Ugh. Party of 4.

Ohhh friends. What a week...and it's only Tuesday. You'll see below that Brookie was sick on Saturday & we assumed it was a little 24 hour bug. Well then Emily caught it Sunday aaand passed it back to Brookie Monday. And today? Well it's just not pretty because now Momma isn't feeling too hot. I stayed home from work today & us 3 are having a day of snuggles, banana posicles, & movies. And baths. Multiple baths.

So, sorry for the neglect here! I miss sleep, I miss the girls laughing & playing, I miss the smell of air that doesn't include puke & Febreeze. I'm hoping Dustin will spoil me (even though he's not feeling too hot either) & be on solo Daddy duty tonight and I can go to sleep at 6p. That sounds heavenly. As does a broccoli & cheese soup bread bowl from Panera. Who's delivering? Promise I won't breathe on you.

Steppin Out 1-28-12

::deets::

on Pete

shirt & jeans (4T jeans mind you!)--cherokee at target

boots--kohls

and on Repeat

shirt & tights--baby gap

skirt--old navy

shoes--kohls

sippy cup--always.in.hand. this kid is a liquidaholic.

on Momma

sweater--old navy

tank--i think y'all know by now

jeans--target

boots--lauren conrad at kohls

necklace & bracelets--f21

First & foremost--what do you think of the new digs?! Becca is the bees knees, eh? I'm just smitten with it. And may or may not have visited my page 37 times within the past 2 days. Can't confirm that. Except it's true & probably more like 50 times. Best of all? Becca has graciously offered The Stauffer Shenanigans readers 15% off her shop! Use the code STAUFFERLOVE, it's good until Tuesday, February 14th.

Secondly, THANK YOU for those of you that have left questions on my last post ::points down:: I plan on writing out a post or two within the week, so please feel free to email me or comment with more!

Aaaand scene.

So yesterday Dustin & Brookie had a date to go the movie theater and watch "Chipwrecked". Emily & I met up with my mom for some clearance rack shopping at Old Navy & Target. After about 30 minutes, I got a call on my phone from Dustin. "Help. It's everywhere, everywhere." We get to the theater, I ran inside, & walked right into the men's room where my poor girl was standing there without a shirt on & with puke all over her jeans. Her coat, her shirt, her chipmunk buddies she brought along, all covered. Dustin's coat, jeans, & shoes? Yep, there too. She kept saying "I feel MUCH better now, Momma. Sometimes kids just have to puke." Well, there went the movie. After a quick run into Kohls for a new outfit & a spitbath in the bathroom, she was good as new. I'm pretty sure she knew what she was doing because she scored a Sprite & "Dumbo" DVD out of the wretching. Clever kiddo!

So today? We are taking it easy. A jami pukefree (please) day full of laundry, coffee, & Octonauts. Oh and no bra. Ahhh, liberation at it's finest.

A Little of This...

and a little of that.
 Welcome to my first clusterfudge post of 2012!

1. I started Weight Watchers again. Actually, Dustin & I both did. In 2.5 weeks I've lost 4 lbs. He's lost 10. What the figgidyfark? Regardless I'm still incredibly proud of him & get the girly giggles when I walk in on him lifting weights.

2. I'm already thinking about the girls birthday parties. Yep, color me Type A. Since the girls are exactly 8 weeks apart, I had thought about doing a big ol' joint birthday party (4 weeks past Emily's, 4 weeks until Brookie's). I started pinning ideas, thinking about the menu...and then had a 3 year old change her mind & decide she did NOT want to share her party, which I can totally understand. So? We're at a stand still for now...but my fingers are itching to write lists!

3. My bloggy friend, Kristen, just found out she's giving her little boy a brother! And another bloggy friend, Melissa, just found out she's expecting her second. AND my friend Jill just announced she's expecting her third! 2 pink lines everywhere!
Seeing all these adorable round bellies make me weak in the knees ::le sigh::

4. I found THE perfect summer summer dress...and it's sold out in my size (insert lip quiver here.) But? I just bought this chevron dress for half the price of that one, soooo all is right in the world again.

5. Emily's vocabulary has come to a sudden halt. She's still talking of course, but has replaced every word we've taught her with "NO!"....It's awesome.

