Twosday Fifteen

Recent Reads

1. Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher. I heard this recommended on Pop Culture Happy Hour this spring, and heard the author do an interview on MPR so I was really excited for the book to come out. The format of the book was as a series of letters of recommendation. I had hoped to really love the book, but I just liked it. It was an easy read, and a good format for reading while feeding Baby C with short letters, but otherwise just ok. 
2. The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer. Heather has mentioned this book several time, and when I heard Julie Schumacher's interview she said she was reading it too, so I thought it would be a good one to check out. I really enjoyed this book. It follows a group of friends from their teenage years through middle age.

 Recent Listens

1. One Bad Mother. I've totally been binging this podcast lately. Two moms talking about their genius moments and mommy fails. It makes me feel better to hear other people share their fails. Also, the podcast often sounds like a conversation between two friends (which I think it is) which makes it good company for naptime.
2. Freakonomics Radio. The tagline for this podcast is "the hidden side of everything" and that's a pretty good description. The episode that led me to this podcast was How Much Does a Name Matter? Very fitting for me as I had been worrying about baby names for many months. 

Fruit I Can't Get Enough Of

1. Apples. Specifically Honeycrisp apples (Go U of M!) These are my favorite apples and I'm so happy to see them well stocked in stores right now! Lots of apples around makes it so much easier for me to #makeonehealthydecision.
2. Pomegranate. I love pomegranate on my salads. And anyone who knows me well knows that I am not a veggie lover, so having something I do like to add to my salads is super helpful. 

Someday they might all look at the camera, right?

Other Snacks I Can't Get Enough Of

1. Almonds. Can someone explain to me why I thought I didn't like almonds? Crazy! I bought a trail mix with almonds in it recently, and realized not only do I not dislike almonds, but I really like almonds. And to think of all those Blue Diamond Almonds I gave to after HLS13!
2. Pretzel Crisps. I love a good, crunchy snack and sometimes carrots just don't cut it. I have little self control with chips around, so pretzels are a good way for me to get a crunchy, salty snack without overindulging. 

(Three) Fun Adventures Last Week

1. Lunch date with Miss K at Sovereign Grounds. E was gone for part of last week, so it was really nice to meet up with a friend for lunch. I've never been to Sovereign Grounds before, but we will be visiting again! There was a great playroom area that kept the girls busy and gave me a chance to chat with a friend.
2. Sky Zone Toddler Time. The girls and I got together with one of my teacher friends and her two daughters to jump, jump, jump on Friday morning. It's been a long time since we've visited, so it was a nice treat for the girls. Plus, we got to play with friends they haven't seen in awhile. We tried a picnic after, but it was pretty windy and cold, so we wrapped it up pretty quickly. 
3. A family apple orchard and pumpkin patch visit. Miss A and Little J picked up a couple of big pumpkins to carve next weekend, we explored the apple trees a bit and, my favorite, got apple cider donuts!

Twosday Fourteen

September Dates (with Baby C)

1. Red Cow St. Paul. E and I took advantage of having family in town to sneak out for dinner. It was so nice to have a little quiet time to talk and enjoy a slow meal (and glass of wine). Baby C did her part by sleeping through dinner.
2. Twins Game. E's boss gave him tickets to Sunday's game.  The seats were awesome, right behind home plate, and the weather was perfect. Baby C again did her part by sleeping through most of the game.  Also, there's a nursing room in the Guest Services area which happened to be right in our section. It was so nice to have a comfortable place to feed Baby C. 

Tasty Items I Ate at Red Cow

1. 60/40 Burger.  This burger is 60 percent beef, 40 percent bacon, with bacon on top and so very good!  I was a little worried the bacon taste could be overwhelming, but it was just right.
2. Mini Donuts with Ice Cream.  We didn't get mini donuts when we visited the state fair, so this more than made up for it.  Warm donuts with ice cream is an excellent combination!

