Well, the passports came in and the packing is complete! There will be no last minute shoving items in bags in this house! Bags are sorted and labeled by final destination.
I am exhausted and we haven't even left yet! I'm sure I will come back even more exhausted and will be burried alive once again by all the laundry. By going on a cruise I am breaking my #1 vacation rule and not having access to washer & dryer!
I hope that you and your family have a happy and safe Independence Day!
Friday, June 29, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Does Canada Have Popcicles?
No passports yet, but we are planning on leaving Friday for vacation. I realized last night that this is the first trip in 7 1/2 years I am not packing a diaper bag for! I'm really looking forward to taking the kids to Boston. I love taking them places that I went to as a child with my family, especially my dad. I know that his spirit will be following us around the North End. I'm hoping it will guide us to some of the better bakeries! I am also looking forward to seeing relatives in the Boston area. My Auntie gave me some great advice on child rearing shortly after my twins were born, and it has become my mantra "next year it will be easier and next year I will tell you the same thing!" She was right! I am looking forward to seeing her and telling her that!
The kids are very, very excited and are cracking me up with all of their questions!
My oldest, age 7, is the most serious and has the most "grown up" questions: "Will they speak French in the part of Canada we are going to? Will they take our money? What money do they take on the cruise ship?" He needs to have his bases covered currency wise for all his "prizes"!
My 5 year old, doesn't really have any questions - just a non stop chatter box of excitement. Hoping the passports come in so we can go to Canada, but just as happy to go to Grandma's beach house if they don't come in! She is like her mama when it comes to the beach and that old song - Toes in the Water, Ass in the Sand! (did I get the order right!). She did make it very clear that she does not want to stay at the Westin in Boston, but would rather stay at the Best Western becuase Rocky & CC from Shake It Up Chicago are in their commercials and must be at the real Best Western! (if she only knew the differences in the hotels, right!)
The twins have been the funniest! They are both 3 and have been very entertaining!
Boy Twin, Baby A: Is most excited about going to Boston, walking by the "Mr. Charles" River and staying in the hotel. He has had a few questions! "Does Canada have popcicles? Will the cruise ship have a toy robot store? Because, I need a toy robot that works on a remote control. Will the cruise ship have hot dogs? I like to eat hot dogs!"
Girl Twin, Baby B: Has been curious about the logistics! She has been asking, "How will we get to Canada? We don't have a ship? Will we have a bed on the ship?"
Thanks for stopping by and following our crazy pre-cruise adventure. I smell poop and hope it is coming from the bathroom! Will try to do one more post this week before we set sail. In case I don't, I hope that you have a wonderful and safe Independence Day!
The kids are very, very excited and are cracking me up with all of their questions!
My oldest, age 7, is the most serious and has the most "grown up" questions: "Will they speak French in the part of Canada we are going to? Will they take our money? What money do they take on the cruise ship?" He needs to have his bases covered currency wise for all his "prizes"!
My 5 year old, doesn't really have any questions - just a non stop chatter box of excitement. Hoping the passports come in so we can go to Canada, but just as happy to go to Grandma's beach house if they don't come in! She is like her mama when it comes to the beach and that old song - Toes in the Water, Ass in the Sand! (did I get the order right!). She did make it very clear that she does not want to stay at the Westin in Boston, but would rather stay at the Best Western becuase Rocky & CC from Shake It Up Chicago are in their commercials and must be at the real Best Western! (if she only knew the differences in the hotels, right!)
The twins have been the funniest! They are both 3 and have been very entertaining!
Boy Twin, Baby A: Is most excited about going to Boston, walking by the "Mr. Charles" River and staying in the hotel. He has had a few questions! "Does Canada have popcicles? Will the cruise ship have a toy robot store? Because, I need a toy robot that works on a remote control. Will the cruise ship have hot dogs? I like to eat hot dogs!"
Girl Twin, Baby B: Has been curious about the logistics! She has been asking, "How will we get to Canada? We don't have a ship? Will we have a bed on the ship?"
Thanks for stopping by and following our crazy pre-cruise adventure. I smell poop and hope it is coming from the bathroom! Will try to do one more post this week before we set sail. In case I don't, I hope that you have a wonderful and safe Independence Day!
Monday, June 25, 2012
Twin Mamas Rock!
Have a little update on the passports - just got off the phone with my husband, he just left the passport agency and the passports will all be done after 2pm on Wednesday. Canada here we come. I'm sure our neighbors to the north will never be the same after my four go through! Anyway, the lovely lady at the US Passport Agency (bet you never thought I would put all those words in the same sentence to describe a US Government employee, huh!) has twins. She recognized from our forms that we had twins (not just two kids who had the same birthday like the lady at the Post Office thought!) and was extra helpful, pushed our "wrong" forms through, re-calculated the cost so we were no longer over paying and provided excellent instructions on how to pick up the passports on Wednesday, including her name and window number - just in case she was not there to help out! A huge Thank you to Audrey at Window #8 in the DC Passport Office!!!!
