So yeah, I took a year hiatus from blogging. No warning, I was terrible at it anyway. Figured if I walked away from it for awile the novelty would come back again. I’ve continued to read those that I follow so that I was still up-to-date. I k now my year off probably cost me some readers and it’ll take awhile for anyone to gain confindence in me that they’ll come to my blog and see a new post. Considering in 2010 I made all of three posts. But I’m refreshed, confident and in reading my favorite blogs, realized I missed it and needed to really concentrate on building mine back up again.

So, what happened here at the shack over the last 12 months? Well I’ll try and recap in the most minimal way possible.

April 2010

After the trip to my sisters in the last post, really all you have to do is scroll back to the last post and you’ll see where we were last year. But I digress. So after that trip we began to enjoy the Spring. Got the kids outside. And after spending much of our entire tax return on mortgage payments and repairs over 2 months time, we put our rental house out there to be rented once again. And my best friend had her 2nd child, a boy. Nathan. He is adorable.

May 2010

May was a good month. We found a tenant for our rental house, no more double mortgage payments. Weather was beautiful, I love how gorgeous my azalia bush is when it blooms. Mother’s day always has me showered with lots of love from my boys and my husband. I also helped chaperone Gavin’s class field trip to the Detroit Zoo.

June 2010

June was a special time for me. I was able to attend my birthson’s graduation commencements. I was very proud and happy to be there.

July 2010

July, more specifically, July 4th, is when we take our family summer vacation. This was probably my favorite yet over the years. My cousin had a mini-family reunion at his cabin in up north Michigan. It was so much fun. Picnicking, bonfires, smores, fireworks, swimming at the lake, camping, pitching tents, star gazing, walking in the open fields. Everyone had so much fun. From there we went to Boyne Mountain where we stayed at Avalanche Bay Waterpark.

July was also Blake & Brady’s 3rd birthday. We had a big backyard carnival and celebrated with lots of close family and friends.

August 2010

August included our end of the summer, “last hurrah” trip to my sisters. It’s the final trip out to see her until the following Spring (which for 2011 is just before Easter). Gavin also started the new hockey season. And we just ejoyed the final lazy days of summer.

September 2010

Had a fun visit with my birthson and his family where Blake & Brady had their first boat ride. Gavin started the 3rd grade. And Dave and I had a date night with his dad and wife to celebrate Dave’s final birthday in his 30’s.

October 2010

I had a reunion with some old friends from high school. These gals were my best friends and it was the first time in over 20 years that the four of us were together in one place again. We had a few trips to the local cider mill. Spent an afternoon at Henry Ford Estate where we took our family Christmas card photo. And then of course there’s Halloween.

November 2010

We took a little weekend get-away, just the 5 of us. We went to Splash Village in Frankenmuth. Gavin and I went to a Detroit Red Wings game with his hockey team. Thanksgiving was nice at my in-laws, and we put up our Christmas Tree.

December 2010

Highlights of December of course being all the Christmas activities and gatherings. Gingerbread houses. Christmas parties. Cookie baking. Santa, and finally New Years Eve. There was also the Big Chill at the Big House. Mighigan vs. Michigan State hockey. Dave refereed a couple high school games in the days leading up the the big game. He took Gavin with him to experience what truly is a spectical in what is called “The Big House.”

January 2011

My oldest son turned 23. Gavin attended a goalie school clinic. And Blake & Brady finally got real boy haircuts. I hated cutting their long hair, but it was about time.

February 2011

The worst winter happened all in one month. Too much snow. I heard somewhere that at one point, 49 states had some form of snow. Gavin turned 8yrs old. He and I went to his school dance. He looked so handsome. We also took a Winter weekend get-away. Went to Splash Bay in Maumee, OH for a couple nights.

March 2011

For an early Mother’s Day gift, my adorable husband purchased for me the digital SLR camera that I have been wanting for so long. I literally about cried when he said, “you deserve it, make it happen.” I’m loving it! Still learning the ropes, but I’ll catch on fast. Most recently I got to spend St. Patrick’s Day afternoon with one of my best friends enjoying some green beer and Irish fun.

There you have it. The last 12 months.

Visiting my sister in Indiana. We left home yesterday way later than I had planned. Seems whenever I am planning a trip, I can never get any preparation done until the final hours. We had originally planned on coming today, but my sister insisted that we come a day earlier. I knew it would be near impossible, what with all the daily things I have to do to keep my organized chaos, well.. more organized. That on top of the fact that it was Easter weekend. This, of course, being the year that when I call my mother-in-law up to ask her what I could bring, she throws green bean casserole my way. I don’t even eat the green bean casserole. But wonderful mother-in-law that she is, she bought all the ingredients, jotted down the recipe and even threw in a disposable casserole tin. Even the least of domestic goddesss couldn’t mess that one up. I had no excuse.

