Twin Tuesday: The Pacifier

Hey Y'all:

Haven't done a Twin Tuesday post in a little while. That's not to say that the twins haven't been super active - like Myles pushing his high chair directly in front of the television, turning it on sitting himself in his chair watching Yo Gabba Gabba or Leah holding her baby doll on her hip gently patting it's bottom saying "shhhhh it's ok." Those two are ALWAYS doing something to either make me LOL or shake my head in disbelief.

The latest journey is the weening of the pacifier. Erick sucked the pacifier for a very short period, one day when he was about 5 or 6 months old he decided that he didn't want it anymore so he threw it away (literally). The twins are a completely different story. From the time they knew what it was they have been plugged. In the car, in the house, in church, at grandma's it didn't matter if they saw it they wanted it and it was in their mouth. Most times I would have to snatch it out of their mouths, especially Leah.

We have spend I'm sure well over $50 dollars in pacifiers over the past two years. Between the two of them they have gone through, Gerber Nuk's (all stages), Playtex Binky (all stages) and finally one that was supposedly shaped like a mother's nipple (Leah wasn't fond of that one, but she sucked it anyhow). We didn't plan this weening it happened by default.

As I said before, they are known to have a pacifier in their mouth regardless of where they are or what they are doing. However if they are given food or a sippy cup they would haphazardly discard the pacifier. Lately they have been know to just throw the pacy on the floor and forget where they put it. Over the past week all pacifiers have gone missing, and hubby and I have decided not to look for them or buy replacements. On April 4th the twins will be 2 years old and Leah's teeth are being effected by the pacifier (even though we buy the "orthodontic" type they still are becoming quite buck) so we have agreed that it's time to say bye bye to the pacifier.

It has not be meet with approval from the twins or our neighbors I'm sure. They scream, they beg for it ("pacifiya, mommy gemme pacifiya PLEASE), they even drag their baby bag and search through it looking for them. Most recently in church, Leah almost accosted her 6 month old baby cousin for his. We are standing our ground. No more pacifier (well unless they find it themselves) for Leah or Myles.

Any weening tips?

Until next time...

MUAH!

Top 10 "Good" Morning Ideas ....

Hey Y'all:

Last week was mid winter recess her in NYC. Every single day of the week my precious 5 year old was up and at 'em watching TV or on the computer before I could leave the house to head to work. Most morning he would give me a kiss and send me on his way. Fast forward past his week of 'relaxation' he WILL not get out of the bed and get ready for school!

Do children have an internal clock that can tell the difference between school days and days off? He has the same early bird syndrome on the weekend! Monday - Friday it's a struggle to get him out of bed and ready for school, but come Saturday and Sunday he is the FIRST person awake in the house.

Well here is my fun list of things to do to Erick to get him out of the bed, most are my last resort after yelling his name to make him wake up. Not sure how much it bothers him the rest of the day... but it's just a bit of payback for the weekend when Mommy wants to sleep in.


10. Pull the covers off and touch him with my cold hand

9. Tickle him until he can't take it anymore

8. Turn Nick Jr. on and if he doesn't get up turn it off. I know he's listening to whatever show is on at the moment.

7. Whisper in his ear

6. Sing a good morning song! He hates when I sing to wake him up.

5. Set an alarm the night before to a music station that he likes.

4. Drizzle cold water on his back

3. Yell "Erick Nana is here" (cruel I know but he loves his Nana!)

2. Promise him a gift from Walmart (he knows they have plenty of Thomas the Tank Engine toys)

1. Dress him while he's asleep then stand him up and say "It's time to go." This is only done the day after bath night. That way we only have to brush his teeth and wash his face.

I know some of these are just plan mean but hey.... a mother's gotta do what a mother's gotta do.What creative ways can you share with me to wake up this little boy Monday - Friday?

Until next time...
MUAH!

Adoption Wednesday: Another Alternative

Hey Y'all:

I know it's been quite some time since I've posted an Adoption Wednesday post and I do apologize. I was going through a little something with my family and wasn't feeling to good about talking adoption, since I was pretty much told I've been a bad adoptive sister. None the less I'm still an advocate but want to share something a little different today.

If you are unable to adopt a child how about a pet?
A very dear friend of mine had to put her life long family pet Shadow, down earlier this year. Shadow was 15 years old and was a rescue puppy. My friend is now looking to adopt a new pet. After intense searching she found a few great websites that helped her in her search. She's still waiting for approval but she'll soon have a beautiful dogie (that's what Myles calls them) to call her own.

If you are considering the addition of a pet to your family please think about adopting instead of buying a really expensive pet from the pet store or breeder. There are domestic animals out there who need your love.

Here are a few good sites to aide you with your search.
Adopt A Pet
PetFinder
Humane Society
ASPCA

Until next time...
MUAH!

Confession

Hey Y'all:

They say confession is good for the soul.

I have a confession...

I'm addicted

To Hoarders! The reality show on A&E.

ABOUT THE SHOW

Each 60-minute episode of HOARDERS™ is a fascinating look inside the lives of two different people whose inability to part with their belongings is so out of control that they are on the verge of a personal crisis. Whether they're facing eviction, the loss of their children, jail time, or divorce, they are all desperately in need of help. In a fly-on-the-wall style, we'll capture the drama as experts work to put each on the road to recovery. But cleaning is just the first step, like taking drugs away from an addict. The healing won't be easy. For some, throwing away even the tiniest thing -- a sponge, a button, an empty box -- is so painful that they will not be able to allow the cleaning to be completed, no matter the consequences. For others, professional help and an organizer's guidance give them the strength to recover. At the end of each episode we'll find out who has been able to keep their hoarding behavior at bay and who, despite help, is still lost inside this painful disease.

