Resolution Destroyed

My resolution for 2017 was to write on this blog twice a month. I was doing good...for like 3 whole weeks. I haven't been back here since January 21. What happened?!

LIFE. I have been running on all cylinders since then. Jeremy has been traveling a lot. I have even been out of town once in that time. Teaching in both locations is in the "busy season" of grading, projects, etc. The time I have free from work, I find myself cleaning, cooking and playing. I don't get a free moment where there is NOTHING to do...like blog. Hence, my resolution is destroyed.

But I am here. Still. I am still going to try. Hang with me as I find some kind of balance.

(My brain is so cluttered that I just took 45 minutes off in the middle of writing this to grade some college students' projects. I. Can't. Stop.)

Before this post gets off the rails...here's some toddler spam. My beautiful nearly 4-year-olds! Gah!

We went to the Globetrotters! So fun!

My mom went too!

Daddy-Daughter Dance

We got this dress especially for her date. You will see that this is now the only dress she wants to wear. Ever.

While Daddy and Harper had their date. I had my date with this guy. T-Rex Café.

My buddy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Ice Cream Date!

We have had crazy, wacky weather this winter.

February and 70's at the park with ice cream

Yum!

We found this cute little donut shop where the kids could create their own donut masterpiece and watch it get made.

Church pic. And that dress again.

Dress for success day at their school. The dress...again.

Jeremy has been in 2 different states in just this week. So I was a bad mom and we did Chick-fil-a one night earlier and then they got to experience their first happy meals too. We have always been too cheap...even for McDonald's...to get them their own happy meals. They will now be expecting them now! Also, they call this place "Old McDonalds" which is just the cutest.

I posted this video to my Instagram. Max got this Marshall toy from my niece for Christmas. It does so many different things that it's crazy. We never had cool toys like this. One of the commands has Marshall dancing. These two just joined right in and followed his commands. Ha!

Till next time! Hopefully soon!
-Lisa-

One vs One

Since I have only known the life of parenting twins, I don't know what it's like to just have one baby/one kid. People have always said "What's it like to have twins?" or "How do you do it?" My response is always: It's all I know. I don't know any different.


I got to see what life was like with one kid today. It was pretty awesome for lots of reasons.


I was recently inspired by a fellow twin mom. They split up their twins for one-on-one dates. I then realized Max and Harper only have outings with each other. We have never taken them away from each other for one on one time unless one of them was home sick. So...I took Miss Harpy Harps and Jeremy took Maxy Doodle.


Jeremy took Max to breakfast for some breakfast burritos. M LOVES burritos...any kind. Then, they hit up the local Target to get some special cars. Max is obsessed with the Cars movies. It started when he was 2. But then he took a break. It wasn't until he saw the trailer for the new Cars movie coming out this summer that it reinvigorated his love of everything Lightning McQueen. His number one gift he wanted from Santa were the little race cars from the new movie. He got to pick out 2 more race cars from Target. He is thinking it is the best thing ever!


Daddy and son day also included some extra cookie snacks, the local indoor play place and lunch. They both enjoyed their time together. I can't wait to spend my time with Max next week.

Harper and I had a great time too! This girl loves her donuts. And this mama love her coffee. So the only possible place that we could start our date was Dunkin Donuts. Just across the parking lot is this amazing cookie bakery...just cookies. But the best! So we picked up some Monster cookies and a couple of their cutesy ones too. She wanted the kitty, but she wanted Max to have the dog.


We had some time to kill before our next stop opened, so we went shopping of course! Harper picked out a new princess tea set. I think we had 4 tea sets now...but the girl needs options!


We then went to a kids' painting class. It was so cool and actually a great place for a birthday party...so that's a possibility. They have open studios on Saturday mornings. Today, they worked on Matisse flowers. Then, they got free studio time to play and explore. Harper made friends and thoroughly enjoyed herself.


We ended our date eating her favorite food...pizza! She got her very own pizza and a little cup of gelato too. It was around lunch time that she began asking about Max. She said that she wanted to share her pizza with Max and wondered what Max was doing. So sweet.

Finished art project going on the fridge

After getting home from our dates, Max and Harper clearly missed each other. They really are so close. However, it is so important for them to develop their own identities too. I think they enjoyed having their special time with Mom and Dad just as much as we did.


I was able to talk to Harper and give her my 100% undivided attention. I can never do that. Either Max wants to also have some attention and talk time or I have to worry about what the other one is getting in to. Life as a one child Mom is so different. I didn't know what to do with my other hand. My head didn't have to be on a swivel. I could just watch, talk and be in awe with my one sweet girl.


Next weekend, our daycare is having a Daddy-daughter dinner. So Jeremy will get some Harper time. I plan on taking Max on our own little Mom and son adventure.


I think we both realized that we need to do this more often. I can't believe we have waited this long!


-Lisa-

Dealing with Stress

Everyone has to deal with an amount of stress at one point or another...(or all points in varying levels). Some people deal by crying (sometimes me), throwing fits (sometimes me), or lashing out at loved ones (sometimes me). I am guilty of all of these ineffective stress relieving tactics.

However, I, for the majority, deal with stress internally. On the outside, I smile, nod and pretend that life is my oyster. Internally, I am freaking the F out! I have a hard time saying "No" when asked. I have the tendency to bite off more than I can chew. And I definitely invent the majority of the stress in my life.

This week has been A WEEK. Whew! I first of all promised to you, the blog world, that I would write to you more often. Much to my chagrin, my weekly Friday night alarm alerted me to WRITE. So, I am now hoping this self-inflicted stress turns into therapy. Bear with me...ya'll are my free therapy.


I begin my adjunct courses on Monday. Like three days from now. They are all online through the learning interface, Blackboard. For some flipping reason, I have not been granted access to set up said courses until today. TODAY! I have spent hours on the phone with Human Resources, my department, the university's technology center...no one can figure out what the hell was going on. It was so freaking frustrating!


Now, I get to spend my ENTIRE weekend (except for right now) building two courses I have never taught before. Luckily, I can build as we progress but the majority of the course needs to be done before I can release the site to the students. Oy!


Let's add in the fact that we started back to regular school (at the middle school) this week. And let me tell you...it hasn't been a pleasant start. I didn't realize how much I did NOT miss them until today. Again, oy!


[Insert loud, obnoxious sigh that I would roll my eyes at if it came from my husband.]


Now, let me paint back on my smile, perfect the nod and go back to pretending that life is grand. Deep down I know that my life is pretty flipping fantastic. But the stress I put on myself is making it difficult.

-Lisa-