My little man in his new “mommy made” shirt
New Glasses
I have posted a bit about my little Angel’s glasses, but not about my own. I have had glasses since my first year of college. I am far sighted… but I rarely wore them. I hated having them slide down my nose and the way they made the grown look uneven to me. Each year I would wear them for a week or 2 when allergy season arrived. Other than that, they gathered dust unless we went to an occassional movie.
So, a few months ago my right eye started twitching. It did it constantly. Finally, I gave in and started wearing my glasses full time… and the twitch went away!!!! However, after a few weeks, I started getting headaches. I rubbed my eyes constantly. It was hard to take care of the kids as my patience would wear as my headaches grew during the passing of the day.
Finally, I decided I couldn’t wait any longer. It had been about 4-5 years since my last exam. (Yes, if you calculate, you will realize in that time I got married, changed jobs, went through fertility treatments, went through an infant loss, and had twins! lol) Low and behold, my prescription had changed. My left eye had gotten much worse, my right slightly better, and I had developed an astigmatism.
So, I tried on about 100 pairs of glasses and came up with this pair. A little bold and hip, but not too crazy. The price, however, was crazy. I did get them to bring the price down some (never hurts to ask). However, they were 6 times what I would have spent on zennioptical.com (a favorite place to get glasses!!!). I justified it… because after putting them on I felt immediately better!!!!!
WHAT?!!!! You chose to take care of yourself? Am I reading this correctly?!
Yep. Don’t do it very often. In addition, I nearly backed down and took them back!!!!! However, DH really wanted me to keep them. He said they look great and could be my Valentine gift. I’m thinking they should be my Birthday gift too! lol (I admit, it’s hard to spend money on myself).
Anyway, I bought something for me. Something I needed… but for me. One step for wondertwinsmom… one giant leap for women everywhere! lol
Up-cycle
Up-cycle, recycle, and down-cycle are all ways of making old materials into new ones. Up-cycle means turning something into something better. With money being tight, I’m trying to focus on making things we can use out of old things around the house or things I find at Goodwill or similar used item stores.
So, my first one I’m going to share are Bree’s new curtains!!!!! I found some fairly bright curtains at goodwill. I think I paid about $2 for the pair. I used some fabric paint and some stencils to turn them into something FABULOUS!!!!!! She loves her new curtains! And they really add some “girly” decor to her room!
Nursing cover/bracelet/reusable breast pads for only $5 + shipping!!!!
I got this e-mail today and wanted to pass it on! I have gotten a few nursing covers from them as gifts. They are cute, compact, and easy to use/see your LO. This is such an awesome deal… I just HAD to pass it on!!!!!
Promo code ($45 nursing gift sets for $5!)
I wanted to wish you a Happy New Year and give you a promo code for 90% off on our 3 piece gift sets which include the Udder Cover™ nursing cover of your choice, a matching Milk Bands™ breastfeeding bracelet and 2 pairs of 5 ply washable 100% cotton breast pads!
If you’re not currently nursing, you probably know someone who is or shortly will be! They make great baby shower gifts! We are running a promotion where you can get any of our 3 piece gift sets (regular price $46) for only $5 + S&H.
The code is “thanks”.
Go to www.uddercovers.com , click on “Shop Now”, scroll down to the gift sets, select the one you would like and you will automatically be repositioned to the center of the page where you can enter in the promo code! Type in thanks and it will bring your product total to $5! We are not sure how long this promotion can last. You can use the code more than once - you just have to open a new browser/window to do so.
This promotion gives you 1 giftset for $5 + S&H! This promotion code is valid once per transaction, so you can order as many times as you would like! Thanks again for your earlier purchase and have a Happy New Year!
Jenny Pierce
Owner UdderCovers.com
Udder Covers.com
A little secret
Bree is pretty much potty trained. However, only if she is wearing a diaper or pull-up. Yep, you heard me right. Dry 24/7… She NEVER pee’s in a diaper or pull-up but has an accident or 2 a day when wearing panties. Strange, I know.
So, I was talking to another twin mom, Dawn. She said swim diapers are WASHABLE!!!!! Wait… WHAT???!!! Yep, she assures me they can be thrown in the laundry and washed! I had no idea! How do we not know this?! Think how much money and waste could be saved if people knew this??!!!!!
That’s why I am passing on this little tip! It is too big to not share!
This may also be the key to not wasting money on pull-ups! (Yes, I have tried the cloth/lined trainers… she can still make them leak). So, I’m going to try having her use the swim diapers and WASH them!!! Cross your fingers for us!
Free nursing cover!!!!
Check out my friend’s blog. She has directions on how to get a FREE udder cover!!!!!!
www.dealsstealsandfreebies.blogspot.com
You just have to pay shipping… that’s a real deal!!!!