If you are in or around Halifax or St John's Bay Nova Scotia I would love to hear some family friendly, multiples friendly places we can visit! Thanks!
If you are in or around Halifax or St John's Bay Nova Scotia I would love to hear some family friendly, multiples friendly places we can visit! Thanks!
Making a list and checking it twice....
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| Bags Packed - just for the kids. My new Clear Gear Bags ROCK!!! |
No, I'm not preparing for Santa's arrival or Christmas in July! I am preparing for our Summer Vacation! Yesterday, I had a marathon packathon and spent about 4-5 hours upstairs making lists, sorting, organizing, doing laundry and packing! While I did not leave the house at all yesterday, (not at all!), I was successful and completed my mission! All four kids are now packed!
This was one of the trickiest "big packs" that I have done to date with the kids. Tricky for a few different reasons - we are having multiple stops on our way to the final destination (I packed a bag for each stop) and we will be in various climates! In Canada the highs will be 70 degrees and the lows will be 40 degrees, In Boston the highs will be in the 80's!
Here are some packing tips that worked for me:
I made my lists for what needed to be packed and stuck to the lists. I also made a separate list to take with me of items that need to be moved from one bag to the next (sneakers, sweatshirts, toothbrushes, etc.).
I counted the bags and labeled each bag with the final destination. This way when we arrive in Boston, the entire van does not need to be unpacked - only the bags labeled Boston can come out. When we are at the cruise terminal only the "big luggage" can come out and we can safely leave the small bags filled with dirty clothes in our stow n go! I also counted the bags because we have been on vacation before when an entire suitcase got left behind. I can do a quick bag count and know that everything made it in the van. (Luckily when this happened there was a Gymboree Outlet at our destination and Daddy bought Twin Baby B a new vacation wardrobe!)
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| My home -made luggage tags! |
I packed a little extra, but did not go overboard. We will try to re-wear and layer.
As I'm writing this, my husband is at the US Passport Office in Washington, DC. Our agent at the expediting office was able to secure an appointment and assured us that we will have passports in hand within 48 hours. Please cross your fingers and send some good "ju-ju" our way that this all works out! I will let you know what happens!
Thanks for stopping by & have a great afternoon!
Friday, June 22, 2012
What I learned from VBS
This week my children are attending a wonderful VBS (Vacation Bible School) Program at Potomac Baptist Church (www.potomacbaptist.org). Or, Church Camp, as my kids like to call it! It is at a church at the end of our street and we know many of the families there from the neighborhood and many of the counselors there from attending other programs. For my older two, this is their third year going. It was so nice for them to be recognized by name and given hugs by their favorite teacher. For my twins this is their first VBS and first "camp" experience. They have been watching the older kids go for years and asking, asking, asking all the time for when they could be big and go too! That day finally arrived! Each night this week I was able to drop ALL FOUR of my children off from 6pm - 8:30pm. No anxiety from any of the kids or their mom on being left! I know that they are in safe hands, having fun and learning about God. I love how this program teaches about God, the Bible and Christian Values on a level that my kids can understand and relate to. I am also amazed with what all four of my kids are "getting" and retaining!
Each year during VBS the church has a particular service project that they sponsor. In year's past it has always been a mission project to Malawi. My 5 year old had been saving up spare change all year to buy a chicken in Malawi! This year they changed the service project and my kids got on board immediately! The service project this year is to support a local food pantry right here in our town. It is at Guilford Baptist Church (http://gbcfoodpantry.wordpress.com/) and I am embarrassed to say that I never knew this food pantry was right there in our town. I drive by the church all the time on my way to Wegman's and never gave it much thought.
My kids asked to help in different ways - they gathered up baggies of change to donate, they gathered up bags of food to donate (5 full bags total and they selected the items and carried them all by themselves!), and they asked to give of their time. Tuesday afternoon of this week the kids and I went to volunteer at the food pantry. It was a terrific learning experience for all of us. We stocked shelves, organized items (I was in OCD heaven!) and put food items away. Even the twins were able to help out by stacking cans on the shelves. We had a wonderful conversation on the way home in the car about how not everyone can go to the grocery store or order pizza for dinner. This sparked some great ideas from my older two - on how they want to go back again and "bring better stuff" next time.
If you live in the Sterling area, please consider making a small donation. When we were there, the food pantry was completely out of protein items - peanut butter, tuna fish, canned meat, etc. If it is easier, please drop it off with me and I can take it over. Thanks for your consideration!
Have a great weekend!
Update - I have started making my lists and getting things together to pack. If the passports don't come in, kids and I will go to the beach instead - because we will already be packed!
Each year during VBS the church has a particular service project that they sponsor. In year's past it has always been a mission project to Malawi. My 5 year old had been saving up spare change all year to buy a chicken in Malawi! This year they changed the service project and my kids got on board immediately! The service project this year is to support a local food pantry right here in our town. It is at Guilford Baptist Church (http://gbcfoodpantry.wordpress.com/) and I am embarrassed to say that I never knew this food pantry was right there in our town. I drive by the church all the time on my way to Wegman's and never gave it much thought.
