Holy crap, people. It’s nothing short of miserable here in New England, once again. Pouring rain, such that the kids requested I sing the “rain song” this morning (i.e. rain, rain, go away). Also, requests for “no mo thunder.” Sigh.

Anyways, while I’m on the verge of seasonal affective disorder, or just a total mental breakdown, I thought I’d just put up something silly and random to make you smile. This is Daniel on Wednesday (oh lord, was that only yesterday?) morning. The pajamas came off after an oatmeal incident at breakfast. The rest… well… the rest just happened in the way things just happen with toddlers. You bet your ass I’m showing this to his prom date.

Interesting Wardrobe Choice from Goddess in Progress on Vimeo.

Playing along with Makes My Monday, hosted at Twinfatuation!

When the kids were newborns, people gave us a lot of clothes.  But some of them were in sizes way to huge to even contemplate, so they were stored away in a drawer.  Jackets in 2T, dresses in size 4. For my little six-pound bundles? The day would seemingly never come.

But every now and then I remember there are “bigger” things stored away in that bottom drawer, and one thing I delightedly came across a month or two ago was a matching set of pajamas printed with two of the kids’ favorite things: monkeys and bananas.  And in a (larger than most) size 18 months!  They’re my new favorites, while the nights are still chilly, but are also big enough that I suspect we’ll still get more wear out of them next fall.

Cheryl at Twinfatuation hosts Makes My Monday.  What makes your day today?

For me, it has to be Daniel’s fashion sense, or at least his ideas about clothing.  To start, the sleep sack.  We are still using Halo Sleep Sacks for all naps and overnight, the only exception being a few particularly warm and feverish days in Florida.  Sometimes after nap, when I ask Daniel if I should take his off, he very clearly says “no.”  (Except in his super-cute Daniel way, which is more like “no?”)  Who am I to argue, as long as we have nowhere to be?

For those who take their babies out of sleep sacks at 8 or 9 months because they think it will interfere with mobility?  Ha, I say! Ha!  Daniel walked around for a solid 30 minutes in that thing, completely zipped up.  As long as it isn’t a size too small (we still have some mediums hanging around), he has no problems.

Eventually, though, he did decide that it was alright if I took it off.  Mostly so that he could put on his jacket.  And Daddy’s shoes.  And insist that we go outside.  But give me a big huge NO if I suggest that maybe we need pants when it’s cold out.*

Who am I to argue when he has such a definitive idea of what is appropriate to the situation?

*We did not, in fact, go outside without pants.  In case you were wondering.

It snuck up on me. It shouldn’t have, as I was the one who made the plans in the first place, but suddenly it approaches. We’re leaving for Florida at the end of next week.

Oh, I know, poor me leaving cold and snowy New England for the sun and beach. Believe me, I’m looking forward to wearing fewer layers. But I’m suddenly freaking out for two reasons. The first is obviously traveling with the babies (no, we aren’t flying at bedtime, thank you). Nervous about the flights, frantically making lists of things to bring and things to buy. We’re going down to see M’s family, who lives there. But I’m actually staying longer so that I can hang out with my mom at her condo in the same general area. The good part about this is that we can potentially buy things and leave them down there, if not for our own future use, at least for someone’s. The bad part is, well, buying stuff. I don’t want to spend a ton of money on things that will only be used for a week. Anyways, I’m poking around Amazon.com and Craigslist, and even sent emails to some MOT clubs in Florida. We’ll see.

The other major reason I’m freaking out is the sudden realization that I have to pack for myself. Um, can you say, oh crap? If I already thought I had very few clothes that fit, and I’ve vowed not to wear maternity clothes out of the house anymore, you can just imagine what the warm-weather clothing situation must be like. Let’s just say, it’s not good. So now I’m on Old Navy, Lane Bryant, and Lands’ End, searching for shorts and t-shirts. And… oh my god… a swimsuit. I’m starting to feel faint. I mean, I’m looking forward to taking my kids for a dip in the pool, but does that really mean I have to don swimwear in a semi-public place? Oh dear. Maybe I’ll be the designated photographer. I can already hear my mom’s less-than-subtle questions about Weight Watchers. (No, I haven’t started yet. Yes, I’m going to.) Good times…

I do think it will be a nice visit, and I’m looking forward to temperatures in the 70s, to be sure. But for the moment… good lord, I have a lot of lists to make.

Resolutions are so cliche, I know, but I think I should write them down in the hopes of holding myself accountable. They’re more “goals” than resolutions. But I think it’s a good exercise, anyways, to think about the ways in which you’d like to improve yourself or your life. So, here’s my list.