Now listen I don't buy into all of the darn reality shows out there I actually can't stand them. There are just too many on way too many subjects... but this one, I'm really addicted to.
It's like a train wreck, it's so bad but you just can't turn away. I never realized that people live in such unsanitary conditions and don't seek help for their issues until it's to late. There have been shows that I was just sickened by and truly saddened. I always ask the question, why in the world do most of these folks have pets? One episode had a family of three women and 10 yes I said 10, cats! On this same episode one of the women had carpet beetles on her bed that she slept in every night and didn't even know that it was contaminated. One family had so much nastiness going on that the husband tried to commit suicide and the children were going to be taken away. Now do you see why I'm addicted?

I know that we all have obsessions and some people even have hoarding or pack rat tendencies. It's really important that you realize your issues and address them before it's too late.

Addiction is real and I have one....

Do you watch the show?
Here is a sneak peek if you don't


Until next time...
MUAH!

Bodacious Blogger!!!!

Hey Y'all:

TGIF...
I don't know about you but sometimes short work weeks seem so long! I was dragging through my day, took a moment to visit my girl HangingWithMrsCooper and now I'm smiling. MrsCooper gave me a Sunshine award!

Isn't that beautiful?
I know... I'm special!

I visited the lovely blogger Happliy Blended who awarded MrsCooper and found the Bodacious Blogger award. Instantly I knew I had to give some out. Here are the rules:

• Choose 5 blogger's that you are totally addicted to reading that you feel deserves a little something something extra for all of their hard work, time and dedication.


• Tag each of those blogger's in a post linking to their most recent blog post.


• Then, grab the code from the box below and add it to your post so the recipient of the Bodacious Blogger Award can grab it and pass on the love. (or rather right click and save image from my blog)

My 5 Bodacious Blogger's are:

HangingWithMrsCooper - If it weren't for her I wouldn't be blogging today. She is my Blog sister with whom I have plenty of things in common. Especially knowing what 'possible' is!

TheYoungMommyLife - My girl is ALWAYS on point. I love the Challenge Series she launched in January and her latest post has me smiling from ear to ear!

TellMeKC - Love this blog because they are cute savvy young women. Although they don't blog often when they do it's worth the read.

Mocha Dad - His musings are often really funny but thought provoking as well. Two posts in particular really made me laugh & think check out The World's Most Embarrassing Dad and The Wrong Response

Such The Spot - This one is where I get my food fix. Darcie often has some seriously mouth watering treats.

Then, answer the following questions:

What do you love most about blogging? Blogging is a great release for me. I love writing and being introduced to blogging has opened me up to writing for others. It's a brand new world and I really do love it.

What do you dislike about blogging? Not knowing if anyone is reading what I'm putting out there. It's heard to tell because I don't get very many comments so it's a little disheartening. But I write anyhow. It's also hard sometimes to figure out what I want to talk about. Knowing the balance between what others what to read and what I want to say can be difficult.

What is the one thing you hope to achieve from blogging? I really want to share my thoughts and change someones life. I want folks to know the importance of adoption, what it means to be the mom of multiples and how important it is to follow your dreams.

Well folks until next time...

MUAH!

"Scholar Ladies" Hope Christian School

Hey Y'all:

We all know the "Single Ladies" a.k.a. "put a ring on it" song from Beyonce and have seen so many different parodies, but this however is by far my favorite.

These young ladies understand the importance of education switching up Beyonce's lyrics to "If you learned it, then you should have got an A on it" love it!
The fact that their teachers were excited to participate in this song speaks volumes for Milwaukee's Hope Christian School .



Hope you enjoyed.

Until next time...
MUAH!

Black History Month 2010 Cool Campaigns

Hey Y'all:

We are three weeks into the shortest month of the year, which also happens to be the month that we celebrate Black History month. I've been browsing the web trying to find cool Black History Month campaigns that I could get into and I've found a few that I would like to share.

Nordstrom is celebrating Black History Month with a compilation CD of Big Band Legends with greats such as Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald. The CD $18.95 and all after-cost proceeds from CD's sold February 1-December 31, 2010 will benefit Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Verizon has a very cool program running with BlackPlanet titled The State Of Black - a collection of views and ideas that identify African-American culture. The program hosts a webisode series that showcases individuals and stories to help examine our remarkable journey.Please check it out and view the video of my hubby Jazz musician Stix BONES

Target always has a fabulous Black History Month campaign and this year is no different. Just as in years past their theme is Dare. Dream. Do. for 2010 they are highlighting "four extraordinary people who Dare, Dream, and Do every day" Malaak Comptoin - Rock - Founder & Director of The Angel Rock Project, Steve Stoute - Author Co-Founder/CEO, Translation Marketing, Marcus Samuelsson - Chef and Cookbook Author and Marc Morial - President and CEO National Urban League

Yahoo! Events has a pretty nice program going on that highlights the achievements of Blacks from Slavery-Abolition to Recent History makers, which showcases people like Cartoonist Aaron McGruder is the creator of "The Boondocks," Respected actor, producer, and activist Don Cheadle and Dr. Michael Eric Dyson has come a long way since his days as a teen father on welfare; just to name a few.

BlackVoices has a robust program this year as usual. sponsored again by Target. I specifically like the Black History 365 section that is up year round celebrating African Americans

Take a look at these great campaigns when you have some time and celebrate Black History Month with your family and friends.

Until next time...
MUAH!