Multitasking Pros

We're very lucky to have some wonderful friends right around the corner from us who treat us like family and invited us over last night for a little Valentines get-together.  We were pampered with margaritas, yellow lentil soup served with vinegar which was a divine combination I will definitely be trying to reinvent, ahi tuna, and chocolate cake with the best frosting I've ever tasted.  I'll definitely be hitting her up for the recipe so I can try to recreate it for the boys' birthday since it was the first time they've even shown any interest in cake...they inherited their daddy's very selective sweet tooth for ice cream and exceptionally delicious homemade desserts, which includes Maura's creations--YUM!

After a late night, you'd think the boys would sleep in, but there was no such luck.  We kicked off our morning bright and early with a chat with daddy...

The boys are becoming pros at FaceTime.  Today they decided to multitask and doodle while chatting. They were very serious about their drawing...

We squeezed in a morning trip to the gym so I could spend some time on the stepmill and the elliptical. I am convinced the stepmill is a torture device, especially since I haven't mastered the art of reading while climbing.  I'm a pro at devouring novels while cranking out the miles on the elliptical and I don't take it easy with the intensity either.  I'm a day ahead with my best body bootcamp workouts and decided to use the elliptical workout from Peak313 as my cardio for today using pages rather than minutes for breaking down the activities...

This is BY FAR my favorite way to keep the elliptical interesting and challenging.  I especially love the backwards squats while balancing...and reading!  So far this book has me thoroughly engaged...

source

After the gym, we hit up PetSmart and Target.  The boys have really been enjoying the double carts there...

You know me, I can't make it out of  Target without some impulse buys such as this dino sandwich cutter from the dollar section...

We tried it out with our lunch and it was a winner...

I'm trying to think of other things I can cut with it besides bread...ideas anyone?  Speaking of bread, the boys and I have been loving this Rudi's Organic Bread we found in the freezer section at Publix.  It's one of the few store-bought breads I've found where I actually recognize all of the ingredients, feel good about feeding it to the boys, and the boys LIKE it.  Let me tell you, that's a winning combination.

I also had to make a quick pass through the discounted Valentines Day goodies and decided to try this coffee for $3...

I'm enjoying it right now as an afternoon pick-me-up on this dreary day.  It's GOOD!  We also scored some dark chocolate M&Ms for me and some mini M&Ms for the boys.  We all know that we'll all be sharing all of them.  I also found some of my mom's favorite candies, Turtles, on sale for half off too. It will be a nice treat for her when she visits later in the spring.  I hope I can keep my hands off of them until she gets here.  

We returned home ready for lunch and I threw together this delicious "pizza" made with broccoli pesto, shrimp, and some mozzarella all on a Joseph's lavash bread.  SOOOOOOO good!

Time to tackle some chores and hopefully still have some time to relax before the boys wake up.   I hope this rain goes away so we can get some fresh air later today or at least this weekend.  We've got a fun weekend ahead of us.  Can't wait!

Serious Play

These silly boys have been giving me some honest to goodness belly laughs over the last few days.  You should hear them on their trucks as they talk about all the work they're doing.  I think they really do think they have important work to do...too cute!  When you think about it though, play is pretty important work for toddlers.  It's SOOOO important...and so fun!

They're pretty serious about their trains too...

I really need to videotape their sound affects...  "Choo Choo Chugga Chugga Clickety Clack Clickety Clack Ding Ding..."  This book has been great for encouraging them...

They have the truck version too and they are some of their favorite books.  

Last night they kept telling me they were reading their Valentines Day cards to me.

  

After the boys were in bed, my evening looked like this...

Wine, water, and The Biggest Loser.  Talk about a crazy Friday night, haha.  It worked for me and that's all that matters.

This morning kicked off bright and early with coffee, leftover pancakes, and a good facetime session with Daddy.  Next up was a trip to the gym to get my cardio in.  I knocked out 6 miles on the elliptical while getting some reading done.  I love multitasking on that machine.  I had a hard time getting Mason and Colton to leave when I was done.  I'm glad they like it there.

While we were out and about, we hit up Bed Bath and Beyond.  I FINALLY got myself a salad spinner.  I hope it's as wonderful as everyone tells me it will be.  

We also popped in Joanns for some beads.  I've been feeling the need to do some crafting.  

We've spent the rest of the morning outside enjoying our glorious weather.  It's too good to pass up.

Look at those messy faces thanks to enjoying our lunch outside too.  I'm obsessed with making pizzas using these lavash breads...

Their nutritional stats aren't too shabby either...

Today's version included pesto made from heirloom carrot tops and spinach and a little bit of parmesan cheese.  Yummy!

I've got a chicken roasting in the oven along with some heirloom carrots so when dinnertime rolls around, filling our bellies will be easy breezy.  That leaves us lots more time for fresh air after naps.  

I'll leave you with a little video of my giggling boys.  I hope it makes you smile as much as it does for me.  I think it's the best sound ever.  Happy Saturday!