Lacoste Kids Giveaway

Ok, so I know that the majority of giveaways I offer are usually for girls - well, because I have two of them! But I was offered a giveaway that will be perfect for all my dapper little dude readers, hosted by Stylishkids.com. StylishKids.com is a shopping search engine for children’s apparel that carries everything from girls dresses to brand names like Lilly Pulitzer Kids and Lacoste Kids. The site offers information on sales as well as which sites offer free shipping all on one page!

One very lucky reader will win a Lacoste Kids Polo, retail $40.

To enter, simply do the following and leave a comment for each:

1. Leave a comment - with your name, or email.
2. Become a public follower of my blog
3. Blog or Tweet about this giveaway and post the URL
4. Follow me on Twitter
5. Click to vote for us at Top Mommy Blogs
6. Add my blog button to your blog ----->
7. Become a fan of The Foster Family on Facebook
8. Click to vote at Top Baby Blogs:
9. Vote for us on Picket Fence Blogs
10. For an extra FIVE entries, join Swagbucks and start earning free stuff of your own.

I will pick a winner Friday, August 6.

Yesterday

Yesterday we had a great time at my friend Courtney's party for Kelly's Kids. I ordered the girls a really cute dress with their initials on it for Fall. And if we're lucky, they can wear it as a tunic next year as well.

I just wish the girls would interact more with the other kids. I think because they are so used to having each other, they don't need to make new friends. While the other kids spent their time in the play room, my girls wanted to be in the living room with the adults the majority of the time. Of course, by the time we left, they were both in the play room and wanted to stay there. But it took a good two hours for them to get that way! Any twin moms have ideas on how to socialize your kids more? I need to look into some reading on this subject...

My date went very, very well! We met at a little Italian restaurant that I'd never been to. He opened all doors, pulled out my chair, and even ordered my wine for me (I've never really drank wine because I didn't know where to start - I mean, other than Boone's Farm - ha!). Our conversation was very natural and not forced at all. We like a lot of the same movies and books (yes, he reads - actual books!). He is 35 and has custody of his 6 year old son. It's nice to know that there are dads out there that aren't dead beats, or who don't find more important things to do than help raise their children. The date ended with him saying he'd love to do this again, and he even called to make sure I made it home alright. I'll keep y'all posted on any further dates we might have.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Don't even ask me why they were putting their dresses in their mouths - I have no clue - but they were cracking me up.

Busy Busy!

We have had such a long, busy week - and it's only Thursday! My grandparents are in town, so we've been spending a lot of time with them; playing, shopping and eating. The girls got two super cute smocked dresses for next year's 4th of July, for $7 each at Belk. I was able to get some more work out clothes for myself, and a really cute nightgown. The workout tank was less than $3 at Target!



I have my leadership meeting at school today, and then a friend is coming over to watch Kick Ass with me tonight. Tomorrow night, I have a date - wahoo! My 10 year high school reunion is Saturday night, but I don't know if I want to drop the $43 to go. I mean, I live in the same town, and it seems the guest list includes people who still live around here and I see all the time. I'd rather give them a call and meet up somewhere else, haha!

Also be sure to check out my giveaways blog for a new one - just click the picture below to go!

Way Back Wednesday

This week's topic is my first job

I started working my senior year in high school. I wanted some extra spending money, to be able to buy a car, and get ready for college the next year. I actually worked TWO jobs that year - putting in about 30 hours a week on top of remaining an honor roll student. Yeah, I'm awesome like that.

Anyway, I started working at CVS Pharmacy as a cashier. Quickly they realized I wasn't your average ditsy high school student, and I moved into the pharmacy. I completed a pharm tech course, on top of my college studies, and became a lead technician and was in charge of scheduling. I actually stayed on and worked at a bunch of CVS Pharmacies around our area, and near my college.

The other job I held was head hostess at Macaroni Grill. Most of the servers called me Baby because I was young and innocent, and probably the only non chain smoker or drunk there.

The one thing I learned about those two jobs is that hungry & sick people are NOT fun to work with.

(If you like Way Back Wednesday posts, make sure you click on the badge up top and visit the hosting blog to enter your own link!)

Summer To-Do List

Where did my summer go? I have less than two weeks left, and still so much to do on my summer to-do list.

1. Get caught up and finished with my portfolio for my grad class

2. Deep clean my guest bathroom, paint it and re-decorate

3. Paint over the brown accent wall in the girls’ nursery

4. Go to the pool at least once by myself, float around for hours and read a book

5. Loose 5 more pounds

6. Actually start running outside (ok, this is going to have to wait until the Fall. It’s too darn hot outside right now).

7. Go to the DMV

8. Go to the dentist

9. Attend a leadership meeting at school for my induction as department chair

10. Find some new, cute school clothes that are in smaller sizes – wahoo

I’m sure I have more things to add…let’s just say this is a running list!