Tasty Things I've Made at Home

1. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies from Katie at Running for Cupcakes. So good. The girls and I made these one afternoon and they were so tasty. After we started mixing I realized we didn't have any chocolate chips so we used mini M&Ms instead, and they worked great.  The only bad part is that I have no control when it comes to sugar, so I ate way too many.
2. Bread & Chocolate's Fabulous Fudge Bars. Basically an oatmeal cookie, topped with a layer of fudge and more oatmeal.  

Goals for This Week

1. Stop eating so many sweets (see above). With so many tasty treats around lately, I've found myself sneaking a bite or two of dessert way too many times during the day. I'm finding that the more tired I am, the more I crave sugar. This week I'm going to try to get that sugar from healthier choices, like fruit.
2. Run 3 times. We have a couple of busy weekends ahead, so this may be a challenge, but I know I will feel a lot better if I make exercise a priority this week.

How I'm Keeping Things Organized Right Now

1. My new Poppin planner. I saw Heather post about her white Poppin planner a couple of months ago, and decided to order a pink planner for myself. I love the layout of this planner (and it's pink).  There is a 2 page calendar for each month followed by 1 page with the week divided into days and 1 lined page for notes. I love that I can keep events, meal plan and my to do list all in the same place. It's awesome! And I just saw that it's on sale, only $8!
2. Washi tape.  Lots and lots of washi tape :)

Twosday Thirteen

Today I'm linking up with Heather for Twosday!

Fun Weekend Activities with the Girls

The girls don't look very excited, but they really did like it!

1. Twins Game.  E was helping some friends move on Saturday, and they offered us their tickets for Saturday night.  It was our first game of the season, and the girls loved checking everything out, and having hot dogs for dinner.  
2. MOA.  Sunday was E's birthday, and somehow Miss A convinced him that he wanted to go to the Mall of America to celebrate.  E and the girls went on a few rides, we had lunch and I picked up a little brother/little sister onsie to match the big sister shirts I got for the girls.  

Fun Weekend Activities without the Girls

Little J photobomb.

1. Bar Patios.  Our babysitter was able to come over Sunday night so I could take E out for his birthday.  We stopped at The Liffey for a bit before dinner, and Sweeny's (one of my favorite TC spots) after dinner.  It was so nice to sit, relax and talk.
2. Mancini's.  This was maybe a strange pick for a summer night out, but Mancini's Char House is a St. Paul landmark that we somehow hadn't been to in our (almost) 7 years living in the city.  Mancini's has an awesome, old school feel.  E especially loved it.  

Things I'm Loving at 38 Weeks

1. Unlimited ice cream.  Well, maybe not unlimited, but we are going through large quantities of ice cream around here.
2. Feeling baby move.  I know that baby could come any day now (though I'm trying not to drive myself crazy with that idea), so I'm trying to pay extra attention to baby's movements.  Baby is especially active at night, and it's fun (and a little weird) to watch baby parts move across my belly.

Things I Could Do Without at 38 Weeks

1. Comments from strangers.  Our waitress on Sunday asked when I was due, and when I said 2 weeks, she said, "It looks like it could have been yesterday."  Not something any pregnant woman wants to hear.
2. The heat.  I know that I have been pretty spoiled with a relatively mild summer, but today we made it to the 90s and I mostly hid inside.

Things I've Been Listening to Recently

1. Mom & Dad Are Fighting Podcast.  Erin shared this on IG a month or so back, and I've gone through all of the episodes.  I love the mix of interviews and discussions of different parenting topics mixed with personal stories.  Each episode the hosts share a parenting triumph or fail, which are always relatable.
2. This American Life Podcast.  This is one that I used to listen to all the time, but after taking a break for a few months, I recently started listening to all of the episodes that had collected on my phone.  I especially liked the 20 Acts in 60 Minutes episode.

Things I've Read When I Should Be Sleeping

1. 43 Things Only Girls With Curly Hair Understand.  Totally relate to pretty much everything.
2. The Joy of Writing Letters.  I love writing letters, and find this to be so sweet!

