Day One - 30 Days of Truth.

It's been too long. I get overwhelmed by the time as it goes by ... and then I don't know how to play catch up ... I figure the best way to do it, is to not even try. So I won't!!

I stole this from another blogger, and I'm going to try to do it to get myself back blogging again.

It is called 30 Days of Truth.

Day 01 → Something you hate about yourself.
Day 02 → Something you love about yourself.
Day 03 → Something you have to forgive yourself for.
Day 04 → Something you have to forgive someone for.
Day 05 → Something you hope to do in your life.
Day 06 → Something you hope you never have to do.
Day 07 → Someone who has made your life worth living for.
Day 08 → Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit.
Day 09 → Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.
Day 10 → Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.
Day 11 → Something people seem to compliment you the most on.
Day 12 → Something you never get compliments on.
Day 13 → A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days. (write a letter.)
Day 14 → A hero that has let you down. (letter)
Day 15 → Something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it.
Day 16 → Someone or something you definitely could live without.
Day 17 → A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.
Day 18 → Your views on gay marriage.
Day 19 → What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?
Day 20 → Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Day 21 → (scenario) Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before. What do you do?
Day 22 → Something you wish you hadn’t done in your life.
Day 23 → Something you wish you had done in your life.
Day 24 → Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs. (Just post the titles and artists and letter)
Day 25 → The reason you believe you’re still alive today.
Day 26 → Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?
Day 27 → What’s the best thing going for you right now?
Day 28 → What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant, what would you do?
Day 29 → Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.
Day 30 → A letter to yourself, tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself

So, a little self reflection perhaps?? Let's see how I do ...

Day 1 - Something you hate about yourself.

This is a hard one. I mean, I hate to use the word hate. I mean, seriously. It's a pretty harsh word, and I've worked pretty hard to have some self acceptance. I mean, is there anything worth HATING about oneself?

So, I'm going to go with something totally ridiculous and superficial. I hate my hair. Seriously. It's stringy and thin and fine and lifeless and just terrible. I am utterly envious when I see girls with long thick hair. It's been my dream. Part of the thing I relished about my pregnancies was the thickening of my hair! And then to watch it all go down the drain post-babies made me want to just be pregnant forever! Unfortunately, DH was not so on board with this plan.

I dislike my hair SO much that I actually paid $400 for some fake hair when I got married. Me and my hair dresser went into NYC and bought these clip in real hair extensions ... and it was the best money I ever spent!

So ...here are two pics ... one is from my wedding day, the other is from my sister's babies 1st birthday this past August. I know you can't see my hair that well, but it's because I BARELY HAVE ANY! Ugh. I hate my hair. I wish I could wear extensions all the time.





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Now, totally having nothing to do with 30 days of truth, I need to put up pictures that I haven't uploaded yet for my mom.

Here are pics from our summer vacation to Lake George with my husband's family. The kids loved the Lake, and we really had a great time!!



I can't believe I didn't post pics from my sister's babies first birthday!! They turned ONE on August 12th!! Any boy did they enjoy their party!! There are also some pics from our trip to Outer Banks in this set.



Ok ... hoping to make this a more usual thing!
Enjoy,
Caba

Hiking

So, I have a few friends that are very outdoorsy. Me? Not so much. I'm not big into the exercising, movement, nature, etc. You know what I mean? I like to lounge, drink, eat, lay in the sun, get pampered, and generally act like a sloth.

But now with the littles, I want to have a more active life. It's better for me, and it's better for them. I don't want them to grow up playing outside with Dad while mom sits around like a slug. I want to ride bikes with them, play ball, etc. So I am trying to make a concerted effort to do more stuff outside together as a family.

So, hiking. It's a misleading thing to say we are doing, as the kids move pretty damn slow. So it's more like a REEEAAALLLY slow stroll, especially with Moop stopping every 2 inches to point out yet ANOTHER ant! Yes, that really does happen! So it's not like we are power walking, burning a million calories and rock climbing. But it's a start, and the kids are REALLY enjoying it.

Our first hike this season was at a place called Duke Island Park. It's a park surrounded by the Raritan River, so there is water everywhere and the kids love walking around there. They also have a pretty good playground for the kids, post walk.

Dad and Boots & Mommy and Moop.



Moop walking down the trail. There is something I just love about this picture.


Throwing rocks into the river.


This past weekend we took them to another park, Hacklebarney State Park. It was really cool. All these awesome hiking trails, and beautiful scenery! It was slightly more challenging for the kids (ok, whatever, maybe us too!) because there were a lot of steep ups and downs. But the kids were total troopers! I was so proud of them!

