6 Reasons Why Disney's Frozen is so Good

I think Disney's Frozen is one of the best movie musicals in many many years. Starring Idina Menzel, Josh Gad and Kristen Bell and directed by Chris Buck, the film follows Anna, the future Queen of Arendelle, as she races against time to prevent her sister from unwittingly turning the kingdom into an eternally icy realm, meeting some new friends and learning some important lessons on the way.

I think it is one of the most wonderful movies ever for many reasons. I'm going to list them.

1. Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel. Seriously?? For one, I am OBSESSED with Veronica Mars. Yes, I was one of those that watched this show religiously. She rocks my socks. And hello Logan? Swoon. So, let's make a movie and pair her with Broadway darling Idina Menzel. You know how I'm Broadway obsessed: She was Mimi in Rent and Elphaba in Wicked. Um, well just go ahead and consider me obsessed.

2. Since we're already talking about Broadway - the music in this movie is fantastic. It's is Broadway ready - the duets, the writing, the drama, it's so unlike watching a cartoon. This needs to be in live theater stat. Aside from the obvious show stopper songs (Let it Go, For the First Time in Forever - they even do a reprise! Hello!) I can already see Summer on stage, and Fixer Upper being a huge crowd number.

3. The story. Empowerment. Girl power. Love. I come from being the middle of three sisters. And I cannot TELL YOU what a giddy blubbery mess I became when Anna was saved by true love from HER SISTER than some boy. The movie was making you think that. But nope - Sister Love. Awesome.

4. The fact that this movie made fun of instant love. Getting engaged to someone you just met? Oh the utter silliness of it!! Love it.

5. It's one of those fabulous Disney movies that is fun for everyone that watches. I love it, Jake loves it, and both my daughter AND son love it. Thats hard to do nowadays.

5. The villain. I love that the villain is someone you didn't expect right off the bat. Kind of a surprise in the end.

6. Olaf :Precious. Sweet. Funny.

New Year, New Blog, New Look!

So, have ya noticed things look a little different around here? Well, yeah, they do.

We have a new blog and new look! I hope you like it!! I did this for a variety of reasons.

1. Sigh - let's all be honest with ourselves. They are now 4. They are no longer the Fabulous Baby Striblings as much as I'd like to keep them babies.

2. I wanted the blog to be more of a lifetime thing. I will forever be Mandy (I hope) and J&J are the most fabulous multiples I know. So, hopefully that isn't going to change.

3. I love sneaking in some lifestyle, DIY, travel, etc type posts. I wanted it to be more about "us" than just baby updates. (Again, no longer babies...sigh) They are growing up, and I have to accept that. They/you aren't going to enjoy the baby posts anymore, and I want the blog to grow with them and with us. This is and has always been an outlet for me to post about them, me and our family life and other fun shenanigans.

4. Thats pretty much it! I feel like they were growing up, so the blog needed to as well. Hope you like it and like the changes!

2012 - Resolutions and Goals

Well, here is it. The annual resolutions list. Will I keep them all? No, probably not. But, it's something to shoot for, and a goal to set, if you will. They are all actually pretty similar to last year's, because (ahem) I didn't really stick to them very well. Again, they are goals people. - GOALS.

1. Money. I am just going to title this one money. I have got to do better with this. It's a MUST. Why am I so terrified of looking at my balance online? Why should I let my money control me? It should be the other way around, right? I have enough, I get by just fine, but why am I always worried about it? We are going to end this in 2012.

2. Eat more local and organic. (again, this was last years). We did go to the Farmers Market more. But, I am still wanting to cook WAY more vegetables than I do now. And luckily, my 5 year old husband is now branching out a bit more and is willing to at least take bites and maybe even eat some, which makes it easier. I just wish organic living wasn't so darn expensive. I am thinking of enrolling this year in E-mealz. I haven't done it before, but they started a Whole Food plan that looks pretty neato. If you have never heard of it, it's like $5 a month and they plan your menus out weekly depending on what is on sale.

