell me their children would climb out of their cribs and into bed with them. I thought it was so cute and couldn't wait to experience it someday. Well, the time has arrived. For the past several months I wake up with this little blondie next to me

Some nights it's really cute and other's not so much.  Sometimes after we bring her back into her room she decides to climb out again and go visit her little sister. There is nothing like some jumping and giggling at 2am.  

We decided it's time for the transition. I have to admit I am a little apprehensive about moving my 2 1/2 year old into a big girl bed. I love her room the way it is. It is my favorite room in my home.  I will have to do a proper farewell to her nursery in another post. For now we are waiting for her new "Big Girl Bed". 

Pottery Barn Kids 

So my question to you is, what do you think is the appropriate age to make the switch to a BIG KID bed?

Maybe I was a little harsh

With my experience at Costco that is. I'm all about learning from my past mistakes and becoming more efficient. You see, when we decided to head to Costco one late weekday afternoon we didn't have a gameplan= MISTAKE #1. If you have even been to Costco you know how overwhelming it can be and how easily one mom me can lose her family (husband had the babies with the cart of course) holding juggling a 50 Gallon bottle of laundry detergent and about 16 other items.  Ok, enough of that so here is my Costco Gameplan I got most of this list from here

What to buy:

• Organic spinach (1 lb): This is the number one “best buy” for us at Costco. It ranges in price from $2.99 – $3.99….which is a far cry from $6.99-$7.99 at Whole Foods.
• Romaine lettuce: Who can beat that deal? 6 pack for $2.99. They are the BEST. Perfect for salads and juicing.
• Avocados: Costco has the best. Hands down. The biggest, creamiest, yummiest…at a good price.
• Watermelon: 
• Broccoli/Brussels/Asparagus: Yum.
• Medjool dates: Again, best quality I’ve found…but WAY cheaper than other places.
• Blueberries/Strawberries/Raspberries: We buy blueberries on a regular basis and the others once in a while.
• Oranges: We buy the 25 lbs.box for $8.99.
• Grape tomatoes – “Cherubs”: These are pesticide-free and delicious.
• Bananas: $1.29 per bunch.
• Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, pecans, and pine nuts. These are priced VERY competitively. This is the only place I will buy nuts.
• Pineapples: Not too much cheaper, but they are always big and ripe.
• Frozen fruit: Their Spectrum Blend is my favorite smoothie mix….you get double the amount that you can get anywhere else for the same price.
• Pure maple syrup: Great price/large container.
• Agave Nectar
• Organic corn chips: Big cheap bag.
• And all my paper goods and maybe a few bottles of wine 

17 Months Old

So in love with this 17 month old

Confessions

1.  I hate potty training
2. I yell at my kids ..sometimes ,,, ok alot
3. I try to act all healthy, but ate an entire bag of M&M's the other night at the movies
4. I gave you one last try cosco, but now I'm done. I thought you are supposed to be SUCH a $$$ saver, so why did my receipt say $470.  I didn't even get everything I needed.

ok, I feel better. anyone else??

Iced Coffee

I haven't tried this yet, but will let you know how it turns out. Since having my 2 daughter I have become a little too dependent on my large iced coffee in the morning. This is a recipe for a perfect ICED COFFEE you know the cup that doesn't taste like old tires..

It’s super-easy to make in the French press, but you could also use a glass jar and sieve.

1. The night before, start with 1/4 cup of coarse ground coffee, and add 1 cup of cold filtered water.
2. The next morning add 1 more cup of water.
3. Strain and pour into a chilled glass over ice (makes two glasses)

via Small Notebook

Fabric Patterns

One of my things on my to-do list for 2010 is learning to sew. I would love to make some new pillows, curtains, dresses for my girls and maybe some handmade gifts. There are so many fun fabrics out there. Here are a few places to find them online:
Sew Mama Sew



Pixie Dust

Flexa Studio, Very Cool

Check out Flexa Studio. What a great idea for additional space. A home office, playroom,  or maybe a guest house. I love it!!! Now, if I could only fit this in our tiny backyard.

Interior Designer Mary McGee

Check out her website

Lessons Learned for next Disney trip

So this past weekend my husband and I decided last minute "let's take the girls to Disney World". We live in Florida so it wasn't to far a hike. Also my sister would be at Sea World on Sunday with one of my nephews, so that was incentive enough to hop in the car and go.  We left Saturday morning got to Orlando checked into our hotel and decided to put both girls down for a nap. Now, I have a 2 1/2 year old  and 16 month old who have separate rooms at home. So when they got the chance to sleep together in the same room they laughed and talked to each other and decided they didn't want to nap.

MISTAKE #1: No Naps and going late in the day. Really late, we didn't get to Magic Kingdom until 5pm 

 Lesson Learned: Go first thing in the morning with two toddlers. 

