Manic Monday

Much like robshep.com's Mind Dumps, Manic Monday is a snapshot of all the random excitement inside my head.

• I recently visited a house that follows the "If it's yellow, let it mellow" rule in their bathroom. I can respect saving money/helping the environment, but this one creeps me out. I'm not trying to pee into a toilet that has other people's pee in it. GROSS! They should prep their toilets if guests are coming over. 
• I went to the Newport News Fall Festival and thought it was weak. It was nice to get outside because it was beautiful, but, overall, the vendors were lame. However, my mom bought Reese a darling black petti-romper there, and it was worth the trip!
• I love Cheddars. Our family ate there Sunday to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday. They have the BEST spinach dip and chicken tenders. Want to know the worst part?? I left my box of left-overs sitting on the table!!! There's not much worse than getting home, going to put your left-overs in the fridge, and not being able to find them! Apparently I was distracted by my son crying and taking swings at his parents. I mourned a little for my left-overs.
• My parents and Rob's parents are both going to be out of town this weekend. I've mentioned to them, and on my blog, that they aren't supposed to travel at the same time. For some reason, our normally slow weekends are never slow when both sets of parents are out of town. Rob has to do a wedding this weekend, and I have a bridal shower to attend for my friend, Lindsey. Let the juggling of children begin! I'm very thankful that we have all day Friday for family fun day! I don't know how single parents do it- mad respect.
• My kids were sick almost all of last week. Boy did that put a damper on our plans, plus Rob was out of town all week! We couldn't hang out with any of our friends with kids (we tend to have daily play-dates); we couldn't do anything that caused them to exert energy because they were so weak. Thankfully, my parents took us in for two days and it was a big help. Rob's parents are always amazing when we are home (their house), and I much appreciated all their helping hands and dinner out. 
• On Sunday morning, Hayden started crying around 5:30 am (mind you I was already up with him from midnight until 1 am, so I was tired). He quieted down & I dozed off, but Rob didn't. He gently woke me up and says, "Babe, read this!" I rolled over and could barely see because his bright i-phone screen was glaring in my sleep deprived eyeballs. Ha. I was reading a twitter from Tobymac (possibly Rob's all-time favorite musician) that said: "@robshep one of your homies said I should give u a big phat shout out! Said you been listenin' for a grip! Thanks man, Godspeed!
• Say what?!? We love Tobymac! We don't know what "listenin' for a grip" means- maybe autocorrect?! It was totally worth being woken up for! (That seems like a grammatically incorrect sentence!) The big mystery is this: who is the "homey" that Toby refers to? Toby's tour opened in Dallas the night he tweeted Rob, so we have some friends out there, but who was it?? Rob would like to give them a hug. :)
• It brings me great joy to see Rob so excited. He was excited.
• I'm having an on-line Facebook Pampered Chef Party for a friend. If you need anything, or want to make some purchases for Christmas, let me know! You don't have to be on Facebook to check it out, and the best part is that you don't have to leave your house for a real party! (We are missing out on some tasty food though!) Follow these instructions to check it out:

Here is how it works:

1. Visit www.pamperedchef.biz/laurelubele

2. Click "Shop Online" and enter Monica as the host

3. Shop away!

Do you love Pampered Chef? I do! My favorite items are the batter bowls and the food chopper. What's your favorite kitchen tool? What do you get at Cheddars?

Thinner Thursday

Not much to report! I spent the night at my parents' house last night, and they don't have a scale for me to weigh in on. I'm 99% sure there was a small gain this week. I was mindful of calories everyday, but got lazy counting them precisely. I walked the trail with Courtney and Danielle on Sunday morning (and cut another three minutes off our time), but wasn't able to get more exercise in this week. I blame my children. They are sick and sucking the life out of me! Haha- just kidding (sort of). Here's to a strong weekend and more disciplined week. You've heard that one from me before, right?? Ahhhhhh. I want to lose weight and I want to buy new fall/winter clothes. I'm on a mission.

