I am woman hear me ROAR~

Hey all you out there. As you are probably aware already I went on a blogging world hiatus. I realized that despite my feeble attempts at being absolutely great at everything, I  am a mere human and I can't do it all (although I will still try !!). Life has taken over and lots of stuff has been going on so I am taking a minute just to update you on a few of the little things consuming my time.

The fam bam....My sweet sweet boys. These two precious little guys have made me realize the importance of life and how time goes by way way way too fast. I know they are just three months but like so many people told me before, I feel like they have been a part of my life forever. These two are simply hilarious and have Nick and I cracking up every day and night. We swear Dominick (affectionately known as Nico, Domos, and Dominicky) and Noah ( aka Noah Boa) have baby talk conversations. We have religiously put them facing one another so they can talk, and without fail, every night they are chit chatting it up! They yell, they laugh, they attempt to cheer the other one up when a sad face is seen. It makes me tear up every time and just writing this makes my eyes swell up a little. Gosh darn it! Can I still blame this on pregnancy hormones... The boys are crazy funny and their little laughs are ridiculous. I even laugh when they are crying (not in a crazy way) I laugh because they have these fake little cries where there are no tears and they make every attempt to see that I am looking at them. If I look away they stop but if our eyes meet the cries are heard. Well I shouldn't call them cries more like whimpers, sad whimpers. They know how to manipulate me and I can't help but spoil the heck out of them knowing that I am messing them up forever lol!!!!

On a sad note I have not only been consumed with the joys in life but also loss. My family has had to endure another family death again. For the second time this year we had to say goodbye to a grandpa.  Everything comes full circle and this past year has definitely shown us that!! Regardless of the sadness I know that I will see them again, until then!

My classroom and work. Let's just say that this whole working mom deal is pretty complicated. The guilt eats at me everyday and being the perfectionist that I am, I have wondered if I made the right choice. Let's put it out there I wish I could stay at home and be with my boys all day, but the ultimate reality is that I can't. I make a living and it helps my family , period. I love what I do and although everyday is a challenge, I wake up ready to get in the classroom and inspire young minds. I have included some pictures of my classroom, which has been themed out this year. I feel like having my own kids has given me the insight to see that the little things in my room that I used to obsess about don't matter and everything will get done in it's own time. I also appreciate the classroom moms a lot more.  I used to freak out and stay up late wondering how things would get done ( now I stay up late doing a feeding here or there) but I have been much better at prioritizing and hopefully I stay like this, because things can get pretty ugly, fast!!!

 Speaking of being a working mom, I will add that on my weekends I pretend I am a stay at home mom and don't leave the house. Nick does his gym thing and will run errands but I like to stay home fantasizing that he is working and I am taking care of the boys. I cook and bake cookies and all that crap. This past weekend I made a bomb chicken with enchilada sauce and cream cheese. I also made a chicken soup and baked chocolate chip cookies from scratch. I tried to emphasize to Nick the life he would be living if I was at home all day but he didn't bite the bait... whatevs!!! Sandwiches and random mis matched meals are hear to stay. If you don't know my husband let me just describe his eating habits to you. He is a garbage disposal. He eats an insane amount of food and will do it freakin fast. I don't know if you know about the family meal deal thing sold at Albertson's. Its a whole rotisserie chicken, 1 pound of macaroni salad, 1 pound of potato wedges, and 4 dinner rolls. Well, let's just say he buys it for himself. I get a bite hear or there (with permission of course, if I dare stick my hand in while he is eating he might just chew my hand off!) but he eats the rest!! He also can eat a random assortment of stuff that does not in any shape or form make a meal. Here is a random night menu for him:
appetizer: Protein shake (chocolate)
Main dishes: tuna from the can, 3 hard boiled eggs, left over meat if there is anything, brown rice, maybe a salad,
Dessert: Protein shake and oatmeal. heck he might throw in an iced coffee as well.

I could never eat like that. I might have thrown up after the protein shake though.  Those things are nasty. He swears they are good.. I would rather starve then put that in my mouth YUCK! Since I have a refined palette I will let you taste the delicious meals I made by sharing the link to the recipes I used so you too can pretend to me a stay at home mom, or just have a great meal if you already are one.... you know who you are!!!

