Cherry Blossoms

These are coming. Most of us are covered in snow right now, but the cherry blossoms are expected to be in peak bloom April 3rd-6th. That's a little over a week away!! The sight of these trees makes me so happy.
Did you know there is a festival surrounding these trees in DC? The latest bloom in the last 20 years was April 11th. That's 2 weeks away! See more here.

Who needs Digiorno?

When we can have homemade? With our favorite toppings too. Green peppers and pepperoni (turkey pepperoni, which was quite delicious too - Kroger brand) Two happy girls, one happy J and a very happy Mommy.

And playtime...as planned. Princesses...as usual. We got this very fun Little People Disney Princess Castle for Christmas. I think we have (almost) all of the princesses too. Each one sings a song and introduces herself. Audrey is crazy about it!

Some of the favorite toys got moved into the "House" to stay safe from the rain. ;) Did you see this yet? My incredibly talented Mom made this playhouse for Audrey's birthday. Personalized mailbox and all. It fits right over the top of our dining room table and hasn't left since. The girls are in it daily. Luckily we have an eating area in our kitchen that we use most often. Plus, this just adds so much fun to our playroom!

Last came bedtime. 9:30. Not without the usual battle of course from my 3-year old. Emma practically asks to go to bed and Audrey comes up with every possible excuse under the sun (or moon) Not quite sure what we will ever do about that. By the time Audrey stops doing it, Emma will likely be continuing the trend anyway.

Tomorrow is Tuesday. Normally a late start to work, which makes up for the late night tonight.

Monday is coming....

and soon. :-(
But, tonight, I feel a little more organized than usual. I'm here. Blogging! I've already made my pizza dough for tomorrow's dinner. Yum. (It's from The Pioneer Woman and I make it probably once a week. Always with different toppings. If you haven't heard of her, you must check her out or at least see her cookbook - it's beautiful, or read her book - so entertaining!) I also have our bags packed for the day. The girls diaper bag for the sitter's, my purse and my gym bag. There is lots of snow in the forecast, so the quicker I get out, the better things will go. Of course, the snow was supposed to start something like 10 hours ago, so maybe they got it all wrong this time.
This is how a typical Monday morning goes in our house....
J up at 5:45, me snoozing until 6:15-6:30(oops) when J opens the garage door to leave. Into the shower I go, stick a to-go breakfast in my purse (normally nutri-grain bar and a greek yogurt, hopefully Oikos), then I wake my sleeping angels. The worst and best part of my morning three days a week. They are so warm and snuggly...and SO hard to wake up. Audrey's obsessed with her pajamas. These in particular....

Minnie Mouse nightgown she got as a Christmas gift. She would absolutely live in them if we let her. Some weekends, she basically has! And Emma is so cuddly in hers too...

So, the angels stay in the jammies to go see Miss April. Jackets and sometimes shoes on, and off we go. Should be by 7, but usually something more like 7:15. Drop off kisses and hugs and off to work I go. 8-5 on Mondays. J picks the girls up on his way home around 4:30 and then I try to meet them at our YMCA for a quick workout. Audrey is currently in gymnastics on Monday evenings too. I usually get to see the last 10 minutes of her class. She loves it! Anything that involves running or jumping and she is good to go. We usually all make it home before 7 for an easy, quick dinner. Then play for an hour or so and girls to bed around 9. Woo. Now I'm tired just thinking about doing it tomorrow.
Mondays are my least favorite day. But, it all gets better from there...

New Year

I couldn't tell you how many times I have sat down to update this blog in the last few months and then.....

nothing.

Felt like writer's block. Probably had more to do with the winter blues. Anyone else tired of the cold? I am so over it. Time has shown us though...patience pays off. Last week, we got a taste of what's coming. And I started feeling motivated again. I checked off a few things off my to-do list, including beginning to update my blog. Starting with a new look (well, background) It feels a little fresher to me. And new pictures! My goodness, those of the girls were already a year old!!
I've had lots of ideas on how to "better" my blog. Starting with "New Year, New Blog" and Themed days, something like Messy Mondays (an inside look to areas of my home you don't want to see ---ohh, spooky), Tasty Tuesdays (recipe of the week), Wordless Wednesdays (I saw on this blog and have always loved), Fun Fridays, etc. But, then I got scared of the commitment. And then I started reading other fabulous blogs...and I didn't think I could stack up. But, they are so fun! And that's why I started this blog anyway, because I love reading blogs! Those other bloggers probably think their stuff is silly sometimes too. And maybe some of those other bloggers aren't always 100% honest about life. (at least that's what I am going to tell myself) Sometimes reading other blogs can get me down. Anyone else? The perfectly organized homes, amazing cooks, incredible pictures, perfect kids and the best moms. There are a lot of those kinds of blogs out there. Soon after I had Audrey I was really into reading a lot of the mommy blogs. And I started feeling like I would never be a great mom. But, then I realized that I was setting unreal expectations for myself based on what some other moms were doing. And that, I saw, was the worst thing I could do for myself and for my babies. Then, I cut myself off from the blogs and just started doing what works best for me, for us. Don't get me wrong. There is so much room for inspiration, for help/support, for great ideas on blogs these days. (And who doesn't love pinterest?!?) As long as we don't get too carried away that is. So, in saying all that....I can't commit to themed blogging days, because some days, my day was enough. And then I would be not only setting too high expectations for myself but for all of you readers out there to expect from me as well. And, for now, I can't take the pressure. :-) Especially when I'm putting it on myself. For now, I am going to continue to go day-by-day, because that's what works best. For me, anyway. I just have to remind myself, this blog is for fun, for family, and for me. A great way to show off or to vent or to just share. And, I think, that's what it's all supposed to be about.

A blog in progress...

I'm making a comeback...I hope soon. :)
Thanks for checking in. Hope to see you soon!