What's your favorite fall/winter clothing article? Mine is my North Face jacket. It's the best and I can wear it no matter what my weight. :)

Wife Wednesday

I mentioned on Monday's blog that me and Rob attended a conference last week for couples. The more I reflect on it, the more I liked it! It was a conference directed towards couples in ministry. Here are a few marriage tidbits I jotted down:

• When you see a woman/wife/mother who is doing it all- she's not! Don't focus on her. Ask God what He's called you to do and do it well. Don't compare yourselves to other women.
• The speaker references a Craig Groeschel quote that states, "The quickest way to forget what God says about you is to focus on what others think of you." That'll preach.
• Make intimacy a priority. She said that Satan tries to get you in bed before marriage and out of bed after marriage. It's a good thing for women to take initiative!
• Speak of your husband in a positive way and be an encourager. Help push him to be who God wants him to be; don't hold him back. She talked about how runners use ankle and wrist weights to train sometimes so that when they take the weights off, they can run faster. She stated that wives should be the person taking the weight off her husband so he can run faster. Love that!
• Wives can work at making their house a refuge for their husband and kids. I love that, too!
• We have to work hard to guard our marriage relationship. That means it is ok to say no to others & to say no often! Don't apologize for saying no or even feel as though you have to give an excuse. We are striving to have a healthy home, and I would rather disappoint others than my husband or children.
• The speakers said to ask your spouse regularly, "Are we having fun?" Yes, we are!!
• In marriage, we have to let go of unrealistic expectations! Expectations are great, but not holding on to unrealistic ones.

The speakers also gave us a homework assignment which we completed on our way home from the retreat. We each took turns listing things that "fill me" and things that "drain me". We didn't have any surprises, which is good. These aren't specific to one another- just life in general.

Some things that fill Rob include, but are not limited to: going to the movies, meaningful conversations, family fun, words of encouragement from people he cares about, preaching, blogging, and going to conferences. Some things that fill me: quality time with Rob, the beach, family fun, reading, going out to eat, shopping, and spending time with good friends.

Some things that drain Rob include: having to be fake, business stuff/details, doing things he doesn't want to do. For me, I feel drained when I feel like I have to be fake, being around high maintenance people, when both kids are whiny/needy/clingy at the same time, and when our week gets unnecessarily busy. I do not think me and Rob are fake people at all; however, when we are at functions where we don't know anyone at all we feel like we have to go through the motions of big smiles, hand shakes, how are you, where are you from, what do you do, and repeat that conversation five minutes later. I'm not referring to meeting new friends or meeting new people at church; I'm talking about doing this around people you know you'll never see again. For me, I call it schmoozing. I'm not good at schmoozing and it drains me. 

What fills you? What drains you? If you are married, ask your spouse those questions! You might be surprised at some of the answers. Plus, it is great to know so that you don't end up draining him/her!!

Twin Tuesday

I follow a person called "Honest Toddler" on Twitter. It's an adult that Twitters as though he/she is a three/four year old. I laugh out loud daily thanks to this person. Mainly because I can relate to a lot of the statements since I have young children. There is also a blog by the same person: www.thehonesttoddler.com. Don't get honest toddler confused with an infant; he thinks infants are weak. If you've ever had young children, or you plan to, you should follow Honest Toddler on Twitter.....if you have a Twitter account. Honest Toddler tends to Twitter about ten times in a row to tell a story/run-on joke. Here are a handful of tasty morsels that are my favorites!

• Nothing adults love more than telling people how exhausted they are. It's like a sadness competition.
• Tell me again how tired you are. Wow. So interesting. LOL.
• You could fall asleep right here? Cool story. Make sure you tell Facebook.
• When you think about it, adults and infants have a lot in common. Always ready for a nap.
• Infant children are tired because of innate weakness. Adults just rinse dishes, use the computer and tell people what to do.
• So Ikea sells broken furniture and adults cheerfully put it together but I cut one sofa and they can't stop talking about it.
• Toddler Tip: If you can see straight through the water, you don't have enough bath toys. #YOLO
• Mommy. You are an angel. But when you're angry you have the face of a demon. Love you.
• Daddy. You were born a tattle but I forgive you. See me later about some chocolate I found. I think it's chocolate.
• Please look alive when reading bedtime stories. Pretend Facebook is watching.
• Toddler Tip: Jumping up and down in your bed while screaming might not get you out of a nap but it will send a message.
• Birthday infant thanks for getting born so I can have cake.
• Man at the store asked mama if I could have a balloon. She doesn't speak for me. I'll take six.
• So if you want cake for breakfast it's called muffin. Lol adults, I see what you did there.
• This three-year old just rolled up to the park wearing loafers looking like Frasier. Don't hurt yourself, Kelsey Grammer.
• I would watch the Emmys but seeing other people experience winning isn't what I'm about.
• Opened a juice box with my teeth at the grocery store. Now we have to buy it. :)

Oh man. There are so many more better ones, but I don't have the time. Hope it made you smile.