3. Photography. I really want to get better at this. I got some classes for Christmas, so hopefully I'll knock this one out.

4. Sewing. Yes, this was as well on my list last year,and I went to one lesson and then nada. Sigh....And I love my machine, I just need to devote time to it.

5. Devote time to me. I have GOT to get over feeling guilty about being out of the house in the evenings. I feel like I have to be home on the weeknights and feel so guilty if I have something to do (which I never do). Does Jake even care? Probably not. But, I feel bad when I'm not there. Why do I do this to myself? I have no clue. So, this year I am going to get out more - because there are lots of things that need to happen on weekday nights that I need to do for myself:  such as exercise classes (I love Zumba, but never get to go), or just a workout, sewing classes, photography classes, seeing friends, etc. Its my goal this year.

6. And as a side note to number 5, when we are at home, spend time doing stuff together! The kids go down between 7:30-8, and what do we do? Jake watches sports and plays on his ipad, while I am on the computer. Now that is communication at its best! So, I vow this year to do more - whether it be playing games, watching a movie, etc - I want to make our evenings together better spent - so if you have any ideas - send them my way.

7. Daycare - not really a resolution, but a goal. The babes are turning two, and they need to be in a more school type setting now I think. They need to be around other kids more, and really do want it. They are both so smart and just eager to learn as much as they can. And when it's one on two with 2-two year olds, its hard to do much teaching. You are more just maintaining :)

8. Classes for the babes. Again, just a goal. They are two now, so I'm doing some research and seeing what kinds of fun stuff they can get involved in more. I cancelled our Gymboree Membership yesterday, so I think they are ready for older things that they can get involved in.

Any others??? probably. What are yours?

The Reel Wanderers

This post is actually not about me, or the babes. Its about some friends of our that are honestly doing the most amazing thing, and I just want to give them a shout-out of support.

Richie and Leia Buchanan lived in Nashville and grew up in Middle TN. They have two little boys, the oldest about to start kindergarten. They wanted something different for themselves and their children. So, this summer they decided to pack up and move. They sold absolutely everything to their name except what would fit in a van and small trailer.

They then set off out west. They did a  bit of research on where they would end up, and at the last I think it might be Bend, Oregon. But, they didn't know for sure. They are just going out there and will live where they like best. They just wanted somewhere different than TN. They wanted their kids to grow up differently and more open cultured than they did. So they set of a couple of weeks ago and saw the Western United States. They have camped and traveled.

Its just so awe inspiring that I just had to post about it and share their blog of their journey. It is just something I honestly would or could ever do, and I think that's why I admire them. Good for you guys! We will miss you terribly, but wish you and your family the most awesome  life and journey!

www.reelwanders.net

Computer Update

If you recall, my hard drive crashed. Well, I finally heard back from the computer peeps yesterday. Do you want the good news or bad news first? Bad news it is!

They cannot fix it. The hard drive is so badly damaged that each time they would try to run data recovery, it would run for about an hour then crash again. They have been working on it off and on for several weeks now, with no luck. He said that hard drives are a tricky thing. That I did not do anything wrong at all, that it just sometimes "happens". That hard drives can last 10 years, or 10 months. I am beyond devastated. I have lost numerous pictures. Yes, I know I have some posted on facebook, some on my slide.com slideshows, some on Snapfish, and some on Picasa that have been saved from my blog (thanks Tiff for that tidbit!). But to go through each site is going to take alot of time, and its still not going to be all of them. I did have all the pictures from maybe birth - 4 months backed up, so thats good. Just nothing from 4 months on. I have also lost all my computer programs, including photoshop. I have lost all my beautiful photoshop actions, and they were expensive, a few hundred dollars. I lost the beginnings of my novel that I was writing. And yes, I know I coudl start again, but it was all I could do to get what I could in my computer, and I don't know if I will make that effort again starting from scratch, which is disheartening.