Here are the three cutest hikers ever posing with their walking sticks.


Here is a smiling Boots throwing rocks in the river.


The Dude cleaning his hands.



And although this has nothing to do with hiking, I had a lovely Mother's Day with my parents, my sister, her husband, and her kids. They are getting so big!! Anthony has a billion teeth (or so it seems) and Sami just has the most bite-able cheeks EVER!

Here is my sister with her two favorite men, Moop and Anthony.


And here is Sami with her Daddy.


Moop and Little Ant, sharing a moment.


Alright, I think I'm all caught up now!!

Enjoy,
Caba

Playing Catch Up

Yeah ... I'm still trying to get all my old pictures up so that my mom can order all the ones that she wants ...

Plus, it helps me remember what the hell we've been up to!!

So, for the twins birthday this year we took them away from the weekend. We considered doing a big party again, but thought better of it. We just did something small with immediate family, and took them to see Disney's Princesses on Ice. I know, it sounds very girly, but it wasn't. Yes, it had all the princesses in it, but also all the boys ... the 7 dwarfs, Genie and Aladdin, all the princes, etc. Boots and Moop really really enjoyed it. It was playing at the Arena at Hershey Park ... so we made a weekend out of it. We went to see the show on Saturday, and then spent the day at Hershey Park on Sunday.

My friend Kelly came as well with her twin daughters, so the kids were able to have a blast all together.



The kids had a blast at Hershey this year. We took them last September, and Boots was willing to go on any and every ride. But Moops was slightly more cautious. But for the first time, he rode on a horse on the carousel!! We were so excited for him! Usually he wants to sit on the bench. But this time he went on everything with no hesitation! What a champ!


Here are some pics from our yard. The kids got the coolest birthday gift from Aunt Chrissy and Uncle Anthony! A bounce house!!


We also got to spend some quality time with little Sami and Anthony! They are getting so big I can't stand it! Here is Sami with Grandma.


And here is Anthony with his Daddy.


Enjoy,
Caba

It's been a while ...

I know ... I stink. I don't even know if anyone is reading ... but at this point I HAVE to put pic up, if only for my mother.

So much has changed since I last wrote! The twins had their 3rd birthday ... and we moved them into big beds! It wasn't nearly as traumatic as I expected it to be ... I think it helped that we moved them into separate rooms at the same time.

Pictures you say?? Well, pictures I have!! How awesome are these rooms?

Moops' Room - CARS Theme




Boots' Room - Princess Theme





The cribs were still in their rooms when I took these pics. They have since been removed. We had them there as a threat .... ya know "You better stay in your beds or you are going back in your cribs!". Well, that didn't work that well. The first morning after they slept in their beds, we went in to get Boots, and she was sitting in her crib, with the tent zipped up, reading a book. So yeah, the cribs are gone now. They also each got a cute table and chairs set from my parents for their birthdays.

Speaking of, we finally went low-key for their birthday. Nothing but immediate family. The last two years we threw these big parties, and I just didn't want to do it again. Here is a pic with their cousins on their birthday.



Easter was fun, and low-key. Just went to my parents house, dressed the kids up for like 5 minutes to get a few pics, and then went out to play in the beautiful weather! Perfect way to celebrate the rebirth that is Spring!!



What else? My parents took the kids to see the Circus! Awesome time at Madison Square Garden ... they had their first train ride into the city and they LOVED it ... And as great as the Circus was, I almost think their favorite part of the day was riding the escalator! Go figure!



And here are a bunch of miscellaneous shots ... a bunch of my sister's cuties ... They are getting SO BIG!!



Ok, that takes care of me playing catch up ... I have more to post tomorrow!! And Mom, all the pics are links to like a BILLION more pics ... so enjoy, and happy buying!

Enjoy,
Caba

Are you freaking kidding me??

More.DAMN.SNOW.

Seriously. It is enough already. I'm snowed out at this point. We are supposed to be up to 2 feet tomorrow. Do you realize how annoying that is??


I am looking forward to just hunkering down, watching movies with the kids, making popcorn,etc. But really, it's just too much at this point. Where the hell is spring??

And now, the ABCs of me.

• A is for Atheist. I'm an atheist. Yup. That's the truth.


• B is for Bitch. I'm also a bitch. And I'm very proud of it.


• C is for Chrissy. That's my sister. She's my best friend and my favorite person.


• D is for Days of our Lives. I've been watching this show since I was like 12. I still record it every.single.day.