6. I made these for dinner last week. And? Fail. Dry, bland, flavorless, just...no.
And while we're on the topic of food fail, the sight of this makes my gag reflex go into hyper mode.


7. Your eyes are about to get a treat because the fantabulous Becca at Jumping Jax Designs is giving the Shenanigans a face lift. And I'm seriously giddy about it.


8. I started watching The Jersey Shore this season. And I'm ridiculously addicted to it. This shames Dustin more than you can imagine.

9. I told Brooklyn not to play on the stairs the other day because Emily had just fallen down the last 2 & had a bit of rug burn by her eye :( Her reply? "Momma, I'm your best friend. Just trust me." I die.


Aaaaand because all things are better in an even number, 10. Any questions for me?
Seriously. I've never done a question post before...mainly out of fear that only one person would comment & it'd be my mom asking if she can bring a box of Lucky Charms & Cap N Crunch over for the girls (and the answer is still no, Momma.)

Soooo at the risk of looking like an L7 weenie on the interwebz, I'm telling you to ask away. Comment here, email me, whatever works. And don't be shy. I am the girl who has announced her current weight multiple times on this blog, I will answer almost anything. Almost. Remember, my grandparents read this ::waves hiiiiiiii::

Steppin' Out 1-22-12

::deets::

-on brookie-

sweater--gymboree

skirt--osh kosh at kohls

tights--kohls

boots--kohls

headband--old navy

-on momma-

blouse--kohls

trouser jeans--old navy

belt--snagged from a thrifted leather jacket

boots-f21

link bracelet--f21

hoop earrings--kohls

brookie's face? hilairs.

I kinda feel like one of Charlie's Angels today wearing this. Like I should've had a wind machine following me & a small girly pistol tucked in my bra. Must be the blouse. Or the jeans. Or the fact that it's on my bucket list to Chuck Norris roundhouse kick a bad guy.

Anywhoooo, Brooklyn & I stepped out this afternoon to go to a baby shower for a good friend of mine, Abby. She's expecting her first, a BOY, due in March and I couldn't be happier for her and her hubs.  

We got her some dipes (can't have too many of those stocked up!) and one of the greatest inventions for children. The baby crack machine.

Both Brookie & Emily each have one and it's still used nightly. More so as a night light for Brookie, but she likes the music too. And Emily wakes up as soon as she hears the rain sound turn off. Such a sanity saver, this lil guy.

As soon as we got home from the shower, Brookie asked for some "comfy clothes & yummy food" to which I happily obliged. Bring on the sweats & zuppa toscana soup!

Linking up.

Tink & Belle

Afternoons like this make me fall even more in love with the fact that I'm a girl momma.

Princess dresses? Tutus? Makeup? Tea parties? Smooches?

I'm a puddle.

Instagram Happenings

~follow me--ash6703~

1. their favorite hiding spot

2. airdry. i'm like the lovechild of slash & barbados monica

3. tarjay clearance rack finds::swoon::

4. weeee!

5. sunday morning fun

6. brookie's drawing of momma (impressive, no?)

7. two new buys for momma

8. i can't even read just one book at a time

9. cozy nerd

10. um, where's my yiddle baby?

p.s. make sure you check out my guest post at my amazing friend libby's blog today! it's about letting our house go to shit so dustin & i can stare deeply into each others eyes and whisper sweet nothings to each other......or something like that.

Steppin' Out 1.14.12

::deets::

tee--f21

tank--may need surgically removed one day

jeans--target

shoes--target

scarf--f21

bag--target

I.Am.Pooped. Yesterday was a full day of estrogenic action. Brookie & I left Dustin & Emily for the morning and ran over to Kohls since I had a 30% off coupon burning a hole in my pocket. I totally get the feeling those women off Extreme Couponing get at the registers. I got a sack full of 6 fall shirts in a size up for the girls, 2 blouses & pencil skirt for myself, 2 spring jackets for the girls that were $45 each for $7 each, a pretty cloth tote for our bedroom (to hold ?? but it was on sale, I couldn't resist), a facial clippers set for Dustin, a new sippy for Emmy, & a stuffed kangaroo for Brookie (that was totally unncessary, but it kept the child entertained while I tried on everything) for $64. My receipt said I saved $202. Talk about getting high on life!