Enchilda Chicken Paillard

Source: genaw.com via Denise on Pinterest

Amy's Amazing White Chicken Chili

Source: kalynskitchen.com via Denise on Pinterest

THESE and only these are the reasons why I am not blogging everyday... well that and what the heck do I write about everyday. I definitely don't wanna whine and moan and groan about the same things over and over. I also don't want to look like a crazy mom showing you my kids every five seconds even though I will probably do it anyway!! So I will attempt to at least have a weekly blog recapping the week and any new stuff that I do. Maybe this weekend I will leave the house and go somewhere with my little monkeys... or maybe I won't. Whatever the choice stay tuned for another post!!!

Bom Dia!!!

Picture Gallery Perfection

So it has been forever since I have posted anything. You best believe me that I have only been slacking on the posting. I am not short of projects or staying busy. Far from that actually. This past week my grandparents from New Jersey visited, courtesy of the DeJesus family. Before my grandpop and grandma came into town I had started this project, well the purchasing of the frame was done well before they had arrived. I was still pregnant when that happened so the materials portion of this project took me awhile to gather but the actual making went rather "quickly". My ultimate goal was to get it done in two days. That was last week ! :) Needless to say,  I got it done between feedings, loving on my babies, brunch cruises, visits to my parents, oh and a little thing called sleep. Here is the final product and here is how I got it done!
 First I stole the idea from pinterest. I'm not a creative genius but I am a pinning expert, and when I find something I like I obsess a little. I tend to do almost everything I pin, making the recipes, crafts, outfits, etc. Like I said,  OBSESS. I should probably make a board with all of the things I have done from pinterest! Okay, okay,  back to how I made this gallery wall frame thingy.
 After obsessing over the look of this wall on pinterest, my goal was to be cheap frugal. Again, let me remind you of the fact that I was pregnant during the first part of the project. In the attempt to be frugal I had intended to go to yard sales around my neighborhood in search of a big frame. Nick, the thoughtful husband that he is, reminded me that I was 36 weeks pregnant with twins. My creativity would have made me walk but my body would have yelled at me for being so darn determined. Nick had the smart idea to just go on Craigslist ( yard sale on the internet, as I like to think of it). We almost immediately found a huge frame (43" x 43") that was perfect for the job. We thought we got it for a steal at $35. That was the most expensive part of the project. The frame was bought and then it was time to get the rest of the materials.

     I wanted to spray paint the frame yellow because my bedroom colors are yellow,white, and grey. I also needed smaller white frames (9 to be exact) , pictures for the frames (my maternity pics), and fabric for the area within the frame.






 I wanted to spray paint the big frame. Let's just say that I was so determined to get this part done that my sis and I went into my garage at 1 o'clock in the afternoon on a hot summer day. It was pretty toasty in there... And a little windy because of the crosswinds. The garage door and side door were simultaneously open so we wouldn't die from toxic fumes. We began by taking out the picture that was in the frame . Then we went around and took off any staples that might have stayed on the frame.

Next was the fun part. Maris started the spray painting until she realized she was wearing, in her words, her "fancy pants". I then proceeded to spray away and completely finished a whole can. Needeless to say I had to go to Walmart to get two more cans. Blah.. The walmart that is closest to my house was not a option though. I hate it actually. My sister and I made sure the boys were fed and fast asleep and put Nick on baby duty while we made a trip to the Walmart on the other side of town. After the journey we sprayed the frame with a nice thick coat. I wanted it to be bright and glossy.








The next part was easy. I took the fabric that I had chosen and used a staple gun to attach it taut to the frame. Now please excuse the pics. Maris was the photographer and she didn't bother to tell me that the room wasn't bright enough. You can thank her for her awesome skills!

The hanging of the frame was done by Nick since I trust him to hang everything in the house. It truly is the only handy thing he can do. Let's just say I married him for his good looks and not for his handy man skills. After he hung the frame it was time to measure , level ,and hammer away. We hung each little frame and that was that. Here is my little gallery that adds a pop of color to my room! Hope you like it as much as we do!

Big Day for the Boys!

Yesterday was a big day for my little ones. First and foremost, their ambilical cords finally fell off! It took almost a month! This means that they were finally able to take their first bath. After their bath it was our goal to get to the Pechanga Pow Wow to hang out with some friends and eat some Indian Fry Bread. 

Dominick

Noah

Couldn't help posting this one.... his face was priceless!!!

