The TaterTwins

WW- Good, Clean Fun

Jayme — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:43:59 +0000

Because it isn't always smiles around here...

Photo a Day Challenge- Days 8-14

Jayme — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 03:57:32 +0000

Day 8- Sun

Day 9- Front Door

Day 10- Self Portrait

Day 11- Makes Me Happy

Day 12- Inside My (the twins) Closet

Day 13- Blue

Day 14- Heart

Rub a dub dub!

Jayme — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 19:43:52 +0000

With seven kids, we’ve done a lot of baby bathing. Right now, the twins are the only ones that need help, although they are happy to play in the bathtub for hours if we’d let them. In fact, if anyone else in the house even thinks about taking a shower or bath, there’s a good chance they’ll be joined by 2 two year olds if they don’t lock the door!

Over the years, we’ve always used Johnson’s products on our children. There’s just something about that classic clean baby scent that you don’t get from other products. Ryan has sensitive skin, so I was thrilled to discover Johnson’s Natural products! Containing no essential oils, I know they won’t affect him.

And I LOVE the pumps. They are so much better for little kids- we prefer them even with the older girls- because otherwise they go through shampoo entirely too fast.

Johnson’s Naturals products are great if you are looking for an affordable, more ‘green’ option to use on your babies. With an average price of $4.59 and containing at least 98% natural ingredients, it’s a great way to start making a difference. And with over 100 years of experience, Johnson’s is a brand that knows it’s stuff! And I’m not the only one that thinks so- Johnson’s Natural line recently won the 2012 Better Homes and Gardens Best New Product Award!

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Johnson’s Natural and received a product sample to facilitate my review, and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

What’s Cookin’?

Jayme — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:44:42 +0000

I had an epiphany recently. See, for years and years, when I grocery shopped, I just threw stuff in the cart and hoped it all turned into cohesive meals once we got it all home. I never made lists, and we had a habit of eating the same few meals over and over because that’s what I grabbed. And we got sick of those things- so we ate out way more than we really should (or can afford).

We generally shop twice a month because we get paid twice a month. I’ve been trying to teach the girls that if they eat all the yogurt the first two days, they won’t have any for the next week and a half. We will grab a few things halfway through when we run out- like milk- but in general it’s just the two big shops.

I wanted to try a few things I’d found on Pinterest, so I actually made a list for our beginning of the month grocery trip to ensure I had the items I needed. And while I was making the list, I wrote down other dinners I wanted to have. I tacked that up to the fridge, and we cooked from that list of meals. My shopping trip was more expensive than usual, BUT at the end of the two weeks, I realized we really didn’t eat out at all. And even better, we were happy to be eating at home because it wasn’t the same old things.

I’d tried the meal planning before, but never BEFORE shopping, and just with our old staples. We were so stuck in a rut with the same few dinners that we didn’t stick to it, and often even if we’d planned to eat a certain meal at home, we’d opt to go out because we didn’t feel like it.

Sour Cream & Bacon Crockpot Chicken
Source: momswithcrockpots.com via Jayme on Pinterest

So here is some of what is on the menu for the next two weeks: (the ones with the * are new recipes I haven’t tried yet)

Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes w/Gravy
Tacos
BBQ Chicken Sandwiches & Macaroni Salad
Sour Cream & Bacon Crock Pot Chicken over Egg Noodles*
Chili & Rice
Calzone Rolls*
Pot Roast
Chicken & Spinach Rolls
Crock Pot Chicken Teriyaki*
Pasta w/Meat Sauce & Texas Toast

Last time, I saw acorn squash at the commissary and grabbed two. I’d remembered liking it when I was little and my mom made it, but it’d been probably decades since I had it. Aaron said he’d never tried it, and I knew none of the kids had either. I baked it up and everyone devoured it, so this time I grabbed 3. I’m not sure what meal I’ll make it with, but I can’t wait to have it again.

We of course bought a few of the old standby meals that the kids love, like mac & cheese, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, tater tots. But they’ve been great about eating new foods, so they’re going to keep getting them.

When you shop, do you plan out meals ahead of time? Make a list? Or just throw what looks good in the cart?

PYHO- Inferiority Complex

Jayme — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:01:36 +0000

Sometimes I get so frustrated by blogging. Not the actual ACT- I love it. I’ve been blogging for more than a decade now on one platform or another. And for years and years, the majority of the blogs I read were private, invitation only and REAL.

The people I blogged with- in that we read and commented on each others blogs and eventually our correspondence moved to emails, texts, phone calls, and even meeting up in person- were people that I identified with. They were people I wanted to be friends with, people who despite being behind a computer screen, were like me.

Perhaps the security of a private audience is what makes bloggers open up more, and share not just the good, but the bad parts of their lives. I say this because since moving to this public platform for my blogging, I’ve noticed a difference in people.

