From Mrs. to Mama: A Mama with Irish Twins born 1 year apart TO-THE-DAY

I am so excited to share a beautiful mama with you all. One that I have had the pleasure to get to know the past couple of years, and watch as she went from being a mama to one to being a mama to two. All in one year. Yes, you read that right. Her children? Were born one year apart to the day! Irish twins. What a blessing and incredible journey she has been taken on. One that I literally cannot imagine. I know that we if we lived near one another, we would have plenty of play dates and maybe a few drinks by the pool? Absolutely.

Also, after getting to know Aliya, enter the giveaway below! Not only is she amazing mama, but she is an amazing graphic designer and she is giving away 20 custom designed notecards!

1. Tell us about your every day life. How do you juggle two babies 1 year apart {Exactly!}. What are you favorite activities to do with them?

Well, as you can imagine it's usually more of a circus at our place than not. Especially now that Ariana is walking {read: running} everywhere, has no fear, and is a total daredevil. So when I'm not peeling her off a staircase, or off the top of a play table, I'm making sure Ky stays out of trouble as well and isn't drawing all over the kitchen walls or something. I did a detailed post on our basic everyday here.

Our favorite activities are almost always outdoor ones and even though it's hot, I'm loving the warmer weather. Winter is just the pits when you have a toddler! On SUPER hot days, we stay in the shade on the deck and play in the watertable. If the heat is bearable, or it's a cooler day, we like to take walks and we have a tot lot pretty much in our backyard that we visit daily. If the weather is awful but the kids (and I) are going stir crazy, we'll go to the mall and just stroll around or hang in the play area, there. (I know, gross. But sometimes, you just have to.)

2. Any tips for moms with babies that are 2 under 2?

I really recommend sticking to a routine/schedule as much as possible. It's easier with one baby to just fly by the seat of your pants, but with two little ones, the more your day is "scheduled" the more it is manageable and there is less time/chance for the unexpected which, with two toddlers, almost always leads to Meltdown City ;)

Also, if you have family or friends closeby that are willing to help out every now and again, take them up on it! My parents live super close and sometimes my mom will just swing by and take Ky to the grocery store with her for an hour - to give me a bit of a break and to give him an outing. It's stressful having one kid, definitely stressful having two, and DEFINITELY stressful having 2 under 2. Keeping them active, engaged and busy as much as possible is my daily goal... that way, they sleep well, eat well and everyone is happy(ier).

3. What is your favorite date night with your husband. How do you juggle the wife/mom role?

My husband and I try to do something one-on-one at least once a week. Again, my family is close which makes that possible and it's a much needed break for us both since he works long, hard hours and let's be honest, so do I. One of the things we probably do most is just go to dinner or go out for a drink. It's hard to carve out two straight hours where we can have a conversation without one of the kids in our face, especially since during the week we are usually spent by the time bedtime rolls around. Every now and then we'll do something longer like go to the movies, out with friends, a concert, etc. We recently spent a day wine-tasting and it was a total recharge for our batteries.

As most of you moms know, juggling the wife/mom role isn't always easy. Some things will get sacrificed or even abandoned because frankly some times, there just aren't enough hours in the day. However, for me personally... the bottom line is that I wouldn't be a mom if it wasn't for my husband. We built this family together, and as much as I love my kids to the ends of the earth (and of course I do), our relationship is always a priority. On the worst mom days, the only thing I want is for my husband to walk through the door because I know his love, support and help will be what gets me through it. Not to mention, he works damn hard for our family and I love showing him how much I (we) appreciate it... even if it means scrambling to straighten up the house, fix my hair and start dinner 15 minutes before he gets home ;)

4. If there is anything that you could do different, what would it be and why?

This one was a toughie! I think I would have to say I need to be better about saying "no." I always pile way too much on my plate, and I get easily overwhelmed... I'm a people pleaser and if one friend wants to meet for coffee, and my husband wants to watch a movie and someone else was promised a phone date and my mom wants to go to lunch, but I have 4,302 emails to catch up on... Well, I just try to cram it all in because truthfully, I do WANT to do it all. I think I just need to be better about living out the quote, "You can do anything, but you can't do everything."

5. Give us 3 truths and a lie about you!

a. I used to work for The Discovery Channel
b. My husband and I dated for 6 months before getting married.
c. I have never lived anywhere else besides the Washington, D.C. area
d. My kids have the same birthday