If you are on Twitter, who is your favorite person to follow? If you aren't on Twitter, what makes you laugh?

Manic Monday

Much like robshep's Mind Dumps, Manic Monday is a snapshot of all the random excitement that is inside my head.

• I took last week off from blogging because I lost my gumption to do it. I wasn't very motivated to blog this week either, so we'll see how it goes!
• The twins have been passing this weird fever thing back and forth since last Thursday, which evolved into Reese having a full blown body rash Saturday and Sunday and Hayden's fever reaching 103.4. Kids are exhausting; twins are exhausting; sick twin kids are really exhausting.
• Rob leaves tomorrow for a conference in Atlanta (Catalyst), and he won't be back until Saturday. Please pray prayers of healing over the twins so this week isn't even harder than it would naturally be with Rob gone. I'm thrilled he's getting this trip in as conferences rejuvenate him, but we opted for him to drive to save us money on a flight- so pray for safe travels for Rob, too!
• We are taking the kids to their 18 month check-up, and inadvertently a visit because of their fevers & rash, this morning. Reese has crazy anxiety at the doctor; it's a workout for us!
• I can't believe our kids are one and a half already! Time flies when you're having fun!!
• Rob and I went to Wintergreen for a conference Friday and Saturday for pastors & their wives. Parts were a bit cheesy for my liking; however, I learned lots of good stuff. Some of that I'll share with you on Wife Wednesday's blog. Here are a few tasty morsels until then.
• One thing I took away was this: When you lose focus (from God), you can get frantic and resentful. Isn't that so true? When I lose focus (ie- don't read my Bible or spend time praying or worry about other's opinions over God's), I begin to feel overwhelmed by little things and can easily feel resentful towards people that aren't deserving of that emotion.
• The lady who spoke also shared that we have to balance the urgent and the important. We must choose the important things and only a few urgent things, or we'll become a slave to the urgent stuff. Too many women get frantic focusing on laundry, groceries, bills, and "stuff" which are obviously urgent/necessary, but lose sight of the important things such as resting at the feet of Jesus, reading the Bible, praying for her husband/kids/day, enjoying the children, serving her husband, etc. 
• She reminded me of a great visual which Rob has used before during a sermon. If you imagine your life as a large jar, you have to choose to put the few big important rocks in the jar first so that they'll fit. Then, you add smaller rocks, then the pebbles, then the sand, and then the water which represent all the other things going on along with the urgent. As long as the important things (see above- Bible, God, husband, kids) are in there first, the smaller/urgent things will fill in around those important things. 
• The next day the speakers stressed that the important things require guarding! Just as we guard our expensive possessions by locking our cars & house, putting our money in a bank, getting insurance for things, we have to guard our relationship too! You have to schedule, plan, and guard important relationships because they are necessary!
• In other news, we found the house of my dreams last week thanks to our realtor, Dan Peters. I won't bore you with the details of it, but I fell in love! We are seriously considering buying a house with Rob's parents, and this house seems to fit all of our needs at this point. We put an offer in on Friday, but found out that night it was basically rejected. We had to put a contingency clause in saying that we'll pay you this amount, but only when/if our current house sells. They didn't like that part, but it's our only option. Oh well! I was bummed, but that very next morning I read a verse about God's faithfulness. We'll end up exactly where we need to be one day~ and I'm not convinced we won't end up there!

In what areas have you seen God's faithfulness?

Thinner Thursday

Last week I weighed 211.8. This week I weigh 212. Gained 0.2 of a pound. Fail. Just kidding.

