Taking a break

I am sitting in my basement surrounded by ribbon and tulle, so I am giving myself a timeout and writing a long overdue post.
So whats new? HITTING! WTFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF?!!!!!!!!!!!!!???? Ashlyn is the worst, it is full on hitting me in the face if she doesnt get her way. The girls are giving each other hugs and kisses(((can I get a collective AWWWWWWWW)) but the next minute they are hitting each other. This isnt like before when they would hit each other because of their lack of coordination and somehow end in a toddler pileup. No, this is on purpose and I know it is just frustration. Nothing says good morning like getting bitch slapped by a 16 month old!
I am also thinking that they should start having designated toys, but I dont know how this would work logistically. If Ashlyn has Fiona's toy, do I take it away from her and vice versa? Any tips?
Speaking of toys, we received not one but TWO American Girls catalogs, one for me and one for the husband. I dont know how we got on their mailing list. So I obviously looked through mine, I gave Tony's to the girls so they could look at it/rip it up, and I am obsessed with their bitty twin dolls but I know the girls are too young...right?...plus the dolls are $$$$. It is something to keep in mind for their 2nd birthday.

I try not to call people out

I do not get the MckMama worship. Are you familiar with her? She has a blog and about a bjillion followers. She started blogging about her son and his heart condition. People were praying, sending her things, sending her money,etc because they were now on that emotional journey with her. They were seeing the pictures of her son in the hospital, reading about the treatments, they were there with her.
Now her son is better but the whole blog doesnt sit right with me. She talks about being a submissive wife and whips out bible verses to back her up. Well turns out her husband was arrested for domestic violence, perhaps she shouldnt be the one giving out marriage advice? She talks about her son and his health, but then takes him to a large BBQ right after he was released from the hospital, not giving a second thought to his immune system.
I just dont get the hero worship.

Poor Fiona

So the girls have been battling colds, but yesterday Fiona's got worse. She woke up wheezing and we were scared. Tony has asthma so I am always worried the girls will develop it. My gut reaction was to take her to the ER but then remembered we had an early morning doctor's appointment anyway. It was for their 15 month check up-yeah a month late.
So off we went. After paying our insane co pay(bye bye $120), the doctor checked out Ashlyn and ordered the required vaccinations. Next came Fiona's turn and he could clearly see she was wheezing and then he went into an explanation of the chest muscles she was using, yada yada yada, all things I do not remember. So once he checked her out, he ordered a breathing treatment for her and said we would be getting our very own neubulizer at home, greattttttttttt. I asked him about asthma and he said that two episodes of wheezing constitute asthma. That seemed really odd to me and this is something I want to research more. If she does have asthma, I would like to be more prepared, ya know proactive vs. reactive.
So now we are on day 2 of treatments and she is such a little trooper! She just sits and babbles away. I think she knows it makes her feel better which is why she tolerates it.
Both girls are doing great health wise and Ashlyn weighed in at 21.12lbs and Fiona is 23lbs. They've each only gained a 1 lb in 6 months but the doctor's isnt worried at all and neither am I.
So Fiona's had a rough few days and I really hope things turn around for the poor kid.

Scary stuff

This morning we were heading out to storytime. We've taught the girls how to go down the stairs by sitting down, turning over on their belly and sliding down. So both girls headed down the stairs but Ashlyn decided that she wanted to go up. I had one girl going down, one going up and suddenly I saw Fiona at the top of the steps and she took a step down. OMG, it all happened in slow motion. I saw her tumbling down like a rag doll and she landed on her back at the bottom of the steps. I was hysterical, Fioan was hysterical and Ashlyn was crying as well.
I strapped them both into the car, preparing to go to the ER, and called the doctor's office. I got a nurse on the phone and she calmed me down. She gave me all the signs to look for and just told me to observe Fiona for a few hours. At this point Fiona was fine and laughing. She was fine for the rest of the day, her cold bothered her more than the fall it seems.
I dont think I will ever forget what she looked like going down those stairs. I cant help but feel responsible. Blahhhhhhh motherhood is so hard sometimes!

Yummy recipe

I am sitting here in my new raft room. Remember those pis I posted of the pretty craft/play room? Well that lasted 3 months. I have outgrown that room and it was becoming unfair to the girls. I was gating off the room because my crap was everywhere, my stuff taking up room, etc. Now I am in the basement, but its all good. The basement is finished, even has a small kitchen. Our big screen TV is down here as well, so I an watch TV while crafting. It also gives me peace and quiet to work. I am working on several new bow styles and it does take patience to figure out the new folds, how to secure the bow, etc. I think my move to the basement will work out well.

I made this yummy dish the other day. So quick and easy. I served it with some Chinese noodles & asparagus and I also doubled the sauce.

Sesame Beef

• 1 pound round steak-I used sirloin because that is what I had on hand.
  
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons white sugar
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix soy sauce, sugar, oil, garlic, and onions in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Cut steak into strips and add to bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 30 minutes.
3. Cook in wok or frying pan until brown, about 5 minutes. Add sesame seeds and cook for additional 2 minutes.

Can someone tell me what is going on?

So both girls are waking up every night at 2:30/3am. It is like clockwork and I cant figure out what is going on. Bedtime has gotten better so thats a plus but UGH the screaming at 3am, it is driving us insane and we get into the whole CIO battle. Tony wants to let them CIO and I am still against it. They are 16 months, 14.5 months adjusted so maybe there is a developmental reason for the waking?? Any insight or do they just hate us?
I am not some sort of martyr when it comes to their sleep, like "oh look at me, I give my kids everything including my sleep" because if you give them your sleep time well just give them your sanity while you are at it. I just try to keep things in perspective and repeat all the time "sleep is a series of highs and lows".
So since I dont know when I will be sleeping through the night, I've been making an effort to get to sleep on time. My latest craft obsessions are making it hard though. Have you heard of freezer paper stencils?? So easy and so much fun!I am officially hooked.
I made this shirt using freezer paper-

I used a large piece of freezer paper, cut out the shapes which creates a stencil. Iron the freezer paper onto your shirt and voila! I went the extra step and colored the shapes in.
This blog was my inspiration-
http://samstermommy.blogspot.com/2009/09/painted-jeweled-onesie.html

I also used the basic idea behind the bandana dress to make this dress. I found the fabric at Joanns and it was too cute (and cheap!) to pass up.



You can find the tutorial here
http://www.joyshope.com/2009/05/simple-bandana-dress-tutorial.html

I simply cute the cupcake fabric into the same size as a bandana and went from there.