Yearbookyourself.com

So if you haven't been to the website www.yearbookyourself.com yet, you need to visit it. If you did the dancing elves last year, it's similar to that, and absolutely hysterical! This is what our family would look like through the years.... Jill 1978

Aaron 1968

Amanda 1960

Scott 1980

Hope you had a good laugh!

And now for your musical enjoyment....

So can I just say that Baby Einstein piano is the next best purchase next to the links that we bought! Jill and Aaron practically fight over it (Jill actually pinched Aaron today to get it back, yes it has started already). Tomorrow morning we are meeting up with Lani, Lily, Ben and Cameron for a walk and maybe even some baby swing time! We are actually experiencing autumn weather so we are all trying to take advantage of it. Hope you enjoy the video!

NO MORE SWADDLES!!!

So I'm going to keep this one short since I'm old and it's past my bed time, no seriously it is...but last night and tonight Jill has slept in regular pajamas and not a swaddle blanket. You have no idea how excited I am about that (not that I could properly swaddle her in the first place), I was starting to worry that we would have to contact Omar the tent maker on a larger swaddle. Thank goodness we won't have to do that! Hope all is well! Good night all!

Lazy weekend

Today was going to be a lazy day, but then I remembered I still have to do the christening invitations (not that I've started mind you). I have all the stuff to do it, it's just a matter of sitting down and actually starting, the goal is to have them done and in the mail by Halloween! Other than that it was a lazy day, we met up with Scott's parents for dinner tonight which is always a good time. I got to use their Floppy seats in the highchairs and I have to say they are worth it, honestly, especially since Aaron and Jill are in their chewing phase.

In walking news....Lani, April and I are planning on starting our "training" to get ready for the Autism walk on the 15th. We're going to try and go to a baby boot camp on Wednesday to learn some stroller workouts to do and then we're probably just going to continue doing whatever they teach us while on our walks in Celebration.

The photos I put up are just random ones from the weekend, enjoy and hope all is well!

Orlando Walk for Autism among other things

Let me start by saying HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!! It seems like everyone's birthday is this month, doesn't it? Ok, back on topic...so Lani, April and I have decided to do the Orlando Walk for Autism which is being held November 15th at Disney's Wide World of Sports. It's a great cause, it honestly is and I have learned so much more about autism since signing up. All the proceeds from the walk go towards research since there is no cure. If you want to check out their website and our team you can go to http://www.walknowforautism.org/orlando/personal/amnethero If you are in the area and want to join us in the walk you can register on our team page (Moms of multiples, obviously!) and of course on either page you can make a donation which would be greatly appreciated (and is tax deductible!).
The past few days have been pretty crazy over here. Scott had an event at work last night so Aunt Staci ;) came over to keep me and the babies company. I think Scott finally got in the door around 4 am, so it was great having Staci there to help me get the day started! Needless to say today was a lazy day with a whole lot of college football (GO NOLES!) and I think tomorrow may be the same way. Hope all is well with everyone!

Pal's Park Daycare!

We had a playdate today at Pal's park (same one we went to on Sunday) with April, Hunter, Hadden, Hendrix, Lani, Lily, Ben, Cameron, Sarah, Luke and Grayson (4 Mommy's and 10 yes 10 children). The weather was amazing, it was so beautiful outside! And yes, we were asked if we worked for a daycare, actually I think the woman said "So like are you guys with a daycare or something?" kind of makes you wonder sometimes.....

The freak parade

I was reading a post that my friend Lani put on her blog (blog post) and I couldn't help but laugh and totally sympathize/empathize with what the woman who wrote it had to say. And today had to have been the perfect day for me to read it because it made me laugh while walking through the store being stared at like some kind of freak show (apparently that is what happens once you have more than one child at the same time). I will say though, it was hard to smile and nod when the woman at Kohl's asked if I had a boy and a girl, because you know it's hard to tell at this age (mind you Jill was in a pink bib and Aaron was in a blue bib). And then it made me realize there should be some kind of flyer that we can all hand out with questions/comments people just shouldn't ask(especially when we're at the store or we have a fussy baby)...for example...

• Are they twins/triplets/quads? Nooooooo! I just happened to have this many kids at the same time!
• Are they natural? Um ok none of your business, seriously, I didn't ask you if your kid was natural, so why is it ok for you to ask me?
• Are they identical? Personally this one grates on my nerves, I have a boy and a girl, how in the world could they be identical?
• Boy, you must have your hands full! Obviously...
• How do you do it? I don't know, how did you with just one?
• Do you have twins in your family? I'm sure if we all looked into our family history you would find twins at some point, but on the same note, I don't need to hear your family history on twins that run in your family, no offense.
• I always wanted twins! I'm sure you did...
• Oh a boy and a girl? Wow you just got an instant family all done in one shot! I'd comment, but uhhh I have no words for this....I haven't had enough Pinot Grigio to answer that (lay another one on me bartender!).
• Did you breastfeed? Ok, seriously look back to my answer for are they natural.
• You look good for having twins! Ummm thanks, I think?