My kids asked to help in different ways - they gathered up baggies of change to donate, they gathered up bags of food to donate (5 full bags total and they selected the items and carried them all by themselves!), and they asked to give of their time. Tuesday afternoon of this week the kids and I went to volunteer at the food pantry. It was a terrific learning experience for all of us. We stocked shelves, organized items (I was in OCD heaven!) and put food items away. Even the twins were able to help out by stacking cans on the shelves. We had a wonderful conversation on the way home in the car about how not everyone can go to the grocery store or order pizza for dinner. This sparked some great ideas from my older two - on how they want to go back again and "bring better stuff" next time.
If you live in the Sterling area, please consider making a small donation. When we were there, the food pantry was completely out of protein items - peanut butter, tuna fish, canned meat, etc. If it is easier, please drop it off with me and I can take it over. Thanks for your consideration!
Have a great weekend!
Update - I have started making my lists and getting things together to pack. If the passports don't come in, kids and I will go to the beach instead - because we will already be packed!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Panic Mode!
We are scheduled to leave on our summer vacation next Friday. That is 9 days away from today. We are spending a long weekend in Boston, then getting on a cruise ship and heading up to Canada. I have not started packing and I have not made one single list! I have started my lists in "my head" ( a lot of good that will do me!) and have started to think about my plan of attack for packing. I have also picked up a few things for the twins - umbrella stroller, take and toss cups, travel wipes. Nothing too exciting. I did order some more bags for myself and hope they come in before we leave!
I need to get moving on the packing. Which I am starting to panic about. What I am really panicking about is our passports. The children and I do not have passports. Mine expired and the kids did not have. Back in late April/early May we had our passport photos done, filled out all the forms and went to the post office to have them finalized. We decided that we would utilize the post office for the paperwork portion, but use an agency to hand carry our passports and get them processed (benefit of living in Washington DC!). So glad we did. My husband told us last night that the post office instructed us to use the wrong forms for the children and over charged us by about $60 per child. Trying to stay calm, but it is not working! The agency said that it takes about 3-5 business days to get a passport processed and it looks like we are going to have to start everything over. We are cutting it very, very close! I have double checked and we can no longer use birth certificates to visit our neighbors to the North and must have valid passports or passport cards.
I am at a loss for what I should do. Do I proceed like we are going and start packing? Or do I wait until passports are in hand? My choices are pack and unpack, or wait and pull an all nighter! I also need to go to Target and raid the dollar section for prizes and activities we can take on the ship.
What should I do?!
Have a great day!
I need to get moving on the packing. Which I am starting to panic about. What I am really panicking about is our passports. The children and I do not have passports. Mine expired and the kids did not have. Back in late April/early May we had our passport photos done, filled out all the forms and went to the post office to have them finalized. We decided that we would utilize the post office for the paperwork portion, but use an agency to hand carry our passports and get them processed (benefit of living in Washington DC!). So glad we did. My husband told us last night that the post office instructed us to use the wrong forms for the children and over charged us by about $60 per child. Trying to stay calm, but it is not working! The agency said that it takes about 3-5 business days to get a passport processed and it looks like we are going to have to start everything over. We are cutting it very, very close! I have double checked and we can no longer use birth certificates to visit our neighbors to the North and must have valid passports or passport cards.
I am at a loss for what I should do. Do I proceed like we are going and start packing? Or do I wait until passports are in hand? My choices are pack and unpack, or wait and pull an all nighter! I also need to go to Target and raid the dollar section for prizes and activities we can take on the ship.
What should I do?!
Have a great day!
Friday, June 15, 2012
Pink Raspberry!
Are you ready? I have THE best Summer time recipe for you! Now, this one is not for the kids! I made up a batch of these last night for some friends and it was a huge hit!! It is so good that I just had to share it. This will be your go to drink for the summer!
Pink Raspberry Cosmo:
Take Fresh Raspberries, wash, pat dry. Lay flat on cookie sheet and place in freezer. You will need these later! (If you are near a Wegman's they are on sale this week!)
Get a large pitcher. (Pitchers with lids or strainer on top work best) If you are going to serve immediately, fill with ice. If not, hold off on the ice.
Add to pitcher:
1 cup Raspberry Vodka (Smirnoff makes one!)
1/2 cup Triple Sec
1/2 cup Rose's Lime Juice (don't use freshly squeezed lime juice - it will make drink cloudy!)
3 cups Cran-Raspberry Juice
Stir & put in fridge until you are ready to serve.
When you are ready to serve, take pitcher out, give a quick stir and fill with ice.
Get your raspberries out of the freezer. Place three in the bottom of a martini glass. Pour Cosmo over raspberries, careful to not get any ice cubes in your drink.
Sip & enjoy!
This makes about 4-5 servings. Definitely double (or triple) recipe if you are having a party!
Happy Friday! Have a great weekend!
Pink Raspberry Cosmo:
Take Fresh Raspberries, wash, pat dry. Lay flat on cookie sheet and place in freezer. You will need these later! (If you are near a Wegman's they are on sale this week!)
