a few things that have been rolling around in my head lately

I've been meaning to do a post here and there about these things, but who has time for that? Why not just cram them all in to one long, weird post?

*Zach and I have started a work-out routine that we do every weeknight to fulfill a resolution to be stronger, more fit and healthy. Every night after the boys go to bed (around 8) we do one 10 Minute Solutions: Target Toning work-out on Netflix, and then we do 4 dances on Just Dance 2. It's awesome. After 30 days we're going to reward ourselves with Just Dance 3. It's great because we're working together, laughing, dancing, and competing just a little bit. And toss in a little trash talk to motivate each other. It's been super fun. So far we've done it 10 nights in a row without missing a night.

*Another part of our resolution to be healthier is to stop eating once the boys go to bed. On weeknights. This is going well. Except that once the weekend hits we go a little crazy. Root Beer (for Zach), doughnuts (for me), Oreos, Popcorn.... I could do much better here. But I'm taking it easy on myself since I'm still coming down from the endless gorging that takes place over the holidays. I'm cutting it out in stages. I find that if I go cold turkey I usually feel like an addict going through withdrawls. And that always ends in me wondering how I managed to eat half a bag of chocolate chips without realizing it.... Gross.

*We watched this Ted Talk last night about trying something new for 30 days. It really struck a chord with me. I like the idea of months being more memorable rather than just passing. So for the next 30 days I'm going to sew at least one 9 in. X 9 in. quilt block. Maybe 2. I think it'll make making a quilt seem so much more manageable. Each block has 9 squares; 5 that are a patterned fabric, and four that are white, put together to form a plus sign. I'm really excited. And it's a great way to use up a lot of my scraps.

*In an attempt to eat less processed foods, I bought some raw milk. I'd never had it before, and didn't realize there was a place in town where it could be purchased. It's pretty good. The boys call it "the super yummy milk." It's pretty rich. I can also buy free range eggs from the same place, although they were all out when I went. I'm going to have to play around with our budget and groceries in order to find the money to buy more natural products. Which is hard because I'm not really buying a lot of crap or anything. So we'll see how that goes. It's a shame that you have to pay more to be healthier. What's up with that?

*For me, each day goes like this: Wake up, protect Oliver from his brothers. That's it. They love him so much. Too much. Yes, it's adorable. But it's a little unnerving as well. I've never had to share one of my babies quite so much. And they're not exactly gentle. The other day Ollie was laying in his little seat and Max was leaning over the top of him (which I've told the boys not to do a million times), and when he went to walk away he tripped and fell on top of Ollie. It was horrible. Oliver screamed. It was his first brother inflicted wound. He was ok, just a little squished and scared. But, the upside from the whole thing was that I learned that Quinn can actually feel empathy, which I didn't know up until that point. As soon as Ollie started screaming Quinn came running into the room and then burst into tears. Like, hysterical crying. He COULD NOT handle the fact that Ollie was in pain. As a parent, it was an awesome moment. I got to cuddle and comfort both boys at the same time. Although Max didn't care a bit about what he'd done. Oh well.

And now, a few tips from me that I've been thinking about lately:

*Use a q-tip to get boogers out of a baby's nose. You won't believe how well it works. Those suckers stick to the cotton and come out like..... Well, while the details may be exciting to me, I'll let you experience it for yourself. But trust me, it's awesome.

*Make your bed as soon as you get up in the morning. And try to keep your bedroom somewhat tidy. It'll make you feel better when you need to escape from the craziness that is your house now.

*Do something every day just to make you happy. Paint your nails. Work on a little project. Take a nap. Whatever does it for you. Just one thing. It'll make you feel less like a machine at the end of the day.

*Do something every day just to make your husband happy. While some people may think Dr. Laura is a little crazy, I LOVE her advice on making your marriage better. Get pretty before your husband comes home from work. Make him a good meal. Give him some love. Come on, men are pretty easy to please. It's worth it.

*Dress your kids in clothes that you absolutely adore. I've found that children's shenanigans are much less annoying when you think they look cute.

*Grind up orange peels (or any citrus peels) in your garbage disposal. It makes it smell yummy and cleans it. You can even freeze them and then put them in there to help get off any nasty food stuck to the blades. I get excited every time I peel an orange because I love dropping the peels in the disposal. And yes, it will make a horrible racket.

*Got this one from Pinterest - When hanging pictures, put a little dab of toothpaste on the back of the picture on the hanger. Hold the picture to the wall where you want it to go, press it, leaving a dot of toothpaste. Then put the nail through the dot of toothpaste. Genius.

*Remember that most of the really frustrating things that you deal with as a mom (or just a person in general) are temporary. Eventually the baby will sleep through the night. And he'll stop spitting up like crazy. The 3 year old won't pee his pants forever. I know it seems like it'll never end, but it will. This took me a long time to realize. I've noticed that a lot of the things that made me feel nuts when Quinn was a baby don't bother me now with Oliver. Because I know they'll end. Perspective is a beautiful thing.

That's all I've got for now. Except here's a couple of pictures to prove that the children are still alive and happy and cute. And know that I most likely said something about poop in order to get them to smile. Works every time.

Peace out.