Just had to vent, now on to a relaxing night of Dancing with the Stars and yes, some Pinot Grigio!

Happy Birthday Lorren!

So in honor of Lorren's birthday....

Hope it was a great day Lor!

XOXO

Sunday afternoons in the park

I have to say today's weather was, in a word, AMAZING! It was mid 70's pretty much all day, it was wonderful, I hope it stays that way! Since the weather was so nice Scott and I took the kids to the park near our house. It's a great little park that has a huge play area, tons of open space, baseball/t-ball fields, soccer fields, tennis courts and a pavillion (http://clermont.govoffice.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={7D23DCBD-EAF1-4BAE-8C7F-C988ED135FC1}. There's also a boardwalk that leads back to one of the big lakes out here. The kids got to swing again today (video is underneath this post), Aaron absolutely loves it and Jill is still a little unsure. Today though she tried to eat the swing (gross!), but at least it wasn't sand, right? I can't wait until they're a little older so they can really enjoy that park, it has tons of slides and is set up almost like a fort, it's pretty cool, makes you wish you were a kid again!
Today is also my Dad's birthday! YAY!!!! So a big happy 71st birthday to my Dad!!! Hope it was a great one! And a happy early birthday to my niece Lorren (also Jill's Godmother!) who is going to be 19 tomorrow! And no FSU boys, you still are not allowed to date her!

Hunter, Hadden and Hendrix's First Birthday!

Today was Hunter, Hadden and Hendrix's first birthday party, it was at the Kissimmee lakefront (beautiful park!). The weather was actually amazing, which was great! The boys even had birthday crowns, April always seems to find the cutest things that you would never think of! Watching the boys eat their cake was obviously the highlight of the party. Yellow, blue and green icing was everywhere! It was a good thing we were right next to the splash park so April and Brian could hose them off. The magnificent 8 even got to go on the swings after all the cake and presents. Jill wasn't too sure about it at first, but Aaron had a blast! Jill had more fun when she was watching Aaron swing though, I wish I had video of her laughing, it was hysterical! Now we're all just winding down and getting ready to enjoy a nice quiet Sunday, hope everyone else does the same!

Teething...evil evil evil!

So this teething thing is out of control! Aaron isn't so bad, I mean he has his moments, don't get me wrong, but for the most part he is pretty chill about the whole thing and doesn't really fuss about it. Now Jill....we are in our screaming phase with the teething, and it's not like it happens all day, just at bedtime. For example, last night, I was able to get her settled and asleep by 8pm, I was amazed, I even did a little dance I was that excited! But then a half hour later she woke up and started that blood curling scream (my neighbors must think we beat her or something) and it took us over an hour to get her back down. I just don't know what else to do, the baby orajel works, but it takes like 15-30 minutes before she finally calms down, and I don't want to give it to her before she starts screaming because I don't want her to build up some kind of tolerance to it. I'm really just hoping these teeth, or even just one, pops through so she can get some relief. Keep your fingers (and toes if you can) crossed!

The much awaited video!

Here is a video of Aaron and Jill just playing. When I was going through the video I had a lot of it is from when they were really little, I've been bad about taking video, sorry! Maybe I'll put up some of the really old footage, not sure yet. Enjoy!!!

Always a first for everything...

So normally I do this on the Carepages website, but....this one seems cooler! Ha ha! We've had a pretty busy week this week, which is always nice. Wednesday we went to the pumpkin patch in Celebration with Lani, Ben, Cameron, Lily, April, Hunter, Hadden and Hendrix (yeah we turned a few heads). It was a really nice trip, the patch was set up with picture spots which we didn't expect, and the guy that was running it was super nice and even set up a wagon with pumpkins so we could take some more pictures. Tomorrow we have our first birthday party to go to! Hunter, Hadden and Hendrix are one today (happy birthday boys!) and we can't wait to spend tomorrow afternoon with them!

In other news teething is...well it sucks. I can't wait for those first teeth to pop through so it hopefully gives them some relief! I also never thought so much drool could come out of such tiny people! They are like leaky faucets right now!

That's pretty much it for right now, I'm going to try and put up some video (Yay!!!) later.

