Single Mom Salute

Dan recently traveled to Puerto Rico to celebrate his brother's bachelor party - leaving us for three long nights.  Of course, my wonderful mom was here, but it's not quite the same.  The experience left me tired, and so thankful and appreciative for all of the support he provides.

From being Mr. Clean, to helping get the kids dinner, to handling the dogs, and getting the kids ready for bed - he is a HUGE help in making our day successful.  Even having a dishwasher full of clean sippy cups can make your morning go well (and in contrast, a sink full of dirty cups and thirsty kids makes it not so easy).  I realized it's the little things that really show what a parenting team we are.

I was doing it all - breakfast to bedtime - with the extra chores of dogs, laundry, garbage, and even shoveling the driveway.  To make matters worse, Brayden had quite the stomach bug with cleanup duties on both ends.

I know I have been truly BLESSED to have a husband like Dan, and with any luck, I'll be posting our whole "love story" for posterity sake sometime before Valentine's Day.  It is such a dark contrast though when he's gone that I realize how spoiled I am!

It's gotten me thinking about all the single moms out there, and the military spouses who are acting as both Mom and Dad when their partner is away.  You have my absolute and utmost respect.  I am honestly not sure I could do what you do and still have the energy to have patience and kindness for my kids.  You're amazing...

I remember worrying last year that Dan would be going on a business trip to China for a week, and was venting to some friends about my fears.  A number of them were active military wives who had been without their spouses much longer than my measly week, and while I first had my back up a little at their dismissal of my worries - I do understand that my small bits of solitary parenting are nothing in comparison with long deployments.  I do know though, that I stink at handling this alone, and it just reinforces my appreciation for all that military families give up for our country.

In the near future, unfortunately, we'll be without him again.  He'll be traveling to the Virgin Islands for his brother's wedding and I'll be here with the kids for five nights.  It just wasn't feasible to take two kids to a tropical island (especially in covering the cost of two additional plane tickets, finagling an attempt to keep them quiet and calm during the ceremony alone, plus it's not a great idea for our delayed vaccination kiddos) - nor did it make sense for me to leave them here with Mom while we both went.  I might be a bit of a worrier "logical voice of reason and concern" but I hesitate to go anywhere so remote that I might not be able to get home within 24 hours should my kids need me.

I'm sure we'll make it through alright.  With any luck the weather will have warmed just enough to allow us to leave our little hibernation cave and get out into the sunshine.  In the meantime, we are all SURELY glad to have him back home.

Not-So-Terrible Twos

So our posts have been a little spare here lately but apparently, there's this thing called "terrible twos" that has suddenly effected my kids and left me exhausted!  I'm kidding really (about the terrible part, not the exhausted part) but Brayden and Julie have suddenly discovered that they can demand request my help or presence - and since we've been working on requesting, I almost always oblige.

In a typical day, this might include typical things, like being led to the fridge for a cup of milk or to the train table for some play time.  Brayden will occasionally just put a random body part to my mouth, since everyone knows Mommy kisses magically make everything "all better." Sometimes it's a little more unusual, for instance when Julie will drag me to the middle of the room and stuff the corner of our fleece blanket into my hand in an attempt to force me to do a "blanket swing" for her.  We've had instances of Julie believing that she can grab the back of my hand and use it to steal things from her brother since she knows she's not supposed to herself.  Today, she grabbed my hands and placed them on her shirt - after she'd removed her pants - so that she could strip down a bit.  I love that they're being so intentional and realizing the power in requesting - if only we could get some more words flowing!  You'd think that saying "milk" would be less effort than dragging Mom through the house but clearly not.  None the less, we're committed to reinforcing the behavior, so when the babes say jump, I say "how high."

This is a bit tiring to say the least though, so it's been limiting the energy I have to blog or make hair bows.  I keep trying to give myself a break though - the blog will still be here, and so will GiggleBuzz when the time comes and I can get back to things.  I do feel bummed in the meantime that my website is still featuring fall hairbows instead of holiday or valentine's day!