Get a large pitcher. (Pitchers with lids or strainer on top work best) If you are going to serve immediately, fill with ice. If not, hold off on the ice.
Add to pitcher:
1 cup Raspberry Vodka (Smirnoff makes one!)
1/2 cup Triple Sec
1/2 cup Rose's Lime Juice (don't use freshly squeezed lime juice - it will make drink cloudy!)
3 cups Cran-Raspberry Juice
Stir & put in fridge until you are ready to serve.
When you are ready to serve, take pitcher out, give a quick stir and fill with ice.
Get your raspberries out of the freezer. Place three in the bottom of a martini glass. Pour Cosmo over raspberries, careful to not get any ice cubes in your drink.
Sip & enjoy!
This makes about 4-5 servings. Definitely double (or triple) recipe if you are having a party!
Happy Friday! Have a great weekend!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Super Summer Salsa!
This is a quick & easy recipe that I just had to share! My kids have been devouring it since the weekend. Yesterday they had two bowls and they just asked me to make it now for their morning snack. Best part about it, kids can make it (with supervision, of course) themselves. No cooking is required!
Take your salsa and pour it in a bowl. I really like the Great Value Brand All Natural Salsa with white corn & black beans. It does have the extra veggies in it and the big chunks of tomato. Add to your salsa a handful of shredded cheddar cheese and about 3 tablespoons of ranch dressing. Mix together and serve. I know it sounds questionable, and the coloring of it is a little off. But my kids love it and can't get enough! I serve it with plain tortilla chips.
Please let me know if you give this a try and what your kids think of it! Also, please share any favorite summer dip recipes!
Enjoy!
Take your salsa and pour it in a bowl. I really like the Great Value Brand All Natural Salsa with white corn & black beans. It does have the extra veggies in it and the big chunks of tomato. Add to your salsa a handful of shredded cheddar cheese and about 3 tablespoons of ranch dressing. Mix together and serve. I know it sounds questionable, and the coloring of it is a little off. But my kids love it and can't get enough! I serve it with plain tortilla chips.
Please let me know if you give this a try and what your kids think of it! Also, please share any favorite summer dip recipes!
Enjoy!
Uncertainty
It is probable. It is possible. That is most likely what happened, but we will never know 100% for sure. Those are not the words I expected to hear at the doctor's yesterday when I described my very unusual and slightly off period.
Turns out it was, or most likely was, a miscarriage. I knew something was "going on" last week that wasn't "quite right", but I guess part of me didn't want to face it and I also knew I had a scheduled appointment coming up for the following week.
I wasn't very far along, maybe four or five weeks. Apparently this is quite common. It could even be considered a "chemical pregnancy". I did some research and it was very hard to find accurate numbers: 20% - 25% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage in the first trimester. This number is most likely even higher. Many women don't know that they are pregnant if it is very early on, and aren't aware that they are miscarrying. I know that I need three hands to count all of the women I know personally whom have experienced miscarriages. Of these women, I would say close to 1/2 had miscarriages in the double digits. This is something that used to never be discussed. Only whispered. It is nothing to be ashamed of. I know that I did nothing wrong.
I'm uncertain as to how I should feel. Should I be sad, should I be relieved. I do feel very Blessed. I do feel Grateful. I have had three pregnancies that resulted in my four beautiful children. They are my four Blessings. I am Blessed that I have 100% support from my family at all times, especially my siblings. They are my Blessings too.
I know that I cannot dwell on this and must move on. I did take some time yesterday to think of the curly haired little baby that would have been born in January 2013. Picturing in my mind a little boy that looks like his brothers and sisters.
Please don't be sad for me. But, take a moment today and Give Thanks for Your Blessings.
the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD
Job 1:21 (KJV)
Turns out it was, or most likely was, a miscarriage. I knew something was "going on" last week that wasn't "quite right", but I guess part of me didn't want to face it and I also knew I had a scheduled appointment coming up for the following week.
I wasn't very far along, maybe four or five weeks. Apparently this is quite common. It could even be considered a "chemical pregnancy". I did some research and it was very hard to find accurate numbers: 20% - 25% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage in the first trimester. This number is most likely even higher. Many women don't know that they are pregnant if it is very early on, and aren't aware that they are miscarrying. I know that I need three hands to count all of the women I know personally whom have experienced miscarriages. Of these women, I would say close to 1/2 had miscarriages in the double digits. This is something that used to never be discussed. Only whispered. It is nothing to be ashamed of. I know that I did nothing wrong.
I'm uncertain as to how I should feel. Should I be sad, should I be relieved. I do feel very Blessed. I do feel Grateful. I have had three pregnancies that resulted in my four beautiful children. They are my four Blessings. I am Blessed that I have 100% support from my family at all times, especially my siblings. They are my Blessings too.
I know that I cannot dwell on this and must move on. I did take some time yesterday to think of the curly haired little baby that would have been born in January 2013. Picturing in my mind a little boy that looks like his brothers and sisters.