• E is for Eggplant. This is one of my favorite veggies, and I make a mean Eggplant Parm.


• F is for Freethinkers. It's my forum that I run with some friends, and it's an awesome group of people that talk about everything. F is also for my friends, who rock.


• G is for German. I'm half German. My Dad moved to the US from Germany when he was like 19. My husband and I went to Germany with my Dad a few years ago, and it was just an awesome trip.


• H is for Hawaii. I went here with my DH on our honeymoon, and it was just one of the most beautiful places in the world. We definitely want to go back one day together, hopefully with the kids too.


• I is for Ice Cream. My favorite flavor is probably Mint Chocolate Chip. But I do also enjoy some soft serve vanilla with rainbow sprinkles. And no, I'm not 5 years old.


• J is for jewelry. I do enjoy it. I work for an awesome jewelry company, not that I can afford to buy most of their stuff. But I do enjoy pretty stuff. I just tend to buy cheapy costume stuff. I have a lot of it.


• K is for kittens. I don't like them. Or cats. I'm not a cat person.


• L is for Lake George, NY. Love it there. We go there every summer with DH's family and that's where DH proposed to me. Once of my favorite places.


• M is for money. I wish I had more. I need more. I hate not having enough of the stuff.


• N is for Naughty Monkey. It's a brand of shoes that my friend Keri introduced me to. I order them from Amazon.com and LOOOVE them. Cute and trendy and fun. I usually wait till they are on sale and can get a good deal.


• O is for Orange Soda. Diet Sunkist to be precise. It's like my crack. I'm thoroughly addicted to it. Anytime I'm drinking something my kids now ask "Is that orange soda, Mommy?". Yes. Yes it is. Now stay away from it!


• P is for Percocet. I love it. I got it after my C-section and held onto it like it was gold. DH found a few pills in his drawer the other day that he had from something, and I grabbed it like it was worth a million dollars. It almost is.


• Q is for quiet. I don't get enough of it anymore. But I really enjoy it.


• R is for rice. Ya know, I used to not really like rice. I mean, I didn't hate it, but I would never opt for it. I would rather have any other card side dish than rice. But lately, I've been really enjoying it. We switched from white to brown, and it's yummy.


• S is for Stern. Howard Stern. I love him. I'm a total groupie. I listen every day on the way to work, I listen online all day at work. Seriously. I will cry huge crocodile tears if he leaves Sirius at the end of his contract.


• T is for tolerance. I pride myself on it. And I wish that more people had it.


• U is for underwear. Yup, the bane of my existence. My kids don't want to wear it. I asked Moop the other day if he wanted to try underwear like a big kid, and he told me "No Mommy, I like my diaper." GREEEAAAAT.


• V is for vegetables. Another problem. Moop won't eat 'em. We joined a CSA for the summer, and I'm hoping we get a lot of cool new veggies to introduce the kids to.


• W is for Wet Hot American Summer. Super funny movie. If you haven't seen it, Netflix it.


• X is for X-Ray Vision. No, I don't have it. But I would like to.


• Y is for Yankees. I HATE the Yankees. Yes, I live in the NY area, and I hate them. I am a fan of the Mets and Red Sox. And I repeat, I HATE the Yankees.


• Z is for Zoe. That's my pug that lives at my parents house. I love the name Zoe, and I always wanted to name my daughter Zoe. Unfortunately, the pug came along first, and we named her that, and it kinda ruined the name for my kid.

Enjoy,
Caba

Hi ICLWers!

It's been a while since I particpated in ICLW. From Mel's blog:

"Welcome back to IComLeavWe. It stands for International Comment Leaving Week, but if you say it aloud, doesn’t it sounds like “I come; [but] leave [as a] we”? And that’s sort of the point. Blogging is a conversation and comments should be honoured and encouraged. I like to say that comments are the new hug–a way of saying hello, giving comfort, leaving congratulations."

So, I welcome you new readers to my blog!! I'm Caba. I have almost 3 year old twins (Moop and Boots) after conceiving via IVF/ICSI. I also gave birth to my niece and nephew in Aug 2009 for my sister and her husband. It was both an honor and a priviledge to be a gestational carrier for my sister and her husband ... and she is currently in the chaotic bliss of 6 month old twinfants.

Thanks to my sister, I got my 15 minutes of fame. A Baby Story chronicled our journey, and you can see it if you'd like! We put it up on youtube. Here is a link to the blog post where I put the clips. Enjoy. I apologize in advance for making anyone cry.