Now for the good news. Oh yeah, there is none. I get to go pick up my broken laptop and buy all new crap for it. Oh joy. Back up your shit. Don't make the same mistake I did. Oh, yeah, and the laptop was only a couple of years old, too. Fabulous. And isn't it ironic that I was posting about this back in February. Its like I am psychic and knew this was about to happen.

Your Average Day with 17 month old twins...

Yes, I know I post their schedules during my monthly Baby Updates posts, but I thought I would give you a  glimeps on what our kinds/sort of typical day is like here at the Baby Stribling household*:

*I do work, so this is a schedule when I am home with them or during the weekends. during the week my nanny does this same type of schedule

6:30-7am: Babies are a stirring! It depends, actually. The birds outside their window are SO LOUD, and if the weather is beautiful, the birds get after it pretty early, which usually wakes up a baby. And once one wakes up, the other is not far behind (they are still sharing a room)

7:00 - I go down and get a large sippy cup of milk for them and take it back upstairs

7:15 - we open the door to a plethora of baby giggles, smiles, and "Mama", "Dadas". Honestly, this might be my favorite past of the day. They are SO HAPPY to see us. Next is stripping them down and changing their diapers (which are usually disgusting. I don't know why, but they continue to do nastiness in the middle of the night!) Then they both sit down in daddy's lap in the rock and drink their milk while I turn on the Today show in their room. Then I proceed to get their outfits ready for the day.

7:30-8am: we change into our day's outfits, and then its book time. They are SO Excited to get down from Jake's lap so they can go head first into books. Then we read for a while before going downstairs.

8am-8:30: I'll let them run around for a few minutes while I get breakfast ready for them. It can consist of oatmeal (can someone please come tech my kids how to use a spoon? I just simply can't do it. I give up, lol), waffles, eggs, toast, fruit, yogurt, etc, etc

8:30-9: I turn on the Toddler Tunes station on Comcast Music and we read more books and/or dance party fun while listening to some tunes.

9-9:30 - they will go upstairs with me while I change clothes and get ready. (a shower for me might not be until naptime, lol)

9:30 : I try to get out of the house with them for a bit, and this in and of itself is an adventure with toddler twins. We might go to Target, to the grocery, to the park, to the pool, to one of our indoor play places, or to the zoo.

11:00 - eat some lunch. This usually isn't a huge meal, some chicken or fish, avocado, cheese, cut up veggies, fruit, or cheese sandwich and goldfish, etc.

11:30/12 (depending on what time we get back home) - Blissful nap time - woohoo!! They have been sleeping a good 2.5 - 3 hours since we went down to one nap. I will typically do a quick workout, shower, clean up the kitchen, living room, (it already looks like a tornado has been through there), play on the internet, check email, etc.

2:30 - up and ready to go! We change diapers again and head downstairs. They they play in the playroom for a little while, or learn a project (right now we are working on coloring). They drink more milk and I get their lunch #2 ready.

3:00 - lunch #2 is a little more food than lunch #1, I may give them a pasta of some sort with veggies.

3:30-4:30 - play some more in the playroom. if I am working I get home at 3:30, so I usually will play with them for an hour or so in the playroom and do "free play". So, I usually just do the same when I am home.

4:30 - 6:30 - If we haven't gone anywhere that morning, we may go out and run a couple of errands, or do the same life as above. or, we may watch a Baby Einstein or Yo Gabba Gabba together, go for a Wagon Ride around the neighborhood, work with some flashcards or work on our colors, letters, and shapes, etc. (this is vice/versa in the mornings if we go out in the afternoon) We also drink more milk and have a snack if they want it. Jake usually gets home aroun6, so he usually plays with them while I get our dinner started

6:30 - dinner time! I still don't eat dinner with the babies. We have tried, but its just too much trouble right now, and this just works for us better. I know we probably should, but we don't, lol. Plus, its nice once we put the babies down to have dinner just Jake and I and watch TV. Kind of like our own little "date night" every night.

