Please exuse my mess

I have caved and decided I wanted a look of my own for this blog so I am working with this gal to spruce this place up and come up with something I love, I have spent too much time trying to figure this out and frankly I am out of time to just play with it while I should be better about posting.  So for now it looks messy and totally boring but soon it will look A.M.A.Z.I.N.G I am sure of it!

Seriously Thursday!

This Thursday I am linking up at  From Mrs. to Mama for Seriously Thursday because well seriously its the cool thing to do, just read her blog and you will understand.

1.  Seriously... My "baby" sister graduates this Sunday from Linfield College in Oregon...shes like crazy smart and already has her "big girl" job lined up, shes an accounting and math major...I'm seriously proud of her.

2.  Seriously...I'm ready for some summer weather, I am so sick of rain/sun/rain/rain/sun, I mean come on mother nature make up your mind already.

3.  Seriously...Couponing is so amazing...just saying

4.  Seriously...I wish this chest cough/cold of mine would vacate my lungs and move along.

5.  Seriously...Walgreens totally screwed with my medication this month... I'm mad at them now..I mean how hard is it, I get this same shot every month and on the 5th month they screw up...seriously.

6.   Seriously...This is fun...Seriously.

7.  Seriously..I acutally feel kind of bad for Teresa from Jersey Housewives, I feel like Bravo brought her family in to bring the drama, I mean I know its for ratings but it's just not as funny when its family and not just a random lady down the street.

8.  Seriously..I'm sad that Grey's Anatomy is over for the season...actually I'm sad that all my usual Thursday night shows are over for the season...I guess I'm glad for Bravo.

Ok folks I think thats all for today, if I think of anything else I'll be sure to let you know.  If you want to join this link up head over to From Mrs. to Mama.

The 12 things I learned about MoMmyhood in the first 12 months!

1.  You will still buy too much crap, even if you think you need a lot of crap, especially with twins, I thought I needed double of EVERYTHING...turns out, I didn't. I should have returned all recieving blankets, bottle warmers, and half of the clothing....

2.  Two babies is hard work.  Especially when those two babies both had to be woken up at 4 am after coming home from the NICU to be fed, burped and changed...all by myself since my hubby and I split shifts. 

3.  Boppy pillows are necessary, they serve many different fuctions, first as a feeding support, then a resting spot for the non-mobile baby, then a back prop for the almost sitting baby, now sadly we don't need our boppy pillows any longer.

4.  The first few months are easier then right now, at the time I never thought I would see the light at the end of the tunnel with newborn twins.  It turns out I now miss the days that they would lay there under their playmat and stare and the flashing light and animal mobile.  Now one goes       <------this way and the other------> that way.  I am now always chasing someone.

5.  Plan at least an extra hour when running errands, little old ladies love to stop and ask you a GAZILLION questions about your babies...for example my favorite
 old lady: "Are those twins"
 me: "yes they are"
 old lady: "o boys or girls"
 me: "a boy and a girl"
 old lady: "identical?"
 me: "um...no"
old lady: "wow, you must have your hands full" (like I have never ever heard that before)
 me: "yes but its lots of fun"
old lady: "well they are just adorable"
 me: "thank you"...walk away
 ***rinse and repeat about 5 times per store...***

6.  Its true once you have babies that your friends change, you now identify with the "moms", even if those moms are 10+ years older then you, you have the biggest thing in life in common, you both have children.  The friends you once had who don't have children yet may still come around to play with the babies, but don't understand your priorities any longer.

7.  My once clean and spotless HOUSE has now become a toy infested, cluttered HOME, while some days it still irks me to my core that the bathroom or bedroom literally look like bombs went off and I contemplate the fact that buying new clothes might be easier then washing the ones on the ground.  I have to remind myself that no amount of cleaning is worth missing out on precious baby time!

8.  Time really does speed up.  I've always heard people say that after you have kids time just flies.  Its true it does, our first 4 1/2 years of marriage felt quick but we were in a very comfortable routine, once the twins were born its like someone hit fastforward...everyday is different, there is a kinda/sorta routine regarding the twins schedule but everything else has just been set aside.

9.  Can someone remind me why I thought I needed every baby book there was, every book on multiples or the first year.  I have opened these books, but motherhood is natural and not one book out there is going to identify with your exact situation...EVER. 

10.  I'm now a sappy sappy person, I used to be the "I don't cry at the dying anything in a movie" gal.  Now I see anything remotely emotional and I tear up...the worst being the Grey's Anatomy episode where Callie gave birth... I just started crying as I saw what was happening, NICU terms, APGAR scores...etc. 

11.  Being away from your babies suck!! I know I HAVE to work, its just not an option for us at the moment for me to be a stay at home mama.  I used to never ever ever think I would want to be a stay at home mom but now its all I can think about on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 8-5!

12.  And last but not least...I never knew that a love like a mother's love for her child actually existed, sure I had been told, but I did not truly understand the meaning until I was wheeled into the NICU and held their teeny tiny little hands, if I could I would never let that little hand go.

Well those are the 12 of many many things I have learned this first year. 

PS...It took me 2 weeks to write this, hence the mobile twins thing in # 4....

A confession...

I have a confession...I have a new obsession to tell you about...I've had this new obsession for a few weeks now.

Are you ready for it...

I've become a couponer... A real live couponer.  Not a hoarder but a Ihavetwinsandhavetofeedafamily couponer.

I'll admit I've been watching Extreme Couponing on TLC, and I am hooked, now I'm not going to be buying 100 bags of cat treats even if I don't have a cat but I fully intend on stockpiling items that my family uses often.  Such examples pasta,sauce,juice, anything that can be put into my pantry along with all personal hygiene items (body wash,deoderant,shampoo & conditioner).  I took a class a month or so ago from Queen Bee Coupons.  She is amazing, she quit her job to be a stay at home mom and had to cut their budget by 60%, so for every 1.00 that she was going to spend, she needed to cut .60 cents off of that.  She is also so friendly and humble, she doesn't clear the shelves at the grocery store and she is realistic, her motto is "Think meals, not deals" which is perfect.

Anyways wanna see my free crap!!

Sorry for the crappy quality, they are off my phone.

Picture 1: I purchased 30 bottles of laundry detergent at .99 a bottle, they were on sale for 1.99 and I had a 1.00 off coupon =.99 (STOCKUP)

Picture 2: All my hubby's hygiene items, all with coupons (some Buy 1 get One free, some 1.00 off some 2.00 off) paired with sales at Target made all of this about 10ish dollars.

Picture 3: My favorite, all of this was free after manufacture's coupons and doubler coupons!! Actually the pasta was on sale 10/10 dollars so after my 1.00 off coupon it was totally free.

This is now like a game to me.  I walk in, I get what I'm looking for only, no more wandering around target (as sad as that is) I go up to the register, get rang up, hand coupons over and boom save $$$!!

My fun trip was Target when my total was $43.61 before coupons and I paid on $15.46!!

Anyways, I am sure I will be doing more posts on coupons once I really get this stuff down!