These babes will never be in this stage again and so I'm just sucking up every sweet moment and taking each challenge with joy.  Despite the days where I'm desperate for a break or counting down the minutes until naptime, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Brayden at Two!

Tonight I got the chance to spend an evening alone with Brayden.  Just running a few errands, but it was a lovely reminder of how much I adore this little guy.  He is a total joy...

Height and Weight: 35 inches tall and 29 lbs

Wearing: 18M-2T

Favorite Food: Cheese

Loves to...: Play with trains, run outside, pour water between cups and go "bye bye."  Brayden has graduated from his past obsession carrying measuring little people - to carrying Little People figures everywhere.  He'd carry a dozen at a time if he could figure out how to hold on to them all!  Woody and Buzz are his favorites of course.  He loves to make animal noises and growl, serve play food from his kitchen, and is very nurturing to his baby dolls.  Brayden has recently discovered tickling, and believes that he can even tickle himself with enough of a chuckle.  Brayden is a great musician and can march and clap to a beat, strum his (or mommy's) ukulele, and sing along with Christmas carols.  He's awesome at the Falalalalas and Par-um-pum-pum-pums.

Favorite Toys: Trains, Little People (and pez), Dinosaurs, Cars, Pillow Racers, Bouncy House, the Thomas Roller Coaster.

Favorite Show: Octonauts, Sophia the First, Toy Story, Chuggington

Word List: Uh-Oh, No, Choo-Choo, Da, Ma-ma, Up, "git," Pap, pop, yum, bye-bye, peese (please), ank you (thank you), more, go "zzz" for "Buzz" and lots of animal sounds.  Brayden definitely has a ways to go with his words and we do our very best to keep the binky out of his mouth and encourage him to use his words whenever possible.

Biggest Accomplishments: Brayden's doing awesome with his physical abilities - jumping, marching and climbing up and down stairs with ease.  His compassionate side has been growing with his ability to share and take turns (although we still work on these things daily).  We love watching Brayden explore his love of music.  It really is a cool thing to see your child discover something you yourself are so passionate about.

Brayden is such a sweet and exciting boy.  We have an absolute joy being his parents!

Field Trip Friday: BounceU of Warrendale

As we get back into the swing of things in the new year, we've been venturing out to find some new places to hang during these cold winter months.  A recent favorite has been BounceU of Warrendale and their weekday "Preschool Playdates."

BounceU has some super cool inflatables, including a giant two-story inflatable slide, giant bounce houses, a "wipeout" style obstacle course inflatable, and even things like inflatable baseball.  These are the perfect things to get kids excited, active and spend some of that built up winter energy.

We've had the pleasure of attending twice recently and always make sure we show up during their Preschool Playdate sessions.  These Monday, Thursday, and Friday open play events are only an hour, but offer plenty of time for our little ones to get their bounce on.  It's $8.25 per child, but we opt for the 5/$35 pass which gives you just a little discount.

My kids absolutely love it and we'll definitely be back again before things start warming up.  I love seeing how brave Brayden can be as he troops off to climb the massive slide all on his own.  The sheer joy on his face on the way down is so fantastic.  Julie is just awesome when she's bouncing.  I swear her focus just comes out and she really has a ball.

A few recommendations if you check our BounceU:
- Bring socks, they're required!
- Call ahead.  We recently had a playmate get turned away since they hadn't called ahead to save a spot.
- Thow some water bottles or sippies in your bag.  They will be thirsty after all that activity
- Attempt a 1:1 adult to kid ratio if your littles are little.  We made our first attempt without backup and it was tough to really keep an eye on both kids.

I REALLY regret not bringing my camera to give you some shots of all the fun we've had.  Don't fret though!  I'm sure we'll be back soon and will capture all the bouncing very soon!