Twosday Twelve

Family Fun Activities over the Holiday Weekend

1. Strawberry Picking at Afton Apple.  We missed strawberry season last year because of our trip to Germany, so this year I really wanted to get out and pick fresh strawberries.  It was a bit of a drive, but the girls had a lot of fun picking strawberries and checking out the animals.  And the fresh strawberries were SO good!
2. Swimming at Lake Elmo Park Reserve.  We've been out to the Lake Elmo Park Reserve every summer at least once.  A day pass for the park is $5, getting you access to all of the trails and the swimming area (I think there's more there, but that's what I know of).  The swimming area is a man-made filtered pond.  I like that it feels clean, but still has sand to play in.  

Strawberry Desserts Made and Eaten

1. Strawberry Lemonade Popsicles
2. Strawberry Milkshakes

Fireworks Viewed

1. On the 3rd, the four of us headed down to Bloomington for the Summer Fete.  We ate fair food, the girls jumped in some inflatables (thanks to the nice lady who gave us a bunch of extra tickets!) and then watched fireworks after dark.  The fireworks show was really good, and really long.  We all enjoyed it, especially the girls!
2. Minneapolis Red, White and Boom.  I contacted our babysitter about coming over to watch the girls while E and I snuck in one more date night before baby comes, and the 4th worked best for her.  E and I ended up downtown, so we picked up some chocolate cake and headed down by the river to watch fireworks.  On our walk over we also caught the "Freedom from Pants" bike ride which was... interesting. 

Tap Rooms Visited 

1. Harriet Brewery.  A tap room tour might seem strange for a lady who is 8 months pregnant, but considering I don't like beer anyway, it seemed like a good idea for when I can't drink anyway.  Unfortunately a bunch of the Minneapolis tap rooms were closed for the 4th, but we did have luck with Harriet Brewery.  The tap room was bright and it looked like they were setting up for live music later that night.  
2. 612 Brew.  This was my favorite of the two we stopped at, simply because I liked the space.  The tap room was big, and the outdoor area was really nice.  I think it would be a great spot to go with a big group sometime.

Miss A's Favorite Songs at the Moment

1. Beat of the Music by Brett Eldredge.  I normally listen to a lot of talk radio in the car, but Miss A has been requesting music more and more lately (and not even the Frozen soundtrack).  She especially likes country music, and can sing along with a surprising number of the songs.
2. Happy by Pharrell.  Because really, who doesn't love this song?

Twosday Eleven

Two Major To Do Before Baby Items Crossed Off the List Over the Past Week

1. Bunk Beds!  E built a top bunk and added it to the bed he previously built for Miss A, so we now have both girls sleeping in the big girl room.  There's a lot of chatting in the room when the girls are supposed to be resting, but hopefully that will get better as they get used to sleeping in the same room. 
2. New Car!  My car wasn't going to work for 3 car seats, so while Miss A and Little J spent a few days with my parents, E and I took advantage to do some car shopping.  We ended up with a 2008 GMC Acadia.  Considering I was driving a 1998 vehicle, this is a big upgrade, and such a relief to have it done!  

Two Ways I Treated Myself While the Girls Were Gone

1. Lunch at Panera, one of my favorite spots.  The Asiago cheese bagels are so tasty!
2. A new haircut.  I've been going to The Hive Salon in Minneapolis for about a year now, and it's an awesome spot, especially if you have curly hair.  I saw Jen this time, and she did a great job getting my hair ready for summer.   

Happy Hour Spots Visited While Girls Were Gone

1. Barrio
2. The Local

Two New to Us Spots We Checked Out on Friday Night

1. The Fulton Tap Room.  It seems like tap rooms are all over right now, so we thought we'd check one out before dinner.  I appreciated that they had hand crafted sodas along with the beer.  I had passion fruit lemonade (yum) while E enjoyed the beer.
2. Butcher and the Boar.  We've been hearing so many good things about this restaurant, but I've never been able to get reasonable reservations before.  I'm so glad we could this time.  The food was amazing!  We had dinner inside, which was great, but there was also a nice outdoor area for drinks and a more casual menu.