 My mom and sister came over to help with the bathing festivities. As I was setting up all the goodies my sis and mom held the boys and made sure they were fed and calm. 
They usually scream and cry when I change their diaper, so the thought of completely unclothing them and submerging them in water was super terrifying. 
The water was warm, the boys were fed, and we were ready to take care of business. Well my sis, mom and I were ready. In my head Nick was supposed to be taking part in the actual bathing of one of the boys, but he was scared of hurting one of them. He decided to be our DJ and play lullibies on his Ipad. The songs were from a Rock-a-Bye CD of Kanye West songs. These songs are popular songs turned lullibies and the song of choice for Nick was Gold Digger. Nice choice for our sons babe....So here us four were, with 2 undressed babies, Kanye West lullibies, and bathing goods ready to be used. 
 The boys were gently placed in the bath and actually enjoyed the whole experience. We were afraid they were going to pee in the bath but it wasn't a problem and they loved being lathered and loved. The only time they cried was when they were taken out of the water to get dried. It was absolutely perfect.

Noah looks relaxed, right??

Love Dominick's face here!!!

Me sans makeup.....ewwww!!!

 With the bath done it was time to take a nap. The boys fell asleep for awhile, which my mom told me would happen and then they were fed. As the perfect planner that I am, I figured as soon as they were fed we could pack them up and head to Pechanga to check out the PowWow. The feeding would allot us 3 hours of quiet time out and about. Sure enough we had about that much time to walk around, enjoy Indian Fry Bread Tacos, sweet Indian Fry Bread, Kettle Corn, roasted nuts, snow cones, hot dogs wrapped in bacon, etc. etc. (Let's just say my boys were not the only thing keeping me up last night!) The boys woke up just as we were headed back to the car. Perfect planning on my part. I fed them, changed them, and our day of fun came to an end. Wow.... let's just say that at the end of the day we were exhausted yet had so many memories for the books!

My wonderful hunny bunny with the boys. He just enjoyed an Indian Fry Bread Taco and was pretty full!!

Ain't a joke......

Being a mom is seriously no joke. Not saying that anyone told me it was going to be easy but it is hard work. Hard work, especially being the mom of twinsies. The boys are actually really easy going and tend to sleep a lot but it's all the other stuff that gets overwhelming.

 

  Let's first talk about the insane number of bottles I clean, make, feed, clean, make, feed, over and over again. I started the feeding process breastfeeding the boys. I bought the Brestfriend pillow (lifesaver) to help me feed them. Unfortunately, I was not making enough food for my little ones so I the doctor told me to supplement with formula. I then decided that it was too much to get both boys latched and continuously feeding for each session. I felt like I was ADD looking side to side making sure the boys were doing what they were supposed to. I   just knew in my heart that this bonding experience was not going to work anymore, plus my nips were not feeling too hot. Sorry for the TMI! I now pump and supplement what I don't make with formula. Much easier and manageable. The only thing now is the added expense of the formula, which is outrageous for our boys and all of the bottles. I typically have 18 plus bottles in one day. My hands are chapped and dry with all of the cleaning.

Next is the laundry and the crazy hours that I do it at. I tend to do the boys laundry at around 2 in the morning. With all of the spit up rags, dirty onesies, burp cloths, swaddles, changing table covers, etc, my load is pretty hefty each "morning". I am a little OCD and have to soak everything before I wash it because I don't want gross stains and I also never want to go a day without cleaning their stuff because god forbid I need something from that pile!


The late nights are by far my favorite and hardest part of being a new mom. I love love love getting to be with the boys in the wee hours and talking to them. I probably seem crazy but that is my mommy time. I stare at them and adore every little feature on their cute little faces. The hard part about it all is trying to keep my eyes open long enough to remember what I am doing lol!!! I have opened my eyes many times in the middle of a feeding to find the bottle in their ear or neck. I know this sounds ridiculous but when your head is rolling around on top of your shoulders you can't help it!!! All you moms out there know what I am talking about!

Lastly the part that is by far the most overwhelmingly hard part of being a new mom is all of the questions and attention it entails. Nick and I went to Panera yesterday for a lunch date. It was rush hour and the place was packed. Here I was with a two-seater stroller trying to maneuver my way around tight corners and low and behold I get stopped by on lookers to see the boys and ask a trillion questions. If you know me you know that I am not social. I don't like talking to strangers. Don't get me wrong I will never be rude and I am always cooperative but it is not my favorite thing to do. I always find that I tend to get a little awkward and probably sound like a do do head. haha!

As hard as all of it is, I love being a mommy and I will do this a trillion times over and make a thousand bottles, clean a billion loads of laundry, stay up forever, and talk to an endless amount of strangers for my boys. They are my new pride and joy and they were definitely worth the wait!

