Back in February we celebrated the 3rd birthday of our sweet twins.  I had such a great time planning their party.  It is not always the easiest task to find a gender neutral theme that everyone can agree on when you have boy/ girl twins.  I have been dreaming of this party since they were very little and thought 3 would be the perfect age to have this party.  Three is such a magical age.  I figured they would be old enough to remember it, but young enough to let mama dream and scheme.  I have loved Peter Pan since childhood and am thrilled that the tots love it as much as I do.

This post will be picture heavy!  I figure if you have a double birthday you need to have double the pictures.

Come along on a journey to Neverland…Here we GOOOO!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Party details:

-We kept it small to try to prevent Little Man’s famous phrase, “OH NO! Too many people.”

-Booty for the little attenders included; Crayons and star stickers wrapped in bakers twine (love this stuff), a roll of paper to trace their shadow, and some “Lost Boys trail mix” for the journey home.

-We held it at our neighborhood clubhouse which the kids call the “Birthday House.”

-Little Lady was quite hesitant to wear her Tink outfit.  She was pretty sure she wanted to wear a “Pretty dress.”  How do you explain that mama kicked her pirate booty to keep it all in theme and that it would be most delightful if she would oblige? She paired it with some polka dot leggings and sparkly shoes and was satisfied with the outcome.

-Little Man wore some of our favorite “Saturday Market pants”, his favorite boots, a green polo, a “Peter Pan belt” (that he wore for days after), and a mama made Peter Pan hat (which he still wears daily).

Thanks for coming along!

 

1) Ditch the Teflon pans. Many of us are used to cooking on Teflon.  Its nonstick surface is so appealing.  What is not appealing is the dangerous substance that it is made from.  Have you heard of the “Teflon Flu”?  Apparently it is the fumes that are emitted and inhaled that are the most dangerous (especially for animals).  We are slowly replacing our Teflon pans with other alternatives.  I recommend stainless steel or cast iron.  I have just been buying one piece at a time as I find them cheaply at places like Costco, Kohls (with a coupon), and TJ Maxx.

Here is a link to more info on Teflon

2) Change up your breakfast routine a bit. Instead of serving breakfast cereals, strive to feed your family things like organic oatmeal from scratch (easy), home made whole wheat muffins with fruit in them, yogurt or kefir, eggs, and one or two bigger breakfasts if you like.  It won’t take much more effort at all.  Breakfast is the easiest meal to change up if you are striving to feed your family more healthy whole ingredients.  It is the perfect place to start!

 

3) Skip the High Fructose Corn Syrup. Whats the big deal with HFCS?  I kinda wondered this for awhile too.  I figured it was worth avoiding feeding it to the kids. Over time I have learned more about why I did not like it all along

Here are the reasons why I try to avoid it.

1. It has been linked to many negative health impacts (much like sugar).
2. HFCS can very likely contain mercury. One study states that mercury was found in about half of its tested samples.  That is crazy.
3. It is often a sign that a product is made up of cheap ingredients.  HFCS is a very inexpensive sweetener.  When companies choose it to sweeten their foods they are often choosing other cheep or poor ingredients…which could often point to use of GMO ingredients, MSG (or hidden MSG), trans fats, etc.  By avoiding HFCS you are likely avoiding other bad things.
4. The process to make HFCS is scary.  It sounds like it includes chemicals, chemists tweaking stuff, things that aren’t safe to touch, huge labs, protective gear etc (watch King Corn).  Its no small thing.

More sources on HFCS here and here.  A bit on how it is made here.

Disclaimer-I am no genius. I am just a mom trying to do the best for my family.  Be sure to research things for your own family before making any big changes.

I must tell you all about my new favorite thing. For more months than I would like to admit I have been modifying my “virtual cart” at Azure Standard.  Last week I was finally able to get my first order.  Azure Standard is a co-op of “quality bulk and natural foods”.  They can ship most things to your door, but the best way to order from them is by having your order sent to a “drop point.”

It is like grocery shopping from your couch…for good quality food…at great prices.  What’s not to like?

To get started you can call customer service and tell them your city and see if they deliver to your area, or check out their route information on their site.  Then, ask them for the phone numbers for some people who have “drop sites” in the area.  After calling around and settling on the coordinator that is most convenient for you ask when you need to submit your order by (or try to figure it out online), and when the order will come.

The items come by truck to your drop point and either the driver or coordinator will usually call you to tell approximately you when your things are coming/ have arrived.  Some sites work things a bit differently.  Some drops are in parking lots and some are on porches.

I found it a bit difficult to get started because of all the phone calls that I had to make.  With three small children it was really hard to call the 9 names they gave me to actually figure out which drops where near me.  I attempted a few times, but then got busy and a month or so would pass before I would get back around to it.

The other tricky thing is that most drop sites have to make a minimum order to get delivery.  The first drop I tried was going to be really close to my house, but we did not make the minimum order and I had to switch at the last minute to find a new one.  I ended up doing what I knew I should have done all along and went with a “tried and true” drop that a friend used that always meets their minimum (around$500).  Another thing to be aware of is that I believe most sites require that you meet a personal minimum order of $50 if you are having your items sent to a drop.

