When I first found out we were having twins, I swore I would NEVER dress them alike.  I thought it was cheesy and it would take away from their individuality.  When they were babies, I would find outfits that were similar, just different colors and yes, I did dress them alike.  Since they are fraternal, it was not as big of a deal.  Now that they are two (where did the time go?!), I am finding they LIKE to dress the same sometimes.  Most days, I let them pick out what to wear and they tend to accessorize with their favorite "princess" items: plastic jewelry and headbands.  Shoes are also a big thing for the girls and they love that they can actually put them on.  I think it is important to let them be individuals and have their own sense of style.  I really did not think that they would be so different AND alike at the same time.  It's really interesting to watch them grow up.  It's fun to watch their individual styles grow as they do!


Here are some prime examples of their little senses of style. 

{MADDIE}

Maddie LOVES her jewelery and will put on anything she can get her hands on.  Its pretty cute how she manages to carry a purse, backpack and her kiki (blanket).  I am finding as she gets older, she likes simple clothes that are easy for her to put on.  I know that if I am buying mix-n-match pieces, Maddie prefers certain colors (purple, yellow and blue).

{OLIVIA}

 

Olivia prefers to be naked, I'm not going to lie...I have the hardest time keeping even her diaper on!  When she DOES decide to wear clothes, she prefers to be a Princess (anything pink or dressy) or to mix patterns.  Who knew toddlers could have such a knack for style?  When I buy mix-n-match pieces for her, I always get patterns or shirts with words.  She loves letters and shapes.



I recommend for any parents of twins to buy a lot of mix-n-match pieces.  This lets the twins show their individuality, but they can also match easily.  For toddlers, simple bottoms and shirts that they can put on themselves are a must.  Plus, when going through potty training, you want something they can easily take off.  Our issue now is they don't like to put their clothes back ON.  The joys of toddlers!


How does your child dress?  Do you let them pick out their clothes?  If you have boys, do they have a sense of style and individuality?


{DISCLAIMER}
I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Jcpenney blogging program, for a gift card worth $50. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

We have a new addition!

Born 6/20

On June 20th we welcomed our new addition, Gabriella Reese!  I woke up that morning pretty much knowing that it was baby time.  My contractions felt different than before.  By the time we headed to the hospital, it was around 1:00.  After monitoring me for a while, I was barely dilated and the nurse made us walk around the hospital wing for an hour.  At that point my contractions were really bad, but the nurse wouldn't listen to me.  She sent me home with a prescription for Ambien and told me to sleep and go to my doctors appointment on Friday (4 days away!).  By the time we made it back home, my contractions were about 5 minutes apart, yet the nurse told us to wait for 90 second contractions.  I knew that I was still in labor and I started to get scared that we wouldn't make it back to the hospital.  Long story short, we left our apartment around 6:30 and she was born (barely!) at the hospital at 7:04.  The whole car ride, poor Ricky was telling me not to push and I tried to explain I can't stop! 

If this experience has taught me anything it is to trust your instincts and have faith in yourself.  Before this, I said I would never give birth naturally and I thought people were crazy for doing so.  Since I had no time for an epidural or anything, this ended up being all natural.  Yes, it was crazy painful, but I am very proud that I was able to remain calm and get through the experience.  Now, two weeks later, I barely remember the pain!  We have a beautiful addition to our family and the twins are finally adjusting to their new sister.  The only thing I regret was not standing up for myself more.  Although I tried to explain to the nurse that I knew I was in labor, she really wouldn't have listened anyways.  It could have been a scary situation though! I am so grateful that everyone is safe and healthy!

With all of the chaos around here, I probably won't be writing as many blog posts.  I always check (and love!) emails, so feel free to ask me anything.  Lately I have been feeling that other people have my job covered, so the future of the blog is kind of in question right now.  I will keep you updated on my status!  Im always on Twitter too!

Long day, but so worth it!  She is so snuggly!

Her sisters were waiting when we got home.  They LOVE her!

Mmmm Mondays: How to make perfect chicken tenders

We love chicken tenders around here.  Especially with some mashed potatoes or sweet potato fries.  Over the years, I have tried many recipes to get the perfect tenders.  My two secret ingredients for perfectly crispy tenders: panko bread crumbs and corn starch.  Panko is sold at every grocery store (by the regular bread crumbs) and they make any breading amazing.   I also use them for eggplant or chicken Parmesan.  As far as seasoning goes, you can add whatever you like.  For the girls, I use milder seasonings like seasoned salt and lemon pepper.  For the "grown-up" batch, I add cayenne pepper and hot sauce. As I advise for any cooking, play around with spices and see what you like!  Here's my recipe to get you started!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs of chicken tenders (or breasts, sliced into thin strips)
• You need 3 pans (I like to use pie/cake pans or deep plates)
• #1: Flour mixture: 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup corn starch and season with 1 teaspoon each of: seasoned salt, garlic powder or pepper, onion salt and chicken grill seasoning.  It seems like a lot, but it doesn't all stay on the chicken.
• #2 Egg mixture:  3 eggs, a dash of hot sauce and 1-2 tablespoons of milk.  You can also add 1/4 cup of ranch for extra flavor.
• #3 Breading:  1.5 cups of bread crumbs and 1.5-2 cups of Panko.  If you cannot find Panko, cracker crumbs work great too.
• 1/4-1/2 cup of canola oil for shallow frying

Directions:

Here's what your 3 dishes should look like.  I do an assembly line style technique to bread my tenders. 