I went up a pound and a half over the weekend despite decent efforts. Lesson learned: I cannot cheat or do this half-way. I did find a new favorite snack! I've always loved celery, but I love dips even more. Celery has zero calories, but go to dips for it such as peanut butter or cream cheese are loaded with calories. A few weeks ago, Costco had a sample out for Jalapeno Greek Yogurt and I was hooked. It's only 50 calories for two tablespoons. It's in the fridge section of Costco near the produce fridge. You are welcome. It's delicious with Tostitos, pretzel slims, and inside of fajitas or tacos as well, but for me it works great with celery for my afternoon snack!

This weekend will be the third week in a row that I've walked the Noland Trail with Danielle. The first time we walked, the second time we jogged the bridges (there's like 14 of those suckers), and apparently this time we are going to start jogging & go as far as I can. Let's be clear- she runs marathons, so she is taking one for the team for me. The best part is our hang out time; I'll take that every day over the calories burned! 

What's your go-to low calorie snack?

Wife Wednesday

Sometimes being a wife is hard. It has nothing to do with Rob or the kind of husband he is. He is an amazing husband. It has to do with me being selfish.

There are a few days a year when I feel like I do everything. I'm with the kids all day (most every day), I do the dishes, the laundry, the shopping, the cleaning, the bills, our budget, cook our meals, etc. etc. It gets exhausting and repetitive- occasionally. When it does get like that, I have a "whoa-is-me" party in my head. I get selfish and tired. I have moments when I feel like I do "everything". I know that isn't true; it's a lie.

Rob and I have a rule that we don't use absolutes. They are relationship killers. You always, you never, etc. While it might be true that one time, it's not ALWAYS true. I don't do everything. That's not possible and it's not true.

Rob works his tail off all day, and some nights, not just because he loves his job, but it allows me to stay home with our kids. He provides every penny for our family. He plays hard with the kids when he is home. When he's gone they constantly ask where da-da is and if they can give him kisses. Since he's working, they give his picture kisses all day long. He turns the monitor off so I can sleep and he gets the kids ready some mornings. When he is home, he feeds them every meal. He does anything I ask of him. He does more than enough for our family. I do not do everything.

Being a wife is hard, but it is the best! It's everything I thought it would be and more. Ephesians 4:27 says not to give the devil a foothold. For me, that means that my heart is deceitful and if I'm not careful, my selfishness can give way to satan and give him the advantage to make me believe more lies. Proverbs 4:23 says to guard your heart for it is the well-spring of life. Ephesians 5 talks about submitting to your husband and respecting him. I don't find this to be pre-historic or the opposite of women's lib. I find it to be truth and truth gives life. It allows me to do things around the house with joy.

If you are a wife, what is the hardest part for you? If you aren't a wife right now, what do you anticipate being the biggest struggle for you?

Twin Tuesday

Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street? Yes, I can because it is basically at our house. A long time ago, our kids fell in love with Elmo. Then, slowly, they became interested in most of the show. Specifically, the became obsessed with Bert and Ernie, which I found interesting. They do not like Abby's Flying Fairy School thank goodness! I get to fast forward through that and most of Murray's segments. They go crazy for Big Bird, Cookie Monster, the Count, Bert & Ernie, Oscar, Elmo, and any singing and dancing segments. They regularly ask for "Bert?" when they come into the living room, which means Sesame Street. The good news is that they are basically ADD and only pay attention for short periods of time. It takes a long time to get through one episode. To support their habits, I buy them Sesame Street paraphernalia- mostly at garage sales. The wonderful part is that SS has been around for YEARS and is still popular, so I can find toys and books of all types. In case you don't believe they have an addiction, or that I support it, here are photos to prove it!

Sometimes you have to wear it!

One of my great yard sale finds for $2.00. It's his favorite toy!

Birthday presents, consignment shop finds, and Target $1.00 bins!

Garage sales & The Dollar Tree!

Garage sales & Target $1.00 bins except the figures- regular prices at Target.

Target $1.00 bins and gifts!

Gifts!

Dollar Tree and Target sales!

In conclusion, if you have any unused Sesame Street stuff, I will gladly accept it! If you see any "can't resist Sesame Street stuff" at the store or garage sales for cheap, holler at me and I'll pay you back (if I have money left in their budget)! Who is your favorite Sesame Street character? I think mine is Zoe. She seems nice and likes to dance.

Manic Monday

Much like robshep's Mind Dumps, Manic Monday is a snapshot of all the random excitement that is inside my head.