Be sure to check out their specials as well.  Their sales span over a two month period.

They carry SO many different types of things.  They carry tons of bulk foods, canned goods, produce, packaged natural/organic yummies, dairy, frozen goods, meats, herbs, health and beauty items, cleaning products, baby things, supplements, pet care items, and more all at great prices.

Here are some more shots of the goods…in case you are as curious as I am about what other people buy when they shop.

Here is what happens after you get all your pretty new glass jars out and start putting your bulk purchases away.  After months of dreaming of this moment…your toddler knocks the oatmeal over.  You bite you lip, try to show grace, and see how fast you can run the price per lb.

 

(In case y’all were wondering, I get nothing for this endorsement. I just am really enjoying my purchases.)

If you have any other questions for this newbie feel free to try me.

Do you order from Azure? What are your favs?

Are you passionate about the birth experience?

Had babies somewhat recently?

Available the evening of wed April 20th and have someone to occupy the littles?

Live in the general Salem area?

Want to make $50?

 

Here is what I know…

Not too long back I received a phone call and was asked a few questions.  I gave them some very basic information and they said that I qualified to participate in a teleconference survey if I would like to.  They are looking for moms to share their opinions and preferences on things that sound like they are maternity/birth related.

Hubby was a bit scepticle, but I received a call back from a friendly lady today and it sounds very legit.

I am eager to share my thoughts on this very important matter and would love to earn some cash for doing so.  It is on the evening of April 20th.  They have one call conference happening at 6 (I believe), and one at 8.   If there are spots available in both you can pick which one works best for you (I will be in the 8:00).  It sounds like there will be about 8 people in each group and they will call you 5ish minutes before your start time.  They said it would take between 1.5-2 hours.  She said they mail the checks out the next day.

If this makes your nervous no need to participate.  I have not worked with them before, but it seems like it is worth a shot.  I have heard about surveys like this before, but have never been asked to participate in one.  I have done some online surveys here and there, but the best pay I ever received was from the Pinecone company for an online one and made $3 for about 35 minutes of my time.

If you want to try to get in here is the contact info I have:

1 (800) 737-0755  ext 111

Ask for Rochelle

If you are going to try to participate leave a comment here so others have a general idea if there might still be more space.  This morning she said she was still looking for 6 people at the 6:00 slot and 4 people at the 8:00 spot.

Happy Wednesday!

Happy Mama and Babe.

I love this sweet girl!

Check out this fun blog and participate by posting a picture that includes yourself.  Years down the road your kids will be glad you did.

Do something with your kids that they LOVE…even if you don’t.

Turn on some music that perks up the grumpy person.  If you are grumpy turn on something you love.  If the kids are grumpy turn on something they can’t resist or ignore.

Pray.

Do something for someone else!  Talk about who you could do something for and then decide together what you could do.

Do something messy!

Take a bath.  You could even let them use some things in the bath that they usually don’t get to (maybe things from your kitchen).

Go for a walk around the block.

If you are overwhelmed by all there is to do start with 2-3 easy things that will get you moving.  Or, set a timer and clean for 5 minutes in the area that it will show the most.

Call someone on the phone…unless that always results in meltdowns and fighting over who gets to talk and push buttons…then don’t do that.

Get out stickers.

Open more blinds.

Light candles.

Make a fort and read a book in it.

Plan something fun for the next day so you have something to look forward to.

Give the grump a big love till their needs are met and finish with a tickle to make them smile.

If all else fails sprinkle a bag of marshmallows on the ground and run for a “potty break”.

Hope your house doesn’t need any of these suggestions today!

Blessings!

P.S. I am writing this post for myself

How many of these things did we do today? NINE

Okay, here is my goal.  I am going to try and do something “fun,” mildly creative, or educational with the kids every day.  We spend lots of time playing, but I want to try to do something out of routine with the twins (recently turned 3) Monday through Saturday.  We started around Thursday March 31st.

Here are a couple of the things we have done so far.

-Play Doh (and I did not even hide that extruder toy that creates a big mess and mixes all the colors)

-Went on a “nature walk” at Minto Brown Park.  We even saw a bunny.  But we did not see any “red peckers…um wood-pokers” (woodpeckers) as Little Man calls them.

-Played with the magnetic board and alphabet magnets.

-Forgot to do something fun and pretended something normal was “fun.”

-Went to the opening day of the Saturday Market in the rain.

-Played outside with a little friend.

-Let Sweet Baby (her blog name changes often) roam the play room which is not easy to do with all the tiny pieces of chaos that float about the room (talking about the toys not the twins).

-Cut out little pieces of cardboard and played “recycling” with their recycling truck.

-Had a tea party with Great Grandma during her Monday morning visit.

…more less-interesting things that I already forgot.

If you want to join in on the fun please do.  Post some fun activities you are enjoying with your kids on your blog, or leave a comment.  If you are feeling extra ambitious try to do something fun every M-F or M-Sat.  This is not meant to be tons of work! Just a fun challenge to get you to think outside your mommy box.

Because, Ya know…tea parties with Great Grandma are always more fun than…

…fighting over a stool with your sister.

Happy Monday!