1. See photo above.  To bread the tenders, season them with salt and pepper first.  Before you start breading, add enough oil to cover the bottom of your pan and heat on medium heat.  Get out a cookie sheet and place a cooking rack on top.  I place finished tenders on there and keep warm at 250 in the oven.
2. As oil is heating, start the breading process.  I usually put 3 to 4 tenders in each batch. Toss in flour mixture, then egg mixture and finish with breading mixture.  Place tender in pan.
• Note:  As one batch is cooking, start breading the next batch.
3. The tender should cook about 3-4 minutes on each side.  Once it is golden brown, place on pan in oven.
4. Repeat until all tenders are breaded.  I like to season my finished tenders with parsley.
5. Serve with favorite sides and don't forget dipping sauce.  Honey mustard and BBQ are favorites around here!  To reheat, I find it's best to use the oven.

It seems time consuming at first, but once you make them a few times it really is a quick and easy meal.  I make sure I have the potatoes boiling before I start the tenders and I can steam a veggie at the same time.

How do you make chicken tenders?  What dipping sauce is a must in your house?

I love Vocalpoint!

 

 

Vocalpoint.com

I have mentioned it a few times, but I seriously LOVE getting mail.  Especially samples, coupons and freebies!  I have been this way since I was little.  Everyday, I cannot wait to hear the mailman pull up to the apartment.  Yes, I am a geek.  I have been a member of Vocalpoint for years and they mail out the best samples ever.  They always include great high value coupons too!

Right now, they have an offer for Motts for Tots.  We love juice (or juicy, as the twins call it) around here, so I signed up right away.  I know that they will include great coupons!

Here's the direct link for the Mott's promotion: http://www.vocalpoint.com/mottsfortots  and you can sign up there!  Hurry, there are limited supplies.

Dont forget about Coastal Contacts!

A few months back, I wrote about my new (almost) free glasses from Coastal Contacts.  I wear them almost every day and I love them!  I am so happy I was able to save a ton of money and get super cute frames. If you are in the market for new glasses, I highly recommend liking their Facebook page.  They offer free frames (to new customers) about once a week.  All you pay is shipping!  They do also offer cheap lens upgrades, such as no-glare.

My glasses!  Oy, I need a shower in this pic!

TODAY I noticed that they are having another freebie giveaway.  Make sure you "like" them on FB for your code. Here's a link to their site.

If you are interested in ordering, feel free to use my referral link.  No pressure, though!

Week 5: My garden is so sad!

Week 3: It looked so promising.....

Week 5: ...to SO dead. 

My garden is looking pretty sad these days.  My topsy turvy planters are doing a lot better, but my herbs are completely dead.  At least I can't take total blame for this.  The lovely neighbors upstairs have been throwing random soapy water and who knows what else off of their balcony, completely drowning my herbs.  I have moved them several times to avoid this situation, but it's obviously too late.  This is just added to the list of things my neighbors do to drive us crazy.  For a few weeks, they decided feeding the geese Fruit Loops and Arby's curly fries was fun.  To put it nicely, they drive us crazy! 

I am going to try one more time with a fresh set of herbs, but I may just have to throw in the towel until we move into a house.  I'm so bummed!

My strawberry plants are starting to grow!

My tomato plant has doubled in size.

Anyone have any tips for me!? 

Mmmm Mondays: Spinach & Feta dip

Okay, once again no foodie photo awards...you get the idea though :)

This is my favorite dip to make with crackers or veggies.  I tend to take it to a lot of gatherings, as well.  Its super easy and most of the ingredients are always on hand.

Ingredients:

• 5 oz of fresh spinach (just eyeball half of a store bought bag)
• 1/2 cup feta (any variety.  I really like the Mediterranean type)
• 1/2 cup sour cream (or fat free Greek yogurt)
• 4 green onions (they add great flavor, I would add them even if you dislike them usually)
• 1/2 cup low-fat cream cheese
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt & pepper to taste

1. Steam spinach for 1-2 minutes to soften.  Strain and squeeze as much water out as possible.
2. Mix everything together in a food processor or blender.  Add salt, pepper and lemon juice.  Chill and serve with crackers (Wheat Thins or Ritz are best!) or veggies

So quick and easy, enjoy!