Ten on Tuesday

1. I wish I had dreams about normal person things, and not about new Costco coupons coming in the mail.

2. Add this to your list of things not to do: push front passenger seat to fully reclined position. Hand out mini boxes of raisins to the tough customers in the back row. While still facing backwards, and with sunglasses on, grab the release lever on the seat. Get a completely unexpected slap in the face by the head rest. Repeat after me: "that's going to leave a mark."

3. I made Aloha Chicken from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook last week, and it was really good, even if you're not trying to be deceptive.

4. Last night, we had Quesadillas from the Doubly Delicious cookbook. Everyone liked them. Emma started out saying "don like it, don want it." But she kept picking at it and eventually asked for more. Julie, as usual, ate as much as Becca and Emma combined. They were a little messy, but a really good flavor.

5. I can get Emma to try just about anything if I call it "chicken."

6. I'd never seen a cat give such a dirty look as Dusty did yesterday morning. Lefty has gotten even more demanding for her "lake" in the bathroom sink whenever we're in there. And she's very possessive of it, too. If Dusty tries to put a paw in while Lefty's sitting there, she'll swat at her. She did that yesterday morning, and I swear, Dusty was glaring at her. It's the dirtiest cat look I've ever seen. (I can hear my parents saying that I taught her that look.)

7. I'm sick. Not sick sick, just whiny sick. Cough, sneeze, headachy. Not enough to stay home from work, just enough to make me feel like lying down on the couch as soon as I get home.

8. I'm so torn this time of year. The air is cool and dry, making me want to open the windows. But the pollen is already starting, and I'm so congested that my teeth hurt.

9. After the doctor told us to consider vitamins at some point if the girls aren't eating their vegetables, I've been trying to get more in. (Hence, the Deceptively Delicious and Doubly Delicious cookbooks.) But we went vegetable-cold-turkey this weekend and had raw vegetables as a snack. I bought a veggie tray at Costco, with the intent of pulling out when they start whining before dinner is ready. In just the last few days, they've all eaten "trees" (broccoli), and Becca has tried the pea pods and a carrot. What a huge feeling of accomplishment. We're serving them with hummus. Which we had to buy more of, after the girls "helped" put groceries away when we got home from Costco, and we found the tub of hummus in the pantry a day later.

10. Our cats still chase the shadows of their tails. And I still think it's hysterical.

Ten on Tuesday

1. and 2. New shoes from Target... these and these.

3. and 4. This sweater and these boots on clearance from Crazy 8 for the girls for next winter.



5. Ancient Grains granola from Costco = yum

6. Just got plugged in to Groupon and Living Social. Ooooh, this could be dangerous. So far, we've scored coupons for haircuts for the girls.

7. I'm probably in the minority, but I'm really not ready for this warm weather yet. I had to go through the girls' wardrobe this weekend to start cleaning out and making room for short sleeves again.

8. We got a new point-and-shoot camera at Christmas time. It's my first Nikon, so maybe they all do this... but when we ran down the battery this weekend, it showed an error message that said "Battery Exhausted." You're preaching to the choir, battery.

9. I am so addicted to Law and Order. There, I admitted it. And I'm considering a subscription to Hulu Plus so I don't miss any more episodes.

10. Consignment sale is coming up in 2 weeks, and I've got a lot of work to do. I've got a huge hamper full of the girls' summer clothes from last year. And you know how small summer clothes pack. Plus, we're finally able to get rid of some baby toys.

Ten on Tuesday

1. A few weeks ago, I was downstairs getting the girls breakfast when I noticed that the cats' water bowl was empty. I filled it, but when I went upstairs to get dressed, Lefty was hanging out by the sinks in our bathroom. I figured she hadn't been downstairs to see the refilled water bowl, so I put some water in one of the sinks for her to dip her paws in. Ever since then, when she catches me up there in the morning, she glares at me until I fill a sink with water. I call it "Lake Lefty."
2. When we were on the way to daycare on Monday, Julie saw a yellow Hummer and yelled "busssss!" Yeah kid, pretty much.
3. Know what I learned on Monday? I didn't really miss work much.
4. What are you supposed to use to clean your laptop monitor off with? There is so much crud on this thing, but I don't know what to clean it with.
5. I made Lentil Soup for dinner on Monday. The recipe called for 2 tablespoons of garlic. Which seemed like a lot at the time. I kept pressing and pressing, and went through the whole head of garlic. Um, I think that had to be a typo, because that garlic totally overpowered the whole thing. Whoa. I think my hands still smell like garlic.
6. And when the girls wouldn't eat the lentil soup (well, actually Julie did eat her whole bowl. the other 2 tasted it and that was it.), what did the parents of the year give them for dinner? All the Ritz crackers, string cheese, dried cranberries, and probiotic-laced applesauce they could eat. It was the best meal EVER. They are going to rave about it to all of their friends at daycare, I just know it.
7. Had to take Emma to the doctor's office on Monday for a rash, after daycare called at around 2:30. I seem to remember having to leave work early on the first day back at work for a sick kid last year, too. I sure hope we don't have as many doctors' visits this year. This isn't boding well.
8. If you were a 2 year old gift card, where would you be hiding?
9. I'm 42% done with The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. And I love my Kindle. :)
10. My least favorite meal to clean up after? Rice. Guess what we had tonight. It's everywhere. All over my feet, ugh.