So yeah, now this blog is in a kinda weird place. I still talk about the kids, but that's not all. I don't really talk about infertility, since my journey is over and our family is complete. I am outspoken, brash, and very stubborn. I like to talk about being a liberal, atheist, kick ass kinda girl. And I certainly don't apologize for it.

Hope you come back to visit again soon!

Caba

Can you kiss my nose?

So, I was sitting here contemplating a blog post, and listening to screaming/laughing/yelling/etc through the monitor. Boots is yelling for her monkey, Moop is singing "Bippity Boppity Boo". You know, just a normal night in the nuthouse. I try not to go in there that often once we say goodnight. I don't want to become a slave to their every whim. So I'm watching Chopped, DH is cleaning out his dresser, and we are ignoring the kids.

But then Boots switches to a non-stop mantra of "Mommymommymommmymommmymommmymommmy". One long extremely grating word. It never ends. It could on on forever. And in the background you hear "Mommy, Boots needs you!". Yeah, thanks Moop. I *never* would have figured that out on my own.

Here is the exchange when I enter their room.


Boots: "Mommy. Where is my tiger?"
Me: "I don't know, Boots. It was in your crib before. Maybe it's hidden amongst all the crap in your crib."
Boots: "I can't find it".

Mommy turns on the light, blinding her children and herself. Finds tiger hidden amongst 10 books, 1 enormous monkey dressed in a tutu, 3 princess dolls, Dora, Bert, and Prairie Dawn. Hands Tiger to Boots.

Boots: "Oh, THERE is it. Thanks Mommy."
Me: "Ok, everyone go to bed now. If I have to come in here again, I am talking away your books."
Moop: "DON'T TAKE MY BOOKS!"
Me: "Moop, go to bed now. I love you both. Good night"

Silence from Boots.

Moop: "Mommy?"
Me: "Yes, Moop?"
Moop: "Can you kiss my toes?"

Really? Really? This is what my life has become.

Me: "Ok Moop, stick your feet out." I lean over and kiss both feet through the slats of the crib.
Moop: "Can you kiss my nose now?"
Me (laughing): "Ok, let me see that nose." Kiss his nose through the crib slats.
Moop: "Can you kiss my cheek Mommy?"
Me: "I sure can." Kiss his fat little cheek through the crib slats.
Moop (turning his other cheek) "And this one too Mommy?"
Me: "Yup". Kisses his other fat cheek. "Ok, bub, go to bed now".
Moop: "I love you Mommy."
Me: "I love you too."

Boots (quietly from the other side of the room) "I love you too Mommy".

And then I realize, I'm ok with what my life has become.

Enjoy,
Caba

Friday Five: Warmth

I stole this from Delenn

It's Friday and time for Friday Five!
Want to play along? You can either leave your answers in the comments or leave a comment that you've posted it onto your own blog.

Today's topic is things that keep you warm. So, here goes!

What is your favorite blanket like?
DH got me a pink snuggie from Brookstone. It is so warm and cozy and I just LOVE it. ummm, snuggie.

What was the last thing you baked?
Last night I baked Brownies to bring into daycare for the kids Valentine's Day Party.

What television personality gets you most hot and bothered?
Hmmm. Don't make fun ok? I've had a crush forever on Freddie Prinze Jr. Also LOOOOVVVVE Bradley Cooper! He's super hot ... and I do consider him tv as I first noticed him on Alias.

When did you last burn yourself?
Wednesday morning morning while making chocolate chip pumpkin pancakes. I put a little bit of chocolate chip in my mouth straight from the griddle and it was freaking HOT!

What are your feelings about hot sauce?
I have a serious problem when it comes to hot sauce. I've been putting it on EVERYTHING at work. Like, seriously, everything. From eggs to my chicken wrap to dipping french fries in it. I have no idea why. It's a disgusting hot mystery.

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We ordered big beds for the kids! Nothing exciting ... just two twin beds. The plan is to set up their rooms, split them up and move them into big kid beds for their 3rd birthday in April. I'm very excited, and sad a the same time. My bubs are growing up!

So, we forgot our camera at my sister's twins Christening a few weeks back. Which means we didn't get any cute pics of the twins in their fancy outfits. Little Anthony didn't even make it to the party afterwards, because he had RSV prior, so my sister didn't want him around all those people.

Here is a picture of me and Sami. Everyone says she looks like me!



Here is a pic of me and my grown up little Miss Boots.


And here are my three favorite people in the whole world!


Enjoy,
Caba

The Hypocrisy of the Abortion Issue

This post has nothing to do with my children ... if you are only interested in kid related things ... you might want to skip this one!