• I think I got off the Pinterest train. I'm not sure I've looked at it in three weeks, let alone pinned anything or made anything from Pinterest. I'm not sure why I lost interest, but maybe I'll pick it up again one day. I love trying new recipes, but I seem to have taken a break from it for whatever reason. Post your favorite recipe- I'd love to try it!!
• Does anyone else try to carry all the grocery bags in one trip? It doesn't matter how many I have; I refuse to let the bags win. The hardest part is getting the front door open, especially when it is locked. Ha.
• Want to know my most exciting news from this week?? I talked to my college roommate and one of my all-time favorite people- Kim- aka Stinky, and we finally made plans for me and the twins to come visit her family in Raleigh! She hasn't met the kids yet (a travesty in itself), and I adore her two children and husband Eric! Rob will be in Atlanta for a conference the first week of October, so I'm going to drive down and stay with them. Wild & crazy! 
• It's the longest trip the kids have been in the car since they are toddlers. They did Farmville once, which is about 3 hours. Does anyone have a portable DVD player for the car? Just in case! They've done two hours pretty well, and they travel even better when we're moving. The two hours was because of traffic, so we were basically stopped. I'm excited to start traveling with them farther & farther because we love trips. The three hour trip to Farmville was when they were babies, so it didn't really impact them.
• Speaking of traveling- it is really hard to do with twins in a Honda Civic. They take up the backseat, so I have the passenger seat, the floor of the back seat (well 2/3 of it because of their books and travel toys to occupy their time), and a little bit of the trunk. Once you put a double stroller back there, there's virtually no room left. Here's to hoping I can fit their stroller, two pack n plays, two travel high chairs, and our clothes/general needs like diapers. I'm kind of a ninja at packing, so I've got this; however, I can't wait for us to have a bigger car! We are trying hard to save for one! Now that we are on one salary, it is harder to put more in savings. 
• Big news for the Shepherd family that is finally public! Rob signed a book deal with a publisher! Yay! It's been a dream of his for years, and it has been so amazing to watch him on this journey. It was exciting as he wrote it, once he finished it, watching his mom do some edits, and hearing about his meetings with the publisher. The book is called Even if You Were Perfect, Someone Would Crucify You. The premise is finding your identity in Jesus & caring more about what God thinks about you than men. Jesus led a perfect life, but people still crucified him. Haters gonna hate. We are so excited to see where this leads!! (Maybe to a new car!!! Ha!) Praying for the New York Times Bestseller list!!
• Last Tuesday night we had free tickets to see Kelly Clarkson and The Fray! We went with a bunch of friends, my dad, my aunt, and my cousin. We also got free meet & greet passes with Kelly, and she was amazing. She seemed so genuine and interested in everyone. Here's our free pics compliments of the Air Force! We could only do groups of 2 or 3, but no complaints!

My aunt Misty & cousin Graesin

Our friend Matt on the right & his buddy- we were all here because of him!

Ryan and Candice

The DiNapolis

Danielle, Lindsey, Court, and Amanda

Rob, me, and my pops!

• On Friday night we went with a bunch of friends to see Rob's favorite band, Need to Breathe, at the Norva. It was so much fun! They put on a great show- it was the best show they've done yet! I did realize that I'm not as young as I used to be. I wore my cute Target sandals that have a sole which is approximately 1/8th of an inch thick. It clearly offers no support. After standing on a concrete slab for over 3 hours, my feet and lower back hurt so bad!! As we sat on a bench in downtown Norfolk after the show drinking Slurpees and sharing Combos, I had forgotten all the pain and knew the concert was totally worth it!

Needtobreathe!

Loved the show!

Who is your favorite band? Have you seen them in concert? Mine include Beyonce and Counting Crows, and I have seen both of them! What's the best live show you've been to? Beyonce or Garth Brooks for me.

Thinner Thursday

Here is this week's weigh in picture.

211.8

Last week I was 214.6. This week I am 211.8. That's a 2.8 pound loss for this week and 11.6 total.