Ten on Tuesday

1. Girls are at daycare for a few days this week. Greg's at work for a few days. I'm on vacation. Doing what I want, when I want is just priceless.

2. Bought the girls winter coats for next year this week. Aren't they cute?


3. Finished The Girl Who Played with Fire last week. Is it any surprise that my first Kindle book purchase was The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest? I'm not sure when it comes out in paperback, but I'm not sure I could have waited, either.

4. Did some after Christmas shopping at Target on Sunday and got some Christmas decorations that I'd been eyeing. I also got a few things at Pier 1. One of my goals for the next few days is to go through our 7 (gulp) Christmas bins and weed out the stuff we aren't using. I also need to rearrange the ornaments into "child friendly" and "put on the tree in another 10 years" boxes so that it's easier to get at stuff they can put on the tree next year.

5. Our Costco tree held up as well or better than any tree we've had. Of course, the only other place we'd bought one before was Lowe's.

6. I think I forgot to mention that we actually got snow on Christmas! It started snowing on Christmas afternoon and didn't stop until Sunday morning. It was pretty wet, though, and still about 38 degrees when it started snowing. The roads just got a dusting, but we got maybe an inch on the yard.

7. Either we need a new mattress or I need a new back. I wake up every morning with an agonizingly stiff back. It's stiff, not sore, because after I'm up and moving, I'm fine. But getting out of bed is agonizing.

8. The girls weren't really interested in the wrapped presents under the tree on Christmas, but on Sunday morning, they tore through them. Like, faster than we could keep up with.

9. Thinking about leaving the Christmas Card Holder up all year again (intentionally, this time) and just shoving some snapshots and memorabilia in it. It hangs over the closet door, and isn't particularly Christmas-y.

10. Wow, in less than a month, I'll have 2-year-olds. I am so not ready to think about that yet.

Ten on Tuesday

1. I made a huge pot of spaghetti sauce on Sunday. So big that I had to divide it into multiple pots when I made the meatballs.

2. We got our Christmas tree on Sunday morning. For $29.99 sight unseen, I think we did just fine. At some point, I'd like to go cut down our own, but it just wasn't going to happen this year.

3. 16 degrees this morning! The frost was incredibly hard to scrape off the windshields this morning. It was like glass.

4. My hands are so incredibly dry again. It's awful. Soaking my hands in tomatoes on Sunday didn't help.

5. Still haven't gotten the Christmas decorations down from the attic. Greg did pack up the Halloween decorations, though.

6. Out until 10:30 tonight at the Moms of Multiples Christmas party. Lots of fun and so unlike me to be out so late on a school night.

7. Decided I'm really not ready for the girls to start potty training yet. We need to wait until they are more ready.

8. I went to the dentist last week - no cavities!

9. I don't think we're going to make it to a Christmas parade this year. We missed most of them this past weekend due to some other commitments. Kind of bummed about it, because the girls really seemed to enjoy it last year.

10. Anyone have any idea when my children might sleep through the night? This is getting really old.

Ten on Tuesday

1. You know how, in January and February, it's hard to put the right year on things? Well, ever since I've taken a job in Supply Chain, I have a hard time putting the current year on anything. I find myself writing 2011, and then being surprised when I realize it's still only 2010.

2. So. tired. Just exhausted lately and don't want to do anything once the girls go to bed. I think feeling a bit overwhelmed at work is taking it's toll, in addition to this lingering cold.

3. So glad Em shared this video. It makes me smile. And we all danced to it in the living room. And that made me smile, too.

4. ...which led to this video that also makes me smile.