After we floated out of there, we made a quick Chipotle run. That's where I realized we only had 15 minutes to get to the movie theater for Beauty & the Beast in 3D. So? I might've emptied my purse to fit in 2 chicken quesedillas and chips & guac. And by might've, I mean I sure as hell shamelessly did. I reeked of mexican grill, but we got to enjoy our lunch in front of the big screen. Best of all, Aunt Tiffy & Hadley joined us!

Beauty & the Beast has always been a favorite of mine. I bought the DVD off Ebay when I found out Brookie was a girl because I couldn't wait to watch it with our daughter. The movie was great, as always, and the Tangled Ever After preview was adorable. It also showed that Finding Nemo is coming to theaters in the fall & I'm hoping it'll be Emmy's first theater experience.

After the movie, both girls hopped in the back of our car because we were having a sleepover. It was the first time Dustin & I had ever been outnumbered. And? We survived. Well, I survived. Dustin made a grocery store & dinner run and then had a very important prior engagement with his guitar hero, so I flew solo. But it all worked out well. There was alot of squeeling & playing.

and Emily was just excited to watch the older girls act silly. We ate pizza, we danced, the 3 girls took a big bubble bath, it was fun. Although I didn't get the best night of sleep since the girls were camping out on the living room floor & Brookie woke up in the middle of the night scared, so I slept on the couch, I'd still call it a succesfull sleepover.

This morning, after making the girls chocolate chip pancakes & drooling over the sight of them (back on WW....more about that soon), Tiff picked up Hadley and now we are having the laziest of days. Dustin's chili is on the stove, I made a 2 point a slice chocolate cake with a can of diet coke (the hell you say?), and we are staying in our jams all day.

Ahhhhhh, why can't it be Sunday everyday?

Linking up!

The One Where I Biffed It....Hard

In my last post, I mentioned that Dustin & I were heading out for a little day date to Snow Days in Cleveland at Jacobs Field (technically Progressive Field, but that just doesn't sound right.) I had gotten him & I tickets for Christmas & we were pretty stoked to go, even though there wasn't a smidgen of snow on the ground & it was over 40 degrees out.

So we got all our warm goodies on, headed into the park, & ran into a familiar face.

 And then we did some good ol' tubing.

And some good ol' grubbing. Pizza....nachos....hot dog....beer....hot chocolate....yeah, that all happened.

Lastly, we decided to go ice skating. See, I've always sucked at ice skating....every single time I've gone, which was once. One measly time 4 years ago, where I put on a fake smile for my Gordon Bombay of a husband because I knew he loved it, and clung onto the side bar for dear life. So I knew it would mean alot to him for me to go out there with him. That and I'm pretty sure he gets a kick out of watching me tippy toe around while other little mighty duck kids zoom by me.

Things were going good. I made it around an entire time, HANDS FREE! Gravity was on my side...so I sped up a little. Psh, I had this.

Had being the operative word.

Next thing I knew, I was on my side with the wind knocked out of me, a nauseous feeling in the pit of my stomach, an adrenaline rush to get up quickly because maybe maaaaaaybe nobody else saw it, and a grain of dignity smiling & saying "Oh gosh, I'm fiiiiiine".

Dude, I wasn't. That hurt like a bitch. And adding insult to injury is my darling husband saying obnoxiously loud "Wooow. That looked really bad. Are you okay?" Granted I would've done the same to him had the skate been on the other foot, but good grief man! Help a broken momma up!

Best of all? We had just started the lap. And weren't allowed to turn back. So I had to complete the circle & skate back to dry land. During which....yep, you guessed it. I fricking fell again. This time on my ass, which helped cushion the blow some since I was wearing 3 layers, but not much because this baby has no back.

When I finally made it back & took the death blades off, I took a peek at my wounds. My knee & elbow were bruised and my hip looked red, but I was good. I knew I'd be sore the next day & since I bruise like a peach, I figured I'd have a decent battle wound.

Never did I expect this. Friends, meet the gnarliest bruise EVAH!

