And I'm Back...

It has been a few weeks since I've blogged. My computer was hit with some sort of virus and J was finally able to get it taken care of. There is nothing that my man can't do! Life is speeding up a little bit lately. Tru & I are focused on finishing kindergarten so he can start his first grade curriculum in September. We started kindergarten late because the twins came on the scene in October last year, but he is doing so well. He's begining to read and that's so cool to watch. The twins are crawling and babbling "Mama" & "Dada"...it's really cute to listen to them. Their on a schedule that includes 3 solid meals a day and 3 bottles a day. It's cut them back a bottle and in turn cuts back on some of our baby expenses. I also save money by making their baby food myself. My mom bought us the baby bullet and it's been helpful. And by making their food myself they try vegetables and fruit they don't normally offer in premade baby foods. Well I wanted to get on here and get the blogging going again. I've alot of ideas just have to find time to get them on here and with nap time approaching I will have to do it later. Good times!

Twinsie Tuesdays...

Twinsie Tuesdays are all about twins and this first post I thought I would talk about the number one advice I received from every parent of multiples that we know. That is GET THEM ON A SCHEDULE/ROUTINE. It's been almost 7 months ago since our precious boys came into our lives. It has gone by so fast, but at times felt so slow. The first few months were literally a blur. I don't remember much because in the first few months I did nothing but feed, change diapers, feed again, change more diapers, and oh did I mention feed? I was on auto pilot mode.
The arrival of our precious boys marked the departure of my sleep and ushered in a little chaos. The most important thing for our family and the new babies was routine. With our first baby we were on his schedule we could feed him when HE wanted and we worked on a sleep schedule later at about 5 months or so. But with the twins a routine and scheduled feedings brought peace and stability to our family life. We spent a lot of time before the boys arrived praying and believing for our twins to be good sleepers and because my husband and I worked hard on sticking with a schedule the twins started sleeping through the night between 3-4 months. And let me tell you the first time I slept uninterrupted was so wonderful...it brought life back to my body and I felt so refreshed. With one baby I experienced some sleep deprivation, but with two it really was much more difficult.
I know we had it easy when it came to twins and the first few months, but the lack of sleep wasn't pleasant to ride out. So let me pass on the best advice we received...Routine and a Schedule, I think, are vital to parents expecting multiples and make parenting newborn multiples easier and more enjoyable. But a good nights sleep always helps!

So I drank the HEB Koolaid...

When we moved to this part of Texas a couple years ago a freind of mine kept talking about a chain of grocery stores called HEB(The name actually stands for Here Everything's Better). I didn't really pay too much attetion just because I've always been a Walmart shopper. But she assured me that HEB's prices were just as good if not better than Walmart AND the selection and quality was
better. So finally about a month ago I went with her to check out all the wonderfulness that is HEB. After my tag along trip I was sold! I checked the prices as we walked up and down the aisles of their very nice store. Every price was marked as low as what I would normally pay for things especially baby stuff! The produce was FRESH and sometimes less than what we normally pay...for example 4lbs of bananas for a DOLLAR! They have special in store deals and coupons and anyone who has been watching the new couponing shows know how important in store coupons are. They had a fresh deli, bakery,sushi,and floral departments that rival any gourmet/speciality shops I've been to. They even make their own HOMEMADE TORTILLAS that are fantastic!
So after being sucked in by the HEB awesomeness I made arrangements for someone to watch the twins while Tru and I did our big shopping trip a couple weeks ago and I saved about $50! I'm no professional couponer,yet, but $50 bucks is pretty darn good for two weeks worth of groceries! As I'm writting this now I have been prepping for my next HEB trip by going online to look at their weekly ads and in store coupons. They have weekly ads that change every Wednesday. The only negative is the closest HEB store is 28 miles away and even with the crazy gas prices I happily drive those miles for the great savings they provide. Let me just end this post on a happy note...an HEB store will be opening here in town this fall. I WILL be one happy shopper!

If you live in Texas you'd like to check them out here's the link!
http://www.heb.com/home/home.jsp

Amber Vues

Amber Vues is pretty simple...me,Jo,the boys, and everything in between. Let's start with the boys. My five year old is quickly approaching six at the end of the summer. It's always been in my mind that he's still little being 5 and all, but with his sixth birthday coming up on us so quickly he doesn't feel so little anymore. We are homeschooling him for a number of reasons and I am really seeing some progress with it. It's not always easy, the homeschooling thing, but it's definitely worth it as well as rewarding! The twins will be 7 months old next week and they are amazing. I frequently look at them and think it must be a dream...two babies at once! Really? Two babies? Being a parent to twins is like parenting on steroids. It requires double the work, but the rewards are greater and doubled too!
My Jo is a great guy and my best friend. We don't claim to have a perfect marriage, but we are committed to always sticking with our marriage. When it comes to Jo he is hard working at home and at work. He is very easy going, laid back, and a people person. Jo loves being a daddy and he's good at it. I think we compliment each other and I couldn't ask for a better partner in life!
As for me, all of the above makes up my life these days. And on top of that I have a lot of interests that I'm always trying to find time for. I think that's the challenge in my life is balancing out the daily grind and still finding time for the things I enjoy. I think most women can relate to that. I think keeping it simple and staying optimistic will always keep my vue of things successful!