5. ...which led to the realization that Jason Mraz is a different person than Bruno Mars. They do sound a little alike, don't they?

6. I had one of those once-a-year good hair days yesterday. Guess that's it for me for the year.

7. I've been confusing a lot of my words lately... things like saying "I put my bag in my books." It's like my brain is trying to multi task but not quite keeping up.

8. We have started getting those American Girl doll catalogs in the mail. Oh my. That's some expensive... stuff.

9. Considering Christmas Tree options: a) family field trip to cut one down, b) going to the farm where we got the pumpkins to get a precut one, or c) Costco.

10. I finally deleted a memory card. I've got a terrible habit of just buying a new one when I fill one up because I'm terrified of erasing them and losing something. I've started using Carbonite (though it's said "Carbonite Status: Initial Backup" since I bought it over a week ago). Does anyone else use it? Is this normal?

Ten on Tuesday

Sorry I've been a bad blogger lately, but I've been sick and am going to bed when the girls do. More soon, I promise.

1. I finally got my flu shot. We're taking the girls this week.

2. Really upset that the coffee at work has started to give me heartburn. It's sooooo good. A little too good, I guess.

3. Trying to remember that Thursday is Veteran's Day. Certainly thankful for all that serve for our freedom, but wish I had a meaningful way to commemorate it here. If I were at home, I'd visit my grandparents' grave sites.

4. I really don't remember the town Christmas lights and Christmas tree going up the first week of November last year.

5. Super thirsty for milk all of the time lately.

6. Busy, busy, busy weekends through the end of the year. Lots of fun with the family to look forward to (and maybe some alone time, too).

7. Finally finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Guess I'm going to have to read the next one in the series next.

8. My photography class ended last week. I'm still mostly shooting in P mode because it's hard to capture the girls when you're trying to analyze settings. But I have started messing with the exposure compensation dial, so that's progress.

9. Feeling a bit overwhelmed at work lately. Just overloaded. Can't wait for this week to be over, and it's just dragging.

10. My ears itch. Ever since the girls were born. It's enough to drive a person insane.

Ten on Tuesday

1. Why didn't I get the steam cleaner vacuum sooner? Carpets are looking much better and hopefully we can make them last a while longer.

2. Note to self: need to clean out dryer hose.

3. I'm afraid my gargling license may be rescinded, as I tend to make a huge mess every time. Greg alerted me that there was a petition going around to that effect at the last Association meeting.

4. I apologize for not voting. When I feel completely ignorant on the candidates and issues, I can't bring myself to vote. Not that that stops a large portion of the population...

5. Despite the nice sound clarity of our new work phones, people that use speaker phone are no less annoying. Although there are fewer people who clip their nails at work in my new area, so that's nice.

6. Julie is waking up around 11 or 12 every night. We can get her back to sleep and back into her crib, but then she wakes up again 20 minutes later. Unless she sleeps in our bed.

7. Must stop eating Costco's cashew, almond, and pumpkin seed clusters. Seriously addicted.

8. Still really liking The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I am awfully proud that some of my intuitions have been correct. Comes from watching way too much Law and Order.

9. I can tell that it has finally gotten cooler now that Dusty is sleeping with me at night again.

10. It was taco night at our house!

Ten on Tuesday

1. There's nothing like being miserably sick for a week to make you appreciate your health.
2. At 2am on Saturday night, I laid on the couch watching a 2 hour special on the Jonestown massacre on the history channel.
3. The girls look adorable in all of their new fall clothes. They wore long sleeves, pants, and sneakers fir the first time this season on Monday. And windbreakers today! The footed pajamas still need to be washed.
4. Eagerly awaiting the arrival of my CC Festive Feast kit this weekend. Going to get some pictures printed and hopefully break into it on Saturday.
5. Gymbucks? Yeah, they pretty much rock. Especially on stuff that's already marked down. Or when you get them WITH a gift.
6. I cannot get enough of Straight No Chaser's version of The Man Who Can't Be Moved. When I'm in the car by myself, I play it over and over and over.
7. We got new VOIP phones with caller ID at work. I love caller ID.
8. Trying to decide what to do this weekend. There's just so much going on this time of year, and it's just so pleasant to be outside. I love having the doors and windows open (and the cats love it, too.)
9. Besides our old standby Panera's high chair situation, I really like Panera. And I really like that they post calories on their menu. It really affects my meal choices.
10. Once I (we, I mean) decide on a kitchen set for the girls, I think our Christmas shopping is about done for them. I'm thinking about this one.