I am still logging my calories every day on My Fitness Pal, and it is a great accountability tool. I haven't done very well this week  in the exercise department, but it's only kind of my fault. Ha. On Sunday and Monday, Hayden was really sick with a virus, so I was kind of on lock-down. On Tuesday, I went on a bike ride with my dad, but we had a really busy day and night after the beach, so I didn't make/have time for it. I did go on a 2 mile walk on Wednesday with Rob and the kids, so that was good. I'm hoping to get in some good, long walks today and through the weekend; however, I'm pretty sure I'm getting sick and Reese threw up all over Rob last night- so we might  be on lock down again. I mapped out a new 2 mile route in my neighborhood because I was tired of the last route.

On Wednesday, I had McDonalds and it was glorious. I hadn't eaten Mickey D's in a really long time. I had a cheeseburger and fries, and I loved every single bite. I felt gross full afterwards which I took as a good sign because my eating has been so much better! It also reminded me how nasty food makes me feel- nasty. I logged it into my app, and that was another great reminder of how that food is simply not worth it. The rest of this week/weekend should be pretty good eating wise, and I think I'll have lots of time to walk, walk, walk.

PS- I bought new sneakers for walking/exercising and Danielle helped me get through the Noland Trail last Friday! I'm hoping to walk it again soon. She even clocked our time so that we can get faster each time. Oh yeah- my shoes are purple and fantastic.

Where is your favorite place to walk?

Wife Wednesday

We're on a budget. It's hard to be on a budget. We've always been very mindful of our money. We hate debt, and the very few times we had to go into debt (IVF for example), we got out of it super duper fast. We have no car payments and no credit card debt. We've been really blessed to have two salaries and pretty much do what we wanted. Last year we cut back to Rob's full salary and half for me because I went part-time. We made adjustments and it was fine. My last paycheck was in August, so we are down to one salary now. There is no better time to see if we can make it work because we are living with Rob's parents. (Please know- I still realize this isn't real life yet & pretty cushy, but it's new for us and hard.)

How is this related to Wife Wednesday you ask? Because you have to be on the same page with your spouse, you have to negotiate, you have to give up wants, and you have to have the same goals. Finances destroy many relationships. Jesus talks about money in the Bible a crazy amount- not because the church needs our money, but because he knows how money can be controlling and a heart issue.

We still have bills though. Our tithe, both cell phones, car insurance, monthly storage fee for all our junk from our house, life insurance for both of us, IRA monthly deposits, we have an adopted son through Compassion that has a monthly fee, and we give the Shepherds money month towards water and electric (I know- that's a steal). We know some of those are negotiable for us, and we'll talk about those when we have to, but they are important to us.

My biggest struggle is our grocery budget. I'm not sure how much is reasonable for a family of four. I made a September menu, listing what we'd have for dinner each night so that I can shop specifically and strategically. I didn't realize how fast we go through milk and fruit and yogurt and how often we have to replenish those. We ran out of grocery budget with 6 days left in the pay period. Fail. I took from other budgeted areas, but it is hard. We also seriously cut back on our eating out, and that is hard too because it is such a convenient luxury that we were used to. We are still crazy blessed, but our new changes are difficult. I'm not good with discipline, and money is a huge area of discipline.

Here are some things we've done to help with money:

• Rob bought clippers (yes, we spent money to save money) so he can cut his own hair. This buzz also saves us money because he doesn't buy the expensive "help your hair grow" shampoo. Ha!
• We have never enjoyed left-overs, but now use them for lunches and next day dinners to help with money. On Monday night, we swiped two pieces of pizza leftover from our community group so Rob would have dinner Tuesday night (I was in VB with my parents). 
• We are telling our money where to go instead of the other way around. I have our categories across the top of the spreadsheet and the start amount in one color. Beneath it is each withdrawal in another color with a running total of what's left. It's helping us save money.
• Meal planning is strategic. For example, white chicken chili and enchiladas are back to back because they both use things like tostitos, shredded cheese, and sour cream so it ensures it all gets used and not wasted.
• One meal a week at Costco- a huge hot dog and drink for $1.50! A huge slice of pizza for $1.99! We all eat for $5.00. You can barely cook at home at that price.
• Free entertainment: We were given Busch passes as Christmas gifts from my parents, and the kids are still free, so that is fun and free! We were given free tickets to a concert last night, so we took them and had a free date night because my parents watched the twins. FREE is the operative word.
• We take money out each month to put towards Christmas. This way it doesn't destroy our budget; it's a normal month for us with no unnecessary debt. Last Christmas our kids got toothbrushes and toothpaste in their stockings from us because we knew they were getting so so much from others. This year, I have shopped for them already at garage sales. They are one- they are going to love their new toys. Eventually, I will have to invest in a shrink wrap machine to trick them into thinking it's new. Ha. 
• I love name brands, but have switched to a lot of generic brands. I'm considering couponing again- I used to do it and was good at it, but ran out of time for it during grad school and birthing twins. 