Two Little Girls Loving on Their New Cousin, Baby JR (and Practicing for August)

Twosday Ten

Two Projects Completed Last Week

1. A measuring stick for the little ones.  E has been wanting to do something like this for a long time, I picked up supplies to finally get it done while E was out of town for work last week.  It's not perfect, but it will be so fun to have as the girls grow.  I used the records from their well child visits for previous ages.  
2. Organized the work bench area of the scary room.  That's what I call the basement room with the furnace and water heater.  E says I should stop calling it the scary room, but after (almost) 7 years, I think it's sticking.  The room is a mess, and this was the first step to conquering the mess.  I got together a bunch of plastic storage containers, washi tape and a permanent marker and got to work going through everything that should be on the workbench.  I'm SUPER happy with the result.

Progress Made on my 33 Before 33 Last Week

1. Visited the dermatologist.  I have been putting this off for years.  So silly.  I FINALLY made it to an appointment last week, and very quickly got things taken care of.  So easy.  
2. Create a wedding photo book.  I didn't actually make the book, but I went through all of our wedding photos to pick out my favorites for the book.  It was really fun to look back on the pictures from our big day.  We look so young (you can see some favorite photos here).

Two Extra Fun Parts of Mother's Day Weekend

1. My awesome mom came to visit.  It's always nice to see my mom, but so often when we see her there's something going on.  This weekend there was nothing happening, just time to sit and relax.  We went to a craft show and out to dinner, but spent most of our time outside enjoying the nice weather.  Nana helped the girls make homemade ice cream.  It was a big hit with the girls!
2. E and the girls were really sweet all weekend.  They went shopping on Saturday to get supplies for a very tasty breakfast on Sunday.  They also got a giant frosted brownie cake that was soooo good.  I say it was good, because I'm sure by the time I post this it will be gone.  

Two Weekend Workouts

1. A 2.4 mile run/walk.  We live by a great little lake that makes for a great short running route.  I keep thinking I'm almost done running until after baby comes, but I felt really good running this weekend, I'm going to keep going as long as I'm comfortable. 
2. A 2.4 mile walk with E and the girls.  After dinner on Sunday night, we headed out on a walk around the lake.  The girls love walks by the lake because they can look for ducks, turtles and other animals.  Pushing the stroller around the lake is no joke.  I felt like the walk was harder than the run in some ways!  The girls did get out of the stroller to run for awhile, and did well, which gives me hope we'll be able to keep up our walks this fall.  

Two Healthy Decisions Made Last Week

1. Smoothies.  I'm back to taking a smoothie with to school most mornings.  Last week I was taking raspberry-blueberry-banana-spinach smoothies.  So good.  An excellent choice if, like me, your freezer is packed full of frozen raspberries.  
2. Apples for snacks.  Besides taking a smoothie each morning, I slice a Honeycrisp apple (yay University of Minnesota!) to take as a snack.  I feel less guilty about my treats when I start the day out with lots of fruit.

Two Ways I've Been Treating Myself Lately

1. Rolos.  I'm not sure why we had Rolos in the house, but the chocolate and caramel combination has been my favorite lately.  Yum! Yum! Yum!
2. Ice cream.  Lots and lots of ice cream.  Especially on the nice, warm days that we've been starting to have.

Twosday: 33 Before 33 Check In

Today marks 6 months since my birthday, so I thought it would be a good time to check in on my 33 Before 33 that I shared back in October.  Overall I feel I'm doing okay on making progress, although I'm certainly doing better on some goals than others.

My first photo book... kind of cheating.  It's an Instagram Blurb book.  I love it!

 Things I Marked Off My 33 Before 33 Right Away

1. Donate Blood.  This was the very first item I checked off my list.  Our local library hosted a blood drive the weekend after my birthday so I signed up right away.  I had hoped to donate blood more than once, but now that Baby #3 is on the way, I'll have to wait.
2. Run a Race.  I was already signed up for the Free to Breath 5k on my birthday, so I knew I'd be able to get this one done too.  Again, I thought I would run more than one race, but with Baby #3 being due in early August, and my birthday in early October, I'm not sure that I'll be able to fit in another race.