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I'm pro-choice. 100% unequivocally, regardless of reasoning behind it, pro-choice. I don't care if you are told from your doctor that you need to terminate a pregnancy even though you don't want to, or if you are a teenager that is on your 14th abortion, I am pro-choice. I do not want anyone telling me what I can or can not do with my body, therefore I will extend the same respect to others.

I don't *like* abortion. But really, does anyone? Does anyone honestly think there are people that have sex thinking "Oh gosh, I really hope I get pregnant tonight so I can abort it!"? That's ridiculous. Of course not.

Sometimes I think the anti-abortionists are just stupid. They always make it sounds like people make some quickie decision to run out and have an abortion after picking up some milk and bread. Ya know, like it's the "easy" choice. And yes, I will use the term anti-abortion, not pro-life. Everyone is pro-life. If we weren't, we would be running around killing ourselves. It's illogical. And how many of those anti-abortionists are pro-death penalty? Or pro-war? A whole ton of 'em. It's the whole conservative right wing Republican view point.

But my absolute favorite is that most Republicans are against welfare, food stamps, WIC, etc. All those programs that help people who can't afford things themselves. So, they want to FORCE all women who get pregnant to have the baby, but as SOON as that baby comes out, they refuse to take care of it. They don't want programs for single moms. We all know the tagline "Get off your lazy ass and get a job if you need money. Get a job if you need benefits." Because, ya know, that's easy. It's SOOOO easy to get a job with benefits ... that's why there is NO ONE is the USA without medical benefits, right? Yeah, exactly.

So I guess they have no problem making a woman have a child, even if that women is a child. Even if that women has no job, no benefits, no means of taking care of the child. But once that baby is here, that lazy ass women should get off welfare and stop having so many babies she can't afford. Is it just me, or is this a total "WTF!" moment?

Blech. All this BS surrounding the stupid Tim Tebow commercial is annoying. We were discussing it on a board I belong to, and someone commented that there should have been a counter ad with a mom saying "Here's my son. I should have aborted him" and it was Charles Manson. Not every baby grows up to be Tim Tebow. Not every mom survives. Yeah for her for ignoring her doctors and having everything come up roses in the end. How about an ad that show a 5 year old girl crying saying "I wish my mom had listened to her doctor" after she lost her mom during a subsequent pregnancy where the mother ignored her doctors, and DIDN'T make it. It's just not as black and white as people make it out to be. Which is why I am so very pro-choice. I think this tough of a decision needs to be between a woman and her family. And I am not the type of human being that wants to sit around and judge a women after making what is probably the toughest decision of her life. Abortions happen for all sorts of reasons. Some we consider "acceptable" (rape, the mother is going to die), some we consider unacceptable. I'm not willing to make the differentiation. I wish that more people would focus on THEIR family ... and not mine, or anyone elses.

Here is a fantastic blog post that everyone should read. Mrs Spit Still Spouting Off

Enjoy,
Caba

Are you a Republican?

If so, you might not like my link I am about to post.

Have you read their blog? Margaret and Helen It is fantastic.

And this post, well damn, it's a good one. So I figured I would share it will you all.

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On the home front, things are status quo. My sister's twins were christening a few weeks ago, but we forgot the camera in the church, so I have no good pictures. And you will be happy to know that neither me or my husband burst into flames when we walked into the church.

I did laugh to myself when I promised (as Godmother) to help raise the kids in the Catholic faith. If it's up to me, those kids will be questioning everything in Sunday school. I'll be all "Ask the teacher why incest was ok after Adam and Eve had kids, but why it's not allowed anymore. Ask the teacher if he *really* believes there was a talking snake. Ask the teacher if he believes in evolution. Ask the teacher if you get pregnant in high school, do you think you could use the *immaculate conception* excuse, and might your parents believe you."

hehe ... Yup, I'm going to be an AWESOME Godmother.

We did get some snow today ... nothing insane ... like 5-6 inches. The kids are napping, I'm blogging, and then it's playdoh time after they wake up.

I took some cute pics of them this morning, playing in their tent and tunnel thingy they got from Santa. I will post soon.

Enjoy,
Caba

So ... who would like an invite ...

So, after the [evil site] debacle, my friends and I decided that as wonderful as it is to talk and snark amongst ourselves, which we do so friggin' well, we would like to chat with some of the other friends with made out in this big crazy internet. So, we started our own little forum. It's completely closed, which means that you can't stumble across it and sign up. You have to be invited ... We want to make sure we like the people there ...

