The Sartis do the Aquarium

Dan had the weekend off for the first time in...well forever, so we decided to get out and do something fun. The Sea Life Aquarium at AZ Mill came to mind and while I had heard it was overpriced for what you get I thought we'd give it a try. I agree it is overpriced but it was totally worth it! The brothers loved every minute of it. It was definitely more engaging for them than the zoo, they were able to get up close and even touch the starfish! Now they may not have known the difference between that and a bath toy, but it was an experience nonetheless!

I'd say it is a one adult per toddler operation and forget the stroller at home! We brought our single umbrella strollers thinking it would be easier to navigate but the boys wound up walking through the entire thing. It was awesome, except having to drag two strollers through the place while chasing two toddlers.

I'm semi-considering an annual pass since we'll need plenty of indoor activities come the summer aka Wednesday when it's supposed to hit 97, shew! Here are some fun pics from the day :)

Come Fly With Me

Traveling is always an adventure. Especially air travel. Today I flew to Detroit to attend my cousin's bridal shower. My aunts are throwing it at my Grandma's house because she can no longer travel and will soon be selling the family home to move into assisted living. Since I can fly for free and Dan finally has some control over his schedule, I thought I'd take the opportunity to attend the shower and visit Grandma.

Since I fly standby it is always a gamble as to whether I'll get a seat or not. And where that seat might be located. Once when I was pregnant I got a window seat in the very last row of the plane. On the inside of two very old people who slept the whole flight. I was not able to get up to pee for 4 hours! I mostly end up in a middle seat, but I don't mind. I just tuck my arms into my lap and read my book while I think about how the person next to me shelled out $400 for his aisle seat.

I won't point that out however, because people get very worked up when they travel. Today we were in the jetway and we were the last 10 or so people boarding the plane. At this point the overhead bins are full so we need to check our bags. The man in front of me was none too happy, complaining about how everyone brings two carry ons, a purse, a coat, blah, blah, blah and he get stuck checking his bag. For free. Poor guy. Then he starts ranting about how his aisle seat got changed to a middle seat because he booked through a dot com instead of the airline and how much he hates US Airways. Well sir, I'm fairly certain that you have other choices in air travel so if you hate this airline so much, don't fly them. Meanwhile, the woman I'm next to in line is also a standby passenger and we exchange a glance that says "I'm NOT going to tell him that I didn't pay for my exit row aisle seat".

And then you have the people with their dogs. And their iPad laptop tablet phone thingys. With the headphones that look like they should be on the Tarmac directing the planes with orange sticks instead of simultaneously watching The Hobbit while working on an important excel spreadsheet.

And the children, oh the children. I've flown with my twins twice. Once to Detroit when my Grandpa died and again last summer to visit family in New York. The shenanigans to get through security and on the plane are ten times harder than the actual flight itself. I may eat my words when I take my 18 month olds to Kentucky in a couple of months but still. People look at you like you brought a bomb on a plane when you have your child with you. Yes, they can be loud and make a mess but it's only for a couple of hours max. And usually in the middle of the day. So if you were planning on getting your sleep on this noon flight to Detroit, well I'm sorry but you'll just have to stay awake like you do every other Tuesday when you're not on an airplane.

This brings me to sleeping on an airplane. I get it, it's boring and the white noise can overcome you. Maybe you woke up early to get to the airport and you're a little tired. But the amount of people who get on a plane and suddenly develop narcolepsy astounds me. Yes, I'll close my eyes here and there but to full on cuddle up with your pillow and fleece blanket that you brought from home? Really? Unless you're on a 16 hour flight, don't come near me with your bed bugs.

The things that the poor flight attendants have to endure from the general public is amazing. Some of my best friends are flight attendants and you wouldn't believe the horror stories they tell me. From passengers clipping their toenails to eating hard boiled eggs brought from home, it's bizarre! A friend even had a woman "nursing" her doll and asked the flight attendants to hold her "baby" while she went to the bathroom. She didn't acknowledge once that the baby wasn't real! More commonly though, you have the narcoleptic passenger who slept through the beverage service then becomes irate because he didn't get his four ounces of diet coke. And what do you mean you don't have peanuts???? This is America!