So back to my sister. She wants us to come a day earlier. The day after Easter. Did I mention I have a million and one things on my daily to do list, not to mention the fact that Friday we had a birthday party to go to for my husbands neice. Saturday, Gavin had hockey practice in the morning. Of which, Dave was working Saturday, so I had to throw the twins in the van to take to the rink with us. At least they weren’t wearing their pajamas. When, in all of this, was I going to make earlier preperations to drive out to Indiana? Oh, and did I mention, I also had to pick up our other 2 neices and bring them along. This meant I had to play musical carseats in my minivan in order to make seating accomodations for 2 adults, 2 toddlers, 1 first grader and 2 teenagers.

I don’t know how I did it. But I did. My mother came over early to help, and Dave was off work to help so that we could be on the road by Monday afternoon, early evening. It think its being a mom of twins that gives me this ability. So often I’ll get asked. “How do you do it?” You just do.

So I’m happy we’re here. Happy that we got here yesterday instead of just a few hours ago. My neices are all having fun. My boys are enjoying themselves. And tomorrow is sisters night out. We’ll be here till Saturday. It’s going to go by so fast.

Thought I’d share my favorite picture from the holidays. It’s really just something to post while I finalize my big move.
Enjoy…

Apple iPhone – $299
Apple iPod Touch – $150
Pocket Solitaire Game – $15
Spending quality time with the family over the holidays – Priceless!

Hey readers! Just reconfiguring my blog and site. I switched host providers, so I’m in the process of moving everything over. I’m hoping this new home and refreshed theme will spark some fire under my arse to be a better blogger. It’s worth a shot. Plus now I’m saving $4 a month on hosting.

Thanks for being patient while I settle in.

I’ve been wanting to get this post done for quite some time now. Blake & Brady’s birthday was on July 27th. So many things get me side tracked. And just when I think I can sit down for at least 20 minutes, something happens to keep me from it. That and the fact that I’m utterly addicted to some of the FaceBook games and when I sit at the computer I tend to gravitate towards them rather than post here.

My two little guys have turned 2 years old. I can’t believe that just 2 years ago I held theses to “not so little” babies in my arms.

One very lucky reader of Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House blog will win this stroller:

It is a 2009 Tango Double Stoller by Zooper.
Current retail price for this stroller is $499.99

Find out how you could win by visiting Two of a Kind here.

I remembered at 11 o’clock this evening that after Gavin’s kindergarten graduation tomorrow there is a potluck lunch in the kindergarten playground. I hadn’t made anything or didn’t have anything at home I could throw together. So I made a late night run up to the grocery store to rummage something together to make. I decided on my quick and easy, family favorite dessert. I call it “Pineapple Mush Cake.”  So I thought I’d do a first here in my blog and share the recipe.

Here is what you’ll need:

One 10 oz. Angel Food Bundt Cake
One 20 oz. can crushed pineapple
4-6 vanilla pudding cups
One 8 oz. tub of whipped topping

Step One: Break Angel Food Cake into bite size pieces into large mixing bowl.

 

Step Two: Drain crushed pineapple in colander and add to bowl with angel food cake.

 

Step Three: Add 4-6 vanilla pudding cups, 5 always seems to be my maximum.

 

Step Four: Fold ingredients together, then spread in a 9x13in pan.

Final Step: Spread whipped topping on top.

It can be served right away, but I always allow it to chill in fridge overnight or at least a couple hours. Use serving spoon to dish out.

I started making this at 12:15am and was finished at 12:30am, it’s that quick and easy. And it is soooo yummy. Very light and refreshing. You can even tweak it now and then by adding chopped nuts, or chopped maraschino cherries or crushed mandarin orange slices. If you make this for a get together, be sure to have the recipe with you because people will want it. I always bring a few copies with me.  This dessert can also be made as a diabetic dessert or low calorie dessert. Just use sugar free angel food cake, sugar free pudding cups, lite whipped topping and make sure pineapple has no added sugar.

Enjoy!

Okay, after sitting here eyeballing my keyboard for the last 3 minutes, I’m finally going to make some keystrokes. Writers block sucks. I could once again sit here and type about how much of a horrible blogger I am. I could apologize again for not posting more often. And I could promise, again, that I will get better at this.I.promise.

The time I find to blog is, most often, after the rest of the house is deep in slumber. I’ll sit on the couch after having watched my tv shows I DVR’d, glance at the clock and think, to blog or not to blog. I’m so tired at that point that all I really want to do is just sink deep into my pillow and drift off. I’ll tell myself, I’ve got nothing interesting to write about. How do other moms find the time or even the leftover brain energy to get creative with what they post?