Babynet Evaluation

Yesterday, Natalie had her Babynet evaluation with Ms. Shannon at our house. At her 18 month appointment, she was referred to Babynet for not walking. It took until now, just a few days short of her 22 monthday, to be seen.

Obviously, the main issue I'm concerned with is that it took until recently for her to walk, and now she does so with an odd gait. However, the Babynet eval included all areas of development (verbal, gross motor, etc). Audrey also got to play along with the games.

The first was to put together a puzzle, which Natalie passed with flying colors. The second was putting pegs into a peg board, which again she passed. She did not stack blocks, nor did she line things up in a row.

The second set of tests were identifying the concept of "same" with flashcards. Natalie held a spoon, and was supposed to pick out a spoon on a card. She was more interested in chewing on the spoon. Other tests were to point out certain objects in picture books (banana, ball, cat, butterfly, puppy). Most were hit or miss. For the animals, she refused to say the animal name, but instead made the noise for the animal.

The third set of tests included throwing a ball overhanded (passed), kicking a ball (passed), stepping onto a stool (couldn't do), sitting on her knees, keeping her balance, riding on a toy.

The evaluator is going to let me know if she qualifies for services by the end of this week. Based on what she said, I think Natalie will. She also expressed concern over Audrey's lack of speech (she didn't say one word the entire time she was here). Audrey is very shy, but I do know she talks less than her sister.

Overall, the tests made me feel like the girls were very, very far behind in skills - IF that is what they are supposed to be doing. But I didn't realize that knowing the concept of possessive (mommy's shoes, audrey's purse), was a milestone they should have already hit.

Natalie still has her Shriner's appointment August 13, and I fully intend on going to that. There she will have an evaluation, meeting with a physical therapist and orthopedics if she needs it - all in one day.

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

The other day, I made the girls grilled cheese for lunch. I stepped into the kitchen for 2.5 seconds, and Audrey dove for my tomato soup and dipped her sandwich in it. Needless to say, it was a huge hit!

Caught in the act!






And a picture of me before date night at Rio Grill (yummm).

Mcfatty Monday

Last week was my best week so far on my getting back in shape journey. I went to the gym 5 days in a row, and ran 15.30 miles! I typically only run for 20-30 minutes, and then spend another 30 minutes doing a circuit around the ladies fitness room gym equipment. I have to get my workout done in about an hour or an hour and a half, because the girls get antsy if they stay too long in the gym nursery (or poop and I have to go change them).



Anyway, I've lost a total of 13 pounds, with only 10 left to go. I have also lost 2.5 inches in the past two weeks. I'm already seeing results in the mirror, and am fitting in things that I haven't worn for a long time now.



I'll take my measurements again in two weeks and see where I stand.

Workout Music

Ok, so I'm on the hunt for some great workout music. Right now, I have Pandora on my cell phone - and use that. But sometimes, I won't like a song, and you can only skip like 6 songs in an hour. So I need to not be lazy and actually work on downloading music to listen to instead. Tangent: I do have an iPod. I actually lost it for like 2 years and found it in an old purse. It worked for like a week, and now it has a frowny face when I turn it on. It's one of the ollllld iPod classics. I'm sure if I took it to our newly opened Apple store, I'd be laughed at. But it does have like 8,000 songs on it.

Anyway, here are a few artists I enjoy working out to:

Britney Spears (lurve her, even if she can be crazy)

Eminem

Sublime

Foo Fighters


So what are YOUR favorite work out songs? Any suggestions? I need something to pump me up!

Last Chance

It's the last chance to enter to win a $20 Target Giftcard....remember, you can get extra entries for voting daily :)

Yo Gabba Gabba!

My girls love Yo Gabba Gabba! In fact, that's the theme for their second birthday party. The past three weeks, Natalie has fallen in love with the "Babies" episode. Thank God for DVR, because I have it recorded - and she asks to watch it at least two times a day. She doesn't want any other episode, just the Bbaby Go-Go" one.

But this has led to a huge problem in our house.

See, last year at Target, they had all of their YGG pals on clearance, for like $3 each. So I bought Plex, Toodee, Foofa and Brobee.

But I absolutely refused to buy Muno.

Why? Well, don't you see the similarities?

Yeah, I thought so.

But now, now Natalie is hooked on Muno's little brother, Go-Go. She runs around the house singing "Baby, baby GO-GO!". Previously, she was perfectly content carrying around the Foofa doll and calling it Go-Go.

Until now. Yesterday, we all went to the gym. After I finished working out, I walked into the nursery to pick up the girls. Audrey came running at me with her Elvis bear (yes, he's still her fav), and Natalie comes rushing to me, yelling at the top of her lungs "Go-Go!!!" - and carrying a small, plastic Muno doll. You can only guess how big the fit was when she left it behind.

So I promised her we would find her her own little Muno doll. So we checked Target. Nope. Toys R Us. Nope. Big Lots. No. I finally broke down and checked online.