Cookies and Friends

 Yesterday one of my good friends, Heather,  came over to visit Dominick and Noah. Heather has been a part of my life since we were in college together. I met her when I began rushing for the sorority Alpha Xi Delta. I remember sitting at a table with her and she was really upset about a recent breakup. I had a BF at the time and looked at her like she was crazy... well one thing led to the next , I had a breakup too and Heather and I bonded forever. We did crazy stuff together, had some adventures (T.I.M.M. hehe), and were  both a part of eachother's weddings.

We have been lucky enough to remain friends for about 9 years.. whoa that's a long time for me. Heather, you are my longest relationship to date... hehehe! 

Back to what my original post was going to be about.... Cookies! Well Heather was at my house and since my babies are really good, don't fuss, and sleep forever we began talking about my blog and my hobby of cookie making!! I made cookies for Heather's wedding favors, with help from her mom, her friend Lauren and her.

So we were talking about cookies and she began showing me an etsy store her friend just started where she makes custom order cookies. My thought was OMG.. overachiever activated... Yes I want to start an ETSY business on top of being a full- time teacher, mom (2x) , and a great wife to Nick. It can be done, right??? With that said, I need to start thinking of a name for my cool new cookie shop. I am taking any and all suggestions. 

I am so pumped to begin yet another adventure and we will see if it goes anywhere. Thanks HB for reminding me about this potential moneymaker!!!

Flower Power

Those of you that know me know that I love me a good headband. Whenever I am having a blah hair day it is my go to item. Lately I have been a little obsessed with wanting to make my own headbands specifically ones with flowers that have the ability to be taken off the band and switched out. I created this post to go through the steps on how to make a cute one that is both simple and quick to put together. Before I begin though I NEED to tell you about my trip to Michael's to purchase the items for this little project. First of all it was one of the very few times I have been out of the house since having Dominick and Noah. For that reason I think I was a little overwhelmed and excited at the same time. I mean I am out of the house and then to top it off I am at the best place on the freakin' planet!!!!! All that aside my sis and I were on a mission. We had only two items to get :

• 24X 30 picture frame

• yellow spray paint  

We not only left with those items but also stuff to make these headbands and two baskets to complete my front entryway. Yes it might not seem like a lot but typically I stick to my list but this time I allowed for an exception. Well as Marissa and I were in line (next up to be exact) there was an older woman "paying". I use the word paying loosely here because she wasn't actually paying at all. Yes, she was standing at the register but she was still shopping. She asked the cashier to have another Michael's worker search the store for two specific colored flowers because she just thought they would be a great addition to her shopping experience. Meanwhile the line was growing and the ONLY cashier was proceeding to be very kind but annoyed at the woman. The coworker returned with the requested flowers and the woman proceeded to say that one of the flowers was not the color she had requested, " this is more of a sky blue, I wanted an aqua ( turns to all of us in line) Does this look aqua or sky blue???" I think every person in line wanted to hurt this lady. First of all you are still shopping when you should be paying. Secondly, we could care less what color your little heart desires because you are holding up the line!!! Man, the audacity of some people. I guess a sense of urgency and respect for others time is not something everyone has. Well let's proceed to my B-E- AUTIFUL  hair accessories!!!

What you need:

hot glue gun

flower template

8.5X11" felt sheet

clips

rhinestones or any embellishments

*headband

*ribbon to cover headband

Look at all of the felt we got!!! Kinda excited!!

First, take the flower template and trace it 6 times on the felt sheet. You will only need 5 but I like to have extras for other projects! No waste here!

Cut them out.  I will even use the scraps for something else!

Now with each of the flower cutouts, fold in half as I have done here and place a dot of glue where my finger is to glue the sides together.

Layer the halves together , rotating as you go. Take your embellishment and glue in the middle of the flower!

Cute HUH!!!

Okay so when I was gluing the diamond on my stupid finger got in the way and I burnt the sh%* out of it. Now you can't see it here but it hurt really bad when I went to wash my hands. I thought my fingertip was going to fall off!!!!

Lastly, take the clip and glue it to the back of the flower. Now you have a cute flower to add to a headband, a purse, a cardigan, belt! Whatever your little heart desires. My next post will demonstrate all of these. I would do it now but the hair is not so cute (remember I am a new mom ). Have a great night and I will post more tomorrow!!!!