While I’m on that subject, lets go further. Moms that scrapbook, sew, quilt, you know the ones.. those crafty moms. Where the heck do they drum up the time or energy for such extra curricular activities? My boys, including twin toddlers I might add, keep me going all day long. Not to mention the laundry, the cleaning, the cooking, hell.. I can’t even remember the last time I picked up my toilet brush and put it to it’s intended use. Will that time come? Will I ever be able to even think of organizing my 1st floor bathroom linen closet? Or even catch up on the twins baby books?

I get so frustrated lately. I’m, well I used to be anyway, a perfectionist. I like things just so. No wonder I can’t get my 6yr old to do any chores, I can barely do them myself. How the heck are my children going to learn to appreciate the comfort of a well maintained home if I can’t find the time to make it that way. For pete’s sake, my 6yr old will open a snack and just literally throw the wrapper on his bedroom floor. Then he’ll take the scissors and cut it up into tiny little pieces and toss them on his floor. I can’t get him to respect his toys. It’s as if he doesn’t care. And I blame myself, because I can’t teach him. I just don’t have the fricken time!!!

In other news.. I met this woman at the last mom of twins meeting. Her art I’m dying to learn. She is amazing! Can’t wait to take one of her classes.

It’s been awhile and I’ve been a bad blogger again.  We’re just getting over our 3rd round this year of the stomach flu in our house. We just can’t seem to get rid of it. As I knock on wood, I have to mention that so far, I’ve been spared. Probably because I’m washing my hands so many times a day. I’m proof in the fact that hand-washing is the greatest defense.

I’ve been twittering a lot lately. My older son gave me a wireless router and I’ve been wi-fi’ing it with my iTouch iPod. I love that I can check my email, facebook, twitter, etc from anywhere in the house.  If you have a Twitter account, there’s a link to follow me under the “Things To Do” list on my left sidebar.  Be sure and let me know and I’ll follow you back.

I’ll leave you with a funny story that happened since my last post.  So often I find myself way behind on housework. Laundry piling up, toilets looking pretty disgusting, etc. I like it when I have reinforcements here, like my mom or aunt, that way I can get some things done and not have to worry about what the boys are up to.  So with the pile of laundry touching the ceiling in my laundry room, I decided to bite the bullet, run downstairs and spend 5 mintues to throw a load in. I started the twins Elmo video and knew I’d only be downstairs for a few minutes. And I that’s all it was. A few minutes.

As I got back upstairs and headed toward the living room where they were playing, Brady greeted me in the hallway. His diaper was missing. No diaper. Bare-ass naked. Suddenly he holds up his hands saying “uh-oh”  Upon closer inspection I realize his hands are covered in poop. I let out this loud.. “Noooooooo!!!” with a desperate “why me” tone to it.  At the end of the hallway, in the doorway of the spare bedroom, there on the floor lies a small pile of poop. Then another pile, and another pile. Apparently they had fun while mommy threw a load of laundry in. The bottom of both their feet was covered in it. Surprisingly, Brady’s bumm was completely clean. He must have lost the diaper before taking a crap on my wood floors. I’m trying to clean it up and it’s mushed in the cracks of the wood flooring. I’m forced to use a tooth pic to get it all. The two of them were immediately placed in the empty tub while I cleaned. Then they got a bath.

I tell you, I hear horror stories of the brown fish found in bath tubs.  What would you call it on dry land? A brown frog?

During the past week I’d been getting ready for a big Mom-to-Mom sale. Since the twins are the last children I’ll have, as they grow out of things I can get rid of them not thinking “I should probably keep this in case we have another baby.” I tend to be a hoarder with stuff like that. I come about it honestly. My mother was always one of those “we might need that one day” kind of people. But since becoming a mom of multiples, it means multiples of stuff. Stuff everywhere. We still have boxes of stuff from our move 19 months ago that haven’t even been opened. I often wonder, if I haven’t missed it in 19 months, would I ever miss it at all?

One thing I do miss, that I can never have back, is my babies. Today, while packing up for the sale, I picked up a tiny tiny pair of little baby booties. One of them could literally just fit over my thumb. I actually began to well up inside. My babies are gone. Those little tiny beings that use to curl up in a little ball on my chest are now running through the house and talking and trying to escape every saftey obstacle I put in their way.

I knew the twins would be my last. And I swear I’ve tried to cherrish every single moment. I try hard to not miss a thing. I’ve relished every milestone. And even though I know there’s so much more of them yet to come. I still miss their infancy. And oh.. oh.. oh.. that smell!!!!

They’re on-the-constant-go toddlers now. Forever investigating every little thing. They’re imitating real life things now. One of their favorite things is to help me clean. They won’t let me craddle them anymore. But they will sit on a lap for a story couple pages from a book.

I can’t help remembering how tiny and helpless they were just 19 months ago. And as I sold their baby stuff in the sale today, every article that exchanged hands, I relived the memories that went with it.