Inspirational Videos

I'm taking a cue from the very dear Elizabeth Lyons and creating my own inspirational video page. There are so many things in this world that are inspiring and sometimes when you're having a craptastic day you need to be reminded just how awesome everything around you is, or something to give you a quick pick up. Enjoy!



























More to come....

100 books I want to read

As a part of my bucket list, I want to read these 100 books before I'm 100. So here they are, in no particular order:

1. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
2. Their eyes were watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
3. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
4. The Help by Kathryn Stockett 
5. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
6. A Girl and Five Brave Horses by Sonora Carter
7. The Diary of St. Faustina by St. Maria Faustina
8. Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts
9. The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton
10. Wicked by Gregory Maguire -completed
11. The Great Gatsby (re-read) by F. Scott Fitzgerald
12. The Catcher in the Rye (re-read) by J.D. Salinger
13. To Kill a Mockingbird (re-read) by Harper Lee
14. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
15. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
16. The Joy Luck Club (re-read) by Amy Tan
17. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
18. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
19. Atonement by Ian McEwan
20. The Other Boelyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory
21. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
22. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
23. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
24. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
25. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
26. Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
27. The Boy in Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
28. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
29. My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler
30. Are You There Vodka? It's Me Chelsea by Chelsea Handler
31. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
32. The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright
33. All the Kings Men by Robert Penn Warren
34. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
35. The Scarlet Letter (re-read)by Nathaniel Hawthorne
36. Of Mice and Men (re-read) by John Steinbeck
37. Day After Night by Anita Diamant
38. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
39. Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert
40. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
41. Beloved by Toni Morrison
42. Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler
43. Julie and Julia by Julie Powell
44. Wouldn't Take Nothing For My Journey Now by Maya Angelou
45. Kite Runner
46. The Red Tent (re-read) by Anita Diamant
47. The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin
48. Shop Girl by Steve Martin
49. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
50. Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
51. 10 Little Indians by Agatha Christie
52. Tara Road (re-read, I think?) by Maeve Binchy
53. The Grapes of Wrath (re-read) by John Steinbeck
54. The Ballad of the Sad Cafe by Carson McCullers
55. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
56. The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow
57. No Greater Love by Mother Teresa
58. Go in Peace: A Gift of Enduring Love by Pope John Paul II
59. 5th Avenue, 5 a.m by Sam Wasson
60. The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards
61. Cry, The Beloved Country (re-read) by Alan Paton
62. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire
63. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
64. Lucky: A Memoir by Alice Sebold
65. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
66. This Time Together by Carol Burnett
67. Dreams from my Father by Barack Obama
68. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
69. The Color Purple
70. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
71. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
72. Like water for chocolate
73. Schindler's List
74. The Shack
75. The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway

*Check back for the full list

Disclosure Policy

This policy is valid from 31 December 2009


For questions about this blog, please contact Amanda (amanda.nethero@gmail.com)


This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements.

The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does contain content which might present a conflict of interest. This content will always be identified.


To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

Networks I'm in

Visit 20 Something Bloggers


Visit Mom Bloggers Club

Blog Awards

This is kind of like a wall of fame! Here are all the blog awards I've received:

About Us

I'm Amanda, a native south suburbanite of Chicago (I have the accent and White Sox apparel to prove it) that now lives in the sunshine state. I work in marketing during the day and train for half and full marathons by night.

This blog started as more of a journal for my family back home, but now it is morphing into a blog about my training and running life.

You can expect a lot of posts about trips to Disney, me training for races or running in races and everything else in between.

So, sit back, relax and enjoy this crazy ride of mine!

My Recipes

Occasionally, I post some of the yummy things that I make for my family. This is the main place where you will find all of those recipes. I have them broken down by category for you so they are easy to find. Enjoy!

Breakfast

• Dutch Baby (aka Apple Oven Pancake)

• Potato Pancakes

• Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

• Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins

• Banana-Nut Bread

• Blueberry Cream Cheese French Toast

• Strawberry Muffins

• Blueberry Health Muffins

• Maple Pumpkin Muffins

• Homemade Pancakes

• Eggnog French Toast (kid friendly)

• Cinnamon Roll Casserole

• Honey Maple Granola

Soups

• Not your Nonna's Pasta Fagioli

• Loaded Baked Potato Soup

• Cheddar Cheese Soup (aka Beer Cheese Soup)

• Turkey Chili

• MOM's Minestrone

• Fiesta Taco Soup

• Pasta e Fagioli (similar to Olive Garden)

