We're like a normal family now. Relatively. (Relative..get it? Play on words. I do that from time to time, you know)

Abby's never been super snuggly, but she's starting to come around to it.

If you are a parent of toddler twins and you find yourself plum out of hours in the day, I think I have just the trick for you: eat dinner at 6 instead of 8:30. We've adopted this policy (most days). I'm learning to love it. Hmmmm... (that's the sound of me hugging our new schedule.)

Previously, we'd get home from work/school/daycare/wherever around 5:15, play a bit, feed the girls dinner, and bed the morons by 7:30. Then - and only then - would us parent-types begin to consider the grumbling needs of our grumbling grumblies. 8:30 or 9 at night was not an atypical time to finally sit down and tuck into a deliciously warmed over dish from our friends at Trader Joe's. (I do love their frozen food section, I am a begrudging convert of theirs) (I also have a soft spot for the phrase "tuck into a _____" in the context of beginning a meal; I don't know why.)

That's all changed, now (for the most part) that we're eating all together as one big Gelsian Family Unit. The impetus for this change was in fact trying to have more free time; time I could spend sitting in front of a thesaurus while writing the blog; time we could use for yard work (ah..no); time to read up on Michael Jackson; or time for just the sake of it. The side benefit is that we all eat together, and they will soon be at the age when that is an important family habit to get into.

There's a downside to this, however. It makes that hour between work and dinner fretfully hectic at times. Further, if we have a hankering for a complicated meal requiring something like a roux or a stock or a can of spaghetti-ohs, it is likely going to take too long and won't fit into our timeline.

I'm also not sure this would be possible without Jen at home with the girls, as she usually has her proverbial ducks (not literal ducks...that's silly) in a row. I suppose we'll see what the fall and her return to metriculation brings; I hope we'll stick with it. I like being "done" with "life" by 8.

Now to find a snack; I'm absolutely freaking starving.

Day one hundred and sixty fower. (that's right. I'm busting out the phonetic alphabet)

Abby from the block (whoa. A J-Lo reference, really? Oh yeah)

It's Cooter from Dukes of Hazard!

"I reckon it'll runya a hundred to fixen that scratch you put on the general lee, unnhum."

Quality time.