Redbox Code
This code expires at midnight tonight. Go out and try redbox with today’s free rental code!!!!
Code: QNGJ7KD
How to vermicompost or make a worm bin.
So, I have had a few people ask about the vermicomposting, or worm composting. This is something we did in my classroom years ago, as composting is part of NCs standard course of study. If you want to build one, here are some basic steps. I learned from Susan, who visited my class years ago and who graciously had us over to her house to build ours yesterday. If you are in the Raleigh, NC area, I advise you to contact her at redhen@nc.rr.com
So, you need:
- newspaper (shredded into 1/2 inch strips… moisten with a spray bottle so they are good and damp).
- 2- 10 gallon solid tubs (you don’t want clear… the light should not go through)
- organic food scraps (peelings, rotting veggies/fruits, coffee grinds, etc)
- Drill
- a brick, piece of styrafoam, tupperware container, or something that can help leave a gap between the two containers
- Worms (We got ours from Susan, but there are sites online where you can find them. Just search: red worms)
Drill holes in the bottom of one of the containers. We drilled about 20-30 holes.
Then drill holes along the top of the same container about 2 inches apart. This creates circulation for air for the worms.
Put the brick or whatever you are using for a spacer, in the bottom of the undrilled bin. Then nest the other in it. This creates a place to catch any moisture that drips from your bin or worms that are on the move (this happens at the beginning sometimes because they are frightened and fleeing).
Layer the drilled bin with about an inch of moist newspaper.
Put the worms, and whatever dirt they have in shipping, on top of the newspaper.
Then, place about an inch of your organic food scraps on 1/2 of the area. This will leave the other half to use the next time. If you put too much, it will not get eaten quick enough.
Cover the entire area with about 1-2 more inches of moist newspaper.
Then, leave the bin in a well lit area for 24/7. They need to get acclimated. The light detours them from wanting to escape. You can keep it in your house. It will not smell. You can put the lid on top to keep animals/kids out. I have left ours open for the moment to keep the light on them.
After a week or so you should see the pile of refuge starting to go down. Once it looks like it is being sufficiently eaten, you can put food on the other half. Do not use meats, cheeses, milk products, etc. Only plant material (fruits, veggies, etc). Don’t let the newspaper get too dry. Though the food should keep it fairly moist, it can sometimes get dry. I use a spray bottle to keep things moist and the worms happy.
Another tip: The worms need to stay between 65-80 degrees. Don’t let the bin be in the direct sun… it will kill them. If the temperature gets below 65 they will stop moving around and eating. I plan on putting our bin in the bathroom closet during the winter (though dh doesn’t know that yet! ;)).
Hope this gives you enough information!!!! Let me or Susan know if you have other questions. Good luck!!!!!
Mama, I feel yucky.
Kids woke with temps of about 101. Both were fairly lathargic. So, I finally gave them a little tylenol. They both perked up pretty quickly. We spent the day morning drinking my juice/salt/water mixture, watching Barney (yes, though this would be my last choice, they ARE sick…), changing nasty sick poo diapers, getting lots of snuggles, and reading books.
I let them stay in their jammies. I figured they would be much more comfortable… and I would love to be able to stay in mine while sick. So, we put on some clean ones and they have been comfortable all morning.
I myself DID shower. I thought about staying in my night gown all day. But since R was due to come around noon (yes, she was coming since she is also sick), I decided a shower was a necessity.
So, I have graced the day in very SEXY mommy attire. I have on an oversized t-shirt… decorated with some juice, maybe a bit of snot, and some tylenol (gotta give hugs when needed). I have on some baggy, but extremely comfortable capris. Glasses and frizzy hair in pig tails complete the look. Maybe I should submit my picture for “best dressed”! lol
Anyway, the kids are doing OK. Their temp has stayed around 100 or below since the 1 dose of tylenol around 7:30. I have been loading them up on liquids, soft foods, emergen-c, and rest. Hopefully, they will be ready to get back to the park soon.
Quick carrot cake pancakes
With money being tight I have been trying to use up all the food in our cupboards, rather than go to the store once a week. So, last week I had to come up with something for breakfast. We were out of the usual yogurt, oatmeal, and cereal. However, I did find a box of instant carrot cake mix.
So, I mixed up the cake mix and added a cup of apple sauce to it. Mixed it up and poured it on the griddle. I tried to make Mickey mouse shapes, but no luck.
The pancakes were DELICIOUS!!!!! Maybe not the healthiest… but I figured it was better than donuts. I gave the kids some fruit and milk with it… Poof! An almost nutritious breakfast! The kids loved it!