Please don't be sad for me. But, take a moment today and Give Thanks for Your Blessings.
the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD
Job 1:21 (KJV)
Monday, June 11, 2012
Wishes Really Do Come True!
I have witnessed two great things in our household within the last 24 hours. Things that I thought I was still years away from!
Last night after dinner, my oldest (7 years old) invited his little brother (twin Baby A 3 1/2 years old) to go play in his room with him. They ended up watching Super Hero Squad together on the tablet and sat very nicely next to one another! This was a first! My 7 year old also admitted that his brother wasn't so bad and it was cool that he liked the same show as he did. My oldest did all of this without being prompted, asked or bribed!
Just now I came home from a doctor's appointment and quick trip to Wegmans (I finally bought toothpaste!). I walked in to find all four of my children sitting nicely in a circle playing Monopoly with their new babysitter. We have a college student to help us out during the summer. She watched the kids a few times before, but today is her first "real day". I was a little nervous about how the kids would transition. We had our last summer sitter for the past two summers, she is a grad student and needed this summer to work on her thesis. (L if you are reading this we miss you and love you and you are a hard act to follow!). My oldest is reading the cards, my 5 year old is counting spaces. Wow! I should have turned around and went back out!
Happy Monday. I hope you have a great day and some of your wishes come true!
Last night after dinner, my oldest (7 years old) invited his little brother (twin Baby A 3 1/2 years old) to go play in his room with him. They ended up watching Super Hero Squad together on the tablet and sat very nicely next to one another! This was a first! My 7 year old also admitted that his brother wasn't so bad and it was cool that he liked the same show as he did. My oldest did all of this without being prompted, asked or bribed!
Just now I came home from a doctor's appointment and quick trip to Wegmans (I finally bought toothpaste!). I walked in to find all four of my children sitting nicely in a circle playing Monopoly with their new babysitter. We have a college student to help us out during the summer. She watched the kids a few times before, but today is her first "real day". I was a little nervous about how the kids would transition. We had our last summer sitter for the past two summers, she is a grad student and needed this summer to work on her thesis. (L if you are reading this we miss you and love you and you are a hard act to follow!). My oldest is reading the cards, my 5 year old is counting spaces. Wow! I should have turned around and went back out!
Happy Monday. I hope you have a great day and some of your wishes come true!
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Firsts!
The twins have had some "firsts" lately! They have been the good, the bad and the ugly. But, they are all milestones for my 3 1/2 year old twins!
Let's start with the good! My Baby B (Girl Twin) swam today in the pool for the first time underwater, unassisted. She put on her goggles and down she went. She swam like a little fish and did great! This is the same kid that would not get in the pool last summer without screaming. She is a different kid this summer. She asks to go to the pool daily and puts on her bathing suit all by herself, too! Her goal is to swim the length of the pool by the end of summer. Gotta love when your 3 1/2 year old has goals! But she can do it!
Now the bad. I took the twins to Target the other day (just me and the twins, my oldest was at school and my 5 yr old was at a play date) and we didn't use a cart. The twins wanted to walk. We had a little conversation in the van and they explained that they were "big now" and could do it. They promised their "mama that they would walk nicely, stay together and hold hands". It was in the middle of the day, we only had a few things to pick up and had extra time, so I said sure why not! Big mistake. They did not walk nicely, they did not hold hands. They did stay together! Chasing each other around the sale racks in the kids' clothing section, entertaining all the shoppers. I was very lucky that every one commented on how cute the kids were and asked if they were twins. No one (surprisingly) gave me dirty looks or asked to control my kids. I did get them to calm down and we left the store without any incidents (you know, displays getting knocked over, candy getting shoved into pockets by the check out). I did however, forget to buy toothpaste, father's day cards and hair nets (my daughter needs them for ballet recital!) - my entire reasons for going to the store in the first place!
As for the ugly, it was really, really ugly. I took my twins and my five year old to the grocery store the other day and ended up leaving - I had my wallet this time too! It was the first time I had ever walked out of the store without any items because my children were carrying on. The timing was very bad on my part - it was during the twins' nap time. (Now that they are swimming everyday, they have started to nap again - woo hoo!) We had just dropped my oldest off at OT and had about an hour before we had to pick him up. We had limited groceries at home and I needed to pick up a few things (toothpaste, cards, hair net!), including something for dinner. When we got to the store Baby B started crying (she was screaming) in the parking lot because she wanted to have the cart that looked like a police car, not a regular red car. I got my other two settled in the driver's seat and let Baby B walk so she could "help me" pick the groceries. Make it through produce okay, head over to the "drug store section" when tantrum number two starts. Across from the toothpaste is the stationery section. Of course. Because you need paper and toothpaste together! My five year old just had to have a sparkle notebook that cost $5.99 (same notebook at Walmart would be$.99 or $1.99). I gently explained that I would get her a notebook, just not at the grocery store. This resulted in a first for her - an all out fit. Kicking, screaming, jumping up and down, throwing herself on the floor kinda fit. This was something that this child has never done before. I walked away, she followed and I decided to leave. Then my Baby A (Boy Twin) started crying because we were leaving the store without any chicken for dinner! He is very serious about his chicken and his dinner and is not a "cryer"! We went home (after picking up my oldest) the kids settled down, we had left overs for dinner and everyone survived!