A--don't worry Mom, that's my outer thigh, not my bum.

and 2. Please everyone disregard what 18 months of pregnancy did to my lovely bottom half.

Impressive, eh? The more I look at it, the more I'm amazed by it. It's like cloud art, if you will. At first I saw an elephant with long hair....then a willow tree blowing in the wind....then a ninja with his sword raised in the air carrying away a tiny fat person....and finally, I'm convinced. It's Optimus Prime.

So, in short.  I have zero coordination. My husband is an asshat. I need more iron in my diet.  I am sporting a transformer next to my ass. And I am bubble wrapping myself for all future dates.

Me and You, Just Us Two

"Keep your courtship alive. Make time to do things together -- just the two of you. As important as it is to be with the children as a family, you need regular weekly time together. Scheduling it will let your children know that you feel that your marriage is so important that you need to nurture it. That takes commitment, planning, and scheduling."

-Joe J. Christensen

Just a little food for thought that made me smile. Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Steppin' Out 1.7.12

::deets::

blouse--target

jeans--old navy

boots--target

bracelet--f21

trusty tank that accompanies almost every outfit i wear--f21

Today we went to our last Christmas get together. Yep, 7 days in the new year and we were still celebrating Christmas. Jealz, I'm sure you are but believe me when I say I'm glad to see the holiday season go. Especially when it's January in Ohio and 50 degrees! Makes me hope spring isn't too far off.

Here we are a week into the new year, and I've yet to really think of resolutions. Well, scratch that. I wanted to try new things, to steer clear of ruts. But that didn't work out so well when at Starbucks I got a hazelnut iced cafe latte instead of my beloved vanilla iced cafe latte, and hated it. First world problem!

So better late than never, here's a lil list of resolutions.

1. Like I said, try new things. I'm such a picky person, especially when it comes to food. I need to try & be more open.

2. Lose these last butt stinkin' 10 pounds & finally get to my goal weight. I was a mere 4 lbs away in September & then was force fed holiday pastries.

3. Stop dwelling over little things! You would not believe how I let the smallest things take my sleep away. And raise my blood pressure. From now on, I'm rolling with the "let it be" motto....well, I'm going to try to.  

4. Take my Canon Rebel off auto. Thanks to my mom for the 430 speedlite & my MIL for the remote and tripod, there is no reason at all why I'm still shooting in auto. Along with this, I need to take more pictures of my girls. They are growing so insanely fast, I need more pictures to reminise over when I become a crazy cat lady in my 80's.

And finally, 5. Take a family trip and Dustin & I only trip this year. These are already in the works, since Dustin & I are celebrating five years of marriage this year. And my grandparents in Florida are dying to meet our girls.

Hope you all are having a lovely weekend! Tomorrow the hubs & I are headed to Cleveland for some tubing and ice skating at Progressive Field. I'm not quite too sure how that's gonna work with

 this weather, but let's be honest here folks....I'm going for the beer & ballpark hot dog. (Perhaps those 10 lbs will have to hang on, literally, until Monday.)

Just the Basics

Color me the typical woman. No matter how many full hangers I have in my closet, I whine the same thing every afternoon before a date night.

"I have nothing to wear."

And it's such a fib. Because, as much as it pains me to admit this, I don't need to go out & buy a new outfit everytime there's a special occasion. I need to learn to work with the basics because you can take a couple basic pieces and make at least 2 outfits out of them.

True story. Need examples? I'm so glad you asked.

First basic, I think every woman has in their closet.

The classic white button down.

Outfit #1

 Outfit #2

Next basic?

 Black leggings.

Outfit #1

Outfit #2

And finally, basic number three.

Boots.

Outfit #1

Outfit #2

*all outfit images from Polyvore, my newest obsession*

So there you have it. Buy those basic pieces so you can make more than 1 outfit out of it! And remember, accessories are our besties. Well, accessories and Target clearance racks.



This post was originally posted at Mom It Forward on 12/22/11.