So, who wants to join us? Yes, a lot of us are atheists/agnostics/alternative belief system chicks, but not everyone. We even have a nutty born again Christian who is both insane and very funny at the same time.

And it's not all about religion ... we talk parenting tips, current affairs, tv shows, cooking, crafting, shopping, fashion, etc.

The cool thing is that it's not one of those huge sites with 20 billion people that you feel are impossible to get to know people. It's small, intimate if you will.

There are LOTS of multiple mommies ... since we all came from the same site... but we've opened it up to our person friends as well, so there are singleton mommies as well.

More importantly, it's no bullshit, you can curse, you can talk freely, there isn't any bullshit politics or mods on power trips. Just cool people chatting it up.

Anyway, if you would like an invite, I need your email address.

You can email me at caba.twins@gmail.com. Because we aren't opening it up to the world, I'm not willing to let strangers in ... sorry. You need to give me a link to your blog or I need to "know you" as a frequent commenter. Sorry, just trying to keep it cool. We may eventually open it up to others, but not right now.

So, come join us! We do have a subforum to discuss all things non-religious, if there are any AAAers out there ... but we also have one for the believers.

Email me!
Caba

My Princess

I always really wanted a little girl. I'm sure that was partly because I AM a girl ... so I figured I would know what to do with one. I didn't know what it would be like to have a boy.

Well, let me just say that the Moop is like my best friend. I can't imagine not having that little dude. OMG, I adore him.

But this is about my little girl. She is so freaking cute. Seriously. And she is SUCH a girl. She loves playing dress up, loves putting on all her princess jewelry and princess high heels and walking around the house. She will walk up to me or her father and say "Mom, am I SO pretty?" ... and I will say "Boots, you are beautiful." And she is.




And, like every good princess, she has the CUTEST shoes EVER and lovely painted pink toes!!



God I love this kid.

Enjoy,
Caba

For Your Viewing Pleasure ...

I've uploaded our Baby Story episode to youtube!! So for any of you that may have missed it ... here it is!! Youtube doesn't allow you to upload a video that is longer than 10 minutes, so we had to split it into three different videos ... Enjoy!!

Triolo Baby Story Part One

Triolo Baby Story Part Two

Triolo Baby Story Part Three

Caba (aka Baby Story STAR!)

Friends

I want to talk about my friends today, specifically my online friends. I used to belong to a site for parenting. I'm not going to give them a shout out, because it's run by a bunch of fucking nasty, lonely, uptight, jealous bitches, and they don't deserve me sending anyone there. But, I digress ...

I joined the site and quickly found myself arguing with a lot of people. I'm not one to hold my tongue, and I'm not good at not giving up. When I'm arguing an issue, and I think I'm right, I will argue to the bitter end about it. The first big argument was about Healthcare. Yes, I'm embarrassed to say that I was on what I now consider to be the wrong side of the debate. I was talking against universal healthcare, and against there being a way for everyone to have healthcare. My stance was "If you want it, get a job." Now, this post isn't about that, and please don't yell at me! I have seen the error of my ways. I am now 100% for a universal healthcare system, or at least, a true public option. I don't believe that anyone in this country should be without healthcare. And it shouldn't be tied to your job. But again, this is about healthcare. We'll save that for another day. So, there were all these crazy liberals that I was fighting with on this site. Ugh, I hated them. Especially this bitch Jenni, who was REALLY rude to me.

So, fast forward to a month later, and someone posted about a friend who was pregnant with 5! FIVE! babies. WTF, right? Of course, it was after IUI. And everyone and their mom was responding with "Tell her to trust in God", "Tell her to pray on it", "God never gives us more than we can handle" or some such nonsense. I'm reading these comments thinking "Really? This is the advice???" ... So I chimed in with "Well, I'm an atheist. So the idea of giving something to God is silly to me. I would get many opinions from doctors, figure out all the risk, and talk with my husband and listen to my gut" or something like that.

Well, boy did I get hammered!!! "How DARE you say believing in God is silly! ... "God is NOT silly, and he will listen to you!" blah blah blah and more blah. I felt like Alice, but instead of falling into a rabbit hole, I feel smack dab into some sort of evangelical God-loving nightmare.