Give Kate a Chance

I was so excited to see Kate Gosselin's name at the top of my facebook "trending" list today.  After watching her family grow up on TLC, it was like seeing an old friend you forgot how much you'd missed.  I felt my nerves swell quickly though - as facebook trends are pretty limited to three things.
1 - Something Awesome
2 - Something Scandalous
3 - Something Tragic
So of course, I was super relieved to realize it wasn't something tragic.  Instead, the trend was highlighting the Today Show interview, where her oldest daughters froze up a bit during their interview.

Firstly, I have to be thankful that THIS is the world's news today.  Thank heavens this is the biggest thing all of the social media world is buzzing about.  It means that, there aren't any catastrophic events happening, violence isn't rearing it's evil head, and partisan politics have put down their boxing gloves - for the moment at least.

But I have to ask - why is the world concerned with the eloquence of two thirteen year old girls?  How many of us would have had the courage to even accept such an invitation?  I find these critiques to be totally inappropriate.  Yes, the family has spent many years in public view, and they did choose to make their appearance on the Today show.  Yet their interview says something that so many are missing.  These young ladies did what every other normal, typical, average young teen would do.  They were a little less confident in themselves than they could have been.  Doesn't this mean that they've been less effected by all the media attention than everyone likes to accuse?  If they'd stood up and given a press conference-esque interview, the media would probably remark that they were too polished due to overexposure.

All too often I ask where our culture came to a place where we were given a "right" to criticize other people.  When did our opinions of other people's parenting choices become so relevant?  I can only believe that our immersion into the online experience has emboldened us to speak our minds in ways we would have never before to someone's face.

Kate's been a major inspiration to me as a mom of multiples.  So often in the beginning, when I was juggling two babies, I'd think of her and say to myself "if she can do six, surely I can do two."  It was a motivator that I had to keep going and figure things out - there's not really any other reasonable alternative for moms.

According to Kate Gosselin's Website it looks like she's been staying busy with her most recent book - a cookbook entitled Love Is in the Mix.  Well, I'm sure that she stays busy enough as a mother of eight of course, but I'm putting in my order soon!  I'm sure her recipes are awesome but the book I'd really like to see from Kate would be a guide on how she runs her home.  She's super organized and I can only imagine I would learn an immense amount from her systems!

While it was such a bummer to see petty drama again surrounding this awesome family, I am so glad I had the chance to "bump into" the Gosselin Family via the internet today.  I can't believe how much their kids have grown up in the pictures and wish them all the future happiness, joy and success.

Julie at Two!

The babies have just had their second birthday this December and  thought  it would be the perfect time for an update.  Since Julie celebrated one short minute before her brother she is (as always) up first.

Isn't she just gorgeous?  She's always on the move, so sometimes a smiling portrait is tough - but I just love this picture of here.  Here she is - Julie at Two!

Height and Weight: 36 inches tall and 31.5 lbs

Wearing: 2T-3T

Favorite Food: Blueberries, Cheese, Noodles

Loves to...: Snuggle, sleep, watch Disney movies, ride on Mom's shoulders, get tickled, help in the kitchen, paint, draw, color, play with stickers, climb on everything!  She likes to play with Mommy's hair - especially using her new play brushes and hair dryer.  She adores stacking blocks (and anything else possible).  She's not really into baby dolls yet, but loves taking baths and playing with all of her bath toys. She loves to label everyone's "eyes, nose, hair, ears, and tongue" and is a bit of a dare devil.  Julie loves to get reactions from people - and will chase us with dinosaurs and sharks so that we squeal with fear. 

Favorite Toys: Little People, hair accessory set, nesting dolls, pop up boxes, easel, doctor's set

Favorite Show: Bubble Guppies, Doc McStuffins, Sophia the First, Toy Story

Word List: Mama, Dada, Ga, Pap, Nana (banana), hi, oh-no, boy/"bway" (for Brayden), more, car, please, bye, choo-choo, eyes, nose, hair, ear, "git", kitty, pig, cow, duck, dog, "jewy" (Julie), me (interchangeable for mine), thank you, Mickey, Woody, Buzz, one, two, three, four, five, red, green, blue, up, cookie, cheese - and probably many more I can't think of at the moment!