Please comment if you have had a similar experience!
Have a great evening!
Let's start with the good! My Baby B (Girl Twin) swam today in the pool for the first time underwater, unassisted. She put on her goggles and down she went. She swam like a little fish and did great! This is the same kid that would not get in the pool last summer without screaming. She is a different kid this summer. She asks to go to the pool daily and puts on her bathing suit all by herself, too! Her goal is to swim the length of the pool by the end of summer. Gotta love when your 3 1/2 year old has goals! But she can do it!
Now the bad. I took the twins to Target the other day (just me and the twins, my oldest was at school and my 5 yr old was at a play date) and we didn't use a cart. The twins wanted to walk. We had a little conversation in the van and they explained that they were "big now" and could do it. They promised their "mama that they would walk nicely, stay together and hold hands". It was in the middle of the day, we only had a few things to pick up and had extra time, so I said sure why not! Big mistake. They did not walk nicely, they did not hold hands. They did stay together! Chasing each other around the sale racks in the kids' clothing section, entertaining all the shoppers. I was very lucky that every one commented on how cute the kids were and asked if they were twins. No one (surprisingly) gave me dirty looks or asked to control my kids. I did get them to calm down and we left the store without any incidents (you know, displays getting knocked over, candy getting shoved into pockets by the check out). I did however, forget to buy toothpaste, father's day cards and hair nets (my daughter needs them for ballet recital!) - my entire reasons for going to the store in the first place!
As for the ugly, it was really, really ugly. I took my twins and my five year old to the grocery store the other day and ended up leaving - I had my wallet this time too! It was the first time I had ever walked out of the store without any items because my children were carrying on. The timing was very bad on my part - it was during the twins' nap time. (Now that they are swimming everyday, they have started to nap again - woo hoo!) We had just dropped my oldest off at OT and had about an hour before we had to pick him up. We had limited groceries at home and I needed to pick up a few things (toothpaste, cards, hair net!), including something for dinner. When we got to the store Baby B started crying (she was screaming) in the parking lot because she wanted to have the cart that looked like a police car, not a regular red car. I got my other two settled in the driver's seat and let Baby B walk so she could "help me" pick the groceries. Make it through produce okay, head over to the "drug store section" when tantrum number two starts. Across from the toothpaste is the stationery section. Of course. Because you need paper and toothpaste together! My five year old just had to have a sparkle notebook that cost $5.99 (same notebook at Walmart would be$.99 or $1.99). I gently explained that I would get her a notebook, just not at the grocery store. This resulted in a first for her - an all out fit. Kicking, screaming, jumping up and down, throwing herself on the floor kinda fit. This was something that this child has never done before. I walked away, she followed and I decided to leave. Then my Baby A (Boy Twin) started crying because we were leaving the store without any chicken for dinner! He is very serious about his chicken and his dinner and is not a "cryer"! We went home (after picking up my oldest) the kids settled down, we had left overs for dinner and everyone survived!
Please comment if you have had a similar experience!
Have a great evening!
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Sanity Saver: Clear Gear is Here!!
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| Clear Gear - Equipment for Humans |
I am always on the lookout for products that can help me stay organized and on track. I also love products that come from small, local businesses and Mommy Owned businesses. Clear Gear is THE product to help you stay organized! They are sturdy bags, but function like a box. Best part about them, they are clear! So anyone can see what is inside without tearing everything apart! The founder of Clear Gear is a full time stay at home mom and gets the challenges that we have with our kids and our households!
These bags can be used for pretty much anything you can think of! First aid kit, DVDs, toy storage, craft/hobby supplies, packing on trips ,etc! (They are perfect for Barbie Dolls and all the small pieces that she comes with - shoes, clothes, hairbrush, etc.)
You all know from my previous posts how I am with packing! For our summer vacation we are headed up to Boston for a long weekend. From there, we will get on a cruse ship and spend a few days at sea and in Canada. I am already stressing and strategizing on what to pack and how to pack. I have figured out that I will need three separate bags for each family member. (the kids will share suitcases so I am hoping we don't end up with 18 bags in the van!)
We need one bag for an overnight stay with the Grandparents (breaking up our drive to Boston). We need one bag for the long weekend in Boston. We need one bag for the cruise. That is a lot of bags to pack. Plus, I will not have access to laundry facilities, so I will need to pack extra!
To help me stay sane on our cruise I will be using Clear Gear! The bags comes in three different sizes and are washable! The smallest size bag will be perfect for our prescriptions and OTC meds - epi pen, eye drops, Tylenol, etc. The largest size bag will be used for toys to have in the car and on the cruise. The medium size I am going to keep for me and use for my makeup and "hair stuff". I will let you know how it goes!