Does your money control you, or do you control your money? What is your best creative budget tip for us? Have finances ever been a point of contention in your relationship?

Twin Tuesday

Hayden loves to read. He asks for a book constantly. He loves to sit in your lap and read a book (over & over & over). It's one of the first things he asks for when he wakes up. When we read Sesame Street books, he calls all of the characters Bert. When I ask where specific characters are, he can find them, but on his own he calls them all Bert. Hayden and Reese both love any book that has animals in it, especially cats, dogs, elephants, and bugs. As a teacher and avid reader, this makes my heart happy. Some of these pictures are my favorite. I snapped them all this week just to show how much he loves his books.

Reading while I change his diaper!

What mom? I'm reading!

Reading with our friend Lauren!

Reading while we ride in the car!

He needed something to do while we got Reese's jammies on!

Momma? Book? Yes, he's naked. Hilarious.

Daddy reading to them first thing in the morning!

Hayden keeps reading to himself...constantly!

Since they could understand what a book was, they both have had several favorites. These include:

Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?

Goodnight Moon

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

Guess Who, Elmo?

The Wheels on the Bus

Big Bird's Mother Goose

Bert and Ernie's Book of Opposites

Zoe's Book of Seasons
First 100 Words
My First Animal Book

What is your favorite children's book? Mine is Love You Forever right now. I've also always loved The Tale of Peter Rabbit. 

Manic Monday

Much like robshep.com's Mind Dumps, Manic Monday is a snapshot of all the random excitement that is inside my head.

• Recently, Rob has developed a new appreciation for Roxette. Yes, the music. We went to Best Buy to try and purchase the greatest hits, but they didn't have it in stock. He was going to buy it on i-tunes, but my car doesn't play burned cds. Instead, I would play the 1:15 samples on i-tunes in the car that night and we sang along loudly. It was still fun! (I ordered it for him on Amazon as a surprise- surprise, Rob! It should be here today!)
• I know I'm just starting week 3 of trying to live healthier, but I'm still going strong! Being on a stricter budget is helping because we can't eat out hardly at all. Brooke (her and her husband lead worship for us at Next Level) and I talked about spending a day cooking to prep freezer meals for the crockpot. I'm really, really excited about that for three reasons. The first is time with Brooke, the second is to try some new meals, and the third is to save time in the kitchen during the week!
• My friend Richard told me he was getting tired of seeing all the "I am blessed to stay home with my kids" posts which I completely understand. I think people know I am thankful, so I'll be keeping those comments to a minimum out of respect for people who can't stay home. 
• Every month Next Level Church picks a focus to "Make a Difference" and this month's focus is blessing teachers & schools! Check out a list of things you can do here! There are so many easy and cheap ways you can bless a teacher! Check out Pinterest if you aren't creative! So far I've brought first day of school cupcakes to my friend's class in Hampton, brought Starbucks to the office staff of my last school, and on Friday me and Rob went to our local neighborhood elementary school, Kraft, to bless them! It is so much fun!!!! I wish we had more money to do more stuff because I think educators are some of the most grateful and deserving people!
• We have another busy week, and I'm ok with it because it is filled with my family, our first community group at Next Level, time with Nicole & her kids, time with Alicia & her kids, and hang outs with three other dear friends throughout the week. 
• Hayden woke up from his Sunday nap with a 103.6 degree fever- boo. This could change above plans, but I need to see how he is doing once he wakes up. If he still has a fever, it changes everything, but I have to get him better and make sure Reese doesn't get it- yeah right! He sure was pitiful. 
• I had to miss church because of a sick kid, and both of those things made me sad. I hate missing church. Love worshiping, love hearing Rob preach, and love seeing great people. Missed it all.
• Anyone else watch Big Brother? I'm not sure why I do, but I do. Probably because there isn't much else on in the summer and I like tv. I am super excited about the fall tv season!! I am most excited about Revenge, Vampire Diaries, Grey's Anatomy, and Walking Dead. 