7:00 - bath time! The babies love this! Jake bathes them while I go back downstairs and do something else with dinner and clean up their trays, re-clean the living room, and such. Then I go back upstairs and dry off Jules and get her ready for bed while Jake finishes Josh, then do the same with Josh. More books are read! (I have so many in our house, its really embarrassing. I have a basket of books in every room in my house)

7:30 - night, night babies! I put them to bed while Jake reads them a story. Then he comes downstairs and we eat dinner, watch TV, etc. Then eventually bedtime for us!

So, there you have it. A glimpse into our daily life!

PLEASE, PLEASE vote for us....pretty please?

Tina Fey’s Prayer for a Daughter! A MUST Read For Any Parent

I love this!! Its from her book, Bossypants. I love this so much I will probably get the book - you should too!! (well, except the part about high heels, because I do love my heels)

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.



May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.


When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.


Guide her, protect her


When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.


Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.


What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.


May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.


Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.


O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.


And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.


And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.

“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.


Amen.

Time to Party

I don't like not being on the invite list for parties. So, when I heard from other bloggy friends about this way cool blog party, I felt I must jump in and invite myself. So, without further adieu, here is a little about me and my fabulous life:

Moi. Naturally curly headed. Love wine, Miller Lite, or a good fruity drink. Love musical theater, television, computers, and a celebrity gossip addict. Love to laugh.

Jake. Also Naturally curly headed. A banker. Loves Coors Lite, water, v8, and orange juice. A steak and potatoes guy. Lover of any and all sports, player of golf. Loves his family more than anything in the world.

The kiddos.

Jules. Funny as all getout. Wishes to be an only child. Center of attention. Sweetie pie. Super smart.  Picks up lint/dirt off the floor and brings it to you. Loves to dance, clap, loves music, and  loves putting things away. Is Mommy's Helper. Loves baby dolls and books. Dislikes are being confined in any way. Has had the same personality since in the womb.

Josh. Little cuddle bug. Loves to laugh and could be tickled literally all day long. Would love to play with Jules he would let her. Secretly steals toys and picks on Jules but thinks we never see it. A monkey-like climber. Loves stuffed animals and balls. Dislikes time out. Has the cutest eyes and smile you have ever seen.

The reason for our existence. Worth all the heartache, longing, struggle, and every single penny. I wouldn't trade my experience for anything, because I have two smart, funny, beautiful children to show for it. We are very blessed. They are the absolute best things that ever happened to us. And, I would imagine will also have a head full of golden curls. I now understand why praying mantises eat their young.

Been there, done that, bought a t-shirt

There is nothing more true than this video, and it is hysterical...

Facelift

Thought I would give the old blog a little bit of a facelift, just for funsies.

Help! We're Stuck!

Do you remember that photo printer commercial of the kid jumping off the diving board and is stuck in mid air? He (talking from the picture) tells the mom, "Hey, we're still here, stuck in your digital camera b/c you haven't printed us yet". Thats how I feel.

Now, not only do I have literally THOUSANDS of digital pictures on different memory cards, believe it or not, I have TONS of videos too. Betcha didn't know that, huh, because I have never posted them! Its not because I am secretive about it, its just that I can't find time to sit down and do that too!

So, my questions is this, all you moms with kids out there in the digital revolution, what are you doing with all these pictures? I was at one time trying to put them all on Snapfish, but that takes a lot of time too, and each album only holds so may pictures. So, then I have to start a new one. What about Flickr? Are you at all worried that these websites will eventually be non-existent and will eventually lose all your pictures? Are you burning them to CD? Are you printing off all pictures and storing them someway? What are you doing with your memory cards? How are you storing your videos?

Ok, thats all. Comments please! I need some ideas - because right now, they are one, and I have thousands. I will not make it to 18 years old at this rate.

Its Consignment Time in TN!