Please be sure to check out the Clear Gear website at: www.ClearGearBags.com
They are offering a special throughout the month of June - $5.00 off the purchase of a combination set of bags.
Happy organizing!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Picnic Time!
It's summer time and the living is easy! My kids and I want to be outside as much as possible enjoying the beautiful weather before the true heat of the summer sets in (we live in Virginia - 95 degrees, plus 100% humidity will be here before we know it!). That includes having our meals outside! The last place I want to be is in the kitchen. The other night for dinner, we made "picnic" food and had a very nice dinner on the deck. This was something that was easy to make and all the kids enjoyed. This is something that would be great to make & take too! The kids were involved with the prep work, which makes everything taste better! Here is our easy menu. Sure to please even the pickiest of eaters!
Pirate Chicken (aka grilled chicken drumsticks)
Who doesn't like to eat like a pirate! This was super easy to make. I took large Ziploc bags and made a marinade of equal parts honey and mustard. Seasoned with a little salt & pepper. I put in fridge for about an hour. Then I put the chicken on a pre-heated grill. I grilled them for about 40 minutes on a medium heat. Turning every 8-10 minutes. You want to make sure that your chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. (note on the marinade - my husband thought it needed a little acidity to cut the sweetness of the honey - try adding a little freshly squeezed lime juice to yours!)
Sweet Georgia Corn (aka corn on the cob left over from Sunday's dinner)
I sliced the corn off the cob, warmed up in the microwave and we were ready to go! I love to cook once eat twice!
Home Style Potato Salad (potato salad made from scratch with love!)
My girls helped me make this. It tastes better if you make ahead and put in the fridge prior to eating.
Super easy! Peel, Slice and boil potatoes. (Use what you have on hand - I used 4 white potatoes. Make sure the pieces aren't too big - you want them to be all around the same size so they cook evenly. You also want to make them bite size for your smaller diners!) Rinse cooked potatoes in very cold water. Put in bowl. Mix in 1/2 cup chopped celery, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1 c miracle whip, 1/2 c buttermilk ranch dressing, 2 squirts of yellow mustard, salt & pepper to taste.
Fresh Strawberries
I Sliced up some sweet strawberries and the kids finished the entire bowl!
I hope you try this with your family! Please be sure to leave a comment if you do!
Please also be sure to share some of your favorite picnic recipes!
Have a great day!
Pirate Chicken (aka grilled chicken drumsticks)
Who doesn't like to eat like a pirate! This was super easy to make. I took large Ziploc bags and made a marinade of equal parts honey and mustard. Seasoned with a little salt & pepper. I put in fridge for about an hour. Then I put the chicken on a pre-heated grill. I grilled them for about 40 minutes on a medium heat. Turning every 8-10 minutes. You want to make sure that your chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. (note on the marinade - my husband thought it needed a little acidity to cut the sweetness of the honey - try adding a little freshly squeezed lime juice to yours!)
Sweet Georgia Corn (aka corn on the cob left over from Sunday's dinner)
I sliced the corn off the cob, warmed up in the microwave and we were ready to go! I love to cook once eat twice!
Home Style Potato Salad (potato salad made from scratch with love!)
My girls helped me make this. It tastes better if you make ahead and put in the fridge prior to eating.
Super easy! Peel, Slice and boil potatoes. (Use what you have on hand - I used 4 white potatoes. Make sure the pieces aren't too big - you want them to be all around the same size so they cook evenly. You also want to make them bite size for your smaller diners!) Rinse cooked potatoes in very cold water. Put in bowl. Mix in 1/2 cup chopped celery, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1 c miracle whip, 1/2 c buttermilk ranch dressing, 2 squirts of yellow mustard, salt & pepper to taste.
Fresh Strawberries
I Sliced up some sweet strawberries and the kids finished the entire bowl!
I hope you try this with your family! Please be sure to leave a comment if you do!
Please also be sure to share some of your favorite picnic recipes!
Have a great day!
Monday, June 4, 2012
Multiples Monday
Fellow Mom of Multiples and Blogger Theresa, hosts a weekly Multiples Monday on her site. I do participate in this each week and share my blogs on the mayhem with my multiples ++!
Theresa has an amazing story! After dealing with infertility, she went on to have one singleton and a set of triplets within days of each other. They are not quadruplets! You will have to check out her blog to find out how this happened!
Please be sure to check out Theresa's story on Capri +3 and read some really great Blogs by other Multiples Mommies:
http://www.multiples-mom.com
Happy Monday!
Theresa has an amazing story! After dealing with infertility, she went on to have one singleton and a set of triplets within days of each other. They are not quadruplets! You will have to check out her blog to find out how this happened!
Please be sure to check out Theresa's story on Capri +3 and read some really great Blogs by other Multiples Mommies:
http://www.multiples-mom.com
Happy Monday!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Hallelujah!
I have been singing the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah the last several days. Mainly in my head, but that counts too!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
We have had several pretty good things happening around our household the past few days:
1) All of the glitter glue has been removed from the hard surfaces in the kitchen! Never thought this would happen!