• Meatball and Spinach Soup

• Creamy Tomato Soup

Lunch/Dinner

• Scott's BBQ sauce

• Turkey Meatballs

• Spicy Seared Swordfish with Tomato-Garlic Relish

• Buffalo Grilled Chicken with Blue Cheese Potatoes

• Italian Crescent Roll Casserole

• Four Cheese Mac 'n' Cheese with Bacon

• Festive Pork Roast with Garlic Green Bean and Chive Mashed Potatoes

• Turkey Lasagna with Spinach

• Easy Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin

• Margherita Pizza

• Low-Cal Tuna-Cranberry Lettuce Wraps

• BBQ Pulled Pork in the Crock Pot

• Chicken Noodle Salad

• Mojo Marinated Chicken

• Chicken a la King Kebabs

• Jamaican Jerk Chicken

• Chicken Noodle Salad

• Fig and Rosemary Pork

• Spicy-Sweet Linguine alla Vodka

• Shredded Hawaiian BBQ Chicken in the Crock Pot

• BBQ Chicken Pizza

• Chicken Fried Rice

• Crock Pot Parmesan Honey Pork Roast

• Pasta with Asparagus

• Baked Garlic and Brown Sugar Chicken

• Chicken Tamale Pie

• Baked Ravioli

• Firecracker Shrimp

• Moroccan Chicken

• BLT Salad

• Italian Crock Pot Chicken

• Cheesy Chicken and Rice

• Slow Cooker Country Style Ribs

• Slow Cooker Chicken Jambalaya

• The Perfect Roasted Chicken

• Shrimp Etouffée

• Chicken, Broccoli and Asparagus Stir Fry

• Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

• Vegetarian Chili Stuffed Baked Potatoes

• Couscous Paella with Shrimp and Chicken Sausage

• Chicken with sauteed apples and Swiss chard

• Shrimp Boil

• Chinese Five-Spice Turkey Lettuce Wraps

• Chicken Marsala with Parmesan Orzo

Sides

• Cinnamon Apples

• Potato Pancakes

• Holiday Recipes: Garlic Mashed Potatoes

• Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes

• Fresh Fruit Salad with Mint

• Garlic Green Beans (end of post)

• Chive Mashed Potatoes (end of post)

• Homemade BBQ Baked Beans

• Cottage-Fried Potatoes

• Summer Vegetable Tian

Breads/Muffins

• Banana-Nut Bread

• Zucchini Bread

• Honey Whole Wheat Bread

• Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins

• Strawberry Muffins

• Blueberry Health Muffins

• Maple Pumpkin Muffins

• Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

• Zucchini Apple Muffins/Bread

• Irish Soda Bread

• Cinnamon Swirl Bread

• Blueberry Cream Cheese Bread

Cookies

• Holiday Recipes: Toffee Crackle Cookies and Peanut Butter Blossoms

• Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

• Scotch Shortbread

• Pumpkin Cookies Decorated like Spiderwebs

• Choc-Oat-Chip Cookie Bars

• Hot Cocoa Cookies

• Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

• Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cookies

• Lunchbox Oatmeal Cookies

• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip

Desserts

• Buttermilk Pound Cake

• Holiday Recipes:links to Chocolate Covered Brownie Bites and Chocolate Truffles

• French Silk Pie

• Oreo Truffles

• Orange Creamsicles

• Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Fig Filling and Orange Blossom Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

• Baked Apples

• Honey Cupcakes

• Upside-Down Apple-Spice Cake

• Tie-Dye Fruity Cupcakes

• Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

• Cake Pops

• Apple Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

• Chocolate Oreo Poke Cake

• Banana Poke Cake

• Semi-Homemade Peanut Butte Swirl Brownies

• Peanut Butter Bars

• Applesauce Cupcakes with Brown Butter Icing

• Truffula Tree Cupcakes

• Lorax Cupcakes

• The Goop (Apple Dip)

PR Welcome

This is a PR friendly blog and I would love to hear from you. I would be happy to do a product review and/or giveaway to be featured on my review blog, Twice the Love Reviews. I do not charge for product reviews. Companies I have worked with include: Frito-Lay, HINT Water, Wings of Nature, The Greener Good and AMC Theaters.

Please feel free to contact me at twicetheloveblog@hotmail.com
with any ideas you may have or with any questions that you may have. Blog stats are available upon request.


Press

• Twin Stuff! - 11/2009
  
• The Daily Buzz - 2/16/2010
• Baby Talk Magazine - 5/2010
  
• Gold Parent Coaching - 12/3/2010
• Twins Magazine 5/2011
• Mommy Page 9/2011