Things I've Been Rocking on 33 Before 33

1. 12 Social Media Free Days.  Done plus many.  I've been trying to stick with a social media free Sunday policy for myself.  Some Sundays I cheat (like this past Sunday when I was stuck in the car for 8+ hours), but for the most part, I stay off Facebook, Instagram and Twitter on Sundays.  I know I mindlessly check social media frequently, so taking a day off each week helps me focus on being more present with my family.  
2. Blogging.  I set a goal to blog at least 5 times each month, and I've done it every month so far.  I've had this blog for over 4 years, and many times end up taking months at a time off, so I'm pretty happy with myself for being more consistent these past 6 months.  December and January were exactly 5 times, but the other months have been higher.  I've also done some updates to make the blog look a little nicer.  

Things on My 33 Before 33 I Haven't Done or Planned and Need to Do Soon

1. Go to a dermatologist.  I got as far as getting a referral from my regular doctor, but I haven't yet set an appointment.  This has been on my to do list for far too long, so I need to get on it ASAP.
2. Go to a fitness class.  There are a few classes I'd like to check out at my local rec center.  I don't have a good excuse for not going.  I really need to just do it!

Progress on Date Goals on my 33 Before 33

Last Vikings Game at the Metrodome

1. 6 Dates with E.  So far we've gotten out once a month, which is pretty good for us.  Our main babysitter actually called last weekend to see if we needed a babysitter soon (she's getting ready for prom) which was a good push for me to get some things lined up.  Twin Cities friends, any places we should check out?
2. 4 Mommy Daughter Dates (2 with each girl).  This has been harder than I thought.  If I'm planning something fun, it's hard to not take both girls.  Little J and I took a class together all fall, which I counted for just 1 date, though it met at least 6 times.  I thought counting all of the classes was cheating.  

Mommy and Miss A Donut Date

Mommy and Little J Date to Noodles

Things on My 33 Before 33 I Need to Refocus On

1. Eat More Freggies.  I was doing pretty well on this goal, starting my days with a smoothie (made with my awesome Ninja!) and including fruits and veggies with my meals.  Then mid-December morning all day sickness hit, and it has taken me awhile to get back on track.  Last week I was finally able to start drinking smoothies again, and I'm excited to see what new combos I can mix up.  
2. Donate clothes and household items.  I made one big trip to Goodwill last month, but there are many more closets and rooms in my house that need a good clean out.  

Twosday inspired by Heather.  33 Before 33 inspired by Tara.

Twosday: Miss A is 4!

I both can't believe we are celebrating Miss A's 4th birthday today, and can't believe she's only been here for 4 years.  She is a sweet little thing, though she also test my patience daily.  I asked her some questions yesterday, on her last day as a 3 year old.  Below are her answers, and some of my favorite pictures of her from the past year. I should add, as I asked her these questions Miss A was wearing her new Princess Sofia shirt, black leggings, a Twins helmet, a yellow Apple Bottom dress (from her dress up collection... perfect for Belle, but still makes me laugh. Every. Time.) and dress up Belle heels, doing a ribbon dance with her new wand.

Miss A at her 3rd birthday party.

Celebrating her 3rd birthday with a special date to the Children's Museum.

Favorite Movie

1. Frozen. I don't' see this changing any time soon. She is obsessed.  Like most other little girls I know.  
2. Curious George Movie. This is the most recent movie we've watched, which is probably why it made the list. 

Favorite Princesses

1. Belle
2. Tangled

Favorite Shows

1. My Little Pony. As soon as we got Netflix, Miss A fell in love with My Little Pony.  Every morning this is her choice to watch while we get ready for the day.  
2. Doc McStuffins. Still a favorite since her 3.5 year interview. She has her own Doc McStuffins doctor kit to give checkups, a stuffed lamb she sometimes dresses up in a pink tutu and now her own Stuffy to give checkups.  