Not my old friends. They’re still there and the same and I love them.

But the new bloggers I’ve met since moving. So many of them seem… elite. No, that’s not the word I am looking for. I’m not sure what the right word is, but these women don’t always make me feel like I am part of this mothering/womanly/sisterhood like we had established among our private journals.

I thought by going public, I’d meet more woman like me. More moms, wives, FRIENDS.

Instead, it seems that the majority make me feel bad about myself.

Oh, they don’t do it on purpose. I’m sure they have bad days too. But they don’t blog them.

Nope- they only blog the crafts and meals that come out perfect. The photos that don’t show their flaws, or their kids tantrums. Their messy house with crayon on the walls. The days where they let their kids watch TV instead of creating educational crafts for them to complete.

When you read their blogs, all you see are happy smiling faces, immaculate kitchens, and photo-worthy activities. You don’t see upside down cereal bowls on the floor in the background, and kids in pajamas eating lunch (which consists of processed cheese sandwiches and canned fruit instead of homemade hummus and organic carrots). Those kids would NEVER be in their PJs that late in the day.

I get it. I know why people only blog the good- and I’ll admit to deciding not to share photos with you all that show just how disorganized we are. I am not totally above doing that myself.

But when all you see is perfection, sometimes it’s hard not to feel inferior, and that you don’t fit in. (Especially when you constantly have messy counters and crazy toddlers hanging off of them).

Why yes, that's my coffee table, in the dining room.

My Valentine

Jayme — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:59:33 +0000

Thinking your husband is the best guy ever is totally part of the job of being a wife- just like thinking your kids are the cutest things in the world. But for real, mine is the best. Not a week goes by with me wondering why the heck he’s with me, because I can be such a mess sometimes.

He’s in the Marine Corps, so that means he works long and often crappy hours. I am a stay at home mom. Yet when he comes home from work, he starts taking care of stuff that needs to be done- whether it’s dishes or laundry- or even just entertaining the kids. And he is the best father to these kids.

He caters to my every whim. Oh, you want to own an online cloth diaper store? SURE sounds great! He spoils me rotten- always letting me sleep in, bringing me coffee and breakfast in bed, etc.

He’s like this every day, and doesn’t need a holiday like Valentine’s Day to show his love to me, or to the kids.

Thanks, Aaron- for being the best guy out there! I am so lucky to have you!

My hair…

Jayme — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 02:33:29 +0000

My hair is the shortest it’s been in a long time. I just got it cut today. I actually thought they were going to take more off, but I guess my ends weren’t as bad as I thought. It’d probably be down to my ankles if I stopped dying it and cutting it all the time- the last 5-6 years I’ve had a good amount chopped off on several occasions.

For years and years I dyed it blonde, starting in maybe 9th grade or so? I also kept it between a bob and shoulder length for the most part, and with bangs, back then.

The last time it was blonde was 2006. It was really long, but really unhealthy.

Then something possessed me to dye it red. Right after I dyed it, I got it trimmed. I remember asking Lili to take these photos for me, and she was maybe 5 or so at the time.

The next time I got it cut, I had a good bit taken off. I remember having them cut it the day of the USMC Ball- and putting it in hot rollers that night at the hotel while getting ready. It seemed SO short to me at the time.

I wonder what happened to those hot rollers- they did nice stuff to my hair. It’s the only way that curls stay for more than 10 minutes! I also really liked that cheesy pink phone with the pea pod dangling from it.

I’ve stayed away from blonde for a long time, but the growing and cutting keeps happening, as does the randomly dying it red. And 95% of the time, my hair is pulled up into a scrunchy.

It was in a long phase when I was pregnant with the twins. I think the prenatals help it grow better. Not long before they were born I got it trimmed (in May), but after they were here, I barely had time to pee, so it was a long time before I went and got it cut.

This was Aug. 2010, and I’d just had a good amount taken off that day.

Fast forward another year where I slacked with the trims and maintenance, and I was looking like this in October:

I FINALLY took the time today to get my hair cut again…

Someday maybe I’ll be brave enough for a real significant change, but probably not!

Housekeeping!

Jayme — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 04:52:14 +0000

If you haven't already, would you mind clicking on the adorable image of Ryan above and answer a few questions? Thanks so much!!

If you are currently subscribed to my blog via Google Friend Connect, well… that’s going away soon. I’ve already taken it off of my blog, and soon you won’t get updates through it anymore. So if you’d like to resubscribe, I’ve got a few ways for you to do so:

If you read my blog in a reader, you can easily add it with my RSS Feed.
If you’d prefer, you can receive your updates straight to your Email.
My blog feed automatically updates Twitter and Facebook as well, so feel free to follow there if that’s your thing.
I am also on Pinterest, but my blog doesn’t feed to there. However, feel free to follow me there as well!