Its that time of year here in middle Tennessee. Its consignment time. In the fall and spring, there are many...MANY children's consignment sales going on. It is utter craziness. And I do mean CRAZINESS. I had no idea. I don't think most people know the magnitude of some of these sales. I had not know they existed before I was pregnant. So, once I got pregnant, I decided to check a couple out. Ummmm...nope. I was so overwhelmed. I thought registering was bad enough, and that is nothing compared to consignment sales. However, once I had my kiddos, and knew about babies a little better, I decided to tackle the consignment thing again. And I must say, wow, its worth it. I have bought SO MANY great things. And now, I even buy things on a whim that I think I could "reconsign for a profit". I found a Baby Bjorn at a thrift store for $4! That thing can resell for at least $40! Yes, I have become that person. Which leads me to now.



I am, for the first time, going to consign my things in a sale. Yup. I am selling everything. (well, not everything, am keeping a few pieces, read below) But, I am selling most of it. I am not planning future kids at the moment. But I figure if it happens, we will cross that bridge, and I can always go buy more stuff at consignment!



So, at the moment, I am MILE HIGH in stuff. I cannot believe the amount of things these babies have accumulates in a mere 12 months. It is insane!! As of right now, I am in the mist of cleaning, tagging, hanging, and pricing. I really, really hope its worth it!



Things I am keeping:



their preemie onsies and sleepers (so, so teeny tiny, and reminders of those first weeks)

their take me home outfits (monogrammed gowns)

their first matchy-matchy outfits that they would wear on any outing their first months

sleeping gowns they wore until they were sleeping through the night (just couldn't bear to part)

outfits for any professional pictures we had done.



Thats it! If you want to look up some consignment sales in your area you can go here:



http://www.kidsconsignmentsales.com/

New Year Resolutions

OK, here we go. There are the uber impressive New Year's Resolutions for 2011. Let's see how they do!!

1. Ok, be 100% debt free and save lots of money. Isn't this everyone's?

2. Eat more local, organic products. Maybe even start participating in a CSA

3. Exercise REGULARLY. Am already missing those breastfeeding calories! (stopped BFing on their first birthday)

4. Learn how to sew. My lovely Mommy got me a fabulous sewing/embrodery machine for Christmas, now all I have to do is learn how to use it! I am soooo excited to, though!

5. Learn photography. I intend to take a photography class this year. Since I got my new camera in September, I am anxious to learn all about it.

6. Oh, and raise the best kiddos ever!!

I will check in on these from time to time. Gotta stay with them!! What are yours?

Weekend Project

Did two things this weekend that were pretty cool. First off, Jake's mom gave us this little table and chairs that she bought for the kids. She came up this weekend to help us turn our sunroom into a playroom (project#2), so I decided to tackle the table project. It is AMAZING what a little paint can do!

I painted the table white with a chocolate top, and each chair pink and blue. I then went to Michael's and bought little letters for their names and a wooden cat and dog. I then painted the letters chocolate to match the top of the table, and glued them and the cat and dog on each chair. They turned out soooooo cute! I love it.






Project number 2 was turning our sunroom into a playroom for the kiddos. As much we love our sunroom, it just isn't used very much. And boy, did we ever need a place for their many, many toys! So, our went the wicker furniture, and in went toys, toys, and more toys. The only problem now is keeping it warm. However, as long as the sun is shining it is fine. Today it was around 40-45 degrees here, and it was quite warm in the sunroom. I guess they can play out there when the sun is out and inside when its not. Anyway, its a good fix for now!

Sad Face....

I am a bad mother. I have given my precious babies their first cold. I thought it was allergies. My doctor said it was allergies. So, hmmmm, if it was allergies, how come my babies can't breathe, stupid doctor man?

I am supposed to just keep a watch on them to make sure there is no fever or wheezing. Right now they are just really sneezy and snotty. Bless their hearts. I am so sad for them. And sad for me because I did it to them. Lots of sad faces all around. I guess I should be happy because 1. they are 7 months old and have never been sick one day in their life, and 2. this will build up their immune system, and 3. it was bound to happen sometime.