Favorite Ponies

1. Princess Celestia
2. Pinky Pie
3. Rarity

Favorite Foods

1. Strawberries
2. Peanut Butter and Jelly on bread (not toast)
3. Mac & Cheese

Favorite Colors

1. Pink
2. Red
3. Blue
4. Purple

Favorite Toys

1. Dollhouse
2. Dress up clothes

Favorite Books

1. A is for Annabelle
2. Poem Book (Where the Sidewalk Ends).  Side note: yesterday after her rest time, she brought us the book with a poem she really wanted to read... Sister for Sale.  

Favorite Things To Do

1. Read books
2. Snuggle

Favorite Songs

1. Let It Go
2. For the First Time in Forever
3. Love is an Open Door

How We've Celebrated Her Birthday So Far

1. Cake and presents from Nana and Papa when they visited early.
2. Butterfly Tea Party with friends.
3. Daddy Daughter Date to the Mall of America.  Rides, lunch and a trip to Build A Bear to make a giant Pinky Pie.

Plans to Celebrate Her Birthday Today

1. Visit to the library.  It is still too cold (for me) to do any outdoor activities.
2. Dinner out, Miss A's choice.  She's very excited to be in charge. 

Mommy's Favorite Things To Do With Miss A

1. Read books.  She loves to read, and she'll snuggle nicely when we read to her.  I'm happy to read to her, or watch her read with Daddy.  
2. Make projects.  I've really had a lot of fun recently playing with Miss A while Little J starts her nap.  I especially like the days she wants to do projects.  It's fun to see her create.  And I love that her pictures are starting to look like real things now.

Daddy's Favorite Things to Do with Miss A

1. Show her new things.  Any new things.  Daddy showed her the stars this winter.  One night this winter, Daddy showed her the stars.  I caught them both laying the snow, looking up at the stars, talking about them.  
2. Snuggle and watch cartoons.  (I think they're pretty cute together.)

Things She Needs to Sleep at Night

1. Lamby
2. Fuzzy (a blanket our neighbor made for her when she was first born)

Miss A was SO excited that Lamby got to be included in a picture.

Twosday Nine

Things That Are Making Me Happy

1. This week I started a new, shorter schedule at work.  This trimester I can leave an hour earlier than I have been able to the rest of the year.  That means I get less time to prepare at school, but I'm okay to trade doing some work at home during nap time for extra time with my girls.  I'm excited to go on some little adventures and (when it gets nicer) have lots of picnics!
2. Monday was sunny and almost 50 degrees!  I'm so very, very ready for spring to be here.  The past few days of above freezing temps have made a huge dent in the ice and snow.  Our monster of a front yard snow man officially died due to the warm weather.  I was not even a tiny bit sorry to see him go.  

Things I'm Looking Forward To

1. Our big ultrasound.  It's actually scheduled for today!  I'm hoping to get a good look at our sweet baby.  I love seeing baby wiggle and hearing the heartbeat.  Plus the girls are going to stay at day care all day, so I should get a little time to myself to get some things done without two little helpers.    
2. Spring break!  Less than two weeks to go until spring break.  E is taking a few days off work that week so we can go on a quick Midwest getaway.  I'm hoping spring weather will be here for spring break!

Things I'm Doing for Lent

1. Sharing kindness.  The past two years I have given up Diet Coke for Lent, which has been a huge challenge for me each year.  This year I wanted to do something different, and I with how weird I've been feeling throughout this pregnancy, I didn't want to give up any food that might help me feel better.  I've been so inspired by Diana and her Be Nice Box that I decided to make it a goal to be more kind throughout Lent.  So far I've made bars to share at lunch, left an extra donation, made treats for E and encouraged my coworkers on the start of our new trimester.  This one I am doing well on so far!
2. Push ups.  E has committed to doing X number of push ups per week during Lent, so I thought I would try to do it with him (although a much smaller number).  I'm not doing very well so far, partially because I forgot about it while E was out of town this weekend.  I'll have to step it up for the rest of Lent. 