Brookie's Bedazzled

"You know, I think I'm ready Momma"

When Brookie's cousin Hadley got her ears pierced last summer, she wanted hers done as well. Then I explained what pierced actually meant...a little pinch. I mean, I had a responsibility to tell her what she was getting into. But as soon as I said 'pinch', she wasn't having it. She knew pinching hurt, thanks largely in part to her little sister, and hurt=pain=this sucks=no way, Jose.

Now I'm a girl Momma. I embrace (ahem, adore) all that princess dress up girly stuff. I wanted her to have her ears pierced, I couldn't wait to get her a jewelry box & fill it with little earring studs. But I wasn't going to force her. I wanted it to be her decision, hence the reason why I didn't have them pierced as a baby.

Over the next 6 months, everytime she saw me wear earrings, she'd compliment me on how pretty they were. I'd say "Well, you can have earrings too if you want. Do you want your ears pierced?" And everytime she'd say "Nope. I don't want a pinch". So we'd leave it at that. Ball was in the kiddos court.

Last Friday, the girls & I were out to lunch at Panera, trying to beat a case of cabin fever. Again she saw my earrings & again I told her that she could have her ears pierced too if she wanted, expecting the same answer. And to my surprise, she told me "You know, I think I'm ready Momma."

First of all, gigglesnort at her response. I swear this child will be talking like the Dawson's Creek kids here before pre school. And second of all, yay! So we finished up lunch, during which she talked the entire time about what kind of earrings she wanted, and headed towards the mall.

When we got there, the lady behind the counter explained that she recommended 14k gold earrings to aid from infection (in which Brooklyn replied "Do you have fowteen cawot Hello Kitty eawings?" Say all you want, but her R's crack me up) and showed us all the choices. She picked out hot pink flower studs & got all ready in her seat, holding onto her buddy Clarice in a choke hold the entire time.

Unfortunately the 2nd girl that's usually there so the piercing can both be done at once wasn't there. I told Sis we could come back, but once she saw those flowers, she wanted them naaaaow. I was so sure that she'd end up like a boy band member from the 90's with one sparkly stud because no way was she going to take 2 seperate pinches.

But? She did awesome. Didn't cry. Didn't scream. Didn't make a single peep. Just kinda jerked, but smiled after each one. And? They looked perfect. Awfully red & sore here...

and stayed that way for a good hour, but still so cute.

Isn't she beaming? She was so proud of herself & I was SO proud of her bravery. Yeah, yeah, I know. It's only her ears pierced. Not like she graduated medical school (yet.)

But this was the first time my daughter truly pondered over a decision. And went through with it. After it was all said & done and she got Emmy's approval with a "tit-tee" (we're working on it), I asked her why she changed her mind. She told me because she was a big girl. And big girls have pretty ears. She also told me that it did hurt, but just for a second. And wondered when she was getting those Hello Kitty eawings.


When Dustin saw them that night, he just smiled & sighed and said "It starts". True story, buddy. Welcome to the world of estrogen. Leave your balls at the door.

Steppin' Out 12.31.11

::deets::

tank--peebles

blazer--f21

jeans--old navy

heels--kohls

cuff bracelet--kohls

Happy New Years, everyone!

For Christmas, my mom usually gets Dustin & I tickets to the BlueJackets hockey game for New Year Eve. But this year? She got us glass seats! I knew my hubby would be rocking his Jackets gear & usually I do too for games. But this was the one day in the year I could rock some sequins & glitter. And that I did.

We headed towards Columbus. And towards the yummiest food ever. Mongolian BBQ. Unfortunately we had a long wait (yep, no reservation) so we only had about 30 minutes to eat before the game. So we scarfed.

And when we got to the game, we were SO excited. We've never sat so close to the rink before. And even though they lost (4 goals given up in the 3rd period? ugh), we had the greatest time. Responsible too....I had a DD :)

After the game (and with 2 dead phones because we kept trying to get videos & pics), we headed to Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant for a late snack of southwestern chicken egg rolls, sweet tea, chocolate cake, & strawberry cheesecake. Yyyuuuummm.

Even though the ball dropped while we were on route 23 on our way home, we still had our smooch at midnight. We came home to one sleeping girl in her crib, one sleeping girl on the couch, & leftover pizza for breakfast this morning. I couldn't of asked for a better night!

Linking up with The Haps.