What fall shows are you excited about? How can you be a blessing to a teacher or a school this week?

Thinner Thursday

Here's this week's weigh in photo:

214.6

That is a 2 pound loss for this week. That is really encouraging & my goal is 2 pounds a week. I started this journey at 223.4. I didn't do as great as last week, but I still did good! I counted calories all week, and only went over on Tuesday. Rob and I went on a date that night, so eating out pushed me to the limits. I walked or did some form of exercise every day except Tuesday. On Wednesday, Stacy and I walked the twins around the Kiln Creek trail which is 3 miles. The humidity was horrible and it was really hard for me! We were laughing once we got to the stretch on Victory Blvd because we couldn't look exhausted with all those cars passing! We stood up straight and pumped our arms like professional walkers. I'm sure my face was too red and sweaty to fool anyone!

I'm planning on stopping by the YMCA this week to look into prices for membership for me and the kids once it gets cooler out. If I know ahead of time, we can start budgeting for it. Maybe. Dropping the kids off at child watch there is the selling point, but the twins will probably lose their minds in there. We'll see! I'm eating a lot of grilled chicken, cottage cheese, and water. I'm considering trying a gluten free diet to see if it helps with my weight and headaches. It will have to be after the next pay period, on the 16th, because we've already done our shopping and meal planning until then.

Anyone have any experience with gluten free stuff? Ideas and suggestions welcomed!

Wife Wednesday

Last night, Rob and I went on a date! I mentioned on Monday's blog that Rob had "asked" me out for this date last week to celebrate my NOT first day of school! He is also out of town today and tomorrow, so that gave us some alone time together as well. For the last few months, we've been putting my entire paycheck in savings and living off of Rob's to prepare for the fall. This month we did the same thing; however, we have planned out a really strict budget on Excel. It's hard to go from undisciplined to disciplined overnight. We're doing it though and still figuring it out. (The hardest category for me is the grocery budget!)

Anyhow, we went to Carrabba's which is one of our favorite places, and we only go there about two times a year because it's fancy for us! We both got the chicken bryan, and boy it was tasty!! While we were there, we decided we wanted to do something fun for someone else. We twittered a message to local teachers & asked what famous person they would NOT want in their class. The winner got free dessert delivered to them by us! Who doesn't want dessert? My friend Richard won (he is the music teacher at Dare), so we brought him two warm chocolate chip cookies and a Reese peanut butter cup milkshake. It was fun to see him and catch up. We also picked up a slice of carrot cake from the Jewish Mother and brought it to Danielle to celebrate her first day at her new job! If we had more money, we'd have stopped by a lot more people's houses- it was so much fun! Both of those purchases came out of our eating out fund in case you were wondering!

Rob will be in South Carolina today with his staff at Next Level. Love that they are getting this opportunity, but I'll miss him terribly. I have to sleep Wednesday & Thursday night without him- boo! Good news- my friend Brooke is sleeping over Wednesday (her hubby is going with Rob), so I'll have a sleepover buddy! Hope I don't accidentally cuddle with her! Ha! Praying Rob has safe travel, great time with his staff, lots of learning & creative opportunities to bring back to our church. I'm also wondering how many times Reese and Hayden will ask where da-da is. My guess is 3,214. We'll miss you babe!

Where is your favorite place to eat when you go out?

Twin Tuesday

Yesterday we went to the Children's Museum in Portsmouth with Jon, Nicole, Connor, and Brody! It was the best! Thanks to Nicole's pass, our family only had to pay $10.00 total to get in. The kids liked it a lot, and I think as they grow this year, they will like it even more. The best part was that Jon and Rob were off from work, so the daddies got to come too! Enjoy some pics from yesterday!

Sorting the fruit and veggies

Barnyard fun

Loved all the tunnels!

Wrestle mania with the boys and their dads!

She looks so little in this big room!

Catching up on all her texting on the drive home.

Hello?

This face leads me to believe this is a bad call.

So tired!

If you have (or had) younger kids, what was their favorite place to go?