So next time you fly ladies and gentlemen, don't pack a carry on, drug your children, roll up your jacket to use as a pillow but stay awake to shell out $12 for a wedge of Brie cheese and mushy grapes and thank you for flying the friendly skies!

Mad Skills (except I think that is supposed to be a Z, but that's ghetto)

Last week I attended my first Mothers of Multiples meeting with a friend who has 8mo twin girls. I was formerly a member of another group when the boys were young but their meetings were not regular and children weren't allowed at any of the events, ergo I was unable to attend anything. I did however, meet my good friend Deana and her twin boys that are two days younger than my boys through this group. But when it came time to renew the membership, I decided not to. I thought I'd check out this other group because Erin was attending and they meet very close to me. The seem great, really nice ladies and very organized. They had the meeting dates available for the rest of this year so I can really plan ahead and actually hire a babysitter if Dan is out of town. After the meeting we went for snacks and drinks at a local place, so fun!

Anyway, I plan to join the group and today I'm filling out the membership application and come across the line where I'm to list my interests. It occurred to me that I have quite a few interests, being a twin mom and all so I thought I'd share them with you...

Wrestling toddlers, stuffing wipes back into the container, cutting food into tiny pieces, sweeping said food up off of the floor, refilling sippy cups, wiping hands, faces and butts, building block towers to be knocked over, reading books *with voices*, finding pacifiers, making animal noises, cleaning dirt from crevices, fishing sand and rocks out of mouths, making funny faces, brushing tiny teeth, warp speed diaper changing, dodging crying toddlers while cooking, bubble bath drawing, and the list goes on. 

What did I actually write?

Baking, crafting and drinking wine with friends. (Hey, I've got twin toddlers I'm allowed to admit that I drink wine. I just won't admit how much.)

What of those things do I actually do on a regular basis?

Drinking wine with friends. (Except that I don't actually have friends to drink with because they're either drinking wine in these places called restaurants that I vaguely remember or they're also drinking their wine on the couch after their toddlers are in bed.)

But really, I wouldn't change any of it for anything, I'm building up quite the skill set. Even as I sit here cleaning toothpaste out of my hair. At one pm. On a Sunday.

What are some of your mad skills?

Confessional Friday

Linking up today with Leslie from A Blond Ambition for Confessional Friday.

one

I confess that I binge watched all of the Teen Mom "Being Amber/Catelynn/Maci/Farrah" specials online through the course of nap time and after the twins went to bed. These girls, shew! I can't believe what a hot mess Amber still is and don't get me started on Farrah. Does anyone else want to slap her silly?!?

two

I confess that I have to talk myself through the fact that it's okay not to to dress the boys in matching outfits. But they're twins!! I know a day will come when they'll want to dress how they want and I plan to let them express themselves, within reason. But we DO have a lot of great hand me downs, I'm talking Gap, Children's Place etc. and I can't let them go to waste because I'm a nut and the boys have to match on a random Tuesday when we don't leave the house. I digress.

three

I confess that after taking a yoga class this morning, I totally drove through In and Out for a grilled cheese. And fries. 

four

I confess that I hate grocery shopping and avoid it at all costs. It's so difficult to get the boys packed up, schlepped into the store and then to hunt down one of those little car carts so they can both fit. Then I have to keep them entertained and not forget the milk! It's quite a process and if I weren't responsible for feeding other human beings I might survive on Girl Scout Cookies alone. Which brings me to my next confession that I'm rather proud of...

five

I confess that I bought my first, and only box of Girl Scout Cookies, Thin Mints to be exact, last Sunday and HAVE NOT finished the box! I could legitimately consume a sleeve box in one sitting. Go me!  

