Where has it all gone?

I know February is the shortest month of the year, but it isn't so short that I feel like it should already be the last full week. I'm working on meal planning for March already since it will take me at least a week to get the complaining out of my system and the meals plotted out. It was REALLY beneficial and saved a ton of time to have everything charted for February, but I still dread sitting down and doing it. We tried a couple of new recipes this month and they were all filed in the "win" column. Hopefully I can keep this up the whole year and it'll be so routine that my complaining disappears.

The exciting news around here is that, in March, we'll be going on our first vacation sans children since well before the twins were born. The last time we went off, just the two of us, was when we went to Cancun for a trip that Mike won at work. That was in March of 2008 so I'd say it's about time. We're heading up to Duluth for a couple of days and will be spending one night at The Inn on Lake Superior and two nights at the Cotton Mansion. I plan to curl up in front of the mansion's fire place in the fireside reading sweater I ordered from Mod Cloth this weekend and do just that. I also have fancy plans to take copious naps and sleep in until very late in the morning. I think it's rather sad that our vacation will mainly focus on laying around and sleep but, hey, we have a pre-schooler and twin toddlers. You've gotta' go with what works for you, right?

I've had a busy month work wise in that I've had three bra fitting events. I haven't put much time into getting out there and meeting people since well before I was sick so it's been nice be active again. I've talked to a lot of women who are interested in fittings so hopefully I'll have a little more work to do in the coming weeks.

Since I do a lot more talking than fitting at the expos I've been at lately, I've had the chance to get to know a lot of other representatives for different companies. I do a lot of shopping too since, hey, that's what people are there for! I've picked up some new Norwex products to try since they're chemical free cleaners and their cloths/scrubbing pads/etc. are all antibacterial. I was a complete skeptic before I tried anything since some of the claims sounded along the lines of "too good to be true". Since their anti-bacterial cloths clean with just water, I figured they wouldn't work well. Uh, wrong. As they advertise, I've been able to remove greasy things like butter from surfaces with just a wet wash cloth. With all the tiny, greasy fingers running around this house every day, this is like winning the cleaning lottery.

I also spent some time this morning trying out my new spirisponge and it was magical. My oldest and I are actually calling it the "magic silver sponge" because it got things clean with just warm water and a little effort that I'd really scrubbed the heck out of with a regular scrubby and lots of stinky chemical cleaners. Anyway, I'm seriously considering having a Norwex party at my house which really speaks volumes to those of you who have known me for some time. The only other party that I ever agreed to host was Essential Bodywear and look how that turned out... I don't hostess unless I'm as enthusiastic about a product as the company representative and know for a fact that it's awesome. I think I may wait until I've tried out the other things I picked up yesterday (dishwasher detergent and laundry detergent) to see how those hold up to their claims. I also ordered a toothbrush with silver in it so that will be interesting to try. Anyway, if any of you are interested in trying out some of their fabulous things yourselves, let me know and I'll get you the name of a good Norwex representative. (Otherwise, you can come to the party if/when I have it.)

I also picked up a couple of pieces of "grown up" jewelry from two different Premier Designs ladies. The first piece was a hematite pendant that I fell in love with immediately. I'd had one similar to it before but the clasp/chain snapped and couldn't be repaired and I've mourned its loss since. The second was another pendant and it's a filigree pattern with rhinestones in it. VERY shiny. I have a half price piece coming and it's been difficult to decide what I'd like. While cleaning out the house at the end of last year, I got rid of a LOT of the jewelry I had since it was from high school and REALLY didn't reflect my life/tastes now. It's been a challenge to find pieces that I really like, can wear with multiple outfits, and won't immediately break into a thousand pieces if the kids should get ahold of it.

I have more to say but no time to say it since I actually have to wake my kids up from naps now. This is some kind of miracle and I believe it's a gift from the universe for working all weekend and having to deal with all this new snow. (Seriously winter, enough is ENOUGH.)

Weekend recap & keeping in touch

The three birthdays that we celebrated this weekend (the twins and their dad) were a great time and I actually had the chance to visit with the guests at the birthday party. I haven't felt like I could do that, well, ever really. It was a smaller party than we've had in other years but there were a lot of people who wanted to come but were sick with various nasty bugs that seem to be floating around lately. I appreciate that they didn't share those with us as we've been relatively illness free here this winter. (Knock on wood...) I shared the photos from the various celebrations on Facebook so I won't get too much into that again here. We did end up visiting both the Como Zoo Conservatory and Chuck E. Cheese on Friday and it was definitely worth the juggling to make both happen. Viewing all the green plants and flowers at Como made me long for Spring even more so but it was a welcome relief for the eyes. FINALLY a little color instead of nothing but white snow and bare brown trees!