But the good that came out of it was a private message I got from Jenni, the bitch from the Healthcare thread. She said "OMG! Another atheist! I feel bad for being so mean to you in that other thread. I thought this site was nicknamed Jesus Loves [site name]". And thus, a friendship was born. Being the outspoken atheist and pot stirrer that I am, I started a thread to see if there were others like us. And low and behold, there were A LOT. It was awesome. And friendships were born. That bitch Jenni, well, I love her now. She's still a bitch, but so I am, and so is Anne, so the three of us are like triplets. Anne and I were separated at birth. How two people, one who lives in NJ and one who lives in Pakistan, can be the same person is beyond me. But we are. Hell, we would even have the same patronus. And the lovely Kelly, well, she decided to petition for an area all our own, a subforum where we could discuss parenting beyond belief. And she got it. Because she is awesome like that. And then we were able to talk about all the things you CAN'T or SHOULDN'T talk about in the public. Like how ridiculous we think religion is. And I met Millie, a person who is so different from me in so many ways, yet is a kindred spirit. And I met Siri and Ellen, two women that are so smart, so strong, so together (or so it seems) and yet so human. They have taught me a lot of different things in my life, taught me about ways in which I want to try and better myself. And I met Kristi, who is so outspoken and honest, and such an amazing and loyal friend. And Michaele, who has biting humor, a sharp tongue and a HUGE heart. She is fiercely loyal, and just an amazing friend. And I met Debi, who always makes me laugh and always scares me about the impending growing up of my twins, seeing the chaos her boys get into! And lastly, a newer addition, Rachael. A brilliantly intelligent woman, who is so secure in herself, it's a wonderful thing to see and look up to. Plus, she likes to fight about as much (if not MORE) than I do!

So, I have to say. I'm glad to be gone from that stupid site. I was banned for making a rude comment about mor(m)ons and their magic underwear. And yes, they do believe in magic underwear. Look it up. It's fucking funny, really. But I made the most amazing friends on it. And these friendships, they have evolved beyond that site. To us talking every day, all day. To me not working because I'm too busy chatting with Millie. To us planning a trip to see each other in Reno in March. To these women knowing my inner most secrets. I would venture they know more about me right now than some people in my real life.

I couldn't have asked for a better group of heathens. I love you guys more than you will ever know. Thank you for your friendship, your loyalty, your support. Thank you for forgetting about that selfish bitch that was against universal healthcare, and giving Caba another chance to fall into your good graces. Thank you for teaching me to be a better parent, a better person, and a better human being. Thank you for never letting me down. Jenni, Anne, Siri, Michaele, Ellen, Debi, Kristi, Kelly, Millie and Rachael, you girls mean the world to me. I'm glad to have found you all. I will forever be thankful to [evil site] for that. Love you all!

32 Flavors

My friend SweetPeaG said that this song lyrics were in honor of me. I love her for that. She is right, ya know. I am pretty fucking great. Sorry for the cursing, but it's warranted at times.

This has nothing to do with my kids, as you can probably tell. It's a drama that I will save for another day, because it's late, and I'm tired, and I can't rehash it at this moment. But when SweetPeaG sent me these lyrics I realized, god damn I have made some great friends. And for that, I will forever be grateful.


"32 Flavors"

squint your eyes and look closer
I'm not between you and your ambition
I am a poster girl with no poster
I am thirty-two flavors and then some
and I'm beyond your peripheral vision
so you might want to turn your head
cause someday you're going to get hungry
and eat most of the words you just said

both my parents taught me about good will
and I have done well by their names
just the kindness I've lavished on strangers
is more than I can explain
still there's many who've turned out their porch lights
just so I would think they were not home
and hid in the dark of their windows
til I'd passed and left them alone

and god help you if you are an ugly girl
course too pretty is also your doom
cause everyone harbors a secret hatred
for the prettiest girl in the room
and god help you if you are a pheonix
and you dare to rise up from the ash
a thousand eyes will smolder with jealousy
while you are just flying back

I'm not trying to give my life meaning
by demeaning you
and I would like to state for the record
I did everything that I could do
I'm not saying that I'm a saint
I just don't want to live that way
no, I will never be a saint
but I will always say

squint your eyes and look closer
I'm not between you and your ambition
I am a poster girl with no poster
I am thirty-two flavors and then some
And I'm beyond your peripheral vision
So you might want to turn your head
Cause someday you might find you're starving
and eating all of the words you said

Ani Difranco


Enjoy,
Caba

PS - Hey Jori! Thanks for stopping by! Email me: caba.twins@gmail.com

The weekend comes to a close ...

I'm so tired. It was a long week this week ... Moop was home sick Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Luckily my mom was able to watch him on Mon and Wed, and I work from home on Tues, so neither DH or I had to take any days off of work. Everyone is finally healthy. Let's hope it last for at least a week!

