Run, Mommy!

Have you ever seen a puppy suddenly start flying around the house or backyard in laps? It is as if he/she gets a sudden burst of energy that must be expended immediately. 

On many days, the girls are two puppies running laps. "Run, Mommy!" ...and then Mommy becomes a puppy too. 

My phone ended up in the washing machine so I no longer have sound, hence the silent video below. The video doesn't really do it justice. The sudden change of direction is because Flo Rida's I Cry came on the music list and they had. to. dance.

The Antics of 2-year old Twins

I heard the stories and even saw the pictures. My precious angels wouldn't do those kinds of things when were older. Think again, naive Mommy.

The artist shows off her work

Teagan's lovely artwork was completed with a crayon that she STOLE from our class this morning and stashed in her pocket for safe keeping. 

My first reaction was one of shock. Admittedly, I wanted to laugh seconds later. Teagan saw this and smiled. I prompted turned on my mad face and told her that this was very bad. 

Why didn't I think to steal a crayon?!

Wouldn't want to leave any inch of the crib
uncoloured!

The artist's work up close. 

While I want them to learn that the walls and their crib are not their canvases, it is just crayon. Now how do I get it off the walls, cribs and mattresses? Oh and the door...they chose that as their canvas last week.

The 3 amigos

Happiness is going for a long run with your pack, followed by a nap on a comfy couch...

$112,962

$112,962. 

That's what I made last year. Ok, well, not exactly. I didn't make any actual money. But, according to Real Simple Magazine and sa.lary.com, that is what a stay-at-home mom would make if she was paid for everything that she did in a day. Not too shabby.

So why is it that there is still such a stigma attached to being a stay-at-home mom? A representative in Arizona called stay-at-home moms leeches! She went on to say that she was joking. Not the funniest joke that I've ever heard.

Being a stay-at-home mom has been way harder than I thought it would be. Like many childless people, I used to wonder what stay-at-home parents did during the day. How much work could one (or two) baby really be? Doesn't baby sleep a few times per day? I didn't give it a ton of thought pre-twins, but have been brought back to this time by questioning friends and strangers.

It has taken me a long time to write this blog entry. I've written parts, deleted them, rewritten them and then deleted them again. I've written a massive paragraph outlining the chaos that is my day and then promptly deleted it. I've read angry blog posts by stay-at-home moms. They state that working moms look down on them. By no means do I feel like this. I have mom friends who work and those who are home with their children. We all look at each other in the same way: as moms. I don't feel the need to attack anyone. We all make choices that are best for our families.

Stay-at-home moms, like working moms (and dads), work their butts off. Our days are difficult (and easy) in different ways. It is hard at times to not be able to attach an hourly rate to my day, although quite honestly, if I had one, it should be variable based on Quinn's mood! There are also hours and days that I would consider to be priceless. No job or paycheck trumps the joy of watching my 2-year olds run around the backyard together giggling and playing.

It is hard to be misunderstood and tough to know that someone considers your job to be easy (yes, I've actually heard that before). I'm getting better at letting those comments wash right over me, but I'm not there yet. At the end of the day, I realize that I'm raising two little people and there really isn't anything more important than that :)

Happy Birthday "Gampa"!

Happy birthday to the most fantastic Grandpa that two little girls could ask for!

Super Fun and Messy Art!

Oh blog. I'm sorry for neglecting you for the last week. I still haven't found my groove at the new house!

The girls and I started an art class today with their twin friends, H&K. Super Fun and Messy Art is being held at Oaks 'n Acorns, a fantastic cafe/studio for parents and their kids.

True to its name, Super Fun and Messy Art was crazy messy and a lot of fun. We were told to dress the kids in a diaper and old shirt. The room had been thoroughly prepped with plastic and paper. There were several different painting stations for the kids to explore. The girls seemed to really enjoy it!

T, Q, H, and K get thrown into the bucket to clean off!