1. Lose weight. Yes, the ultimate New Year’s cliche. But I’m still holding on to way too much baby weight, and it’s just not acceptable. Most likely I’ll go back on Weight Watchers. I’ve done it before, and it works for me every time. It’s just that I lose steam… Ah well. Gotta keep trying. But this resolution has several sub-goals, which are more specific markers to reach for:
   • Wear wedding rings. I haven’t worn my wedding and engagement rings since I was about 12 weeks pregnant. I really miss them, but I want to try and avoid having them re-sized.
   • Stop wearing maternity clothes. My dirty little secret is now out. I still sometimes wear maternity clothes outside of the house. Stacey and Clinton just felt a small part of them die inside. Well, it ends with the new year. No more maternity clothes (except as pajamas, because they sure are comfy).
   • Shop at Ann Taylor Loft again. Must fit fat ass into real pants. Must get out of plus sizes. Lane Bryant is a good option, and all, but I know I can be in the regular sizes again.
2. Exercise. Related to, but separate from the weight loss. I need it to clear my head, I need it to be in better shape for my kids. I need to be stronger, so I can keep up with my babies-who-will-soon-be-mobile. And I need to not throw my back out. That’s not cool.
3. Get a babysitter. Necessary for accomplishing goal #2, but also necessary for my sanity. I love my kids more than anything, but I need a break sometimes. And there’s literally no way I’ll ever get to the gym without a sitter to watch the kids. This one is in progress, just waiting for the potential sitter to return from winter break.
4. Be more baby-centered when the twins are awake. I feel as though I too frequently finish feeding the babies, then “put” them somewhere while I do something. Laundry, washing bottles, eating breakfast, whatever. And while that’s sometimes both necessary and good, as independent play is an important skill, I really think some of those tasks could wait (aside from breakfast) and I could just sit and interact with them more.
5. Read to them. A more specific counterpart to goal #4. M and I both love to read, and were real bookworms as kids, and I hope to pass that love of books to our children. And, thanks to wonderful friends and family, we have an enormous library of children’s books from which to choose. Time to put them to good use. First step: at least two books per day.
6. Be more productive when the twins are asleep. Sometimes getting them to sleep is so exhausting that I just want to veg out while they nap. And sometimes that’s just peachy. But if I’m going to be more centered on them when they’re awake, then I need to make better use of my time when they’re asleep.
7. Finish their quilts. Seriously. It’s been way too long.
8. Decorate their nursery. I have nursery envy from the one my dad set up, and I realized that their rooms here are a little minimalist for my taste. We’ve got picture frames and photos to put in them coming out the wazoo. Time to unleash my inner decorator.
9. Take a photography class. I love taking pictures, of the babies in particular. And I just got a fancy new lens for my camera. But I know I’m not taking full advantage of my tools, so I’d like to learn how.
10. Get back in touch with M. Last, but should not be least. It’s so easy, as all new moms know, to neglect your relationship with your husband when babies arrive. I’ve been trying not to, but I could do better.

It’s a rainy day here in New England. Not too cold, but soon to be the kind of nasty 40-degree rain that makes you just wish it would drop another 10 degrees and snow. At least that would be pretty. But regardless, today was a day to stay inside. I’ve made it a goal to leave the house with the babies nearly every day, but the fact that I generally do accomplish that makes a single day at home not at all bad. Especially when said babies are more or less happy and cooperative. Today is, thankfully, one of those days.

But just to show you that I have my new Mommy priorities in order… by 10AM, my kids were dressed. Not just a shirt over their diaper, but in cute outfits. Daniel in a green long-sleeved shirt and overalls, Rebecca stylish in a pink shirt, jeans, and even a brown cardigan. Me? Yeah. It’s 3:30pm and I’m still in my pajamas. Not even nice pajamas. Plaid PJ pants that are at least 9 years old (and probably stolen from a boyfriend), and a t-shirt that’s even older. Classy.

Some people hope their children will be more wealthy or successful than they were, themselves. I think I just hope mine will be a bit more fashionable. Give it a year, and Stacy and Clinton will be coming for me. I swear on this day that I will not be one of those nutjobs who fights them (or Nick Arrojo, thank you very much). I will welcome fashion bootcamp with open arms. Anyone want to nominate me for the show? I always thought I wasn’t a desperate enough case to make for good TV, but I might just be on my way…

As of this posting, I have not yet taken any pictures of them in said cute outfits. If I do, I’ll add them later. In the meantime, a picture from yesterday afternoon’s walk. Gotta love the Double Snap N Go!