I need to catch up on pictures, so that I can actually start writing about some interesting stuff. Here are all the pics from Christmas.


I am fairly please with this picture from Christmas. Boots doesn't look super happy, but hey, it's pretty close!



Enjoy,
Caba

Moop is sick.

He got whatever his sister had. Luckily my wonderful mom came over to hang with him today. He has a fever, thrown up a few times, overall phlegmy and coughing a lot. I feel bad for the poor Bubba.

So has anyone else out there looked for FeverAll lately? If you don't know what it is, its acetomenephen (tylenol) but it's a suppository. I give it to the kids when they have stomach issues, so that they don't have to take their meds by mouth. With Moop throwing up, I wanted to give him the FeverAll for his fever. We only had 2 left, so I went out at lunch to the local CVS by my work. They didn't have any. Ok, no problem, I'd never bought it there before, only in the CVS by my house. So, I stopped there on the way home. They were out, and it was backordered for MONTHS. What the hell?? And they didn't have any other equivalent. What a pain in the ass. So I came home, and my mom said he hadn't throw up all day, so I gave him a little tylenol by mouth. Bad idea. About 15 minutes later, he throws up all over the couch. LOVELY.

So, I went on a mad internet hunt, and find Acephen (same thing, different maker) and found a Rite Aid that had some close by. So DH ran out to get it. Ugh. What an ordeal. But I hate seeing my little man suffer with a fever, and not be able to help him.

So, luckily I telecommute on Tuesdays, so I'll be home with him tomorrow. If he's still feverish in the morning, I may run him into the doc just to make sure it's nothing else. But Boots had the same thing over the holiday, and it was just viral, so I don't really think he has anything else.

So, I need to put all my pics up here for my family who want to order them ... so bear with the old pics for a while.

Here are pics from Thanksgiving. We hosted DH's family, plus my parents and brother. It was like 15 adults and 5 kids. It really was a lot of fun!



Here are pics encompassing A LOT of stuff. We took the kids to pick out our Christmas tree, my sister and her husband took us to the Big Apple Circus, and the Christmas card photo shoot.

Here are the kids in their new Rudolph and Clarice sweatshirts going to get our Christmas tree!




And here they are looking cute as can be getting ready to leave for the Circus!




And here is one of the pics that made the Christmas Card this year. Mr Moop looks so grown up to me!



Enjoy,
Caba

Family Get Together

We had a family get together today with all my cousins on my mom's side of the family. Since everyone has gotten married/had kids, etc, we don't do all the holidays together like we used to when we were younger. So last year we started doing a party somewhere around the holidays to see everyone. It was a fun time, and the kids were suprisingly well behaved. I'll take it. Here is a pic of all the ladies. Lots more pics from the party if you click on the link.





Boots was sick over this long weekend. We took her to the doc Wednesday night, and it appeared to be viral. She had a horrible cough, a fever, a non-stop running nose, etc. It sucked. It's just the worst when you can't give them anything to make them feel better, ya know? She appears to be over it now, fever has been gone for well over 24 hours. I was happy she was able to make it to the party today.

Christmas was really wonderful this year. The kids really got it. They were excited for Santa. They ran downstairs on Christmas morning (well, after we reassured the Moop like 25 times that Santa was NOT in the house anymore. Yes, he left you your gifts, then left!) and were so excited about all their toys. It was so funny to see them open a gift, and then just be done. Moop opened one book and wanted to play with it and be done. Meanwhile, there is like a billion other gifts for him! And he would get all excited and be like "more for me, mom?" ... LOVE him.

They got more stuff than any two kids should get. Besides Santa spoiling them, my mother was crazy as usual with a ton of stuff, including a train table for Moop and a dollhouse for Boots. My sister also went nuts, and this was just Christmas Day! We then went to see DH's family the Sunday after Christmas, and they got a ton more stuff. Can you say spoiled? Because they sure are!

The house is still all Christmas'ed out. We will probably undecorate sometime this week, but I hate it! It always makes the house look so damn boring after putting everything away.

I have to put up more Christmas pics ... but I'm too lazy to do it now ... I need a nap while the littles nap!

Enjoy,
Caba

Happy New Year!

It's late ... but it's January 1st. And I'm going to resolve to post at least twice a week. Which probably means this blog is going to not be so baby-centric.

I have so many pictures to post, from Christmas and just random cuteness. But tonight is not the night for that.

But I will leave you with a cute pic of my twins and my sister's twins ... can you handle all the adorableness??





Enjoy,
Caba