A peek inside playtime with twins

It's no surprise that as twins, the Twofer seem to have their own unique way of playing with each other. They already know the object of the game, the characters involved, and the adventure they are going on as they wander down the stairs with their walkie-talkies, binoculars, and sunglasses.

It's a daily dose of improv in my house:

M/Chicosay: "Calling Toofree, calling Toofree. Where's the mazradeur we need? Have you located it yet?"

L/Toofree: "It's in the clubhouse. I'm heading there now. Can you meet me Chicosay? Bring the flashlights!"

They also have designated roles that they play which doesn't really seem fair to me, but what do I know? I'm just the 3rd wheel they call Mom.

M's List of Roles:
Mommy
Princess
Queen
Fairy
Baby

While L is always the:
Daddy
Pony
Dog
Cat
and Worker

Mommy's Role:
Costumes, Props and Craft Service
(mend dress-up clothes, get flashlights working, serve Go-Gurts)

Sometimes they are both fairies, adventurers, etc. Still, for the most part they have reached an agreement on this without ever discussing it. An older sibling will engage the younger one in a particular role. With twins (my twins, anyway) they seem to automatically know.

And they seem happy like that...usually for at least an hour.
Nothing lasts forever.

Janine (head of the drama department)

My second award!

Thank you to DJane over at Blogging Momma for honoring me with the

When Life Hands you Lemons, Make Lemonade blog award!

DJane has an amazing story and the positive energy she musters up for others while she is dealing with so much is an inspiration.

The rules are that I have to link back to the person who awarded me, add the 'lemons' logo to my blog, and pass it onto to ten more people who express gratitude or good attitude.

The award recipients are (in no particular order):

Tara at Feel Like Home because she is the queen of retweets on twitter and gets through a tough situation with her head held high (and a few new followers I hope).

Minnemom at Travels With Children because her husband is a farmer...a real farmer and her tweets document the trials of farming life in a light, and often humorous way.

Anna at Shoe Smitten because somewhere in history the line was re-written. It's supposed to be, "When life hands you lemons, go shopping for shoes." Right?

Linda at Short Pump Preppy because the photo-shopped photos she makes of herself are friggin hilarious AND I'll be rooming with her at Blissdom09 and frankly, I wanna get that party started off on the right foot!

Lisa at Workout Mommy because I am constantly falling off the workout wagon but a quick visit to her blog and I'm inspired once more.

Renee at Cutie Bootie Cakes because she takes things like watching her son grow up and losing weight and turns them into insightful posts that I love reading (and watching).

Toni at A Daily Dose of Toni because of this post that talks about being thankful in tough times.

Robyn at Robyns Online World because she just didn't mope about knowing she needed a new dishwasher and fridge...she tapped into her blog/twitter network where I know she'll get the best advice.

Debbie at Suburb Sanity because she can laugh at her un-stylish self and make me laugh as well.

Everyone at Travel Savvy Mom because traveling with kids can really suck, but this site has so many great tips, trick, and ideas to make it better...even, dare I say, fun!

Congratulations!
Janine

Storytime with the Twofer - Week2

Bare with me as I fine-tune my camera & editing skills. I considered another take, but this one is so genuine with all the interruptions and mistakes, I decided to leave it as-is. Plus, you get a good sense of the twin competition that is just something we live with...every...single...day.

The Girl Who Loved Nature


If you liked the book, please leave M comments below and she'll read them tonight and respond (if necessary).

Now back to working on my video skills,
Janine

A natural calorie-free sweetener? My coffee just got better for me!

I just received my sample of Truvia sweetener and I'm in LOVE.
I've gone through the pink stuff, the blue stuff, and thought I'd found bliss with the yellow stuff until I realized what was in it. Eventually I went back to old-fashioned raw sugar.

Now enter Truvia - the green stuff.
Truvia is made with rebiana, the best part of the stevia leaf. The stevia plant, a member of the chrysanthemum family, has been used for hundreds of years as a sweetener for food and beverages.
Truvia is made by taking the leaves of the stevia plant, drying them and steeping them like tea to extract the sweetest part.

Video



Things to know about Truvia

• great for people with diabetes
• kosher certified
• 1 packet = 2 tespoons of sugar
• I'm giving it a Twofer Thumbs Up

The taste?
I loved it in my coffee - not too sweet, and no aftertaste.
I put a little straight on my tongue and while there's a little 'cold' sensation (almost like mint), the granular texture felt like real sugar and I still didn't experience an aftertaste.
Go here to see how people in the Truvia Greenhouse thought about the taste. Or read what others are saying on the community boards.

While my sample came compliments of Truvia and Mom Central, I did look up where to buy and found lots of local grocery stores listed under my locations.

I'm excited to bake with it and serve it to my family, knowing that it's natural and not filled with chemicals.

Have you tried Truvia yet? If so, leave me a comment with your thoughts & tastes.

And now back to my coffee,
Janine

Free scoop of BR BRight Choices new ice cream Jan 15th!

Thanks to twittermoms I just found out about another FREE scoop event from my most favorite of ice cream shops.
But this one comes with less guilt!

Firs of all, Baskin-Robbins is kicking off the new year with BRight Choices treats, that offer better-for-you ice cream options.
Choose which one is right for you!
fat-free
dairy-free
sugar-free
or low-fat, low-calorie.

Each flavor offers something different and is labeled with a pink star decal so you know which ones to choose from.

Plus, YOU can try it FREE on BRight Choices Day, January 15, 2009 with proof of a gym membership!
How cool is that? Just one more incentive to dust off those sneaks and find that membership card. Heck - you might actually head to the gym afterward!

Check out the flavors here and let me know which one YOU want to try. I think I'm going with the Raspberry Chip Ice Cream....yum.

The funny thing is that I just got back from the gym - first time in 2009.
Now my mouth is watering,
Janine

Storytime with the Twofer - a new weekly feature!

Grab your little ones, get comfy and enjoy storytime...Twofer-style

For a few months now the girls have been doing lots of reading, and more recently, lots of writing. I am constantly spelling. Seriously, I spell all....day...long. Mr. has done his fair share as well. Sometimes we just tell them to try and sound it out, but we aren't sure if a 5 year old who can read is supposed to be able to spell - isn't it a different skill?

I digress -

All of this has lead to the production of books. Lots, and lots of books. It has also nearly wiped out our supply of printer paper and staples (mental note: teach them to type & save some trees). Some of the stories actually have a beginning, middle and end. Some have a little unexpected twist.

I decided to capture them reading their stories on my Flip Video and decided to make Storytime with the Twofer a weekly feature.

So let's get started! First ever Storytime with the Twofer.



What was your favorite part of the story?
Janine

(Do you have a book you'd like us to feature on Storytime? Email Janine at scarytwins [at] yahoo [dot] com

Start the New Year off right - accessorize!

Got a Flip Video camera from Santa and I'm unstoppable. Thought I would show you how I'm going to start my day every day in 2009...and no, it's not exercise.


How are you starting off your new year ;)?

Janine