          MISTAKE #2:  We went during SPRING BREAK. I thought I was a "people person" until I   experienced Disney World with a double stroller. Way too many people for me.
          Lesson Learned: Pick a date that might be less crowded than going during Spring Break weekend. I heard October is good or maybe a week before Christmas and maybe go on a weekday.
          MISTAKE #3:  BRING MY OWN FOOD.  Disney food is GROSS!!!
          Lesson Learned: Traveling in general can be tough to find healthy food. Usually when we take road trips I always bring a cooler filled with healthy snacks.  A friend of mine told me you are allowed to bring your own food into the park. I will definitely make sure to do this next time. Also I just found another great application for the iphone or blackberry (see below after the pictures)

                                 My girls with their cutie pie cousin at a show in Sea World

                    Waiting in line at "it's a small world" our favorite ride only ride without 1hr wait


                                 Ok so the new iphone application I found and love is

GoodFoodNearYou helps you find the best food options at the most common restaurants near you.

In one simple search, you get instant access to the menus and nutrition information for popular casual dining restaurants, fast food restaurants, grocery stores, and convenience stores near your location.

Make smart, fast, and healthy dining decisions, wherever you are – at work, at home or in your car, traveling on business or vacation. 












        

Roller Skates

Ever since we watched the movie "Roller Derby" I have been wanting to get some of these

and maybe my girls could wear these

Also, when did target get makeup specialist? I swear there was an angel looking over me today. I had both babies with me and decided to hit target. I got a little anxiety pulling into the parking lot thinking how am I going to put both girls into the cart. As I pulled into a great parking space I saw a cart that looked almost like a train, it was that long. But it had seating for two littles. I got so excited.

I have been searching for a new skincare regimen and as I walked by the beauty aisle in Target an angel asked if I needed help.  She was so helpful, it was awesome.  I ended getting this and I love it.

Paddleboarding

We just love paddleboarding and when the ocean looks like this we grab our board and go

Moments

 Today I am feeling a bit nostalgic and came across these

Now she is 2 1/2 years old, takes dance classes, can say her "ABC's", can count to 25, and last night after putting both girls to bed my husband and I were relaxing down stairs on our couch when we heard her singing "head, shoulder knees and toes" at the top of her voice along with a  few other songs. She makes me laugh everyday and I can't help but stare at her in disbelief that this precious little girl is my daughter, how did I get so lucky. 

Sometimes we need to take a moment to remember all the moments in our day. There are so many little blessings that we might miss.  Especially when we are in a rush. Which I feel like most of the time. Finally the other day while in the midst of my daily rush I stopped myself and thought, what am I rushing for.  

Some recent photos really recent, like last Sunday, the most beautiful day ever.  I just love March where we live. It's still cool enough to enjoy being outside. (Please excuse my daughters hair, I think we may need a haircut)

watching her crazy sister do this

watch out "DEE DEE"

Kid's Room Decor

I love finding unique and fun things for my children online.  Here are a few things that caught my eye


How cute are these bookends, I actually like these better

My girls love squirrels.  I also have been on the search for some cool wall hooks for my older daughter's bedroom and we got ourself a winner ..

With a long white mirror I bought at Marshall's and this wall hook next to the mirror should be the perfect little dress up area for my little girls. You can find all of these fun things here

Anniversary Trip Part 1

Warning: This might be a long post. ( really long,,, don't know why the spaces are so big,, sorry)

My husband and I just got back from celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary cruising up and down the California coast. Doesn't that sound amazing, and it was just that,,, AMAZING!!

We flew into LA, rented a car and drove about 40 miles to Santa Barbara. We both were craving some Mexican food and found this hole-in-the-wall dive that served THE BEST Mexican food. I am bummed I didn't take pictures of this place. But if you are ever in Santa Barbara you must go to La Super -Rica Taqueria.

Then we went and checked into the most amazing Bed in Breakfast. (am I saying amazing too much)

The Simpson House Inn was so romantic, I would highly recommend it to any of you couples out there. I wish I could have captured the scents of the gardens and brought them home with me.  It smelled like heaven. They served us gourmet vegetarian breakfast every morning on our private veranda.

When I tell you this place had the best breakfast, I am not lying.   Did you see the little menu's they gave us with our names on it. Now that is what I call excellent service. I really could get use to this kind of treatment.

We went on some great runs on the beaches

Yes, I am kind of a geek, but an active one.

   




Next we got ready for our driver to take us on a tour of some vineyards.  

Next stop was another vineyard and afterwards our driver set up a delicious picnic overlooking wine country.

Our teeth are red by this point...  
































After all this great food we ended up here later that night,

so gross, but my husband loves this place and we don't have one on the east coast.
I plan on writing a separate post on THE HIKE, because it deserves it's own post. Coming soon.