What We Learned (March 16, 2014 edition)

Were your kids on break this week? After a fun week at home, the Mamas have a lot to write about. Well, Lisa wasn't at home, she was visiting family in Puerto Rico. So what did we learn this week?


Liz:
1) I had the week off for Spring Break so I enjoyed a few new things. First, I started watching Scandal on Netflix. I don't know how many people have told me, "You should watch it, you'd love it," and I've ignored them because I don't have time for another show. But this week I did. So I watched all of season 1 and half of season 2 so far and I am addicted. Love Olivia Pope.

2) I went away for a night with my amazing friend Michelle. We went to a hotel and spa near the house, but it was awesome to get away just for 18 hours. We had dinner, talked about purses and girly things, and I had my first massage. It was fantastic. I'm totally going again. And Mike and the kids didn't destroy the house while I was gone!

3) As I've talked about before, I'm a makeup lover. I have a ton of it but most of it I can't wear without taking allergy pills because it makes my eyes water, my nose run, and my head fill up (fun!). I was talking to the massage therapist and she said that most likely I was allergic to synthetic scents (as opposed to essential oils) and that I should look at makeup that didn't use synthetic scents to see how those did with my allergies. I went to Sephora (which I have decided is the devil) and am now in lust with Bare Minerals products.

Robyn:

1. I've learned that spending time getting done up is worth the hassle. My husband followed me into the gas station on Thursday night and said 'Wow, babe, there's not a swinging dick in this place that didn't notice when you walked in the door.' Damn straight! 

2. We took Reagan to SeaWorld for the first time, and she was amazed at the Azul show. (Dolphins, beluga whales, and synchronized swimmers). I'm looking forward to picnics in the park, and the hot days of summer at the baby water park! 

3. I've learned that spring break meant projects and hard work this week. The hubby fixed house stuff like drywall, texture, and painted. He repaired the wood on the front door and most importantly installed a back storm door that I've been asking for. As I get older, 'things' that are done for us are more important that gifts. Unless it's from Michael Kors. Then, it's debatable. 

Lisa:
1. Banshee decided that she would play a joke on me. She stuck her hands in cold water, waited for me to pull out an arm out of the covers and then....she attacked. I thought I was dying in a frozen wasteland. It. Was. Awesome. Yesterday's hippotherapy must have done miracles again for her to play a joke. It certainly taught us to appreciate all the little things again. Wow!

2. I realized how easy it is to jump back into a routine after it's been interrupted. For the girls, the trip to Puerto Rico was magical and they are not liking the cold weather right now. For me, despite hating the weather with a passion, it has been ok. I finished chores quickly in order to rest. It felt great to get it done so I could relax and get this cold over with.

3. I also learned that my kids are definitely growing up. I've been asked to teach Pixy to tie shoelaces. So, we've been working on that. Sigh! What next? Am I gonna have to teach her to use the curling iron? Sheesh! Stay tuned for a progress report on the shoelace thing. 😉

What about you? What fun things did you do, see, or learn? Share with us in the comments.

What We Learned (March 2, 2014 Edition)

What, it's March you say? No way! It seems as if Christmas was just last week. Speaking of weeks, what did the Mamas learn and experience this week? Lisa's is way more fun than something that she learned so don't miss it! Don't forget to comment at the bottom with something cool or funny that you learned.

Lisa:
Since this is my bday weekend, I'd like to make my WWL post into a bday wish. I share my bday with Dr. Seuss and Jon Bon Jovi, so it is a cool day.

My bday wish on this, the beginning of my 33rd year, is for some time spent reading a book, eating a lasagna, and getting loved on by my band of misfits. Pretty simple, huh? Nevermind that there's a snow storm on the way...again! With all the craziness of last year and the speed this year has already gotten, some uninterrupted family time is seriously all I want.  That's really what all these weekly lessons boil down to: learning to be a good human while being present for your own band of misfits. So, raise your glass to those born on March 2nd, say it in a Seussy rhyme, listen to some Bon Jovi, and have a great weekend!!

See ya next week! :)


Robyn:
I've learned that a white chocolate shell from a chocolate covered strawberry resembles a biore strip...eww!

Strawberry or Biore...?

I've learned that F16's sound like freedom as I eat my wrap and drink my sweet tea under the shade tree in the 86 degree texas weather. 

Lastly, I've learned that there are some friends that just 'get' you. Usually that conversation starts out like 'omg, you're gonna think I'm nuts, but...' And ends with the other friend feeling relieved as they thought they were the only one in the world that felt this way. Keep that type of friend forever! That's the sign of a BEST friend. 

Liz:
Last week I wrote about how we changed over our cell phone providers to Republic Wireless to save money. Another part of the "save money" plan was to ditch cable and get Netflix and HuluPlus instead (no we were Netflix free before that). I had planned to do this by getting a piece for our current TV that made it WiFi compatible, but it turns out that our TV was so old it didn't have a USB port. D'oh! So I hawked TVs and decided that when I was ready to change, we'd get a Smart TV, add Neftlix and HuluPlus, and ditch cable. I talked to Mike about it and he was on board. Then a former student who works at an appliance store told me he had a TV on clearance that would fit our needs. Needless to say, we made the switch this past week. While I'm not a fan of making lots of changes in a short period of time, buying the TV, setting it up, getting Netflix and HuluPlus, and transitioning from no cable was actually pretty easy and we're happy with it. Now I'm less happy with my new Internet bill (since we had bundled previously) but that's another story. Now I'm searching for cheaper Internet providers. That's my next project.

With the new TV watching options I've realized we watch less TV. No longer is the TV just "on" at our house - we watch a specific show or movie (and thank God it's not always the same movie anymore) and then we're done with it. There's no just searching for what's on and watching something random because there's nothing else on. I looked at all the kids shows on Netflix and randomly tried Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood for the boys and OMG they are entranced. And it's a great show. Score!

An amazing friend asked me if I wanted to take a mini-vacation during my Spring Break this year, and Mike agreed! So Michelle and I are going to stay in a hotel one night during break and relax. I don't think I need to say that I'm very excited and looking forward to it. Not only will I get to hang out with Michelle which I don't get to do often, but I'll get to relax for almost 24 hours. Nobody asking me for drinks. No little boys getting into a fight (which has started). No dogs. Nobody refusing to eat what I cook. Will I miss my husband and my sons? You bet. Immensely. I'll miss hugs and kisses and sweet boys and cuddling with Mike, but I'll be able to do those things the day before and the day after too.

What about you? Share in the Comments below with us.