2) We discovered exactly where the pee smell was coming from in the powder room! (I have mentioned this before, no matter what I cleaned, where I cleaned or how many times I cleaned it always came back!) Thanks to a woman who works with my husband (Thank you, Thank you so much for this tip!). It was coming from the actual toilet seat. My husband took it apart, gave it a good scrubbing and no more stink! (He was a brave man for doing that!)
3) The funky smell in the laundry room is gone! It was coming from our front load washer. If you have this problem, give the Tide brand washing machine cleaner a try - it really works! (I'm not being paid or compensated for this statement!).
4) The most wonderful thing that happened.....my littlest one, my "Baby B" is officially Potty Trained! Woo Hoo! We are day 3 in underpants! We have left the house to do errands and go to the pool and we are accident free! We had a party last night to celebrate! Ice cream cake is very powerful! The last "dirty" diaper (pull up actually) I changed was on Thursday, May 31st! I have changed diapers consecutively, for just my own children (not counting my 5 nieces and all the friend's babies I changed over the years!) for 7 years, 4 months and 18 days. That is a lot of diapers! Her twin brother was fully trained back in January, right around the time the twins turned three. My little one had no interest. We tried stickers, candy, promises of earning prizes - I even pulled out the "big guns" - the American Girl Catalog. No interest, couldn't care less. Either she wasn't ready, or she wanted to "be in control" and decide when she was ready. Several things happened this time around and I think they all contributed to her success:
-My sister was in town recently and promised to send her a new pack of princess "chones" (cho -nayes : underpants) from Disneyland in California if she would stay dry. My little one liked the word chones and would say it over and over! She likes Princesses too!
-There is a new Huggies commercial on TV. The little girl is sitting a table, dressed like a princess having a tea party with her daddy. My little girl, loves this commercial! In the commerical the little girl does wear pull ups, but takes a potty break!
- My five year old stepped in and stepped up! (without being asked!) After seeing this commercial, she would sing to her sister: " What do Big Girls Take?! A Potty Break!" and my little one would go use the potty. My five year old would also invite her sister to go potty whenever she did.
-The Pool opened. It can't be comfortable to wear a swim diaper!
- I stopped asking her to go on the potty or if she wanted to use underpants. I acted like I could care less if she went in her pants. When she needed a change, she had to go get the clean pull up, changing pad, wipes and bag. Then I would change her.
Have a wonderful Sunday afternoon!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
We have had several pretty good things happening around our household the past few days:
1) All of the glitter glue has been removed from the hard surfaces in the kitchen! Never thought this would happen!
2) We discovered exactly where the pee smell was coming from in the powder room! (I have mentioned this before, no matter what I cleaned, where I cleaned or how many times I cleaned it always came back!) Thanks to a woman who works with my husband (Thank you, Thank you so much for this tip!). It was coming from the actual toilet seat. My husband took it apart, gave it a good scrubbing and no more stink! (He was a brave man for doing that!)
3) The funky smell in the laundry room is gone! It was coming from our front load washer. If you have this problem, give the Tide brand washing machine cleaner a try - it really works! (I'm not being paid or compensated for this statement!).
4) The most wonderful thing that happened.....my littlest one, my "Baby B" is officially Potty Trained! Woo Hoo! We are day 3 in underpants! We have left the house to do errands and go to the pool and we are accident free! We had a party last night to celebrate! Ice cream cake is very powerful! The last "dirty" diaper (pull up actually) I changed was on Thursday, May 31st! I have changed diapers consecutively, for just my own children (not counting my 5 nieces and all the friend's babies I changed over the years!) for 7 years, 4 months and 18 days. That is a lot of diapers! Her twin brother was fully trained back in January, right around the time the twins turned three. My little one had no interest. We tried stickers, candy, promises of earning prizes - I even pulled out the "big guns" - the American Girl Catalog. No interest, couldn't care less. Either she wasn't ready, or she wanted to "be in control" and decide when she was ready. Several things happened this time around and I think they all contributed to her success:
-My sister was in town recently and promised to send her a new pack of princess "chones" (cho -nayes : underpants) from Disneyland in California if she would stay dry. My little one liked the word chones and would say it over and over! She likes Princesses too!
-There is a new Huggies commercial on TV. The little girl is sitting a table, dressed like a princess having a tea party with her daddy. My little girl, loves this commercial! In the commerical the little girl does wear pull ups, but takes a potty break!
- My five year old stepped in and stepped up! (without being asked!) After seeing this commercial, she would sing to her sister: " What do Big Girls Take?! A Potty Break!" and my little one would go use the potty. My five year old would also invite her sister to go potty whenever she did.
-The Pool opened. It can't be comfortable to wear a swim diaper!
- I stopped asking her to go on the potty or if she wanted to use underpants. I acted like I could care less if she went in her pants. When she needed a change, she had to go get the clean pull up, changing pad, wipes and bag. Then I would change her.
Have a wonderful Sunday afternoon!
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