Weekend Adventures

1. Noodles & Company.  We don't eat meat on Fridays during Lent (or at least try not to) so the girls and I used that as a reason to go to Noodles & Company for dinner on Friday night.  We had a girls weekend while E was ice fishing, and this was a perfect start!
2. Minnesota Children's Museum.  We met up with some friends on Saturday evening for a couple of hours of play.  One of Miss A's favorite parts is face painting, so of course we had to paint faces before leaving.  While we were there we also got to check out the new dinosaur exhibit, which was really fun!  Little J loved carrying the eggs to the dinosaur, crawling in the caves, and digging for dinosaur bones.  

Weekend Productivity

1. Cleaned out extra closet.  Miss A's room has two closets, which is awesome, especially for an older house.  One of the closets was kind of a catch all closet, which was full of so much random stuff (including a ton of wedding stuff... from our wedding 6 years ago).  Saturday during nap time I took everything out of the closet, sorted through what to keep, toss and donate, and put (almost) everything to a new home.  This was a big item on my to do list this spring, because it will be Little J's closet when she moves in to Miss A's room later this spring.  
2. First trip of the year to Goodwill.  I suspect many more will follow as I continue to go through the house, but this was a good start!  

Books I Finished Last Week

1. Raising Self-Reliant Children in a Self-Indulgent World by H. Stephen Glenn and Jane Nelsen
• This was a really interesting book to read both as a parent and a teacher.  I think my girls are still a little young to apply much of what the authors talked about, but I do plan to read it again in a few years.  One of the things that has really stuck with me is the idea of giving kids choices, letting them make their choice but then letting them deal with the consequences, even though it can be tough.  We try to do that with Miss A, though her choices are still pretty small, but I think it's a good start.  For example, I give Miss A the choice to play quietly while Little J starts her nap and stay up, or play loud and she will choose to take a nap.  Framing it that way has helped to keep her quiet(er) during that time.  When she is loud, it's strait to bed, which was her choice.  
2. Glitter and Glue: A Memoir by Kelly Corrigan
• I typically like memoirs, but I found this one to be especially good.  I'm not going to lie, there were quite a few tears along the way (probably increased by my preggo emotions).  In the book, Corrigan recalls her experience as a nanny for two children who recently lost their mom.  This experience causes her to reflect on her relationship with and views of her own mom.  I highly recommend this book, especially for moms.  
• One of my favorite lines, "What happens to her happens- in some weird refracted way that seems slightly dangerous- to me, too.  And it occurs to me that maybe the reason my mother was so exhausted all the time wasn't because she was doing so much but because she was feeling so much." 

Online Purchases I'm Excited About

1. Pint Glasses from Vital Industries.  Heather gifted a Minnesota glass to E for Christmas, and I think it's so fun (and steal it all the time) so I bought a couple of the Wisconsin glasses for my brother and SIL who just bought a new house.  
2. Prints from Recipe for Crazy.  I happened to catch a flash 50% sale she was offering on Instagram, so I quickly ordered a few things, some for me, some for friends.  Can't wait to see them!

Twosday Eight: Entertainment

Netflix Shows I've Been Binging on Myself

1. The West Wing. I recently finished rewatching the series, and it was really fun to see all of the people I had forgotten were on the show over the years. This was also my first time watching the series start to finish, in order. I've seen all of the episodes, but watching in order was fun.
2. Friday Night Lights. I just started this series, and have never seen an episode before. I've read some positive comments on other blogs recently, so I thought it would be a good show to keep me company on the elliptical as we battle through the rest of winter.

Unrelated cute kid photo :)

Netflix Shows I've Been Binging with E

House of Cards. The first season was so good. Can't wait to start season 2. We've been watching a lot of the Winter Olympics, so we're trying to hold out to start season 2 until the Olympics are done.
The League.  So inappropriate, but so funny. I am frequently shocked by the things said on the show, but I kind of love it anyway.  

Netflix Shows We're Watching as a Family Miss A and Little J are Forcing Us to Watch

1. My Little Pony. Miss A's current obsession of a TV show. What I love is that it's 22 minutes with no commercials involved.  A perfect amount of time to let Miss A wake up, get dressed and get ready to go!
2. The Croods. Technically a movie, not a show, but this one we all actually enjoyed. We picked up a heart pizza and watched The Croods for Valentine's Day. A fun way to spend the night.