DIY Diaper Deoderizer Disks

How's that for illiteration?!? As I'm sure that you can imagine, the twins' diaper pail is s.t.i.n.k.y. When they started solid foods, I moved it out of their room and into the laundry room. Well, the stink keeps on stinkin'. Aside for going through an inordinate amount of trash bags and taking the trash out daily, I decided to do some research Pinterest searching for a DIY deoderizer. I knew it would involve some baking soda and this is what I found.

Link to original blog.

The "recipe" calls for 2 cups of baking soda, 1 cup of water and a few drops of essential oils. My oil of choice was lavender. I mixed the oil into the water and poured it over the baking soda and mixed until combined. Then I poured it into a muffin tin lined with paper liners. If I had it to do over again, I'd use the foil cups because I'm mildly concerned my muffin tin will permanently smell like lavender. So, I'm leaving them to dry overnight and should be able to pop one into the bottom of the pail and smell nothing but roses lavender for a whole month! We'll see.

Either way, it was easy, cheap ($1.99 for the baking soda) and worth a shot to keep the crib (see what I did there?) from smelling like poo poo poo poo. I suppose I'll put the rest in a ziplock bag and put a new disk in after it stops smelling, I'm not sure how this will work but the blog doesn't say so I'm winging it. Next time I'll make a couple at a time? If they work, that is. How do you keep your diaper pail from stinking up the house?

All About William

William, aka Tine, Mr. Tine, Mitter Tine, Pitter Tine, Pitter, Tiny, Tiny Tiny Baby, Professional Baby is the biggest ball of love you'll ever meet. Smiling his 4 toothed grin and laughing at everything from dog sister to bubbles, Will will break your heart. He's edible. We call him professional baby because he belongs on a box of diapers. We have an agreement that he'll just stay a baby forever. Chubby legs and cheeks, Will loves his wubbanub, blankie and cuddles. He enjoys a cuddle while watching his favorite show Signing Time and has been known to fall asleep on his "dadn"'s lap.

Like brother, he loves to be chased and this boy is fast! Once I let him through the gate, he puts on the gas and races towards the laundry room where the dog food is kept. I can usually beat him but there have been a number of times he's ended up splashing in her water bowl before I can get the door closed. This guy loves to put everything in his mouth; sand, mud, dog food, paper...he's keeping me on my toes for sure! He's a good eater, gotta feed those cheeks! His favorites include; sweet potatoes, cheese, banana pancakes, cheese, pb&j, cheese, and noodles. And cheese.

He's a mama's boy. He doesn't always need to be held, but when he's in an unfamiliar situation he can find me fast enough. While he doesn't say "mama", we're working on it! He does say many of the same words as Ben, go figure! Dadn, sock, shoe, fish, uh oh, no but it sounds like na, nana for banana, hat, and dog. He signs like brother and loves to point out his head, tummy, ears, nose and mouth.

Will can be a "tiny" bit naughty; climbing on furniture, going after dog food or rocks and giving not so gentle "love pats" and every time I tell him no, he laughs. Then I laugh. Then we're both laughing and nothing gets accomplished!

Little Tiny is not so tiny, with almost two pounds on brother and at 22lbs he can no longer fit into any 12 month clothing. Although at 16 months, I guess that's to be expected. He's not a little chunk like he used to be but he's solid. Mama is building up some muscles!

Books. William loves to read books. He will pick up a book, right now his favorite is "Where is Baby's Belly Button?" or "The More We Are Together" and drop it in your lap. Then he will turn around and back himself up into your lap. He loves to sit and help turn the pages and then do it all over again. Makes my teacher heart swoon.

This baby is such a joy to be around and I can't believe that he's mine to keep. His giggle, grin and belly laugh are contagious and I just want to spend every waking moment getting hugs and open mouth kisses (I know) from this guy. William is so special to me and I could just eat him up. Seriously, I will.