Speaking of Pinterest… I’m off to find some recipe ideas. Last week I made a couple things I’d found for dinner and they were all hits… so I’m going to keep expanding our meals because I’m so sick of eating the same few dinners. It worked great to pick them out and plan them ahead of time, before I shopped. I found we ate out way less.

Do you have any suggestions?

Monster High’s Draculara’s Sweet 1600 Giveaway!

Jayme — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:30:18 +0000

Lili received a Monster High Frankie Stein doll for Christmas this year, and it’s currently the most played with doll in the house. Every time we are at a store, both girls drool over the Monster High selection, making their mental wish lists.

A little about Monster High:

One of the hottest tween entertainment franchises, Monster High continues to be a global phenomenon reaching girls everywhere they are today with clever and humorous storytelling that captures the awkward, yet relatable moment’s teens experience in high school. Centered around the perfectly-imperfect teen children of the world’s most famous monsters, Monster High utilizes the monster metaphor to encourage girls to “Be Yourself. Be Unique. Be a Monster” because to “be a monster” is to be truly accepting of yourself and others.

After taking YouTube by storm on Friday the 13^th for their official launch, Monster High kicked off a yearlong celebration of “Freaky Fab 13” with special content unveils and activities for fans timed to the 13^th of every month.

On Sunday, Feb. 12^th, Nick will be airing the newest Monster High special and my girls are dying to see it. It’s called Why do Ghouls Fall in Love and in it Draculara is torn between fangtastic love interests as she gears up to celebrate her sweet 1600 birthday.

The best part? One of you can help us celebrate Draculara’s Sweet 1600 because we’re giving away a doll from the Sweet 1600 collection which includes C.A. Cupid! She’s the newest ghoul of Monster High, Cupid is the daughter of Eros, and is specialized in the dealings of relationships, with a focus on teenagers. She hosts a daily radio show from her station in the Monster High Catacombs. Cupid is FLYING off the shelve- she’s currently selling out at the stores!

Other members of the Sweet 1600 collection include Draculaura, her boyfriend Clawd Wolf, along with their fierce friends Frankie Stein and Clawdeen Wolf – the dolls are dressed to impress and ready for the event of the millennium.

Lastly, there’s Draculara’s brand new sleek monster-mobile. No ghoul celebrating her Sweet 1600 can properly do so without new sweet ride, right? This black and pink roadster is absolutely fangtastic!

For your chance to win a doll from the Sweet 1600 collection, just fill out the form below! US only please!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Whole Grain Goodness (Giveaway)

Jayme — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:45:39 +0000

Eating right can be tricky. There’s fruit canned in sugary syrup, vitamin water that is loaded with calories and sugar, fruit & yogurt parfaits that have more calories than an ice cream cone off the same menu…

Without doing lots of research, ingredient reading and calorie comparisons, how is any expected to know what is good for you and what isn’t?

According to Dr. Travis Stork, emergency room physician and host of “The Doctors,” identifying whole grain products can be challenging. Shoppers can look for nutritional cues on the front of the box, but they need to read the ingredient list to know if they are getting enough whole grain. Ingredient lists detail ingredients in order of prevalence, and if the words “whole grain” are followed by a grain like wheat or oats, it means the food contains more whole grain than any other single ingredient. Here’s how to determine if your cereals have whole grain as a first ingredient:

To make it easier to find, now every General Mills cereal with a white check on the box contains more whole grains than any other single ingredient. The Dietary Guidelines recommend people get at least 48 grams of whole grain in their daily diets. Get a jump-start on the day’s nutrition by incorporating whole grain into your morning routine with cereals like that have the white check.

Additional tips include choosing whole grain versions of the foods you love. Great options include whole wheat pasta and whole wheat bread or even whole grain crackers. Also, try different types of whole grain. Use brown rice instead of white rice as a side dish at dinner or popcorn, which is a whole grain, for a snack.

Don’t judge a food by it’s cover! The front of food packages provide good nutritional cues, but don’t forget to read the ingredients and check the nutrition label and side labels for additional health information.

To help with choosing products with whole grain, General Mills developed “Fast Lane for Whole Grain,” an online educational game. Consumers can navigate virtual grocery store aisles and identify products that have whole grain as the first ingredient, with the option to enter a sweepstakes to win one of each of the 50 cereals with the white check.

For more information on the importance of whole grain and a chance to enter the “Fast Lane for Whole Grain” sweepstakes, visit www.WholeGrainNation.com.

Would you like try the five General Mills cereals with the white check? Just leave a comment on this post by Feb. 15th. US only please!

Disclosure: The prize pack, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.