And guess what? The dolls I paid $3 for last year - are going for...wait for it...almost $250 for the set! And just the Muno doll is selling for $80+ on some websites. Say what?!

All I have to say is THANK GOODNESS for Etsy - and now my Natalie can be a happy little camper (for only $7).

Break

I'm going to take a few days off of blogging. I mean, it IS my summer vacation and all :) I might schedule a post or two if I have time. Hopefully I'll have some good news when I return. Now to keep you waiting, muwahaha.

Also - a quick question: if you pay for in-home child care, what is the cost per child, per day (8 hours)? I think it's about time my mom got paid for all the hard work she does!

Way Back Wednesday

This week's theme is sharing your dancing/sports/cheerleading team memories.

Ok, first off - I didn't play any sports for my school. I danced in elementary school and did gymnastics until high school. But I did participate in powder puff football my senior year - and do have embarrassing pictures to prove it!
I'm the one with scrawny ass legs

Our victory dance

For the most part in high school, I was busy volunteering with my youth group. We'd spend about 300 hours during the summer doing various projects around our home town, and on a mission trip. In college, I dance with the Clemson Dancers, and really enjoyed that.

Rambling

Yesterday, I had 2.5 glorious hours to myself while the girls were at their Grandma Foster's house. Of course, I had to get as much packed into that time as I possibly could! I ended up running to Target for a few grocery items, then to the bank, and the post office (which, by the way, I would never ever attempt with the girls - no way!). By the time I was done, I only had an hour left. So I went to Panera Bread. I love love their food, but hate that they don't have a drive thru. This makes grabbing a quick salad or sandwich impossible with the girls in tow. Therefore, I had a delicious brunch of a chicken cobb salad and panini.

I'm falling more in love with my phone every day (an LG Ally). Not only can I listen to Pandora music, but I have downloaded a bunch of apps. My favorites for me are CardioTrainer and Calorie Counter. The CardioTrainer has built in GPS, so if I run around the neighborhood, it tracks my distance, time and calories burned. Or, if I'm stationary (like the elliptical or treadmill) it can track that, too. And the best part is I can link it to Facebook to update. Talk about accountability! Calorie Counter is pretty awesome, too. It has so many restaurants to pick from (like my Panera that I ate earlier). And if you have a barcode handy, you can scan that and it will pop up with the nutritional information. The apps I downloaded for the girls are the Animal Sounds and Toddler Lock. Toddler Lock basically locks out your phone entirely (even the emergency dialer), and has the screen full of rainbow colors and shapes. Unless you press a certain sequence of keys, the phone stays locked out for the toddler's use. I also like that it makes tinkling noises, so if one of the girls jacks my phone, I'll hear where they hid it. Except FartDroid - nope, didn't download that one :)



And finally, I've made a linky for giveaways. If you're hosting one on your blog, feel free to link up. I figure it might be a good way to get the word out about your giveaways, and get more traffic to ya.

Reality

This past weekend, I got an email from a reader. She explained to me she'd been reading my blog for a while, and was currently going through some problems in her own life. She then wondered how I was able to go through my divorce, yet still seem so happy and together.

And my answer is this: I'm not! There are plenty of days where I wish I had a week of vacation just to myself. Or where by the end of the night, I'm rocking back and forth crying along with the girls - because they've just been fighting, dinner started burning, the cat puked on my carpet, fire ants are invading my house, and my cell phone has been swiped and I can't find it. Or how I struggle with my weight and self-image because of the emotionally abusive relationship I was in for too long.

Now, I don't want people to think I've created some fairy tale of a blog (ahem, MckMama) - but I only choose to write about certain things. Like how cute my kids are, or the funny things they do or say. Sure I'll blog about personal things once in a while - but I'm mindful that my parents, family, friends, co-workers, and probably students are able to read my blog.

Plus, in the end - don't we keep the good memories and forget most of the bad? I find that if I dwell on the negative, it just makes me feel worse. Sure, it might be cathartic to blog about my feelings every now and then - but for the most part I save that stuff for tête-à-têtes with my mom.

So there - I'm not perfect! Sometimes I forget to brush my hair, my house is messy, and the most enthralling part of my day is getting the mail.

Monday Minute

A few of my blog friends are doing this meme - and of course the Star Wars loving geek in my jumped out to do it, too


What's your real name?
Jennifer

Have you ever fabricated a story or anything on your blog?
Just call me April Rose, y'all.

Totally kidding. I'm sarcastic and will add a dash of that to my posts, but other than that - nope.


When in the car do you listen to the radio/CDs/iPod/etc?
When I'm with the girls, I'm listening to them sing and talk. When I'm by myself, I either LOVE to listen to silence, or jam out to the radio.

Describe the 'sexiest' item of clothing that you own
That's not edible? Ha!

Would you be willing to breastfeed your friend's three year old child?
If I didn't do it for my own kids, then I sure wouldn't for theirs. And what kind of question is this?! Weirdo.

Baby Dolls & Crayons

....are just a few of their favorite toys