Shows I'm Excited to Start Again

1. Parenthood. This is probably my favorite show on TV right now, even though basically every episode makes me cry. I love the Bravermans. I do not love the storyline with Julia and Joel right now though.
2. Scandal. I agree with some recent criticism that some of the stories go a little too far, but I still love it. A great guilty pleasure.

Books I've Been Reading

1. Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson.  This is the story of a hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas in 1900.  I have just started this, so I can't say much more about it.  I have read two other books by Erik Larson, The Devil in the White City and In the Garden of Beasts, and I enjoyed both, so I have high hopes for Isaac's Storm as well.
2. Raising Self-Reliant Children in a Self-Indulgent World by Stephen Glenn and Jane Nelsen.  This was recommended at a workshop I went to for school last week, and so far it's a good read.  

Blog Series' I'm Loving

How is this my Baby A?  She's so big!

1. Moms Make It Work on My Life in Transition. I've been following Julia's blog since we were both expecting our first baby in early 2010 (and now we're both expecting Baby #3 this summer).  Julia's current series of guest posts features moms from around the country describing how they make their situation work.  It's been a nice mix of moms who work full time, part time and stay at home.  It's interesting to get a peek into what other moms are doing to make a variety of situations work for their families.  And it's all been really positive.  Go Moms!
2. Twosday Posts. Started and inspired by Heather.  I also love to read Twoday posts by Mindy and Kelly.  

Twosday Seven: Random Thoughts

 Ways I Treated Myself Today

1. Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Peppermint Crunch.  Katie posted a picture of this on Instagram last week, and I immediately knew I needed it.  I finally picked some up today, and, wow.  It is amazing!
2. Essie Warm and Toasty Turtleneck nail polish.  I recently discovered that Amazon has great prices for nail polish, and often free shipping.  So a treat the day I ordered it, and a treat today when it arrived. 

Comfort Foods I Can't Get Enough Of

1. Mac and Cheese.  The girls and I have been home a lot for lunchtime recently, and we've eaten more Kraft Mac and Cheese than I care to admit.  But it's so good, and easy.  Especially good because we've been sick and it's been so cold lately.
2. Bread sticks.  I would really like bread sticks with nacho cheese like I used to eat for lunch daily, but plain bread sticks have been a tasty afternoon snack as of late.

 Most Common Times for Little J to Pretend to be a Kitty

1. When she wakes up from nap.  For some reason she will meow to let me know she's awake and ready to get up.
2. Any time we tell her no.  For some reason she turns in to a kitty, crawling and meowing, if we tell her no.  2 year olds are strange creatures.

Miss A's Current Favorite Songs

1. Wagon Wheel by Darius Rucker.  This has been a favorite since Miss A spent time with my parents this summer.  Now she likes to change the words to "rock me Daddy" because I think she likes to mess with me.
2. Anything from the Frozen soundtrack.  Especially Let It Go and For the First Time in Forever.  Seriously, these are on a near non-stop rotation at our house.  Good thing it's a good soundtrack!

Productive Ways I Spent My Monday Off

1. An elliptical workout.  After taking a week off due to sickness, I finally got a good workout in.  It was very much needed.
2. Cleaned my room.  Our bedroom is the entire second story to our house, and frequently ends up as a dumping ground.  So I spent nap time doing some major cleaning and organizing.  I got all of our paperwork organized, two bags ready to donate and (most) surfaces clear.  

Things I'm Looking Forward to this Week

1. Joint Book Club on Wednesday night.  Twice a year the neighborhood book clubs meet together.  It's always fun to see the neighborhood ladies, especially in the winter when we're all usually hiding inside.  Plus our book is Tina Fey's Bossypants, which I read over the summer and enjoyed.
2. Date night Friday night with another couple.  We're heading to Uptown (where we used to live back in our younger days) to meet up with another couple for drinks and dinner.  We haven't seen them in way too long, so I'm looking forward to the night out.  Plus, I have parent-teacher conferences this week, so it's extra nice to have something to look forward to.