Biggest Accomplishments: Julie is making GREAT developmental strides!  We love seeing all the fantastic eye contact that has been a challenge for her in the past.  She is learning to communicate so beautifully and really able to express her desires.  We recently made the switch to a "big girl" toddler bed and after many nights of 4 a.m. escape, we're finally finding some consistency sleeping through the night again.  She's a wonderful little artist and enjoys using all sorts of art supplies to make little creations.  And while this is a strange accomplishment 

What an awesome kid!  We absolutely adore this little sweetheart.

Matilda Jane Paint by Numbers Encore and $50 Gift Card Giveaway

Do you remember that adorable Matilda Jane outfit my sweet Julie got to model this past Fall?  Just in case you've forgotten, here she is again wearing the Limelight Peasant Top and  and Pointillism Big Ruffle Pants.

She is absolutely darling if I do say so myself!  If you're not familiar with Matilda Jane, be sure to check out our first review here to find out a little more about the founder and concept of this beautiful boutique clothing line.  

And for those of you who are already big fans, we're sure you'll agree with our little countdown as we share our top five reasons we love Matilda Jane!

1. The Gorgeous Colors and Funky Style: When my daughter puts on her Matilda Jane outfits, her personality just bursts out through her outfit.  The colors are bright, the patterns are beautiful, the quality is superb.  The prints have just a touch of quirkiness of which I just can't get enough   Bright, beautiful and superbly quirky - sounds a lot like Julie too!

2. The Mix and Match Concept: No matter what pieces you choose from the collection, they all go together and compliment each other flawlessly.  It makes shopping simple, and adds great value to the wardrobe collection!

3. Attention to Detail: From the flared cut on pants to the buttons and ribbons, Matilda Jane focuses on the little things - the true mark of exceptional children's clothing.

4. Customer Focus: Providing a great customer experience is a high priority for Matilda Jane!  They come to you, so that you can touch and feel the pieces with their unique Trunk Keeper consultants and Trunk Shows.

5. Absolute Comfort: I've shared before that Julie has some "sensory issues" where she's often uncomfortable with itchy tags or scratchy fabrics.  In her Matilda Jane clothes she's just as comfortable as in her PJs, and doesn't want to take them off!

We were absolutely thrilled to have another opportunity to model another outfit from Matilda Jane and love the three new pieces we're adding to our Paint by Numbers collection!

The colors of this collection are so warm and bright, yet neutral enough that they transcend seasons!  I could easily see Julie wearing her new duds any time of the year.  

It's impossible not to notice the gorgeous Turtledove Knot Top with it's perfect combination of prints.  With beautiful details of shoulder strap knotted ties and a sash that ties in the back, it makes comfort and fit a literal "cinch." With the detailed bird and floral print, it reminds me of warmer days spent outside.

Underneath, the Stippling Tee adds comfort and compliment with it's matching print.  It has just the slightest bit of stretch, making it great for a girl always on the go.  The little dots remind me of paint droplets, perfect for the Paint by Numbers line.

Finally, the Gallery Leggings add a burst of color and has a fun, flirty, curved cuff on the ankle. Cut as a cropped, flared legging, we paired them with our favorite winter boots to make this outfit snow worthy for our chilly Pittsburgh weather.  I just can't get enough of these little stretchy leggings and bet they'll look just as good with summer's flip flops.

Thank you again Matilda Jane for letting us review these beautiful pieces!  And whether you're just meeting Matilda Jane or have been long time pals, we bet all of our readers would love to win a $50 Matilda Jane gift card to choose your own favorites from the Paint by Numbers collection.  Just fill out the rafflecopter form below to enter!

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