It was good to see friends and family on Saturday and it's made me realize that people seem to need an invitation to get together when they're adults. Since one of my resolutions is to "keep in touch" I'm going to try to actively contact people I'd like to hang out with and book events in advance each month. (For example, since it's creeping up on the middle of February now, I should be making plans for March.) People may still not keep the dates we make but at least I'll know I'm trying. My "boosting friendships" resolutions are fairly simple and basic and I don't feel like I've done much in the way of working on them. I let the fact that I have small children keep me from leaving the house much and I know I need to take a closer look at that behavior. My excuse is, and has always been, that they're only small for such a short time that I really should be here for them as much as possible. In a handful of years, they'll have their own friends and aren't really going to want to hang out with their mom 24/7 like they do now. And, really, if it makes a difference for them down the line to have had all this time with me while they're young, then any sacrifice of social events on my part seems totally justified. I do think I take it to the more extreme side of things though as I don't think that I've been out with friends even once in the past... hrm... lots of months. Typically if I see people it's because they've come here. I don't have a problem with that but it's been suggested to me that I'd be happier if I got out of the house once in a while. And, since I'm doing this Happiness Project, I guess it would make sense to test this theory. So, watch out people. I might be looking to get together with YOU soon!

All three children are napping, my house is clean, and I'm on track for the twins' birthday party on Saturday. Everyone is healthy and I'm doing well on many of my resolutions. Meal planning is done for February and I've done the grocery shopping for all but some of the meat. (We get "happy meat" from Fresh & Natural Foods in Shoreview so it's a special trip each month.) I've been finding time to get some pre-school type things done with the oldest to see if homeschooling full time in the fall is feasible. I'm feeling really good physically and more than a little capable mentally. Overall, it freaks me out since I haven't felt this "together" since I was just dealing with one child full time. Don't get me wrong - I'm grateful for the turn around. I'm just suspicious and on alert for potential monkey wrenches in the gears of my well oiled family machine.

I'm having some difficulty with the twins turning two tomorrow because I can't even pretend to myself anymore that they qualify as babies at all. I can't say that I miss having twin infants but they were SO cute that it's hard not to mourn that stage of our lives just a little bit. After all, they are the last of the babies that we'll have.


(I hardly remember them being this small...)

We're celebrating by ourselves tomorrow with Daddy taking the day off work and we're going someplace special. We aren't sure exactly where that is yet, but Chuck E. Cheese or the Como Zoo Conservatory are two of the front runners. The kids are pulling for grease and games so it might be both as I'd really like to look at some flowers to remind myself that it can't be winter here forever.

Saturday brings family & friends over for a party at our house. I'm making tater tot hotdish and we'll have a Pooh Bear & friends themed cake from Target. I'm thrilled to be able to actually eat a piece of birthday cake since I was feeling completely miserable at the oldest child's birthday party in September. I suppose we could have frozen a piece or something but I was sick for over twelve weeks and I've never attempted to freeze cake that long. (Heck, I'm lucky if I make a cake and it lasts for more than a day or two over here.)

Speaking of baking, I really do recommend monthly meal planning to all of you. It's daunting and stupid irritating while you're working on it but the pay off is unlike any other. I bitched and moaned my way through planning February and skip into the kitchen every night now because preparation is a breeze. I know what I'm making and know that everything I need to make it is just sitting there waiting for me. It's almost magical, the ease with which supper comes together now. It went over well with the husband because we tried all kinds of new recipes last month and several new things already this week. I fed my father-in-law for two nights (cheesy meatloaf and cheddar corn chowder respectively) while my mother-in-law was out of town and he seemed to appreciate my culinary attempts at variety as well. If you've never tried it, give it a shot. Seriously. It saves time AND money both of which are extremely valuable commodities once you have children.

I'd like to spend some time on an entry specifically reviewing my resolution progress but I'm working on getting through a book that I need to mail for Paperback Swap by the 8th so this is it for now.